Management of a planner through use of a middleware layer. A computer system is configured with the middleware layer in communication with both a planner and a data repository. One or more modules are provided in the middleware layer to support the functionality of the planner. Application program interface calls are employed to call the modules, thereby mitigating duplication of the functionality in separate planners.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to configuring a planner to communicate with a data repository through a middleware layer. More specifically, the invention mitigates the complexity of the planner by employing placement of modules and services in the middleware layer; with the middleware layer configured to support functionality of the planner maintained in the components of the middleware layer.
2. Background of the Invention
It is recognized in the art of computer programming to employ utilities within an application to assist with performance of a particular task. Such utilities are known as wizards, or in one embodiment as a planner. Wizards have evolved in the environment of individual computing systems and are employed as user interface elements, where the user is presented with a sequence of dialog boxes. Through these dialog boxes, the user is led through a series of steps, performing tasks in a specific sequence.
Planners have expanded beyond the personal computer environment and are now employed in distributed computer systems, where they search for options associated with management of data and provide decision making guidance. There are different categories of planners employed in a distributed computing environment, including but not limited to management planners, provisioning planners, and problem determination planners. A management planner is known to present a solution to a system administrator by searching infrastructure devices, paths, and configuration for specified criteria. A provisioning planner returns a candidate storage controller and server that can be used to deploy a new application within the structure of a service level agreement (SLA). A problem determination planner assists with determining the basis for a violation of a SLA. These planners utilize information aggregated from historical information and performance data.
In general, the planners are heavy weight processes that utilize advanced statistical techniques for modeling. Each planner is an independent optimization module. In one embodiment, planners are unique to the associated data repository. More specifically, different data repositories employ proprietary schemas, i.e. heterogeneous. The planners that communicate with these data repositories are not inter-operable across heterogeneous data repositories.

Middleware for extracting aggregation statistics to enable light-weight management planners


A device may store a data structure containing entries and times associated with the entries. The device may determine a fullness level associated with the data structure. The device may determine an expiration threshold based on the fullness level of the data structure. The device may identify a first group of entries, of the entries in the data structure, based on times associated with the first group of entries satisfying the expiration threshold. The device may remove the first group of entries from the data structure. The device may randomly select, based on a probability associated with the fullness level, a second group of entries of the entries in the data structure. The device may remove the second group of entries from the data structure.

In computer networking, a switch may receive data, from a first network interface controller (NIC) via a first port, and may forward the data to one or more other NICs. The switch may extract, from the data, a media access control (MAC) address associated with the first NIC and may store, as an entry in a MAC table, the extracted MAC address and an identifier associated with the first port. The switch may direct subsequent data to the first NIC via the MAC address and port identified in the MAC table entry associated with the first NIC.

Dynamic removal of MAC table entries based on a MAC table fullness level


A vehicle door glass elevating/lowering device performs elevating/lowering operation of window glass by a driving force of a drive source along a sash member along one of front and rear edges of the window glass in a door sash forming a window opening. The glass elevating/lowering device includes: a guide rail on the sash member; a slider having a glass support secured to the glass and a sliding part guided movably in the elevating/lowering directions with respect to the guide rail; and a transmission member that transmits the driving force of the drive source, in which a first sliding part regulated in position by the guide rail in at least one direction of the vehicle front-rear directions and a second sliding part regulated in position by the guide rail in at least the other direction of the vehicle front-rear directions are provided at mutually different positions in the elevating/lowering directions.

A vehicle door that uses window glass to open and close a window opening surrounded by a door sash (window frame) is equipped with a window glass elevating/lowering device (window regulator). In the case of a side door of a vehicle, it is necessary to stably elevate and lower the window glass while preventing tilting or falling in the front-rear directions or a vehicle interior and exterior directions. For example, Patent Literature 1 describes a glass elevating/lowering device including two guide rails provided at different positions in the front-rear directions and in which a front carrier plate supporting the vicinity of the front end of the window glass and a rear carrier plate supporting the vicinity of the rear end of the window glass are slidably assembled to each of the guide rails. With this configuration, the stability of the window glass can be improved, and in particular, the inclination of the window glass in the front-rear directions can be effectively suppressed.

Vehicle door glass elevating/lowering device, door frame assembly, vehicle door opening/closing member driving device, and vehicle door opening/closing member driving device assembling method


An air-conditioning apparatus includes: a heat-medium transfer device including a pump provided to transfer a heat medium that contains water or brine and transfers heat; a plurality of indoor units each of which includes an indoor heat exchanger provided to cause heat exchange to be performed between indoor air and the heat medium, and a flow control valve provided to adjust a flow rate of the heat medium that flows through the indoor heat exchanger, the plurality of indoor units being connected to the heat-medium transfer device by respective heat medium pipes; and a controller provided to control an opening degree of the flow control valve. The controller determines a valve opening-degree control range that is a control range of an opening degree of the flow control valve of each indoor unit, based on a flow-passage resistance depending on a length of a pipe that extends from the heat-medium transfer device to the indoor unit, such that the lower the flow-passage resistance, the smaller the valve opening-degree control range.

In the part, direct expansion air-conditioning apparatuses have been used in which an outdoor unit and an indoor unit are connected, and refrigerant is circulated between the outdoor unit and the indoor unit to condition air in an indoor space that is an air-conditioned space (see, for example, Patent Literature 1). in a direct expansion air-conditioning apparatus disclosed in Patent Literature 1, under normal conditions, a capacity control is performed using the degree of superheat SH during a cooling operation, and is performed using the degree of subcooling SC during a heating operation. Therefore, regardless of the distance from the outdoor unit to the indoor unit, the flow rate of refrigerant to be supplied to the indoor unit is controlled depending on a heat exchange capacity of the indoor unit that is determined in advance in design.
On the other hand, a given air-conditioning system includes a primary cycle circuit that includes a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, an expansion device, and an intermediate heat exchanger, and that generates heat through an vapor compression refrigeration cycle circuit, and a secondary cycle circuit that includes a heat-medium transfer unit and an indoor heat exchanger for the secondary cycle circuit, such as an intermediate heat exchanger and a pump, and that transfers heat using a heat medium such as water or brine. As an example of such an air-conditioning system, an air-conditioning system including a heat source unit and an indoor unit is present. As another example of the above air-conditioning system, an air-conditioning system including a heat source unit (outdoor unit), a relay unit, and a plurality of indoor units is present. In this air-conditioning system, between the outdoor unit and the relay unit, heat is transferred using refrigerant; in the relay unit, heat exchange is performed between the refrigerant and a heat medium such as water; and between the relay unit and the indoor units, heat is transferred using the heat medium.


The invention relates to a method for making a structure with at least a first polymer layer and a second polymer layer, each made from a polycarbonate polymer based on bisphenol A, and in between the first polymer layer and the second polymer layer an intermediate layer being arranged, comprising the following steps: a) the intermediate layer is applied at least on a partial region of the first polymer layer, b) optionally the intermediate layer is dried, c) the first polymer layer is coated on the side, on which the intermediate layer is arranged, with a liquid preparation comprising a solvent or a mixture of solvents and a polycarbonate derivative based on a geminally disubstituted dihydroxydiphenyl cycloalkane, the preparation covering the intermediate layer, d) optionally a drying step is made after step c), e) after step c) or step d), the second polymer layer is placed on the first polymer layer, covering the intermediate layer, f) the first polymer layer and the second polymer layer are laminated with each other under pressure, at a temperature from 120° C. to 230° C. and for a defined time.

Plastic cards are typically made by lamination of films, which are adapted as polymer layers. For this purpose, a close connection between the polymer layers is produced under pressure at a temperature, which is above the softening point (glass point) of the polymer layers, by that the polymer chains being movable above the glass point mix with each other, and in an ideal case an inseparable, monolithic structure is obtained from the polymer layers.
These polymer layers may in part be provided with additional features, e.g. pigmentations for optimizing the densities are included in laser engraving.
Between the polymer layers, additional elements are normally provided, in particular an intermediate layer, for instance a printing layer in the form of security printing elements, such as guilloches, microprint and so on or special inks such as optical variable ink (OVI) and the like may be provided on one of the polymer layers and in the completed structure between the polymer layers. An intermediate layer may however also be for instance a film with diffractive elements as a security feature. In particular it is also possible, to integrate a photographically produced image as an intermediate layer between the polymer layers. A method with regard thereto is described in the document DE 10 2007 018 450.8. Such an intermediate layer may cover or underlie a part only of the underlying and/or overlying polymer layer, may however also be stacked therewith in a coincident manner.
It is common to all these examples that the intermediate layer may disturb the above process of the lamination, in particular if the intermediate layer is incompatible with the polymer layers to be combined. This incompatibility may consist in that the intermediate layer obstructs as a separating layer the process of the mixture of the softened polymer layers.
For instance, it has been found that printing layers will normally excellently adhere to the actual printing substrate, the first polymer layer, in the completed structure, the adhesion to the second polymer layer applied during the lamination on the printing layer is worse compared thereto, and consequently a delamination may occur between the intermediate layer and the second polymer layer. The weak point is thus the boundary layer between the printing layer and the applied and laminated second polymer layer. This may be particularly critical for full-surface printing on the first polymer layer.
From the document EP 0 688 839 A2, polycarbonates based on a geminally disubstituted dihydroxydiphenyl cycloalkane are per se known. In this prior art, such polycarbonates are used as binding agents of silk-screen printing inks. From this document can also be taken methods for making such polycarbonates. This document with its complete contents is hereby included in the scope of disclosure of the present application.

Method for producing a polycarbonate layered composite


A process for producing a quinazolin-4-one compound having the formula:

The following processes are known for preparing a quinazolin-4-one compound from an anthranilic acid compound.
EP 1029853 discloses a process for preparing 6-iodoquinazolin-4-one by reacting 5-iodoanthranilic acid with formamidine acetate in ethanol for 20 hours. This process has problems in that the reaction period is long, and it is necessary to use expensive formamidine in an excessive amount.
Chem. Pharm. Bull., 46, 1926 (1998) describes a process for preparing the quinazolin-4-one by reacting anthranilic acid with formamide. This process has a problem in that teratogenetic formamide is used in an excessive amount.
J. Org. Chem., 18, 138 (1953) describes a process for preparing the quinazolin-4-one by reacting methyl anthranilate and formamide in the presence of an ammonium formate. This process has problems in that teratogenetic formamide is reacted at an elevated temperature in an excessive amount and the yield of the desired compound is low.
Any of the above-described processes have problems, and hence they are not favorable as industrially applicable processes.
WO 01/21594 describes a process for a 6-alkoxy-7-aminoalkoxyquinazolin-4-one compound or a 7-alkoxy-6-aminoalkoxyquinazolin-4-one compound. For instance, ethyl 3-methoxy-4-(3-morpholinopropoxy)-6-aminobenzoate is reacted with formamide to give 6-methoxy-7-(3-morpholinopropoxy)quinazolin-4-one in 68% yield. This process, however, has a problem as an industrially applicable process in that the yield is low, and the teratogenetic formamide is reacted at an elevated temperature in an excessive amount.
JP-A-2001-519788 describes a process for preparing a 5-alkoxy-4-halogenoalkoxyanthranilic acid compound from a 5-alkoxy-4-halogenoalkoxy-2-nitrobenzoic acid compound. For example, methyl 4-(3-chloropropoxy)-5-methoxy-2-nitrobenzoate is reacted with a very excessive amount of iron and ammonium chloride in a mixture of water and methanol, to give methyl 2-amino-4-(3-chloropropoxy)-5-methoxybenzoate (i.e., ethyl 4-(3-chloropropoxy)-5-methoxyanthranilate) in 90% yield.
J. Med. Chem., 44, 3965 (2001) describes a process for preparing a 4-alkoxy-5-halogenoalkoxyanthranilic acid compound from a 4-alkoxy-5-halogenoalkoxy-2-nitrobenzoic acid compound. For example, methyl 5-(3-chloropropoxy)-4-methoxy-2-nitrobenzoate is reacted with a very excessive amount of iron and ammonium chloride in a mixture of water and methanol, to give methyl 2-amino-5-(3-chloropropoxy)-4-methoxybenzoate (i.e., methyl 5-(3-chloropropoxy)-4-methoxyanthranilate) in 93% yield.
These processes, however, have problems as industrially applicable processes in that a very excessive amount of iron is used and a complicated post-treatment process is required.
WO 02/36587 describes a process for preparing a 5-alkoxy-4-halogenoalkoxy-2-nitrobenzoic acid compound from a 3-alkoxy-4-hydroxybenzoic acid compound. For example, ethyl vanillate (i.e., ethyl 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzoate) is reacted with 3-bromo-1-chloropropane in an aqueous potassium carbonate solution in the presence of N-butyl-ammonium bromide to produce ethyl 4-(3-chloropropoxy)-3-methoxybenzoate, and the ethyl 4-(3-chloropropoxy)-3-methoxybenzoate is reacted with 70% nitric acid in a mixture of dichloromethane and acetic acid, to give ethyl 4-chloropropoxy-3-methoxy-2-nitrobenzoate in 82% yield (based on the amount of ethyl vanillate).
The aforementioned J. Med. Chem., 44, 3965 (2001) further describes a process for preparing a 4-alkoxy-5-halogenoalkoxy-2-nitrobenzoic acid compound from a 4-alkoxy-3-hydroxybenzoic acid compound. For example, methyl 3-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzoate is reacted with 3-chloropropyl p-toluenesulfonate in an aqueous potassium carbonate solution in the presence of tricaprylmethyl ammonium chloride to produce methyl 3-(3-chloropropoxy)-4-methoxybenzoate, and the methyl 3-(3-chloropropoxy)-4-methoxybenzoate is reacted with 70% nitric acid in a mixture of dichloromethane and acetic acid, to give methyl 5-(3-chloropropoxy)-4-methoxy-2-nitrobenzoate in 61% yield (based on the amount of methyl 3-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzoate).
The above-mentioned process, however, has problems as an industrially applicable process in that the reaction utilizes a complicated two phase reactions, the reaction procedure is complicated, an industrially unfavorable dichloromethane solvent is necessarily employed, the reaction period is long, and the yield is low.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Process for producing quinazolin-4-one derivative

Abstract: [wherein R1, R2, R3 and R4 each represents a group not participating in the below-mentioned reaction, and R1, R2, R3 and R4 can be combined together to form a ring] which comprises reacting an anthranilic acid derivative having the formula:

Abstract: [wherein R5 is a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbyl group] with a formic acid derivative in the presence of an ammonium carboxylate.


A system for mounting a pair of signal-receiving devices recessed within a building surface includes a base housing having an inner chamber and positionable behind a building surface and/or furniture surface. A front has a first opening, and a wall has a second and third opening. A secondary housing is positionable adjacent the base housing and has an interior space. A first aperture is positionable in communication with the second opening. A second aperture is positioned in spaced relation from the base housing's wall. A first signal receiver is positionable within the interior space and is connectable to a first signal carrier. A second signal receiver is positionable within the inner chamber and has a second connector positionable adjacent the third opening and connectable to a second signal carrier. A base housing cover plate is positioned to cover at least a part of the base housing first opening.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate generally to recessed outlets, particularly wall mounted recessed hardware power (generally high voltage), telephone, and cable outlets (generally low voltage). In other embodiments, the recessed housing can be in other parts of a building and/or furniture structure.
As a result of the rapid evolution of hardware such as telephones, computers, and audio-visual equipment, the need for sources of a signal has increased. Cordless devices such as cordless telephones typically include a "base station" which includes a receptacle for low voltage alternating current or direct current electrical power and a telephone connection jack. The base station also often includes a pair of slots and wall mounting screws to mount the base station vertically on a wall for easy access. The second part of the cordless phone includes a "handset" that is battery-operated and charged from the base station. Typically, separate electrical outlets and telephone connection outlets are generally spaced apart to receive respective separate electric power cords and telephone cords running from the base station of the cordless phone. Each of the separate electrical outlets and telephone connection jacks is generally mounted flush with an adjacent wall surface. Such mounting necessitates that electrical plugs and telephone jack connectors extend outwardly from the surrounding wall surface, and the respective electric power cord and the telephone cord be strung to the base station. The wiring is especially visually obtrusive where the base station is mounted to the building wall. Also, owing to the nature of the power requirements of cordless telephone base stations, the "plug" for the base station is normally a rather large alternating current adapter (transformer), some much larger than the others. The conventional electric power plugs and alternating current adapters may be partially dislodged as a result of inadvertent contact by persons or objects. A partial dislodgement generally exposes the prongs of the electrical plug, which exposure creates an electrical hazard. Additionally, both the electrical power cord and telephone cord are not only unsightly, but excess lengths of the cords can get tangled and can potentially cause a tripping hazard.
Other types of hardware devices can also require a multiplicity of connectors and signal-requiring means, such as computers and televisions with and without cable service, corded telephones, and other audio-visual equipment. Thus, there is a need for a system for mounting a hardware device that can accommodate, for example, alternating current power adapters and associated excess electrical power cord, surge protection devices, and external signal-receiving means.

Recessed signal-receiver mounting system for a building structure and associated methods


A data mapping (DM) computing device including a processor and a memory in communication with the processor is provided. The processor receives a plurality of validated data messages associated with a plurality of transactions through a first communication channel and receives a non-validated data message associated with a first transaction through a second communication channel. Each validated data message includes a plurality of validated data elements with a validated merchant identifier. The non-validated data message includes a plurality of non-validated data elements with a non-validated merchant identifier. The processor further compares the validated data messages and the non-validated data message, identifies a validated data message that is associated with the first transaction based on the comparison, maps the non-validated merchant identifier and the validated merchant identifier of the identified validated message, and stores the mapped merchant identifiers in a linked identifier table within the memory.

The field of the present disclosure relates generally to mapping non-validated data to validated data, and more particularly, linking non-validated merchant identifiers to validated merchant identifiers from authorization messages.
At least some known payment processing systems receive data from a plurality of data sources, such as merchants, banks, cardholders, and other parties associated with the payment processing system. Some of these data sources are considered validated data sources. That is, data from the validated data sources is considered to be accurate and is provided in a standard format. Other data sources are considered non-validated sources and provide a variety of information to the payment processing system. However, the data from the non-validated sources is not automatically considered to be accurate and may not necessarily be in the standard format. If the data is not in the standard format for the particular data or data field, the payment processing system may not be able to use the non-validated data.
In one example, when payment card transactions are initiated, one or more authorization messages are generated to request authorization for the transactions. The authorization messages include a plurality of data fields or parameters that provide information about an associated transaction. For example, the authorization messages may include information associated with the transaction, such as a transaction amount, a date and time, a primary account number (PAN), an acquirer identifier, a merchant identifier (e.g., name and/or address of the merchant), and a transaction currency code. The authorization messages are transmitted to a payment processor so that the authorization messages can be processed by an authorization system to either authorize or decline the transactions. The data included in the authorization messages are typically considered to be accurate information associated with the transactions (i.e., validated data) and therefore merchants and the like may use the authorization messages to analyze transaction data. In addition, the authorization messages may be used to inject information into the authorization system to influence an outcome of an authorization process (accept or decline).
Merchants may submit data such as a confidence score to influence the authorization process. The data from the merchants is typically considered to be non-validated data that may be submitted in different formats. For example, the merchant may provide a merchant identifier for a transaction that does not exactly match the merchant identifier of an authorization message for the same transaction. In such cases, the authorization system may not include the merchant-submitted data with the authorization message during the authorization process.

Systems and methods for mapping non-validated data with validated data


Described is an image guided radiation therapy (IGRT) apparatus comprising a medical imaging device and a radiation source, wherein the radiation source is provided on a gantry which surrounds the medical imaging device. The apparatus further comprises ducting for directing cool air from a source of cool air to a gap between the gantry and the medical imaging device.

Radiation therapy is a localised treatment designed to treat an identified tissue target (such as a cancerous tumour) and spare the surrounding normal tissue from receiving doses above specified tolerances thereby minimising risk of damage to healthy tissue. Prior to delivery of radiation therapy, an imaging system can be used to provide a three-dimensional image of the target from which the target's size and mass can be estimated and an appropriate treatment plan determined.
Many factors may contribute to differences between the dose distribution determined in the treatment plan and the delivered dose distribution. One such factor is an inconsistency between the patient position at the imaging stage and the patient position in the radiation treatment unit.
Image guided radiation therapy (IGRT) involves the use of an imaging system to view target tissues whilst radiation treatment is being delivered to the target tissue. IGRT incorporates imaging coordinates from the treatment plan to ensure the patient is properly aligned for treatment in the radiation therapy device.
Various medical imaging technologies are used to identify target tissues in radiation therapy planning and IGRT. These include (without limitation); Computed Tomography (CT), Positron Emission Tomography (PET), ultrasound imaging and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).
The Applicant's prior published international patent application no. WO03/008986 describes a device for use in IGRT which includes the functions of an MRI device in a radiation therapy treatment apparatus and proposes technology for overcoming the problems in doing so. The device comprises a large ring gantry onto which a linear accelerator is mounted and arranged to travel around a target positioned at the isocentre of the ring. An MRI sits in the aperture of the ring gantry sharing the isocentre. A body to be treated is introduced into a treatment space at the isocentre by means of a sliding table.


This invention relates to a surfactant composition, production and use thereof in tertiary oil recovery. The present surfactant composition comprises a cationic surfactant and an anionic-nonionic surfactant, and exhibits significantly improved interfacial activity and stability as compared with the prior art. With the present surfactant composition, a flooding fluid composition for tertiary oil recovery with improved oil displacement efficiency and oil washing capability as compared with the prior art could be produced.

With the increase in world energy demand, rational development and utilization of crude oil has caused more and more attention, the demand on crude oil output and recovery efficiency is also getting higher and higher. The conventional (primary or secondary) crude oil recovery process generally extracts only ⅓ of the geological crude oil reserves, with about ⅔ thereof failing to be extracted. Therefore, with the increasing tense in energy consumption, enhancing oil recovery has become an important topic in the research of crude oil recovery.
The tertiary oil recovery technology is an effective process for enhancing oil recovery. Specifically, among tertiary oil recovery technologies, the chemical enhanced oil recovery (CEOR) technology represents a very important and large-scale implemented technology, including the polymer flooding technology, the surfactant flooding technology, the alkali water flooding technology and a combination thereof. The CEOR technology makes use of the combination of a physical and chemical effects, wherein the chemical action mainly resides in reducing the interfacial tension between a flooding fluid and crude oil. A surfactant contains both lipophilic (hydrophobic) and hydrophilic (lipophobic) segments, when dissolved into water, mainly adsorbed at the oil-water interface, whereby significantly reducing the oil-water interfacial tension (IFT). The reduction in the oil-water interfacial tension indicates that the surfactant is capable of defeating the cohesive force inside crude oil, dividing larger oil droplets into smaller ones, whereby increasing the passing rate of crude oil through a pore throat. The flooding function observed with a surfactant is further indicated by the effects like alteration in the surface wettability of oleophylic rock, emulsification of crude oil, increment of the surface charge density and oil droplet coalescence, all of which explain why the surfactant has been identified as a critical component in a flooding fluid.
However, the prior art flooding fluid for tertiary oil recovery suffers from such problems as poor interfacial activity of the surfactant component, leading to a relatively lower oil displacement efficiency for the flooding fluid produced therefrom, an over-complicated composition with the flooding fluid, which makes difficult the demulsification of the recovered liquid and the treatment of produced water; necessarily containing an inorganic alkali, which is harmful to the reservoir and oil wells, leading to corrosion of equipments and pipings. Further, an inorganic alkali will significantly decrease the viscosity of a polymer component, then a relatively higher amount of polymer has to be used to achieve a predetermined level of viscosity, which increases the overall cost of oil recovery. The prior art surfactant component is insufficient in the tolerance to elevated temperatures, and the tolerance to high salinity and high total dissolved salt (TDS), and tends to generate precipitation during compounding due to its poor stability.
Therefore, there is still a need for a surfactant composition, which is deprived of the problems in association with the prior art, and shows improved interfacial activity and stability as compared with the prior art.

Surfactant composition, and manufacturing method and application of same

SHANGHAI RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF PETROCHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY, SINOPEC


The method and system ventilates a patient's airway during the inspiratory phase and expiratory phase from a source of pressurized gas, typically from a compressor. The system and method supplies, to the patient airway during the inspiratory phase, a plurality of pulses of small volumes of gas from the gas source, and adds, in succession, pulses of small volumes of gas to provide successively greater volumes of gas successively increasing in pulsatile form the pressure of the gas in the patient's airway. This addition of successively greater volumes of gas serves to provide diffusive ventilation to the patient during the inspiratory phase, and, permits the patient to exhale during the expiratory phase.

The inventor, Dr. Bird, was introduced to fluid dynamics during his pre-WWII aeronautical studies. His WW II airman's pressure breathing device and anti-g suit regulatory developments were followed by his medical education, enabling him to apply his knowledge of fluid dynamics and clinical medicine toward the development of novel fluidic cardiopulmonary support devices.
Dr. Bird has developed several unique methodologies and clinical protocols resulting in four generations of cardiopulmonary recruitment and maintenance medical respirators and Intrapulmonary Percussionators® since the 1950's. These devices have been serially noted to increasingly maintain cardiopulmonary functions in patient's failing all other available continuous mechanical ventilation (CMV) types of pulmonary ventilators.
Many of Dr. Bird's cardiopulmonary support devices employ Dr. Bird's novel fluidic logic without any use of electromotive forces to create functional applications. Bernoullian and Newtonian logic form the basis of Dr. Bird's fluidic concepts. Essentially, a compressed source of a respiratory gas is used as a form of motivational energy source to controllably manipulate the pulmonary structures.
The source of compressed respiratory gases (ranging from 20 to 55 psi.) are converted to the useful mechanical ventilation of the lung by means of a calibrated orificial flow control and the servoing of diaphragms to produce valve openings and active or passive closing etc. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,802, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference thereto.
Thus, unlike electronically computerized circuitry employing specific "programming logic," the inventor's novel "Fluidic Logic" is all based upon orificial calibration servoing pneumatic uploading and downloading logic cells to regulate functional events. For example: Dr. Bird's conceived Intrapulmonary Percussive Ventilation or IPV® heart lung recruitment and maintenance logic wherein the PERCUSSIONATOR® devices employ total Fluidic Logic, correlated with events occurring within milliseconds, to effectively ventilate the depressed pulmonary structures while providing for a lung protective strategy.
Accordingly, Dr. Bird's conceived Fluidic Logic cardiopulmonary support devices do not employ any computerized or electrical programming of any kind to recruit or maintain depressed heart or lung functions.
The initial "Functional Calibration" enables all therapeutic cardiopulmonary cyclic and static scheduling. It must be remembered mammalian heart and lung functions are basically analog not digital.

Manual controlled bi-phasic intrapulmonary percussive ventilation and methods


This invention relates to a process for the production of a composition containing gold and/or silver particles, mixed oxides containing titanium and silicon which have been surface-modified, to the compositions producible in this process and to the use thereof in processes for the selective oxidation of hydrocarbons in the presence of oxygen and a reducing agent. The catalytically active compositions exhibit constantly high selectivities and productivities.

This invention relates to a process for the production of a composition containing gold and/or silver particles, mixed oxides containing titanium and silicon which have been surface-modified, to the compositions producible in this process and to the use thereof in processes for the selective oxidation of hydrocarbons in the presence of oxygen and a reducing agent. The catalytically active compositions exhibit constantly high selectivities and productivities.
The direct oxidation of ethene to yield ethene oxide by molecular oxygen is well known and is used for the commercial production of ethene oxide in the gas phase. The typical catalyst for this application contains metallic or ionic silver, possibly additionally modified with various promoters and activators. Most such catalysts contain a porous, inert catalyst support having a small surface area, such as for example alpha-aluminium oxide, onto which the silver and promoters have been applied. A review of the direct oxidation of ethene in the presence of supported silver catalysts has been compiled by Sachtler et al. in Catalysis Reviews: Science and Engineering, 23 (1and2), 127-149 (1981).
It is also known that these silver catalysts and the reaction conditions which have proved favourable for ethene oxide production do not give rise to comparably good results in the direct oxidation of higher olefins, such as propene (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,763,630, 5,703,254, 5,760,254) and propene oxide selectivities of at most approx. 50% are achieved. In general, direct oxidation reactions of these higher olefins with molecular oxygen do not generally proceed in the gas phase at below 200xc2x0 C., even in the presence of catalysts, and the selective production of oxidation products sensitive to oxidation, such as epoxides, is thus difficult as the consecutive reactions of these products frequently proceed more rapidly than the oxidation of the introduced olefins themselves. Another problem arises from the sensitivity to oxidation of the allyl groups present in higher olefins.
For this reason, only indirect, liquid phase methods are currently used for the industrial production of propene oxide.
Some 50% of propene oxide output worldwide is currently produced using the xe2x80x9cchlorohydrin processxe2x80x9d, while another 50%, with a rising trend, is produced by the xe2x80x9coxirane processxe2x80x9d.
In the chlorohydrin process (Weissermel et al. in Industrielle organische Chemie, 4th edition, Weinheim, 1994, pages 288-289), chlorohydrin is first formed by reacting propene with HOCl (water and chlorine) and the propene oxide is then formed therefrom by elimination of HCl with a base. The process is cost-intensive but, when properly optimised, exhibits high selectivity ( greater than 90%) with elevated conversions. The loss of chlorine in the chlorohydrin process in the form of worthless calcium chloride or sodium chloride solutions and the associated high waste water salt loads quickly led researchers to seek out chlorine-free oxidation systems.
The oxirane process (Weissermel et al. in Industrielle organische Chemie, 4th edition, Weinheim, 1994, pages 289-291), uses organic compounds to transfer oxygen onto propene instead of the inorganic oxidising agent HOCl. This indirect epoxidation is based on the fact that organic peroxides such as hydroperoxides in the liquid phase are capable of selectively transferring their peroxide oxygen onto olefins to form epoxides. This reaction converts the hydrogen peroxides into alcohols and the peroxycarboxylic acids into acids. Hydroperoxides are produced from the corresponding hydrocarbon by autoxidation with air or molecular oxygen. One serious disadvantage of indirect oxidation is the economic dependency of the value of propene oxide on the market value of the co-product and the cost-intensive production method for the oxidising agents.
There is currently no industrial gas phase process for the direct oxidation of propene to yield propene oxide.
Catalysts are known in which gold particles are applied onto a support consisting of dispersed titanium centres on a silicon matrix (WO 98 00415 A1; WO 98 00414 A1; EP 0 827 779 A1). All these materials obtained by impregnation with subsequent calcination become deactivated over time (typical half-lives are 5-50 h) and thus cannot be used in large scale industrial plants.
Further catalysts are also known in which gold particles are applied onto microporous, crystalline tectosilicates having a defined pore structure, in which silicon tetrahedron sites are isomorphically substituted by titanium (for example TS-1, TS-2, Ti zeolites, such as Ti-beta, Ti-ZSM-48 or mesoporous molecular sieves containing titanium, such as for example Ti-MCM-41 or Ti-HMS) (WO 9800413 A1). While all these gold silicalite or gold zeolite structures do indeed exhibit good selectivities, the hydrocarbon conversion rates and, most particularly, the catalyst service lives are completely inadequate for use in the chemicals industry.
The described processes for catalyst preparation are highly unsatisfactory with regard to catalyst activity and service life. Industrial processes operating with low activity catalysts require enormous reactors. Low catalyst service lives entail production downtime during the regeneration phase or demand cost-intensive redundant plant design. It is thus desirable to develop catalysts which can achieve elevated levels of activity combined with excellent selectivity and industrially useful service lives.
One object of the present invention was accordingly to provide a technically straightforward catalytic gas phase process for the selective oxidation of hydrocarbons using a gaseous oxidising agent on low cost solid catalysts, which process combines very high selectivities and industrial useful catalyst service lives with high yields and low costs.
A further object of the invention was to provide catalysts having better service lives.
A further object of the invention was to provide a process which yields catalysts having better service lives.
The objects are achieved according to the invention by a supported composition containing gold and/or silver particles, titanium oxide and a support containing silicon, characterised in that the surface of the composition bears groups selected from among alkylsilicon, arylsilicon, alkyl groups containing fluorine or aryl groups containing fluorine.

Surface-modified mixed oxides containing precious metal and titanium, for the selective oxidation of hydrocarbons


A magnetic detection device has a roller unit to which conveying rollers are attached, a fixing unit that installs the roller unit movably in the direction to contact to or leave away from a magnetic head, and eccentric shafts that are provided rotatably between the fixing unit and the roller unit. This magnetic detection device has an adjusting means to adjust a gap between the magnetic head and the conveying roller by relatively moving the roller unit to against the fixing unit.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a magnetic detection device for detecting magnetic ink printed on media, the device being applicable to, for instance, a valuable media processing machine to inspect the media as securities.
2. Description of the Related Art
This kind of magnetic detection device is equipped with a magnetic sensor and a conveying roller mechanism that are arranged opposing to each other with a gap between. Media are passed through the magnetic sensor and the conveying roller mechanism and printed magnetic inks are detected.
To detect magnetic ink, media are needed to pass through the magnetic detection device in contact with the surface of the magnetic sensor and conveyed while kept pushed against the surface of the magnetic sensor by conveying rollers.
Further, the magnetic sensor is statically installed and the conveying rollers are installed rotatably. The magnetic sensor and the conveying rollers are arranged with a certain gap between them so that they do not contact each other.
A gap between the surface of the magnetic sensor and the surfaces of the conveying rollers is adjusted by moving the conveying roller mechanism close to or far away from the surface of the magnetic sensor.
However, it was so far difficult to adjust a gap precisely and furthermore, a long time was needed because a gap was adjusted by loosening the fixing screw fixing the conveying roller mechanism at a specified position and then, moving the conveying roller mechanism directly.
Further, in the case of a conveying roller mechanism with many conveying rollers installed to a rotary shaft axially for pressing a wide area simultaneously, it was difficult to adjust gaps uniformly at axial points of the rotary shaft.


A connecting element for connecting cells comprises a plate-shaped element (2) made up of conducting material, which element has at least two tabs opposite one another, which tabs each have a connecting area by means of which the respective tab is connectible in its end region (8) to the respective pole of the cell. The respective connecting area of each tab (4), (5), (6), and (7) of the plate-shaped element (2) comprises a bulge (9). This bulge (9) has a length corresponding to at least 1.5 times the width of the bulge (9). The tabs of the connecting element are connectible by means of resistance welding to the respective pole of the corresponding cell.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connecting element for connecting cells to form accumulators, comprising a plate-shaped element composed of a conducting material, which element has at least two tabs disposed opposite one another, which tabs each have a connecting area by means of which the respective tab is connectible in its end region to the corresponding pole of the cell.
2. Description of the Related Art
Accumulators of this kind, made up of individual cells, are used in diverse applications. For these purposes, a plurality of cells are connected together, serially or in parallel, depending upon the application. To connect the individual cells, a connecting element is used on whose tabs in the end regions point-like elevations are provided. During resistance welding, these raised points serve as connecting points between the respective pole of the corresponding connectible cell and the connecting element. A punctiform weld results. Accumulators having the desired characteristics can thus be assembled from a plurality of cells.
As has already been mentioned, accumulators of this kind are used for diverse applications, including for battery-driven hand tools and implements, for instance. Thus these accumulators can also be subjected to severe mechanical strains and stresses. When used in percussion drilling machines, for instance, these accumulators are subjected to heavy vibrations.
With applications of this kind, it has been shown that the known punctiform connecting points described above have not always been able to meet the demands. Owing to the mechanical strain and stress, the connections can be destroyed, and the accumulator can no longer be used.

Connecting element for connecting cells to form accumulators


A side milling cutter arbor for mounting a selected milling cutter on a vertical milling machine that includes first, second and third interconnected members. The first member has a generally cylindrical body portion and a reduced diameter shank portion connected to the body portion. The body portion is provided with a longitudinal bore having a first portion having a key way and a second portion, the second portion being generally rectangular in cross-section. The second member has a flange portion, an intermediate portion having a key receivable within the key way and an end portion, the end portion being generally rectangular in cross-section and being closely receivable within the second portion of the longitudinal bore of the first member. The third member functions to removably interconnect the first and second members.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to attachments for machine tools. More particularly, the invention concerns a device for use in connection with vertical milling machines to rotatably connect a selected milling cutter to the milling machines.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
Vertical milling machines are of course old in the art and a number of different types of milling machines are readily commercially available. These commercially available milling machines may be generally classified into two main divisions, horizontal and vertical. In horizontal milling machines, the milling cutter is carried on a horizontal arbor (spindle), while in the vertical type milling machine, the arbor is vertically disposed.
Typically, vertical milling machines are built up from a massive casting, usually a rectangular box section forming an upright column which supports a vertical spindle that carries a rotating multi-toothed cutter. The upright column also supports an adjustable, power-driven, horizontal table which supports the work and controllably feeds it relative to the rotating spindle in a direction generally perpendicular to the axis of the spindle. Vertical milling machines are typically used for facing and boring and are sometimes provided with a rotary table for making cylindrical surfaces.
The rotating spindle of the vertical mill is typically carried by a quill which is controllably moveable in a vertical direction relative to the supporting column by a hand feed lever. Movement of the hand feed lever moves the quill and the cutting tool vertically relative to the work piece and to the work piece supporting table. The device of the present invention comprises a novel positive drive side milling cutting arbor for mounting a selected milling cutter on the milling machine.

Side milling arbor with quad drive key assist


A device may include a number of drivers, wherein each driver of the number of drivers includes a number of transistors coupled to an output node. The device may further include circuitry coupled to the number of drivers. The circuitry may configure at least one driver of the number of drivers in each of a number of configurations, wherein each configuration of the number of configurations is associated with a calibration code of a number of calibration codes. Each configuration generates, in response to signal transmission via the output node, an associated channel performance response of a number of channel performance responses. The circuitry may also store a calibration code for the at least one unit driver, wherein the calibration code generates a desired channel performance response of the number of channel performance responses. Systems and related methods of operation are also described.

Memory devices are typically provided as internal, semiconductor, integrated circuits in computers or other electronic systems. There are many different types of memory including, for example, random-access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), resistive random access memory (RRAM), double data rate memory (DDR), low power double data rate memory (LPDDR), phase change memory (PCM), and Flash memory.
Electronic systems, such as memory systems, often include one or more types of memory, and that memory is typically coupled to one or more communications channels within a memory system. Time varying signals in such systems are utilized to transfer information (e.g., data) via one or more conductors often referred to as signal lines. These signal lines are often bundled together to form a communications bus, such as an address or data bus.
To meet demands for higher performance operating characteristics, designers continue to strive for increasing operating speeds to transfer data across communications buses within electronic systems. One issue with increased data transfer rates is maintaining signal integrity during bursts of data on communication buses of electronic (e.g., memory) systems. As transfer rates increase, impedance characteristics of a communication bus may become more pronounced, and signal waveforms may begin to spread out and/or reflections may occur at locations of unmatched impedance on the communication bus. Signal integrity (e.g., data integrity) may be affected when an impedance (e.g., output impedance) of one or more nodes of a memory device coupled to a communication bus is not properly matched to an impedance of the communications bus.

Output impedance calibration, and related devices, systems, and methods


In a mobile station, a radio section is adapted to communicate with a plurality of base stations, and a control section is connected to the radio section. The control section is adapted to search for cells of the base stations to obtain broadcast information of radio signals of the base stations received by the radio section, select a serving cell of a specified one of the base stations and neighbor cells of other ones of the base stations neighbor to the serving cell in accordance with communication qualities of the radio signals of the base stations, and to set the serving cell and the neighbor cells in a communication connection preparing state.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile station capable of establishing an early radio communication connection state, a radio communication establishing method therefor, and its radio communication system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a mobile communication system includes mobile stations such as portable telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs) or pagers, base stations, base station control stations for controlling the base stations, and a network such as the Internet or a public switched telephone network (PSTN) connected to the base station control stations.
When one mobile station receives a service such as a speech service, a packet communication service or a video telephone service, first, a radio communication connection state with one of the base stations is established, and then, this mobile station is recognized by the network. Therefore, no service is given to the mobile station before such a radio communication connection state is established.
The above-mentioned establishment of a radio communication connection state is carried out:
1) when the mobile station is switched ON or a user identity module (UIM card) or an integrated circuit (IC) card according to the 3rd Generation Mobile Telephone System is inserted thereinto to thus register the location;
2) when a cell transfer processing (handover) for changing a serving base station to its neighbor base station is expected;
3) when a handover between base stations of different systems is expected; and
4) when an intermittent reception or a sleep mode reception has completed.
Note that a cell is defined by a service area of one base station. Also, a serving cell is a cell where a mobile station is located and is currently or will communicate with the base station for this cell. Further, a neighbor cell is a cell located at the periphery of the serving cell.
In a first prior art mobile communication system (see: JP-4-344723-A), when a traffic overload occurs in the cell of one base station, the base station control station thereof reports to the network a mobile station having largest difference in received electric field strength in a memory in which the differences of received electric field strengths of radio signals from the base station and its neighbor base stations are stored. As a result, such a mobile station is selected as a candidate to be handed over, and is subject to a forced handover. Thus, the degradation of speech qualities of mobile stations can be suppressed.
In a second prior art radio communication system (see: JP-8-223110-A), in the case of occurrence of a data error, when the cause of the data error is interference, the radio channel is switched to another channel. When the cause of the data error is the collision of packets, data retransmission in a packet collision resolution mode is carried out. When the received electric field strength of a desired radio signal is lower than a predetermined value, it is determined that the distance between the mobile station and the base station is too large, so that a handover is performed upon the mobile station.
In a third prior art radio communication system (see: JP-10-12683 0-A), when the propagation environment of radio signals from a base station rapidly fluctuates, a mobile station receiving the radio signals from this base station immediately searches for neighbor cells and reports the speech qualities thereof to the network, thus carrying out a soft handover.
In a fourth prior art radio communication system (see: JP-11-289289-A), a mobile station continuously measures an electric field strength of its serving cell and electric field strengths of its neighbor cells. When the electric field strength of the serving cell is larger than a predetermined value, the mobile station stops the measurement of received electric field strengths of the neighbor cells, thus decreasing the power consumption.
In a fifth prior art radio communication system (see: JP-2002-275 19-A), the location of a mobile station is detected at every predetermined time period in accordance with a latitude and longitude of a base station for a serving cell and the latitude and longitudes of its neighbor base stations. When a handover is required, the moving direction and moving speed of the mobile station are determined in accordance with the above-mentioned information of the base station for the serving cell and its neighbor base stations to find a handover candidate from the neighbor base stations, thus enhancing the speech quality and decreasing the power consumption.
In a sixth prior art radio communication system (see: 3 GPP Organization Partners, Technical Specification "3 GPP TS 25.304 V3.12.0", pp. 1-40, December 2002, URL: http://www.3gpp.org/ftp/specs/html-info/25304.htm), a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) system, a radio resource connection (RRC), a cell selection from an idle mode and a cell reselection in a control mode are disclosed.
On the other hand, a mobile station establishes a radio communication connection state with a base station having the strongest electric field strength. Such an establishing process depends upon a technical specification of the radio communication system; however, this establishing process is generally carried out by exchanging special messages.
When the above-mentioned special messages are missing on the way from the mobile station to the base station or vice versa, due to the fast moving speed of the mobile station, the situation of a street the mobile station is moving on or the fluctuation of propagation environment of radio signals, message retransmission or cell reselection is carried out. Note that, after a special paging message for establishing a radio communication connection state is transmitted from the mobile station to the base station and no response message is returned from the base station to the mobile station, a message retransmission may be carried out to retrains the same paging message and a cell reselection may be carried out to change a destinated base station of the special paging message to another base station.
However, it is not effective to continue the message retransmission for the base station from which the received electric field strength is decreased. That is, the radio resource is consumed. Also, when the number of message retransmissions is increased, it will take a longer time to start a service.
Also, in the cell reselection, it will take a longer time to change from one base station for a serving cell to another. Further, since the cell reselection is often carried out after the number of message retransmission is larger than a predetermined value, it will take a further longer time to start a service.
The above-described first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth prior art radio communication systems have nothing to do with the delay of start of a service due to the message retransmission and the cell reselection.

Mobile station, radio communication establishing method and its radio communication system


The management server includes: a storage that stores medical information including patient-identity-specific information; and a processor coupled to the storage. The processor: receives patient-identity-specific information of a deceased patient; retrieves a deceased patient medical information; determines whether the deceased patient medical information includes a predetermined information that specifies a medical condition of the deceased patient; upon determining that the deceased patient medical information does not include the predetermined information, deletes the deceased patient medical information from the storage; upon determining that the deceased patient medical information includes the predetermined information: extracts the predetermined information along with the patient-identity-specific information of the deceased patient from the deceased patient medical information; separately stores the extracted predetermined information and the patient-identity-specific information of the deceased patient in the storage as a medical condition information; and deletes the deceased patient medical information after the extraction and storage of the medical condition information.

Medical images and medical data (herein collectively referred to as "medical information") play a crucial role in a healthcare professional's diagnosis of a patient. Healthcare facilities (e.g., hospitals) have realized the benefits of electronically storing these medical information. This digitalization of medical information not only enables healthcare professionals to easily access the medical information, but also enables the medical information to be easily shared between multiple healthcare facilities through use of physical mediums such as compact discs (CDs), digital video discs (DVDs), and Universal Serial Bus (USB) flash drives.
More recently, cloud-based storage systems have emerged as a way to improve efficiency and accessibility to information. In general, a "cloud" can be understood as an online storage system that provides remote, on-demand access of computing resources and data over the Internet to multiple computers and devices in various locations. Cloud-based storage may be provided by vendors who use remote or off-site data centers in various locations for storage of data such as medical images. The vendors of the cloud-based storage may also provide a common viewing system ("a universal viewer") that allows healthcare facilities within the cloud network to retrieve a complete set of any patient's medical information from any other healthcare facility within the cloud network through a single request.
However, these digitalized medical information are usually set to be automatically deleted after a certain time has elapsed once a patient dies. For example, a deceased patient's medical information would be deleted after a certain time has passed since the patient's passing and would no longer be able to be utilized.

Deletion of medical information shared between management server and healthcare facilities

Konica Minolta Healthcare Americas, Inc.


An optical technique to improve the imaging of a target inside suspensions of scattering particles includes the illumination of the scattering particles with circularly polarized light. The backscattered light from the host medium preserves the helicity of incident light, while the backscattered light reflected from the target is predominated with light of opposite helicity. Based on the observed helicity difference in the emerging light that originated at the target and that backscattered from the medium, the present optical technique improves the image contrast using circular polarization. This approach makes use of polarization memory which leads to the reflected light from the target accompanied by weak diffusive backscattered light. Using the present technique, improved imaging of the artery wall is achieved and plaque composition can be assessed through a blood field associated with the artery. The scattering from the particles, such as red blood cells, in the blood is reduced due to polarization memory. The present invention can be also applied to other biomedical application, as well as image targets through adverse environmental conditions, such as fog, clouds, smoke, murky water, etc.

In the United States alone, more than 650,000 people die each year of heart attacks related to coronary artery disease due to plaque build-up on the inside walls of the arteries. Various diagnostic methods have been developed to characterize and image coronary plaques in the vessel wall. These methods include angioscopic imaging, intracoronary coronary ultrasound (ICUS), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Each of these methods exhibits some relative strengths and limitations/deficiencies. Optical imaging represents a promising new technology for imaging the vulnerable plaque with a level of resolution not previously achieved with the use of above conventional imaging modalities. Optical imaging can be performed with a catheter integrated with a relatively inexpensive optical fiber. A major challenge of optical imaging is that the scattering effect from the blood, especially from the red blood cells with an average diameter of 7.65 μm, blurs the image quality of the artery surface and subsurface. The absorption is small in the near infrared region from 0.8 μm to about 1.4 μm.
The use of laser surgery and advancements therein have rapidly increased in the recent years. However, laser surgery and laser cauterizing tissue normally is accompanied by the unwanted production of a cloud of smoke and vaporized particles which tend to obscure the target area (e.g., tissue).
There is thus a perceived need to develop a technique to overcome the resulting optical scattering effect in order to see through the surgical smoke and observe the target since an accurate target image is many times not possible to obtain using conventional imaging techniques.
In particular, there are many other situations in which the detection of an object present in a turbid, i.e., highly scattering, medium is highly desirable. For instance, the detection of a tumor embedded within tissue is one such example where detection of the tumor using optical imaging is difficult due to the surrounding environment that includes tissue and blood. Although X-ray techniques provide some measure of success in detecting objects in a turbid medium, they are typically not well-suited for detecting very small objects, e.g., tumors less than 1 mm in size embedded in tissue or for detecting objects in a thick or concentrated medium. In addition, X-ray radiation can present safety hazards to a person exposed thereto and thus, it would be desirable to find an alternative procedure. Ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offer alternatives to the use of X-rays but have their own drawbacks and thus, all of the foregoing techniques have a number of associated deficiencies and all are particularly not well suited for a turbid medium environment.
Accordingly, it can be readily appreciated that there is an outstanding need for a high resolution optical imaging technique that is adapted for use in imaging an object in a turbid medium. Degradation of the scattering effect on non-invasive medical imaging, as well as signal transmission through atmospheric environments, are significant problems that limit the use of optical imaging techniques and the ability to obtain high resolution images.
Light propagating through a turbid medium undergoes multiple scattering, which randomizes the direction of propagation, phase, and polarization of the incident light. The image quality is degraded in this process and therefore, the resulting image is of poor quality and resolution. To reduce the effect of multiple scattering on obscuring the image, over the years various techniques have been introduced, such as time-resolved techniques, ballistic 2-D imaging through scattering wall using an ultrafast Kerr gate, optical coherent tomography, time-resolved coherent and incoherent components of forward light scattering in random media, frequency-domain techniques, nonlinear optical techniques, subsurface tumor progression investigated by noninvasive optical second harmonic tomography, optical low-coherence, Fourier space gate technique, and confocal fluorescence microscopy.
Details of the above types of techniques and systems can be found in following patents and articles: U.S. Pat. No. 5,371,368, issued Dec. 6, 1994 to Alfano et. al.; Wang, et al, Ballistic 2-D imaging through scattering wall using an ultrafast Kerr gate, Science 253, 769(1991); Huang, et al, Optical coherent tomography, Science 254, 1178(1991); Yoo, et al, Time-resolved coherent and incoherent components of forward light scattering in random media, Opt. Lett. 15, 320(1990); O'Leary, et al, Experimental images of heterogeneous turbid media by frequency-domain diffusing-photon tomography, Opt. Lett. 20, 426(1995); U.S. Pat. No. 6,208,886, issued Mar. 27, 2001 to Alfano et. al.; Guo, et al.; Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 96, 10854 (1999); Schmidt, et al, Imaging through random media by use of low-coherence optical heterodyning, Opt. Lett. 20, 404(1995); Dolne, et al, IR Fourier space gate and absorption imaging through random media, Lasers in the life Sci. 6, 131(1994); and Masters, et al, Ultraviolet confocal fluorescence microscopy of the in vitro cornea: redox metabolic imaging, Appl. Opt. 32, 592(1993), all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
However, the above techniques are limited by small imaging depth and the techniques are difficult to implement due to the sophisticated mathematical problems that are encountered in implementation or due to complicated experimental setups, etc. and some polarization imaging techniques have been developed and can be adapted for use in the present invention, See e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,847,394, issued Dec. 8, 1998 to Alfano et al; Demos, et al.; Optical polarization imaging, Appl. Opt. 36, 150 (1997); Lewis, et al, Backscattering target detection in a turbid medium by polarization discrimination, Appl. Opt. 38, 3937 (1999); and Pernicka, et al, Improvement of underwater visibility by reduction of backscatter with a circular polarization technique, Appl. Opt. 6, 741 (1967), all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

Imaging systems and methods to improve backscattering imaging using circular polarization memory

Research Foundation of the City University of New York


A method of manufacture of a package-on-package system includes: providing a substrate connection; attaching a semiconductor die to the substrate connection using an adhesive, with the substrate connection affixed directly by the adhesive; forming an encapsulant around the semiconductor die to have a bottom exposed surface coplanar with a bottom surface of the substrate connection and to have a top exposed surface with through openings extending therefrom through the bottom exposed surface; and creating through vias by applying solder into the through openings, the through vias coplanar with the bottom exposed surface of the encapsulant and coplanar with the top exposed surface of the encapsulant.

As new generations of electrical consumer products are developed there is a growing need to improve the functionality, performance, reliability, and manufacturing robustness of semiconductor packages. Additionally, new handheld consumer electronic devices such as cell phones and new laptop computers are increasingly designed to present a low-profile. This design trend imposes severe limitations on the thickness of individual electronic components.
System requirements for consumer electronics have motivated the implementation of integrated circuit packages incorporating several semiconductor dies or "chips". Such multi-chip packages may be realized by connecting multiple semiconductor dies on a single package substrate.
Alternatively, the Package-in-Package (PiP) approach for packaging multi-chip modules involves first mounting a semiconductor die on a package substrate with interconnects, forming an Internal Stacking Module (ISM). This package module can be tested individually prior to assembly into a multi-chip package. Thus the PiP approach provides a means of pre-testing package sub-assemblies (i.e., internal stacking modules), enabling the assembly of complex multi-chip packages using "known good packages." This modular approach for assembling multi-chip packages reduces overall yield loss.
Yet another implementation of a multi-chip package is termed "Package-on-Package" (PoP). In this approach, one monolithic package is stacked on top of another package using standard interconnects for routing signals between the two packages.
One drawback of existing PiP or PoP packages is that they do not provide sufficient versatility and reliability for integration into larger multi-chip packages. Thus, a need still remains for internal stacking module and/or package-on-package systems with increased interconnection capabilities and reduced overall thickness while improving its reliability.
More specifically, there is a need to reduce the cost of PiP and PoP systems and to reduce warping of the modules during fabrication to facilitate integration into larger multi-chip package modules. In view of yield loss due to package warping it is increasingly critical that answers be found to these problems.
In view of the ever-increasing commercial competitive pressures, along with growing consumer expectations and the diminishing opportunities for meaningful product differentiation in the marketplace, it is critical that answers be found for these problems. Additionally, the need to reduce costs, improve efficiencies and performance, and meet competitive pressures adds an even greater urgency to the critical necessity for finding answers to these problems.
Solutions to these problems have been long sought but prior developments have not taught or suggested any solutions and, thus, solutions to these problems have long eluded those skilled in the art.

Package-on-package system with through vias and method of manufacture thereof


A display system includes a diffraction grating that generates exit-pupil images, where one of the exit-pupil images has a first intensity and the remaining exit-pupil images each have or approximately have a second intensity that is less than the first intensity. The system also includes a filter that attenuates the intensity of the one exit-pupil image. In one example, the filter attenuates the 0th-order exit-pupil image so that all of the exit-pupil images have the same or approximately the same intensities.

The invention relates generally to image display/projection systems, and more particularly to an apparatus such as a virtual retinal display that generates an array of exit-pupil images of uniform brightness.
A variety of image-display/image-projection devices and techniques are available for displaying/projecting graphical or video imagesxe2x80x94often called video framesxe2x80x94to a viewer. A graphical image, i.e., a graphic, typically changes infrequently or not at all. For example, a flight-instrument graphic of cockpit instruments may overlay a pilot""s view. This graphic may be projected onto a viewing area such as the windshield, or may be projected directly into the pilot""s eyes such that he/she sees the flight instruments regardless of his/her viewing direction. Typically, there is little change in this graphic other than the movement of the instrument pointers or numbers. Conversely, video frames are a series of images that typically change frequently to show movement of an object or the panning of a scene. For example, a television displays video frames.
A cathode-ray-tube (CRT) display, such as used in a television or computer monitor, is a common image-display/image-projection device that, unfortunately, has several limitations. For example, a CRT is typically bulky and consumes a significant amount of power, thus making it undesirable for many portable or head-mounted applications.
Flat-panel displays, such as liquid-crystal displays (LCDs), organic LEDs, plasma displays, and field-emission displays (FEDs), are typically less bulky and consume significantly less power than a CRT having a comparable viewing area. But flat panel displays often lack sufficient luminance and adequate color purity or resolution for many head-mounted applications.
Referring to FIG. 1, although a scanned-beam display system 71 often overcomes the limitations of the above-described displays, the viewer may lose sight of the displayed image if he/she moves his/her eye 73. The display system 71 includes a scanning source 72, which outputs a scanned beam of light that is coupled to a viewer""s eye 73 by a beam combiner 74. In one embodiment, the scanning source 72 includes a scanner (not shown), such as a scanning mirror or acousto-optic scanner, that scans a modulated light beam through a viewer""s pupil 75 and onto a viewer""s retina 76. In another embodiment, the scanning source 72 may include one or more light emitters (not shown) that are rotated through an angular sweep. Because such displays scan or project an image through the pupil of the viewer""s eye, the display""s xe2x80x9cexit pupilxe2x80x9dxe2x80x94defined as an area, often a plane, in front of the viewer""s eye 73 where the image is locatedxe2x80x94is limited to the diameter of the viewer""s pupil 75, which typically ranges from about 2 millimeters (mm) in bright light to about 7 mm in dim light. Consequently, the viewer may xe2x80x9closexe2x80x9d the image when he/she moves his/her eye 73. A display system similar to the display system 71 is further described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,467,104, which is incorporated by reference.
Referring to FIG. 2, a scanned-beam display system 82 overcomes the problem of xe2x80x9closingxe2x80x9d an image due to eye movement by including a diffraction grating 84 to generate an exit pupil 86, which includes an array of multiple exit-pupil images 88. Specifically, a modulated light beam 92 scans an image 93 onto the diffraction grating 84, where the size of the image is determined by a scanning angle 20. The grating 84 diffracts the beam 92 into fractional beams 98a-98c, which respectively generate exit-pupil images 88a-88c as the beam 92 scans the image 93. Each of the images 88a-88c is a replica of, but has a lower intensity than, the image 93. An eyepiece 95 collimates the images 88a-88c to form the exit pupil 86. When the viewer""s pupil 75 is aligned with one or more of the images 88a-88c, the aligned image or images 88 converge on an area 100 of the viewer""s retina 76 to replicate the image 93. The intensity of the replicated image is proportional to the number of images 88 that converge to form the replicated image on the retinal area 100.
By including multiple exit-pupil images 88, the exit pupil 86 effectively increases the viewer""s field of view with respect to the image 93. That is, as long as at least one of the exit-pupil images 88a-88c is within the viewer""s field of view, he/she can see the image 93. For example, if the viewer looks down slightly, the exit-pupil image 88b moves out of his/her view, but the image 88a remains in view and the image 88c enters his/her view. Therefore, even though the viewer has moved his/her eye 73, he/she still views the image 93 via the exit-pupil images 88a and 88c. A scanned-beam display system that is similar to the display system 82 is further described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,701,132, which is incorporated by reference.
Unfortunately, the exit-pupil images 88 generated by the scanned-beam display 82 often have non-uniform intensities, which may annoy or distract the viewer. Specifically, the diffraction grating 84 is typically designed for a single wavelength of light, but the image beam 92 typically includes other wavelengths in addition to this single wavelength. These other wavelengths often cause the exit-pupil images 88 to have different intensities. Therefore, one typically limits the intensity of the beam 92 so that the brighter exit-pupil images 88 are not too bright for the viewer. But this may cause some of the dimmer images 88 to be too dim for the viewer to see, thus causing xe2x80x9cholesxe2x80x9d in the exit pupil 86. Furthermore, even if none of the images 88 are too dim for the viewer to see, the differences in intensity among the images 88 may annoy or distract the viewer as he/she shifts his/her gaze.
In one aspect of the invention, a display system includes a diffraction grating that generates exit-pupil images from a light source, where one of the exit-pupil images has a first intensity and the remaining exit-pupil images each have or approximately have a second intensity that is less than the first intensity. The system also includes a filter that attenuates the intensity of the one exit-pupil image. In one example, the filter attenuates the 0th-order exit-pupil image so that all of the exit-pupil images have the same or approximately the same intensities.

Apparatus and methods for generating multiple exit-pupil images in an expanded exit pupil


For protecting a sensitive electric device, a motor vehicle is constructed to have an electric device protecting structure near a dash panel to which a cowl box is connected. A watertight case installs therein the sensitive electric device and is installed in the cowl box. A passage structure is provided to establish an air flow communication between an interior of the watertight case and an interior of a passenger room.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to an electric device protecting structure for use in a motor vehicle, and more particularly to a watertight casing structure for protecting an electric device. More specifically, the present invention is concerned with an electric device protecting structure by which a sensitive electric device installed therein is protected from being affected by abnormal temperature, abnormal humidity and dusts.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a motor vehicle, various electric devices are mounted, some of which are arranged in an engine room. However, since the engine room has therein an engine serving as a heat generator and is exposed to the outside through its opened bottom, the environment in the engine room is not suitable for such electric devices. Thus, in case of very sensitive electric devices which are for example an engine control module (ECM) or the like, it is usual to provide in the engine room so-called electric device protecting structures which house therein the electric devices.
FIG. 4 shows one known example of such electric device protecting structures, which is disclosed in Japanese Patent First Provisional Publication 9-207691. In the protecting structure of this example, there is employed a measure for protecting the electric device from heat generated from the engine. That is, a double wall casing structure 4 is provided at a certain position of the engine room, which comprises an inner case 1 and an outer case 2 between which an air flow passage 3 is defined. The air flow passage 3 is connected through a pipe or the like to an outside air intake opening exposed to the outside of the vehicle. An engine control module 5 which is sensitive to heat is installed in the inner case 1. When the vehicle runs, outside air is forced to flow in the air flow passage 3 while cooling the engine control module 5 in the inner case 1.
FIG. 5 shows another known example of the electric device protecting structures, which is disclosed in Japanese Patent First Provisional Publication 8-99590. That is, in this example, a heat sensitive electric control device 7 is installed in a cowl box 6 that is provided at an upper part of the engine room. Due to its isolated structure, the interior of the cowl box 6 is less affected by heat in the engine room and thus the interior is a suitable place for protecting the electric control device 7 from heat of the engine room. However, since the interior of the cowl box 6 is substantially exposed to the outside through openings and thus easily collects rainwater and the like, the electric control device 7 is constructed to have a sealed structure.
However, due to their inherent constructions, the above-mentioned two known examples have failed to provide users with satisfaction because of the following reasons. In the first example of FIG. 4, due to provision of the double wall structure, the protecting structure is bulky in size and thus largely occupies the limited space of the engine room. In the second example of FIG. 5, the sealed structure tends to lose its sealing ability quickly. That is, when energized, the electric control device 7 generates heat and thus heats the air in the sealed structure, and when deenergized, the electric control device 7 stops generating heat and thus cools the air in the sealed structure. The ON/OFF operation of the electric control device 7 thus induces expansion and contraction of air in the sealed structure causing higher pressure and lower pressure in the sealed structure. This phenomenon however applies the sealed structure with repeated stress. Thus, when the sealed structure is left in such severe condition, the sealing ability of the sealed structure becomes poor quickly.


The present invention uses a curable resin which has: in the molecule thereof, at least two crosslinking functional groups of at least one kind selected from the group consisting of epoxy group, (meth)acryloyl group, alkenylamino group and alkenyloxy group; a glass transition temperature before curing of 50 to 150° C.; a weight-average molecular weight of 10,000 to 1,000,000; and a dielectric constant of not higher than 3.5 after curing. By use of the curable resin of the above constitution, the present invention can provide a curable resin that an insulator having an excellent thermal shock resistance and an excellent dielectric property is obtained.

Various methods are known for improvement of humidity resistance and dielectric properties at a high frequency region in epoxy resin composition, polyimide resins and like resins, and for improvement of heat resistance and solvent resistance of polyolefin resins, polyphenylene ether resins and like as insulating materials: for example, curing by sulfur, organic peroxide, or crosslinking by electronic ray, radioactive ray of copolymers of ethylene and a norbornene type monomer (JP-A-62-34924); and use of a polyphenylene ether substituted by a propargyl or allyl group, a polyphenylene ether containing a double bond, and a polyphenylene ether modified by an unsaturated carboxylic acid or acid anhydride thereof (JP-A-1-69628, JP-A-1-69629, JP-A-1-113425, JP-A-1-113426, JP-A-1-239017, etc.).
However, in the former method, the dielectric constant is as high as 3.7 or more, and therefore the former method is not suitable for use as insulating materials such as overcoat materials and interlayer insulation materials.
On the other hand, in the latter examples, an allyl group, olefinic unsaturated group, or unsaturated carboxylic acid is used as a curable functional group, which results in insufficient heat resistance because of insufficient curing reactivity, especially in an oxygen atmosphere (in air).
The object of the present invention is to provide an insulator having excellent thermal shock resistance and excellent dielectric properties, and a suitable material therefor.

Curable resin, curable resin material, curable film, and insulator


In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, a method comprising: receiving, by a user equipment, instructions based on a determination that a communication sent from the user equipment to at least one network comprising signaling to at least one network node over continuous time slots of at least one uplink connection would cause a problem with the communication; and based on the instructions, preventing by the user equipment the signaling over at least one particular time slot of the at least one uplink connection to overcome the problem, wherein the instructions are received in a recurring pattern indicating the at least one particular time slot.

This section is intended to provide a background or context to the invention that is recited in the claims. The description herein may include concepts that could be pursued, but are not necessarily ones that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, what is described in this section is not prior art to the description and claims in this application and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Certain abbreviations that may be found in the description and/or in the Figures are herewith defined as follows:
eCoMP Enhanced Cooperative Multi-Point
eICIC Enhanced Intercell Interference Coordination
eNB evolved NB (=LTE base station)
EN-DC EUTRA-NR Dual Connectivity
FDD Frequency Division Duplex
HARQ Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request
gNB next generation eNB (=NR base station)
LTE Long Term Evolution
MeNB master eNB
NR New Radio (=5G)
NWN Network Node
OFDMA Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access
PDSCH Physical Downlink Shared Channel
PUCCH Physical Uplink Control Channel
PUSCH Physical Uplink Shared Channel
RF Radio Frequency
SC-FDMA Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access
SeNB secondary eNB
SUO Single Uplink Operation
TDD Time Division Duplex
TDM Time Division Multiplexing
UE User Equipment (=terminal)
Carrier Aggregation (CA) and dual connectivity (DC) were introduced in 3GPP to allow a UE to simultaneously transmit and receive data on multiple component carriers via a single eNB or from two cell groups via a master eNB (MeNB) and secondary eNB (SeNB). Dual Connectivity and Carrier Aggregation enhancements include new radio (NR) enhancements such as to support asynchronous and synchronous NR Dual Connectivity, low latency cell configuration, and setup for NR operations.
Example embodiments of the invention work to improve such carrier aggregation, dual connectivity operations and dual connected handover, in particular for LTE and NR.

Full uplink blanking to avoid RF impairments for devices with multiple connections


Cancer treatment is provided, by irradiating an individual with a localized, high single dose or short course of doses at a primary tumor site; collecting T cells from the individual after a period of time sufficient activation of an anti-tumor response; treating the individual with an effective dose of dose of chemotherapy; and reintroducing the T cell population back to the individual.

Cancer, also known as malignant neoplasm, is characterized by an abnormal growth of cells that display uncontrolled cell division, invasion and destruction of adjacent tissues, and sometimes metastasis to other locations in the body. There are more than 100 types of cancer, including breast cancer, skin cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, and lymphoma. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in America and it causes about 13% of all deaths. Cancer may affect people at all ages, even fetuses, but the risk for most types of cancer increases with age. Cancers can affect all animals.
Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) utilizes a three-dimensional coordinate system to achieve accurate radiation delivery. With SBRT, the radiation planning margins accounting for set-up uncertainty are minimized. This allows for greater dose-volume sparing of the surrounding normal tissues, which enables the delivery of higher and fewer fractional doses of radiation (hypofractionation). With SBRT, discrete tumors are treated with the primary goal of maximizing local control (akin to surgical resection) and minimizing toxicity. SBRT may be defined as a radiation planning and delivery technique in which a three-dimensional orientation system is used to improve targeting accuracy, typically as a hypofractionated (1-5 fractions) regimen.
Despite these new agents and improved combinations, the current treatment is still not effective for many types of cancers or cancers at different stages. Improved regimens and treatments are greatly needed for cancer therapy.

Anti-tumor T cell immunity induced by high dose radiation

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY


An exhaust aftertreatment system for an engine is provided that includes a burner, an air supply system and a control module. The air supply system may be in fluid communication with the burner and may include an air compressor disposed upstream from the burner. The air compressor may include a pump mechanism, a clutch assembly selectively transferring torque from the engine to the pump mechanism, and a motor selectively driving the pump mechanism. The control module may be in communication with the clutch assembly and the motor. The control module may selectively switch the air compressor between a first operating mode in which the clutch assembly transfers torque from the engine to the pump mechanism and a second operating mode in which the motor drives the pump mechanism.

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure and is not necessarily prior art.
In an attempt to reduce the quantity of NOX and particulate matter emitted to the atmosphere during internal combustion engine operation, a number of exhaust aftertreatment devices have been developed. A need for exhaust aftertreatment systems particularly arises when diesel combustion processes are implemented. Typical aftertreatment systems for diesel engine exhaust may include one or more of a diesel particulate filter (DPF), a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system, a hydrocarbon (HC) injector, and a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC).
During engine operation, the DPF traps soot emitted by the engine and reduces the emission of particulate matter (PM). Over time, the DPF becomes loaded and begins to clog. Periodic regeneration or oxidation of the trapped soot in the DPF is required for proper operation. To regenerate the DPF, relatively high exhaust temperatures in combination with an ample amount of oxygen in the exhaust stream are needed to oxidize the soot trapped in the filter.
The DOC is typically used to generate heat to regenerate the soot loaded DPF. When hydrocarbons (HC) are sprayed over the DOC at or above a specific light-off temperature, the HC will oxidize. This reaction is highly exothermic and the exhaust gases are heated during light-off. The heated exhaust gases are used to regenerate the DPF.
Under many engine operating conditions, however, the exhaust gas is not hot enough to achieve a DOC light-off temperature of approximately 300° C. As such, DPF regeneration does not passively occur. Furthermore, NOX adsorbers and selective catalytic reduction systems typically require a minimum exhaust temperature to properly operate. Therefore, a burner may be provided to heat the exhaust stream upstream of the various aftertreatment devices to a suitable temperature to facilitate regeneration and efficient operation of the aftertreatment devices.
While air compressors have been associated with burners for exhaust treatment systems in the past, it may be beneficial to provide an improved air compressor to provide an appropriate amount of air flow to the burner under a variety of different engine operating conditions.

Tenneco Automotive Operating Company Inc.


A knee bolster assembly having a vehicle frame structure, a bracket structure having a base portion and two contoured side wall portions that extend from the base portion to ends that attach to the frame structure, a trigger point occurs in each side wall portion at a first maximum width and a first minimum width between side wall portions, and a knee bolster plate cooperating with the base portion.

Energy absorbing structures for passive crash safety are critical to providing occupant protection in the event of a collision. A knee bolster, located at a point lower than the steering wheel and generally on a lower portion of the instrument panel, is designed to absorb the impact on an occupant's knee during a collision event. A knee bolster bracket is a supporting brace for the knee bolster. The knee bolster bracket is designed to yield, or collapse, when it absorbs energy during the collision event to protect the vehicle occupant. Traditional knee bolster bracket designs have "J" or "D" shapes such that there is a single hinge, or trigger, point that collapses upon impact with the occupant's knee, which typically occurs during a frontal crash event. A goal in knee bolster design is to minimize a load on the occupant's knee while maximizing the amount of energy absorbed by the bracket.
Vehicle occupants vary greatly in size and therefore, the knee bolster should be capable of protecting the occupant regardless of their size. For an occupant that is of average size, also known as an occupant in the 50th percentile, the traditional "J" or "D" design is adequate for minimizing load and maximizing energy absorbed. However, for an occupant that is much larger than average (95th percentile) or much smaller than average (5th percentile), the occupant's knee may not contact the knee bolster in an optimal location so as to collapse at the trigger point designed for minimizing load and maximizing energy absorption. Therefore, the traditional design is not as effective for occupants outside of the average size.
There is a need for a knee bolster bracket design that minimizes load for any occupant whose size is between the 5th percentile for females and the 95th percentile for males, maximizes energy absorption for any occupant whose size is between these percentiles and is robust enough to meet stringent crash requirements that are imposed by transportation and safety boards.