In a refrigerant cycle system with a hot gas heater cycle, a pressure difference (xcex94Pd) between a high-pressure side refrigerant pressure of the hot gas heater cycle at a start of a heating mode and a high-pressure side refrigerant pressure of the hot gas heater cycle at a predetermined time after the start of the hot-gas heating mode is calculated. When the pressure difference (xcex94Pd) is in a predetermined range, it can be determined that the refrigerant is in a normal state. In this case, an electromagnetic clutch is turned on, and a compressor operates. On the other hand, when the pressure difference (xcex94Pd) is outside the predetermined range, it can be determined that the refrigerant is in a shortage state. In this case, the electromagnetic clutch is turned off, and the operation of the compressor is stopped.

This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-171536 filed on Jun. 12, 2002, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a refrigerant cycle system having a hot gas heating function using an interior heat exchanger (evaporator) as a radiator by directly introducing a gas refrigerant (hot gas) discharged from a compressor into the interior heat exchanger. More particularly, the present invention relates to a refrigerant cycle system in which a refrigerant shortage or a refrigerant leakage in a hot-gas heating mode can be accurately determined. The system is suitably used for a vehicle air conditioner.
In a conventional vehicle air conditioner, hot water (i.e., engine cooling water) is circulated in a heating heat exchanger during a heating operation in winter to heat air by using the hot water as a heat source. In this case, when the hot water temperature is low, the temperature of air to be blown into a passenger compartment is lowered and thus may be insufficient for a heating capacity.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,266,965 (corresponding to JP-A 2001-12830) proposes a refrigerant cycle system which has a heating function by using a hot gas heater cycle. When the hot water temperature is lower than a predetermined value as just after the start-up of an engine, gas refrigerant (or hot gas) discharged from a compressor is introduced into an interior heat exchanger (evaporator) while bypassing a condenser, so that the heat from the gas refrigerant is released to the air in the interior heat exchanger, and an auxiliary heating function can be obtained.
Further, the system proposes a refrigerant shortage determination in a hot-gas heating mode, as shown in FIG. 8. In FIG. 8, a refrigerant shortage area S is determined based on the relationship between outside air temperature Tam and a high-pressure side refrigerant pressure Phi. That is, a boundary line PO between the refrigerant shortage area S and a normal area is determined in accordance with the outside air temperature Tam, and the refrigerant shortage is determined when the high-pressure side refrigerant pressure Phi is lower than the boundary line PO. However, in the refrigerant shortage determination of FIG. 8, because the refrigerant shortage is determined based on the high-pressure side refrigerant pressure Phi, the refrigerant shortage cannot be determined until a predetermined time (e.g., 30-60 seconds) passes after the hot-gas heating mode starts. Therefore, even when the refrigerant shortage is caused in the time period after the start of the hot-gas heating mode, a compressor is operated, and the life of the compressor may be reduced.
Further, in an another example of this system, refrigerant shortage is determined based on FIG. 9. In FIG. 9, line Ls indicates a saturation line of refrigerant R134, and Pat indicates the atmosphere pressure. When the saturation refrigerant pressure relative to outside air temperature Tam is higher than the atmosphere pressure Pat, the area A is the refrigerant shortage area. On the other hand, when the saturation refrigerant pressure relative to outside air temperature Tam is lower than the atmosphere pressure Pat, the area B is the refrigerant shortage area. However, as shown in FIG. 9, the refrigerant saturation pressure becomes approximately equal to the atmosphere pressure Pat in a low temperature range of xe2x88x9220xc2x0 C.-xe2x88x9230xc2x0 C., and it is difficult to determine the refrigerant shortage in the low temperature range.
In view of the above-described problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerant cycle system which can accurately determine a refrigerant shortage during a hot-gas heating mode, in a short time after a start of operation of a compressor.
According to the present invention, a refrigerant cycle system includes a compressor for compressing refrigerant, an exterior heat exchanger disposed outside a compartment, an interior heat exchanger disposed inside the compartment, a first decompression device that decompresses refrigerant in a cooling mode for cooling the compartment by air passing through the interior heat exchanger, and a second decompression device that decompresses refrigerant in a heating mode for heating the compartment by air passing through the interior heat exchanger. The second decompression device is disposed in a hot gas bypass passage through which refrigerant discharged from the compressor is directly introduced into the interior heat exchanger while bypassing the exterior heat exchanger. In the refrigerant cycle system, a switching device is disposed for switching a cooling refrigerant cycle where refrigerant discharged from the compressor is returned to the compressor through the exterior heat exchanger, the first decompression device and the interior heat exchanger so that the cooling mode is set, and a hot gas heater cycle where the refrigerant discharged from the compressor is directly introduced to the interior heat exchanger through the hot gas bypass passage so that the hot-gas heating mode is set. Further, a control unit for controlling operation of the compressor includes: calculation means for calculating a pressure difference between a pressure of a high-pressure refrigerant in the hot gas heater cycle before being decompressed at a start time of the hot-gas heating mode, and a pressure of the high-pressure refrigerant at a predetermined time after the start of the hot-gas heating mode; and determining means for determining whether a refrigerant amount in the hot gas heater cycle is in a normal state or a shortage state. The determining means determines the normal state of the refrigerant amount when the pressure difference is within a predetermined range, and determines the shortage state of the refrigerant amount when the pressure difference is outside the predetermined range. Generally, the predetermined time after the start of the hot-gas heating mode is a short time (e.g., 5 seconds). Therefore, the refrigerant shortage state can be accurately determined for a short time after the start of the compressor.
Preferably, the predetermined range has an upper limit value and a lower limit value. Further, the determining means determines the shortage state of the refrigerant amount when the pressure difference is larger than the upper limit value or lower than the lower limit value, when temperature of outside air is equal to or lower than a predetermined outside temperature. Therefore, even when the temperature of outside air is at a low temperature lower than xe2x88x9210xc2x0 C., the refrigerant shortage can be accurately determined.
The control unit stops the operation of the compressor when the determining means determines the shortage state of the refrigerant amount. Therefore, it can prevent the compressor continuously operates for a long time in a shortage state of lubricating oil due to the refrigerant shortage, and the life of the compressor can be improved. Preferably, the predetermined range is corrected by a rotation speed of the compressor. Therefore, the refrigerant shortage can be more accurately determined.
When the refrigerant cycle system is used for a vehicle air conditioner, the compressor is driven by an engine of the vehicle. In this case, when the determining means determines the normal state of the refrigerant amount, the control unit maintains a determination output of the normal state of the refrigerant amount until information relative to temperature of the engine becomes a state corresponding to a temperature equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature. Therefore, it can prevent the shortage state of the refrigerant amount from being incorrectly determined by a temperature increase of an engine room due to heat radiation from the engine. Alternatively, the control unit starts the hot-gas heating mode to be operatively linked with a start operation of the engine, and the determining means determines the normal state or the shortage state of the refrigerant amount in the hot gas heater cycle. Even in this case, it can prevent the shortage state of the refrigerant amount from being incorrectly determined by a temperature increase of the engine room due to heat radiation from the engine.

Refrigerant cycle system with hot gas heating function


A cage assembly for stacking one or more PRIOR ART integrated circuit packages or leadless chip carriers (LCC), and for electrically and mechanically interconnecting the LCCs selectively to each other and to a PRIOR ART printed circuit board (PCB). The cage assembly includes a flexible wafer with an electrical conductor pattern that is electrically and mechanically connected to an LCC positioned thereon, is mechanically retained by a rigid cage member. The cage member electrically interconnects the one or more LCCs positioned in a stacked relationship, and can be electrically and mechanically connected to a PCB.

1. Field of the Invention
One or more PRIOR ART integrated circuit packages or leadless chip carriers (LCC) are positioned in a stacked relationship, and are electrically and mechanically interconnected to a PRIOR ART printed circuit board (PCB) by a cage assembly that includes a cage member and at least one flexible interconnect wafer which cooperate to constrain and support the associated LCC.
2. Description of the Related Art
The ongoing evolution of computer architecture represents, inter alia, a continuing improvement in the total computer memory available in a constantly shrinking volume of useable space. This evolution continues to demand increased computer memory in reduced space.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,696,525 is an example of increased memory in less space. Patent '525 teaches the use of one form of socket for stacking and interconnecting the leads of one form of a pair of LCCs; see also U.S. Pat. No. 4,682,270 for another form of LCC. Known LCCs electrically and mechanically interconnect a semiconductor chip, which is contained by or housed within the LCC, to a PRIOR ART printed circuit board (PCB) using either conventional surface-mounted or through-hole technology. It is recognized that surface-mounted components result in the use of less space on a PCB. See ELECTRONIC BUSINESS, p 130 (Sept. 15, 1986). The Patent '525 socket has compliant terminals that function like opposed spring clips to retain the LCCs, and to compensate for "thermal expansion", i.e., temperature induced stresses.
The '525 Patent also teaches that its stacking concept can be used to combine various computer architecture functions such as a microprocessor and a memory unit. However, as noted at Columns 1 and 2, the connection and interconnection of certain leads in the stack assembly can create complications, e.g., where a lead on one LCC in the stack must be "commoned to a lead on the opposite side" of a second LCC. At Column 4, the '525 Patent teaches a jumper portion 70 is molded in the socket, and selected connector tabs are sheared so that nondesired leads of the respective packages/LCCs are not commoned. Thus, mold and shear operations are a requirement in accordance with the teachings of the '525 Patent to tailor a socket for a particular LCC as determined by the LCC chip parameters.

Case assembly for stacking integrated circuit packages


Provided is a phenol-producing transformant constructed by transferring a gene which encodes an enzyme having 4-hydroxybenzoate decarboxylase activity into Corynebacterium glutamicum as a host. Also provided is a process for producing phenol, which comprises a step of allowing the transformant to react in a reaction mixture containing 4-hydroxybenzoate or a salt thereof under reducing conditions, and a step of collecting phenol from the reaction mixture.

Against the backdrop of global warming and exhaustion of fossil resources, production of chemical products using renewable resources, along with production of biofuels, is recognized as an emerging industry, biorefinery, which is an important means for realizing a low-carbon society, and has attracted keen attention.
However, production of biophenol using renewable resources is less productive as compared to production of lactic acid or ethanol because the metabolic reaction from a raw material saccharide consists of a great many steps. In addition, for the reasons that produced phenol inhibits bacterial proliferation and that phenol is cytotoxic, industrial production of phenol has been considered to be impossible.
Important use of phenol is phenol resins. A phenol resin, which is produced by addition condensation of phenol and aldehyde, is one of the oldest plastics, and with its properties including excellent heat resistance and durability, is used for various purposes, such as an alternative automotive material to metal, a semiconductor seal material, and a circuit board even today. Due to extremely high reactivity of phenol and aldehyde as raw materials and to the complicated three-dimensional network structure of resulting phenol resin polymers, precise structural designing and development into nanomaterials thereof had been considered difficult and so had been application to high-value-added use. However, in recent years, the theory of physical-properties of polymers and the simulation thereof have rapidly developed, and therefore it has gradually become possible to create highly functional materials from phenol resins by refining the network structure. Under the circumstances, the phenol resin production in Japan is also increasing year by year.
The currently employed industrial production process of phenol (cumene process) is a typical energy-consumptive process in the chemical industry using petroleum-derived benzene and propylene as raw materials, and requiring great amounts of solvent and thermal energy. Therefore, in the light of global environment conservation and greenhouse gas reduction, there is an urgent need to develop an environment-conscious, energy saving process that allows production of phenol from renewable resources and can reduce carbon dioxide emissions and waste products, that is, to establish biophenol production technologies.
No phenol-producing bacteria in nature have been reported so far.
Regarding known phenol producing technologies using recombinant bacteria, Non Patent Literature 1 discloses a technology in which 2 mM 4-hydroxybenzoate is completely converted to phenol within 50 hours with the use of a cell suspension or a cell extract of Clostridium hydroxybenzoicum.
In addition, Patent literature 1 discloses a technology in which phenol is produced from 4-hydroxybenzoate with the use of a transformant constructed with a 4-hydroxybenzoate decarboxylase gene derived from Enterobacter cloacae.
However, practically efficient phenol production cannot be achieved by the process of Non Patent Literature 1 or Patent Literature 1.

Coryneform bacterium transformant and process for producing phenol using the same


A guide assembly for supporting a tool employs an arcuate guide configured to have a tether coupled thereto. The arcuate guide is configured to apply a reaction force to the tether to oppose gravitational force applied to the tool. The assembly further includes a mount assembly is configured to couple the arcuate guide to the tool. At least one support bar is coupled to the arcuate guide and the mount assembly. The arcuate guide, the mount assembly, and the at least one support bar are configured to maintain the reaction force in alignment with a center of gravity of the tool as the tool is rotated with respect to the center of gravity.

Pneumatic or electrically powered tools are employed by mechanics and assemblers during manufacturing and maintenance operations. Many tools are used repeatedly positioned and oriented manually by an operator during a shift. Typical of those tools are pneumatically operated drill motors, such as a nutplate drill motor. These drill motors can be quite heavy. To alleviate some issues associated with the weight of the drill motor, the drill motor can be attached to a robot for automated drilling. However, robots and automation can be expensive, and the robot may not be able to fit in confined spaces. When manual drilling is performed, the drill motor can be supported by a gimbal. The gimbal may have a center of gravity that conflicts with the center of gravity of the drill motor, which would impart a moment force to the operator's hand/wrist. Further, the gimbal may interfere with the operator's hand on the tool. An alternative is to support the weight of the tool by using an overhead winch. However, the cable attached to the winch may prevent rotation of the tool or the cable arrangement may impart a torque to the operator's hand, wrist, or arm when drilling non-horizontal holes. Accordingly, even where an overhead winch or gimbal is provided, operators may not find the winch or gimbal to be convenient in operation and may not use the winch or gimbal consistently.

Guide assembly and tool system for rotatably balancing a tool and a method for operating the same


In a case where a plurality of service providing devices having different capabilities are operated in association and a service providing device is utilized, operability when setting functions is improved for the user. Provided is an information processing apparatus for utilizing services capable of being provided by a plurality of service providing devices that exist on a network. The apparatus includes an information acquiring unit configured to acquire device information concerning the plurality of service providing devices and service-related information relating to services capable of being provided by the plurality of service providing devices; a first display control unit configured to display a list of service functions of available services; a service-function selecting unit configured to select a service function to be utilized from the list of service functions of available services displayed; a service-function judging unit configured to judge utilizable service functions based upon the selected service to be utilized; and a second display control unit configured to identifiably display the utilizable service functions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus which utilizes services provided by a plurality of service providing devices that exist on a network, a method of controlling this apparatus, a program for implementing the control method and a storage medium storing the program.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a technique available in the art, the result of a search of service items is presented to a user in the form of a list, the user is allowed to select from the list a desired service item and an information device that provides the service, and the service capable of being provided by the selected information device is utilized. In order to allow the user to select the desired service item from among multiple service items, it is necessary to present a user which information device provides what function, i.e., service. In order to solve this problem, a technique utilizing icons indicating functions has been disclosed in the specification of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-110375. This technique is such that when a list of information devices that provide services is displayed, the functions possessed by the information devices are displayed as icons and rearranged, whereby a list of information devices function by function is supplied to the user.
Further, the specification of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-107081, for example, discloses a technique for improving user operability, namely a technique in which a management server apparatus or the like in a network is queried with regard to available services, and a selecting operation by the user is inhibited in relation to non-available services.
However, in a case where it is desired to find another information device that is capable of providing a function equal to a function capable of being provided by a selected information device, the invention disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-110375 is disadvantageous in that the user is required to compare the function-indicating icons with one another and the user him/herself is required to make the decision. Consequently, in a case where it is desired to select and utilize a plurality of services having equal functions, the operation for selecting the information device is a burden borne by the user.
Further, in a case where a plurality of services of the same type are utilized simultaneously, all of the service items do not necessarily provide the same functions. For example, in a case where a plurality of print services are utilized to perform an output, all of the print services do not necessarily support a double-sided printing function. In view of these circumstances, merely using the invention disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-107081 will not make it possible to provide a user with user-friendly operability in the setting of functions in cases where services of the same type are utilized simultaneously.

Information processing apparatus, method of controlling same, program and storage medium


A vehicle seat assembly comprising a seat bottom, a seat bottom release, a seat back, a seat back release, and a locking assembly. Upon activation of the seat bottom release, the seat bottom can move along a seat bottom travel path in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle to a forward position close to an instrument panel of the vehicle. Upon activation of the seat back release, the seat back can pivot to a forward position close to the seat bottom. The locking assembly can operate to lock the seat bottom, the seat back, or both, in their respective forward positions such that the seat bottom, the seat back, or both, obstruct operational access to a user operational component, such as the steering wheel or glove box door, on the instrument panel.

Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a vehicle seat assembly for theft prevention. More particularly, the present invention relates to a vehicle seat assembly in which the seat back, the seat bottom, or both, can be positioned and locked into respective positions in which the seat bottom, the seat back, or both, obstructs operational access to a user operational component, such as a steering wheel or glove box, on the instrument panel
Background Information
Vehicle theft has been an ongoing problem for many years. In an attempt to combat vehicle theft, many devices have been developed, such as improved door locks, steering wheel locking devices, sophisticated alarm systems and so on. However, once a thief has been able to circumvent the alarm system or locking devices, the thief can drive the vehicle away. Thieves are also typically very capable of circumventing the locking system on, for example, the vehicle glove box to gain access to the contents of the vehicle glove box, even without stealing the vehicle.
Accordingly, a need exists for an improved vehicle anti-theft system.

Vehicle seat assembly for theft prevention


Provided is a practical rolling element accommodating tool that engages firmly with a reinforcing material without compromising flexibility, wherein tension strength of the reinforcing material is sufficiently exhibited. A rolling element accommodating tool for rotatably accommodating a plurality of rolling elements (4) at predetermined intervals is placed along an endless circulation path (5) along which the rolling elements (4) circulate in a linear motion device (1) provided with the endless circulation path (5) and comprising a rail element (2) and a linear moving element (3) that moves linearly relative to the rail element (2); wherein the rolling element accommodating tool has a main body configured from spacers (6) individually provided between adjacent rolling elements (4), and connecting parts (7) oriented in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the spacers (6) are aligned, protruding on both sides of the rolling elements (4) in a state of accommodating the rolling elements (4), and serially connecting the spacers; reinforcing films (9) having the same length in the longitudinal direction as the connecting parts (7) being contained within the connecting parts (7); and the reinforcing films (9) being formed at large widths in predetermined positions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rolling element accommodating tool.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a linear motion device comprising a rail and a block that moves linearly relative to the rail, and provided with an endless circulation path through which a rolling element (a ball) circulates, the block is moved relative to the rail via a plurality of rolling elements circulating through the endless circulation path while rolling.
In such a linear motion device, adjacent rolling elements chafe against each other along with the movement of the block, inhibiting smooth rolling and causing noise. Rolling element accommodating belts have therefore been used in conventional practice to align the rolling elements in the direction of arrangement within the endless circulation path.
Various rolling element accommodating belts of such description have been proposed; for example, there are those containing a reinforcing material to improve tension strength (see Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. 2001-74048).
When a filler (comprising short fibers) is admixed as the reinforcing material, belt wear causes the filler to leak out, and it is possible that the longevity of the linear motion device could be compromised.
When long fibers such as carbon or glass are embedded, there are no such problems with leaking, but effective reinforcing is not accomplished and sufficient tension strength is not yet achieved.
Specifically, when conventional long fibers are used as a reinforcing material, the binding force between the long fibers and the resin (base material) depends on the adhesive force at the interface between the long fibers and the resin. Therefore, there have been problems with the resin peeling away from the long fibers before the long fibers exhibit their tension strength when tension is applied.
In view of this, techniques have been proposed for making the cross-sectional shape of the long fibers polygonal, for example, to increase the contact surface area between the long fibers and the resin, but there is no difference in the sense that the cross-sectional area virtually does not change in the longitudinal direction and the binding force remains dependent on the adhesive force of the interface between the long fibers and the resin, and the fact is that the problems described above have not been resolved.
When long fibers of great tension strength are used, another problem encountered is that excessive bending strength affects the smoothness of the linear guiding motion.


The wall plate structure (10) includes a wall plate (16) that has a rectangular opening (50) therein. A flat, flexible screen (18) is mounted to the back surface (46) of the wall plate and closes the opening (50). Openings (66, 67 and 68) are formed in the screen for the passage therethrough of communication cable (74). The wall plate structure is substantially flat to facilitate the mounting of communication equipment in flat abutment with the wall surface.

When communication cable is to be extended through the interior of a hollow wall to the position of an electronic device, such as a wall mounted television set, the cable must pass through a hole in the wall to reach the device. Typically, a wall plate is applied over the hole, and the wall plate defines some sort of passage therethrough to pass the cable from the wall to the device. Examples for wall plates for passing communication cable are in U.S. Pat. Nos. D-503,156 and 4,688,747. These and other prior art wall plates for passing communication cable typically include an outwardly protruding shield or "nose" that visually covers the opening through the wall plate, with the cable passing through the opening and then outwardly at an angle through the nose opening, to extend to the communication device.
If the communication device is to be wall mounted, the nose of a wall plate or any other protrusion from the wall is likely to become an obstacle when mounting the communication device against the wall. If the nose is made so that it is shallow to form a smaller protrusion from the wall, its opening through the nose is likely to be smaller and, therefore, and the small nose opening may be an obstacle in drawing the cable through the wall plate to reach the communication device.
It is to the solution of the above-identified problems that this invention is directed.

Wall plate with flexible screen for passage of communication cable


The invention includes two methods for testing a spreadsheet region. Du-associations are collected for the spreadsheet region. In the Straightforward approach, du-associations are collected for each cell in the region. Each cell""s execution trace is tracked. After the user validates a cell, the du-associations for the cell that participated in the execution trace are marked as executed. In the Region Representative approach, a region representative represents the region. Each cell""s execution trace is tracked. After the user validates a cell, the du-associations for the region representative that participated in the execution trace for the validated cell are marked as executed. Du-associations for other cells that are affected by the testing of a spreadsheet region are similarly marked as covered. If the user changes a shared non-constant formula, the collected du-associations for the region are discarded and the steps of collecting test elements and tracking execution traces are repeated. Cells that depend on the changed cell also partially discard and collect anew test elements and repeat the tracking step. The invention also includes a method for providing a user with feedback of the testedness of the spreadsheet region. The du-associations for each region are maintained, and the subset of du-associations that have been covered is identified. Using the numbers of tested and untested du-associations, a testedness measure is calculated for the cell, which is provided to the user.

Testing is an important activity, used widely by professional and end-user programmers alike in locating errors in their programs. In recognition of its importance and widespread use, there has been extensive research into effective testing in traditional programming languages in the imperative paradigm. However, there are few reports in the literature on testing in other paradigms, and no known reports on testing in spreadsheet languages other than that presented in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/438,084, entitled xe2x80x9cMETHODOLOGY FOR TESTING SPREADSHEETSxe2x80x9d, filed Nov. 10, 1999. The spreadsheet paradigm includes not only commercial spreadsheet languages, but also a number of research languages that extend the paradigm with explicitly visual features, such as support for gestural formula specification (Burnett98, Leopold97), graphical types (Burnett98, Wilde90), visual matrix manipulation (Wang96), high-quality visualizations of complex data (Chi98), and specifying GUIs (Myers91). In this specification, the term spreadsheet languages describes all such systems following the spreadsheet paradigm.
Despite the perceived simplicity of spreadsheet languages, and even though spreadsheet creators devote considerable effort to finding and correcting their errors (Nardi91), errors often remain. In fact, a recent survey of spreadsheet studies (Panko96) reports spreadsheet error rates ranging from 38% to 77% in controlled experiments, and from 10.7% to 90% in xe2x80x9cproductionxe2x80x9d spreadsheetsxe2x80x94those actually in use for day-to-day decision making. A possible factor in this problem is the unwarranted confidence creators of spreadsheets seem to have in the reliability of their spreadsheets (Wilcox97).
To help solve this problem, applicant""s Ser. No. 60/125,414 (Rothernel98) presents a testing methodology for spreadsheets at the cell level. The methodology provides feedback as to xe2x80x9ctestednessxe2x80x9d of cells in simple spreadsheets in a manner that is incremental, responsive, and entirely visual. However, scalability issues were not addressed in that previous work. Accordingly, a need remains to scale up the approach to support large grids of cells with shared or copied formulas.
One aspect of the invention is two methods for testing a spreadsheet region. In one method, referred to as the Straightforward approach, test elements are collected for each spreadsheet cell in the region. Each cell""s execution trace is tracked and, when a group of cells is validated, the subset of test elements that participated in the execution trace for each cell is marked as covered.
In the other method, referred to as the Region Representative approach, test elements are collected for a region representative, which represents all cells in the region. In the preferred embodiment, the test elements are du-associations. Each cell""s execution trace is tracked and, when a cell is validated, the subset of test elements in the region representative that participated in the execution trace for that cell is marked as covered.
Another aspect of the invention is a method for providing a user with feedback of the testedness of the spreadsheet cells in the region. The set of test elements for the region is maintained, and the subset of the set of test elements that have been covered is identified. Using the sizes of the set of test elements and the subset of the set, a testedness measure is calculated for each cell in the region, which is provided to the user.

Methodology for testing spreadsheet grids


A system for providing an optimal motivational response is provided. The system includes an input device configured to receive at least one client input from the client. The system further includes a processor configured to analyze the at least one client input received from the client and generate a current state of the client based on the at least one client input. The processor is further configured to analyze the current state of the client and determine an optimal motivational technique for the client based on the current state of the client and the at least one client input. The processor is also configured to generate an optimal motivational response based on the optimal motivational technique. The system further includes an output device configured to display the optimal motivational response to the client.

Embodiments of the invention relate generally to motivational systems and more particularly to a system and method for providing an optimal motivational response.
Conventionally, technology has been used in various fields to motivate and align people to achieve a particular goal. One such technological area is web based technologies that have been employed to motivate a user. Some conventional web based technologies provide a method for self regulating and self adherence for the user to achieve the particular goal. Additionally, several web based technologies involve self access of an informational content and self regulated interaction with a joined community. Typically, certain conventional web based technologies are dependent on the user and lack a feedback system to adapt to the user interactions.
Furthermore, certain conventional web based technologies are impersonal, unstructured and do not provide motivational techniques based on personal behavior and requirements of the user at different times as the conventional web based technologies work on some fixed parameters resulting in an ineffective approach of motivation for the user.
Therefore, there is a need for a more effective and improved system for motivating the user.

System and method for providing an optimal motivational response


A firing pin position indicator may be mounted to the breech end of a weapon. The indicator may include a solenoid with a plunger and a firing pin adapter that is selectively engageable with the plunger. The firing pin adapter may be fixed to the firing pin of the weapon. The solenoid plunger may be coupled to a quick-release lock. The quick-release lock may be selectively engageable with the firing pin adapter. The quick-release lock may include a housing and a spring-loaded piston that is translatable in the housing. The quick-release lock housing may be coupled to the solenoid plunger with a pin. A sensor may sense the position of the solenoid plunger and may provide a control signal to the weapon.

The invention relates in general to munitions and in particular to guns, such as, for example, mortars and artillery.
When using a 120 mm breech-loaded mortar weapon, for example, the rounds (ammunition) may sometime misfire. It is difficult to determine if the round has been struck by the firing pin, or if the firing pin has been damaged. The mortar weapon may use a revolving firing pin. A suitable revolving firing pin is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/008,782 filed on Jan. 10, 2008, which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The revolving firing pin may be aligned to strike the round only when the mortar system breech block is closed and locked. A prior firing pin solenoid was not attached to the firing pin. Thus, the firing pin position could not be seen from outside of the breech mechanism. And, there was no indication of what did or did not occur in the mortar system when a round misfired. Because of the danger of a slow burn, the breech block could not be immediately opened after a misfire. After waiting a period of time, for example, ten minutes, the breech block could be opened to inspect the firing pin and determine the cause of the misfire.
A need exists for an apparatus to provide an indication of the cause of a misfire in a breech-loaded weapon.

The United States of America as Represented by the Secretary of the Army


A nacelle cooling and ventilation system for an aircraft gas turbine engine which includes a chin scoop and duct assembly for directing air through the engine bay where it is exhausted into the engine exhaust through an exhaust shroud eductor. The nacelle is enclosed so that effectively all of the cooling air entering the bay leaves the bay through the engine exhaust and is not dumped overboard, thereby adding to the effective thrust of the engine. An engine oil and generator oil heat exchanger is positioned in the cooling air duct into the bay so that the same air which cools the bay also cools engine and generator oil. The oil heat exchanger includes directional louvers which regulate and keep to a minimum the amount of cooling air and direct cooling air forwardly in the bay so that the entire bay area is cooled, and which can be shut as a fire control measure. The nacelle includes bay vent doors which are opened in response to a high oil temperature condition or in an engine shut-off condition on ground to provide auxiliary air flow from the bay. The doors are positionable by an actuator but can be disconnected from the actuator to pivot freely in response to a sudden increase in nacelle bay pressure.

The present invention relates to nacelle designs for aircraft gas turbine engines and, more particularly, to a nacelle cooling and ventilation system.
As a result of the high temperatures generated within the engine bay of a nacelle housing a gas turbine engine, it is necessary to pass significant amounts of cooling air through the bay to maintain the components within acceptable temperatures and to meet industry standard fire safety criteria. Further, the lubricating oil for the propeller gear box and generator requires a cooling system. Typically, cooling air is supplied through inlets in the nacelle housing into the engine bay and the stream of exhaust air from the engine induces the cooling air from the bay, and mixes it with the exhaust stream. Propeller gear box and generator lubricating oils are cooled in air/oil heat exchangers which receive air from a scoop separate from the engine intake scoop, and release air overboard.
An example of a nacelle cooling system is disclosed in Hotz et al. U.S. Pat. No. 2,548,794. That patent discloses a nacelle in which the twin generators of a twin engine nacelle are connected to receive cooling air from a duct which is separate from the engine inlet duct. An exhaust duct conveys the cooling air from the generators to the exhaust area of the nacelle which is aft of the engine bay so that the exhaust stream from the engines draws air through the generator.
In the Hotz et al. design, the engine bay itself is cooled by entry of air through vents formed in the sides of the nacelle. Air is drawn in through those vents and is passed through the bay and into the inlet air to the engines. Disadvantage with such a design are: (1) any flammable fluid leakage in the engine bay might be carried into the engine inlet with a concurrent fire safety risk, and (2) air drawn in through the side vents decreases the overall efficiency of the engine in developing thrust and reduces the overall aerodynamic efficiency of the nacelle.
Accordingly, there is a need for a nacelle for a gas turbine engine in which both lubricating oil and the engine bay are cooled with external air passed through the bay with minimum reductions in aerodynamic efficiency and in the amount of thrust developed by the engine.


A support for tamper proof securing a light fixture including a housing having a peripheral mounting flange on a ceiling panel including a fixture receiving opening having spaced apart side and end margins surrounding the fixture receiving opening and having inner and outer surfaces. The support has a hanger bracket which bridges the opening at a location between the end margins. Each of a pair of spaced apart jacks adjustably mounted on the hanger bracket has an abutment which is movable into a backstop position relative to the outer surface of the respective fixture receiving opening side margin. A suspension device on the hanger bracket is connectable with the light fixture housing, after the fixture housing has been inserted through the opening, for moving the fixture into a finally installed position wherein the side margins are clamped between the mounting flange of the fixture and the abutments on the jacks. In a preferred embodiment, the abutments are separate hold-down bars which extend along the side margins of the fixture receiving opening.

This invention relates to a support for mounting a light fixture and more particularly to a support for tamper proof mounting a light fixture of the type having a peripheral flange, into a fixture receiving opening in a suspended security ceiling panel.
Suspended security ceiling systems usually include a plurality of individual rectangular metal ceiling panels made of light gauge sheet steel, each having spaced apart side edges that terminate in upstanding rail portions. The sides of adjacent individual panels abut each other, the ends of each ceiling panel are supported on and secured to suitable supports mounted on the opposed walls of a room, and the abutting sides of adjacent rails are also secured together. When installed, none of the ceiling panels can be pushed or pried away from each other or from the wall supports for hiding contraband such as knives, razor blades, drugs, and the like.
Light fixture mounted openings in the ceiling panels can provide an easy route for breaching the integrity of the security ceiling installation. Light fixture openings are normally provided in one or more ceiling panels with each opening being located between the side rails of an individual panel. A light fixture is placed into the opening so that its peripheral flange is in abutting relation with the inner surface of the ceiling panel at the margin bordering the light fixture opening. The ceiling panels are made of light gauge sheet steel to reduce material cost, reduce the total weight of the installed suspended ceiling, and provide individual panels of light weight that can be easily fabricated and handled for fast, low labor cost installation. While the light gauge of the sheet metal forming the ceiling panel provides valuable advantages, it has the disadvantage of making it particularly easy for a person in the room, even without any tools, to manually deflect the edge of the ceiling panel adjacent the light fixture up and away from the light fixture peripheral flange, either for the purpose of providing storage space for hiding contraband or simply vandalizing.
The suspended ceiling system and light fixture typically are installed by different contractors. Light fixtures typically are supported from some kind of mounting means, such as chains or the like, suspended from the ceiling joist or other similar overhead support. An electrical contractor typically installs both the light fixtures and the support therefor.
The electrical contractor can install the light fixtures prior to or after installation of the ceiling panels. In the first case, workmen must go to the work site to install the light fixture supports before installation of the ceiling panels and then go back at a later time to install the light fixtures. This can cause potential conflicts in work scheduling, increase installation cost because of the time required to perform two separate work tasks and create the possibility of the light fixture support being installed at wrong locations. In the second case, workmen must install the light fixture supports while working through an opening in a ceiling panel for a light fixture. This can increase installation time because of the limited access.

Support for tamper proof securing light fixture on suspended ceiling panel


A wheel chock, for use with tandem wheeled vehicles, having a pair of generally wedged shaped block members in spaced apart relation that are interconnected by a linkage assembly. The linkage assembly is operatively connected to a handle so as to horizontally displace the block members relative to each other. The first end of each block member has an angled contact panel configured for frictional engagement with the wheels so as to prevent movement of the vehicle. The handle is operatively connected to a link member configured for over-center displacement and the link member is pivotally connected to a drive member. In the preferred embodiment, the wheel chock comprises a locking member configured to maintain the linkage assembly in the engaged condition. The first ends of the block members has a vertical panel and is configured at an angle that will not become easily stuck under the wheels.

A. Field of the Invention
The field of the present invention relates generally to vehicle wheel chocks used to prevent movement of a vehicle by releasably engaging one or more wheels of the vehicle. More particularly, the present invention relates to such wheel chocks that are configured for use with tandem wheeled vehicles, such as recreational vehicles, trucks, trailers or the like by frictionally engaging facing tire surfaces of adjacent wheels. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to such wheel chocks that utilize one or more horizontally displaceable wedged block members to prevent movement of the vehicle.
B. Background
Wheel chocks are apparatuses that are configured to generally engage one or more wheels of a vehicle to prevent movement of the vehicle after it has been placed in a parked condition. Tandem wheeled vehicles, such as recreational vehicles, trailers and larger trucks, have tandem axles and wheels which place pairs of adjacent wheels on each side of the vehicle that are spaced generally close to each other, typically two to twelve inches apart at the closest position of the pneumatic tire portion of the wheels. Most wheel chocks for these vehicles are configured to engage both of the adjacent wheels. With regard to recreational vehicles specifically, most of these types of vehicles have tandem wheels. It is commonly known that many people utilize recreational vehicles for camping, attending sporting events or other activities that generally result in the vehicle being placed in a parked condition and being used while parked. For purposes of this disclosure, recreational vehicles include those vehicles that are motorized, meaning they have a gasoline, diesel or other type of motor that drives the vehicle from one location to another, and those that must be towed behind another vehicle, such as a car or truck. Generally, when recreational vehicles are to be parked for any extended period of time, a wheel locking device is utilized to stabilize the vehicle so as to prevent undesirable and/or unauthorized movement of the vehicle. Without stabilization, the movement of persons inside the parked recreational vehicle will typically result in undesirable movement, such as a slight rocking motion, of the vehicle itself. If the vehicle is not parked on substantially level ground, it will tend to roll from its parked position. As a result, the use of wheel chocks to stabilize or immobilize a recreational vehicle is generally considered a necessity instead of a mere convenience. In addition to use for stabilization purposes, wheel chocks are also commonly utilized to prevent theft or other unauthorized movement of a vehicle.
Numerous different types of configurations of wheel chocks are commonly known in the prior art. Generally, all such apparatuses are configured to frictionally engage one or more tire surfaces (i.e., facing tire surfaces for tandem wheeled vehicles) to prevent movement of the vehicle by inhibiting rotation of the tire or tires. Perhaps the most common are those type that have one or more wedge members which are configured to be securely disposed between the supporting surface, such as the ground, paved surfaces, concrete driveways and the like, and the pneumatic tires of the vehicle's wheels. A basic configuration for this type of wheel chock is a single wedge-shaped member that both engages the vehicle's tire and the supporting surface. Some of these have wedges and supporting surface contact sides that are shaped and/or configured to improve the engagement with the tire or the supporting surface. Examples of such apparatuses are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,186,823 to White, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 3,993,167 to Reed, U.S. Pat. No. 2,954,101 to Corson and U.S. Pat. No. 2,797,774 to Eckhart. Some wedge-shaped wheel chocks have a lever or handle mechanism that is configured to improve the engagement of the wheel chock with the tire and supporting surface. Examples of such apparatuses are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,390,245 to Metz and U.S. Pat. No. 5,137,121 to Leonard. Although the typical single block wedge only prevents movement of the vehicle in one direction, thereby requiring two such blocks to prevent both forward and backward movement of the vehicle, U.S. Pat. No. 4,582,176 to Roberts discloses a single wedge-shaped apparatus that is configured for use with dual or tandem wheeled trucks. Several prior art patents disclose wheel chocks for tandem wheeled vehicles that are configured with a pair of chock members that are interconnected by a pivoting arm member that the user steps on to force the arm downward and drive the chock members into engagement with the adjacent tires to prevent rotation thereof. Examples of such apparatuses are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,845,844 to Woerner and U.S. Pat. No. 3,700,077 to Harder.
Other wheel chocks utilize an operating mechanism which positions the wedge member or members tightly against the tires and in engaging relation with the supporting surface. With regard to tandem wheeled vehicles, these type of wheel chocks generally are configured to engage both tires of a set of adjacent wheels by positioning one wedge-shaped member at each tire in a manner that prevents both wheels from rotating. Typically, the user of the wheel chock places the apparatus between the adjacent tires and operates the mechanism to displace the opposing wedge-shaped members away from each other and into engagement with the adjacent tires. Examples of this type of wheel chock, namely the horizontally displaceable wedge-shaped block member type of wheel chock, are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,828,076 to Fox and U.S. Pat. No. 3,695,394 to Carpenter. The Fox patent describes a lock chock for tandem axle vehicles that utilizes a wing nut mounted on a threaded shaft that is turned to extend or retract a pair of blocks into or out of engagement with the adjacent tires. The Carpenter patent describes a locking wheel chock for tandem wheeled vehicles that requires the user to turn a nut in a turnbuckle to extend or retract a pair of block members into or out of engagement with the adjacent tires. A number of patents describe wheel chock apparatuses that have a pair of block members with a vertically disposed operating mechanism to move the blocks into or out of engagement with the tires from above and below the tires, as opposed to horizontally along the supporting surface. Examples of these apparatuses are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,158,158 to Balogh et. al and U.S. Pat. No. 4,694,936 to Jackson. A number of wheel chock apparatuses utilize separate pairs of engagement members above and below the tires to engage the tires and prevent movement thereof. Examples of these apparatuses are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,490,582 to Trowbridge, U.S. Pat. No. 4,934,489 to Jackson and U.S. Pat. No. 5,392,880 to Christian. U.S. Pat. No. 5,381,680 to Rauch, Jr. discloses a retractable wheel lock assembly which utilizes a single wedge-shaped member that engages a pair of adjacent wheels from above.
In general, the prior art devices tend to be too cumbersome and/or technically complicated for frequent use by the typical or average recreational vehicle owner or user or even those persons who drive trucks and/or haul trailers for a living. Another common problem with most of the prior art devices is the difficulty the user has is disengaging the chock locking apparatus from between the pair of wheels with which it was engaged. Besides often requiring a significant amount of brute force, many of the prior art apparatuses require the user to get in an awkward or uncomfortable position to disengage the apparatus from between the pair of wheels. As a result, despite the known safety and stabilizing benefits of wheel chocks, very often the user of the vehicle chooses not to utilize the wheel lock apparatuses. This is particularly true for those who are considered part time or weekend recreational vehicle users. Yet another limitation of many presently available wheel chocks is the inability of the apparatus to compensate for narrower or wider spacing between the adjacent tires of a tandem wheeled vehicle. Because of this problem, the manufacturer is required to somewhat narrowly select his or her market for the wheel chock or make a number of different sized wheel chocks to accommodate the differently configured vehicles. Naturally, this increase the manufacturer's cost and creates various inventory issues for the manufacturer and retailer or other supplier.
In order for a wheel chock for tandem wheeled vehicles to be effective, the wheel chock must have a mechanism that moves one or more block members into and out of frictional engagement with adjacent tires with sufficient force that the wheel chock will prevent movement of the vehicle. However, to be useable by the typical recreational vehicle user and others, the wheel chock must also be relatively simple and easy to operate, without requiring any substantial amount of force by the user or requiring him or her to get into an awkward position to engage or disengage the wheel chock. As such, what is needed is a wheel chock that has a mechanical linkage system which simply and easily, but effectively, locks one or more blocking members into and out of frictional engagement with the adjacent tires of a tandem wheeled vehicle. Preferably, an improved wheel chock avoids the use a threaded member or other screw device that are generally known to be time consuming, difficult to operate and require the user to get down to engage or disengage. In addition, a preferred wheel chock apparatus will avoid the use the compound lever systems that are known to be mechanically complex and tend to require excessive force to engage or disengage from the adjacent tires. A preferred wheel chock will prevent the known problem of the block members being essentially stuck between the tire and supporting surface, thereby requiring a generally uncomfortable amount of force or effort to disengage the block member from its locked position. The preferred wheel chock will also accommodate a wide variety of tandem wheel configurations, including a relatively wide range of spacing between adjacent wheels of the vehicle.


An adjustable automobile shade cover and a method for covering the windows of a vehicle are disclosed. The shade cover includes a flexible and collapsible shade panel covering the windshield, the window and passenger compartment of the vehicle to provide temporary shading from the sun and other weather elements, and is adjustably anchored to the closed trunk on one end of the shade panel, and to a front or side area of the vehicle on the other end of the shade panel.

In general, the temperature inside the passenger compartment of a vehicle rises to an uncomfortable level when it is parked in the sun on a hot summer day. It is beneficial to cover the windows of the vehicle with a light reflective cover to shield the windows from sun light to lower the temperature inside the passenger compartment.
Some vehicle owners use a portable fold-up shade that is placed in the interior of the front windshield above the dashboard to reflect sunlight from the windshield. This type of portable fold-up shade does not provide any shielding to sun light entering from the other windows in the passenger compartment. Sun light still streams into the automobile and increases the interior temperature inside the automobile.
Some vehicle owners use automobile covers mainly for long term weather storage, which does not prevent heat build-up inside the automobile. This type of automobile cover is usually tailored specifically to fit a particular model of an automobile, and is not easily adjustable. Such covers are usually heavy and bulky, and take up valuable space in the trunk. It takes time to set up and put the cover on the automobile, which makes it not ideal for providing temporary shading from the sun when the automobile is parked outside for a short period of time.
There is, therefore, a need for a flexible and collapsible shade cover which is adjustable to accommodate different vehicle types, makes and models.
There is a further need for a flexible and collapsible shade cover which is portable such that it can be stored in the trunk of the automobile for easy transportation and storage.
There is a still further need for a flexible and collapsible shade cover that is easy to attach and detach for assembly and disassembly to provide temporary shading when the user's vehicle is out in the sun.
There is yet a further need for a flexible and collapsible shade cover that is simple and economical to manufacture.


Systems for web-based collaboration systems. Two or more users can operate concurrently on objects stored in a cloud-based environment that hosts shared objects. Concurrent editing is facilitated by components in the cloud-based environment that serve to grant a first user, a first permission to modify a first instance of an object to be edited with a first editing tool, then grant to a second user, a second permission to modify a second instance of the same object to be edited with a second editing tool instance. The occurrence of a modification event that presents a conflict is detected, and steps are taken for determining a range of possible remediation tool options that can be used to address the modification conflict. Remediation tool options include remediation tool options that are natively supported within the editing tools. A set of applicable remediation tool options are presented in a user interface.

Cloud-based sharing of files and other objects is a boon to those who collaborate on ideas and projects. Advances in computing capabilities (e.g., high-power client devices) and networking (e.g., high-speed, low latency communication) has facilitated dynamic exchange of ideas, even when working on the same documents or objects. In some environments two or more collaborators can work on the same objects at the same time. When two or more collaborators work on the same document at the same time, it is possible that the changes that two collaborator make each pertains to a different part of the shared document, and no conflicts arise. It is also possible that changes made by two or more simultaneously collaborating users include changes to the same parts of a shared document. In such situations, conflicts (e.g., editing conflicts) can arise. Legacy techniques to aid in conflict resolution assume that all simultaneously collaborating users use the same editing tool (e.g., Microsoft Word). In the process of conflict resolution, one of the simultaneously collaborating users would rely on the conflict resolution helpers (e.g., redline revisions tool) available from the editing tool. Unfortunately, it often happens that the simultaneously collaborating users use different editing tools (e.g., one user uses Microsoft Word, another user uses OpenOffice, another uses Lotus Notes, another user uses VI or eMacs, etc.). It also happens that simultaneously collaborating users use different editing tools at different times (e.g., while editing from a Windows platform, or while editing from a Linux platform, etc.), and/or when editing different types of documents. Legacy collaboration tools are unable to determine what tools should be used by which users at which times so as to facilitate resolution of conflicts that are introduced by simultaneously collaborating users.
What is needed is a technique or techniques to improve over legacy approaches.

Adaptive tool selection for conflict resolution in a multi-session collaboration setting


A transmit coil arrangement for a magnetic resonance device includes a plurality of individually actuatable conductor loops following one after another in a peripheral direction and a longitudinal direction on a cylinder surface. At least two groups, at a distance from one another in the peripheral direction, of at least two conductor loops following one after the other in the longitudinal direction are provided in the peripheral direction. To decouple the at least two groups, each of the at least two groups is bounded at least in the peripheral direction by at least one screen surface extending essentially in a radial direction and the longitudinal direction.

The present embodiments relate to a transmit coil arrangement for a magnetic resonance device.
When imaging using magnetic resonance devices utilizing a basic field strength greater than or equal to 3 Tesla, for example, interactions of an object being recorded with excitation fields generated by a high-frequency antenna cause the image quality to deteriorate. This is manifested, for example, in a spatial variation of flip angles during a transmit phase or fluctuations in a signal-to-noise ratio during data acquisition (e.g., during receiving). Absorption of the transmit output by the object to be recorded (e.g., specific absorption rate (SAR)) is also more important here, so some imaging sequences are to be adjusted due to the SAR limitation with the result that the quality of these image recordings is reduced.
To resolve both these problems, the standard transmit coils with circular polarization (e.g., birdcage coils) are no longer used. Instead, transmit coil arrangements configured as antenna arrays are used. In conjunction with a multichannel transmit system, the excitation field and the flip angle distribution may be shaped. At the same time, the SAR load for the object to be recorded (e.g., a patient) may also be reduced. This technique, with which an excitation field is generated at the same time using a plurality of conductor loops forming part of the transmit coil arrangement, may be referred to as parallel transmission. Such arrays have been used in the prior art for receive coil arrangements in order to improve the signal-to-noise ratio and reduce recording times.
A problem with such transmit coil arrangements, which include an array of conductor loops, is the coupling occurring between the individual conductor loops (e.g., antenna elements). Adequate decoupling is provided to avoid feedover between the transmit channels and therefore, in some instances, destruction of the transmit channels. For transmit coil arrangements having conductor loops disposed following one after another over the periphery, measures to achieve adequate decoupling are known. Examples are the use of an overlap between adjacent conductor loops or a capacitor in a shared conductor of adjacent conductor loops.
For transmit arrays, in which antenna elements (e.g., conductor loops) follow one after another in a peripheral direction and a longitudinal direction, the methods known from receive coil arrangements fail, as the preamplifier decoupling used in the known methods may not be used with transmit coil arrangements.
Many trials on the subject of more than two conductor loops of a transmit coil arrangement that follow one after another in a longitudinal direction are based on simulation, with the decoupling of the conductor loops playing no role. In a typical transmit coil arrangement, the conductor loops are decoupled by overlap. However, only adjacent conductor loops may be decoupled, as a very powerful disadvantageous coupling of conductor loops positioned diagonally to one another occurs. Decoupling using a shared capacitor also may not be possible, since with the arrangement of at least three conductor loops following one after another in a longitudinal direction, there is no longer a sufficient number of degrees of freedom for the center ring or rings to allow decoupling.
In one approach to a solution, amplifiers with a low output impedance are used. The amplifiers are amplifiers that operate in the manner of an ideal power source and therefore also emit the required current when individual antenna elements are coupled. A countercurrent, for example, is generated. The countercurrent negates the coupling effects. The preamplifier, for example, is to be configured so that the preamplifier manages with the output coupled over, and large dimensions may therefore be required. Such compensation for inadequate decoupling of the conductor loops by increasing amplifier output is disadvantageous, as the outlay for this purpose and the costs required rise excessively so that the use of such a transmit coil arrangement is not practical. An embodiment with amplifiers of low output impedance is described, for example, in the Proceedings of the International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine 2007, Abstract 172 (see also the article "Ultra-low Output Impedance RF Power Amplifier Array" by X. Chu, et al., Proc. Intl. Soc. Mag. Reson. Med. 15 (2007), page 172).

Transmit coil arrangement for a magnetic resonance device and magnetic resonance device


A system for facilitating system design includes a back-annotation tool that annotates a model of a hardware system with information derived from results of synthesizing the model to the target hardware description. The derived information may include timing information, information about area usage, power consumption, etc. The derived information may be displayed in conjunction with the model in a modeling environment.

Model-based design tools attempt to simply a process of conceptualizing, designing, simulating and finally implementing custom hardware systems. A model-based design tool may be a graphical and/or textual modeling environment. In a textual modeling environment, a model may be represented as textual code. In a graphical modeling environment, a model may be represented as a block diagram. A block diagram is a representation of a real-world system through a diagram containing nodes referred to as "blocks" interconnected by lines. Blocks are functional entities that perform actions and transformations on data processed by the system. The lines represent streams of data, called "signals," flowing between the various blocks.
Once a system designer has modeled a system using model-based design tools, it may be necessary to translate a model of the system into a description or a hardware implementation of the actual hardware system. A hardware implementation may be, for example, an electronic circuit. Modern day electronic circuits may be described using a hardware description language (HDL).
"HDL" refers to any language from a class of computer languages for formal description of hardware. HDL can describe a hardware a system, its design, and tests to verify its operation by means of simulation. HDL provides a standard text-based expression of the temporal behavior and/or spatial structure of a hardware system. The syntax and semantics of the HDL include explicit notations for expressing time and concurrency, which are primary attributes of hardware.
Using the hardware description from HDL code, a software program called an HDL synthesis tool can infer hardware logic operations from the hardware description statements and produce an equivalent list of generic hardware primitives to implement the specified behavior.
In such a way, a textual and/or graphical model of a real-world hardware system may be automatically transformed into an implemented version of the real-world system or some of its parts.

Extensible platform for back-annotation of target-specific characterization onto a model of a hardware system


The present invention provides balloon catheters and methods for using the same. Unlike existing balloon catheters in the art, the present balloon catheters expand in the proximal direction to enhance fit. The balloon catheters include sliding balloon catheters, preformed balloon catheters, super-elastic balloon catheters, and may be augmented with peripheral catheters.

60,000 patients are diagnosed with bladder cancer annually, with the majority of these patients presenting with early disease. Currently, bladder cancer is treated with transurethral resection with or without subsequent intra-bladder immunotherapy. Unfortunately, the recurrence rate is quite high, and often in other areas of the bladder. This requires additional resections, and in many cases full surgical removal of the bladder.
Radiotherapy can be effective treatment for bladder cancer patients, but its use is limited by perceived toxicity associated with the radiation beam needing to traverse the entire pelvis before depositing dose within the bladder lumen, and difficulty in targeting an organ where shape, size, and location can change hourly, leading to overtreatment, misses, and often both in the same patient.
There is a need in the art for improved devices for administering treatment to the bladder. The present invention meets this need.

Device for global and targeted delivery of brachytherapy to the bladder lumen

The Regents of the University of California


Disclosed herein are sprayable compositions comprising: a complex of (A) at least one charged (or pseudo-charged) polymer having a molecular weight of about 125,000 amu or more; and (B) a least one oppositely charged, rheology modifying, crosslinked polymer having at least one carboxylic functional group. The composition may provide a spray with a median particle size of less than about 175 μm. Also disclosed are methods for preparing the compositions as well as creating the spray.

Hair spray is a styling and beautifying aid used by 65% of women over the age of thirteen. Around 70% of these women use hair spray daily. Consumers require hair sprays to perform in holding their hairstyle and also to contribute to beautifying the appearance of their hair. People who perm and color their hair are also concerned that the hair spray will not dull the color of their hair or weigh down their curls. Further, these hairspray compositions must meet a number of functional requirements. These include good holding ability and curl retention without giving a harsh, brittle feeling to the hair. Even under humid conditions there must be good hold and curl retention. Additionally, the compositions must include the properties of low stickiness and a lack of powdering or flaking. Most of these hair spray compositions contain homo or copolymers as the active ingredients in addition to a carrier. The homopolymers and non-homopolymers are prepared from variety of monomers for example, vinyls, acrylics, acrylamides, unsaturated mono/di carboxylic acids and/or acid anhydrides. Depending upon selection of monomers, the resulting polymers can be anionic, cationic, pseudo-anionic, pseudo-cationic, and amphoteric in nature.
Many people desire a high level of style retention, or hold, from a hair spray composition. In typical hair sprays, performance attributes and product aesthetics are often answered by large molecules with high molecular weight charged polymers or resins having molecular weight of about 125,000 atomic mass units (amu) or more. The attributes of these large molecules can easily be achieved by easily incorporating them into various products and applications wherein the actuation is not required or involved for example gels, creams and mousses etc.
Unfortunately, the delivery of such high molecular weight polymers or resins, such as those having a weight average molecular weight of greater than about 125,000 amu in aerosol and pump spray formulations has been difficult even under pressure to deliver a uniform spray. In fact, they tend to have spray patterns characterized by wet drippy centers or to have spray characterized by streaming rather than a fine misting of hair spray particles. The difficulties in spraying high molecular weight polymers includes practical concerns, including clogging, poor product aesthetics, for example foam quality, cushion/feel, distribution etc. and poor performance attributes such as thermal protection, durability, conditioning, water resistivity etc. Further, most of the hair sprays have been usually formed with high percentage of monohydric alcohol solvents, such as lower alcohols and low amounts of water that results in formulation having poor quality of sprayability. Further, consumers are also conscious of environmental issues and expect their products to comply with regulations without sacrificing performance.
U.S. patent application 2007/0141013 discloses ampholytic copolymers which contain a molar excess of anionogenic and/or anionic groups, polyelectrolyte complexes which contain such an ampholytic copolymer, cosmetic and pharmaceutical compositions which contain at least one such copolymer or polyelectrolyte complex and the use of these copolymers and polyelectrolyte complexes are described.
U.S. patent application 2006/0183822 discloses an ampholytic copolymer, polyelectrolyte complexes which comprise such an ampholytic copolymer, and cosmetic or pharmaceutical compositions which comprise at least one ampholytic copolymer or one polyelectrolyte complex.
U.S. patent application 2001/0022967 discloses a hair styling composition comprising: (a) less than about 1.5% active of one or more holding polymers, (b) one or more saccharides, having monomeric units greater than two, and (c) a carrier.
U.S. patent application 2003/0008855 discloses anti-dandruff hair styling composition containing at least one active ingredient for the treatment of dandruff and/or seborrheic dermatitis; at least one thickening agent; and at least one a hair styling resin. In a preferred embodiment, the hair styling composition is in the form of a gel that suspends the active ingredient. The publication also provides a method of treating hair or scalp using the described composition.
U.S. patent application 2006/0134049 on hair styling composition that relates to compositions and methods for treating and modifying hair. More particularly, the application is directed to styling and conditioning compositions for modifying and fixing hair comprising one or more rheology modifiers and one or more hair styling resins and a method of using the compositions to modify, condition and fix hair.
U.S. patent application 2006/0251603 by ISP Investments Inc on mending hair damage with polyelectrolyte complexes teaches about complexed form of anionic and cationic polymers that are used to mend damaged hair fibers, especially damage exhibited by split ends. An improved test method designed for the assessment of the degree of split end repair is described which consists of tagging hair fibers and observing the repair process by stereomicroscopy.
In view of forgoing facts, there remains a desire to develop a homogenously sprayable composition comprising high molecular weight charged polymers, particularly, hair care composition comprising effective use levels of high molecular weight polymers or resins having minimum amount of alcoholic component. Also, it is desired to have a sprayable hair care composition capable of imparting enhanced product aesthetics and performance attributes for the users.

Sprayable composition comprising high molecular weight charged polymer

Abstract: The invention enables the spray of the high molecular weight charged (or pseudo-charged) polymer in any number of uses including personal care and performance chemicals application.