Systems, methods and apparatus relate to handling and processing glass, such as glass for use in liquid crystal displays, involving a measurement device, such as a distortion gauge, residing in an environmentally controlled measurement room, and a cassette loading device for storage and conveyance of glass between the measurement device and other components of a glass handling and processing system residing with the cassette loading device in a preparation room. A mail-slot opening may be present in a wall separating the measurement room from the preparation room. A gauge conveyor may convey glass between the cassette loading device and the measurement device. A distortion gauge may measure a reference value of the product glass with respect to reference marks on a glass reference plate of the distortion gauge. Other examples of a measurement device include a warp gauge, a stress gauge, a thickness gauge, and a compaction gauge.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to systems, methods and apparatus relating to handling and processing of glass, such as for use in a liquid crystal display (LCD), and in particular to a LCD glass handling and processing system.
2. Description of Related Art
Producing flat product glass for LCD displays involves many challenges. A key requirement in this process is the ability to measure characteristics of the product glass, such as product distortion due to internal stresses in large product glass plates. Some large product glass plates range in size up to 3.2 meters square. Optical methods and gauging techniques have developed over the past several years to enable distortion measurement via optical means. Distortion measurement may be done by comparing scribed reference marks on the product glass with scribed reference marks on a precision scribed glass reference plate, before and after a glass shearing process. A measured difference between such scribe marks is relatable to a level of stress in the product glass. Manufacturers also might desire to measure glass warp, glass compaction, glass thickness, etc., for which relevant measurement devices are used, such as warp gauges, compaction gauges, thickness gauges, etc.
One such measurement apparatus is a distortion gauge, a goal of which is to measure increasingly larger display glass sizes. The prior maximum size of the display glass was 3.2 meters for the distortion gauge and related equipment. Among its various parts, a distortion gauge includes a granite base, a precision scribed glass reference plate on top of the granite base, and optical measurement equipment. In the past, a glass reference comprised of a single sheet of glass was used because of small glass product sizes that were being measured. To accommodate the desire for larger product glass sizes, larger single sheet glass reference plates are desired. However, reference glass and product glass of such larger sizes are difficult to process and handle due to their size, fragility, and sensitivity. Even minor damage to a portion of the reference plate glass may require replacement of the entire single sheet. Nevertheless, it would be desirable to have a suitable glass handling and processing systems and methods able to handle larger glass product sizes.
It would therefore be desirable to further improve the handling and processing technology applicable to the manufacture of larger product glass sheets, while minimizing the challenges and risks associated with such large product glass and glass reference plate sizes.


The present invention provides for a miniature 1XN electromechanical optical switch which has an array of the end sections of output optical fibers, an end section of an input optical fiber and an actuator to effect a relative movement of the input optical fiber end section with respect to the output optical fiber end sections to form an optical path between the input optical fiber and a selected output optical fiber. An alignment controller controls the relative movement by the actuator through an electric current. The alignment controller effects a coarse alignment between the input optical fiber end section and the end section of the selected output optical fiber dependent upon the proportionality between the relative movement amount and the amount of electric current. A fine alignment between the input optical fiber end section and the end section of the selected output optical fiber is effected by the alignment controller responsive to a feedback signal dependent upon alignment of the input optical fiber end with the end section of the selected output optical fiber.

The present invention is related to the field of optical switches and, more particularly, to optical switches in which the switching function is effected by electromechanical devices.
In a 1XN optical switch, a single optical fiber forms an optical path with an optical fiber selected from N optical fibers. Thus a signal on the single optical fiber is transmitted to the selected fiber. Similarly a signal on the selected fiber is passed to the single optical fiber. A switch allows the optical connection to be changed from the selected fiber to another of the N fibers.
In electromechanical 1XN optical switches, the switching operation is effected by the movement of an end of the single optical fiber relative to the ends of the N optical fibers. To form an optical path, the end of the single optical fiber is aligned with the end of the selected fiber from the N fibers. In such systems alignment of the fiber ends is critical and much precision is required with the electromechanical drive devices, such as motors and their movements, to ensure accurate and reproducible alignment of the single fiber with each of the N optical fibers. Nonetheless, performance of such switches has remained poor with use restricted to multimode optical fibers. In present day optical networks it is often desirable to use single mode optical fibers.
A successful optical switch is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,359,683, which issued Oct. 25, 1994 and assigned to the present assignee. In this design GRIN lenses ameliorate the precise requirements of a mechanical alignment between optical fiber ends. Nonetheless, the disclosed optical switches are fairly expensive to manufacture. Stepper motors are required with GRIN lenses for each of the optical fibers in the switch and the size of the optical switch is relatively large which makes easy installation and hermetic sealing of the switch difficult.
The present invention addresses these shortcomings with a 1XN electromechanical optical switch which has not only high optical performance, but which is manufactured with relatively simple elements. The optical switch also is miniaturized for easy installation, easy hermetic sealing and resistance against shock.

Miniature 1XN electromechanical optical switch and variable attenuator


A vehicle powertrain control system causes friction torque to be delivered to wheels at a generally constant value for a range of increasing requested friction torque values such that commanded powertrain torque values are reduced to a generally constant floor value. The range of increasing requested torque values is less than a requested powertrain torque value under foot off accelerator pedal and vehicle stop conditions.

Certain automotive vehicles powered by conventional internal combustion engines creep under foot off pedal conditions. That is if the vehicle is in gear and a driver removes their foot from the accelerator pedal (and does not actuate the brake pedal), the vehicle will creep forward in response to the torque generated by the powertrain (assuming the vehicle is on level ground) because the powertrain is mechanically coupled to the wheels via the transmission. This torque may be referred to as creep torque.


A system and method for inspecting inner surfaces (22) of cylindrical parts (20) includes a line scan camera (30), a pair of light emitting diodes each directing light toward the inner surface (22), and a mirror (36) disposed in the cylindrical part (20) at a 45 degree angle relative to the inner surface (22). The camera (30) and mirror (36) remain in a fixed position while the cylindrical part (20) rotates continuously about a center axis (A) and the images are acquired. The cylindrical part (20) is then moved laterally along the center axis (A) and the images are again acquired as the cylindrical part (20) rotates about the center axis (A). An unwrapped display of the inner surface (22) is generated and used to automatically identify defects (24) on the inner surface (22).

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a system and method for inspecting inner surfaces of cylindrical parts, such as cylinder liners for internal combustion engines.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Cylindrical parts, such as heavy-duty liners for internal combustion engines, are inspected manually by humans for subtle defects, such as cracks and porosity defects, in an effort to avoid shipping defective parts to a customer. The costs associated with this manual inspection process add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. Further, a single human inspector is typically required to inspect thousands of cylindrical parts each day. The cylindrical parts are heavy, and subtle defects, such as those less than 200 microns, as well as defects located near the center of the cylindrical parts, are hardly visible to the naked eye. Thus, chances of overlooking defects due to physical or mental fatigue, or inability to see the defects, and consequently shipping a defecting part to a customer are high.
In attempt to reduce human error, automated surface inspection techniques have been developed. An example of an automated technique is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0132990. Machine vision techniques have also been employed for inspection of cylindrical parts, including inspection of both the inner and external surface of the cylindrical part. However, the techniques used to inspect the inner surface either require the camera to be disposed inside the cylindrical part or require a conical mirror. The first technique requires on-axis lighting and the camera and lens are subject to size restraints. Thus, images acquired typically have low resolution and distortion. In addition, the position of the camera and light source must be adjusted numerous times to acquire images of the entire inner surface, which is burdensome and time consuming. The second technique requires an appropriately sized conical mirror for every cylindrical part inspected. Further, the conical mirror typically causes distortion in the image due to compressed pixels.

Technique for cylindrical part inner surface inspection


An electronic percussion instrument stand system includes a hollow pipe structure having a groove and ridge system that allows for wires to be routed along the pipe structure. The exit side of the groove is slightly smaller in diameter than the diameter of the cable which extends through it. The hollow pipe can be constricted or be expanded at the each end of the pipe to allow for a secure hold on the instrument. The hollow pipe connects to a cover that contains reciprocal ridges and grooves that create a strong hold and ease of assembly of the electronic percussion instrument stand system.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the current invention are generally related to electronic percussion instrument stand system and particular embodiments relate to a stand system designed to reduce the number of visible wires and easier to assemble.
2. Background
Currently, various electronic percussion instrument stands are available. However, among other features, embodiments of the stand system efficiently connect with other electronic components through the use of an interlinking cable system. Embodiments of the current invention include various features which can make using the stand system with other electronic components simple and convenient.
Examples of electronic percussion instruments include cymbals, high hat cymbals, snare drums, various types of tambourines, as well as other instruments. Embodiments of the current invention are interoperable with at least the abovementioned instruments. Sensors on electronic percussion instruments sense the impact of a percussion and translate the percussion into electronic signals, which are converted into sound using other components. The above described ability provides an electronic percussion instrument, a much greater range of sounds than a traditional percussion instrument.
In order for an electronic percussion instrument to create a sound it must send electronic signals through a series of cables and junctions to a sound projection device. Each electronic instrument uses at least one cable to send its signals. Therefore, many cables may be needed. Embodiments of the current invention are able to effectively manage and reduce the number of unsightly cables. Aside from managing the unsightly bundles of cables, embodiments of the current invention reduce set up and take down times of various cables and electronic components.
Another advantage of one embodiment of the stand system can be providing more convenient and less time consuming assembly process for stand systems. In order to assemble previous generations of electronic percussion instrument stands it required painstaking effort to reconnect all of the cables properly as well as reset every component back to the artist's preference. This can take a significant amount of time and effort for those who set up the electronic percussion instrument stand system. This is especially true for percussion instruments because, depending on the stick used there can be a significant amount of force imparted onto various components and that force can easily throw those component out of alignment with each other. Moreover, an improperly assembled stand can lead to structural collapse during a performance.
Embodiments of the current invention are designed to address at least the problems mentioned above. Moreover, embodiments of the current invention can be attractive, easier to assemble, disassemble and can provide a superior electronic percussion instrument stand system.

Instrument stand system and methods for supporting an electronic musical instrument


A power control device for dynamically adjusting frequency includes an electric transformer, a controller, a loading feedback unit, and a switching transistor. The electric transformer includes a first side induction coil connected to an input power unit, a second side induction coil connected to a loading unit to generate an output power by electromagnetic induction with the first side induction coil, and an auxiliary induction coil generating a power sensing signal by electromagnetic induction with the first side induction coil. The loading feedback unit generates a loading feedback signal. The controller determines the level of loading based on the loading feedback signal and further detects the valleys of the power sensing signal so as to change the switching signal which controls the switching transistor at the optimal one of the valleys.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a power control device, and more specifically to a power control device for dynamically adjusting the frequency by using a feedback loading signal to determine the level of loading and detect the optimal valley of the power sensing signal so as to change the switching signal which controls the switching transistor based on the optimal valley.
2. The Prior Arts
For many of various electronic devices, the requirements of electric power are quite different, such as direct current (DC) or alternating current (AC) power, different voltage level, current, and electric power. As a result, the power supply manufacturers have been developing many kinds of power conversion device to meet respective needs. For instance, electric motors generally need 12V DC to drive such that the power conversion device has to convert 110V AC city power or lower level electric power provided by the battery into 12V DC power. Many ICs (integrated circuits) are generally designed for 5V, 3V or 1.8V, so city power has to be converted into suitable lower level power. For some application field of high power devices fed with higher level power, such as the inverter supplying higher AC power to turn on the lamps, the power conversion devices have to convert 12V DC power from the battery into 110V or much higher voltage AC power.
In the prior arts, the switching power converter is one of the common used power conversion devices because of the advantages like simple architecture, low cost and broader adjustable range. Especially, the scheme of zero voltage switching and/or zero current switching is used to fulfill the object of reducing the switching loss caused by the switching elements (generally the power transistors) so as to improve the efficiency of power conversion.
Specifically, the switching power converters primarily generate the PWM (pulse-width modulation) signal served as the driving signal to drive the switching transistor, which controls the current to flow through the induction coil wound around the electric transformer, such that the voltage and/or current of the output power is changed. Owing to the inductance effect resulted from the induction coil and the parasitic capacitance effect from peripheral capacitors, electronic elements or loading, the switching transistor may suffer from damping resonance or bouncing after a period of time when turned off. Additionally, to reduce the switching loss, it often needs to switch the switching transistor at some specific valley in the bouncing process. The scheme is also called "valley switching", which turns on the switching transistor at the specific valley. The operation of valley switching is usually performed at a fixed valley number. That is, the switching transistor is always turned on at the default fixed valley number.
However, one shortcoming of the valley switching with the fixed valley number in the prior arts is that the frequency of the switching signal becomes higher as the loading is lighter, and the frequency is lower as the loading is heavier. Thus, it greatly deteriorates the efficiency of power conversion without dynamically adjusting the frequency of the switching signal according to the actual level of loading.
Therefore, it is greatly needed to provide a power control device for dynamically adjusting frequency, which utilizes a specific control criterion to determine the valley number for the switching signal to change such that the frequency of the switching signal becomes lower when the loading is lighter, the switching loss is greatly reduced, and the efficiency of power conversion is improved, thereby overcoming the above problems in the prior arts.

Power control device for dynamically adjusting frequency


A confocal optical system includes a light source and a spinning polarizer disposed in the optical pathway such the light emitted from the light source passes through the spinning polarizer. A first objective lens is disposed in the optical pathway to allow passage of light that passes through the spinning polarizer. A microlens array member is disposed adjacent the first objective lens to receive light. The microlens array member includes a plate having a plurality of holes arranged in an array pattern. A second objective lens is disposed in the optical pathway to receive and allow passage of light to a sample. The optical pathway is arranged such that, after reaching the sample, the light is directed back through the second objective lens, the microlens or microlens with filter array, and the first objective lens and a fluorescent filter cube as an emission beam to reach at least one camera which provides an image of the sample.

While many improvements have been made over time in the arena of confocal microscopy, including the advancements made with the spinning disk microscope, there remains a desire to constantly improve speed of obtaining the images and increasing the quality of the images. Additional background information on the advancements may be found at http://zeiss-campus.magnet.fsu.edu/articles/spinningdisk/introduction.html.

Confocal optical system and components thereof


Methods and apparatus for mixing and applying a bead of material. For example, the bead of material can be used to seal gaps cracks and seams of a building. The apparatus includes a supply machine and an applicator. The supply machine provides each of the parts of the material to the applicator at a controlled rate. The applicator mixes the parts of the material at a nozzle. The applicator provides a bead (rather than spraying) of the mixed material through the nozzle. The bead of material may be applied in a precise manner to seal gaps, cracks and seams of an existing building and/or the bead may be provided during new construction of a building between components of the building.

Buildings, such as houses, commercial buildings, and industrial buildings, are insulated to reduce the amount of energy required o heat or cool the building. Buildings may have gaps, cracks and seams where air can enter and escape. These leaks can decrease the overall comfort of a building by allowing unwanted moisture, drafts and noise to penetrate the building, and can significantly increase the amount of energy needed to heat or cool the building. Spray foam is one type of insulation that is used to insulate buildings. The foam is applied to a nozzle at a high pressure, such that the foam is sprayed away from the nozzle. This spraying allows the foam to be applied to large surfaces and spaces. Spray foam expands to coat and seal several types of surfaces and cracks. For example, spray foam can be used to fill voids and gaps between framing members and exterior sheathing.

Method and apparatus for mixing and applying material


An intracranial prosthesis comprised of a flat body having an interior ultrasound-compatible window and means about the outer portion capable of engaging a plurality of diagnostic instruments and/or intracranial delivery systems so that a practicing medical professional can monitor certain parameters of a patient or deliver therapeutic agents to the patient while using an ultrasound-monitoring device to image the patient's brain. The prosthesis is designed to allow for the continuous, uninterrupted, simultaneous monitoring of a number of parameters of a patient's brain at the patient's bedside.

The present invention relates to an ultrasound-compatible cranial prosthesis, with modular capabilities, used as a "window" into the cranial vault.
Surgical efforts to repair cranial defects commonly occur. For example, various types of surgical procedures on the human brain require removal of a portion of the skull. By way of example only, those include surgeries that remove brain tumors, reduce brain swelling, repair cerebral aneurysms, evacuate hematomas, remove shrapnel and bullets secondary to trauma, drain abscesses and other intracranial infections, address congenital defects of the brain, as well as surgeries required to reconstruct damaged portions of the skull. The use of intra-operative imaging methods, i.e. of techniques to obtain images that provide diagnostic information, now plays an essential role in the carrying out of neurosurgical procedures, making it possible to optimally plan a procedure and enabling the anatomical and functional definition of the region of the brain in question. Furthermore, imaging methods can help the orientation of the neurosurgeon during a procedure. For example, the intra-operative use of ultrasound in neurosurgery, by placing the ultrasound probe directly on the brain surface, enables an excellent definition of cerebral anatomy and can help distinguish normal brain from pathological lesions.
The use of brain imaging continues in the immediate post-operative phase, in order to evaluate the brain anatomy and potentially the efficacy of peri-operative treatments. These treatments could include corticosteroids, mannitol, antibiotics, anticoagulants, radiation or chemotherapy. Such therapies, however, can have marked side effects and it is often difficult to determine their efficacy with current imaging techniques (e.g. Computed Tomography or Magnetic Resonance Imaging) in real time. Furthermore, some patients may not respond to a certain procedures and/or adjuvant therapies in a timely manner necessitating the need to continually monitor and identify such cases and apply different treatments. Early identification of these patients, in addition to improving their treatment, would result in a considerable economic saving and potentially superior patient outcomes.
Although ultrasound is a widely-used tool in the field of general diagnostic radiology, it is limited to very few areas in cerebral diagnostics. In fact, in the post-operative (follow-up) period, the highly hyperechogenic nature of the calvarium prevents ultrasound from penetrating into the cranial cavity, with the exception of the ocular and temporal acoustic fenestra. Repositioning or replacing the bone flap, removed following the neurosurgical procedure, in fact constitutes a barrier to ultrasound penetration and does not allow follow-up imaging of the patient using ultrasound.
The same occurs when the craniotomy site is reconstructed using a prosthesis according to prior art solutions. For instance, US-2006/224242 (University of South Florida) discloses an implant for reconstruction of craniofacial defects which uses a composite structure comprised of a surgical grade metal provided in a planar or curved sheet form that is encased within a malleable biocompatible material, such as a polyolefin, in high density polyethylene. WO 2015/032858 (Prada) discloses an ultrasound compatible, artificial cranial operculum requiring replacement of the bone flap.
Although occasionally available, the ultrasound methods used to get past the calvarium/skull and/or prosthesis still do not enable an accurate and definite evaluation of the intracranial contents including the brain parenchyma and ventricles.

Modulated ultra-sound compatible artificial cranial prosthesis


An eyeglass frame that includes a frame body having a lens support portion, and first and second earstem portions, which extend rearwardly from first and second lateral sides of the lens support portion, respectively. The frame body includes a first member and a second member. The first and second members are partially coextensive, and each of the first and second members define a portion of an outward-facing surface of the eyeglass frame.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to eyeglass frames and, more particularly, to an eyeglass frame constructed from more than one member. The present invention also relates to a method for making such an eyeglass frame.
2. Description of the Related Art
Eyeglass frames generally include a front portion, which supports a pair of optical lenses on opposing sides of a nose bridge. A pair of earstems typically extend in a rearward direction from the front portion. The earstems may be connected to the front portion through a hinge arrangement to allow movement of the earstems between a folded position and an opened positioned, relative to the front portion of the eyeglass frame. In many arrangements, each component (i.e., the front portion and earstems) of the eyeglass frame is monolithic and constructed of a single material, such as metal or plastic. In other arrangements, an internal strengthening member may be included. Such an arrangement is especially common for the earstems of plastic eyeglass frames. However, such a strengthening member is usually not visible, or not prominently visible, and does not form an external surface of the eyeglass frame.


A photolithography mask includes a design feature located in an isolated or semi-isolated region of the mask and a plurality of parallel linear assist features disposed substantially perpendicular to the design feature. The plurality of parallel linear assist features may include a first series of parallel assist features disposed on a first side of the design feature and perpendicularly thereto, and a second series of parallel assist features disposed on a second side of the design feature and perpendicularly thereto.

Photolithography is a process used in semiconductor integrated circuit device fabrication to produce device structures on semiconductor or other substrates. Distortions of device structures are becoming evident in view of the shrinking of the dimensions of the device structures as compared to the radiation wavelengths used during photolithography. One source of distortion is due to light scattered or otherwise affected by adjacent structures. Distortion in size and shape of the projected image exhibited by this phenomenon is called proximity effect.
In optical proximity correction (OPC), a resolution enhancement technique using scattering bars has been introduced to counter proximity effects and to reduce distortion. Scattering bars are sub-resolution assist features (SRAF) that are placed on a mask (e.g., reticle or photo-mask) adjacent to isolated features and/or semi-isolated features. Isolated and semi-isolated design features, such as metal lines, trenches, or gate polysilicon, are generally exposed and/or printed on the substrate at a feature size significantly different from the same design feature surround by other nearby features. This phenomenon is known as an isolated/dense proximity effect. The use of scattering bars enables these isolated and/or semi-isolated design features to form more like dense features. In this manner, the usable resolution of an imaging system may be extended without decreasing the radiation wavelength or increasing a numerical aperture of the imaging tool, although such processes can be used for additional benefit.
Conventional scattering bars are narrow lines placed adjacent to existing design features. The scattering bars are parallel with the isolated feature, often with scattering bars placed on either side of an isolated feature. These types of scattering bars are commonly called edge scattering bars. Where there are semi-isolated features, for example two parallel lines spaced apart from one another, a center scattering bar is typically placed in parallel with and between the semi-isolated features. However, when the semi-isolated features are beyond a certain distance apart, the center scattering bar becomes spaced too far from the semi-isolated features and the benefit of using scattering bars significantly diminishes.

Photolithography mask having a scattering bar structure that includes transverse linear assist features

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.


Use of nitric oxide modulators during the transformation process can enhance Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of plants.

This invention relates to plant tissue culture media designed to more efficiently obtain transgenic plant cells from Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, and more particularly to plant transformation media containing an effective amount of a nitric oxide modulator.
The ability to transfer genes from a wide range of organisms to crop plants by recombinant DNA technology has become widespread in recent years. This advance has provided enormous opportunities to improve plant resistance to pests, disease and herbicides, and to modify biosynthetic processes to change the quality of plant products. A highly efficient method for transformation of these crop plants continues to be a goal as there is a need for high capacity production of economically important plants.
Agrobacterium-mediated transformation is one method for transforming such crop plants and has more recently become more adaptable for use in monocotyledonous plants. Several Agrobacterium species mediate the transfer of a specific DNA known as "T-DNA" that can be genetically engineered to carry a desired piece of DNA into the selected plant species. The major events marking the process of T-DNA mediated pathogenesis and ultimately transformation are induction of virulence genes, processing and transfer of the T-DNA to the plant's genome.
Typically, Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation of plants involves several steps. The first step, in which the Agrobacterium and plant cells are brought into contact with each other, is generally called "inoculation." Following the inoculation step, the Agrobacterium and plant cells/tissues are usually grown together for a period of several hours to several days or more under conditions suitable for growth and T-DNA transfer. This step is termed "co-culture". Following co-culture and T-DNA delivery, the plant cells are often treated with bactericidal or bacteriostatic agents to prevent further growth of the Agrobacterium. If this is done in the absence of any selective agents to promote preferential growth of transgenic versus non-transgenic plant cells, then this is typically referred to as the "delay" step. If done in the presence of selective pressure favoring transgenic plant cells, then it is referred to as a "selection" step. When a "delay" is used, one or more "selection" steps usually follow it. Both the "delay" and "selection" steps typically include bactericidal or bacteriostatic agents to prevent further growth of any remaining Agrobacterium cells because the growth of Agrobacterium cells is undesirable after the infection (inoculation and co-culture) process.
Modulation of the plant response to Agrobacterium is an important part of Agrobacterium transformation, because Agrobacterium transformation is a variation of the disease process caused by Agrobacterium. One of the variables is getting the right amount of infection to cause efficient transformation without too much infection overwhelming the plant and doing damage.
In plants, nitric oxide (NO) has been implicated in disease resistance and various types of defense responses to environmental stresses (Leshem et al., Plant Physiology Biochemistry 35: 573-579, 1997; Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 36: 825-833, 1998; Millar and Day, Trends in Plant Science 2: 289-290, 1997; Klessig, Proceedings National Academy of Sciences USA 97: 8849-8855, 1999; Magalhaes et al., Physiology Molecular Biology Plants 5: 115-125, 1999; Pedroso et al., Plant Science 157: 173-180, 2000; Pedroso et al., Journal of Experimental Botany 51: 1027-1036, 2000; Garces et al., Annals of Botany 87: 567-574, 2001). In animals, NO is produced from L-arginine by both constitutive and inducible NO-synthases (NOS) (Garvin, In: Sitaramayya A. ed., Introduction to Cellular Signal Transduction. Boston. pp 177-212, 1999). A similar pathway may exist in plants because NO production inhibitors used with animal cells also inhibit NO production in plants (Guo et al., Science 302: 100-103, 2003). NO can also be generated in plants as a by-product of nitrate reductase, nitrogen fixation, or respiration (Klepper, Plant Physiology 93: 26-32, 1990; Norditake et al., Plant Cell and Physiology).
Because NO has been implicated in defense responses, its control or elimination may increase pathogen infection such as that of Agrobacterium during plant transformation. The present invention provides a novel method of increasing Agrobacterium-mediated transformation through the use of compounds and processes that modulate endogenous NO levels.


The subject invention provides a vacuum unit, a waste container, and a transport mechanism. The vacuum unit applies a vacuum to clean an area to collect debris and the waste container collects waste by a user separate from debris collected by the vacuum unit. The transport mechanism supports the vacuum unit and the waste container thereof for moving the vacuum unit and the waste container across the area while applying the vacuum to collect the debris and while allowing independent filling of the waste container with waste.

1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates to a portable cleaning assembly and specifically to a portable vacuum unit and waste container.
2. Description of the Related Art
The related art assemblies disclose a vacuum unit for applying a vacuum to clean an area such that the assembly is hidden and therefore not visible. One such assembly, shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,013, includes a vacuum housed in a decorative storage and is designed to receive a plant to conceal the vacuum from view. The assembly is primarily for use in barbershops and hair salons. The vacuum has an inlet such that the vacuum does not have to be removed from the storage to be utilized. However, the vacuum is not portable and does not allow for collection of solid debris that cannot be vacuumed. Another assembly disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,328,826 includes a vacuum unit housed in a hassock. The hassock conceals the vacuum from view, but does not include a container for receiving solid waste.
The related art assemblies also disclose a waste container attached to the vacuum unit for receiving waste. U.S. Pat. No. 6,058,560 discloses an assembly having a vacuum attached to a waste container. The vacuum has an inlet for attachment to a hose, which is preferably 20 feet length, to allow the vacuum to be utilized in an area without having to move the assembly. Further, the '560 patent suggests having multiple units disposed throughout the area so that the assemblies remain in the current location, without having to be moved. U.S. Pat. No. 6,199,714 discloses an assembly having a waste container housing a vacuum unit. The vacuum unit has an inlet in the bottom of waste container for cleaning up swept debris and for cleaning off dustpans. However, the waste container must be picked up and carried from one area to the next.
The related art assemblies are characterized by one or more inadequacies. Specifically, the assemblies do not provide a mechanism for making the waste container and vacuum unit portable to allow for efficient cleaning of large areas. The assemblies require additional passes through the area to perform specific cleaning functions, such as one pass for waste removal and another for vacuuming debris. These assemblies also require the user to carry the waste to the assembly or carry the assembly, which becomes increasingly heavy and burdensome.


A cellulose derivative having a long-chain organic group having 5 or more carbon atoms and a short-chain organic group having 4 or less carbon atoms which are introduced by use of hydroxy groups of a cellulose, and including a crystal structure derived from a cellulose derivative portion to which the short-chain organic group is linked, wherein an average number of hydroxy groups per glucose unit is of 1.0 or less.

Bioplastic using a plant as a raw material can contribute to a countermeasure against petroleum depletion and global warming and has been started being used not only in common products such as packaging, containers and fibers but also in durable products such as electronics and automobiles.
However, general bioplastics, such as polylactic acid, polyhydroxyalkanoate and modified starch, all use starch materials, more precisely, edible parts, as raw materials. Accordingly, for fear of future food shortage, it has been desired to develop a novel bioplastic using a non-edible part as a raw material.
As a raw material of a non-edible part, cellulose which is a main component of wood and plant is representative, and various types of bioplastics using the cellulose have been already developed and commercialized.
However, since a step of chemically modifying cellulose to obtain a resin suitable for molding is complicated and laborious and much energy is required for production, manufacturing cost of a cellulose resin is high. In addition, since durability (strength, heat resistance, water resistance, etc.) of a produced resin is not sufficient, use of the resin is limited.
Cellulose is produced as pulp by chemically separating lignin and hemicellulose from wood, etc., with the help of a chemical agent. In contrast, cotton can be used as it is since it is virtually formed of cellulose. Such a cellulose, which is a high molecular weight compound formed by polymerization of β-glucose, has a large number of hydroxy groups and thus has strong intermolecular force due to hydrogen bonds. Because of this, cellulose is hard and fragile, and has no thermoplasticity and a low solubility in a solvent except a special solvent. In addition, due to a large number of hydrophilic hydroxy groups, water absorbability is high and water resistance is low.
For improving such properties of a cellulose, various investigations have been made.
As a method for improving the properties of a cellulose, a method of substituting a hydrogen atom of a hydroxy group in a cellulose with a short-chain acyl group such as an acetyl group is known. According to this method, since the number of hydroxy groups can be reduced, the intermolecular force of a cellulose can be reduced. A further investigation has been made for producing a cellulose derivative having satisfactory thermoplasticity and water resistance by introducing a long-chain organic group having a larger number of carbon atoms in addition to a short-chain acyl group such as an acetyl group.
For example, Patent Literature 1 describes a cellulose derivative produced by substituting at least a part of hydrogen atoms of hydroxy groups of a cellulose with a short-chain acyl group (for example, an aliphatic acyl group having 2 to 4 carbon atoms) and a long-chain acyl group (for example, an aliphatic acyl group having 5 to 20 carbon atoms), and that the cellulose derivative has a low water absorption rate, satisfactory thermoplasticity, strength and fracture elongation and is suitable for molding process.
Patent Literature 2 describes a process for producing a cellulose derivative comprising the steps of introducing a long-chain organic group having 5 or more carbon atoms and a short-chain organic group having 4 or less carbon atoms into the cellulose using a reaction in a solid-liquid heterogeneous system and performing solid-liquid separation.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Cellulose derivative and resin composition for molding


An illuminating unit with a compact design capable of improving collimating characteristics of beams emitted from a plurality of light sources positioned at different locations, and a projection-type image display apparatus employing the illuminating unit. The illuminating unit includes a base, a plurality of light sources to emit beams of different wavelength bands, and at least one color filter with a predetermined curvature to reflect one or more beams of predetermined wavelengths from among the beams emitted by the plurality of light sources such that the reflected one or more beams propagate in a first direction and to pass one or more remaining beams of other wavelength bands. The projection-type image display apparatus includes the illuminating unit, an optical integrator, an image-forming system, a beam splitter, and a projection lens.

1. Field of the Invention
The present general inventive concept relates to an illuminating unit to produce and emit a beam and a projection-type image display apparatus employing the same, and more particularly, to an illuminating unit with a compact design which is capable of improving collimating characteristics of beams emitted by a plurality of light sources at different locations within the illuminating unit, and a projection-type image display apparatus employing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, an illuminating unit including a non-point light source, such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and a reflector with a single curvature is used in an illuminating system for emitting uniform white light and collects a beam emitted by the non-point light source and directs the collected beam in one direction. The illuminating unit typically needs to project a collimated beam by focusing the beam emitted by the non-point light source. However, it is difficult to make the collimated beam using the illuminating unit.
Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional illuminating unit includes an LED package 1 that emits white light, a reflector 3 that reflects a beam emitted by the LED package 1, an entrance aperture 5, and an exit aperture 7. The LED package 1 is constructed to align red, green, and blue LED chips on one plane 3a of the reflector 3 to produce white light by combining beams emitted from the respective LED chips. The plane 3a is parallel to the entrance aperture 5 and the exit aperture 7.
Since the reflector 3 has a polygonal (approximately paraboloidal) cross-section, the beams reflected by the reflector 3 are allowed to exit the reflector 3 through the exit aperture 7 while maintaining good collimating characteristics and color uniformity.
The conventional illuminating unit including the reflector 3 having the polygonal cross-section is advantageous, since the polygonal cross section has improved collimating properties over other illuminating units including mirrors having a parabolic, spherical, or elliptical cross-section.
However, since the conventional illuminating unit having a polygonal reflector has a limitation on reducing its size, a beam spot produced by the conventional illuminating unit has a diameter that is not suitable for use in a projection-type image display apparatus. Thus, the conventional illuminating unit requires a separate focusing system when it is used in a projection-type image display apparatus. Another drawback exists in that it is difficult to realize a compact illuminating unit, since there is a limitation in reducing the size of a reflector.

Illuminating unit and projection-type image display apparatus employing the same


A method for the fractional distillation of a mixture of at least two compounds with different boiling points, a rising flow of vapor is brought into intimate contact with a descending flow of liquid obtained within a column (1) by the partial condensation of the flow of vapor itself by heat exchange with a cooled surface which extends through a filling (37).

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for the fractional distillation of a mixture including at least two compounds with different boiling points including the steps of:
providing a column including a filling, PA1 determining a rising flow of vapor and a descending flow of liquid of the said mixture in the column. PA1 a tubular body having a top end and a bottom end at opposite ends and including a filling; PA1 a boiler in fluid communication with the bottom end, the column being characterized in that it includes a condenser extending throughout the entire length of the filling.
As is known, the term distillation indicates a chemical engineering operation in which a mixture including two or more substances with different boiling points is fractionated into individual components.
This fractionation occurs by the bringing into contact, in apparatus known as a distillation column, of a vapor phase at its dew point and a liquid at the temperature at which is starts to vapor: during this contact there is a simultaneous exchange of material and heat whereby the more volatile component transfers from the liquid phase to the vapor phase by evaporation while the less volatile component transfers from the vapour phase to the liquid phase by condensation.
In distillation operations the basic requirement to be satisfied is that of achieving the highest possible efficiency in the fractionation.
For this purpose the attempt is made, in distillation columns, to achieve the most intimate mixing possible between the liquid phase and the vapor phase, whether discontinuously in plate columns or continuously in filled columns.
In order further to increase the efficiency of fractionation and to obtain pure compounds, it is common practice to introduce the vapor phase and the liquid phase into a reflux column.
The vapor reflux is obtained by the re-evaporation of part of the liquid phase leaving the column while the liquid reflux is obtained by the condensation of all the vapor phase leaving the column and the reintroduction of a proportion of this condensate into the column itself.
It is exactly the control of the reflux quantities and the temperature of the liquid reflux phase that enables the operation of the column to be regulated to give the maximum efficiency of fractionation and very pure products.
In distillation columns universally used, the control of the working conditions in each section of the column is effected by changing the value of the reflux quantities and the temperature of the liquid reflux phase, these being the "local" working conditions dependent on the liquid-vapor equilibrium conditions in the column as a whole.
The distillation columns used in known fractionation methods thus have the disadvantage of not being very flexible and being delicate and difficult to regulate.
In filled columns in particular, each significant variation in the quality and composition of the mixture to be fractionated causes repercussions on the liquid-vapor equilibrium conditions existing in the column with the result that the products obtained may not be of the desired degree of purity.
On the other hand the use of plate columns, which are less sensitive to variations in the composition of the supply, involve a consideration increase in the dimensions of the column in order to give the same separation yield, as well as an increase in the hold-up of the liquid in the column with a related increase in the time necessary to bring the column itself to its running conditions.
The technical problem at the root of the present invention is thus to devise a method and apparatus for fractionating a mixture including at least two components with different boiling points by distillation which are simple to control and such as to ensure high efficiency in the separation of the constituents of the mixture.

Method for the fractional distillation of liquid mixtures and apparatus for carrying out the method

T.I.I. Tecnologie Industriali Innovative S.n.c. di Rosa Corigliano e.C.


A reflector hood for a luminaire having a lamp in an upper portion thereof and first and second air flow ducts formed in first and second opposite sides of said reflector hood for ventilation. First and second secondary reflecting panels are respectively disposed within the hood over and spaced a predetermined distance from each first and second air flow duct such that light emitted by the lamp is reflected from said reflecting panels instead of passing through the first and second air flow ducts.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to indoor lighting fixtures and more specifically to a reflector design for luminaires used in indoor horticulture.
2. Background of the Invention and Description of the Prior Art
Indoor horticulture requires exposure of plants to a light source that matches the characteristics of sunlight in both spectral and intensity aspects. These aspects should preferably be provided by sources that are as efficient as possible to conserve energy and avoid harm to the plants. Moreover, the choice of light source and design features of the reflector portions of the luminaire must be balanced against the outputs of available sources that emit wavelengths and intensities that may depart from the preferred radiation of the sun.
Prior art luminaires for use in indoor horticulture are typically made of aluminum or steel, painted to provide a reflective surface, employ high intensity, broad-spectrum lamps, and provide for forced cooling by ducting air through the luminaire from one end to the other. Steel is heavier than aluminum, and painted surfaces that require an extra step in manufacture provide only moderate reflectivity for use in light fixtures such as the luminaires used in indoor horticulture. Further, while the inlet/outlet ducts of this arrangement can indeed remove heat emitted by the lamp, the area of the duct openings, which pass through a substantial portion of the reflecting surface, is lost thereby reducing the effective reflecting area of the reflector portion of the luminaire. Moreover, there is typically no provision for controlling the air flow path through the luminaire to gain maximum efficiency of ventilation to reduce the amount of heat radiated into the plants.
Other attributes of conventional designs is the need to remove the glass lens to access the lamp assembly to replace the lamp, an inconvenient operation at best. Additionally, in the typical luminaire, the glass lens, though tempered for safety, is typically soda lime glass that is inexpensive but has less than optimum transparency.
The foregoing characteristics of conventional luminaires used for indoor horticulture result in reduced efficiencies in operation. What is needed is a luminaire design that overcomes these deficiencies.


Picture quality measurement systems and methods are provided for measuring DC blockiness within video blocks. Block boundaries are located within a test video frame. The relative AC differences within each block are measured using a reference video frame, a statistically estimated reference or a default value of the white video level divided by two. An objective DC blockiness map, a subjective DC blockiness map or both may be generated.

Embodiments of the present invention relate to video test and measurement equipment, and more particularly to picture quality measurements for video.
Video compression methods, such as MPEG-2 and H.264 process video a small portion of the picture at a time. These small portions of the picture are often identical sized rectangles called blocks. These blocks are pieced together in a block grid. In the case of lossy, block-based compression methods, blocking impairments manifest themselves within an individual processed block. These blocking impairments correspond to errors caused by loss in the compression method. The highest loss results in total loss of detail, the AC portion of the video signal, within the block. This leaves only a constant, or DC value, for each picture element within the block. Lowest loss corresponds to 100% of the AC portion, which corresponds to the detail, of the video remaining unchanged for each of the channels of video, such as RGB, YUV for example.
While H.264 and other video codecs have optional deblocking filters designed to smooth abrupt edges, which may result from different block DC values, at block boundaries, the blurring due to loss of AC within in a block is still a problem.
The video industry needs a repeatable, verifiable method for both objective measurement and prediction of the subjective rating of the video quality due to this loss. Prior methods have not had defined units of measure, and generally have attempted to measure objective and subjective impairment simultaneously, thus measuring neither. The lack of a traceably defined unit of measure has prevented the prior methods from providing measurement and verification of the accuracy of the measurement results.
The prior art tries to estimate discontinuities at the block boundaries and estimate visibility of these discontinuities, without traceable and verifiable units.
An example of a blockiness measurement that comes close to having traceable and verifiable units is described in Blind measurement of blocking artifacts in images, by Zhou Wang et al., Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. Image. Proc., Vol 3, pp 981-984, September 2000. As with many other methods in the prior art, this method uses a relatively computationally expensive, and complex, spectral analysis to uncover periodicity of the block edge energy along vertical and horizontal dimensions. Blockiness is measured as the power of an estimated ideal blockiness signal superimposed on the original signal. While the power can be normalized to give a fully defined unit, as opposed to one relying on the LSB as described, and a synthesized ideal blockiness signal could be generated and super-imposed on a test video signal to verify accuracy of detection, the definition of ideal blockiness signal is itself problematic, as actual blockiness impairments do not generally correspond to the ideal and often video signals have the same spectral signature that the power spectrum method is designed to detect as blockiness. Thus, even if this method were extended to be full reference, the artifact detected is an ideal artifact that has been defined in a somewhat arbitrary way that relies primarily on block boundary discontinuities, which are commonly mitigated via de-blocking filter such as those included in the H.264 standard and sometimes incorporated in other encoder and decoder designs.
Also, for prediction of visibility and corresponding subjective quality rating, this method is illustrative of the prior art in general. A mask estimation is done as a very rough estimation of human vision response, again without traceable and verifiable units, or accuracy. In effect, visibility is not estimated directly, but rather relative visibility is estimated.
Other prior art methods exist with variations on the theme of finding block edges in the time, or frequency, domain, estimating the edge amplitude and taking the norm of these amplitudes, with or without masking estimates.
Automated methods of measuring DC blockiness with full reference and no reference would be useful. These methods could include compression information such as exact block boundary locations, or not. These methods would be desirable if they had traceable and verifiable units and accuracy, with results being either fully objective, or fully predictive of subjections assessment of the DC blocking impairments. It would also be desirable that the method have computational efficiency, such that it would have relatively low processing overhead for a given level of accuracy.

Systems and methods for measuring loss of detail in a video codec block


Described herein are methods of treating COVID19 from a coronavirus infection, methods of treating a subject having a coronavirus infection, methods of improving a survival rate of a subject having a coronavirus infection, methods of determining prognosis of a subject having a coronavirus infection, methods of preventing or treating organ-dysfunction or multi-organ dysfunction or failure associated with a coronavirus infection, methods of combinational therapy for a subject having a coronavirus infection, methods of reducing microthrombi formation or low flow organ-ischemia associated with a coronavirus infection by administering a DEspR inhibitor.

Secondary organ-dysfunction or multi-organ dysfunction or failure is driven by a state of hyperinflammation wherein one's own immune system cells attacks self indiscriminately—killing one's own normal cells rather than only eliminating infectious pathogens, causing morbidity and mortality in many major indications, including respiratory pathologies such COVID19 infection and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). However, not all COVID19 patients develop hyperinflammation and ARDS, some have mild disease, some remain asymptomatic. It has also been observed that viral load is not the driver of COVID19 ARDS and multi-organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) or multi-organ failure (MOF) but rather a hyperinflammation response. DEspR+ neutrophils and monocytes are significantly increased in human clinical samples taken from patients with ARDS progressing to death or with poor outcomes; initial findings show similar associations in spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) and COVID19-ARDS or SARS CoV2-driven ARDS. Although 20-50% of COVID19-ARDS patients progress to death, to date, there is little therapeutic intervention available and remains great need unmet. Inhibitors of IL-6 receptor, the receptor for the hallmark of COVID19 hyperinflammation or cytokine storm interleukin-6 or IL-6, have failed in Phase III clinical trials further emphasizing the major therapeutic challenges amplified by the high unmet need.

Antibody therapies and methods for treating coronavirus infection


Provided are a method for screening for nanobodies and a corresponding system. The method uses polymerase chain reactions and cDNA 5′ end rapid amplification technology to screen for and obtain nanobodies. The experiment cycle requires only approximately 21 days.

It has been long recognized that an antibody is generally composed of a light chain and a heavy chain in pairs, containing a complete constant region including CH1, CH2, CH3 and the like, i.e. the so-called traditional antibody. However, Hamers-Casterman et al. found a heavy chain antibody (HCAb) naturally existing in serum of a Camelidae animal in 1993, which contains the heavy chain only, but no light chain. Cloning a variable domain of the heavy chain antibody (HCAbs) will result in a single-domain antibody consisting of the variable domain of one heavy chain, referred as variable domain of heavy chain of heavy-chain antibody (VHH). The VHH crystal, in a cylindrical shape, is of a diameter of 2.5 nanometers and a length of 4 nanometers, thus also known as nanobody (Nb) or single-domain heavy chain antibody.
The nanobody has been developed to be a highly versatile molecule having extensive values in both biological and clinical applications so far from discovery. The nanobody contains a minimal functional antigen-binding fragment derived from HCAbs in an adult camel, with high stability and high affinity when binding to an antigen, capable of interacting with an active site of protein cleaving enzyme so as to act in a manner similar to an inhibitor. Accordingly, the nanobody provides a novel way to design a small-molecule enzyme inhibitor from a peptidomimetic drug. It is easier to prepare a nanobody as compared to mAb due to the heavy chain contained only. Then, the nanobody, with particular characteristic (such as stability at extreme temperature and pH environment), can be prepared in a large scale with low costs. Therefore, the nanobody has great values in treatment and diagnosis of disease, particular in antibody targeting diagnosis and treatment against tumor.
Phage display technology, a traditional method for screening a camelid antibody, mainly includes: collecting a certain amount of peripheral blood or immunologic tissue from a camel after immunized; isolating lymphocytes; extracting mRNA; and inserting cDNA into a proper site of a structural gene of phage coat protein through PR-PCR, enabling an exogenous gene to express along expression of the coat protein, so as to form monoclone for antibody screening. However, the phase display technology, performed mostly on human, mouse, rabbit, seldom on camel, requires a relative long experimental period (approximately 77 days) and usually is used to screen a conventional antibody containing both the heavy chain and the light chain which are complementary to each other. It is evident that the phage display technology is not only time-consuming and labor-consuming, but also has great difficulties in technology.
As a result, the method for screening the nanobody still needs to be improved.

Method and system for screening nanobody


A hand tool having an adjustable head with a joint lock mechanism. The joint lock mechanism includes a first engaging device, a second engaging device, a pull button and a first elastic device. The pull button has a knob portion and an engaging portion beneath the knob portion and the engaging portion engages the second engaging device. The first elastic device is received in a first aperture and abuts against the second engaging device with a forward force such that the front end of the second engaging device is pushed to engage the first engaging device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hand tool having an adjustable head with joint lock mechanism, especially a hand tool with a head of adjustable angles and easier, more secure positioning. The present application claims priority based on ROC (Taiwan) Patent Application No. 093208736.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional hand tools with an adjustable head, for example, as disclosed in TW421111, corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 6,295,898, and TW488349, comprise a head and a handle. The head has a convex portion which can be pivotally coupled to a concave portion of the handle. Teeth are disposed along the surface of the convex portion to engage a ball received in an aperture formed in an inner wall of the concave portion. A stop member is disposed between the head and the handle. A positioning portion is formed at a rear side of the stop member and is coupled to a front end of the handle. A toothed portion formed at a front side of the stop member is engageable with a toothed surface portion formed along the surface of one side of the convex portion. When the stop member is slid to a predetermined position, the adjustment and positioning of the head at a certain angle can be more securely and conveniently done. However, with this kind of wrench, the ball is of a circular shape and cannot ensure secure engagement, and similar to the configuration of a ball and a toothed portion of a convex portion, the toothed portion of the stop member and the toothed surface portion of the handle may be worn out after use for a long period, which can therefore cause inconvenience when in use and reduce the life time of the hand tool.
TW478444; has disclosed a wrench wherein a through hole is formed in the centre of a shaft and threads are formed on a wall of the through hole at a bottom of the shaft to receive an operation rod. A handle is mounted at a bottom end of the operation rod and rotates synchronously with the operation rod. A concave portion formed at a top end of the shaft is coupled to a head and secured by a screw. A retainer is received in the through hole of the shaft with its one end coupled to the top end of the operation rod and an arc shaped concave portion formed on the other end. A rotatable worm supported by a retainer is disposed in the concave portion of the shaft and a groove fitted with a clip is formed at a protrusion of the worm at one end. A worm gear is disposed at an extension end of the head and engages the worm. The other end of the worm is coupled to a pivotal block and a crane to actuate the worm gear and the worm such that the head can be rotated at any angle. Again, with this configuration, the worm and the worm gear may be worn out after use for a long period, which causes the local structure to be loose and unable to be positioned properly. In addition, it is likely that the clip, operation rod, the retainer or the pivotal block and the crane might become loose and make the wrench un-useable.
From the above, it is necessary for the industry to provide a hand tool having an adjustable head with joint lock mechanism, which offers convenient and secure angle adjustment and positioning and can overcome the defects mentioned in the prior art.

Hand tool having an adjustable head with joint lock mechanism


An engine seal installing tool, system and method for facilitating installation of engine seals in a simplified process includes a main screw engageable to an engine shaft. An engine seal is mounted on a seal guide assembly slidably mounted on the main screw. A pressure nut is used to urge the seal guide assembly towards the engine shaft to insert the engine seal into the seal housing surrounding the engine shaft.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to seal installing tools and more particularly pertains to a new engine seal installing tool for facilitating installation of engine seals in a simplified two step process.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of seal installing tools is known in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 2,621,398 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,490,131 each disclose a device and method for installing an oil seal. U.S. Pat. No. 5,539,979 discloses a method and apparatus for repairing the rear seal area on the crankshaft of an internal combustion engine that uses a plurality of tool inserts.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the need remains for a device that more easily and efficiently installs a seal.


Provided herein is a composition for use as a hardening regulator, e.g. hardening accelerator or hardening retarder, for building materials, as well as methods for producing thereof. The composition is characterized by a biphasic nature in which solid calcium silicate nanoparticles are dispersed in an aqueous solution comprising inorganic water soluble iron, and possibly zinc, silicate and calcium, species. Additional components such as inorganic ions and silica nanoparticles can be present. Depending on the relative ratio of each component, the composition can be used either for retarding or for accelerating the hardening process of a building material such as cement or concretes. The so-obtained building material further shows an enhanced strength upon compressive forces applied thereon.

External aiding material (EAM), also known as admixtures, are added in the form of dispersant to aqueous slurries comprising pulverulent organic or inorganic compounds, including clays, silicate compounds, carbon blacks, glass fibers, hydraulic binders or powdered rocks, for improving the workability (i.e. kneadability, spreadability, sprayability, pumpability or flowability) of building materials such as cement or concrete. These EAMs usually help in dispersing the particles formed in a way to improve the fluidity and flowability of a cementitious material. EAMs can be added with a targeted outcomes in particular in building material containing hydraulic binders, such as cement, lime, gypsum, bassanite, anhydrites, fly-ash, pozzolans and furnace slags.
Generally speaking, an excess of water is added in a building material mixture to make it more consistent and workable, said water being also required for the subsequent hydration and hardening steps of the building material. The proportions of cavity (pores) formation in the concrete by the excess water that is evaporated subsequently results in significantly lower mechanical strength and durability of the final material.
In order to reduce the excess of water added to maintain the consistency and workability at the predetermined water/binder ratio, EAMs are added, that are known as water-reducer compositions or super plasticizer or plasticizer. In particular, they can be co-polymers of acid monomers with polyether macro-monomers. According to EN 934-2, concrete admixtures are classified into the following categories: Water reducing/plasticising; High-range water-reducing/super plasticising; Water retaining; Air-entraining; Set accelerating; Hardening accelerating; Set retarding; Water resisting.
Furthermore, EAM for building material mixtures may also contain hardening accelerators that can reduce the setting time of the mixture. According to WO02070425, Calcium silicate hydrates in particular dispersed form can be used for such activities. However, according to WO2010026155, commercially available calcium silicate hydrates or calcium silicate hydrates dispersion may be regarded as hardening accelerator that have very poor effect. Combination with plasticizer can help in improving the desired hardening effect, at the cost of making the system more complex and more carbon intensive, thus less sustainable.
Despite a huge amount of work in the field, it would be desirable to have new building materials and EAMs having improved properties and advantages.

Hardening acceleration/hardening retardation composition for building materials

ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE FÉDÉRALE DE LAUSANNE (EPFL)


A nested bushing coupling for attaching a plumbing component to a conduit. The assembly includes at least one or more nested bushings having off-centered openings which may be situated at various orientations within a receiver.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the field of plumbing. More particularly, the present invention comprises an adjustable coupling for attaching a plumbing component to a conduit.
2. Description of the Related Art
When constructing a building with a concrete slab foundation, plumbers coordinate with other contractors to install plumbing lines and fixtures. Generally, plumbers place plumbing lines just prior to the pouring of the concrete slab. It is not uncommon for plumbing lines to shift slightly when the concrete is poured, however. Once the concrete has cured—and often after tile work has been laid—the plumber returns to attach the various plumbing fixtures to the lines.
Various building codes define where certain plumbing fixtures—such as toilets—must be placed. Turning to FIG. 1, toilet 10 is installed in a room near back wall 16 and side wall 14. As is known to those skilled in the art, toilet 10 is connected to a drain line via closet flange 12. Because toilet 10 attaches directly to closet flange 12, the location of toilet 10 relative to back wall 16 and side wall 14 is determined by the location of closet flange 12 and the drain line. Closet flange 12 is attached directly to the drain pipe, so the location of closet flange 12 is non-adjustable.
Some building codes prescribe a distance D that the center of toilet must be from side wall 14. Because some inspectors require precise conformity to the prescribed distance (in some cases within ¼ inch), it is important for closet flange 12 to be positioned at the correct location relative to side wall 14. Because the drain pipe and closet flange 12 may shift when the concrete is poured, plumbers may have to break the concrete slab around the drain pipe with a jackhammer so that the drain pipe and closet flange may be shifted to the desired location. In many cases, this requires the drain pipe to be cut and "elbow" joints to be added to center closet flange 12 at the desired location.
The shifting of plumbing lines can also create a misalignment for plumbing lines which are to be placed within walls. Turning to FIG. 2, in-concrete pipe 24 shifted during the concrete pour such that part of the opening of in-concrete pipe 24 extends outside of the footprint of wall 18. In-wall pipe 26 is designed to be placed in wall 18 between first wall boundary 22 and second wall boundary 20. This situation requires the concrete to be broken around in-concrete pipe 24 so that in-concrete pipe 24 may be shifted into alignment with the location of in-wall pipe 26. Once again, this can require the pipe to be cut and elbow joints added to center the pipe between first wall boundary 22 and second wall boundary 20.
As such it would be desirable to provide a plumbing solution which allows for plumbing fixtures to be coupled to in-ground drain lines and placed at the desired location without having to break-up portions of the concrete foundation.


Provided herein are methods of culturing organized skeletal muscle tissue from precursor muscle cells by cyclically stretching and relaxing said muscle cells on a support in vitro for a time sufficient to produce said organized skeletal muscle tissue, including reseeding said organized skeletal muscle tissue by contacting additional precursor muscle cells to said organized skeletal muscle tissue on said solid support, and then repeating said step of cyclically stretching and relaxing said muscle cells in said support in vitro for time sufficient to enhance the density (i.e., increased number of nuclei and/or number of multinucleated cells) of said organized skeletal muscle tissue on said support.

Volumetric muscle loss due to a variety of causes, including congenital and acquired conditions, invasive surgical procedures, and traumatic injury, produces a physiological deficit for which there are currently no effective clinical treatments. Management involves the use of existing host tissue to construct muscular flaps or grafts. However, this approach is not always feasible, delaying the rehabilitation process and restoration of tissue function. The ability to create clinically relevant autologous tissue engineered muscle repair (TEMR) constructs in vitro for restoration of muscle mass and function in vivo would remove a major hurdle to the successful skeletal muscle reconstructive procedures required to repair complex extremity and facial injuries suffered by injured individuals. See, e.g., Yoo et al., US Patent Application Publication No. US2006/0239981 (Oct. 26, 2006).

Methods for making a tissue engineered muscle repair (TEMR) construct in vitro for implantation in vivo


A safeguarding arrangement for restricting the movability of at least one transport container storable or stored in a support structure receptacle. The transport container may be used for transporting goods, for example, in an aircraft, and may be stowed in the aircraft's galley area as a trolley. The safeguarding arrangement has a first safeguarding installation with at least one first safeguarding arrangement. The at least one first safeguarding arrangement allows the insertion or removal of the at least one transport container into the receptacle or from the receptacle, respectively, in its open position via an opening. The safeguarding arrangement overlaps a clean measure of the opening of the receptacle, at least zonally, in a hold position, in which the at least one transport container is held against removal from the receptacle. Further, the first safeguarding arrangement is formed variably with regard to its engagement depth into the receptacle.

The invention relates to a safeguarding arrangement for restricting the movability of at least one transport container storable or stored in a receptacle of a support structure. The mentioned transport container may be used for the transport of goods, for example, in an aircraft.
Storage capacity for the accommodation of goods to be transported is valuable and available only on a restricted scale, especially within the pressurized cabin of a passenger aircraft. Goods being carried for the immediate consumption of the transported passengers, for example, are prepared in a so-called galley kitchen or, in short, galley (what nowadays in most cases actually means merely a warming) and then distributed at the seats. For this purpose, food and drinks are to be stored space-savingly and in a suitable way to stock up quickly and transportably, where they are accommodated in so-called trolleys, and these are, in turn, favorably stowed in the galley's area. To this, in the area of the galley at a suitable support structure, certain receptacles are provided.
The trolleys mentioned above are mobile and can, to access the goods stocked up in them, be removed from the receptacle in which they were earlier placed. With a view to the movement of the aircraft, the trolleys form dynamic loads which are accelerated under the movement in question, and which have to be kept under control mandatorily, in order to not represent an endangering to any of passengers or cabin crew or of structures of the aircraft. At least one safeguarding installation can therefore be provided at the carrying structure in the area of the galley for the respective receptacles in order to permit a trolley's removal from its receptacle only intentionally.
The safeguarding installation in question can, in turn, comprise at least one first safeguarding means, which permits, in an open position, the insertion or removal of the at least one transport container into the receptacle and from the receptacle, respectively, through an opening. On the other hand, in a hold position, in which the at least one transport container is held against removal from the receptacle, the first safeguarding means can overlap a clean measure of the opening of the receptacle, at least zonally. Thus, after being arranged in its receptacle, the transport container is secured by a transfer of the safeguarding means from the open position into the hold position, and, after a transfer in the opposite direction, ready to be removed from the receptacle.
At this, the transport containers are commonly available in two sizes, called half-size trolleys and full-size trolleys, whereas the difference in size relates to the depth of the dimensioning, which is, in turn, extending along the insertion direction into the receptacle. Dependent on producers and customers or users, among the mentioned transport containers, especially the respective half-size trolleys, they comprise slightly different dimensions, whereas it is not uncommon that two half-size trolleys, arranged behind one another, occupy a depth greater, by a small amount, than a full-size trolley. A contribution to this is made by the fact that the first trolley inserted into the receptacle is, or needs to be, secured with its own locking, which, if necessary, contributes as well to the depth dimension.
As with a configuration comprising two half-size trolleys, these trolleys have, as well, to be received entirely in the receptacle and to be secured, the receptacle has to provide the respective space, whereby, if the receptacle is supplied "only" with a full-size trolley, an oversupply of space is available which does not meet security challenges.


An apparatus and method for modifying viruses and bacteria in a closed loop system that irradiates the fluid multiple times through the same channel. The apparatus consists of a cuvette, an irradiation station, two ultraviolet light sources, a peristaltic pump, and a bottle which are all systematically situated with respect to a housing and a cover. A plurality of power control switches controls the operation of the apparatus. This includes an on/off power switch, an on/off pump control, and ultraviolet light control switches. Timers are provided to regulate the time period the cuvette is exposed to the ultraviolet radiation within the irradiation station from the two ultraviolet light sources. The cover is also provided to enable the cuvette to be used and exposed to ultraviolet radiation within an enclosed environment.

In the past, others have attempted to eradicate viruses and bacteria using a mercury vapor lamp and an irradiation chamber. This combination, however, presented a number of problems. Since the mercury vapor lamp is made with contaminating materials, the irradiation chamber could become contaminated. As a result, this type of lamp has been restricted by the Federal Drug Administration from use in the treatment of fluids in this manner. Also, as the irradiation chamber is permanently secured to the unit, sterilization of the chamber is a very difficult, time consuming task.
In an attempt to overcome this problem, a number of patents have been issued that disclose apparatus and methods for the irradiation of blood or bodily fluids. As listed below in the order of issuance, these are:
InventorIssuedTitle of PatentU.S. Pat. No.MorrisSep. 14, 1999Blood Product Irradiation Device5,951,509Incorporating AgitationMullerJun. 23, 1998Apparatus For The Irradiation Of Body5,770,147Fluids By Ultraviolet LightCastleJul. 4, 1995Extra-Corporeal Blood Access, Sensing5,429,594And Radiation Methods And ApparatusesSieberApr. 19, 1994Method Of Eradicating Infectious5,304,113Biological ContaminantsStinsonSep. 29, 1992Apparatus And Method For Irradiating5,150,705CellsGunnJul. 28, 1992Blood Processing Apparatus5,133,932GossMar. 4, 1986Three Phase Irradiation Treatment Process4,573,960HazelriggJul. 8, 1975Device For Irradiating Fluids3,894,236
Of these patents, the most relevant are: U.S. Pat. No. 5,770,147 to Muller entitled "Apparatus For The Irradiation of Body Fluids By Ultraviolet Light" ("Muller"); U.S. Pat. No. 5,429,594 to Castle entitled "Extra-Corporeal Blood Access, Sensing, and Radiation Methods And Apparatus" ("Castle"); U.S. Pat. No. 5,304,113 to Sieber entitled "Method of Eradicating Infectious Biological Contaminants" ("Sieber"); and U.S. Pat. No. 5,951,509 to Morris entitled "Blood Product Irradiation Device Incorporating Agitation" ("Morris").
Muller ('147) discloses an apparatus for the irradiation of body fluids by ultraviolet light in a containment. In one embodiment, the containment consists of a cuvette, an adaptor, a drive motor, and an Ultraviolet lamp. The cuvette, upon being filled with blood removed from a patient, is fitted into the containment and engaged with the adaptor. The cuvette is then rotated by the drive motor and exposed to the Ultraviolet radiation uniformly. The cuvette also includes flow baffles to provide additional turbulence to generate a radial flow of the blood towards the Ultraviolet radiation. Upon completion of the radiation, the cuvette is disengaged from the containment, the irradiated blood is removed from the cuvette, and then returned to the patient.
Castle ('594) discloses a method and apparatus for extra corporeal access to blood for analysis and treatment of the blood. In use, the apparatus pumps blood from a patient through an outlet line and then returns the blood back to the patient through an inlet line. During this extra corporeal flow of the blood, the outlet line and the inlet line each have access ports in which the blood may be either analyzed or treated. Any treatment of the blood consists of energy or radiation and includes ultrasonic waves.
Sieber ('113) discloses a method to erradicate infectious biological contaminants such as the human immunodeficiency virus. The method consists of withdrawing the blood from a patient using a pump, adding anti-coagulants to the blood, an occluded vein sensor to prevent or inhibit the generation or existence of bubbles in the flow of the blood, inserting a photosensitizing agent, an irradiation chamber which consists of visible light to activate the photosensitive agent, and then returning the erradicated blood to the patient.
Morris ('509) discloses an apparatus for treating human blood by irradiation. In use, blood is withdrawn from a patient and supplemented by an anti-coagulant solution. The blood is then separated into two portions by a cell separator, such as a centrifuge, with one portion being directed into a bag for irradiation and another portion either being held in storage or returned to the patient. Upon a predetermined volume of blood accumulated into the bag, the bag is placed within an irradiation apparatus. The irradiation apparatus consists of an upper lamp array and a lower lamp array of ultraviolet individual lamps and the bag is placed in the middle of the upper lamp array and the lower lamp array to irradiate the blood prior to being returned to the patient.
The combination of the above patents reveals that there exist several ways to irradiate blood from a patient. Among the common disclosure of these patents is that blood is removed from a patient, the blood is irradiated using ultraviolet light to kill contaminants and viruses, and the irradiated blood is then returned to the patient. Each patent is distinguishable in that it introduces additional steps during this process and/or accomplishes the process in a different manner. However, none of the patents disclose or teach a closed system with the ability to remove contaminated blood from a patient in one channel, effectively irradiate the blood twice in the same cuvette using multiple ultraviolet light sources, and then return the irradiated blood back to the patient using the same channel, thereby, providing an effective modification of the viruses and bacteria in the blood in an attempt to eradicate the same. Thus, there is a need and there has never been disclosed an apparatus and method that solves the problems presented by today's devices and is as effective as Applicant's unique invention.


A storage array that uses NVMEoF to interconnect compute nodes with NVME SSDs via a fabric and NVME offload engines implements flow control based on transaction latency. Transaction latency is the elapsed time between the send side completion message and receive side completion message for a single transaction. Counts of total transactions and over-latency-limit transactions are accumulated over a time interval. If the over limit rate exceeds a threshold, then the maximum allowed number of enqueued pending transactions is reduced. The maximum allowed number of enqueued pending transactions is periodically restored to a default value.

High-capacity data storage systems such as storage area networks (SANs) and storage arrays are used to maintain large storage objects and contemporaneously support multiple host servers. A storage array includes a network of specialized, interconnected compute nodes that manage access to host application data that is stored on arrays of drives. The compute nodes respond to input-output (IO) commands from host applications running on the host servers. Examples of host applications may include, but are not limited to, software for email, accounting, manufacturing, inventory control, and a wide variety of other business processes.

NVMEoF flow control from initiator based on transaction latency


Prioritizing requests made to a domain name system server to translate domain names into Internet Protocol addresses. First, the request is received in the domain name server. Next, the request is prioritized based on the source sending the request. Finally, the request is processed according to a priority assigned to the request.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to an improved data processing system and in particular to a method and apparatus for processing data. Still more particularly, the invention relates to priority based processing of requests in a domain name system (DNS) server.
2. Description of Related Art
In very large networks, such as the Internet, Web sites have associated domain names so that users can easily remember and identify Web site locations. For example, mydomain123.com is a domain name that a user may enter into a Web browser. The browser retrieves information contained in a remote computer associated with that domain name, such as pictures, text, videos, files, links to other Web sites, and other content.
However, the client computer cannot use the alphanumeric domain name to find a particular Internet address. Instead, the domain name must be translated into an Internet Protocol (IP) address that data processing systems can recognize and use. An example of an IP address is 18.104.22.1680.
A current method of performing the translation between domain names and IP addresses is to use a domain name system (DNS) server to perform the translation. The DNS server contains a database that associates domain names with IP addresses. Thus, when a domain name is entered in a browser, the browser communicates with a DNS server and requests the IP address associated with the domain name. In turn, the DNS server transmits the appropriate IP address to the client computer running the browser. The client computer then accesses the desired website using the IP address acquired from the DNS server.
Currently, a DNS server processes domain name translation requests on a first-come, first-serve basis. However, a problem has arisen in the current domain name system. Because of the dramatic growth of the Internet, a DNS server must be able to handle a truly vast number of requests for domain name translation. Even a simple command like "netstat −r" on a machine with a large routing table can cause a reasonably large burst of DNS translation requests. The problem can be exacerbated by malicious flooding attacks, which attempt to overwhelm a DNS server with too many spurious requests for domain name translation. Thus, translation requests that are considered important are delayed or even dropped as the DNS server attempts to handle vast numbers of less important requests. Hence, it would be advantageous to have a method, data processing system, and computer-implemented instructions for managing requests for domain name translations.

Priority based differentiated DNS processing

International Business Machines Corporation


A framework for comprehensive auditing of applications involved in business processes in distributed application landscapes, including local, distributed and collaborative audit, is based on the concept of a collaborative “audit warehouse” that enables a central, tool-supported audit of cross-enterprise business processes. The interface for the audit data warehouse is defined in an intermediate format language with verification capabilities, such as XML (Extensible Markup Language). Applications in effect write audit data to audit data pools in the warehouse, e.g., in XML format transferred via http over the Internet. Alternatively, data is pulled from the applications by the warehouse automatically or on command. In one preferred paradigm individual enterprises have their own central audit data warehouses, each collecting data from applications both within and outside of the enterprise that owns the warehouse, in order to aggregate audit data for a given business process spanning potentially several distinct enterprises.

Business processes need to be audited periodically for legal, contractual and security reasons. Certification and accreditation assure trust by participants and oversight agencies alike. Regular audit is essential to security to insure that policies, however well documented, are actually carried out. Auditing business processes involves checking for compliance with pre-established procedures as well as for proper authorization of the entities or people who executed or had access to the various elements of the process and then analyzing and recording the results of these inquiries in some meaningful way. If the entire business process is carried out on a single software application or an integrated set of distributed applications from a single source, i.e., a single software company, the audit process is reasonably straightforward because it can be done within the context of a consistent set of formats and procedures that are established and vouched for by the software producer. Audit software exists today both at the level of the individual application and also at the business system level of an integrated set of distributed applications from a single manufacturer, for example, SAP's "Audit Information System." However, business processes often span several applications from different manufacturers, each employing its own idiosyncratic procedures, nomenclature and formats. In this cross-application corporate landscape, performing a business process audit poses unique challenges that have not been met.
The problem is exacerbated where a given business process to be audited spans not only several different applications from different software providers but also multiple collaborating entities or enterprises, e.g., distinct but commonly-owned enterprises within a single corporate family environment, distinct noncommonly-owned corporations operating in a strategic alliance, partners in a joint venture or a supply chain including both suppliers and customers of a company with respect to a given product line. While these separate entities may all be involved in interrelated aspects of a single business process, e.g., a sales transaction, each entity may nonetheless constitute an independent regime from the security standpoint, e.g., having its own legacy controls and at least the potential capability of independent control, i.e. change, of the formats and procedures for its own information technology to suit its own perceived needs.
The only way in which cross-application business process audits can be carried out today in such an environment is to conduct audits of each application within each entity on an individual basis, taking into account the current respective set of applicable controls, procedures, formats, etc. and then to collect the necessary information for a particular business process from the various applications. An example of the collection approach is exemplified by Consul's eAudit" which is designed to collect and consolidate data from different sources. With existing tools, however, it is virtually impossible to trace and analyze cross-application business processes on systems provided by different manufacturers. Where the systems are operated by disparate enterprises within a single corporation or by different collaborating companies, it is even more difficult to coordinate and analyze the information from the individual audits in a way that warrants the trust of those who rely on the integrity of the business process as a whole.
Meanwhile, every day more and more business processes are moving to the Internet beyond the secure borders of in-house networks and intranets. As companies collaborate more frequently in e-business, open networks and cross-company business transactions are increasingly replacing monolithic, closed systems. Disparate applications maintained in different companies are being virtually extended beyond the secure confines of their respective in-house networks and combined to form efficient Web services. This type of collaboration obviously requires companies to exchange data beyond these secure environments. But by doing so, the collaborating enterprises surrender their unique control over the business process that enabled audit systems to thoroughly check the integrity of the system against established, well understood internal standards.