A sliding surface having a gentle slope for carrying pharmaceutical products such as infusion bottles (20) is formed by a row of rollers (15) extending in the direction of slope. An ejecting member (14) for sequentially ejecting the products (20) is formed as a series of a flat plate (14a) and a curved plate (14c). The flat plate (14a) is pivotably supported such that the pivot center is on an extension of the sliding surface. The curved plate (14c) is provided below the flat plate (14a), maintaining a constant distance from the pivot center. An actuator such as an electric motor (12) for pivotally moving the ejecting member (14) is provided beneath the sliding surface. Since the pharmaceutical product at the head of a queue assists the pivotal movement, it is ensured that a small actuator serves the purpose.

Cassettes which align pharmaceutical products for storage, and a medicine storage apparatus in which a large number of such cassettes are arranged in an inclined position are provided (for example, see patent document No. 1). The cassettes and the apparatus are designed to manually retrieve pharmaceutical products, etc.
A medicine dispensing apparatus, capable of ejecting pharmaceutical products automatically by providing a semicylindrical movable lid at the front end of a cassette and by axially rotating the lid, is also available (see, for example, patent document No. 2). A dispensing and transporting mechanism, which retrieves a pharmaceutical product stored in the apparatus from a pharmaceutical product outlet of a cassette and conveys the product to a predetermined position, is built in the apparatus.
There is also developed a medicine dispensing apparatus provided with a medicine transporting apparatus which horizontally moves the medicine ejected from a cassette, a descent guidance member which causes the medicine to fall and collects the medicine, and a carrier transporting apparatus which transports a carrier to a position for introducing the collected medicine into the carrier (see, for example patent document No. 3).
[Patent Document No. 1]
    JP 2002-011072 (page 1)[Patent Document No. 2]    JP 2004-275550 (page 1)[Patent Document No. 3]    JP 2004-344420 (page 1)[Patent Document No. 4]    JP 2001-198194 (FIG. 5, FIG. 11)[Patent Document No. 5]    JP 2004-148036 (page 1, FIG. 4)[Patent Document No. 6]    JP 2004-187958 (page 1, FIG. 3)

Pharmaceutical product cassette, pharmaceutical product dispensing apparatus and pharmaceutical product dispensing system


A sheet conveyor included in an image forming apparatus includes a conveying roller rotatable in normal and reverse directions to convey a sheet in opposite sheet conveyance directions, a switching guide rotatable about a support shaft to guide the sheet to a path, a first switchback mechanism performing a first operation of changing a direction of rotation of the conveying roller, a first actuator actuating the first switchback mechanism, a second switchback mechanism performing a second operation of changing a position of the switching guide, a second actuator actuating the second switchback mechanism. The switchback mechanisms and the actuators are configured to be replaceable with a switchback linking mechanism, by employing a linking member, configured to link the first and second operations to be actuated by one actuator of the first and second actuators without changing an arrangement of the one actuator of the first and second actuators.

1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the present invention relates to a sheet conveyor for conveying a sheet of recording material and an image forming apparatus incorporating the sheet conveyor.
2. Related Art
For duplex printing, image forming apparatuses typically rotate a sheet discharging roller in reverse before a sheet discharging portion to change a direction of rotation of the sheet discharging roller to switch back the sheet and switch the position of a separator disposed near the sheet discharging roller to change a direction of sheet path to guide the sheet of recording material to a duplex printing path.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP-2011-144050-A discloses a sheet conveyor having a switchback mechanism in which an action to change a direction of rotation of a sheet conveying roller (i.e., a sheet discharging roller) and another action to change a position of a switching member (i.e., a branch guide) are linked by a linking member and operated by a solenoid actuator.
This sheet conveyor having one solenoid actuator for performing two actions reduces costs by comparing with a sheet conveyor having two solenoid actuators for performing two respective actions differently.
By contrast, the related-art sheet conveyor is configured to synchronize two actions with one solenoid actuator. Therefore, by comparing with the sheet conveyor with two solenoid actuators, the related-art sheet conveyor has restrictions on switchback timing, which decreases productivity of image forming apparatuses.
Some users set a higher value on high productivity than low cost and some do on low cost than high productivity. Therefore, manufacturers may develop and produce various types of image forming apparatuses having different configurations to meet the demands of both users. Producing such different types of image forming apparatuses without a common sheet conveyor significantly degrade development and production efficiencies.

Sheet conveyor and image forming apparatus incorporating same


A motor vehicle power steering installation has a heat exchanger mounted in a hollow portion of a motor vehicle frame where air passes through at a velocity higher than that outside the motor vehicle frame.

In power steering applications, such as used in trucks and buses as shown in FIG. 1, a power steering gear 10 mounted on the vehicle's frame 12 is powered by hydraulic fluid that is circulated by an engine driven power steering pump 14 and is typically cooled by a finned heat exchanger 16. The heat exchanger 16, which is also called a power steering cooler, typically comprises a U-shaped tube 18 to which a plurality of fins 20 are attached and is normally mounted in the air stream through the vehicle's engine compartment such as on a radiator support frame 22 ahead of the radiator (not shown). Further, by way of background, the truck or bus frame 12 is typically tubular and has a hollow section or portion 23 that terminates at its forward end in the vicinity of the power steering installation; in this case, immediately ahead of the radiator support frame. Furthermore, it is important to understand that the forward end of the hollow frame portion 23 is normally open and in the air stream that flows into and around the engine compartment.

Motor vehicle power steering cooler arrangement


HF testing equipment for testing mobile communications terminals emulates the D2D communications capabilities of at least two mobile communications terminals. Using this equipment, interfering radio transmissions that may occur as a result of randomly selected frequency resources are replicated to test the effect thereof in a mobile communications terminal. A channel model of a transmission channel is emulated, and distortion is impressed on the data signal to be transmitted by means of the model. One baseband data signal in the frequency domain is thus obtained for each transmission channel, and this data signal contains the effects of a particular transmission channel on an undistorted data signal. The various baseband data signals are linked together, e.g., by complex multiplication, and transformed into the time domain. A receipt signal for a mobile communications terminal to be tested, produced by taking account of transmission channels and the accompanying channel distortion, is thus emulated.

The present invention is based in the field of device-to-device (D2D) communication. D2D is a radio standard in LTE (long term evolution) that enables direct communication between various mobile communications terminals while bypassing a base station and thus a corresponding radio network. In the LTE standard, these mobile communications terminals are also referred to as user equipment (UE) and the direct communication link between mobile communications terminals is referred to as a sidelink. The D2D communication is considered to be a means for simplifying peer-to-peer (P2P) services between mobile communications terminals, for simplifying infrastructure-free communication in emergency situations, and for improving the network capacity by transferring data traffic out of the radio communications network. WO 2012/082024 A1 describes an example of D2D communication of this type.
In the following, the present invention and the problem addressed thereby will be explained on the basis of D2D communication, although this does not limit the invention to this type of mobile communications terminals or to the LTE standard.
Owing to the increasing functionality of modern mobile communications terminals, it is becoming ever more important to test them. If a mobile communications terminal is tested in the actual mobile communications network, the conditions are often not reproducible since limiting conditions such as cell power, timing, capacity utilisation, etc., can change constantly. Therefore, testing equipment exists that is designed specifically for testing mobile communications terminals. These mobile communications terminals to be tested are also referred to generally as "device under test" or DUT for short. While current testing equipment can emulate the functionality of base stations, future testing equipment must also be able to test the D2D communications properties of mobile communications terminals.
While D2D represents communication between two mobile communications terminals, situations also occur during practical use where one mobile communications terminal is addressed by a plurality of mobile communications terminals via respective D2D communication links. In this case, the base station of the mobile communications network configures common transmission resources for all the transmitting mobile communications terminals, from which said terminals select individual transmission resources at random. In addition, the corresponding transmission resources are communicated to the receiving mobile communications terminal as a receipt resource. Since the transmission resources are selected at random by the individual mobile communications terminals in the time and frequency domains, the situation may occur where at least two transmitting mobile communications terminals each transmit the data to the receiving mobile communications terminal on the same transmission frequency and at the same time, i.e. in the same time slot. This, however, causes interferences in the transmitted data signals. In this scenario, the receiving mobile communications terminals also have to operate correctly, which has to be verified by appropriate test scenarios. It is thus necessary to also be able to properly test mobile communications terminals under test for the event that interfering radio transmissions occur.

HF testing equipment and method for testing D2D-enabled mobile communications terminals


The present invention relates to the preparation of a thermoplastic fluoropolymer blend composition exhibiting improved mechanical properties upon fabrication. The fluoropolymer blend composite on is produced by blending an emulsion latex of fluoropolymer (A) with an emulsion latex of fluorinated copolymer (B). Copolymer (B) emulsion has a small particle size, super high MW, and a low degree of crystallinity. The blending of the latex emulsions results in a morphology with small particles of copolymer (B) uniformly distributed within a matrix of fluoropolymer (A) in a manner that could not be achieved by a mere melt blending of the tow components.

Melt-processable fluoropolymers are often formed into polymer articles and structures by a variety of different processes, such as extrusion, injection molding, fiber spinning, and extrusion blow molding, cast film and blown film. Fluoropolymers may also be used as polymer processing aids due to their low surface energies and phase behaviors.
Fluoropolymers, and especially polyvinylidene fluoride polymers and copolymers, are used in a variety of applications due to their excellent chemical resistance, weatherability, and long term thermal stability. Fluoropolymer articles are generally manufactured by thermoplastic processes. In many applications, improved impact resistance at room temperature and/or lower temperatures is desired, as this could extend the usefulness of the fabricated articles, or extend the useful temperature range for these applications. Typical fabricated articles include films, sheets, molded components, wire insulation and jacketing, etc. Other desired properties are a higher elongation at break and higher melt strength, which could be beneficial to the performance of films, fibers, and yarns made of these fluoropolymers.
Several methods have been proposed to improve impact properties of fluoropolymers by adding non-fluorinated impact modifiers to the fluoropolymer during manufacturing of final articles. U.S. Pat. No. 6,376,586 describes the use of an acrylic core-shell impact modifier in improving the impact properties of fluoropolymers. However, upon aging of the fabricated article at elevated temperature, i.e. above 140° C., the non-fluorinated impact modifier degrades and any improved properties will diminish. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,429,849, 6,271,294 and US 2009/0124748 describe the addition of a second semicrystalline thermoplastic fluoropolymer to a fluoropolymer matrix to improve the mechanical properties, such as fatigue and impact resistance. These blends are melt compounded, rather than formed as a latex blend, and the disclosure specifically notes the presence of a single phase rather than a multi-phase. U.S. Pat. No. 4,200,568 describes the addition of fluoro-elastomers to a matrix to improve mechanical properties. There is no disclosure of the effects and advantages of super high molecular weight copolymer, nor a latex blending process.
Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) resin exhibits a poor strength/elasticity ratio in the melt, especially at lower molecular weight, due to its linear chain architecture and relatively narrow molecular weight distribution (polydispersity ˜2 to 3). Typically, increasing the molecular weight and introducing co-monomers with a different chemical composition can overcome this problem. However, these approaches are costly and often make the polymer more difficult to process. According to U.S. Pat. No. 7,514,480, the elasticity and the melt strength of PVDF can be increased by exposure to controlled amounts of radiation. However, this approach is not very practical and releases HF upon irradiation which is hazardous.
PVDF and its copolymers are also used as processing aids for polyolefin extrusion. U.S. Pat. No. 7,538,156 describes VDF/HFP copolymers of low molecular weight and fails to suggest any advantages of super high molecular weight copolymers.
Surprisingly it has been found that a fluoropolymer composition can be produced having improved mechanical properties after melt processing, by blending one or more latex of fluoropolymer (A) with one or more lattices of super high molecular weight fluorinated copolymers (B), followed by isolation and drying to obtain a multi-phase composition having fluoropolymer (A) as a continuous phase with discrete, evenly dispersed phases of super high MW copolymer (B) having low crystallinity and with a small domain size of 20-1000 nm. The mechanical properties of the blends of the invention are far better than similar blends formed by melt blending.


Technologies for hairpinning network traffic include a compute device with a network interface controller (NIC) configured to receive, by a virtual Ethernet port aggregator (VEPA) agent of a media access control (MAC) of the NIC, a network packet from a virtual machine (VM). The VEPA agent is configured to transmit the received network packet to an agent deployed on an accelerator device of the NIC and the agent is configured to forward the received network packet to a virtual Ethernet bridge (VEB) hairpin agent of the accelerator device. The VEB hairpin agent is configured to determine whether a target destination of the network packet corresponds to another VM, return the received network packet to the agent deployed the accelerator device. The agent is further configured to forward the received network packet to the VEPA agent, which is further configured to transmit the received network packet to the other VM.

Modern computing devices have become ubiquitous tools for personal, business, and social uses. As such, many modern computing devices are capable of connecting to various data networks, including the Internet, to transmit and receive data communications over the various data networks at varying rates of speed. To facilitate communications between computing devices, the data networks typically include one or more network computing devices (e.g., compute servers, storage servers, etc.) to route communications (e.g., via switches, routers, etc.) that enter/exit a network (e.g., north-south network traffic) and between network computing devices in the network (e.g., east-west network traffic). Under certain conditions, network traffic may be generated by the same computing device that is intended to receive the generated network traffic. Oftentimes, such conditions occur as a result of interactions between virtual switching environments in a hypervisor and the first layer of the physical switching infrastructure.
To facilitate such communications, various edge virtual bridging technologies have been developed such that the network traffic is hairpinned back to the source computing device (i.e., the network traffic makes a U-turn and goes back the same way it came). In one example, virtual Ethernet bridge (VEB) technology may employ a virtual switch or be embedded in hardware at the media access control (MAC) sublayer to hairpin network traffic. However, due to the hairpinning being performed at the MAC layer (i.e., before reaching an offload operation capable component), VEB implementations typically lack offload capabilities (e.g., network management, monitoring, security, etc.). To address such shortcomings, virtual Ethernet port aggregator (VEPA) technology has been developed. However, VEPA technology provides bridging support using an adjacent, external network switch, which requires network traffic to leave the source computing device, resulting in latency and wasted bandwidth. Furthermore, such solutions may not be supported on all network switches, such as top of rack (ToR) switches which are commonly used in large cloud implementations.


Techniques for serverless performance testing of applications are provided. A user can indicate an application to test within a serverless computing framework. The user can specify parameters for testing the application. A performance test execution file can be generated based on the indicated application and the specified testing parameters. Serverless functions for implementing the testing of the application can be generated based on the performance test execution file. The serverless functions can be executed to implement the testing of the application code on a cloud-based computing resource. Test outputs can be generated and stored for review and analysis in real-time during the testing and after the testing is concluded.

Conventional techniques for performance testing of applications involve complex processes for setting up the testing that typically require complex manual configuration. As such, these conventional techniques for performance testing are time-consuming, not user-friendly, and error-prone. Further, analysis and reporting of testing results is generally tedious, non-intuitive, and time-consuming. Accordingly, what is needed is an integrated approach to performance testing that is user-friendly and robust.

Generic serverless performance testing framework


The inventors provide herein polymeric vehicles effective for depositing a coating composition that is curable upon exposure to the atmosphere and which has a low content of a volatile organic component, a high content of nonvolatile materials, a low viscosity, and a short drying time determined under common atmospheric conditions. The polymeric vehicle of the invention contains a polyurethane obtained by combining a polyisocyanate and a polyol having pendant hydroxyl groups, a polyunsaturated resin, oil, and a drier component. The inventors also provide the coating compositions themselves. The compositions have sufficiently low viscosities as to be readily applied to a surface, and which dry to hardness in less than 4.5 hrs. The inventors further provide protective varnish coatings, formed on a surface, which require protection from exposure to the atmosphere and which are obtained from a polymeric vehicle composition after having been applied to the surface, as a result of being cured upon exposure to the atmosphere. The coatings of the invention have smooth finishes, and resist physical wear by having a high degree of hardness while retaining flexibility and low brittleness. In addition the coatings retain clarity over an extended aging period.. The inventors further provide methods of protecting surfaces by applying the curable coating compositions of the invention to the surface and permitting the composition to cure upon exposure to the atmosphere. The surface is thereby protected from exposure to the elements.. The inventors additionally provide methods of preparing the curable coating composition of the invention wherein the components of the coating compositions of the invention are combined together.

Finishes for various surfaces have been practiced widely in the field. They are based on a wide range resins, and intended for application on different surfaces.
Liquid polymers based on copolymerizing 1,3-pentadiene and 1,3-butadiene in the presence of a Friedel-Crafts catalyst were used to prepare coatings or coatings with the aid of curing agents which may be peroxides or a metal agent such as cobalt naphthenate and lead naphthenate (U.S. Pat. No. 3,942,997). The coatings are usable as paint compositions.
Curing, or crosslinking, of polymers such as oil-modified alkyd resins in the presence of oxygen is accelerated by photosensitizers such as benzil, 1-naphthil and similar compounds (U.S. Pat. No. 3,998,979). The photosensitizers replace the use of metallic driers such as cobalt naphthenate or lead naphthenate. The unsaturated oil-modified alkyd resins have incorporated into their structure moieties derived from oils such as linseed oil, tung oil, and other oils. These compositions cure in the presence of sunlight as a consequence of the incorporation of the photosensitizers. Examples provide full gloss white paints based on soya bean oil alkyd, phthalic anhydride, and pentaerythritol, using a solvent of white spirit.
A solvent-free resinous composition was developed that produces little odor or is odor free (U.S. Pat. No. 4,104,215). The composition is a varnish disclosed as having excellent electrical and mechanical properties in shaped articles. It is obtained by reacting a glycidyl ester of a fatty acid with acrylic acid or methacrylic acid at high temperatures, and combining with an acrylic-modified polybutadiene, or an unsaturated polyester resin. Curing agents such as peroxides, and accelerators such as conventional metal naphthenates or octoates optionally used in low proportions are also disclosed.
A curable resin composition disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,403,073 is based on combining a polyfunctional cyanate bearing compound with a polymeric material chosen from polybutadiene, or reaction products of polybutadiene and compound selected from the group consisting of isocyanates, acrylates and unsaturated acid anyhydrides, among others. The resulting cured resin is disclosed as having heat resistance, flexural property, elasticity, adhesive force, resistance to impact, chemicals and the like. Uses for this composition include a coating for rust prevention, flame resistance and retardation, electrical insulating material, and as an adhesive.
A solventless curable urethane composition for casting compounds and encapsulating compounds for electric devices such as printed circuit boards is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,603,188. The composition is based on a polyhydroxyl component, such as an oil which can be castor oil, combined with a polybutadiene based polyol, and a polyisocyanate component. The composition can be cured at room temperature or with heating.
Sealants, coatings and binders based on polyurethanes and/or polyureas are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,721,754. A polybutadiene having terminal hydroxy groups, and/or a polybutadiene having terminal alkylamino groups, when reacted with polyisocyanates yield the corresponding products. Several diisocyanates and higher polyisocyanates are disclosed as being usable in the resin-forming composition. Optional catalysts include titanium catalysts and stannous octanoate. Elastomer sheets were formed using these compositions.
Compositions for coating concrete or steel surfaces are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,077,349. Polyisocyanates are reacted with a polyol which is a polybutadiene polyol in compositions containing in addition alkaline earth metal oxides or hydroxides. The latter may be supplied by using Portland cement or blast furnace cement. An example reports a composition that was applied to a concrete surface with a trowel.
Corrosion-resistant coatings for surfaces such as steel or plastic based on mono-substituted hydroxyl polybutadienes combined with an isocyanate curing agent are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,761. The monohydroxylated polybutadienes are synthesized with a living polymer reaction using lithium initiators. These are first reacted with isocyanate curing agents, and then the modified resin bearing an isocyanate capping group is blended with epoxy or acrylic resin. This blend is applied to a metal or plastic substrate, and cured for periods of time such as 1 week.
These various compositions and methods fail to address the need for a clear varnish coating for surfaces such as wood, concrete and plastic. They fail to consider the need for polyurethane-forming varnish compositions that minimize the content of volatile organic components, that provide rapid drying and curing times, and that are hard, flexible and not susceptible to loss of clarity.

Low volatile organic component polyurethane varnish


Systems and methods for optimizing outcomes in multi-factor systems are described. Business process management, consulting intelligence, business intelligence, mobile intelligence, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and transportation management are integrated, as discussed herein, for optimizing transportation and logistics processes. Users may input legacy knowledge and data such as text, numbers, formulas, algorithms, and automated processes into a computing system for providing the system with industry insights for intelligently analyzing situation contexts, or the system may leverage third-party data. The system may suggest recommended actions based on analyzed situation contexts, and the system may furthermore execute various actions for responding to the situation contexts. The system may be configured to automatically analyze situation contexts and furthermore automatically execute various actions for responding to the situation contexts. In particular embodiments, the system is a software service and may integrate with various computing devices and operating systems.

Generally, most multi-party shipping and logistics processes are handled manually, or via rudimentary computer systems that lack the sophistication necessary to identify problems or patterns, analyze better alternatives, and react on-the-fly to changing conditions. Therefore, there exists a long-felt but unresolved need for systems, methods, and apparatuses for analyzing limitless numbers of variables in real-time and enhancing and changing processes within the complicated multi-party shipping and logistics industries.

Systems, methods, and apparatuses for optimizing outcomes in a multi-factor system


Multi-piece golf balls having a multi-layered solid core and multi-layered cover are provided.

Golf balls containing multi-layered cores and covers are known. For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0227394 to Bulpett et al. discloses a multi-layered core comprising: a) an inner core formed from a first thermoset rubber composition; b) an intermediate core layer formed from a partially-neutralized or highly-neutralized ionomer composition; and c) an outer core formed from a second thermoset rubber composition. A cover layer having a thickness of from 0.01 inches to 0.05 inches and a surface hardness of 60 Shore D or less is formed around the core.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0017940 to Sullivan et al. discloses golf balls having a dual-core and a single-layered cover. The dual-core includes an inner core formed from a rubber composition and an outer core layer formed from a highly neutralized polymer (HNP) composition comprising an ethylene acid copolymer. In the HNP composition, at least 80% of all acid groups are neutralized. The inner core has an outer surface hardness of less than 80 Shore C; the outer core layer has an outer surface hardness of 56 Shore D or greater; and the cover layer has a material hardness of 60 Shore D or less.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,357,736 to Sullivan et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 7,211,008 to Sullivan et al. disclose golf balls comprising: a) an inner core layer formed from a diene rubber composition; (b) an outer core layer formed from a high modulus HNP comprising a highly neutralized ethylene/(meth)acrylic acid copolymer having a modulus of from 45,000 psi to 150,000 psi; (c) an intermediate core layer disposed between the inner core layer and the outer core layer and formed from a low modulus HNP composition comprising a highly neutralized ethylene/(meth)acrylic acid/alkyl (meth)acrylate copolymer having a modulus of from 1,000 psi to 50,000 psi.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,226,367 to Higuchi et al. discloses a golf ball comprising a solid core consisting of a center core and outer core, wherein at least one of the core layers is made of a rubber composition, and wherein the center core has a JIS-C hardness of 40 to 60 on its center and a JIS-C hardness of 55 to 75 on its surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,147,578 to Nesbitt et al. discloses golf balls containing a dual-core. The inner core (center) and outer core layer may be formed from a thermoset material or a thermoplastic material. The '578 Patent discloses suitable thermoset materials as including polybutadiene or any natural or synthetic elastomer, metallocene polyolefins, polyurethanes, silicones, polyamides, and polyureas. Suitable thermoplastic materials are described as including ionomers, polyurethane elastomers, and combinations thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,086,969 to Higuchi et al. discloses a multi-piece golf ball comprising a dual-core having a center and outer core layer; and a dual-cover having an inner cover layer and outer cover layer. The center is made from a rubber composition and has a JIS-C hardness of 40 to 60 in its center and a JIS-C hardness of 55 to 75 on its surface. The outer core is also made of rubber and has a JIS-C surface hardness of 75 to 95. The inner cover layer has a Shore D hardness of 50 to 80, and the outer cover layer has a Shore D hardness of 35 to 60.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,987,159 to Iwami discloses a solid golf ball with a solid core and a polyurethane cover, wherein the difference in Shore D hardness between a center portion and a surface portion of the solid core is at least 15, the polyurethane cover has a thickness (t) of not more than 1.0 mm and is formed from a cured urethane composition having a Shore D hardness (D) of from 35 to 60, and a product of t and D ranges from 10 to 45.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,786,836 to Higuchi et al. discloses a golf ball comprising a solid core and cover, wherein the core is a hot-molded product of a rubber composition, and the cover is primarily composed of thermoplastic or thermoset polyurethane elastomer, polyester elastomer, ionomer resin, polyolefin elastomer, or mixtures thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,686,436 to Iwami discloses a golf ball having a solid core made of rubber and a polyurethane cover, wherein the difference in Shore D hardness between a center portion and a surface portion of the solid core is at least 15, and the polyurethane cover is obtained by curing a composition comprising an isocyanate group-terminated urethane prepolymer and aromatic polyamide compound.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,679,791 to Watanabe discloses a multi-piece golf ball which includes a rubbery elastic core, a cover having a plurality of dimples on the surface thereof, and at least one intermediate layer between the core and the cover. The intermediate layer is composed of a resin material which is harder than the cover. The elastic core has a hardness which gradually increases radially outward from the center to the surface thereof. The center and surface of the elastic core have a hardness difference of at least 18 JIS-C hardness units.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,634,961, 7,086,969, and 7,153,224, all to Higuchi et al., disclose a multi-piece golf ball comprising a solid core consisting of a center core and outer core; and an inner cover and outer cover layer, wherein the solid core is molded from a rubber composition containing polybutadiene rubber; another diene rubber; an unsaturated carboxylic acid; an organo-sulfur compound; an inorganic filler; and an organic peroxide.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,782,707 to Yamagishi et al. discloses a three-piece solid golf ball consisting of a solid core, an intermediate layer, and a cover, wherein the hardness is measured by a JIS-C scale hardness meter, the core center hardness is up to 75 degrees, the core surface hardness is up to 85 degrees, the core surface hardness is higher than the core center hardness by 8 to 20 degrees, the intermediate layer hardness is higher than the core surface hardness by at least 5 degrees, and the cover hardness is lower than the intermediate layer hardness by at least 5 degrees.
There is a continuing need in the golf ball industry for improved core and cover constructions in golf balls.


Recombinant hosts for producing polyhydroxyalkanoates and methods of producing polyhydroxyalkanoates from renewable carbon substrates are provided. Certain recombinant hosts that produce 5 carbon chemicals such as 5-aminopentanoate (5AP), 5-hydroxyvalerate (5HV), glutarate, and 1,5 pentanediol (PDO) are also provided. One embodiment provides a recombinant host expressing a gene encoding a heterologous enzyme selected from the group consisting of a polyhydroxyalkanoate synthase and a 5-hydroxyvalerate-CoA (5HV-CoA) transferase, wherein the host produces a polymer containing 5-hydroxyvalerate. Preferably, the host expresses both a polyhydroxyalkanoate synthase and a 5HV-CoA transferase. The host can be prokaryotic or eukaryotic. A preferred prokaryotic host is E. coli. The polymers produced by the recombinant hosts can be homopolymers or copolymers of 5-hydroxyvalerate. A preferred copolymer is poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-5-hydroxyvalerate).

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are biodegradable plastics which can be used to make, without limitation, films (e.g., packaging films, agricultural films, mulch film), golf tees, caps and closures, agricultural supports and stakes, paper and board coatings (e.g., for cups, plates, boxes, etc), thermoformed products (e.g., trays, containers, yogurt pots, plant pots, noodle bowls, moldings, etc.), housings (e.g., for electronic items) bags (e.g., trash bags, grocery bags, food bags, compost bags, etc.), hygiene articles (e.g., diapers, feminine hygiene products, incontinence products, disposable wipes, etc.) and coatings for pelleted products (e.g., pelleted fertilizer, herbicides, pesticides, seeds, etc.). PHAs have also been used to develop biomedical devices including sutures, repair devices, repair patches, slings, cardiovascular patches, orthopedic pins, adhesion barriers, stents, guided tissue repair/regeneration devices, articular cartilage repair devices, nerve guides, tendon repair devices, bone marrow scaffolds, and wound dressings.
Polyhydroxyalkanoates can be produced by a fermentation process. Existing fermentation methods for producing polyhydroxyalkanoates utilize wild-type or transgenic microorganisms cultured on specific substrates to produce the desired PHA polymer composition. In many cases the polymers of interest are copolymers of the (D)-isomer of 3-hydroxybutyrate copolymerized with one other 3, 4 or 5-hydroxyacids. These copolymers are produced as granular inclusions inside the cells and are random copolymers. The copolymer poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-5-hydroxyvalerate) (PHB5HV) and the homopolymer poly(5-hydroxyvalerate) (P5HV) are industrially useful as materials and plastics with the advantage that they are biodegradable and bioresorbable materials. To date these materials have been produced by feeding petroleum derived 5-carbon substrates like 5-hydroxyvaleric acid (5HV) or 1,5-pentanediol to a microorganism which has the capability to metabolize these substrates to the activated monomer 5HV-Coenzyme A and polymerize it by the action of a PHA polymerase to form the PHB5HV or P5HV polymers, PHB5HV and P5HV polymers produced by these methods are only partly made from renewable resources and expensive due to the high cost of the 5-carbon petroleum substrates. It is highly desirable to use non-petroleum renewable carbon substrates as feedstock for the production of PHV5HV and P5HV polymers both to lower cost and to provide materials that are made entirely from renewable resources. It is also desirable to develop processes for the production of these polymers which reduce the production of greenhouse gasses. Suitable renewable resources include carbohydrate feedstocks available from agriculture including one or more feedstocks selected from: starch, sucrose, glucose, lactose, fructose, xylose, maltose, arabinose and amino acid feedstocks including lysine and proline.
Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide recombinant organisms and processes whereby genes can be introduced in wild-type or genetically engineered polyhydroxyalkanoate producers to create new strains that synthesize monomers, such as 5-hydroxyvalerate, that are produced from substrates that are not derived from petroleum.
A further object of the invention is to provide techniques and procedures to stably engineer recombinant organisms that synthesize PHAs containing 5-hydroxyvalerate either as sole constituent or as a co-monomer.
It is another object of the invention to provide techniques and procedures to stably engineer recombinant organisms that synthesize 5 carbon chemicals such as 5-aminopentanoate (5AP), glutarate, and 1,5 pentanediol (PDO).

Green process and compositions for producing poly(5HV) and 5 carbon chemicals


Adaptive network communication techniques are described. In one or more implementations, a determination is made by a client device that a request, which is to be communicated to a content provider via a network, is for content that is accessible via the content provider upon authentication of credentials transmitted to the content provider from the client device. Responsive to the determination, an initial communication is formed by the client device for receipt by the content provider that includes the credentials without waiting for the content provider to request the credentials from the client device.

Use of techniques that rely on network access to data continue to increase. For example, browsers, applications, and so on may rely upon network access to retrieve, modify, and communicate data between computing devices. In this way, the data may be disseminated to connect devices and users of the devices.
However, the ever increasing reliance on these techniques may magnify inefficiencies encountered when accessing a network. For example, delays in communicating, and/or processing the data may consume a significant amount of time when multiplied by the number of times a typical user accesses a network. Thus, these delays may cause inefficiencies and lead to user frustration.


An air vehicle, such as a missile, for example an interceptor, includes control surfaces and a vectored thrust system, both used for steering the missile. A controller is operatively coupled to both steering mechanisms, and is configured to operate in a low dynamic pressure mode, which uses the vectored thrust system for at least part of the steering, only when the dynamic pressure is low, such as when the missile is at high altitude. At higher dynamic pressure, such as at lower altitude, the controller is configured to operate in a high dynamic pressure mode that uses only the control surfaces for steering. This allows the interceptor to operate at higher altitudes than interceptors that use only control surfaces for steering during flight. During flight for a high altitude interception the missile shifts from the high dynamic pressure mode to the low dynamic pressure mode.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is in the field of missiles, and systems and methods for guiding missiles.
2. Description of the Related Art
Missiles have used control surfaces to maneuver the missiles toward targets, such as when intercepting an incoming object. Aerodynamic control from control surfaces loses effectiveness at high altitudes, where air is thinner. It would be desirable to have a missile that could maneuver at higher altitudes, for example to intercept high-altitude objects.

Air vehicle with control surfaces and vectored thrust


According to one embodiment, a magnetic disk drive apparatus includes a nonvolatile memory which serves as a cache memory when data is recorded in a magnetic disk which records data, a threshold value setting unit which sets a threshold value of a storable size of the nonvolatile memory in accordance with count of the shock detected by a detector which detects shock applied to a main body, calculator which calculates a sum of a size of data which has been written in the nonvolatile memory and a size of data to be written, determination section which determines whether or not the calculated data size is greater than the threshold value, moving unit which moves the data written in the nonvolatile memory to the magnetic disk, when it is determined that calculated data size is greater than the threshold value, and writing section which writs the data in the nonvolatile memory.

1. Field
One embodiment of the present invention relates to a magnetic disk drive apparatus such as a hard disk drive and a method of controlling the magnetic disk drive.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, a hard disk drive has become an information recording medium having large capacity with a high reliability and has been widespread in various fields as, for example, a medium for recording computer data, image data, audio data and the like. In addition, a hard disk has been so downsized as to be built in a potable electronic device.
For this reason, in a current downsizing-oriented magnetic disk drive using a hard disk, a speed of writing and reading information is made higher, a drive count of the hard disk, i.e. a write count of information in the hard disk and a read count of information therefrom are reduced, and the battery power is thereby saved, by using a nonvolatile memory capable of writing and reading information at a high speed as a cache memory.
In other words, this kind of magnetic disk drive urges a nonvolatile memory to write information to the outside and read information therefrom, and urges the hard disk to transfer information to the nonvolatile memory, thereby accelerating writing and reading operations of information as seen from the outside and reducing the drive count of the hard disk. This magnetic disk drive, also referred to as a NV (nonvolatile)-cache applicable HDD (hard disk drive), has been proposed (Non Volatile Cache Command Proposal for ATA 8—ACS Revision 5).
As described above, in the HDD including the nonvolatile memory as cache, resistance to shock caused by vibration and drop can be increased as the drive count of the hard disk can be reduced. However, when the memory usage rate (amount) of the nonvolatile memory is beyond a certain threshold value, the hard disk needs to be driven to flush the data stored in the nonvolatile memory and write data to the hard disk (disk medium). At this time, when a shock is given to the HDD, the head may collide with the disk medium.

Magnetic disk drive apparatus and method of controlling the same


Systems, methods, and devices are provided for determining an impedance measurement of a sample of fluid on a test strip having a base layer, at least two drive electrodes disposed on the base layer and in electrical communication with a current-source (Iac) for flowing an AC current provided by the current-source (Iac) through a fluid sample between the at least two drive electrodes, and at least two sense electrodes disposed on the base layer and positioned between the at least two drive electrodes, each of the at least two sense electrodes configured for measuring a difference in an AC potential therebetween to determine an impedance measurement of the fluid sample between the at least two sense electrodes.

Many industries have a commercial need to monitor the concentration of particular constituents in a fluid. In the health care field, individuals with diabetes, for example, have a need to monitor a particular constituent within their bodily fluids. A number of systems are available that allow people to test a body fluid, such as, blood, urine, or saliva, to conveniently monitor the level of a particular fluid constituent, such as, for example, cholesterol, proteins, and glucose. Such systems typically include a test strip where the user applies a fluid sample and a meter that "reads" the test strip to determine the level of the tested constituent in the fluid sample.
It would be advantageous to have a system which would allow for more accurate measurement of an analyte concentration in a body fluid.

In-vitro sensor using a tetrapolar impedance measurement


A special hangtag for plaster trowel, which is in flat shape, has a hanging hole on top. The limit section of the grip is placed in the middle of the hangtag, which can be lifted up forward, and the structure is designed to place the grip of the plaster trowel. On one side of the hole for supporting rod is a guiding slot coming from one side of the hangtag, which makes the supporting rod that is located between the grip and the low profile of the plaster trowel to be located in the hole for supporting rod from the guiding slot. Thus, the grip of the plaster trowel and the supporting rod are horizontally and vertically supported by the limit section of the grip and the hole for supporting rod, and forms a one-unit position with hangtag.

Many products sold in the market today rely on the hangtag for display and management. Moreover, this type of hangtag is widely used with all kinds of hand tools and the products with related components, and the structure varies depending on the shape and feature of the product that is placed upon it. For instance, some hangtags are made with the combination of blister and paperboard with the product placed in it; some hangtags have holders for the handles of hand tools to clip. Even though there are many types of hangtags, however, there are many types of products as well, some of the products are still used without the design of the hangtags, for instance, the common hand tools like plaster trowel used in the construction is one of them. Because its unique appearance, it is still being displayed by placing it on the shelf, which is hard to get a better display effect and the best availability for space.
Thus, to overcome the aforementioned problems of the prior art, it would be an advancement if the art to provide an improved hangtag structure that is used specially for the product with special shapes that can significantly improve the efficacy.


A surface-plasmon-coupled thermoelectric apparatus includes a first surface-plasmon substrate and a thermoelectric substrate electrically coupled to a plurality of electrodes. The substrates are electrically isolated from each other, and a first face of the thermoelectric substrate opposes a first face of the first surface-plasmon substrate to define a phonon insulating gap. A method of transferring thermal energy across the phonon insulating gap includes creating a first surface-plasmon polariton at the first surface-plasmon substrate when the first surface-plasmon substrate is coupled to a first thermal reservoir. Also included is creating a nonequilibrium state between the electron temperature and the phonon temperature at a first face of the thermoelectric substrate, when a second face of the thermoelectric substrate is coupled to a second thermal reservoir. Also included is coupling the first surface plasmon polariton with electrons in the thermoelectric substrate across the phonon insulating gap, thereby transferring thermal energy between the thermal reservoirs through the phonon insulating gap.

Thermoelectric energy conversion devices employ electrons for energy transfer. Such devices can operate in a refrigeration mode, e.g., by applying a current to transfer heat away from a cooling target, or can operate in a power generation mode, e.g. by using a load circuit to generate power from the temperature difference between two thermal reservoirs. However, phonon heat conduction (i.e., heat conduction due to vibration motion of the atoms in the thermoelectric material) typically reduces the efficiency of such devices, because it tends to transfer additional heat detrimentally from the heat source to the cold reservoir in power generation mode or transfer heat from the hot reservoir to the cooling object in refrigeration mode.
Attempts have been made to decouple electron and phonon thermal energy transport by incorporating a gap in the device that prevents phonon transfer, for example in vacuum thermionic devices and electron tunneling refrigerators. Electron thermionic emission, however, is limited by the work function of available materials. The electron tunneling refrigerators relies on a thin enough (on the scale of angstroms) vacuum gap to allow thermal energy transfer through quantum mechanical tunneling of electrons across the gap. The total energy transport in these devices is limited by the amount of current that can be transferred via quantum tunneling. Further, it is difficult to manufacture and maintain the precision gap required for the tunneling effect to operate.
Others have tried to minimize phonon transfer in electron tunneling devices by separating two materials by angstrom scale features which contact the separated materials but have minimal surface contact. Such devices thus still have some phonon energy transfer and are still limited as above by the amount of current that can be transferred via quantum tunneling.
Therefore, there is a need for efficient thermoelectric devices which have increased efficiency, and which can overcome the problems discussed above.

Surface plasmon coupled nonequilibrium thermoelectric devices


Stable back pressure control devices are used to control fluid pressure in a wellbore to provide constant downhole pressure. Back pressure may be estimated from a correlation between the speed of a mud pump and the pressure exerted from the pump. Drilling plans disclosed herein provide for the continued operation of one or more back pressure control devices for providing constant bottomhole pressure when casing connections are being made.

There are many applications in which there is a need to control the back pressure of a fluid flowing in a system. For example, in the drilling of oil and gas wells it is customary to suspend a drill pipe in the wellbore with a bit on the lower end thereof and, as the bit is rotated, to circulate a drilling fluid, such as a drilling mud, down through the interior of the drill string, out through the bit, and up the annulus of the wellbore to the surface. Traditional drilling practices rely on pressure created by the drilling mud as it circulates through the drillstring to prevent formations fluids from entering the wellbore. Ideally, this equivalent circulating density (ECD) is greater than the pore pressure but less than the fracture gradient of the formations being drilled. ECD is the effective density exerted by a circulating fluid against the formation. As the ECD approaches or exceeds the fracture gradient, casing must be set to prevent fracturing the formation. As the ECD approaches or goes below the pore pressure, increasing the drilling mud density or adding back pressure is required to manage or prevent formation flow. Thus, in some instances, a back pressure control device is mounted in the return flow line for the drilling fluid.
Back pressure control devices are also necessary for controlling "kicks" in the system caused by the intrusion of salt water, formation fluids orgases into the drilling fluid which may lead to a blowout condition. In these situations, sufficient additional back pressure must be imposed on the drilling fluid such that the formation fluid is contained and the well controlled until heavier fluid or mud can be circulated down the drill string and up the annulus to kill the well. It is also desirable to avoid the creation of excessive back pressures which could cause the drill string to stick, or cause damage to the formation, the well casing, or the well head equipment.
Mud weight is the primary means of pressure control. During drilling, the annular pressure profile is preferably maintained between the pore pressure and the fracture pressure. Pore pressure is defined as the pressure being exerted into the wellbore by fluids or gases within the pore spaces of the formation (also known as the formation pressure). Fracture gradient is defined as the pressure required to physically rupture the formation and cause fluid losses. Maintaining the fluid pressure between the pore and fracture pressures should provide a stable well, i.e., no fluid intrusion into the wellbore (a kick) or formation breakdown. The area located between the pore and fracture pressures is called the well stability window.
However, maintenance of an optimum back pressure on the drilling fluid is complicated by variations in certain characteristics of the drilling fluid as it passes through the back pressure control device. For example, the density of the fluid can be altered by the introduction of debris or formation gases, and/or the temperature and volume of the fluid entering the control device can change. Therefore, the desired back pressure will not be achieved until appropriate changes have been made in the throttling of the drilling fluid in response to these changed conditions. Conventional devices, such as a choke, generally require manual control of and adjustments to the back pressure control device orifice to maintain the desired back pressure.
In conventional drilling, annular pressure is primarily controlled by mud density and mud pump flow rates. When the mud pumps are off, a column of mud exerts hydrostatic pressure on the formation. When the mud pumps are on, the circulating fluid exerts a frictional pressure on the formation in addition to the hydrostatic pressure. These combined pressures can be expressed as a density in pounds per gallon (ppg) as the equivalent circulating density (ECD) at any depth in the well.
In conventional drilling, wellbore stability is maintained by manipulating the static and dynamic pressure profile of the annular fluid through control of fluid density, viscosity and pumping rates. During static times (pumps off) the fluid pressure should be greater than the pore pressure but less than the fracture pressure. If the wellbore stability window is too narrow, conventional techniques become technically impossible or uneconomical to use.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a method for operating the drilling process within narrow wellbore stability windows by controlling the annular pressure profile within a subterranean borehole.

Systems and methods for managed pressured drilling


The invention describes substrates, such as prosthetics, films, nonwovens, meshes, etc. that are treated with a bioadhesive. The bioadhesive includes polymeric substances that have phenyl moieties with at least two hydroxyl groups. The bioadhesive constructs can be used to treat and repair, for example, hernias and damaged tendons.

Surgical prostheses, meshes, and grafts are commonly used in surgical procedures that include tendon and ligament repair, hernia repair, cardiovascular surgery, as well as certain dental surgical procedures. These prosthetic materials are fixated through the use of sutures, staples, or tacks. While such fixation methods have demonstrated success in immobilizing surgical prostheses, they are also a source of existing problems associated with each surgical procedure. In some instances, sutures may not be practical in certain situations where there is limited space or light source needed for suturing.
Hernia repair is one of the most commonly performed surgeries in the US. Although the use of prosthetic mesh as a reinforcement has significantly improved surgical outcomes, the rate of hernia recurrence remains as high as 30-50%. Moreover, current prosthetic materials are associated with numerous complications, including increased risk of infection, prosthetic shrinkage and host foreign body reactions. Such reactions often lead to changes in prosthetic mesh textile properties and result in a diminished postoperative patient quality of life. Recent advances in tissue engineering have seen the introduction of various biologic prosthetic meshes. These biologic meshes are derived from human or animal tissue modified both to preserve the structural framework of the original tissue and to eliminate cells potentially capable of instigating a foreign body reaction. Following implantation, these biologic implants become a site for remodeling via fibroblast migration, followed by subsequent native collagen deposition.
In addition to mesh type, effective immobilization of the mesh against the abdominal wall is also critical to the success of the hernia repair. Currently, both synthetic and biologic meshes are held in place with sutures and staples. While these fixation methods demonstrate variable success, their usage is believed to be a source of nerve damage and chronic discomfort. Thus, finding an effective alternative to sutures and metal staples would dramatically enhance the long-term biocompatibility of these meshes.
Tendon and ligament injuries have been occurring with increasing frequency over the last several decades. While methods for the fixation of torn tendons and ligaments have improved, none has proven ideal. The existing methods of using sutures alone or sutures with a variety of graft materials can create weak points at the sutures and require immobilization for a period of time after repair, before rehabilitation can begin. The evidence generated by the medical community is that earlier rehabilitation increases the likelihood that the repair of such injuries will be successful. A new method for repairing tendon and ligament injuries that would allow earlier rehabilitation and fewer incidences of post-operative pain, surgical complications, and rerupture of the repaired tissues is clearly needed.
Therefore, a need exists for improved materials and methods that overcome one or more of the current disadvantages.


A device receives a request for a service for a user equipment associated with a source radio access network, and establishes a connection with the user equipment via a circuit switched fallback procedure. The device also receives, from the source radio access network, information associated with one or more source cells, and provides the service to the user equipment through a target radio access network. The device further uses the information to select one of the one or more source cells for the user equipment to return after the service terminates, terminates the service, and returns the user equipment to the selected source cell.

Mobile circuit switched (CS) services based on Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) and Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) radio access networks (RANs) provide telecommunication services with a single subscription in almost all countries of the world. Today, the number of CS subscribers is still growing due to the provision of mobile CS services in countries, such as India and China, and due to the evolution of the mobile switching center (MSC) architecture into a softswitch solution that permits using packet transport infrastructure for mobile CS services.
The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has completed work (e.g., associated with UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Networks (UTRANs) and Evolved UTRANs (E-UTRANs)) that defines a Long Term Evolution (LTE) concept that assures competitiveness of 3GPP-based radio access network technology. In parallel with the LTE concept, the 3GPP has also completed work associated with System Architecture Evolution (SAE) core networks. Only a packet switched (PS) domain (e.g., via which all services are supported) has been specified for LTE and SAE networks. However, GSM and WCDMA networks provide both PS and CS access simultaneously.
If telephony services are deployed over a LTE radio access network, an Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem (IMS)-based service engine is required. It has been investigated how to use LTE/SAE as access networks for existing CS core networks. The solutions to the investigation are referred to as "CS over LTE" solutions. The "CS over LTE" solutions provide a Packet MSC (PMSC) (e.g., in the CS core network) that serves both 2G and 3G radio access networks. The PMSC includes two new logical functions: (1) a Packet CS Controller (PCSC) that is used for control plane signaling; and (2) an Interworking Unit (IWU) that is used for user plane signaling. In the "CS over LTE" solutions, communication between user equipment and the PMSC is based on a SGi interface. This means that all direct communication between the user equipment and the PCSC and the IWU (e.g., provided in the PMSC) is based on IP protocols and that the user equipment is visible and reachable using an IP-address (e.g., via a packet data network (PDN) gateway (GW)).
However, none of the "CS over LTE" solutions have been standardized by the 3GPP. Instead, a solution called "CS fallback" has been standardized by the 3GPP. The main principle of "CS fallback" is that the user equipment is performing normal SAE mobility management procedures towards a mobility management entity (MME) while camping on a LTE radio access network. The MME registers the user equipment in a MSC server for CS based services using a SGs interface. When a request for CS services is received by the MSC server, the MSC server forwards the request to the user equipment via the MME (e.g., using the SGs interface) and the user equipment performs a CS fallback to a GSM EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN) or a UTRAN and responds to request via the selected RAN. Similar behavior applies for mobile originated CS services. When mobile originated CS services are triggered and the user equipment is camping on a LTE radio access network (e.g., an E-UTRAN), the user equipment performs a CS fallback to a GERAN or a UTRAN and triggers initiation of the CS service via the selected RAN. Different solutions have been proposed for the "CS fallback" mechanism, such as a PS handover and an inter-RAN cell change order. Once the user equipment is finished with the CS service, the user equipment returns back to the LTE radio access network (e.g., to the E-UTRAN) using existing mechanisms. Unfortunately, the existing mechanisms used to move the user equipment back to the E-UTRAN (e.g., after CS fallback) are too slow, which may result in a bad experience for a user of the user equipment (e.g., poor transmission quality, dropped calls, etc.).

Returning user equipment to a source radio access network


A liquid tank system comprises a main liquid tank, an outlet communicating between a fluid circuit and the main liquid tank, an inlet communicating between the fluid circuit and the main liquid tank, and an auxiliary cavity. First vent passage and second vent passage(s) communicate between the main liquid tank and the auxiliary cavity and allows liquid and gas to flow from the main liquid tank to the auxiliary cavity. The second vent passage has a flow control device regulating flow through the second vent passage and having a set point at which it allows liquid and gas to flow from the main liquid tank to the auxiliary cavity only when a pressure in the main liquid tank is beyond a threshold. The liquid tank system has an attitude envelope in which the liquid tank system is configured such that, in use, the flow control device blocks flow through the second vent passage when an end of the first vent passage in the main liquid tank is above a liquid level, and the flow control device allows gas and/or fluid flow through the second vent passage when main fluid tank pressure is above the threshold and the end of the first vent passage in the main liquid tank is below the liquid level.

Liquid tanks may conventionally be provided with vents to regulate pressure and/or to avoid an over-pressurization of the tank. However, when liquid tanks undergo significant attitude variations, the vents may become submerged by the liquid, which impedes the normal operation of the vents and may thus impact the pressure regulation or over-pressurization protection. Hence, the attitude envelope capability of some apparatuses may be affected by these tank pressurization issues. Among the solutions used to address attitude envelope limitations are that tank volumes have been increased and/or complex mechanisms such as flip-flop valves have been developed.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Liquid tank system with over pressure protection


A method, apparatus, and computer program product are provided to determine whether a vehicle should be re-routed in response to an emergency. In the context of a method, the determination is made by receiving an indication relating to a level of criticality of the emergency. This method also includes determining a projected route for an emergency vehicle servicing the emergency. The method further includes comparing the projected route of the emergency vehicle with a projected route of the vehicle. The method still further includes determining whether the projected route of the vehicle should be altered. In response to determining that the projected route of the vehicle should be altered, the method includes causing a signal to alter the projected route of the vehicle to be provided. A corresponding apparatus and computer program product are also provided.

Traditionally, whenever a driver hears a siren from a nearby emergency vehicle, the driver steers the vehicle to the side of the roadway and waits for the emergency vehicle to pass. This approach, for the most part, works in that the emergency vehicle gets the right of way. However, this approach may not be the best or most efficient way to have emergency vehicles and non-emergency vehicles interact on the roadway. For example, it can be difficult for the driver of a vehicle to determine whether the vehicle is in the path of the emergency vehicle and vehicles sometimes end up accidentally obstructing emergency vehicles. Additionally, the movement of vehicles to the side of the roadway to let emergency vehicles pass can lead to traffic congestion, thereby potentially making it harder, not easier for the emergency vehicles to get to its destination.

Method, apparatus, and computer program product for determining the criticality of an emergency


An exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a method of registering images. The method includes: for each image, determining an optimum intensity threshold set from a plurality of intensity threshold sets that maximizes a variance between classes of each set, segmenting each image using the corresponding determined optimum intensity threshold set, generating mutual information from a joint histogram of at least two of the segmented images, and registering the at least two images using the mutual information. The joint histogram may be generated using a geometry shader of a graphical processing unit.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to image registration, and more particularly, to image registration using mutual information and image registration using a GPU.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Medical imaging is increasingly being used for identification of medical problems for patients. Image registration is a component of post-processing medical images. Image registration typically consists of finding a geometric transformation that aligns a pair of images or volumes. The geometric transformation can be used to compensate for motion, detect changes, or fuse complementary information provided by different acquisition devices. Proposed conventional methods for such transformations range from feature based techniques, which establish correspondences between geometric features extracted from images, to intensity-based approaches.
In intensity-based approaches, image registration typically consists of maximizing an image similarity measure over a set of geometric transformations. In the context of multimodal registration, statistical similarity measures such as Mutual Information (MI) and Normalized Mutual Information (NMI) have proven to be effective image similarity measures. The mutual information of two variables is a quantity that measures the statistical dependence between two random variables.
In the context of image registration, mutual information may be computed from a joint intensity histogram of a pair of images In a typical implementation, image intensities are often uniformly quantized to obtain a joint histogram of a practical size. This strategy does not take into account the non-uniform distribution of intensities often encountered in most medical datasets, and results in a very sparse joint histogram where the joint intensity content has been aggregated in a few histogram bins. For example, in brain images, a disproportionate number of values are located in the first quarter of the joint histogram (e.g., the low intensities) due to the predominance of the background.
The processor of a computer may be used to calculate the joint intensity histogram, derive the mutual information from the calculated histogram, and perform image registration from the derived mutual information. However, such operations are computationally expensive. With these CPU-based implementations, it is typical to use various approximations to maintain reasonable computation times. This may however result in suboptimal alignments.
A CPU can offload calculations and operations associated with graphical rendering to a specialized processor known as a Graphical Processing Unit (GPU). While a GPU is not designed to perform operations related to image registration, workarounds have been developed to cause the GPU to assist or perform image registration. However, conventional workarounds do not make use of a geometry shader, which is available on many modern GPUs, such as the NVIDIA's GeForce 8 architecture.
Thus, there is a need for methods and systems that can more efficiently perform image registration and segmentation when the distribution of intensities in medical datasets is non-uniform, and methods and systems that can more efficiently make use of a GPU to perform image registration.

Multilevel thresholding for mutual information based registration and image registration using a GPU


Flash memory and process of fabrication in which vertically stacked pairs of floating gates and control gates are formed on opposite sides of a source diffusion in a substrate, an erase gate is formed directly above the source diffusion and between the stacked gates, select gates are formed on the sides of the stacked gates opposite the erase gate, programming paths extend from mid-channel regions in the substrate between the select gates and the stacked gates to the edge portions of the floating gates which face the select gates, and erase paths extend from the edge portions of the floating gates which face the erase gates to the source diffusion and to the erase gate. In some embodiments, the source regions are connected electrically to the erase gates, and in others the floating gates project laterally beyond the control gates on one or both sides of the control gates. These memory cells are very small in size and provide substantially better programming and erase performance than memory cells of the prior art.

1. Field of Invention
This invention pertains generally to semiconductor memory devices and, more particularly, to nonvolatile memory and the manufacture thereof.
2. Related Art
Nonvolatile memory is currently available in several forms, including electrically programmable read only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), and flash EEPROM.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,091,104 and 6,291,297 show a split-gate memory cell of relatively small size, efficient erase performance, and relatively programming current requirements. The small size is obtained through self-alignment of the select, control and floating gates, and the efficiency in erasing is provided by the use of Fowler-Nordheim tunneling from a sharply rounded side edge of the floating gate to the select gate. The programming current is kept small by the use of mid-channel hot carrier injection from the off-gate channel region between the select gate and the floating gate to the sharply curved side edge of the floating gate.
A memory cell of this type is illustrated in FIG. 1 as having a floating gate 16, a control gate 17, and select gate 18, all of which are fabricated of polysilicon. The control gate is stacked above the floating gate, and the select gate is positioned to the side of the stacked gates. With the three polysilicon gates which are formed in a triple polysilicon fabrication process, this type of cell is sometimes referred to as a 3P self-aligned split gate cell.
In the programming mode, the control gate is biased at a voltage of about 10 volts, the select gate is biased at about xe2x88x922 volts, and the source 19 is biased at about xe2x88x926 volts. The strong electric field thus established across the mid-channel gate oxide 21 between select gate 18 and floating gate 16 causes electrons to be accelerated and injected into the floating gate, as indicated by arrow 22.
In the erase mode, a negative voltage of about xe2x88x9210 volts is applied to the control gate, and a positive voltage of about 6 volts is applied to the select gate. In this mode, the electric field across the inter-poly oxide 23 between the select gate and the rounded side wall 24 of the floating gate initiates Fowler-Nordheim tunneling, with electrons flowing from the floating gate to the select gate, as indicated by arrow
While the 3P self-aligned split gate cell structure and the unique programming and erase techniques employed with it permit a smaller cell size than the widely used ETOX structure, as cell sizes decrease into the range of hundreds of nanometers, it is limited by the need to remove polysilicon from the source region and in the narrow, steep valleys between adjacent control and floating gate stacks.
It is in general an object of the invention to provide a new and improved flash memory cell and fabrication process.
Another object of the invention is to provide a memory cell and process of the above character which overcome the limitations and disadvantages of the prior art.
Another object of the invention is to provide a memory cell and process of the above character in which the memory cell is very small in size and provides significantly enhanced programming and erase performance.
These and other objects are achieved in accordance with the invention by providing a flash memory and process of fabrication in which vertically stacked pairs of floating gates and control gates are formed on opposite sides of a source diffusion in a substrate, an erase gate is formed directly above the source diffusion and between the stacked gates, select gates are formed on the sides of the stacked gates opposite the erase gate, programming paths extend from mid-channel regions in the substrate between the select gates and the stacked gates to the edge portions of the floating gates which face the select gates, and erase paths extend from the edge portions of the floating gates which face the erase gates to the source diffusion and to the erase gate. In some embodiments, the source regions are connected electrically to the erase gates, and in others the floating gates project laterally beyond the control gates on one or both sides of the control gates. These memory cells are very small in size and provide substantially better programming and erase performance than memory cells of the prior art.

Flash memory cells with separated self-aligned select and erase gates, and process of fabrication


A light source apparatus configured to emit first light and second light includes a wavelength reference device, a splitter, a first detector, a second detector, and a control unit. The control unit includes a correction unit configured to reduce from a detection signal detected by the first detector a portion included in the detected signal and related to an intensity of the second light incident on the first detector from the splitter, and configured to reduce from a detection signal detected by the second detector a portion included in the detected signal and related to an intensity of the first light incident on the second detector from the splitter. The control unit controls a wavelength of the first light and a wavelength of the second light based on signals from the correction unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to a light source apparatus for emitting beams of light of a plurality of wavelengths, and relates to a method of controlling a light source apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Light source apparatuses for emitting light of a stabilized wavelength are developed for use in a light source of a length measuring device using interference, and in alight source for the frequency calibration (an optical frequency standard) of a semiconductor laser for optical communication. Generally, a light source apparatus having a stabilized wavelength includes a light source to be stabilized, a wavelength discriminator (a wavelength reference device) that converts a change in wavelength of the light source into a change in light intensity, and a detector that converts the light intensity into an electric signal. The light source apparatus further includes a calculator that obtains a wavelength error based on the electric signal from the detector, and a control unit that controls the light source based on the wavelength error.
As a light source apparatus for use in a light source of a length measuring device, an interferometer, and optical communication, a light source apparatus is known that stabilizes beams of light of a plurality of wavelengths and simultaneously outputs the beams of light. To stabilize beams of light of a plurality of wavelengths, as in a light source apparatus described in Japanese Patent No. 2712965, a method is known of stabilizing beams of light of a plurality of wavelengths with respect to each wavelength, and thereafter multiplexing the beams of light.
The light source apparatus of Japanese Patent No. 2712965 uses a Fabry-Perot cavity (an etalon) and a wavelength tunable laser as a wavelength discriminator. The light source apparatus multiplexes laser light from the wavelength tunable laser having a wavelength stabilized in advance to a first transmission peak of the etalon, with beams of light from light sources of a plurality of wavelengths, and detects a beat signal between the beam of light of a first wavelength among the plurality of wavelengths and the laser light from the wavelength tunable laser, thereby stabilizing the first wavelength of the light source apparatus based on the beat signal.
Next, the light source apparatus stabilizes the wavelength of the laser light from the wavelength tunable laser to a second transmission peak of the etalon, thereby similarly stabilizing a second wavelength of the light source apparatus. The light source apparatus performs this process on the beams of light of all the wavelengths, and thereby can stabilize the wavelengths of the light sources.
The light source apparatus of Japanese Patent No. 2712965, however, cannot simultaneously stabilize a plurality of different wavelengths. Consequently, an increase in the number of wavelengths of light sources to be stabilized increases the time during which each wavelength is not controlled. This reduces the accuracy of the stabilization.
In response, as in a light source apparatus described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 04-082194, a method is known of using a plurality of wavelength stabilizing apparatuses, the apparatuses including a wavelength discriminator and a calculator that are made common.
The light source apparatus of Japanese Patent Publication No. 04-082194 uses two light sources that emit linearly-polarized beams of light orthogonal to each other, coaxially multiplexes the beams of light from the respective light sources to guide the multiplexed beams of light to a wavelength discriminator (an etalon or a gas cell), and splits the beams of light by a polarizing beam splitter to detect the light intensity of each light source by a photodetector.
The light source apparatus of Japanese Patent Publication No. 04-082194, however, uses the polarizing beam splitter to separate the multiplexed beams of light of a plurality of wavelengths. Thus, even the use of a polarizing beam splitter having a high extinction ratio results in mixing the separated beam of light of one of the wavelengths with the separated beam of light of the other wavelength. Consequently, in one of the stabilization control systems, the other beam of light is mixed. This reduces the accuracy of the stabilization of wavelengths.

Light source apparatus and method of controlling the same


A method for constructing a bridge joint in a channel overlying an expansion joint involves lining the channel with a thermoplastic asphaltic elastomeric binder followed by successive applications of layers of aggregate and binder mixture wherein the thickness of each layer is restricted to about the maximum dimension of the aggregate in the layer. Care is taken to insure that both the binder and the aggregate are hot when the layered joint is formed to insure good bonding between layers and with the roadway material. The aggregate of each layer is raked to project upwardly from the mass of the layer before a subsequent layer is applied to enhance the interlock between layers. A final layer containing smaller aggregate is applied at the joint top and the joint is then sealed and rolled to form an integrated, resilient load bearing structure.

Typically, highway bridges are constructed of discrete concrete slabs supported on pillars and disposed end to end with an expansion gap between adjacent slabs. A continuous hot rolled asphalt roadway or concrete roadway is formed over the slabs to provide the bridge deck surface.
A common problem at bridge joint regions is cracking and deterioration of the asphalt and deck members. This deterioration is attributed to (1) expansion, contraction, or other movement of deck members which disrupts the asphalt layer above the expansion gap between slabs and (2) vehicular impact on the asphalt roadway immediately above the expansion gap. As weather conditions change, the concrete slabs contract or expand causing movement of the slabs in the gap region. The continuous asphalt roadway across the bridge surface and overlying the expansion gaps is pulled apart or crunched together in the region of the gaps due to the supporting deck movement. Cracks and potholes result in the asphalt. This is hazardous to drivers and also permits water and asphalt debris to penetrate the bridge construction where they can lead to deterioration of the supporting bridge structure.
A similar problem results from vehicular impact on the asphalt immediately above the gap or joint. If the asphalt is not properly supported from below at the gap region, impact stresses push the asphalt down into the gap area where it can break off the upper corners of the deck members. Water seeping into the structure will also expand or contract causing further cracking in the structure, and the debris from deterioration may fall into the gap blocking necessary free movement of the deck members.
An early solution attempted for this problem was to provide for a stronger support in the asphalt immediately above the joint. This was accomplished by cutting a channel in the asphalt surface about 30 cm wide at the location of the joint. Two strips of epoxy mortar were applied to the deck members on either side of the expansion gap and a continuous strip of plastic or rubbery sealing material wa applied immediately above the gap. The hardness of the material above the gap was intended to provide support so that vehicular impact stress would not cause deterioration. The hardness of the center rubber did prevent the asphalt from cracking directly above the gap. However, this hardness proved to be a disadvantage because it caused the softer surface on either side of the relatively harder strip to break up. Debris from cracking was not accommodated by the hard strip and this also exerted damaging pressure to surrounding areas.
More recently, attempts have been made to overcome these disadvantages. A method for sealing bridge deck joints by filling a channel cut around and above the gap with a flexible composition of chips of stone aggregate in a rubberized bitumen matrix is proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,324,504 to Cottingham. The rubberized bitumen matrix was composed of bitumen, tire crumb rubber, fine sand, and limestone powder. The rubberized binder was intended to bind the stone aggregate together so that the joint would have sufficient flexibility to withstand movement of the concrete slabs without the surface cracking. However, the solid support needed to withstand impact over the gap is not provided by the Cottingham joint. Vehicular impact stress causes the aggregate to move or jolt suddenly within the matrix, eventually breaking the bond with the rubberized matrix and ultimate deterioration of the joint.


A tran-1,2-dichloroethylene blend which comprises a combination of a major amount of tran-1,2-dichloroethylene and a minor amount of a hydrofluorocarbon or an alkoxy perfluoroalkane having an elevated flash point is disclosed. The combination exhibits a flash point significantly higher than trans-1,2-dichloroethylene alone while containing only a minor amount of the component exhibiting the high Global Warming Potential. The preferred hydrofluorocarbon is 1,1,1,2,2,3,4,5,5,5-decafluoropentane or 3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,6-nonafluoro-1-hexene and the preferred alkoxy perfluoroalkane is 1-(methoxy)nonafluorobutane.

In the production of foams, including polyurethane, agents such as hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) etc are employed as foaming agents. These materials also find use as cleaning agents or solvents and refrigerants. Various chemicals are included in foam or polyol premixes. These chemicals can include polyols, catalysts, surfactants, fire retardants, etc. Trans-1,2 dichloroethylene is a know agent employed in foam production and in cleaning agent, solvent and refrigerant applications.
Handling of Trans-1,2-dichloroethylene or trans-1,2-DCE is problematic because of its relatively low flash point of −12° C. Flash point as used herein relates to flash point as measured using a Setaflash "series 7" flash point tester. Current United States Department of Transportation regulations designate liquids having a flash point less of than 60° C. as flammable for transportation purposes. Thus, transportation of trans-1,2-DCE such as for use in foam production is problematic.
Prior methods to provide "non-flammable" trans-1,2-DCE have focused on mixing it with a large quantity non-flammable compound having a volatility similar to trans-1,2-DCE. Alternative prior methods relied upon forming azeotrope blends of tran-1,2,-DCE and other components to suppress (raise) the flash point. For example Novec™ engineered fluid HFE-71DE available from Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co. comprises an azeotropic blend of trans-1,2-DCE and 1-(Methoxy)nonafluorobutane (C4 F9 OCH3). The blend consists of 50% by weight of 1-(Methoxy)nonafluorobutane. This blend is non-flammable and has no flash point. Such prior methods resulted in adding an additional volatile compound or compounds to trans-1,2-DCE which compounds can become incorporated into the foam produced with the mixture. Similarly, a product (Vertrel® MCA) available from DuPont is an azeotropic blend consisting of about 62% by weight of 1,1,1,2,2,3,4,5,5,5-decafluoropentance (HFC-4310mee) and about 38% by weight of trans-1,2DCE.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,759,986 discloses an azeotropic or azeotropic like composition of 40 to 70% by weight 1,1,1,2,2,3,4,5,5,5-decafluoropentance (HFC-4310mee), 15-50% trans-1,2-dichloroethylene, 1-25% cyclopentane and 1-10% methanol or 35-75% by weight HFC-4310mee, 10-50% trans-1,2-dichloroethylene and 5-25% cyclopentane. No specific mention is made of flash point or boiling point for the described azeotropic or azeotropic like composition. The use of significant proportions of volatile compounds such as HFC-4310mee, adds to the global warming potential (GWP) of the mixture. These results are undesirable.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,196,137 discloses an azeotropic mixture of 1,1,1,2,3,4,4,5,5,5-decafluoropentane (HFC-4310mee) and trans-1,2-dichloroethylene, cis-1,1-dichloroethylene or 1,1-dichloroethane. The disclosed azeotropic mixture of HFC4310mee and tran-1,2-DCE consists essentially of 58 to 68 weight percent HFC-4310mee and 32 to 42 weight percent trans-1,2-DCE. The use of a significant proportion of volatile compounds such as HFC-4310mee, adds to the global warming potential (GWP) of the mixture. These results are undesirable.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,827,812 discloses azeotope or azeotrope like compositions including a composition consisting essentially of about 25 to 83 weight percent trans-1,2-dichloroethylene and about 75 to 17 weight percent perfluorobutyl methyl ether. The use of a significant proportion of volatile compounds such as perfluorobutyl methyl ethers, adds to the global warming potential (GWP) of the mixture. These results are undesirable.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,793,840 discloses a binary azeotropic composition of 3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,6-nonafluoro-1-hexene and trans-1,2-dichloroethylene, which consists of 30.7 mole % of 3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,6-nonafluoro-1-hexene and 69.3 mole % of trans-1,2-dichloroethylene. This composition is equivalent to 52.9% by weight of 3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,6-nonafluoro-1-hexene.

Trans-1, 2-dichloroethylene and hydrofluorocarbon or alkoxy perfluoroalkane compositions having elevated flash points


A semiconductor arrangement includes a MOSFET having a source region, a drift region and a drain region of a first conductivity type, a body region of a second conductivity type arranged between the source region and the drift region, a gate electrode arranged adjacent the body region and dielectrically insulated from the body region by a gate dielectric, and a source electrode contacting the source region and the body region. The semiconductor arrangement further includes a normally-off JFET having a channel region of the first conductivity type that is coupled between the source electrode and the drift region and extends adjacent the body region so that a p-n junction is formed between the body region and the channel region.

MOSFETs (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors), in particular power MOSFETs, are widely used as electronic switches for switching electrical loads or as electronic switches in all types of switching converters. A power MOSFET includes a drain region, a drift region adjoining the drain region, and a source region, each having a first conductivity type, and a body region arranged between the drift region and source region of a second conductivity type. A gate electrode serves to control a conducting channel in the body region between the source region and the drift region. The source region is electrically connected to a source electrode which is also connected to the body region, and the drain region is electrically connected to a drain electrode.
A MOSFET can be operated in forward biased state and in a reverse-biased state. In the forward biased state, a voltage between the drain and the source electrode is such that a P-N junction between the body region and the drift region is reverse biased. In the forward biased state the MOSFET can be switched on and off by applying a suitable electrical potential at the gate electrode. In the reverse biased state of the MOSFET the p-n junction between the body region and the source region is forward biased, so that the MOSFET in the reverse biased state acts like a diode, commonly known as a body diode.
In many applications, such as applications in which a MOSFET is used as a switch that cyclically switches an inductive load, there are time periods in which the MOSFET is reverse biased so that the body diode conducts a current. The losses that occur when a current flows through the MOSFET in its reverse direction are dependent on the current and the forward voltage of the body diode. The forward voltage of the body diode is the voltage that is required to bias the body diode such that it conducts a current. In a silicon MOSFET the forward voltage is about 0.7V.
There is a need to provide a MOSFET that has reduced losses when it is operated to conduct a current in its reverse direction.


This application discloses configurations for arranging transducer arrays on a person's head to impose tumor treating fields (TTFields) in the brain at field strengths that are as uniform as possible throughout the entire brain. In some embodiments, L-shaped sets of electrodes are positioned near the right and left ears, each with a horizontal arm above the ear and a vertical arm behind the ear. Optionally, these embodiments may be combined with a second pair of electrodes positioned on top of the head and behind the neck. In other embodiments, one pair of electrodes is positioned above the right ear and on the left/rear portion of the neck; and a second pair of electrodes is positioned above the left ear and on the right/rear portion of the neck. These configurations improve the uniformity of the electric fields imposed throughout the brain, and are particularly useful for preventing and/or treating metastases.

TTFields are low intensity (e.g., 1-4 V/cm) alternating electric fields within the intermediate frequency range (e.g., 100-300 kHz), which may be used, for example, to treat tumors as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,565,205, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, TTFields therapy is an approved mono-treatment for recurrent glioblastoma (GBM), and an approved combination therapy with chemotherapy for newly diagnosed GBM patients. The alternating electric fields are induced non-invasively by transducer arrays (i.e., arrays of capacitively coupled electrodes) placed directly on the patient's head (e.g., using the Novocure Optune® system), and applying AC voltages between the transducer arrays.
For treating glioblastoma, the TTFields are delivered to patients via four transducer arrays 11-14 that are placed on the patient's skin in close proximity to a tumor (e.g., as depicted in FIGS. 1A-1D for a person with glioblastoma). The transducer arrays 11-14 are arranged in two pairs, and each transducer array is connected via a cable to an AC signal generator. The AC signal generator (a) sends an AC current through one pair of arrays 11, 12 during a first period of time, which induces an electric field with a first direction through the tumor; then (b) sends an AC current through the other pair of arrays 13, 14 during a second period of time, which induces an electric field with a second direction through the tumor; then repeats steps (a) and (b) for the duration of the treatment.
In the context of glioblastoma, conventional solutions (e.g., NovoTAL software from Novocure) are available for determining where the transducer arrays 11-14 should be placed on a subject's head in order to maximize the field strength within the tumor. But because the prior art solutions are only concerned with the field distribution within the tumor, none of the prior art solutions addressed the uniformity of the electric field in other regions of the brain.

Generating tumor treating fields (TTFields) with high uniformity throughout the brain