The present invention discloses a system for cultivating cells, wherein the system comprises a bioreactor, a pump, and an electromagnetic module comprising a coil and an electromagnetic stimulator. The cells are disposed within the bioreactor. The pump, connected to the bioreactor, is used to drive gas into the bioreactor, so as to ensure a sufficient gas supply for the cells. Additionally, the electromagnetic stimulator, connected to the coil, is used to provide a plurality of first signals, and the first signals are transported to the coil. Then the induced electromagnetic field is produced by the coil, whereby the induced electromagnetic field is applied on the cells within the bioreactor. Moreover, this invention also discloses the method for cultivating cells.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to a cell culture system, and more particularly to an in vitro cell culture system comprising bioreactor and electromagnetic stimulator, and the method for cultivating cells.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Electric or mechanical stimulation has been used successfully to treat a wide range of bone disorders, including delayed and onounion fractures, fresh fracture healing, prevention and reverse of osteoporosis, and congenital pseudarthroses. Pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF) stimulation has been studied its effects applied on osteoblastic cells growth of rats in vivo (Tsai C. L., Chang W. H., Liu T. K., Wu K. H., Additive effects of prostaglandin E2 and pulsed electromagnetic fields on fracture healing, Chinese Journal of Physiology, 34 (2): 201-11, 1991).
Bioreactor for cell culture has been developed for a long period, wherein the basic principle is to load living cells or tissues into a container with culture medium and gas supply. The bioreactor provides an optimally controlled environment for cell growth (Liao C. J., Chen C. F., Chen J. H., Chiang S. F., Lin Y. J., Chang K. Y., Fabrication of porous biodegradable polymer scaffolds using a solvent merging/particulate leaching method, Journal of Biomedical Materials Research, 59 (4): 676-81, 2002 Mar. 15).
However, PEMF has not been considered as an alternative physical stimulation in bone tissue engineering. Consequently, PEMF might be a more potential perspective and approach applying to three-dimensional culture model in bone tissue engineering.


A method and apparatus for determining electrokinetic properties of a papermaking furnish includes mixing a sample of furnish in a container with a known amount of a charged additive and then measuring the streaming potential of the resultant ionically modified furnish sample. The amount of charged additive added to the container is increased or decreased as repeated streaming potential measurements are made until a desired streaming potential of the modified furnish sample is obtained. The results, which are expressed as the amount of titrant required to achieve the desired streaming potential in a given volume of furnish, may be used by papermakers to adjust process variables and achieve optimum, stable paper quality and machine runnability.

During papermaking operations, an aqueous slurry of cellulosic fibers (furnish or pulp) is produced by subjecting wood to various mechanical and/or chemical processes with the aim of liberating and individualizing fibers from the wood stock. For some grades of pulp, the chemical treatment is geared toward removal of lignin from the fibers. The pulp is often subjected to additional chemical treatments such as bleaching where the fibers are further liberated and decolored to lighten the fibers for production of white paper or board product. Bleaching also tends to reduce fiber strength and viscosity, as the chemicals will attack the cellulose to some degree.
Once a pulp of the desired degree of liberation and whiteness if obtained, it is then diluted in water to make what is known as the furnish. The furnish is then sent to a headbox and released from a wide, slit-like opening known as a "slice" and the jet is deposited onto a continuously moving screen or "wire" (also sometimes referred to as a forming fabric) where the furnish is dewatered. As the papermaking furnish is dewatered, fibers and other particulates become trapped by the forming fabric, forming a paper web which is further processed into the end product. To maintain an acceptable rate of production on a commercial paper or paperboard machine, it is essential that the furnish permit sufficiently rapid drainage of the water from the forming mat of fibers.
The papermaker will often tailor the make-up of the furnish using various additives to produce a paper or board sheet with desired formation properties. Many of these additives are supplied as substantially water-insoluble particulate solids in a finely divided state. Exemplary solid particulate additives include clay, calcium carbonate, titanium dioxide, pigment dyes, rosin, and other materials. To achieve the desired effect, it is essential that these additives be efficiently retained in the web forming on the wire.
The furnish used by most papermakers is composed mainly of cellulosic fibers suspended in water such as groundwood pulp, chemithermomechanical pulp (CTMP), kraft pulp, or sulfite pulp. It is the nature of these pulp varieties to have, at the surfaces of fibers and other suspended particles, a net electrical charge. Charges on the surfaces of solids suspended in papermaking furnish arise for several reasons including (a) dissociation of ionizable groups such as carboxylic acids, sulfonic acids, amines, and hydrous oxides, (b) adsorption of ions from solution, and (c) substitution of atoms having differing valence into the lattices of inorganic crystals.
Charges at the surfaces of suspended particles attract ions of opposite charge (counter-ions), resulting in the formation of an ionic double-layer. Some of the counter-ions in the double layer are present immediately adjacent to the charged surface (Stern layer). Thermal energy causes some of the counter-ions to diffuse away from the surface so that they are present as a diffuse cloud of gradually decreasing density of net charge.
The net electrical charge of suspended particles within the furnish can have a profound effect on retention, drainage during web formation, and paper properties. For example, if a new batch of pulp contains a higher level of dissolved anionic polymers and colloidal anionic material (disco), then a decrease in the percentage of fine material retained during a single pass over the forming fabric (first-pass retention) is generally observed. An inherent difficulty, however, is that the colloidal charge of a papermaking furnish is subject to sudden changes. Sources of such disturbances include variations between different batches of pulp, transitions between different types of species of wood in pulping, the use of mechanical pulps of variable quality and variations in pulp washing efficiency, variations in the ratio between different types of pulp, in the amount of broke, in the concentrations of latex dispersants, carry-over of de-inking chemicals, in the level of hemicellulose and byproducts of oxidative bleaching, in micro-biological activity and in the quality of fresh water. Further disturbances in charge may result from changes in the levels of additives such as dyes, wet-strength additives, dry-strength resins, recycled size-press starch,-biocides, colloidal silica, bentonite, and other colloidally charged additives.
As a further source of colloidal charge disturbances, papermakers must deal with the consequences of intermittent interruptions of parts of the system. For example, when the web of paper breaks it must be rethreaded. Such interruptions have the tendency to move the system away from an optimum balance between the chemical additives having opposite colloidal charges, thereby making it more difficult for papermakers to maintain a uniform product.
Therefore, stability and control of the electrokinetic properties of the papermaking furnish is a necessary requirement for the efficient production of a uniform paper product.
Several approaches to monitoring and controlling the electrokinetic properties of a papermaking furnish have previously been attempted. These approaches include laboratory-based tests where a sample is withdrawn from the furnish or from the whitewater which drains from the furnish during web formation. One such lab-based test involves a process known as micro-electrophoresis, in which a microscope is used to observe the motion of a particle in the size range of about 0.2-500 microns as it migrates under the influence of an imposed electric field. The quotient of the particle velocity and the field strength defines the electrophoretic mobility. When the viscosity of the fluid and the conductivity are known, it is possible to calculate the "zeta potential" from this approach, which is the electrical potential at the plane of shear that divides the counter-ions, which tend to stay with the surface, from those ions which tend to move with aqueous fluid flowing past the surface.
Among the difficulties of micro-electrophoresis as applied to the study and control of papermaking operations is the requirement that the observed particles be much smaller than the diameter of the capillary cell in which the tests are conducted. This size requirement usually precludes direct microelectrophoretic analysis of the kind of cellulose fibers used in papermaking. Accordingly, the conventional approach is to screen the fibrous slurry and test the fine suspended solids remaining in the filtrate, or white-water. The capillaries used in micro-electrophoresis measurements are subject to contamination by the many polymeric and particulate ingredients in paper. Also, the focusing of the microscope tends to be too delicate for continuous operation in the industrial environment of a paper mill. An incorrectly focused micro-electrophoresis apparatus will give misleading data that is not representative of the actual zeta potential. A further problem with micro-electrophoresis is that the information obtained about the electrophoretic mobility, or zeta potential, is usually not linearly proportional with any process or additive which is under the direct control of the papermakers.
Another approach to monitoring the electrokinetic properties of papermaking furnish is to employ a device that measures "streaming current" of a sample of furnish. A typical streaming current device consists of a poly-tetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) plunger which is reciprocated within a PTFE cylinder containing the furnish sample. The reciprocating motion causes fluid to move rapidly in the annular space between the plunger and cylinder wall. The motion of the fluid induces a streaming current which is detected by connection of a suitable ammeter to electrodes positioned adjacent the annular space. An alternating signal, which is produced by the reciprocating fluid flow, is rectified and smoothed to produce the streaming current information. The accuracy of the streaming current method, however, depends strongly on levels of materials such as sodium sulfate and potassium chloride which are present in the samples being tested.
Yet another method for measuring the electrokinetic charge of papermaking furnish is known as "streaming potential". This method involves measuring the streaming potential resulting from liquid flow through a mat or plug of fibers and other particles collected on a screen. The streaming potential is determined from the change in electrical potential measured between electrodes located on either side of the fiber pad relative to a reference measurement or measurements at a relative pressure across the pad which is different from the first value. Usually, the reference data are obtained at a small or zero pressure difference across the mat or in the absence of a mat.
Streaming potential measurements can be used to gain information about the zeta potential at the surface of the actual fibers. The measurements are repeated often enough to give the papermaker a good idea of how the zeta potential varies as a function of time. However, the accuracy of the absolute magnitudes of the zeta potential is generally considered unreliable due to a perception that the results are dependent on the degree of compaction of the fiber mat. Additionally, streaming potential measurement devices do not provide the papermaker with information about colloidal charge.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for determining electrokinetic properties of a papermaking furnish in order to provide reliable formation-related data.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus which enables a papermaker to measure the colloidal charge of a papermaking furnish.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus of the character described which promotes efficient use of fiber furnish additives such as highly charged cationic polymers.
A further object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus of the character described which enables achievement of accurate diagnosis of the root causes of variations in production uniformity and product quality.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus of the character described which enables achievement of optimum performance of furnish additives, retention of fine materials, drainage rates, and uniformity of formation.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for determining formation-related properties of a furnish to enable control of the web formation by necessary adjustment in the furnish composition.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus which enables control of the formation properties of papermaking furnish by accurate determination of the electrokinetic charge of the furnish.

Method for determining electrokinetic properties of papermaking furnish


A wheel end assembly for a heavy-duty vehicle includes an axle spindle and a hub rotatably mounted on the axle spindle. A main seal extends radially between the axle spindle and the hub. The seal includes a dynamic portion that seats in a bore formed in the wheel hub, and a static portion that seats on the axle spindle. The static portion includes a rigid carrier that in turn includes a first member, and a second member that is rigidly attached to the first member. An elastomer is bonded to the carrier member and forms a first external lip. The first external lip extends generally parallel to a chamfer formed in an inboard end of the hub. The first external lip, other external features, and internal features prevent contaminants from entering the wheel end assembly, retain lubricant in the assembly, and provide a dynamic expulsion surface to expel contaminants.

Technical Field
The invention relates to wheel end assemblies, and in particular to wheel end assemblies for heavy-duty vehicles, such as tractor-trailers. More particularly, the invention is directed to a main seal or hub seal for a heavy-duty vehicle wheel end assembly that extends radially between a hub of the wheel end assembly and an axle spindle, which prevents contaminants from entering the wheel end assembly and retains lubricant in the wheel end assembly. Still more particularly, the invention relates to a main seal for a heavy-duty vehicle wheel end assembly that includes external features and internal features that optimize the prevention of contaminants from entering the wheel end assembly and retain lubricant in the wheel end assembly, and provide a dynamic expulsion surface to expel any contaminants, while including minimal drag in order to preserve the life of the seal and optimize vehicle fuel efficiency.
Background Art
For many years, the heavy-duty vehicle industry has utilized wheel end assemblies which typically are mounted on each end of one or more non-drive axles. Each wheel end assembly typically includes a hub rotatably mounted on a bearing assembly that in turn is immovably mounted on the outboard end of the axle, commonly known as an axle spindle. As is well known to those skilled in the art, for normal operation of the wheel end assembly to occur, the bearing assembly and surrounding components must be lubricated with grease or oil. Therefore, the wheel end assembly must be sealed to prevent leakage of the lubricant, and also to prevent contaminants from entering the assembly, both of which could be detrimental to its performance. More specifically, a hubcap is mounted on an outboard end of the wheel hub, and a main seal or hub seal is rotatably mounted on an inboard end of the hub and the bearing assembly in abutment with the axle spindle, resulting in a closed or sealed wheel end assembly.
While most wheel end assemblies include these general features, the design and arrangement of the hub, bearing assembly, hubcap, main seal, and other components, as well as the axle spindle, vary according to the specific vehicle design and its anticipated uses. For example, main seals of the prior art have included non-contact types and contact types. More particularly, because the wheel hub is a dynamic component that rotates about the static axle spindle, the main seal bridges the gap between a dynamic environment and a static environment. As a result, in addition to retaining lubricant in the wheel end assembly and preventing contaminants from entering the wheel end assembly, it is desirable for a main seal to include minimal drag or friction between its internal components, thereby preserving the life of the seal and also increasing the fuel efficiency of the vehicle.
In order to reduce drag, non-contact seals were developed in the prior art. Non-contact seals include internal components that do not contact one another, and employ projections and specific geometric configurations to retain lubricant in the wheel end assembly and prevent contaminants from entering the wheel end assembly. However, while often desirably reducing drag, the non-contact nature of the components of such seals have not optimized the prevention of contaminants entering the wheel end assembly, at times resulting in the possibility of reduced life of the wheel end assembly.
In order to increase the ability of a main seal to prevent contaminants from entering a wheel end assembly, contact-type seals have been employed, which include internal components that contact one another to provide enhanced sealing characteristics. However, while generally providing improved exclusion of contaminants when compared to non-contact seals, prior art contact-type seals lack enhanced combinations of contaminant-exclusion features. Without such combinations of features to decrease the amount of contaminants that enter the structure of the seal, contaminants may eventually build up and bypass the contact components in the seal, thus contaminating the wheel end assembly and reducing its life.
As a result, there is a need in the art to develop a main seal for a heavy-duty wheel end assembly that provides features having increased contaminant exclusion, while retaining lubricant in the wheel end assembly and including minimal drag to preserve the life of the seal and optimize fuel efficiency. The main seal for a heavy-duty vehicle wheel end assembly of the present invention satisfies this need.

Main seal for a heavy-duty vehicle wheel end assembly


A resist composition is provided comprising a polysiloxane, a specific acid generator, a nitrogen-containing organic compound, and a solvent. The resist composition exerts high-resolution performance without the problem of a T-top profile and is suited for the bilayer resist process using ArF exposure.

In the drive for higher integration and operating speeds in LSI devices, the pattern rule is made drastically finer. Under the miniaturizing trend, the lithography has achieved formation of finer patterns by using a light source with a shorter wavelength and by a choice of a proper resist composition for the shorter wavelength. Predominant among others are positive resist compositions which are used as a single layer. These single layer positive resist compositions are based on resins possessing a skeleton having resistance to etching with chlorine or fluorine gas plasma and provided with a resist mechanism that exposed areas become dissolvable. Typically, the resist composition is coated on a substrate to be processed and exposed to a pattern of light, after which the exposed areas of the resist coating are dissolved to form a pattern. Then, the substrate can be processed by etching with the remaining resist pattern serving as an etching mask.
In an attempt to achieve a finer feature size, i.e., to reduce the pattern width with the thickness of a resist coating kept unchanged, the resist coating becomes low in resolution performance. If the resist coating is developed with a liquid developer to form a pattern, the so-called "aspect ratio" (depth/width) of the resist pattern becomes too high, resulting in pattern collapse. For this reason, the miniaturization is accompanied by a thickness reduction of the resist coating (thinner coating). On the other hand, with the progress of the exposure wavelength toward a shorter wavelength, the resin in resist compositions is required to have less light absorption at the exposure wavelength. In response to changes from i-line to KrF and to ArF, the resin has made a transition from novolak resins to polyhydroxystyrene and to acrylic resins. Actually, the etching rate under the above-indicated etching conditions has been accelerated. This suggests the inevitableness that a substrate to be processed is etched through a thinner resist coating having weaker etching resistance. It is urgently required to endow the resist coating with etching resistance.
Meanwhile, a process known as multilayer resist process was developed in the art for processing a substrate by etching. The process uses a resist coating which has weak etching resistance under the etching conditions for the substrate, but is capable of forming a finer pattern, and an intermediate coating which has resistance to etching for processing the substrate and can be patterned under the conditions to which the resist coating is resistant. Once the resist pattern is transferred to the intermediate coating, the substrate is processed by etching through the pattern-transferred intermediate coating as an etching mask. A typical process uses a silicon-containing resin as the resist composition and an aromatic resin as the intermediate coating. In this process, after a pattern is formed in the silicon-containing resin, oxygen-reactive ion etching is carried out. Then the silicon-containing resin is converted to silicon oxide having high resistance to oxygen plasma etching, and at the same time, the aromatic resin is readily etched away where the etching mask of silicon oxide is absent, whereby the pattern of the silicon-containing resin is transferred to the aromatic resin layer. Unlike the single layer resist coating, the aromatic resin need not have light transmittance at all, allowing for use of a wide variety of aromatic resins having high resistance to etching with fluorine or chlorine gas plasma. Using the aromatic resin as the etching mask, the substrate to be processed can be etched with fluorine or chlorine gas plasma.
With respect to the bilayer resist process, active studies were made on the exposure to the radiation (193 nm) of ArF excimer laser and radiation of shorter wavelength where aromatic resins can be no longer used, and several reports have already been made. For example, JP-A 10-324748 and JP-A 11-302382 disclose a siloxane polymer having carboxyl group-containing, non-aromatic monocyclic or polycyclic hydrocarbon groups or bridged cyclic hydrocarbon groups on side chains wherein at least some of the carboxyl groups are substituted with acid labile groups, for example, a siloxane polymer in which a norbornyl group having a t-butoxycarbonyl group at 5-position is bonded to a silicon atom, and a resist composition comprising the polymer. Allegedly this resist composition is less absorptive to KrF (248 nm) excimer laser or ArF excimer laser radiation, forms a pattern of good profile, and is improved in sensitivity, resolution and dry etching resistance. Also, JP-A 2002-055346 and JP-A 2002-268227 disclose that silicone-containing polymers having fluorinated alcohol incorporated therein are less absorptive at the wavelength (157 nm) of F2 laser and improved in sensitivity, resolution and plasma etching resistance.
For the technology intended to improve resolution by reducing the wavelength of an exposure light source, there have been reported compositions using fluorinated siloxane polymers having less absorption at the exposure wavelength of F2 laser. For example, JP-A 2002-220471 discloses that a radiation-sensitive resin composition comprising a polysiloxane having a specific acid-assisted leaving group linked to a silicon atom via at least two bicyclo[2.2.1]heptane rings is useful in that it is improved in dry etching resistance and highly transparent to the radiation of F2 laser. With respect to the technique of improving resolution by forming a thinner coating of material, JP-A 2001-215714 discloses that a silicon-containing polymer having a viscosity in a specific range enables to form a thinner resist coating while maintaining in-plane uniformity in the resist coating.
As the pattern is reduced in feature size, the resist film becomes thinner. For silicone-containing resist compositions allowing film thickness to be reduced, only a limited range of acid generators can be selected to comply with the post-ArF progress toward shorter wavelength. Although a wide variety of acid generators are disclosed in the above-referred patents, the acid generators which are used in post-ArF resist compositions are generally onium salts, and in fact, most examples reported therein use sulfonium salts and iodonium salts. One of the reasons why onium salts are preferentially employed in post-ArF resist compositions is their sensitivity. If organic acid generators other than onium salts are compounded in post-ArF resist compositions, no appropriate sensitivity is achievable. This causes the lithographic process of pattern formation to require an increased exposure dose, resulting in reduced throughputs. The extremely low sensitivity makes it impossible to resolve the pattern to the desired fine feature size.
However, when onium salts are used in silicone based resist compositions as an acid generator, the resist compositions tend to form a pattern with a T-top profile that the top of the pattern becomes extended or overhung because the onium salts have an outstanding dissolution inhibitory effect. Particularly when a silicone-containing polymer having fluorinated alcohol introduced therein is used and an onium salt is used as an acid generator, a T-top profile is often observable. The pattern to be formed by lithography should most preferably maintain rectangularity whereas the T-top profile leads to a failure to form the desired pattern in the etching step following the development. Also, the T-top profile degrades the depth of focus (DOF) in the lithographic process and compromises the minimum resolution ability. For these reasons, the T-top profile should be avoided.
Also on use of onium salts as an acid generator, yet due to the outstanding dissolution inhibitory effect, patterning on a substrate having a high reflectivity results in a pattern profile having standing waves. The generation of standing waves should also be avoided because they can adversely affect the control of pattern size.
Accordingly, in connection with silicone-containing resist compositions which are suited for film thickness reduction, there is an urgent need for a composition which forms a pattern profile with high rectangularity, avoids any loss of dimensional control by the generation of standing waves in a pattern, and has an ability to form a smooth profile.
Among the recent studies on single layer resist coatings where attempts were made to form a finer pattern, it was reported as the cause of pattern collapse that the polymer undergoes substantial swelling immediately before dissolution during development, which inhibits formation of a finer pattern. One effective measure for preventing such swell is to introduce a unit containing a hydroxyl group having an adequately increased acidity due to fluorine substitution at proximate positions, into a resin as a polar group. See H. Ito et al., Journal of Photopolymer Science and Technology, Vol. 15, No. 4 (2002), 591-602. The pattern collapse is a common problem to a silicon-containing resist composition comprising a silicone resin as a base polymer. There is a possibility that the high resolution of the aforementioned polysiloxane polymer be accompanied by this effect.
However, in an actual practice, an attempt to transfer a pattern to an aromatic resin organic coating using a fluorine-rich resin as an etching mask revealed that its resistance to oxygen-reactive etching is far below the expectation. There is a need for further improvement in resistance to etching under these conditions.

Silicon-containing resist composition and patterning process


A process for treating a crude and natural gas stream, which at least comprises the steps of: (a) passing a crude and natural gas stream (10) through an inlet (12) into a stabilization unit (14) to provide a stabilizer content (20); (b) passing an overhead gaseous stream (30) separated from the stabilizer content (20) through a first outlet (16); and (c) passing a bottom stream (40) comprising crude liquid hydrocarbons separated from the stabilizer content (20) and free water through a second outlet (18).

Treating a crude and natural gas stream to obtain a stabilized crude hydrocarbon stream and a gaseous stream is a well-known technique which is typically carried out in a stabilization unit. The treating step is also referred to as a stabilization process.
The stabilization process helps to make the crude liquid hydrocarbons more suitable for further processing or handling, such as safe storage and/or for shipment in tankers. The stabilization process is commonly a distillation process, designed to remove undesired compounds such as hydrogen sulphide, lighter mercaptans, lighter hydrocarbons, and for reducing vapour pressure to meet a desired specification such as a specific Reid Vapour Pressure (RVP).
Hitherto, it has always been regarded as extremely important to remove water from the crude and natural gas stream prior to the stabilization unit, and so operate the stabilization unit in a 'dry' mode. This is because typical temperatures used at the top and bottom of a stabilization unit prevent exit of any free water as part of the top or bottom streams. Thus, any free water accumulating in the unit results in foaming and flooding.
WO 03/022958 A1 shows a process for treating a crude containing natural gas, where the crude is first passed through a high-pressure separator to remove water as a bottom stream, followed by a low-pressure separator, and then an optional oil/water separator to further remove any water, prior to reaching an atmospheric separator and withdrawal of stabilized oil.
It is a problem with the conventional stabilization process to require CAPEX and OPEX to minimize water ingress into a stabilizer unit.


A battery driven mobile communication device drawing a base current with periodic high current pulses during transmission. The current pulses may be larger than the current level which the device's battery can supply. The device uses a switched mode power supply with an output capacitor sufficiently large to provide the high current pulses when demanded by the load, without its voltage falling below that necessary to operate the device. This power supply provides the average current drawn by the load, and maintains the capacitor's charge. When the load demands a current pulse, that excess current is drawn from the capacitor, which begins to discharge. Once each pulse is completed, the battery continues to provide the lower baseline current of the device, and at the same time tops up the capacitor to replace the charge used during the pulse. The battery may be a low cost primary battery.

Portable electronic equipment is generally powered by secondary batteries to enable the power source to be regenerated when depleted. In some cases, the current drain required from the battery by the portable equipment may be substantial for short periods, such as for portable cellular phones during transmission. Although the average power supplied by the battery is moderate, substantial pulses of current may be required for short periods during transmission. It is for this reason that the batteries used in such devices have to have low internal resistance, such that they are capable of supplying these high current pulses. Generally, batteries such as Li-ion are used in such applications, as they can supply the high current pulses. Most primary cells, even though they may have higher storage capacity, cannot be used to power such devices. Since batteries such as Li-ion with high current supplying capabilities are generally expensive, this may be a limitation on the proliferation of the use of such devices. Thus, if a cheaper method of supplying power were available for cellular phones, it has been estimated that there would be much wider use of such devices, especially in developing parts of the world. Such a power source should be able to use standard primary cells such as alkaline cells that are low-cost, simple, safe and very widely available, these features being in contrast to the Li-Ion phone batteries generally used today. Furthermore, such a power source would enable the proliferation of such devices in regions without a developed electricity infrastructure.
The disclosures of each of the publications mentioned in this section and in other sections of the specification are hereby incorporated by reference, each in its entirety.

Capacitor powered mobile electronic device


A deposition modeling system incorporates a drive mechanism to feed a strand of filament to create a model. The drive mechanism comprises a pivot block that is rotatably connected to a fixed block and a motor that rotates a drive shaft. A drive roller is connected to the drive shaft and an idler roller is connected to an idler axle that extends from the pivot block in a substantially perpendicular direction to the direction of rotation of the pivot block with respect to the fixed block and in a substantially parallel direction to the drive shaft.

This invention relates to the fabrication of three-dimensional objects using extrusion-based layered manufacturing techniques. More particularly, the invention relates to a deposition modeling system utilizing a feed drive mechanism that accommodates filament having various diameters, more effectively controls movement of the filament and is easier to service and repair.
Three-dimensional models are used for functions including aesthetic judgments, proofing a mathematical computer aided design (CAD) model, forming hard tooling, studying interference and space allocation, and testing functionality. Extrusion-based layered manufacturing machines build up three-dimensional models by extruding solidifiable modeling material from an extrusion head in a predetermined pattern, based upon design data provided from a CAD system. A feedstock of either a liquid or solid modeling material is supplied to the extrusion head. One technique is to supply modeling material in the form of a filament strand. Where the feedstock of modeling material is in solid form, a liquifier brings the feedstock to a flowable temperature for deposition.
Examples of extrusion-based apparatus and methods for making three-dimensional objects are described in Valavaara U.S. Pat. No. 4,749,347, Crump U.S. Pat. No. 5,121,329, Crump U.S. Pat. No. 5,340,433, Crump et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,503,785, Danforth, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,900,207, Batchelder, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,764,521, Batchelder, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,968,561, Dahlin, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,022,207, Stuffle et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,067,480 and Batchelder, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,085,957, all of which are assigned to Stratasys, Inc., the assignee of the present invention.
In the modeling machines employing a filament feed, modeling material is loaded into the machine as a flexible filament wound on a supply reel, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,121,329. A solidifiable material which adheres to the previous layer with an adequate bond upon solidification and which can be supplied as a flexible filament is used as the modeling material. The extrusion head, which includes a liquifier and a dispensing nozzle, receives the filament, melts the filament in the liquifier, and extrudes molten modeling material from the nozzle onto a base contained within a build envelope. The modeling material is extruded layer-by-layer in areas defined from the CAD model. The material being extruded fuses to previously deposited material and solidifies to form a three-dimensional object resembling the CAD model. In building a model from a modeling material that thermally solidifies upon a drop in temperature, the build envelope is preferably a chamber which is heated to a temperature just below the solidification temperature of the modeling material during deposition, and then gradually cooled to relieve stresses from the material. As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,866,058, this approach anneals stresses out of the model while it is being built so that the finished model is stress free and has very little distortion.
In creating three-dimensional objects by depositing layers of solidifiable material, supporting layers or structures are built underneath overhanging portions or in cavities of objects that are under construction and are not supported by the modeling material itself. For example, if the object is a model of the interior of a subterranean cave and the cave prototype is constructed from the floor towards the ceiling, then a stalactite will require a temporary support until the ceiling is completed. A support structure may be built utilizing the same deposition techniques and apparatus by which the modeling material is deposited. The apparatus, under appropriate software control, produces additional geometry acting as a support structure for the overhanging or free-space segments of the object being formed. Support material is deposited either from a separate dispensing head within the modeling apparatus, or by the same dispensing head that deposits modeling material. A support material is chosen that will adhere to the modeling material during construction, and that is removable from a completed object. Various combinations of modeling and support materials are known, such as are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,503,785.
In Stratasys FDM® three-dimensional modeling machines of the current art which embody a filament feed as disclosed in the above-referenced patents, a coil of modeling filament wrapped on a spool is loaded into the machine by mounting the spool onto a spindle. The filament is made of a thermoplastic or wax material. The user may manually feed a strand of the filament through a guide tube made of low friction material, unwinding filament from the spool until the filament strand reaches a pair of motor-driven feed rollers at the extrusion head. Conversely, a series of feed rollers may be utilized and positioned beginning at the spool or source of filament, along a feed path and ultimately at the extrusion head to advance the strand of filament within the modeling machine. The force required to advance, drive, or feed the strand of filament can be substantial at times and require as much as approximately twenty pounds of push force.
The filament strand is ultimately advanced by the feed rollers into a liquifier carried by the extrusion head. Inside the liquifier, the filament is heated to a flowable temperature. As the feed rollers continue to advance filament into the extrusion head, the force of the incoming filament strand extrudes the flowable material out from the dispensing nozzle where it is deposited onto a substrate that is removably mounted to a build platform. The flow rate of the material extruded from the nozzle is a function of the rate at which the filament is advanced to the head and the size of the dispensing nozzle orifice. Pieces of contaminants may also exist in the liquifier and are extruded out of the nozzle along with the filament. Depending upon the size of the piece of contaminant, it may partially or completely plug the nozzle creating significant pressure peaks on the order of four to five times greater than the pressure level normally contained in the liquifier. The feed rollers have to be able to continue to drive the filament during these pressure peaks.
A controller controls movement of the extrusion head in a horizontal x, y plane, controls movement of the build platform in a vertical z-direction, and controls the rate at which the feed rollers advance filament into the head. By controlling these processing variables in synchrony, the modeling material is deposited at a desired flow rate in "beads" or "roads" layer-by-layer in areas defined from the CAD model. The dispensed modeling material solidifies upon cooling, to create a three-dimensional solid object.
In order for the controller to properly control the movement of the extrusion head to create the desired defined three-dimensional solid object, the feed rollers must consistently feed or drive the filament at a predetermined rate without filament slippage. Slippage of the filament in the feed rollers occurs when the filament fails to advance at the desired rate despite rotation of the feed rollers. Filament slippage creates a shortage of modeling material that is supplied to the extrusion head that in turn creates a shortage of modeling material to build the desired three-dimensional model at the defined time and location. This can result in an unsuccessful build of the three-dimensional model that may not be as structurally sound as the designed part or may be deformed due to the shortage of modeling material during the building process.
In an effort to prevent filament slippage, feed rollers have been manufactured out of urethane and mounted on fixed axles to compress against and advance or drive the strand of filament. However, time and varying diameters of strands of filament driven by the feed rollers cause wear on the urethane feed rollers which ultimately lead to an inability of the feed rollers to apply sufficient compression on the strand of filament for consistent advancement under varying conditions. In particular, as the required push force to advance the filament approaches twenty pounds of pressure, it often exceeds the amount of force that urethane feed rollers are able to apply to the filament resulting in the filament slipping and not advancing at the desired rate if even at all.
Thus, there exists a need to provide a drive mechanism to accommodate filaments with varying diameters while more effectively driving the feed rollers to advance the filament.

Rapid prototyping system with controlled material feedstock


The present invention relates to a process for the production of 1-amino-1-methyl-3(4)-aminomethylcyclohexane by. a) simultaneously reacting 4(5)-aminomethyl-1-methylcyclohexene (CMA), hydrocyanic acid and aqueous sulphuric acid at temperatures of 60.degree. C. to 120.degree. C., preferably 80.degree. C. to 120.degree. C. to form 1-formamido-1-methyl-3(4)-aminomethylcyclohexane (FMA) in a first stage, PA1 b) adding water and hydrolyzing 1-formamido-1-methyl-3 (4)-aminomethylcyclohexane (FMA) and unreacted hydrocyanic acid in a second stage and PA1 c) adding a base and isolating 1-amino-1-methyl-3 (4)-aminomethylcyclohexane (AMCA) by extraction from the reaction mixture obtained in the second stage of the reaction, optionally after removing of formic acid.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for the production of 1-amino-1-methyl-3(4)-aminomethylcyclohexane (AMCA), the precursor for the production of 1-isocyanato-1-methyl-3(4)-isocyanatomethylcyclohexane (IMCI).
2. Description of the Prior Art
DE-A 4,401,929 describes a process for the production of 1-amino-1-methyl-3(4)-aminomethylcyclohexane (AMCA) that may be illustrated by the following reaction scheme: ##STR1##
According to this reaction mechanism, 4(5)-cyano-1-methylcyclohexene (CMC) serving as starting product is caused to react with hydrocyanic acid in the presence of sulphuric acid in a Ritter reaction to form 1-formamido-1-methyl-3(4)-cyanocyclohexane (FMC). In a further reaction step the 1-formamido-1-methyl-3(4)-cyanocyclohexane (FMC) is hydrolyzed in the acidic state to form 1-amino-1-methyl-3(4)-cyanocyclohexane (AMC), which is then hydrated to form 1-amino-1-methyl-3(4)-aminomethylcyclohexane (AMCA). In order to obtain high selectivities for the formation of FMC during the Ritter reaction, a considerable excess of hydrocyanic acid is required, which means that this process can only be operated only with considerable safety measures.
European patent application EP-A 0,153,561 describes a process for the production of 1-amino-1-methyl-3(4)-aminomethylcyclohexane (AMCA) by the following reaction scheme: ##STR2##
In this process the Ritter reaction (1) is carried out by introducing 4(5)-aminomethyl-1-methylcyclohexene (CMA) into sulphuric acid and then charging hydrocyanic acid to this reaction mixture at 10.degree. to 50.degree. C. Even after four hours about 13% of 3(4)-aminomethyl-1-methylcyclohexanol (AA) is obtained which can only be separated by distillation from the 1-amino-1-methyl-3(4)-aminomethylcyclohexane (AMCA) with difficulty (see Example 1a from EP-A 0,153,561). For the subsequent hydrolysis reaction (2), reaction-times of three hours are required in accordance with the described process. Because of the long reaction-times that are required for the Ritter reaction (1) and hydrolysis reaction (2), this process is associated with considerable investment and energy costs.
In European Patent EP-A 0,153,561, it is also possible to use 3(4)-aminomethyl-1-methylcyclohexanol (M) as the starting material for the Ritter reaction (1). However, the selectivity achieved in this case is only about 75%. Consequently an overall selectivity of about 81% is obtained in accordance with EP-A 0,153,561.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a process for the production of 1-amino-1-methyl-3(4)-aminomethylcyclohexane (AMCA) from 4(5)-aminomethyl-1-methylcyclohexene (CMA) in which short reaction-times and high selectivities are achieved and in which clear economic advantages are obtained in comparison with the previously described processes.
This object may be achieved in accordance with the process of the present invention which is described hereinafter.

Process for the production of 1-amino-1-methyl-3(4)-aminomethylcyclohexane


A content synchronization apparatus is provided. The content synchronization apparatus includes a communication unit configured to communicate with a device that the content synchronization apparatus can synchronize content with, a control unit configured to, in response to a synchronization command to share current content being played by the device being received, share the current content by acquiring the current content and state information corresponding to the current content through the communication unit, synchronize the current content with the device using the current content and the state information, and configure a display screen based on the results of the synchronization of the current content with the device, and an output unit configured to display the configured display screen.

1. Field
The following description relates to a content synchronization apparatus and method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Research has been conducted on ways to connect computers, sensors, and various other electronic devices via a wireless connection so that users are provided with a variety of useful services. In response to the electronic devices being commonplace, the necessity to share content between electronic devices has grown.
Augmented reality (AR), which is a technique of laying virtual objects over an image of a physical real-world environment, has been employed in various electronic products. AR may modify a view of reality using computer graphics and may provide not only a view of a physical real-world environment but also information corresponding to the physical real-world environment. By laying a virtual image over a view of a real-world environment through AR, the distinctions between a real-world and virtual-world may become blurred. AR provides a mixture of virtual objects and a real-world environment and may allow users to see the real-world environment, thereby providing a heightened sense of reality and a variety of additional information. For example, by scanning an area around with a smart phone camera, a stereoscopic image showing various information corresponding to stores in the area, such as the stores' locations and phone numbers may be displayed.

Content synchronization apparatus and method


A protector device for hardware latch members used in conventional containers and trailers to secure in place the pivoting locking bar members. The device includes a housing having a substantially rectangular cross-section defined by side walls, a top wall and a bottom wall. Hingedly mounted tabs extending outwardly from the inner edge of the side walls are foldable within the housing and secured on the hardware latch members of the door being protected. The distal ends of the latch members include openings though which a conventional protective seal member is passed. Upper and lower concave members join the walls' outer edges and they are separated defining aperture inbetween. In front of the aperture a convex wall is mounted to the outer edges of the side walls and cutouts on the upper and lower walls permit a protective seal member through. The latch members are completely covered and protected. Removal of the hardware latch members requires damaging the protector device and thus signaling tampering to anyone inspecting the containers or trailers.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a protector device, and more particularly, to the type that protects the doors of shipping containers and trailers from tampering.
2. Description of the Related Art
The closest reference known to applicant corresponds to a Container Hasp Protector patented by Robert F. Emmons in 1992 under U.S. Pat. No. 5,118,149. Emmons' device, however, does not completely protect hasp members 20 and 22 since a trespasser can readily reach bolts 18. The same can be said for the embodiments in FIGS. 5 and 6 which make it more difficult for a user to snap off the head of pin 47. The present invention provides access to the intended addressee to snap security pin member (47 in Emmons) which is typically used with containers. The claimed invention, however, includes concave walls that permit access while at the same time protect the hasp or latch members. This is an important advantage over Emmons.
Another protective mechanism to secure the contents of containers and trailers with characteristics similar to the present invention correspond U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,904 issued on Sep. 10, 1996 to Protecting Seal for Shipping Containers and Trailers. The patented invention provides for the protection of the rotating bar preventing a wrongdoer from removing the pin of the locking pivoting bar housing and leaving the conventional seal intact. The present invention protects the hardware secured by the protecting seal since this hardware is also susceptible to being carefully removed in order to not violate the seal. This hardware is typically implemented with pivotally mounted latch members L.sub.1 and L.sub.2.
Other patents describing the closest subject matter provide for a number of more or less complicated features that fail to solve the problem in an efficient and economical way. None of these patents suggest the novel features of the present invention.

Protector for containers and security element


Approaches are described for enabling a user to utilize fingers or other features of both hands to interact with an interface on an electronic device. A user can hold an device such as a mobile phone in a first hand, and can use a finger of the other hand to navigate through an interface or other display, such as to move relative to the device to cause the interface to scroll, zoom, or otherwise adjust. The user can use a thumb or finger of the hand holding the device to select or interact with one or more user-selectable elements, objects, or portions of the interface displayed on a display element of the device, such as by touching the screen over one of the user-selectable elements for at least a determined period of time to activate or change a function associated with a gesture used to interact with the interface.

As computing devices offer increasing processing capacity and functionality, users are able to provide input in an expanding variety of ways. For example, a user might be able to control a computing device by performing a motion or gesture at a distance from the computing device, where that gesture is performed using a hand or finger of the user. In some instances, however, it can be difficult for a computing device to determine the intent of the gesture, as a user might want to move a finger to scroll to a location to select an item, or zoom into an item, but the software on the computing device can have difficulty distinguishing the motions for each of these gestures. This can be frustrating for a user when the user has to repeat a gesture several times or perform different gestures to obtain the desired result.

Interface elements for managing gesture control


A computer-executable method for moderating publication of data content with a moderator tool. The data contents are labelled as acceptable or unacceptable. The moderator tool receives the training data and executes a first algorithm that identifies features that exist in the training data and extracts them and ending up with a feature space. The moderator tool executes a second algorithm in the feature space for defining a distribution of data features that differentiate between the acceptable contents and the unacceptable contents in order to create a moderation model. When the moderator tool receives a new data content to be moderated, it executes the moderator tool on the new data content for identifying the data features in the new data content to be moderated in accordance with the moderation model created, and for producing a moderation result for the new data content by indicating whether the new data content is acceptable.

User-generated content is defined as any form of content in a natural language, (either an official language, a dialect or slang) such as blogs, newspaper platforms, discussion forums, newsgroups, posts, chats, messages, e-mails, tweets, podcasts, advertisements as well as other forms of media that is created by users of a system or service, often made available via social media or other websites in public or for a restricted group of people.
Many types of e.g. Internet websites allow for publication of such user-generated content of the above kind. User-generated content may be monitored by website administrators to avoid offensive content or language, copyright infringement issues, or simply to determine if the content posted is relevant to the general theme of the site or discussion.
Especially, the ability for services to accept user-generated content opens up a number of legal concerns depending on local laws. The operator of a service may be liable for the actions of its users even if a site, generally speaking, is not liable for user generated content. Recognized exceptions to immunity from liability for user generated content include posts infringing on intellectual property rights, criminal offenses and posts where the site participates in or makes the inflammatory post.
Moderation is a process for eliminating or lessening extremes. It is used to ensure acceptability throughout the medium on which it is being conducted. The term moderation is used generally for generating an indication of or guiding whether the content analyzed is unacceptable.
A moderator may remove unsuitable contributions, e.g. remove it completely or reduce the excessiveness of a content, from a website, forum or chat channel they represent in accordance with their moderation system in order to make it less violent, severe, intense, rigorous, obscene, illegal, or insulting with regards to useful or informative contributions.
An administrator of an Internet website might use moderation for user comments. Depending on the site's content and intended audience, the administrator will decide what kinds of user comments are appropriate, then delegate the responsibility of sifting through comments to lesser moderators. Most often, administrators will attempt to eliminate trolling, spamming, or flaming, although this varies widely from site to site.
Common privileges of moderators include e.g. deleting, moving, and splitting of posts and threads, banning, suspending, unsuspending, and unbanning.
Essentially, it is the duty of the moderator to manage the day-to-day affairs of a forum or board as it applies to the stream of user contributions and interactions. The relative effectiveness of this user management directly impacts the quality of a forum in general, its appeal, and its usefulness as a community of interrelated users.
Conventional moderation systems use human moderation. Such systems, however, tend to be time-consuming and are not always very reliable either.
Therefore, automatic moderation systems have been developed.
Spam filters for messages, such as e-mails and social media discussions, exist. Spam filters intend to remove disturbing advertising and automatically created messages and content (e.g. program code) but they do not understand semantic contents of the text. Spam filters generally use stop word lists and specific manually generated rules which are applied to the messages and specific meta fields. They can even use machine learning but is only able to locate specific kinds of spam, not for example improper or illegal comments.
There are also various natural language processing systems and language-specific systems for general text classification.
US patent application 2012/0271627 describes methods for classification of text documents written in different languages by constructing different semantic structures before the classifying of the documents. The structures reflect lexical, morphological, syntactic, and semantic properties of documents. The methods are applicable to e.g. topic detection and news analysis.
US patent application 2005/0027664 discloses an interactive machine learning based system that learns to annotate new text data on the basis of training data.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,177,333 discloses a solution for evaluating the quality of text within online advertisements by using output from a language model. The output maybe used with a machine learning algorithm to generate a quality score that can be used to filter out advertisements with poor text quality. In addition to the input in the form of text to be evaluated, training data for ranking various defects can be used as input.
Some systems can categorize a content to be published and determine whether it is suitable for publication.
WO publication 2012/162044 discloses a solution that is applied to moderating conversations in the internet or other messaging systems. It presents a system for categorizing and moderation of user-generated content in an on-line environment. This solution processes a text to be published by using a machine-learning algorithm to calculate a likelihood that the text falls into a category unsuitable for publication. A comparison between the likelihood and some threshold values is used as a basis for determining whether the text should be excluded from publication.
There is, however, a need for more accurate moderation methods for using more widely for different kinds of contents, needs and environments.

Moderator tool for moderating acceptable and unacceptable contents and training of moderator model


An apparatus for separating and drawing off a film from a laminate, the laminate including the film and a carrier material upon which the film is laminated. The apparatus includes a first plate; a second plate being disposed above the first plate; a motor; a spindle being operatively connected to the motor; a separating apparatus being movable along the spindle above the first plate and including a wedge-shaped separating knife; a gap which lies above and parallel to the separating knife and which is inclined at an oblique angle relative to a horizontal plane; and a stay passing vertically through the first plate which holds an underside of the laminate firmly in place. The laminate rests on the first plate, and the separating apparatus moves into engagement with a corner of the film such that the film corner is detached from the carrier material and is threaded into the gap. The stay holds the underside of the laminate firmly in place when the film corner is threaded into the gap.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an apparatus for separating and drawing off a film laminated on a carrier material, having a base plate and a plate lying partly thereabove, at a distance.
2. Description of the Related Art
Light-sensitive layers or plies, such as for example exposed photoresist layers on circuit boards or color proof-films, are generally covered by protective films. In the production of color proof-films and printed circuit boards, a substrate is first coated with a light-sensitive material. The material is subsequently covered with a transparent film. This laminate of film and light-sensitive layer is then exposed image by image by a mask. This exposure effects an image-forming, differing adhesion of the photosensitive layer in such a way that the exposed parts adhere to the substrate with a stronger adhesion than the unexposed parts. When the protective film and the substrate are separated from each other, there is for example a positive image on the substrate and a negative image on the protective film.
In the production of circuit boards for electric circuits, the substrate is laminated with a light-sensitive dry resist film. The exposure of the dry resist film is performed with the aid of an imaging mask representing the electric circuit, and thereafter, the protective film is removed and the dry resist film is developed in various processing steps. The protective film on the dry resist film permits a largely dust-free exposure and the transport of the coated circuit boards in the stacked state. The circuit boards have specifically one or more borders which are free from the laminated-on protective film, so that the board can be grasped at these free borders by gripping tools or manually.
In the case of some laminating operations, it is desirable to completely transfer a coating from one surface to another surface, as is the case for example, when transferring a colored resin layer from a substrate to a receiving sheet. In such a case, the coated substrate and a receiving sheet laid thereupon are passed under pressure through a laminating nip of heated laminating rolls. The substrate and the receiving sheet are subsequently separated from each other and the colored resin layer is thereby transferred from the substrate to the receiving sheet. A problem in such transfer processes is the incompleteness of the transfer of the colored resin layer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,752,346 describes an apparatus and a process for detaching and separating films adhesively bonded to one another. The apparatus comprises a platform of a metal or of a material of which the surface is provided with an electrically conductive layer. Over the surface there is a bar edge or a wedge. Both the bar edge and the platform surface are electrically grounded. The bar edge is positioned over the platform by means of supports at each end of the bar edge. The supports, which are surrounded by springs, are passed through the bar edge and protrude beyond it. Consequently, a variable gap can be formed between the underside of the bar edge and the surface of the platform, which makes it possible for laminates of different thicknesses, comprising substrate and film, to pass through the variable gap. For example, a colored photosensitive layer, which is covered by a receiving sheet, is applied to a transparent polyester film by means of an adhesive layer. This sandwich arrangement runs through the nip of laminating rolls and is subsequently introduced between the bar edge and the platform of the drawing-off apparatus. The transparent polyester film is drawn off over the bar edge by the film being bent upward over the edge angle and taken along the bevel of the bar edge. As a result, the polyester film is separated from the receiving sheet or the receiving film and a transfer of the adhesive layer and the colored photosensitive layer to the receiving sheet takes place.
German Offenlegungsschrift 3,443,939 discloses a process for removing the protective film from circuit boards laminated with exposed photoresist, with the aid of an adhering element in sheet form. The adhering element is adhesively attached to the protective film which is subsequently drawn off the circuit board substantially along its diagonal. In this case, the circuit board is adjusted by a turning apparatus in such a way that an angle of 0.degree.<.alpha.<90.degree. is set between the front edge of the board and the normal to the transporting direction. The front corner of the board is subsequently provided both on the upper side and on the underside with a double-sided adhesive adhering element in such a way that parts of the uncovered board, beyond the border of the protective film, are also grasped, and the protective film can be drawn off by means of rolls. The apparatus for carrying out the process comprises a transporting and adjusting device, by which the body in board form can be swivelled out of its transporting direction into a working position. Furthermore, the apparatus includes a device for applying a double-sided adhesive adhering element, which is designed in the form of tongs and has bodies in plate form for receiving bearing rollers, and a device for removing the adhering element and the protective film, bonded to the latter, of the body in board form. This apparatus has a system of rolls arranged axially parallel, with a device for keeping the distance between the rolls constant.
German offenlegungsschrift 3,339,723 discloses a process and an apparatus for detaching the protective film from laminated circuit boards, in which the laminated circuit boards run via transport rollers and are provided on their upper side and underside with a one-sided glued adhesive tape. The protective film is detached by a subsequent drawing-off of the applied adhesive tape over a bar edge and is subsequently transported away and stored. The bar edge and the circuit board form a drawing-off gap through which the circuit boards pass. The bar edge forms an angle of 45.degree. with respect to the transporting apparatus, and the adjoining face likewise forms an angle of 45.degree. with respect to the board plane.
In the case of the known apparatuses for detaching a protective film from a laminated circuit board, either a continuous or endless adhesive tape or individual, double-sided adhesive elements are used, a result of which is that additional material and considerable amounts of such material are required. Furthermore, further process steps are required in advance, in order to bring either the adhesive tape or the adhesive elements onto the protective film of the circuit board.

Apparatus for separating and drawing off a film laminated on a carrier material


A virtual universal serial bus (USB) flash memory storage device with a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) Express including a microcontroller connected separately to a flash memory and PCI Express connecting interface, and the microcontroller has a flash memory interface, a PCI Express interface and a virtual USB module and the virtual USB module includes a USB host and a USB device. If a host gives a USB instruction for saving or reading to the storage device, the USB instruction will be sent to and executed by the virtual USB module and the required data processing for saving or reading will be completed through the flash memory interface and the flash memory. The data in the storage device can be transmitted with a PCI Express standard transmission rate, and the host considers the storage device as a USB device instead of a pure PCI Express device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a virtual universal serial bus (USB) flash memory storage device with a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) Express interface, and more particularly to a virtual USB flash memory storage device that uses the PCI Express interface as a transmission interface.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the science and technology of computers grows in a fast changing manner, a computer tends to be developed with powerful computational functions and a fast speed, and thus the clock of a central processing unit (CPU) is too fast, and the transmission rate of other peripheral equipments cannot catch up with the processing speed of the CPU at all. Even though the CPU continues enhancing its performance, the transmission rate of peripheral equipments cannot be improved much because the overall performance of a computer depends on the whole system. It is necessary to improve the whole computer architecture before the performance of a CPU can be maximized.
However, the data transmission rate depends on the transmission rate of a bus. To enhance the performance of a computer, related manufacturers usually improve the transmission rate of a bus. For example, the transmission rate of an integrated drive electronic (IDE) interface connected to a hard disk drive reaches 160MB/s; the network line is upgraded from 10 MB/s to 1 GB/s; the transmission rate of the RS-232 is replaced by the 480 MB/s of the universal serial bus (USB), and the present PCI Express interface with a transmission rate of 133 MB/s upgrades the transmission rate of its lane to 250 MB/s which becomes a new-generation peripheral component interconnect (PCI) Express interface. The PCI Express interface further supports a hot-plug control function. Therefore, the PCI Express interface is extensively accepted by users.
Further, the flash memory since its announcement gradually replaces the EEPROM or battery power memory in many portable device due to its charming features including low power consumption, non-volatility, shock resistance, and high-capacity storage. With the advanced semiconductor technologies, the storage capacity and transmission rate of a flash memory grow rapidly. The flash memory replaces traditional storage medium such as a hard disk drive in many applications, but most of the present storage devices made of flash memories use the universal serial bus (USB) or integrated drive electronics (IDE) interface as the transmission interface. The transmission rate of the USB and IDE interface are just 480 MB/s and 160 MB/s respectively, and such transmission rates cannot catch up with the accessing speed of the flash memory. Therefore, the applications of the storage device made of this kind of flash memory is restricted by the USB or IDE interface of the host, and its performance cannot be maximized.
Further, a software developing system or a software program usually provides several environment interfaces that integrate editing, compiling, debugging, file management and execution. The environment interface lets programmers develop a majority of an application program, and thus the software executed at the host end is communicated by a specific environment interface and peripherals. A peripheral must have the environment interface of the host before the peripheral can execute an instruction transmitted from the host.
Therefore, using a bus with a faster transmission rate as a transmission interface to maximize the performance of a memory card is an important subject for manufacturers in the related field to make further improvements.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a card reader that eliminates the aforesaid drawbacks.

Virtual USB flash memory storage device with PCI express interface


A rear mounted hose and tool rack is provided for an upright vacuum cleaner. The hose and tool rack receives and maintains various tools and attachments within a confined envelope and maintained rearwardly of the lower handle assembly of the vacuum cleaner. The rack is formed of a flexible plastic material to accommodate ease of attachment thereto. A central opening in the rack may be passed over the upper handle assembly such that a pocket at the top of the opening may engage an upper surface of the lower handle assembly while spaced apart tabs extending into the opening engage opposite surfaces of the lower handle assembly to complete the secured engagement. Attachment of the rack to the upright cleaner is further facilitated by the flexible and deflectable nature of the rack itself which allows the tabs to be deflected while being positioned for ultimate secured engagement. The central opening of the rack is substantially congruent with the lower handle assembly configuration to provide further strength and rigidity to the final structure.

Vacuum cleaners are in common use in virtually every household and business in the country. Such vacuum cleaners are typically employed to clean floor surfaces, as well as above floor areas such as furniture, drapes, moldings, and the like. Consumers have typically perceived that an upright cleaner is best suited for cleaning carpeted floor surfaces and rugs, while canister cleaners are better suited for the aforementioned above floor cleaning. Since many consumers find it undesirable or uneconomical to own and operate both a canister and upright cleaner, it is most desirable that a single vacuum cleaner be provided with the benefits attributed to both.
Recently, it has become popular to provide an upright vacuum cleaner with above floor cleaning attachments including, by way of example, hoses, wands, and cleaning tools such as dust brushes, furniture nozzles, and crevice tools. Tool racks have now been proposed for implementation with upright cleaners for the purpose of maintaining the requisite attachments in continual association with the upright cleaner and providing a means for storing the same when such attachments are not in use.
Presently, retail establishments insist that vacuum cleaners and the like be maintained in cartons or boxes at the point of sale and that the dimensional size of such cartons or boxes be minimal. Accordingly, upright cleaners are typically sold in cartons containing three or more primary parts including a vacuum head, a lower handle assembly, an upper handle assembly, and a dust bag, if required. The addition of attachments in the form of hoses, wands and tools, coupled with the need for a rack to receive the same, greatly complicates the task of facilitating assembly for the consumer while also accommodating separability of the rack from the remainder of the cleaner for purposes of packaging.
It is also desired that the hose and tool rack be unobtrusive and not significantly add to the dimensional size of the associated cleaner or impede its maneuverability. Accordingly, it is desired that the hose and tool rack remain substantially within an envelope defined by the size of the vacuum head or cleaner body of the cleaner itself while still providing sufficient storage capability to receive and maintain the various tools and attachments.

Hose and tool rack for upright vacuum cleaner and method for mounting same


In a drive using an AC induction motor for moving a load in hoisting and lowering directions, a method for determining motor speed includes, in any order, the steps of selecting first and second voltage signals representing a maximum speed to be attained by the motor at rated output torque in the hoisting and lowering directions, respectively, and selecting a bias voltage. One of the voltage signals is combined with the bias voltage to obtain a feedback signal representing motor speed and the feedback signal is compared with a speed command signal to obtain a deviation signal representing the difference between actual and commanded motor speed. The drive is disabled if the difference is "out of" a predetermined range.

Electrical drive systems using electric motors to power the end-use function are in wide use for propulsion, machine drives, conveyor lines, chemical processing, material handling applications and the like. A very small sampling of exemplary drive systems appears in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,845,366 (Metzler et al.) and 4,166,238 (Binner).
Certain types of material handling machines incorporate electric motor drive systems for moving the machine from location to location, for moving a machine "substructure" on the machine itself and for moving loads of the type the machine is designed to handle. An example of such a material handling machine is an overhead travelling crane (OTC) used in factories, steel handling bays and the like for lifting and placing loads. Such a crane traverses along a pair of elevated main rails which are parallel and spaced apart, usually by several yards. A pair of crane bridge girders extends between the rails and there are driven wheels mounted at either end of the girders for supporting the crane atop the rails. And the girders themselves have rails on them.
A substructure called a "trolley" is mounted on the girder rails and traverses the width of the bridge under motive power. A load hoist is mounted on the trolley and includes a powered hoist/lower "rope drum" or drums about which steel cable is spirally wrapped. The cable is connected to a load-lifting hook, sling, bucket, magnet or the like. With the foregoing arrangement, the operator (who usually rides in a cab which is attached to and moves with the bridge) can pick up, move and deposit a load anywhere in the area travelled by the crane. Other, somewhat less common operating options include radio-controlled cranes operable from the ground or other remote location and operator cabs which are trolley, rather than bridge, mounted.
An exemplary overhead crane employs two electric-motor traverse drive systems, one each for the bridge and trolley traverse drives. A third electric-motor drive system is used for hoisting and lowering loads. Such drive systems may be powered by direct current (DC) or alternating current (AC). While DC drive systems were almost universally used in older steel mills and the like, AC variable frequency drive systems are becoming increasingly common, at least in part because of the advantages of precision control and design flexibility which they offer. In a variable frequency drive system, motor speed is a function of the frequency of the electrical voltage applied to it. Examples of AC variable frequency drive systems (used for hoist drives) are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,965,847 (Jurkowski et al.) and 5,077,508 (Wycoff et al.). The leading manufacturer of overhead cranes and AC drive systems therefor is Harnischfeger Industries, Inc. of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. One such AC drive system is sold under the trademark SMARTORQUE.RTM. and the invention involves a modification of a known type of SMARTORQUE.RTM. controller.
Hoist, bridge and trolley drives are operated by an electrical controller coupled to an operator-manipulated master switch in the cab. Such master switch has a handle with a neutral position and a series of positions in each of two directions from neutral. The handle thus controls drive speed in either of two directions. And, subject to the limitation described below, the farther the handle is moved away from the neutral position, the faster the drive moves the load, e.g., the bridge or trolley or the load suspended from the hoist. And the counterpart is that as a master switch is moved toward its neutral position, the drive moves the load more slowly.
In either event, the electric motor and controller "ramp" the speed change so that such change occurs no more rapidly than the maximum predetermined rate set by the slope of the ramp. The quoted expression derives its name from the fact that when depicted on a two-axis graph, the lines representing rates of acceleration and deceleration and are therefore ramp-like in shape. Usually, the control manufacturer sets such rates--they are not changed in day-to-day crane operations.
Before setting forth additional background information, an understanding of some fundamentals will be helpful. One such fundamental relates to alternating current (AC) motors and to some of the operating characteristics of a particular type of such AC motor, i.e., a squirrel cage motor. Another involves some operating principles of a type of motor controller known as an adjustable frequency inverter and the way such a controller is used with an AC squirrel cage motor. Yet another involves what is known as an asymmetrical load, i.e., a load which resists motor rotation in one direction and aids such rotation in the other, and how such a load affects the motor and the control scheme when a squirrel cage motor and adjustable frequency inverter are used to power the hoist drive.
A squirrel cage motor is so named because its rotor (formed with parallel conductors shorted together at their ends) resembles a squirrel cage in shape. In three phase configuration (the type used on crane drives), the motor has only three stator terminals. In other words, there are no rotor terminals "brought out" as with a wound rotor motor.
Such motors exhibit a characteristic "knee-shaped" speed/torque curve and in order to develop any output torque at all, the rotor (or armature, at it is often called) must rotate at a speed somewhat less than the rotational speed of the magnetic field in the stator. The latter speed is often referred to as the synchronous speed. In, for example, a squirrel cage motor having (at 60 Hz line frequency) a synchronous speed of 1,800 RPM, the running speed at rated output torque may be about 1,760 RPM. The difference between the synchronous speed and the running speed is referred to as the "slip" and often slip is expressed as a percent. References herein to "motor speed," "motor rotation" and the like refer to the rotor component of the motor.
The amount of slip is a function of load. Using the foregoing example, a completely unloaded motor may exhibit a running speed of, say, 1,780 RPM since a slight amount of slip is required to develop torque sufficient to turn the rotor. And for each motor, there is some maximum slip (or minimum rotor speed) at which the motor is incapable of exerting further torque. If such motor is loaded above that point, the motor "pulls out," i.e., stalls, and rotation stops.
Another fundamental relating to squirrel cage motors is that the rotational speed is, in general, a function of the frequency of the applied voltage. For example, a motor having a running speed at rated output torque and 60 Hz applied voltage of about 1,760 RPM would have a running speed of about 880 RPM at 30 Hz applied voltage. In recognition of this characteristic of a squirrel cage motor, the above-noted SMARTORQUE.RTM. AC drive system and other systems like it are called "inverters" and are configured to provide an output frequency (and voltage) which can be varied by changing the position of the master switch handle.
An electric motor drive system such as a crane hoist drive represents a somewhat unusual application. Unlike the bridge and trolley drives (and unlike many other types of drives not involving overhead travelling cranes), loads handled by the hoist drive are said to be asymmetrical. That is, the weight of the load either aids or resists motor rotation, depending upon the direction of load movement. More specifically, when the load is being hoisted, the force of gravity resists such upward movement and thus resists motor rotation. On the other hand, when the load is being lowered, the force of gravity (acting, of course, in a downward direction) aids motor rotation and acts in a way to urge the motor to run faster. This is sometimes referred to as an "overhauling load."
A crane hoist drive is not the only type of drive called upon to handle asymmetrical loads. Any drive moving a load between two elevations, e.g., up and down a ramp and by a reversing, sloping conveyor represents such a drive.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,965,847 (Jurkowski et al.) and 5,077,508 (Wycoff et al.) depict examples of electric motor drive systems for use on overhead travelling cranes and, more specifically, for use on the hoist systems of such cranes. Such systems power the motor by maintaining a substantially constant ratio between the motor applied voltage and the frequency of such voltage. As a result, the motor has a substantially constant stator current and, consequently, exhibits substantially constant torque over its entire speed range.
Such systems use scalar inverters and often incorporate means for motor speed "checking." If the motor speed is not within a predetermined range of error (of actual speed vs. commanded speed) and if such speed does not come within such range within a predetermined time, the system is shut down. (In contrast, a true closed loop system would be arranged to take corrective action and bring the motor speed within the predetermined range rather than shutting down the system.) The Jurkowski et al. patent is of particular interest since the invention is a substantial improvement upon the technology which it represents.
A disadvantage of systems of the type depicted in the Jurkowski et al. patent is that the time required to "check" whether the actual motor speed is within the predetermined range of permitted error is inordinately long, sometimes approaching one-half second. Yet another disadvantage of such systems is that the bias module producing a voltage representing actual speed uses a single voltage-to-motor speed (or volts per RPM) ratio in both the raising and lower directions even through the effect of slip is different for each direction. As a result, the predetermined range of permitted error is itself relatively broad and the maximum permitted error (between actual speed and commanded speed) is greater than desired for accurate control. The invention overcomes these disadvantages in a unique way.

Method for determining motor speed of an induction motor for a hoist


A method for determining quality of a communications link between an external instrument (EI) and an implantable medical device (IMD) is provided. The method includes receiving, with a receiver of an EI, data packets sent at intervals from an IMD and determining, with a processor of the EI, an expected time interval between a first data packet and a second data packet. The processor of the EI determines a difference between the expected time interval between the first data packet and the second data packet and an actual time interval between the first data packet and the second data packet. The processor of the EI also provides a time variant communication quality indicator based on the difference between the expected time interval between the first data packet and the second data packet and the actual time interval between the first data packet and the second data packet.

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to systems and methods for establishing a communication link between devices, and more particularly to measuring the communication quality within communication links between implantable medical devices and external instruments.
An implantable medical device (IMD) is a medical device that is configured to be implanted within a patient anatomy and commonly employs one or more leads with electrodes that either receive or deliver voltage, current or other electromagnetic pulses from or to an organ or tissue for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. In general, IMDs include a battery, electronic circuitry, a pulse generator, a transceiver and/or a microprocessor that is configured to handle communication with an external instrument as well as control patient therapy. The components of the IMD are hermetically sealed within a metal housing.
IMDs are programmed by, and exchange data with, external instruments controlled by physicians and/or the patient. The external instruments use proprietary or commercial operating systems (e.g., iOS, Android) that communicate through wireless bi-directional communication links with the IMDs. The quality of the communication pathway of the bi-direction communication link is affected by noise, either internal or environmental, that causes interference with a transmitted communication signal, as well as signal strength and receiving sensitivity. The noise can cause significant issues and concerns when increased amounts of data need to be transferred during certain procedures.
The communication quality is particularly important for implantable cardiac systems. During a critical task, such as induction during an implant scenario to determine the defibrillation threshold, a real-time test to evaluate heart function, communication between the external instrument and implanted device determines if the test will be successful and a risk to the patient. Before starting such evaluation/test, the clinician typically examines the communication quality and ensures it indicates a good communication condition.
However, current methods used to determine communication quality are based on the quality of the signal received by the implanted device prior to the implanted device transmitting a signal to the external instrument. Typically, the quality of the signal received by a transmitting device is a good indicator of the quality of the signal that will transmitted, but when in a medical setting, such as when taking a real-time test to evaluate heart function, greater accuracy is desired.

Implantable medical device and method for measuring communication quality


Methods, compositions and a kit for deactivating spills or leaks of HIV infected blood or anticancer drugs by applying to the leak or spill an aqueous solution containing calcium hypochlorite or sodium hypochlorite as the active ingredient. In order to thicken the aqueous solution and thus keep it from spreading beyond its intended area of application, the solution of calcium hypochlorite contains methylcellulose. In addition to chemically deactivating the active anticancer drug, the solution of the invention also effectively decolorizes it, thus preventing permanent stains on any surface or fabric with which the anticancer drug comes into contact.

This invention relates to methods and compositions for deactivating HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infected blood and anticancer drugs which may have been accidentally spilled or which have leaked from a patient, thus constituting a possible hazard to attending personnel. In addition, some anticancer drugs are inherently colored and such leakages or spills may stain clothes. The invention is effective to eliminate such stains by decolorizing the drug.
Among the known antineoplastic or anticancer drugs which are used for treating cancers of various types, some are known or suspected to be in themselves carcinogenic. In addition, some of these anticancer drugs are also dyes capable of creating unsightly stains on clothes and other fabrics such as bedsheets. Accordingly, when solutions of anticancer drugs are spilled or leaked, a possible hazard to attending personnel, as well as an unsightly stain on clothing and the like, may be created.


The present systems and methods leverage aspects of GPU architecture to improve the operational efficiency of the GPU. In one aspect, a set of complementary GPU kernels is identified. From among the tested GPU kernels, a set of α-kernels, may be determined wherein a kernel may be labeled as an α-kernel if it achieves the best performance among all tested kernels for at least one set of parameter values. An intelligent selection algorithm may be used to determine at least one best α-kernel from among the set of α-kernels, wherein the determining by the intelligent selection algorithm includes selecting the at least one best α-kernel based on the parameter values of the selected datasets.

The following exemplary embodiments relate generally to improved operational efficiency of graphics processing units (GPUs), including GPUs employed in systems for data searching, retrieval, organization, interpretation and implementation. The embodiments more particularly find application in connection with systems and methods for conducting searches of electronically stored data, including but not being limited to datasets.
Graphics processing units (GPUs) are becoming increasingly popular in solving computationally challenging problems including but not limited to data mining problems and machine learning operations. With attention to computational complex problems, the k-means algorithm is a well-known clustering algorithm with many applications, including its use in the area of data mining. It is an iterative algorithm in which a single iteration consists of two phases:                1 Assignment phase: Each data point is assigned to one of the k clusters that is the closest in terms of the Euclidean distance between the point and the centroid of the cluster;        2 Update phase: Update all k cluster centroids by computing the arithmetic mean of each cluster.
The assignment phase and the update phase iterations are then repeated until an acceptable clustering of the data points is accomplished.
To find the initial centroids before the assignment phase of the first iteration can begin, two common initialization methods can be used: (a) the Forgy method, which randomly picks k points from the data and uses them as the initial centroids; and (b) the Random Partition method, which randomly assigns each point to a cluster, updates the cluster centroids, and uses the updated centroids as initial centroids. Both initialization methods are supported by the teachings of the present disclosure.
A number of data mining algorithms have been developed as GPU-based k-means clustering algorithms. Most of these existing GPU-based k-means implementations have been built on top of a parallel computing platform and programming model developed by NVIDIA Corporation of Santa Clara, Calif., called CUDA, which supports general-purpose GPU computing. While the embodiments to be described herein (including k-means clustering) also use CUDA, the present focus is on the more recent NVIDA GPUs designed with the Fermi architecture, rather than the earlier models such as GeForce GTX 280 that has been used as the test GPU in a number of studies such as discussed in the article by Ren Wu, Bin Zhang, and Meichum Hsu, GPU-Accelerated Large Scale Analytics, HP Laboratories, Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (Mar. 6, 2009).
The introduction of the Fermi architecture has resulted in several new features being added to CUDA that were not previously available. This creates new opportunities for improving existing GPU-based algorithms implemented for and tested on pre-Fermi GPUs. For example, the article by R. Nath, S. Tomov, J. Dongarra, An Improved Magma Gemm for Fermi Graphics Processing Units, International Journal of High Performance Computing Applications 2010, shows how to improve general matrix-matrix multiplications on the Fermi GPUs, which require non-trivial implementation changes to fully exploit the newly introduced hardware features such as increased shared memory, number of registers and etc.
The present inventor has determined additional aspects now available due to the Femi architecture permit for improvements in the operational efficiency of Fermi based and post-Fermi based GPUs.

System and method for selecting useful smart kernels for general-purpose GPU computing