Fast congestion detection is implemented in a wireless radio access network (RAN) to mitigate congestion by classifying bearers into bearer types using bearer metrics and monitoring bearers for type specific anomalies to obtain anomaly data. Congestion is detected based on the anomaly data to obtain congestion information that is exported to a network node to mitigate network congestion. Bearer metrics include radio link protocol (RLC) buffer size information, physical resource block (PRB) utilization information, and transmission burst interval information. The transmission burst interval information includes information on time intervals between successive time periods when a RLC buffer is empty. The bearers are classified into Type I and Type II bearers. Type I bearers are bearers displaying bursty data transfer behavior, and Type II bearers are bearers displaying a continuous stream of data transfer behavior.

Field of the Invention
Example embodiments relate generally to a system and method for congestion detection that is capable of more quickly identifying congestion within a wireless radio access network (RAN) in order to mitigate network congestion.
Related Art
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional 3rd Generation Partnership Project Long-Term Evolution (3GPP LIE) network 10. The network 10 includes an Internet Protocol (IP) Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) 100 and an IP Packet Data Network (IP-PDN) 1001. The IP-CAN 100 generally includes: a serving gateway (SGW) 101; a packet data network (PDN) gateway (PGW) 103; a policy and charging rules function (PCRF) 106; a mobility management entity (MME) 108 and E-UTRAN Node B (eNB) 105 (i.e., base station, for the purposes herein the terms base station and eNB are used interchangeably). Although not shown, the IP-PDN 1001 portion of the EPS may include application or proxy servers, media servers, email servers, etc.
Within the IP-CAN 100, the eNB 105 is part of what is referred to as an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (EUTRAN), and the portion of the IP-CAN 100 including the SGW 101, the PGW 103, the PCRF 106, and the MME 108 is referred to as an Evolved Packet Core (EPC). Although only a single eNB 105 is shown in FIG. 1, it should be understood that the EUTRAN may include any number of eNBs. Similarly, although only a single SGW, PGW and MME are shown in FIG. 1, it should be understood that the EPC may include any number of these core network elements.
The eNB 105 provides wireless resources and radio coverage for one or more user equipments (UEs) 110. That is to say, any number of UEs 110 may be connected (or attached) to the eNB 105. The eNB 105 is operatively coupled to the SGW 101 and the MME 108.
The SGW 101 routes and forwards user data packets, while also acting as the mobility anchor for the user plane during inter-eNB handovers of UEs. The SGW 101 also acts as the anchor for mobility between 3rd Generation Partnership Project Long-Term Evolution (3GPP LTE) and other 3GPP technologies. For idle UEs 110, the SGW 101 terminates the downlink data path and triggers paging when downlink data arrives for UEs 110.
The PGW 103 provides connectivity between UE 110 and the external packet data networks (e.g., the IP-PDN) by being the point of entry/exit of traffic for the UE 110. As is known, a given UE 110 may have simultaneous connectivity with more than one PGW 103 for accessing multiple PDNs.
The PGW 103 also performs policy enforcement, packet filtering for UEs 110, charging support, lawful interception and packet screening, each of which are well-known functions. The PGW 103 also acts as the anchor for mobility upon SGW relocation during handovers within LTE network, as well as between 3GPP and non-3GPP technologies, such as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) and 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2 (code division multiple access (CDMA) 1× and Enhanced Voice Data Optimized (EvDO)).
Still referring to FIG. 1, eNB 105 is also operatively coupled to the MME 108. The MME 108 is the control-node for the EUTRAN, and is responsible for idle mode UE 110 paging and tagging procedures including retransmissions. The MME 108 is also responsible for choosing a particular SGW for a UE during initial attachment of the UE to the network, and during intra-LTE handover involving Core Network (CN) node relocation. The MME 108 authenticates UEs 110 by interacting with a Home Subscriber Server (HSS), which is not shown in FIG. 1.
Non Access Stratum (NAS) signaling terminates at the MME 108, and is responsible for generation and allocation of temporary identities for UEs 110. The MME 108 also checks the authorization of a UE 110 to camp on a service provider's Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), and enforces UE 110 roaming restrictions. The MME 108 is the termination point in the network for ciphering/integrity protection for NAS signaling, and handles security key management.
The MME 108 also provides control plane functionality for mobility between LTE and 2G/3G access networks with an S3 type of interface from the SGSN (not shown) terminating at the MME 108.
The Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) 106 is the entity that makes policy decisions and sets charging rules. It has access to subscriber databases and plays a role in the 3GPP architecture as specified in 3GPP TS 23.203 "Policy and Charging Control Architecture."
FIG. 2 illustrates a conventional E-UTRAN Node B (eNB) 105. The eNB 105 includes: a memory 225; a processor 210; a scheduler 215; wireless communication interfaces 220; radio link control (RLC) buffers 230 for each bearer; and a backhaul interface 235. The processor or processing circuit 210 controls the function of eNB 105 (as described herein), and is operatively coupled to the memory 225 and the communication interfaces 220. While only one processor 210 is shown in FIG. 2, it should be understood that multiple processors may be included in a typical eNB 105. The functions performed by the processor may be implemented using hardware. Such hardware may include one or more Central Processing Units (CPUs), digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific-integrated-circuits, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) computers or the like. The term processor, used throughout this document, may refer to any of these example implementations, though the term is not limited to these examples. With a Virtual Radio Access Network (VRAN) architecture various functions eNB components may be distributed across multiple processing circuits and multiple physical nodes within VRAN cloud.
The eNB 105 may include one or more cells or sectors serving UEs 110 within individual geometric coverage sector areas. Each cell individually may contain elements depicted in FIG. 2. Throughout this document the terms eNB, cell or sector shall be used interchangeably.
Still referring to FIG. 2, the communication interfaces 220 include various interfaces including one or more transmitters/receivers connected to one or more antennas to wirelessly transmit/receive control and data signals to/from UEs 110, or via a control plane. Backhaul interface 235 is the portion of eNB 105 that interfaces with SGW 101, MME 108, other eNBs, or interface to other EPC network elements and/or RAN elements within IP-CAN 100. The scheduler 215 schedules control and data communications that are to be transmitted and received by the eNB 105 to and from UEs 110. The memory 225 may buffer and store data that is being processed at eNB 105, transmitted and received to and from eNB 105.
Every Transmission Time Interval (TTI), typically equal to 1 millisecond, the scheduler 215 may allocate a certain number of Physical Resource Blocks (PRBs) to different bearers carrying data over the wireless link in the Downlink direction (i.e., transmitting buffered data, located in buffer 230, from eNB 105 to UE 110) and Uplink direction (i.e., receiving data at eNB 105 from UE 110, which is received over backhaul 235, and placed in buffer 230). A "bearer" may be understood to be a virtual link, channel, or data flow used to exchange information for one or more applications on the UE 110. The scheduler 215 may determine Modulation and Coding Schema (MCS) that may define how many bits of information may be packed into the allocated number of PRBs. The latter is defined by the 3GPP TS36.213 tables 184.108.40.206-1 and 22.214.171.124.1-1 (the contents of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety), which presents a lookup table for a number of bits of data that may be included in PRBs sent per TTI for a given allocated number of PRBs and a MCS value. MCS is computed by the scheduler using Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) values reported by the UE 110 that in turn may be derived from measured UE 110 wireless channel conditions in the form of Signal to Interference and Noise Ratio (SINR).
Scheduler 215 may make PRB allocation decisions based upon a Quality of Service (QoS) Class Identifier (QCI), which represents traffic priority hierarchy. There are nine QCI classes currently defined in LTE, with 1 representing highest priority and 9 representing the lowest priority. QCIs 1 to 4 are reserved for Guaranteed Bitrate (GBR) classes for which the scheduler maintains certain specific data flow QoS characteristics. QCIs 5 to 9 are reserved for various categories of Best Effort traffic.
While the scheduler 215 operations are not standardized, there are certain generic types of schedulers that are generally accepted. Examples include strict priority scheduler (SPS) and proportional weighted fair share scheduler (PWFSS). Both types try to honor GBR needs first by allocating dedicated resources to meet whenever possible the GBR bearer throughput constraints while leaving enough resources to maintain certain minimal data traffic for non-GBR classes. The SPS allocates higher priority classes with the resources that may be needed (except for a certain minimal amount of resources to avoid starving lower priority classes), and lower priority classes generally receive the remaining resources. The PWFSS gives each non-GBR QCI class certain weighted share of resources that may not be exceeded unless unutilized resources are available.
Cell congestion in the wireless RANs of LTE (and other technologies) present significant challenges in quality of experience (QoE) degradation for mobile users. While an increase in mobile video traffic is one of the main contributors to cell congestions, QoS degradation due to the congestion may also be drastic for mobile video users. Fast congestion detection is therefore an important but difficult challenge. While standard 3GPP TR23.705 discusses a variety of standardization options for reporting and managing congestion in the wireless RAN and core to combat QoE issues, 3GPP TR23.705 and other related standards do not describe an actual process for detecting congestion.
Fast (within seconds) congestion detection is particularly important in providing opportunities for significant improvement in congestion mitigation and reduction in the end user QoE impact. However, providing such fast detection can be challenging. Existing congestion detection mechanisms utilizing monitoring that is external to eNB traffic may not detect congestion quickly enough, as this type of detection may require a time period of 1 minute or longer before congestion is detected. This length of delay in detection time will generally adversely impact the end user QoE, especially in the case of mobile video applications.
Existing mechanisms of cell congestion detection using the measures such as UE throughput, a number of UEs being served, or percentage of cell load, may not be adequate, for the following reasons. Detecting cell congestion based upon UE throughput is inadequate, since UE throughput in wireless networks is usually also a function of channel conditions, whereas cell congestion detection should not depend upon channel conditions of individual UEs. Detecting cell congestion based upon an increased number of active UEs being served is inadequate, as many UEs may be passing very light traffic and therefore this measure may not have a significant impact on an amount of throughput that an additional UE joining the cell may receive. Detecting cell congestion based upon an increased percentage of cell load is inadequate, as one or two users in an LTE network may fully load the cell due to amount of traffic that these users are monopolizing through heavy downloading, thereby skewing a true measure of cell congestion. Conventional network congestion end-to-end detection mechanisms based upon end-to-end packet loss or packet delay may cause too many false positives if used to detect cell congestion, due to variability of wireless channel conditions that also skew cell congestion detection.

System and method for mitigating network congestion using fast congestion detection in a wireless radio access network (RAN)


A refrigeration system includes an evaporator coil with a drain pan having alternative drain openings which receive movable primary and secondary drain plugs. A drain pan for use with horizontal A-coils is provided with alternative drain pan openings permitting a variety of configurations whereby the evaporator coil may be oriented in the space conditioning system in the most effective manner depending upon on-site conditions. A combination horizontal coil support and drainage duct with coil baffle provides a channel for effective communication of drainage fluid from the coil to the drain pan.

This invention relates to air-conditioning or refrigeration systems and more particularly to drainage systems for use with evaporator coils and support structure incorporated in space conditioning systems.
Conventional refrigeration systems employ a motor driven compressor, an evaporator for absorbing heat from a load, an expansion device for controlling flow of refrigerant into the evaporator, and a condenser for discharging heat from the system. A flow control device, comprising either a fixed capillary or orifice or a controllable expansion valve, varies the flow of refrigerant. Thus liquid refrigerant is admitted into the evaporator so that the heat absorbed from the load will warm the liquid refrigerant and evaporate the refrigerant.
Refrigeration systems are conventionally used with air conditioning systems which may be subject to variable conditions. For instance, the desired temperature of the space to be controlled may be selected to be higher or lower, the outdoor ambient temperature may vary, and thus the cooling load of the space to be controlled may vary depending upon variations of the building loads. Thus the loading of an air conditioning system can vary greatly.
During refrigeration operation, the evaporator coil will remove moisture from the air being conditioned as it passes thereover. A drainage pan and conduit system are provided to collect the condensate and remove the fluid from the system to a drainage system or other condensate receiving system. Generally at least one drain opening is provided in the drain pan and is connected to a conduit. Overflow and spillage occurs when the drain opening becomes clogged or otherwise obstructed. Often when the drain opening becomes partially obstructed drainage will settle and stand in the drain pan.

Drainage management system for refrigeration coil


A corner frame construction for a heat exchanger includes an elongated L-shaped member disposed between the top and bottom plates of the heat exchanger. The L-shaped member has a first leg extending parallel to a first edge of the media layers and a second leg extending perpendicular to the first leg and parallel to a second edge of the media layers. A first flange is connected to the first leg and extends inwardly toward the edge of the media layer and a second flange is connected to the second leg and extends inwardly toward a second edge of the media layer. A layer of flowable sealant is disposed along the length of the L-shaped member and is contact with both the first and second legs, the first and second media edges and the first and second flange members.

The present invention relates to heat exchangers and more specifically to a corner frame construction for use on a heat exchanger.
It is known to manufacture a heat exchanger by stacking a plurality of substantially rectangular media layers within a framework so that the open edges of the media layers are exposed and define two substantially normal air flow paths. The air flowing along these two flow paths is of different temperatures and heat is exchanged between the two.
In order to increase the efficiency of the heat exchanger, it is desirable that all of the air be forced through the air paths defined by the media layers and that leakage around the media layers be kept to a minimum.
In the past, corner constructions for such heat exchangers were of the type shown in FIG. 2 in which an elongated L-shaped member was provided at the corner and flowable sealant was disposed between the L-shaped member and the edges of the media layers. Typically, the heat exchanger media is a paper-like material which will expand and contract as it is exposed to different temperatures and humidities. This would result in the edges of the media layer pulling on the sealant and separating it from the L-shaped member. This would create a leak path for the air around the media layers and reduce the efficiency of the heat exchanger.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a corner construction that enhances the bonding surface for the sealant so as to prevent media and sealant separation from the corner member.


The apparatus comprises a cell block with fuel cells, a heat insulating jacket, an afterburner chamber between the jacket and the cell block, a prereformer for a combustion gas as well as an auxiliary heat source. The method comprises a start-up phase and a current-delivering operating state. Hot combustion gases which are fed into the apparatus or are produced there in an auxiliary burner form the auxiliary heat source during the start-up phase. The apparatus comprises a first and a second heat exchanger, for the preheating of air and for preheating the prereformer respectively. During the start-up phase air which is fed into the apparatus is preheated in the first heat exchanger by means of a mixture formed of hot combustion gas and exhaust air with the mixture being conducted separately from the air. Heat is supplied to the fuel cells with the preheated air. The exhaust air emerging from the cells is admixed to the hot combustion gas. In the second heat exchanger the prereformer is heated to the operating temperature with the hot combustion gas.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for operating an apparatus with fuel cells wherein the method includes a start-up phase and a current-delivering operating state as well as to an apparatus with which the method can be carried out.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A prereformer is integrated into an apparatus of this kind which is known from EP-A 0654 838. During the start-up phase, an auxiliary burner is used to heat up the prereformer on the one hand and the infed air is preheated in a channel system in the jacket on the other hand. Heat is supplied to the cell block with the preheated air. This supply of heat is not sufficient to heat the fuel cells to a minimum operating temperature of 850.degree. C. It is therefore necessary to feed combustion gas and air into the apparatus and allow it to burn in the afterburner chamber between the cell block and the jacket. Immediately after the beginning of the combustion, which must be ignited, large temperature gradients arise, through which the cells can be damaged.

Method for operating an apparatus with fuel cells


An electronic apparatus for measuring cumulative power-on time of an electronic device is provided with: a capability of measuring the power-on time of the device; a nonvolatile memory having at least three memory areas, each of these areas used to cumulatively store the measured power-on time; and a capability for accurately measuring the cumulative power-on time by comparing the data stored in the memory areas and selecting the information that is most closely repeated in the majority of those memory areas. Also, a method of measuring cumulative power-on time of an electronic device is provided which consists of the steps of: measuring the power-on time of the device; writing the measured power-on time in at least three areas of a nonvolatile memory; and accurately measuring the cumulative power-on time by comparing the data stored in the memory areas and selecting the information that is most closely repeated in the majority of those memory areas.

The present invention relates to an electronic device such as a video display device capable of measuring and displaying its cumulative operating time or the time that it has had power applied to it. An accurate measure and display of this power-on time can be invaluable information when servicing or troubleshooting the device. Also, it can assist in forecasting future spare parts requirements by providing information necessary to calculate their mean time between failures.
One way of obtaining this cumulative power-on information for a color video display device using a cathode-ray tube (CRT), for example, is to measure and update this information by writing it in a nonvolatile memory every 30 minutes, and then beginning a new measuring cycle. When needed, the accumulated measured values are read out from the nonvolatile memory and, if desired, used for calculating the life span of the device or for some other related service feature.
When the power-on time is periodically updated, for example every 30 minutes, such update must be written into the nonvolatile memory during a finite period of time. If for a variety of reasons, like a power surge or failure, an electric shock occurs in the nonvolatile memory, in the microcomputer or in the interconnecting signal lines during this finite period of time, erroneous information could be written into the nonvolatile memory resulting in the loss of this valuable cumulative power-on time information.

Electronic apparatus and method for measuring cumulative power-on time of an electronic device


The invention relates to a solution for interferometrically measuring the eye length and the anterior eye segment after the optical axis of the measuring system has been aligned with the optical axis of an eye. The device according to the invention for interferometrically measuring the eye length and the anterior eye segment consists of an illumination source, at least one interferometric measuring array with external reference, diverse optical imaging systems, and a control and evaluation unit. The illumination source has high spatial coherence and low coherence of time. Preferably, light is emitted by the illumination device from the NIR range, having a wavelength of 700-1000 nm, for example. Furthermore, an optical imaging system is arranged in front of the eye such that the illumination light impinges on the eye as a nearly collimated beam.

The optical axis of the eye is characterized by the straight line between the centers of curvature of refractive surfaces, while the visual axis refers to the axis extending from the "fovea centralis," through the nodal point of the eye, to the fixation object. If the various media are reduced by computation to a single medium having average refractive power and spherical curvature, a point in the eye may be indicated through which all beams pass uninterrupted. This point is referred to as the nodal point of the visual axes.
In all eyes, the visual axis generally deviates from the optical axis. This results, on the one hand, from aberrations of the eye, for example due to the fact that radii of curvature of the individual ocular media are not uniform, the lens of the eye is tilted, the retina is not situated in the focus of the lens of the eye, and many other factors. On the other hand, when the eye is aligned with an object, an attempt is made to image this object to the greatest extent possible in the fovea, which is the area of sharpest vision.
Although the alignment of the eye plays no role in many examinations in ophthalmology, at least the knowledge of its orientation with respect to the opthalmological device is absolutely necessary, not only for treatment, but also for measurement, of the eye.
The measurement of various parameters of an eye is necessary in particular prior to a surgical procedure for substituting an artificial lens of the eye (intraocular lens (IOL)) when clouding of the natural lens (cataract) is present. To ensure optimal vision after the procedure, these parameters must be determined with sufficiently high accuracy to subsequently allow a suitable replacement lens to be selected based on the determined measured values. The most important parameters to be determined include, among others, the axis length (distance from the cornea to the retina), the corneal curvature and refractive power, and the length of the anterior chamber (distance from the cornea to the lens of the eye).
Thus, for carrying out measurements on the eye it is advantageous for the optical axis of the opthalmological measuring system and the optical axis of the eye to be measured to be aligned with one another. In measurements according to the principle of short coherence interferometry, it may thus be ensured that the weak light components reflected from the boundary surfaces of the cornea and the lens reach the detector with adequate signal intensity and produce a measurable interference contrast.
The major technological advantage of OCT is the decoupling of the depth resolution from the transverse resolution. The depth resolution is determined only by the utilized bandwidth of the light source used. Common bandwidths are in the range of several nanometers to over one hundred nanometers, and when measuring radiation in the near infrared is used, 700-1350 nm. The depth resolutions thus achievable are in the range of 3-100 μm. In contrast to microscopy, the three-dimensional structure of the object to be examined may thus be detected, even when the numerical aperture, for example for small pupils in nondilated eyes, is greatly limited.
The purely reflective, and therefore contactless, measurement allows the generation of microscopic images of living tissue (in vivo). The wavelength of the measuring radiation to be used is determined by the desired application, taking into account the wavelength-dependent tissue absorption and back-scattering. If the ocular fundus, for example, is to be measured, in particular radiation in the range of 690-900 nm or 960-1100 nm is suitable, and for the anterior portion of the eye, for example radiation in the range of 1260-1360 nm is suitable.
Various approaches are known according to the prior art for interferometrically measuring the eye length and/or the anterior portion of the eye.
Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 7,380,939 B2 describes an approach for interferometric measurement of the anterior portion of the eye according to the so-called "dual beam" principle. This method requires careful adjustment of the measuring device and a targeted setting of the viewing direction of the patient. For this purpose, the eye is illuminated by a convergent beam bundle and aligned with the optical axis of the measuring system by generating directional stimuli and accommodation stimuli by use of a display which is reflected into the beam path. In clinical practice, adjusting these conditions is time-consuming, and with uncooperative patients is sometimes not possible at all.
An alternative approach is described in WO 2007/053971 A1, in which, instead of the reflected light resulting on the boundary surfaces in the eye, uses volume-scattered light which is back-scattered in a fairly large angular range. The volume-scattered light is usually detected in a diffraction-limited manner. This may preferably be carried out using optical single-mode fibers. However, the usable signal intensity is dependent on the scattering properties of the ocular media, and is generally much smaller than the directly reflected signal components. Patients who have already received an artificial lens cannot be measured in this manner.
A device is known from DE 198 57 001 A1 which may be used for contactless measurement of the eye length, corneal curvature, and depth of the anterior chamber. The axis length is determined interferometrically, the corneal curvature is determined by image processing based on reflected images from measuring marks projected onto the cornea at a certain angle, and the depth of the anterior chamber is determined from the evaluation of the back-scattering of slitted illumination of the lens of the eye. The described measurement of the depth of the anterior chamber does not function for pseudophakic eyes, since the implanted intraocular lenses (IOL) generally have no scattering effect.
For the measurement, the eye must be aligned in such a way that its optical axis coincides with the measuring axis of the device. To this end, collimated fixation light is directed onto the patient along a fixed (coaxial) axis, and is coupled via a mirror for the eye to be measured. An angle between the visual axis of the patient and the measuring axis of the test assembly is set using a scanning mirror.
Interferometric methods for measuring the eye length according to the "dual beam" principle are characterized by a high degree of suppression of axial motion artifacts. However, in order to record measuring variables in the anterior portion of the eye, such as the depth of the anterior chamber, lens thickness, etc. using the same method, there is the problem that light reflected from the particular boundary surface must be spatially superimposed on the reference reflection (usually the corneal reflection) in such a way that the interference of the partial beams is measurable. Due to the tilting of the lens of the eye which frequently occurs in humans, and thus the tilting of the visual axis with respect to the optical axis, the reflections of the various boundary surfaces generally are not situated on the same axis, and therefore cannot interfere with one another.
When the deviation of the optical axis from the measuring axis is in the range of 1° (for example, as the result of fixation problems or nystagmus), the reflections from the cornea and lens may no longer be superimposed, so that no interference measuring signal results when the "dual-beam" principle is used. The measurement is therefore very sensitive to tilting of the eye of the patient. In addition, the fixation light always appears to the patient at an infinite point, which may prove to be disadvantageous. The position of the optical axis is sought by tilting the scanning mirror in two mutually orthogonal directions until all measuring signals from the cornea and lens may be detected at the same time. This method is extremely time-consuming, and also does not provide the desired results in all patients. This method is laborious for use in everyday clinical practice.

Device for interferometrically measuring the eye length and the anterior eye segment


A fastener thread cleaning apparatus includes a first arm and a second arm each having a first end and a second end. The first and second arms are pivotally coupled together adjacent to the first ends to define a pair of jaws. An abutting side of each of the of the first and second arms is defined and abut each other when the pair of jaws is positioned in the closed position. Each of the of the abutting sides has a semi-circular depression therein. The depressions are alignable to define an aperture, which is threaded. The pair of jaws may be closed around a bolt to threadably engage the bolt with the aperture. The pair of jaws is positioned between a head and an end of the bolt and the bolt rotated to move the pair of jaws toward the end of the bolt.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cleaning devices and more particularly pertains to a new cleaning device for removing debris from the threads of a fastener such as a screw or bolt.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of cleaning devices is known in the prior art. While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the need remains for a device that is configured for removing debris from the threads of a bolt. In particular, the device should be configured for securely engaging a bolt so that the threads can be properly cleaned.


The present invention relates to a method and apparatus to permit a computer to manage its software load image. This operation takes place when the computer powers on and when a new software sub-system is dynamically loaded into an address space where a software load is already running. During the booting procedure, after the operating system has been initialized, software sub-systems are started. Typically the linker-loader module of the operating system resolves symbol references for each sub-system, allocates memory and then starts the sub-systems. The novel method involves the additional step of registering the sub-system in an in-memory location, herein designated as load description database, before starting the sub-system. Similarly, when a sub-system is removed from a computer, it registers with the load description database indicating that it has been removed. The result is that the load description database always reflects the sub-systems present on the computer at any given time. The invention also provides a machine-readable medium comprising a program element to implement the load image management process.

Computers, particularly server units, may have several active software sub-systems in memory at one time. These software sub-systems are managed using what is commonly called a software load image. The software load image describes the software sub-systems in the software load of a computer.
Difficulties are frequently encountered when managing these software loads. The first problem occurs because of the way in which software loads are created and packaged. Commonly, when a software load is created, many sub-systems are included which are not required in all configurations and hence are considered to be optional. The second problem occurs because the software load of a computer is often dynamic in nature. For example, during the operating period of a computer, some software modules may be removed and some may be added. The exact set of software modules in a load image is therefore difficult to manage especially when there are large numbers of optional software modules and when sub-systems are added or removed.
A common solution to this problem is to package all software sub-systems, including optional sub-systems, in a single load image and then enable only the optional sub-systems required using a key. This will permit storing a single image while allowing a large number of possible combinations through the use of the key. Using this solution, if a sub-system is dynamically added inito the load after the system is up and running, the load image can be updated by changing the key. However, although this solution works, a large section of the computer memory and/or hard disk is taken up by disabled software, which is clearly inefficient.
Another common solution to this problem is to build custom software loads where the customizing happens by having a specific subset of all possible optional software sub-systems build into the software load. Each of the custom software loads is then associated with a load identifier. These load identifiers are then stored in a load table in a memory device. A load table typically contains an entry for each possible permutation of the software load optional sub-systems. For example, a software product with four (4) optional sub-systems has 16 possible permutations and load table entries while a software product with six (6) optional sub-systems has 64 permutations and load table entries. The number of permutations is computed by the following equation: ##EQU1## where n is the number of optional sub-systems and ##EQU2## are the binomial coefficients. This number of permutations is potentially the number of load table entries needed for the optional sub-systems. As shown in equation 1, this number increases exponentially with the number of optional sub-systems yielding a large number of load identifiers that must be stored and managed. In addition, requesting the load image of a computer often involves a configuration management entity that coordinates the access to the software load table. In a typical interaction, a system management unit queries a computing node that is remote from the system management unit, requesting to know what software sub-systems are in its load, The computing node locates its load identifier and returns it to the system management unit. Following this, the system management unit sends a message to a configuration management unit that may also be also remote from the system management unit, requesting the load image associated to the Load. The system configuration management unit searches a load table for the entry with the corresponding Load and returns the load image to the system management unit. In addition to having large storage requirements for the software load table, this method does not allow to easily modify the software load image when adding software sub-systems. In effect, if a new sub-system is dynamically added into the load after the system is up and running the load image is no longer accurate. The implication is to have either an inaccurate load image or to search for the load identifier that suits the revised combination which is impractical even for a small number of optional modules.
Thus, there exists a need in the industry to provide an improved method and apparatus to permit computing devices to manage a software load image particularly well suited to software load with a large number of optional sub-systems and permitting the load image to be dynamically updated, particularly when sub-systems are being activated.

Process and apparatus for managing a software load image


A method for automated extraction of surface primitives from seismic data is presented. A preferred embodiment of the method includes defining, typically with sub-sample precision, positions of seismic horizons through an extrema representation of a 3D seismic input volume; deriving coefficients that represent the shape of the seismic waveform in the vicinity of the extrema positions; sorting the extrema positions into groups that have similar waveform shapes by applying classification techniques with the coefficients as input attributes using unsupervised or supervised classification based on an underlying statistical class model; and extracting surface primitives as surface segments that are both spatially continuous along the extrema of the seismic volume and continuous in class index in the classification volume. Three primary applications of the surface primitives are described: combining surface primitives into complete horizon interpretations; defining closed volumes within the seismic volume as the closure of vertically arranged surface primitives; or estimating fault displacement based on the surface primitives. A related computer system and computer program product for implementing the method are also described.

Formation layers, lithological boundaries, sedimentary bedding, etc. in the underground can be defined through the interfaces between different lithologies, which produce seismic reflections due to impedance contrasts. These seismic reflections are referred to as seismic horizons, and interpretation of seismic horizons plays an important role in the structural characterization of 3D seismic data. Seismic horizons are commonly interpreted as being located along minimum, maximum, or zero crossing values in a seismic volume, and interpretations can be obtained by manual or automatic extraction of such surfaces. Structurally complex regions are a challenge to existing interpretation procedures, both automated and manual. For the manual interpreter, structural complexity produces ambiguities, and the interpretation process can become very time consuming. The continuity constraint incorporated by most automated algorithms may fail to hold. In particular, automatic continuation of an interpretation across faults is a challenge.
The present invention addresses this problem by laterally detecting and combining horizon segments having similar seismic waveforms. The mapping is not restricted to spatial continuity in the position of the seismic horizon, but instead determines possible lateral continuations based on similarity of signal shape. The inventive method represents waveforms as coefficients, typically seismic derivatives, that can be used to reconstruct the seismic trace in the vicinity of the extrema positions, such as by utilizing Taylor series expansions. The term "extrema" as used throughout this patent application includes any characteristics of seismic traces that can be used to track the positions of seismic horizons, such as minimum values, maximum values, zero-crossing values, midpoints between zero-crossing values and maximum or minimum values, etc. Derivatives that can be used in the Taylor series reconstruction and sub-sample accuracy extrema positions can be calculated based on orthogonal polynomial spectral decompositions of the seismic traces, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,240,370, issued May 29, 2001 to Lars Sønneland et al.
The lateral continuations of horizons can be exploited to automatically estimate fault displacement, with a spatially varying displacement offset along the fault plane. Fault displacement influences the connectivity of hydrocarbon bearing lithologies, and assessment of the displacement provides an improved description of a reservoir. The present invention can calculate the displacement along pre-interpreted fault planes, for example fault planes that have been extracted from the seismic data using the methodology described in U.K. patent GB 2,375,448 B issued Oct. 15, 2003 to Schlumberger Holdings Limited.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method of processing and interpreting seismic data. In one embodiment, this involves extracting surface primitives, and grouping extrema positions where these surface primitives are both spatially continuous along the extrema of the seismic volume and are continuous in class index in the classification volume.


A new and improved serving utensil is provided. The serving utensil may include a pair of elongated arms integrally formed together, or joined together by a hinge. Each elongated arm may comprise an elongated member, having an upper edge and an opposing lower edge, integrally connected to a gripping portion at its distal end and handle portions extending upwardly from the elongated member and having a concave or curvilinear shape. The serving utensil may further include a pair of guard members integrally connected to, and extending perpendicularly outward from, the pair of elongated arms.

When serving food, such as at a buffet or salad bar, various implements or serving utensils for handling food are utilized to grasp or collect a portion of food and prevent the hand of a user from coming into contact with and contaminating the food being served. Furthermore, although traditional serving utensils should prevent the food from being contaminated by dirty hands, more often than not the serving utensils are often placed by the user inside the serving container on top of the food causing the serving utensils to become covered with the food in the serving container. As a result, any dirt, germs, bacteria, etc. transferred onto the serving utensils by the hands of the user, or by any other means, contaminates the food in the serving container.
Additionally, with conventional serving utensils, there is no protection against the hand of a user becoming immersed in the contents of the serving container while the user is grasping or collecting the food in the serving container. As a result, any dirt, germs, bacteria, etc. on the hand of the user may be transferred directly to the contents of the serving container. Furthermore, the hand of the user becomes soiled with the contents of the serving container.
In view of the foregoing, what is needed are serving utensils that avoid these drawbacks and have a guard or shield which prevents the hand of a user from becoming soiled, as well as prevents the hand of the user from contaminating the contents of the serving container.


An apparatus for controlling outputting of web data including: a receiving section (2) for receiving direction information of a direction to output web data, which direction information has been issued by a user; a web data obtaining section (3) for obtaining the web data that is processed into a web page which the user wishes to output on the basis of said direction information received in said receiving section (2); an output data creating section (4) for creating output data by extracting beneficial web data that is of benefit to the user from the obtained web data; and an output controlling section (5) for controlling the output device (15) to output the output data created by said output data creating section. With this apparatus for controlling outputting of web data, when web data processed into a web page provided on the Internet is to be output from the output device, it is possible for a user to obtain the output data in the convenient form to the user.

The Internet includes a great number of computers communicably connected to each other. Information transferring and communication such as disclosure of web pages (home pages) that make use of an information dissemination system called WWW (world wide web), information exchange on news groups, and file distribution via FTP (file transfer protocol) in addition to e-mail intercommunication via e-mail, are performed over the Internet.
In recent years, electronic-commerce has also been carried out over the Internet. Further, the Internet deals with not only audio data that can be electrically distributed but also books requiring delivery by physical distribution. For example, a user refers to a catalog listing commodities in the form of a web page on the Internet and then purchases a desired commodity.
On the WWW, information (hereinafter called web data) processed into web pages is managed by a web server. When a user requests to browse a web page using a browser, the web server provides the user with the web data corresponding to the requested web page in response to the request. The user displays the provided web page on the monitor of a computer using software (browser) for browsing web pages, such as Netscape Navigator (brand name) or Microsoft Internet Explorer (brand name), or prints the web page on paper or the like using a print-output function equipped with the browser.
If the web data that the user has requested is a file described in an electronic document language called PDF (portable document format), a user at first downloads the PDF file from a data server arranged on the Internet and then displays/prints the downloaded PDF file using a dedicated application such as Adobe Acrobat Reader (brand name). Thereby the user obtains substantially the same output result as that displayed on the monitor.
However, such a conventional manner of outputting web data is not user friendly to deal with such data.
For example, a lot of pieces of web data generally have linkages to other web data in the form of hyperlinks, which often cause a complex hierarchical system of web data.
When particular web data is to be printed, a user may not obtain exactly the information required unless web data linked to that particular web data is printed.
Conversely, if all web data of the link destinations is printed, the printed results may include information unnecessary to the user, thereby wasting time and money. As a solution, a method has been proposed whereby only the web data a user truly requires is printed.
Further, when web data is to be printed on paper using a printer-output function of a browser, there is a problem that the printing result of the web data largely depends on the design of the web data to be printed.
For example, if a web page has white open-face characters displayed on a colored background is printed, the amount of ink consumption increases unnecessarily. Even if a background is white, letters in a pale color such as yellow have a low poor legibility and the printing result is therefore inconvenient for users.
When a user tries to directly read web data (a web page) displayed on a monitor, the user tends to comprehend the contents of the web data less when compared with reading the same web data printed on a medium, such as paper.
Especially, if the contents of the web data relate to logic (e.g., an academic article) and/or the contents are large in information volume, it is known that a user tends to comprehend the contents less. That's why the reading style of a user largely depends on the monitor. Additionally, lighting of the monitor and reflection on the monitor are considered as reasons.
If web data that a user wishes to use is in the form of a PDF file, downloading of the file from a server on the Internet requires a considerable length of time, thereby increasing communication cost. That boosts the cost to obtain the printing result. In addition, printing of a PDF file takes a disadvantageously long time.
The present invention is created with the foregoing problems in view. The object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for controlling outputting of web data and a method for outputting web data, in which, when web data processed into a web page provided on the Internet is to be output from an output device, unnecessary web data is not printed and a user can confirm an appearance image of the output data in advance so that the user can obtain the output web data in a form convenient to the user.

Apparatus for controlling outputting of web data and method for outputting web data


An adhesive composition suitable for a hot melt adhesive or hot melt pressure-sensitive adhesive, which comprises a block copolymer (a) and a tackifier (b), wherein said block copolymer (a) has at least one polymer block A being a hydrogenated butadiene polymer block having a 1,2-bond content of 20 mol % or less and at least one polymer block B substantially having an olefin polymer structure different from the polymer block A and having a glass transition temperature of -20.degree. C. or less and a heat of crystalline fusion of 8 cal/g or lower, and containing the polymer block A before hydrogenation in an amount of 3 to 80 wt. %.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an adhesive composition suitable for a hot melt adhesive or a hot melt type pressure-sensitive adhesive. The adhesives composition of the present invention exhibits excellent properties such as process stability, adhesion, creep resistance, flexibility at low temperature and solvent resistance so that it can be used in a variety of applications such as, for example, packaging, bookbinding, plywood construction, woodworking, making shoes, adhesion of textile goods and production of various adhesive goods such as various kinds of adhesive tapes and labels.
2. Description of the Background
Solvent type adhesives have been widely used in various applications. The solvent type adhesive has, however, the problems of air pollution, danger of a fire, worsening of the labor environment and industrial hygiene because it usually contains an organic solvent as the solvent. Recently, therefore, solvent-free adhesives have come to be used widely as a substitute for solvent type adhesives. Examples of solvent-free adhesives include aqueous adhesives and hot melt adhesives. Of these, hot melt adhesives are preferably used because they require no drying time or no drying apparatus, and provide excellent energy savings, as well as working properties and productivity.
Also, pressure-sensitive adhesives as a type of adhesive are known. Adhesive goods which have a layer of a pressure-sensitive applied to a base material such as tape, film or sheet of paper, cloth or plastic are used in a wide variety of applications as adhesive tapes, adhesive films and adhesive sheets. In the production of such adhesive goods having a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer, it is common practice to apply a solution of the pressure-sensitive adhesive in an organic solvent to a base material, and then remove the organic solvent, to form the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer on the base material. However, pressure-sensitive adhesives also present problems of air pollution, danger of fire and worsening of the labor environment and industrial hygiene, because of the use of an organic solvent. Under such circumstances, a solvent-free pressure-sensitive adhesive has been required from the viewpoints of safety, working properties and energy saving. To meet the above requirements, a hot melt pressure-sensitive adhesive, which can be applied to a base material without an organic solvent, has been developed.
For the hot melt adhesive and hot melt pressure-sensitive adhesive, a thermoplastic polymer, which can be melted by heating, is used as the base polymer. Examples of the base polymer used for the hot melt adhesive include ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers, ethylene-.alpha.-olefin copolymers, polyamides, polyesters and block copolymers comprising the polymer block of an aromatic vinyl compound and the polymer block of a conjugated diene such as styrene-butadiene-styrene block conjugated diene such as styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymer or styrene-isoprene-styrene block copolymer. Examples of the base polymer used for the hot, melt pressure-sensitive adhesive include ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers, block copolymers comprising the polymer block of an aromatic vinyl compound and the polymer block of a conjugated diene, and acrylate-based polymers.
Among the above-exemplified base polymers, an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer is used widely as a base polymer for hot melt adhesives or hot melt pressure-sensitive adhesive, because of its toughness, its good adhesion to various base materials such as paper, wood, plastics and metal, its good compatibility with other components (tackifier, wax, softening agent or the like) and its excellent hot melt flowability and thermal stability. However, the ethylene-vinylacetate copolymer has the problem that, because of its insufficient flexibility at low temperatures, the products which use a hot melt adhesive employing the ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer as the base polymer or adhesive goods having a layer of a hot melt pressure-sensitive adhesive employing the ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer as a base polymer are not suited for use at low temperatures.
Compared with the ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, polyamides and polyesters have lower compatibility with other components of an adhesive such as tackifiers, and, moreover, exhibit inferior handling properties and adhesion to various base materials.
A block copolymer, which is not hydrogenated, comprising the polymer block of an aromatic vinyl compound and the polymer block of a conjugated diene, on the other hand, has been used widely as a base polymer for a hot melt adhesive or hot melt pressure-sensitive adhesive because of its comparatively good adhesion and tackiness at room temperature. Such a block copolymer is, however, considerably inferior in its heat aging resistance and weatherability, because it contains an unsaturated carbon--carbon double bond derived from a conjugated diene in its molecule. A hydrogenated product of the block copolymer comprising the polymer block of an aromatic vinyl compound and the polymer block of a conjugated diene is sometimes used for a hot melt adhesive or hot melt pressure-sensitive adhesive as a base polymer with improved heat aging resistance and weatherability. Since such a hydrogenated block copolymer product cannot be applied to a base material at low temperature because of its high melt viscosity, it is difficult to apply the hydrogenated product to a base material having a low heat deformation temperature such as a polyethylene film or unwoven fabric made of polyethylene. In addition, the melt viscosity of the hydrogenated product changes significantly with only slight changes in temperature. Thus, the hydrogenated product possesses inferior process stability and is significantly limited in its processing conditions for the preparation of an adhesive composition comprising the hydrogenated product.

Hot melt adhesive composition comprising hydrogenated block copolymers


A forming tube for forming and reinforcing a concrete column includes a tubular lining and a fiber-reinforced composite shell. The tubular lining is made from a first material, and has inner and outer tubular surfaces. The inner tubular surface has a plurality of ridge units displaced from one another in a direction of an axis. Each ridge unit has a plurality of ridges displaced from one another in a circumferential direction. The fiber-reinforced composite shell is made from a second material different from the first material, and is configured to enclose the outer tubular surface. The fiber-reinforced composite shell is formed by winding a prepreg filament on the outer tubular surface, followed by curing the prepreg filament.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a FRP (Fiber-Reinforced Polymer) composite wrapped grooved-wall lining tubular structure and method of manufacturing.
2. Description of the Related Art
A steel-reinforced concrete structure is commonly used in a building structure. Because steel material is heavy and liable to corrode, many alternative reinforcement materials have been proposed. For example, a composite structural member has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,286 B1. The composite structural member includes a FRP shell and a concrete core. Ribs are formed on an inner surface of the FRP shell and may be concentric or helical continuing from one end of the fiber-reinforced shell to a desired depth so as to provide a mechanical bond interlock between the fiber-reinforced shell and the concrete core. The FRP shell is made by winding filaments which are pre-coated with resin or polymer binders (i.e., prepreg filaments) on a rotating mandrel, and curing the filaments. After curing, the FRP shell is removed from the rotating mandrel. In order to form the ribs on the inner surface of the FRP shell, the mandrel is formed with a pattern corresponding to the ribs. However, it is difficult to remove the FRP shell from the mandrel due to the presence of the ribs.
In addition, as the filaments are wound about a rotating axis of the mandrel, rather than along a direction of the rotating axis, the composite structural member is relatively weak along the direction of the rotating axis.

FRP composite wrapped grooved-wall lining tubular structure, and method of manufacturing


A power supply module adapted to supply power to a peripheral device includes a power supply and an output-structure detachably assembled to the power supply and electrically connected between the power supply and the peripheral device. The height of the output-structure relatively to the bottom portion of the power supply is adjustable and the power supply, output-structure and the peripheral device together form a concave combination-structure. As a result, by using a separated output-structure in the invention, the power supply is able to maneuverably adjust the interconnection position of the peripheral device and the power supply through the second circuit board. Meanwhile, the power supply has a larger usable space therein.

1. Field of the Utility Model
The present invention generally relates to a power supply module, and particularly, to a power supply module having an output-structure with adjustable height.
2. Description of Related Art
In the modern nowadays of developed electronics industry, various electronic devices are mostly accompanied by a power supply to provide power. In general, the main purpose of the power supply is to convert an AC (alternating current) into a stable DC power (direct current power) for the needs of various electronic devices.
FIG. 6 is a side-view diagram of a conventional power supply. Referring to FIG. 6, a power supply 600 has a circuit board 610 of a power supply module fixed in the casing 620 thereof and a goldfinger structure 612 extends out of the casing 620 available to electrically connect the connecting portion 310 of an external device 300 to the power supply 600. To adapt the variety or replacement need of the external device, the position of the connecting portion may vary, so that the goldfinger structure 612 must be adjustable to suit the height of the external electronic device. For example, when the height of the connecting portion after altering relatively to the bottom portion thereof is higher than the one shown in FIG. 6, the circuit board of the power supply should adjust the height accordingly. However, it is often to fail adjusting the corresponding height of the circuit board 610 limited by the dimension interference between the electronic components 630 on the circuit board 610 and the casing 620.
In other words, under a limited interior space condition of the casing 620, the goldfinger structure 612 is unable to adjust the relative position thereof along with the external device 300. In this regard, how to make the height of the goldfinger structure 612 conform the relative position of the external device 300 and meanwhile to take into account the usable space in the casing for accommodating the electronic components 630 has become an issue for the people skilled in the art to consider and resolve.


An oil-based composition for application to mucosal surfaces of the human body provides potent activators of cytoprotective antioxidants. The composition includes the following ingredients: soy oil; coconut oil; orange oil; peppermint oil; aloe vera oil; vitamin E; and may further include jojoba and a preservative. Application of the composition increases expression of antioxidant genes and inhibits proinflammatory action caused by exposure to oxidant pollutants, allergens and other cytotoxins.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a composition for application to mucosal surfaces of the human body and, more particularly, to an oil-based composition for protecting against oxidant related tissue inflammation.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Inflammation in the respiratory system related to tissue oxidant stress is common to a wide variety of airborne exposures and infections. Among well-described environmental exposures are the oxidant pollutants, ozone and nitrogen dioxide, ambient particulate matter, and cigarette smoke (1-6). Many acute and chronic inflammatory diseases of the airways are also associated with oxidant stress and include Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, chronic sinusitis, viral and bacterial infections, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (7-14). Evidence indicates that the upper respiratory system plays an important protective role in many of these types of challenges. In the case of chemical agents, this is achieved by the capture and neutralization of foreign agents in the inspired airstream, limiting their impact on lower airway structures (15). It has also been demonstrated that the nose can serve as a repository for inhaled viral and bacterial pathogens where they can be eliminated or held in check by immune defenses, thereby reducing the risk and/or severity of lower airway infections (16-19).
The effectiveness of the upper respiratory structures in carrying out these host defense activities would appear to depend, in part, upon their own antioxidant capabilities. However, little is known about mechanisms through which nasal antioxidant processes might be augmented and, if so, to what extent such augmentation would be effective as an intervention. As the primary cell of interface between the internal and external environments, the mucosal epithelial cell has long been the focus of much attention as a mediator of external stimuli and facilitator of both innate and acquired immune defenses in the respiratory tract (20, 21). Respiratory epithelial cells are known to initiate the release of a cascade of proinflammatory mediators through redox signaling (8, 22, 23). In addition, these cells have the capacity to exhibit up-regulation of very effective antioxidant defense mechanisms involving the secretion of decoy oxidant targets, as well as the synthesis of a broad spectrum of antioxidants (24, 25). Agents with the ability to enhance antioxidant pathways and interfere with proinflammatory signaling in the upper respiratory epithelial mucosa could enhance the protection afforded by these air passages.
The current studies were undertaken to determine if natural oils with purported antioxidant activities might represent a well-tolerated and potentially effective means through which to enhance inherent protective mechanisms in the nose. For these studies, the actions of a mixture of oils administered by aerosol spray were investigated in human subjects and in human epithelial cell culture systems. The goals were to determine the presence of abrogated pathophysiologic responsiveness in vivo in response to a controlled oxidant challenge in the nose and to develop an understanding of the mechanism through which such effects might be mediated.

Composition for controlling the respiratory effect of inhaled pollutants and allergens


A method and composition for treating colorectal cancer is disclosed. The method involves administering to a subject, a therapeutically effective amount of a morpholino antisense compound (i) having a nuclease-resistant backbone, (ii) capable of uptake by target cancer cells in the subject, (iii) containing between 10-40 nucleotide bases, and (iv) having a base sequence effective to hybridize to a region of processed or preprocessed human SNAIL RNA transcript.

The National Cancer Institute estimates 1,334,100 new cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed in the United States during 2003 and 556,500 people will die from the disease. Prostate and lung cancers are the leading cause of death in men while breast cancer and lung cancer are the leading cause of death in women. It is also estimated that 8.9 million Americans with a history of cancer were alive in 1999. Worldwide the mortality statistics are more dismal due, in part, to the lack of early diagnosis opportunities available in developing countries.
Despite advances in cancer treatment strategies, lack of efficacy and/or significant side effects due to the toxicity of currently used chemotherapeutic agents remain a problem. Drug toxicity can be severe enough to result in life threatening situations requiring administration of drugs to counteract side effects, and may result in the reduction or discontinuation of the chemotherapeutic agent. One of the major limitations to clinical use of cancer therapeutic agents is the development of resistance to the treatment. These drawbacks to current therapies impact negatively on the patient's treatment and quality of life and exemplify the need for new anticancer therapies.
The development of tumor malignancy, and particular, the progression from a primary tumor to a metastatic cancer, may involve alterations in a tumor cell's ability to adhere and communicate with neighboring cells and with its extracellular environment. Intercellular adhesion of epithelial cells during embryonic development and in adult tissues is mediated by the protein E-cadherin. E-cadherin is also implicated in the phenotypic transformation observed in epithelial tumors during their progression into invasive tumors. Expression of the protein E-cadherin may be reduced or abolished in the process of tumor cell invasion and this loss is associated with the progression to tumor malignancy. The modification of E-cadherin has also been associated with de-differentiation and greater aggressiveness of tumors (Takeichi 1993; Birchmeier and Behrens 1994) and has been implicated in the transition from adenomas to invasive carcinomas (Perl, Wilgenbus et al. 1998). These observations support the suggestion that the E-cadherin gene is a tumor invasion suppressor gene (Llorens, Rodrigo et al. 1998).
It would therefore be desirable to develop a therapy that would prevent or suppress the progression of a tumor, e.g., solid tumor, to an invasive or metastatic state, through a mechanism that acts to maintain expression of the protein E-cadherin in cancer cells.
It would be further desirable to develop a therapy that can be used in conjunction with conventional chemotherapeutic agents to control the growth and spread of cancer cells in a subject.

Antisense composition and method for treating cancer


A physical data transmission port in a network element of a data network, suited for realizing for instance both an electric packet switched Ethernet connection and an electric time slot switched E1/T1 connection. It has surprisingly been found out that the electric connector (101) and connected circuits provided in the network element can be arranged to support more than one wiring standard. For example the generally used RJ connector can be arranged to support both the RJ45 wiring standard and the RJ48c wiring standard, in which case, with the electric connector (101), there can be realized a physical data transmission port that is suited for realizing both an 10/100 Ethernet connection and an E1/T1 connection.

The network elements in a data network are often arranged to transmit and receive digital data flows representing various data transmission protocols. A network element, such as a loop access multiplexer arranged in a mobile phone network, can be for example arranged to connect both packet switched 10/100 Ethernet traffic and time slot switched E1/T1 traffic. Ethernet is described for example in the technical specification IEEE802.3 (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), E1 is described for example in the technical specification ITU-T G.703 (International Telecommunications Union), and T1 is described for example in the technical specification ANSI T1.102 (American National Standardization Institute).
In practical operation environments of network elements it is typical that some operation environments need a lot of 10/100 Ethernet connections and only a small quantity, if at all, of E1/T1 connections. Respectively some other operation environments need a lot of E1/T1 connections and only a small quantity, if at all, of 10/100-Ethernet connections. The described mutual differences between various operation environments must be taken into account when planning the structure and production of network elements.

General purpose physical data transmission port


A method of continuously forming a composite structure comprised of a three-dimensional fabric including first and second sheets of fabric which face each other and which are connected by intermediate yarn, the method including providing a continuous supply of three-dimensional fabric; impregnating the three-dimensional fabric with resin which is thermoreactive; mating the three-dimensional fabric with a first outer strip which contacts the first sheet of fabric, and a second outer strip which contacts the second sheet of fabric to form a stratified structure containing the impregnated three-dimensional fabric; feeding the stratified structure along a path in a feed direction X which is straight; heating the stratified structure to at least partially polymerize the resin between the first outer strip and the first sheet of fabric and between the second outer strip and the second sheet of fabric, while the resin impregnating the intermediate yarn of the three-dimensional fabric remains substantially in the plastic state, so that the first and second outer strips adhere respectively to the first and second sheets of fabric; parting the first and second outer strips as the stratified structure is fed in feed direction X to at least partially distend the intermediate yarn of the three-dimensional fabric; and fully solidifying the resin impregnating the three-dimensional fabric.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a continuous forming method and device for a composite structure, in particular a composite structure featuring a three-dimensional intermediate fabric composed of two sheets of fabric facing each other and connected by a number of yarns extending from the adjacent walls of the two sheets.
2. Description of the Related Art
Composite structures, e.g. of the type described in Italian Patent Application n. TO91A000397 filed on May 29, 1991 by the present Applicant and entitled "Process for producing a composite structure with three-dimensional intermediate fabric, and structure produced thereby", are known to be produced using a forming device (e.g. a press) onto which the three-dimensional fabric impregnated with thermosetting or thermoplastic resin is fed.
The device provides for setting the resin and forming the three-dimensional fabric into a rigid panel in which the yarns are completely hardened and extend perpendicularly between the sheets for rigidly connecting them.
Known devices provide for forming panels of substantially the same size (width and length) as the three-dimensional fabric fed onto the press.

Continuous forming method and device for a composite structure, in particular a composite structure featuring three-dimensional fabric


Streaming media network transportation streams are created using an electronic system and transmitted via an electronic interface such as an existing system network conduit (i.e. Ethernet, USB, or other packet-based architectures). A scalable hardware and/or software compute engine modifies an initial stream's identifier(s) while replicating the stream content to economically create streams. Hence, an entire network's capacity of active streams may be created from a single initial stream. In one examples, an initial stream is stored in advance of transmission for such use. In other examples, an initial stream is received and processed to dynamically create streams from the initial stream as the initial stream is being received.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to the field of streaming. More specifically, the present invention is related to generating streaming data in packetized form.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
Many electronic networks such as local area networks (LANs), metropolitan area networks (MANs), and wide area networks (WANs) are increasingly being used to transport streaming media whose real-time data transport requirements exhibit high sensitivity to data loss and delivery time distortion. The technical literature is replete with various schemes to implement Quality of Service (QOS) on such networks to address the requirements of streaming media, especially when intermixed with conventional, time-insensitive, best-effort delivery protocol stack data traffic. To verify the QOS intended effectiveness, systems must be tested under stress conditions. Tests are used to verify the QOS design, implementation, and system configuration after deployment. Regardless of whether QOS-enabled or non-QOS-enabled networks are employed, it is necessary to test and verify the behavior of packet loss, delivery time distortion, and other real-time parameters of the network while operating under stress conditions that may occur when the network is used in production. Such production stress conditions often involve hundreds of streams when the network operating rate is near the currently popular 1 Gigabit per second rate. 10 Gigabit per second rate production networks under worst case loads often operate with several thousand streams.
There are many kinds of servers designed to offer high stream counts to gigabit and 10 gigabit networks for the Video on Demand marketplace, for example, that can be used to generate test traffic but consist of multiple CPUs, hard drives, large amounts of memory, and system control overhead. Such feature sets are appropriate for the design application space for these servers which require large, high availability storage arrays and multiple, high availability network interfaces to maintain a high revenue stream in the event of a single hardware failure. It is possible for such servers to generate heavy network loads for the testing application but they tend to be expensive, complex to configure for the test application, and restricted in flexibility in generating a mix of traffic types since they only generate what has been previously loaded on their storage media. These servers also tend to be limited in their capability to generate arbitrary test conditions such as particular error bit patterns in streams for testing Forward Error Correction (FEC) devices for example, limited in their capability to generate arbitrary addressed streams for verifying all network delivery paths, and limited in their capability to introduce stream encoding errors or transport errors for system testing.
There are a small number of test signal generators that can generate stream flows with selectable error conditions for testing. These are intended for media decoder testing and qualification, and for low bandwidth network device and system testing. These test generators tend to be limited in the number of streams that can be generated due to limited on-board storage capabilities and limited processing capabilities. Employing this class of test generators for loaded network testing is usually prohibitively expensive and complex due to the number of devices required and the number of network ports required to combine their many outputs to achieve the heavy network loads for stress testing.
Whatever the precise merits, features, and advantages of the above-mentioned prior art schemes, they fail to achieve or fulfill the purposes and/or the economies of the present invention.

System and method for creating multiple transportation streams of streaming media network test traffic in packet-based networks


The device includes a microcell foam pedestal structure which is attached to the inside hull along the keel of a boat, such as a canoe. One or more saddles are mounted onto the pedestal structure in a variety of locations. The saddle can be adjusted along the length of the pedestal structure allowing the paddler(s) the flexibility to move in order to maintain the proper trim of the boat.

1. Field of the Invention.
This invention relates to auxiliary equipment for small boats, and more particularly to such equipment adapted to provide adjustable seating and flotation for boats, such as canoes.
2. Discussion of Related Art.
For many years canoes have been used for pleasure boating on lakes and rivers and an increasing number of canoeist are enjoying the thrill of whitewater rivers. New boat designs are allowing canoeist to challenge rivers never thought boatable in the past. As more people get involved in the sport of whitewater canoeing they are finding that they need a pedestal type saddle to provide the extra control and stability necessary to handle the stronger, more forceful whitewater rivers.
It is important that a canoe be properly "trimmed" (weight distributed correctly) so that the boat will perform to its maximum design capabilities. In solo canoeing it is desirable to position the paddler in such a way that the bow is slightly light. Having an adjustable pedestal and saddle would allow more than one paddler to use the same boat and also allow the paddler to adjust his/her position in the boat according to the amount of gear being transported.
The height of seat, or "saddle" is also important to the control of the boat and the comfort of the paddler. If a canoeist sits too low, his/her ankles and knees become fatigued, if a canoeist sits too high, stability decreases and there can be painful pressure applied to the knee cap. When canoeing in rough water all these factors can contribute to the canoeist control of the boat and how successful and enjoyable that run will be.
In tandem canoeing there is a similar problem with trim. It is rare for two boaters of the same height and weight to be canoeing together and it is often desirable for paddlers to change paddling position throughout a trip. Presently, canoes are rigged so that the pair pick a position and set that position up to fit their height, and the trim requirements of the boat while paddling in that position. A problem is encountered when the pair wish to paddle at different ends of the boat or someone else a different size wants to paddle the boat. Often this results in the boat being out of trim, and/or the canoeist sitting in a position of discomfort, rather than comfort. Control and maneuverability may also be sacrificed. It is desirable to have a device that would allow paddlers to change positions in a boat while maintaining proper weight distribution for maximum control of the boat and comfort of the paddler.
Whitewater Canoes are usually manufactured as bare hulls with little flotation except for the materials used in the construction of the boat itself. In whitewater canoeing it is important to increase the flotation of the boat in case of a turn over. In a turn over extra flotation causes the boat to float higher making it easier for the paddler to hang on to the boat and also making it easier to right the canoe.
Whitewater canoeing subjects the hull of the boat to a considerable amount of pounding from rock submerged under the water and in the case of a turn over, from the pressure of the rushing water. Many canoes used today on whitewater rivers are weak in the keel area. It is desirable to install a device that would increase rigidity to that area to aid in the structural support of the boat.

Adjustable pedestal and saddle for boats


An improved apparatus and method for mounting an electrical box between studs in a wall is disclosed. The apparatus of the invention is a mounting bracket comprising a relatively flat, elongated frame having a front planar face, a rear planar face, and a first and second opposing ends attachable to two corresponding wall studs. The frame also has a central cut-out portion which defines a top edge and a bottom edge. An electrical box and its accompanying faceplate may be mounted between two wall studs by first attaching the bracket of the present invention to the wall studs. The open front end of the box is then placed flush against the rear face of the bracket such that a top portion of the box contacts the top edge of the bracket and a bottom portion of the box contacts the bottom edge of the bracket. Similarly, the accompanying faceplate is placed on the front face of the bracket opposite and aligned with the box such that a top portion of the faceplate contacts the top edge and a bottom portion of the faceplate contacts the bottom edge. The mounting is completed by fastening the box and the faceplate to the bracket. Mounted in this manner, the front end of the box will be substantially flush with the plane formed by the wall studs regardless of the depth of the box.

Brackets for mounting electrical boxes between wall studs are used on a daily basis in the construction industry. These brackets allow the builder to conveniently traverse the space between the studs and mount an electrical box at any location he chooses. A typical prior art bracket is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,990 issued to Rinderer. With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 in Rinderer, the prior art bracket comprises a bar 21 attached at both ends to a respective wall stud S having a pair of integral elongate extensions 51 which set the bar back from the front of the studs S. The bar 21 also has a plurality of pilot holes 45 for accommodating the screws 13 for attaching the backwall of the electrical box B to the bar 21. Because the length of the bar 21 is several times the width of the electrical box, it can be used to mount a plurality of boxes.
In mounting bracket applications, it is desirable for the front of the electrical box B, after mounting, to be substantially flush with the front portions of the two studs. This is because a section of wall is set against the front of the two studs, and it is desirable for the front of the electrical box to be substantially flush with that section of wall. The prior art bracket 21 fulfills this requirement adequately when all of the boxes to be mounted on the bar have the same depth. However, when boxes of differing depths are to be mounted, the prior art bracket fails to provide satisfactory results. To illustrate, suppose that a second box, having a lesser depth than box B, is also mounted to the bar 21 shown in FIG. 2 of Rinderer. Because of its lesser depth, the front of the second box after attachment will not be flush with the wall between the studs S, but instead will be recessed from the wall. This is an undesirable result. Likewise, attaching a box having a larger depth than box B will cause the front of the box to extend beyond the wall between the studs S, and this also is an undesirable result. Because boxes of various depths are used regularly in the construction industry, it is important for a mounting bracket to be capable of accommodating boxes having different depths. The prior art bracket lacks this capability. Therefore, there exists a need for an improved apparatus and method for mounting electrical boxes between two studs in a wall.

Apparatus and method for mounting an electrical box between studs in a wall


The invention relates to a granular material for 3D binder printing, said granular material consisting of particles provided with an externally non-polar surface layer (2). The invention also relates to a method for producing a granular material for 3D binder printing, whereby a surface layer (2) having a non-polar outer side is applied to initial particles (1), and to a method for producing an object consisting of the inventive granular material, according to which a layer of the inventive granular material is applied to a base, and pre-determined regions (3) of said layer are moistened with a binding fluid, said binding fluid being selected from fluids in which a surface layer of the particles of the granular material is soluble. The invention further realties to objects consisting of interconnected particles of the inventive granular material. The invention enables a very precise printing process.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a granulated material for 3D binder printing, to a process for producing it, to a 3D binder printing process and to an object produceable using the granulated material or the printing process.
2. Related Art of the Invention
3D binder printing processes are processes for producing three-dimensional objects from a granulated material, in which a layer of the granulated material is placed on a base and then wetted with a binder liquid in predetermined regions which in each case correspond to a layer of an object that is to be produced. These steps are repeated until a predetermined three-dimensional object has been built up completely from joined-together granulated material particles. Then, the excess of granulated material particles is removed and the object is revealed. In a first type of these processes, the granulated material particles are partially dissolved at the surface in the regions which have been wetted by the binder liquid, and the subsequent evaporation of the binder liquid causes the particles of granulated material to be bonded to one another directly in their edge regions by fusing together. A second type of these processes uses a binder liquid which contains auxiliary substances which remain behind in the wetted regions during drying, allowing the wetted particles of granulated material to be joined to one another by subsequent partial melting or sintering.
3D binder printing processes, in particular of the first type, are known from European Patents EP 0 644 809 B1, EP 0 686 067 B1 and the European Patent Application EP 1 099 534 A2.
Binder printing processes which join the particles of granulated material by partially dissolving them using the binder liquid have the drawback that the finished object is subject to significant shrinkage compared to the region of the layer of granulated material which was originally wetted with the binder liquid. The reason for this is that partially dissolved particles which are in contact with one another draw closer together under the influence of their surface tension, resulting in a more tightly packed arrangement than hitherto after the binder liquid has dried. This effect cannot readily be avoided, and indeed is even necessary to a certain extent in order to achieve sufficiently strong cohesion of the particles in the finished object. However, one serious drawback of this effect is that the shrinkage during the drying process leads to the formation of cracks in an object produced using a process of this type which exceeds a certain maximum size.
To combat this problem, binder printing processes have been developed in which the binder liquid contains additives which remain behind in the wetted regions of the layer after the liquid has dried and make it possible to join the particles in the wetted regions by the entire mass of powder being processed, including the regions which have not been wetted, being heated in such a way that the particles in the wetted regions sinter together under the influence of the sintering aid, but the particles which have remained unwetted do not sinter together.
One problem of this technique is that the sintering aids used are generally of a mineral type and are at best dispersible but not soluble in the binder liquid, which means that they cause considerable wear to the spray nozzles used to wet the granulated material.
A further problem of the known binder printing processes is that as a result of agglomeration of the granulated materials used, objects produced thereby tend to have a nonuniform, rough surface profile which does not precisely correspond to the profile of the wetted regions.

Polyvinyl butyral granular material for 3-D binder printing, production method and uses therefor


Analog-to-digital conversion method and device using triangular vertex solution are disclosed. The method includes the steps of defining a first and a second boundary value between which a quantity to be analog-to-digital converted resides, multiplying a difference between the first boundary value and the quantity to be converted by a first coefficient to produce a first physical quantity, multiplying a difference between the second boundary value and the quantity to be converted by a second coefficient to produce a second physical quantity, comparing the first and second physical quantities to obtain a comparison result, and logically converting the comparison result into a digital value. The device includes a first differential converting circuit for generating one or more voltages, which are produced by multiplying a potential difference between a first reference voltage and an input analog voltage by a chain of first coefficients, a second differential converting circuit for generating one or more voltages, which are produced by multiplying a potential difference between a second reference voltage and the input analog voltage by a chain of second coefficients, and a comparator circuit for comparing output voltages of the first and second differential converting circuits, with the output of the comparator circuit being logically converted into a digital value.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an analog-to-digital (referred to as A/D) conversion method and device which serves to convert an analogue value into a digital value.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional analog-to-digital conversion device is schematically shown in FIG. 2. An analogue input signal 1 is applied to a common input terminal of a first comparator chain 2. The other input terminals of the first comparator chain 2 are connected to a first reference voltage generating means 3. The reference voltages generated in the means 3 are respectively applied to the other input terminals of chain 2. The outputs of the first comparator chain are logically converted by a first logic circuit 4 for providing upper-digits of the converted value. Additionally, the outputs of the first comparator chain are sent to a digital-to-analogue conversion section 5 in which they are converted into an analogue signal. The resulting analogue signal is sent to a subtracter 6 in which a potential difference between the analogue signal is subtracted by the origianl analogue input signal. Then, the subtracted signal is sent to common input terminals of a second comparator chain 8. The other input terminals of the second comparator chain 8 are connected to a second reference voltage generating means 7 so that the reference voltages generated in the means 7 are respectively applied to those other input terminals. The comparing outputs of the second comparator chain are logically converted by a second logic circuit 9 for providing lower-digits of the converted value.
The conventional A/D conversion device, however, is likely to generate a large conversion error due to instability of the gain of the subtracter 6, insufficient precision of reference voltages generated in the second reference voltage generating means 7, or variation of the offset voltages in the first comparator chain 2. It has been thus difficult to carry out the conversion quite accurately. The present invention is designed to overcome this difficulty. It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide an A/D conversion method and device which is capable of performing high-accuracy A/D conversion as well as a comparator circuit which implements the A/D conversion device.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


Software components can be automatically integrated into a control framework in a distributed computing environment. For example, a system can determine that a flag is set in relation to a complementary resource that is monitored by a controller in a distributed computing environment. In response to determining that the flag is set, the system can identify a target software component that is not managed by the controller in the distributed computing environment. The system can then integrate the target software component into a control framework of the distributed computing environment in which the target software component is managed by the controller based on the complementary resource.

Distributed computing environments such as cloud computing environments and data grids have recently grown in popularity given their ability to reduce costs, improve scalability, and reduce time to deploy new software. Because distributed computing environments can be complex, it has become increasingly common for distributed computing environments to include automation software to automate various repeatable tasks. One example of automation software is a container orchestration platform. A container orchestration platform can automate the deployment, scaling, and management of software components (e.g., applications and microservices) inside containers to significantly reduce the workloads of users.
Kubernetes is one popular container orchestration platform that can be deployed on a distributed computing environment. Distributed computing environments that are running Kubernetes may be referred to as Kubernetes environments. Kubernetes environments can include operators and other controller software for automating various repeatable tasks, such as deployment, scaling, and backup of software components. An operator is a software extension to Kubernetes that can manage an assigned software component, such as a data object or a stateful application. Once deployed, operators can create, configure, and manage instances of their assigned software components on behalf of a user in a declarative way. For example, an operator can monitor the state of an assigned software component and perform one or more reconciliation operations in response to detecting a state change.
Some operators can also react to the presence or the modification of resource objects in a Kubernetes environment by performing various functions. In the context of Kubernetes, a resource object is an application programming interface (API) object that has one or more characteristics specified in a resource definition. Such API objects can be data objects that are stored in a database, which may be internal to the Kubernetes environment. For example, a pods object can be a data object that is stored in a database and that represents a running pod in the Kubernetes environment. While many types of resource objects are available in Kubernetes by default, it may be desirable to add custom resource objects. A custom resource object can be a special type of resource object that is generally unavailable in Kubernetes by default and that has one or more characteristics specified in a custom resource definition. Such custom resource definitions and custom resource objects can be subsequently added to a Kubernetes installation, for example to extend the Kubernetes API.

Automatically integrating software components into a control framework in a distributed computing environment