The invention relates to wire-stripping pliers with an automatic adaptation to various wire gauges and insulation thicknesses that has two pairs of pivotable jaws of which the jaws of the first, outer pair are configured as gripper jaws and are pivotable by means of a first jaw arm and a jaw part about a common point, and the jaws of the other, inner pair are configured as cutting jaws with blades that cut into the insulation, and with a pull rod attached to the cutter jaws and longitudinally moveable within the jaw body providing the stripping motion that is coupled with a second plier arm. At least one sliding wedge is mounted in a recess shaped to match the sliding wedge within the first plier arm or in the jaw part, whereby a first sliding wedge facing the cutting jaws is flat and a second sliding wedge resting in the recess is so shaped that the separation between both sliding wedges at a central area of the sliding wedge diminishes toward at least one of the two sliding wedge ends. Under this configuration, opening the insulation-stripping jaws causes longitudinal displacement of the sliding wedge along with simultaneous matching of position of the sliding wedge perpendicular to the longitudinal direction that results in cutting-depth adjustment of the cutting jaws and the cutting blade attached to it.

The invention relates to a wire-stripping plier with an automatic adaptation to various wire gauges and insulation thicknesses with two pairs of pivotable jaws of which the jaws of a first, outer pair are configured as gripper jaws and that are pivotable by means of a first jaw arm and a jaw part about a common point, and the jaws of the other, inner pair that are configured as cutting jaws with blades that cut into the insulation, and with a pull rod attached to the cutter jaws and longitudinally moveable within the jaw body providing the stripping motion that is coupled with a second plier arm.
There are many pliers and similar hand tools used to strip the insulation from electric cables. Compared with traditional cable cutters, adjustable or pre-set wire-stripping pliers offer improved safety for the user and for the cable material. In order to maintain a high-quality connection, it must be ensured that the electrical conductor (single or multi) remains undamaged during stripping. For this, the most important issue is that the sheathing at the end of the cable, and of the individual conductors, may be removed in the contact area cleanly and at the proper length. The great advantage of a conventional automatic wire-stripping plier is the option of pre-cutting and then stripping the insulation in one step by means of further compression of the plier handgrips. Adaptation to varying insulation and cable thicknesses had to be achieved via manual adjustment of the plier, or by provision of multiple blades of varying shapes. Improper operation or adjustment always presented a hazard of conductor damage.
For example, DE 44 20 006 A1 describes a plier to strip conductor ends with an outer pair of holding jaws and inner pair of cutting jaws. Limited adaptation to the wire gauge is achieved by means of the resistance that the holding jaws encounter when compressed. For cables of very small gauge, the compression is limited by an additional limiter. However, adaptation to varying thicknesses of insulation materials was not possible. The danger arises that hard insulation is cut too shallowly, or soft insulation is cut too deep. The result may be that irregularities arise to the cable to be stripped, or to an individual conductor.
EP 0 645 861 A2 describes a stripping plier with two pair of pivotable jaws from which the jaws of the outer pair are implemented as gripper jaws and the jaws of the other, inner pair are implemented as cutter jaws with blades that cut into the insulation. Adaptation to varying conductor gauges and insulation thicknesses is enabled via a cam. By rotating the cam, the user may alter the position the lower cutter jaw and thereby that of the corresponding cutter blade.
DE 44 20 050 C1 describes a wire-stripping plier in which at least one cutter jaw includes a packet of adjacent strips with cutter edges moveable perpendicular to the jaws longitudinal direction that, when the plier is closed, press into the insulation. The strips are supported by means of a clamp arm with a V-shaped recess. Adaptation to varying conductor gauges is performed in that the recess is narrower or wider. To strip conductors of varying gauges, it is necessary to provide clamp arms with varying recesses that must be selected by the user and inserted into the wire-stripping plier.

Wire stripper which can be automatically adapted to different conductor cross sections


An insulating circuit substrate includes an insulating layer; and a circuit layer formed on one surface of the insulating layer, in which the insulating layer has a core layer formed of an epoxy resin containing an inorganic filler, and a skin layer formed on the circuit layer side of the core layer and formed of a polyimide resin containing an inorganic filler, an amount of the inorganic filler in the epoxy resin forming the core layer is in a range of 80 vol % or more and 95 vol % or less, and an amount of the inorganic filler in the polyimide resin forming the skin layer is in a range of 10 vol % or more and 30 vol % or less.

Power modules, LED modules, and thermoelectric modules have structures in which a power semiconductor element, an LED element, and a thermoelectric element are respectively bonded to an insulating circuit substrate in which a circuit layer formed of a conductive material is formed on one surface of an insulating layer.
For example, Patent Document 1 proposes an insulating circuit substrate used for a semiconductor device. In addition, Patent Document 2 proposes an insulating sheet which forms an insulating layer.
The insulating circuit substrate disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a structure in which a second metal plate formed in an electric circuit pattern is laminated on a first metal plate via two resin layers, and the first resin layer in contact with the first metal plate is a resin layer having a thickness of 20 μm or more filled with 50% by weight or more of a filler of 20 W/(m·K) or more, and the second resin layer in contact with the second metal plate is a resin layer having a thickness of 5 μm or less in which the filling ratio of the filler is 10% by weight or more smaller than the filling ratio of the filler of the first resin layer.
In addition, the insulating sheet disclosed in Patent Document 2 has a configuration in which a filling member is filled in an adhesive component with a thermosetting resin as a main component, the filling ratio of the filling member in an adhesive surface region is less than the filling ratio of the filling member in an internal region, and the thermal conductivity of the adhesive surface region and the internal region is adjusted according to the filling ratio of the filling member in each region.

Insulating circuit substrate and method for producing insulating circuit substrate


A method and system for growing stack frames is described. According to the invention, actual growth of a stack frame buried below the top of the stack is delayed until such time as the frame is returned to the top of the stack. The invention can be applied, for example, in a source code debugger to provide an improved Edit and Continue capability. In one aspect, the invention is implemented in a computer system that includes a processor (CPU), a stack of frames accessible to the processor, and a program for execution by the processor. The program is composed of a set of procedures. The processor begins executing a procedure of the set and places a stack frame associated with the execution of the procedure on top of the stack. This first stack frame includes a reserved location that can be used later to record an amount or increment by which to grow the frame. The processor begins executing another procedure (or another instance of the same procedure) and places a second stack frame associated with this second procedure execution at the top of the stack above the first frame. The processor receives a command to increase the size of the first frame by a specified increment. While the second frame is above the first frame in the stack, the processor saves the specified increment in the reserved frame location of the buried first stack frame. Thereafter, the processor brings the first frame back to the top of the stack, retrieves the saved increment from the reserved frame location of the first frame, and increases the size of the first frame by the specified increment. The processor then can continue the first procedure execution with the first frame thus increased in size.

A software developer uses a variety of tools and techniques to facilitate the development process. Among the tools the software developer uses are source-level debuggers, which help the developer determine the origin of any bugs or errors in the source code of the program. Certain source-level debuggers provide a feature known as "Edit and Continue." Edit and Continue allows the developer to stop a program during mid-execution, edit the source code and continue executing the program with the edits in effect. Edit and Continue is provided, for example, in the QuickBASIC.TM. 4.0 interpreted programming environment sold by Microsoft Corporation (Redmond, Wash.), and in the Visual Basics.TM. 3.0 interpreted programming environment from Microsoft Corporation.
In general, debuggers restrict the kinds of edits that can be made using the Edit and Continue feature. Program changes that cannot be made compatibly with Edit and Continue are referred to as "rude edits." A developer faced with a rude edit can either make the edit and not continue program execution, or can forego edit and continue. The fewer rude edits a debugger has, the more flexible and useful the debugger is.
Developers commonly use the Edit and Continue feature to add a new local variable to a procedure of a program. Typically, variables that are local to a procedure are stored on a stack in a stack frame. A stack is a last-in-first-out (LIFO) structure that allows a processor to place, or "push," data onto it, thus burying any data already present in the stack beneath the most recently pushed data. Thereafter, the processor can retrieve, or "pop," data from the stack in a LIFO fashion. As an item is removed from the top of the stack, the item buried beneath it rises to the top of the stack. Items stored in the stack can be atomic data items or stack frames containing collections of related data. For purposes of this description, a stack frame (or, more simply, a "frame") refers to a contiguous portion of a stack that contains a collection of information (such as variable values) associated with a particular procedure of a program. Typically, a procedure has one or more stack frames associated with it. It is convenient to speak of the stack frame that is positioned uppermost in the stack as being on "top" of the stack, and to speak of a stack frame located beneath another stack frame as being "buried" in the stack below the top of the stack. A stack pointer is typically maintained to indicate the current address of the top of the stack. The stack pointer is often stored in memory or in a dedicated register.
Each stack frame is at any given time in one of three states:
1. Not present in the stack. A procedure's stack frame is created when the procedure begins to execute, and is removed from the stack when the procedure is finished executing. Thus, if the procedure is neither actively executing nor in a state of suspended execution, it has no stack frame in the stack.
2. On top of the stack. The stack frame for the procedure that is currently executing is on top of the stack.
3. Buried in the stack. When, during execution, a first procedure calls or is interrupted by a second procedure (or by another invocation of the first procedure, as in a recursive subroutine call), the stack frame of the first procedure is buried by the creation of the stack frame of the second procedure. That is, a new stack frame for the called or interrupting procedure is created and is pushed onto the stack, thus bringing the stack frame of the calling or interrupted procedure below the top of the stack. Once the second procedure is finished executing, its stack frame is removed from the stack and the stack frame of the first procedure is thus returned to the top of the stack.
Known Edit and Continue facilities allow developers to add local variables to a procedure when that procedure's stack frame is in either of the first two states. If the stack frame is currently not present (i.e., the first state), a new variable or variables can easily be added by allocating the necessary additional space at such time as the stack frame is created. If the stack frame is on top of the stack (i.e., the second state), the necessary additional space is allocated and the stack pointer is adjusted accordingly. However, when the stack frame is buried in the stack,there is no room for it to grow without affecting the rest of the stack.
It is not practical to grow buried stack frames in place. This would require moving other stack frames to avoid destructively overwriting them. When a stack frame is added to the stack, however, references to it (in its current position) are created in potentially countless and unknown places. If the stack frame were moved, these references would be wrong and the system would fail. The system has no method of tracking or finding these references to update them all. Thus known Edit and Continue facilities treat any attempt to add local variables to a procedure with a stack frame that is buried below the top of the stack as a rude edit. In particular, a developer cannot add a local variable to a procedure that either directly or indirectly calls the currently active procedure with a frame that is on top of the stack.
A related problem arises with regard to local "temporaries," (i.e., temporary storage locations used for intermediate calculations local to particular procedures). Temporaries behave like local variables but do not appear explicitly in the source code. A developer attempting to Edit and Continue a program can unwittingly request a program modification that requires adding a new temporary to a procedure and, hence, requires growing the stack frame for the procedure. If the procedure has no stack frame or if its stack frame is on top of the stack, the modification is allowed by known Edit and Continue facilities. However, if the procedure has a buried stack frame, the modification is treated as a rude edit. This seemingly inconsistent behavior can lead to confusion and frustration on the developer's part, because the developer does not know why some edits are allowed and other apparently similar edits are refused.

Method and system for expanding a buried stack frame


A golf ball 2 includes a core 4, a mid layer 6 positioned outside the core 4, a reinforcing layer 8 positioned outside the mid layer 6, and a cover 10 positioned outside the reinforcing layer 8. The difference between: a JIS-C hardness H(5.0) and a JIS-C hardness Ho at the central point is 6.0 or greater. The difference between: a JIS-C hardness H(12.5) and the hardness H(5.0) is 4.0 or less. The difference between a JIS-C hardness Hs at the surface of the core 4 and the hardness H(12.5) is 10.0 or greater. The difference between the hardness Hs and the hardness Ho is 22.0 or greater. In the golf ball 2, there is no zone in which a hardness decreases from the central point toward the surface. A hardness H2 of the mid layer 6 is greater than a hardness H3 of the cover 10.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to golf balls. Specifically, the present invention relates to golf balls that include a solid core, a mid layer, and a cover.
2. Description of the Related Art
Golf players' foremost requirement for golf balls is flight performance. Golf players place importance on flight performance upon shots with a driver, a long iron, and a middle iron. Flight performance correlates with the resilience performance of a golf ball. When a golf ball having excellent resilience performance is hit, the golf ball flies at a high speed, thereby achieving a large flight distance.
An appropriate trajectory height is required in order to achieve a large flight distance. A trajectory height depends on a spin rate and a launch angle. In a golf ball that achieves a high trajectory by a high spin rate, a flight distance is insufficient. In a golf ball that achieves a high trajectory by a high launch angle, a large flight distance is obtained. An outer-hard/inner-soft structure in a golf ball can achieve a low spin rate and a high launch angle.
Golf players also place importance on spin performance of golf balls. When a backspin rate is high, the run is short. It is easy for golf players to cause a golf ball, to which backspin is easily provided, to stop at a target point. When a sidespin rate is high, the golf ball tends to curve. It is easy for golf players to intentionally cause a golf ball, to which sidespin is easily provided, to curve. A golf ball to which spin is easily provided has excellent controllability. In particular, advanced golf players place importance on controllability upon a shot with a short iron.
JPH2-264674 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,072,944) discloses a golf ball that includes a core consisting of a center core and an outer layer. The center core is flexible, and the outer layer is hard. The core suppresses a spin rate.
JPH6-98949 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,516,110) discloses a golf ball having a constant hardness between: a point that is located at a distance of 5 mm from a central point; and a point that is located at a distance of 10 mm from the central point. A similar golf ball is also disclosed in JPH6-154357 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,403,010).
JPH7-112036 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,562,287) discloses a golf ball having a small difference between a central hardness and a surface hardness of a core. The core contributes to the resilience performance of the golf ball.
JP2002-765 (US 2002/0019269) discloses a golf ball having a great difference between a central hardness and a surface hardness of a core.
JP2003-33447 (US 2003/0032501) discloses a golf ball that includes a core for which a rubber composition includes a polysulfide. The polysulfide contributes to the resilience performance of the golf ball.
JP2008-194473 (US 2008/0194357 and US 2008/0312008) discloses a golf ball having a great difference between a central hardness and a surface hardness of a core. A similar golf ball is also disclosed in JP2010-22504.
In the golf ball disclosed in JPH2-264674, the structure of the core is complicated. The core produces an energy loss when being hit. In addition, the core has inferior durability.
In the golf ball disclosed in JPH6-98949, a range where the hardness is constant is narrow. The golf ball has inferior resilience performance. Similarly, the golf ball disclosed in JPH6-154357 also has inferior resilience performance.
In the golf ball disclosed in JPH7-112036, a spin rate is excessive. The golf ball has a small flight distance.
The golf ball disclosed in JP2002-765 has inferior resilience performance.
In the golf ball disclosed in JP2003-33447, a spin rate is excessive. The golf ball has inferior flight performance.
In the golf ball disclosed in JP2008-194473, there is a zone in which a hardness decreases from the central point of the core toward the surface of the core. The golf ball has inferior resilience performance. In the golf ball, a spin rate is excessive. The golf ball has inferior flight performance. Similarly, the golf ball disclosed in JP2010-22504 also has inferior flight performance.
An object of the present invention is to provide a golf ball having excellent flight performance.


A method for labeling connected components and a computer system using the method are provided. With the method, during a process of scanning an image for the first time, each object pixel in the image is assigned a temporary label, and a relationship between each temporary label and a representative label is established after the completion of the process of scanning the image for the first time. Thereafter, the temporary label of each object pixel is replaced by the corresponding representative label during a process of scanning the image for the second time. As a result, the labeling of the connected components can be accomplished by only scanning the image twice such that the efficiency of labeling the connected components can be significantly improved.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method of processing an image. More particularly, the invention relates to a method of labeling connected components in an image and a computer system using the method.
2. Description of Related Art
In the field of image processing, the algorithm of labeling connected components is a technique capable of identifying data of the same block among scattered data by utilizing the computer system. In other words, an image may include a plurality of object blocks and the algorithm of labeling connected components identifies connected pixels in the image after scanning so as to distinguish each object block. The identification result generated therefrom can then be provided to other systems. For instance, before processing other operations, a visual tracking system and a visual identifying system both require the algorithm of labeling connected components to pre-process the image.
In the conventional algorithm of labeling connected components, pixels of the same object block in the image may be temporarily labeled with different labels during the labeling process. Consequently, the image has to be scanned repetitively and an equivalent process has to be performed on the labels in order to reflect the actual state of the image patterns. That is, the algorithm of labeling connected components must scan the image repetitively until the label value does not change anymore.
Accordingly, whether adopting methods such as the recursive method or the pixel searching method, the conventional algorithm of labeling connected components still requires high time complexity to complete the processing. Thus, in practice, the conventional algorithm of labeling connected components is mostly adopted in back-end processes or non-real time systems because its performance is not satisfied with the demands of most real-time systems.

Method for labeling connected components and computer system using the method

National Taiwan University of Science and Technology


An FMCW radar method is presented in which a radar system of a motor vehicle emits and receives radar waves, and in which a distance between an object and the motor vehicle is determined from a frequency shift between transmitted and received radar waves, and in which a speed of an object is determined from phase positions of received radar waves. The method is defined by the fact that in first time periods (T_A, T_B) it is carried out for objects in at least a first partial area (A, B) of the surroundings of the motor vehicle, and in second time period (T_C, T_D, T_E, T_F, T_G) distances, but not speeds, are determined for objects in at least a second partial area (C, D, E, F, G) of the surroundings.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
A FMCW radar method involves the use of a radar system of a motor vehicle that emits and receives radar waves, and in which a distance to an object with respect to the motor vehicle can be determined based on a frequency shift between the emitted and received radar waves and in which a speed of an object may be determined based on the phase positions of received radar waves.
A method of this kind and a radar system such as this are known from DE 196 10 970 A1. Very generally, the frequency of emitted radar waves is periodically varied in time in a FMCW radar system according to a predetermined pattern. Radar waves reflected on an object have traveled twice the distance to the object when they are received by the radar system and meet again in the radar system with a time delay that is proportional thereto.
Since the frequency of the radar waves to be emitted has changed during this time delay, the emitted signals and received signals propagating within the radar system have a frequency difference d_f(r) at a specific time point, which is dependent on the object distance r and the type of emission frequency variation. With linear time variation and object at rest relative to the radar system, d_f(r) is directly proportional to the object distance. During a relative movement with relative speed v, there occurs in addition a speed-dependent Doppler shift of the frequency, whose sign is dependent on the direction of the speed and on the sign of the emission frequency variation.
In order to determine the frequency difference, the emitted signal is usually mixed with the received signal and forms an intermediate frequency signal, which has as a consequence a spectral signal portion within the magnitude of the frequency difference and further portions with higher frequencies. Through the use of low pass filtering, the portions with higher frequencies are separated and the remaining signal, in which the runtime-dependent and speed-dependent frequency shifts are reproduced, is spectrally analyzed.
According to DE 196 10 970 A1, a frequency value (spectral line) is essentially obtained for the periodic amplification of the emission frequency in the sum of the distance-dependent and speed-dependent frequency shifts, while a frequency value in the difference of the mentioned frequency shifts is obtained for periodic reductions of the emission frequency. By forming the mean value and difference of these frequency values, the values of the distance-dependent and speed-dependent frequency shifts can be individually determined. The distances and the speeds are thus ultimately determined in this evaluation from the frequency of the intermediate frequency signal. This requires, however, a clear allocation of spectral lines and objects, which, in case of several reflecting objects at similar distances, is not readily ascertainable.
In order to determine the distances and speeds of each individual object when there are several objects, the initially mentioned DE 196 10 970 A1 proposes to derive the distances from the frequency of the intermediate frequency signal and the speeds from the phase [position] information of the intermediate frequency signal. According to DE 196 10 970 A1, the argument of the intermediate frequency signal, in other words its phase, thus contains especially a distance-dependent term. Since the distance changes slightly between two periods of the emission frequency variation in case of a relative movement between radar systems and object, the distance-dependent term in the phase position of the intermediate frequency signal also changes. From the extent of change of the phase [position] during at least two periods of the emission frequency variation should be deduced the relative speed according to DE 196 10 970 A1. The phase [position] information is respectively obtained from a phase position of a Fourier transform of the intermediate frequency signal. In order to obtain two phase values, two periods of the variation of the emitted signal must therefore be run through for each object and a Fourier transform must be carried out for each period.

Motor vehicle wheel behaviour and radar system


A system that includes a stand-alone device or a server connected client device are in communication with a server and provide recommendations. The device includes an input component, a storage component, a processor and an output component. The server-connected client device includes an input component that receives the user's request, a communication component that communicates the request to the server and receives the recommendation from the server, and an output component that provides the recommendation to user.

Human language is complex. Whether describing songs, movies, news stories, travel destinations, web search results, people to meet, products to purchase, patents, or anything else, natural language expressions have far more ways to describe items than databases of items have ways to categorize them. What's needed is a system that learns about items from people's rich and subjective natural language descriptions and offers those items when others make similar requests.

System and method for providing natural language recommendations


A scanning endoscope including an optical fiber scanner that vibrates a distal end of the optical fiber that guides illumination light and emits the illumination light from the distal end thereof, a controller that conducts control for vibrating the optical fiber at a certain driving frequency set according to a resonance frequency of the optical fiber and for controlling amplitude of the vibration so as to be changed at a certain modulation frequency, and a movement detector that detects the resonance frequency of the optical fiber, wherein the controller changes the driving frequency and the modulation frequency at the same rate as the rate of change of the resonance frequency when the resonance frequency of the optical fiber detected by the movement detector changes.

In a known scanning endoscope, light emitted from an radiation end part of an optical fiber is made to scan over an object by vibrating the radiation end part, and light reflected or scattered at the object or fluorescence or the like generated in the object is detected (for example, see PTL 1).
The scanning endoscope in PTL 1 achieves a two-dimensional scanning locus of point illumination light emitted from the radiation end part by means of vibrating the radiation end part of the optical fiber at a driving frequency set according to the frequency characteristics of the optical fiber and by changing the amplitude of the vibration at a predetermined modulation frequency. Then, by storing the coordinates of respective scanning positions in the two-dimensional scanning locus of the point illumination light and the intensities of return light from the object detected when the illumination light is radiated on the respective scanning positions, an image of the object is acquired.

Scanning endoscope and method for controlling the same


This mobile phone includes a control portion controlling an imaging portion to execute an imaging operation when detecting that a communication state established by taking a telephone call has been disconnected after a ringtone in taking the telephone call is repeated the first number of times in a case where a first communication portion capable of telephone communication takes the telephone call from an operating-side mobile phone.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile phone, an imaging system employing the same and an imaging method employing the same, and more particularly, it relates to a mobile phone including an imaging portion (camera function), an imaging system employing the same and an imaging method employing the same.
2. Description of the Background Art
A mobile phone including an imaging portion (camera function), an imaging system employing the same and an imaging method employing the same is known in general, as disclosed in each of Japanese Patent Laying-Open Nos. 2005-101867, 2005-323254 and 2003-219043, for example.
The aforementioned Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-101867 discloses a mobile phone, having a camera function (imaging portion) executing an imaging operation in response to an incoming signal from another mobile phone having a previously registered telephone number. This mobile phone is formed to perform the imaging operation with a camera when receiving the incoming signal from another mobile phone having the previously registered telephone number. The mobile phone disclosed in the aforementioned Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-101867 has a self-timer. The mobile phone disclosed in the aforementioned Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-101867 is formed to be capable of starting the self-timer when receiving the incoming signal from another mobile phone having the previously registered telephone number and performing the imaging operation with a camera after a time of the self-timer elapses, in a case where the self-timer has been previously set.
The aforementioned Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-323254 discloses a camera (imaging portion) mobile phone capable of executing an imaging operation in response to an incoming signal from a remote mobile phone. The camera mobile phone according to the aforementioned Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-323254 is formed to establish a telephone call state by receiving a transmission signal from the remote mobile phone and to thereafter perform the imaging operation on the basis of a prescribed operation from the remote mobile phone, such as input of a password or setting of a timer.
The aforementioned Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2003-219043 discloses a folding camera (imaging portion) mobile phone capable of executing an imaging operation on the basis of an operation from a remote operating terminal. The folding camera mobile phone according to the aforementioned Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2003-219043 is formed to receive a control command such as an instruction for executing the imaging operation from the remote operating terminal by communicating with a common carrier server or the like and to perform the imaging operation in response to the received control command.
However, the mobile phone disclosed in the aforementioned Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-101867 may easily or hardly take a telephone call depending on a radio wave condition or the like in receiving a signal, in a case of performing the imaging operation of a camera when the signal is received. In this case, the imaging operation with a camera is not necessarily performed at the same time of transmitting a signal from the mobile phone (caller) having the previously registered telephone number, and timing of the imaging operation is disadvantageously not constant.
In the camera mobile phone disclosed in the aforementioned Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-323254, the telephone call state must be established by receiving a transmission signal from the remote mobile phone and the prescribed operation from the remote mobile phone, such as input of a password or setting of a timer, must be thereafter performed in order for the camera mobile phone to perform the imaging operation, and hence a user must perform complicated operations.
The folding camera mobile phone disclosed in the aforementioned Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2003-219043 must receive the control command such as the instruction for executing the imaging operation from the remote operating terminal by communicating with the common carrier server or the like to perform the imaging operation. Thus, a user must perform corresponding operations to transmit the control command such as the instruction for executing the imaging operation to the folding camera mobile phone in order for the folding camera mobile phone to perform the imaging operation, and hence the user must perform complicated operations.

Mobile phone, imaging system employing mobile phone and imaging method employing mobile phone


A temperature sensor includes: a gate voltage generation unit including a bias resistor, a first source resistor, and a first MOS transistor and configured to generate a gate voltage; and a variable voltage output unit including an output resistor, a second source resistor, and a second MOS transistor and configured to generate the variable voltage.

With increasing demand on high performance of electronic systems such as personal computers or electronic communication devices, operation speed and memory capacity of semiconductor memory devices such as DRAM are being improved. A semiconductor memory device mounted in a mobile system operated by a battery, such as a mobile phone or notebook computer, requires low power consumption. Therefore, much research is being actively conducted on a method for reducing an operating current and a standby current.
A DRAM memory cell including one transistor and one storage capacitor has a temperature-sensitive data retention characteristic. Therefore, an operation condition of circuit blocks within a semiconductor integrated circuit needs to be controlled according to a variation of the surrounding temperature. For example, DRAM used in mobile products controls a refresh period according to a variation of the surrounding temperature. In order to control such an operation condition depending on the variation of the surrounding temperature, a temperature sensor such as a digital temp sensor regulator (DTSR) or analog temp sensor regulator (ATSR) may be used. Such a temperature sensor serves to sense a high temperature, thereby controlling an operation period so as to reduce current consumption in a self refresh mode and monitoring the surrounding temperature during a normal operation.


Disclosed is a water supply system that conditionally fills with heated water. The water supply system has a water tank configured to store and supply heated water, a heater configured to heat water in the water tank, and a sensor configured to sense a temperature of the water in the water tank. In accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure, the water supply system has a water supply unit configured to selectively supply heated water or unheated water to the water tank based on the temperature that has been sensed. In some implementations, this is performed to reduce use of the heated water, which may result in energy savings.

According to conventional water supply systems, when a person wants to use hot water from a point-of-use (e.g. faucet tap), the person may need to wait about 45 seconds before water coming out of the point-of-use becomes hot. This is because there may be cold water in a water pipe between a water heater that heats the water and the point-of-use, and hot water can reach the point-of-use only after the cold water in the water pipe is replaced by the hot water.
There are three main disadvantages of the conventional water supply systems. Firstly, it may take about 45 seconds to wait for the hot water to come out of the point-of-use, Secondly, each time a person waits for the hot water to come out of the point-of-use, there may be about 4 L of water that is wasted. Thirdly, the water pipe heats up from the hot water running through the water pipe only to cool down after use, which results in wasted heating energy by the water heater.
A household with a family of three people using a conventional water supply system might for example spend a total of 46 hours in a year waiting for hot water, which may waste 14,600 L of water and 238 kWh of energy for the year. Thus, it is clear that conventional water supply systems have drawbacks.
An existing approach is to use a hot water circulation pump to accelerate the speed of hot water supply to the point-of-use, or use a circulation pump to maintain a higher water temperature in the water pipe in order to reduce the time spent waiting for the hot water. Compared to the conventional water supply systems, the hot water circulation pump saves water. However, this does not avoid wasting heating energy because the water pipe is heated only to lose heat to its surroundings.
Another existing approach is to install an instant water heater at the point-of-use. However, the instant water heater uses a power supply that must be very powerful to quickly heat up water. For example, the power supply may need to deliver more than 3 kW. Additional electric wire installation may be needed when using electricity, or gas pipes may need to be installed when using gas.
Another existing approach is to install a hot water tank at the point-of-use. However, to physically fit the hot water tank at the point-of-use (e.g. under a sink in a bathroom), the hot water tank may be relatively small, which may limit a capacity of hot water that can be delivered. Thus, the hot water tank may not be able to provide hot water for a long period of time or for frequent uses.

Water supply system that is selectively supplied with heated water


An apparatus having a cache and a processor. The cache may be configured to (i) buffer a first subset of reference samples of a reference picture to facilitate a motion estimation of a current block and (ii) prefetch a second subset of the reference samples while a first search pattern is being tested. The first search pattern used in the motion estimation generally defines multiple motion vectors to test. The reference samples of the second subset may be utilized by a second search pattern in the motion estimation of the current block. The prefetch of the second subset may be based on a geometry of the first search pattern and scores of the motion vectors already tested. The processor may be configured to calculate the scores of the motion vectors by a block comparison of the reference samples to the current block according to the first search pattern.

Motion estimation in video compression exploits temporal redundancy within a video sequence for efficient coding. A block matching technique is widely used in the motion estimation. A purpose of the block matching technique is to find another block from a video object plane that matches a current block in a current video object plane. The matching block can be used to discover temporal redundancy in the video sequence thereby increasing the effectiveness of interframe video coding. Since a full motion estimation search for all possible hypothetical matches within a search range is intensive in terms of processing power, alternative sub-optimal techniques are commonly used. The sub-optimal techniques search a low number of hypotheses while maintaining a minimal amount of quality degradation.
A problem in implementing sub-optimal search patterns is the resulting non-subsequent memory accesses. The non-subsequent memory accesses are caused by having a starting point for each search pattern in a given iteration being determined by the best hypothesis of the previous iteration. Such accesses to memory involve stalls (i.e., dead cycles within a core pipeline) which occur between each iteration. The stalls increase the number of processing cycles used in the motion estimation to perform the block matching. The stalls are conventionally avoided by reading the entire search area into an internal zero wait state memory. However, reading the entire search area is a large internal expense and uses large die size memory.
It would be desirable to implement a cache prefetch during motion estimation.

Avago Technologies General IP (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.


Disclosed is an electronic device includes a wireless communication circuit configured to support Bluetooth communication; at least one processor operatively connected to the wireless communication circuit; and a memory operatively connected to the at least one processor, wherein the memory stores one or more instructions that, when executed, cause the at least one processor to perform a plurality a plurality of operations comprising: receiving first data transmitted from a first external electronic device via a first link between the electronic device and the first external electronic device; when an acknowledgement (ACK) is not received from a second external electronic device, determining that the first external electronic device or the electronic device should retransmit the first data to the second external electronic device based on at least one of status information about the electronic device, status information about the first external electronic device, communication quality of the first link, or communication quality of the second link.

A Bluetooth technology standard stipulated by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) defines a protocol for short range wireless communication between electronic devices. In a Bluetooth network environment, electronic devices may transmit or receive data packets including content such as a text, voice, image, or video at a specified frequency band (e.g., about 2.4 gigahertz (GHz)).
For example, user equipment (UE) such as smartphone, tablet, desktop computer, or laptop computer may transmit data packets to another user equipment or accessory device. The accessory device may include, by way of example, and not limitation, at least one of an earphone, a headset, a speaker, a mouse, a keyboard, or a display device.

Electronic device for retransmitting data in Bluetooth network environment and method thereof


A container comprises front and rear opposed walls, a pair of opposed side walls, a pair of beveled shoulder walls, and a hanger support panel. The front and rear walls are interconnected by the side walls along generally parallel fold lines to form an upright tubular enclosure. The beveled shoulder walls are arranged adjacent to the tops of the side walls and extend between the front and rear walls. Each shoulder wall is disposed at an obtuse angle with respect to the adjacent side wall. The distance between the upper edges of the shoulder walls is less than the distance between the lower edges of the shoulder walls. The hanger support panel is foldably joined to the top edge of the rear wall. The support panel rests on and bridges between the upper edges of the shoulder walls. The support panel is provided with hanger-engaging slot so that a hanger-supported article to be placed in the tubular enclosure can hang from the support panel.

This invention relates to a container of the type utilized to transport an article(s) supported by a hanger, and more particularly to a corrugated paperboard container suitable for shipping an airline passenger's garment bag, which has an improved top panel arrangement for supporting a hanger.
Paperboard containers are commonly used for shipping hanger-supported articles such as hanger-supported garments and airline passengers' garment bags. One such container is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,883,042. The disclosed container employs a plurality of top panels to hang hanger-supported articles therefrom. The top panels are superposed one on another to ensure the structural strength of the top portion of the container. The top panels except for the uppermost one have slots and apertures for engaging the hooks of hangers. The uppermost panel is glued to the lower adjacent panel to function as a hanger retainer for preventing the hangers from disengaging from the slots and apertures.
Another conventional garment container is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,395. The container of this patent includes a hanger bar structure joined at one end thereof to the front wall of the container and engaged at the other end thereof with the rear wall of the container. A retainer panel is foldably joined to the rear wall and is disposed over the hanger bar structure to secure hangers placed on the structure in position. This retainer panel is held in the securing position by an integral portion thereof forced by the paperboard resiliency to be disposed under the adjacent portion of the container. It is likely in the container of this patent that the retainer panel may be accidentally displaced from the securing position in which it prevents hangers from coming off of the hanger bar structure.
What is needed, therefore, is a container for a hanger-supported article. Such a container should have a sturdy hanger support means which requires less material. Such a container should also have a hanger retainer means which can be reliably locked in a securing position without using glue or any other adhesives.

Container for a hanger-supported garment


The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for loading radioactive brachytherapy seeds into a seed cartridge for use with an applicator. Embodiments of the apparatus according to the present invention may include a number of contact points of a size and shape designed to conform to the main body of a brachytherapy seed. The apparatus may hold the seeds until the seeds are placed within a channel of the seed cartridge, at which point the seeds may be released from the contact sites by the application of a force to the seeds or by some other mechanism. The apparatus may be made from a flexible material so that the seeds may be released by the application of a tension force. According to embodiments of the method of loading the seed cartridge, seeds in the loader may be positioned in relation to the body of the loading apparatus and the ends of the seeds may be aligned with the channel of the seed cartridge. A seed may be placed in the channel so that a gripping portion of the loading device protrudes from an access portion of the channel. The apparatus may include gripping features so that the loading apparatus can be held firmly during the loading process.

Radiation therapy is used in treating several medical ailments. In brachytherapy treatment, which is commonly used to treat various forms of cancer, xe2x80x9cseedsxe2x80x9d containing a radioactive isotope (e.g., iodine-125 or palladium-103) may be implanted in cancerous tissue. Exemplary seeds include the IoGold(trademark) and PdGold(trademark) seeds manufactured by North American Scientific, Inc. (xe2x80x9cNASIxe2x80x9d) of Chatsworth, Calif. and marketed by Mentor Corporation of Santa Barbara, Calif., or the Prospera(trademark) seed manufactured by NASI. During the active life of the isotope, the seeds, which are each smaller than a grain of rice, deliver a radiation dose to the surrounding tissue. The radiation pattern emitted by the seed depends upon the placement of the radioactive isotope within the seed, the seed housing material, the type of radioactive isotoped used and other factors. Depending upon the isotope used and the amount contained in a seed, the seed may emit radiation for weeks or months. Seeds are generally left in the patient when radiation emission has ceased due to isotope decay.
Prior to implantation the size and shape of the tissue to be irradiated may be mapped out using ultrasound or other imaging techniques. For example, an ultrasound imaging device may be used to image sections of a prostrate so that cancerous portions may be identified in each section. Together, these sections and a marginal area surrounding the cancerous tissue (xe2x80x9cextracapsular regionxe2x80x9d) may comprise the xe2x80x9ctarget volume.xe2x80x9d The extracapsular region is tissue on the order of 2-5 millimeters thick that surrounds the prostate gland. Irradiating this region helps to ensure that cancer cells that may have migrated to the into the extracapsular region (i.e., xe2x80x9ccapsular extensionxe2x80x9d) will also be treated.
Based on the resulting representation of the tissue, an optimized xe2x80x9cdosimetry planxe2x80x9d for treatment of the target volume tissue may be developed. The dosimetry plan specifies the spatial distribution, number and dosage strength of seeds to be implanted. The dosimetry plan is developed with the goal of delivering the needed radiation dosage to the entire target region while ensuring that minimal non-target tissues are irradiated. A typical dosimetry plan may require that approximately one-hundred seeds be implanted.
Brachytherapy seeds are placed via needles which are inserted through the perineum into the prostate gland. Appropriate needle placement is determined base don the special distribution specified in the dosimetry plan and is executed using a guiding template or grid which is positioned in contact with the patient. Placement techniques of brachytherapy seeds vary, but generally, they are placed using preloaded needles, containing both seeds and inactive spacers, which position the seeds along a row in accordance with the dosimetry plan. A movable stylus is positioned within the needle against the column of seeds and spacers. The needle is then removed over the stylus, leaving the seeds and spacers in place. Alternatively, seeds can be placed using a mechanical applicator system, such as that available from Mick Radio-Nuclear Instrument, Inc. (xe2x80x9cMRNIxe2x80x9d) of Mount Vernon, N.Y. The applicator system allows for individual seed placement without the use of inactive spacers.
Brachytherapy needles may come pre-loaded with brachytherapy seeds and inactive spacer elements or may be loaded at the hospital site prior to implantation. Loading individual seeds and spacers into a needle(s) can be laborious. Because the needle loading procedure can be lengthy and require close contact with the radioactive seeds, medical personnel are exposed to significant doses of radiation when loading the needles.
In the applicator system, one or more seed cartridges or xe2x80x9cmagazinesxe2x80x9d may supply seeds to a needle or multiple needles as necessary. Such needles include, for example, the MTP-1720-C or MTP-1820-C TP needles available from MRNI. MRNI also produces seed cartridgesxe2x80x94Mick Magazines Catalog #7609 (reusable) and 7609 (disposable). These cartridges may contain up to fifteen seeds and are attached to the applicator. The applicator is fixed to a needle and is designed to place a single seed by ejecting it from the distal end of the needle, which has been placed in the prostate gland in accordance with the dosimetry plan. As a seed is placed, the physician positions the needle for the placement of other seeds. Users of applicator systems feel that such systems provide greater speed and control in the implantation process.
Disposable cartridges may come pre-loaded with seeds and may be made of a light plastic, while reusable cartridges may be made of a metal, such as stainless steel, that is suitable for sterilization in an autoclave. Because using disposable cartridges can be expensive, hospitals generally prefer to use reusable cartridges. While seed manufacturers are generally willing to pre-load single-use, disposable cartridges, they are usually unwilling to pre-load reusable cartridges because used cartridges may be tainted with bio-hazardous material and the handling of such material may require additional site safety certifications or pose additional hazards to employees.
Such reluctance often means that either medical personnel in the operating room or a third party contractor will be required to manually load the cartridge by placing individual seeds into a cartridge using a pair of tweezers or a hemostat. For an implantation procedure involving a hundred seeds, this loading process can be time-consuming and may expose the loading personnel to unnecessarily high doses of radiation, eliminating one of the advantages of using afterloading instead of pre-loaded needles. MRNI manufactures a xe2x80x9cSeed Loading V-Blockxe2x80x9d (Catalog #7509) to assist in loading by holding a seed cartridge in place during the manual procedure. The V-Block comes with a gauge to measure seeds to ensure that they are the proper length (thereby avoiding jamming of the cartridge during loading). However, the task of manual loading remains tedious.
Moreover, because the seeds are small, they are easily lost if dropped during the loading process. Since the seeds are radioactive, medical personnel are required to find and properly dispose of any lost seeds, which is also a time-consuming process. Finally, improper loading of a cartridge may jam the cartridge, preventing its use.
For these reasons, there is needed a simple device and method for loading seeds into a seed cartridge that minimizes the radiation exposure to loading personnel and reduces the risk of dropped seeds or improper loading.

Apparatus and method for loading a brachytherapy seed cartridge


To diminish complication and difficulty in attachment and detachment of analytical columns to and from a column oven. The column oven includes, in a column housing part that includes a space for housing the plurality of analytical columns, a column rack that holds the plurality of analytical columns, an inlet switching valve, and an outlet connection portion. At least either the inlet switching valve or the outlet connection portion is formed integrally with the column rack and capable of being attached to and detached from the column housing part together with the column rack.

In the liquid chromatography, analytical columns are used for quantitative and/or qualitative analysis of sample components. In general, the analytical columns are housed in a column oven and adjusted to a constant temperature (see Patent Document 1). In method scouting for searching for an analytical column suitable for a sample or when a column manufacturer performs a quality inspection of analytical columns, a column oven capable of housing a plurality of analytical columns is used and the plurality of analytical columns are disposed in the column oven.
A flow path switching valve for switching between the analytical columns to be used is provided on an upstream side of the analytical columns in the column oven, and the flow path switching valve is switched to thereby select the analytical column to be used for the analysis.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2015-045532


A vehicle auxiliary light assembly (10) having a housing (12) that houses a conventional, central incandescent light bulb (56) and an electro-luminescent panel (ELP) (60) that is located around the inner perimeter of the housing (12). The ELP (60), depending on the luminescent material used, can be made to illuminate in various colors. The assembly (10) can be operated by either a first cable assembly (84) or a second cable assembly (85). The first cable assembly (84) allows the incandescent light bulb (56) and the ELP (60) to be operated independently of each other. The second cable assembly (85) allows the light (56) and the ELP (60) to be operated simultaneously.

The invention pertains to the general field of vehicle lights and more particularly to a vehicle auxiliary light that incorporates a centered incandescent light and around its perimeter an electro-luminescent ring light.
One of the most popular ways to customize a vehicle is to alter the lights. Most vehicles come equipped with various conventional lights, such as head lights, tail lights, turn signal indicators, etc. While these lights do provide adequate illumination for normal driving, many people have discovered that by adding additional lights, such as fog lights, the ability to see and be seen improved substantially. As a result of this, some vehicle manufacturers now provide the additional lights as standard.
As is commonly known, many individuals prefer to individualize their vehicle by adding custom features. A novel approach to customizing would be to provide a means by which a person could alter the appearance and/or function of the illumination from light assemblies that come standard on the vehicle. In this manner, the light assemblies could function as originally intended and also provide a unique visual appearance.
The instant invention adds to the aesthetics and novelty of a conventional auxiliary light assembly by adding a ring-shaped electro-luminescent panel around the inner perimeter of a light assembly housing.
A search of the prior art patents and an industry literature search did not disclose any light assemblies that read on the claims of the instant invention.
A vehicle auxiliary light assembly such as a fog light which comprises a centered incandescent light and an electro-luminescent ring light that is located around the light assembly""s perimeter. The light assembly comprises a housing that has an open front surface and a domed rear surface. A combination light receptacle and connector is attached to a connector bore located on the assembly. A plurality of wiring receptacles protrude from the front of the connector, extend through the connector and terminate with a plurality of respective pins, which protrude through the rear of the connector.
An electro-luminescent panel (ELP) is removably attached to a ring slot located on the light assembly""s perimeter. Both the incandescent light bulb and the ELP are electrically connected to respective wiring receptacles to create an electrical circuit for the light assembly.
The incandescent light and the ELP that comprise the light assembly are powered by a vehicle battery. A cable assembly is utilized to apply and control the power that is applied from the battery to the light assembly. By utilizing a first cable assembly the incandescent light bulb and the ELP can be independently activated by use of a power-on light switch or a power-on ELF switch, respectively. A second cable assembly allows the incandescent light bulb and the ELP to be simultaneously turned on when a power-on light/ELF switch is closed. The power-on light/ELP switch is comprised of a vehicle switch that normally operates the auxiliary lights.
In view of the above disclosure, the primary object of the invention is to provide a vehicle auxiliary light assembly, such as a fog light, that in addition to having a conventional centered incandescent light bulb, utilizes an electro-luminescent panel to provide illumination around the auxiliary light""s perimeter.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a vehicle auxiliary light assembly that:
adds a unique visible alteration to conventional light assemblies,
is easy to install, simple to use and maintenance free,
requires a small amount of power for operation,
can be provide as a standard OEM addition to a vehicle light assembly, or may be sold as an after-market item, and
is cost effective from a manufacturer""s and a consumer""s point of view.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the preferred embodiment and the appended claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


A composition comprising a flexible backing for a transdermal drug preparation with a water vapor transmission rate about equal to or in excess of that of ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer, namely equal to or in excess of, at one mil thickness, of about 2 to 4 grams and more preferably in excess of 6 grams per 24 hours per 100 square inches at 40.degree. C. and 90% relative humidity and an oxygen transmission rate equal to or less than ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer, namely at one mil thickness equal to or less than about 0.01 to 0.1 cubic centimeters per 100 square inches measured over 24 hours at 1 atmospheric pressure, 20.degree. C. and 65% relative humidity.

This invention relates to a flexible backing for a composition for administration of drugs through the skin.
With increasing frequency, pharmacologically active agents have been administered by application to the skin, often in a solid carrier. The drug is incorporated into the carrier and attached to the skin, typically by means of an adhesive. The carrier can be a gel or a more rigid polymer or combination of polymeric substances and can have single or multiple components. The adhesive can also function as the carrier. One side of the carrier is applied to the skin, while the other side is accessible to the environment.
Typically, a backing is present on the side of the carrier accessible to the environment. The backing limits the passage of substances from the carrier into the environment, and limits the reverse passage of substances from the environment into the carrier. Typically, the backings are composed of metal foil, metallized plastic, or single or multiPle layers of a polymeric (plastic) substances which do not permit the passage of more than negligible amounts of water.
One known carrier, namely the Bolar Pharmaceutical Co. transdermal preparation for nitroglycerin sold under the trademark NTS, contains a backing material containing polyvinyl chloride. Other backing materials used in transdermal preparations marketed in the United States include aluminized polyester (Transderm Scopolamine, CIBA); other aluminized plastics are used in Transderm Nitro (CIBA); Deponit (Wyeth); and Catapress-TTS (Boehringer Ingelheim.). Aluminum foil (Nitro-Dur, Key; Nitrodisc, Searle), polyethylene/ polyvinylidene chloride coextrusion (Nitro-Dur II, Key), and Polyester (Estraderm, CIBA) are also used.
Aluminum containing backing materials have negligible moisture vapor transmission rates. Aluminum foil, as reported in "Aluminum Foil" by the Aluminum Association, Inc., page 5, Table 3, Second Edition, January 1981, is impermeable to moisture at a thickness of one mil (0.001 inch) and thicker. The water vapor transmission rate is 0.02 grams or less/100 square inches in 24 hours at 100 degrees Fahrenheit (.degree. F.) for a foil of 0.00035 inches, a commonly used thickness. When 0.00035 inch foil is laminated, the water vapor transmission rate drops to practically zero.
Other films common to the film industry, not necessarily to transdermals, which in principle are applicable to transdermals are polyethylene and ethylene copolymers, linear low density polyethylene, very low density polyethylene, ethylene methyl acrylate, ethylene vinyl acetate, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyurethane, polyvinyl and vinyl copolymers, and vinylidene chloride polymers and copolymers (Sarans).
Other available plastic films include:
Acetal PA0 Acrylic PA0 Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) PA0 Acrylonitrile (Methyl Methacrylate/MMA) Copolymer PA0 Acrylonitrile Copolymer, Biaxially-Oriented PA0 Acrylonitrile Types, Other PA0 Ethylene Ethyl Acrylate (EEA) PA0 Ethylene Methyl Acrylate (EMA) PA0 Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) PA0 Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) Copolymer PA0 Ethylene Vinyl Alcohol (EVOH) Polymer PA0 Ionomers PA0 Nylon (Polyamide) PA0 Nylon (Polyamide), Biaxially-Oriented PA0 Nylon (Polyamide), Monoaxially-Oriented PA0 Nylon (Polyamide) Copolymer PA0 Polybutylene (PB) PA0 Polycarbonate (PC) PA0 Polyester PA0 Polyester, Oriented PA0 Polyester, Thermoplastic (Polyethylene TerePhthalate) (PET) PA0 Polyester, Thermoplastic Copolymer (PET-G) PA0 Polyethylene, High Density (HDPE) PA0 Polyethylene, High Density (HDPE), Oriented PA0 Polyethylene, High-Molecular-Weight, High Density (HMWHDPE) PA0 Polyethylene, Intermediate-Molecular-Weight, High Density (IMWHDPE) PA0 Polyethylene, Linear Low Density (LLDPE) PA0 Polyethylene, Low Density (LDPE) PA0 Polyethylene, Medium Density (MDPE) PA0 Polyethylene Oxide PA0 Polyimide PA0 Polypropylene (PP) PA0 Polypropylene (PP), Coated PA0 Polypropylene, Oriented (OPP) PA0 Polystyrene (PS) PA0 Polyurethane (PU) PA0 Polyvinyl Acetate (PVAC) PA0 Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) PA0 Polyvinylidene Chloride (PVDC) PA0 Styrene Acrylonitrile (SAN)
Backings previously used for transdermal compositions typically consist of a polymer alone or laminated to a metal foil which is substantially impervious to moisture and gas, and thus not "breathable" in the sense of permitting permeation of water vapor to and from the composition. The result of this lack of breathability is a tendency of the formulation to irritate the skin or to tend to detach from the skin or both.
The backing must be sufficiently flexible to permit movement of the skin and be compatible with the carrier and drug in the sense that the carrier or the drug does not substantially degrade the backing, especially under normal conditions of use and storage for one to two years. The backing should also not substantially degrade the drug or the carrier.
The general theory of permeation of a gas or a liquid through a polymer matrix is that permeation is a product of the diffusion time and solubility constant of the permeant in the polymer matrix, both of which are often independent of each other. Very often, the property which results in a good gas barrier results in a poor water barrier. For example, highly polar polymers such as those containing hydroxyl groups (ethylene vinyl alcohol) are excellent gas barriers but poor water barriers. Conversely, non-polar hydrocarbon polymers such as polyethylene have excellent water barrier properties but poor gas barrier properties.
In order to be a good barrier polymer, the material should have some degree of polarity, chain stiffness, inertness, close chain-to-chain packing, some bonding or attraction between chains and a high glass transition temPerature (Tg). The various types of barrier polymers and their uses are thoroughly discussed in Salame, et al., "Barrier Polymers", Polym.-Plast. Technol. Eng. 8(2), 155-175 (1977). Not only does the functional group have an effect on oxygen permeability, but so does the degree of crystallinity, the degree of orientation of Polymer Chains, the inclusion of fillers and additives and the presence of moisture in the polymer. As a rule of thumb, permeation increases by 30 to 50% for every 5 degrees Celsius (C.degree.) temperature rise. Rate of permeation is also affected by the molecule, the molecular shape and the polarity of the permeating species.


Transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) transcriptional responses are involved in the pathogenesis of aortic aneurism syndromes. Compositions that inhibit histone acetyltransferase activity normalize gene expression in the aorta, preserved aortic wall architecture and abrogated aneurism progression. Methods include the use of these compositions to epigenetically regulate abnormal expression and/or activity of TGFβ genes.

Acute aortic syndromes comprise classic aortic dissection, IMH, and penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer (Coady M A, et al. Cardiol Clin. 1999; 17(4):637-657). The aortic wall consists of 3 layers (tunica intima, tunica media, and adventitia). Acute aortic dissection (AAD) is presumed to occur when an intimal tear develops, permitting entry of blood to a diseased underlying media characterized by elastic degeneration and smooth muscle cell loss. Chronic acquired conditions, such as systemic arterial hypertension, sometimes in combination with atherosclerosis, cause thickening and fibrosis of the intimal layer and degradation and apoptosis of smooth muscle cells in the media. These processes lead to necrosis and fibrosis of the elastic components of the arterial wall, which in turn produce wall stiffness and weakness, from which dissection and rupture may arise. Because of the high pressure of blood flow in the aorta and thus through the intimal tear, a second or "false" lumen is created, which has the potential for rapid expansion to the outer aspect of the aortic media and which may propagate proximally or distally (Svensson L G, Crawford E S. Cardiovascular and Vascular Disease of the Aorta Philadelphia, Pa.: W B Saunders Co; 1997:1-6; Nienaber C A. Pathophysiology of acute aortic syndromes. In: Baliga R R, Nienaber C A, Isselbacher E M, Eagle K A, editors., eds. Aortic Dissection and Related Syndromes New York, N.Y.: Springer; 2007:17-43).

Targeted epigenetic therapy for inherited aortic aneurysm condition


Provided is a process for producing dense SiC fiber-bonded ceramics excellent in heat resistance and having a shape hard to form by hot pressing such as an elongated shape. The process for producing SiC fiber-bonded ceramics composed of: inorganic fiber made of SiC; and interfacial layers mainly made of carbon includes vacuum-sealing a preform, prepared by forming specific silicon carbide-based inorganic fiber into a certain shape, into a capsule and hot-isostatic-pressing the preform. The process is characterized in that the ratio of the number of carbon atoms to the number of silicon atoms in the preform is 1.02 to 1.20, and before the hot isostatic pressing, the preform is heated in an inert gas atmosphere or a reducing gas atmosphere at a temperature of 1200° C. to 1800° C. to adjust the oxygen content in the inorganic fiber to 6.0% by weight or lower, and then the hot isostatic pressing is carried out.

In the aerospace field and energy and environmental field, for the purposes of improving efficiency and performance, attention has been paid to SiC-based heat-resistant materials that are excellent in oxidation resistance, remain stable for a long time under a high temperature, and have corrosion resistance, high heat conductivity, small thermal expansion property, and low specific densities. Application of such SiC-based materials to a combustor component, a heat exchanger, etc., which are required to be made from a dense material, is also being considered. Representative SiC-based materials include monolithic SiC ceramics, SiC fiber-reinforced SiC composite materials (hereinafter referred to as SiC/SiC), and SiC fiber-bonded ceramics.
Monolithic SiC ceramics are hard and dense and have excellent heat resistance. Therefore, they are used for a sliding member such as a ball bearing, a sliding bearing, etc. in a high-temperature region and a cryogenic region in which a lubricant cannot be used. However, monolithic SiC ceramics lack reliability because they are brittle, being sensitive to minute defects.
On the other hand, SiC/SiC is a material that overcomes the brittleness of monolithic SiC ceramics with a toughening mechanism such as fiber bridging, crack deflection, etc. SiC/SiC is produced mainly by CVI (Chemical Vapor Infiltration) method, PIP (Polymer Infiltration and Pyrolysis) method, and MI (Melt Infiltration) method. However, since all of these methods leave pores in the material, the material needs to be coated with a dense surface layer in order to be applied to a component required to have denseness. Hence, as a process for producing dense SiC/SiC, Patent Document 1 discloses a process for producing a high-density SiC fiber-reinforced SiC composite material by hot pressing. This material is produced by preparing a slurry containing dispersed SiC fine powder and sintering aid, making a preform by impregnating the slurry into SiC fiber coated with one or two or more of carbon, boron nitride, and silicon carbide, and hot-pressing the preform at a sintering temperature of 1600 to 1800° C. and at a pressure of 10 MPa or higher.
Meanwhile, SiC fiber-bonded ceramics are produced by hot-pressing only amorphous Si-M-C-O fiber (M being at least one or more metal element among group IIA, group IIIA, and group IIIB metal elements). In the process for producing SiC fiber-bonded ceramics, the amorphous fiber structurally changes to polycrystalline SiC fiber and at the same time to a closest-packed hexagonal column under a high temperature and a high pressure while generating gas. In the process of the structural changes of the fiber, excess carbon in the amorphous fiber is eliminated onto the fiber surface and formed into a layer structure on the fiber surface. Since this carbon layer on the fiber surface functions as a sliding layer that deflects crack propagation, SiC fiber-bonded ceramics exhibit excellent fracture toughness. From these facts, SiC fiber-bonded ceramics are a material that overcomes the brittleness of monolithic ceramics and the insufficient denseness of SiC/SiC. Particularly, Patent Document 2 discloses a process for hot-pressing a material via a pressure-transmitting medium made of inorganic powder in order to produce SiC fiber-bonded ceramics having a complex shape.
Patent Document 3 discloses a process for producing a bar-shaped or tubular fiber-reinforced ceramics composite material by hot isostatic pressing. According to patent Document 3, the process for producing a fiber-reinforced ceramics composite material includes making a preform by forming prepreg sheet made of inorganic fiber and ceramics powder or forming inorganic fiber made of an inner layer and a surface layer into a certain shape, sealing the preform in a glass capsule, and hot-isostatic-pressing the encapsulated preform. In this process, there is a step of covering the surface of the preform with a substance that remains stable by reacting with none of the preform and the glass and does not allow permeation of the glass thereinto. The viscosity of the glass capsule during hot isostatic pressing is 103 to 107.5 P. The amount of glass used in the hot isostatic pressing process is adjusted in a way to release any residual tensile stress that is generated on the product due to breakage of the glass of the glass capsule covering the surface of that substance during a cooling process. The inorganic fiber recited in claim 1 of Patent Document 3 is thermally very stable and can be considered to keep the structure before the hot isostatic pressing process even after the process. The inorganic fiber made of an inner layer and a surface layer recited in claim 2 of Patent Document 3 also does not have a large structural change after the hot isostatic pressing process, though with a slight structural change. In this inorganic fiber, the inner layer is made of (a) an amorphous material substantially consisting of Si, M, C, and O (where M being Ti or Zr), (b) an assembly of crystalline superfine particle substantially consisting of at least one or more of β-SiC, MC, a solid solution of β-SiC and MC, and MC1-X, and C; and an amorphous material consisting of SiO2 and MO2 (where X being a number not less than 0 and less than 1), or (c) a mixture of the amorphous material of (a) and the assembly of (b). The surface layer is made of (d) an amorphous material substantially consisting of Si, M, and O, (e) a crystalline assembly consisting of crystalline SiO2 and MO2, or (f) a mixture of the amorphous material of (d) and the crystalline assembly of (e). That is, neither of these inorganic fibers generates a large amount of gas before or after hot isostatic pressing.

Process for producing SiC fiber-bonded ceramics


A geostrophic wind forecasting method determines an atmospheric density (D) and a Coriolis parameter (F) at a given location. The atmospheric pressure is detected at the location over a predetermined period of time (t). The period of time (t), e.g., two hours, corresponds to the time required for a pressure surface to travel a distance (X) at an empirically determined velocity, e.g., 35 knots. The change in pressure (.DELTA.P) is detected over the period of time (t). The geostrophic wind velocity (VG) is then determined, according to the invention, based on the following relationship: VG=[1/(D.times.F)].times.[.DELTA.P/X]. The resulting geostrophic wind velocity (VG) is then displayed. At 35 knots, over a given two hour period, the distance X traveled by the pressure surface is approximately equal to 129,640 meters. The method is embodied in an apparatus that can be associated with a conventional barometer to produce a weather forecasting station.

This invention relates generally to weather forecasting and more particularly to forecasting geostrophic wind velocity associated with wave cyclones.
Forecasting weather, in some cases, is an art. Many forecasting techniques have developed, however, to assist a meteorologist in accurately forecasting the weather. Some of the forecasting techniques are based on a theoretical model of the earth using a noninertial frame of reference. The noninertial frame of reference permits an analysis of a unit of mass being acted on by various forces to produce changes in the weather.
An analysis using the noninertial frame of reference leads to the well known geostrophic wind equations, as described in "Introduction to Theoretical Meteorology," by Seymour Hess (1959), pp. 161-178. The geostrophic wind equations relate the derivative of pressure P relative to distance x, i.e., .delta.P/.delta.x, to a resulting geostrophic wind velocity VG according to the following simplified equation: EQU VG=[1/(D.times.F)].times.(.delta.P/.delta.x), (1)
where D is equal to the atmospheric density and F is equal to the Coriolis parameter.
Meteorologists use the geostrophic wind equation to forecast the wind velocity associated with a particular pressure surface. In the simplest case, two pressure sensors separated by a known distance .DELTA.x monitor the atmospheric pressure at their respective locations. The pressure detected at each location is then subtracted to produce a change in pressure .DELTA.P, which is an approximation of the actual derivative .delta.P/.delta.x. The change in pressure .DELTA.P is then divided by the known distance .DELTA.x between the sensors to produce the change in pressure over the change in distance, i.e., .DELTA.P/.DELTA.x, which is approximately equal to .delta.P/.delta.x.
The atmospheric density D is then computed according to the following known equation: EQU D=P/(R.times.T), (2)
where R is equal to the Universal Gas Constant and has a value of 287.05 J/(Kg.times..degree.K.); P is equal to the current pressure; and T is equal to the current temperature in degrees Kelvin. The Coriolis parameter can also be computed as a function of latitude according to the following known formula: EQU F=2.times..OMEGA..times.sin(.phi.), (3)
where .OMEGA. is equal to the earth's angular velocity in radians per second; and .phi. is equal to the latitude of the pressure sensor location measured in degrees.
Once all of the variables of the geostrophic wind equation are known, the geostrophic wind velocity can be computed according to the geostrophic wind equation (1). The velocity produced by the geostrophic wind equation provides from three to twelve hours of advance warning depending on the geographic position of the sensors. On average, measurements performed in the Midwest United States, for example, produce approximately three hours of advance warning, whereas in the Western United States the advance warning is approximately twelve hours.
The above-described method requires a relatively high degree of understanding and mathematical ability. Although meteorologists possess this level of sophistication, the average consumer does not. In addition, the above-described method requires at least two pressure sensors as well as a means to communicate with both of the sensors. Meteorological services can provide the pressure readings at given locations; however, this method requires a means for down-loading the pressure data and means for converting the pressure readings to geostrophic wind velocity. As a result of the complexity of either technique, geostrophic wind forecasters are relegated to the offices of meteorologists, rather than the consuming public.
Another technique which requires only a single pressure sensor uses historical data to predict future wind velocity. U.S. Pat. No. 4,631,960 issued to Wogerbauer describes an electronic recording manometer having wind velocity prediction. The Wogerbauer apparatus senses change in pressure over time with the use of a pressure sensor under microprocessor control. Historical data relating change in pressure over time to wind velocity is stored in memory. Although little discussion is made of the historical data in Wogerbauer, presumably the historical wind velocity is an average wind velocity over a given period of time as measured at the current location of the apparatus. For each detected change in pressure over time, a corresponding historical wind velocity can then be fetched from memory and displayed on an LCD display.
The Wogerbauer apparatus suffers from several disadvantages. The first is the reduced accuracy of the wind velocity prediction. The accuracy of the historical data is limited by the length of the historical period over which the historical data is captured. Also, past wind patterns are not a perfect indicator of future wind patterns.
The second disadvantage of the Wogerbauer apparatus is its complexity. The historical wind velocity data is based on a particular geographical location. Thus, the historical wind velocity must be separately compiled for all geographical areas in which the apparatus operates. Therefore, either separate devices must be manufactured for different regions or the memory made large enough to store the historical data for all regions and allow the user to select the appropriate one. As a result of these and other disadvantages of the Wogerbauer apparatus, historical wind velocity forecasters are not widely in use by the public.
Accordingly, a need remains for a geostrophic wind forecasting apparatus which accurately and inexpensively forecasts geostrophic wind.

Apparatus and method for determining geostrophic wind velocity


The present invention provides a synthetic leather including at least a base (i), an adhesive layer (ii), and a skin layer (iii). The adhesive layer (ii) is formed of a urethane resin composition including a urethane resin (A) produced using an aromatic polyisocyanate (a1) as a raw material and water (B). The skin layer (iii) is formed of a urethane resin composition including an anionic urethane resin (X) having an anionic group concentration of 0.25 mmol/g or less, water (Y), and an anionic surfactant (Z). The aromatic polyisocyanate (a1) preferably includes toluene diisocyanate. The urethane resin (A) has an aromatic ring concentration of 0.1 to 2.5 mol/kg.

Polyurethane resins have been broadly used in the production of synthetic leather (including artificial leather) because of their high mechanical strength and good feeling. Although solvent-based urethane resins including N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) have been used for use in the production of synthetic leather in most cases, there has been a demand for using DMF-free urethane resins in the production of the layers constituting synthetic leather in the context of DMF regulations in Europe, strengthening of the regulations on VOC emissions in China and Taiwan, DMF regulations in major apparel companies, and the like.
In order to address the above circumstances, a urethane resin composition that is, for example, an aqueous dispersion of a urethane resin has been broadly studied (e.g., see PTL 1). While the shift of the material for the skin layer of synthetic leather from a solvent-based urethane resin to a water-based urethane resin has been gradually increased in the market as in the invention described in PTL 1, the shift of the urethane resin for the adhesive layer to a water-based urethane resin has not been done. This is primarily because the peel strengths of urethane resins provided in the form of an aqueous dispersion or the like are not sufficiently high compared with solvent-based urethane resins. Moreover, the skin layer has many problems to be solved, such as an odor caused by a neutralizer and reduction in the amount of bleeding.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A method and system for providing flexible access resources or services related to particular software applications are described. The system includes a database of Internet sites that have been categorized so that the system determines the category of information that a user is accessing on the Internet. The system is also programmed so users are only allowed to access sites a limited number of times. The system is further programmed to limit a user's access to the Internet based on the network's current bandwidth usage. Moreover, users can requested a postponed access, wherein the resource or service they are requesting is stored to a server, and available to the user at a later time. In addition, if a user chooses to access a resource or service that is within certain predefined categories, they are presented with the option of retrieving the resource or service, but notified that their access will be logged to a file.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to systems and methods for managing use of a network, such as accessing Internet websites via a web browser or the use of other applications.
2. Description of the Related Art
The Internet is a global system of computers that are linked together so that the various computers can communicate seamlessly with one another. Internet users access server computers in order to download and display informational pages. Once a server has been connected to the Internet, its informational pages can be displayed by virtually anyone having access to the Internet.
The easy access and inexpensive cost of retrieving Internet pages has led to several problems for controlling access to inappropriate information, such as pornography. Several solutions to this problem have been proposed, including rating systems similar to that used for rating movies so that a parent or employer could control access to Internet servers, or pages, that have a particular rating. Unfortunately, this mechanism requires each person running an Internet server to voluntarily rate their site. Because of the free-wheeling nature of the Internet, this type of voluntary rating scheme is unlikely to be very efficient for preventing access to sites, such as those containing pornography, that most parents or businesses desire to block.
In addition to a rating scheme, others have developed databases that contain the uniform resource locator (URL) address of sites to be blocked. These databases are integrated into network computer systems and Internet firewalls so that a person wishing access to the Internet first has their URL request matched against the database of blocked sites. The user cannot access any URL found in the database. One such system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,678,041 to Baker et al. Unfortunately, such systems rely on the database of accessed sites to be complete. Because new servers are being added to the Internet on a daily basis, as well as current servers being updated with new information, these databases do not provide a complete list of sites that should be blocked.
In addition, current systems do not provide a user with any flexibility once they have requested a site that is within the blocked database. Thus, users that have a legitimate reason for reviewing such sites are still denied access.

Filtering techniques for managing access to internet sites or other software applications


In the case of a device for ascertaining a fill level of a medium inside a collection container, having at least one measuring chamber, in which an ultrasonic sensor is arranged, connected to conduct media to the collection chamber, and having at least one antechamber connected upstream from the measuring chamber, which has at least one inlet opening for the medium from the collection chamber, at least one flow damper for the medium, according to the invention, is arranged in at least one subarea of the antechamber. Thereby multiple antechambers, which are connected in series one behind another to conduct media, are connected upstream from the measuring chamber.

The invention relates to a device for ascertaining a fill level of a medium, in particular inside a collection container, having at least one measuring chamber, in which an ultrasonic sensor is arranged, connected to conduct media to the collection container, and having at least one antechamber connected upstream from the measuring chamber, which has at least one inlet opening for the medium from the collection container.

Device for ascertaining a fill level of a medium


A system for reducing combustion dynamics in a combustor includes an end cap having an upstream surface axially separated from a downstream surface, and tube bundles extend from the upstream surface through the downstream surface. A divider inside a tube bundle defines a diluent passage that extends axially through the downstream surface, and a diluent supply in fluid communication with the divider provides diluent flow to the diluent passage. A method for reducing combustion dynamics in a combustor includes flowing a fuel through tube bundles, flowing a diluent through a diluent passage inside a tube bundle, wherein the diluent passage extends axially through at least a portion of the end cap into a combustion chamber, and forming a diluent barrier in the combustion chamber between the tube bundle and at least one other adjacent tube bundle.

Combustors are commonly used in industrial and power generation operations to ignite fuel to produce combustion gases having a high temperature and pressure. For example, gas turbines typically include one or more combustors to generate power or thrust. A typical gas turbine used to generate electrical power includes an axial compressor at the front, one or more combustors around the middle, and a turbine at the rear. Ambient air may be supplied to the compressor, and rotating blades and stationary vanes in the compressor progressively impart kinetic energy to the working fluid (air) to produce a compressed working fluid at a highly energized state. The compressed working fluid exits the compressor and flows through one or more nozzles into a combustion chamber in each combustor where the compressed working fluid mixes with fuel and ignites to generate combustion gases having a high temperature and pressure. The combustion gases expand in the turbine to produce work. For example, expansion of the combustion gases in the turbine may rotate a shaft connected to a generator to produce electricity.
Various design and operating parameters influence the design and operation of combustors. For example, higher combustion gas temperatures generally improve the thermodynamic efficiency of the combustor. However, higher combustion gas temperatures also promote flashback or flame holding conditions in which the combustion flame migrates towards the fuel being supplied by the nozzles, possibly causing severe damage to the nozzles in a relatively short amount of time. In addition, higher combustion gas temperatures generally increase the disassociation rate of diatomic nitrogen, increasing the production of nitrogen oxides (NOx). Conversely, a lower combustion gas temperature associated with reduced fuel flow and/or part load operation (turndown) generally reduces the chemical reaction rates of the combustion gases, increasing the production of carbon monoxide and unburned hydrocarbons.
In a particular combustor design, a plurality of premixer tubes may be radially arranged in an end cap to provide fluid communication for the working fluid and fuel through the end cap and into the combustion chamber. Although effective at enabling higher operating temperatures while protecting against flashback or flame holding and controlling undesirable emissions, some fuels and operating conditions produce very high frequencies with high hydrogen fuel composition in the combustor. Increased vibrations in the combustor associated with high frequencies may reduce the useful life of one or more combustor components. Alternately, or in addition, high frequencies of combustion dynamics may produce pressure pulses inside the premixer tubes and/or combustion chamber that affect the stability of the combustion flame, reduce the design margins for flashback or flame holding, and/or increase undesirable emissions. Therefore, a system and method that reduces resonant frequencies in the combustor would be useful to enhancing the thermodynamic efficiency of the combustor, protecting the combustor from catastrophic damage, and/or reducing undesirable emissions over a wide range of combustor operating levels.

System and method for reducing combustion dynamics in a combustor