A fluid-filled type vibration damping device including: a primary fluid chamber partially constituted by a main rubber elastic body connecting a first and second mounting member; an equilibrium chamber partially constituted by a flexible film; a partition member supported by the second mounting member; and a partition rubber film is superimposed against the partition member and secured interlocking with an annular interlocking projection projecting from the partition member. A first seal rubber is compressed between the interlocking projection and the tubular fitting member and extending about the entire circumference, thereby forming a working air chamber therebetween. A gap is furnished between and a second seal rubber is compressed between the tubular fitting member and the orifice member, and extending about the entire circumference.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a fluid-filled type vibration damping device that exhibits vibration-damping effect based on fluid action of a non-compressible fluid sealed within its interior, and more particularly to a fluid-filled type vibration damping device wherein a partition member, which partitions a primary fluid chamber and an equilibrium chamber both having the non-compressible fluid sealed therein, having a partition rubber film disposed therein so that the partition rubber film partially define the pressure receiving chamber; and wherein an air chamber is formed for restricting or allowing deformation of the partition rubber film.
2. Description of the Related Art
A fluid-filled vibration damping device is known as one type of vibration damping coupling and vibration damping support for installation between members constituting a vibration transmission system, such as an automotive engine mount or body mount. This fluid-filled type vibration damping device includes: a first mounting member and a second mounting member disposed apart from one another and linked by a rubber elastic body; a primary fluid chamber having part of its wall constituted by the rubber elastic body and having a non-compressible fluid sealed therein; an equilibrium chamber formed on the opposite side from the primary fluid chamber with a partition member supported on the second mounting member situated therebetween, whose wall is partially defined by a flexible film and having a non-compressible fluid sealed therein; and an orifice passage formed in the partition member through which the primary fluid chamber and the equilibrium chamber communicate with one another so that vibration damping effect is produced on the basis of flow action of the fluid flowing through the orifice passage.
As taught in JP-B2-2843088 and JP-A-4-277341 for example, there has also been proposed a construction in which a rubber elastic film constituting another part of the wall of the primary fluid chamber is disposed on the partition member, and a working air chamber is formed on the opposite side of the rubber elastic film from the primary fluid chamber. This vibration damping device has vibration damping characteristics that can be adjusted, for example, by controlling the air pressure exerted on the working air chamber to adjust the spring characteristics of the rubber elastic film, or by exerting pressure fluctuations on the air chamber to vibrate the rubber elastic film.
In a fluid-filled type vibration damping device of this kind having an air chamber disposed in its interior, it is important for there to be an adequate seal in the area where the partition member and the rubber elastic film are attached, so as to prevent the air in the working air chamber from entering into the fluid, or to prevent fluid from leaking from the primary fluid chamber or orifice passage through the area where the partition member and the rubber elastic film are assembled.
To address this matter, JP-U-5-77642, for example, has proposed a construction wherein the partition member has an interlocking structure composed of several members, these members being superimposed in the axial direction so as to sandwich the outside peripheral edges of the rubber elastic film, thereby holding the rubber elastic film clamped therebetween in the direction of superimposition by the partition member. In yet another structure as proposed in JP-A-11-264436, an engaging portion projects from the peripheral edge of the opening of the working air chamber, a round tubular metal fitting member is bonded by vulcanization about the outside peripheral edge of the rubber elastic film, and the tubular fitting member is externally fitted onto the engaging portion with a seal rubber layer formed on the inner circumferential surface of the tubular fitting member sandwiched therebetween, and subjected to a drawing process.
However, numerous experiments and extensive studies carried out by the inventors have revealed that, in the fluid-filled type vibration damping devices taught in JP-U-5-77642 and JP-A-11-264436 cited previously, seal performance in the area where the partition member and the rubber elastic film are attached is not yet sufficiently consistent and reliable.
In particular, in fluid-filled type vibration damping devices of conventional structure, including those taught in the four documents cited previously, when the partition member is inserted into the tubular second mounting member and the second mounting member is subjected to the drawing process from the outside in the diametrical direction, with the object of ensuring fluid-tightness in the primary fluid chamber, a gap tends to form in the area of attachment of partition member and the rubber elastic film disposed on the inside of the rubber elastic film. That is, since the shape and wall thickness dimension of the partition member are not uniform in the circumferential direction due to factors such as the shape and size of the orifice passage formed in the partition member, when in association with the drawing process compressive force is exerted by the second mounting member on the partition member, and on the tubular fitting member, irregular deformation tends to be produced in the partition member and the tubular fitting member, and the outer circumferential surface of the partition member abuts tightly against the seal rubber layer formed covering the inner circumferential surface of the second mounting member. Thus, the axially superimposed members that make up the partition member are supported in a floating state on the second mounting member, and the members tend to become eccentric to one another during the drawing process. As a result, a gap tends to form between the rubber elastic film and the partition member, through which gap air escaping from the working air chamber can become entrained in the fluid, or the orifice passage can become short circuited, making it difficult to obtain the desired vibration damping characteristics.


A system and method for using pre-procedural images for registration for image-guided therapy (IGT), also referred to as image-guided intervention (IGI), in percutaneous surgical application. Pseudo-features and patient abdomen and organ surfaces are used for registration and to establish the relationship needed for guidance. Three-dimensional visualizations of the vasculature, tumor(s), and organs may be generated for enhanced guidance information. The invention facilitates extensive pre-procedural planning, thereby significantly reducing procedural times. It also minimizes the patient exposure to radiation.

Image-guided therapy (IGT), which is also often referred to as image-guided intervention (IGI), has gained widespread attention and clinical acceptance for use in localizing tumors in abdominal organs. Procedures that utilize IGT include, but are not limited to, tumor biopsy and ablation.
IGT essentially describes the interactive use of medical images during a percutaneous procedure, and is often referred to as a "global positioning system" (GPS) for interventional radiology. For example, in an automobile GPS, the current position of a vehicle is accurately localized or "registered" onto an electronic roadmap located on the dashboard. As the automobile moves, its position is updated on this roadmap. The driver can use the GPS as a guide to see where their vehicle is, where it has been and where it is headed, and can follow a planned route to a selected destination. IGT allows the physician to accomplish the same thing with their tracked medical instruments on the 3-D "roadmap" of highly detailed tomographic medical images of the patient that are ideally acquired and studied well before the interventional procedure. The key step in an IGT procedure is the accurate registration between real "patient" space and medical image space.
In an ideal IGT procedure, a 3D map or plan is created from the preoperative diagnostic images, possibly days before the actual procedure and in consultation with a variety of physicians in different disciplines. On the day of the percutaneous procedure, the position of the patient and the medical instruments are accurately localized or "registered" onto these preoperative images in the interventional suite. As the physician moves the instrument, the precise location of its tip is updated on the 3-D images. The physician can then quickly follow a planned path to a selected destination (for example, a tumor or other lesion of interest). The exact location of the instrument is confirmed with a form of real-time imaging, including, but not limited to, intraoperative computerized tomography (CT), 2-D fluoroscopy, or ultrasonic (US) imaging.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,853,307, "Methods, Apparatuses, And Systems Useful In Conducting Image Guided Interventions," which is incorporated herein in its entirety by specific reference for all purposes, discloses a method to register the pre-operative images to patient space using non-tissue reference markers/skin fiducial markers. This invention uses radio opaque fiducial markers (also known as skin fiducial markers) attached to the patient's abdomen, and a full CT scan of the patient's abdomen immediately before the procedure (also known as intra-procedural images), and performs a point-based registration to achieve correspondence between the fiducial markers' location on the abdomen and its corresponding position in the intra-procedural CT images. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,785,571, "Device and Method for Registering A Position Sensor In An Anatomical Body," which is incorporated herein in its entirety by specific reference for all purposes, discloses a method to register pre-operative images to patient space using a tracked instruments inserted into the patient's body.
Both these prior arts suffers from the disadvantage that the highly detailed diagnostic images cannot be easily used during the interventional procedure. This means that the physicians do not have access to detailed visualizations of lesions and vasculature, and also do not have the time to create an ideal procedure plan. The existing technology also requires that the patients be scanned at least twice (once for pre-procedural diagnostic images and a second time for the intra-procedural images), which increases their exposure to X-ray radiations. Therefore, it would be ideal to use the high quality diagnostic CT or MR medical images directly for percutaneous guidance by performing a registration using those images. Point-based registration techniques discussed in the prior art are not accurate and inaccurate registrations compromise the accuracy of guidance during interventional procedures.
U.S. Patent App. No. 60/859,439, "Apparatus And Methods For Compensating For Organ Deformation, Registration Of Internal Structures To Images, And Applications Of The Same," which is incorporated herein in its entirety by specific reference for all purposes, details a method to perform registrations using pre-operative diagnostic images. The registration method disclosed in the patent uses surfaces generated from pre-operative diagnostic images and surfaces obtained during surgical or interventional procedures and "salient anatomical features" (anatomical regions that can be easily identified on both the surfaces) and performs a rigid surface-based registration to align the surfaces obtained during surgical or interventional procedures to the pre-operative surfaces. However, the method relies on the assumption that "salient anatomical features" can be easily identified on both sets of surfaces. Further, "salient anatomical features" cannot be obtained during percutaneous procedures. Therefore, there is a need to perform registration using something other than skin markers and salient anatomical features.
Surface registration using salient anatomical features in image-guided surgery is described more fully in Clements, et al, "Robust surface registration using salient anatomical features in image-guided liver surgery," Medical Imaging 2006: Visualization, Image-guided Procedures, and Display: Proc. of the SPIE (2006), and Clements, et al, "Robust surface registration using salient anatomical features for image-guided liver surgery: Algorithm and validation," Medical Physics, Vol. 35, No. 6, pp. 2528-2540 (2008); copies of the above are appended to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/331,252, all of which are incorporated herein in their entireties by specific reference for all purposes.

System and method for abdominal surface matching using pseudo-features


A laminate comprising a thermoplastic film and a positive resist film is provided, the positive resist film comprising (A) a novolak resin-naphthoquinone diazide (NQD) base resin composition, (B) a polyester, and (C) 3-30 wt % of an organic solvent. The resist film may be transferred to a stepped support without forming voids.

As the advanced semiconductor fabrication process uses substrates of larger size, the heat treatment of substrates in an oven is considered. Under the trend, there is pointed out the problem that chemically amplified positive resist materials undergo substantial variations of pattern feature size due to the influence of varying temperature within the oven. Novolak resin-NQD base positive resist materials become attractive since they are relatively insensitive to temperature variations.
In the semiconductor fabrication process, a resist material is generally used to form a resist film on a support such as film, sheet, metal substrate or ceramic substrate. Since the surface of the support has been stepped as a result of circuit formation, the resist material which is used in later steps of the semiconductor fabrication process is required to form a uniform coating free of voids or defects on the stepped surface. When a liquid resist material is coated onto the stepped or uneven surface of a support, it is difficult to form a coating of uniform thickness. Voids are likely to form near steps. The liquid resist material is difficult to meet the requirement whereas a resist film is adequate for the purpose.
Only a few documents refer to positive tone resist films. Patent Document 1 discloses a dry film resist which is mainly intended for scum control, but insufficient to suppress void formation on a stepped support. Since the dry film resist is short of flexibility, it fails to fully conform to steps on the support surface. There is a strong desire for a positive resist film laminate which eliminates void formation when transferred to a stepped support.

Positive resist film laminate and pattern forming process


According to one embodiment, a method is disclosed. The method includes receiving data at a first wireless radio device that has been transmitted from the first wireless radio device, receiving time stamp information from a second first wireless radio device and estimating time of arrival (TOA) information based upon the data and the time stamp information.

Within a communication system, a mobile communications device may be located using a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver that takes positions and times from multiple satellites to accurately measure and determine distances. The mobile communications device compares its time with the time broadcast by at least three satellites whose positions are known and calculates its own position on the earth. However, the GPS system depends on expensive atomic clocks in the GPS transmitters to generate the precision measurements. Therefore, it is often impracticable to implement a satellite based GPS system to provide accurate positioning measurements in various environments.


Provided herein are methods and materials that allow targeting and imaging of interactions between probes and targets. In some embodiments, the probes include nanoscale materials with embedded solutions that can be used to measure physical enhancement by materials under X-ray irradiation. In some embodiments, the methods of the present invention include delivering a probe material to a target that can have a delivered donor material. In some embodiments, methods of the present invention include irradiating the target and determining an optical change in the probe characteristic of a physical enhancement.

X-ray nanochemistry investigates how to use nanomaterials to enhance the effect of X-rays and how to use X-rays to drive previously un-encountered chemical reactions with the assistance of nanomaterials. Development of X-ray nanochemistry has been inspired by techniques such as nanoparticle enhanced X-ray therapy (NEXT) and has been accompanied by many advancements in the area of studying the interaction between nanomaterials and ionizing radiation. Applications of X-ray nanochemistry include but are not limited to cancer treatment and diagnostics, sensing, imaging of nanomaterials, fuel and chemical synthesis, and environmental studies. In order to explore and realize the full potential of X-ray nanochemistry, it is critical to identify, isolate, and optimize individual enhancement mechanisms.
Enhancement from adding nanomaterials is defined as the ratio of the signal detected by a probe with the nanomaterials in a medium to that of the medium alone. Such an enhancement originates from several sources and enhancements discovered to date include physical, chemical, and anti-enhancement. Physical enhancement (PE) derives from increased absorption of X-rays by the added nanomaterials and the resulting increase in energy deposition by electrons emitted from the X-ray absorbing nanomaterials in water if the nanomaterials are dissolved in water. PE can be further divided into at least two types, 1 and 2, or T1PE and T2PE. T1PE is an average effect caused by high energy electrons released from X-ray absorbing nanoparticles (hence the energy donor) and is independent of the location of nanomaterials because these energetic electrons traverse microns in water. T1PE can be as high as 1.0-1.5 fold in the whole volume of water per one weight percent (wp) of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) uniformly dissolved in water. T2PE, on the other hand, is enabled by low energy electrons released from X-ray absorbing nanoparticles depositing energy within the nanometer vicinity of nanomaterials. As a result, T2PE occurs only near the surface of nanomaterials. The term "near" means the volume of interest lies 100 nm within the surface. Theoretically predicted T2PE, defined as the ratio of energy deposition with nanoparticles to without nanoparticles within a 5-nm thick shell surrounding spherical nanoparticles, can reach over 40 fold for individual 800-nm dia. AuNPs and over 200 fold for aggregated nanostructures. All contemporary publications showing enhanced energy deposition had measured the T1PE and there is no experimental demonstration of exclusive T2PE prior to this work.

Formation and use of embedded solutions in nanoscale materials

The Regents of the University of California


A method and arrangement for prioritized transmission of packets from a plurality of storage queues, each interfacing one corresponding input bitstream to one common transmission medium, is disclosed, whereby the respective queue priorities, on the basis of which access to the common transmission medium is determined, are itself dependent upon respective weigths associated to the corresponding input bitstreams. This dependency on these respective weight; relates to a respective amount of successive values of these respective queue priorities, to be selected from an arbitrary interval and sorted in a predetermined sequence.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method and an arrangement for prioritized data transmission of packets from a plurality of storage queues, each interfacing one corresponding input bitstream to one common transmission medium, said method including a step of determining a respective queue priority for each respective storage queue, on the basis of which access to said common transmission medium is determined in accordance to a predetermined access criterion. The present invention also relates to a queue priority determining means, an access criterion and an access control device, such as those disclosed in the new as those disclosed in the new method and arrangement described in detail below.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Such an arrangement for performing said method is already known in the art, e.g. from the published European patent application, xe2x80x9cData transmission system and interface module and priority generating means included therein,xe2x80x9d publication number 0584405 A1, also available as Van Kersen, et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,402,423). Therein, a data transmission system including a plurality of interface modules (LIM1, . . . ,LIM8), each interfacing a plurality of input bitstreams (TI11, TI12) with a common transmission medium (DB), is described, whereby each interface module includes storage means (FIFO1, FIFO2) as well as a packet priority determining means (C1,C2) for determining a packet priority for each of the received packets. Within one interface module, the packet priorities are used in a priority generator (PG) for further determining an interface module priority (PR1), on the basis of which access to the transmission medium (DB) is determined by means of processing units (PR) included in each module and by means of an access bus (AB) included in the data transmission arrangement. The combination of these processing units and the access bus thus corresponds to an access control device adapted to receive from each respective queue priority determining means said respective queue priority and to determine therefrom, in accordance with a predetermined access criterion, which storage queue of a first plurality of storage queues gets access to the common transmission medium. In the special case, where a packet priority determining means for generating the packet priority, is attributed to one single storage queue, and where each interface module merely interfaces one input bitstream with the common transmission medium, the prior art arrangement corresponds to arrangement for prioritized data transmission of packets from a first plurality of storage queues included in the arrangement, each interfacing one corresponding bitstream to one common transmission medium coupled to the plurality of storage queues, the arrangement including a second plurality of queue priority determining means, each respective queue priority determining means of the second plurality being associated with a respective storage queue of the first plurality and adapted to determine a respective queue priority, the arrangement further including the above-mentioned access control device, the arrangement for realizing the method described in the Technical Field above. Indeed, in this special case, the packet priority determining means and the priority generator of the prior art document together correspond to the above-described queue priority determining means, whereby both the packet priority and the interface module priority correspond to the above-described queue priority.
The prior art method and arrangement are suited for determining a packet priority, and in the above mentioned simple configuration, a storage queue or interface module priority, on the basis of which access to the common transmission medium is determined. In the prior art arrangement, these packet priorities are determined as a function of the storage time of the packets in the storage queues and of at least one packet characterizing parameter. Examples of such a packet characterising parameter are referenced in the prior art document in column 2, lines 4-9, as being for instance the packetizing delay and/or the type of information contained in the analogous data packets filling the queue. The prior art arrangement however does not provide a solution for granting access to one of several identical storage queues, each receiving simultaneously a similar data input stream. This situation is for instance present in access multiplexers, where in the upstream direction similar bitstreams carrying identical type of data packets and pertaining to identical quality of service categories, are competing for getting access on one common data bus. The prior art method and arrangement does not provide any solution for fairly granting access to one of these apparently similar bitstreams, arriving simultaneously at the different storage queues.
An object of the present invention is thus to provide a method and an arrangement for prioritized transmission of packets from a plurality of storage queues, each interfacing one corresponding input bitstream to one common transmission medium as described in the above mentioned prior art document, but which provides a means for fairly determining access among similar input bitstreams, whereby this similarity is both related to content as well as to connection parameters associated with these bitstreams.
According to the invention, this object is achieved by the fact that the queue priorities on the basis of which access is determined, are dependent upon a respective weight associated to each corresponding bitstream.
In this way, by attributing a weight to apparently similar input bitstreams, entering at distinct storage queues, and by letting the priorities on the basis of which access is determined, to also be dependent upon these weights, a method for prioritized weighted access allowing to favor or discriminate some of these similar bitstreams with respect to the others, is realized.
Another characteristic feature of the present invention is that the dependency of the respective queue priority upon the respective weight relates to a respective amount of successive values of the respective queue priorities, the respective amount of successive values being a respective set of the respective amount of distinct values, selected within an interval and sorted out in a predetermined sequence, with Pmin being a first real number lower than a second real number Pmax, the predetermined access criterion thereby being related to the predetermined sequence.
In this way, by relating an amount of successive queue priorities with a weight, and by relating the access criterion with the sequence said successive priorities are sorted out, a bitstream with a relatively higher weight, will have a higher probability for accessing the transmission medium than a bitstream with a relatively lower weight, as will be explained more into detail in further paragraphs.
An additional characteristic feature of the present invention is that the respective queue priority is reset at respective predetermined instances related to the respective weights, to a respective value at a predetermined position of the respective set.
Resetting the respective priorities at predetermined instances, results in priority cycles, during which, for each respective storage queue, the respective amount of priorities are compared, as will be explained more into detail in further paragraphs. Since the generation of each new priority is in fact related to the transmission of at least one packet from the associated storage queue, as was already known from the prior art arrangement, the subject method thus results in transmitting, for each storage queue, an amount of packets, directly related to its weight, during such a cycle. This means that the thus obtained method is not only simple, but guarantees, during each cycle, a fair access to the transmission medium for each respective storage queue, in relation to the respective weight of the corresponding bitstream.
Yet another characteristic feature of the present invention is that the respective amount is determined as the integer most approximating the product of said respective weight and a normalization factor.
In this way, a very simple relationship between the amount of values to select from said interval and said respective weights is obtained, thus resulting in a very simple and cheap arrangement.
Still a further characteristic feature of the present invention is that the normalization factor is determined as a value not lower than the maximum between the inverse value of a predetermined resolution of the weights and the inverse value of a predetermined minimum limit value of the weights, whereby 1 added to the product of the width of said interval and the inverse value of a predetermined resolution of the priorities is not lower than the product of a predetermined maximum limit value for the respective weights and the normalization factor.
Thereby, the general relationships for any predetermined value of the minimum and maximum limits of the weights and the resolutions of the priorities and the weights allow to determine appropriate values for said normalisation factor and for the limits of the interval.
Yet a further characteristic feature of the present invention is that for respective amount being larger than 1, said respective amount of distinct values are equidistantly spaced over the total width of the interval.
In this way, by letting the respective successive priorities associated to the corresponding bitstreams to be equidistant numbers spread over the entire width of the interval [Pmin,Pmax], jitter is decreased as much as possible. Indeed, by smoothly distributing the priority values over the available range, a maximum variation among the different users is obtained.

Method and arrangement for prioritized data transmission of packets


A thickness detection device comprises: a feed roller (130), a thickness detection unit (110,210) and a thickness measurement unit (120,220). The thickness detection unit (110, 210) comprises a detection roller (113, 213) which is contacted with the surface of the feed roller (130), a detection rotating shaft (111, 211) and a reflective board for thickness detection (112, 212); the thickness detection reflective board (112, 212) comprises an enlarging part (112a, 212a) and a bending part (112b, 212b) connected to one end of the enlarging part (112a, 212a); the detection roller (113, 213) and the detection rotating shaft (111, 211) are both arranged on the bending part (112b, 212b), a connection line of the axle centers of the detection roller (113, 213) and the detection rotating shaft (111, 211) is at an included angle with the enlarging part (112a, 212a) of the reflective board for thickness detection (112, 212); and the thickness measurement unit (120, 220) comprises a sensor used for measuring the distance that the enlarging part (112a, 212a) rotates around the detection rotating shaft (111, 211).

A typical thickness detection device for sheet-type media generally includes a sensor and a thickness detection unit including a detecting portion and an amplifying portion. When a sheet-type medium passes through the thickness detection device, the sensor measures the movement distance of the amplifying portion of the thickness detecting unit, and then a thickness value of the medium is obtained by calculation. However, a typical thickness detection unit is complex in configuration and easy to result in measuring errors. In addition, it is difficult to determine an initial position of the sensor relative to the thickness detection unit. The accuracy of a final measuring result will be decreased due to the change of the initial position of the sensor. Some thickness detection devices in which the initial position of the sensor is adjustable have been proposed, but an adjustment mechanism therein is complicated in configuration, troublesome in the adjustment process and inconvenient in maintenance.
Thus, a need exists for an improved thickness detection device to overcome the defects mentioned above.


An apparatus and method for inputting a character using a keyboard displayed on a touch screen in a portable terminal. The apparatus and method determines if a touch signal is generated, with the keyboard displayed. Upon generation of the touch signal, a touched character is recognized by analyzing the touch signal. The character is displayed enlarged in a predetermined screen area. It is then determined if the touch has been completed, while the character is displayed enlarged. Upon sensing the touch completion, the character is displayed in a main screen area.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for inputting characters using a touch screen in a portable terminal, and in particular, to an apparatus and method for inputting characters without errors.
2. Description of the Related Art
The portable terminal is equipped with a touch screen and its major example is a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant).
In general, the major components of the PDA are a computer, that is, a CPU (Central Process Unit), a memory and an OS (Operating System), and a variety of software programs and peripheral devices based on the OS. The PDA functions to gather, store, form and search information. Recently, the PDA has been developed as a multi-functional device equipped with a portable phone module to enable voice calls and data communications (e.g., Internet browsing).
One popular example of a PDA is the Palm Pilot produced by the Pam Computing Company, and other similar personal, portable digital devices are called PDA. Among products operating on Windows CE of Microsoft, a device using a pen without a keyboard is called PPC (Palm-Sizes PC) and a device using a keyboard is called HPC (Handheld PC). The term "PDA" includes all these devices.
The PDA is usually provided with a touch screen. The touch screen comprises an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and a touch panel mounted on the LCD. A user invokes a corresponding application program by touching an icon displayed on the touch screen with his finger or a stylus pen, or by inputting characters through a keyboard displayed in a predetermined area.
A small-size device such as the PDA, however, experiences frequent character editing due to errors caused by the limited screen size. That is, the PDA has the shortcomings of inconvenience and unnecessary time consumption involved in frequent editing.

Apparatus and method for inputting character using touch screen in portable terminal


The present invention is directed to a method for selecting a prey polypeptide that is able to interact with a bait polypeptide of interest, to a prey polynucleotide encoding the prey polypeptide as well as to the prey polypeptide itself. The invention also concerns plasmids used for performing the method of the invention as well as prokaryotic or eukaryotic recombinant host organisms containing such plasmids and also a collection of said recombinant host organisms consisting in a DNA library, such as a collection of recombinant haploid Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Finally, the invention is also directed to a technical medium containing the whole information concerning the interactions between metabolically related bait and prey polypeptides and/or polynucleotides coding for bait and prey polypeptides.

Most biological processes involve specific protein-protein interactions. General methodologies to identify interacting proteins or to study these interactions have been extensively developed. Among them, the yeast two-hybrid system currently represents the most powerful in vivo approach to screen for polypeptides that could bind to a given target protein. Originally developed by Fields and coworkers [(Fields et al., 1989; Chien et al., 1991). Two U.S. Pat. No. 5,283,173 granted on Feb. 1, 1994 (Fields, S. & Song, O.) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,468,614 granted on Nov. 21, 1995 (Fields, S. & Song, O.) herein incorporated by reference], the two-hybrid system utilizes hybrid genes to detect protein-protein interactions by means of direct activation of a reporter-gene expression (Allen et al., 1995; Transy et al., 1995). In essence, the two putative protein partners are genetically fused to the DNA-binding domain of a transcription factor and to a transcriptional activation domain, respectively. A productive interaction between the two proteins of interest will bring the transcriptional activation domain in the proximity of the DNA-binding domain and will trigger directly the transcription of an adjacent reporter gene (usually lacZ or a nutritional marker) giving a screenable phenotype. The transcription can be activated through the use of two functional domains of a transcription factor: a domain that recognizes and binds to a specific site on the DNA and a domain that is necessary for activation, as reported by Keegan et al. (1986) and Ma et al. (1987).
Recently, Rossi et al. (1997) described a different approach, a mammalian "two-hybrid" system, which uses .beta.-galactosidase complementation (Ullmann et al., 1968) to monitor protein--protein interactions in intact eukaryotic cells.
The number of genome sequences of prokaryotic as well as eukaryotic host organisms available is increasing exponentially and there is a great need for new tools directed to the functional and global study of these newly characterized complete or partial genomes. As an illustrative example, the genome of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is now completely sequenced (Goffeau et al., 1996). Despite the tremendous and successful genetic work in past years, 60% of yeast genes have no assigned function and half of those encode putative proteins without any homology with known proteins (Dujon, 1996). In yeast, genetic analyses, such as suppressor or synthetic lethal screens, have suggested many functional links between gene products, some of which have later been confirmed by biochemical means. All together, these approaches have led to a rather extensive knowledge of defined biochemical pathways. However, the integration of these pathways in the complexity of a living cell remains to be accomplished. To explore the integrative functions and find the molecular factors sustaining them, some authors have attempted to design new screens. However, these screens are usually very specific and cannot apply directly to many different cellular functions. In addition, few yeast genes are essential, leading to an additional difficulty for genetic screens. Other approaches developed by cellular biologists seek to precisely localize proteins within the cell. The assumption is that colocalization of factors is indicative of functional interactions. This approach has been very successful, despite the fact that it is usually very elaborate and is rarely considered practicable for a systematic approach (Burns et al., 1994).
Bartel et al. (1996) extended the approach of the typical two-hybrid system consisting in a known protein that forms a part of a DNA-binding domain hybrid, assayed against a library of all possible proteins present as transcriptional activation domain hybrids, using the genome of bacteriophage T7, such that a second library of all possible proteins fused to the DNA-binding domain to be analyzed. This genome-wide approach to the two-hybrid searches has identified 25 interactions among the proteins of T7.
However, the currently available two-hybrid methodology is not suitable for a large scale project without specific methodological improvements. Although the two-hybrid strategy has been a major tool in proving protein:protein interactions between factors known to be functionally related (Fields and Song, 1989), its use for exhaustive and reliable search for unknown partners of a given protein is more problematic. Thus, in most cases, the two-hybrid screen constitutes an initial screen in which many different interactions are found. Among the identified candidates, only some of them are favored due to their appealing sequence. Subsequent functional assays are required for establishing their possible biological significance. For these reasons, the two-hybrid methodology has been considered a difficult, if not misleading experimental approach for screening.
Finley et al. (1994) or Bendixen et al. (1994) have described two-hybrid systems including a step of mating yeast cell colonies by replica-plating diploids, that is to say by mating colonies of yeast cells. Finley et al. (1994) have, in a first step, selected specific inserts of a DNA library using, as selection criteria, the probability for a specific insert contained in the library to comprise a large coding region of an ORF or to contain a coding region associated with a specific biological function. For example, Finley et al. (1994) have made a collection of strains, each of which expressed a different bait (in fact two cyclin dependent kinases [Cdks], namely DmCdc2 and DmCdc2c), and mated them, by replica-plating, with test strains that contained different activation-tagged Cdis (Cyclin-dependent kinase interactors). Then, each of the selected baits was used as a bait in order to screen the prey Cdis of the DNA library. Examination of the resulting interaction matrices showed that each Cdi (preys) associates specifically with a distinct spectrum of Cdks (baits).
Despite the fact that these authors state that their results suggest a number of applications of their method to genetic characterization of larger sets of proteins, it must be pointed out that these screening experiments of prior art lead to the constitution of interactor polypeptide matrices restricted, as the numerous two-hybrid systems of prior art, by the initial choice of the potentially interesting polynucleotide inserts initially identified and/or initially selected in the DNA library.
Moreover, the replica-plating step that makes use of yeast cell colonies does not allow the mating of numerous different recombinant yeast cell colonies in a single culture dish, thus rendering very fastidious, or even materially impossible the study of potential interactions between a given bait polypeptide and a wide collection of prey polypeptides, such as a collection of prey polypeptides encoded by polynucleotides originating from the whole genome of an organism such as a bacterial, viral or yeast organism.

Fast and exhaustive method for selecting a prey polypeptide interacting with a bait polypeptide of interest: application to the construction of maps of interactors polypeptides


A cutting insert includes a through hole passing through oppositely facing upper and lower faces which have dissimilar structures, and are connected by a plurality of side faces. The upper face has an upper cutting edge formed on the outer periphery thereof, a flat land at the highest level disposed adjacent to and along the upper cutting edge, and a groove region at a level lower than that of the upper cutting edge and disposed between the flat land and the through-hole. The lower face has chip breakers formed on parts of peripheral regions which include each of the corners made by adjacent side faces, lower cutting edges formed on the outer periphery of the lower face along the chip breakers, and a flat supporting surface formed on the peripheral regions between adjacent chip breakers and continuously on regions inward of the chip breakers.

Since cutting inserts for rough machining large workpieces are placed under heavy loads, they are relatively large in size and are provided with a broad supporting surface on the bottom. Generally, since roughing inserts of this kind have a relatively large depth of cut and feed rate, they are fixed to the pocket of a tool holder by a lever projected through a pocket base, and not by a clamp coupled from above, to minimize interference.
However, since conventional roughing inserts are provided with cutting edges only on the upper surface, they are discarded when the cutting edges on the upper surface are worn out, which is uneconomical.

Cutting insert having dissimilar upper and lower cutting faces for roughing and finishing


An engine control system that regulates first and second throttles of an internal combustion engine includes a primary control module that generates a throttle area based on an operator input and a second control module that determines a second throttle position based on the throttle area. The second control module determines a redundant throttle position based on the throttle area and regulates a position of the second throttle based on the second throttle position if the second throttle position and the redundant throttle position correspond with one another.

Internal combustion engines combust a fuel and air mixture within cylinders driving pistons to produce drive torque. In some configurations, the engine includes first and second cylinder banks each including a plurality of cylinders. First and second throttles are respectively associated with the first and second cylinder banks and regulate air flow thereto. A dual control module control system regulates operation of the first and second throttles. More specifically, a primary control module regulates operation of the first throttle and a secondary control module regulates operation of the second throttle.
In traditional single control module control systems, throttle security (i.e., checking the integrity of the throttle position signal) is performed by a cross-check of accelerator pedal position versus a desired throttle position. The cross-check is performed by a watch-dog processor resident in the single control module. This security procedure is impractical to perform in the individual control modules of the dual control module control system because the accelerator pedal position and other vehicle operating parameters (e.g., cruise control, displacement on demand (DOD), drag) must be communicated to both control modules in a coordinated manner.

Secured operation of electronic throttle control (ETC) in dual module system


A tool system is presented. The tool system includes a tool body sized and dimensioned to fit comfortably in a human hand, and includes a plurality of interchangeable tool cartridges. Some of the tool cartridges include a tool bit cover capable of remaining in a closed, locked position sheathing a tool bit. Once installed, the tool bit cover can be unlocked via actuation of a trigger disposed on the body of the tool or on the cartridge. Preferably, the tool bit cover unsheathes the underlying tool bit due to pressure or force of a work surface.

Known utility knifes allow for replacing a dull or used blade with a new blade. However, replaceable blades have exposed cutting edges, which pose a risk to the individual replacing the blade. If the individual lacks sufficient care, they could easily cut themselves on the blade during the replacement operation.
Some effort has been directed toward protecting individuals when replacing blades of various knifes. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,342,379 to Volinsky titled "Safety Scalpel" (June 1993) describes a scalpel having disposable blade cartridges for use with a permanent scalpel handle. A scalpel blade in a cartridge remains retracted within housing during a replacing operation. However, when in use the blade can be locked in an exposed position, which is likely useful to a surgeon. Unfortunately locking a blade in an exposed position during use of a utility knife poses a risk to the user because the user could still injure themselves or others. A more comprehensive method of protecting the user is still required.
Another, better approach that would offer greater protection includes integrating a moveable blade cover into a blade cartridge where the cover remains closed when the cartridge is not in use. Such a cartridge can be securely installed within or on a tool handle to provide a solid, useable, and safe cutting tool. The blade cover can be controlled through an actuator that releases or otherwise unlocks the blade cover to allow use of the blade. The cartridge can be inexpensively manufactured, and could be considered a disposable unit.
Furthermore, the handle and cartridge system should provide a foundation for multi-function tool system where many different cartridges can be produced, each with a different type of tool bit (e.g., knife blade, screw driver, pliers, light, etc.). Each cartridge can be installed on a common tool handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,933,918 to Wallays titled "Handle with Interchangeable Kitchen Implements" (September 1997) discusses a kitchen utensil having interchangeable implements, many of which have exposed cutting edges. Interestingly, Wallays mentions that a brush utensil could have a separate component that operates as a protective sleeve for a brush, but lacks such protection for cutting implements. One should also note the contemplated interface between the implements and the handle has mechanically many weak points, which can become fatigued through minimal use, and eventually break. Wallays fails to appreciate the each type of implement would likely be better served having a different tool interface more inline with the intended use of the implement.
European patent application EP 0 998 374 to Nabors et al. titled "Foldable Tool with Removable Tool Cartridges" (July 1998) also describes a multi-function tool. However, the Nabors approach merely places multiple tools within a single removable cartridge. The contemplated tools also lack covers and are expensive to manufacture. Should a tool break, the entire multi-tool cartridge would require fixing or replacing as opposed to replacing a single damaged tool bit.
Yet another example of a multi-function tool includes U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,082 to Moreira titled "Multi-Functional Hand Tool" (March 1997). Moreira provides for a tool handle capable of supporting different types of tool attachments. As with the previous references, Moreira lacks any provisions for a tool cover to protect a user during use of the tool.
Further progress was made by U.S. Pat. No. 7,114,824 to Picone titled "Multi-Functional Tool with Interchangeable Adjustable Wrench Head Unit" (May 2004). Picone, describes yet another multi-functional tool where many different types of tool heads (e.g., wrench, light, screw driver bits, wrench sockets, etc.). As with the previous reference, Picone also fails to contemplate that some tool heads require a tool bit cover.
A desirable multi-function tool system should provide for many different types of tools as well as provide for protecting the user of the tool, or for protecting the tool bits with a lockable tool bit cover when the tool is not in use. For example, a tool system should include low cost, possibly disposable, knife blade cartridges having blade covers, or cartridges supporting other types of tool bits. Advantages for such a system become quite clear. Cartridges having lockable tool bit covers aid in preventing users from becoming injured when the tool is in use, when the tool bit is replaced, or when the tool bit is discarded.
Thus, there is still a need for a hand-held tool system having multiple interchangeable tool cartridges where the cartridges can have a tool bit cover that remains closed when not in use.

Utility tool having interchangeable tool cartridges


A single element antenna with the ability to have pattern control by placing multiple feeds on opposite ends of the antenna element and controlling the amplitude and phase distribution of each of the feed ports.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate generally to antenna systems. Antenna systems can be used as transmission or reception devices to transmit or receive signals in a system. These systems may be communications, navigation, and surveillance in nature. Signals may be electromagnetic, optical, or acoustic in nature, and the antenna systems may be single element or multi-element in nature. Various types of single antenna elements exist for various purposes to produce radiation characteristics for the system applications.
A single-element GNSS patch antenna is one example of an antenna. At a particular operating frequency, the antenna radiation pattern of a typical single-element Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) patch antenna is often fixed based on the type of antenna and supporting ground plane structure. The GNSS generally referees to satellite-based navigation systems such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), GLObal NAvigation Satellite System (GLONASS), the Galileo, BeiDou. (With the theory of antenna reciprocity in mind, it is equitable to discuss the "radiation" characteristics and "reception" characteristics of a given passive antenna as comparable characteristics.) For example, a half-wave patch antenna over a ground plane, will have an antenna pattern with high directivity in the upper hemi-sphere (same side as the patch element), and low directivity in the lower hemi-sphere (i.e., below the ground plane). While these types of antennas perform very well for most GNSS applications, they have limited ability to suppress interference/jamming sources. In addition, single element patch antennas in the known art have limited control of the antenna pattern.
As a result, antenna arrays are common when the performance requirements exceed the capabilities of a single antenna element. These performance requirements may be in terms of directivity, pattern shape, beamwidth, and/or interference suppression, as well as other performance metrics. Antenna arrays use multiple antenna elements that are geometrically distributed to aid in obtaining the performance requirements. Antenna arrays are physically larger than a single-element that is within the antenna array, because an antenna array will be made up of multiple elements. Elements within an antenna array may be provided with amplitude and phase control to control the radiation pattern of the array antenna. Various GNSS array antennas, (i.e., Controlled Reception Pattern Antenna (CRPA)) have been used and researched for GNSS applications of various sizes and capabilities. The calibration of GNSS antenna arrays (i.e., CRPAs) have also been an active area of research where the in situ performance of the antenna array should be considered to ensure satisfactory performance of the as operationally installed antenna array.
GNSS microstrip patch antennas are common due to their low profile, small size, ease of fabrication, and low cost. GNSS patch antennas can be designed in various shapes and configurations to support single and multi-frequencies. Additionally, various types of feeds can be used with patch antennas to connect the antenna element to input/output connection(s). The feed type can be probe fed from below the patch, edge fed, and/or an aperture coupled fed to name a few. Probe feed patch antennas have the advantage that they can be fed from the "backside" of the antenna element and will be addressed in examples of this application. The principles of the present invention may also apply to other feed types.
Microstrip patch antennas can be configured in various shapes with supporting feed locations. While square patch antennas are common and easy to fabricate, circular patch antennas typically provide slightly higher bandwidths. The principles of the present invention may apply to circular patch antennas, square patch antennas, or other shapes of antennas.
The supporting ground plane structure also affects the patch antenna performance. Larger ground planes provide for multipath mitigation (i.e., reduced radiation in the lower hemisphere), while smaller ground planes tend to provide for more of a semi-isotropic radiation pattern. Advanced ground planes have been provided in terms of choke rings. Advanced ground planes materials have also been used in the GNSS community to reduce the radiation in the lower hemisphere.
Other steps have been taken to reduce the multipath and interference from lower elevation angles. One such strategy is to have a circular patch antenna with a hole in the middle, with the hole surrounded by grounding vias. Probe feeds are placed inside the walled off hole. This configuration will increase the minimal elevation angle of the radiation pattern and thus shield it from interfering sources on the horizon. Various reconfigurable antennas have been proposed that add or modify components on the antenna, or change the physical structure of the antenna to modify the operational characteristics of the antenna. For GPS patch antennas, a strategy has been demonstrated to short out the patch using switching diodes, placed on the edges of the patch to attenuate low elevation angle signals. Other techniques have been proposed that use an aircraft body (i.e., ground plane) to nullify undesirable signals below the horizon. There is a need for improved systems and methods to achieve desirable radiation characteristics.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention may overcome some or all of the shortcomings of the known art. Exemplary embodiments of the present invention deal with the ability to have pattern control using a single element antenna by placing multiple feeds on opposite ends of the antenna element and controlling the amplitude and phase distribution of each of the feed ports. Here, a single element antenna is considered to be a single patch aperture with multiple feeds. Additionally, the amplitude and phase control may include the ability to control the overall gain of each port together, in addition to individually, in a static or automatic sense (i.e., automatic gain control). The amplitude and phase control subsystem may be performed by an amplitude and phase control circuit or performed in software. The feeds on opposite sides of the antenna element may be even in number or odd. The feeds may be combined by a combiner subsystem that may be a circuit or software combiner.
Exemplary embodiments of the invention may control the azimuth pattern by varying the phase of adjacent ports (i.e., ΔγADJ). Exemplary embodiments of the invention may control the elevation pattern by varying the phase of opposite ports (i.e., ΔγOPP). Exemplary embodiments of the invention may control the azimuth and elevation pattern, simultaneously by varying the phase of adjacent ports (i.e., ΔγADJ) and by varying the phase of opposite ports (i.e., ΔγOPP).
Exemplary embodiments of the invention may control the azimuth pattern by varying the amplitude of adjacent ports (i.e., ΔaADJ). Exemplary embodiments of the invention may control the elevation pattern by varying the amplitude of opposite ports (i.e., ΔaOPP). Exemplary embodiments of the invention may control the azimuth and elevation pattern, simultaneously by varying the amplitude of adjacent ports (i.e., ΔaADJ) and by varying the amplitude of opposite ports (i.e., ΔaOPP).
In an exemplary embodiment, the pattern may be controlled in such a way to direct high levels of radiation intensity in a particular direction. The pattern may be controlled in such a way to direct low levels of radiation intensity in a particular direction. Furthermore, the pattern may be controlled in such a way to direct high levels of radiation intensity in a particular direction and direct low levels of radiation intensity in a particular direction, simultaneously.
In one embodiment of this invention, probe feeds are used, whereby the signal is fed from the bottom of the patch element (a conductive patch), placed on top of a dielectric substrate, over a ground plane. Other types of feeds may be used in other exemplary embodiments. In one exemplary embodiment, 4 symmetric feeds (i.e., ports) may be used. For each feed port, the amplitude and phase of each port may be controlled by an amplitude and phase control subsystem (e.g., circuit and/or software). A combiner subsystem (e.g., circuit and/or software) may combine the signals from the ports. The amplitude and phase control subsystem may be part of the antenna system, or may be an integral part of the receiver system. The combiner subsystem may be part of the antenna system or may be an integral part of the receiver system.
In addition to the novel features and advantages mentioned above, other benefits will be readily apparent from the following descriptions of the drawings and exemplary embodiments.

Single-element patch antenna with pattern control


A pool cleaner having a coarse filter and a fine filter. The coarse filter removes large pieces of debris. The fine filter removes fine particles from the water. In an embodiment, the fine filter is a filter bag made from a cloth material. In an embodiment, the coarse filter is a mesh grating with small holes. In an embodiment, the fine filter is supported by a rigid mesh placed downstream from the coarse filter.

The subject matter discussed in the background section should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its mention in the background section. Similarly, a problem and the understanding of the causes of a problem mentioned in the background section or associated with the subject matter of the background section should not be assumed to have been previously recognized in the prior art. The subject matter in the background section merely represents different approaches, which in and of themselves may also be inventions.
Presently, there are various pool cleaners that can clean swimming pools by filtering the pool water and removing dirt debris and algae. However, prior pool cleaners are inefficient in filtering pool water and removing dirt debris. Pool cleaners with a fine filter may clog up easily from the buildup of large debris within the pool cleaner, which ends up blocking water flow through the cleaner. Consequently, users are required to clean the captured debris off the filter multiple times so as not to reintroduce the captured debris back into the pool after use.
On the other hand, pool cleaners with a course filter may only capture large debris and allow smaller particles to pass through. Subsequently, the pool water may need to be pumped through the pool cleaner multiple times or use different pool cleaners to effectively remove all the debris from the water.

DONGGUAN SMARTPOOL PRODWCTS INCORPORATED CO LTD


A search circuit includes a search table including a plurality of entry data, a search processing unit receiving a search key and performing a binary search operation for the search table. Each of the plurality of entry data includes a search data, a prefix length data and a search result data. The search processing unit reads one of the plurality of entry data from the search table according to a binary search operation, specifies a search target range based on the search data and the prefix length data in the read entry data, determines whether the search key is included in the search target range, and outputs the search result data of the read entry data based on a determination result.

The present disclosure relates to a search circuit for searching a search table in which a plurality of entry data are stored for a match between input search keys.
In an IP network, a network device such as a router generates a database called Forwarding Information Base, which stores destination ports of packet data corresponding to destination IP addresses, in order to determine a destination of a received packet.
Upon receiving the packet, the router searches the FIB by using the destination IP address added to the header information of the packet data as a search key and determines the transfer destination of the packet based on the search result.
Each IP address stored in the FIB defines a search valid bit length called a prefix length.
In the search of the FIB, an entry having the longest valid bit length and matching the destination IP address being the search key is output as a search result from the table entry.
Such a search process is called Longest-Prefix-Match search. When performing an LPM search, a CAM (content reference memory: Content Addressable Memory) is used.
When CAM is used, high search performance can be realized, but it is expensive and consume a large amount of power as compared with general-purpose memories such as DRAM and SRAM.
In recent years, the number of IP addresses has been increasing with the expansion of IP networks, and the corresponding FIB capacitance has been increasing proportionately. Therefore, it has become difficult to store and search a large-capacity FIB database in a CAM which is expensive and consumes a large amount of power.
There are disclosed techniques listed below.    [Non Patent Document 1]    "IP Lookups using Multiway and Multicolumn Search", Butler Lampson, V Srinivasan and George Varghese, IEEE 1998


A method and apparatus for an imaging device to automatically detect the presence of an automatic document feeder.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to imaging devices and, more specifically, to imaging devices to which an Automatic Document Feeder ("ADF") may be optionally attached.
2. State of the Art
An imaging device, such as a scanner, copier, facsimile machine, or the like, may include an ADF to automatically feed target media to the imaging device for processing, namely, scanning, copying, printing, faxing, or other printed material analysis. For example, an ADF attached to a scanner may feed each sheet of a document, one sheet at a time, to a flatbed imaging surface of the scanner and remove the sheet from the flatbed imaging surface once the imaging process of the scanner is complete. Thus, an ADF greatly reduces the amount of time required to process a target media with an imaging device.
An imaging device may include an ADF as an optional accessory that may be installed either by the manufacturer or the user of the imaging device. The installation process may include configuring the imaging device for use with the particular ADF attached to it by performing an adjustment and calibration procedure. The adjustment and calibration procedure may produce parameters used by the imaging device to compensate for changes in imaging quality and physical misalignments of target media during the imaging process. When an ADF is installed at the factory of the manufacturer, the imaging device may be configured by programming the presence of the ADF into the nonvolatile random access memory ("RAM") of the device's controller. Adjustment and calibration values for the particular ADF may also be programmed into the nonvolatile RAM as part of the installation.
When an optional ADF is installed onto an imaging device by a user, the imaging device's controller typically needs to detect the presence of the ADF before the controller will use the ADF to process a target media. Thus, a conventional user installation process may include manually selecting the ADF as the source of the target media or automatically detecting a signal when an ADF has been attached to the imaging device. An external communication cable connected between the ADF and imaging device during installation typically provides all electrical communication between the ADF and imaging device and may provide an ADF detection signal to the imaging device's controller.
However, in order to reduce the size and cost of the communication cable, the communication cable's connectors and mating connectors located on the ADF and imaging device, it is advantageous to limit the number of signals carried by the communication cable to the functional signals required for the normal operation of the ADF. Therefore, it is desirable to detect the presence of the ADF without adding an ADF detection signal to the communication cable.

Multifunction automatic document feeder (ADF) switch

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


Methods, systems, apparatuses and program products are disclosed for managing connections to telecommunications networks, especially networks that deploy Internet Protocols and the like.

Modernly, usage of mobile PCs (personal computers) is quite commonplace, yet still growing. Substantially all PCs are connected to the Internet at least part of time they are actively being used as a PC by a user. For mobile PCs this raises particular challenges in that they are likely to be exposed to multiple ISPs (Internet Service Providers) and to multiple physical connection types and modes to even a preferred ISP. Moreover, they may operate under materially changing conditions.
Mobile PCs, such as Notebook computers (laptop computers) may commonly be used in the following exemplary manner: A user may activate the PC (such as by opening the mobile PC's lid or display screen) and actively use the functions of installed applications and software while being geographically stationary. Later, the user may shut down the PC, such as by closing the lid or display screen, and then not actively use it for a short, or an extended period of time. When the PC is not being used it may typically be maintained in some form of reduced power consumption mode especially if battery powered and for energy management issues more generally.
Upon reactivation, a mobile PC may commonly be in the same geographic location (and orientation) as during the previous active session or, also commonly, in a different location. The physical/geographic location will typically be a factor in the type of network connection used, especially in the common case that the computer is connected to the Internet, at least while in active use. Whatever algorithms are used with respect to ISPs (Internet Service Providers), all situations need to be handled expeditiously.
Mobile PCs may typically be able to connect to the Internet using wireless adapters and/or through a wired connection (protocol) standard, for example, IEEE 802.3 standard. Moreover, due to their mobility, mobile PCs are likely to have to connect to a number of different ISPs and/or a preferred ISP through any a multiplicity of types and modes of connection according to location and many other considerations.
Conventional connection implementations fail to provide a sufficiently convenient and rapid connection to a network and also may fail to sufficiently optimize link selection and connection thereto. Thus, the disclosed improved computer designs include embodiments of the present invention and enable (inter alia) superior tradeoffs in regards to the problems and shortcomings outlined above.

Abstract: Provision is made for colligating a connectivity ruleset, interconverting status data to form a dataset of candidate communication links, and supplicating a network connection. Also for forming physical location profiles and selecting a network on that basis and upon a basis of a present physical location of the respective computer.


A teatcup liner for a teatcup has a longitudinal shape extending along a longitudinal axis (x). The teatcup liner includes a barrel (2) having a length (L) and defining an inner space (21) for receiving the teat. The barrel has a polygonal cross-sectional shape transversely to the longitudinal axis along the barrel. The polygonal cross-sectional shape defines a plurality of corner portions and a plurality of side portions, each connecting two of the corner portions. Each corner portion includes an inner surface facing the inner space and having an inner radius extending from the inner space to the inner surface. The inner radius is equal for each corner portion. Furthermore, the inner radius of each of the corner portions is at least 4 mm at a center part of the corner portion.

Teatcup liners having a barrel with various cross-sectional shapes are known. A barrel with a circular cross-sectional shape is common and have an advantage of a fast and complete milking.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,243 discloses a teatcup liner comprising a head end portion, a barrel, and an outlet tube. The barrel has a triangular shape with three corner portions and three side portions extending along the length of the barrel. Each of the side portions is curved or bulged outwardly in a rest state.
FR-953,779 discloses another teatcup comprising a shell and a teatcup liner, both having a triangular cross-section with outwardly curved or bulged side portions in a rest state.
Teatcup liners having a barrel with a triangular cross-sectional shape are advantageous in the sense that they are considered to result in a gentle teat treatment during the milking operation. A disadvantage of such triangular or polygonal teatcup liners is, however, that they do not shut off the vacuum completely, resulting in a slower milking.
WO 2009/042022 discloses a teatcup liner having a barrel with a square cross-section.
EP-958 738 discloses a teatcup liner having a barrel with a wave-shape cross-section.


A measurement tool, primarily for use in a bore hole, has a neutron source located within a housing and a neutron-based detector located within the housing. At least one of the neutron source and the neutron-based detector offset from a longitudinal axis of rotation. The axially offset neutron source or neutron-based detector allow directional measurements to be made of the formations surrounding the bore hole by rotating the tool within the bore hole.

Borehole measurement devices may be used to determine formation characteristics surrounding the borehole and are typically used in wellbores drilled for the purpose of extracting natural resources, such as hydrocarbon, from the formations surrounding the borehole. Borehole measurement devices may use different types of measurements, for example, a borehole measurement device may use gamma measurements, thermal neutron measurements, resistivity measurements or other types of measurements.
FIG. 1 depicts the use of a borehole measurement device in determining formation characteristics of an existing vertical borehole. As depicted, a borehole 102 is drilled through a plurality of formations 104a, 104b, 104c, 104d, 104e. A measurement device 106 may be lowered down the borehole to determine one or more characteristics. The measurement device 106 may include, for example, a neutron source 108 and one or more neutron detectors 110a, 110b, such as gamma detectors, thermal neutron detectors, or epithermal neutron detectors. The measurement characteristics may be associated with the height of the measurement within the borehole. Measurements in vertical boreholes may be made after the borehole is drilled or as it is being drilled.
Boreholes may also include a horizontally drilled portion. For horizontal boreholes, the direction of drilling can be controlled to 'steer' the borehole. The direction of the drilling may be controlled using geo-navigation. Geo-navigation may utilize rock cutting analysis and/or resistivity and/or natural gamma ray measurements to determine formation characteristics of the surrounding formations and so determine an appropriate or desirable drilling direction. Rock cutting analysis generally involves a well site geologist performing an analysis on the rock cuttings during drilling. The drilling direction is then based on the results of the analysis. When utilizing down hole measurements, such as resistivity and natural gamma ray, the measurement analysis can be used to make decisions on well path or well architecture.
In geo-navigation, it is desirable to be at the front of the drilling string, or as close to the front of the drilling string as possible, and to measure formation characteristics as far ahead of the drill bit as possible. In order to provide directional information, it is necessary to be able to provide measurements in the radial direction of the drilling string. Typically, the directional measurements have not involved nuclear-based measurements due to the omni-directional nature of the measurements. Gamma detectors can provide radial measurements through the use of shielding material having a window in one location. While a windowed gamma detector can provide radial measurements, it would be desirable to use neutron measurements such as thermal or epithermal measurements as these neutrons are able to penetrate further into formations. However, the thickness of shielding required to shield neutrons is large and as a result may be impractical to use in a down hole application.
It is desirable to make neutron measurements in a radial direction.

Directional measurements using neutron sources


A bodily fluid absorbent article adapted to absorb bodily fluid over a wide range thereof. An absorbent structure in the bodily fluid absorbent article includes an upper absorbent component and a lower absorbent component. The absorbent structure further includes one of a dispersing surface constituting the upper absorbent component and kept in contact with the lower absorbent component and a dispersing surface constituting the lower absorbent component and kept in contact with the upper absorbent component. Such dispersing surface exhibits a dispersion velocity for bodily fluid higher than those exhibited by the absorbent sections defined immediately above and under this dispersing surface.

Conventionally, a menstruation pad as one example of bodily fluid absorbent articles is well known and a menstruation pad including a centrally convex absorbent structure is also well known.
For example, the absorbent article disclosed in JP 2002-238948 A (PTL 1) is exemplarily described on the basis of a sanitary napkin wherein the absorbent structure includes an upper absorbent component and a lower absorbent component shaped to be smaller than the upper absorbent component and on which the upper absorbent component is layered. This sanitary napkin is provided on its side facing the wearer's skin with the centrally convex absorbent region.
The absorbent article disclosed in JP 2008-6203 A (PTL 2) is exemplarily described on the basis of a sanitary napkin wherein the absorbent structure includes a first centrally convex layer and a second centrally convex layer. The first centrally convex layer defines a region of the absorbent structure being thicker than its periphery and the second centrally convex layer defines the region layered on the first centrally convex layer and is thicker than the first centrally convex layer. This absorbent structure is formed by locally compressing a lower absorbent component and layering an upper absorbent component on the compressed region of the lower absorbent component. The lower absorbent component defines the first centrally convex layer and the lower absorbent component cooperates with the upper absorbent component layered thereon to define the second centrally convex region.


A method for integrating power monitoring capabilities with passive demultiplexing operations, utilizing the high-order diffraction from an optical diffraction grating. The technique helps avoid insertion loss and polarization dependent loss penalties, and device size penalties, typically incurred with optical taps and multiple diffraction gratings. The technique can also be modified slightly to provide information on channel wavelength and optical signal-to-noise-ratio, as well as channel power.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of photonics, and in particular to a device for integrating demultiplexing and optical channel monitoring. The invention is applicable to integrated optical components, as well as components based on bulk-optics.
2. Description of Related Art
In an optical telecommunications network based on dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM), several closely-spaced wavelength channels are multiplexed onto a single optical fiber and transmitted to another system node where the channels are demultiplexed and detected individually. It is very important in DWDM networks to monitor the power in each wavelength channel, as well as other channel information, such as wavelength and optical signal to noise ratio (OSNR), which can vary significantly from channel to channel due to wavelength-dependent amplification or loss.
This monitoring is often performed at system nodes immediately before the main signal is demultiplexed. This is typically accomplished by tapping a small fraction of the signal (1% to 5%) off the main transmission line before the demultiplexer. These two signals, the "main" signal and the "monitoring" signal, are then sent to separate demultiplexers and separated into their individual wavelengths. The monitoring channels pass to a detector array for measuring the power in each channel, while the main signals split into individual optical fibers for coupling to their individual receivers or, for example, variable optical attenuators. This typical functionality is illustrated in FIG. 1. An input signal is input to an optical tap 1, which splits the signal into a first portion containing 97% of the light that goes to a demultiplexer 2 providing the optical outputs. The tap passes 3% of the light to a demultiplexer 3 that provides outputs that a detected by a detector array 4.
A key product focus for integrated optic and bulk-optic component manufacturers is integration of multiple functions into a single module. For example, it would generally be desirable to integrate an optical demultiplexer with an optical channel monitor, including the 1% optical tap. Such a device would accomplish the functionality illustrated in FIG. 1.
One major difficulty with this approach is that in integrated optics, optical taps often exhibit a polarization dependent loss (PDL), a major problem for all telecommunications components. Also, it is difficult to manufacture even a single optical demultiplexer on a single chip. The functionality demonstrated in FIG. 1 requires two demultiplexers. Furthermore, all of the components need to be individually temperature controlled. Integrating three building blocks into a common device results in a large device that is difficult to manufacture and has potential PDL problems.

Device for integrating demultiplexing and optical channel monitoring


The invention relates to composition comprising a dextran-tyramine conjugate and a conjugate selected from the group consisting of chondroitin sulphate-tyramine, collagen-tyramine, chitosan-tyramine, chitosan-phloretic acid, gelatine-tyramine, heparan sulphate-tyramine, keratin sulphate-tyramine, hyaluronic acid-tyramine and heparin-tyramine.

Tissue engineering is a promising method for the regeneration of degenerated or lost cartilage. This approach generally involves the use of cells placed in three-dimensional scaffolds, the latter acting as a temporary artificial extracellular matrix (ECM). Injectable hydrogels may serve as temporary scaffolds to guide cell attachment and differentiation of chondrocytes and/or their progenitor cells, resulting in newly formed cartilage tissue. Compared to preformed hydrogels, injectable hydrogels have various advantages. They can be applied via a minimally invasive surgical procedure. They can fill irregular-shaped defects and allow easy incorporation of cells and bioactive molecules.
Therefore, in recent years injectable hydrogels have received much attention in cartilage tissue engineering. Several chemical crosslinking methods, such as photopolymerization, Schiff-base formation, and Michael-type addition reactions, have been employed to obtain injectable hydrogels that gel in situ. Recently, an efficient method, i.e. horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-mediated chemical crosslinking, has been developed to produce injectable hydrogels. Using this approach, Lee et al. reported on hyaluronic acid-based injectable hydrogels for protein release and Sakai et al. prepared gelatin-based injectable hydrogels in vitro and indicated their potential application in tissue engineering in vivo (Lee et al. Journal of Controlled Release, 2009, 134, 186-193; Sakai et al. Biomaterials, 2009, 30, 3371-3377). In Kurisawa et al. (Chem. Commun., 2005, 4312-4314) injectable biodegradable hydrogels composed of hyaluronic acid-tyramine conjugates for drug delivery and tissue engeneering are described. In Jin et at (Biomaterials 28 (2007), 2791-2800) hydrogels formed by enzymatic crosslinking of dextran-tyramine conjugates are described.
We previously showed that fast in situ forming injectable hydrogels can be obtained via enzymatic crosslinking of dextran-tyramine conjugates (Dex-TA) or chitosan-phloretic acid conjugates in the presence of HRP and hydrogen peroxide (Jin R. et al., Biomaterials. 2009 (13):2544-51 and Jin R. et al., Biomaterials, 2007 (18):2791-800.)
These hydrogels had good mechanical properties and low cytotoxicity. Chondrocytes incorporated in the gels remained viable and were capable of maintaining their phenotype and producing cartilaginous tissue. However, a disadvantage is that these gels have a low storage modulus. Increasing the storage modulus by increasing the polymer concentration results in hydrogels wherein chondrocytes change their chondrocytic phenotype rapidly. Therefore, it is an objective of the invention to provide a novel polymer suitable for forming biocompatible hydrogels, wherein chondrocytes maintain their phenotype. Furthermore, it is an objective of the invention to provide conjugates which can be used to prepare hydrogels which display better mechanical properties and/or are better broken down in a living animal.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Hydrogels based on polymers of dextran tyramine and tyramine conjugates of natural polymers

UNIVERSITY OF TWENTE, INSTITUTE FOR BIOMEDICAL AND TECHNICAL MEDICINE (MIRA)


A hydraulic controlling device in which, when performing a combined operational process, a position of a straight travel valve is switched to a straight travel position to drive both a travel motor and a working actuator by separate pumps. In this case, to prevent a sudden reduction in travel speed resulting from a reduction in a flow amount at a travel side, pump lines of both pumps are connected to each other at an intermediate position by a connection path, so that a portion of oil at a working side is sent towards the travel side. With such a structure, when a rotational speed of an engine is less than a set rotational speed, an opening amount of the connection path is reduced through a straight travel proportional valve by a controller, thereby preventing pressure interference causing, for example, the working actuator to no longer move.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hydraulic controlling device of a working machine such as a hydraulic excavator.
2. Description of the Related Art
A related art will be described taking a hydraulic excavator as an example.
As shown in FIG. 5, in the hydraulic excavator, an upper rotating body 2 is mounted on a crawler-type lower traveling body 1 so as to be rotatable around a vertical axis. In addition, in the hydraulic excavator, a working (excavating) attachment 9 including a boom 3, an arm 4, a bucket 5, and cylinders 6, 7, and 8 for raising and lowering the boom, operating the arm, and operating the bucket, respectively, is mounted on the upper rotating body 2.
Left and right travel motors 10 and 11 that travel-drive the lower traveling body 1 and a rotation motor 12 that rotationally drives the upper rotating body 2 are provided (see FIG. 6).
FIG. 6 shows the entire structure of a hydraulic controlling device of the hydraulic excavator.
Hydraulic actuator groups are divided into a first group G1 and a second group G2. The first group G1 includes the right travel motor 11, the bucket cylinder 8, and the boom cylinder 6. The second group G2 includes the left travel motor 10, the rotation motor 12, and the arm cylinder 7.
With the travel motor 11 being defined as the uppermost stream side, the hydraulic actuators of the group G1 are connected in tandem with each other by a center bypass line CB1. Similarly, with the travel motor 10 being defined as the uppermost stream side, the hydraulic actuators of the group G2 are connected in tandem with each other by a center bypass line CB2. The hydraulic actuators other than the travel motors (hereunder referred to as the "working actuators"), that is, the hydraulic actuators 6, 7, 8 and 12 are connected parallel to oil pressure supply pipelines L1 and L2 that are provided separately from the center bypass lines CB1 and CB2. Reference characters T refer to tanks.
Hydraulic pilot control valves 13 to 18 for controlling the operations of the hydraulic actuators and remote control valves (not shown), serving as operating means for performing switching operations, are provided at the respective hydraulic actuators.
First and second pumps 19 and 20, serving as oil pressure supply sources for the hydraulic actuator groups, are provided. Oil discharged from the pump 19 and oil discharged from the pump 20 are supplied to the groups G1 and G2 through a hydraulic pilot straight travel valve 21.
The straight travel valve 21 is formed as a two-position, four-port switching valve having a neutral position X and a straight travel position Y that provide functions and having two pump ports P1 and P2 and two actuator ports a and b. The straight travel valve 21 is subjected to switching control by secondary pressure of a straight travel proportional valve 23, which is an electromagnetic proportional valve, based on a command from a controller 22.
Operation signals in accordance with operation amounts of the respective remote control valves (such as signals from pressure sensors that detect secondary pressures of the remote control valves) are input to the controller 22. When performing a single operational process in which a travel operation and working operation (operation of the working actuators 6, 7, 8, and 12) are performed separately, the straight travel valve 21 is at the illustrated neutral position X.
In this state, oil discharged from the first pump 19 flows through a path extending from P1 to b of the straight travel valve 21 and reaches the first group G1, and oil discharged from the second pump 20 is supplied directly to the second group G2. (This state will hereunder be called "first oil pressure supply state.")
In a combined operational process in which the travel operation and the working operation are carried out at the same time, the neutral position X of the straight travel valve 21 is switched to the straight travel position Y.
In this state, the oil discharged from the first pump 19 flows through the oil pressure supply pipeline L1, and flows from a path extending from P1 to a of the straight travel valve 21 to the oil pressure supply pipeline L1 to be supplied to the hydraulic actuators 6, 7, 8, and 12 (which are the hydraulic actuators other than the travel motors 10 and 11). The oil discharged from the second pump 20 is distributed and supplied to the travel motors 10 and 11. (This state will hereunder be called "second oil pressure supply state.")
Since, in the second oil pressure supply state, both of the motors 10 and 11 are driven by the common second pump 20, if they are travel-operated by the same amount, the same amount of oil is supplied to the travel motors 10 and 11, so that they rotate at the same speed. That is, straight travel ability is ensured.
In this case, since the amount of oil pressure supplied to the travel motors 10 and 11 becomes half that in the first oil pressure supply state, the speed is also halved (that is, is suddenly reduced). Therefore, a shock is generated.
To overcome this problem, a connection path 24, serving as means for reducing shock, is provided in the straight travel valve 21. When, in the second oil pressure supply state, pump lines of the pumps 19 and 20 are connected to each other by the connection path 24, a portion of the oil discharged from the first pump 19 is sent to a travel side (refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-17693).
It is known that, when a controlling device has a structure in which a plurality of actuators are driven by a common pump, pressure interference that makes it difficult for oil to flow towards high operating pressure occurs.
According to this structure, in general, the amount of opening of the connection path 24 is fixed, and the amount of oil flowing through the connection path 24 is determined by a pump discharge amount and an operating pressure of each actuator.
In this case, if the pump discharge amount is sufficiently large, no conspicuous problems arise. However, when the rotational speed of an engine is low as during low idling, the pump discharge amount is small, thereby considerably reducing the amount of oil that is supplied to each actuator. Therefore, when carrying out a combined operational process in a state in which the engine is rotating at a low speed, the influence of the pressure interference is increased. As a result, work, such as raising a boom, requiring a load (operating pressure) that is higher than that required for traveling is improperly performed, that is, movement becomes extremely slow or no longer occurs).
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-17693 discloses a technology in which the connection path is narrowed when the discharge pressures of the two pumps that are detected become equal to or greater than a certain value. However, this technology aims at preventing pressure interference that occurs due to a difference between the discharge pressures of the pumps. Therefore, the technology cannot be used to directly overcome pressure interference that occurs due to a change in the rotational speed of the engine.

Hydraulic controlling device of working machine

Kobelco Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.


This is generally directed to systems and methods for noise reduction in high dynamic range (“HDR”) imaging systems. In some embodiments, multiple images of the same scene can be captured, where each of the images is exposed for a different amount of time. An HDR image may be created by suitably combining the images. However, the signal-to-noise ratio (“SNR”) curve of the resulting HDR image can have discontinuities in sections of the SNR curve corresponding to shifts between different exposure times. Accordingly, in some embodiments, a noise model for the HDR image can be created that takes into account these discontinuities in the SNR curve. For example, a noise model can be created that smoothes the discontinuities of the SNR curve into a continuous function. This noise model may then be used with a Bayer Filter or any other suitable noise filter to remove noise from the HDR image.

The dynamic range of an imaging system can be defined by the range of light intensity levels that can be effectively captured by that system. In standard imaging systems (e.g., single-exposure systems), the system may be able to effectively capture only a small range of light intensity levels. For example, when an imaging system utilizes a short exposure time to produce an image, low-light intensity levels may be ineffectively captured. This may, for example, produce an image in which low-light intensity features (e.g., shadows or night scenery) are underexposed and lose detail. As another example, when an imaging system utilizes a long exposure time to produce an image, high-light intensity levels may be ineffectively captured. In this case, an image may be produced in which high-light intensity features (e.g., bright lights or light reflections) are overexposed and thus ineffectively captured.
Accordingly, in order to expand the dynamic range of a system, several techniques have been developed for producing high dynamic range ("HDR") images in which a wider range of light intensity levels can be effectively captured. One of these techniques is the multiple-exposure method. In the multiple-exposure method, two or more images of the same scene can be captured, where the images are each exposed for a different amount of time. A final image may then be created by combining these multiple exposures. For example, in some multiple-exposure methods, a final image can be created by summing weighted pixel values from each of the exposures. Such an HDR system may, for example, clearly capture image features that range from dark shadows to bright lights.

Systems and methods for noise reduction in high dynamic range imaging