A semiconductor memory device including a memory cell array, a first row decoder adjacent the memory cell array, and a second row decoder adjacent the memory cell array. A memory cell array may include first and second memory cell blocks on respective first and second semiconductor layers. The first memory cell block may include a first word line coupled to a first row of memory cells on the first semiconductor layer, the second memory cell block may include a second word line coupled to a second row of memory cells on the second semiconductor layer, and the first word line may be between the first and second semiconductor layers. The first row decoder may be configured to control the first word line, and the second row decoder may be configured to control the second word line. A first wiring may electrically connect the first row decoder and the first word line, and a second wiring may electrically connect the second row decoder and the second word line.

The present invention disclosed herein relates to semiconductor devices, and more particularly, to semiconductor devices with three-dimensional structures.
With developments of semiconductor manufacturing technology, the demand for a high density memory has increased. Various methods have been suggested to satisfy the demand. One method is to provide a semiconductor device with a three-dimensional array structure. Technologies providing semiconductor devices with three-dimensional structures are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,835,396 titled "THREE-DIMENSIONAL READ-ONLY MEMORY," U.S. Pat. No. 6,034,882 titled "VERTICALLY STACKED FIELD PROGRAMMABLE NONVOLATILE MEMORY AND METHOD OF FABRICATION," and U.S. Pat. No. 7,002,825 titled "WORD LINE ARRANGEMENT HAVING SEGMENTED WORD LINES." The disclosures of each of the above-referenced patents are hereby incorporated herein in their entirety by reference.
A semiconductor device with a three-dimensional structure may include memory cell arrays formed in respective semiconductor layers. The semiconductor layers may include a silicon substrate and semiconductor layers that are sequentially stacked on the silicon substrate. The stacked semiconductor layers may be formed using selective epitaxial technology. An example of a semiconductor device with a stacked structure is a flash memory device. Since the flash memory device includes a plurality of word lines, a row decoder may be required to control the respective word lines.

Semiconductor device with three-dimensional array structure


Disclosed are a novel crystalline form of 7-chloro-N,N,5-trimethyl-4-oxo-3-phenyl-3,5-dihydro-4H-pyridazino[4,5-b]indole-1-acetamide, processes of preparing said crystalline form of 7-chloro-N,N,5-trimethyl-4-oxo-3-phenyl-3,5-dihydro-4H-pyridazino[4,5-b]indole-1-acetamide, compositions comprising said form in admixture with one or more pharmaceutically acceptable excipients, and uses for the same.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a novel crystalline form, hereinafter referred to as crystalline Form II, of 7-chloro-N,N,5-trimethyl-4-oxo-3-phenyl-3,5-dihydro-4H-pyridazino[4,5-b]indole-1-acetamide.
This invention also relates to processes for the preparation of such crystalline form, and to methods of use thereof for the prevention and treatment of diseases related to peripheral-type benzodiazepine receptors.
2. Description of the Art
7-Chloro-N,N,5-trimethyl-4-oxo-3-phenyl-3,5-dihydro-4H-pyridazino[4,5-b]indole-1-acetamide, which has the structure of Formula (A):
possesses a high affinity for the peripheral-type benzodiazepine receptors. The preparation, physical properties and beneficial pharmacological properties of 7-chloro-N,N,5-trimethyl-4-oxo-3-phenyl-3,5-dihydro-4H-pyridazino[4,5-b]indole-1-acetamide are described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,262,045 and, in particular, U.S. Pat. No. 6,395,729, both of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety. The processes described in these patents result in the isolation of 7-chloro-N,N,5-trimethyl-4-oxo-3-phenyl-3,5-dihydro-4H-pyridazino[4,5-b]indole-1-acetamide in one defined crystalline form, herein designated as Form I.
The limited solubility of crystalline Form I of 7-chloro-N,N,5-trimethyl-4-oxo-3-phenyl-3,5-dihydro-4H-pyridazino[4,5-b]indole-1-acetamide in both aqueous solutions (generally less than 0.01 mg/ml) and non-aqueous formulation solvents (generally less than 3 mg/ml) presents difficulties in the administration and storage of formulations containing this compound. Preliminary studies carried out with standard formulations have led to limited absorption of the drug. Therefore, there is a need for new solid forms of 7-chloro-N,N,5-trimethyl-4-oxo-3-phenyl-3,5-dihydro-4H-pyridazino[4,5-b]indole-1-acetamide and new methods of their preparation.


An apparatus for measuring and/or controlling the tension in a ribbon or wire-type electrode of an electric discharge machine in which the ribbon or wire-type electrode is passed around a rotatable roller which is in operative engagement with a sensor. The roller is adapted to be driven in rotation by a motor or to be retarded by a brake. A support member for the roller and the motor or for the roller and the brake accommodates the weight of the roller and the motor or of the roller and the brake so that no load caused by the motor or the brake plus the roller acts in the direction of the tensile stress of the electrode. Any movement of the support means can be detected by a sensor, and the magnitude of the tension can be derived by a control unit from the output signal of the sensor. In operation, the control unit determines the tension on the wire and causes the unit to either increase or decrease the resistance caused by the roller.

Such an apparatus is described in EP 0 355 168 A1. It comprises a roller which is supported for rotation on a pivotable lever and around which a tensioned wire electrode is passed. The lever rests on a pressure sensor. A brake disposed upstream in the direction of wire movement is controlled in response to the tensile stress of the wire electrode as detected by the pressure sensor so that the tension in the wire electrode will adopt a predetermined value.
German Patent DE 26 25 349 C2 discloses an apparatus for machining workpieces by spark erosion or electrochemically, using a wire or ribbon-type electrode, a separately driven pair of drive rollers for supplying or removing the electrode being arranged at the two sides of the working length located between guide members. Control of the electrode tension is effected by means of a pivotable roller which is loaded by the electrode against spring pressure or by gravity. A sensor detects the degree of deflection of the roller. The rotary speed of a motor which tensions the electrode is derived from the sensor output signal so that the deflection of the roller is regulated in such a way that the roller will maintain a certain position as much as possible. The means which controls the tensile force is located between the two pairs of drive rollers which are driven at invariable torques. The rotary speed of the drive motor for the drive roller pair is controlled in response to the deflection of the roller.
Another device for controlling the tension in a wire electrode of an electric discharge machine is known from German patent publication DE 32 08 036 A1. This device serves to control the tensile stress between a supply-side drive roller pair toward an operating range and a wire supply reel which is driven by a motor to pay off wire. A roller which is supported for rotation on a pivotable lever and around which the wire is passed is arranged in the wire path between the supply reel and the supply-side drive roller pair. The lever is spring loaded with a view to tensioning the wire electrode. A sensor means is disposed at one end of the lever to detect the deflection of the lever and thus the magnitude of the tensile stress and to generate a control signal by which the motor driving the supply reel is regulated.
DE 22 65 708 C1 describes a means used, in combination with an apparatus for the removal of a wire or ribbon-type electrode in machines for processing workpieces by spark erosion or electrochemically, to cause unvarying tension of the electrode at the discharge end of the electric discharge machine. To accomplish this, a deflectable pulley is provided which causes a loop to be formed of the electrode between a drive roller pair at the discharge end and the take-up reel which is driven by a variable speed motor. The degree of deflection from a central position serves for control of the wind-up speed of the reel such that a constant tension of the electrode is provided at the discharge-side drive roller pair.

Apparatus for measuring and/or controlling the tension in a ribbon or wire-type electrode of an electric discharge machine

AG fur industrielle Elektronik AGIE Losone bei Locarno


A computer system has a computer display with two methods of navigation: discrete and continuous. In discrete navigation, a cursor is moved discretely using a set of arrow keys while in the continuous navigation, a pointer or other screen object has analog movement to any position on the screen using a trackball or other device. When the discrete navigational method is used to highlight a menu item in a menu on a computer display, the computer system masks the display of the pointer until re-activation of the pointer in the second navigational method. In addition, the computer system recalculates the location of the pointer to a position in the center of the highlighted menu item.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to computer displays, and more particularly to the automatic integration of a cursor and a pointer in the selection of menu items in a computer display.
2. Description of the Related Art
Typically, computers have two general methods to select the position of a cursor on a computer display. The first method uses arrow keys, either up, down, left or right, to control the cursor to move sequentially through positions in either rows or columns of a computer. This first method is called discreet navigation.
The second method uses a trackball on a keyboard or mouse or a touch pad or other device to direct a pointer or other screen object on the computer display. The trackball or other device moves the pointer or other screen object through analog control of speed and direction to any position on the computer display. The cursor position can then be moved to the position of the pointer by for instance, selecting a button on the mouse or keyboard or tapping the touch pad. This second method is called continuous navigation.
In current computer systems, whether discreet or continuous navigation is used to control cursor position, both the pointer and cursor are displayed simultaneously on the computer display.
Similarly, in the selection of menu items, for example in pull down menus in window applications, the discreet navigational method sequentially moves through the menu items with each menu item being sequentially highlighted or otherwise differentiated in response to the arrow keys. Alternatively, in the continuous navigational method, a pointer moves under the control of a trackball or touchpad or other device to randomly select a menu item from the menu. Once the pointer overlays a menu item, the menu item may then be highlighted or otherwise differentiated by tapping the touch pad or pushing a selection button on the mouse or keyboard. Again in typical computer systems, both the pointer and cursor are displayed, without regard to whether the discreet or continuous navigational methods are used to select the menu items.
Furthermore, the pointer in typical computer systems remains in its last position despite the movement of the cursor. For example, when the cursor moves under the control of arrow keys in the discreet navigational method, the pointer will remain in its last position designated by the trackball or touchpad. This often creates confusion as to the location of the pointer, especially when the cursor has moved a significant number of lines from the last pointer position.
In addition, with the growing use of wireless keyboards and big screen monitors, users of a computer no longer need to be in close proximity to the monitor. At a distance, it is more difficult to discern the location of the pointer, especially during the selection of menu items.
As a result of these characteristics, the display of both the cursor and pointer in typical computer systems is distracting and confusing. A need has thus arisen in the industry for an improved method and apparatus for the seamless display of a cursor and pointer and selection of menu items in a computer system.

Automatic and seamless cursor and pointer integration


A print head is disclosed which includes a unitary armature assembly including a thin resilient spring, thick structural members and cores upon which a magnetic flux path can be electrically imposed, such that motion of the armatures is constrained to only the desirable back-and-forth axial movement of an ideal print stroke. Lateral movement of the armatures is prevented, so that armatures wires wear only very slowly, resulting in long and reliable service life. Improved performance for size is obtained by having the magnet plate positioned with the working air gap on the outside and the return pole on the inside, with the armature pivot at the outside periphery of the print head, so that the larger magnet area imparts greater magnetic force, an increased length of the lever arm for the print wire, and enhancement of the print stroke and the printing performance of the device. The wire guide pattern provides bidirectional and orthogonal printing capability. Heat transfer is obtained through a heat sink. A universal connection bracket is provided for connection to numerous printers.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention herein relates to dot matrix printers and print heads. More particularly it relates to the structure of such print heads and their method of operation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Dot matrix printers are widely used for transaction receipts and convenience printing. These applications include cash registers, automatic teller machines, gas pumps, lottery tickets, credit card verification, bar code printing, etc. The dot matrix printer, like other impact printers, can produce multiple carbon (or carbonless) copies. It is important for the print head, to be durable, to operate at high speed, to be as simple as possible in construction and to be highly reliable.
Impact print heads operate by forcing the tip of one or more of a plurality of elongated pins against an inked ribbon which is adjacent to the paper or other substrate on which the printed characters are to be formed. The impact of each pin tip drives the ribbon against the paper and leaves an inked dot in the location of that pin. By controlling the number and location of the pins which are activated, and by moving the pin array and paper relative to each other between successive activations of the pins, a collection of such dots is produced which appears as a number, letter, other character, or as a picture, figure or design.
When the print head is in operation, electromagnetic actuators provide force to armatures which act on the driving end of the pins causing them to be reciprocated rapidly to create lines of text, drawings, etc. Ideally the armatures should move only in the back-and-forth direction of print activation. However, in many prior art print heads, armatures also experience substantial lateral motion within their travel channels, which causes substantial wear on the armatures and their mating surfaces at the pivot point, reducing print head life. Commonly print head life has been no more than 100 million characters prior to needing replacement. For high speed dot matrix printers which are used heavily, this translates into relatively frequent replacement of print heads, which is of course uneconomical for the printer user.
To make the most efficient use of high speed dot matrix printers, many users run multi-sheet documents through them, so that with one pass the printer will make multiple copies of each document. In order to maximize the number of layers of paper (i.e., numbers of copies) which can be legibly printed, the pins must be driven firmly against the ribbon and document. In many prior art printers the performance of the print head is not sufficient to produce the number of legible copies per pass that the user wants, and so additional sets of the same document must be run in order to produce the desired total number of copies. If the performance of the print head could be improved, the number of repetitions of a document could be reduced for creation of the same number of copies.
In order to achieve sufficient striking force against the print ribbon to form a clean character on multiple layers of paper, the print wire must be relatively stiff. Since the driving magnets for the print wires are usually arranged in a circle, the print wire must be bent to achieve a vertical column at the output guide. The greater the curvature of the print wire, also related to pullback, the more friction, the more wear and the more driving force is needed. It is the goal of the head design to minimize pullback, lower friction and to reduce wear.
Numerous attempts have been made to alleviate the friction and pullback problems. In most cases, the print wire guides are designed to ease the movement of the print wires through their curves. Such devices have been modestly successful, but problems of friction and wear remain significant.
Most of the print heads with the magnetic gap at the outside pole have armature pivots at the inside pole of the magnetic yoke. While this provides the maximum room for the coils, it limits the lever ratio of the armature which reduces the stroke of the print wire. Using the pivot point at the inside pole also has two other limitations: (1) the print wire length is much shorter than the length of the head, and (2)when the pivot point wears it reduces the stroke of the print wire. The shorter print wire increases the curvature, the stress and the wear between the wire and the guides. An alternate design has the armatures pivoted at the outside pole, then the coils and the active gap are located at the inside pole. In this case, the coils are crowded and the cooling of the coils are less efficient.
Many prior art printers are capable only of printing in the forward direction (i.e., left to right across the paper). This requires the carriage to return to the start of a each line, and the return time is simply lost time from the printing process. Some prior art printers have improved print speed by being capable of linear bidirectional printing: both forward (left to right) and backward (right to left), so that there is no lost carriage return time. A printer that simply prints back and forth requires special logic to reverse the character string and the font, but it requires nothing special from the print head. However, most prior art printers do not have the capability of orthogonal bidirectional printing, i.e., the capability to have the head to move in horizontal and vertical (orthogonal) directions. The orthogonal motion of the print head requires a special output pattern of the print wire to be designed into the print head.

Dot matrix print head with unitary armature assembly and method of operation thereof


The present invention features nanohybrid drug delivery composition which combines both passive and active targeting for the prevention and treatment of disease. The composition is shell-encapsulated multivalent polymeric scaffold with a therapeutic agent and targeting agent attached thereto.

Multifunctional macromolecules have demonstrated great potential as drug delivery vectors (Nori & Kopecek (2005) Adv. Drug Deliv. Rev. 57:609-636; Patri, et al. (2002) Curr. Opin. Chem. Biol. 6:466-471). In particular, polycationic polymers have been widely explored for many biomedical applications, including gene delivery (Verma & Somia (1997) Nature 389:239-242). One of the most commonly used cationic polymers is polyethylenimine (PEI) that has been primarily used as a nonviral gene delivery vector given its capacity to protect DNA from lysosomal degradation and promote endosomal escape (Boussif, et al. (1995) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 92:7297-7301; Gebhart & Kabanov (2001) J. Control. Release 73:401-416; Akinc, et al. (2005) J. Gene Med. 7:657-663; Urban-Klein, et al. (2005) Gene Ther. 12:461-466). Another characteristic of PEI and other polycations, such as poly(lysine) and poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers, is that they spontaneously interact with biological membranes (Hong, et al. (2009) Bioconjugate Chem. 20:1503-1513; Hong, et al. (2004) Bioconjugate Chem. 15:774-782). This facilitates their cellular internalization without the need for ligands for receptor-mediated endocytosis or other internalization routes. However, toxicity issues related to the strong cationic surface charge have hindered clinical translation of the polycations in drug delivery, largely due to the lack of kinetic control over non-specific electrostatic interactions with blood components and rapid clearance by the reticuloendothelial system (RES) (Oupicky, et al. (2002) J. Drug Target. 10:93-98).
As most of the currently available anti-cancer treatment agents frequently accompany severe side effects through high toxicity to normal cells and tissues, it is highly desirable to home the drug delivery system to the tissue of interest. The passive targeting strategy using nanotechnology has proven to be efficient in reducing the toxic side effects, thereby increasing the therapeutic index of anti-cancer agents (Matsumura & Maeda (1986) Cancer Res. 46:6387-6392; Yuan, et al. (1995) Cancer Res. 55:3752-3756; Peer, et al. (2007) Nat. Nanotechnol. 2:751-760). Passive targeting utilizes the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect that is defined by leaky vasculature and poor lymphatic drainage around tumors, resulting in the accumulation of the nanoscale delivery system at the tumor site. In order to take advantage of the EPR effect, a nanoscale delivery system needs to be in the range of 50-200 nm, which can be achieved using well-established manufacturing techniques (Couvreur & Vauthier (2006) Pharm. Res. 23:1417-1450; Torchilin (2005) Nat. Rev. Drug Discov. 4:145-160).
Nanohybrid particles composed of a nanoparticle surrounded by a multifunctional ligand or targeting moiety have been suggested (WO 2006/095936; US 2010/0266491). Moreover, drug delivery vectors containing stealth agents are described in WO 2009/039502. Although hybrid systems that incorporate PEI into liposomes or biodegradable nanoparticles have been suggested (Ko, et al. (2009) J. Control. Release 133:230-237; Kim, et al. (2005) Int. J. Pharm. 298:255-262; Son & Kim (2010) Biomaterials 31:134-143), the kinetics and interactions with cells have not been analyzed.

Nano-hybrid delivery system for sequential utilization of passive and active targeting

The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois


In an improved method and apparatus for cone-beam reconstruction, a technique for mitigating reconstruction error, referred to herein as successive approximation, incrementally improves the quality of the resultant image, with an exponential decrease in error at each succession. Projection data are collected and reconstructed to form a first reconstructed image containing error due to imprecision in reconstruction. The first reconstructed image is forward projected to generate intermediate projection data which are in turn compared to the collected projection data to generate error projection data. The error projection data are reconstructed to form an error image which is, in turn, used to correct the first reconstructed image . The result is a second image which is improved in image quality. The invention is applicable to a range of computed tomography applications, including medical scanning, baggage scanning, and industrial product scanning applications.

In modern computed tomography (CT) scanner systems, an X-ray source generates an X-ray beam which interrogates an object and is incident on a sensor array. In third-generation CT systems, the source and sensor array are mounted on a gantry which rotates about the object. Successive sets of projections of the object are recorded at incremental gantry rotation angles. After completion of a half rotation of the gantry ("half-scan" system) or a full rotation ("full-scan" system), data from the successive rotation angles are combined in a process known as reconstruction to create a cross-sectional image of the object. In a stationary scan configuration, the object is fixed in position during each scan, while in a translational scan, or "helical" scan, the object translates relative to the gantry during a scan, improving system throughput, but complicating image reconstruction.
In a conventional two-dimensional CT scanner of the third generation type, the X-ray beam propagates in a planar fan shape between a point source and a sensor array comprising a one-dimensional array of detector elements. The fan beam is referred to as a "transaxial fan" because the plane of the fan is perpendicular to the rotation axis, i.e., the z-axis. A two-dimensional image reconstruction process collects the raw data at each rotation angle and following a half-scan, or full-scan, converts the data into a planar pixel image of the portion of the object through which the X-rays have passed. Following each scan, the object may be translated along the z-axis to generate adjacent planar cross-sectional images or "slices" of the object which can be combined to produce a volumetric image.
To speed up volumetric imaging of the object, a three-dimensional CT scanner employs a conical X-ray beam, also referred to as "cone beam", generated at a point source, which projects through the object and is incident on a two-dimensional sensor array. The array typically comprises multiple rows and multiple columns of detectors which lie on a cylindrical surface. In this configuration, the X-ray cone beam diverges not only along the plane of the transaxial fan, but also diverges along the z-axis.
In practice, a conventional two-dimensional reconstruction algorithm is insufficient for reconstructing a three-dimensional volumetric image from cone-beam data collected with a two-dimensional detector array. The three-dimensional cone-beam data cannot be accurately resolved into independent parallel layers along the z-axis for introduction into two-dimensional reconstruction since each transaxial fan (defined as the portion of a conical beam passing through a corresponding row of detectors) lies at a conical angle relative to the z-axis that varies from one detector to the next. Performing two-dimensional reconstruction using this data would therefore result in reconstruction errors for each set of fan beam data, with the exception of the central transaxial fan along the xy-plane (where the plane of the transaxial fan is normal to the z-axis). The reconstruction errors worsen as the conical angle increases from the zero angle defined by the central transaxial fan. A more accurate three-dimensional reconstruction technique known as cone-beam reconstruction for stationary scan configurations is described in:
1. L. A. Feldkamp, L. C. Davis, and J. W. Kress, "Practical Cone-beam Algorithm", J. Opt. Soc. Am. A, Vol.1, p612, No.6, June 1984. PA1 2. U.S. Pat. No. 5,291,402 issued Mar. 1, 1994, to A. H. Pfoh, "Helical Scanning Computed Tomography Apparatus"; PA1 3. U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,250 issued Dec. 27, 1994, to H. Hu,"Reconstruction Method for Helical Scanning Computed Tomography Apparatus with Multi-row Detector Array"; and PA1 4. U.S. Pat. No. 5,430,783 issued Jul. 4, 1995, to H. Hu, N. J. Pele, and A. H. Pfoh, "Reconstruction Method for Helical Scanning Computed Tomography Apparatus with Multi-row Detector Array Employing Overlapping Beams".
The foregoing discussion applies to scanning an object which is stationary with respect to the z-axis. In another form of scanning, known in the art as a helical scan, the object translates relative to the gantry along a translation axis, usually parallel to the z-axis, at a constant speed during gantry rotation. From the perspective of the object, the x-ray source and sensors can be envisioned as circling about the object in a helical trajectory during data collection. In a helical scan performed by a conventional system having a single row of detectors, the projection data are first interpolated to the z position of each slice for generating its planar image. These planar images are located contiguously along the z-axis. The contiguous slices can be combined and further processed for various modes of three-dimensional display. Unfortunately, in a cone-beam system, the z-axis translation causes the collected data to deviate further from that data which is required for standard two-dimensional or three-dimensional reconstruction techniques. As a result, the reconstruction errors arising from a helical scan using a cone-beam system are worse than that of a stationary scan. Reconstruction and enhancement methods for cone-beam helical scans are described in:

Reconstruction of volumetric images by successive approximation in cone-beam computed tomography systems


A high precision DC/DC resonant converter with a wide load range includes a first switch leg having one end connected to an anode terminal of a DC power source and the other connected to a cathode terminal of the DC power source to independently operate at a switching frequency used in an application of an output voltage for no load or a light load equal to or less than a rated load; and one or more second switch legs having one end connected to the anode terminal of the DC power source and the other end connected to the cathode terminal of the DC power source to operate at a switching frequency for the rated load or a frequency equal to or less than the switching frequency used in the application of the output voltage for no load or the light load that the first switch leg takes charge of.

(a) Technical Field
The present invention relates to a resonant converter. More particularly, the present invention relates to a resonant converter that enables high efficient precision control even at no load or light load in which low power is used.
(b) Background Art
Generally, DC/DC converters have been widely used in various industrial fields to convert an input DC voltage into an output DC voltage at a different level. The DC/DC converter converts a DC voltage into an AC voltage, and then the AC voltage is either raised or dropped by a transformer to be rectified again into a DC voltage, allowing the voltage to be transformed.
There are many circuit configurations for implementing the DC/DC converter, and one example thereof is a resonant converter. The resonant converter uses a resonant phenomenon of an inductor Lr and a capacitor Cr.
FIG. 11 is a view illustrating control characteristics of a resonant converter according to the switching frequency, which shows the resonant converter operating in a continuous conduction region has to increase the switching frequency to lower the output voltage. As an example, the switching frequency needs to further increase to lower a current from an output of 4 A to an output of 2 A.
However, when the switching frequency becomes higher, a switching loss of the resonant converter increases.
FIG. 12 is a view illustrating a loss of an Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) when the output power (voltage and current) is lowered for the use at a light load region.
That is, in the DC/DC resonant converter operation in the continuous conduction region, the IGBT loss rapidly increases during the light load operation, and thus, the efficiency can be rapidly reduced or the switching element such as the IGBT can be damaged by burning.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

High precision DC to DC converter with wide load range and gate drive circuit for use therein

KOREA ELECTRO TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE


The invention provides a system and method for detecting the presence of an ink jet printhead when a printhead controller fails to properly identify an installed printhead using a printhead identification device. The system includes a printhead including heater resistors and control elements, and a controller connected to the printhead via address and data lines. When the controller fails to properly identify an installed printhead, the controller operates to bias the control elements in a predetermined manner via at least one address line, detect a signal via the data lines, and generate a signal indicative of the presence of the installed printhead.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method for detecting the presence of a thermal ink jet printhead in the event that the primary detection method fails to properly identify an installed printhead.
2. Description of the Related Art
Thermal ink jet printers apply ink to a print medium such as paper by ejecting ink drops from a printhead through an array of nozzles. Each nozzle is associated with a heater resistor that generates heat when sufficient current passes through it to cause ink within an associated ink reservoir to be ejected from the nozzle. The printhead ejects ink as it is passed over the print medium in a series of passes, with the print medium being advanced between passes. A printhead controller determines which resistors will be "fired" and the proper firing sequence so that a desired image can be printed on the medium.
Typically, printheads are in the form of replaceable printhead cartridges, with each printhead cartridge including one or more ink colors. Often, the printhead controller requires the input of information identifying the type of installed cartridge so that the controller can be adjusted for proper printer operation. Various printhead identification schemes and devices are known which operate to provide identification information to the printhead controller, including information relating to cartridge presence and type. One such printhead identification device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,161,915 (assigned to the same assignee as the present invention), wherein the printhead identification device is described as being manufactured as part of the printhead cartridge. In general, such devices reliably provide identification information to the controller. However, if the printhead identification device is damaged or improperly manufactured, the controller may deem a cartridge missing, even though it is actually installed and will still print as designed.
Inaccurate detection of printheads is especially problematic in stand-alone All-In-One devices that provide printing, copying, scanning, facsimile services, memory card readers, or some combination of the foregoing functionality. With an all-in-one device, the device itself must make the determination of printhead presence for user feedback. Therefore, another printhead detection scheme is needed to supplement the present identification schemes.

System and method for ink jet printhead detection


A process for desulfurizing catalytically cracked gasoline containing sulfur compounds and olefin components, which comprises the steps of:. 1) first desulfurizing the catalytically cracked gasoline in the presence of a hydrodesulfurization catalyst at a desulfurization rate of 60 to 90%, a reaction temperature of 200 to 350.degree. C., a hydrogen partial pressure of 5 to 30 kg/cm.sup.2, a hydrogen/oil ratio of 500 to 3,000 scf/bbl, and a liquid hourly space velocity of 2 to 10 1/hr, said first desulfuriing step comprising supplying a feed having a hydrogen sulfide vapor concentration of not more than 0.1% by volume, and PA0 2) next desulfurizing the treated oil obtained in the first step in the presence of a hydrodesulfurization catalyst at a desulfurization rate of 60 to 90%, a reaction temperature of 200 to 300.degree. C., a hydrogen partial pressure of 5 to 15 kg/cm.sup.2, a hydrogen/oil ratio of 1,000 to 3,000 scf/bbl, and a liquid hourly space velocity of 2 to 10 1/hr, said second desulfurizing step comprising supplying a feed having a hydrogen sulfide vapor concentration of not more than 0.05% by volume. A reduction in octane number due to hydrogenation of olefin components is minimized while achieving a high desulfurization rate.

In the field of petroleum refining, catalytically cracked gasoline is a stock of high-octane number gasoline containing a certain amount of olefin components. Catalytically cracked gasoline is a gasoline fraction obtained by catalytically cracking a heavy petroleum fraction as a stock oil, such as a vacuum gas oil or an atmospheric residual oil, and recovering and distilling the catalytically cracked products. Catalytically cracked gasoline is a primary blending stock of automotive gasoline.
While some stock oils have a small sulfur content and may be subjected to catalytic cracking without treatment, a stock oil for catalytic cracking generally has a relatively high content of sulfur compounds. When an untreated stock oil having a high sulfur content is subjected to catalytic cracking, the resulting catalytically cracked gasoline also has a high sulfur content. Such a gasoline fraction having a high sulfur content would cause environmental pollution if used as a blending stock for automotive gasoline.
Consequently, the stock oil is usually subjected to a desulfurization process prior to catalytic cracking.
A hydrodesulfurization process has hitherto been carried out to achieve the above-mentioned desulfurization in the field of petroleum refining. A hydrodesulfurization process comprises contacting a stock oil that is to be desulfurized with an appropriate catalyst for hydrodesulfurization in a pressurized hydrogen atmosphere at a high temperature.
Catalysts used for hydrodesulfurizing a stock oil for catalytic cracking (e.g., a vacuum gas oil or an atmospheric residual oil) comprise a group VI element (e.g., chromium, molybdenum and tungsten) and a group VIII element (e.g., cobalt and nickel) supported on an appropriate carrier (e.g., alumina). The hydrodesulfurization process is usually conducted at a temperature of about 300 to 400.degree. C., a hydrogen partial pressure of about 30 to 200 kg/cm.sup.2, and a liquid hourly space velocity (hereinafter abbreviated as LHSV) of about 0.1 to 10 1/hr.
In the case of hydrodesulfurizing a heavy petroleum fraction, such as a vacuum gas oil or an atmospheric residual oil, which is a stock oil for catalytic cracking, the processing is carried out at a high temperature and high pressure as stated above. Therefore, strict conditions are imposed on apparatus design, thereby incurring high construction costs. Also, in some cases an undesulfurized stock oil is subjected to catalytic cracking as described above. Even in cases where a stock oil is desulfurized prior to catalytic cracking, there has been a tendency to enhance the catalytic cracking apparatus without adequately desulfurizing the stock oil.
Catalytically cracked gasoline obtained from a desulfurized stock oil contains sulfur in an amount of 30 to 300 ppm by weight (in the whole fraction) and that obtained from an undesulfurized stock oil contains as much as 50 to several thousand ppm sulfur by weight (in the whole fraction). Under these circumstances, there is increasing difficulty in complying with present day environmental regulations.
Catalytically cracked gasoline can be directly subjected to hydrodesulfurization. In this case, however, the olefin components present in the cracked gasoline fraction are hydrogenated to reduce the olefin content, and the resulting cracked gasoline fraction has a reduced octane number. The reduction in octane number is significant when a high rate of desulfurization is required.
Sulfur compounds contained in catalytically cracked gasoline include thiophenes, thiacyclopalkanes, thiols and sulfides. The proportion of thiophenes is large, while the proportions of thiols and sulfides are small.
Sulfur is removed as hydrogen sulfide by desulfurization, but hydrogen sulfide in the gaseous phase reacts with olefins in the catalytically cracked gasoline to produce thiols. In order to attain a certain minimum rate of desulfurization, olefins should be hydrogenated to prevent the production of thiols. Thus, a high desulfurization rate cannot be obtained without being accompanied with a further reduction in octane number.
If catalytically cracked gasoline is desulfurized while its olefin components remain non-hydrogenated, thiols are unavoidably produced. Because thiols are corrosive, they must be made non-corrosive. This is done by converting the thiols to disulfides by a catalytic reaction, which necessitates installation of a sweetening apparatus.
Catalysts used for hydrodesulfurization of catalytically cracked gasoline containing sulfur compounds and olefin components comprise a group VIII element (e.g., cobalt and nickel) and a group VI element (e.g., chromium, molybdenum and tungsten) supported on an appropriate carrier (e.g., alumina) similar to other desulfurization catalysts. These catalysts are activated by preliminarily sulfiding in the same manner as used for treating desulfurization catalysts for naphtha. That is, naphtha is mixed with a sulfur compound, such as dimethyl disulfide, and the mixture is heated to 150 to 350.degree. C. together with hydrogen and passed through a reaction tower packed with the catalyst. The sulfur compound, e.g., dimethyl disulfide, is converted to hydrogen sulfide by reacting with hydrogen at the surface of the active metal of the catalyst. The hydrogen sulfide is further reacted with the active metal to form a metal sulfide active in the desulfurization reaction.
Thus, a reduction in octane number due to hydrogenation of olefins has been a great problem in hydrodesulfurization of catalytically cracked gasoline. There has been a need to develop a technique of efficiently hydrodesulfurizing catalytically cracked gasoline while minimizing the reduction of olefin components.
To meet this demand, the reaction between hydrogen sulfide resulting from desulfurization and olefins must be controlled to thereby control the formation of thiols. However, an increase in desulfurization rate leads to an increase in hydrogen sulfide concentration in the gas phase, resulting in acceleration of thiol formation. In other words, it has conventionally been difficult to achieve a high desulfurization rate while suppressing the hydrogenation reaction of olefins. Rather, it has been necessary to hydrogenate olefins in order to prevent the same from producing thiols to thereby increase the desulfurization rate, which in turn results in a reduction in octane number.

Process for desulfurizing catalytically cracked gasoline


A process for producing a vinyl chloride polymer by polymerizing a monomer comprising vinyl chloride by suspension polymerization in a polymerization vessel on the inner wall surface of which a coating of a polymer scale preventive agent is formed, comprising the steps of applying a high-speed shearing force to a mixture comprising water, the monomer, a polymerization initiator, and (A) a dispersant comprising a partially saponified polyvinyl alcohol having a specified average degree of polymerization and a specified degree of saponification plus (B) a dispersant comprising a hydroxypropylmethylcellulose which has a specified methoxyl substitution degree, a specified hydroxypropoxyl substitution degree, and a specified viscosity and subjecting the mixture to said suspension polymerization. A vinyl chloride polymer having an average particle diameter of 200 to 600 .mu.m and a narrow particle size distribution and excellent in plasticizer take-up, etc. is provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for producing a vinyl chloride resin, and more particularly to a process for producing stably a vinyl chloride resin having an average particle diameter of 200 to 600 .mu.m and excellent in physical properties such as plasticizer take-up.
2. Description of Prior Art
The method of polymerizing various water-insoluble monomers such as vinyl chloride includes suspension polymerization. The physical properties of polymer particles produced by the suspension polymerization such as the average particle diameter, apparent specific gravity (bulk specific gravity), monomer elimination, plasticizer take-up, and fish eyes vary depending on slight differences in the polymerization conditions. For this reason, various studies for polymerization conditions have long been made in order to obtain polymer particles with good physical properties.
Since vinyl chloride polymers having a large particle diameter of about 200 to 600 .mu.m on the average are low-dusting and are favorable in dry flowability after the take-up of a plasticizer, they are quite useful as readily handlable soft polyvinyl chlorides and therefore the production of polymer particles having such a large particle diameter and excellent in physical properties such as plasticizer take-up is desired.
However, the prior method of producing vinyl chloride polymers gives polymer particles having an average particle diameter of 100 to 150 .mu.m mainly and a method that can produce stably polymer particles having an average particle diameter of 200 to 600 .mu.m has not yet been known.
To produce a vinyl chloride polymer consisting of polymer particles having such a large particle diameter by the prior manufacturing method, it is generally required to decrease the amount of the dispersant to be used. However, only when the amount of the dispersant to be used is decreased, the particle diameter of the produced polymer particles has a very broad particle size distribution, i.e., ranges from several .mu.m to 1 mm or over and in extreme cases the whole polymerization system coagulates. Even if a polymer is obtained, the polymer is poor in physical properties such as plasticizer take-up. Further, in the production of vinyl chloride polymers, although it is often practiced that a coating of a polymer scale preventive agent for preventing the deposition of polymer scale is formed on the wall of the polymerization vessel, etc., if the amount of the dispersant is decreased, polymer scale is liable to form on the polymerization vessel wall due to the lowering of the polymer scale preventive effect of the polymer scale preventive agent applied to the polymerization vessel wall in the course of the polymerization. When polymer scale deposits, the deposited polymer scale comes off and interfuses into the product polymer, which caused a problem that the quality of the product polymer lowers.
On the other hand, Japanese Patent Publication (kokoku) No. 63-56245 (1988) discloses a process for producing a vinyl chloride polymer wherein a high-speed shearing force is applied to a polymerization system and then suspension polymerization is performed. However, since the process disclosed in that publication is applied to the production of a vinyl chloride polymer particularly for paste resins, the process is intended for the production of very fine polymer particles having a particle diameter of several .mu.m to tens .mu.m. Therefore, in this process, it is essential to use a dispersant in a relatively large amount, i.e., in an amount of 0.1 to 3 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the monomer. Consequently, it is impossible to produce polymer particles having a large particle diameter using this process.

Process for producing vinyl chloride resin


A framework for the automated testing of mobile applications is disclosed. A mobile application to be operated on a mobile device is built based on a source code of the mobile application. The mobile application operates with a backend system. A test configuration for the mobile application and the backend system are defined. An automated test is performed with the test configuration on the mobile application on the mobile device and on the backend system. A log of test results is generated from the automated test performed on the mobile application and on the backend system.

With the increasing usage of mobile devices, mobile applications (also referred to as apps) are now commonly used on mobile devices. These mobile applications allow the user of the mobile device to access information stored outside of the mobile device. In particular, some applications locally installed on the mobile device may also communicate with a remote server to access additional services, backend functions, and other applications from the remote server.
The testing of mobile applications that use services from remote servers requires different testing tools that focus on separate components. For example, a first testing tool may test whether the application runs correctly on the mobile device. A second testing tool may test whether the remote server responds correctly to the mobile device. Other testing tools may be needed to test different components that interface the mobile device and the remote server. As such, there currently is no solution for end to end testing of different scenarios including mobile applications as well as backend functions of remote servers.

Framework for automated testing of mobile apps


An optical system may include a digital signal processor (DSP) to receive first samples of a digital signal. The first samples may be Hamming encoded. The DSP may correlate the first samples to multiple groups of second samples to determine multiple correlation values. Each of the multiple groups of second samples may correspond to respective code words. Each of the multiple correlation values may correspond to a correlation measurement between the first samples and each of the multiple groups of second samples. The DSP may determine a particular code word, of the multiple code words, corresponding to one of the correlation values of the multiple correlation values; determine output bits based on bits of the particular code word and the one of the correlation values; and provide the output bits. The output bits may include data associated with the digital signal.

Wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical communication systems (referred to as "WDM systems") are systems in which multiple optical signals, each having a different wavelength, are combined onto a single optical fiber using an optical multiplexer circuit (referred to as a "multiplexer"). Such systems may include a transmitter circuit, such as a transmitter (Tx) photonic integrate circuit (PIC) having a transmitter component that includes a laser associated with each wavelength, a modulator configured to modulate the output of the laser, and a multiplexer to combine each of the modulated outputs (e.g., to form a combined output or WDM signal). Dual-polarization (DP) (also known as polarization multiplex (PM)) is sometimes used in coherent optical modems. A Tx PIC may include a polarization beam combiner (PBC) to combine two optical signals into a composite DP signal.
A WDM system may also include a receiver circuit having a receiver (Rx) PIC. The Rx PIC may include a polarization beam splitter (PBS) to receive an optical signal (e.g., a WDM signal), split the received optical signal, and provide two optical signals (e.g., associated with orthogonal polarizations) associated with the received optical signal. The Rx PIC may also include an optical demultiplexer circuit (referred to as a "demultiplexer") configured to receive the optical signals provided by the PBS and demultiplex each one of the optical signals into individual optical signals. Additionally, the receiver circuit may include receiver components to convert the individual optical signals into electrical signals, and output the data carried by those electrical signals.
The transmitter (Tx) and receiver (Rx) PICs, in an optical communication system, may support communications over a number of wavelength channels. For example, a pair of Tx/Rx PICs may support ten channels, each spaced by, for example, 200 GHz. The set of channels supported by the Tx and Rx PICs can be referred to as the channel grid for the PICs. Channel grids for Tx/Rx PICs may be aligned to standardized frequencies, such as those published by the Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T). The set of channels supported by the Tx and Rx PICs may be referred to as the ITU frequency grid for the Tx/Rx PICs.
In a WDM system, the transmitter circuit may modulate a phase of a signal in order to convey data (via the signal) to the receiver circuit where the signal may be demodulated such that data, included in the signal, may be recovered. A particular modulation format (e.g., phase-shift keying (PSK), quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) or the like) may be used to modulate the signal. The signal may be subject to phase noise during transmission. To accommodate for the phase noise and to increase signal transmission performance, a ½ rate code, such as a Golay code, can be used to achieve lower bit error rates (BERs) for a given signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). However, in order to realize the reported performance benefit, maximum-likelihood decoding of Golay code or an approximate maximum-likelihood decoding method is required. Such maximum-likelihood decoding methods (e.g., in the case of Golay-coded systems) can be complex to implement, and simplified decoding methods can degrade signal transmission performance.


A child-safe, hand, fruit corer and slicer includes: handle, a wire member having two ends and a configuration between these ends that is adapted to: (a) provide the outline of: (i) a triangular-shaped structure that has three corners and a base that is situated approximately perpendicular to the handle's centerline, and (ii) a wing-like structure that extends perpendicular to the handle's centerline from each of the corners of the base of the structure, (b) enable the triangular-shaped structure to penetrate a fruit that is to be cored and sliced, and by the at least 180 degree rotation of the handle to core out a core section of the fruit, and (c) enable this wing-like structure to penetrate and slice the fruit into two halves when the handle is moved forward along the handle's centerline.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to cutlery and food cutting devices, and, more particularly to a hand cutlery device that can core and slice certain types of fruit in an especially safe manner.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many fruits come to retail consumers in a form that requires some additional, minimal preparation, other than cooking, before they are totally ready to be eaten. For example, strawberries usually are found in grocery stores in one- or two-pint baskets in which there are some leaves and part of the stem still attached to the berries. Additionally, strawberries, like many other fruits, have a core that is less edible, at least from a taste perspective, than the rest of the berry. Such cores are typically removed when one wishes to present strawberries in a form that the majority of people would probably find most appetizing. Slicing of de-stemmed and cored strawberries can also release the juices of the berries and further add to their appeal; as, for example, in a bowl of sliced strawberries.
A paring knife is probably the most commonly employed cutlery item used to remove the stem and core from a strawberry and to slice it. This method generally works well, but it has disadvantages. For example, it is time consuming and the sharp edge of the paring knife can present a safety hazard to its user.
Several specialized, hand-operated or hand devices have been disclosed for separating the outer meat of the strawberry from its stem and core. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,459 discloses a device including a tubular member attached to a handle. The tubular member is directed through the center of the strawberry until the stem and core are detached from the strawberry. Then the stem and core are pulled out of the tube. Successful operation of the invention depends on the stem not being separated from the core until after the stem has been pulled out of the tube. U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,043 discloses a strawberry stem/core remover including a tubular member mounted on a handle. The strawberry is pushed down over the free end of the tube which cuts through the strawberry and separates the core from the outer meat of the berry. The core being removed from a subsequent strawberry forces the core from a preceding berry through the tube toward an exit end of the core so that, when a sufficient number of berries have been cored, the cores from subsequent berries are forced out of the exit end of the core. Both of these specialized, hand devices cannot be used to slice a strawberry, so a paring or other knife would still have to be used for this task.
To make the task of removing the stem & core and then slicing strawberries less time consuming and safer, further improvements are needed in the cutlery devices now available for these tasks.

Child-safe, hand, fruit corer and slicer


An apparatus for routing cables in wind turbines has a plurality of bushings (17) for cables distributed on at least one base body (3, 5) that has a preferably round contour. The bushings (17) are provided with a guiding arrangement (27; 38; 39, 41; 43; 48) permitting the cables to move relative to the part of the bushing (17) that surrounds the guiding arrangement.

For the purpose of discharging the energy generated in wind turbines, as well as for other operational purposes such as control, monitoring etc., the cables that extend down through the tower from the nacelle must be routed such that when the cables, which hang in form of cable bundles from the nacelle inside the tower, move during operation they are not damaged or impaired in any way. Since in commonly used wind turbines the nacelle with the generator unit, from which the cable bundle hangs inside the tower, can make up to three turns before the nacelle is driven back, the cable bundle must be routed such that the cables inside the bundle, hanging in the tower, are, on the one hand, able to follow the movement, but, on the other hand, do not chafe against each other to the degree that the insulation may be damaged.
To this end, in the prior art, for example as described in WO 2011/151465 A2, the cables are led, spaced from each other, from the rotatable nacelle in a cable bundle to a base body that is non-rotatably supported inside the tower. The cables are fed through bushings arranged on the base body. The bushings are disposed in the base body, spaced from each other, so that the cables inside the bundle are also spaced from each other. As the bundle twists with the rotating movement of the nacelle, the danger of chafing between the cables is largely prevented. Nevertheless, the sudden change in direction of the cables, which is caused by the twisting of the bundle at the location where the cable exits the bushings of the base bodies, leads to undue local stress on the cables and their insulation.

Apparatus for routing cables in wind turbines


The present invention relates to a disposable cleansing article comprising:

The present invention relates to disposable, cleansing articles useful for cleansing the skin, hair and any other sites in need of cleansing. These articles comprise a water insoluble substrate having an apertured first and a second layer and a cleansing component disposed adjacent to the water insoluble substrate wherein the cleansing component comprises one or more surfactants. Consumers use the articles by wetting them with water and rubbing on the area to be cleansed.
The invention also encompasses methods for cleansing and conditioning the skin and hair, cleansing dishes and other hard surfaces using the articles of the present invention.
Personal care products, particularly cleansing and conditioning products, have traditionally been marketed in a variety of forms such as bar soaps, creams, lotions, and gels. Typically, these products have attempted to satisfy a number of criteria to be acceptable to consumers. These criteria include cleansing effectiveness, skin feel, mildness to skin, hair, and ocular mucosae, and lather volume. Ideal personal cleansers should gently cleanse the skin or hair, cause little or no irritation, and should not leave the skin or hair overly dry after frequent use.
It is also highly desirable to deliver such cleansing and conditioning benefits from a disposable product. Disposable products are convenient-because they obviate the need to carry or store cumbersome bottles, bars, jars, tubes, and other forms of clutter including cleansing products and other products capable of providing therapeutic or aesthetic benefits. Disposable products are also a more sanitary alternative to the use of a sponge, washcloth, or other cleansing implement intended for extensive reuse, because such implements develop can bacterial growth, unpleasant odors, and other undesirable characteristics related to repeated use.
The articles of the present invention surprisingly provide effective cleansing as well as therapeutic or aesthetic benefits to the skin and hair in a convenient, inexpensive, and sanitary manner. The present invention provides the convenience of not needing to carry, store, or use both a separate cleansing implement (such as a washcloth or sponge) and a cleanser. The articles of the present invention can also provide a therapeutic or aesthetic benefit without the need for a separate benefit providing product. These articles are convenient to use because they are in the form of either a single, disposable personal care article or multiple disposable articles useful for cleansing as well as application of a therapeutic or aesthetic benefit agent. Moreover, these articles are suitable for use within or in conjunction with another cleansing implement which is designed for more extensive use. In this instance, the articles of the present invention are disposed within or attached to a separate cleansing implement which is not readily disposable, e.g., a bath towel or washcloth. In addition, the disposable articles of the present invention may be removeably attached to a handle or grip suitable for moving the article over the surface to be cleansed.
Although in preferred embodiments the articles of the present invention are suitable for personal care applications, they may be useful in a variety of other industries such as the automotive care, marine vehicle care, household care, dish care, animal care, etc. where surfaces or areas are in need of cleansing and/or application of a benefit agent, e.g., wax, conditioner, UV protectant, etc.
In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the articles are suitable for personal care applications and are useful for cleansing the skin, hair, and similar surfaces in need of cleansing. Consumers use these articles by wetting them with water and rubbing on the area to be cleansed. The article consists of a water insoluble substrate having a defined first layer and a second layer and a cleansing component containing a surfactant. Without being limited by theory, the substrate enhances lathering which in turn increases cleansing and exfoliation, and optimizes delivery and deposition of a therapeutic or aesthetic benefit agent which might be contained within the article.
The present invention relates to a disposable cleansing article comprising:
a) a water insoluble substrate comprising:
1) an apertured first layer wherein said first layer has a water flux rate of from about 0.4 cm3/cm2-s to about 20 cm3/cm2-s;
2) a second layer attached to said first layer; and
b) a cleansing component comprising one or more surfactants, said component disposed adjacent to said substrate.
The present invention also relates to a method of cleansing the skin and hair which comprises the steps of: a) wetting such articles with water and b) contacting the skin or hair with the wetted articles.
All percentages and ratios used herein, unless otherwise indicated, are by weight and all measurements made are at 25xc2x0 C., unless otherwise designated. The invention hereof can comprise, consist of, or consist essentially of, the essential as well as optional ingredients and components described therein.
All documents referred to herein, including patents, patent applications, and printed publications, are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety in this disclosure.

Abstract: b) a cleansing component comprising a surfactant, said component being disposed adjacent to the substrate.

Abstract: The present invention also relates to a method of cleansing the skin and hair which comprise the steps of:

Abstract: a) wetting with water a disposable cleansing article comprising a water insoluble substrate comprising:

Abstract: 1) an apertured first layer having a water flux rate of from about 0.4 cm3/cm2-s to about 20 cm3/cm2-s; and

Abstract: and a cleansing component comprising one or more surfactants said component being disposed adjacent to the substrate; and

Abstract: b) contacting the skin or hair with the wetted article.


A tape printing apparatus including an internal unit having a print mechanism, a cutting mechanism, and a tape discharge mechanism that safely and reliably discharges tapes at a suitable speed to a proximate location relative to an apparatus main body. When printing a tape accommodated in a tape cassette by a thermal head, cutting the tape using a fixed blade and a movable blade and forcibly discharging the tape by a driving roller and a pressing roller, a bisectrix that bisects the width of the tape in a vertical direction is located further upward by a length L2 than a bisectrix of the driving roller and the pressing roller. As a result, the cut end of the tape will be rotated and gradually directed upward in the course of delivery of the tape by the driving roller and the pressing roller to discharge the tape outside of the apparatus main body through the tape discharge slot in a obliquely maintained position.

1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a tape printing apparatus that discharges printed tapes by using a tape discharge roller, and more particularly to a tape printing apparatus capable of reliably and safely discharging tapes from a tape discharge slot by positioning the tapes to be discharged in a shifted manner with respect to the tape discharge roller.
2. Description of Related Art
In the related art, there are tape printing apparatuses that accommodate a tape cassette containing a tape, printed characters such as letters and the like on the tape by using, for example, a thermal head or the like as pulling the printed tape out from the tape cassette.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-71523 discloses a tape printing apparatus that includes a cutting mechanism that cuts a printed tape and forcibly discharges the cut tape from a tape discharge slot by using a discharge mechanism portion. By discharging the cut tape, that the tape discharge slot will not be blocked by the cut tapes in a case of successive printing and cutting operations. Thus, the tape printing apparatus is capable of securing favorable printing and cutting operations.
In this tape printing apparatus, a fixed roller and a movable roller face a discharging position of the tape. When a pressing force exerted by the movable roller on the fixed roller is released by a certain extent, a biasing force of a biasing spring that is inserted in a shaft portion of a roller supporting member is instantaneously released so that a hook member moves in a direction that separates the hook member from the fixed roller and maintains an abutting condition between the movable roller and the fixed roller. With this movement, a hooking portion of the hook member hooks to one end of a second projecting portion to rotate the second projecting portion in a counterclockwise direction. As a result, a main body of the movable roller is rotated in a discharging direction of the tape to forcibly discharge the tape from the tape discharge slot.

Tape printing apparatus having a tape discharge mechanism and method of discharging a tape


Application message payload data elements are transformed within a network infrastructure element such as a packet data router or switch. The network element has application message transformation logic for receiving one or more packets representing an input application message logically associated with OSI network model Layer 5 or above; extracting an application message payload from the input application message; identifying one or more first content elements in the application message payload; transforming the first content elements into one or more second content elements of an output application message; and forwarding the output application message to a destination that is identified in the input application message. Transformations performed in the network element can include field reordering, field enrichment, field filtering, and presentation transformation.

The approaches described in this section could be pursued, but are not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Software applications operating in a network environment produce or consume application messages. For example, a client software element hosted at an end station device such as a personal computer or workstation may form and send a message to a corresponding application server that is hosted in a network. Each message typically comprises one or more headers and a payload that contains application-specific information. Messages may be contained in more than one data frame, packet, segment, or other unit of organization under a network communication protocol. In the description herein, a "message" is a set of data relating to an application and associated with Layer 5, 6 or 7 of the OSI network reference model.
Such application-layer messages often need to be changed or transformed so that applications consuming the messages can handle them. These messages can arrive at a network device over different lower-layer protocols, such as HTTP, HTTPS, JMS, MQ, RV, and certain proprietary protocols that use TCP or UDP as a transport. Typically, a receiving application must receive a message in a particular format that the application understands. As a result, some intermediary processing unit must transform an inbound message to the required format for the application.
Generally, in past approaches such transformations have been performed using applications or mechanisms that are running on a host associated with an application endpoint. For example, an application server may include transformation logic. But as applications and their message formats evolve, each sending and receiving application is required to accommodate an increasing number of different application-layer message formats. The transformation logic at each application server requires modification to accommodate new formats. This is time-consuming and requires significant resources in programming labor. There is a need for an improved approach for performing application-layer transformation that does not require re-coding or modifying application servers, clients, or other end stations.
Further, in typical past approaches, application message transformation is performed either by an application consuming the message, or by a process or mechanisms running on a host on behalf of the application consuming the message. Alternatively, message transformation is performed by the application producing the message, based on the target application endpoint.
In all these cases, the number of points at which transformation is performed increases based on the number of application endpoints producing or consuming the message. For example, if seven instances of a database application were hosted in a particular server, then in the conventional approach, all seven instances would have to perform message payload transformation. This is a waste of application processing resources. There is a need for a more efficient approach that can somehow consolidate, at a single processing point, all message payload transformation work for a plurality of instances of an application or for multiple different applications.
One approach for performing message transformation is described in prior application Ser. No. 10/991,792, filed Nov. 17, 2004, of Pravin Singhal et al. ("Singhal et al."), and assigned to the assignee hereof. The approach of Singhal et al. provides mechanisms for transport protocol message brokering. For example, the approach of Singhal et al. can receive a message that uses the HTTP protocol and change that message into an MQ message. However, the approach of Singhal et al. does not change, modify or transform data contained within a payload portion of the inbound message. Thus, if an inbound HTTP message contains an XML document as a payload, but a receiving application requires a particular kind of FIX or COBOL CopyBook message payload as input, the approach of Singhal does not provide a solution. In contrast, Singhal et al. would be able to change the inbound HTTP message into an IBM MQ message carrying the same XML document as a payload.
Further, if the inbound message has an XML payload containing a "date" data field that is expressed in "MMDDYY" format, but the receiving application requires all dates to be expressed in "YYYYMMDD" format, the approach of Singhal does not provide a solution.
Thus, based on the clear deficiencies of past approaches, there is a need for an approach that can perform message payload transformation independent of the application transport protocols that carry such payloads.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and apparatus for adaptive application message payload content transformation in a network infrastructure element


A polymer film, polymer gel, and polymer foam each contain an electrically conductive polymer and an ionic liquid and are each useful as a component of an electronic device.

Transparent conductors, such as Indium Tin Oxide (ITO), combine the electrical conductivity of metal with the optical transparency of glass and are useful as components in electronic devices, such as in display devices. Flexibility is likely to become a broader challenge for ITO, which does not seem well suited to the next generation of display, lighting, or photovoltaic devices. These concerns have motivated a search for replacements using conventional materials and nanomaterials. There is variety of technical approaches for developing ITO substitutes and there are four areas in which these various alternatives compete: price, electrical conductivity, optical transparency, and physical resiliency.
Electrically conductive polymers, such as polythiophene polymers, particularly a polymer blend of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) and poly(styrene sulfonate) ("PEDOT-PSS") have been investigated as possible alternatives to ITO. The electrical conductivity of electrically conductive polymers is typically lower than that of ITO, but can be enhanced through the use of conductive fillers, such as carbon nanotubes, and dopants. However, the performance of such films still falls short of that of ITO and trade-offs exist between optimizing the electrical conductivity and optimizing the optical transparency of electrically conductive polymers films.
There has been some interest in modifying the properties of electrically conductive polymer films using ionic liquids. U.S. Pat. No. 842,197, issued Nov. 30, 2010, broadly discloses mixtures of electrically conductive polymers and ionic liquids, including specifically, mixtures of PEDOT-PSS and 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium tetrafluoroborate. U.S. Pat. No. 7,842,197, issued Nov. 30, 2010, discloses a method for producing a conductive material by contacting an electrically conductive polymer with certain ionic liquids U.S. Patent Application Publication 2008/0139710 A1, published Jun. 12, 2008, discloses conductive gels comprising certain conductive polymers dispersed or dissolved in certain ionic liquids, in combination with certain gelling agents.
There is an ongoing unresolved interest in increasing the electrical conductivity and optical transparency of electrically conductive polymer films, more specifically of PEDOT-PSS films.

Polymer compositions, polymer films, polymer gels, polymer foams, and electronic devices containing such films, gels and foams

CENTRE NATIONALE DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE


A transmission strobe clock signal control mechanism continuously monitors DTE data and transmission strobe clock signals used to strobe the DTE data onto a serial communication link, and automatically adjusts the phase of the transmission strobe clock signal in response to a misalignment between the two signals that exceeds acceptable limits. In a first embodiment, the DTE data signal is sampled by a high speed clock and clocked through a `data sample` shift register. Selected stages of the register, associated with a timing window that contains a transmission strobe clock signal edge, are coupled to an exclusive logic operation circuit, whose output indicates whether all of the data samples in the selected stages of the shift register are the same or not. If not, it is inferred that a data transition too close to the transmission strobe clock signal edge has occurred, necessitating an adjustment of the phase of the transmission strobe clock signal. In a second embodiment, a counter is clocked by high speed clock pulses between transitions in the transmission strobe clock signal and the data signal. A phase control circuit adjusts the phase of the transmission strobe clock signal in response to the number of high speed clock pulses counted not being between prescribed limits.

The transmission of digital communication signals, such as digitized voice or data, over a time division multiplexed (TDM) serial communications system, such as a T1telecommunications network used to transport digitized telephone signals at a bit rate of 1.544 Mb/s, customarily involves the assembly of successive telephone channels into frames of multiple channels of digital data. For example, a typical DS1 data frame contains twenty-four (64 Kb/s DSO) TDM telephone signalling channels, having eight bits per channel (plus a framing bit, for a total of 193 bits per frame). The frames are assembled into superframes (of twelve frames each), and transmitted over the serial TDM link.
Most telecommunication carriers also offer fractional T1 circuits, in increments of 56 Kb/s and 64 Kb/s, which allow a user to employ less than a full T1 circuit between two points in the network. Connection is made to the same network elements, with multiple users sharing the same interoffice T1 bandwidth. In order to interface a T1 network site with customer data terminal equipment (DTE), such as a router, computer, local area network bridges, computer aided design systems, teleconferencing equipment and the like, a service provider may install a piece of data communication equipment (DCE), for example, a T1-rate CSU/DSU (customer service unit/data service unit), such as a TSU, manufactured by Adtran Corp., Huntsville, Ala., having a single Nx56 Kbps/64 Kbps data port. The bandwidth of the data port is determined by the number of DSO channels that have been purchased from the T1 service provider, the DTE may occupy contiguous or alternate channels in the T1 serial time slot stream, and the respective channels may start at any position.
In order to strobe or clock data sourced from the DTE to the DCE, with the data then being asserted by the DCE onto the T1 link, the user typically may choose among a variety of clock sources, including the DTE clock, and normal and inverted versions of a transmission strobe clock signal selectively available at the DCE, either externally or internally during sampling of the data. The availability of these complementary versions of the DCE transmission strobe clock signal allows the user to manually select the best clock phase that will compensate for propagation delays, such as those resulting from long DTE signalling cables, and internal driver and receiver circuits of the DTE.
Unfortunately, even though the user has the ability to select different transmission strobe clock signals, an inherent problem with such a user selection technique is the fact that the parameters of each piece of data communications equipment are vendor specific, which confuses the customer, who must conduct a trial and error process, that inevitably results in the customer calling the equipment supplier to resolve the problem. This initial confusion problem is compounded by the fact that the DTE side of the DCE may also undergo a configuration change that causes a change in propagation delay, and may necessitate a change in the choice of transmission strobe clock signal.

Mechanism for automatically adjusting the phase of a transmission strobe clock signal to correct for misalignment of transmission clock and data signals


Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and computer-readable storage device for analyzing a first audiofile, to yield a first analysis, wherein the first analysis identifies a first segment of a first plurality of segments within the first audiofile, the first segment being one of a most interesting segment, a most important segment, a most relevant segment, and a most representative segment. A same analysis can be performed on a second audiofile, to yield a second analysis, wherein the second analysis identifies a second segment of a second plurality of segments within the second audiofile, the second segment comprising one of a most interesting segment, a most important segment, a most relevant segment, and a most representative segment. The first segment is presented as a representative segment of the first audiofile and the second segment is presented as a representative of the second audiofile within a three-dimensional audio space.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to analyzing audiofiles and identifying representative segments of the audiofiles for presentation to a user.
2. Introduction
Many organizations store important conversations and audio meetings in a large repository of audio files. This allows users to play and listen to old or previous conversations at any time convenient to the user. However, as the number of audio files stored in a repository grows, it becomes harder for users to locate specific conversations. Moreover, often times, the user is not interested in listening to an entire conversation, but simply wants to listen to a specific portion of the conversation that is of interest to the user. For example, the user may wish to only listen to a summary of the conversation, an introduction of the conversation participants, or a list of action items at the end of the conversation.
As the number of conversations in the repository grows, it becomes more difficult to locate the specific portions desired because as the user must first identify the file (i.e., the conversation) and then the specific portion of interest from the file. If the user is not familiar with the conversation, the user often must listen to a large portion of the conversation (if not the entire conversation) to determine if she is interested in the conversation. Such solutions do not efficiently make the user aware of what each conversation is about and can be improved upon.

System and method for evaluating media segments for interestingness


A laminated holographic recording medium having (a) a first substrate having a through-hole and (b) a solid polymer matrix layer that records holographic data laminated to the first substrate and a method of manufacturing thereof are disclosed. The method of manufacturing preferably requires injecting a precursor material through the through-hole and polymerizing the precursor material in contact with the first substrate to form the polymer matrix layer.

Developers of information storage devices and methods continue to seek increased storage capacity. As parts of this development, so-called page-wise memory systems, in particular holographic systems, have been suggested as alternatives to conventional memory devices.
In the typical holographic storage system, two coherent light beams are directed onto a storage medium. The first coherent light beam is a signal beam, which is used to encode data. The second coherent light beam is a reference light beam. The two coherent light beams intersect within the storage medium to produce an interference pattern. The storage medium records this interference pattern by changing its index of refraction to form an image of the interference pattern.
The recorded information, stored as a holographic image, can be read by illuminating the holographic image with a reference beam. When the holographic image is illuminated with a reference beam at an appropriate angle, a signal beam containing the information stored is produced. Most often the appropriate angle for illuminating the holographic image will be the same as the angle of the reference beam used for recording the holographic image. More than one holographic image may be stored in the same volume by, for example, varying the angle of the reference beam during recording.
The capabilities of holographic storage systems are limited in part by the storage media. Iron-doped lithium niobate has been used as a storage medium for research purposes for many years. However, lithium niobate is expensive, exhibits poor sensitivity (1 J/cm2), has low index contrast (Δn of about 10−4), and exhibits destructive read-out (i.e., images are destroyed upon reading). Alternatives have therefore been sought, particularly in the area of photosensitive polymer films. See, e.g., W. K. Smothers et al., "Photopolymers for Holography," SPIE OE/Laser Conference, 1212-03, Los Angeles, Calif., 1990. The material described in this article contains a precursor material containing a liquid monomer material (the photoactive monomer) and a photoinitiator (which promotes the polymerization of the monomer upon exposure to light), where the precursor material is in an organic polymer host matrix that is substantially inert to the exposure light. During writing of information into the material (by passing recording light through an array representing data), the monomer polymerizes in the exposed regions. Due to the lowering of the monomer concentration caused by the polymerization, monomer from the dark, unexposed regions of the material diffuses to the exposed regions. The polymerization and resulting concentration gradient create a refractive index change, forming the hologram representing the data. Unfortunately, deposition onto a substrate of the pre-formed matrix material containing the precursor material requires use of solvent, and the thickness of the material is therefore limited, e.g., to no more than about 150 μm, to allow enough evaporation of the solvent to attain a stable material and reduce void formation.
In holographic processes such as described above, which utilize three-dimensional space of a medium, the storage capacity is proportional to a medium's thickness. Thus, the need for solvent removal inhibits the storage capacity of a medium. (Holography of this type is typically referred to as volume holography because a Klein-Cook Q parameter greater than 1 is exhibited (see W. Klein and B. Cook, "Unified approach to ultrasonic light diffraction," IEEE Transaction on Sonics and Ultrasonics, SU-14, 1967, at 123-134). In volume holography, the media thickness is generally greater than the fringe spacing,)
U.S. Pat. No. 6,013,454 and application Ser. No. 08/698,142, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference, also relates to a precursor material in an organic polymer matrix. In particular, the application discloses a recording medium formed by polymerizing matrix material in situ from a fluid mixture of organic oligomer matrix precursor and a precursor material. A similar type of system, but which does not incorporate oligomers, is discussed in D. J. Lougnot et al., Pure and Appl. Optics, 2, 383 (1993). Because little or no solvent is typically required for deposition of these matrix materials, greater thicknesses are possible, e.g., 200 μm and above. However, while useful results are obtained by such processes, the possibility exists for reaction between the precursors to the matrix polymer and the photoactive monomer. Such reaction would reduce the refractive index contrast between the matrix and the polymerized photoactive monomer, thereby affecting to an extent the strength of the stored hologram.
Furthermore, the widespread use of holographic recording media has been limited due to low speed of manufacturing the media using conventional processes and conventional precursors. For example, as disclosed in JP-B No. 3330854, conventionally, a mixture of polymer precursor(s), solvent and photopolymerizing materials has been used as a precursor material for fabricating an organic hologram recording medium. Such a precursor material needs to be diluted with a solvent to be applied as a film/layer onto a substrate, leading to several problems such as void formation in the holographic recording medium due to evaporation of the solvent and a relatively long time to thicken the precursor material layer because such a process requires drying the solvent.
In the case of holographic recording media, since a signal recording density improves as the thickness of the recording material layer increases, an increase in recording material layer thickness is a very preferred factor. However, increasing the layer thickness causes concomitant problems stated above.
Another problem associated with convention processes for manufacturing holographic recording media is optical distortion of the holographic recording media. In particular, the processes for manufacturing holographic recording media that continuously mixes the precursor material constituents and applies the obtained mixture on the substrates using a mixer, is optical distortion of the holographic recording medium. The optical distortion is most likely to occur due to a difference in contraction with polymerization of the precursor material supplied from the mixer, resulting in adverse effects on the characteristics of the holographic recording media.
Moreover, many of conventional organic holographic recording media have a structure with the holographic recording material layer inserted between two substrates, a so-called sandwich structure. The sandwich structure is preferred because the holographic layer could be protected by the outer substrate layers. However, it is difficult to make the sandwich structure, particularly in a single manufacturing operation, by the conventional processes for manufacturing holographic recording medium using a system. In the case of the methods commonly used to apply a two-liquid mixing material, wherein a line of material is applied on the substrate by the mixer and another substrate is covered on the precursor material layer so that two substrates may sandwich the precursor material layer between themselves, adverse effects may be exerted on the shapes of light beams irradiated onto the media at hologram recording and/or reading out because the extent of material polymerization depends on the point at which the material is applied, leading to an unevenness in film thickness.
Thus, while progress has been made in fabricating photorecording media suitable for use in holographic storage systems, further progress is desirable. In particular, the urgent need exists for a reliable, high speed process for manufacturing holographic recording media and for precursors adapted for such a process.

Holographic recording medium and method of making it


A disk drive is disclosed comprising a disk including a plurality of servo tracks defined by a plurality of servo sectors, wherein each servo sector comprises a plurality of servo bursts. The disk drive further comprises a head actuated over the disk. A servo sector is read to generate a read signal which is processed to demodulate the servo bursts into a position error signal (PES) representing an offset of the head from a target radial location on the disk. The read signal is also processed to decode the servo bursts into a Gray codeword representing at least part of a servo track address, wherein the servo track address represents a servo track the head is over.

Disk drives comprise a disk and a head connected to a distal end of an actuator arm which is rotated about a pivot by a voice coil motor (VCM) to position the head radially over the disk. The disk comprises a plurality of radially spaced, concentric tracks for recording user data sectors and servo sectors. The servo sectors comprise head positioning information (e.g., a track address) which is read by the head and processed by a servo control system to control the velocity of the actuator arm as it seeks from track to track.
FIG. 1 shows a prior art disk format 4 as comprising a number of data tracks 6 defined by servo sectors 20-2N recorded around the circumference of each data track. Each servo sector 2i comprises a preamble 8 for storing a periodic pattern, which allows proper gain adjustment and timing synchronization of the read signal, and a sync mark 10 for storing a special pattern used to symbol synchronize to a servo data field 12. The servo data field 12 stores coarse head positioning information, such as a servo track address, used to position the head over a target data track during a seek operation. Each servo sector 2, further comprises groups of servo bursts 14 (e.g., A, B, C and D bursts), which comprise a number of consecutive transitions recorded at precise intervals and offsets with respect to a data track centerline. The groups of servo bursts 14 provide fine head position information used for centerline tracking while accessing a data track during write/read operations.
The servo track addresses in the servo data 12 are typically implemented using a Gray code wherein a single bit changes between codewords that represent adjacent servo tracks. In this manner, the Gray coded track addresses can be detected and decoded unambiguously even when the head is between servo tracks, for example, during a seek operation. However, the Gray coded track addresses consume disk space that might otherwise be used for user data, thereby reducing the capacity of the disk drive.

Disk drive comprising gray code implemented with servo bursts


The preferred embodiments described herein provide a method for emergency logon. In one preferred embodiment, a method for emergency logon is described comprising the acts of providing a logon process that collects identification information and authentication information and provides access when identification information is authenticated by authentication information; receiving a request for emergency logon from an entity; collecting identification information from the entity; and without authenticating the identification information collected from the entity, providing the entity with emergency access. Other preferred embodiments are provided, and each of the preferred embodiments described herein can be used alone or in combination with one another.

Logon processes have been used as security mechanisms to restrict access to a resource. In operation, a logon process collects identification and authentication information from an entity desiring access. Typically, the identification information takes the form of a username, and the authentication information takes the form of a password. If the username and password combination is recognized, the entity is provided access to the resource.
In some situations, it is desired to provide access to entities even if they cannot provide a valid username and password. For example, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 can be interpreted as requiring a logon process that prevents unauthorized entities from gaining access to a computer-based medical information system but does not prevent a health care provider from obtaining necessary information from the system during a crisis. For example, in an emergency when no administrators are available for help, a physician or other health care provider must be able to logon to a medical information system even if he has not been assigned or cannot remember a valid username and password. One approach to satisfying this conflicting requirement is to establish a reserved but not widely-known username and password combination, such as a username "emergency" that requires the password "emergency," that will provide access to an entity in an emergency. There are several shortcomings to this approach. First, an entity may not be able to remember the reserved username and password combination in a time of emergency. Additionally, a reserved username and password such as "emergency" "emergency" does not provide an administrator with the identity of the entity who invoked the emergency logon.