The pattern forming method of the invention includes (i) forming a film using an actinic ray-sensitive or radiation-sensitive resin composition containing a resin (P) having a repeating unit (a) represented by the following general formula (I), a compound (B) capable of generating an organic acid upon irradiation with actinic rays or radiation, and a nitrogen-containing organic compound (NA) having a group capable of leaving by the action of an acid, (ii) exposing the film, and (iii) developing the film after the exposure using a developer including an organic solvent to form a negative type pattern,

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pattern forming method, an actinic ray-sensitive or radiation-sensitive resin composition, a resist film, a method for producing an electronic device, and an electronic device. More specifically, the invention relates to a pattern forming method, an actinic ray-sensitive or radiation-sensitive resin composition, a resist film, a method for producing an electronic device, and an electronic device, each of which is suitably used in a process for preparing semiconductors such as ICs, a process for preparing liquid crystals or circuit boards such as a thermal head, and lithographic processes in other photo-fabrication. Particularly, the invention relates to a pattern forming method, an actinic ray-sensitive or radiation-sensitive resin composition, a resist film, a method for producing an electronic device, and an electronic device, each of which is suitably used in exposure by an ArF exposure apparatus, an ArF immersion-type projection exposure apparatus, or an EUV exposure apparatus, each using a light source that emits far ultraviolet light at a wavelength of 300 nm or less.
2. Description of the Related Art
Since the development of a resist for a KrF excimer laser (248 nm), a pattern forming method using a chemical amplification has been used so as to compensate for sensitivity reduction caused by light absorption. By way of an example, in a positive chemical amplification method, a photoacid generator included in the exposure apparatus is decomposed by irradiation with light to generate an acid. Further, an alkali-insoluble group contained in a photosensitive composition is converted into an alkali-soluble group by the catalytic action of the generated acid in PEB (Post Exposure Bake) process. Subsequently, development is carried out using, for example, an alkali solution, and thus, the exposure area is removed to obtain a desired pattern.
For the method, various kinds of alkali developers have been proposed. For example, as the alkali developer, water-based alkali developers such as a 2.38%-by-mass aqueous TMAH (tetramethylammonium hydroxide) solution has been widely used.
Due to miniaturization of a semiconductor device, there is a trend toward a shorter wavelength of the exposure light source and a higher numerical aperture (higher NA) of the projection lens and at the present time, an exposure machine using, as its light source, an ArF excimer laser having a wavelength at 193 nm has been developed. A method of filling a high refractive-index liquid (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a "liquid for liquid immersion") between the projection lens and the sample (that is, a liquid immersion method) has been proposed as a technique for further enhancing the resolution power. In addition, EUV lithography of performing the exposure to ultraviolet light at a shorter wavelength (13.5 nm) has also been proposed.
However, it is actually very difficult to find an appropriate combination of a resist composition, a developer, a rinsing liquid, and the like necessary for forming a pattern with overall good performance, and there is demand for further improvements.
Recently, a pattern forming method using a developer including an organic solvent has been developed (see, for example, JP2008-281975A, JP2010-139996A, JP2010-164958A, JP2009-25707A, and JP1992-39665 (JP-H04-39665A)). For example, in JP2008-281975A, JP2010-139996A, JP2010-164958A, and JP2009-25707A, a pattern forming method including developing a resist composition containing a resin having a repeating unit having a group capable of decomposing by the action of an acid to generate a polar group in a relatively high content using a developer including an organic solvent is described. It is described that by this method, a fine pattern having good line width variation (LWR, LER), exposure latitude (EL), focus latitude (DOF), dimensional uniformity, or the like can be formed.
Furthermore, in JP1992-39665 (JP-H04-39665A), patterning by an organic solvent (xylene) using a resist composition including a copolymer of adamantyl methacrylate and t-butyl methacrylate is described.
In addition, in JP2011-141494A and WO08/149,701, an amine compound having a specific structure inhibiting the diffusion of the generated acids from the viewpoint of improvement of line width variation, or the like, is described.
However, in the phenomenon requiring further fine patterns, for example, in the formation of a fine pattern such as a hole pattern with a pore diameter of 45 nm or less, there has been a demand for further improvement of EL, local pattern dimensional uniformity, and rectangularity and circularity of the cross-sectional shape.

Pattern forming method, actinic ray-sensitive or radiation-sensitive resin composition, resist film, method for preparing electronic device, and electronic device

Abstract: in the general formula (I), R0 represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, and        each of R1, R2, and R3 independently represents a linear or branched alkyl group.


A stop for an aircraft seat is designed to be installed on a rail, said rail having, in alternation, bearing regions, in which two lips that are oriented toward one another project toward the interior of the rail, and open regions. The stop includes a body provided with a plunger which is designed to fit into an open region in said rail so as to abut against lips of a bearing region, and at least one means for holding the stop on said rail.

Now, it has been observed that in the case of a crash, the strong stresses to which the seat and the rails 16 are subjected can produce a sliding of the fastener 15 in the interior of the rail 16 in direction D, which can lead to the pin 20 coming out through the open region 162 adjacent to the bearing region 161 of the fastener 15, as shown in FIG. 3.


An air conditioner includes: an air conditioning case having an air passage; a heat exchanger arranged to cross the air passage; a photocatalyst arranged on a surface of the heat exchanger; and an emitting portion which emits light for activating the photocatalyst. The photocatalyst decomposes odor component contained in air. The air conditioning case has a bent portion at upstream or downstream of the heat exchanger, so as to change a flowing direction of the air. The emitting portion is disposed on a wall part of the bent portion, and the wall part is located to oppose to the heat exchanger.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air conditioner.
2. Description of Related Art
JP-A-2000-255257 describes an air conditioner for a vehicle which uses photocatalyst in a heat exchanger. A blower circulates air in a case of the air conditioner, and an evaporator is arranged in the case so as to cool the air. A deodorization filter is provided upstream of the evaporator in a flow of the air. The deodorization filter has adsorbent and photocatalyst. Further, a surface of the evaporator has photocatalyst. Moreover, an ultraviolet ray lamp is disposed between the evaporator and the deodorization filter.
The ultraviolet ray lamp is turned on always or periodically with interval during operation of the blower. The photocatalyst of the deodorization filter is excited by the ultraviolet rays emitted from the lamp toward the deodorization filter, so that odorant adsorbed on the adsorbent is decomposed. The photocatalyst of the evaporator is excited by the ultraviolet rays emitted from the lamp toward the evaporator, so that bacteria on the surface of the evaporator is sterilized.
However, because the ultraviolet ray lamp is arranged at a middle of the case, ventilation air resistance of the air circulating through the case is increased, so that air sending amount of the blower is decreased.

Air conditioner that enables deodorizing using a photocatalyst


A method, apparatus, computer product and structure is presented for representing and managing large amounts of information concerning networks of elements. While being useful for communication networks, it can be also usefully deployed in the context of other networks such as distribution and transportation networks. The method uses a hierarchical construct called “catalog”—a set of elements (which could be “atomic” elements or catalogs themselves)—to organize information about physical or abstract entities relevant for modeling the network. A matrix construct whose rows and columns constitute such elements are used to model connections at different levels of abstraction. A common framework and representation provided using these two constructs is shown to be useful for visualization, administration, configuration, modeling, monitoring and manipulation of the network.

This invention addresses the problem of intuitively representing and managing large data stores of information relating to network configuration, connectivity, resource utilization, connection management and service availability. Although this problem is particularly relevant in computer controlled communications networks, it is also prevalent in other types of networks which require specified interconnectivity of a large multiplicity of network elements. Network administrators lack intuitive tools to retrieve and view status of network elements organized in a number of different formats, such as by user, by host, by connection type etc. The administrators also need simple means of querying, adding and deleting information from the store.
Broadly speaking, there are two general methods of configuring, administering, monitoring modeling networks: graphical and non-graphical. This invention defines a method of using a non-graphical intuitive method for organizing information using "catalogs" (or lists), methods for creation and manipulation of elements within catalogs, methods for presentation of catalogs, manipulation of catalogs and linking of tasks to catalog elements.
In networks with more than a few connections between network elements, graphical methods that show connections among network elements as visible lines are hampered by the size of display area required to show the connections in a useful way. This method is also limited in the amount and type of information about the connection and network elements that can be shown. Practically, with more than a few 10s of connections, the number of lines becomes so large that a graphical display (either on screen or on paper) becomes too cluttered to be useful. FIG. 1 shows an example of a network 100 having ten elements, 101-110, which are mesh connected. No additional information (such as type of link, link status, traffic load, configuration options, etc.) beyond connectivity among elements is shown in the figure. Even with only this one piece of information, the graphical image is beginning to become unusable. Thus a better method of representing connections between network elements is needed.
The following are definitions of terms as used herein:                Network Element—the start or end point of a connection.        Sub-element—element that is a member of a catalog that is itself an element in a catalog.        Catalog—a named set of elements. The catalog elements can be atomic or can themselves be a catalog, thus enabling catalogs of catalogs of catalogs and so on.        Sub-catalog—A catalog included in another catalog.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Representing, configuring, administering, monitoring, and/or modeling connections using catalogs and matrixes

International Business Machines Corporation


An asynchronous up-down counter includes a plurality of counter blocks. Each of the counter blocks has a counter output, an up-down control output, and an up-down control input. A counter signal output from each of the counter blocks has at least two bits. The asynchronous up-down counter also includes a signal bus coupling the up-down control output of a first counter block counting lesser significant bits to the up-down control input of a second counter block counting more significant bits. An up-down control signal output from each of the counter blocks has at least two bits. The up-down control signal may include a first control signal enabling counting operation of the second counter block and a second control signal indicating counting-up and counting-down.

The present invention relates to integrated circuit (IEC) devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to asynchronous counters and a method for operating the same.
A high-speed, low power up-down counter is a fundamental component used in many applications, for example, statistics collections circuits, down-sampling circuits, and clock-data-recovery circuits in various communications channels. One conventional approach to achieve a high-speed counter is to partition a synchronous N-bit counter into multiple smaller counters (sub-counter blocks) in a pipeline fashion. Each sub-counter block is supplied with a clock signal which is gated by a control signal. Such a control signal is typically generated using an adjacent less-significant block so as to reduce power consumption. However, this approach requires more complex circuitry because of the gated clock overhead, and also consumes more power than asynchronous approach.
Another widely used conventional approach is to build an asynchronous (or ripple) counter, especially for applications in which latency is not an issue. FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a conventional asynchronous counter 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the Q output of a flip-flop at the n-th bit position is connected to the clock input of a flip-flop at the (n+1)-th bit position. Positive edge-triggered flip-flops are used for a down counter, and negative edge-triggered flip-flops are used for an up counter. Since operation speed is limited only by the toggling rate of the first-stage flip-flop, a very high speed can be achieved. However, the conventional asynchronous counters can only count in one direction.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a high-speed, low-power counter which can count in both directions.
An asynchronous up-down counter includes a plurality of counter blocks. Each of the counter blocks has a counter output, an up-down control output, and an up-down control input. A counter signal output from each of the counter blocks has at least two bits. The asynchronous up-down counter also includes a signal bus coupling the up-down control output of a first counter block counting lesser significant bits to the up-down control input of a second counter block counting more significant bits. An up-down control signal output from each of the counter blocks has at least two bits. The up-down control signal may include a first control signal enabling counting operation of the second counter block and a second control signal indicating counting-up and counting-down.

Asynchronous up-down counter and method for operating the same


An aerial vehicle may include a control unit configured to send control signals in order to control flight of the aerial vehicle, propulsion units configured to control the attitude of the aerial vehicle, propulsion controllers configured to send commands to a corresponding propulsion unit of the propulsion units based on the control signals, and inertial measurement units (IMU). Each of the IMUs is configured to provide attitude information to a corresponding one of the propulsion controllers. In this way, there is one propulsion controller for each of the propulsion units and one IMU for each of the propulsion controllers. When there is a failure at the control unit, each of the propulsion control unit units are configured automatically generate the commands and control the propulsion units in order to attempt to stabilize the aerial vehicle.

In a typical control system for a UAV, a control unit communicates with a centrally located inertial measurement unit (IMU) which passes pitch, yaw, and roll information (attitude) through a filter and thereafter to a control mixer. The output as well as signals from the control unit are passed via a bus, such as a CAN bus, to one or more propulsion controllers which together output a control signal to control operation of the UAV's a propulsion units. As an example, these propulsion units may each include a motor, shaft, and propeller. In addition, a power system, including a pair of batteries, may also be centrally located in order to provide power to the various features of the control system and propulsion units. With such a configuration, there can be many individual points of failure: the IMU can fail, the CAN bus can fail, the propulsion controllers can fail, and one or both batteries can fail. As a result of any such failures, there may be a loss of control of the UAV which can result in uncontrolled flight patterns or maneuvers, stalls, crashes, damage to the UAV, and so on.

Unmanned aerial vehicle with decentralized control system


The present application discloses a location based task management method. A computational device obtains first location information concerning one or more geographical locations where a first client device has been located, and assigns a task to the first client device based on the one or more geographical locations. The task includes a task performance location. The computational device then receives from the first client device a first message that includes second location information corresponding to the task performance location and at least one additional information item. The at least one additional information item is captured by first client device at or near the task performance location after completing the task. The progress of the task is then managed based on the second location information, the at least one additional information item and a time difference between the assignment of the task and the receipt of the first message.

Information that is exchanged in a social network environment mainly includes texts and images. Once it is posted by a user on a social network platform, textual and pictorial information is open for browse by friends of this user.
Despite their acceptable performance on information exchange, existing social network platforms are plagued with some technical limitations. Under many circumstances, a user may only check the textual and pictorial information published by his friends, while other information (e.g., location information of the user and his friends) is generally unavailable. Even if the other information is available, such information is normally tied with the posts that include the textual and pictorial information. For example, location information concerning a user's geographical locations is normally unavailable, and if available, is updated only when the user uploads the posted textual and pictorial information. Thus, when a user reads a friend's posts, the user captures geographical locations where the friend was previously located at the time of publishing the posts, and cannot identify where the friend is currently located. As a result, due to the tie between the location information and the posts, the user may have difficulty in tracking current locations of his friends in real time in the social network environment.

Methods and systems for managing a task based on geographical locations

TENCENT TECHNOLOGY (SHENZHEN) COMPANY LIMITED


A sub-surface irrigation system includes a conduit connected to a water supply. A plurality of fluid dispenser units are connected to the conduits. Each of the fluid dispenser units include a connector interconnected at one end to the interior of the conduit. The other end of the connector is coupled to a drip emitter positioned at one end of an elongated casing. The elongated casing has an enlarged opening at one end and a reduced opening formed at the other end. Tubing interconnects the other end of the connector to the casing. The drip emitter is positioned in the tubing adjacent the casing reduced opening end.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of art to which the invention pertains includes the field of sub-surface irrigation systems, and more particularly, to an irrigation system which can be readily secured to a standard conduit mounted or positioned in the ground.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional sub-surface irrigation systems modify a conventional conduit through which water flows. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,402,631, nozzles are spaced along a conduit and a flap integrally formed with the conduit are used to cover the outlet water nozzles. Thus, when the conduit is buried, the flaps can be used to protect the nozzles and prevent the nozzles from being clogged with earth. Water will flow freely and not be obstructed by the flap. However, such an arrangement requires modification of the conduit itself.
Other similar arrangements are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,966,233 which utilizes a swatch which is wrapped around the conduit to shield the nozzle from against the entry of dirt as well as to spread water over a slightly greater area that would be accomplished if the swatch were not wrapped around the nozzle.
Other known prior art includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,302,408; 3,426,544; 3,333,422; 3,518,831; 3,292,378; 3,442,087; and 4,577,997.
The present invention utilizes a drip emitter which can be easily coupled to a conventional conduit. Should the drip emitter or the connecter coupling the drip emitter to the conduit fail, these items can be easily replaced.


Apparatuses and techniques for dynamic credit control in the context of a multi-traffic class communication system are described. Dynamic credit control is provided through the use of central-controlled, traffic class receiver buffers for multiple traffic classes. The size of the traffic class receiver buffers can be modified on-the-fly, during operation of the system. This provides a high degree of flexibility, particularly in the context of heavy traffic class packet traffic which, in turn, greatly facilitates operation of today's advanced applications.

The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
In today's point-to-point communication protocols, like Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) and MIPI UniPro, multiple traffic classes or "TCs" may be supported. A traffic class enables data, such as data packets, to be streamed between a so-called "local" side and a "remote" side. PCIe, for example, is a serial expansion bus standard for connecting a computer to one or more peripheral devices. Peripheral devices can include graphics adapter cards, network interface cards (NICs), storage accelerator devices and other high-performance peripherals.
Each traffic class has its own credit flow control mechanism. The term "credit" refers to the buffer space that is available for each traffic class. To date, credit flow control mechanisms control individual traffic classes independently. This means, for example, for a system that supports two separate traffic classes TC0 and TC1, each individual traffic class is required to have its own separate receiver buffers for flow control. This results in duplicated logic which is not shareable amongst the different traffic classes. For example, some advanced systems on-chip (SOCs) support a wide range of applications that may require high throughput for high-profile scenarios, and low throughput but low power for low-profile cases. In some cases, the TC1 traffic may be higher than the TC0, which may require a larger TC1 buffer for better performance. Yet, because of the independent nature and management of the receiver buffers for each traffic class, TC1 is unable to utilize additional buffer space. This is sub-optimal and can lead to inefficiencies when, for example, all the storage space may not necessarily be needed or used.

Dynamic credit control in multi-traffic class communication system


An electrical connector (1) includes a connector body (51) holding a plurality of contacts (52). The connector body includes a base section (511) with four side walls (512) surrounded thereby to form an interior cavity adapted to receive an IC package. A datum protrusion (5120) is provided on each of two adjacent side walls and configured to laterally invade the interior cavity. A chamfered surface (513) is formed along a joint between each of two adjacent side walls and the base section, and further adjacent each of the datum protrusions, thereby avoiding stress generation around the joint between each side wall and the base section.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the art of electrical connectors, and more particularly to an electrical connector for electrically connecting between an IC package with a substrate.
2. Description of the Related Art
One conventional electrical connector 5′ is shown in FIG. 3 to include an insulative connector body 51′ with a plurality of contacts 52′ attached thereto. The connector body 51′ includes a base section 511′ with four side walls 512′ surrounded thereby to form an interior cavity adapted to receive an IC package (not shown). Each of two adjacent side walls 512′ is provided with a pair of datum protrusions 5120′, which are utilized to precisely locate the contacts and the IC package relative to the side walls 512′ of the connector body 51′. Typically, the IC package is loaded into the connector body 51′ so as to establish electrical continuity between the IC package and a substrate (not shown). Frequent loading processes of the IC package onto the connector body 51′ will result in stress concentration adjacent the datum protrusions 5120′, particularly around a joint portion between the base section 511′ and the respective side walls 512′, thereby causing the joint portion cracked or somewhat fragile undesirable to the user of the electrical connector 5′. Therefore, there is a need to provide a new electrical connector to resolve the above-mentioned shortcoming.


A filter for thickening fiber suspensions or other liquids containing solid material includes a plurality of rotatable filter disks (3) mutually spaced in axial direction and adapted to be partially submerged in a liquid (5) to be filtered. Each filter disk includes a plurality of filter sectors (4) communicating with axial filtrate discharge ducts (2) at the outer peripheries of the filter disks (3) for removal of filtrate. The axial filtrate discharge ducts (2) are open to atmosphere at at least one end (2') thereof for the purpose of conducting air through these ducts into the interior of the filter sections to replace filtrate flowing out. Advantageously, there is communication between all axial filtrate discharge ducts through annular filter disk holders (1) carrying the filter sectors (4) of the filter disks.

Apparatuses of this kind are known, inter alia, from SEC-C-8305817-2 (corresponding to EP-B1-0160069 and U.S. Pat. No. -4 634 529) and have the advantage of combining a very large filter surface with a relatively small volume. However, when it comes to achieving thickening of a fiber suspension, i.e., raising the dry solids content from typically 0.5% to typically 5%, very high capacity, i.e., a large filtrate flow through the apparatus, is required. One way of increasing the flow capacity is to increase the rotation rate. However, a high rate of rotation means that the filter sections do not have time to be emptied of filtrate before the sections reach the position where the filter cake is to be removed. The reason for this is that the filter cake that is built up has time to be too dense to pass through sufficient air to replace the filtrate flowing out. It can thus occur that the filtrate wets the filter cake remaining on the filter section, or that the filtrate together with the filter cake runs down into the collection vessel intended for the filter cake. This phenomenon is usually referred to as re-wetting or "backwash". The known apparatuses are moreover expensive to manufacture, inter alia because they require a vacuum valve and a vacuum source for establishing a sufficiently large pressure difference between the suspension and the filtrate discharge duct.


According to an embodiment, a non-volatile memory device includes a first interconnection extending in a first direction, a plurality of second interconnections provided side by side on the first interconnection and extending in a second direction intersecting the first direction and a memory layer provided on a side surface of each second interconnection. The device also includes a control element provided between each of the second interconnections and the first interconnection, an element part extending in the second direction, and a control electrode facing a side surface of the element part via a first insulating film. An adjustment part is provided on the first interconnection and adjacent to a control element connected to a second interconnection disposed at an end position of the second interconnections arranged in the first direction, and a first outer electrode provided between the adjustment part and the control element disposed at the end position.

A non-volatile memory device having a three-dimensional structure and using a memory cell formed of a variable resistance film or the like has been under developing. Many of these memory devices are manufactured through a process of manufacturing a semiconductor device, so called a semiconductor process. The micro-fabrication technology of the semiconductor process may improve the degree of integration and increase a storage capacity. However, the semiconductor process is sometimes implemented with structural non-uniformity and then decreases a manufacturing yield.


In an ultrasonic image processing apparatus, an original image in the form of a three-dimensional ultrasonic image is generated from volume data based on the volume rendering method. Directional interpolation processing is then applied to the original image. More specifically, a corresponding point corresponding to a noted pixel in the display image is first determined on the original image. Then, on the original image, a plurality of candidate directions extending through the corresponding point are set, and a dispersion value is computed for each of the candidate directions. Further, a normal direction with the maximum dispersion value is specified among the candidate directions, and a reference direction along the contour of a tissue is determined in the direction orthogonal to the specified normal line. Alternatively, the reference direction is determined as a direction with the minimum dispersion value among the plurality of candidate directions. Based on a plurality of pixel values existing in the reference directions, an interpolated pixel value of the noted pixel is computed. Contrast emphasis processing is further applied following the directional interpolation processing, as required.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ultrasonic image processing apparatus, and more particularly to technology for enhancing the image quality of a three-dimensional ultrasonic image.
2. Description of Related Art
An ultrasonic image processing apparatus is an apparatus which forms an ultrasonic image based on data acquired by transmission and reception of ultrasound or which processes such an ultrasonic image, and is configured as an ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus or an information processing apparatus. Here, an information processing apparatus is a computer which processes data transmitted from an ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus, for example. In an ultrasonic image processing apparatus, an ultrasonic image to be formed or to be processed includes a two-dimensional ultrasonic image, a three-dimensional ultrasonic image, or the like.
By applying a volume rendering method to volume data (a set of echo data) acquired from a three-dimensional space within a living organism (a living body), a three-dimensional ultrasonic image (a volume rendering image) is formed. More specifically, first, a plurality of rays (virtual lines of sight, which correspond to an operation path) extending from a point of view are set with respect to the volume data, and then a predetermined operation is executed in a repeated manner sequentially for sample points existing on each of the rays, thereby obtaining a pixel value for each ray. Finally, a three-dimensional image is formed as a set of a plurality of pixel values corresponding to the plurality of rays. (See JP 10-33538 A, for example.)
The algorithm of general volume rendering is expressed by the following formula. In the following formula, I represents a pixel value (a brightness value), e(i) represents an echo intensity (an echo value) on a sample point on a ray, and o(e(i)) represents the opacity (a degree of opaqueness), in which i represents the number of a sample point.I=Σ[e(i)*o(e(i))*(1−o_out(i−1))]  (1)
wherein o_out(i)=Σo(e(i))*(1−o_out(i−1))
Here, the operation is completed when the sum of the opacities reaches 1 or when the sample point is outside the operation range, and the value of I at this time is mapped on a projection plane. The above formula (1) is only an example, and various other algorithms for the volume rendering processing are known.
Here, as the display methods for a three-dimensional image, there are known a four-view display in which four images are displayed within a single screen (e.g. display of three orthogonal cross-sectional images and a 3D image), a two-view display in which two images are displayed within a single screen (e.g. display of a cross-sectional image and a 3D image), a one-view display in which a single image is displayed within a single screen (e.g. display of a 3D image), or the like. As the time required for processing single volume data is generally in proportion to the number of pixels on the projection plane (i.e. the number of rays), among the three methods described above, the one-view display method requires the longest processing time. The larger the monitor size, as the number of pixels forming the display image increases, the processing time becomes longer accordingly. As such, in general, there is a problem concerning formation of a three-dimensional image in that the amount of computation is large and the burden on the CPU is large. While the use of high-speed processors can be considered, in this case, another problem of increased cost would also arise.
While it is desirable to reduce the number of rays to thereby decrease the amount of computation in order to deal with the above problems, if the number of rays is simply decreased, the resolution of the three-dimensional image is lowered or the size of the three-dimensional image is reduced. Application of linear interpolation processing can therefore be considered. With the linear interpolation processing, it is possible to increase the apparent number of pixels and the resolution. This processing, however, causes the image to be blurred, which leads to a problem of a reduction in image quality. The problem of reduction in image quality would also arise when an image is simply enlarged.
It is generally pointed out that a three-dimensional ultrasonic image generated by the volume rendering method lacks sharpness and has unclear contours. Here, the conventional general interpolation processing references four, eight, or sixteen vicinity pixels existing around a noted pixel. In other words, in the conventional general interpolation processing, the range to be referenced extends equally in all directions around the noted pixel. In the conventional art, it is not possible to adaptively change the interpolation condition in accordance with the structure of a tissue.
JP 2010-125 A discloses an apparatus for forming an image of cartilage included in the knee joint. This reference describes, starting from paragraph 0042, the contents of pre-processing which is executed prior to the cartilage image forming processing. The pre-processing is executed in units of slice data (two-dimensional frames). More specifically, among a plurality of line segments extending through a noted pixel, a line segment having the maximum dispersion value is specified and a line segment which is orthogonal to that specified line segment is further specified. Then, an average value of a plurality of pixel values existing on that orthogonal line segment is calculated and is used as an updated pixel value for the noted pixel. This processing is applied to each slice data before formation of a cartilage image, and therefore is not processing which is applied to a 3D image after the volume rendering. Further, JP 2010-125 A does not describe special directional interpolation processing having a magnification changing function (a resolution changing function).

Ultrasonic image processing with directional interpolation in order to increase the resolution of an image


A Shape Metal Alloy actuated valve assembly is provided with a support structure having electromechanical connection points arranged on its surface. Actuation of a SMA element, arranged to provide a connection between the support structure contact and the contact on the plunger, will cause the plunger to either move from an open position a closed position or vice versa. The support structure is provided with multiple contact or connection points for engaging an SMA element so that the valve assembly can be configured to provide a normally closed (NC), a normally open (NO), proportional or a latch valve assembly.

Fluid handling devices are becoming increasingly popular, and there is an increased demand for fluid handling devices that are both portable and easy to use. Portable fluid handling devices are used in applications such as home care, point of care testing, fuel cells, fragrance dispensers, etc. In order for a portable fluid handling device to be effective and efficient, it should be lightweight, small in size, consume minimal power, operate with low noise, and be cost effective to manufacture. In many applications, it is also important that the fluid handling device provide an accurate and consistent fluid distribution. Therefore, it is preferable to incorporate an efficient fluid valve in the fluid handling device. In many aspects, the fluid valve characterizes the device's efficiency.
One example of a portable valve that attempts to meet the above criteria is a miniature solenoid valve. The miniature solenoid valve however, is not always effective as required by certain implementations. Solenoid valves are typically limited in size, and in order to obtain adequate performance, a solenoid valve typically consumes a substantial amount of power. The power consumption of a solenoid valve, in some circumstances, is unacceptable, especially when using batteries as a power source, for example. The batteries may not be able to provide power to the valve for a sufficient length of time. Furthermore, in some applications, it may be desirable to retain the valve in a specific open or mid-point position. If this position requires continuous actuation of the solenoid, the valve will likely consume a substantial amount of power thereby increasing the cost associated with operating the valve.
Another prior art solution has been the use of electrically actuated piezo valves. Some piezo valves operate using a closing arm that seals against a sealing shoulder when the piezo element is de-activated. These valves typically require a substantial amount of space to operate and may not always provide an adequate solution, as they are subject to clogging when used with liquids that may dry around the orifice.
Another existing solution has been the use of shape memory alloys that transform shape and/or size when heated. Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) actuated valves provide an advantage over the previously mentioned prior art solutions as they can typically be manufactured smaller and generally consume less power. However, many fluid handling devices are applied to situations in which a fast response time is required. Shape memory alloy (SMA) actuated valves can have a slow response time, due to the necessary heating and cooling times to transition between the two states of the SMA element. To compete with traditional technologies, SMA actuated valves should cover all the applications and functions required by a user, while maintaining a high level of performance. The present invention provides a versatile, common architecture which addresses the aforementioned problems.

Shape memory alloy actuated valve assembly


A system and method for providing pharmaceutical information to a patient is disclosed. The invention includes electronically identifying the pharmaceutical product dispensed to the patient with an identification device and electronically prompting the patient with a message using a first output. The message provides the patient with the opportunity to accept or decline the pharmaceutical information by interacting with an input device. If the patient decides to accept the pharmaceutical information, the pharmaceutical information is provided to the patient through a second output. A computer-based apparatus is also disclosed for providing pharmaceutical information to the patient. The computer-based apparatus includes a central processing unit configured to run an executable software program configured to control the functions of peripheral devices operatively connected to the computer-based apparatus.

Over the past 10 years, the pharmaceutical industry has undergone a great deal of change in response to the numerous changes that have affected the health care industry. In response to these changes, the role of the pharmacist, as well as the entire practice of pharmacy, has changed.
As a result of the changes in the health care industry, the rate at which prescriptions are filled is continually on the rise. For instance, in the year 2001, there were more than 3 billion prescriptions filled according to the Schering Report XXIII: Pharmacists, Technicians and Technology: Serving the Patient (hereinafter "the Schering Report"). At the current rate, there is estimated to be over 4 billion prescriptions filled in the year 2004. As there are just over 50,000 pharmacies in the United States, including specialty programs such as nursing homes, institutional pharmacies and hospital pharmacies, the number of prescriptions filled each hour, by each pharmacy, is about 20 prescriptions.
In addition to the growing number of prescriptions, the number of unfilled pharmacist vacancies has nearly tripled in two years according to a report issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in December of 2000. Further, according to statistics provided by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, there were approximately 6,503 open pharmacy positions as of January, 2002. Combining the number of unfilled pharmacist vacancies with the fact that the number of newly graduating pharmacists has declined in recent years, it is apparent that there is becoming a nationwide shortage of full-time pharmacists. Due to the increased demand and shortened supply of pharmacists, pharmacists may earn between about $80,000 to $100,000 annually.
In addition to paying higher salaries, pharmacy profit margins have also been decreasing. This decrease has resulted in the number of independent pharmacies (not affiliated with a chain store or mass merchandiser) to decline from about 30,503 in 1991 to 20,647 in 2001. Decreased profitability is attributable not only to increasing overhead costs, but also due to the overall business mix, including a larger percentage of third party prescriptions. Depending on the geographical location of the pharmacy, the percentage of third party prescriptions filled by the pharmacy (paid by an insurer or Medicaid/Medicare) ranged from 67 to 100 percent, with an average of 83 percent according to the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, Industry Statistics, 2002. Since the third party payer often allocates a maximum allowable cost per prescription, mandatory generic prescriptions, network discounts and prior authorizations, the amount of money the third party payor pays the pharmacy affects the profit margin of the pharmacy.
Concomitantly, the duties on each pharmacist are also increasing. For instance, the pharmacist not only takes the prescription order, commits the order to writing when called by a physician, consults with physicians and nurses on proper medication and doses, processes the prescription, checks for drug-drug interactions, obtains the proper medication, measures the quantity of the medication, fills the prescription, affixes a label to the prescription and completes the proper financial transaction to check the patient out of the pharmacy, the pharmacist also needs to counsel the patient. Patient counseling helps to ensure that the patient properly understands instructions on how to take the medication or use a pharmaceutical product such that that the medication or pharmaceutical product works optimally. In addition to filling prescriptions, the pharmacist also attends to a daily barrage of questions regarding over-the-counter medications and other pharmaceutical products that have increased in availability and complexity.
Most pharmacies provide services to Medicaid and Medicare patients and thus are subject to the Omnibus Reconciliation Act passed in 1990 (OBRA) which mandates that each Medicaid and Medicare patient receive the following information when getting a prescription: the name of the medication, the description of the medication, the dosage form, the dosage, how to administer the medication, the duration of the drug therapy, and how to handle missed doses. Additionally, almost every state requires that the patient be offered counseling on the prescription in which the above listed information is communicated by the pharmacist. Some states allow ancillary pharmacy staff to provide the counseling information, but other states require the pharmacist to personally counsel the patient.
Since most pharmacists are quite busy, pharmacies often use ancillary support staff to perform clerical duties and other functions. The number of support staff available to pharmacies is often limited by the states to a 2:1 or a 3:1 ratio of support staff to each pharmacist. Although the ancillary pharmacy staff perform a number functions to assist the pharmacist, patient counseling remains a duty relegated to the pharmacist. Although patients picking up refills typically refuse counseling at the point-of-sale (POS), according to the Schering report, pharmacists indicate that they counsel about 90-100% of patients that are picking up new prescriptions. Further complicating the ability of the pharmacist to counsel patients is the fact that compliance with managed health care and third party payor paperwork requirements adds more time to the prescription process. In a survey, about 75% of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians report spending about a third of their time dealing with paperwork, phone calls and other activities to resolve third-party and drug-benefit issues according to the Schering Report.
The pharmacist and the ancillary pharmacy staff are left with a small portion of time to counsel patients on the use of medications. Thus, the effectiveness of a drug's therapy may be jeopardized if the patient does not take the medication properly and the pharmacist does not have enough time to counsel the patient properly. For instance, it is estimated that between 30 and 50% of patients fail to comply with prescription instructions according to the article "A Pharmacist's Duty to Warn: Sound Economics, Effective Medicine and Consistent with Drug Regulation Theory" by Harit V. Trivedi, Harvard Law School, 1995.
Over the years, a number of innovations have been developed to reduce the pharmacist's workload, reduce costs and provide added value to customers in an effort to increase the efficiency of the practice of pharmacy. These innovations include centralized processing of third-party prescriptions, electronic prescribing, standardized pharmacy benefit cards, access to patient specific clinical information, in-pharmacy telephones that may be used by patients to call their doctor for refills, menu-driven interactive voice-response systems for refills and other information, and the ability to order refills on the internet. Electronic prescribing and standardized drug benefit cards focus on reducing the paperwork or administrative workload within the pharmacy. However, not all of these innovations are logistically practical and few of the innovations focus on reducing the counseling workload of the pharmacist. Furthermore, although in-pharmacy telephone interactive response systems and internet refills help ease the workload on the pharmacy, these innovations do not necessarily help provide the required counseling. Even though the innovations may increase the number of prescriptions filled each hour, the innovations do not help the pharmacist counsel the patient or explain pharmaceutical product information more effectively. Also, some of the innovations are still in the development stages and may be difficult or impractical to implement.

Method and system for providing pharmaceutical product information to a patient


Solid propellant test strands are inhibited, i.e., prevented from burning in an uncontrolled fashion, by coating the strands with a liquid composition containing a partially cured phenolformaldehyde in a volatile solvent, then volatizing the solvent.

Both rocket moor design and propellant design are aided by detailed in-situ information on the deflagration behavior of propellant surfaces present understanding of the details of propellant combustion is however, sparse. More must be learned about localized, transient burning rates, their dependence on grain and binder composition and grain size distribution, and the coupling or regression rates of the various constituents in the grain.
Solid propellants generally have a granular, heterogeneous composition. The particle sizes of the various constituents generally range from 2 to 1000 microns, the largest being oxidizers. Consequently, local variations in transient burning rates of these constituents are expected. A spiked behavior in the local burning rate is known to occur in many propellants. During test burns in a combustion chamber, these local transients can couple to the acoustic field in the chamber, causing oscillation of the burning rate, further acoustically driving instabilities in the chamber.
High-speed photographic recording of a propellant burn in a combustion chamber is considered to be a valuable tool both for propellant formulation and for motor design. Much of the present knowledge of propellant deflagration has been garnered by high-speed photoqraphy.
Because of the need and/or desire for magnification of the image, the depth of field of such high-speed cinematography can be very limited. If the position of the propellant grain or strand is fixed during a burn sequence, the number of in-focus frames is limited by the limited depth-of-field. This drawback can be overcome, at least in part, by employing a servopositioner to advance the burning propellant to maintain the desired burning surface within the limited depth-of-field of the recording apparatus.
Solid rocket propellant has a tendency to burn along all exposed surfaces, a phenomenon known as flashing. Consequently, a strand forms a pointed surface during deflagration. Because of the limitations in photographic equipment, the desired burning surface is a flat plane. Preferably parallel to the film plane and at an angle with respect to the length of the strand. Several methods have been employed to inhibit flashing. One method, commonly used, is simply to briefly soak the strand in water immediately prior to deflagration. However, if the water is applied more than a few minutes before deflagration, its ability to inhibit flashing is greatly reduced. Therefore water cannot be used for any runs where the propellant must be prepared much in advance of deflagration. Silicone grease has been employed as an inhibitor but it does not fully prevent the sides of the strand from burning. The silicone grease also releases considerable smoke during deflagration, thereby interfering with photographic recording.
Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for inhibiting burning on at least a portion of the exposed surface of a specimen of solid rocket propellant during deflagration.
Other objects and aspects of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Chemical inhibitor for solid propellants

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force


Interactive inquiry and access to information via cellular networks is described. In an embodiment, a provided number entered via a device of a user to gain access to a network interface may be received, and the user may be enabled to enter a first queue. A broadcast may be transmitted by live or pre-recorded transmission via the network interface, and a specific entry that corresponds to a subject depicted in the transmission may be received. The receipt of the specific entry corresponding to a subject enables the user to enter a second queue containing topics of information related to the subject, and a selection for a desired topic of information and a media format preference for the delivery of that selected topic of information may be received. The receipt of the topic of information selection enables the user to enter a third queue where the selected topic of information may be delivered in the preferred media format.

Conventional service provider systems for cellular devices provide basic telephone calling abilities, text messaging, and internet connectivity, as well as typical telephone service options, such as call waiting, conference calling, caller ID, and voicemail services. A cellular phone user can utilize the service provider system to call a specified number for receipt of information, such as information about the weather, but the user inquiry ends with either an automated menu system for information delivery or an automated message delivery of the requested information. Typical service provider systems for cellular devices provide users with no interactive ability to inquire about specific information related to an attended event or location, to select areas or subjects of information of interest, or to receive requested information via the cellular device in a desired media format.
Additionally, typical conference bridging services do not provide users with interactive control of information or inquiry processes for acquiring additional information. Conventional conference bridging technologies enable cellular users to connect to a conference bridge, listen to and/or view other parties in the conversation, and supply vocal responses. Typically, a user of a cellular device is restricted to communication with other users and to limited information access with automated message responses.


The present invention provides Photobacterium sp. JH-ISH-224 α2-6-sialyltransferase Psp26ST variants and expression cassettes, vectors, and host cells for expressing the Psp26ST variants. Methods of synthesizing sialylated products are also described.

Sialic acid (Sia)-containing structures in eukaryotic systems play important roles in a variety of physiological and pathological processes, including cell-cell interactions, inflammation, fertilization, viral infection, differentiation, malignancies, and cell signaling (see, e.g., Chen and Varki, ACS Chem. Biol. 2010, 5, 163-176; Traving and Schauer, Cell Mol. Life Sci. 1998, 54, 1330-1349; Schauer, Curr. Opin. Struct. Biol. 2009, 19, 507-514; Varki, Nature 2007, 446, 1023-1029). Among more than 50 different sialic acid structures that have been identified in nature, N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) is the most common and the most abundant sialic acid form. Sialyltransferases (EC 2.4.99.X) are key enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of these sialic acid-containing oligosaccharides and glycoconjugates (see, Harduin-Lepers, et al. Glycobiology 1995, 5, 741-758). They catalyze the transfer of a sialic acid residue from its activated sugar nucleotide donor cytidine 5′-monophosphate sialic acid (CMP-sialic acid) to an acceptor, usually a structure with a galactose (Gal), an N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc), an N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc), or another sialic acid residue. Various linkages including Siaα2-3Gal, Siaα2-6Gal/GalNAc/GlcNAc, Siaα2-8Sia, and Siaα2-9Sia can be formed. Bifunctional glycosyltransferases (SiaD) that are responsible for the formation of Neu5Ac-containing Neisseria meningitidis serogroups W-135 and Y capsular polysaccharides (CPSs) [-6Gal/Glcα1-4Neu5Acα2-]n have been grouped together with other glycosyltransferases in glycosyltransferase 4 (GT4) family in the Carbohydrate Activated enZyme (CAZy) database based on protein sequence homology (see, Bhattacharjee, et al. Can. J. Biochem. 1976, 54, 1-8; Campbell, et al. Biochem. J. 1997, 326, 929-939; Coutinho, et al. J. Mol. Biol. 2003, 328, 307-317). All other sialyltransferases reported to date have been grouped into five CAZy glycosyltransferase (GT) families (GT29, GT38, GT42, GT52, and GT80). All known eukaryotic sialyltransferases belong to a single CAZy GT29 family, while bacterial sialyltransferases are more spread out among CAZy GT families GT38, GT42, GT52, and GT80 (see, Li and Chen, Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 2012, 94, 887-905; Audry, et al. Glycobiology 2011,21, 716-726).
Since bacterial sialyltransferases can be produced more easily as active forms in larger amounts in Escherichia coli expression systems and many of them have broader substrate specificities than their mammalian counterparts, they have been used as efficient catalysts in preparative and large scale synthesis of biologically important sialosides (see, Yamamoto, Mar. Drugs 2010, 8, 2781-2794; Yu and Chen, et al. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2006, 45, 3938-3944). For example, multifunctional Pasteurella multocida α2-3-sialyltransferase 1 (PmST1) has been used as a powerful catalyst in the chemoenzymatic synthesis of diverse α2-3-linked sialosides (see, Yu and Chen, et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2005, 127, 17618-17619). Photobacterium damselae α2-6-sialyltransferase (Pd2,6ST) has been applied in the synthesis of α2-6-linked sialosides and glycopeptides (see, Yu, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2006, supra; Yamamoto, et al. Biosci. Biotechnol. Biochem. 1998, 62, 210-214; Kajihara, et al. Carbohydr. Res. 1999, 315, 137-141; Teo, et al. Adv. Synth. Catal. 2005, 347, 967-972; Yu and Chen, et al. Nat. Protoc. 2006, 1, 2485-2492). Campylobacter jejuni OH4384 α2-3/8-sialyltransferase (CstII) has been used for the synthesis of GD3 and GT1a ganglioside oligosaccharides (see, Gilbert, et al. Biol. Chem. 2000, 275, 3896-3906; Blixt, et al. Carbohydr. Res. 2005, 340, 1963-1972; Antoine, et al. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2005, 44, 1350-1352; Cheng and Chen, et al. Glycobiology 2008, 18, 686-697; Yu and Chen, et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2009, 131, 18467-18477).
Among sialic acid-containing biologically important sialosides, sialyl Tn antigens (Siaα2-6GalNAcα1-O-Ser/Thr) have been reported to correlate with the invasive and metastatic growth of carcinoma cells and are considered as a tumor-associated antigens for cancer vaccination development (Wu and Guo. Bioconj. Chem. 2006, 17, 1537-1544). In addition to conventional chemical methods for synthesis of sialyl Tn (STn) antigens, sialyltransferase-catalyzed glycosylation has been shown as a highly efficient approach. The present inventors previously identified recombinant Photobacterium sp. JH-ISH-224 α2-6-sialyltransferase Psp26ST(15-501)-His6 as a more suitable α2-6-sialyltransferase than Pd2,6ST for catalyzing the formation of STn antigens from N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc)-containing glycosides such as GalNAcα2AA, GalNAcαOSer, and GalNAcαOThr as acceptor substrates (Ding and Chen, et al. Chem. Commun. 2011, 47, 8691-8693). Nevertheless, the efficiency of Psp26ST(15-501)-His6 in sialylating α-GalNAc-terminated glycosides (Tn-antigens) is still much lower than sialylating β-galactosides. In addition, the expression level of soluble Psp2,6ST(15-501)-His6 (25 mg L−1) is not as high as Pd2,6ST (36 mg L−1; see, Sun and Chen, et al. Biotechnology Letters 2008, 30, 671-676). Sialyltransferases exhibiting high expression yield and high catalytic efficiency are needed in order to expand synthetic methodology for preparation of STn antigens and other biologically important sialosides. The present invention addresses this and other needs.

Photobacterium sp. alpha-2-6-sialyltransferase variants

The Regents of the University of California


Method and system for uniquely identifying a replicated copy of a storage volume is provided. A unique identifier is created by a storage system managing the replicated copy. The unique identifier includes a time stamp of when the identifier is being created, a system clock of the storage system and a unique address for an adapter that is used by the storage system.

Various forms of storage systems are used today. These forms include direct attached storage (DAS) network attached storage (NAS) systems, storage area networks (SANs), and others. Network storage systems are commonly used for a variety of purposes, such as providing multiple users with access to shared data, backing up data and others.
A storage system typically includes at least one computing system executing a storage operating system for storing and retrieving data on behalf of one or more client processing systems ("clients"). The storage operating system stores and manages shared data containers in a set of mass storage devices, such as magnetic or optical disks or tapes.
Information stored at storage devices may be frequently replicated. Managing and uniquely naming the replicated copies can be challenging as storage systems span across networks and data centers. Conventional systems typically use a limited number of identifiers for identifying replicated copies. The identifiers are recycled when a replicated copy is deleted. This is an undesirable limitation since the numbers of replicated copies continue to grow in today's data centers. Continuous efforts are being made to efficiently manage replicated storage copies.

Method and system for naming replicated storage


A downhole tubular connector comprising a first body portion and a seal provided on the first body portion, the seal being adapted to selectively provide a seal with a downhole tubular, the downhole tubular connector further comprises a seal protector, wherein one of the seal protector and seal is movable with respect to the other of the seal protector and seal, the seal protector or seal being movable from a first position, in which at least a portion of the seal is protected by a first end of the seal protector, to a second position, in which the portion of the seal is exposed. The seal protector may be disposed so as to be movable from the first position to the second position by contact of the sleeve with the downhole tubular as the downhole tubular connector is brought into engagement with the downhole tubular.

1. Field of the Disclosure
This disclosure relates to a connector and particularly but not exclusively relates to a connector for a downhole tubular.
2. Background Art
GB2435059 discloses a connector for selectively connecting a top drive assembly to a downhole tubular, for example a drill string or casing string. (GB2435059, GB2457287, GB2457288, GB2457317, WO2009/098482, WO2009/098478, WO2009/098473, WO2009/098474, US20070181346A1, US20090200038A1, US2009205827A1, US2009205836A1, US2009205837A1, FR0700899 and CA2577542 are incorporated herein by reference.) One embodiment of a connector disclosed therein comprises an extendable portion with a seal disposed at a distal end of the extendable portion. The seal may engage with the downhole tubular when the extendable portion is extended, thereby greatly reducing the time to fluidically connect and disconnect the downhole tubular from the top drive assembly. The seal may, for example, but not limited to, comprise a cup seal or an inflatable seal and the seal may be adapted for placement within the bore of a downhole tubular, e.g., the seal may contact the inner wall of the downhole tubular.
In the case of a downhole tubular 2 with a tapered box connection 4, as shown in FIG. 1a, the seal may be at least partially guided into the bore 6 of the downhole tubular by the tapered box connection, e.g., contact the inner threaded wall of the box connection. As illustrated with a downhole tubular 12 with a double shouldered box connection 14 in FIG. 1b, a seal may impinge on an internal shoulder 18 (e.g., a shoulder perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the connection) between a threaded portion 20 and the bore 16 of the downhole tubular 12. Such an impingement of a seal on an internal shoulder (e.g., 18 in FIG. 1b) and/or contact with the inner threaded wall of a box connection (e.g., in FIG. 1a or 1b) may damage and/or increases the wear rate of the seal, thereby reducing its life and increasing the risk of a seal failure. Furthermore, the impingement may also prevent the seal from being disposed (e.g., landing) in the bore 16 altogether.
The present disclosure therefore seeks to address these issues.


A riboflavin granulate containing from 75 to 99.5 weight percent riboflavin is produced by:. A. placing a desired quantity of riboflavin powder in the bowl of a rotary fluid bed granulator; PA1 B. fluidizing the powder with fluidizing air while rotating the rotor disc, whereby a fluidized cloud of riboflavin powder is produced; and PA1 C. spraying a binder solution into the fluidized cloud;. so that at least 90 weight percent of the riboflavin powder combines to form granules.

The present invention pertains to granulation processes, more specifically to a process for forming a granulate which comprises between about 75 weight percent and about 99 weight percent of riboflavin and between about 1 weight percent and about 25 weight percent of a binder. Moreover, the present invention pertains to a method of making a riboflavin-containing granulate via rotary fluid bed granulation.
Riboflavin is available as a fine powder of various purities (90 to 100 percent) comprised of riboflavin crystals 0.5 to 2 microns wide and 1 to 25 microns long. This powder is clingy, dusty and electrostatic. The powder sticks to and fouls processing equipment with which it comes into contact. Furthermore, the powder tends to bridge and clump during handling. There can be significant losses due to a buildup of riboflavin powder on the processing equipment utilized in the food and feed, and pharmaceutical industries. In addition, substantial labor must be expended to remove adhering riboflavin powder from the equipment.
In the feed industry, riboflavin powder can be made more manageable (i.e., non-dusty, non-adherent, and free-flowing), by spray drying an aqueous slurry of approximately 25% weight percent riboflavin, approximately 25% weight percent filler, and about 50% water. The filler is generally any water-soluble starch, corn syrup, dextrin, or pregelatinized starch. The filler improves the performance of the powder by encapsulating the riboflavin. However, this method is not suitable for the food and pharmaceutical industries because the pharmaceutical and food industries require high riboflavin concentrations, i.e., riboflavin concentrations of between 90 percent by weight and 100 percent by weight.
Prior to this invention, in the pharmaceutical and food industries, concentrated riboflavin powders (i.e., 90 to 100 weight percent) have been used in powder form. However, as noted above, this powder presents flowability, handling, and processing problems. The method of the present invention enables the production of a 90 to 100 weight percent riboflavin product which has heretofore unachieved flowability characteristics.
Related art of which the inventors are aware is: U.S. Pat. No. 4,868,180 (as well as the European counterpart application 0,219,276): K. W. Olsen, "Recent Advances in Fluid Bed Agglomeration and Coating Technology" , Plant/Operations Progress, Vol. 4, No. 3, pp. 135-138, July 1985; U.S. Pat. No. 3,962,384; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,486,435. None of this art discloses the use of a rotary fluid bed device for the granulation of riboflavin.
The '384 and '435 patents are directed at compositions which have a binder present in an amount around 50 weight percent. The use of large amounts of binder (i.e., amounts greater than 25 weight percent, based on total dry product weight) enables the complete granulation of the vitamin B particles, whereas complete granulation (i.e., less than 10 weight percent ungranulated vitamin crystals) is much more difficult to achieve if less than 25 weight percent binder is utilized.
The Olsen article describes the operation of a rotary granulator/coater, but the Olsen article nowhere mentions the use of such a device for the granulation of a riboflavin product. When using conventional fluid bed and spray drying operations, it has been found that if the mixture being granulated contains a proportionally large amount of riboflavin (i.e., 50 weight percent, or more), material adheres to the surfaces of the equipment, producing low product yields, and requiring significant effort to remove the adhering material from the equipment, unless special and unusual care is taken to minimize the adherence of riboflavin by mechanical mixing or exceptionally long cycle times (which renders the process cumbersome and uneconomical). The inventor of the present invention has surprisingly found that a rotary fluid bed granulator can granulate a riboflavin product comprising at least 75 weight percent riboflavin while obtaining very high yields, and without having significant amounts of material adhering to the surfaces of the equipment. Furthermore, it has surprisingly been found that the granulation is substantially complete (i.e., very few ungranulated riboflavin crystals remain in the product produced) within an economical cycle time. In contrast, the Olsen article nowhere refers to vitamin products, not to mention riboflavin products comprising riboflavin in an amount of at least 75 weight percent.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,868,180 describes a 90-99% vitamin B granulate which is made by conventional fluid bed granulation, followed by pulverizing the resulting granulate in a Fitz mill. The '180 powder nowhere refers to rotary fluid bed granulation. The '180 patent nowhere refers to the product yield. The '180 patent nowhere states that the process produces a product which is completely granulated (i.e., at least 90 weight percent granulated). In contrast to the '180 patent, the inventors of the present invention have unexpectedly found that even if the amount of binder is 25 weight percent or less, at least 90 weight percent of the riboflavin powder can be granulated via rotary fluid bed granulation. In other words, the resulting level of ungranulated pure riboflavin is, at most, only 10%. Furthermore, the inventors have unexpectedly found that product yield is very high (generally from about 97 percent to about 99 percent, based on amount of riboflavin added) when a rotary fluid bed granulator is utilized. Furthermore, the process of the present invention does not require the use of any sort of degranulation or deagglomeration of large granules or agglomerates, unlike the process described in the '180 patent, which requires a Fitz milling step. It has been unexpectedly found that in the process of the present invention a substantially fully granulated 75-plus weight percent riboflavin product can be produced via rotary fluid bed granulation, with a product yield of at least 98 weight percent, without any "degranulation" or "deagglomeration" step (e.g., milling, screening, etc.).

Process for rotary fluid bed granulation of riboflavin


The invention provides a light emitting diode package structure, including: a light emitting diode chip formed on a substrate; a composite coating layer formed on the light emitting diode chip, wherein the composite coating layer comprises a first coating layer and a second coating layer, and the composite coating layer has a reflectivity greater than 95% at the wavelength of 500-800 nm; a cup body formed on the substrate, wherein the cup body surrounds the light emitting diode chip; and an encapsulation housing covering the light emitting diode chip, wherein the encapsulation housing comprises a wavelength transformation material.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a light emitting diode, and in particular relates to a light emitting diode package structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
Because light emitting diodes (LED) have several advantages over conventional lamps, such as a longer lifetime, a smaller size, lower power consumption, and higher response speeds, etc., considerable research attention has been recently focused on development thereof.
Conventionally, one way to generate a white light emitting diode (LED) is to coat a yellow phosphor on a blue LED chip. The blue light emitted by the LED chip is then mixed with the complimentary yellow light from phosphor to generate the white light. An LED comprises a semiconductor layer formed on a substrate, such as a GaN layer formed on a sapphire substrate. When the yellow phosphor is illuminated by the semiconductor layer (the reflective index of the GaN is about 2.5) to produce a yellow light, the yellow light may be reflected by a medium with a lower reflective index. Accordingly, an unwanted phenomenon called a "light trapping effect" is produced. Therefore, the light extraction efficiency of the light emitting diode is limited.
Accordingly, there is a need to develop a light emitting diode package structure to reduce or eliminate the light trapping effect to improve the light extraction efficiency of a light emitting diode package structure.


A satellite system is basically composed of a service module and a payload module interconnected to permit relative rotation of the latter in relation to the former so that the service module remains oriented with its solar generators facing the sun while the payload module may remain oriented towards the earth. Additional payload modules can be connected to the service module or to a payload module, and additional service modules can be connected to the first mentioned service module. The coupling is provided in each instance through a BAPTA interface.

The present invention relates to a satellite system being comprised of at least two interconnected bodies or modules respectively constituting power supply and service module, and payload modules.
Satellites or satellites systems orbiting the earth are usually oriented in relation to the sun. Their position or attitude is, for example, determined on the basis of spin moments or, if such an effect is undesirable, orientation is provided through follower control with respect to certain reference aspects. Known satellite systems may, for example, be comprised of two bodies which are rotatable in relation to each other, and one rotates for purposes of attitude stabilization with respect to the other one; the latter remaining stationary as far as that rotation is concerned accordingly. The latter body moreover will constitute the basic component. During operation it is necessary to maintain the satellite in a relatively stable and uniform orientation vis-a-vis space. This orientation is usually maintained under utilization of the spin effect, i.e., the satellite or a portion thereof (momentum wheel) rotates continuously about a fixed axis. Utilization of this effect is further enhanced if one provides a non-rotating payload platform or the like, whose orientation is maintained vis-a-vis the earth, and serving primarily as payload device.
In accordance with another aspect, it is known to stabilize a satellite vis-a-vis three axes, each of them are oriented vis-a-vis a reference point. Appropriate sensors provide follow-up control, and a suitable torque control devices maintain dynamically and actively the desired attitude and orientation. This kind of approach is usually used if the spinning proves to have too many undesirable side effects.
Turning back to a basic satellite system composed of two modules, one has to consider that in fact two different planes of orientation are needed. The service module is oriented basically vis-a-vis the sun as a primary source of energy. On the other hand, the payload is oriented usually towards the earth for reasons of communication, observational features, etc. (see e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 4,374,579). One can see, however, that the service module is the immediate source of energy for the equipment in the satellite and is primary as far as various motions is concerned. For example, the solar generator of the service module has to track faithfully the sun while the orientation of the payload towards the earth should remain independent from this solar tracking. This then has led to the point that permanent connections are provided between the payload module and the service module, and the arrangement of the two must follow particular sequence.

Satellite system having variable configuration


Disclosed is an extraction tool including a top plate having a top plate force rod hole and a plurality of top plate push rod holes. The extraction tool includes a bottom plate having a bottom plate force rod hole, a plurality of bottom plate push rod holes, and a plurality of bottom plate bolt holes. The tool includes a force rod configured to slidably engage the top plate force rod hole and threadingly engage the bottom plate force rod hole. The tool includes a plurality of push rods, each push rod configured to threadingly engage a top plate push rod hole and slidably engage a bottom plate bolt hole. The bottom plate is attached to the hub bearing assembly and rotating the force rod will advance the bottom plate and the hub bearing assembly towards the top plate, thereby extracting the hub bearing from a knuckle.

Wheels on vehicles (such as cars or trucks) are generally coupled to an engine through a drive shaft (which can be alternatively referred to as an axle or spindle). More particularly, the wheel rims on the wheels are connected to a hub bearing assembly through a series of bolts, and the hub bearing assembly is mounted or bolted onto a steering knuckle that allows the wheel to move in relation to the drive shaft while still being engaged with the drive shaft. One exemplary drawing of this configuration is shown FIG. 1, but those skilled in the art would recognize that there are other variations on this theme used in vehicles.
The hub bearing assembly is generally comprised of (1) a central bearing, (2) a metal plate connected to one side of the bearing that contains a series of holes (5 or more) uniformly spaced from the center of the plate to which the wheel rim is bolted via lug nut bolts that pass through the holes, (3) a geared-tooth hole through the center of the metal plate and bearing that is designed to engage a geared-tooth fixture on the end of the drive shaft, and (4) another metal mounting plate that is connected to the other side of the bearing that is used to mount the hub bearing assembly to the knuckle.
On occasion, the hub bearing assembly will need to be removed from the drive shaft in order to effectuate repairs on the car or to replace various components (including the hub bearing assembly itself). To remove the hub bearing assembly, one typically removes the wheel by removing the lug nuts that attach the wheel rim to the hub bearing assembly. After the wheel is removed, the bolts connecting the hub bearing assembly to the knuckle are also removed. Additionally, any other connections between the car and the hub bearing assembly are also removed (e.g., sensor cables, etc.). In theory, the hub bearing assembly should now slide off of the drive shaft.
In actuality, the hub bearing assembly is often stuck onto the drive shaft because the hub bearing assembly is not perfectly sealed and is exposed to the environment (including, water, oil, dirt, and other liquid and solid contaminants). This exposure can cause corrosion, degradation, or interference that prevents the hub bearing assembly from easily being removed.
In order to remove the hub bearing assembly in these instances, various undesirable methods have to be employed. For instance, one can use a hammer to strike the backside of the hub bearing assembly in an effort to knock it free or loose. Another alternative is to use a pry bar to try to leverage apart the hub bearing assembly from the drive shaft. Yet another alternative is to attach a tool to one of the lug nut bolts in an effort to pull the hub bearing assembly off of the drive shaft or to create another surface that can be struck by a hammer. All of these methods have their deficiencies in that they attempt to remove the bearing housing assembly from the knuckle at an angle vs perpendicular, e.g., the method it was originally installed.
The hub bearing assembly is a precision machined component that is supposed to seamlessly mesh with the drive shaft with the bearing pressed into the seat machined into the wheel assembly knuckle. Using a hammer or other device to strike the hub bearing assembly or any existing removal tool risks damaging the assembly or the drive shaft or at least compromising these components or their connection. Similarly, using a pry bar risks damaging these components or their connection.
Another deficiency is that all of these methods work by providing a torque on one side of hub bearing assembly, which causes the hub bearing assembly to rotate perpendicular with respect to the drive shaft. Due to the precision fit between the bearing and knuckle, this rotation loads the wheel hub unequally and makes removal attempts unsuccessful or problematic. For example, this rotation is undesirable because it can damage either the drive shaft or the hub bearing assembly (or both) or cause the hub bearing assembly to become jammed onto the drive shaft and bearing knuckle. Moreover, these traditional methods of removing a wheel hub bearing assembly can sometimes take hours to complete requiring completely removing the wheel knuckle assembly and using a hydraulic press to remove the wheel bearing housing. Once removed and a new bearing assembly installed, a suspension alignment is required. Additional time may also be required if the hub bearing assembly is also stuck to the drive shaft.
Therefore, there is a need for a tool and method of removing a hub bearing assembly in reverse of the way it was installed originally. The tool and method reduces the risk of damaging either the hub bearing assembly or drive shaft (or both) in a quicker fashion.


A predictive repetition control method for a servo motor and an apparatus therefor, which can converge a positional deviation relative to a command, repeated at intervals of a predetermined period, to zero even if the command contains an asynchronous component which is not synchronous with the predetermined period. A repetitive controller 5 and an invert system feedforward controller 6 for a control object 4 are arranged in parallel in a servo control system of the servo motor. The feedforward controller 6, including a FIR digital filter, receives a future command P whose degree of advancement corresponds to an order N of the control target. Coefficients of the filter are automatically determined based on the command P to be inputted and a positional deviation .epsilon. so that the feedforward controller 6 itself functions as an invert system. A transfer function of the feedforward controller 6 functions as a reciprocal of a transfer function of the control object, and hence a transfer function of an output .omega. for the command P becomes "1", whereby the positional deviation is theoretically eliminated to become extremely small.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to control for a servo motor employed for a machine tool or the like, more particularly, to a predictive repetition control method and an apparatus therefor which provides a servo motor control capable of responding with high accuracy to a command repeatedly supplied at intervals of a predetermined period even if the command contains an asynchronous component.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a servo motor for controlling a machine tool is controlled so that a deviation between a move command (for example, speed or position) as a commanded input and a move amount (for example, actual speed or actual position) as an output of the servo motor is made zero. In such a servo motor control, where the input command is repeatedly supplied at intervals of a predetermined period and in the same pattern, repetitive control (or learning control) is employed to converge the control deviation to zero for accurate motor control and improving machining accuracy.
FIG. 5 (Prior Art) is a block diagram showing, by way of example, a principal part of servo motor control to which the aforementioned repetitive control is applied.
In FIG. 5, r is a speed command; E is a speed deviation between the speed command r and an actual speed .omega.; numeral 30 is a speed loop transfer function which includes an integrator for detecting a positional deviation and executes PI (Proportional Integration) control, etc., in a conventional manner. Furthermore, in this example, a repetitive controller 20 for executing repetitive control (or learning control) is added. The controller 20 comprises a bandpass limit filter 21, a delay element 22 for storing one-period data which is repeatedly supplied at intervals of a predetermined period M, and a dynamic characteristic compensation element 23 for compensating a phase delay of the control object and lowering of gain.
At intervals of a predetermined sampling period t, the repetitive controller 20 adds data Em, delivered from the delay element 22 at the sampling time preceding by one period M, to the speed deviation E, performs the processing of the bandpass limit filter 21, and stores the resultant data in the delay element 22. The delay element 22, which has Q (=M/t) memories, is designed to store each sampling data of one period M, and output the oldest data at each sampling time. That is, at each sampling time, the delay element stores the input data in the memory of "0"th address, and outputs data stored in the (Q-1)th address, with data in each address being shifted to the next address. As a consequence, the delay element 22 can output sampling data delayed by one period M. Therefore, when a speed command r is supplied at intervals of the period M and in the same pattern, the speed deviation E and the delay element 22 are added together, and thus, data located at the same position on the pattern of the speed command r is stored as correction data.
Moreover, the output of the delay element 22 is supplied to the dynamic characteristic compensation element 23, where a phase delay and fall of the gain of the control object are compensated. Then, the delay element output is delivered as an output y of the repetitive controller 20. Further, the output y is added to the speed deviation E, and, in accordance with thus added data, the speed loop processing is carried out.
As a result, when the speed deviation E has a large value at the preceding sampling period (a sampling period immediately before a certain sampling period) while the identical pattern processing is repeated at intervals of the predetermined period M, a large output y is delivered from the repetitive controller 20 in the current sampling period, and is added to the speed deviation. Therefore, the speed deviation to be supplied to the speed loop processing varies largely, and an actual speed .omega. responsive to thus supplied speed deviation also varies largely, whereby the speed deviation E is corrected to be rapidly converged to zero, and this enables the motor control with high accuracy (See Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. H2-307104, Patent Applications Nos. H1-314154 and H2-124254).
If a command of a type shown in FIG. 5, which is to be repeated at a predetermined period, contains a frequency f=k/M (k=0, 1, 2, . . .), i.e., a component synchronized with the command, highly accurate response can be obtained by the repetitive control. If an asynchronous component (a frequency f=k/M, where a value of k is not an integer) is contained in the command, a command pattern differs by respective periods M, and so it is difficult to make the deviation zero.

Predictive repetition control method for a servo motor and an apparatus therefor


A fixing device for an electrophotographic image forming apparatus is provided with a heat roller configured to heat a toner image formed on a sheet, and a thermistor arranged opposite to a circumferential surface of the heat roller and configured to detect a temperature of the circumferential surface of the heat roller without contacting the heat roller. The thermistor is located at a position above a horizontal plane including a rotational axis of the heat roller and on a downstream side, in a rotational direction of the heat roller, with respect to a vertical plane including the rotational axis of the heat roller, and closer to the vertical plane than the horizontal plane.

1. Technical Field
The following descriptions relate to a fixing device provided with a heat roller and a noncontact thermistor to detect a surface temperature of the heat roller.
2. Prior Art
Conventionally, as a fixing device for an electrophotographic image forming apparatus employing toner to develop a visual images, one using a heat roller and a noncontact thermistor to detect a surface temperature of the heat roller has been known.


A visually interesting coin sorter and bank receives a group of random coins in a coin receiving chamber and ejects the coins one-at-a-time to roll to the bottom of a rotatable transparent spiral elevator plate or wheel. The spiral wheel lifts the rolling coins toward the center of the wheel until caught by size restrictions in the spiral to be then moved through an arc and to drop through a proper slot to form sorted stacks of coins. The spiral wheel is driven through an electric motor which is automatically turned on as soon as one or more coins are dropped in the chamber. Aftet the last coin is sorted the motor is automatically turned off. A coin sensing lever in the coin receiving chamber releases a cycle timer to close a switch to start the motor. The rotating spiral wheel drives an ejector slide to eject the coins one-at-a-time from the chamber. When the last coin is ejected the lever sensing the absence of a coin engages the cycle timer which is driven by the wheel to turn the motor off after such last coin is sorted.

Motorized coin banks are employed both as novelties or toys and as coin sorting banks. One such bank sold by Mag-Nif Inc. of Mentor, OH, U.S.A., sold under the trademark MONEY FACTORY, utilizes a reciprocating conveyor to march random coins in a single file from a hopper across the conveyor, and with each pulse of the conveyor the coins flip over. After marching across the conveyor the coins are sorted and stacked into a column. While visually interesting, the bank does not use the rolling of the coin on edge to obtain such interest.
Other banks do use the rolling of the coin on edge to obtain such interest. However, such banks use gravity ramps, wheels, levers and cranks as the coins roll downhill to the top of the coin compartment columns. An example of such bank is that sold by Mag-Nif Inc. under the trademark MONEY MACHINE ACTION BANK.
It has been found that an interesting visual effect can be obtained by letting the coin roll to the bottom, and then elevate the coin while rolling to be caught and moved through an arc to drop into the appropriate coin compartment.