The hydrogenation of olefin polymers and especially diene polymers can be carried out effectively in a fixed bed mode of operation, preferably with up-flow of polymer solution, using a heterogeneous catalyst containing an active hydrogenation metal in which the catalyst support has defined surface area and pore volume characteristics and the hydrogenation metal or metal compound is incorporated into the support by impregnation with a non-aqueous solution of the metal or metal compound.

The structural and engineering uses of polymeric materials continues to grow rapidly in areas as diverse and protective paint coverings, wire insulations, structural panels for automobiles and piping of all kinds. In such cases the stability of the polymer is of paramount importance. The hydrogenation of olefin polymers, and especially diene-containing polymers such as butadiene-styrene copolymers, and the like, yields substances of greater saturation and consequently greater stability when used for certain applications. Rheological additives, for example, viscosity index improvers, are one class of compounds produced by the saturation of diene polymers.
The prior art has been interested in and examined polymer hydrognation processes for many years (U.S. Pat. No. 2,8 64,809), as a method to prepare novel materials with some unusual properties. For the most part, the early processes emphasized heterogeneous catalysts commonly used for saturation of low molecular weight olefins and aromatics, such as the nickel on kieselguhr system. A fine catalyst powder was preferred and large amounts of catalysts were required to complete the hydrogenation in a reasonable time. Such processes were only partially successful, since the reaction requires the diffusion of large polymer molecules into the pores of the catalyst, where the active nickel metal is present. This is a slow process with large molecules. The discovery of the nickel octoate/tiethyl aluminum catalyst system led to rapid hydrogenation of the polymer dissolved in a saturated solvent. Such a process was used for a number of years to prepare hydrogenated butadiene-styrene polymers that are used as viscosity-index improvers in premium motor oils (U.S. Pat. No. 3,554,991). There are no pore diffusion problems with homogeneous catalysts and the hydrogenation process is rapid and complete in a matter of minutes. However, the removal of the catalyst from the polymer soluton requires the additon of an ammonium phosphate-water soluton and air to oxidize the nickel to a divalent state. The mixed nickel-aluminum phosphate can be removed from the hydrogenated polymer solution by filtration. Many of the advantages associated with the use of homogeneous hydrogenation catalyst systems are offset by the catalyst removal step (U.S. Pat. No. 3,531,448), particularly when disposal of the spent catalyst is considered as part of the operation. We and others have repeatedly looked for suitable olefin polymer hydrogenation catalysts, particularly catalysts that could be used in fixed bed reactors. Recently we have discovered a commercial material that is a suitable catalyst support for use in fixed bed reactors.
There is a continuing effort to develop improved hydrogenation catalysts and processes to selectively hydrogenate polymers, such as olefin polymers, and especially diene-containing polymers, to hydrogenated polymeric products having desirable properties. The present invention is directed to a catalyst system and process for hydrogenating olefin polymers, especially diene-vinyl aromatic copolymers, to form polymers having reduced unsaturation.


A composting device including a drum rotatably arranged about an axis slightly inclined to the horizontal, and having a feeding opening for composting material at the higher situated side of the drum and a discharge opening for finish composted material at the lower side of the drum, the interior of the drum being subdivided into a number of consecutive chambers arranged in the longitudinal direction of the drum, with intermediate sieve screens, whereby the adjacent chambers of the drum are entirely separated from each other by the sieve screens, whereby each sieve screen has the same size of meshes over its entire surface, and where each sieve screen has smaller mesh size in relation to the nearest preceding sieve screen.

Composting is an excellent method of letting the nature take care of the degradation of organic waste, such as parts of plants, domestic waste and the like. Under different climatic conditions there are put different demands onto the structural design and shape of the composting plants, but it is a common positive thing for different plants, different temperatures and moisture contents, and for different material that is to be decomposed, if the material continuously is supplied with oxygen necessary for the degradation.
For this purpose it earlier has been suggested to design the composting device, as a drum rotatably arranged about a horizontal or slightly inclined axis and having a net covered outer side, which at the slow rotation (if the drum on one hand turns the material in the drum mechanically and on the other hand allows the oxygen of the air to reach the material to a big extent. Such a device is known e.g. from U.S. Pat. No. 3,966,415, but the disadvantage with this device is that the outside wall of the drum, which is provided with net meshes of uniform size, will spread the degraded material over a distance equal to the drum length, at the same time as different fractions of the degraded material will be mixed with each other. Furthermore with this device there is the risk that more coarse material, that lies closer to the drum wall, may prevent discharge of more degraded material situated closer to the centre of the drum.
From U.S. Pat. No. 3,245,759 is known a plant for fermentation of organic material, which works with forced air through-flow, and which consists of an elongated cylindric drum, rotatable about an axis being slightly inclined to the horizontal. At the infeed end of the drum is provided a sieve, against which material to be treated is advanced by a screw. After the sieve the interior of the drum is divided by a number of partition walls into a number of closed fermentation chambers, situated one after the other, and which partition walls each having one opening, which during a short part of a revolution of the drum transfers material from one chamber to the chamber situated nearest thereafter.
CA-B-613,004 describes a composting plant with a horizontally arranged rotatable drum, the interior of which is divided by sieve walls, each of which has a large central opening and a number of smaller meshes. All sieve walls are identical, i.e. they have the same mesh size, and this implies that no uniform size of particles is obtained at the discharge side of the plant, which is also further accentuated by the fact that larger non-mouldered pieces can pass to the next section through the large central openings of the sieve walls.
The purpose and most important features of the invention
The purpose of the invention is to provide a composting device, by means of which the entire compost mass is supplied with oxygen in a simple and efficient way without forced air supply, at the same time as all degradable material will be disintegrated into an essentially uniform fraction, which can be collected in a simple way, and which device furthermore must be reliable and comparatively cheap to obtain and to operate, and this has been achieved by means of the characteristics defined in the accompanying claims.


A parallel-processing apparatus and method provide for synchronous replication in a database management system (DBMS). During synchronous replication into the active node and the standby node in the DBMS, replications of transactions are parallelized in units of transactions, thereby improving a performance of the DBMS, guaranteeing atomicity and consistency of the transaction, and solving the deadlock state which may occur in parallel-processing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to database management systems for synchronous replication, and more particularly, to parallelizing replication of transactions in units of transactions during synchronous replication into an active node and a standby node in a database management system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a database management system (DBMS) performs logging for data change to guarantee stability of a database. Logging is a fundamental function of the DBMS which records insertion/deletion/modification of data in a stable storage such as a disk on a real-time basis to restore the DBMS to a final database state in the case of a failure by using the recorded data. The DBMS is software which is a basis for providing various IT application services, and thus, should have high availability to provide a continuous data service even in various failure situations. Therefore, the DBMS provides a database replication function for replication into an active node and a standby node as an approach to reinforce stability, which is a basic function, and to provide a high-availability service.
Database replication refers to disposing a standby node (standby server) in addition to an active node (main server) and guaranteeing availability by performing a transaction service in the standby node if a failure occurs in the active node. Generally, the database replication refers to transmitting a log of a transaction generated in the active node to the standby node so that the standby node replays the transaction of the active node to change data in the same manner.
There are two kinds of database replication methods: asynchronous replication in units of transactions and synchronous replication in units of transactions. Synchronous replication refers to a database replication method in which when a master transaction generated in an active node is being committed, commitment of a transaction replicated in a standby node is waited, and only after commitment of the replicated transaction in the standby node is confirmed, the master transaction is committed in the active node. Such a database replication method can protect data and guarantee consistency, but the master transaction can be committed only after commitment of the replicated transaction in the standby node, resulting in degradation in performance.
However, a system requiring high performance mainly uses asynchronous replication, whereas a system in which data protection and consistency are important uses synchronous replication.

Parallel processing apparatus and method in database management system for synchronous replication


In some embodiments, the invention provides a higher efficiency, real-time platform power management architecture for computing platforms. A more direct power management architecture may be provided using integrated voltage regulators and in some embodiments, a direct power management interface (DPMI) as well. Integrated voltage regulators, such as in-silicon voltage regulators (ISVR) can be used to implement quicker, more highly responsive power state transitions.

Existing operating system (OS) based power management schemes, such as ACPI (advanced configuration power interface) are OS centric. Platform and device power state transitions, when initiated from the OS power management software framework, typically must traverse down through the OS kernel stack, device drivers, platform firmware, and finally to the platform's power management unit (usually a controller) to execute power state changes. The reverse action, when initiated by a device, is also slow, typically having to traverse the same path in the reverse direction and then having to wait for authorization (or the like) from the OS. Such architecture implicates a lot of inefficiency and waste in terms of power usage. This may be tolerable with some technologies using conventional voltage regulator solutions, which can have relatively slow power state change response times and are difficult to integrate with other devices, e.g. GPS, Bluetooth, and USB devices. Accordingly, new approaches for power management in platforms with computing capability are desired.

Power management system for selectively changing the power state of devices using an OS power management framework and non-OS power management framework


In an apparatus for non-linear de-emphasis of an input signal, an amplitude limiting signal is obtained by subtracting a high-pass filtered and amplitude limited input signal from the original input signal, then the amplitude limiting signal is amplified with a gain determined by the amplitude of the amplitude limiting signal and subtracted from the input signal to provide a non-linearly de-emphasized signal with an improved signal-to-noise ratio and without substantial deterioration in high frequency small amplitude components of the input signal.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a non-linear deemphasis circuit which is suitably applied, for example, to a video tape recorder.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, video tape recorders are designed such that a non-linear emphasis circuit and a non-linear de-emphasis circuit are employed in order to increase the signal-to-noise (SN) ratio of a reproduction signal.
An exemplary conventional non-linear emphasis circuit is shown in FIG. 7. Referring to FIG. 7, the non-linear emphasis circuit shown is generally denoted at 1 and is constituted such that high frequency components of a recording signal S.sub.REC are extracted by a high-pass filter circuit (HPF) 2 and then the recording signal S.sub.REC is outputted to an adding circuit 4 by way of a limiter circuit 3.
High frequency components of the recording signal S.sub.REC are amplitude limited by the limiter circuit 3 as seen from a curve L1 shown in FIG. 8.
The output signal of the limiter circuit 3 is added to the recording signal S.sub.REC by the adding circuit 4 to produce an output signal S.sub.OUT to be recorded on a magnetic tape. Consequently, the recording signal S.sub.REC is recorded with its high frequency components of small amplitudes emphasized as seen from another curve L2 shown in FIG. 8.
A conventional non-linear de-emphasis circuit is shown in FIG. 9. Referring to FIG. 9, the non-linear de-emphasis circuit is generally denoted at 5 and is constituted such that an input reproduction signal S.sub.RF is applied to a differential amplifier circuit 6, and a feedback loop to the differential amplifier circuit 6 is formed by a high-pass filter circuit 7, a limiter circuit 8 and an adding circuit 9.
Characteristics of the high-pass filter circuit 7, limiter circuit 8 and adding circuit 9 are set to the same characteristics (shown by a curve L3 in FIG. 10) as those of the high-pass filter circuit 2, limiter circuit 3 and adding circuit 4 of the non-linear emphasis circuit 1 so that a reproduction signal S.sub.RF may be corrected with an inverse characteristic to that of the non-linear emphasis circuit 1. The output signal of the non-linear de-emphasis circuit 5 is illustrated by a curve S.sub.RF1 shown in FIG. 10.
Consequently, the transfer function of the recording and reproducing system is 1 and noise in small amplitudes in high frequency components is suppressed.
Another exemplary conventional non-linear de-emphasis circuit is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application No. 62-123881 and shown in FIG. 11. Referring to FIG. 11, the non-linear deemphasis circuit is generally denoted at 10 and is constituted such that a limiter circuit 12 is provided separately to effect amplitude limiting in order to further raise the improvement in SN ratio.
In particular, an input reproduction signal S.sub.RF is received at a subtracting circuit 13, and an output signal of the subtracting circuit 13 is fed back to the subtracting circuit 13 by way of a high-pass filter circuit 7 and a limiter circuit 8.
Thus, at the subtracting circuit 13, an output signal of the limiter circuit 8 is subtracted from the input reproduction signal S.sub.RF. Accordingly, a similar characteristic to that of the non-linear de-emphasis circuit 5, wherein a feedback loop to the differential amplifier circuit 6 is formed as described hereinabove with reference to FIG. 9, is obtained.
Subtraction of the output signal of the limiter circuit 8 from the reproduction signal S.sub.RF is performed, in the non-linear de-emphasis circuit 10, by a subtracting circuit 16. The output signal of the limiter circuit 8 is transmitted to the subtracting circuit 16 by way of the limiter circuit 12 and an attenuator 14.
As seen from FIG. 12, the limiter circuit 12 further amplitude limits its input signal at a second amplitude limiting value LIM2 which is lower than a maximum output amplitude, i.e., the first amplitude limiting value LIM1 of the limiter circuit 8.
The gain x of the limiter circuit 12 and attenuator 14, when the amplitude of the output signal of the limiter circuit 8 is small, is maintained so that it satisfies the following expression: ##EQU1## where A is a gain of the high-pass filter circuit 7 and limiter circuit 8 for a small amplitude of a high frequency and .alpha. is a gain of an attenuator 18 interposed between the limiter circuit 8 and the subtracting circuit 13. Thus, the input/output characteristic of the limiter circuit 12 and the attenuator 14 is as illustrated by a curve L5 shown in FIG. 12.
Consequently, an input/output characteristic is obtained wherein high frequency small amplitudes are suppressed, compared with the non-linear de-emphasis circuit 5, in a region a over which the limiter circuit 12 does not perform amplitude limitation as seen from FIG. 13.
Accordingly, high frequency small amplitudes are suppressed by the entire recording and reproducing system, as seen from a curve L7 shown in FIG. 14, and the SN ratio improvement achieved using the non-linear de-emphasis circuit 10 is increased with respect to the SN ratio improvement achieved using the non-linear de-emphasis circuit 5.
However, while the improvement in SN ratio of the non-linear de-emphasis circuit 10 is high, the high frequency small amplitudes are suppressed in the region a also include desired input signal components and as a result, there is a problem in that a delicate contour of a reproduction picture image is damaged since input signal high frequency small amplitude components are undesirably suppressed.


A mechanical energy storage system and method is provided, for storing a mechanical energy and generating electricity using the stored mechanical energy, which is small and can be used to charge portable digital devices such as smart phone, mobile phone, tablet PC, notebook, PMP, etc. An external mechanical force is used to compress high pressure gas charged in a pressure vessel, stored as a reacting force, a stored energy, due to proceeding of piston rod, which can be used as a power the devices whenever it is necessary, or so as to generate electricity by powering a gas generator.

The present invention relates to a mechanical energy storage system and generating method using the same. More particularly, this invention relates to a mechanical energy storage system and generating method, which harvests energy easily, stores simply, and generates electricity conveniently.
Energy storage systems have been developed and introduced widely in the community. An explosive increase of mobile phones, smart phone, and other mobile devices and consumption of electrical energy in all aspects of human activities has made it outstanding using energy more effectively.
To solve the above problems, various types of technologies have been developed.
The technologies being used or under development include a pumping-up power generation, compressed-air-storing gas turbine technology, electrical energy storing technology, superconducting magnetic energy storing technology, flywheel energy storing technology, etc.
However, there are problems to solve or issues to improve a lot in the community of mobile devices and energy.
Accordingly, a need for a mechanical energy storage system and generating method has been present for a long time considering the expansive demands in the everyday life. This invention is directed to solve these problems and satisfy the long-felt need.

Mechanical energy storage system and generating method using the same


Provided are isolated TCRs, TCR-like molecules, and portions thereof that bind to phosphopeptide-HLA-A2 complexes. The isolated TCRs, TCR-like molecules, or portions are optionally soluble TCRs, TCR-like molecules, or portions. Also provided are isolated nucleic acids encoding the disclosed TCRs, TCR-like molecules, or portions; host cells that contain the disclosed TCRs, TCR-like molecules, or portions; pharmaceutical compositions that include the disclosed TCRs, TCR-like molecules, portions, nucleic acids, and/or T cells; kits; and methods of using the same.

The mammalian immune system has evolved a variety of mechanisms to protect the host from cancerous cells. An important component of this response is mediated by cells referred to as T cells. Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) are specialized T cells that primarily function by recognizing and killing cancerous cells or infected cells, but they can also function by secreting soluble molecules referred to as cytokines that can mediate a variety of effects on the immune system. T helper cells primarily function by recognizing antigen on specialized antigen presenting cells, and in turn secreting cytokines that activate B cells, T cells, and macrophages. A variety of evidence suggests that immunotherapy designed to stimulate a tumor-specific CTL response would be effective in controlling cancer. For example, it has been shown that human CTL recognize sarcomas (Slovin et al., 1986), renal cell carcinomas (Schendel et al., 1993), colorectal carcinomas (Jacob et al., 1997), ovarian carcinomas (Peoples et al., 1993), pancreatic carcinomas (Peiper et al., 1997), squamous tumors of the head and neck (Yasumura et al., 1993), and squamous carcinomas of the lung (Slingluff et al., 1994; Yoshino et al., 1994). The largest number of reports of human tumor-reactive CTLs, however, has concerned melanomas (Boon et al., 1994). The ability of tumor-specific CTL to mediate tumor regression, in both human (Parmiani et al., 2002; Weber, 2002) and animal models, suggests that methods directed at increasing CTL activity would likely have a beneficial effect with respect to tumor treatment.
Clinical trials using adoptive cellular therapy and active vaccination have demonstrated the importance of CD8 T-cells in controlling cancer (Morgan et al., 2006; Rosenberg, 2008; Hiugano et al., 2009; Schwartzentruber et al., 2011). A large number of tumor-associated antigens (TAA) recognized by CD8 T-cells have been identified in the last 20 years, and clinical tumor regressions have been associated with immunotherapies based on some of them (Slingluff et al., 2004; Rosenberg, 2008). However, cancer vaccines targeting a range of TAA have induced disappointing clinical response rates of 3-6% (Rosenberg et al., 2004). The repertoire of TAA include: i) neoantigens formed by mutations in cellular proteins; ii) antigens induced by oncogenic viruses; iii) cancer-testis antigens normally expressed only in germ-line cells; and iv) tissue-specific differentiation antigens (Williamson et al., 2006). Only a small number of TAA source proteins have been linked to either initial cellular transformation processes or later tumorigenic processes such as angiogenesis and metastasis (Hogan et al., 1998; Simpson et al., 2005). Targeting TAA derived from proteins that are vital for a cancer cell's survival and metastatic potential is attractive, since down-regulation and/or mutation of genes encoding these proteins as a means of immune evasion could compromise cellular malignancy (Dunn et al., 2004; Hirohashi et al., 2009).
As such, TCRs can be employed for various purposes for which how antibody molecules have been utilized. One challenge with respect to TCRs as opposed to antibodies, however, is that the former are not secreted from the cells in which they are made. This can limit the utility of TCRs as therapeutic and/or diagnostic agents. These challenges have been met to varying degrees of success by the production of soluble TCRs.
Several methods for producing soluble TCRs and TCR-like molecules have recent been reported. For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0015139 of Lichterfeld et al. describes the production and use of soluble TCRs for the detection and treatment of viral infections. PCT International Patent Application Publication No. WO 2013/057586 of Walseng et al. describes various additional methods for producing soluble TCRs, such as isolation of α and β chains from bacterial inclusion bodies (see also Richman & Kranz, 2007) and STAR™ technology (Altor Bioscience Corporation, Miramar, Fla., United States of America), in which hybrid soluble TcR-Ig molecules are connected via a flexible linker (see also Mosquera et al., 2005).
Thus, soluble TCRs are useful as diagnostic and/or therapeutic tools. They can be employed to detect cells that express TAAs such as, but not limited to peptides derived from TAAs complexed with MHC molecules. Additionally, soluble TCRs can be used to deliver a therapeutic agent, including but not limited to a cytotoxic compound or an immunostimulating compound, to cells presenting a particular TAA-derived peptide.
The interaction of a TCR with HLA-bound antigens including, but not limited to a peptide derived from a TAA, results in cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) killing cells that express the antigen (e.g., a cancer cell) and/or secreting cytokines in response to a cancer cell. This process involves the interaction of the T cell receptor, located on the surface of the CTL, with what is generically referred to as an MHC-peptide complex which is located on the surface of the cancerous cell. Major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-encoded molecules have been subdivided into two types, and are referred to as class I and class II MHC-encoded molecules. In the human immune system, MHC molecules are referred to as human leukocyte antigens (HLA). Within the MHC complex, located on chromosome six, are three different loci that encode for class I MHC molecules. MHC molecules encoded at these loci are referred to as HLA-A, HLA-B, and HLA-C. The genes that can be encoded at each of these loci are extremely polymorphic, and thus, different individuals within the population express different class I MHC molecules on the surface of their cells. HLA-A1, HLA-A2, HLA-A3, HLA-B7, HLA-B14, HLA-B27, and HLA-B44 are examples of different class I MHC molecules that can be expressed from these loci.
The peptides which associate with the MHC molecules can either be derived from proteins made within the cell, in which case they typically associate with class I MHC molecules (Rock & Goldberg, 1999); or they can be derived from proteins which are acquired from outside of the cell, in which case they typically associate with class II MHC molecules (Watts, 1997). The peptides that evoke a cancer-specific CTL response most typically associate with class I MHC molecules. The peptides themselves are typically nine amino acids in length, but can vary from a minimum length of eight amino acids to a maximum of fourteen amino acids in length. Tumor antigens may also bind to class II MHC molecules on antigen presenting cells and provoke a T helper cell response. The peptides that bind to class II MHC molecules are generally twelve to nineteen amino acids in length, but can be as short as ten amino acids and as long as thirty amino acids.
The process by which intact proteins are degraded into peptides is referred to as antigen processing. Two major pathways of antigen processing occur within cells (Rock & Goldberg, 1999). One pathway, which is largely restricted to professional antigen presenting cells such as dendritic cells, macrophages, and B cells, degrades proteins that are typically phagocytosed or endocytosed into the cell. Peptides derived from this pathway can be presented on either class I or to class II MHC molecules. A second pathway of antigen processing is present in essentially all cells of the body. This second pathway primarily degrades proteins that are made within the cells, and the peptides derived from this pathway primarily bind to class I MHC molecules. Antigen processing by this latter pathway involves polypeptide synthesis and proteolysis in the cytoplasm, followed by transport of peptides to the plasma membrane for presentation. These peptides, initially being transported into the endoplasmic reticulum of the cell, become associated with newly synthesized class I MHC molecules and the resulting complexes are then transported to the cell surface. Peptides derived from membrane and secreted proteins have also been identified. In some cases these peptides correspond to the signal sequence of the proteins which is cleaved from the protein by the signal peptidase. In other cases, it is thought that some fraction of the membrane and secreted proteins are transported from the endoplasmic reticulum into the cytoplasm where processing subsequently occurs. Once bound to the class I MHC molecule, the peptides are recognized by antigen-specific receptors on CTL. Several methods have been developed to identify the peptides recognized by CTL, each method of which relies on the ability of a CTL to recognize and kill only those cells expressing the appropriate class I MHC molecule with the peptide bound to it. Mere expression of the class I MHC molecule is insufficient to trigger the CTL to kill the target cell if the antigenic peptide is not bound to the class I MHC molecule. Such peptides can be derived from a non-self source, such as a pathogen (for example, following the infection of a cell by a bacterium or a virus) or from a self-derived protein within a cell, such as a cancerous cell. The tumor antigens from which the peptides are derived can broadly be categorized as differentiation antigens, cancer/testis antigens, mutated gene products, widely expressed proteins, viral antigens and most recently, phosphopeptides derived from dysregulated signal transduction pathways. (Zarling et al., 2006).
Immunization with cancer-derived, class I or class II MHC-encoded molecule associated peptides, or with a precursor polypeptide or protein that contains the peptide, or with a gene that encodes a polypeptide or protein containing the peptide, are forms of immunotherapy that can be employed in the treatment of colorectal cancer. Identification of the immunogens is a necessary first step in the formulation of the appropriate immunotherapeutic agent or agents. Although a large number of tumor-associated peptide antigens recognized by tumor reactive CTL have been identified, there are few examples of antigens that are derived from proteins that are selectively expressed on a broad array of tumors, as well as associated with cellular proliferation and/or transformation.
Attractive candidates for this type of antigen are peptides derived from proteins that are differentially phosphorylated on serine (Ser), threonine (Thr), and/or tyrosine (Tyr; Zarling et al., 2000). Due to the increased and dysregulated phosphorylation of cellular proteins in transformed cells as compared to normal cells, tumors are likely to present a unique subset of phosphorylated peptides on the cell surface that are available for recognition by cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTL). Presently, there is no way to predict which protein phosphorylation sites in a cell will be unique to tumors, survive the antigen processing pathway, and be presented to the immune system in the context of 8-14 residue phosphopeptides bound to class I MHC molecules. However, thirty-six phosphopeptides were disclosed as presented in association with HLA-A*0201 on cancer cells (see Table 1 of Zarling et al., 2006).

Isolated T cell receptors and methods of use therefor

University of Virginia Patent Foundation


In a fuel supply system for an internal combustion engine having a fuel tank for liquid fuel, a fuel pump which draws fuel from the fuel tank and pressurized the fuel to an injection pressure at which the fuel is made available to the internal combustion engine, a fuel-fractionating device which produces at least one liquid fuel fraction from the fuel, and an accumulator which receives the liquid fuel fraction from the fuel-fractionating device, stores it and makes it available to the internal combustion engine, the fuel fraction made available and the fuel made available being fed to the internal combustion engine by the fuel supply system as a function of demand, the accumulator is a pressure accumulator and includes pressure-generating means for pressurizing fuel fraction in the pressure accumulator to the injection pressure.

The invention relates to a fuel supply system for an internal combustion engine comprising a fuel tank, a fuel pump supplying the fuel from the tank under pressure to the engine and a fuel processing unit, in which at least two fuel fractions are produced which are supplied to the engine depending on the engine operating conditions, and to a method of supplying fuel and the fuel fractions to an internal combustion engine.
The fuels currently available for operating internal combustion engines, e.g. for motor vehicles such as trucks, passenger cars, buses, constitute a compromise between, on the one hand, restrictions on the part of the fuel manufacturers, e.g. on account of different crude oil grades, manufacturing processes, costs and energy input, and, on the other hand, partly conflicting requirements with respect to the internal combustion engines, such as, for example, reliable cold starting even at extremely low temperatures, low exhaust-gas and evaporative emissions, low consumption, high knock rating even in super-charged engines, prevention of deposits, avoidance of corrosion, low sulphur content, smooth engine running and a high degree of safety. In order to be able to adapt the existing fuels to the requirements of the internal combustion engine more effectively, fuel supply systems of the type mentioned at the beginning are used.
For example, GB 2 209 796 A discloses a fuel-fractionating device which is connected to a fuel tank and separates fractions of different quality from the fuel. These fuel fractions are stored in separate fuel tanks, which are connected to an internal combustion engine via separate fuel lines. One fuel tank is heated by the exhaust gases of the internal combustion engine by means of a heating line. Arranged in the fuel lines are valves which regulate the fuel quality of the fuel fed to the internal combustion engine as a function of the operating state of the internal combustion engine and/or as a function of the fill level of the fuel tank. A microprocessor may be provided in order to regulate a fuel injection system, the quality of the fed fuel and the ignition timing.
DE 197 34 493 C1 discloses a fuel supply system of the type mentioned at the beginning which has a fuel tank for liquid fuel. In addition, a fuel-fractionating device is provided which, on the inlet side, receives the fuel from the fuel tank and produces therefrom a low-boiling fuel fraction and a higher-boiling fuel fraction. The fuel supply system includes a separate accumulator for each fuel fraction. These accumulators receive the respective liquid fuel fraction from the fuel-fractionating device, store them and make them available to the internal combustion engine. Furthermore, the fuel supply system has a main fuel pump which, on the suction side, is connected, via a switchover valve, either to the fuel tank containing the fuel or to the accumulator containing the higher-boiling fuel fraction. On the pressure side, the fuel pump is connected to a first inlet of a switchover valve. Connected to the second inlet of this switchover valve is the pressure side of an auxiliary fuel pump, which is connected on the suction side to the accumulator containing the low-boiling fuel fraction. The outlet side of the switchover valve is connected to the internal combustion engine. In order to be able to make both, the fuel and the individual fuel fractions, available to the internal combustion engine at the injection pressure, two separate fuel pumps are used. However, such a setup is relatively complicated and expensive.
EP 0 060 976 A1 discloses a fuel supply system for an internal combustion engine, wherein a fuel pump receives fuel from a fuel tank and supplies the fuel on one hand to an injection valve and, on the other, to a processing apparatus. In the processing apparatus, a low boiling fuel fraction is evaporated and the fuel vapors are then condensed. The condensed fuel fraction is supplied to an auxiliary tank, which is also in communication with the injection valve. During startup of the engine, the fuel fraction of the auxiliary tank is supplied to the engine. Since the fuel line system is a closed system, the injection pressure is also present in the auxiliary tank.
GB 2 330 176 A discloses a fuel supply system, wherein the fuel from the fuel tank is supplied by a first pump to an evaporator unit. In the evaporator unit, a low boiling fuel fraction is evaporated. The higher boiling remaining fuel fraction is supplied, during normal engine operation to the internal combustion engine by means of a second fuel pump. A third fuel pump supplies the evaporated lower boiling fuel fraction to a condenser in the form of a pressure storage container wherein the fuel vapors are condensed. The low boiling fuel fraction is subjected in this pressure storage container to a higher injection pressure than the higher boiling fuel fraction. For startup of the engine, the low boiling fuel fraction is supplied to the engine.
The present invention deals with the problem of reducing the cost, which is required in order to make the fuel fraction and the fuel available to the internal combustion engine at the same pressure.
In a fuel supply system for an internal combustion engine having a fuel tank for liquid fuel, a fuel pump which draws fuel from the fuel tank and pressurized the fuel to an injection pressure at which the fuel is made available to the internal combustion engine, a fuel-fractionating device which produces at least one liquid fuel fraction from the fuel, and an accumulator which receives the liquid fuel fraction from the fuel-fractionating device, stores it and makes it available to the internal combustion engine, the fuel fraction made available and the fuel made available being fed to the internal combustion engine by the fuel supply system as a function of demand, the accumulator is a pressure accumulator and includes pressure-generating means for pressurizing fuel fraction in the pressure accumulator to the injection pressure.
Due to the accumulator being designed as a pressure accumulator, the fuel fraction contained therein can be pressurized to the fuel injection pressure. In this way, less complicated pressure-generating means can be used for generating the injection pressure. In particular, pressure-generating means, which are already present in the internal combustion engine or in its peripheral area, may be used.
In accordance with the invention, a bellows is arranged in the pressure accumulator, which is connected to a pressure source, preferably to the already existing fuel pump, which can apply the injection pressure to the accumulator. Since the fuel pump delivers the injection pressure anyway, no additional measures need be taken in such an embodiment.
In an alternative embodiment, the fuel-processing or fractionating apparatus includes a vapor pump, which is connected with its suction side to an evaporation region and with its pressure side to a condensation region. In such an embodiment, the existing vapor pump is expediently used for generating the injection pressure and is connected in an appropriate manner to the pressure accumulator. In this embodiment, too, no additional, complicated measures are required.
In accordance with an especially advantageous embodiment, a condensation chamber of the fuel-processing apparatus forms the accumulator or the pressure accumulator. This means that this condensation chamber is dimensioned not only for a condensation pressure but also for the injection pressure. In addition, due to the condensation chamber being designed as an accumulator, additional lines and the sealing problems associated therewith are avoided.
In another advantageous embodiment of a fuel supply system of the type mentioned at the beginning, a condensation chamber of the fuel-fractionating device may be of cylindrical, in particular circular-cylindrical, design, whereas an evaporation chamber of the fuel-fractionating device is of annular design and is arranged concentrically and coaxially to the condensation chamber and annularly encloses the latter. This design of condensation chamber and evaporation chamber results in an especially favorable heat exchange between the chambers, so that an external heat supply for assisting the evaporation in the evaporation chamber may not be needed. Corresponding cooling of the condensation chamber may likewise be omitted.
The problem underlying the invention is also solved by a method which is based on the general concept of applying the injection pressure to the stored fuel fraction in its accumulator in order to prepare both the fuel fraction and the unfractionated fuel at the pressure level of the fuel for injection into the internal combustion engine.
In the method according to the invention, the accumulator which serves to store the fuel fraction serves as a condensation chamber of a fuel-processing apparatus which includes a vapor pump connected at the suction side to an evaporation chamber containing liquid fuel and at the vapor side to the condensation chamber, that is the accumulator. This measure results in a further simplification, since additional transport lines between the condensation chamber and the accumulator may be dispensed with. The pressure in the accumulator during the fractionating operation may be smaller than the injection pressure. With such a procedure, the vapor pump of the fuel-fractionating device may be dimensioned to be relatively small. In addition, the fractionating operation then requires less energy.
The evaporation chamber of the fuel-fractionating device may be filled with liquid fuel before the fractionating operation. A vapor space sufficient for the fractionating operation is however retained. The evaporation chamber is preferably filled with liquid fuel by generating a vacuum in the evaporation chamber, the evaporation chamber being connected to the fuel tank, so that the fuel is drawn out of the fuel tank into the evaporation chamber. With this procedure, the vapor pump, which is present anyway, may at the same time be used for delivering the liquid fuel from the fuel tank into the evaporation chamber.
Especially advantageous is an embodiment in which a flushing operation is carried out during the filling of the evaporation chamber with fuel. By the flushing operation the liquid fuel contained in the evaporation chamber is exchanged for the liquid fuel from the fuel tank. By means of this measure, xe2x80x9coldxe2x80x9d fuel of a preceding fractionating operation is exchanged for xe2x80x9cfreshxe2x80x9d fuel from the fuel tank, so that the fresh fuel has as high a proportion of the fuel fraction to be fractionated as possible for the following fractionating operation.
It is also possible to vent the condensation chamber before the fractionating operation. By means of this venting, air which has collected in the condensation chamber, that is in the accumulator, is drawn off and replaced by a gaseous fuel fraction. The effectiveness of the fractionating operation is increased as a result.
In an alternative embodiment of the method, liquid is taken from the bottom of the storage tank in a certain amount or for a certain amount or for a certain time before the fuel fraction is supplied to the engine. In this way, condensed water which may have formed in the storage tank and collected at the bottom thereof is removed before fuel injection is initiated. As a result, the admission of condensed water to the internal combustion engine is avoided.
For improving the processing of the fuel, a gaseous fluid may be introduced into liquid fuel in the form of small bubbles during the fractionating of the fuel. This improves the efficiency of the fractionating process.
Preferred embodiments of the invention will be described below in greater detail on the basis of the accompanying drawings.
Preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings and explained in more detail in the following description.


A low power, low cost, millimeter wave (MMW) proximity sensor that provides over a 6:1 increase in minimum detection range (55 mm minimum) compared to standard 18 mm inductive proximity sensors preferably includes a low cost MMW Gunn oscillator, MMW detector and analog processing/driver circuitry. The sensor is preferably designed for 3-wire operation and will fit in a standard 18 mm tube.

This invention is directed to an electromagnetic wave proximity sensor. In the context of this invention, the term "electromagnetic wave" includes both "microwave" and "millimeter wave," as well as other frequencies. Further, in the context of this invention, the term "microwave" refers to a frequency of less than about 30 GHz, and "millimeter wave" refers to a frequency greater than about 30 GHz. In order to keep the size of the proximity sensor as small as possible, the invention preferably operates at frequencies above about 30 GHz (millimeter wave). Hence, the following description of the invention will refer to the proximity sensor as being a "millimeter wave" proximity sensor, in order to simplify the description, but it should be realized that the invention is not limited to frequencies above about 30 GHz, or millimeter waves, and proximity sensors including the features of this invention operating at different frequencies are envisioned to be within the scope of this invention.
A proximity sensor is a non-contacting device for detecting the presence or absence of an object. Proximity sensors presently in use are of the following types:
a) Capacitive PA1 b) Inductive PA1 c) Photoelectric PA1 d) Ultrasonic PA1 e) Microwave Doppler (Motion) PA1 1) A means for short range proximity sensing in harsh industrial or natural environments such as dust (e.g. grainery, mines), smoke, fog, vapor (e.g. degreaser, steam, hydrocarbon exhaust), hydrocarbon fluids (oil, grease), cleaning liquids or sprays (hydrocarbon or organic based, e.g. carbon tetrachloride, benzene, xylene, trichlorethylene), dirt, flames (fire fighting, furnaces). PA1 2) A means to provide uniform detected output of an object arbitrarily located in the spatial range of the millimeter wave proximity sensor herein disclosed. PA1 3) A means to provide a low cost transmitter source for the disclosed sensor. It is based on a new Gunn diode oscillator circuit with the following novel features: PA1 a transmitter for transmitting radiated energy to a target, the transmitter including a Gunn oscillator circuit, the Gunn oscillator circuit including a Gunn oscillator and a Gunn driver coupled to the Gunn oscillator, the Gunn oscillator, driven by the Gunn driver, generating a pulse modulated signal which is radiated by the transmitter to the target; PA1 a receiver, the receiver including first and second waveguides and first and second detectors respectively coupled to the first and second waveguides, the first and second waveguides receiving radiated energy reflected from the target and providing the radiated energy to the first and second detectors, respectively, each of the first and second detectors generating an output signal which corresponds to the radiated energy received by the first and second waveguides, the receiver further including a summer, the summer being coupled to the first and second detectors and being responsive to the output signals of the first and second detectors, the summer generating an output signal corresponding to the sum of the output signals of the first and second detectors; and PA1 an analog processor/driver circuit, the analog processor/driver circuit being responsive to the output signal of the summer, the processor/driver circuit including a pulse modulator generating a pulsed signal and providing the pulsed signal to the Gunn driver, an amplifier receiving the output signal of the summer and generating an amplified signal in response thereto, a synchronized demodulator signal conditioner being responsive to the amplified signal and generating an output signal in response thereto, and an output stage responsive to the output signal from the synchronized modulator signal conditioner and generating an output signal in response thereto.
It is the purpose of the new millimeter wave (frequency greater than 30 GHz) active proximity sensor, herein disclosed, to provide short range (fraction of an inch to a few feet) sensing capability in a harsh environment, said capability not being presently available with known proximity sensors. The new features of the millimeter wave sensor are as follows:
An inductive type proximity sensor may be used in a harsh environment but it lacks in sensor range (0.6 inches max.). The inductive sensor is also known to detect only metallic objects and that an increase in target size will not produce an increase in sensing range. The disclosed millimeter wave proximity sensor of the present invention provides at least a 6 times increase in detection range, relative to an inductive sensor, and its sensing range increases with target size, as shown by the graph in FIG. 1. In addition, the millimeter wave proximity sensor can detect a variety of materials, including metals, dielectrics and various liquids.
Capacitive sensors have a greater range (1.6 inches max.) than an inductive sensor, as disclosed in The Basics of Inductive and Capacitive Proximity Presence Sensing, Eaton Corp. Milwaukee, Wis., but are unsuitable for harsh environments due to the very significant and unacceptable effect that a harsh environment has on the operating mechanism of a capacitive sensor. Photoelectric and ultrasonic sensors rely on a non-absorbing and non-dispersive medium between their respective transmitter and the object to be detected. Most harsh environments are absorptive and dispersive, and hence are unsuitable for an ultrasonic or photoelectric proximity sensor. By contrast, the harsh environments previously exemplified are essentially transparent to millimeter wave electromagnetic radiation and the millimeter wave proximity sensor of the present invention can function effectively in said environments to detect the presence or absence of an object.
Doppler based microwave or millimeter wave sensors are intended for far field detection rather than near field (short range) detection an object in motion and not for the detection of a stationary object. The Doppler type sensor is also not suitable for slow motion sensing due to detection sensitivity limitations incurred by the return signal being in a frequency region very close to the transmitter frequency. The signal frequency offset from the carrier decreases as the speed of the object in motion decreases.
The sensor operational range is in what is known as the near field region of the transmitter output. There is a known spatial non-uniformity of the electromagnetic field in this near field region as the output of the transmitter transitions from the transmitter output waveguide port to free space. The radiated wave is non-planar in the near field region. (It transitions to a plane wave in the far field.) Due to the non-uniform spatial field distribution, it is known that sensor detection nulls from an object will be experienced at some locations in the spatial range of the sensor. A unique feature of the disclosed proximity sensor is a means to alleviate these detection nulls.
A means for self frequency compensation with temperature. PA2 Elimination of the need for an output isolator that is conventionally required to prevent excessive frequency change, frequency discontinuity or performance drop out with changes in output load. PA2 Elimination of the need for a matching circuit between the output waveguide and the oscillator circuit. A matching circuit is conventionally used to ensure maximum output power to the load. PA2 Use of the Gunn oscillator output waveguide directly as a slot type antenna, thereby eliminating the need for an external antenna. PA2 Use of a Gunn oscillator waveguide circuit that has been reduced to an elemental form. The discrete circuit elements are a Gunn diode and a chip capacitor.
One of the objects of this invention is to provide a low power, low cost, millimeter wave (MMW) proximity sensor that provides over a 6:1 increase in minimum detection range (55 mm minimum) compared to standard 18 mm inductive proximity sensors. The design preferably includes a low cost MMW Gunn oscillator, MMW detector and analog processing/driver circuitry. The sensor is preferably designed for 3-wire operation and will fit in a standard 18 mm tube.
An initial cost analysis of the sensor assembly has been completed and results indicate that a manufactured cost of less than $100, in quantities of greater than 10,000, can be achieved.
The sensor provides approximately a 6:1 improvement in minimum detection range compared to 18 mm inductive sensors. For an 18 mm target, a standard 18 mm inductive sensor would provide 9 mm of sensing range as compared to the MMW sensor which will provide 55 mm of sensing range. An important difference between the MMW proximity sensor and conventional inductive sensor technology is that the sensing range of the present invention is a function of target size. Therefore, the sensing range of the proximity sensor of the present invention will be significantly greater for larger targets (i.e. >30:1 improvement for a 100 mm target).
A perspective view of the low cost, low power, MMW Gunn oscillator of the present invention is presented in FIG. 4. A simple monopole element is used as both the tuning circuit and interface between the Gunn diode and the output of the sensor. This greatly simplifies the circuit topology and therefore the assembly cost. This simple, robust circuit design results in a low manufactured cost and eliminates any need for circuit alignment. Two breadboarded oscillators both achieved 10 dBm output power at 35 GHz, thus meeting a 0 dBm nominal output power design goal. Excellent repeatability was observed from breadboard to breadboard.
A perspective view of the low cost MMW detector circuit of the present invention is shown in FIG. 5. The circuit was realized using a simple printed circuit and a low cost, commercially available, GaAs Schottky diode which was designed for pick and place type assembly. This resulted in an extremely simple, highly produceable, low cost circuit. Two breadboarded MMW detector circuits provided good sensitivity and very flat performance over the 30 to 37 GHz frequency range, thereby permitting a decrease in the oscillator frequency accuracy. Excellent repeatability was observed from breadboard to breadboard.
The MMW proximity sensor and a photoelectric sensor product manufactured by Eaton Corporation are similar from a functional point of view. Due to this similarity, the Eaton photoelectric ASIC was able to be used in the analog processing/driver circuitry of the present invention. This greatly reduces the circuit complexity and therefore reduces the manufactured cost. A breadboard of the analog processor/driver circuits was built and evaluated. Initial results looked excellent and the board met all design goals. A top plan view of the analog processor/driver board is presented in FIG. 6.
It has been determined from a review of the OSHA regulations for the sensor that the sensor meets all requirements for safe operation. Initial discussions with the FCC indicate that this frequency band is not currently regulated, but a site license may be required to track usage of this frequency band.
In accordance with one form of the invention, an electromagnetic wave, reflective type, active proximity sensor comprises:
A comprehensive description of the preferred form of the proximity sensor is presented in the following section, with reference to the drawings.

Electromagnetic wave reflective type, low cost, active proximity sensor for harsh environments


According to one embodiment, an oral appliance for maintaining stability of one or more aspects of a user's masticatory system includes a first arch adapted to receive at least some of the user's teeth and a second arch adapted to receive at least some of the user's teeth. The first arch includes an anterior substantially planar region located proximate a midline of the first arch. The second arch includes an anterior bearing platform located proximate a midline of the second arch, elongated in an anterior-posterior direction, and operable to contact the anterior substantially planar region of the first arch when the user bites down with the oral appliance inserted in the user's mouth and the user's temporomandibular joint in its proper natural position to help maintain stability of one or more aspects of the user's masticatory system.

Many people experience problems resulting from improper positioning of the temporomandibular joint and associated musculature. For example, grinding of teeth during sleep, a very common condition resulting from improper positioning of the joint and associated musculature, may lead to excessive wear of teeth, loose teeth, rotation or migration of teeth, cracked or broken teeth, headaches, pain or tenderness of the joint and associated musculature, popping or clicking of the joint, deterioration of the joint, or other problems associated with the masticatory system. As dental technology advances and people demand more effective treatment options, reducing or eliminating such problems becomes increasingly important.
Previous oral appliances for treating such problems include a single upper or lower arch customized to conform to a user's upper or lower teeth, respectively. In use, the single arch prevents the user's upper and lower teeth from grinding against one another during sleep. Although such oral appliances reduce or eliminate certain symptoms of grinding (e.g., excessive wear of the teeth), they typically do very little if anything to address the underlying physiological cause—improper positioning of the temporomandibular joint and associated musculature—and may even exacerbate the situation in some cases. Furthermore, natural physiological triggers based on the manner in which forces are applied to the teeth may affect the joint and associated musculature such that problems, such as deterioration of the joint, continue despite use of such oral appliances.
These effects may be minimized if oral appliances are carefully constructed such that all the opposing lower (or upper) teeth contact the upper (or lower) arch at the same time when the user bites down. However, this is often difficult and time-consuming even for highly skilled dentists or other clinical professionals. Moreover, the positions of the opposing lower (or upper) teeth may continue to shift in response to repeatedly contacting the upper (or lower) arch when the user bites down, which may necessitate adjustment or re-construction of the oral appliance such that all the opposing lower (or upper) teeth again contact the upper (or lower) arch at the same time when the user bites down. As this cycle perpetuates, additional instability and deterioration of the user's masticatory system may occur.
These and other deficiencies have made previous oral appliances inadequate for the needs of many users.

Oral appliance for maintaining stability of one or more aspects of a user's masticatory system


A method of bi-predictive Inter prediction mode using a uni-predictive motion vector and a second motion vector associated with a Merge candidate is disclosed. In the encoder side, the coded motion information for a uni-prediction motion vector for the current block is generated using a motion vector predictor selected from a motion vector prediction (MVP) candidate list. Furthermore, a Merge candidate with a second motion vector pointing to the other prediction direction is identified according to a Merge index. The uni-prediction motion vector and the second motion vector from the Merge candidate are used for bi-prediction encoding of the current block. In the decoder side, the corresponding decoding process is disclosed.

High-Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) is a new international video coding standard developed by the Joint Collaborative Team on Video Coding (JCT-VC). HEVC is based on the hybrid block-based motion-compensated DCT-like transform coding architecture. The basic unit for compression, termed coding unit (CU), is a 2N×2N square block. A CU may begin with a largest CU (LCU), which is also referred as coded tree unit (CTU) in HEVC and each CU can be recursively split into four smaller CUs until the predefined minimum size is reached. Once the splitting of CU hierarchical tree is done, each CU is further split into one or more prediction units (PUs) according to prediction type and PU partition.
To achieve the best coding efficiency of hybrid coding architecture in HEVC, a prediction mode is adaptively determined for each PU to select either Intra prediction or Inter prediction. For Intra prediction modes, the spatial neighboring reconstructed pixels can be used to generate the directional predictions. There are up to 35 directions in HEVC. For Inter prediction modes, the temporal reconstructed reference frames can be used to generate motion compensated predictions. There are three different Inter modes, including Skip, Merge and Inter Advanced Motion Vector Prediction (AMVP) modes.
When a PU is coded in Inter AMVP mode, motion-compensated prediction is performed using transmitted motion vector differences (MVDs) that can be used together with Motion Vector Predictors (MVPs) to derive motion vectors (MVs). To decide MVP in Inter AMVP mode, the advanced motion vector prediction (AMVP) scheme is used to select a motion vector predictor among an AMVP candidate set including two spatial MVPs and one temporal MVP. In AMVP mode, MVP index for the MVP and the corresponding MVDs are required to be encoded and transmitted. In addition, the Inter prediction direction to specify the prediction directions among bi-prediction and uni-prediction (i.e., list 0 (L0) or list 1 (L1)) is encoded and transmitted. Furthermore, the reference frame index for each list is also encoded and transmitted.
When a PU is coded in either Skip or Merge mode, no motion information is transmitted except the Merge index of the selected candidate. In the Skip and Merge modes, the MVD is zero and there is no need to transmit MVD. Accordingly, the decoded MV is recovered using motion inference methods (i.e., MV=MVP) since the MVD is equal to zero. The MVP may correspond to a spatially neighboring blocks (spatial candidates) or a temporal block (temporal candidate) located in a co-located picture. According to HEVC, the co-located picture is the first reference picture in list 0 or list 1 as signaled in the slice header. In the case of a Skip PU, the residual signal is also omitted. To determine the Merge index for the Skip and Merge modes, the Merge scheme is used to select a motion vector predictor among a Merge candidate set containing four spatial MVPs and one temporal MVP.
FIG. 1 shows the neighboring PUs referred to derive the spatial and temporal MVPs for both AMVP and Merge scheme. In AMVP, the spatial MVPs include a left MVP and a top MVP. The left MVP is the first available one from neighboring blocks blocks A0 and A1, and the top MVP is the first available one from neighboring blocks block B0, B1 and B2. On the other hand, the temporal MVP is the first available MV from co-located reference block TBR or TCTR, where TBR is used first and if TBR is not available, TCTR is used instead. If the left MVP is not available and the top MVP is a non-scaled MVP, a second top MVP can be derived if there is a scaled MVP among B0, B1, and B2. The list size of MVPs of AMVP is 2 in HEVC. Therefore, after the derivation process of the two spatial MVPs and one temporal MVP, only the first two MVPs can be included in the MVP list. After removing redundancy, if the number of available MVPs is less than two, zero vector candidate(s) is added to the candidates list.
For Skip and Merge modes, up to four spatial Merge indices are derived from A0, A1, B0 and B1, and one temporal Merge index is derived from TBR or TCTR as shown in FIG. 1. Note that if any of the four spatial Merge indices is not available, the position B2 is then used as a substitute position to derive Merge index. After the derivation process of the four spatial Merge indices and one temporal Merge index, removing redundancy is applied to remove any redundant Merge index. After removing redundancy, if the number of available Merge indices is smaller than five, three types of additional candidates can be derived and added to the candidates list.
Additional bi-predictive Merge candidates are derived based on original Merge candidates. The additional candidates are classified into three candidate types:                1. Combined bi-predictive Merge candidate (candidate type 1)        2. Scaled bi-predictive Merge candidate (candidate type 2)        3. Zero vector Merge/AMVP candidate (candidate type 3).
In candidate type 1, combined bi-predictive Merge candidates are created by combining original Merge candidate. In particular, two original candidates, which have mvL0 (i.e., the motion vector in list 0) with refIdxL0 (i.e., the reference picture index in list 0) and mvL1 (i.e., the motion vector in list 1) with refIdxL1 (i.e., the reference picture index in list 1) respectively, are used to created bi-predictive Merge candidates. An example of the derivation process of combined bi-predictive Merge candidate is shown in FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, where mvL0_A and mvL1_B are two uni-predictive Merge candidates. FIG. 2A illustrates an original Merge candidate list (210) and the Merge candidate list after adding a combined candidate (220), where the added Merge candidates are highlighted by dotted background. Also, Merge index 0 is assigned to uni-predictive Merge candidate, mvL0_A, Merge index 1 is assigned to uni-predictive Merge candidate, mvL1_B and Merge index 2 is assigned to the added bi-predictive Merge candidate, (mvL0_A, mvL1_B). Candidate mvL0_A points to reference picture ref0 in reference list L0 and candidate mvL1_B points to reference picture ref0 in reference list L1 as shown in FIG. 2B. The two uni-predictive Merge candidates are combined into one bi-predictive Merge candidate (230) as shown in FIG. 2B.
In candidate type 2, scaled bi-predictive Merge candidates are created by scaling original Merge candidate. In particular, the original candidate, which has motion vector, mvLX (i.e., the motion vector in list X) and associated reference picture refIdxLX (i.e., the reference picture index in list X), is used to generate bi-predictive Merge candidates, where X is equal to 0 or 1. For example, candidate A may have uni-predictive motion vector mvL0_A associated with reference picture ref0 in list 0. The reference index ref0 is firstly copied to reference index ref0′ in list 1. A scaled motion vector mvL0′_B is calculated by scaling mvL0_A with respect to ref0 and ref0′ according to distance of picture order count (POC). Bi-predictive Merge candidate is generated from mvL0_A with ref0 in list 0 and mvL0′_B with ref0′ in list 1. The generated scaled bi-predictive Merge candidate is added into Merge candidate list. An example of the derivation process of scaled bi-predictive Merge candidate is shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, where mvL0_A and mvL1_B are two uni-predictive Merge candidates. FIG. 3A illustrates an original Merge candidate list (310) and the Merge candidate list after adding scaled candidates (320), where the added Merge candidates are highlighted by dotted background. Merge index 2 is assigned to scaled bi-predictive Merge candidate, ((mvL0_A, ref0), (mvL0′_B,ref0′)). Merge index 3 is assigned to scaled bi-predictive Merge candidate, ((mvL1′_A, ref1′), (mvL1_B,ref1)). The two scaled bi-predictive Merge candidates are shown in FIG. 3B.
In candidate type 3, zero vector Merge/AMVP candidates are created by combining zero vectors and reference index that can be referred. FIG. 4A shows an example of adding zero-valued Merge candidates to the original Merge candidate list (410) to form a filled Merge candidate list (420). FIG. 4B shows an example of adding zero-valued AMVP candidates to original AMVP candidate lists (430) to form filled AMVP candidate lists (440). If zero-valued candidates are not duplicated, it is added to Merge/AMVP candidate set.
As mentioned above, bi-prediction can be derived from uni-prediction motion vector(s) by combining the uni-prediction motion vectors or scaling the uni-prediction motion vector(s). It is desirable to further improve the coding efficiency for the case of uni-prediction.

Method of bi-prediction video coding based on motion vectors from uni-prediction and merge candidate


The present invention provides a medal game machine that makes it possible, for a medal to move forward with good directionality, thus increasing the playability of an aiming game. The configuration is such that a medal (14) fired from a shooting device (16) is used to shoot at a target. The shooting device (16) comprises a shooting section (24) that loads the medal (14) in a vertical orientation and a push-out means (30) that pushes out and fires the medal (14) loaded into the shooting section (24) A pressing roller (40) that presses against the upper portion of the medal (14) that is loaded into the shooting section (24) is provided in the shooting section (24) so that, when the medal (14) is being pushed out by the push-out means (30), it is shot out escaping from the pressing roller (40).

The present invention relates to a medal game machine and, in particular, to a medal game machine in which medals are used to shoot at targets.
A known generic type of game machine is a medal game machine in which medals are used.
An example of such a medal game machine is one which makes it possible to play a pusher game in which medals jostle on a game field and medals fall.
In such a medal game machine, the configuration is such that medals that are made to move along rails provided on a slope are sent into the game field.
However, simply sending in medals by using rails raises problems in that there is no directionality to the medals so the game relies on pure luck, nothing happens but medals enter the game field, and the game is not very interesting, which all detract from the playability of the game.
An objective of the present invention is to provide a medal game machine that makes it possible for a medal to move forward with good directionality, thus increasing the playability of an aiming game.
In order to achieve the above objective, a medal game machine in accordance with the present invention relates to a medal game machine that uses medals fired from a shooting device to shoot at a target,
(1) wherein the shooting device comprises a shooting section which loads a medal in a vertical orientation and a shooting means which shoots a medal that has been loaded into the shooting section,
wherein the shooting section is provided with positioning means which positions a medal that has been loaded into the shooting section, when the medal is being shot by the shooting means, and
wherein the medal is shot past the positioning means.
This aspect of the present invention makes it possible to position a medal by the positioning means, when a medal that has been loaded in a vertical orientation into the shooting section is to be shot by the shooting means provided in the shooting device, so that the medal can be shot past that positioning means and can be made to move forward with directionality, like a bullet, which makes it possible to aim at targets and thus make it possible to enjoy aiming at targets within the medal game and also increase the playability of the game.
The positioning of the medal by the positioning means also comprises control such that the medal loaded into the shooting section is not spurred out passing the shooting section.
In addition, making it possible to aim medals in this manner ensures that it becomes possible to enjoy aiming at targets with various different medal game machines.
(2) Another medal game machine in accordance with the present invention relates to a medal game machine that uses medals fired from a shooting device to shoot at a target,
wherein the shooting device comprises a shooting section which loads a medal in a vertical orientation and a push-out means which pushes out and shoots a medal that has been loaded into the shooting section,
wherein the shooting section is provided with pressing means which presses against an upper portion or a lower portion of a medal that has been loaded into the shooting section, when the medal is being pushed out by the push-out means, and
wherein the medal is shot past the pressing means.
When a medal that has been loaded into the shooting section is being pushed out by the push-out means provided in the shooting device, this aspect of the present invention makes it possible to impart a sufficiently large rotational force to the medal that is being shot past the pressing means by pressing with the pressing means against the upper portion or lower portion of the medal loaded in the shooting section in a state in which it absorbs the pushing force of the push-out means, so that the medal can be made to move forward with directionality, like a bullet, which makes it possible to aim at targets and thus make it possible to enjoy aiming at targets within the medal game and also increase the playability of the game.
In addition, making it possible to aim medals in this manner ensures that it becomes possible to enjoy aiming at targets with various different medal game machines.
(3) In such a case, the pressing means may be provided at an upper part of the shooting section, and
a sliding-prevention means for preventing the medal from sliding may be provided at a lower part of the shooting section.
This configuration makes it possible to impart a rotational drive to the medal, by preventing sliding of the lower portion of the medal by the sliding-prevention means provided at a lower part of the shooting section and by shooting the medal past the pressing means provided at an upper part thereof, thus increasing the straight running characteristic thereof.
(4) Alternatively, the pressing means may be provided at a lower part of the shooting section, and
a sliding means for allowing the medal to slide may be provided at an upper part of the shooting section.
This configuration makes it possible impart a rotational drive to the medal, by allowing the upper portion of the medal to slip by the sliding means provided at an upper part of the shooting section while shooting the medal past the pressing means provided at a lower part thereof, thus increasing the straight running characteristic thereof.
(5) In addition, the pressing means may be a pressing roller that is energized in a medal-pressing direction by a spring.
This configuration makes it possible to further increase the rotational force and straight running characteristic of a medal that has gone over the pressing roller and been pushed forward by the spring that energizes the pressing roller.
(6) Further, an attachment position of the spring may be adjustable so as to adjust the pressing force of the pressing roller.
This makes it possible to adjust the speed at which the medal is shot out by adjusting the pressing force of the pressing roller.
(7) In the present invention, the shooting section may be provided with a small-diameter medal ejection means that ejects a small-diameter medal, which is smaller than an-outer diameter of an authorized medal, to an exterior from the shooting section before the small-diameter medal is shot, when a supplied medal is the small-diameter medal.
This configuration makes it possible to reliably avoid the use of medals- that are of a smaller diameter than authorized medals, by ejecting such small-diameter medals to the exterior by the small-diameter medal ejection means provided in the shooting section, thus reliably preventing the deliberate use of small-diameter medals.
(8) In such a case, the small-diameter medal ejection means may include a small-diameter medal ejection hole formed in one side surface of the shooting section and an ejection member provided on another side surface at a position corresponding to the small-diameter medal ejection hole, for pushing a side surface of a small-diameter medal towards the small-diameter medal ejection hole.
This makes it possible to reliably eject small-diameter medals to the exterior, by pushing small-diameter medals out by the ejection member to the ejection hole, and also enables a simple structure and a reduction in cost.
(9) Furthermore in such a case, the small-diameter medal ejection means may have an aperture height adjustment means which adjusts an aperture height of the small-diameter medal ejection hole.
This makes it possible to set the size of small-diameter medals that are to be ejected in accordance with the size of authorized medals, in a simple and reliable manner, by adjusting the aperture height of the small-diameter medal ejection hole by the aperture height adjustment means.
(10) In the present invention, the shooting device may comprise a medal insertion section for loading medals into the shooting section, a large-diameter medal rejection means which rejects a large-diameter medal that is larger than an outer diameter of an authorized medal may be provided in the medal insertion section, and the large-diameter medal rejection means may adjust a size of a medal to be rejected according to a size of an authorized medal.
This configuration makes it possible to reliably reject any large-diameter medal that is larger than an authorized medal, by the large-diameter medal rejection means provided in the medal insertion section, so that deliberate use of large diameter medals can be prevented reliably. Moreover, it makes it possible to correspond with the size of authorized medals in a reliable manner by adjusting the large-diameter medal rejection means. This facilitates the use of various different medals of different sizes in various different stores in which medal game machines are installed.
(11) In accordance with the present invention, the medal game machine may further comprise:
a reflective plate disposed in an inclined state in front of the shooting device, for reflecting and displaying an image of a display on which is shown a target;
a medal running surface disposed below the reflective plate, enabling medals to pass under the reflective plate;
detection means disposed on the rear side of the reflective plate and above the medal running surface, and detecting the position through which a medal passes; and
a result determination section which determines whether or not the position through which the medal passes matches the position of the target.
This configuration makes it possible to determine whether or not the medal hits the target by using the result determination means to determine a state in which the position at which a medal passes is at a position of a target, by shooting a medal that is aimed at a target displayed on the reflective plate, having the medal pass under the reflective plate while running on the medal running surface, then ensuring that the position at which it passes is detected by the detection means, thus creating a game that is interesting as a target game.
(12) In the present invention, the reflective plate may be a half-mirror so that a running state of a medal after passing the half-mirror is visible.
With this configuration, the running state of each medal after it has passed the half-mirror can be seen, making it possible to impart an realistic image of a medal striking a target in a virtual space, thus increasing the playability of the game.


A brazing fixture apparatus is disclosed for holding a heat exchanger core during a brazing operation. The fixture includes a generally rectangular frame including a contact member disposed on one side of the frame and a single lever extending axially along the length of the frame. The lever pivots from a first position to allow placement of the core onto the frame to a second position, in response to gravity, such that in the second position, the lever applies a constant compressive force on the core to hold the core together during the brazing operation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a brazing fixture for receiving an article to be brazed. More particularly, the present invention relates to a brazing fixture for receiving heat exchanger cores therein.
2. Background Information
Typical heat exchanger cores are manufactured by assembling a plurality of tubes interleaved with fins between a pair of side support members. The core is precompressed by tightening a steel band around the core before brazing. The core assembly is then inserted into a furnace and heated until it brazes together. Following the brazing process, the steel band is cut off and discarded.
During the brazing process, the core shrinks and the steel band becomes loose, no longer applying the necessary compressive force to hold the core together during brazing. This can result in deleterious effects upon the heat exchanger core. Moreover, the process of securing the steel band around the core prior to brazing, removing the band after brazing, and scrapping it is a labor and material intensive process resulting in large amounts of scrap material. It would be advantageous to provide a brazing process to eliminate the steel banding of the heat exchanger core.


An apparatus for generating 3-dimensional (3D) volume mask model and a method therefor. The apparatus includes a 2D mask data collector, a 3D mask model generator, and a 3D mask model adjuster, whereby 2D mask data is generated from a 2D mask image designed by a user, a 2D mask mesh is created based on inner and outer contour feature points, a 2D mask is transformed into a 3D model according to the user's settings, and the generated 3D mask model is modified to fit on a facial shape of a person who will wear the mask, and a 3D mask volume model is generated, which is immediately printed by a 3D printer to produce a 3D mask.

1. Field
The following description relates to an apparatus for generating 3-dimensional (3D) volume mask model and a method therefor, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for generating 3D volume mask model for producing a customized facial mask model, for which a 3D mask model is generated based on a 2D mask image designed by a user for a mask having a part that is located beyond a surface area of a face and the 3D mask model is modified to fit on a generated 3D face model.
2. Description of Related Art
Facial masks began to be widely used in ancient times for camouflage or for protection purpose in the event of war, hunting, etc., or used to express various subjects of beliefs in religious events, such as rituals and prayers. In addition, with the development of civilization, masks were utilized as tools for expressing the artistic sensibility in concerts or festivals. For the Korean mask performance, "talnolyi," (a mask is called "tal" in Korean language), various masks have been used to portray roles of each character, and masks with various expressions for describing delicate looks have been developed and inherited.
Recently, the use of masks has been increasing in performances, such as plays, musical plays, etc. Some large-scale shows, such as Cirque du Soleil, have moved away from the conventional ways of revealing the plot through the characters' lines, but convey intended meanings through state-of-the-art media production and mime performances. In such shows, personality and identity of each character are expressed by the makeup, and the characters' emotions are delivered to the audience by emphasizing the role in the play. In addition, the colorful makeup does not only serve as a tool of communication in the show, but also increases the aesthetic value of the show.
In particular, in a large-scale show having many characters, some performers may need to play multiple characters, for which they replace makeup masks that are prepared for different roles. The making process of the makeup masks requires sophisticated work. From a performance planning, masks need to be designed by taking into consideration the performance background and characteristics of each character, and to be tailored to the performers who wear the masks.
However, the mask making process is not simple, and it is time and cost consuming to take into account the personal appearance of each performer, such as the height of the nose, the distance between the eyes, and the forehead area. For these reasons, the masks are generally made in standard sizes consisting of, for example, large, medium, and small, and the performers wear masks that fit properly to their faces.
The masks with a portion that is located beyond the surface area of a face, such as some traditional masks or character masks (e.g., a batman mask), cannot be easily created by simply modifying a 3D scanned face model, and hence an effective making method may be required.
Increasing use of 3D scanners and 3D printers provides a suitable environment for making a customized 3D makeup mask.
A 3D scanned face model may be acquired from a 3D scanner, and a mask that fits on the scanned face may be made based on said face model. A 3D mask with a final appearance is output by a 3D printer and then additional makeup is painted on the output 3D mask to complete a makeup mask. However, although the environment for mask making has been prepared, dealing with 3D modeling tools and model transformation for 3D printer printing may be difficult tasks to ordinary users who lack the relevant experiences especially when creating a mask model whose appearance does not fit on the 3D scanned face model or the user's face and which has a portion that is located beyond a surface area of the face, and hence, a need for tools for customized 3D mask which facilitate the making of makeup masks or character masks based on the underlying environment is increasing.

Apparatus for generating 3D volume mask model and method therefor

ELECTRONICS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH INSTITUTE


A multimedia control method, which includes following parts. A first program preview request for a specified program channel is received from a set-top box. Multiple video clips are acquired according to the first program preview request and the multiple video clips are divided into at least a first video clip group and a second video clip group with sequence number. A first multicast channel is set for the first video clip group, and a second multicast channel is set for the second video clip group. The first video clip group is sent to the set-top box using the first multicast channel, and the second video clip group is sent to the set-top box using the second multicast channel.

Video On Demand (VOD) technology has been widely used to flexibly provide clients (e.g., TV) with multimedia programs which are pre-stored in a VOD sever. The VOD server may be connected with a client through one unicast link and provides one or more prepared multimedia programs to the client according to a request from the client. In other words, the VOD server needs to respectively establish a unicast link with each client, which occupies huge network bandwidth.
Furthermore, in a traditional user interface of VOD service, preview information is rendered on the client in the form of static images, which are not informative.

NANNING FUGUI PRECISION INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.


A crystalline polymer composition comprising 100 parts by weight of a crystalline polymer and 0.005 to 5 parts by weight of a compound represented by formula (I): ##STR1##. wherein R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 each independently represent an alkyl group having 1 to 9 carbon atoms; R.sub.3 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms; and M represents an alkali metal,. the compound having a chlorine content of 500 ppm or less.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a crystalline polymer composition and more particularly to a crystalline polymer composition containing 100 parts by weight of a crystalline polymer and 0.005 to 5 parts by weight of a compound represented by formula (I) hereinafter described having a chlorine content of 500 ppm or less.
2. Description of the Related Art
Crystalline polymers, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutene-1, polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, and polyamide, are slow in crystallization after heat molding and therefore have a low molding efficiency and need mold cooling. Further, they undergo mold shrinkage on crystallization. Furthermore, moldings of these crystalline polymers tend to have insufficient strength or poor transparency due to large crystals formed.
It is known that all these drawbacks are attributed to the crystallinity of the polymers and could be eliminated by increasing the crystallizing temperature of the polymers so as to produce fine crystals rapidly.
Addition of a nucleating agent or a nucleation accelerator is known effective for this purpose. Conventionally used nucleating agents or nucleation accelerators include carboxylic acid metal salts, such as aluminum 4-t-butylbenzoate and sodium adipate, acid phosphoric esters, such as sodium bis(4-t-butylphenyl)phosphate and sodium 2,2'-methylenebis(4,6-di-t-butylphenyl)phosphate, and polyhydric alcohol derivatives, such as dibenzylidene sorbitol and bis(methylbenzylidene) sorbitol.
Of these known compounds, metal salts of a cyclic phosphate of an alkylidenebisphenol disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 1736/83 and 184252/84, etc. are particularly effective and have been used widely. However, their effects are still sometimes insufficient, and cases are met with in which an alkali metal chloride is dissolved out in the polymer to cause surface roughness or voids, which are problematical in the practice.