A test stand for cylinder head components of an internal combustion engine includes at least one combustion or pressure chamber. The test stand supplies a hydraulic fluid to the chamber, and controls the pressure of the hydraulic fluid to simulate pressure cycles in the chamber. The test stand controls the pressure with at least one source of high-pressure hydraulic fluid, the high-pressure being at an adjustable and constant level, at least one solenoid valve per chamber, receiving hydraulic fluid from the high-pressure source, and automatically drives each solenoid valve as a function of the pressure in the chamber and a set-point pressure, so that each solenoid valve feeds this chamber with hydraulic fluid the pressure of which is controlled at any time by the solenoid valve and simulates predetermined pressure cycles as a function of time.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a test stand for a cylinder head of an internal combustion engine or for any part located in its immediate environment, such as a cylinder head gasket, fastening screw, etc., said engine comprising at least one combustion or pressure chamber. More particularly, it relates to such a stand for cylinder head components comprising at least means for supplying a hydraulic fluid to the combustion or pressure chamber, and means for controlling the pressure of this fluid so as to simulate pressure cycles in the combustion or pressure chamber.
These test stands are designed to accommodate either an engine cylinder head alone or a cylinder head mounted on its engine block. Pressurized hydraulic fluid is introduced into the combustion or pressure chambers, while a heat-transfer fluid is made to flow in the cooling pipes of the cylinder head with or without a block in order to keep it at a predetermined operating temperature. The means for controlling the pressure of the hydraulic fluid are designed to vary this pressure cyclically so as to simulate the operating cycles of the engine.
The operating conditions of the engine both with regard to the temperature in one or more water chambers and to the pressure in the combustion or pressure chamber are therefore reproduced by means of such a test stand. It is thus possible to study its behavior under thermal and mechanical stresses and its fatigue resistance, and consequently to optimize its design with regard to its layout and to the alloys used, the molding and machining methods or the heat treatments carried out.
Furthermore, such test stands may be used to study the behavior of some parts in the immediate environment of the cylinder head, such as the cylinder head gasket, fastening screws, etc.
2. Description of Related Art
A test stand of the type summarized above is known through document EP-A-0 415 857.
In that document, the means for controlling the pressure of the hydraulic fluid in the combustion or pressure chambers consist of injection pumps, the pistons of which are set in motion by cams rotated by an electric motor. The profile of a pressure cycle is therefore mainly determined by the shape of the cams.
In general, such a device is satisfactory. It is however relatively limited because the pressure cycles are produced in a purely mechanical manner.
In the first place, the duration of each cycle cannot be reduced as much as would be desirable in order to simulate engine speeds which are constantly tending to increase.
The design of current test stands also has limitations with regard to the maximum pressure to be reached. Now the maximum pressures in the combustion chambers are tending to increase for diesel engines.
Finally, the profile of the operating cycle is fixed by the shape of the cams. Therefore it cannot be adjusted with great accuracy, or easily modified.
Furthermore, maintenance of the stand is relatively expensive since it requires changing the camshaft, generally after several hundred hours of operation. This is because the cams wear rapidly with time, and their profile changes, thus impairing the regularity of the operating cycles.
The present invention aims to alleviate these drawbacks.
More specifically, the aim of the invention is to provide a stand for testing fatigue in cylinder heads alone or in cylinder heads mounted on an engine block, which makes it possible to reproduce more faithfully the pressure cycles on a cylinder head of an internal combustion engine at the operating temperature of the cooling circuit.
The aim of the invention is also to provide such a test stand which can reach higher operating frequencies and pressures.
The aim of the invention is also to provide such a test stand, the maintenance of which is easier and less expensive than that of existing test stands.

Test stand for internal combustion engine


Organofunctional silanes are applied to metal surfaces using an oil bath. Metal is immersed in an oil bath containing approximately 2% silane and an oil dispersible hygroscopic liquid, such as glycerol. In one embodiment, the metal is a tire cord. Water vapor entrained in a carrier gas can also be bubbled into the oil silane bath.

Silanes are applied to metal surfaces for several purposes including corrosion resistance and adhesion promotion. As an example, steel tire cord must adhere to the rubber in order to function properly. Steel does not bond well to rubber. To improve adhesion, the steel tire cord has been coated with a layer of brass. During the vulcanization process, the rubber forms a chemical bond with the brass. This rubber/metal bond is formed only with sulfur vulcanized rubber which requires a relatively high sulfur level, greater than 4 phr, as well as certain accelerators, i.e., a delayed action sulfonamide and cobalt in the form of cobalt naphthenate to achieve proper cure and good adhesion, as well as zinc oxide. The cobalt improves the stability of the rubber-brass bond. However, it also has a negative effect on the stability of the rubber network in that it accelerates reversion in the presence of oxygen at elevated temperatures. The increased sulfur and cobalt are believed to be necessary in order to achieve a satisfactory bond between the tire cord and the rubber.
It has been proposed to treat tire cord with various silane compositions in order to improve adhesion. This is disclosed, for example, in van Ooij U.S. Pat. No. 6,416,869; U.S. Pat. No. 6,756,079; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,919,469. The processes disclosed in these patents have various issues. One issue is the efficient application of the silane onto the tire cord. Some of these applications require that the silane be baked onto the tire cord for adequate adhesion.
Pending application Ser. No. 11/366,235, entitled "Method of Applying Silane Coating in Metal Compositions", filed Mar. 2, 2006, and published Mar. 15, 2007, discloses an improved method of applying silanes to tire cords. The disclosure of this is hereby incorporated by reference. The present invention is intended to improve on the methods disclosed in this application.

Method of applying silanes to metal in an oil bath containing a controlled amount of water


A gel sealing device includes a gel sealing block (5) which provides a sealing section (22) through which the elongate parts (13, 14) extend. The gel sealing block (5) includes an upper flange (11) and a lower flange (12) with a support section (11a, 12a, 12b) disposed therebetween. The upper and lower flanges (11, 12) sandwiches, in direction of extension of the elongate parts (13, 14), a gel inner ring (7) supported by said support section (2) and a gel outer ring (6, 10a) covering the gel inner ring (7) in a radial direction extending transverse to said extension direction. The gel inner ring (7) and the gel outer ring (6, 10a) are made of a gel sealing material.

The present invention relates to a gel sealing device for sealing a passage of elongate parts through an opening. The gel sealing device provides a sealing section through which the elongate parts extends, wherein the gel sealing device comprises a gel sealing block having an upper flange and a lower flange with a support section disposed therebetween for supporting a gel ring sandwiched between the flanges in direction of extension of the elongate parts and which forms the sealing section.
Such a gel sealing device is e.g. known from WO 2005/027290 A1, which finds particular application in the field of telecommunications technology to which the present invention also preferably relates.
The known gel sealing device is accommodated in a lower housing body which is connectable to an upper housing body which forms a cable organizing area and is provided with a foldable gel ring comprising two semicircular gel ring segments which abut against each other in a radial inner area of the gel sealing device to form a common sealing section therebetween through which a plurality of cables extends. Conventionally, the plurality of cables comprises at least one cable from a provider site and at least one cable ranging to a customer site, e.g. a dwelling unit, wherein said provider cable and said customer cable are spliced within the organising area provided in an area of the upper housing body in which the splicing is sealed against environmental influences. The provider cable denoting a main cable may comprise one or more signal transmitting elements, such as an optical fibre element or a metal wire element, which is at last surrounded by an outer jacket protecting said element. The customer cable normally comprises an optical fibre element or a metal wire element to be spliced with the assigned element of the main cable in the organizing area of the upper housing body, wherein said optical fibre element or metal wire element is also protected by an outer jacket or a tube as e.g. used in blown fibre application.
Normally, the housing and the gel sealing device are accessed during its lifetime for several times in order to install individually, further cables at different times. Thereby, the sealing section through which the cables extend, needs to be made accessible for introducing therein, the further cables to be installed. By the accessing of the sealing section, all cables extending therethrough are exposed accessibly. Accordingly, during installation of further cables, particular attention is demanded for the cables already installed and extending through the gel sealing device to prevent damage or the like of said cables.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A bicycle carrying system includes a first bicycle wheel mount device, a second bicycle wheel mount device, and one or more straps. The first bicycle wheel mount device couples on a vehicle bumper at a first location on the vehicle bumper. The second bicycle wheel mount device couples on a vehicle bumper at a second location on the vehicle bumper. The straps secure a frame of the bicycle to the vehicle.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention generally relate to apparatus and methods for personal transportation. More particularly, embodiments of the invention relate to apparatus and method for carrying bicycles on vehicles.
2. Description of Related Art
Vehicle carrier racks are typically mounted on the exterior of a motor vehicle to support bicycles, skis, surf boards, kayaks, etc., above the ground. In a typical installation, these racks are permanently attached to the motor vehicle and are constructed of rigid frame members having arms extending horizontally for supporting objects such as bicycles. However, there are problems associated with such racks associated with their weight, inflexible structure, difficulty of movement and/or adjustment, immobility, complexity of construction and/or assembly, proliferation of straps, an impairment of access to the vehicle.


A clarified neem oil having a cloud point below 13.degree. C. exhibits reduced phytotoxicity. Treatment of crude neem oil with a dilute aqueous basic solution or with an enzyme having lipid-degrading activity yields a clarified neem oil having acceptably low phytotoxicity. The methods are advantageous because they reduce or eliminate the waste stream of waxy by-product generated using existing methods for clarifying crude neem oil.

The neem tree, a tropical evergreen, has been used for centuries as a source of pesticides to which insects have not developed a resistance. Various neem seed extracts, particularly the ones containing the hydrophilic, tetranortriterpenoid azadirachtin, are known to influence the feeding behavior, metamorphosis (insect growth regulating [IGR] effect), fecundity, and fitness of numerous insect species belonging to various orders.
Neem oil, containing azadirachtin, may be mechanically pressed from neem seeds in the cold by using oil presses or may be extracted using alcohols or other solvents using a Soxhlet apparatus. Small amounts of neem oil can be obtained by kneading neem seed powder by hand after adding some water (Schmutterer & Helip 1988). Thus the term `neem oil` has been used to describe a variety of materials containing a mixture of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic extractables. The variety of extraction methods and resultant variety in composition of neem oil has led to great confusion as to the true properties of "neem oil." Khan and Wassilew (1986) tested the effect of their "neem oil" (prepared by aqueous extraction of neem kernels) on 14 common fungi, including Trichophytonrubrum, T. violaceus, T. concentrichus, T. mentagrophytes, Epidermophyton floccosum, Miersporum citaneum, Scrophulariopsis brevicaulis, Geotrichum candidum and Fusarium sp and found that it did not inhibit fungal growth and, in fact, the neem oil itself actually contained several species of growing fungi. Yet an anonymous article (Anon. 1986) reported that "10% Neem oil diluted from its emulsifiable concentrate formulation" completely inhibited several species of fungi such as Aspergillus niger, Fusarium moniliforme, Macrophomina phaseolina and Drechslera rostrata. However, the specific details of this formulation were not provided.
Kahn et al. (1986) report that neem oil (source unidentified) showed no inhibitory affect on the growth of a variety of fungi. In fact, it is reported that the neem oil was contaminated with molds including Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus. Similarly, Sharma et al. (1986) report that 3-5% neem seed oils (no method of preparation given) had no effect on the control of pod borer Heliothis armigera on chickpea, in Gujar et al. (1985) report that neem seed oil (no method of preparation given) had no effect on the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria.
Contrary to this, it has been reported that neem oil formulations prepared by expressing oil from the seeds or by extracting with aqueous solvents are effective insecticides and fungicides. It is reported that 10% neem oil (preparation unidentified) (Anon 1986) inhibited the growth of certain fungi in vitro. Dryer (1986) discloses that neem oil obtained by hand pressing in the cold was similar in the control of phytophagous arthropods to aqueous extracts; expeller-pressed oil was much less active.
Similarly, there are discrepancies in the literature as to the use of neem oil to control insects. Schmutterer and Hallpap (1986) showed that aqueous neem seed extracts are significantly superior to neem oil in repelling leaf mites (Scrobipalpa ergasina), leaf roller (Phycita melogenu) and leaf hopper (Jacobiella faciaina). Mansour et al. (1986) report that the pentane extract of neem seeds was much more effective at controlling the spider mite Tetranychus cinnabarinus than were ethanol or methanol extracts, but surprisingly, the pentane extract was less effective at controlling the mite, Phytoseiulus persimilis than were the ethanol or methanol extracts.
Yamasaki et al. showed that the tetranortriterpenoid salannin can be isolated from crude plant extracts, obtained from indian neem seeds which are known to be high in salannin content, using hexane. The biological activity of the salannin extract is reported to be feeding deterrency and growth inhibition when applied to chewing insects such as beetles and caterpillars.
Crude neem oil is not shelf-stable and can lose biocontrol activity. A solvent extraction method of U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,708, incorporated herein by reference, can be used to remove stability-reducing components from crude neem oil. This solvent-extraction method has the effect of reducing the cloud point of the crude neem oil, and increasing the shelf stability of the clarified product. However, the method requires a solvent-stripping step and an oil-fractionating step wherein certain waxes and fatty acids therein solidify and are filtered out. Moreover, the method significantly reduces the input neem oil volume and thereby creates a waste product stream that must be disposed of at significant expense to producers or consumers. According to the patent, when 35 pounds of crude neem oil were clarified by solvent extraction, 30 pounds of clarified oil and five pounds of neem wax were produced. Although both the clarified oil and the wax fractions are active, the clarified oil fraction is more effective for foliar applications, since the wax fraction exhibits higher phytotoxicity. Thus the wax fraction may find its most suitable use in formulations applied to dormant plants or non-plant material.
It would be desirable in the art, for both economic and other practical reasons, to produce a clarified neem oil having high shelf stability and low foliar phytotoxicity while minimizing the production of a neem wax byproduct.

Reduced-cloud-point clarified neem oil and methods of producing


Polymerizable liquid-crystalline siloxanes of a defined composition which are distinguished by low viscosity and pronounced thermochromic properties. The liquid-crystalline siloxanes of the present invention are used for the production of membranes in the optical display of electromagnetic field, opto-electronics, information storage and in particular in the production of optical filters and reflectors.

Polymerizable, liquid-crystalline polysiloxanes and processes for their preparation are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,388,453 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,211,877. However, on polymerization the polysiloxanes described therein form polymers which are three-dimensionally crosslinked and are therefore brittle and fracture easily. Furthermore, the polysiloxanes described therein have high viscosity, i.e., can only be processed at elevated temperatures, which in turn can result in premature partial polymerization of the materials. At lower temperatures, the establishment of equilibrium states, such as alignment, is hindered by the high viscosity.
Owing to the preparation processes described therein, the oligomeric and polymeric compounds described are not defined homogeneous compounds, but instead are always statistical mixtures of siloxanes having different substitution patterns. This can result in nonhomogeneous or heterogeneous phases, which cannot be used for optical applications. Furthermore, these mixtures generally cannot be polymerized fully, since non-polymerizable siloxanes are present in various amounts. These mixtures generally cannot be crystallized, which makes simple purification of the siloxanes more difficult.
The known polymerizable liquid-crystalline polysiloxanes, if they have a cholesteric phase, have only low temperature dependence of the color of the cholesteric reflection within the temperature range available for processing, i.e., they exhibit only weak thermochromic properties. For use in photolithographically structurable filters, however, pronounced thermochromic properties are an absolute necessity.
Polymerizable polysiloxanes containing mesogenic groups are also disclosed in EP-A-471 277. However, the monomeric siloxanes described therein usually only form crystalline or liquid phases. Only in a few cases are highly ordered liquid-crystalline phases obtained. However, highly ordered liquid-crystalline phases are distinguished by high viscosity and can therefore only be processed in solution or the melt with loss of their liquid-crystalline property and/or at high temperatures, which can result in premature polymerization of the materials. Furthermore, highly ordered phases cannot be applied and aligned by simple methods such as knife coating or spin coating. In addition, highly ordered phases do not have colored reflection and therefore do not have thermochromic properties either.

Consortium fur elektrochemische Industrie GmbH


A method and system using one or more load cells coordinates load testing of one or more sites under test over a network such as the Internet in accordance with one or more load test requests. In one embodiment, such method and system facilitates an economic, efficient, and accurate evaluation of the capacity of the SUTs to support concurrent users of the SUTs. A load test request is received from a User and provides information concerning a load test to be performed on a site under test (SUT). A load test is generated, and the load test is allocated to one or more load cells. The load cells perform the load test by sending load test data to the SUT and receiving responses from the SUT. Portions of a load test may be allocated to different load cells, which may be geographically remote from the SUT and/or geographically diverse. Multiple concurrent pending load tests may be processed for the same SUT. A load cell may concurrently perform all or a portion of multiple different load tests for multiple different SUT""s simultaneously. A reporting function generates a report based on the responses received from the SUT. The reporting function may in addition or alternatively allow the User to view real-time results during load test execution.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to computerized load testing and more particularly to a method and system for coordinating load testing of one or more sites under test over a network.
2. Description of the Related Art
Networks, such as the Internet, Intranets, and Extranets are fundamentally changing the way people and businesses communicate and transact with one another. The incredible growth of this new communications medium is well documented and many new applications are being invented at a phenomenal pace. The Internet is now used to provide informational Web-sites (e.g., drkoop.com(trademark)), portals/meta-sites (e.g., Yahoo!(trademark)), on-line auctions (e.g., ebay.com(trademark)), and collaborative communities (e.g., geocities.com(trademark)), and others. Traditional xe2x80x9cbrick and mortarxe2x80x9d businesses are moving on-line as well, providing such products and services as electronic commerce sites (e.g., amazon.com(trademark)), on-line stock trading (e.g., schwab.com(trademark)), and banking (e.g., citibank.com(trademark)). Ubiquitous corporate Intranets and Extranets utilizing Internet technologies provide similar applications and services to an internal or limited group of individuals and/or partners.
In a network environment, multiple users of client systems xe2x80x9cloadxe2x80x9d a host system by concurrently accessing the host system and placing various computing and communication demands on the host system. The ability to accept multiple concurrent accesses and accurately respond to the communication demands in a timely manner provide two key host system performance parameters. The dramatic success and continued growth of the Internet and the applications being built upon it have resulted in a substantial and increasing number of users accessing Web application host sites and, thus, an increase in the loads experienced by such sites. Thus, one of the key challenges facing Internet system hardware architects and application builders is how to design, build, and test a Web site to scale to meet ever growing user xe2x80x9cloadxe2x80x9d while maintaining satisfactory host system performance parameters.
The scalability of a host system, such as a Web application host site, is generally defined by two parameters: the maximum load achievable while maintaining: (1) host system reliability; and (2) acceptable host system response times. It can be quite straightforward to build a simple e-Commerce Web site to market or sell a product, but it is quite another to do so in a scalable, high-performance, reliable fashion. Several highly-publicized problems have been recently documented at leading Web sites. In fact, the Newport Group, a Massachusetts-based research company, currently estimates that 52 percent of all Web applications fail to scalexe2x80x94meaning they don""t perform acceptably under real-world usage increases.
Although host systems have been designed and implemented for many years, effectively, efficiently, and economically determining host system scalability has proved generally elusive. Several factors associated with Internet host systems contribute to making scalability an elusive, ever changing goal. First, the rapid growth trends and adoption of the Internet in general forces Internet host system builders to continually upgrade and reassess their ability to scale. A second factor stems from the challenging time-to-market pressures facing Web-centric companies, where predicting scalability can give way to the first and foremost goal of publicly activating the host systems. Third, new Web application technologies introduce increasing demands upon the technology infrastructure that companies have set up to provide their Internet presence. Broadband Internet connectivity, streaming audio/video, and voice-over-IP are examples of new Web application technologies which will make scaling Internet applications even more difficult. Fourth, technologies and requirements are advancing rapidly enough that human resources with adequate problem domain and solution knowledge for optimal Internet implementation and performance are scarce commodities in the current information technology workforce.
Load testing of Web applications can empirically determine host system scalability. However, effective, efficient, and economical Internet host system load testing has proved quite challenging. Traditionally, Web host application sites were load tested manually, which is neither a simple nor practical task. Using a manual approach to test an Internet host site under a load of 10,000 users would require hiring 10,000 people and giving them all a computer and network (intranet) or Internet access to the site to be tested. An additional drawback is that manual testing is non-repeatable in that the actions of large numbers of users are not predictable (repeatability being a hallmark of good testing practice).
In order to address some of the drawbacks of manual load testing, several contemporary vendors have developed load test applications that can simulate hundreds and even thousands of users accessing an Internet application. These tools commonly allow user behavior to be defined using some type of programmable script.
Many, if not all, load test tools are inadequate to address the needs of Internet site load testing. For instance, typical load testing tools are not optimized to test via the Internet and thus do not take in consideration the effects of the public nature of the Internet in performance. In addition, typical load test tools are limited (or at least untested) in their ability to truly simulate beyond a few thousand simultaneous users. Another drawback is that typical load testing tools can only effectively test one, independent target system at a time within an organization or a group of organizations. Therefore, typical conventional tools are unable to test multiple sites simultaneously.
In one embodiment, the present invention includes a method of load testing at least one site under test (SUT) in accordance with at least one load test request. The load test request provides information for load testing the at least one SUT. The load test request is reviewed, and a load test corresponding to the load test request is generated. The load test is allocated among a plurality of load cells. Load test data is sent, in accordance with the load test, from the plurality of load cells to the at least one SUT. Response data from the SUT is received by the load cells. At least one embodiment of the method further includes generating a load test report based on the response data. Another embodiment of the method provides for receiving and reviewing a plurality of load test requests pertaining to a SUT. A further embodiment of the method provides for receiving and reviewing a plurality of load test requests for each of a plurality of SUTs.
In another embodiment, the present invention includes a computer-readable medium having a computer program accessible therefrom, the computer program including instructions for performing the method of load testing the site(s) under test in accordance with the load test request(s). Note: [object] [s] means at least one [object]. The computer-readable medium includes any of the following: a magnetic storage medium, including disk and tape storage medium; an optical storage medium, including compact disk memory and a digital video disk storage medium; a nonvolatile memory storage memory; a volatile storage medium; and data transmission medium including packets of electronic data and electromagnetic waves modulated in accordance with the instructions.
Allocating the load test among the plurality of load cells includes, in at least one embodiment, determining whether a sufficient number of load cells are available to collectively conduct the load test request and, if so, distributing the load test among the available load cells until the load test is fully allocated. In at least one embodiment, the load cells to which the load test is allocated are geographically remote from the SUT.
In addition to the method discussed above, another embodiment of the invention includes a network system to load test at least one SUT in accordance with at least one load test request submitted by a user system. The network system includes at least one computer. The computer includes circuitry to receive a load test request from the user system. The computer also includes a memory and a processor that are electronically coupled to each other. In an alternative embodiment, the processor further includes circuitry to receive, via the Internet, a load test request from a user system.
The network system also includes program code. The program code is stored in the memory on the computer and is executable by the processor. The program code includes instructions for reviewing the load test request and for generating a load test based on the load test request. The program code also includes instructions for allocating the load test among a plurality of load cells and for sending load test data from the load cells to the at least one SUT. The program code also includes instructions for receiving responses from the SUT and for generating a load test report based upon the received responses. Another embodiment of the network system provides that the program code is logically partitioned into a plurality of functional subsystems. The functional subsystems include a public web site layer, a private web site layer, a load test database, a load test system manager, a work allocator, and a data collection system.
Another embodiment of the network system provides that the load test database (one of the functional subsystems mentioned above) is capable of storing login information, security information, captured user simulation scripts, and scenarios. A further embodiment of the load test database further provides that the load test database includes a relational database server.
A further embodiment of the network system provides that each load cell in the plurality of load cells includes a load cell manager, a load cell test executive, and a data buffer coupled to both the load cell manager and the load cell test executive.
Another embodiment of the invention includes an apparatus including a means for reviewing at least one load test request. The at least one load test request includes information for load testing at least one SUT. The apparatus also includes a means for generating a load test for each of the load test requests. The apparatus also includes a means for allocating the load tests to a plurality of load cells and a means for sending load test data from the load cells to the at least one SUT. The apparatus also includes a means for receiving responses from the SUT regarding the load test data.
Another embodiment of the present invention includes an apparatus for load testing at least one SUT in accordance with at least one load test request. The load test request is generated with a user data processing system. The apparatus includes a plurality of load cells capable of communicating with the SUT. The apparatus also includes a load test system. The load test system is capable of communicating with the plurality of load cells and with the user data processing system. The load test system includes a work allocator. The work allocator is capable of receiving the at least one load test request and is also capable of querying the plurality of load cells to select a group of load cells that is available to collectively process the load test request. The work allocator is also capable of selecting the group of load cells to collectively process the load test request.
Another embodiment of the invention includes a method of load testing a plurality of SUT""s, wherein the load is not necessarily allocated among a plurality of load cells. The load is allocated to at least one load cell. At least one embodiment provides for reviewing and processing at least one load test, where the load test request indicates load testing for a plurality of SUT""s. At least one embodiment further provides for reviewing and processing multiple load test requests for the plurality of SUT""s.
Another embodiment of the invention includes a system to load test a plurality of SUT""s, wherein the load is not necessarily allocated among a plurality of load cells. Another embodiment of the invention includes a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program with instructions for load testing a plurality of SUT""s. Another embodiment of the invention includes an apparatus capable of load testing a plurality of SUT""s, where the load is allocated to at least one load cell. Another embodiment of the invention includes another apparatus capable of load testing a plurality of SUT""s, where the load test request is generated with a user data processing system.
Another embodiment of the invention includes a method for load testing at least one SUT in accordance with a plurality of pending load test requests relating to the same SUT. The multiple pending load tests may provide for concurrent load testing of the SUT, or staggered testing. Another embodiment of the present invention includes a network system to load test at least one SUT in accordance with multiple pending load test requests. Another embodiment of the invention includes a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program with instructions for load testing at least one SUT in accordance with a plurality of concurrently-pending load test requests. Another embodiment of the invention includes an apparatus capable of load testing at least one SUT in accordance with a plurality of concurrently-pending load test requests. Another embodiment of the invention includes another apparatus capable of load testing at least one SUT in accordance with a plurality of load test requests, where the load test requests are generated with a user data processing system.

System load testing coordination over a network


A method of defining an instantaneous value of a current (i2e) of a pulse-controlled inductive load when the impedance of the load is known, the method comprising the steps of: measuring the output voltage (u1) of a pulsed voltage source, and measuring the output current (i1) of the pulsed voltage source. The method is characterized by further comprising the steps of: low-pass filtering the measured output current (i1) of the pulsed voltage source to produce a fundamental wave current (i1lp), defining a load current estimate (i2est) by computation on the basis of the measured output voltage (u1) of the pulsed voltage source and the impedance of the load, high-pass filtering the load current estimate (i2est), and defining the instantaneous value of the load current (i2e) by adding the high-pass-filtered load current estimate (i2hp) to the fundamental wave current (i1p).

The invention relates to a method according to the preambles of independent claims 1 and 5 for defining an instantaneous value of a current of a pulse-controlled inductive load when the impedance of the load is known, the method comprising the steps of
measuring the output voltage of a pulsed voltage source, and PA1 measuring the output current of the pulsed voltage source. PA1 low-pass filtering the measured output current of the pulsed voltage source to produce a fundamental wave current, PA1 defining a load current estimate by computation on the basis of the measured output voltage of the pulsed voltage source and the impedance of the load, PA1 high-pass filtering the load current estimate, and PA1 defining the instantaneous value of the load current by adding the high-pass-filtered load current estimate to the fundamental wave current. PA1 adding a correction term to the output voltage of the pulsed voltage source to produce an estimation voltage; PA1 defining a load current estimate by computation on the basis of the estimation voltage and the impedance of the load, whereby the load current estimate provides the instantaneous value of the load current; PA1 low-pass filtering the load current estimate; PA1 low-pass filtering the measured output current of the pulsed voltage source to produce a fundamental wave current; PA1 comparing the fundamental wave current with the low-pass-filtered load current estimate to produce an error parameter proportional to the difference of the currents; and PA1 multiplying the error parameter by a coefficient to produce the correction term.
The current or magnetic flux of the inductive load is normally controlled by changing the voltage affecting over the load, the voltage typically consisting of single or multi-level voltage pulses generated by semiconductor switches. The simplest solution is that the switches operate at a fixed switching frequency, whereby the pulse width of the voltage pulses determines the average voltage level in the load. An example for such a pulsed voltage source is a pulse-width-modulated (PWM) voltage source. The current of the load is here quite well controlled dynamically, if the switching frequency is sufficiently high.
On account of the switching losses of the semiconductor switches, the switching frequency is kept as low as possible, particularly in connection with high-power apparatus, such as frequency converters that control squirrel-cage induction motors. Accurate dynamic control of the current of the load can here be achieved only if the switching of the switches is based directly on the instantaneous values of the current of the load. The pulsed voltage sources based on the use of instantaneous values of the current of the load include, for example, voltage sources that are based on the Direct Torque Control (DTC) and tolerance band control of the current. The methods work well when the load is close to the voltage source that generates voltage pulses, and when there are no capacitive components between the load and the pulsed voltage source, whereby the current of the load can be measured in undisturbed conditions.
In practice, however, the load is often situated at a relatively long distance from the voltage source supplying it. The instantaneous current of the pulsed voltage source then differs from the instantaneous current of the load on account of the currents passing through the stray capacitances in the supply cable. The reason for this is that the transfer impedance of the cable is usually much lower than the impedance of the inductive load. Because the impedances are not equal, each voltage pulse supplied generates voltage oscillation at that end of the supply cable which is close to the load, and current oscillation at that end of the supply cable which is close to the voltage source.
The modulation basis used is usually the current measured at the end of the voltage source; above a certain length of cable the measurements are so inaccurate due to the current oscillation that the instantaneous value of the load current can no longer be controlled. When long cables are used, either the dynamics of the control has to be compromised or the current of the load has to be measured separately at the load, whereby expensive separate cabling has to be installed to enable the transfer of the measuring signal. Apart from the long cables, capacitive components between the load and the voltage source also inhibit the above kind of modulation that is based on the current measured at the end of the voltage source. Such a capacitive component can be, for example, an LC low pass filter.

Method for defining instantaneous value of current of pulse-controlled inductive load


Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and software for providing a network structure for a network. In one example, a method includes identifying an occurrence of a cascade amongst a plurality of nodes of the network. The method also includes determining respective activation times for each node of a plurality of activated nodes activated during the cascade. The method further includes, for each pairwise combination of activated nodes from the plurality of activated nodes, computing, based on the respective activation times, a connection probability that a pair of nodes from the plurality of activated nodes is connected by an edge. The method further includes mapping a true edge between two activated nodes of the plurality of activated nodes in the network based on computed connection probabilities for the each pairwise combination.

A variety of physical, biological, and social phenomena in a wide array of systems may be analyzed, modeled and/or described by cascades taking place on a network. While network activity can be empirically observed, establishing network structure empirically is tedious. Thus, there is a need for more efficient and generally-applicable methods and systems for quickly and accurately determining structures of networks of interest.

Methods and systems for inferring network structure from cascades


A connecting part for a breathing mask with an eye-protecting lens has a connecting piece inserted in an opening of the eye protecting lens and supported on a rim at the opening. The connecting piece has a connecting cylinder with holding elements and receptacles to hold the connecting piece on the rim by a detachably fixed U-shaped locking member.

This invention relates to a connecting part of a breathing mask for connecting components such as filter, speech diaphragm, or exhalation valve that is inserted directly into the eye-protecting lens and guarantees easy assembly and disassembly.
The state of the art includes a multitude of solutions in which the connecting part for connecting components such as filter, speech diaphragm, etc. is placed in the mask body. These solutions are mostly accompanied by disadvantages; for example, that the area they take reduces the size of the eye-protecting lens, which limits the field of vision of the person wearing the mask.
DE-PS 23 04 866 only describes how hinge pins for internal lens wipers can be led through a lining in the eye-protecting lens, which cannot be compared with the solution according to this invention.
One solution is known from a breathing mask in the market where a connecting part is directly incorporated in the eye-protecting lens. In this solution, a clip for holding the connecting part is engaged with recesses in the rim of the eye-protecting lens. The disadvantages of this solution are higher manufacturing costs for the eye-protecting lens, complicated handling and the fact that the connecting piece is secured at only two force absorption points.
It is the object and problem of this invention to create a connecting part of a breathing mask for connecting components such as filter, speech diaphragm, or exhalation valve that is inserted directly into the eye-protecting lens and guarantees secure fixing as well as easy assembly and disassembly.
This problem is solved according to the invention by creating a connecting part of a breathing mask that is directly placed in the eye-protecting lens where a clamp shaped locking member is sitting on the rim of the eye-protecting lens in such a way that the clamping elements of the locking member move into engagement with the receptacles of a connecting piece, where the connecting piece comprises holding elements designed to interlock with said locking member, and where a fixing element is sitting on the rim of the eye-protecting lens.
The solution according to the invention enables easy assembly and disassembly of the connecting part and provides a high level of safety for the person wearing the mask for its intended purpose as force from the connected parts such as a filter is absorbed at a minimum of three points.
Because of the design of the locking member, the connecting part according to the invention of a breathing mask is an especially space-saving solution featuring easy-handling short assembly paths, and direct and short flow of force.
This solution intentionally abstains from expensive piercing of the eye-protecting lens or its rim.


Single and multiple axis fiber optic gyroscope systems employ orthogonal sequences to minimize the effects of both intra and inter-axis crosstalk. Sequences for driving electro-optic modulators are derived by examination of underlying primary and secondary demodulation sequences. Such underlying sequences are examined for orthogonality in accordance with a number of selection rules. When the selection rules are satisfied, the corresponding modulation sequences for driving the gyro(s) are identified and applied. By selecting the modulation waveforms in accordance with orthogonality criteria, one is assured of mean-zero bias errors within a predetermined number of loop transit times.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus and methods for imposing an artificial phase shift upon the counterpropagating beam pair of a Sagnac interferometer. More particularly, this invention pertains to the deterministic sequences for effecting such artificial phase shifts to avoid undesired crosstalk and thereby overcome bias errors.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The Sagnac interferometer is an instrument for determining rotation by measurement of the nonreciprocal phase difference generated between a pair of counterpropagating light beams. This instrument generally comprises a light source such as a laser, an optical waveguide consisting of several mirrors or a plurality of turns of optical fiber, a beamsplitter/combiner, a detector and a signal processor.
In an interferometer, the waves coming out of the beamsplitter counterpropagate along a single optical path. The optical waveguide is "reciprocal"; that is, any distortion of the optical path affects the counterpropagating beams similarly although they do not necessarily experience such perturbation at the same time or in the same direction. Time-varying perturbations may be observed where the time interval is comparable to the propagation time of the light around the optical waveguide whereas "nonreciprocal" perturbations affect the counterpropagating beams differently and according to the direction of propagation. Such nonreciprocal perturbations are occasioned by physical effects that disrupt the symmetry of the optical medium in which the two waves propagate.
Two of the nonreciprocal effects are quite well known. The Faraday, or collinear magneto-optic effect, occurs when a magnetic field creates a preferential spin orientation of the electrons in an optical material whereas the Sagnac, or inertial relativistic effect, occurs when rotation of the interferometer with respect to an inertial frame breaks the symmetry of propagation time. The latter effect is employed as the principle of operation of a fiber gyroscope.
The measured or detected output of a gyroscope is a "combined" beam (i.e., a composite beam formed of the two counterpropagating beams after one complete traverse of the gyroscope loop.) The rotation rate about the sensitive axis is proportional to the phase shift that occurs between the counterpropagating beams. Accordingly, accurate phase shift measurement is essential.
FIG. 1 is a graph that illustrates the relationship between the intensity of the combined (output) beam and the phase difference between the counterpropagating composite beams. The fringe pattern as shown consists of two elements, a d.c. component and a component that is proportional to the cosine of the phase difference between the beams. Such phase difference provides a measure of the nonreciprocal perturbation due, for example, to rotation.
As a consequence of the shape of the fringe pattern, when small phase differences are to be measured (e.g. low rotation rates), the intensity of the combined beam is relatively insensitive to phase difference as the phase difference is then close to a maximum of the fringe pattern. Further, mere intensity of the composite beam does not indicate the sense or direction of rotation.
For the foregoing reasons, an artificially biased phase difference is commonly superimposed upon the counterpropagating beams. The biasing of the phase shift, also known as a "nonreciprocal null-shift", enhances the sensitivity of the intensity measurement to phase difference. A maximum degree of sensitivity is achieved by shifting the operating point of the gyroscope to .+-..pi./2. Furthermore, by alternating the bias between +.pi./2 and -.pi./2, two different operating points are observed. This enables the system to determine the sign of the phase difference and, thus, the direction of rotation.
In addition to phase modulation, the processing of the interferometer output commonly employs "phase-nulling" which introduces an additional phase shift through a negative feedback mechanism to compensate for that due to the non-reciprocal (Sagnac) effect. Commonly, the negative feedback generates a phase ramp whose slope is proportional to the rate of change of the measured phase difference. In actual practice, a ramp whose height varies between zero and 2.pi. radians is employed as the nulling phase shift cannot be increased indefinitely due to voltage constraints.
In the past, phase nulling has employed both analog and digital techniques. In analog phase nulling, a sawtooth waveform whose slope is proportional to the phase difference and whose peak-to-peak amplitude is equal to 2.pi. radians is combined with the above-described phase modulation (null shift) signal to drive the electro-optic phase modulator located within the gyroscope coil. The analog method is limited insofar as the scale factor of the phase modulation command differs from that utilized for the negative feedback. Furthermore, it is quite difficult to detect the 2.pi. radians peak-to-peak amplitude in the analog method described supra.
U.S. Pat. Ser. No. 4,705,399 of Graindorge, Ardity and Lefevre discloses a digitally-based arrangement that overcomes a number of the shortcomings of the analog sawtooth technique. In the patented system, a "stairstep" waveform replaces the sawtooth. The height of each step, .DELTA..phi..sub.0, is equal to the measured phase difference while the width or duration of each, t.sub.0, is the group delay time of the optical coil. FIG. 2 is a graph of a portion of such a feedback ramp signal. On the average, the slope of the ramp is equivalent to the measured nonreciprocal phase difference per unit of time. Two waves whose respective delay is equal to the group delay of the gyro loop are always on two consecutive steps and their phases differ by .DELTA..phi..sub.0. This method is compatible with digital signal processing and enjoys many resulting advantages. Additionally, the phase modulation may be directly added to the digital ramp through the synchronization offered by a digital signal processor.
The (combined) signal ultimately controls the phase modulator that is positioned near one end of the optical fiber coil. This device may comprise an electro-optic crystal whose index of refraction is responsive to an applied voltage or a piezoelectric structure arranged to exert pressure upon the optical fiber in response to an applied voltage. The pressure, in turn, affects the length of the somewhat-compressed optical fiber.
Many applications, including navigation, require rotation and position information with respect to the three orthogonal space axes. Accordingly, a triad of interferometers may be required, one for sensing rotation about each of the rotation axes. In the past, systems of this type have employed three independent interferometers. That is, each interferometer has utilized a single dedicated source of optical energy and a single photodetector. As a result, a total of three sources of optical energy and three photodetectors have been required. The use of multiple sources of optical energy and photodetectors adds significantly to the weight, power consumption, heat dissipation and cost of an overall navigation system. Also, a control circuit is required for each source, further adding to size, heat and power consumption problems. One solution to the element multiplicity problem has been proposed in pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 705,762 of Goldner covering "Triaxial Fiber Optic Sagnac Interferometer With Single Source and Detector." An arrangement that eliminates the need for either multiple sources or detectors is taught. However, the modulation technique utilized requires the alternating "blanking" of two of three gyros at all times which limits the sensitivity, and hence accuracy, of the triax.
Both single axis and multiple axis gyroscope configurations are subject to bias errors arising from crosstalk between the gyro output signal and elements of the system. For example, parasitic signals from the output digital-to-analog converter and from the driver amplifier of the gyro control loop can couple into the synchronous demodulator input. In addition, in a triaxial arrangement, such cross-coupling can take place between the digital-to-analog converters and driver amplifiers of one axis-measuring gyroscope and the synchronous demodulators of the gyros for measuring the other axes. Furthermore, in the event that a triaxial arrangement is simplified to operate with a single detector, the composite output may be subject to crosstalk between the outputs of the other axes.
Spahlinger has proposed a solution to the crosstalk problem in pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 652,422 covering "Fiber Optic Sagnac Interferometer With Digital Phase Ramp Resetting." This method relies upon random or pseudo-random based demodulation sequences to obtain mean-zero bias errors. Unfortunately, random-based methods are inherently "global". Accordingly, a relatively-large system bandwidth is required to overcome sometimes-misleading "local" data.

Fiber optical gyroscope utilizing orthogonal sequences


Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for translating source addresses in an overlay network. An access switch in an overlay network, such as a VXLAN, may receive an encapsulated packet from a tunnel endpoint in the overlay network. The encapsulated packet may originate from a host associated with the tunnel endpoint and be encapsulated at the tunnel endpoint with a first source tunnel endpoint address and a destination tunnel endpoint address. The access switch may replace the first source tunnel endpoint address in the encapsulated packet with a second source tunnel endpoint address of the access switch to yield a translated packet. The access switch may then transmit the translated packet towards the destination tunnel endpoint address.

Overlay network technologies, such as Virtual Extensible Local Area Networks (VXLANs), offer a highly scalable solution to managing cloud computing deployments by allowing OSI layer 2 networks to expand beyond layer 3 network boundaries through network virtualization. Layer 2 data traffic, such as Media Access Control (MAC) Ethernet frames, can be encapsulated within layer 3 packets, such as User Datagram Protocol (UDP) packets, to travel across layer 3 boundaries to reach its destination within the overlay network.
Various tunnel endpoints within the overlay network, such as Virtual Tunnel Endpoints (VTEPs), can terminate overlay network packets by encapsulating and de-encapsulating packets through MAC-to-UDP encapsulation. Each tunnel endpoint may be provided with a unique IP/MAC address pair to make the encapsulation and routing encapsulated packets within the overlay network possible. In addition, all the tunnel endpoint IP addresses in the overlay network may need to be stored in lookup tables at every one of those tunnel endpoints so that those tunnel endpoints can determine where to transmit encapsulated traffic. However, as the number of tunnel endpoints in a given overlay network increases, these tables also need to scale linearly, which can consume a large amount of resources at the tunnel endpoints.
Maintaining a large number of lookup or routing tables can be a challenge when new endpoints, such as servers and virtual machines (VMs), are added to the overlay network, existing endpoints are removed from the network, or some of the endpoints migrate from one tunnel endpoint to another within the network. Whenever such changes occur in the network topology, many if not all lookup tables residing in tunnel endpoints throughout the overlay network may require an update, a modification, or a synchronization. This can pose a great challenge particularly in a large cloud computing environment where there are numerous virtual domains, virtual networks, and endpoints.

Source address translation in overlay networks


A method in accordance with the present invention comprises identifying a M-bit multicast address and deriving a N-bit PON port identifier from the M-bit multicast address. Identifying the M-bit multicast address and deriving the N-bit PON port identifier are performed at an Optical Line Terminal (OLT) of a Passive Optical Network (PON). The N-bit PON port identifier has fewer bits than the M-bit multicast address. Deriving the N-bit PON port identifier includes mapping N−1 Least Significant Bits (LSB) of the M-bit multicast address to N−1 LSB of the N-bit PON port identifier and setting a 1 Most Significant Bit (MSB) of the N-bit PON port identifier to a bit setting that designates the N-bit PON port identifier as being a multicast port identifier.

Support of Internet Protocol (IP) video poses numerous challenges on a Passive Optical Network (PON). One consideration from which such challenges arise is that IP video service is relatively high-demand in terms of bandwidth, thus leading to potential bandwidth allocation issues. Another consideration from which such challenges arise is that there are relatively frequent demands from video operators to support a greater number of IP video channels (e.g., IP television channels), which lead to relatively frequent changes in channel programming. Still another consideration from which such challenges arise is that the need exists for simultaneous support of multiple channels. Yet another consideration from which such challenges arise is that multiple set-top-boxes (STBs) in a subscriber premise are often tuned to the same channel.
Given the broadcast nature of PON signal transmissions, provision must be in place to minimize channel duplication on the PON. Bandwidth allocation for such channel duplication, as well as for the number of available channels, can adversely affect PON performance. To enhance bandwidth utilization in a PON providing IP video services, it is preferred to avoid broadcasting more than one copy of a particular channel regardless of how many viewers are actually watching that particular channel.
Therefore, a solution that addresses challenges associated with support of IP video on a PON would be useful and advantageous.

Deriving passive optical network port identifiers


A container for holding cosmetics which has a colored insert configured to indicate the color of a cosmetic product contained in the container. A method of replacing a lipstick cartridge comprising replacing a lipstick cartridge with a replacement lipstick cartridge and inserting a replacement colored insert in the cap of the lipstick container.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to containers for holding cosmetic products. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to containers for holding cosmetic products such as lipstick.
2. Description of Related Art
Cosmetic containers such as lipstick cases typically consist of a base and a cap encasing a lipstick tube or cartridge. If a user desires to determine the color of the lipstick, the user is typically required to remove the cap from the cartridge and base and visually inspect the color of the lipstick. In some instances, the lipstick may be recessed or retracted in a cartridge so that visual inspection is not easily accomplished simply by removing the cap. For example, if a significant portion of the lipstick has been removed during previous applications, merely removing the cap may not provide adequate visual access to the lipstick for an accurate color determination. While the lipstick may be visible with the cap removed, the lipstick may be retracted in the cartridge to such a degree that there is insufficient light inside the cartridge to determine the lipstick color. In such cases, it may be necessary to manipulate the cartridge (typically by rotating a portion of the cartridge) to extend the lipstick from the cartridge.
Removing the cap and manipulating the cartridge to extend the lipstick is a relatively time-consuming task, especially if the process must be repeated for several cases in order to locate the desired lipstick color. In addition, removing the cap and extending the lipstick may unnecessarily expose the lipstick to the outside environment if the user determines that the lipstick is not the desired color. Such unnecessary exposure may have negative effects on the lipstick, including creating hygienic issues due to possible contamination of the lipstick (for example if the lipstick is dropped or comes into contact with a foreign particle while exposed). Repeated exposure of the lipstick may also lead to drying out the lipstick.
In certain instances, it may be desirable for a user to replace the lipstick cartridge within a specific case. For example, when the lipstick has been consumed or when the user desires to change lipstick colors, a user may wish to change lipstick cartridges within a specific case. This is particularly likely when the lipstick case is a decorative item rather than a disposable good. In such an instance, it would be desirable to provide an external visual indication of the color of the lipstick cartridge that is being replaced in the lipstick case.
Certain existing lipstick cases may provide a visual indication of the color of the lipstick contained within the case. However, these visual indicators are often adhesive labels that can be inadvertently removed from the lipstick case. In addition, other existing refillable lipstick cases do not have visual color indicators are interchangeable, so that a user cannot retain the existing case and replace the lipstick and the color indicator with a different color.
It is therefore desirable to provide a cosmetic container that overcomes the deficiencies noted in prior apparatuses and methods.


A black paste contains an organic component and an inorganic powder containing a glass powder and a cobalt oxide. A plasma display panel having a black layer made from the black paste, and methods for fabricating the black paste, the plasma display are also provided.

A typical plasma display panel (PDP) includes a front panel and a rear panel, which oppose each other with a predetermined distance therebetween, and barrier ribs disposed between the front and rear panels. The barrier ribs, the front panel, and the rear panel define a plurality of cells, each of which functions as a display element. In a cell, two electrodes disposed on an inner surface of the panel are separated from each other with a dielectric layer therebetween. Application of an AC voltage between the two electrodes induces a discharge, which leads to light-emission from a phosphor screen disposed on the surfaces of the barrier ribs. The emitted light passes through the transparent panel, and images are thereby displayed.
In PDPs, the resolution and brightness of images depend upon the width of the electrodes, the pitch of interconnecting conductors, the transparency of the dielectric layers, and the like. Electrode patterns and interconnecting conductor patterns can be formed by screen printing.
Photolithography is also available as a method for forming finer patterns. In photolithography, photosensitive paste, i.e., conductive paste having photosensitivity, applied on the entire surface of a substrate is exposed through a predetermined mask and developed to form a pattern, and the pattern is burned to prepare a high-definition conductor pattern. These methods use photosensitive pastes containing conductive powder and photosensitive resin binders.
It is essential to decrease the reflection of external light at the electrodes disposed on the front panel in order to improve the display contrast. The reflection of external light can be most efficiently decreased by forming a low-transmittance and low-reflectance black layer on a front-panel-opposing surface of a high-reflectance metal electrode so that the electrode will appear black when viewed from the front panel of the display.
FIG. 1 shows an example structure of display electrodes disposed on a front panel of a plasma display. A black layer 10 for preventing the reflection of external light and increasing the display contrast is formed on each transparent display electrode 1 (composed of ITO or the like) for plasma discharge. Bus electrodes 7 (metal electrodes such as silver electrodes) are formed on the black layers 10 to decrease the resistance of the electrodes. The black layer is composed of a material having a high degree of blackness and conductive properties, e.g., ruthenium oxide disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 10-255670.
Although ruthenium oxide is an excellent material having both a high degree of blackness and conductive properties, ruthenium has a drawback in that it is expensive and has a metallic luster.
An object of the present invention is to provide a black paste for forming a black layer that exhibits a high contrast without using expensive ruthenium and a plasma display panel having the black layer. In the present invention, a material having a desired degree of blackness and a material having desired conductive properties are combined so that a black layer having a high degree of blackness can be obtained at low cost.

Black paste and plasma display panel and method for preparation thereof


A method for increasing the sugar content of plants by applying to such plants an effective amount of a phenoxy-phenoxyalkane carboxylic acid or derivative thereof.

Certain phenoxy-phenoxyalkane carboxylic acids and derivatives thereof are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,954,442 to exhibit an excellent selective herbicidal effect against weed grasses in crop plants but to affect broad-leafed plants to only a small extent. Said patent further discloses that such compounds do not damage crop grasses and can be used to combat weed grasses in such crops as well as in dicotyledonus crop plants.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,070,177, on the other hand, discloses phenoxy-phenoxyalkane carboxylic acids and derivatives thereof having herbicidal action to control the growth of broad-leafed weeds in gramineous crops.
However, neither patent discloses any other biological action of such compounds. In particular neither patent discloses the use of such compounds to increase the sugar content of plants such as sugarcane (Saccharum officinerum) or sorghum (Sorghum vulgare). Increased sugar content, of course, increases the value of such plants.

Phenoxy-phenoxyalkane carboxylic acids and derivatives as sugar enhancers for plants


The horn switch assembly includes a fixed plate on a connector arm and a movable plate in an air bag module. When those plates are electrically continuous, a horn sounds. The movable plate is urged upward apart from the fixed plate. The movable plate is disposed such that a distance from the movable plate to the fixed plate is set at a fixed distance by two mounting bolts, screwed into the connector arm. Fore-spoke arm sections include torsional deformation parts, torsionally deformable, located outside the mounting seats of an air bag module. Back-spoke arm sections include first bending deformation parts located on the inner side of the mounting seats of the air bag module, and second bending deformation parts located on the outer side of the mounting seats and a column cover. The first bending deformation part has a lower bending rigidity than the second bending deformation part. A lower cover is made of synthetic resin, e.g., polypropylene, and includes a bottom wall portion and a circumferential side wall. On the back side of the lower cover, the upper end portion of the back side of the side wall of the lower cover is attached to the outer portions of the back-spoke arm sections.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle steering wheel which has a horn switch assembly and an air bag module, the vehicle steering wheel can sufficiently absorb an impact force which acts on the back side of the ring portion of the steering wheel in the forward direction.
2. Description of the Related Art
A horn switch assembly which is arranged in a vehicle steering wheel while supporting an air bag module, is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. Hei. 2-143734, Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei. 8-225051 or the like as shown in FIGS. 21 to 23.
In the above vehicle steering wheel W, horn switch mechanisms 200 are disposed on both sides of the air bag module 201 as shown in FIG. 23.
Each of the horn switch mechanisms 200 comprises an elongated movable plate 202 coupled with the air bag module 201, a fixed plate 203 coupled with the vehicle steering wheel body under the movable plate 202 and being in association with the movable plate 202, metal coiled springs 204 for upwardly urging the movable plate 202 apart from the fixed plate 203, and mounting bolts 205 which are screwed to a vehicle steering wheel body while engaging the movable plate 202 to put a distance from the fixed plate 203 to the movable plate 202 at a fixed distance.
Movable contacts 206 are provided at both ends of the movable plate 202, while fixed contacts are provided at both ends of the fixed plate 203 in association with the movable contacts 206, respectively.
The number of the mounting bolts 205 used in each of the horn switch mechanisms 200 is two. Those mounting bolts 205 are located near to both ends of said movable plate 202 and slightly closer to the center of said movable plate 202 than the locations of said movable contacts 206. The coiled springs 204 are respectively placed around the mounting bolts 205 while being coaxial with the mounting bolts 205.
The movable contacts 206 are located at both ends of the movable plate 202 in order to avoid such a state that the air bag module 201 is excessively declined to the depressing side of the air bag module, viz., a rolling of the air bag module 201 downward. To this end, a measure is used to prevent such a situation that after the movable contacts 206 are brought into contact with the fixed contacts 207 when the horn is operated, the depressing side of the air bag module 201 further descends. Let us consider a case where the movable contacts 206 are placed at positions on the movable plate 202, which are greatly apart from the urging means and the mounting bolts 205, not at both ends of the movable plate 202. In this case, after the movable contacts 206 are brought into contact with the fixed contacts 207, with progression of the deformation of the ends of the movable plate 202, the urging means is compressed, and the depressing side of the air bag module 201 will possibly descend (downward rolling).
The mounting bolts 205 and the coiled springs 204 are placed at the positions near to the movable contacts 206 located at the ends of the movable plate 202, in order to prevent an upward rolling of the air bag module 201. If the mounting bolts 205 and the coiled springs 204 are placed at positions that are located closer to the center of the movable and fixed plates 202, 203 and apart from the movable contacts 206, the side of the air bag module 201 opposite to the depressing side thereof is excessively inclined upward, viz., an upward rolling of the air bag module 201 tends to occur.
Further, the movable plate 202 includes a substantially rectangular base member 208 disposed above the fixed plate 203 and a mounting plate 209 extending upward from the edge of the central part of the base member 208 and being coupled with and supporting the air bag module 201 by connection bolts 210 to be screwed into the side surfaces of the air bag module 201. The movable plate 202 includes engaging holes 211 provided near to both ends of the base member 208.
The movable plate 202 is upward urged apart from the fixed plate 203 and the heads of two mounting bolts 205 to be screwed into the vehicle steering wheel body are brought into engagement with engaging holes 211 of the movable plate 202, whereby a distance from the movable plate 202 to the fixed plate 203 is put at a fixed distance.
Temporary fastening holes 214 are provided near to the center of the base member 208 of the movable plate 202 in order to temporarily fasten the air bag module 201 before the air bag module 201 is coupled with the mounting plate 209 by utilization of the connection bolts 210. To fasten, the engaging leg portions 213 extended from the air bag module 201 are inserted into the temporary fastening holes 214. In this case, the number of temporarily fastening holes 214 is two since two engaging leg portions 213 extended from the air bag module 201 are provided on each side of the air bag module 201. The engaging leg portions 213 are located closer to the center of the base member 208 than the engaging holes 211 so as not to interfere with the mounting bolts 205.
However, in the aforementioned conventional horn switch mechanisms, the two mounting bolts are screwed into the vehicle steering wheel body to which the fixed plate is fixed. The heads of those mounting bolts are brought into engagement with the edges of the engaging holes of the movable plate. Therefore, those mounting bolts must be electrically insulated from the base member of the movable plate. The insulating spacers 215, 216 are placed around the edges of the engaging holes, respectively. Two insulating spacers and two coiled springs corresponding in number to the number of the mounting bolts are used. This leads to an increase of the number of required component parts.
Actually, each of the two insulating spacers has two members, which are put on the upper and lower sides of each engaging hole. A total of four members are used for the insulating spacers.
A possible measure to reduce the number of the component parts is to use a single plate spring in place of the two coiled springs. However, the necessity of preventing a rolling of the air bag module when the horn is depressed makes it difficult to substitute one plate spring for the two coiled springs.
In the horn switch mechanisms, two holes for temporarily fastening the air bag module, provided in the base member of the movable plate, are located close to the center of the base member. For this reason, a temporary fastening strength of the air bag module is weak.
To fasten the air bag module by means of the connection bolts, the connection bolt of one of the horn switch mechanisms, disposed on both sides of the air bag module, is screwed into the corresponding threaded hole of the air bag module. Then, the connection bolt of the other horn switch mechanism is screwed into the corresponding threaded hole of the air bag module. The air bag module is easy to turn by a torque developed when the bolt is tighten into one of the threaded holes. The mounting plate to which the connection bolts are attached is disposed close to the center of the base member of the movable plate, and the temporary fastening holes for the air bag module are also formed close to the center of the base member. Therefore, the center (position of the connection bolt) of the torque of the air bag module is near to the temporary fastening hole. Therefore, the temporary fastening strength of the air bag module is weak.
A possible measure to increase the temporary fastening strength is to increase the length of the base member of the movable plate and to form the temporary fastening holes at locations near both ends of the elongated base member which correspond to the engaging leg portions of the air bag module. In this case, the movable contacts are located at positions greatly apart from and within both ends of the movable plate. When the horn is depressed, the ends of the movable plate are deformed after the movable contacts are brought into contact with the fixed contacts. The result is that the depressing side of the air bag module will possibly descend (downward rolling). For this reason, the measure is impracticable.
On the other hand, a vehicle steering wheel with an air bag module which can absorb an impact force which acts on the back side of the ring portion is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei. 4-278861.
The vehicle steering wheel W of the above publication is constructed as shown in FIG. 24 such that the back-spoke arm sections 217 are notched at a portion 218, and when an impact acts on the back-spoke arm sections, the back arm sections 217 are plastically deformed.
In this steering wheel, deforming means that is formed in the back-spoke arm section 217 is only one notch.
With this structure, when the notched back-spoke arm section is plastically deformed and comes in contact with the column cover located under the steering wheel, the deformation of the back-spoke arm sections is hindered, to thereby absorb the impact energy insufficiently.
Usually, a lower cover made of synthetic resin is disposed under the vehicle steering wheel. There is a chance that the back-spoke arm section comes in contact with the lower cover, and the impact energy absorption is hindered, even if it is made of synthetic resin.

Steering wheel and horn switch assembly for the steering wheel


An improvement in a process of electrolyzing an aqueous solution of an alkali metal halide in a membrane cell in which a pH above 1.0 is maintained in the anode chamber, the alkali metal halide solution is removed from the anode chamber and its concentration and pH are increased is described. The improvement resides in thereafter decreasing the pH of at least a portion of the resultant solution to below 1.0 and thereafter adjusting the pH to 1.0 to 6.0 and returning the so adjusted solution to the anode chamber.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a process of electrolyzing aqueous solutions of alkali halides in membrane cells in which pH values above 1.0 are maintained in the anode chamber and the alkali solution is moved through the anode chamber and through zones in which it is strengthened to increase its alkali halide concentration and its pH value is adjusted.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Mainly two processes, namely, the amalgam and the diaphragm process, have been available until recently for the electrolysis of alkali halide solutions, mainly sodium chloride solutions. The amalgam process affords the advantage of permitting of manufacture of highly concentrated alkaline solutions of high purity for pollution control. The diaphragm process does not involve such expenditures but permits only of a production of alkaline solutions having a much lower concentration and having considerable contents of alkali halides.
When it had become possible to provide so-called ion exchange membranes which are chemically resistant, hydraulically impermeable and permeable substantially only to cations, membrane processes using such ion exchange membranes gained increased importance. It is believed that the membrane process will be the process of the future.
In the membrane process the anode and cathode chambers of the electrolytic cell are separated by an ion exchange membrane, through which substantially only the alkali metal ions can permeate. These ions are electrically neutralized at the cathode and when contacted with water in the anode chamber form alkaline hydroxide solution and hydrogen. Something halogen gas is electrolitically formed released only in the anode chamber.
When the presently known ion exchange membranes are used, part of the OH ions formed in the cathode chamber inevitably migrate through the membrane into the anode chamber. For instance, in the electrolysis of sodium chloride the losses in efficiency amount to 5 to 20% depending upon the quality of the membrane and its time of use. The entrance of OH ions into the anode chamber accounts for about 2/3 of such losses. In the anode chamber, the OH ions in contact with halogen gas form oxyacids of chlorine or the salts of such acids, particularly hypochlorite and chlorate, depending on the pH value of the anolyte, and these acids or salts can be destroyed only by addition of acid.
The formation of oxyacids of chlorine and/or the salts of such acids is also responsible for the decrease of the solubility of the alkali halide. As a result, the discharge potential is shifted toward the less noble side, in an extreme case by about 50 mV.
To eliminate the disadvantage which has been described hereinbefore, it is known to use an acid anolyte in a membrane cell for electrolysis and to add so much hydrochloric acid to the brine that the entering ions are just neutralized (D. Bergner "Elektrolytische Chlorerzeugung nach dem Membran-Verfahren", Chemiker-Zeitung 101 (1977), pages 433 to 447). It is also known to add so much acid that the anolyte is adjusted to a pH value in the range of about 1 to 5, preferably between 3.0 and 4.0, (West German Offenlegungsschrift No. 24 09 193) or about 2 (West German Offenlegungsschrift No. 26 31 523). In the process disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,948,737, the pH value of the anolyte should not exceed 4.5 and should preferably lie between 2.5 and 4.0 although pH values of below 1.0 are also permitted.
Whereas an adjustment to a low pH value is recommendable for destruction of oxyacids of chlorine and of the salts of such acids, very high hydrogen ion concentrations have the disadvantage that they cause hydrogen ions to migrate through the membrane into the cathode chamber where they react with the alkaline solution and thus decrease the current efficiency with respect to the production of such alkaline solution. It is apparent that the current efficiency is thus increased as far as the production of halogen is concerned but decreased with respect to the production of alkaline solution (D. Bergner, l.c.).
It is object of this invention to provide a process which can be carried out in a simple manner and which avoids the disadvantages of the known processes and produces desirable results in respect of the yields of both halogen and alkali metal hydroxide solution are concerned.

Process of electrolyzing aqueous solution of alkali halides


A synthetic resin decorative material including an antistatic layer containing an electrically conductive film formed on a surface thereof without changing the color, design and pattern of the decorative material. The synthetic resin may be a synthetic resin decorative sheet/plate. The antistatic function of the antistatic layer is improved such that occurrence of cracks in the antistatic layer can be prevented when the decorative material having the antistatic layer is thermally molded. To prepare the decorative material, a transfer sheet is pressed while being heated onto a surface of a synthetic resin decorative base material including a synthetic resin sheet or plate. To prepare the transfer sheet, electrically conductive paint containing an electrically conductive matter formed by coating inorganic fine powder having a refractive index of 1.4 to 1.7 with an electrically conductive tin oxide is applied onto a 1 to 5 .mu.m thick transparent or semitransparent synthetic resin coating layer provided on a release sheet. The electrically conductive paint is coated on the synthetic resin coating layer to a thickness of 0.5 to 5 .mu.m when dried.

The present invention relates to a decorative material using a substantially transparent transfer sheet for giving an antistatic function to a surface of the decorative material, and also relates to a method for producing the same.
Heretofore, synthetic resin decorative sheets/plates are widely used as wall materials, ceiling materials, floor materials, furniture materials and so on because they have excellent surface characteristics.
There is however the fact that various troubles are caused by static electricity because this type of synthetic resin decorative sheets/plates have electrical insulating characteristics similar to those of general synthetic resins.
For example, troubles caused by static electricity, such as dusts and sparks which may be sometimes generated, in the processes of sheet/plate producing, secondary molding, coating, and the like, or in the final process in which this type of decorative sheets/plates are used by users, are too numerous to mention.
In recent years, clean rooms have been required strongly with the advance of precision in industry in the fields of electric/electronic techniques, communication appliances, medicines, foods and so on, so that measures of preventing static electricity have turned into a grave issue. To give electrical conductivity to a synthetic resin base, an application type method in which electrically conductive paint prepared by dispersing/dissolving electrically conductive powder and binder resin in an organic solvent to thereby form an electrically conductive film or a transfer type method in which an electrically conductive film is transferred to a base sheet after electrically conductive paint is preliminarily applied to a release film is employed conventionally. An electrically conductive matter is selected according to the purpose. That is, an electrically conductive matter such as a tin oxide, a indium oxide or the like is used as electrically conductive powder for the purpose of forming an electrically conductive film excellent in transparency (application type: Japanese Patent Postexamination Publication No. Sho-63-33779) (transfer type: Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Sho-61-245866). On the other hand, an electrically conductive titanium oxide-coated matter such as a tin oxide (Japanese Patent Postexamination Publication No. Sho-63-33779), a zinc oxide (Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Hei-1-153769 ), potassium titanate (Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Hei-2-129265) or the like, is used for the purpose of forming a white or light electrically conductive film.
With respect to the former matter, electrically conductive oxides such as a tin oxide, an indium oxide and so on exhibit transparency by the superfine structure of electrically conductive powder. Because the electrically conductive powder per se is however dark gray, color change is remarkable in the case where the former matter is used in the decorative sheet. There arises a problem in that change in color, pattern and the like as a matter of life for the decorative sheet is large.
Furthermore, a film formed of this type fine powder has the property of turning the color to dark by light, though the cause is not clear. This is one reason why the film cannot be used in the decorative material.
On the other hand, with respect to the latter matter, a titanium oxide (the refractive index: 2.7), a zinc oxide (the refractive index: 1.9), a potassium titanate (the refractive index: 2.2) or the like reversely turns its color to white because the refractive index is different from that of the resin. Accordingly, the latter matter cannot be used in the decorative material.
Furthermore, in the aforementioned conventional structure, a problem arises in that fine cracks occur in the electrically conductive film when the synthetic resin plate having the electrically conductive film on its surface is thermally molded. This is because a mixture of electrically conductive powder suppresses the electrically conductive film from expanding sufficiently at the time of thermal molding.

Decorative material including a transfer sheet having an antistatic function and a method for production thereof


A window treatment system and method of installing the system are provided. The system includes a first and a second u-track positioned on opposite sides of a window frame. A first support rod and a second support rod each have a first end positioned in the first u-track and a second end positioned in the second u-track. A shade is coupled to the first and the second support rods and the rods frictionally support the shade and rods within the window frame. The method includes attaching a first u-track to a first side of a window frame and attaching a second u-track to a second, opposing side of a window frame. A shade is installed on the first and second support rods. A first end of a first and second support rod is inserted into the first u-shaped track and a second end of the first and second support rods are inserted in the second u-shaped track.

There are many types of window treatments such as shades, coverings, blinds, shutters, and draperies in use in homes and offices. Window treatments are generally made specifically for the window on which they are intended for use. This means treatments are often costly and require a substantial amount of time to measure, manufacture and install.
Blinds and shades are typically mounted on the interior of a window casing or frame. For this reason, shades, shutters and blinds must be first measured and then created specifically for the particular window application. Often, individuals do not need costly window treatments but would rather have a flexible, less costly window treatment option available to them

Window covering with independently movable support rods


A method of laying a pipeline on the bed of a body of water includes constructing, on a laying vessel, a pipeline having pipe sections of a designated or given thickness, and thicker pipe sections distributed along the pipeline; moving the laying vessel forward and laying the pipeline in the body of water as the pipeline is constructed; and propelling a train, configured to plug the pipeline, in steps inside the pipeline laid on the bed of the body of water; the step travel of the train being related to the position of the thicker pipe sections, and to the touchdown point of the pipeline on the bed of the body of water.

Pipelines are constructed and laid using various types of laying vessels, depending on the depth of the bed. One type of vessel, suitable for relatively shallow beds, is configured to join pipe sections on a substantially horizontal assembly line, and is equipped with a so-called S-lay ramp—named after the shape the pipeline assumes between the laying vessel and the bed. Another type of vessel, suitable for deep beds, is configured to join pipe sections on a substantially vertical assembly line, and is equipped with a so-called J-lay ramp—also named after the shape the pipeline assumes between the laying vessel and the bed.
In both cases, the portion of the pipeline between the laying vessel and the bed is subjected to bending stress (i.e., forms one curve using the J-lay system, and two curves using the S-lay system). Until it is actually put into operation, the pipeline is obviously empty, so the external pressure, particularly in deep water, is much higher than inside the pipeline. Pipelines may be laid at depths of as much as 3000 meters (9842.52 feet) below sea level, so sharp curves combined with the difference between the external and internal pressure may crush and rupture the pipeline, thus resulting in flooding, which has serious consequences. In particular, at least part of the pipeline is irreparably damaged and must be replaced; and clearing the flooded pipeline is an expensive, extremely time-consuming job.
One known solution to the problem is to insert and move a plug along the pipeline, to prevent the portion of the pipeline upstream from the plug from flooding as the pipeline is eased onto the bed.
The plug is moved along the pipeline using various techniques. For example, in documents U.S. Pat. No. 4,498,811 and PCT Patent Application No. WO 03/042594, it is drawn along using a cable inserted inside the pipeline and operated by a winch on the laying vessel. In another technique known as pigging, the plug is blown along by compressed air generated at a pumping station, for example located at one end of the pipeline. In document PCT Patent Application No. WO 2007/040403, the plug is moved along the pipeline by the difference in pressure up and downstream from the plug. In another technique, the plug is associated with a self-propelled carriage, but this requires an independent power source, as described in documents U.S. Pat. No. 3,837,214 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,978,678.
Each of the above plugging techniques has pros and cons in terms of plug positioning precision, operating range, cost, production and installation.
Moreover, the methods in the above documents are ineffective in preventing crushing of the pipeline from spreading and so endangering the integrity of a large section of the pipeline and the plug, and the sealing capacity of the plug.

Method and system for laying a pipeline on the bed of a body of water


A determination device for enabling a computer to carry out a process including the steps of: obtaining an analysis result on methylation status of a CpG site located in a promoter region of at least one gene selected from HOXB4 (Homeobox B4) and ZSCAN31 (zinc finger and SCAN domain containing 31) in a DNA sample derived from a subject; and outputting a determination result as information on lung cancer in the subject based on the resulting analysis result is provided. A computer readable medium and a marker for obtaining information on lung cancer are also provided.

Lung cancer is a malignant tumor that starts in the bronchi or alveoli, and is known as the leading cause of death from malignant tumors. Lung cancer is classified roughly into two types: small-cell lung carcinoma; and non-small-cell lung carcinoma. The non-small-cell lung carcinoma is further classified into three types: adenocarcinoma; squamous-cell carcinoma; and large-cell carcinoma. For screening for lung cancer, chest X-ray and sputum cytology are used. However, it is difficult to find lesions located at sites overlapped with the heart or bones and small lesions by using chest X-ray. The sputum cytology is a test that detects cancer cells in sputum derived from cancerous tissues, but it is difficult to find the cancer cells by only one test and thus multiple tests over several days are necessary. This imposes a large burden on subjects.
For screening for lung cancer, measurement of tumor markers in blood is also performed. The markers for small-cell lung carcinoma to be used are pro-gastrin releasing peptide (ProGRP) and neuron specific enolase (NSE). The markers for lung squamous-cell carcinoma to be used are squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC antigen) and cytokeratin 19 fragments (CYFRA). The markers for lung adenocarcinoma to be used are carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and sialyl Lewis X-I antigen (SLX). However, these tumor markers have insufficient sensitivity in detecting cancer, and include markers used for cancers of different types from lung cancer.
Meanwhile, new methods for diagnosing cancer based on genetic information have been studied in recent years. The methods include, for example, a method based on information on methylation of DNA. In this method, CpG sites (5′-(CG)-3′) in base sequences of certain genes are used as markers. Then, information such as the presence or absence of cancer cells is obtained based on the analysis results of the methylation status of the markers, and is used as an index for diagnosis of cancer.
Methods for determining cancer by DNA methylation analysis have been studied and developed for lung cancer. For example, the publication by Rauch T. et al. discloses that CpG islands of HOXA7 and HOXA9 genes are highly methylated frequently in tissues from stage I lung squamous cell carcinoma (see Rauch T. et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, vol. 104, p. 5527-5532 (2007)). US 2012/0202202 A discloses a method for detecting various types of cancer including lung cancer by measuring methylation levels in CpG islands of HOXA6, HOXA7, and HOXA9 genes.
Although genes with abnormal methylation in lung cancer have been reported as described above, the number of genes used as markers for detecting lung cancer is few. Thus, there is a demand for development of novel markers for detecting lung cancer using methylation analysis of genes.

Determination device, computer readable medium, and marker for obtaining information on lung cancer