The invention aims to backtrack a virus infection route with more detail than in the conventional case. CPUs of client devices respectively monitor operations, and cause storage devices to store operation histories. The CPU determines, upon detecting a virus, the time and date at which the virus was first saved in the client device based on the operation history stored in the storage device, and determines a virus intrusion route based on the operation content that was executed at the determined time and date.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for determining a computer virus infection route.
Description of the Related Art
Computer viruses have become more and more sophisticated. In order to prevent infection by a computer virus, it is important to determine a computer virus infection route. Assume here that an operation for tracing, when a virus is found, the place that the virus comes from is referred to as backtrack, back-trace or trace-back, and an operation for estimating terminals to which this virus has already spread is referred to as forward track.
Patent reference 1 discloses an invention relating to backtrack. According to Patent reference 1, a central device estimates, upon detection of a virus from a file transmitted from a terminal device via the central device, a virus infection period based on the time and date on which a vaccine was registered, the time and date on which this file was last transmitted, and the time and date on which this file is transmitted this time. Particularly, if the time and date on which this file was last transmitted is after the time and date on which the vaccine was registered, it will be determined that the infection route is via a device other than the central device, and if the time and date on which this file was last transmitted is before the time and date on which the vaccine was registered, it will be determined that the infection route is via the central device or another ISP.
Patent reference 2 discloses an invention relating to forward track. According to Patent reference 2, a damage range estimation system is disclosed that determines, when a virus has been detected from a file of one client terminal, other client terminals that has ever accessed this file in the past, as a terminal that may be infected by the virus.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Virus intrusion route identification device, virus intrusion route identification method, and program


A process for pipe cleaning using a cleaning module which is propelled through the pipe by a hydraulic fluid and has at least two cleaning tips attached in a particular alternating sequence. The hydraulic fluid is inspected to determine when no further abrasive cleaning is required. When such a determination is made, another tip is applied to finish the surface of the pipe.

Pipes used in a variety of processes often develop undesirable deposits on the inner surface of the pipe wall. These contaminants are generally known as scale. Cleaning of these pipes is done by hydraulic propulsion of a cleaning module (called a "Pig") through the pipe. The Pig has removable tips disposed circumferentially around and extending radially outward from the body of the Pig. The hydraulic pressure forces the pig through the pipe while the tips scrape the deposits from the pipe.
Some cleaning processes randomly apply different tip types, attempting to remove the adhered deposits while preventing significant erosion of the pipe wall. For example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,358,573, a Pig is repeatedly cycled back and forth with each tip through a section of pipe that is "dirty". While this process may eventually remove the deposits, using a module tip that is too abrasive can result in erosion and pipe scoring. Regardless of the initial state of the pipe system, any erosion or scoring could cause either process difficulties or failures.

Alternating tip run process for pipe cleaning


A system substrate for a semiconductor chip has a conductor frame (1); many small-area signal flat conductors (4) extend from webs (2, 3) of the conductor frame and on their free ends have contact terminal faces (5). Remaining faces (6) between the webs (2, 3) and the many signal flat conductors (4) are occupied by large-area flat conductors (7). Between the large-area flat conductors (7) and the webs (2, 3), there are connecting webs (9) with bent areas (8) at various spacings from the webs (2, 3).

The invention relates to a system carrier or substrate for a semiconductor chip with a conductor frame.
Such system substrates are used in semiconductor technology for retaining flat conductors of various sizes at predetermined positions on longitudinal webs and transverse webs of a conductor frame. Small-area flat conductors that extend from the webs are provided on their free ends with contact terminal faces. These contact terminal faces are connected to microscopically small contact terminals, that is, contact terminals that are perceptible only under a light microscope, on the semiconductor chip, in particular via bonding wires using wire bonding technology or via solder bumps using flip-chip technology. Large-area flat conductors are provided for carrying current or are provided as volumetric balancing pieces. Between the large-area flat conductors and the webs of the conductor frame, there are connecting webs that have bent areas.
In this connection, the term xe2x80x9clarge areaxe2x80x9d pertaining to the flat conductors means a multiple of the area of a small-area, elongated signal flat conductor. Large-area flat conductors can for example have a trapezoidal or triangular shape, depending on the remaining faces between the conductor frame and the signal flat conductors. Large-area flat conductors have a tendency, when the system substrate is encapsulated in a plastic casting composition, to change their predetermined position and to threaten bonding connections.
The object of the invention is to avoid breakage of bonding connections upon encapsulation, by means of a suitable system substrate.
According to the invention, the bent areas in the connecting webs, for large-area flat conductors, are provided at different spacings from the webs of the conductor frame, so that no coincident pivot axis for the bent areas about which the large-area flat conductors could swivel elastically, shift, or vibrate can form, since the bent areas are disposed at different spacings from the webs of the conductor frame. This also fixes the three-dimensional position of the large-area flat conductors, so that their free ends can no longer swing unhindered. Overall, without having to introduce additional bent areas in the connecting webs and without having to use more dimensionally stable materials, the rigidity of the large-area flat conductors is increased.
In one embodiment of the invention, the large-area flat conductors have oblong-slotlike openings, which are dimensioned such that the remaining flat conductor material is given a width adapted to the signal flat conductors. This embodiment has the advantage that in the remaining trapezoidal or large-area faces between the webs and the many signal flat conductors, the shrinkage of the plastic casting composition in the injection molding operation for a plastic semiconductor housing is made uniform in all regions of the system substrate, and thus sagging and rejection of the plastic housing for a semiconductor chip is reduced.
To that end, in a Cartesian coordinate system the conductor frame extends in the X-Y direction, and the bent areas are disposed in the Z directions. The large-area flat conductors are located in a plane that is offset in the Z direction from the plane of the signal flat conductors. This offset is first for historical reasons and corresponds to the applicable thickness of the semiconductor chip, so that the large-area flat conductors can be connected to the underside of the semiconductor chip. However, since for the above reasons this connectability is no longer necessary for modern semiconductor chips or can no longer be achieved, these bent areas of the connecting webs between large-area flat conductors and webs of the conductor frame serve to dispose the flat conductors in an offset plane, to lend improved stability to the plastic semiconductor housing.
Because of the increased rigidity from the offset arrangement of the bent areas in the connecting webs, the vibrations of the large-area flat conductors are reduced to such an extent that the aforementioned negative effects no longer occur, and the bonding wire connections are not threatened. In the injection molding of the plastic housing, a stabler state of the system substrate is thus achieved.
In a further embodiment of the invention, a single large-area flat conductor has two connecting webs to one web of the conductor frame, and one of the connecting webs has its bent areas in the Z direction at a greater spacing from the web of the conductor frame than the other. This is advantageously the simplest embodiment of the present invention.
In a further embodiment, a single large-area flat conductor has three connecting webs, and a middle connecting web has its bent areas in the Z direction at a greater spacing from the web of the conductor frame than the other two connecting webs. Compared with the simplest embodiment, referred to above, this embodiment has the additional advantage that with three connecting webs and with corresponding bent areas offset in spacing, the rigidity and positional accuracy of the large-area flat conductor can be increased considerably; the middle connecting web can protrude with its bent areas as far as the center of the large-area flat conductor.
The middle connecting web of a large-area flat conductor with three connecting webs can, in a further embodiment, have a bent area in the Z direction at a lesser spacing from the web of the conductor frame than the other two connecting webs. In that case, the peripheral zones of the large-area flat conductor are shortened considerably, and the middle region of the flat conductor is lengthened accordingly, so that a stable position of the large-area flat conductor can be assured.
In a further embodiment, a single large-area flat conductor can have a plurality of connecting webs to one web, with two different spacings of the bent area of the connecting webs from the web of the conductor frame; the bent areas are disposed at alternating spacings from the web of the conductor frame. This embodiment of the invention should be used particularly whenever area of the large-area flat conductor becomes greater because of increasing chip sizes and increasing signal conductor tracks. The alternating arrangement of the spacings of the bent areas of the connecting webs furthermore has the advantage that the large-area flat conductor is stiffened at a plurality of points.
In a further embodiment of the invention, in a large-area flat conductor with a plurality of connecting webs to one web of the conductor frame, the bent areas are disposed in groups with regard to the spacings, and the group of connecting webs having the greatest spacing of the bent areas from the web are disposed in the region of the greatest length of the large-area flat conductor. It is thus advantageously assured that the greatest length of the large-area flat conductor is shortened, since the connecting webs are lengthened accordingly, so that the bent areas will attain a greater spacing from the web of the conductor frame. Compared with an alternating arrangement of the spacings of the bent areas from the transverse web, this offers enhanced stability, especially for the longest length of the large-area flat conductor.
With a further embodiment of the invention, the bent areas can be staggered with regard to the spacings from the web; the connecting web with the greatest spacing of the bent areas from the web of the semiconductor chip is disposed in the region of the longest length of the large-area flat conductor. Although the tool for countersinking the bent areas in a staggered way is more complex in structure than if only two different magnitudes of spacing had to be taken into account, nevertheless the staggering of the spacings of the bent areas in the connecting webs offers the greatest possible rigidity for the large-area flat conductors and thus the greatest possible stability of the substrate system upon encapsulation of an electronic semiconductor circuit in a plastic housing.
Embodiments of the invention will now be described in further detail in conjunction with drawings.

System carrier for a semiconductor chip having a lead frame


An oligonucleotide or analog thereof including a single cytidine residue at a selected position and having one or more cytidine residues which are 5-methyl substituted. The cytidine nucleus can be selectively transaminated to include an aminoalkyl or carboxyalkyl group as a linker for other functional groups which can be used to form DNA duplexes and triplexes.

Oligonucleotides and oligonucleotide analogs conjugated with functional groups have unusual properties which make them useful as hybridization probes and antisense reagents (1-3). These functional groups can include intercalators such as acridine, reporter groups such as fluorescent or spin labels, immunoreactive groups such as biotin, or chemically reactive groups such alkylating groups, psoralen or metal chelators. See, for example, U.S. application Ser. No. 06/924,234 filed Oct. 28, 1986, abandoned the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The functional groups are usually conjugated with the oligomer via a linker arm of variable chain length. The linker arm in turn may be attached to the 3' or 5' end of the oligomer, to the internucleotide linkage of the oligomer or to a modified base located at a specific site within the oligomer.
A variety of methods are available for introducing the linker into the oligomer. Solid phase supports have been developed which incorporate a linker as part of the support (4-9). These allow synthesis of oligomers with linkers usually consisting of an aminoalkyl chain at the 3' end of the molecule. Linkers may be introduced at the 3'- or 5'-position by derivatization of terminal phosphate groups with diaminoalkanes or amino acids (10-14). H-phosphonate chemistry has been used to introduce linkers at specific internucleotide linkages within the oligomer (15-18). Protected phosphoramidite reagents and nucleoside phosphoramidite synthons have been developed which allow incorporation of linkers or linker-modified nucleosides during the course of oligonucleotide synthesis (19-23).
It is also known that aminoalkyl groups may be selectively incorporated at the N.sup.4 -position of cytosine by means of a bisulfite-catalyzed transamination reaction (24). This bisulfite-catalyzed transamination reaction is relied upon to provide the novel oligonucleotides of the invention.

Formation of oligonucleotide triplexes with selectively modified cytosines


A sensor device includes a moisture module that includes a sensor element for detecting moisture of a fluid medium flowing in a flow direction and a protective membrane screening the sensor element. The sensor device includes a housing, in a measuring chamber of which the moisture module is at least partially situated, and that includes a protective tube extending into the flowing fluid medium in an axial direction perpendicular to the flow direction, the protective tube is designed for flow of the fluid medium into at least one inlet opening, through an inflow path, into the measuring chamber counter to the axial direction, and out of the measuring chamber via an outflow path in the axial direction and an outlet opening, where, with respect to a direction of gravity, the openings are at a bottom of the protective tube.

Numerous methods and devices for determining the flow properties of fluid media, that is, liquids or gases, are known from the related art. The flow properties may basically be any physically and/or chemically measurable properties which qualify or quantify a flow of the fluid medium. In particular, this may be about the relative or absolute moisture content of a gas or a gas mixture. As is known, moisture sensors find use in the intake tract or the exhaust tract of internal combustion engines. In this case, it is important for regulating the combustion efficiency, for example, particularly for a combustion that is without residue and clean, to ascertain, among other things, the moisture content of the fresh air supplied, in order to enable setting the appropriately desired mixture ratio of fresh air and recirculated exhaust gas and subsequently to determine a quantity of fuel for a predetermined mixing in the cylinder of the internal combustion engine. The information on the moisture content of the environmental air supplied, as well as of the exhaust gas is used, however, by the engine control unit for a plurality of regulated processes.
Such sensor devices for use in the intake tract or the exhaust tract of internal combustion engines are known, for instance, from German documents DE 10 2010 043 062 A1 or DE 10 2010 043 083 A1. The sensor devices provided according to those documents provide a combination of a plurality of sensors, in order to register a plurality of flow properties of fluid media. In particular, one is able to gather from DE 10 2010 043 083 A1, with respect to the ascertainment of the moisture content of the fluid medium, that, in the sensor device provided there, a moisture sensor or a moisture module is taken up which, together with the sensor device, is inserted into a flow channel of a fluid medium. Within the flow channel, the entire fluid medium flows past the semipermeable membrane of the moisture sensor. In this instance, drops of condensed water occurring at the edge of the inlet opening, situated around the membrane, may get stuck there and subsequently wet the semipermeable membrane. The permeability of the membrane may be impaired, in this instance, in such a way that a reliable ascertainment of the moisture content of the medium is no longer ensured. Similarly, because of the direct action on the membrane by the fluid medium, which is usually an unfiltered and/or mechanically compressed process gas, the membrane may be damaged by coarse contamination, such as dust or other dirt particles in the environmental air, sucked in via the intake tract, for example. This may result in a direct contamination of the sensor element and may destroy it.
Furthermore, a protective device for a moisture sensor is known from DE 10 2006 033 251 A1, which is supposed to protect the sensor from aggressive substances in a fluid that is to be analyzed. The protective device proposed in this document provides a cap that encloses the sensor, which is provided with openings which, in turn, are provided with a membrane that is permeable to water vapor.
In the case of many such sensor devices, especially up-to-date moisture sensors, at least one sensor element is used as a rule. This at least one sensor element, as was also described in the abovementioned related art, is as a rule at least partially protected, by only one protective membrane, from a direct contact with the flow of the fluid medium.

Sensor device for detecting a moisture content of a flowing fluid medium


A system comprising a cryogenic engine system and a refrigeration system, wherein the cryogenic engine system and the refrigeration system are mechanically and/or thermally coupled with each other. The refrigeration system is driven by the cryogenic engine system and the cryogenic engine system enhances cooling of the refrigeration system.

The majority of vehicle transport refrigeration systems in use today are powered by an internal combustion engine running on diesel fuel, either directly with an auxiliary generator mounted on the refrigerated trailer, or indirectly by taking power from the tractor engine unit mechanically or electrically via an alternator. Cooling is then attained through using that power to drive a standard closed loop refrigeration system.
Typically, both the power take-off and refrigeration unit are over specified for the level of cooling typically required to maintain the compartment temperature in transit. This is for a number of reasons:                i) The refrigeration unit must be capable of cooling down the container after the doors have been opened;        ii) The insulation performance of such cold compartments degrades by 3-5% per year, increasing the cooling power required through the lifecycle; and        iii) APT mandate that the refrigeration unit must be able to extract heat at 1.35 to 1.75 times the heat transfer through the container wall at a 30° C. ambient temperature.
The result of this is that the refrigeration units on mobile vehicles spend much of their operational lives running at an inefficient point. The consequence of this is that coefficients of performance of mobile refrigeration units are typically quite low compared to other cooling equipment (e.g. approximately 0.5 for frozen compartments at −20° C. to 1.5-1.75 for compartments refrigerated to 3° C.).
Currently, it is estimated that approximately 0.05% of total greenhouse gas emissions in the UK come from the refrigeration equipment used for food transportation. This is a small proportion but represents a significant quantity. Consequently, there is a need to reduce emissions from refrigerated transport units. The inefficient use of hydrocarbon fuels for these refrigeration units is also disadvantageous and so a method of reducing their consumption in this application is required.
A number of alternative cooling methods have been proposed. These include energy storage via fuel cells or battery electric for which the cost, infrastructure and charge time drawbacks are known to be undesirable. Eutectic beams employing phase change materials have been used to store cold, but these impose a significant weight penalty. Adsorption and absorption methods utilizing tractor power unit waste heat are known but tend to be bulky and rely on high quality heat from the tractor power unit which may not be available at idle. Air cycle refrigeration systems using air from the cold compartment as the working fluid remove the need for refrigerants, but still require a power source.
Various cryogenic systems have been described whereby a cryogenic fluid such as liquid nitrogen is stored in an insulated vessel and used as a source of cold. These can be grouped generally as systems which use the cryogen directly by spraying it into the cold compartment, as described in WO 2011/126581 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,699,694, systems that use the cryogen indirectly via a heat exchanger, as described in WO 2010/128233 and WO 01/53764, or a mixture of both. It is also known to use a cryogen with an independently powered refrigeration system to reduce the quantity of cryogen that must be carried. In EP 0599612, the cryogen exchanges heat directly with the refrigerant in a slurry tank. The potential for using a heated or vent vapour from indirect heat exchange to drive an air displacement fan has been considered in WO 2007/116382 and EP 0599626.
However, direct use of the cryogen can pose an asphyxiation hazard with many choices of cryogenic fluid. Moreover, existing cooling systems using cryogenic substances are inefficient. Therefore, there exists a need for a commercially-viable, efficient, safe and sustainable cooling system employing the beneficial properties of cryogenic substances.
It is an aim of the invention to address the above problems.


The invention relates to peptides binding specifically to Abeta species for treating and/or diagnosing Alzheimer's disease.

As of yet, no approved drug exists for treating the cause of Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Typically, deposits of the so-called beta amyloid peptides (Aβ) in plaques are found in the brains of AD patients post mortem. This is the reason why, for quite some time, various forms of the Abeta (also referred to as Aβ), such as fibrils, have been considered to be responsible for the development and progression of Alzheimer's disease.
In recent years, in particular the small, freely diffusable Aβ oligomers have been regarded as the primary causative factor in the development and progression of Alzheimer's disease.
Aβ monomers are continuously created in our body and are presumably not toxic per se.
There is speculation as to whether Aβ monomers agglomerate to form Aβ oligomers randomly as a function of the concentration thereof, which ultimately results from formation and decomposition rates in the body, and thus, with increasing age, are increasingly likely to do so spontaneously. Once Aβ oligomers have developed, it is possible that they then multiply by way of a prion-like mechanism and ultimately lead to disease.
Based on these considerations, it should be the goal of a causative treatment to completely destroy toxic Aβ oligomers and/or prevent the prion-like multiplication thereof.
However, no drug for the treatment for Alzheimer's disease is available which acts to combat the cause. Drugs that are used according to the prior art are able to alleviate some symptoms at best, but cannot slow, let alone stop, the progression of the disease.
A number of substances exist that, in animal experiments, are able to achieve some success in terms of prevention (not necessarily the treatment) of Alzheimer's disease.
An important distinction between prevention and treatment lies in the following consideration: So as to prevent the formation of initial Aβ oligomers, Aβ ligands having low affinity and effectiveness may suffice. Since the formation of an Aβ oligomer from multiple Aβ monomers is a reaction of a very high order, it is dependent to a high degree on the Aβ monomer concentration. Even a small reduction in the active Aβ monomer concentration can thus prevent the initial Aβ oligomers from forming. This is the situation with prevention. However, if Aβ oligomers have already been created, these are able to multiply in a prion-like manner, which is not a reaction of a high order and consequently almost independent of the Aβ monomer concentration. This is the situation with treatment. As a result, if Aβ oligomers have already been created, the goal of a treatment must be to address these with substances that have the highest possible affinity to Aβ oligomers. The corresponding dissociation constant would have to be in the pM range, or even lower.
At present, several substances exist that reduce the concentration of Aβ monomers in a wide variety of ways, for example by way of gamma secretase modulators, Aβ-binding ligands, and so forth. This appears to suffice to provide successful preventive action in animal experiments, in which animals are usually already undergoing treatment before the disease fully manifests itself.
In clinical human trials (phases II and III), where only individuals that have been clearly diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease are allowed to be treated, however, all these substances have failed so far, possibly because, in these instances, which is to say prior to the onset of the disease, a small or moderate decrease in the Aβ monomer concentration is not sufficient to prevent the development of increasingly greater amounts of Aβ oligomers.
Furthermore, it is not currently possible to diagnose Alzheimer's disease reliably before symptoms appear. Today, Alzheimer's disease is primarily detected through neuropsychological tests on persons already suffering from symptoms of dementia. Furthermore, other diseases (traumas) can be excluded by way of various examination methods.
However, it is known that Aβ oligomers, and subsequently plaque, develop in the brain of patients up to 20 years prior to the appearance of symptoms and cause irreversible damage. Molecular probes, which are intravenously injected into the patient and bind to Aβ oligomers and plaque after passing the blood-brain barrier, can be rendered visible by way of imaging methods, and thus allow an earlier diagnosis of AD.
A D-enantiomeric peptide by the name "D3" is known from EP 1 379 546 B1. The peptide was identified by way of a mirror image phage display selection against predominantly monomeric Aβ(1-42), with the goal of stabilizing the same with the bond and preventing conversion into toxic Aβ aggregates. Based on current knowledge, D3 preferably converts the particularly toxic Aβ oligomers into non-toxic, non-amyloidogenic and ThT negative amorphous aggregates. In animal models, even oral administration of D3 with drinking water results in treated transgenic AD mice containing considerably less plaque and having significantly improved cognitive abilities.
Further peptides derived from D3 are known from the publication WO 2014/041115 A2.
The disadvantage is that the existing Aβ oligomer-binding substances have insufficient affinity to prevent the multiplication of Aβ oligomers.
A disadvantage is that, so far, there are no probes for in vivo imaging methods which bind with high affinity specifically to Aβ oligomers and render these visible. Since Aβ oligomers play such an important and early role in the history of the disease, precisely this would be desirable.

Specific A-beta species-binding peptides for the therapy and/or diagnosis of Alzheimer's dementia


A coordinate detecting apparatus includes: a plurality of light-emitting and -receiving units arranged along an outer edge of the coordinate input area, the plurality of light-emitting and -receiving units each including a light-emitting part and a light-receiving part; at least one retroreflective member arranged along the outer edge of the coordinate input area; and a control unit to control the plurality of light-emitting and -receiving units to detect coordinates of a position of input made with a designation input unit in a first detection state or a second detection state.

Technical Field
The present invention relates to a coordinate detecting apparatus, a display or projection system including the same, and a coordinate detecting method.
Description of the Related Art
Development of apparatuses for detecting the coordinates of the position of input made with a designation input unit (such as a user's finger, a pointing stick, a pen, or the like) on a coordinate input area on a display surface or a projection surface has been vigorous in recent years.
For example, JP-2013-175142-A discloses an apparatus capable of detecting the coordinates of the position of input made with a designation input unit that emits light in response to coming into contact with a coordinate input area, and the coordinates of the position of input made with a designation input unit that emits no light.

Coordinate detecting apparatus, system, and coordinate detecting method


A system collects and manages sets of asset data that are indicative of operational performance of physical assets disposed at multiple physical locations in a plant. The system includes a database that associates each set of asset data to (1) a location at which the data was collected, (2) the asset for which the data was collected, and (3) the monitoring device that was used to collect the data. In this way, each location has its own history of all asset data ever collected on all assets disposed at that location, and its own history of all monitoring devices used to collect data at that location. Also, each asset has its own history of all asset data collected on that asset at all locations at which it was disposed and for all monitoring devices. This sort of asset data is referred to herein as multi-referenced data.

In a manufacturing plant or other facility in which it is desirable to monitor the operational condition of machines and other assets, machine performance data is typically collected and stored in a database. A longstanding limitation of storing machine data in a database has been that the data is typically stored only in association with plant hierarchy nodes, such as machine nodes that identify machine locations within the plant. As a result, if a machine is moved to another location in the plant hierarchy, the data collected for that machined continues to be associated only with the original location. Thus, the data did not follow the machine to its new location in the plant.
What is needed, therefore, is a method for associating asset performance data with (1) the location of the asset at the time the data was collected and (2) the actual asset itself, such that, if an asset is moved to a new location, the data is referenced both to the old location and to the asset.

Apparatus and method for maintaining multi-referenced stored data


System for preventing erroneous operation of control rods for securing a safety control of a nuclear reactor. The erroneous operation preventing system is comprised of a control rod objective position setting means for setting an objective position of a control rod, a control rod position detector for detecting a position of the control rod, and an operation means which operates a difference between the objective position set up and the detected position of the control rod being operated and produces a signal for blocking the control rod operation when the control rod is operated so that the difference goes away from zero. The erroneous operation blocking system stops the control rod at the first possible control rod stopping position. The erroneous operation preventing system includes a return operation commanding unit for compensating for erroneous operation of the control rod when the control rod is erroneously operated.

This invention relates to a monitoring and controlling system for a nuclear reactor control rod drive system and, more particularly, a system for preventing erroneous operation of control rods due to erroneous operation of control rod driving means or erroneous manual operation of the control rod.
The control rod is used to maintain uniform output distribution in the nuclear reactor and control the reactivity. In most reactors, the reactivity is controlled in a manner that control rods made of neutron absorbing materials are moved into and out of a reactor core. One of the most important requirements in the reactor control is to secure a sufficient safety in fission reaction. For this, continuous care must fully be taken for the control system of the control rods.
In the prior art, a control rod worth minimizer and a rod block monitor have been used for monitoring drive of the control rods.
The control rod worth minimizer monitors movements of the control rods included in a group selected from all the control rods distributed in the reactor core, and blocks the movement of a control rod which is not included in the selected group when such a control rod is erroneously operated before the control rods of the selected group are withdrawn to a predetermined position. The rod worth minimizer serves to monitor control rods operation by an operator on the basis of a predetermined withdrawal/insertion sequence (CR sequence) of the control rods which is previously stored in a computer. Monitoring by the control rod worth minimizer is made for a plurality of group in a predetermined order. Thus, the minimizer with such a function makes uniform the reactivity suppressing abilities of a number of the control rods which are inserted in the reactor core, preventing undesirable withdrawal of a specific control rod which results in unexpected increase of the reactivity. The ability is called a control rod value. The minimizer usually operates at the incipient stage of the reactor starting operation, that is, in the range of power levels of 0% to 20-30% of the rated power. In higher power levels exceeding this range, finer control is required for the control rod operation. However, it is very difficult to change the CR sequence stored in the minimizer. In the higher power levels, it is also difficult to analytically prepare a CR sequence. In other words, it is undesirable from a view point of operation flexibility that the CR sequence once prepared and stored restricts all the operations related. It is for this reason that the rod block monitor is used for monitoring the control rod operation at the higher power level. The rod block monitor monitors a state of the power level of a reactor core by using an amount of neutrons detected by neutron measuring devices. The rod block monitor generates a signal to block the operation of a control rod at the time that an output of the neutron measuring device becomes equal with or larger than a predetermined value so as to block the operation of the control rod. However, the neutron measuring device detects also fluctuation of neutron quantity arising from variation of neutrons generated in the reactor. Therefore, it must be prevented to produce a signal for blocking the operation of the control rod if the detected quantity of neutrons is within a predetermined fluctuation or tolerance of the neutrons. For this reason, a set value for producing the block signal is set up at a power level 5 to 10% higher than the rated power output of the nuclear reactor. This brings about a problem that the blocking of the control rod operation is delayed.
At present, stability analysis of the nuclear reactor proves that when both the control rod value minimizer and the rod block monitor are applied for the control rod operation, safety of the nuclear reactor can be ensured even if a control rod is erroneously withdrawn due to the erroneous operation of associated apparatus or by an operator. However, if the erroneous operation of the control rod may be blocked at the initial stage of the erroneous operation, admitted range of the operation of the nuclear reactor is extended to increase the reactor power output.


Methods for amplifying target nucleic acid sequences using a nucleic acid polymerase lacking 5' exonuclease activity and a set of oligonucleotide primers. Preferably, a primer array is used. The primer array contains two sets of primers. One set contains at least two complementary primers. The other set contains at least two sense primers. Using the described methods amplification can be carried out under essentially constant environmental conditions without the requirement for exonuclease activity or restriction endonuclease activity.

This invention concerns diagnostic procedures and techniques for amplifying a nucleic acid sequence. The detection and quantitation of a specific nucleic acid sequence (i.e., a target sequence) is an increasingly important technique having numerous applications including identifying and classifying microorganisms, diagnosing infectious diseases, detecting and characterizing genetic abnormalities, identifying genetic changes associated with cancer, studying genetic susceptibility to disease, measuring the response to various types of treatment, identifying criminal suspects, and resolving paternity disputes.
A common method for detecting and quantitating target nucleic acid sequences is nucleic acid hybridization. Nucleic acid hybridization, typically, uses a labeled nucleic acid probe having a nucleic acid sequence complementary to the target sequence. The probe is mixed with a sample suspected of containing the target sequence under conditions suitable for hybrid formation. The probe then hybridizes to the target sequence present in the sample. Hybridization can be detected by various techniques well known in the art. These techniques include selectively degrading the label present on unhybridized probe and then measuring the amount of label associated with the remaining hybridized probe (Arnold et al., PCT US88/02746).
Numerous methods are available for amplifying nucleic acid strands (i.e., nucleic acid polymers) to increase the amount of target sequence. These methods use the nucleic acid strand containing the target sequence as a template to produce a complementary nucleic acid strand containing the target sequence. Such methods include the polymerase chain reaction method (PCR), as described by Mullis et al., (See U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,683,195, 4,683,202, and 4,800,159 and European Patent Application Nos. 863022-98.4, 86302299.2, and 87300203.4, and Methods in Enzymology, Volume 155, 1987, pp. 335-350). PCR involves the use of a pair of specific oligonucleotides as primers for the two complementary strands of the double-stranded DNA containing the target sequence. The primers are chosen to hybridize at the ends of each of the complementary target strands, 3' of the target sequence. Template-dependent DNA synthesis, on each strand, can then be catalyzed using a thermostable DNA polymerase in the presence of the appropriate reagents. A thermal cycling process is required to form specific hybrids prior to synthesis and then denature the double stranded nucleic acid formed by synthesis. Repeating the cycling process geometrically amplifies the target sequence. A PCR method may also be used with an RNA target using RNA-dependent DNA polymerase to create a DNA template.
The PCR method has been coupled to RNA transcription by incorporating a promoter sequence into one of the primers used in the PCR reaction and then, after amplification by the PCR method, using the double-stranded DNA as a template for the transcription of single-stranded RNA. (See, e.g., Murakawa et al., DNA 7:287-295 (1988)). Other amplification methods use multiple cycles of RNA-directed DNA synthesis and transcription to amplify DNA or RNA targets (See, e.g., Burg et al., WO 89/1050; Gingeras et al., WO 88/10315 (sometimes called transcription amplification system or TAS); Kacian and Fultz, EPO Application No. 89313154; Davey and Malek, EPO Application No. 88113948.9; Malek et al., WO91/02818). Urdea, WO91/10746, describe a method that achieves signal amplification using a T7 promoter sequence.
The ligase chain reaction (LCR) is described in European Patent Publication 320,308. This method requires at least four separate oligonucleotides, two of which hybridize to the same nucleic acid template so their respective 3' and 5' ends are juxtaposed for ligation. The hybridized oligonucleotides are then ligated forming a complementary strand on the nucleic acid template. The double-stranded nucleic acid is then denatured, and the third and fourth oligonucleotides are hybridized with the first and second oligonucleotides that were joined together. The third and fourth oligonucleotides are then ligated together. Amplification is achieved by further cycles of hybridization, ligation, and denaturation.
The Q.beta. replicase (Q.beta.R) method described in PCT Publication No. 87-06270 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,786,600 uses a specific RNA probe which is capable of specific transcription by a replicase enzyme. The method requires the design and synthesis of RNA probes with replicase initiation sites.
Amplification methods using palindromic probes are described in EPO Publication Nos. 0427073A and 0427074A. The palindromic probe forms a hairpin with a nucleic acid target sequence. The probe contains a functional promoter located in the hairpin region from which RNA transcripts are produced.
Walker et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 89:392-396 (January 1992), Walker et al., Nucl. Acids Res. 20:1691-1696 (1992), European Patent Application No. EP 0 497 272 A1, and European Patent Application No. EP 0 500 224 A2, describe an oligonucleotide-driven amplification method using a restriction endonuclease. The restriction endonuclease nicks the DNA/DNA complex to enable an extension reaction and, therefore, amplification.
Becker, et al., EPO Application No. 88306717.5, describe an amplification method in which a primer is hybridized to a nucleic acid sequence and the resulting duplex cleaved prior to the extension reaction and amplification.
Noonan, K. E. et al., Nucl. Acids Res. 16, 10366 (1988), describe using random hexamers to prime reverse transcriptase in a random, nonspecific manner for the synthesis of cDNA from mRNA. Amplification of the desired target is accomplished with PCR.
Feinberg, A. P. et al., Anal. Biochem. 132, 6 (1983), and Liang, W. et al., Nucl. Acids Res. 16, 3579 (1988), describe the synthesis of DNA strands complementary to a DNA template by combining single-stranded DNA with random hexanucleotide primers, deoxynucleoside triphosphates, buffer, the Klenow fragment of E. coli DNA polymerase I, and a labeled deoxynucleoside triphosphate.
A related process, known as Random Priming Amplification (RPA) for amplifying nucleic acid is described by Hartley, U.S. Pat. No. 5,043,272. According to Hartley, at columns 2-3, lines 63-2:
The process includes the steps of priming single-stranded template nucleic acid strands with an excess of random oligonucleotide primers and incubating the single-stranded template nucleic acid strands and excess random oligonucleotide primers in the presence of excess amounts of an inducing agent, a strand displacement agent, and nucleoside triphosphate substrates to randomly amplify nucleic acid strands.

Isothermal strand displacement nucleic acid amplification


A plurality of multi-applicator tools are provided, including tools which include magnetically attachable and detachable application brushes or the like. Some embodiments include a linear arrangement of brushes in a generally elongate tool configuration. Other embodiments include a central base into which application brushes fit within. Various appearances are likewise provided.

Cosmetic brushes vary greatly in size, shape, and function, and therefore a variety of brushes is often required in a typical makeup application. The application of eye makeup, for example, may require a rounded brush or sponge applicator for applying a base eyeshadow over the eyelid, a pointed brush for defining the crease of the eyelid with another shade of eyeshadow, and a flattened brush for lining the eye. Because brushes known in the art typically have a single brush head, three separate functions would require three separate makeup brushes. Not only does having multiple makeup brushes create clutter, but it also imposes a burden when traveling.
To solve the above problem, a brush with one brush head on each end of a handle is currently available. However, these brushes have the following disadvantages. First, if the brush has delicate heads on both ends, many storage options are unavailable. For example, it cannot be stored upright in a canister, placed in a fitted pocket, or held by an elastic banded pouch, as the brush head on the inserting end risks damage in each of these scenarios. Second, these brushes can have a maximum of two brush heads on a single handle. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a cosmetic applicator capable of having multiple brush heads serving a variety of functions.


A mobile electronic device including a processor, a first electrical component including at least one contact area, and a second electrical component including at least one contact arm extending over a top surface of the second electrical component and secured in at least two locations, the at least one contact arm configured to be in electrical communication with the at least one contact area. In another embodiment, the electronic device further includes a microphone operably connected to an enclosure. A first resilient member coupled to the enclosure and a first side of the microphone and a second resilient member coupled to a second side of the microphone and a support structure within the enclosure.

Electronic devices such as smart phones, mobile gaming devices, laptops, and so on may include vibration generators and/or haptic feedback generators, such as a vibrating alert (eccentric rotating weight), speakers, motors, and so on. These electronic devices may also include an audio sensor, such as a microphone. Often, the audio sensor may pick up the vibrations or other undesired mechanical movements. This may cause the audio sensor to transmit or otherwise record these vibrations.
Furthermore, audio receivers, or other audio output devices, and other electronic components may be dislocated or otherwise disconnected from an electrical contact due to vibrations in the device, a user dropping the device, or other forces experienced by the electronic device. The loose electrical contacts may degrade the quality of the audio receiver or other electrical component, or may completely prevent the audio receiver or other electrical component from functioning.


A conveyor coupled to a skid motor vehicle operates to unload bulk granular material from a railroad hopper car. The conveyor has an obtuse configured frame supporting an endless belt extended about an idler roller and a driven roller. A hydraulic motor mounted on the frame supplied with hydraulic fluid under pressure from the hydraulic system of the motor vehicle rotates the drive roller thereby moving the belt relative to the frame and mount thereon. A pair of transverse tubular box members are secured to the bottom of the frame to accommodate forks attached to the skid motor vehicle whereby the skid motor vehicle can lift the conveyor and transport it to another location.

Hopper railroad cars are used to transport finely divided granular materials including grains, sand, limestone and fertilizers to destinations for utilization in industry and agriculture. The hopper cars have lower discharge gates which allow the bulk materials to flow from the hopper onto a conveyor or into a holding chamber located below the car. Stationary conveyors located adjacent the tracks that support the railroad cars are used to carry the bulk materials to another location such as a transport vehicle or additional conveying systems. The railway car must be moved to align the material discharge gates with the conveyor. This requires time and effort, and increases the liability of the persons operating the conveyor and moving the railway car.
A continuous belt conveyor having a horizontal portion for receiving material from the bottom of a hopper of a railroad car and an upwardly inclined portion for elevating the material to a desired location is disclosed by C. E. Phillips in U.S. Pat. No. 3,400,804. The conveyor is operated with a motor driveably connected to a shaft which rotates the drive roller. A rotor having outwardly directed blades assists in forcing the granular material lying on the belt to move up with the upwardly inclined reach of the belt. The conveyor is not adapted to be coupled to a skid motor vehicle or any other types of vehicles which can be used to lift and transport the conveyor and supply hydraulic fluid under pressure to the motor for operating the conveyor.


A tool which is entrusted with supervising and driving automatons that are “smart”; namely the tool can communicate with a microcomputer. This tool has a microcomputer, with a spreadsheet program connected through a driver, an operating system of the microcomputer, and a connection line to the automatons. The driver emulates the proprietary language for controlling and supervising the automatons.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a universal tool for supervising and driving automatons.
2. Discussion of the Background
The automatons in question here may be small micro-automatons (a few centimeters in size) as well as bigger automatons and these devices can not only drive various machines (motors, activators, robots, etc.) but also supervise sensors.
Known automaton control devices may be general-purpose supervisors that are complicated, costly and difficult to carry from one type of platform to another and/or difficult to customize, or else they may be dialog and parameterizing interfaces, dedicated to a specific product with limited, fixed and closed-ended functions, which are also difficult to carry and customize.

Universal tool for supervising and controlling automatons


Cut fabric pieces useful in the fabrication of an air bag are described. Each cut fabric piece has been prepared by cutting a woven fabric formed of warp yarns and weft yarns in a predetermined pattern. The warp yarns and the weft yarns in a portion of the cut fabric piece, said portion being located in the vicinity of each cut part in the cut fabric piece, are fusion-bonded at a predetermined width. A process for the preparation of the cut fabric pieces, an air bag making use of the cut fabric pieces and a process for the fabrication of the air bag are also described.

1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improvements in an air bag for use in an air bag system in which the air bag is promptly inflated in the event of a collision of an automotive vehicle or the like to protect an occupant from impact.
2) Description of the Related Art
As a cushioning system for providing additional safety beyond that provided by a seat belt system for holding safely an occupant or the like of a vehicle, an air bag system has been put into practical use. With the air bag system, the body of an occupant, especially his head and chest, is supported by a balloon-like air bag in the event of a collision and the internal gas is then gradually released, whereby a cushioning stroke is prolonged to reduce impact to the body.
Such an air bag system includes a module constructed of a center pad, a folded air bag, an inflator (gas generator) and the like. The module can be built into a steering wheel, for example. When triggered by an electric signal from a sensor which has detected a vehicular collision, the inflator is activated so that the air bag is instantaneously inflated by the resulting gas. Upon activation of the air bag system, a top wall of the center pad is split apart by the expanding pressure of the air bag, thus allowing the air bag to come out through the resulting opening and to be inflated substantially above the center pad. When the module of the air bag system is arranged inside an instrument panel, activation of the air bag system either tears apart or opens an air bag cover by the resulting expansion pressure of the air bag, thus permitting substantial inflation of the air bag.
Conventional air bags have each been fabricated by coating a woven fabric, which is formed of synthetic fibers such as nylon 66 fibers, nylon 6 fibers, polyester fibers or aramid fibers, with synthetic rubber, cutting the resulting, coated base fabric in a predetermined pattern to obtain cut fabric pieces and then sewing the cut fabric pieces along the peripheries thereof by a sewing machine.
In all such conventional air bags, the woven fabric is coated over its entire surfaces with a synthetic rubber composed of a chloroprene copolymer, a silicone rubber or the like so as to avoid the potential danger that, due to leakage of gas from the inflated air bag, the inertial energy of an occupant is not sufficiently absorbed and the occupant hence collides against a steering wheel or a dashboard. This has, however, led to the problem that the air bag so fabricated is heavy and stiff and its fabrication cost is high.
An air bag system making use of a special air bag has therefore been proposed. To fabricate the special air bag, a woven fabric with a high set to reduce gas permeation therethrough is employed. This woven fabric is cut without coating the woven fabric with a synthetic rubber such as described above. The cut fabric pieces thus prepared are then sewn into the special air bag.
The preparation of cut fabric pieces by cutting a fabric not provided with any synthetic rubber coating, in a predetermined pattern as described above, however, results in the problem that the cut fabric pieces may fray where cut, such as at the outer peripheries of the cut fabric pieces and the inner peripheries of openings and/or holes thereof. Such fraying leads to reduced strength adjacent to the cuts, so that sewn parts in the outer peripheries of the cut fabric pieces sewn by a sewing machine as described above undergo seam slippage by abrupt inflation of the resulting air bag. Fraying may therefore lead to gas leakage and/or fabric rupture. Such gas leakage causes a problem in that the air bag fails to fully absorb inertial kinetic energy of an occupant in the event of a vehicular collision.
Upon fabrication of an air bag by sewing a plurality of cut fabric pieces, the sewing must be conducted without risk of any appreciable reduction in strength by seam slippage or deviation of stitches from the correct stitch line. Such sewing requires substantial cost, leading to high fabrication cost.


A method of rearing aquatic species is provided, comprising feeding the aquatic species during at least part of the larval and/or post-larval state with prey organisms, such as Artemia or rotifers, having in their total lipid content a DHA content of at least 12 wt %. The method is suitable for the rearing of fish species such as halibut, turbot, bass, bream and flounder. The total lipid content of the prey organisms further including highly unsaturated fatty acids comprising 18:3, 18:4, 20:4, 20:5 (EPA) and 22:5 fatty acids. Also the prey organisms include 5 to 35 wt % phospholipids of the total lipid content, wherein the total lipid content is at least 20 wt % on a dry weight basis.

The consumption of seafood species for which there is a high consumer demand such as salmon, trout, halibut and eel is increasing and due to this high demand and limited natural stocks, much effort is spent on developing cost effective aquacultural methods of farming such species. A particularly serious problem is to secure a high survival rate of the hatched larvae of the species being cultivated.
Expansion of the aquaculture industry requires that several problems be addressed, one of the most significant being the difficulty of supplying live prey organisms which provide a nutritionally adequate feed for the larvae. Larval fish in the wild consume a mixed population of phytoplankton prey organisms that provide a balanced nutrition. However, collecting phytoplankton in sufficient quantities to meet the demand in aquaculture is not feasible. As an alternative, selected species of prey organisms, in particular rotifers and Artemia species, are presently cultivated and used as feed.
Generally however, such artificially cultivated prey organisms, although they provide adequate amounts of protein and energy, have a lipid composition which is not adequate to cover the requirement for certain HUFAs, in particular DHA and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) which are essential for the optimum survival, growth and development of larvae. Specifically, it has been shown that a high content of DHA is required and that the ratio between DHA and EPA In the prey organisms should be at least 1:1 and preferably at least 2:1.
Currently, this problem is being addressed by cultivating the prey organisms in the presence of enrichment compositions permitting the organisms to be enriched in respect of these essential fatty acids. However, presently available commercial compositions for that purpose such as products sold under the tradename Selco (TM) do not meet the above requirements in that the DHA content is relatively low and/or the DHA: EPA ratio is not high enough. Using such compositions Artemia enrichment levels of 3-5% DHA of total lipids have been reported (McEvoy et al. Aquaculture 163 (1998) 237-250), and 12 to 15% survival rates of fish fed such Artemia (McEvoy et al. supra; Navarro et al. J. Fish Biol. 43 (1993) 503-515). ). In this context, survival rates are defined as survival percentage from first feeding through metamorphosis. For cost-effective aquaculture production a larval survival rate of 50% and preferably higher should be obtained.
WO 99/37166 discloses a method for the enrichment of live prey organisms with nutrients essential for fish larvae based on the use of dry soap powders of HUFAs obtained from the waste stream of marine algae oil extraction. Artemia DHA enrichment levels of about 2.7% of dry weight are disclosed, but the use in aquaculture and efficacy with respect to fish larvae survival is not disclosed.
Another material intended for use in aquaculture is described in WO 99/06585. Examples disclose a DHA content of 24 wt %, but the phospholipid content is not disclosed. The material however, contains a high proportion of free fatty acids (about 32-37 wt %) and a high content of non-lipid material which may reduce the lipid uptake efficiency of prey animals. A high content of free fatty acids is generally considered harmful for fish juveniles.
Neither of the two last-mentioned materials is fish-based and they lack many HUFAs found in fish, such as EPA and other n-3 fatty acids, desirable for fish juveniles.
In a recent review by Sargent et al. (Aquaculture 179 (1999) 217-229) it is emphasized that in addition to the requirement in respect of HUFAs, fish larvae have a dietary requirement for phospholipids and it is stressed that the ideal diet for fish larvae is a diet having a composition similar to the yolk of the eggs. According to these authors fish egg yolk contains about 10 wt % (on a dry matter basis) phospholipids which contain about 17 wt % of DHA and about 9 wt % of EPA. These authors conclude in their review that a problem remains with respect to how to construct such a diet on a commercial scale from currently available materials.
It has now been found that it is possible to provide enriched aquacultural prey organisms having, in respect of HUFAs and phospholipids, a composition which is very close to that of fish egg yolk. By using the prey organisms of the invention it is possible to secure optimum survival, growth, pigmentation and morphogenesis of aquatic organism larvae such as halibut larvae. As demonstrated herein, the invention provides much higher survival rates during the larval stage and increased quality parameters than previously disclosed for fish such as Halibut, thus making aquacultural rearing of many high-demand fish species more economical and commercially viable.

Rearing of aquatic species with DHA-rich prey organisms


A system and method for continuous pneumatic gravimetric metering and/or mixing of pourable materials using at least one gravimetric metering apparatus incorporated in a closed loop air conveying path.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,528,848 discloses such a metering apparatus, where a material stream is conveyed over a measuring path while charging a load measuring device. The conveyor is in the form of a rotor having an essentially vertical axis and pockets moved in a circular orbit over the measuring path. A housing surrounds the rotor and includes a charging aperture and a discharging aperture which are rotationally displaced from each other. A pneumatic conveying system has feed lines, respectively communicating with an air inlet to said housing and the discharging aperture. The pneumatic conveying system is an open system, i.e. pressurized air from a pressurized air source is applied to the apparatus and the air conveying the metered pourable material is directly guided to a device of use of the pourable material which may be a burner of a stove. Though a large through-put is achieved with such an apparatus at relatively high accuracy, temperature changes of the air or variations in humidity thereof may affect the measurement. Furthermore, expelled residual air will contain small quantities of material polluting the atmosphere.
In the book "Dosieren in der Kunststofftechnik", Editor: Verein Dt. Ingenieure, VDI-Ges. Kunststofftechnik, 1st Edition 1978, pages 70/71, systems for continuous gravimetric mixing and pneumatic conveying of a number of components have been disclosed using differential metering scales operating with worm conveyors for supplying gravimetrically metered pourable material through a mixing device to a collecting worm at the outlet of which there is provided a mixing device. The system is extremely complex, specifically if it is necessary to process large quantities. A specific problem is the conveying of the various components to the collecting worm.
German Laid Open Patent Application No. 35 20 657 discloses a multiple system using a single weighing device for three material containers. The containers are emptied by pressurized air one after the other. There is no closed loop air path.
German Laid Open Patent Application No. 26 06 941 discloses a gravimetric metering apparatus. Pourable material is supplied from a storage bin through a cellular sluice into a pneumatic feeding duct for being conveyed through a cyclone separator and a worm into a scale container.
German Patent No. 12 86 958 discloses an apparatus for intermittently conveying of pourable materials using a container filled by applying vacuum and emptied by applying pressure.
German Patent No. 27 55 671 discloses a multiple station conveying system using a closed loop suction air path including a separating filter provided with means for cleaning thereof by applying pressurized air in opposite direction of the suction airstream intermittently.

System and method for continuous gravimetric metering, pneumatic conveying and/or mixing of pourable materials


A method and apparatus of a computer based security system to prevent unauthorized access to computer-stored information comprising several components. These comprise of an intrusion detection mechanism, a ROM-based firmware program, an internal battery sized to provide several minutes of operation of the computer system and all its internal devices, and a mechanism to reset the central processing unit of the computer and switch to battery power responsive to the intrusion detection mechanism.

The number of computers in business and private applications is growing at an enormous rate and many firms have thousands of computers throughout their organizations. In contrast to the high security traditionally afforded computer equipment in the past, the portable, desktop and deskside are not generally located in high security areas or, as in the past, operated by a few highly trained and highly trusted personnel. Currently, personal computers are often left on desks where anyone with an operating system boot diskette can access any data stored within the computer with the potential for theft and/or tampering of proprietary information. Additionally, the location of such computers in unsecured areas and their relatively small physical size leads to the theft of the equipment itself. When a computer system is stolen so is the valuable information contained within it.
Thus, the data stored in either a portable, desktop or deskside computer is highly vulnerable to unauthorized access merely because these computers are relatively easy to remove from the owner's premises. This data is contained in system memory and nonvolatile secondary storage such as floppy disks, hard disks, tape, magneto-optical writable media, etc. And while information contained in the volatile system memory of AC-powered desktop or deskside computers will very likely be lost as a direct result of physically removing the computer, a portable battery operated computer can hold the contents of memory for several hours. In addition, if the computer is equipped with rapid resume capabilities, system software has the ability to copy the contents of volatile system memory onto nonvolatile secondary storage making the record of the information previously contained in system memory permanent. Thus, once the system unit, along with its internal storage devices and media are removed from the owner's premises, the data intrusion expert has unlimited time and tools available to mine the sensitive information contained within.
The traditional prior art approach to protecting the data contained in a computer system is to wrap the storage device in a steel case and provide lockable doors to prevent the removal of removable media such as floppy disks. The unit is then affixed to something considered to be immovable such as a column, desk or large table. Often the means of affixing the system unit is a steel cable. Obviously, none of these crude measures are effective against a determined and clever thief.
As an example, assume that a computer system is provided with a lockable cover and the covers and locking mechanism are designed so as to make any attempt at unauthorized entry evident. Even if the cover and lock arrangement works and produces clear evidence that the covers have been tampered with, once the computer system is removed from the owner's premises, the evidence is removed as well.
Another security feature often provided is the entry and verification of a password before allowing access to any data contained in the computer. This is only effective as long as the storage devices remain secured within a locked and intact enclosure. Once the physical defenses of the system unit are breached, the thief is free to attach the storage device to another computer which he can use as a tool to access the data contained therein.

Method and apparatus for preventing unauthorized access to computer-stored information

International Business Machines Corporation


Brugada syndrome and related forms of ion channelopathies, including ventricular asynchrony of contraction, originate in the region near the His bundle or para-Hisian regions of the heart. Manifestations of Brugada syndrome can be corrected by delivering endocardial electrical stimulation coincident to the activation wave front propagated from the atrioventricular (AV) node. By performing the start of the activation of the HIS bundle or para-Hisian region early enough, electrical stimulation can be delivered fast enough to compensate for the conduction problems that start in those region, such that the activation wave front, as stimulated, transitions from the AV node to the His bundle in a normal, albeit electrically-supplemented, fashion. This stimulation not only helps resolve the conditions that trigger Brugada syndrome, but also resolves the asynchrony of the contraction of the heart.

Brugada syndrome is a distinct form of genetically-determined idiopathic cardiac arrhythmia syndrome that can lead to syncope, cardiac arrest and sudden cardiac death (SCD). The syndrome is a genetic form of cardiac rhythm disorder caused by an inherited ion channelopathy. Brugada syndrome has been observed in the electrocardiograms of otherwise healthy young individuals without evidence of structural heart disease who are of Southeast Asian descent. Men are eight to ten times more likely to suffer Brugada syndrome. The syndrome has an autosomal-dominant pattern of transmission in about half of the familial cases observed and primarily affects Southeast Asian men, especially Thai and Laotian, in the 30-50 year age range, with a median age of 41 years.
The prognosis in Brugada syndrome is poor. Although the exact incidence of SCD due to Brugada syndrome is unknown, the magnitude of the problem has been estimated to range from 180,000 to 450,000 deaths annually in the United States alone. Further, about 2.5% of all cardiac arrest cases in which the patient showed no clinically identifiable cardiac abnormalities have been attributed to Brugada syndrome. The syndrome also accounts for 4% to 12% of all SCDs in genetically pre-disposed individuals, and a 40% mortality rate has been observed in symptomatic patients at two to three years follow up, with a 2% to 4% mortality rate in asymptomatic patients. During electrophysiologic studies (EPS), asymptomatic patients with induced ventricular tachycardia (VT) or ventricular fibrillation (VF) exhibited four times more SCD than non-inducible patients.
The cause of death in Brugada syndrome is due to VF, yet the precise mechanism underlying the electrocardiographic changes observed in symptomatic patients having Brugada syndrome is unknown. Pathologically, in 20% of observed cases, the syndrome has been associated with mutations in SCN5A gene expression, located in chromosome 3, which encodes for sodium ion channel transport to cell membranes of cardiac myocytes. Loss-of-function mutations in this gene have been theorized to lead to a failure of the action potential dome to develop, that in turn causes persistent ST segment elevation. The clinical events observed coincident to the electrocardiographic markers of Brugada syndrome, from syncope to VT to VF to SCD, are triggered by polymorphic ventricular arrhythmias, whose mechanism could be a Phase 2 reentry in the area around the right ventricular outflow tract.
Conventional approaches to treating Brugada syndrome focus on preventing or ameliorating VT and VF. For instance, implantable cardiac rhythm management devices, particularly automatic implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICDs), and, to a lesser extent, transiently-introduced electrophysiology catheters, apply a therapy based on the reversion of already-established polymorphic arrhythmias, such as described in Lee et al., "Prevention of Ventricular Fibrillation by Pacing in a Man with Brugada Syndrome," J. Cardiovasc. Electrophysiol, Vol. 11, pp. 935-937 (August 2000), the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference. Similarly, Quinidine-based pharmaceutical therapies have also been used to effectively prevent VF induction and suppress spontaneous arrhythmias. Finally, surgical interventions through ablation at the right ventricular outflow tract level have been explored. Notwithstanding, these approaches constitute aggressive interventions and are impracticable to use on the large population that is theorized to have the Brugada syndrome, as only a small percentage will develop VT or VF, or experience cardiac arrest or SCD.
Therefore, a need remains for an approach to proactively treating the conduction and activation problems underlying the Brugada syndrome, rather than focusing on only avoiding or alleviating the deleterious sequelae of the syndrome.

Cardiac device for treating Brugada syndrome


A method for quantitative propagation of hemotropic parasites, especially Babesia parasites, in vitro, Babesia-infected erythrocyte cultures are incubated in an environment of enhanced carbon dioxide tension wherein the culture medium overlay provides a barrier to oxygen transmission such that cellular hemoglobin is essentially maintained in its deoxy state. By varying environmental carbon dioxide tension, merozoite stages of the parasite are selectively reversibly induced to migration between residence in host cells or culture medium, rendering possible the isolation of infective antigenic merozoites in large quantities. Specific Babesia antigen is harvested in large quantity from the in vitro culture medium.

The present invention relates generally to in vitro propagation of protozoan and rickettsial parasites and more specifically to novel methods for large scale propagation of Babesia parasites and production of extracellular Babesia antigen.
Babesia parasites are the causative agents of hemoclastic animal diseases on a world-wide basis. Tick-borne species of this genus are known to infect: cattle (B. bovis, B. bigemina, B. divergens, B. major); dogs (B. canis, B. gibsoni, B. vogali); horses (B. equi, B. caballi); and rodents (B. rodhaini, B. microti). B. bovis and B. microti are also known to be infective in humans.
Immunologically active agents have not heretofore generally been available for use as vaccine components in conferring immunity against infection by Babesia parasites. This has been due in large part to difficulties attending quantitative, in vitro propagation of Babesia parasites, and especially the difficulties inherent in separating immunologically significant materials (e.g., killed, whole antigenic merozoite stages of the parasite) from host erythrocyte cells and "contaminating" host cell components such as hemoglobin. Among the pertinent recent advances in the art of parasite propagation are disclosed in Trager, et al., Science, 193: pp. 673-675 (1976) and Speer, et al., Z. Parasitenk, 50: pp. 237-244 (1976). These references, respectively, described Plasmodium propagation in erythrocytes maintained under greatly reduced oxygen tension and continuous Plasmodium propagation in selected eukaryotic host cells. More recently, substantial advances in Babesia propagation were reported by one of the co-inventors herein and his co-workers in Erp, et al., Am. Jour. Trop. Med. Hyg., 27 (5): pp. 1061-1064 (1978). Briefly put, the publication indicates that Babesia may be successfully propagated in mechanically stirred erythrocyte cultures under enhanced carbon dioxide tension and that, while the parasitic propagative methods were not suited to large scale parasite production, the results were substantially better than theretofore achieved. It is worthy of note that the attempts of Erp, et al. to propagate Babesia parasites according to the Plasmodium propagation technology of Trager, et al. were unsuccessful.
The need for even better methods of Babesia propagation has recently been amplified by the discovery of specific soluble antigenic substances producible in vitro as reported in U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 34,664, filed Apr. 30, 1979, by Miodrag Ristic and Carlos Arellano, entitled "Babesia Antigen".


A system for managing the alignment of a plurality of machine sets includes a portable alignment analyzer for calculating machine moves tending to bring the shafts of a machine set into alignment, and a base computer. A database of alignment documentation for the machine set is maintained in the base computer, the database including alignment fixture setup data, machine dimensions and tolerances, by way of example. A data link at least periodically enables communication between the base computer and the portable alignment analyzer. When the data link is active, alignment documentation for the machine set may be selectively Loaded into the portable alignment analyzer, and measured misalignment data may be selectively Dumped to the base computer for storage in the database. The system allows previously entered and stored machine-specific setup information to be used for a current alignment job, requiring only minor changes in the field.

The present invention relates generally to the art of aligning, employing a suitable alignment fixture, machine sets including first and second rotatable machine shafts which are coupled together for operation by means of a shaft coupling. More particularly, the invention relates to a comprehensive system for managing the alignment of at least one machine set and, typically, a plurality of machine sets. Although disclosed herein in the context of aligning co-rotatable in-line machine shafts, the invention is applicable to a wide variety of other configurations of both co-rotatable and independently rotatable shafts, including without limitation parallel shafts, shafts coupled by right angle gear boxes, vertical machines, and machine trains of three or more components.
The invention herein is related to the invention of Daniel L. Nower, Willie T. King and Kenneth R. Piety, application Ser. No. 08/072,316, filed Jun. 3, 1993, concurrently herewith, entitled "ALIGNMENT ANALYZER WITH GRAPHICAL TOLERANCE DISPLAY", now U.S. Pat. No. 5,526,282, the entire disclosure of which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference.
As is well known, whenever two rotating machine shafts are coupled together, such as the shaft of an electric motor and the shaft of a pump, it is important that the shafts be aligned within predetermined tolerances. Such shafts, when in perfect alignment, have their extended center lines (axes of rotation) coinciding along a straight line. Misalignment can lead to vibration, excessive wear, and ultimate destruction of couplings, bearings, seals, gears and other components.
There are two relevant misalignment components, and either or both may be present in a given situation. One misalignment component is offset misalignment, also termed parallel misalignment or simply offset. In the case of offset misalignment, shaft center lines may be parallel, but they do not intersect. The other misalignment component is angular misalignment, and occurs when shaft centerlines or their extended centerlines intersect at an angle. Angular misalignment is also termed angularity, and is manifested as a difference in distance between coupling hub faces across a diameter of the coupling hub faces.
A number of machine set alignment methods are known, which generally have in common the use of suitable alignment fixtures, also termed alignment brackets. The alignment fixtures are employed to measure particular relative displacements (also termed offsets) as the shafts are rotated together through one revolution, while stopping for example at 0.degree., 90.degree., 180.degree. and 270.degree. rotational positions to take offset readings. Each relative displacement is measured between a point referenced to one of the shafts by means of the alignment fixture and a point on the other shaft. Dial indicators are often employed, these dial indicators having a plunger which either moves a hand on the face of an analog dial indicator, or causes an indication on the display of a digital indicator.
The readings are then used to calculate machine moves which will tend to bring the shafts into alignment. The 0.degree., 90.degree., 180.degree. and 270.degree. rotational positions at which readings are conventionally taken lie in geometric planes in which either of the machines, for example the motor, may be moved for purposes of alignment. In particular, the mounting bolts of the machine are loosened and either the machine is moved in a horizontal plane; or the machine is moved in a vertical plane by placing or removing shims under one or more of the feet of the machine; or both. There are well developed calculation methods and procedures known in the art for determining what machine moves to make to achieve an aligned condition based on measurement of relative displacement (offset) data at a plurality of shaft angular positions.
Various machine set alignment approaches are described in greater detail in Piety et al application Ser. No. 07/892,587, filed Jun. 3, 1992, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,261 entitled "SHAFT ALIGNMENT DATA ACQUISITION" the entire disclosure of which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference. Alignment approaches include the reverse indicator method wherein a suitable alignment fixture or bracket is employed to measure a pair of relative displacements (offsets) in a radial direction at a plurality of shaft angular positions, and the face-and-rim method. The "rim" part of the face-and-rim method is measurement of a relative displacement (offset) in a radial direction (the same as one of the offsets measured in the practice of the reverse indicator method), and the "face" part of the face-and-rim method is measurement of a relative displacement in an axial direction. Traditionally offset measurements are made at the 0.degree., 90.degree., 180.degree. and 270.degree. shaft angular positions, as this facilitates calculation of machine moves required to bring the machine sets and thus the shafts into alignment. However, and as is disclosed in the above-incorporated application Ser. No. 07/892,587, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,261, offset data may be collected at a plurality of arbitrary measurement positions, with a minimum of three measurement positions.
It is also well known that alignment fixtures are subject to a phenomenon known as "sag" which is essentially a deflection of a portion of the alignment fixture under the force of gravity. For accurate alignment results, the amount of "sag", for a particular alignment fixture must be determined and taken into account. A further description of "sag" techniques for determining "sag" and a method for verifying the mechanical integrity of an alignment fixture are disclosed in Piety et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,185,937, entitled "ALIGNMENT BRACKET ASSEMBLY INTEGRITY CHECK AND SAG DETERMINATION" the entire disclosure of which is also hereby expressly incorporated by reference.
As disclosed in the above-incorporated Piety et al application Ser. No. 07/892,587, now U.S. Pat. No.5,263,261 the calculation of machine moves tending to bring the shafts of a machine set into alignment may be performed in a portable alignment analyzer, in the nature of a hand-held calculator, which calculates machine moves for bringing the shafts of a machine set into alignment based on measured offset data at a plurality of shaft angular positions. The measured offset data may be either entered manually via a keypad on the portable analyzer, or offset data may be directly acquired from transducers included as part of an alignment fixture. Related devices are disclosed in Zatezalo et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,438, entitled "SHAFT ALIGNMENT CALCULATOR" and in Zatezalo et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,115,406, entitled "ROTATING MACHINERY DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM".


In an embodiment, the method provides receiving a memory access request for a demanded cache line from a processor of a plurality of processors; accessing coherency information associated with the demanded cache line from a memory unit by bringing in from a memory page in which the demanded cache line is stored, the memory page also including a directory line having coherency information corresponding to the demanded cache line; reading data associated with the demanded cache line in accordance with the coherency information; and returning the data to the processor.

The use of multiple processors or processors with multiple cores has become increasingly common as a method of increasing the computing power of new computer systems. Multiprocessor and multicore systems share system resources such as system memory and storage devices. Multiple processors or cores often access the same data in memory or storage devices and attempt to utilize this data at the same time. To accomplish this, multiprocessor and multicore systems manage the use of data to maintain data coherency. One facet of maintaining data coherency in multiprocessor systems is ensuring that data cached in each processor is coherent. For example, each processor may obtain the ownership of a cache line in its cache before writing it back to system memory. If another processor requests to write this data to the system memory, it must obey the coherent protocol requirement to obtain the ownership of this cache line prior to its write back.

In-memory, in-page directory cache coherency scheme


The present invention relates to curable silicone compositions which include a fluorescent agent for detection purposes and which have a cure system which enables the silicone compositions to possess improved depth of cure. The silicone compositions are photocurable, and may also be moisture or heat curable.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to curable silicone compositions. More specifically, the present invention relates to curable silicone compositions having an improved depth of cure and which incorporate a fluorescent agent detection system.
2. Brief Description of Related Technology
A variety of silicone compositions have been developed that may be used as sealants, gaskets, conformal coatings, potting compounds, encapsulants, and the like. Among the numerous silicone compositions that have been created, some depend on atmospheric humidity and/or moisture to be present on the substrate to which the composition is applied, for their cure. Although such moisture-curing silicone systems can provide good physical properties and performance when fully cured, they suffer the disadvantage that the moisture curing process is relatively slow.
In consequence, silicone compositions that depend on other curing processes have been developed which are significantly faster than those that undergo a moisture-curing process. In particular, photo-curable (e.g. UV-curable) silicones have been developed which offer a fast curing speed, far superior to conventional moisture-curing silicones. These silicone compositions may include a photoinitiator that provides a faster and more effective cure. Silicone compositions that are both moisture-curable and photo-curable have also been developed that provide a rapid cure. Examples of these are described in several patents assigned to Henkel Corporation, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,663,269, 5,516,812, 5,498,642 and 5,348,986 to Chu et al.; 6,451,870 to DeCato et al; 6,140,444 to Levandoski et al.; 4,528,081 to Lien et al.; and 4,699,802 to Nakos et al., all of which are hereby expressly incorporated by reference.
In addition to cure speed, cure-through-depth (CTD), also sometimes referred to as cure-through-volume (CTV), is an important feature to many applications. Conventional photo- and/or dual curing silicones have shown only limited depth of cure. Many silicone compositions, and particularly photo-curable silicone compositions, are unable to fully cure at depths greater than 5-8 mm. Many applications, such as potting and gap filling of electronic components require compositions which can effectively cure through relatively large depths or volumes.
While a variety of different photoinitiators are generally known as being useful for curing silicones, only a limited number are known to have produced a substantial increase in CTD. One such case is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,627,672 to Lin et al., which discloses a photo-curable silicone composition containing a premix which includes an acylphosphine oxide and at least one polar carrier. This patent also discloses a dual photo/moisture curing silicone composition which includes a photo/moisture curable silicone, a premix including a first photoinitiator comprising an acylphosphine oxide, a second photoinitiator different than the first photoinitiator and at least one polar solvent.
Polymerizable silicone compositions are frequently clear or transparent when cured. As a result, the cured compositions may be difficult to see. Thus, the presence of the silicone, or the quality of the application coverage is therefore hard to access and/or correct.
Various agents have been incorporated into polymer systems in general for detection purposes. Fluorescing agents have been incorporated into curable compositions to provide a non-destructive method of inspection and identification of cured films, and ensuring proper coating of the composition on an article. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,080,450 to Cantor discloses a polymerizable acrylate formulation which contains a fluorescing agent. Dyes and pigments are also known agents which are used to provide visible identification means to curable resins. Such agents, however, are not necessarily useful in photo-curable resins because they impair the ability of light to initiate polymerization. Moreover, fluorescing agents are known to reduce the depth of cure in photo-cure compositions since they absorb the light required for polymerization. As a result, photo-curable silicone resins have not included fluorescent agents. Additionally, high-depth photo-curing silicones would be expected to be particularly hampered by the incorporation of a fluorescent agent.
Accordingly, there is a need for a photo-curable silicone having improved CTD and which permits detection of the cured polymer through the incorporation of a fluorescent agent.

Curable silicone compositions incorporating a fluorescent detection system