An upper end of a link is attached to a roller shaft of an upper guide roller provided in an upper part of a front window for opening and closing a front opening of a cabin. A lower end of the link is provided with a wire retaining pin that moves in a wire guide rail. One end of an assist wire connected to a spring at the other end is connected to the wire retaining pin. Thus, in a window-closed state, tension acts on the front window as a pressing force for pressing the front window forward, and when the front window is to be opened, the tension acts through the link on the front window as an assisting force.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a construction machine, such as a hydraulic excavator, with a front-window opening/closing device for opening and closing a front window of a cabin.
2. Description of the Related Art
As an exemplary front-window opening/closing device of this type, a front-window opening/closing device of a slide type, such as that disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Registration Application Publication No. 4-62775, for opening and closing a front opening of a cabin is known.
FIG. 6 illustrates a known front-window opening/closing device of a slide type. This device has an assisting mechanism for assisting the opening and closing of a front window 1. Specifically, one end of a wire 9 is connected to a spring 8 at the rear of a cabin 4 and the other end of the wire 9 is connected to the front window 1, and thus the force of the spring 8 pulls the front window 1 rearward.
However, the front-window opening/closing device with such an assisting mechanism has some problems. For example, since the wire 9 is connected to a lower end of the front window 1 (i.e., connected to a roller shaft 3a of a lower guide roller 3) and the tension of the wire 9 is applied to the lower end of the front window 1, an end of the wire 9 is connected to the lower end of the front window 1 in a manner to extend between a wire guide rail 10 and a roller guide rail 5. This increases frictional resistance between this end of the wire 9 and each guide rail (particularly the roller guide rail 5).
Since, in particular, a front rail 6 has a curved part with a recessed portion 6b at the bottom, frictional resistance in this part increases at an early stage of the opening operation of the front window 1.
Therefore, frictional resistance increased when the front window 1 is opened and closed affects the original assisting function of the assisting mechanism and interferes with smooth operation.
To prevent this problem, an end of the wire 9 may be connected to an upper end of the front window 1. This achieves lower frictional resistance than in the case where it is connected to a lower end of the front window 1. However, in a window-closed state in which the front window 1 is closed, the tension of the wire 9 is directly applied rearward to the upper end of the front window 1. This leads to a reduced pressing force of the front window 1 against the front opening of the cabin 4, and thus degrades sealing performance.

Kobelco Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.


A data transfer interface includes facilities for a subsystem including the data transfer interface to internally prioritize transactions with other subsystems, using facilities of the data transfer interface. In one embodiment, the subsystem also includes with the transactions bus arbitration priorities to facilitate prioritization and granting of access to an on-chip bus to the contending transactions. In one embodiment, an integrated circuit includes the on-chip bus and a number of the subsystems interacting with each other through transactions across the on-chip bus.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of integrated circuit. More specifically, the present invention relates to inter-subsystem communication between subsystems on an integrated circuit device.
2. Background Information
Advances in integrated circuit technology have led to the birth and proliferation of a wide variety of integrated circuits, including but not limited to application specific integrated circuits, micro-controllers, digital signal processors, general purpose microprocessors, and network processors. Recent advances have also led to the birth of what's known as "system on a chip" or SOC. Typically, a SOC includes multiple "tightly coupled" subsystems performing very different functions. These subsystems often have a need to communicate and cooperate with each other on a regular basis.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,122,690 discloses an on-chip bus architecture that is both processor independent and scalable. The '690 patent discloses a bus that uses "standardized" bus interfaces to couple functional blocks to the on-chip bus. The "standardized" bus interfaces include embodiments for bus master functional blocks, slave functional blocks, or either. The '690 bus suffers from at least one disadvantage in that it does not offer rich functionalities for prioritizing interactions or transactions between the subsystems, which are needed for a SOC with subsystems performing a wide range of very different functions.
Accordingly, a more flexible approach to facilitate inter-subsystem communication between subsystems on a chip is desired.


Approaches, techniques, and mechanisms are disclosed for maintaining a set of baseline query plans for a database command. Except in rare circumstances, a database server may only execute a command according to a baseline plan, even if the database server predicts that a different plan has a lower cost. The set of baseline plans are plans that, for one reason or another, have been determined to provide acceptable actual performance in at least one execution context. When the database server receives a request to execute a particular command, the database server, if possible, always executes the command according to the lowest predicted cost baseline plan. The database server may evolve the plan baseline to include additional plans by generating and testing new plans in response to new requests to execute the database command, or as part of a query optimization or tuning process.

The approaches described in this section are approaches that could be pursued, but not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section.
Various steps discussed in this section and throughout this application may be performed by either database administrators or database users. This application does not attempt to differentiate between the two types of individuals. Therefore, any step said to be performed by either a "user" or "administrator" may also be performed by both a user and an administrator. Furthermore, many of the steps that are said to be performed by a user or administrator may also be performed by database application programmed by a user or administrator, while any step said to be performed by a database application may also be performed manually by a user or administrator.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A mobile terminal and a method of controlling an operation thereof are disclosed. In the method of controlling the operation of the mobile terminal, the mobile terminal is communicatively with a head mounted display for displaying an augmented reality (AR) screen obtained by combining a virtual image with a real environment. If image data acquired through a camera is analyzed and a predetermined gesture input is detected, the head mounted display is controlled such that a display change corresponding to the detected gesture input is displayed on the AR screen. In a state of displaying the AR screen through the head mounted display, various operations related to the mobile terminal can be controlled according to the predetermined gesture input.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile terminal and a method of controlling operation thereof and, more particularly, to a mobile terminal capable of controlling an operation using a gesture input in a state of displaying an augmented reality screen through a head mounted display and a method of controlling an operation thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
A mobile terminal is a portable device having at least one of a function for performing voice and video communication, a function for inputting and outputting information, and a function for storing data. Such a mobile terminal has complicated functions such as photographing of photos, capturing of moving images, playback of music files or moving image files, reception of games or broadcasts, or wireless Internet and has been implemented as a multimedia player, as the functions thereof have been diversified. New attempts have been variously given to the mobile terminal implemented as the multimedia player in hardware or software in order to implement complicated functions.
Recently, an augmented reality (AR) technique has been applied to a mobile terminal and has been variously used. The AR technique refers to a computer graphics method of combining a virtual object or information with a real environment such that the object appears to be present in the original environment. As an example of the AR technique, if a peripheral building is captured through a camera of a mobile terminal, an AR screen for displaying information about the building, such as a telephone number or a homepage, may be displayed. The AR screen may be displayed using a glasses-type head mounted display which is connected to the mobile terminal by wire or wirelessly.
However, a method of controlling an operation associated with a mobile terminal through a menu screen displayed on the mobile terminal in a state in which a user wears a head mounted display and views an AR screen is disadvantageous in that the screen size of the mobile terminal is small or a disparity may be changed.
Therefore, in order to conveniently control an operation associated with a mobile terminal in a state in which a user views an AR screen through a head mounted display connected to the mobile terminal, there is a need to control the operation of the mobile terminal using a new input/output method different from a conventional input/output method.

Mobile terminal and method of controlling operation thereof


A method for adaptive power control in a mobile communication system (100) determines (120) whether an RF loading factor (110) is greater than a threshold value. If the RF loading factor is above the threshold value, the method reduces call quality (140). Next, a determination is made whether the RF loading factor is below a second threshold value (150). If the RF loading factor is below the second threshold value, the call quality of the mobile communication system is increased (160).

The present invention pertains to cellular communication systems and more particularly to a method for conserving power and system capacity during peak communication system loading.
In current cellular systems, target Frame Erasure Rate (FER) settings and power control parameters are set statically and are independent of the actual load on the system which is dynamic. The FER measures dropped frames or quality of a link in a communication system.
In a CDMA system, there is a strong relationship between system capacity, RF power, interference, and call quality. As call quality is increased, the power consumed by the system tends to increase. This situation consumes available cell power which is limited, and increases system interference which in turn reduces system capacity from an RF perspective. This is a particularly important aspect of efficient CDMA systems.
Call quality in this context includes voice quality which can be measured by frame erasure rate; mean opinion score (MOS score) which is a measure of voice quality; data throughput for data services; and call reliability which includes call setup success rate and the dropped call rate. This relationship is well know to those skilled in the art. Therefore, there is a fundamental tradeoff between call performance (FER/quality, call reliability, and messaging reliability) and system capacity. As the link performance is increased FER is typically lowered, additional power is consumed, interference is generated, and capacity is reduced.
Cellular systems are therefore often tuned to handle the capacity requirements during the busiest period of the day, sacrificing call quality and reliability for additional peak capacity. A cellular system may be tuned as an aggregate. That is, the same parameters may be used statically over the entire system, even though the loading, call performance, and radio link characteristics may vary significantly over the system.
In addition, the loading characteristics can vary substantially even over short periods of time on a per cell basis. The distribution of load or call traffic over the system is in most cases highly non-uniform both temporally and geographically. This makes it difficult to optimize the tradeoffs between system capacity and call performance using static parameters relating to system capacity, power control, FER, and call quality. The current approaches are based only on achieving a given target FER. Such approaches are not based on available or utilized system capacity.
Therefore it would be highly advantageous to have a method for adaptively varying power control related parameters as a function of system load.

Adaptive power control method for cellular systems


An ink jet apparatus offers enhanced print quality and is highly conducive to mass-production. The apparatus has a piezoelectric ceramic arrangement including a plurality of ink channels filled with ink. The ink channels are defined by walls and correspond to nozzles. The walls are deformed selectively by a piezoelectric effect to vary the volumes of the selected ink channels to jet out the ink through the corresponding nozzles. The center position of each of the nozzles is allowed to deviate from the middle between one wall of the corresponding ink channel and the other wall opposite thereto by half the distance between the two walls minus half the diameter of the nozzle within the half distance. This arrangement reduces the number of defective ink jet printer heads in the manufacturing phase and allows the ink jet apparatus to offer enhanced print quality. Such an apparatus is also highly conducive to mass-production with no need for specialized adjustments of individual nozzles.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink jet apparatus having a piezoelectric ceramic arrangement comprising ink channels separated by walls and filled with ink. The walls of the ink channels are selectively deformed by the piezoelectric effect to vary the volumes of the channels so that the ink therein will be jetted out through the nozzles corresponding to those channels.
2. Description of the Related Art
The above type of ink jet apparatus has been conventionally used in ink jet printers. A first example of a typical prior art ink jet apparatus is outlined below with reference to FIG. 6. In FIG. 6, each ink chamber 70 is formed by a housing 72 including side walls 74 equipped with piezoelectric ceramic devices 76. Electrodes 77 are furnished on both sides of each piezoelectric ceramic device 76 and are connected to a driving circuit 79.
When the driving circuit 79 applies a driving voltage to the electrodes 77, the piezoelectric ceramic device 76 attached thereto is deformed accordingly. With the piezoelectric ceramic device 76 deformed, the side wall 74 is deformed into a shape indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 6, thereby reducing the volume of the ink chamber 70. The reduction in the volume of the ink chamber 70 causes the ink therein to jet out as an ink droplet 80 through a nozzle 82.
Thereafter, with the driving voltage removed, the piezoelectric ceramic device 76 returns to its original shape and thus increases the volume of the ink chamber 70. The increase in the volume of the ink chamber 70 introduces additional ink thereinto through an ink conduit 84. Typically, ink jet printers comprise numerous ink chambers 70 when manufactured.
A second example of a typical prior art ink jet apparatus is outlined below with reference to FIG. 7. In FIG. 7, an ink jet printer head 1 comprises a piezoelectric ceramic plate 2, a cover plate 3, a nozzle plate 31 and a substrate 41.
The piezoelectric ceramic plate 2 has a plurality of grooves 8. Side walls 11 defining the grooves 8 are polarized in the direction shown by arrow 5. The grooves 8 are of a uniform depth and are parallel. The grooves 8 become gradually shallower as they approach an edge 15 of the piezoelectric ceramic plate 2. Near the edge 15, the grooves 8 merge into shallow grooves 16. Inside the grooves 8, the upper half of each of the side walls 11 is covered with a metal electrode 13 formed thereon by sputtering or by other suitable processes. Inside the shallow grooves 16, the entire side walls and the bottoms are covered with metal electrodes 9 deposited by sputtering or by other suitable processes. In this arrangement, the metal electrodes 13 formed on both sides of each groove 8 are connected electrically to the metal electrodes 9 furnished over the shallow grooves 16.
The cover plate 3 is made of ceramic or plastic resin. On the cover plate 3, ink inlet ports 21 and manifolds 22 are formed by grinding or by cutting. The side of the piezoelectric ceramic plate 2 having the grooves 8 formed thereon is bonded using epoxy resin adhesive or the like to the side of the cover plate 3 having the manifolds 22 machined thereon. Covering the top of the grooves 8 in this manner with the plate 3 forms a plurality of ink channels 12 (FIG. 9) spaced apart crosswise in the ink jet printer head 1. Each ink channel 12 has a rectangular cross section and is long and narrow in shape. All ink channels 12 are filled with ink during operation.
The nozzle plate 31 is attached to one end of the piezoelectric ceramic plate 2 and the cover plate 3. The nozzle plate 31 has nozzles 32 formed in the positions corresponding to the ink channels 12. The nozzle plate 31 is made of plastic such as polyalkylene (e.g., ethylene), terephthalate, polyimide, polyether imide, polyether ketone, polyether sulfone, polycarbonate or cellulose acetate.
A substrate 41 is bonded using epoxy resin adhesive or the like to the surface opposite to the side of the piezoelectric ceramic plate 2 having the grooves 8. The substrate 41 has conductive layer patterns 42 corresponding to the positions of the ink channels 12. The metal electrodes 9 at the bottoms of the shallow parallel grooves 16 are connected to the conductive layer patterns 42 by conductors 43 deposited by wire bonding.
The control section of the prior art apparatus is described with reference to FIG. 8, which is a schematic diagram of the control section. Each of the conductive layer patterns 42 on the substrate 41 is connected individually to an LSI chip 51. Also connected to the LSI chip 51 are a clock line 52, a data line 53, a voltage line 54 and a grounding line 55. Given continuous clock pulses through the clock line 52 as well as data from the data line 53, the LSI chip 51 decides through which of the nozzles 32 ink droplets are to be jetted out. Based on its decision, the LSI chip 51 selectively applies the voltage V of the voltage line 54 to the conductive layer patterns 42 connected to the metal electrodes 13 that belong to the target ink channels 12. The LSI chip 51 also applies a zero voltage of the grounding line 55 to those conductive layer patterns 42 connected to the metal electrodes 13 associated with ink channels 12 that are not targetted for jetting.
The operation of the ink jet printer head 1 is described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. Suppose that, given appropriate data, the LSI chip 51 decides that an ink droplet is to be jetted out from an ink channel 12b. Then, a positive driving voltage V is applied to metal electrodes 13e and 13f while metal electrodes 13d and 13g are connected to ground. This develops a driving electric field in a side wall 11b in the direction of arrow 14b and another driving electric field in a side wall 11c in the direction of arrow 14c, as illustrated in FIG. 10. Because the directions 14b and 14c of the driving electric fields are each perpendicular to the direction of polarization 4, the side walls 11b and 11c are deformed rapidly toward the inside of the ink channel 12b due to the piezoelectric thickness slip effect. The side wall deformation reduces the volume of the ink channel 12b and rapidly raises the ink pressure therein. The resulting pressure wave causes an ink droplet to be jetted out through the nozzle 32 (FIG. 7) connected to the ink channel 12b.
One disadvantage of the prior art ink jet apparatus is that the nozzle 32 is located inside each ink channel 12, i.e., the position of the nozzle 32 is not fixed definitively relative to the ink channel 12. The center positions of the nozzles 32 may or may not be aligned with the centers of the ink channels 12. The flow rate of ink at the center of each ink channel 12 can differ from the flow rate off the center thereof. The differences in ink flow rate can translate into different jet speeds of ink droplets from the nozzles, causing the print speed to vary from one ink jet printer head 1 to another. Such speed discrepancies can render the ink jet printer head 1 nonconducive to mass-production.
On the same ink jet printer head 1, the center positions of individual nozzles 32 may or may not be aligned with the centers of the corresponding ink channels 12. This means that the jet speed of ink droplets can vary from nozzle to nozzle 32 on the same printer head. The jet speed discrepancies can lead to a serious deterioration of print quality with the ink jet printer head 1. In some cases, the printer head does not function outright. As a result, there can be many defective ink printer heads if the printer heads are mass-produced.
On the prior art ink jet apparatus, the nozzles 32 are thought to jet out ink droplets in more stable quantities and at more stable speeds when narrowed progressively (i.e, tapered) toward the ink jetting side from the ink channel side than when shaped otherwise (i.e., widened progressively toward the ink jetting side from the ink channel side, or bored straight to have the same diameter at both the ink jetting side and the ink channel side). Conventionally, however, there is no strictly determined ratio of the sectional area of the nozzle on the ink jetting side to that on the ink channel side. That ratio can be disproportionately large on one ink jet printer head and inordinately small on another. As a result, the jet speed of ink droplets, and hence the print speed, may vary from one ink jet printer head 1 to another. Such speed discrepancies can lead to a deterioration of print quality with ink jet printer heads, rendering them nonconducive to mass-production.
On the same ink jet printer head 1, the ratio of the sectional area of the nozzle on the ink jetting side to that on the ink channel side can vary significantly from one individual nozzle to another. This means that the jet speed of ink droplets can vary from nozzle to nozzle on the same printer head. The jet speed discrepancies can lead to a serious deterioration of print quality with the ink jet printer head 1. In some cases, the printer head does not function outright. As a result, there can be many defective ink printer heads if the printer heads are mass-produced.
Furthermore, with the prior art ink jet apparatus, there is no definitely determined taper angle .theta. at which the diameter of the nozzle 32 is narrowed progressively from the ink channel side toward the ink jetting side. The taper angle can be disproportionately large on one ink jet printer head and inordinately small on another. As a result, the jet speed of ink droplets, and hence the print speed, may vary from one ink jet printer head 1 to another. Such speed discrepancies can lead to a deterioration of print quality with ink jet printer heads, rendering them nonconducive to mass-production.
On the same ink jet printer head 1, the nozzle taper angle can vary significantly from one individual nozzle to another 32. This means that the jet speed of ink droplets can vary from nozzle to nozzle 32 on the same printer head. The jet speed discrepancies can lead to a serious deterioration of print quality with the ink jet printer head 1. In some cases, the printer head does not function outright. As a result, there can be many defective ink printer heads where the printer heads are mass-produced.
With ink jet apparatuses, the minimum sectional area of the nozzle 32 must be greater than the maximum projected area of solid ink particles to ensure good ink jet performance. Conventionally, however, there is no fixedly determined ratio of the minimum sectional area of the nozzle to the maximum projected area of solid ink particles. Whereas there is little problem if the sectional area of the nozzles on their ink jetting side is sufficiently large compared with the maximum projected area of solid ink particles, an insufficient sectional area of the nozzles can change the jet speed of ink droplets due to the friction between the nozzles and solid ink particles. The varying jet speeds can also vary the print speed from one ink jet printer head 1 to another. Such speed discrepancies can lead to a deterioration of print quality with ink jet printer heads, rendering them nonconducive to mass-production.
On the same ink jet printer head 1, some nozzles 32 may have insufficient sectional areas compared with the maximum projected area of solid ink particles while others have sufficient sectional areas. This means that the jet speed of ink droplets can vary from one individual nozzle 32 to another on the same printer head. The jet speed discrepancies can lead to a serious deterioration of print quality with the ink jet printer head 1. In some cases, the printer head does not function outright. As a result, there can be many defective ink printer heads if the printer heads are mass-produced.

Piezoelectric ink jet apparatus having nozzles designed for improved jetting


An expandable vinyl aromatic polymer may include a matrix of a vinyl aromatic polymer, 1-10% of an expanding agent, 0.1 to 5% talc, carbon black, and 0 to 20% fillers. The expanding agent may be englobed in the matrix. The talc may have a mean diameter above about 8 μm as measured by Laser Mastersizer according to standard ISO 13320-1. The BET of the talc may be in the range 0.5-25 m2/g. The carbon black may be present in a proportion sufficient for a foamed material obtained from the expandable vinyl aromatic polymer to have a thermal conductivity λ of about 34 mW/m° K or lower. The fillers may be homogeneously distributed in the matrix.

The term "expandable beads based on vinyl aromatic polymers" as used in the present description and claims, means vinyl aromatic polymers in the form of granules, containing an expanding system and other additives.
These expandable thermoplastic polymers in the form of granules are particularly used, after expansion and moulding, in the production of household appliances or other industrial equipment, in packaging and thermal insulation in the building industry, due to their thermo-insulating properties. Thermoplastic vinyl aromatic polymers such as polystyrene can be made expandable by incorporating an expandable agent in the polymeric matrix. Typical expanding agents for vinyl aromatic polymers include at least one liquid hydrocarbon containing from 3 to 7 carbon atoms, a halogenated hydrocarbon, carbon dioxide or water. The quantity of expanding agent usually ranges from 2 to 15% by weight. Expandable polymers are produced in general as beads or granules which, under the action of heat, supplied, for example, by steam, are first expanded until a desired density is reached and, after a certain aging period, are sintered in closed moulds to produce blocks or the desired final products.
The making of such expandable beads has already been described in EP 126459, US 2006 211780, US 2005 156344, U.S. Pat. No. 6,783,710 and WO 2008 141766.
The production of beads of PS incorporating pentane is difficult due to the balance required between ease of extrusion/granulation and foam process and compression resistance of the blocks made with the sintered expanded beads (the insulation boards etc. . . . ).
EP 372343 A1 at page 12 describes EPS comprising carbon black 0, 4, and 10 weight percent and talc: 0 to 0.20 weight percent. It is mentioned that the use of 10% carbon black reduces the thermal conductivity by 15%.
WO 97 45477 A1 describes an EPS comprising 2-8% carbon black having an area ranging from 10 to 500 m2/g. In examples 4 and 5 for 6 w % carbon black the thermal conductivity λ is 30-33 mW/m° K. There is no talc.
EP 620 246 B1 describes moulding comprising expanded polystyrene foam and an athermanous material, where the expanded polystyrene foam has a density of less than 20 kg/m3 and the athermanous material absorbs infrared radiation. In an example for 2 w % carbon black and a foam density of 10 kg/m3 the thermal conductivity λ is 35 mW/m° K. There is no talc.
WO 2004-087798 A1 relates to expandable vinylaromatic polymers which comprise:
a) a matrix obtained by polymerizing 50-100% by weight of one or more vinylaromatic monomers and 0-50% by weight of a copolymerizable monomer; b) 1-10% by weight, calculated with respect to the polymer (a), of an expanding agent englobed in the polymeric matrix;c) 0.01-20% by weight, calculated with respect to the polymer (a), of carbon black homogeneously distributed in the polymeric matrix having an average diameter ranging from 30 to 2000 nm, a surface area ranging from 5 to 40 m2/g, a sulfur content ranging from 0.1 to 2000 ppm and an ash content ranging from 0.001 to 1%. In an example for 1 w % carbon black the thermal conductivity λ is 36.5 mW/m° K. There is no talc.
WO 2006-058733 A1 relates to expandable styrene polymer granulates, which contain
a) between 5 and 50 wt. % of a filler, selected from pulverulent inorganic materials such as talc, chalk, kaolin, aluminium hydroxide, aluminium nitrite, aluminium silicate, barium sulphate, calcium carbonate, titanium dioxide, calcium sulphate, silicic acid, quartz powder, aerosil, alumina or wollastonite andb) between 0.1 and 10 wt. % carbon black or graphite.In example 2 there are 1 w % carbon black and 10 w % chalk, the thermal conductivity λ is 32 mW/m° K.
WO 2006 108672 A2 describes a process for improving the insulating capacity of expanded vinyl aromatic which comprises:
1) preparing beads of expandable vinyl aromatic polymers containing 1-10% by weight, calculated with respect to the polymer, of an expanding agent englobed in the polymeric matrix and 0.001-25% by weight, calculated with respect to the polymer (a), of an athermanous additive comprising carbon black homogeneously distributed in the polymeric matrix;2) treating the surface of the beads, before deposition of the coating, with a liquid lubricating agent; and3) thermally treating the beads with hot air at a temperature ranging from 30 to 60° C.
In an example for 1 w % carbon black the thermal conductivity λ is 35.2 mW/m° K. In an example for 1 w % carbon black the thermal conductivity λ is 33 mW/m° K. In an example for 1 w % carbon black+1 w % graphite the thermal conductivity λ is 32 mW/m° K. There is no talc.
US 2007 0112082 A1 relates to a moldable-foam molding with a density from 8 to 200 g/l, obtainable via fusion of prefoamed foam beads comprising expandable pelletized thermoplastic polymer materials, wherein the pelletized polymer materials comprise from 1 to 50% by weight, of one or more fillers selected from the group consisting of talc, chalk, kaolin, aluminum hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide, aluminum nitrite, aluminum silicate, calcium carbonate, calcium sulfate, silica, powdered quartz, Aerosil, alumina and glass beads. In an embodiment the moldable foam molding further comprises from 0.1 to 10% by weight of carbon black or graphite. In an example for 1 w % carbon black and 10 w % chalk, a foam density of 18.8 kg/m3 the thermal conductivity λ is 35.2 mW/m° K.
WO 2007 045454 A1 relates to expandable granulates, having compositions based on vinyl-aromatic polymers, essentially consisting of:
a) 65-99.8% by weight of a copolymer obtained by polymerizing 85-100% by weight of one or more vinyl-aromatic monomers having general formula (I) and 0-15% by weight of an a-alkylstyrene in which the alkyl group contains from 1 to 4 carbon atoms;
b) 0-25% by weight, calculated with respect to the polymer (a), of a carbon black having an average diameter ranging from 10 to 1000 nm and a surface area ranging from 5 to 200 m2/g;
c) at least one of the following additives (cl)-(c3): ci) 0.01-5% by weight, calculated with respect to the polymer (a), of graphite having an average diameter ranging from 0.5 to 50 μm; c2) 0.01-5% by weight, calculated with respect to the polymer (a), of oxides and/or sulfates and/or lamellar dichalcogenides of metals of groups hA, IIIA, IIB, IyE, VIE or VIIIB, c3) 0.01-5% by weight, calculated with respect to the polymer (a), of inorganic derivatives of silicon of the lamellar type;d) 0-5% by weight, calculated with respect to the polymer (a), of a nucleating agent; ande) 1-6% by weight, calculated with respect to 100 parts of the total of (a)-(d), of one or more expanding agents.
In an example there is 4 w % of carbon black. There is no talc and no thermal conductivity is cited.
WO 2008 141766 A1 relates to a process to make EPS. In the examples at table 2 there is 5.2% of graphite or 4.7% of talc. There are no examples in which talc and graphite or carbon black are simultaneously present.
WO 2008 061678 A2 relates to expandable vinyl aromatic polymers which comprise:
a) a matrix obtained by polymerizing 50-100% by weight of one or more vinyl aromatic monomers and 0-50% by weight of at least one copolymerizable monomer;
b) 1-10% by weight calculated with respect to the polymer (a), of an expanding agent englobed in the polymeric matrix;
c) 0.01-20% by weight, calculated with respect to the polymer (a), of a filler including carbon black electrically conductive and homogeneously distributed in the polymeric matrix, with a surface area, measured according to ASTM D-3037189, ranging from 5 to 200 m2/g.
In the examples for 1 to 4 w % carbon black, a foam density of 17 kg/m3 the thermal conductivity λ is ranging from 31 to 33.3 mW/m° K. In an example for 1 w % carbon black and 0.2 w % graphite, a foam density of 18.3 kg/m3 the thermal conductivity λ is 30.1 mW/m° K. There is no talc.
It has now been discovered that by selecting a talc having a mean diameter above about 8 μm, said mean diameter being measured by Laser Mastersizer according to standard ISO 13320-1, the proportion of carbon black can be lowered. Simultaneously the 10% compression strength is maintained over a wide range of foam density.


A system, to persist state in a dynamic electronic form, may include a communications module to receive a request to load an electronic form, a merge module to merge a template associated with the electronic form and data values associated with the electronic form, a delta extractor to access delta data associated with the electronic form, and an overlay module to overlay the delta data onto the electronic form. The delta data, in an example embodiment, includes attributes and properties associated with the electronic form that are being designated to persist between editing sessions of the electronic form.

The approaches described in this section could be pursued, but are not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
In an architecture that distinguishes between an electronic form template and electronic form content, the template and content associated with the electronic form may be stored separately. As a result, any transient session data associated with the form may not be preserved between sessions.


The invention relates to a sensor arrangement (2) for capturing a torque acting on a shaft (14), wherein the sensor arrangement (2) comprises a sensor unit (4) with a sleeve (34), on which at least one sliding element and at least one first sensor which is sensitive to magnetic fields are arranged, and a magnetic-flux unit (6) with two magnetic flux-conducting rings (28, 30), wherein the at least one sliding element is arranged between the magnetic flux-conducting rings (28, 30), wherein the sensor unit and the magnetic-flux unit (6) are rotated relative to one another during a rotation of the shaft (14), and wherein the at least one sensor which is sensitive to magnetic fields captures a magnetic flux conducted by the rings (28, 30).

The invention relates to a sensor arrangement and to a method for capturing a torque.
The invention comprises a sensor arrangement which functions according to the magnetic measuring principle and has the purpose of capturing a torque. Nowadays, magnetic measuring principles are frequently used in the field of torque and rotational angle sensors. In said sensors, a magnetic field which changes during a rotational movement is usually detected with Hall sensors. Furthermore, a resulting signal is converted into a rotational angle signal or torque signal.
Document DE 10 2005 031 086 A1 describes a sensor arrangement for capturing a differential angle. In this document it is proposed that magnetic field information of a magnetic circuit, which has a magnetic pole wheel and a ferromagnetic flux ring with teeth, is evaluated with at least one magnetic-field-sensitive sensor element. The teeth for radially tapping the magnetic field information of the magnetic pole wheel run in the radial direction.
In known sensor arrangements, the magnetic units and the carrier of magnetic-flux-conducting rings are mounted on two shafts which are connected to one another by means of a torque rod. The sensor unit is attached to a surrounding housing by means of a plug or a circumferential plug seal. As a result, the sensor arrangement is, however, mechanically overdetermined. Furthermore, a very large tolerance chain results between the surrounding housing with the mounted sensor unit and the carrier of magnetic-flux-conducting rings on the shaft, since a large air gap is present between the Hall circuits and the magnetic-flux-conducting rings which are composed of metal. This in turn requires a large magnetic field, for which reason significant reduction of the tolerance chain is aimed at.

Sensor arrangement for capturing a torque


An information processing apparatus, when a mirroring setting request of a virtual machine is received, transmits by broadcasting a detection packet to detect a monitoring node, when a response packet to respond to the detection packet is received from the monitoring node, determines a state of whether a reception port is a local port or an uplink port, based on a node identifier of the monitoring node, node identifier information, and state information, determines a connection relationship over a network between the information processing apparatus and the monitoring node, based on a presence/absence of the response packet and the determined state of the reception port, and performs a setting for transmitting a mirror packet obtained by copying a communication packet of the virtual machine to the monitoring node, for at least one switch of a plurality of switches, based on the determined connection relationship.

In a computer network, the communication status may be grasped by capturing a packet communicated via the network. To capture a packet, for example, a port mirroring function of a switch may be used. The port mirroring refers to outputting a copy of a packet (mirror packet) input/output to/from a port to which a monitoring target computer is connected, to a port to which a monitoring computer is connected.
Further, in a computer network, since the virtualization of computer resources has been progressed, the monitoring target computer may be a virtual machine (VM). When a packet input/output to/from a VM is captured, a mirror packet may be transmitted to another monitoring VM, for example, by performing a port mirroring setting in a virtual switch.
In addition, a plurality of VMs operating on one physical machine conduct a communication via a network interface card (NIC) mounted on the physical machine. An NIC may generate a plurality of virtual NICs therein. The virtualization of functions within the NIC may be implemented using, for example, an SR-IOV (Single Root I/O Virtualization) technique. A virtual NIC may be called a VF (Virtual Function). When the NIC is provided with a plurality of VFs, for example, one VF is allocated to each of the plurality of VMs. When a VF is allocated to each VM, each VM may operate the VF in the NIC without going through a hypervisor to conduct a communication. As a result, an occurrence of overhead due to the virtualization is suppressed so that a high-speed communication may be conducted.
When a monitoring target VM conducts a communication without going through a hypervisor, mirroring of a packet input/output to/from the VM may not be performed by a virtual switch, and is performed using the function of a physical switch on the network. At this time, the setting contents of a switch for transmitting a mirror packet to a VM of a transmission destination depend on the positional relationship between the monitoring target VM and the monitoring VM. For example, when the monitoring target VM and the monitoring VM are directly connected to a common switch, an administrator may perform the port mirroring setting for the switch. Meanwhile, when the monitoring target VM and the monitoring VM are connected via a plurality of apparatuses such as switches and routers (including layer 3 switches), the administrator needs to perform relatively more complicated settings. For example, the administrator performs a setting of VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network), a setting of packet encapsulation or the like, for the switch. The VLAN is a technique for constructing a virtual LAN segment.
As a network management technique, for example, there has been proposed a communication system capable of performing a packet transmission along an intended path even in an environment in which nodes represented by a layer 2 switch (L2SW) and nodes represented by an open flow switch coexist. There has also been proposed a communication device that detects the type of a virtual network to which a connection is performed, and improves the connectivity to the virtual network.
Related techniques are disclosed in, for example, Japanese National Publication of International Patent Application No. 2013-537769 and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2017-046211.

Information processing apparatus and information processing system


According to one embodiment, a conveying apparatus includes a finger unit, a drive belt, a first belt and a transfer belt. The finger unit includes first and second rotation units, and a projecting tip. The drive belt includes one end fixed to the finger unit and moves the finger unit in a movement direction. The first belt is provided on a first surface of the drive belt and includes one end folded at the first rotation unit to be away from the first surface and fixed to a first support unit. The second belt is provided on a second surface of the drive belt opposed to the first surface and includes one end folded at the second rotation unit to be away from the second first surface and fixed to the first support unit.

When fixed-shaped objects such as a box, and flexible objects such as a food item are lifted and conveyed in an automated production line, the conveying operation is performed by gripping the objects with a gripping mechanism attached to, for example, a machine tool, a multi-jointed manipulator, or an industrial robot.
When flexible objects are gripped, the object's shape is changed by a gripping force. Thus, a technique for making a hand for pinching flexible objects of an elastic material and a technique for transferring flexible objects by rotating a looped transfer belt have been adopted.


The hip abductor hinge for a hip stabilizer includes a top, middle and bottom connector with hubs and circular apertures that engage a locking device. The bottom and middle hubs have splines on the interior portion of the hubs. The locking device has splines on the exterior portion and interlock with the splines of the bottom and middle connector. The locking device also has a threaded central bore which extends from the interior portion of the locking device through the circular aperture of the top connector. A screw extends through the circular apertures and the threaded central bore. The position of the middle connector can be adjusted by rotating the screw such that the locking device disengages with the bottom circular aperture, rotating the middle connector, and then rotating the screw such that the locking device reengages with the bottom circular aperture.

After hip surgery it is desirable to control the degree of hip abduction. Likewise, for some congenital hip defects and hip dislocations, abduction is also necessary. A benefit of some hip abductors is the capability of adjustment to accommodate varying degrees of abduction. Hip stabilizers are well known in the art and some include adjustable hip abductors. However, such prior art devices are not capable of convenient and quick adjustment with a precise degree of measurement.
Therefore, a primary objective of the present invention is to provide an improved abductor hinge for a hip stabilizer.
A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a hip abductor device which allows for a precise degree of adjustment.
A still further objective of the present invention is the provision of a hip abductor device which can be adjusted with a minimum degree of difficulty.
A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a hip abductor device which is quick and easy to place and adjust on the patient, comfortable to wear, durable in use, and economical to manufacture.
These and other objectives will become apparent from the following description of the invention.

Abductor hinge for a hip stabilizer and method of adjusting the same

Restorative Care of America Incorporated


Methods for reducing scan time in magnetic resonance imaging (“MRI”), particularly when imaging three-dimensional image volumes, using a simultaneous time-interleaved multislice (“STIMS”) acquisition are described. The unused time in each repetition time (“TR”) period is exploited to provide an additional reduction in encoding time for a three-dimensional acquisition (e.g., a 3D whole brain coverage). Groups of spatially interleaved slices are excited in a single TR, with the excitation and acquisition of the groups of slices being interleaved in time.

Volumetric magnetic resonance imaging ("MRI") involves exciting and encoding magnetic spins in a three-dimensional field-of-view ("FOV"), which typically yields a high signal-to-noise ratio ("SNR") because all of the image voxels in the 3D volume contribute to noise averaging. Two volumetric imaging sequences that are routinely used in clinical MRI are the 3D gradient-echo ("3D-GRE") and the 3D magnetization prepared rapid gradient-echo ("3D-MPRAGE") pulse sequences.
3D-GRE offers detailed tissue contrast based on an apparent transverse relaxation, T2*, mechanism, and is a workhorse pulse sequence for susceptibility-weighted imaging ("SWI"), which yields good image contrast based on the difference in precession speed of magnetic spins. Tissue phase data derived from a 3D-GRE acquisition form the basis for quantitative susceptibility mapping ("QSM"), which is an imaging technique that solves for the underlying tissue magnetic susceptibility. QSM has applications in quantifying tissue iron concentration and venous oxygen saturation. Because SWI and QSM require long echo times ("TEs") to build up phase contrast, such acquisitions with large volume coverage (e.g., whole brain coverage) are inherently long.
As such, there remains a need to reduce the total scan time to improve patient comfort and throughput, as well as to minimize sensitivity of the acquisitions to subject motion. Rapid 3D-GRE imaging would also enable data acquisition at finer spatial resolution within a clinically feasible time frame.
3D-MPRAGE is one of the most common pulse sequences used for T1-weighted imaging. This acquisition is based on a rapid 3D-GRE pulse sequence with a magnetization preparation module to provide excellent image contrast between gray matter and white matter. In addition to yielding structural information with whole brain coverage, 3D-MPRAGE has applications in neuroimaging studies because it can provide good image contrast for cortical segmentation. Within a single repetition time ("TR"), 3D-MPRAGE involves playing an inversion preparation pulse, followed by the encoding of an entire data segment (e.g., an entire kx-kz plane at a fixed ky position in 3D k-space).
While 3D-MPRAGE allows for rapid data acquisition, no encoding is performed during the inversion time ("TI") interval to allow spin relaxation for optimal tissue contrast. A conventional 3D-MPRAGE acquisition will therefore require a long acquisition time. Improving the acquisition efficiency of 3D-MPRAGE would provide improved patient compliance and robustness to subject motion, while also enabling higher spatial resolution scans that can provide finer detail and segmentation performance.
In a method referred to as interslab echo-shift, multiple contiguous slabs are excited and encoded within a single TR period for efficient 3D-GRE. In this technique, an echo signal is generated for each individual slab and these signals are stacked in an echo train to allow for the encoding of several slabs at the same time.
Because the entire field-of-view is divided into multiple, contiguous slabs that are then excited and encoded separately, slab boundary artifacts will be present when using this interslab echo-shift technique. In addition, by dividing the field-of-view into smaller, contiguous slabs reduces parallel imaging capabilities in the slice direction because the aliasing voxels become closer to each other in accelerated acquisitions.

Method for simultaneous time-interleaved multislice magnetic resonance imaging


A method for maximizing effectiveness of parallel processing, using multiple processors, to achieve an optimal cell placement layout on an integrated circuit (IC) chip is disclosed. The method requires the cells of the IC to be assigned to one of the multiple processors in a manner to balance the work load among the multiple processors. Then, the affinity of the cells to each of the multiple processors is determined. The affinity of the cells, including the conflict reduction factors and work load balancing factors, is used to reassign the cells to the processors. The cell affinity calculation and the processor reassignment are repeated until no cells are reassigned or for a fixed number of times. The assignment of the cells to the multiple processors and subsequent reassignments of the cells based on affinity of the cells to the processors reduces or eliminates the problems associated with prior parallel cell placement techniques.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the art of microelectronic integrated circuit layout, and more specifically to the art of placement of cells on integrated circuit chips.
2. Description of Related Art
Microelectronic integrated circuits (IC) consist of a large number of electronic components which are fabricated by layering several different materials on a silicon base or wafer. The design of an integrated circuit transforms a circuit description into a geometric description which is known as a layout. A layout consists of a set of planar geometric shapes in the various layers of the silicon chip.
The process of converting the specifications of an electrical circuit into a layout is called physical design. Physical design requires arranging elements, wires, and predefined cells on a fixed area. The process can be tedious, time consuming, and prone to many errors due to tight tolerance requirements and the minuteness of the individual components, or cells.
Currently, the minimum geometric feature size of a component is on the order of 0.5 microns. Feature size may be reduced to 0.1 micron within the next several years. The current small feature size allows fabrication of as many as 10 million transistors or approximately 1 million gates of logic on a 25 millimeter by 25 millimeter chip. This feature-size-decrease/transistor-increase trend is expected to continue, with even smaller feature geometries and more circuit elements on an integrated circuit. Larger chip sizes will allow far greater numbers of circuit elements.
Due to the large number of components and the exacting details required by the fabrication process, physical design is not practical without the aid of computers. As a result, most phases of physical design use extensively Computer Aided Design (CAD) tools. Automation of the physical design process has increased the level of integration, reduced turn around time and enhanced chip performance.
The object of physical chip design is to determine an optimal arrangement of devices in a plane and to find an efficient interconnection or routing scheme between the devices that results in the desired functionality. Since space on the chip surface is at a premium, algorithms must use the space very efficiently to lower costs and improve yield. The arrangement of individual cells in an integrated circuit chip is known as a cell placement.
Each microelectronic circuit device or cell includes a plurality of pins or terminals, each of which is connected to pins of other cells by a respective electrical interconnection wire network, or net. A purpose of the optimization process used in the physical design stage is to determine a cell placement such that all of the required interconnections can be made, but total wirelength and interconnection congestion are minimized.
Typical methods for achieving this goal include generating one or more initial placements and modifying the placement or placements using optimization methodologies such as simulated annealing, genetic algorithms (i.e. simulated evolution), and force directed placement. Each of these techniques involve iterative applications of the respective algorithms to arrive at an estimate of the optimal arrangement of the cells.
Depending on the input, placement algorithms are classified into two major groups, constructive placement algorithms and iterative improvement algorithms. The input to the constructive placement algorithms consists of a set of blocks along with the netlist. The algorithm provides locations for the blocks. Iterative improvement algorithms start with an initial placement. These algorithms modify the initial placement in search of a better placement. The algorithms are applied in a recursive or an iterative manner until no further improvement is possible, or the solution is considered to be satisfactory based on certain predetermined criteria.
Iterative algorithms function by generating large numbers of possible placements and comparing them in accordance with some criteria which is generally referred to as fitness. The fitness of a placement can be measured in a number of different ways, for example, overall chip size. A small size is associated with a high fitness and a large size is associated with a low fitness. Another measure of fitness is the total wire length of the integrated circuit. A high total wire length indicates low fitness and a low total wire length, on the other hand, indicates high fitness. One cell placement optimization system is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/672,725. Applicants hereby incorporate the specification, including the drawings, of said application herein as though set forth in full.
The relative desirability of various placement configurations can alternatively be expressed in terms of cost. Cost can be considered as the inverse of fitness, with high cost corresponding to low fitness and, similarly, lost cost corresponding to high fitness.
Iterative algorithms can be divided into three general classifications: simulated annealing, simulated evolution and force directed placement. The simulated annealing algorithm simulates the annealing process that is used to temper metals. Simulated evolution simulates the biological process of evolution, while the force directed placement simulates a system of bodies attached by springs.
Assuming that a number N of cells are to be optimally arranged and routed on an integrated circuit chip, the number of different ways that the cells can be arranged on the chip, or the number of permutations, is equal to N| (N factorial). In the following description, each arrangement of cells will be referred to as a placement. In a practical integrated circuit chip, the number of cells can be hundreds of thousands or millions. Thus, the number of possible placements is extremely large.
Because of the large number of possible placements, even computerized implementations of the placement algorithms discussed above can take many days. In addition, the placement algorithm may need to be repeated with different parameters or different initial arrangements to improve the results.
To reduce the time required to place optimally the cells, multiple processors have been used to speed up the process. In such implementations, multiple processors operate simultaneously in different regions of the chip to place the cells on the integrated chip. However, such prior efforts to reduce the cell placement time by parallel processing of placement methods have been impeded by crossover net conflicts, delays arising from inter-processor communication requirements, and uneven distribution of work among the multiple processors.
Referring to FIG. 1, a prior art technique of parallelizing cell placement algorithms is illustrated by the flowchart 10. The prior art methods have parallelized cell placement by first preplacing the cells on the chip 12 and dividing the chip into regions 14 each of which are assigned to a processor 16. The same cell placement algorithm is simultaneously executed by the multiple processors, each processor placing the cells located on its assigned regions of the chip 18. Each of the processors controls the cells located in its assigned regions. Then, each of the multiple processors analyze the placement of each of the cells located within its assigned regions to improve the overall placement of the cells 18. Several problems arise from the prior art technique.
The problems associated with the prior art parallelization technique can be illustrated using FIG. 2. FIG. 2 illustrates a grossly simplified IC with four nets 7, 9, 11, and 13 and four regions 8a, 8b, 8c, and 8d, each of which has been assigned to a processor.
The first problem is the crossover net problem. If the regions are divided such that crossover nets are created, then the effectiveness of the parallel processing technique is reduced. This is because none of the processors which share the crossover nets can accurately calculate the position of the (which is always the basis for the decision about the cell move) because the other processor may move its cell during the calculation. Naturally, as the number of processors increases, the number of crossover nets increases, aggravating the problem. A large number of crossover nets can be fatal for the convergence of cell placement algorithms. For example, in FIG. 2, nets 9, 11 and 13 are the crossover nets. Some cells of net 9 are processed by the processor assigned to region 8a while others are processed by the processor assigned to region 8c. Likewise, the cells of nets 11 and 13 are placed by processors assigned to regions 8a and 8b, and 8b and 8d, respectively.
Second, cell movements from one region (or processor) to another creates communications overhead which may negate the advantages of multiple processor cell placement technique. Each time a cell is moved from one region to another, the processor moving the cell from its assigned region must communicate with the processor receiving the cell to its assigned region. The communication requirement complicates the implementation of cell placement algorithms and slows down both of the communicating processors. As the number of processors, the number of cells, or the number of required cell moves increase, the communication overhead increases. In particular, the performance of the parallel processing technique is especially poor if the spring density levelization method is used as the cell placement algorithm because the algorithm tends to make global cell moves.
Third, to minimize crossover nets and communications overheads, the prior art parallelization techniques typically require a "good" preplacement of the cells on the chip. That is, in order to operate effectively, the prior art methods require the nets to be within a single region and the cells of the nets to be "close" to each other. The best way to achieve this is to increase the region size and decrease the number of processors running in parallel. However, the increase in the region size and the decrease in the number of parallel processors defeat the purpose of parallelizing the cell placement algorithm. Moreover, even with such preplacement of cells, there are generally still many crossover nets.
In order to avoid the problems associated with crossover nets, regions have to be made larger. Use of large regions has the disadvantage in that it limits the number of processors that can be used. In fact, if the entire integrated chip is defined as one region, and only one processor is assigned to place the cells of the chip, then there would be no crossover net problems or communications overhead; but, there also is no parallel processing, and the cell placement becomes a sequential process. Finally, the prior art technique of assigning regions of the IC to each of the multiple processors lead to the problem of unbalanced work load. Because each of the regions may contain varying number of nets, cells, or cells requiring further movements, it is difficult to assign regions to the processors so as to assign equal amount of work to each of the processors. Consequently, some processors finish the placement of the cells of its assigned regions more quickly than other processors, reducing the effectiveness of parallelization of the placement algorithm.
In summary, because of the ever-increasing number of cells on an integrated chips (currently at millions of cells on a chip), and the resulting increase in the number of possible placements of the cells on the chip, a computer is used to find an optimal layout of the cells on the chip. Even with the aid of computers, existing methods can take several days to place a large number of cells, and these methods may need to be repeated with different parameters or different initial arrangements. To decrease the time required to place the cells on an integrated circuit chip, multiple processors have been used to perform the placement of the cells. However, the use of multiple processors has led to crossover net conflicts, inter-processor communication problems, cell preplacement requirements, and uneven distribution of work problems, negating the advantages of using the multiple processors.

Integrated circuit cell placement parallelization with minimal number of conflicts


An illuminating device 20 includes a plurality of light sources 21 and a light guide plate 30 guiding light incident on an incident surface 30a that opposes the light sources 21 and emitting illuminating light from an emission surface 30b. The light guide plate 30 includes a plurality of prisms 32 that extend in an optical axis direction Y and are arranged next to each other in a longitudinal direction X, the prisms 32 scattering the guided light in the longitudinal direction X. At least a top portion 32a of each prism 32 includes a curved portion 32c having a curved shape in cross section. A bottom portion 32b of each prism 32, the bottom portion 32b extending upward from a surface of the light guide plate 30, has a radius of curvature greater than that of the top portion 32a.

PTL 1 discloses a known illuminating device used as, for example, a backlight of a liquid-crystal display device. The illuminating device includes a plurality of light sources and a light guide plate which guides light emitted from the light sources and emits illuminating light. The light sources include LEDs, and are arranged next to each other in one direction.
The light guide plate is a molded part made of a resin that has a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, and has an incident surface that opposes the light sources on a side surface and an emission surface from which the illuminating light is emitted on a front surface. A plurality of inclined surfaces that extend in a longitudinal direction of the incident surface and that oppose the incident surface in an inclined manner are arranged next to each other in an optical axis direction of the light sources on a rear surface of the light guide plate.
A plurality of prisms that extend in the optical axis direction of the light sources are arranged next to each other in the longitudinal direction of the incident surface on the emission surface on the front surface of the light guide plate. The prisms are arranged at a predetermined pitch in the longitudinal direction of the incident surface, and flat portions, which are flat surfaces, are provided between the prisms. The prisms have an arc-shaped cross section along a plane parallel to the longitudinal direction of the incident surface.
The light emitted from the light sources enters the light guide plate through the incident surface. The light that has entered the light guide plate is guided in the optical axis direction of the light sources by being reflected by the emission surface and the rear surface of the light guide plate. The light that has been guided by the light guide plate and reached the prisms is reflected while being scattered in the longitudinal direction of the incident surface. The light guided by the light guide plate is reflected by the inclined surfaces on the rear surface such that the incident angle of the light on the emission surface is reduced. The reflection is repeated, and light incident on the emission surface at an incident angle smaller than the critical angle is emitted. Thus, illuminating light is emitted from the emission surface while being scattered in the optical axis direction and the longitudinal direction of the incident surface.


A strap restraint for a device having adjustable straps is disclosed. In one embodiment, a strap restraint for an adjustable device is provided. The device has a strap with an end that doubles back through a length-adjustment mechanism and over the strap. The strap restraint includes an elastic band attached to the end, where the band encircles the strap, and a pair of flexible inelastic fastening elements attached to the end. The strap restraining permits the user to select the force with which the strap restraint holds the end against the strap.

Resistance exercise devices allow a user to exercise by providing a resistance to the movement of a user's arms, legs, or torso. Thus, for example, such devices allow a user to exercise by working one muscle against another, or by working against the weight of the user, by providing a resistance to the movement of a user's arms, legs, or torso. Resistance exercise devices typically include either elastic bands or inelastic straps.
In some devices, straps of variable length are provided so that the user may adjust the size of the device. It can sometimes be difficult to adjust the length of the straps. In addition, the adjustment sometimes results in excess length that can be distracting or a danger to the user.
There is need to provide straps that are more easily adjusted. There is also a need to provide straps that are configured for any excess length to be easily and safely stowed.


Provided is a method of managing a database (DB) using a high availability database management system (DBMS), which continuously provides a service when an error occurs in the DBMS. The DB management method in the high availability DBMS including a plurality of broker nodes and a plurality of server nodes may include an operation (a) to enable one of the plurality of broker nodes to access a main server node of the plurality of server nodes when a DB change request is received from an application server, and an operation (b) to enable the main server node to process the DB change request when the broker node succeeds in accessing the main server node, and to enable the broker node to access one of sub-server nodes so that the sub-server node processes the DB change request when the broker node fails to access the main server node due to an error in the main server node.

1. Field of the Invention
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to a database management system (DBMS), and more particularly, to a high availability DBMS.
2. Discussion of the Background
A database management system (DBMS) refers to a system that manages a database (DB) storing a huge amount of data. The DBMS is regarded as an item of importance in the modern world where a great amount of information is being produced on a continuous basis, and the DBMS has been diversely utilized, in varied fields, to provide an online service.
A DBMS operator may make a mistake, or an error may occur in system hardware while the DBMS is being operated. In this instance, the error may cause a tremendous amount of damage. In particular, for a portal service that provides services for 24 hours, an error in the DBMS may be a fatal error.
Therefore, the most important point of focus for the operation of the DBMS is taking precaution against an error occurring in the DBMS, that is, to provide a continuous service that uses the DBMS although an error occurs in the DBMS, and to prevent loss of data while the DBMS is restored.
A scheme of backing up an operational DB in an additional storage device, periodically, has been proposed as a precaution being taken against errors in the DBMS. In this example, the operational DB may be restored based on the backed up DB and may restart providing service even though an error occurs in the DBMS. However, although the operational DB is restored based on the backed up DB, there may be loss of data. The DB is backed up based on predetermined time intervals and thus, data generated after the backup may be lost. Also, when the backup interval is shortened to decrease data loss, a load is added to a system.
In addition, a scheme of generating a standby DBMS through asynchronous replication of an original DB has been suggested. The asynchronous replication replicates contents of the original DB continuously such that a service may be provided based on the standby DBMS when an error occurs in the original DB. However, the replicated DB based on the asynchronous replication and the original DB may not exactly the same and thus, data loss may occur when an error occurs in the original DBMS.
For example, it is assumed that there is a process of storing, in the original DB, data of which a range of a primary key is from "1" to "100", sequentially, and an error occurs at a point in time when primary keys "1" to "99" are stored. In this example, the service may be provided based on the replicated DB. However, for data having a primary key "100" which is included in the original DB and is absent in the replicated DB, new data having a primary key "100" may be added. The added data is different from the data having the primary key "100" in the original DB and thus, different data having the identical primary key may exist in the original DB and the replicated DB, respectively. Accordingly, data loss occurs.
In addition to the above described weaknesses, the DB backup and replication method provided in the foregoing may have a drawback in that manually determining whether to use an operational DB restored based on backup data or a replicated DB, when an error occurs in the DBMS and thus, a service may be substantially stopped.
Also, in the DB backup and replication method, an application program that accesses the DBMS may need to change an access mechanism for a DB.

High availability database management system and database management method using same


A network messaging protocol enabling messages from multiple network devices to share a single display device is disclosed. The protocol enables a display device to prioritize among incoming messages from different network devices and to prioritize among incoming multiple messages from a single device. The protocol further enables multiple networked devices communicating over an IP based network to share a display device, and also provides the ability for a network device to specify the display characteristics of its message. A display device executing the messaging protocol processes and displays multiple messages from multiple network devices without the need to overwrite important messages or display messages in unreadable sizes.

Electronic devices connected to a network often display data to a user. Customarily, this is done by sending the information to a display device where the data is displayed. This approach works well when the display device is dedicated to a single application/device. Problems arise, however, when multiple devices are forced to share a single display surface.
Currently, there are two main approaches to allowing multiple network devices to share a single display device. In the first approach, multiple network devices share a single display device by partitioning the display surface into separate discrete areas. Each discrete area becomes dedicated to a single device. The result of such an approach is that each device has less available display surface dedicated to the device. For example, in a car, the display surface might be divided to show a gas indicator, a mile per hour indicator, a tachometer, a headlight indicator, and a warning gauge. Splitting the display surface in such a manner reduces the size of the information that is displayed for any device, and a driver viewing the display surface is required to focus harder in order to see any particular item. Another approach is to allow information from a device to overwrite the previous information that is displayed for another device. Thus, for example, information from the cd player indicating a new song is starting overwrites the mile per hour indicator that is already displayed on the display surface. Moreover, a subsequent warning message about the windshield washer fluid being low overwrites the message from the CD player. There is no guarantee that the most important message will be displayed long enough for the user to actually see the message.
Neither of the current approaches described above provides an optimal solution to the problem of multiple networked devices sharing a single display device. Either the messages are inconsistently displayed, or the displayed messages quickly get too small to easily read.

System and method for a priority messaging protocol for a shared display device


An information processing device includes a characteristics information storing unit for storing analysis characteristics information representing performance of each analysis method, and media characteristics information representing performance of each method of input of media data. The device includes a QoS calculating unit for calculating response performance and analysis accuracy when executing an analysis process in the media analysis system by preset media data input method and analysis method, based on the stored analysis characteristics information and media characteristics information. The device includes a QoS controlling unit for, in a case that at least one of the calculated response performance and analysis accuracy does not satisfy a preset target value, changing at least one of the preset media data input method and analysis method, based on the stored analysis characteristics information and media characteristics information.

For a system which receives a plurality of inputs like media and binary files, such as a media analysis system including an analysis engine for analyzing media, there is a technique of controlling the QoS (Quality of Service) of the system. Examples of the technique of controlling the QoS of the system are disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2.
A technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 is setting priorities in accordance with a plurality of requests based on workloads and selecting queues in accordance with the values of waiting times of the requests, thereby efficiently using resources and keeping the QoS constant. A technique disclosed in Patent Document 2 is determining a QoS parameter of a network based on a load status of the network and controlling a transfer data amount of the network, thereby keeping the QoS constant.

Information processing device having a function to control QoS of media analysis system


A method including providing an initial test sample including a primary material and a relatively smaller amount of at least one adventitious material; combining the initial test sample with a standard addition of at least one adventitious material to form a final test sample, wherein the standard addition has a known amount of genetically modified adventitious material; and analyzing the final test sample to determine the % GMO of the primary material and the % GMO of the adventitious material.

Many countries around the world, including the United States, the European Union, Japan, and Korea, regulate the percentage by weight amount of genetically modified material (% GMO) that may be present in imported agricultural goods. In a shipment of imported agricultural goods such as, for example, corn, soybeans wheat, canola and the like, the European Union currently allows a maximum of 0.9% by weight of GMO, while Japan currently allows no more than 5%, and Korea currently imposes a limit of 3%.
When an agricultural material is harvested from a farmer's field and loaded onto a truck for shipment to a supplier, a rapid protein test is often performed on a sample of the material to determine the approximate % GMO therein. Assuming that the rapid protein test determines the % GMO of the sample is less than the required tolerance, the agricultural material is then shipped and stored temporarily in a silo before being offloaded onto a barge or other conveyance for shipment to a final destination (e.g., an ocean port).
A sample of the agricultural material is often submitted to a testing laboratory, which performs on the sample a PCR or other suitable DNA test, since this type of testing is often the official regulatory test recognized by the country designated to receive the shipment. The PCR test purports to accurately determine the % GMO present in the sample. The most common PCR test, generally known as the 35S test, evaluates the agricultural material to detect the presence of common genetic elements found in most events and allows for screening of the material.
In the PCR test, the sample is ground and genetic material is extracted. Screening tests are performed on the extracted genetic material to detect the presence of specific genetic elements, such as the 35S promoter or other specific genetic elements. Each type of agricultural material such as, for example, corn, soybeans, canola, and wheat, have specific promoters detected by the PCR screening process. For example, in a corn sample the standard 35S test screens for up to 7 specific corn promoters, and the amount of each promoter detected is summed to determine the number of transgenes in the sample. The number of transgenes is then divided by the number of control (non-genetically modified) genes in the sample to determine the percentage by weight of genetically modified material (% GMO).

Method, apparatus and system for quantifying the content of genetically modified material in a sample


A quick release for a vacuum cleaner having a nozzle and a wand for providing suction to the nozzle comprises a tubular connector to be received by the nozzle. A resilient latch on the wand is received in an opening in the tubular connector to secure releasably the wand to the tubular connector. A biased sleeve is movable axially along the tubular connector. The sleeve has a cam surface to urge the latch inwardly to an extent to clear the opening against the bias when the sleeve is moved axially to permit the withdrawal of the wand from the tubular connector.

Vacuum cleaners are well known in the art. One type of vacuum cleaner is of the canister-type and includes a canister connected to a tubular wand by way of a flexible hose. At the end of the wand is a nozzle in the form of a wheeled powerhead which includes a rotating brush driven by an electric motor. An electrical power cord extends from the powerhead and runs along the wand. The end of the power cord is connected to electrical wires embedded in the flexible hose. The wires in the flexible hose run to the canister to allow for the supply of power to the powerhead.
The releasable connection between the wand and the powerhead is usually in the form of a spring biased latch on the wand which is received by an opening formed in a tubular connector on the powerhead. In order to release the connection, the latch must be pushed into the wand through the opening so that the wand can be pulled from the powerhead. In the past to release this type of connection, it was necessary to push manually the latch through the opening in the wand while at the same time pulling on the wand. As should be appreciated this task required dexterity and was inconvenient.
To facilitate the removal of a wand from a powerhead, alternative connections between the wand and powerhead were developed. One such design requires the wand to be rotated within the tubular connector on the powerhead to push the latch through the opening and into the wand to allow the wand to be removed from the powerhead. Although this design facilitates removal of the wand from the powerhead, difficulties are encountered due to the fact that the power cord, which runs from the powerhead to the flexible hose along the outside of the wand, becomes twisted as the wand is rotated. This requires the power cord to be disconnected from either the flexible hose or the powerhead before the wand is removed from the powerhead. Alternatively slack can be maintained in the power cord but this slack often gets in the way when using the vacuum cleaner. Also, a two-step process is required to release the wand from the powerhead in that the wand must firstly be rotated before it can be pulled axially away from the powerhead.
To deal with these problems, alternative couplings for vacuum cleaners have been developed. For example, Canadian Patent No. 1,288,205 to Whirlpool Corporation discloses a quick release wand for a canister vacuum cleaner. The quick release includes a foot operated lever to contact the latch and push it through the opening and into the wand to allow the wand to be removed from the powerhead.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,880,258 to Tillman et al. discloses a quick release for the telescoping parts of a vacuum cleaner wand. A force transfer structure is positioned on one of the parts adjacent a hole which accommodates a resilient post on another of the parts. The force transfer structure has a large planar inner surface for contacting the post to urge it through the hole when a user pushes on the force transfer structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,758,023 to Vermillan discloses a removable coupling for tubing such as a vacuum cleaner hose. The coupling includes a male connector which is received by a female connector. The male connector has a pair of resilient diametrically opposed projections on it. The female connector has guide channels formed in it to accommodate the projections. A pair of apertures are located at inner ends of the guide channels. When the connectors are to be engaged, the male connector is inserted into the female connector with the projections received in the channels. The male connector is then pushed into the female connector until the projections come to the end of the channels. The male connector is then rotated so that the projections snap into the apertures. The sides of the channels adjacent the apertures are configured to define cam surfaces so that when the male connector is rotated back, the projections can reenter the channels.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,351,359 to Fararris discloses an adjustable length vacuum cleaner having a wand defined by an inner wand section and an outer wand section. The inner wand section has a row of hemispherical depressions in it which receive a ball carried by the outer wand section. The inner surface of the outer wand section urges the ball into one of the depressions to inhibit relative axial movement of the wand sections. The outer wand section can be rotated to bring a space into alignment over the ball allowing the ball to be removed from the hemispherical depression. The length of the wand can then be adjusted by sliding the inner wand section axially with respect to the outer wand section.
Although these prior art patents disclose alternative connections for vacuum cleaner wands, better designs are desired to facilitate the connection and release of the wand from the vacuum cleaner powerhead. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novel quick release for a vacuum cleaner and a vacuum cleaner incorporating the same.

Quick release for a vacuum cleaner powerhead


An electronic device includes a spreading layer and a first contact layer formed over and contacting the spreading layer. The first contact layer is formed from a thermally conductive crystalline material having a thermal conductivity greater than or equal to that of an active layer material. An active layer includes one or more III-nitride layers. A second contact layer is formed over the active layer, wherein the active layer is disposed vertically between the first and second contact layers to form a vertical thin film stack.

Technical Field
The present invention relates to semiconductor processing, and more particularly to fabrication processes and device structures using wafer transfer to form III-nitride electronic devices.
Description of the Related Art
Group III nitride materials are a unique group of semiconductor materials, which can be used in a wide variety of applications including, for example, optoelectronics, photovoltaics and lighting. Group III nitride materials are composed of nitrogen and at least one element from Group III, i.e., aluminum (Al), gallium (Ga) and indium (In). Illustrative examples of some common gallium nitrides are GaN, GaAlN, and GaAlInN. By changing the composition of Al, Ga and/or In within a Group III nitride material, the Group III nitride material can be tuned along the electromagnetic spectrum; mainly from 210 nm to 1770 nm. This spectrum includes a visible light emitting diode (LED), which is more than a 10 billion dollar industry with a forecasted double digit yearly growth rate. This continuous growth in LED demand enables the infrastructural build-up for the growth and fabrication of Group III nitride based semiconductor devices.
Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are energy efficient replacements to conventional light bulbs. LEDs are typically formed on a substrate and packaged in chips. The cost of conventional substrates (e.g., sapphire) is high, which increases the price of an LED chip. Such substrates are not reusable. LEDs include a front side contact and a back side contact formed on a same side of a substrate. Nonconductive substrates prevent back contact allocation, which leads to both contacts being formed on one side of the LED. This side-to-side contact allocation leads to current crowding effects degrading the carrier injection.
In addition, thermal conductivity of conventional sapphire substrates is about 42 W/m-k. Sapphire substrates provide marginal thermal management and produce higher junction temperatures. This leads to degradation of device characteristics and lifetime.
For other substrates, e.g., InGaN with an index of refraction (nGaN) of 2.5, and critical angle (θC) of about 23°, the light extraction efficiency is expected to be only 4%, assuming that one light escape cone is present in the LED structure. This leads to reduced external quantum efficiencies as generated light cannot couple out efficiently.

Thin film wafer transfer and structure for electronic devices

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


A process for removing technetium from iron and other metals comprises the steps of converting the molten, alloyed technetium to a sulfide dissolved in manganese sulfide, and removing the sulfide from the molten metal as a slag.

Technetium is a radioactive product of the nuclear fission process. During reprocessing of spent or partially spent fuel from nuclear reactors, the technetium can be released and contaminate other, otherwise good, metals. A specific example is equipment in gaseous diffusion uranium enrichment cascades which have been used to process fuel which was returned from reactors, so-called reactor returns. These returns contained volatile technetium compounds which contaminated the metals in the equipment. Present regulations require that technetium be removed before the metal can be re-used at non-radioactive sites.
Removal of sulfur from steel by the addition of small quantities of manganese is well known. Sulfur tends to concentrate at the grain boundaries, and is an embrittling agent. Thus, the removal of sulfur during the steelmaking process is important to the usefulness of steel. The sulfur removal process uses an alloying element to remove an undesirable element. Sulfur is removed to extremely low levels, while a small excess of the alloying element remains in the steel without damage to its properties.
In addition to the market value of the decontaminated and reprocessed metals, savings can be realized by not having to bury contaminated metals in land fills or store them by some other means. For example, the cost of burying household garbage currently is approximately $85 per ton. Even if the nearby landfills would accept radioactively contaminated metals, the cost would be unacceptable.
Removing the technetium from contaminated metals has two desirable results: First, the large amount of nonradioactive metal produced by the process herein described can be recycled at a much lower cost than virgin metal can be produced. Second, large amounts of radioactively contaminated metal can be reduced to relatively small amounts of radioactive slag and large amounts of essentially uncontaminated metal.

Process for removing technetium from iron and other metals

The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy