This disclosure provides for systems and methods that generate personalized electronic messages for members of a networked communication service. The personalized electronic messages are generated according to commonalities between member profiles. In one approach, an electronic message template is referenced based on the commonalities. The electronic message template is populated with member profile attribute values selected from the member profiles. In another approach, a long-short term memory (LSTM) recurrent neural network (RNN) is used to generate the electronic messages. Under this approach, a sequence-to-sequence model is trained using previous electronic messages labeled with one or more member profile attributes and/or member profile attribute values. When provided with one or more member profile attribute values associated with matching member profiles, the LSTM RNN outputs a relevant and appropriate electronic message designed to create an interest in the recipient of the electronic message.

A networked communication service often has one or more members that participate in an online community. Each of the members may have a profile, and a member may allow others members of the networked communication service to view his or her profile. The member's profile may include such information as the member's employment history, the member's educational history, skills that the member believes he or she possesses, endorsements by other members of such skills, and activities and interactions in which the member has engaged with the networked communication service.
A first member of the networked communication service may wish to interact or otherwise communicate with a second member. To initiate an online conversation or connect with the second member, the networked communication service may allow the first member to send an electronic message to the second member. The electronic message may include predetermined phrase(s) and/or sentence(s) asking whether the second member is willing to connect with the first member.
Because the electronic message is configured to include the predetermined phrase(s) and/or sentence(s), the electronic message may not be tailored to the specific interests that the first member and second member have in common. Thus, when the second member reads the electronic message, the second member is less inclined to connect with the first member and/or establish a relationship with the first member. Accordingly, the second member may miss out on a potential relationship with the first member, where the first member may have skills or connections with other members that could potentially benefit and aid in the furtherance of the second member's interests.
Writing an electronic message that identifies potential commonalities between the first member and second member can be a challenging task. The commonalities between the members may not be readily apparent, and the sender of the electronic message (e.g., the first member) may be uncertain as to how best to introduce himself or herself to the recipient of the electronic message (e.g., the second member). These difficulties can lead to reduced engagement among the members of the networked communication service and, in some instances, lead to miscommunications or misunderstandings between the members.
Accordingly, the embodiments described herein provide for automatic or semi-autonomous systems and methods for generating electronic messages communicated among members of the networked communication service. The improvements realized by the disclosed embodiments relate to the manner in which the systems and methods generate such electronic messages, namely through a rules-based template approach combined with, in some instances, a machine-learning approach. By using these approaches, the electronic messages are more readily generated and reduce the amount of time and effort that creating a personalized electronic message would normally require. In effect, the disclosed systems and methods facilitate a faster approach to writing and improve upon the speed and specificity of such electronic messages. Thus, unlike conventional approaches, the disclosed systems and methods generate electronic messages that are personal to the recipient while doing so in a way that requires less effort on behalf of the message sender.

Writing personalized electronic messages using template-based and machine-learning approaches


A dossier change control management system periodically ingests data regarding a regulated product from multiple data stores. The dossier change control management system updates dossier data describing a dossier history for the regulated product using the received data. The dossier includes multiple documents in a standardized format and is updated based on a data mapping indicating correspondence between fields of the documents and portions of the received data. An out-of-expectation scenario for the dossier is identified based on regulatory requirements and an alert generated. A report with information about the out-of-expectation scenario is provided for display at a client device based on the alert.

Many pharmaceutical products are manufactured, sold, and used in multiple jurisdictions. The regulatory requirements vary across jurisdictions and are frequently changing. This makes managing and ensuring conformance with regulatory requirements a challenging task. Existing solutions often involve human operators manually retrieving and checking multiple documents, which may be stored in multiple systems in multiple formats, on a case by case basis. This is time consuming and may result in errors.

Dossier change control management system


The present invention includes a circuit, system and method for selectively turning off internal clock drivers to reduce operating current. The present invention may be used to reduce power consumption by reducing operating current in a memory device. Operating current may be reduced by turning off internal clock drivers that deliver a clock signal during selected periods of time. According to an embodiment of clock control circuitry of the present invention, an internal clock is disabled if a no operation command is detected during periods of time when no read or write burst operation is taking place. Methods, memory devices and computer systems including the clock control circuitry and its functionality are also disclosed.

There are many reasons why reducing operating current in digital electronics, especially computer systems, is desirable. Portable computer systems, for example, rely on battery power when not plugged into a recharger. By reducing power consumption, batteries will last longer between recharging and the user has more time to perform computing tasks untethered by a power cord. Even desktop computers can benefit from reduced operating current by the cumulative effects of energy consumption, thereby reducing energy needs and related costs to consumers.
At the integrated circuit level, reducing operating current generally reduces power consumption. More importantly, reducing operating current reduces the need for heat dissipation. With an ever-increasing number of transistors on a single integrated circuit (IC) chip, heat dissipation becomes a serious concern because over-heated electronic devices are more likely to fail from thermal breakdown or simply by burning up. The cost of electronic systems increases when the use of heat sinks, fans and other means of cooling is necessary to cool the ICs within.
The prior art has taken a number of approaches to reducing power consumption in digital electronic systems. One conventional approach, common in laptop personal computers, involves shutting down certain functions, e.g., hard drives and displays, after a period of inactivity. This approach typically requires the use of software or hardware timers. Another approach, know as "clock throttling," reduces power consumption by reducing the speed of the clock driving the digital circuitry. Since power consumption is directly related to clock speed, any reduction in clock speed will reduce power consumption.
These prior art approaches suffer from a variety of shortcomings. For example, if functional aspects of a system are temporarily turned off to reduce power consumption, these same functional aspects are not immediately available to the system user. For example, a hard drive that has been shut down may need to spin up for a few seconds in order to be accessed. Such delays can be annoying and waste the user's time. Additionally, such power-reducing schemes implemented in software will consume computational resources. Similarly, where timers are implemented in hardware, additional computer hardware is required, adding to system cost, and may also consume valuable IC real estate. The clock throttling approach directly affects system performance. If a system clock is reduced in half, a given task may take twice as long to perform.
Another conventional approach to reducing power consumption in ICs is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. Re. 36,839 to Simmons et al. The Simmons et al., patent discloses clock control circuitry coupled to functional blocks. The clock control circuitry activates and deactivates the functional blocks in response to the flow of data within the IC by modulating clock signals distributed to the functional blocks. However, the functional blocks must provide control signals to the clock control circuitry requesting that it and/or its neighbor be activated or deactivated. Additionally, Simmons et al., does not appear to disclose monitoring external (off-chip) signals suitable for selectively turning off internal clock drivers for reducing power consumption in a memory device.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,376 to Ranganathan discloses clock management for power reduction in a video display subsystem. According to the Ranganathan patent, a video subsystem reduces power consumption by periodically disabling the video controller clocks used for transferring pixel data to a screen. The video clocks are pulsed only when pixel data is being transferred to the screen, during the time that a horizontal line of pixels is being scanned on the screen. The video clocks are not pulsed during the horizontal and vertical blanking periods, when the electron beam in a cathode-ray-tube is being retraced. The video clocks are also not pulsed during a recovery period for a flat-panel display. However, the Ranganathan patent appears to be tailored to video subsystems and does not appear to disclose monitoring external (off-chip) signals suitable for selectively turning off internal clock drivers for reducing power consumption in a memory device.
Yet another conventional method of reducing power consumption in ICs is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,918,058 to Budd. Budd discloses routing of clock signals in a data processing circuit with a power-saving mode of operation. The data processing circuit according to Budd comprises a clock generator for generating a clock signal and a plurality of clocked circuit elements. A main bus is arranged to provide the clock signal to the plurality of clocked circuit elements in a first mode of operation and a power-saving bus separate from the main bus arranged to provide the clock signal to a subset of the plurality of the clocked circuit elements in a power-saving mode. The obvious shortcoming with the Budd approach is the necessity for two clock busses. Additionally, Budd does not appear to disclose monitoring external (off-chip) signals suitable for selectively turning off internal clock drivers for reducing power consumption in a memory device.
Thus, there exists a need in the art for a circuit, system and method for selectively turning off internal clock drivers by monitoring external signals suitable for reducing operating current in memory devices.

Circuit, system and method for selectively turning off internal clock drivers


Roller return and holddown shoes for a modular-belt conveyor. The shoes have a body that extends in height from a base to a convex outer face. Cavities in the body open onto the base and the outer face. Rollers rotatably received in the cavities have salient portions protruding past the outer face of the shoe to bear in rolling contact against the outer surface of a belt draped over the shoe. Optional edge guides upstanding from the outer face of the shoe may be used to restrain the side edge of a belt supported on the shoe and prevent the belt from wandering laterally.

The invention relates generally to power-driven conveyors and, more particularly, to modular-belt conveyors using shoes with rollers as holddowns and in returns.
Modular plastic conveyor belts are widely used in many conveying applications. These belts are constructed of belt modules arranged side to side in rows that are connected together end to end at hinge joints by hinge rods into endless belt loops. Because these belts are most commonly made of a slick, plastic material, they exhibit relatively low friction compared with flat rubber belts. In a typical layout, the belt loop is trained around drive and idler sprocket sets at each end of a conveying path. Articles are conveyed atop the belt supported along an upper carryway. The belt returns along a lower returnway. To minimize the maximum sag of the belt in the returnway, return shoes or rollers are often used. Return rollers typically extend across the width of the belt at selected positions along the returnway. While return rollers work well with belts having a flat outer surface completely or largely devoid of protruding elements, they can damage or interfere with flights, sideguards, and other upstanding structures on many modular belts. For these belts, shoes, which extend over only a portion of the width of the belt, are used. A typical shoe presents a curved support or bearing surface to a flat longitudinal lane of the outer surface of the belt. Most often, these lanes, devoid of upstanding elements, lie along the side edges of the belt, but lanes may exist along interior portions of the belt. (Shoes are also used along the carryway as holddowns in elevating conveyors at the transition of the belt from horizontal to incline.) In most cases, the sliding friction between the shoes and the outer surface of the plastic belt as it rides over the shoe is tolerable. But, in some applications, the friction between belt and shoes may require a stronger belt or a more powerful conveyor drive motor.
Thus, there is a need for a limited-width, low-friction return or holddown support for a modular plastic conveyor belt.


Systems and methods for implementing voltage supply noise analysis for electronic circuits are disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment a computer program product executes a computer process. The computer process generates at least one spatial profile for the electronic circuit, generates at least one temporal profile for the electronic circuit, merges the at least one temporal profile and the at least one spatial profile, and determines if the electronic circuit is operating within acceptable voltage noise margins based on the merged temporal and spatial profiles.

High performance electronic circuits, such as integrated circuits (ICs) and microprocessors, are designed to operate within specified voltage supply boundaries. If the circuit is operated outside the specified voltage supply boundaries the circuit may not function properly (e.g., introducing noise, improper signal timing, etc.) or the circuit may even be damaged.
When designing electronic circuits, the designers typically assume voltage supply boundaries for proper operation of the circuit and use generic circuit design tools to test whether these assumptions are correct. However, generic circuit design tools are typically focused on other aspects of circuit design and may not provide an accurate understanding of circuit operation for testing voltage supply assumptions. In addition, these tools may be useless if the wrong assumptions are being tested.
Noise analysis models are also available which utilize statistical characterization of combinational logic to model and test voltage supplies for electronic circuits. However, these models assume a general power and capacitance density spread uniformly over the circuit without regard for which parts of the circuit are drawing the most current. In addition, these models do not account for changes in power dissipation within a clock cycle.
As a result, the electronic circuits may experience unacceptable voltage supply noise. Considerable time and effort may then be spent debugging the circuits, delaying introduction of the electronic circuit in the marketplace and increasing the cost of the circuit when it is introduced.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


Automatic distributed downloading (ADD) may involve, for example, enabling the downloading of a resource via a peer-to-peer (P2P)-based protocol from a uniform resource identifier (URI). In an example embodiment, an ADD module includes a directory client that sends to a directory service a mapping request including a URI corresponding to a targeted resource and receives a mapping response including P2P session connection information. The targeted resource can be retrieved over a P2P network via a P2P-based protocol using the P2P session connection information. In another example embodiment, a mapping data structure is accessed with reference to a URI. An entry corresponding to the referenced URI is ascertained and P2P session connection information from the entry is extracted. The URI corresponds to a source making the resource available via a client-server-based protocol, and the P2P session connection information makes the resource available via a P2P-based protocol.

Web browsers enable users to acquire files over the internet. A server that stores files can provide web pages over the internet. When a web page is displayed at a client device by a web browser, text or an icon may serve as a link that both represents and makes available a particular file. When a user selects the link, a download manager contacts the server and acquires a copy of the particular file from the server for the user of the client device. This approach to downloading a file can, unfortunately, be exceptionally slow. Additionally, this approach to downloading files can be equally slow in other, non-browser-related file acquisition scenarios.


Non-contacting conveyance equipment for conveying a plate-like member in a non-contacting manner comprises a plate-like base body and a plurality of swirl flow-forming bodies provided at the base body. Each of the plurality of swirl flow-forming bodies includes a column-shaped main body, a cylindrical chamber formed inside the main body, that has an opening at one end, a flat end face formed at a surface of the main body, in which the cylindrical chamber is opened, a jetting port provided at an inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical chamber, a fluid introduction port provided at an outer circumferential surface of the main body, and a fluid passage that connects the fluid introduction port to the jetting port.

In recent years, equipment for conveying a plate-like member such as a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate in a non-contacting manner has been developed. For example, in Patent Document 1, equipment is proposed for conveying a plate-like member in a non-contacting manner, by applying Bernoulli's theory. In the equipment, a swirl flow is generated in a cylindrical chamber that opens on the underside of the equipment, and a negative pressure generated in the center of the swirl flow exerts suction on a plate-like member. On the other hand, a given distance is maintained between the equipment and the plate-like member by a fluid flowing out of the cylindrical chamber. Consequently, the plate-like member is conveyed in a non-contacting manner.


Bivalent multifunctional Aβ oligomerization inhibitors (BMAOIs) that target multiple risk factors involved in Alzheimer's disease are provided. The BMAOIs are useful for the treatment and/or prevention of Alzheimer's disease, as well as for diagnostic imaging of Aβ plaques in brain tissue. The BMAOIs comprise i) an Aβ oligomer (ApO)-inhibitor moiety which may have antioxidant activity (e.g. curcumin, curcumin derivatives, curcumin hybrids, resveratrol, etc.); ii) a cell membrane/lipid raft (CM/LR) anchoring moiety (e.g. cholesterol, cholesterylamine, a steroid, etc.); and iii) a spacer or linker moiety that stably links i) and ii) together.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to compounds that are useful for the treatment and/or prevention of Alzheimer's disease, and for diagnostic imaging of Aβ plaques. In particular, the invention provides novel bivalent multifunctional Aβ oligomer inhibitors (BMAOIs) that target multiple risk factors involved in Alzheimer's disease (e.g. Aβ oligomers, oxidative stress, biometals and cell membrane/lipid rafts). The BMAOIs comprise i) a multifunctional Aβ oligomer inhibiting moiety; ii) a cell membrane/lipid raft (CM/LR) anchoring moiety; and iii) a spacer moiety that links i) and ii) together.
2. Background of the Invention
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease and is the most common cause of dementia. The amyloid-β (Aβ) hypothesis has long been recognized as the main theory in the development of Alzheimers disease (AD) and recently emerging evidence indicate that small, soluble oligomers (AβOs) are responsible for disruption of neuronal synaptic plasticity and the resulting early cognitive impairment associated with AD. Studies of brain samples from AD patients also confirmed the correlation of AβOs with the severity of dementia. Most recently, new evidence has indicated that soluble AβOs can up-regulate tau pathology, which further highlights the importance of AβOs in the pathogenesis of AD. Different types of soluble AβOs have been described using various resources. The heterogeneity of AβOs demonstrated so far might suggest that these multiple Aβassemblies exert their neurotoxicity in a variety of ways such as selective uptake and internalization of AβOs through endocytic process demonstrated in cell models, induction of apoptosis, formation of ion channels, dyshomeostasis of biometals, and mishandling of calcium, among others. Despite the heterogeneity of the underlying mechanisms for Aβ's neurotoxicity, one point of consensus remains clear: the requirement of AβOs. Although some studies have indicated that protofibrils might be intermediates of the final mature fibrils, recent studies have suggested that Aβ oligomerization and fibril formation result from independent pathways. Collectively, these findings suggest AβOs as critical contributors in the development of AD pathology, thus providing compelling support for developing AβO inhibitors as therapeutic agents for the treatment of AD.
Besides the characteristic Aβ plaques and tangles, a loss of biometal homeostasis and increased oxidative damage are two other features consistently found in the brains of AD patients. High concentrations of Cu, Zn and Fe have been found within Aβ deposits in both AD human brains and transgenic mouse models. Furthermore, Aβ has been demonstrated to be a metalloprotein that binds to biometals and Aβ interactions with Cu, Zn and Fe can further induce Aβ aggregation and oligomerization. Particularly, Zn and Cu can readily precipitate AβOs but not Aβ monomers. The fact that glutamatergic synapses release high concentrations of Cu and Zn during neurotransmission may explain why AβOs are the major toxic species that impair synaptic plasticity. Oxidative stress is another early event of AD implicated as an important mediator in the etiology of AD. Transgenic mice studies have showed a correlation of increased oxidative stress and Aβ accumulation. Furthermore, secondarily to Aβ binding to biometals and assembling into oligomers and fibrils, Aβ also reduces these metals to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) that contributes to most types of oxidative damage noted in AD.
Based on the aforementioned theories, numerous strategies have been developed in the past decade as potential AD treatments. This includes secretase inhibitors, Aβ oligomerization/aggregation inhibitors, immunotherapy, metal-complexing agents, anti-oxidants and anti-inflammation agents (NSAIDs). However, the fact that very few of them moved to clinical trials and none of them has been approved by FDA suggests that targeting a single risk factor is not an ideal strategy for developing treatments for this multifaceted disease. The recent failure of AlzheMed (trimprosate), a small molecule of AβO inhibitor, in phase III confirms this point of view.
Although the mechanism of how nontoxic Aβ converts to the toxic AβOs remains elusive, a wealth of data has implicated the roles of neuronal cell membranes/lipid rafts (CM/LR) in the oligomerization and toxicity of Aβ. Once associated with the membranes, Aβ exhibits an enhanced rate of aggregation that is dependent on pH and metal ion and ganglioside interactions. Recently, evidence has also indicated that lipid rafts, a cell membrane microdomain enriched in cholesterol and sphingolipids, may play important roles in Aβ precursor protein (APP) processing and Aβ oligomerization. Current studies of lipid rafts are mainly based on the isolation of detergent-resistant membrane (DRM) using different detergents like Triton X-100.30 Although it is still debated whether DRM are the same as "real" lipid rafts, studies using DRM analysis have revealed that rafts are involved in a variety of cell functions. Lipid rafts have been demonstrated to accelerate the cell membrane binding of Aβ. On the other hand, destruction of lipid rafts affects Aβ membrane binding and protects cells from Aβ toxicity. Most recently, it has been demonstrated that lipid rafts isolated from rat brain tissue and ganglioside-rich C2C12 cells can accelerate the oligomerization of Aβ. Furthermore, APP and its cleavage enzymes (β- and γ-secretases), monomeric Aβ and AβOs have all been identified in lipid rafts/DRM, suggesting that lipid rafts may be a critical platform for Aβ production and oligomerization. Additionally, biometals, such as Cu, have also been indicated to modulate the interaction of Aβ with membrane rafts. Altogether, it is apparent that CM/LRs are important regulators in AD development.
Even though the multifactorial nature of AD and the lack of a unified theory on its etiology have heretofore significantly stymied conventional drug discovery approaches, these difficulties may, however, present an opportunity by suggesting a more efficient and novel way to treat AD by targeting multiple contributors to AD etiology with a single molecule.

Bivalent multifunctional ligands targeting Aβ oligomers as treatment for Alzheimer's disease


The invention relates to a laser system for the ionization of a sample by matrix-assisted laser desorption in mass spectrometric analysis. The invention consists in providing a laser system which generates a spatially modulated intensity distribution with intensity spots on the sample, which significantly improves the quality and the robustness of the mass spectrometric analysis compared with a spatially homogeneous intensity distribution and, in particular, improves the ionization efficiency and, for a time-of-flight mass spectrometer with axial injection, the mass resolution and the signal-to-noise ratio.

In the last 10 to 15 years, two methods have prevailed in mass spectrometric analysis for soft ionization of biological macromolecules: Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI), and electrospray ionization (ESI). The biological macromolecules under analysis will be termed analyte molecules below. With the MALDI method, the analyte molecules are generally prepared on the surface of a sample support in a solid matrix, whereas with the ESI method they are dissolved in a liquid. Both methods have a considerable influence on the mass spectrometric analysis of biological macromolecules in genomics, proteomics and metabolomics; their inventors were awarded the Nobel prize for chemistry in 2002.
In a prepared MALDI sample, there are 103 to 105 times as many matrix molecules as there are analyte molecules, and they form a polycrystalline matrix in which the analyte molecules are integrated, either scattered in the interior of the crystals or at their grain boundaries. The prepared MALDI sample is briefly irradiated with a laser pulse, which is strongly absorbed by the matrix molecules. The pulsed irradiation causes the matrix to be explosively transferred from the solid aggregate state into the gaseous phase of a vaporization cloud (desorption). The analyte molecules are usually ionized by being protonated or deprotonated in reactions with matrix ions, the analyte ions being predominantly singly charged after leaving the vaporization cloud. The degree of ionization of the analyte molecules is only some 10−4. The term soft ionization is used when an analyte molecule is transferred in isolation into the gaseous phase and ionized, without suffering a dissociation.
Despite the linear absorption by the matrix, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization is a nonlinear process, which for pulsed laser radiation with a duration of a few nanoseconds only begins above an intensity threshold of around 106 watts per square centimeter. For soft ionization, the maximum intensity lies at an upper limit of approximately 107 watts per square centimeter. With a typical laser pulse duration of around ten nanoseconds, the stated intensity limits produce a fluence of between 10 and 100 millijoules per square centimeter.
The MALDI process is complex and affected by numerous factors, some of which are interdependent. Since the MALDI method was first published in 1988, many parameters have been investigated and varied. In spite of this, the processes in the matrix and in the vaporization cloud which lead to the ionization of the analyte molecules are still not completely understood and are still being intensely researched (K. Dreisewerd, Chem Rev. 103 (2003), 395-425: "The Desorption Process in MALDI").
The chemical parameters of the MALDI process, for example the matrix substances themselves, the concentration ratios between matrix and analyte molecules and the preparation conditions, have been comprehensively researched. For analyte molecules of different chemical substance classes, such as proteins or nucleic acids, over one hundred different chemical matrix substances have been elucidated, such as sinapic acid, DHB (2,5-dihydroxy benzoic acid), CHCA (α-cyano-4-hydroxy cinnamic acid) or HPA (3-hydroxypicolinic acid). The matrix substances exhibit strong absorption in the wavelength range between 330 and 360 nanometers. A MALDI sample can be prepared in a number of different ways, for example with the "dried droplet" preparation or the "thin layer" preparation. In dried droplet preparation, the matrix substance is dissolved together with the analyte molecules in a solvent, applied to a sample support and then dried. In thin layer preparation, on the other hand, the matrix substance is applied to the sample support without analyte molecules and dried. A solution with analyte molecules is then applied to the thin polycrystalline matrix, causing the latter to be partially dissolved again, and the analyte molecules are integrated into the matrix during the subsequent drying. As far as the physical parameters of the MALDI process are concerned, it has, until now, been chiefly the temporal duration of the laser pulses, the intensity in the laser focus and the wavelength of the pulsed laser beam which have been considered.
For commercially available mass spectrometers with MALDI, pulsed laser systems in the ultraviolet spectral range (UV) are predominantly used nowadays. A number of laser types and wavelengths are available: nitrogen lasers (λ=337 nm), excimer lasers (λ=193 nm, 248 nm, 308 nm) and Nd:YAG lasers (λ=266 nm, 355 nm). Only the nitrogen laser and the Nd:YAG laser at a wavelength of 355 nanometers are of interest commercially for the MALDI method, and the nitrogen laser is far and away the one most frequently used. The laser medium of the nitrogen laser and the excimer laser is a gas or a gas mixture, whereas with the Nd:YAG laser it is a YAG (yttrium aluminium garnet: Y3Al5O12) crystal doped with neodymium ions. With the Nd:YAG laser, the strongest laser line, at a wavelength of 1,064 nanometers, is transformed into the stated wavelengths in nonlinear optical crystals. The duration of the laser pulses used in the MALDI method is typically between 1 and 20 nanoseconds in the UV; in the academic field, however, pulse durations in the region of picoseconds have also been used.
For the MALDI method, laser systems which emit in the infrared spectral region (IR): Er:YAG (λ=2.94 μm) and CO2 (λ=10.6 μm) are also occasionally used for research purposes. Whereas with the UV-MALDI method the matrix molecules are supplied with energy via excited electronic states, in the IR-MALDI method it is oscillations of the matrix molecules that are excited. The pulse duration of the IR laser systems in the IR-MALDI method are between 6 and 200 nanoseconds. In contrast to the UV-MALDI method, both solid matrices and liquid matrices, for example glycerine, are used in the IR-MALDI method.
A laser system usually comprises a laser medium, an energy input for the excitation of the laser, an optical resonator and optical and electrooptical components to shape the laser beam. In the following, a laser system is understood to be the complete set-up comprising optical, electrical and electrooptical components which are necessary to generate and shape the laser beam from the laser medium to the location of the MALDI sample. The components for beam formation can be located both inside the optical resonator, in the vicinity of the laser medium and also outside the optical resonator. These types of components include lenses, mirrors, active and passive Q-switches for pulse generation, coupling and decoupling into and out of an optical fiber, and nonlinear optical crystals. To those skilled in the art it is apparent that not all the components mentioned have to be used in the various laser systems, and that they can be supplemented by further components.
The laser systems used in the MALDI method differ not only in their wavelength but also in their spatial beam profile. For solid-state lasers such as the Nd:YAG laser or the Er:YAG laser, the laser medium is a crystal doped with ions. The laser medium is located in an optical resonator, which ensures that the spatial beam profile consists of a transverse basic mode or a few transverse modes. The radial intensity distribution of the transverse basic mode corresponds to a Gaussian function and is rotationally symmetric to the direction of propagation of the laser beam. A laser beam like this can be focused to a minimum diameter which is limited only by the diffraction.
The nitrogen laser at a wavelength of 337 nanometers is far and away the most frequently used type of laser in the MALDI method, this wavelength being the most intensive laser line of the nitrogen laser. The laser medium used is gaseous nitrogen, which is excited by means of an electrical discharge between two electrodes. Since the most intensive laser line exhibits a high amplification, a laser pulse can decrease the population inversion of the energy states even if it sweeps the electrodes only once. Even when using cavity mirrors, many transverse modes are superimposed in the beam profile of the nitrogen laser, with the result that the minimum diameter of a laser focus in commercial nitrogen lasers at a wavelength of 337 nanometers is only around three micrometers. The typical diameter of the area irradiated in MALDI applications is around 20 to 200 micrometers. The beam profile of the nitrogen laser has an almost flat top at the electrodes, the width and height of the beam profile being determined by the separation or the height of the discharge electrodes. The repetition rate of the laser pulses in the nitrogen laser is limited to around 100 hertz unless provision is made for a rapid gas exchange. Nitrogen lasers with a typical repetition rate of 50 hertz are used for MALDI applications.
In practice, the electrical gas discharge in the nitrogen laser is not the same at every point between the electrodes, and it generates a spatially inhomogeneous amplification profile which does not even out during the short time the laser is in action, but instead transfers to the beam profile of the nitrogen laser. The nitrogen laser thus has a spatially modulated flat-top beam profile with intensity maxima and minima which is imaged onto the sample or focused onto it. Furthermore, a pulsed gas discharge is normally difficult to reproduce, so that the intensity distribution in the beam profile and the energy fluctuate from laser pulse to laser pulse. According to the prior art, the MALDI method strives for an intensity distribution with maximum spatial homogeneity on the sample. If this is generated over a wide area, the inhomogeneities of the prepared MALDI sample, as occur, for example, with an uneven distribution of the analyte molecules in the matrix, are averaged out. The immanently present inhomogeneities in the beam profile of the nitrogen laser do, however, lead to the intensity distribution on the sample being spatially modulated and exhibiting undesirable intensity maxima.
The pulsed solid-state lasers used until now in the MALDI method typically have a beam profile which comes very close to a single Gaussian mode. If a pulsed laser beam is focused or imaged onto the sample, then there is a Gaussian intensity distribution with a single maximum at the location of the sample. With solid-state lasers in the UV, the half-width, at which the intensity of the maximum has fallen off to half the value, can theoretically be less than one micrometer, but in MALDI applications it is around 20 to 200 micrometers. Even if laser pulse repetition rates of several hundred kilohertz are possible in principle with solid-state lasers, most current MALDI applications work with a repetition rate of up to 200 hertz. The energy fluctuations from laser pulse to laser pulse are typically less in the case of solid-state lasers than with nitrogen lasers.
According to the prior art, the objective is a spatially homogeneous intensity distribution on the sample. In order to obtain a homogeneous intensity distribution on the sample with the Gaussian beam profile of a solid-state laser, the beam profile can be spatially homogenized by propagation in an optical fiber and then imaged onto the sample. To facilitate this, the laser beam is coupled into an optical fiber in which a plurality of transverse fiber modes with differing radial intensity distributions can propagate (multimode fibers). The propagation of the coupled laser beam in the multimode fiber means that energy is transferred out of the Gaussian mode into a plurality of transverse fiber modes which are superimposed at the output of the optical fiber. If the temporal coherence of the laser beam used is sufficiently low or the multimode fiber is sufficiently long, the intensity distribution at the fiber output is given by the sum of the intensity distributions of the individual transverse fiber modes. The plurality of transverse fiber modes with differing radial intensity profiles thus results in a homogeneous intensity distribution at the fiber output. If the output of the multimode fiber is now imaged, a flat-top intensity distribution is also obtained on the sample. This method of homogenizing the beam profile can also be used with the nitrogen laser to minimize the immanent inhomogeneities in the beam profile.
With some MALDI mass spectrometers the laser beam is imaged or focused onto the sample through a metal grid, which acts as an ion focusing system with which the ions are drawn out of the vaporization cloud. Since this ion focusing system must permit a high transmission rate of the ions generated in the MALDI process, the open areas of the metal grid are so large, compared with the bar area, that they have little effect on the homogeneous intensity distribution on the sample.
The quality of a mass spectrometric analysis is generally determined by the following parameters: The mass accuracy, the mass resolution, the detection power, the quantitative reproducibility and the signal-to-noise ratio. This means that the quality of a mass spectrometric analysis increases if at least one parameter is improved and the other parameters do not deteriorate as a result. The mass accuracy includes both a systematic deviation of the measured average ion mass from the true ion mass (mass trueness or rather the deviation from mass trueness) as well as the statistical variance of the individual measured values around the mean of the ion mass (mass precision). The mass resolution determines which ion masses in the mass spectrometric analysis can still be distinguished. In practice, however, it is not only the quality but also the robustness of the mass spectrometric analysis that is important. A mass spectrometric analysis is robust if its quality changes little when the measuring parameters, for example the energy of the laser pulses or the preparation conditions of the MALDI sample, are varied.
The ion signal of a mass spectrometer with MALDI is proportional to the ionization efficiency, to the desorbed sample volume and to the concentration of the analyte molecules in the sample. The ionization efficiency is given by the number of analyte ions which can be evaluated, divided by the number of analyte molecules in the desorbed sample volume, i.e. the percentage of the analyte molecules from the sample volume removed by the laser irradiation which is available as ions for a mass spectrometric analysis. If analyte molecules are already present in the matrix in an ionized form before the desorption process, the number of analyte molecules is increased by the number of analyte ions present which are already ionized. Since the desorbed sample volume can be relatively easily increased by the irradiated sample area and by the fluence, the ionization efficiency represents an important parameter for the optimization of the MALDI process. A high ionization efficiency facilitates a high detection power because a maximum ion signal at low concentration (or low sample utilization) is achieved. With a typical degree of ionization of only 10−4 it is possible to considerably improve the MALDI process. The definition of the ionization efficiency of the MALDI process also takes into account the losses which arise as a result of a fragmentation of analyte molecules during the transfer into the gaseous phase and which therefore reduce the number of analyte ions which can be evaluated.
For the mass spectrometric analysis of the analyte ions generated in the MALDI process, both conventional sector field mass spectrometers and quadrupole mass spectrometers as well as quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometers and ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometers are possible in principle. Particularly suitable, however, are time-of-flight mass spectrometers with axial injection, which require a pulsed current of ions to measure the time of flight. In this case, the starting time for the time of flight measurement is predetermined by the ionizing laser pulse. The MALDI process was originally developed for use in a vacuum. In more recent developments, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization is also used at atmospheric pressure (AP MALDI). Here, the ions are generated with a repetition rate of up to 2 kilohertz and fed, with the help of an ion guide, to a time-of-flight mass spectrometer with orthogonal ion injection (abbreviated OTOF), a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer or an ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer. In an OTOF mass spectrometer, the ions generated in the MALDI process can be fragmented and stored before the measurement of the time of flight with an electronic pulsed injection is commenced.
With specific MALDI applications, the intensity on the sample is increased to such a degree that the ions generated have enough intrinsic energy to dissociate. Depending on the time between the generation of the ions and their dissociation, this is termed a decay within the ion source (ISD or "in source decay") or outside the ion source (PSD or "post source decay").
Moreover, there are also imaging mass spectrometric analytical methods (IMS or "imaging mass spectrometry"), in which the MALDI process is used to generate the ions. With IMS, a thin section of tissue obtained, for example, from a human organ using a microtome, is prepared with a matrix substance and mass spectrometrically analyzed after being spatially resolved. The spatial resolution of the mass spectrometric analysis can be done either by scanning individual spots of the tissue section or by stigmatic imaging of the ions generated. With the scanning method, the pulsed laser beam is focused onto a small diameter on the sample, and a mass spectrum is measured for each individual pixel. A one- or two-dimensional frequency distribution is produced for individual proteins from the plurality of individual spatially-resolved mass spectra. With stigmatic imaging, an area of up to 200 by 200 micrometers is irradiated homogeneously with a laser pulse. The ions generated in this way are imaged ion-optically pixel by pixel onto a spatially-resolving detector. Until now it has only been possible to scan the frequency distribution of one ion mass with a single laser pulse because spatially resolving ion detectors that operate fast enough are not available. The measured ion mass can be varied from laser pulse to laser pulse, however.

Laser system for the ionization of a sample by matrix-assisted laser desorption in mass spectrometric analysis


An electronic module packaging system and an electronic module packaging apparatus are disclosed. The electronic module packaging system includes an exterior packing box, an electronic module packaging apparatus, and antistatic packing foam holding the electronic module packaging apparatus within the exterior packing box. The electronic module packaging apparatus includes a top component made of an antistatic material, and a bottom component made of a conductive material. The bottom component includes multiple support members to hold an electronic module in a stable position. The top component and the bottom component may be coupled with multiple securing clips.

The present disclosure relates generally to electronics packaging, and, in particular, to low-cost packaging systems and apparatuses for shipment and storage of electronic modules.
As manufacturers have sought to create highly integrated electronic modules, for example multi-chip modules (MCMs), difficulties in developing packaging to ship and store such electronic modules have arisen. Complex microelectronic circuits and electronic contact pins can be extremely sensitive to environmental effects, such as electrostatic discharge (ESD) and jostling occurring during shipment. To support maintenance and upgrades of electronics in the field, e.g., a computer system at any worldwide customer location, customized packaging may be employed that is designed to reduce the risk of damage to an electronic module in transit and while stored in inventory. High-end electronic modules, costing tens of thousands of dollars per module, are typically packaged for shipment and storage in elaborate packaging, such as a metallic carrying case packed with custom cut foam inserts form fitted to an interior tray holding the electronic module in place. While such elaborate packaging systems may appear impressive, they are often heavy and complex to manufacture, resulting in high manufacturing, shipping, and storage costs. The interior tray typically makes contact with the electronic contact pins of the electronic module, which can lead to pin damage on insertion and removal of the electronic module. Additionally, relying on direct contact between large foam blocks and the electronic module for stability may result in damage if the package is dropped or inverted during shipping.
In order meet the environmental requirements for shipping electronic modules with minimal risk of damage, improved packaging designs are needed. Moreover, such designs should be inexpensive relative to the value of the contents shipped within the packaging, thus increasing profitability. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for low-cost electronic module packaging systems and apparatuses.

International Business Machines Corporation


Salts of phosphonous acids are useful as flame retardants in plastics. Preferred salts are calcium or aluminum salts of phenylphosphonous acid and of methanephosphonous acid. Plastic molding materials rendered flame-retardant in this way are useful for manufacturing molded parts, especially electrical components, mechanical components, plugs, mounts, housings, coverings, sheathings and overcoatings.

Polymers frequently become flame-resistive on addition of phosphorus or halogen compounds or mixtures thereof. Some polymers are processed at high temperatures, for example at 250.degree. C. or higher. For this reason, many known flame retardants are unsuitable for such applications, since they are too volatile or insufficiently heat-resistant.
It is an object of the present invention to provide flame retardants which do not have the disadvantages of existing flame retardants. For example, the flame retardants shall be essentially non-volatile at elevated temperatures (e.g. at 250.degree. C. or higher), simple and inexpensive to prepare, exhibit good flame retardancy and have high temperature resistance at the elevated temperatures discussed above.

Salts of phosphonous acids and use thereof as flame retardants in plastics


An optical mounting assembly includes a frame, preferably in the form of a shaped wire form, having a proximal section attachable to a headband or to the bridge portion of a pair of eyeglass frames, a mid-section extending downwardly along and in spaced-apart conformity with the ridge of a user's nose, and a distal section which is bent upwardly with respect to the mid section. Optionally, the mid-section may include an adjustable nose pad which is adapted to make contact against the ridge of the user's nose. This provides for improved weight distribution, with the distal section being configured to mountably receive one of a variety of accessories such as light sources, imaging apparatus, face shields, etc.

Telescopic instruments and light sources have become essential for magnifying and illuminating a work area during delicate surgery, dental work, inspection of circuit board solder joints, assembly of miniature parts, and so forth. A typical telescopic instrument may include a high-intensity illuminator and/or a pair of telescopic loupes which are adjustably mounted to an eyeglass frame or headband. Such optical instrumentation provides a user (a surgeon or dentist for example) with a magnified image of the work area with a field of view at about an arm's length.
Available mounting assemblies of this type provide a wide range of adjustments, as evidenced in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,381,263, entitled FIVE-DEGREE-OF-FREEDOM OCULAR MOUNTING ASSEMBLY. As the name implies, this patent discloses a highly versatile telescopic ocular mounting assembly, which may include an express flip-up capability. This enables a wearer to rapidly place the oculars into, and out of, the field of view. As with most arrangements of this type, however, it is quite often the case that other, vision-related accessories are to be used in conjunction with the telescopic devices. As one example, light sources are often used alone or collaboratively with magnification devices to illuminate the field of view, thereby enhancing visibility.
Heretofore, however, such accessories have been mounted separately from the eyeglass frames, resulting in separate pieces of instrumentation applied in an uncoordinated manner. There is a need, therefore, for an integrated vision assistance arrangement which preferably provides mounting capabilities for various accessories, such as illumination sources, while retaining an ocular flip-up capability and distributing weight more evenly to enhance user comfort.


The placement of trace points in software code being developed in a software development tool leads to the generation of trace point messages when the code is executed. These trace point messages are listened for by aspects of the software development tool. Responsive to receiving one of the trace point messages, the software development tool may write information to a trace file. Advantageously, the trace file is formatted using a standard markup language format, such as HTML. Consequently, the trace file is readily readable (including information-conveying formatting) by a standard, freely available web browser, rather than a proprietary tool.

Developing software can be a complex task. As such, many tools have been developed to assist in reducing the complexity of this task. Software code may be composed, edited and executed within such a tool so that the tool may monitor the execution of the code and trace the flow of the execution.
Tracing is fairly common in software development. However, typically, software development tools produce program execution trace files in one of two formats. The first of these formats is plain text, which is suitable for viewing with text editors that are plentiful and freely available. The second of these formats is a binary format, which is only suitable for viewing with specialized tools, for instance, the tool that created the program execution trace file.
The first format is problematic in that the type of visual information that may be displayed is limited to plain text, that is, text without special attributes (e.g., colors, indentation) which are often helpful in understanding the structure of the program execution trace file at a glance. If the developer wishes to format the plain text trace file, say to identify key features of the trace file, it is up to the developer to devise formatting routines. Such a formatting routine would be run with a plain text trace file as input and produce a formatted trace file as output. The second format is problematic in that the binary format is typically proprietary and custom tools are required to parse and display the program execution trace file. The developer may not be able to share the program execution trace file with a colleague that does not have access to the tool that produced the trace file.
Accordingly, a solution that addresses, at least in part, this and other shortcomings is desirable.

Dynamic generation of program execution trace files in a standard markup language


Inflammable synthetic thermoplastic resins are rendered flame retarded by incorporating therein to 100 parts by weight thereof from 5 to 50 parts by weight of 2,4,6-tris (2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)-1,3,5-triazine having a melting point ranging between 225.degree.-235.degree. C., from 5 to 50 parts by weight of a bis-tetrabromophthalimide, 0-50 parts by weight of a bromine-containing epoxy polymer having a molecular weight from 1,000 to 50,000 and from 1 to 20 parts by weight of antimony trioxide.

This invention relates to a flame retarded thermoplastic composition which is excellent in flame retardancy, heat resistance, light resistance and impact strength.
Thermoplastics have been widely used to fabricate various industrial and household items for their molding capability with ease as well as physical and electrical properties of the molded products. Since most of thermoplastics are inflammable in nature, their use is limited to certain fields unless they are flame retarded.
A variety of flame retardants are known including halogen-containing flame retardants, phosphorous-containing flame retardants, halogen and phosphorous-containing flame retardants and the like. Since thermoplastics have diversified fields of use, it is generally difficult to select a particular flame retardant which would achieve an optimum result in that use. In addition, some of known flame retardants are less compatible with molten thermoplastics, causing bleeding out or darkening of the molded products with time.
Various attempts have been made with limited success to improve these defects by using two or more flame retardants in combination which would compensate for each of their defects. For example, Japanese Laid Open (Kokai) Patent Application No. 79941/1978 discloses a flame retardant system containing a brominated phthalimide. The vrominated phthalimide used, however, has a melting point higher than the molding temperature of most of thermoplastics and, therefore, will not be dispersed uniformly in molten thermoplastics during the molding process. This adversely affects the physical characteristics of molded products significantly.
Japanese Laid Open (Kokai) Patent Application No. 211354/86 discloses a flame retardant system including a bromine-containing epoxy polymer in combination with tetrabromobisphenol A. This system exhibits an improvement in heat resistance, weatherability etc., compared to tetrabromobisphenol A alone. However, the bromine-containing epoxy polymer will not fully react with tetrabromobisphenol A during the molding process and thus the presence of unreacted tetrabromobisphenol A in the molded products can adversely affect the physical characteristics thereof such as heat resistance and weatherability.
It is, therefore, a principal object of the present invention to provide a flame retarded thermoplastic composition which is free from the above disadvantages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a flame retarded thermoplastic composition having an improved flame retardancy without compromising thermal and mechanical properties of the molded products made therefrom.

Flame retarded thermoplastic composition


Call detail service is provided using a trigger that only activates after the disposition of a telephone call is known, for example, a T-Busy and/or a T_NoAnswer. When a telephone call encounters the T-Busy or T_NoAnswer trigger a terminating central office switch attempts to complete the call. If the call is not completed because it is busy or not answered, the information related to the call is sent to a service control point. The service control point creates a call information record. The call information record is sent to a service management system that used the call information record to create a call detail report. Using the T_Busy and/or T_NoAnswer triggers eliminates the need to collect data for every telephone call to determine which calls are not completed because they are not answered or busy. As a result processing complexity and storage requirements are significantly reduced.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of provisioning telephone services using the SS7 network. More specifically, the present invention relates to the field of providing reports containing details of telephone calls that are not completed.
2. Background of the Invention
Businesses must be able to assess the quality and efficiency of their operations. Such assessments enable businesses to identify and correct inefficient operations that can result in revenue losses to the business. For example, many businesses derive significant revenue via telephone. As a result, telephone calls to the business that are not completed can have a number of undesirable consequences to the business. For example, potential customers can be missed, existing customers can be lost, questions from suppliers can be missed, changes to appointments and meetings can be missed and service opportunities can be lost. Consequently, it is important for businesses to be able to obtain information regarding telephone calls to the business that are not completed.
Telephone calls do not get completed for a number of reasons. Two of the more common are that the telephone call is not answered or the telephone call is busy. A telephone call is considered not answered if it rings for more than a pre-determined number of rings. A telephone call is busy if the telephone call results in a busy signal, e.g., the called party's telephone is being used, i.e., is busy, and therefore unavailable to answer the telephone call.
Services that provide information regarding the details of telephone calls are generally termed "call detail" services. A prior art call detail service provided details on every call to a business. These details include the disposition of the call, for example, whether the call was answered or not, the duration of the call, the time of the call, whether the call was busy and other information. Using this information, reports are generated that are sent to the business. The business could use the reports to analyze various operations of the business.
One such report is a "Busy" report. The Busy report captures information pertaining to telephone calls that are made to a business but receive a busy signal, i.e., busy telephone calls. This information can be used to determine whether there is sufficient capacity in the business' call center. In addition, the information provides a measure of whether telephone calls are being missed, and if so, how many telephone calls are being missed.
Another report that can be generated is a "NoAnswer" report. The NoAnswer report provides information on calls that are not answered. One use of this report is to obtain information related to telephone calls that arrive after business hours, as well as to determine if telephone calls are made to the business after business hours.
The call detail service of the prior art uses a termination attempt (TAT) trigger or public office dialing plan (PODP) trigger. The TAT or PODP trigger is provisioned on the central office switch that provides telephone service to the business, i.e., the terminating central office switch for calls directed to the business. When a telephone call is made to the business, the call encounters the TAT or PODP trigger provisioned on the business' number. The telephone call is then suspended while the SS7 network responds to the TAT or PODP trigger to determine how to handle the call.
When the call is suspended, the terminating central office switch queries a service control point (SCP) using the SS7 signaling network. The SCP determines how to handle the TAT or PODP trigger. In the case of the call detail service of the prior art, the SCP creates an incoming information record. The incoming information record is a record of information pertaining to the call. The information contains such items as the time of the telephone call, the identification of the calling and called parties. It also included a call identification tag. After the SCP creates the incoming information record, it signals the terminating central switch to complete the telephone call to the business. If the telephone call was suspended by a TAT trigger the telephone call continues. If the call was suspended by a PODP trigger the telephone call is forwarded to another number. The SCP further instructs the terminating central office switch to provide a termination notification when the call terminates, and to provide a disposition of the telephone call.
When the telephone call terminates, whether normally or abnormally, the terminating central office switch sends disposition information related to the call to the SCP. The disposition information contains such information as whether the call was not answered and the duration of the telephone call. The disposition information also includes a call identification tag. The SCP uses the disposition information to create a termination call record.
The SCP sends the incoming information and termination information records to a services management system (SMS). The SMS merges the incoming information and termination information records into a single call information record containing all of the pertinent information relating to the call. The SMS uses the call identification tag to pair incoming information records with their corresponding termination information records.
Finally, the SMS creates reports from the call information record that is sent to the business. The business can use these reports to determine the efficiency of its operations, whether additional facilities are needed, whether certain operators are less efficient than others, whether to extend store hours and other operational details of the business.
One problem with this technique is that it requires two steps for processing. The first step is suspending the telephone call and creating the incoming information record. The second step, which is executed after the call terminates, is creating a termination information record and merging the incoming information record with the termination information record.
Another disadvantage of the prior art call detail service is that it results in a delay in completing the telephone call. The delay results from the telephone call being suspended by the terminating switch while the SS7 network responds to the TAT or PODP trigger to determine how to process the call. This delay occurs whether the telephone call is completed or not.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

System and method for providing no answer detail service for telephone calls that are not completed


A waveguide gas laser having a laser resonator cavity of a variable length is subjected to cyclical varying of the length of the cavity during generation of a laser beam a length variation amount sufficient to force a laser beam generated in the resonator cavity though a substantially complete optical longitudinal cavity mode at a rate operable to smooth at least one laser beam parameter variation. In this manner variation in the laser beam parameter is averaged by moving through at least a portion of an optical longitudinal cavity mode.

As a waveguide resonator heats up during operation, it expands which increases the length of the resonator cavity, causing it to move through various longitudinal cavity optical modes. These different optical modes have variations in power, wavelength, and other physical beam parameters which cause variations in spot size intensities when the beam is focused. Where the laser is, for example, used in generating a beam used in laser engraving and marking machine, these laser beam parameter variations manifest themselves in variations in the effective mark created on a work piece during engraving. For example, if a solid fill were to be engraved on a work piece, variations in the intensity of the focal spot might show up as light and dark "bands" on the solid fill portion of the workpiece as the laser expands thermally and moves through the various longitudinal cavity modes.
There are at least three known ways to eliminate or reduce banding:
1) Length-stabilize the laser cavity. This is an old, established technology. Some laser beam parameters can be stabilized by mounting one of the cavity mirrors on a piezoelectric crystal, allowing for small adjustments of the effective cavity length. A portion of the output beam is directed into a power meter (or other such measuring device), and as the power (or other such beam metric) drifts over time, the piezo is used to change the cavity length and hold the power steady. This kind of cavity stabilization typically results in an output beam that is constant in power and spectral content, with generally uniform laser beam parameters. However, the stabilization technology is expensive and complex, requiring a closed-loop feedback system with detectors, logic, and drivers of various sorts. Adding such a system to a commercial waveguide gas laser would make it cost prohibitive.
2) Make a laser resonator cavity with total length on the order of five or more meters. The spacing between longitudinal modes is inversely proportional to the cavity length. With a long enough resonator cavity, the spacing between modes becomes small compared to the width of common waveguide gas laser lines, such as the P20 line. In that situation, a hop from one longitudinal mode to another will not change which laser line is operating, or significantly change the overall gain of the laser. As a result, the laser's output beam parameters may be steady enough that banding does not occur. Most current waveguide gas laser cavities are on the order of one meter long. Extending the cavity to the necessary length would be prohibitively cumbersome and expensive.
3) It is generally known that a skilled aligner can significantly reduce banding. Without intending to be bound by theory, skilled alignment may suppress higher-order spatial modes that might otherwise lead to variations in output laser beam parameters in time. Fixing banding by way of alignment is more of an art than a science—one cannot provide reliable step-by-step instructions that will definitely make a laser band less. It also tends to be iterative and time consuming—an aligner makes adjustments, runs a test job, makes more adjustments, and so on. Again, this adds excessively to the cost a commercial waveguide laser.
The present disclosure is intended to overcome one or more of the problems discussed above. This is accomplished not by trying to make a laser resonator cavity that doesn't produce variations in output laser beam parameters which result in banding, but by allowing the laser to freely yield varying laser beam parameters and then averaging the laser beam parameters by physically changing the length of the laser cavity at a rate that causes the light and dark bands blur together into an apparently-uniform output as demonstrated in the Examples provided herein.

Method and apparatus for real time averaging of beam parameter variations


A foot strap assembly for wader boots is provided whereby a foot and leg may be more securely held within the wader boot preventing the boot from becoming stuck between rocks or mud which may cause injury to a boot wearer. The foot strap assembly includes an adjustable leg strap which encircles an upwardly extending portion of the wader boot, an adjustable foot strap which extends downwardly from the leg strap to underlie the bottom of the wader boot, an adjustable front strap which is tethered to the leg strap and which encircles the front portion of the boot. The foot strap assembly is positioned around the outside of the boot and adjusted to hold the foot securely within the boot. Adjustable rear straps extending from the leg strap to the foot strap, and beyond to front strap, may be used for further support.

This invention relates to sporting goods. More specifically, the present invention relates to a strap arrangement utilized in connection with wader boots to help hold a foot and lower leg securely within the wader boot.
Wader boots are well known to fisherman and hunters. A fisherman or hunter will often put his or her stocking feet within the wader boot, which may or may not be close to the right size for his or her foot, and walk out into a stream or river and/or wade in mud while hunting. When the wader boot is not precisely the same size as the wearer's foot, the foot tends to slip lengthwise within the boot and, over time, such becomes uncomfortable for the fisherman or hunter. The problem is exacerbated when water accumulates in the bottom of the wader boot. Further, if the wader boot is not secure, the wearer's feet have a tendency to slip out of the boot when the bottom of the lake or stream is soft or muddy. This can be potentially dangerous in that the person can trip and fall into the water, thus risking drowning.
There are many devices in the prior art which utilize straps on shoes for various purposes.
U.S. Pat. No. 193,342 to Mills discloses the use of a boot strap for a stir-up and rowel.
U.S. Pat. No. 892,152 to Harman discloses the use of a strap and plate which protect the shoe when using a hand shovel.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,155,506 to Osaki discloses the use of a strapping mechanism to maintain the shape and increase the life of the shoe.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,513,539 to East discloses the use of a strapped toothed plate to be used as a anti-slipping device.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,175,947 to Parracho discloses the use of a removable Y-shaped sheet spring for ankle support in athletic shoes.
None of the above noted prior devices resolve the problems associated with using wader boots in streams or in the mud. Accordingly, there is a need for some type of adjustment mechanism which would permit a fisherman's or hunter's foot to be more securely positioned within the wader boot to prevent it from sliding lengthwise. Additionally, such a device is needed which can be adapted for use with virtually any type and style of wader boot, and adjusted to fit the needs of an individual fisherman or hunter. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages.


A portable platform having at least three outwardly-inclined legs and a platform supported thereby is provided, the legs each having multiple nestable sections, an uppermost portion of each of the legs being adapted to be attached to an underside of said platform, the legs being maintained in biased relationship to an underside of the platform by an elastic cord or cable which extends between the underside of the platform and a lowermost section of the legs, with the elastic cord or cable extending through each of the respective sections of the legs, with the elastic cord or cable being tensioned such that the sections of the legs may be separated from one another and folded onto an uppermost surface of said platform in storage relationship thereto, with the platform being comprised of dimensionally-stable foldable sections.

Many types of portable stools or platforms are known in the art. See, for example, U.S. Design Pat. No. 282,320; and U.S. Pat. Nos. 105,222; 402,709; 1,205,057; 1,240,119; 3,084,896; 3,376,069; 3,414,323; 4,266,748; 4,810,029; 4,934,638; 5,709,428; 6,125,769; 6,676,208; and 6,871,905.
Several of the disclosed designs are more portable than others. However, a need exists for a portable seat or platform which folds into a size such that the folded seat or platform may be carried in a pocket or fanny pack. A need further exists for a portable foldable seat or platform which is comfortable to sit upon, as well as exhibiting such strength that it may support up to 400 lbs.


There is provided a longitudinal extension mechanism of an armrest that includes a main body of an armrest, a fixed hinge shaft being non-rotatably fixed to a bracket and serving as a rotation axis of the armrest main body, an armrest extension provided at an end of the armrest main body so as to straightly move in the longitudinal direction of the armrest main body, and a length extending apparatus for allowing the armrest extension to straightly move with respect to the arm rest main body due to rotation of the armrest main body about the fixed hinge shaft. Therefore, when the armrest rotates to a horizontal posture, the armrest extension automatically protrudes by a certain length and the total length of the armrest is increased, thereby maximizing the convenience to a user. In addition, when the armrest rotates to a vertical posture, the total length of the armrest is decreased, thereby improving a reception ability and appearance.

In general, armrests provided at seats of vehicles could be put in a vertical posture when they are not used and the armrests could be rotated to a horizontal posture when they are used, thereby maximizing the use of available space. In such a rotatable armrest, a rotation axis is fixed to a seat back, other constituent parts such as a recliner, etc. are also fitted to the seat back, and it is not desirable that a front end of the armrest when vertical protrudes from the top end of the seat back. Accordingly, the length of the armrest is restricted.
However, for the purpose of convenient use of the armrest, the arm rest must have a maximum length. Specifically, when a cup holder, etc. is provided at the front end of the armrest, the armrest should be long enough to allow a user to use the cup holder with a comfortable posture. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an armrest that addresses the above drawbacks and requirements.

Longitudinal extension mechanism of armrest


Some embodiments provide a chewing or bubble gum composition which includes a liquid fill composition and a gum region which includes a gum base surrounding the liquid fill which may include a modified release component, wherein the gum region includes a polyol composition including at least one polyol and having a water solubility of less than 72% by weight at 25° C. The composition may also include a coating region which surrounds the gum region.

Liquid or center-filled gum and other confectionery products are in popular demand today. Typically, these products have a solid exterior portion and a soft or liquid-type center. The outer portion can be chewing gum or bubble gum of some type, while the liquid center portion can be a flavored material typically having a syrup-like consistency.
There are also products having a chewing gum or bubble gum core with a hard sugar or sugarless shell on the exterior. These products include, for example well-known pellet gum products sold under the brand names Chiclets®, Clorets®, and Dentyne-Ice®. Both liquid filled and coated gum products are in popular demand.
Conventional center-filled gum products having a liquid-filled center portion, a second layer of chewing gum or bubble gum material surrounding the liquid, and a hard outer shell or coating suffer from undesirable migration of the liquid into the gum base region. This results in a product which is not commercially acceptable. Loss of the center-fill not only impacts the initial organoleptic qualities of the gum, i.e., initial liquid "burst", but also may alter the physical appearance and overall shelf-life stability of the product.
One possible cause of the loss in liquidity of the center-fill is from moisture migration from the center-fill to the surrounding gum layer. This problem has most frequently been addressed by alteration of the center-fill composition.
Patents which included a specifically formulated center-fill composition to overcome the loss of liquidity problem include: U.S. Pat. No. 4,466,983 to Cifrese et al., wherein the center-fill included a hydrogenated starch hydrolysate; U.S. Pat. No. 4,250,196 to Friello which provides a center-fill which includes a combination of water and hydrogenated starch hydrolysate; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,829 to Terrevazzi ("Terrevazzi") which discloses a center-fill formulation including propylene glycol and sorbitol.
Other attempts to address the loss of liquidity have provided formulations which are intended to control the water content of the center-fill. Specifically, U.S. Pat. No. 4,683,138 to Glass et al provides a low-moisture liquid center-filled gum composition.
One common factor of the commercially available center-fill gum compositions is the size of the gum piece. On average, the weight of such chewing gum pieces is approximately five grams, such as those disclosed in Terrevazzi. Until the present invention, smaller center-filled gum pieces, i.e., less than three grams per piece, have not been made and thus the problems associated with center-filled gum have not existed with such smaller pieces. Smaller gum pieces, such as 2-3 gram sizes and configurations such as pellet gums, have more surface area relative to the liquid-fill and thus, maintaining liquidity of the center-fill and preventing migration into and through the surrounding gum region becomes more critical and challenging.
There is a need for new gum compositions, and particularly hard or crunchy coated gums, which provide the desired hard shell coating layer in combination with a center-fill gum, while resisting loss of liquidity. This is also a need for a center-filled gum, which retains its liquid center during manufacturing and during its shelf-life, and which can be made in a reduced piece-size without loss of the liquid-center fill properties. In addition, it would be desirable to have a center-fill chewing gum with prolonged sensory characteristics, such as sweetness and flavor intensity.


An ink cartridge that self seals its outlet opening with an outlet valve that connects to an inlet on the printhead. The outlet valve has a radially extending flange fixed within the outlet opening and an annular skirt of resilient material extending from the side of the outlet opening to the valve seat. The annular skirt is biased into sealing engagement with the radially extending flange to close the outlet valve until installment when the printhead inlet lifts the annular skirt off the flange so that ink flows around the flange into the printhead.

Traditionally, most commercially available inkjet printers have a print engine which forms part of the overall structure and design of the printer. The body of the printer unit is typically constructed to accommodate the printhead and associated media delivery mechanisms, and these features are integral with the printer unit.
This is especially the case with inkjet printers that employ a printhead that traverses back and forth across the media as the media progresses through the printer unit in small iterations. Typically, the reciprocating printhead is mounted to the body of the printer unit such that it can traverse the width of the printer unit between a media input roller and a media output roller, with the media input and output rollers forming part of the structure of the printer unit. It may be possible to remove the printhead for replacement, however the other parts of the print engine, such as the media transport rollers, control circuitry and maintenance stations, are usually fixed within the printer. Replacement of these parts is not possible without replacement of the entire printer.
As well as being rather fixed in their design construction, printers employing reciprocating type printheads are relatively slow, particularly when performing print jobs of full colour and/or photo quality. This is due to the fact that the printhead must continually scan the stationary media to deposit the ink on the surface of the media and it may take a number of swathes of the printhead to deposit one line of the image.
Recently, 'pagewidth' printheads have been developed that extend the entire width of the print media. The printhead remains stationary as the media is transported past its array of nozzles. This increases print speeds as the printhead no longer needs to perform a number of swathes to deposit a line of an image. Instead, the printhead deposits the ink on the media as it moves past at high speeds. With these printheads, full colour 1600 dpi printing at speeds of around 60 pages per minute are possible. Such speeds were unattainable with conventional inkjet printers.
Pagewidth printheads operating at high speeds consume ink at a rate much greater than scanning printheads or even lower speed pagewidth printhead. Because of the number of nozzles and the nozzle firing rate, the flow path from the cartridge to the nozzles must avoid constrictions that would unduly throttle the ink supply. The valve connection between the printhead and the ink cartridge is by definition a 'bottle neck' in the flow ink to the printhead. This connection usually involves a needle valve because of its ability prevent air bubbles from being entrained in the ink flow. Air bubbles can stop a nozzle from ejecting ink as the compressible bubble absorbs the pressure pulse from the ejection actuator. Unfortunately, a needle valve does not allow a high flow rate.

Ink cartridge with high flowrate, self sealing outlet


An electrorheological damping device for reducing translational vibration between two bodies comprises a rotary electrorheological damper and transmission means for converting the translational vibration between the two bodies to the rotary motion of the rotary electrorheological damper. The rotary electrorheological damper includes a stator and a rotor that are coaxially arranged. The stator have a plurality of stator electrodes, and the rotor have a plurality of rotor electrodes. The stator electrodes and the rotor electrodes face each other alternatively within at least one fluid chamber. The fluid chamber is filled with an electrorheological fluid that varies its rheological properties when exposed to an electric field. The electrorheological fluid fills spaces between each pair of the stator and rotor electrodes. The rotary electrorheological damper is able to control the damping torque that resists rotary motion between the stator and the rotor and, thus, the translational vibration between the two bodies. An alternative embodiment integrates a pneumatic spring into the electrorheological damping device to create a compact full suspension system, where the rotary ER damper doubles as a piston inside the cylinder of the pneumatic spring.

Damping devices are widely used (e.g., in airplane landing gear, automobile suspension systems, earthquake-proof buildings, and optical tables) to reduce vibration and noise, thus improving comfortableness, prolonging machine lives, increasing production quality, and even avoiding catastrophes. People are developing various dampers that can be electronically-controlled for the sake of improved performance.
There is a family of damping devices that utilizes electrorhoelogical (ER) fluids. When exposed to an electric field, an ER fluid changes its rheological properties, most noticeably its viscosity, with a fast response time. ER damping devices can be classified into flow-mode, mixed-mode, and shear-mode dampers according to the source of damping force. The source of damping force is a flow-induced pressure drop for a flow-mode damper, shearing forces on relatively-shearing surfaces for a shear-mode damper, and a mixture of a pressure drop and shearing forces for a mixed-mode damper.
Among the three modes, the ER flow-mode design is most similar to the design of a traditional shock absorber of a vehicle suspension system except that it replaces the conventional orifice with an ER valve. To achieve the same performance, an ER flow-mode damper is believed to be not as compact and not as efficient as an ER shear-mode damper. To achieve the same ER damping force, an ER mixed-mode damper is believed to be more compact than an ER shear-mode damper. However, the ER mixed-mode damper is believed to be not as effective in control as the ER shear-mode damper.
Shear-mode dampers can be further divided into rotary and translational types, either of which can have its own variations in the way electrodes are arranged. The translational type of shear-mode dampers, for example, can have either a plurality of coaxial cylinders or a plurality of parallel perforated-disk-shaped plates as electrodes. Because of the stroke of the translational motion, not all surface area of the electrodes is engaged to generate damping forces, resulting in an inefficiency in design.
The rotary type of shear-mode dampers can have a plurality of perforated-disk-shaped electrodes arranged along the rotational axis or have a plurality of coaxial cylinders. These dampers are able to rotate in complete circles, and the entire surface area of the electrodes is engaged for the damping force generation. One may call them complete-circle rotary-type shear-mode dampers. A rotary-type shear-mode damper may also consist of a plurality of fan- or blade-shaped (instead of perforated-disk-shaped) electrodes, and the electrodes can rotate less than a complete circle. For the sake of distinction, one may call this kind of dampers incomplete-circle rotary-type shear-mode dampers. With a rotary-type damper, a translation-to-rotation conversion mechanism is needed if the vibration to be damped is translational.
Several ER flow-mode damping devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,720,087, U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,733, U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,299, U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,677, U.S. Pat. No. 5,100,166, U.S. Pat. No. 5,014,829, U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,653, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,259,487. Also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,677 is an ER mixed-mode damping device. They are all different from the present invention, which has a shear-mode design.
A family of rotary damping devices that utilize electrorheological magnetic (ERM), also called magnetorheological (MR), fluids are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,942,947 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,257,681. They are also different from the present invention. ERM or MR fluids respond to a magnetic field while ER fluids respond to an electric field. ERM or MR dampers need relatively complicated magnetic coils while ER dampers need only simple electrodes. The ERM or MR dampers disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,942,947 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,257,681 have an incomplete-circle rotary mixed-mode design, while the present invention uses a complete-circle rotary shear-mode design.
There are also several known ER full-circle rotary shear-mode damping devices. Carlson and Duclos (Carlson, J. D., and Duclos, T. G., 1990, "ER fluid clutches and brakes-fluid property and mechanical design considerations," Electrorheological Fluids, Proceedings of the Second International Conference on ER Fluids-1989, Carlson, J. D., Sprecher, A. F., and Conrad, H., ed., Technomic Pub. Co., Inc., Lancaster, pp.353-367.) disclosed a screwdriver that includes an ER full-circle rotary shear-mode clutch and a magnetic rotation-to-rotation coupling. Stangroom (Stangroom, J. E., 1990, "Tension control using ER fluids--a case study," Electrorheological Fluids, Proceedings of the Second International Conference on ER Fluids--1989, Carlson, J. D., Sprecher, A. F., and Conrad, H., ed., Technomic Pub. Co., Inc., Lancaster, pp.419-425.) disclosed a tension control device that includes an ER full-circle rotary shear-mode clutch. Colvin and Carlson (Colvin, D. P., and Carlson, J. D., 1990, "Control of a fall safe tether using an ER fluid brake," Electrorheological Fluids, Proceedings of the Second International Conference on ER Fluids-1989, Carlson, J. D., Sprecher, A. F., and Conrad, H., ed., Technomic Pub. Co., Inc., Lancaster, pp.426-436.) disclosed a fall-safe tether that includes an ER full-circle rotary shear-mode clutch. None of the just mentioned ER full-circle rotary shear-mode damping devices is intended/designed to reduce translational vibration, which a vehicle suspension system or aircraft landing gear has to deal with. None of the just mentioned ER full-circle rotary shear-mode damping devices, therefore, has an integrated spring element and the mechanism for the motion conversion between rotation and translation, which are included in the present invention.

Electrorheological rotary pure-shear damping devices