A railroad car coupler centering device including in one embodiment a spreader beam mountable to the striker at one end of a railroad car, a right side centering spring rotatably connected to the spreader beam by a hinge, and a left side centering spring rotatably connected to the spreader beam by a hinge. The first or right side centering spring is moveable to and between a coupler engaged position and a coupler disengaged position. In the coupler engaged position, the right side centering spring is positioned to engage the right side of the coupler and to bias the coupler to a central position. In the coupler disengaged position, the right side centering spring allows the coupler to move from the center position to the right. Similarly, the left side centering spring is moveable to and between a coupler engaged position and a coupler disengaged position. In the coupler engaged position, the left side centering spring is positioned to engage the left side of the coupler and to bias the coupler to the central position. In the coupler disengaged position, the left side centering spring allows the coupler to move from the center position to the left.

Thousands of adjacent freight railroad cars are connected and unconnected everyday in railroad yards to form freight trains for travel to different destinations. The corresponding couplers of two adjacent railroad cars which are being connected must be correctly positioned or aligned prior to being coupled for proper coupling. During the coupling process, if the couplers of two adjacent railroad cars being connected are not aligned (i.e., are miscoupled), one or more of the couplers, strikers, bell mouths, brake hoses, angle cocks, end sills and other components of one or both of the railroad cars can be damaged. For example, if the couplers are not aligned, the ends of the couplers of either or both railroad cars can engage the frame of the other railroad car (instead of the coupler of the other railroad car) which can be damaged. This damage can be extensive. The couplers and other components of thousands of railroad cars in the United States are damaged each year due to improper alignment of couplers. This problem is magnified for railroad cars having wide bell mouth openings and long shank couplers.
Damage to couplers and other components occurs in part because railroad cars often roll through curved tracks before being connected along straight tracks. Railroad yards often have coupling areas wherein railroad cars are directed along a single main line railroad track to a switch. The switch leads to two or more railroad destination tracks. Some railroad yards have many destination tracks connected to a single main line track. Some railroad yards have multiple main line tracks connected to multiple destination tracks. Each railroad car is directed from the single main line track through the switch to one of the destination tracks to form different freight trains (which will go to different destinations). To provide for these multiple tracks, the switches lead to the curved track portions. As the railroad car moves on or through a curved track portion, one or more of the coupler(s) of the railroad car can shift from a central position to an off center position (i.e., to the right or left of center). When this occurs, depending on the position of the coupler of the opposing railroad car being coupled, the couplers may not be aligned and may by-pass each other during the coupling process. This occurs even though the adjacent railroad cars are often coupled on a straight portion of the destination track.
FIGS. 16A to 16C diagrammatically illustrate one example of how couplers can become misaligned and thus by-pass each other during the connection or coupling process in a railroad yard. FIG. 16A illustrates Railroad Car A and Railroad Car B on the straight portions of the tracks in a railroad yard. The couplers of both cars are centered. FIG. 16B illustrates Railroad Car B moving from the main line section of the track on or through the curved portion of the track at the switch and that during such movement to the left the coupler tends to move to the right relative to Railroad Car B. The coupler on Railroad Car A remains centered. FIG. 16C illustrates Railroad Car B about to be coupled with Railroad Car A and that the coupler of Railroad Car B remains positioned toward the right side of Railroad Car B. The couplers on Railroad Car A and Railroad Car B are therefore misaligned and will by-pass each other. This generally illustrated problem is often magnified because many railroad yards are hump yards, wherein railroad cars, such as Railroad Car B, gain speed prior to coupling to enhance the coupling process.
FIG. 17A diagrammatically illustrates adjacent railroad cars with couplers in alignment. FIGS. 17B to 17F diagrammatically illustrate adjacent railroad cars with misaligned couplers. These figures illustrate that misalignment can occur in various different manners. Such misaligned couplers and components on such railroad cars are subject to being damaged during the coupling process. More specifically, FIGS. 17B to 17F diagrammatically illustrate railroad cars with couplers misaligned in the same direction and railroad cars with couplers misaligned in the different directions.
Due to these problems, it is well known that couplers often must be manually positioned or aligned after the railroad cars being coupled are moved adjacent to each other and prior to the actual coupling of the two adjacent railroad cars. Manually moving and adjusting the couplers at this point can and sometimes does result in injury to the railroad yard workers. Additionally, this manual adjustment during the coupling process can be a time consuming task and can slow down the coupling process.
Various apparatus have been proposed for positioning couplers. For instance, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,809,251 and 3,642,149 disclose coupler positioning devices. Such coupler positioning devices are not widely used because they have various disadvantages. Such coupler positioning devices are fairly complicated and are subject to failure. These coupler positioning devices also add a significant amount of weight to each of the railroad cars, thus decreasing fuel efficiency. These coupler positioning devices also do not work properly on a consistent reliable basis. These coupler positioning devices are also relatively expensive to manufacture, install and maintain.
Accordingly, there is a need for a reliable, simple, durable, inexpensive, lightweight, easily installed, easily operable device for facilitating the alignment of couplers on opposing adjacent railroad cars prior to and during the connection or coupling process of those railroad cars.


A system for authorizing data to be provided to a mobile computing device is provided. The system includes the mobile computing device and a server computer that includes a processor and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory including processor-executable instructions for performing the steps of storing, in the memory, parameters for authorizing data to be provided to the mobile computing device and determining at least one contextual cue associated with at least one of a task to be performed, the mobile computing device, and a user of the mobile computing device, wherein the at least one contextual cue is associated with the parameters. The processor-executable instructions also perform the steps of authorizing data to be provided to the mobile computing device when the at least one contextual cue aligns with the parameters and providing the data to the mobile computing device.

The field of the present disclosure relates generally to mobile computing devices and, more specifically, to a system that improves data security and/or that ensures proper usage of data on a mobile computing device.
Mobile computing devices, such as smartphones, cellular phones, tablets, and personal digital assistants (PDAs) have grown in use and popularity among a variety of different types of users. At least some known mobile computing devices use authentication and/or authorization techniques to verify an identity of a user before granting access to the mobile computing device by the user. Exemplary authentication and/or authorization techniques include passwords, personal identification numbers (PINs), smart cards, biometrics, and/or pattern unlock.
While known techniques may limit access to mobile computing devices by unauthorized users, authorized users may have unrestricted access to data stored on and/or transmitted to a mobile computing device. Further, known authentication and/or authorization techniques may be bypassed by unauthorized users such that data on the mobile computing device is accessible by the unauthorized users. Because of this, it has become increasingly important to increase the security of known computing devices. As such, it may be desirable to incorporate enhanced security into mobile computing devices.

System and methods of providing data to a mobile computing device


A drill bit for drilling subterranean formations includes a bit body bearing at least one gage pad and a shank extending from the bit body. An annular chamber is formed within the shank. A data evaluation module is disposed in the annular chamber and includes a processor, a memory, and a communication port. The data evaluation module estimates a gage pad wear by periodically sampling a tangential accelerometer and a radial accelerometer disposed in the drill bit. A history of the tangential acceleration and the radial acceleration is analyzed to determine a revolution rate, gage-slipping periods, and gage-cutting periods. A change in a gage-pad-wear state is estimated responsive to an analysis of the revolution rate, the at least one gage-cutting period and the at least one gage-slipping period. The determination of the gage-pad-wear state may also include analyzing a formation hardness.

The oil and gas industry expends sizable sums to design cutting tools, such as downhole drill bits including roller cone bits, also termed "rock" bits as well as fixed cutter bits, which have relatively long service lives, with relatively infrequent failure. In particular, considerable sums are expended to design and manufacture roller cone rock bits and fixed cutter bits in a manner that minimizes the opportunity for catastrophic drill bit failure during drilling operations. The loss of a roller cone or a polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) from a fixed cutter bit during drilling operations can impede the drilling operations and, at worst, necessitate rather expensive fishing operations. If the fishing operations fail, sidetrack-drilling operations must be performed in order to drill around the portion of the wellbore that includes the lost roller cones or PDC cutters. Typically, during drilling operations, bits are pulled and replaced with new bits even though significant service could be obtained from the replaced bit. These premature replacements of downhole drill bits are expensive, since each trip out of the well prolongs the overall drilling activity by wasting valuable rig time and consumes considerable manpower, but are nevertheless done in order to avoid the far more disruptive and expensive process of, at best, pulling the drillstring and replacing the bit or fishing and sidetrack drilling operations necessary if one or more cones or compacts are lost due to bit failure.
With the ever-increasing need for downhole drilling system dynamic data, a number of "subs" (i.e., a sub-assembly incorporated into the drillstring above the drill bit and used to collect data relating to drilling parameters) have been designed and installed in drillstrings. Unfortunately, these subs cannot provide actual data for what is happening operationally at the bit due to their physical placement above the bit itself.
Data acquisition is conventionally accomplished by mounting a sub in the bottom hole assembly (BHA), which may be several feet to tens of feet away from the bit. Data gathered from a sub this far away from the bit may not accurately reflect what is happening directly at the bit while drilling occurs. Often, this lack of data leads to conjecture as to what may have caused a bit to fail or why a bit performed so well, with no directly relevant facts or data to correlate to the performance of the bit.
Recently, data acquisition systems have been proposed to install in the drill bit itself. However, data gathering, storing, and reporting from these systems have been limited. In addition, conventional data gathering in drill bits has not had the capability to adapt to drilling events that may be of interest in a manner enabling more detailed data gathering and analysis when these events occur.
There is a need for a drill bit equipped to gather, store, and analyze long-term data that is related to cutting performance and condition of the drill bit and gage pads of the drill bit.

Methods and apparatuses for estimating drill bit condition


A vehicular headlight having a low height-to-width ratio includes a plurality of collimating lenses. The collimated light output from certain ones of the lenses is redirected into the forward direction by separate sets of reflectors associated with the respective lenses. Means are provided to impose a desired light pattern on the forward-directed light outputs.

This invention relates in general to headlights and in particular to headlights having a low height-to-width ratio which makes them suitable for incorporation into motor vehicles or the like having highly streamlined bodies.
The streamlining of motor vehicle bodies presents problems with respect to the incorporation of the vehicle headlights. The styling of many cars is so extreme that headlights having conventional dimensions cannot be incorporated into the contours of the car. In many instances these lights are constructed to be movable between a storage position in which they conform to the exterior contours of the vehicle body, and an operating position in which they are erect and jut out from the body. The mechanism for moving the headlights between these two positions adds to the weight and cost of the vehicle and poses additional problems of reliability.
While it is desirable to provide headlights of reduced height which are capable of conforming to the contours of streamlined vehicle bodies, conventional headlights frequently cannot be adapted to these dimensional constraints. A conventional headlight generally includes a light source and a parabolic reflector element which causes a collimated light beam to be projected in a forward direction. The parabolic reflector must be capable of collecting and reflecting a sufficient amount of the light emitted by the light source to meet the forward illumination requirements of the vehicle. If, due to dimensional constraints of the overall headlight dimensions, the reflector element must be below a minimum height of about two inches, the light output of such a headlight will be insufficient to meet those illumination requirements. Hence, for such situations, the above-mentioned dual position headlight is generally preferred.
In a conventional headlight, a portion of the output of the light source does not reach the parabolic reflector element and is projected forward in scattered form. As such, it contributes only little to the illuminating strength of the projected light beam. In order to strengthen the light beam, some headlights include a collimating lens placed forward of the light source, which has the effect of collimating and projecting forward this previously scattered portion of the output of the light source and thus strengthening the projected light beam. However, even that contribution may be insufficient to overcome the light deficiency that arises when the headlight is subject to the previously stated height constraint.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to provide a headlight of reduced height-to-width ratio which is not subject to the disadvantages associated with existing vehicle headlights.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a vehicle headlight of reduced height-to-width ratio which is capable of meeting the forward illumination requirements of the vehicle on which it is mounted.


A manipulator includes a composite input unit that is manually operable by the fingers, a connector shaft extending from an operating unit, and a working unit mounted on the distal end of the connector shaft. The working unit comprises a rolling mechanism, a tilting mechanism, and an opening and closing mechanism. The composite input unit includes a shuttle ring for actuating the rolling mechanism. The manipulator also includes a gripper for gripping a curved needle. The gripper is placed near a DVC, whereupon the rolling mechanism is actuated to roll the gripper and to pierce a living body with the curved needle, until the point of the curved needle projects outside of the living body.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an intracoelomic suturing and ligating method for use in performing a prostatectomy with a manipulator having an operating unit to be gripped by hand, a connector extending from the operating unit, and a working unit mounted on a distal end of the connector, which is angularly movable in response to operation of the operating unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
In endoscopic surgery (also called laparoscopic surgery), it is customary to form a plurality of incisions in the body surface of the patient, insert trocars (tubular instruments) into the respective incisions as forceps instrument passage ports, and introduce the tip ends of forceps instruments having shafts through the respective trocars and into the body cavity in order to perform a surgical operation on the affected part of the body. Working units such as a gripper for gripping living tissue, scissors, the blade of an electrosurgical knife, etc., may be mounted on the tip ends of such forceps instruments.
An endoscopic surgical operation performed with forceps instruments requires the surgeon to be trained in advance, because the working space within the body cavity is small, and the forceps instruments need to be operated using the trocars as fulcrums. Since forceps instruments, which have been used heretofore, do not have joints in the working unit on the tip end thereof, such forceps instruments have a small degree of freedom, and the working unit can be operated only on an extension of the shaft. Therefore, cases that can be handled under usual training practices for endoscopic surgery are limited to a certain range, and the surgeon must be trained and possess a considerably high level of skill in order to be able to perform endoscopic surgeries on various other cases that lie outside of this limited range.
Attempts have heretofore been made to improve conventional forceps instruments and to develop a forceps instrument having a plurality of joints in a working unit thereof (see, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-102248). This developed forceps instrument, which may also be referred to as a manipulator, is free of the limitations and difficulties posed by conventional forceps instruments, can be operated with easy techniques, and can be applied to a wide variety of cases. For example, it is expected that the developed forceps instrument will be applied to techniques requiring intricate manipulative actions inside of small spaces. One example of such techniques is DVC ligation, for ligating a DVC (Dorsal Vein Complex) during a prostatectomy procedure. It has been difficult to perform DVC ligation when performing endoscopic surgeries using conventional techniques and methods.

Intracoelomic suturing and ligating method


Memory access bandwidth within a digital camera is allocated among several requestors by assigning each requester a “tokens per snapshot” (TPS) value. Each requestor has a DMA engine and a DMA entry queue. If the requester wishes to access the memory, then a DMA entry is pushed onto the DMA entry queue of the requester. An arbiter uses the TPS values to select DMA entries off the various queues for incorporation into a “snapshot”. The arbiter then selects DMA entries from the snapshot in an order for servicing such that memory access overhead in accessing the memory is reduced. Only after all DMA entries of the snapshot have been serviced is another snapshot of entries selected. Maximum latency in servicing a queue is controlled by assigning each queue a time out value (TOV). If a queue times out, then that queue is moved up in the order of servicing.

Conventional consumer market digital cameras typically involve image processing circuitry as well as a separate memory integrated circuit. The memory integrated circuit may, for example, be a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM).
Images are captured by an image sensor. The image sensor outputs a stream of raw image information that is stored into the memory. In the case of video or a rapid sequence of still images, the flow of image information can be a fairly constant stream. At the same time that raw image information later in the stream is being stored into the memory, image information earlier in the stream is being read out of the memory for image processing by a digital image pipeline (DIP). The digital image pipeline may include several processing blocks. A first image processing block may be operating on a first part of the image stream, whereas a second image processing block is operating on a second part of the image stream. Each block may read image information from the memory, perform processing, and then write the resulting processed information back out to the memory. Several blocks of the digital image pipeline may therefore attempt to access the memory at the same time.
Not only can different blocks of the digital image pipeline require access to the memory, but there may be other blocks of functionality on the digital camera that require memory access as well. In one example, the digital camera includes a JPEG compression block. The JPEG compression block reads an image out of the memory, compresses the image, and then outputs a compressed version of the image and stores the compressed version back to the memory. The digital camera typically has a zoom engine that reads an image out of the memory, creates a smaller version of the image called a "thumbnail," and then writes this thumbnail back to the memory. The digital camera typically has a display that the user can use to view the image about to be captured. The thumbnail may be read out from memory and may be supplied to the display for viewing. The digital camera may also have the ability to overlay an icon or text information over an image. An on-screen display (OSD) engine may read a background image out of the memory, superimpose the icon or text or other visual feature on top of the background image, and then write the composite image back out to memory for viewing on the camera's display. A camera may also include a video encoder/decoder such as, for example, an MPEG2 codec. Image information may be read out of memory and sent through the MPEG2 codec. The resulting MPEG2 stream output by the MPEG2 codec may then be returned to memory.
The memory integrated circuit typically has a single access port that is used to write information into the memory and that is used to read information out of the memory. Due to the multiple different entities that need to read image information out of the memory integrated circuit, and the need to write image information into the memory integrated circuit, the access port of the memory integrated circuit is often times a throughput bottleneck in the camera. There is a limited amount of data that can be moved across the access port per unit time. In order for the camera to operate properly, the total amount of data to be moved either into or out of the memory by each of the accessing entities must total to a number less than the maximum memory access bandwidth of the memory integrated circuit.
Not only must the total memory access bandwidth required by all the accessing entities be less than the available memory access bandwidth available over the long term, but each of the accessing entities must not be made to wait too long to access the memory. The amount of time it takes to access the memory is sometimes referred to latency. If an accessing entity is made to wait too long, then operation of that entity may fail or be slowed or halted, thereby decreasing overall throughput of the camera. Some accessing entities may not be able to accommodate as much latency as other entities. The flow of video image information from the image sensor into the memory is one such process that typically can only tolerate a low amount of latency. If raw video image information being output from the image sensor cannot be stored within a certain amount of time, then it may be overwritten thereby resulting in the loss of raw image information. Other accessing entities, in contrast, can generally wait to access memory as long as over the long term those entities receive their required amount of access to the memory.
In one conventional digital camera, the total memory access bandwidth and latency issues are handled using an arbiter. Each of the accessing entities has its own dedicated DMA engine or engines. Within each accessing entity there may be sub-entities that access memory. When one of the accessing entities needs to access the memory, its DMA engine makes a request to the arbiter. If there is only one DMA engine making a request, then the request is granted and the accessing entity gains access to the memory. If there are multiple DMA engines making simultaneous requests, then one of the DMA engines is selected based on a strict priority or round robin arbitration scheme. If, for example, the DMA engine that moves raw image data from the image sensor into the memory is making a request at the same time that the zoom engine's DMA engine is making a request, then the DMA engine for the raw image data will typically have its request granted and the zoom engine's DMA engine will typically have to wait. To prevent latency problems, the system is designed so that so many high priority requests cannot be submitted in such a short period of time that the latency and bandwidth requirements of the lowest priority DMA engines are violated. Controlling when DMA engines can make requests and making sure that latency and throughput requirements of each of the requesting entities are not violated can give rise to difficult system design issues. If the system is changed, for example, then timing of the various DMA engines and the timing of their requests can change in complex ways. Reanalysis of the interplay between the various processing blocks of the system may be required. Flow shaping and scheduling are employed in the design of routers and switches in the networking and the telecommunications arts to handle bandwidth and latency issues. These techniques are, however, generally complex and tend to be expensive and cumbersome to implement. An inexpensive solution is desired that is suitable for use in a price-sensitive consumer market digital camera.

Memory access bandwidth allocation and latency control in a digital camera


Embodiments of the disclosure provide for systems and methods for creating metadata associated with a video data. The metadata can include data about objects viewed within a video scene and/or events that occur within the video scene. Some embodiments allow users to search for specific objects and/or events by searching the recorded metadata. In some embodiments, metadata is created by receiving a video frame and developing a background model for the video frame. Foreground object(s) can then be identified in the video frame using the background model. Once these objects are identified they can be classified and/or an event associated with the foreground object may be detected. The event and the classification of the foreground object can then be recorded as metadata.

Searching recorded video can be an extremely time consuming and labor intensive process. Video surveillance systems normally include a recorder for recording the video captured by the surveillance cameras. Initially, videocassette recorders were used for recording this data; however, the tapes could only be searched by having personnel review the tapes to find the portion of interest. The development of digital video recorders improved the searching process with the use of algorithms to search for specific items, such as when an item has disappeared from the area being viewed by the video camera. However, the ability to quickly and easily find a specific video clip has not significantly improved; the process still requires personnel to review the video as with VCR tapes.
Video analytics is quickly gaining attention within the video security industry, and systems and components that use rather advanced techniques for extracting high-level information from a digital video stream are starting to be deployed. Video analytics is usually implemented in one of two places: 1) at the "edge", i.e., at the camera end, or 2) at the "head end", the device in the system having significant processing power. Most early attempts at video analytics were implemented at the head end because the amount of computational horsepower needed for meaningful analysis was only available in a personal computer type platform. Thus analog video was piped into a PC through a video capture card that would digitize video and present the frames to the analysis software. The computer would perform a variety of computations on these digital frames and detect various behaviors and then report these either through a proprietary graphical user interface directly to an operator or generate information via some signaling system (usually an IP network) to another system which could either log that information or generate alarms or events within some surveillance system.


A device for current measurement based on a fiber-optic in-line Sagnac interferometer includes a birefringence phase modulator for non-reciprocal phase modulation of two orthogonal polarization modes of a light beam passing through the interferometer. The phase modulator is a digital phase modulator that is directly digitally drivable to permit simplification of the corresponding signal processing or driving electronics unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to current measurement. More particularly, the invention pertains to a phase modulator and a method for current measurement with a fiber optic in-line Sagnac interferometer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Optical current measuring devices are increasingly expected to supersede conventional current measuring devices in the future. A known variation of an optical current measuring device provides a physically and technologically elegant solution is based on in-line Sagnac interferometer technology.
A current sensor of this type measures the electric current flowing through a current conductor by the Faraday effect. Such effect relates to rotation of the light oscillation plane of the propagating linearly polarized light parallel to the field lines of a magnetic field. By employing this effect, it is possible to produce a phase shift between two orthogonal polarization modes of a light beam passing through the in-line Sagnac interferometer provided the polarization modes are propagated in an optical measuring coil through which the current conductor passes. The phase shift between the polarization modes that is caused by the electric current is thus a measure of the current intensity. This can be measured by evaluating the pattern produced by interference of the two polarization modes that have been shifted with respect to one another.
A representative current sensor based on the in-line Sagnac interferometer, as described in the article of Blake, Tantaswadi and Carvalho, "In-Line Sagnac-Interferometer For Magnetic Field Sensing", Proc. SPIE, vol. 2360 (1994) at pages 419 through 422, and its method of operation are explained below.
FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a current sensor 1 based on an in-line Sagnac interferometer in accordance with the prior art. The current sensor 1 employing an in-line Sagnac interferometer includes a light source 2, a coupler 3, a polarizer 4, a 45 degree splice 5, a birefringence phase modulator 6, a quarter wavelength phase shifter 7, an isotropic fiber coil 8 (current measuring coil), a reflector 9, a current conductor 10, a detector 11, an amplification/evaluation unit 12 and a phase modulator driving unit 13. Light received from the light source 2 via the coupler 3 is polarized by the polarizer 4 and coupled in by means of the splice 5 at 45 degrees with respect to the polarization axes of a polarization-maintaining, birefringent fiber. As a result, two different polarization modes of approximately the same amplitude are guided in parallel through the same fiber. The splitting, customary in a conventional Sagnac interferometer, of a light beam that passes through the interferometer into two component light beams traveling in opposite directions is thus replaced, in an in-line Sagnac interferometer, by "decomposition" of the light beam into two parallel-guided polarization modes (i.e., parallel-guided "component light beams" of a primary light beam with a defined polarization). Each mode, due to the polarization-maintaining fiber, effectively uses a different optical light path. Both polarization modes pass through the birefringent phase modulator 6, preferably a Pockels cell, to produce a non-reciprocal phase shift between the polarization modes, the quarter wavelength phase shifter 7 for converting linearly polarized light into circularly polarized light (for maximum utilization of the Faraday effect) and the isotropic fiber coil 8, through which a current conductor 10 passes, to the reflector 9, which in the event of reflection, rotates the polarization of the impinging polarization modes through 90 degrees and, thus, interchanges the polarizations of the two polarization modes. Should a current flow in the conductor 10, a phase shift will be produced between the two circularly polarized polarization modes as a result of the Faraday effect. Both polarization modes return along the same light path but with different polarizations. The returned polarization modes are combined at the splice 5 and fed, via the polarizer 4 and the coupler 3, to a detector 11 as an interference light beam.
A significant advantage of a conventional Sagnac interferometer modified to form an in-line Sagnac interferometer lies in strictly reciprocal behavior. That is, without a current flow in the conductor 10, the two polarization modes, when coupled out of the polarization-maintaining fiber of the fiber coil 8, experience the same phase shift with respect to one another as they had when coupled into the polarization-maintaining fiber. Phase shifts between the two polarizations that occur as a result of spatial movements of the interferometer, temperature gradients or mechanical stresses in the fiber material, are reciprocal, compensating for one another, due to the parallel guidance of the polarization modes. The only significant effect that causes a non-reciprocal phase shift between the orthogonal polarization modes passing through the interferometer is the Faraday effect.
As mentioned, the birefringence phase modulator 6 enables the imposition of a non-reciprocal phase shift between the polarization modes for shifting an interferometer characteristic curve into a region of very high linearity. The phase modulator 6 includes a polarization-maintaining action (i.e. it does not act in a polarizing manner on the polarization modes). As a consequence, both polarization modes are guided equally but modulated differently in the birefringence phase modulator 6 with use being made of the Pockels effect.
To achieve this, the waveguide in the phase modulator 6 comprises an anisotropic electro-optical crystal so that the Pockels effect becomes direction-dependent and capable of representation as a tensor. The different effects of the electromagnetic field generated by the birefringent phase modulator 6 on the different polarizations are expressed mathematically by the fact that their influences can be described by different tensor elements. The effective refractive index for different polarization modes is changed differently by the electromagnetic field, resulting in a phase shift between the polarization modes.
A birefringence phase modulator with the properties mentioned above can be realized, for example, by a polarization-maintaining fiber wound onto a piezoceramic. A modulation signal is applied to the birefringence phase modulator by the phase modulator driving unit 13. The phase shift between the polarization modes is measured by the detector 11, whose output signal is fed to an amplification/evaluation unit 12.
A further example of a current sensor based on an in-line Sagnac interferometer is described in Frosio and Dänndliker "Reciprocal Reflection Interferometer For a Fiber-Optic Faraday Current Sensor", Applied Optics 1, Vol. 33, No. 25 (September 1994). The in-line Sagnac interferometer described therein is quite similar to the design described above. Disturbances due to birefringence in the polarization-maintaining fiber are avoided by means of a light source that emits short-coherent light.
Another current sensor is described in published patent application DE 198 08 517 A1. Such current sensor is based on a conventional Sagnac interferometer. The essential difference from the prior example is that the phase shift is produced between two component light beams traveling in opposite directions that have been generated by beam splitting. As a result, the fiber coil (current measuring coil) is not isotropic, making the current sensor susceptible to disturbance effects due to rotation.
Patent application DE 100 44 197.1 describes a voltage sensor based on an in-line Sagnac interferometer having a design similar to the preceding current sensor. Again, a phase shift is produced between two polarization modes. However, the phase shift is not caused by the Faraday effect, but by means of a voltage provided by an additional phase modulator.

Current measurement method and device based on a fiber optic in-line Sagnac interferometer


Disclosed herein are nucleic acid sequences that encode novel polypeptides. Also disclosed are polypeptides encoded by these nucleic acid sequences, and antibodies, which immunospecifically-bind to the polypeptide, as well as derivatives, variants, mutants, or fragments of the aforementioned polypeptide, polynucleotide, or antibody. The invention further discloses therapeutic, diagnostic and research methods for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disorders involving any one of these novel human nucleic acids and proteins.

The present invention is based in part on nucleic acids encoding proteins that are new members of the following protein families: Androgen-Regulated Short-Chain Dehydrogenase/Reductase-like, Aryl-Acylamidase-like, Insulysin-like, Integrin Beta-7 Precursor-like, Membrane protein-like, BCSC-1-like, Amino Acid Transporter-like, Lymphocyte Antigen Precursor-like, Lymphocyte Antigen LY-6F-like, Early B-Cell Factor-like, High-Affinity Camp-Specific and IBMX-Insensitive-like, KIAA0216-like, TWIK 3-like, TASK 4-like, Copper Transporter-like, Cytokeratin-like, Protocadherin-like, Protocadherin Beta-like, Cadherin 23-like, Transforming Growth Factor Beta 2-like, Ebnerin-like, Fatty Acid Binding-like, Platelet glycoprotein V-like, GARPIN-like, Centaurin Beta 2-like, Sorting Nexin 9-like, Katanin-like, Calpain-like, Keratin 18-like, Polycystic Kidney Disease Associated, Cholinephosphate Cytidylyltransferase-like and mac25/IGFBP7-like. More particularly, the invention relates to nucleic acids encoding novel polypeptides, as well as vectors, host cells, antibodies, and recombinant methods for producing these nucleic acids and polypeptides.

Proteins, polynucleotides encoding them and methods of using the same


The grinding machine (10) according to the invention serves in particular for the machining or production of tools. It comprises a machine bed 11 and a workpiece spindle (14) arranged thereon, which receives the workpiece (13) to be machined, as well as a grinding station (19) arranged next to the workpiece, the station having a grinding spindle for the reception of a grinding tool (20), and is provided with a workpiece guide system (23) arranged at the machine bed for the support of the workpiece at the grinding location (21). In order to adjust the workpiece in the region of the grinding location (21) within a very short time exactly into the desired horizontal and vertical position relative to the workpiece spindle axis (22) and to keep it in this position during the machining, the workpiece guide system (23) comprises a workpiece reception (24) and an adjustment device (35, 36), with which the workpiece reception can be adjusted in its height distance and lateral distance from the axis (22) of the workpiece spindle (14) or the workpiece clamped therein.

A grinding machine of the type to which the invention relates is for example known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,190,242. With this known grinding machine, the workpiece carrier supporting the workpiece at the grinding location is a back rest or a stationary support which prevents, in particular with an elongated workpiece, that this bends during the machining at the grinding location.
It has been found that the adjustment of such a workpiece carrier generally needs a lot of time and experience. In particular, in cases in which the workpieces are to be ground, the diameter of which are very small compared to their length, for example during the production of boring or milling workpieces with a diameter of only 1 mm or even smaller, the exact positioning of the workpiece carrier necessary for the accurate machining of the workpiece can require a long adjustment time in the region of the grinding location, during which one cannot work with the machine. While such long setting periods can be acceptable with workpieces to be produced in large quantities, they are particularly undesired if only a few workpieces are to be produced with the machine adapted once, before it is converted again.


Raster scanner assemblies, and machines which use such raster scanner assemblies, which produce spots having a variable spot dimension. Raster scanner assemblies according to the present invention include an electronic subsystem which produces both image data and a spot size control signal, a laser assembly which produces a polarized laser beam having a beam with a first dimension and which is modulated in accord with the image data, a variable aperture assembly which changes the first dimension of the laser beam, a rotating polygon having a plurality of facets sweeping the laser beam in a sweep plane, and a scan lens for focusing the laser beam onto an image plane. The variable aperture assembly beneficially includes both a liquid crystal cell, which receives the laser beam and the spot size control signal, and a polarizing filter. The liquid crystal cell changes the polarization of part of the laser beam in response to the spot size control signal, while the polarizing filter passes the laser beam as a function of the beam's polarization. Beneficially, the liquid crystal cell is a twisted nematic liquid crystal cell. Preferably, the first dimension is in the cross-scan direction.

Electrophotographic marking is a well known method of copying or printing documents or other substrates. Electrophotographic marking is typically performed by exposing a light image of an original document onto a substantially uniformly charged photoreceptor. That light image discharges the photoreceptor so as to create an electrostatic latent image of the original on the photoreceptor's surface. Toner particles are then deposited onto the latent image so as to form a toner image. That toner image is then transferred from the photoreceptor, either directly or after an intermediate transfer step, onto a marking substrate such as a sheet of paper. The transferred toner powder image is then fused to the marking substrate using heat and/or pressure. The surface of the photoreceptor is then cleaned of residual developing material and recharged in preparation for the creation of another image.
While many types of light exposure systems have been developed, a commonly used system is the raster output scanner (ROS). A raster output scanner is comprised of a laser beam source, a modulator for modulating the laser beam (which, as in the case of a laser diode, may be the source itself) such that the laser beam contains image information, a rotating polygon having at least one reflective surface, input optics that collimate the laser beam, and output optics which focus the laser beam into a spot on the photoreceptor and which correct for various optical problems such as wobble. The laser source, modulator, and input optics produce a collimated laser beam which is directed toward the polygon. As the polygon rotates the reflective surface(s) causes the laser beam to be swept along a scan plane. The swept laser beam passes through the output optics and is reflected by the mirror(s) so as to produce a sweeping spot on a charged photoreceptor. The sweeping spot traces a scan line across the photoreceptor. Since the charged photoreceptor moves in a direction which is substantially perpendicular to the scan line, the sweeping spot raster scans the photoreceptor. By suitably modulating the laser beam a desired latent image can be produced on the photoreceptor.
To assist the understanding of the present invention several things should be further described and highlighted. First, most prior art electrophotographic printing machines are single resolution devices; that is, they produce an image at N number of spots per inch in the cross-scan direction (the direction which the photoreceptor moves), where N is typically 300, 600 or 800. But whatever N is, it is fixed. While single resolution printing machines are relatively straightforward, they may not be optimal. For example, when printing a bit-map which represents an image of M spots per inch on a prior art machine which has a resolution of N spots per inch, where M is not equal to N, software resolution conversion is required before printing. Not only does such software conversion require significant time and computer resources, but bit round-off errors frequently occur. Therefore, an electrophotographic printing machine having variable resolution would be advantageous.
When attempting to implement a variable resolution electrophotographic printing machine it quickly becomes obvious that one approach to achieving variable resolution is to change the size of the spot produced on the photoreceptor by the laser beam. Changing the dimension of the spot in the fast scan direction is relatively easy. In a machine with a fixed scan rate the laser spot images an area having length which is predominately controlled by the time duration that the laser is turned on. To write at a lower resolution the laser can be turned on for longer periods of time. However, since the cross-scan dimension of the image area illuminated by the spot is controlled by the cross-scan dimension of the spot, controlling the resolution in the cross-scan dimension is much more difficult. Even in the fast scan direction is may be beneficial to be able to electronically control the length of the spot without changing the laser on time. Therefore, a technique of controlling the dimensions of the spot on the photoreceptor would be advantageous.

Raster scanner with a selectable spot dimension


In one embodiment, the invention provides a method for the processing of instructions. A method which comprises analyzing a dynamic execution trace for a program; identifying at least one stream comprising a plurality of basic blocks in the dynamic execution trace; collecting metrics associated with the at least one stream; and optimizing the at least one stream based on the metrics.

Broadly, the function of a compiler is to compile a source program written in a high level language into a target program for a given instruction set architecture (ISA), which is understood by a machine in which the compiled program is executed.
In order to increase computational throughput, a compiler may perform transformations in order to optimize the speed at which the compiled program can be executed.
The output of the compiler, i.e., the compiled code will be referred to hereinafter as "macroinstructions." This is in contrast to microinstructions, which refers to the machine implementation-specific internal representation of instructions for a given ISA. Generally, these microinstructions are not visible to a compiler. A given macroinstruction may have several microinstructions, each of which is machine implementation-specific.
Since a particular microinstruction will typically only execute correctly on a machine that understands the microinstruction, a natural limit to how much optimization a compiler does is imposed by the requirement that in general, the macroinstructions produced by a compiler should be able to execute on all machines that support a given ISA, regardless of what microinstructions correspond to the macroinstructions.
If the microinstructions corresponding to each macroinstruction in an ISA is known, a compiler may be able to optimize the code even further by producing a machine implementation-specific microinstructions.
However, in such a case, because the microinstructions are machine implementation-specific, the microinstructions will no longer operate on other machines that share the same ISA, but have different microinstructions corresponding to the macroinstructions in the ISA.

Building inter-block streams from a dynamic execution trace for a program


An image processing method includes the steps of acquiring an image of a physical space, acquiring a position and orientation of a viewpoint of the image, generating an image of a virtual object, detecting an area which consists of pixels each having a predetermined pixel value, and superimposing the image of the virtual object on the image of the physical space. The superimposition step includes calculating a distance between a position of the virtual object and a position of the viewpoint, acquiring an instruction indicating whether or not the virtual object is emphasis-displayed, and setting a flag indicating whether or not the image of the virtual object is to be set as a masked target. The masking process image of the virtual object is superimposed or not on the image of the physical space depending if the image of the virtual object is set as the masked target.

Conventionally, a mixed reality (MR) presentation apparatus is available. This apparatus superimposes an image of a physical world and that of three-dimensionally modeled CG (computer graphics) data, and allows the user to view as if an object (virtual object) rendered by CG data existed in the physical world.
This is an apparatus which comprises physical image sensing means (e.g., a video camera), CG image generation means for generating a CG image as if it were seen from a position where a physical image is sensed, and image display means (e.g., an HMD (Head Mounted Display) or monitor) that can composite and display both the images.
This apparatus also comprises visual axis position/orientation detection means for detecting the visual axis position and direction of the physical image sensing means (video camera) so as to correctly display the positional relationship between the CG and physical image even when the position and orientation of the visual axis of the physical image sensing means have changed.
The CG image generation means sets three-dimensionally modeled CG data on a virtual space which has the same scale as the physical space, and renders the CG as an object observed from the visual axis position and direction detected by the visual axis position/orientation detection means. When the CG image generated in this way is superimposed on the physical image, an image in which an image generated based on CG data is correctly set on the physical space even when the physical image sensing means observes from any visual axis position and direction can be displayed. Changes of the type and layout, animation, and the like of CG can be freely made in the same manner as general CG data. Another position/orientation sensor may be equipped to designate the position of CG data, so that CG data can be rendered at a location designated by the value of the position/orientation sensor. Conventionally, with this arrangement, the user holds the position/orientation sensor with a hand, and observes CG at the position/orientation of the sensor.
The physical image sensing means that senses an image of the physical space is, e.g., a video camera, and means for sensing an image in the visual axis direction of the camera and capturing it in a memory.
As an image display device that composites an image on the physical space and CG image, for example, an HMD (Head Mounted Display) is used. When the HMD is used in place of a normal monitor, and the video camera is mounted in the visual axis direction of the HMD, an image in a direction in which the observer faces can be displayed on the HMD. In addition, since CG data in that facing direction can also be rendered, the observer can experience a heightened feeling of immersion.
Note that the image display device may be an HMD called an optical see-through type which does not comprise any video camera and allows the user to see through a scene in front of the HMD intact. In this case, the physical image sensing means optically displays a scene in front of the HMD on the display device in place of video image sensing. In the HMD of this type, the scene in front of the observer can be directly seen through without any digital process, and a CG image can be superimposed on that screen.
The image display means in the MR presentation apparatus displays an image obtained by superimposing a physical image and CG image onto the aforementioned image display device.
As the position/orientation detection means, a magnetic position/orientation sensor or the like is used. When such sensor is attached to the video camera (or the HMD to which the video camera is attached), it detects the values of the position and orientation of the visual axis of the video camera. The magnetic position/orientation sensor detects the relative position and orientation between a magnetism source (transmitter) and magnetic sensor (receiver). For example, FASTRAK available from Polhemus Inc. (USA) or the like is known. This device detects the three-dimensional (3D) position (X, Y, Z) and orientation (Roll, Pitch, Yaw) of the sensor in real time within a specific area.
With the above arrangement, the observer can observe a world formed by superimposing physical and CG images via the HMD. When the observer looks around, the physical image sensing device (video camera) attached to the HMD senses a physical image, and the visual axis position/orientation detection means (position/orientation sensor) equipped on the HMD detects the position and orientation of the visual axis direction of the video camera. Based on these data, the CG image generation means generates (renders) a CG image viewed from that visual axis position and orientation to superimpose the CG image on the physical image.
A conventional, general MR presentation method merely superimposes a CG image on a physical image, and does not consider any depth ordering between an object which really exists and a CG object. For this reason, even when the observer puts a hand in front of the CG object, he or she cannot observe his or her hand, and still sees the CG object located behind the hand. FIGS. 2A to 2D are views for explaining such state.
FIG. 2A shows an example of a state in which an observer 200 who wears an HMD 201 stretches forth a hand 203 to a CG object 202.
An image which is presented by the HMD 201 to the observer 200 in the state shown in FIG. 2A is an MR image 204 shown in FIG. 2B. In FIG. 2B, a fingertip portion 205 which is supposed to be observed is indicated by the broken line for the descriptive convenience. The fingertip portion 205 should be seen in front of the CG object 202 according to the depth ordering between the CG object 202 and hand 203. However, in the prior art, since the image of the CG object 202 is merely superimposed on the physical image, it is undesirably displayed in front of the fingertip image.
In order to solve this problem, conventionally, an overlapping area of physical and CG objects is detected, and the CG object in the detected area is masked to allow the user to see the physical object (e.g., see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-296759).
This technique comprises physical object detection means and CG masking means. For example, in order to correctly display an overlapping state of the hand and CG object, as shown in FIG. 2B, a display area of the hand in the physical image need only be detected. Hence, the physical object detection means can detect an area where the hand is sensed by checking if the color of each pixel of the physical image is approximate to a flesh color. FIG. 2C shows an image used to mask the hand area detected from the physical image.
The CG masking means can prevent the CG object on a corresponding portion by setting an image region where the physical object detection means detects that the hand is sensed in a stencil buffer of the CG object or in a minimum value of a depth buffer (Z-buffer). As a result, an image like a masked MR image 207 can be obtained, as shown in FIG. 2D.
The exemplified method has the following disadvantage: a CG object is not rendered on an area where the flesh color appears in the real image irrespective of its depth. This method is sufficiently effective in a situation where the position of the CG object is always located behind the hand, and is conventionally used. However, when the overlapping state of CG and physical objects must always be expressed correctly, the detection method using a color or the like as in the above example does not suffice as the physical object detection means, and depth information of the physical object viewed from the viewpoint of the observer must be correctly detected.
An MR presentation apparatus which uses a device for detecting depth information of the physical space as the physical object detection means is conventionally used (e.g., see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-331874). As the CG masking means in this case, means for setting a value obtained by this device in the Z-buffer of the CG object is used.
In the conventional system, a CG masking process is executed for all CG objects on the MR space. However, it is not preferred to apply hand masking to all CG objects depending on systems.
For example, some visual effect that temporarily flickers a CG object or emphasizes its color is given to emphasize and display that object, so as to put the observer on a given CG object displayed on the MR space in some cases. In such case, when a physical object occludes the CG object, the observer's attention cannot be drawn.
Also, when a GUI such as an information display panel which is always seen is to be displayed by CG, it must always be displayed without occlusion irrespective of the positional relationship with a physical object. However, when the physical object occludes the GUI, display disappears.
Hence, since the prior arts apply masking to all CG objects based on the occlusion relationship with a physical object, they cannot flexibly switch the presence/absence of masking processes for respective CG objects upon display according to the types and purposes of display of individual CG objects to be displayed.

Image processing method and image processing apparatus


Method and system for authentication in a computer network is provided. A first message from a client to a server is transmitted, where the first message includes erroneous user information. In response to the first message, a second message is transmitted from the server to the client, where the second message includes an error message and a nonce. The client transmits a third message to the server in response to the second message, where the third message includes non-erroneous user information and the nonce. The server then provides authentication in response to the client's third message.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally security and, more particularly, to a method and system for authentication in a computer network.
2. Description of the Related Art
Web services are automated resources that can be accessed by the Internet and provide a way for computers to communicate with one another. Web services use "Extensible Markup Language" (XML) to transmit data. XML is a human readable language that is used for tagging the data that is used by web services.
A computer system using web services can use a "Universal Discovery, Description and Integration" (UDDI) protocol. Computer system(s) as referred to herein may include(s) individual computers, servers, computing resources, and/or networks, etc. UDDI is a web based globally distributed directory that exposes information about service providers, service implementations, and service metadata. UDDI is similar to a phone book's yellow pages because it allows service providers, such as businesses, to advertise the services that they offer and allows service consumers to discover services that meet their needs.
The UDDI standard is fundamental to the newly emerging network of web services. Security efforts can be undertaken to prevent intruders from being able to access critical data that is exposed by UDDI. One way to attempt to provide security occurs at the network layer and utilizes a single username and a password combination from a user in order to gain access to critical data. However, the UDDI standard does not specify how the publication of data into a UDDI repository is to be done in a secure manner. This leaves a major security hole in the UDDI standard.
FIG. 2 shows an example of a type of authentication mechanism that uses an authentication token. An authentication token is a system that is used to identify a user in a computer system, such as a network. A client 201 transmits a request to a server 202 for an authentication token 204. The request contains a username and password 203. For example, the request can be carried out through a get_authToken Application Programming Interface (API) that obtains the authentication token from a UDDI enabled server 202. In response to the client's 201 request, the server 202 transmits the authentication token 204 to the client 201. The authentication token 204 may contain authentication information, allowing the client 201 to gain access to a UDDI repository which may be local to server 202 or remote therefrom.
However, such authentication mechanisms can be susceptible to attack and allow unauthorized users to take advantage of system vulnerabilities. For example, an unauthorized user, such as a hacker, would potentially need only one username and one password to gain access to critical data. Password sniffers can easily allow unauthorized users to collect these usernames and passwords, thereby compromising system security.
Accordingly, it would be beneficial to provide a reliable and effective authentication mechanism to ensure that the UDDI protocol can be used securely.


A computer-implemented method and computer program product for selecting a portfolio weight (subject to specified constraints) for each of a plurality of assets of an optimal portfolio. A mean-variance efficient frontier is calculated based on input data characterizing the defined expected return and the defined standard deviation of return of each of the plurality of assets. Multiple sets of optimization inputs are drawn from a distribution of simulated optimization inputs consistent with the defined expected return, the defined standard deviation of return of each of the plurality of assets and then a simulated mean-variance efficient frontier is computed for each set of optimization inputs. A meta-resampled efficient frontier is determined as a statistical mean of associated portfolios among the simulated mean-variance efficient frontiers, and a portfolio weight is selected for each asset from the meta-resampled efficient frontier according to a specified investment objective. The number of simulations and the number of simulation periods is determined on the basis of a specified level of forecast certainty.

Managers of assets, such as portfolios of stocks, projects in a firm, or other assets, typically seek to maximize the expected or average return on an overall investment of funds for a given level of risk as defined in terms of variance of return, either historically or as adjusted using techniques known to persons skilled in portfolio management. Alternatively, investment goals may be directed toward residual return with respect to a benchmark as a function of residual return variance. Consequently, the terms "return" and "variance," as used in this description and in any appended claims, may encompass, equally, the residual components as understood in the art. The capital asset pricing model of Sharpe and Lintner and the arbitrage pricing theory of Ross are examples of asset evaluation theories used in computing residual returns in the field of equity pricing. Alternatively, the goal of a portfolio management strategy may be cast as the minimization of risk for a given level of expected return.
The risk assigned to a portfolio is typically expressed in terms of its variance σp2 stated in terms of the weighted variances of the individual assets, as:
            σ      p      2        =                  ∑        i                                    ∑          j                                              w            i                                          w            j                                          σ            ij                                ,where wi is the relative weight of the i-th asset within the portfolio, σij=σiσjρij is the covariance of the i-th and j-th assets, ρij is their correlation, and σi is the standard deviation of the i-th asset. The portfolio standard deviation is the square root of the variance of the portfolio.
Following the classical paradigm due to Markowitz, a portfolio may be optimized, with the goal of deriving the peak average return for a given level of risk and any specified set of constraints, in order to derive a so-called "mean-variance (MV) efficient" portfolio using known techniques of linear or quadratic programming as appropriate. Techniques for incorporating multiperiod investment horizons are also known in the art. As shown in FIG. 1A, the expected return μ for a portfolio may be plotted versus the portfolio standard deviation σ, with the locus of MV efficient portfolios as a function of portfolio standard deviation referred to as the "MV efficient frontier," and designated by the numeral 10. Mathematical algorithms for deriving the MV efficient frontier are known in the art.
Referring to FIG. 1B, a variation of classical Markowitz MV efficiency often used is benchmark optimization. In this case, the expected residual return α relative to a specified benchmark is considered as a function of residual return variance ω, defined as was the portfolio standard deviation σ but with respect to a residual risk. An investor with portfolio A desires to optimize expected residual return at the same level ωA of residual risk. As before, an efficient frontier 10 is defined as the locus of all portfolios having a maximum expected residual return α of each of all possible levels of portfolio residual risk.
Known deficiencies of MV optimization as a practical tool for investment management include the instability and ambiguity of solutions. It is known that MV optimization may give rise to solutions which are both unstable with respect to small changes (within the uncertainties of the input parameters) and often non-intuitive and thus of little investment sense or value for investment purposes and with poor out-of-sample average performance. These deficiencies are known to arise due to the propensity of MV optimization as "estimation-error maximizers," as discussed in R. Michaud, "The Markowitz Optimization Enigma: Is Optimized Optimal?" Financial Analysts Journal (1989), which is herein incorporated by reference. In particular, MV optimization tends to overweight those assets having large statistical estimation errors associated with large estimated returns, small variances, and negative correlations, often resulting in poor ex-post performance.
Resampling of a plurality of simulations of input data statistically consistent with an expected return and expected standard deviation of return has been applied (see, for example, Broadie, "Computing efficient frontiers using estimated parameters", 45 Annals of Operations Research 21-58 (1993)) in efforts to overcome some of the statistical deficiencies inherent in use of sample moments alone. Comprehensive techniques based on a resample efficient frontier are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,003,018 (Michaud et al. '018), issued Dec. 14, 1999, and in the book, R. Michaud, Efficient Asset Management, (Harvard Business School Press, 1998, hereinafter "Michaud 1998"), that MV optimization is a statistical procedure, based on estimated returns subject to a statistical variance, and that, consequently, the MV efficient frontier, as defined above, is itself characterized by a variance. The Michaud patent and book are incorporated herein by reference, as are all references cited in the text of the book.
As taught in the Michaud '018 patent, an MV efficient frontier is first calculated by using standard techniques as discussed above. Since the input data are of a statistical nature (i.e., characterized by means with associated variances and other statistical measures), the input data may be resampled, by simulation of optimization input parameters in a manner statistically consistent with the first set of data, as described, for example, by J. Jobson and B. Korkie, "Estimation for Markowitz Efficient Portfolios," Journal of Portfolio Management, (1981), which is herein incorporated by reference. Embodiments of the present invention are related to improvements and extensions of the teaching of the Michaud '018 patent.
When portfolios are rebalanced in accordance with current practice, criteria are applied that are typically not portfolio-based or consistent with principles of modern statistics but are generally associated with various ad hoc rules. U.S. Pat. No. 6,003,018 teaches a portfolio-based rebalancing criterion that can be used for all portfolios on the resampled efficient frontier and that is consistent with principles of modern statistics and considers the uncertainty in investment information.
Michaud 1998, provided data, for purposes of illustration, that consisted of 18 years of monthly returns for eight asset classes. The resampling process illustrated in the text computes simulated efficient frontiers of 18 years of returns, or 216 monthly resampled returns for each set of simulated means and covariances and associated simulated efficient frontiers, prior to obtaining the average. In this instance the resampling of returns duplicates the amount of information in the historical return dataset. It is desirable to allow for other variable assessments of confidence in the forecasting power of the data, and that is addressed, below, in the context of the present invention.
Other features of rebalancing procedures, as practiced heretofore, imposed important limitations. The discriminatory power was not customizable, with too high power at low levels of risk and too little power at high levels of risk. Methods are clearly necessary for providing relatively uniform discriminatory power across portfolio risk levels as well as being able to customize discriminatory power according to the investment needs of organizations which differ in terms of user sophistication, asset class characteristics, or investment strategy requirements. Methods are also clearly desirable that help identify anomalously weighted assets (overly large or small weights) relative to a normal range that is associated with the uncertainty of investment information.

Portfolio rebalancing by means of resampled efficient frontiers with forecast confidence level


Embodiments of methods, systems, and apparatuses for adaptive compression management for web services are presented. In an embodiment, a method may include receiving a request for a web-service data operation. The method may also include identifying, using a data processing device, a network performance statistic for characterizing a data link between a web server and a web client. Additionally, the method may include determining, using the data processing device, a data size threshold in response to the network performance statistic. The method may also include determining, using the data processing device, whether to compress data associated with the web-service operation in response to the data size threshold.

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.
Web Service Management (WSMan) protocol is used to fetch relevant data over the network from a web service server to a client. The volume of data transmitted may range from a few bytes to a few megabytes. Generally, the data is transmitted according to a protocol, such as Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP). There are mechanisms for compressing a SOAP packet before it hits the network, thereby saving network bandwidth and time, but this overall saving is not guaranteed for small amounts of data in the range of few kilobytes. For smaller data, the added compression time may actually lengthen the overall response time of the system, depending upon the network delay. Thus it may not be optimal to impose a universal or binding compression policy on all SOAP packets transmitted over a network.

Adaptive compression management for web services


A dual format pre-objective scanner (10), for use in a laser printer, having an incident beam (22) from input optics (12) incident on a polygon tower (14) comprised of a first polygon (20) having a first diameter and first number of facets and a second polygon (30) having a second diameter and second number of facets, rotating about an axis (42) common to both first and second polygon. The polygon tower (14) is moved in a vertical direction so that the incident light is directed in a plane approximately perpendicular to the axis rotation of the first and second polygon, at either the first polygon (20) or the second polygon (30). The polygon tower (14) is also moved in a lateral direction approximately perpendicular to the axis (42) of rotation of the polygon tower (14). To change size and formats, the polygon tower (14) is moved simultaneously both vertically and laterally so that incident beams on the facets of the first polygon (20) become incident on the facets of the second polygon (30) at approximately the same distance from a scan lens (16).

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to laser printers using multi-faceted rotating polygon deflectors to expose photosensitive media and in particular to laser printers having the capability to print more than one image size and resolution.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In creating digital images on photosensitive media there are at least two different imaging applications with different requirements. The first application is for large format high quality images with fine text and graphics in which the production speed is not critical. These images are up to approximately 12 inches in width and use spot densities over 400 spots per inch. The second application is for smaller format images with large text and a requirement for high production speeds. In these images, the width is about 5 inches or smaller and the spot density is below about 400 spots per inch. In order to minimize the floor space or foot print required by two machines, it would be advantageous to use a single printer in which the format and spot density can be switched easily between the two applications described. In addition, the printer should use a single paper path for both formats and the cost to manufacture such a printer should be lower than that of two separate machines.
The use of laser printers, especially for creating electrostatic images such as in a photocopier, is widely known. In these applications, a single format and single resolution normally are used. High quality laser printers commonly incorporate optical correction means for a defect in the manufacture of polygons called pyramid error, which is a tilt of the polygon facets in such a way that the facets do not form a vertical cylinder. In other words, the facet normals do not all lie in the same plane, but can vary from facet to facet. Even small errors of this type causes extensive degradation of images because the error is periodic, that is, it recurs with each rotation of the polygon. This can lead to a defect in the image called banding. The human eye is very sensitive to banding errors and it would be desirable to eliminate this type of error.
One of the correcting means for polygon pyramid error is to make the facet conjugate to the image forming medium. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,040,096 by Starkweather, this conjugation is provided by a cylindrical lens which has power only in the page scan section of the beam U.S. Pat. No. 4,247,160 by Brueggemann, discloses a laser polygon printer which has a positive cylindrical mirror disposed between a polygon and an image forming medium. However, neither of these inventions prints more than one image format.
Printing more than one image resolution with one printer has been done by using a scanner with a reflecting surface which varies in width in the scanning direction. See G. Starkweather, U.S. Pat. No. 3,944,323. Other methods of using more than one image resolution with one printer are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,289,001; 5,274,492; 5,255,115; 5,239,313; 4,953,036; 4,734,715; 4,578,689. None of these patents disclose the use of multiple polygons and none use more than one scan length.
The use of more than one format is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,651,170 and 4,651,169 by J. Chandler, D. Kessler, and E. Muka. In these patents, the format in the line scan direction, the scan length, is changed by adjusting the space between the polygon deflector and the image forming medium In order to maintain the beam focus on the medium in the scan section of the beam, the optics prior to the polygon deflector are modified. Also, the cylindrical mirror following the polygon is tilted and shifted in order to maintain the polygon mirror facet conjugate with the image forming medium The page scan format is changed via a speed change in the moving medium.


A dimethyl ether (DME) common-rail fuel supply apparatus, may include a fuel pump fluid-connected to a fuel tank and a common rail and supplying DME fuel supplied via a fuel supply line from the fuel tank to the common rail, an injector receiving the DME fuel from the common rail and injecting the DME fuel at a predetermined pressure, a detector disposed on a fuel return line fluid-connecting the injector and the fuel tank to collect a fuel returned from the injector to the fuel tank, and a fuel amount control valve returning a portion of a fuel in the fuel pump to the fuel return line connected to the injector according to a value measured by the detector.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dimethyl ether (DME) common-rail fuel supply apparatus and method, and more particularly, to a DME common-rail fuel supply apparatus and method capable of stably maintaining a liquefied state of DME.
2. Description of Related Art
Recently, with the global warming and the rising gasoline prices, all the countries of the world pay attention to DME as alternative fuel which is capable of maintaining the same power level as diesel oil used for partially-changed diesel engines which are being currently mass-produced and reducing particulate materials (PM) and exhaust gas.
Accordingly, a DME common rail as illustrated in FIG. 1 has been applied to develop a dedicated engine. However, there are difficulties in constructing a system, because evaporation (in the case of over −25 degrees or below 6 atmosphere pressures) occurs well due to fuel properties. That is, when the properties of the DME fuel are not maintained, a part such as an injector 4 may be reduced in durability.
FIG. 2 is a graph showing a temperature-pressure curve of the DME fuel. Referring to FIG. 2, it can be seen that the DME fuel maintains a liquefied state around 40 to 45 degrees and 10 bar.
Typically, however, a temperature measured at a point a of FIG. 1 is equal to or less than 90 degrees, and pressure measured at the point a is equal to or less than 3 Mpa. Therefore, referring to the temperature-pressure curve of FIG. 2, it can be seen that the evaporation possibility of the DME fuel is high. Accordingly, there is demand for an apparatus for maintaining a liquefied state of the DME fuel by overcoming such a problem.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.


A container for shipping and handling devices is described. The container is particularly well suited to store sliders used in magnetic storage systems. The container includes a bottom piece and a detachable top piece. The bottom piece includes a base with a channel (also referred to as a device chamber) and two side walls. At least one device is stored in a channel in the base. The detachable top piece is secured to the bottom piece with a locking device. The locking device may include two substantially straight edges and two curved outer ridges. When the top piece is attached to the bottom piece, each of the curved outer ridges of the locking device extends into a groove in the inner surface of the side walls. The devices are contained within the container by a pair of slider stop devices.

1. Field of the Invention
The present inventions relates to containers useful for shipping and handling a plurality of devices, and in particular devices such as air bearing sliders used in magnetic storage systems.
2. Description of Related Art
A magnetic storage system typically includes one or more magnetic disks with at least one data recording surface having a plurality of concentric tracks for storing data. A spindle motor and spindle motor controller rotate the disk(s) at a selected rotations per minute (rpm) such that at least one read/write transducer or "head" per recording surface can read data from or write data to each recording surface. The data read or written from each recording surface is processed by a read/write channel. The transducer is supported by an air bearing slider which has a top surface attached to an actuator assembly via a suspension, and a bottom surface having an air bearing design of a desired configuration to provide favorable flying height characteristics. During the operation of the magnetic storage device, the air bearing slider is positioned in close proximity above the desired data track by an actuator assembly. The movement of the actuator assembly above the disk surface is controlled by a servo system.
In magnetic recording technology, it is continually desired to improve the areal density at which information can be recorded and reliably read. Because the recording density of a magnetic storage system is limited by the distance between the transducer and the recording surface of the disk, it is generally desirably to design an air bearing slider to "fly" as closely as possible to the recording surface of the disk while avoiding physical impact with the disk. Smaller spacings, or "flying heights" allow the transducer to distinguish between the magnetic fields emanating from closely spaced regions on the disk.
Lower flying heights may require air bearing sliders having reduced dimensions. Many sliders today are referred to as nano sliders and are on the order of approximately 2 mm.times.1.5 mm.times.0.45 mm. However, newer generations of sliders may be referred to as pico sliders and are often approximately 33% the size of nano sliders. For example, a pico slider may have dimensions of approximately 1.5 mm.times.1.0 mm.times.0.3 mm. As the dimensions of the sliders are reduced, the containers used to ship and handle these devices are downsized accordingly.
FIGS. 1A-B illustrate a conventional one-piece shipping tube 100 for shipping and handling air bearing sliders. Shipping tube 100 includes an inverted T-slot that extends the entire length 101 of shipping tube 100. The air bearing sliders are stored in the wide portion 110a of T-slot 110. The wide portion 110a may be referred to as the channel. Neck regions 102 and 104 define the narrow portion 110b of T-slot 110. The sliders are stored in the T-slot such that the air bearing design of the slider may be partially viewed through neck regions 102 and 104. The narrow neck regions 102 and 104 of the shipping tube 100 are used to contain the sliders within the shipping tube 100.
One drawback of the prior art shipping tube 100 is that as the industry develops smaller sliders it becomes more difficult to manufacture and machine shipping tube 100. More specifically, the T-slot becomes more difficult to extrude, particularly around the neck regions 102 and 104. Furthermore, as the dimensions of the blind surfaces 112a and 112b are reduced, they become even more difficult to clean. Particles or debris not removed from blind surfaces 112a and 112b may eventually get on the sliders stored in shipping tube 100 contaminating and adversely affecting the performance of the magnetic storage system at the head-to-disk interface. Additionally, neck regions 102 and 104 obscure the visibility of the device stored in channel 110a.

International Business Machine Corporation


A card connector for automobile includes a main member, three sliding blocks, a first elastic device, a first elastic device, and three terminal sets. The main member includes a space therein, an opening at a front thereof, a hollow portion communicated with the space and the opening, a stop device, an elastic piece and a releasing device on the elastic piece. The sliding blocks are received in the space of the main member and reciprocated along a card path. The first elastic device, which is provided in the main member, urges the first sliding block outwards. The terminal sets are provided in the main member and corresponds to the sliding block. The present invention has a powerful shockproof function, an easy way to eject card and dustproof function.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an electronic card connector, and more particularly to a card connector for automobile.
2. Description of the Related Art
A card connector on automobile is designated for an audio/video equipment of the automobile to be an interface between a memory card and stereo that the stereo on automobile may play the audio/video media in the memory card.
A conventional card connector, such as China patent Publication no. CN200420047939.5, which has a cassette slot with card positioning structure, has the slot with a top side gradually higher from an inner end to an outer end and a stop piece on a bottom side of the outer end of the slot that a card may be inserted into the slot from an opening above the stop piece, and turns to horizontal when cross the stop piece. The card is stopped by the stop piece for restriction in the slot. This kind of storage card connector is shockproof.
Another China patent, Publication no. CN200520105617.6, disclosed a conventional electronic card connector, which includes an insulating base, a plurality of terminals fixed on the insulating base, a dustproof device, an elastic member and a mask device covering the insulating base. This card connector provides the dustproof device for dustproof.
In conclusion, the prior arts provide shockproof and dustproof functions in a common point of view to increase the electrical connection. However, these conventional connectors are not specially designed for automobile that could not fit the vibrating and dusty environment in the automobile.
Taiwan Patent no. 1264160 provides a card connector with protection function, which provides three sliding frames for three different cards. The interaction of above elements may protect terminals.


A board game having a playing surface incorporating a representation of land masses separated by oceanic expanses, with the latter divided into segmented movement areas, and further employing playing equipment for the purchase, shipment and sale of oil, freight and goods from one land mass to another.

Board game devices using a game board are, of course, well known in the art. They commonly employ some kind of segmented pathway or gridwork over which playing pieces are moved incrementally, as by the roll of a die or some other chance device. In addition, board games have often incorporated playing cards which are employed in the course of play, such as to augment the movement of the playing pieces.
Board game devices utilize varying equipment and indicia, typically being specifically related to the theme or object of the particular game. The novelty of such game devices is virtually limitless, constrained only the imagination and some modicum of differentiation from the prior art.


A supported catalyst useful in the preparation of an electrode for an electrochemical cell which comprises the residue remaining after heating at about 500.degree. to about 800.degree. C. a transition metal and a polymer such as polyvinylpyridine all adsorbed on a support material. Useful electrodes are prepared by combining the supported catalyst with a current collector.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to catalytic electrodes for electrochemical cells.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The term "fuel cell" is used herein and in the art to denote a device, system, or apparatus in which the chemical energy of a fluid combustible fuel such as hydrogen, carbon monoxide, or an organic compound containing hydrogen in its molecular structure is electrochemically converted to electrical energy at a nonsacrificial or inert electrode. A complete fuel cell is adapted for continuous operation and is supplied with both fuel and oxygen from sources outside the cell proper. Such cells include at least two nonsacrificial or inert electrodes, functioning as an anode and a cathode, respectively, which are separated by an electrolyte which also provides ionic conductance therebetween. There is also provided conduction means for electrical connection between anode and cathode external to the electrolyte, means for admitting a liquid or gaseous fuel into dual contact with the anode and electrolyte, and means for admitting oxygen in dual contact with the cathode and electrolyte. The electrolyte compartments in conventional fuel cells are divided into an anolyte and a catholyte compartment by an ion permeable partition or ion exchange membrane, such as in the solid polymer electrolyte, also known as a porton exchange membrane (PEM) type fuel cell. In this PEM type cell, the membrane, which is a solid polyelectrolyte, acts both as the electrolyte and the cell separator, thus requiring no additional electrolyte. This cell is also termed an ion exchange membrane type fuel cell. In each such cell, a fuel is oxidized at the anode and an oxidant is reduced at the cathode upon receiving electrons from the anode.
Electrodes of the type hereinbefore and hereinafter described are also employed in electrolytic cells which unlike the aforementioned fuel cells do not provide a net production of electrical energy, but in which an organic fuel is oxidized electrochemically at the anode thereof. In such cells, a direct current of electrical energy from an external source, namely a fuel cell, a storage battery or an alternating current rectifier, is admitted to the electrical circuit of the cell to provide the necessary electrical current to operate the cell. Such cells can be used for the electrochemical production of various organic chemicals, such as the conversion of alcohols or hydrocarbons to ketones.
Electrodes for use in these cells vary considerably in both design and composition. Although a single metal structure, such as a platinum sheet or screen, or a structure of porous carbon, such as a flat sheet or a porous carbon cylinder, can be used alone, electrodes commonly comprise a conductive base or current collector with a metal catalyst chemically and/or physically bound to the surface of the base. Such electrodes also include those upon which the catalyst is laid down by electro-deposition, and those which are impregnated with catalyst by soaking the base in a solution comprising a suitable catalyst yielding material, decomposing the adsorbed material and/or reducing the resulting metal-containing material to elemental metal or metal oxide. The latter technique is conventional in the preparation of porous carbon electrodes bearing a metal catalyst. Noble metals, particularly platinum, are effective catalysts in both oxidation-reduction reactions wherein either a basic or acid electrolyte is employed in the cell.
The use of monomeric, as well as, polymeric metal phthalocyanine compounds as oxidation catalysts for chemical reactions are known. For example, nickel phthalocyanine has been employed in the oxidation of long-chain fatty acids, esters, saturated ketones, benzene hydrocarbons, etc. such catalysts, particularly cobalt phthalocyanine, when used as an active component in the cathode of a fuel cell are advantageous over known electrode catalysts comprised of noble metals, primarily in that the cobalt phthalocyanine catalyst is relatively inexpensive and can be produced in any desired amount. One disadvantage of electrodes comprising cobalt phthalocyanine is that this compound has an extremely low conductivity in comparison with noble metal catalyst compositions and, therefore, such metal phthalocyanine catalyst must be applied in very thin layers upon the surfaces of conducting carrier material in the preparation of electrodes. Electrochemical cells having electrodes comprising cobalt phthalocyanine, are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,585,079 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,255,498. Heat treated, carbon supported metalloporphyrins and metallophthalocyanines as oxygen reduction catalysts are disclosed in J. Chem. Society; Faraday trans. 1, 77, 2827-2843 (1981).
It is conventional to prepare electrodes for electrolytic cells by mixing powdered or granular active carbon particles which act as a carrier or support material for the adsorbed catalyst layer. Such electrodes are prepared by mixing the catalyzed carbon particles with a water-repellent binder such as polytetrafluoroethylene and compressing the mixture into a thin sheet.