A method of treating headache is provided using a water soluble magnesium salt. Specifically, a method of treating a headache is provided for an individual having a serum ionized magnesium concentration of 0.44 mmoles/L to 0.53 mmoles/L and having at least one headache symptom by administering an amount of a water soluble magnesium salt sufficaent to inhibit at least one headache symptom in the individual within 24 hours and to raise the serum ionized magnesium concentration in the individual to within a normal ionized magnesium concentration range of 0.54 mmoles/L to 0.67 mmoles/L. Headache symptoms which may be inhibited include: pain, aura, photophobia, nausea, unilateral pain and phonophobia.

Magnesium (Mg) is the second most abundant cation in the body [Altura, B. M. et al., Drugs 28 (Suppl.I):120-142, 1984]. It is cofactor for more than 325 cellular enzymes involved in cellular energy production and storage, protein synthesis, DNA and RNA synthesis, cell growth and reproduction, adenylate cyclase synthesis, maintenance of cellular electrolyte composition, and stabilization of mitochondrial membranes [Altura, B. M. et al, Drugs 28 (Suppl.I):120-142, 1984; Wacker, W. E. C. Magnesium and Man, Harvard Univ. Press, Cambridge, 1980]. As a consequence of these biochemical activities, Mg plays a pivotal role in control of neuronal activity, cardiac excitability, neuromuscular transmission, muscular contraction, and vasomotor tone [Altura, B. M. et al., Drugs 28 (Suppl.I):120-142, 1984; Wacker, W. E. C. Magnesium and Man, Harvard Univ. Press, Cambridge, 1980; Altura, B. M. et al., in: Metal Ions in Biological Systems, ed. by H. Sigel and A. Sigel, Vol 26: Compendium on Magnesium and Its Role in Biology, Nutrition, and Physiology, pp 359-416, Marcel Dekker, Inc. New York, 1990].
Most clinical data of Mg determinations are derived from blood levels of total Mg (Wacker, W. E. C. Magnesium and Man, 1980; Elin, R. J. Clin. Chem. 33:1965-1970, 1987). Total serum Mg concentrations reflect protein-bound (30-40%), chelated (7-12%), and free or ionized Mg (Mg.sup.2+) (60-70%) fractions. The exact proportion of these fractions has been extremely difficult to determine precisely, and, moreover, there is no way to rapidly make such determinations. Precise information about Mg activity is pivotal to our understanding of Mg metabolism. The free or ionized form (Mg.sup.2+) is the active form of the mineral (Wacker, W. E. C. Magnesium and Man, 1980; Elin, R. J. Clin. Chem. 33:1965-1970, 1987; Ryan, M. F. Ann. Clin. Biochem. 28:19-26, 1991). Alterations in circulating protein levels (primarily albumin), which are seen in numerous pathophysiologic states, will alter the interpretation of Mg status (very similar to calcium) (Elin, R. J. Clin. Chem. 33:1965-1970, 1987).
Although numerous methods are available clinically, to determine total Mg in serum, plasma, urine, cerebral spinal fluid and other body fluids (e.g., atomic absorption spectrophotometry, atomic emission spectrophotometry, colorimetry, fluorometry, compleximetry and chromatograph for quantifying total Mg), none of these can determine ionized or free Mg.sup.2+ (Elin, R. J. Cin. Chem. 33:1965-1970, 1987; Wills, M. R. et al. Magnesium 5:317-327, 1986).
Until the present invention, the only method for assessing free Mg.sup.2+ in biological samples was an ultrafiltration procedure (Wacker, W. E. C. Magnesium and Man, 1980; Elin, R. J. Clin. Chem. 33:1965-1970, 1987; Wills, M. R. et al. Magnesium 5:317-327, 1986; Aikawa, J. K. Magnesium: Its Biologic Significance, CRC Press, Boca Raton, 1981). While this procedure is capable of measuring free Mg.sup.2+, it is fraught with a multiplicity of problems (need to control pH, need to control filter composition, time-consuming, inability to access whole blood Mg.sup.2+, need for centrifugation of blood). In addition, and most important, these classical methods, which primarily depend upon modifications of the procedure outlined by Watchorn, E. et al. (Biochem. J. 26:54, 1932), Toribara et. al. (J. Clin. Invest. 36:738, 1957) and Walser, M. (J. Clin. Invest. 40:723-730, 1961) result in ionized Mg.sup.2+ values on normal subjects which are significantly different from those obtained by the present method as assessed using an ion selective electrode (ISE). Using ultracentrifugation methods combined with ultrafiltration methods to assess free Mg.sup.2+, the percentages of ultrafilterable Mg reported by previous workers (around 70%) (Cummings, N. A. et al. Anal. Biochem 22:108-116, 1968; Nielson, S. P. Scand. J. Clin. Lab. Invest. 23:219-225, 1960) are much higher than the values using the present method. Even more recent measurements, using ultrafiltration and a micropartition filtration system has yielded a much wider range of values for ultrafilterable Mg from normal human subjects than those of the present method (D'Costa, M. et al. Clin. Chem. 29:519, 1983; Zaloga, G. P. et al. Crit. Care Med. 15:813-816, 1987). Some of these pitfalls preclude determination of Mg.sup.2+ in various body fluids. Moreover, determinations can not be done on less than 1.0 ml of blood.
The physiologic or pathophysiologic effects of mild to severe (or graded) decreases or increases in extracellular free Mg.sup.2+ in whole blood, serum or plasma has not been possible to discern in human subjects or animals either rapidly (e.g., within 1-2 min) or repeatedly (multiple samples over a few minutes-hours). Since Mg is frequently used in normomagnesemic patients for its antiarrhythmic, vasomotor and neuronal actions [Altura, B. M. et al. Drugs 28(Suppl.I):120-142, 1984; Wacker, W. E. C. Magnesium and Man, 1980; Altura, B. M. et.al. In: Metal Ions in Biological Systems, 1990; Iseri C. T. et al. West J. Med. 138:823-828, 1983; Ebel, H. et al. J. Clin. Chem. Clin. Biochem. 21:249-265, 1983], it is vital to be able to assess the exact extracellular level of ionized Mg.sup.2+ at any one instant. Although there is a dire need to carefully monitor extracellular Mg.sup.2+ in hypomagnesemic patients or patients linked to Mg deficiency states such as cardiovascular insufficiency, cardiac arrhythmias, coronary artery spasm, those at risk for sudden death, renal disorders, respiratory muscle weakness, pre-eclampsia, eclampsia, migraine, hypertension, premenstrual syndrome, tetany, seizures, tremor, apathy, depression, hypokalemia and hypocalcemia, there is at present no way to do this either precisely or rapidly [Altura, B. M. et al. Drugs 28(Suppl.I):120-142, 1984; Wacker, W. E. C. Magnesium and Man, 1980; Altura, B. M. et.al. In: Metal Ions in Biological Systems, 1990; Iseri, C. T. West J. Med. 138:823-828, 1983; Ebel, H. et al. J. Clin. Chem. Clin. Biochem. 21:249-265, 1983;Altura, B. M. et al. Magnesium 4:226-244, 1985; Zaloga, G. P. Chest 56:257-258, 1989; Sjogren, A. J. Intern. Med. 226:213-222, 1989; Zaloga, G. P. et al. In: Problems in Critical Care, ed. G. P. Zaloga Vol 4:425-436, J.B. Lippincott Co., Philadelphia, 1990; Resnick, L. M. et al. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 81:6511-6515, 1984; Rudnick, M. et al. APMIS 98:1123-1127, 1990].
In 1980, it was suggested on the basis of in-vitro experiments that drops in ionized serum Mg.sup.2+ would produce coronary vasospasm, arrhythmias and sudden death (Turlapaty and Altura, Science 208:198-200, 1980). Although clinical observations from other workers in the intervening years have suggested this might be a "real" possibility, up until the present invention, no evidence could be gathered due to the unavailability of a method for accurate and rapid assessment of blood ionized Mg.sup.2+ (Altura, B. M. et al. In: Metal Ions in Biological Systems, Vol 26, 1990; Ebel, H. et al. J. Clin. Chem. Clin. Biochem. 21:249-265, 1983; Altura, B. M. et al. Magnesium 4:226-244, 1985; Sjogren, A. et al. J. Intern. Med. 226:213-222, 1989; Zaloga, G. P. et al. In: Problems In Critical Care Vol 4, 1990).
Over the past 10 years, it has been determined that reductions in ionized Mg.sup.2+, experimentally in animals and isolated cerebral blood vessels, can induce intense vasospasm and rupture of blood vessels in the brain (Altura, B. M. et al. In: Metal Ions in Biological Systems Vol 26, 1990; Altura, B. T. et al.Neuroscience Letters 20:323-327, 1980; Altura, B. T. et al. Magnesium 1:277-291, 1982; Altura, B. T. et al. Magnesium 3:195-211, 1984; Altura, B. M. et al. Am. J. Emerg. Med. 1:180-193, 1983; Huang, Q-F., et al. FASEB J. 3:A845, 1989). On the basis of such experimental findings, it has been hypothesized that head trauma would be associated with deficits in serum, plasma and whole blood ionized Mg.sup.2+ (Altura, B. T. et al. Magnesium 1:277-291, 1982; Altura, B. T. et al. Magnesium 3:195-211, 1984; Altura, B. M. et al. Am. J. Emerg. Med. 1:180-193, 1983). The present inventions has allowed these studies to be undertaken for the first time.
In the 1970's and 1980's, on the basis of numerous animal experiments, it was reported that deficits in ionized Mg.sup.2+ would result in maintained peripheral vasospasm, constriction of small blood vessels in numerous organ regions and as a consequence development of high blood pressure or hypertension (Altura, B. M. et al. Drugs 28 (Suppl.I): 120-142, 1984; Altura, B. M. et al. In: Metal Ions in Biological Systems Vol 26, 1990; Altura, B. M. et al. Magnesium 4:226-244, 1985; Sjogren, A. et al. J. Intern. Med. 226:213-222, 1989; Turlapaty, P. D. M. V. et al. Science 208:198-200, 1980; Altura, B. M. et al. Federation Proc. 40:2672-2679, 1981; Altura, B. M. et al., Science 221:376-378, 1983; Altura, B. M. et al. Science 223:1315-1317, 1984). Until the development of the present invention, this hypothesis was not testable because of a lack of proper methodology for processing samples and measuring ionized Mg.sup.2+.
Accelerated atherosclerotic heart disease is a leading cause of death in the long-term (>10 year) renal transplant recipient. Hypertension and hyperlipidemia are common in this population and may be secondary to cyclosporine use. Cyclosporine has been associated with a renal tubular total magnesium (Twg) leak, as evidence by low serum total magnesium values and increased urinary excretion. Hypomagnesemia has been implicated as a factor in modulation of blood lipid levels, alteration of vascular tone and cyclosporine toxicity. Until the present invention, accurate measurements of biologically active ionized magnesium or ionized Ca.sup.2+ /ionized Mg.sup.2+ ratios were not possible. Therefore, until the present invention, it was not possible to determine the ratio of ionized calcium and ionized magnesium in hypercholesterolemia and cyclosporine toxicity in renal transplant recipients.
In 1981-1983, studies on isolated blood vessels from animals and pregnant women, suggested that reduction in dietary intake of Mg or inability to metabolize Mg properly could result in reduction in ionized Mg.sup.2+ and thus in umbilical and placental vasospasm, possibly reducing oxygen and nutrients to the growing fetus (Altura, B. M. et al. Federation Proc. 40:2672-2679, 1981; Altura, B. M. et al., Science 221:376-378, 1983). The end result could be, in large measure, responsible for fetal growth retardation, pre-eclampsia, hypertension and convulsions, particularly in pregnant indigent women (Rudnick, M. et al. APMIS 98:1123-1127, 1990; Altura, B. M. Science 221:376-378, 1983). Mg has been recommended as early as 1925 in this country for treatment and prevention of pregnancy-induced pre-eclampsia, hypertension and convulsions, but a method for accurately monitoring ionized Mg.sup.2+ rapidly and repeatedly throughout pregnancy was not available until development of the present invention.
National population statistics indicate that 18 million women and 5.6 million men suffer from severe migraine headaches..sup.1 Only about one-third of all headache patients are fully satisfied with treatments currently available.
Although major advances have been made in unraveling the etiologies of numerous disease states, the precise cause(s) of migraine headaches remains elusive. Many investigators suspect that migraine and tension-type headaches may be part-and-parcel of a similar biologic process despite having differing clinical symptoms..sup.2-4 One popular theory is that although a susceptible individual may first demonstrate intermittent migraines, these will evolve into chronic daily headaches, similar in nature to tension-type headaches, suggesting that possibly the two types of headaches derive from a similar initiating biochemical etiology. Another leading theory is that all headaches share a common neurotransmitter dysfunctional mechanism, for example, related to the actions of serotonin. Changes in magnesium levels have effects on the functions of serotonin,.sup.27-29 and NMDA receptors,.sup.30-32 nitric oxide production,.sup.33 catecholamine production and activity.sup.24 and on more than 325 enzymatic processes in the body..sup.35 IMg.sup.2+ levels are known to affect entry of Ca.sup.2+, intracellular Ca.sup.2+ levels and its release from sarcoplasmic and endoplasmic reticulum membranes in vascular muscle and endothelial cells which in turn control vascular tone and vascular reactivity to endogenous hormones and neurotransmitters..sup.36, 37 Such vascular effects could play a role in migraine pathogenesis..sup.5 Thus, magnesium deficiency could be involved in both the vascular and neurological aspects (e.g., migraine aura, pain, nausea, etc.) of the development of migraines.
Since 60 percent of all migraine sufferers report that close relatives often have a similar problem, it would appear that genetic control mechanisms are also important in several types of headaches. It is thus possible that, biochemically, there may be a common factor to the above enigma. A reliable biologic marker(s) for headache has long-remained elusive..sup.4
A large body of circumstantial evidence points to the possible role of magnesium deficiency in the pathogenesis of headaches and a possible vascular mechanism has been proposed..sup.5 It was pointed out there that all drugs which have been successfully utilized for the treatment or prevention of migraine attacks acts on cerebral blood vessels. Cerebral blood vessels are more sensitive to Mg (either, deficient or excess of) than any other type of vascular muscle cells; Mg deficiency resulting in contraction and potentiation of vasoconstrictors and excess resulting in vasodilatation and inhibition of vasoconstrictors..sup.5, 6, 38 Deficiency in Mg.sup.2+ in neuronal and vascular tissue could be expected to result in elevation in levels of catecholamines, serotonin, prostaglandins and substance P,.sup.34, 35, 38-41 vasoactive substances long implicated in the etiology of migraine..sup.5 In addition, serotonin is known to be released form platelets during a migraine attack,.sup.42 and to be a potent cerebral vasoconstrictorl and promote nausea and vomiting..sup.43 Some prostanoids, e.g., PGE.sub.1, are known to provoke pulsating headaches and additional migraine-like symptoms.sup.44 as well as potentiate vasoconstrictor hormones acting on blood vessels..sup.45 Pain in headache is often attributed to the action of substance P on sensory fibers..sup.46 It is of some interest to note that an Mg-deficiency induced state has recently been shown experimentally to result in significant generation and release of substance P into the blood stream..sup.41 Excess Mg is known to attenuate and inhibit the production and actions of substance P, serotonin and catecholamines on several types of end-organs including cerebral vascular tissue..sup.5,32,33,36,38
Since 1960,.sup.47 it has been known that Mg.sup.2+ can prevent spreading depression in the cerebral cortex. This spreading depression causes an attenuation of blood flow to the affected area of the brain, resulting in local hypoxia and possibly the neurological phenomenon termed the aura of migraine. It has been suggested that the type A stressful personality, often seen in the old characteristic descriptions of migraine sufferers, is associated with a Mg deficit..sup.48 The fact that most Americans exhibit shortfalls in Mg intake in their daily diets,.sup.34,35 and that some normal healthy volunteers exhibit deficits in serum IMg.sup.2+ but not TMg,.sup.49 supports the notion the Mg deficiency could be an important factor in the etiology of headaches.
Mg seems to possess unique weak calcium channel-blocking abilities..sup.5,35,36 It can act to regulate the entry of Ca.sup.2+ into smooth muscle and endothelial cells,.sup.35,36,50,51 and regulate the intracellular release and binding of Ca.sup.2+ 35,40,51 by acting on potential-operated, receptor-operated and leak-operated Ca.sup.2+ channels in these cells..sup.36 This may also help to explain why calcium channel blockers (CCB), unlike Mg.sup.2+ shown here, require a relatively long period of therapy (e.g., two-to-five months) to achieve reasonable therapeutic effects in migraine sufferers..sup.52 CCB could not be expected to act on leak-operated Ca.sup.2+ channels and only certain ones act on receptor-operated Ca.sup.2+ channel, making Mg.sup.2+ a potentially ideal therapeutic agent for headaches..sup.31
.sup.31 P-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy showed low brain Mg.sup.2+ in a limited number of subjects during and between migraine attacks..sup.6 A low Mg.sup.2+ level is known to facilitate the development of spreading depression of Leao in animal experiments..sup.7 This phenomenon is thought to underlie the phenomenon of migraine aura. Several anecdotal observations and one double-blind, placebo controlled trial suggested that oral Mg supplementation may be helpful in some headache patients. Oral magnesium supplementation trials, for the treatment of headaches,.sup.9-12 may have been impeded in the past by two factors. Absorption of oral supplements is highly variable and IMg.sup.2+ levels were not monitored. One study reported that total serum Mg (TMg) levels were decreased in patients with migraine and tension-type headaches during an attack more than in the interictal period..sup.13 Two other studies showed normal serum levels of TMg between attacks of migraine..sup.12, 14 In one of these studies, a decreased TMg concentration in erythrocytes was found,.sup.14 while in the other a decreased TMg concentration in lymphocytes and polymorphonuclear cells, but not erythrocytes, was detected. A recent study showed decreased TMg content in mononuclear cells in migraine patients with and without aura during an interictal period..sup.15
Studies of IMg.sup.2+ in large numbers of headache patients showed different incidences of low IMg.sup.2+ levels in patients with different headache syndromes. Patients with chronic tension headaches.sup.19 had the lowest incidence (4.5%), while patients with episodic cluster headaches had a 50% incidence..sup.20 Patients with an acute migraine headache had a 42% incidence of low IMg.sup.2+ levels. Total magnesium levels in most of these patients, including those with low serum IMg.sup.2+, were normal..sup.19-22
The present invention is a novel treatment and composition that results in rapid and immediate relief of various types of headaches using magnesium.
A novel method to draw, handle, process and store biological samples for accurate, rapid and reproducible levels of ionized or free Mg.sup.2+ was developed. The method of collecting and processing samples has utility in preparing biological samples for measurement of ionized Mg.sup.2+ concentrations using a novel selective ion electrode with neutral carrier based membrane. Using the methods of the present invention, an accurate normal range for ionized Mg.sup.2+ in whole blood, plasma and serum has been determined for the first time. It is now possible to diagnose, prognoses and treat various disease states by the method of the present invention, by monitoring fluctuations in ionized Mg.sup.2+ concentrations.

Method and composition for treatment of headache using magnesium

Research Foundation of the State University of New York


A watertube boiler for all types of boilers including natural circulation, forced circulation and one-through types. The boiler includes a plurality of heat absorption water tubes forming a heat absorption watertube unit in the furnace. The heat absorption watertube unit comprises a relatively dense arrangement of heat absorption water tubes disposed in the combustion path of the burner, such that the flame of the burner impinges on the unit. The heat absorption watertube unit can be arranged in the first stage of a watertube boiler having at least one additional furnace stage receiving exhaust gas from the first stage. The additional stage can be disposed either perpendicularly and horizontally, and the air/fuel mixture in each stage is maintained at a specificied ratio to optimize combustion of the fuel. A method of operating a watertube boiler having three stages is also provided. By using the watertube boiler and method, the generation of nitrogen oxides can be controlled and the volume of the boiler can be reduced.

Formally the furnace of a boiler covers the largest capacity structurally of boiler and controls the quality and the cost of the boiler greatly, and so miniaturization of the furnace of a boiler has been desired.
FIG. 10 shows a diagrammatic representation of a sectional view of a conventional watertube boiler.
In FIG. 10, (1) designates a furnace, (2) designates a secondary super heater, (3) designates a reheater and (4) designates a watertube boiler. The furnace (1) covers about 10% of a boiler as a heating surface which is not so large, but the occupied volume itself covers about 60% of the boiler.
This fact is due to the small heat liberation rate in a furnace, for example the value of heat liberation rate is only to the extent of about 100,000 Kcal/m.sup.3 H, even in a large scale capacity boiler for power generation and industry, etc. The reason for this is due to the fact that in such a boiler as a conventional boiler in which the water-wall tubes surround the large combustion flame, the heat absorption rate of the heating surface becomes larger of its own accord in proportion to the heat liberation rate in the furnace and the water tubes of a boiler are finally burnt out which brings about the so called "burn-out phenomenon".
This burn-out phenomenon is due to the fact that the heat liberation rate in the furnace of a boiler should be small in order to maintain a suitable heat absorption rate of the heating surface of a boiler, because the water-wall heating surface of a boiler is proportional to the 2nd power of its dimension against the increase of the volume of a boiler in proportion to the 3rd power of its dimension from the point of the similarity of combustion and conduction of heating according to the capacity of a boiler.
Therefore, a large space is necessary for the furnace of a large capacity boiler for power generation and industry, etc. and so accordingly the boiler has become large sized.
FIG. 11 shows a diagrammatic representation of a furnace of a conventional watertube boiler. In FIG. 11, (1) designates a furnace, (5a) designates a water-wall tube of the furnace. FIG. 12 illustrates the distribution of a heat flux of water-wall tube in the furnace of a conventional watertube boiler.
As shown in FIG. 12, water-wall tubes (5a) are given a radiation heat transfer (QoKcal/m.sup.2 H) from the combustion flame, which is a characteristic of water-wall tubes of a furnace of a conventional watertube boiler.
This radiation heat transfer is only given from the hemisphere side (7) of the furnace, but not from the hemisphere (8) of the wall side of the furnace, i.e. the hemisphere of wall side (8) of a furnace does not contribute to the heat transfer.
There is a distribution of the value of heat flux on the hemisphere side (7) of the furnace as shown by the arrows in FIG. 12. In that case, it is necessary to make the maximum value of heat flux below the critical heat flux so as not to cause a burn-out phenomenon and so there were points to be considered in design that the sum of local heat absorption rate at the circumference of a watertube of a conventional furnace should be very low. Formally, there were plans to raise the critical heat flux in order to solve the above mentioned points. For example, inner grooved water tubes were tested for use but did not succeed to raise remarkably the heat liberation rate so as to obtain a noticeable effect in the furnace.
On the other side, when the heat liberation rate in the furnace is raised, it has a defect of causing pollution because hot spots are generated in the central part of the conventional furnace and large amount of a nitrogen oxide (NOX) are exhausted in such a condition as is existed as the lumped flame in the conventional furnace. In order to suppress the critical heat flux and the amount of NOX, the furnace of a boiler cannot be made small if it is within a conventional boiler.
And, in order to exceed the limit of a boiler heretofor in use, it is necessary to adopt such a novel watertube boiler as the one in which the critical heat flux is exceedingly high, and which enables to produce high intensity combustion and to produce the low amount of NOX under high intensity combustion.

Watertube boiler and its method of combustion

The Kansai Electronic Power Company Inc.


Embodiments of overhead mounting systems are described herein. Various embodiments may include a channel, one or more covers, and one or more cover spacers. The channel may include a channel base, at least two channel walls, and at least two channel ends. The channel walls may be connected perpendicularly to the channel base such that the channel is u-shaped. The channel walls may each comprise a plurality of channel wall openings. The covers may include a cover base, at least two cover walls, and at least two cover ends. The cover walls may each include one or more inward protrusions. The cover ends may be concaved along the cover base such that a cover base length is less than a cover wall length. The cover ends may be concaved along one or more of the cover walls.

Garage organization is, for some, the bane of homeownership. The struggle to organize many tools and miscellaneous items of greatly varying shapes and sizes has led to some innovation in garage storage systems. However, most systems are based on the similar concept of creating an overhead floor on which store things. This may be convenient for items that are not frequently used, but is sorely inadequate for items that are frequently accessed, especially for tools. Tools may be stored in more convenient, ground-based boxes or in cabinets, but this may be inconvenient for regularly used tools such as power cords, speakers, compact lifters, and lights, among others. It may be convenient to store such tools in an out-of-the-way location and still have ready access to them. Such a need is amplified by the fact that remote control of such tools is becoming more common. Thus, there is room for improvement in garage organization solutions.


A lateral sealing mechanism for use in a bag-making and packaging machine includes movable rotary shafts. The movable rotary shafts are driven by a lateral drive mechanism so that the distance between the shafts is controllable. Support mechanisms are mounted on and rotatable about the shafts. The support mechanisms support sealing elements for forming lateral heat seals on a tubular packaging material from which the bags are formed. The support mechanisms are such that the sealing elements are tiltable with respect to the tubular packaging material, and so that two sealing elements can be maintained in directly opposed engagement to one another across the packaging material as the seal is formed. The machine includes a squeezing mechanism that operates to force the packaged material downward within the tubular material and out of a sealing region before the seal is formed. The machine also includes a shutter mechanism to force the packaged material upward and to prevent the packaged material from entering the sealing region as the seal is formed.

The invention relates generally to packaging and sealing apparatus for packaging products inside plastic bags. More particularly, the invention provides a bag making and packaging machine that includes sealing mechanisms for sealing a tubular packaging material in longitudinal and lateral directions to make bags with a packaged material packaged inside the bags.
Vertical-type bag making and packaging machines are known for packaging materials such as food products inside plastic bags. For example, one type of packaging machine makes bags by shaping a sheet-like film packaging material into a tubular shape with a former and a tube, and then heat sealing overlapped longitudinal edges of the tubular packaging material with a longitudinal sealing mechanism. The packaged material is then filled into the tubular packaging material. Bags will ultimately he formed from this tube. A portion across the upper end area of one bag and the lower end area of another following bag is sealed by a lateral sealing mechanism, and the laterally sealed portion is then cut across its center by a cutter.
Mechanisms that press a pair of mutually opposed seal jaws against a tubular packaging material are frequently employed to heat and pressure seal the material. In systems in which the seal jaws merely reciprocate, i.e., ones in which the sealing of the packaging material is performed at only one location (a line), transportation of the packaging material must stop for the time required to form the seal. Such machines are sometimes designed, therefore, so that each of the seal jaws draws a D-shaped locus. In that case, the sealing time can be made long enough by moving the seal jaws to follow the tubular packaging material while it is transported continuously through the machine.
To make the seal jaw draw a D-shaped locus, a mechanism can be used with a grooved cam for restraining the inside and outside of a cam follower. In such a device, however, the drive member slides in sliding contact with the cam follower and the seal jaw, and this gives rise to problems of wear and durability at the points of sliding contact, especially in high speed operation.
Other mechanism have thus been devised, in which sealing mechanisms of special construction draw non-circular loci including D-shaped loci, but in which such sliding contact is largely avoided. In such constructions, though, the size of the bags that can be sealed is often restricted. Increasing the size of the bags that can be handled requires an excessive and troublesome increase in the size of the parts of the corresponding mechanism. As a result, a large space is occupied by the sealing mechanism and the machine itself may thus be excessively large.
Such mechanisms also require a large number of parts with a complicated construction, and they too sometimes suffer problems of limited durability. An additional problem often exists, moreover, where the sealing faces are restrained by cams or other elements that define their loci of motion. In particular, the sealing elements are restrained and thus cannot move away if a piece of the packaged material is caught between the sealing faces. As a result, the packaged material may be crushed or the sealing elements themselves may be damaged, especially when hard materials are being packaged with the machine.
A need exists, therefore, for improved bag-making and packaging machines of simple and reliable construction. To the extent possible, such machines should provide high speed bag making and packaging, including the formation of reliable seals in the packaging material. Such machines should be durable (so that excessive sliding contact between the machine""s parts should be avoided). The machine should resist damage either of the packaged material or to the parts of the machine itself, and the machine should not be overly large or of overly complex construction.
The invention is embodied in a lateral sealing mechanism and in bag making and material packaging machines that use such lateral sealing mechanisms. A lateral sealing mechanism according to the invention may include at least one sealing element that is operable to contact and seal a tubular packaging material. The seal may be formed, e.g., by applying heat from the sealing element to the tubular packaging material to form a heat seal.
The sealing element is supported on a support mechanism. The support mechanism includes a cam follower that engages with a cam face on a cam. The support mechanism is movable to contact the sealing element with the packaging material, and then to separate the two after the seal is formed. The support mechanism is supported on a rotary shaft so that the support mechanism rotates around the shaft. The lateral direction drive mechanism moves the cam and the rotary shaft together in a direction perpendicular to the rotary shaft as the support mechanism rotates about the shaft.

Lateral sealing mechanism for bag making and packaging machine, and bag making and packaging machine


This disclosure describes a solution to enable a real estate property to act as an independent entity. As such, it can detect needs for repairs and improvements, market itself, and earn revenue. The property can work independently or in concert with the owner and other parties in achieving these tasks. A real estate property can benefit from the use of a property management server that can be delegated by the owner of the property to manage the property either independently or in concert with the owner. This server can access and maintain data associated with assets of the property.

Property management is the operation, control, maintenance, and oversight of real estate and physical property. This can include residential, commercial, and land real estate. Management indicates the need of real estate to be cared for and monitored, with accountability for and attention its useful life and condition considered. This is much akin to the role of management in any business.
Property management is also the management of personal property, equipment, tooling, and physical capital assets that are acquired and used to build, repair, and maintain end item deliverables. Property management involves the processes, systems, and manpower required to manage the life cycle of all acquired property as defined above including acquisition, control, accountability, responsibility, maintenance, utilization, and disposition.
An owner of a single-family home, condominium, or multi-family building may engage the services of a professional property management company. The company will then advertise the rental property, handle tenant inquiries, screen applicants, select suitable candidates, draw up a lease agreement, conduct a move in inspection, move the tenant(s) into the property and collect rental income. The company can then coordinate any maintenance issues, supply the owner(s) with financial statements and any relevant information regarding the property, etc.
The above-described background relating to facilitation of automated property management is merely intended to provide a contextual overview of some current issues, and is not intended to be exhaustive. Other contextual information may become further apparent upon review of the following detailed description.

Facilitation of automated property management


A request dispatching system is provided for dispatching requests to a system having a predetermined number of server instances. Each request has its service type. The request dispatching system uses one queue for each service type, and reserves for each queue a minimum number of server instances. In one embodiment, idle server instances may be configured on demand to serve requests of a different type.

This invention relates to controlling of multi-processing servers, and more particularly, to fair assignment of processing resources to queued requests in multi-processing servers.
There exist multi-processing server systems which are capable of serving many requests in parallel fashion. Requests may also be called tasks, jobs, loads, messages or consumers. A typical existing system uses multi-processing servers, all of which are capable of serving any type of request that is submitted to the system. Requests are processed by available servers as they are received by the system. When all servers become busy serving other requests, any new requests received by the system cannot be served as received. The system needs to handle those new outstanding requests. It is desirable to assign multi-processing servers and other processing resources in the system to those outstanding requests in a fair manner.
Some existing systems attempt to solve this problem by rejecting new requests when all servers are busy. Rejecting new requests is unfair because requests submitted later can be processed before ones submitted earlier and rejected.
Some existing systems attempt to provide fair assignment by queuing outstanding requests in the order of receipt while they are waiting to be served. A typical existing system provides a single queue for all outstanding requests, regardless of how many servers are available. In this system, when a server becomes available, a request at the head of the queue is simply dispatched to that server.
Queuing outstanding requests is fairer compared to rejection of them. However, when there are high priority requests and low priority requests, these conventional systems often allow high priority requests to completely block low priority requests, or even the reverse. This common phenomenon is called xe2x80x9cstarvationxe2x80x9d.
Some systems avoid the starvation problems by designing the system to handle requests in a fixed way, appropriate for a specific application and hardware configuration. This technique cannot be applied to other situations without a re-design.
Some systems work around the starvation problems by giving the administrator a high degree of instantaneous control over assignment of processing resources to requests. Such systems have a very high administrative cost to keep running well.
It is therefore desirable to provide a system which is capable of automatically assigning processing resources effectively and fairly to requests that exceed the system""s capacity for concurrent processing.
In computers, requests are served by running process instances of server programs. Each such instance may serve more than one request concurrently, if the server program is multi-threaded. For the purpose of this invention, each such process of single-threaded programs or thread of multi-threaded programs is called a server instance. Each request has request parameters that determine the cost of-preparing a server instance to serve the request (e.g., starting a particular program, opening files, connecting to particular external resources). In the present invention, those request parameters are identified and used collectively to define a service type
The present invention uses one queue for each service type, and reserves for each queue a minimum number of server instances.) In one embodiment, idle server instances may be configured on demand to serve requests of a different type.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for dispatching requests to a predetermined number of server instances, in order to process multiple requests in parallel. Each request has a service type. The method comprises steps of utilizing one or more queues, each queue being associated with a service type for queuing requests having that service type; setting a minimum number of server instances for each queue; allocating to each queue at least the minimum number of server instances; preparing each server instance to provide a service type corresponding to that of the queue to which the server instance is allocated; and dispatching each request in each queue to its corresponding server instance when the server instance assigned to the server instance is available.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a request dispatching system for dispatching requests to a predetermined number of server instances, in order to process multiple requests in parallel. Each request has its service type and is queued in a queue which is associated with its service type. The request dispatching system comprises a server instance controller and a dispatching controller. The server instance controller is provided for controlling allocation of server instances to each queue such that each queue maintains at least a minimum number of server instances to serve requests of the service type of the queue. The dispatching controller is provided for controlling dispatching of each request in each queue to its corresponding server instance when the server instance reserved for the queue is available.
Other aspects and features of the present invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from a review of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Fair assignment of processing resources to queued requests


The invention includes a method and apparatus to transfer and place articles (12) into outer packages (16), which are open at the top and which each receive at least one article group (18) composed of a plurality of articles (12). In the method, at least one article group (18) is seized by at least one handling device (46) and is placed from above into one of the outer packages (16). An article group (18), which has been seized by the handling device (46), already is compacted or will be compacted during placement of the article group into the outer package (16) by reducing the spacings between at least some of the individual articles (12) of the article group (18). The article group may also be subsequently spread out.

In the automated filling of outer packages with article groups, such as is the case when beverage crates or beverage boxes are filled with beverage containers, article groups composed of a plurality of articles are normally seized by handling devices suitable for this purpose and are placed from above into one of the staged outer packages. The handling devices used when filling beverage containers into beverage crates have suitable grippers, which are usually designed as so-called packing bells and which are capable of seizing the beverage containers or bottles in their head area or neck area, of receiving them groupwise, and of transferring them in this way from a staging location, such as a conveyor belt, into the beverage crates staged elsewhere. In order to enable an adaptation to different crate partitionings or crate sizes, adjustable handling devices have become known in prior art.
DE 102 10 353 A1 thus discloses a method and an apparatus to transfer bottles. In this connection, bottles are fed to a receiving area with defined positions where the bottles are picked up with packing bells and fed to packaging. In order to be able to fill different types of packages, the packing bells are moved toward each other after receiving the bottles and before placing the bottles into the packages, whereby and by adaptation to the bottle positions it is possible to reach desired packaging positions. The examples of use referred to are different or unusual package geometries, such as so-called crates of 11, in which the bottles are arranged in three rows of four, three, and four bottles, and in which the bottles are positioned in staggered arrangement to achieve a crate size that is as compact as possible.
EP 2 183 162 B1 discloses a packer head, which can be used, for example, to fill bottles into beverage cases. In order to be able to pick up or set down container groups in different formations without having to use additional mechanical positioning devices for this purpose, the grippers or packing bells of the packer head are each arranged at receptacles or carriages, which are controllably movable in an adjustment plane perpendicular to the axis of the containers held hanging from the packing bells, i.e. the receptacles or carriages are movable in two adjustment axis directions defining the adjustment plane. In this connection, at least one adjustment carriage is designed such that the packing bell can perform a controlled, linear movement and/or rotary movement in the X-Y plane relative to the adjustment carriage.
Such adjustable packer heads can also be advantageously used to pick up beverage containers being conveyed in an unspaced manner and having been transferred, for example, from a mass flow into a multiple-row conveying operation, in which context these rows of unspaced, consecutively conveyed beverage containers are usually separated from each other by dividing plates, which are also referred to as lane separators. The packer heads can pick up complete container groups of a number and arrangement corresponding to the outer package or to the beverage crate and can place them from vertically above into the outer package or into the beverage crate. In this connection, the beverage containers, after having been picked up, are normally pulled to the appropriate partitioning by the particular container infeed and are then placed into the crate.
All of these known packer heads, as well as the known packaging methods, require a very precise lowering movement when placing the beverage containers from above into the beverage crate to be filled so that the beverage containers neither collide with the partitions, that is to say with the subdividing crosspieces or walls of the beverage crate, nor with the outer crate edge. In order to at least prevent collisions of the beverage containers with the outer crate edge, four-sided lead-in frames with lead-in chamfers are frequently used in practice to cover the crate edge during the lead-in movement of the beverage containers in such a manner that the beverage containers or bottle bases of the outer bottles of the group or formation cannot collide with the crate edge.
Such a lead-in frame, however, fails to work if the beverage crates are slightly damaged or deformed and the lead-in frame cannot completely cover the crate edge. For this reason, a primary object of the present invention is to be seen in providing a universally applicable and reliably operating method to fill outer packages with article groups, in which method it is possible by using suitable procedures to compensate for deviations in shape and/or damages or the like of the outer packages so that these do not necessarily lead to disturbances in the packaging process.
The object is solved by a method having the features of the independent claims. Further advantageous embodiments are described in the dependent claims.

Method to transfer and place articles into outer packages and apparatus to carry out the method


An optical element includes an optically effective area and an optically ineffective area partly or entirely coated with a coating opaque at wavelengths used. The opaque coating contains a cured product prepared from an epoxy resin and a curing agent containing an alicyclic acid anhydride. The alicyclic acid anhydride is preferably methylhexahydrophthalic anhydride or hexahydrophthalic anhydride.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to optical elements and particularly relates to an optical element suppressing the generation of harmful light causing flares or ghosts.
2. Description of the Related Art
For optical elements such as lenses, various techniques have been proposed for the purpose of suppressing the generation of harmful light that causes flares or ghosts to obtain high-quality, high-performance optical systems. The techniques are classified into two: (1) a technique for reducing reflection by increasing the light transmittance of an optically effective area and (2) a technique for reducing reflection by increasing the light absorbance of an optically ineffective area.
The term "optically effective area" as used herein refers to an area through which light passes. The term "optically ineffective area" as used herein refers to an area through which no light passes. In the case of installing a plurality of lenses such as camera lenses in a lens barrel, although the lenses individually serve as optically effective areas, some of the lenses are likely to serve as optically ineffective areas because no light passes therethrough depending on the sizes and positions of other lenses.
As an example of the technique specified in Item (1), the following technique is widely used: a technique for providing a dielectric coating on an optically effective area by a vacuum vapor deposition process, a sputtering process, or a similar process. Known is an antireflective element using a sub-wavelength structure (SWS) not greater than a wavelength used instead of such a dielectric coating.
Japanese Patent application Laid-Open No. 2006-053220 discloses that a curved surface for forming a member has an antireflective area having periodic micro-irregularities arranged at a pitch not greater than the wavelength of a light beam to be prevented from being reflected. The antireflective area is capable of obtaining antireflection performance excellent in wavelength characteristic and incident angle characteristic as compared to conventional antireflective structures including dielectric coatings.
As an example of the technique specified in Item (2), the following technique is widely used: a technique for reducing internal reflection by forming a coating substantially opaque at wavelengths used on a side end portion (commonly called an edge portion) of a lens. The following paint is usually used to form the coating: an internal reflection-preventing paint prepared by kneading a resin component with a light-absorbing material such as coal tar, coal tar pitch, a black pigment, a black dye, or carbon black. Japanese Patent application Publication No. 47-32418 discloses that internal reflection is reduced using several dyes including a black dye in combination with pitch, carbon black, and an epoxy resin. Japanese Patent application Laid-Open No. 55-155064 discloses that a good internal reflection-reducing effect and the mechanical strength of a coating are secured using a halogenated epoxy resin in combination with coal tar and coal tar pitch.
In addition to the materials disclosed in the above-reference patent documents, epoxy resins and modified epoxy resins are widely used as resin components of internal reflection-preventing paints. This is because cured products having high strength and excellent weather resistance can be obtained using the epoxy resins in combination with appropriate curing agents depending on intended purposes. The epoxy resins are particularly appropriate for the purpose of forming coatings required to have long-term durability. Usually, an epoxy resin or a mixture of the epoxy resin and an additive for imparting a function to the epoxy resin is referred to as a base compound or a base resin with respect to a curing agent. Makers usually designate curing agents used in combination with base compounds depending on intended purposes.
In recent years, coatings have been sometimes subjected to manufacturing processes at higher temperatures as compared to conventional processes for the purpose of improving the performance of optical element. This increases the load on the coatings to negatively affect the function and appearance of the coatings during long-term use.
In the thermal analysis of a cured product of an antireflective paint prepared by mixing an epoxy resin with a black pigment, a common curing agent, and the like, the heating of the cured product to temperatures higher than those used in common manufacturing processes may cause a reduction in the weight of the cured product and may confirm an increase in the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the cured product. These phenomena suggest the cured product is degraded and is reduced in flexibility by thermal decomposition and oxidation. Thermal decomposition and oxidation possibly cause phenomena such as the formation of cracks and/or voids in actual opaque coatings and the removal of the coatings from bases of optical elements by thermal stress. Usually, these phenomena result in the whitening of appearance and the easiness of moisture penetration.
The present invention has been made against such a background and provides an optical element including an optically ineffective area partly or entirely coated with a coating which contains a cured product having improved heat resistance and flexibility and which is opaque at wavelengths used.

Optical lens having sub-wavelength structure containing aluminum or aluminum oxide, method of manufacturing optical lens, and imaging optical system including optical lens


A device for adjusting high and low beam shape of automotive headlamp comprising a fixed bracket, an adjusted assembly and an up/down and left/right adjusting mechanism. The low beam unit is disposed on the fixed bracket and the high beam unit is disposed on the adjusted assembly. The cylindrical inner hole disposed on the fixed bracket is fitted with the fixed ball head disposed on the adjusted assembly, whereas the elastic waist hole slot disposed on the fixed bracket is fitted with the adjusting bar disposed on the adjusted assembly.

Mainly used for night driving, automotive headlamps provide the best visual effect for the driver in the process, which requires the lamps to have excellent lighting effects. With both headlamps on for lighting, the lamps should possess the property to enable the driver to watch traffic obstacles clearly within 100 meters ahead, with the beam at the forward direction and the direction of principal optic axis being lower. The condition of high and low beam shape and irradiation direction play an important role in safe night driving, because in the actual traffic environment, when two cars in the opposite directions encounter, the headlamp's glare may cause the driver to dazzle, which may be at risk of traffic accidents. At present the major solution to this is to switch between the high and low beam, that is, to use different headlamps according to different situations to unify the contradictions mentioned above.
Since the irradiation direction and relative position of high and low beam have fixed requirement, to adjust the product into consistency, an economical and practical adjusting device for automotive lamp manufacturers should be needed. Currently to adjust the relative position of high light of high beam shape to low beam shape, the common method is to separately dispose the high beam unit and low beam unit to independent brackets, each of which is disposed with a fixed fulcrum structure relative to lamp body as well as two adjustable points that can adjust along forward and backward direction. In this way, the adjustment to the relative position of the high light of the high beam shape to the low beam shape is implemented by separately adjusting the beam angle of high and low beam, which incorporates the principle that three non-collinear points determine a plane.
The deficiency of this method lies in the large-scale space, because each of the high beam unit and the low beam unit has a fixed bracket disposed with fixed fulcrum as well as two adjustable points that can adjust along forward and backward direction, among which the distance is above 80 mm to one another.
Another deficiency is that to meet the lawful requirement for beam angle of low beam, the low beam unit must be adjusted in upward, downward, leftward and rightward angles after the automotive headlamp is disposed on the automotive frame. After the beam angle of low beam unit has been adjusted, the high light of high beam shape will deviate from low beam shape because high beam unit and low beam unit belong to different brackets and adjustment systems.

Device for adjusting high and low beam shape of automotive headlamp


The invention discloses a real-time production performance improving method comprising a real-time monitoring step, a performance satisfaction determination step and a real-time performance improving step. The real-time monitoring step monitors an operation status of a production machine via a monitoring unit, records the monitored operation status into a database and determines whether the operation status of the production machine has changed. The performance satisfaction determination step determines whether the change in the operation status meets a required performance level. This involves the monitoring unit monitoring the at least one production machine to detect a next change in the operation status of the at least one production machine, and the performance satisfaction determination step determining whether the next change in the operation status meets the required performance level. The real-time performance improving step sends information illustrating the problem to an assigned task team.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a real-time production performance improving method and, more particularly, to a real-time production performance improving method that can be combined with information technology for quickly solving problems of a production line.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the modern competitive society, manufacturers have been striving to improve their product qualities by recruiting more machines and human labors. Furthermore, it is getting difficult to make profits from products due to price war among competitors. Thus, product quality has become a key to business success. In light of this, a management system that reduces costs and improves product quality is required for improving enterprises' competitiveness.
Taiwan Publication Number 200717342 discloses a real-time production performance tracking and managing system. The real-time production performance tracking and managing system includes an organization maintenance unit, a performance indicator unit, a performance planning unit, a performance execution unit, a performance tracking unit and a servo unit. The organization maintenance unit establishes and maintains organization structures of an enterprise. The performance indicator unit establishes and manages a plurality of performance indicators to be evaluated. The performance planning unit chooses suitable performance indicators for individual departments and individual employees from the performance indicators provided by the performance indicator unit, and sets performance objectives for the individual departments and the individual employees. The performance execution unit allows an employee or a department manager to input performance evaluation information illustrating a performance fulfillment level in a certain period of time. The performance tracking unit tracks the performance fulfillment level of the individual departments and the individual employees, and calculates and displays the performance fulfillment level of individual performance items. The servo unit includes a database system which is connected to all of the above units for storing the processed data of these units.
However, the above real-time production performance tracking and managing system is only capable of managing the performance fulfillment level of individual departments of the enterprise rather than analyzing various problems of production machines that could arise during operation of the production machines. In other words, the system does not have a mechanism that can rapidly respond to and solve the problems during operation of the production machines. In addition, modern enterprises mostly use a mechanism of Six Sigma to solve the problems. However, the mechanism of Six Sigma costs a lot of money and takes a long time to run, making it difficult to timely solve the problems during operation of the production machines. Thus, quickly improving product quality is difficult.

Instant production performance improving method

National Pingtung University of Science & Technology


An inflatable flotation device including two panels extending from a body an inflatable bladder. The two panels and the body may be closed to enclose the inflatable bladder with the two panels attached to each other using magnets. When the inflatable bladder is inflated, the magnets separate from each other and the two panels open up to expose the inflatable bladder and allow further inflation.

Life jacket are useful in situations in which one may fall unexpectedly in water and therefore risk drowning. However, they are cumbersome and therefore often not used, even in situations in which they are legally mandatory. There are inflatable devices that can be worn instead of a life jacket and that can either inflate manually or automatically when submerged. Such devices usually include a soft shell including two panels attached to each other through patches of complementary miniature hook and loop materials, known more commonly as Velcro™. The shell contains a bladder that can be inflated through a gas cartridge. When inflating, the shell splits into two parts by separating along the Velcro. Once the device has been inflated and the user has reached safety, the bladder is deflated, the cartridge is replaced and the shell can be closed. Closing the shell can be somewhat difficult as the Velcro needs to be precisely aligned. Also, the force required to open the shell will depend on the alignment between complementary patches of Velcro, which may cause a slow or too rapid opening if the Velcro is not properly aligned.
Against this background, there exists a need in the industry to provide novel flotation devices. An object of the present invention is therefore to provide such flotation devices.


The method of first arrival picking of seismic refraction data is embodied in software that uses the τ-p transform on energy-ratio seismic records. First, the seismic shots are gathered. Next, the energy ratio (ER) is computed, and then the τ-p transform of the energy ratio is computed. Using a binary mask, a corresponding first arrival energy is selected. The transform is combined with the binary mask and presented as input to an inverse τ-p transform. The inverse transform data is then thresholded, and indices of ER first arrivals are detected based on the thresholds. The software then creates a vector of indices or time samples of picks. This method can be used to better guide the subsequent careful picking of first arrivals. Moreover, the method automatically interpolates missing picks.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the analysis of seismic data, and particularly to a method of first arrival picking of seismic refraction data using the τ-p transform on energy ratio seismic shot records to enhance the determination of first arrival events.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the oil and gas industry, seismic surveys are one of the most important techniques for discovering the presence of subterranean hydrocarbon deposits. If the data is properly processed and interpreted, a seismic survey can provide geologists with a two-dimensional (2-D) or three-dimensional (3-D) representation of subsurface lithologic formations and other features, so that they may better identify those formations likely to contain oil and/or gas. Having an accurate representation of an area's subsurface lithologic formations can increase the odds of hitting an economically recoverable reservoir when drilling, and decrease the odds of wasting money and effort on a nonproductive well.
Oil and gas are often trapped thousands of feet below the earth's surface. To find the oil, geologists and geophysicists typically use either two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) seismic surveys. To perform these seismic surveys, an acoustic wave generated by a shot, e.g., dynamite or a mechanical vibrator, is propagated downward and is refracted back when it encounters a geological discontinuity. This signal is recorded by a geophone as a trace.
To gather high-fold surveys, land seismic survey operations typically require placing hundreds to thousands of geophones at locations about the area to be surveyed. When a seismic source is generated, either as an impulse caused by dynamite or a vibration sweep caused by a mechanical apparatus carried by a truck, the seismic reflections are detected by the geophones. The seismic data generated by all the geophones is then transmitted to a central recording system.
The amount of seismic data transmitted to the central recording system may be considerable. For example, a 20-second vibration sweep can generate on the order of 250,000 bits of data. When there are 1,000 geophone channels in use, this translates to 250,000,000 bits of data every 20 seconds, or an effective data rate of 12.5 megabits per second. Increasing the number of geophone channels increases the amount of seismic data to be transferred to the central recording system. Many current seismic survey projects have more than 10,000 geophones active at any one time, and the requirements for more channels are increasing. In a few years time, it is expected that channel counts as high as 100,000 will not be uncommon. These data rates put tremendous strain on traditionally used seismic data processing techniques.
Once the high-fold surveys are taken, the seismic data processing of all the collected seismic data begins. One of the processing steps is determining the "first arrival" or "first break" for each of the traces. The first arrival indicates a refraction of the acoustic energy upon encountering a geological discontinuity, and the timing of the first arrival, or first arrival time, is important in determining the depth of the refractor and performing corrections to a stack of seismic traces. Historically, a geophysicist would manually pick the first arrival for each trace of a seismic stack. This process was time-consuming, and several auto-picking methods emerged, including those using energy ratios, fractals, and neural networks to automatically determine the first arrivals.
Unfortunately, these auto-picking methods are not particularly adapted for use with 3D surveys. For 3D surveys, interactive first arrival picking is common. Using this method, an interpreter sits at a workstation, displays shot gathers, and uses an auto-picker to select first arrivals. Quality control is achieved by interactive editing in the shot, receiver, and offset domains. This process can take months for large 3D surveys having high channel counts and consisting of millions of traces.
The data in a gather is typically recorded or first assembled in the time-offset domain. That is, the seismic traces recorded in the gather are assembled or displayed together as a function of offset (i.e., the distance of the receiver from a reference point) and of time. The time required for a given signal to reach and be detected by successive receivers is a function of its velocity and the distance traveled. Those functions are referred to as kinematic travel time trajectories. Thus, at least in theory, when the gathered data is displayed in the time-offset domain (the (t-x) domain), the amplitude peaks corresponding to reflection signals detected at the receivers should align into patterns that mirror the kinematic travel time trajectories. It is from those trajectories that one ultimately may determine an estimate of the depths at which formations exist.
To achieve this determination, there exist many methods that seek to achieve a separation of the refracted first-arrival signal from noise by transforming the data from the (t-x) domain to other domains, such as the frequency-wavenumber (F-K) or the time-slowness (tau-P) domains, in order to minimize overlap between the signal and noise data. Once the data is transformed, various mathematical filters are employed to the transformed data to eliminate as much of the noise as possible in an effort to enhance the primary reflection signals. The data is then inverse-transformed back into the (t-x) domain for interpretation or further processing. For example, so-called Radon filters are commonly used to attenuate or remove multiple reflection signals. Such methods rely on Radon transformation equations to transform data from the (t-x) domain to the τ-p domain, where it can be filtered. More specifically, the (t-x) data is transformed along kinematic travel time trajectories having constant velocities and slowness, where slowness p is defined as the reciprocal of velocity (p=1/v). While various mathematical methods have been developed to process seismic data in such a way that noise is separated from primary reflection signals, there remains a problem with τ-p interpolation due to the presence of noise.
Thus, a method of first arrival picking of seismic refraction data solving the aforementioned problems is desired.

Method of first arrival picking of seismic refraction data

KING FAHD UNIVERSITY OF PETROLEUM AND MINERALS


A fuel cell system is provided having at least one fuel cell including an oxidant electrode, a fuel electrode, and an electrolyte membrane interposed between the oxidant electrode and the fuel electrode. The fuel cell system includes a temperature detector which detects a temperature of the fuel cell and a controller which operates the fuel cell, controls a potential of the oxidant electrode, and determines whether to perform a performance recovery operation in which an impurity on the oxidant electrode is oxidized. When the performance recovery operation is to be performed, the controller controls the potential of the oxidant electrode to be a desired potential based on the temperature detected by the temperature detector.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fuel cell system and a method for recovering performance of a fuel cell.
2. Description of the Related Art
If a fuel cell is operated for a long time, various impurities will be adsorbed on an electrode of the fuel cell and power generation performance thereof will be reduced. According to a known method for recovering the performance of the electrode on which the impurities are adsorbed, a potential of the electrode is increased so that the impurities, such as sulfur, adsorbed on the electrode are oxidized and are thereby removed. See, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-077884.
According to the above-described method, the fuel cell is maintained in a high-potential state so as to oxidize sulfur species adsorbed on a catalyst surface. However, if the fuel cell is maintained in a state in which the electrode potential is at a no-load potential or a high potential close to the no-load potential, there is a risk that an electrolyte membrane of the fuel cell will be degraded or elution of the catalyst metal will occur.

Fuel cell system and method for recovering performance of a fuel cell


The present invention relates to a cutting tool (100) for providing holes in a core material layer (10). The cutting tool (100) comprises a cutting knife (110) having a cutting edge (112) configured to cut through the core material layer (10), and a support structure (120) onto which the cutting knife (110) is attached, wherein the support structure (120) is at least partly formed by an elastic material.

It is commonly known to use a paperboard based packaging material to form product containers, such as containers for enclosing and storing liquid food.
In order to ensure the required quality of the final package, e.g. in terms of food safety and integrity, the packaging material may comprise different layers. As an example, a laminated packaging material may comprise a paperboard with at least one first plastic layer applied on one side thereof making up the outer surface of the final package, and one or more second plastic compositions or layers on the opposite or inner side. The second plastic composition may in some cases be laminated to a protective layer such as an aluminum foil; the laminated material thus normally also includes an outer, or distal layer on the inner side, which is in contact with the product intended to be contained in the final package.
If the final package is to be provided with a cap or a closure, adjustments to the packaging material need to be made. It is known that before application of any additional layers to the paperboard, the paperboard is adapted to the later application of a cap by incorporation of a hole for that purpose. Another application requiring a hole to be made is e.g. packages having a straw hole.
Such holes are normally cut in the paperboard prior to lamination, i.e. before any polymeric layers are added to form the final packaging material. The cutting process is performed by operating a cutting tool, such as a punching knife to move against a mating anvil. During operation the paperboard to be cut is positioned between the punching knife, forming a male tool, and the mating anvil, forming a female tool.
In order to achieve a high precision cut it is of outmost importance to arrange the male tool and the female tool in perfect alignment. Should there be any offset between the tools the hole will not be cut properly, or the male and/or female tools will be damaged.
Manufacturing of packaging material is run at very high speeds, well above 400 meters per minute. Should there be any misalignment between the tools it is readily understood that a vast amount of packaging material will be wasted if the error is not detected in due time.
In order to reduce the risk of waste of material and improve the cost effectiveness of the entire hole-cutting process, it is not unusual to spend more than one entire day to accomplish the required calibration and alignment of the tools.
In view of this, it would be desired to have more efficient and less sensitive cutting tools for at least partly overcoming the disadvantages of prior art solutions.

Cutting tool, and a method for cutting a web or sheet of material


An improved decision support tool is provided for detecting, diagnosing, or treating human patient based on detected changes or trends in microbiota-related activity of the patient. The decision support tool determine a longitudinal pattern of relative abundances or diversity levels of microbiota, and subsequently determine the occurrence of alternations or trends, which may indicate or be related to meaningful clinical events, such as a change in condition for the patient. In one embodiment, a joint determination of statistical significance of change and trend is first detected and then utilized to determine an occurrence of clinically meaningful microbiota activity in a patient. The decision support tool may further initiate an intervening action based on a detected change or trend, such as generating an electronic notification, modifying a treatment program, providing a recommendation, automatically allocating health care resources to the patient, or automatically scheduling a consultation with a caregiver.

The human body is host to a complex and abundant aggregation of microbes, collectively referred to as the microbiota. Anatomical sites that are the subject of measurements of microbiota include gut, skin, genitals, oropharynx, and respiratory tract. Microbiota in body fluids such as blood, urine, and sputum are also routinely measured. The relevance of such measurements to medical diagnostics and therapeutics is diverse. By way of example, the gut microbiota has physiological functions associated with nutrition, the immune system, and defense of the host. The intestinal microbiota plays a number of important roles in mammalian health, including gut development, extraction of energy from food, protection against pathogens, and development, maturation, and responsiveness of the immune system. Alterations in the composition of the intestinal bacterial communities have been implicated in obesity, inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, and a variety of disease states. However, to date, the conventional technology and approaches to healthcare decision support have not understood or effectively utilized the range of gut microbiota compositional states during health in efforts to define and characterize prognosis, progression of illness, and treatment effectiveness.

Microbiota activity sensor and decision support tool


A method, and an associated system, for sending to a first group of recipients only the content portions of a continuity source data-flow which takes the form of ordered, successive, alternating content and non-content segments. From a methodologic point of view, the invention involves, in a manner which utilizes content-segment material buffering, delivering fully, and in correct order, to the first recipient group the material in each content segment, via steps including (a) bridging each gap between next-adjacent content segments at least partially with transmitted injection material that differs from the non-content segment material in the gap, which injection material ends in time no sooner than the end of the gap, and (b) employing, as needed, and as a part of such full delivering of content-segment material, time-progressive, time-length-variable buffering, and subsequent, progressive buffer-delivering, of any content-segment material which overlaps in time with the transmission of injection material.

This invention pertains to a content injection system and methodology associated with delivering, differently to different audiences, or audience groups, of a "source" data flow characterized by an alternating series of what we refer to herein as content and non-content segments. It should be understood that in the implementation and practice of the invention, different kinds of such source data may be handled, such as audio data and video data. Generally speaking we apply the term "content", as associated with such data, to refer to the principal, or central, programming material/segments contained therein, and we use the term "non-content" to refer to segments of data that lie between content segments—typically taking the form of certain kinds of advertising (ad break) material.
For the purpose of illustration herein, the invention is described in the context of a broadcast radio station which delivers a source broadcast flow of audio data/information to two different kinds of audience groups, including what will be referred to as being a "broadcast" audience, and as an on-line "streaming audience". In other language employed in this document, the on-line streaming audience is referred to as a first group of recipients, and the broadcast audience as a second group of recipients.
Using such a station audio-broadcast context for illustration purposes, as mentioned, this invention focuses attention on a practice involving periodically separating the broadcast and streaming audiences in order to account for, and deal effectively with, the presence, in the source broadcast-data flow, of certain "non-streamable content"—i.e., its non-content segments. For example, for reasons of cost, and/or because of certain controlling rules and/or regulations, etc., some kinds of advertising content which are permissibly "broadcastable" to a broadcast audience are not permissibly "streamable" to a streaming audience. Put another way, the properly broadcastable data flow contains both types of segments (i.e., content and non-content segments, as mentioned above), whereas the streamable data flow is allowed to contain only, from such a source broadcast data flow, the content-segment portions thereof.
Accordingly, and because of the fact that such non-streamable content material resides naturally within a source broadcast flow of data of the type described, something needs to be done to assure a high-quality, non-disruptive flow of information to the streaming audience which effectively "side-steps" the non-streamable (i.e., non-content) segment material. Regarding such "side-stepping" it is important that, in the context now being generally described, a streaming audience ultimately receive, in as timely a fashion as possible, and fully, the same, streamable (i.e., content-segment) broadcast material as does a broadcast audience, without receiving the non-streamable content material, and without experiencing distracting, unnatural gaps in ultimate reception of the appropriately streaming content-segment material.
The proposed "side-stepping" behavior of the present invention avoids the presence of such an unnatural distraction (a) by injecting into the otherwise gapped flow of streamable content material, selected, alternate (or alternative), permissibly streamable material (referred to variously herein as injection material, and as injection-content material) which masks the broadcast flow of non-streamable, non-content material, and (b) by using a variable-time-size, time-displacing buffer which operates, as will be fully explained below, to capture, for later, seamless streaming output to the streaming audience, all appropriately streamable content-segment material time-spans which have become "masked" because of the occurrences of duration overlaps that will naturally take place in relation to injection of the just-above-mentioned injection-content material. Such injection takes place during what we refer to herein as an injection time period. In many instances, and as will be seen, material delivered to a streaming audience during such an injection time period will begin with the delivery from the mentioned buffer of any then-buffered (i.e., previously buffered) content-segment material. Alternative injection material may typically take the forms, for example, of alternative advertising material which is suitable for delivery for the streaming audience, and music, such as songs. In general terms, here is how this unique practice of the present invention works.
When a non-streamable advertisement begins (an ad break) in the broadcast data flow, a trigger/control signal is generated by the system and practice of this invention to cause, effectively, a data-flow separation to take place between the broadcast audience and the streaming audience. With this separation place, and following the then delivery to the streaming audience (from the mentioned buffer) of any previously buffered content-segment material, alternative content, coming from what we refer to as an alternative (or injection) content repository managed by the relevant radio station, is injected into the streaming data flow to cover, along with the delivered buffered material. Alternative injection material is delivered at least for a length of time extending to when, again, streamable broadcast content resumes in the broadcast-data flow. Often, such injection-content material will extend in time in a manner producing a modest time overlap with the resumption of content-material broadcasting, and in such an "overlap" circumstance, content-segment data buffering begins in accordance with practice of the invention to deal fully with such an overlap. This injection activity seamlessly bridges, for the streaming audience, the time spaces between broadcast-flow content-material segments.
In the operational context of the preferred embodiment, and manner of practicing the methodology, of the invention, as is now being generally described, an important feature, which is believed to be unique, is that no effort is made regarding, and therefore no complexity and extra cost are involved in, exactly matching the lengths of time that ad break data is present in the source broadcast material with the lengths of time that buffered and alternative content materials are delivered during an injection time period to the streaming audience. This unique practice of the present invention is extremely advantageous, as will be recognized by those generally skilled in the relevant art.
Accordingly, and as will be more fully explained and illustrated herein, in most "injection modes", content injection lasts beyond the ends of the broadcasting of the included non-streamable ad break material. Because of this, and for at least a length of time (as suggested immediately above) which is measured between the ends of broadcasting of the non-streamable material segments and the natural ends of "current" injection material still being streamed to the streaming audience, broadcast content-segment material is buffered in order to capture the eventually-resumed, permissibly-streamable broadcast content data. Such time-measured buffering continues appropriately in a manner which will be more fully explained below.
As will be seen, the buffer which is utilized to accomplish this buffering activity is designed to have a propensity to continue to empty itself as expeditiously as possible. Experience with a practical implementation of the system and methodology of the invention has shown that the overall time span period contained at any point in time in the employed buffer exists generally within the range of 0-minutes to about 2-minutes. Longer periods of buffering are, of course, possible if desired for certain applications.
Thus, and reflecting upon the operation just generally outlined, the streaming audience, under all circumstances, normally receives all streamable broadcast content-segment material interleaved with permissibly deliverable injection material, with up to a certain modest, and variable (over time), time lag occurring related to the receipt of the same, principal broadcast content-segment material which is delivered to the broadcast audience. The streaming audience, however, will not noticeably experience/appreciate this time lag, but rather will receiving what will seem to it to be a traditional, seamless flow of streaming data. The broadcast-receiving audience will, of course, receive, intact and unaltered, the full broadcast-data flow, including both the streamable content and the non-streamable content of that flow.
These and other features and advantages which are offered by the present invention will now become more fully apparent as the detailed description of the invention, and of its methodology, are described in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures.

Content injection system and methodology


A radiographic apparatus having a laser positioning system comprising three independent laser units for positioning a patient in three-dimension for the purpose of taking x-rays. Each laser unit is orthogonally oriented in respect to the others, such that the first laser unit projects a laser beam aligned with the x-ray beam in said first lateral direction, and the second laser unit projects a laser beam in a second lateral direction that is orthogonal to the first lateral direction, and the third laser unit projects a laser beam in a vertical direction that is orthogonal to both the first and second lateral directions. With the patient properly oriented by the laser system, x-ray films are taken that can be sequenced for radiographic animation analysis.

1. Conventional X-Ray Apparatuses and Methods
It is well known that the use of x-rays is vital in the treatment and diagnosis of patients, especially in chiropractic care. The effectiveness of radiographic diagnosis is critically dependent on the accuracy and quality of the x-ray images, which depend on the proper positioning the subject patient. The more precise the patient is aligned with the x-ray, the better is the resulting image. As such, the effectiveness of radiographic diagnosis is often compromised because it can be difficult to get the patient in just the right position and to orient the x-ray machine accordingly to take clear x-ray images.
Generally, an x-ray apparatus is comprised of an x-ray generator (commonly known as an x-ray tube) and a receptor (typically comprising a film cassette inserted in a grid cabinet, though recent technology has allowed for the images to be digitally captured).
The x-ray tube generates a beam that is projected onto the subject patient, who is interposed between the generator and the receptor. A collimator, which is a device that narrows the beam for improving the resolution of the x-ray image, is commonly used to collimate the beam to the proper size field of the patient's area of diagnostic interest. To further reduce the scatter associated with x-rays and produce a clearer image, a grid is used to block random rays and allow only rays generally in direct line to reach the film. Most importantly, it is imperative that the patient is properly positioned in alignment with the generator and the receptor to enable clear and accurate images of the patient's bones (or other diagnostic areas) to captured on the film.
2. The Use of X-Rays in Chiropractic Care
In chiropractic, subluxation is a physical misalignment that distorts the body, causing the spine to deviate from its normal position, which can result in pain and ailment throughout the whole body. To restore balance, evaluation and adjustment to the upper cervical is often necessary. As opposed to adjustments of the entire spinal column, specific adjustments can be made to the first cervical vertebra to bring it back to its proper position. The first cervical vertebra (also known as the atlas or C-1) is the topmost bone in the spine, being the first of the seven vertebrae in the spine known as the cervical spine (C spine).
Upper cervical adjustment depends upon precise biomechanics. This requires 3D composite x-rays to measure specific spinal misalignment in order to determine how best to adjust and correct it. Precisely taken x-rays are thus a critical part of ensuring the spinal correction is accurate and successful. Proper X-ray positioning is therefore essential to patient care.
In this regard, several cervical views are generally necessary for analysis of the upper cervical, including: lateral, base posterior, vertex, and nasium. From these x-ray views, a precise analysis of the position of the atlas vertebra is used to determine a vector for its adjustment.
This section will describe the radiographic views and how patients are currently positioned for these views.
A lateral cervical view is a side view of the upper cervical spine, taken to determine the relationship of the C-1 vertebra to the mastoid and to measure the atlas-plane-line angle (or "S-Lline" for taking a nasium film as described below). To take an x-ray in a lateral view, the patient is positioned with his shoulder against the lower part of the grid cabinet (also known as the bucky). Prior to positioning the patient for this view, the positions of the patient's ears are recorded against a horizontal line chart to determine the patient's head tilt as a component of his subluxation. The patient's chin is tucked so that the external auditory meatus is parallel to the inferior orbit, with the infra-orbial meatal line being parallel to the floor. The patient is then rotated using the movable chair in which he sits so that the head is perpendicular to the x-ray source. If the patient has an excessive head-tilt as determined using the horizontal line chart, the bucky and tube must also be tilted at the same angle, so the head remains lateral on the film. A string is used to make sure the tube is at the proper angle. The string is passed at the bottom of each earlobe when it is at the proper angle. The bucky is adjusted to correspond to the number of degrees the tube is tilted to give a true lateral position for the head in the horizontal plane on the resulting film. The central ray is centered to the area between C-1 and C-2 and the bucky is centered to the central ray. The patient's ears are aligned using the glabella bar and head clamps are applied to secure the patient. As setup, an x-ray image of the lateral cervical is taken.
A base posterior film is used to visualize the upper cervical spine from the "bottom up" point of view, in which the foramen magnum (occiput), atlas, and axis are seen as consecutive superimposed rings. The patient is seated facing the x-ray tube. The grid cabinet is tilted downward to a specified angle and positioned so that its center is perpendicular to the patient's vertex (the very top of the head). The tube is tilted upward and positioned so that the central ray coincides with the center of the film. This film is used to visualize the orientation and shape of the occipital condyles, the size and shape of the foramen magnum, the rotational angles of atlas and axis, and perhaps the severity of any existing constriction of the neural canal resulting from misalignment of atlas and/or axis.
A vertex film is analogous to the base posterior film described above except that the x-ray beam traverses the skull in the opposite direction. The patient is positioned facing the grid cabinet which is tilted upward to a specified angle. The patient's chin is made to settle on a special chin-harness that is attached to the grid cabinet. With the bucky thus angled, the patient's chin is elevated so there is a 90° relationship between the angle of the mandible and the sternocleidomastoid muscle. The tube is moved to a caudal angle so that the central ray is perpendicular with the floor of the skull at the atlas traverse process. The central ray is directed at right angles through a line passing from the patient's superior orbit to the tip of the transverse process, the angle of which is verified by using a string. In other words, the x-ray tube is raised above the patient's head and angled downward so that the central ray traverses through the patient's vertex and coincides with the center of the film. The vertex view is taken to produce a clear view of the atlas, nasal septum and C-2 spinal canal to determine atlas rotation and C-2 spinal canal rotation.
The purpose of a nasium film is to obtain an optimal view of all the structures at the proper angle and exposure so as to enable accurate film analysis. To take a nasium film, the atlas has to be properly positioned on the film by measuring the S-line off lateral and finding the landmark for C-1 so that the central ray is at the proper angle. The goal of this positioning effort is to visualize atlas precisely "head-on" therefore the tube is tilted to an angle that is perpendicular to the atlas plane line angle measured on the lateral film. Accordingly, the proper S-line is determined from the lateral cervical film. Next, the correct orientation of the atlas transverse process (atlas TP) is determined so that the atlas can be properly positioned on the film. With the patient facing the tube, the bucky is tilted so that it is at the same approximate angle as the back of the head and shoulders. The patient's head is positioned approximately in the center of the bucky. The tube is angled so that the central ray will travel along the S-line and will exit the patient at the level of the atlas transverse process. The central ray must enter the film ½ inch above its center. A string is extended from the tube to the bucky where the central ray will hit the bucky so as to make sure that the patient's head is correctly oriented and that the central ray is consistent with the S-line. With the head secured by clamps, the nasium film is taken.
An APOM (anterior to posterior open mouth) film is used to visualize the upper cervical spine from the anterior to posterior point of view. The patient is positioned with the back of his head against the grid cabinet. The x-ray tube is positioned at a specific distance from the grid cabinet and the central ray of the x-ray beam is aimed so that it intersects the level of the C1 vertebra. The film is captured (with the patient open-mouthed) to get a clear shot of the upper cervical spine to assess atlas and axis laterality as well as to discern any anatomical abnormality or trauma.
Current radiographic methods for chiropractic diagnosis, particularly of the upper cervical spine, based on taking the x-ray views described above, suffer from inaccuracies due to the subjective positioning of the patient from view to view. This results in radiographic images that can be inaccurate or unclear. Because upper cervical adjustment depends upon precise biomechanics, a system and method are needed to objectively and precisely position patients in respect to the different radiographic views described above.
Further, current radiographic methods of the upper cervical spine are based on using x-rays to determine static misalignment of the vertebrae, rather than determining restrictions in the motion of the cervical vertebrae which can only be discerned by taking range-of-motion radiographs. That is, such traditional radiographic methods for determining chiropractic listings of the upper cervical spine characterize misalignments based on films in the neutral position. These methods do not consider active biomechanical dysfunction. Understanding that the most accessible component of the subluxation complex is articular fixation, a new method that characterizes fixation based on dysfunction would improve confidence in the listing attained and the quality of the care delivered.

Laser guided patient positioning system for chiropractic x-rays and method of use