An error pulse is generated from a PRML circuit, and reproduction compatibility with a conventional apparatus is established. After a reproducing signal output from an optical head is equalized by an analog equalizer, sampled by an A/D converter at every clock, and digitally equalized by a FIR filter, the signal is binarized by a PRNL decoder. On the other hand, with regard to an error pulse, a level at an edge point is detected from an output signal of the A/D converter by an edge level detector, and the level at the edge point and an error pulse detection threshold are compared by an error pulse generator, and the error pulse is generated. Even when an optical apparatus having a trial writing function using conventional error pulse is provided with a PRML reproducing system for enabling high speed, the optical apparatus can execute trial writing using the error pulse as it is.

Optical disk media, such as a DVD-RAM and a DVD-RW, that use a rewritable type phase change optical recording material, have been available widely for general use. Usually, the optimization of the power and pulse conditions of a recording laser beam, called "trial writing", is important in the recording of information in these high-density optical disks.
Usually, a jitter, that is a standard deviation of the shift between a data edge and a clock edge, is used to estimate the quality of a signal recorded in an optical disk. A measuring apparatus, such as an exclusive jitter analyzer, is typically necessary to measure jitter. Because an expensive jitter analyzer cannot be incorporated in an optical disk apparatus as a practical matter, a signal estimation index was required instead of this expensive jitter analyzer.
As an example of a conventional trial writing technique, the technique of estimating jitter equivalently and optimizing the recording power using this value by generating a logical pulse, that is called an error pulse, and counting an error pulse count, instead of measuring the jitter directly, when the phase difference between a data edge and a clock edge exceeds a predetermined value, is disclosed in JP-A No. 320777/1998.
A trial writing technique for a 4.7 GB DVD-RAM that uses an adaptive recording strategy of a table reference type conforming to the front and rear space length and mark length is disclosed in the International Laid-Open Patent Publication No. WO01/011614. In accordance with this technique, classification processing is applied by making an error pulse correspond to a table of the recording strategy, and a pulse condition of a recording laser beam is optimized so that the error pulse values of table items may be minimized. Practical classification processing requires two 4×4 tables. However, because a logical pulse, called an error pulse, is used to estimate a signal, the classification processing can be realized simply by a logic LSI.
[Patent document 1] JP-A No. 320777/1998
[Patent document 2] WO01/011614
As described previously, at the present time, when the use of a DVD has become widespread, a fast recording/reproduction speed is becoming a most important technical development problem. Because the noise effect increases when a signal is reproduced at high speed, a PRML (Partial Response Maximum Likelihood) method that improves the S/N (Signal-to-Noise) ratio effectively is becoming indispensable as a binary system of a reproducing signal, instead of a conventional direct slice method. The PRML method requires a process of digitalizing the reproducing signal at every clock using an A/D (Analog-to-Digital) converter. Necessarily, a PLL (Phase-Locked Loop) circuit also changes from a conventional analog system to a digital system. In the PLL circuit of the digital system, a VCO (Voltage Controlled Oscillator) circuit is operated so that the level of the reproducing signal at an edge point may approach zero, instead of directly comparing the phase difference between a data edge and a clock edge. Because a conventional error pulse generation circuit adapts to a phase error detection circuit of the PLL of an analog system, it could not be adapted to a PLL of the digital system.
When a PRML method and a digital PLL are adopted in this manner, a conventional error pulse generation circuit will not function. When a new signal estimation index is introduced instead of an error pulse, the configuration of a conventionally developed logic LSI, and a control program resource will not be able to be used effectively.
Moreover, the PRML method executes binarization so that apparently the most accurate data row may be selected sequentially by comparing not only the position of the edge of a reproducing signal, but also the whole signal, with a target signal. In this case, about two to five numeric rows, called a PR class, are used to generate the target signal. The PR class allows an impulse response of the reproducing signal to approximate the numeric rows. A PR(3,4,4,3)ML method is well known as a PR class for a DVD. However, because the PR class approximates the impulse response to the end, for example, a write pulse or power is determined using a PR(3,4,4,3)ML decoder, so that signal estimation indexes peculiar to the PRML method, such as a bit error rate, a SAM (Sequenced Amplitude Margin), and an MLSE (Maximum Likelihood Sequenced Error) may be used so as to optimize these. In this case, because the write pulse or recording power differs from the waveform equalizing condition defined in the DVD standard, jitter increases when a signal is reproduced by a conventional apparatus, and the reproduction compatibility performance between optical disk apparatuses will be deteriorated.
Moreover, there are a DVD-RAM, a DVD-R, a DVD-RW, a DVD+R, and a DVD-RW as recording type DVD media. The use of one drive to enable recording/reproduction corresponding to these disks is anticipated. The numerical apertures of a reference drive head defined in these standards are 0.60 for the DVD-RAM, DVD-R, and DVD-RW, and 0.65 for the DVD+R and DVD+RW. A single optical head mounted on the drive must select either of the numerical apertures in order to correspond to all of these disks. Usually, it is natural to adopt the larger numerical aperture 0.65, and to record and reproduce a signal having a small spot size when considered from the point of view of signal quality or the efficiency of recording power in the case of high-speed recording. In this case, when the trial writing of a DVD-RAM is executed, the write pulse condition must be optimized using an optical head having an NA of 0.65 so that the signal is reproduced by an optical disk apparatus having an the of NA 0.60, and the jitter may be improved.


N-acylated dialkylaminophenols are produced at greater yields under mild reaction conditions by a novel in situ process which begins with catalytic hydrogenation of dialkylnitrosophenols in an aprotic organic reaction medium.

This invention relates to the production of aminophenols and their N-acylated amide derivatives which are ordinarily used as polymeric stabilizers or anti-oxidants. More particularly, this invention relates to the production of these anti-oxidant compounds under mild catalytic hydrogenation reaction conditions, where severe losses in product yield have been experienced in the past.
N-acylated aminophenols are known to be useful as anti-oxidants in many different compositions, such as rubbers, resins and other materials which are subject to the deleterious effects of oxidative aging.
These compounds are generally prepared by nitrosation or nitration of a phenol, followed by reduction of the nitroso-group or nitro-group to the corresponding amine, and subsequently N-acylating the amine.
Although it has been known for quite some time that the reduction step of the process may be accomplished by catalytic hydrogenation under pressure, the normal practice has continued to involve chemical reduction of the nitro or nitroso groups with, for example, sodium hydrosulfite or sodium bisulfite such as the method disclosed in Netherlands Patent Application 6,505,775 (Chemical Abstracts Vol. 64, No. 12601d, 1966), because of poor yields, long reaction times, and relatively severe operating conditions, including excessively high temperatures and pressures. Additionally, the catalytic hydrogenation requires a cumbersome isolation of the intermediate from its reaction medium prior to acylation.
For example, as recently as 1979, R. H. Kline disclosed in his U.S. Pat. No. 4,152,319, Example 2, a two-step process for preparing the anti-oxidant N-(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4 hydroxyphenyl) methacrylamide including catalytic hydrogenation. In the first step, 23.5 grams of the nitrosophenol precursor was catalytically hydrogenated to produce the aminophenol at 50 psi and 50.degree. C. in a reaction medium of absolute ethanol over a period of one hour. In the second step, after isolating the aminophenol solution, the acid chloride, methacryloyl chloride dissolved in benzene, was reacted to produce the N-acylated aminophenol. However, the yield of 10 grams of product was only 35% of theoretical.
Later, in 1980, Mr. J. A. Dale disclosed in his U.S. Pat. No. 4,205,151, improved yields from the catalytic hydrogenation of nitrophenols in tetrahydrofuran at relatively short reaction times (15-20 hours) but at quite severe pressures and temperatures of between 50.degree. and 150.degree. C., and from 100 psi to about 1500 psi and very low concentrations. However, the hydrogenation required about 20 hours at milder operating conditions such as 100 psi and 50.degree. C. While Dale disclosed conducting the catalytic hydrogenation in an aprotic solvent such as tetrahydrofuran, poor results were achieved. Although Dale does disclose the prospect of augmenting his reaction medium with certain non-polar organic substituents, such as toluene, benzene and hexane, he demonstrates that the reaction cannot proceed in those solvents alone. For example, hexane alone as a reaction medium presented difficulty and therefore the tetrahydrofuran was employed. Even then, however, as explained in Dale's Example 2, when the hydrogenation was conducted at 50 psi and presumably room temperature, despite conducting the reaction for four days, he could achieve only a 50% conversion. Thereafter, Mr. Dale discloses that by carrying out the hydrogenation reaction in tetrahydrofuran (eliminating the hexane), increasing the pressure to 1,000 psi, and raising the temperature to 85.degree. C., he could achieve a 100% yield, and that at 80.degree. C. over 15 hours, under pressure of at least 200 psi, he obtained 100% yield.
Accordingly, a method for manufacturing N-acylated aminophenols beginning with catalytic hydrogenation at milder operating conditions, shorter reaction times, and yet having commercially acceptable yields, would be a substantial advancement in the art.

Method for making aminophenols and their amide derivatives


A light-source device can efficiently cool a light source without frequently exchanging an impurity removing filter. The light-source device includes a housing having an outer wall and an inner wall. A portion within the inner wall of the housing is substantially hermetically sealed with respect to a space formed by the outer wall and the inner wall. The device also includes a light source disposed within the inner wall, and an optical member. The light source guides light supplied from the light source to a portion outside of the housing. The device further includes a cooling unit for causing a fluid to flow between the outer wall and the inner wall of the housing to cool the light source.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a light-source device and an exposure apparatus. More particularly, the invention is suitably used when manufacturing semiconductor devices, such as DRAMs (dynamic random access memories), LSIs (large-scale integrated circuits) and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
As semiconductor chips become finer, various light sources, such as high-pressure mercury lamps, KrF excimer lasers and the like, are being used as light sources for reduction-projection-type semiconductor exposure apparatuses. Particularly, in order to improve the throughput in apparatuses having a large angle of view, high-pressure mercury lamps having a higher output have become used as light sources for semiconductor exposure apparatuses using high-pressure mercury lamps. Since most of the electrical power supplied to a light source is converted into thermal energy, the temperature of a high-pressure, high-power mercury lamp becomes very high. Accordingly, in exposure apparatuses, forced air cooling is performed in order to cool a portion of the apparatus that includes a high-pressure mercury lamp, a reflecting-mirror lamp device and a power supply.
Furthermore, in a portion surrounding the lamp device and in an optical path of the exposure light, a very small amount of inorganic gases in the atmosphere reacts with the exposure light to produce a substance that adheres to optical components in the optical path, thereby reducing the transmittance of the optical components and degrading the accuracy during exposure. Accordingly, clean air, which is not chemically contaminated, is required for use as cooling air to cool the lamp device (i.e., the light-source device).
In general, the results of analyzing substances adhering to the optical components indicate that photoreactive substances in the atmosphere of the apparatus comprise NH, SO, silicon compounds (e.g., siloxane), and the like.
These impurity gases slightly remain on the surface of metallic materials during surface treatment, and are contained in the air entering from surrounding portions. It is estimated that, in accordance with a decrease in the wavelength of the exposure light and an increase in the intensity of the exposure light, degradation in the accuracy of the exposure due to the above-described photochemical reaction will be more pronounced.
Accordingly, even if it is desired to increase the brightness (power) of an exposure light source in order to improve throughput, the throughput will become degraded with time, because the above-described impurity gases will gradually reduce the illuminance of the exposure light source.
In order to solve the above-described problem, the lamp device is cooled by blowing compressed clean air, which is used in clean room facilities where the exposure apparatus is installed, onto portions surrounding the lamp and the lamp device, or, in recent exposure apparatuses, by mounting a chemical impurity removing unit, such as a chemical filter or the like, onto the lamp device and using clean air obtained by removing impurity gases by the chemical impurity removing unit.
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a semiconductor exposure apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application (Kokai) No. 7-74077 (1995).
In FIG. 7, an exposure apparatus 30 includes a chamber 10, a lamp housing 3, an illuminating optical system 4, a projection optical system 5, a wafer stage 9, a chemical filter unit 31 and the like, and performs exposure transfer of a pattern formed on a reticle 6 onto a wafer 7. A wafer chuck 8 mounts the wafer 7.
In the exposure apparatus 30, air within a clean room where the exposure apparatus 30 is installed is introduced into the chemical filter unit 31, and is discharged to the clean room after being used for cooling the lamp housing 3.
The lamp housing 3 includes a high-pressure mercury lamp (hereinafter abbreviated as a "lamp") 2, an elliptical mirror 11 for reflecting and condensing light emitted from the lamp 2, and a relay optical system 12 for the illuminating optical system 4. The chemical filter unit 31 includes a chemical filter 33, a particle filter 34 and a blower 32, and can adsorb and catch specific chemical substances in passing air. Particularly, in semiconductor exposure apparatuses, it is necessary to filter ammonia gas and hydrogen disulfide gas. Accordingly, clean-room air is introduced into the chemical filter unit 31 by the blower 32, and the clean air passing through the chemical filter 33 and the particle filter 34 is supplied into the lamp housing 3.
The supplied clean air absorbs heat generated from the lamp 2, and is discharged from a heat exhaust port of the clean-room facilities as heat exhaust.
As described above, in conventional semiconductor exposure apparatuses, when cooling the lamp housing 3, the lamp device is cooled by either using high-purity compressed air from the clean-room facilities or a blower unit.
According to such cooling, the temperature of the lamp 2 is maintained within an appropriate temperature range, and heat transfer from the lamp 2 to the main body of the exposure apparatus 30 is prevented. The cooling heat capacity is calculated and the flow rate of cooling air to be supplied is determined so as to satisfy the above-described conditions.
When cooling a lamp by supplying chemically clean air, particularly in a high-output lamp, it is necessary to provide a sufficient amount of air so as not to adversely influence the main body of the exposure apparatus. As a result, the size of the chemical filter provided in the blowing system is increased, the life of the chemical filter is decreased, and it is necessary to frequently exchange the filter. This is not desirable from the viewpoint of the cost.

Light-source device and exposure apparatus


The invention relates to a pneumatic tire having excellent mechanical properties by using a rubber composition containing a polybutadiene rubber having a high cis-1,4 bond content, a low vinyl bond content and proper number average molecular weight and molecular weight distribution, and more particularly to a pneumatic tire characterized in that a rubber composition including a polybutadiene with a cis-1,4 bond content of not less than 99.0% and a vinyl bond content of not more than 0.3% as measured by a Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy is used in any one of tire members.

Heretofore, polybutadiene rubber has been known as a rubber having thermally and mechanically excellent properties and widely used in various fields. Particularly, since polybutadiene rubber having a high cis-1,4 bond content is excellent in the mechanical properties, the production technique of the polybutadiene rubber having the high cis-1,4 bond content has been actively studied and developed. For example, composite catalyst systems each composed mainly of a transition metal compound of nickel, cobalt, titanium or the like are known as a catalyst for the production of polybutadiene rubber. Among them, some catalysts are industrially used as a polymerization catalyst of butadiene.
As a catalyst capable of producing the polybutadiene having a high cis-1,4 bond content and having an excellent polymerization activity are developed composite catalyst systems each consisting of a rare earth metal compound and an organometal compound of Group I-III. For example, it is reported that when using a catalyst of neodymium compound and methylaluminoxane, the polymerization can be conducted in a high reactivity and a conjugated diene polymer having a narrow molecular weight distribution is obtained. However, the polymer obtained by this method is not sufficiently high in the cis-1,4 bond content and not sufficiently low in the vinyl bond content, so that the properties are still insufficient.
Also, JP-A-2001-48940 discloses that the butadiene-based polymer having a very high cis-1,4 bond content is obtained by polymerizing butadiene in a catalyst system comprising a rare earth metal compound, an organometallic compound of Group I-III and an ionic compound consisting of a non-coordinate anion and a cation. In this case, however, there are problems that a rare earth metal compound used such as Nd(OCOCCl3)3 or the like is low in the polymerization activity. Also, since NMR is utilized as a measurement of the micro-structure in JP-A-2001-48940, the error of the vinyl bond content is particularly large and further the value of the vinyl bond content in the resulting polybutadiene is large, so that the rubber composition containing such a polybutadiene is insufficient in the improvement of the properties as compared with the rubber composition containing the conventional polybutadiene. Furthermore, the polybutadiene obtained by this method tends to widen the molecular weight distribution as the vinyl bond content becomes low, so that there can not be obtained polybutadienes in which the vinyl bond content is sufficiently low and the molecular weight distribution is within a specified range.
Also, JP-A-2002-241420 discloses that the polybutadiene having a very high cis-1,4 bond content is obtained by polymerizing butadiene in a catalyst system comprising a rare earth metal salt consisting of a rare earth metal, a free halogen atom component and a halogen atom containing component and aluminoxane. In this case, however, there are problems that the polymerization activity of bis(trichloroacetic acid)(versatic acid) neodymium salt or the like used is low and the industrial productivity is low. Furthermore, JP-A-2002-241420 does not examine the vinyl bond content of the polymer at all.
In Aida, Hou, Nishiura, Doi, Kurakado, Horiuchi and Wakatsuki, Macromol. Rapid Commun. 2003, vol. 24, pp 179-184 is disclosed that the polybutadiene having a very high cis-1,4 bond content is obtained by polymerizing butadiene in a catalyst system comprising a metallocene complex of a gadolinium compound. However, means for controlling the molecular weight is not disclosed in the above Aida et al report, so that the practicality is low. Also, there is not examined the application of the disclosed polybutadiene to a rubber composition and the application of such a rubber composition to a rubber article, particularly a tire.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


The present disclosure is directed to compounds of Formula (I) and methods of their use and preparation, as well as compositions comprising compounds of Formula (I).

Rheumatoid arthritis ("RA") is a chronic, autoimmune, inflammatory disorder that affects the lining of the joints, causing painful swelling that can result in bone erosion and joint deformation. RA presents a significant societal impact—it has a relatively high prevalence (about 1% of the United States population suffers from RA), produces irreversible joint damage, and has a widespread occurrence of co-morbities. While many patients benefit from currently marketed biologic and small molecule medicines, most patients still suffered from the chronic pain and inflammation of the disease.
Cancer, in particular mantle cell lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, macroglobulinemia, and multiple myeloma, continues to afflict patients. Alternative, effective treatments of cancer are still needed.
Human Bruton's tyrosine kinase ("Btk") is a ˜76 kDa protein belonging to the Tec family of non-receptor tyrosine kinases. Tec kinases form the second largest family of cytoplasmic tyrosine kinases in mammalian cells, which consists of four other members in addition to BTK: the eponymous kinase TEC, ITK, TXK/RLK and BMX. Tec kinases are evolutionarily conserved throughout vertebrates. They are related to, but structurally distinct from, the larger Src and Syk kinase families. Tec family proteins are abundantly expressed in hematopoietic tissues and play important roles in the growth and differentiation of blood and endothelial cells in mammals.
Based upon Btk expression from IHC studies described in the art, Btk inhibition has the potential to modulate biology associated with B cells, macrophages, mast cells, osteoclasts, and platelet microparticles. Corneth, O. B., et al. Curr. Top. Microbiol. Immunol. BTK Signaling in B Cell Differentiation and Autoimmunity. 2015 Sep. 5. The role of B cells in RA is supported by the therapeutic benefit exhibited in the clinic upon B cell depletion with Rituximab™. Since auto-reactive antibodies play such a critical role in synovial inflammation, therapeutic modulation of the B cell compartment is an attractive mechanism to treat early RA and potentially modulate disease at the earliest stages. B cell depletion in murine models such as collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) prevents arthritis development. Svensson, et al. (1998) B cell-deficient mice do not develop type II collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). Clin Exp Immunol 111, 521-526.

Inhibitors of Bruton's tyrosine kinase and method of their use


A fishing apparatus for implementing a substantially hands-free form of angling, includes a movable arm assembly securable to a fixed point, where the movable arm assembly is operatively engaged to a fishing rod having a distal end through which a fishing line extends, and is adapted for imparting a reciprocating motion to the distal end of the fishing rod relative to the fixed point.

Fishing is an ancient practice of catching fish that dates back to, at least, around the Paleolithic period. Fishing techniques include hand gathering, netting, spearing, trapping and angling. The term fishing may be applied to catching other aquatic animals such as mollusks, cephalopods, crustaceans, and echinoderms. In addition to providing food and/or income, fishing also provides a recreational outlet for pleasure or sport where fish are caught and then released back into the wild.
One popular form of fishing is angling where a hook is used to catch fish. The hook is usually attached to a fishing line and the line is attached to a fishing rod. Such fishing rods are typically fitted with line guides and a fishing reel for storing, retrieving and playing out the fishing line. The fishing rod can be composed of fiberglass, carbon fiber, or graphite. The hook can be dressed with a lure or bait to attract the fish.
To initiate angling, the fishing line is cast out with the lure or bait over the water using the flexible fishing rod. The usual technique is for the angler to quickly flick the rod from behind toward the water. The line is then retrieved through the reel to draw the lure or bait through the water to entice the fish to strike. Through the rod and reel, the angler can move the lure or bait through the water in a manner that attracts the attention of the fish.
Frequently, anglers may use more than one fishing rod and line to maximize the opportunity for a catch. For example, trolling involves towing two or more fishing lines each dressed with a lure or bait through the water. This may be accomplished by mounting the fishing lines on a slow moving vessel. As mentioned, it is often desirable to add motion to the lure or bait such as by sweeping or jigging the fishing rod in a back and forth manner and confer the appearance and/or behavior of a dying, injured or fast moving prey that is particularly enticing to fish. However, this task would be difficult for an angler handling multiple fishing lines and/or rods.
Accordingly, there is a need for a fishing apparatus designed to assist angling in a substantially hands-free manner.


The present invention concerns one of the plurality of first storage apparatuses, prior to a file migration to the second storage apparatus, notifies to the second storage apparatus of file migration information being information relating to the file migration, the second storage apparatus calculates an increment of a load on the second storage apparatus that is generated by the file migration based on information written in the file migration information, the second storage apparatus determines whether the file migration is allowable based on a current load on the second storage apparatus itself and the increment, the second storage apparatus notifies the determination result to the one of the plurality of first storage apparatuses that has notified the file migration information, and the one of the plurality of first storage apparatuses determines whether to migrate the file to the second storage apparatus based on the determination result.

Recently, there has been developed a technology related to an information processing system in which storage systems are respectively structured in bases and the like of a company and files respectively generated in the storage systems of the bases are aggregated in a data center and storedtherein.
PTL 1 discloses a technology that, in an information system including a first storage site and a second storage site which is located at a remote site, the first storage site includes a first storage system which provides a higher hierarchy of the storage and a second storage system which provides a lower hierarchy of the storage, the second storage site includes third and fourth storage systems, which respectively receive remote replication from the first and second storage systems and, when a file is migrated, a stubbed file which displays the storage location of the migrated file in the second storage system is saved at a position of the migration source file while, when the copies of the migrated file and the stubbed file are replicated to the fourth and third storage systems respectively, information for linking the copy of the stubbed file in the third storage system to the copy of the migrated file in the fourth storage system is transmitted to the second storage site.

Information processing system and method for controlling the same


A method is presented for transmitting uplink control information and a mobile station. The method for transmitting the uplink control information includes: adding padding bits to initial control information to generate uplink control information, where the initial control information includes first information having a same number of bits for RANKs of different channel matrices and second information having a same or different number of bits for RANKs of different channel matrices; and transmitting the uplink control information.

In a communication system, it becomes more and more important to measure spatial characteristics of a channel by a user terminal and to feed back a measurement result to a wireless base station in a form of channel state information (CSI). According to different channel states, a RANK of a channel matrix reported by the user terminal when performing CSI feedback may also be different, and accordingly, the number of bits required for performing CSI feedback is also different.
In an LTE system, due to a limited size of multiple input multiple output (MIMO) antennas, a difference between the number of bits of the CSI feedback is not large, and it will not cause a significant impact on the receiving side, that is, the base station. However, in a 5G NR (New Radio) system, as the size of the multiple input multiple output (MIMO) antennas increases, the difference between the number of bits of the CSI feedback also increases. However, according to a current uplink control information transmitting method, the base station in the 5G NR system cannot determine the number of bits included in the uplink control information which includes the CSI feedback.

Method for transmitting uplink control information and mobile station


This invention is a method of influencing voluntary food intake of patients receiving parenteral infusions, by adding branched-chain amino acids to the infusion solution. The branched-chain amino acid solution prevents total parenteral suppression of appetite and increases oral voluntary food intake. The branched-chain amino acid solution lowers the risk of regurgitation and aspiration in patients for uhm preoperative nutritional support and is an essential part of therapy.

A reduction in food intake and rapid satiation in patients receiving standard parenteral nutrition has been observed Jordan et al., Hunger and Satiety in Humans During Parenteral Hyperalimentation, 36 Psychosomatic Med 144 (March, 1974). This difficulty in making the transition from intravenous to oral feeding frequently prolongs the need for nutritional support and can delay the return to normal lifestyle. Additionally, a slowed rate of gastric emptying of solid foods in patients has been observed in patients receiving high caloric parenteral nutrition. MacGregor et al, Slowed Rate of Gastric Empyting of Solid Foods in Man by High Caloric Parenteral Nutrition, 138 Am J. Surg. 652 (1979). A delay in gastric emptying represents an important and non-negligible risk of aspiration in the immediate preinoperative period.

Method of use of branched-chain amino acids infusions to influence appetite


A suspension system with a frame pivotally coupled to a control arm, an actuator pivotally coupled between the frame and the control arm, a control valve fluidly coupled to the actuator, a valve core positioned within the control valve and being slidable between a first position and a second position, and a pendulum coupled to the valve core having a neutral position and an offset position. Further, when the pendulum is in the neutral position, the valve core is in the first position and when the pendulum is in the offset position the valve core is in the second position.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and should not be construed as constituting prior art.
Motor vehicles capable of turning about a radius are very common in the prior art. Motor vehicles can range from motorcycles containing two wheels to tractor/trailer configurations containing more than eighteen wheels. One advantage to a two-wheeled vehicle is the ability of the vehicle to perform a turn maneuver without exposing the driver to gravitational ("G") forces that may pull the driver away from the controls of the vehicle. More specifically, many two-wheeled vehicles have the ability to lean as the vehicle is turning. The leaning motion allows the vehicle to become oriented in substantially the same angle as the force experienced by the operator.
Vehicles with more than two wheels do not substantially lean during a turn operation. More specifically, traditional suspensions often provide a substantially consistent orientation of the vehicle body relative to the road surface unless the suspension experiences an unexpected input. That is to say, the vehicle tends to remains oriented substantially level with the road at all times. Further, in traditional vehicles with more than two wheels, the suspension is typically designed to cushion force inputs. With this type of suspension, when a vehicle performs a turning function, the body of the vehicle has a natural tendency to roll away from the turn. In extreme situations, the operator of the vehicle may become disassociated from the controls of the vehicle and lose control during a turning operation.
The present application is intended to improve upon and resolve some of these known deficiencies of the art. More particularly, this disclosure has been developed to allow a vehicle with more than two wheels to perform a turning operation while the vehicle body is angled in a way that correlates with the forces experienced by the driver. Further, this disclosure allows a vehicle to perform a turning operation without causing the operator to experience forces pulling the operator away from the controls.

Vehicle pneumatic cylinder and pendulum/valve controlled G-force compensator


Provided are methods and apparatuses for encoding and decoding three-dimensional object data, which consists of point texture data, voxel data, or octree data. The method of encoding three-dimensional object data involves generating three-dimensional object data having a tree structure in which nodes are attached labels indicating their types; encoding nodes of the three-dimensional object data; and generating the three-dimensional object data whose nodes are encoded into a bitstream. The apparatus for encoding three-dimensional object data includes a tree structure generator which generates three-dimensional object data having a tree structure in which nodes are attached labels indicating their types; a merging order selector which merges the nodes of the three-dimensional object data by referring to their labels; a node encoder which encodes merged nodes; and a bitstream generator which generates the three-dimensional object data whose merged nodes are encoded into a bitstream. The method of decoding three-dimensional object data involves reading-continue flag information from a bitstream of encoded three-dimensional object data and decoding the continue flag information; decoding note type information of the bitstream; decoding an ‘S’ node if the note type information indicates that a current node is an ‘S’ node and decoding a PPM node if the note type information indicates that the current node is a PPM node; and restoring the three-dimensional object data whose nodes are encoded to a tree structure. The apparatus for decoding three-dimensional object data includes a bitstream reader which receives a bitstream of encoded three-dimensional object data; a node decoder which decodes the bitstream; and a tree structure restorer which restores decoded nodes to a tree structure.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for encoding and decoding data, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for encoding and decoding three-dimensional object data comprised of one of point texture data, voxel data, and octree data.
2. Description of the Related Art
One of the most fundamental goals of research on three-dimensional graphics has always been to generate as much realistic graphic screens as real images. Accordingly, research has been carried out on rendering technology using a polygonal model, and as a result, a variety of modeling and rendering techniques, capable of representing a very realistic three-dimensional environment, have been developed. However, strenuous efforts and a considerable amount of time are always required to establish complicated three-dimensional graphic models. In addition, a considerable amount of data is needed for representing a very realistic and sophisticated environment, which may end up in very low data storage and transmission efficiencies.
Currently, a polygonal model is generally adopted to represent three-dimensional objects in computer graphics. In this technique, an arbitrary shape can be roughly represented by a set of colorful polygons, for example, a set of triangles. Recent remarkable developments in software algorithms and graphic hardware have enabled a complicated object or scene to be visualized into a very realistic, still (or moving) polygonal model in real time.
For the past few years, research has been vigorously carried out on a technique of representing a three-dimensional object mostly because of difficulty in constructing polygonal models for a variety of objects in a real world, complexity of conventional rendering techniques, and limits in representing images as realistically as possible.
An application program needs a considerable number of polygons to represent three-dimensional objects. For example, a model for representing the human body in detail needs several millions of triangles, which is too many to deal with. Even though recent developments in three-dimensional measurement technology, such as three-dimensional scanning, make it possible to obtain sophisticated three-dimensional data whose errors are within an allowable bound, it is still very difficult and very expensive to obtain a polygonal model that perfectly matches with objects. In addition, a rendering algorithm for providing as realistic image representations as photographs is too complicated to support real-time rendering.
In the meantime, there is a relatively new method of representing or rendering an object having a complex geometrical structure, i.e., depth image-based representation (DIBR), which has been adopted in MPEG-4 Animation Framework extension (AFX). While polygonal meshes are generally used to represent objects in computer graphics, a set of reference images that cover a visible surface of a three-dimensional object is used to represent the three-dimensional object in DIBR. Each of the reference images is represented by a depth map, and the depth map presents an array of different distances between pixels on an image plane and the surface of the three-dimensional object. One of the biggest advantages of DIBR is that objects can be represented with high quality by simply using reference images without using polygonal models. In addition, the complexity of rendering a DIBR view is determined solely depending on the number of pixels constituting the DIBR view (i.e., the resolution of the DIBR view), irrespective of the complexity of a scene. DIBR includes SimpleTexture, PointTexture, and OctreeImage. PointTexture represents an object with PointTexture pixels seen from a predetermined camera position. Each of the PointTexture pixels is represented by its color and depth (a distance between each of the PointTexture pixels and the predetermined camera position) and other properties that help PointTexture rendering. A plurality of pixels may possibly be provided along lines of sight. A PointTexture image is generally comprised of a plurality of layers. FIG. 1 illustrates a simple example of a one-dimensional PointTexture image. PointTecture requires a considerable amount of data to realistically represent objects. In general, the more realistic images, the higher sampling density and the more data needed to be processed. Therefore, efficient compression of PointTexture images is strongly required. FIG. 2 illustrates node specifications of PointTexture. In FIG. 2, 'depth' and 'color' fields are the ones to be compressed.
Until now, research has not much been carried out on PointTexture, and thus there are only few conventional PointTexture-based methods. One of the conventional PointTexture-based methods is a layered depth image (LDI) compression method which has been disclosed by Dual and Li in "Compression of the Layered Depth Image", IEEE Trans. Image Processing, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp. 365˜372, March 2003.
In the prior art, JPEG-LS algorithms have been adopted to compress-depth information. On the other hand, color information is compressed using existing coding standards. However, such JPEG-LS algorithms do not support progressive data compression and progressive data transmission.
In the meantime, a method of compressing a three-dimensional voxel surface model using pattern code representation (PCR) has been disclosed by C. S. Kim and S. U. Lee in "Compact Encoding of 3D Voxel Surface Based on Pattern Code Representation, IEEE Trans. Image Processing, Vol. 11, No. 8, PP. 932˜943, 2002. However, this method does not use a hierarchical octree structure and cannot facilitate progressive compression schemes. In addition, an octree-based data compression method [ISO/IEC JTC1/SC29/WG11 14496-16: 2003, Information Technology-Coding of Audio-Visual Objects—Part 16: Animation Framework extension] has been developed for MPEG 4 AFX. However, this method, like the above-mentioned conventional methods, cannot provide progressive bitstreams.

Method and apparatus for encoding and decoding three-dimensional object data

Seoul National University Industry Foundation


A laser wavefront control system employs a common optical path and common high-power deformable mirror to optically compensate an incoming beacon or retroreflected return beam and a laser sample beam, in which the phase conjugate of the laser sample beam is impressed on a low-power deformable mirror. This control system drives the high-power deformable mirror, and has as its input the phase modulation required for compensation of optically sensed wavefront phase errors.

In the art of compensating a beam it is necessary to compensate for phase variations within the laser generating the beam and also for distortion within the atmosphere through which the beam propagates. It is conventional to use two deformable mirrors in the path of the laser beam. One deformable mirror adjusts to compensate the phase errors resulting from propagation through the beamtrain--from the laser source to the sampling optic via utilization of a wavefront sensor-reconstructor combination. A beam from a beacon is sampled and directed to a second wavefront measuring system coupled to a controller and a second deformable mirror. A well known draw back of these systems is that the two beams do not travel the same path and so the compensation can never be fully complete. Further, both deformable mirrors must be capable of withstanding the relatively high power laser beam and are thus more expensive than more conventional low-power optics. FIG. 2 shows a conventional system, in which two separate deformable mirrors and two separate wavefront measuring systems are used. As can be seen, there is no path that is common to both of the wavefront systems.

Optical system for wavefront compensation


A multi-stage planetary transmission for a bicycle or a pedelec includes a transmission input shaft (1), a transmission output shaft (2), and at least three planetary gear sets (VRS, VR1, VR2, RS1, RS2, NRS, NR1, NR2). A first planetary gear set (RS1) and a second planetary gear set (RS2) are configured as a main gear set and at least one further planetary gear set (VRS, VR1, VR2, NRS, NR1, NR2) is configured as a front-mounted gear set and/or as a rear-mounted gear set. At least three free-wheel clutches (F1, F2, F3, F4) and at least three brakes (B1, B2, B3, B4) are provided for implementing at least eight gears (G1, G2, G3, G4, G5, G6, G7, G8, G9, G10, G11, G12, G13, G14, G15, G16). Moreover, the multi-stage transmission may be a bottom bracket transmission. In addition, a bicycle or pedelec with the multi-stage transmission is proposed.

Multiple bicycles and pedelecs are known from the prior art, which are usually equipped with derailleur gears or hub gears. Pedelecs differ from bicycles in that an electric machine is provided, which assists the rider. In the case of pedelecs, in some applications, a hub motor is installed in the front wheel or the rear wheel. Hub motors in the front wheel have an unfavorable effect on the handling characteristics due to the high weight. By comparison, hub motors arranged in the rear wheel have previously been utilized with derailleur gears, which are difficult to maintain, and also have an unfavorable effect on the handling characteristics due to the high weight. For this reason, pedelecs have already been developed, in which a transmission of a countershaft design and an electric motor are arranged in a bottom bracket. The disadvantage of the known bottom bracket transmissions of a countershaft design is that these have a low power density and, in addition, a poor efficiency due to the fact that only rolling power occurs.

Planet-type multi-stage transmission for a bicycle or pedelec


A method of cast molding an intraocular implant from two or more dissimilar materials using disposable molds. The subject cast molding method is particularly useful in the production of intraocular lenses manufactured from dissimilar materials. It is desirable to produce intraocular lenses from dissimilar materials in order to optimize the optical characteristics of the intraocular lens optic portion and to optimize stability and flexibility characteristics of the intraocular lens haptic elements.

The present invention relates to a method of cast molding a surgical implant produced from two or more dissimilar materials, implants so produced and molds useful thereof. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of cast molding intraocular lenses produced from two or more dissimilar materials using disposable plastic molds.
The use of intraocular lenses (IOLs) to improve vision through the replacement of damaged or diseased natural lenses or to work in conjunction with a natural lens has obtained wide acceptance since the early 1980s. Accordingly, a wide variety of IOLs has been developed for surgical implantation into the posterior and/or anterior chamber of an eye. Commercially available IOLs generally comprise an optic portion and one or more haptic elements or plates to maintain proper positioning of the optic portion within the eye. The optic portions of such IOLs are commonly manufactured from relatively hard or rigid materials such as, for example, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), or from relatively soft, resilient polymeric materials such as, for example, hydrogels, acrylics or silicones. More resilient polymeric materials are advantageous in the production of IOLs in that such materials are deformable and foldable to allow for implantation of the IOL through a smaller incision than that possible if implanting a more rigid IOL.
To manufacture a biocompatible IOL using known molding techniques, a polished stainless steel mold, having a mold cavity formed in a shape to achieve the desired refraction of light for the particular material utilized, is first selected. In the case of silicone for example, the uncured silicone polymer is introduced into the mold cavity and then cured. Several methods of molding IOLs are known such as injection molding, liquid injection molding, compression molding and transfer molding.
Several significant problems have been associated with known IOL molding techniques. The first problem is that current molding processes are labor intensive. Many elastomers used to mold IOLs, such as for example silicone elastomers, often times leave a residue in the stainless steel molds. Due to this residue, the molds must be cleaned between each molding cycle. In addition to being labor intensive, the cleaning requirements result in significant downtime for the equipment, which further increases production costs. A second problem associated with current known molding techniques is that of frequent tool damage and wear due to the repeated cleanings. Accordingly, molds must be replaced often resulting in increased production costs. A third problem associated with such molding techniques is one of quality control with respect to the molded lenses. Intraocular implants such as IOLs must have smooth polished edges for implantation within an eye. Improperly finished edges on implants may result in damage to interior structures of the eye. In the cas of improperly finished edges on IOLs, abrasions of the iris and tearing of the trabecular meshwork may result. Unfortunately, steel molds typically leave minute gaps between mold halves during the molding operation due to construction tolerances. Consequently, material flows out through the gaps during the molding of the IOL resulting in a phenomenon known as xe2x80x9cflashxe2x80x9d. Flash is unwanted material attached at the mold parting line on the molded implant. This flash material must be ground and/or polished off the implant, which is again labor intensive and increases production costs.
The present invention is a process for cast molding surgical implants, such as but not limited to corneal inlays, shunts and intraocular lenses (IOLs), but most preferably IOLs, wherein in the case of IOLs, the optic portion and haptic elements are produced using two or more dissimilar biocompatible materials. However, if desired, the subject molds and molding techniques are likewise useful in the manufacture of surgical implants such as in the case of IOLs having an optic portion and haptic elements produced using the same or similar biocompatible materials. The present cast molding process avoids the problems noted with regard to known molding techniques through the use of disposable plastic molds, which are less expensive and less labor intensive to make and use.
The cast molding process of the present invention utilizes a multi-part, but preferably in the case of more customary IOLs a four-part, disposable plastic mold system. The first mold part of the subject mold system is a female base mold having a positioning wall formed along the periphery of an interior surface thereof and a molding surface on the interior surface. The molding surface is comprised of a center cavity used to form one surface of an IOL optic portion, one or more but preferably two junction cavities and two or more haptic element cavities. The center cavity is in fluid connection with each junction cavity. Also, each haptic element cavity is in fluid connection with at least one junction cavity.
The second mold part of the subject mold system is a center male mold having a molding surface on an interior surface comprised of an optic cavity used to form the second surface of the IOL optic portion. The center male mold is sized to be fully received within the positioning walls of the female base mold and may be shaped to ensure axial and rotational alignment.
The third and fourth mold parts of the subject mold system are haptic molds. Each haptic mold likewise has a molding surface on an interior surface comprised of one or more junction cavities and at least one haptic element cavity. When the haptic molds are placed in an interlocked relationship with center male mold, junction cavities and haptic element cavities are in fluid connection with optic cavity. Haptic molds are also male molds sized to be fully received within the positioning walls of the female base mold and preferably shaped to ensure axial and rotational alignment. Each haptic mold is also formed to have material guides or ports extending from the haptic element cavity and/or junction cavity through to the exterior surface of the mold. Optionally, center male mold and haptic molds may be formed as a unitary mold.
The subject preferably four-part mold is used to cast mold a surgical implant, preferably an IOL, using two or more dissimilar biocompatible materials. An IOL having an optic portion of one preferably more resilient biocompatible material and haptic elements of a dissimilar preferably more rigid biocompatible material is produced by filling the base mold center cavity with the desired more resilient IOL optic material. The center male mold is then inserted into the female base mold allowing excess molding material to pass into one or more overflow reservoirs. During this process, some molding material flows into fluidly connected junction cavities so as to only partially fill the same. Shields are then positioned over the partially filled junction cavities and the molding material in the center cavity is polymerized using methods of polymerization known to those skilled in the art Due to shielding, or any suitable method of protection, the molding material in the junction cavities is not polymerized. After removing the shields, the haptic molds are then inserted into the female base mold and a second dissimilar relatively rigid biocompatible molding material is provided through the material guides or ports to completely fill the junction cavities and the haptic element cavities. The remaining unpolymerized first molding material and the second molding material are then polymerized using methods of polymerization known to those skilled in the art. Following polymerization, all three male molds are removed from the female mold. The IOL is removed from the female mold through the use of solvents or vibration.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cast molding system to produce IOLs having an optic portion and haptic elements produced from dissimilar biocompatible materials.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for cast molding IOLs having an optic portion and haptic elements produced from dissimilar materials which is less labor intensive.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for cast molding IOLs having an optic portion and haptic elements produced from dissimilar materials with lower production costs.
Another object of the present invention is to provide molds for cast molding IOLs having an optic portion and haptic elements produced from dissimilar materials.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method for cast molding IOLs having an optic portion and haptic elements produced from dissimilar materials suitable for high volume production.
These and other objectives and advantages of the present invention, some of which are specifically described and others that are not, will become apparent from the detailed description, drawings and claims that follow wherein like features are designated by like numerals.

Intraocular lens manufacturing apparatus


A system for holding poured concrete in a desired shape until it sets is disclosed. The system can include a plurality of forms having two opposing end sections. Each of the end sections has an end bracket attached to it. A plurality of footing stakes are used to connect the end brackets together such that the forms maintain the desired shape. At least one whaler bracket is secured to a top of the forms to maintain the spacing between them. A skin panel can be used to bridge gaps between forms. Bulkhead brackets can be attached to the ends of the forms and secured to allow end walls to be created where desired. Vertical footing panels can also be used to pour concrete onto adjoining inclined surfaces.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to concrete form systems, and, more specifically, to concrete form systems with modular components that can be used to construct various types, sites, and shapes of concrete structures, such as concrete footings.
2. Description of Related Technology
Concrete footings are routinely poured all over the world. These footings provide a solid, secure base on which to build walls or other structures. In the United States, concrete footings are poured for nearly every new home or office building at points where the weight of the building rests. For new homes, footings are generally poured around the perimeter of the building to provide support for the foundation walls, as well as inside the perimeter to support structural columns or posts.
In the post, conventional concrete footings were often constructed by nailing together plywood or other materials into a form with a desired shape and pouring the concrete into the space created by the plywood. After the concrete is cured, the plywood is separated from the concrete, typically using a hammer. This often results in cracking and splintering of the plywood, thus making the plywood unusable for creating new footings. This not only wastes material, but can be a safety hazard because splintered wood can cause injury.
Some existing systems have attempted to overcome these drawbacks. For example, one system can include numerous panels with complex grooves or channels connected to the ends of each panel. The channels are designed to allow adjacent panels to interlock, which allows a form to be constructed. This known system requires that complex shaped inserts be placed within the channels to connect the panels. In particular, a first insert could be used to fix adjacent panels into a generally parallel configuration. Another type of insert may be used to fix adjacent panels into a perpendicular configuration.
Unfortunately, this known system also has several drawbacks. For example, the channels are difficult to manufacture because they have a complex structure. In addition, due to the complex structure of the channels, mud or other debris can easily clog the channel, which makes it difficult or impossible to use the inserts. Further, if channels in adjacent forms are not precisely aligned, the inserts can be difficult or impossible to use.
Additionally, because the panels have a predetermined length, it is difficult to design a footing system with the exact dimensions that a user would want. Accordingly, it may be necessary to modify one or more panels to create a form with the desired size and configuration. This undesirably increases the time and cost required to construct the footing.
Finally, this conventional system requires the use of multiple different inserts to enable a user to place the panels at different angular orientations. Thus, it is necessary to identify the inserts needed prior to creating the form. Additionally, any changes in the design of the form require additional time while more panels and/or inserts are obtained, which also increases the costs.

Concrete form systems with concrete ties


A hitch-mounted warning sign apparatus for a vehicle for alerting approaching motorists of road work being conducted in the area. The hitch-mounted warning sign apparatus for a vehicle includes a receiver hitch being adapted to be mounted to a vehicle and including a tubular member having an open end, a bore extending therein through the open end, and a hole being disposed through a side wall of the tubular member; and also includes a sign support assembly being fastenably mounted to the receiver hitch; and further includes a fastener being removably extended through the hole of the receiver hitch for fastening the sign support assembly to the receiver hitch; and also includes a light-emitting assembly being attached to the sign support assembly; and further includes a sign assembly being mounted to the sign support assembly.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to vehicle-mounted warning signs and more particularly pertains to a new hitch-mounted warning sign apparatus for a vehicle for alerting approaching motorists of road work being conducted in the area.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of vehicle-mounted warning signs is known in the prior art. More specifically, vehicle-mounted warning signs heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,979,094; 5,198,798; 6,079,126; 6,140,919; 5,603,178; and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 383,080.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new hitch-mounted warning sign apparatus for a vehicle. The prior art frames and signs which are attached to the vehicles for displaying particular messages.
The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new hitch-mounted warning sign apparatus for a vehicle which has many of the advantages of the vehicle-mounted warning signs mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new hitch-mounted warning sign apparatus for a vehicle which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art vehicle-mounted warning signs, either alone or in any combination thereof. The present invention includes a receiver hitch being adapted to be mounted to a vehicle and including a tubular member having an open end, a bore extending therein through the open end, and a hole being disposed through a side wall of the tubular member; and also includes a sign support assembly being fastenably mounted to the receiver hitch; and further includes a fastener being removably extended through the hole of the receiver hitch for fastening the sign support assembly to the receiver hitch; and also includes a light-emitting assembly being attached to the sign support assembly; and further includes a sign assembly being mounted to the sign support assembly. None of the prior art includes the combination of the elements of the present invention.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the hitch-mounted warning sign apparatus for a vehicle in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new hitch-mounted warning sign apparatus for a vehicle which has many of the advantages of the vehicle-mounted warning signs mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new hitch-mounted warning sign apparatus for a vehicle which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art vehicle-mounted warning signs, either alone or in any combination thereof.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new hitch-mounted warning sign apparatus for a vehicle for alerting approaching motorists of road work being conducted in the area.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new hitch-mounted warning sign apparatus for a vehicle that is easy and convenient to set up and use.
Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a new hitch-mounted warning sign apparatus for a vehicle that provides safety for workers working nearby.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.

Hitch-mounted warning sign apparatus for a vehicle


A personal cleansing article having a capsule and a liquid cleansing composition contained within the capsule is disclosed. The capsule is made to contain a trigger such that upon the occurrence of a specific event, the liquid cleansing composition is released from the capsule. A method for personal cleansing using such an article is also disclosed. Additionally, a method for manufacturing a foaming liquid cleansing composition is disclosed.

The health and hygiene benefits associated with regular and frequent hand washing have been understood throughout human history. Soap has been around for nearly as long as the benefits of washing have been understood. Through the years soap has evolved through many formulations and forms to meet the needs of the cleansing public.
Soap has been available in a bar form for most of its known existence. While a convenient form when placed near a water source in one's own dwelling, a bar of soap is not always convenient or sanitary outside the home. First, a bar of soap is not a very convenient form for a person to transport from place to place, especially when the bar is wet. Secondly, in a public setting, a bar of soap that is available for one and all to use can be unsanitary and uninviting for personal use.
One early solution dealing with the issue of soap sharing was the use of powdered soap dispensers in public restrooms and at communal washbasins within factories. Such dispensers allowed individuals to dispense appropriate amounts of the powdered soap to themselves. However, such soap was messy and left deposits of soap within washbasins. Additionally, the powdered soap needed to be contained and did not lend itself to easy transport if a person wished to take soap elsewhere.
Liquid soap is another soap form that solves the issue with sanitary individual soap use; the user need only dispense the amount of liquid soap that they wish to use themselves. However, such soap requires a dispenser in which to contain and to dispense the soap. Additionally, such soap is more expensive to distribute as a majority of the soap's weight is contributed by the water that makes up a large proportion of the liquid soap formulation.
More recently, soap has been available in a gel or a liquid/solid combination that eliminates much of the water that is used in liquid soaps. Such soaps ship as a solid, but have formulations that quickly lather with water. The gel soaps again allow for individual dispensing of soap, but they also require dispensers to contain and dispense the gel soap.


A method involves regulating an output voltage of an output transistor of a voltage regulator circuit by providing a first voltage to a front gate of the output transistor, and simultaneously with providing the first voltage to the output transistor, providing a second voltage to a back gate of the output transistor, in a manner that regulates the output voltage around a target value.

Voltage regulator circuits serve numerous purposes in integrated circuit devices. One such purpose can be as a regulated internal power supply voltage for sections of the integrated circuit device. For example, a voltage regulator may be used to supply a power supply voltage to a memory cell array within a memory device, such as a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) or static RAM (SRAM). Many types of voltage regulators currently exist.
A replica biased voltage regulator represents one type of voltage regulator where a voltage established in one portion of a circuit (e.g., one leg) is replicated, typically by larger sized devices, to present an output voltage to a load. The output voltage is regulated by having it track the replica voltage as close as possible. Many replica biased voltage regulators use active (dynamic) line regulation and passive (static) load regulation. Although such approaches may achieve a relatively good high frequency transient response, they often do so at the expense of poor DC load regulation.

Voltage regulator using front and back gate biasing voltages to output stage transistor


Mobile service apparatus for movement from a first location to a second location includes a frame. The frame includes a floor upon which a vehicle to be serviced can be moved with the frame having a forward end, a rearward end, and spaced sides extending between the ends. A roof is provided supported by the frame and overlying the floor, and the apparatus has at least one corner post assembly positioned adjacent one end of the frame and adjacent one side of the frame for maintaining the roof space above the floor. The corner post assembly includes a generally horizontally extending upper arm movably held by the roof, a generally horizontally extending lower arm movably held by the frame and underlying the upper arm, and a spacer joining the upper and lower arms. The corner post assembly is movable between a closed position in which the spacer is located between the frame sides, and an open position in which the spacer is located outwardly of the one frame side so that, with the assembly in its open position, a vehicle extending beyond the frame one side can be moved onto the floor without interference from the corner post assembly.

It is becoming more difficult for the typical vehicle owner to obtain proper vehicle servicing without expending considerable time driving to a remote location and waiting for the vehicle servicing to be completed. The problem is exacerbated by the sharp reduction in the number of neighborhood full service gas stations and the increased complexity of modern vehicles. The result is often that proper vehicle servicing is postponed or entirely neglected.
Over the years various mobile service units have been proposed for providing necessary vehicle servicing, such as oil change, lubrication, engine tune-up . . . , etc., at locations convenient to the vehicle owner such as at a parking lot or other place where owners ordinarily leave their vehicles. Thus the general idea is that the service station comes to the vehicle as opposed to the vehicle going to the service station. One of the problems with such mobile units was that the work area was open thus making them unsuitable for use in inclement weather. For further information on the structure and operation of such units, reference may be made to U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,765,938 and 4,724,875.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,308,845 to Bellas et al. shows a mobile service station trailer having a roof and sides which can be repositioned at outward locations to increase the area within the trailer for a service attendant to work. More specifically, the sides of the trailer have swingable side portions, pivotally attached at their upper and lower ends, respectively. The sides also have a door section which has a hinge portion disposed in a vertical plane, so that the door can be pivoted outwardly, and a collapsible folding door section can be installed to complete the outward disposition of the sides. However, the width of the vehicle that can be driven onto the trailer is limited so small trucks, vans and large automobiles may not be able to be accommodated. Of course, various state and Federal laws limit the width of a trailer which can be towed on public roads and highways.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,119,224 to Moody is directed to a trailer having outer rail portions which can be moved outwardly in a horizontal plane by virtue of telescoping members to increase the width of the trailer permitting accommodation of large farm machinery. U.S. Pat. No. 3,913,934 to Koehn et al. also discloses a variable width trailer for farm or construction machinery.


A new and distinct cultivar of xc3x97Heucherella plant characterized by its distinctive golden to lime green foliage with a maroon blotch.

Botanical classification: xc3x97Heucherella sp.
Cultivar denomination: xe2x80x98Sunspotxe2x80x99.
The present invention relates to a new and distinct intergeneric hybrid between Heuchera and Tiarella, or xc3x97Heucherella, and given the cultivar name xe2x80x98Sunspotxe2x80x99. Both genera, Heuchera and Tiarella, are of the family Saxifragaceae.
This new cultivar originated from a mutation in tissue culture from xc3x97Heucherella xe2x80x98Dayglow Pinkxe2x80x99 (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 12,164).
This new Heucherella is unique in its golden to lime green foliage unique in the xc3x97Heucherella with a maroon starry blotch in the middle and characterized by:
1. Small, lobed leaves.
2. Intense pink flowers on maroon peduncles.
3. Tight habit.
4. Excellent vigor.
The new variety has been reproduced only by asexual propagation (division and tissue culture). Each of the progeny exhibits identical characteristics to the original plant. Asexual propagation by division and tissue culture using standard micropropagation techniques with terminal and lateral shoots as done in Canby, Oreg., shows that the foregoing characteristics and distinctions come true to form and are established and transmitted through succeeding propagations. The present invention has not been evaluated under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary with variations in environment without a change in the genotype of the plant.

xc3x97Heucherella plant named xe2x80x98Sunspotxe2x80x99


A method and system is provided for calculating a number of wedges for a slot in a dynamoelectric machine. The method includes the steps of providing a computer that is programmed to perform a method for calculating, which includes the steps of acquiring a length of the slot, acquiring a length of one or more wedges, and calculating a number of wedges required for the slot. The number of wedges required for the slot is displayed on a display device.

This invention relates generally to dynamoelectric machines and more particularly, to a method and system for determining the number of wedges required for a slot in the dynamoelectric machine.
Armature windings, also known as stator bar or rotor windings, are routinely inspected in at least some known electrical power generators, to verify their operation. In some known generators, a stator yoke in the generator surrounds an armature core and partially encloses the armature windings. The stator windings are formed from a plurality of copper conductors that are wound in the armature to form loops. The armature windings may be arranged within a stator slot in such a manner that desired voltage and current characteristics may be maintained by the generator during operation.
At least one known generator includes a wedge system to induce a radial retaining force (RRF) to the stator from wedges to facilitate reducing movement of the stator bar windings within the stator slot. However, if the wedge system itself becomes loose, the amount of RRF is reduced such that the stator bar windings may move during operation. Over time, the relative motion of the stator bar windings cause damage to insulation surrounding the stator bar wedges, and/or a potential stator bar winding failure through electrical shorts to ground. Accordingly, within known generators, the wedge system is periodically inspected to determine if any stator bar winding movement within the stator slots exceeds predetermined tolerances. Some machines may need a rewind operation where the windings and wedge system are replaced.
Currently, several known methods of determining the number of wedges per slot are employed. One known method involves hand calculations resulting in many different lengths of wedges. Another known method involves manually selecting wedges of various lengths and installing them until the slot is filled. All the previously known methods result in a high degree of slot-to-slot variation on the number and length of wedges used.

Method and system for determining the number of wedges for a slot in a dynamoelectric machine


A first plurality of f-scores for a first plurality of products in an inventory are determined. The first plurality of f-scores are discretized to generate a plurality of groups, and a forecast is generated for each of the groups based on historical data associated with the first plurality of products. Projected gaps in the inventory are identified based on the forecasts. A second plurality of f-scores are determined for a second plurality of products, where each of the second plurality of products is not in the inventory. For each of the second plurality of products, a corresponding group in the plurality of groups is identified based on the second plurality of f-scores, an at least one product in the second plurality of products is selected to order, based on determining that the identified corresponding group aligns with at least one of the one or more projected gaps in inventory.

The present disclosure relates to cognitive computing, and more specifically, to data-driven acquisitions of merchandise based on cognitive models.
Much of the recent progress in commerce (particularly commerce on the Internet) is often attributed to the backed analytics enabled by the platform, which helps to understand market demand and allows managers to fine-tune their offerings to better suit customer needs and desires. One of the fastest growing segments of commerce today involve fashion apparel, including accessories, footwear, clothing, jewelry, and the like. Apparel item sales are a highly personalized category of commerce, and typically involve very low conversion rates along with high return rates. Vendors are simply unable to customize their offerings to each individual customer due to the low conversion rates and highly personalized nature of the purchase. Systems and methods to cognitively analyze and classify apparel items in a quantitative manner are needed. Further, improved methods to acquire merchandise for retail based on cognitive analysis are desired.

Cognitive fashion-ability score driven fashion merchandising acquisition

International Business Machines Corporation


A shorting bar (100) for simultaneously terminating a connector (20) to a multi-conductor cable and shorting together terminals 26 of the connector (20). The shorting bar (100) includes a termination edge (150) at an end thereof adjacent the housing (24) and a contact region (180) spaced from the terminating edge (150) a distance similar to a length between an inside floor (25) of the housing (24) and a length of terminals (26) of the connector (20). The contact region (180) is formed from an electrically conducting material. When a terminating force is applied, the shorting bar (100) is displaced toward the housing (24) until the termination edge (150) impacts the inside floor (25) of the housing (24) and terminates the terminals (26) of the connector (20) to the multi-connector cable (C). When the termination edge (150) is in contact with the housing (24), the contact region (180) contacts each of the terminals (26) of the connector (20), shorting the terminals (26) together. A continuity test can then be performed.

Cable harnesses include one or more connectors terminated to a multi-conductor cable. They are often manufactured by a work station that automatically terminates a desired number of connectors to the multi-conductor cable at desired locations along the cable. One work station of this type is described in detail in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,903,403 and 4,870,752. To minimize waste of multi-conductor cable and connectors, the work station includes a testing system to test the cable harness at each step in its manufacture to insure that the connectors have been properly terminated and the multi-conductor cable is free of defects. When a defect is identified, the defective portions of the cable harness are rejected before further multi-conductor cable or connectors are added to the defective cable harness.
Each cable harness is manufactured so that for each conductor within the cable, there is a corresponding terminal electrically coupled thereto within each connector. Terminating the connectors results in corresponding terminals of each connector becoming electrically connected to a corresponding conductor within the multi-conductor cable.
Testing of each cable harness includes testing for shorts and for continuity. The "shorts" testing includes testing for electrical shorts between individual conductors in the multi-conductor cable and between terminals within the connectors. The continuity testing includes testing for continuity between each terminal and the conductor of the multi-conductor cable connected thereto. One common method of testing for continuity between two terminals and the intervening multi-conductor cable, is to short all of the terminals of one connector together and then apply a signal to one of the terminals of the unshorted connector.
If proper continuity exists, this signal travels along a conductor of the multi-conductor cable to the terminals of the connector that are shorted together and then back through the other conductors of the multi-conductor cable. If continuity exists, this signal is detected by appropriate sensors coupled to the terminals of the unshorted connector. By testing for continuity after each connector (excluding the first connector) is terminated, the cable harness may be rejected immediately upon the detection of lack of continuity and before further connector termination to the multi-conductor cable and waste of further connectors and multi-conductor cable.
Apparatus for shorting terminals together presently require that the work station utilize multiple tooling apparati for both termination and for shorting to test for continuity. In these work stations, a ram compresses a module surrounding a connector which has not yet been terminated. The connector has the multi-conductor cable passing therethrough. The ram causes tooling within the module to contact a housing of the connector, driving the housing and the terminals supported thereby toward a cover of the connector on a side of the multi-conductor cable opposite the housing.
This tooling applies a force to the housing sufficient to terminate the terminals to conductors within the cable and also cause the terminals to be connected to the cover. Simultaneously, shorting tooling within the module and adjacent the cover is forced into electrical connection with the terminals of the connector, causing the terminals to be shorted together. Thus, one tooling apparatus terminates the connector to the multi-conductor cable and a second tooling apparatus shorts the terminals together. After testing is complete, the ram is released and the termination tooling and the shorting tooling disengages from the terminals.
While this system effectively terminates and shorts the terminals together, it increases the number of tooling apparati necessary for work station operation. In addition, the shorting tooling is inherently delicate in that it must have probes passing through holes in the cover. This shorting tooling is thus subject to breakage or premature failure.

Cable harness connector termination and testing apparatus


A drop perception system is disclosed that includes an open housing structure having an internal volume, an open top and an open bottom, and a plurality of perception units positioned to capture perception data within the internal volume at a plurality of locations between the open top and the open bottom of the open housing.

The invention generally relates to perception systems, and relates in particular to scanning systems for use in connection with robotic and other sortation systems that are intended to be used in dynamic environments requiring the robotic or other sortation system to accommodate processing a variety of types of objects.
For example many order fulfillment operations achieve high efficiency by employing a process called wave picking. In wave picking, orders are picked from warehouse shelves and placed at locations (e.g., into bins) containing multiple orders that are sorted downstream. At the sorting stage individual articles are identified, and multi-article orders are consolidated, for example into a single bin or shelf location, so that they may be packed and then shipped to customers. The process of sorting these articles has traditionally been done by hand. A human sorter picks an article from an incoming bin, finds a barcode on the object, scans the barcode with a handheld barcode scanner, determines from the scanned barcode the appropriate bin or shelf location for the article, and then places the article in the so-determined bin or shelf location where all articles for that order have been defined to belong. Automated systems for order fulfillment have also been proposed. See for example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0244026, which discloses the use of a robotic arm together with an arcuate structure that is movable to within reach of the robotic arm.
Other ways of identifying items by code scanning either require manual processing, or require that the code location be controlled or constrained so that a fixed or robot-held code scanner (e.g., barcode scanner) can reliably detect it. Manually operated barcode scanners are generally either fixed or handheld systems. With fixed systems, such as those used at point-of-sale systems, the operator holds the article and places it in front of the scanner so that the barcode faces the scanning device's sensors, and the scanner, which scans continuously and decodes any barcodes that it can detect. If the article is not immediately detected, the person holding the article typically needs to vary the position or rotation of the object in front of the fixed scanner, so as to make the barcode more visible to the scanner. For handheld systems, the person operating the scanner looks for the barcode on the article, and then holds the scanner so that the article's barcode is visible to the scanner, and then presses a button on the handheld scanner to initiate a scan of the barcode.
Automatic barcode scanners are similarly either fixed or hand-held systems, and the same principles apply. In the case of barcode scanners typically used in industrial applications, the possible positions of barcodes must be tightly controlled so that they are visible to the one or more scanners. For example, one or more barcode scanners may be placed in fixed locations relative to a conveyor so that they can scan items, typically boxes, as they pass by scanners. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,495,097. In these installations the range of placement of the barcodes is comparatively limited as the barcodes are on labels affixed to one of four sides or top or bottom (e.g., if upside down) of a box, which can be presented using simple mechanical means, at orientations optimal for scanning.
In all of these cases, the systems employ sensors, cameras or laser reflectivity sensors, as well as software to detect barcodes and decode them. These methods have inherent limitations that include the range of distances of orientations relative to the detection system, over which they are able to reliably scan barcodes. Firstly, the barcode must be facing the scanner; secondly the range to the barcode must be such that individual elements can be reliably distinguished; and, thirdly, the tilt and skew of the barcode must be such that individual elements can be reliably distinguished. The types of sensors employed, and the robustness of the software detection and decoding schemes determine these performance parameters.
There remains a need, therefore, for an object identification system for robotic and other sortation systems that is able to accommodate the automated identification and processing of a variety of objects in a variety of orientations.

Perception systems and methods for identifying and processing a variety of objects


A light emitting display apparatus that achieves color display by using white light as a light source includes a plurality of organic light emitting devices each of which includes an organic light emitting layer that emits the white light. The organic light emitting device is configured so that a resonant wavelength in a thickness direction of the organic light emitting layer is positioned in the blue region of the spectrum. The light emitting display apparatus further includes a plurality of wavelength selection units each of which is provided on a path of the emission of the white light. The wavelength selection unit transmits light of a particular wavelength included in the white light.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a light emitting display apparatus of a top emission type, particularly to a technique to enhance visibility.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, light emitting display apparatuses in which self-luminous devices are driven using thin-film transistors (hereinafter referred to as TFTs) attract attention, because of their ability to realize display apparatuses having high efficiency, high definition, low power consumption, and high-speed response. One type of such light emitting display apparatuses is top-emission organic electroluminescence panels (hereinafter referred to as organic EL panels), and vigorous researches are conducted on top-emission organic EL panels. In a top-emission organic EL panel, organic light emitting devices formed on a TFT substrate emit light. This light is emitted in a direction opposite to a direction through the substrate in which TFTS, wirings and the like are formed. As a result, the light is extracted from a "top" side of the panel highly efficiently.
This top-emission organic EL panel achieves color display in the following manner, as disclosed in Japanese patent application publication No. 2003-257622, for example. The organic light emitting devices emit white light to the "top" side. Color filters, which are provided in the direction of the light emission, selectively transmit and separate three primary colors composing the white light. Such a top-emission organic EL panel has advantages including a high luminous efficiency and a bright display on a screen, in addition to distinct features of general organic EL panels such as a thin panel and a wide viewing angle.
However, the top-emission organic EL panel has the following drawback. In the top-emission organic EL panel, an organic light emitting layer, which actually emits the light, is sandwiched between highly reflective layers. Therefore, the emitted light resonates, so that light of a particular wavelength is enhanced. Which is to say, a resonant structure is formed. Here, the resonant wavelength is different depending on an angle with respect to a direction perpendicular to a display unit of the panel. Accordingly, the color of the light emitted from the organic light emitting layer appears different for a user between when the user watches the display unit in the direction perpendicular to the display unit and when the user watches the display unit in a direction having an angle with respect to the perpendicular direction. This drawback is called color shifting.
In more detail, when the user watches the display unit of the light emitting display apparatus having a resonant structure in the direction having an angle with respect to the direction perpendicular to the display unit, a resonant wavelength in the direction in which the user watches the display unit is shifted to a shorter wavelength, in comparison with a resonant wavelength in the direction perpendicular to the display unit. In accordance with this change, a wavelength of light received by the user (hereinafter referred to as received light) is shifted to a shorter wavelength, and an intensity of the received light also changes. These changes cause color shifting.

Light emitting display apparatus with slight color shifting


A reinforced cup for use on downhole devices is disclosed. The reinforced cup is comprised of a cylindrical metal sleeve. Surrounding the outer circumferential surface of the metal sleeve is a flexible mesh cage comprised of a plurality of woven wire strands. A resilient cover is formed around the metal sleeve and flexible mesh cage so that the metal sleeve and flexible mesh fabric are encased by the resilient cover. The flexible mesh cage serves to reinforce the resilient cover.

The drilling or production of oil and gas requires strings of pipe to be positioned in a borehole. The strings of pipe may extend both horizontally and vertically and they may be thousands of feet in length. A coil tubing string is sometimes inserted through the length of these pipe strings for use in clearing or cleaning the interior of these pipe strings. A "pig" may be placed at the end of the coil tubing prior to its insertion into the pipe string to assist in such clearing and cleaning. The pig may be placed on the end of jointed pipe or snubbing unit, or on strings of polymer or composite pipe to achieve the same result.
The pig used in conjunction with the coil tubing string is typically provided with a plurality of resilient cups or rings around its perimeter. These cups contact the interior wall surface of the pipe string when the pig is moved through the pipe string by the tubing string. These resilient cups are often made of rubber, polyurethane or other type of polymer material. Because the resilient cups are subjected to high temperatures, high pressures and abrasion as the pig is moved through the pipe string, these cups often wear, breakdown or become deformed.

Reinforced cup for use with a pig or other downhole tool


Data from one or more sensors are used to detect an event corresponding to an activity by a person. The detection of the event is then used to loosely model the event to produce an initial event definition. The initial event definition is used in searching historical sensor data to detect other prospective occurrences of the event. Based on the detection of these additional occurrences, the event definition is refined to produce a more accurate event definition. The resulting refined event definition can then be used with current sensor data to accurately detect when the activity is being carried out. For example, the activity may be the use of a video imaging device for cheating, and a casino can use the refined event definition with video imaging to detect when people are using the video imaging device for such purposes.

There are many difficulties in identifying complex events, such as recognizing a set of specific human behaviors combined with interactions with inanimate objects. At the same time, the amount of digital data being produced with meaningful event data is increasing exponentially. A single location today can have 6,000 video feeds and 3,000 microphones or highly sensitive air sensors. Timely detection of meaningful events can be helpful in a number of ways, including saving lives and resources.
Today's solutions are incremental additions to existing methodologies. The primary solution is to have a Network Operating System (NOC), which is located physically near the appropriate sensor devices. Video feeds are typically viewed randomly by a 24/7 security staff. Some products can be installed to provide basic object detection, such as facial recognition, which in turn helps the security staff identify locations to investigate.
The field of object recognition has not advanced sufficiently to enable highly accurate detection of relevant data in real-time. Available systems come with the object detection systems built into the system, and today, there are only a few that are used for event detection. One issue that arises is that aspects of the object detection need to be defined prior to selling and deploying a product. Lack of confidence factors in object detection has led to an adversity in connecting multiple events, such as human behavior to specific usage of an identified object. Additionally, these events and behaviors may change rapidly over time, so that detection systems become quickly outdated. Because of the complexity in creating a framework around detecting objects, the best known generic system in widespread use is facial recognition. However, these systems have difficulty in processing images and providing highly accurate results in real-time. As new types of threats or actions are identified, these systems fall short of their ability to detect these new types of events. Due to the volume of real-time data, existing systems are used more in a forensics situation, rather than in attempting to provide real-time event data across most or all available feeds.

Generating event definitions based on spatial and relational relationships