In an exemplary embodiment, the present method includes the stops of providing a polymer resin to be processed: blending particulate boron nitride (BN) and a fluorine-containing polymer with said polymer resin to provide a resin blend: heating said resin blend to obtain a desired flowability value: and processing said resin blend into a desired shape.

The processing of polyolefins and other polymers into films, sheets or tubes usually takes place by extrusion. In this process, the polymer is melted in an extruder and forced through a nozzle into the desired shape.
For economic reasons, the highest possible throughput through the extruder is typically desired. One way of increasing the throughput of an extruder is to increase the speed of the screw. However, the viscoelastic behavior of the polymer melt typically sets limits in this process which are well below the values which can be theoretically achieved by the machine. More specifically, if the extrusion rate exceeds a value that is dependent on the polymer to be processed, defects known as melt fracture occur in the surface of the extruded material.
Although those skilled in the art differentiate between various types of melt fracture, the characteristic of concern is a matte, rough surface of the extrudate, also known as "sharkskin". Several measures have been proposed for prevention of this undesired melt fracture. Another important melt fracture mechanism is gross melt fracture, which take the form of severe irregular distortions at higher throughput rates at which sharkskin effects are seen.
As temperature is increased, melt fracture is displaced towards higher shear rates. Accordingly, it is possible to increase temperature to move to higher sustainable shear rates. However, this method can only be employed to a limited extent. Increasing processing temperatures increases operation costs, produces heat dissipation problems and can result in discoloration and thermal degradation of the polymer.
Another possibility involves modifying the extruder nozzle geometry. Nozzles having a relatively large cross-section produce a relatively high material throughput at the same shear rate. This measure is employed typically in the production of monoaxially or biaxially stretched films in which the relatively thick film obtained due to the enlargement of the nozzle slit can be adjusted to the desired thickness by means of a relatively large stretching ratio. Of course, this process cannot be used in all applications.
Another way of avoiding melt fracture comprises modifying the viscoelastic behavior of the polymer melt by means of additives. Examples of such additives, which arc generally compatible with the polyolefin include low-molecular-weight polyethylene waxes. However, highly compatible additives may adversely affect the properties of the polymer (e.g., tear resistance).
Another method involves modifying the interactions of the polymer melt with the nozzle walls by means of suitable additives. Such additives are generally not compatible with the polymer. They migrate to the boundary layer between the polymer melt and the nozzle wall where they act as lubricants.
It is known to use specific fluorine-containing polymers, and in particular fluroelastomers, as processing auxiliaries for polyolefins (see U.S. Pat. No. 3,125,547). These fluorine-containing polymers are generally obtained from vinylidene fluoride, vinyl fluoride, hexafluoropropene, chlorotrifluoroethylene or tetrafluoroethylene. However, further improvement in the flow behavior continues to exist in the art.
Furthermore, linear polyolefins, such as linear polyethylene, blended with fluoroelastomer processing aids in particular can be especially difficult to melt process, as compared to highly branched polyethylenes. In particular, while addition of fluoroelastomer may be effective to reduce sharkskin effects, such additives typically do not have an impact on the onset of gross melt fracture.
Increasing motor load, head pressure and/or torque can place undesirable, unacceptable, or unattainable requirements on specific machinery. For example, a given extruder having a specific motor power and gearing will reach a maximum of motor load or head pressure under certain melt temperature conditions for a given polymer being processed. If a polymer or polymer blend is introduced to such an extruder having a higher requirement for power in at least one component, such as a polymer having higher molecular weight and/or narrower molecular weight distribution and/or lower shear sensitivity, the extruder will reach a maximum of one or several of these parameters and, consequently, be limited in its ability to pump/perform at a similar level to the performance expected/demonstrated with a highly branched or broader molecular weight distribution polymer. Even highly adjustable, high performance melt processing machinery, that can withstand the higher loads, consumes more power in processing the aforementioned linear polyethylenes.
Linear polyethylenes and elastomeric blends thereof may exhibit other imperfections during extrusion (specifically blown film extrusion) that may be undesirable, such as gross melt fracture and/or sharkskin effects (discussed supra). Melt fracture can have a deleterious effect on optical properties and/or physical properties of the film. Typically, when a linear or high molecular weight thermoplastic resin is extruded through a die, smooth extrudates can only be obtained up to a certain shear stress (i.e., shear rate; extruder output rate). Beyond that, melt fracture becomes a significant problem. Therefore, it would be desirable to identify process aids that delay, suppress or eliminate the onset of melt fracture to enable operation at higher shear rates or output rates without surface defects, non-uniform cross-sectional thickness polymer decomposition (charring), or die drool.
In the case of polyolefin resins, even the employ of the above described process aids falls short when it comes to the industry's appetite for ever increasing production rates. This quest for higher extrusion rates, which is driven primarily by economic considerations related to the efficient use of processing equipment and human resources, is of particular interest to producers of melt processable polymer products, for example, blow film, blowmolded products, etc.
As the demand for high performance plastics continues to grow, new and improved methods of providing superior product more economically are needed to supply the market. In this context, various polymer process aids and process improvements are constantly being evaluated; however, the identities of improved and/or additional effective process aids continue to elude the industry. Consequently, a long felt, yet unsatisfied need exists for new and improved methods and compositions for processing polymers.

Polymer processing aid and method for processing polymers


An apparatus (100) uses power recovery from a combining circuit (125) to improve efficiency. A power combiner (125) generates multiple output signals (127, 133) from a combination of input signals (113, 114). One of the output signals from the power combiner is coupled to a power recovery circuit (135), and energy is recovered and preferably stored for later use.

Analog signaling techniques, such as frequency modulation (FM), have traditionally permitted radio designers to use very efficient non-linear power amplifiers to transmit radio frequency (RF) power signals. Digital modulation, however, often requires linear power amplification, since digital information is often represented in the amplitude and phase of the transmitted signal. In general, linear amplifiers have not been as efficient as certain non-linear amplifiers, since a linear amplifier remains active, and dissipates power, throughout the entire cycle of the amplified signal. In contrast, non-linear amplifiers, such as class C, D, E, F, G, and S amplifiers, dissipate power for less than half of a cycle of the amplified signal. With the growing popularity of digital modulation for various applications, especially those of mobile and portable electronic radio products, there is a need to obtain the power efficiency typically associated with non-linear power amplification, for linear amplification. The prior art discloses methods used to improve the efficiency of linear amplifiers. These methods generally involve load or supply modulation in order to obtain increased efficiency. However, such methods tend to require complex implementation. It is desirable to provide for efficient signal power amplification without substantial complexity.

Method and apparatus for efficient signal power amplification


Compounds of the formula (I) or salts thereof

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the technical field of the herbicides and plant growth regulators, preferably the herbicides for controlling unwanted vegetation or the herbicides for the selective control of broad-leaved weeds and weed grasses in crops of useful plants, or the plant growth regulators which can be used for influencing the growth of crop plants.
2. Description of Related Art
In their application, crop protection agents known to date for the selective control of harmful plants in crops of useful plants or active compounds for controlling unwanted vegetation sometimes have disadvantages, be it (a) that they have no or else insufficient herbicidal activity against particular harmful plants, (b) that the spectrum of harmful plants which can be controlled with an active compound is not wide enough, (c) that their selectivity in crops of useful plants is too low and/or (d) that they have a toxicologically unfavourable profile. Furthermore, some active compounds which can be used as plant growth regulators for a number of useful plants cause unwanted reduced harvest yields in other useful plants or are not compatible with the crop plant, or only within a narrow application rate range. Some of the known active compounds cannot be produced economically on an industrial scale owing to precursors and reagents which are difficult to obtain, or they have only insufficient chemical stabilities. In the case of other active compounds, the activity is too highly dependent on environmental conditions, such as weather and soil conditions.
The published patent applications EP-A-5341, EP-A-266725, EP-A-270830, JP-04/297454, JP-04/297455, JP-05/058979, WO 2011/003775, WO 2011/003776, WO 2011/042378, WO 2011/073143 and WO 2011/098417 disclose herbicidal cyanobutyrates.
EP-A-5341 describes herbicidal esters and amides of 4-cyano-3,4-diarylbutanoic acids. The aryl radicals mentioned are optionally substituted phenyl radicals and unsubstituted pyridyl or thienyl. The specific examples include mainly 4-cyano-3,4-diphenylbutanoic acids and esters. There are two specific examples of compounds containing pyridyl, namely 4-cyano-3-phenyl-4-(pyridin-3-yl)butanoic acid and the corresponding ethyl ester.
According to EP-A-5341, the threo isomers are generally suitable for the non-selective control of harmful plants, whereas the erythro/threo isomer mixtures are suitable for the selective control of harmful plants in some crops of useful plants. Moreover, EP-A-5341 mentions that the 2 enantiomers belonging to the threo form differ in their activities, which was studied in an exemplary manner using the different activities of the enantiomers of the enantiomer pair of 4-cyano-3,4-diphenylbutanoic acid having unsubstituted phenyl radicals.
EP-A-266725 discloses a number of erythro/threo isomer mixtures of 4-cyano-3,4-diphenylbutanoic acids and derivatives thereof which can be used selectively for the control of weeds in rice crops.
EP-A-270830 describes that threo isomers and erythro/threo isomer mixtures of 4-cyano-3,4-diarylbutanoic acid (esters) can be used as plant regulators, preventing the development of an infructescence in various harmful grasses. The aryl radicals mentioned are optionally substituted phenyl radicals and unsubstituted pyridyl or halogen-substituted pyridyl. Specific examples relate mainly to (substituted) 4-cyano-3,4-diphenylbutanoic acid (esters). Additionally described are also 4-cyano-3-pyridyl-4-phenylbutanoic acid esters, such as the compound ethyl 4-cyano-3-pyridyl-4-phenylbutanoate, or 4-cyano-3-phenyl-4-pyridylbutanoic acid ester, such as the compound methyl 4-cyano-3-(4-chlorophenyl)-4-(6-fluoropyridin-3-yl)butanoate. JP-04/297455 discloses herbicidal 4-cyano-3-phenyl-4-heteroarylbutanoic acid (esters), where the heterocyclic radicals are selected from the group consisting of 1,2,4-triazolyl, 1-pyrazolyl, 1-imidazolyl, 2- and 3-thienyl, 2- and 3-pyridyl, 1-methylpyrrol-2-yl, 2-quinolinyl, 2-methyl-3-trifluoromethylpyrazol-5-yl and 5-trifluoromethylpyridin-2-yl. Specific compounds from the 3-pyridyl series only comprise unsubstituted pyridin-3-yl radicals, for example the compounds propargyl and allyl 4-cyano-3-phenyl-4-(pyridin-3-yl)butanoate.
WO 2011/003775 discloses specific esters of 4-cyano-3,4-diphenylbutanoic acids which can be used as effective herbicides, preferably also in crops of useful plants. WO 2011/003776, WO 2011/042378, WO 2011/073143 and WO2011/098417 disclose 4-cyano-3,4-diphenylbutanoic acids and esters which have specific substitutions at the phenyl radicals and can be used as effective herbicides, preferably also in crops of useful plants.
The herbicidal activity of the known compounds of the class of substances mentioned, in particular at low application rates, and/or their compatibility with crop plants remain deserving of improvement.
For the reasons mentioned, there is still a need for alternative, highly active herbicides for the selective application in plant crops or use on non-crop land. It is also desirable to provide alternative chemical active compounds which may be used in an advantageous manner as herbicides or plant growth regulators.
Likewise desirable are compounds having herbicidal activity which are highly effective against economically important harmful plants even at relatively low application rates and can be used selectively in crop plants, preferably with good activity against harmful plants.

Substituted 4-cyan-3-phenyl-4-(pyridine-3-yl)butanoates, processes for preparation thereof and use thereof as herbicides and plant growth regulators

Abstract: in which R1 and (R2)n are as defined in Claim 1 are suitable as herbicides for the control of harmful plants or as plant growth regulators.

Abstract: The compounds can be prepared by the processes of Claim 7.


A plasma display panel (PDP) includes an EMI filter at a front portion thereof for blocking/shielding substantial amounts of electromagnetic waves. The filters has high visible transmission, and is capable of blocking/shielding electromagnetic waves. In certain example embodiments, a silver based coating of the EMI filter reduces damage from EMI radiation through highly conductive Ag layers, blocks significant amounts of NIR and IR radiation from outdoor sunlight to reduce PDP panel temperature, and enhances contrast ratio through reduced reflection, while maintaining high visible transmission. In certain example embodiments, at least one layer of or including silicon nitride may be Si-rich, and/or at least one layer including an oxide of Ni and/or Cr may be a suboxide, in order to improve heat treatability of the coated article.

Image display devices are being widely used in a variety of applications, including TV screens, monitors of personal computers, etc. The plasma display panel (PDP) is gaining popularity as a next-generation display device to replace the CRT because a PDP is thin and a large screen can be readily fabricated with a plurality of units. A PDP includes a plasma display panel on which an image is displayed using a gas discharge phenomenon, and exhibits superior display capabilities, including high display capacity, high brightness, high contrast, clear latent image, a wide viewing angle, etc. In a PDP apparatus, when a direct current (DC) or alternating current (AC) voltage is applied to electrodes, a discharge of gas plasma is created, resulting in the emission of ultraviolet (UV) light. The UV emission excites adjacent phosphor materials, resulting in electromagnetic emission of visible light. Despite the above advantages, PDPs face several challenges associated with driving characteristics, including an increase in electromagnetic wave radiation, near-infrared emission, and phosphor surface reflection, and an obscured color purity due to orange light emitted from helium (He), neon, or xenon (Xe) used as a sealing gas.
Some believe that the electromagnetic waves and near-infrared rays generated in PDPs may adversely affect human bodies and cause malfunctions of precision machines such as wireless telephones or remote controllers (e.g., see US 2006/0083938, incorporated herein by reference). These waves, taken individually or collectively, may be referred to as electromagnetic interference (EMI). Thus, in order to make use of such PDPs, there is a desire to reduce the electromagnetic waves and near-infrared (IR or NIR) rays emitted from the PDPs to a predetermined level or less. In this respect, various PDP filters have been proposed for shielding electromagnetic waves or near-infrared rays emitted from the PDPs, reducing reflection of light and/or enhancing color purity. The proposed PDP filters are also required to meet transmittance requirements because the filters are installed on a front surface of each of the PDPs.
In order to reduce the electromagnetic waves and NIR waves emitted from plasma display panels to a predetermined level or less, various PDP filters have been used for the purposes of e.g., shielding electromagnetic waves or NIR emitted from the PDPs, reducing reflection of light and/or enhancing color purity. High transmittance is required for such filters because they are generally applied to the front surface of PDPs. Typical electromagnetic wave shielding filters meeting such requirements and characteristics are classified into a metal mesh-pattern filter and a transparent conductive film filter. Although the metal mesh-pattern filter exhibits a good electromagnetic wave shielding effect, it has several disadvantages including poor transmittance, image distortion, and an increase in the production cost due to a costly mesh. Due to such disadvantages, electromagnetic wave shielding filters using transparent conductive films using indium tin oxide (ITO) are being widely used instead of the metal mesh-pattern filter. The transparent conductive film is generally formed of a multi-level thin film structure in which a metal film and a high-refractive-index transparent thin layer are sandwiched. Silver or a silver-based alloy may be used as the metal film. However, convention PDP EMI filters tend to lack durability and/or can stand to be improved upon with respect to visible transmission and/or shielding properties.
Moreover, certain PDP EMI filters need to be heat treated (e.g., thermally tempered). Such heat treatment typically requires use of temperature(s) of at least 580 degrees C., more preferably of at least about 600 degrees C. and still more preferably of at least 620 degrees C. The terms "heat treatment" and "heat treating" as used herein mean heating the article to a temperature sufficient to achieve thermal tempering and/or heat strengthening of the glass inclusive article. This definition includes, for example, heating a coated article in an oven or furnace at a temperature of least about 580 degrees C., more preferably at least about 600 degrees C., for a sufficient period to allow tempering and/or heat strengthening. In certain instances, the HT may be for at least about 4 or 5 minutes. The use of such high temperatures (e.g., for 5-10 minutes or more) often causes coatings to break down and/or causes one or more of the aforesaid desirable characteristics to significantly deteriorate in an undesirable manner. Conventional PDP EMI filters tend to suffer from a lack of thermal stability and/or durability upon heat treatment (HT). In particular, heat treatment tends to cause conventional PDP filters to break down.
In view of the above, there exists a need in the art for an improved PDP filter which is improved (with respect to conventional PDP EMI filters) with respect to one or more of: (i) improved chemical durability, (ii) improved thermal stability (e.g., upon optional heat treatment such as tempering), (iii) improved visible transmission, and/or (iv) improved EMI shielding properties.

Centre Luxembourgeois de Recherches pour le Verre et la Ceramique S.A. (C.R.V.C.)


A method for recycling of coated glass, especially for reuse in a glass melt, comprises the steps of crushing the glass; transferring the crushed glass into a mixing unit; mixing the crushed glass for a predetermined time period; during the mixing step, adding liquid to the crushed glass and cleaning the crushed glass with the liquid; and removing the cleaned crushed glass from the mixing unit. The method is especially useful for recycling cathode-ray tubes.

The present invention relates to a method and a device for recycling coated glass, especially glass of cathode-ray tubes.
Coated glass is used in a plurality of applications in various technological fields. For example, cathode ray tubes for television sets, computers, radar screens etc. are comprised of a glass screen with a coating of a fluorescent substance and a glass cone which is coated with a conductive lacquer. As a protection against radiation the screen glass contains barium and the cone glass contains lead oxide and barium in smaller concentrations.
Discarded cathode-ray tubes are disposed of in landfills despite the fact that the coatings contain not especially bonded poisonous substances. Cathode-ray tubes rejected during manufacturing because of defects that cannot be corrected are also disposed of in landfills.
In addition to the present environmental hazard due to the release of poisonous materials, the disposal of the cathode-ray tubes having a relatively large volume result in a considerable landfill space being used up and to the loss of glass (up to 20 kilograms per tube). In the Federal Republic of Germany approximately 4,000,000 cathode ray tubes as well as 1,000,000 tubes of computer monitors are discarded annually and, in addition, approximately 100,000 tubes are rejected during manufacturing so that a considerable amount of landfill space is needed for their disposal.
From German Offenlegungschrift 39 01 842 a method for separating screen glass and cone glass of a cathode-ray tube is known. The cone and the screen, after their separation, may be cleaned, for example, by sand blasting or cleaning with high pressure water jets and can then be recycled. With this method the landfills are relieved to some extent. However, such a method is very energy-intensive and only successful when the glass screen, respectively, the glass cone are not damaged due to the sand blasting or high-pressure water jet treatment to such an extent that a reuse is impossible.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method for recycling of coated glass with which especially cathode-ray tubes may be recycled.

Method and device for recycling coated glass


This invention is directed to fluorinated acrylate compositions, which are suitable for use as low shrinkage, low absorbance refractive index matching adhesives for use in “pig-tailing” polymeric integrated waveguides to optical fiber bundles.

The manufacture of planar lightwave component (PLC) devices, as taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,306,563B1, 6,555,288B1 and 6,496,637B2, involves the spinning, curing and patterning of multiple thin layers of core and cladding polymers upon a rigid silicon wafer substrate to make planar polymer waveguides. Such core and cladding layers typically comprise highly fluorinated polymers characterized by low optical loss at 1550 nm. Typically these fluorinated polymers are further characterized by refractive index less than 1.4 at 1550 nm.
In common commercial practice, a large number of PLC devices are fabricated simultaneously on a single silicon wafer and the wafer so treated is then cut apart in a process known as dicing into individual PLC devices. The dicing process scars the input and/or output ends of polymeric waveguides. In many instances it is difficult to polish smooth the scarred polymeric waveguide end; as a result the imperfections so introduced may be a permanent, lossy feature of the PLC device.
According to the practice of the art, a bundle of silica optical fibers is mated and aligned to the end of a polymer waveguide on the edge of the PLC device. The components are permanently attached by use of a thin layer of optical adhesive at the interface. Such optical adhesives are typically based on epoxy curing chemistry and are designed to match the refractive index of silica (1.456 at 1550 nm). While epoxy-based optical adhesives are common, it is desirable in the art to replace them.
Optical adhesives in common use today were developed to minimize the interfacial loss between silica optical fibers and components and are thus characterized by a refractive index of ca. 1.456 at 1550 nm, the refractive index of silica. However, those adhesives are not well suited for use in coupling highly fluorinated plastic optical components either to each other, or to silica components because they do nothing to reduce the effects of interfacial roughness at the plastic optical interface. The large refractive index contrast between the highly fluorinated polymer waveguide of the PLC device and common adhesives cause the facets on the surface of the polymer waveguide to stand out in the optical path and scatter incident light resulting in optical loss and noise. A transparent adhesive is desired which is characterized by a refractive index that matches the refractive index of highly fluorinated polymer waveguides. Which is typically in the range of 1.35-1.39 at 1550 nm.
One approach to the problem is to employ adhesives based upon fluorinated acrylate chemistry similar to that of well-known polymeric waveguides. However, those adhesives known in the art are subject to unacceptably high shrinkage during curing. In the art, prior to curing, the optical components being mated are carefully aligned to ensure maximum optical power transmission across the interface. After the components are aligned, the adhesive is cured. Low shrinkage of the adhesive layer during curing is highly desirable because it is critical that the optical components being bonded maintain their position of alignment during the adhesive curing process. An adhesive composition that exhibits high shrinkage during curing will cause the components it is bonding together to shift in relation to one another, and thus results in misalignment of the optical connection. The present invention provides a significant improvement to the art by providing a low refractive index, low shrinkage fluoroacrylate adhesive with low absorbance at 1550 nm wavelength.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,045,397 teaches the preparation of low refractive index polymerizable fluids from mixtures of low molecular weight fluorinated acrylates and discloses their utility as adhesives to bond pieces of glass.

Low shrinkage, low optical absorbance, low refractive index adhesive composition


The heavy-duty circuit-breaker with arc blowing has an element which is sensitive to hot gas and/or to gas pressure and is protected by means of a seal against a hot-gas flow. The seal is advantageously a movable non-contacting seal. The seal has a channel entrance for production of a partial hot-gas flow of the hot-gas flow and, connected downstream from this, a channel in order to reduce the mass flow of the partial hot-gas flow, and an expansion chamber in order to expand the volume of the partial hot-gas flow. The expansion chamber is a pressure-relief area. The element may, for example, be a guide element, a contact-making element or a sealing element.

Arc-quenching heavy-duty circuit-breakers are known from the prior art. A flow of gas (quenching gas, typically SF6) which has been heated by the arc can occur in a such as this. A hot-gas flow such as this can produce considerable pressures and, if it strikes an element which is sensitive to hot gas and/or to gas pressure and may possibly be provided in the heavy-duty circuit-breaker, can damage or destroy an element such as this. Damage to or destruction of an element such as this can lead to malfunctions of the heavy-duty circuit-breaker, or even to failure.
An arc-quenching gas-blast switch provided with a high-pressure reservoir is known from DE 12 71 241, whose arc contact tube can be moved along the switching chamber axis via sliding seals on bearings. During the disconnection process, the arc contact tube is disconnected by the erosion pin, and the quenching gas can expand out of the high-pressure reservoir via a blow-off valve into the switch.

Heavy-duty circuit-breaker with sealing against hot gas


A computer system including a power supply, a plurality of mainboards, and a power controller is provided. Each of the mainboards corresponds to a standby voltage, respectively. The power supply generates a standby power, and generates a main power according to a power enabling signal. The power controller is coupled between the power supply and the mainboards, for generating the power enabling signal and a control signal according to whether an amount of the mainboards is greater than a predetermined value, and selectively outputting the control signal to at least one of the mainboards. When the mainboards receive the control signal, regardless being in a booting state or a non-booting state, the mainboards receive the main power and converts the main power into a standby voltage corresponding thereto. When failing to receive the control signal, the mainboards convert the standby power into the standby voltage corresponding thereto.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a computer system, and more particularly, to a computer system having a power supply shared by a plurality of mainboards.
2. Description of Related Art
Nowadays, science and technology have been well developed, and are kept developing. Unavoidably, computer systems have become necessary information processing tools which are critical in human daily life. A current computer system may satisfy almost all requirements in working, travelling, and entertainment which are personally demanded by the user. For example, personal information such as personal financial data, banking accounts and passwords, confidential documents and photographs, private letters, and intellectual creations can be saved and managed in a hard drive of the computer system.
In many cases, when using a computer system, the user may temporarily leave the computer system, and therefore the power supply of the computer system will become less efficient. Accordingly, a computer system is often provided with a power supply management mechanism for adaptively turning off some specific electronic units in the computer system, thus lowering the power consumption. In accordance with a typical power supply management mechanism, the computer system usually includes a power supply which provides two kinds of powers, main power and standby power. The main power is provided to the mainboard only when the computer system is in a booting state, while the standby power is provided to the mainboard when the mainboard is electrically connected to the power supply.
Unfortunately, in many times, the mainboard demands more than the standby power which can be provided by the power supply, so that electronic units which are usually driven by the standby power may correspondingly fail to be normally operated. As such, the operation performance of the computer system is impaired. Even though a stronger power supply can be provided for substitution for enhancing the operation performance of the computer system, this inevitably increases the hardware cost and causes a lower resource utilization efficiency.


Systems and methods for providing and associating or combining visual style information with data content. The present invention relates to associating a shared set of style information with two or more objects or items that are to be displayed as part of a list or some other visual grouping of the items. By sharing the style information, i.e., the visual representation characteristics information, a program developer need only define the style information or style once. Upon defining the style, the developer can declaratively associate all the items in the list or group with the defined style.

Computer systems are important tools used in many different ways, by many different people. Computer systems themselves, however, are only one aspect of the utility provided. Another important tool that works in conjunction with computer systems, are the applications, i.e., computer applications that are executed on the computer systems. These computer applications are programs, typically written by application developers, compiled into object code, and then stored on the various computer systems for operation. The creation and use of computer applications is a well-known aspect of computer technology in general.
When creating a computer application, the developer typically must chose a particular environment, or platform on which the application will ultimately be executed. For example, when writing an application, the developer must choose either the Microsoft Windows® platform, the LINUX™ platform, or some other platform. As a result of this choice, the program developer may have different options available for writing the application.
As an example, the typical platform provides a user interface display engine that receives commands and information from the application during runtime and responds by displaying that information on a user interface device, such as a computer monitor. Thus, the application developer must create or program the application to make the right call to the platform to thus cause the platform to respond by displaying the right data, in the right format, when desired.
Typically, in order to make the right call, the program developer must create some program code that ties the data to be displayed with the user interface elements, e.g., font type, font size, font color, etc. such that the platform simply interprets the command and renders the correct display. Although functional, this process suffers certain drawbacks.
For instance, when displaying a list of items, wherein each listed item has the same user interface elements, the program developer must explicitly tie each list item to the user interface elements. This is cumbersome and repetitive since the user interface elements must be repeated for each item. Also, when the data is tightly connected to the user interface the process of making changes is very difficult in that each change requires a translation back into the data's native form before storing and/or propagating to other computer processes and systems. Furthermore, the developer must understand not only the content but how it ties to the user interface control elements.
It is with respect to these and other considerations that the present invention has been made.

Method and system for applying user interface elements to data


A catheter shaft carries a coaxial cable, the terminal end of which contains a dipole antenna with opposing first and second helical elements. The first and second helical elements originate from a common connection to an outer conductor of the coaxial cable. The first and second helical elements are formed by winding flat wire around an outer insulator of the coaxial cable near a terminal end of the coaxial cable. A series capacitance is connected between an inner conductor of the coaxial cable and a point on the second helical element where the resistive component of the antenna's impedance matches the characteristic impedance of the coaxial cable. This match minimizes reflective losses of the antenna, thereby maximizing power transfer to the antenna. The antenna has an effective electrical length which is equal to one half the wavelength of the radiation emitted, independent of the physical length of the antenna. The antenna also has a radiation length which can be adjusted by varying the number and pitch of turns of the flat wire and the location of the impedance matching point. The microwave radiation emitted by the antenna is capable of generating a desired thermal pattern in biological tissue, within which temperatures are capable of exceeding 45.degree. C.

The present invention relates to the field of microwave thermal therapy of tissue. In particular, the present invention relates to an efficient microwave antenna design for transurethral microwave thermal therapy of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).
The prostate gland is a complex, chestnutshaped organ which encircles the urethra immediately below the bladder. Nearly one third of the prostate tissue anterior to the urethra consists of fibromuscular tissue that is anatomically and functionally related to the urethra and bladder. The remaining two thirds of the prostate is generally posterior to the urethra and is comprised of glandular tissue.
This relatively small organ, which is the most frequently diseased of all internal organs, is the site of a common affliction among older men: BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia). BPH is a nonmalignant, bilateral nodular expansion of prostrate tissue in the transition zone, a periurethral region of the prostate between the fibromuscular tissue and the glandular tissue. The degree of nodular expansion within the transition zone tends to be greatest anterior and lateral to the prostatic urethra, relative to the posterior-most region of the urethra. Left untreated, BPH causes obstruction of the urethra which usually results in increased urinary frequency, urgency, incontinence, nocturia and slow or interrupted urinary stream. BPH may also result in more severe complications, such as urinary tract infection, acute urinary retention, hydronephrosis and uraemia.
Traditionally, the most frequent treatment for BPH has been surgery (transurethral resection). Surgery, however, is often not an available method of treatment for a variety of reasons. First, due to the advanced age of many patients with BPH, other health problems, such as cardiovascular disease, can warrant against surgical intervention. Second, potential complications associated with transurethral surgery, such as hemorrhage, anesthetic complications, urinary infection, dysuria, incontinence and retrograde ejaculation, can adversely affect a patient's willingness to undergo such a procedure.
A fairly recent alternative treatment method for BPH involves microwave thermal therapy, in which microwave energy is employed to elevate the temperature of tissue surrounding the prostatic urethra above about 45.degree. C., thereby thermally damaging the tumorous tissue, as well as adjacent healthy tissue. Delivery of microwave energy to tumorous prostatic tissue is generally accomplished by a microwave antenna-containing applicator, which is positioned within a body cavity adjacent the prostate gland. The microwave antenna, when energized, heats adjacent tissue due to molecular excitation. The heat generated by the antenna is concentrated about the antenna in a generally cylindrically symmetrical pattern which encompasses and necroses tumorous as well as healthy intraprostatic tissue. The necrosed intraprostatic tissue is subsequently resorbed by the body, thereby relieving an individual from the symptoms of BPH.
This microwave treatment method is derived from a treatment for prostatic cancer known as hyperthermia, in which microwave energy is supplied by microwave antenna to the prostate to elevate the surrounding temperature to between about 43 C.-45.degree. C. Within this temperature range, healthy, wellvascularized tissue is unharmed because of the circulatory system's ability to effectively carry away the heat. Cancerous tissue, on the other hand, has reduced vascularity, which restricts its ability to adjust to the heat. Thus, heat concentrated in the region of the cancerous tissue is sufficient to necrose the cancerous tissue, yet insufficient to harm adjacent healthy tissue.
Microwave thermal therapy, because of its higher temperatures (above about 45.degree. C.) , provides the Advantage of shortening a treatment session's duration as compared to that of hyperthermia with its lower temperatures (between about 43.degree. C. and 45.degree. C.). An undesirable consequence of microwave thermal therapy, however, is the adverse effect the higher temperatures have on healthy tissue adjacent the diseased area of the prostate. The dilemma of selectively heating and necrosing only tumorous prostatic tissue by microwave thermal therapy has been successfully addressed, in our co-pending U.S. Patent Applications Ser. No. 07/847,718 entitled DEVICE FOR ASYMMETRICAL THERMAL THERAPY WITH HELICAL DIPOLE MICROWAVE ANTENNA and No. 07/847,984, entitled METHOD FOR TREATING INTERSTITIAL TISSUE ASSOCIATE WITH MICROWAVE THERMAL THERAPY.
Antennas which have been used for hyperthermia have a variety of inadequacies which preclude their application to microwave thermal therapy. First, such antennas often generate heat in two forms: microwave energy and heat energy due to resistive losses of the antenna. The efficiency of these antennas has not been of much concern due to the relatively low amount of energy used to generate interstitial temperatures of between about 43.degree. C. to 45.degree. C. and the lack of any adverse effect these temperatures had on healthy tissue. Furthermore, it is known in the art that the shape and size of a radiation pattern generated by some microwave antennas are in part a function of how deeply the antenna is inserted into the tissue. Prior microwave dipole antennas used for hyperthermia have been unable to provide a predictable heating pattern within tissue due to the variable effects caused by the depth of insertion of the antennas into the tissue. Finally, the radiation length of these antennas has not been easily variable to accommodate the varying sizes of prostates requiring treatment. The antenna designs of the prior art relating to hyperthermia, therefore, have proven unsatisfactory for microwave thermal therapy and its attendant higher temperatures.
The objective of microwave thermal therapy is to reduce the length of a treatment session and to selectively heat and necrose only undesirous tissue, while sparing, to the greatest extent possible, adjacent healthy tissue. In order to avoid damage to tissues immediately adjacent the microwave antenna-containing applicator (i.e., the urethra, the ejaculatory duct and the rectum), it is essential that the resistive losses of the antenna be reduced or optimally eliminated. The ability to eliminate resistive losses and utilize only microwave energy to heat a targeted tissue area would permit a cooling system, such as that described in our co-pending applications, to maintain safe temperatures adjacent to the applicator by absorbing and carrying away any excess heat conducted to the urethral tissues. In addition, the ability to construct an antenna capable of producing a predictable, yet selectively variable size heating pattern would aid in achieving an effective treatment of undesirous tissue while minimizing harm to healthy tissue.

Gamma matched, helical dipole microwave antenna


A method of manufacturing the caliper body of a vehicular disc brake by the gravity casting method. The caliper body is used for the vehicular disc brake wherein a pair of frictional pads are disposed opposite to each other with a disc rotor held therebetween. The caliper body has a cylinder disposed on one side of the disc rotor, a reaction pawl disposed on the other side of disc rotor, and a bridge for coupling the cylinder and the reaction pawl on the outer peripheral side of the disc rotor. A sprue is provided in the bottom portion of the cylinder, and the caliper body is cast by a cavity with the side of molding the bottom portion of the cylinder disposed in the upper part of and in the vertical direction of the cavity and with the side of molding the reaction pawl disposed in the lower part of and in the vertical direction thereof. Accordingly, it is possible to make a product stable in quality by the gravity casting method, the product having sufficient rigidity as the caliper body of a vehicular disc brake.

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing caliper bodies of vehicular disc brakes and to a caliper body.
A vehicular disc brake is so arranged as to obtain braking force by pressing a pair of frictional pads disposed opposite to each other with a disc rotor held therebetween to contact respective disc surfaces.
A typical vehicular disc brake is arranged so that braking force is obtained by pressing a pair of frictional pads disposed opposite to each other with a disc rotor held therebetween to contact respective disc surfaces. The caliper body of the disc brake is designed to support the frictional pads in such a way as to be press-contact the disc rotor contains a piston for pressing the disc rotor under pressure.
Generally, iron is used to make a caliper body of the sort mentioned above by casting. However, in recent years, there has developed a demand for making caliper bodies of disc brakes more lightweight and this has resulted in studying the possibilities of manufacturing caliper bodies by using lighter aluminum or aluminum alloy in place of iron. The use of aluminum or aluminum alloy for manufacturing caliper bodies can contribute to reducing their weight in comparison with the iron products.
In view of reliability, caliper bodies of disc brakes need to have sufficient rigidity. Nevertheless, in a case where aluminum or aluminum alloy is employed for making such a caliper body by casting, the strength of the product poses a problem in view of reliability. When the gravity casting method (GDC) as a relatively easy casting method is relied upon, it would be necessary to sufficiently direct attention to sink marks and the like of casts to secure sufficient rigidity. In the case of employing aluminum and aluminum alloy, temperature control is severe and unless the casting method is set in consideration of molten metal running efficiency, nonconformity such as sink marks of casts will come to be produced with a decrease in a yield rate as well as productivity. When the caliper body is made by casting, particularly by the gravity casting method, the selection of the site of providing a sprue becomes an important condition to ensure that a mold is filled up with molten metal to eliminate a sink mark in the cast.

Caliper body method of manufacturing caliper body of vehicular disc brake


A method for manufacturing a catheter member having at least one lumen is disclosed herein. The method includes, winding a sacrificial coil over a mandrel in a first direction and winding a reinforcement coil over the sacrificial coil in a second direction. A polymer is then laminated over the sacrificial coil and the reinforcement coil. After the polymer is laminated, the mandrel is removed and the sacrificial coil is removed to thereby form the catheter member having the lumen.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure generally relates to catheters, and, in particular, relates to methods for manufacturing linerless non-prolapsing catheters.
2. Description of Related Art
Catheters are used in medical procedures to gain entry into a body cavity, duct, or vessel to allow drainage, administration of fluids or gases, access by surgical instrument, delivery of medical treatment devices, etc. Catheters may include a single tube or two or more tubes, e.g., coaxial catheters. such as balloon guide catheters. Coaxial catheters have at least an inner tube, an outer tube, and an annular lumen between the inner tube and the outer tube. In a coaxial catheter, the annular lumen may be reduced in cross-sectional area due to prolapse of the outer tube. A reduction in the cross-sectional area of the annular lumen may have an adverse affect on the flow rate of fluids through the annular lumen.
To reduce the risk of prolapse, the outer tube may incorporate a reinforcing structure such as a metal braid or coil to increase the radial strength of the outer tube. In braids, some of the wires are lifted over other wires when they cross. Because such wires are lifted, when constructing the catheter, molten polymer enters the space below the lifted wires thereby interlocking the braid within the polymer.
Sometimes braids may not be suitable for use in a catheter due to its effect on mechanical properties, or because the cross-sectional dimensions of the catheter do not allow for the braid to be included. In these instances, a coil may be used to reinforce the outer tube. In order to improve coil retention, a thin liner is included beneath the coil by winding the coil on the liner. As a result, the coil is disposed between the liner and the polymer after the catheter is constructed.
Due to such factors as dimensional constraints on outer tube diameter/crossing profile, inner tube diameter, and/or annular lumen width, it may be desirable to include a coil but impossible to include a liner. In such cases, there is a significant risk that the coil will delaminate from the tube during the catheter manufacturing process (e.g., during removal of the mandrel or insertion of the inner tube into the outer tube) or afterwards.

Methods for manufacturing non-prolapsing catheters with linerless tube


A communication session is established between a first communication device and a second communication device. The communication session comprises a first dialog between an application server and the first communication device. The first communication device uses a first network address in the first dialog. In response to an event, such as a first network interface failing, a SIP INVITE with replaces header message is received by the application server with a second address of the first communication device. In response to receiving the SIP INVITE with replaces header message from the first communication device with a second address of the first communication device, the first dialog between the application server and the first device is reestablished using the second network address.

Today, some communication devices have multiple network interfaces. For example, a communication device may have both a wired and wireless interface. The interfaces typically use completely different networks that are segregated networks with different subnets. When a call is established, the call is established using one of the network interfaces. If the network interface that is supporting the call fails, the call is dropped. If supported, the user may be able to make a second call using the other network interface.

Reestablishment of session initiation protocol (SIP) dialogs


An apparatus, method, and system are provided for power conversion to supply power to a load such as a plurality of light emitting diodes. An exemplary apparatus comprises: a first power converter stage having a first power switch and a first inductive element; a second power converter stage having a second power switch and a second inductive element; a plurality of sensors; and a controller. The second power converter stage provides an output current to the load. The controller is adapted to use a sensed input voltage to determine a switching period, and is further adapted to turn the first and second power switches into an on-state at a frequency substantially corresponding to the switching period while maintaining a switching duty cycle within a predetermined range.

A wide variety of off-line light-emitting diode (LED) drivers are known. For example, a capacitive drop off-line LED driver from On Semiconductor (Application Note AND8146/D) is a non-isolated driver with low efficiency, is limited to delivering relatively low power, and at most can deliver a constant current to the LED with no temperature compensation, no dimming arrangements, and no voltage or current protection for the LED.
Other isolated off-line LED drivers also have wide-ranging characteristics, such as a line frequency transformer and current regulator (On Semiconductor Application Note AND 8137/D); a current mode controller (On Semiconductor Application Note AND8136/D); a white LED luminary light control system (U.S. Pat. No. 6,441,558); LED driving circuitry with light intensity feedback to control output light intensity of an LED (U.S. Pat. No. 6,153,985); a non-linear light-emitting load current control (U.S. Pat. No. 6,400,102); a flyback as an LED Driver (U.S. Pat. No. 6,304,464); a power supply for an LED (U.S. Pat. No. 6,557,512); and a voltage booster for enabling the power factor controller of an LED lamp upon a low AC or DC supply (U.S. Pat. No. 6,091,614).
In general, these various LED drivers are overly complicated. Some require control methods that are complex, some are difficult to design and implement, and others require many electronic components. A large number of components can increase cost and reduce reliability. Many drivers utilize a current mode regulator with a ramp compensation in a pulse width modulation ("PWM") circuit. Such current mode regulators require relatively many functional circuits, while nonetheless continuing to exhibit stability problems when used in the continuous current mode with a duty cycle or ratio over fifty percent. Various attempts to solve these problems utilized a constant off-time boost converter or hysteretic pulse train booster. While these solutions addressed problems of instability, these hysteretic pulse train converters exhibited other difficulties, such as elevated electromagnetic interference, inability to meet other electromagnetic compatibility requirements, and relative inefficiency. Other attempts, such as in U.S. Pat. No. 6,515,434 B1 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,747,420, provide solutions outside the original power converter stages, adding additional feedback and other circuits, rendering the LED driver even larger and more complicated.
Widespread proliferation of solid state lighting systems (semiconductor, LED-based lighting sources) has created a demand for highly efficient power converters, such as LED drivers, with high conversion ratios of input to output voltages. In order to reduce the component count, such converters may be constructed without isolation transformers by using two-stage converters with the second stage running at a very low duty cycle (equivalently referred to as a duty ratio), thereby limiting the maximum operating frequency, resulting in an increase in the size of the converter (due to the comparatively low operating frequency), and ultimately defeating the purpose of removing coupling transformers.
Various proposals to solve these problems have included use of quadratic power converters for providing a low output voltage with a wide DC conversion range, such as the quadratic power converter 10 illustrated in FIG. 1. For example, in "Switching Converter with Wide DC Conversion Range" (D. Maksimovic and S. Ćuk, May 1989 HFPC Proceedings and also in IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, Vol. 6, No. 1, January 1991), the authors suggested using PWM converters having a single switch and featuring voltage conversion ratios with a quadratic dependence of the duty ratio. The cascaded buck and buck-boost topologies were designed and analytically synthesized for controlling the output voltage. When these circuits are used as a current source, however, they become as inadequate as conventional one-stage converters, and exhibit even more problems when used with a sinusoidal input current. For example, these circuits require a large capacitive filter following the rectified AC signal to continuously provide a steady DC output, thereby making power factor correction ("PFC") practically impossible.
Referring to FIG. 1, the input DC voltage Vg 11 is applied to the first stage (buck-boost converter), comprising of transistor 20 (controlled by some type of controller 21), first inductor 15, capacitor 16, and diode 12. When the transistor 20 is conducting, for a linear (non-saturating) inductor 15, current is building substantially linearly in the inductor 15, while diode 12 is blocked by the reverse voltage during this portion of the cycle. When the transistor 20 is off, energy stored in the inductor 15 discharges into capacitor 16, diode 12 is forward biased and conducting during part of the off-time (discontinuous mode of operation, "DCM") or completely during the off-time (continuous mode of operation, "CCM"), and the on-off cycle is repeated. The secondary stage is illustrated as a buck converter and comprises of the transistor 20, capacitor 18, second inductor 14, and diodes 13 and 17, with the load (illustrated as resistor 19) connected across capacitor 18. When the transistor 20 is conducting, energy from capacitor 16 is being transferred to the load 19 and output capacitor 18 via inductor 14, also charging it linearly, while diode 13 is conducting and diode 12 is blocked. When the transistor 20 is off and not conducting, diode 13 is reverse biased, and diode 17 is conducting, discharging inductor 14 into output capacitor 18. The operational process of the buck converter also may be either DCM or CCM. The transfer ratio of the converter 10 is
      -                  D        2                    1        -        D              ,where D is duty cycle or ratio, with the minus sign denoting that the polarity of the output voltage is reversed compared to the input voltage. Also, currents in transistor 20 and the output load are flowing in opposite directions, creating a difficult topology for sensing operational signals and providing corresponding feedback signals (e.g., both nodes "A" and "B" are at return potentials).
The above-referenced quadratic converter is designed to work as a voltage converter with a wide conversion ratio. Were this converter 10 to be used for current control in the output load, however, various issues may arise; for example, due to any imbalance of charges, voltages across capacitors 16 and 18 may not match, creating an excessive voltage across capacitor 16, which leads either to an over-design of the power stage or lower reliability, because this converter 10 cannot work if the voltage across capacitor 16 is greater than Vg 11. For the same reason, this converter 10 cannot be used in the AC/DC topologies requiring power factor correction.
Another proposed solution in U.S. Pat. No. 6,781,351, illustrated in FIG. 2, addressed the PFC problem, providing AC/DC cascaded power converters having high DC conversion ratios and improved AC line harmonics, with low input harmonic currents, a comparatively high power factor, and efficient operation for low voltage DC outputs. These converters, however, like the quadratic converters, have floating operational signals, which are referenced to different nodes of the power stage. Such floating operational signals make the provision of feedback signals to a controller extremely difficult, effectively requiring custom, application-specific controllers for power management.
The input 31 is an AC voltage, rectified by a bridge 32 and further filtered by a small capacitor 33. The buck-boost first stage 44 includes a blocking diode 34, which allows normal operation of the buck boost 44 at any value of input voltage (at node 45), thereby creating an opportunity to provide power factor correction if the on-time of a switch 40 is relatively constant. The second stage, a buck converter, comprises of capacitor 42, inductor 39, and diodes 38 and 41, and works substantially the same as the buck converter discussed with reference to FIG. 1. In order to prevent an uncontrollable rise of the voltage across first stage capacitor 36, the converter 30 uses additional components, a coupled inductor, and an additional diode (not illustrated), which negatively affect the economics of the converter 30. A more sophisticated control technique than PWM, also described in the patent, may address the imbalance of the capacitors' charge and prevent a high voltage at the first capacitor stage, without adding additional components to the power stage. Though the converter 30 is improved compared to the converter 10 because it can operate off line using an AC input, it still has floating operational signals, requiring excessively complicated feedback connections to PWM controller 46.
Switching power converters can have high internal voltages, such as up to hundreds or thousands of volts, for example. Since power switches, capacitors, and other components may operate at high internal voltage levels, they may be subject to voltage stress, such as an electrical force or stress across a component that potentially may cause it to fail. Further, it is desirable for a power converter to be able to function properly with a range of input voltages, such as those in use in different countries. For example, standard AC power voltages can range from a low of about 95 V in the U.S. to a high of about 264 V in Europe. As input voltage varies, switching power converters typically have held output voltage at a relatively constant level by adjusting the duty ratio. This prior art strategy, however, can cause voltage stress to increase dramatically over relevant portions of the input voltage range. Switches that are able to handle such high voltage stress may be difficult to obtain, if available at all, or if they are available, they may be expensive or have other undesirable characteristics such as a slow switching response, a low gain, or a high on-resistance, any of which may serve to reduce conversion efficiency. These voltage stress issues may cause engineers to avoid using or developing two-stage converters.
Accordingly, a need remains to provide a high conversion ratio converter to generate a controlled output current, with reduced voltage stress, and with a capability for control without overly complicated feedback mechanisms. Such a converter should be optimized to run using DC as well as AC input voltages. In addition, such a converter should provide significant power factor correction when connected to an AC line for input power. The converter should be able to function properly over a relatively wide input voltage range, while providing the desired output voltage or current, and without generating excessive internal voltages or placing components under high or excessive voltage stress. Also, it would be desirable to provide an LED driver controller for such a converter, included within a system for controlling a cascaded switching power converter, constructed and arranged for supplying power to one or a plurality of LEDs, including LEDs for high-brightness applications, while simultaneously providing an overall reduction in the size and cost of the LED driver.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Apparatus, system and method for cascaded power conversion


Body joint tracking is applied in various industries and medical field. In body joint tracking, marker less devices plays an important role. However, the marker less devices are facing some challenges in providing optimal tracking due to occlusion, ambiguity, lighting conditions, dynamic objects etc. System and method of the present disclosure provides an optimized body joint tracking. Here, motion data pertaining to a first set of motion frames from a motion sensor are received. Further, the motion data are processed to obtain a plurality of 3 dimensional cylindrical models. Here, every cylindrical model among the plurality of 3 dimensional cylindrical model represents a body segment. The coefficients associated with the plurality of 3 dimensional cylindrical models are initialized to obtain a set of initialized cylindrical models. A set of dynamic coefficients associated with the initialized cylindrical models are utilized to track joint motion trajectories of a set of subsequent frames.

Tracking body joints is key research field and applied in a variety of applications including computer animation, video games, medical therapy, surveillance, human machine interaction and athlete performance analysis. Moreover, the joint motion analysis is an important aspect in health monitoring of patients suffering from neurological disorders, post-stroke patients, and an elderly subjects. In real-time body joint tracking, accuracy in tracking is a challenging task. The challenge is due to change in appearance due to non-rigid motion of a subject undergoing test, clothing, view point and lighting.
Conventional real-time body joint tracking methods are marker-based and requires a subject undergoing test to wear obtrusive devices. Moreover, the conventional marker based joint tracking methods are complex, difficult to maintain, extremely expensive and may not be viable for a prolonged rehabilitation therapy. Hence marker less joint tracking systems are used for tracking body joints in real-time. However, the conventional marker less real-time body joint tracking systems are facing challenges to obtain optimized body joint tracking due to occlusion, ambiguity, lighting conditions and dynamic objects and the like.

System and method for tracking body joints


Disclosed is a method of manufacturing a guide stent of a dental implant. The method includes a first step of obtaining a three-dimensional image of periodontal tissue in a mouth of a patient through an CT scan and a three-dimensional exterior image corresponding to the three-dimensional image through an oral scan; a second step of matching the three-dimensional image and the three-dimensional exterior image through a difference amp which overlaps the three-dimensional image and the three-dimensional exterior image and outputs a matching degree between the images, and obtaining a three-dimensional procedure guide image; and a third step of manufacturing a stent body having a through hole corresponding to a preset implant implantation position according to the obtained three-dimensional procedure guide image.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a guide stent of a dental implant, and more particularly, to a method of manufacturing a guide stent of a dental implant, which is capable of diagnosing a dental implantation position according to obtained three-dimensional image information of periodontal tissue, guiding dental implantation in response to a diagnosed result, and improving surgical accuracy.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Generally, a dental implant is a implantation procedure in which a fixture formed of titanium or the like, so that the body does not react adversely, is implanted into an alveolar bone, from which a tooth falls out, so as to replace a lost tooth root, and then an artificial tooth is fixed thereto to restore a function of a tooth.
In the case of a prosthetic appliance or a denture, as time goes on, other teeth and bones therearound are eroded. However, the dental implant may prevent a damage of periodontal tissue therearound, and also may stably remove secondary dental caries production factors. Further, since the dental implant has the same structure as a natural tooth, there is no pain in the gums and feeling of irritation. Therefore, the dental implant has an advantage in that it may be semi-permanently used through continuous maintenance.
The dental implantation procedure is performed by forming a boring in the alveolar bone using a drill and then implanting the fixture in the boring. At this time, the forming of the boring and the implanting of the fixture may be different depending on a patient. This is because an implantation position, depth and direction of an implant should be determined in consideration of various factors such as a dental condition of a patient, a position of a tooth to be treated, and a condition of an alveolar bone of the patient.
Specifically, in a drilling operation for forming the boring in the alveolar bone, there is a problem in that it is very difficult for skilled operators as well as unskilled operators to precisely guess a drilling depth and direction during the operation. This is because it is not easy to determine a depth of the drilling operation when an operator performs the drilling operation by applying a force to the drill so as to form the boring in the alveolar bone, and also a nerve in the alveolar bone may be damaged when the drill is inserted over a certain depth.
In contrast, when the drilling operation is finished before reaching the certain depth, there may be some problems in which an excessive force due to a shallow boring depth may be exerted so as to fix the fixture, and also a screw thread around the boring may be damaged, or the fixture is not completely fixed, and thus a reoperation may be required.
Therefore, an assistant tool called a "guide stent" is used to find a precise position and direction in which the drilling operation is performed.
FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a process of manufacturing a conventional guide stent.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the conventional guide stent is manufactured in the following order. First, a female pattern of the periodontal tissue of a patient is obtained using a dental impression material formed of a rubber material (s1), and a plaster figure of the periodontal tissue of the patient is prepared by pouring plaster into the female pattern (s2).
Shapes of the tooth and the gum are obtained by a CT scan of the plaster figure (s2), and shapes of the alveolar bone and the tooth in the mouth are obtained by the CT scan on the patient (s3).
Then, the two images are matched with each other using a feature of the tooth or a feature of the plaster figure (s4). Further, a simulation is performed through image matched data, and a dental implant is planed (s5), and a guide stent capable of guiding the dental implant according to the plan is manufactured (s6).
At this time, the guide stent capable of guiding the dental implant should be manufactured by adding an operator's experience together with various anatomical conditions such as a thickness of the gum, a distribution of the alveolar bone, and a position of the target tooth of the patient. Therefore, it is more preferable to use exterior data of an oral organism than to use only direct data such as CT data.
To this end, a matching operation of matching each data with each other is essentially required. Conventionally, shape data of the plaster figure of the periodontal tissue in the mouth and the periodontal tissue data of the patient were matched based on the feature of the tooth. Alternatively, a method in which the plaster figure and a tray on which the plaster figure is seated are inserted into the mouth to obtain additional image data, and the image is matched based on a feature of the tray was used.
However, in the conventional image matching, since it takes an additional time to form the female pattern of the mouth shape of the patient and then to prepare the plaster model according to the female pattern, an entire operation time for the dental implant is increased. Further, since the female pattern and the plaster model corresponding to the patient should be prepared in every dental implantation procedure, an additional cost is generated, and thus economic efficiency in the dental implantation procedure is lowered.
Further, the image matching depends on accuracy of the plaster model. Therefore, in the case of the unskilled operator, accuracy of the image matching is lowered due to the low accuracy of the plaster model, and manufacturing ability irrelevant to medical ability is required. Furthermore, when the female pattern is manufactured, the accuracy of the female pattern is changed according to a biting force of the patient, elasticity of the gum, a tooth arrangement form and a tooth defect condition, and thus it is difficult to precisely and constantly manufacture the plaster model.
Therefore, the stent manufactured based on the inaccuracy plaster model is rough and unnecessarily thick. Thus, when the stent is inserted into the mouth of the patient, an opening angle of a jaw joint is increased, the jaw joint is strained and joint fatigue is increased, and also a space for the dental implantation procedure becomes narrow toward an inner side of the mouth, and thus difficulty in performing the dental implantation procedure is increased.
Further, since the accuracy of the guide stent is low, the fixture should be implanted into a previously formed boring, and high-priced custom abutment and crown (artificial tooth) should be manufactured according to a direction and an angle of the fixed fixture. Since the female pattern is obtained and then the custom abutment and the crown are designed, the number of hospital visits of the patient and a period of time until the dental implantation procedure is finished are increased.

Method of manufacturing guide stent of dental implant


An electrical contactor has first and second terminals; a movable arm connected to the second terminal; and an actuator. The actuator has a magnet, first and second coils having a common connection and located either side of the magnet, a magnetic rocking armature pivotably attached between the coils and an actuation element connected to the first end of the rocking armature for actuating the movable arm. Driving the first coil causes a demagnetization of the first coil and a corresponding increase in magnetic flux in the second coil, latching the armature to the second coil and moving the movable arm in a first direction. Driving the second coil causes a demagnetization of the second coil and a corresponding increase in magnetic flux in the first coil, latching the rocking armature to the first coil and moving the movable arm in a second direction.

The present invention relates to an electrical contactor, particularly but not necessarily exclusively for moderate AC switching contactors employed in modern electricity meters, so-called 'smart meters', for performing a load-disconnect function at normal domestic supply mains voltages, typically being 100 V AC to 250 V AC. The invention may also relate to an electrical contactor of a moderate, preferably alternating, current switch which may be subjected to a short-circuit fault condition requiring the contacts to not weld. In this welded-contact fault condition, un-metered electricity is supplied. This can lead to a life-threatening electrical shock hazard, if the load connection that is thought to be disconnected is still live at 230 V AC. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a switch member for such an electrical contactor and/or to a method of controlling electrical contact closing and opening delay, thereby reducing contact erosion, arcing and/or tack welding.
Additionally, it is a requirement that the opening and closing timing of the electrical contacts in such a moderate-current switch should be more precisely controlled to reduce or prevent arcing damage thereby increasing their operational life.
It is known that many electrical contactors are capable of switching nominal current at, for example, 100 Amps, for a large number of switching load cycles. The switch contacts utilize a suitable silver-alloy which prevents tack-welding. The switch arm carrying the movable contact must be configured to be easily actuated for the disconnect function, with minimal self-heating at the nominal currents concerned.
Most meter specifications stipulate satisfactory nominal-current switching through the operational life of the device without the contacts welding. However, it is also required that, at moderate short-circuit fault conditions, the contacts must not weld and must open on the next actuator-driven pulse drive. At much higher related dead-short fault conditions, it is stipulated that the switch contacts may weld safely. In other words, the movable contact set must remain intact, and must not explode or emit any dangerous molten material during the dead-short duration, until protective fuses rupture or circuit breakers drop-out and disconnect the Live mains supply to the load. This short-circuit duration is usually for only one half-cycle of the mains supply, but in certain territories it is required that this short-circuit duration can be as long as four full cycles.
In Europe, and most other countries, the dominant meter-disconnect supply is single-phase 230 V AC at 100 Amps, and more recently 120 Amps, in compliance with the IEC 62055-31 specification. Technical safety aspects are also covered by other related specifications such as UL 508, ANSI C37.90.1, IEC 68-2-6, IEC 68-2-27, IEC 801.3.
There are many moderate-current meter-disconnect contactors known that purport to satisfy the IEC specification requirements, including withstanding short-circuit faults and nominal current through the operational life of the device. The limiting parameters may also relate to a particular country, wherein the AC supply may be single-phase with a nominal current in a range from 40 to 60 Amps at the low end, and up to 100 Amps or more recently to a maximum of 120 Amps. For these metering applications, the basic disconnect requirement is for a compact and robust electrical contactor which can be easily incorporated into a relevant meter housing.
In the context of the IEC 62055-31 specification, the situation is more complex. Meters are configured and designated for one of several Utilization Categories (UC) representing a level of robustness regarding the short-circuit fault-level withstand, as determined by certain tests carried out for acceptable qualification or approval. These fault-levels are independent of the nominal current rating of the meter.
Acting as an actuation means, there will typically be an armature or plunger which is driven to control the opening and closing of the contacts. However, a typical actuator can only provide an actuation in a single direction, which can cause problems in multi-pole contactors.
Some contactors utilize parallel or substantially parallel movable arms which are simultaneously actuated by a wedge-shaped member which is forced between them, separating the arms and breaking two contacts simultaneously. However, there can be an advantage to providing movable arms arranged in an anti-parallel configuration, to maximize repulsion forces between the arms to enhance the contact pressure when engaged. Such an arrangement however, cannot be achieved with an actuation in a single direction.
The present invention seeks to provide solutions to the afore-mentioned problems by providing a contactor having an actuator with a rocking armature.


The present invention provides for the efficient recycling of carbon dioxide used in high pressure tall oil soap acidulation processes. The excess carbon dioxide used in the high pressure tall oil soap acidulation processes is recycled and contacted with an aqueous tall oil soap solution at a point before the high pressure contacting stage. Preferably, the recycled carbon dioxide is contacted in a first reactor, under pressure, to provide a preliminary tall oil mixture having an extent of acidification beyond the presence of a gel phase. Methods are provided for the monitoring of the acidulation reaction in the first reactor to maintain the extent of acidification beyond the gel phase region.

The acidulation, or acidification, of tall oil soap is an important process for manufacturing crude tall oil. Tall oil soap, which contains salts of resin acids and fatty acids, is produced as a chemical by-product of the kraft pulping process of coniferous woods, especially pine. The kraft pulping process is described in detail in The Handbook For Pulp & Paper Technologists, G. A. Smook, (1989).
As set forth in U.S. patent application No. 3,901,869, the acidulation of tall oil soap is preferably conducted with carbon dioxide, under pressure. During the acidulation process, excess carbon dioxide utilized therein acquires small quantities of hydrogen sulfide and mercaptans. The excess carbon dioxide therefore cannot be vented to the atmosphere without costly pretreatment, such as scrubbing with a caustic soda solution.
This excess carbon dioxide has significant economical value as a reactant in the acidulation process. One alternative for reprocessing this carbon dioxide is to recompress the gas to the required high reaction pressures. However, such a recompression operation would be costly in itself, since water and entrained material must be removed from the gas stream. Also, the recompression equipment is expensive.
Therefore, a need exists within the art of processing tall oil soap into crude tall oil to develop processing systems that can beneficially use the excess carbon dioxide utilized during the high pressure acidulation reaction. The solution to this problem should itself be one which is economical and environmentally sound.

Process and control strategy for the recovery and use of excess carbon dioxide discharge from a high pressure carbon dioxide acidulation process


In a method of tracking a specimen acquired from a patient, machine-readable codes present on a patient identification (ID), an order to obtain a specimen from the patient, and on a specimen-taker ID means, respectively, are stored in a computer storage. A specimen container having a fourth machine-readable code preapplied thereto is selected from a plurality of specimen containers having unique machine-readable codes preapplied thereto. In response to a processor determining that the first and second machine-readable codes are related to the same patient, the processor causes the first—fourth machine-readable codes to be relationally stored in the computer storage. Responsive to the processor receiving a signal that a specimen has been placed in the selected specimen container, the processor causes an indication thereof to be stored in the computer storage in a relational manner with the first—fourth machine-readable codes.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the collection of blood and medical specimens, for example, in a medical facility, such as a hospital.
2. Description of Related Art
In today's hospitals, mislabeling of specimen tubes, vials, or collection containers is a common problem that poses grave medical risk to a patient and potentially high liability to the institution. Despite best efforts at training and automation of the process with computers and barcodes, errors persist. The number of specimens collected and blood draws is quite high for a typical hospital. Error rates at or close to zero have been an unachievable goal.
Mislabeling errors can include: wrong patient name; missing label; mis-communicated order; outdated tube, vial, or container; unreadable, smudged, or bruised label; tube, vial, or container not labeled at bedside in accordance with applicable standards; and contamination while handling tube, vial, or container to add label. For the purpose of simplicity, hereinafter, the word "vial" will be utilized to describe the prior art in the present invention, and it is to be understood that "vial" means any specimen collection vessel deemed suitable and/or desirable by one skilled in the art for the collection of a specimen from a patient. Accordingly, "vial" is to be understood as being, without limitation, a vial, a tube, or a container.
Staff that attach labels to specimen vials in most modern hospitals can include: a floor nurse; a phlebotomist; a patient care technician; an emergency room nurse; an operating room nurse; a surgical floor nurse; and a lab technician.
The core problem has been identified to involve: failure to verify patient identity typically at the bedside; failure to use two forms of patient identity independent of a medical record number; and failure to verify that the patient identity matches the patient information on the printed label to be attached to the specimen vial.
Most hospitals use a wrist (or ankle) identification (ID) band to identify each patient with information that at minimum includes the patient's name and date of birth. Modern hospitals either use or are considering using a barcode to encode this and possibly other patient information on the ID band at registration to automate the capture of the patient's information without human error.
Although barcodes on ID bands work well after registration, some emergency room (ER) trauma patients are moved immediately to a bed where a specimen is drawn in anticipation of a medical doctor (MD) order and prior to full registration where the barcoded ID band is produced. These patients may use a handwritten ID band or an ID band without a barcode. Mistakes in getting the correct label onto the proper specimen vial are well documented. Unused full blood vials drawn in anticipation of an MD order are also at high risk of being labeled for the wrong patient as patients are moved with some frequency in the ER.
In the rest of the hospital, i.e., other than the ER, a typical, prior art flow diagram for collecting a specimen is shown in FIG. 1. The many types of specimens that are routinely collected are shown in FIG. 2.
With reference to FIG. 1, a method of collecting a specimen (e.g., a blood specimen) in accordance with the prior art includes step 2, where a suitable medical professional, e.g., a medical doctor (MD), a physician's assistant, etc., places an order to draw the blood specimen from a patient who is desirably already wearing a conventional ID band that includes at least the patient's name and date of birth, but which may not include any computer-readable code, such as, without limitation, a patient barcode.
After the order is placed in step 2, the method advances to step 4 where the order to draw the blood specimen from the patient is entered into a computer in any suitable and/or desirable manner, e.g., without limitation, by a data entry person. Thereafter, the method advances to step 6 where barcode labels associated with the order are printed. These printed barcode labels may include one or more of the following: one or more order barcode labels, one or more patient barcode labels, and/or one or more vial barcode labels to be applied to one or more specimen vials that either will receive or have already received a specimen.
Thereafter, in step 8, the barcode labels printed in step 4 are retrieved, perhaps from a printer that has also printed other, unrelated barcode labels. In step 10, these retrieved barcode labels and the patient are brought together (e.g., in the patient's room) where, in step 12, the specimen-taker determines whether the patient is wearing an ID band. If not, the method advances to step 14 where appropriate corrective action is taken to prepare an ID band for the patient and fasten it to the patient.
From either step 12 or step 14, the method advances to step 16 where the specimen-taker manually compares information on the patient's ID band to like information on the printed barcode labels. This information desirably includes, among other things, a medical record number, the patient's name, and the patient's date of birth. If, in step 18, the specimen-taker determines that the information on the patient's ID band does not match like information on the printed barcode labels, the method advances to step 20 where appropriate corrective action is taken to make the information on the patient's ID band and the like information on the printed barcode labels match.
From either step 18 or step 20, the method advances to step 22 where the specimen-taker collects the specimen (in this example a blood specimen) in one or more specimen vials. In step 24, the specimen-taker applies at least one of printed vial barcode labels to each specimen containing vial. In practice, the order of steps 22 and 24 may be reversed. Once each specimen vial contains a specimen and has one of the printed vial barcode labels applied thereto, the specimen vial is sent to the lab for analysis of the specimen.
In view of the prior art method of collecting a specimen described above being known to result in mislabeling of specimen vials, it would be desirable to provide a method and system that reduces or avoids such mislabeling of specimen vials.


An apparatus for directing fluid into and out of a fluidic device includes two or more fluid prime channels connected to a fluid inlet of the fluidic device, a flow control valve for each fluid prime channel to control flow between the fluid prime channel and the fluid inlet, one or more outlet channels connected to a fluid outlet of the fluidic device, and a flow control valve for each outlet channel to control flow between the fluid outlet and the associated outlet channel. An apparatus for delivering fluids to a fluid inlet includes a plate that is rotatable about an axis of rotation and a plurality of fluid compartments disposed on the plate, each compartment having a fluid exit port disposed at a common radial distance from the axis of rotation and positioned to align with the fluid inlet as the plate rotates about the axis of rotation.

The need to load and store excessive fluid volumes on disposable microfluidic cartridges can be problematic due to, for example, limited space availability. On the other hand, storing fluids, such as reagents, away from the fluidic region of interest (e.g., a flow cell) can lead to the problem of excessive pump times for moving fluids from the storage location to the fluidic region of interest and presents high flush factor requirements to replace fluids at the region of interest.
Many microfluidic systems with onboard fluid storage house the fluids away from the fluidic region of interest and have some form of valving, whether it be a rotary valve or an array of pinch valves, which adds further distance between the fluids and where they are used on the cartridge. These distances, known as swept volumes, are used to calculate the total volume delivered for a specific chemistry step and thus the further the fluids are stored away from the fluidic region of interest, the more volume is involved per step. For chemistries with many repetitive steps, these used volumes get multiplied, for example, by values ranging from 300 to 600 and thus the total swept volume can have a significant effect on the total fluid volumes required. As fluid volume requirements are the primary driver for microfluidic device size, large swept volumes greatly limit device size reduction potential.
Some microfluidic cartridge devices use fluid volumes that are larger than the volumes need for the onboard chemistry. Such high volumes may be used, for example, for flushing to exchange fluids through shared common lines and at the target surface. Such high fluid volume needs may become even more acute when long, cyclical assays are to be automated. Long fluid lines used to transport fluids that are stored remotely from the fluidic region of interest can present hard to wash locations within a microfluidic pathway, such as ninety degree turns. In addition, the walls of the fluid line may be hard to wash due to no-slip boundary condition in laminar flow environments.
In standard microfluidic systems, priming may be performed in channels located at the fluid storage region away from the fluidic region of interest with channels feeding into a shared switching valve which enables on-demand fluid selection. A long shared line, or common line, then transports all of the fluids to the fluidic region of interest where fluidic exchange occurs. In such standard systems, before a different fluid is to be provided at the fluidic region of interest, the previous fluid may be flushed out to preserve the correct chemical composition of the new fluid or to avoid hindrance by opposing chemistries (i.e., avoid cross-contamination).
The volume of fluid needed to flush a common line prior to addition of a different fluid will depend on the length of the common line and is known as the "swept volume." A "flush factor" may be thought of as a multiplier to be applied to the total swept volume, or volume of channels shared by the fluids. For example, if a swept line is 10 μL in volume, a flush factor of 3 would require 30 μL of a fluid to be pulled through the system to generate proper exchange. For cyclical chemistry assays with many repetitions, minimizing individual fluid transfer volumes has a significant impact on the overall volumes to be stored on the fluidic devices. By minimizing the store volumes, cartridge footprints can be reduced and money is saved on a per run basis due to a reduction in materials and fluids. In some instances, total run time may be reduced due to shorter pumping operation times.


A device (1) for generating a digital output signal yLOG(k)/K) as a mathematical function of a digital input signal (xLOG(k)) includes a level-changing device (6), which by amplifying or attenuating the input signal (xLOG(k)) generates a first intermediate signal (A) that falls within a compressed argument range of the mathematical function and a correction signal (shiftLOG) dependent on the amplification or attenuation of the input signal (xLOG(k)). Tabulated function values of the mathematical function are stored at or between indices in a storage device (11). The tabulated function values (B1) are read from the storage device (11) in dependence on the first intermediate signal (A), and a second intermediate signal (B) is generated in dependence on the read tabulated function values (B1). The correction signal (shiftLOG) is subtracted from the second intermediate signal (B) in a subtractor (12) to yield the digital output signal yLOG(k)/K).

By way of example, there are applications in which the logarithm of the magnitude of a complex digital input signal consisting of a real component I and an imaginary component Q must be used to produce, for example, a logarithmically scaled controlled variable. Common practice heretofore has been either to calculate the function value, for example by iterative methods, or to keep the function values in readiness in extensive tables and retrieve them according to the value of the input signal. Calculating function values in real time is so hardware-intensive as to render it ordinarily impracticable. If one table is stored for all the possible values of the input signal, either the storage requirements will be high, or the indices in the table will be so far apart that either the accuracy achieved will be very low or the interpolation method will require much more intensive use of resources to interpolate between indices.
The object on which the present invention is based is to create a method and a device for generating a digital output signal as a mathematical function of a digital input signal, together with a computer program for implementing the method, whose storage requirements for the function table are minimal but by means of which the function values on which the output signal is based can still be determined with high accuracy.
This object is achieved with respect to the methods, devices, and computer programs set forth in greater detail below, and as recited in the claims.
According to the invention, only a compressed argument range of the mathematical function is used, i.e., the range of argument values for which the function is tabulated is sharply limited in comparison to the permissible range of values of the input signal. Within this compressed argument range, the function values can also be tabulated relatively close together to occupy a limited amount of storage space. The level of the input signal is modified, by appropriate amplification or attenuation, in such a way that a signal supplied to the table lies within the compressed argument range in which the mathematical function is tabulated. The amplification or attenuation factor is used to generate a correction signal by means of which the output signal, consisting of the tabulated and potentially interpolated function values, is corrected.
The dependent claims permit advantageous improvements of the invention.

Method and device for generating an output signal as a mathematical function of an input signal