A venous closure catheter is disclosed for performing sclerotherapy which includes an elongated catheter body having opposed proximal and distal end portions, a fluid delivery lumen and a guidewire lumen. A plurality of discharge apertures are associated with the distal end portion of the catheter body and communicate with the fluid delivery lumen for delivering a sclerosing solution into the saphenous vein. A circumferential flange is positioned on an exterior surface of the catheter body proximal to the discharge apertures, which has a plurality of projections formed thereon for traumatizing the inner wall of the saphenous vein upon removal of the catheter body therefrom to promote closure of saphenous vein after sclerotherapy. A compression apparatus is disclosed for providing therapeutic pressure subsequent to sclerotherapy. The compression apparatus includes first and second wraps for providing compression of an upper leg, and the lower leg and foot, respectively.

1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention is directed generally to a venous catheter, and more particularly, to a venous catheter and method for performing sclerotherapy to treat varicose veins or spider veins by delivering a sclerosing solution into the saphenous vein, subsequently abrading the inner wall of the blood vessel upon removal of the catheter from the vein to promote venous closure, and using a compression apparatus to provide therapeutic pressure post-operatively.
2. Background of the Related Art
Chemical occlusion, also known as sclerotherapy, is a procedure used to treat blood vessels or vessel malformations, wherein a sclerosing solution is injected into the vessels, which makes the unwanted veins shrink and then dissolve over a period of weeks, as the body naturally absorbs the treated vein. Sclerotherapy is often used to eliminate large spider veins (telangiectasiae) and smaller varicose leg veins.
During a treatment procedure, sclerosing solution is injected into the abnormal veins of the involved leg. The patient's leg is then compressed with either stockings or bandages that they wear usually for two weeks after treatment. Complications, while rare, include venous thromboembolism, visual disturbances, allergic reaction, thrombophlebitis, skin necrosis, and hyperpigmentation. If the sclerosing agent is injected properly into the vein, there is no damage to the surrounding skin, but if it is injected outside the vein, tissue necrosis and scarring can result. Most complications occur due to an intense inflammatory reaction to the sclerotherapy agent in the area surrounding the injected vein. In addition, there are systemic complications that are now becoming increasingly understood. These occur when the sclerosing solution travels through the veins to the heart, lung and brain.
Apparatus and methods are also known for performing sclerotherapy using a catheter, as disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 6,726,674, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. When the catheter is deployed in blood vessels, an inflatable member sealingly engages the interior walls of the blood vessel, establishing an isolated vessel segment to facilitate localized introduction of a sclerosing agent. Upon collapse of the inflatable member, the sclerosing agent is also withdrawn from the blood vessel. Over time, the treated vessel segment will shrink and then dissolve, as the body naturally absorbs the treated vein.
It would be beneficial to provide a venous catheter for delivering a sclerosing agent into a targeted vein that is configured to prohibit the migration of the sclerosing solution during treatment of the vein and which is also adapted to enhance the closure of the vein walls following sclerotherapy treatment.

Venous closure catheter and method for sclerotherapy


A process for applying a film of uniform thickness of photoresist solids onto a substrate comprising the steps of:. (a) forming a liquid photoresist composition comprising photoresist solids in a solvent; the solids content of said photoresist composition being in the range from about 10% by weight to about 22% by weight; PA0 (b) forming atomized spray droplets of said liquid photoresist composition; PA0 (c) allowing said atomized spray droplets to settle by gravity onto a substrate surface, thereby forming a photoresist coating on that surface; and PA0 (d) spinning said coated substrate at a pre-determined spin speed and for a pre-determined time to remove substantially all of said solvent from said photoresist coating and to form a film of uniform thickness of photoresist solids on the substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for coating a photoresist composition onto a substrate. In particular, the present invention relates to a process of applying atomized droplets of photoresist composition, preferably by means of an ultrasonic atomizer nozzle, onto a substrate (e.g. silicon wafer) and then forming a film of uniform thickness of photoresist solids by spinning the coated substrate.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Photoresist compositions have been applied to substrates by a variety of conventional techniques such as dip coating, roller coating, pressurized spray coating and spin coating. When the substrate is a wafer for making semiconductor devices, the present preferred method is spin coating.
By this prior art method, the photoresist composition is dispensed on the wafer while it is stopped (creating a puddle) or while it is spinning slowly. After the dispensing step, the wafer is spun at a higher rate and the resist spreads over the wafer surface due to the centrifugal force created by the spinning motion. Most of the dispensed resist is spun off of the edge of the wafer and recovered in a cup below the wafer. A film of uniform thickness of the photoresist solids (i.e. the photoactive polymer material minus most of the solvent in the original photoresist composition remains on the surface of the wafer. Then the wafer is removed from the spinning chuck for further processing.
The parameters of conventional spin coating of wafers are discussed in detail by K. Skidmore in "Applying Photoresist for Optimal Coatings" in the Feb. 1988 issue of Semiconductor International at pages 56-62. This article is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
One major problem of spin coating photoresist compositions onto substrates is that most of the dispensed photoresist material does not remain on the wafer. This results in either the waste of this excess photoresist material or in requiring reformulation and recycle of that material. Either alternative drastically raises the overall cost of applying the photoresist.
Separately, the technique of applying atomized droplets of material by means of an ultrasonic spray nozzle onto a substrate has been known.
Ultrasonic spray nozzles have been manufactured by Sono-Tek Corporation of Poughkeepsie, New York. Their ultrasonic nozzles have been described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,153,201; 4,301,968; 4,337,896; 4,352,459; 4,541,564; 4,642,581; and 4,723,708; all which are assigned to Sono-Tek and are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
Such ultrasonic spray nozzles have been used to apply coatings of many materials onto substrates. For example, such nozzles have been employed to apply a gelatine layer over spin-coated photoresist layer to stabilize the photoresist layer against distortion or degradation by heat generated during subsequent etching, ion implantation processes and the like. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,806,455, which issued to Nancy C. Labianca on Feb. 21, 1989 and is assigned to MacDermid Inc.
However, prior attempts to employ ultrasonic spray nozzles alone for applying photoresist coatings have been unsatisfactory due to the inability to produce a film of uniform thickness.
Accordingly, a need exists in the photoresist application art to improve upon current spin-coating appication techniques to reduce the present high photoresist dispensed volume per wafer. It is believed that the present invention which uses a combination of atomized spraying with spin-coating has the potential for reducing the amount of dispensed photoresist volumes by at least five--to ten--fold yet achieving suitable photoresist solid films of uniform thickness without a waste of most of the dispensed photoresist now commonly experienced by spin coating processes.

Process for coating a photoresist composition onto a substrate


The present invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition comprising a bone graft material, a scaffold for tissue engineering applications and type I collagen Binding Peptides which have bone calcification-promoting peptides immobilized on the surface, and more particularly, to a bone graft material and a scaffold for tissue engineering applications (hereinafter, referred to as scaffold), which have peptides specifically binding with type I collagen immobilized on the surface, and pharmaceutical composition for recovering tissue regeneration containing type I collagen binding-inducing peptide. In the inventive bone graft material and scaffold for tissue engineering applications, the cells related to regeneration by collagen binding-inducing peptide adhered to the surface, promote an adhesion of type I collagen binding-inducing peptide (main ingredients of extracellular matrix) to increase differentiation rate into bone tissues, and promote a calcification which is last step of bone regeneration to maximize a tissue regeneration finally.

Periodontal tissue that supports teeth consists generally of the alveolar bone, the periodontal ligament tissue forming the periodontal membrane between the alveolar bone and the teeth, and the connective tissue. The loss of alveolar bone caused by the progression of periodontitis involves the loss of periodontal ligament tissue, and at sites of the loss of periodontal ligament tissue, the normal repair of alveolar bone and periodontal ligament tissue after the treatment of periodontitis becomes impossible due to excessive growth of connective tissue. Also, even when new bone is formed, the periodontal ligament tissue will not be normally differentiated so that the loss of tooth function can be caused.
To solve such problems, an attempt to induce the complete regeneration or new formation of tissue using an artificial barrier membrane together with autografting in guided periodontal regeneration is actively made. Also, for the regeneration of bone tissue, a tissue engineering scaffold is used as a bone graft material. Since cases showing the effective induction of periodontal tissue and bone tissue by the introduction of bone graft materials and scaffolds (Camelo, M. et al., International J. Periodont. Restorative Dent. 21:109, 2001) were reported for recent ten years, various materials, including bone powder particles made of bovine bone, have been used as bone materials and tissue engineering scaffolds for tissue regeneration.
Meanwhile, in order to improve the efficiency of such bone graft materials and scaffolds for tissue regeneration, studies to attach materials capable of improving tissue regeneration to the bone graft materials and the scaffolds are now conducted. Firstly, protein ingredients of extracellular matrices are adhered to the surface of bone graft materials and scaffolds, then calcification is performed to finally form bone tissues. Herein, if collagen, main ingredients of extracellular matrices is induced, early reaction of bone tissue regeneration is rapidly induced to result in increasing the regeneration rate. Furthermore, such extracellular matrices is reported to be excellent in the ability of the repair and regeneration of damaged tissue, and their excellent ability to regenerate tissue was also shown in the results of actual clinical tests.
Such examples include artificial biocompatible material comprising a porous sintered body of calcium phosphate and collagen derivatives as mucosal adjuvants (Korean Patent Registration 105511) an artificial bone material for replacing natural bone which promotes osteoblast adhesion (KRP 487693), collagen scaffold for bone regeneration (Korean Patent Registration 1427557), etc.
However, collagen, the most materials consisting of extracellular matrix is high-molecular-weight proteins having several tens of kDa, and it is extracted directly from biological tissues or prepared as a recombinant protein, and thus being relatively expensive and thermally unstable, therefore it is difficult to prepare various pharmaceutical compositions.
Accordingly, the present inventors have made extensive efforts to solve the above-described problems occurring in the prior art, and consequently found that the rate of bone tissue regeneration is increased by fixing the peptides capable of inducing rapid adhesion of collagen (main ingredient of extracellular matrix) on the surface of bone graft materials and scaffolds, furthermore, the risk of immune reaction is low in its application to the body because of small molecular weights thereof, and the effect of drugs lasts because of its stable existence in the body as well. On the basis of these findings, the present invention has been completed.

Bone graft and scaffolding materials immobilized with type I collagen binding peptides

Seoul National University Industry Foundation


To provide an optical information recording medium on which visual information can be recorded on a label face by using a laser apparatus for recording and reading electronic information by irradiation with a low output laser without exerting e.g. thermal influence over electronic information recorded on the medium. The present invention provides an optical information recording medium 100 having such a structure that on a substrate 101, an electronic information recording layer 102, a reflective layer 103 formed in contact with the opposite side of the electronic information recording layer 102 from a side where a laser beam 107 enters, a protective layer 104, a visual information recording layer 105 and an overcoat layer 106 constituting an outermost layer are laminated in this order, wherein the surface roughness of the outermost layer on the label face side is at most ½ of the wavelength (λ) of a laser beam 108.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical information recording medium capable of optically recording and reading information. More particularly, it relates to an optical information recording medium capable of optically recording and reading electronic information and further, capable of favorably recording visual information on a label face side by means of a laser beam.
2. Discussion of Background
Of an electronic information recording medium for recording, storing and rewriting a lot of information, importance as computer peripheral equipment is increasingly high in recent years. Particularly, an optical information recording medium on which recording and reading are carried out by means of a laser beam attracts attention as a mass storage recording medium since high density recording, storing and reading are possible. As examples of such an optical information recording medium, a phase-change type optical recording medium represented by CD-RW or DVD-RW and an organic dye type optical recording medium represented by CD-R or DVD-R may, for example, be mentioned.
The content of electronic information recorded in such an optical information recording medium can be confirmed by optical reading. On the other hand, it is important to display the content of electronic information as visual information on the surface of the medium in view of information management. Heretofore, as a display method therefor, a method of recording by printing the content of electronic information on a label face (the face opposite to the face on which electronic information is to be recorded) of a medium by means of an ink jet printer or a thermal transfer printer, or a method of bonding e.g. a label on which the content of electronic information is recorded to a label face of a medium, may, for example, be employed. Further, in recent years, a method of recording visual information on a visual information recording layer formed on a label face side of a medium by irradiation with a laser beam has been reported (e.g. JP-A-2000-173096, JP-A-2001-283464), which is expected as a method of recording visual information without exerting mechanical influences over a medium.
The above method of recording visual information on a label face side of a medium by means of a laser beam, as reported in JP-A-2000-173096 and JP-A-2001-283464, has the following drawbacks. Namely, the method of recording visual information on a label face side of a medium by means of a laser beam utilizes a change such as a reaction, melting or precipitation due to heat, and thus excessive irradiation with a laser beam will have a thermal influence or the like over the electronic information recorded on a medium, and accordingly careful attention has to be paid to an irradiation method. Accordingly, in order to reduce a thermal influence over a medium, it is necessary to use a laser beam with a low output at a level of from 10 to 200 mW. When such a low output laser beam is used, it is effective to efficiently concentrate the energy of the laser beam by condensing the low output laser beam on a layer (visual information recording layer) on which visual information is to be recorded, and for that purpose, it is considered necessary to apply a focus servo.
Further, in order to efficiently concentrate the low output laser beam on the visual information recording layer and to stably apply a focus servo, a reflective layer to obtain a reflected light to be utilized for focusing and a layer (laser beam transparent layer) comprising a material transparent to a laser beam, which protects the visual information recording layer from physical scratching or the like and which efficiently focuses the laser beam on the visual information recording layer may be formed in some cases.
However, in such a case, if the surface of the visual information recording layer or the laser beam transparent layer has irregularities, such a phenomenon occurs that the laser beam applied from the label face side is diffused on the surface of the visual information recording layer or the laser beam transparent layer. If the laser beam is diffused in such a manner, the amount of light which enters the visual information recording layer decreases, and the visual information can not favorably be recorded. Further, stable focusing tends to be difficult due to the diffusion.
The present invention has been made to solve technical problems which showed up when visual information is recorded on a visual information recording layer formed on a label face side of an optical information recording medium by means of a low output laser beam. Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide an optical information recording medium on which visual information can be recorded on a label face side by using a laser apparatus for recording and reading electronic information by irradiation with a low output laser beam without exerting bad influences over electronic information recorded on the medium.
In order to achieve such an object, the optical information recording medium of the present invention employs such a structure that an outermost layer such as a laser beam transparent layer having a reduced surface roughness is formed as the outermost layer on the label face side. Namely, the optical information recording medium of the present invention comprises a substrate and a visual information recording layer which is formed directly or via another layer on the substrate and on which visual information is to be recorded by means of a laser beam to be applied from a label face side on the opposite side from the substrate side, and is characterized in that the surface roughness of an outermost layer on the label face side is at most ½ of the wavelength of the laser beam to be applied from the label face side. Further, the surface roughness of the outermost layer is preferably at most ¼ of the wavelength of the laser beam.
Further, the optical information recording medium of the present invention is an optical information recording medium comprising a substrate having guide grooves and/or pits for recording and reading, and at least an electronic information recording layer on which digital information is to be recorded by means of a laser beam to be applied from the substrate side, a reflective layer and a visual information recording layer on which visual information is to be recorded by means of a laser beam to be applied from a label face side on the opposite side from the substrate side, laminated in this order on the substrate, characterized in that the surface roughness of an outermost layer on the label face side is at most ½ of the wavelength of the laser beam to be applied from the label face side. Further, the surface roughness of the outermost layer is preferably at most ¼ of the wavelength of the laser beam.
Further, the optical information recording medium of the present invention comprises a substrate, a visual information recording layer which is formed on the substrate and on which visual information is to be recorded by means of a beam to be applied from a label face side on the opposite side from the substrate side, and an overcoat layer formed on the label face side of the visual information recording layer, and is characterized in that the surface roughness of the overcoat layer is at most ½ of the wavelength of the beam.
The optical information recording medium of the present invention preferably has an overcoat layer as an outermost layer. Further, the overcoat layer is formed preferably by a material transparent to a laser beam, and the overcoat layer is formed preferably so that the lower limit of the thickness of the overcoat layer is 10 μm, and the upper limit is 100 μm. Further, the overcoat layer is formed preferably to have a refractive index of at least 0.4 and at most 2.6. Further, the visual information recording layer is characterized by being formed by such a material that its color developing properties or its transparency changes by a laser beam applied to a visual information recording layer.
Further, the optical information recording medium of the present invention is an optical information recording medium comprising a substrate, and an electronic information recording layer on which digital information is to be recorded by means of a laser beam to be applied from the substrate side, a reflective layer formed on the opposite side of the electronic information recording layer from the substrate side, and a protective layer formed on the opposite side of the reflective layer from the substrate side, formed on the substrate, characterized by having a visual information recording layer which is formed on the opposite side of the protective layer from the substrate side and on which visual information is to be recorded by means of a laser beam to be applied from a label face side on the opposite side from the substrate side, and an overcoat layer formed on the label face side of the visual information recording layer and having a surface roughness of at most ½ of the wavelength of the laser beam to be applied from the label face side.
Still further, the present invention provides a process for producing an optical information recording medium, which comprises a step of forming on a substrate an electronic information recording layer on which digital information is to be recorded by means of a beam to be applied from the substrate side, a step of forming a reflective layer as an upper layer of the formed electronic information recording layer, a step of forming a protective layer as an upper layer of the formed reflective layer, a step of forming as an upper layer of the formed protective layer a visual information recording layer on which visual information is to be recorded by means of a laser beam to be applied from a label face side on the opposite side from the substrate side, and a step of forming as an upper layer of the formed visual information recording layer an overcoat layer having a surface roughness of at most ½ of the wavelength of a laser beam to be applied from the label face side by a wet film formation method.
In the present invention, "visual information" represents information which is visually read, such as characters, symbols, images such as illustrations and photographs, and geometric patterns, and "electronic information" represents information, the content of which is read by some reading device, such as information recorded by digital signals.
According to the present invention, an optical information recording medium on which visual information can be recorded on a label face by means of irradiation with a low output laser beam at a level of from 10 to 200 mW can be provided.

Optical information recording medium and process for producing optical information recording medium


An object of the present invention is to provide a magenta toner having high lightness and saturation and having spectral reflection properties having a wider color range.

Recently, color images are widely spread, and higher image quality has been increasingly demanded. In digital full color copiers and printers, a color image manuscript is subjected to color separation with filters of blue, green, and red, and latent images corresponding to the original image are developed with developers of magenta, magenta, cyan, and black. For this reason, the colorants in the developers of the respective colors give a great influence to image quality. Usually, in the case where a pigment is dispersed in a variety of media, it is difficult to form a sufficiently fine pigment or to uniformly disperse the pigment.
In the color toners, the magenta toner is important in reproduction of a skin color. Further, the color tone of the skin in a human figure is a halftone. Accordingly, high developing properties are also demanded. As a colorant for a magenta toner, quinacridone colorants, thioindigo colorants, xanthene colorants, monoazo colorants, perylene colorants, and diketopyrrole colorants are known.
In the case where a dye is used in the colorant for magenta, the dye demonstrates a vivid magenta color in the initial period. The dye, however, has low lightfastness, and color nuance greatly changed after the dye is left. Moreover, in the case of a light color, a bright and sharp image is obtained. In a region of a dark color, however, a sufficient image density is difficult to obtain. Particularly, in the case where the colors are mixed and a dark red color and a dark blue color are reproduced, the range of the color to be reproduced is likely to be narrower. The xanthene colorant is a colorant having good color reproducibility and color tone, but the lightfastness is significantly reduced when the colorant is used in a liquid form. Accordingly, various measures are needed (see Patent Literatures 1 and 2). These magenta colorants have good affinity with a binder resin and high lightfastness, and provide a magenta toner having high frictional charging properties and an excellent color tone. In order to satisfy transparency and provide an image closer to the manuscript, however, a magenta toner having further improved color tone, saturation, and electrophotographic properties is strongly desired.

Abstract: A magenta toner including magenta toner particles each including a binder resin and a colorant, wherein the colorant includes a compound represented by a formula (1):

Abstract: (wherein R1 and R2 represent an alkyl group or an alkoxyalkyl group, and at least one of R1 and R2 has not less than 7 carbon atoms).


A forest fire smoke detection method using random forest classification is provided. In the method, a first reference value is set. For consecutively captured frames, images between the frames are compared, each block, in which a number of pixels, motions of which have been identified, is equal to or greater than the first reference value, is set as a candidate block, and a keyframe is selected. The selected keyframe is compared with at least one frame previous to the keyframe and then a plurality of feature vectors are extracted from the candidate blocks. The extracted feature vectors are learned using different random forest algorithms. Probabilities output to terminal nodes for classes are accumulated, and two first cumulative probability histograms are generated. The two first cumulative probability histograms are averaged, and then a second cumulative probability histogram is generated. A detected state of each candidate block is determined.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of detecting forest fire smoke. More particularly, the present invention relates to a forest fire smoke detection method using random forest classification.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, the occurrence of forest fires not only destroys the surrounding environment or the local ecosystem but also potentially puts the living space of human beings in danger. Accordingly, technology for detecting the onset of a forest fire early on has been developed in preparation for the occurrence of a forest fire. In particular, as large-scale forest fires frequently break out all around the world, the necessity for an automatic alarm system has increased that can detect a forest fire in its early stage and that can provide an alarm for the occurrence of the forest fire.
Typically, forest fire detection systems have been configured based on a method in which a watchtower has been built to survey an area where there is the possibility of a forest fire breaking out and a fire watcher working on the watchtower visually determines with the naked eye whether a forest fire has broken out. However, since such a visual detection method requires enormous manpower resources for watching, there have been proposed a variety of technologies for replacing the visual detection method. These technologies may include, for example, a method of installing an infrared sensor that detects the thermal energy of flames, a method of installing Light Detection And Ranging (LIDAR) equipment that measures the intensity of laser light back-scattered by smoke particles, a method of installing a thermal imaging sensor that measures the temperature of flames, etc. However, such optical equipment is problematic in that it is expensive and frequently causes errors due to atmospheric phenomena, such as clouds, fog, or yellow sand, and light scattering, and in that it is difficult for the optical equipment to operate normally when the distance from the sensor to an ignition point increases.
Therefore, recently, as shown in FIG. 1, a method has attracted attention in which video camera equipment, which includes a Charge Coupled Device (CCD) and which is inexpensive and enables remote detection, is installed at the top of the watchtower to detect forest fires. Forest fire detection using CCD video camera equipment is classified into a method of detecting flames and a method of detecting smoke. In the early stage of a forest fire breaking out, the size of the flames is much smaller than the distance from the camera to the ignition point, and thus it is very difficult to detect such flames. In contrast, smoke is characterized in that it is generated earlier than flames and is diffused to a much wider area than are flames. Accordingly, a forest fire detection technology based on smoke detection has been mainly developed.
However, unlike flames, smoke diffuses slowly and the shape and color thereof are vague in general, thus making it difficult to definitely identify smoke. Smoke detection technologies that have been proposed to date can improve the precision of smoke detection when Fuzzy Finite Automata (FFA) and the temporal variation characteristics of images are used. However, since the dimension of a transition matrix used in the related computation increases in proportion to the improvement in precision, there is a concomitant increase in the required memory and computation time. Further, even if a Hidden Markov Model (HMM) is used, there are limitations in that boundary values must be individually and heuristically set so as to determine the states in which images are detected at specific times.
Therefore, a need exists for a system and method for performing a self diagnosis of a device without the inconvenience caused when manually selecting a self diagnosis item from a computer or a user interface.

Forest fire smoke detection method using random forest classification

Industry Academic Cooperation Foundation Keimyung University


An optical modulator (12) for speckle suppression in a laser projection system includes a first planar transparent conductor (20); a second optionally transparent planar conductor (26); a diffusing element (22) disposed between the first and second conductor; and an alternating voltage applied across the first and second conductors creates in-plane movement or distortion in the diffusing element to reduce laser speckle.

When laser light is reflected from a surface such as paper, a wall or a projection screen, a high contrast, fine scale granular pattern called laser speckle is seen by an observer looking at the illuminated spot. From the earliest days of lasers, the cause of speckle was recognized to be the fact that most materials are randomly rough on the scale of an optical wavelength, with the exception of highly polished surfaces such as mirrors. Upon reflection from a rough surface, different facets contribute elementary wavelets with slightly different optical path lengths that interfere with each other upon propagation, producing the high contrast, fine scale speckle pattern. The statistics of the light intensity in the speckle pattern can be related to the statistics of the rough surface, the size of the scattering spot, the wavelength of the light, and other parameters of the illuminating beam. The speckle phenomenon is not confined to visible light, and is well known in radar and other regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. In fact, speckle is a fundamental part of any wave or field phenomenon, and is also well known in applications such as ultrasound, and even in the study of gravitational fields in astrophysics.
Because of the sensitivity of laser imaging systems to speckle, it is useful in the metrology or characterization of rough surfaces, or other scattering objects such as small particles. In image formation, however, speckle is a noise source that interferes with the image or signal information, and must be reduced or eliminated. In particular, in laser projection systems used in near-to-eye, office or theatre environments, it is critical that speckle be minimized so that it does not interfere with the clarity or enjoyment of the image. Many methods have been suggested in the prior art to reduce speckle in projection imaging systems. They can be divided roughly into two classes: 1) methods pertaining to reduction of speckle at the projection source and 2) methods pertaining to reduction of speckle at the projection screen or surface where the final image is formed. All classic methods of speckle reduction involve an averaging process, as explained in the text "Speckle Phenomena in Optics", by J. W. Goodman, Roberts and Co., Englewood Colo., 2007. That is, a number of statistically independent speckle patterns must be either simultaneously averaged, or averaged within a time period shorter than the response time of the human eye. Methods reviewed by Goodman include averaging over wavelength (increasing the bandwidth of the optical system), averaging over time (using a moving diffuser or changing phase mask in the projector) and overdesign of the projection optics relative to the eye (averaging many projector blur spots within a single eye blur spot).
A successful laser projection system can apply multiple methods of speckle reduction, at both source and screen, since most methods fail to eliminate speckle entirely in a single step. Speckle is characterized by the mean intensity <I> and standard deviation σI of its intensity (I), which are combined into a single metric of speckle contrast C:
                              C          =                                    σ              I                                      〈              I              〉                                      ,                            (        1        )            where 0≤C≤1. This can also be expressed as a percent. Each method of speckle reduction is as good as the effective number of statistically independent speckle patterns it generates. Here "effective" means the number of statistically independent patterns generated within the integration or response time of the eye, detector or camera used to observe them. If reduction method i generates Ni independent patterns, it contributes a factor 1/√{square root over (Ni)} to the overall speckle reduction. If M methods are used in total, the overall speckle reduction factor R is
                              R          =                                    [                                                ∏                                      i                    =                    1                                    M                                                                  N                  i                                            ]                                      1              /              2                                      ,                            (        2        )            so that the reduced speckle contrast isC′=C/R.  (3)As mentioned earlier, one method of generating multiple speckle patterns is to use a moving diffuser or changing phase screen in projector, or in the optical beam between the projector and screen. In a well-known method, a rotating diffuser or phase plate is placed in the beam of a projection system either in the projection optics, or between the projector and the screen, so that the imaging beam suffers random phase delays across its extent. A fixed diffuser would merely lead to a slightly different speckle pattern than if it were absent. However, by moving the diffuser plate or phase plate, a series of speckle patterns is created. If the plate is moved rapidly and through a sufficient distance, enough independent speckle patterns are generated to reduce the overall noise.
Other methods of speckle reduction between the projector and screen are directed towards reducing the bulk of the diffuser mechanism. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,500,287 (Moussa) describes a device based on a piezoelectric actuator, in which a diffuser is fixed inside a vibrating metallic frame. The frame moves the diffuser laterally, i.e. in the plane of the frame. In another example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,553,341 and 8,902,520 (both to Aschwanden) describe an electroactive optical device suitable for inclusion in the optical beam between the projector and the screen. The device is comprised of a pre-stretched polymer film with electrodes on both surfaces, and a rigid optical element (such as a diffuser) connected to either surface or the polymer film. The application of a voltage to the electrodes displaces the optical element along the plane of the polymer film, due to Coulomb forces. In-plane displacements of a diffuser or phase plate are used to create a series of independent speckle patterns. The in-plane displacements by be rotational or lateral in the x and y directions. Out-of-plane movements in the z direction are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,500,287 as bending the plate across the full width of the image beam causing image distortion and loss of image sharpness as the speckle reduction averaging process also averages the distortions. Problems with the placement of moving diffusers into the beam optics include scatter from the diffuser reducing the sharpness of the focused image, or creating haze in the image. Reduction of the diffusive properties of the diffuser to reduce haze in the image can render the diffuser ineffective in reducing speckle as demonstrated in comparative EXAMPLE 1. While the loss of image sharpness can be eliminated by positioning of the diffuser and optical modulator before the beam-shaping element of an imaging system and focusing the dispersed beam onto the beam-shaping element, the effect of the optical modulator is reduced or eliminated as demonstrated in comparative EXAMPLE 2. The loss of image sharpness and hazing cause by diffusers can be reduced by placing a diffuser closer to the screen, or nearly in contact, but then the diffuser becomes very large and hard to move laterally.
This leads to the second class of speckle reduction methods, directed towards improvements to the projection screen. In one example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,122,023 (Chen et. al.) describes a liquid crystal projection display screen constructed in a highly scattering state. The display includes a plurality of liquid crystal spheres. When no voltage is applied, the medium is highly scattering and the screen is opaque. When a voltage is applied, the liquid crystal molecules are aligned and the light is transmitted. When the voltage is varied with a 60 Hz signal, the spheres vibrate, causing a varying speckle pattern which the eye averages. In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,724,218 (Curtis et. al.) describes speckle reduction using mechanical vibration of the screen. Devices near, but not in contact with, the screen generate acoustic or electromagnetic waves that couple to the screen and produce mechanical vibrations, creating a changing speckle pattern. The screen vibration may occur in all of the x, y and z directions, that is to say movement in the x and y directions are lateral movements in the plane of the screen and movement in the z direction are axial movements perpendicular to the screen. Such mechanical vibration methods must be carefully tuned to avoid standing wave patterns and regions of uneven or zero vibration. None of the speckle reduction methods cited report quantitative performance results, or discuss their potential impact on image sharpness. There is still a need, therefore, for additional methods of laser speckle reduction in projection systems.

Optical modulator for laser speckle reduction


A vulnerability identification and resolution (VIR) computer device for identifying security vulnerabilities in a computer system is provided. The VIR computer device includes a memory device for storing data including data representing computing assets installed in the computer system and a processor in communication with the memory device. The VIR computer device is programmed to receive an asset identifier identifying a computing asset selected for evaluation and execute a query on at least one database storing security vulnerabilities, the query searching for security vulnerability data associated with the selected computing asset. The VIR computer device is further programmed to receive the security vulnerability data at the VIR computer device in response to the query.

The field of the present disclosure relates to enterprise computer security and, more particularly, to computer-based methods and systems for retrieving known software vulnerability profiles (also referred to as a "CVE") from a central repository (e.g., database) of known vulnerabilities and identifying, based on the profiles, vulnerabilities that affect a plurality of computing assets.
A vulnerability is a flaw or weakness in a computer system's design, implementation, or operation and management that could be exploited to violate the system's security policy. Vulnerabilities are generally regarded as any aspect of a system or its components (e.g., computing asset) that allows a breach of security such as, but not limited to: executing commands as another user, accessing data contrary to access restrictions; posing as another entity; and conducting a denial of service attack. The impact of a security breach can be high. For example, a security breach can violate privacy laws and regulations that require organizations to secure private data stored within a computer system from release to unauthorized users.
One way to minimize the impact of vulnerabilities on a system is to perform periodic information technology security audits of the system and its components (e.g., computing assets). This systematic technical assessment measures a system's susceptibility to vulnerabilities. Audits can include interviewing staff, manually reviewing components for known vulnerabilities, reviewing application and operating system access controls, and analyzing physical access to the system. Systems can include computing assets such as personal computers, servers, mainframes, network routers, switches and other electronics which contain or facilitate the flow of data.
Known technology security audits utilize operators to evaluate the presence of vulnerabilities in software applications installed on computing assets in a computer system. The audits are performed on an application by application basis, comparing one or more lists of known vulnerabilities to a list of installed applications. These audits are time consuming and labor intensive, resulting in an audit frequency dictated by operator availability. Also, because conventional audits are performed manually, vulnerabilities discovered since the last update to the list of known vulnerabilities go undiscovered during the audit. Accordingly, the audits are time subjective. Additionally, upon discovery of a vulnerability, the operator must ascertain the resolution and apply it manually. Thus, known technology security audits fail to provide an accurate evaluation of known vulnerabilities in the installed application base of a computer system. Moreover, these known systems are unable to provide a real-time evaluation of vulnerabilities present in the computer system or its components.
Accordingly, it is desirable to evaluate technology assets for the presence of vulnerabilities in a rapid and accurate manner, and to provide vulnerability fixes to operators to speed the resolution of vulnerabilities.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Methods and systems for evaluating software for known vulnerabilities


A catheter molding apparatus that includes a fore-stage extrusion molding device for extrusion molding an inner layer tube of resin so as to fit a core wire material of metal therein, a braided layer attaching unit for attaching a braided layer made by the braiding of a reinforcing thread to the outer surface of the inner layer tube molded by the fore-stage extrusion molding device and once cooled, thereby molding a braided tube. The apparatus also includes a post-stage extrusion molding device for extrusion molding a raw material tube for a catheter by fitting an outer layer tube of resin thereon, and a take-off unit for taking off the raw material tube. The fore-stage extrusion molding device, braided layer attaching unit, post-stage extrusion molding device, and take-off unit are continuously disposed along the longitudinal direction of the tubes.

As for the multi-layer tube molding apparatus, there has heretofore been one shown in Patent Document 1 indicated below. The molding apparatus in this official gazette includes first and second extruders for thermally melting and extruding first and second resins, respectively, and first and second dies having molded therein inner and outer layer tube molding passages for passing therethrough the first and second resins extruded from these extruders to enable the molding of inner and outer layer tubes. Further, these first and second dies have first and second inflow passages molded therein. These first and second inflow passages enable the first and second resins extruded by said first and second extruders to flow into said inner and outer layer tube molding passages.
Disposed between said first and second dies is a braided layer attaching unit. This braided layer attaching unit attaches a braided layer, formed by the braiding of a reinforcing thread, to the outer surface of the inner layer tube immediately after the extrusion molding by said first die. Thereby, a braided tube is molded. Next, said second die fits said outer layer tube on said braided tube. Thereby, said multi-layer tube is molded.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open Official Gazette No. Hei 10-249954.


An image forming apparatus includes a printer, an input device configured to receive a user input, and a processor configured to acquire identification information that specifies a task in a predetermined service and is input through the input device, acquire document type information about document types used in the predetermined service based on the acquired identification information, generate a code for the task by encoding the acquired identification information, and control the printer to print an image of one of the document types and the generated code on a sheet of paper.

An image forming apparatus is used to print a document relating to a predetermined service. Such an image forming apparatus prints a document of a certain type in response to an operation from an operator.
There is a problem that the printed document often does not contain sufficient information to specify what task of the predetermined service the printed document relates to.

Image forming apparatus for printing an image according to one of document types used in a predetermined service


The objective of the present invention is to provide a virtual radio access network access server (RNAS) which is able to operate as an interworking unit between the base stations and other radio access elements as well as core network. Specifically, unlike according to the present scenario of the radio access network in which the functionalities of RNC and BSC have been implemented in the separate elements thus significantly increasing the number of network elements that has to be logically connected to the core network and/or to other radio access networks, the present invention is designed to reduce the amount of said elements.

In the current specifications of the third generation mobile networks (referred to as UMTS), the system utilises the same well-known architecture that has been used by all main second generation systems. A block diagram of the system architecture of current UMTS network is presented in FIG. 1. The UMTS network architecture includes the core network (CN), the UMTS terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN), and the user equipment (UE). The core network is further connected to the external networks, i.e. Internet, PLMN, PSTN and/or ISDN.
The GSM Phase 1/2 Core Network consists of network switching subsystem (NSS). The NSS further consists of the following functional units: Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Visitor Location Register (VLR), Home Location Register (HLR), Authentication Center (AC) and equipment identity register (EIR). The GSM Phase 2+ enhancements to the GSM phase 1/2 CN are serving GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) support node (SGSN), gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) and CAMEL service environment. The most important new feature that is introduced with GPRS is packet switching (PS) which improves the capacity of the network. For UMTS, only minor modifications to the GSM Phase 2+ core network are needed. For instance, allocation of the transcoder (TC) function for speech compression.
The UTRAN architecture consists of several radio network subsystems (RNS). The RNS is further divided into the radio network controller (RNC) and several base stations (BTS, referred to as B nodes in the 3GPP specifications).
In this architecture there are several different connections between the network elements. The Iu interface connects CN to UTRAN. The Iur interface enables the exchange of signalling information between two RNCs. The signalling protocol across the Iur interface is called. radio network subsystem application part (RNSAP). The RNSAP is terminated at both ends of the Iur interface by an RNC. The Iub interface connects an RNC and a node B. The Iub interface allows the RNC and node B to negotiate about radio resources, for example, to add and delete cells controlled by node B to support communication of dedicated connection between UE and S-RNC, information used to control the broadcast and paging channels, and information to be transported on the broadcast and paging channels. One node B can serve one or multiple cells. UE is connected to node B through the Uu radio interface. UE further consists of a subscriber identity module (USIM) and mobile equipment (ME). They are connected by the Cu interface. Connections to external networks are made through Gateway MSC (towards circuit switched networks) or GGSN (towards packet switched networks).
FIG. 2 further presents current GERAN architecture. GERAN (GSM/EDGE radio access network) is an enhanced GSM radio access network. Enhanced here means that GERAN uses EDGE as a radio technology. EDGE allows use of UMTS services with 800/900/1800/1900 MHz frequency bands. GERAN offers full advantages of GPRS (General Packet Radio System) to be explored. The base station subsystem (BSS) of GERAN is connected to the GSM core network by Gb (between BSS and a GSM SGSN) and A (between a BSS and a GSM MSC) interfaces. BSS is further connected to UMTS network by interfaces Iu-ps (between a BSS and a 3G SGSN) and Iu-cs (between a BSS and a 3G MSC). BSS is further connected to the RNC of UTRAN or to another BSS by Iur-g interface. BSS includes a base station controller (BSC) and base transceiver stations (BTS). In GERAN the air interface between BTS and Mobile Station/user equipment (MS) is called Um. An IP-RAN (Internet Protocol Radio Access Network) is a RAN architecture that is fully optimised to carry IP traffic. In this configuration the division of functionalities between network elements is fundamentally redefined to suit the needs of IP traffic. This is clearly different from just using IP as a transport solution with the existing network architectures like GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) and CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) based radio access networks.
IP is currently the most 'future proof' technology offering unprecedented economies of scale, and the possibility to integrate right across the industry; fixed, wireless and mobile.
Future networks will contain multiple radio access technologies, such as GSM, BlueTooth, IEEE 802.11a/b, BRAN HL2 and WCDMA. The IP-RAN will provide a common base to tie all these technologies together in a single RAN. This will enable services to be used seamlessly across the RAN.
The benefits of IP, and IP enabled Radio Access Network (IP-RAN), can be seen clearly and they can be summarised as follows. The primary driver for the increased usage of IP is derived from operators' abilities to create new and easily customisable services over the de-facto service creation environment, the Internet. Secondly, as the content is expressed in the Internet Protocol, native support for IP makes networks more optimal for this form of traffic and operational, and capital expenditure savings over the whole network are significant. Thirdly, IP integrates various access and transport technologies and standards, including fixed, wireless and mobile, into common service creation and delivery networks.
In order to obtain the most efficient RAN architecture, which is based on using the good characteristics of IP, some functionality has to be relocated between network elements. In the most revolutionary architecture we no longer have a network element commonly known as a BSC (Base Station Controller) or RNC (Radio Network Controller), although this functionality must remain in the RAN. However, in evolutionary architectures, the RNC and BSC are still used.
Macrodiversity combining, or soft handover is a specific function of CDMA technology. As IP-RAN architecture will enable very large RAN GateWays, the location of the Macrodiversity Combiner can no longer be centralised for all BTSs (Base Transceiver Station) in RAN. Therefore, in one embodiment of the IP RAN there has been chosen to locate some RNC functionality in the BTSs to enable soft handover and associated signalling to happen along the shortest path, producing minimum delay and signalling load to those parts of networks where this is not necessary.
Referring to the above state of art description it can be said that IP RAN is realised by implementing most of the RNC (or BSC) functionality in the BTS (IP BTS). Only Paging, basic O&M (Operation and Maintenance) and configurations, Location Calculation functions and Common Radio Resource Management may be implemented in separate servers outside the BTS site.
In the distributed architecture of IP RAN the number of BSC/RNC that has to be connected to the neighbouring RAN and the core network CN is around hundreds times higher than in the normal case. The consequence is that the CN and RAN/BSS equipment cannot handle this situation, due to restrictions in the implementation of the configurations of neighbour RNC/BSC. For example the handling of the external addressing of the different entities and the use of the identifiers (in 3G networks an identifier is assigned to a UE that has an existing signalling connection to the radio access network) becomes very complicated.
Thus, there is an increasing need for a logical or virtual network entity that can handle the very complicated external addressing of the different network elements as well as the use of temporary identifiers assigned to the user equipment. Also there is an obvious need for a gateway type network element which can hide the distributed radio access network control element, i.e. the distributed functionalities of RNC/BSC from the CN's or neighbouring radio network's point of view.

Method and system for implementing a signalling connection in a distributed radio access network


Compliant offshore platforms with isolated decks using one or more bearings located on a generally horizontal plane that is in proximity to the vertical center of gravity of the deck.

This section is intended to introduce various aspects of the art, which may be associated with exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. This discussion is intended to provide a framework to facilitate a better understanding of particular aspects of the disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that this section should be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Offshore oil and gas production has been conducted from platforms secured to the ocean bottom for many years. In designing such platforms, engineers must understand the environmental forces that result both from offshore winds, waves, and currents, and from earthquakes. The wind, wave, and current storm condition that engineers consider in designing an offshore platform generally involves surface wave energy with a period in the nine to sixteen second range. On the other hand, earthquakes generally involve energy with a period in a range from zero to two seconds. To the extent possible therefore, engineers design offshore platforms with frequency responses outside of these two period ranges. This design focus of the engineering community can be referred to as "isolation," or "detuning," of the platform's response from environmental excitation.
Among the types of platforms that have been used in the offshore industry are Steel Piled Jackets (SPJs) and Compliant Towers (CTs). SPJs differ from CTs in the manner of the detuning of environmental energy from the response of the platform. The SPJ, a rigidly-designed structure, typically has a natural period in the approximate range of two to four seconds—substantially below the principal range of storm energy but above the range of earthquake energy. On the other hand, CTs, which are flexibly-designed structures, have a natural period in the approximate range of twenty to thirty seconds—substantially above the principal range of both storm energy and earthquake energy. Generally, SPJs are economically viable structures in water depths less than approximately 1,000 feet, whereas CTs are economically viable structures in water depths greater than approximately 1,000 feet.
The surface facilities of offshore platforms, referred to generally as the topsides or as the decks, are also subject to earthquake energy effects. In particular, the surface facilities of SPJs are subject to earthquake energy effects due to 1) the close relationship between the natural period of SPJs and the period range of earthquake energy; 2) the two part energy amplification to which such SPJ surface facilities are subjected, first via the propagation of the motion through the soil column system and second, through the interaction of the soil system with the SPJ structure; and 3) the further amplification of equipment response through surface facility module vibration. For all these reasons, among others, engineers continually search for mechanisms to isolate surface facilities from earthquake energy.
The earthquake excitation challenge has been previously addressed via methods of isolating the deck from the lower substructure of the SPJ. For example, the paper "Structural platform solution for seismic arctic environments—Sakhalin II offshore facilities", Clarke, Buchanan, Efthymiou and Shaw, Proceedings of Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, Tex., OTC 17378 (2005), proposes the use of a friction bearing to dynamically isolate the deck of a gravity-based concrete structure. However, the friction bearings depend on vertical load and hence vertical acceleration for effectiveness. This dependence may result in deck uplift, with a consequent risk of toppling or shearing of the deck due to excessive horizontal and vertical accelerations. In addition, surface friction deterioration of the bearings in the marine environment generally requires continuous monitoring and maintenance.
CTs are less significantly influenced by earthquake excitation, due to the nature of their design. CTs yield to excitation energy by oscillating around a bottom underwater section (or base) in a controlled inverted pendulum manner. This oscillation creates an inertial restoring force which opposes the applied forces. That restoring force may also be augmented using one or more alternatives such as guy lines, buoyancy tanks and pile assemblies. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,610,569-A, 4,696,601-A, and 4,696,603-A.
The earthquake-compliant offshore platform disclosed in WO/1998/058129-A is a substantially vertical, space-frame structure extending upwardly from the floor of the body of water to a point located above the surface of the body of water. The platform has foundation means for attaching the space-frame structure to the floor of the body of water and a deck structure attached to the upper end of the space-frame structure. The natural vibration period of the platform is designed to be greater than the primary excitation period of earthquake energy and less than the primary period of storm energy. As noted above, however, such designs are generally only economically feasible in relatively deep water, typically greater than approximately one thousand feet.
The foregoing discussion of need in the art is intended to be representative rather than exhaustive. There remains a need for improved ways of decoupling or isolating the deck of offshore platforms from the energy which results from earthquakes.


A display system for use in displaying data in respect of usage of a device, the display system including: a detection system capable of detecting events that are indicative of usage of the device; and a display arranged to display data, the display system being arranged to invoke a selected display mode on the display, and being adapted, in response to detection of a given said event, to invoke a selected display mode, the display mode being selectable by the display system from a set of a plurality of different display modes in dependence on an elapsed time between a previous said event and said given event, each of the different display modes identifying a different stage of elapsed time.

For patients, compliance with medical treatment regimens appears to be extremely difficult; according to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), between 30 and 50 percent of patients fail to use medicines as prescribed (as described by Dixie Farley in "FDA Proposes Program to Give Patients Better Medication Information", published in FDA Consumer magazine (November 1995)). The main problems with compliance include taking an incorrect dose, failing to take doses at the set time, missing doses and ceasing treatment prematurely, any one of which can, in the best case, prolong the recovery period, and in the worst case, result in a failure to treat the patient's condition at all.
A solution to this problem, which is advocated by the FDA, is for patients to keep a record of the names, doses, regimens of current medications; to discuss their treatment with a pharmacist or doctor regularly; and to follow the instructions given by these physicians. However, this approach relies on patients proactively monitoring and recording their medicament behaviour, and thus relies on the very aspect of human nature that, thus far, has made patient compliance so poor.
Several companies have been active in the development of medicament dispensers that record and store data indicative of medicament events, the data being subsequently downloaded to a centralised database for analysis by a physician. For example, U.S. patent application US2002/0104848 describes a system including a dispenser having a sensor adapted to sense opening of the dispenser cover (this being deemed indicative of dispensing of medicament) and a control unit adapted to store a time at which such an opening event has been detected. Data indicative of this event, which essentially provides a dispensing history, are stored on the dispenser and accessed by a base station, which communicates the data to a patient database for review by a physician. However, it is difficult for the patient to directly receive compliance information, since he has to rely on feedback from the physician. This means that the patient can only receive compliance information by consulting with his physician, which, to be successful, again relies on the patient making and keeping appointments.
In alternative systems, the dispensing device is arranged to display the times at which medicament have been dispensed on the device itself. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,731 describes a medicament dispenser having a sensor adapted to sense opening of the doors of the dispenser, a control unit adapted to store a time at which such an opening event has been sensed, and an electronic display having a menu from which the user can select one of a plurality of display options. One of these options corresponds to a review of the actual times that an opening event has been sensed (this being deemed indicative of dispensing of medicament) within a prescribed period (e.g. a number of hours or a number of days). The patent goes on to describe graphically displaying percentage compliance over time, together with symptom severity over time, recognising that patients are more likely to persevere with a treatment regimen if they can "see" their symptoms improving. However, displaying such information requires input from the user in relation to their symptoms, thus again relying on patients taking a proactive role in their treatment.
It would be desirable to provide a device that is of greater convenience to the user.


A method for allocating resources includes receiving one or more parameters associated with an object of interest. At least one of the parameters corresponds to a probability that the object of interest is participating in a predetermined situation of interest. The method also includes calculating a plurality of values, based at least in part on the parameters, and selecting, based at least in part on the calculated values, one or more operations to be performed involving the object of interest. In addition the method includes generating an instruction based at least in part on the operation to be performed transmitting the instruction to an operational resource.

Information fusion is a process for associating, correlating, and combining data and information from one or more sources to achieve refined estimates of parameters, characteristics, events, and behaviors for observed entities. Accordingly, information fusion techniques combine data from multiple sources to achieve improved accuracies and more specific inferences regarding the observed entities. Thus, information fusion can provide improved decision-making in rapidly-changing environments in which imperfect data is provided by multiple sources.

System and method for aggregating information


A fracture alignment and retention device includes a plurality of spanning bars which are spaced about the extremity of the patient having a fractured long bone. Preferably, the spanning bars are located circumferentially about the extremity. At least three spanning bars are held in approximately 90 degree offset positions with respect to each other by two straps encircling the extremity. The straps are secured in place by a VELCRO-type fastener or other securing devices. Each spanning bar includes at least two pressure pads which are placed on the extremity on opposite sides of the fracture. Each pressure pad includes a threaded shaft which is threadably mounted at a central portion in a fixed bushing engaged in a slot defined in an uppermost surface of the spanning bar. One end of the shaft includes a knob and the opposite end is mounted on the pressure pad for causing movement of the pressure pad toward or away from the extremity in an axial direction along the shaft without rotation of the pressure pad. Rotation of knobs located at the end of the shaft controls the amount of pressure exerted against the extremity by the pressure pads and includes an indicator for noting relative positioning of a knob prior to and after turning of the knob.

It is imperative that fractures of long bones be properly aligned prior to fixation by an intramedullary nail, for example. Improperly aligned bone fragments may result in difficulty in insertion of a fixation device. Since it is imperative to obtain bone alignment of the fracture fragments prior to fixation, crude methods are currently used to obtain such alignment.
Present practices for alignment of fractured long bone fragments include mechanisms for holding a patient's extremity in a fixed position. Such mechanisms include the se of rigid boards, leverage devices or rings around the extremity as a gross relative adjustment of the bone fragments. For precise alignment of the bone fragments, the hands of a surgeon are often subject to continuous exposure of the x-rays from a fluoroscopic image intensifier as the bone fragments are realigned in all planes. The final alignment of the bone fragments is achieved by shifting of the extremity of the patient during constant fluoroscopic radiation exposure to the hands of the surgeon over an extended length of time as the hands of the surgeon hold the bone fragments in position. Once the bone fragments are aligned, an intramedullary fixation procedure may be, used to secure the bone fragments in an aligned position.


An activation apparatus of a fuel cell stack is provided. The activation apparatus of a fuel cell stack which is provided to perform activation and evaluate performance of the fuel cell stack while the fuel cell stack enters a frame. The apparatus includes an output cable connecting unit that is movably installed back and forth along a side direction of the fuel cell stack in a motor operated manner, and is configured to connect an output cable with the fuel cell stack.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for activating a fuel cell stack, and more particularly, to an activation apparatus of a fuel cell stack which enables an activating process of the fuel cell stack and a performance evaluation to be unmanned and automated.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Generally, a fuel cell includes an electrode that provokes an electrochemical reaction between fuel and oxidizing agent, a polymer electrolyte membrane that transfers protons generated by the reaction, and a separator that supports the electrode and the polymer electrolyte membrane. Currently, the polymer electrolyte fuel cell is commonly being used as the fuel cell for vehicles. The polymer electrolyte fuel cell has the advantage of not corroded and regulation of electrolyte is not required, since it has higher efficiency than other forms of fuel cells, the current density and the output density are high, it uses a polymer electrolyte, and the startup time is substantially reduced.
In addition, since the polymer electrolyte fuel cell is an environmentally friendly power source that produces no exhaust emissions except pure water research is being conducted in the field. Such an electrolyte fuel cell may generate electrical energy while generating water and heat through the electrochemical reaction between a fuel including hydrogen and an oxidizing agent such as air.
In other words, in the electrolyte fuel cell, supplied fuel is divided into hydrogen ions and electrons in the catalyst of the anode electrode, and the divided hydrogen ions cross over to the cathode through the polymer electrolyte membrane to generate electrical energy and produce water from the combination of the supplied oxidizing agent and electrons are injected along external wires. In an actual fuel cell for vehicles, individual unit cells are stacked to obtain required potential, and the stacked structure of unit cells is referred to as a stack.
Meanwhile, an electrode of the fuel cell is formed by mixing a hydrogen ion carrier and a catalyst, and the activity of the electrochemical reaction may be decreased in initial operation after the fuel cell is manufactured since a transfer port is blocked and the carrier may not reach the catalyst, the carrier of hydrogen ions forming a triple phase interface is not easily hydrolyzed in the initial operations, and continuous mobility of the hydrogen ions and electrons is difficult secure. Accordingly, to maximally secure the performance of fuel cells after assembling the membrane-electrode assembly including the electrode and the polymer electrolyte file, and the stack which is an assembly of fuel cells for generating electricity including separators, a process of activation and performance evaluation of the fuel cell stack is performed.
The object of the activation and the performance evaluation is to remove inflow of residual impurities during the process of manufacturing the membrane-electrode assembly and the stack, to activate the sites which do not participate in the reaction, and to secure passages for hydrogen ions by sufficiently hydrolyzing the electrolyte included in the polymer electrolyte membrane and the electrode as well as to secure the passage through which reactants move to the catalyst. Although such an activation of the fuel cell stack has been performed in various methods in the related art, a main method of activation is to detect the voltage of the fuel cell of the stack while operating the stack for a substantial amount of time under a predefined voltage.
For this, equipment for activating the fuel cell stack based on the related art may perform the processes for activating the fuel cell stack and evaluating the performance by supplying the fuel and the oxidizing agent into the fuel cells after manufacturing a stack in which a plurality fuel cells are layered, and by monitoring the voltage of the fuel cells while applying electrical energy generated from the fuel cells to an electric load apparatus. In such processes of activating the fuel cell stack and evaluating the performance, connectors of the voltage measuring equipment are connected to a terminal that protrudes from each fuel cell of the stack, an output cable connected to the electric load apparatus is connected to output terminals at both sides of the stack, and a fluid supplying tube for supplying fluids (e.g., hydrogen, air, and cooling water) is connected to a manifold of the stack.
In the process of connecting the connectors of the voltage measurement equipment to the terminals that protrude from each fuel cell of the stack, the connectors and the terminals of each fuel cell are manually connected. Accordingly, in the related art, since the connectors of the voltage measuring equipment are manually connected to the terminals of the stack, workability may be deteriorated, an excessively substantial period of time is required for the overall process for connecting the connectors and the terminals, and stack damage may occur during the work of connecting the terminal.
In addition, in the process of connecting the output cables connected to the electric load apparatus to the output terminals at both sides of the stack, a worker clamps a bus bar connected to the electric load apparatus and the output cable to the output terminal of both sides of the stack with a bolt. Accordingly, in the related art, the worker may be exposed to a danger of electric shock when manually connecting and detaching the output cable to/from the output terminal on both sides of the stack. In other words, since a current may be generated due to the electro-chemical reaction between remaining hydrogen and air even when supply of the hydrogen and air to the stack is discontinued, an accidental electric shock of a worker may be induced when detaching the output cable from the terminal.
Further, in the process of connecting the fluid supplying tube for supplying fluids to the fuel cells of the stack to the manifold of the stack, the stack is connected to the fluid supplying tube of activating equipment by manually pushing the stack. Accordingly, in the related art, workability may be deteriorated, and air-tightness may not be secured when connecting the fluid supplying tube to the stack manifold since the stack weighing dozens of kilograms is connected to the fluid supplying tube of the activating equipment by manually being pushed.
The above information disclosed in this section is merely for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.


Methods and apparatuses are provided for managing a performance level of a processing circuit, such as a modem, by making adjustments to one or more operating parameters provided to the processing circuit, such as a voltage supplied to the processing circuit and/or a clock frequency of the processing circuit. The processing circuit is adapted to monitor wireless wide area network (WWAN) protocol information. The processing circuit may adjust at least one operating parameter provided to the processing circuit in response to the monitored wireless wide area network (WWAN) protocol information.

1. Field
Various features disclosed herein pertain to wireless communication systems, and at least some features pertain to devices and methods for facilitating performance level management for a processing circuit in an access terminal.
2. Background
Access terminals, such as laptop computers, personal digital assistant devices, mobile or cellular phones, or any other device with a processor, that communicate with other devices through wireless signals are becoming increasingly popular. Access terminals are typically battery-powered and the amount of power a battery can provide is limited. With consumers using powerful applications that run on the client terminals, particularly entertainment media and imaging applications, conserving battery power is important.
One technique often used in computer architecture for conserving power and/or reducing the temperature of a processor includes managing a performance level of one or more processors. For example, the performance level of a processor may be managed by dynamic frequency scaling and/or dynamic voltage and frequency scaling. Dynamic voltage and frequency scaling is generally implemented in devices having a processor by increasing or decreasing the clocking frequency of the processor or a combination of the clocking frequency and the voltage supplied to the processor in response to the activity of the processor. For example, the processor and/or memory bus activity may be monitored to determine whether additional or fewer processor resources are needed to meet the current activity rates. When relatively higher processor and/or memory bus activity is measured, the dynamic voltage and frequency scaling function may increase the clock frequency of the processor and/or the voltage supplied to the processor to enable the processor to meet the demands of the increased activity. Conversely, when relatively lower processor and/or memory bus activity is measured, the dynamic voltage and frequency scaling function may reduce the clock frequency of the processor and/or the voltage supplied to the processor. Such reductions in frequency and/or voltage may result in reduced power consumption by the processor, as power is dissipated by a processor according to the equation C·V2·f, where C is the capacitance being switched per clock cycle, V is voltage, and f is the switching frequency.
Such a conventional dynamic voltage and frequency scaling function which monitors the processor and memory bus activity may be capable of reducing power consumption in access terminals. However, such a conventional dynamic voltage and frequency scaling function may not perform optimally in high speed data transmission scenarios, such as high-speed calls. For example, in modern high speed data call scenarios, data may be transferred between an access terminal and an access node over relatively short periods of time. If data remains for too long on a buffer at an access terminal (e.g., is not moved quickly enough from a buffer having limited storage capacity to a storage medium having a larger storage capacity), the data may be partially overwritten by subsequent data received at the access terminal, resulting in the loss of data. Similarly, if data is not processed quickly enough for transmission, the access terminal may miss a transmission deadline, potentially leading to system instability. In some conventional data transmission scenarios, only a few milliseconds may be available to process data before data is lost or transmission deadlines are missed.
Conventional dynamic voltage and frequency scaling functions relying on measurements of processor and memory bus activity levels may have relatively slow responsiveness in adjusting processor performance levels.
Therefore, there is a need for a solution that more efficiently manages a processor's performance level, e.g., during high speed data transmission/reception scenarios, by identifying a change in processor requirements and enabling relatively quick responsiveness in adjusting the processor's performance level to meet the changed processor requirements.

Using wireless wide area network protocol information for managing a performance level of a processor


Presented herein are systems, methods, and apparatus for improving performance of video decoders during rewind and fast forward operation. Video decoder performance is improved by avoiding repetitive decoding of prediction pictures. When a decoded prediction picture is stored in a frame buffer, techniques are presented for decoding multiple pictures in the rewind order which are dependent thereon, displaying the picture directly from the frame buffer, and setting one type of prediction picture as another type of prediction picture.

The present invention relates to video recorder and playback systems, and more particularly to controlling the presentation of content.
Television (TV) content distribution is quickly migrating from analog formats to compressed digital formats. Currently, distribution of digital video content for TV display is dominated by use of the MPEG-2 video compression standard (ISO/IEC 13818-2). MPEG-2 and its predecessor MPEG-1 define the standards to compress video content using a combination of various techniques. An MPEG-encoded stream may have three types of pictures, Intra-coded (I), Predicted (P) and Bi-directionally predicted (B). I-pictures are not compressed using any temporal predictions and can be decoded without the need of any other picture. The P-pictures perform temporal predictions from a picture that comes before it in the display order. Thus, decode of a P-pictures requires one picture (from the past) to be available with the decoder for performing temporal predictions. This prediction picture may be either an I-picture or another P-picture. The B-pictures are bi-directionally predicted and, hence, use two pictures for prediction, one from the past and another from the future (in display order).
During normal decode of MPEG streams, video decoders store the last two decompressed I/P pictures in memory. The last I/P picture is used for predicting an incoming P-picture and the last two I/P pictures are used for predicting an incoming B-picture. During a Rewind operation, the pictures have to be displayed in the reverse order. The video stream is itself fed to the decoder through a system that first recorded the stream on a recordable media such as a hard-disk. A Rewind operation is complex because B-pictures cannot be decoded from the previously decoded pictures in the rewind order. Rather, the last two prediction pictures in the forward decode order are needed by the decoder in order to decode a B-picture.
The foregoing can be accomplished by decoding pictures in the forward picture order starting from the last I-picture before the B-picture in the forward decoding order. Thus, an existing decoder has to decode multiple pictures for displaying a single picture. If such a decoder is unable to decode multiple pictures in the given time limit for getting ready with a new picture for display, then the video quality suffers.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional systems will become apparent to one of skill in the art through comparison of such systems with the invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

Performing personal video recording (PVR) functions on digital video streams


First and second laser beams are incident on a difference frequency mixing unit, and the two laser beams overlap in the difference frequency mixing unit, thereby generating a terahertz wave whose frequency is a frequency difference between the two laser beams. Each laser beam has a spatial spread in a frequency gradient direction, and a spatial frequency distribution of each laser beam is a distribution in which a magnitude of a frequency gradually increases in the frequency gradient direction. A frequency difference between the two laser beams is equal in each position in an overlapping region of the two laser beams. A terahertz wave of a single frequency is generated from this overlapping region. By spatially shifting the first laser beam and the second laser beam with respect to each other in the frequency gradient direction, the frequency difference in the overlapping region is changed, which changes the single frequency.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a terahertz wave generating method and apparatus that have a first laser beam and a second laser beam incident on a difference frequency mixing unit and overlap the two laser beams in the difference frequency mixing unit, thereby generating a terahertz wave whose frequency is a frequency difference between the two laser beams.
2. Description of the Related Art
Terahertz waves are electromagnetic waves that lie between radio waves and infrared radiation, and are 0.3 THz to 10 THz in frequency and 30 μm to 1 mm in wavelength. Such terahertz waves have penetrability to various substances including paper and plastics like radio waves, and also have a proper spatial resolution like light. In addition, terahertz waves have a unique absorption spectrum according to substance. Therefore, for example, such an application that identifies a type of a substance concealed in a parcel and the like and detects a dangerous article such as an explosive by spectrometry can be expected. To realize this, a terahertz wave generating apparatus that generates a terahertz wave at various frequencies is essential.
Conventionally, a technique of exciting a difference frequency mixing unit with laser light is widely employed for a terahertz wave generating apparatus suitable for spectrometry. This technique can mainly be classified into the following two types.
(Single Frequency Generation by Difference Frequency Mixing)
A terahertz wave of a single frequency is generated by a principle of difference frequency mixing, using two single-frequency laser beams that differ in frequency and wavelength (e.g. Patent Document 1 listed below). Moreover, the frequency of one of the laser beams is controlled to change the frequency difference, thereby changing the frequency of the terahertz wave.
(Broadband Generation by Femtosecond Laser)
There is a technique of generating a broadband terahertz wave pulse using a broadband femtosecond pulse laser (e.g. Patent Document 2 listed below).
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-341392
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-223017
In the above-mentioned "single frequency generation by difference frequency mixing", there is a problem that, when a laser beam wavelength is restricted, laser intensity and terahertz wave output decrease, too. There is also a problem of low stability because the frequency of the laser itself is controlled.
In the above-mentioned "broadband generation by femtosecond laser", a terahertz wave of various frequency components can be obtained at one time. However, since all frequency components are included in one pulse, the frequency components need to be divided by a Fourier transform in order to obtain spectroscopic information.

Terahertz wave generating method and apparatus


A pair of like, semiconductor integrated circuit bars, such as DRAMS, have second level bonding pads formed over their active surfaces in mirror images of one another. The bars then become bonded to opposite sides of frame bonding pads of a lead frame to double the capacity of a normally encapsulated integrated circuit. The normal bar bonding pads of the circuit bars are arranged identical to one another, and a patterned and etched second level of metal forms second level lands over the bar bonding pads, the mirror image second level bonding pads and second level leads connecting corresponding second level lands to second level pads. A pair of 256K DRAMS can be connected either 256K.times.2 or 512K.times.1 by use of dummy second level pads for DATA-IN/OUT and ROW ADDRESS STROBE connection.

The present invention relates to a method of packaging semiconductor integrated circuit chips, or, as they are sometimes referred to, bars more particularly, to forming and encapsulating such bars.
In the fabrication of semiconductor circuits normally a silicon slice is divided up into a number of bars, typically about 150, each of which are later separated and encapsulated. In the encapsulation process the bonding pads on each bar are attached by means of gold thread to the pin leads of a lead frame with the bar resting in a central bar pad in the frame. Following the threading operation the lead frame and bar are encased in epoxy with the pins of the lead frame extending outwardly and the epoxy cured. The pins are then trimmed and bent into shape. The rapid trend towards putting more circuity into a given size of package indicates a need to develop a means for placing more than 1 in a single package.
Accordingly, a principal object of the present invention is to improve the packaging of VLSI devices. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method of packaging which increases the amount of circuitry housed in a single package for VLSI devices.

Semiconductor integrated circuit device having mirror image circuit bars bonded on opposite sides of a lead frame


An apparatus for inserting labels into the blow mold cavity of an injection-blow molding machine, which includes a carriage, a label transfer mechanism on the carriage which is made up of a label holder on a curvilinear translator mechanism, and a mechanism for moving the carriage reciprocally. Also, a method for labeling containers, formed in an injection blow molding machine in which the blow mold opens before the injection mold and a label is inserted into the blow mold cavity during the resulting hiatus before parison transfer.

Machines and methods for labeling plastic containers by placing a label into a blow mold and then blow-forming the container are known. For example, U S. Pat. Nos. 4,355,967, 4,359,314 and 4,479,644 show machines which insert labels between open halves of blow molds which are mounted on the periphery of a wheel. After the labels have been inserted, preforms (i.e. tubes of hot extruded plastic) are introduced into the cavity. The molds are then closed and the container blown. The labels are bonded to the container, typically by means of a heat-activated adhesive on the back of the label.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,771 shows a machine whose blow molds are stationary, but which works in much the same way.
A machine similar to that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,771 is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,292,209. The preforms in the '209 patent are said to be injection molded, however.
One known type of injection blow molding machine is that in which split parison and blow molds open along a common parting plane. Work pieces are first injection molded, then blown and removed at successive work stations. Transfer between work stations is accomplished by a turret, which moves in concert with the movable mold halves and rotates about an axis, about which the work stations are radially disposed. The turret has a number of sides (normally three or four) which corresponds to the number of work stations. Core rods or mandrels radially project from each of the turret sides toward the respectively facing work stations.
Such machines are widely used because of their efficiency and dependability, but heretofore have not been thought suitable for in-mold labeling because in all known machines of this type, the parison molds and blow molds open simultaneously just before the transfer stage. Thus the machine's cycle would have to be interrupted briefly while the label is inserted into the blow mold cavity. This is undesirable because it would slow production and because a parison normally should be blown as soon after its transfer as possible for consistent container quality.

In-mold labeling of injection blow molded products