In order to print a required number of copies, MFP having an assigned email address includes an email reception portion to receive an email, a number of copies determination portion to determine, based on destination information of the received email, the number of copies of data included in the email to print, and an image formation control portion to print the data included in the email by the determined number of copies.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image formation apparatus, an image formation method, and an image formation program embodied on a computer readable medium, and more particularly to an image formation apparatus capable of receiving emails, an image formation method executed in the image formation apparatus, and an image formation program embodied on computer readable medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, so-called MFP (Multi Function Peripheral) including functions of a scanner, a printer, a copier and a facsimile machine has emerged. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2003-99215 discloses a printing method of performing print processing on data attached to an email, when the email is received by MFP having an email address assigned thereto.
However, in the printing method disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2003-99215, in order to print multiple copies, the number of copies has to be mentioned in the body of an email when the email is created.
On the other hand, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-13632 discloses an electronic meeting system connected to a network. The electronic meeting system includes registration means for receiving reservation information concerning a meeting and registering the same. The number of participants in the meeting can be set in the reservation information. The electronic meeting system further includes means for regularly checking whether a meeting material file used in the meeting is received or not and, if the meeting material file is received, preliminarily printing copies of the file according to the number of participants in the meeting before the opening of the meeting.
However, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-13632, when copies of the meeting material file are preliminarily printed according to the number of participants in the meeting before the opening of the meeting, the number of participants in the meeting has be set beforehand. Therefore, when the number of participants in the meeting is erroneously set, it is impossible to print copies of the meeting material file according to the participants in the meeting.

Image formation apparatus, image formation method, and image formation program embodied on computer readable medium

Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.


A signal transmission method and a signal transmission device capable of easily transmitting a signal with a small number of signal lines. A data signal of time slot count N+α with bit count N is longitudinal-lateral converted into a data signal of time slot count N with bit count N+α. so as to create a null time α and a control signal is inserted into the null time α, thereby converting the parallel signal containing the data signal and the control signal into a serial signal for transmission.

The present invention relates to a signal transmission technology for transmitting a greater quantity of digital signals via a less number of signal lines on the occasion of transmitting the digital signals in a communication device, an information processing device, etc.
A means for transmitting the greater quantity of digital signals via the less number of signal lines has hitherto been, for example, such a signal transmission method that a parallel-serial converter transmits the parallel signals as serial signals, and the serial signals are serial/parallel-converted on a receiving side, thereby acquiring the original parallel signals.
When the originally-parallel signals are simply rearranged as the serial signals and thus transmitted, a problem arises, wherein a bit order thereof is not stored.
FIG. 14 illustrates this problem. In a case where a transmitting side inputs the parallel signals having a bit count n to a parallel-serial converter 91, signals d11, d21 are inputted in time-series to an input DI1. Further, signals d12, d22 are sequentially inputted to an input DI2, and signals d1n, d2n are sequentially inputted to an input DIn. Then, the parallel-serial converter 91 converts these signals into serial signals DS in such sequences as d11, d12, d13, d14 . . . d1n, d21, d22, and transmits these serial signals.
On the other hand, on the receiving side, a serial/parallel converter 92 converts the received serial signals DS into the parallel signals but is unable to recognize a delimiter of a bit order of the data and therefore converts the signals into the parallel signals delimited by n-bits at proper portions. Accordingly, it follows that the parallel signals having a different bit order from the bit order (the delimiter and an arrangement sequence of the data) of the original parallel signals, are to be regenerated. For instance, the example in FIG. 14 is that a certain train of time slot signals d21 through d2n on the input side becomes signals d1n=1 through d2n−2.
Therefore, for example, a data transmission method was proposed, wherein in the case of transmitting digital video signals as the serial signals, the signals are transmitted in a way that adds a train of data for synchronization on a one-line-data-by-one-line-data basis of the video signals, while on the receiving side, the video signals are regenerated based on the synchronization data train (refer to Patent document 1).
In the case of thus adding the synchronization data train to the data train based on the video signals, it follows that a data size of the data to be transmitted increases corresponding to this addition, and hence the data train having the addition of the synchronization data train (which is a composite data train) is processed with a faster clock than a clock for processing the video signals, resulting in a complicated configuration of the device such as generating different clocks by a PLL (Phase Locked Loop) circuit.
Further, in a large capacity transmission method employing a plurality of the serial transmissions, a delay difference occurs between the serial transmissions, and there is a necessity of absorbing this delay difference.
FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing the delay difference between the serial transmissions. If a delay difference (Δdelay) occurs between the serial transmissions when transmitting plural rows of serial signals, this delay difference appears in received data on the receiving side. This delay difference is allowable if small enough to be compared with a transmission speed, however, an allowable time difference decreases as the transmission speed rises, resulting in a problem.
Patent Document 1
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-103474

Signal transmission method and signal transmission device


The heat exchange system is for heating water from a water source and comprises first and second flooded heat exchangers that have steam sides that are each independently fed with steam, but water sides that are serially fed with water through the first heat exchanger then through the second heat exchanger. The system also comprises first and second control valves located at or downstream of subcooled condensate outlets of the first and second heat exchangers, first and second water temperature sensors at or downstream of the heated water outlets of the first and second heat exchangers, and a control device for receiving temperature data from the first and second water temperature sensors and for controlling the first and second control valves. The proportions of the first and second steam sides that are flooded are respectively selectively adjusted by controlling the debit of condensate allowed through the first and second subcooled condensate outlets with the first and second control valves, for allowing heat exchange to the water to be adjusted as a result of the water temperature measured by the first and second water temperature sensors. The first and second control valves are set in one of a first state in which they are both at least partly opened to allow effective heat exchange from the steam to the water in both first and second heat exchangers, and a second state in which one of them is closed while the other is at least partly opened to have an effective heat exchange from the steam to the water in only one of the first or second heat exchangers while the first and second steam sides remain both supplied with steam.

Heat exchangers are used to heat water or another liquid. In the present specification, although reference may be made to water, it is understood that the liquid to be heated might be any other liquid (glycol, etc . . . ) without departing from the present invention. The water is heated by circulating steam in a steam side that is in heat exchange relationship with a water side. The change of the steam from vapor state to liquid state provides an efficient heat transfer since the change of state is highly exothermic.
Conventional heat exchangers circulate steam in the shell side to heat the water that is circulated in tubes that represent the water side. Some heat exchangers however have the water circulate in the shell and the steam in the tubes, so both are possible for the respective water and steam sides. The water temperature is measured at the heated water outlet, and steam debit is controlled at the steam inlet by one or more control valves to obtain more or less heat exchange depending on the incoming steam debit that will be adjusted to obtain the desired heated water temperature at the water outlet.
Heat exchangers can be used for numerous applications such as for providing hot tap water (e.g. for showers in a hotel) or for heating a building by circulating hot water through water pipes throughout the building. In any event, two redundant heat exchangers are typically installed in two parallel branches. Often, either the first or the second heat exchanger will be used in alternation; and in some instances, both heat exchangers are used simultaneously. The reason for these redundant heat exchangers where a single one suffices for the required load, is that if one must be shut down for maintenance or replacement, the other must be able to heat the water meanwhile.
Also, it is known not to have dedicated "active" and "backup" heat exchangers, but rather to use the two redundant heat exchangers in alternation. Indeed, using one active heat exchanger continuously to the detriment of the other could lead to the situation where when shutdown of the active heat exchanger occurs, the backup heat exchanger is suddenly found to be non-operable for one reason or another. Also the life cycle of the active heat exchanger is likely to be shorter, requiring replacement sooner if it is used exclusively.
The alternation between heat exchangers means that, at regular time intervals, one is shut down and the other is activated instead. This approximately equal split between use of two parallel heat exchangers is called the equal run time procedure.
There are problems associated to the alternation between heat exchangers to allow equal run time. Indeed, when a switch between heat exchangers occurs, the previously unused heat exchanger needs to be initialized, i.e. water to be heated and steam are supplied to it while it is still cold. Injecting steam in the cold heat exchanger results in mechanical stress due to the steam entering a cold environment and there resulting contraction/expansion of parts. This will stress the mechanical joints that can, and often do, leak, such that it is normal procedure to have an operator verify all the numerous heat exchanger bolts that attach its parts together, with a special tool that is used to measure the torque on the bolts according to industry standards, and tighten the bolts if necessary, every time a heat exchanger is initialised. In practice, if heat exchangers were only stopped and started up again once a year, this would not be very time-consuming overall; but with the equal run-time procedure operators often wish to switch between heat exchangers much more often, for example once per week. Moreover, insulation often covers the entire heat exchangers, even if it shouldn't, to save money by reducing loss of heat with ambient air; and removing the insulation when starting up the heat exchangers to verify and tighten the bolts takes even more time, and is complex to accomplish without damaging the insulation. Alternation between heat exchangers is consequently time-consuming. Also, in practice operators often simply don't verify the torque on the bolts when this is required frequently, which leads to more leaks and eventual breakdowns.
One solution would be to continuously use two heat exchangers simultaneously in parallel, to avoid having to shut one down while the other is used. However, this solution is suboptimal. Indeed, each heat exchanger being capable of supporting the full load of the application where it is used in case of the breakdown or maintenance of the other heat exchanger, using both simultaneously in parallel would mean splitting the load in two to obtain the desired water temperature. During normal use, when the full load is not required—which is the vast majority of the time—the heat exchangers would then be used at, say, 10-20% of their maximum load. This brings the heat exchangers in suboptimal load operational ranges, leading to important temperature instability, in itself undesirable for the users; but also this in turn leads to overheating the water which often means thousands of dollars spent uselessly per year because overheating means using more steam which in turn requires more energy.
Another solution would be to install the conventional heat exchangers in series, but again this solution is suboptimal for the same reasons: since each heat exchanger would need to be usable alone, when both are used each would operate at low load resulting in the problems identified above, namely temperature instability and overheating, resulting in energy loss.
Usual efficient operational load range targets in conventional heat exchangers are usually about 30-70% of full load, or at most 20-80%. Outside of those ranges, the heat exchangers function sub-optimally.
It is consequently well known in the field of steam heating to avoid using conventional heat exchangers simultaneously in series or in parallel for the reason of avoiding usage in suboptimal operational loads; and the best solution that has been found yet has been to use two heat exchangers in parallel and to alternate between the two heat exchangers in equal run time, even if that means initialising one off from cold each time an alternation is done, e.g. every week.
It has also become known in the recent years to use so-called vertical flooded heat exchangers instead of conventional horizontal non-flooded heat exchangers, wherein water is circulated in the tubes and steam is circulated in the shell or vice-versa. The flooded heat exchanger is installed vertically and is designed to allow the steam to condense within the heat exchanger shell, with the condensate flowing downwards towards where the condensate outlet is located. The condensate is subcooled, i.e. is cooled to a temperature below the boiling point, and provides additional heat transfer to the water while avoiding that there be re-evaporation of the condensate. This increases the heat exchange efficiency even more: indeed, the subcooled condensate allows additional heat transfer in addition to the normal gas stage to liquid stage steam condensation that also occurs in flooded heat exchangers. A control valve is located at the subcooled condensate outlet on the steam side. By controlling the opening of the subcooled condensate control valve, the level of liquid condensate vs. the level of vapor phase steam is controlled and the heat transfer between the steam side and the water side is also controlled. The level of liquid-phase condensate is also called the level of flooding, hence the expression "flooded heat exchanger". Use of flooded heat exchangers is relatively recent.
Probably based on the history of usage of dual conventional heat exchangers, dual flooded heat exchangers are also installed in parallel, with either one of the two heat exchangers being used at any time. The same problems occur as with conventional heat exchangers when alternation occurs, i.e. leakage and mechanical stress.

Heat exchange system and method of controlling the alternation and redundancy between heat exchangers therein


An exercise apparatus includes a clamping means for fixing the apparatus to a vertical surface such as a door or a wall, an elastic resistance band and a resistance harness. In a preferred embodiment, the clamping means is a lag screw having a hook portion adjacent one end. On end of the resistance band is attached to the hook portion of the lag screw and the other end is attached to the resistance harness. In another preferred embodiment, the apparatus further includes an adjustment for adjusting the vertical location of the resistance harness relative to the clamping means, and the clamping means is a U-shaped bracket. The adjustment means includes a belt having one end attached to the U-shaped bracket, and the free end threaded first through an adjustment buckle and then through a hook attached to one end of the resistance band. The other end of the resistance band is attached to the resistance harness. In an alternative embodiment, the resistance harness includes a hinged resistance bar so that the apparatus is easy to use, transport and store. In a preferred method of using the exercise apparatus, a user extends the upper arms through an opening defined by the resistance harness and pulls the resistance harness using the abdominal muscles in the direction of the pelvis while bowing the lower back outwardly posterior tilt to extend the resistance band. Thus, the spine is elongated and all of the abdominal muscle groups are contracted without placing undue stress on the muscles in the lower back.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to an exercise apparatus, and more particularly, to an apparatus for exercising the abdominal muscles in contraction and for elongating the spine without placing undue stress on the muscles in the lower back.
2. Description of the Prior Art and Objectives of the Invention
Situps have long been a popular exercise for strengthening and toning the abdominal muscles. Typically, a person performing a situp lies with the back and feet on a flat surface, and with the knees bent. The person then lifts the head and shoulders in the direction of the knees using the abdominal muscles. The hands may be placed behind the head with the elbows forward so that the elbows touch the knees when the head and shoulders are lifted. The conventional situp, however, places undue stress on the muscles in the lower back, causing discomfort during the exercise and often resulting in an injury.
As a result, the "crunch" style of situp has become a popular alternative to the conventional situp. Crunches are performed in the same manner as conventional situps, except that the head and shoulders are lifted only a limited distance so that less range of motion is required by the muscles in the lower back. Accordingly, the undue stress placed on the muscles in the lower back is not eliminated, but only reduced. In addition, crunches do not optimize the exercise benefit received by the abdominal muscles. In particular, the exercise benefit is lost which obtained by pulling the weight of the head and shoulders the additional distance in the direction of the knees.
A number of weight and "fitness" apparati have been developed recently for exercising the abdominal muscles. These apparati, however, for the most part reproduce the same range of motion as the situp and the crunch. Namely, the resistance produced by the apparatus is concentrated in the lower back and the upper body of the person using the apparatus. One such exercise apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,098,089. The '089 apparatus includes a triangular frame for mounting a bed on which the body of the user is supported, knee posts for supporting the knees of the user, and foot posts for receiving the feet and ankles of the user. The frame acts as a fulcrum so that the bed pivots about a transverse axis to permit the user to perform situps with the head elevated above the feet. Accordingly, the user obtains the exercise benefit of the full range of motion of a conventional situp without having to overcome the force of gravity to raise the upper body above the elevation of the feet and knees. Although the '089 exercise apparatus alleviates a portion of the undue stress placed on the muscles in the lower back, it does not increase the exercise benefit obtained by the abdominal muscle groups.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,120,052 to Evans discloses an abdominal exercise apparatus that develops the abdominal muscles through their entire range of motion. The objective of the apparatus is to develop the abdominal muscles not only through contraction, but through increased elongation as well. The apparatus includes a convex arch which engages the upper lumbar and lower thoracic spine in the area of the lower back of the user. The arch permits the user's spine to be supported while allowing the spine to bow outwardly the range that occurs in a normal standing posture. The apparatus further includes an adjustable knee retainer that restrains upward movement of the knees so that the lower back maintains contact with the arch. Accordingly, the range of motion experienced during the situp is increased so that the abdominal muscles are elongated as well as contracted during the exercise. Although the Evans apparatus alleviates a portion of the undue stress placed on the muscles in the lower back and increases the exercise benefit obtained by the muscles in the lower back, it does not significantly increase the exercise benefit obtained by the abdominal muscle groups.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,238,435 to Ricks discloses an exercise apparatus for building stronger stomach muscles. The apparatus includes a pair of foot rests for anchoring the feet of the user in a vertical or inclined orientation. The foot rests immobilize the feet of the user while the user performs a conventional situp. Accordingly, the exercise benefit obtained by the abdominal muscles is somewhat increased by the additional resistance provided by the foot rests. However, the Ricks exercise apparatus placed undue stress on the muscles in the lower back, and only some of the abdominal muscles obtain an increased exercise benefit (i.e., the muscles utilized in performing a conventional situp).
Each of the above exercise apparati place undue stress on the muscles in the lower back and do not provide optimum exercise benefit to all of the abdominal muscle groups. It is apparent that an exercise apparatus that overcomes one or more of the limitations of the exercise apparati described above would be advantageous. In particular, it would be advantageous to provide an exercise apparatus which focuses the benefit of the exercise on all of the abdominal muscle groups, and which does not place undue stress on the muscles in the lower back of the user.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an exercise apparatus which works all of the abdominal muscle groups.
It is another object of the invention to provide an exercise apparatus which does not place undue stress on the muscles in the lower back of the user.
It is another, and more particular, object of the invention to provide an exercise apparatus which causes all of the abdominal muscle groups to contract in the direction of the posterior side of the user's body.
It is another object of the invention to provide an exercise apparatus which is lightweight and compact, and thus is convenient to use, transport and store.
The invention disclosed and shown in the accompanying figures provides such an exercise apparatus including additional features which will be more fully described hereinafter.

Apparatus for exercising abdominal muscles and method


The present invention relates to a method of forming a pattern using a photosensitive film having bleaching properties for use as a contrast enhancing layer. The photosensitive film comprises an aromatic diazonium salt having extremely high purity content. In addition, no harmful metals are incorporated during preparation. Fine patterns of various semiconductor devices can thus be formed with high accuracy. The diazonium salt is selected from the group consisting of trifluromethanesulfonic acid salt, methanesulfonic acid salts, and trifluromethaneacetic salts of aromatic diazonium compounds.

The present invention relates to an aromatic diazonium salt, a radiation sensitive composition containing the aromatic diazonium salt and a method for forming a pattern using the radiation sensitive composition. More particularly, it relates to a method for forming a pattern which is especially suitable for production of, for example, various electronic parts such as semiconductor devices, a radiation sensitive composition used for this method and an aromatic diazonium salt contained in this radiation sensitive composition.
Hitherto, photosensitive compositions or photolithographic techniques suitable for production of electronic parts such as semiconductor devices have been proposed, for example, in Japanese Patent Kokai Nos. 60-238829, 63-13035 and 59-45439. Further, diazonium salts or photosensitive compositions containing the diazonium salts have been proposed, for example, in Japanese Patent Kokai Nos. 51-93998 and 61-219038.
The above Japanese Patent Kokai No. 60-238829 shows a method which comprises providing a photosensitive film containing a photosensitive diazonium salt on a photoresist film and then carrying out pattern exposure using a light to which both the photoresist and the photosensitive diazonium salt are sensitive in order to form a very fine pattern with high resolution and to obtain an image of high contrast without reducing the sensitivity of the photoresist so much. The photosensitive film containing the photosensitive diazonium salt is considerably low in transmittance before exposure, but shows such photobleaching properties as the film becomes gradually transparent upon exposure. Therefore, when the photosensitive film is exposed to aerial image of mask, the aerial image undergoes rapid bleaching in light portion and undergoes slow bleaching in dark portion. Therefore, by utilizing such bleaching property with light, difference in exposure of photoresist in the light portion and the dark portion is greater than when the above photosensitive film is not present and thus contrast is improved.
The method disclosed in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Kokai No. 63-13035 comprises forming an alkali-soluble polymer film on a substrate, further forming thereon a radiation sensitive composition layer containing a diazonium salt to produce a two-layer film and then forming a pattern by exposure and development in order to obtain a pattern of film having dry etching durability and high sensitivity and contrast. According to this method, a radiation-induced chemical reaction takes place at interface between these two layers and hence insolubilization markedly progresses at the two-layer interface to increase difference in solubility in developing solution between exposed area and unexposed area, thereby to obtain high contrast.
Japanese Patent Kokai No. 59-45439 relates to a radiation sensitive composition of high sensitivity and discloses a radiation sensitive composition containing a polymer which is unstable in acid and a polymerization initiator which produces acid when exposed to radiation. This composition has high sensitivity owing to acid-catalyzed amplification reaction.
Further, Japanese Patent Kokai No. 51-93998 cited above discloses a curable photosensitive composition comprising a diazonium salt and an epoxy compound.
These conventional techniques did not give consideration to the many problems which occur in production of very fine electronic parts such as LSI devices. That is, as mentioned, for example, in the above Japanese Patent Kokai No. 60-238829, diazonium salts hitherto used have halogen ion or anion produced from halogen compounds of boron, aluminum, iron, zinc, arsenic, antimony or phosphorus. These metals or semimetals cause defects in LSI devices. Further, the above Japanese Patent Kokai No. 63-13085 mentions diazonium salts containing neither metals nor semimetals, such as diazonium salt of sulfonic acid, but there is a step of using metal ions such as sodium in the course of synthesis. They also suffer from the above problems due to a slight amount of unremovable metal impurities.

Method of forming a positive photoresist pattern utilizing contrast enhancement overlayer containing trifluoromethanesulfonic, methanesulfonic or trifluoromethaneacetic aromatic diazonium salt


An apparatus for controlling an airbag module in a vehicle cabin is provided that includes a control apparatus for triggering the airbag module, a plenoptic camera configured as a camera module that generates image data having depth information within a prespecifiable region in the vehicle cabin with the prespecifiable region comprising at least a first and a second partial region of a trigger region of the airbag module, and an evaluation device which determines on the basis of the image data whether an object, in particular a vehicle occupant, is located in the first or the second partial region and the control apparatus controls the airbag module in dependence on the position of the object.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for controlling an airbag module.
Description of the Background Art
Motor vehicles equipped with safety systems, for example airbag modules, are known from the prior art. The airbag modules serve to minimize injuries to occupants in the event of an accident of the motor vehicle.
However, should it be the case that the occupant is located near the exit of the airbag module, there is a risk that the airbag module itself will injure the occupant. In this context, studies have shown that it is children in particular which can be injured severely by an airbag module. One study by the ADAC, for example, has found that small children sitting in an infant seat sustain presumably serious head and neck injuries caused by the passenger airbag. This is in fact only because of the force of impact of the airbag module. Even a minor accident, at low speed, can lead to grave or fatal injuries. The ADAC study furthermore found that bigger children that sit too close to the dashboard are struck by the deploying airbag. This can result in broken bones, grazes and burns. Even more severe injuries can occur if the legs of the child are located in the deployment area of the airbag module.
In order to avoid these cases, various solutions are already known from the prior art. For example, it is known to switch off the airbag module in various driving situations.
DE 197 24 344 C1, which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,693, discloses that a manually operable switch with at least one switch position is provided in a motor vehicle, which switch is assigned to an occupation type for which the passenger airbag must not be activated, and that a control unit is present which deactivates the passenger airbag if the switch is in said switching position, and that means are provided which, after starting the motor, prevent the vehicle from moving if the switch was not activated. In order to rule out forgetting of a switch actuation, it is ensured that the vehicle can only be made to move when the switch has been activated. DE 44 10 402 A1 discloses a hand switch with which the airbag of a seat can be switched on and off.
It is additionally also known to monitor an occupant area using a plurality of camera modules, and to trigger the airbag module in dependence of a position of the occupant. However, such occupant safety systems are complicated to manage and relatively expensive to produce because of the many individual components, in particular because of the plurality of camera modules.

Apparatus for controlling an airbag module


A support device (10) forms a medical apparatuses bracket system and functions as a bracket system for medical apparatuses (12). The support device (10) includes a central vertical, or at least essentially vertical, column (14) and at least one tine (20) and optionally two or more tines (20). The tine (20) or tines (20) is/are oriented obliquely to a crossbeam (22) mounted on the column (14).

Such bracket systems are known per se and shelf spaces arranged above one another in a shelf-like manner are available for medical apparatuses or the like.
One drawback of the prior-art bracket systems is that their shelf spaces are often broader than required, so that an unfavorably increased space requirement results for the bracket system overall. The fact that a shelf space of a bracket system is too small for a medical apparatus to be placed on it likewise comes into consideration, so that this medical apparatus either cannot be placed into the bracket system at all or does not stand securely there. In addition, at least the surfaces of the shelf spaces require regular cleaning, so that large shelf spaces lead to an increased cleaning effort and too large shelf spaces lead to an unnecessarily high cleaning effort.

Flexible bracket system for medical apparatuses


An integrity protection method, a terminal and a base station are provided. The integrity protection method, which is applied to a terminal, includes: performing an integrity protection check on data packets transmitted on a DRB, a split bearer corresponding to the DRB or a logical channel corresponding to the DRB, and determining whether an integrity protection of the DRB fails based on a result of the integrity protection check; and when it is determined that the integrity protection of the DRB fails, suspending the DRB or continuing receiving data packets carried by the DRB.

In a long term evolution (LTE) system, encryption processing is performed on control plane message at radio resource control (RRC) layer. In addition, integrity protection is implemented for the control plane message of the RRC layer to prevent data tampering, that is, integrity verification information is carried at a transmitting end and an integrity protection check is performed by using the integrity verification information at a receiving end.
However, in LTE and 5G new radio (NR) systems, no integrity protection scheme is provided for the transmission and reception of service data of user plane. As a result, it is difficult to prevent tampering of service data.
In 5G NR discussion, 3GPP Security Working Group (SA3) has reached an agreement that integrity protection also needs to be implemented for data of user plane, i.e., data carried on a data radio bearer (DRB). That is, integrity verification information is carried at a transmitting end and an integrity protection check is performed by using received integrity verification information at a receiving end. If the integrity protection check succeeds, it is determined that the data is not tampered with. If the check fails, it is discovered that the data is tampered with, then it is determined that integrity protection of the data fails.
However, it is still not clear as to how to determine whether the DRB integrity protection fails and how to handle the data carried by the DRB after it is determined the DRB integrity protection fails.

Integrity protection method, terminal and base station


A logging system that may be used in a wellbore formed in an earth. A tubular conduit extends from surface into the wellbore and contains a body of wellbore fluid. A logging tool string may be passed from a position within the conduit to a position outside the conduit at a lower end part thereof, and may be suspended by the conduit in the position outside the conduit. A pressure pulse device is arranged within the conduit in a manner that the pressure pulse device is in data communication with the logging tool. The pressure pulse device is capable of generating pressure pulses in the body of wellbore fluid, which pressure pulses represent data communicated by the logging tool string to the pressure pulse device during logging of earth formation by the logging tool string. The system further includes a control system in fluid communication with the body of wellbore fluid and arranged to receive the pressure pulses.

Logging systems used for logging earth formations include wireline operated logging tools and wireless logging tools. Generally, wireless logging tools are battery powered and are provided with an electronic memory for storing the logging data. After conducting a logging run, the tool is retrieved to surface where the logging data are read out from the electronic memory.
A problem relating to the use of wireless logging tools is that during logging no information is available to the operator with regard to the functioning of the logging tool. For example, in case the logging tool is not correctly deployed in the borehole during the logging operation, the operator will notice the incorrect deployment only during read out of the electronic memory after one or more logging runs have been carried out. In such situation valuable drilling rig time is lost as it may be required to re-run the logging tool in the same wellbore interval. Also, circumstances may prevent rerunning of the logging tool in the same wellbore interval, leading to the absence of useful logging data for the interval.


A computer system includes a processor configured to generate a prediction by a branch predictor that a branch instruction will be taken or not taken by consulting a current state of a state machine, the state machine having at least one taken state and at least one not taken state. The processor is also configured to return the prediction to a processing unit and detect a result that the branch instruction was actually taken or actually not taken. The processor is further configured to, based on the prediction being different than the result or based on the prediction being weak and consistent with the result, consult a probability value being a static value and/or a value based on a history of outcomes of previous branch instructions, and based on the probability value having a selected value or being within a selected range, update the state machine.

The present disclosure relates generally to computer processing systems, and more specifically to gating updates to branch prediction structures.
An instruction pipeline in a computer processor improves instruction execution throughput by processing instructions using a number of pipeline stages, where multiple stages can act on different instructions of an instruction stream in parallel. A branch instruction in an instruction stream may result in a pipeline stall if the processor waits until the conditional branch instruction is resolved in an execution stage in the pipeline before fetching a next instruction in an instruction fetching stage for the pipeline. A branch predictor attempts to guess whether a branch instruction will be taken or not.
Typically, a branch predictor utilizes a plurality of state machines to facilitate predictions. In a typical branch instruction execution, the branch predictor inspects the state of a state machine indexed from the branch instruction address and optionally parts of current processor execution state, and generates a prediction based on the current state of the state machine. The branch predictor then detects when the outcome of the branch instruction is actually available, which includes information on whether the branch instruction was taken or not taken by the pipeline or other processing component. The branch predictor then updates the state machine to better track the branch instruction outcome so that it will be more correctly predicted when it is subsequently fetched. As multiple branch instructions can map to the same state machine, such branch instructions can affect the accuracy of predictions made based on that state machine if these branch instructions have different characteristics (e.g., occur with different frequencies or have different taken rates).

Gating updates to branch predictors to reduce pollution from infrequently executed branches

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


A seal cartridge for a generator includes a housing which defines an annular cavity. An axial load spring and a seal ring within the annular cavity such that the seal ring is biased by the axial load spring.

The present disclosure relates to a seal, and more particularly to a seal cartridge for a starter-generator.
Aircraft powered by gas turbine engines often include a mechanically driven accessory gearbox which connects to accessory systems such as an electrical starter-generator. A seal cartridge is typically located within the starter-generator to provide a rotational seal for a shaft arrangement which interconnects the accessory gearbox and the starter-generator.
Although effective during normal operation, the seal cartridge must survive an aircrew initiated mechanical decouple of the starter-generator from the accessory gearbox. Such an aircrew initiated mechanical decouple may be performed in response to, for example, a starter-generator failure which may otherwise operate as a drag upon the accessory gearbox and the engine.


The present disclosure describes a microfluidic chip for culturing and in vitro testing of 3D organotypic cultures. The tests may be performed directly on the organotypic culture in the microfluidic chip. The microfluidic chip includes at least one microfluidic unit which includes two fluidic compartments, such as upper and lower, separated by a permeable supporting structure, one or more access opening for the fluidic compartments, and a set of lids interchangeable with a set of insets. The permeable support structure serves as a support for the organotypic culture. The upper and lower compartments may include inlets and outlets which allow fluids to be perfused into the lower compartment and fluids to be perfused into the upper compartment. The access opening may be closed with a lid or accommodate an inset.

Three-dimensional (3D) human skin equivalent (HSE) research has gained importance as an alternative to replace animal testing in cosmetic, pharmacological and toxicological sciences. Three-dimensional HSEs, which derived from human cell lines, can mimic native skin's cellular organization and function, lipid composition and differentiation, metabolic capability, and retain apical polarization in basal keratinocytes. Human skin equivalents may either be reconstructed human epidermis (RHE), which includes the stratum corneum and the viable epidermis, or full-thickness skin equivalents (SEs), which include the same layers above a dermal equivalent (DE).
Although the skin's main barrier to percutaneous penetration resides in the stratum corneum, with the viable epidermis providing an additional barrier for lipophilic chemicals, the presence of the dermal layer in SEs is deemed necessary for superior skin homeostasis due to the interaction between the dermal fibroblasts and epidermal keratinocytes. However, obstacles exist in hampering the quality and reproducibility of SEs. Such obstacles include the amount of obtainable samples from donor biopsies, low propagation in culture, contraction of the DE and inferior barrier function which limit their utility in percutaneous penetration and toxicity studies.
RHE and SE are conventionally reconstructed on tissue culture inserts. Microfluidics technology has also been employed in producing 3D organotypic cultures. However, in these microfluidic devices, SEs are either not reconstructed directly in the microfluidic system, hence they do not take advantage of the benefits of dynamic culture, or do not represent the 3D complexity of human skin. Moreover, conventional technologies and methods focusing on skin permeation are relatively expensive and have low throughput in producing SE cultures.
The present disclosure is directed to a low cost microfluidic platform focusing on skin permeation with high precision and high throughput. Furthermore, the microfluidic platform includes an integrated culturing and testing microfluidic chip that enables improved morphogenesis and differentiation of the cultured tissue.

Integrated microfluidic system for culturing and testing

AGENCY FOR SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND RESEARCH


The present invention, in one embodiment, provides a method for making a wood-type golf club head. The method includes the steps of: forming a face portion of the golf club head from a piece of sheet metal consisting essentially of a titanium alloy; and after forming the face portion, attaching the formed face portion to a crown and a sole of the golf club head. The step of forming the face portion includes pressing the piece of sheet metal into a die at about 70 tons psi.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates, generally, to a golf club head and, more specifically, to a golf club head with a face made from a titanium alloy.
2. Discussion of the Background
When a golf club strikes a golf ball at rest, the ball is propelled at high speed from the tee to the landing area. Thus, the kinetic energy of the moving club head is converted to kinetic energy in the moving golf ball. The golf ball is only in contact with the face of the golf club for a few millionths of a second during impact and the distance achieved by the golf ball is a result of the combination of the initial velocity of the ball after impact, the launch angle, and the spin of the ball. Generally, however, the greater the velocity of the ball after impact, the farther the ball will travel.
The mass of the club head and the velocity at impact combine to determine the initial velocity of the golf ball after impact. However, not all of the energy transferred to the ball is converted to kinetic energy and manifested as velocity. Some of the energy manifests as heat in the ball. Much of the kinetic energy lost as heat is related to the viscoelastic response of the ball during deformation.
The present invention is, in part, a result of the discovery that a golf club face that deforms in preference to the ball will, unless it is a lossy viscoelastomer, generally have a smaller hysteresis loop on deformation and, therefore, result in less energy loss. In addition, it has been found that it is preferable that the face of the club head deform more than the remainder of the club head body. Thus, controlling deformation of the golf club head in preference to deformation of the golf ball will result in the golf ball traveling farther.
Generally, a golf club comprises a shaft portion, a head portion, and a grip portion. The part of the golf club head portion that comprises the hitting surface is referred to as the golf club "face". Generally, a golf club face abuts or is adjacent to both a top wall (or crown) of the club head and a bottom wall (or sole) of the club head.
Most "woods", such as the driver and the fairway woods, are in the form of a hollow shell (or perhaps filled with foam), usually of metal. Because only the best and strongest golfers can effectively swing a driver head that weighs more than 220 grams, the maximum weight of the club head is essentially a design constraint of the club head. Further, when the front side of the face of the golf club head strikes a golf ball, extremely large impact forces are produced potentially causing cracking and/or material failure. Thus, the golf club face portion must be structurally adequate to withstand large repeated forces, such as those associated with ball impact. In addition, a large club head face is highly desirable because it strongly reduces the percentage of errant hits.
Thus, there are contrasting design considerations when designing a golf club head—the desirability of a light club head, but with a large club face and a club head that is durable enough to withstand repeated striking of the ball. One method of increasing the durability of the club head is to add additional material (e.g., steel or titanium) to thicken the club face or to add ribs to the club face. However, the designer cannot simply add additional material to strengthen the face indiscriminately because doing so also increases the overall weight of the club head, which is undesirable.
Prior golf club heads typically had relatively thick faces, which would deform only slightly at impact thereby causing the golf ball to deform, which created a significant loss of kinetic energy through conversion of heat in the ball.
Thus, there is a need for a new golf club head with a club face structure providing enhanced deformation for improving club performance, and that has structural integrity, thereby reducing cracking and material failure, without otherwise adversely affecting club performance, look, and feel; and with limited affect on club head weight.


An associative signal processing apparatus for processing a plurality of samples of an incoming signal in parallel, the apparatus comprising: (a) an array of processors, each processor including a multiplicity of associative memory cells, the memory cells being operative to perform: (i) compare operations, in parallel, on the plurality of samples of the incoming signal; and (ii) write operations, in parallel, on the plurality of samples of the incoming signal; and (b) an I/O buffer register including a multiplicity of associative memory cells, the register being operative to: (i) input the plurality of samples of the incoming signal to the array of processors in parallel by having the I/O buffer register memory cells perform at least one associative compare operation and the array memory cells perform at least one associative write operation; and (ii) receive, in parallel, a plurality of processed samples from the array of processors by having the array memory cells perform at least one associative compare operation and the I/O buffer register memory cells perform at least one write operation.

State of the art computer vision systems and methods and state of the art associative processing methods are described in the following publications, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference:
C. C. Foster, "Content addressable parallel processors", Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., 1976, chs.2 and 5,
S. Ruhman, I. Scherson, "Associative processor for tomographic image reconstruction", Proc. Medcomp 82 (1982 IEEE Comp Soc. Int. Conf. on Medical Comp. Sc./Computational Medicine ), pp. 353-358,
C. Weems, E. Riseman, A. Hanson, A. Rosenfeld, "IU parallel processing benchmark", Proc. Comp. Vision & Pattern Recogn., pp. 673-688, 1988,
I. Scherson, "Multioperand associative processing and application to tomography and computer graphics", Ph.D. Thesis, Computer Science, Weizman Institute of Science, 1983,
Canny J., "Computational approach to edge detection", IEEE Trans. on Pattern Analysis and Machine Int., November 1986, pp. 679-698, and
Sha'ashua, A. and S. Ullman, "Structural saliency: the detection of global salient structures using a local connected network", Proc. ICCV Conf., pp, 321-327, Florida, 1988, and
Akerib, A. J. and Shmil Ruhman, "Associative contour processing", MVP 1990 IAPR Workshop on Machine Vision Applications, Nov. 28-30, 1990, Tokyo.
Image processing techniques and other subject matter useful for associative signal processing are described in the following references:

Apparatus and method for signal processing


A micro device which makes a plurality of fluids mixedly react while circulating these fluids as a thin-film laminar flow by joining these fluids into one microchannel through respective fluid supply passes to induce a velocity fluctuation in a microchannel longitudinal direction of the fluids by propagating infralow frequency vibration at a vibration frequency of 50 Hz or more and 1 kHz or less to the fluids which flow through the inside of the microchannel.

This application claims the priority of Japanese Patent Application No.2003-307065 filed on Aug. 29, 2003, in the Japan Patent Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fluid mixing reaction enhancement method using a micro device, and a micro device, and in particular, relates to a fluid mixing reaction enhancement method using a micro device, and a micro device which can enhance a mixing reaction of fluids, which flow through the inside of a microchannel, without complicating microchannel structure and extending the microchannel.
2. Description of the Related Art
Since it is possible to perform micro fabrication in remarkably good accuracy and low cost owing to the development of processing technology in recent years, the development of apparatuses such as a mixing apparatus (micro mixer) and a chemistry reactor (micro reactor), which are in micro scale, and furthermore, a micro TAS (Total Analysis System: lab-on-a-chip) and a microchemistry plant have been attempted. These apparatuses, where minute spaces (hereinafter, "microchannels") with opening widths in micron order which are connected to a plurality of fine fluid supply passes are provided, mix a plurality of fluids or perform reactions accompanied by mixing. It is common that the apparatuses such as the micro mixer, micro device, micro TAS, and microchemistry plant which are mentioned above have the above-mentioned basic structure of a microchannel, and hence, these apparatuses will be generically called micro devices in the present invention.
The micro device has unique advantages, which batch-scale operations do not have, such as the capability of operations, such as dissociation, analysis, and extraction, in a short time wit a small amount of samples by mixing or a mixing reaction of a plurality of fluids, the capability of quickly adapting for chemical production requiring job shop type production, the ease of numbering-up because of a small apparatus, and adaptability for dangerous reactions such as explosions.
Although a flow in a microchannel used as the fundamental of these micro devices is usually in a laminar flow state, its efficiency is low because a mixing reaction of fluids proceeds only by molecular diffusion in this case. Hence, it is necessary to terminate a mixing reaction for a short time by a certain method in most of mixing reactions except cases of requiring a maturation mixing reaction for a long time. Hence, it is very important practically to clarify a mixing reaction mechanism of fluids in a flow field in a microchannel, and to propose a method for enhancing a mixing reaction.
When reactants are supplied in mutually complete isolation in a flow field in a state that reactants are not mixed beforehand, that is, in a so-called initial state, a chemical reaction proceeds through molecular diffusion in a contact interface domain of the fluids containing respective reactants. Hence, in order to enhance the fluid mixing and chemical reaction in a general practical reactor, it becomes important not only how fast materials are transported, but also how a contact interface is deformed intricately. However, since the flow in the microchannel, which is a flow field is in a laminar flow state, there is no complexity in a contact interface, and hence, attentions have been paid on how to earn the molecule diffusion time of materials, For this reason, in regard to conventional micro devices, passive methods of attempting to increase the contact time of fluids, and the contact interface between fluids, have been adopted by complicating channel shapes, and extending the channels as a way of enhancing the mixing reaction of the fluids (for example, PCT International Publication WO 99/44736, and PCT International Publication WO 02/089965).

Fluid mixing reaction enhancement method using micro device, and micro device


A calibration plug provides resistance simulation for calibrating toroidal conductivity sensors. This calibration plug includes a resistive element of predetermined electrical resistance coupled in series between electrical leads which may be engaged with a circuit element to form an electrical circuit. The toroidal sensor includes one or more toroidal coils defining a central bore extending therethrough, a cell factor, and a full scale conductivity value. The predetermined resistance of the resistive element is determined in accordance with the following equation:

The need to measure the conductivity of typically aqueous fluids is ubiquitous throughout various industries such as pharmaceuticals and chemicals, food, metals and mining, steam generation, hydrocarbon processing, textiles and the power sector. Determination of the conductivity of process fluids used in these and other such industries is accomplished by measuring the resistance of the binary or non-binary ionic solution exhibiting the property of conductivity.
One type of EC sensor is a toroidal inductive conductivity sensor. These sensors typically include two toroid transformer coils that are suitably spaced apart. One coil is called a drive coil or transmitter coil, and the other is called a receiver coil or sense coil or a detection coil. When the toroidal conductivity sensor is immersed in a conductive fluid (or the fluid is otherwise disposed within or passed through the toroids) and the drive coil is electrically excited or energized by an alternating current source, the drive coil generates a changing magnetic field.
The changing magnetic field induces a current loop in the sample fluid. The magnitude of the induced current is indicative of the conductivity of the fluid. The current in the fluid in turn induces a current in the receiver coil, which the analyzer measures. The current in the receiver coil is directly proportional to the conductivity of the fluid. This type of invasive toroidal sensor is typically used for conductivity values that exceed 1+ microsiemens/cm.
These EC sensors are also used in conjunction with an analyzer or transmitter that converts the resistance measurements provided by the sensor to actual conductivity values, typically as microsiemens/cm or millisiemens/cm also known as micromhos/cm or millimhos/cm respectively wherein 1 millimho/cm equals 1000 micromho/cm.
The accuracy of this measurement depends in large part on the initial calibration of the specific EC sensor with its associated electronic circuitry. This initial calibration identifies for the electronic circuitry, a low-end conductivity point (typically but not necessarily 'zero') and a high range (or full scale) conductivity point, these points corresponding to distinct conductivity values. These conductivity values are each inputted to the electronic circuitry in the form of an input signal corresponding to a specific resistance value. This specific resistance value is determined by the following equation:
                              Resistance                                                              in                                                              ohms                =                                                                                [                      geometric                      ]                                                                                cell                                                                                factor                                                                                (                                          of                                                                                EC                                                                                sensor                                        )                                    ×                  1000                                                                                Full                                                                                scale                                                                                conductivity                                                                                value                                                                                in                                                                                millisiemens                    /                    cm                                                                                (                  Equation                                                              1                )
A typical current method for calibration is explained below.
A decade resistance box known to a person skilled in the art is used wherein the lead therefrom is passed through the bore of the toroid of the EC sensor, when a specific desired resistance of a particular value (equivalent of a desired conductivity value used in Equation 1) is to be input to the electronic circuit. This specific desired resistance value is then 'dialed in' on the decade resistance box and the calibration reading in the electronic circuit is read. Thus the calibration of the sensor for that desired conductivity value is completed.
A primary advantage of this method is that the decade resistance box typically permits the input of a specific desired resistance value by manually adjusting a series of graduated resistance levels on the dials of the resistance box, which adjustment is known to the person skilled in the art. Thus any resistance value that a decade box is capable of providing can be selected for calibration.
There are, however, disadvantages of this method using a decade resistance box. For example, if calibration of the sensor is to be completed away from the shop bench, which is a very common occurrence, then the decade resistance box must be transported to one or more locations, which may be problematic as decade resistance boxes are typically large and cumbersome to transport. In addition, human errors are possible in determining the specific desired resistance value. (For example, an error may occur in using the above mentioned equation or an error may be made in cell factor determination.) Even in the event the correct resistance value is determined, human errors may be introduced by inaccurate input of the desired resistance using the graduated dials of the decade resistance box. In addition, the decade resistance box itself may be 'out of tolerance' (for example, due to temperature effects). Moreover, decade resistance boxes typically do not provide precision resistance values, which may result in undesirable inaccuracies.
Alternatively, an EC sensor may be calibrated by use of a single resistor or a pair of resistors mechanically attached to a loop of wire that is passed through the toroidal bore of the sensor. An advantage of this method is that the resistors are lighter and smaller than the decade resistance box. This approach, however, also has disadvantages. For example, human errors are possible in determining the specific desired resistance value (such as in solving the above mentioned equation and/or in determining the particular cell factor). Also, poor quality connections between the resistance wire and the resistor(s) may degrade resistance values and generate inaccurate calibration results. Human errors are also possible in converting resistor color codes.
In view of the above, there is a need to develop a method and apparatus for calibrating an EC sensor, which addresses the above mentioned disadvantages.

Calibration plug for invasive and non-invasive electrodeless conductivity sensors and methods of using the same calibration plug

Abstract: Resistance                          in                          Ohms    =                                                                        [                geometric                ]                                                                                cell                                                                                factor                                                                                (                              of                                                                                EC                                                                                sensor                            )                        ×            1000                                                                    Full                                                                          scale                                                                          conductivity                                                            value                                                                          in                                                                                millisiemens              /              cm                                          and the calibration plug further includes indicia identifying one or more toroidal conductivity sensors for which the plug is configured.


The present invention relates to a solid pharmaceutical composition (such as a solid dosage form) comprising a delivery agent and wetted heparin. The inclusion of wetted heparin rather than un-wetted heparin in the solid pharmaceutical composition results in increased delivery of the heparin. Without being bound by any particular theory, applicants believe that because the polymer chain of the wetted heparin is already in an “open” form, while un-wetted heparin is not, less of the wetted heparin is broken down in the gastrointestinal tract and is more readily absorbed in the stomach.

Heparin is the most widely used anticoagulant for the prevention and initial treatment of venous thromboembolism, which includes deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). PE is estimated to result in more than 300,000 hospital admissions per year and is responsible for approximately 50,000 to 250,000 deaths annually in the United States alone. There are numerous indications approved and unapproved that involve use of heparin products, both fractionated and unfractioned. Usually, the goal of the therapy is to treat or prevent a thrombotic event.
Heparin is a potent anticoagulant whose chemical composition includes a mixture of repeating disaccharide units, composed of glucosamine and either L-iduronic or D-glucuronic acid. Heparin is a naturally occurring glycosaminoglycan most frequently isolated commercially from cow lung and porcine intestinal mucosa. It is sulfated, anionic, and highly acidic.
Heparin inhibits reactions that lead to the clotting of blood and the formation of fibrin clots also known as thrombus. It inhibits several activated coagulation factors, in particular, factor Xa and factor IIa, by binding to the plasma protease inhibitor antithrombin III. It is partially metabolized by desulphation and depolymerization.
Heparin includes both unfractionated and low-molecular-weight heparin, e.g., dalteparin sodium, enoxaparin, tinzaparin. Heparins are indicated for prophylaxis of ischemic complications in unstable angina and non-Q-wave mycordial infarction, prophylaxis of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in patients following hip or knee replacement surgery, and prophylaxis of DVT in patients following abdominal surgery in patients at risk for thromboembolic complications. Abdominal surgery patients at risk include those who are over 40 years of age, obese, undergoing surgery under general anesthesia lasting longer than 30 minutes or who have additional risk factors such as malignancy or a history of DVT or pulmonary embolism. Heparins are also indicated for prophylaxis of DVT in medical patients with severely restricted mobility during acute illness, and treatment of DVT with or without pulmonary embolism.
The anticoagulant effect of heparin requires the presence of antithrombin III to facilitate the formation of a 1:1 complex with thrombin. The rate of thrombin-antithrombin III complex formation is increased 1,000-fold by heparin which serves as a catalytic template to which both the inhibitor and thrombin bind. Binding of heparin also induces a conformational change in antithrombin, making the reactive site more accessible to thrombin. Antithrombin binds to heparin via sulfate groups on a specific pentasaccharide sequence found in about 30% of heparin molecules. The heparin-antithrombin III complex can also inhibit activated Factors IX, X, XI, and XII. Once thrombin binds to antithrombin, the heparin molecule is released from the complex. When, for example, the concentration of heparin in plasma is about 0.1 to 1.0 IU/mL, thrombin, Factor IIa, and Factor Xa are rapidly inhibited by antithrombin III. The result is an increase in blood coagulation time, as measured by activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), thrombin time, anti-Factor IIa, and anti-Factor Xa activity.
Presently, heparin is administered parenterally, either by continuous or intermittent intravenous infusion or by deep subcutaneous injection. Heparin alone is not well absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,458,383 discloses a delayed release pharmaceutical dosage form for oral administration of a hydrophilic drug. The dosage form comprises low molecular weight heparin, a bile salt or bile acid, and at least one surfactant selected from hydrophilic surfactant, a lipophilic surfactant, and mixtures thereof.
There remains a need for heparin pharmaceutical compositions that can be administered orally and provide an increased heparin response, i.e., an oral heparin administration that can traverse the gastrointestinal tract and provide increased bioavailability. Such a composition would provide a more convenient dosage method for patients receiving heparin. Oral heparin would also increase patient compliance, particularly for patients requiring prophylactic therapy to prevent major venous thromboembolic events. The fact that injections and needles are not required is appealing to patients and can reduce infections due to the disruption of the integrity of the skin by injections.


The present invention provides for the creation and use of a non-linearized, paper specific, digital workflow independent color profile which can be used to create proofs based on the raw output data of the source process. Such a profile would have the advantage of not having to have account for the intermediate workflow steps such as linearization, color correction, sharpening, ink limiting, color separation, dithering or color transformation because the gamut mapping would utilize the discrete output tones of the resulting data sent to the source device.

In traditional offset printing, a facsimile of the final document to be printed for the purpose of proofing may typically be created on a slow, high quality, low volume desktop device for customer approval. It is the intent of the offset press to match this proof. Such a proof is called a contract proof. Until recently, the resolution of the typical offset press greatly exceeded the resolution of most commercial "off the shelf" inkjet printers. Prior to the use of digital inkjet proofs, the contract proof may have been created using the exact film that would be used to image the plates for the offset run. By using similar ink, and similar media, the high quality proofing system could be made to match the offset press in both dot structure and color. The customer may sign the single copy produced by the proofer and attend the press run to make sure that the offset press output matched the proof prior to the start of mass production. Proof copies would typically not be created directly on the press due to the cost, waste, make-ready time and lost production time. The offset press is designed to make thousands or more copies while the high quality proofer would be optimized for creating just a single copy.
Present high quality inkjet proofers, on the order of 2400 or more dots per inch (dpi) have greatly reduced the time and expense involved in creating an offset proof. These high quality devices can now mimic the high quality achieved on an offset press. However, a digital press or high speed digital inkjet presses print at a resolution lower than the desktop inkjet proofing devices. A proof of the continuous tone data produced by one of these devices exceeds the quality and character of output achievable on the digital press.
In order to better mimic the output of the digital press and to allow the digital press to meet or exceed the quality found on these proofs, the apparent resolution of these desktop proofing devices must be lowered to match that of the digital press. This can be best accomplished on devices that have resolutions which are multiples of 300 dpi. Merely reducing the resolution of the data to 300 dpi will not reproduce the apparent graininess of the digital press. The continuous tone data will still be reproduced at the selected output resolution, resulting in an output which approximates photographic quality. In order to simulate the graininess of the digital press on these high quality devices, the continuous tone files must also be limited to the number of discrete colors that the digital press can reproduce.
It is seen, therefore, that it would be desirable to be able to separate the digital workflow from the color output, to more precisely match the proofing copy to the final print run.

Digital workflow independent output matching


The object of the present invention is to provide a sliding member, a prosthesis and a method of producing the sliding member, which can suppress production of abrasive wear debris by suppressing friction of the sliding section, and also can maintain satisfactory mechanical characteristics in vivo. A sliding member comprising: a substrate 1 capable of forming hydroxyl groups; and a biocompatible material layer 4 laminated on appropriate sections of the substrate 1, wherein hydroxyl groups are formed on at least a required section of a surface of the substrate 1 by surface treating to form a surface-treated layer 2, while the biocompatible material layer 4 is formed from a polymer containing phosphorylcholine groups, and wherein the substrate 1 and the biocompatible material layer 4 are joined via a binder layer 3 formed from silica being covalently bonded with the hydroxyl groups and the biocompatible material, respectively.

The sliding member aims at sliding on the sliding surface of the femoral head or the cup of an artificial joint, and is particularly suited for use in vivo.
High-strength materials such as metals or ceramics are widely used in medical fields as prosthesis covering fractured sections, such as bone prosthesis or dental prosthesis (artificial dental roots) or as prosthesis for a physical activity, such as joint prostheses. Recent developments have seen the active application of metals to artificial circulatory system. Consequently, there is a need for materials with mechanical strength as well as biocompatibility. Here the term "biocompatibility" means the property of preventing blood coagulation reactions or suitable adaptability of the inserted section to soft tissue. This sort of biocompatibility is indispensable for in vivo medical devices.
A technique is known of applying 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (hereinafter referred to as "MPC") which has superior biocompatibility as a medical polymer material. Conventionally, many biocompatible MPC polymers have been used in the form of an MPC copolymer containing hydrophobic groups resulting from the copolymerization of MPC with monomers containing hydrophobic groups. However in case that the resulting copolymer is coated onto the surface of the substrate ("surface substrate") to be used in a medical device, few problems have, if in a short timeframe, arisen by being contacted with blood. However it is quite likely for the coating to remove from the surface substrate during long-term use.
In order to avoid these problems, a technique has been disclosed in which a coating material containing a copolymer of a reactive co-monomer, such as a stryrene monomer containing amino groups or methylacrylate containing amino groups, as well as a monomer containing phosphorylcholine analogous groups has been used to fix this copolymer covalently to the substrate surface (Patent Document 1). However this technique has not generally been commercially applied due to the high price of stryrene monomers containing amino groups or methylacrylate containing amino groups.
Another method has been disclosed in which chemical bonding is used to fix an MPC copolymer containing amino groups as well as an MPC copolymer containing epoxy groups to the surface substrate in a medical device (Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3). However difficulties have been encountered in fixing the MPC copolymer containing amino groups to the substrate surface depending on the ratio of amino group content. As a result, the coating may become fragile.
A method has been disclosed in which a random copolymer comprising allylamine and phosphorylcholine analogue groups is fixed to a medical device (Patent Document 4). For example, in case that a coated medical device is made of a metallic material, a polymer 4-methacryloxyethyltrimellitate anhydride (hereinafter referred to as "4-META") is used as a binder. The acid anhydride group contained in the 4-META polymer has superior reactivity with respect to an amino group in the random copolymer formed from allylamine and phosphorylcholine analogous groups. Consequently this binder enables a random copolymer to be fixed to the medical biomaterial.
However, as described above, when the copolymer is used, the content of phosphorylcholine groups decreases and there arises a problem that biocompatibility, hydrophilicity and surface lubricity deteriorate. In contrast, when the content of phosphorylcholine groups is too large, the copolymer becomes water soluble and there arises a problem that the copolymer is not fixed when used for a long time. Actually, an artificial heart formed from titanium metal coated with an MPC copolymer contains no more than 30% of MPC therein because of the problem of solubility (Non-Patent Document 1).
Joint prostheses such as knee joint prostheses or hip joint prostheses have been used which are generally constructed by a combination of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (hereinafter referred to as "UHMWPE") and a cobalt-chromium (hereinafter referred to as "Co—Cr") alloy. However in case that joint prostheses are used in vivo, UHMWPE wear debris produced by frictional motion entered between the acetabular cup and the living bone. The wear debris are engulfed by macrophages, osteolytic cytokines are released leading to possibility of inducing osteolysis. Osteolysis leads to the serious problem that the fixing strength between the joint prosthesis and the bone is weakened, thus resulting in a complication concerning joint arthroplasty, which is termed as loosening (Non-Patent Document 2).
Normally the linear wear of the UHMWPE ranges from 0.1 mm to 0.2 mm annually and therefore no problems arise immediately after joint arthroplasty. However after approximately five years, aseptic loosening occurs as described above. It is sometimes the case that the joint prostheses should be replaced, leading to a large burden on the patient.
A method of solving the problem of loosening is to reduce the amount of UHMWPE wear debris. Therefore various tests have been performed for the purpose of improving the combination of the material used on the joint surface or improving the material itself. Especially, UHMWPE cross-linked by means of an electron beam or a radioactive-ray (cross-linked polyethylene, hereinafter referred to as "CLPE") has been actively researched in recent years.
Research is also being conducted to improve the bearing surface of UHMWPE or the like. The group led by Nobuyuki Yamamoto has produced a medical device having the biocompatibility and the surface lubricity, which is produced by fixing a random copolymer comprising allylamine and phosphorylcholine analogue groups to the surface of a medical device including a joint prosthesis (Patent Document 4). The group led by Kazuhiko Ishihara has produced a joint prosthesis in which polymer material is used which grafts polymerizable monomers containing a phosphorylcholine group onto a polymer joint prosthesis containing UHMWPE, thus suppressing the production of wear debris by reducing friction between the bearing surface of the joint prosthesis (Patent Document 5).
It has also been proposed to use a combination of hard-material members at the joint interface instead of using polymer materials such as UHMWPE which can create abrasion. For example, a joint prosthesis is currently undergoing clinical uses, which is formed from a combination of a femoral head prosthesis made of a Co—Cr alloy and an acetabular cup prosthesis made of Co—Cr alloy (Non-Patent Document 3) or a combination of a femoral head prosthesis made of an alumina-ceramic and an acetabular cup prosthesis made of an alumina-ceramic (Non-Patent Document 4).    Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 7-502053    Patent Document 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 7-184989    Patent Document 3: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 7-184990    Patent Document 4: International Publication No. WO 01/05855, pamphlet    Patent Document 5: Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication (Kokai) No. 2003-310649    Non-Patent Document 1: "In Vivo Evaluation of a MPC Polymer Coated Continuous Flow Left Ventricular Assist System" ARTIFICIAL ORGANS, VOL27, No. 2, 2003    Non-Patent Document 2: "In vivo wear of polyethylene acetabular components" THE JOURNAL OF BONE AND JOINT SURGERY, VOL75-B, No. 2, 1993    Non-Patent Document 3: "Engineering Issues and Wear Performance of Metal on Metal Hip Implants" CLINICAL ORTHOPAEDICS AND RELATED RESEARCH, No. 333, 1996    Non-Patent Document 4: "Wear rates of ceramic-on-ceramic bearing surfaces in total hip implants: A 12-year follow-up study" THE JOURNAL OF ALTHROPLASTY, VOL 14, No. 7, 1999

Biocompatible and low-abrasion member, and artificial joint using the same and method of producing the same


A tamper-evident outer cap for a tube spout fitment with push-pull cap for a flexible pouch is provided. The tube spout fitment is sealed to the pouch body, and includes a base portion having a seal-engaging surface disposed within the pouch body and a centrally located passageway. An internal tubular spout projects upwardly from the base portion and has a centrally located passageway. A push-pull cap is slidably retained on the internal tube spout, and is a generally cylindrical member having an outer wall, an inner wall parallel to the outer wall, and an upper wall having a central opening formed therein interconnecting the outer wall to the inner wall. A tamper-evident outer cap is disposed over the push-pull cap, and includes an openable portion, a collar portion permanently retained on the tube spout fitment, and a first connecting member interconnecting the openable portion and the collar portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a flexible pouch for packaging a product and, more specifically, to a flexible pouch with a tube spout and tamper-evident outer cap for packaging a product and a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various types of disposable, portable containers are known in the art for storing a fluid or dry product, such as a liquid, granular material, powder or the like. Examples of containers include a cup, a metal can, a plastic bottle, a glass bottle or a flexible pouch. Consumers prefer the convenience of flexible pouches over other types of containers due to their shape, size, shelf life and storage adaptability. Manufacturers recognize the packaging benefits of a flexible pouch, since the pouch can be formed and filled on the same manufacturing line. An example of a method and apparatus for filling a flexible pouch with a product is disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,199,601, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Flexible pouches have been used for some time to distribute various products, including non-carbonated and carbonated products. An example of a pouch for a carbonated beverage is disclosed in commonly assigned PCT Patent Application No. PCT/US03/034396, which is incorporated herein by reference.
The flexible pouch is made from a flexible material, preferably an extrusion or a laminate composed of sheets of plastic or aluminum or the like. An outer layer of the material may include preprinted information, such as a logo or the like, to provide the consumer with information regarding the contents of the pouch. The pouch may be formed and/or filled using conventionally known manufacturing techniques, such as a horizontal form-fill-seal machine with a single or multiple lanes, a flat bed pre-made pouch machine, a vertical form-fill machine, or the like. An example of a method and apparatus for filling a flexible pouch with a product is disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,199,601, which is incorporated herein by reference.
The pouch includes a panel that forms a front wall and a back wall. Edges of the front and back walls, such as an upper edge, lower edge or side edge, are joined together using a sealing technique such as bonding or welding. The pouch includes a dispensing means for removing the product from the pouch. Various types of dispensing means are known in the art. A straw works well for a single use pouch containing a liquid product. The pouch includes a covered straw hole in the pouch wall that is pierceable to access the contents of the pouch. Another type of dispensing means is a resealable zipper. Still another type of dispensing means is a fitment that includes a spout and a cap.
While existing spout and cap fitments work, manufacturing costs may limit their use. In addition there may be environmental or health concerns associated with these types of dispensing means that further constrain their usage. Thus, there is a need in the art for a flexible pouch with a tamper-evident spout fitment, and an improved method of making and filling a flexible pouch with a tamper-evident spout fitment, that can be used to store and dispense various types of products.

Flexible pouch with a tamper-evident outer cap fitment and method of forming


A system and method is provided for combining independent scene layers to form computer generated environments. The method includes the operation of constructing a terrain layer using stored terrain data. Another operation is generating a feature layer using feature layer data that is stored separately from the stored terrain data. The feature layer and the terrain layer can then be combined to form a composite scene.

Visual environment databases for simulating outdoor real-world type settings can be considered geographically large. This is in contrast to the small locally contained "theaters" which are employed in the CAD/CAM, entertainment and gaming industries. Visual environment databases that are geographically large employ a thorough level-of-detail (LOD) strategy to ensure that the important geographic features and objects near the instantaneous view position or eyepoint get displayed. This process of selecting what should be drawn at various levels of detail cannot be as simple as "on" or "off" decisions about what polygons or objects should be drawn. In order to make the computer generated scene appear realistic, the distant scene is still represented, but many of the scene elements that comprise the distant scene can use simpler versions of the scene element. Furthermore, to make the distant scene more believable, the distant scene can gradually transition into an acceptable nearby scene as the eyepoint approaches. Today's simulation users and customers want the simulated environment to be uniformly rich and dense everywhere, not just at a few places of interest.
The effectiveness of the visual scene can be considered to be directly proportional to the sophistication and thoroughness of the LOD strategy employed. Fewer levels-of-detail (LODs) and poorer transition mechanisms translate to a higher image generator (IG) load, lower apparent scene density, and distracting LOD transitions or anomalies. Some of the first large-area geo-specific databases that were used a few decades ago averaged about 3 polygons per square mile. During this early era, system designers began a rigorous application of a multiple-LOD methodology and by the mid-80's database density had risen to roughly 7,000 polygons per square mile. These databases can also be geographically large. For example, a database of just the west coast of the United States can be over 250,000 square miles.
The product of database geographic density and database geographic extent yields a "virtual content" or a number of stored polygons in the database that can be astronomical. For example, 7,000 polygons/sq-mi×250,000 sq-mi yields a "virtual content" of nearly 2×109 polygons. In other words, the database may contain billions of polygons. This total number of polygons that could possibly be viewed is generally pared down to roughly 10,000 run-time polygons for processing by the image generator (IG). The particular 10,000 polygons that are selected for rendering and viewing are always changing as the eyepoint moves. The selection process can be thought of as a funnel with a very large mouth into which the entire database is dumped for each frame of output (e.g., 60 times a second). The IG sits at the tiny outlet of the funnel and renders the 10,000 or so polygons the IG is capable of handling. A mechanism within the funnel can decide based on the instantaneous position of the eyepoint which of the 2×109 input polygons to pare down to the 10,000 polygons for the IG.
This selection, culling and management mechanism is the database scene graph. The scene graph performs a range-driven hierarchical geographic subdivision of the entire database. The subdivision hierarchy is basically the LOD decision tree. Geographic areas distant from the instantaneous eyepoint are subdivided less and culled out in larger pieces. Areas near the instantaneous eyepoint are subdivided more and culled more finely. Each decision point or node of the graph allows the selection of either simpler or more complex "filler" (e.g., polygons and objects) for the geographic area represented, based on range from the eyepoint. At each node of the graph, the system basically decides whether the accompanying displayable elements are adequate for the current range, or whether further subdivision and selection is necessary. The processes just described are applied to the terrain as well as the features decorating the terrain.
When considering LOD, it is very undesirable to render the terrain at a single, fixed level of detail. For example, current system users and customers desire to have terrain detail near the eyepoint that is equivalent to a general minimum of 100 meter terrain facets. This translates to about 500 polygons per square mile. If the system visibility range is 200 miles which is not atypical, then the terrain skin alone can present about 10 million terrain triangles for a single visual processing channel. With a level-of-detail (LOD) terrain strategy that is set to a single level, a 5,000 polygon per channel terrain budget would imply 2 mile terrain facets. Unfortunately, the world is pretty bland when sampled this coarsely. Accordingly, the terrain skin itself is more effective with a range-driven hierarchical level of detail.
Using a range-driven LOD for the terrain creates problems because the non-terrain scene features are geometrically attached to the terrain. This means that the non-terrain scene features (e.g., buildings, roads, etc.) are incorporated into the scene graph and controlled by the terrain LOD strategy. The terrain LOD strategy thus becomes the single controlling mechanism to which all other feature behavior is subordinate. Accordingly, every scene feature is merged into the scene graph at the terrain node that contains it, and at a terrain LOD for a range consistent with the desired LOD behavior of the feature. In general, this means that the feature can spring into visual existence only after its underlying terrain has reached the highest LOD. When this distracting behavior is observable by an end user, this instant appearance of a feature is sometimes known as feature "pop-up".
If a feature is desired to exist at more distant ranges, the feature must be simultaneously attached to the graph at two or more terrain nodes (or one node for each LOD). This complicates the LOD evolution of the underlying terrain. Attaching features at multiple terrain nodes also creates the problem of what the feature should do while the graph is executing a fade between branches, and the fade is applied hierarchically to everything further down on both branches.
One practical effect of these difficulties is that the simulation modelers may design the terrain to arrive at its highest LOD too far away, which wastes IG capacity. On the other hand, delaying some feature introduction until the features are too close can cause visual distraction. Furthermore, simulation modelers are naturally, but reluctantly, led to avoid terrain strategies with small final facets because these small facets would normally work best with fairly close transition ranges. There are also particular problems with the application of scene features that necessarily straddle multiple terrain facets (roads, etc.), and those features such as point lights that must be introduced into the scene at long range, yet remain attached to the terrain. As a result, a number of capabilities increasingly demanded by end users and customers have simply not been possible or implementing certain features has been intractably difficult. In the meantime, database sizes have grown to terabytes and compilation times have grown to CPU months. Notwithstanding this, the geographic density remains at 1985 levels.
Geographic density has not been able to increase because there is a single database graph, and the database syntax ("schema") must be rich enough to accomplish the control functions for all the types of scene features that may be incorporated into the database. Two consequences of this are that the graph walk itself is more complex and compute-intensive than it would otherwise be, and changes to the schema require a full database rebuild. In addition, since the graph is significantly affected by the selected terrain LOD strategy and geometry, any changes to the terrain require a complete database rebuild or recompile. The graph provides the range-based LOD decision mechanism, and this mechanism is "global" in that LOD decisions apply hierarchically to all subordinate scene elements. Thus, there is basically one LOD control or "throttle" which can manage the image generator (IG) overload, and all the scene features respond to the LOD control uniformly. Having only one LOD retains or discards features in a way that is not necessarily gradual when there is an impending processing overload. Further, the iterative process of matching the database load to the IG capacity involves wholesale database rebuilds with little fine-tuning control.
Scene features are assigned to nodes in the graph based on their geographic position. These relationships are fixed at database compile time. Thus lateral betweening or lateral movement of features is generally prohibited at run time. Regrettably, lateral betweening is particularly suited to the LOD simplification of vector-based features. In fact, any run-time lateral adjustment of any feature may cause a visual conflict, so even simple or otherwise solvable adjustments are disallowed. Features that involve complex interaction with the terrain (e.g., road cuts and fills) are entirely clipped and placed (or "solved") at compile time, and the appropriate controls are frequently embedded into feature vertices to allow run-time vertical betweening of the terrain. This makes run-time modification of the terrain problematic. Users of ground warfare simulations want to conduct long simulations that involve terrain-modifying processes. Examples of events that may modify the terrain are bomb craters, bulldozers, creating berms, etc. Unfortunately, existing features that are already clipped, conformed and linked to the terrain in the graph are not typically able to respond to these dynamic changes.
The clipping and conforming processes generate additional compile-time geometry that must be stored and later retrieved. This additional geometry is partly responsible for the huge increase in stored database size. These complexities also become part of the schema problem. In the end, the modeling tools being used increase in complexity and interdependence, resulting in an integrated but unwieldy suite of tools that is expensive, difficult to maintain, complicated to extend, and resource-hungry.
The debug of such databases is also complicated by the all or nothing nature of the single, compiled database graph. If there is a major error in the database graph, the system might not display any image at all, and the visual anomalies connected with graph errors may not be intuitively connected to the source of the error.

System and method for combining independent scene layers to form computer generated environments