A method of estimating an amount of a substance in a bodily fluid from the color of a tissue surface of a subject includes capturing an image including at least a portion-of-interest of the subject and at least a reference portion of a color reference, the image being a digital image of pixels of at least one color, the image including a component value for each pixel for each of the at least one color, obtaining a first value associated with at least one component value corresponding to the portion-of-interest of the subject, obtaining a second value associated with at least one component value corresponding to the reference portion, and calculating an estimated amount of the substance using the first and second values.

Determining hemoglobin (Hb) concentrations is often useful in diagnosis and treatment of patients. For example, Hb concentrations are useful in diagnosing whether a person is anemic. Several techniques currently exist for determining serum hemoglobin. For example, techniques include phlebotomy (puncturing a vein and drawing blood) with subsequent laboratory analysis of the drawn blood, microscopic assessment of mucous membranes, and subjective assessment of conjunctiva color and clinical parameters. By far the most widely used technique is phlebotomy followed by analysis with a flow cytometer. This technique is reliable, but uses one or more technicians, an expensive piece of equipment (the cytometer), and typically a centralized location for the analysis due to the cost of the cytometer. Another technique uses magnification and analysis of blood flow through mucous membranes.

Non-invasive determination of blood components


The present disclosure relates to computer-implemented methods, software, and systems for securely generating a new access token based on relatively long-lasting refresh tokens in self-contained format. A first request to generate a new access token for authorization of a client application with an application server is received and includes a first protected version of a refresh token. The first protected version of the refresh token is an encrypted version of the refresh token based on a first client identifier. The first protected version of the refresh token is decrypted to determine content of the refresh token based on a second client identifier of the client application that is externally invoked for validating the authorization. In response to successfully decrypting the first protected version, performing a validation of the refresh token. In response to successfully validating the refresh token, generating the new access token and providing it to the client application.

Software applications can provide services and access to resources. Resources may be restricted to a limited number of users based on authorization rules. For example, different access rights may be associated with different users and/or user roles. Tokens can be used to authenticate requests received at software applications to gain access to electronically restricted resources. Tokens can be used in addition or as an alternative to passwords and can be verified to determine whether to provide or otherwise allow access. When a user requests access to a resource, a security token may be provided by the user to be authenticated prior to accessing the resource. The security token can be validated to determine whether the request can be processed and whether the requests is valid. Access tokens may be generated with a predefined validity period. Access tokens may be renewed and generation of a new access token can be performed based on authentication through refresh tokens.

Long-lasting refresh tokens in self-contained format


According to an embodiment of the present invention, a pressure sensor includes: a pressure sensing chip, which includes a substrate, a sensing film, an insulation layer and a first bonding pad; wherein the sensing film is on the substrate, and a sagging step is formed at one side of the substrate; the insulation layer is prepared on the sensing film and the substrate; the first bonding pad is prepared on the insulation layer on a bottom surface of the step, and is connected to the region of the substrate close to the sensing film via a lead wire.

Nowadays, consumer electronics, like toys, mobile phones, tablet computers, and remote controls, are gradually developed to be more intellective. More sensors are contained to perceive more physical quantities. Specifically, the demand for the measurement of stress or pressure generated by human body (especially fingers) gradually increased.
Some special requirements are proposed for the sensors used for the measurement of stress or pressure. Firstly, stress or pressure should be transmitted onto the sensing film effectively; secondly, the sensing film, wires and other parts of a pressure sensing chip should be protected from damage; thirdly, the size of the pressure sensor should be small to meet the growing miniaturization trend of consumer electronics.
Although the producing process of a prior pressure sensing chip with a sensing film has been mature, the sensing film has some disadvantages on the measurement of stress or pressure. Firstly, the sensing film, the thickness of which is normally tens of microns or less, can only be competent for the measurement of fluid pressure; and is easily damaged by external physical pressure generated by human body especially fingers. Secondly, wires, used in a package structure of a prior pressure sensor, are normally exposed above the sensing film. In this case, the wires are also easily damaged if directly touched by human body or fingers. The prior approach to solve above problems is isolating the sensing film through the package structure, by which the pressure generated by human body is converted to fluid pressure on the sensing film. However, the prior package structure may be overprotective and too large, in which the pressure generated by human body cannot be effectively transmitted onto the sensing film; or, the prior package structure cannot adequately protect those easily damaged parts of the pressure sensing chip at all. Furthermore, the prior packaging processes are too complicated.
A packaging method for protecting the sensing film of a pressure sensor chip is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,401,545, in which a dam is constructed to isolate different parts of the pressure sensor chip. The sensing film is located at one side of the dam, and a kind of soft material is prepared on the sensing film to ensure pressure transmitting. A kind of hard material is prepared to protect the bonding pads and wires around the pressure sensor chip. However, the constructing process of the dam is complicated, and the soft material may still damage the sensing film during transmitting the pressure onto the sensing film.
Another packaging method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,148,881, in which a cavity is formed around a pressure sensor. When external force is exerted on the cavity, the pressure change generated by the deformation of the cavity is transmitted to the sensing film. The disadvantage of this method is that the packaging process is complicated and the package structure is too large.
Another package structure is disclosed in China Patent Pat. No. ZL200810021732.3, in which different materials are used in different regions of the pressure sensor, and a pressure transmitting method is proposed for transmitting force and the protection of bonding pads and wires. However, three kinds of material are required in this package structure, which makes the packaging process too complicated.

Pressure sensor and packaging method thereof


A conductive line for programming a magnetoresistive memory element comprising N metal layers separated by an electrically insulator layer, wherein the bit conductive is positioned proximate to a magnetoresistive memory device and flows a current that induces a magnetic field for programming the magnetoresistive memory device. The current needed to induce a given magnetic field is reduced by a factor of N, wherein N is a whole number greater than or equal to two. To further decrease the current, the conductive line is cladded with a ferromagnetic region to increase the magnetic field proximate to the magnetoresistive random access memory device.

This invention relates to semiconductor memory devices.
More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved conductive line for supplying currents to semiconductor random access memory devices that utilize a magnetic field.
A magnetic memory device has a structure which includes ferromagnetic layers separated by a non-magnetic layer. The ferromagnetic layers have a free magnetic moment vector that can be oriented in one of several preferred directions relative to a pinned magnetic moment vector that is fixed in direction. The orientation of the free magnetic moment vector relative to the pinned magnetic moment vector creates unique resistance states that are used to represent stored information. Accordingly, a detection of changes in resistance allows a magnetic memory device to provide stored information. In typical magnetic memory devices, two resistance states are available. The stored states can be read by passing a sense current through the cell in a sense line because of the difference between the magnetic resistances of the states.
In magnetoresistive random access memory (hereinafter referred to as MRAM) devices, the memory cells are programmed by magnetic fields induced by a single current carrying conductor such as a copper interconnect. Typically, two orthogonal interconnects are employed, with one positioned above (hereinafter referred to as the bit line) the MRAM device and the second positioned below (hereinafter referred to as the digit line) the MRAM device. The purpose of the bit and digit lines is to provide magnetic fields for programming the MRAM device.
However, one of the trends in semiconductor device technology is to scale circuitry to lower power, especially for portable applications, such as laptop computers, cell phones, and pagers. A MRAM device integrates magnetic memory elements and other circuits, for example, a control circuit for magnetic memory elements, comparators for detecting states in a magnetic memory element, input/output circuits, etc. These circuits are usually fabricated in the process of CMOS technology, which operates at low current and high efficiency, in order to lower the power consumption of the MRAM devices.
Thus, it is desirable to fabricate MRAM devices that are more compatible with CMOS technology. However, a problem with MRAM devices is that they typically require large programming currents to write information. Large currents are needed to create a large enough magnetic field to cause the free magnetic moment vector to orientate itself in the desired direction.
It would be highly advantageous, therefore, to remedy the foregoing and other deficiencies inherent in the prior art.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved interconnect for programming a magnetoresistive random access memory device.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved interconnect which reduces the power consumption of the device.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved interconnect which makes the magnetoresistive random access memory device more compatible with CMOS technology.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved interconnect which allows the magnetoresistive random access memory device to operate at lower current.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved interconnect which produces a larger magnetic field for a given programming current.
To achieve the objects and advantages specified above and others, a interconnect for programming a MRAM device is disclosed which includes a metal bit line formed of N metal layers, wherein each N metal layer is separated by an electrically insulating layer, where N is a whole number greater than or equal to two. Further, each N metal layer is connected in series. The purpose of increasing N is to decrease the amount of current needed to induce a given magnetic field for switching the MRAM device. Hence, the current needed to produce a given magnetic field to program the MRAM device is reduced by a factor of N. Thus, the MRAM device can be programmed with less power and, consequently, is more compatible with CMOS technology and portable applications.

Conductive line with multiple turns for programming a MRAM device


Compounds, compositions, and methods are provided for treatment of disorders related to mitochondrial dysfunction. The methods comprise administering to a mammal a composition containing pyrimidien nucleotide precursors in amounts sufficient to treat symptoms resulting from mitochondrial respiratory chain deficiencies.

Mitochondria are cellular organelles present in most eukaryotic cells. One of their primary functions is oxidative phosphorylation, a process through which energy derived from metabolism of fuels like glucose or fatty acids is converted to ATP, which is then used to drive various energy-requiring biosynthetic reactions and other metabolic activities. Mitochondria have their own genomes, separate from nuclear DNA, comprising rings of DNA with about 16,000 base pairs in human cells. Each mitochondrion may have multiple copies of its genome, and individual cells may have hundreds of mitochondria.
Mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to various disease states. Some mitochondrial diseases are due to mutations or deletions in the mitochondrial genome. Mitochondria divide and proliferate with a faster turnover rate than their host cells, and their replication is under control of the nuclear genome. If a threshold proportion of mitochondria in a cell is defective, and if a threshold proportion of such cells within a tissue have defective mitochondria, symptoms of tissue or organ dysfunction can result. Practically any tissue can be affected, and a large variety of symptoms may be present, depending on the extent to which different tissues are involved.
A fertilized ovum might contain both normal and genetically defective mitochondria. The segregation of defective mitochondria into different tissues during division of this ovum is a stochastic process, as will be the ratio of defective to normal mitochondria within a given tissue or cell (although there can be positive or negative selection for defective mitochondrial genomes during mitochondrial turnover within cells). Thus, a variety of different pathologic phenotypes can emerge out of a particular point mutation in mitochondrial DNA. Conversely, similar phenotypes can emerge from mutations or deletions affecting different genes within mitochondrial DNA. Clinical symptoms in congenital mitochondrial diseases often manifest in postmitotic tissues with high energy demands like brain, muscle, optic nerve, and myocardium, but other tissues including endocrine glands, liver, gastrointestinal tract, kidney, and hematopoietic tissue are also involved, again depending in part on the segregation of mitochondria during development, and on the dynamics of mitochondrial turnover over time.
In addition to congenital disorders involving inherited defective mitochondria, acquired mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to diseases, particularly neurodegenerative disorders associated with aging like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, Huntington's Diseases. The incidence of somatic mutations in mitochondrial DNA rises exponentially with age; diminished respiratory chain activity is found universally in aging people. Mitochondrial dysfunction is also implicated in excitotoxic neuronal injury, such as that associated with seizures or ischemia.
Treatment of diseases involving mitochondrial dysfunction has heretofore involved administration of vitamins and cofactors used by particular elements of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. Coenzyme Q (ubiquinone), nicotinamide, riboflavin, carnitine, biotin, and lipoic acid are used in patients with mitochondrial disease, with occasional benefit, especially in disorders directly stemming from primary deficiencies of one of these cofactors. However, while useful in isolated cases, no such metabolic cofactors or vitamins have been shown to have general utility in clinical practice in treating mitochondrial diseases. Similarly, dichloracetic acid (DCA) has been used to treat mitochondrial cytopathies such as MELAS; DCA inhibits lactate formation and is primarily useful in cases of mitochondrial diseases where excessive lactate accumulation itself is contributing to symptoms. However, DCA does not address symptoms related to mitochondrial insufficiency per se and can be toxic to some patients, depending on the underlying molecular defects.
Mitochondrial diseases comprise disorders caused by a huge variety of molecular lesions or defects, with the phenotypic expression of disease further complicated by stochastic distributions of defective mitochondria in different tissues.
Commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,583,117 discloses acylated derivatives of cytidine and uridine. Commonly owned application PCT/US 96/10067 discloses the use of acylated pyrimidine nucleosides to reduce the toxicity of chemotherapeutic and antiviral pyrimidine nucleoside analogs.

Compositions and methods for treatment of mitochondrial diseases


A method of supporting a workpiece on a fixture, the workpiece having a first surface and an opposite second surface, and an aperture positioned at a center of the first surface and extending from the first surface to the second surface the fixture having a first end, an opposite second end, and a center portion, the center portion comprising a supporting surface, the second end being adapted to be mounted in a lathe, the supporting surface comprising an annular recess, the annular recess accommodating a supporting medium, the second surface of the workpiece being in intimate contact with the supporting medium, the method comprising the steps of:                (i) mounting the fixture in the lathe;        (ii) locating the aperture on the first end of the fixture; and        (iii) securing the workpiece on the fixture, with the second surface of the workpiece being coplanar with the supporting surface of the fixture.

The manufacture of axially thin components on a lathe or other turning centre is problematic due to the risk of the cutting tool producing unwanted deformation of the workpiece component. This results in dimensional inaccuracies in the finished component.
One solution to this problem is the use of a twin facing lathe in which two opposing axial faces of a thin component are machined simultaneously, with the two cutting tools being radially coincident with one another. In this way any unbalanced axial force caused by one cutting tool is balanced by a corresponding opposing force produced by the second opposing cutting tool.
One example of such a twin facing lathe is the Heynudisc™ machine produced by Heyligenstaedt GmbH (www.heyligenstaedt.de).
However, twin facing lathes, such as those produced by Heyligenstaedt GmbH are physically large and complex machines which are expensive to purchase, and their operation and maintenance requires skilled operatives.

Method and apparatus for forming thin discs


High-precision floating-point function estimates are split in two instructions each: a low precision table lookup instruction and a linear interpolation instruction. Estimates of different functions can be implemented using this scheme: A separate table-lookup instruction is provided for each different function, while only a single interpolation instruction is needed, since the single interpolation instruction can perform the interpolation step for any of the functions to be estimated. Thus, significantly less overhead is incurred than would be incurred with specialized hardware, while still maintaining a uniform FPU latency, which allows for much simpler control logic.

1. Technical Field
The present invention is related generally to the architecture and instruction sets of processors, such as a microprocessor, microcontroller, or digital signal processor. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a processor having efficient instructions for estimating the values of certain floating-point functions.
2. Background Art
Many processor architectures, such as the PowerPC™ processor architecture, support estimate instructions for reciprocal and reciprocal square root as an extension of a fused multiply-add floating-point unit (FPU). For such estimate instructions the primary design goals are twofold: The estimate should be of a relatively high precision, so that with one iteration step of a numerical approximation algorithm, such as Newton-Raphson, one can get to full single precision accuracy or at least close to full precision. It should be possible to implement the estimate instructions with little hardware overhead and with little impact on the processor's cycle time and pipeline structure. In particular, the design should not increase the pipeline depth of the FPU for any non-estimate instruction.
There are a number of different ways in which such an estimate instruction might be implemented. One way is to simply look up the estimate in a table. The usefulness of this technique, however, is limited, since the level of precision available is limited by the size of the table. To achieve a desirable level of accuracy, a very large table would be needed (which would be expensive in terms of the hardware needed to store the table).
A conventional implementation for such estimate instructions therefore consists of two steps: First, a table lookup provides a base value and a slope. Then, the base and slope values are used to linearly interpolate an estimate with the desired precision. Since the table lookup is followed by an interpolation step, the results of the table lookup can have a low precision, and therefore the required table is much smaller than would be necessary for a direct table lookup without interpolation.
In this two-step procedure, the interpolation can either be executed using the general-purpose FPU hardware of the processor or by adding specialized hardware for computing the interpolation. When the general-purpose FPU datapaths are used, the estimate instruction turns out to have a longer latency than a basic fused multiply-add instruction. That adds complexity to the processor's control logic, since it means that the latency of the FPU will vary according to the instruction type. Some existing implementations avoid this complexity at the expense of performance by assuming a single FPU latency and stalling the execution for the additional cycles while executing an estimate instruction. Furthermore, the longer latency can cause significant hardware overhead in the instruction issue and dependency check hardware.
As suggested above, the interpolation step does not require a full general-purpose FPU. Instead, it can be executed with a multiplier of reduced size, an adder, and some additional logic. With this specialized hardware, the interpolation step can be processed much more quickly than with a general-purpose FPU, i.e., the latency of the estimate instruction approaches that of a regular multiply-add instruction. The obvious drawback of this solution is the extra hardware required to speed-up the interpolation step.
What is needed, therefore, is a processor design in which floating-point function estimate instructions can be implemented without incurring significant costs in terms of performance and hardware complexity. The present invention provides a solution to these and other problems, and offers other advantages over previous solutions.

Processor having efficient function estimate instructions

International Business Machines Corporation


A technique to monitor events within a computer system or integrated circuit. In one embodiment, a software-accessible event monitoring storage and hardware-specific monitoring logic are selectable and their corresponding outputs may be monitored by accessing a counter to count events corresponding to each of software-accessible storage and hardware-specific monitoring logic.

Computer programs have benefited from performance and event monitoring in order to optimize code, provide performance information, and improve computing efficiency. Some prior art techniques may require function-specific hardware to monitor a particular activity, such as cache misses. This can be somewhat limiting and an inefficient use of hardware resources.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Technique for monitoring activity within an integrated circuit


A power tool having a rotary impact mechanism and a mode change mechanism. The impact mechanism is driven by an output member of a transmission and includes a hammer and an anvil. The mode change mechanism includes a mode collar that is movable between a first position, in which the mode collar directly couples the hammer to the transmission output member to inhibit movement of the hammer relative to the spindle, and a second position in which the mode collar does not inhibit movement of the hammer relative to the spindle. A power tool having an impact mechanism with an external adjusting member that can be moved to vary a trip torque of the impact mechanism is also provided.

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,124,839, JP 6-182674, JP 7-148669, JP 2001-88051 and JP 2001-88052 disclose hybrid impact tools. While such tools can be effective for their intended purpose, there remains a need in the art for an improved hybrid impact tool.


A radio communication apparatus for transmitting and receiving a digital signal using a radio line which includes a memory means for storing a plurality of signal procedures in which each procedure has different ratio of the information code bits and error correction code bits.. A signal processing circuit executes one of the procedures stored in the memory means according to line quality. Accordingly, the radio communication apparatus of the present invention selects the optimum procedure according to the line quality, and then reduces the consumed power.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a radio communication apparatus which is applicable to a mobile station in a digital mobile radio communication system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of a conventional radio communication apparatus which is applied to a mobile station in a digital mobile radio communication system. In FIG. 4, an analog output voice signal from a microphone 1 is converted to a digital signal in a linear codec 3. A digital signal processor (DSP) 4 executes a coding process, a data compression process and an error correction process according to the voice coding procedure stored in a ROM 50 and outputs a coded data to a radio modem 6. The radio modem 6 modulates the coding data received from DSP 4 according to the indication from a control circuit 90, which controls the devices in the radio communication apparatus, and transmits the modulated radio signal to the base station (not shown) via an antenna 7.
In the case of receiving the radio signal from the base station, the input radio signal is input to the radio modem 6 via the antenna 7. The radio modem 6 demodulates the modulated signal and sends the demodulated signal to the DSP 4. The DSP 4 decodes the coded signal according to the voice decoding procedure stored in the a ROM 50. The control circuit 4 sends the decoded digital signal to the linear codec 3. The linear codec 3 converts the decoded digital signal to an analog signal and send it to the speaker 2. The speaker 2 converts the analog signal to a voice output.
A line quality monitor 8 measures the line quality of the received signal via radio modem 6 and sends the information regarding to the line quality to the control circuit 90. The control circuit 90 selects the signal coding/decoding procedures and other related parameters.
An example of the voice coding/decoding procedure is the Vector Sum Exited Linear Prediction (VSELP) system which is adapted in the U.S.A. digital cellular system according to the IS-54 regulation of Telecommunication Industry Association (TIS). In the above system, the code bit rate of the code data is 8 K bits per sec (Kbs) for voice coding and 5 Kbs for coding of the error correcting. Therefore the systems according to the regulation can maintain the voice quality above a certain standard level even if the line quality is very poor. But, in the above system, the error correcting code bit occupies a very large number of bits compared to the voice code bit.
As discussed above, this system is designed to be applied in a very poor line quality condition. Therefore, if the line quality is good, the systems has over-correction bits for the transmission signal. Accordingly, the system incorporates the excessive correcting capability and the DSP 4 consumes a large amount of power.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a radio communication apparatus which selects a suitable procedure according to the line quality.
It is further object of the present invention is to provide a radio communication apparatus which reduces the consumed power in the case of good line quality.

Radio communication apparatus with stored coding/decoding procedures


An apparatus for measuring the electrical time constant of the quadrature-axis damper of a synchronous machine is designed such that a voltage from a d.c. power source is applied by switching to armature windings of two. phases, so that an armature current rises and thereafter maintains a constant value. A current induced on a quadrature-axis damper diminishes at a rate determined by the quadrature-axis damper time constant, and this decreasing current and the constant armature current flow inside the synchronous machine to produce a constant resistance drop by resistance of the armature windings and the armature current. In this time, the length of time length until the voltage waveform falls to a prescribed level is measured as the time constant of the quadrature-axis damper with such a measuring device as an electromagnetic oscilloscope.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for measuring the electrical time constant of the quadrature-axis damper of a synchronous machine among machine parameters needed for the computation in its control operation based on vector control, the measurement being implemented in the stage of the sole machine test during the assembly of the machine in the factory.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There is no test method available for directly measuring the electrical time constant of the quadrature-axis damper of a synchronous machine. For example, a publication "Procedure of Testing a Synchronous Machine, Part 1 through Part 4", published by The Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan, does not describe any technique for directly measuring the electrical time constant of the quadrature-axis damper of a synchronous machine. A method of indirect measurement is conceivable in that the damper is regarded as a secondary conductor of an induction motor, the input power is measured in a lock test, the equivalent resistance which matches the input power is calculated and the quadrature-axis damper electrical time constant is finally obtained from the ratio of the equivalent resistance to the armature reaction inductance which is evaluated separately. However, a model of the synchronous machine used in the control computation, which is the inherent purpose, does not match with a model of the synchronous machine in the indirect measuring method based on the conversion of input power, and therefore the quadrature-axis damper electrical time constant cannot be settled.
Moreover, the damper electrical time constant needed in the control computation is the time constant in a macroscopic sense resulting from the treatment of unbalanced multi-phase windings formed of multiple conductor bars embedded in the core of magnetic poles of the synchronous machine. Accordingly, evaluating the inductance and resistance sequentially and calculating their ratio for obtaining the electrical time constant, which is the case relevant to the usual concentrated circuit parameter system, cannot be applied to the present situation.
Conventionally, synchronous machines have been used as generators and motors operated at constant revolving speeds. These machines are provided with dampers for a purpose of suppressing speed fluctuation and for the additional purpose of producing a starting torque by utilizing it as a cage rotor of induction motor. In such circumstances of dampers, it has not been necessary to know the value of the damper electrical time constant, and accordingly there has been no need to measure the damper electrical time constant directly.
Due to the conventional state of measuring methods intended for the evaluation of the quadrature-axis damper electrical time constant of a synchronous machine as described above, it has not been possible for the implementation of high-accuracy control called "vector control" to assess the damper electrical time constant as one of machine parameters used by the controller. On this account, it has been necessary to have iterative operation tests for the machine and controller in combination thereby to improve the control performance by narrowing the assessment of electrical time constant, resulting unfavorably in an excessive expenditure of time and cost for this test step.
Another problem is that the accurate evaluation of the quadrature-axis damper electrical time constant is required at the stage of testing a single machine immediately after it has been assembled in the factory, so that the optimal value of machine electrical time constant, which has great significance for the accuracy of control computation, is set to the controller in order to accomplish high-accuracy control.

Apparatus for measuring the electrical time constant of the quadrature-axis damper of a synchronous machine


A transfer unit and an image output control unit are provided in order to check and prevent any alteration or forgery of image file data in a memory card. The transfer unit transfers a digital signature of the image file data stored in the memory card, a secret key used for the digital signature or a public key paired to the secret key, together with the image file data and a property file, to an image control apparatus. The image output control unit controls an image output in accordance with the information transferred by the transfer unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing system, an image processing method, a memory card and a storage medium, and more particularly to an image processing system and method capable of improving the reliability of image file data by using a digital signature.
2. Related Background Art
In image processing systems and methods practically used nowadays, data generated by a personal computer (hereinafter, abbreviated as PC), an electronic pocketbook, a digital camera or the like is once transferred to and stored in a storage medium and thereafter, the storage medium is connected to an image control device to facilitate printing.
Such data includes output image file data as well as a property file describing which image is output in accordance with what output specifications.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an image processing system disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 10-226117.
This image processing system has an image input/output unit (main) body 61, an image input/output control device 62, an image input/output instruction key 63, a memory card I/F unit 64 and a memory card 65.
The image input/output control device 62 reads image file data and a property file from the memory card 65 in order to execute an image output process. The property file is included in the image file data and describes what data is to be transferred to the image input/output unit body 61 in accordance with what output specifications to form an image.
Such a conventional image output method is, however, associated with a problem that even if image file data stored in a memory card is altered or forged, it is not possible to discriminate between original data and altered or forged data and to verify the image file data.
Another problem is that if a third party has the memory card, data in this card may be used illegally. Namely, the problem is a lack of security of data in the memory card and inability to guarantee data reliability.
By storing property information designating an image output format in a memory card, an image in a format intended by a distributor (writer) can be supplied. Such format includes, for example, to record which image or images are recorded on a single sheet, to output an image at each designated resolution, to combine an additional image representative of an image proprietor, and the like. However, in this case, if data is altered, the format intended by the distributor cannot be supplied.
This may pose another problem if a copyrighted image is to be distributed.
On the image reception side, an image not guaranteed as genuine may be output.

Image processing system and method, memory card, and storage medium


A preform element, for example for use as a cutting element on a rotary drag-type drill bit, includes a facing table of superhard material having a front face and a rear face bonded to the front face of a substrate which is less hard than the superhard material. The rear face of the facing table comprises a surface formed with a plurality of spaced protuberances and a plurality of spaced sockets, and the front face of the substrate comprises a surface which is bonded to the surface of the facing table and is formed with a plurality of spaced protuberances which are bonded within said sockets in the facing table, and a plurality of spaced sockets within which are bonded said protuberances on the facing table.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to elements faced with superhard material and, more particularly, to preform elements comprising a facing table of superhard material having a front face, a peripheral surface, and a rear surface bonded to a substrate of material which is less hard than the superhard material.
2. Description of Related Art
Preform elements of this kind are often used as cutting elements on rotary drag-type drill bits, and the present invention will be particularly described in relation to such use. However, the invention is not restricted to cutting elements for this particular use, and may relate to preform elements for other purposes, for example as cutters on roller cone and percussive (hammer) bits. Also, elements faced with superhard material, of the kind referred to, may also be employed in workpiece-shaping tools, high pressure nozzles, wire-drawing dies, bearings and other parts subject to sliding wear, as well as elements subject to percussive loads as may be the case in tappets, cams, cam followers, and similar devices in which a surface of high wear resistance is required.
Preform elements used as cutting elements in rotary drill bits usually have a facing table of polycrystalline diamond, although other superhard materials are available, such as cubic boron nitride. The substrate of less hard material is often formed from cemented tungsten carbide, and the facing table and substrate are bonded together during formation of the element in a high pressure, high temperature forming press. This forming process is well known and will not be described in detail.
Each preform cutting element may be mounted on a carrier in the form of a generally cylindrical stud or post received in a socket in the body of the drill bit. The carrier is often formed from cemented tungsten carbide, the surface of the substrate being brazed to a surface on the carrier, for example by a process known as "LS bonding". Alternatively, the substrate itself may be of sufficient thickness as to provide, in effect, a cylindrical stud which is sufficiently long to be directly received in a socket in the bit body, without being brazed to a carrier. The bit body itself may be machined from metal, usually steel, or may be molded using a powder metallurgy process.
Such cutting elements are subjected to extremes of pressure and temperature during formation, high temperature during mounting on the bit body, and are also subjected to high temperatures and heavy loads when the drill is in use down a borehole. It is found that as a result of such conditions spalling and delamination of the superhard facing table can occur, that is to say the separation and loss of the diamond or other superhard material over the cutting surface of the table. This may also occur in preform elements used for other purposes, and particularly where the elements are subjected to repetitive percussive loads, as in tappets and cam mechanisms.
Commonly, in preform elements of the above type the interface between the superhard table and the substrate has usually been flat and planar. However, particularly in cutting elements for drill bits, attempts have been made to improve the bond between the superhard facing table and the substrate by configuring the rear face of the facing table so as to provide a degree of mechanical interlocking between the facing table and substrate.
One such arrangement is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,120,327 where the rear surface of the facing table is integrally formed with a plurality of identical spaced apart parallel ribs of constant depth. The facing table also includes a peripheral ring of greater thickness, the extremities of the parallel ribs intersecting the surrounding ring. U.S. Pat. No. 4,784,023 illustrates a similar arrangement but without the peripheral ring.
British Patent Application No. 9422427.6 describes numerous types of preform element where the rear surface of the facing table is integrally formed with a plurality of ribs which project into the substrate and extend in directions outwardly away from an inner area of the facing table towards the peripheral surface of the table.
British Patent Application No. 9422426.8 describes arrangements where the rear surface of the facing table is integrally formed with a plurality of protuberances which project into the substrate, the depth to which at least certain of the protuberances project into the substrate varying in irregular manner across the facing table. The protuberances may themselves be irregular in size, shape and distribution over the facing table, or they may be arranged in more regular fashion, for example comprising ribs which are parallel or which extend outwardly from a central region of the facing table.


Provided is a method for classifying severe cognitive impairment patients by analyzing electroencephalogram (EEG) data. The method of classifying severe cognitive impairment patients by analyzing EEG data includes a brainwave collection step of collecting EEG data on a plurality of users, a first classification step of classifying the plurality of users into a severe cognitive impairment group or a non-severe cognitive impairment group by analyzing the collected EEG data, a second classification step of classifying users included in the non-severe cognitive impairment group into a normal group or an amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) group, and a third classification group of classifying users included in the normal group into a within normal limits (WNL) group or a preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD) group and classifying users included in the aMCI group into a non-AD MCI group or a prodromal AD group.

Dementia refers to symptoms caused by brain diseases.
Dementia is a state of inability to perform daily activities due to a decrease in cognitive ability. When dementia progresses, thinking, behavior, and performance of daily living are affected. Doctors diagnose dementia when two or more cognitive functions (e.g., including memory, language skills, information comprehension, spatial functioning, judgment, and attention) are damaged.
People with dementia may have difficulty in solving problems and controlling their emotions and may experience personality changes. Exact symptoms experienced by people with dementia depend on which part of the brain is damaged by a disease that causes dementia. In various types of dementia, some of nerve cells in the brain stop functioning and lose connections to other cells, which leads to death. Usually, dementia progresses steadily. In other words, dementia gradually spreads to the brain, and the person's symptoms worsen over time.
In South Korea, about 290,000 or 9.5% of the elderly population over 65 are suffering from senile dementia, and 73% of them, 180,000, are seriously ill, such as habitually wandering the streets.
Since no effective medicine for dementia has been developed yet, prevention and management of dementia following early detection are most important. Until now, dementia diagnosis mainly relies on neuropsychological tests. As an auxiliary means, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (tests for brain deformity such as cerebral atrophy), positron emission tomography (PET) (tests for an amyloid deposition level), or the like is used, but the test cost is high. A cerebrospinal fluid test (measuring the amount of amyloid or tau protein) is an invasive method, and patients are reluctant to do the test.
To solve these problems, according to the conventional art, a dementia diagnosis platform based on electroencephalogram (EEG) data analysis was developed in which it is determined whether a patient is a patient with dementia by analyzing the patient's EEG data (e.g., analyzing whether the EEG data corresponds to that of people with dementia or that of normal people).
However, the conventional dementia diagnosis platform merely corresponds to a technology for classifying whether a patient is in a normal state or a demential state, that is, simply and dichotomically dividing cases into the normal state and the demential state, by analyzing EEG data. Therefore, it is possible to identify a patient who is currently suffering from dementia symptoms, but it is impossible to screen users who are in the normal state but may develop dementia.

Method, server, and computer program for classifying severe cognitive impairment patients by analyzing EEG data


An image forming apparatus includes a heating element, an interior temperature/humidity detection section, and a controller. The heating element is conducted during connection of the image forming apparatus to an external power source to heat an image bearing member. The interior temperature/humidity detection section detects temperature and humidity in the interior of the image forming apparatus. The controller performs a refresh operation when a relative humidity calculated on the basis of the temperature and humidity detected by the interior temperature/humidity detection section immediately after the image forming apparatus is connected to the external power source is higher than the preset value. The refresh operation is an operation for supply of developer from a development device to the image bearing member and for polish of the surface of the image bearing member with the use of a polishing member.

The present disclosure relates to image forming apparatuses, such as electrographic copiers, printers, facsimile machines, multifunction peripherals including two or more of them, etc. and methods for reducing image deletion.
Recently, amorphous silicon (a-Si) photosensitive drums are widely used as image bearing members for image forming apparatuses that employ an electrographic process. An a-Si photosensitive drum is high in hardness and has excellent durability. Accordingly, the characteristics as a photoreceptor may hardly degrade even after long term use and can maintain high image quality. In other words, its running cost may be low, and handling may be easy. Further, it can exhibit greater safety in environment. The a-Si photosensitive drum is an excellent image bearing member.
It has been known that image deletion is liable to be caused in an image forming apparatus with the a-Si photosensitive drum because of its characteristics. The image deletion means a phenomenon that toner runs around an image. The image deletion occurs in a way that an ion generating substance adhering to the photosensitive drum takes moisture in the air. Specifically, when the surface of the photosensitive drum is electrically charged with the use of a charger, nitrogen oxide (NOx) adheres to the surface of the photosensitive drum to take the moisture in the air. As a result, image deletion may be caused around the edge of an electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum.
Various methods for reducing occurrence of image deletion have been proposed. For example, a heating element (heater) is provided in the interior of the photosensitive drum. The heater generates heat on the basis of the temperature and humidity detected by a temperature/humidity sensor in the apparatus. This can evaporate the moisture adhering to the surface of the photosensitive drum, thereby reducing occurrence of image deletion.
Alternatively, some image forming apparatus includes a static eliminating section. The static eliminating section causes a light emitting element mounted on one of the surfaces of a substrate to emit light to irradiate the light to the photosensitive drum, thereby eliminating static electricity on the photosensitive drum. A heating element to heat the photosensitive drum is provided on the other surface of the substrate. Thus, occurrence of image deletion can be reduced.

Image forming apparatus and image deletion reducing method


Transcoder apparatus for transcoding an input video bit-stream having a first encoding profile (e.g., MPEG-2) into an output video bit-stream having a second encoding profile (e.g., H.264), the first encoding profile including motion estimation information, the apparatus including: a front-end for extracting the motion estimation information from the input video bit-stream, and a back-end for constructing the output bit-stream. The front-end and the back-end of the apparatus are interconnected (e.g., via a buffer) to pass the motion estimation information from the front-end to the back-end, thereby avoiding motion estimation in constructing the output bit-stream at the apparatus back-end.

1. Field of the Invention
This disclosure relates to techniques for transcoding compressed video signals, including application in transcoding an MPEG-2 Main Profile bit-stream into an H.264 Main Profile bit-stream.
Reference to this possible application is not however to be construed in a limiting sense of the scope of the invention.
2. Description of the Related Art
The video coding scheme known as MPEG-2, developed ten years ago, is the current standard for digital video transmission at mid/high bit-rates.
Since 1995, after the finalization of MPEG-4 and H.263, the evolution of digital video communication and compression techniques has led to the introduction of the new H.264 standard (also known as Advanced Video Coding (AVC), or MPEG-4 part 10). In comparison with MPEG-2 and MPEG4, H.264 has a wider application spectrum, ranging from broadcast High Definition Television (HDTV) transmission, to High Definition Digital Versatile Disc (HD DVD), mobile phone and video streaming. In fact, H.264 delivers much higher compression at the same image quality of MPEG-2 and H.263
Nowadays, thanks to digital TV and DVD, the MPEG-2 format is widely used for broadcast and consumer application. MPEG-2 coded material is already extensively present in many homes, in the form of DVD movies or personal videos from portable digital cameras. New video storage and diffusion scenarios are now present, with different requirements in terms of high definition TV (broadcast) and video streaming on small networks (home). The new H.264 codec is quite likely to be the choice for the coming years for all these new applications, thanks to its basic ability in compressing video sequences much more effectively than "old" standards.
In view of the foregoing, all of the MPEG-2 material previously created, broadcast or stored has to be taken into account in this new scenario. Specifically, the need is felt of compatibility with the new standard for carriers still the using MPEG-2 standard by permitting e.g., MPEG-2 to H.264 transcoding.

Method for transcoding compressed video signals, related apparatus and computer program product therefor


An improved, optimized industrial process has been found for the hydrogenation of organic nitrites into primary amines, which essentially consists of contacting a dried charge of at least one organic nitrile, aqueous alkali metal hydroxide, at least one Raney slurry hydrogenation catalyst, water and hydrogen for an effective time and at an effective temperature and pressure, wherein the improvements comprise eliminating the steps of drying the charge and adding water and reducing the required water to about 0.2%. Secondary and tertiary amine formation is low, as is moisture content and neither precious metals such as rhodium, nor strategic metals, such as cobalt nor ammonia gas nor solvents are required. Surprisingly, it has been found that water levels less than that taught in the prior art are effective at suppressing secondary and tertiary amine production, while still producing repeatable product on an industrial scale and with reduced cycle time, energy and catalyst charge.

Hydrogenation of organic nitriles to primary amines, as aminomethyl groups, can be accomplished via the use of a Raney sponge nickel or cobalt aqueous slurry catalyst or precious metal catalysts. The nitrile and catalyst are charged into a stirred autoclave, oxygen is removed by reducing pressure or applying heat or both or by sparging with hydrogen or an inert gas, the autoclave is pressurized with hydrogen and heated to temperature. After completion of the reaction the primary amine is separated from the slurry catalyst by decantation or filtration. Fixed bed reactors have been used in an analogous way. Unfortunately, this process, without more, often produces undesirable quantities of secondary and tertiary amines, also known as "heavies." Attempts to reduce the amount of secondary and tertiary amines have generally involved the use of additives to the initial charge. For instance, when 25% nitrile in an ether solvent is hydrogenated in the presence of 5 to 15% water, catalyst and ammonia has been found to yield about 93% primary amine. Consider also, that when an aliphatic dinitrile is hydrogenated in the presence of water, 1 to about 100 wt. % ammonia based on nitrile and catalyst, that the heavies can be as low as 2.3% at maximal ammonia usage. In a different lab, a rhodium catalyst was used in conjunction with water, an alkali metal hydroxide and an immiscible organic solvent such as alkanes, aromatic or alicyclic hydrocarbons to hydrogenate an organic nitrile group. If hydrogen cyanide is not objected to, the cautious investigator may find it of interest that the hydrogenation of acetonitrile to ethylamine in basic aqueous solution may be carried out in its presence. Additionally, Raney cobalt, in combination with 0.5 to 4% water may be used to produce C4 to C12 amines.
Perhaps the prototypical prior art process for the hydrogenation of fatty acid nitrites is as follows: fatty acid nitrile is mixed with 1-2 wt. % water, 0.1 wt. % alkali metal hydroxide, Raney nickel catalyst, sparged with hydrogen to remove dissolved oxygen, and hydrogenated at 200 psi at 140.degree. C. for 110 minutes to yield fatty amine at 78% yield.
In a prior art industrial (ca. 5 mt capacity) autoclave process to produce a primary amine, dimer diamine from an organic nitrile, dimer dinitrile, an autoclave was fed an approx. 4200 kg charge that ultimately comprised dimer dinitrile, about 0.8 wt. % water, about 0.1 wt. % sodium hydroxide (about 16% of catalyst) and about 2 to about 2.4 wt. % Raney nickel. The process comprised the following steps:
1) Charging the organic nitrile to an autoclave. PA1 2) Removing oxygen from the organic nitrile, in this reactor, by heating the dimer nitrile under vacuum and breaking vacuum with an inert gas such as nitrogen. PA1 3) Adding Raney catalyst slurry and aqueous alkali metal hydroxide, about 0.2 wt. % of about 50 wt% sodium hydroxide, under the inert gas blanket. PA1 4) Drying the charge to less than about 0.1 wt. % moisture, in this reactor by pulling a vacuum of at least about 686 mmHg and heating to about 127.degree. C. PA1 5) Cooling the autoclave to below the boiling point of water, about 88.degree. C. PA1 6) Adding water, about 0.77 wt. %, to the charge. PA1 7) Pressurizing with hydrogen, to about 200 to about 400 psi. PA1 8) Heating the converter, to about 160.degree. C. PA1 9) Controlling the reaction exotherm that occurs by, for instance, restricting hydrogen feed and using cooling water. PA1 10) Cooling the resulting amine when the reaction is complete PA1 11) Separating the primary amine from the catalyst, by filtering or decanting, to obtain the desired primary amine product, which may then be optionally distilled.
Total amines yield is greater than 95%. The product specifications are a primary amine value of 185 minimum and a secondary plus tertiary amine value of 15 maximum. The dimer amine typically obtained contains 3-4% moisture and 5% secondary and tertiary amines, for a process yield of about 91% primary amine. The product typically has an amine value of about 191 and a secondary plus tertiary amine value of about 2.5 to 3.5% and a Gardner color of about 9.7.
Note here that water is being added to the initial charge from the sodium hydroxide solution and from the catalyst, as Raney nickel catalyst is shipped as a nickel sponge powder slurry in 50% water to avoid pyrophoric ignition. The water is present as a supernatant fluid which is decanted prior to adding catalyst to the charge. Variability in the settling and compaction of the catalyst leads to some uncertainty as to exactly how much water is being added to the charge, perhaps explaining the current industry practice to dry the charge, to get a consistent baseline, and then to add back a specific amount of water, so as to get repeatability in the process and product. While the percent variability in the water charge may not be high when the water content in the catalyst is low compared to the total added water desired, a high amount of water in the charge is not desirable when low-moisture content product is desired, such as when the product is intended for use in making polyurethanes.

Process to hydrogenate organic nitriles to primary amines


The apparatus for controlling the tracking balance of the optical disk player generates a tracking balance control signal removing a DC component from a tracking error caused by installing positions of a disk, a photo diode, a laser diode, and an object lens. A feed-back signal which is generated in a control part controls the tracking balance control signal. The control part measures a duration time of logic high from a logic error signal obtained from the tracking error signal and counts the number of the logic high which is in the predetermined time duration. When the counted value is equal to or smaller than a predetermined number, the feed-back signal for correcting the tracking balance is generated.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical disk player, and more particularly to an apparatus and method for controlling a tracking balance of an optical disk player which automatically controls a tracking error due to installing positions of a disk, a photo diode, a laser diode, and an object lens.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Data recording/reproducing apparatuses using optical disks such as a laser disk and a compact disk have been commercially available in recent years. In the compact disk, a signal is recorded on a track arranged helical in a direction from an inner side toward an outer side, of which the distance between adjacent tracks, i.e., track pitch of a high density, is about 1.6 .mu.m. In order to record or read out data from the optical disk, a laser beam is irradiated onto a data recording track and the quantity of the light reflected from the disk is converted into an electric signal, thereby reading the data. When the tracks are helical formed on the optical disk, since the sectors of a single track are not equidistant from the center of the rotation of the disk due to an eccentricity on the disk, tracking control is necessary in the read mode to accurately irradiate the track with a laser beam. Even if the tracks are concentrically formed, sectors of a single track are not equidistant from the center of the rotation of the disk due to the eccentricity in the disk, and therefore, tracking control is essential. It is necessary to control the position of the laser beam to be incident on the track of turning disk.
On the other hand, a motor for turning a compact disk causes a phenomenon that moves the track inwardly and outwardly at the time of turning, and therefore the pick-up follows this and a device controls positioning on a proper track which is called a tracking servo. A servo error signal for indicating how much deviation from an optimum state occurred is required for all servos. The compact disk player applies various optical methods to produce the servo error. This tracking control has been conventionally performed by a one beam method using a single laser beam or a three beam method wherein the single laser beam is separated into three beams. The three beam method is more often used because it is more stable for the tilting of a disk or the defect of a disk than the one beam method. One example of this three beam tracking method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,128,914.
However, during the process to perform the tracking servo by using the three beam system, it is difficult to accurately correct the tracking servo when the tracking servo is unbalanced during the turning of the optical disk because the tracking error caused by the lens is fixed value at the time to make the tracking servo.

Apparatus and method for controlling a tracking balance of an optical disk player


A concrete finishing attachment for final finishing or troweling of concrete using a portable hand power tool, such as an angle grinder, comprised of a central hub formed into a frustrum shape with a hole located centrally for registration with the spindle or arbor of the tool, and having a plurality of vanes, preferably four, disposed radially around the perimeter of the hub. Each vane has a leading stabilizer, followed by an inclined tab orientated obliquely downward relative to the stabilizer, followed by a finishing blade oriented obliquely upward relative to the inclined tab, but still obliquely downward at a slight angle. Each vane engages with the hub along the inner edge of the arc sector formed by the stabilizer. The concrete finishing attachment is used by registering the spindle of the power tool with the hole in the hub and securing with a nut or other means.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable tool for hand-finishing concrete. In particular, the invention relates to a rotary attachment to a hand-held powered tool for finishing concrete.
2. Description of the Related Art
Construction of buildings and other civil works typically involve the use of concrete. Construction using concrete involves the tasks of first placing and then, usually, finishing the concrete. Placing concrete involves pouring or otherwise placing concrete, while in a fluid state, into forms having the desired shape of the finished, cured concrete product. Finishing concrete involves treatment of the exposed surface of the concreted after pouring into the forms to achieve a desired texture and surface hardness.
Concrete is a mixture of cement, aggregates and water. The aggregates are comprised of various grades of sand or gravel, and are selected dependant upon the desired final properties, such as strength, smoothness and cost of the final concrete product. The cement acts as a binder between the aggregate particles. The cement, typically Portland cement, is comprised principally of calcium oxide, which is produced by roasting calcium carbonate, found in common minerals such as limestone and chalk. When the finished cement is mixed with water, the calcium oxide undergoes the chemical reaction of hydration, producing a hard crystalline structure around the particles of the aggregate, cementing them together.
The first step in the concrete construction process is to mix the concrete ingredients. Cement, water and aggregates are placed in a mixer and blended to evenly disperse the ingredients and thoroughly wet the cement, producing a fluid slurry. The mixing process can be accomplished at the construction site by mixing the ingredients in a portable cement mixer. More commonly, though, it is accomplished in a concrete mixing truck at a central plant. The concrete ingredients are added to the truck at the central plant, and the ingredients are mixed and blended while the truck is en route to the construction site.
Once the concrete is mixed and transported to the construction site, the concrete still in a slurry state, is placed within pre-constructed forms. Once placed within forms, the concrete is consolidated and finished. Consolidating the concrete is accomplished using a solid or vibratory rod which is inserted into the placed concrete, and assures that the concrete slurry fills all voids within the concrete forms and no air bubbler or rock pockets remain.
The final step in concrete construction is finishing of the placed, consolidated concrete. Finishing typically involves the steps of screeding, floating and troweling the concrete. Screeding involves leveling the surface of the poured concrete slurry across the top edges of the forms, producing a flat, though rough surface. Screeding removes any humps or hills and fills in any depressions or voids in the surface. Screeding is following by floating, a process which provides a smoother, harder surface than that remaining after the screeding process. Floating is done after the concrete has begun to harden but is still in a plastic state. Floating uses a tool called a float or bull float, typically made with a flat plate of aluminum, magnesium, wood or rubber. A small handle is attached parallel to the upper surface of the float. An operator holds the handle and sweeps the lower surface of the float across the surface of the screed concrete. For larger areas, a bull float is used, which has a longer plate and a long pole handle disposed at an angle to the upper surface of the plate.
The next step in concrete finishing is troweling, in which the floated surface is troweled to force downward any large surface aggregate particles and to produce an even harder, denser, smoother surface. Troweling can be accomplished using a hand trowel or a troweling machine. The hand trowel is comprised of a small, flat, rectangular metal sheet with a handle disposed parallel on the upper surface of the metal sheet. Troweling by hand is accomplished by holding the handle in one hand, pressing the undersurface of the trowel against the concrete surface, applying a slight torque to the handle to apply greater pressure on the trailing edge of the trowel, and then sweeping the trowel across the surface of the concrete. With practice, an operator learns the correct amount of pressure and torque to apply to the trowel handle to achieve the desired surface finish.
The troweling machine is generally comprised of a vertical shaft motor or engine with typically four flat, horizontal blades disposed orthogonally at the lower end of the motor shaft. Each blade is slightly canted from the direction of rotation to lower its trailing edge. A handle assembly is disposed at the upper end of the engine for controlling the troweling machine by an operator. The engine rotates the blade assembly across the surface of the concrete, which quickly smoothes and finishes the concrete before it fully hardens. The troweling machine can finish larger areas of concrete surfaces more quickly and with less labor than is possible by traditional hand troweling. However, the size of the troweling machine, in which the blade assembly typically has a diameter of three feet or more, precludes its use on smaller areas, such as on treads of concrete stairs, on the top edges of curbs, on concrete countertops and other surfaces with limited size or access. In these circumstances, a motorized system for troweling is desirable to increase productivity over hand troweling yet capable of reaching small or confined surfaces not presently accessible by larger troweling machines.
Several hand tools are commercially available which could be adapted as a portable powered concrete finisher. For example, an angle grinder has an elongated body containing an electric or pneumatic motor which is small and light enough to be held by hand. At the front end of the angle grinder is disposed a spindle orientated orthogonally to the major axis of the body of the grinder. A variety of circular attachments may be mounted on this spindle, such as grinding wheels, abrasive cutoff wheels, sanding disks and buffing and polishing wheels. However, no attachment is presently available in the prior art which is capable of troweling concrete.


A reactor building for enclosing a nuclear reactor includes a containment vessel having a wetwell disposed therein. The wetwell includes inner and outer walls, a floor, and a roof defining a wetwell pool and a suppression chamber disposed thereabove. The wetwell and containment vessel define a drywell surrounding the reactor. A plurality of vents are disposed in the wetwell pool in flow communication with the drywell for channeling into the wetwell pool steam released in the drywell from the reactor during a LOCA for example, for condensing the steam. A shell is disposed inside the wetwell and extends into the wetwell pool to define a dry gap devoid of wetwell water and disposed in flow communication with the suppression chamber. In a preferred embodiment, the wetwell roof is in the form of a slab disposed on spaced apart support beams which define therebetween an auxiliary chamber. The dry gap, and additionally the auxiliary chamber, provide increased volume to the suppression chamber for improving pressure margin.

A conventional boiling water reactor (BWR) is contained in a reactor building which includes a containment vessel for preventing significant fission product release in the event of an accident. The containment vessel is typically a reinforced concrete containment vessel (RCCV) having a steel liner as a leakage barrier for containing radiation therein. The vessel walls are typically about two meters thick, and with the steel liner, are conventionally sized for containing a maximum pressure therein of about 55 psig (3.9 kg/cm.sup.2), for example. The actual pressure within the containment vessel relative to the maximum design pressure of the containment vessel, e.g. 55 psig (3.9 kg/cm.sup.2), is conventionally known as the pressure margin. As the pressure within the containment vessel increases during operation, the pressure margin therein necessarily decreases. Suitable margin must be maintained during all modes of operation including expected accidents which requires that the containment vessel have a predetermined thickness and pressure containing capability.
Typically disposed inside the containment vessel and circumferentially around the reactor is a conventional wetwell or pressure suppression pool containing demineralized water. Defined between the reactor and the wetwell within the containment vessel is a conventionally known drywell which is simply an air space or chamber which, during normal operation of the reactor, contains a gas such as air or nitrogen. During an accident event such as a loss-of-cooling-accident (LOCA), steam is discharged from the reactor pressure vessel or main steam line into the drywell and is conventionally channeled through a plurality of conventional horizontal vents which are disposed in flow communication with the wetwell pool. The released steam is condensed in the wetwell pool which, therefore, reduces its pressure for maintaining acceptable pressure margin.
A conventional BWR includes a substantial number of active systems which require external power for controlling operation of the reactor and the many safety systems therefor. In order to reduce the number of active systems, a simplified boiling water reactor (SBWR) is being developed which will have a power output of about 600 MWe, for example. The SBWR is being designed to use natural circulation and passive features to minimize dependence on mechanical components and operator action, especially for operation of standard safety features.
For example, the SBWR also includes a containment vessel having a wetwell or pressure containment pool to absorb energy releases from the pressure vessel. However, the SBWR wetwell is an enclosed annular chamber having a top or roof which is commonly known as a diaphragm floor in the form of a relatively thick steel enclosed concrete slab which provides the top enclosure for the wetwell as well as provides a floor for the elevated pool of the gravity driven cooling system (GDCS) disposed thereon and a floor to support drywell piping and equipment. In an emergency, the SBWR vessel is depressurized, and cooling water flows by gravity from the GDCS pool into the reactor vessel to cool the reactor core.
The volume of the SBWR reactor building is generally not less than the volume of conventional BWR reactor buildings for a comparable power output. However, a smaller reactor building is desirable to reduce its volume and therefore reduce material and construction costs, and also reduce the time of construction to provide substantial cost savings in the building of the plant.
Accordingly, the SBWR reactor building preferably has a predeterminedly, relatively small volume wherein the containment vessel has a predetermined outer diameter and height preselected for containing all required equipment and for obtaining acceptable performance of the various systems associated therewith. For example, the drywell defined within the containment vessel has a predetermined volume which is specifically related to the volume of the wetwell air chamber above the pool of water therein. During a LOCA, for example, steam released into the drywell is channeled through the horizontal vents into the wetwell pool for being condensed therein. The steam, however, carries with it a portion of the air within the drywell which is compressed within the wetwell air chamber above the wetwell pool as it accumulates therein. The boundary defining the wetwell, including the diaphragm floor and drywell, must, therefore, be suitably configured and sized for accommodating the expected pressures therein, and is typically designed for containing pressures up to about 55 psig (3.9 kg/cm.sup.2), for obtaining a suitable pressure margin over the designed-for pressures therein. For the 600 MWe SBWR, the diaphragm floor has a thickness of about 1.6 meters and is encased within a steel liner, with the wetwell outer wall and floor being part of the containment vessel which is about 2 meters thick and steel lined. The wetwell inner wall is similarly sized for accommodating the expected pressures within the wetwell.
The wetwell is partially filled with water to a predefined level above the tops of the horizontal vents to provide acceptable operation thereof as is conventionally known. Accordingly, the wetwell air chamber above the wetwell pool has a predetermined volume which is preselected for accommodating the air entrained steam which is channeled through the horizontal vents into the wetwell pool, with the entrained air being compressed in the wetwell chamber during the LOCA, for example. This predetermined volume is constrained by the surfaces defining the wetwell air chamber which limits the pressure margin that may be obtained.
One manner of improving pressure margin in the wetwell during the LOCA, for example, would be to simply increase the size of the wetwell air chamber by increasing the height of the wetwell walls. However, this would also increase the height of the reactor vessel as well as that of the containment vessel, including the drywell, which would reduce the expected gain in pressure margin, as well as increase building materials and cost, and possibly penalize other plant systems which are related to building size. Similarly, if the wetwell air chamber diameter were increased, the containment vessel diameter would also increase which would increase the volume of the drywell. This, in turn, would lead to a further increase in wetwell pressure during the LOCA, and, therefore, less pressure margin.


A novel formulation which contains about 2-60% by calories of a C.sub.20 or longer .omega.3 fatty acid moiety and about 2-60% by calories of an arachidonic acid moiety has been developed. This formulation is particularly useful for restoring arachidonic acid levels, increasing immunity or minimizing risk of infection in critically ill patients, and treating functional essential fatty acid deficiency in patients suffering from end stage liver disease. A structured lipid which has a C.sub.20 or longer .omega.3 fatty acid moiety and an arachidonic acid moiety has also been developed.

Protein calorie malnutrition is a common complicating condition in patients with alcoholic chronic liver disease (Mendenhall et al. Am J Med 1984;76:211-222; Mendenhall et al. Am J Clin Nutr 1986;43:213-218) and non-alcoholic chronic liver disease (O'Keefe et al. Lancet 1980;2:615-617; Morgan et al. Gut 1976;17:113-118). Factors contributing to the high prevalence include poor dietary intake, elevated resting energy expenditure, and nutrient malabsorption (McCullough A J and Tavill A S. Seminars in Liver Disease 1991;11:265-277). Patients with end stage liver disease complicated by portal hypertension are particularly likely to be malnourished and, when hospitalized, frequently require active nutritional therapy. While the effects of malnutrition in chronic liver disease on fatty acid nutrition have not been extensively studied, because of an increased resting energy expenditure, fat malabsorption and abnormal fat catabolism, these patients may have significant abnormalities in fatty acid metabolism (Cabre et al. Am J Gastroent 1988;83:712-717; Palombo et al. Gastroenterology 1987;93: 1170-1177). One potential mechanism for such a disturbance would be an inadequate intake of essential fatty acids as part of the global protein calorie malnutrition.
Dietary fatty acids are classified according to their chain length. Long chain fatty acids contain 14 carbons or greater and can be further characterized by the number of double bonds contained in their structure into saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated subgroups. The two fatty acids essential in human nutrition are linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid from which polyunsaturated fatty acids of the omega 6 series and omega 3 series are formed through enzymatic desaturation and elongation by the liver. The body cannot convert omega 3 fatty acids to omega 6 fatty acids or vice versa. Patients with advanced liver disease may have an impaired ability to form polyunsaturated fatty acids, including arachidonic and eicosapentaenoic acid, from their essential fatty acid precursors, potentially altering membrane composition and eicosanoid production.
It has now been demonstrated that there is a defect in elongation and desaturation in end stage liver disease, resulting in dramatically reduced levels of the polyunsaturated fatty acids such as arachidonic, eicosapentaenoic, and docosahexaenoic acid. Although there may be some degree of concurrent linoleic acid deficiency, the ratio of linoleic/arachidonate confirms that elongation and desaturation is the limiting factor. Arachidonic acid levels in tissue phospholipids are usually very tightly regulated, such that arachidonic acid levels are stable at varying levels of linoleic acid content in the diet. Only with essential (linoleic) fatty acid deficiency or with the consumption of omega 3 fatty acids in place of omega 6 fatty acids do arachidonic acid levels fall. Given the importance of arachidonic acid in second messenger metabolism, it is reasonable to suspect that some of the untoward side effects of end stage liver disease, including decreased immunocompetence and increased risk of infection and infectious mortality, may be a consequence of functional essential fatty acid deficiency. In the normal diet arachidonic acid is very low, because it is only found in any quantity in the membranes of animal flesh. To add arachidonic acid alone to a diet formulation is problematic, since arachidonic acid supplementation in normal individuals is pro-inflammatory and immunosuppressive. In the alternative, to give eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which provide benefits regarding immunosuppression, would likely lead to a worsening of arachidonic acid levels, and potentially essential fatty acid deficiency.
Thus a need still exists to develop a novel dietary formulation which can normalize membrane composition to accomplish two goals: (1) restore arachidonic acid levels to normal and reverse signs related to essential fatty acid deficiency, and (2) provide added immune-enhancing benefits of EPA and DHA.
Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide a novel formulation which can restore arachidonic acid levels and which can increase immunity of a subject.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method of restoring arachidonic acid levels in a subject by administering the novel formulation of the invention.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method of increasing immunity or minimizing a risk of infection in a subject by administering the novel formulation of the invention.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method of treating essential fatty acid deficiency in a subject by administering the novel formulation of the invention.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a structured lipid which provides a high energy fat source and fatty acids which assist in fighting infection and treating essential fatty acid deficiency.
These and other objects and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and from the claims.

Dietary formulation comprising arachidonic acid and methods of use

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Inc.


Method and apparatus for interpolation of signals from a delay line is described. An input signal is obtained from which progressively delayed input signals are generated from the input signal. Two of the progressively delayed input signals are accessed and interpolated to provide a phase-adjusted signal.

It is well known to receive a timing signal to an integrated circuit, and then synchronize phase to such a received timing signal. A conventional approach to determine phase of the timing signal is to receive the timing signal to a coarse-grain synchronization circuit having a first range to obtain a general indication of phase of such a timing signal. Output of the coarse-grain synchronization circuit along with the timing signal is provided to a fine-grain synchronization circuit having a second range to obtain a more precise indication of phase of such a timing signal. Though the first range is broader than the second range, the second range has smaller increments than the first range.
A coarse-grain phase detection stage may be implemented with a delay line, which is sometimes referred to as the "main" delay line, and a fine-grain phase detection stage may be implemented with a delay line, which is sometime referred to as the "trim" delay line. Such delay lines may be controlled with or part of a delay-locked loop ("DLL"). Notably, fine-grain phase detection stages not having delay lines may be used, such as a phase-locked loop ("PLL"). Unfortunately, delay lines, even those with incremental steps, tend to consume a significant amount of area and power on an integrated circuit die, and PLLS with sufficient granularity and jitter insensitivity tend to be costly.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide fine-grain phase detection overcoming one or more limitations of area, power and cost associated with a separate trim delay line or a PLL.

Interpolation of signals from a delay line


A process for recycling waste from the manufacture filtered cigarettes is disclosed herein. The process comprises the following steps: A waste stream from the manufacture of filtered cigarettes is provided. The waste stream includes tobacco, cellulose ester polymer, and paper. A substantial portion of the cellulose ester polymer is separated from this waste stream. This cellulose ester polymer is contacted with a sufficient volumne of fluid to extract contaminants therefrom. The fluid is under pressure and temperature conditions, such that the fluid is a supercritical or a near supercritical fluid.

Fibrous cellulose esters, particularly cellulose acetate, are the commercially preferred media for filtration of smoke from filtered cigarettes. This commercial application consumes worldwide several hundred million pounds of cellulose acetate fiber per year. During the production of these filtered cigarettes, a certain percentage of them will not be brought to market, due to damage of goods, variation from specifications, or other reasons. Those cigarettes which are not sold are typically subjected to a reclamation process wherein the tobacco-laden portion of the cigarette is mechanically broken from the filter, and the tobacco is removed by shaking within a screening device. An example of this process is given in U.S. Pat. No. 3,224,451, which is incorporated herein by reference. After reclamation of tobacco, several tens of millions of pounds of residual material, referred to as "ripper waste" in the industry, comprised of cellulose acetate (typically plasticized for example with glycerol triacetate), paper, residual tobacco, and often flavors and fragrances remain; this ripper waste is most generally disposed of as landfill, representing both a loss of natural resources and a burden on landfill capacity.
The composition of "ripper waste" varies depending on the specifics of the cigarette products and the tobacco reclamation process employed. Typical composition ranges, by weight, of ripper waste are: a) cellulose acetate, 40-55%; b) plasticizer, 1-12%; c) paper, 25-45%; d) residual tobacco, 1-15%; e) adhesives, 2-3%; and f) flavors/fragrances, <1%. Additional components for example charcoal, may be found in these waste streams, depending on the specific cigarette product.
The physical/mechanical separations employed in reclaiming cigarette components have in the past either focused on sifting tobacco away from other components, as is the case in U.S. Pat. No. 3,224,451, or in the removal of cellulose acetate filter media from its paper liner, as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,261,790, which is incorporated herein by reference. Other approaches have included enzymatic degradation of the cellulose acetate to produce useful sugars, as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,298,013.
Isolation of cellulose acetate from "ripper waste" is insufficient to provide a recycled product of high commercial utility. During the manufacture of cigarettes, the cellulose acetate is treated with a plasticizer which improves the mechanical performance of the finished filter. The cellulose acetate may also be treated with flavorants, for example, menthol, and the cellulose acetate will absorb some levels of nicotine and other substances from the tobacco. If the cellulose acetate/plasticizer/flavors mixture is dissolved in a typical cellulose ester solvent, and reformed into a product, these extraneous substances will change both the mechanical and the sensory properties of the cellulose acetate, thereby reducing the overall quality of products manufactured with these recycled materials. Extraction with conventional solvents, such as ethanol, can be used to remove the majority of undesirable contaminants from cellulose acetate. But, the extraction solvents then becomes an undesirable contaminant, and reduces the product quality. An additional difficulty introduced by use of such extraction solvent is that they can escape into the environment, necessitating costly preventative measures.
Supercritical and near supercritical fluids have previously been described for the extraction of: removal of adhesives from cellulose (See, U.S. 5,009,746); terpenes and oils from wood (See, U.S. Pat. No. 4,308,200); lignin from Kraft streams (See, U.S. Pat. No. 4,493,797); and removal of the natural oils from plant matter (See, U.S. Pat. No. 4,675,198). Commercial applications of this technique include: the decaffination of coffee and tea; extraction of hops flavors for beer manufacture; and denicotination of tobacco. Such commercial processes are well known to those skilled in the art and are described in reviews such as: McHugh and Krukonis, Supercritical Fluid Extraction: Principles and Practice, Butterworths; (1986); Eckerd et al., Environmental Science and Technology, Vol. 20, pp. 319-325, (1986); "Supercritical Fluids", Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology 3rd, John Wiley & Son, New York, each of the foregoing are incorporated herein by reference.
While the supercritical extraction of natural products from cellulose is described U.S. Pat. No. 5,009,746, it does not describe the removal of polymeric additives and impurities from cellulose acetate. Those familiar with the chemistry, binding properties, and solution properties of both cellulose acetate and cellulose will recognize that these two structural polymers share few common properties, and, therefore, must therefore be treated as different materials. See, "Cellulose" and "Cellulose Acetate" Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology 3rd, John Wiley & Sons, New York, both of which are incorporated here in by reference.

Recycling cellulose esters from the waste from cigarette manufacture


A composite backing plate (34) for a backing plate-target assembly (41) having a core of structural material (36) with a front face (42) and/or a rear face (44) of a different material laminated thereto. The composite backing plate (35) has the desired mechanical properties of a solid copper backing plate, for example, strength and stiffness, but is preferably less than half the density of a solid copper backing plate. The core material is preferably aluminum; the front face is preferably copper; and the rear face is preferably either copper or an organic material.

Cathode sputtering is widely used for the deposition of thin layers of material onto desired substrates. A cathode assembly is mounted in a processing chamber with an anode, and the cathode assembly includes a target which is often attached to a backing plate. The chamber is evacuated and filled with an inert gas, preferably argon. A high voltage electric field is applied across the cathode and the anode. The inert gas is ionized by collision with electrons ejected from the cathode. Positively charged gas ions are attracted to the cathode and, upon impingement with the target surface, dislodge the target material. The dislodged target material traverses the evacuated chamber and is deposited as a thin film on the desired substrate, for example, a wafer, which is located close to the anode.
Referring to FIG. 2, a backing plate-target assembly 10 includes a backing plate 12 upon which is attached a target 14. The target can be fabricated from one of many different materials, for example, silicon, tungsten titanium, nickel, iron, chromium, indium oxide-tin oxide or cobalt, etc. The backing plate-target assembly 10 is attached to a cooling jacket 16 which confines a liquid coolant, for example, water. The coolant enters through a port 20 and flows across the rear surface 22 of the backing plate 12 to extract the heat generated in the target 14 by the sputtering process. The coolant exits through a port 21. The backing plate 12 provides a structural support for the target 14 during handling and use. The backing plate 12 also provides structural support and resistance to bending from both coolant and atmospheric pressure and from thermal stresses imposed by the sputtering process. The backing plate 12 must also provide a thermal path to transfer the heat from the target 14 which is generated by the sputtering process. Several different bonding processes may be used to attach the target 14 to the backing plate 12. Of current interest is the often used process of bonding the target 14 to the backing plate 12 using a low melting point solder alloy which forms a bonding layer 26 between the backing plate 12 and the target 14.
The soldered target and backing plate assembly is then installed in the cathode assembly of the processing chamber. The target is consumed by the sputtering process, and thereafter, the backing plate-spent target assembly must be removed and replaced with a new backing plate-target assembly. In continuous production, the backing plate-target assembly may require replacement after only two days of use. Often, sputtering systems contain four or more cathode assemblies in areas of restricted accessibility. Further, the sputtering system is generally operated in an ultra-clean manufacturing area which precludes the use of mechanical aids such as hoists or forklifts. Therefore, the backing plate-target assembly must be handled manually, and the weight of the backing plate-target assembly is a significant factor in the convenience and speed of the exchange of backing plate-target assemblies in a cathode assembly.
The sputtering process requires that the backing plate have certain properties. First, it should be capable of structurally supporting the target. Second, it should conduct electrical power to the target efficiently, that is, with a low resistance to minimize power loss. Third, the backing plate should be an effective thermal conductor to dissipate and transfer heat from the target. Fourth, the front surface of the backing plate should be readily bondable to numerous different target materials using a low melting point alloy, for example, tin and lead or tin and indium. Fifth, the rear surface of the backing plate exposed to the recirculating coolant should be corrosion resistant. In addition, the backing plate should be easily machinable and reasonable in cost.
A conventional material which provides all of those properties is copper, and copper is often used as a backing plate material to which the target is attached by soldering. The front surface of a copper backing plate is easily wettable with solder and will readily bond solderable target materials. Target materials that are not readily solderable will often have one or more layers of nickel sputtered or plated onto to their backside, and a copper backing plate can be readily soldered thereto. In addition to having all of the above properties, copper is very compatible for use in a vacuum and has sufficient strength and stiffness to avoid bending from either general handling, the thermal stresses of the sputtering process, or the pressure forces of the coolant. Therefore, historically, copper has been considered an almost ideal backing plate material.
There is a continuing effort to improve the yields and efficiencies of the sputtering process, and therefore, over time, the size of the wafer substrates being processed has continuously increased. Currently, wafers of up to 12 in. diameter are being processed, and their size will certainly increase in the future. To accommodate a 12 in. diameter wafer, a backing plate-target assembly must be approximately 18 in. in diameter. To maintain the desired structural integrity, the copper backing plate may be approximately 0.75 in. thick; and given a copper density of approximately 0.323 lb/in.sup.3 the copper backing plate will weigh up to 60 pounds. Clearly, in an environment where the backing plate and target assembly must be changed often and generally manually, without the aid of mechanical equipment, a weight of sixty pounds is a severe impediment. Therefore, there is a need for a backing plate that has the desirable properties of copper but does not have the undesirable property of being heavy. There is a need for a light weight copper-like backing plate that can be more easily manually manipulated in and out of the sputtering chamber.

Composite backing plate for a sputtering target