A screen wiping apparatus comprises a wiper arm which carries at least one wiper blade. The wiper arm is articulated about a pivot axis on a drive head for driving the wiper arm in oscillating movement. A substantially constant wiping torque is applied to the wiper arm by a spring. The apparatus also includes means for applying a complementary torque to the wiper arm so as to modify the actual wiping force applied to the wiper blade. This complementary torque applying means includes an actuator having an output member, which is coupled to the wiper arm through a connecting member. The connecting member includes a working surface which cooperates with a complementary torque transmitting member, typically in the form of a lever, which is coupled to the wiper arm and which is pivotable with respect to the latter against the action of a loading spring.

In order to obtain correct wiping of the swept surface, it is necessary that the wiping strip of the wiper blade should be applied on the swept surface with a substantial pressing, or wiping, force. To this end at least one spring is usually provided, for example a helical tension spring. This spring is disposed between the driving head and the wiper arm, and in practice it applies a substantially constant nominal wiping torque to the wiper arm about the pivot axis of the latter, so as to urge the wiping strip of the blade into contact with the swept surface.
The design of this wiping apparatus is such that the wiping strip is applied not only during the wiping movement over the swept surface, but also when the windshield wiper is in its rest or parked position. Because this nominal wiping force is exerted on the wiping strip at all times, even when the wiper is parked, it is found that the strip adopts and retains a residual deformation resulting from the bending of its profile against the swept surface. This results in a deterioration in the effectiveness of the wiping operation. It is accordingly desirable to be able to reduce the nominal wiping force which is applied to the wiping strip when the wiper is parked.
In addition, the quality of the wiping operation depends in operation on the magnitude of the wiping force applied to the wiping strip, in particular as a function of the speed of travel of the vehicle, and as a function of the frequency of the oscillating movement of the wiper itself.
It is known to augment the wiping force by the use of aerodynamic attachments which are mounted on the wiper arm. However, these devices do not enable the value of the wiping force to be controlled with any precision. In particular, they do not provide any facility for making controlled adjustments to the value of this force in response to any operating parameter of the vehicle.
In order to overcome the drawbacks mentioned above, it has already been proposed to provide a screen wiping apparatus of the type mentioned above, in which the means which are arranged between the driving head and the wiper arm, so as to apply a wiping torque to the latter, include at least one spring which applies to the wiper arm a nominal wiping torque that is substantially constant, together with a means for applying a complementary torque to the wiper arm. The algebraic value of this complementary torque is adjustable in such a way that the value of the wiping torque can be either increased or reduced, according to (in particular) an operating parameter of the vehicle.
The complementary torque applying means includes, for example, an actuator which is associated with the driving head, and which includes an output member (typically in the form of a ram) which is connected to the wiper arm. Although such an arrangement is to a great extent satisfactory, it is found that the whole of the apparatus is subjected to cyclic forces, which result in particular from the curved shape of the windshield. While the wiper is operating, this curved shape gives rise to cyclic pivoting, at a small amplitude, of the wiper arm about its pivot axis. These oscillations of the wiper arm result in cyclic stresses being applied to the actuator, and especially to the anchorage of the body of the actuator on the driving head.

Screen wiping apparatus with adjustable wiper force


An ion ring accelerator employs a pulsed magnetic field to accelerate a charge neutralized ion ring. The accelerator includes a plurality of accelerator modules arranged either in a linear or a recirculating manner, each of which cause an incremental acceleration of the ion ring. As the ion ring enters one of the accelerator modules, a pulse is applied to a coil or resonant cavity in the module which increases in magnitude and synchronism with the passage of the ion ring. As a result, the ion ring is exposed to an increasing magnetic field in the module which compresses the ring, thereby adiabatically increasing its energy. As the ion ring exits the module and is no longer exposed to the increase in magnetic field, it expands, thereby releasing energy and accelerating in an axial direction. The repetition rate of the high current ion ring accelerator will be determined by the power supplies for the modules.

The present invention relates in general to an ion accelerator in which a charge neutralized ring of ions can be accelerated to energies up to 1 GeV and beyond through use of an inductive accelerating electric field.
There are many applications for high current, high energy ion accelerators, such as drivers for inertial confinement nuclear fusion, intense neutron sources for transmutation of radioactive wastes and other research and industrial uses. In a high current accelerator, by definition, the number of ions in a particle bunch to be accelerated must be large. Above a critical number density, space charge neutralization by electrons is essential. Charged neutralized bunches of ions, however, cannot be accelerated by a longitudinal electric field. For electrostatic acceleration, a transverse magnetic field which insulates the electrons has been employed successfully in intense ion diodes. This technique, however, is applicable only to single stage acceleration or at most two stage acceleration, thus limiting the ion energy to the range of 10-20 MeV, For multistage acceleration to higher energies of 100 MeV to 1 GeV, the accelerating electric field must be inductive. A need therefore exists for an accelerator structure and method by which particles can be accelerated using an inductive accelerating field.


A method for crystallizing a semiconductor thin film is provided. The method includes continuously irradiating an energy beam on a semiconductor thin film while scanning at a given speed. The energy beam is scanned in parallel lines while keeping pitches of not larger than an irradiation radius of the energy beam to grow band-shaped crystal grains in a direction different from a scanning direction of the energy beam.

The present disclosure relates to a method for crystallizing a semiconductor thin film by irradiation of an energy beam.
In flat displays such as liquid crystal displays and organic EL displays using organic electroluminescent elements, thin film transistors (TFT) are used as a switching element for the active matrix display of a plurality of pixels. The thin film transistor includes TFT using polysilicon (poly-Si) as an active region (polysilicon TFT) and TFT using amorphous silicon (amorphous Si) as an active region (amorphous silicon TFT).
Of these, the polysilicon TFT has the feature that it is about 10 times to 100 times greater than the amorphous silicon TFT with respect to the carrier mobility, with reduced degradation of on current. In this sense, the polysilicon TFT not only has very excellent characteristics for use as a switching element of such displays as mentioned above, but also has attracted attention for use as switching elements constituting various types of logic circuits (e.g. domino logic circuits, CMOS transmission gate circuits and the like) and multiplexers, EPROM, EEPROM, CCD and RAM using the logic circuits).
For a manufacturing technique of such a polysilicon TFT, there has been developed a so-called low temperature polysilicon process using a low temperature process of approximately 600° C. or below, thereby realizing low costs of a substrate. In the low temperature polysilicon process, a pulse laser crystallization technique has been in wide use wherein an amorphous silicon film is crystallized by use of a pulse laser whose oscillation time is very short. The pulse laser crystallization technique is a technique wherein a silicon thin film on a substrate is irradiated with a high-output pulse laser beam to instantaneously melt the film and such a property of silicon being crystallized during the course of solidification is utilized.
For instance, in the low temperature polysilicon process using an excimer laser, a line-shaped laser beam is shifted little by little for pulse irradiation on an amorphous silicon film while overlapping irradiation on most of portions of the film, under which 10 to 20 cycles of laser beam irradiation on the same portion are repeated. The polycrystal whose crystal size is uniform may be obtained on the entire surface of active region by this process. Moreover, a method of controlling the position of crystal grains using crystallization according to an SLS (sequential lateral solidification) procedure has been proposed. In addition, there has also been proposed, for example, a method of controlling the position of crystal grains by spacially modulating a phase of an excimer laser beam through a phase shift mask to have the irradiating laser beam had an energy density gradient (see "Surface Science 21", 2000, vol. 21, No. 5 pp. 278-287).
Aside from those methods using a line-shaped laser beam as set out above, there has been proposed a method for arranging relatively small-sized crystals by explosive crystallization with use of a spot beam laser such as of Ar gas.
In recent years, in such flat panel displays as set forth above, a high frame-rate liquid crystal display is being developed for the purpose of further improving a moving image characteristic and a contact characteristic. New types of displays such as a self-emitting display such as an organic EL display are now under development. This entails the demand for development of TFT for use as a switching element applicable to these displays, which undergoes little characteristic degradation upon abrupt passage of a great current and is small in characteristic variation among switching elements.
In this connection, although the polysilicon TFT obtained by the prior-art low temperature polysilicon process is very advantageous in that it has the likelihood of passing a relative great current, has a great carrier mobility and is small in characteristic degradation, variations in element-to-element characteristics, especially, an initial threshold voltage and an on current, are greater than those of the amorphous silicon TFT. The characteristic variation among the polysilicon TFT elements is a factor of causing uneven brightness in the display using the polysilicon TFT as a switching element.
The element-to-element variation in characteristics of the polysilicon TFT depends on the variation in number of grain boundaries existing in a channel portion of the polysilicon TFT in a channel direction (i.e. a direction along which electrons flow). Accordingly, within a range where the number of crystal boundaries is small, a slight difference in number of grain boundaries brings about a great variation of TFT elements. On the other hand, as the number of grain boundaries increases, a variation of TFT elements is suppressed low even if the number of grain boundaries in the channel portion differs more or less. In order to suppress the characteristic variation in the polysilicon TFTs to a low level, importance is placed on the formation of a polysilicon film wherein uniformly shaped, relatively small-sized crystals are regularly aligned.
However, an excimer laser widely employed in the pulse laser crystallization technique is a kind of gas laser, for which interpulse energy stability is low. Although polycrystals whose crystal size is uniform can be obtained by 10 to 20 cycles of laser beam irradiation on the same portion as stated hereinabove, the uniformity of the resulting crystal size is unsatisfactory. Additionally, the excimer laser is high in unit cost along with high running costs necessary for change of a laser tube (oscillator). The necessity of repetition of irradiation by about several tens of cycles lowers throughput, with the attendant problem that manufacturing costs of a product cannot be lowered.
The problem on the uniformity of crystal size being unsatisfactory is likewise experienced in such a method using a phase shift mask as discussed in "Surface Science 21", 2000, vol. 21, No. 5 pp. 278-287. This method has additional problems such as of high fabrication costs of the phase shift mask and a difficulty in making a large-sized substrate.
An explosive crystallization method using a spot beam laser such as of Ar gas is a recrystallization method using solid phase transition, for which the resulting crystals are poor in quality and it is difficult to obtain a satisfactory carrier mobility.
It is desirable to provide a method for crystallizing a semiconductor thin film wherein crystal grains having a good shape accuracy are regularly aligned, thereby enabling a crystal region of good accuracy exhibiting a high carrier mobility to be formed.

Method for crystallizing a semiconductor thin film


An intermediate network device performs service aware path selection. For example, the intermediate network device comprises a network interface that receives network traffic and a control unit that couples to the network interface. The control unit comprises a storage medium that stores a first set of cost factors for a first path from the intermediate network device to another intermediate network device. The first set of cost factors includes at least one optimization cost factor corresponding to intermediate optimization capabilities available to the intermediate network device that offset other cost factors of the first set. The storage medium also stores a second set of cost factors for a second path between the devices. The control unit selects either the first path or the second path over which to forward the network traffic based on the first and second sets of cost factors.

In a typical network environment, client devices request and download content stored within network servers. Exemplary content includes web pages that may contain one or more of text, graphics, video, and sound data. Other examples of content include files, multimedia data streams (e.g., audio or video data streams), electronic messages, and data tables. Upon receiving the content requests, the network servers typically retrieve the requested content, break the requested content into packets, and transmit the packets to the requesting client device. Routers and other network infrastructure direct these packets through the network to the client devices, which, in turn, reconstruct the content from the packets and present the content to users via applications residing on the client devices.
The network may experience a variety of issues that result in decreased download speeds at the client devices. These issues include a large volume of content requests to a single network server that overload or otherwise diminish the capacity of the network server to timely service the requested content. Moreover, network congestion and limited network bandwidth may impact client download speeds. To increase download speeds and reduce bandwidth consumption, a network administrator may deploy one or more intermediate network devices, referred to as network acceleration devices, located between the client devices and the servers. These intermediate network devices may apply one or more network acceleration services to network traffic passing between the client devices and the servers in order to address the above listed issues or other issues that adversely affect download speeds. In the respect, the intermediate network devices may optimize delivery of data to and from the client devices.

Service aware path selection with a network acceleration device


A method, device and system enhance an audio signal in a receiving device. The method comprises acoustically propagating a target signal from an acoustic source along an acoustic propagation path, providing a propagated acoustic signal at the receiving device; converting the received propagated acoustic signal to a propagated electric signal, the received propagated acoustic signal comprising the target signal, noise and possible other sounds from the environment as modified by the propagation path from the acoustic source to the receiving device; wirelessly transmitting a signal comprising the target audio signal to the receiving device; receiving the wirelessly transmitted signal in the receiving device; retrieving a streamed target audio signal from the wirelessly received signal comprising the target audio signal; and estimating the target signal from the propagated electric signal and the streamed target audio signal using an adaptive system.

In many wireless audio streaming scenarios the acoustical audio signal is present in parallel to a corresponding wireless electromagnetic signal, e.g. audio streaming from a TV, audio streaming in a class room, etc. The misalignment in time between the streamed audio signal and the acoustic audio signal is in many situations a problem. If the misalignment is more than 10 ms, sound quality begins to drop. If the misalignment is increased even more, audio-visual non-synchronicity begins to appear. If the delay is more than 50 ms, audio-visual non-synchronicity like e.g. lip-reading makes the situation quite unpleasant and decreases speech intelligibility.
The present invention proposes among other things a solution to this problem.

Signal enhancement using wireless streaming


The present invention described herein is a soft, pliable, cushioning device to be used in conjunction with ultrasound and toco transducers during external fetal monitoring. The device can be shaped to fit the transducers and can easily attach and detach with the transducers via an adhesive layer. The device provides comfort to the patient and improved continuity of the transducers' readings during external fetal monitoring. The device can be a single-use application or reusable.

Cardiotocography is a means of recording the fetal heartbeat and uterine contractions during pregnancy. Physicians have used this method, also known as external fetal monitoring, since the late 1970's. Two separate transducers perform simultaneous recordings of fetal heart rate and uterine contractions when placed externally on a woman's abdominal wall. In particular, an ultrasound transducer measures the fetal heart and a pressure-sensitive contraction transducer, also known as a tocodynamometer (toco), measures the tension of the maternal abdominal wall, which is an indirect measure of the intrauterine pressure. Both the ultrasound and toco transducers can be kept in place on the woman's abdomen with either a belt or a band.
Women can be monitored for days and or weeks depending on their risk needs. Women in labor are also monitored at the very least for approximately 20-40 minutes upon arrival to a hospital and then throughout the course of their labor. The time women are monitored can vary depending on their needs in labor as assessed by the provider. Despite the often extensive duration of external fetal monitoring, the external fetal monitoring equipment is heavy and inflexible. The equipment is also ridged and often leaves indentations on the woman's body. It is also challenging to trace the fetal heart rate using the equipment because the fetus will often move during monitoring and it can be time consuming to constantly adjust the transducers and belts during labor and birth. Moreover, patients often take off the transducers because of their discomfort. The transducers can also slide and lose position and therefore result in discontinuous readings during external fetal monitoring. While the readout device used with the fetal monitoring equipment has been modified to display information about multiple fetuses, the woman's blood pressure, and various other vital statistics, the design of the toco and ultrasound transducers have not changed since the introduction of external fetal monitoring.
Therefore, what is needed in the art is a product that can provide more comfortable and improved external fetal monitoring. In addition, the product should reduce the time and effort expended by the provider during external fetal monitoring. With these goals in mind, the inventor has created padded, pliable device to be used with the ultrasound and toco transducers to improve comfort during external fetal monitoring and allow for easy and continuous tracing of the fetal heart rate. The inventor has also created a device to maintain the positions of the transducers during external fetal monitoring. By maintaining the position of the transducers, the device also stabilizes the transducers to allow for improved, more comprehensive, continuous, and uninterrupted ultrasound and toco transducer readings during external fetal monitoring.

Device for improved external fetal monitoring


A recording power adjustment process to adjust a recording power is carried out in each recording layer of a multilayered optical disc, and a shift test writing process to adjust the pulse condition of a recording pulse is carried out only with regard to some of the respective recording layers. Then, based on the processing result of the recording power adjustment process and the processing result of the shift test writing process, a processing result of the shift test writing process in each of the recording layers, to which the shift test writing process has not been performed, is predicted. Then, information is recorded on a corresponding recording layer of the multilayered optical disc while adjusting the pulse condition of the recording pulse based on the processing result of the shift test writing process or the prediction result.

The present invention relates to a recording method and an optical disc apparatus. In particular, the present invention is suitably applied to an optical disc apparatus corresponding to a multilayered optical disc having a plurality of recording layers provided therein.
Conventionally, in the optical disc apparatus, an adjustment process of the recording power (recording power adjustment process) called OPC (Optimum Power Calibration) has been carried out in recording data on an optical disc. In the OPC, a test writing of predetermined data is carried out to a test writing area provided in the innermost periphery or the outermost periphery of an optical disc, and then the most suitable recording power (hereinafter, referred to as the optimum recording power) is detected based on a reproduced waveform of this test written data.
However, since such OPC is carried out prior to starting the data recording, it cannot respond to a change in the optimum recording power associated with the environmental change after starting the recording or a change of the recording position on an optical disc. Then, as a recording power control method corresponding to such a change in the optimum recording power, a method called Walking OPC has been proposed in recent years.
The Walking OPC is a method, in which at certain intervals or at regular time intervals, the recording is interrupted to reproduce a recording trailer and evaluate the data recording quality in this recording trailer and then the recording power is corrected based on this evaluation result. The recording power control based on such Walking OPC has been widely used in recent years because it can secure a high recording quality to ensure reproduction compatibility.
In such Walking OPC, a parameter called a β value indicative of the asymmetry of amplitude is used as an index of the recording quality. Then, in the Walking OPC, a correction factor for the recording power is calculated based on a predetermined β value to be targeted (hereinafter, suitably referred to as a target β value) and a β value obtained by reproducing the recording trailer at certain intervals or at regular time intervals (hereinafter, suitably referred to as a measured β value), and then based on this correction factor the recording power is corrected.
The techniques on the OPC are disclosed in JP Patent No. 3720624, WO 2005/031718, JP-A-2007-164954, and JP-A-2005-259257.

Recording method and optical disc apparatus


An image processing apparatus is provided which performs image restoration as necessary while a computing processing burden based on an image restoration algorithm is reduced. RAW data of a blurred image is input to an RGB interpolation section. The RGB interpolation section generates an R component image, a G component image, and a B component image based on the RAW data. The G component image is input to an image restoration processing section and the R and B component images are input to an RGB to YCC section. The image restoration processing section performs an image restoration process based on a predetermined image restoration algorithm by using a PSF image representing a predetermined point spread function. The RGB to YCC section generates a brightness component image Y and color difference component images CR and CB based on the G component image having been subjected to the image restoration process and the R and B component images which was not subjected to any image restoration process.

Conventionally, a known image restoration algorithm restores a blurred image, in which degradations have occurred in the image imaged by an imaging apparatus such as a digital camera, due to being out of focus, hand movement, aberration and the like.
As the image restoration algorithm, for example, a known method represents image degradation due to blurring on the captured image with a degradation function (point spread function (PSF)), and restores it to an image having no blurring based on the degradation function.
Image restoration algorithms using the degradation function are known including, for example, the Wiener filter, the general inverse filter, the projection filter and the like. Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2004-205802 discloses an image restoration method using the Wiener filter, and Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2004-288653 discloses an image restoration method using the general inverse filter.
Here, the degradation function used by the method of restoring the blurred image will be described.
When f(x,y) is an ideal image and g(x,y) is the blurred image, it is assumed that there is a relation as follows:
[Formula 1]g(x,y)=∫∫h(x,y,x′,y′)f(x′,y′)dx′dy′+v(x,y)  (1)
Here, h(x,y,x′,y′) represents the degradation function, and v(x,y) represents random noise in an output image.
Except for the parallel translation, if an image having a blurred point does not depend on a position of the point, the degradation function becomes h(x−x′,y−y′) and the expression (1) becomes as follows:
[Formula 2]g(x,y)=∫∫h(x−x′,y−y′)f(x′,y′)dx′dy′+v(x,y)  (2)
When there is no noise, the Fourier transformation is performed on both sides of the expression (2) and it becomes as follows according to the convolution theorem:G(u,v)=H(u,v)F(u,v)  (3)
G(u,v), F(u,v) and H(u,v) represent the Fourier transformations of g(x,y), f(x,y) and h(x,y), respectively. Here, H(u,v) is a transfer function of a system for transforming the ideal image f(x,y) into the blurred image g(x,y).
Now, in order to consider only the degradation due to the relative movement of the camera and the landscape, its degradation model will be described below. If the relative movement approximately equals that caused by the movement of an imaging area of an image sensor in a plane, the total of exposures at a point on the imaging area is obtained by integrating instantaneous exposures only when a shutter is opened. In this case, it is assumed that the time required for opening and closing the shutter can be ignored. When α(t) and β(t) are components of X and y directions of a displacement respectively, it becomes as follows:
[Formula 3]g(x,y)=∫−T/2T/2f(x−α(t),y−β(t))dt  (4)
In this case, T is an exposure time, which is assumed to be from −T/2 to T/2 for descriptive purposes. If the Fourier transformation is performed on both sides of the expression (4), it becomes as follows:
                    [                  Formula                                                              4                ]                                                                                G                                                  (                                      u                    ,                    v                                    )                                            =                                                          ∫                                                      ⅆ                    x                                                                          ∫                                                                  ⅆ                        y                                                                                exp                                                                          [                                                                                -                              j                                                                                2                                                                                π                                                                                (                                                                  ux                                  +                                  vy                                                                )                                                                                ]                                                                                ∫                                                            -                      T                                        /                    2                                                        T                    /                    2                                                                                ⅆ                                      tf                                                              (                                                                        x                          -                                                      α                                                                                (                              t                              )                                                                                ,                                                  y                          -                                                      β                                                                                (                              t                              )                                                                                )                                                                                =                                                                            ∫                                                            -                      T                                        /                    2                                                        T                    /                    2                                                                                ⅆ                    t                                                                          ∫                                                                  ⅆ                        x                                                                                ∫                                                  ⅆ                                                      yf                            (                                                                                x                                -                                                                  α                                                                                (                                    t                                    )                                                                                ,                                                                                y                  -                                      β                                                              (                      t                      )                                                                      )                                                                                exp                                                  [                                                            -                      j                                                                                2                                                                                π                                                                    (                                                  ux                          +                          vy                                                )                                                                              ]
If x−α(t)=ξ and y−β(t)=η, the above expression becomes as follows:
                                                                [                      Formula                                                                          5                    ]                                                                                G                                                  (                                      u                    ,                    v                                    )                                            =                                                                            ∫                                                            -                      T                                        /                    2                                                        T                    /                    2                                                                                ⅆ                    t                                                                          ∫                                          ∫                                                                        ⅆ                          ξ                                                                                ⅆ                          η                                                                                f                                                                                (                                                          ξ                              ,                              η                                                        )                                                                          ×                        exp                                                                                [                                                            -                      j                                                                                2                                                                                π                                                                    (                                                                              u                                                                                ξ                                                    +                                                      v                                                                                η                                                                          )                                                                              ]                                                                  exp                                                        [                                                                  -                        j                                                                                2                                                                                π                                                                          (                                                                                α                                                                                (                                  t                                  )                                                                                u                                                        +                                                                                β                                                                                (                                  t                                  )                                                                                v                                                                                )                                                                                ]                                                                                =                                                                            F                                                        (                                          u                      ,                      v                                        )                                                                                ∫                                                                  -                        T                                            /                      2                                                              T                      /                      2                                                                                exp                                                                    [                                                                              -                            j                                                                                2                                                                                π                                                                                (                                                                                u                                                                                α                                                                                (                                      t                                      )                                                                                +                                                                  v                                                                                β                                                                                (                                      t                                      )                                                                                )                                                                                ]                                                                                ⅆ                      t                                                                                =                                                                            F                                                        (                                          u                      ,                      v                                        )                                                                                H                                                        (                                          u                      ,                      v                                        )                                                                                (        5        )
From this expression (5), it can be seen that the degradation is modeled with the expression (3) or the expression (2) which is equal to the expression (3). Then, the degradation function H(u,v) is given by the following expression:
[Formula 6]H(u,v)=∫=T/2T/2exp[−2jπ(uα(t)+vβ(t))]dt  (6)
Therefore, the degradation function in the case of blurring with regard to the X-axis at an angle θ, at a certain speed V and only in the time T is given as follows:H(u,v)=sin πωT/πω  (7)
Here, ω is as follows:ω=(u−u0)V cos θ+(v−v0)V sin θ  (8)
u0 and v0 are central coordinates of the image. It should be noted that when ω is very small, the degradation function approximates to H(u,v)=T.
As the image restoration algorithm using the degradation function H obtained in this way, some methods have been proposed including a method of performing the Fourier transformation with regard to the blurred image and performing an operation in a frequency space, or a method of performing an iterative computation with a steepest descent method with regard to the image in a real space, and the like.
Here, the method of performing the Fourier transformation with regard to the blurred image and performing the operation in the frequency space will be described.
In other words, it is assumed that the blurred image g(x,y) and the original image f(x,y) are in accordance with the model of the above described expression (2). Then, if there is no noise, the Fourier transformations of g(x,y), f(x,y), and the blurred image H, h(x,y) satisfy the above described expression (3). Here, the expression (3) is transformed as follows:F(u,v)=G(u,v)/H(u,v)  (9)
From this expression (9), if H(u,v) is known, it is possible to restore f(x,y) by multiplying the Fourier transformation of the blurred image G(u,v) with 1/H(u,v) to perform the inverse Fourier transformation.
Also, as the other method, the method of performing the image restoration by using the iterative computation with the steepest descent method will be described by using FIG. 18.
FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of an image restoration processing apparatus for performing the image restoration by using the iterative computation with the steepest descent method.
In FIG. 18, the image restoration processing apparatus sets the blurred image g(x,y) as the 0th restored image (that is, initial image) in a RAM (S10). Next, a parameter n indicating an iteration count is initialized to 0, and further a maximum iteration count nMAX is read from a ROM (S12), and a predetermined convergence parameter ε is read from the ROM (S14). Also, a threshold Thr is read from the ROM as an end determination parameter (S16). Next, if the iteration count n is less than a predetermined maximum iteration count (a determination result at step S18 is positive "Y"), after the iteration count n is incremented (S20), VJ (nabula) is calculated (S22), and a square of norm of VJ is calculated to be set as a parameter t (S24).
Here, J is an evaluation amount of the general inverse filter and given as follows with the blurred image g(x,y), the restored image f(x,y) and the degradation function h(x,y):J=∥g(x,y)−h(x,y)*f(x,y)∥2
(* indicates a convolution integral). The above expression means that the evaluation amount J is given by the size of a difference between the image h(x,y)*f(x,y) obtained by causing the degradation function h(x,y) to operate on the restored image f(x,y), and the actual blurred image g(x,y). If the restored image has been correctly restored, h(x,y)*f(x,y)=g(x,y) and the evaluation amount is 0, in theory. It is assumed that the lower the evaluation amount J is, the better the restored image f(x,y) has been restored. In the steepest descent method, the iterative computation is repeated until the size of VJ which is a gradient of this evaluation amount J, that is, the square of norm of VJ becomes smaller than or equal to the threshold, and when it becomes smaller than or equal to the threshold, the iterative computation is finished and the restored image f(x,y) is obtained. It should be noted that although the case of the general inverse filter has been illustrated for the evaluation amount J, it is of course applicable to arbitrary evaluation amounts for evaluating the difference between g(x,y) and h(x,y)*f(x,y), also including the evaluation amounts in the Tiknohov-Miller normalization method and the Bayes restoration method for calculating the difference between g(x,y) and h(x,y)*f(x,y).
Now returning to FIG. 18, the image restoration processing apparatus determines whether or not t exceeds the threshold Thr (S26). If t exceeds the threshold Thr, since the restoration is regarded as still insufficient, VJ is multiplied by the convergence parameter ε (S28), and a new restored image is generated by subtracting ε VJ from the restored image (S30). The process of step S18 to step S30 is iterated until t becomes less than or equal to the threshold Thr.
If t becomes less than or equal to the threshold Thr (the determination result at step S26 is positive "Y"), or even if t does not become less than or equal to the threshold Thr, if the maximum iteration count has been reached (the determination result at step S18 is negative "N"), the process is terminated.
The above described method is the method of performing the image restoration by using the iterative computation with the steepest descent method.
It should be noted that the principle of the image restoration process involving the iterative computation is described, for example, in Non-patent Document 1 (see M. Elad and A. Feuer; Super-Resolution of An Image Sequence—Adaptive Filtering Approach; Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, 4 Apr. 1997).

Image processing apparatus and image restoration method and program


A storage container system has a plurality of container bases and lids. Each base has a bottom, a continuous side wall terminating at a top edge, an open top bounded thereby, and an interior storage space. The plurality of bases can be stacked to form a base stack. Each lid has a main panel section, a perimeter skirt, a top side, and a bottom side. Each lid can close off the open top of any of the plurality of bases by connecting a part of the perimeter skirt to the side wall near the top edge. Each lid has a first connecting structure with a lid-to-lid component and a mating lid-to-lid component. Each lid-to-lid component can connect to the mating lid-to-lid component on another of the lids to form a lid stack. Each lid also has a lid-to-base component of a second connecting structure different from the first connecting structure. Each base has a mating lid-to-base component of the second connecting structure. The lid stack can be connected to the base stack by connecting an exposed lid-to-base component on the lid stack to an exposed mating lid-to-base component on the base stack.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure is generally directed to storage containers, and more particularly to a storage container and container system that includes multiple containers and multiple lids with snap features so that the lids and containers may be snapped together in various configurations either during use or during non-use.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional storage containers, such as for storing food items, are commonly formed of generally or substantially rigid plastic configurations. Plastic containers of this type generally have a base and a lid that attaches to the base. The base typically has a bottom and a side wall that together define an interior storage space in the container. The lid can be attached to the base to cover the open top and to seal the storage space.
Such plastic containers are generally available in a variety of sizes to store or transport different volumes of food items. Each size container typically includes a corresponding lid sized to fit its associated container. A user will typically store empty containers in a kitchen cabinet or pantry area when not in use. When not being used, the lids often become separated from their associated container bases. Users have expressed frustration over lost or misplaced lids and the difficulty in finding the correct lid for a selected container.
Some known container systems include lids that attach to the bottom of their respective container bases to help manage the containers and lids by keeping the lids and their corresponding containers together. Such lids, when attached to the base bottoms, often hinder space efficient stacking and storage of multiple containers. However, the user still needs to find the specific lid for the corresponding container base when the lids and container bases become separated, such as during cleaning. This is because containers of one storage capacity typically have lids specifically sized for only those containers, and containers of another storage capacity typically have lids of a different size.
During normal use, a container base is typically filled with food items and covered with the lid. Users sometimes stack full containers for refrigerator storage or for transport to a location outside the home. However, the stacked containers tend to be unstable and can slide off of each other and become separated. This makes it difficult to keep the containers organized in refrigerated storage and difficult to transport. A known storage container system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,886,694, commonly assigned to the assignee of the present patent, employs a lid and base configuration whereby a base can rest on the lid of another container and register with the lid. However, the lid of the underlying base does not connect or attach to the base of the overlying container.
One example of a prior art container system is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,617 and includes a plurality of containers and a plurality of lids that can attach to one another in a variety of ways. Each lid includes opposed male and female fasteners centrally located with one fastener on each side of the lid. The lids are connectable as a stack by interconnecting adjacent male and female fasteners of adjacent lids. Additionally, a stack of lids can be attached to a stack of nested containers. Each container includes a female fastener, identical to the female fastener on the lids, located on its bottom surface. The stacked lids can be attached to the nested containers by snapping an exposed one of the aforementioned male lid fasteners to an exposed female fastener of the bottom of an exposed container. When full and in use, these containers could be stacked upon one another, but the stack would not be stable because of the small size and configuration of the male and female connectors on the bases and lids.
Another prior art container system is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,951,832 and includes a plurality of containers and lids. Each lid is sized to fit only its associated container. The inner surface of each lid is contoured either to snap-fit over the open top or onto the bottom of its respective container. The different sized containers can be stacked in a nested configuration, one inside the other, while the lids remain attached to the bottom of the corresponding container. The lids can not be stacked together and the containers when full and in use can not be stacked on top of one another in a stable arrangement.
Yet another prior art container system is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,128 and includes stackable containers with lids. The containers have a first threaded segment on an outer surface near the open top adapted to engage with a first threaded segment on an inner surface of the lids so that the lids close off the open top of the container. Additionally, each lid includes a stepped portion of its top. The stepped portion includes a second threaded segment sized and shaped to mate with a second threaded segment formed within a lower rim of the container so that the lids can thread to the bottom of adjacent containers when stacked. A stable stack can be created, but the lids can not attach to one another for storage and the threaded connection method can be somewhat difficult to use, particularly with full containers.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A radio receiver including: a serial data interface configured to receive a serial data signal from another radio receiver; a clock/data recovery circuit configured to produce a clock signal and a data signal from the serial data signal; and a radio front-end configured to receive the clock signal from the clock/data recovery circuit to produce a received signal; and signal combining circuit configured to combine the received signal and the data signal.

The performance of radio receivers may be reduced by the multipath reception phenomenon. This occurs when the transmitted signal reaches the receiver antenna by a direct path as well as indirect paths through reflections from objects. Depending on the delay between the direct and the reflected signals, they may add destructively and thereby interrupt normal operation of the receiver. For broadcast systems, this phenomenon is often observed in FM receivers, where the wavelength of the radio signals and the distance to the surroundings (buildings, mountains, etc.) make this undesired multipath effect very noticeable to the user.
In stationary situations, the position of the radio can be changed by just a few centimeters to ensure the antenna is at a location where the signals add constructively and the multipath distortion is avoided. In car radios, however, the antenna of the radio receiver will be subjected to continuously changing conditions and therefore multipath reception remains a major limitation in the quality of the received audio. Digital Broadcasting, making use of multi-carrier orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) signals spread over a relatively wide frequency range, mitigates this shortcoming of analog FM radio. But due to slow worldwide penetration of digital radio standards, FM radio reception remains widely used by car radio users and manufacturers.
Therefore, in high-end applications, car manufacturers provide at least one additional antenna such that the two (or more) antennae will be separated by a distance that is about a quarter of the wavelength of the signals of interest. In this way, signals received by the two antennae are "uncorrelated" with respect to reflections—when one antenna is in a "signal dip" due to multipath interference, the other antenna should receive a strong signal. More advanced radio receivers apply phase diversity algorithms that make use of these uncorrelated signals at multiple antennae, adjusting signal delays in the receiver system such that signal addition is constructive before demodulation. This eliminates multipath distortion at the audio output. This may be achieved by providing separate tuners (radio front-ends) for each antenna and combining the signals digitally by a phase diversity algorithm prior to demodulation.
To achieve constructive addition of signals, all signal processing steps in the separated paths, prior to phase diversity operation, make use of clock and timing references derived from the same crystal reference. This is to say that, for example, radio frequency (RF) mixers in each antenna path converting signals to baseband are driven by Local Oscillator (LO) signals from the same phase locked loop (PLL) and/or reference crystal oscillator to the PLL(s). Small, but constant, phase offsets can be corrected for by most phase diversity algorithms. But even a small frequency offset, due to physically different crystals, translates to continuously changing phase that cannot be distinguished from differences in time of arrival at the antennae by phase diversity algorithms. This constraint limits the practical distance between the 2 (or more) receivers configured as phase diversity system.

Multiple antenna distributed radio system


A processor-implemented method includes (i) automatically defining a first Circle of Trust (CoT) by a first CoT administrator, in a CoT database, (ii) automatically receiving, at a digital identity management (DIM) server, a first digital identity wallet (DIW) application request from a first DIW application provider server, (iii) automatically adding the first DIW application to the CoT database if the first CoT administrator approves the first DIW application request, (iv) automatically receiving, at the DIM server, a relying party application request from the at least one relying party application associated with the relying party and (v) automatically adding, the at least one relying party application to the CoT database, if the first CoT administrator approves the relying party application request.

Applications require user authentication to enable users to access them, which is typically done using credentials—for example, a username and password. Since it is cumbersome for users to create credentials for each application, many applications rely on user credentials from a third-party application for authentication, in order to make it easier for the user to avoid having to create a new set of credentials. These applications are called relying party applications. These user credentials may be stored as cookies in a browser and can be retrieved and used by each relying party application to automatically login. However, there is a risk these cookies can be accessed by malware in order to access a relying party application and perform unauthorized transactions.
One way to reduce this risk to use a separate application for authentication, such as a Digital Identity Wallet application or an authentication or authorizing application—for example, Facebook. When the user initiates an authentication or authorization request from a relying party application, it may be received in the authentication or authorization application that is used to authenticate the user, typically using a notification system. A further risk is unauthorized (e.g., "spam") requests of the digital identity wallet application by nefarious relying party applications. A nefarious relying party application could pose as a known party—for example, a commonly used bank or human resources system, seeking to acquire the credentials of unwitting users. This creates a problem of opening users up to a new category of attack, putting some of their most sensitive data at risk.

System and method for access using a circle of trust


A method for accounting for data processing system service usage is provided. The method comprises monitoring a total environmental consumption related to an information technology resource, determining a percentage of the information technology resource used by a customer, and determining an environmental factor corresponding to a product of the percentage of the information technology resource used by the customer with the total environmental consumption related to the information technology resource and integrating the product over a billing period. The method further comprises determining an information technology factor corresponding to a sum of a total network usage, a total storage usage, and a total processor usage for the customer over the billing period, determining a total bill for the customer according to the environmental factor and the information technology factor, and storing the total bill for the customer in a computer-readable medium.

Computer service vendors provide a wide range of services, and an increasing number of companies are becoming consumers of the various services. Services available today include telecom (telecommunications, datacenter network services, mobile/edge communications services), computational services (compute), both application layer and infrastructure layer, and data storage (storage).
Unfortunately, billing standards and methods differ greatly between different vendors and between different types of services. Different types of services may be billed by flat-rate, by the day, week, or month, by the byte (or multiple thereof), or on a per-minute basis. Other factors include data speed and tiered service levels.
These varying billing methods cause unnecessary duplication, overhead, and other management issues.
There is, therefore, a need in the art for a system, process and data format for unified billing for computing services.

Byte-based method, process and algorithm for service-oriented and utility infrastructure usage measurement, metering, and pricing

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


The invention concerns an image recording apparatus suitable for forming a medical image that is used for a medical diagnosis, and a test pattern for evaluating a quality of the medical image. The image recording apparatus includes a printing section to either the medical image or the test pattern on the recording medium, based on image date; a printing-condition setting section to set a printing condition for printing the test pattern; and a printing-condition displaying section to display the printing condition set by the printing-condition setting section. The printing section prints at least one of a sharpness-evaluating pattern and a granularity-evaluating pattern.

The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus, and in particular, to an image recording apparatus suitable for forming a medical image that is used for diagnosis or used for reference, and to a test pattern for evaluating the same.
In the medical field, radiation images have so far been formed on silver halide films to be used for diagnoses made by medical doctors. In recent years, however, technologies for processing digital images have made progress, and there has been increased the number of radiographing apparatuses (modalities) for medical use each being capable of outputting digital image data corresponding to images obtained through radiographing. If images obtained through radiographing can be stored in the form of digital image data, image processing is easy, less space is required for storage, and aging deterioration of an image is hardly caused even when the digital image data are stored for a long time, which is an advantage.
However, even if images obtained through radiographing are stored in a form of a digital signal, a form for visualization is a problem. Namely, when radiation images are offered for diagnoses made by medical doctors, image quality, which is the same as that of a household printer, is not sufficient, and image forming at higher image quality is needed. In an image recording apparatus for recording the medical images as stated above, it is a problem how to make the initial image quality forming capability to be high, and to keep the initial capability for a long time. An image quality control method that is most simple is to make a maintenance contract with a third party. For example, if a user can judge that image quality of outputted images is deteriorated by sudden deterioration of recording accuracy caused by some troubles of the image recording apparatus, the user has only to request the maintenance each time. However, when image quality is lowered gradually day after day, the user sometimes fails to judge the deterioration of image quality, and further, when the user cannot identify the cause of the deterioration of image quality, it sometimes takes a long time to identify the cause before the start of repair.
In this case, in the case of maintenance of the image recording apparatus, it is possible to grasp the deterioration of image quality and to identify the cause therefore to a certain extent, by inputting test pattern image data in the image recording apparatus and by investigating printed out test pattern images. To carry out image quality control on the user side by advancing the aforesaid system, it can be considered that the test pattern image is outputted periodically by the user so that image quality may be checked. In this case, if the test pattern image data are built in the image recording apparatus, it is possible to output a test pattern image in case of need, and it is further possible to evaluate by using the test pattern image even in the case of non-periodical inspection by a person other than the user such as an inspection for shipment and a maintenance.
Incidentally, as a physical evaluation item for image quality, there are mainly given three items of sharpness, granularity and gradation. For forming medical images with high image quality, every one of the aforesaid three evaluation items is required to be included. For improving image quality, each evaluation item needs to be evaluated separately and its cause needs to be grasped. Therefore, the test pattern for evaluating each evaluation item is necessary. Further, with respect to test patterns for evaluating sharpness and granularity, in particular, it is important for image quality evaluation that test patterns for various conditions can be recorded, and therefore, it is preferable that output density, an output image size, a pixel size and a format are set optionally and are recorded on a recording medium.
However, in many cases, a conventional test pattern stored under the state of image data in each of a medical image recording apparatus is a density adjusting test pattern for correcting mainly look-up table (LUT) gradation characteristics. Though the gradation can be evaluated by this test pattern, the test pattern is not suitable for physical evaluation such as granularity and sharpness.
Though the test pattern recommended by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) (SMPTE pattern) is a test pattern that is also capable of evaluating granularity and sharpness of image quality, on the other hand, all it can do is just evaluation under the specific recording conditions (density and spatial frequency). If LUT of the image recording apparatus is changed in this case, it can also be used as a test pattern whose density is changed. However, it has a problem that it is not suitable for measurement because it is not an exclusive test pattern for obtaining physical evaluation values such as root mean square (RMS) and Weiner spectrum (WS). If the output size is changed, it can be used also as a test pattern for evaluating sharpness wherein a spatial frequency is changed. However, it has a problem that it is not suitable for measurement because it is not an exclusive test pattern for obtaining physical evaluation values such as sine wave response filter (SWRF) and modulation transfer function (MTF).
Further, an SMPTE pattern is a test pattern wherein geometrical patterns are collected so that granularity, sharpness and gradation of image quality may be evaluated separately, and it can be said that a test pattern for combined evaluation prepared by assuming diagnoses has not been available.
Incidentally, the test pattern disclosed in TOKKAIHEI No. 10-157088 is for judging the image lasting quality, and the test pattern disclosed in TOKKAIHEI No. 11-48464 is for detecting inferior jetting of ink in an ink jet recording apparatus and thereby for improving the gradation, and both of them are not a test pattern for conducting evaluation of sharpness and granularity. Furthermore, the invention disclosed in TOKKAI No. 2000-138952 is one related to the test pattern for evaluating the sharpness in a period up to preparation of image data, and it is not one for evaluating sharpness of outputted images.

Image recording apparatus and test pattern for evaluating recorded image


Disclosed are compounds of Formula 1, including all stereoisomers, N-oxides, and salts thereof, Formula (1) wherein W, R1, R2, R3, n, R4, R5, R6, L and G are as defined in the disclosure. Also disclosed are compositions containing the compounds of Formula 1 and methods for controlling undesired vegetation comprising contacting the undesired vegetation or its environment with an effective amount of a compound or a composition of the invention.

The control of undesired vegetation is extremely important in achieving high crop efficiency. Achievement of selective control of the growth of weeds especially in such useful crops as rice, soybean, sugar beet, maize, potato, wheat, barley, tomato and plantation crops, among others, is very desirable. Unchecked weed growth in such useful crops can cause significant reduction in productivity and thereby result in increased costs to the consumer. The control of undesired vegetation in noncrop areas is also important. Many products are commercially available for these purposes, but the need continues for new compounds that are more effective, less costly, less toxic, environmentally safer or have different sites of action. Patent application publications WO 2015/168010 and WO 2017/074992, and patent application PCT/US18/24742 disclose substituted pyridazinones. The saturated bicyclic pyridazinones of the present invention are are not disclosed in these patent applications.

4-(3,4-dihydronaphth-1-yl or 2H-chromen-4-yl)-5-hydroxy-2H-pyradizin-3-ones as herbicides


A side tone preventive circuit for telephones which prevents the output of the transmitter on the speaker's side from being transmitted to the receiver on the same side. The balance of the impedance bridge in a bridge circuit for separating a transmission signal and a reception signal is automatically adjusted in accordance with the circuit impedance at the location at which a telephone is installed. An impedance measuring circuit measures the impedance of the telephone circuit, and a balance adjustment circuit the impedance of which is adjustable is provided in the bridge circuit. The impedance of the telephone circuit is measured at the time of installation of a telephone, and the impedance of the balance adjustment circuit is adjusted in correspondence with the result of measurement. Thus, the impedance balance of the bridge circuit is adjusted in correspondence with the circuit impedance, thereby effectively preventing a side tone.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved side tone preventive circuit for telephones, namely, a circuit for preventing the output of the transmitter on the speaker's side from being transmitted (output) to the receiver on the same side.
2. Description of the Related Art
Most of the present telephones are connected to a two-wire telephone circuit, which is divided into a circuit on the receiver's side and a circuit on the transmitter's side by a two-wire/four-wire converter consisting of an impedance bridge, and a signal that is transmitted. When the balance of the impedance bridge is lost, the output of the transmitter on the speaker's side is transmitted to the receiver on the same side, so that the voice of the speaker is output from the receiver, thereby disturbing good communication. To prevent such a side tone in a conventional telephone, the impedance balance of the two-wire/four-wire converter is controlled.
The side tone preventive circuit in a conventional telephone will be explained with reference to FIG. 10. In FIG. 10, a telephone office 100 has an exchanger for connecting a plurality of telephone circuits. The exchanger has one trunk circuit 10 per telephone circuit connected thereto. The telephone circuit from the telephone office 100 is connected to a telephone 300 installed in a home or the like through telephone lines 200.
Each telephone line 200 is composed of a resistance of the telephone line itself, which changes in accordance with the diameter of the line, the distance between telephone 300 and trunk circuit 10, and the like; and a stray capacitance which is parasitic on the resistance, as schematically shown in FIG. 10. Telephone lines 200 can therefore equivalently represented by resistors R.sub.L, capacitors C.sub.L and the like, as shown in FIG. 10.
The circuit impedance Z.sub.L seen from the side of telephone 300 is determined by the impedance of trunk circuit 10 and the telephone lines 200 seen from side of the connecting terminals L.sub.1 and L.sub.2 of telephone 300.
Telephone 300 has an internal circuit 12 connected across connecting terminals L.sub.1 and L.sub.2 so that internal circuit 12, telephone line 200 and trunk circuit 10 are connected with each other in parallel. Connecting terminal L.sub.2 is grounded, and balance impedance elements R.sub.9 and R.sub.10 for forming a bridge circuit are connected in series to connecting terminal L.sub.2. One end of a balance adjustment circuit 14 is connected to connecting terminal L.sub.1, and the other end thereof is connected to one end of balancing resistance R.sub.10. In this way, the balancing resistances R.sub.9 and R.sub.10, balance adjustment circuit 14 and the circuit consisting of internal circuit 12 and the external circuit comprising telephone line 200 and trunk circuit 10 which are connected with each other in parallel constitute an impedance bridge.
A receiver 16 is provided between connecting terminal L.sub.2 and the junction of resistor R.sub.10 and balance adjustment circuit 14, and a transmitter 18 is provided between the junctions of the resistors R.sub.9 and R.sub.10 and the connecting terminal L.sub.1.
Therefore, if the impedance thereof satisfies the following relationship: EQU (Z.sub.L // Z.sub.SN).R.sub.10 =Z.sub.BN.R.sub.9
the impedance bridge satisfies the balancing condition, so that the output of the transmitter 18 is not transmitted to the receiver 16. Z.sub.L // Z.sub.SN represents impedance of Z.sub.L and Z.sub.SN connected in parallel.
In such a conventional impedance bridge, if the above-described balancing condition is satisfied, a sufficiently good side tone prevention is achieved. However, the circuit impedance Z.sub.L seen from the side of telephone 300 greatly changes in accordance with the diameter of telephone line 200 and the distance between telephone 300 and trunk circuit 10. A line having a diameter of 0.32, 0.4, 0.5, 0.65, 0.9 mm or the like is typically used as telephone line 200, and the loss of signal level changes by about 0 to 7 dB in accordance with the length, of telephone line 200. Therefore, the circuit impedance Z.sub.L greatly changes depending upon the state in which telephone 300 is installed. However, since balance adjustment circuit 14 in a conventional telephone 300 is composed of a stationary CR circuit net, it cannot respond to the impedance Z.sub.L of the telephone circuit which greatly changes.
It is at only one point in the greatly variable impedance Z.sub.L of the telephone circuit that the impedance bridge satisfies the balancing condition, and the impedance bridge is not balanced under other conditions. Therefore, when the circuit impedance Z.sub.L changes, it is impossible to achieve good side tone prevention.

Side tone preventive circuit for telephone


An apparatus having a corresponding method and computer program comprises an input circuit to receive packets of data from a network; a memory to store packet filter criteria for one or more wireless clients; a filter circuit to drop one or more of the packets of data according to the packet filter criteria; and a wireless output circuit to wirelessly transmit, to the one or more wireless clients, only the packets of data that are not dropped by the filter circuit.

The present invention relates generally to data communications. More particularly, the present invention relates to signal handling for wireless clients.
Mobile wireless network devices, such as web-enabled mobile phones, personal digital assistants, and the like, are becoming increasingly popular. Because these devices are battery-powered, it is desirable to reduce the processing performed by the device as much as possible, thereby extending battery life.


A method of manufacturing a porous glass preform includes depositing glass particles on an outer periphery of a target rod while a burner for synthesizing glass particles and the target rod that is rotating are relatively reciprocated, wherein V and r are gradually reduced while a variation in sweeping pitch P [mm] expressed as V/r is caused to be within a range of a central value±10% when a glass particle deposition layer of a portion satisfying a relation 0.5 L≤R≤0.8 L is synthesized; where a final outer diameter of the manufactured porous glass preform for an optical fiber is L [mm], an outer diameter of a glass particle deposition body in the middle of the manufacture is R [mm], a rotating speed of the target rod is r [rpm], and a relative moving speed between the target rod and the burner is V [mm/min.].

The present disclosure relates to a method of manufacturing a porous glass preform for an optical fiber.
In recent years, sizes of glass preforms for optical fibers have been increased to improve manufacturability of optical fibers. Glass preforms for optical fibers are manufactured by a well known manufacturing method, in which a cladding portion is made by an outside vapor phase deposition (OVD) method or a rod-in-tube (RIT) method on a target rod including a light transmitting core made by a vapor phase axial deposition (VAD) method, a modified chemical vapor deposition (MCVD) method, a plasma method, or the like. When the OVD method is used to make the cladding portion, there are two methods of increasing g the size of the porous glass preform for an optical fiber, the methods being elongating the porous glass preform, and increasing the diameter of the porous glass preform.
However, when the porous glass preform for an optical fiber is elongated, the manufacturing device therefore is increased in size, and will be constrained in terms of installation space and equipment cost thereof, and the manufactured glass preform for an optical fiber will also be difficult to be handled. Therefore, increase in the size of the porous glass preform for an optical fiber is preferably dealt with by increase in the diameter, as much as possible. Further, increase in the diameter of the porous glass preform for an optical fiber manufactured by the OVD method is naturally limited due to constraints, including the size of existing equipment. Methods of realizing increase in the size of a porous glass preform for an optical fiber in consideration of these various constraint conditions include a method of increasing the density of glass particles deposited.
However, there is a phenomenon that when the density of the glass particles deposited is increased, a portion where the deposit is bulged in a bump shape on a depositional surface of the porous glass preform for an optical fiber (hereinafter, simply referred to as "bump defect") tends to be generated. This bump defect has a property of gradually growing largely once generated during deposition of glass particles, and thus may make the porous glass preform for an optical fiber defective. Further, when a bump defect is generated at an end portion of a porous glass preform for an optical fiber, even if the bump defect does not make the entire porous glass preform for an optical fiber defective, since the portion, at which the bump defect is generated, needs to be removed, a region usable as a product will be reduced. Therefore, for prevention of reduction in the yield, the density of the glass particles deposited on the porous glass preform for an optical fiber has had to be controlled.
Further, even if the density of the glass particles deposited on the porous glass preform for an optical fiber is kept constant, depending on manufacturing conditions, a bump defect may be generated or may not be generated. Furthermore, although bump defects are known as tending to be generated when the temperature of the porous glass preform for an optical fiber being manufactured is increased too much (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 10-114535), even if the temperature of the porous glass preform for an optical fiber being manufactured is kept constant, depending on the manufacturing conditions, a bump defect may be generated or may not be generated. Since the conditions, under which bump defects are generated, are unclear as described above, the density of the glass particles to be deposited on the porous glass preform for an optical fiber has to be controlled more than necessary.
There is a need for a method of manufacturing a porous glass preform for an optical fiber, the method enabling prevention of generation of a bump defect on a depositional surface.

Method of manufacturing porous glass preform for optical fiber


A graph-based data multi-operation system includes a data multi-operation management subsystem coupled to an application and accelerator subsystems. The data multi-operation management subsystem receives a data multi-operation graph from the application that identifies first data and defines operations for performance on the first data to transform the first data into second data. The data multi-operation management subsystem assigns each of the operations to at least one of the accelerator systems, and configures the accelerator subsystems to perform the operations in a sequence that transforms the first data into the second data, When the data multi-operation management subsystem determine a completion status for the performance of the operations by the accelerator subsystems, it transmits a completion status communication to the application that indicates the completion status of the performance of the plurality of operations by the plurality of accelerator subsystems.

The present disclosure relates generally to information handling systems, and more particularly to performing multiple operations on data in information handling systems using data multi-operation graphs.
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Information handling systems such as server devices and/or other computing systems known in the art may include applications that require the performance of operations on data accessible to their server device. For example, storage applications (e.g., Software Defined Storage (SDS) applications in a server device) may require multiple operations to be performed on first data that is stored at a source location to provide second data that is stored at a destination location. Conventional storage applications have traditionally performed each of those multiple operations in software, but the implementation of faster storage devices (e.g., Non-Volatile Memory express (NVMe) storage devices), faster networks, and/or other technology has begun to create a bottleneck at the storage application performing such software-based operations. Conventional solutions to such issues has been to move from the purely software-defined paradigm discussed above to a hardware-accelerated software-defined paradigm that provides hardware accelerator devices that offload the performance of such operations from the storage applications. For example, SmartNIC devices have been introduced that allow the storage applications request the use of hardware accelerator devices included on and/or accessible to the SmartNIC device for performing the multiple operations on data discussed above.
However, in conventional hardware-accelerated software-defined systems, each hardware accelerator device includes a separate interface (e.g., via an Software Development Kit (SDK)) that must be invoked by the storage application each time the operation performed by that hardware accelerator device must be performed on data. As such, when multiple operations (e.g., compression operations, encryption operations, checksum operations, hash operations, data movement operations, RAID operations, XOR operations, erasure coding operations, text search operations, machine learning inference operations, etc.) must be performed on data, the storage application must make a separate operation performance call to the SmartNIC device to utilize each hardware accelerator device (e.g., a first call to utilize a compression operation hardware accelerator device, a second call to utilize an encryption operation hardware accelerator device, a third call to utilize a checksum operation hardware accelerator device, a fourth call to utilize a hash operation hardware accelerator device, a fifth call to utilize a data movement operation hardware accelerator device, a sixth call to utilize a RAID operation hardware accelerator device, a seventh call to utilize an XOR operation hardware accelerator device, an eighth call to utilize an erasure coding operation hardware accelerator device, a ninth call to utilize a text search hardware accelerator device, a tenth call to utilize a machine learning inference operation hardware accelerator device, etc.), and the SmartNIC device must subsequent perform an interrupt to the storage application to report the completion of the respective operation performance by each of those hardware accelerator devices. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure, the separate interactions between the storage application, SmartNIC device, and hardware accelerator devices requires hardware accelerator device vendor-specific and custom hardware integrations that increase costs and can have negative effects on the performance of the storage applications.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a data multi-operation system that addresses the issues discussed above.


Methods and systems for measuring and gathering data relating to publication usage by participants in publication readership studies. Some methods and systems employ portable monitors carried by participants of the studies along with publications fitted with various devices, such as piezoelectric transducers, RFID tags and others devices and circuits.

A wide variety of methods are available to track automatically consumer exposure to certain types of media, including television and radio. Television and radio employ receivable transmissions, whether visual, audible or otherwise electronically receivable, and thus are well-suited for measurement via electronic devices.
Other forms of consumer activity, however, do not employ such types of transmissions and thus are not readily measurable. In particular, consumer publication reading activity, including reading of magazines, newspapers, books, etc., is technologically inert. Currently, libraries, book stores and other commercial establishments that sell books and other types of publications employ radio frequency identification devices (RFIDs) as a way of preventing theft of such items. However, the actual purchase, renting or borrowing of a publication itself is insufficient information to identify or otherwise ascertain whether the publication has been read, or has been read multiple times, or to identify other useful information regarding the consumer's usage of that publication.
In view of the foregoing, publication usage tracking has heretofore principally entailed the use of consumer surveys and diaries, where consumers manually record or otherwise identify (e.g., during telephone interviews) their readership activity. Unfortunately, surveys and diaries are labor-intensive, intrusive to everyday life, and prone to either intentional and/or inadvertent misreporting.
It is desired, therefore, to seek ways of gathering data relating to publication usage that are easy to implement, error-resistant and minimally invasive to consumers.

Gathering data concerning publication usage


An adapter for removable insertion into a digital media slot, having the same interface as the adapter, formed in a front panel of a digital media reader, the adapter removably receiving digital media therein instead of directly into the reader, includes a generally rectangular header having a first face defining a plurality of female apertures in a configuration corresponding to the configuration of the reader's male connector pins and a second face having a plurality of projecting male connector pins in the same configuration as the reader's male connector pins, guide means corresponding to the reader's guide structure defining the sides of the header for slidably engaging the guide structure of the reader and a metal plate on the header for discharging electrostatic charge when the adapter is inserted into the reader, the adapter being positioned behind the front panel of the reader when fully inserted into the slot.

Self-service kiosks are well known for viewing personal photos, e-mailing personal photos, photo printing, photo editing, and the like. Perhaps most popular are self-service imaging kiosks which allow users to obtain photographic prints from digital media, to edit and customize their prints. Digital media readers in the kiosks allow users to download pictures from virtually any digital camera or flash media card. Such a kiosk typically includes a housing constructed of a durable material that will be able to withstand extended use and a variety of environmental conditions in which the reader and other digital imaging equipment is located. Typically, the readers are able to read digital media of multiple formats and include a plurality of standard slots for receiving such digital media, such as Type III PC cards, CompactFlash, SmartMedia, MultiMedia Card, Secure Digital and Memory Stick.
For many of these media, particularly CompactFlash, the reader's internal connector is frequently damaged due to the very frequent insertion and unplugging of the user's digital media or due to misuse, such as inserting the wrong digital media in a reader slot. The maintenance of such readers is expensive and time consuming because it requires the intervention of trained technicians that have to repair and reinstall the reader in the enclosure.
The problem of damaged digital media slots in kiosk-based readers has become a serious and expensive problem for operators and owners of self-service imaging kiosks and a simple, inexpensive and rapidly implemented solution is sorely needed.