The improved electrofusion joint and header for supplying hot water that perform satisfactorily at elevated temperatures as evidenced by high heat resistance, that exhibit good sealing property and that can be handled efficiently in mounting and various other operations have a crosslinked thermoplastic resin layer and at least one joining portion which comprises a non-crosslinked thermoplastic resin layer that is formed a as an integral part of the crosslinked thermoplastic resin layer in the area where it contacts a tubular member to be joined, and a heating electric wire provided either within or on the outer or inner surface of the non-crosslinked thermoplastic resin layer. Such electrofusion joint and header are applicable to any part of a piping system for supplying hot water and they will withstand use for a prolonged period.

The present invention relates to an electrofusion joint with which members such as polyolefin pipes, in particular, conduits for supplying hot water are joined or connected either to themselves or to the lateral side of other conduits. The present invention also relates to an electrofusion joint fitted with a connecting member for establishing connection to terminals such as nozzles on a conduit header. The present invention further relates to a header for distributing hot water from a heat source providing apparatus such as a hot water supplier to more than one site of use.
Pipes made of crosslinked polyolefins such as silane-crosslinked polyethylene are used as conduits for supplying hot water. Crosslinked polyolefins perform satisfactorily at elevated temperatures as evidenced by high heat resistance and good high-temperature creep characteristic and have a shape-retaining capability. However, unlike non-crosslinked polyolefins, crosslinked polyolefins cannot be fused to members to be joined. Hence, electrofusion joints used to connect non-crosslinked polyolefin pipes are not applicable to crosslinked polyolefin pipes. It is also impossible to form electrofusion joints using crosslinked polyolefins.
Therefore, crosslinked polyolefin pipes are currently joined by means of mechanical couplings, or joints that rely upon mechanical couplings are produced from crosslinked polyolefins. However, mechanical joints used in connecting hot water pipes which require high strength to withstand high operating pressures involve a complicated structure and cannot be handled efficiently in piping work. Further, compressive sealing performed with these mechanical joints causes the disadvantage that their performance will decrease with time as exemplified by deterioration in the reliability of sealing due to creeping in pipes or stress relaxation of pipes and sealants.
Further, if thin-walled resin pipes are connected by conventional electrofusion joints, the joined portions will thermally deform and bulge inward to restrict the fluid passage.
An electrofusion joint formed of a thermoplastic resin is known that is provided with a fine orifice in the body of the joint, through which the resin that has become molten when a member of interest is joined by fusion will come out to provide a measure for checking whether said member has completely fused to the joint (see, for example, Unexamined Published Japanese Patent Application No. 61-62696). However, being formed of a kind of thermoplastic resin, this prior art electrofusion joint has the disadvantage that the molten resin coming out of the orifice has the same color as the surrounding resin of which the joint is formed and that extrusion of this resin is difficult to identify. Thus, the time at which fusion has been completed cannot be detected precisely.
Further, connecting terminals such as nozzles on a conduit header are usually metallic and it is difficult to connect them to crosslinked thermoplastic resin pipes.
FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a piping system for supplying hot water. Shown by 81 in the diagram is a header by which hot water from a heat source providing apparatus 82 such as a hot water supplier is distributed to a faucet 83 in the kitchen, a faucet 84 in the lavatory, a faucet 85 in the bathroom, and other outlets. The heat source providing apparatus 82 receives water from a supply pipe 86, heats it by burning the gas supplied through a gas pipe 87, and supplies the heated water through a hot water main 88 to the header 81.
Header 81 is shaped of a metal in hollow form and has a single receptacle 91 on the inlet side and a plurality of receptacles of same diameter 92a, 92b, 92c, 92d, . . . on the outlet side. The receptacle 91 on the inlet side is connected to the hot water main 88 by fastening means such as screws, whereas the receptacles 92a, 92b, 92c, 92d, . . . on the outlet side are connected to branch pipes 93a, 93b, 93c, 93d, . . . by fastening means such as screws. The branch pipes 93a, . . . have such bore diameters that faucets 83, 84, 85, . . . are supplied with hot water in the necessary flow rates that correspond to the capacities of the respective faucets.
The conventional header 81 has had several problems on account of the fact that it is formed of metal. First, it is liable to corrosion and is heavy. Second, it is difficult to connect to plastic pipes and is not suitable for large-scale production.
Further, the header 81 fitted with a plurality of receptacles of same diameter 92a, . . . on the outlet side has to be connected to branch pipes 93a, . . . of smaller diameter by means of reducers and this has been another factor that makes the header unsuitable for large-scale production.

Electrofusion joint and hot water supply header using the same


A computer-implemented method for enhancing an offer included within an online advertisement is implemented by a computing device. The computing device is coupled to a memory device. The method includes storing, within the memory device, a plurality of online advertisements. At least some of the plurality of online advertisements include offers. The method also includes identifying a candidate offer included within an online candidate advertisement from the plurality of online advertisements stored within the memory device, validating the candidate offer including determining that a web site associated with the online candidate advertisement includes data matching the candidate offer, and enhancing the display information associated with the validated candidate offer prior to providing the online candidate advertisement associated with the validated candidate offer.

This description relates to identifying offers included within certain online content, validating the presence of the offers within the online content, and enhancing display information associated with the online content prior to providing online content to a user.
Online content may contain a variety of information. Some information included within online content may be graphical or textual. The information included in online content may contain references, in some form, to an offer that may be of interest to a viewer of the online content. Examples of such offers may include, without limitation, discounts on merchandise or services, notice of limited availability of merchandise or services, and availability of customized merchandise or services. Some viewers of such online content may have a particular interest in viewing and/or purchasing the offerings suggested or mentioned in the online content. Some viewers may accordingly have a preference to view online content with such offerings.
However, at least some online content contains a broad range of unstructured information and it may therefore be difficult to accurately identify online content that contain offers. It may also be difficult to distinguish online content that is merely promoting merchandise and services generally from other online content with specific offers related to merchandise and services. It may also be difficult to verify that certain online content suggests or claims an offer is actually connected to a real offer on the website of the retailer or merchant responsible for creating the online content.

Identifying creative offers within online content


A scanning mechanism 6 moves an optical head 5 relative to a mount plate 2 in a scan direction, and light emitting diodes 3A, 3B mounted on the optical head 5 emit their respective beams of measurement light along the scan direction and onto two color regions TP3, TP3, respectively, of an immunochromatographic test strip mounted on the mount plate 2. Photodiodes 4A, 4B mounted on the optical head 5 receive respective beams of reflected light from the two color regions TP3, TP3 perpendicularly to colored lines on the immunochromatographic test strip, thereby implementing simultaneous measurement of color intensities of the colored lines formed in the two color regions TP3, TP3 of the immunochromatographic test strip.

An immunochromatographic test strip has a color region preliminarily coated with a bandlike coating of an antibody (or antigen) which brings about an antigen-antibody reaction with an antigen (or antibody) in analyte. When the antigen (or antibody) in analyte labeled with a dye is developed to the color region of the test strip by a developing solution, the antigen (or antibody) in analyte undergoes the antigen-antibody reaction with the bandlike coating of the antibody (or antigen) to be trapped, thus forming a colored line of color caused by the dye in the color region.
With the immunochromatographic test strip of this type, the amount of the antigen (or antibody) in analyte can be quantitatively determined by optically measuring the color intensity of the colored line formed in the color region, by means of a measuring device.
As a device for measuring the color intensity of the test strip such as the immunochromatographic test strip, there is a conventionally well-known device configured to irradiate measurement light onto the colored line (color zone) formed in the color region of the test strip and to receive reflected light thereof to measure the color intensity of the colored line (e.g., reference is made to Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-326191
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-83745


A support shaft arranged in a spaced relationship relative to a bowling lane top surface is arranged to include slidably mounted signal members, wherein the signal members are arranged for rotary displacement upon communication of a bowling ball with a flange portion of each signal member. Indication of bowling ball path to provide for training and correction of such path is thereby enabled.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of invention relates to bowling training structure, and more particularly pertains to a new and improved bowling training apparatus wherein the same is arranged to indicate path of a bowling ball relative to its trajectory along a bowling lane.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Bowling training structure such as indicated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,822,040 are available in the prior art to indicate trajectory path of a bowling ball, wherein the U.S. Pat. No. 4,822,040 includes a target sheet arranged for positioning upon a bowling lane to indicate path of the bowling ball as it is directed over the sheet.
The instant invention attempts to overcome deficiencies of the prior art by providing for a readily positioned and mounted apparatus, wherein the same is arranged to permit immediate visual indication in the deflection of signal members displaced upon a bowling ball effecting contact with the signal members and in this respect, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.

Pivoting target bowling training apparatus


A propulsion system includes two electric motors, a gearbox with at least three forward gears and a control unit to control the electric motors and the engagement of the gears. The gearbox includes two primary shafts, one associated to with the odd gears and the other with the even gears and are permanently connected each to a respective electric motor. The control unit controls the two electric motors and the engagement of the gears of the gearbox to provide at least a first operating mode in which the first gear and the second gear are engaged at the same time and a second operating mode in which the second gear and the third gear are engaged at the same time. In each of these operating modes the torque being transmitted by both the electric motors.

This application claims benefit of Ser. No. TO2011A000483, filed 3 Jun. 2011 in Italy and which application is incorporated herein by reference. To the extent appropriate, a claim of priority is made to the above disclosed application.
The present invention relates to an electric propulsion system for vehicles, comprising a first and a second electric motor, a gearbox with at least three forward gears and control means arranged to control the first and the second electric motor and to control the engagement of the gears of the gearbox.
An electric propulsion system for vehicles of the above-identified type is known from DE-A-101 11 137.


An imager captures successive images of an object. One image is then subtracted from another image to generate difference images. Each difference image is then correlated with itself or with one of the images used to generate the difference image to determine the relative motion between the imager an the object.

Navigational devices have been used with computers and other types of computing systems for many years. A computer mouse is one example of a navigation device. With a mechanical computer mouse, a ball rolls over a mouse pad as the mouse is moved. Interior to the mouse are wheels that contact the ball and covert its rotation into electrical signals representing orthogonal components of motion.
Another type of computer mouse is an optical mouse. FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of a portion of an optical mouse according to the prior art. Mouse 100 includes light source 102 and imager 104. Light source 102 is typically implemented as a light-emitting diode, which emits light 106 towards surface 108. Imager 104 captures images from surface 108 and transmits the images to processing circuit 110. Processing circuit 110 typically correlates the images in order to track the motion of objects in the images and determine the speed and distance mouse 100 has moved across surface 108.
Contamination in the optical path between surface 108 and imager 104 can reduce the ability of processing circuit 110 to determine motion. Contamination such as dust, lint, and condensation appear as background noise that remains relatively constant from image to image and reduces the efficiency of the correlation engine. If the contamination increases over time, the background noise may cause the correlation engine to produce signals that overwhelm the other signals and cause processing circuit 110 to erroneously conclude optical mouse 100 is not moving.

Method and system for determining motion based on difference image correlation


A lifting system includes elevator towers constructed on a deck of a floating vessel, tracks constructed above the deck of the floating vessel, a traveling cradle beam, and one or more cranes supported by the traveling cradle beam. The traveling cradle beam can be in a first configuration in which the traveling cradle beam is coupled to the elevator towers and can move along the elevator towers past the tracks, and in a second configuration in which the traveling cradle beam is decoupled from the elevator towers and can skid over the tracks. The lifting system can be constructed in stages, and the portion of the lifting system constructed in the initial stages can be used to continue constructing the lifting system in the remaining stages. The lifting system can be used for transporting equipment on the floating vessel.

This disclosure relates generally to lifting systems for a floating vessel. This disclosure relates more specifically to lifting systems for a floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel that can be used for repairing or upgrading the production equipment of the FPSO vessel.
An FPSO vessel is used in the offshore oil and gas industry for the processing and storage of fluids produced from nearby platforms or subsea production systems. The fluids are processed and stored on the FPSO vessel until an amount of hydrocarbons that is sufficient to fill a tanker is available. For processing the hydrocarbons, the FPSO vessel can include equipment for separating gas, water, and oil, for treating produced water, for treating and injecting seawater, for compressing and cooling produced gas, etc. This equipment is typically located on the deck of the FPSO vessel.
To accommodate the equipment used for processing the hydrocarbons, the deck of the FPSO vessel may be long and wide. When the production equipment of the FPSO vessel needs repairing or upgrading, it may be difficult to access the equipment with cranes or other lifting systems.
Thus, there is a continuing need in the art for methods and apparatus for lifting systems for a floating vessel.


Provided is a wiper blade rubber which has excellent wiping properties and low friction properties with respect to both clean glass surfaces and glass surfaces that have been subjected to a water repellent treatment, and which maintains these properties for a long period of time. A wiper blade rubber which has a lip part wherein a coating layer is provided on a rubber substrate by (a) applying a first coating agent onto a part of the surface of the rubber substrate, (b) curing a first coating layer by heating the rubber substrate onto which the first coating agent is applied, (c) applying a second coating agent onto the surface of the rubber substrate which has the cured first coating layer and (d) drying the second coating agent. The present invention enables the achievement of a wiper blade rubber wherein: the coating layer contains the first coating layer and the second coating layer; and the first coating layer is affixed to a part of the rubber substrate and the second coating layer is affixed to another part of the rubber substrate in the lip part.

Wipers are sliding members conventionally used in transport machines such as vehicles, aircrafts and ships, and industrial machines and instruments such as construction machines, for the purpose of wiping off water and fine particles adhering to smooth surfaces such as glass to ensure visibility for the operator.
Wiper blade rubbers are generally fitted to the sliding parts of the wipers. For example, an automobile windshield wiper has a wiper blade rubber which removes rainwater, snow, dust, mud and the like off the glass surface in association with the driving of the wiper, thus ensuring visibility for the driver. Some of the requirements for wiper blade rubbers are excellent durability as well as a small friction coefficient with glass and wiping performance good enough to remove water droplets, dirt and the like sufficiently.
Rubbers and other materials such as resin elastomers are generally used as the base materials of wiper blade rubbers. To reduce the wear of wiper blade rubbers, it is preferable to lessen the friction between the wiper blade rubber and the surface that is wiped (glass surface). Thus, a coating layer is conventionally formed on the surface of the base material that will contact glass, to reduce the friction between the base material and the glass during sliding of the wiper blade.
In a conventional wiper blade rubber, a coating layer is formed by coating a solid lubricant onto the surface of a base material. Although such a wiper blade rubber can attain low friction at an initial stage of use, the coating layer is gradually worn or comes off during long use to expose the base material having high frictional properties. Thus, it is difficult to maintain low friction over a long time.
The present inventors have studied in detail in order to solve the above problem and have found the following. A coating layer which has a high elastic modulus and is relatively hard tends to be worn by repeated sliding on the glass surface, and thus it is difficult to maintain the wiping performance over a long time. Further, when a coating layer has a high elastic modulus and is hard, the followability to a curved glass surface such as an automobile windshield is degraded, and it becomes difficult to suppress the occurrence of problems such as irregular wiping. However, when a wiper blade rubber having a small elastic modulus and a soft coating layer are provided in order to improve followability to the glass surface, the wiper blade rubber itself is stuck to the glass surface and the friction coefficient at the start of sliding becomes high.
Also in recent years, glass surfaces such as those in automobiles are coated with water repellents including silicone compounds or fluorine compounds in order to ensure good visibility. However, when a water-repellent agent is used, there is a problem that abrasion of the wiper blade rubber and wear of the water-repellent treated film on the glass surface progress, because the friction between the wiper blade rubber and the glass surface becomes large. Also, in order to suppress the progress of abrasion, a wiper blade rubber made of silicone rubber can be used, but on a glass surface not subjected to water repellent treatment, a silicone component is transferred from the coating agent, and as a result, it is difficult to form a lubricating film (water film), and the wiping performance is deteriorated


This invention relates generally to apparel, and in particular, to a garment with a venting structure and a method of using the venting structure.

This invention relates generally to apparel, and in particular, to a garment with a venting structure and a method of using the venting structure.
Typically, people wear garments to provide protection from the elements. Depending on the environmental conditions, people wear different garments to keep warm, even during the start of exercise. As the user's body heats up during an activity, at some point the user will become uncomfortable in the garment and will need to cool down.
Typically, the user will wear several layers of garments and will remove a layer when necessary to cool down. Such removal can be difficult during the exercise, particularly, depending on the exercise. Moreover, the user usually has to carry or otherwise dispose of the removed garment. Alternatively, some known garments include an opening through which air can flow into and/or out of the garment.
Thus, a need exists for a garment that includes a venting structure that can be easily adjusted to control the flow of air into and/or out of the garment.

Garment with a venting structure and method of using the same


A method of constructing a synthetic polynucleotide, the method including selecting a first codon of a parent polynucleotide that encodes a polypeptide for replacement with a synonymous codon, wherein the synonymous codon is selected on the basis that it exhibits a higher translational efficiency in an epithelial cell of a mammal than the first codon in a comparison of translational efficiencies of codons in test cells of the same type as the epithelial cell; and replacing the first codon with the synonymous codon to construct the synthetic polynucleotide.

While gene therapy is of great clinical interest for treatment of gene defects, this therapy has not entered into mainstream clinical practice, at least in part because selective delivery of genes to target tissues has proven extremely difficult. Currently, viral vectors are used, particularly retroviruses and adenovirus, which are to some extent selective. However, many vector systems are by their nature unable to produce stable integrants and some also invoke immune responses thereby preventing effective treatment. Alternatively, "naked" DNA is packaged in liposomes or other similar delivery systems. A major problem to be overcome is that such gene delivery systems themselves are not tissue selective, whereas selective targeting of genes to particular tissues would be desirable for many disorders (e.g., cancer therapy). While use of tissue specific promoters to target gene therapy has been effective in some animal models it has proven less so in man, and selective tissue specific promoters are not available for a wide range of tissues.
The current invention has arisen unexpectedly from recent investigations exploring why papillomavirus (PV) late gene expression is restricted to differentiated keratinocytes. In this regard, it is known that PV late genes L1 and L2 are only expressed in non-dividing differentiated keratinocytes (KCs). Many investigators including the present inventors have been unable to detect significant PV L1 and L2 protein expression when these genes are transduced or transfected into undifferentiated cultured cells, using a range of conventional constitutive viral promoters including retroviral long terminal repeats (LTRs) and the strong constitutive promoters of CMV and SV40. PV L1 mRNA can however be efficiently translated in vitro using rabbit reticulocyte cell lysate, suggesting that there are no cellular inhibitors in the lysate interfering with translation of L1. The major difference between the in vitro and in vivo translation systems is that L1 comprises the dominant L1 mRNA in in vitro translation reactions, while it constitutes a minor fraction among the cellular mRNAs in intact cells.
In vivo, PV late proteins are not produced in undifferentiated KC. However, they are expressed in large quantity in highly differentiated KC. The mechanism of this tight control of late gene expression has been poorly understood, and searches by many groups for KC specific PV gene transcriptional control proteins have been unrewarding.
Blockage of translation of L1 mRNA in vivo has been attributed to sequences within the L1 ORF (Tan et al. 1995, J. Virol. 69 5607-5620; Tan and Schwartz, 1995, J. Virol. 69 2932-2945). By using a Rev and Rev-responsive element of HIV, such inhibition could be overcome (Tan et al. 1995, supra). Accordingly, the inventors examined whether removal of putative "inhibitory sequences" in the L1 ORF would allow production of L1 protein in undifferentiated cells. Deletion mutagenesis of BPV L1 to remove putative inhibitory sequences and expression of resultant deletion mutants in CV-1 cells revealed surprisingly that despite expression of L1 mRNA, L1 protein could not be detected.
In view of the foregoing, it has been difficult hitherto to understand how papillomaviruses produce large amounts of L1 protein in the late stage of their life cycle using this apparently "untranslatable" gene. The present inventors have discovered the mechanism by which L1 protein is expressed in the late stage of the life cycle of this virus, and have also discovered a method of general application whereby polynucleotides can be designed or modified in order to effect selective expression of a protein in a target cell or tissue.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method of constructing a synthetic polynucleotide


This invention relates to control or removal of amounts of dissolved iron that may be present in liquid process streams in the manufacture of aromatic acids. The present invention further relates to the control or removal of dissolved iron contaminants present in liquid streams during the manufacture of a crude aromatic acid. The present invention also further relates to the control or removal of dissolved iron contaminants present in liquid streams during the purification of a crude aromatic acid. The present invention also further relates to controlling of decreasing the formation of iron oxides on the surfaces of equipment used during the manufacture of crude aromatic acid and/or purification of crude aromatic acid.

Aromatic acids comprise at least one aromatic ring, typically a benzene or naphthalene ring, substituted by at least one carboxylic acid group. Examples of aromatic acids include phthalic acid, isophthalic acid, terephthalic acid, 2,6 naphthalene dicarboxylic acid, and benzoic acid. When reacted with other monomers such as diols (e.g. ethylene glycol), aromatic acids may be used to make useful polymers such as polyesters (e.g. polyethylene terephthalate). These resulting polyesters are useful in a variety of applications including containers, films, packaging materials, fibers, and others.
Aromatic acids are typically manufactured by an aromatic oxidation process wherein a feedstock comprising an aromatic compound substituted with at least one oxidizable group such as alkyl or acyl group or combinations thereof is oxidized to form a crude aromatic acid. Typical feedstocks suitable for oxidation to form aromatic acids include ortho-xylene, meta-xylene, paraxylene, 1,5 dimethylnaphthalene, 2,6 dimethylnaphthalene, and the like. The feedstock is typically oxidized in a reactor in the presence of a carboxylic acid solvent, oxidation catalyst, and a source of oxygen. The catalyst used in the oxidation process typically comprises one or more oxidation catalyst metals, including those metals having an atomic number of about 21 to about 82.
The aromatic oxidation process is typically an exothermic oxidation reaction, which results in the formation of a crude aromatic acid product in an oxidation reactor. Typically, the crude aromatic acid precipitates to form an oxidation slurry with a solid phase comprising precipitated crude aromatic acid product and an oxidation liquid stream. The oxidation liquid stream comprises the carboxylic acid solvent, water, and various materials in solution including unreacted feedstock, unprecipitated crude aromatic acid product, unprecipitated oxidation reaction by-products and oxidation catalyst materials, e.g. cobalt, manganese and bromine. The crude aromatic acid product may be separated from the oxidation liquid stream by subjecting the oxidation slurry to a solid-liquid separation step. Once separated from the crude aromatic acid product, the oxidation liquid stream is often also termed as "oxidation mother liquor." All or a portion of this oxidation mother liquor is frequently recycled, i.e. returned, to the oxidation reactor.
The crude aromatic acid product is typically purified in an aromatic acid purification process wherein the crude aromatic acid product is dissolved in water and treated with hydrogen and a hydrogenation catalyst under elevated temperature and pressure. After temperature and pressure are reduced, the aromatic acid purification process yields a purification slurry with a solid phase comprising precipitated purified aromatic acid product and a purification liquid stream. The purified aromatic acid may be separated from the purification liquid stream by subjecting the purification slurry to a solid-liquid separation step. Once separated from the purified aromatic acid product, the purification liquid stream is often referred to as a "purification mother liquor." The purification mother liquor usually is predominantly water and typically comprises minor amounts of additional components such as soluble hydrogenation by-products and, when purification is conducted as part of an integrated aromatic acid manufacturing process comprising oxidation and purification steps, may also contain residual carboxylic acid and minor amounts of oxidation catalyst metals. Purification mother liquor, or a portion thereof remaining after removal of soluble by-products, frequently is recycled in whole or in part to the process.
Certain problems are encountered during the aforementioned aromatic oxidation process and aromatic acid purification process which result from the contamination of liquid streams with dissolved iron. This dissolved iron contamination typically results when liquid streams are directed and exposed to iron-containing surfaces of equipment used during these processes. For example, oxidation and/or purification mother liquor is typically directed and exposed to iron-containing surfaces of equipment. Problems associated with dissolved iron contamination may be ameliorated by decreasing the exposure of liquid streams to iron-containing surfaces of equipment, such as by alternative use of solid titanium or titanium-clad equipment. Nevertheless, because of the relatively high expense of titanium, the exposure of liquid streams to iron-containing surfaces of equipment (e.g. stainless steel) remains a typical occurrence. Examples of equipment having iron-containing surfaces include pumps, transfer lines, vessels, and the like. Dissolved iron contamination is undesirable because of its potential to precipitate as iron oxide. Accumulation of iron oxide over time will typically begin to negatively affect the usefulness of a piece of equipment. For example, accumulation of iron oxide on the surface of titanium cladding may promote accelerated corrosion. Accordingly, it would be desirable to discover a method for removing dissolved iron from oxidation and/or purification liquid streams.
The problems associated with precipitation of iron from liquid streams contaminated with dissolved iron may be better understood with reference to the effects on particular equipment items. The aromatic oxidation process involves an exothermic reaction typically producing an off-gas comprising vaporized solvent and vaporized water. This off-gas or a portion thereof can be directed to a distillation column to separate the solvent from the off-gas so that it may be recycled. Passing through the distillation column, the off-gas is cooled while contacting internal packing materials or trays. This cooling allows the lower boiling point components, such as water, to be removed from the top of the column, while the higher boiling point components are returned to the bottom of the column and can be re-used, for example as solvent for the oxidation reaction. The cooling is typically assisted by introduction of a reflux at the top of the distillation column. This reflux typically comprises a liquid stream (preferably aqueous) containing materials which are the same as, or compatible with, the components of the oxidation process. Examples of such a liquid stream comprise water condensed from the distillation overhead gas, or from a predominantly water stream obtained by first condensing oxidation reactor off-gas to separate carboxylic acid solvent and subsequently condensing a portion of a resulting gas stream or, in processes in which oxidation and purification steps are integrated, a purification mother liquor resulting from the separation of a purification liquid stream from purified aromatic acid product or product and soluble purification by-products. Using such a purification mother or other liquid streams which may contain dissolved iron due to contact with equipment surfaces composed of iron or steel in the reflux may contribute to the formation of solid iron oxides on the surface of the internal packing materials of the distillation column.
The accumulation of iron oxides on packing materials comprising titanium is particularly undesirable. One publication has concluded that: "Accumulations of iron oxide . . . on titanium structured packing can promote or accelerate combustion of titanium. It may be appropriate to periodically remove accumulations of such materials through chemical or other means." (Centerline, Vol. 5, No. 2, Summer 2001, pp. 6–8, 15–18, published by Mary Kay O'Connor Process Safety Center). This publication further reports on a safety incident involving a fire at a chemical manufacturing facility, concluding that the presence of iron oxides "accelerated the oxidation of the titanium [packing materials] via a mechanism known as the Thermite Reaction in which the oxygen for combustion is taken from a less reactive metal oxide."
In U.S. Patent Application No. 60/327,464 filed Oct. 5, 2001, a cleaning process is proposed to remove accumulated iron oxides from the surface of aromatic acids manufacturing equipment exposed to liquid process streams which may carry dissolved iron. Nevertheless, it would be desirable to eliminate or decrease the need for cleaning by discovering a method of removing dissolved iron contamination from liquid streams during the aforementioned oxidation process and/or purification process.

Method of removing iron contaminants from liquid streams during the manufacture and/or purification of aromatic acids


A test system (10) for testing real-time angle/time based control systems includes a digital signal generator (16), a multi-channel pulse analyzer (22), and a test system host (12). The test system host (12) controls the execution of a user generated test script. The script specifies test stimuli, external angle/time event interrupts for use by the digital signal generator (16) to a device under test (DUT) (20), and angle/time triggers used by the analyzer (22) to test the DUT (20). Using the test stimuli and external angle/time event interrupts, the DUT (20) is exercised to determine whether or not the DUT (20) and corresponding control system software operate properly. Output data from the DUT (20) are monitored by the pulse analyzer (22), which records the output data based on information specified in the script. Test results are then retrieved by the test system host (12).

Data processing systems used for complex real-time control of rotating machine applications, such as engine and robotic control systems, continually require more precise control, faster response, and more input/output (I/O) capability. As a result, the need for improved data processing by a data processing system has grown significantly in recent years. While modern microprocessors and microcontrollers have been able to accommodate these increased performance needs, the ability to provide real-time test coverage for these integrated circuit devices and the software they contain has not been accommodated.
For example, a modern engine control system, such as for controlling the operation of an automobile engine, performs such functions as monitoring the current location, speed, and acceleration of a crank shaft or cam, controlling fuel injection into each cylinder by starting and stopping fuel pulses at precise times, and controlling spark plugs for each cylinder by providing a spark pulse of a precisely controlled given duration.
An engine cycle is the number of crank shaft rotations that occur from one spark plug firing to the next. In a four stroke engine having four cylinders, this would be two complete revolutions of the crank shaft. Given a maximum engine speed of approximately one hundred revolutions per second, a total of fifty engine cycles would be processed in one second. Therefore, each engine cycle would take approximately twenty milliseconds. During this twenty millisecond time it would be necessary for the microcontroller to detect seventy-two teeth marking the location of the crank shaft, and perform certain tasks, such as, turning the fuel injectors on and off for four cylinders at the correct time for the correct amount of time, and turning on and off four spark plugs at the precise time. In a typical automobile engine, just these basic engine control functions result in the detection and control of over 4400 events in just one-second. In addition to these basic functions, many other synchronous and asynchronous events need to be handled. It would be prohibitively expensive and time consuming to test all combinations and permutations of the synchronous and asynchronous signals necessary to control the engine relative to each other. For example, if desirable to determine how a specific asynchronous event effects performance during an acceleration period that lasts as short as 10 seconds, in would be necessary to perform an interrupt repeatedly between the beginning of the acceleration cycle and the end of the acceleration cycle in order to assure accurate test coverage.
Current testing of such real-time angle based systems is difficult and requires manual setup, execution, and analysis of testing vectors. The amount of time taken to perform each individual test can be relatively long because testing of as many data points as possible is desirable in order to implement a near real-time analysis. For example, in order for a test engineer to devise the appropriate setup to provide a system the appropriate stimulus, execute the stimulus, obtain results and analyze them, can take several hours for a single test point. Analyzing a minimal set of points to simulate real time, as discussed above, can require thousands of individual tests requiring thousands of hours. Also, because of the complexity of today's real-time angle/time based systems, testing must be at an application, or system, level, with a large number of test cases. In addition, testing must be performed in real time, including dynamic test cases, and must be repeatable and quantifiable.
Therefore, it would be desirable for an automated test system for verifying real-time angle/time based systems that allowed for efficient setup, execution and analysis of test stimuli.

Test system for verifying angle/time based systems and method therefor


Techniques for multiuser application platform are described. Generally, a multiuser application allow interaction by multiple different users with a single executing instance of the application. Implementations include a multiuser operating system and a multiuser application programming interface that enable interaction by multiple users with an executing instance of a multiuser application.

Traditional operating systems (OS) rely on separate interactive sessions for each user. They may allow multiple users to switch in and out of an operating system and application experiences, but user interactions and integration with services and features is typically limited to one user at a time.
Enabling parallel application functionality on a traditional operating system typically requires an application developer to conceive their own user model that is managed in the application layer. This fundamentally limits the user-related customization that can be achieved since there is no support for multiple users in a same application session.


A device is disclosed that enables a physician to remotely perform a physical examination of a patient. The device includes a hand control unit (100) that is shaped to accommodate a physician""s hand, and includes a number of sensory modulation subunits (140) that can simultaneously detect applied pressure and exert pressure back to the physician. The hand control unit (100) connects through a computer (160) to a remote patient examination module (200). The patient examination module (200) interfaces with a remotely located patient, preferably by wrapping around the portion of the patient""s body that is to be examined. The patient examination module (200) includes a plurality of sensory modulation subunits (240) arranged in an array forming a flexible pad (202). In operation the sensory modulation subunits (240) of the patient examination module (200) receive a signal from the hand control unit (100) that indicates the location and magnitude of pressure""s applied to the hand control unit (100) by the physician, and replicates that pressure in the patient through the sensory modulation subunits (240), which simultaneously detect the responsive pressures exerted by the corresponding portions of the patient""s body. The magnitude and location of these responsive pressures are converted to a digital signal that is fed back to the hand control unit (100) sensory modulation subunits (140), providing the physician with a tactile response simulating direct contact with the patient.

This invention relates to medical devices that transmit tactile information from a remote location to an individual and, in particular, to devices that assist in the examination of a patient at a location remote from the location of a medical examiner.
Computer technology and the enhanced ability for individuals to communicate via the Internet and other wide area networks have greatly altered our society. These communications platforms have allowed for the effective and efficient worldwide transfer of data as well as accessibility of this information to the general public. The way in which people communicate, exchange information, and transact business is being substantially affected by these developments. Traditional business practices are being expanded such that any business with a computer and Web site has potential access to any consumer in the world with a computer. Each individual business now has essentially a worldwide customer base. While many businesses are capitalizing on these current trends, the health care industry is one notable exception that is substantially lagging.
The health care environment is extremely complex. While third party and government payers and players in this arena have applied pressure to patients, hospitals, and physicians in order to xe2x80x9cstandardizexe2x80x9d health care issues into predictable business models, this has been a difficult task to date. The uniqueness of each individual and the underlying basic characteristics of biological organisms, in themselves, preclude medicine from ever being an exact science which can be accurately predicted in all respects. This variability among patients, their diseases, their individual manifestation of similar diseases, and physician skill, training, and treatment practices all contribute to the difficulty in standardizing medical information collection, data storage, treatment algorithms, outcomes, and business modeling.
Medical practice is also a very unique type of personal service. A sick patient interacts with a unique skilled professional with the expectation of improving his or her health condition or alleviating suffering. The underlying physician-patient encounter is in actuality a complex data gathering interaction which is processed by the physician, who then develops an optimal diagnosis and treatment plan. The input data from the physician-patient encounter comes from a variety of sources which include the physical examination of the patient, laboratory tests, and radiological imaging studies, The most important source of input information is often the actual physical examination of the patient. The physical examination consists of the transfer of personal historical information from the patient to the physician, a review of the patient""s current medications, and a direct visual and manual examination of the patient""s body by the physician.
The manual examination of the patient""s body includes applying gentle hand pressure along various parts of the abdomen, chest, and extremities in order to determine the body""s response to direct manipulation. Inflammatory processes such as infections, abscesses, thromboses (clots), hollow or solid organ perforations, or fractures will yield a pain response with an increase in resistance in order to xe2x80x9cguardxe2x80x9d or protect against the noxious applied stimulus. Tumors or organ enlargement may be detected by resistance changes detected below an otherwise normal skin surface, analogous to perceiving a stone trapped in one""s shoe. Fluid within the abdomen (ascites) can also be detected by applying hand pressure at one end of the abdomen and detecting the resultant fluid wave at an opposite location within the same cavity.
An expertly performed history and physical examination will yield a correct diagnosis with approximately 90% accuracy. In most circumstances, the laboratory and radiological imaging data provide confirmation of the diagnosis as well as adjunctive detail regarding the patient""s condition. In the general sense, the physician functions as a computer by collecting all of the available input data from the various sources, processing that information with respect to the physician""s personal knowledge or reference base, and establishing a list of likely diagnostic possibilities based on the input information. The physician then recommends a plan of treatment which is expected to improve the patient""s health condition.
A portion of the data required to make an accurate medical diagnosis can be exchanged between the patient, laboratory, radiology, and physician using a variety of communications methods without the need for direct face to face contact between the communicating entities. The current communications revolution has allowed for the exchange of historical information, laboratory data, telemetry, and radiological studies via telephone, pager, fax, e-mail, and video. These advances have benefited all types of businesses, and medicine is no exception. There is, however, one unique piece of the data gathering process specific to medicinexe2x80x94the direct manual examination of the patient""s body by the physicianxe2x80x94which currently is not amenable to remote data acquisition.
The present invention provides a system satisfying the needs identified above. The device includes a hand control unit, a remote examination module, and a computer system connecting the hand control unit to the remote examination module. The present invention relates generally to a system enabling a user to send tactile stimuli such as a pressure input to a remote body such that the stimuli is experienced by the remote body to produce a response, detect the tactile response of the remote body to generate feedback, and transmit that tactile feedback to the user. A preferred embodiment of the invention is directed to remote patient examinations, and includes a physician""s hand control unit (HCU) that is used by a physician to generate tactile stimuli, and is coupled by a computer system to a patient examination module (PEM) that applies the tactile stimuli to a patient and detects and transmits feedback corresponding to the detected response back to the HCU.
The HCU has at least one and preferably a plurality of sensory modulation subunits, and is adapted to receive the physician""s hand such that the physician has access to the sensory modulation subunits. The PEM is adapted to contact or receive a portion of a patient""s anatomy, preferably by wrapping around a portion of the patient, and has at least one and preferably a plurality of sensory modulation subunits that are thereby placed adjacent to the patient. The sensory modulation subunits detect forces or pressures applied to the subunits to produce corresponding output signals, and exert forces and/or displacements in response to input signals. Preferably, detection and exertion of forces occur approximately simultaneously. The sensory modulation subunits in the HCU are coupled to the sensory modulation subunits on the PEM through the computer system. In one embodiment, the computer system includes a first computer attached to the HCU and a second computer attached to the PEM, wherein the first and second computers have compatible communication systems to enable communications therebetween over a network.
The sensory modulation subunits on the HCU are coupled to the sensory modulation subunits on the PEM through software that feeds back the pressures detected, which permits the physician to simulate actual physical contact with a remote patient.
In a first preferred embodiment of the device, the PEM utilizes sensory modulation subunits with mechanical piston-type variable pressure-producing devices, such as linear actuators, to exert pressure in response to input signals. In a second embodiment of the device, the PEM utilizes pneumatic or hydraulic systems and expandable cells to produce the exerted pressure in response to input signals.
In an aspect of the present invention, the HCU includes a tracking ball and a button accessible to the user""s hand which allows the physician to use the HCU in a manner similar to a computer mouse to interact with the computer-for example, to select specific portions of the PEM with which to interface.

Device for the direct manual examination of a patient in a non-contiguous location


A monitoring diagnostic device for an electrical appliance such as gas insulated switchgear includes a sensor, such as an acceleration sensor, and a neural network including an input layer, an intermediate layer, and an output layer, each consisting of a plurality of neural elements. The input, intermediate and output layers are coupled to each other via a plurality of connection weights. The output of the sensor is first processed and then is supplied to the neural elements of the input layer. The connection weights are adjusted by means of learning data such that the output from the neural elements of the output layer of the neural network correctly identifies the causes of abnormality of the electrical appliance.

This invention relates to monitoring diagnosis devices for electrical appliances, and more particularly to monitoring diagnosis devices for monitoring the occurrences of abnormality and diagnosing, identifying and inferring the causes of abnormality of electrical appliances, such as gas insulated electric devices, oil insulated electrical appliances, air insulated electrical appliances, vacuum insulated electrical appliances, and solid insulated electrical appliances, for interrupters, switchgears, disconnectors, voltage transformers, current transformers, buses, insulated meters, generators or dynamos, and electrical rotating machines.
FIG. 12 is a diagrammatic view showing the structure of a conventional monitoring diagnosis device, which is disclosed in: T. Yamagiwa et al., "DEVELOPMENT OF PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE SYSTEM FOR HIGHLY RELIABLE GAS INSULATED SWITCHGEAR", 90 WH 160-2 PWRD, 1990 IEEE.
In FIG. 12, an electrical appliance (in this case a gas insulated switchgear) includes a spacer 1 and a tank 2. A central conductor 3 accommodated within the tank 2 is connected to a power transmission line 4. A foreign object 5 may be attached to the central conductor 3 to cause partial discharges 6 within the tank 2. An acceleration sensor 7 and an ultrasonic sensor 39 mounted on the tank 2 detect the low and the high frequency vibrations. A divider circuit 40 calculates the ratio C of the output A of the acceleration sensor 7 and the output B of the ultrasonic sensor 39. A judgment circuit 41 judges whether or not the ratio C is greater than a predetermined threshold level Th. Thus, a controller 42 including the divider circuit 40 and the judgment circuit 41 monitors the occurrences of abnormality and diagnoses the causes thereof in accordance with a predetermined algorithm, outputting the monitoring signal D.
Next, the operation of the monitoring diagnosis device of FIG. 12 is described. The divider circuit 40 calculates the ratio C of the outputs A and B of the acceleration sensor 7 and the ultrasonic sensor 39. On receiving the ratio C, the judgment circuit 41 judges that an abnormality has occurred in the gas insulated switchgear when the ratio is greater than the threshold Th. When the ratio is less than the threshold Th, the judgment circuit 41 judges that the outputs of the acceleration sensor 7 and the ultrasonic sensor 39 are noises and hence that no abnormality is present. The level of the threshold Th is set in accordance with experimental results or experience.
Thus, the conventional monitoring diagnosis device has the following disadvantage. The occurrences of abnormality are determined in accordance with the algorithm by which the ratio C of the outputs of two sensors is compared with a predetermined threshold Th and an occurrence of abnormality is determined when the ratio is greater than the threshold Th. The threshold Th must therefore be determined by means of experiments or experience. This determination is time consuming. The determination of the threshold Th must be renewed when the type of the gas insulated switchgear changes, or when the installation site and hence the background noise environment change. Further, it is necessary to update the level of the threshold Th in accordance with the aging of the device. Furthermore, the determination algorithm requires two sensors. When only one sensor is available, the algorithm cannot be used. On the other hand, even if three or more sensors are installed, the information supplied by the additional sensors cannot be utilized in the diagnosis. Thus applicability of the monitoring diagnosis device is limited. Further, the conventional monitoring diagnosis device provides only the information on whether the gas insulated electric device is in an abnormal or normal state: the causes of abnormality cannot be identified.

Monitoring diagnosis device for electrical appliance


A method of packaging a beverage containing gas in solution and a beverage package has a chamber 9 in a moulded open topped container 1 (of plastics or metal) in a bottom wall 8 of which is formed a restricted orifice 10. The bottom of the container 1 is received in a cup shaped closure 11 and sealed thereto at 16 to form a chamber 12 which communicates with the chamber 9 through the orifice 10. The chamber 9 is charged with beverage 17 and its headspace 21 is dosed with liquid nitrogen or carbon dioxide prior to sealing with a cap 18 so that the headspace 21 is at a pressure greater than atmospheric. With the sealed package in equilibrium the chamber 12 contains beverage derived from the chamber 9 through the orifice 10 and has a headspace 22. Upon opening of the package by removing the cap 18 and exposing the headspace 21 to atmosphere, the pressure differential between the headspaces 21 and 22 causes beverage and/or gas in the chamber 12 to be ejected through the orifice 10 into the beverage 17 and thereby gas in solution in the beverage to be liberated to form or assist in the formation of a head of froth on the beverage.

This invention relates to a method of packaging a beverage and to a beverage package and particularly concerns beverages containing gas in solution and packaged in a sealed container which, when opened for dispensing or consumption of the beverage, permits gas to be evolved or liberated from the beverage to form, or assist in the formation of, a head or froth on the beverage. The beverages to which the invention relates may be alcoholic or non-alcoholic and will be packaged in a two chambered container so that when the container is opened, gas and/or beverage from one chamber is ejected into beverage in the other chamber to cause gas in solution in the beverage to evolve and form a head of froth. Advantages which are to be derived from such two chambered beverage packages and methods of packaging the beverage in the containers are discussed in our British Patent Specification No. 2,l83,592A. A further example of a two chambered beverage package of the type referred to is disclosed in our British Patent Specification no. 1,266,351 (which is also referred to in the aforementioned G.B. No. 2,183,592A).
The method of packaging the beverage in a two chambered container as proposed in G.B. No. 1,266,351 was found to be unacceptable commercially in view of difficulties experienced in gas pressurising one of the chambers in the container and efficiently sealing the container following such pressurisation. On the contrary, however, the preferred method of packaging the beverage disclosed in G.B. No. 2,183,592A in which one of the two chambers is provided by a hollow pod which is inserted within the container has met with considerable commercial success. Nevertheless, this latter packaging method is inconvenient and relatively expensive in so far as a conventional beverage container/packaging line has to be modified considerably, especially to provide for the insertion of the pre-formed hollow pods into the container prior to the container being charged with its required volume of beverage. It is an object of the present invention to provide an efficient method of packaging a beverage in a two chambered container as broadly envisaged by the disclosure in G.B. No. 2,183,592A and which method alleviates the requirement for inserting a hollow pod into a preformed container as a means for forming one of the chambers.

Method of packaging a beverage and a beverage package

Arthur Guinness Son & Company (Dublin) Limited


A blade and method for fabrication of a blade for use on a hub for rotation in a fluid that enjoys the benefits of a skewed blade without the disadvantages. This is accomplished through the use of alternating clockwise skewed and counterclockwise skewed sections formed along the leading edge. In bidirectional applications the alternating clockwise and counterclockwise skewed sections are formed along both edges.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains generally to the field of blades for fans and propellers. A preferred and advantageous application of the invention pertains to the use of the invention in bidirectional marine thrusters.
2. Prior Art
Traditional blades for propellers or fans have either been oriented on the hub with the longitudinal axis of the blade extending in a substantially straight radial direction from the hub, or more recently, radially skewed such that the leading edge of the blade presents a curved front to the fluid. The skewed blade provides many advantages over the straight blade. These advantages include less noise and less cavitation due to decreased velocity components normal to the leading and trailing edges as the blade travels through the fluid. This advantage can be understood by reference to the velocity vector diagram shown in FIG. 2. As the hub 100 rotates in a clockwise direction as indicated by direction of rotation arrow 101, the relative velocity of the fluid impinging the leading edge of straight blade 103 is V.sub.R. With a constant rotational velocity, the relative velocity of the fluid V.sub.R will increase as the distance from the center of the hub increases. With a blade skewed for clockwise rotation 102 the curve of the leading edge of the blade can be skewed such that the normal velocity of the fluid impinging the blade edge V.sub.R sin (theta) is constant or is lower by the factor sin (theta). In other words the relative velocity V.sub.R impinges the blade 102 at an angle (theta) so that its component perpendicular to the leading edge is V.sub.R sin (theta). This makes the blade react as if it was in a flow velocity V.sub.R sin (theta) rather than V.sub.R with a straight blade 103.
This skewing greatly reduces the underpressures on the blade causing resistance to cavitation and noise. Unfortunately, with the traditional skewed blade, these advantages are achieved only as the result of a loss of stiffness and strength. The skewed propeller is limber, flexible and more easily deformed by lift loads. As is apparent these disadvantages are amplified when the skewed blade 102 is rotated in the opposite direction. Thus, the advantages of the skewed blades have heretofore been constrained to unidirectional applications. The present invention yields all of the advantages of the skewed blades without the disadvantages.


The following relates generally to analog circuit re-design. Some embodiments identify a candidate component of the circuit by determining that if the candidate component is adjusted or replaced, the circuit will satisfy a requirement metric. In some implementations, an optimization problem or Bayesian reasoning may be used to change parameters of the candidate component to create a replacement component. In some implementations, a replacement component of a different type than the candidate component may be selected by solving a mixed-integer optimization program or by using a non-linear program with continuous parameters.

The present application relates generally to analog circuit re-design.
Currently, there are many tools available for the design of analog circuits. However, there are few tools available for re-design of analog circuits. The following addresses this problem and others in the art by providing a new and improved tool for re-design of analog circuits.


Disclosed herein is an image display device having a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs), which can maintain a primary color which is desired to be expressed, and prevent an interference of other unwanted colors and a change of the primary color at the time of application of a light source of each light emitting diode. The image display device comprises: a first optical filter layer containing a violet wavelength-absorbing material having a wavelength range of from 380 nm to 450 nm such as Bi2O3 so as to prevent light having a wavelength ranging from 380 nm to 450 nm from being leaked out to an undesired region of an image display portion of the image display device; and a second optical filter layer such as a blue color filter layer so as to allow a white light to be expressed in a desired region of the image display portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image display device, and more particularly to an image display device having a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs), which can maintain a primary color which is desired to be expressed and prevent an interference of other unwanted colors, and a change of the primary color at the time of application of a light source of each light emitting diode in the image display device using the plural light emitting diodes.
2. Background of the Related Art
Currently, there has been a constant demand for technological improvement for enhancing system performance in various image display device fields including cellular phones having a digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) receiving functionality, a PC, WiBro terminals, ultra-high speed data communication devices, telematics terminals, digital versatile discs (DVDs), navigation systems, and the like.
However, such a conventional image display device encounters a problem in that it often does not implement a color which is desired to be expressed. For example, a violet wavelength light is leaked out from a light source of a UV light emitting diode in an image display device employing the UV light emitting diode, or a white light is converted into another colored light, but not expressed normally in an image display device employing a white light emitting diode. In particular, in the case of an image display device employing a plurality of light emitting diodes, a phenomenon may be deepened in which a color which is desired to be expressed is not implemented normally and is converted into another colored light at the time of application of a light source of each light emitting diode due to an effect of different light sources of the light emitting diodes and an interference between materials within an optical filter layer employed for optimization of each light emitting diode.
Therefore, there is a need for a technology which can optimize expression of a desired light and implement stable application of different light emitting diodes upon the application of a light source of each light emitting diode in an image display device employing a plurality of light emitting diodes. In general, generalization of digital media, transmission of a variety of multimedia data, and the development of storage devices and authoring tools enable various multimedia data to be easily to copied and modified through a network, which can provide a new service but resultantly may bring about problems related to copyrights.

Image display device with plural light emitting diodes


A seal structure for an optical fiber drawing furnace is for plugging a gap between an upper end opening of the fiber furnace, and an optical fiber glass preform wherein a seed rod and a taper portion are present in an upper portion thereof. The seal structure comprises a first cap member engaging the seed rod of the glass preform; a second cap member covering the taper portion of the glass preform and the first cap member; a spacer member disposed between the first and second cap member, supporting the second cap member, adjusting, via a positional adjustment structure, the height position of the second cap member in the axial direction, and causing the lower extremity of the second cap member to be at a position close to the taper portion; and a seal member which seals between the upper end opening and the glass preform and/or second cap member.

An optical fiber is drawn from a lower portion of an optical fiber drawing furnace (hereinafter, referred to as a drawing furnace) by inserting an optical fiber glass preform (hereinafter, referred to as a glass preform), including quartz as a main ingredient, into an furnace core tube from an upper end opening of the drawing furnace, and by reducing a diameter of a leading end of the glass preform by heating and fusing.
In general, the glass preform is produced by using a seed rod of a small diameter as initial glass, and vitrifying by piling glass fine particles on an end portion of the seed rod. To this end, the glass preform has a diameter gradually decreasing from an upper end of a direct body portion to a boundary portion with the seed rod in a taper shape (referred to as a taper portion), and a dummy rod having substantially the same diameter is connected to the seed rod and the glass preform is suspended in the furnace core tube of the drawing furnace.
Since the glass preform has the taper portion having the diameter greatly increasing as described above, it is difficult to seal at positions of the taper portion, the seed rod, and the dummy rod. For example, patent citation 1 discloses technology of a seal structure for stabilizing a seal at a side of an insertion opening of a glass preform.
Specifically, a sleeve member is disposed on the dummy rod to surround the outer circumference thereof. A first seal portion and a second seal portion are disposed on the upper end opening of the drawing furnace and an upper portion of the upper end opening, respectively. At the time of initial drawing, the first seal portion seals the direct body portion of the glass preform. After the glass preform further descends and the taper portion of the glass preform starts passing through the first seal portion, a switch is made from the first seal portion to the second seal portion, and the second seal portion seals the outer circumference of the sleeve member surrounding the dummy rod.

Seal structure for optical fiber drawing furnace and optical fiber production method


An opto-electronic transceiver assembly comprising a socket for receiving an optical transmission medium and a securing structure for receiving an opto-electronic device. The socket and securing structure are designed so that the optical transmission medium and the opto-electronic device become connected upon receipt by the sleeve device. The sleeve device may then be securely attached to a printed circuit board. In an alternative embodiment, the securing structure is a receiving slot into which the opto-electronic device may be inserted. In yet another alternative embodiment, the receiving slot includes a support shelf which supports and which is thermally coupled to the opto-electronic device.

The present invention relates generally to opto-electronic devices, and more specifically to the packaging of opto-electronic devices.
Most computer and communication networks today rely on copper wiring to transmit data between nodes in the network. Since the data transmitted over the copper wire and the data processed within the nodes are both represented in the form of electrical signals, the transfer of data at the node-copper wire interface is straight forward. Other than perhaps level shifts and signal amplification, no other signal processing is required for data transmitted over the copper wire to be decoded by the node. The drawback with using copper wire is its relatively low bandwidth. Copper""s ability to transmit data is significantly limited compared to other mediums, such as fiber optics. Accordingly much of the computer and communication networks being built today, including the Internet, are using fiber optic cabling instead of copper wire.
With fiber optic cabling, data is transmitted using light signals, rather than electrical signals. For example, a logical one may be represented by a light pulse of a specific duration and a logical zero may be represented by the absence of a light pulse for the same duration. In addition, it is also possible to transmit at the same time multiple colors of light over a single strand of optic fiber, with each color of light representing a distinct data stream. Since light is attenuated less in fiber than electrons traveling through copper, and multiple data streams can be transmitted at one time, the bandwidth of optic fiber is significantly greater than copper.
While fiber optic data transmission has proven very efficient, substantial problems have been encountered when applying these light signals to process data. Transferred data is typically stored in various locations before, during and after it is processed by a computer. Since there is currently no efficient technique to xe2x80x9cstorexe2x80x9d these light packets of data, networks will likely continue to use fiber optics for transmitting data between nodes and silicon chips to process the data within the nodes for the foreseeable future. Building such networks requires opto-electronic transceivers, which connect optical transmission devices to electronic computing devices through devices that transform optical signals to electronic signals, and vice-versa.
Ideally, such opto-electronic transceivers should provide secure and reliable connections between the various devices and should be compact in size. Secure connections ensure that the individual devices do not disconnect and therefore cause a failure in the opto-electronic transformation process. Compactly sized transceiver modules allow a higher density of optical fibers to be attached to an electronic printed circuit board, thereby increasing the bandwidth available to the computing system.
One current opto-electronic transceiver design 50 is illustrated in FIG. 1. The transceiver 50 is composed of four main sub-assemblies, which attach to each other through pins 15 that extend through each sub-assembly. The bottom sub-assembly is typically a plastic base 10, which establishes a base upon which the optical sub-assembly 20, the electronic sub-assembly 30 and the case 40 are mounted. The assembled transceiver 50, through the base 10, is generally attached to a printed circuit board (not shown). Moreover, the base 10 provides a socket 16 formed for sliding receipt of an end connector of an optical fiber transmission line (not shown). When the end connector of the fiber optic line is received in socket 16 of the base 10, the optical fibers thereof are communicably coupled to the optical detector and transmitters of the optical sub-assembly 20. The electrical sub-assembly 30 contains an electronic semiconductor chip operably coupled to the detector and transmitters. The metallic case 40 provides protection to the optical and the electrical sub-assemblies 20, 30 by enclosing them within the connector.
While the transceiver design adequately ensures a secure connection between optical and electronic devices, assembly of its individual sub-assemblies is mechanically complex. Moreover, the end connectors of the fiber optic lines are often subjected to constant load forces. Over time, these plastic housings 10 tend to fatigue and fracture. Another problem associated with the current arrangements is that the opto-electronic components within the casing 40 are usually thermally isolated. This is disadvantageous in that current opto-electronic component designs often generate large amounts of heat. Thus, increased heat dissipation is required to maintain the laser temperature within acceptable limits. Finally, the size of transceiver 50 limits the achievable fiber density upon printed circuit boards. For example, current fiber densities along the edge of printed circuit boards can only support up to approximately twelve (12) fibers per 20 mm.
In view of the foregoing, a simple and compact opto-electronic transceiver capable of providing secure connections between optical and electronic devices would be desirable.
The present invention is directed to a compact opto-electronic transceiver assembly capable of securely connecting optical and electronic devices. The opto-electronic transceiver includes a sleeve device with a socket for receiving an optical transmission medium and a securing structure for receiving an opto-electronic device. The socket and securing structure are designed so that the optical transmission medium and the opto-electronic device become connected upon receipt of the connector by the sleeve device. The transceiver may be securely attached to a printed circuit board.
In an alternative embodiment, the securing structure is a receiving slot into which the opto-electronic device may be inserted. In yet another alternative embodiment, the receiving slot includes a support shelf which supports and which is thermally coupled to the opto-electronic device.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be presented in more detail in the following specification of the invention and the accompanying figures which illustrate by way of example the principles of the invention.


Embodiments of the present invention provide a method of determining at least one characteristic of a target surface, comprising providing a phase map for a first region of a target surface via radiation having a first wavelength, providing n further phase maps for the first region via radiation having a further n wavelengths each different from the first wavelength, and determining at least one characteristic at the target surface responsive to the first and further phase maps.

Reflected light undergoes a phase-shift that varies with the material composition of the reflecting surface. For brevity this phase change will be labelled the Phase Shift on Reflection (PSoR). At a dielectric-dielectric boundary a normally incident plane wave undergoes a PSoR depending on the relative refractive indices of the two materials. At an air-glass boundary for example PSoR=u. At dielectric-metal interfaces the PSoR varies with the metallic material. This shift is determined by the complex refractive index of the material (dependent upon material composition). Further variations occur with changes in wavelength of incident radiation and with the angle of the incidence of the illumination, and with changes in the relative height of the sample across a sampled area. PSoR variations due to these parameters can be a source of error for optically based, non-contact profilometers, since the optical path length of the test beam and measured fringe pattern are altered. The effect is directly analogous to an impedance mismatch causing back-reflections in an RF cable. Ellipsometry is generally used for measurement of PSoR, making use of the elliptical polarisation of light reflected from an obliquely illuminated sample. However ellipsometry measures average values over relatively large (>10 μm) illumination spot, and cannot easily produce spatial maps.
Common optical metrology methods for non-contact surface topography measurement such as scanning white light interferometry (SWLI), phase shifting interferometry (PSI) and digital holography are unable to distinguish between true height variations of a surface and phase changes caused by material variations. Typically prior knowledge of the composition of the surface is required to apply correction factors to the acquired data. In addition, they can suffer from topographic errors due to so-called 2π uncertainties where fringe order from the interferogram is mis-calculated.
It is an aim of embodiments of the present invention to at least partly mitigate the above-mentioned problems.
It is an aim of certain embodiments of the present invention to enable the determination of characteristics such as optical or dielectric properties of a target sample.
It is an aim of certain embodiments of the present invention to enable the determination of topographic properties of a target sample.
It is an aim of certain embodiments of the present invention to enable the determination of optical or dielectric properties and topographic properties of a target sample.


Systems including varactor devices are provided. A varactor device (400) includes a gap closing actuator (GCA) varactor (200), includes a drive comb structure (201), an output varactor structure (514) defining an output capacitance, a reference varactor structure (214) defining a reference capacitance, and a movable truss comb structure (204) interdigitating the drive comb, the output varactor, and the reference varactor structures. The truss comb structure moves along a motion axis (205) between interdigitating positions based on a bias voltage. The device also includes a feedback circuit (404) configured for modifying an input bias voltage based on the reference capacitance to produce the output bias voltage that provides a target capacitance associated with the input bias voltage at the output varactor structure.

A varactor is an electrical device having a capacitance which is controlled by a suitable voltage bias. A varactor is used, for example, in Voltage Controlled Oscillators (VCOs), where a frequency of an oscillator is controlled by an applied voltage or current bias. VCOs are used, for example, when a variable frequency is required or when a signal needs to be synchronized to a reference signal. In radio communication devices, e.g. portable/cellular phones, VCOs are often used in Phase Locked Loop (PLL), circuits to generate suitable signals. Varactors are also useful in other circuits, such as tunable filter circuits, where the variable capacitance can be used to adjust the frequency characteristics of the filer circuit.


A needleless connector and methods for preventing microbial ingress in medical device connections are disclosed. Various examples provide a needleless connector including a male luer having a recessed distal tip surface containing a water-soluble antimicrobial composition. Further examples include a trap for retaining antimicrobial composition. As the needleless connector is inserted into a female connector, a tapered surface distal edge acts to push microorganisms, while the distal tip surface is configured to leave microorganisms undisturbed. After insertion of the needleless connector, microorganisms present on the female luer surface are biased to reside in the recess region. The recess, trap, and antimicrobial composition are configured to facilitate a long-lasting supply of antimicrobial solution within the fluid-filled recess, at the same time confining the antimicrobial solution inside the recess. This produces a high concentration of antimicrobial solution for an extended time, killing microbes, stopping microbial ingress, and preventing infections in patients.

Infusion devices, such as catheters and on-catheter devices, are commonly used in providing modern medical care to patients. For example, catheters such as hemodialysis catheters, peritoneal dialysis catheters, peripherally inserted central catheters, midline catheters and drainage catheters are all commonly used in providing modern medical care to patients. Other infusion devices used in providing medical care include needleless connectors, intravenous (IV) administration sets, peritoneal dialysis lines, transfer sets, syringes, valves and filters.
These infusion devices are useful for treating various medical conditions. For example, peritoneal catheters allow patients with renal disease to have waste and fluid removed from their bodies. Thus, catheters and other infusion devices make critical medical care possible and are often essential to providing improved health care outcomes.
However, long-term use of catheters has a serious drawback in that a significant percentage of catheters fail due to infection, resulting in elevated mortality rates and significantly increased healthcare costs associated with treatment. Furthermore, infections are a leading cause of death in the United States, and many of those infections are attributable to infusion devices. The mortality rate associated with such infections is considerable. Therefore, a need exists for a manner to reduce infections relating from the use of infusion devices.

Needleless connector with antimicrobial properties


In a method for operating a flue gas purification plant (10) including a plurality of parallel of absorber chambers (11), in which in each absorber chamber (11), CO and NO are simultaneously oxidized by a catalyst in a first absorber (15) according to the SCONOx principle and the resulting NO2 is absorbed on the catalyst surface, in which SO2 is furthermore oxidized by a catalyst in a second absorber (14) upstream of the first absorber (15) according to the SCOSOx principle and the resulting SO3 is absorbed on the catalyst surface. The absorber chambers (11) are successively regenerated by a regeneration gas containing hydrogen and/or hydrogen compounds in regularly repeating regeneration cycles affecting all the absorber chambers (11). In order to improve reliability and reduce operating costs in such a method, the regeneration time of the second absorber (14) within the regeneration cycle is respectively selected to be long enough to guarantee sufficient regeneration of the second absorber (14).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns the field of flue gas purification technology, and to a method for operating a flue gas purification plant.
2. Discussion of Background
The brand name SCONOx describes a relatively new process for reducing NOx emissions in combustion flue gases of gas turbines, diesel engines and the like. NOx is deposited as potassium nitrite and potassium nitrate on an SCONOx absorber (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,953,911 and the article by L. Czarnecki et al., SCONOx—Ammonia Free NOx Removal Technology for Gas Turbines, Proc. of 2000 Int. Joint Power Generation Conf., Miami Beach, Fla., Jul. 23–26, 2000).
Since it is easy for the SCONOx absorber to be deactivated by SO2 in the flue gas, another absorber is connected upstream of it—a so-called SCOSOx absorber—which absorbs SO2 from the flue gas and hence protects the SCONOx absorber. The chemical reactions taking place in the two absorbers are described in detail in the aforementioned article by L. Czarnecki.
As soon as the deposition capacity of at least one of the absorber types has been exhausted (typically after about 20 minutes), the absorbers need to be regenerated. This is done by subdividing the overall absorber into individual chambers, which can be individually disconnected from the flue gas stream by using switchable dampers. For regeneration, selected chambers are disconnected from the flue gas stream while the other chambers remain in the flue gas stream. A regeneration gas, which consists of hydrogen, natural gas or other hydrocarbons and an oxygen-free carrier gas (usually steam), is passed through the disconnected chambers in order to regenerate both the NOx absorbers and the SO2 absorbers of the chambers in question. However, since the two different absorber types respond differently during the regeneration, they are regenerated separately. This is made possible by an arrangement of feed and discharge lines and valves for the regeneration as reproduced by way of example in the single figure.
The figure shows an absorber chamber 11 of a flue gas purification plant 10, through which flue gas to be purified is sent from a combustion process. The unpurified flue gas 25 flows into the chamber 11 from the left. The purified flue gas 26 flows out of the chamber 11 again toward the right. The chamber 11 can be disconnected from the flue gas stream for regeneration purposes using two dampers 12 and 13, which are arranged at the input and the output. In the figure, the dampers 12, 13 have already been closed.
In the chamber 11, a first absorber 14 (SCOSOx) for absorbing SO2 and a second absorber 15 (SCONOx) for absorbing NOx are arranged successively spaced apart in the flow direction. A feed line 27 for the regeneration gas opens via a first valve 17 (inlet valve) into the intermediate space between the first and second absorbers 14 and 15. Discharge lines 21 and 24, in which a second valve 16 and a third valve 19 (outlet valves) are respectively fitted, are connected before the first absorber 14 and after the second absorber 15, as seen in the flow direction. Within a regeneration phase, the first valve (inlet valve) 17 is opened so that regeneration gas can flow in. The other two valves (outlet valves) 16 and 19 are opened in succession, so that the associated absorbers 14 and 15 can be regenerated successively. The SO2 absorber 14 is usually regenerated first (valves 16 open; valve 19 closed). The regeneration gas in the feed line 27 is produced from steam 23, by means of a reformer 20, and natural gas 22 containing methane delivered though a valve 18.
In the flue gas purification plant 10, typically about ten chambers 11 of the type represented in the figure are connected in parallel, two of which will be in the regeneration phase at any given time. With a regeneration time of 5 minutes per individual regeneration, 25 minutes are required in total to regenerate each of the chambers 11 once (=25-minute cycle time).
Currently, both the SCOSOx absorbers and the SCONOx absorbers, or the relevant catalysts, are regenerated during each regeneration cycle. During the regeneration of the SCOSOx absorber, all oxygen which is absorbed on the catalytic surface of the absorber must first be consumed by the regeneration gas before the release of absorbed SO2 that takes place during the regeneration can begin. This prior oxygen depletion takes some time and consumes a significant amount of hydrogen. About 70% of the total regeneration time of 5 minutes is therefore expended for the regeneration of the SCOSOx absorber 14. So that enough hydrogen is available for the regeneration of the SCONOx absorber 15 over the remaining 30% of the regeneration time, a comparatively high hydrogen concentration is required in the regeneration gas. A high hydrogen concentration raises safety questions and can be provided only if the reformer 20, which is responsible for generating hydrogen from natural gas, operates at quite a high temperature level. Any increase in the operating temperature of the reformer, however, entails a significant rise in the operating costs, since the temperature of the regeneration gas as a whole needs to be increased.

Method for operating a flue gas purification plant


An adjustable heel stabilization device comprised of first and second side plates, a union plate, a first connector plate for attaching said first side plate with the union plate and a corresponding second connector plate for connecting said second side plate with the union plate, wherein said first and second side plates are repositionable relative to the union plate and vice versa. The adjustable heel stabilization device of the present invention allows an individual to apply pressure to both sides of the heel and compress the skin and tissue along the bottom of the heel together, thereby creating a cushioning effect when the individual is walking, standing or sitting. The adjustable heel stabilization device is adjustable to accommodate various shapes and sizes of footwear, and helps to reduce swelling in the foot and provide relief for heel pain, heel spurs, plantar fasciitis and arch pain.

Anyone who spends prolonged period of time standing on their feet or walking may develop pain in the heels and/or arches of their feet. In fact, it is believed that millions of people around the world periodically experience heel spurs, planter fasciitis or general heel and arch pain in their feet. Sufferers of heel spurs, planter fasciitis or general heel and/or arch pain typically find their mobility limited by such pain and/or discomfort. Further, without a suitable device for supporting the heel, micro tears along the plantar fascia and lateral fascia may not heal properly, worsen inflammation and prolong the discomfort and/or pain that the individual is experiencing.
Without a device for stabilizing the heel, there is no effective way to compress the skin and flesh along the bottom of the heel together to create a cushioning effect for the individual while he or she is standing, walking and/or sitting. Further, without such a stabilization device or the cushioning effect it provides, the heel spur and/or inflamed heel will come into direct contact with the ground and receive the bulk of the impact, resulting in increased discomfort and preventing scar tissue from properly healing.
Consequently, there exists in the art a long-felt need for a heel stabilization device for applying pressure to both sides of the heel to relieve or reduce swelling, and provide support to those suffering from heel pain, heel spurs, plantar fasciitis and arch pain. There also exists in the art a long felt need for a heel stabilization device that compresses the skin and tissue along the bottom of the heel together thereby creating a cushioning effect when the individual is walking or standing. There also exists in the art a long felt need for a heel stabilization device that is adjustable in size to accommodate shoes of various shapes and sizes, and that does not impede the mobility of the wearer. Finally, there is a long-felt need for a an adjustable heel stabilization device that accomplishes all of the forgoing objectives and that is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, aesthetically pleasing, and safe and easy to use.


Aspects of expanded icon navigation are described. In one embodiment, one or more marked locations are registered, for example, as bookmarks, during navigation of network pages or files. A hierarchical structure of at least one location associated with the one or more marked locations is indexed to generate a marked zone hierarchy. Further, a collection of accessed locations is assembled according to traced access across the indexed hierarchical structure, network pages, or files. The access across the indexed hierarchical structure, network pages, or files may be traced over a period of time. In other aspects, the one or more marked locations are categorized among the collection of accessed locations to provide an assimilated set of locations, and one or more anchors are established. Further, at least one branch of the one or more anchors is populated.

Many internet browser applications provide a means for a user to bookmark network pages for quick and easy access or reference at a later time. In this context, a user may be able to quickly refer to a list of saved bookmarks, and select one for quick access to a network page. With the adoption of new types of computing devices, and various sizes of capacitive touch display screens, an arrangement of bookmarks may be displayed in various ways. For example, rather than selecting a bookmark from an ordered list, a bookmark may be selected from an arrangement of icons displayed on a screen.
In the overall context of bookmarks, it is noted that an internet browser application may provide other means to assist users with organizing and highlighting network pages for quick reference. With the adoption of new types of computing devices and cross-computing-platform solutions, however, users may seek and expect additional assistance with the organization of information, including information associated with quick and easy access to network pages.
The drawings illustrate only example embodiments and are therefore not to be considered limiting of the scope described herein, as other equally effective embodiments are within the scope and spirit of this disclosure. The elements and features shown in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the embodiments. Additionally, certain dimensions or positions of elements and features may be exaggerated to help visually convey certain principles. In the drawings, similar reference numerals between figures designate like or corresponding, but not necessarily the same, elements.