Systems and methods of self-referenced quantitative phase microscopy (SrQPM). The SrQPM systems and methods provide single-shot, full-field imaging capability for increased imaging speed, and near-common-path geometry for increased phase stability, allowing the study of internal structures of biological cells, live cell dynamics, and the like.

Systems and methods of quantitative phase microscopy (QPM) are known that employ digital holography for studying the internal structures of biological cells without requiring the use of exogenous staining. Systems and methods of diffraction phase microscopy (DPM) based on off-axis point diffraction interferometry that allow quantitative phase imaging through a combination of single-shot imaging and a near-common-path geometry are also known.
In such known systems and methods of DPM, a technique can be employed in which an off-axis hologram image is recorded between two optical waves that are both derived from light transmitted through a sample. The two optical waves are the zero-th and first order beams that are generated when the transmitted light is incident upon an optical grating, which is the point where the optical wave paths diverge. The optical waves recombine at a detection plane after the zero-th order beam has passed through a Fourier-plane pinhole spatial filter, allowing the zero-th order beam to perform the function of a plane reference beam in the imaging plane. This technique has been characterized as having sub-nanometer path-length stability and millisecond-scale acquisition time.
Some known QPM systems employ an in-line point-diffraction-interferometry configuration that provides improved measurement resolution. In such a configuration, phase stepping (which is generally required for a non-off-axis geometry) is achieved by translating a transmission grating in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis. A variation of such a configuration that employs a pair of cube beam splitters (instead of transmission gratings), and several polarization-transforming optical elements, can simultaneously acquire two sample hologram images, phase-shifted with respect to each other, on different regions of a CCD detector.
In addition, systems and methods of QPM are known that employ a Zernike phase contrast approach, as opposed to holographic interferometry, to provide increased lateral resolution and reduced coherent noise. In such an approach, an illumination pattern consists of a series of discrete points evenly spaced around a circle, allowing phase stepping to be achieved by rotating a phase plate having structures etched onto a similarly sized circle. Such structures can help to mitigate halo and shade-off artifacts.
DPM is known to employ a Zernike phase contrast approach. This technique is referred to herein as instantaneous spatial light interference microscopy (iSLIM) in which a reference beam is passed through an annular aperture, and an optical grating and an amplitude mask are used to introduce a phase ramp between un-diffracted and diffracted components of an object wave, allowing an off-axis interferogram to be recorded between the object wave components. In this way, the stability of DPM can be combined with white-light illumination, which can diminish coherent speckle effects and enable spectroscopic imaging.
One drawback of the known methods of QPM/DPM that require a reference beam to be passed through a Fourier-plane pinhole spatial filter or an annular aperture as in iSLIM, is that they can create an alignment constraint that can increase the complexity of the systems, which is particularly problematic for non-specialists in the fields of QPM/DPM. Further, the size of the pinhole in the Fourier-plane pinhole spatial filter, or the size of the annular aperture, must typically be optimized with respect to the system optics, further contributing to the complexity of the systems and methods.
Some known systems and methods are known employ a self-referenced QPM technique, in which a transmitted sample wave is propagated through a Michelson interferometer that performs an image inversion after a double pass using an additional objective lens in one of its arms. In one known implementation of the self-referenced QPM technique, a phase-shifting procedure can be used to recover a sample-wave phase profile, while scanning a minor in the object arm to achieve an extended depth-of-field. To reduce temporal phase noise introduced between successive phase-stepped images, another known implementation of the self-referenced QPM technique is provided that uses Hilbert phase microscopy to determine the sample-wave phase profile. However, both known implementations of the self-referenced QPM technique described above employ separate sample and reference arms, making them susceptible to spatial phase noise.
Systems and methods of QPM can be used to provide the anisotropy of a sample under observation. The drawbacks of the known self-referenced QPM systems above include i) a system configuration that is not common-path, which can lead to spatial phase instability, and ii) requiring four serial measurements, which may be time consuming, requires sample to be stationary, and can introduce temporal phase noise.
It would therefore be desirable to have improved systems and methods of self-referenced quantitative phase microscopy (SrQPM) that avoid at least some of the drawbacks of the known systems and methods of QPM/DPM described above.

Systems and methods for self-referenced quantitative phase microscopy


A gain control process (1102) executed at a transmitter (500) generates (1314) a gain ramp signal (1206) having a delay component (1224) and a gain component (1226). The process (1102) further generates (1304) and incorporates (1306) a gain arc (1202) into a digital signal to form a digital gain signal (1204) having a digital gain change (1218). A combiner (502) combines a digital input signal (512) with the digital gain signal (1204) to generate a pre-compensated digital signal (516). A variable gain amplifier (508) applies a sequence of gains (1234,1236,1238,1240,1242) in the gain component (1126) of the gain ramp signal (1206) to a pre-adjusted analog signal (520) in order to generate a gain-adjusted analog signal (524). Application of the gain component (1126) and the digital gain change (1218) occurs when a portion (1212) of the gain arc (1202) indicates a low instantaneous signal power at an antenna (106) in order to reduce ACLR degradation.

Transmitter designs for wireless devices typically are constrained to meet specific quality of service (QoS) requirements relating to certain measurable characteristics of transmitted radio frequency (RF) signals. These QoS requirements may be specified by various standards or manufacturer-imposed specifications. For example, a standard or specification may set forth not-to-exceed values for the adjacent- and/or alternate-channel leakage ratio (ACLR), block error rate (BLER), and/or bit error rate (BER), among other things. Manufacturer adherence to these standards and specifications helps to ensure high signal quality and end-user satisfaction.
RF transmitters for some types of wireless devices are designed to enable the transmitted signal power to be adjusted dynamically. For example, power control methods are implemented in RF transmitters for "third generation" (3G) wireless devices, such as a variety of 3G Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA) transmitters. In such transmitters, the signal gain dynamically is adjusted (i.e., increased and decreased) based on various factors, such as a comparison between the then-current, received signal to interference ratio (SIR) and a target SIR, for example. In order to implement the dynamic power control, a W-CDMA transmitter may include a variable gain amplifier (VGA), which receives a gain control signal that may cause the VGA to apply increased or decreased gains to an outgoing RF signal to produce a gain-adjusted RF signal. The gain-adjusted RF signal is provided to an output power amplifier, which amplifies the gain-adjusted RF signal and provides the amplified signal to the device's antenna.
Traditional RF transmitters include the transmit digital sections, the transmit digital analog converter (DAC), and the modulators on a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) die, and the variable gain amplifier constructed on a separate silicon-germanium (SiGe) die. Although these traditional transmitters may produce RF signals having adequate signal quality, the multiple-die architecture is a fairly expensive portion of the overall device manufacturing costs. In addition, the continuing industry trend is toward reducing device sizes, and the multiple-die architecture places limitations on the ability to reduce the size of the device's RF transmitter. Accordingly, what are needed are methods and apparatus for automatic gain control for transmitted RF signals, which produce signals having acceptable signal quality, and which permit reductions in device manufacturing costs and/or device sizes.

Gain control methods for wireless devices and transmitters


A portable working machine includes a working machine body, bolt members erected on the working machine body, a cover member configured to be attachable to and detachable from the working machine body, in which the cover member has through-holes through which the bolt members are inserted when attaching the cover member, fixing members configured to be fastened to the bolt members to fix the cover member attached to the working machine body, and a holding member attached to an outer surface of the cover member with a predetermined gap space between the holding member and the outer surface of the cover member, in which the holding member is configured to retain the fixing members on an outer side of the outer surface of the cover member when a fastening of the fixing members to the bolt members is released to prevent the fixing members from dropping off the cover member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable working machine having a cover member that is detachably attached to a working machine body.
2. Description of Related Art
A chain saw as a type of portable working machine has a saw chain driven by a motor (such as an engine and an electric motor) and a guide bar guiding the saw chain. The saw chain and the guide bar are configured to be detachably (replaceably) attached to a chain saw body and are, in general, fixedly attached to the chain saw body as follows.
That is, the guide bar is first attached to the chain saw body by inserting a stud bolt or the like, vertically provided to the chain saw body, through a through-hole or a notch formed in the guide bar. Next, the saw chain is attached to a periphery of the guide bar, and after that, a side cover (for example, a chain cover) is attached to the chain saw body by inserting the stud bolt or the like through a through-hole formed in the side cover. Then, the nut is screwed with the stud bolt or the like to be fastened, whereby the guide bar and the side cover are fixed to the chain saw body (for example, see Japanese Laid-open (Kokai) Patent Application Publication No. 2012-213914).
In the chain saw, when the saw chain and the guide bar are inspected and replaced if necessary, it is required to detach the side cover by loosening the nut. At this time, since the nut of which fastening to the stud bolt or the like is released is in a state of being separated from the side cover, the nut may be dropped. Thus, the workability of the chain saw is not necessarily good, and therefore, it is required to improve the workability thereof. Furthermore, in a portable working machine such as a chain saw, the inspection and replacement if necessary may be performed at a site such as in the mountains, and if the nut is dropped in such a site, the nut may also be lost.
Note that the abovementioned problem is not limited to the chain saw, and the problem is common to portable working machines having a cover member detachably attached to a working machine body, particularly in portable working machines of which components are inspected and replaced if necessary in such a state in which a cover member is detached.


An apparatus and method for constructing a rotatable label device and attaching it to a container. The rotatable label device includes an inner shell and an outer shell concentrically and rotatably mounted to the inner shell. Either the container, the inner shell or the outer shell may include a set of rims for limiting the movement of the outer shell along the axis of the container. These rims may be created by gluing panels, folding, embossing or by detaching perforated sections of an outer label. The rotatable label device may be attached to the container in one-step by first tacking the inner label to the outer label, mounting the combined unit and then separating the inner label from the outer label.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to rotatable labels, and more particularly to an apparatus and method for constructing a rotatable label device.
2. Description of the Background Art
Presentation is a significant concern of artists, merchants, and consumers alike, since presentation can greatly enhance or diminish the effect of an intended message. In many cases, presentation techniques and the information are inseparable, making the presentation format equivalently important.
Information, including artwork, has been presented in a multitude of formats, ranging from the simple picture frame to modern electronic video displays. An important consideration in selecting a presentation format is the application and audience intended for the particular message. For example, commercial art uses advertising and product labeling to market a particular product to a consumer audience. Another consideration for artists, merchants and consumers is the cost of presenting the information. Expensive materials or state-of-the-art technologies can substantially add to the cost of the final product.
An effective and economical presentation format permits separate message elements to interact by physically changing position during viewing. Conventional attempts to economically present information using interacting elements have taken several approaches. An exemplary presentation device, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,339,998, is formed by an inner cylindrical shell for containing a drinkable liquid, and an outer cylindrical shell concentric with the inner shell, wherein both shells are formed of transparent synthetic plastic material. The information is silk-screened on the inner shell, and decorative particles are placed in a liquid-filled chamber formed between the inner and outer shells. When a holder shakes the drinking vessel, the decorative particles float in front and enhance the effect of the artwork.
A second exemplary presentation device, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,342,093, consists of a wrap-around label having a contact portion, an overlap portion, a transparent release coating and an adhesive coating. The overlap portion may be peeled away from the contact portion to expose the front surface of the contact portion.
A third exemplary presentation device, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,448, consists of a layered scratch-off label for containers which includes a thin scratchable surface layer that can be scratched off to reveal a second layer underneath the surface layer.
A fourth exemplary presentation device, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,860,431, consists of a can having a welded center section, a top coupled to the center section by a top bead, and a bottom coupled to the center section by a bottom bead. An inner label containing information is attached to the center section of the can. A rotatable outer sleeve with an opening is fitted around the inner label so that information on the inner label is viewable through the opening. The '431 patent's presentation device however has several limitations. First, if the can is very tall, a typical user will not be able to hold the top and bottom of the can between the user's thumb and forefingers of one hand while rotating the outer sleeve with the user's other hand. Second, the '431 patent does not disclose how to keep the outer sleeve securely in place if the top and bottom beads are not present on the can.
These presentation devices permit separate elements of the information to interact by physically changing positions. However, the usefulness of these devices is limited either because the viewer has little control over the interactive movement of the message elements or because manufacturing the devices is too expensive. Therefore, an improved apparatus and method is needed to present information on a container in a way that permits a greater degree of user-controlled interaction and that is more economical.

Apparatus and method for constructing a rotatable label device


A method and system for accessing a network are disclosed in the present invention. The method includes that: terminals in a same group execute random number synchronization; when an arbitrary first terminal in the group initiates network access, terminals in the group except the first terminal monitor the access of the first terminal according to the synchronized random number; after monitoring that the first terminal accesses network successfully, the terminals in the group except the first terminal initiate network access by using Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection uplink resources which are allocated to the group by the network. The technical solution of the present invention can reduce the signaling overhead for establishing signaling connection and data bearing.

In most existing mobile communication systems, for example, various wireless communication systems such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access Wireless (WCDMA), Code Division Multiple Addressing (CDMA), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), CDMA2000, TD-SCDMA, Long Term Evolution (LTE) and WLAN/WiFi, a random access procedure has to be performed first when a terminal initiates an uplink service. At the point, access collisions may occur and cause the access failed due to the possibility that a plurality of terminals may initiate respective random access procedures concurrently with the same access occasion and the same access code selected. Access failure may cause increasing access delay and a lower successful access rate. In current mobile communication systems, a conventional way to ensure the access delay and the success rate is to provide more access resources so as to lower the collision probability.
With the development of mobile communication techniques, machine to machine (M2M) communication has been proposed. M2M and IOT (Internet of Things) become a hotspot that operators concern, and various applications have been developed rapidly based on M2M and IOT. Different from prior H2H (human to human) communication, M2M communication requires an even larger number of terminals, perhaps up to 10 times of that for H2H or even more, for example, a magnitude order of 50 billion.
IOT refers to applications of M2M in WANs, especially in mobile operators' networks, that is, wireless data transmission services that take the mobile network operators' wireless networks as a platform and provide industry machine-to-machine services in various transmission manners (such as, CDMA, GSM, etc) through special industry terminals.
M2M/IOT has extensive fields of applications, and is applicable to intelligent transportation, telemedicine, monitoring, smart grids, environmental monitoring, intelligent home and other situations.
MTC (Machine Type communication) communication refers to network communication that takes place in one network element (NE) or between a plurality of NEs without human interventions (i.e., an M2M application), such as, traffic control and management, factory monitoring, remote meter reading and the like. In M2M applications, a plurality of M2ME (Machine to Machine Equipment) having the same M2M application form an integral unit also called as a group.
MTC device identity can uniquely identify a M2M terminal, which may employ IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity), MSISDN (Mobile Station International ISDN Number), IP address, IMPU (IP Multimedia Public Identity), IMPI (IP Multimedia Private Identity) and the like.
Due to limited wireless communication resources, time-frequency resources are allocated only when a user wants to communicate. When a user initiates a communication, first of all, a random access procedure has to be performed, followed by connection establishment and data transmission according to RRC (Radio resource control), and finally, allocated resources are released after the communication. Taking LTE as an example, random access resources comprise two parts: slot and frequency for initiating a random access; and preamble to be used. In existing cellular wireless communication systems, random access mainly takes two forms: contention based and non-contention based random accesses.
Non-contention based random access refers to notifying UE (User Equipment) by eNB (Enhanced NodeB) to use its particular access resources. Because access resources have to be allocated by eNB, it may result in a larger system overhead. So, it is only used in situations with higher delay requirements, such as handover and dropped connection.
In the contention based random access, eNB may broadcast information about access resources by which random access may be initiated in a cell, and then UE may randomly select an allowed preamble, and randomly select a random access frequency resource at a next time that allows random access, and then initiate a random access at the selected time-frequency position. Because each UE randomly selects random access resources in an independent manner, when the same random access resources are selected by a plurality of UEs, conflicts may occur. According to a solution for resolving the conflict in the existing protocols, only one of the plurality of UEs in conflict may have successful access, and other UEs need to initiate their access attempts again after a back-off period, and withdraw if conflicts occur again, until access succeeds or a maximum attempt number is reached. The occurrence of conflict may delay UE access and put an extra burden on the network and UEs.
The number of terminals engaged in M2M communications is very huge, while each terminal may have a very small interaction traffic amount and the interaction may be a burst interaction. A M2M terminal (also called as MTC terminal) may realize a relatively simple function and only need to communicate some particular information; some M2M terminals may have relatively constant positions, or may be seldom moved; M2M terminals may have consistent behaviors in a special application, such as intelligent meter reading.
In M2M services, because there are a large number of MTC terminals, network resource contention occurs if the large number of MTC terminals access the network, putting a further burden on the network. It is worse especially in some applications such as intelligent meter reading.
Taking intelligent transportation as an example, a typical intelligent transportation system comprises a GPS (Globe Positioning System)/GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System of Russia) satellite positioning system, a vehicle mounted mobile terminal, a wireless network, and a ITS (Intelligent Transport System) control center. The vehicle mounted terminal receives ranging information from a navigation satellite network through the GPS module and transmits longitude, latitude, speed, time and other information of the vehicle to a microcontroller; vehicle status information is collected by a video equipment; the microcontroller communicates interactive information in two-way with the ITS control center through a GPRS module so as to realize vehicle monitoring and other functions.
As another example about a smart grid, the smart grid requires all intelligent grid terminals to periodically report their data, for example, in the electronic meter reading service, all intelligent grid terminals upload their data to a particular server at a certain time. For example, in many countries, smart grids instruct a large number of MTC terminals to frequently report their meter reading data, which has only a small amount of data, with a period of 5 minutes.
In existing networks, for example, such as LET, the random access procedure is performed for individual UEs. A contention based random access procedure can be described as follows.
A UE randomly and equiprobably selects access resources within a range that is permitted, and sends a selected preamble at the selected resource position.
101. The UE monitors a random access response (RAR) returned from a eNB, where the RAR comprises random access resource information that has been received by the eNB, timing advance (TA) information, UL resource grant (UL GRANT) for a next stage, and temporary cell radio network temporary identity (T-CRNTI).
102. If the UE detects a RAR for its own selected random access resources, step 103 is executed; otherwise, a preamble is re-initiated.
103. The UE performs UL synchronization according to TA, and sends a request message, including the unique identity of the UE, at a resource position indicated by the UL GRANT, and it can also performs HARQ (Hybrid Automatic repeat reQuest).
104. When the eNB correctly receives the request message sent from the UE at 103, it returns an correct receiving message with the unique identity of the UE; then, only the UE that receives the correct receiving message correctly and has a matched identity returns an ACK, while other UEs withdraw and attempt their access later, by which the problem of conflict is solved.
However, when too many users initiate access attempts simultaneously, multiple UEs may select the same random access resource, causing significantly increasing of average access delay for users. Meanwhile, a large amount of re-initiated access attempts may cause large overheads on UEs and eNB.
Therefore, when a large number of terminals transmit their data, it may cause a significant increase in average access delay for users and a large signaling overhead, which may affect normal communications.


A method for using a location-based service while preserving anonymity includes receiving a location associated with a mobile node, receiving an anonymity level associated with the mobile node, computing a region containing the location of the mobile node and a number of footprints based on the anonymity level, wherein each of the footprints from a different user, and providing the region to a location-based service to thereby preserve anonymity of the mobile node. A method also allow a mobile device or its user to specify the anonymity level by selecting a public region consistent with a user's feelings towards desired privacy.

Many applications today rely on location information of users or devices, yet disclosing such information without appropriate measures presents heightened privacy and safety threats. Currently there is no technique which can effectively prevent one from being identified and located should one's detailed movement be tracked. This lack of protection has greatly hindered the development and deployment of a wide range of important applications like location-based services. There is an urgent need, therefore, to develop techniques that allow users or devices to disclose their location information as accurately as possible for useful applications while providing them location privacy protection, i.e., ensuring such information cannot be used by adversaries to derive who is where at what time.
In addition, there are problems relating to a user's ability to specify a desired level of privacy protection in a meaningful way. What is needed is a convenient and effective way for users to specify their desired level of privacy protection.

Cloaking with footprints to provide location privacy protection in location-based services

Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.


Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a method and system for developing an analytic process. The method includes displaying, within an electronic system, a plurality of components operable to be used for designing a data analysis process. A user makes a selection of a data access component from the plurality of components. The data access component is operable for configuring access to a data source. The method further includes the user making a selection of a data selection component from the plurality of components and a data display component. The data selection component is operable for selecting data accessed via the data access component. The data display component is operable for configuring display of data based on the data selection component. Configuration data corresponding to the data access component, the data selection component, and the data display component can then be stored.

As computing systems have advanced, the use of computers in enterprises has increased significantly. The various parts of an enterprise each produce large amounts data in the normal course of conducting business operations. Analysis of such data may provide useful insights to improve or track business operations. Unfortunately, such data often is spread across a variety of disparate systems, such as the many different systems of an individual department. The large amounts of data and inherently different characteristics and formats of the data makes it complicated to properly analyze the data, especially in real-time scenarios.
Conventional solutions have involved developing custom analytic applications, which are individually tailored to each system. Such conventional solutions typically require many months to develop and also require a full team of dedicated developers. The development of the application, is thus, very time intensive and expensive. In addition, custom solutions often have performance and reliability issues, which limit the effectiveness of the solutions. In particular, the performance issues also can reduce the usefulness of attempts to provide real-time data. As a result, the long development periods and limited capabilities of the custom applications limit the benefits of the data analysis.
Thus, there exists a need to have more efficient development of analytics processes.


Embodiments of the disclosure include mitigating instruction prediction latency with independently filtered instruction prediction presence predictors coupled to the processor pipeline. The prediction presence predictor includes a plurality of presence predictors configured to each receive an instruction address in parallel and to generate an unfiltered indication of an associated instruction prediction. The prediction presence predictor includes a plurality of dynamic filters that are each coupled to one of the plurality of presence predictors. Each dynamic filter is configured to block the unfiltered indications based on a performance of the presence predictor it is coupled to. The prediction presence predictor further including stall determination logic coupled to the plurality of dynamic filters. The stall determination logic is configured to generate a combined indication that will stall instruction delivery, allowing potentially latent instruction predictions to be accounted for, based upon one or more non-blocked indications received from the plurality of dynamic filters.

This invention relates to processor pipelines, and more particularly to mitigating instruction prediction latency with independently filtered presence prediction at the time of instruction fetching.
Instruction prediction, such as branch prediction, is a performance-critical component of a pipelined high frequency microprocessor and is used to predict the direction (taken vs. not taken) and the target address of branch instructions. Branch prediction is beneficial because it allows processing to continue along a branch's predicted path rather than having to wait for the outcome of the branch to be determined. An additional penalty is incurred only if a branch is mis-predicted.
A branch target buffer (BTB) is a structure that stores branch and target information. Other structures such as a branch history table (BHT) and pattern history table (PHT) can be included to store information used for branch direction prediction.
The BTB can be searched independently from instruction fetching to find upcoming branches, in which case it is called lookahead, or asynchronous, branch prediction. Lookahead branch prediction can be implemented in such a way that branch prediction is usually ahead of instruction fetching and decode. In such a configuration, branch predictions steer instruction fetching. This is an effective instruction pre-fetch mechanism particularly if the BTB instruction footprint is bigger than that of the first level instruction cache. There are times however when the BTB search falls behind, which most frequently happens after restart conditions when there is a race between the BTB trying to predict the first upcoming branch instruction and the instruction fetch logic trying to fetch and deliver the new instruction stream. It is also possible for the BTB to fall behind if its throughput cannot keep up with the number of branches in the instruction stream. In such cases when the BTB falls behind and is not able to provide branch prediction information for branch instructions, such branches are predicted using a less accurate predictor. If such branches are guessed as taken, instruction fetching is restarted once the target address of the branch is computed.
One current solution to reduce or mitigate branch prediction delay is the use of hierarchical predictors. Hierarchical approaches include multi-level caching, overriding, and cascading predictors. All of these approaches involve combining small-and-fast predictors with large-and-slow predictors. In a lookahead predictor as described above, two level caching can help reduce prediction latency, but typically does not eliminate cases where the BTB falls behind. An overriding predictor combines a small and fast first level predictor that can be overridden by a larger and slower predictor. Typically, an overriding predictor can add complexity and may not eliminate latency problems in a lookahead design. An overriding predictor could reduce latency problems if the first level BTB predictor were smaller than it otherwise would be, but doing so would also decrease the pre-fetching benefit and prediction accuracy provided from the first level BTB. Cascading accesses different latency predictors in parallel and uses the most accurate predictor available in time for the branch. As with the previous two approaches, this approach may not solve the latency problem in a lookahead predictor. Implementing a cascading structure in a lookahead predictor is not straightforward because the prediction needs to be used immediately to redirect the BTB search and deciding whether to redirect the prediction search with the quickest prediction or to wait for the slowest prediction is difficult.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Mitigating instruction prediction latency with independently filtered presence predictors

International Business Machines Corporation


A merchandise display shelving unit assembled from a one-piece corrugated paperboard display blank. A display shelving unit comprises a front panel configured to form a front section of the display shelving unit including a plurality of front shelf sections, and an inner back panel configured to form a plurality of back shelf sections. An each of the plurality of back shelf sections is configured to correspond to an each of the plurality of front shelf sections to form a plurality of vertically stacked shelves when the display shelving unit is in an assembled position. An outer back panel is configured to surround the inner back panel and connect to the front panel by a right-side panel and a left-side panel, and a glue seam tab panel is configured to connect the left-side panel to the outer back panel.

A variety of shelving display systems are used to display merchandise in the marketplace. However, many of the available options are costly, difficult to manufacture, difficult to ship or set up on-site, and are ultimately unreliable or structurally weak.
The present disclosure provides an embodiment of shelving units, formed from a single sheet of corrugated paperboard material, which overcomes failures of previous display units by being consistently and predictably reliable, economical to fabricate, and easy to assemble and erect.

Freestanding point of purchase merchandise display shelving unit and method of assembling the same


A method of compressing data involves receiving a symbol, and a subsequent symbol; determining in a compression dictionary whether the symbol has a valid extension pointer; using, in the event the symbol does have a valid extension pointer, the valid extension pointer to access string extension symbols; determining, in the event the symbol does have a valid extension pointer, whether the string extension symbols equal the at least one subsequent symbol; determining in the compression dictionary, in the event the string extension symbols do not equal the at least one subsequent symbol, whether the symbol has a valid parallel extension; repeating, in the event the symbol has a valid parallel extension, the using step; repeating, in the event the string extension symbols do not equal the at least one subsequent symbol, the determining of whether the symbol has a valid extension pointer; inserting, in the event the symbol does not have a valid extension pointer or in the event the symbol does not have a valid parallel extension, a code word indicative of a longest string found into a compressed data stream; determining whether the longest string was a single symbol; extending, in the event the longest string was a single symbol, the longest string by one symbol; extending, in the event the longest string was not a single symbol, the longest string by a plurality of symbols; inserting a string extension signalling code word if the string is extended by multiple symbols and transmitting the compressed data stream through the communications channel.

The present invention relates to data compression (i.e., creation of compressed data from uncompressed data) and decompression (i.e., recovery of the uncompressed data from the compressed data).
Data compression systems are known in the prior art that compress a stream of digital data signals (uncompressed bits) into compressed digital data signals (compressed bits), which require less bandwidth (fewer bits) than the original digital data signals, and that decompress the compressed digital data signals back into the original data signals or a close approximation thereof. Lossless data compression systems decompress the compressed digital data signals back into the original data signals exactly. Thus, lossless data compression refers to any process that converts data into an alternative data form that requires less bandwidth, i.e., has fewer bits, than the data converted in a process that is reversible so that the original data can be recovered.
Accordingly, the objective of data compression systems is to effect a savings in an amount of storage required to hold the data or the amount of time (or bandwidth) required to transmit the data. By decreasing required space for data storage or required time (or bandwidth) for data transmission, data compression results in a monetary and resource savings.
A compression ratio is defined as the ratio of the length of the data in the alternative data form (compressed data) to the length of the data originally (original data). Thus defined, the smaller the compression ratio, the greater will be the savings in storage, time, or bandwidth.
If physical devices such as magnetic disks or magnetic tape are utilized to store the data, then a smaller space is required on the device for storing the compressed data than would be required for storing the original data, thereby, e.g., utilizing fewer disks or tapes for storage. If telephone lines, satellite links or other communications channels are utilized for transmitting digital information, then lower costs, i.e., shorter transmission times and/or smaller bandwidths, result when compressed data is employed instead of original data.
Data compression systems can be made particularly effective if the original data contains redundancies such as having symbols or strings of symbols appearing with high frequency. (In fact redundancies in the original data is a requirement for lossless data compression.) A data compression system operating on original data containing redundancies may, for example, transform multiple instances of a symbol, or transform a string of symbols, in the original data into a more concise form, such as a special symbol or group of symbols indicating multiple occurrences of the symbol, or indicating the string of symbols, and thereafter translate or decompress the concise form back into the multiple instances of the symbol, or back into the string of symbols.
For example, it may be desirable to transmit the contents of a daily newspaper via a satellite link or other communications link to a remote location for printing. Appropriate sensors within a data compression system may convert the contents of the newspaper into a data stream of serially occurring characters for transmission via the satellite link. If the millions of bits comprising the contents of the daily newspaper were compressed before transmission and decompressed at the receiver, a significant amount, e.g., such as 50% or more, of transmission time (or bandwidth) could be saved.
As a further example, when an extensive database such as an airline reservation database or a banking system database is stored for archival or backup purposes, a significant amount of storage space, such as 50% or more, can be saved if the database files are compressed prior to storage and decompressed when they are retrieved from storage.
To be of practical and general utility, a digital data compression system should satisfy certain criteria. Specifically, one criterion is that the system should provide high performance, i.e., compression/decompression rates, for both compression and decompression with respect to the data rates in the communications channel being utilized, be it a data bus, a wired network, a wireless network or the like. In other words, data transmission rates seen by a sender of uncompressed data and a receiver of the uncompressed data should not be reduced as a result of compression/ decompression overhead. In fact, effective data rates achieved, may be significantly increased over slow communications channels, because more original data can be transmitted per unit time, if the original data is compressed preceding and following transmission, because there is less compressed data to transmit that there would have been original data.
The rate at which data can be compressed (i.e., the compression rate) is the rate at which the original data can be converted into compressed data typically specified in millions of bytes per second (megabytes/sec). The rate at which data can be decompressed (i.e., the decompression rate) is the rate at which compressed data can be converted back into original data. High compression rates and high decompression rates are necessary to maintain, i.e., not degrade, data rates achieved in present day disk, tape and communication systems, which typically exceed one megabyte/sec. Thus, practical data compression systems must typically have compression and decompression rates matching or exceeding some application-dependent threshold, e.g., one megabyte/sec.
The performance of prior art data compression systems is typically limited by the speed of the random access memories (RAM) and the like utilized to store statistical data and guide the compression and decompression processes. High performance compression rates and decompression rates for a data compression system can thus be characterized by a number of cycles (read and write operations) required per input character into or out of the data compression system. Fewer memory cycles per input character leads to higher performance compression rates and decompression rates.
Another important criterion in the design of a data compression and decompression system is compression effectiveness. Compression effectiveness is characterized by the compression ratio of the system, i.e. a smaller compression ratio indicates greater compression effectiveness. However, in order for data to be compressible using a lossless data compression system, the data to be compressed must contain redundancies. As a result, the compression ratio, or compression effectiveness, in a lossless data compression system (and to a lesser degree in a lossy data compression system) is a function of the degree of redundancy in the data being compressed. The compression effectiveness of any data compression system is also affected by how effectively the data compression system exploits, for data compression purposes, the particular forms of redundancy in the original data.
In typical computer stored data, e.g., arrays of integers, text, programs or the like, redundancy occurs both in the repetitive use of individual symbology, e.g., digits, bytes or characters, and in frequent recurrence of symbol sequences, such as common words, blank record fields, and the like. An effective data compression system should respond to both types of redundancy.
A further criterion important in the design of data compression and decompression systems is that of adaptability. Many prior art data compression procedures require prior knowledge, or the statistics, of the data being compressed. Some prior art procedures adapt to the statistics of the data as it is received, i.e., adaptive data compression systems, and others do not, i.e., non-adaptive data compressions systems. Where prior art procedures do not adapt to the statistics of the data as it is received, compression effectiveness is reduced, but where such procedures do adapt to the statistics, an inordinate degree of complexity is required in the data compression system. An adaptive data compression system may be utilized over a wide range of information types, which is typically the requirement in general purpose computer facilities while a non-adaptive data compression system operates optimally only on data types for which the non-adaptive data compression system is optimized. Thus, it is desirable that the data compression system achieves small compression ratios without prior knowledge of the data statistics, i.e., that the data compression system is adaptive. Many data compression systems currently available are generally not adaptable and so cannot be utilized to achieve small compression ratios over a wide range of data types.
General purpose data compression procedures are known in the prior art that either are or may be rendered adaptive, two relevant procedures being the Huffman method and the Tunstall method. The Huffman method is widely known and used, reference thereto being had in an article by D. A. Huffman entitled "A Method for the Construction of Minimum Redundancy Codes", Proceedings IRE, 40:10, pp. 1098-1100 (September 1952). Further reference to the Huffman procedure may be had in an article by R. Gallagher entitled "Variations on a Theme by Huffman", IEEE Information Theory Transactions, IT-24:6, (November 1978). Adaptive Huffman coding maps fixed length sequences of symbols into variable length binary words. Adaptive Huffman coding suffers from the limitation that it is not efficacious when redundancy exists in input symbol sequences which are longer than the fixed sequence length the procedure can interpret. In practical implementations of the Huffman procedure, the input sequence lengths rarely exceed 12 bits due to RAM costs and, therefore, the procedure generally does not achieve small compression ratios. Additionally, the adaptive Huffman procedure is complex and often requires an inordinately large number of memory cycles for each input symbol. Thus, the adaptive Huffman procedure tends to be undesirably cumbersome costly and slow thereby rendering the process unsuitable for most practical present day installations.
Reference to the Tunstall procedure may be had in the doctoral thesis of B. T. Tunstall entitled "Synthesis of Noiseless Compression Codes", Georgia Institute of Technology, (September 1967). The Tunstall procedure maps variable length input system sequences into fixed length binary output words. Although no adaptive version of the Tunstall procedure is described in the prior art, an adaptive version could be derived which, however, would be complex and unsuitable for high performance implementations. Neither the Huffman nor the Tunstall procedure has the ability to encode increasingly longer combinations of source symbols.
A further adaptive data compression system that overcomes some of the disadvantages of the prior art is that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,464,650 for APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR COMPRESSING DATA AND RESTORING THE COMPRESSED DATA, issued Aug. 7, 1984 to Cohen. The procedure of Cohen parses the stream of input data symbols into adaptively growing sequences of symbols. The procedure unfortunately, however, suffers from the disadvantages of requiring numerous RAM cycles per input character and utilizing time consuming and complex mathematical procedures such as multiplication and division to effect compression and decompression. These disadvantages tend to render the Cohen procedure unsuitable for numerous economical high performance implementations.
An even further adaptive data compression system that overcomes some of the disadvantages of the prior art is that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,302 for HIGH SPEED DATA COMPRESSION AND DECOMPRESSION APPARATUS AND METHOD, issued Dec. 10, 1985, to Welch. The procedure of Welch compresses an input stream of data symbols by storing, in a string table, strings of symbols encountered in an input stream. The Welch procedure next searches the input stream to determine the longest match to a stored string of symbols. Each stored string of symbols includes a prefix string and an extension character that is a last character in the string of symbols. The prefix string includes all but the extension character.
When a longest match between the input data stream and the stored strings of symbols is determined, the code signal for the longest match is transmitted as the compressed code signal for the encountered string of symbols and an extension character is stored in the string table. The prefix string of the extension character is the longest match, i.e., the longest stored string of symbols located in the search. The extension character of the extended string is the next input data character signal following the longest match.
Searching through the string table and entering extension characters into the string table is effected by a limited searching hashing procedure. Unfortunately, even the improved data compression system of Welch suffers from less than optimal compression effectiveness, and less than optimal performance. As a result, the Welch procedure, like the Cohen procedure, is unsuitable for many high performance implementations.

Data compression for use with a communications channel


A substrate handling robot includes an arm section and a wrist portion connected to the arm section. An end effector is connected to the wrist portion and is configured to support a substrate. A housing is arranged adjacent to the end effector and includes a gas outlet that directs gas onto an exposed surface of the substrate during transport.

The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
Substrate processing systems such as semiconductor processing systems may be used to deposit film layers, metal layers or other types of layers onto a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer. The substrate processing system may include one or more processing stations. While semiconductor wafers used in microelectronic production currently have diameters in the range of about 150 mm to 300 mm, next-generation tools are expected to handle 450 mm wafers. Similarly designed substrate processing systems are also used to process large rectangular glass plates for applications such as photovoltaics, flat panel displays, and electrochromic windows.
A substrate handling robot associated with a vacuum transfer chamber may be used to move the substrates from a load lock to one of the processing stations of the processing chamber and/or between the stations of the processing chamber. The vacuum transfer chamber allows the transfer to be performed in a vacuum. Gases are typically introduced into the vacuum transfer chamber through a gas delivery tube or a gas diffuser connected to the vacuum transfer chamber. A location of the gas delivery tube or the gas diffuser is stationary relative to the vacuum transfer chamber.
During transfers, it is desirable to avoid degradation of the film layers of the substrate. For example only, one processing station may deposit a dielectric layer onto a wafer. Degradation of the dielectric layer may occur when transferring the wafer through the vacuum transfer chamber to another one of the processing stations. For example only, another processing station may deposit a metal layer, such as copper, onto the wafer. Oxidation of the metal layer may occur when transferring the wafer through the vacuum transfer chamber. Unwanted contamination such as hydrocarbons in the residual gases of the vacuum transfer chamber as well as particles may also deposit onto the wafer surface during transport.
Current technology to inhibit oxide formation or dielectric degradation on the substrate typically involves using high gas flows to dilute oxygen or water vapor content. The pressure setting in the vacuum transfer chamber is usually a constant value that is based on the application performed in the wafer process modules (e.g. deposition or etch). The high gas flow generally requires large capacity vacuum pumps to hold chamber pressure at a constant pressure value. Large capacity pumps are typically more expensive and have a relatively large footprint, which tends to increase cost per unit area in a fabrication facility.

Systems and methods for inhibiting oxide growth in substrate handler vacuum chambers


The disclosure relates to a process for roasting and surface pasteurization of particulate food products. The roasting and surface pasteurization can be combined and united to form one process wherein a treatment is carried out in a moist atmosphere at temperatures <100° C., that the pasteurization treatment is carried out in a roasting system during the roasting operation, that during the pasteurization phase the temperature of the product surface is held a few degrees below the dew point temperature of the atmosphere which is established, that the pasteurization is performed for 1-30 min, and that with advancing or continued roasting the water of condensation on the surface of the food products is removed and the water uptake of the same is minimized.

The device relates to a method for roasting and for the surface pasteurization of pieces of food products, in particular oleaginous seeds, such as almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts, as well as peanuts, bran, cereals, coffee, cocoa and the like. By nature, agricultural products and foods are loaded with harmless and potentially pathogenic micro-organisms. In most cases, agricultural products are processed fresh, or are made durable with the aid of suitable technological means. Among industrially employed preservation methods are, inter alia, sterilization or pasteurization by means of heat, irradiation with ionizing rays, and gassing with lethally-acting gases. The two last-mentioned methods in particular can only be employed in a limited manner, since the use of these methods is strictly regulated by law.
In the past years, several cases of contamination of raw almonds with salmonella have been reported. To improve the safety of almond products, U.S. authorities have ordered that, starting in autumn of 2007, the entire almond harvest is to be pasteurized. Pasteurization of almonds and other oleaginous seeds requires special demands on the methods to be used. The water content of the almonds is not allowed to be increased to an appreciable degree, by and during treatment, because both the storage capability and the integrity of the almonds are harmed. Moreover, in the course of intensive thermal or mechanical treatment, raw almonds tend to lose the skin around the seed, decreasing quality.
Moreover, US authorities have made the requirement that pasteurization may take place within the course of the customary subsequent processing steps, such as, for example, during blanching or roasting. Here, sufficient inactivation must be assured by the sum of these process steps.
Various devices and methods have been described for hot-air roasting of nuts and almonds. A compilation of these methods can be found in Finke (1965), Kleinert (1966), Gaupp (1978), Bockelmann (1987) or Perren (1995). Commonly, in hot-air roasting methods, the nuts are charged with dry, hot air at 125° C. to approximately 600° C. Because of this, the nuts are heated and are roasted within 8 to 60 minutes. Roasting is characterized by the formation of a roasting stage. By roasting, the water content is reduced to less than 2.5%, and the texture is modified to a crunchy-crackly and brittle texture. Furthermore, a roast color is formed in the range between light brown to dark brown, and a typical roasting aroma and pleasant roasted taste are created.
Effective heat inactivation of micro-organisms is customarily obtained in an atmosphere of increased water activity. In contrast thereto, micro-organisms are only inactivated to a limited extent by dry heating. Since roasting by means of hot air constitutes treatment in a dry atmosphere, an assured inactivation of micro-organisms by hot-air roasting only takes place after a very long treatment time, or respectively at high temperatures.
Parameters which are required for achieving inactivation of the described surrogates for Salmonella SE PT 30 at an order of a magnitude of 4 log-units, are described in the "Guidelines for Validation of Dry Roast Processes" of the Almond Board of California. The described product temperature, time, and/or combinations thereof, which must be attained for minimal heat inactivation in the course of hot-air roasting, are so high that at these conditions high roasting stages and correspondingly dark roast colors are exclusively formed. Thus, only in the case of very advanced roasting stages is it possible to achieve an inactivation of micro-organisms in an order of a magnitude of 4 log-units which, in accordance with the stipulation of the American authorities, does not permit a classification of "pasteurized".
In the two-stage roasting process of Perren et al. (1996), the hot air is subjected to moisturizing, which leads to an increase in atmospheric humidity. The described increase in humidity in the first process stage to approximately 10% is not sufficient here for creating an atmosphere which causes the assured inactivation of vegetative micro-organisms.
On the other hand, methods for sterilizing pieces of food, and in particular of almonds, have been described. A compilation of the methods accepted for pasteurizing almonds is provided on the website of the Almond Board of California (www.almondsarein.com).
Many described pasteurization methods deal with isolated treatment of products in humid atmospheres at temperatures in the range of 60 to 100° C. under normal pressure conditions. The exclusive aim of these methods is to reduce the contamination of the surfaces of the almonds by micro-organisms. Because of the short process duration and because of the humid atmosphere, these methods are not capable of forming a roasting stage. Neither is drying of the products to <2.5% achieved, nor are there typical textures, roasting aromas and roast colors with these pasteurization methods.
Thus, no method is described in the prior art capable of pasteurizing nuts, almonds, oleaginous seeds and other goods in piece form, simultaneously or in the same process, in an assured manner, and to roast them in hot air.
It is the object of the invention to create a method of the type described at the outset, wherein hot-air roasting and pasteurization of food products are combined and both methods are united.
In accordance with the invention, this object is attained in that a treatment in a humid atmosphere is performed at a temperature <100° C., that pasteurization is performed in a roasting system during the roasting process, that during the pasteurization phase the temperature on the product surface is maintained a few degrees below the selected dew-point temperature of the atmosphere, that pasteurization is performed within 1 to 30 mins, and that, in the course of advancing or continued roasting, condensation water on the surface of the food products is removed and water absorption of the latter is minimized.
Conditions are created for inactivating vegetative germs under optimal conditions and in a short time. The roasting process is subsequently continued and the products are brought to the desired degree of roasting.
Pasteurization is optimized in that the treatment is performed in a humid atmosphere, preferably at temperatures between 50° C. and 90° C., and during the pasteurization phase the temperature on the product surface is preferably selected to lie 0° C. to 8° C. below the dew-point temperature selected for the atmosphere.

Method for roasting and surface-pasteurization of foods products


A variable magnification optical system for projection consists of a negative lens group and a positive lens group in this order from a magnification side. A distance on an optical axis between the negative lens group and the positive lens group changes during magnification change, and an entire system substantially consists of six lenses. The negative lens group consists of a first lens including an aspheric surface and a second lens that is a negative single lens in this order from the magnification side.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a variable magnification optical system for projection and a projection-type display apparatus. For example, the present invention relates to a small-sized variable magnification optical system for projection appropriate to magnify and project rays carrying video image information from a light valve onto a screen, and to a projection-type display apparatus on which the variable magnification optical system for projection is mounted.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, projection apparatuses (projection-type display apparatuses) using DMD (digital micromirror device: registered trademark) display devices instead of liquid crystal display devices, as light valves, became utilized. In the projection-type display apparatus, the DMD controls the reflection direction of light output from a light source by using rectangular micromirrors. The micromirror has high reflectance, and the inclination of the micromirror is changeable in a range of about 10 degrees or more based on a received video signal. The DMD makes projection of the video image possible by collecting only desirable reflection light on a screen. This is made possible, for example, by vertically and horizontally arranging several million or more mirrors on a substrate, and by performing digital control on all of them independently from each other. Each minor corresponds to a pixel in each video image.
The DMD display device differs from the liquid crystal display device in that illumination light does not need to be polarized. Therefore, a loss in light amount is small, and the DMD display device is excellent also in accurately expressing gradation. Hence, in the projection-type display apparatus using the DMD display device having such advantages, a lens for projection with excellent optical characteristics is requested so that sharp and highly precise images corresponding to the DMD display device are obtainable.
Further, as a demand in mobile use has increased, and the price of the projection-type display apparatus has become lower, reduction in size, weight and cost tends to be requested also in the lens for projection. Further, a wider angle of view, which makes projection from a shorter projection distance onto a large display screen in a small room possible, is requested. Further, it is desirable that the magnification of the lens for projection is changeable so that the size of an image projected on the screen is changeable.
It is necessary to simplify the lens structure of a lens for projection to reduce the size and weight of the lens for projection. As variable magnification optical systems for projection with simple group structure consisting of a small number of lenses, optical systems disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-107798 (Patent Document 1) and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-113150 (Patent Document 2) are known. Patent Documents 1 and 2. disclose zoom lenses, in which an entire system consists of five lenses, and a first lens group having negative refractive power and a second lens group having positive refractive power are arranged in this order from a magnification side. These two lens groups move in the direction of an optical axis during magnification change.

Variable magnification optical system for projection and projection-type display apparatus


An electrical circuit for a power converter includes a first switching device proximate an AC source. The circuit also includes a voltage measurement device proximate a DC link and extends between the AC source and the DC link. The circuit further includes a DC voltage source and a first capacitive device. The first capacitive device is positioned between the first switching device and the voltage measurement device. The circuit further includes a second switching device positioned between the first capacitive device and the voltage measurement device. The circuit also includes a controller operatively coupled to the DC voltage source, the voltage measurement device, and the switching devices. The controller is configured to open the second switching device when a measured voltage signal generated by the voltage measurement device is substantially representative of a reference voltage value.

The field of the disclosure relates generally to electric power converter equipment and, more particularly, to a system and method for operation of multilevel converters.
Many known multilevel power converters are in use throughout various industries and for a variety of purposes for electric power conversion. Specifically, the term "multilevel converter" refers to a converter that can operate in an inverter mode and in a rectifier mode. One technical sector where known multilevel power converters are used is the medium voltage (MV) variable speed drive (VSD) industry, where MV VSDs are commonly deployed in many diverse processing facilities, e.g., industries such as the electric power generation industry. MV VSD's facilitate fast and precise process control with lower energy consumption, both results typically not attainable through devices such as constant speed drive motors.
Another technical sector where known multilevel power converters are used is the electric power transmission and distribution industry. At least some of the known electric power transmission and distribution facilities are physically positioned in a remote geographical region or in an area where physical access is difficult. One example includes electric power transmission and distribution facilities geographically located in rugged and/or remote terrain, for example, mountainous hillsides, extended distances from electric power grids, and submerged, e.g., off-shore oil and gas exploration and recovery installations. Many of these known electric power transmission and distribution facilities include a separated power conversion assembly, or system, electrically coupled to an alternating current (AC) power source, e.g., a utility power grid. Such known separated power conversion assemblies include a rectifier portion that converts the AC transmitted by the utility power generation grid to direct current (DC) and an inverter portion that converts the DC to AC of a predetermined frequency and voltage amplitude. The rectifier portion and the inverter portion use multilevel power converters that may shift between operating as a rectifier and operating as an inverter. Most known multilevel converters include semiconductor-based switching devices, e.g., thyristors, including insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs). The rectifier and inverter portions are typically electrically coupled via a medium voltage DC (MVDC) or a high voltage DC (HVDC) link.
Various known multilevel converter topologies are in service or have been available for service. Many of the DC links for known multilevel converters include capacitors to facilitate levelizing DC voltage within the DC link to stabilize power transmission between the multilevel converters. These capacitors are referred to as "flying capacitors" herein. The voltages of the flying capacitors vary throughout operation of the associated multilevel converters as the operation of the switching devices in the converter vary. Also, the output voltage pattern and the blocking voltage of each switching device are determined by the flying capacitor voltages. In order to get the appropriate multilevel output with low harmonic distortion and prevent the devices from attaining overvoltage conditions, the flying capacitor voltages are maintained at or near certain voltage levels, which are normally defined as references, or reference voltages for the flying capacitors through all modes of operation of the multilevel converters, including startup. However, the voltage values of the flying capacitors prior to placing the multilevel converters in service is relatively low compared to the operating voltages, and may be as low as zero volts.
As such, the flying capacitor voltages are pre-charged to the references or near references first, before the multilevel converters start to switch. Otherwise, the service life of the switching devices may be shortened by exposure to overvoltage conditions. Traditionally, the pre-charge procedure requires a voltage sensor on each flying capacitor. As the ratings of the voltage levels associated with multilevel converter switching devices increases with the power ratings of the converters, the number of flying capacitors also increases appropriately. Therefore, more voltage sensors are needed which increases the costs of assembling and maintaining the multilevel converters and additional input channel resources associated with the controller further drives up cost.

System and method for operating power converters


A combination bottle cap and pre-measured medicine dispenser for a medicine bottle having a threaded neck and a body a substance therein. The combination bottle cap and pre-measured medicine dispenser includes a cap for detachably sealing the threaded neck of the medicine bottle from leakage of the substance and a measuring vial interconnected with the cap for measuring a predetermined amount of substance poured out of the threaded neck from the body of the medicine bottle after the cap is removed from the threaded neck of the medicine bottle so that the substance can be dispensed therefrom. The cap includes a cone shaped cover wall having a recess extending therethrough and a skirt depending from the cone shaped cover wall for engaging and sealing the threaded neck. A stopper including a flat base for supporting the combination bottle cap and pre-measured medicine dispenser is used to close the recess extending through the cone shaped cover wall. A base of the measuring vial is defined by the cone shaped cover wall and stopper.

1. Field of the Invention
The instant invention relates generally to container closures and, more specifically, to a combination closure cap and pre-measured medicine dispenser containing a measuring vial for measuring an amount of substance dispensed from a bottle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous container closures have been provided in prior art that are adapted to seal container to prevent spillage and leaks therefrom. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,780,875; 2,061,685; 2,559,168; 4,269,319; 4,566,508; 4,566,509; 4,741,459 and 4,773,560 are all illustrative of such prior art. While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described.

Combination bottle cap and pre-measured medicine dispenser


The present invention includes a method of electronically designing an article, including accessing an electronic article design system, selecting an article type to design, and iteratively configuring a group of characteristics by selecting one or more options for each characteristic and/or iteratively modeling the article performance based on a selection of one or more performance parameters for each performance model. In the iterative configuration and modeling step, the electronic article design system automatically presents the characteristics and the performance models based on the article type selected, dynamically updates the article for each step of the iterative configuration and/or modeled performance, and automatically resolves conflicts between iteratively configured characteristics, between iteratively modeled performances, and across iteratively configured characteristics and modeled performances.

The present invention relates to a method of electronic design or identification.
A variety of methods of electronic design have emerged in recent years. Systems employing these methods range from electronic design of electrical circuits, to mechanical parts or assemblies to computer networks. Such electronic design systems employ a variety of technologies in their implementation, including various software-programming languages, relational databases or other data storage and retrieval mechanisms, and user interfaces. Prior electronic design systems are delivered to users by a variety of means, such as Internet based applications including server-side storage and processing and client-side delivery via a web browser or locally stored and processed client applications. Design and build websites, offered by various commercial vendors, are well known examples of prior art systems employing electronic design methods.


A method is disclosed for treating a blood vessel which has been subjected to interventional dilatation, to inhibit restenosis that would otherwise occur from cellular proliferation attributable to traumatic response at the site of the vessel interior wall where the dilatation was performed. The method includes introducing a radioactive source into the blood vessel so that the source is positioned adjacent to the site, and exposing targeted tissue of the vessel interior wall at the site to said radioactive source for a period of time sufficient to deliver a prescribed dose of radiation to the tissue. The rate at which the prescribed dose is delivered to the targeted tissue is adjusted to positively assure that the rate is held in a range with an upper limit of about 60 rads per second. Dose rate adjustment is controlled by selectively setting the distance between the source and the targeted tissue, or by appropriately selecting the length of the source according to the length of the site of targeted tissue along the vessel interior wall, and/or by appropriately attenuating the radiation emitted by the source to a desired reduced magnitude at the site of the targeted tissue, to positively assure that the dose rate delivered to the targeted tissue will not exceed 60 rads per second.

The present invention relates generally to intravascular radiotherapy, and more particularly to improved devices and methods for delivering nuclear radiation therapy to avoid restenosis in blood vessels that have been subjected to an interventional dilatation procedure.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,939 to Dake et al. discloses a technique for inhibiting restenosis in a coronary artery following angioplasty by delivering nuclear radiation therapy to the artery wall at the time or immediately after the angioplasty procedure is performed.
In co-pending patent applications Ser. Nos. 08/057,322, 08/339,950 and 08/467,711 of A. J. Bradshaw et al., which are assigned to a common assignee, and incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, devices and techniques are disclosed for improved delivery of intravascular radiotherapy by substantially centering the radioactive source in the tortuous pathway of a coronary artery to provide a relatively uniform dose of radiation to preselected tissue of the arterial wall at the target site in a substantially circumferential band disposed a predetermined radial distance from the radioactive source. It is essential that a uniform dose of radiation be delivered to the preselected tissue in the designated circumferential band about the source, rather than a random or non-uniform dose. Otherwise, tissue segments at locations on the interior surface of the wall closer to and further from the source would be overdosed and underdosed, respectively. Overdosing is to be avoided because it causes excessive vessel hemorrhaging, excessive fibrous media thinning, and the possibility of aneurysm or other late radiation effects. J. Weinberger et al. of Columbia University have suggested in a published study that overdosing also may be slightly stimulative in some dose ranges. Underdosing should also be avoided because it does not inhibit the proliferative cellular growth which is a traumatic response to the initial interventional dilatation, and hence, does not substantially deter restenosis.
In a clinical setting, it is desirable to administer the intravascular radiotherapy in as short a time as is practicable, to avoid the blood flow reduction and other factors which can lead to adverse consequences from leaving the catheter and radioactive source (so-called source wire) in place in the coronary artery or other portion of the vasculature for too long a time. Treatment time may be shortened by increasing the activity level of the radioactive source.
Studies by the Frankfort Group and Emory University have indicated that very high activity radioactivity sources stepped through the target site with relatively short treatment times, i.e., where the source is of shorter length than the length of arterial wall which is to be treated and must therefore be incrementally advanced (or retracted)--or "stepped"--through the target site during treatment, have yielded mixed results. Neither of these cited studies used techniques to assure centering of the radioactive source, and each used a standard oncology catheter in delivery of the radiation. Research conducted by the applicants herein using a high activity stepping source without centering to treat coronary arteries in pigs yielded mixed results, with the relatively straight circumflex (CFX) and left anterior descending (LAD) arteries exhibiting a dose response with 1000 rads (r, or centiGray, cGy) which is similar to the control arteries. A better response was achieved with 1500 r, and even better with 2500 r. In that regard, the term "better" is used as reflecting improved results in percentage of area stenosis, in maximal intimal thickness, and in mean luminal area, compared to control. The right coronary artery (RCA) results showed no dose response and no improvement at any of the three doses, thought by the applicants to be attributable to lack of dose control in this severely curved artery because no centering mechanism was used to preclude random overdosing and underdosing.
Further testing and data analysis by the applicants has suggested another mechanism responsible for the poor RCA results and the mixed results encountered in other high activity studies. It is a primary objective of the present invention to provide improvements in the methods and apparatus for inhibiting restenosis in blood vessels subjected to angioplasty procedures.

Device and method for controlling dose rate during intravascular radiotherapy


An implantable lead including one or more sigmoidal or serpentine shaped conductors which are placed in one or more lumens formed in and extending along the length of the lead body. The conductor is shaped with its undulating curve lying generally in one plane. The lumen in cross section is greater in width than in height. The sigmoidal conductor extends along the length of the lead body and across the width of the lumen.

The present invention relates to a lead for use with an implantable medical device. More particularly, the invention relates to a multiple lumen, multiple conductor, pacemaker lead.
Permanently implantable electrical lead systems are used in conjunction with implantable medical devices, such as pacemakers, nerve and muscle stimulators and anti-tachycardia devices. In these applications the lead is used to transmit electrical signals to and/or from the medical device. Leads of this type may be chronically implanted and are expected to exhibit a long service life in a hostile environment of the human body.
The traditional lead includes a lead body having a generally circular exterior cross-section and one or more circular lumens, which may be arranged coaxially or parallel to one another. Typically, spiral wound metallic conductors are positioned within one or more lumens of the lead body. The spiral wound conductor also forms a lumen which can receive a stylet to help stiffening the lead as an aid to lead placement during lead implantation.
Alternative conductor designs have been proposed in the context of implantable multiple lumen multiple conductor leads. U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,986 issued to Beranek discloses a round lead having an array of round lumens. This lead places a single "straight" strand of metallic conductor loosely into each lumen. An exotic metal formulation is stated to avoid the problems of breakage due to flexing normally associated with straight conductors. An additional alternative conductor for use in implantable leads is bundled, stranded wire, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,414, issued to Handa et al.

Medical electrical lead having sigmoidal conductors and non-circular lumens


A limit switching apparatus with defined overtravel for specimen-objective protection on microscopes having a motorized focusing drive. A stored focus position or position of the specimen stage can be overtraveled by a fixed amount. The maximum travel path of the specimen stage is additionally limited by a switching rod and a short-circuiting switch, in order to ensure reliable specimen-objective protection even in the event of a fault in the control electronics.

The invention relates to a limit switching apparatus for limiting the movement of a motorized focusing drive, in particular for a microscope having a movable specimen stage.
Reliable specimen/objective protection in microscopy is intended to ensure that the specimen does not come into contact with the chosen objective during focusing, and consequently neither the specimen nor the objective can be damaged.
This problem is solved in the case of manually operating focusing drives by mechanical stops, which block the focusing drive in a certain position, being provided on the microscope stage. Furthermore, mechanical settable locked positions are known, by means of which a set specimen stage position can be fixed reproducibly.
Modern microscope drives have a motorized focusing drive and are equipped with electrical/electronic control devices, by means of which the focus position can be approached and can be stored.
The microscope systems equipped with motorized focusing drives are increasingly used for production inspections, for example in the semiconductor industry. Here it has been found that, under certain circumstances, electronic controls operate unreliably and essential specimen protection cannot be reliably ensured by electronic means.
Furthermore, practice has shown that in production inspections the specimens to be investigated are affected by manufacturing tolerances. For example, microscopes equipped with electronic or mechanical specimen protection cannot be focused sufficiently accurately if the specimen thickness varies. Due to the activated specimen protection, the specimen stage cannot be moved out of the stored focus position closer to the objective and consequently cannot be focused. This has been found to be disadvantageous for production inspections since, for example, in the semiconductor industry the wafers to be investigated may be affected by tolerances of about .+-.20 .mu.m. For the exact focusing of such a specimen, the activated specimen protection must first of all be laboriously switched off and then readjusted.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to improve a limit switching apparatus on a motorized focusing drive for a microscope in such a way that, in addition to the specimen/objective protection, a defined further focusing beyond the fixed focus point is permitted.

Limit switching apparatus with defined overtravel for specimen protection on microscopes with motorized focusing drive


A process for removing disinfectant dye such as methylene blue from blood, a liquid blood fraction or other perishable liquid to which disinfectant dye has been added. The process employs a filter of polyvinyl alcohol-acetal copolymer. This material shows exceptional avidity for disinfectant dyes, readily removing them from blood or blood fractions while having little or no effect on subsequent chemicals analysis of the treated material. The filter material is a porous matrix that releases no particles or fines into the blood product, and its white color readily shows the capture of the blue dye. Disinfectant dyes are used to extend the shelf life of platelet concentrates with the dyes being removed by a PVAA filter prior to transfusion into a patient. Also, triglycerides may also be removed from plasma or other solutions by passage through a porous matrix of poly(vinyl alcohol-acetal) copolymer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to the medical field of hematology and, more particularly, for an improved method and device for the removal of disinfectant dyes such as methylene blue from blood, blood fractions or other perishable liquids to which the dyes have been added for disinfecting purposes.
2. Description of Related Art
At the present time one has only to mention human blood and blood transfusion to elicit anxiety related to fear of somehow contracting AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) from tainted blood. While it is true that various antibody-based and other tests have made it possible to remove the vast majority of HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus, the causative agent of AIDS) infected blood from our blood supply, the current status of AIDS as an incurable fatal disease makes even a relatively small risk unacceptable to many.
The risk of infection can be further reduced both by improving the sensitivity of diagnostic tests applied to the blood and by developing methods to disinfect the blood so that infected blood that evades the tests can be rendered substantially harmless. An additional advantage to the option of disinfecting blood is that there are many other blood-borne viral diseases besides AIDS. The public is generally aware of the several types of hepatitis that may be contracted from blood transfusions. These diseases range from being merely debilitating to being fatal as in the case of fulminating hepatitis or liver cancer, which is strongly correlated with certain forms of hepatitis. There are undoubtedly many other blood-borne viral pathogens that are as yet undiscovered.
One means of eliminating or removing viruses from blood is the use of "phototherapy" or "photodisinfection." Virtually all pathogenic agents, with the possible exception of "prions," are known to contain nucleic acids as their genetic material. Whereas nucleic acids in human cells are packaged by proteins and protected by the cytoplasm and the nuclear envelope, in typical viruses they are more exposed. This makes it possible to more readily cause photochemical damage to them. Nucleic acids naturally absorb light energy in the ultraviolet range. In fact, much of the skin damage caused by sunlight is due to photochemical damage to nucleic acids.
There have been some experiments with using ultraviolet light to disinfect blood, but this has generally not proven satisfactory. Levels of ultraviolet radiation that inactivate blood-borne pathogens are difficult to administer and may also cause damage to cellular and protein components of the blood. Furthermore, ultraviolet radiation can be difficult to work with and may damage or fail to penetrate materials commonly used in blood handling.
It is well-known that a chromophore absorbing light in the normal visible spectrum can be used to indirectly effect disinfection. Essentially, the chromophore absorbs visible light and becomes "excited." This extra energy from absorbing the light has to go somewhere: it can be converted into heat in the form of accelerated molecular vibration of the chromophore; it can be reemitted as fluorescence; or it can be used up in a photochemical reaction. Certain chromophores such as the thionine dye methylene blue (3,7-bis(dimethylamino)-phenazthionium chloride), when excited, is able to potentiate chemical reactions in nucleic acid. These photochemical reactions alter the structure of the nucleic acid and render it nonfunctional. Since living cells generally exclude the methylene blue, it is viral nucleic acids that are primarily liable to damage.
Although methylene blue is generally considered to be nontoxic, there is some trepidation at adding this material to blood and blood products for medical use. It is possible to remove methylene blue with binding substances such as activated charcoal. Unfortunately, many other substances stick to charcoal and are removed, thereby altering clinical chemistry and other diagnostic tests and potentially harming the quality of the transfused blood or blood product.
In addition, methylene blue and a number of other dyes are known to have "disinfectant" properties. This means that even in the absence of light these dyes may inhibit the growth of various microbes, especially bacteria. The cause of this disinfectant property is not entirely known. Since many of the disinfectant dyes have oxidation-reduction (redox) potentials in the range of many electron transport components of oxidative metabolism, it seems possible that these dyes operate by "short circuiting" these electron transport pathways. Generally the dyes show differential activity towards gram-negative versus gram-positive bacteria with electronegative dyes being more effective on gram-negative bacteria and electropositive dyes being more effective on gram-positive bacteria.
Human blood and blood fractions frequently have a limited shelf life because bacteria accidentally introduced into the blood from the skin of the blood donor multiply in the blood and eventually render it unusable. Until now no effective way of dealing with these bacterial contaminants has been developed. Addition of antibiotics or chemical disinfectants, while effective, is undesirable because of the problem of introducing these agents into the patient along with the blood or blood fraction.

Disinfectant dye removal from blood and blood fractions using a porous poly(vinyl alcohol-acetal) copolymer


A method of generating light through chemiluminescence involves providing a stable 1,2-dioxetane of the formula:

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to chemiluminescent compounds. More particularly, the present invention concerns stable, triggerable chemiluminescent 1,2-dioxetanes. Even more particularly, the present invention concerns new chemiluminescent 1,2-dioxetane compounds derived from the oxidation of novel alkenes prepared by the coupling of substituted aromatic esters or ketones and spiro-fused ketones with or without a π-electron system or a carbon-carbon double bond in the ring.
2. Prior Art
Chemiluminescent compounds, their preparation and their uses have been long documented in the prior art. These "high energy" molecules store sufficient energy to generate, or fragmentation, electronically excited carbonyl products which are responsible for the observed chemiluminescence. Dioxetanes and especially, 1,2-dioxitanes and eminently useful to detect the presence, as well as the absence, of certain enzymes in fluids such as blood and the like because of their chemiluminescence. Thus, 1, 2 dioxetanes are eminently useful in doing medical assays.
Generally, 1,2-dioxetanes are thermally labile substances having a wide range of stability which decompose on heating and emit light, and correspond to the following formula (1):

Where each R corresponds to any one of a multitude of organic moieties widely reported in the prior art, as detailed herebelow. As noted these 1,2-dioxetanes have a wide range of stability. For example, the prior art, as found in: (a) K. W. Lee, L. A. Singer and K. D. Legg, J. Org. Chem., 41, 2685(1976); (b) F. McCapra, I. Beheshti, A. Burford, R. A. Hanu and K. A. Zaklika, J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Commun., 944(1977); and (c) J. H. Wieringa, J. Strating, H. Wynberg and W. Adam, Tet. Lett., 169 (1972); respectively, disclose the following 1,2-dioxetanes of different stability:

Although these high energy compounds are all spiro-substituted 1,2-dioxetanes, spiroadamantane substitution exerts a tremendous stabilizing effect on these four-membered ring peroxides. The lower activation energy (EA) of the dioxetanes of formulae (3) and (4) above is explained by the donation of charge from nitrogen to the dioxetane ring. The dioxetane of formula (5) above decomposes at 150° C. and has a half life at 25° C. more than 20 years.
A 1,2-dioxetane (6) below, dispiro[adamantane2,3′-[1,2-] dioxetane-4′,9′-fluorene] was isolated as crystals and described by W. Adam and L. A. A. Encarnacion, Chem. Ber., 115, 2592 (1982).

The stability of 1,2-dioxetanes (5) and (6) was described on the basis of bulky and rigid Spiro nature of the adamantane group.
The first stable and enzymatic triggerable 1,2-dioxetane was synthesised by the oxidation of (6-acetoxy-2-naphthyl) methoxy methyleneadamantane as reported by A. P. Schaap, R. S. Handley and B. P. Giri, Tet. lett., 935 (1987). This 1,2-dioxetane utlizes aryl esterase emzyme to catalyze the cleavage of the acetate group of a naphthylacetate-substituted-1,2-dioxetane and produce chemiluminescence in aqueous buffers at ambient temperature by the following sequence:

Several other stabilized 1,2-dioxetanes and their use as enzyme substrates have been disclosed in the literature. See, inter alia, A. P. Schaap, T. S. Chen, R. S. Handley, R. DeSilva and B. P. Giri, Tet. Lett., 1155(1987); A. P. Schaap, M. D. Sandison and R. S. Handley, Tet. Lett., 1159 (1987); U.S. Pat. No. 4,962,192; U.S. Pat. No. 4,978,614; U.S. Pat. No. 5,386,017; U.S. Pat. No. 5,721,370, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
These several other 1,2-dioxetanes, generally, have the following general structures:
wherein
is a non-active site and which is selected from the group of polycyclic alkyl groups containing 6 to 30 carbon atoms, OX is an oxy group substituted on an aryl ring which forms an unstable oxide intermediate 1,2-dioxetane compound when triggered to remove X by an activating agent selected from the group consisting of an acid, a base, a salt, an enzyme and an inorganic or organic catalyst, and electron donor source, and X is a chemically labile group which is removed by the activating agents to form light and carbonyl containing compounds, R1 is a lower alkyl containing 1 to 8 carbon atoms, or mixtures thereof, or

where T is a non-active site which is a cycloalkyl or a polycycloalkyl group bonded to the 4-membered ring portion of the dioxetane by a spiro linkage; Y is a fluorescent chromophore; X is a hydrogen, alkyl, aryl arylkyl, alkaryl, heteroalkyl, heteroaryl, cycloalkyl, cycloheteroalkyl, or enzyme cleavable group; and Z is hydrogen or an enzyme cleavable group, provided that at least one of X or Z must be an enzyme cleavable group.
The enzyme cleavable 1,2-dioxetanes of formulae(14), (15) and (16) shown below have been commercialized and used in immuno assays, southern blotting, northern blotting, western blotting, plaque/colony lifts and DNA sequencing.
The 1,2-dioxetane of formula (15) with the chloro substitution in the adamantane ring demonstrates better results in DNA sequencing when compared to dioxetane (14). Dioxetane (16) is more soluble in an aqueous system than 1,2-dioxetane (14) and (15) when a CH3 group is replaced with a CH2CH2CH2COOH.
Other relevant prior art can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,386,017; 4,962,192; 5,018,827; 5,578,253; 5,004,565; 5,068,339, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
While these prior art compounds provide enzyme cleavable 1,2-dioxetanes, it has been observed that in an aqueous buffer, the luminescence of these molecules is particularity poor, especially when trace amounts of biological materials are sought to be detected. Thus more powerful dioxetanes are needed i.e. dioxetanes having higher levels of chemiluminescence in an aqueous buffer.

Abstract: Wherein (a) R1 and R2 are each, individually, a chemical reactive site or when fused together form a chemical reactive site, and R3 and R4 are each, individually, a chemical reactive site or when fused together form a chemical reactive or (b) R1 has at least two hetero atoms with chemical reactive site and R3 and R4 are inactive site and R2 is a chemical reactive site.