A thermoelectric material having excellent thermoelectric performance is shown and described. A thermoelectric material is formed having a plurality of conductive layers and a plurality of barrier layers that are alternatingly formed one upon the other such that one conductive layer is sandwiched by two barrier layers. The conductive layers are composed of a first semiconductor only, and the two barrier layers located on the outermost sides of the material each have a main layer made of a second semiconductor only and a boundary layer made of the first and second semiconductors. A plurality of barrier layers positioned in between the conductive layers each have a main layer and two boundary layers provided on opposite sides of the main layer. The thickness t.sub.1 of the conductive layer and the thickness t.sub.2 of the barrier layer have a relationship of 2t.sub.1 .ltoreq.t.sub.2 .ltoreq.50t.sub.1.

There has heretofore been known thermoelectric materials of a type which comprise conductive layers and barrier layers in the form of very thin films having the same thickness (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,436,467).
In the thermoelectric material, the energy gap in the barrier layer is maintained to be much wider than the energy gap in the conductive layer to create a large difference between the two energy gaps, whereby quantum wells are formed in the conductive layers. As a result, the electric conductivity of the thermoelectric material is heightened, and an improved thermoelectric performance is exhibited.
Here, if a first semiconductor of the conductive layer and a second semiconductor of the barrier layer are mixed together in a boundary region between the barrier layer and the conductive layer at the step of forming the layers, the effect of the mixing readily appears on the barrier layer which is in the form of a very thin film. As a result, the energy gap is narrowed in the barrier layer, and the difference between the two energy gaps so decreases that no quantum well is formed in the conductive layer.
In order to strictly control the interface between the barrier layer and the conductive layer, therefore, the layers have heretofore been formed by a molecular beam epitaxial method (MBE), an atomic epitaxial layer method (ALE) or the like method.
However, currently available methods for controlling the interface between the barrier layer and the conductive layer have numerous shortcomings. For example, the above-mentioned methods require very expensive equipment and very complex process control. In addition, despite the control of the steps, the occurrence rate of defective products is high, resulting in an increase in the cost at which the thermoelectric materials are produced.
A need therefore exists for a thermoelectric material which has an excellent thermoelectric performance, and which increases the productivity and reduces the cost of production. The present invention fulfills these needs, and provides further related advantages.


A fault tolerant computing system is provided comprising two or more processing sets that operate in synchronism with one another. The two processing sets are joined by a bridge, and there is a communications link for each processing set for transmitting data from the processing set to the bridge. Data transmissions are initiated in synchronism with one another from the respective processing sets to the bridge but are then subject to variable delay over the communications link. Accordingly, a buffer is included in the bridge for storing the data transmissions received from the processing sets for long enough to compensate for the variable delay. The data transmissions can then be fed out from the buffer to a comparator that verifies that the data transmissions received from the two or more processing sets properly match each other. Likewise, a buffer is included in each processing set for storing the data transmissions received from the bridge for long enough to compensate for the variable delay. Control logic in each processing set can then apply the data transmissions to the respective processing set at a predetermined time.

In many computer applications, it is very important to be able to provide a high degree of reliability. A known way of achieving this is to use a fault tolerant computer, such as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 6,167,477. The system described in this patent has two (or more) processing sets that are configured to perform identical operations. The processing sets are joined by a bridge (known as a voting bridge), which in turn is linked to a bus. Various input/output devices are then attached to the bus (e.g. disk storage, network communications, etc.). The design philosophy of this fault tolerant system is to try and prevent any error that might occur within one of the processing sets from propagating into the outside world, in other words from the bridge onto the bus and from there to the various external devices.
In order to achieve this, the output from the processing sets is compared at the bridge. Any discrepancy between the outputs from the different processing sets is detected and serves as an indication of potential error.
At this point, the system generally tries to make a determination of which of the processing sets is responsible for the error. In some cases this can be relatively straightforward. For example if one processing set is trying to perform an illegal operation, such as writing to a non-existent address on the bus, or is producing output with a parity error, then it is a reasonable assumption that it is this processing set that is malfunctioning. Also, in systems having more than two processing sets, it is sensible to go with the verdict of the majority of the processing sets. For example, in a system with three processing sets, these can effectively be regarded as voting two-to-one in favour of the correct output (assuming only a single processing set is faulty at a given time).
On the other hand, if the discrepancy simply represents a difference in output data between two processing sets, then it is difficult for the bridge to determine, a priori, which one of the two sets is behaving incorrectly. In this case, the bridge can ask the two processing sets to run various diagnostic tests on themselves, in order to try and pinpoint the source of the error.
Assuming that a determination of the malfunctioning processing set can indeed be successfully made, then the system can continue in operation by using only the processing set(s) that is (are) behaving correctly, with the output from the other processing set being ignored. Of course, if there were originally only two processing sets, then at this point the system is no longer fault tolerant, since there is no comparison of output from different processing sets. Therefore, in some such situations it may be desirable for the fault tolerant system to simply stop operation once a discrepancy is detected, pending suitable maintenance or restorative action. Such a fault tolerant system can still be regarded as robust because it can detect the presence of a defective processing set, and prevent this from having any unwanted external manifestation or consequence. Of course, if the system originally included more than two processing sets, then it can continue in fault tolerant mode even after one of the processing sets has to be discounted as faulty.
It will be appreciated that in a system initially having two processing sets, the particular circumstances of the system will determine whether it is better to react to an error by stopping processing altogether until corrective action is taken, or instead to automatically continue operations on the basis of the one remaining good processing set. For example, if the system is being used for nightly reconciliation of various accounting records, it may be better to defer operations until fault tolerance can be restored. On the other hand, if the system is being used for the real-time control of a distribution network, there may be no option but to continue on the basis of the single processing set.
Note that in some situations it is possible for there to be a discrepancy in the outputs from the processing sets even if they are all still operating correctly. This can arise when the output depends on the particular processing set that produced it, for example because it incorporates the serial number of the CPU chip. However, this problem is rather rare, and in practice can normally be worked around.
A much more significant issue concerns the relative timing of the processing sets. Thus if the processing sets do not stay in proper synchronisation with one another, then their outputs will appear to be different despite the fact that both are operating correctly. In order to address this problem, the fault tolerant system of the above-referenced patent drives all the processing sets with a single clock signal. More particularly, each processing set has its own internal clock, which is regulated by a phase-locked loop (PLL) oscillator. An appropriate control signal is then supplied to the various clocks to ensure that their respective processing sets are properly maintained in lock step with one another. In addition, the bridge has its own clock, and this is similarly kept in synchronisation with the clocks of the processing sets. As a result of this common timing, the bridge should receive the outputs from the processing sets effectively simultaneously, and so can perform a proper comparison of them.
The processing sets are also arranged to have a purely synchronous (lockstep) design, avoiding metastable states. This serves to eliminate differences that might be caused for example by an input signal arriving exactly on a clock boundary, in order to ensure that such a signal is ultimately resolved in the same fashion by each processing set. This avoids different processing sets allocating the input signal to different clock cycles due to (inevitable) physical variations in supposedly identical components of the different processing sets.
One limitation of the above approach is that it requires timing variations on the links from the processing sets to the bridge to be small compared to the clock cycle, in order that fully synchronous lockstep behaviour can be maintained as regards the communications between the bridge and the different processing sets. This is conventionally achieved by placing the processing sets and the bridge together in the same chassis or rack assembly to ensure that the outputs from the processing sets are properly received at the bridge at the same clock value.
However, there may be certain situations in which the outputs from the processing sets arrive at the bridge at significantly different times, in other words where jitter or other timing variations in transmission are not small compared to the clock interval. This can then lead to a loss of synchronisation of the outputs, and consequently the detection of discrepancies by the bridge, even although the processing sets themselves are still functioning correctly.
Typically there are two particular circumstances which can give rise to this problem (these may occur either singly or in combination with one another). The first is the desire for ever-increasing clock speeds to boost processing performance. Thus what might be an acceptably small amount of jitter at a relatively low clock speed may become more troublesome as the system is pushed towards higher clock speeds, even if the physical configuration of the system is otherwise unchanged (for example the devices are all located within the same rack assembly).
A second cause of difficulty is that it may be desirable to locate the bridge in a different chassis from the processing sets. Indeed, in some installations the bridge may be located in a different room, a different building, or even at a different geographical site from the processing sets. Likewise, the processing sets may themselves be geographically separated from one another. Such a distributed architecture allows a much more flexible use of hardware, but it also leads to significantly increased transmission delays on the links between the processing sets and the bridge. Such lengthy connections are also much more susceptible to increased jitter and timing variations.
Consequently, it is no longer possible in such systems to guarantee that the outputs from different processing sets will arrive simultaneously at the bridge. This in turn will prevent the bridge from properly checking that the outputs match one another, and confirming that the processing sets are indeed operating correctly. Therefore, it will be seen that a potential loss of synchronicity can undermine the fault tolerant behaviour of the system.

Delay compensation for synchronous processing sets


A personal lift device is disclosed having a motor having an output shaft. A gearing system is operatively connected to the output shaft for increasing torque. A strap for suspending a weight is wound onto a spool and rotating the spool extends and retracts the strap. A drive connection is made between the gearing system and the spool to permit said motor to drive said spool. A brake is associated with said spool to prevent unwanted extension of said strap from said spool, when a weight is suspended by said strap. In a preferred embodiment a clutch is provided between the brake and the drive train, and the greater the weight supported by the spool the greater the braking force. An emergency lift and lower device is also provided in the event of a failure of the motor.

Personal lift or patient lift devices have been known and used in the past for the purpose of assisting with the mobility of otherwise immobilized patients. An attendant may help physically disabled patients who may have suffered a traumatic injury, stroke or one form of illness or another, and who are unable to move about. However, often such patients may be too heavy to lift or the attendant may not have enough strength to help the patient move. This can be especially true for disabled patients who have reduced mobility but otherwise normal bodily functions. Getting up, going to the bathroom and having a bath, for example, can be difficult for such patients.
Personal lift devices that have been used in the past typically include a strap or chain hanging down from a motor assembly, which in turn may be suspended from a movable stand or from a rail carriage riding along an overhead track. An overhead track can be organized to extend from over a bed and into, for example, an adjoining bathroom area, to permit the patient to be raised, suspended, and then moved along the track to a position where they can be lowered into the bathtub for the purposes of a bath, or onto a toilet.
Typically such patient lift devices are provided with an electronic lift motor and with an inefficient gear train system. The latter is believed desired, because, in the event of a power failure, the inefficiency of the gear train means there is no quick release or lowering of a patient in a downward direction. In other words, the motor and power train are self-braking. While providing such gearing inefficiencies does act as a safety brake, it also increases the cost, size, and weight of the lift apparatus, since a larger electric motor is required to both lift and lower against the gear train. As well, in the event of a malfunction due to electrical failure of the motor, the patient can be stuck suspended in mid air without any practical way of being released and lowered. Therefore, what is desired is a lighter, simpler, and more efficient device, which can be readily utilized for patient lifting and which preferably includes a safety release to prevent patients from being stranded in a suspended position.


A data communications network comprises a plurality of geographically spaced wireless transmitters each for transmitting a different network address. At least one mobile user terminal has a wireless receiver for receiving the network addresses transmitted by the transmitters, a wireless transmitter for transmitting requests for delivery of data files from remote locations identified by the network addresses, a wireless receiver for receiving from the remote location the data files identified by the network addresses, and output means for outputting the data files received. Preferably, the network addresses each comprise a Uniform Resource Locator and the data files each comprise a World Wide Web page.

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for accessing a data file via a data communication network.
In recent years, there has been explosive growth in the Internet, and in particular of the WorldWide Web (WWW), which is one of the facilities provided via the Internet. The WWW comprises many pages or files of information, distributed across many different servers. Each page is identified by an individual address or xe2x80x9cUniform Resource Locator (URL)xe2x80x9d. Each URL denotes both a server machine, and a particular file or page on that machine. There may be many pages or URLs resident on a single server.
Typically, to utilise the WWW, a user runs a computer program called a Web browser on a client computer system such as a personal computer. Examples of widely available Web browsers include the xe2x80x9cWebExplorerxe2x80x9d Web browser provided by International Business Machines Corporation in the OS/2(copyright) Operating System software, or the xe2x80x9cNavigatorxe2x80x9d Web browser available from Netscape Communications Corporation. (xe2x80x9cOS/2xe2x80x9d is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.) The user interacts with the Web browser to select a particular URL. The interaction causes the browser to send a request for the page or file identified in the selected URL to the server identified in the selected URL. Typically, the server responds to the request by retrieving the requested page, and transmitting the data for that page back to the requesting client. The client-server interaction is usually performed in accordance with a protocol called the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (xe2x80x9cHTTPxe2x80x9d). The page received by the client is then displayed to the user on a display screen of the client. The client may also cause the server to launch an application, for example to search for WWW pages relating to particular topics.
WWW pages are typically formatted in accordance with a computer programming language known as Hypertext Mark-up Language (xe2x80x9cHTMLxe2x80x9d). Thus a typical WWW page includes text together with embedded formatting commands, referred to as tags, that can be employed to control for example font style, font size, lay-out etc. The Web browser parses the HTML script in order to display the text in accordance with the specified format. In addition, an HTML page also contain a reference, in terms of another URL, to a portion of multimedia data such as an image, video segment, or audio file. The Web Browser responds to such a reference by retrieving and displaying or playing the multimedia data. Alternatively, the multimedia data may reside on its own WWW page, without surrounding HTML text.
Most WWW pages also contain one or more references to other WWW pages, which need not reside on the same server as the original page. Such references may be activated by the user selecting particular locations on the screen, typically by clicking a mouse control button. These references or locations are known as hyperlinks, and are typically flagged by the Web browser in a particular manner. For example, any text associated with a hyperlink may be displayed in a different colour. If a user selects the hyperlinked text, then the referenced page is retrieved and replaces the currently displayed page.
Further information about HTML and the WWW can be found in xe2x80x9cWorld Wide Web and HTMLxe2x80x9d by Douglas McArthur, p18-26 in Dr Dobbs Journal, December 1994, and in xe2x80x9cThe HTML SourceBookxe2x80x9d by Ian Graham, John Wiley, N.Y., 1995.
In accordance with the present invention, there is now provided a data communications network comprising: a plurality of geographically spaced wireless transmitters each for transmitting a different network address, and, at least one mobile user terminal having a wireless receiver for receiving the network addresses transmitted by the transmitters, a wireless transmitter for transmitting requests for delivery of data files from remote locations identified by the network addresses, a wireless receiver for receiving from the remote location the data files identified by the network addresses, and output means for outputting the data files received to a user.
Preferably, the network addresses each comprise a Uniform Resource Locator and the data files each comprise a World Wide Web page.
In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the network comprises a plurality of geographically spaced base stations each comprising a receiver for receiving the requests for delivery transmitted by each remote user terminal and for forwarding the requests for delivery to the remote locations identified by the network addresses via the Internet.
In use, each transmitter may continuously transmit the network address. Alteratively, in use, each transmitter may transmit the network address on detection of an interrogation signal generated by each user terminal.
The output means may comprise a display device for displaying the data files received. Furthermore, the output means may comprise an audio output device for generating an audio output as a function of the data files received.
Viewing the present invention from another aspect there is now provided a method of accessing a data file in a data communications network, the method comprising: transmitting, by wireless communications, a different network address from each of a plurality of geographically spaced wireless transmitters; receiving, in a mobile user terminal, by wireless communications, the network addresses transmitted by the transmitters; transmitting from the mobile user terminal, by wireless communications, requests for delivery of data files from remote locations identified by the network addresses; receiving, by wireless communications, in the user terminal, the data files identified by the network addresses from the remote locations; and, outputting, by the user terminal, the data files received.

Wireless data communications network and a method of obtaining data files via transmitters in said network


The present invention, relates to composition of matter comprising sequence variants of Stable Protein 1 (SP1) and carbon nanotubes or carbon black, and optionally comprising latex. This invention also relates to surfaces (e.g. metal wires, cords, and polymeric and non polymeric fibers, yarns, films or fabrics, wood and nano, micro and macro particles) comprising this composition of matter, to methods for producing them, and to uses thereof in the preparation and formation of improved composite materials, including rubber, and rubber compound composites.

The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates to composition of matter comprising sequence variants of Stable Protein 1 (SP1) and carbon nanotubes or carbon black. This invention also relates to surfaces (e.g. metal wires, cords, and polymeric and non polymeric fibers, yarns, films or fabrics, wood and nano, micro and macro particles) comprising this composition of matter, and to uses thereof in the preparation and formation of improved composite materials, including rubber, and rubber compound composites.
Stable protein 1 (SP1) is a homo-oligomeric protein isolated from aspen (Populus tremula aspen) plants which forms a ring-shape dodecameric particle with a central cavity. The oligomeric form of SP1 is an exceptionally stable structure that is resistant to proteases, such as trypsin, V8, and proteinase K, high temperatures, organic solvents, and high levels of ionic detergent.
WO 2002/070647, WO 2004/022697, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,253,341, teach novel denaturant-stable, protease resistant, homo-oligomeric stable protein (SP) variants, having chaperone-like activity as well as methods of production and purification of these novel SPs. These documents also provide nucleic acids encoding SPs, methods of isolating nucleic acids encoding SPs, antibodies recognizing SPs, and the use of these SPs for stabilizing, refolding, repairing, preventing aggregation and de-aggregating macromolecules such as proteins, fusion proteins including SPs, nucleic acid constructs encoding the fusion proteins and their uses in a variety of methods and applications.
WO 2007/007325 and U.S. Pat. No. 8,957,189 teach SP1 and modified SP1 variant polypeptides, capable of forming reversible and covalent molecular associations with substances, compositions-of-matter comprising same, and various uses thereof.
It was hypothesized that if substances such as carbon nanotubes or carbon black, and metals (e.g. steel cords) or polymeric and non polymeric materials (e.g., yarns or fibers of aramid, polyester, rayon, nylon, DVA, carbon, glass, basalt, etc.) can bind to SP1 variants in a similar fashion, the protein may serve as an adhesive mediator to promote attachment of these two components to each other, based on the two-sided doughnut shape of SP1 which exhibits binding sites on both sides of the annulus.
Carbon Nanoparticles Reinforced Composite Materials
Carbon nanotubes (CNT) are nano-scale hollow cylinders of graphite carbon atoms. They provide the highest Young's modulus (stiffness), highest thermal conductivity, highest electrical conductivity, and highest current density of any known material, while having a low density. The nanotubes may consist of one (single walled carbon nanotubes) up to tens (multiwalled CNTs) and hundreds of concentric shells of carbons with adjacent shells separation of ˜0.34 nm. Single walled carbon nanotubes tend to be stronger, more flexible, more transparent and better electrical conductors and are more transparent, but due to high production costs, and health and safety considerations, multi-walled carbon nanotubes are more widely used in composite materials.
When carbon nanotubes are added to a matrix material, the composite normally takes on some of the carbon nanotubes' properties, due to the rule of mixtures. However, the theoretical property values of carbon nanotubes composites are presently not attained due to the inability to efficiently produce fully integrated composites.
Due to insufficient bonding across the interface of the nanotube and matrix material, before carbon nanotubes can be used in a broad range of applications, methods for manipulating the positioning, orientation, anchoring, grafting and binding of the carbon nanotubes to the matrix are presently required, particularly where such anchoring, grafting and binding is done without metal.
Thus, there is a widely recognized need for, and it would be highly advantageous to have SP1 variants capable of forming molecular complexes with carbon nanotubes, useful for effective production of highly specific composite materials such as polymers, fibers, films and polymeric fabrics with integrated carbon nanotubes.
The regulation, environmental and health considerations favor the use of carbon black (CB) over CNTs. In addition, CB is widely available and less expensive than CNTs. Therefore, it is highly desirable to find an efficient way to attach CB to various surfaces (e.g., metals, polymeric and non polymeric fibers, films, yarns, and fabrics) for their reinforcement and for the effective production of composite elastomers, comprising such materials. However, since CB is not a well-ordered material such as CNT or graphite surfaces, it's bonding to SP1 based polypeptide is challenging and is expected to be very different than for CNTs which have been shown to bind specific CNT targeted peptides.
Carbon Nanoparticles Coated Fabrics and Textiles
Carbon Nanoparticles (CNP) display much bigger surface specific area than fibers, films or fabrics. Therefore, binding of CNPs to fibers, films or fabrics via SP1 protein, increase their surface area, allowing better interaction of matrices with the fiber even at low loading levels. In addition, SP1 protein binding to the fiber by itself may improve the interaction with the polymer through reactive groups on the protein surface.
Specifically designed SP1/CNPs composition utilizing carbon black (CB) or carbon nanotubes (CNT), which forms stable dispersion in aqueous media, can be complexed to broad range of target compounds such as carbon fabrics, aramid, polyester, rayon, glass, or nylon films, fibers and fabrics, forming useful molecular complexes in the production of highly specific composite materials such as SP1-polypeptide-CNP-aramid complex fabrics, films, yarns and polymeric fabrics.
Carbon Nanoparticles (CNP) Coated Aramid Polymers (Kevlar)
Material scientists and engineers are excited by the possibilities for creating super-strong, high-performance polymer composite materials using carbon nanoparticles. Currently, all existing methods of fabricating CNP-polymer composites involve complicated, expensive, time-demanding processing techniques such as solution casting, melting, molding, extrusion, and in situ polymerization, requiring that the CNPs either be incorporated into a polymer solution, molten polymer or mixed with the initial monomer before the formation of the final product (e.g. yarn, ribbon or film). This is unsuitable for insoluble or temperature sensitive polymers, which decompose without melting, as well as unsuitable for fiber or wire surface coating.
Aramid polymer (e.g. KEVLAR™) is a well-known high-strength polymer with a variety of important applications such as pneumatic tire tread and sidewalls, bullet-proof vests and car armor plating. However, aramid is chemically inert and is not soluble in any common solvent and, having no melting point, decomposes above 400° C. As a result, aramid fibers must be produced by wet spinning from sulphuric acid solutions. Binding of SP1/CNP complex to aramid can enable an effective post-processing incorporation of carbon nanoparticles (e.g., CNT or CB) to the surface of already formed polymer products, such as, for example, aramid yarns, enabling the CNPs to coat the surface of fibers or wires.
CNP Reinforced Rubber Composites
Elastomers (or rubbers) are usually mixed with several different ingredients to form a "rubber compound". The added ingredients are chosen to optimize the physical properties of the compound in order to meet the specification for a particular application. Normally, the rubber is also mixed with a small amount of sulfur or peroxide and cured at elevated temperatures (vulcanization) in order to improve the rubber compound dimensional stability, resilience, modulus, as well as other properties. As a result of the curing process, the rubber compound has a higher modulus and lower extension at break. Normally, rubber compounds also comprise fillers.
A "filler" is defined, in some embodiments, as a finely divided solid that is used to augment weight or size or fill space in the rubber bulk. Although the original purpose is to lower the cost of the products, prime importance is given to selective functional fillers that are capable of modifying the mechanical, electrical and/or optical properties of a material in which they are dispersed. In the elastomer industry, the importance of fillers in providing durability and performance has been recognized. Carbon black is the major reinforcing filler for tires and many other rubber and plastic products. Addition of carbon black (CB) results in the enhancement of the mechanical properties of elastomeric materials, such as increase in both their strength and modulus. Other fillers are also known, including: calcium carbonate, kaolin clay, precipitated silica, talc, barite, amorphous silica, diatomite etc. Application of such fillers on the surface of a rubber compound reinforcing textile may improve the overall performance of the textile reinforced rubber based products due to increasing of fiber surface area, providing scaffold for application of different suitable chemistries and preventing crack propagation along the fiber-matrix interface. However, due to insufficient bonding across the interface between the reinforcing textile and the matrix material (i.e. elastomers), before any type of filler (e.g., carbon nanoparticles, silica, calcium carbonate or clay) can be incorporated through textiles to rubber compounds and be used in a broad range of applications, methods for anchoring, grafting and binding of the fabric to the rubber compound are required.
The properties of SP1 protein, as described above, and its role in binding CNT to polymeric and non-polymeric materials, may be utilized for incorporation of various nanoparticles such as carbon black, clay or silica, to the surface of fabrics, which will further help integrating the fabrics into rubber compounds. Specifically designed SP1/CB composition, can be complexed to broad range of target compounds including: carbon fabrics, polyester, aramid, rayon, glass, basalt, or nylon films, fibers and fabrics, forming useful CB coated fabrics, fibers or films, that can be further incorporated into rubber compounds, (as well as to other matrices) in the production of highly specific textile-reinforced mechanical rubber goods, e.g. tires, belts, hoses, rubber boats, etc. Incorporation of CB to the surface of polymeric and non-polymeric materials through interaction with SP1 protein is therefore highly desirable in the preparation of various elastomeric compounds, or any other composite materials.
Steel Cords to Rubber Adhesion
It is frequently necessary to reinforce rubber compositions, for example, for use in tires, conveyor or timing belts, hoses and like products, by incorporating therein steel wire reinforcing elements. The steel wire forming such elements may be for example in the form of a single strand or a steel wire cord. Unfortunately, bare steel cord adheres poorly to rubber. Steel wire reinforcing elements are in general provided with a coating serving to provide adhesion to the rubber composition which should be reinforced. The state of the art solution is coating with brass and bronze alloys. In order to overcome the drawbacks of brass and bronze and the coating processes that they involve there is a need for finding alternatives for brass and bronze coating of steel cords as the adhesion promoter to rubber.
Textile to Rubber Adhesion
Current methods for depositing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on fibers (e.g. carbon fiber) include: (a) a modified thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method; (b) Electrophoretic deposition of carbon nanotubes onto carbon-fiber fabric for production of carbon/epoxy composites with improved mechanical properties; and (c) CNT mixing with a sizing reagent (e.g. SIZICYL™ nanocyl).
Though a significant improvement in the interlaminar properties was observed in several cases, the intrinsic mechanical properties of the fiber may be compromised by the CVD process.
Synthetic fibers (e.g., polyester and aramid), have the difficulty of adhering to rubbers because of their smooth polymer surfaces and low reactivity. Therefore, their surface has to first be treated with an adhesion activator to obtain a good bonding to rubber.
The adhesive bond between fabric and rubber is clearly of primary importance. To maintain the integrity of the fabric/rubber composite it has to perform without failure for the life of the composite under a variety of service conditions. Due to environmental factors tire manufacturers are coming under increasing pressure to produce longer lasting tires. This inevitably means that the fabric to rubber bond will become more important.
Adhesion between fabric and rubber compounds is dramatically improved by cord dipping into a rubber-to-substrate adhesives. Resorcinol Formaldehyde Latex adhesives (RFLs) are commonly used to treat textiles in order to enhance their adhesion to rubbers and are used as the gold standard. RFL is a composite material, consisting of several components including resorcinol (R), formaldehyde (F) and latex (L) that enhance the adhesion between fibers and rubber compounds. The major function of the adhesive is to transfer the load stress from the rubber matrix to the reinforcing fiber materials. In the case of an RFL adhesive, the RF resin component of this adhesive preferably bonds to the fiber whereas the rubber-like latex component bonds to the rubber through co-vulcanization. The low viscosity of RFL solution provided good fiber wetting and thereby, increasing the interaction between the fiber and adhesive. The kind of latex used in the RFL adhesive formulation depends on the type of rubber to be bonded. Latex must be compatible with rubber to ensure vulcanization. The superior adhesion of RFL adhesive is due to the interaction between the latex and textile fibers. The major limitations of RFL treatment are its toxicity and the resulting fiber's rigidity (low flexibility). Other limitations include short shelf life and UV light sensitivity of RFL coated textile. Therefore, alternative rubber-to-substrates adhesives, which are not toxic and which retain fibers properties are highly desired.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,957,189 teaches SP1 and modified SP1 variant polypeptides, capable of forming molecular associations with carbon nanotubes, compositions-of-matter comprising same, dispersions thereof and their incorporation to the surface of polymeric and non polymeric surfaces. US '189, however, does not disclose rubber compound composites comprising metal cords, and polymeric fibers or fabrics with integrated SP1/CNT composition of matter within. US '189 is also silent regarding any composition of matter comprising SP1 and CB for metal wires and cords and polymeric and non polymeric materials coating and for use in rubber compound composites. Herein it is demonstrated, that addition of latex to SP1 and CNT (SP1/CNT/latex composition) significantly improves the adhesion between rubber compounds and SP1/CNT/latex-coated fabrics. In addition, utilization of composition of matter which comprises CB and SP1, for metals and textile coating and for the formation of rubber composites, is presented herein for the first time. Accordingly, the SP1/CNP dispersions as described herein provide new compositions of matter, which are useful for the preparation of new coated textiles and metal cords and wires, and new rubber compound composites.

Composition comprising SP1 and carbon based nanoparticles and uses thereof


The present invention provides an electronic plumbing fixture fitting, such as an electronic faucet, that includes an electronic valve, a mechanical valve, and a flow switch. The flow switch is used to determine if the mechanical valve is activated. The determination whether the mechanical valve is activated can be used to control the electronic valve.

Electronic plumbing fixture fittings, such as electronic faucets, are well known. Such electronic plumbing fixture fittings are used in residential and commercial applications, such as in kitchens, bathrooms, and various other locations. Users desire to retrofit existing mechanical faucets to include electronic features. Many difficulties can be encountered in an electronic faucet retrofitted from a mechanical faucet.

Electronic plumbing fixture fitting including flow switch


A content sharing platform for sharing content between collocated mobile devices in an ad-hoc private social group is disclosed. The content sharing platform enables users of collocated mobile devices to discover an ad-hoc private social group. A content group identifier identifying a content group is shared with users in the ad-hoc private social group. The content group identifier enables users in the content group to access a web user interface to share content with the content group. The users' interactions with the content are processed in real-time for all the collocated mobile devices in the content group. The content sharing platform displays context-aware and history-aware features of the content through the web user interface. Users of the content sharing platform may share, interact and collaborate with content in real-time in their collocated mobile devices.

The proliferation of the Internet has facilitated the sharing and distribution of content like never before. Users now flock to websites, search engines, and social networks to access and share content from multiple devices and locations around the world. The devices may include personal and portable computers, phones, tablets, video game consoles, personal digital assistants or any device configured to access the Internet. The access may be wired or wireless, with wireless access growing much faster. It is predicted that by 2016 there will be more wireless devices than people in the world.
Along with the rise in popularity of wireless devices, there has been a growing demand for content sharing platforms that are targeted specifically for the mobile user. These include, for example, Instagram for sharing photos. Foursquare for sharing location information, Facebook Mobile and Google+ Mobile for sharing content with friends, Twitter Mobile for sharing short messages, and Google Docs Mobile for sharing documents, among others. These content sharing platforms enable users to easily share content among their social network peers. However, they are not optimized to let users share and interact with content instantly and securely in real-time in ad-hoc private social groups in arbitrary devices.

Sharing content between collocated mobile devices in an ad-hoc private social group

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP


A system and method for efficiently generating power using a gas turbine, a steam generating system (20, 22, 78) and a reformer. The gas turbine receives a reformed fuel stream (74) and an air stream and produces shaft power and exhaust. Some of the thermal energy from the turbine exhaust is received by the reformer (18). The turbine exhaust is then directed to the steam generator system that recovers thermal energy from it and also produces a steam flow from a water stream. The steam flow and a fuel stream are directed to the reformer that reforms the fuel stream and produces the reformed fuel stream used in the gas turbine.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an economical method and system for generating power. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and system for efficiently recovering thermal energy from gas turbine exhaust.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, the thermal energy recovery from gas turbine exhaust is accomplished by a recuperator, a regenerator, or a heat recovery steam generator. The sensible heat of the gas turbine exhaust is thus recovered into the sensible heat or latent heat of the inlet stream of the gas turbine. In this form of thermal energy recovery, the efficiency is limited by the temperature approach, or driving force, between the exhaust and the inlet streams.
It is therefore desirable to provide a method and system for thermal energy recovery that is less dependant upon the temperature difference between the exhaust and the inlet streams of a gas turbine.

Thermal chemical recuperation method and system for use with gas turbine systems


An image reading apparatus including a backing member arranged on the original transport path, a light source for emitting the light toward the original reading position in the original transport path in the direction of a predetermined incident optical axis, a detector capable of detecting the light reflected at the original reading position in the direction of a predetermined reading optical axis, and an image processing apparatus. The reflection surface of the backing member is configured in such a manner that the amount of the light reflected by the backing member and detected by the detector is not less than the amount of the light corresponding to a white reference value and that the amount of the light passing through the original, reflected by the backing member, re-passing through the original and detected by the detector, is not more than the amount of the light capable of preventing the imaging from the reverse side.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, an image scanner is used as an image reading means in duplicators, facsimiles, OCRs, filing systems, etc. The image scanner includes a light source for emitting light along an incident optical axis toward an original reading position in an original transport path, a detector such as a CCD arranged in such a manner as to detect the light irradiated from the light source and reflected along a reflection optical axis at the original reading position, and an image processing means connected to the detector. Also, a white backing member is arranged in the original transport path.
In recent years, the trend has been toward a thinner original or paper used as a medium. Also, the documents used in offices have more frequently come to be printed on both surfaces thereof. In reading the image on one of the surfaces of a thin original printed on both surfaces thereof, the image printed on the other surface (reverse side) of the original may be seen through the original and detected by the reading apparatus so that the image on the reverse side may be output overlapped on the image on the front surface, resulting in a deteriorated image quality.
The reading of the image on the reverse side of the original is caused by the fact that the light passes through the original, is reflected by the white backing member, returns through the original and is detected by the detector. Consequently, whenever the image on the reverse side of the original is detected from the front surface of the original, the image on the reverse side is comparatively thin.
In view of this, the image on the reverse side can be prevented from being output by correcting the slice level or the Gamma curve for binarizing the image when the output signal of the detector is image-processed and by judging the detection value of the level of a low light amount, corresponding to the image on the reverse side of the original, as white. In the case where the entire image on the original is comparatively thin, however, the thin image on the front surface of the original may also be judged as white, thereby leading to the problem that the required image drops off for a reduced image quality and the image on the front surface which should otherwise be read cannot be read. Especially, the output image of a thin line or a thin character may be greatly affected.
Another possible means for preventing the image on the reverse side of the original from being output is to make the surface of the backing member black. Making the surface of the backing member black reduces the reflectance of the backing member and therefore the amount of the light passing through the original and reflected by the backing member is reduced, so that the image on the reverse side of the original cannot be seen through the original and is not detected by the detector. In the case where the width of the original is smaller than that of the backing member, however, the backing member extends out of the original, thereby posing the problem that a portion of the backing member is read as a black image.
Japanese Unexamined Patent publication No. 60-74765 discloses an image input apparatus in which the reflectance of the backing member is variable. According to this prior art, the backing member is formed of a liquid crystal device or a movable belt having two portions of different reflectances. The apparatus judges whether the reverse side of the original is white or printed. In the case where the reverse side of the original is white, the reflectance of the backing member is increased, while in the case where the reverse side of the original is not white, the reflectance of the backing member is reduced. This backing member, however, is complicated in structure.
Japanese Unexamined Patent publication No. 63-102452 discloses a reading apparatus in which a guide corresponding to the backing member is formed with a slope entered by the light from a light source and in which the light reflected from the slope mostly enters a detector. The light amount entering the detector is increased in order to prevent the backing member portion around the original from being detected as black when the amount of the light incident to the detector is small. This prior art is not intended to prevent the image on the reverse side of the original from being read when reading the image on one of the two printed surfaces of a thin original.

Image reading apparatus with specular reflection backing member arranged to prevent reading of an unwanted image on a reverse side of a thin original


A multi-threaded processor that is capable of responding to, and processing, multiple low-latency-tolerant events concurrently and while using relatively slow, low-power memories is disclosed. The illustrative embodiment comprises a multi-threaded processor, which itself comprises a context controller and a plurality of hardware contexts. Each hardware context is capable of storing the current state of one thread in a form that enables the processor to quickly switch to or from the execution of that thread. To enable the processor to be capable of responding to low-latency-tolerant events quickly, each thread—and, therefore, each hardware context is prioritized—depending on the latency tolerance of the thread responding to the event.

The trend in the design of consumer electronics is to build portable electronic appliances (e.g., personal digital assistants, cell phones, etc.) that are capable of communicating via two or more radio protocols (e.g., WiFi, Bluetooth, etc.) concurrently, and this mandates that the processor within the appliance be capable of responding to multiple low-latency-tolerant events.
The requirement that a processor be capable of responding to multiple low-latency-tolerant events has, in general, meant that the processor needed to be fast. A fast processor, however, uses a great deal of wattage and, therefore, drains a portable electronic appliance's batteries quickly, which is, of course, most disadvantageous.
The need exists, therefore, for the development of a processor that is capable of capable of responding to multiple low-latency-tolerant events concurrently and with moderate power consumption.


To effectively perform lightning protection in a blade for wind power generation and to prevent the blade from being damaged when arresting lightning. The lightning protection structure of the blade for wind power generation includes a conductive lightning receptor 1 attached to a part of the blade for wind power generation, and a ceramic member 10 interposed between at least surface-layer portions of the lightning receptor 1 and the blade 5. Therefore, an electric field is likely to concentrate at an interface between the ceramic member 10 having excellent heat resistance and the lightning receptor 1, so that it is possible to effectively prevent the blade 5 from being damaged due to a concentration of the electric field at the interface of the blade 5 attached with the lightning receptor 1 when arresting the lightning.

Blades for wind power generation currently used is mainly made of glass fiber reinforced plastics (GFRP), and the blade itself is an insulator and has no electrical conductivity. Accordingly, in an era when a small wind power generator was used, it was considered that the blade was not struck by lightning. However, as the wind power generator grows in size, damage of the blade struck by the lightning is increased. Accordingly, a method of attaching a member (e.g., lightning receptor) made of metal to the blade and connecting a lead line (e.g., down conductor) to the metallic member so as to lead the lightning to the ground has been generalized (for example, refer to Background-Art section of Patent Literature 1).
Various shapes or types of the lightning receptors have been proposed and put to practical use. For example, Patent Literature 2 proposes a lightning protection structure including a lightning rod protruding from a surface of a tip end of the blade. Patent Literature 3 proposes a lightning protection structure including a rod-shaped lighting receptor embedded in the tip end of the blade.
However, with the shapes of the lightning receptors proposed by Patent Literatures 2 and 3, a damage around the lightning receptor and of the lightning receptor itself due to lightning strike may not be restrained. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 6, there have been proposed a lightning protection structure in which a lightning receptor 20 made of metal, such as aluminum, is provided at a tip end portion of a blade 22 along the shape of the blade, and an anchor part 21, which is provided on the lightning receptor 20, is fixed to the blade 22. There have also been proposed a lightning protection structure in which a lightning receptor made of copper is installed on a portion near the widest width portion of the blade.

Lightning protection structure of blade for wind power generation


Liposomes with hyperosmotic concentration of compounds encapsulated therein are targeted to tumors for neutron capture therapy. The compounds have an element with a large neutron capture cross section and an isotope that emits alpha particles when bombarded with neutrons. A method employing such liposomes for neutron capture therapy is also described.

Neutron capture therapy is an attractive method for cancer therapy, specifically the treatment of malignant tumors. The generalized reaction involves capture of a thermalized neutron (usually from a nuclear reactor with special moderators and ports) by an appropriate nucleus having a large neutron capture cross section. The subsequent decay emits energetic particles (alpha particles) which can kill nearby tumor cells. Boron-10, for example, has such an appropriate nucleus and has particularly advantageous properties for this scheme. The boron-10/thermal neutron capture reaction is (asterisk indicating an unstable intermediate state of the Boron nucleus): EQU 10.sub.B +.sup.1 n.fwdarw.[.sup.11 B]*.fwdarw..sup.7 Li (0.87 Mev.)+.sup.4 He (1.52 Mev)
In order for this therapy to be effective, sufficient .sup.10 B must be localized in a tumor to generate the required density of particles. This level has been variously estimated to be approximately 10-50 ug.sup.10 B/gm tumor. Furthermore, the concentration of .sup.10 B in normal tissue and blood should be limited and preferably less than the concentration in tumor in order to minimize damage to healthy cells and blood vessels. H. Hatanaka (1986) Boron-Neutron Capture Therapy for Tumors; Nishimura Co., Ltd. p. 1-16.
Large numbers of boron-containing compounds have been tested for their ability to satisfy the above criteria. With few exceptions all have failed as not enough boron has localized in the tumor and the concentration in the blood has been too high for effective neutron capture therapy. Human clinical trials with Na.sub.2 B.sub.12 H.sub.11 SH in Japan have shown some promise, but only for a limited group of brain tumors. (gliomas) Id. 16-26.
Neutron capture therapy would be greatly expanded in usefulness if a generalized method for delivering high concentrations of .sup.10 B to tumors were available. It would further be useful if more .sup.10 B collected in tumor than in the blood. Recently, it has become possible to deliver drugs and other compounds selectively to tumors using liposomes of a particular composition and structure. See, for example, co-pending Vestar, Inc. patent application Ser. No. 674,201 entitled "Method of Targeting Tumors in Humans" which is incorporated herein by reference and which describes incorporation of radioactive agents at levels a million fold less than what is required for successful neutron capture therapy. Incorporation of compounds with higher osmolarity inside liposomes than outside, as is necessary for effective neutron capture therapy, has heretofore never been achieved and has been considered to be an unstable condition since the extra osmotic pressure should lead to breakage of the liposomes and/or leakage of the contents. Successful neutron capture therapy with liposomes depends on incorporating the highest concentration of .sup.10 B possible without substantially altering the liposome's favorable biodistribution characteristics. That can be accomplished by using compounds with the highest number of boron atoms practicable and by incorporating boron into liposomes at the highest possible concentration consistent with liposomes that are stable and target to tumors. It was found in the present invention that hyperosmotic solutions could be stably encapsulated while still maintaining good animal biodistribution performance. Thus the objective of at least 10 ug .sup.10 B per gram of tumor tissue could be met (assuming use of >90% .sup.10 B enriched material). The present invention thus offers a method employing specially formulated liposomes, which encapsulate unexpectedly high concentrations of boron-containing compounds, and which collect in tumor tissue after intravenous injection or direct infusion into the artery that supplies the tumor. After a time to enable sufficient accumulation of boron-containing compounds in the tumor tissue, the subject can be subjected to a source that emits neutrons effective for neutron capture therapy.

Composition and method of use for liposome encapsulated compounds for neutron capture tumor therapy


Technologies are described herein for determining the display of equal spacing guides between diagram shapes. The nearest neighbors of each shape in a diagram are determined, and the distances between each shape and its nearest neighbors are calculated. When an active shape in the diagram is positioned or moved, spacing guides are displayed between shapes having equidistant spacing when the calculated distances between shapes become equal to a distance between the active shape and one of its nearest neighbors.

When placing shapes or other objects in a diagramming or drawing application, the user often wants equal spacing between the shapes. The drawing application may show spacing guides between the various shapes on in the diagram in order to assist the user in spacing the shapes or objects relative to each other. In addition, the shape being placed or moved may "snap" to a position of spacing between it and neighboring shapes equal to that between other shapes in the diagram, with spacing guides displayed to show the equal spacing between the various shapes.
Some diagramming or drawing applications may only show spacing guides between adjacent or consecutive shapes or objects, which may be too limited to be helpful to the user. Other applications may show spacing guides between any pair of shapes having equal spacing. However, in a large diagram with many shapes, this may be computationally intensive and result in an unacceptable amount of "noise," i.e. too many irrelevant spacing guides shown on the diagram.
It is with respect to these considerations and others that the disclosure made herein is presented.

Determining the display of equal spacing guides between diagram shapes


A fluid spray nozzle that mixes a pressurized gaseous propellant and paint composition prior to being applied to a workpiece. The nozzle includes an upstream section for receiving the pressurized gaseous propellant. The nozzle directs the gaseous propellant and the fluid composition into a recirculation cavity. The gaseous propellant and fluid composition are received in a downstream section after mixing in the recirculation cavity. The recirculation cavity has lobes on opposite sides of a flow path defined in a region in the recirculation cavity between an inlet opening and the recirculation cavity. The recirculation cavity is formed by silicon micromachining the upstream section, fluid injection section, recirculation cavity and downstream section. The gaseous propellant may be accelerated to supersonic speeds prior to entering the recirculation cavity. The gaseous propellant and fluid composition are decelerated to subsonic speeds prior to exiting the downstream section, thereby resulting in the formation of a shock wave at the transition from supersonic to subsonic speeds which causes further atomization of the fluid composition.

Atomizing spray nozzles are generally complex assemblies requiring many tubular parts that are expensive to manufacture. Atomizing spray nozzle are not amenable to generalized applications and must be customer designed depending on the product to be sprayed. Conventional patent spray systems suffer from disadvantages associated with overspray, paint deposition control, adequate atomization and minimizing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the paint which are used to aid in dissolving and transporting paint. Spray nozzles are generally individually assembled and are formed of many critical components.
Prior art paint spray nozzles generally are not easily ganged on a head to provide a paint spray head which is capable of applying a plurality of different colored pigments.


A hand tool for polishing the tip of a fiber optic terminal. The tool includes a base having a central opening that receives a collet through which the fiber optic terminal extends. The fiber optic terminal is gripped by the collet as a collet spring force is exerted on the collet. An axial force is applied to the collet as the base rests on a polishing surface, the force being established by a piston spring that maintains the tip of the fiber optic terminal in contact with the polishing surface, whereby the tip of the fiber optic terminal may be polished.

Transmission of information, including analog and digital data, using fiber optic cables has become common as an alternative to conventional wire transmission arrangements. Fiber optic cables have distinct advantages over coaxial cables for video signals, for example, as well as over electrical wiring for transmission of information. It is particularly advantageous to use fiber optic cables to enhance transmission security and to allow an increased number of transmission paths for a given cross-sectional cable area. Fiber optic cables further provide relatively low signal loss for a given transmission distance, which makes it possible to reduce the number of booster stations. Fiber optic cables are also relatively immune from electromagnetic interference.
Fiber optic cables include an inner glass core of very small diameter. The inner glass core, which is appropriately described as a fiber strand, is normally encased in an outer protective ceramic sleeve of a diameter that may be approximately 125 microns compared to a diameter of 8 microns, for example, for a single glass fiber strand. The glass strand and sleeve are surrounded by a silicon cladding as part of a buffer jacket that may include an outer polyurethane covering. The diameter of the jacket may be approximately 5 mm.
The fiber optic cable at its end is mounted in a connector. The connector typically would be supported by a coupling mounted on a panel. A companion fiber optic cable would be mounted in a corresponding connector and arranged in a coupling with the axes of the fiber optic strands in alignment. The ends of the fiber optic strands would engage in abutting relationship at an interface point.
In a typical fiber optic cable environment, the end surfaces of the fiber optic strands at the interface may accumulate dirt and dust particles and other contaminants such as grease. This causes degradation in the amount of light energy that may be transferred through the fiber strands. In the maintenance of fiber optic cable installations, it is known practice to disassemble the connectors at the ends of the fiber optic cable assemblies and to clean the ends of the fiber cable strands with a cleaning device and a cleaning solution.
It is known in the prior art also to polish the end of a fiber optic strand during manufacture. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,999,955 and 5,463,709, for example, show methods and apparatus for polishing the end of a fiber optic cable and machining the fiber optic cable ends with a spherical end face. Fiber optic cable ends that are machined with a spherical profile, however, tend to develop high stress concentrations at the fiber optic contact points. This may induce cracking of the glass core of the fiber optic cable, which would impair the ability of the cable to transmit light energy in an operating environment in which the cables are subjected to mechanical vibrations, such as a spacecraft environment. Flat cable ends would be preferred in such environments over the spherical ends. The machining and polishing apparatus intended for use in the manufacture of cables with spherical cable ends, however, cannot be used in polishing a flat fiber optic strand end.
The prior art includes also optical fiber end surface polishing devices intended for use with cable terminal tips with flat ends, examples of which are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,547,418 and Japanese Patent Publication 55-115009. Such conventional apparatus for machining and polishing flat fiber optic terminal tips are intended, however, primarily for use in the manufacture of fiber optic cables rather than as maintenance tools for polishing fiber optic terminal tips after installation of the fiber optic cables. Typically, such conventional apparatus do not include a simple and feasible means for maintaining the close dimensional tolerances required for most fiber optic cable designs.
A disadvantage of some known polishing tools for fiber optic terminal tips is the necessity to disassemble the fiber optic cable itself in order to carry out fiber optic terminal tip polishing as part of the manufacturing or the maintenance procedure.


Disclosed is a multi-purpose vacuum suction apparatus which can be easily attached to or detached from a smooth and hard object surface and which can substantially increase suction force. The multi-purpose vacuum suction apparatus includes an elastic member for returning one or more operating members to the original positions thereof, and a vacuum suction plate unit having a multi-purpose connector, wherein an ornamental member for use in various ornamentation or advertisement can be fitted into or assembled with the top end of the multi-purpose connector.

In general, various suction apparatuses have been developed and used so as to hang or attach a towel hanger, a toilet roll hanger, or the like on a hard and smooth object surface, such as a glass surface or a tiled surface. Such suction apparatuses typically include an suction plate adapted to be stuck fast to an object surface so as to create suction force; and an operating plate for pulling the central area of the suction plate so that the bottom face of the central area is lifted from the object surface, thereby producing vacuum between the bottom face and the object surface so as to create suction force.
In this regard, there have been proposed various methods for increasing the suction force created as the vacuum is produced between the central area of the bottom face of the suction plate and the object surface while the central area of the suction plate is being pulled so that the central area of the bottom face is lifted from the object surface. An example of such methods will be described below.
An improved method for allowing a placard anchor to be easily attached to or detached from a smooth and hard object surface, such as a glass surface or a tiled surface, is disclosed in Korean Registered Utility Model No. 400530 in the name of the present applicant, which is entitled Placard Anchor Capable of Being Detachably Attached on Glass Surface.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a main section of a conventional multi-purpose vacuum suction apparatus, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing main components of the conventional multi-purpose vacuum suction apparatus.
The conventional multi-purpose vacuum suction apparatus includes at least one vacuum suction means 10, within which a vacuum suction plate unit 11, a lower support die 12, and an suction plate operating member 13 are sequentially combined and assembled; a pole support 20 assembled to the vacuum suction means 10 so that the pole support 20 is rotatable in relation to the vacuum suction means 10, the pole support 20 having a plurality of pole insertion holes 21; and a plurality of poles 22, one end of each pole being inserted into one of the pole insertion holes and the other end being used for anchoring a corner of a place card for desired advertisement or public information.
The vacuum suction means 10 includes: a vacuum suction plate unit 11 formed in a disc shape with a flat bottom face, a lower abutment 12, and an suction plate operating member 13.
The vacuum suction plate unit 11 includes: an suction plate 11A, on which a plurality of anchoring lugs 11A1 are integrally formed on the suction plate and equally spaced from each other along the circumferential direction of the suction plate; and an suction locking knob 11B formed at the center of the vacuum suction plate unit 11.
The lower abutment 12 includes: an annular base ring 12A stuck fast to the circumferential edge area of the top surface of the suction plate 11A; an inclined peripheral wall 12B extending from the internal periphery of the annular base ring 12A, thereby forming a truncated conical wall; a plurality of anchoring lug engaging grooves 12A1 formed along the internal periphery of the inclined peripheral wall 12B and equally spaced from each other, the anchoring lugs 11A1 being engaged with the anchoring lug engaging grooves 12A1, respectively; and a plurality of inclined operating indentations 12C formed along the top edge of the inclined peripheral wall 12B and equally spaced from each other.
The suction plate operating member 13 includes: a first peripheral wall 13A formed in a truncated conical shape and engaged on the outer peripheral surface of the inclined peripheral wall 12B; a plurality of indentation guide projections 13A1 formed on the internal periphery of the first peripheral wall 13A and equally spaced from each other in the peripheral direction; a top base 13B integrally formed on the top end of the first peripheral wall 13A in a flat shape; a second peripheral wall 13C formed in a truncated conical shape and extending from the central area of the top base 13B; an suction locking knob support 13D projecting downward from the central area of the second peripheral wall 13C, the top end of the suction locking knob 11B being inserted into and secured to the bottom end of the suction locking knob support 13D; and a ball joint 13E assembled to the top of the suction locking knob support 13D.
At this time, a soft friction member 14 is anchored to the inner side of the ball joint 13E with a rivet, a screw or the like so as to ensure that the ball joint 13E can be easily inserted into or released from the second peripheral wall 13A, and the orientation of the placard can be easily changed and continuously maintained.
The vacuum suction means 10 is adsorbed in the following manner: the bottom face of the vacuum suction plate unit 11 is made to come into close contact with an object surface, and then the suction plate operating member 13, which is the uppermost member, is pressed and rotated clockwise by the palm of a user's hand, so that the indentation guide projections 13A1 of the suction plate operating member 13 are guided and lifted by the inclined operating indentations 12C, restively. As such, the suction plate operating member 13 is entirely moved away from the object surface.
While the suction plate operating member 13 is spaced from the object surface, the suction locking knob support 13D is also lifted together with the suction plate operating member 13, thereby pulling the suction locking knob 11B. As a result, vacuum is formed between the central area of the vacuum suction plate unit 11 and the object surface, thereby creating suction force.
With the construction of the above-mentioned vacuum suction member 10, the indentation guide projections 13A of the suction plate operating member 13 are slid from the original positions thereof in the operating indentations 12C (the lowest positions of the operating indentations), thereby creating and increasing the suction force.
However, if each of the indentation guide projections 13A1 of the operating member 13 is slid from a position other than the original position (the lowest position), for example, from the middle position of the corresponding operating indentation 12C, the lifting distance of the central area of the suction plate 11A will be relatively short. Consequently, because the suction force created between the central area of the suction plate 11A and the object surface will be relatively weak, it is impossible to expect a sufficient strength of suction force.
In addition, the above-mentioned vacuum suction means is configured so that the poles for anchoring a placard or the like can be assembled to the top of the vacuum suction means. Accordingly, it cannot be variously used, e.g. for ornamentation, advertisement, hangers, etc. except for a specific purpose such as a placard anchor.


A cooperative localization process for determining the absolute position of an apparatus to be localized includes a plurality of cooperator apparata able to cooperate, through the exchange of messages and data, in the localization of the apparatus to be localized. The cooperator apparata are equipped with at least one direct, apparatus-to-apparatus radio transmission and reception system for messages and data, and components for estimating the distance between apparata of the set of cooperator apparata. The cooperative localization apparata able to implement this process are also described.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cooperative localization process and related apparata. In particular, the present invention relates to a process and related apparata that enable estimating the position of radio apparata that do not have access to localization systems, or where these are not working or are ineffective, and in which the acquisition of data for calculating the unknown positions takes place through the cooperation of apparata that are present in the surrounding area.
2. Present State of the Art
In recent years, determining the position of apparata has grown in importance, due both to interest in services known as LBS (Localization Based Services) and to accompany emergency calls with caller position data. Various process and systems have been studied and implemented for determining the position of radio apparata, some of which are based on satellite systems, such as GPS (Global Positioning System), GLONASS (GLObal NAvigation Satellite System), GALILEO (currently being implemented by the EU) and COMPASS (currently being implemented by China), while other are based on terrestrial radio systems, and cellular systems in particular.
The most well-known terrestrial process for determining the position of a terminal are:                identification of the radio cell from which the terminal signal originates;        determination of the area of coverage common to the radio stations that simultaneously receive the terminal's signal;        identification of the radio cell from which the terminal's signal originates combined with an estimate of the distance of the terminal from the radio base station;        triangulation, or rather determination of the directions of origin of the terminal's signal in at least two other radio stations, with calculation of the intersection of the corresponding lines;        multilateration, or rather estimation of the distance of the terminal from at least three radio base stations, the geographic coordinates of which are known, with calculation of the point that satisfies said distances;        determination of at least two different cases with differences in distance between the terminal and the two base stations of a pair of stations, with calculation of the point that satisfies said distance differences.
Some of the above-listed terrestrial process use the estimate of distances of the terminal from the radio stations, which can be obtained using various techniques:                the ratio between of the received signal and the power of the transmitted signal, whether in the base-mobile direction (in the case of WCDMA, this ratio corresponds to RSCP parameter—Received Signal Code Power), or in the opposite direction;        measurement of the propagation time between transmitter and receiver;        measurement of the round-trip time of the electromagnetic waves from the base station to the terminal (in some systems, including GSM, this can be deduced from the TA (Timing Advance), i.e. the time by which the terminal must anticipate transmission of its signals to make them arrive at the base stations in the established time windows),        any other technique that enables obtaining the same result.
In other cases, the terrestrial process use three or more distance differences between the terminal and two radio stations and the intersections of the hyperbolae that these differences define. As a rule, these differences are calculated by observing the difference in time that the radio signals employ for travelling along the two different propagation paths (Observed Time Difference, OTD), with variants of the techniques dependent on the process used for synchronising the stations or to take into account the time lag between their clocks.
However, the known solutions indicated above have certain technical problems and drawbacks. In particular, satellite localization systems require a number of satellites to be electromagnetically visible from the apparatus to be localized and entail long, initial acquisition times. With the A-GPS (Assisted-GPS) system, the cell stations provide the terminals with preliminary data on the satellite system with which the terminals can increase GPS signal reception sensitivity and shorten the initial acquisition, but times remain very long when GPS is unavailable because the propagation of the signals transmitted by the satellites is blocked by natural or artificial obstacles.
Similarly, excluding techniques that refer to just one radio station, in many places localization systems based on cellular networks cannot be used because there is not always electromagnetic visibility between the apparatus to be localized and at least two radio stations (required by the above-mentioned, rather imprecise triangulation technique) or three radio stations, needed for hyperbolic or multilateration systems. There again, techniques that refer to just one radio station normally offer inadequate accuracy, and so it must be concluded that in many places both satellite localization systems and terrestrial ones are not available or do not provide an estimate of terminal position with sufficient accuracy.
To compensate these shortcomings, process have been proposed that, for estimating the position of an apparatus that cannot access localization systems, use the position data of other apparata that are in the vicinity. The process described in patent EP1206152 belongs to this category. According to this process, the terminal to be localized has a radio transceiver system that enables it to establish two-way connections with other terminals that are in the vicinity. By means of said radio transceiver system, the terminal to be localized has the nearby terminals send it data regarding their respective positions and estimates the distance of each one of them with an evaluation of propagation attenuation. The terminal to be localized estimates its position on the basis of this data.
In a first embodiment of the process, the unknown position is calculated as the mean of the positions of the terminals that have provided their position. In this case, there is no guarantee on the accuracy of the calculated position, as there is no information on the relative position of the terminal to be localized with respect to those that are in the vicinity, particularly if it is assumed that the terminal to be localized, like the surrounding ones from which it waits for data, has a localization system that it momentarily cannot access. In this case, terminals very close to the one to be localized are probably also unable to determine their own position by means of an external localization system. It is therefore likely that the positions from which the mean is calculated correspond to points further away from the terminal to be localized, and not arranged uniformly around it, but more likely arranged in an irregular and unbalanced manner. Furthermore, the estimate of the distances made on the basis of propagation attenuation can be misleading, especially if conditions are considered where signals are propagated inside buildings or in areas with natural or artificial obstacles. For example, a terminal close by, but separated by a wall or a ceiling can appear further away than a terminal whose signals arrive through a window from a distant external point. By applying the process of patent EP1206152, it is therefore probable that a terminal inside a building calculates that it is on the outside instead.
In a second embodiment of the process of patent EP1206152, the unknown position is calculated with multilateration of the distances and positions of the terminals that have communicated their position data. In this case, it is necessary to have at least three terminals, which know their own position and are electromagnetically visible to the terminal to be localized; the probability of this occurring might not be very high. Then, should three terminals be found in these conditions, as mentioned above, it is likely that they are not close to the terminal to be localized and that the determination of the distance from them by measurement of the power of the signals received from them is misleading. Therefore, the process of patent EP1206152 does not appear to be reliable.

Cooperative localization of radio apparatuses


A solar vapor generator includes an absorber to absorb sunlight and an emitter, in thermal communication with the absorber, to radiatively evaporate a liquid under less than 1 sun illumination and without pressurization. The emitter is physically separated from the liquid, substantially reducing fouling of the emitter. The absorber and the emitter may also be heated to temperatures higher than the boiling point of the liquid and may thus may be used to further superheat the vapor. Solar vapor generation can provide the basis for many sustainable desalination, sanitization, and process heating technologies.

The sun is a vast source of clean, renewable energy, which when harnessed, may reduce humanity's reliance on non-renewable and polluting fossil fuels (e.g., crude oil, coal, or natural gas). Solar energy is capable of being transformed into several useful forms including electricity, various chemical fuels, and heat. In particular, heat generated from solar energy has been shown to have several uses including, but not limited to, driving various industrial processes (e.g., cooking, washing, drying), heating residential or commercial spaces, and replacing fossil fuels as a heat source in conventional power plants. In yet another application, sunlight may be absorbed to produce heat that is then used to vaporize (i.e., evaporate and/or boil) a liquid. The resulting vapor (i.e., the gas phase of the liquid) may then be used in various applications including desalination (e.g., water purification), sterilization, or power generation (e.g., in a Rankine cycle). In the foregoing manners, heat derived from solar energy may reduce, or in some instances, replace conventional fossil-fuel based boilers.

Methods, apparatus and systems for generating and superheating vapor under sunlight


A method and devices for configuring a data transmission network are disclosed. The method is for configuring a data transmission network, executed by a configuration device, wherein the data transmission network comprises at least one transmitter, at least one receiver with a communication channel between the transmitter and the receiver, the method comprising: training a machine learning model of the data transmission network, wherein the machine learning model comprises at least a transmitter model including a transmitter neural network, a channel model, and a receiver model including a receiver neural network by providing a message within a sequence of messages; generating a group of transmission symbols for each message in the sequence of messages using the transmitter neural network; concatenating the groups of transmission symbols together as a sequence of transmission symbols; simulating transmission of the sequence of transmission symbols over the communication channel using the channel model to the receiver; analysing a sequence of received symbols using the reception neural network to generate a decoded message; and updating the machine learning model based on an output of said reception neural network. In this way, the machine learning model can be trained using representative sequences of message, which improves performance when deployed in a real network.

In known transmission networks, a transmitter is composed of multiple processing blocks that carry out well-defined and isolated functions, such as source and channel coding, modulation, pulse shaping, digital-to-analogue conversion (DAC) conversion, mixing on a radio/optical carrier, and amplification. Likewise, a receiver consists of similar blocks in reverse order, namely amplification, down conversion, analogue-to-digital conversion (ADC), matched filtering, decimation, equalization, demodulation, channel and source decoding. In such transmission networks, each functional block is designed and optimized individually, which may not result in the best end-to-end performance.
From a high-level perspective, each of the transmitter, channel and receiver of a transmission networks transforms an input vector into an output vector, and can hence be modelled as a neural network. Since a chain of neural networks is again an even larger neural network, it has been proposed to model an entire transmission network as a neural network auto-encoder. Such a network can be trained from end-to-end in a supervised manner, to achieve a better end-to-end performance.
Although end-to-end training of communications networks is quite appealing from a theoretical point of view, it suffers from the fundamental practical problem that during the learning process the gradient of the network communications channel must be computed, i.e., if one slightly changes the input, what would be the effect on the output. Known solutions consist of training the neural network for a stochastic channel model for which the gradient can be computed. However, if the resulting learned transceiver is used on real hardware and communications takes place over a real channel, the performance is generally unsatisfactory due to the mismatch between the channel model used during training and the real channel.


An electronic device in the present disclosure includes the following: an imaging device configured to scan a paper sheet, wherein the paper sheet comprises a first side and a second side, wherein scanning the paper sheet produces an image; a display device; a printing image acquisition unit configured to acquire a printing image; an image forming apparatus configured to print the printing image; and a display control unit configured to control the display device to display, if the produced image includes an image of a paper sheet, a composite image that combines the acquired printing image and the image of the paper sheet within the produced image.

In a typical print preview, before an image to be printed by an image forming apparatus is actually printed on a paper sheet, a preview of the image to be printed on the paper sheet is artificially displayed.
In the typical print preview, an appearance of an artificially displayed paper sheet may differ from an appearance of an actual paper sheet when, for example, a color of the artificially displayed paper sheet is a fixed color, such as white, that is different from a color of the actual paper sheet. Accordingly, there is a fear in that an artificial display of the preview of the image to be printed on a paper sheet may differ from the resulting printed image obtained by actually printing the image on a paper sheet.

Electronic device for displaying a print preview


Disclosed is a method for translating text fragments displayed on a screen from an input language into an output language and displaying the result. Translation may use electronic dictionaries, machine translation, natural language processing, control systems, information searches, (e.g., search engine via an Internet protocol), semantic searches, computer-aided learning, and expert systems. For a word combination, appropriate local or network accessible dictionaries are consulted. The disclosed method provides a translation in grammatical agreement in accordance with grammatical rules of the output language in consideration of the context of the text.

Many supposed modern translation systems only use a form of a machine translation system or only use electronic dictionaries for looking up word combinations or natural-language sentences while one reads printed texts or texts on a display screen. However, dictionaries are generally limited to only words and word combinations, while using a machine translation system requires more time and more electronic storage or a connection to the Internet. Thus, there is substantial room for improvement of existing translation systems for translation of blocks or fragments of text.
There is a plethora of electronic devices with display screens capable of displaying text, including devices with a touch screen, including many mobile devices, such as laptops, tablet computers, netbooks, smartphones, mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), e-book readers, and photo and video cameras. These devices are suitable for using electronic dictionaries or a machine translation system which may be installed locally, provided on a local area network, or available over the Internet.

Translation of a selected text fragment of a screen


The resolution of a dot image is converted by converting each input line of dots to a fixed number of output lines of dots. In each output line, different input dots give rise to different numbers of output dots. Within the fixed number of output lines generated from each input line, each input dot gives rise to different numbers of output dots in different output lines, but every input dot gives rise to the same total number of output dots.

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for converting the resolution of an image comprising lines of dots.
The invention addresses the problem faced, for example, by a facsimile machine having a printing unit that prints three hundred dots per inch, when facsimile data with a resolution of two hundred dots per inch are received. The conventional solution to this problem has been to convert the resolution by duplicating the dots in fixed rows and columns. For example, the horizontal resolution can be converted by printing the odd-numbered dots in each line twice and printing the even-numbered dots once, while the vertical resolution can be converted by printing odd-numbered lines twice and even-numbered lines once.
As will be illustrated later, however, this conventional scheme has the defect of distorting the gray scale of images in which different gray levels are represented by different proportions of black dots. Similar tonal distortions occur if the conventional scheme is used to convert the dot resolution of color images.


Disclosed herein are methods of manipulating the processing, targeting, and/or internalization of a nucleic acid molecule. Also disclosed are recombinant and/or isolated nucleic acid molecules having a first nucleic acid sequence, which is a wild-type sequence or an altered sequence, directly or indirectly linked to a second nucleic acid sequence which is a mitochondria localization sequence, an RNA import sequence, or a combination thereof, and methods of using thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to targeting nucleic acid molecules and mitochondrial diseases and disorders.
2. Description of the Related Art
RNA import into mammalian mitochondria is considered essential for replication, transcription, and translation of the mitochondrial genome and mutations in the human mitochondrial genome are implicated in a plethora of human conditions, such as neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases, muscular disorders, and the process of aging. See e.g. Wallace (1994) PNAS USA 91: 8739-8746; and Kyriakouli et al. (2008) Gene Ther 15: 1017-1023. Unfortunately, RNA import pathways and factors that control RNA import are poorly understood. In addition, the in vivo rescue of function in mitochondria with mt-tRNA mutations has proven challenging (Alfonzo & Soll (2009) Biol Chem 390: 717-722). Thus, prior art methods of rescuing mitochondrial function due to defects in mitochondrial genomes have been restricted to correcting the defects by using foreign protein factors or large multi-subunit aggregates to introduce non-native tRNAs into cells, and these methods have low efficiency and poor reproducibility in disease-relevant settings. See e.g. Kolesnikova et al. (2004) Hum Mol Genet 13: 2519-2534; Mahata et al. (2006) Science 314: 471-474; and Kolesnikova et al. (2000) Science 289: 1931-1933.
Consequently, a need exists for methods and compositions for treating deleterious mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) alterations.

Methods and compositions for regulating RNA import into mitochondria

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