A battery pack may include: a plurality of cell stacks; a plurality of monitoring circuits configured to detect voltages of a plurality of cells included in a corresponding cell stack among the cell stacks; a plurality of current measurement circuits configured to measure current consumption of a corresponding monitoring circuit among the monitoring circuits; a plurality of current adjustment circuits configured to adjust a discharge current of a corresponding cell stack among the cell stacks; and a battery controller configured to receive a current consumption measurement result of the monitoring circuits from the current measurement circuits, to calculate current consumption deviation between the monitoring circuits based on the current consumption measurement result of the monitoring circuits, and to control the current adjustment circuits based on the current consumption deviation.

Recently, according to strengthening of environmental regulations including CO2 regulations, interest in environmentally-friendly vehicles has been increasing. Accordingly, vehicle companies have been actively researching and developing pure electrical vehicles and hydrogen vehicles as well as hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
A high-voltage battery for storing electrical energy obtained from various energy sources is applied to the environmentally-friendly vehicles. The high-voltage battery needs to supply high-voltage electrical energy of 200 V to 800 V to an inverter to drive a driving motor of the vehicle. To this end, the high-voltage battery is configured to include a plurality of battery modules connected in series with each other.
A battery management system (BMS) for managing a high-voltage battery is mounted in a vehicle to which the high-voltage battery is applied. A cell balancing function which compensates a voltage deviation between cells constituting a battery module by monitoring the voltage of each of the cells is one of the main functions of the battery management system. The battery management system includes a monitoring circuit for monitoring a cell voltage for each battery module for cell balancing.
For efficient use of high-voltage batteries, it is also important to maintain battery balancing as well as cell balancing. A deviation of current consumption of a monitoring circuit for monitoring the cell voltage may cause a voltage imbalance between the battery modules. That is, since the monitoring circuit uses the entire voltage of the corresponding battery module for power, a deviation of current consumption between monitoring circuits may cause a voltage imbalance between the corresponding battery modules.


Disclosed are prodrugs of (2R)-2-propyloctanoic acid, and pharmaceutical compositions comprising them, which may be effective in modulating multiple events in the biochemical cascade of stroke. Also disclosed are methods of treating patients who have had a stroke, or are at risk of stroke, by administering the compounds or compositions of the invention.

Stroke is a cerebrovascular event, which occurs when the normal bloodflow to the brain is disrupted, and the brain receives too much or too little blood. Stroke is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and is also one of the most common causes of neurologic disability.
Ischemic stroke, which is the most common type of stroke, results from insufficient cerebral circulation of blood caused by obstruction of the inflow of arterial blood. Normally, adequate cerebral blood supply is ensured by a system of arteries within the brain. However, various disorders, including inflammation and atherosclerosis, can cause a thrombus, i.e., a blood clot that forms in a blood vessel. The thrombus may interrupt arterial blood flow, causing brain ischemia and consequent neurologic symptoms. Ischemic stroke may also be caused by the lodging of an embolus (an air bubble) from the heart in an intracranial vessel, causing decreased perfusion pressure or increased blood viscosity with inadequate cerebral blood flow. An embolus may be caused by various disorders, including atrial fibrillation and atherosclerosis.
A second type of stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, involves a hemorrhage or rupture of an artery leading to the brain. Hemorrhagic stroke results in bleeding into brain tissue, including the epidural, subdural, or subarachnoid space of the brain. A hemorrhagic stroke typically results from the rupture of an arteriosclerotic vessel that has been exposed to arterial hypertension or to thrombosis.
During acute ischemic stroke, i.e., the period from the cerebrovascular event up to 24 hours after the event, the arterial occlusion results in an immediate infarcted core of brain tissue, where cerebral blood flow is significantly reduced, for example to less than 20% of the normal blood flow. The infarcted core suffers irreversible damage due to significant cell death. The length of time that ischemia persists, and the severity of the ischemia, contribute to the extent of injury. An area around the infracted core, known as the ischemic penumbra, suffers a delayed and less severe infarct. For example, during acute stroke the penumbra may have a reduction in blood flow of from about 20-40% of normal blood flow.
While not fully understood, the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke involves a complex cascade of multiple interacting biochemical events, which lead to acute neurologic injury and reduced neurological function. Ischemia results in the depletion of cellular energy stores of ATP, and the failure of sodium and potassium ion pumps. This leads to depolarization of neurons in the brain, and consequent excitotoxicity, i.e. excessive activity of excitatory amino acids, including glutamate, resulting in neuronal damage. In addition, the cascade leads to an increase in intracellular calcium. The presence of intracellular calcium in turn leads to the activation of intracellular enzymes and neuronal death. Lyden et al., J Stroke and Cerebrovasc Dis 2000;9 (6, Suppl 2);9-14. Excitotoxicity also results in the activation of enzymes, phospholipases, proteases, and nitric oxide synthases, and the production of oxygen free radicals. Each of these events contribute to the neuronal cell death of stroke. Nicotera et al, J Cerebr Blood Flow & Metab 19(6); 583-591 (1999).
One opportunity for pharmacologic intervention in stroke is the prevention or reduction of risk of stroke in patients at risk for stroke. There are many known risk factors for stroke, including vascular inflammation, atherosclerosis, arterial hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia and atrial fibrillation. At risk patients have been treated with agents to control blood pressure or manage blood lipid level, and have been treated with antiplatelet agents (such as clopidrogel) and anticoagulants. Patients who have suffered myocardial infarction and are at risk for stroke are often treated with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors) or beta adrenergic antagonists (beta blockers).
A second opportunity for pharmacological treatment of stroke is the treatment of acute stroke. However, current pharmacologic therapies for treating acute stroke are limited to restoring blood flow within a narrow therapeutic time window of less than three hours after stroke. The only agents which have shown effectiveness in treating acute stroke are thrombolytics (such as rt-PA) and urokinase. There remains a need for agents which are effective within a longer therapeutic time window.
Another opportunity for pharmacological treatment of stroke is recovery or restoration after the acute stroke period, i.e. the reduction or prevention of secondary cell damage in the penumbra. Although some neuroprotective agents have demonstrated efficacy in preclinical animal models of stroke, favorable results have not always been duplicated in human clinical trials. There remains a need for agents which are effective in reducing or preventing secondary cell damage after stroke.
It would be desirable to obtain a single pharmaceutical agent which can be used in more than one of the above-mentioned opportunities for treating stroke. Such an agent may be administered to patients at risk for stroke, and also may be administered to patients suffering from acute stroke, or patients undergoing treatment for recovery or restoration after the acute stroke period. Such an agent may also target more than one distinct mechanism in the biochemical cascade of stroke.
One class of neuroprotective agents which are known to be useful for treating stroke are reactive astrocyte inhibitors. Astrocytes are a type of cell found in the central nervous system. Astrocytes supply essential substrates and remove toxins from the area of the brain surrounding neurons, and help to maintain suitable levels of antioxidants in the brain. See Wilson et al, Can J Physiol Pharmacol 75:1149-1163 (1997). However, recent evidence indicates that astrocytes may have a broader role in the modulation of neural networks. For example, astrocytes may express voltage gated ion channels and neurotransmitter receptors. Bachoo et al, Proc Nat'l Acad Sci, 101:8384-8389 (2004).
Thus, compounds which may inhibit the production of reactive astrocytes may be useful in the treatment of stroke. A preferred inhibitor of reactive astrocytes is (2R)-2-propyloctanoic acid, shown below:
which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,608,221.

Prodrugs of (2R)-2-propyloctanoic acid for the treatment of stroke


There is disclosed a looper control system for a continuous rolling mill comprising: a section for performing the integral operation of respective deviations between measured values and target values with respect to the tension and the looper angle, and the proportional operation of respective deviations between the tension, the looper operation angle, and the rotational speed of the looper motor at the time of start of the control and those at the present time to synthesize values thus obtained to deliver them to the looper current control unit or the looper control unit, a section for performing the integral operation and the proportional operation similar to the above to synthesize the values thus obtained to deliver them to the main motor speed control unit; and an optimum gain setting unit for correcting respective proportional gains in dependency upon the speed of the main motor. The system may additionally have a section for altering the optimum gain by the fact that the tension is extreme and/or the looper angle is extreme.

This invention relates to a looper control system for controlling the looper operational angle and the tension between stands in a continuous rolling mill.
In a continuous rolling mill, as the important element for evaluating the quality of products, there are thickness, width, crown, and flatness of strips. Since the value of the tension between stands exerts a large influence on these elements, it is desirable to keep it constant as far as possible. For this reason, in the hot continuous rolling mill, such control is conducted to absorb changes in the tension value by looper mechanisms provided between respective rolling mill stands.
Hitherto, in a looper control system for a continuous rolling mill provided with loopers between stands, the tension between stands, i.e., interstand tension is controlled by allowing the looper drive motor to generate a predetermined torque, and by changing the difference between interstand speeds of the main motor, to adjust the looper operational angle. However, with this system, the length of material between stands is changed by modifying the speeds of the main motor nearby the looper. As a result, the looper operational angle control is carried out following the change in the strip length between stands. Accordingly, this leads to the drawback that the interstand tension fluctuation caused by the looper operational angle control becomes large.
Further, when a control for looper operational angle is carried out in order to reduce such a tension fluctuation, the response in the looper operational angle control must be lowered, resulting in the drawback that the control cannot cope with high frequency disturbances.
On the other hand, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, as a looper control system to which the optimum control theory is applied, there have been proposed systems, such as, for example, disclosed in the Japanese Patent Publication No. 44129/84, the Japanese Patent Applications Laid Open Nos. 86919/83, 18213/84, 118214/84.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 44129/84 is directed to a system constructed to handle, as the state variable in the optimum control theory, looper operational angular velocity, looper operational angle, tension between stands, and difference between interstand material speeds, thus, to constitute a feedback based on only the proportional operation. However, where there is steadily a relatively large disturbance, or where the target tension changes with time, any offset is produced because there is no integral term, and results in lowered controllability. In an extreme case, a break in the strip results.
The Japanese Patent Laid Open No. 86919/83 is directed to a system constructed to add the integrating operation to the technique disclosed in the Japanese Patent Publication No. 44129/84 to thereby set a reference value by itself and remove the above-mentioned offset.
In these systems disclosed in the Japanese Patent Publication No. 44129/84 and the Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 86919/83, the proportional operation for deviation in connection with the reference value of the Taylor expansion used when linearly approximating the controlled system is performed. Accordingly, there remain problems to be solved, such as, for example, it is necessary to input this reference value when actually carrying out a control, working stability is poor because the proportional operational components appear to a great extent at the time of the start of control where the deviation from the reference value is large, and the like.
In the Japanese Patent Laid Open No. 118213/84, with a view to solving this problem, there is proposed a looper control system in a form to reconsider the control model from the standpoint of integral-type optimum regulator theory and perform the integral operation by integrating a deviation from the target value with respect to the variable having a control target value, and to perform the proportional operation with respect to the deviation from a lock-on value (a value at the time of start of control) subject to the proportional operation.
In addition, to Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 118214/84 is directed to a system to employ the looper drive motor rotational speed control in place of the looper drive motor current control unit in the configuration of Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 118213/84 and thereby provide an improved stability of the looper operational angle.
However, when an attempt is made to apply the above-described four proposed systems constructed from the standpoint of the optimum control of an actual rolling process, there are the problems that the control system is apt to be affected by the influence of noise of the detection signal because there are many feedback loops, that it takes much time for adjustment of the control gain, and that the control with respect to the rolling process characteristic change followed by the rolling speed change must be adjusted.
Further, the conventional looper control system only considers the rotational speed of the main motor in determining the optimum gain. However, because of roll gap correction operation by the automatic gage control (AGC), a sudden change in the tension would occur, resulting in the possibility that an extreme tension may take place. However, any effective action is not taken in the conventional system.
In addition, an effectively functioning angular range exists in the looper. That is, when a looper angle exceeds above a predetermined angle, there is the possibility that the looper may be broken. In contrast, when the looper angle is below the predetermined angle, the looper cannot entirely conduct the adjustment of the tension. Accordingly, it is necessary to operate the looper within a fixed allowable range with respect to the looper angle. However, any effective action is also not taken in this respect in the conventional system.

Looper control system for continuous rolling mill


A controller suitable for use in controlling components in a bathing unit is provided. The controller includes a controller body having a back surface and a front surface generally opposed to the back surface. The front surface includes a plurality of connector interfaces each being adapted for receiving a connector associated to a respective bathing unit component. A control circuit is positioned within the controller body for selectively providing electrical power to respective bathing unit components connected through the plurality of connector interfaces.

A bathing unit, such as a spa, typically includes various components such as a water holding receptacle, pumps to circulate water in a piping system, a heating module to heat the water, a filter system, an air blower, an ozone generator, a lighting system. Such a bathing unit also includes a control system for activating and managing the various parameters of the bathing unit components. Other types of bathing units having similar components include, for instance, whirlpools, hot tubs, bathtubs, therapeutic baths, and swimming pools.
Typically, the control system of a bathing unit includes a controller to which are connected the various bathing unit components. The controller is adapted to control the power supplied to each one of the connected components. The controller receives input signals from various input devices, such as for example a plurality of sensors that monitor the various components of the bathing unit and from a control panel allowing a user to control various operational settings of these components. In response to the input signals, the controller activates, or deactivates, the various bathing unit components by supplying power, or ceasing to supply power, to the components.
Usually, different components in a given bathing unit have different operating power requirements. For instance, some of the bathing unit components may require to be powered by way of a 120 volts (V) AC voltage source, while other bathing unit components may require to be powered via a 240 volts (V) AC voltage source. Similarly, different bathing unit components may be designed to operate with different maximum current draws. The current draw to operate the various bathing unit components may range, for example, from 0.1 amps (A) for an ozone generator to 20 amps (A) for a large pump. Moreover, the current draw to operate two bathing unit components of a same type, such as two pumps or two heating modules, may also be different for the two components. For instance, one pump may require a current draw of 12 amps (A) to operate, while another pump may require a current draw of 20 amps (A) to operate.
FIG. 1a shows a sample controller 100 suitable for use in a bathing system. As depicted, the controller 100 includes a controller body coupled to a heater 122, the controller body having an access panel 112 connected thereto. FIG. 1b shows the same controller 100 as FIG. 1a with the access panel 112 opened. The controller body defines an enclosure in which a control circuit 108 is located. The controller 100 also includes a set of connectors 102 positioned along the periphery of the controller body and adapted for receiving complementary connectors associated to respective bathing unit components. As depicted, the set of connectors 102 are in communication with the control circuit 108 through electric connection wires 110. In use, the control circuit 108 is adapted for selectively providing electrical power to respective bathing unit components connected through the set of connectors 102. A plurality of power connection elements 106 and fuses 104 are also located with the enclosure defined by the controller body. The power connection elements 106 are for coupling the controller to an external electrical power source (not shown in the figure).
In order to accommodate bathing unit components having different power requirements, each connector in the set of connectors 102 is adapted to supply power to that particular component in accordance with its power requirements. To achieve this, each connector usually includes a set of electrical contact elements, at which a certain voltage or current output will be available. For example, if a bathing unit includes one component having operating power requirements of 120 volts (V) and 12 amps (A) and another component having operating power requirements of 240 volts (V) and 20 amps (A), the controller will thus be configured to include one connector having contact elements at which an output of 120 volts (V) and 12 amps (A) will be available and another connector having contact elements at which an output of 240 volts (V) and 20 amps (A) will be available.
A first deficiency associated to controllers of the type shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b is that a bathing unit installer or service technician runs the risk of connecting a given bathing unit component to a wrong connector, i.e. to a connector not intended to be connected to that given component. For instance, in the above example, the component with operating power requirements of 120 volts (V) and 12 amps (A) runs the risk of being connected to the controller connector at which an output of 240 volts (V) and 20 amps (A) will be available.
Another deficiency associated to controllers of the type shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b is that the control circuit 108 is often damaged during servicing by a technician. For example, the electric connection wires 110 between the set of connectors 102 and the control circuit 108 are often inadvertently disconnected during handling. Similarly, electrical components on the control circuit 108 are sometimes damaged when fuses 104 are replaced or electrical connections established. In addition, since the controller 100 is usually positioned in proximity to water, when the access panel 112 is open, water sometimes comes into contact with the electronic components contained in the controller body and damages those components. Such incidences usually translate into a greater number of service calls to the bathing unit vendor (or bathing unit controller vendor) which therefor increases the costs of providing bathing unit controllers. Furthermore, even though the failure of the bathing unit controller originated from the technician's mishandling of the equipment, the result is a perception of lack of reliability of the bathing unit controller.
Against the background described above, it appears that there is a need in the industry to provide a controller suitable for a bathing unit that alleviates at least in part the problems associated with existing controllers.


Example methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture to estimate waiting times of prescriptions are disclosed herein. An example computer-implemented method, executed by a processor, to estimate a waiting time of a prescription for a medication includes training a machine learning model using, for each of a plurality of previously filled prescriptions, a set of characteristics of the previously filled prescription, and a fill time for the previously filled prescription, receiving a prescription for a medication for a patient, receiving a request for an estimated waiting time for filling the prescription medication for the patient, identifying a set of characteristics of the prescription medication for the patient, applying the set of characteristics of the prescription medication to the machine learning model to determine the estimated waiting time for filling the prescription medication for the patient, and providing an indication of the estimated waiting time for display on a client device.

In a competitive marketplace, patient satisfaction is especially important. Patient satisfaction with a retail pharmacy has been correlated to the amount of time it takes to fill a prescription as well as patient perception of that time. Retail pharmacies have already reduced perceived prescription fill time by offering multiple channels of ordering a prescription such as by ordering a prescription by mobile application, by fax, or by an electronic prescription connection with the prescribing medical personnel. However, there are remaining delays involving contacting the prescriber for a new prescription or contacting the prescriber as part of insurance company prescription "prior authorization" procedure. There is also perceived wait time. Among the most important ways to decrease perceived wait time and increase patient satisfaction is to accurately determine and inform the patient in advance of how long the prescription will take to fill. This allows the patient the choice of waiting at the pharmacy counter for a few minutes if the prescription will be filled quickly, staying in the store to do additional shopping, or to going to another location if an affiliated store has the medication available more quickly.
However, prediction of fill times can be challenging as there is no single time that can be accurately applied to all patients. A prescription fill time is often dependent upon insurance which may delay or deny the fill or require a "prior authorization", also referred to as with "pre authorization" in this document, which is a confirmation of the insurance company payment which requires contacting the prescriber. Other factors such as the medicine being in-stock, the number of other patients waiting, the number of prescriptions waiting to be filled, the time of day and the number and type of employees (pharmacists, assistants, clerks) on duty are likely to influence the waiting time. What is needed is a better way to reduce prescription fill time and also to accurately predict in advance the amount of time it takes to fill a retail prescription.

Methods and system to estimate retail prescription waiting time


The present invention provides a fuel cell-based generator system that prevents a catalyst in fuel cells from being poisoned and a potential on oxygen electrodes of the fuel cells from lowering, while improving the energy efficiency. While I.sub.2 is fed from a halogen tank 41 to a preliminary reaction tank 30 via a first conduit 33, H.sub.2 O is fed from a water tank 43 to the preliminary reaction tank 30 via a second conduit 34. The preliminary reaction tank 30 is heated by the heat transmitted from a stack of fuel cells FC, and the reaction expressed as H.sub.2 O+I.sub.2 .fwdarw.2HI+(1/2)O.sub.2 occurs in the preliminary reaction tank 30. HI produced by the above reaction is dissolved in excess H.sub.2 O and fed into a reaction tank 50 via a fourth conduit 36. The reaction tank 50 is heated by the heat transmitted from the stack of fuel cells FC, and the reaction expressed as 2HI.fwdarw.H.sub.2 +I2 occurs in the reaction tank 50. The gaseous mixture of H.sub.2 and I.sub.2 is flown into a hydrogen purifier 60 via a sixth conduit 54. The hydrogen purifier 60 separates gaseous hydrogen H.sub.2 from the gaseous mixture. The gaseous hydrogen H.sub.2 is then fed into flows paths of gaseous hydrogen in the stack of fuel cells FC.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fuel cell-based generator having a gas generator for producing a reaction gas containing hydrogen and fuel cells that receive a supply of the reaction gas from the gas generator, and a method of generating electricity with the fuel cells.
2. Description of the Related Art
Fuel cells are a known device for directly converting the chemical energy of a fuel to electrical energy. Each fuel cell generally includes an electrolyte membrane interposed between a pair of electrodes. The surface of one electrode is exposed to a hydrogen-containing gaseous fuel, while the surface of the other electrode is exposed to an oxygen-containing gas. The fuel cell utilizes the electrochemical reactions occurring on these electrodes and takes electrical energy out of the electrodes.
A known gas generator for producing a gaseous fuel supplied to the fuel cell is a reformer that reforms methanol to steam (for example, JAPANESE PATENT LAID-OPEN GAZETTE No. 5-21079). Steam reforming of methanol in the reformer is carried out through the following chemical reactions: EQU CH.sub.3 OH.fwdarw.CO+2H.sub.2 -21.7 kcal/mol (1) EQU CO+H.sub.2 O.fwdarw.CO.sub.2 +H.sub.2 +9.8 kcal/mol (2) EQU CH.sub.3 OH+H.sub.2 O.fwdarw.CO.sub.2 +3H.sub.2 -11.9 kcal/mol(3)
As clearly understood from the equation (3) representing the reforming reaction, the reaction products by steam reforming are theoretically only hydrogen and carbon dioxide at the molar ratio of 3:1. In the actual state, however, the reaction does not proceed 100% ideally, and carbon monoxide as a by-product and non-reacted methanol exist after the reaction.
In the fuel cells, carbon monoxide is adsorbed by platinum or a platinum alloy, which functions as a catalyst on the electrode for receiving the gaseous fuel, thereby deteriorating the catalytic function of platinum. This phenomenon is generally referred to as poisoning of the catalyst. Methanol, on the other hand, passes through the electrolyte membrane and reaches the other electrode to react with oxygen included in the oxygen-containing gas, thereby lowering the potential on the oxygen electrode. Methanol also deteriorates durability of pipes constituting a flow path of gaseous fuel.
In known fuel cell-based generator systems, the utilization ratio of the gaseous fuel in the fuel cells is limited to 60 to 80%, in order to minimize the problems due to carbon monoxide and methanol. The problem of poor energy efficiency accordingly arises in such known fuel cell-based generator systems.

Fuel cell-based generator system and method of the same


An integrated balun-low noise amplifier (LNA) system is included in a magnetic resonance imaging system. The integrated balun-LNA system conditions electromagnetic signals received from at least one RF receiver coil. The integrated balun-LNA system is configured to be enclosed in a balun housing. The size of the integrated balun-LNA system minimizes component area and volume thereof on or near the RF receiver coil and thus, minimizes interference with the magnetic flux field.

The present invention relates generally to receiver electronics in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, and, more specifically, to an integrated balun-low noise amplifier (LNA) system.
MRI uses radio frequency pulses and magnetic field gradients applied to a subject in a strong homogenous magnetic field to produce viewable images. When a substance such as human tissue is subjected to a uniform magnetic field (polarizing field B0), the individual magnetic moments of the spins in the tissue attempt to align with this polarizing field, but precess about it, in random order, at their characteristic Larmor frequency. If the substance, or tissue, is subjected to a magnetic field (excitation field B1) which is in the x-y plane and which is near the Larmor frequency, the net aligned moment, or "longitudinal magnetization", MZ, may be rotated, or "tipped", into the x-y plane to produce a net transverse magnetic moment Mt. A signal is emitted by the excited spins after the excitation signal B1 is terminated and this signal may be received and processed to form an image.
When utilizing these signals to produce images, magnetic field gradients (Gx, Gy, and Gz) are employed. Typically, the region to be imaged is scanned by a sequence of measurement cycles in which these gradients vary according to the particular localization method being used. The resulting set of received MR signals are digitized and processed to reconstruct the image using one of many well known reconstruction techniques.
MR receiver coils receive the electromagnetic signals emitted from the patient and use the acquired signals for image reconstruction. Before image reconstruction occurs, the electromagnetic signals received by the receiver coil elements are amplified and filtered to produce an analog signal that can be further processed into an image. One circuit component in conveying the electrical signal from the receiver coil element to the analog conversion portion of the receiver is the balun. Typically, these baluns are constructed as stand-alone components. Such a design can be problematic in that the baluns use large circuit components, that when located in, on, or near the receiver, can interfere with the magnetic flux field and thus reduce the quality and quantity of signals captured by the receiver. Thus, a balun design that minimizes the adverse impact of the balun geometry on the image produced by the MRI system would be beneficial.
Another component in the analog conversion chain of the receiver coil elements is the preamplifier. Similar to the balun, the size of the preamplifier can also interfere with the magnetic flux field and reduce the quality and quantity of signals captured by the receiver. This can be especially problematic as the quantity of receiver coil elements in a phased array increases and the diameter of the coil elements decreases. The decreased diameter of the coil elements results in a higher density of coil elements for a fixed receiver geometry, as there is an increase in the ratio of the electronic component volumetric surface area to receiver coil element area. This increased density of electronic components located near the receiver coil elements effects a higher likelihood of there being an adverse impact on image quality due to the higher relative disturbance of the magnetic flux field.
Therefore, a receiver electronics package that minimizes component area and volume thereof so as to reduce impact on the magnetic field on or near the receiver coil elements is strongly desired.

Integrated low noise amplifier and balun for MRI receivers


A heat dissipation device includes a base having a first surface in contact with at least one heat source and an opposite second surface having a heat dissipation zone upward extended therefrom; an auxiliary heat dissipation zone horizontally extended from one of four lateral sides or directions of the heat dissipation zone; an air guiding section defined at the auxiliary heat dissipation zone; and at least one upward indented zone formed between the auxiliary heat dissipation zone and the side of the heat dissipation zone having the auxiliary heat dissipation zone sideward sidewardly extended from a higher portion thereof. With these arrangements, the heat dissipation device can guide air flow currents directly or indirectly to a plurality of heat sources located corresponding to the heat dissipation zone and the auxiliary heat dissipation zone at the same time to cool them.

There is a large amount of electronic elements mounted in an electronic device, such as a server or a personal computer. These electronic elements produce more heat when the computing performance of the electronic device becomes more powerful. The produced heat is dissipated from the electronic device by providing heat dissipation elements corresponding to heat sources, i.e. the heat-producing electronic elements, so that the heat is not accumulated on the electronic elements and the electronic device is avoided from having an abnormal operating temperature.
Since the electronic device generally has a limited internal space, the heat dissipation elements to be mounted in the small space are largely restricted in terms of their sizes and amounts. To have an upgraded heat dissipation performance, it is preferable all the electronic elements respectively have a corresponding heat dissipation element provided for them. However, since the electronic elements are highly closely arranged in the electronic device, it would not have enough space for mounting a heat dissipation element for each of the electronic elements. Besides, in the event a large amount of heat dissipation elements are to be mounted, they actually might interfere with one another to cause trouble in mounting them.
Further, when a plurality of heat dissipation elements, such as heat sinks and radiating fins, is closely mounted in the electronic device, they might functionally affect one another and even block the air currents in the small internal space of the electronic device from flowing smoothly and accordingly, cause reduced heat dissipation performance. Therefore, excessive heat dissipation elements do not necessarily upgrade the heat dissipation performance. In stead, they would sometimes cause interference with one another to reduce the heat dissipation performance.
FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective and side views, respectively, of a conventional heat dissipation module 6. The heat dissipation module 6 includes a primary heat sink 61 that is in direct contact with a heat source 7, and a plurality of secondary heat sinks 62 that are connected to the primary heat sink 61 via heat pipes 8. Heat absorbed by the primary heat sink 61 is transferred by the heat pipes 8 to the secondary heat sinks 62, from where the heat is dissipated into surrounding air. The main purpose of the heat dissipation module 6 is to carry away the absorbed heat from the primary heat sink 61 via the heat pipes 8, so that the heat is dissipated at a location remote from the heat source. However, the heat dissipation module 6 so designed occupies a relatively large space, and it could only cool the heat source 7 but not other heat sources in the limited internal space of the electronic device one by one.
Further, the conventional heat dissipation module 6 mainly works with a plurality of fans 9 that are mounted at an air inlet or an air outlet of the heat dissipation system to forcefully suck external air into the system or to forcefully blow internal air out of the system, so as to form forced cooling air convection in the system. Basically, the heat dissipation module 6 is mounted in the system at the position having heat sources in order to provide an increased heat dissipation area and increase the efficiency of cooling the heat sources in the system. For the purpose of further enhancing the performance of the heat dissipation module 6, the latter is divided into the primary heat sink 61 and the plurality of secondary heat sinks 62, so that heat absorbed by the primary heat sink 61 is transferred via heat pipes 8 to the secondary heat sinks 62 located at a remote end to avoid heat accumulation in the primary heat sink 61 and the heat source 7.
In the case the cooling air flow passes through the secondary heat sinks 62 first, the air flow will be partially blocked by the secondary heat sinks 62 and become heated and have a reduced air pressure when it reaches at the primary heat sink 61. In this circumstance, the cooling air flow just could not sufficiently cool the primary heat sink 61 and other electronic elements that are located behind the secondary heat sinks 62. Similarly, in the case the cooling air flow passes through the primary heat sink 61 first, the air flow will be heated at the primary heat sink 61. In this circumstance, the already heated cooling air flow just could not effectively cool other heat sources and the secondary heat sinks 62 that are located behind or at two sides of the primary heat sink 61. Meanwhile, the cooling air flow also has a reduced pressure after it passed the primary heat sink 61. Again, the cooling air flow with reduced pressure could not be effectively guided to other electronic elements and cool the same. Therefore, heat tends to accumulate in the electronic device to cause operating problems.
It is therefore an important target of persons skilled in the art to overcome the drawbacks in the conventional heat dissipation module.

Heat dissipation device with multiple heat dissipation zones


A high-precision tensioning device is provided. The high-precision tensioning device is composed of a stepping motor, an encoder, a harmonic reducer, a rotary table, connecting rods, contacts, force sensors, a rotary table connecting piece, a gasket, a nut, bolts, a set screw, a shell and an end cover. The tensioning device provided by the disclosure can achieve closed-loop control on a tensioning force in order to improve the tensioning precision of the tensioning device; and as long as machining and assembling errors meet design requirements, stable synchronous tensioning of three contacts can be ensured, and the location precision of a hub is improved.

It needs a tensioning device to clamp a central hole of a hub in an automobile hub machining process, and due to higher requirement of the machining precision of the hub, it is necessary to require that the tensioning device has excellent precision.
In one aspect, it needs that the tensioning device can provide a stable tensioning force in a hub machining process. If the tensioning force is smaller than a certain numerical value, the hub cannot be well clamped and is possible to loosen in the machining process, thereby seriously influencing the machining quality of the hub; and if the tensioning force is larger than a certain numerical value, the hub will generate elastic deformation, even plastic deformation, thereby directly influencing the size precision of the hub. Furthermore, if the tensioning force is larger in the machining process, and when the tensioning device is loosened after the hub is machined, the hub generates a stress release situation, so that the machining precision of the hub is influenced again.
In the other aspect, the tensioning device generally is provided with multiple contacts, and the contacts need to have excellent synchronicity to ensure the machining precision of the hub. If the contacts cannot synchronously act on an inner hole of the hub, the hub may be inclined, and then the final machining size of the hub is extremely poor.
In view of the requirements in the above two aspects, there is an urgent need of developing a high-precision tensioning device to meet higher requirement of the machining precision of the hub.


A method for producing a coated polymeric article by co-extruding polypropylene and a maleic anhydride modified polypropylene, corona-treating, and applying a polysilicate barrier is described. Also provided are films and bottles produced using this method.

The present invention relates generally to the production of coated polymeric articles, and particularly, articles with barrier coatings.
Polymeric articles, including films and bottles, are widely used for packaging products, particularly foods. No unmodified polymeric article, however, has the gas and moisture barrier characteristics needed for packaging.
Thus, multilayer polymeric films have been designed with have improved gas and moisture barrier properties. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,192,620 (Chu et al), a polypropylene film is coated with a blend of an ethylene-acrylic acid copolymer and polyvinyl alcohol and then metalized to produce a film with moisture barrier properties. U.S. Pat. No. 5,491,023 describes the application of a layer of polyvinylalcohol to the surface of a polyolefin substrate which has been modified by a maleic anhydride modified polypropylene.
Unfortunately, certain of the layers which have been applied to polymeric films in order to improve gas and moisture barrier properties have been faced with problems with adhering to the substrate. Various approaches have been taken to address these problems. However, to date, none of these approaches has provided a product with adequate barrier properties, which may be efficiently produced.

Process for producing coated polymeric articles and the articles produced thereby


Methods, apparatuses, and products are disclosed for session replication that include enqueueing sessions on a replication queue and flushing enqueued sessions, from the replication queue to a replication peer, in dependence upon flushing criteria, for storage on a replication medium. The replication medium may be non-volatile storage in a database or remote random access memory. Flushing may be carried out periodically or in dependence upon replication queue depth. Flushing may include aggregating sessions from the replication queue for transmission to the replication peer.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is data processing, or, more specifically, methods, systems, and products for session replication.
2. Description of Related Art
The development of the EDVAC computer system of 1948 is often cited as the beginning of the computer era. Since that time, computer systems have evolved into extremely complicated devices. Today's computers are much more sophisticated than early systems such as the EDVAC. The most basic requirements levied upon computer systems, however, remain little changed. A computer system's job is to access, manipulate, and store information. Computer system designers are constantly striving to improve the way in which a computer system can deal with information.
Information stored on a computer system is often organized in a structure called a database. A database is a grouping of related structures called 'tables,' which in turn are organized in rows of individual data elements. The rows are often referred to as 'records,' and the individual data elements are referred to as 'fields.' In this specification generally, therefore, an aggregation of fields is referred to as a 'data structure' or a 'record,' and an aggregation of records is referred to as a 'table.' An aggregation of related tables is called a 'database.'
A computer system typically operates according to computer program instructions in computer programs. A computer program that supports access to information in a database is typically called a database management system or a 'DBMS.' A DBMS is responsible for helping other computer programs access, manipulate, and save information in a database.
A DBMS typically supports access and management tools to aid users, developers, and other programs in accessing information in a database. One such tool is the structured query language, 'SQL.' SQL is query language for requesting information from a database. Although there is a standard of the American National Standards Institute ('ANSI') for SQL, as a practical matter, most versions of SQL tend to include many extensions. Here is an example of a database query expressed in SQL:
select * from stores, transactionswhere stores.location = "Minnesota"and stores.storeID = transactions.storeID
A 'transaction' is a group or set of computer program instructions which must be executed atomically, that is, all or none. Consider an accounting entry, for example, a debit of a cash account and a credit of a sales revenue account. If the debit is effected without the credit, the accounts are unbalanced. The debit and credit are therefore wrapped in a transaction, in pseudocode, illustrated as this:
BEGIN  DEBIT CASH $25.00    CREDIT SALES $25.00COMMIT
The BEGIN command marks the opening of a transaction. The COMMIT command marks the end of the transaction. And the DEBIT and CREDIT are the commands to be executed atomically. If data processing of a transaction proceeds without error, a COMMIT command will succeed and return an indication of success to a calling program. If an error occurs, the COMMIT will fail, and the transaction will 'rollback.' That is, the effects of commands executed during the transaction are reversed, so that the entire transaction is undone, as if it never began. That is atomic execution of a transaction, all or nothing.
The Java programming environment provides transaction support for Java programs. In the state of the art, however, each transaction is executed separately. Each computer program instruction in a transaction, including the BEGIN and COMMIT instructions, represents an instruction to be issued from the Java environment to a DBMS. Each instruction within a transaction requires DBMS optimization and execution in the DBMS. Each separate transaction is also scoped as a transaction in the DBMS itself, incurring transaction processing overheads in the DBMS. Over millions of transactions, separate processing of each transaction therefore represents substantial inefficiency in data processing of transactions for Java programs.
The Hypertext Transfer Protocol ('HTTP') employed for web browser to web server requests is a stateless protocol. As a result, a web server has no means of associating a series of requests with a specific browser or user. The HTTP session API component of the Java Servlet specification provides a mechanism for web applications to maintain a client's state information, and this mechanism addresses some of the problems with other options for maintaining state, such as those based solely on cookies. This mechanism, known as a session, allows a web-application developer to maintain user state information on the server.
It's almost impossible to visit any interactive web site today that does not make use of the HTTP session API. By providing multiple options for tracking a series of requests and associating those requests with a specific user, HTTP session allows applications to appear dynamic to application users. The most often cited example of an HTTP session is the creation of a "shopping cart" for shoppers on a web site. In this example, information associating the user and their prior navigation through the web site and their selections are stored as objects in HTTP session. Once the users are ready to check out from the web site and purchase their selections, the application typically constructs a page composed of all the selected items stored in the "shopping cart." By maintaining application state between browser requests, HTTP session overcomes the default stateless behavior for HTTP requests.
HTTP session replication is vital to almost every online business to maintain information about a user's session and provides a high quality of service to the end user. To maintain consistent uptime and provide a fault tolerant failover system HTTP session are often replicated either in a database or on another machine such as a peer application server in case a single machine fails, the client does not lose session data and can continue interaction with a service by having client requests routed to a different machine. Currently, however, most applications are CPU bound regarding the ability to replicate sessions effectively because of the overhead associated with serializing each session to be replicated followed by the actual process of transmitting the serialized session to either a database or a memory to memory replicated application server.

International Business Machines Corporation


Fe--Cr--Si steel sheet having an excellent corrosion resistance and high toughness and method for manufacturing the same; the amount of Cr is about 10-30 wt %, the total amount of C and N is not more than about 100 ppm and the remainder consists of Fe and incidental impurities; when a cast piece of this steel is subjected to hot rolling to roll into a thickness of not more than about 3 mm, the hot rolled sheet can be subjected to cold rolling or to warm rolling without annealing.

Fe--Cr alloy sheets have been known for excellent corrosion resistance. To secure even more corrosion resistance and better heat resistance properties under far more severe conditions, various elements have been added to the alloys used in the sheets. Representative examples are Mo, Co and Al. As a result, quite excellent corrosion resistance has been achieved. Pitting corrosion potential is used as a representative index for corrosion resistance (as measured in a 3.5 vol % aqueous solution of NaCl at 30.degree. C. at a current density of 10 .mu.A/cm.sup.2). With the added elements the pitting corrosion potential of the sheets can reach 500 mV or even higher. However, all of those elements are expensive. Accordingly, in the working industry, the added amount in the sheet is limited at a sacrifice of corrosion resistance and heat resistance.
Si is less expensive than Mo, Co or Al and, in addition, improves corrosion resistance or heat resistance. Accordingly, use of Fe--Cr--Si alloys in industry is expected. As an example Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Sho-57/134,542 discloses ferritic stainless steel containing 0.01-5.00 wt % of Si, 0.01-5.00 wt % of Mn and 0.20-1.00 wt % of Nb and having an excellent corrosion resistance.
Unfortunately, Si has the disadvantage that, when its content is about 3.5 wt % or more, toughness of the iron alloy is radically reduced. This limits its use as a material. Moreover, processing steps such as rolling and press forming become difficult. Further, it has been said that the effect of Si for improving corrosion resistance is inferior to that of Mo, Co, Al, etc. However, when the Si content is unduly restricted, its usefulness as an anticorrosive material for an Fe--Cr--Si alloy cannot be maintained.
It has been known that, in Fe--Cr alloy systems, reduction of impurities can sometimes improve toughness and processing ability without changing the main component system. A representative example is Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Hei-06/033,197 in which it is mentioned that, in some products, even when Si is present, processing ability can be improved by decreasing impurities. However, when a large amount of Si is present, there is a far more significant deterioration of toughness than is common in Fe--Cr alloys and there is concern that this deterioration cannot be compensated for by any degree of improvement of toughness of a common Fe--Cr alloy as disclosed in the patent. Further, it has not yet been investigated whether corrosion resistance can be kept as high as 500 mV, expressed as pitting corrosion potential.
In Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Hei-03/053,025, it is disclosed that when rapid cooling is conducted after hot rolling under high stress, the toughness of an Fe--Cr--Si alloy containing 0.01-0.50 wt % of rare earth metal elements (REM) can be improved. However, such a rolling process is not common and adds cost and delay. In addition, when the properties of the conventional Fe--Cr--Si alloy are taken into consideration, it is only to be expected that the resulting corrosion resistance will have to be less than 500 mV of pitting corrosion potential.

Fe-Cr-Si steel sheets having excellent corrosion resistance and method for manufacturing the same


A method for examining document of a software product against a list of strings files of an interface of the software product to detect whether the document includes list of strings of the interface is provided. The method includes determination of source files of the document. The method further includes a search for string files of the interface that are present in the document. The method further includes comparison of the string files against the source files. Responsive to the comparison, if no match of the source files and the string files is found, an invalid status of the document is found, and wherein if a match is found, the document is flagged with a valid status.

Software development life-cycle (SDLC) is a structure imposed on the development of a computer software product. Documenting a computer software product for the purpose of future maintenance and enhancement is done throughout the SDLC. The process of documenting software development cycle is generally known as software documentation. Software documentation either describes how the computer software product operates or how to use it. Common forms of software documentation include electronic reference texts, on-line help files, man pages, reference manuals, comments within source code, etc. Software documentation may also be created in a variety of forms, such as, computer files, which may be accessible through web browser editors, etc., or the software documentation may be in hard copy form, such as a book or technical manual. Software documentation can also include errors or omissions that can lead to errors displayed to end-users, and consequent system failures of the computer software product, or even failure in the market place if the software documentation does not accurately accompany the software product. Therefore, managers and software engineers typically focus attention to software documentation and its associated costs if the software documentation does not accurately provide concrete descriptions of the software product.
Moreover, most software development cycles generate large amounts of associated software documentation that accompanies the computer software product. However, quite often computer software deployment can be complex with many installation and implementation options to choose from, which can affect quality production of the software documentation. Poor quality software documentation can further result in deployment or functionality issues, customer dissatisfaction with software products, risk of losing a customer to a competitor, and increase in the demand for technical support resources. In order to publish good quality software documentation, the software documentation must reflect the final product that is shipped. Generally, to achieve this, the project of the software development cycle needs to devote time and resources at the end of the cycle to thoroughly review the documentation and compare the software documentation with the final software computer product that is finalized and shipped.

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


The oscillation parameters of a probe of an atomic force microscope (AFM) typically vary over time. This variation can cause problems during either 1) scanning or measurement functions in which the probe's operative state is one in which oscillatory measurements are taken or 2) the process of bringing the tip to the sample to begin measurement, commonly referred to as engaging the probe, in which the probe's operative state is one in which the probe is about to move into its measuring position. These problems can be eliminated during either process by measuring changes in a parameter or parameters of probe oscillation, determining what changes are not due to probe-sample interaction, and correcting the oscillation parameters accordingly. This may be accomplished in two ways, the first with the probe out of intermittent contact with the sample, and the second during scanning. The first comprises placing the probe in a reference or free oscillation state in which the probe tip oscillates at a free oscillation amplitude A.sub.o, measuring A.sub.o and adjusting it if necessary, and then returning the probe to its operative state. The probe can be placed in its reference state by varying the spacing between the probe and the sample, by altering probe drive parameters, or by any other suitable technique. The second comprises measuring the phase of the probe oscillation during scanning and adjusting the phase to a desired range.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is in the field of atomic force microscopy, specifically relating to atomic force microscopes (AFMs) operating with the probe in an oscillating mode and a method of improving the operation in an oscillating mode.
2. Description of the Related Art
Atomic Force Microscopes (AFMs) operate by scanning a probe over a surface using a high resolution three axis scanner, usually creating relative motion between the probe and the sample while measuring the topography or some other surface property, as described in Hansma et al. in U.S. Pat. No. RE34,489. AFMs typically include a probe, usually a very small lever fixed at one end with a sharp probe tip attached to the opposite, or free, end. The probe tip is brought very near to or into contact with a surface to be examined, and the deflection of the lever in response to the tip's interaction with the surface is measured with an extremely sensitive deflection detector, often an optical lever system such as described by Hansma et al, or some other deflection detector such as a strain gauge, capacitance sensor, or others well known in the art. Using piezoelectric scanners, optical lever deflection detectors, and very small probe lever arms fabricated using photolithographic techniques, AFMs can obtain resolution down to the atomic level on a wide variety of insulating or conductive surfaces in air, liquid or vacuum. Because of their resolution and versatility, AFMs are important measurement devices in a diversity of fields ranging from semiconductor manufacturing to biological research.
Early AFMs operated in what is commonly referred to as contact mode by scanning the tip in contact with the surface, thereby causing the lever to bend in response to the sample features. Typically, the output of the deflection detector was used as an error signal to a feedback loop which servoed the vertical axis scanner up or down to maintain a constant preset lever deflection as the tip was scanned laterally over the sample surface topography. The servo signal versus lateral position created a topographic map (or image) of the sample surface. Thus, the AFM maintained a constant lever deflection and accordingly a constant force on the sample surface during lateral scanning. Using very small, microfabricated levers, the tip-sample force in contact mode AFMs could be maintained at force levels sufficiently small to allow imaging of biological substances, and in some cases achieve atomic resolution. In addition, an AFM can measure very small force interactions between the tip and sample, and by suitably preparing the probe, such as coating it with an appropriate material, other parameters such as magnetic or electric fields may be measured with an AFM.
However, for many samples, particularly in ambient atmospheric environment, the fluid layer found on all surfaces, along with other factors affecting the tip-sample interaction, may cause the probe tip to stick to the sample surface during contact mode scanning. This sticking may degrade the image quality or damage the sample surface or the probe tip. This effect may be reduced by immersing the probe and sample in liquid or vacuum, but such operation is not convenient for many applications.
Contact mode is basically a DC measurement. Other modes of operation have been developed in which the lever (or another probe configuration) is oscillated. At this time, three oscillating probe modes are common in AFMs, non-contact (Martin, et al, J. Applied Physics 61(10) May 15, 1987), shear force (U.S. Pat. No. 5,254,854 by Betzig et al), and Tapping.TM. or TappingMode.TM.. (Tapping and TappingMode are trademarks of Digital Instruments, Inc.). U.S. patents relating to Tapping and TappingMode include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,266,801, 5,412,980 and 5,519,212, by Elings et al., all of which are hereby incorporated by reference. These modes, particularly TappingMode, have become extremely commercially successful. This invention is directed at improving the operation of TappingMode AFM, but may also be directed to other oscillating AFM modes of operation.
In oscillating AFM operation, the probe is oscillated, typically at the probe's resonant frequency, and brought near the sample surface. In all oscillation modes, the probe is first oscillated at a distance sufficient from the sample to prevent direct probe-sample interaction, referred to as the free oscillation. The effect of the surface on the free oscillation parameters of the probe is used as the signal of interest, either as an error signal for a feedback loop or as direct measure of tip-sample force interaction. For example, many AFMs employ a feedback loop that uses changes in the oscillation amplitude due to interaction with the surface to maintain that amplitude substantially constant. In non-contact and TappingMode operations, the free oscillation is substantially perpendicular to the plane of the sample surface, while in shear force measurement operation, the free oscillation is essentially parallel with the plane of the sample surface. Non-contact operation relies on non-contact force gradients to affect the resonant properties of the probe in a measurable fashion, while TappingMode operation relies on the far more robust interaction of actually striking the surface and losing some energy to the surface. Mixed modes such as Tapping for topography measurements and non-contact for other force measurements, i.e., magnetic field, are commonly used (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,308,974 by Elings et al.).
Hence, the invention will be discussed primarily in terms of TappingMode operation, although it should be understood that the teachings of the invention apply equally well to other oscillating modes.
Referring to FIG. 1, typically for TappingMode operation, a probe 3 having a tip 6 is attached to an oscillator 2 which can drive the probe 3 appropriately, usually at or near the probe's resonant frequency. An electronic signal is applied from an AC signal source 1, under control of an AFM control/computer 7, to the oscillator 2 to drive the probe tip 6 to oscillate at a free oscillation amplitude A.sub.o. A.sub.o can be varied over a broad range, i.e. from hundreds of nanometers to the nanometer scale, the latter is typically used for non-contact force measurements. Practically, for light interaction with a sample surface during imaging, A.sub.o should be as small as possible, but large enough to prevent the tip from sticking to the sample surface 5 due to capillary and/or other adhesive forces. The probe 3 can also be driven toward and away from the sample 5 using a suitable actuator 8 controlled by the computer 7. As shown in FIG. 2, when the actuator 8 is energized to move the probe 3 near the surface and the tip 6 taps the surface of sample 5 at the bottom of each oscillation cycle, the probe tip oscillation amplitude decreases from A.sub.o to A.sub.s. The probe motion could also be controlled magnetically as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,670,712 by Cleveland et al.
A preset value of A.sub.s is typically used as a setpoint for the vertical feedback servo function for the actuator 8, so the Tapping AFM scans at a predetermined decrease from the free amplitude A.sub.o. Since the probe tip 6 only touches the sample 5 for a short interval at the bottom of each cycle, lateral forces during scanning are virtually eliminated, thereby overcoming the major limitation of contact mode AFMs. For the majority of samples, A.sub.s can be significantly smaller than A.sub.o, often as much as 50% smaller, with no significant sample or tip damage. TappingMode operation is therefore usually immune to small system variations. TappingMode operation is capable of providing stable operation with good image quality and has become the most commercially successful AFM mode.
For some samples however, such as very soft biological samples or large polysilicon grains used in integrated circuit production, even with the lateral forces eliminated, the energy lost to the Tapping action must be extremely small or the tip 6 and/or the sample 5 experience unacceptable wear. Similarly, it is important to limit the force exerted on soft samples to avoid elastic deformation of the sample so that a topographical image accurately represents true sample topography. For these samples, it is preferable that a "light Tapping" mode be employed, where A, is very slightly different than A.sub.o. As may be 95% or even a greater percentage of A.sub.o for "light Tapping", because the tip must continue to tap the sample surface but must remain within a small percentage of A.sub.o. Light Tapping mode, therefore, requires extremely stable oscillation parameters or feedback control to prevent deterioration of the tip-sample interaction.
Holding oscillation parameters (such as amplitude, frequency, and phase) sufficiently stable to allow for light Tapping is difficult to achieve. Even if the electronic drive signal and oscillator outputs are perfectly stable, the actual free oscillation amplitude may vary more than acceptable for light Tapping. Particularly when a new probe is installed in an AFM, the free oscillation may take as much as an hour to stabilize within the 3-5% oscillation amplitude difference range necessary for light Tapping. This may be due to mechanical relaxation of the probe lever itself, settling of the probe-oscillator interface, drift in the probe clamping force, or some other mechanism that is difficult to correct. Thus, when light Tapping parameters are the criteria being used for scanning during settling, there are potential problems; the free oscillation A.sub.o may increase during measurement which will result in increased Tapping forces, or A.sub.o may decrease during measurement which will cause the feedback loop for controlling the actuator 8 to allow the tip 6 to lose intermittent contact with the sample surface, neither of which is acceptable. When the oscillation finally stabilizes, the light Tapping achieves high resolution imaging due to a minimal tip-sample contact area. Tip lifetime is also extended, even on the hardest samples, like ceramics or silicon wafers. However, imaging during the settling time typically results in too many bad scans or excessive tip and/or sample wear. This is a problem because there is often insufficient time to wait for the tip to settle.
Because it is important that the free oscillation parameters remain extremely stable during surface measurement, it is also desirable to isolate the effect of tip interaction with the sample surface from the background effects of the probe's proximity to the surface of the sample. Such background effects may not be present, but often are. One such background effect is discussed by Serry et al. in "Air-Damping of Resonant AFM Micro-Cantilevers in the Presence of a Nearby Surface" and is known as "squeeze film damping." Squeeze film damping may occur if air is located between the probe and the sample surface, in which case the air generally will be compressed by the oscillation of the probe such that the probe's resonant frequency will be reduced or other parameters changed. Similarly, if the probe and sample were electrostatically, magnetically or otherwise affecting each other during probe oscillation, such interplay could affect the oscillation parameters such that the free oscillation changes with proximity to the sample, Thus, a variety of effects may cause the oscillation parameters to shift from the desired preset conditions, which can detract from light Tapping operation.

Method for improving the operation of oscillating mode atomic force microscopes


A method for the non-destructive determination of the stacking order and the fiber orientation of a fiber reinforced composite laminate comprises illuminating optically successively a series of spots of a cross sectional surface of the laminate under examination and detecting light radiated from the respective illuminated spots. An electrical output signal relative to the amount of light detected is provided and a characterization of the laminate indicative of the stacking order and fiber orientation is determined from the electrical output signal. An apparatus is provided for carrying out the method of the present invention.

Composite laminates, such as CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic) material, i.e. a laminated structure composed of several layers of carbon fiber tape embedded in a synthetic resin, are of great interest for the aviation industry because of the high strength to weight ratio. For primary structures this high ratio is mainly achieved by optimizing the ply orientation and stacking sequence in a CFRP laminate, with respect to the direction of tensile and compressive strains acting upon the structure. A difference between the designed and produced stacking sequence can result in a drastic reduction of the mechanical strength of said structure. Other advanced composite laminates are for example aramide fiber and E glass fiber reinforced structures. Laminates of light weight metal plates, adhered together by means of a fiber embedded resin, are also of special interest for the aviation industry.
To check whether a laminated product meets the quality requirements forthcoming from airworthiness and safety regulations for aero space vehicles, several inspections have to be carried out. For example, during the last phase of manufacture there must be verified whether the prescribed manufacturing process has yielded a composite laminate in which the fiber/resin composition in all important areas meets the initial design phase. Further, upon repair it is also often necessary to determine the laminate composition in terms of stacking order and fiber orientation.
A non-destructive method for verifying the correct position of the load carrying fibers in a composite, is an ultrasonic method which is based on ultrasound refraction. The method is described in "Non-destructive Composite Laminate Characterization by Means of Ultrasonic Polar Scan", by W. H. M. van Dreumel and J. L. Speijer, in Materials Evaluation, vol. 39, no. 10 (1981), pp. 922-925. For the "Polar-Scan" method the laminate or product to be inspected is attached to a turn table and two ultrasonic tranducers are positioned at a certain angle at both sides of the laminate, one being used as a transmitter and the other as a receiver. The entire combination is placed in a tank which is filled with a liquid that permits transmission of longitudinal waves from the transmitter to the receiver. A transmitted signal is detected as an interference product of several wave modes and their reflections. This interference pattern strongly depends on the laminate configuration.
However, the "Polar Scan" method offers no direct quantitative data, in terms of stacking order and fiber orientation of a fiber reinforced laminate, but only a reasonable qualitative impression is obtained of the directional elastic properties of the laminate as a hole. A further drawback can be that the product under inspection has to be submerged in a tank. The method promises no small scale test instrument, for example to be used directly in the production line for carrying out an end-product inspection.
Yet another ultrasonic test method is given by EP-C-0,086,546. The advantage of the method described over the "Polar-Scan" method is that discrete data about the laminate stacking order and the layer orientation are produced. The described "CompoScan" device requires in principle no moving parts and the probe is simply placed on the surface of the laminate to be inspected. A contact fluid is necessary. However, the method does not offer reliable data in the case of laminates having a plurality of layers.
A more direct method of measuring the position of load carrying fibers in the composite laminate, used in practice, is the visual inspection by microscope of a transverse section of the laminate. However, the method gives information about the edges of the product only. When the number of weaves, their sequence and the orientation of the fiber varies from one location to another, due to the loading configuration of the structure, a full inspection of the end-product by microscope in a non-destructive manner is not possible. The only solution then is to take a sample of the laminate to be inspected, and making several angularly displaced transverse sections having different angles with respect to an edge or an imaginary edge of said sample. However, in practice such a destructive inspection is neither possible in most practical cases. Further, this direct method is not suitable for a quick inspection in, for example, a production line environment.
Another destructive, very time consuming and complex method for the inspection of composite laminates is the so-called pelling method, also used in practice. In this pelling method, the laminate to be inspected is heated above a temperature at which the synthetic resin, in case of a CFRP laminate the carbon fibers are embedded in, burns to leave the several layers of carbon fibers. By pelling these layers, the stacking order and fiber orientation can be easily determined. Although the results obtained with this method are very reliable, due to its complexity and its time consuming and destructive character, this pelling method is neither suitable for a quick inspection in, for example, a production line environment.

Method of and apparatus for non-destructive composite laminate characterization


An optical recording and reproduction medium in which pits corresponding to recording information are formed along a recording track, wherein auxiliary pits are formed in at least a portion of the spaces between adjacent pits along the recording track direction; when the pit depth is d1 and the auxiliary pit depth is d2, then d1≧d2 is obtained; and both edges of the auxiliary pits along the recording track direction are shaped as simple convex curves.

Various optical discs, formed in a disc shape and onto which optical recording and/or reproduction are performed, are currently in use as optical recording/reproduction media. Such optical discs include read-only optical discs, in which embossed pits corresponding to data are formed in advance in the disc substrate; magneto-optical discs, which utilize a magneto-optical effect to perform data recording; and phase-change optical discs, which use phase changes in the recording film to perform data recording.
Of these discs, in optical discs enabling writing, such as magneto-optical discs and phase-change optical discs, grooves are conventionally formed in the disc substrate along recording tracks. Here a "groove" is a so-called guide groove formed along the recording track mainly in order to enable execution of tracking servo; the intervals between the ends of the groove apertures are called lands.
In the case of an optical disc in which grooves are formed, conventionally a tracking servo is configured using a tracking error signal based on the push-pull signal obtained from light reflected and diffracted by the grooves. Here a push-pull signal is obtained by detecting light reflected and diffracted by a groove using two photodetectors positioned symmetrically with respect to the groove center, and taking the difference in outputs of the two photodetectors.
Conventionally in the case of such optical discs, by improving the reproduction resolution of the optical pickup mounted in the reproducing device, high recording densities have been achieved. Improvement of the reproduction resolution of the optical pickup has been optically realized mainly by shortening the wavelength λ of the laser light used for data reproduction, and increasing the numerical aperture NA of the objective lens which condenses the laser light on the optical disc.
Conventionally, in each of the formats of so-called CD-R or write-once compact discs (CDs) and rewritable MDs (Mini-Discs) which are magneto-optical (MO) discs, write-once DVD-R type DVDs (Digital Versatile Discs), and so-called DVD+RW or DVD-RW (both registered trademarks for optical discs) which are rewritable DVDs, a groove recording format in which grooves are recorded has been proposed. In each of the formats of ISO system magneto-optical discs, land recording formats in which recording on lands is performed have been proposed.
On the other hand, in DVD-RAM (Random Access Memory) and similar formats, as a method of realizing optical discs with high densities a so-called land/groove recording method has been proposed in which on both grooves and lands data are recorded to double the track density compared with the conventional one.
Land/groove recording methods are also being studied for use in high-density optical discs being developed in recent years as next-generation optical discs, such as DVR (Digital Video Recordable) or Blu-ray Discs, and μ-Discs or the like which are small-sized MDs, and using the methods efforts are being made to raise recording densities.
However, when performing land/groove recording on DVD-RAM or other media, if the focus point is not separately adjusted during recording and reproduction for recording on lands and recording on grooves, optimal recording/reproduction characteristics are not obtained, and so there is the disadvantage of a more complex optical system.
Further, in "ISOM 2000 Simulation of Heat Generation and Conduction on Land/Groove Disc", it is reported that recording beam shapes are different in recording on lands and in recording on grooves, and clearly it is difficult to obtain uniform land recording/reproduction characteristics and groove recording/reproduction characteristics, so that there is the problem of regions with different recording/reproduction characteristics existing in the same optical recording/reproduction medium.
Further, in Blu-ray Discs and other high-density optical discs, the recording/reproduction characteristics are satisfactory near the reading surface, which in the case of Blu-ray Discs is on the lands nearer the light irradiation side, though the recording/reproduction characteristics are poor away from the reading surface, which in the case of Blu-ray Discs is the grooves farther from the light irradiation side.
In DVD-ROM (Read-Only Memory) discs and similar, at present it is possible to directly record signals in such a land/groove recording format; however, satisfactory and uniform recording/reproduction characteristics in recording on lands and in recording on grooves are desired.
Further, as described above, in Blu-ray Discs and other high-density optical discs the groove portions are away from the reading surface, and it is difficult to obtain satisfactory recording/reproduction characteristics in these groove portions.
On the other hand, in processes to manufacture an optical recording/reproduction medium, a method is conceivable in which the depression/protrusion pattern to be formed in the substrate is inverted for manufacturing. That is, in conventional processes to manufacture an optical recording/reproduction medium, photolithography or other means are used to form a minute depression/protrusion pattern in the photosensing layer of the glass master, and then plating or other means are employed to form a master stamper of, for example, nickel.
Then, either by an injection molding method in which this master stamper is positioned in a die or other equipment and a resin is injected, or by a so-called 2P (photo-polymerization) method in which an ultraviolet-curing resin, for example, is applied to the substrate and this stamper is pressed into the resin layer to form the desired depression/protrusion pattern, the substrate of the optical recording/reproduction medium in which the predetermined minute depression/protrusion pattern is formed in the surface can be formed.
Thus as described above, when groove portions are provided on the side farther from the reading light and satisfactory recording/reproduction characteristics cannot be maintained, a replica of the above-described master stamper, that is, a so-called mother stamper may be formed by transcription using electroplating or other methods to invert the depression/protrusion pattern and to obtain a configuration of the groove pattern on the substrate provided on the side closer to the reading light, thereby improving the recording/reproduction characteristics.
However, when a groove recording or land recording format is adopted, if an attempt is made to achieve high recording densities similar to the case of a land/groove recording format, then the track density must be set to double that of the case of a land/groove recording format, that is, the track pitch must be reduced to half; consequently the amplitude of the push-pull signal or other tracking servo signal is reduced, so that stable tracking and the reproduction of wobble signals become difficult.
For example, a land/groove recording format may have a track pitch of 0.60 μm, that is, a land width of 0.30 μm and a groove width of 0.30 μm, and the push-pull signal amplitude is approximately 90%.
However, when attempting to achieve a similar recording density using a groove recording format, if the track pitch is set to 0.32 μm, the push-pull signal amplitude is approximately 18%.
In conventional optical discs, the track pitch is set to the track pitch corresponding to a cutoff frequency of an optical pickup of a reproducing device, that is, approximately 3/2 to twice a spatial frequency. The cutoff frequency is the frequency at which the reproduction signal amplitude is substantially zero; if the wavelength of the laser light used for data reproduction is λ, and the numerical aperture of the objective lens focusing the laser light on the optical disc is NA, then the cutoff frequency is represented by 2NA/λ.
In the case of DVRs and the above-described Blu-ray Discs, the numerical aperture NA is 0.85±0.05, and the wavelength λ of reproduction light is 405±10 nm. If the numerical aperture NA is for example 0.85 and the reproduction light wavelength λ is for example 406 nm, then the cutoff frequency (2NA/λ) is 4187 lines/mm, and the track pitch corresponding to this is 0.239 μm.
If the track pitch of DVR and Blu-ray Discs is 0.32 μm, then this is approximately 4/3 (0.32/0.239=1.339) of the track pitch corresponding to the cutoff frequency 0.239 μm.
The reason for conventionally setting the track pitch to approximately 3/2 to twice the track pitch corresponding to the cutoff frequency is that, in order to obtain stabilized tracking servo operation and to reproduce a stable wobble signal, it is required to obtain a tracking servo signal amplitude at a sufficient level.
The high-density optical discs of recent years use a push-pull signal as the tracking error signal; however, in order to perform stable tracking servo operation, the push-pull signal amplitude ratio must be approximately 0.135 or more. Further, it is desirable that measures be taken to enable stable reproduction of the wobble signal.
On the other hand, apart from recording on grooves, a format is proposed in which TOC (Table of Contents) and other information is recorded as pits. However, because the density of pits in the circumferential direction is approximately half of that of grooves, there is the disadvantage that the tracking servo signal amplitude (push-pull signal amplitude) is reduced to half.
That is, if an attempt is made to increase the density with the above-described DVR and Blu-ray Disc track pitch being set to 0.32 μm, the push-pull signal amplitude for pits falls to approximately 9% (18%/2), so that tracking servo operation becomes difficult. Also, the pit depth at which the push-pull signal amplitude is maximum is approximately ⅛ of the wavelength λ of the optical pickup, and pit widths are approximately half the track pitch, so that the pit push-pull signal amplitude is improved to 12%, but tracking servo operation becomes unstable.

Optical recording/reproducing medium, stamper for manufacturing optical recording/reproducing medium, and optical recording/reproducing apparatus


In order to enable recording and reproduction from optical disks with defect management formatted with different group configurations without changing the firmware of the conventional apparatus and to allow the size of the spare area to be specified at initialization, the position information indicating the position of the defect management area is recorded in the control data area provided in the read-only area of the optical disk, and the information indicating the first address or size of the spare area is included in the defect management area.

The present invention relates to an optical disk and optical disk processing apparatus, specifically a rewritable optical disk of which recording area is divided into a plurality of groups by annular boundaries, each of the above mentioned groups having a spare area having sectors which can be allocated in place of defective sectors of the disk, and an optical disk processing apparatus that is capable of recording and reproducing data from the optical disk.
The data zone format of the conventional optical disk will be described. FIG. 16 shows the data zone configuration of an optical disk described in "STANDARD ECMA-201, DATA INTERCHANGE ON 90 mm OPTICAL DISK CARTRIDGES." Although the standard relates to the fully read-only type, partially rewritable type, and fully rewritable type, the following description relates only to the fully rewritable type.
Referring to the figure, a data zone contains four defect management areas (DMAs). Two of them are placed before a user area, and the other two are placed after the user area. Buffer tracks are disposed on the radially inward side of the defect management area 1 and on the radially outward side of the defect management area 4. An area between the defect management area 2 and defect management area 3 is referred to as a user area, which forms a recording/reproducing area where user data is recorded or reproduced. Each defect management area contains a disk definition structure (DDS), a primary defect list (PDL), and a secondary defect list (SDL). DDS is recorded in the first sector of each DMA after the disk is initialized. The information stored there includes a code indicating the disk type of each group such as rewritable or read-only, and the first addresses of PDL and SDL. PDL contains the addresses of all defective sectors detected at initialization. SDL is placed immediately after PDL and contains the addresses of defective sectors and the addresses of replacement sectors for use in management of defective sectors detected at recording. PDL and SDL are defect (management) information for managing defective sectors in the optical disk. The sizes of PDL and SDL are determined by the length of the information stored therein. Identical PDLs and identical SDLs are recorded in the four defect management areas of the disk.
DMAs are placed at positions having the first address values predetermined on the disk. FIG. 17 shows the positions of DMAs on the conventional optical disk. The ECMA-201, which is explained as an example, specifies fixed values, as shown in FIG. 17.
The ISO/IEC 15041 standard regarding the same type of optical disk with different capacity defines a similar group configuration with two options of 512 bytes per sector and 2048 bytes per sector. FIG. 18A and FIG. 18B show the positions of DMAs on another type of conventional optical disk. As shown in FIG. 18A and FIG. 18B, the disk has fixed values which are different from the values of the example described earlier.
The drive apparatus that is capable of reproduction from the two types of disks described above incorporates information indicating the storage positions of DMAs of the disk types in its firmware.
The size of the spare area in each zone of these disks is substantially proportional to the size of the user area in the same zone. FIG. 19 shows the size of spare area of the conventional ECMA-201 optical disk. As shown in the figure, the number of spare tracks is determined so that the ratio of the number of spare tracks to the number of data tracks will not be smaller than 0.2%. The spare areas are located at the ends of the respective zones.
In the apparatus that drives the optical disk medium as described above, the position information sent from the host as a parameter of a read/write instruction is a logical address, and this must be converted into a physical address by the drive. In addition, the group configuration must be specified to identify the location of replacement sectors for defective sectors.
Because the conventional optical disks are configured as described above, it is necessary to add or modify the firmware of the optical disk apparatus that controls the conversion between physical addresses and logical addresses and the defect management which controls the allocation of spare areas when a medium having a different group configuration is introduced.
Also, the size of the defect management area for each group is fixed, and the sizes of defect management areas of a disk of a particular group configuration may be greater than necessary for some applications.
When a medium having a new group configuration is introduced, an optical disk apparatus which can be used only with the conventional group configuration is not capable of reproduction from the medium of the new group configuration because the information indicating the position of the area containing the position information of defective sectors and of the area storing the information indicating the group configuration cannot be obtained from the disk.
Since data is usually recorded from a zone including a sector having a lowest logical address, zones including sectors with lower logical addresses have higher probabilities of using the spare area. However, the sizes of spare areas in the different zones of the disk are substantially proportional to the sizes of the user areas in the zones. Accordingly, the error rates of data recorded in the zones of the disk are not uniform.
The zone including the sector having the lowest logical address value, e.g, value "0", contains various control data and requires a higher reliability. But because the size of the spare area in each zone of the disk is substantially proportional to the size of the user area in the zone, the reliability of the control data is insufficient.

Rewritable optical disk with spare area and optical disk processing apparatus


The invention relates to arranging data flow control in a data transfer system comprising a sender and at least two protocol entities serving the transmission of data from the sender. The originating protocol entity of a suspension request primitive is checked. Suspension is set as the data transmission status for the protocol entity that has originated a suspension request primitive. The originating protocol entity of a resume request primitive is checked before sending it to the sender. Also the status information is checked. Transmission of the resume request primitive to the sender is prevented if suspension is set for any other protocol entity than the originating protocol entity of the resume request primitive.

In ordinary wireless data transmission the radio link level handles flow control, i.e. suspends and resumes the data flow. Usually a sender (either an internal application such as an MMS application (Multimedia Messaging Service) or an external dial-up device, e.g. a laptop) of the uplink data is faster than air interface, and an efficient flow control mechanism is needed for optimal data throughput. For arranging data flow control it is feasible to apply buffering and/or a suspension functionality. When suspension functionality is applied, the lower layer protocol entity may send a suspension request primitive to the sender which then suspends data transmission. In response to a resume request, the data transmission is resumed.
In the 2nd generation GSM/GPRS and in the 3rd generation UMTS of 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) system the radio links are mainly handled by a radio link layer (RLC) protocol. However, there are several other layers besides the RLC layer, which can start flow control mechanisms for their own purposes (not necessarily related to actual data transmission). The same applies for resuming data transmission, i.e. any underlying protocol layer entity can send the resume request to the sender. In uplink flow control, the sender cannot know which layer and why the data transmission is suspended or resumed, because the flow control primitives are the same regardless of the layer sending them. For instance, if the RLC layer entity in the GPRS stack suspends data transmission, this suspension request primitive is routed via upper layers, i.e. logical link control (LLC), sub-network dependent convergence protocol (SNDCP) and some implementation specific layers to the sender. But there is no difference from the sender point of view if suspension is initiated from some other layer, e.g. SNDCP layer. In data transmission suspension, it does not matter if the sender receives several suspension primitives from different lower layers. Data transmission is suspended after the first primitive and the following primitives can be ignored. In data transmission resume, when the sender receives the first resume request primitive, it starts again uplink data transmission. However, in this case certain layers which have also initiated suspension, but have not yet sent a resume request might not be ready to receive uplink data. Depending on the layer implementation, such layer may discard data packets, or buffer the data until buffers are full and then discard, or do something else which is not optimal for data transmission. Data discarding is especially harmful in TCP/IP data transmission, because TCP will start slow-start mechanism after data loss and thus data throughput suffers.

Method and system for arranging data flow control in a data transfer system