One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that avoids register read-after-write (RAW) hazards upon returning from a speculative-execution mode. This system operates within a processor with an in-order architecture, wherein the processor includes a short-latency scoreboard that delays issuance of instructions that depend upon uncompleted short-latency instructions. During operation, the system issues instructions for execution in program order during execution of a program in a normal-execution mode. Upon encountering a condition (a launch condition) during an instruction (a launch-point instruction), which causes the processor to enter the speculative-execution mode, the system generates a checkpoint that can subsequently be used to return execution of the program to the launch-point instruction, and commences execution in the speculative-execution mode. Upon encountering a condition that causes the processor to leave the speculative-execution mode and return to the launch-point instruction, the system uses the checkpoint to resume execution in the normal-execution mode from the launch-point instruction. In doing so, the system ensures that entries that were in the short-latency scoreboard prior to entering the speculative-execution mode, and which are not yet resolved, are accounted for in order to prevent register RAW hazard when resuming execution from the launch-point instruction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to techniques for improving computer system performance. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for avoiding register read-after-write (RAW) hazards when returning from speculative execution.
2. Related Art
Advances in semiconductor fabrication technology have given rise to dramatic increases in microprocessor clock speeds. This increase in microprocessor clock speeds has not been matched by a corresponding increase in memory access speeds. Hence, the disparity between microprocessor clock speeds and memory access speeds continues to grow, and is beginning to create significant performance problems. Execution profiles for fast microprocessor systems show that a large fraction of execution time is spent not within the microprocessor core, but within memory structures outside of the microprocessor core. This means that the microprocessor systems spend a large fraction of time waiting for memory references to complete instead of performing computational operations.
Efficient caching schemes can help reduce the number of memory accesses that are performed. However, when a memory reference, such as a load operation generates a cache miss, the subsequent access to level-two (L2) cache or memory can require dozens or hundreds of clock cycles to complete, during which time the processor is typically idle, performing no useful work.
A number of techniques are presently used (or have been proposed) to hide this cache-miss latency. Some processors support out-of-order execution, in which instructions are kept in an issue queue, and are issued "out-of-order" when operands become available. Unfortunately, existing out-of-order designs have a hardware complexity that grows quadratically with the size of the issue queue. Practically speaking, this constraint limits the number of entries in the issue queue to one or two hundred, which is not sufficient to hide memory latencies as processors continue to get faster. Moreover, constraints on the number of physical registers which are available for register renaming purposes during out-of-order execution also limits the effective size of the issue queue.
Some processor designers have proposed entering a "scout mode" during processor stall conditions. In scout mode, instructions are speculatively executed to prefetch future loads, but results are not committed to the architectural state of the processor. For example, see U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/741,944, filed 19 Dec. 2003, entitled, "Generating Prefetches by Speculatively Executing Code through Hardware Scout Threading," by inventors Shailender Chaudhry and Marc Tremblay. This solution to the latency problem eliminates the complexity of the issue queue and the rename unit, and also achieves memory-level parallelism. However, it suffers from the disadvantage of having to re-compute results of computational operations that were performed in scout mode.
To avoid performing these re-computations, processor designers have proposed entering an "execute-ahead" mode, wherein instructions that cannot be executed because of unresolved data dependencies are deferred, and wherein other non-deferred instructions are executed in program order. When an unresolved data dependency is ultimately resolved during execute-ahead mode, the system executes deferred instructions in a deferred-execution mode, wherein deferred instructions that able to be executed are executed in program order, and wherein other deferred instructions that still cannot be executed because of unresolved data dependencies are deferred again. For example, see U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/686,061, filed 14 Oct. 2003, entitled, "Selectively Deferring the Execution of Instructions with Unresolved Data Dependencies as They Are Issued in Program Order," by inventors Shailender Chaudhry and Marc Tremblay.
Scout mode, execute-ahead and deferred mode are all forms of "speculative execution," wherein the processor first performs a checkpointing operation to preserve the architectural state of the processor, and then executes subsequent instructions speculatively. In scout mode, instructions are executed to prefetch future loads but the results of the instructions are not used for other purposes. Hence, the processor must eventually return to the launch-point instruction (which caused the processor to leave normal-execution mode) to resume normal non-speculative execution.
In contrast, during execute-ahead mode and deferred mode, it is possible for all of the deferred instructions to complete successfully, in which case results of the instructions completed during execute-ahead mode and deferred mode are committed to the architectural state of the processor. However, if a non-data dependent stall condition is encountered during execute-ahead mode or deferred mode, the processor may enter scout mode, in which case the processor will eventually use the checkpoint to return to the launch point instruction.
If the processor quickly returns from speculative execution, inter-instruction data dependencies can potentially cause a register read-after-write (RAW) hazard to arise. Some conventional in-order processors, which do not support speculative execution, maintain a "short-latency scoreboard," which keeps track of register dependencies between short-latency instructions. This enables such processors to delay issuance of instructions that depend upon uncompleted short-latency instructions, thereby preventing register RAW hazards from occurring during normal execution.
However, if a processor returns quickly from speculative execution, it is possible for a short-latency instruction, which was issued prior to entering speculative-execution mode, to not have produced a forwardable result. In this case, a RAW hazard can potentially arise unless the issuance of subsequent dependent instructions can be delayed until the short-latency instruction completes.
Hence, what is needed is a method and an apparatus for avoiding register RAW hazards upon returning from speculative execution.

Avoiding register RAW hazards when returning from speculative execution


The described technology is generally directed towards network slice management. A mobile communications network can comprise multiple sub-networks, namely, as an access network, a transport network, and a core network. Access network resources can be managed according to the techniques provided herein to meet service level agreement (SLA) commitments associated with network slices. Furthermore, resources of any sub-network can be managed in a manner that accounts for constraints imposed by the other sub-networks.

The rise of massive scale connected devices via the internet leads to diversified wireless communication service requirements, with different user equipment (UE) devices and applications having different communication needs. For example, internet-of-things (IoT) devices, mobile phones, surveillance cameras, autonomous guided vehicles and low-latency applications such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) devices all have unique communication service requirements. Therefore, wireless communication service providers, such as AT&T Corporation and others, will increasingly need to deploy their communication services flexibly to accommodate such diversified service requirements.
The emerging Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) New Radio (NR) fifth generation (5G) mobile communication standard includes support for network slicing. Network slicing provides at least a partial solution to support diversified wireless communication service requirements. However, network slicing technologies are still not fully developed. For example, wireless communication networks are typically divided into different sub-networks, including an access sub-network, a transport sub-network, and a core sub-network. While current network slicing solutions address slicing of core sub-network resources, further development is needed to address network slicing of access and transport sub-network resources, and furthermore, to provide integrated end-to-end network slice management.


Disclosed is a computerized method for identifying peaks corresponding to glycans from a mass spectrum. At least one glycan spectrum is received from a mass spectrometer, with each glycan spectrum including peaks having a measured mass. Glycan identifications are automatically assigned to each of the peaks and these assignments are then reported.

This disclosure relates to computer-mediated devices and methods for automated interpretation of data obtained by mass spectrometry in order to identify carbohydrates, particularly carbohydrates covalently bonded with proteins.
Since the genes in an organism encode the list of proteins that the organism manufactures, in principle the complete genome sequence of an organism provides a complete list of proteins in that organism. However, proteins are often modified after they are constructed from the gene (DNA) template, and these modifications have biological significance. Perhaps the most important class of modifications is the addition of small carbohydrates (glycans) to the protein. An example illustrating the importance of these modifications are the human blood groups, which result from the attachment of glycans to molecules on the surface of blood cells. A key problem in proteomics is the identification of these glycans. However, no practical automated method for identifying these glycans is currently available. Such a method would facilitate the labeling of peaks in a spectra and the identification of patterns that may not be readily observed from a non-automated process.

Automated identification of carbohydrates in mass spectra


Binding compositions for the manufacture of lignocellulosic composites comprising an aqueous emulsion of polyisocyanates and a release agent obtained by reacting a polyisocyanate with an oxyalkylic hemiester of a C.sub.9 -C.sub.18, saturated or unsaturated, monocarboxylic fatty acid.

It is known to use polyisocyanates, preferably in form of aqueous emulsions, to bind composites of lignocellulosic materials, as described, for instance, in the European Patent Application 13 112 or in Italian Patent Application 20027 A/88.
It is also known that the preparation of these composites requires a moulding operation on suitable presses between two heated metal plates.
During moulding, the polyisocyanic binder gives, as well known, in the absence of suitable interventions, adhesion phenomena of the manufactured articles to the plates of the press, causing process difficulties.
To overcome this drawback, different solutions have been suggested.
For instance, the use of polyisocyanates together with compounds, such as metal salts of carboxylic acids able to catalyze the formation of isocyanurates from isocyanates, has been described in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,870,665.
Another possibility, illustrated in the most part of the patent literature, consists in using "release agents", that is additives specifically intended to favour the release of the manufactured articles from the metal plates of the press.
In particular: Canadian Patent 1,123,817 suggests the use of phosphates to be added to the polyisocyanic emulsion, whereas Canadian Patent 1,176,778 suggests the use of a polyisocyanic emulsion containing paraffines and salts of higher fatty acids.
German Patent Application 2,921,726 suggests the addition of C.sub.9 -C.sub.18 alkylbenzenesulfonic acids to the polyisocyanic emulsion.
German Patent Application 3,108,537 suggests the use of esters of orthophosphoric acid, and the European Patent Application 46 014 suggests the use of particular waxes having a melting point lower than 70.degree. C., to be dispersed in the aqueous emulsion or to be applied before or after the binding agent.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,257,996 suggests the use of special phosphates or thiophosphates, to be separately added either in the polyisocyanic emulsion or in the polyisocyanate before emulsifying it, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,100,328 suggests the use of a binding agent containing a polyisocyanate mixed with a polyether polyol, having a functionality higher than 2, in the ratio from 0.5:1 to 1:1.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,490,518 suggests the use of 2-60% of diesters of bicarboxylic acids mixed with the polyisocyanate.
Concerning the modalities for the addition of the release agent, the following addition possibility are reported in the above mentioned patent documents: addition to the polyisocyanate, before or after the emulsifying operation ("inner" addition), or directly on the lignocellulosic material or on the plates of the press ("outside" addition).
It is known that the inner addition of the release agent generally causes a decay of the physico-mechanical properties of the composites obtained, and the outside addition involves working difficulties on the industrial plants.
A solution which overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art has been suggested in the European Patent Application 173,866, wherein the use is described of a binding system containing polyisocyanates not dispersed in water combined with release agents, consisting of the reaction product of a fatty acid containing a high number of C atoms with a compound having at least two reactive hydrogen atoms, such as alcohols and amines.
However, the solution suggested in this patent application is not free of drawbacks in that the advantages relating to the use of the aqueous emulsion are lacking.
These advantages, explained in German Patent Application 2,538,999 and in the European Patent Application 7,532 can be summarized as follows:
better distribution of the binding agent on the chip and therefore better technologic properties of the panel;
possibility to clean the apparatus with water;
possibility of working with chips having a variable moisture content.

Ministro per il Coorinamento dell Iniziative per la Ricerca Scientifica e Technologica


An optical imaging lens set includes a first lens element having an image-side surface with a convex part in a vicinity of its periphery, a second lens element with negative refractive power having an image-side surface with a concave part in a vicinity of the optical axis, a third lens element having an object-side surface with a concave part in a vicinity of the optical axis, a fourth lens element having an image-side surface with a convex part in a vicinity of the optical axis, a fifth lens element having an image-side surface with a concave part in a vicinity of the optical axis, and a sixth lens element having an image-side surface with a convex part in a vicinity of its periphery.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an optical imaging lens set and an electronic device which includes such optical imaging lens set. Specifically speaking, the present invention is directed to an optical imaging lens set with shorter length and an electronic device which includes such optical imaging lens set.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, the popularity of mobile phones and digital cameras makes the photography modules (including optical imaging lens set, holder and sensor, etc) well developed. Mobile phones and digital cameras become lighter and thinner, so that the miniaturization demands of photography modules get higher and higher. As the charge coupled device (CCD) or complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technologies advance, the size of the photography modules can be shrunk too, but these photography modules still need to maintain good imaging quality.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,355,215 disclosed an optical imaging lens set of six lens elements, and the total length of the optical imaging lens set is about 2 cm. Although the imaging quality is acceptable, the size of the optical imaging lens set is too long to be applied in electronic devices with only 1˜2 cm thickness.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,432,619 disclosed an optical imaging lens set of six lens elements, and the total length of the optical imaging lens set can be reduced down to 0.5 cm. However, the distortion of the image is up to 25%. In other words, the imaging quality cannot satisfy the specification requirements of consumer electronics products.

Optical imaging lens and electronic device comprising the same


A low contact resistance ohmic contact for a III-Nitride or compound semiconductor wafer or die consists of 4 layers of Ti, AlSi, Ti and TiW. The AlSi has about 1% Si. The layers are sequentially deposited as by sputtering, are patterned and plasma etched and then annealed in a rapid thermal anneal process. The use of AlSi in place of pure Al reduces contact resistance by about 15% to 30%.

Ohmic contact stacks employing a pure Al layer are commonly used as ohmic contacts to the surface of a III-Nitride or GaN based semiconductor device. Such contact structures are described, for example, in:                Microstructure of Ti—Al Ohmic contacts for n-Al GaN, Applied Physicals Letters 73, 2582 (1998), and        Low Resistance Si—Ti—Al—Ni—Au Multilayer Ohmic Contact to Undoped AlGaN—GaN, Electrochemical and Solid-State Letters, 7 (4) G72-G74 (2004).
It is desired to have a very low contact resistance. Contact resistance (Rc) is often described by its Specific Contact Resistivity, (SCR) in units of ohm-cm2; or by its Specific Linear Contact Resistivity (SLCR) in units of ohm-mm. SCR and SLCR are nominally independent of the geometry of the contact. The total contact resistance of a given contact may be expressed as:
1. Rc=SCR/contact area, or
2. Rc=SLCR/Contact Width, where contact width is the direction perpendicular to current flow. SCR and SLCR are often measured by special test structures using methods known as the Transmission Line Method (TLM) or Van de Pauw Method (VDP).
Typical ohmic contacts to AlGaN employ metal stacks of pure films such as Ti/Al/Ni/Au or Ti/Al/Ti/TiW. (Conventionally film stacks are listed in the sequence in which they are deposited so that the first metal film listed is the first to be deposited on the semiconductor surface.)
The electrical resistance of the metal to semiconductor contact is a critical process and design parameter for achieving a low Rdson (on-state resistance) and high current-carrying capability of a transistor of other device being formed. This is especially true of III-Nitride semiconductors where the specific contact resistance SCR to an AlGaN surface can be 10s to 100s times that in silicon technology.
Thus, III-Nitride contact resistance depends on complex and, often, poorly understood interactions between the metalization layers, the composition of the semiconductor surface, the semiconductor surface properties and treatments, and annealing conditions.

Aluminum alloys for low resistance, ohmic contacts to III-nitride or compound semiconductor


The invention relates to the encapsulation of Geldhart class C substrate powders with a coating of metal, binder, or sintering aid. Encapsulation is achieved using chemical vapor deposition techniques in a recirculating fast-fluidized or turbulent fluidization flow bed reactor. Thin, smooth, generally uniform, fully encapsulating coatings are produced on the fine substrate particles. The coated Geldhart class C particles, and products made therefrom, exhibit excellent improved physical properties.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to the coating of particulate materials which are so fine and with such high surface to volume ratios that surface phenomena tend to dominate their properties. Particularly, the invention relates to the economical coating of fine particles utilizing chemical vapor deposition procedures in a recirculating fast-fluidized or turbulent fluidized bed reactor under conditions where each particle is coated individually and agglomeration is minimized. Such fine particles may be as small as approximately 0.1 micron in diameter with aspect ratios ranging from approximately 1 to as much as approximately 100. The invention is particularly suited to the treatment of Geldhart's class C particles. The coated particulates find application, for example, as improved starting materials for plasma spray, powder metallurgy, ceramic and composite materials, conductive fillers, reinforcements, and electronic materials. For example, composite products fabricated by utilizing such fine, coated particles in traditional methods of manufacturing, such as cold pressing and hot isostatic pressing, are easily fabricated, have a reduced matrix content and exhibit superior mechanical properties and wear resistance.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Chemical vapor deposition procedures have been utilized for more than a century to apply various coatings to surfaces as well as other applications. The process involves the atom by atom accumulation of a gaseous compound onto the surface of a heated substrate. The gaseous compound undergoes a thermal or chemical decomposition as it contacts the heated substrate, resulting in deposition of the material onto the substrate. The reaction rate and consequent buildup of the compound on the substrate is governed by a number of factors, such as the characteristics of the gaseous compound, its concentration, the flow rate of the gas, its temperature and pressure, the characteristics to the substrate, its geometry, and its temperature. The rate and amount of coating can be controlled by varying these parameters. For example, the degree of adherence of the substrate may be controlled by varying the temperature of the substrate. The reactor chamber will typically have a heating jacket or other means of heating the reaction zone where the chemical deposition takes place.
Fluidized beds operating in the fast-fluidized and turbulent fluidization flow regimes had been proposed for various purposes, but not in the context of chemical vapor deposition operations, and particularly not with reference to the coating of very fine particulate materials which fall into Geldhart's class C, which are highly cohesive and difficult to fluidize.
A composite material can usually be defined by three entities, the matrix, the reinforcement, and the interface. The matrix of the composite is the continuous phase, interspersed with particulate reinforcement usually in the form of fibers, whiskers, or granular powders. In cermet and metal matrix composites using particulate as a reinforcement, a uniform dispersion of particles throughout the composite and a strong adhesion of these particles to the matrix are of primary concern. Grain size must be controlled to secure the desired properties. Various expedients such as the addition of grain growth inhibitors, had been proposed to control grain size. Difficulties had been experienced in maintaining the matrix between the particulate material so that the particles did not directly contact one another. In an attempt to prevent the particles from touching one another in the composite, previous expedients often involved the use of excessive matrix material which degraded the physical characteristics of the resulting composites. In certain previous expedients, the powder and the binder were physically blended in an attempt to produce a homogeneous distribution. However, the uniformity of the dispersion and the quality of the resulting product was limited by the non-uniform distribution of the matrix and reinforcement during fabrication. Such segregation was an inevitable result of settling and unequal distribution of the admixture.
Various expedients such as liquid solutions, electroless plating, and precipitation methods had been proposed for coating relatively small particles, however such expedients had not proven to be entirely successful for economically and effectively coating very fine particles without agglomeration, and particularly cohesive particles.
These and other difficulties of the prior art have been overcome according to the present invention.

Fine powders and method for manufacturing


A system and method to automatically and dynamically optimize available resources to meet application data availability and business objectives. In one embodiment, a backup and data recovery system continually and dynamically adjust to the backup and recovery or restore process depending on the customer's environment, workload, and business objectives. Acceptable tolerance of downtime due to recovery and backup impacts the customer's business or system operation. From this high-level business requirement, the present system determines the backup and recovery plan details. The present system accepts application data availability policies based on business objectives, and devises, executes and refines a resource optimal backup and recovery strategy required to deliver the desired quality of service in the environments that have dynamically changing application workloads, business objectives, and hardware/software infrastructure technologies. In addition, the present system performs backups outside blocked windows to minimize the impact on the customer's system.

A database administrator's (DBAs) task is to administer and manage the health of the database environment that runs the business critical applications of the enterprise. This comprises ensuring the continued availability of database objects comprising the applications, and ensuring that the databases are well tuned to deliver the required performance expected of the business applications. For example, a database administrator is responsible for data backup in order to perform data recovery in the case of a system failure. Customers define the maximum time they can tolerate before the system is restored after a system failure. In many cases, the amount of time to recovery depends upon the technology used and the frequency of data backup.
From an application data availability perspective, the DBAs challenge is to deliver the required quality of service (QoS) for application data availability as demanded by the business application in the face of changes in the number of database objects, the size of the objects, and the volatility of the objects. In addition, DBAs should maintain the required QoS while dealing with changes to the hardware/software configurations, changes in the application workload, and potential changes to the QoS of the business application itself. Specifically, for each application's database and file objects, the DBA needs to use optimal technologies to perform the backup and recovery, determine the optimal backup frequency to conserve computing resources, and use the optimal backup and recovery strategy to deliver the required QoS.
Application data recovery is therefore a very skill-intensive requirement, resulting in increased total cost of ownership for an enterprise. This increased cost is due to several factors including non-optimal use of system resources. For example, DBAs tend to implement overcompensated strategies to avoid devising complex optimal backup schedules. Application data recovery can require manual monitoring and rescheduling of events as changes occur in the application objects, application workload, hardware, and software infrastructure. These complexities lead to many human errors in executing backup/recovery strategies that compromise the integrity of application data and fail to deliver the desired QoS.
A DBA typically determines the frequency of backup for the system based on worst case scenarios and the business' requirement for tolerable or acceptable downtime during recovery. Database data is not lost in the case of a failure; all updates to the database data are written to a log. To restore the system to a point of failure, the data is restored from the last backup and the restoration process rolls forward changes recorded in the logs since the last backup up to the point of failure.
Through this process, the database reads and applies all the incremental changes in the logs and the data is restored to the point of failure. If the backup is performed every seven days, the DBA most likely assumes that the worst case scenario point of failure occurs on the seventh day, before backup occurs. In this situation, the recovery time is the longest.
To meet a contracted quality of service (QoS) based on the customer's tolerance for downtime during recovery, the DBA may guarantee that the outage during which restoration occurs is less than the downtime allowed by the customer. Consequently, the time to restore the data from the last backup and roll forward incremental changes from the log should be less than the downtime allowed by the customer.
To determine an optimum backup approach and schedule, the DBA should analyze many aspects of the database and its environment, comprising the amount of data that may need to be restored, the machine on which the database operates, the operating system, the database type and version, etc. Given the amount of data, the DBA should determine if it is even possible to restore data in a worst case scenario and meet the QoS guarantees. Overall, the DBA should have a clear understanding of the operating environment, hardware, software, and capabilities. While this approach may yield an optimum backup approach and schedule, it is labor intensive and applies only to the initial state. All of these factors may change over time, necessitating a continuous refinement in the optimum backup approach and schedule.
Currently, a DBA determines the backup schedule manually. The DBA determines the amount of data to be backed up and how long the restore process may take. The DBA may, for example, determine that a backup may comprise 100 GB of data and the database is IBM DB2 with parallel recovery.
The DBA determines that restore from backup may take, for example, 5 minutes. The DBA then calculates the time required for roll forward. If the backup is performed every Monday, then the worst case scenario is if the point of failure is on the next Sunday. The more changes that have been made to the application's data, the longer it tends to take to restore the application's data. It may be, in this example, that it may take 15 minutes to perform roll forward. The total time required to restore the application would then be 20 minutes: 5 minutes for restore from backup and 15 minutes to perform roll forward. The customer may have contracted for a QoS guarantee of 10 minutes for a downtime limit. To ensure that QoS guarantees are met, the easiest option for the DBA would be to increase the frequency of backups, perhaps as often as daily. While this would ensure that the QoS guarantee is met, this is most likely not the most efficient use of resources.
A number of database and third party software vendors provide backup and recovery solutions at the database level, and some claim to offer data recovery at the application level as well. Almost all the vendors have backup and recovery offerings, provide assistance in generating the jobs with the relevant object names and syntax required to execute the backup and recovery functions and management tools that track the backups generated.
Complicating the issue of data recovery is the specification of application data availability. Business applications depend on data. Application data availability is key for continuous operations of the business. There needs to be a specification of application data availability at the application level, i.e., for all types of data involved in a business application. Furthermore, the specification should be in terms of business semantics at an application level (i.e., having a higher level of abstraction) rather than at the traditional individual data object level (which does not factor the impact on overall application availability particularly when the application comprises multiple data objects.)
The challenge is to define a set of business level metrics for applications availability that is then translated into domain specific business metrics. These business level metrics eventually drive the underlying allowable hardware and software information technology (IT) infrastructure to deliver the required business level objectives. Examples of domains other than availability comprise performance.
Specifically, from an availability domain perspective, an application's data (both databases & files) in turn should meet certain business objectives of availability and recovery of the application. Once such business-semantic specifications are defined, an enterprise or a service provider (xSP) has a consistent method of specifying its requirements for availability to deliver the required QoS, independent of a specific underlying infrastructure.
The conventional approach for application availability is missing a holistic view of all data stores (databases and files) of an application for data recovery that may span multiple eclectic systems. In addition, the ability to specify application data recovery requirements in a declarative fashion using business objectives/semantics does not currently exist. Furthermore, there currently is no mechanism for a systematic approach to map business objectives into an allowable set of technologies.
For an optimum backup approach and schedule, the QoS should be viewed as comprising the following parts:                Time to detection,        Time to decision, and        Execution of process.The conventional approach only addresses the time required to execute the restoration process. What is needed is a system that may, within the QoS limit, detect the failure and determine an optimum restoration plan in addition to executing the restoration process.
The conventional approach for data recovery systems lacks a mechanism to translate business objectives for application data availability into an optimal backup and recovery strategy that is devised and executed to meet the desired QoS. In addition, these data recovery systems lack a mechanism for determining the optimal technologies to use for backup and recovery tasks. No mechanism is currently available to develop optimal schedules for backup. Further, no mechanism exists to determine optimal recovery strategies.
Furthermore, the conventional approach for data recovery systems lack a mechanism to adapt and refine all of the above in environments that have dynamically changing application workloads, business objectives, and hardware/software infrastructure technologies. Thus, there is a need for a data recovery system and method that automatically and dynamically optimize backup resources. The need for such system and method has heretofore remained unsatisfied.

System and method for automatically and dynamically optimizing application data resources to meet business objectives

International Business Machines Corporation


A doormat for the enhanced cleaning of footwear. Exemplary embodiments include a doormat capable of hands free cleaning and drying of footwear, comprising a cleaning stage and a drying stage. Stepping onto the cleaning stage of the mat releases a cleaning fluid onto rotating sponges, which physically clean footwear while applying a cleaning solution. Stepping into the drying stage of the mat dries the footwear. The cleaning mat may also further comprise a supplemental cleaning stage and/or supplemental drying stage.

People utilize footwear with great frequency in order to protect the feet from surfaces while they walk. This protection allows one to walk across rough, sharp, hot, cold, and otherwise dangerous or uncomfortable terrain. Furthermore, this protection keeps dirt, chemicals, pathogens, and other undesirable or dangerous substances from contacting the foot.
Footwear is also useful in reducing impact to the feet and providing adequate support and comfort to ensure proper form while walking or running. As footwear is worn, it is exposed to a variety of contaminants including things such as dirt, mud, fecal matter, construction waste, garbage, or other noxious substances. As footwear is generally worn every day, as people go into and out of different establishments or spend time outdoors, footwear becomes soiled. These contaminants are then brought into homes or other buildings when a person wearing soiled footwear enters.
Current doormat technology does not allow for adequate and convenient cleaning of footwear, in particular shoes and boots. Doormats in general use are of the type where one physically wipes the sole of the foot on a rough or textured surface. Other types of doormats utilize sticky surfaces to pull dirt off the bottom of the footwear. While this will physically remove larger dry particulates, such sticky mats cannot clean wet messes and also quickly lose their effectiveness. Sticky mats may also leave residue behind on the footwear. Neither of these types of doormats are capable of actually washing or sanitizing the footwear.
There are some doormats which allow for scrubbing of the footwear, but these devices are bulky and not practical for use in household settings or in other places where space is limited. Some also require the use of hands in order to fully clean the footwear, which may end up spreading contaminants or dirt to the hands.
In light of this, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new and improved doormat that can adequately clean and sanitize footwear, without the use of hands, to prevent germs and dirt from entering the home or other interior space and prevent contamination of the hands, while having a low profile and substantially internalized components.


An automatic edge guide assembly comprises a sheet feeding mechanism, a slide housing mounted within the sheet feeding mechanism and an edge guide slidably connected to the slide housing. The edge guide is biased by a first biasing force and a second biasing force, wherein the first force is greater than the second force, allowing for automatic edge alignment within a predetermined range of widths.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention provides an automatic edge guide for a peripheral device. More specifically, the present invention provides an automatic edge guide which aligns the edges of media being loaded into the peripheral device by urging the media against an opposed stationary guide member.
2. Description of the Related Art
Digital photo printing has increased in popularity in recent years due to the increased popularity of digital cameras. Generally, digital cameras convert an optical image to a digital image through a charge-coupled device (CCD) image sensor or the like. The digital image may then be saved to an image memory for further data processing. In recent years digital camera features have improved significantly. For example, digital camera resolutions and memory storage capabilities have increased while prices for such features have steadily decreased, leading to increased digital camera sales. One perceived drawback associated with digital cameras is that users do not like printing digital images on standard printing paper. Instead, users want pictures printed having the look, feel and size of photos developed by professional developers. In order to overcome this perceived drawback of digital photography, manufacturers have developed various photo printers which print the digital images to media comparable to professionally developed photos.
However, one problem commonly realized with such photo printers, as well as other peripheral devices, is alignment of the edges of the photo media in the media pick feed mechanism. When edges of the photo media are misaligned, skewing results and the printed image may not be aligned properly on the photo media. Prior art devices have utilized slidable guides which are typically manually manipulated in order to properly adjust for media of varying sizes.

Automatic edge guide assembly using springs and tapered surfaces


A method for making multilayer optical films is provided in which the degradation of the optical extinction of the thinnest optical layers is avoided by casting these layers close to the casting wheel.

In recent years, multilayer optical films have been developed which have a wide variety of interesting properties. Such films are described, for example, in U.S. Ser. No. 08/359,436, now abandoned. In the continuing development of these films, particular attention has been paid to maintaining the integrity of the multilayer structure in these films during manufacture, and to promoting interlayer adhesion between the individual layers. Good inter-layer adhesion between co-extruded layers in multilayer optical films is desirable to reduce the possibility of delamination during post-processing and end use. These aspects are crucial to the optical and mechanical properties of the film.
Material or layer characteristics that effect inter-layer adhesion and layer integrity include, but are not limited to, the relative affinity of the materials for each other (characterized by quantities such as solubility parameters, interaction parameters or interfacial tension), the ability of these materials to interact by chemical reaction, the roughness of the inter-layer interface (e.g., both local concentration fluctuations in the interfacial zone and the planarity of this zone), the broadness of the average concentration profile of the materials across the interfacial zone, the molecular weight distribution and average (or intrinsic) viscosity of the materials, the melt viscosities, normal stresses, the so-called "entanglement" weights of the materials, and the mobilities or diffusion coefficients of the materials. If the materials chemically react across the interface, inter-layer adhesion may be promoted by the creation of crosslinks or other forms of covalent bonding, including the formation of copolymers.
Inter-layer adhesion can also develop, and layer integrity can diminish, without chemical reaction. The higher the relative affinity between the materials of adjacent layers, the higher the inter-layer adhesion. If the affinity is sufficiently high, the materials become miscible, and the rate of interdiffusion then determines the final structure. When a multilayered structure is desired, excessive interdiffusion between miscible materials in adjacent layers can destroy the layered structure, and thus needs to be limited. Higher molecular weight can reduce interdiffusion, and can also limit ultimate miscibility.
If the affinity between the materials of adjacent layers is insufficient to cause miscibility, then an interfacial zone will develop over which the concentration of one material varies from nearly its pure value to nearly zero. Since materials are rarely perfectly immiscible, the concentration of the material in its original layer is likely to be somewhat less than its original value, and the concentration of the material in layers originally of other materials is likely to be somewhat greater than zero. In cases of partial miscibility, the initially pure material layers may tend to evolve toward thermodynamic phases that maintain a majority of the original material but also contain a substantial portion of material from neighboring layers. Partial miscibility may be the result of the lower molecular weight fractions inherent in, or added to, the polymeric material. As the affinity increases, the effective width of the interfacial zone increases and the ultimate purity of the layers decreases. Changing the purity of the layers can alter their behavior under subsequent processing (e.g., orientation and crystallization under draw) thus changing the optical and mechanical properties of the final film.
The width of the interfacial profile can also increase inter-layer adhesion. For example, a broader interface may be able to dissipate fracture energy more effectively, giving rise to increased strength. Moreover, weld strength correlates positively with the degree of inter-entanglement between layers. As the interfacial breadth decreases relative to the radius of gyration of a polymeric coil of the entanglement molecular weight, the weld strength is expected to decrease. Ultimate inter-entanglement, and thus inter-layer adhesion, between layers can also be increased by increasing the average molecular weight of the materials if the interfacial zone is broad enough relative to the size of the molecular coils. However, increasing the molecular weight can also slow interdiffusion and prevent the establishment of equilibrium. Finally, the interfacial profile necessarily establishes a gradient in the optical and mechanical properties throughout this interlayer region, thereby altering the properties of the construction in toto. As the interfacial zone width approaches the layer thickness, the layer integrity deteriorates with severe effects on the film properties. Thus, processing conditions and design considerations that effect these inter-layer characteristics are also clearly relevant.
Temperature and residence time can greatly affect the broadness of the average concentration profile of materials across the interfacial zone by affecting both interdiffusion and chemical reaction (where possible) between layers. Initially, the individual layers make contact in the feedblock and eventually weld in, or downstream of, this feedblock. Higher temperatures can increase the mutual welding and diffusion process which establishes the interfacial zone in situ. If the materials do not react and are immiscible, then there exists an equilibrium average concentration profile with some average interfacial zone width.
For given materials of given mobilities, processing temperatures and residence times determine how closely to equilibrium the interfacial zone can reach before web quenching at the casting wheel. If the materials can react, there exists a quasi-equilibrium at a given level of chemical reaction. As the reaction proceeds, this equilibrium can shift to a broader equilibrium profile. This latter case may include, but is not limited to, PEN:coPEN systems and other polyesters in which transesterification reactions can create co-polymers of the two initial materials in situ within the interfacial zone. The actual final interfacial profile between the layer compositions and the layer integrity are then the result of coupled diffusion and chemical reaction. Henceforth the term "interdiffusion" will imply both coupled processes. The interfacial profile resulting from interdiffusion can vary from a sharp boundary between distinct material layers through any intermediate stage up to and including profiles between layers at phase equilibrium. Because interlayer adhesion and layer integrity required for optical performance often behave oppositely in quality with degree of interdiffusion, processes may sometimes optimize at some intermediate interfacial profile.
In another example of process effects, melt train temperatures and drying conditions can affect the molecular weight distribution of the materials. Moreover, temperature and shear rate can effect the component layer viscosities which can, in turn, effect flow stability and inter-layer surface roughness. In some cases, relatively low levels of deliberate flow instability could conceivably enhance inter-layer adhesion without destroying the multilayer stack construction. Finally, process design considerations can also be important. For example, layers are compressed within the feedblock and then again within the die. An inter-layer profile established in the feedblock could be compressed in the die, requiring further interdiffusion to re-achieve the equilibrium interfacial width. Controlling residence times through the various portions of the melt train can control the degree of interdiffusion.
The effective index differentials of multilayered optical films are often observed to vary somewhat from the values predicted from the corresponding monolithic films. This variance is most pronounced in the thin optical layers (that is, those layers which are tuned to the blue region of the spectrum, or layers that are intentionally made less than 1/4 wave thick for other regions of the spectrum). This phenomenon is sometimes attributed, at least in part, to interlayer diffusion. By way of illustration, as shown in FIG. 1, the index differential at 550 nm for monolithic films of PEN and coPEN stretched to a 6:1 ratio is about 0.25. However, from the measured reflectance of several 1/4 wave optical stack samples of PEN/coPEN multilayer film, the effective index differential of the actual thin optical layers is somewhat smaller, typically about 0.20, and has been observed to drop to as low as 0.05. These variations in effective index differential adversely affect the optical properties of the film, with the result that reflective polarizers and other optical films made with these materials often attain only a fraction of their theoretical performance.
Various references describe films having thin optical layers or methods for making such films. Representative examples include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,711,176 (Alfrey, Jr. et al.), 3,773,882 (Schrenk et al.), 3,884,606 (Schrenk), 5,126,880 (Wheatley et al.), 5,217,794 (Schrenk), 5,233,465 (Wheatley et al.), 5,269,995 (Ramanathan et al.), 5,316,703 (Schrenk), 5,389,324 (Lewis et al.), 5,448,404 (Schrenk et al.), 5,540,978 (Schrenk), and 5,568,316 (Schrenk et al.). However, to date, the conditions giving rise to variations in effective index differential have been only poorly understood, and no methods have been provided in the art for controlling such variations, particularly in films with thin optical layers. It is thus an object of the present invention to provide such a method.

Method for making multilayer optical films having thin optical layers

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company


To provide a browser apparatus with the contents of data provided on a network in a form of voice data, voice data indicating a part or the whole of the contents of the data provided on the network is formed and stored on a gateway, on the basis of the data. Data is formed by adding to the data provided on the network an identifier <VOICEOUT . . . > indicating a location where the voice data is stored. This data is provided to the browser apparatus. The browser apparatus receives the voice data from the location indicated by the identifier.

An example of conventional voice browser systems having a voice input/output function is a voice-controllable computer proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-124293 by which a client performs voice synthesis and voice recognition. Unfortunately, a voice browser system having this configuration has the problem that when a client is implemented by hardware such as a portable terminal having small calculation resources, the processing load on the client is too large compared to the resources.
Accordingly, voice browser systems which synthesize and recognize voices by using hardware different from hardware for implementing a client have been invented. An example is a browser system or a voice proxy server proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-110186.
In the above conventional voice browser system, however, a browser process for displaying data described in a markup language such as HTML is separated from a process for outputting and inputting voices by voice synthesis and voice recognition. Therefore, between hardware for performing voice synthesis and voice recognition and hardware for implementing a client, communication for exchanging voice output data and voice input data must be performed in addition to communication accomplished by HTTP or the like to exchange data described in HTML or the like.
This requires complicated communication control and control for synchronizing the individual processes and hence makes the construction of a voice browser system difficult. In addition, a fire wall which prohibits communication except for HTTP communication is often formed between a client and a server. Since no other communication is possible in this case, a voice browser system is difficult to construct.


An information transmission method and an apparatus, such that the method includes: a terminal device sending first information and a time indication of the first information to a network device, where the first information includes a buffer status report (BSR) and/or a power headroom report (PHR), and the time indication is used to indicate a generation time and/or an initial transmission time of the first information.

Currently, a request-grant-based uplink data transmission method is mainly used for an existing mobile communications system. However, with increasing application scenarios, terminal types and application types, in an evolution process of a future mobile communications system, a quantity of terminal devices will increase explosively. In specific application scenarios, users will have higher requirements on a network latency and make full use of unlicensed spectrum resources. In this case, the conventional request-grant-based uplink data transmission method is not applicable any more because of a relatively high latency and relatively high signaling overheads, so that scheduling-free transmission comes into being.
In the scheduling-free transmission, when a terminal device has a data sending requirement, the terminal device does not need to request a scheduling resource from a base station, and may directly use a preallocated resource to send uplink data. Therefore, the scheduling-free transmission is of great advantage in terms of the network latency and signaling overheads. In the scheduling-free transmission, the terminal device will add control information of a media access control (MAC) layer, for example, a buffer status report (BSR) and a power headroom report (PHR), and service data together to a MAC protocol data unit (MAC PDU), and send the MAC protocol data unit to a network device.
However, in the scheduling-free transmission, because a scheduling-free resource may be used for new transmission and retransmission of data, when the terminal device needs to send uplink service data in a scheduling-free resource corresponding to a first time unit, the terminal device obtains a BSR and/or a PHR of the first time unit, and adds the BSR and/or the PHR of the first time unit and the uplink service data to a same MAC PDU. When a channel access process is not completed, a channel quality is relatively poor, or other cases occur, the network device may not be able to determine whether the terminal device sends the MAC PDU. If the terminal device retransmits a scheduling-free resource that is corresponding to a second time unit and that is in the MAC PDU to the network device, the network device cannot determine whether a BSR and a PHR that are carried in the MAC PDU are of the first time unit or the second time unit. The foregoing scenario will cause inconsistency between time units corresponding to the BSR and/or the PHR and determined by the terminal device and the network device, thereby affecting subsequent scheduling of the network device.

Information transmission method and apparatus


A endpoint load rebalancing controller, method of controlling endpoint activity to suppress side channel variation and computer program product for controlling endpoint activity for suppressing side channel variation in information from utility company users, e.g., from power company endpoints. The load rebalancing controller monitors period to period endpoint service usage and predicts next period endpoint service usage. Whenever the controller maintains determines that the endpoint usage will exhibit a change that may be sufficient to convey activity information in side channel activity, the controller rebalances activity for the next period. Rebalancing may include shifting off-line execution from one period to another and capping or increasing on-line execution activity.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to information security and more particularly to differential power analysis and other side channel attacks (SCA).
2. Background Description
Increasingly, utility companies are deploying endpoint monitoring devices, known as smart meters, grid health sensors, and data concentrators, that monitor local endpoint power consumption and periodically report usage. As of 2010 there were eight (8) million smart meters deployed with as many as sixty (60) million expected to be deployed by 2020. Security and privacy is of great concern both personally and in the business-place. Consequently, smart endpoint devices have become security attack targets. Utility companies have employed encryption based design techniques to provide some security for smart meter communications.
So for example, to prevent brute force security attacks on smart grid endpoints, some state of the art designs have incorporated encryption standardized in Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), e.g., AES-128,256. Some of these protection techniques are directed at preventing endpoint cryptographic key extraction. Others prevent reverse-engineering endpoint communication protocols. Since not all smart endpoint device communication is encrypted, providers have deployed meter reprogramming with embedded security technology, derived from financial transactions and government applications. Some embedded products have physical attack-detection mechanisms. Other embedded products rely on deployed logical techniques like lockable and encrypted, secure on-chip memories. Still other approaches rely on secure bootloaders that lock the endpoint device during manufacturing. Whenever financial or political incentives have aligned, however, someone has quickly developed some method, e.g., data mining technique, to exploit any available data.
In spite of employing these security measures, using smart meters has added privacy and security vulnerabilities to what are commonly known as side channel attacks, which may reveal key information in spite of security efforts. For example, a smart meter may store or cache energy use information before reporting it to the service provider. State of the art smart meters monitor power consumption with a high resolution level, e.g., to the minute or even second. Stored information is an information-rich side channel, that characterizes customer habits and behaviors.
Some activities have detectable power consumption signatures, e.g., watching television. Even detecting the presence or absence of activity can provide some information. Side channel attacks frequently use energy profiling to extract available consumption signatures, and exploit vulnerabilities that are beyond protection with encryption. Typical energy profiling includes, for example, Differential Power Analysis (DPA) and Differential Electromagnetic Analysis (DEMA), and also invasive attacks (e.g. laser attacks). Information embedded in power consumption data, increasingly, has made utility companies a potential source of privacy abuse by side channel attackers. Consequently, side channel attacks have raised privacy and security concerns both for home and business and concern for side channel attack vulnerability has been increasing, not only from the customer information privacy perspective but also for enterprise applications.
Thus, there is a need for side channel attack security/prevention for protecting service facility infrastructure, and for focusing security on differential power and EM side channel attacks in smart meters and on preventing the attacks, and especially on smart meters metering and monitoring utility usage such as electricity, gas, water, fuel and other commodities.


The monolithic hybrid LED array includes a metal heat sink substrate, a ceramic layer on the substrate, and a plurality of series-connected epitaxially-formed LEDs connected by interconnects such as conductive ink strips. The array preferably includes three to six sets of series-connected LEDs that are tightly packed on the substrate. The LEDs are housed in a modular housing having a power regulating circuit and an override feature for overriding the regulator to produce the maximum LED output for brief periods of time. The regulator may continuously vary the light intensity output from the equivalent of 0 to 2000 micromols per second per meter squared.

This invention relates to apparatus for providing radiant energy to enhance and test plant growth, and more particularly to apparatus that uses optoelectronic devices such as light emitting diodes to provide such radiant energy.
Several types of devices are known for providing radiant energy to enhance and test plant growth. Typical prior art electrical light sources include fluorescent, high pressure sodium, and other metal halide lamps. These prior art devices have several major disadvantages.
One disadvantage of metal halide lamps is that they provide a great deal of infrared and/or heat energy. Excessive infrared and heat energy has a deleterious effect on plants. To overcome this disadvantage, typical prior art devices must be placed at a sufficient distance from the plant to prevent plant damage. When the device is being used with a leaf chamber to test the ability of the plant to transform the radiant energy into chemical energy, extensive additional apparatus is required to remove the infrared and heat energy to prevent harm to the leaf. The use of such additional cooling and ventilating apparatus greatly increases the effective cost of the radiant energy.
Another disadvantage of metal halide energy sources is that the light intensity cannot be continuously reduced to a zero intensity since metal halide lamps require a minimum voltage to maintain the arc in the lamp. Since it is often desirable to reduce the energy output to a zero or a near zero intensity, the metal halide lamps are not suitable for some applications.
Typical prior art metal halide and other electrical energy sources output light having a relatively broad spectrum. However, it has been found that plant growth does not require the full spectrum of visible light. Thus, it is desirable to provide radiant energy sources that emit radiation in one or more specific regions of the spectrum.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,012,609 issued May 7, 1991 to Ignatius et al discloses an array of light emitting diodes which provide radiant energy in specific regions of the spectrum. However, a light emitting diode array like that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,012,609 requires a plurality of discrete light emitting diodes that must be plugged into a circuit. That arrangement limits the number of light emitting diodes that may be packed into the array. It is also somewhat expensive to manufacture and assemble an array of light emitting diodes using discrete components. Also, the power requirements for such arrays, as well as for metal halide lamps, are relatively large, increasing the cost of operation of the electrical energy sources.


A control unit includes several magnet and air piloted valves, a transducer, a transmitter, a pressure switch and a pipe network. Controlled by a central controller, the apply and release valves allow a first trainline to charge the pipe network or vent to atmosphere whereas the emergency release valve can vent a second trainline to atmosphere. The transfer valve connects the first trainline to a command port of the control unit unless its pilot port receives an emergency braking request in which case it connects the pipe network to the command port. The transducer converts pressure in the first trainline to an electrical signal. The transmitter conveys this signal to a control bus. The pressure switch closes if the second trainline charges to a preset pressure. Upon closure of the pressure switch and a command from the controller, the charging valve allows the pipe network to charge the second trainline to a threshold level. The maintaining valve permits the pipe network to charge the second trainline unless pressure at its pilot port falls below the threshold. The regulating valve regulates air from a primary port of the control unit for use in the pipe network. The pipe network allows the apply valve, the first trainline and the regulating valve to supply air to the transfer valve, charging valve, maintaining valve and a master port of the control unit. When pressure in the second trainline drops faster than a predetermined rate, the vent valve vents the second trainline to atmosphere.

Modern train brake control systems typically use a central controller to control the brakes of the rail vehicles that comprise the train. A train operator located in the lead locomotive manipulates the brake handles of the train to apply and release the brakes of the trucks on each rail vehicle as desired. The inputs from the brake handles are typically processed by a cab control unit and passed to the central controller. In response to these and other inputs, the central controller sends a brake command signal to each of the rail vehicles along a pneumatic or an electrical trainline or both. The brake command signal can be the carrier of a request for service braking or one for emergency braking or even both. Brake equipment on each rail vehicle applies or releases the brakes according to the dictates of the particular brake command signal received.
Depending on the type of brake control system, the service and emergency braking requests may be carried on the same or separate pneumatic trainlines. In the WABCO 26-C Brake Control System, the brake pipe is used to convey both the service and emergency braking requests. In the WABCO RT-2 Brake Control System, the straight air pipe conveys the service braking requests while the brake pipe carries the emergency braking requests.
The brake equipment on each rail vehicle may include either exclusively pneumatic equipment or a combination of electrical and pneumatic (i.e., electropneumatic) equipment. In those rail vehicles featuring only pneumatic brake equipment, the central controller sends the brake command signal along a pneumatic trainline to each rail vehicle. The pneumatic brake equipment on each rail vehicle responds pneumatically to apply or release the brakes according to the dictates of the pneumatic brake command signal. In those rail vehicles featuring electropneumatic brake equipment, each rail vehicle typically includes a master electronic unit (MEU) whose construction and operation are generally well known in the brake control art. The central controller sends the brake command signal to each rail vehicle along either a pneumatic or an electrical trainline or both.
The MEU on each rail vehicle receives this brake command signal and various other signals in response to which it directly controls the electropneumatic equipment according to principles well known in the brake control art. Specifically, the MEU generates the electrical signals which directly open or close the various valves of the prior art electropneumatic equipment which supply pressure to or vent pressure from the brake cylinders. The brakes of all the trucks on the rail vehicle apply and release accordingly.
The exclusively pneumatic equipment and the electropneumatic equipment of the prior art brake control systems discussed previously have certain disadvantages when compared to the inventions set forth below and in related applications. Such prior art equipment typically provides service braking, emergency braking and wheel slip and spin control functions from separate components. This requires a lot of space. Moreover, each component in these prior art systems is typically physically separated from the electronics that controls it. Large amounts of wiring are therefore required to interconnect each component and its controlling electronics. Each rail vehicle, of course, bears the weight of this wiring.
It would therefore be highly desirable to have brake equipment in which service braking and emergency braking functions and, if desired, wheel slip and spin control functions can be consolidated along with their associated electronics within a single, and comparatively small, package. The amount of wiring that would be required to interconnect the various electropneumatic components and their associated electronics in each package would be significantly reduced as compared to the prior art equipment. This would reduce the weight that each rail vehicle would be required to bear. The single enclosure for each of the components and their associated electronics would also afford better protection from adverse environmental conditions.
It would also be highly desirable to control the brakes at the truck level. In those prior art systems featuring only pneumatic brake equipment on each rail vehicle, the brakes are controlled only at the rail vehicle or train level. Similarly, in those prior art brake control systems featuring electropneumatic brake equipment on each rail vehicle, the MEU is used to control the brakes only at the rail vehicle level. By controlling the brakes at each truck individually, this would allow for better overall control of the brakes given the inevitable variations in load weight, motion, wheel slippage and other factors affecting each rail vehicle.
It would also be highly desirable to design such a package that either by itself or in conjunction with one or more other novel devices can be used within and made a part of a variety of train brake control systems such as those used to control passenger trains, subway trains and trolleys.
It should be noted that the foregoing background information is provided to assist the reader in understanding the present invention. Accordingly, any terms of art used herein are not intended to be limited to any particular narrow interpretation unless specifically stated otherwise in this document.


A co injection manifold assembly for injecting two different materials into a common mold cavity includes a housing that defines a first passage, a second passage and an outlet. The first and second passages communicate with a bore having a valve member for controlling flow of the material through the outlet. A first temperature control element in thermal contact with the first passage and a second temperature control element are in thermal contact with the second passage. Each of the first and second temperature control elements are separately controllable to provide separate temperatures for each of the first and second passages. Separate temperatures in each of the first and second passages provide for the use of materials having dissimilar molten temperatures.

This invention relates generally to an injecting unit for a molding machine and more particularly to a co-injecting unit for forming a molded article having an inner core and an outer skin.
A co-injection manifold is typically provided for a molding machine in which a core material and a skin material are concurrently injected into a mold cavity. The core material is typically a different material than the outer skin material. In some instances it may be desirable to use better quality plastic material as the observable outer surface or skin material and a cheaper lesser grade material as the non-visible core material.
Conventional co-injection manifolds include at least two inlets that feed a common outlet leading to the mold cavity. A valve and nozzle control the flow of each material through the outlet and into the mold. The valve provides the desired material flow into the mold and selectively shuts off flow of the core material such that the entire surface of a molded article is comprised of the desired outer skin material.
Co-injection manifolds typically utilize a similar grade of plastic materials that have similar melting temperatures. It is known to provide temperature control elements within a co-injection manifold to maintain the plastic material at a desired temperature. Plastic materials generally melt and are molded at similar temperatures and therefore the co-injection manifold is heated to a single common temperature.
Disadvantageously, separate or drastically different materials may require different temperatures. For example, recent developments utilize a wood or other cellulose material as the core for the molded article. The wood core material provides several benefits that provide advantages to the completed molded article. However, the wood material is not compatible with temperatures that are favorable to plastic material.
Accordingly, it is desirable to develop a co-injection manifold that provides separate temperature controls to provide for co-injection of a wood or other cellulose material and a plastic material through a common injection manifold.


The present invention is directed to compositions for improving immune function and sensitivities to the natural and manmade environment that include ingredients from natural sources. It is further directed to methods of administering the compositions and kits containing the compositions. In a composition aspect, the composition is for regulating immune function and non-immune related sensitivities. It consists essentially of: 2 weight percent to 95 weight percent Psoralea; 2 weight percent to 95 weight percent Scutellaria; and 2 weight percent to 95 weight percent Xanthium. The Scutellaria portion may be replaced by Gardenia (in equal measure), or by a mixture of Scutellaria and Gardenia.

An eleven-ingredient immune-support formula was developed. The formula was shown to aid in the reduction of symptoms related to exposure to allergens and other elements of the environment that trigger immune and non-immune related symptoms affecting body systems from respiratory, digestive, as well as the dermis and epidermis. The ingredients of the formula are as follows: Psoralea fruit; Skullcap root; Xanthium fruit; Chrysanthemum flower; Gardenia fruit; Betelnut husk; Schisandra berry; Bupleurum root; Jujube seed; Plantain seed; and, Schizonepeta aerial parts.
Investigations and experience with the eleven-ingredient formula showed no primary ingredient in the formula or any one particularly responsible for many of the observed benefits. All ingredients were thought to play a supporting role in the composition.
While the prior-art formulation affords desirable outcomes with respect to environmental sensitivities and/or reactions, it is rather large in volume and relatively expensive to make. Furthermore, in view of the large number of ingredients, it was found to be difficult to hit consistency and standardized functionality (biologic activity) targets. An improved formulation that is more compact (less voluminous) and less expensive to make, but nevertheless offers similar beneficial effects against environmental sensitivities ranging from foods to pollen, dust, temperatures, air pollution, and other environmental irritants, may be of significant value in this field.

Compositions for reducing environmental sensitivity and regulating immune function


In order to prevent, in an operation for circulating liquid, an ejection port from sucking air or the ejection port from pushing out liquid, the subtank for temporally storing ink to be supplied to the ink jet head includes the air communication passage opened or closed by the air communication valve. The ink jet head is communicated with the subtank by the first passage and the second passage to constitute one circulation passage. In order to circulate the ink in the subtank into the common liquid chamber, the main pump is energized while the air communication valve is being closed. When the circulation operation is stopped, the air communication valve is opened immediately after the stoppage of the main pump, thereby eliminating the differential pressure between the common liquid chamber and the subtank within a short period of time.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid ejection apparatus incorporating a supplying liquid circulation system for circulating liquid in a liquid ejecting head and the liquid processing method thereof. In particular, the present invention is suitable as an ink jet apparatus using a full line-type ink jet head in which ejection ports are arranged over the entire width of a printing medium.
The term "print" described in the Specification includes, in addition to a case where significant information (e.g., characters, graphic) is formed, variety of cases such as a case where an image, marking, or pattern is formed on a printing medium or a case where the printing medium is processed (e.g., etching), regardless of the significance or non-significance and regardless of whether or not the information is elicited so as to be visually recognized by a person.
The term "printing medium" includes not only a paper used in a general print apparatus but also materials (e.g., cloth, resin film, metal plate, glass, ceramics, wood, leather) that can accept liquid and materials having a three-dimensional shape other than a sheet-like shape (e.g., sphere, cylindrical body).
The term "liquid" should be widely interpreted as in the case of the definition of the above term "print" and includes any liquids used for printing such as liquid applied to a printing medium to be used for the formation of an image, marking, pattern or the like, liquid for the processing of a printing medium (e.g., etching), or liquid for the processing of ink (e.g., liquid that can be used so that color material in ink applied to a printing medium has coagulation or encapsulation).
2. Description of the Related Art
In an ink jet print apparatus, ink is ejected from an ink jet head (hereinafter also referred to as "print head") so that the ink is applied to a printing medium for printing, for example. The ink jet print apparatus is advantageous in that the print head can have a compact body in an easy manner, a high-definition image can be printed with a high speed, the running cost is low, the non-impact method reduces noise, and inks having a number of colors are used to print a color image in an easy manner, for example. The so-called full line-type ink jet head is particularly advantageous because a number of ejection ports are arranged over the entire width of the image formation region of a printing medium so that the ejection ports can eject ink simultaneously to form an image with a higher speed. The full line-type print head includes a number of ejection ports arranged in a longitudinal direction and thus a common liquid chamber for storing ink supplied to the respective ejection ports also has a long shape accordingly.
The full line-type print head as described above also has a number of heaters for ejecting ink. This causes a tendency where the ink in a common liquid chamber is heated by a heater to have a high temperature. To prevent this, a technique has been known in which the space in a common liquid chamber of a print head and a sub tank for storing ink supplied to the common liquid chamber are used as a circulation passage so that a pump provided to the passage is used to circulate ink, thus allowing the ink in the sub tank to be circulated in the common liquid chamber. Such a circulation of ink prevents the ink from having a high temperature to suppress the temperature increase of the print head.
The operation for circulating ink as described above also has, in addition to the purpose for suppressing the temperature increase of ink, another purpose for exhausting bubbles accumulated in the common liquid chamber to outside, for example.
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a supplying ink circulation system disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-179932(1999).
As shown in FIG. 9, the supplying ink circulation system 150 has the ink jet head 101, the subtank 103 temporally storing ink to be supplied to the ink jet head 101, and the main tank 102 for storing ink. The supplying ink circulation system 150 is used by being provided to an ink jet printer (not shown).
The ink jet head 101 includes a plurality of ejection ports 101a for ejecting ink, and one common liquid chamber 126 for storing ink to be supplied to the respective ejection ports 101a. At a position at which the ink jet head 101 is opposed to a port opening surface, the cap 108 is provided for receiving ink pushed out of the ejection port 101a.
The subtank 103 includes the first tank 103a and the second tank 103b. The first and second tanks 103a and 103b are divided to have an enclosed space, respectively. The first tank 103a and the second tank 103b store ink while including therein a predetermined amount of air buffer. The existence of air buffer left in this manner absorbs the fluctuation of the flow rate of ink caused when the ink is circulated.
The first tank 103a has, at the upper face thereof, the air communication passage 134 for communicating air in the tank. The air communication passage 134 is attached with the air communication valve 106d for opening or closing this communication passage.
The main tank 102 has an ink cartridge-like shape so that the main tank 102 can be exchanged with a new one in an ink jet printer (not shown) and stores therein ink having a predetermined color.
The respective components as described above are appropriately connected by tube members. As a result, the ink jet printer can be operated with "ink supply mode", "ink circulation mode", "ink eject mode" or the like. Among these operations, the "ink circulation mode" will be described with regards to the configuration and operation.
In order to circulate ink in the common liquid chamber 126, the common liquid chamber 126 has, at the upstream side and the downstream side, the first passage 132 and the second passage 133 communicated to each other, respectively.
The other end of the first passage 132 is communicated with the second tank 103b of the subtank 103 while the other end of the second passage 133 is communicated with the first tank 103a. The first and second tanks 103a and 103b are communicated to each other by a tube member. As described above, the supplying ink circulation system 150 has one circulation passage by the first passage 132, the second passage 133, and the tube member for communicating the first tank 103a to the second tank 103b.
The tube member for communicating the first tank 103a to the second tank 103b has, at the intermediate position thereof, the first pump 104 for moving ink in the first tank 103a into the second tank 103b. This first pump 104 is used to circulate ink.
The cap 108 is communicated with the collection passage 135 for collecting ink received by the cap 108. The other end of the collection passage 135 is communicated with the space in the first tank 103a of the subtank 103. The collection passage 135 includes the filter 152 for capturing foreign matters in ink and the second pump 109 for sucking ink from the cap 108.
The supplying ink circulation system 150 structured as described above is driven with the "ink circulation mode" as described below.
When the first pump 104 is driven while the air communication valve 106d being closed, ink in the first tank 103a is flowed into the second tank 103b. As a result, the ink in the second tank 103b is pressurized and is flowed via the first passage 132 to the common liquid chamber 126 (see the direction shown by the arrow in the drawing). In accordance with this, ink in the common liquid chamber 126 is partially pushed out into the second passage 133 and is returned to the first tank 103a via the second passage 133. The ink left in the common liquid chamber 126 is partially pushed out of the ejection port 101a and is received by the cap 108.
Then, the second pump 109 is driven in synchronization with the first pump 104 so that the ink received by the cap 108 is returned via the collection passage 135 to the first tank 103a.
The following section will describe in detail the circulation operation as described above.
First, immediately after the start of the circulation operation, the first pump 104 is driven to flow ink into the second tank 103b and the space in the second tank 103b is pressurized while the air buffer therein being compressed. The pressurization of the second tank 103b in this manner pushes the ink in the tank toward the common liquid chamber 126. On the other hand, ink in the first tank 103a is sucked toward the second tank 103b and thus the tank has therein a negative pressure to inflate the air buffer. In the situation immediately after the start of the circulation operation as described above, the pressures in subtank 103 and in the common liquid chamber 126 are not stabilized yet and thus a relatively large amount of ink is pushed out of the ejection port 101a. When a filter (not shown) for cleaning ink is provided at the side of the second passage 133 in FIG. 9 in particular, a larger amount of ink is pushed out because the space in the common liquid chamber 126 tends to be pressurized due to the influence by the pressure loss of this filter.
When a certain period of time has passed since the start of the circulation operation, the pressures in the subtank 103 and in the common liquid chamber 126 are stabilized. Specifically, the inflation or contraction of the air buffer is stopped and the amount of ink pushed out of the ejection port 101a is also reduced, thus causing the amount of ink flowing into the subtank 103 to be the same as that of ink flowing in the first pump 104.
However, the circulation system as described above causes the subtank to be closed while the common liquid chamber being communicated with air via the ejection port even when the circulation operation is performed in the stabilized condition, thus causing the differential pressure between the common liquid chamber and the subtank. Due to this reason, the ink circulation operation may not be stopped in some cases, even when the pump is stopped. As a result, the common liquid chamber has therein a negative pressure. This has caused a case in which the negative pressure having a magnitude that exceeds an ink meniscus retention force in the ejection port causes air to be sucked via the ejection port. When the air sucked via the ejection port is collected as bubbles in the common liquid chamber, the ejection may not be provided to a correct manner.
The air suction phenomenon as described above tends to be caused as the pump has a larger flow rate or as the air buffer in the subtank has a larger capacity. The air suction phenomenon also tends to be caused when the exhaust side of the common liquid chamber has a filter and the filter has a larger pressure coefficient. Specifically, the prevention of the air suction as described above is desirable because it improves the freedom in the selection of a pump or a filter or the freedom in the selection of the setting of an air buffer.
The ink circulation operation may have, in addition to a defect caused by the air suction as described above, a defect in which the space in the common liquid chamber is pressurized immediately after the start of the circulation operation to cause the ink to be pushed out of the ejection port. The ink pushed out as described above is not particularly problematic in the configuration as shown in FIG. 9 in which the pushed-out ink is again returned to the subtank 103. However, the pushed-out ink is a problem in a configuration in which the pushed-out ink is collected by an independent waste ink collection tank.

Liquid ejection apparatus and liquid processing method


A driving apparatus of the invention comprises a fixed member, a piezoelectric element fixed at one end to the fixed member, and a driving friction member fixed to the other end of the piezoelectric element. The driving apparatus of the invention is arranged to move a movable unit which is slidably mounted on the driving friction member by expansion and contraction of the piezoelectric element. Herein, a bonded surface of the piezoelectric element to the driving friction member is included in a bonded surface of the driving friction member to the piezoelectric element.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a driving apparatus using an electromechanical transducer such as a piezoelectric element, an electrostrictive element, or a magnetostrictive element. More particularly, the present invention relates to a driving apparatus in which a driving friction member is bonded to an electromechanical transducer by adhesive.
2. Description of Related Art
Heretofore, there has been used a driving apparatus for moving a movable unit by utilizing an electromechanical transducer such as a piezoelectric element, an electrostrictive element, or a magnetostrictive element. In such driving apparatus, for example, the electromechanical transducer is fixed at one end to a fixed member and at the other end to a driving friction member, respectively, and a movable unit is slidably mounted on the driving friction member with friction. When the electromechanical transducer is slowly deformed, the movable unit is moved along with the driving friction member by friction. When the electromechanical transducer is quickly deformed, on the other hand, the movable unit remains at the same place by inertia. This driving apparatus is used to produce a requested movement of the movable unit by appropriately combining those slow and quick movements.
Herein, the electromechanical transducer and the driving friction member are commonly coupled by adhesive. These have conventionally been designed to have bonded areas as large as possible in order to prevent the adhesive from easily peeling due to deterioration from vibrations for driving, long-term use, or other causes. For example, Japanese unexamined patent publication No. H8(1996)-286093 (FIG. 3) discloses a driving apparatus in which a piezoelectric element and a driving friction member are integrally adhered and fixed so that a coupling part of them is entirely covered with a reinforcing member.
In the driving apparatus disclosed in the '093 publication, however, the reinforcing member is overlaid on the driving friction member, so that the actually available length of the driving friction member would be reduced by just that much. If the reinforcing member is simply eliminated, on the contrary, the apparatus is provided as a driving apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 5. In this driving apparatus 100, a driving friction member 102 and a fixed member 103 are bonded to both ends of a piezoelectric element 101 respectively by adhesive 120. The driving friction member 102 is held to be movable in its axial direction by bearings 104 and 105.
In such conventional driving apparatus 100, the adhesive 120 applied between the piezoelectric element 101 and the driving friction member 102 creeps, due to its fluidity, leftward in the figure along the periphery of the driving friction member 102. The creeping amount varies with an application amount and an application position of the adhesive 102. Accordingly, it would be necessary to determine the placement of the bearing 105 in consideration of the creeping amount. Specifically, the distance S from a bonded surface 121 to a right end of the bearing 105 is determined by adding a maximum creeping amount of the adhesive 102 to a maximum expanding amount of the piezoelectric element 101. In this figure, the adhesive 102 that crept is shown very exaggeratedly. However, even the adhesive that crept very thinly would also interfere with the bearing 105.
Consequently, an effective length Q of the driving friction member 102 is a length obtained by subtracting the distance S and each width of the bearings 104 and 105 from a whole length P of the driving friction member 102. This effective length Q is a range where a movable unit can frictionally be mounted on the driving friction member 102, that is, a movable range of the movable unit. In recent years, there is an increasingly demand to further reduce the entire size of the driving apparatus 100, particularly, the axial length. However, the reduction in the effective length Q is undesirable in view of driving performances.


In a carburetor mounting structure, a stud bolt is implanted in a carburetor mounting portion, a screw hole is provided in the carburetor mounting portion, first and second mounting flanges include first bolt holes through which the stud bolt passes, and second bolt holes into which a tap bolt is screwed, and the first bolt hole of the first mounting flange is formed into a notched shape so as to allow the stud bolt to be inserted into the first bolt hole from an outside of the first mounting flange. Thus, it is possible to provide a carburetor mounting structure wherein mounting of a carburetor by a stud bolt is possible even if only a small space exists outward of an outer end of the stud bolt.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improvement of a carburetor mounting structure comprising: a first mounting flange and a second mounting flange which are formed at a downstream end and an upstream end of a carburetor, respectively; and a plurality of bolts which pass through the first mounting flange and the second mounting flange and which are fastened to secure them to a carburetor mounting portion of an engine.
2. Description of the Related Art
In such a conventional carburetor mounting structure, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open No. 59-40555, a carburetor is mounted to a carburetor mounting portion as follows: bolt holes provided in a mounting flange of the carburetor are fitted to a plurality of stud bolts which are implanted in advance in the carburetor mounting portion of an engine; and nuts are screwed and fastened to the outer ends of the stud bolts.
In the above-described conventional structure, in the mounting of the carburetor, the carburetor can be temporarily fixed by first fitting the bolt holes in the mounting flanges of the carburetor to the stud bolts of the carburetor mounting portion. Therefore, the subsequent operation of screwing the nuts to the stud bolts is facilitated, leading to an advantage of excellent mountability of the carburetor.
However, in the above-described structure, when the bolt holes in the mounting flanges of the carburetor are fitted to the stud bolts of the carburetor mounting portion, the carburetor needs to be moved outward of the outer ends of the stud bolts. Therefore, if a space large enough to receive the entire carburetor does not exist outward of the outer ends of the stud bolts, it is impossible to use the above-described structure.


A flexible display comprises a display panel that includes a flexible substrate and subpixels formed in a display area defined on a surface of the flexible substrate. A data driver is mounted to a data driver area defined on the surface of the flexible substrate. The flexible display can have a connector mounted to a connector area defined on the surface of the substrate. A bent portion of the flexible substrate is between the display area and the connector area and causes the connector area to be bent back towards an other surface of the flexible substrate. A system board can further be electrically connected to the connector mounted on the connector area through a cable.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention relate to a flexible display and a method for manufacturing the same.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
The market of flat panel displays used as media between users and information is increasing with the development of information technology. Hence, the use of flat panel displays, such as an organic light emitting display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), an electrophoretic display, and a plasma display panel (PDP), is increasing.
The flat panel displays have been widely used in portable appliances such as, notebooks and cellular phones, as well as home appliances, such as televisions and videos, through characteristics of thin profile of the flat panel displays.
Out of the above flat panel displays, the organic light emitting display, the liquid crystal display, and the electrophoretic display may easily achieve the thin profile and also may be used as a flexible display by adding flexibility to them. Therefore, a study to add the flexibility to display devices is being continuously carried out.
When the flexible display is manufactured using the organic light emitting display, the liquid crystal display, and the electrophoretic display, a flexible substrate, for example, a polyimide film which is more flexible than plastic and glass, is used.
Although a related art flexible display uses a flexible substrate, the related art flexible display has to use a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) for an electrical connection between a display panel and a system board. Therefore, the related art flexible display requires a process for forming an anisotropic conductive film (ACF) used to connect the display panel, the flexible printed circuit board, and the system board in a bonding area between them and a process for bonding the display panel, the flexible printed circuit board, and the system board. Further, the related art flexible display has to extend an unnecessary area because of the use of the flexible substrate and also has to continuously use, maintain, and repair a film-on glass (FOG) equipment.

Flexible display and method for manufacturing the same