There is described a method for transmitting N parallel data flows on a parallel bus. The method comprises, at a first communication device: generating a further parallel data flow comprising alignment words periodically distributed with a period; at each period, rotating the N of parallel data flows and the further parallel data flow thus generating N+1 rotated parallel data flows, each comprising part of the alignment words periodically distributed with a frame period; transmitting the N+1 rotated parallel data flows on respective physical connections of the parallel bus. The method further comprises, at a second communication device: aligning the N+1 rotated parallel data flows by using the alignment words, thus compensating skew and obtaining N+1 aligned parallel data flows; and at each period, de-rotating the N+1 aligned parallel data flows, thus generating N de-rotated parallel data flows corresponding to the N parallel data flows.

As it is known, a parallel bus comprises a number of parallel physical connections suitable for connecting two communication devices and supporting exchange of data between them. Data transmission is shared among all the physical connections of the parallel bus. The physical connections may be either optical connections (e.g. optical fibers) or electrical connections. Parallel buses are opposed to serial buses, that transport data on a single physical connection.
Communication devices connected by means of a parallel bus have to be equipped with suitable interfaces known as "serdes" (serializer-deserializer). A serdes typically has a transmitting side and a receiver side. At the transmitting side, the serdes has a demultiplexer suitable for receiving an aggregated data flow from a serial bus and for performing a time-division demultiplexing on it for obtaining N parallel data flows, wherein N is lower than or equal to the number of physical connections within the parallel bus (deserialization). Each of the N parallel data flows is then transmitted on a respective physical link of the parallel bus. On the other hand, at the receiving side, the serdes has a multiplexer suitable for receiving N parallel data flows from respective physical connections of a parallel bus, and for performing a time-division multiplexing on them for recovering an aggregated data flow to be transmitted on a serial bus (serialization).
During propagation from the serdes of a first communication device to the serdes of a second communication device, each parallel data flow undergoes a different propagation delay. This may be due for instance to the fact that physical connections have slightly different lengths. Accordingly, bits of different parallel data flows that are transmitted at the same time from the serdes of a first communication device are received at the serdes of the second communication device at different times. This effect is termed "skew".
Skew is an undesirable effect, since it prevents the parallel data flows from being properly aligned at the receiving side, thereby causing errors in recovering the original sequence of bits of the aggregated data flow. The higher the parallel bus length and the higher the transmission data rate, the higher is the number of errors induced by skew on the recovered aggregated data flow.
The document "Serdes Framer Interface Level 5 (SFI-5): Implementation Agreement for 40 Gb/s Interface for Physical Layer Devices (OIF-SFI5-01.02)", Jan. 29, 2002, created by OIF (Optical Internetworking Forum), discloses a serdes for transmitting an aggregated optical data flow at 40 Gb/s by means of sixteen physical connections plus a "deskew" physical connection of a parallel bus, that is suitable to implement an alignment mechanism for compensating skew. The same document discloses also a quad serdes for transmitting four independent aggregated optical data flows at 10 Gb/s by means of four parallel buses, each constituted by four physical connections plus a deskew one, named SFI-5s. The operation of this serdes will be now explained by referring to FIGS. 6a and 6b.
At the transmitting side, an aggregated data flow to be transmitted over the parallel bus is divided into four parallel data flows PF1, PF2, PF3, PF4 by time division demultiplexing. Then, an additional flow AF is created, which is divided in frames F1, F2, . . . of a predefined duration. By referring e.g. to the frame F1 shown in FIG. 6a, the serdes inserts in the frame F1 an alignment word AW′. Then, from time t10 to time t11, the serdes copies bits from the first parallel data flow PF1 into the frame F1, thus inserting into the frame F1 a copy S11 of a bit sequence S′11 of the first parallel data flow PF1. Then, from time t11 to time t12, the serdes copies bits from the second parallel data flow PF2 into the frame F1, thus inserting into the frame F1 a copy S12 of a bit sequence S′12 of the second parallel data flow PF2. Then, from time t12 to time t13, the serdes copies bits from the third parallel data flow PF3 into the frame F1, thus inserting into the frame F1 a copy S13 of a bit sequence S′13 of the third parallel data flow PF3. Then, from time t13 to time t14, the serdes copies bits from the fourth parallel data flow PF4 into the frame F1, thus inserting into the frame F1 a copy S14 of a bit sequence S′14 of the fourth parallel data flow PF4. The serdes then cyclically repeats the above procedure, thus forming the frame F2 of FIG. 6a and the successive frames, that for simplicity are not shown in FIG. 6a.
The parallel data flows PF1, PF2, PF3, PF4 and the additional flow AF are then transmitted each on a respective physical connection of the parallel bus.
At the receiving side, the parallel data flows PF1, PF2, PF3, PF4 and the additional flow AF are in general non-aligned, due to skew. This situation is shown in FIG. 6b. The additional flow AF is therefore read, by considering each sequence S11, S12, S13, S14 and by searching the corresponding sequence S′11, S′12, S′13, S′14 in the parallel data flow PF1, PF2, PF3, PF4, respectively. When the corresponding sequences S′11, S′12, S′13, S′14 are found, the parallel data flows PF1, PF2, PF3, PF4 are time-shifted as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 6b, for aligning the corresponding sequences S′11, S′12, S′13, S′14 to the sequences S11, S12, S13, S14 of the additional flow AF, respectively. This procedure is cyclically repeated for each parallel data flow upon alignment is found, each time a frame of the additional flow AF is received. Alignment procedure is completed when all parallel data flows are individually aligned. After successful alignment, the alignment is continuously checked.

Transmission of parallel data flows on a parallel bus


An image processing apparatus includes an estimation unit, a noise reduction unit, and an output unit. The estimation unit estimates a scattered-ray component contained in a radiation image acquired by irradiating an object with a radiation, wherein the scattered-ray component originates from a scattered ray which is a radiation scattered in the object. The noise reduction unit reduces a noise component included in the radiation image in accordance with first noise information obtained from the radiation image and second noise information obtained from a scattered-ray reduction image obtained by reducing the scattered-ray component from the radiation image. The output unit outputs a correction image obtained by reducing the scattered-ray component and the noise component in the radiation image.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus which performs image processing on a radiation image, an image processing method, and an image processing system.
Description of the Related Art
A radiation image obtained by irradiating an object with a radiation includes a component of primary radiation which travels straight from a radiation source and a component of a scattered ray which is a radiation scattered in the object, and further includes a noise component. Such a scattered-ray component may cause degradation of contrast of a radiation image. Furthermore, the noise component may cause degradation of image quality of the radiation image.
In recent years, a method for reducing a scattered-ray component and a noise component from the radial image by image processing has been proposed. U.S. Pat. No. 8,064,676 discloses a technique of reducing a scattered-ray component which is seen to be dominant in pixels of high luminance in a low frequency band and a noise component which is seen to be dominant in pixels of low luminance in a high frequency band in accordance with a frequency and a luminance value of a radiation image.
So-called noise includes quantum noise derived from statistical fluctuation in positions and density of X-ray photons detected by a radiation detector as a result of a random phenomenon of the X-ray photons. The quantum noise approximately correlates with the dose of radiation which has reached the radiation detector. In a method in which a scattered-ray component reduction process and a noise reduction process are individually performed in accordance with a frequency and a luminance value of a radiation image, accuracy of reduction of a noise component may be deteriorated since the correlation between an amount of a scattered ray which has reached a radiation detector and a generated noise amount is not taken into consideration.

Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and image processing system


A semiconductor device includes a clock-and-data recovery circuit including a phase tracking loop that generates a phase difference signal indicating a phase difference between a reception clock generated from a transmission clock and an input signal and makes the reception clock track the input signal, a frequency tracking loop that performs control to make a frequency of the reception clock track a frequency of the input signal, the clock-and-data recovery circuit being configured to extract a data signal and a synchronization clock from the input signal and to control a phase and a frequency of the reception clock, a frequency error adjuster that increases or decreases a value indicated by a frequency adjustment signal according to a frequency difference signal generated based on the phase difference signal, and an oscillator that increases or decreases a frequency of the transmission clock based on the frequency adjustment signal.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device, in particular a semiconductor device including a clock-and-data recovery circuit that extracts data from an externally-supplied input signal and an oscillator circuit that generates a clock signal to be supplied to the clock-and-data recovery circuit.
In recent years, the communication speed between semiconductor devices has been improving. As for the communication method, a parallel data transfer method and a serial data transfer method have been used. However, in recent years, it is believed that the serial data transfer method is superior to the parallel data transfer method in terms of its ability to increase the data transfer rate. Therefore, the serial data transfer method has been used more widely.
In the serial data transfer method, data signals are modulated by using a transmission clock and transferred as serial data. Then, a receiver circuit extracts the sampling clock and the data signals from the serial data. A clock-and-data recovery circuit is used for the extraction of the sampling clock and the data signals.
Further, it is essential to generate a highly-accurate clock as a transmission clock in the serial data transfer method. In general, this highly-accurate clock is generated by using a quartz resonator. However, quartz resonators are very expensive. Therefore, it has been one of the causes of high system costs. Accordingly, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-135189 discloses a technique to generate a highly-accurate transmission clock by using a resonator having a lower accuracy than that of the quartz resonator. Further, Published Japanese Translation of PCT International Publication for Patent Application, No. 2008-535387 discloses a technique to control the frequency of a clock signal that is generated on the receiver side based on information obtained from a received signal, though its purpose is not to generate the transmission clock. The technique disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-135189 is explained hereinafter.
Firstly, FIG. 7 shows a block diagram of a communication system 100 disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-135189. As shown in FIG. 7, the communication system 100 includes a device 101 and a host 102. The device 101 and the host 102 include their respective transmitting/receiving circuits. In FIG. 7, only the transmitting/receiving circuit of the device 101 is illustrated. The device 101 receives a signal RX from the host 102. Further, the device 101 transmits a signal TX to the host 102. The host 102 generates a reference clock by using a reference signal generation source 120, which is formed from a quartz resonator or the like, and operates based on this reference clock. Meanwhile, the device 101 generates a reference clock by using a reference signal generation source 103, which is formed from a ceramic resonator, and operates based on this reference clock.
Note that the device 101 includes a synchronization establishment unit 111, a frequency error detector 112, a frequency generator 113, and a serializer 114. The synchronization establishment unit 111 receives a signal RX, which is received by the device 101, and extracts a clock and data from the signal RX. Then, the synchronization establishment unit 111 outputs the extracted clock as a reception signal RS and outputs the extracted data as a synchronization establishment signal SCS. Further, the synchronization establishment unit 111 converts the data into a parallel signal according to the clock, and outputs the parallel signal as reception data DT. The frequency error detector 112 receives the reception signal RS, the synchronization establishment signal SCS, a reference clock Fref, and a transmission signal TS. Then, the frequency error detector 112 detects a frequency difference between the reception signal RS and the transmission signal TS and thereby outputs a frequency adjustment signal FCS. The frequency generator 113 outputs the transmission signal TS whose frequency is determined based on the frequency adjustment signal FCS and the reference clock Fref. The serializer 114 receives the transmission signal TS and transmission data DR, and outputs a signal TX.
Note that the reception signal RS, which is extracted from the signal RX by the device 101, has the same frequency as that of the highly-accurate clock generated in the host 102. In the device 101, the transmission signal TS is generated based on this reception signal RS. That is, it is possible to generate a highly-accurate clock by using a resonator having a low accuracy in the device 101.


A method and apparatus for inspecting the walls of an underground pipe from inside the pipe in which an inspection apparatus having a circular planar platform having a plurality of lever arms having one end pivotably attached to one side of the platform, having a pipe inspection device connected to an opposite end, and having a system for pivoting the lever arms is inserted into the underground pipe, with the inspection apparatus oriented with the planar platform disposed perpendicular to the pipe axis. The plurality of lever arms are pivoted toward the inside wall of the pipe, contacting the inside wall with each inspection device as the apparatus is conveyed along a length of the underground pipe.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for inspecting the inside walls of underground pipes. More particularly, this invention relates to a method and apparatus for inspecting the entire wall of underground pipes in which the inspection devices for assessing the physical and structural integrity of the walls are conveyed through the pipe.
Utilities are responsible for the regular maintenance and integrity of their underground infrastructure. They usually rely on "smart pigs" or robots for the inspection of these pipelines to determine necessary repairs. These devices are designed to traverse axially through a pipeline and inspect the walls of the pipeline through the use of various inspection techniques. However, there exist numerous obstructions such as valves, offsets, bends, and reductions in diameter within the pipeline that can prevent traversal of the "pig" through the pipeline, thereby precluding the use of "pigs" or robots for inspection of those sections of pipeline having these obstructions. Notwithstanding, the inspection of these pipelines is just as critical as those pipelines which are capable of accommodating a "pig" or robot. Thus, it is apparent that there exists a need for a device which is capable of inspecting pipelines having obstructions which otherwise make difficult or preclude inspection by conventional "pigs" and robots.

Underground pipe inspection device and method


A projection type light exposure apparatus comprises, a mask having a fine pattern and at least one auxiliary pattern spaced from the fine pattern by a predetermined distance along an edge of the fine pattern, a projection optical system for projecting the fine pattern on the mask onto a photosensitive substrate, an illumination optical system for supplying an illumination light to the mask, and the illumination light being irradiated from at least one local area centered at a position eccentric from an optical axis of the illumination optical system in or a vicinity of a Fourier transform plane of the mask in the illumination optical system.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a projection type light exposure apparatus and a light exposure method in a circuit pattern formation technology of a semiconductor device.
2. Related Background Art
In a prior art light exposure method, a mask (reticle) is illuminated by a projection type light exposure apparatus which illuminates the reticle by a light beam having a light intensity distribution which has a circular section around an optical axis of an illumination optical system in a plane of the illumination optical system (a pupil plane of the illumination optical system) which is a Fourier plane of a plane on which a pattern of the reticle is present, or in a vicinity of the pupil plane. An angle of incidence of the illumination light beam to the reticle (that is, an aperture number of the illumination light beam) usually has a ratio of the aperture number of the illumination light beam and the aperture number of the projection optical system facing the reticle, that is, a so-called coherence factor (.sigma. value) of 0.3<.sigma.<0.6. A manner of illumination of the illumination light beam to the reticle in the light exposure apparatus is illustrated in FIGS. 11A-11C.
FIG. 11A shows the illumination of the illumination light beam to the pattern on the reticle in a prior art light exposure method a circuit pattern 12P to be transferred is drawn on the reticle 11 to be used in the light exposure method, and other area is a light shield area (hatched area). An illumination light L1 is substantially perpendicularly irradiated to the pattern. FIG. 11B shows an amplitude distribution of a light transmitted through the pattern in the prior art light exposure method shown in FIG. 11A. A complex amplitude of the light transmitted through the circuit pattern 12P is substantially uniform within the circuit pattern 12P. This value is represented by +1. Thus, it is assumed that a positive amplitude distribution Ap appears on the wafer. It is a superposition integration of the shape of the circuit pattern 12P and a point image amplitude distribution of the projection optical system to be used. FIG. 11C shows an intensity distribution of a light reaching onto the wafer in the prior art light exposure method shown in FIG. 11A. The intensity distribution is a square of an absolute value of the amplitude distribution Ap and it is represented by Ep. A width of a light intensity which is large enough to sensitize the resist on the wafer is represented by a broken line range W.sub.1. Thus, a pattern having the width W.sub.1 is transferred onto the wafer.
When the pattern is exposed by the above apparatus, technical improvements such as shortening an exposure wavelength or increasing the aperture number of the projection optical system have been made in order to improve a resolution power of the circuit pattern image.
In a present semiconductor device manufacturing process, it is common to repeat a cycle of film formation, photolithography (transfer of a circuit pattern) and etching approximately twenty times. A film thickness of the formed film is approximately 0.05 .mu.m to 1 .mu.m. Thus, as the process proceeds, a step in the order of several .mu.m is formed on the wafer. When the pattern is further exposed onto the stepped wafer, focuses are different on the upper side and the lower side of the step. Thus, in order to attain a high resolution power over the upper side and the lower side of the step, a projection type light exposure apparatus having a large focal depth is required. To this end, it has been proposed to move or vibrate the wafer along an optical axis of the projection optical system during the exposure to the wafer in order to enhance an apparent focal depth (hereinafter referred to as a progressive focus light exposure method). Namely, the wafer is moved or vibrated along the optical axis of the projection optical system during the exposure so that the light is focused to the upper side and the lower side of the step.
In the prior art light exposure method, however, a fineness (width, pitch) of the circuit pattern on the reticle transferable onto the wafer is limited to approximately .lambda./NA (.mu.m) where .lambda. (.mu.m) is an exposure light wavelength of the light exposure apparatus to be used and NA is an aperture number of the projection optical system facing the reticle. This is because the image is formed by utilizing diffraction and interference phenomena due to the fact that the light is wave motion. Accordingly, the shorter the exposure light wavelength is or the larger the aperture number of the projection optical system is, the higher is the resolution power in principle. However, when the wavelength is shorter than 200 nm, there is no appropriate optical material which can transmit it therethrough and the absorption by air appears. The aperture number NA of the projection optical system is presently already at the technical limit and it is very difficult to attain a larger aperture number NA.
In order to improve an image quality of the pattern under such a circumstance, it has been proposed to provide an auxiliary pattern which is small enough not to be imaged in the vicinity of the circuit pattern. However, the improvement of the image quality in this method is to approach an image of a fine square pattern which would otherwise be imaged into a circle by the projection optical system to a square image, and an essential improvement of the resolution power (imaging of a finer pattern) cannot be expected therefrom.
A phase shift method has recently been proposed to improve the resolution power. In the reticle used in the phase shift method, an auxiliary pattern having a phase shifter to change a phase of a transmitted light from a transmitted light through the circuit pattern by .pi. (rad) is provided on the reticle in the vicinity of the circuit pattern. A contrast of the pattern image is enhanced by an interference between the transmitted light from the auxiliary pattern and the transmitted light from the circuit pattern in order to reduce a line width of the circuit pattern which can be imaged. However, the reticle with the phase shifter to be used in the phase shift method is complex in a manufacturing process and hence a defect ratio is high and a manufacturing cost is very high. Further, there is no established method for testing and correcting the defect and the practical use thereof is still difficult.
In the progressive focus light exposure method, an apparently larger focal-depth than that of a conventional light exposure method is attained for an independent pattern (which has a duty factor of more than 3, in other words, which has a pattern pitch of as high as-four or more times than a width of a pattern line--hereinafter referred to as a discrete pattern), but it is impossible in principle to improve the resolution power by this method alone.

Projection type light exposure apparatus and light exposure method


A tie retaining device that is attached to the left and right side rear fold members of a tie. The device has an elongated wire-like member having pointed tips on each of its ends for penetrating the rear fold members of the tie. A tethering chain has its one end attached to the wire-like member and its other end attached to a button-hole anchor bar that is detachably inserted into the button hole of a shirt. The wire-like member may take various configurations.

The Invention relates to ties and more specifically to a device for keeping the tie from flopping loosely away from the wearer's shirt.
Presently most men that wear ties do not use retaining devices to keep the tie from flopping around. When they do wear a retaining device it is usually a tie tack or a tie bar. The disadvantage to using the tie tack is it requires that the user put the pin of the tack through the fabric of the tie. This is not a desirable system to use when the tie is of expensive delicate fabric. The tie bars are not entirely satisfactory since they usually work themselves loose and often appear at an angle that is cocked with respect to the desired horizontal position.
It is an object of the invention to provide a novel tie retaining device that does not require puncturing the fabric of the tie in order to make it operational.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a novel tie retaining device that is entirely hidden from view behind the tie.
It is another object of the invention to provide a novel tie retaining device that is easily installed and removed from the rear of the tie.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide a novel tie retaining device that is economical to manufacture and market.


A method includes, for a device and at each of a plurality of sampling frequencies, measuring a parameter of the device to generate a plurality of signals and each signal represents a time series of values of the parameter. Further, the method includes for each of the plurality of signals, identifying at least two stable states in the time series for each signal. Still further, the method includes determining a time constant associated with each stable state of each signal, determining a relationship between the time constants of each stable state and sampling frequency, and computing a final time constant value for each steady state by computing a derivative of the time constants as a function of sampling frequency relationship and comparing the derivative to a threshold.

Random telegraph noise (RTN) is considered as time domain representation of a Lorentzian spectrum, summation of multitude of which with different characteristic frequencies is called flicker (1/f) noise. The RTN is commonly observed in electronic devices, especially semiconductor devices. Generally, RTN in a device is associated mobile carriers being trapped and released from a trap that exists in the device. The RTN may have an impact to deviate from the device's originally desirable performance.

Methods and systems to determine a final value of random telegraph noise time constant and magnitude


An apparatus for automatically separating cuvettes supplied in bulk form to an analytical instrument, the cuvettes being suitable for the performance of photometric measurements on samples contained in the cuvettes. To automatically separate cuvettes, the apparatus contains a receiving station for receiving the cuvettes in bulk form. It also includes a device for separating cuvettes, the device having an inlet through which disordered cuvettes can be supplied to the device, and an outlet through which individual cuvettes successively leave the device. A device is provided for conveying disordered cuvettes from the receiving station to the inlet of the device for separation of the cuvettes.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an apparatus for separating cuvettes supplied in bulk form to an analytical instrument. The cuvettes are suitable for the performance of photometric measurements on samples in the cuvettes.
2. Description of the Invention
Automatic analytical instruments usually operate on the principle that analytical samples or parts thereof are placed in measurement cuvettes and then subjected to a series of processing steps such as adding (pipetting) reagents, mixing, incubation etc. the end of processing. The cuvettes containing the analytical samples are placed in a fixed sequence on a conveyor and travel through various processing stations. For batch processing (as is usual in the case of centrifugal analytical instruments), all measuring cuvettes usually are placed on a carrier (rotor) and subjected quasisimultaneously to the processing steps and photometric measurements. Analytical systems operating on these principles provide good service in large clinics and analytical centers where many samples have to be processed.
In view of the variety of possible analyses today and the medical requirements particularly in clinical chemistry, the conventional automatic analyzers for the throughput of large quantities of samples are insufficiently flexible to provide analytical profiles (full random access) specifically adapted to individual patients or clinical pictures.
To obtain the desired high flexibility, a reliable system must be provided in the analytical system for conveying and processing individual measuring cuvettes.
Since the number of measuring cuvettes to be processed is very large, it is desirable to load the instrument with empty cuvettes in bulk form. Before the present invention, the known analytical instruments could not automatically separate the cuvettes. Following loading, the cuvettes can be automatically separated in the instrument in accordance with the invention and can be conveyed by a suitable means for use in the aforementioned analytical procedure.


Disclosed is a control method of a lifting apparatus for a highly-mounted device. The control method includes (a) outputting a descending signal in a state where the main body and the lifting body are coupled; (b) determining whether the lifting body is normally released downward from the main body according to the descending signal; and (c) stopping the driving motor or executing the step (a) again when the lifting body is not normally released downward, wherein in the step (b), it is determined whether the lifting body is normally released downward from the main body by checking whether a weight of the lifting body is applied to the wire rope.

In general, a so-called highly-mounted light is installed at a hotel lobby, a factory ceiling, a gymnasium and a streetlight. The highly-mounted light is mainly equipped with a sodium light bulb or a mercury light bulb, and the life of the highly-mounted light is limited to 5000 to 6000 hours and should be changed periodically. In addition, the highly-mounted lights installed in service companies such as hotel lobbies and wedding halls need to replace light bulbs along with periodic cleaning for keeping exterior and exhibition effects.
Since the highly-mounted light is located at a height of 7 to 10 m in the case of a streetlight, an aerial crane or a ladder truck equipped with a basket should be used for cleaning or replacing the light bulb of the highly-mounted light. In addition, in a wedding hall, a hotel lobby, or the like, which has a relatively low height, a ladder is installed to clean or replace the light bulb, but in this case, there is a risk of accidents caused by falling. Moreover, at least three persons should be working in a group to carry out the cleaning or replacing work. Further, since large work facilities such as a crane and a ladder truck are used in the work place for the highly-mounted light, the work time is delayed and the work space is increased. Thus, when repairing or replacing highly-mounted light, a factory line should be stopped or the gym gymnasium cannot be used for a long time, so the repairing or replacing work should be finished quickly. In particular, when the streetlight is required or replaced, a cargo crane occupies one lane, thereby causing problems such as traffic jams.
As an alternative, a working method using a highly-mounted light, in which the highly-mounted light is lowered to the ground where a worker is located and then raised and fixed to the ceiling again, without working at a high spot where the highly-mounted light is located, and a device for the working method have been consistently developed.
As a device for lowering the highly-mounted light attached to the ceiling to the ground, there are proposed a manual lifting device for a highly-mounted light, in which a wire rope is fixed to the light and the wire rope is wound on a pulley fixed to the ground via the ceiling so that a user lifts the highly-mounted light by manipulating a handle bar connected to the pulley, and an automatic lifting device for a highly-mounted light, which uses a driving motor instead of the handle bar.
In general, the automatic lifting device for a highly-mounted light includes a socket (main body) fixed at a given height on the ceiling, a light fitting (lifting body) inserted into the socket to make a point contact with the socket and having a lower side to which a light bulb is mounted, a wire rope having one end fixed on an upper side of the light fitting and the other end provided on a drum installed at a predetermined location of the socket in a state of being wound by a predetermined length, and a driving motor configured to automatically wind unwind the wire rope on the drum according to the selection of a user to move the light fitting upward or downward.
The technique related to the configuration of unwinding and winding the wire rope in the automatic lifting device for a highly-mounted light is disclosed, for example, in Korean Patent No. 10-1056847. The highly-mounted light lifting device disclosed in Korea Patent No. 10-1056847 includes a sensing plate, which is pushed to the outer direction of a drum as the layer of wire rope wound around the drum increases, and a driving switch pressed by the contact of the sensing plate when the sensing plate is pushed to a set position to stop the operation of a drive means for rotating the drum, wherein the drum is arranged to be placed in a standing state in the main body.
However, the conventional automatic lifting device for a highly-mounted light may perform a winding or unwinding operation without accurately recognizing the coupling state between a main body and a lifting body, which may cause a wire rope to be wound or unwound in a state where the main body and the lifting body is not normally coupled or separated. This may cause a safety accident, so measures are required thereto.

Lifting apparatus for highly-mounted device and control method thereof


A system and method includes an interoperability engine dynamically generating and updating an application database, a web-based portal in a computer communications network, and a baseline data schema from at least one of a data source and a supplemental data source comprising self-describing documents, and enabling interoperability among application systems. The application database dynamically generates a reporting database. The web-based portal provides access to the application systems via the application database and the reporting database. The self-describing documents may be hosted. An integration unit maps the application systems to the baseline data schema and facilitates transmission and messaging between the baseline data schema and the application systems.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a system designed to assist federal government organizations in facilitating the integration and sharing of core administrative and program data among disparate but inter-related application systems via a web-based portal and a back-end interoperability engine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Federal organizations perform their operations using a fragmented set of computer systems. Each computer system associated with a particular federal organization addresses specific administrative needs, such as financial management, procurement, property management, asset sales, and grants management. Each computer system may further support program specific activities specific to the federal organization""s mission, for example, environmental permitting, patent application processing, or managing customer relationship for social services. The federal organization may build its computer system in-house, purchase commercial-off-the-shelf products vendors, or implement a system developed by other federal organizations (e.g., the National Institutes of Health""s contractor past performance system). In addition, the federal organization may desire or be required to use external publicly accessible systems such as FedBizOpps (formerly known as the Electronic Posting System), the Central Contractor Registration (xe2x80x9cCCRxe2x80x9d), the Federal Procurement Data System (xe2x80x9cFPDSxe2x80x9d), or the Federal Acquisition Management Information System (proposed to replace FPDS).
Each system provides value to the corresponding federal organization in automating the individual processes and functions for which they are designed. However, the functions of these systems often overlap, or need to interoperate. Consider the simple example of buying a desk. A procurement system generates the purchase order, but the procurement process requires interoperability with several other systems. For instance, the purchasing agent may desire to post solicitation information to FedBizOpps to solicit bids. Further, as part of the procurement decision process, the purchasing agent is required to consider the past performance of potential vendors, for example, by accessing past performance systems such as the NIH past performance system. The purchasing agent may require additional detailed vendor data, which may be stored in a CCR system. Further, before an order is finalized, the organization""s financial system needs to be polled to ensure that funds are available in the budget for the purchase and to obligate money for the ensuing payment. The purchasing agent may also need to report order data to FPDS. A property manager may also want to track the newly purchased item as a fixed asset in a property management system.
To date, federal organizations have had limited options to achieve system integration. The federal organizations may build individual interfaces between two systems to enable those two systems to communicate and then repeat the process for other systems. However, this approach may result in a confusing network of related but separately developed interfaces that pose a high risk of being out of synch. Some federal organizations resort to re-keying the data into each system; however, this approach is labor intensive and repetitive.
In the late 1990s, Enterprise Resource Planning (xe2x80x9cERPxe2x80x9d) systems were implemented in an attempt to solve interoperability problems among administrative systems in federal organizations by providing a single application that performs a variety of administrative functions, ranging from human resource management to financial management and procurement. However, the ERP system posed its own set of problems. For instance, switching to the ERP system required organizations to replace legacy applications with a new system and encumbered major system implementation expenses and management issues.
Additionally, the ERP system capabilities in specific functions, such as procurement, often fell short of robust functionality offered by best-of-breed products that were designed specifically to support those functions, thereby forcing organizations to choose between achieving a minimum level of administrative integration at the expense of deep functional support. Furthermore, it is difficult for any single software application system to anticipate and support all of the federal organization""s potential programmatic needs, as well as, administrative needs. Even though the ERP system may meet some needs, it still requires a network of interfaces to other applications within the organization (e.g., program support systems and administrative systems not covered by the ERP) and requires a network of interfaces to publicly owned applications such as CCR and FedBizOpps. Seamless integration and communication among the various application systems requires extensive infrastructure or middleware architecture.
Portal tools enable delivery of data to employees, customers and business partners via a web-based interface. Yet, the portal tools need underlying instructions regarding what data to share among business partners, and the rules within which that data should be shared (e.g., read only, not visible, editable, deletable).
Enterprise Application Integration (xe2x80x9cEAIxe2x80x9d) products offer robust tools for such interoperability tasks as mapping one system to a defined data schema and sending messages from one system to another. EAI tools often provide out-of-the-box, xe2x80x9cno codingxe2x80x9d adapters that integrate widely used commercial off the shelf (xe2x80x9cCOTSxe2x80x9d) products. Which EAI tools provide a platform that can facilitate interoperability and out-of-the-box adapters may provide a good integration starting point, several factors exist that require an additional layer of interoperability automation. For example, in many cases, federal organizations have built their own custom systems for which no standard adapter schema for a COTS product exists.
Additionally, out-of-the-box adapters are typically designed and developed for lowest-common-denominator data integration needs and for corporate business processes, not for federal organizations. Although much can be leveraged from commercial adapters to create federal adapters, these adapters must be changed or rewritten to accommodate core federal requirements (e.g., verfying funds availability before a purchase order is finalized). A federal interoperability tool is needed that enables federal organizations to pull their disparate application systems together and to base the interoperability and integration on rules established as both government-wide and organization-wide policy.
It is an object of the present invention to provide for a system that allows internal government systems (e.g., program systems including customer relationship management, internal operations, and administrative systems including finance, procurement, property, asset sales, and grants) and external government systems (e.g., FedBizOpps, CCR, FPDS or the Federal Acquisition Management Information System) to communicate and exchange messages and allows an end user to access the plurality of disparate legacy, current, and emerging government application systems from a point of entry web-based portal in a computer communications network. Further, the present invention ensures that information is accessed and used only in authorized ways and maintains the integrity, availability, and/or confidentiality of the information.
It is an object of the present invention to provide for a system, a method, and a computer readable storage medium providing users of a federal organization administrative and program processes a single web-based system interface from which to conduct all business transactions and exchanges of information. In particular, a data source includes self-describing documents including data elements, definitions of data elements, data element contents, data element characteristics and business function interoperability rules for each data element in the application systems. An interoperability engine processes the definitions and the interoperability rules and provides interoperability among the application systems. A point of entry web-based portal connected to the back-end interoperability engine provides access to disparate federal application systems.
In accordance with another object of the present invention, a data source is regularly surveyed and the interoperability engine analyzes changes to the data source. The interoperability engine dynamically generates and/or updates a baseline data schema based on changes to the data source. The invention applies the baseline data schema in various ways to dynamically build and maintain a single point of access to and interoperability among multiple external, administrative and programmatic systems, as follows.
The interoperability engine dynamically updates an application database structure based on changes to the data source as defined in the baseline data schema. The interoperability engine dynamically updates the web-based portal interface based on the changes to the data source as defined in the baseline data schema. The interoperability engine dynamically updates system interoperability among multiple external, administrative, and programmatic systems based on changes to the data source as defined in the baseline data schema. An integration unit is associated with the baseline data schema to facilitate mapping and messaging of data among the external systems, administrative systems, programmatic systems, and the application database. The web portal provides access to the application database, which interoperates with the external, administrative, and programmatic systems via the integration unit based on rules defined by the baseline data schema.
In accordance with another object of the present invention, a system includes an interoperability engine dynamically generating a point of access, an application database, and a baseline data schema and enabling interoperability among application systems.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method including dynamically generating a point of access, an application database, and a baseline data schema, enabling interoperability among application systems using the baseline data schema, and providing access to the application systems via the point of access using the application database.
In accordance with a further object of the present invention, a computer readable storage medium controlling a computer and including dynamically generating a point of access, an application database, and a baseline data schema, enabling interoperability among application systems using the baseline data schema, and providing access to the application systems via the point of access using the application database.

System and method for efficient integration of government administrative and program systems


A scannable code is used to facilitate copy and paste of content, wherein context information associated with the content is serialized and encoded directly into the scannable code. When the scannable code is decoded, the content is pasted into a desired location in a manner that is consistent with the context information.

Computers and computing systems affect nearly every aspect of modern living. For instance, computers are generally involved in work, recreation, healthcare, transportation, entertainment, household management, etc.
Computer system functionality is often enhanced by interconnecting computing systems via network connections. These network connections allow a computer system to access services and data from remote computing systems and to quickly and efficiently transmit data between those systems.
Computer configurations include various form factors, including desktops, laptops, tablets, phablets, mobile phones, PDAs, etc. Computers are also configured with hardware and software interfaces to facilitate direct user interaction. For example, a computer may include a keyboard, mouse, touchpad, camera, gyroscope, and other hardware for receiving input, while, displays, speakers, haptic feedback devices and other hardware are used to render output.
Software interfaces, including graphical user interfaces, are used to both receive input and to render output. Some encoding software interfaces are operable to generate scannable codes that contain encoded link. For instance a QR code (Quick Reference code) can be encoded with a URL or other link. Corresponding optical sensors and decoding interfaces are operable to scan the codes, decode the links, and thereby access corresponding data maintained at specific remote locations or more generally within the 'cloud.'
The 'cloud,' includes a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, services, etc.) that can be provisioned and released on demand. The cloud may be configured with various service models (e.g., Software as a Service ("SaaS"), Platform as a Service ("PaaS"), Infrastructure as a Service ("IaaS")), and deployment models (e.g., private cloud, community cloud, public cloud, hybrid cloud, etc.).
The subject matter claimed herein is not limited to embodiments that solve any disadvantages or that operate only in environments such as those described above. Rather, this background is only provided to illustrate one exemplary technology area where some embodiments described herein may be practiced.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


An electronic circuit and an associated method used to drive an electric motor provide a user selectable relationship between rotational speed of the electric motor and phase advances of signals used to drive the electric motor. By selecting the relationship, efficiency of the electric motor drive can be improved.

Circuits to control and drive brushless DC (BLDC) electric motors are known. In some arrangements, the circuits provide a phase advance of drive signals that drive the electric motor, the phase advance related to rotational speed of the electric motor. However, such circuits are only able to provide one relationship between phase advances and rotational speeds.
Some known electric motor drive circuits are described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,590,334, issued Sep. 15, 2009, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,747,146, issued Jun. 29, 2010, both of which are assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
A BLDC electric motor can exhibit different efficiency behaviors versus speed when used in different applications. For example, the same BLDC electric motor can be used with different fan blade arrangements in different applications. Different types of BLDC electric motors can also exhibit different efficiency behaviors versus speed.
In view of the above, it would be desirable to provide an electric motor control circuit and associated method that can generate electric motor drive signals having phase advances determined in accordance with a user selectable relationship between rotational speeds and the phase advances, selected from among a plurality of different relationships.

Electronic circuit and method generating electric motor drive signals having phase advances in accordance with a user selected relationship between rotational speed of an electric motor and the phase advances


A video apparatus, for instance a video player, comprises a first digital source (e.g. a media player) of a first video digital stream and a video encoder (for generating analogue video signals based on said first video digital stream. The video apparatus also has an input for receiving first analogue video signals comprising synchronization signals.

Video apparatus nowadays use video information from digital sources. For instance, a video player reads video information from digital media where the information is previously digitally recorded. Such a digital medium is for instance a tape recorded according to the D-VHS standard, a hard-disk drive (HDD) or an optical disc (like DVD) where a program stream is recorded. (As another example for a video apparatus with digital source, a set-top box receives a digital stream from a digital front-end including tuner and demodulator.)
Such a video player mainly comprises a media player (digital source) to read (or reproduce) the video digital stream from the medium and a video encoder to generate an analogue video signal from the video digital stream (i.e. to convert the digital stream into an analogue signal according to a known standard like CVBS-PAL, SECAM or NSTC, S-Video or RGB). The analogue video signal is then ready to be displayed for instance by a conventional TV set. An example of such a video apparatus is described for instance in U.S. Pat. No. 6,229,951.
Some video apparatus can display two video sequences at the same time in a picture-in-picture (PIP) fashion: a first video sequence is displayed on a first part of the screen, generally on the whole screen (the first video sequence is then called the parent image), and a second video sequence is displayed on a second part of the screen, generally superimposed on the first video sequence on a limited part of the screen (whereby the second video sequence is called the child picture).
To realise such a PIP function, known video apparatus have two video sources and at least a specific video circuit for reduction of the size of the video source used as a second video sequence (child picture), as described in patent application EP 0 406 698.

Video apparatus with picture-in-picture ability

Abstract: A second digital source generates a second video digital stream based on which the video encoder can generate second analogue video signals synchronized by the synchronization signals of the first analogue video signals for superimposition on the first analogue video signals.


A bidet device comprises a substantially annular balloon member disposable on a toilet bowl rim or toilet seat. The balloon member is provided with an inlet port for enabling a filling of the balloon member with a fluidic cleaning agent such as water. A valve is operatively connected to the balloon for closing the inlet port upon a filling of the balloon member with the fluidic cleaning agent. An outlet port communicates with the balloon member and is connected thereto for dispensing the fluidic cleaning agent from the balloon member upon an application of compressive pressure to the balloon member, specifically by a person sitting on the balloon member.

This invention relates to a bidet device. This invention also relates to an associated method for enhancing personal hygiene.
A bidet is a device for personal hygiene which is widely used throughout Europe. A user sits on or squats over a bowl and rinses his or her private parts with a jet of water which is dispensed vertically upwardly or in an upward arc from an outlet in the bowl. Generally, the European bidet is a device separate from a toilet.
A toilet attachment for producing a jet of water in the manner of a bidet has been introduced. This toilet attachment is substantially permanent and includes a toilet seat provided with water outlets. The bidet toilet seat is therefore used by anyone sitting on the toilet.
In addition to generally enhancing personal hygiene, the use of a bidet is recommended for treating several afflictions, including hemorrhoids and cystitis.


A fluidic chip comprising: a sealing layer having an upper surface and a lower surface; and a formed part comprising a generally planar body having a lower surface sealed with the upper surface of the sealing layer, the generally planar body having a number of through holes and a number of wells in fluid communication with the number of through holes, wherein together with the upper surface of the sealing layer, the number of through holes and the number of wells respectively define a number of fluid inlets and a number of fluid chambers in fluid connection with each other in the fluidic chip.

PCR is a commonly used method to make multiple copies of a DNA sequence for various applications such as DNA cloning for sequencing, diagnosing disease, identifying individuals from DNA samples, and performing functional analyses of genes. In PCR, replication of the DNA sequence takes place in multiple thermal cycles, with each cycle typically having three main steps: denaturation, annealing and extension. In the denaturation step, a double-stranded DNA template is heated to about 94-98° C. for 20-30 seconds to yield single-stranded DNA. In the annealing step, primers are annealed to the single-stranded DNA by lowering the temperature to about 50-65° C. for 20-40 seconds. In the extension step, using a DNA polymerase (such as Taq), a new double-stranded DNA is synthesized by extending the primer that has been annealed to the single-stranded DNA at an optimum activity temperature of the DNA polymerase (75-80° C. for Taq). Appreciably, replication of the DNA is exponential as the new double-stranded DNA formed in a cycle undergoes denaturation, annealing and extension in the next cycle, such that each cycle effectively doubles the number of DNA sequences obtained. In addition to the three main steps mentioned above, an initialization step may be required if the DNA polymerase used is heat activated, and the final extension step of the last cycle may be held for a longer period of time (e.g. 5-15 minutes) to ensure that there are no remaining single-stranded DNA fragments.
Thus, any device for performing the PCR needs to be able to perform the repeated thermal cycles in order for the steps of denaturation, annealing and extension to take place. This involves heating and cooling the reaction to the required temperatures and holding the required temperatures for the necessary lengths of time. Given that temperatures go up to nearly 100° C., existing microfluidic or lab-on-chip PCR devices typically require an external thermal cycler to supply the necessary heat, thereby limiting their true portability and size during use.
Conventional PCR thermal cyclers are typically configured to heat DNA samples contained in polypropylene PCR tubes that have a cylindrical body with a top opening and a taped bottom. The PCR tubes fit into holes provided in the PCR thermal cyclers and are subjected to the heat cycles provided by the PCR thermal cyclers in order to multiply the DNA sample contained in the PCR tubes. Subsequently, the multiplied DNA are removed from the PCR tubes in order for tests to be performed on the multiplied DNA. Thus, it will be appreciated that tests involving the use of DNA currently involve multiple stages. These stages include at least sample collection and storage, placing the sample in PCR tubes, placing the PCR tubes into PCR thermal cyclers and performing the PCR, removing the multiplied DNA from the PCR tubes and performing tests using the multiplied DNA. It is therefore desirable to reduce the number of steps needed for performing tests using DNA in order to minimize errors arising from human handling of the samples at various stages of the process.


The disclosure relates to medical braces having lacing systems for tightening of the medical braces. Some embodiments include multiple components of the lacing system integrated into a single housing piece. For example, multiple reels can be used to tighten different portions of the lacing system, and the multiple reels can be mounted onto a single housing. Also, multiple lace guides can be integrated into, or attached to, a single housing piece.

Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to medical braces (e.g., wrist braces and ankle braces), and more particularly to medical braces that use lacing systems.
Description of the Related Art
Although various lacing systems are available for use in connection with various wearable articles including medical braces, there remains a need for improvement.


A computer-implemented method is provided for creating an execution path for interfacing with legacy programs in a mainframe computing environment. The method includes: creating a run-time environment for programs on a mainframe computer by an initiator program; initiating execution of a configuration program in the run-time environment by the initiator program, where the configuration program is written in the high level programming language; specifying user-defined parameters for a Java Virtual Machine to the configuration program; and creating a Java Virtual Machine in another run-time environment of the mainframe computer, where the JVM is created by the configuration program using the user-defined parameters.

In distributed computing environments, certain software applications are intended to run in multiple environments. Software developers may write these software applications for each operating environment. To minimize this duplicative effort, software developers have turned to high-level programming languages, such as C or C++. Unfortunately, environmental differences between operating systems manifest themselves in the programming language and make this approach less viable. However, with the advent of the Java programming language and its 'write once, run anywhere' paradigm, the landscape has changed. Of interest, Java provided mainframe developers with a new tool for extended functionality of legacy programs in a mainframe computing environment. The challenge remained of how to integrate Java into the mainframe computing environment.
Therefore, it is desirable to develop techniques for creating an execution pathway for interfacing with legacy programs in a mainframe computing environment. This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.

Execution pathway for interfacing with legacy programs in a mainframe environment


A method is provided for producing a platinum alloy-containing fuel cell electrode catalyst with high activity which is suited for its industrial mass-production. The method for producing a fuel cell electrode catalyst includes a step of preparing a dispersion in which particles of a fuel cell electrode catalyst precursor including a platinum alloy is dispersed in an electrolyte solution, and a step of alternately subjecting the dispersion to bubbling with an oxidizing gas and to bubbling with an inert gas or a reducing gas.

A polymer electrolyte fuel cell is a fuel cell in which a solid polymer electrolyte is sandwiched by an anode and a cathode with the anode being supplied with a fuel and the cathode being supplied with oxygen or air and thereby oxygen is reduced at the cathode to produce electricity.
An electrode catalyst of the fuel cell has conventionally been platinum, and yet, to decrease use amount of the expensive platinum, its alternative, an alloy of platinum and other metal element(s), has been focused. There is a problem, however, with the other metal element(s):lower catalyst activity and durability than platinum (their elution during the operation of fuel cells).
To solve that problem, Non-Patent Literature 1 discloses a method for potential scanning (potential cycling) of platinum-palladium alloy catalysts. This method is described to be able to improve activity and durability of the platinum-palladium alloy catalysts.
Patent Literature 1 describes bringing platinum-palladium-containing catalyst particles into contact with an acid solution thereby dissolving the easily soluble palladium and causing platinum to precipitate on (111) surface of palladium appearing on their outmost surfaces in order to obtain catalyst particles with high durability (less elution of platinum).

Method for producing fuel cell electrode catalyst


A laminated energetic device is disclosed. The laminated energetic device includes a low-gas generating energetic mixture, a core on which the low-gas generating energetic mixture is located, and a protective film for sealing the low-gas generating energetic mixture between the core and the protective film.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to energetic devices in general, and, in particular, to energetic devices for pyrotechnics. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a laminated energetic device having a high propagation speed and low gas generation.
2. Description of Related Art
Energetic devices for pyrotechnics are well-known in the art. An energetic device includes an energetic composition, and the energetic composition may be high-gas generating or low-gas generating. An example of a low-gas generating energetic composition is an intermetallic or a thermite. The most common thermite is a mixture of aluminum powder and iron powder. Once ignited, the thermite composition reacts exothermically, which raises the temperature of the mixture to approximately 3,000° C., resulting in molten iron and aluminum oxide while producing little or no permanent gas. The heat from the reaction can be used for many applications such as cutting and welding torches, plating of metals upon substrates, cutting or plugging oil well conduits, etc.
For many of the above-mentioned applications, it is desirable to maximize the transfer of heat from the thermite reaction to a target. However, for other applications, it may be desirable to use a low heat, fast-burning thermite composition.


An example system may provide for plurality of object block stores and a store management system. The store management system is configured to access a first bucket including a first storage class bucket tag identified by a first key-value pair corresponding to a first one of the plurality of object block stores with a first storage class. The store management system is further configured to write a first data object to the first one of the plurality of object block stores with a first storage class. The first one of the plurality of object block stores is represented by the first bucket. The first one of the plurality of object block stores is configured to store the first data object according to the first storage class specified by the first storage class bucket tag.

Often, distributed storage systems are used to store large amounts (e.g., terabytes, petabytes, exabytes, etc.) of data, such as objects or files in a distributed and fault-tolerant manner with a predetermined level of redundancy. Users of storage systems are sensitive to the total cost of ownership (TCO) relative to storing their data. Further, not all data needs to be stored in data storage that has the same capabilities. For example, some data may need to be accessed at a higher speed to meet workload requirements, while other data may be rarely accessed.
Accordingly, hybrid object storage systems may include both less expensive storage implemented using, for example, hard disk drives (HDD), and more expensive storage implemented using, for example, solid-state drives (SSD) which accommodate high-speed data access. Such hybrid systems may, over time, migrate data between the various storage implementations, however, it would be desirable to initially place the data in storage that exhibits a preferred capability.

Initial data placement in hybrid object storage system


A hollow golf club head having a face part, a sole part, a side part, a crown part, and a hosel part, comprises one or more of inner ribs that are disposed on at least one of the sole part and the side part and that inwardly project from an inner surface of the one, one or more of outer ribs that are disposed on at least the one of the sole part and the side part and that outwardly project from an outer surface of the one, and one of the inner ribs is arranged between the outer ribs in a toe-to-heel direction.

The head of a wood-type golf club such as a driver or a fairway wood is often hollow and made of metal. A hollow wood-type golf club head has a face part for striking the ball, a crown part comprising the upper surface part of the golf club head, a sole part comprising the bottom surface part of the golf club head, a side part comprising the side surface part on the toe side, the back side and the heel side, and a hosel part. A shaft is inserted into the hosel part and secured using an adhesive. Recently, a golf club known as a utility club has become widely available. One type of utility golf club that has become widely available is a golf club with a hollow head resembling that of a wood-type golf club head (that is, having a face part, a sole part, a side part, a crown part, and a hosel part).
Aluminum alloys, stainless steel, and titanium alloys are used as the metal constituting the hollow golf club head, but titanium alloys have become more widely used in recent years.
The hollow golf club head described in Patent Document 1 includes ribs provided on the inner surface of the sole part in a direction linking the face part and the back-side of the side part. The hollow golf club head described in Patent Document 2 includes receiving parts provided inwardly near the toe and near the heel so as to interpose the rearmost portion of the side part on the back side, projection parts projecting inwardly on the back side of the side part, ribs provided in the toe-to-heel direction between the receiving parts and the projection parts, and ribs provided in the top-to-sole direction from each receiving part and projection part. The hollow golf club head described in Patent Document 3 includes ribs provided so as to extend from the inner surface of the sole part towards the inner surface of the crown part.
The hollow golf club head described in Patent Document 4 includes a restraint member extending from the inner surface of the crown part towards the sole part. The hollow golf club head described in Patent Document 5 includes ribs provided linearly on both the outer surface and the inner surface of the golf club head.


The photographing apparatus includes an image pickup unit that generates a raw image; a feature extractor that extracts a feature image containing at least one feature part from the raw image; an image processor that performs image processing of the raw image according to a first scene information and that performs image processing of the feature image according to a second scene information; a quantizer that performs discrete cosine transform and quantization of a raw-processed image obtained by performing image processing of the raw image and a feature-processed image obtained by performing image processing of the feature image; a difference data generator that generates difference data indicating a difference between image data obtained by processing the raw-processed image in the quantizer and feature image data obtained by processing the feature-processed image in the quantizer on a feature image data basis; and an image compressor.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments relate to a photographing apparatus, a photographing method and a recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, a photographing apparatus, such as a digital still camera, can generate image data according to a scene mode. The scene mode may be set by memorizing several scene modes for defining processing of a raw image obtained through photographing and performing image processing according to a scene mode set by a user or set in advance when photographing is performed.
Technology for generating image data according to several scene modes includes technology for generating image data according to a scene mode corresponding to difference data by recording image data according to one scene mode and difference data corresponding to a difference between the image data and image data according to another scene mode and using the image data according to one scene mode and the difference data and technology for generating image data according to a scene mode by recording raw image data and performing image processing by parameters according to the scene mode for the raw image data.

Photographing apparatus, photographing method and recording medium


A wheel loader configured to reduce a sudden change in vehicle speed caused by an erroneous determination of a raising operation of a lift arm is provided. A wheel loader 1 includes an engine 3, a variable displacement type HST pump 41, a variable displacement type HST motor 42 coupled to the HST pump 41 in a closed circuit, a hydraulic pump for working device 43, a forward/reverse selector switch 62 for switching a forward movement and a backward movement of a vehicle body, a depression amount sensor 610 that detects a depression amount of an accelerator pedal 61, a pressure sensor 73 that detects a discharge pressure Pa of the hydraulic pump for working device 43, and a controller 5. The controller 5 determines whether a specific condition to identify an upward movement of a lift arm 21 during a forward travel of the vehicle body based on a forward/reverse switching signal, the depression amount of the accelerator pedal 61, and the discharge pressure Pa detected by the pressure sensor 73. When the specific condition is satisfied, the controller 5 controls a displacement volume of the HST motor 42 according to an increase of the discharge pressure Pa, so as to limit the vehicle speed.

As the continuously variable travel drive system, for example, there has been known an HST type or an HMT type where a hydraulic pump is driven by an engine to generate a hydraulic pressure and the hydraulic pressure is converted into a rotation force by a hydraulic motor, and an EMT type where an electric generator is driven by an engine to generate an electric power and the electric power is converted into a rotation force by an electric motor.
For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a wheel loader that includes a working device, a hydraulic pressure closed circuit, and a working mechanism pump. The working device includes a lift arm turnable in a vertical direction. The hydraulic pressure closed circuit includes a variable displacement type HST pump driven by an engine and an HST motor driven by a pressure oil discharged from the HST pump. The working mechanism pump is driven by the engine to discharge a pressure oil for operating the working device.
In this wheel loader, any working mode is selectable between a power mode capable of a heavy excavation and an eco mode where an engine rotational speed is decreased to reduce fuel consumption compared with the power mode. In the case where the eco mode is selected as the working mode, when a raising movement of the lift arm is detected by detecting a bottom pressure of a lift arm cylinder, the travel drive system increases the engine rotational speed compared with the case of the eco mode. This causes the lift arm to have a speed of the raising movement less likely to be decreased even in the movement in the eco mode, thus enhancing work efficiency of the wheel loader.

Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.


An apparatus includes at least one processor configured to obtain a graph having vertices that represent items and edges that represent relationships between the items. The at least one processor is also configured to identify pairwise relatedness values associated with pairs of vertices. Each pairwise relatedness value is determined as a measure of diffusion on a space in the graph with a first vertex acting as a diffusion source and a boundary acting as a diffusion sink such that a diffusion density at a second vertex defines the pairwise relatedness value associated with the first and second vertices. The at least one processor is further configured to use the pairwise relatedness values as a measure of how the items associated with the pairs of vertices in the graph are related to one another. A boundary condition defines the boundary on the space in the graph around the diffusion source.

Various machine learning techniques and other computing techniques generate or use graphs, which typically include (i) vertices representing items and (ii) edges connecting the vertices and representing relationships between the items. For example, natural language parsers can be used to generate syntax trees, where vertices in the syntax trees represent words or phrases and edges connecting the vertices represent relationships between the words or phrases. As another example, expert systems can be used to generate knowledge graphs, where vertices in the knowledge graphs represent specific information and edges connecting the vertices represent relationships between the information.

Determining relatedness of data using graphs to support machine learning, natural language parsing, search engine, or other functions


A new and distinct Heuchera plant characterized by leaves which are colored rose to light plum, strongly veiled, and medium large, purple pink flowers on dark peduncles, a medium, mounding habit, excellent tolerance to heat and humidity, and good vigor.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Heuchera and given the cultivar name of 'Georgia Plum'. Heuchera is in the family Saxifragaceae. Heuchera 'Georgia Plum' originated as a tissue culture mutation in Heuchera 'Georgia Peach' (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 19,375) and was found at the nursery production area in Canby, Oreg.
Compared to Heuchera 'Georgia Peach', the new cultivar has rose to light plum colored leaves rather than leaves that are pink-orange shades in the spring and early summer changing to burgundy-pink shades in the fall and winter. In addition the habit is more compact with shorter petioles. The flowers are purple pink rather than cream and are on shorter flowering stems.
Compared to Heuchera 'Plum Royale' (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 20,935), the new cultivar has flatter, duller leaves. The leaf color is rose to light plum rather than plum purple to silver.
This new Heuchera is uniquely distinguished by:                1. leaves which are colored rose to light plum, strongly veiled, and medium large,        2. purple pink flowers on dark peduncles,        3. a medium, mounding habit,        4. excellent tolerance to heat and humidity,        5. and good vigor.
This new cultivar has been reproduced only by asexual propagation (tip cuttings and tissue culture). Each of the progeny exhibits identical characteristics to the original plant. Asexual propagation by cuttings and tissue culture using standard micropropagation techniques with terminal and lateral shoots, as done in Canby, Oreg., shows that the foregoing characteristics and distinctions come true to form and are established and transmitted through succeeding propagations. The present invention has not been evaluated under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may change with variations in environment without a change in the genotype of the plant.


The present invention provides compositions and methods relating to polylactides which may be used for drug delivery (e.g., parenteral delivery), wherein an organic solvent is not required.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the fields of pharmaceutics and drug delivery. More particularly, it concerns alkyl substituted polylactides which may be used to deliver a drug without the need for an organic solvent.
2. Description of Related Art
Biocompatible and biodegradable polylactides/glycolides (PLA/PLGA) have received high attention over the last thirty years in the biomedical field as sutures, implants, colloidal drug delivery systems (Penning et al., 1993; Uhrich et al., 1999), and more recently also in tissue repairing and engineering (Liu and Ma, 2004; Stock and Mayer, 2001) and anti-cancer drug delivery (Mu and Feng, 2003; Jiang et al., 2005). Next to the medical field they are also widely used in the packaging area. As biodegradable "green polymers" they are preferable to the commodity polymers currently used (Drumright et al., 2000; Vink et al., 2003).
There is a crucial need of well-defined polylactide-based materials with advanced properties to fit all the requirements for the different applications. For example, PLA/PLGA homo- and co-polymers synthesized by the well-established ring opening polymerization (ROP) process (Dechy-Cabaret et al., 2004; Kricheldorf et al., 1995; Schwach et al., 1997; Degee et al., 1999; Ryner et al., 2001) have a glass transition temperature (Tg) limited to a range of only 40-60° C. (Jamshidi et al., 1988; Vert et al., 1984), independent of the polymer molecular weight and chemical composition. This combined with interesting mechanical properties makes them suitable in medical applications as biodegradable implants, bone fracture fixation devices, scaffolds for living cells.
These polylactides, however, have significant limitations for drug delivery purposes. For drug delivery purposes, polylactides need to be formulated with organic solvents and administered as solutions or in form of nano- and micro-particles, and polylactides can not be injected on their own. Thus there is a significant need for a polylactide which may be used for drug delivery that does not require the use of an organic solvent or to form nano- and micro-particles.

Polylactide compositions and uses thereof


A method for adjusting vehicle panorama system, which comprises: a calibration pattern is disposed around a vehicle, and at least one patterned feature and a plurality of cameras are disposed on the vehicle; capture the calibration pattern and patterned feature to obtain an original image; capture the patterned feature after a period of time to obtain a correction image; compares the correction image and original image and corrects the panorama images by recombining the images shoot by the plurality of cameras according to a comparison result.

For improving driving safety and comfort, most vehicles available today had already equipped with some sort of panorama system. Moreover, by the use of the panorama system, any driver driving a vehicle is able to monitor environment surrounding the vehicle at all time for collision prevention.
A conventional panorama system is structured and operated basing upon a plurality of cameras mounted on a vehicle for capturing images of the environment surrounding the vehicle, and then stitching the plural images into a 360-degree around view image of the vehicle. Generally, in a condition when a panorama system is first being initiated or when any of the cameras of a panorama system is displaced, it is required to place several calibration panels surrounding the vehicle using the panorama system for calibrating the so-generated 360-degree image. Consequently, not only the placing of such calibration panels can be a very time-consuming task, but also there are site constraints existed for placing and setting the calibration panels.
Therefore, it is required to have a method for adjusting a vehicle panorama system that can be performed rapidly and conveniently.

Method for adjusting vehicle panorama system

INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE


A fluidized catalytic reactor utilizes an ascending temperature profile. The apparatus and process deliver cooler spent catalyst to a first catalyst distributor and a hotter regenerated catalyst to a second catalyst distributor that are spaced apart from each other. The reactant stream first encounters the first stream of catalyst and then encounters the second stream of catalyst. The process and apparatus stage the addition of hot catalyst to the reactant stream. The process and apparatus may be particularly advantageous in an endothermic reaction because the hotter catalyst will encounter reactants that have cooled due to the progression of endothermic reactions.

Light olefin production is vital to the production of sufficient plastics to meet worldwide demand. Paraffin dehydrogenation (PDH) is a process in which light paraffins such as ethane and propane can be dehydrogenated to make ethylene and propylene, respectively. Dehydrogenation is an endothermic reaction which requires external heat to drive the reaction to completion. Fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) is another endothermic process which produces substantial ethylene and propylene.
Dehydrogenation catalyst may incorporate a dehydrogenation metal with a molecular sieve or an amorphous material. The catalyst must be sufficiently robust and appropriately sized to be able to resist the attrition expected in a fluidized system. FCC catalyst is typically a Y zeolite with an optional MFI zeolite to boost propylene production.
In PDH and FCC reactions with fluidized catalyst, coke can deposit on the catalyst while catalyzing the reaction. The catalyst may be regenerated in a catalyst regenerator by combusting coke from the catalyst in the presence of oxygen. The hot regenerated catalyst may then be transferred back to the reactor to catalyze the reaction. If insufficient heat is provided to drive the endothermic reaction, olefin production can suffer.
The catalytic reactions are more selective to the desired products such as propylene than the thermal cracking reactions. Care must be taken to maximize catalytic reactions over thermal cracking reactions.
There is a need, therefore, for improved methods of contacting feed with catalyst in a fluid catalytic reaction process.

Process and apparatus for reacting feed with a fluidized catalyst over a temperature profile


An electrical contact element formed of sheet metal having a first region and a second region. Each one of the first and second regions is coated with a coating including a first layer containing a first material having a lower standard electrode potential than the sheet metal material. The coating includes a second layer in the first region which is absent in the second region. The second layer is arranged underneath the first layer and contains a second material that has a lower standard electrode potential than the first material.

More than ever, climate protection is a topic of great relevance. One effort in this field is directed to reduce fuel consumption of vehicles and to consequently lower emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide by decreasing the weight of a vehicle. Yet, in vehicles, safety aspects and consumer demands require sophisticated electrical wiring leading to an increase in vehicle weight. In order to satisfy both, climate protection and low vehicle weight, lightweight materials such as aluminum may be employed for electrical wiring. However, aluminum is prone to oxidation, when exposed to oxygen from ambient air, which will create a thin layer of electrically insulating aluminum oxide. As a consequence electrical conductivity will be lowered, which, for example, may lead to malfunction of an electronic device fed via an aluminum line of the wiring. In order to still ensure optimum electrical conductivity, an end section of the aluminum line may be connected to an electrical contact element containing a noble material, such as copper, which oxidizes less easily.
When aluminum and copper are in contact in the presence of an electrolyte such as salt containing water, galvanic corrosion will occur due to the rather large difference in the standard electrode potentials of aluminum and copper. This corrosion will lead to the consumption of the material having the lower standard electrode potential (here aluminum) and/or to the creation of a gap between the wire electrical cable and the electrical contact element, ultimately resulting in a poor quality of the contact between the wire electrical cable and the contact element.
Previous attempts to reduce corrosion were directed to inserting at least one intermediate layer between the wire electrical cable and the electrical contact element, with the at least one intermediate layer containing a material having a standard electrode potential ranking between the standard electrode potential of the wire electrical cable material and the sheet metal material of the electrical contact element.
In order to reduce corrosion even further, an additional layer was arranged between the electrical contact element and the at least one intermediate layer, with the additional layer comprising a material having a lower standard electrode potential than the sheet metal material of the electrical contact element and the material contained in the intermediate layer. The material of the additional layer thus exhibited the lowest standard electrode potential of all layers and therefore would be preferably oxidized, i.e. the additional layer consisted of an easily corrodible material. By corroding, the additional layer protects not only the intermediate layer but also the electrical contact element and the wire electrical cable against corrosion. However, as corrosion of the additional layer gradually proceeds, an electrically insulating layer is formed which in turn will increase the electrical resistance between the wire electrical cable and the electrical contact element and thereby deteriorate the quality of the contact between the contact element and the wire electrical cable.
The subject matter discussed in the background section should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its mention in the background section. Similarly, a problem mentioned in the background section or associated with the subject matter of the background section should not be assumed to have been previously recognized in the prior art. The subject matter in the background section merely represents different approaches, which in and of themselves may also be inventions.


A method of fabricating a plurality of single crystal CVD diamonds. The method includes mounting a plurality of single crystal diamond substrates on a first carrier substrate. The plurality of single crystal diamond substrates is subjected to a first CVD diamond growth process to form a plurality of single crystal CVD diamonds on the plurality of single crystal diamond substrates. The plurality of single crystal CVD diamonds are mounted in a recessed carrier substrate and subjected to a second CVD diamond growth process.

Single crystal CVD diamond products are limited by the available size of single crystal diamond growth substrates. The size of the end product is directly related to the size of the input substrate. Very small quantities of substrates are available at sizes approaching 10 mm×10 mm. In order to achieve >15 mm diameter single crystal CVD diamond products, a commercially viable method for producing larger single crystal diamond substrates is required.
In addition to a requirement for large single crystal diamond substrates and products, single crystal diamond substrates must also provide a growth surface that is sufficiently free from defects which would otherwise adversely affect the quality of the single crystal CVD diamond product material grown thereon. As such, single crystal diamond substrates should have a relatively low concentration of surface and sub-surface defects such as dislocations and inclusions which are intrinsic to the single crystal diamond substrate material and defects such as microcracks formed at the surface of the substrate during processing steps such as polishing to form a low roughness growth surface.
Although some lateral growth beyond that of the substrate size can occur during single crystal CVD diamond growth, the lateral size of a single crystal CVD diamond layer is still limited by the lateral dimensions of the substrate on which it is grown. One approach known in the art for producing larger area single crystal CVD diamond substrates and products is to grow a very thick layer of single crystal CVD diamond material. This thick layer of single crystal CVD diamond material may then be processed by vertically slicing the thick layer of single crystal CVD diamond material into large area plates which may be formed into product or used as substrates for further single crystal CVD diamond growth. Such an approach can lead to an increase is size of single crystal CVD diamond substrates and products. Furthermore, such an approach can be advantageous in minimizing defects at major surfaces of a product plate. This is because extended dislocation defects tend to propagate through a single crystal CVD diamond layer in the vertical growth direction. By vertically slicing a thick layer of material to extract a plate of material, the resultant plate will have dislocations extending in the plane of the plate with fewer dislocations intersecting the major faces of such a plate. As such, the plate can be used to provide a large area, low defect, growth surface for subsequent CVD diamond growth. Alternatively, such a plate can provide a low birefringence single crystal CVD diamond product, e.g. for optical applications.
The aforementioned approach is described in WO2004027123. In this regard, it may be noted that in a standard single crystal CVD synthesis process in which a single crystal diamond substrate is placed on a flat carrier substrate and subjected to CVD diamond growth, the thickness of the single crystal CVD diamond layer which can be grown thereon is limited by issues such as plasma stability, dimensional stability, and temperature control. This is particularly problematic as the single crystal CVD diamond layer grows upwards towards the overlying plasma such that the conditions at the diamond growth surface change during growth.
In order to alleviate this problem, WO2004027123 describes a multi-stage growth method. Example 4 of WO2004027123 describes such a process in which a single crystal CVD diamond substrate is grown on in stages, typically adding about 3 mm of growth in each stage. At the end of each stage the single crystal diamond layer is retained in the polycrystalline diamond layer that has grown around it, this polycrystalline layer being trimmed to a disc about 25 mm diameter using laser trimming, and then this disc mounted into a recessed tungsten or other metal disc such that the point where the single crystal is exposed above the polycrystalline diamond layer is approximately level (to within 0.3 mm) of the upper surface of the recessed disc. It is described that using this technique it is possible to grow layers with a final thickness in the range 10-18 mm, from which plates can be vertically cut. It is reported that plates were produced which were larger than 15 mm×12 mm.
The use of a recessed carrier substrate aids in maintaining control of the top surface of the diamond layer as the diamond grows into the plasma the thicker the diamond, the greater the loss of control. Recessing the diamond lowers the effective height of the diamond relative to the plasma and shields the four non-growth sides of the diamond, presenting only a single growth face to the plasma.
Nad & Asmussen (Diamond & Related Materials 66 (2016) 36-46) provides an analysis of single crystal diamond substrates grown in a pocket substrate holder via a microwave plasma activated chemical vapour deposition (MPACVD) technique. In the described approach, a pocket or recessed holder is designed to hold a single diamond substrate with the sides of the holder located close to the sides of the single diamond substrate (within 0.5 to 1 mm). This configuration is intended to prevent any polycrystalline CVD diamond growth around the single crystal diamond substrate within the recess with the aim of producing single crystal CVD diamond plates which lower stress. Thin plates of single crystal CVD diamond where produced in a single step growth process and having a thickness of less than 0.5 mm. A larger single crystal CVD diamond cube of 2.3×2.5×2.7 mm2 was also grown in a single step CVD growth process using such a pocket substrate holder. This approach differs from that described in WO2004027123 in that: (i) it is a single stage CVD growth process rather than a multi-stage CVD growth process; (ii) a relatively, thin, small, single crystal CVD diamond product is achieved; and (iii) the pocket holder is small (approximately 4 mm×4 mm×2 mm) and designed to be located in close proximity to the sides of the single crystal diamond substrate to inhibit polycrystalline CVD diamond growth around the single crystal diamond substrate whereas in WO2004027123 polycrystalline CVD diamond growth occurs and the single crystal diamond substrate is transferred into a larger recess for subsequent growth with a 25 mm disc of the surrounding polycrystalline CVD diamond.
Wu et al. (Diamond & Related Materials 66 (2016) 144-151) describe the influence of recess depth and crystallographic orientation of seed sides on homoepitaxial growth of CVD single crystal diamonds. This document is similar to Nad & Asmussen in that it teaches: (i) a single stage CVD growth process; (ii) a relatively, thin, small, single crystal CVD diamond product; and (iii) the use of a pocket holder with a small recess of depth approximately 1 mm and side walls located in close proximity to the sides of the single crystal diamond substrate to inhibit polycrystalline CVD diamond growth around the single crystal diamond substrate.

Synthesis of thick single crystal diamond material via chemical vapour deposition