This invention provides a method and computer-readable medium for detecting flesh-tone regions in pictures, images, and videos. First, a flesh-tone axis is defined in a color space coordinate system, the flesh-tone axis passing through both the center of a flesh-tone region and the origin of the color space coordinate system. A perpendicular point, is then calculated on the flesh-tone axis as being the point having the shortest distance to an input pixel. A first distance and a second distance are then calculated based on the coordinates of the input pixel, the perpendicular point and the center of the flesh-tone region. The determination as to whether the input pixel is in the flesh-tone region can be made based on the first distance and second distance.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to the field of video processing, and, in particular, certain embodiments relate to a method and computer-readable medium for detecting flesh-tone pixels in pictures, images, and videos.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are two common methods for detecting flesh-tone pixels in pictures, images, and videos. According to a first method, described for example in the YCbCr domain, if the Cb value of a pixel is between threshold—1 and threshold—2 (i.e., threshold—1<Cb<threshold—2), and the Cr value of the pixel is between threshold—3 and threshold—4 (i.e., threshold—3<Cr<threshold—4), the pixel is determined to be a flesh-tone, wherein the thresholds are predetermined by a user. However, since this method defines a rectangular region in the color space rather than an oval-shaped region, non-flesh-tone pixels can be included. Thus, this method may not accurately distinguish between flesh-tone pixels and non-flesh-tone pixels.
According to another method of detecting flesh-tone pixels in the YIQ domain, if the I value of a pixel is between threshold—5 and threshold—6 (i.e., threshold—5<I<threshold—6), and the Q value of the pixel is between threshold—7 and threshold—8 (i.e., threshold—7<Q<threshold—8), the pixel is determined to be a flesh-tone, wherein the thresholds are predetermined by a user. However, two color space conversions, such as from YCbCr to YIQ and from YIQ back to YCbCr, are required for this method, one before the determining process and one afterwards. Thus, this method complicates the procedure by adding two color space conversion operations.
Thus, the well known methods for detecting flesh-tone pixels are either inaccurate or too complicated. In view of the drawbacks mentioned above, there is a need for a new and improved method for detecting flesh-tone pixels.

Method and computer-readable medium for detecting flesh-tone pixels


A new and distinct cultivar of Poinsettia plant named ‘RFAM442’, characterized by its compact, upright and outwardly spreading plant habit; moderately vigorous growth habit; early flowering habit; inflorescences with dark reddish pink-colored flower bracts; and excellent post-production longevity.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Poinsettia plant, botanically known as Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd., and hereinafter referred to by the name 'RFAM442'. Plants of the new Poinsettia have not been made available publicly nor sold for more than one year prior to the filing of this application.
The new Poinsettia plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Rheinberg, Germany. The objective of the breeding program is to create vigorous Poinsettia plants with attractive flower bract coloration.
The new Poinsettia plant is a naturally occuring whole plant mutation of a proprietary selection of Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. identified as code number F-16-0416, not patented. The new Poinsettia plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant within a population of plants of the proprietary parent selection in a controlled greenhouse environment in Rheinberg, Germany in December, 2013.
Asexual reproduction of the new Poinsettia plant by terminal vegetative cuttings in a controlled greenhouse environment in Rheinberg, Germany since December, 2013 has shown that the unique features of this new Poinsettia plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.


An endoscope system includes an image pickup device that is inserted into a subject and picks up an image inside the subject and a memory that records an intra-subject image acquired by the image pickup device and position information of the image pickup device in association with each other. The endoscope system includes an image generating section that applies, to the intra-subject image, when it is determined that a release signal is generated as a predetermined trigger signal, predetermined processing for distinguishably displaying the intra-subject image at a time when the release signal is generated and generates an image obtained by pasting the intra-subject image onto a model image of a predetermined organ.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an endoscope system and an actuation method for the endoscope system and, more particularly, to an endoscope system that displays an organ model image pasted with an endoscopic image and an actuation method for the endoscope system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, endoscope systems are widely used in a medical field and an industrial field. For example, in the endoscope system in the medical field, a surgeon inserts an insertion section of an endoscope into a subject. An endoscopic image obtained through an observation window provided at a distal end portion of the insertion section is displayed on a display apparatus. The surgeon can perform an endoscopic examination viewing the displayed endoscopic image. Further, the endoscope system can also record the endoscopic image. For example, a doctor can use a recorded endoscopic image of a lesion part as a part of a clinical record.
In recent years, a capsule-type endoscope system has also been put to practical use. When a patient swallows a capsule-type endoscope, the capsule-type endoscope picks up images inside a body and records the images inside the body while moving in the body.
In the case of the capsule endoscope, since an enormous number of images are acquired, there have been proposed a technique for extracting only an image of a site to be observed such as a lesion part out of an acquired large number of images and a technique for generating an image for diagnosis using images with high priority levels on the basis of feature parameters when a plurality of images are pasted onto a 3D model as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2010-240000.
Furthermore, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2007-236700 proposes a technique for developing omnidirectional images obtained by a capsule-type endoscope to create developed images, extracting blood vessel patterns and structure patterns in the developed images, joining the developed images on the basis of a result of the extraction, and displaying the developed images over a contour diagram of an organ.
Incidentally, in order to observe a state of a lesion part found in a last endoscopic examination, the endoscopic examination is performed again or the lesion part found in the last endoscopic examination is treated using an endoscope.
Therefore, a doctor writes, in a clinical record, a position of the lesion part found in the examination in an examination target organ. For example, when the examination target organ is a bladder, the position of the lesion part is designated by marking on a bladder development view (schema) drawn in the clinical record.

Endoscope system and actuation method for displaying an organ model image pasted with an endoscopic image


A case for accommodating a disc-shaped recording medium such as CD or DVD is disclosed. The case included a front lid opened and closed and a body formed with a central button and a holder including an annular piece formed with an engagement groove for engaging a fixing hole of the disc-shaped recording medium with legs. The annular piece is disposed around the button and the holder further includes a spring portion. A force acting so that an upper side of the disc-shaped recording medium is pressed such that the recording medium is depressed and rendered against a force acting so that the button is pushed upward via a second hinge by the spring portion. As a result, the button is prevented from being pushed over its toggle dead point and the disc-shaped recording medium is re-fixed to the annular piece by reduction and/or elimination of the external force.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a case for accommodating a disc-shaped recording medium, such as a compact disc (CD), digital video disc (DVD) and the like, on which music or an image is recorded.
2. Description of the Related Art
One of conventional cases for carrying a disc-shaped recording medium includes holding means with a central portion which is depressed by a finger such that its diameter is reduced, thereby releasing the recording medium from a held state. For example, Japanese Patent No. 2863317 discloses a compact disc holder including an integrally formed button member having a generally semicircular segment connected via a central hinge to distal ends of two cantilevered arms extending inward from the disc base. A central aperture of the compact is to be fitted with the segment. The central aperture of the disc is placed on the button member and then, the disc is depressed to be fixed and held. On the other hand, when the central portion of the button member is depressed while the disc is held, the arms are flexed to be pushed toward the disc base such that a lip of the button member passes through the central aperture. As a result, the disc is released from engagement with the button member. However, when an unexpectedly large external force acts on the case during handling or transportation, the central portion of the case is sometimes pressed. In this case, the disc held on the button member is detached, whereupon the surface of the disc may be damaged.
In view of the above-described problem, JP-A-2001-206478 discloses an improved disc case. The disclosed case includes a holder including a protrusion limiting the position of the central aperture of the disc and an engagement portion having an engagement portion elastically fitted with an inner wall of the central aperture of the disc limited by the protrusion. The engagement portion includes a cantilevered arm with a distal end on which the button is mounted. The button is depressed to a position immediately before release from the engagement with the disc. The height of the protrusion is set to be substantially the same as the height of the button located at the position immediately before release from the engagement with the disc. As the result of this set height of the protrusion, the button can be prevented from being released from engagement with the disc.
JP-A-2003-26271 filed by the assignee of the present application discloses a case for accommodating a disc-shaped recording medium including a protrusion mounted on the backside of a door. The upper side of the recording medium is pressed directly or indirectly by the protrusion. A lowering operation of the pressing portion of the holder is equalized with a spring of a thrust portion so that the recording medium is prevented from falling off.
Regarding the holder disclosed by the foregoing Japanese Patent No. 2863317, the recording medium would become defective if the surface of the recording medium is damaged during transportation or the like. Further, in the holder disclosed in JP-A-2001-206478, the button-shaped lip engages one inner portion of the central aperture of the disc to hold the disc. Accordingly, the disc is not sufficiently stable when held by the holder. The structure of the case disclosed in JP-A-2003-26271 can prevent the disc from dropping off. However, since the protrusion presses a pamphlet put inside the door, the pamphlet sometimes carries an indication of press.

Case for disc-shaped recording medium with function of preventing dropout of holder


The present invention pertains to the use of mesoporous ZSM-22 zeolite in a process for the cracking or conversion of a feed comprised of hydrocarbons, such as, for example, that obtained from the processing of crude petroleum, to a mixture high in propylene. Further, the present invention concerns the field of fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) processes and relates to the preparation and employment of additives based on zeolites having increased mesoporosity, such as altered ZSM-22. More particularly the present invention discloses a process for improving the production of propylene in FCC units.

Fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) is carried out by contacting hydrocarbons in a tubular reaction zone or riser with a catalyst constituted by fine particulate material. Feedstocks most commonly subjected to the FCC process are, in general, streams from petroleum refineries from vacuum tower side cuts, denominated heavy vacuum gas oil (HVGO), or heavier streams from the bottom of atmospheric towers, denominated atmospheric residue (RAT), or mixtures of such streams. Said streams, having a density typically in the band from 8° API to 28° API, require subjection to a chemical process, such as the catalytic cracking process, fundamentally modifying the composition thereof, converting them into streams of lighter hydrocarbons having a greater economic value.
During the cracking reaction substantial quantities of coke, byproduct of the reactions, are deposited on the catalyst. Spent catalyst is directed to a regeneration zone wherein coke is burnt off the catalyst. Elimination of coke through combustion permits recovery of the activity of the catalyst and release of heat in sufficient quantity to provide the thermal requirements of the catalytic cracking reactions.
Since initial conception, the FCC process has essentially been directed to the production of high-octane petrol, being also responsible for LPG production. The middle distillate (LCO) produced is essentially aromatic, which fact renders the incorporation thereof into the diesel pool difficult. However, current and future scenarios indicate a fall in consumption of petrol and an increase in demand for diesel oil. Fluidic Catalytic Cracking units are playing an increasingly important role in the production of propylene.
In FCC practice, there are two ways to increase light olefin selectivity. The first of these is to increase the reaction temperature. This will increase the contribution of thermal cracking, which leads to increased formation of lighter products. For instance, in the so-called DCC (Deep Catalytic Cracking) process, a specific type of FCC process, higher temperatures and increased amounts of steam are used. However, thermal cracking is not very selective and produces large amounts of products of relatively little value, such as hydrogen, methane, ethane, and ethylene, in the "wet gas" (which contains H2 and C1-C4 products). Wet gas compression often limits refinery operation.
The second method is to add an olefin-selective, zeolite-containing additive such as a ZSM-5-containing additive. Conventional additives usually contain phosphorus-activated ZSM-5, which selectively converts primary cracking products (e.g., gasoline olefins) to C3 and C4 olefins. Improvement of the activity or the selectivity with phosphorus is known to increase the effectiveness of ZSM-5. For instance, EP-A-511 013 describes the treatment of ZSM-5 with phosphorus to increase the propylene selectivity. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 5,472,594 describes a process for converting a hydrocarbon feed to a product containing improved yields of C4/C5 olefins with a catalyst composition containing zeolite Y and an additive comprising a phosphorus-containing medium pore zeolite such as ZSM-5. Also Mobil's WO 98/41595 describes a process for the catalytic cracking of a hydrocarbon feedstock to produce an enhanced yield of C3 to C5 olefins using a catalyst composition comprising a large pore molecular sieve such as zeolite Y and an additive comprising a phosphorus-containing ZSM-5 blended in with the base catalyst containing zeolite Y. The same is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,456,821. WO 94/13754 describes the same process using a catalyst composition containing a large pore molecular sieve and an additive containing a specific ZSM-5 which optionally contains 1.5 to 5.5 wt % elemental phosphorus. Also U.S. Pat. No. 5,521,133 describes the preparation of a ZSM-5 additive by injecting a ZSM-5 and kaolin slurry with phosphoric acid prior to spray-drying.
In EP 1445297 the use of zeolite ITQ-21, a three-dimensional large-pore zeolite with a very open structure which is more active in the conversion of a vacuum gasoil and propylene selectively to a commercial USY zeolite described ultra-stabilized is disclosed. In WO2008/014920 it is shown that the ITQ-33 zeolite having pores extra-large 18 MR (12.2 A) and 10 MR channels interconnected average pore simultaneously produces high yields diesel and light olefins, particularly propylene. However, the practical application of these new materials is limited due to its high manufacturing cost.
The production of propylene in the FCC can be increased by modifying the operating conditions of the unit, such as increasing the reactor temperature. However, this solution causes a considerable increase in gases and especially in undesired dry gas. The use of zeolite ZSM-5 as additive in FCC catalysts leads to an increase in olefins C3 and C4 (see for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,758,403, 3,769,202, 3,894,931, 3,894,933, 3,894,934; 3,926,782, 4,309,280, 4,309,279, 437,458 and Buchanan, J S and Adewuyi, Y G, Applied Catalysis: A General, 134, 247 (1996), Madon, R J, Journal of Catalysis 129 (1), 275 (1991).
Therefore, there remains a need to develop a novel catalyst additive that is selective to increase propylene production, produces low aromatics and is cost effective.

Mesoporous ZSM-22 for increased propylene production


A time correction device has a reception unit that receives satellite signals transmitted from positioning information satellites orbiting the Earth; a time correction information storage unit that stores time correction information for correcting time information produced by a time information generating unit; and a time information correction unit for correcting the time information based on the time correction information. The satellite signals are transmitted by individual positioning information satellites, and contain a time-related information part denoting time-related information that is kept by each satellite, and a satellite information part denoting satellite information other than the time-related information. The time correction information is generated based on the time-related information. The reception unit receives the satellite signal during the signal period in which the time-related information part can be received, and does not receive the satellite signal during the signal period in which the satellite information part can be received.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a time correction device for setting the time based on a signal from a positioning satellite such as a GPS satellite, to a timepiece having the time correction device, and to a method of correcting the time.
2. Description of the Related Art
The Global Position System (GPS), which is a system enabling a receiving device to determine its own position, uses satellites (GPS satellites) that each orbit the Earth on a specific path and have an on-board atomic clock. Each GPS satellite therefore keeps time (GPS time) with extremely high precision.
In order for a receiver (GPS receiver) that receives a signal from a GPS satellite to get the time information transmitted from the GPS satellite, and more particularly to get time information that is precise to at least 1 ms, the GPS receiver must usually receive the TOW (Time of Week) signal transmitted by the GPS receiver. The TOW signal denotes the number of seconds form the beginning of the week, and is reset every week.
The TOW signal is carried in each subframe of the GPS signal. The subframe signal must therefore be received in order to get the TOW signal, and it takes 6 seconds to receive one subframe.
Japanese Patent No. 3512068 (JP2001-59864) (see FIG. 5) teaches a method of synchronizing the receiver with the GPS satellite time without receiving the TOW signal.
The method taught in Japanese Patent No. 3512068 is a method of synchronizing to the time information required for positioning, and the TOW data is not needed for the time synchronization that is required for positioning.
However, if the GPS time transmitted from the GPS satellites is to be used to set the time of a timepiece, the TOW data must be received and receiving the TOW signal requires the six seconds needed to receive a subframe. Furthermore, the TOW data should be received twice in order to ensure that the TOW data was correctly received, and receiving the TOW data twice requires 12 seconds.
The receiver power must remain on during TOW signal reception, and this increases power consumption. Incorporating a receiver with such high power consumption in a timepiece or similar device with extremely low power requirements is thus impractical, and such a receiver therefore cannot be used to set the time with high precision in a timepiece such as a wristwatch or other similarly small electronic device.

Time correction device, timepiece having a time correction device, and time correction method


An autonomous multi-services card provides internal control over communications, so that host computer control input is not required. Communications performance is improved, especially for real time communications such as telephone conversations, because the autonomous multi-services card does not wait on late or failed control input from the host computer. The autonomous multi-services card is comprised of a communications processing system connected to a network interface, telephone interface, video interface, and computer interface. The communications processing system controls: 1) the exchange of voice signals with a telephone connection, 2) the exchange of video signals with a video connection, 3) the exchange of data with a host computer connection, and 4) the exchange of the data, video signals, and voice signals with a network connection.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is related to the field of communications, and in particular, to an autonomous multi-services card that connects to a host computer and a telephone device to a communications network.
2. Statement of the Problem
A network interface card fits into the slot of a host computer. The network interface card allows the host computer to communicate with a communications network. Typically, the host computer provides control input to the network interface card. Unfortunately, communications performance is adversely affected by using the host computer to control the network interface card.
The host computer typically executes an operating system and a variety of software applications. Thus, host computer processing time is shared across multiple software components. Communications performance suffers as a result because the host computer may not provide control input to network interface card in a timely manner. Since many forms of communication are real-time in nature, such as a telephone conversation, the lack of timely host computer control can severely disrupt communications. In addition one of the software applications may cause the host computer to crash, so that no control input is provided to the network interface card. In this case, communications would cease altogether.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A portable display stand for the display of merchandise having a hinged vertical support panel subassembly, including top and bottom panel segments, to reduce size and promote portability. Slideable pin locks slide out from a disengaged position and lock in the engaged position, to stabilize the top and bottom panel segments relative to each other, for assembly. A central post with attachment rings allows for attachment of 2, 3, or 4 support panel subassemblies arranged radially around the central post.

Display stands for exhibiting, among other things, goods or other items (together "merchandise") have been in wide use for many years. Various types of display stands are commonly seen in retail stores such as supermarkets, hardware stores, discount stores, and a multitude of other locations such as trade shows or events. Display stands may be permanent, semi-permanent, or temporary in nature.
Display stands typically include a perforated, slotted, or gridded support panel configuration with the front of the panel facing the intended viewers. Perforated, slotted, or gridded panels commonly include slatwall, gridwall, slatgrid, pegboard, or other designs.
Removable fixtures for exhibiting or displaying merchandise include hooks, braces, shelves, or brackets that are adapted to fit into the perforations, slots, or grids of, or wrap around the support features of, the support panel in a manner wherein the hooks, braces, shelves, or brackets are supported by the support panel. The removable fixtures generally extend more or less outwardly from the front of the support panel. The removable fixtures may be used to exhibit or display the merchandise itself (such as when a hook fits through a hole in the products' packaging to support the package on the hook). Removable fixtures may also, in turn, support shelving, baskets, or other associated support fixtures or accessories (together "accessories") that may be utilized to display merchandise.
The removable fixtures are commonly designed to be removable and repositionable on the front of the support panel of the display stand so as to promote flexibility in changing or refashioning the arrangement and appearance of merchandise displays.
While some display stands are permanent or semi-permanent, there is often a desire for at least some display stands at a given location to be temporary or portable, or both, in order to promote flexibility in the arrangement of the layout and configuration of display stands within the floor space in that given location, or in multiple locations. Temporary and portable display stands are especially useful in promoting that flexibility. There is also a desire for the support panels to be capable of being arranged in multiple configurations thereby increasing the versatility and flexibility of the display stand. Optionally, the support panels on free standing display stands can allow for display of items on both the front and back of the support panels.
Temporary and portable display stands are also especially desirable in environments where merchandise display stands are to be set up quickly, sometimes in locations far from the display stands' owner's usual location, displayed for a relatively short time, and then disassembled and removed quickly from that location, sometimes for transport and reassembly elsewhere, and sometimes for transport and storage (short-term or long-term). The desirability of such temporary and portable display stands, for example, would exist for some display stands used at trade shows, craft shows, art shows, or conventions (together "trade shows"). In those instances, it is often very desirable that display stands be highly portable, be capable of being quickly and easily assembled (very preferably without tools, and with the display stand having minimal parts, to avoid separation and loss of or damage to or by those parts), be lightweight, be sturdy (to withstand the impact of the high volume of people accessing the displayed items at a trade show), be capable of being quickly and easily disassembled, and be easily and neatly packable, storable, and transportable in stored form.
It is a limitation of prior art display stands that have been designed to promote portability that they have lightweight structures and are generally less sturdy, are prone to having many separable parts, are often difficult to assemble or disassemble quickly, and require tools for such assembly and disassembly.

Portable display stand having multiple configurations


A signal demodulation device includes a change point sensing circuit which senses a change point of an envelope of a DPSK signal, and a range setting circuit which generates a gate pulse corresponding to a period in which the DPSK signal cannot be changed. An output signal of the change point sensing circuit and the gate pulse are inputted to an AND gate so that a trigger prohibition signal is obtained. The trigger prohibition signal and the output signal of the change point sensing circuit are inputted to a NOR gate so that a trigger pulse corresponding only to a normal change point of the DPSK signal is generated, so that DPSK modulation data is obtained.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a signal demodulation device used in a video floppy disk reproducing device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A typical conventional still video camera has heretofore been arranged such that the image of an object is photoelectrically converted by means of an image pickup device to catch hold of the object image in the form of a luminance signal (Y) and a color signal (C). These signals are combined together by frequency modulation and recorded on a magnetic disk in the form of a multiplex image signal. According to a recent unified standard for still video cameras, a data signal which indicates whether a particular record is a field record or frame record and which also carries other information, for example, an ordinal number of a track on which a particular record has been stored, is recorded on the magnetic disk while being superposed upon the above-described image signal by the frequency multiplexing method.
To modulate the data signal, DPSK (differential phase shift keying) modulation is adopted. Accordingly, the data signal is subjected to DPSK modulation and recorded on the magnetic disk while being superposed upon the image signal. To reproduce the recorded data, the data signal is extracted from the frequency-modulated signal read out from the magnetic disk and subjected to DPSK demodulation after waveform shaping. Various apparatuses for reproducing the data signal have been developed (for example, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 62-223855).
If a foreign matter, for example, adheres to the magnetic disk, however, a drop out occurs in the DPSK-modulated data signal when a reproducing apparatus reads this data signal, and therefore, an incorrect demodulation might be carried out.


A particulate material suitable for the removal of heavy metals from an aqueous effluent comprises a finely ground solid encapsulated in a microporous shell of a polyvinyl chloride. The solid may be peat. The shell comprises a sufficient amount of polyvinyl chloride to utilize the adsorptive qualities of the peat while imparting structural integrity thereto. A process for making the particulate material comprises the steps of dissolving a polyvinyl chloride in an organic solvent therefor to produce a polymer solution, combining the polymer solution with a solid to produce a homogenous dispersion, forming droplets from the dispersion and contacting the droplets with water to precipitate out a particulate material comprising a finely ground solid encapsulated in a microporous shell of the polyvinyl chloride. The material may be modified after the solid is encapsulated, or the solid of the material may be modified before it is encapsulated. The material or the peat is modified with a calcium salt, such as calcium carbonate, or a sodium salt, such as sodium hydroxide. Raw peat which is modified with a calcium salt, preferably calcium carbonate, is also suitable for the removal of heavy metals from an aqueous effluent.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a particulate material suitable for the removal of heavy metals from an aqueous effluent, a process for making the material and a system and a method for removing heavy metals from an aqueous effluent using the particulate material. 2. Description of the Related Art
Raw wastewater generated by industry and contaminated ground water contain substantial concentrations of metal ions, oxides, cyanides and other substances. Common pre-treatment techniques of wastewater or ground water typically involve flocculation, hydroxide or sulfide precipitation, clarification and pH adjustment of the water.
A number of in-line modifications of the usual pre-treatment techniques or substitution of less toxic oxidants or cleaners can be employed successfully to reduce or eliminate residual contaminants. However, these techniques often do not remove all the metals from the wastewater. Consequently, levels exceeding legislated discharge standards are common. Moreover, these techniques are often complicated and/or are expensive to employ.
Because of the large metal removal capacity and the natural abundance of peat, peat adsorption is potentially a cheap and effective technique for treating wastewater or contaminated ground water. Various chemical and physical properties of peat allow it to actively adsorb dissolved and colloidal metals from industrial effluents. Furthermore, peat can adsorb cyanide and other organic compounds from water containing heavy metals.
However, peat adsorption is not without its disadvantages. Peat, in its natural form, is composed of strands which are stringy and messy. Thus, natural or raw peat tends to be difficult to handle. Also, the hydraulic resistance of raw peat is high. Moreover, when packed in a column, the fines in the raw peat tend to be washed out, and the peat bed in the column tends to be compacted.
The Bureau of Mines has turned to the use of polysulfone as an encapsulant material for peat moss, as discussed by C. R. Ferguson et al. in "Biosorption of Metal Contaminants from Acidic Mine Waters", published in a paper at the 1991 Society of Mining Engineers (SME) Annual meeting, Feb. 25, 1991, in Denver, Co., and by E. M. Trujillo et al., in a paper entitled "Mathematically Modeling the Removal of Heavy Metals from a Wastewater Using Immobilized Biomass", published in Environmental Science and Technology, Vol. 25, No. 9, 1559-65 (1991).
Recognizing the high cost of polysulfone as an encapsulant, particularly for large quantity use in the field, whether bagged or for use in a packed bed column or a stirred reactor, an improved, a less expensive polymer encapsulant and a process for encapsulating peat in this polymer are needed. Ideally, such an encapsulant would also have good porosity in order to fully utilize the adsorptive qualities of the peat while imparting the needed structural integrity thereto.
Also, experiments have shown that enhanced ion exchange properties can be derived from materials with high peat loadings (.sup..about. 80% by weight of dry particulate solids), provided such loading does not exceed an encapsulants'ability to contain the peat. Thus, a particulate material having a high peat loading and a process for forming this material are needed.
Alternatively, it may be economical to utilize the adsorptive qualities of the peat without encapsulating it. Thus, there exists a need to enhance the adsorptive qualities of peat in its raw form.

Particulate material suitable for the removal of heavy metals


Embodiments are generally directed to compression in machine learning and deep learning processing. An embodiment of an apparatus for compression of untyped data includes a graphical processing unit (GPU) including a data compression pipeline, the data compression pipeline including a data port coupled with one or more shader cores, wherein the data port is to allow transfer of untyped data without format conversion, and a 3D compression/decompression unit to provide for compression of untyped data to be stored to a memory subsystem and decompression of untyped data from the memory subsystem.

The compression of data, in which a certain set of data is reduced in size, is commonly performed in computer processing. The data compression can reduce the amount of data to be transmitted or stored in memory, and thus provide significant savings in required storage capacity, transmission time, and data handling.
In particular, machine learning and deep learning in graphics processing utilizes large amounts of data, and such processing can greatly benefit from data compression.
However, conventional compression systems are limited in their ability to effectively compress data in certain graphics operations, and in particular in machine learning and deep learning operations.

Policy-based system interface for a real-time autonomous system


Use of polymeric two-phase systems for removing microbial contaminants from industrial lubricating agents, a method of purifying microbial contaminated lubricating agents by mixing the lubricating agent with a polymeric two-phase system, allowing the mixture to separate so as to form a top-phase containing the lubricating agent and a bottom-phase containing at least part of the microbial contaminants, and separating at least a major part of the microbially enriched bottom-phase from the top-phase, a plant for microbial purification of lubricating agents comprising a mixing tank (4) having means (7, 8) for feeding microbially contaminated lubricating agent (S) to the mixing tank, means (13) for feeding a polymeric two-phase system to the mixing tank, a stirrer (5) in the mixing tank, means (9, 10) for feeding the mixture to a separation device (6) for separating the mixture into a top-phase (T) containing lubricating agents, and a bottom-phase (B) containing microbial contaminants, and means (18) for recovering the top-phase of the two-phase system, and a lubricating agent concentrate, in which at least part of the lubricating agent at the same time forms part of the top-phase component of the polymeric two-phase system.

Cutting oils and cutting liquids represent a common type of industrial lubricating agents which are widely used in the engineering industry in connection with cutting, turning, drilling, grinding and similar machining of materials. Their primary function is to increase the useful life of the tools by acting as a cooling and lubricating agent between the tools and the work pieces. Cutting oils--as well as lubricating agents in general--consist of so-called base oils, which may be based on mineral oils or be synthetic or semi-synthetic. By "cutting liquids/lubricating liquids we mean aqueous emulsions of cutting oils and lubricating oils respectively.
Rapid microbial growth, primarily of bacteria but also of fungi, often restricts the useful life of the cutting liquids to a few months. Already after such a short time of use the bacterial concentration may have increased from zero to the order of 10.sup.8 cells/ml. The growth of microorganisms not only results in a deteriation of the properties of the cutting liquid, but also creates an unpleasant odour. In connection with e.g. grinding and turning also airborne bacteria can be spread in aerosol form, thereby creating a further problem in the working environment.
Cutting liquids contain a plurality of components, from bactericidal preparations to anti-foam agents and corrosion inhibitors. Several of these components, together with a micro-flora of bacteria and fungi, are considered to be capable of causing problems, especially eczema and skin irriation, for industrial workers (Wahlberg, J. E. 1976, Skin-influence of oil, Esso Symposium 1976).
Since no practically/economically useful methods presently are available for cleaning the cutting liquid when in use, the microbial contamination is usally coped with by simply discarding the entire contaminated cutting liquid and replacing the same with fresh cutting liquid. This procedure does not only cause high costs for the disposal and for the fresh cutting liquid, but it also creates high extra costs caused by the shut-down which is necessary for emptying and cleaning the tanks and the distribution systems for the cutting liquid and for re-filling the systems with fresh cutting liquid.
Microbial growth in cutting liquids is thus a great problem in today's engineering industry and there is a great need of means for extending the useful life of cutting liquids. It may as an example be mentioned, that about 10,000 tons of cutting liquids in 1977 were used only in Sweden, of which about 2,000 tons were emulsion concentrates (LO:s Report on Cutting Oils). The costs for the acquisition and disposal were estimated to be of the order of 140 to 200 millions SEK, to which should be added the far higher costs for shut-down in connection with the exchange of cutting liquid.
Similar problems with microbial contamination occur when using and disposing of other types of lubricating oils, for example different kinds of hydraulic oils, used oils, etc.
Derwent Abstract No. 76-65593x/35, JP 51079959 discloses an agent for the treatment of contaminated waste water, including used cutting oil, by adsorption of the contaminants. The adsorbent consists of very small complex bodies comprising inorganic particles and an organic polymer. The inorganic particles may consist of active carbon or certain metal hydroxides.
Aqueous polymeric two-phase systems as such have been known for a long time and have been used in laboratories for biochemical and microbiological analyses and separations, e.g. for separating macro molecules, cell particles and whole cells (e.g. Albertsson P. .ANG.. 1960, Partition of Cell Particles and Macromolecules, 2nd edition, Almquist & Wiksell, Uppsala; Blomquist G. and Strom G. 1984, The Distribution of Mould Fungi Conidies in Polymeric Two-Phase Systems, Work and Health No. 31, Strom G. 1986, Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Microorganisms Particularly Fungal Spores-Methodological Developments, doctor's thesis, University of Ume.ang.). However, polymeric two-phase system have found few technical uses.
Polymeric two-phase systems substantially consist of two aqueous solutions of polymers having different molecular weights. When the two polymer solutions are mixed in certain proportions, two immiscible aqueous phases are formed. The top-phase substantially contains the low molecular polymer and the bottom-phase substantially contains the high molecular polymer. The water contents in the systems is high, usually between 80-98% depending on the choice of the phase polymers. In an alternative type of polymeric two-phase systems basically the same result can be obtained by replacing the high molecular polymer with a suitable water-soluble salt, e.g. phosphate buffer.
In polymeric two-phase systems particles or cells are distributed substantially between the top-phase, the interphase (the interface between the phases) and the bottom-phase; soluble macromolecules will be distributed between the top and bottom-phases.
In order to simplify the description we will in the following use the expressions "top-phase component" and "bottom-phase component" respectively when referring to those component/components of the polymeric system, which after mixing and separation of the system substantially are found in the top-phase and the bottom-phase respectively.

Purification of industrial lubricating agents


A method of protection of memory contents in a computer which includes the steps of loading a program into the computer and executing such program so that the memory contents of the computer are used to create and store on the same computer cryptographic hash tags uniquely identifying the contents for each of blocks of memory content of selected and consistent size and their location and applying this to all of the memory contents, analyzing the hash tags so as to identify those that have an identical memory content, recording such results of such analysis, then effecting a transfer to an independent memory a copy of the hash tags and the associated memory blocks as well as the other information regarding their location this being with the exception where the contents of a block are identical, and then transferring only one copy of such contents.

It is now quite conventional to protect memory contents of a computer by copying the contents of such memory onto a remote memory which be used to restore the first memory contents in case of difficulties.
One problem with conventional protection techniques is an initial time required to transmit the contents of a first memory onto a remote memory then if needed, the time that might be needed to effectively download this in a restore process.
This is the result of larger and larger memory size that whereas at the time of writing, 500 GB of memory on a hard disc is quite normal and it could be expected in the future that much larger memory sizes will be conventionally used.
Further, normal techniques for backing up memory contents may not record and store applications and may only store data.
In the event of a catastrophic failure, memory contents in a computer can be completely disrupted which then requires the original applications to be reloaded from original sources. This is not always straight forward with storage disks and passwords being necessarily available.
A further difficulty also lies in the fact that any backup or remote memory storage will record if it is providing a remote memory backup service for a number of computers, similar or the same applications many times over.


An anti-lock control arrangement for a vehicle which employs a control map for effectively preventing a wheel lock during braking. The control map is defined in terms of acceleration-deceleration values of a vehicle speed, which is to be controlled, and a speed difference between a target speed and a vehicle speed. The control map is read during anti-lock operation to effectuate control of the brake hydraulic pressure.

The present invention relates to anti-lock control for preventing a wheel lock when braking a running vehicle.
Vehicle anti-lock control systems are designed to ensure steering and running stability during braking and to reduce braking distance. In conventional anti-lock control arrangements, a control mode of brake hydraulic pressure is determined in accordance with an electric signal representative of a wheel speed detected by a wheel speed sensor. Based upon the signal, a control unit having a microcomputer controls a hold valve, in the form of a normally-open type solenoid valve, and a decay valve, in the form of a normally-closed type solenoid valve, to increase, decrease or hold the brake hydraulic pressure.
In a conventional anti-lock control arrangement, a reference speed for deciding when to decrease pressure is set or determined in accordance with a wheel speed (hereinafter referred to as "system speed Vs") to be controlled in each brake control system. There is also set an estimated vehicle speed Vv having a predetermined follow-up limit of the acceleration and deceleration with respect to the highest wheel speed among four wheel speeds. Further, there is set a threshold speed which tracks the estimated vehicle speed Vv by a predetermined value below the estimated vehicle speed. Based on the comparison of the system speed Vs with the reference speed or the threshold speed and also on the detected high peak point and low peak point of the system speed Vs, a pressure decrease status, a pressure hold status and a pressure increase status are set. Then, a plurality of hydraulic pressure control valves (solenoid valves) are turned on and off in accordance with a predetermined control mode set for each of these statuses, thereby effecting the pressure decrease, pressure hold and pressure increase.
However, in this conventional control method, the control mode remains fixed or unchanged until the status is changed, even when the wheel speed is abruptly changed due to variations in the road surface condition. Thus, conventional methods fail to react in a timely manner which is particularly disadvantageous because the wheels may lock during abrupt braking. Another disadvantage is that since the pressure increase is effected at the time when the wheel speed is recovered to a speed near the vehicle speed, the wheel speed is repeatedly accelerated and decelerated in a speed range having a certain slip rate with respect to the vehicle speed. As a result, the brake hydraulic pressure is increased and decreased causing a vibration of the vehicle body.

Akebono Research and Development Centre, Ltd.


A guide pin of a movable electrode is inserted into a hole of a nut fed to an intermediate position between a fixed electrode and the movable electrode, and the movable electrode is then moved down together with the nut to position the nut on a portion to be welded of a workpiece overlying the fixed electrode. An air passage is formed inside of the guide pin. A plurality of air outlets are formed on the periphery of the tip of the guide pin. A pressurized air is supplied to the air passage and is then blown out of the air outlets, so that a blow of the pressurized air is given to the bottom surface of the nut thereby preventing fallout of the nut.

This invention relates to a movable electrode structure of a resistance welding apparatus for nut with which a nut is welded on a workpiece.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Gazette No. 6-238461 discloses an example of a resistance welding apparatus for nut. This apparatus includes a fixed electrode, a movable electrode placed above the fixed electrode, and a nut feeding means for feeding a nut to a position between the fixed and movable electrodes. The movable electrode is provided with a guide pin which protrudes downward so as to be inserted into a hole of a nut. The nut feeding means is for holding a nut on a nut seat provided on the front end of a rod and feeding the nut to the position between the fixed and movable electrodes. The nut seat is supported to the tip of the rod so as to be swingable between a position that a seat face for holding the nut is substantially horizontal and a position that the nut seat is dangled, and is urged by an urging means so that the seat face is substantially horizontal.
In the above resistance welding apparatus, when a nut is fed below the movable electrode, the movable electrode moves down to insert the guide pin into the hole of the nut, forcedly dangle the nut seat and then position the nut on a portion to be welded of the workpiece overlying the fixed electrode. Since the nut is only fitted on the guide pin when the movable electrode receives the nut from the nut feeding means and moves down, the movable electrode is set at a falling speed greater than the speed of free fall of the nut so that the nut cannot fall out of the guide pin.
The guide pin is urged in a direction of protruding from the body of the movable electrode by a spring. Thus, the guide pin contacts a positioning pin of the fixed electrode to retract in the movable electrode while the nut and the workpiece are sandwiched between the fixed and movable electrodes and are welded, whereas the guide pin protrudes from the movable electrode by the urge of the urging means when the movable electrode moves upward after the welding.
In the case that the movable electrode has a long falling stroke after receiving the nut from the nut feeding means, however, the falling speed of the movable electrode must be set considerably great in order to fall the movable electrode at a speed faster than the speed of free fall. This makes it difficult to smoothly carry out an operation of transferring the nut from the nut feeding means to the guide pin of the movable electrode and makes it difficult to smoothly position the nut onto the workpiece overlying the fixed electrode.
In addition, though the workpiece having the welded nut must be lifted and shifted to a different position for the next welding work, the guide pin immediately protrudes when the movable electrode rises after the welding. Therefore, when the workpiece is promptly lifted and shifted to a different position according to the rise of the movable electrode, the previously welded nut may be caught on the protruding guide pin. Thus, the guide pin interferes with a prompt welding work.

Movable electrode structure of resistance welding apparatus for nut


A bar code scanner has a housing including a surface having a transparent scanning window. The housing contains optical components including a spinner and pattern mirrors arranged to produce sets of scan lines. The spinner is operable at two, substantially constant, non-zero spin speeds.

Conventional bar codes have varying width bars and spaces suitably printed on a label. The bar code may take any conventional form in one or more dimensions, and includes, for example, the typical one-dimensional UPC form. The UPC symbology is based on a specification enacted by the Uniform Product Code Council, Inc. of Dayton, Ohio. The typical UPC bar code includes a series or sequence of alternating dark bars and light spaces of varying widths. The bars and spaces are arranged in groups representing individual characters. The bar code starts with a left margin character and ends with a right margin character, and has a center reference character as well, with the characters provided there between representing any desired data.
Scanners, such as the NCR® 7882 model horizontal scanner, produced by NCR Corporation of Dayton, Ohio, USA, scan those lines by causing a laser beam to be repeatedly passed across the scan lines. The path of the laser beam is determined by a mirrored spinner, which is itself rotated by a motor. The manner in which lines are scanned will be described in detail below. However, a problem arises with this scanning, especially in store environments, where the noise of the motor can cause a nuisance to operators and customers alike.
In addition, in order to save power the spinner is stopped between scans, after a specific down time. However, this leads to an additional problem, that a scan can then not be performed until the spinner is run back up to scanning speed. This can take a few seconds to achieve and any such delay can cause inconvenience to customers waiting the scanning of goods they wish to purchase.
Another problem with prior art scanners is that they depend on motion or other sensors to determine if a bar code is present adjacent the scanner before powering up the spinner in order to scan the bar code. However, not all motion adjacent the scanner is necessarily a bar code to be scanned and thus the spinner can be powered up unnecessarily, which again cause both noise and unnecessary power consumption.
It is an object of the present invention to produce a bar code scanner, which obviates one or more of the problems discussed above.

Bar code scanner having a mirrored spinner which operates at different speeds


A method and apparatus for providing multi-domain control over a digital data item via a first domain security policy assigned to the digital data item at a first domain, the data item being transferred from the first domain to a second domain, the second domain being autonomous from the first domain in respect of security policies. The method comprises assigning the security policy to the digital item within the first domain; transferring the digital items to the second domain together with data defining the first domain security policy; analyzing the first domain security policy within the second domain; and distributing and/or allowing usage of the digital items within the second domain in accordance with analyzed first domain security policy, and/or reporting breaches or attempted breaches of the policy.

Modern businesses and industries rely heavily on the creation, storage and transportation of digital documents and other kinds of digital files as a primary means of communication, information storage, and documentation. In many cases, the digital documents and files contain proprietary and/or confidential material. It is therefore important to assign a distribution policy to each document that is distributed.
Enforcing the distribution policy for a given digital content within the perimeter of assigner of the policy can be accomplished, e.g., using the methods described in PCT application number IL02/00037. However, once the digital content was transferred to the perimeter of another organization, the situation becomes more complicated. In particular, the policy originally assigned to the content by the source organization may contradict or interfere with the organizational policy of the recipient organization.
Another important aspect of the problem is assurance that the policy assigned by the source organization has indeed been applied in the receiving organization with respect to the distributed content.
Prior art is based on cumbersome manual solutions to the problem or relies on automatic receipts. In many cases, automatic receipts contradict the receiving organization policy, and therefore maybe blocked, rendering receipt-based tracking useless.
There is thus a recognized need for, and it would be highly advantageous to have, a method and system that allows assurance of compliance with a distribution policy of digital items, which overcomes the drawbacks of current methods as described above.

Apparatus and method for assuring compliance with distribution and usage policy


A back and abdomen exercising apparatus includes a base and a back rest, and the backrest is provided at the rear portion of the base. The backrest is mounted on the base with two resilient members. A user sits on the base with back abutting against the backrest and presses the backrest backward, the resilient members provide a biasing force against the user. During the process, the muscle back and abdomen of the user is exercised and trained. In addition, the exercising apparatus has simple components, a simple operation method, a small size and light, and is convenient to carry.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an indoor exercising device, and particularly relates to a back and abdomen exercising apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional exercising apparatuses such as running machines, weight lifting machines help people to exercise themselves in the spare time.
A sit-up exercising apparatus is used to help people lie down and sit up to exercise the back and abdomen muscle. However, the conventional sit-up exercising apparatus has a big size, a heavy weight and a complicated structure and is hard to carry.
Therefore, the invention provides a back and abdomen exercising apparatus to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problems.


A driver program is provided for causing a host apparatus to execute a processing of generating color-converted image data and transferring it to a printing apparatus, this program making it possible to decrease the volume of image data to be stored in the host apparatus and to conduct data transfer without delaying the printing completion. A driver program causes a host apparatus to execute a processing of generating image data comprising data of a plurality of colors and transferring it to a printing apparatus. When the transfer of the image data of one plane is conducted, the driver program causes the host apparatus to execute a transfer processing conducted by intermingling a step of transferring by each band of the bands obtained by dividing the image data of one plane at the prescribed height, and a step of transferring by each color of the plurality of colors.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a driver program or the like for causing a host apparatus to execute a processing of generating image data in the host apparatus and transferring those image data to a printing apparatus, and more particularly to a driver program or the like that makes it possible to reduce the volume of image data to be stored in the host apparatus and to conduct data transfer without a delay in a printing completion time.
2. Background Art
Usually in a printing system for executing printing on a printing medium such as paper, printing data is transmitted from a host apparatus, such as a personal computer, and the printing apparatus that received printing data implements printing based on the printing data. Before the printing is completed, the following types of processing are carried out with respect to the printing data: a processing of obtaining image data in which the data of a printing request issued from an application of the host apparatus are represented as color density values for each pixel, a processing of converting the color representation of the image data into color representation in the printing apparatus, and a processing of representing the color converted data as dot images.
In recent years, the so-called host base processing in which all the operations prior to color conversion processing are implemented in the host apparatus has been conducted. In such cases, the image data after color conversion are compressed in the host apparatus and then transmitted to the printing apparatus. In the printing apparatus, the received data are used after decompression. Furthermore, in the compression processing of the image data transmitted from the host apparatus, the processing is usually conducted for each of the regions (called bands) that are obtained by dividing the range of one plane of the printing medium to prescribed lengths in the height direction. For example, when image data after color conversion are represented by Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan), and K (black), the image data comprising data of those four colors are sequentially compressed in band units and become a state suitable for transmission to the printing apparatus.
Several methods have been used in the past for transferring the data subjected to such compression processing to the printing apparatus. With one of such methods the transmission to the printing apparatus is sequentially conducted from the image data of the compressed bands, following the sequence of the above-described compression processing. The process of transmitting the image data comprising data of all the colors for each band will be referred to hereinbelow as "data transfer in a band sequence". When the printing apparatus is, for example, an apparatus for conducting printing in one-plane units of the printing medium, such as a four-cycle laser printer, the printing apparatus cannot start printing processing unless at least the image data of one color of one plane are received. Therefore, when data transfer is conducted in a band sequence, the printing apparatus does not start printing processing till the image data of all the colors of one plane are received.
Further, with another transfer method for data, the image data compressed for each band are stored for one plane in the host apparatus and then the stored image data for one plane are transmitted sequentially color by color. For example, when the image data are composed of data of four colors YMCK, first, all the data for Y, of the image data of one plane that were stored, are transmitted, and then all the data for M, all the data for C, and all the data for K are sequentially transferred. The process in which the image data of one plane are thus transmitted color by color in turn will be referred to hereinbelow as "data transfer in a plane sequence". This method is employed, for example, in the apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-236563. When the printing apparatus is a four-cycle laser printer or the like and carries out the printing processing color by color for each plane, the printing processing can be started even if all the image data for one plane have not been assembled. Conducting such data transfer in a plane sequence makes it unnecessary to delay the start of printing processing till the image data of all the colors of one plane are received. The so-called flying start is possible.

Driver program and transfer method for data


A device includes a first free layer, the first free layer being capable of magnetic polarization using a first electrical current, a fixed layer, the fixed layer having a static magnetic polarization, and a first spacer layer disposed between the first free layer and the fixed layer. The device may also include a second free layer, the second free layer being capable of magnetic polarization using a second electrical current, and a second spacer layer disposed between the second free layer and the fixed layer, wherein the device is operable, via the first electrical current, to store a binary value, the binary value being represented by a resistance characteristic of the first spacer layer, and wherein the device is operable, via the second electrical current, to store a compliment of the binary value, the compliment being represented by a resistance characteristic of the second spacer layer.

Storing information, retrieving stored information, and/or performing operations on such information are functions that have become almost ubiquitous in all computing devices. Various types of technologies have evolved to serve this purpose. As one example, complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology may be found in microprocessors, microcontrollers, static random access memory (SRAM), and other digital and analog circuits. As the use of computing devices proliferates, information storage and manipulation functionality continues to be performed under harsher, more constrained conditions. For instance, aerospace applications may require devices that are capable of reliably performing data storage and manipulation for months or years on little power and without maintenance.


The droplet discharge head comprises: a nozzle which discharges droplets of a liquid; a pressure chamber which is in communication with the nozzle and is filled with the liquid to be discharged from the nozzle; and a pressure generation device which generates pressure variation in the liquid inside the pressure chamber and causes the droplets to be discharged from the nozzle, wherein: the pressure chamber has a substantially triangular planar shape; the pressure chamber is provided with a first conduit which conducts the liquid from the pressure chamber to the nozzle, a second conduit which causes the liquid to flow into the pressure chamber, a third conduit which drains the liquid in the pressure chamber to exterior of the pressure chamber, and a switching device which opens and closes a flow channel in at least one of the second and third conduits; and the first, second and third conduits are connected to the pressure chamber at positions in vicinity of different vertices of the substantially triangular shape, respectively.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a droplet discharge head and inkjet recording apparatus, and more specifically to the structure for a droplet discharge head effective for removing bubbles within a pressure chamber in communication with a nozzle (droplet discharge port), and to an inkjet recording apparatus that uses the head.
2. Description of the Related Art
Inkjet recording apparatuses deposit ink droplets on a recording medium by relatively moving recording paper or another recording medium with respect to a recording head provided with ink discharge nozzles while discharging ink from the recording head in accordance with a print signal, and an image is formed on the printing medium by the ink dots.
Inkjet heads (recording heads) are configured to feed ink to a pressure chamber in communication with a nozzle, to impart pressure variation to the liquid inside the pressure chamber, and to discharge droplets from the nozzle, so when bubbles are present inside the pressure chamber, the required pressure for discharge is not transmitted to the ink and a discharge defect is created. To prevent such a discharge defect, an action (suctioning action) is carried out to suction away the ink mixed with bubbles inside the pressure chamber and to eliminate the ink together with the bubbles. However, this action has a drawback in that ink consumption for carrying out the suctioning action is increased.
To address this problem, the inkjet head disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-24000 is configured such that two ink supply ports with different flow resistances are provided to an ink chamber in communication with a nozzle. These two ink supply ports are each connected to a separate reserve tank, and bubbles inside the ink chamber can be drawn into one of the reserve tanks by a pump that controls the switching of ink circulation modes (ink circulation direction).
Also, a structure is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-355961 whereby a circulation flow channel is provided to a common flow channel that is in communication with a plurality of pressure chambers, and bubbles in the common flow channel are recovered together with ink.
Additionally, a structure is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-254643 whereby ink that is to be fed to a nozzle is circulated in a thermal jet-type inkjet head provided with a heating resistor for generating the heat energy required for ink discharge.
However, the configurations proposed in Japanese Patent Application Publication Nos. 6-24000 and 2002-254643 result in the release of pressure to the circulation channel during discharge driving, so a greater amount of discharge actuator power is required. The configuration proposed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-355961 allows bubbles inside the common flow channel to be removed, but bubbles inside the pressure chamber cannot be removed.

Droplet discharge head and inkjet recording apparatus


Examples of a paper-clearance apparatus for removing jammed paper from a printer are described herein. The paper-clearance apparatus includes an outer shaft mounted transversely above a printing medium path of a printer; an inner shaft movably disposed inside the outer shaft; a roller assembly including a sliding bush mounted over the outer shaft; and a handle connected inside the inner shaft from outside a printer housing. The handle is being rotatable so that the roller connected with the inner shaft touches the jammed paper and rotates along with the jammed paper to grip the jammed paper. Further, the handle is being pullable away from the printer housing so as to pull out the jammed paper beneath the printer housing.

A multifunctional device employing a printing medium path is generally known as a "paper-feed" printer 100 (FIG. 1A). In the known "paper-feed" printer 100, sheets of paper or other printing media are pulled or picked from an input tray and fed downstream into the print engine components where the desired image is formed on each paper sheet. This operation is typically accomplished using a series of motor-driven rollers that have frictionally adherent surfaces. The surface of the initial or pick roller rotates against the upper surface of the top sheet in the stack to direct the top sheet along a predetermined printing medium path 102. The paper sheet is advanced through an infeed zone and is received by a drive roller which supplies the sheet into a processing zone for printing. The paper sheet is then expelled through an output zone towards an output tray. This cycle is repeated for each paper sheet to be printed.
A problem experienced with printers of such type is that the paper sheet being fed may become subject to a disturbance somewhere along the printing medium path 102. The disturbance is typically the result of a paper sheet having imperfections, a paper sheet of a size smaller than the intended size, or becoming skewed in the infeed or output zones. Usually, the paper sheet encountering the disturbance will be blocked. Consequently, the paper sheet will become "jammed" in the "paper-feed" printer 100. This effect is known as a sheet or paper jam. Sheet or paper jams can also occur in the other types of printers referred to above which employ printing medium paths.
Although the frequency of paper jams in modern printers has generally decreased, when this problem does occur the result can have a damaging effect on the printer. For instance, a printer motor can over-heat as a result of the increased load on the rollers during paper jams. Also, in printers using ink, the image forming components may deposit ink within the printer instead of on the paper sheet In order to reduce the damaging effects of paper jams, printers have been developed which can detect certain indicators of a paper jam so that the operations of the printer are ceased as soon as possible.
Once a paper jam has occurred, the jammed paper will often end up concertinaed in some form next to the drive roller. Removal of the paper to clear the jam may then be performed manually by grabbing one of the ends of the paper and pulling. However, this method is undesirable since the paper may rip or unnecessary strain may be placed on the motor as the drive roller is forced around too quickly.
A more suitable and commonly used method of removing a jammed sheet of paper is to manually rotate the drive roller to direct the paper along the printing medium path 102 (FIGS. 1B and 1C). This manual rotation may be enabled by a knob located outside a printer housing which is attached to the drive roller. The drive roller may be rotated either in a forward direction to direct the jammed sheet towards the output zone or in a reverse direction to direct the jammed sheet towards the infeed zone. The choice of direction is arbitrary and both directions are generally attempted, on the basis of trial and error, until the successful release of the jammed paper into one of the infeed or output zones. Accordingly, there is a need for having a mechanism which can allow a user to clear the jammed paper from the printing medium path with precision.


Methods are provided for the treatment of a host suffering from a cellular proliferative disease through administration of a chemotherapeutic agent in conjunction with a cell membrane permeant. Optionally, the cell membrane permeant and/or chemotherapeutic agent will be present in a pharmaceutically acceptable vehicle capable of acting as a depot. In the subject methods, the chemotherapeutic agent and membrane permeant are administered at least proximal to a target site of the host. Administration of chemotherapeutic agents in accordance with the subject methods results in improved efficacy of, and/or decreased host toxicity to, the intralesionally administered chemotherapeutic agent.

Of increasing interest in the treatment of cellular proliferative or neoplastic diseases is the use of chemotherapeutic agents, either alone or in combination with other treatments, such as surgical, radio- or immunotherapeutic procedures. Since the majority of chemotherapeutic agents tend to exert their antiproliferative activity on a host's cells in a non-specific manner, the dosage that may be administered during a particular treatment is often limited by the systemic toxicity of the agent, i.e. the host's toxic reaction to the presence of the agent.
In order to avoid dose limiting systemic toxicity, methods of local and regional administration of chemotherapeutic agents may be employed, particularly with cellular proliferative diseases characterized by the presence of solid tumors or neoplasms. In local administration, the chemotherapeutic agent is administered at the site of the neoplasm, i.e. intralesionally, while in regional administration the drug is directed to the target organ or tissue after intraarterial, intravesicular, intraperitoneal or subconjunctival administration. The goal of local and regional administration is to limit the systemic exposure of the host to the agent and yet maintain a relatively high concentration of the agent at the site or in the region of administration, thereby providing the possibility of improved antiproliferative activity with reduced host toxicity. However, despite the promise of local and regional administration, with some chemotherapeutic agents successful results have not yet been realized. Problems which have been encountered with some agents are rapid diffusion from the site of administration and/or insufficient internalization of the agent by the abnormal quiescent and proliferative cells. Insufficient internalization of the agent is problematic where high, and potentially systemically toxic, dosages of agent must be administered to achieve a sufficiently high intracellular concentration of the agent.
Accordingly, there is continued interest in the development of improved methods of local and regional administration. Improved methods would provide for increased efficacy and/or reduced systemic toxicity of the local or regionally administered agent.

Use of cell membrane permeants in the treatment of cellular proliferative diseases


An arrangement 22 for mounting a non-rotating component 28 of a gas turbine engine 10, defining a portion of a gas path of the gas turbine engine 10 comprising: a non-rotating component 28 having an opening 23 to a receptacle 25; and a fastener 30 for retaining the non-rotating component 28, comprising a neck portion 34 and a head portion 32, wherein the neck portion 34 of the fastener 30 extends through the opening 23 in the non-rotating component 28 and the head portion 32 is retained, at least partially, within the receptacle 25.

A non-rotating component, defining a portion of a gas path, of a gas turbine engine is used to help guide gas through the engine. A nozzle guide vane is one example of such a non-rotating component. Nozzle guide vanes help provide torque within a turbine assembly, helping to drive the turbine blades. As a consequence, a nozzle guide vane may experience a large pressure drop across its surface. This exerts a force on the mounting arrangement of the nozzle guide vane and may cause the nozzle guide vane to become displaced, thereby reducing the efficiency of the engine.
One way of mounting nozzle guide vanes is to use a number of supports and fasteners. A hook may be used to secure one (front) end of the nozzle guide vane to the turbine assembly casing thereby providing, at least, radial retention. Axial movement may be restricted through the use of a retaining ring, located at the opposite (rear) end of the nozzle guide vane. Circumferential movement may be restricted by securing the nozzle guide vane to the casing by using a bolt. When the engine is not in use, there is no gas flow and the rear of the nozzle guide vane may slip out of place. Currently, a flange is provided at the rear of the nozzle guide vane that abuts a flange on the casing and prevents the nozzle guide vane slipping radially out of place.
It would be desirable to improve the mounting arrangements for non-rotating components of a gas turbine engine.

Arrangement for mounting a non-rotating component


A voice coil motor device for positioning is disclosed. The voice coil motor device for positioning includes a fixed element, a moving element and a connector. The moving element is movably disposed on the fixed element. One end of the connector is connected with the fixed element and the other end of the connector is connected with the moving element. A piezoelectric element is disposed on the connector or deposed between the moving element and the fixed element. The piezoelectric element can be deformed with the movement of the moving element to generate a displacement signal of a moving element. The positioning of the voice coil motor can be achieved precisely basing on the judgment on the displacement signal of the moving element generated with the movement of the moving element by the piezoelectric element.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a voice coil motor device for positioning, and more especially to a voice coil motor device for positioning used for driving lenses for micro image capturing modules.
2. Description of Related Art
Recently, more and more handheld devices have image capturing modules. With the increasing requirements of the handheld devices for better performance and smaller size, the image capturing modules are required to have high image quality and small size. To improve image quality heeds to increase pixels of images on one hand. The pixels of image capturing modules for the handheld devices are gradually increased to one million pixels, two million pixels, three million pixels, even four million pixels and five million pixels from 300 thousand of VGA levels. On the other hand, definition of captured images must be improved. So the image capturing modules of the handheld devices are developed from fixed focus to optical auto-focus like cameras, even optical zoom.
The operation principle of optical auto-focus is to moving a lens of an image capturing module properly according to a distance from an object so that an optical image of the object can be accurately focused on an image sensor to produce a clear image. Conventional methods for driving the lens of the image capturing module include a stepping motor driving method, a piezoelectric driving method, a voice coil motor (VCM) driving method and so on.
Generally, voice coil motor mechanisms are mainly formed by placing coils in magnetic circuits with permanent magnets. According to Fleming's left-hand rule, when the coils are electrified, they interact with the permanent magnets to produce electromagnetic thrusts to move supporting bases connected with the permanent magnets, thereby driving lens elements fixed on the supporting bases. Optical auto-focus and optical zoom can be achieved via adjusting electric currents flowing the coils.
However, besides using voice coil motors to drive lens elements to move axially, conventional image capturing modules further need positioning mechanisms for effectively positioning the lens elements to ensure that optical images of objects are accurately focused on image sensors of the image capturing modules to produce clear images.
Conventional positioning methods mainly determine the positions for moving lenses depending on judging if the light is occluded. Though the methods can effectively achieve the positioning, they need to use a plurality of elements to cooperate with each other. So the image capturing modules have too large size, which limits the development of miniaturizing application products. Additionally, the detection results of the light occlusion positioning methods aren't voltage signals, converters are needed to convert the detection results into voltage signals, which increases costs.


The communication apparatus intermittently carries out receiving operation during a predetermined reception period. The apparatus includes a wireless communication section for carrying out wireless communication, which includes a carrier sensor for sensing a carrier at the beginning of the communication, and a carrier sense switching section for using carrier sense levels different between packet transmission and reception to switch the carrier sense level of the carrier sensor according to the packet. Thus, the apparatus can use and flexibly adjust the optimum carrier sense level for the intermittent receiving operation within the reception period.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication apparatus and a communication method, and more particularly a communication apparatus and a communication method applicable to, for example, a telecommunications network system, such as a sensor network, including many wireless communication nodes distributed in an area to achieve mutual data communication between the nodes on wireless signals.
2. Description of the Background Art
Specifically in communication nodes forming a telecommunications network, such as a sensor network, the saving of power consumption is demanded. En-Yi A. Lin, et al., "Power-Efficient Rendez-vous Schemes for Dense Wireless Sensor Networks", Proceedings of ICC (IEEE International Conference on Communications) 2004, Paris, France, June 2004, discloses a solution in which a wireless device performs an intermittent startup operation.
According to the communication technique taught by En-Yi A. Lin, et al., the wireless device is powered on in a short period of time at a predetermined time interval for waiting for signal reception and powered off in the remaining period of time, thereby saving the power consumption. This periodic timing for waiting is called "sniff timing".
When a transmitter node intends to transmit a data packet to a receiver node, the transmitter node is required to transmit the packet in time with the sniff timing of the receiver node. However, it is generally difficult to know the sniff timing of other nodes such as the receiver node.
In the prior art solution, if traffic arises, the transmitter node successively sends startup request packets. This makes it possible to deliver a startup request packet in course of time to the receiver node, or destination, within its sniff timing. In response, the receiver node transmits a startup response packet to the transmitter node, or source. The source node is thus notified of the destination node now being in its reception waiting state, and then transmits data packets in correct timing.
The a communication technique taught by En-Yi A. Lin, et al., is called "power-saving listening scheme", and is implemented in a remarkably simple manner and may accomplish excellent power-saving effect.
The power-saving of the intermittent operation of communication technique becomes more effective by setting the period of time assigned for signal reception waiting in the sniff timing as short as possible. Instead, if the time for signal reception waiting is made too short, it is then possible for a destination node to receive only part of the startup request transmitted from another node, thus failing to correctly receive the startup request packet. In this case, the startup request packet has been received not entirely but partially, thus exhibiting the high level in received signal strength.
The nature of the high received signal strength can be utilized for solving the above-mentioned problem. That is, the default value of the time for signal reception waiting is set shorter, and carrier sensing is continuously carried out during such a shorter waiting time. If the high level in received signal strength is continuously detected in the carrier sensing, then the signal reception waiting time is somewhat extended so as to entirely receive the startup request packet.
The manner stated above may utilize a reference or threshold level to determine whether the received signal strength is in the high or the low level. Such a reference level is called a "carrier sense level". The carrier sense level is a parameter also relating to the collision avoidance system, such as CSMA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access) system, for use in packet transmission. The value of the carrier sense level is generally selected in consideration that the packet transmission does not conflict with other systems.
The value of the carrier sense level is therefore selected suitably for preventing the collision by the CSMA system or the like. There is however another problem that the value is not necessarily suitable to determine in the power-saving listening scheme whether or not the startup request packet is being transmitted at the sniff timing from a neighboring node.
Furthermore, the suitable value of carrier sense level for determining whether or not a startup request packet is being transmitted from a neighboring node depends upon how the nodes are distributed and how radio waves propagates. Therefore, if the suitable value of the carrier sense level is selected in advance when designing a telecommunications system, it may be costly.

Intermittently operable communication apparatus with different carrier sense levels switched between transmission and reception and method therefor


An automatic identification of one or more content books system and method are provided in which the one or more content books are identified based on holidays or events selected by the user.

Systems and method that permit a user to organize a plurality of pieces of content are known. For example, the Picture Manager utility in Windows® allows a user to view a plurality of digital images, arrange the digital images and then view the plurality of digital images as a slide show. In addition, one can use Microsoft® Powerpoint® to generate and arrange a series of slides wherein each slide can contain one or more digital images so that a slideshow with the slides containing the digital images is generated. In addition, video editing system (both high end movie studio type systems and consumer systems) exist that allow a user to put together clips of video images into a movie or other video show.
However, no existing system is capable of automatically identifying a content book and generating one or more page layouts for a book and it is to this end that the system and method are directed.

Automatic identification of photo books system and method


A piston and method of construction are provided. The piston includes a piston body having an upper combustion surface configured for direct exposure to combustion gases within a cylinder bore with an undercrown surface located beneath the upper combustion surface. The piston body also includes a ring belt region configured for receipt of at least one piston ring adjacent the upper combustion surface with a cooling gallery configured radially inwardly and in substantial radial alignment with the ring belt region. The piston further includes a non-stick coating material bonded to at least one of the undercrown surface and at least a portion of the cooling gallery, wherein the non-stick coating material inhibits the build-up of carbon deposits thereon.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to internal combustion engines, and more particularly to pistons and their method of construction.
2. Related Art
Engine manufacturers are encountering increasing demands to improve engine efficiencies and performance, including, but not limited to, improving fuel economy, improving fuel combustion, reducing oil consumption, and increasing the exhaust temperature for subsequent use of the heat within the vehicle. In order to achieve these goals, the engine running temperature in the combustion chamber needs to be increased. However, while desirable to increase the temperature within the combustion chamber, it remains necessary to maintain the piston at a workable temperature. As such, it is known to incorporate outer and inner cooling galleries, both open and closed, within the piston head through which engine oil is circulated to reduce the operating temperature of the piston head. The outer cooling galleries typically circulates about an upper land of the piston including a ring groove region while the inner cooling gallery is typically beneath an upper combustion surface of the piston head, commonly referred to as undercrown, which commonly includes a recessed combustion bowl. As such, both the ring belt region and the combustion surface benefit from cooling action of the circulated oil. However, over time the circulated oil begins to degrade and oxidize as a result of contacting the high temperature surfaces, and thus, carbon deposits form on the inner surfaces of the upper land and undercrown. As the carbon build-up continues, an insulation layer is formed on the respective surfaces. As such, the cooling effects of the circulated oil are diminished, which in turn leads to surface oxidation and erosion, as well as over tempering of the upper land and combustion surface regions. As such, the mechanical properties of the piston material are diminished, which can lead to crack formation, particularly as high stressed regions, such as a combustion bowl rim.
A piston constructed in accordance with this invention overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages brought on by the formation of carbon build-up by reducing the tendency for oil deposits to accumulate surfaces contacted by cooling oil. As such, a piston constructed in accordance with this invention realizes enhanced running efficiencies, maintains the strength and durability of the base material throughout use and provides an enhanced useful operating life.

Piston with anti-carbon deposit coating and method of construction thereof


Provided is a liquid ejecting apparatus which includes a carriage which reciprocates in a state where a liquid ejecting head is mounted thereon, a tank unit which is provided outside the carriage and accommodates ink, four liquid supply tubes which communicate with the liquid ejecting head and the tank unit, and a tube support portion which supports the liquid supply tubes in a state where the liquid supply tubes are aligned in a horizontal direction, in which, in a case main body, the liquid supply tubes extend further to the tank unit side than a portion in which the liquid supply tubes are supported by the tube support portion, in a state where a parallel alignment direction of the four liquid supply tubes changes from the horizontal direction (a transporting direction) to a vertical direction.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus.
2. Related Art
In a certain type of a liquid ejecting apparatus which forms an image in such a manner that a carriage having a liquid ejecting head mounted thereon reciprocates and ink is ejected onto a recording medium, such as a paper sheet, an ink tank is provided outside the carriage and a liquid supply tube is provided to supply ink from the ink tank to the liquid ejecting head.
In an ink jet recording apparatus disclosed in, for example, JP-A-2012-152995, a tank unit accommodating an ink tank having ink stored therein is provided in a lateral surface side of an apparatus main body and the ink is supplied to a liquid ejecting head through a liquid supply tube. Downstream-side end portions of a plurality of liquid supply tubes in the apparatus main body are fixed to a carriage and are deformed in accordance with reciprocation of the carriage. Upstream sides of the liquid supply tubes are supported by a supporting portion extending in a movement direction of the carriage. Parts of the liquid supply tubes, which are portions extending further to the upstream side than the supporting portion, pass through an opening portion in a lateral surface of the apparatus main body and are disposed on the tank unit side.
Accordingly, in the apparatus main body, a spatial area is provided in a portion between the supporting portion and the opening portion, to allow the liquid supply tubes to be disposed therein. The liquid supply tubes are disposed in the spatial area. In addition, a spatial area is provided in a portion between the lateral surface of the apparatus main body and the tank unit, to allow the liquid supply tubes to be disposed therein.
However, when the spatial area is provided in the portion between the supporting portion and the opening portion in the apparatus main body, to allow the liquid supply tubes to be disposed therein, there is a problem in that the apparatus main body increases in width, height, and depth dimension and the size of the apparatus main body increases. Furthermore, when the spatial area is provided in the portion between the lateral surface of the apparatus main body and the tank unit, to allow the liquid supply tubes to be disposed therein, there is a problem in that the installation area of both the apparatus main body and the tank unit increases.


A VCSEL device includes a first electrical contact, a substrate, a second electrical contact, and an optical resonator arranged on a first side of the substrate. The optical resonator includes a first reflecting structure comprising a first distributed Bragg reflector, a second reflecting structure comprising a second distributed Bragg reflector, an active layer arranged between the first and second reflecting structures, and a guiding structure. The guiding structure is configured to define a first relative intensity maximum of an intensity distribution within the active layer at a first lateral position such that a first light emitting area is provided, to define at least a second relative intensity maximum of the intensity distribution within the active layer at a second lateral position such that a second light emitting area is provided, and to reduce an intensity in between the at least two light-emitting areas during operation.

Addressable arrays of VCSELs are of increasing importance in the field of sensors for depth imaging as well as for printing/additive manufacturing. Depending on the application it cannot be tolerated if one single pixel fails. Such a single pixel failure would cause a total device failure. This makes pixelated arrays comprising large VCSELs (large light emitting area) unfavorable because the rate of single pixel failures increases with the size of the VCSEL.
US 2017/0302059 A1 discloses a VCSEL and a method of manufacturing such a VCSEL. The VCSEL comprises a first electrical contact, a substrate, a first distributed Bragg reflector, an active layer, a distributed heterojunction bipolar phototransistor, a second distributed Bragg reflector and a second electrical contact, the distributed heterojunction bipolar phototransistor comprising a collector layer, a light sensitive layer, a base layer and an emitter layer, wherein the distributed heterojunction bipolar phototransistor is arranged such that there is an optical coupling between the active layer and the distributed heterojunction bipolar phototransistor for providing an active carrier confinement by means of the distributed heterojunction bipolar phototransistor such that an optical mode of the VCSEL is self-positioning in accordance with the active carrier confinement during operation of the VCSEL.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,061,381 A discloses a VCSEL which includes a resonant cavity formed between a distributed Bragg reflector formed of semiconductor material and an overlying distributed Bragg reflector formed of dielectric material. The resonant cavity contains a layer of laser active material sandwiched between spacer layers and a blocking layer which confines an energizing electric current to flow through the cavity between a metallic contact layer on the underside of the Bragg reflector and a contract. In order to support a preselected resonant mode, a series of concentric rings is formed in the blocking layer surrounding the resonant cavity so as to provide a Bragg structure which reflects light from the cavity with a phase characteristic that supports the preselected transverse resonant mode.

Segmented vertical cavity surface emitting laser