Disclosed are methods for diagnosing CAT1-related diseases, wherein the methods include detecting CAT1 in a cell by a BLV.RBD ligand, or a variant or a fragment thereof. Also disclosed is a BLV.RBD ligand, or a variant or a fragment thereof for use in the treatment of CAT1-related diseases and/or BLV infections.

Arginine, lysine, histidine and ornithine are amino acids involved in diverse metabolic pathways. These pathways control the metabolism of fatty acids, glucose, amino acids and proteins but they are also involved in transport, processing and excretion of nitrogen, urea synthesis, and creatine and nitric oxide synthesis.
The dysregulation of one of these pathways is one of the hallmarks of diverse diseases such as cancer (including in particular carcinoma, sarcoma, and leukemia), diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases that are characterized by an increased or decreased uptake of arginine, lysine, histidine and ornithine in cells, tissues or organs affected by such dysregulation. Therefore, there is growing interest in targeting pathways related to these amino acids. For instance, there have been many types of cancer characterized by a dysregulation of arginine-related pathways. Arginine deprivation has been one of the strategies to fight against these cancers. However, resistance to these treatments appeared besides undesirable side effects (Feun et al., 2015. Curr. Opin. Nuir. Metab. Care. 13(1):78-82; Qiu et al., 2015. Cancer Lett. 364(1): 1-7), therefore there is a need to develop new strategies and alternative therapies.
The state of the art teaches that the cationic L-amino acid transporter CAT1 is the main transporter for arginine (Gloss et al., 2004. J. Nutr. 134(10 Suppl): 2752S-2759S) or for lysine, histidine and ornithine influx. So far, the Murine type C ecotropic retrovirus envelope glycoprotein is well known for its binding to mouse or rat CAT1 (Albritton et al., 1993. J. Viral. 67(4):2091-2096). However, there is a lack of accurate ligand targeting other mammalian CAT1, in particular human, cattle and flock CAT1.
The inventors discovered that a ligand derived from the bovine leukemia virus (BLV) envelope glycoprotein bound specifically to CAT1 of different mammals including humans. Surprisingly, the inventors demonstrate that this ligand blocks arginine influx within cells, thereby preventing arginine accumulation within these cells.
The present invention thus relates to the use of a BLV-RBD for the diagnosis or treatment of CAT1-related diseases.

Use of receptor-binding domain derived from bovine leukemia virus for the diagnosis or treatment of cationic l-amino acid transporter-related diseases

CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE


A backrest for a motorcycle includes a base plate including an upper portion, and a lower portion including first and second opposing ends. A frame and/or pad are attached to the support portion. The lower portion includes a first vertical recess in the first end, and a second horizontal recess in the second end. A bracket is slidably mounted to the base portion, the bracket being slidable along a transverse axis between open and closed positions. In the closed position, a third recess in the bracket at least partially encloses the second recess for securing a pin within the second and third recesses. A locking arm is pivotally mounted to the bracket member for releasably securing the bracket member in the closed position. The bracket member and locking arm allow the backrest to be quickly attached to and released from a motorcycle.

Devices and methods are known for attaching vehicle accessories, such as backrests, racks, and the like, to vehicles. This is particularly true when the vehicle is a motorcycle, as the compact design of the motorcycle limits the amount of equipment that may be placed on it. Motorcycles are thus associated with an array of accessories that are selectively attachable and detachable from the motorcycle. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,667,232 discloses a detachable sissy bar for a motorcycle, while U.S. Pat. No. 6,840,704 discloses a quick release system for motorcycle backrests.
It is therefore desirable to have apparatus and methods for attaching and/or detaching accessories to and/or from motorcycles.


A constellation, including a plurality of spacecraft, including a first, second and third spacecraft, each of the plurality of spacecraft including a broadcast capability, and each of the plurality of spacecraft in its own approximately 24-hour orbit. Each of the orbits has a substantially teardrop-shaped or oval-shaped ground track, is optimized based upon elevation angle or probability of signal availability, and has an apogee longitude of approximately 90° west to approximately 100° west. Each of the orbits has a semi-major axis of approximately 42,164 kilometers, an argument of perigee of approximately 270°, an inclination of approximately 40° to approximately 60°, and an eccentricity of approximately 0.16 to approximately 0.4. The orbits of each of the plurality of spacecraft are selected to bring each of the spacecraft to apogee at time increments of approximately eight hours.

Conventional land mobile satellite systems ("LMSSs"), such as the SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO® mobile satellite system, use a constellation of three satellites in 24-hour repeating ground track, highly elliptical orbits ("HEO") to provide high elevation angle coverage of the continental United States and Canada. The ground track of the orbit disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,564,053 ("the Briskman patent") is depicted as orbit 101 in FIG. 1. Orbit 101 has an orbit inclination of 63.4°, and a coverage of ±8 hours about the orbit apogee.
The conventional orbit described in the Briskman patent includes a pronounced figure-eight loop over northern Canada, which reduces the elevation angles to the coverage region (depicted as a cluster of asterisks). While the system and orbit described in the Briskman patent provides user-to-spacecraft elevation angles which are significantly higher than typical geostationary earth orbit ("GEO") systems, the orbit described therein is suboptimal, based on a range of criteria related to system performance. Specifically, and as illustrated in FIG. 2, when the corresponding elevation angles for 125 North American cities are plotted, an elevation droop (denoted by reference 201) is evident when a spacecraft is near apogee, since high latitudes reduce elevation angles to the coverage region, resulting in a lower probability of link closures. The probability of link closure in an urban environment with at least one spacecraft and at least two spacecraft are depicted in the chart at FIGS. 3 and 4, respectively.
Due to their substantial build, launch and operational costs, it is considered highly desirable to overcome the deficiencies of conventional land mobile satellite systems. Specifically, it is desirable to provide an enhanced land mobile satellite system using an optimized orbit which reduces the system cost to achieve a given quality of service, by allowing the use of lower power and lighter satellites, and using fewer terrestrial repeaters or, conversely, allowing improved performance using the highest spacecraft power capability available.

Optimized land mobile satellite system for north american coverage


Disclosed is a transmitter which includes an encoder and a transmission interface circuit. The encoder receives data bits and generates conversion bits, a number of is the conversion bits being more than a number of the data bits, based on the number of the data bits. The encoder detects a risk pattern of the conversion bits to generate detection data and converts the risk pattern into a replacement pattern based on the detection data to generate code bits, a number of is the code bits being equal to the number of the conversion bits.

Example embodiments of the inventive concepts described herein relate to transceivers, and more particularly, relate to transmitters to transmit signals to channels, receivers to receive signals from the channels, and/or semiconductor systems including the transmitter and the receiver.
In a high-speed parallel data interface, data bits may be transmitted in parallel through a channel. When signals are transmitted through a channel such as a coaxial cable or a printed circuit board (PCB) trace, data may transition. This transition affects an adjacent channel, a crosstalk phenomenon by which the data transmission of the adjacent channel is hindered occurs.
In particular, as a semiconductor device and a system are highly integrated, a distance between channels may decrease, and the crosstalk influence may increase. Accordingly, there is a demand on decreasing the crosstalk influence between channels.

Transmitter transmitting signals to channels, receiver receiving signals from channels, and semiconductor system including the transmitter and the receiver

INDUSTRY-UNIVERSITY COOPERATION FOUNDATION HANYANG UNIVERSITY


An apparatus comprising a plurality of rotationally coupled panels that are capable of being configured from a vehicle bed extender to a storage container to a planar configuration to a stack that may optionally be stored behind a seat in a cab of a truck. Methods of making and using the apparatus are also disclosed.

1. Field
Vehicle bed extenders and storage systems.
2. Background
Various truck bed extenders, their characteristics, and their uses have been discussed in the literature. Representative examples of truck bed extenders are discussed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,561,560; 6,557,918; 6,279,980; 5,700,047; and 4,472,639.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,561,560 discusses various vehicle cargo area extenders. In part, the '560 patent discusses a vehicle cargo area extender including a pair of sidewalls, a center wall extending between the pair of sidewalls and a lid removably disposed relative to the pair of sidewalls and the center wall. The sidewalls, the center wall and the lid cooperate to define an enclosure having an open end. The vehicle cargo area extender is moveably mounted between a stored position relative to a vehicle cargo area wherein the open end of the enclosure is adjacent to the rear wall of the vehicle cargo area and a deployed position so as to be supported by the rear wall of the vehicle cargo area when it is in its extended position such that the open end of the enclosure faces the vehicle cargo area thereby increasing the effective size of the vehicle cargo area.


A system and computer program product for initializing processor cores in a multiprocessor system. The system includes a microcontroller that initializes a first processor utilizing a common initialization image for all processor cores within the first processor. The first processor detects and executes system firmware. All remaining processors are initialized utilizing the common initialization image. The executing firmware detects a system configuration of the multiprocessor system. A customized processor initialization image for each of the processor cores in the multiprocessor system is generated and stored to a storage device. The processor cores are triggered to enter a power save state in which all initialization settings of the processor cores are lost. In response to all the processor cores entering the power save state, the first processor core of the first processor is re-initialized using a first customized initialization image generated for the first processor core.

1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to data processing systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to initializing processor cores in a multiprocessor data processing system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some data processing systems are designed with multi-core processors that often have various custom settings, data and parameters that prompt the processor to perform or function in a specific desired manner according to a specific user application. For example, in a multi-core processor, certain instructions might not be implemented directly in the core, but instead are emulated by microcode or firmware executing on the core. In another example, two different implementations of similar logic may be present that result in different performance depending on the number of cores or the number of processors in the system.
It is sometimes desirable to be able to modify the settings, data and parameters of a multi-core processor. In some computer systems, a service processor can be used to update the settings and parameters. However, not all systems are designed with a service processor, and as such, those systems do not typically support field updates of the settings and parameters in the computer systems.

Initializing processor cores in a multiprocessor system

International Business Machines Corporation


Disclosed is an improved CMOS fabrication method that allows an implanted well in a bare silicon wafer to be simultaneously, driven annealed and denuded in a single process step. More specifically, a single step drive-anneal-denude (DAD) process is accomplished using a non-inert ambient environment. The DAD process is accomplished in a combination argon/hydrogen ambient environment. This process causes the silicon wafer to roughen slightly and is followed by an oxidation step, that optionally takes place in a combination argon/oxygen ambient environment to smooth out the silicon surface. The oxidation step may also optionally act as a pad-oxide or screening oxide for subsequent fabrication.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the fabrication of semiconductor devices and more specifically, to a new method for annealing and well drive of an implanted well in a CMOS device on a bare silicon wafer.
2. Description of Related Art
Semiconductor manufacturing technology has advanced to the point where a single die may contain millions of active devices. Illustrative of this advancement is the fact that since the late 1960's there has been over a two-hundred-fold increase in functional density, and twenty-fold increase in speed of integrated circuits. In light of the direction and demands of semiconductor manufacturing CMOS is now the dominant integrated circuit technology.
In CMOS fabrication the silicon wafers are subjected to many elevated temperature steps in order to effect a variety of changes in the material properties of the wafer and fabricated device. One of the high temperature processes used in CMOS technology is ion implantation to drive in the wells used in the devices. Ion implantation has many advantages including more precise control of the number of impurity atoms introduced into the wafer substrate. Unfortunately ion implantation cannot be achieved without damage to the material structure of the target substrate.
Defects in the silicon substrate impact important functional parameters which can cause device failures by excessive leakage currents, etc. To restore the target material to its pre-ion-implantation condition, additional processing must be performed on the wafer. Each additional process step that is required subjects the wafer to an additional source of stress and potentially introduces new insults and injuries to the wafer and fabricated device. As the functional density and speed of integrated circuits increases, there is less ability for the wafers to tolerate functional imperfections introduced during fabrication and manufacture and still operate.
What is still needed is improved fabrication processes that allow better control of the stresses and exposures to a silicon substrate and reduces the total number of process steps required.

Method for CMOS well drive in a non-inert ambient


An apparatus and method of producing methanol is provided that reacts a methane-containing gas and an oxygen-containing gas in a reactor to provide a product stream comprising methanol and formaldehyde. The product stream is scrubbed using a process component absorbent. After scrubbing the product stream, unprocessed methane gas is mixed with the methane-containing gas for reprocessing through the reactor while methanol and formaldehyde is sent to a rectification process for removal.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Methods and apparatuses for the conversion of methane into methanol are known. It is known to carry out a vapor-phase conversion of methane into a synthesis gas (mixture of CO and H2) with its subsequent catalytic conversion into methanol as disclosed, for example, in Karavaev M. M., Leonov B. E., et al "Technology of Synthetic Methanol", Moscow, "Chemistry" 1984, pages 72-125. However, in order to realize this process it is necessary to provide a complicated equipment, to satisfy high requirements to purity of gas, to spend high quantities of energy for obtaining the synthesis gas and for its purification, and to have a significant number of intermittent stages from the process. Also, for medium and small enterprises with the capacity less than 2,000 tons/day it is not efficient.
Russian Patent No. 2,162,460 includes a source of hydrocarbon-containing gas, a compressor and a heater for compression and heating of gas, a source of oxygen-containing gas with a compressor. It further includes successively arranged reactors with alternating mixing and reaction zones and means to supply the hydrocarbon-containing gas into a first mixing zone of the reactor and the oxygen-containing zone into each mixing zone, a recuperative heat exchanger for cooling of the reaction, mixture through a wall by a stream of cold hydrocarbon-containing gas of the heated hydrocarbon-containing gas into a heater, a cooler-condenser, a partial condenser for separation of waste gasses and liquid products with a subsequent separation of methanol, a pipeline for supply of the waste gas into the initial hydrocarbon-containing gas, and a pipeline for supply of waste oxygen-containing products into the first mixing zone of the reactor.
In this apparatus, however, it is not possible to provide a fast withdrawal of heat of the highly exothermic reaction of oxidation of the hydrocarbon-containing gas because of the inherent limitations of the heat exchanger. This leads to the necessity to reduce the quantity of supplied hydrocarbon-containing gas and, further, it reduces the degree of conversion of the hydrocarbon-containing gas. Moreover, even with the use of oxygen as an oxidizer, it is not possible to provide an efficient recirculation of the hydrocarbon-containing gas due to fast increase of concentration of carbon oxides in it. A significant part of the supplied oxygen is wasted for oxidation of CO into CO2, which additionally reduces the degree of conversion of the initial hydrocarbon-containing gas and provides a further overheating of the reaction mixture. The apparatus also requires burning of an additional quantity of the initial hydrocarbon-containing gas in order to provide a stage of rectification of liquid products with vapor. Since it is necessary to cool the gas-liquid mixture after each reactor for separation of liquid products and subsequent heating before a next reactor, the apparatus is substantially complicated, the number of units is increased, and additional energy is wasted.
A further method and apparatus for producing methanol is disclosed in the patent document RU 2,200,731, in which compressed heated hydrocarbon-containing gas and compressed oxygen-containing gas are introduced into mixing zones of successively arranged reactors, and the reaction is performed with a controlled heat pick-up by cooling of the reaction mixture with water condensate so that steam is obtained, and a degree of cooling of the reaction mixture is regulated by parameters of escaping steam, which is used in liquid product rectification stage.
Other patent documents such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,196,188; 2,722,553; 4,152,407; 4,243,613; 4,530,826; 5,177,279; 5.959,168 and International Publication WO 96/06901 disclose further solutions for transformation of hydrocarbons.
It is believed that the existing methods and apparatus for producing methanol can be further improved.


In one embodiment a method, system, and apparatus is described for providing multimedia content from a server to a plurality of media devices, the method including providing a computing device an HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) playlist for playing in an adaptive bitrate client, the playlist including a list of at least two segments, each of the segments having an associated duration field, for each segment in the playlist, assigning a timestamp which is equal to the sum the durations of each previous segment in the playlist, calculating a calculated duration of the playlist by subtracting a time stamp of the first segment in the playlist from the time stamp of the last segment in the playlist, determining a real duration of the playlist by subtracting a first presentation time stamp (PTS) of the first segment in the playlist from the last presentation time stamp (PTS) of the last segment in the playlist, computing a playlist drift by subtracting the calculated duration of the playlist from the real duration of the playlist, determining a correction factor by dividing the playlist drift by the number of segments in the playlist, and calculating a new timestamp for each segment in the playlist by adding the correction factor to the time stamp of the segment. Related methods, systems, and apparatus are also described.

Adaptive Bitrate (ABR) Streaming of media over a network from a content distribution network has been widely adopted for media consumption. Various protocols for such streaming have been proposed, and are often associated with various providers of hardware or software. For example, and without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) protocol has been put forth by Apple, and is typically associated with Apple devices, such as, iPhones, iPads, and so forth. Likewise, the HTTP Smooth Streaming (HSS) protocol has been proposed by Microsoft, and is accordingly often associated with Microsoft products, such as Windows Phone and Silverlight. The HTTP Dynamic Streaming (HDS) protocol is associated with Adobe and Adobe products, such as Flash Player and Flash Media Server. MPEG DASH (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP, ISO/IEC 23009-1:2012) was put forward by the MPEG standards body as yet another alternative standard adaptive bitrate protocol.
It is appreciated that each of these protocols may be supported on hardware or by software produced by one of these bodies, even though that particular hardware or software may be produced by one particular provider, and the adaptive bitrate format associated with a different provider. By way of example, a device running a Microsoft operating system may be displaying streamed content which is streamed using the HDS protocol of Adobe.
The present invention will be understood and appreciated more fully from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the appendix in which Appendix A presents an exemplary HLS Master Playlist and HLS Stream Playlist, as well as the corresponding HSS, HDS, and DASH outputs that the HLS Master Playlist and HLS Stream Playlist would be converted to.

Method for enabling use of HLS as a common intermediate format


A method and apparatus for generating transpiration cooling using an oxidized porous HTA layer metallurgically bonded to a substrate having micro-channel architectures. The method and apparatus generates a porous HTA layer by spreading generally spherical HTA powder particles on a substrate, partially sintering under O2 vacuum until the porous HTA layer exhibits a porosity between 20% and 50% and a neck size ratio between 0.1 and 0.5, followed by a controlled oxidation generating an oxidation layer of alumina, chromia, or silica at a thickness of about 20 to about 500 nm. In particular embodiments, the oxidized porous HTA layer and the substrate comprise Ni as a majority element. In other embodiments, the oxidized porous HTA layer and the substrate further comprise Al, and in additional embodiments, the oxidized porous HTA layer and the substrate comprise γ-Ni+γ′-Ni3Al.

Transpiration cooling of high temperature components such as turbine blades is relatively well known in the art. This type of cooling generally features flow of a cooling fluid from a substrate interior with subsequent flow of the fluid through a porous outer layer of the substrate. This cools the blade by transporting heat within the porous outer layer and additionally acts to provide a boundary layer on the exterior of the blade surface, greatly mitigating contact between hot motive gases and the underlying substrate.
Transpiration cooled substrates generally consist of a main load-carrying strut and an external shell surrounding the strut which is constructed to allow the passage of coolant. A variety of materials and fabrication techniques have been applied and utilized as the porous, outer layer necessary for this type of transpiration cooling. In some cases, the porous outer layer is constructed by wrapping a porous skin sheathing such as wire cloth or ceramic tape around framework or the underlying substrate surfaces. See e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 3,067,982 to Wheeler issued Dec. 11, 1962; see also U.S. Pat. No. 3,706,508 to Moskowitz et al. issued Dec. 19, 1972; see also U.S. Pat. No. 4,311,433 to Bratton et al. issued Jan. 19, 1982; and see also U.S. Pat. No. 4,376,004 to Bratton et al. issued Mar. 8, 1983, among others. In other cases, transpiration strips are attached to surfaces comprised of metering holes. See e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,473 to Kercher issued Nov. 25, 1997, among others. In other cases, the load bearing struts are fabricated of porous, sintered metal materials, and the porosity of the load bearing member provides transpiration capabilities. See e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 3,647,316 to Moskowitz issued Mar. 7, 1972, among others. These methods have been effective at lower temperatures, however in the higher temperature environments where operating temperatures may be 1400° to 1700° C., the high temperature alloys typically used in these techniques oxidize, and the minute transpiration flow paths become plugged. Additionally, and significantly, at relatively high temperatures within about 300 C. degrees of the melting temperature of these high temperature alloys, continued sintering of the material tends to eliminate interconnected porosities and render the item non-permeable, negating the items original functionality.
In light of these issues, thermally resistant ceramic materials such as yttrium-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) have also been employed to function as outer, porous layers in transpiration cooling arrangements for components intended for high temperature service. Generally these ceramic materials are applied to underlying substrates featuring cooling fluid metering holes or channels, and the ceramic coating is applied by various known methods such as PVD or plasma spray processes. The ceramic coating is applied to be porous, so cooling air is able to penetrate the coating passages spread inside the ceramic layer before exiting the through porous surface of the layer. See e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 6,375,425 to Lee et al. issued Apr. 23, 2002; see also U.S. Pat. No. 6,511,762 to Lee et al. issued Jan. 28, 2003, among others. However, like ceramic TBC coatings generally, these porous ceramic coatings do not adhere well when applied directly to typical superalloys used as the substrates, and adhesion mainly by mechanical keying to a roughened bond coat is generally relied on. This provides limited tensile strength to the coating in service and additionally results in significant susceptibility to delamination-type failures driven by oxides thermally grown during service.
It would be advantageous to provide a method of fabricating a transpiration cooled substrate using a sintered material capable of metallurgically bonding with the underlying substrate, so that tensile strength stemming from the metallurgical bond rather than mechanical keying could be employed. It would additionally be advantageous if a high sintering resistance could be imparted to the sintered material as part of the fabrication process, so that interconnected porosities and permeability could be maintained during high temperature service.
It is generally understood that the sintering of metallic particles can be hampered by the presence of native oxide layers, such as alumina. See e.g., Munir, "Analytical treatment of the role of surface oxide layers in the sintering of metals," Journal of Materials Science 14 (1979), among others. These oxide layers are tenacious and generally cannot be broken down or removed simply by heating during conventional sintering processes, and are generally dealt with through a variety of means during initial sintering, including reactive atmospheres, the addition of disrupting components such as Mg and Li, the use of liquid phase sintering, mechanical breakdown through friction techniques, ion bombardment treatments, and other means. See e.g. Xie et al., "Effect of Mg on the Sintering of Al—Mg Alloy Powders by Pulse Electric-Current Sintering Process," Materials Transactions 45 (2004), among others. This retarding tendency of oxide layers has also been utilized to preserve resulting porosities during subsequent high temperature service, by intentionally promoting the formation of thick oxide layers on metallic particles prior to initial sintering. See U.S. Pat. No. 7,829,012 to Bischoff et al. issued Nov. 9, 2010. This approach reports to generate enhanced thermal resistance, however it would be preferable to provide a method whereby an oxide layer could be used to impart sintering resistance following the completion of an initial sintering phase, in order to minimize disruptions to the solid-state bonding between particles during the initial phase.
Provided here is a method and apparatus whereby an oxidized porous HTA layer is metallurgically bonded to a substrate through partial sintering followed by an oxidizing step to generate an adherent oxide layer between 20-500 nm thick on the exposed surfaces of the partially sintered particles. The partial sintering phase allows high-strength particle-to-particle and particle-to-substrate bonding to occur in the relative absence of an oxidation layer, and the intentional generation of an oxide layer over the resulting exposed surfaces greatly mitigates any additional sintering of the porous layer that would otherwise be expected in a high temperature service environments. Transpiration cooling capability is provided via micro-channel openings in the surface of the substrate, so that transpiration cooling flows may arise from the micro-channel to flow through the interconnected porosity of the oxidized porous layer. The methodology thereby provides an article for transpiration cooling whereby the porous layer and the substrate are metallurgically bonded for enhanced strength in service while the generated oxidation layer over the exposed surfaces acts to maintain effective porosity during service life.
These and other objects, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become better understood with reference to the accompanying description and claims.

Method of making an apparatus for transpiration cooling of substrates such as turbine airfoils


A toy rocket launcher for launching a common bottle such as a plastic two liter beverage bottle in the air with pneumatic pressure. The toy rocket launcher includes a support stand having a top member and a plurality of support legs downwardly depending from the top member. The top member has a hole through which the upper end of a conduit is upwardly extended. An end of a hose is coupled to a lower end of the conduit to fluidly connect the hose to the conduit. A pneumatic pump is attached to a second end of the hose for pumping air into the hose. The upper end of the conduit is inserted into an opening in the neck of an inverted beverage bottle.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to toy rocket launchers and more particularly pertains to a new toy rocket launcher for launching a common bottle such as a plastic two liter beverage bottle in the air with pneumatic pressure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of toy rocket launchers is known in the prior art. More specifically, toy rocket launchers heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 2,918,751; U.S. Pat. No. 5,415,153; U.S. Pat. No. Des. 248,498; U.S. Pat. No. 3,962,818; U.S. Pat. No. 4,573,434; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,197,452.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new toy rocket launcher. The inventive device includes a support stand having a top member and a plurality of support legs downwardly depending from the top member. The top member has a hole through which the upper end of a conduit is upwardly extended. An end of a hose is coupled to a lower end of the conduit to fluidly connect the hose to the conduit. A pneumatic pump is attached to a second end of the hose for pumping air into the hose. The upper end of the conduit is inserted into an opening in the neck of an inverted beverage bottle.
In these respects, the toy rocket launcher according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of launching a common bottle such as a plastic two liter beverage bottle in the air with pneumatic pressure.


A control device of a steering device, for a vehicle, which includes left and right steering mechanisms not mechanically coupled to each other, and which steers left and right steered wheels individually by driving force of steering actuators, includes: a steered angle determining unit that determines a target steered angle for each of the left and right steering mechanisms; and a steering command unit that generates drive signals corresponding to the target steered angles, and outputs the drive signals to each of the actuators. When an anomaly occurs in one of the left and right steering mechanisms, the steered angle determining unit sets the target steered angle for the steering mechanisms that is normal to be different from the target steered angle when both the left and right steering mechanisms are normal.

There are steering devices in which steering wheel and a steering mechanism are not mechanically coupled to each other. For example, Patent Literature (PTL) 1 discloses a steering device by which right steerage and left steerage can be performed independently. Each of left and right steered wheels is provided with a steering mechanism, and each steering mechanism includes a steering actuator which uses an electric motor as a power source. The steering mechanisms are each capable of independently steering the respective steered wheels at different steering angles. Further, the steering device includes a failsafe mechanism configured to, when an abnormality occurs in a steering actuator, mechanically transmit driving force of the steering actuator to the other steering actuator. In the failsafe mechanism described in PTL 1, a driver inserts a pin into the engagement portion of two shafts connected respectively to two steering actuators so that the two shafts are engaged with each other. Then, the two steering actuators are connected with each other via the two shafts so as to be able to transmit the driving force. In other words, the left and right steered wheels are mechanically coupled via the two shafts.

Control device, steering device, control method, and recording medium


The invention relates to a method and system for configuring a database 110, in particular by splitting data objects. This splitting process is frequently termed FRAGMENTATION in database technology. The invention furthermore relates to a method and system for distributing data objects in a database 110. This process is frequently termed ALLOCATION in database technology. Configuration of the database 110 is controlled by the information as to which processes 101, 102, 103 access the data objects of the database 110 in what way and to what extent. In particular, the configuration of distributed databases is controlled by the information as to which processes 101, 102, 103 read from and write to which attributes of the relations, at what frequency. Account is also taken of the locations at which the processes 101, 102, 103 are running. The database 110 can be configured both on initial startup and dynamically during database 110 operation, in order to respond to changed user behavior for instance.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method and system for configuring a database, in particular by splitting data objects. This splitting process is frequently termed FRAGMENTATION in database technology. The invention furthermore relates to a method and system for distributing data objects in a database. This process is frequently termed ALLOCATION in database technology.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to describe formally the data records in a database, data models were developed which map all data in the database and their inter-relationships. An example of such a semantic, or conceptual, data model is the "Entity Relationship Model" (ERM), A logical data model is derived from the semantic data model. Logical data models are the hierarchical data model, frequently also termed the "tree model", the object-oriented data model and the relational data model. A further distinction is made between centralized databases and distributed databases.
In H. F. Korth and A. Silberschatz: "Database System Concepts", McGraw-Hill, New York, 1986, various database concepts are presented and discussed. In a distributed database the data are stored on different storage means. Generally the data are even stored on different computers at different locations. The various computer systems are interconnected by way of a communications network, and are in contact with each other by various means of communication.
In S. Ceri: "Distributed Databases: Principles and Systems", McGraw-Hill, New York, 1984, and in H. Kudlich: "Verteilte Datenbanken: Systemkonzepte und Produkte", Siemens AG, Berlin, 1992, the principle of distributed databases is presented and various distributed database systems discussed.
In S. Ceri, S. Navathe and G. Wiederhold: "Distribution Design of Logical Database Schemas", IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering, Vol. SE-9, No. 4 (July 1983), Page 487-504, and in S. Ceri, B. Pernici and G. Wiederhold: "Distributed Database Design Methodologies", Proceedings of the IEEE, Vol. 75, No. 5 (May 1987), Page 533-545, suggestions for the design of logical database systems are discussed and design methodologies for distributed databases presented.
In R. Nussdorfer: "DRDA: Verteilte Datenbanken fur heterogene Umgebungen", Datenbank Extra, publ.: U. Parthier: "DB2: Seine Tools, Neuerungen und Moglichkeiten", IT Verlag fur innovative Technologien, Sauerlach, 1993, Page 23-27, the industry standard DRDA for distributed databases is described. The architecture specifies protocols and conventions which permit databases of different manufacturers to be linked.
The transition from the logical database schema to a physical database schema can be understood as a configuration of the database, and is for example performed by a Database Administrator.
In I. Fogg and M. Orlowska: "Valid Unbiased Fragmentation for Distributed Database Design", Computers Math. Applic. (UK), Vol. 25, No. 9, 1993, Page 97-106, various possibilities of fragmentation in distributed databases are presented. Not only horizontal and vertical fragmentation are presented, but also combination forms of those modes of fragmentation.
In J. A. Bakker: "A Semantic Approach to Enforce Correctness of Data Distribution Schemes", The Computer Journal (UK), Vol. 37, No. 7, 1994, Page 561-575, the Structured Query Language (SQL) and two Entity Relationship Models are examined in terms of their usability for data distribution. A new approach based on a semantic metamodel for fragmenting and allocating is described, wherein only two modes of horizontal fragmentation are permitted.
In relational databases the data are stored in the form of relations. The relations can also be seen as tables, wherein the attributes of the relations are frequently represented as columns of the tables.
In "Distributed Relational Database Architecture: Evaluation and Planning Guide", 2nd edition, Doc. No. SC26-4650-01, IBM, San Jose (Calif.), USA, 1993, and "Distributed Relational Database Planning and Design Guide for DB2 Users", Doc. No. GG24-3577, IBM, San Jose (Calif.), USA, 1991, both of which publications can be obtained through the offices of IBM Germany or the IBM Corporation, the architecture of distributed relational databases and design guidelines for distributed relational databases are described.
In Y. Zhang, M. E. Orlowska and R. Colomb: "An Efficient Test for the Validity of Unbiased Hybrid Knowledge Fragmentation in Distributed Databases", International Journal of Software Engineering and Knowledge Engineering (Singapore), Vol. 2, No. 4, 1992. Page 589-609, three modes of fragmentation of relational databases are described.
The progressing globalization of companies, together with the necessity of rationalizing production processes, is increasingly bringing about a reorganization of business processes and a consolidation of information systems.
In H. Heilmann: "Workflow Management: Integration von Organisation und Informationsverarbeitung", HMD, 176, 1994, Page 8-21, a business process is described as a delimitable, often partial process, which leads to the creation or exploitation of business output. In this, the main emphasis of the observation is on the dynamic flow of the process from its initialization through to completion. The term "workflow" is frequently used instead of the term "business process".
In F. Leymann and D. Roller: "Business Process Management with FlowMark", Digest of Papers, Cat. No. 94CG3414-0, Spring COMPCON 94, 1994, Page 230 to 234, the IBM FlowMark workflow management system is described. The possibilities of modeling business processes are presented, and the execution of workflow management is described. The IBM FlowMark product can be acquired through the usual channels from IBM Germany or the IBM Corporation.
Flatter organizational structures, such as those propagated under the term "Lean Management", can only be successfully introduced if the decision-making units have at their disposal all necessary information at the right time. This means that, in information technology, ineffective administrative work and complex and lengthy channels and periods of processing must be eliminated, as must island solutions.
Consequently, many companies are re-engineering their business processes in order to optimize them, are automating their standard business processes to improve their execution, and are attempting to unify their information systems on the basis of uniform and company-wide data models, in order to create ideal conditions in terms of information delivery.
The possibilities of modern databases, such as the IBM Database 2, for distributing the data of a logical database across different physical locations converge here to an excellent degree with the two corporate measures described above and with the global structure of many companies; IBM Database 2 can be acquired through the usual channels from IBM Germany or the IBM Corporation.

Method and system for dynamically configuring a relational database

International Business Machines Corporation


An image-capturing device and method for removing strangers from an image are described. First, a first image is input. Then, a control module determines if an unwanted object processing step is needed, and obtains a result. If the result is no, the first image is directly sent to an output module. If the result is yes, an image-identifying module begins to identify the target-image and the unwanted object in the first image, and then, an unwanted object processing module starts the step to process unwanted images. The unwanted object processing step can remove the unwanted object from an image and fill the left lacuna region. Afterwards, a second image is produced and sent to the output module.

In our daily life, both camera and digital camera encounter unsolvable problems in capturing a scene. For example, when photograph is taken in a tourist spot, a stranger may stand behind the target persons and also be captured into the photograph, or when the target persons finishes posing, a stranger walks through the camera lens and is also captured in the photograph. These are the problems in taking a picture. Furthermore, in famous tourist spots, the picture may not be taken again without getting in the line again. Subsequently editing the unwanted person out of the digital photograph is time consumptive and requires skill in image processing.
In previous related researches, texture synthesis and image inpainting construct the fundamentals of filling the lost region in image. Texture synthesis can be used to fill the large hole of input texture, while image inpainting can be used to repair the scratches of image. In computer vision, texture synthesis algorithms generate large similar texture from sample texture or fill the lost region of input texture called constrained texture synthesis. Image inpainting algorithms are used to repair the scratches, cracks and to remove texts from old photograph and paintings. Generally speaking, texture synthesis is applied to single texture and image inpainting is used in general image with multiple textures.
The conventional texture synthesis algorithm aims for the synthesis of a single texture. This is usually accomplished by comparing the similarity of the adjacent pixels and synthesizing the pixels with the highest similarity into the lacuna region which is left after removing the unwanted object. From the aspect of the synthesized pixel number each time, there are pixel-based and patch-based methods. L. Y. Wei and M. Levoy proposed a pixel-based method in reference: (1) "Fast texture synthesis using tree-structured vector quantization," in Proc. ACM Conf Computer Graphics (SIGGRAPH), pp. 479-488, July, 2000. Another pixel-based algorithm in reference: (2) "Texture synthesis by nonparametric sampling," in Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. Computer Vision, vol. 2, pp. 1033-1038, September, 1999 proposed by A. Efros and T. K. Leung is slow and fails in structural texture. L. Liang et al. proposed a fast patch-based method in reference: (3) "Real-time texture synthesis by patch-based sampling," ACM Trans. on Graphics, vol. 20, pp. 127-150, 2001, but it is not suitable for the general image with many kinds of textures.
Considering the image inpainting algorithms, there are also pixel-based method, as proposed in reference: (4) "Missing data correction in still images and image sequences," ACM Multimedia, December, 2002 by R. Bornard et al., and block-based method, such as proposed in reference: (5) "Region filling and object removal by examplar-based image inpainting," IEEE Trans. Image Processing, vol. 13, September 2004 by A. Criminisi et al. The blocks for each pixel on the boundary of the lacuna region are used for comparison with the source region to obtain filled blocks with the highest similarity. The block-based method often results in block effect in the target region. The priority updating step is needed in each time of filling process. In addition, the extra color space transformation is also needed in previous conventional image inpainting algorithms.
Moreover, an algorithm which integrates texture synthesis and image inpainting is proposed, as in reference: (6) "Simultaneous structure and texture image inpainting," IEEE Trans. Image Processing, vol. 12, no. 8, August, 2003 by M. Bertalmio et al., and inwardly extends the boundary of lacuna region by Partial Differential Equation (PDEs). However, the disadvantage of this method is the blurring in the target region.

Image-capturing device and method for removing strangers from an image


A solid-state image sensing device provided with photoelectric conversion films stacked above a semiconductor substrate, comprising: first impurity regions as defined herein; second impurity regions as defined herein; signal charge reading regions as defined herein; and third impurity regions as defined herein.

A CCD type or CMOS type solid-state image sensing device having a large number of photodiodes (PDs) integrated in a surface portion of a semiconductor substrate, and color filters of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) stacked on the PDs respectively has been improved remarkably in recent years. At present, a solid-state image sensing device having millions of PDs integrated into one chip is mounted in a digital camera.
In the solid-state image sensing device, there arise disadvantages in poor efficiency in utilization of light, occurrence of false color, etc. because the solid-state image sensing device is configured so that color filters are used. Therefore, a stack type solid-state image sensing device as described in JP-A-2002-83946 has been proposed as a solid-state image sensing device free from these disadvantages. This stack type solid-state image sensing device is configured so that three photoelectric conversion films for detecting red (R), green (G) and blue (B) light are stacked above a semiconductor substrate in such a manner that signal charges generated in the respective films are accumulated in storage diodes formed in the semiconductor substrate, and that the signal charges accumulated in the storage diodes are read by signal reading circuits such as vertical CCDs and horizontal CCDs formed in the surface of the semiconductor substrate so that the signal charges are transferred. According to the stack type solid-state image sensing device, a high-quality image can be generated while the aforementioned disadvantages are eliminated.
FIG. 11 is a partly sectional typical view of the stack type solid-state image sensing device according to the background art.
As shown in FIG. 11, a p-well layer 102 is provided in a surface portion of an n-type semiconductor substrate 101. An n+ region 106 and an n region 107 are formed in a surface of the p-well layer 102 so as to be slightly apart from each other. A photoelectric conversion film 103 stacked above the n-type semiconductor substrate 101 is electrically connected to the n+ region 106 by a wire 104. A transfer electrode 105 is provided on the n region 107 so that the transfer electrode 105 serves also as a reading electrode which reaches the n+ region 106. When a read pulse is applied to the transfer electrode 105, a signal charge reading region is formed between the n+ region 106 and the n region 107. Signal charge accumulated in the n+ region 106 is read to the n region 107. The signal charge accumulated in the n region 107 is then transferred.
FIG. 12 is a view typically showing a potential transition state in the partial section of the stack type solid-state image sensing device shown in FIG. 11. A left part of FIG. 12 shows a state in which a read pulse is not applied to the transfer-electrode 105. A right part of FIG. 12 shows a state in which a read pulse is applied to the transfer electrode 105. In FIG. 12, "Low" expresses a low potential portion, and "High" expresses a high potential portion. As the number of contour lines surrounding "Low" increases, the potential of the low potential portion decreases.
As shown in FIG. 12, when a read pulse is applied to the transfer electrode 105, signal charge e-accumulated in the n+ region 106 is poured into the n region 107 through the surface portion of the n-type semiconductor substrate 101 and accumulated in the n region 107.


A vehicle axle includes an axle housing defining a cavity. The axle includes a pair of outer drive shafts, each being coaxially received in a respective housing cavity and slidable therein, each outer drive shaft defining a splined cavity. The axle includes a pair of inner drive shafts, each having a splined end coaxially coupled to a respective outer drive shaft splined cavity such that a respective outer drive shaft is slidably movable therein. A piston is attached to the inner end of each outer drive shaft and separates an inner fluid chamber from an outer fluid chamber. A fluid channel includes opposed ends in communication with respective fluid chambers. A force absorption container is in fluid communication with each fluid channel and includes a compression spring, wherein the spring is compressed when movement of the piston pushes fluid through the channel into the force absorption container.

The present invention relates generally to automobile axles and, more particularly, to an automobile axle having a lateral shock absorber. Side impact forces and horizontal stresses related to cornering are decreased by the present invention.
When a force is applied to a car in a horizontal direction, such as a wind load, a side impact, or the centripetal force around a corner, the force will be felt first by the tires and they will bend slightly. This may lead to undesirable accelerated tire wear. If the force is great enough, the tires may begin to slip on the pavement, resulting in a loss of control.
Various devices have been proposed in the art for reducing side impact stresses upon a vehicle. Although assumably effective for their intended purposes, the existing devices do not adequately absorb horizontal stresses such that tire wear is reduced and the damage from side impact collisions is significantly reduced.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a vehicle axle that absorbs horizontal stresses so as to make the vehicle ride better and be more responsive during evasive maneuvers, wear on vehicle tires is reduced, and the impact of a side collision is reduced. More particularly, it would be desirable to have a vehicle axle having a force absorbing member that biases the axle shaft outward and that absorbs horizontal forces encountered, say, when cornering or upon a side impact. Further, it would be desirable to have a vehicle axle having an axle shaft that slides within a main axle but resists axle recoil in the case of a side impact collision.

Force absorbing automobile axle having fluid chambers


A polarization desensitizing method and apparatus including a polarization analyzer separating a polarized input pulse into two orthogonally polarized components separated in time; and a nonlinear switch integrating the power of the two orthogonally polarized components over a predetermined time and producing an output pulse having a predetermined polarization. In one embodiment the polarization desensitizer includes a polarization analyzer in communication with a data source providing data pulses; a pulse generator; and a polarization converting switch in communication with both the polarization analyzer and the pulse generator, the polarization converting switch producing output pulses of a known polarization in response to the data pulses.

The sensitivity of many optical and electro optical devices to the polarization of the incoming light pulses poses a serious problem in many optical systems including optical communications systems and optical computing systems. Although light pulses in such systems may be generated with a known polarization, as the light pulses propagate through the system the polarization may be changed by polarization drift which may in turn depend on the temperature and strains in the propagation medium, among other factors. Additionally, if a receiver in such a system is receiving light pulses generated by multiple sources in the system, not all sources will generate light pulses having the same initial polarization and as a result, even if there is no polarization drift, the receiver will not be receiving light pulses of one polarization from all the sources. By the term pulse it is meant a packet of optical energy of finite extent.
Previous attempts at developing polarization independent devices have been only partially successful because such devices tend to either be limited in bandwidth or are energy inefficient. For example one method of reducing polarization sensitivity is to preprocess the incoming signal so as to produce signals of a known predetermined polarization. One such device for accomplishing this utilizes an electro-optical polarization analyzer in conjunction with a polarization changing device. The polarization analyzer measures the polarization of the incoming light pulse and tunes the polarization state changing device to produce light pulses of the required polarization. The measurement and tuning required for such a system introduces both latency and bandwith limitations which may be unacceptable at high data rates.
Another device for reducing polarization sensitivity uses a polarizing beamsplitter to split the light pulse into two orthogonal linearly polarized components. One of the linear components is then rotated 90.degree. so as to be aligned and then recombined with the other linear component with a time delay sufficient to avoid interference. Although this produces a closely spaced pair of output pulses of a known linear polarization, about half of the energy in the initial pulse is lost in the conversion process.
The present invention avoids the shortcomings of the prior art.


An aircraft security alarm system uses proximity sensors mounted in adjacent pairs to any access area into an aircraft, The proximity sensors are connected electrically to a battery-powered control box with a miniature LED remote indicator light to identify that the system is activated. When any door or cover over an access area is moved, opened, or otherwise accessed, a switch in one of the pair of proximity sensors detects the movement. The proximity sensor sends a signal to the control box, which in turn triggers a high decibel/high pitch siren/horn that sounds indefinitely until the system is disarmed via a wireless remote control.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to security systems and particularly to a simple aircraft security alarm system comprising proximity sensors located on each side of any point of entry to the aircraft, which when moved apart from each other will signal an alarm when the system is activated; the system further comprising a main control box, a receiver associated with the controller that cooperates with a remote transmitter such as an electronic key fob carried by the user, a siren or horn, an alarm indicator light, and a power source.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
Often small aircraft are merely tied down outside in a remote location on an airfield when not in use, so as to be subject to theft not only of the aircraft instruments, but also the aircraft itself. Vandalism and theft of small aircraft kept at small airports is a growing problem. Many small airports are unattended for long periods of time, especially at night. Even the simplest small aircraft can cost several times the price of an expensive automobile to replace. Equipment in the airplane is very costly to replace if it is stolen or the airplane is vandalized.
Current aircraft security systems for the most part consist of mechanical devices such as locks, covers, plates and other items which physically bar an intruder from illegally manipulating items on or in the aircraft. It is possible for many of these devices to be broken relatively quietly and for thieves to enter the aircraft.
While many automotive type car alarms exist the application of this technology as it applies specifically to aircraft is lacking in today's market. Prior art security systems for aircraft generally do not provide adequate alarm systems to sound an alarm for a breach of the aircraft shell through any of the openings into an aircraft.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,680,095, issued Oct. 21, 1997 to Nassouri, is for a security apparatus for buildings, vehicles and the like which includes a switch mounted adjacent to a closure access member. A housing mounted adjacent to the closure access member receives a member movable between first and second positions. When the movable member is in the first position, a magnet mounted in the member is disposed in close proximity to the switch to magnetically move the switch contact to an open position. When the movable member is moved to a second position, the magnet is magnetically decoupled from the switch enabling the switch contact to close to ground completing a circuit to activating the alarm. In another embodiment, the magnet is mounted in a body. A rod extends from the body and carries a holder and a lock cylinder engagement member at another end. The lock cylinder engagement member is releasibly insertible into a lock cylinder to position the magnet adjacent to a switch mounted on the closure member. Any removal of the key lock cylinder engagement member separates the magnet from the switch causing the switch contact to close to ground activating the alarm. In another embodiment, a grounded key inserted into a lock cylinder completes a circuit through a relay coil activating the relay coil and causing a relay switch contact to open disabling the alarm. Removal of the key de-energizes the relay causing the switch contact to move to a normally closed position activating the alarm.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,797,657, issued Jan. 10, 1989 to Vorzimmer, shows a portable self-contained intrusion detector for passenger aircraft having a portable housing including on board power means, at least one sensor operable to detect activity along a detection beam alignable to the aircraft and an indicator such as a strobe light providing a flashing-light alarm visible through the aircraft windows. The detector is self-sufficient, being carryable onto the aircraft by security personnel, and there activated without exposure to possible tampering. The sensor and/or indicator are armed after a delay allowing the security personnel to depart the detection zone, and activation of the indicator is delayed following detected activity, allowing security personnel to disarm the device by entry of a code, without indicating alarm conditions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,691,697, issued Nov. 25, 1997 to Carvalho, claims a security system that includes a pressure sensing circuit for generating an electrical signal in response to changes in pressure and a signal processing circuit, connected to receive the electrical signal, for determining whether the electrical signal represents an intrusion pattern. A pressure sensing circuit generates an electrical signal in response to changes in pressure and a trigger circuit for determining whether an intrusion has occurred by determining whether a peak of the electrical signal has an amplitude that exceeds a floating amplitude threshold, wherein the floating amplitude threshold compensates for ambient noise in the enclosed area. A monitor mode measures intrusion data in a specific enclosed area and determines security system thresholds in accordance with the measured intrusion data.
Two U.S. Pat. No. 4,933,668 issued Jun. 12, 1990 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,063,371 issued Nov. 5, 1991 to Oyer describe an aircraft security system that includes a central control unit, several remotely located cluster controllers and a plurality of intrusion sensors associated with and controlled by each cluster controller. A two-wire bus carries power from the central control unit for operating each of the cluster controllers and the sensors, and carries data signals in both directions between the central control unit and the cluster controllers. The two-wire bus reduces weight and installation costs. The system includes an initial calibration mode wherein sensor type information and sensor parameters are sent from the central control unit to each cluster controller. The signal strength from each sensor is then measured and stored in the central control unit. During later operation, the sensor signal strengths are measured and compared with the initial values. If a trouble condition is detected, appropriate corrective action is taken. One corrective action includes varying the transmitted energy until the sensor signal strength is within a prescribed range.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,633,239, issued Oct. 14, 2003 to Plude, discloses a warning indication system and method of using the same in conjunction with a cargo door of an aircraft. The cargo door is positionable in an opened position; a closed position; a closed and latched position; and a closed, latched, and locked position. The method includes outputting first and second closed signals when the cargo door is in the closed position; outputting first and second latched signals when the cargo door is in the closed and latched position; and outputting first and second locked signals when the cargo door is in the closed, latched, and locked position. All of the signals are then analyzed to positively determine the position of the cargo door, while minimizing the probability of false indications. Various warnings are generated in response to the combination of signals received. The apparatus employs a dual logic system and redundant sensors to provide differing warnings dependent on the phase of flight.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,933,098, issued Aug. 3, 1999 to Haxton, indicates an airport security system for monitoring and securing airplanes stowed at various site airports within a security network. Each of the planes is fitted with a transmitter or transmitters that transmit coded signals upon detecting an intrusion. In addition, the transmitters transmit periodic check-in signals. The signals are received by a receiver at the site airport, which conveys the coded signals to a local site main computer that, in turn, is connected to a central facility computer coupled to all of the site main computers within the network. If an alarm condition occurs or if an aircraft in the system fails to check-in at its designated time, appropriate alarms are generated and appropriate action taken. Aircraft can also be tracked by the central facility computer as they fly from one site airport to another within the network.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,067,026, issued May 23, 2000 to Weimer, concerns a sensor apparatus for the non-contact monitoring of a predetermined end position of a mechanical element, in particular a door in an aircraft, which comprises a probe, an electronic measurement means, and a control means. The probe is attached to the aircraft and samples the distance between itself and a target surface on the element to be monitored. The electronic measurement means is connected to the probe and is so constructed that in response to at least one control signal it generates a measurement signal corresponding to the distance. The control means is connected to the electronic measurement means and generates the control signals, receives measurement signals and generates an indicator signal to indicate that the end position has been detected.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,946,959, issued Sep. 20, 2005 to Wang, provides a portable wireless alarm system that includes at least two alarm devices each of which includes a signal generator for generating an action signal, wherein the alarm devices are communicatively networked with each other by means of radio frequency to contribute a security network in such a manner that, within the security network, when one of the alarm devices is triggered to generate the action signal, another alarm device is automatically triggered by the action signal to produce alert signal, so as to enlarge a coverage area of the alarm device. In addition, the alarm device is a portable wireless alarm device that is communicated with an alarm activator by means of radio frequency signal to remotely control the alarm device to be activated. Therefore, the portable wireless alarm device is capable of wirelessly setting up at a designated location with free installation to ensure the best security.
What is needed is a security device for all openings into an aircraft to protect the aircraft from security violations including theft of items either installed on/in the aircraft such as valuable engines/accessories, avionics, pilot supplies as well as personal items stored within the aircraft such as luggage, keys, wallets and other valuable items the user desires to protect.


A process that involves the packaged polymerization of olefinic monomer(s) and catalyst systems comprising a transition metal species that mediates the polymerization of the monomer(s) is disclosed. This process provides a way to use the resultant polymer without extensive further processing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for the polymerization of mixtures comprising olefinic monomers, the polymerization of each monomer being mediated by a transition metal-containing species.
2. Description of Related Art
Non-free radical polymerizations of ethylenically unsaturated monomers are well known. These polymerizations typically use catalysts instead of initiators to effect polymerization. Examples of such polymerizations include Ziegler-Natta (ZN) polymerizations, ring-opening metathesis polymerizations (ROMP), and group transfer polymerizations. Catalysts for these polymerizations can be quite susceptible to deactivation by adventitious oxygen and water, requiring that such deactivating materials be rigorously excluded from all reagents as well as the reaction vessel.
Specifically, ZN (co)polymerizations of monoolefins, particularly .alpha.-olefins, are well known in the art. Typically, extreme care is taken to exclude both oxygen and water from these polymerizations. Likewise, ROMP (co)polymers are known in the art. Examples of ROMP processes in both inert conditions and in the presence of water, oxygen, or both are known.
Methods of producing hot melt adhesives in sealed reaction vessels are known. U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,523 describes a method for producing hot melt adhesives in which a polymerizable liquid monomer composition is introduced into a sealed reaction vessel and polymerized by ionizing radiation. The adhesive is then removed from the reaction vessel before hot melt application. The reaction can be performed in a lined cylindrical pressure vessel or a multilayer bag.
Methods of packaging pre-made hot melt adhesives and the resulting packaged adhesives are known. German Patent No. 36 25 358 describes a hot melt adhesive block in a thermoplastic film. The film is melted and mixed with the adhesive in an extrusion process.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,257,491 describes a method of packaging a thermoplastic or thermosetting hot melt adhesive in which a portion of an adhesive composition is surrounded with a plastic packaging material. The plastic packaging material does not substantially adversely affect the adhesive characteristics of a molten mixture of the adhesive and the plastic packaging material.
PCT International Publication No. WO 93/23224 describes a method for packaging hot melt adhesive compositions in which molten hot melt adhesive (made outside the package) is poured into a mold lined with a plastic film. The plastic film is meltable with the adhesive composition and blendable into the molten adhesive composition.
A method for producing thermoplastic mold materials useful for producing molded articles is described in German Patent Disclosure 1 694 837. In the described method, the polymerization material is allowed to polymerize in a hollow profile that functions as a polymerization vessel. The hollow profile may be made of the same polymer produced in the polymerization process.

Process for the packaged polymerization of olefinic monomers

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company


A microprocessor system having a first read path from memory and a second read path from peripheral units and an isolation buffer to isolate the first read path from the second read path. The system also has a first write path to memory and a second write path to peripheral units and an isolation buffer to isolate the first write path from the second write path. The isolation buffers also isolate the write paths from the read paths. Also included is a monitoring path between the peripherals and an external bus to allow program monitoring of data in the peripheral units.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to microprocessor systems and more particularly, to microprocessor systems having first and second read paths and first and second write paths and buffers to isolate the first and second read paths and the first and second write paths.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
The semiconductor industry is increasingly characterized by a growing trend toward fabricating more circuits on a given semiconductor chip. In addition, the circuits are more complex in order to provide the higher performance required by end users of the semiconductor chips. To achieve the higher performance demanded by the end users it is necessary to not only provide more complexity in the circuits and functions, but also to ensure that the circuits are smaller and faster. This is being achieved not only by reducing the size of individual devices but by placing the circuits closer together. In turn, this means that more circuits have to be interconnected. The method of interconnection must not detract from the performance and speed of the various functions on the semiconductor chip.
An interconnect provides a path or a medium for an electrical signal that is delivered from a source device to a destination or load device as illustrated in FIG. 1, in which CPU 12 is a source device when writing to a load device such as PIC 24, SCU 26, or MCU 28, for example. The interconnect 40 connects CPU 40 to the load devices. As shown in FIG. 1 there are usually more than one load device physically connected to the same interconnect.
One of the major problems associated with an interconnect is that the passage of an electrical signal through an interconnect takes time which, in turn, depends upon how much capacitance is present in the interconnect. The capacitance relates to the amount of electrical charge that needs to be added to or taken out from the interconnect as the source voltage changes from a low to high or from a high to a low. The amount of charge depends upon the width and length of the interconnect as well as on the interconnects distance from other signal interconnects and power paths. Additionally, the input nodes of any load or distribution device also add to the capacitance load. These capacitance loads are generally higher than interconnect capacitance loads. When many loads are connected to the same electrical point, all the capacitances together become formidable for a driver device, which slows down signal transitions, both from one point to another and from one value to another. The net result is that more time is required for signal transitions which detracts upon device performance and speed.
This invention is a solution to this problem and is accomplished by physically isolating the bigger capacitance loads. The devices used for the isolation are multiplexors (muxes) and buffers. The muxes help to keep the capacitive loads of the driver ports separated and in this way signals from an active driver is not impeded by the capacitive loads for non-active drivers. The buffers, on the other hand, isolate the capacitive loads of branches from the main trunk. As a result, the signals through the main trunk moves faster but still get transmitted to the branches. This ensures that regardless of how many branches there are, the signal transition times on the main trunk is not influenced the number of branches.

Microprocessor system having multiplexor disposed in first and second read paths between memory CPU and DMA for selecting data from either read path


An axle driving apparatus comprises: a common housing; a pair of coaxial axles disposed in the housing; a common input shaft for receiving power from a prime mover, the common input shaft being extended perpendicular to the axles in the housing and passed through a gap between the axles; and a pair of stepless transmissions sharing power from the common input shaft, and transmitting power to the respective axles. The pair of stepless transmissions are arranged in the housing symmetrically centered on an axis of the common input shaft. The axle driving apparatus further comprises: a PTO shaft disposed coaxially to the common input shaft; a clutch disposed in the housing and interposed between the common input shaft and the PTO shaft; and a brake which is applied simultaneously to disengagement of said clutch so as to prevent inertial rotation of said PTO shaft.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an axle driving apparatus having a common housing enclosing a pair of hydrostatic transmissions (hereinafter referred to as "HSTs") and a pair of axles individually driven by the respective HSTs.
2. Background of the Invention
Conventionally, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid Open Gazette Hei. 7-323739, there is a well-known integrated hydrostatic transaxle (hereinafter referred to as an "IHT") which is applicable for a snowblower. The IHT comprises a common housing, a pair of HSTs, each of which is a combination of a hydraulic pump and a hydraulic motor, and a pair of coaxial axles individually driven by the respective HSTs, wherein the HSTs and the axles are housed within the housing.
In the conventional IHT, in order to economically make a common construction between the left and right drive trains from the respective HSTs to the respective axles, the pair of HSTs are disposed laterally symmetrically (in the axial direction of the axles) so as to equalize lateral positions of the HSTs relative to the respective axles (in the axial direction of the axles). However, the pair of HSTs are disposed laterally symmetrically with respect to a vertical line, and the hydraulic pump and hydraulic motor of each HST are juxtaposed laterally in order to vertically downsize the IHT. Consequently, two hydraulic pump and motor pairs are laterally aligned on the substantially same vertical level so that the conventional IHT including the housing is entirely elongated laterally in the axial direction of the axles.


A 180° hybrid coupler (100) includes a first transmission line transformer (101) and a second transmission line transformer (102). Each of the first and second transmission line transformers is comprised of a coplanar stripline structure disposed in a spiral configuration. Each of the coplanar stripline structures has a first characteristic impedance and is configured to function as a balun. A common input feed (202) is coupled to each of the first and second transmission line transformers. A third transmission line transformer (103) and a fourth transmission line transformer (104) are also provided. Each of the third and fourth transmission line transformers is also configured to function as a balun and is coupled to the first and second transmission line transformers.

1. Statement of the Technical Field
The inventive arrangements concern hybrid couplers, and more particularly hybrid couplers having a miniaturized design and capable of producing from a single input signal, two output signals that are 180° out of phase.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hybrid couplers are passive devices used in the field of radio frequency (RF) systems. Typically such hybrid coupler devices can receive an input signal and produce two output signals where the input power is equally divided between two output ports. More particularly, 180° hybrid couplers are four-port devices that can receive an input signal and provide as an output two equally-split but 180 degree phase-shifted output signals. In RF systems, broadband 180° hybrids are frequently used for anti-phase power dividing and combining.
One problem with conventional 180° hybrid couplers is that they include multiple components such as Lange couplers that are a quarter wavelength in size, or in some implementations, transmission line structures that are a half wave length in size or larger. Open space is required around the periphery of such components to ensure their proper operation. These factors can result in a device which requires a large surface area on a circuit board or substrate. The use of high dielectric constant ceramic media and other techniques have been used to miniaturize these devices to some extent. However, for many applications, the overall size of these devices remains prohibitive, especially for lower operating frequencies. Below X-band, conventional coupler designs are generally too large for use in monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) designs. Ferrite versions of 180° hybrid couplers are also known, and can be made relatively small. However, the upper operating frequency of such devices is limited to about 3 GHz. Broadband ferrite versions of 180° hybrid couplers are also known to suffer from excessive loss at the high end of their operating band.


An electrosurgical method and apparatus comprises a probe, at least one temperature sensor, and a controller for generating and controlling electromagnetic energy supplied to the probe. The controller receives signals from the temperature sensor and controls the supply of electromagnetic energy such that the temperature of the probe is ramped up and then maintained at a steady state temperature of between 100° C. and 115° C. In an equilibration phase, between the ramping up and the steady state temperature, the controller holds the temperature of the probe substantially constant for a period of time to allow the temperature of different parts of the probe to equilibrate.

It is well known in the field of electrosurgery that there are two distinct tissue effects which can be achieved by RF, depending on the temperature to which the tissue is raised. The first is the removal of tissue by vaporisation, in which the electrode or electrodes are subjected to relatively high temperatures (typically over 1000° C.). The second is the production of tissue necrosis without the removal of tissue in situ, and it is to this second type of system to which the present invention is directed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,843,021 discloses a typical example of this type of treatment, in which a probe including a tissue treatment electrode is placed in contact with body tissue, and an RF signal is supplied to the probe such that the electrode heats the tissue causing cell necrosis and forming a lesion. The lesion is subsequently absorbed by the body with the result that tissue shrinkage is seen to occur. This type of treatment has been successfully performed for a number of years, and is known as "Somnoplasty".
It is well known that to produce a lesion the temperature of the tissue should be kept below 100° C. Temperatures above 100° C. are known to cause charring and desiccation of the tissue (which can be undesirable as the desiccated tissue is unable to absorb any further RF energy). The prior art teaches that temperatures in the range of 80° C. to 100° C. are typical for this type of apparatus. Examples of prior art patents teaching temperatures in this range are U.S. Pat. No. 6,126,657, U.S. Pat. No. 4,411,266, U.S. Pat. No. 5,549,644, U.S. Pat. No. 5,456,682 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,056,745. As can be seen from these and any many other prior art documents, the instruction to maintain the temperature below 100° C. is well established. For example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,411,266 it is stated "any non-uniform hot spots must be monitored to prevent runaway flash heating to the boiling point of 100° C." U.S. Pat. No. 6,056,745 states "The maximum temperature condition T.sub.MAX lies within a range of temperatures which are high enough to provide deep and wide lesions (typically between about 90° C. and 98° C.), but which are safely below about 100° C., at which tissue desiccation or tissue boiling is known to occur." As can be seen, the direction to maintain the probe temperature below 100° C. is seen as an essential requirement for successful lesion generation.
The problem with this requirement to maintain the probe temperature below 100° C. is that this can lead to a relatively slow process, requiring anything up to several minutes of treatment time in order to generate the lesion. Unless the control of the energy delivered to the probe is exceptional, the safest way to ensure that the probe temperature does not under any circumstances exceed 100° C. is to drive the device such that its normal operating is well below 100° C. Many devices operate at temperatures of between 80° C. and 85° C. (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,411,266, for example), which can lead to even longer treatment times. The present invention seeks to provide a lesion generation system which can produce effective lesions using considerably reduced treatment times.


A method and computer program product for providing RTP suppression across a DOCSIS network. An index number and a set of rules are sent to a receiver. The index number indicates the type of header suppression technique (i.e., RTP header suppression) to be performed, and the set of rules define how to recreate the RTP packets on the receiving end. At least one complete RTP packet is transmitted upstream for enabling a receiver to learn the RTP header. Subsequent RTP packets are transmitted upstream for reconstruction at the receiving end. The subsequent RTP packets are comprised of delta values representing fields that dynamically change from packet to packet in an RTP header.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to communication systems. More particularly, the present invention is related to a cable modem system and a method and computer program product for providing Real Time Protocol header suppression across a DOCSIS network.
2. Background Art
Conventional cable modem systems utilize DOCSIS (Data Over Cable System Interface Specification) —compliant equipment and protocols to transfer data between one or more cable modems (CM) and a cable modem termination system (CMTS). DOCSIS generally refers to a group of specifications that define industry standards for cable headend and cable modem equipment. In part, DOCSIS sets forth requirements and objectives for various aspects of cable modem systems including operations support systems, management, data interfaces, as well as network layer, data link layer, and physical layer transport for cable modem systems.
Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) is a protocol for delivering packetized audio and video traffic over an Internet Protocol network. RTP provides end-to-end network transport functions for applications with real-time requirements. Such applications may include audio, video, or simulation data over multicast or unicast network services. RTP is also used to send VOIP (voice over IP) phone calls.
An increasing number of applications are utilizing RTP to deliver voice and multimedia data streams. The data portion of an RTP packet is often small in comparison to the protocol overhead required to send the information. Current techniques for delivering RTP packets waste network bandwidth by sending redundant information. Also, current techniques do not allow for the suppression of changing RTP fields in a data stream.
DOCSIS 1.1 provides a technique for the suppression of redundant information called "payload header suppression" (PHS). PHS enables the suppression of unchanging bytes in an individual Service Identifier (SID) (i.e., data stream). Thus, DOCSIS PHS provides byte oriented suppression. Byte oriented suppression is not as efficient as a field oriented protocol header suppression scheme. Another downside to PHS is its inability to suppress dynamically changing fields in a data stream.
What is needed is a system and method for in order delivery of transmitted RTP packets that eliminates the transmission of redundant patterns. What is also needed is a system and method for in order delivery of transmitted RTP packets that provides a field oriented protocol header suppression scheme. What is further needed is a system and method for in order delivery of transmitted RTP packets that suppresses dynamically changing fields in a data stream.

Efficiently transmitting RTP protocol in a network that guarantees in order delivery of packets


This disclosure relates to hybrid couplers for radio frequency (RF) signals. The hybrid coupler includes a first port, a second port, a third port, a fourth port, a first inductive element connected from the first port to the third port, and a second inductive element connected from the second port to the fourth port. The hybrid coupler further includes a first capacitive element and a second capacitive element. The first capacitive element is connected between an intermediary node of the first inductive element and either the first port or the third port, while the second capacitive element is coupled between an intermediary node of the second inductive element and either the second port or the fourth port. Accordingly, the first capacitive element and a portion of the first inductive element and the second capacitive element and a portion of the second capacitive element each form a harmonic trap.

Hybrid couplers are used in many types of radio frequency (RF) circuits, such as duplexers, multiplexers, balanced amplifiers, transmit/receive switches, and/or the like. A hybrid coupler is a device that splits an RF signal into quadrature hybrid signals (QHSs). Unfortunately, hybrid couplers may have limited quality (Q) factors, thus passing undesired harmonics into the QHSs. As such, additional RF filters are often used to filter the undesired harmonics out of the QHSs. However, these additional RF filters introduce additional insertion losses.
Thus, designs for hybrid couplers that are capable of filtering out undesired harmonics from the QHSs are needed.


In polarization-based optical systems, preserving a state-of-polarization (SOP) over a prescribed range of incidence angles and wavelengths may be necessary. Optical materials with local normal tilted with respect to an incident ray can introduce an undesirable polarization nonuniformity that can be substantially corrected using a compensator as disclosed herein. The compensator may include a uniaxial retarder and a z-partial polarizer (ZPP). The ZPP may include a uniaxial material with an absorption axis normal to the substrate.

Certain optical systems require precisely controlling the state-of-polarization (SOP) when encountering one or more reflecting or absorbing surfaces contained between the input and output. These surfaces can create a polarization nonuniformity that depends upon ray position and/or orientation in the system. For instance, a plane-wave normally incident on a convex lens may preserve the SOP on axis, but may show an increase in polarization distortion with ray displacement from the axis. A similar result may occur with a point-source incident on a plano surface. In the case of an uncoated isotropic dielectric (e.g. glass), the Fresnel equations give the transmission/reflection of light polarized parallel (P) and perpendicular (S) to the plane of incidence (POI). The angle-of-incidence (AOI) is that between the ray direction and the local surface normal. At zero AOI, the SOP may be preserved, but the extent of polarization distortion typically grows with AOI, affecting the quality of the output. In some instances, such as direct-view/projection liquid crystal displays, direct-view/projection organic light emitting diode displays, broad-band polarization-based isolators, and polarization-based triple-pass wide-angle collimating lenses (i.e. pancake-lenses), accurate polarization control over angle (and often wavelength) may determine factors such as dynamic-range and contrast. Minute polarization distortions can, in some instances, cause display contrast ratio to plummet when not precisely controlled.
It is against this background that the techniques described herein have been developed.

Polarization compensator for tilted surfaces