The present invention relates to a safety element, an implant comprising such a safety element and an implant system comprising an implant with the safety element. The safety element for an implant is arranged between an outer and inner part of an implant, wherein the safety element engages into the gearing of an expansion ring, wherein a releasing space between outer part and inner part of the implant is provided into that the safety element is to be radially moved for enabling rotation of the expansion ring.

Different intervertebral disc prostheses for substitution of the intervertebral disc are known today. Function-retaining disc implants are used avoid fusion surgery, i.e. to maintain or restore mobility within the intervertebral disc space. Such prostheses comprise at least an upper and a lower plate, for firm fixation with the upper and lower vertebra neighbouring the intervertebral space into which the prostheses shall be placed. Those two plates do not only represent so called end plates, but may also comprise at least one sliding area or articulation area formed by their inner surfaces. At least one sliding area has to be present within a prosthesis in order to allow motion of neighbouring parts and thus of the vertebra connected to the send plates of the prosthesis.
An intervertebral disc prosthesis may also serve a different purpose, namely to retain the distance of vertebra due to removal of a degenerated or damaged intervertebral disc. The prior art discloses several solutions for this purpose like expandable cages or other at least partly hollow devices which may be filled with bone cement for their stabilization.
Vertebral implants are known besides intervertebral disc prosthesis. Such implants are used to substitute a vertebral body. This means, that the implant has to span the space between the neighboring vertebral bodies of the one that has to be substituted.
Document U.S. Pat. No. 8,721,723 B2 discloses an expandable prosthetic implant device for engagement between vertebrae. The implant comprises two members which are movable relative to each other in their longitudinal axis. In order to avoid unintended movement of the two members, a locking assembly is provided having a flexible member positioned between the inner member and the outer member and movable between a first position and a second position, and wherein in the first position one end of the flexible member engages with one of a plurality of notches configured on an inner surface of the gear member to block movement of the gear member, and in the second position the flexible member is disengaged from one of the plurality of notches and allows movement of the gear member which allows relative movement between the inner member and the outer member.
The published patent application US 2007/0191954 A1 relates to an expandable prosthetic implant device for engagement between vertebrae generally comprising an inner member, outer member, and gear member positioned coaxial with respect to each other such that the inner and outer members are moveable relative to each other along an axis. The gear member is axially fixed to the outer member and freely rotatable with respect to the outer member and the gear member threadedly engages a threaded portion of the inner member to translate inner member along the axis. The implant is configured to engage the vertebrae in a predetermined alignment and the gear member includes gear teeth exposed to the exterior and configured to be accessible by a tool member at a plurality of angular positions around the perimeter of the implant device. Movement is blocked by providing locking member spaced around the periphery of the outer member, wherein the locking member engage into vertical slots of the inner member. The locking member of a device according to US 2007/0191954 A1 is disadvantageous in making the prosthetic implant more complex by providing additional parts with the locking member and the vertical slots within the inner member.
Document US 2015/0018957 A1 discloses tissue spacer implants and surgical methods for inserting such implants. The implants of this document include a first cylindrical body with an outer surface, an axially extending hole, and a first end, a second cylindrical body with an outer surface and an axially extending hole, and an adjustment member with an outer surface, an axial hole, and at least one helical slot. The adjustment member axial hole may be adapted to receive the first cylindrical body and the adjustment member may be configured to be inserted into the axially extending hole of second cylindrical body. The implants may also include a travel mechanism for engaging the first cylindrical body, adjustment member, and second cylindrical body along the at least one helical slot to maintain a space between two bodies of tissue. Unintended movement of an intermediate adjustment member is avoided by tightening a nut. The disclosed locking mechanism for unintended movement of the implant's parts has the disadvantage of being very complex in handling, e.g. during surgery, even when taking necessary adjustments of the implant's height into account after the implant has already been inserted.
It is important to avoid unintended changes in height of the prosthesis. For that reason, means have to be provided which allow to adapt the height of the prosthesis to the respective intervertebral space, but also to block any unintended movement of parts that may change the height of the prosthesis. In particular, any compression of the implant due to a changing or increasing load onto the prosthesis has to be avoided.
Thus, there is a need for an intervertebral disc prosthesis for the cervical and lumbar spine that enables easy adaptation of the height of the prosthesis while providing means to prevent compression or any unintended change of the height.

Prevention of vertebral implant compression


Lysostaphin is used to eliminate and cure staphylococcal infections including the cure of mastitis by intramammary infusion. Administration of from 2 mg to 400 mg of lysostaphin to an infected bovine mammary gland eliminates staphylococci, and the reoccurrence common with antibiotic therapy is not observed. Teat-dips containing lysostaphin, mutanolysin and lysozyme can be used as a prophylactic. Synergistic enhancement of the killing effect of lysostaphin is observed when a mild surfactant or penicillin or both is included in the formulation.

This application relates to the use of lysostaphin in the treatment and prevention of staphylococcal infection and, in particular, to the treatment and prevention of staphylococcal bovine mastitis.
Lysostaphin is a bacteriocin secreted by a single known strain of Staphylococcus simulans originally isolated and named Staphylococcus staphylolyticus by Schindler and Schuhardt. The production of lysostaphin by S. staphylolyticus has been described previously in U.S. Pat. No. 3,278,378 issued Oct. 11, 1966 and in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 51, pp. 414-421 (1964). The single organism S. staphylolyticus (NRRL B-2628) which produced lysostaphin was recently identified as a biovar of S. simulans by Sloan et al., Int. J. System. Bacteriol., Vol. 32, pp. 170-174 (1982). Since the name S. staphylolyticus is not on the Approved List of Bacterial Names, the organism producing lysostaphin has been redesignated as S. simulans.
Bacteriocins are proteins secreted by bacteria that kill and sometimes lyse related bacteria. For example, lysostaphin lyses and kills practically all known staphylococcal species but is inactive against bacteria of all other genera. Lysostaphin, isolated from culture filtrates of S. simulans (NRRL B-2628) grown according to published references, is an endopeptidase which cleaves the polyglycine cross-links of the peptidoglycan found in the cell walls of staphylococci. In addition, cultures that produce lysostaphin appear to be resistant to its activities while cultures grown under non-lysostaphin producing conditions are sensitive.
Previous studies have shown that lysostaphin can be produced by fermentation techniques wherein S. simulans is grown in liquid culture. Such fermentation techniques are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,278,378 issued Oct. 11, 1966 and in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 51, pp. 414-421 (1964). Various improvements in the production of lysostaphin by fermentation techniques have also been made as documented in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,398,056, issued Aug. 20, 1968, and 3,594,284, issued Jul. 20, 1971. The latter two references disclose improvements to culture medium and inoculation techniques whereby the production of lysostaphin by fermentation can be accelerated and improved. Lysostaphin is produced by S. simulans during exponential growth as an inactive precursor. The proenzyme is converted to active mature enzyme by protease produced by stationary phase cultures of S. simulans.
In addition, lysostaphin can be produced by recombinant microorganisms, including strains of E. coli, Bacillus subtilis and B. sphaericus which express the lysostaphin gene. In contrast to the natural production, lysostaphin accumulates during exponential growth in the culture medium of recombinant lysostaphin producing strains as fully processed mature active enzyme and is free of staphylococcal immunogenic contaminants.
Bovine mastitis is a costly problem to the dairy industry, costing over $2 billion per year in the United States alone. The disease is estimated to affect 50 percent of American dairy cows to some degree, leading to unusable milk, decreased milk production, and, in cases of severe infection, the death of the animal.
Mastitis is caused by infection of the milk glands, principally by Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus agalactiae, and to a lesser degree by E. coli and other gram-negative bacteria or combinations thereof. Most streptococcal infections have proven to be effectively treatable using conventional antibiotic therapy. Staphylococcal mastitis has, however, proven more difficult to cure.
Traditional prevention of bovine mastitis can involve a complex regimen of daily teat-dipping with a disinfectant solution, (See, J. S. McDonald, 6 Veterinary Clinics of North America Large Animal Practice 269 (1984)) and may, in some cases, involve antibiotic-containing teat dips. Routine antibiotic therapy must be approached with caution, however, to minimize selection for antibiotic resistant strains. When infection does occur, intramammary infusion of antibiotics is indicated. Antibiotic therapy of this kind can reduce the infection so that the milk produced is saleable, but it generally does not lead to complete elimination of the causative organism.
In the past, staphylococcal mastitis has shown a poor response to antibiotic therapy and a tendency for infections to recur and become chronic. Studies on mastitis have indicated that part of the problem in treating mastitis is that a significant number of staphylococci remain viable in the mammary gland within phagocytic polymorphonuclear neutrophil leukocytes (PMN). It is believed that the staphylococci within the PMN are protected from the effects of the antibiotic, and, when lysis of the leukocyte occurs, the phagocytized staphylococci may provide a renewed source of mastitis-producing staphylococcal regrowth.
Studies on the possible mechanism of antibiotic evasion of phagocytized staphylococci in mastitis treatment show that lysostaphin had been rejected as a candidate for destroying phagocytized staphylococci. Craven et al., 29 Research in Veterinary Science 57 (1980); Craven et al., 21 Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy 618 (1982); Craven et al., 5 Comp. Immun. Microbial. Infect. Dis. 447 (1982)) Craven et al., 51 Journal of Dairy Research 513 (1984). In these experiments lysostaphin was used in vitro as a pretreatment to destroy extracellular staphylococci prior to exposing the phagocytized staphylococci to cloxacillin, gentamicin or lysostaphin. Craven et al.'s results strongly suggest that lysostaphin would have no effect on mastitis since intracellular staphylococci were still viable after 20 hours of incubation in a lysostaphin containing solution. 51 Journal of Dairy Research at 515-516, and Table 2.
Lysostaphin has also been reported to penetrate human monocytes. Since monocytes are a different cell type than PMNs, this human model is not likely to be applicable to the treatment of bovine mastitis (van den Broek et al., 21 Scand. J. Immunol 189 (1985)).
Lysostaphin has also been shown to be effective in the treatment of staphylococcal renal abscesses in mice, particularly when used in sequence with the administration of methicillin. Dixon et al., 41 Yale J. Biol. Med. 62 (1968).
In man lysostaphin has also been used as a therapeutic agent for treatment of chronic nasal staphylococcal infections (Quickel, Jr. et al., 22 Applied Microbiology 446 (1971)). In one case of a resistant staphylococcal infection, lysostaphin was given systemically (Stark et al., 291 Medical Intelligence 239 (1974)). In general, however, there has been great skepticism and reluctance in the medical and veterinary communities concerning the systemic administration of lysostaphin. Lysostaphin was considered to be too highly immunogenic to have general use for anything but topical applications.

Composition for treating mastitis and other staphylococcal infections


A centrifugal fan with stator blades. The centrifugal fan includes a first frame, a second frame, a driving device, and a blade structure with a first portion and a second portion. The second frame includes a plurality of stator blades thereon. The first portion is coupled with the driving device, and includes a plurality of first rotor blades thereon. The second portion is combined with the first portion and includes a plurality of second rotor blades thereon. The stator blades are located between the first rotor blades and the second rotor blades respectively.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a heat-dissipating device; and in particular, the invention relates to a centrifugal fan including a frame assembly with stator blades.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 shows a conventional centrifugal fan (blower) 1. The centrifugal fan 1 includes an outer frame 10, a motor 20, and a blade structure 30. The outer frame 10 includes an air inlet 11 and an air outlet (not shown) The motor 20 is disposed on a base 101 of the outer frame 10 to drive the blade structure 30. The blade structure 30 includes a hub 31, a base plate 32, and a plurality of rotor blades 33 formed on the base plate 32. However, the rotor blades will drive the airflow to generate vortex such that the heat-dissipation efficiency of the fan will be reduced. Moreover, the large gaps formed between two adjacent blades 33 make airflow difficult to control. Thus, reflow is easily generated, and the heat-dissipation efficiency still suffers.
To overcome the above-described disadvantages, new electronic device designs increase the blade numbers or sizes or enlarge the inner space in the outer frame of the centrifugal fan to increase airflow and heat-dissipation. Such designs, however, are not well-suited for small devices or are not allowable in the limited space. Additionally, uneven-airflow, noise, and reduced-airflow are easily generated by such designs.


Systems and methods for providing augmented beacons are described. In one implementation, an augmented beacon server receives a definition of an augmented beacon defining a geographical area of interest, where digital content is associated with the augmented beacon. Based on a determination that a target device is within the geographical area of interest of the augmented beacon, the augmented beacon server provides an unique identifier associated with the augmented beacon to the target device, where the unique identifier comprises an indication that the digital content associated with the augmented beacon can be displayed by the target device.

The modern internet has evolved past the need for stationary networked computing devices to transmit data. The profusion of billions of networked devices which are primarily mobile has given rise to the need to isolate smaller groups of devices, proximate to one another, for communications. This proximate area, termed a geo-fence, is often set by a low-power radio signal using, for example, the Bluetooth® wireless transmission standard. However, this approach, as manifested by beacons from vendors such as Apple, Inc., has numerous disadvantages, such as requiring a separate network and a radio connection. In addition, these devices must be individually powered and maintained in order to function properly.

Augmented beacon and geo-fence systems and methods


The trim element (1) comprises at least one decorative element (6) made in a first material and comprising an external face forming a portion of the visible face of the trim element (1) and an internal face, said decorative element (6) being laid out on a film in plastic material (4), different from the first material, said film (6) comprising at least one underside area (16), extending over the internal face of the decorative element (6), said film being at least partly laid out on a substrate (2). The film (4) further comprises at least one peripheral area (18) extending around at least one portion of the decorative element (6) and forming another portion of the visible face of the trim element (1).

Producing trim elements is known, in particular door panels, dashboard or other trims, comprising a decorative element having a particular aspect, for example a medallion, a decorative beading, or a decorative plate.
Such trim elements are generally made by injection of the substrate, or of the supporting element, on the underside of the decorative element in an injection cavity. However, the application of such a method is complicated since it is necessary to accurately position the decorative element in the injection cavity and immobilize it in order to obtain a trim element with a decorative element positioned in the intended location. The positioning and the holding of a decorative element in a specific location of the injection cavity are complex operations when they are repeated for producing several identical trim elements. These operations are even more complicated when two distinct decorative elements spaced apart from each other are provided on a trim element.
Further, there may be appearance defects in the transition area between the decorative element and the substrate surrounding the decorative element and forming a portion of the visible face of the trim element. Such defects may also be present when the decorative element is pierced and seeping of the injected material for forming the substrate through the aperture formed by the decorative element should be avoided.

Trim element comprising a decorative element at least partly surrounded by a film in plastic material


Disclosed are exemplary embodiments of systems and methods for analyzing declined payment account transactions. In an exemplary embodiment, a method generally includes accessing, by a computing device, a declined transaction associated with a payment account, and applying, by the computing device, at least one rule to transaction data associated with the payment account and/or transaction data associated with a merchant involved in the declined transaction. The method also includes, based on the at least one applied rule, appending, by the computing device, a fraud accuracy tag to the declined transaction in a data structure, where the fraud accuracy tag is indicative of whether the decline of the transaction is a true positive decline or a false positive decline, whereby the fraud accuracy tag is suitable to provide insight into accuracy of a fraud strategy implemented in connection with the declined transaction.

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Payment account transactions are known as a mechanism for consumers to fund purchases of products, such as, for example, goods and services, etc. To initiate the transactions, consumers present payment account credentials, which are used to initiate the payment account transactions through payment networks. As part of the transactions, at the outset or later, the consumers are often authenticated to their payment accounts through signatures, personal identification numbers (PINs), biometrics, or other means. Despite the authentication of the consumers, unauthorized and/or fraudulent transactions are still known to occur.
In connection with payment account transactions, issuers of payment accounts used in the payment account transactions, as well as payment networks, are known to deploy fraud protection services often based on fraud detection models. The fraud detection models leverage fraud reporting as a variable for use in accurately identifying fraudulent activity involving the payment accounts. Transaction data is typically analyzed for fraudulent and non-fraudulent transactions in order to identify patterns, upon which the models are generated. The models, built based on known transaction data, are effective in reducing, and in some instances eliminating, fraudulent transactions and/or certain types of fraudulent activities involving the payment accounts.
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Systems and methods for use in analyzing declined payment account transactions


A composite backup-type power supply system can be configured and assembled to become a small backup-type power supply system or a large backup-type power supply system according to actual requirements. In a condition of a lower loading requirement, one power supply unit consisting of M+P sets of power supply devices can be selected to connect to a main power panel to form the small backup-type power supply system. When the load increases, extra N sets of power supply units each consisting of M+P sets of power supply devices can be added, and N+1 sets of power supply units are connected to the main power panel so that all the base power supply devices and backup power supply devices can be integrated to form the large backup-type power supply system.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a composite backup-type power supply system and particularly to a backup-type power supply system formed by coupling a power supply unit consisting of M+P sets of power supply devices with another or more power supply units consisting of same or different numbers of M+P power supply devices through a power integration platform.
2. Brief Discussion of the Related Art
A conventional backup-type power supply system usually consists of a plurality of power supply devices which adopt a common structural design. Namely a plurality of power supply devices share one chassis and a controlling power integration panel. In practice a N+1 architecture is commonly adopted. Take a 1+1 architecture as an example. It consists of two power supply devices. In the event that one of the power supply devices malfunctions, another power supply device can still function normally to provide electric power. According to different requirements, an N+2 architecture may also be adopted.
However, the specifications of the present backup-type power supply system still cannot fully and flexibly meet user's expansion requirements. This is mainly because the backup specification is fixed. For instance, if a backup-type power supply system adopts a 3+1 architecture, in the event that the actual demand requires a 1+1 architecture, the extra two sets of power supply devices are added by taking into account of future expansion purpose. This could result in a real power and dummy power sharing the same structure. Namely, the real power is the 1+1 architecture actually being used, while the extra two sets are dummy power. When user's demand increases, additional two sets of real power are procured to replace the dummy power to form the backup-type power supply system of the 3+1 architecture. In such a condition, the dummy power is useless. Moreover, in the event that the host has to be expanded to a backup-type power supply system in a 5+1 architecture, the original 3+1 architecture cannot be upgraded again. And a new backup-type power supply system of the 5+1 architecture has to be procured. It is a heavy burden to users.

Composite backup-type power supply system


A work machine includes a bulkhead separating an operator cab from an engine compartment. An electronic module includes a cantilever arranged mounting flange mounted to the bulkhead. The electronic module includes a rigid and thermally conductive frame. An electronics board is mounted to one side of the frame, and a power board is mounted to an opposite side of the frame. The electronics board carries a plurality of electronic components, and the power board carries a plurality of replaceable power elements. Each power element is a fuse, relay and/or circuit breaker. A housing encloses the electronics board and the power board. The housing includes an access cover to the power board.

Work vehicles, such as agricultural or industrial tractors, have an increasing number of electronic components and power distribution requirements. The power and data distribution occurs in a relatively harsh operating environment with moisture, vibration and heat transfer concerns. Typically, it is necessary to route electrical harnesses from devices (such as operator controls and displays) inside the vehicle cab through the vehicle bulkhead into the engine compartment, where many of the vehicle's electronic controllers are mounted. This "pass through" of data and power between the cab and engine compartment must be environmentally sealed to water and dust. A bulkhead mounted electronic module typically includes a mounting flange at one end thereof which fits into and hermetically seals with a hole in the bulkhead of the vehicle. The mounting flange is positioned at the end of the electronic module so that a small footprint is utilized at the connection location. The electronic module has a "cab side" and an "engine side" on opposite sides of the mounting flange, with plug-in electrical connectors specific to each side.
With a flange mounted electronic module as described above, only the plug-in connector(s) are exposed on the cab side of the bulkhead, and the electronic module is arranged in a cantilever manner on the engine side of the bulkhead. This works well for an electronic module with a sturdy metal "shell" or housing surrounding and enclosing the electronics inside. The metal housing provides enough rigidity to support the cantilevered electronic module and minimize vibration concerns.
An electronic module in the form of a power distribution module may also be flange mounted to the vehicle bulkhead. The power distribution module is essentially a "fuse panel" for the vehicle, containing fuses and relays used by the vehicle functions in both the cab and the engine compartment. A power distribution module passing through the bulkhead and cantilever arranged in the engine compartment provides access to both sides of the module, allowing access to harness connectors on one side, and the fuses and relays on the other side. However, because access must be provided to the fuses and relays so that they can be replaced as needed, a metal housing completely enclosing the module is not possible. The housing thus includes an access cover providing access to the fuses and relays on one side of the power distribution module.
With a cantilever mounted power distribution module as described above, vibrations can be a concern. Moreover, removal and insertion of the fuses and/or relays puts mechanical stresses on the printed circuit board (PCB) within the housing which carries the fuses and relays. These mechanical stresses can damage electrical traces and components on the PCB. Further, many of the electronic components used in power distribution can generate a substantial amount of heat which must be drawn away from the electronic components.
What is needed in the art is an electronic module which may be flange mounted to a bulkhead of a vehicle in a manner to alleviate moisture, vibration and heat transfer concerns, and provide a high level of reliability.

Cantilever mounted electronic module with rigid center backbone


A phase locked loop includes a phase lock unit configured to compare a phase of a reference clock with a phase of a feedback clock and to generate an internal clock based on the comparison; a delay lock unit configured to compare the reference clock with the internal clock, and to generate the feedback clock which is delayed in response to a control voltage based on the comparison; and a start voltage enable unit configured to receive an enable signal and to apply a start voltage as the control voltage in response to the enable signal.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to a phase locked loop and method for operating the same, and more particularly, to a phase locked loop (PLL) which synchronize a reference clock with a feedback clock and method for operating the same.
Semiconductor devices such as double data rate (DDR) synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM) receive an external clock as a reference to match operation timings.
However, since a clock skew may occur in the external clock due to the delay in clock/data path of internal circuits, an internal clock is desired to be synchronized with the external clock by inversely compensating for the internal clock so that the internal clock which is delayed through internal circuits is aligned to a center or an edge of the external clock.
In order to synchronize the internal clock with the external clock, a clock synchronization circuit is provided in the semiconductor device. Examples of the clock synchronization circuit include a phase locked loop (PLL) and a delay locked loop (DLL).
The PLL having a frequency multiplication function is mainly used when the frequency of the external clock is different from the frequency of the internal clock, and the DLL is mainly used when the frequency of the external clock is equal to the frequency of the internal clock.
The configuration of the PLL is basically similar to that of the DLL. The PLL uses a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) to generate the internal clock while the DLL uses a voltage controlled delay line (VCDL).
In particular, the PLL is used in a variety of applications, e.g., communications, wireless systems, digital circuits, etc, generates various clocks through frequency synthesis and easily achieves a clock data recovery (CDR).
The PLL includes a phase frequency detector (PFD) for detecting a phase difference between a reference clock and a feedback clock and matches a phase of the reference clock with a phase of the feedback clock by driving a charge pump in accordance with the detected phase difference of the PFD and varying a control voltage of a voltage controlled oscillator.
However, even if the phase of the reference clock is matched with the phase of the feedback clock, because the PLL has a charge pump having less than ideal characteristics, a phase offset having a direct current (DC) component still occurs between the reference clock and the feedback clock, for example, by a mismatching of an up current and a down current in the charge pump.
While the phase of the reference clock is desired to be matched with the phase of an output clock (feedback clock) outputted from the PLL when the PLL is turned on, a phase offset still exists between the reference clock and the feedback clock, and thus, the efficiency of the PLL decreases.
Moreover, since a control voltage level of a voltage controlled oscillator included in the PLL is varied according to a change of a process/voltage/temperature (PVT) and an input frequency, a current driving power of a transistor is varied according to a change of the PVT, and the phase offset having a DC component may be varied according to an operating condition of the PLL.

Phase locked loop and method for operating the same


A support stand for securing a manufactured building to a foundation. The stand includes a stepwise mechanism for incrementally adjusting the height of the manufactured building relative to its foundation. The stand also includes a height adjustment mechanism for adjusting the height of the manufactured building relative to its foundation within the increments of the stepwise adjusting mechanism. These mechanisms provide the stand with both macro and micro height adjustment capabilities.

Manufactured buildings including mobile homes and modular housing are traditionally built upon a frame containing two or more longitudinal members and several transverse beams. Support systems for these buildings typically include concrete blocks or a plurality of support stands placed under the frame for supporting it and securing it to a foundation. Many conventional support systems are ineffective against the lateral forces created by seismic activities and heavy winds. As a result, these forces can move a manufactured building horizontally off its supports, thereby damaging its structure and utility connections.
Conventional support stands typically include a height adjustment mechanism for leveling the building relative to its foundation. An example of such a stand is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,108, to Madl, Jr. The disclosed stand includes a two stage vertical adjustment for a building. The first stage is a bolt through, incremental adjustment stage and the second is a screwed, fine adjustment stage. The head of a bolt used for the fine adjustment stage is contained within a channel which extends under a building frame clamping assembly. The channel does not assist during lifting of the building, instead the forces generated during the raising and lowering of the building are carried by the bolt. Because the bolt includes a pair of flat surfaces machined along its sides and a through bore, all of which reduce the strength of the bolt, the bolt will not be able to support the building during repetitive height adjustments over an extended period of time.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,655, to Hoffmann, discloses an adjustable, telescoping structural support system secured to the frame of a manufactured home. The system includes first and second cylindrical members telescopically engaged with one another. Each member has a plurality of holes spaced about its periphery for receiving a through bolt to establish the height of the house with respect to the ground. The system does not provide for height adjustments between the intervals established by the holes in the side walls of each cylindrical member.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,713,259, to Tkach, discloses a combination anchor and support used to secure a mobile home to an underlying foundation. The combination anchor and support includes a housing that receives a threaded bolt for adjusting the height of the mobile home relative to the foundation. Such a manner for adjusting the height of a mobile home can be difficult and time consuming because large adjustments in height can only be achieved by extensively rotating the bolt.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,237, to Coulter, discloses a device for anchoring a mobile home in a position above the ground. The height of the mobile home relative to the ground can be adjusted by rotating a pair of internally threaded nuts about a threaded rod. This manner of height adjustment can be difficult and time consuming because large height adjustments can only be achieved by extensive rotation of the nuts about the threaded rod.
There is a decided need in the art for a support system for manufactured buildings having at least one support stand which effectively anchors the building during earthquakes and heavy winds, and provides easy, fast and reliable height adjustment for leveling the building with its foundation over an extended period of time.


The present invention is generally directed to high opacity cigarette wrapping papers. The wrapping paper made according to the present invention contains a mixture of a white pigment and a black pigment. The white pigment, which can be, for instance, calcium carbonate, has a median particle size of from about 0.1 microns to about 0.5 microns, and particularly from about 0.2 microns to about 0.4 microns. It has been discovered that this particular particle size range, which is equal to one-half the wavelength of visible light, greatly increases the opacity, brightness and whiteness of the paper. Small amounts of a black pigment, such as carbon, are then added to further increase the opacity without significantly decreasing the whiteness or brightness of the paper relative to conventional cigarette paper.

Smoking articles such as cigarettes are conventionally made by wrapping a column of tobacco in a white wrapping paper. At one end, the smoking article usually includes a filter through which the article is smoked. Filters are attached to smoking articles using a tipping paper which is glued to the white wrapping paper. The wrapping papers and tipping papers used to construct smoking articles are typically made from flax or other cellulosic fibers and contain a filler, such as calcium carbonate.
Besides being used to hold the cigarette together, cigarette wrapping papers and tipping papers also contribute to and control many physical properties and characteristics of the cigarette. For instance, cigarette wrapping paper affects the rate at which the cigarette burns, the number of puffs per cigarette and the total tar delivery per puff Another property of the cigarette that is affected by the wrapper is the appearance and the characteristics of the ash that is formed as the cigarette burns. cigarette paper can even be used to limit the amount of smoke that emanates from the lit end of a cigarette when it is left burning and to reduce the tendency of a cigarette to ignite adjacent surfaces.
In addition to performing the above described functions, cigarette wrapping papers must also provide the cigarette with an overall aesthetic appearance. For instance, cigarette wrapping papers, which are mostly white, should have as bright a color as possible. Also, the paper should have a very high opacity. By having a high opacity, the wrapping paper masks the contents of the cigarette.
In the past, wrapping paper opacity was determined primarily as a function of the amount of filler incorporated into the papers. In general, opacity levels are increased as the amount of filler added to the paper is increased. Unfortunately, however, increasing filler levels to increase opacity can adversely effect other characteristics of the paper. For example, increasing filler levels can decrease the strength of the paper. Altering filler levels can also affect the permeability of the paper which may in turn affect the burn properties of the paper. As such, there is increasing pressure within the industry to keep filler levels in cigarette paper within preset ranges, severely restricting viable methods for increasing paper opacity.
Besides increasing filler levels, the opacity of cigarette paper can also be somewhat changed by changing the amount that the fiber furnish is refined and by altering the composition of the fiber furnish. Changing the fiber furnish or the amount that it is refined, however, may also adversely interfere with other physical characteristics of the paper. Further, varying refinement or selecting a different fiber furnish only provides small increases in opacity.
Due to the above limitations, commercial cigarette wrappers containing calcium carbonate as the filler generally only have an opacity of from about 74% to about 76% In the past, it has been extremely difficult to create a commercially acceptable paper wrapper having an opacity of 80% or above.
Thus, a need exists for a wrapping paper for smoking articles that has a high opacity, such as greater than 80%. Also, a need exists for a method of producing such wrappers. A need also exists for a method of increasing the opacity of cigarette wrapping papers without adversely interfering with other physical properties of the paper. A need further exists for a method for increasing the opacity of cigarette papers without having to increase filler levels.


A storage unit for a vehicle having a cargo bed defined by a floor and a plurality of side panels is provided. The storage unit includes a first upper cabinet, a first lower cabinet, a second upper cabinet, and a second lower cabinet. A floor plate is secured between the first and second lower cabinets so as to define a drawer receiving space beneath the floor plate. A drawer is slidably mounted in the drawer receiving space. A plurality of clamp assemblies are utilized to connect the first and second upper cabinets to the flange of the adjacent side panels of the vehicle such that the first and second upper cabinets, the first and second lower cabinets, and the drawer are removably secured to the vehicle without structurally altering the vehicle.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to storage devices for use in pickup trucks, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to an improved storage unit for a pickup truck which provides a substantial amount of storage space and which is easily installed in and removed from a pickup truck without requiring the pickup truck to be structurally altered.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art.
Pickup trucks and other vehicles having a cargo bed are widely used by plumbers, mechanics, contractors, and other individuals as service trucks. Pickup trucks are favored over other types of trucks in light of their maneuverability, relatively low cost and substantial cargo space. A problem experienced with the use of pickup trucks as service trucks, however, is that the cargo bed is not equipped to carry cargo such as tools and the like in a secure manner. Therefore, numerous storage units for use in the bed of a pickup truck have been previously proposed in an effort to make the cargo bed of a pickup truck more secure and to utilize the cargo bed of a pickup truck in a more efficient manner.
Although many of the prior art storage units have achieved varying degrees of success, problems have nevertheless been experienced with the use of such storage units. In particular, to secure the prior art storage units in the cargo bed of a pickup truck, the pickup truck must usually be altered structurally in some manner to accommodate the storage unit. Such alterations usually involve drilling holes through the bed floor or the side panels of the pickup truck for receiving a bolt which is utilized to secure the storage unit to the pickup truck or welding the storage unit to the pickup truck whereby the storage unit is permanently fixed to the pickup truck.
While connecting the storage unit to the pickup truck in this manner ensures the storage unit is secured in the bed of the pickup truck, structural alterations to a pickup truck generally have a detrimental effect on the resale value of a pickup truck. Further, there are many occasions when it would be desirable to remove the storage unit from the pickup truck. For example, many individuals use their pickup truck as both a service truck and a personal vehicle. In these instances, it is desirable to be able to remove the storage unit from the pickup truck on a regular basis and not have drill holes seen throughout the bed of the pickup truck. In other instances, a company may have a fleet of service trucks. As such, it is desirable to be able to easily transfer a storage unit from one truck to another should one of the trucks need service or repair.
To this end, an improved storage unit has long been needed which provides substantial storage space and which is quickly and easily installed in and removed from the cargo bed of a pickup truck without requiring structural alterations to the pickup truck. It is to such an improved storage unit that the present invention is directed.


This invention provides a precursor film stack for use in the production of MEMS devices. The precursor film stack comprises a carrier substrate, a first layer formed on the carrier substrate, a second layer of an insulator material formed on the first layer, and a third layer of a sacrificial material formed on the second layer.

An interferometric modulator is a class of MEMS (micro-electromechanical systems) devices which have been described and documented in a variety of patents including U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,835,255, 5,986,796, 6,040,937, 6,055,090, and U.S. Pending patent application Ser. Nos. 09/966,843, 09/974,544, 10/082,397, 10/084,893, and 10/878,282, herein incorporated by reference. One of the key attributes of these devices is the fact that they are fabricated monolithically using semiconductor-like fabrication processes. Specifically, these devices are manufactured in a sequence of steps which combine film deposition, photolithography, and etching using a variety of techniques. More detail on these processes is described in patent application Ser. No. No. 10/074,562 filed on Feb. 12, 2002, and herein incorporated by reference.

Thin film precursor stack for MEMS manufacturing


A scavenging animal deterring feeder assembly may include a feeder support stand having an elevated stand platform and a stand fence having a plurality of spaced-apart, upward-standing fence spikes carried by the stand platform. A feed-dispensing wildlife feeder may be supported by the stand platform of the feeder support stand and at least partially enclosed by the stand fence. Accordingly, the stand fence deters a wild hog or other scavenging animal from landing its front paws onto the stand platform and collapsing the stand platform in an attempt to access the animal feed in the wildlife feeder.

The background description provided herein is solely for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the illustrative embodiments of the disclosure. Aspects of the background description are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the claimed subject matter.
Wildlife feeders are commonly used to dispense particulate animal feed which attracts deer and other wild game animals for hunting, observation or other purposes. However, one of the common obstacles to using a wildlife feeder is the scavenging of the feed by wild hogs and other scavenging animals.
Accordingly, a feeder assembly which deters wild hogs and other scavenging animals from accessing animal feed contained inside or dispensed from the feeders may be desirable for some applications.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Scavenging animal deterring feeder assembly


A semiconductor chip without a substrate is provided on an electrically insulating carrier. The carrier has electrically conductive contact metallizations. Furthermore, an electrically conductive carrier substrate and a covering substrate are provided. The covering substrate has electrically conductive contact structures. The carrier is attached to the carrier substrate. Subsequently, the covering substrate is attached to the semiconductor chip and/or to the carrier. The electrically conductive contact structures are connected in an electrically conductive manner to the electrically conductive contact metallizations and the electrically conductive carrier substrate.

It is possible to use semiconductor chips in the production of optoelectronic components. The semiconductor chips can be applied to a carrier in order to ensure a sufficient stability of the component. For the electrical contact-connection of the semiconductor chip, plated-through holes are in this case lead through the carrier, thereby enabling an electrical contact-connection from that side of the carrier which faces away from the semiconductor chip. Components comprising plated-through holes are known from the document WO 2011/039023 A1, also published as U.S. Patent Publication 2012/0248492 A1, for example.

Method for producing an optoelectronic component and optoelectronic component produced in such a way


Provided is an illuminated mirror device including: a mirror; a light-emitting part for illumination disposed near the mirror; and driving means for driving the light-emitting part, and detection means for detecting a direction of a face of a person in front of the mirror with respect to the mirror, wherein the driving means controls an emission luminance distribution on a light-emitting surface of the light-emitting part on the basis of the face direction detected by the detection means. Also provided is a method for controlling illumination thereof.

There are illuminated mirror devices capable of reflecting an object such as a face in a mirror even in a dark place. As a conventional illuminated mirror device, Patent Document 1 describes a mirror equipped with EL illumination having EL (Electro Luminescence) elements arranged in a frame shape around the mirror. Patent Document 2 describes a full-length mirror having a half mirror provided adjacent to a mirror surface thereof and an illumination device attached to a rear side of the half mirror. Also, Patent Document 3 describes an illuminated mirror cabinet in which a light-transmitting part without a silver film is formed in a mirror body in each of side mirrors positioned at both right and left sides of a center mirror and an illumination device is disposed on a rear side of the mirror body for performing irradiation toward a mirror surface through the light-transmitting part. Furthermore, the mirror cabinet of Patent Document 3 includes a light-emitting part for performing irradiation toward the mirror surface through the light-transmitting part and an angle adjusting actuator for adjusting an intersection angle between the mirror surface and a light-emitting surface of the light-emitting part. A user positioned in front of the side mirror is detected and the angle adjusting actuator is controlled so that the irradiation direction of the light-emitting part is directed toward the detected user.

Illuminated mirror device and method for controlling illumination thereof


A memory system including a bus 10, 11, a memory 17, a memory controller 16, a first device 13 having a cache, and a second device 15, all connected to the bus, wherein the memory controller includes a buffer 20 for temporarily storing cache data and write data that the second device writes in the memory. The buffer of the memory controller temporarily stores cached data and the write data to be written on write access to the memory by the second device, which enables maintenance of data coherency while avoiding a write access retry by the second device.

In personal computers systems (PCs), a CPU and a memory (such as a DRAM) are interconnected through a bus. Each device acts as a master device (bus master) to access the memory in which data is stored. While such memories (system memories) configured as DRAMs have a large storage capacity, they provide slower access performance. In order to achieve faster access to frequently used data, a CPU uses a cache memory (hereinafter "cache") implemented by a memory such as an SRAM. Although a cache has a smaller storage capacity than a DRAM system memory, it can provided faster access then DRAM system memory.
In a system having a cache, coherency between the cache and the main memory (data consistency) must be maintained. One algorithm for maintaining data coherency is a snooping algorithm. FIG. 1 is a diagram for illustrating a conventional snoop operation. In FIG. 1, a CPU bus 1 and a system bus 2 are interconnected through a bus bridge 3. CPU #0 and CPU #2 are coupled onto CPU bus 1. Each of the two CPUs has a cache. Coupled onto system bus 2 are a device #2, a memory controller, and a memory.
According to the snooping algorithm, CPU #0 having a cache watches (snoops 5) for the address of data access 4 from another device #2 (master device) (FIG. 1(a)). CPU #0 issues a retry request 6 only if the access address matches the address of data in the cache of CPU #0 and the state of the data has been changed (updated) in accordance with a protocol such as the standard MESI protocol (FIG. 1(b)). In response to the retry request 6, in-progress access from the master device #2 is aborted (FIG. 1(b)). Furthermore, a cache line consisting of multiple data at contiguous addresses, including a matching address, in the cache is first written back to the memory (FIGS. 1(c) and 1(d)). Then, master device #2 accesses the memory again to transfer data, thereby maintaining the coherency of the data (FIGS. 1(e) and 1(f)).
As can be seen from the operation shown in FIG. 1, if a retry request is issued from a watched (snooped) device, a device that is transferring data must abort the access and then make access again. This means that additional operational delay due to a snoop hit on the write access decreases the bus utilization rate and increases the latency for the device and the performance of the memory system a whole.
A conventional technique for increasing memory access rate in a multiprocessor system using the snooping approach has been disclosed in Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 06-222993, for example, which is incorporated herein by reference. However, the published Unexamined Patent Application does not disclose a technique for reducing operation delay or alleviating decrease in bus utilization rate due to an access retry on a snoop hit.

Memory system and method for controlling the same, and method for maintaining data coherency

International Business Machines Corporation


A concealed amalgamated neutralizer device covertly combines neutralizer material of inert materials such as calcium carbonate or silicates with common energetic material for the prevention of malicious use of the energetic material. The concealed amalgamated neutralizer device may vary in shape, size, and color and is therefore adaptable to varying methods of containment. The neutralizer material mimics the energetic material without detection. Upon disassembly of the concealed amalgamated neutralizer device, the neutralizer material is mixed with and neutralizes the energetic material rendering the energetic material useless. A container is provided which has a bottom section having an interior surface including a plurality of integrally formed recesses that are filled with the energetic material which allow manipulation of flash direction and intensity upon detonation.

The current worldwide political climate has produced many terrorist and anti-establishment factions that are motivated to create explosive devices from commonly available consumer products. For example, roadside or improvised explosive devices known as IEDs have been encountered in Afghanistan and in Iraq by the U.S. military and in Boston by local police.
A common practice used in constructing an IED involves the acquisition and disassembly of easily acquired consumer grade explosive products such as fireworks or small arms ammunition. The products are disassembled, yielding explosive material, e.g., black powder or other incendiary material. The explosive material is then combined with projectiles such as nails or broken glass and encased in a rigid container such as an aluminum cooking pot. The results are easily concealed and a deadly combination that is both inexpensive and effective.
Consumer grade explosive products contain various explosive materials. For example, gunpowder is a very common chemical explosive and comes in two basic forms, modern, smokeless gunpowder and traditional, black powder gunpowder. Black powder is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). The sulfur and charcoal act as fuels, and the saltpeter is an oxidizer. The standard composition for gunpowder is about 75% potassium nitrate, about 15% charcoal, and about 10% sulfur (proportions by weight). The ratios can be altered somewhat depending on the purpose of the powder. For instance, power grades of gunpowder, unsuitable for use in firearms but adequate for blasting rock in quarrying operations, have proportions of about 70% nitrate, about 14% charcoal, and about 16% sulfur. Some blasting powder may be made with cheaper sodium nitrate substituted for potassium nitrate and proportions may be as low as about 40% nitrate, about 30% charcoal, and about 30% sulfur.
Most pyrotechnic compositions and explosive materials can be neutralized when mixed with an appropriate combination of inert materials, slowing the burn rate of the explosive material to a non-explosive level that effectively neutralizes the explosive material and renders the explosive material useless for an improvised explosive device.
The prior art addresses the neutralization of explosive devices. However, none of the prior art devices or methods is completely satisfactory in neutralizing explosive materials in consumer products.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,690,287 to Maegerlein, et al. provides a neutralizing assembly for inhibiting operation of an explosive device. The neutralizing assembly will interrupt the function of the explosive device only when the explosive device is misused. The neutralizing assembly includes an interior chamber with a rupturable barrier containing disabling material. The rupturable barrier separates the disabling material from the explosive material. Upon misuse of the device, the rupturable barrier breaks and the disabling material is released from the interior chamber to disable the explosive material.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,738,276 to Picard, et al. discloses a halocarbon gel for stabilizing an explosive material during transport. In use, flexible bags are prepared which contain the explosive material mixed with a desensitizing substance. The bags are placed in a protective gel. The gel prevents the desensitizing substance from evaporating through the flexible bags. When the transport is complete, the bags are removed from the gel. Once the bags are removed from the gel, the desensitizing substance evaporates, thus "arming" the explosive material.
U. S. Patent Publication No. 2011/0124945 to Smylie, et al. discloses a cartridge that is adapted to achieve deactivation of an explosive composition. In Smylie, the explosive composition and the chemical deactivating agent are held in separate chambers of the cartridge separated by a wall. Upon activation, the wall is breached and the deactivating agent and the explosive composition are allowed to mix, thereby rendering the explosive composition inert.
Reactive targets that are used as indicators of accuracy in long range rifle competitions are one example of consumer products that can be misused to create explosive devices. Similarly, other competition shooting events often require reactive targets. For example, reactive clay targets are required for skeet and trap shooting.
It is known in the art to provide reactive targets which comprise a container filled with a pyrotechnic material, including an oxidizing agent, a reducing agent, a sensitizer and a binder. These pyrotechnic targets are known to be contained in a housing comprising a flat cylinder formed of a suitable metal, such as aluminum or steel. An example is shown in U.S. Publication No. 2010/0275802 to Green, et al.
Besides the possibility of prior art reactive targets being misused to create explosive devices, they have other dangerous side effects. For example, over time, shooting ranges and other locations where practice shooting occurs become polluted with thousands of used reactive targets. Such areas are difficult to impossible to clean and are unsightly to the casual observer. More importantly, metal containers and the binders used in them, such as pitches and tar not only are non-biodegradable, but are toxic. In great quantities, such toxic substances are subsumed into the soil and can harm wildlife, plant life and underground water supplies.
The prior art has not solved the problem of reactive targets provided in toxic packaging that create an unsightly and toxic residue when used.
It is, therefore, an object of this disclosure to provide a design for and method of manufacture of products which include an undetectable neutralizing agent that automatically and effectively neutralizes an explosive material upon disassembly, and further to package these materials in containers that when used will be non-toxic to the environment and will naturally degrade over time.

Flash directed reactive target and method of manufacture


Ladar systems and methods are provided. One embodiment is a ladar system comprising: a chirp generator for generating a chirped waveform; a laser for transmitting a light signal toward a target, the light signal being modulated by the chirped waveform; and a photon-counting sensor for receiving a temporally-modulated photon stream corresponding to the modulated light signal being reflected from the target and toward the ladar system, the photon-counting sensor gated relative to the chirped waveform.

1. Technical Field
The invention generally relates to laser detection and ranging.
2. Description of the Related Art
Currently, there are a number of systems for performing laser detection and ranging (LADAR). Typically, the photocurrent from the detector of a LADAR system is amplified with a high-gain amplifier because the power of the received light signal and the resulting output current of the LADAR receiver is relatively small (e.g., sub-nanoamp currents). The use of high-gain amplifiers, however, may be problematic because of resulting noise. For instance, in a LADAR system, the noise resulting from the high-gain amplifier may limit the sensitivity of the LADAR receiver.
One existing solution for overcoming amplifier noise is to use a high-gain detector, such as an avalanche photodiode (APD). APDs, however, may also introduce excess noise into the LADAR system. When modulating the APD gain to produce photonic-mixing, as required for the chirped amplitude modulation (AM) LADAR technique, the modulated excess noise may produce large amounts of self-clutter. Some chirped AM LADAR systems have reduced this problem by using metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) photonic-mixing detectors. Such systems have been effective for 3-D imagery and have improved the self-clutter problem, but with only near unity gain, so that the receiver is amplifier-noise limited.
Some pulsed time-of-flight LADAR systems employ photon counting detectors such as high gain photomultiplier tubes (PMT), high gain microchannel plate (MCP) based image intensifier tubes, intensified photodiodes (IPD), or Geiger-mode APDs to overcome the excess APD noise and amplifier noise. For example, when operated with a reverse bias voltage above the breakdown voltage, a Geiger-mode APD outputs a large pulse upon single carrier excitation (e.g., single photon detection or dark noise carrier excitation). Typical gains in these types of LADAR receivers, for example, are more satisfactory. However, there is the additional problem that the output pulse voltage/current level is not related to the received optical power level in Geiger mode operation. Since range information is carried on the modulation of the optical power level in chirped AM LADARs, photon counting detectors have not previously been used as detectors for chirped AM LADARs.

Photon counting, chirped AM LADAR system and related methods

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army


In a wireless multihop network having node devices within communication range neighboring node devices in a corresponding local neighborhood, the node devices initiate repeated message broadcasts of a first message as a connection-less broadcast into the local neighborhood. Initiation of message broadcasts is governed such that the message broadcasts are permitted only at specified transmission times within a plurality of transmission time windows. Each of the node devices determines whether any of the connection-less-broadcasted messages are duplicates of the first message, and generate a count of those duplicates received during each of the transmission windows. Based on counts of the duplicates, initiation of a message broadcast of the first message in a current transmission window is suppressed in response to a corresponding count of duplicates of the first message received during the first transmission window exceeding a suppression limit.

A wireless multihop communications network, such as a mesh network, includes a set of node devices capable of exchanging messages with one another over a wireless medium, typically using radio frequency (RF) communications. Each of the node devices can be primarily a communications device or, alternatively, the communications functionality may be secondary to its primary function. For example, in a given node, the communications circuitry can be a part of a device such as a computer system, a smart appliance, a vehicle, a media device, a piece of industrial equipment (e.g., an instrument, machine, sensor, actuator), and the like. In a mesh architecture the node devices are uniquely addressable, and able to route messages from an originating node device toward the intended destination node. In general, each of the node devices can be an originating and destination node device as well. Thus, node devices perform both, message forwarding, and message origination/consumption functions. This means that the communication channels can be quite busy at certain parts of the network where the message density is relatively higher than at other parts.
Wireless networks in particular face other challenges. For instance, wireless links may not always be reliable: there may be intermittent interfering signals, intermittent obstructions, including large movable objects (e.g., vehicles) moving in and out of the transmission path, weather affecting the quality of radio signal propagation, etc., affecting the signal strength of transmissions seen by the receiving node. Also, certain node devices may be situated near the limits of their radio's communication range, which further compounds signal reception challenges.
Wireless mesh applications need a broadcast transport mechanism to send messages to all or a large set of node devices in the network in a short period of time. Typical communications between node devices are sent using a connection-oriented protocol in which there is a handshaking process of negotiation between node devices before normal communication over the channel begins. Handshaking dynamically sets parameters of a communications channel established between the two node devices. It follows the physical establishment of the channel and precedes normal information transfer. Although connection-oriented communications can be made reliably, the overhead associated with the handshaking can make this mechanism less efficient for the sending of short messages to all nodes in a network. Accordingly, a connection-less (i.e., without the need to establish individual link connections) broadcast transport mechanism is preferable for the wide-scale dissemination of short messages.
Supporting message broadcast in a wireless mesh network has several challenges. For instance, wireless links may be individually unreliable and communications without dedicated connections may be insecure. Moreover, intended recipients may be multiple hops away from the originator of the message, requiring the broadcasts to be re-transmitted to the next hop so that the message can be propagated throughout the network. This activity takes up communications resources, and if not suitable controlled can overload the communication channel. Furthermore, node density may vary across multiple networks and even within the same network. In dense environments, simultaneous message broadcasts sent by different devices within close proximity can interfere with one another, resulting in a "collision" of radio packets that prevents reception of one or more of the broadcasts.
Therefore, a practical solution is needed to provide effective and efficient message broadcasting throughout a wireless network or sub-network that addresses one or more of these challenges.

Controlled flooding mechanism to facilitate message broadcast in wireless multihop networks


A garment attachable to an exercise or therapeutic apparatus that is capable of elevating the user slightly above the ground, reducing potential for injury and strain by shifting the user's weight to the frame of the apparatus. The garment is incorporated into the apparatus by comprising panels under the buttocks and around the thighs, providing balance and lifting the user comfortably in conjunction with the frame. A low-friction plate is positioned under the user's feet so that the user can ambulate freely while held in place by the frame.

Orthopedic physical therapy and athletic training may seek to reduce the amount of joint and muscle strain by countering the effects of gravity upon the body. This can be accomplished by structural supports that the user can rest against. Some suspension frames aim to lift the user, shifting the user's weight to the suspension frame and off of the ground. Suspension frames are beneficial in the case of lower body rehabilitation because of the reduction of strain on the muscles and joints of the legs.
Ambulation therapy may be desirable in the case of lower body injuries or neurological damage that compromises the patient's balance. In addition, ambulation therapy may be useful for athletic training to lower the risk of said lower body injuries. Ambulation therapy devices typically use moving treadmills in combination with a means of suspension. In order to support the full weight of a human body and include a mechanical treadmill for ambulation, these devices are typically extremely heavy and have a large footprint. As a result, they are often too large and too expensive for ordinary consumer purchase. Similarly, modest training facilities, gyms and physical therapy centers may be unable to afford existing therapy device.
Currently known ambulation therapy devices use air or harnesses for buoyancy. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 7,341,543 to Dandy discloses an apparatus for shifting the body weight of a runner from the runner's legs to a wheeled frame using a pelvic harness that is secured to the frame with an elastic material. Another example, the AlterG® Anti-Gravity Treadmill®, suspends the user on an inflatable cushion, which the user must enter into from the top of the machine. Securing the user in these devices can be dangerous, burdensome and inefficient, and moreover, involve straps and fabric that press into parts of the body uncomfortably as the user is suspended above the ground.


A system and method for performing a security audit of a target network. The system includes a device that establishes a connection to the target network through a communication link. The device has reverse tunneling capabilities for establishing a secure tunnel over the Internet. The system also includes a receiving computer connected to the device through the secure tunnel established by the device over the Internet, and the receiving computer sends commands to the device for performing the security audit of the target network. The device is deployed onsite near the network and the receiving computer is located at a remote offsite location. Also, the device may be covertly hidden onsite near the network to simulate a malicious attack on the target network.

With a rise in network security breaches and the rise of Advanced Persistent Threats, companies are conducting tests on the vulnerability of their networks as a safety precaution. These tests may consist of security process audits, periodic vulnerability assessments and penetration tests. Security audits cover both security management processes and IT assets, which is generally called a network vulnerability assessment. Penetration testing, which is referred to as "pentesting," is a method for evaluating the security of a computer system or network by simulating an attack from a malicious source. Penetration testing can analyze a system for potential vulnerabilities and provide a report of the systems vulnerabilities to the company. Typically, vulnerabilities result from flawed system configuration, including both hardware and software flaws.
During the penetration test, the tester attempts to exploit any security vulnerability in the system or network and prepares an analysis of the network security for the company. Currently, penetration testing is performed by a third party penetration company. These pentesting engagements require the security consultant or tester to be onsite at the client's premises to gain access to the target network.
What is needed is a network security auditing system and method that allows a penetration testing company to remotely gain access to a target network securely over the Internet. Also, a network security auditing system and method is needed that allows covert access to a network, including wireless communication to better simulate a malicious attack on a network.

System and method for remotely conducting a security assessment and analysis of a network


Opposed inner surfaces of lower and upper casings making up a connection box are flat, and wire arrangement grooves are formed in the inner surfaces. Insertion holes communicate with the wire arrangement grooves in specified positions and are open to the outer surfaces of the casings. A wire is laid into the wire arrangement grooves and is pressed into the slots of the cramping terminals mounted in the insertion holes. The tabs on the cramping terminals project from the outer surfaces of the casings. The casings are held together by nuts and bolts or other devices after the flat inner surfaces are in contact with each other.

In an electrical connection box, internal circuits are generally constructed of busbars punched from a conductive metal plate. An electrical connection box is known in which internal circuits are composed of wires and cramping terminals in order to provide flexibility for accommodating design changes in the internal circuits.
In connection boxes of this type, as shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, cramping terminals 2 are mounted in casing 1 which can be the lower casing and/or the upper casing thereof. Wires 3 are arranged in casing 1 while being pressed into cramping terminals 2 to form an electrical connection therewith (see Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 6-24324). Wires 3 are normally arranged according to a desired pattern using wire laying head 5 of a wire laying apparatus (see FIG. 10).
However, if wire 3 being fed from head 5 is to be located on the inner surface of upper or lower casing 1, it cannot be laid in the hatched area of FIG. 11 due to interference of head 5 with side wall 1a projecting from the outer periphery of casing 1. In other words, head 5 cannot place wire 3 closer to side wall 1a than distance L; thus, the space for wire arrangement is reduced. Therefore, in order to form desired circuits, the entire connection box must be enlarged.
To solve this problem, in the prior art, a mold for arranging wires 3 is provided separately, and the wires are arranged in the desired pattern using the usual wire laying apparatus. Thereafter, casing 1, with cramping terminals therein, is placed adjacent the mold, and the arranged wires are pressed into casing 1 to thereby make the desired electrical connections with cramping terminals 2.
However, in this case, there are problems such as poor working efficiency because of the wire transferring step and increased production cost because of the need to prepare a multitude of wire arrangement molds in conformity with different arrangement patterns.


An integrated circuit having a node that is supplied by a first supply potential and is connected to a second supply potential in such a way that a leakage current flows between the node and the second supply potential, a detection circuit that is configured to detect a signal injected between the node and the second supply potential, the temporal variation of which is fast compared to a temporal variation of the leakage current, and a compensation circuit that is configured to compensate for a deviation in the potential of the node from the first supply potential with a delay which is large compared to the temporal variation of the signal.

In order to detect a current pulse in a circuit, for example to detect an attack on the circuit, a capacitance at a node in the circuit is typically charged or discharged. This can be a specially provided capacitor or else a parasitic capacitance. Typically, such a capacitance (and correspondingly the node) is charged to an operating point by a resistor or power source, and a comparator is then used to detect a change in voltage at the node corresponding to the current pulse and, if appropriate, to trigger an appropriate output signal.
For this approach to work as well as possible, the node must have a high impedance (e.g. with respect to a supply potential) in order to optimize the current-voltage conversion, so that the node can maintain the operating point for long enough. However, if a leakage current occurs at the node, the potential impedance is limited, for example due to the voltage drop across the impedance or the need to supply power to the node to maintain the operating point.
Accordingly, approaches for reliable detection of current pulses at a node with leakage losses are desirable.


An image processing apparatus which eliminates a deformation depending on the position of expansion which is produced when parallel contours within contour information are drawn on a bit plane.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an image processing apparatus, and more particularly, to an image processing apparatus for performing shape correction when displaying a figure the contour information of which is given.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, when drawing a figure according to contour information, there has been performed processing in which, if the contour information is represented by coordinate values including values under (to the right of) the decimal point, the contour information is drawn on a bit plane by converting the values into coordinate values represented by integer values on the bit plane by half-adjusting or truncating the non-integral values, and the inner portion of the contour is then painted in. Relative to difference in the position of expansion, it is possible to perform correction, such as adjusting the thickness from the center position, by adding control information indicating the framework position of the figure and the like.
In the above-described approach not using shape correction, however, there is the disadvantage that differences in width occur even for figures with contours having an identical shape according to the position of expansion. For example, for a figure in which relatively thin identical rectangles are arranged in parallel as shown in FIG. 3, an imbalance in shape is produced as shown in FIG. 4.
Furthermore, in shape correction processing performed by adding central information, such as framework information and the like, there is the disadvantage that such additional information is required besides the contour information. Hence, the amount of data to be held increases for a complicated figure, the work of preparing data increases greatly, and processing for reconstituting contour points according to the above-described information cannot easily be performed.

Image processing apparatus with shape-correction of a contour-specified figure


An apparatus for coupling a bicycle disc brake rotor to a bicycle wheel hub is disclosed. The apparatus includes an adapter and a rotor retaining member. The adapter is adapted to be nonrotatably coupled to the bicycle wheel hub and to be nonrotatably coupled to the disc brake rotor. The adapter includes a plurality of axially extending protruding portions adapted to extend through the disc brake rotor to nonrotatably couple the disc brake rotor to the adapter. At least one of the protruding portions has a groove defined therein. A portion of the rotor retaining member is received in the groove in the protruding portion.

Cycling has gained widespread acceptance not only as a means of transportation but also as a form of recreation. In fact, both amateur and professional bicycle racing has become extremely popular. As a result of these factors, the bicycle industry is constantly making improvements to various bicycle parts, whether they are used in bicycles for recreation, transportation, or racing. Bicycle braking systems in particular have undergone wide-ranging redesigns over the past few years.
Several types of bicycle braking devices are available on the market. Such devices include rim brakes, caliper brakes, disc brakes, and other general bicycle braking devices. Disc brake systems usually are the braking systems of choice when the rider requires a very high-performance braking system. That is because disc brake systems confer a very large amount of control relative to the force of operation applied to the brake lever, and they generally are very robust under any weather or riding condition.
Disc brake systems normally comprise a caliper connected to the bicycle frame, a brake lever attached to the bicycle handlebar for operating the caliper, and a disc brake rotor securely connected to the bicycle wheel hub. Several different methods are used for connecting the disc brake rotor to the wheel hub. A common method is to bolt the disc brake rotor to an adapter using, e.g., three to eight bolts, wherein the adapter is attached to the wheel hub. Of course, such a method requires each bolt to be attached and tightened separately, thus requiring significant effort during the manufacturing process and degrading manufacturing efficiency.
Thus, a need has arisen for a way to secure a disc brake rotor to a bicycle wheel hub without having to tighten a plurality of separate bolts.


According to the exposure amount evaluation method of the embodiment, a photomask including a long-wavelength light reflective film and a mask pattern is set in an EUV exposure apparatus. The long-wavelength light reflective film reflects long-wavelength light having a wavelength longer than that of EUV light and absorbs the EUV light. The mask pattern is formed by an absorption film which is arranged on the upper side of the long-wavelength light reflective film and absorbs the EUV light and the long-wavelength light. A substrate on which resist is coated are set in the EUV exposure apparatus. Exposure light reflected by the photomask is irradiated to the substrate, and a light amount distribution of the long-wavelength light irradiated to the substrate is measured on the basis of an exposure amount of the exposure light irradiated to the substrate.

With advancements in miniaturization of semiconductor integrated circuits, for example, manufacturing using an EUV (Extreme Ultra-Violet) exposure apparatus which uses a wavelength shorter than that used in an ArF exposure apparatus has been studied to manufacture micro circuits with a circuit line width of less than 40 nm. An EUV light source with a center wavelength of 13.5 nm has also been developed. For the EUV exposure apparatus, there is no appropriate lens material (high transmittance, high refractive index difference) for forming a dioptric system, and the transmittance in the air is bad, so it is necessary to use reflective optics and a reflective mask in vacuum.
Further, there is no single layer material having a high reflectance with respect to an EUV wavelength. Therefore, reflectance of all reflection mirrors and a mask used in EUV exposure are improved by forming a multilayer film made of at least two types of different materials (for example, Mo, Si, and the like) satisfying Bragg reflection condition on the surfaces thereof.
However, in the EUV exposure, a maximum reflectance of the reflection mirrors is about 70% per reflection mirror. Therefore, considering the number of reflection mirrors required in an EUV optical system (for example, about 15 reflection mirrors), a ratio of an amount of light irradiated onto a wafer to an amount of initial EUV light is (0.7)^15=0.47%. Thus, how to increase an output of light source and how to improve light transmission efficiency are important technical objects.
There are a discharge produced plasma type EUV light source and a laser produced plasma type EUV light source. As plasma species, Xe, Sn, or the like are used. Besides the EUV light, light with various wavelengths (so called "outband" components) is generated from plasma. There is little chromatic dispersion in reflective optics, so an amount of light attenuated by reflectance corresponding to each wavelength reaches a mask and a wafer. An EUV resist has photosensitive characteristics for a DUV (Deep Ultra Violet) wavelength (100 nm to 299 nm), so there is concern that DUV light affects pattern transfer characteristics.
As one of methods for highly accurately evaluating how outband components such as DUV light are distributed in an exposure area, there is a method in which a light amount monitor for measuring DUV light is mounted on a wafer stage or a mask stage. However, when using this method, configuration of the apparatus is complicated and it takes time and effort to measure the DUV light. Therefore, it is desired that outband components such as DUV light are easily evaluated.

Exposure amount evaluation method and photomask


An imaging device is provided which includes a solid-state imaging device that includes a plurality of pixels arranged in a form of a two-dimensional (2D) matrix, and outputs pixel signals corresponding to subject light incident on the plurality of pixels, and a plurality of image-acquiring units that acquire the pixel signals output from the solid-state imaging device, and output image data corresponding to the acquired pixel signals, wherein each of the plurality of image-acquiring units acquires pixel signals of one of divisional imaging regions obtained by dividing an imaging region in which all pixels arranged in the solid-state imaging device image the subject light by the number of image-acquiring units, and outputs image data corresponding to the acquired pixel signal of the divisional imaging region as divisional image data.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an imaging device.
Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-281277, filed Dec. 25, 2012, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of Related Art
A general imaging device such as a digital still camera or video camera includes an image-acquiring unit that acquires a pixel signal output from a solid-state imaging device and the remaining components. For example, an imaging device is configured such that an image-acquiring unit and the remaining components are connected to a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) that temporarily stores data via a data bus (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2010-199880A). Further, when photography is performed with the imaging device, the image-acquiring unit transfers image data according to a pixel signal acquired from a solid-state imaging device to the DRAM via the data bus and causes the image data to be stored (written) in the DRAM. Further, when photography is performed with the imaging device, the remaining components read the image data stored in the DRAM and respective corresponding processes.
Each of the image-acquiring unit and the remaining components equipped in the imaging device includes a direct memory access-interface (DMA-IF) used to exchange data with direct memory access (DMA). Each DMA-IF includes a memory such as a static random access memory (SRAM) as an internal data buffer.
In the past, imaging devices having a constitution in which a plurality of image-processing units that perform image processing on image data which has been acquired from a solid-state imaging device and then stored (written) in a DRAM by an image-acquiring unit are provided, and the image-processing units perform image processing in parallel have been put to practical use. In the imaging device including the plurality of image-processing units, as image data stored in the DRAM is simultaneously subjected to image processing, a function of simultaneously performing shooting of different types or different sizes (angles of view) is implemented. Examples of a function of simultaneously performing shooting of different types or different sizes (angles of view) include a function of shooting a still image while shooting a moving image and a function of shooting a wide-angle (wide) moving image and a telescopic (tele) moving image.
For example, an imaging device that simultaneously shoots a moving image and a still image includes a still image-processing unit and a moving image-processing unit. The still image-processing unit performs image processing on image data of an overall region to be imaged by the solid-state imaging device. The moving image-processing unit performs image processing on image data of a region smaller than that in the still image-processing unit.
Further, for example, an imaging device that simultaneously shoots a wide-angle image and a telescopic image includes a wide-angle image-processing unit and a telescopic image-processing unit. The wide-angle image-processing unit performs image processing on image data of an overall region to be imaged by the solid-state imaging device. Further, the telescopic image-processing unit performs image processing on image data of a telescopic region partially clipped from an overall region to be imaged by the solid-state imaging device.
Further, in recent years, solid-state imaging devices that simultaneously output a plurality of pixel signals, for example, pixel signals of two pixels adjacent in a horizontal direction or pixel signals of two pixels adjacent in a vertical direction, have been put to practical use.
Furthermore, an imaging device in which a plurality of image-processing units are provided to reduce a load of image processing to be performed on image data corresponding to a pixel signal acquired from a solid-state imaging device has been disclosed, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2010-103935A. In the technique disclosed in "2010-103935A", one of the image-processing units first sequentially reads accumulated image data and performs image processing while sequentially accumulating image data corresponding to one frame at the time of continuous shooting. Then, when the remaining capacity of the buffer memory is small, another image-processing unit is activated, and the two image-processing units alternately read image data stored in the buffer memory and perform image processing in parallel.

Imaging device dividing imaging region into first divided image data and second divided image data


An apparatus for detecting failures in an illumination device includes at least two light emitting diodes connected in series. The apparatus includes a first, a second, and a third circuit node for interfacing the illumination device such that the voltage drop across at least two light emitting diodes is applied between the first and the second circuit node and a fraction of the voltage drop is applied between the second and the third circuit node. An evaluation unit is coupled to the first, the second, and the third circuit node and configured to assess whether the electric potential present at the third circuit node is within a pre-defined range of tolerance about a nominal value that is defined as a pre-defined fraction of the potential difference present between the first and the second circuit node.

Illumination devices (e.g., lamps) that comprise light emitting diodes (LEDs) as luminescent components usually can not simply be connected to a voltage supply but have to be driven by special driver circuits (or control circuits) providing a defined load current to the LEDs in order to provide a desired radiant power (radiant flux). Since a single LED exhibits only small forward voltages (from about 1.5 V for infrared GaAs LEDs ranging up to 4 V for violet and ultraviolet InGaN LEDs) compared to commonly used supply voltages (for example, 12 V, 24 V and 42 V in automotive applications) several LEDs are connected in series to form so-called LED chains.
In many applications it is desirable to have a fault detection included in the driver circuits (or control circuits) that allows for detecting defective LEDS in the LED chains connected to the driver circuit. An LED can be regarded as a two-terminal network. A defective LED becomes manifest in either an open circuit or a short circuit between the two terminals. If one LED of a LED chain fails as an open circuit this is easy to detect since the defective LED interrupts the current for the whole LED chain. If one LED of a LED chain fails as a short circuit only the defective LED stops radiating which in some applications might not be a problem. However, other applications require the radiant power to stay within a narrow range.
Thus there is a general need for a circuit arrangement capable of detecting faults within a LED chain including short circuit defects.

Failure detection for series of electrical loads


An image processing apparatus which is capable of restraining operation that does not comply with security policies even in a case where security policies are changed through setting of user modes. The security policies are set in advance in the image processing apparatus. The image processing apparatus has a UI operation unit that enables operation on the image processing apparatus. When settings of the image processing apparatus are changed via the UI operation unit, it is verified whether or not the changed settings match the security policies. Operation of the image processing apparatus is restrained until it is verified that the changed settings match the security policies.

Some recent multifunctional peripherals have a file service function of not only simply printing image data and transmitting image data via a network but also providing image data to a personal computer (PC).
On the other hand, PCs and server devices (such as file servers and authentication servers) connected to a network in an office and so on are required to operate in accordance with security policies determined with respect to each office. As with PCs, server devices, and so on, multifunctional peripherals are required to comply with security policies. Here, security policies mean constraints imposed in terms of security so as to prevent unauthorized use of devices at offices and information leakage, such as requiring user authentication in operating devices and requiring encryption of communication paths.
In conventional multifunctional peripherals, an administrator can configure some operation settings (hereafter referred to as user modes) of the device so that the device can be operated in accordance with the above-mentioned security policies.
However, conventional setting using user modes requires a plurality of setting items to be correctly set, and when they are not correctly set, operation that does not comply with security policies is virtually permitted, and this may compromise office security.
Accordingly, there has been proposed a system in which not only user modes but also security policies are externally set, and at startup, the security polices and the user modes (security setting unit) are compared with each other, and as a result, only when it is determined that the settings comply with the security policies, startup is permitted (see, for example, PTL (Patent Literature) 1).

Image processing apparatus that operates according to security policies, control method therefor, and storage medium