A screw pump (20) with field refurbishment provisions has screws (40), a base (26), and shafts (50) for the screws (40). The screws (40) have helical flights that intermesh during rotation, and extend between inner and outer ends (44 and 42). The shafts (50) extend between inner and outer ends (68 and 74), and are cantilevered from the base (26) from about the inner end (68) thereof. Each screw (40) is formed with a hollow core (80) for receiving its shaft (50) such that the screw (40) slips onto the respective shaft (50) therefor over the outer end (74) of its shaft (50). The screw pump further includes a keyless locking mechanism (56, 58, 96, or 98) intermediate each shaft (50) and screw (40), which is operative to rotationally lock the shaft (50) and screw (40) together without a key or keyway.

The invention relates to screw pumps and, more particularly, to a screw pump with field refurbishment provisions.
Screw pumps typically comprise at least two screws which extend axially from a suction end to a discharge end, and with helical flights intermeshing with each other during rotation. The screws are typically housed within a screw housing that likewise extends axially from a suction end to a discharge end.
Screw pumps can be classified according to several factors. Two such factors include (1) whether the screw and shaft are separate pieces or are formed as a monolithic unit, and (2) whether the screw is supported from one end only or both ends.
When the screws and shafts are separate pieces, the screws typically slide onto their shafts by means of central bores through the screws, and the conventional prior art method of rotationally fixing each screw to its respective shaft is by use of keys and keyways. When the screw is formed as a monolithic unit with its shaft, the monolithic-unit construction obviates the possibility for keys and keyways needless to say, and the shaft portions may be referred to not as shafts but shaft stubs.
One- and two-piece construction aside, there are two different styles of screw support. Namely, when the screw is supported from one end only, this is referred to as a cantilevered-style screw pumps. While referred to as cantilevered screws, the screw orientation is typically vertical instead of horizontal, with the suction end being high and discharge end low. The shaft (or shaft-stub) for the screw typically projects (depends) from the discharge end, as into a bearing-and-seal carrier, which is where the bearings, seals and drive source are all coupled to the shaft (or shaft stubs). There is no need for any projections beyond the suction end of the screw because there are typically no bearings and no seals at that end of the screw.
The other style of screw support is referred to as simply-supported. Like cantilevered screws, simply-supported screws extend between a suction end and a discharge end. Unlike cantilevered screws, the shafts (or shaft stubs) for simply-supported screws stick out of both ends, because the screw is supported by a bearing at both ends. Simply-supported screws typically also have bearing seals at both ends too.
The shafts for both simply-supported screws as well as for cantilevered screws are typically driven at one end only, and typically this is the portion of the shaft that sticks out the discharge end. Typically, each of the two parallel shafts has a helical gear affixed to it, intermeshing with the helical gear of the other shaft. One shaft is directly driven, and the other shaft is driven off the directly-driven shaft.
Screw pumps of all types have various shortcomings when it comes to service. Screws pumps are most often employed in use environments where they are pumping compressible media, which can be carrying anything from corrosive and/or abrasive materials, to other materials including without limitation materials which leave a coating on the flights of the screws. After extended operation, the screw pumps need to be taken offline and serviced. The screws might need to be withdrawn from the shafts and cleaned or replaced. To do this typically requires extensive disassembly of the screw pump, not only for removal of the screw housing from the bearing-and-seal carrier, but also tearing into the bearing-and-seal carrier too in order to re-time the screws.
Each instance of re-assembly of the screws requires an operation referred to as 'timing.' Timing involves adjusting the relative angular orientation of the screws relative to each other for the proper intermeshing and clearance of their respective helical flights during rotation. Again, the shafts typically have helical gears. The helical gears are typically accessed by removing the screw housing from the bearing-and-seal carrier, and then tearing into the bearing-and-seal carrier. At least one helical gear is loosened off its shaft, rotated about its shaft, and then re-tightened in order to properly time the clearance of the flights with each other.
After that, the seals are replaced, the bearing-and-seal carrier is closed back up, the screw housing is re-mounted and so on.
What is needed are improvements in order to simplify the foregoing and overcome shortcomings of the prior art in connection with field refurbishment of screw pumps.

Screw pump with field refurbishment provisions


This disclosure provides for new catalyst systems and new methods for preparing and using the catalyst systems for generating a trimerization product. In an aspect, the new catalyst systems comprise a chromium carboxylate that is prepared by anhydrous metathesis. In another aspect, the catalyst system comprise a chromium carboxylate that is prepared by anhydrous metathesis and a metal pyrrolide compound. The catalyst systems imparts improved performance and/or reduced catalyst system cost to an olefin trimerization process.

The trimerization of ethylene to produce 1-hexene constitutes a commercially significant process for the selective preparation of this alpha olefin, which in turn is useful for preparing a range of polyolefins, usually as a comonomer with ethylene. One widely employed ethylene trimerization catalyst system comprises a chromium carboxylate, a pyrrole compound, and a metal alkyl. For example, one ethylene trimerization catalyst system comprises a tris(2-ethylhexanoate) chromium(III), 2,5-dimethylpyrrole, triethylaluminum, and diethylaluminum chloride.
Typically, any method of preparing an active catalyst system can present challenges with respect to the chromium carboxylate utilized in the ethylene trimerization catalyst system. Batch-to-batch variations in the quality of commercial chromium(III) 2-ethylhexanoate, and the attendant inconsistency in catalytic system performance, have can have significant impacts upon the ethylene trimerization catalyst system productivity and selectivity. Therefore, it would be useful to discover and develop new catalyst systems, new methods for preparing the catalyst systems, and new methods for using the catalyst systems for preparing a trimerization product that might provide greater efficiency and cost effectiveness. In one aspect, new catalyst systems and methods for preparing the catalyst systems are needed that might reduce the amount of expensive activators in a catalyst system, or that might lower the cost or increase the efficiency of preparing chromium compounds used in the catalyst system.

Preparation of an olefin oligomerization catalyst


The present specification discloses an intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM) system including a computing device capable of executing an IONM software engine, a stimulation module having multiple ports and various stimulation components and recording electrodes. The system is used to implement transcranial electrical stimulation and motor evoked potential monitoring by positioning at least one recording electrode on a patient, connecting the stimulation components to at least one port on the stimulation module, positioning the stimulation components on a patient's head, activating, using the IONM software engine, at least one port, delivering stimulation to the patient; and recording a stimulatory response on the patient.

Intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM) is a diagnostic process that identifies, maps, and monitors neural structures in accordance with their functions with a goal of preserving the structural integrity of these neural structures during physically invasive procedures such as surgery.
In some methods, identifying, mapping and monitoring neural structures comprises applying electrical stimulation at or near an area where the target neural structures are believed to be located. Application of the electrical stimulation is transmitted through the nerve structures to excite the associated muscle(s). An electrical impulse is generated in the muscle(s), as a result of the excitation, that can be sensed using recording electrodes, thereby indicating presence of a neural structure to a surgeon. For example, cortical stimulation mapping (CSM) is a type of electrocorticography that involves a physically invasive procedure and aims to localize the function of specific brain regions through direct electrical stimulation of the cerebral cortex.
Conventional nerve integrity monitoring systems pose limitations when used across varied surgical procedures and accompanied neuro-stimulation scenarios. By way of example, a majority of prior art nerve integrity monitoring systems only have a limited number of outputs or channels for delivering stimulation to a plurality of neural regions thereby limiting the ability to simultaneously stimulate multiple nerves or multiple branches of single nerves. This is a critical limitation as it necessitates frequent manual intervention, such as having to move the connections of stimulation components (for example, electrodes and probes) to change the location of the delivered stimulus on a patient's anatomy.
Additional drawbacks of prior art nerve integrity monitoring systems include: stimulators that can function in a single mode, that is, functionality in either constant-voltage or constant-current configuration mode but not both; the use of single or biphasic pulses and pulse trains requiring a separate priming stimulus followed by a test stimulus; a lack of synchronization with facilitation stimulators; a lack of availability of fixed output or channel pairs constraining the flexibility in determining the best stimulation site; a limited pulse width (such as, for example, of 75 microseconds or less) and no electrode impedance measurement.
As a result of these limitations, prior art nerve integrity monitoring systems are associated with various disadvantages including the need for additional operational steps which increase the duration of the surgical procedures to the detriment of patients and medical personnel, an increased complexity and confusion associated with intraoperative neural monitoring, a requirement for human and/or mechanical intervention, and an inability to efficiently integrate multiple neural stimulation and monitoring modalities.
Thus, there is a need for systems and methods that provide versatility of operation and function to a user by integrating a plurality of stimulation modalities. There is also a need for systems and methods that enable a user to stimulate the neurological system with minimal, less frequent and more streamlined manual, semi-automatic, automatic and/or electromechanical intervention.

Apparatus and method for polyphasic multi-output constant-current and constant-voltage neurophysiological stimulation


A system for the quick coupling of reels to a rotating shaft especially suitable for the unwinding or winding in reels of a consumable of thermal transfer printing or direct thermal printing machines, including a rotating shaft provided with a plurality of housings each of which is suitable for the firm but removable coupling of a rod, a single rod being able to be selectively coupled in any one of the mentioned housings; and a set of reels of a different width, provided with respective tubular bodies for the winding of the consumable provided with at least one respective slot suitable for the bayonet mount thereof with the shaft through the rod coupled in said shaft. The arrangement of the housings and of the slots are such that it is possible to couple any of the reels in such a way that said reels are centered with respect to a same plane transverse to the shaft.

Currently, there are different techniques for thermal printing, such as direct thermal printing or transfer printing, for example.
The common element for said thermal printing techniques is that they use a printing head, which, by means of heat, forms an image on a substrate, for example, a paper.
Direct printing is achieved by means of a chemical reaction of the components of the paper which is used, and which react with the heat of the printing head, the image on the paper thus being produced.
On the other hand, transfer printing is achieved by means of an ink which is in a polyester ribbon contacting the substrate, for example a paper or a plastic film. The ink used has a wax, resin or mixed base, according to the characteristics of the substrate and the durability desired for the printing. Thus, when the printing head is heated, the ink melts and when it contacts the cold substrate, the image is transferred to the mentioned substrate. The polyester ribbon having the ink is known as ribbon in the printing sector.
Reels suitable for the unwinding and winding of the ribbons which incorporate the ink for printing are used for both technologies, which reels are coupled in respective rotating shafts, which at least one of which is motorized or is driven.
The coupling of the reels in a corresponding rotating shaft becomes an object of interest in printing machines to facilitate the replacement and correct operation thereof, and different alternatives are known for the fixing of the reel in the rotating shaft.
As examples of such developments, a stop which must be placed at one end of the rotating shaft, more specifically at the base of the shaft, before placing the reel; and a tightening element, such as a nut, at the opposite end, which presses the reel against the stop, preventing its accidental removal, are currently used. A specific stop must be used for each reel width in order to ensure that the reel is kept coupled in a centred manner in the rotating shaft for a correct winding or unwinding, and to ensure a correct printing. This development necessarily involves the provision of several stops, in correspondence with the dimensions of the various reels, in addition to the use of a removable part, separable from the rotating shaft, formed by the tightening element or a similar element.
Rotating shafts are also known which incorporate complex expansible stop elements, and retaining means comprising sinkable tabs, which are not very satisfactory due to their high cost and complexity.
Therefore, a new simpler system and a device for the quick coupling of reels to a rotating shaft applicable to thermal transfer printing or direct thermal printing machines, which facilitates the replacement of the reels and which is more versatile, capable of adapting easily to different reel sizes without the need of having to replace the components thereof with others of different sizes, are necessary.

System for quick coupling of reels to a rotating shaft, and device and reel implementing the system


A probehead of an NMR-MAS apparatus with a rotation axis (RA), which lies in an xz-plane, titled by an angle θ>0 relative to a z-axis. The angle θ is adjusted by tilting around a tilt axis (DA) parallel to the y-axis relative to a target angle θtarget. An angle measurement apparatus (9) has a first sensor element (7), which, together with a second sensor element (8) generates sensor signals dependent on the amplitude B0 of the static magnetic field and the vectorial orientation between the magnetic field B0 and a sensitivity vector. Two sensitivity vectors have an angle 5°<αi<175° to the z-axis and an angle β>10° to each other. The angle between the rotation axis and the z-axis can be measured precisely and reliably over a large range, providing a feedback signal for regulated adjustment or tracking of the angle θ.

NMR spectroscopy is a method of instrumental analysis, with which in particular the chemical composition of measurement samples can be determined. Thereby, radio-frequency pulses are emitted into the measurement sample, which is located in a strong, homogeneous static magnetic field B0, and the electromagnetic reaction of the sample is measured. With solid-state NMR spectroscopy, it is known to arrange the measurement sample at an angle that is tilted at the so-called "magic angle" of θm=arccos(√⅓)≈54.74° with respect to the homogeneous, static magnetic field, in order to reduce line broadening due to anisotropic interactions. This measurement technique is usually described as "magic-angle spinning" (MAS). The angle θm is a solution of the second order Legendre polynomial P2(cos(θm))=0, so that all interactions dependent on this Legendre polynomial disappear at this angle to the magnetic field. This is the case for three important interactions in solids: dipolar coupling, chemical shift anisotropy, and quadrupole interaction of the first order. As for polycrystalline measurement samples in which the crystal directions of individual crystallites are randomly oriented relative to the static field, the elimination of the interaction is achieved by a sufficiently fast rotation of the measurement sample at the magic angle. In this way, line broadening due to these interactions can be significantly reduced, ideally even to the natural line width.
NMR-MAS probeheads allow high resolution NMR spectroscopy to be carried out with solid, powder, or semi-solid (gel or paste) measurement samples. Thereby—as shown in FIG. 4—the measurement sample 5 is filled into a circular cylinder sample holder, the so-called rotor, which is rotated at very high speeds, with a rotation frequency in the range of a few kHz to over a hundred kHz, by means of compressed gases in a stator 10. The radial support is ensured by air bearings 20 in the stator, in the same manner as a holding force created by air flow holds the rotor in its axial position in the stator. The orientation of the rotation axis with respect to the static magnetic field is defined by the stator.
While for many NMR experiments in magnet systems with B0 fields in the range from 7 T to 25 T, setting of the magic angle with a precision from 0.1° to 0.01° is sufficient, for some applications, such as, for example, satellite transition (ST-MAS) NMR or proton spectroscopy, a precision of up to 0.001° is required. The angle setting should remain constant over a wide temperature range and be maintained in a reproducible manner when changing the measurement samples. This places extremely high demands on the mechanical components, if the setting is to take place in a controlled instead of in a feedback-regulated manner. Consequently, a measurement apparatus that measures the angle between the rotation axis and the static magnetic field in a reliable manner would allow the angle to be maintained in a feedback-regulated manner.
In general, these probeheads are used in superconducting NMR magnet systems, in which the homogeneous, static magnetic field B0 is oriented along a "bore hole," which specifies the z-axis of the laboratory coordinate system. Alternatively, magnet systems in which the static magnetic field is oriented orthogonal to a bore hole of the magnet, can also be used. This is the case, for example, with permanent magnets or some superconducting horizontal magnets.
FIG. 4 shows a cross-section of the measurement sample 5, the rotation axis RA and the direction of the static magnetic field. Also shown are the air bearings 20, the drive 30, the tilt axis DA, around which the stator 1 can be tilted in order to adjust the angle of the measurement sample 5 to the static magnetic field, and the air supply lines 6 for pressurizing the air bearings 20 and the drive 30. Further elements of the NMR probehead, such as radio frequency (RF) coils, walls, networks etc., are not shown for the sake of simplicity. The rotation axis RA of the measurement sample 5 is also referred to as z′-axis and has a joint origin with the z-axis. The z- and z′-axes lie in one plane, which is spanned by the x- and z-axes and the x′- and z′-axes. The y- and y′-axes of the two coordinate systems are identical.
In the prior art, MAS probeheads generally comprise an adjustment mechanism, which allows precise setting of the angle θ between the rotation axis RA of the measurement sample along the z′-axis and the static magnetic field B0 along the z-axis. Such an adjustment mechanism that is integrated in the probehead is referred to as an "internal" or "integrated" mechanism. In general, the adjustment mechanism moves the measurement sample, the stator containing the bearing and the drive of the rotor, and the RF coils. This movement is induced by hoists, spindles and gear wheels, levers with linear movements or similar mechanisms, and primarily includes a rotation movement. However, generally rotation movements may also be combined with linear movements. Adjustment mechanisms with manual and motorized adjustment are known, particularly with electromotive adjustment. With many state-of-the-art probeheads, particularly those that are used in standard-bore magnet systems, i.e. magnet systems with a bore hole diameter of less than 60 mm, the angle adjustment can be carried out over a very large range, and also serves to facilitate removal of the measurement samples when changing samples. Probeheads that are tilted as a whole with respect to the magnet system to achieve the adjustment of the angle θ, are also known.
Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 8,547,099 B2 describes an NMR system with a probehead without adjusting mechanism. With this NMR system, the tilt of the rotation axis (z′-axis) with respect to the probehead and the magnet system is kept constant, and the direction of the static magnetic field is tilted by generating a field B1 with an additional electromagnetic coil. The additional electromagnetic coil is arranged around the measurement sample, so that the angle between the z′-axis and the direction of the linear combination of the B0 and B1 fields, correspond to the magic angle. Thus, with a probehead of such design, an electronic tilt of the angle θ is carried out.
Particularly when changing the sample temperature, removing or installing the probehead in the magnet system and changing measurement samples, the precision of the known adjustment mechanisms is often not sufficient for carrying out demanding NMR measurements. This particularly applies to proton spectroscopy and ST-MAS, where angle errors in the range of a few thousandths of a degree could lead to noticeable line broadenings in the measured spectra.
In the state of the art, the following method is used to adjust the angle θ between the rotation axis of the sample and the magnetic field direction: In general, a measurement sample (e.g. powdered potassium bromide) with the greatest possible dependency of the line width on the adjusted angle is measured via the NMR probehead. The line widths of the central line, and rotation side bands and/or the height of the lines and/or the ratio of amplitude/width between various lines are evaluated. Alternatively, an evaluation can be carried out directly on the time domain signal. Subsequently, the calibration measurement sample is removed and an actual measurement sample with the measurement substance is inserted in the probehead and measured using the angle setting from the calibration measurement.
In many cases this leads to errors, particularly if removing the probehead from the magnet system or tilting the stator to remove the rotor is required or a temperature change occurs between calibration and measurement.
MAS probeheads typically cover a very wide temperature range for the measurement samples. At the lower end of the temperature scale, there are probeheads that are designed for temperatures down to −50° C., −80° C., −130° C. or even for temperatures in the cryogenic area from 30K to 100K. In the upper temperature limit, values of temperatures up to +80° C., +150° C. or in the case of special samples even far beyond may be required. In most cases, the temperature of the measurement samples is ensured through use of a gas, whereby the air of the bearings and/or the drive air is also temperature-controlled to some extent.
Due to the compactness of the construction (the measurement sample diameters are typically in the range of 0.7 mm to 4 mm), the temperature of at least part of the tilt mechanism is close to the temperature of the measurement samples. Reproducing the adjustment of an angle with high precision and over a wide temperature range is technically extremely difficult to implement, and leads to high costs in the manufacturing of the mechanical parts.
Due to the complexity and difficulty of adjusting the angle θ of the rotation axis with respect to the z-axis in a precise and reproducible manner, there is a desire for a feedback-regulated adjustment, instead of the typical controlled adjustment using a calibration experiment but without feedback of the adjusted angle. In the prior art, three different concepts are known, which allow feedback between the adjusted angle and the measured angle:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,760,586 describes an MAS probehead, which includes automatic adjustment of the angle between the rotation axis of the measurement sample and the static field. One embodiment comprises a magnetic field sensor, in particular a Hall effect sensor for measuring said angle. Preferably, the Hall effect sensor is mounted in an inhomogeneous area of the static magnetic field and is moved by a mechanism within said area when the angle θ is adjusted in such a way that a calibration curve can correlate the adjusted angle θ with the measured magnetic field amplitude of the sensor.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,203,339 B2 describes an MAS probehead in which the adjustment of the angle between the rotation axis and the static magnetic field is regulated with a Hall effect sensor, whose orientation is as parallel as possible to the static field. The output signal (Hall voltage) is converted to an angle. Such a Hall sensor is shown in FIG. 4 with reference number 40.
The non-patent literature references titled "Optical alignment in magic-angle NMR" (G. Bodenhausen et al., J. Magn. Reson., 48 (1982), pp. 143-147) and "Optical lever for monitoring of the magic angle" (E. Mihaliuk, T. Gullion, J. Magn. Reson., 223, (2012), pp 46-50) describe a method of detecting the position of a laser beam reflected by the stator and using the detected position to determine the angle of the rotation axis with respect to the magnetic field.
The optical method is an indirect measurement of the angle. The signal does not directly depend on the magnetic field. Thus, it suffers from the disadvantage that the mechanical positioning of the probehead relative to the magnet field system affects the measured angle. Such a method is thus not suitable for delivering a measurement accuracy and reproducibility of 0.001°, particularly in the case where a probehead is removed.
The measurement of the angle using a Hall sensor is based on the Hall effect. This effect occurs for current-carrying conductors in a magnetic field and results in a voltage perpendicular to the current flow and field direction according toUH=(AHI/d)B⊥where UH is the Hall voltage, AH is the Hall coefficient, I is the control current, B⊥ is the magnetic flux density orthogonal to the sensor plane, and d is the thickness of the conductor.
FIG. 2A shows a top-view drawing (top) and a cross-section (bottom) of a planar Hall sensor, whose plane is orthogonal to the magnetic field. The crosses in the top-view drawing symbolize the direction of the static magnetic field B0. The Hall sensor has at least four contacts (1-4), whereby in FIG. 2A, a current flows between the contacts 1 and 3. The Hall voltage is established between the contacts 2 and 4 by the deviation of the electrons, whose paths are symbolized by dashed lines.
Unfortunately, in reality the Hall effect is less ideal than suggested by this formula.
The Hall coefficient AH depends on the temperature-dependent charge carrier density (electrons/holes) and the mobility of said charge carriers. This results in a marked temperature dependence of the Hall voltage. Additionally, with real sensors, a voltage caused by a combination of a temperature-related mechanical stress and a piezo-electric effect further distorts the temperature dependence of the Hall voltage.
In addition to the temperature dependence, effects depending on the magnetic field also occur. For example, the band structure of conductors generally changes in the magnetic field, which leads to non-linearities of the Hall effect, especially in strong magnetic fields.
Furthermore, Hall sensors generally experience an offset voltage in the zero field value, which occurs, for example, due to minor asymmetries of the contacts and/or positioning of the sensor with respect to the crystal axis of the substrate used. Furthermore, the Hall sensors may experience symptoms of aging, leading to long-term drifts. Thermoelectric voltages in the supply lines and contacts also lead to temperature-dependent errors due to an inadequate measurement assembly.
Moreover, additional magnetoresistive effects, such as the planar Hall effect (PHE), can be problematic for angle detection. With the planar Hall effect a voltageUPHE(APHEI/d)Bi2 sin(2φ)occurs, where φ is the angle between the projection of the magnetic field in the sensor plane and the control current. Additionally, APHE is only constant as a first approximation.
If a Hall sensor is exposed to a magnetic field that is not orthogonal to the sensor plane, then the output signal is the total of the Hall voltage and the planar Hall voltage.U=(AHI/d)B⊥+(APHEI/d)Bi2 sin(2φ)Furthermore, spin-dependent scattering processes can occur (abnormal Hall effect) during operation at cryogenic temperatures, as well as Shubnikov-de Haas and Quantum-Hall effects.
Thus, precision measurements require careful calibration over the entire application range (magnetic field strength, angle and temperature), which has to be repeated at regular intervals to correct aging effects. In addition, it is desirable to use only sensors in which the offset voltages are already reduced as far as possible due to the design and "perturbations" such as the PHE are kept to a minimum. For example, the PHE of a Hall sensor based on a heterojunction is up to 50 times smaller than the PHE of a comparable Hall sensor from a single, continuously doped semiconductor.
The methods known from the prior art for determining and adjusting the magic angle of NMR probeheads using a magnetic field measurement are based on two different principles: In U.S. Pat. No. 8,203,339 B2, a Hall sensor is mounted in the static magnetic field in such a way that the sensor plane and thus the orientation of the sensitivity vector is as parallel as possible, i.e. at an angle below 5°, to said sensor. The obtained Hall voltage is then converted into an angle and used for adjusting the angle.
This approach has several problems:                1. If the sensor is in a parallel orientation to the field, it is operated in a range in which the PHE can lead to comparable or even higher voltages than the normal Hall effect. The angle measurement is thus no longer primarily dependent on the orthogonal component of the magnet field, but on the angle of the current to the parallel component of the field.        2. The adjustment of the angle depends directly on the accuracy of the measurement of the Hall voltage and measurement current.        3. Any drift and changed Hall coefficients (temperature dependence) result in angle errors, unless the angle of the sensor is adjusted to exactly 0°.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,760,586 also uses a Hall sensor as a magnetic field sensor. However, the hall sensor is positioned in an inhomogeneous area of the magnetic field. A rotation movement of the stator defining the rotation axis of the measurement sample is turned into a translation of the sensor in the inhomogeneous field via a mechanism. The obtained Hall voltage is then converted into an angle via a calibration table and used for adjusting said angle.
This approach poses the following problems:                1. A position inaccuracy along the z-axis results in angle errors. This inaccuracy can occur, for example, if the probehead position is referenced with respect to a shim system, but said shim system changes its length relative to the fixing point at the magnet due to temperature variations.        2. The inhomogeneous field depends on the adjusted currents of the shim system. Fluctuations of the shim fields due to the fluctuations of the shim current sources are also transferred directly to fluctuations of the measured angle.        3. The adjustment of the angle depends directly on the accuracy of the measurement of the Hall voltage and measurement current.        4. Any drift and changed Hall coefficients (temperature dependence) result in angle errors.

Probehead of an NMR-MAS apparatus with a device for determining the angle between the MAS rotor and the static magnetic field


The present invention relates to a means to protect gas turbine components against corrosion from a gaseous stream, produced from an oxidation reaction the reaction being conducted in a continuous oxidation reactor

The production of terephthalic acid (TA) typically involves the liquid phase oxidation of para-xylene (PX) feedstock using molecular oxygen in acetic acid as a process solvent, in the presence of a dissolved heavy metal catalyst system usually incorporating a promoter, such as bromine as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,833,816. In general, acetic acid, molecular oxygen in the form of air, para-xylene and catalyst are fed continuously into the oxidation reactor at elevated temperature and pressure, typically a temperature from about 150° C. to about 250° C. and a pressure from about 100 kPa to about 5000 kPa.
Para-xylene oxidation produces a high-pressure gaseous stream (or "off-gas") which comprises nitrogen, unreacted oxygen, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and, where bromine is used as a promoter, methyl bromide. In addition, because the reaction is exothermic, the acetic acid solvent is frequently allowed to vaporize to control the reaction temperature and is removed in the gaseous stream. This vapour is typically condensed and most of the condensate is refluxed to the reactor, with some condensate being withdrawn to control reactor water concentration. The portion of the gaseous stream which is not condensed is either vented or passed through a catalytic combustion unit (CCU) to form an environmentally acceptable effluent, as disclosed in publication WO 96/39595. Catalytic combustors have been deployed on TA plants typically upstream of an energy recovery step. Their function is to catalytically combust volatile organic compounds (VOC's) and carbon monoxide and effect complete conversion of any methyl bromide content to HBr and/or Br2. The resulting gas stream can be passed to an energy conversion device, such as an expander, under controlled conditions of pressure and temperature whereby condensation of HBr and/or Br2 is substantially prevented thereby allowing the energy conversion device to be fabricated from relatively inexpensive materials.
In TA production plants power recovery, for example as disclosed in publication 96/39595, is conventionally carried out using an expander at temperatures from about 150-750 ° C., typically 450° C. However, there is scope to improve power recovery using an expander by changes to the configuration of the manufacturing process and the means for recovering power from the process. An improved power recovery system with methods for recovering more power from the gaseous streams of oxidation reactions have been disclosed in publication WO 09/136146. This publication describes an Internal Combustion Open Cycle Gas Turbine (ICOCGT), as disclosed in API 616 Gas Turbines for the Petroleum, Chemical and Gas Industry Services, utilising a standard gas turbine.
The materials of construction for such machines have been developed to avoid corrosion at high temperatures in an oxidative environment and without chemical contamination. Hot section components for land-based turbines are constructed typically in superalloys, protected by coatings that are resistant to oxidation and corrosion which can be overlayed by thermal barrier coatings. The corrosion resistance of the protective coatings arise from their capacity to form protective oxide surface layers at elevated temperatures. Gas turbines generally operate in relatively oxidising gases that contain significant levels of oxygen, typically about 14% WI, However, lower levels of oxygen, such as those in the off-gas from para-xylene oxidation, can prevent or inhibit the formation of protective oxides on coatings. Also, small levels of HBr, up to 100 ppm w/w, can promote the formation of volatile bromides of alloy and coating constituent elements. The off-gas from para-xylene oxidation typically comprises an oxygen concentration less than about 5% w/w, and oxidation catalyst co-factor and by-products comprising organobromides, bromine and acidic bromides.

Materials of construction for a gas turbine


A method of forming a semiconductor device including forming a low-k dielectric material over a substrate, depositing a liner on a portion of the low-k dielectric material, and exposing the liner to a plasma. The method also includes depositing a layer over the liner.

The desire for higher packing densities, faster circuit speed, and lower power dissipation has driven the scaling of semiconductor devices to smaller dimensions. As these devices, such as, for example, metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) become smaller, different materials are required to perform the needed functions. This has led to low-k dielectric materials and high conductivity metals being used in the devices.
Many current low-k dielectrics and next generation ultra-low dielectric constant (ULK) dielectrics, however, typically are porous. This porosity often leads to exposed pores and surface roughness in, and on, trench and via surfaces and sidewalls. Additionally, formation of trench and via structures can expose and open pores and form defects such as excessive side-wall roughness or micro-trenching at the surface, trench/via bottom, and on trench/via sidewalls of the dielectric. Exposed pores and defects can provide entry points for intercalation and diffusion into the dielectric of unwanted species from the fabrication environment or processing. These unwanted species can serve to compromise the chemical, structural, and/or electrical integrity of the dielectric, raise the effective dielectric constant of the dielectric, increase leakage currents, limit device lifetime and reliability, and/or interact detrimentally with downstream fabrication chemistries. Further, as a result of surface roughness and open porosity, it is difficult for subsequent thin films to smoothly cover and deposit, defect free, on the low-k dielectric film.
Copper diffusion barriers are often deposited on low-k dielectrics to prevent copper from diffusing into the low-k dielectric. Copper diffusion barriers, however, must be very thin while still maintaining good integrity in order to function properly. When deposited over rough or porous surfaces, the copper diffusion barrier often is deposited with defects, such as "pin-holes", cracks, breaks, thin-spots, or incomplete coverage which compromise the integrity and functionality of the barrier layer. Moreover, low-k dielectrics that have exposed pores or the like are susceptible to diffusion of the barrier precursor materials into the internal matrix of the porous low-k dielectric. This can lead to an increase in leakage current and a decrease in reliability lifetime of the device.
A conventional method and device are shown in FIGS. 1A-1D. As shown in FIG. 1A, a porous low-k dielectric material 20 is formed on a substrate 10. A recess 30 with sidewalls 32 is patterned and formed in low-k dielectric material 20 so as to expose a portion of substrate 10 at a bottom 34 of recess 30. However, pores and defects 50a form in and on the surface of the low-k dielectric 20 during fabrication as a result of the inherent porosity and roughness of the dielectric, and also as a result of subsequent etching of the low-k dielectric material 20. As shown in FIG. 1B, after forming recess 30 a copper diffusion barrier 40 is typically deposited over low-k dielectric material 20 and in recess 30 so as to cover the exposed substrate 10 at bottom 34 and sidewalls 32. As can be seen in FIG. 1B, defects 50b typically form in the copper diffusion barrier 40 as a result of the high porosity, roughness, and defects 50a of the low-k dielectric material 20.
Previous attempts to improve devices have included a plasma treatment 35 of the porous low-k dielectric material 20, as shown in FIG. 1C. The plasma treatment, however, has had limited success. For example, prior plasma treatments directly to porous low-k dielectric materials, and especially to porous ULK layers, can lead to densification or damage layers that extend tens to hundreds of nanometers into the dielectric layer. Densification leads to increased k-value due to the reduction of porosity. "Damage," as used herein, refers to the depletion of carbon and/or other elements that originally served to lower the dielectric constant. "Damage" can also refer to the increase of silanol (Si—OH) bonds that drive increases in the dielectric constant. Generally, "damaged" dielectrics have an increased k-value. Typically, lower k dielectric materials and porous dielectric materials are more susceptible to plasma damage than are dielectrics with less porosity and/or higher k values. The net result has been that while successful pore sealing through plasma treatments has been demonstrated, it has come at a cost of increased k-values. As such, the benefit of using low-k materials, and thus practical implementation of this solution, has not been achieved.
Another attempted solution, as shown in FIG. 1D, has been to try to seal the pores using a trench/via liner, also called a pore-sealing liner, 60. Typical materials used for liner 60 have a dielectric constant between 2.9 and 6.8. An example of a conventional liner material is silicon nitride. When pore-sealing liners have been used in the past, however, pores and defects 50a in low-k dielectric material 20 cause trench liner 60 to also have defects, as shown in FIG. 1D with label 50c. Defects 50c in trench liner 60 correspond to defects or pores 50a in material 20. Further, barrier layer 40 formed over trench liner 60 also has defects 50b that correspond to the defects 50c in trench liner 60 and pores and defects 50a in porous low-k dielectric material 20. To overcome this, thicker trench liners have been used to fill in the pores and eliminate defects. However, typical trench liner materials negatively impact interconnect performance because by nature, they have a higher k-value than the low-k dielectric 20. Unfortunately, using thicker liners only increases the negative impact of the higher-k material. As a result, the use of trench liner 60 as a pore-sealing material has been impractical.
Attempts have also been made to use low-k dielectric materials as a trench liner as well. However, these materials by nature are porous and thus add additional defects to the system.
Thus, there is a need to overcome these and other problems of the prior art and to provide semiconductor devices with improved porous low-k dielectric layers.


One embodiment provides a method comprising generating a first graphical user interface (GUI) for display on an electronic device. The first GUI comprises data indicative of at least one professional service available for selection. The method comprises receiving, from the electronic device, a request to initiate a professional service selected from the first GUI. The method further comprises generating a second GUI for display on the electronic device. The second GUI comprises a customized questionnaire for collecting information relevant to the professional service selected. The method further comprises receiving, from the electronic device, user responses to the customized questionnaire, and initiating an analysis of the user responses. A communication indicative of the analysis is forwarded to the electronic device.

Traditionally, a provider of professional services (e.g., a provider of legal services such as an attorney or a law firm, a provider of accounting services such as an accountant or an accounting firm, architects, public relations professionals, etc.) dictates the amount of time spent and service fees associated with professional services rendered to a client. They usually bill at a certain increment on the billable hour model.
For example, when an attorney performs legal services for a client, the amount of legal service fees the client is billed may be based on multiple factors, such as the total amount of time spent by the attorney consulting with the client and then preparing documents, attending meetings or conducting other work, the complexity of the legal services performed, the hourly rate of the attorney, etc. The client may have little or no input with regards to controlling the costs or fees associated with the legal services being performed.
Alternatively, sometimes professionals quote flat fees for specific services. However, again, this effort is simply an attempt by the professional to model the projected time they are going to dedicate to a project. It is inaccurate and completely within the professional's control. The client is not able to define the amount of time they want the professional to dedicate to the project nor even the amount of time that the professional is consulting with the client.

Method and system for providing pay-as-you-go pre-paid professional services


A CODEC-driven touch screen video conferencing control system provides a touch screen entry and display device that interfaces with the CODEC of the existing video conferencing system so that remote operation is compatible with the pre-programming of the video conferencing system. A computer with video capture device captures the output video of the video conferencing CODEC and transmits it to the touch screen so that what is displayed on the touch screen is all of the controls for the video conferencing system as pre-programmed by the video conferencing system manufacturer. There is no requirement to employ a cursor on the video conferencing monitor screen. In fact, through use of the present invention, none of the control functions of the video conferencing system appear on its monitor screens. Rather, those functions are solely displayed on the touch screen of the remote control device.

The present invention relates to a CODEC-driven touch screen video conferencing control system. In the prior art, video conferencing systems customarily include a coder and decoder described as the "CODEC" which performs the functions of compaction of video signals to a volume that can be transmitted, and de-compaction of video signals to a volume that can be displayed. Output of the CODEC typically determines the look and feel of the display screens or monitors of the video conferencing system.
Known video conferencing systems generally fall into two categories. In a first category, control is carried out through the use of a "dumb" handheld remote control device. Other video conferencing systems may also utilize a touch screen entry and display device backed by an appliance such as a personal computer that has intelligence and is capable of being programmed. In the former case, where a "dumb" handheld remote control device is employed, the remote control device typically has buttons that, when depressed, transmit command codes or information in the form of numbers and letters, via infra-red methodology to a CODEC. Such remote control devices do not have intelligence and are only able to perform actions specifically dictated as a result of depression of specified buttons.
In the latter type of prior art video conferencing system, a touch screen is used for control, but the touch screen is typically an after-market product that has its own unique screen programming that does not relate to the screen programming provided by the video conferencing device manufacturer. Such touch screen control systems are driven by programs that reside in an intelligent appliance such as a personal computer. They present touch screen control screens of their own creation and design rather than those of the manufacturer of the video conferencing system. As a result, there is no actual or implied consistency from system to system because the programmer of the touch screen device is free to implement control screens in any way or manner he or she chooses without regard to the look and feel of the video conferencing system on which the touch screen is operating. Additionally, in such installations, the regions on the touch screen corresponding to functions of the manufacturer's controls are typically displayed on one of the system monitors as well, although sometimes the prior art touch screen is designed to suppress those control displays.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a touch control screen, which is generally designated by the reference numeral 1, created for a prior art video conferencing system. In the type of system illustrated in FIG. 2, the look and feel of the screen display of the video conferencing system manufacturer is not captured or duplicated. Rather, the video conferencing system screen is essentially re-programmed to perform functions in a manner, sequence and form chosen by the individual programmer of the touch control screen. In the prior art system shown in FIG. 1, control functions may be displayed on the user viewed screen or video conferencing monitor, although, as explained above, they are sometimes suppressed. Additionally, operation of the prior art system requires that a cursor on the video conferencing screen be moved to an appropriate area using the directional arrows 2 shown, whereupon an enter button 3 is depressed to control resultant functions.
It would be desirable to develop a control system for a video conferencing system that would be compatible with the video conferencing system and act upon the video conferencing system's pre-programmed screen look and feel to enhance compatibility and effectiveness of operation. It is with this thought in mind that the present invention was developed.


A mobile terminal and controlling method thereof are disclosed. The present disclosure includes a touchscreen configured to display a window of an application and a controller, when the window is shifted into a specific region of the touchscreen, reducing and transforming the window into an icon and controlling the touchscreen to display the icon within the specific region. Accordingly, after a window of an application has been displayed on a screen, when the window is shifted into a specific region within the screen, the screen is displayed in a manner of being reduced and transformed into an icon.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates to a mobile terminal, and more particularly, to a mobile terminal and a method of controlling the mobile terminal.
2. Background
A mobile terminal is a device which may be configured to perform various functions. Examples of such functions include data and voice communications, capturing images and video via a camera, recording audio, playing music files and outputting music via a speaker system, and displaying images and video on a display.
Generally, terminals can be classified into mobile terminals and stationary terminals according to a presence or non-presence of mobility. And, the mobile terminals can be further classified into handheld terminals and vehicle mount terminals according to availability for hand-carry.
There are ongoing efforts to support and increase the functionality of mobile terminals. Such efforts include software and hardware improvements, as well as changes and improvements in the structural components which form the mobile terminal.
Currently, a mobile terminal provides various functions to a user through applications.
In particular, if a user inputs a command for executing a specific application, a mobile terminal executes the specific application and displays an executed screen of the executed specific application.
However, when the executed screen of the specific application is displayed, in order to watch a home screen or an executed screen of another executed application, the user stops displaying the executed screen of the currently displayed application and then selects a screen to watch, or performs a manipulation in a manner of switching the executed screen of the currently displayed application to a screen to watch one by one each time.
The above references are incorporated by reference herein where appropriate for appropriate teachings of additional or alternative details, features and/or technical background.

Application and notification window display management in a mobile terminal


The present invention relates to a benzamide compound and a preparation method, use and pharmaceutical composition thereof. The benzamide compound represented by formula (I) is a STAT3 inhibitor, and can be used to prevent and/or treat a disease related to STAT3 activity, such as a tumor, autoimmune disease, renal disease, cardiovascular disease, inflammation, metabolic/endocrine dysfunction, and neurological disease.

The Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription (STAT) protein family performs dual functions of signal transduction and transcription regulation. Although the members of the STAT family are similar in structure, they are involved in different cellular processes. There are currently 7 STAT-family members that have been isolated and purified, namely STAT1, STAT2, STAT3, STAT4, STAT5A, STAT5B and STAT6.
As a member of the STAT family, STAT3 plays an important role in the occurrence and development of cancer, inflammation, ischemia/reperfusion injury, and self-renewal of stem cell. STAT3 can be activated by receptor tyrosine kinases and non-receptor tyrosine kinases. When cytokine binds to its receptor, dimerization of the receptor occurs and leads to phosphorylation of JAK kinase, thus making phosphorylation of the tyrosine residue (Tyr705) at the C-terminal of the STAT3 molecule, and therefore the STAT3 molecule is activated through the formation of dimer in its SH2 region and transferred into the nucleus to bind to specific DNA sequences and regulate the transcription of target genes. In addition, Ser727 located in the Stat3 transcription activation domain is further activated by the MAPK or mTOR pathway to regulate Stat3 transcription activity, and this is considered to be necessary for its complete activation. In addition to the phosphorylation of Tyr705 and Ser727, acetylation of Lys685 stabilizes the Stat3 dimer and regulates the Stat3 activity.
At present, some STAT3 inhibitors have entered the clinical research stage for the treatment of tumor and autoimmune diseases. The STAT3 inhibitor napabucasin developed by Boston Biomedical Co., Ltd. was approved the FDA orphan drug designation in June 2016 for the treatment of gastroesophageal junction cancer, and it is currently in the phase III clinical trial stage; while the STAT3 inhibitor napabucasin was approved the FDA orphan drug designation in November 2016 for the treatment of pancreatic cancer and is currently in the phase III clinical trial stage. There are also some STAT3 inhibitors in various clinical trials. For example, the STAT3 inhibitor GLG-302 developed by GLG is in the phase I clinical trials for the treatment of tumors and polycystic kidney disease; and GLG-801 used for the treatment of kidney disease, Leukemia and psoriasis is in the phase II clinical trials. The STAT3 inhibitor MOL-4249 developed by Moleculin Biotechnology is used for the treatment of mild to moderate psoriasis and is currently in the phase II clinical trial. Takeda's AK-114 is used for treating ulcerative colitis and is currently in phase II clinical research stage.
STAT3 has become a very attractive drug target. However, there is still a need to develop safer and more effective STAT3 inhibitors for prevention and/or treatment of tumors, autoimmune diseases, renal diseases, cardiovascular diseases, inflammation, metabolic/endocrine dysfunction or neurological diseases.

Benzamide compound and preparation method, use, and pharmaceutical composition thereof

INSTITUTE OF MATERIA MEDICA, CHINESE ACADEMY OF MEDICAL SCIENCES


A rescue tool includes an elongate body and a pair of opposing arms. The arms include a first arm and a second arm that extend outwardly from the body. At least one of the first arm and the second arm is slidably coupled to the body. Each of the arms includes an inner face and an outer face, wherein at least one of the arm inner and outer faces includes a plurality of teeth. At least one of the first arm outer face and the second arm outer face includes a plurality of grooves defined therein.

This invention relates generally to rescue tools and more particularly, to methods and apparatus for performing emergency extrications.
The purpose of an emergency extrication is to remove an injured victim from a damaged structure, in an orderly and efficient manner that does not facilitate increasing injuries to the victim. Powered portable rescue tools, such as the "POWER HAWK®" which is manufactured and sold by Curtiss Wright Flight Systems, Inc., of Fairfield, N.J., and the "JAWS OF LIFE®", which is manufactured and sold by Hurst Performance, Inc., of Warminster, Pa., are specialized tools used by rescue personnel to extricate accident victims from vehicles, buildings, and other structures which otherwise impose a difficult or nearly impossible means of egress. These tools typically develop spreading or ramming forces for opening or forcing apart inoperable doors, damaged structures, or blocked pathways.
However, the distance or range over which the spreading or cutting force can be applied is limited to the maximum spreading distance between the ends of the rescue tool. In situations where a larger opening is required, or where a suitable brace, prop, or support is available but located beyond the expandable reach of the rescue tool, the tool could be rendered virtually ineffective. Parts of an automobile, such as the door or steering wheel, may also be so badly damaged and contoured that the expandable range of the rescue tool is insufficient to extricate a victim.
To facilitate increasing the use of such rescue tools, rescue personnel may brace the hydraulic equipment against a brace, such as is described within U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,148. At least some known braces include a plurality of surface platforms extending from a body. The braces typically are positioned against a suitable support and the rescue tool is then braced against the brace during its operation. More specifically, at least some known braces include a plurality of angled platforms extending upwardly from a substantially planar lower surface. The surface platforms are angled to provide a structural support to which the rescue tool is braced.
However, because such braces are typically minimally adjustable, such braces are limited in their application, and are typically only used when space considerations permit their installation. Furthermore, such braces are typically fabricated from heavy-duty material to withstand the forces applied by the rescue tools, and as a result may be cumbersome and heavy to transport and handle. In addition, such braces are only effective when braced against a suitable structure, and as such the rescue tool may still be rendered virtually ineffective in situations when the distance between the portion of the structure to be forced open and the suitable support is too great, or in situations where the vehicle is badly damaged or contoured.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Methods and apparatus for performing emergency extrications


Deflection unit mounted around a display tube for deflecting electron beams across the display screen includes a line deflection coil and a field deflection coil. A compensation coil system for generating a magnetic compensation field oppositely directed to the line frequency radiation field in a space in front of the display screen includes core means of a magnetizable material positioned between the display screen and the deflection unit in a plane parallel to the display screen and two diametrically arranged coils each having at least one turn.

The invention relates to a picture display device having a display tube whose rear portion has of a cylindrical neck accommodating a device for generating electron beams and whose front portion is funnel-shaped, the widest portion being present on the front side and having a phosphor display screen. The display device also has an electro-magnetic deflection unit mounted around a part of the display tube for deflecting electron beams across the display screen, the unit including a line deflection coil having two line deflection coil halves arranged on either side of a plane of symmetry and a field deflection coil and a compensation coil system for generating a magnetic compensation field which is oppositely directed to the line frequency radiation field in a space in front of the display screen.
EP-A 220,777 discloses such a display device having means for compensating stray fields produced by the line deflection coil.
Recently more stringent standards have been introduced for certain types of picture display devices, notably for monitors, with respect to the magnetic interference field which they may produce around them. An important source of magnetic interference fields is the line deflection coil because it is operated at radio frequency currents (frequencies in the range of 10 to 100 kHz) as contrasted to the field deflection coil. It is impossible to design a satisfactorily operating deflection coil which does not produce a stray field. If the stray field were to be eliminated by means of a protective shield, such a shield would only be effective if the combination of display tube and deflection unit were also shielded on the display screen side. It is true that the external magnetic field of a deflection unit is not very strong; at a distance of 50 cm from the front side of a deflection unit for a 110.degree. monochrome display tube the field strength has already decreased to approximately 1% of the strength of the earth's magnetic field, but it is the variation of the field with respect to time which is important. Field variations may cause interferences in other electronic apparatus, and research is being done to establish whether human health is affected by these fields. Nowadays the time derivative of the field of the deflection unit increases with the increase of the line frequencies and hence with increasingly shorter fly back periods.
For compensating the line deflection stray field the use of a compensation coil system which, when energized, generates a compensating magnetic dipole field is described in the above-mentioned Patent publication. This dipole field can be obtained by energizing one coil whose turns are mainly located in one flat plane (a "current loop"), which coil has the correct number of turns, the correct surface area and the correct orientation. Energization may be effected, for example, by arranging the compensation coil in series with or parallel to the line deflection coil. The compensation field may be obtained alternatively by energizing two "current loops" which are positioned on either side of the line deflection coil, which current loops have the correct number of turns, the correct surface area and the correct orientation. Also in this case energization may be effected, for example, by arranging the compensation coils constituted by the current loops in series with or parallel to the line deflection coil.
The compensation coils are preferably large so as to reduce their energy content.
However, a problem is that many types of display devices (particularly monitors) lack the space to accommodate large coil systems in their correct position. Consequently, relatively small (too small) compensation coils must be used so that the radiation compensation consumes much (line deflection) energy. Moreover, the sensitivity of the line deflection coil is detrimentally influenced if the compensation coil system is arranged in series with the line deflection coil. The induction then increases.

Picture display device with magnetizable core means comprising compensation coils


A memory unit having a plurality of heads performing at least one of recording or reproducing operations on a storage medium is disclosed. The memory unit includes a first converter circuit for receiving head-selection signals as first parallel data and converting the head-selection signals to first serial data to be transmitted, and a second converter circuit for receiving the first serial data from the first converter circuit and converting the first serial data to second parallel data to be transmitted. The memory unit further includes a head control circuit for receiving the second parallel data from the second converter circuit and selectively driving the heads on the basis of the second parallel data.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a memory unit which records or reproduces to-or-from a storage medium through a plurality of heads, and more particularly, to a memory unit in which a head assembly having the plurality of heads is connected with a printed circuit board having control circuits through lines.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recently, electronic devices have been further miniaturized, and it is desired to also miniaturize a memory unit used for an external storage unit of a computer, etc. More specifically, in a magnetic disk unit which records and reproduces to-and-from a storage medium through a plurality of heads assembled in a head assembly, the number of lines connected between the head assembly and a printed circuit board having control circuits needs to be reduced.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic block diagram of an interface circuit of a conventional magnetic disk unit. A magnetic disk unit 11 shown in FIG. 1 comprises a head assembly 12 for assembling a plurality of heads, a printed circuit board 15 for controlling the head assembly 12, and a plurality of lines connecting between the head assembly 12 and the printed circuit board 15.
In the head assembly 12, differential-type heads 13-1 to 13-16 for recording and reproducing to-and-from a plurality of magnetic disks are assembled. Included in the head assembly 12 is a head IC 14, which selects one of the heads 13-1 to 13-16, and transmits-and-receives write-data/and/read-data. The head IC 14 is also fabricated on a flexible printed circuit board.
On the other hand, the plurality of lines between the head assembly 12 and the printed circuit board 15 comprise twelve lines which include, four head-selection signal lines 16-1 to 16-4, write-data signal lines 17-1, 17-2, read-data signal lines 18-1, 18-2, a write-gate signal line 19, a ground (GND) line 20, and two-types (12 V and 15 V) power-supply lines 21-1, 21-2.
These signal line are constructed by flexible print circuits (FPC) or flat cables, etc., between the printed circuit board 15 and the head assembly 12.
For selecting one of the sixteen heads 13-1 to 13-16, four-bit signals are needed. The above four head-selection signal lines 16-1 to 16-4 are set for these four-bit signals. In this way, a number of the head-selection signal lines is determined by a number of bits necessary for selecting one of heads.
FIG. 2 shows a connecting configuration of the interface circuit in the conventional magnetic disk unit shown in FIG. 1. In an example shown in FIG. 2, the head assembly 12 is installed such that the sixteen heads 13-1 to 13-16 are close to magnetic disks 22-1 to 22-8. Each of these heads 13-1 to 13-16 is mounted at the top of suspension gimbals 24 connected with a carriage 23 and can be moved in a radial direction of the magnetic disks 22-1 to 22-8.
Two signal lines from each of the heads 13-1 to 13-16 are connected to associated pattern lines 26 on the flexible printed circuit board 25 through the suspension 24 and the carriage 23. Each of the pattern lines 26 on the flexible printed circuit board 25 are routed to ports of the head IC 14 mounted thereon.
On the other side of the head IC 14, each port of the head IC 14 is connected to an associated port of one side of an FPC 27. Also on the other side of the FPC 27, a connector 28a is assembled. In the FPC 27, the above mentioned twelve lines, 16-1 to 16-4, 17-1, 17-2, 18-1, 18-2, 19, the GND line 20, and the power-supply lines 21-1, 21-2, are formed by patterns 27a. Thick lines of the patterns 27a are allocated to the GND line 20 and the power-supply lines 21-1, 21-2.
On the other hand, the printed circuit board 15 for controlling and driving the magnetic disk unit 11 comprises a connector 28b, which is connected with the connector 28a, so as to connect between the printed circuit board 15 and the head assembly 12.
To miniaturize the magnetic disk unit 11, the number of lines between the printed circuit board 15 and the head assembly 12 also needs to be reduced. For this purpose, an example of reducing the number of connection lines by transmitting data in series is disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent No. 6-30505. In this example, a system, in which a main control unit is connected with a peripheral unit through a single data signal line and a single clock signal line, is disclosed. In this system, during one serial transmission, "information of data-transmit/receive directions", "information of a data type", and "information of data" are transmitted and received in that order.
To miniaturize the magnetic disk unit 11, the width of the FPC 27, namely the width of each pattern 27a, needs to be thinner. However, reducing the width of the pattern 27a any more causes noise due to voltage fluctuation. There is thus a problem that it is hard to miniaturize recording-and-reproducing units, such as a magnetic disk unit by thinning the width of each pattern 27a of the FPC 27.

Memory unit having a plurality of heads controlled by a minimum number of connection lines


Methods and apparatus relating to enhancing diagnostic capabilities of computing systems by combining variable patrolling Application Program Interface (API) and comparison mechanism of variables are described. In one embodiment, a first processor core executes a first instance of a workload to generate a first set of safety variables. A second processor core executes a second instance of the workload to generate a second set of safety variables. A third processor core generates a signal in response to comparison of the first set of safety variables and the second set of safety variables. Other embodiments are also disclosed and claimed.

Electronic Control Unit (ECU) systems used in the automotive industry may cover an extensive array of functions associated with vehicle control and/or safety. For example, ECUs receive electrical signals from one or more sensors, evaluate them, and then calculate triggering signals for mechanical actuators. Proliferation of ECUs has raised concerns regarding maintaining vehicle control and/or safety in such systems.

Enhancing diagnostic capabilities of computing systems by combining variable patrolling API and comparison mechanism of variables


Systems and methods for receiving a session and establishing authentication credentials associated with a user by verifying the uniqueness of requested authentication credentials among one or more entities by one or more credential verification servers. Once the authentication credentials associated with the user are established, the session may be transferred back.

Many websites and/or web services require the establishment of authentication or login credentials for access by users. The website and/or web service may allow the user to select a login, password, or other elements of the authentication credentials. As a result, the user may select a login and password to access the content and/or services associated with the website and/or web service. The user may further interact with other websites and/or web services and select logins and passwords associated with those other websites and/or web services. In some cases, the user may select logins and passwords that are similar across various websites or web services. By doing so, the user may subject all of his/her accounts at the multiple websites and/or web services to potentially higher probability of unauthorized access. For example, if one of the login and password pairs associated with one of the user's websites and/or web service accounts is compromised, then the same compromised login and password pair may be used for unauthorized access to other websites and/or web services associated with the user.


Techniques are described to improve the electrical characterization of ICs and PCBs in a manner that ultimately contributes to network optimization by improving sensitivity without increasing power consumption. Knowledge generated by, for example, emissions and susceptibility profiles, is used to dynamically optimize sensitivity for a device, such as a handset, to take into account its operating environment in a network. In an exemplary embodiment, the handset takes advantage of a priori computed and/or measured electromagnetic interference profiles (such as noise profiles) to reduce or minimize interference among components in the device. In one scenario, using the knowledge of which components are interference aggressors, and which are victims of the potential interference scenarios, device operational states are adaptively configured.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates to electronics and more particularly to techniques for sensitivity improvement in a wireless communication device, system or network.
2. Background
A key target in the evolution of mobile communication is to achieve ever higher end-user data rates. While higher peak data rates are desirable, equally desirable are higher data rates over an entire cell area, including, for example, users at a cell edge.
Data rate and channel capacity go hand-in-hand. A channel's capacity is the maximum rate that information can be transferred over a given communication channel. Although relatively complicated in the general case, for the special case of communication over a channel, e.g. a radio link, only impaired by additive white Gaussian noise, the channel capacity C is given by the relatively simple expression
                              C          =                      BW            ·                                          log                2                                                          (                                  1                  +                                      S                    N                                                  )                                                    ,                            Eq        .                                                    (          1          )                    where BW is the bandwidth available for the communication, S denotes the received signal power, and N denotes the power of the white noise impairing the received signal.
Two fundamental factors limiting the achievable data rate are the available received signal power, or more generally the available signal-power-to-noise-power ratio S/N, and the available bandwidth. To further clarify how and when these factors limit the achievable data rate, assume communication with a certain information rate R. The received signal power can then be expressed as S=Eb□R where Eb is the received energy per information bit. Furthermore, the noise power can be expressed as N=N0□BW where N0 is the constant noise power spectral density measured in W/Hz.
Clearly, the information rate can never exceed the channel capacity. Together with the above expressions for the received signal power and noise power, this leads to the inequality:
                              R          ≤          C                =                              BW            ·                                          log                2                                                          (                                  1                  +                                      S                    N                                                  )                                              =                      BW            ·                                          log                2                                                          (                                  1                  +                                                                                E                        b                                            ·                      R                                                                                N                        0                                            ·                      BW                                                                      )                                                                        Equation                                                            (          2          )
or, by defining the radio-link bandwidth utilization γ R/BW,
                    γ        ≤                                            log              2                                                  (                              1                +                                  γ                  ·                                                            E                      b                                                              N                      0                                                                                )                                .                                    Eq        .                                                    (          3          )
This inequality can be reformulated to provide a lower bound on the required received energy per information bit, normalized to the noise power density, for a given bandwidth utilization γ
                                                        E              b                                      N              0                                ≥                      min                                      {                                                E                  b                                                  N                  0                                            }                                      =                                            2                            γ                        -            1                    γ                                    Eq        .                                                    (          4          )
For bandwidth utilizations significantly less than one (that is for information rates substantially smaller than the utilized bandwidth) the minimum required Eb/N0 is relatively constant, regardless of γ. For a given noise power density, any increase of the information data rate then implies a similar relative increase in the minimum required signal power S=Eb·R at the receiver. On the other hand, for bandwidth utilizations larger than one the minimum required Eb/N0 increases rapidly with γ. Thus, in case of data rates in the same order as or larger than the communication bandwidth, any further increase of the information data rate, without a corresponding increase in the available bandwidth, implies a larger, eventually much larger, relative increase in the minimum required received signal power.
Basic conclusions can thus be drawn regarding the provisioning of higher data rates in a mobile-communication system when noise is the main source of radio-link impairment (a noise-limited scenario).
First, the data rates that can be provided in such scenarios are always limited by the available received signal power or, in the general case, the received signal-power-to-noise-power ratio. Furthermore, any increase of the achievable data rate within a given bandwidth will require at least the same relative increase of the received signal power. At the same time, if sufficient received signal power can be made available, basically any data rate can, at least in theory, be provided within a given limited bandwidth.
In case of low-bandwidth utilization, i.e., as long as the radio-link data rate is substantially lower than the available bandwidth, any further increase of the data rate requires approximately the same relative increase in the received signal power. This can be referred to as power-limited operation (in contrast to bandwidth-limited operation) where an increase in the available bandwidth does not substantially impact what received signal power is required for a certain data rate.
On the other hand, in case of high-bandwidth utilization, i.e. in case of data rates in the same order as or exceeding the available bandwidth, any further increase in the data rate requires a much larger relative increase in the received signal power unless the bandwidth is increased in proportion to the increase in data rate. This can be referred to as a bandwidth-limited operation since an increase in the bandwidth will reduce the received signal power required for a certain data rate. Thus, to make efficient use of the available received signal power or, in the general case, the available signal-to-noise ratio, the transmission bandwidth should at least be of the same order as the data rates to be provided.
Assuming a constant transmit power, the received signal power can always be increased by reducing the distance between the transmitter and the receiver, thereby reducing the attenuation of the signal as it propagates from the transmitter to the receiver.
Thus, in a noise-limited scenario it is at least in theory always possible to increase the achievable data rates, assuming that one is prepared to accept a reduction in the transmitter/receiver distance; that is a reduced range. In a mobile-communication system this would correspond to a reduced cell size and thus the need for more cell sites to cover the same overall area. Especially, providing data rates in the same order as or larger than the available bandwidth, i.e. with a high-bandwidth utilization, would require a significant cell-size reduction. Alternatively, one has to accept that the high data rates are only available for mobile terminals in the center of the cell, i.e. not over the entire cell area.
Another means to increase the overall received signal power for a given transmit power is the use of additional antennas at the receiver side, also known as receive-antenna diversity. Multiple receive antennas can be applied at the base station (that is for the uplink) or at the mobile terminal (that is for the downlink). By proper combining of the signals received at the different antennas, the signal-to-noise ratio after the antenna combining can be increased in proportion to the number of receive antennas, thereby allowing for higher data rates for a given transmitter/receiver distance.
Multiple antennas can also be applied at the transmitter side, typically at the base station, and be used to focus a given total transmit power in the direction of the receiver, i.e. toward the target mobile terminal. This will increase the received signal power and thus, once again, allow for higher data rates for a given transmitter/receiver distance.
However, providing higher data rates by the use of multiple transmit or receive antennas is only efficient up to a certain level, i.e. as long as the data rates are power limited rather than bandwidth limited. Beyond this point, the achievable data rates start to saturate and any further increase in the number of transmit or receive antennas, although leading to a correspondingly improved signal-to-noise ratio at the receiver, will only provide a marginal increase in the achievable data rates. This saturation in achievable data rates can be avoided though, by the use of multiple antennas at both the transmitter and the receiver, enabling what can be referred to as spatial multiplexing, often also referred to as MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output). However, MIMO techniques may increase the size and cost of a wireless device.
An alternative to increasing the received signal power (say by accepting a smaller cell size, or employing MIMO techniques), perhaps at significant cost, is to reduce the noise power, or more exactly the noise power density, at the receiver. This can, at least to some extent, be achieved by more advanced receiver RF design, allowing for a reduced receiver noise figure.
Reducing receiver noise figure is a great challenge. As portable electronic devices become increasingly miniaturized and multi-functional, internally generated noise becomes more of a problem both at the component level as well as within a handset (i.e. system level). Noise has the potential to adversely affect circuit components through electromagnetic interference (EMI). Prior attempts to address EMI problems have traditionally focused on debugging a prototype, modifying the floor plan and system layout, and improving shielding—all of which come at significant cost, in terms of price and time to market, for both the component and handset manufacturer.
In modern ASIC design, IC designers must enter the EMI mitigation process at an early stage because switching noise analysis and electrical characterization are important to optimizing the die and package floorplan, as well as layout and substrate design. Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and electromagnetic interference (EMI) issues are traditionally addressed, ad hoc, at the chip design level using modern IC design automation (EDA) tools. Because EDA is a semiconductor product design process, it does not adequately address EMC and EMI issues at the board (system) level.
Currently, ASIC designers use their skills and familiarity with EMI generally, to control and minimize electromagnetic coupling (such as crosstalk) at the device and system level by using the commercially available field solvers and built-in constraint managers provided by EDA tools. This process is time consuming and often lacks accuracy when applied to the design and development of complex 3-D ASICs operating at high (greater than about 600 MHz) clock frequencies.
Taking the wireless product as an example, a better solution is to establish a systematic design methodology. Such a methodology must consider noise and interference-related issues at component, PCB, mobile and network level—offering solutions at each stage for their control mitigation both internally and globally.
Even this is often not sufficient because in an actual implementation external interference can contribute to EMI. Such external interference often depends on floor planning, layout and shielding. Traditionally, external interference is addressed experimentally once the prototype becomes available. This is time consuming and costly.
The ultimate (for best performance in the field) floor plan and layout at device or system level cannot be known, a priori, by the semiconductor designer. There are however some general rules and guidelines that are commonly known and understood. For example, it is known that certain blocks of an integrated circuit (IC), such as a baseband processor in a mobile device, can cause interference to either themselves or to other ICs. It is also known that certain blocks of an IC are highly susceptible to interference. When combining a baseband processor with an RF component on a printed circuit board (PCB), the component's emission profiles and/or susceptibility profiles may be known and utilized by known methods to arrive at an electromagnetically compatible configuration for the proposed electronic system.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,834,380, entitled "Automated EMC-Driven Layout and Floor Planning of Electronic Devices and Systems", commonly assigned as the present application and incorporated herein by reference, describes automated electromagnetic compatibility-driven (EMC-driven) layout and floor planning of electronic devices and systems at the PCB level. The patent describes techniques to account for electromagnetic interactions between circuit components (such as ICs) and to address internal EMC issues at the outset of the design phase. This is done through identification of aggressors and victims and their association to emissions and susceptibility profiles, respectively.
Wireless network operators typically define sensitivity specifications for handsets to ensure optimum service quality. Any improvement in noise sensitivity at the design phase of such handsets makes it easier to meet these strict specifications. Multimode chipsets (e.g., EV-DO, HSPSA, LTE, etc.), and the handsets they go into, are a critical driver to improve noise sensitivity. By looking at the various emissions and susceptibility profiles of components a handset designer is able to deliver a better floor plan, layout and shielding of a PCB—characterized by reduced noise emissions and low EMI. Better EMI performance at the PCB level means less receiver self-jamming with better overall sensitivity.
Known techniques for floor planning and layout design methodology do not take into account the possible network impact when the device is actually operated by a user (for example, in idle, call, and/or data mode). As such, there may be a lack of sensitivity optimization at the handset in its true operating network environment. This is because certain emissions may only be present when the handset is in a particular mode and subject to unique noise metrics from current, voltage or clock switching, occurring in a given state.

Autonomous electromagnetic emissions reduction for sensitivity improvement


A monitor terminal transmits a monitor request command to monitor a repeater station designated by an operator to a monitor server via the Internet. The monitor server detects a monitor station located in the communication range of the designated repeater station from the content of the received monitor request command, and transmits a monitor instruction command to the detected monitor station via the Internet. The monitor station intercepts a radio signal during transmission from the repeater station to a radio communication device or vice versa. Upon reception of the monitor instruction command, the monitor station transmits the intercepted radio signal as monitor data to the monitor server. The monitor server transfers the monitor data to the monitor terminal. Upon reception of the monitor data transferred from the monitor server, the monitor terminal radio-transmits the received monitor data using a radio wave format receivable by the radio communication device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication technology using both radio communication and the Internet, and, particularly, to a technique for monitoring the use conditions of a remote repeater.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 11 is a structural diagram showing the outline of a D-STAR (Digital Smart Technologies for Amateur Radio) system which is one example of a communication system using both radio communication and the Internet.
This D-STAR system uses an IP (Internet Protocol) network (hereinafter referred to as Internet). The D-STAR system has a plurality of repeater stations 2 for each of a plurality of zones 7 to relay radio waves from a radio device or radio 1, and a gateway 3 which manages the operations of the repeater stations 2 and relays communication between the repeater stations 2 and an Internet 5. In each zone 7, all the repeater stations 2 are connected by a trunk line 4 which is a high-speed dedicated line. The Internet 5 is connected with a management server 6 which manages communication information or the like of the individual radios 1.
Each radio 1 has a user ID (e.g., call sign of the amateur radio) or a unique identification code to specify a user. Each repeater station 2 has an area ID (e.g., call sign of the amateur radio) or an address to specify the radio communication range. Each gateway 3 and the management server 6 are given IP addresses for specifying their positions on the
Internet.
In such a D-STAR system, each gateway 3 monitors the state of the radio 1 present in each area via the repeater station 2 in the same zone 7, and informs the management server 6 of the communication information or the like of each radio 1 via the Internet 5. The management server 6 saves the communication information or the like of the radio 1 informed by each gateway 3 in a database, and informs the communication information or the like of each radio 1 in response to an inquiry from each gateway 3.
In a case where, for example, a radio 1a in a zone 7a communicates with a radio 1b in a zone 7b in the D-STAR system, the sender radio 1a transmits, to a repeater station 2a, a message of voice, data or the like, by designating the user ID of the destination radio 1b. The message transmitted from the radio 1a is received by a repeater station 2a present in the area where the radio 1a is located, and is transferred to a gateway 3a directly or via the trunk line 4.
The gateway 3a informs the management server 6 of the user ID of the destination radio 1b, and inquires about the communication information or the like of the radio 1b. Then, the gateway 3a acquires the area ID of a repeater station 2b communicatable with the destination radio 1b and the IP address of a gateway 3b which controls the repeater station 2b from the management server 6. The gateway 3a adds the acquired IP address and area ID to the message transmitted from the radio 1 a, and transmits the resultant message onto the Internet 5.
Upon reception of the message, transmitted from the gateway 3a, via the Internet 5, the destination gateway 3b transfers the received message to the corresponding repeater station 2b according to the area ID added to the message. The repeater station 2b converts the message transferred from the gateway 3b to a radio signal, and transmits the radio signal to the radio 1b. This allows the radio 1b located in the area of the repeater station 2b to receive the message from the sender radio 1a.
As apparent from the above, the D-STAR system uses the Internet 5 as a relay circuit to enable communication between remote radios 1 which cannot be covered by radio communication.
However, D-STAR system cannot know the status of a repeater station 2 provided at a remote site in an attempt to communicate with the repeater station 2. Problematically, this will cause a failure to connect to such a remote repeater station 2 when the repeater station 2 being busy, or will be the cause of interruption to the communication being performed by the repeater station 2.
As an art relating to this problem, Patent Document 1 (Unexamined Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. 2001-136206) describes a communication system which monitors what is talked over a transceiver and transmits the talking contents to a transceiver or the like located out of the communication range via the Internet. Patent Document 2 (Unexamined Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. 2002-330108) describes a radio communication monitor system in which radio transmitting/receiving devices that are sited zone by zone and perform transmission/reception communication with a plurality of radios are connected by an intranet, and the contents of communication between a radio transmitting/receiving device and a radio in another zone are monitored.
However, the Patent Documents 1 and 2 merely disclose techniques intended to monitor the contents of communication with another transceiver or the like, and have no description on monitoring the use conditions or the like of each repeater station which relays a message.

Repeater monitor system and repeater monitor method