A rotary cutter having two telescopically related tubes with cutting edges on the distal ends thereof. Handles are attached to the tubes for relative rotation of the tubes and thereby effect cutting by the cutting edges. The cutting edges are circular and overlap each other for shearing cutting action upon rotation.

It is important in some instances to have a metal cutter which can cut at a location somewhat distant or remote from the handle portion of the cutter, that is, the cutting edges are located remote from the handles. With that arrangement, the cutting edges can be positioned at the very sight where the item to be cut is located.
Further, the cutter of this invention is arranged for cutting elongated objects, such as surgical pins and the like, and to do so in a shearing action and at the optimum location on the item to be cut, such as at the very base where the item protrudes from its support.
Still further, it is important in this invention to have a rotary cutter which is narrow in its extent at the position of the cutting edges themselves, and thus the cutter can be utilized for remote cutting and it can be positioned in narrow openings to the location of the item to be cut.
Also, the cutter of this invention operates in a shear cutting action, and the two cutting edges performing the shearing are held in close proximity to each other for accurate and precision cutting. Still further, the cutter is arranged to be highly leveraged in a mechanical advantage arrangement whereby the operator can maneuver handles of the cutter for easy cutting of metal objects.
Still further, the cutter of this invention is arranged so that the cutting edges can be readily and easily positioned on the item to be cut, and thus the cutting edges are initially set in a receptive position and are then maneuvered, such as by cutter handles, to where the cutting edges will perform the shearing action desired.
In this accomplishment, the item to be cut can be a fastener, such as a pin, screw, or the like, and it can protrude beyond its fastening functional length, but, nevertheless, the cutter of this invention will engage the protruding fastener and cut it at a base location relative to the body which is being held by the fastener.
This invention provides a rotary cutter constructed of telescoping tubular members which are arranged with cutting edges disposed at the remote end of the cutter. A workpiece can be engaged by the remote end of the cutter, and, upon cutting the workpiece, the cut portion is trapped in the tubular members for later removal.

Beere Precision Medical Instruments, Inc.


A novel biaxially stretched polyester film having excellent transparency and slipperiness is disclosed. The biaxially stretched polyester comprises a polyester composition which exhibits a film haze of not more than 1% after it is made into a film having a thickness of 100 .mu.m and 50-500 ppm on the basis of the weight of monodispersed cross-linked high polymer particles having an average particle diameter of 0.8-1.4 .mu.m and exhibits a deformability of 1.2-5.0 in a biaxially stretched polyester film.

One of the properties required for the polyester film is transparency. However, simultaneously, slipperiness, which is requisite for easiness in handling of the polyester film, is required. As means for providing the film with such characteristic, it is known to provide a slippery layer on the surface thereof by coating or to incorporate a lubricant in the polyester. These measures are not satisfactory from the viewpoint of reliability and manufacturing cost. Therefore, up to now, the problem has been tried to be solved by incorporating fine particles in monolayer films and conditions of the suitable particles have been searched for. Use of amorphous silica is disclosed in Laying-Open Publication Sho 61-24978 for instance. An attempt to reduce the degree of planar orientation in film making is described in Laying-Open Patent Publication No. Sho 61-293832.
Even by these measures, however, it is difficult to satisfy the today's strict demand. When such silica particles are used, transparency of film is apt to be impaired by voids formed around the incorporated particles and the film cannot be free from a defect called "frosting" which is caused by a wide particle size distribution of used silica. The reduction of degree of planar orientation is inherently insufficient in improvement of slipperiness and it requires a film composition which reduces the speed of film making, which invites rise in manufacturing cost.
In view of the above-described situation, we conducted an extensive study in search of a polyester film having excellent transparency and slipperiness, we have found that a biaxially stretched film which comprises a matrix of transparent polyester and particles of a specific cross-linked high polymer incorporated in the former are provided with excellent transparency and slipperiness.


Flow control can be performed for every piece of end-to-end traffic. A transmission device includes a reception buffer which temporarily accumulates received transmission unit data, a signal generation section configured to generate a control signal for instructing to stop transmission of transmission unit data by designating another transmission device serving as an end point of a transmission side for traffic of the transmission unit data to be received by its own device as a transmission destination when an amount of accumulation in the reception buffer has exceeded a predetermined upper-limit threshold value, and a transmission section configured to transmit the control signal.

In the related art, technology for performing maintenance or management using an Ethernet (registered trademark) operations, administration and maintenance (OAM) frame in a packet transmission network is proposed (see Patent Document 1). In addition, in the packet transmission network, communication control such as flow control separate from the above-described maintenance or management is performed. In particular, flow control is generally used when it is necessary to construct an Ethernet (registered trademark) environment without packet loss such as a data center or a storage area network (SAN). When the flow control is performed in the packet transmission network, control is performed in units of physical ports, priority groups, or the like.
In the control in units of physical ports, the flow control is performed in units of physical ports as defined in Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.3. Specifically, where a capacity sufficient to process traffic does not remain in a buffer of a reception side, a pause frame is transmitted from a reception side to temporarily stop data transmission of a transmission side. In addition, in the control in units of priority groups, priority flow control is performed by assigning the same priority to every piece of traffic within the same physical port. The priority flow control is defined in IEEE 802.1Qbb, and an object of the priority flow control is to secure quality of service (QoS). In the priority flow control, flow control is executed in independent priority.

Transmission device, transmission method and computer program


In some implementations, radio access technology (RAT) signals can be monitored and used to synchronize an internal clock of a mobile device to a network system clock without registering the mobile device to the network. In some implementations, a RAT processor can be configured to receive RAT signals and to prevent transmission of RAT signals. In some implementations, the internal clock can be associated with a GNSS processor and can be used to calculate a location of the mobile device. In some implementations, a RAT processor that is configured for a particular radio access technology can be configured to monitor signals associated with another radio access technology when synchronizing the internal clock. In some implementations, the RAT processor can monitor signals in response to a power event. The power event can be associated with powering a display of the mobile device.

Radio access technologies (e.g., GSM, UMTS, CDMA, LTE) often require that a mobile device's (e.g., mobile computer, smartphone, tablet computer, etc.) internal clock is in synch with a network provider's system clock. However, internal clocks at the mobile device are often subject to clock drift due to changes in temperature, vibration, or other environmental conditions. To correct for clock drift, wireless signals received from the network provider can include clock synchronization data that the radio access technology processor at the mobile device can use to correct the mobile device's internal clock to more closely match the network's system clock.
Global navigation satellite system technologies (e.g., GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou systems, etc.) also require that the internal clock at the mobile device is synchronized with the GNSS system clock. A small difference between the GNSS system clock and a mobile device's internal clock can result in large errors in location calculations. Because acquisition of GNSS satellites and synchronization of GNSS clocks based on GNSS signals can take a long time, often GNSS systems can take a long time to provide an accurate location for the mobile device.
The startup time of a GNSS system can be reduced and accuracy improved by assisting the GNSS system with data from the network. For example, a radio access technology processor of the mobile device can quickly acquire network radio signals and obtain clock synchronization information from the network signals. The clock synchronization information can be used to correct the clock drift associated with the GNSS processor clock within the mobile device. However, if the radio access technology processor is turned off, the GNSS system can no longer receive the benefit of network-based clock synchronization.

Receive only mode for clock drift correction


A calling party subscriber informs the serving telecommunications node that the dialed called party number represents a mobile number. The serving telecommunications node then interrogates the home location register (HLR) associated with the called party mobile station to determine the current location of the called party mobile station. Upon determining the mobile switching center (MSC) currently serving the called party mobile station, the serving telecommunications node then directly establishes a call connection with the serving MSC. The serving MSC then establishes a speech connection over a radio channel with the called party mobile station traveling within its coverage area to enable the calling party terminal to communicate with the called party mobile station.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a telecommunications network and, in particular, to the optimal routing of terminating calls towards roaming mobile subscribers within a telecommunications network.
2. Description of Related Art
With the advent and development of mobile telecommunications systems, telecommunications users are no longer physically bound to wireline terminals or fixed locations for telecommunications network communications. Using the added capabilities of roaming and interoffice handoffs, mobile subscribers may travel between multiple Public Land Mobile Networks (PLMNs) utilizing the same telephone number and the same mobile station to originate outgoing calls and to receive incoming calls. Thus, a mobile subscriber may access telecommunications service from multiple locations utilizing multiple service providers with any incurred fees being charged to a single subscription. Furthermore, calling parties do not necessarily have to know where the mobile subscriber is physically located in order to establish a call connection. Data signals between visitor location registers (VLRs) and a home location register (HLR) automatically update and store subscriber information, in particular subscriber location information, enabling the network to reroute incoming calls to the appropriate mobile switching center (MSC) serving the roaming mobile subscriber. Furthermore, regardless of which MSC is currently serving the mobile station, the VLR associated with the serving MSC communicates with the HLR assigned to the mobile station to retrieve the requisite subscriber data, including subscriber feature data and billing data, and provides uniform mobile service to the mobile station.
Conventionally, if a mobile station associated with a New York (N.Y.) mobile telecommunications network is traveling in Los Angeles (L.A.), an incoming call towards the roaming mobile station is first routed to the gateway mobile switching center (GMSC) serving the N.Y. public land mobile network (PLMN) associated with the mobile station. Thereinafter, the N.Y. GMSC performs an interrogation with the home location register (HLR) associated with the mobile station to determine the current location of the roaming mobile station. Upon determining the identity of the L.A. mobile switching center (MSC) currently serving the N.Y. mobile station, the received incoming call is rerouted by the N.Y. GMSC to the serving L.A. MSC to enable a speech connection between the calling party terminal and the roaming mobile station.
Accordingly, if the calling party is originating a call setup signal from L.A., a first trunk call connection between the L.A. telecommunications network and the GMSC serving the home PLMN is initially established and then a second trunk call connection between the GMSC back to the L.A. MSC currently serving the mobile station is established. As a result, a "tromboning" of trunk call connections through N.Y. is performed in order to establish a call connection between the two telecommunications subscribers both located in L.A.
Such "tromboning" trunk call connections are disadvantageous for a number of reasons. First, unnecessary trunk connections have to be established and maintained in order to enable two subscribers who are locally located to communicate with each other and result in unnecessary seizure of valuable network resources. Additionally, even though the called party mobile station is receiving an incoming call from a calling party terminal located within the same local access transport area (LATA), such as L.A., the called party mobile station has to incur long distance charges for forwarding the call connection from his or her home PLMN back to the visited PLMN. Furthermore, the calling party also has to incur long distance charges to N.Y. for calling another mobile station located within the same PLMN.
Accordingly, there is a need for a mechanism to enable the serving mobile telecommunications network to perform optimal routing of a mobile call towards a roaming mobile station.

Optimized routing of calls to roaming subscribers within a telecommunications network


The present invention is a method for synthesizing furanosteroids. The method involves intramolecular Diels-Alder/retro-Diels-Alder reaction and tautomerization of a functionalized alkyne oxazole to produce a furo[2,3-b]phenol derivative which is elaborated by intermolecular and intramolecular condensations to generate ring-A of the furanosteroid. Furanosteroids and pharmaceutical compositions containing the same are also provided.

The furanosteroids are a class of novel pentacyclic fungal metabolites that share in common a furan ring bridging positions 4 and 6 of the steroid skeleton (MacMillan, et al. (1968) Chem. Commun. pg. 613; MacMillan, et al. (1972) J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Commun. pg. 1063; MacMillan, et al. (1972) J. Chem. Soc. Perkin I pg. 2892; MacMillan, et al. (1972) J. Chem. Soc. Perkin I pg. 2898; Simpson, et al. (1978) J. Chem. Soc. Perkin I pg. 979; Haefliger, et al. (1973) Helv. Chim. Acta 56:2901; Brian & McGowan (1945) Nature (London) 156:144; Aldridge, et al. (1975) J. Chem. Soc. Perkin I pg. 943; Hanson, et al. (1985) J. Chem. Soc. Perkin Trans I pg. 1311; Hanson (1995) Nat. Prod. Rep. pg. 381; Wipf & Kerekes (2003) J. Nat. Prod 66:716-718).

Members of this class are known for their powerful anti-inflammatory and antibiotic properties (Brian & McGowan (1945) supra). These compounds have also been shown to selectively block certain intracellular signaling pathways, in particular those associated with cell growth and development (Powis, et al. (1994) Cancer Res. 54:2419; Ward, et al. (2003) Chem. Biol. 10:207; Liu, et al. (2005) Chem. Biol. 12:99-107). As such, furanosteroids are useful as therapeutic agents for diseases characterized by rapid cell proliferation, including cancer (Ward, et al. (2003) supra). Representative examples include members of the viridin and wortmannin families, distinguished by an aromatic ring C in the former and a strained lactone ring A in the latter. The growth inhibitory properties of these compounds stem partly from their activity as irreversible inhibitors of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), a class of enzymes that play a key role in important cell signaling processes (Powis, et al. (1994) supra). In addition, wortmannin has been shown to inhibit mammalian Polo-like kinase, a vital enzyme in cellular growth cycles.
Structure-activity studies have identified C20 of the furanosteroid skeleton in both families as a crucial site for PI3-kinase inhibition, most likely due to the highly electrophilic nature of the furan ring (Norman, et al. (1996) J. Med. Chem. 39:1106; Wymann, et al. (1996) Mol. Cell. Biol. 16:1722; Dodge, et al. (1995) Biorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 5:1713; Haefliger, et al. (1975) Helv. Chim. Acta 58:1620; Haefliger & Hauser (1975) Helv. Chim. Acta 58:1629; Walker, et al. (2000) Mol. Cell. 6:909; Wipf, et al. (2004) Org. Biomol. Chem. 2:1911-1920). It is believed that irreversible inhibition occurs by nucleophilic addition of the kinase to C20, a process that is facilitated by the C3 and C7-carbonyl groups. In vitro studies support this, since both amines and thiols rapidly open the furan ring (Wymann, et al. (1996) supra). This reactivity has been exploited to prepare a library of ring-opened analogs of wortmannin, some of which have superior activity/selectivity profiles compared to the parent compound (Wipf, et al. (2004) supra). Also, modifications in ring D have shown this region to be an important enzyme recognition site. For example, 17β-OH wortmannin, with an IC50 of 0.5 nM, was the first known subnanomolar inhibitor of PI3-kinase, indicating that even more potent members of this class might be developed (Dodge, et al. (1995) supra).
However, analysis of wortmannin and viridin derivatives has been hindered by the many difficulties associated with synthesizing these compounds (Broka & Ruhland (1992) J. Org. Chem. 57:4888; Sato, et al. (1996) Tetrahedron Lett. 37:6141; Honzawa, et al. (1999) Tetrahedron Lett. 40:311; Mizutani, et al. (2002) Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 41:4680; Wipf & Kerekes (2003) 225th ACS National Meeting, New Orleans, La.; Wipf & Halter (2005) Org. Biomol. Chem. 3:2053-2061; Moffatt (1966) J. Chem. Soc. (C) pg. 734; Yasuchika, et al. (1987) Chem. Commun. pg. 515; Carlina, et al. (1997) J. Org. Chem. 62:2330; Souza & Rodrigo (1999) Chem. Commun. pg. 1947; Boynton, et al. (1999) J. Chem. Research (S) pg. 638; Wright, et al. (2001) 221st ACS National Meeting; Wright, et al. (2002) Tetrahedron Lett. 43:943; Anderson, et al. (2004) Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 43:1998). Only one total synthesis of viridin has been reported (Anderson, et al. (2004) supra), and two syntheses of wortmannin (Sato, et al. (1996) Tetrahedron Lett. 37:6141; Mizutani, et al. (2002) Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 41:4680). The furanosteroid skeleton itself has also proven to be a significant synthetic challenge. Therefore, to synthesize structural analogs of known furanosteroids, there is a need in the art for a concise synthetic approach for preparing the furanosteroid skeleton. The present invention meets this need in the art.


A rotary electric machine driving device that drives and controls an alternating-current rotary electric machine, the rotary electric machine driving device including: an inverter that is electrically interposed between a direct-current power supply and the rotary electric machine, and converts electric power between a direct current and an alternating current; a smoothing capacitor that is electrically interposed between the direct-current power supply and the inverter, and is connected between a positive pole and a negative pole on a direct-current side of the inverter; and an inverter control unit that controls switching of a switching element of the inverter according to a predefined switching frequency.

The present disclosure relates to a rotary electric machine driving device that drives and controls an alternating-current rotary electric machine.
In recent years, from the viewpoint of, for example, energy saving and reduction of environmental loads, hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles each provided with a rotary electric machine as a source of driving force have been gaining attention. Such a vehicle includes a direct-current power supply, such as a battery, which supplies power when the rotary electric machine functions as the source of driving force (motor), and stores generated power when the rotary electric machine functions as a source of power (generator). When the rotary electric machine functions as the source of driving force (motor), direct-current power supplied from the direct-current power supply is converted into alternating-current power by an inverter to drive the rotary electric machine. When the rotary electric machine functions as the generator, alternating-current power generated by the rotary electric machine is converted into direct-current power by the inverter to be stored as regenerated power in the direct-current power supply.
A smoothing capacitor for smoothing the direct-current power is provided between the direct-current power supply and the inverter. In general, the inverter is constituted using switching elements, which are controlled to be switched at a predetermined switching frequency. As a result, a pulsation corresponding to the switching frequency is superposed on the direct-current power. The smoothing capacitor reduces fluctuations, such as the pulsation, of the direct-current power to keep voltages applied to the switching elements from exceeding the withstand voltage thereof, and keep the fluctuations in current from deteriorating the direct-current power supply.
In general, the direct-current side of the inverter for driving the rotary electric machine as the source of driving force of a hybrid electric vehicle or an electric vehicle is at a high voltage of 200 [V] to 400 [V]. Hence, the smoothing capacitor is required to have a high voltage resistance performance against such a high voltage, and at the same time, the fluctuation due to the pulsation needs to be considered. In addition, when withstand voltages of switching elements constituting the inverter are considered, the smoothing capacitor is required to have a sufficient capacitance for reducing the pulse component. These requirements generally increase the cost of the smoothing capacitor, and increase the physical size thereof, thus requiring a large installation space. Furthermore, the inverter and the smoothing capacitor are often installed in an integrated manner or mutually close to each other, as parts of a rotary electric machine driving device. In particular, an in-vehicle rotary electric machine driving device is required to be light in weight and small in size from the viewpoint of weight and installation space, so that the inverter and the smoothing capacitor are desired to be light in weight and small in size.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-106046 (JP 2009-106046 A) describes a space-saving rotary electric machine driving device (power converter) including a cooling mechanism. In this rotary electric machine driving device, a power module including switching elements is disposed on a flat surface inside of a case having a heat radiating portion. A smoothing capacitor electrically connected to the power module is disposed adjacent to the power module on a flat surface formed one step lower than the flat surface on which the power module is disposed (refer to paragraphs 7 and 8, FIG. 1, etc.). The smoothing capacitor required to have a high withstand voltage and large capacity tends to have a large physical size. In JP 2009-106046 A, the heat radiating portion and the power module are disposed in accordance with the height of the smoothing capacitor such that the overall height of the rotary electric machine driving device is reduced, thereby saving space.
In this manner, space saving can be achieved to some extent by making improvements in the layout of, for example, the circuit portion (power module), the cooling mechanism, and the smoothing capacitor of the inverter. However, reduction of weight and size of the entire device has not been accomplished by further reducing the physical size of the smoothing capacitor determined by the withstand voltage and the capacitance. Reducing the capacity of the smoothing capacitor allows the size to be reduced, but may reduce the effect of suppressing the deterioration of the direct-current power supply and the switching elements. Specifically, reducing the capacity of the smoothing capacitor to reduce the size thereof lowers the capability of smoothing the direct-current power, and thus increases the pulsations of a system voltage that is the voltage on the direct-current side of the inverter and a power supply current that is a current flowing through the direct-current power supply. This results in the possible reduction in the effect of suppressing the deterioration of the direct-current power supply and the switching elements.


A combined Direct Coal Liquefaction (DCL)/Fischer Tropsch (F-T) process and system for producing high Cetane diesel fuel by converting at least 70% of the feed coal by DCL operating at 50 to 70% conversion and gasifying the bottoms and between 0 and 30% of the feed coal to produce H2 for supply to the DCL and to upgrading and syngas for being converted to diesel by F-T. Diesel blendstocks produced by the DCL and the F-T in a ratio of 3 to 1 to 14 to 1 are blended to produce diesel fuel having a Cetane Number of at least 51 and a specific gravity of 0.845 or less.

European specifications for diesel fuel (Euro 4) require a high Cetane number (CN) (minimum 51) with a low specific gravity (0.845 maximum). This fuel can be readily produced from biomass, natural gas or coal via Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) synthesis. These approaches produce a diesel fuel that is very paraffinic with high CN and low specific gravity. Such diesel fuels, however, have relatively low energy content per gallon, and thus provide lower mileage per gallon when used as a transportation fuel. Additionally, in order to produce a diesel fuel having acceptable cold flow properties for use in many parts of the world, the F-T product needs to be a hydroisomerized. Other important disadvantages of F-T processes for producing diesel fuel from coal are that they have low thermal efficiency and relatively high CO2 emissions.
The overall thermal efficiency (HHV), for a balanced F-T plant with zero imported or exported power, is typically 41 to 48% depending upon the coal and gasification process utilized. The Chinese coal company Shenhua, which has built both commercial F-T and DCL plants, reported a thermal efficiency of 41.26% (1) for a Chinese coal using low temperature F-T in a recent publication. Synfuels China (1) reported a thermal efficiency from coal of 43%. In a presentation to NETL, Schmetz (7) reported (source: the National Coal Council) the thermal efficiency for an F-T plant with gas recycle to be 47.4%.
Some U.S. studies have calculated somewhat higher thermal efficiencies for F-T plants that utilize entrained gasifiers such as Shell and coproduce power (Polygen). Headwaters (2) reported a thermal efficiency of 48.4% for a recycle F-T plant design producing 399 MW of export power and 70 KB/D of naphtha and diesel and 47.4% for a Once Through (OT) F-T plant producing 1,139 MW of power and 70 KB/D of gasoline and diesel.
Direct Coal Liquefaction (DCL) has also been proposed as a route to produce diesel fuel. Diesel from DCL has excellent cold flow properties but specific gravity (0.86 to 0.90) is significantly above the Euro 4 specification and CN is lower than the Euro 4 specification, even after severe hydrotreating to remove heteroatoms and hydrogenate aromatics to naphthenes. Chevron (10) reported studies on diesel fuel production from direct coal liquefaction products. The CN of the diesel fuels produced ranged from 32.7 to 48.7.
Selectivity to diesel has been also generally lower for DCL than for Fischer-Tropsch plants. In the Headwaters balanced plant cases, selectivity to diesel on a C5+ LV % basis is 71%; whereas, Synfuels China reported an 80% selectivity to diesel on a C5+ basis from their F-T Demo Plant.
Based on back-to-back comparisons of F-T and DCL, DCL has a significantly higher thermal efficiency than F-T. In 2008, Headwaters (2) reported thermal efficiency of 60.1% for DCL versus the previously reported 47.4% and 48.4% for OT and Recycle F-T with power export, a 24 to 27% advantage for DCL versus F-T. In 2005, Lepinski (3) presented a comparison of DCL and F-T for a sub-bituminous coal. For a 50 KB/D plant, 32 KST/D of as received coal was required for the F-T plant and 23 KST/SD for the DCL plant; an increase of 39%. Shenhua (6) reported the thermal efficiency of DCL at 59.75% versus 41.56% for High Temperature F-T and 41.26% for Low Temperature F-T, an increase of 44%.
Companies active in the field have generally sought to increase coal conversion in DCL (7) on a once through basis in order to decrease capital cost. Typical reported DCL coal conversion, on a moisture and ash free (MAF) basis, has increased from about 70% in 1980 to over 90% by 1994. This trend has decreased capital cost but has required the use of more expensive low ash and high reactivity (2) coals in order to avoid higher levels of ash in liquefaction, fractionation, and PDX that would interfere with the DCL process. For example, currently available PDX units are unable to process bottoms having an ash higher than about 30%. Higher reactivity coals are generally high in vitrinite and low in inertinite.
The reported DCL coal conversion units require the use of a hydrotreator for preparing a donor solvent that is fed back to the input of the DCL unit to act as a solvent for the coal being converted and to provide additional hydrogen to the liquefaction process. The hydrotreating makes solvent less aromatic, which reduces its compatibility with coal. Additionally, the specific gravity of such donor solvents is low which makes it more difficult to prepare a stable slurry, and results in settling of ash and separation of a separate phase that can result in equipment deposits and plugging. The temperature of the prepared coal slurry is typically about 100° F.
Others have proposed combining Fischer Tropsch and Direct Coal Liquefaction units in a single plant to produce a blended product. In both the Gray (11) and Headwaters studies (2), the DCL and F-T processes were described as being operated in parallel, each receiving a coal feed, and the DCL and F-T products were blended on a 50:50 basis. Because of the lower thermal efficiency of F-T versus DCL, this requires that greater than 50% of the coal be processed by the lower thermal efficiency F-T. For Headwaters, (2) this was calculated to result in a Hybrid DCL/ICL plant that has a C3+ selectivity of 67% and a thermal efficiency of 58.7%. Neither the Gray nor the Headwaters combined FT and DCL plant has actually been constructed, and the descriptions say nothing about the CN of any diesel fuel that might be produced.
Currently, Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) is the leading option for managing CO2 emissions. CO2 which is captured in the plant is compressed to approximately 2,400 psi and injected into underground formations. Because a significant portion of the CO2 produced by the plant, e.g., that emitted from furnaces, cannot be readily captured, as a practical matter the CO2 sequestered is limited to at most approximately 90%, and typically substantially less. In addition, depending on the environmental and geological conditions in the vicinity of the plant, the compressed CO2 may have to be transported substantial distances to the injection site, and the compression of the CO2 consumes energy, both of which lower the overall efficiency of the plant. Moreover, there is a continuing concern that the sequestered CO2 may escape into the atmosphere over time, thereby obviating at least part of the benefit of injecting the CO2. No provision for reducing CO2 emissions was made in any of the plants discussed above. Doing so would further reduce the thermal efficiency of the plants.

Diesel fuel production process employing direct and indirect coal liquefaction


The present invention relates to pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridine compounds. The present invention further relates to methods for inhibiting Plasmodium comprising contacting Plasmodium with pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridine compounds described herein. Also described herein are methods of treating malaria comprising administering pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridine compounds to a subject in need thereof.

Malaria continues to remain one of the most deadly infectious diseases on the planet. The WHO reported more than 200 million cases 2017 with nearly 435,000 associated deaths, primarily in young children and pregnant women. Despite concerted efforts to combat the spread of Malaria, it continues to have a devastating effect in parts of Asia and Africa. The latest WHO summary, in fact, notes that "no significant progress in reducing global malaria cases was made" from 2015-2017.
Malaria in humans is caused by hematoprotozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium, with P. falciparum accounting for the vast majority of fatalities. The Plasmodium parasite has a complex life cycle that includes both a liver and erythrocytic stage, significantly increasing the challenge associated with combating infection. While a number of efforts have been made to combat the disease via vaccines and vector control, small-molecule therapeutics remain a critical component of combating malaria. The WHO currently recommends artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) to treat complicated forms of infection, but recent reports of emerging resistance against ACTs and a limited number of validated drug targets highlight the need for new treatment options.

Preparation of pyrazolo[3,4-B]pyridines as antimalarials

University of Kentucky Research Foundation


A water reactive hydrogen generation system includes devices and methods to combine reactant fuel materials and aqueous solutions to generate hydrogen. The generated hydrogen is used in a fuel cell or other application. The water reactive hydrogen generation system includes a reactant fuel chamber, a reactor chamber (zone), a water solution inlet, a hydrogen output port, and a material delivery device. The material delivery device can include a drive screw and a sliding piston to move the fuel material into the reactor zone when a reaction is initiated. As the reaction takes place, the reaction waste product is removed from the reaction zone to allow additional reactant fuel materials and aqueous solutions to be introduced and to continue the hydrogen-generating reaction. A reaction waste product created is exchanged for additional reactant fuel material at determined intervals to allow the reaction to continue until the reactant fuel is exhausted.

Numerous hydrogen production chemistries have been explored for portable systems such as sodium borohydride or methanol reforming, however hydrogen storage commercialization has been limited to high-pressure tanks and metal hydrides—both of which have significant usability issues.
The usability challenges of hydrogen storage and generation has limited the wide-scale adoption of on-board hydrogen production chemistries. Although molecular hydrogen has a very high energy density on a mass basis, as a gas at ambient conditions it has very low energy density by volume. The techniques employed to provide hydrogen to portable and on-board applications are widespread, including high pressure and cryogenics, but they have most often focused on chemical compounds that reliably release hydrogen gas on-demand. Often, the focus has been on three broadly accepted mechanisms used to store hydrogen in materials: absorption, adsorption, and chemical reaction.
In absorptive hydrogen storage for fueling a portable application, hydrogen gas is absorbed directly at high pressure into the bulk of a specific crystalline material, such as a metal hydride or various other frameworks. Most often, metal hydrides, like MgH2, NaAlH4, and LaNi5H6, are used to store the hydrogen gas reversibly. However, metal hydride systems suffer from poor specific energy (i.e., a low hydrogen storage to metal hydride mass ratio) and poor input/output flow characteristics. The hydrogen flow characteristics are driven by the endothermic properties of metal hydrides (the internal temperature drops when removing hydrogen and rises when recharging with hydrogen). Because of these properties, metal hydrides tend to be heavy and require complicated systems to rapidly charge and/or discharge them. For example, see U.S. Pat. No. 7,271,567 for a system designed to store and then controllably release pressurized hydrogen gas from a cartridge containing a metal hydride or some other hydrogen-based chemical fuel. This system also monitors the level of remaining hydrogen capable of being delivered to the application by measuring the temperature and/or the pressure of the metal hydride fuel itself and/or by measuring the current output of the fuel cell to estimate the amount of hydrogen consumed.
In adsorption hydrogen storage for fueling a portable application, molecular hydrogen is associated with the chemical fuel by either physisorption or chemisorption. Chemical hydrides, like lithium hydride (LiH), lithium aluminum hydride (LiAlH4), lithium borohydride (LiBH4), sodium hydride (NaH), sodium borohydride (NaBH4), and the like, are used to store hydrogen gas non-reversibly. Chemical hydrides produce large amounts of hydrogen gas upon its reaction with water as shown below:NaBH4+2H2O→NaBO2+4H2
To reliably control the reaction of chemical hydrides with water to release hydrogen gas, a catalyst must be employed along with tight control of the water's pH. Also, the chemical hydride is often embodied in a slurry of inert stabilizing liquid to protect the hydride from early release of its hydrogen gas. The chemical hydride systems shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,648,786; 7,393,369; 7,083,657; 7,052,671; 6,939,529; 6,746,496; and 6,821,499, exploit at least one, but often a plurality, of the characteristics mentioned above.
In chemical reaction methods for producing hydrogen for an application, often hydrogen storage and hydrogen release are catalyzed by a modest change in temperature or pressure of the chemical fuel. One example of this chemical system, which is catalyzed by temperature, is hydrogen generation from ammonia-borane by the following reaction:NH3BH3→NH2BH2+H2→NHBH+H2
The first reaction releases 6.1 wt. % hydrogen and occurs at approximately 120° C., while the second reaction releases another 6.5 wt. % hydrogen and occurs at approximately 160° C. These chemical reaction methods do not use water as an initiator to produce hydrogen gas, do not require a tight control of the system pH, and often do not require a separate catalyst material. However, these chemical reaction methods are plagued with system control issues often due to the common occurrence of thermolysis runaway. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,682,411, for a system designed to thermally initialize hydrogen generation from ammonia-borane and to protect from thermal runaway. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,316,788 and 7,578,992, for chemical reaction methods that employ a catalyst and a solvent to change the thermal hydrogen release conditions.
In view of the above, there is a need for an improved hydrogen generation system and method that overcomes many, or all, of the above problems or disadvantages in the prior art.

Water reactive hydrogen generation system and method with separation of waste products from water reactive materials


An audio reproduction system includes a plurality of mobile devices, such as mobiles phones. Each of the mobile devices includes a loudspeaker, memory for storing audio data, and instructions, stored in memory, for prompting the plurality of mobile devices to each output at least a portion of an audio data file to the loudspeaker of the respective mobile device. A processor is configured for executing the instructions, thereby enabling contemporaneous play of the audio data file by the plurality of mobile devices.

The exemplary embodiment relates to mobile communication devices. It finds particular application in connection with a music reproduction system for rendering an audio file which employs multiple mobile devices synchronized for contemporaneous rendering of the audio file.
Mobile communication devices for wireless transmission and receipt of voice communications, such as mobile phones, are now in widespread use. Such devices are increasingly used for storage and replay of audio files, such as music, voice recordings, and files with both audio and video components, such as movies. Users are now able to download music and video files into a memory storage card in the mobile device and select files for reproduction from a menu displayed on a liquid crystal display screen. The mobile device typically has a small loudspeaker integral with the device. While the loudspeaker is generally adequate for outputting voice communications, sound quality for reproduction of audio files tends to be poor and allows single channel (mono) reproduction only. While headphones may be plugged into the device for listening to the audio file, this is inconvenient when several people are present.

Audio system employing multiple mobile devices in concert


Improved techniques and systems for utilizing a portable electronic device to monitor, process, present and manage data captured by a remote sensor are disclosed. The portable electronic device offers a convenient user interface that can be visual and/or audio based customized to a particular application, user-friendly and/or dynamic. The portable electronic device can pertain to a portable media player and thus also provide media playback.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to portable media devices and, more particularly, to portable media players that support user exercise routines.
2. Description of the Related Art
A media player stores media assets, such as audio tracks, that can be played or displayed on the media player. One example of a portable media player is the iPod® media player, which is available from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif. Often, a media player acquires its media assets from a host computer that serves to enable a user to manage media assets. In managing media assets, a user can create playlists for audio tracks. These playlists can be created at the host computer. Media assets within the playlists can then be copied to the media player. As an example, the host computer can execute a media management application to acquire and manage media assets. One example of a media management application is iTunes® produced by Apple Inc.
Portable media players, such as MP3 players, are able to play music for users often via earphones or a headset. Typically, portable media players are dedicated to playing media. Lately, media players have been integrated into mobile telephones as well as personal information managers (or digital personal assistants). However, many users of portable media players utilize their media players in the context of exercising, such as at the gym or while running outdoors. Unfortunately, however, portable music players are not designed to assist the users in the context of their exercising. Although portable media players can play music for the users, there is traditionally no capability to provide any non-media information to the user.
Recently, a MP3 player has been enhanced to support wireless communications, through a Bluetooth module, with a wireless speed and distance sensor that is coupled to the shoelaces of the user's shoe. The wireless speed and distance sensor operates as a pedometer and can wirelessly transmit data to the MP3 player. Such a system permits interaction between a MP3 player and a pedometer, which are conventionally separate devices. Another existing approach is to use a wristwatch including GPS technology to track distance of runs, but such lack the ability to provide media playback. Regardless, there remains a need for improved interaction between portable media players and other devices so that users of portable media players can be better provided with non-media information.

Portable media device with workout support


An apparatus for winding a yarn onto a bobbin wherein the apparatus includes: a finger-shaped yarn guide supported along a first axis orientated at right angles to the bobbin axis, the yarn guide being subject to an oscillating motion about the first axis; and energy storage mechanisms for controlling the deceleration and acceleration of the yarn guide in short regions near reversing points for the yarn guide motion, wherein the position of the energy storage mechanisms is adjustable.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for winding a yarn onto a bobbin. The apparatus includes a yam guide, which is driven in an oscillating manner, and energy storage mechanisms for controlling the deceleration and acceleration of the yarn guide during the reversal of its motion.
Generally, two types of yarn guides are used in conventional winding devices--those that take the form of driving means such as a belt, cable or string orientated in a plane parallel to the bobbin axis, and those which are driven about an axis disposed at right angles to the bobbin axis and resemble a finger or pointer. In the case of the latter, the yarn guide may be driven only relatively slowly and may be used only for winding parallel-wound bobbins, but under no circumstances for cross-wound bobbins. Generally, no energy storage mechanisms are used on account of the low speed of the yarn guides.
Energy storage mechanisms may be used with drivable yarn guides that reciprocate motion parallel to the bobbin axis. These mechanisms may take the form of spring/damper systems, the spring of which is practically loaded and unloaded in each case over a displacement length, thereby limiting the speed of the yarn guides. The energy storage mechanisms are moreover disposed in a stationary manner so that each variation of the yarn guide displacement requires a corresponding adaptation of the position of the energy storage mechanisms.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a winding device which permits high accelerations of the yam guide at the reversing points and offers the greatest possible adaptability of the structure of the winding device. A further object of the present invention is to provide a inexpensive yarn guide and drive that requires little maintenance.


Provided is a method and system for manufacturing a hard drive platen. The method includes depositing two or more types of film around a central core to form a plurality of film layers, each film layer being of a different type than its adjacent layers. Next, the deposited film layers are sectioned to expose a patterned surface. The patterned surface is then planarized and selectively etched to expose patterns comprised of one of the types of film to a predetermined depth to produce a selectively etched surface. Magnetic material it deposited within etches of the surface and the surface is then planarized to form separated magnetic tracks therein.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the field of platens used in computer hard drives. More specifically, the present invention relates to the field of making platens from devices used in nano-imprint lithography.
2. Related Art
Platens used in hard drives for data storage on computers comprise flat disks coated with a thin film of magnetic storage media. A read/write head flies close to a surface of the platen, as it rotates, to transfer data from or to magnetic domains in a media film. Data is written into tracks which form concentric magnetic rings in the media.
Requirements for higher data storage density requires that the magnetized tracks are closer together and made narrower. As magnetic domains are pushed closer together, however, they reach a resolution limit for the separation of stored data bits. It also becomes difficult for the read/write heads to follow the magnetically defines tracks.
What is needed, therefore, is a method and system for developing magnetic storage media capable of accommodating higher data storage density requirements.

Method for making a computer hard drive platen using a nano-plate


A method and system for managing bitrate of network traffic are provided. The method for managing bitrate of network traffic includes: receiving a packet; retrieving metadata from the packet and associating the packet with at least one traffic aggregate; determining a drop rate for the at least one traffic aggregate based on network flow data; and determining, based on the drop rate and the metadata, to forward or drop the packet. The system includes a packet processing module configured to receive a packet; a deep packet inspection module configured to retrieve metadata from the packet and associate at least on traffic aggregate with the packet; a control module configured to determine a drop rate for the at least one traffic aggregate based on network flow data; and a policy decision module configure to determine whether to forward or drop the packet based on the drop rate and the metadata of the packet.

A network provider, such as an Internet Service Provider (ISP) operates a network that generally delivers Internet connectivity to subscribers. A general model of the network of the network provider consists of the core network and the access network. Subscribers connect to the access network, from which the subscribers exchange traffic with hosts on the Internet. This traffic is generally routed through the core network and over a transit link to a transit provider that provides connectivity to other networks.
Typically, the ISP pays the transit provider for this connectivity, generally based on the bitrate that is used. The transit link has a maximum sustainable bitrate before the transit link becomes congested and drops packets.
In order to provide a fair use of network resources, the ISP typically limits the maximum bitrate each subscriber is allowed. Fair use of network resources may apply to any bitrate-constrained link within the transit, core or access network, but the per-subscriber bitrate limit is typically enforced in the access network.
Typically bitrates are directional; that is, they are measured and limited in each of the upstream (from subscribers to the Internet) and downstream (from the Internet to subscribers) directions. However, in a typical access network the downstream bitrate is much higher than the upstream bitrate, since most subscribers are consuming content from the Internet such as web pages, streaming video and file downloads, rather then uploading data to the Internet.
As Internet traffic content becomes more congested and more complex, there remains a need for improved systems and methods for managing networks, and in particular controlling bitrates on a computer network.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

System and method for managing bitrate on networks


The present disclosure relates to a plug-in antenna device arranged to be received in a waveguide section. The plug-in antenna device includes one or more dielectric elements arranged in series and spaced apart by connecting members, a top-most dielectric element being arranged as antenna element. When the plug-in antenna device is received in the waveguide section, the dielectric elements are arranged electromagnetically coupled, whereby a radio frequency signal included in a radio frequency band passing to or from the antenna element via the dielectric elements is arranged to be electromagnetically filtered.

Antenna elements are devices configured to emit and/or to receive electromagnetic signals such as radio frequency (RF) signals used for wireless communication. Phased antenna arrays are antennas comprising a plurality of antenna elements, by which an antenna radiation pattern can be controlled by changing relative phases and amplitudes of signals fed to the different antenna elements.
Practical implementation of signal filtering functions for such antenna elements is a challenging task. High Q-factor, multiple resonators and high precision are required to achieve filters with low loss and strong suppression of frequencies near the operation band where interference or leakage of radio frequency (RF) power may occur. Microstrip and slot resonators are sometimes used to construct filters for antenna elements. However, low Q-factor of the microstrip or slot resonators cause an increased level of insertion loss. Also, traditional filters are typically designed as if they were isolated, which leads to a reduction of the antenna element bandwidth and a modification of the suppression characteristic due to interaction with the antenna.
Cost is important when designing antenna elements for use in antenna arrays. Since antenna arrays may comprise hundreds of antenna elements, individual antenna element cost significantly contributes to the total cost of producing the antenna array.
Integration and assembly aspects must also be considered. It is for example difficult to fit separate filters in the form of SMT-components (pick-and place and reflow soldering), since there is no place to put them with antennas on one side of a circuit board and active circuits on the other side.
Consequently, there is a need for improved filter arrangements for use with antenna elements.

Plug-in antenna device with integrated filter


A display device including a transparent substrate having a first surface and a second surface; a first electrode that is transparent and formed the first surface of the substrate; a light emitting layer formed on the first electrode; a second electrode formed on the light emitting layer; and a lens formed on the second surface of the substrate. The display device further includes a reflective plate formed between the first surface of the substrate and the first electrode or between the second surface of the substrate and the lens and including a plurality of thin films.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display device.
(b) Description of Related Art
Recent trends of light-weight and thin personal computers, televisions sets that require light-weight and thin display devices, and flat panel displays satisfying such a requirement are being substituted for conventional cathode ray tubes (CRT).
The flat panel displays include a liquid crystal display (LCD), field emission display (FED), organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, plasma display panel (PDP), and the like.
Generally, an active matrix flat panel display includes a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix and displays images by controlling the luminance of the pixels based on given luminance information. An OLED display is a self-emissive display device that displays images by electrically exciting light emitting organic material, and has low power consumption, wide viewing angle, and fast response time, thereby being advantageous for displaying motion images.
A pixel of an OLED display includes an OLED and a driving thin film transistor (TFT). The TFT includes polysilicon or amorphous silicon. A polysilicon TFT has several advantages, but it also has disadvantages such as the complexity of manufacturing polysilicon, thereby increasing the manufacturing cost. In addition, it is hard to make an OLED display employing polysilicon TFTs be large.
On the contrary, an amorphous silicon TFT is easily applicable to a large OLED display and manufactured by less number of process steps than the polysilicon TFT. However, the threshold voltage of the amorphous silicon TFT shifts over time due to a long-time application of a unidirectional voltage to a gate of the TFT such that the current flowing in the OLED is non-uniform, the image quality is degraded and the lifetime of the OLED is shortened.
An OLED display, in particular, a bottom emission OLED display, includes a transparent anode made of indium tin oxide (ITO), etc., a light emitting layer, and an opaque cathode, which are sequentially formed on a glass substrate. In this structure, the anode, boundary surfaces of the substrate, and the cathode form a light guide that prevents about 50% of the emitted light from escaping. About 30% of the emitted light is destructed due to the total reflection at the substrate surface between the substrate and the air. Therefore, the theoretical efficiency of the outward light emission is equal to about 20%.
In addition, an anti-reflection film used for improving contrast ratio may drop the actual light emission efficiency below about 10%.

Display device with reflective structure for improved light emission


A flask may include a threaded neck and an applicator. In embodiments, the applicator includes a stem, an applicator element disposed at a first end of the stem, and a closure cap supporting the stem at a second end of the stem opposite from the first end. The closure cap may have a threaded portion arranged to screw onto the neck. The closure cap may include a ring releasably connected to the threaded portion and arranged to be capable of remaining secured to the neck during removal of the applicator from the flask.

Nail varnish flasks that are currently on the market have a variety of capacities, usually lying in the range of 7 milliliters (ml) to 14 ml. The associated applicators comprise a stem having a brush at one end and a closure cap having a threaded portion.
For flasks of relatively large capacity, for example, 12 ml or more, the height of the flask body makes it possible to use a stem that is relatively long. In contrast, for flasks of small capacity, the height of the flask body is smaller. Therefore, the stem needs to be shorter. Otherwise, the length of the bristles of the brush needs to be shorter, which would lead to a loss of flexibility and a loss in quality of application. Otherwise, the length of the neck needs to be increased, which may degrade appearance.


A surgical ablation system features a source of ablation energy, a handle adapted to operably couple to the source of ablation energy, and an ablation probe adapted to operably couple to the handle. The handle includes a housing having a proximal end and a distal end, a hub included within the housing having a plenum defined therein, and a proximal feedline in fluid communication at a proximal end thereof with the plenum and joined at a distal end thereof to a first coupling member. The ablation probe includes a probe hypotube shaft having a proximal end and a distal end, a second coupling member disposed at a proximal end of the probe hypotube shaft adapted to operably couple with the first coupling member, a distal tip adapted to penetrate tissue. Ablation energy is deliverable by the ablation probe when the source of ablation energy is operably coupled to the handle and the handle is operably coupled to the ablation probe.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for providing energy to biologic tissue and, more particularly, to an electrosurgical instrument adapted to perform tissue ablation having an interchangeable antenna probe.
2. Background of Related Art
Energy-based tissue treatment is well known in the art. Various types of energy (e.g., electrical, ultrasonic, microwave, cryogenic, thermal, laser, etc.) are applied to tissue to achieve a desired result. Electrosurgery involves application of high radio frequency electrical current to a surgical site to cut, ablate, coagulate or seal tissue. In monopolar electrosurgery, a source or active electrode delivers radio frequency energy from the electrosurgical generator to the tissue and a return electrode carries the current back to the generator. In monopolar electrosurgery, the source electrode is typically part of the surgical instrument held by the surgeon and applied to the tissue to be treated. A patient return electrode is placed remotely from the active electrode to carry the current back to the generator. In tissue ablation electrosurgery, the radio frequency energy may be delivered to targeted tissue by an antenna or probe.
There are several types of microwave antenna assemblies in use, e.g., monopole, dipole and helical, which may be used in tissue ablation applications. In monopole and dipole antenna assemblies, microwave energy generally radiates perpendicularly away from the axis of the conductor. Monopole antenna assemblies typically include a single, elongated conductor. A typical dipole antenna assembly includes two elongated conductors, which are linearly-aligned and positioned end-to-end relative to one another with an electrical insulator placed therebetween. Helical antenna assemblies include a helically-shaped conductor connected to a ground plane. Helical antenna assemblies can operate in a number of modes including normal mode (broadside), in which the field radiated by the helix is maximum in a perpendicular plane to the helix axis, and axial mode (end fire), in which maximum radiation is along the helix axis. The tuning of a helical antenna assembly may be determined, at least in part, by the physical characteristics of the helical antenna element, e.g., the helix diameter, the pitch or distance between coils of the helix, and the position of the helix in relation to the probe assembly to which it is mounted.
The typical microwave antenna has a long, thin inner conductor that extends along the longitudinal axis of the probe and is surrounded by a dielectric material and is further surrounded by an outer conductor around the dielectric material such that the outer conductor also extends along the axis of the probe. In another variation of the probe that provides for effective outward radiation of energy or heating, a portion or portions of the outer conductor can be selectively removed. This type of construction is typically referred to as a "leaky waveguide" or "leaky coaxial" antenna. Another variation on the microwave probe involves having the tip formed in a uniform spiral pattern, such as a helix, to provide the necessary configuration for effective radiation. This variation can be used to direct energy in a particular direction, e.g., perpendicular to the axis, in a forward direction (i.e., towards the distal end of the antenna), or combinations thereof. In the case of tissue ablation, a high radio frequency electrical current in the range of about 500 MHz to about 10 GHz is applied to a targeted tissue site to create an ablation volume, which may have a particular size and shape. Ablation volume is correlated to antenna design, antenna tuning, antenna impedance and tissue impedance.
Certain surgical procedures require multiple ablation probe placements. Needle probes that are frequently used in such procedures may become dull and bent, and consequently may become more difficult to place when reused. To address this concern, surgeons may utilize multiple probes during a surgical procedure. This approach may have drawbacks in that when multiple probes are place, the handles and cables associated with the multiple probes can be cumbersome to coordinate and manipulate at a surgical site. This, in turn, may lead to increased operative times and suboptimal surgical outcomes.

Microwave ablation instrument with interchangeable antenna probe


In the non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery of the present invention, the separator includes a heat-resistant resin having chlorine atoms as an end group and the positive electrode active material includes a lithium-containing complex oxide containing aluminum atoms in its composition. Even if the chlorine atoms are liberated into the non-aqueous electrolyte, aluminum contained in the positive electrode active material is selectively leached into the non-aqueous electrolyte, thereby suppressing the leaching of other component elements. Consequently, there can be obtained a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery excellent in safety and high temperature storage characteristics.

In recent years, there has been a rapid advancement in the development of portable and cordless consumer electronic devices. For power sources for driving these electronic devices, smaller and lighter batteries having a high energy density have been increasingly demanded. Among these, great expectations are placed on the growth of lithium ion secondary batteries as a power source for portable electronic equipment such as laptop computers, cellular phones and AV equipment because the lithium ion secondary batteries have a high voltage and a high energy density.
For a positive electrode active material of lithium ion second batteries, a lithium-containing composite oxide such as LiCoO2, LiNiO2, LiMnO2, LiMn2O4 has been used. In such a positive electrode active material, destruction of crystal structure or cracking of particle occurs in association with expansion and contraction due to charge and discharge. Repeated charge and discharge cycles therefore result in reduction in capacity and increase in internal resistance.
In order to improve cycle characteristics and safety of batteries, for example, one proposal suggests replacing a part of Co or Ni included in a lithium-containing composite oxide with an element such as Mg to stabilize the crystal structure of the lithium-containing composite oxide (See Patent Document 1).
Among the positive electrode active materials as described above, LiNiO2 has a large theoretical capacity; however, the reversibility of a change in crystal structure associated with charge and discharge is significantly decreased. In order to solve such a problem, another proposal suggests replacing a part of Ni with an element such as Co to mitigate the change in crystal structure (For example, see Patent Document 2).
Moreover, yet another proposal suggests replacing nickel and/or cobalt of a lithium-containing nickel cobalt oxide with inexpensive Mn to obtain Li(NiMnCo)O2 and using this oxide as a positive electrode active material (For example, see Patent Document 3). As a result, a battery being inexpensive and excellent in performance can be obtained.
In many cases, for a separator for use in lithium ion secondary batteries, a porous film made of a thermoplastic resin such as polyolefin is used in view of the safety. This is because that such a separator has a so-called shut-down function. Herein, the shut-down function refers to a function in which when, for example, an external short circuit occurs and the battery temperature is abruptly increased in association with the occurrence of short circuit, the separator is softened and its micropores are closed, causing reduction in ion conductivity to stop the current from flowing.
However, even when the shut-down function is activated, if the battery temperature is further increased, a so-called melt-down occurs, in which the separator is molten and shrank by heat, causing a massive short circuit between the positive electrode and the negative electrode. On the other hand, another problem arises if the heat meltability of the separator is increased in order to improve the shut-down function. That is, the meltdown temperature of the separator is lowered.
In view of the above, for the purpose of improving both the shut-down performance and the meltdown resistance, there have been many proposals for a composite separator including a porous layer made of polyolefin and a layer made of a heat resistant resin. For example, there is a proposal for a separator obtained by laminating a layer composed of a heat resistant nitrogen-containing aromatic polymer such as aramid or polyamideimide and ceramic powder and a layer of porous film (For example, see Patent Document 4).    Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-198051    Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Publication No. 3,232,943    Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2004-31091    Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Publication No. 3,175,730

Nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery with high temperature and storage characteristics

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.


An electronic watch with a meter function, capable of a multifunctional display, wherein the dial of the watch is divided into a data display region and a mode display region and the area for displaying the mode, and the area for displaying functional quantities are increased to make the graduations easier to read, with one hand indicating a data display region for data corresponding to physical quantities, and one hand indicating the mode region.

The present invention relates to an electronic watch with a meter function, capable of a multifunctional display.
In recent years the development of multifunctional models of electronic watches has progressed, centered around digital models. There are, for example, as shown in Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 1-126590, watches which are provided with a water depth measurement function and which digitally display various types of data. There has also been a rapid advance in multifunctional development for watches which use hands for display, and hand-display-equipped watches with multiple functions equal to those of digital watch have been commercialized. However, the multiple functions of hand-display-equipped watches have few degrees of freedom for display in comparison with the digital display device as above mentioned because the display means are hands. For this reason, the various restrictions in display present problems. For example, one problem is a means which specifically points out the current functional mode.
FIG. 1 is a display section of a multifunctional watch with hands for display illustrating a first conventional example disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 59-56185. The reference numeral 1 designates an hour hand, the reference numeral 2, a minute hand, and the reference numeral 3, a second hand, displaying normal time. The reference numeral 4 is a section in which both a functional quantity and a mode are displayed by means of an accessory hand 4a. In this example there are two functionsxe2x80x94dual time and a timer. The display of the respective functional quantities is provided in identical left and right display sections with engraved graduations. The mode and the functional quantity are displayed simultaneously by the accessory hand 4a.
FIG. 2 is a display portion of a multifunctional watch with hands for display illustrating a second conventional example as published in The Horological International Correspondence, December 1990, Vol. 31, No. 368, page 319. The reference numeral 5 designates an hour hand, the reference numeral 6, a minute hand, and the reference numeral 7, a second hand, displaying normal time. The reference numeral 8 designates a mode display section in which a mode is displayed by means of an accessory hand 8a, and is made up of a normal display mode, a dual time mode, a timer mode, and an alarm mode. The timer mode shown in FIG. 2 indicates the current time. The reference numeral 9 designates a function display hand for displaying the functional quantity for each function selected by the mode display section 8.
The display area for the functional quantities in the first conventional example is small because a plurality of functional quantities is displayed within one display section. This causes a problem inasmuch as the graduations are difficult to read. Because the display area becomes smaller as the number of functions increases the graduations become more and more difficult to read.
In the second conventional example, the mode is indicated by a dedicated accessory hand to eliminate the problems found in the first conventional example. The functional quantities are indicated by one dedicated display hand provided in the center of the watch. With this method, the mode is easily distinguished because the mode is indicated by the dedicated accessory hand, and because the same function indicating hand is also used to indicate the function status, the area of the display section is large and the graduations are easy to read. However, a dedicated mode-indicating accessory hand must be provided, therefore a dedicated gear train is required and the module space is restricted. In addition, the hand spacing is increased to use the accessory hand, and this results in design restrictions.
Some types of electronic watches equipped with a metering function are capable of providing a water depth indicating function. However, in engraving the graduations the meter in the water depth measurement mode, a method is used in which the time graduations of the watch are also used to indicate water depth, and another method is used in which graduations are provided on the circumference separate from the time graduations. However,in the conventional method by which the above-mentioned time graduations do double duty, a total of 60 m of uniform graduations is used for 60 divisions of graduations corresponding to the time portion, at one graduation for 1 m.
The method by which one revolution contains 60 divisions of uniform graduations conforming to the graduations of the watch portion is extremely easy to read because this is the method used in a normal, familiar type of watch. However, in this method, when the resolution of one graduation is small, such as for example one meter, the display range only extends to 60 meters. In addition, in the case where one graduation is made equivalent to 5 m to expand the display range, it is possible to increase the display range to 300 m, but this has the drawback that the reading precision is poor. Also, in the method where the time graduations are independent and not dual purpose, there is a production problem in providing new graduations on the face plate. In addition, deciding what graduations are to be used for what purpose also presents a problem because there is a plurality of graduations, and these graduations are difficult to read.
Further, the measured values for water depth and the like in a hand display device, are normally displayed each time a measurement is made, and the maximum value is not displayed simultaneously when the measurements are taken. When it is desired to know the maximum value, during measurement the maximum value is first recorded, and when the measurement has been completed this maximum value is usually retrieved.
A first object of the present invention is, with due consideration to the drawbacks of such conventional watches, to provide an electronic watch with a meter function wherein the display areas for mode and for functional quantities are large, the graduations are easy to read, and a small watch with a thin shape is possible.
A second object of the present invention is to provide an electronic watch with a meter function with an expanded display range while maintaining the resolution of the time graduation double duty method.
A third object of the present invention is to provide a device with a hand display which can provide a diver with a sense of security by simultaneously displaying the diving depth and maximum diving depth values.
The first object of the present invention is achieved by the provision of an electronic watch with a meter function comprising a data signal generating means for generating physical quantity data signals, a mode signal generating means for generating mode signals, a watch face and an annular display region surrounding the watch face, the watch face having a plurality of hands. The annular display region includes an arcuate data display region for displaying data other than time and an arcuate mode display region, wherein the arcuate data display region and the arcuate mode display region do not overlap. Also, one of the hands indicates a value in the arcuate data display region in response to a data signal from the data signal generating means, and one of the hands indicates a mode in the arcuate mode display region in response to a mode signal from the mode signal generating means.
The second object of the present invention is achieved by the provision of a watch face as a dial for an electronic watch with hands wherein the time graduations and a meter are in a one-to-one correspondence in a fixed angle range from a standard position for the graduations on the dial, and, in the dial range in which the fixed angle is exceeded, the meter graduations for the time graduations correspond to double that amount.
The third object of the present invention is achieved by the provision of a device with a hand display comprising a signal detection means; a signal processing means for converting a signal output from the signal detection means to a digitalized detection signal; a first motor drive circuit for creating a motor drive signal from an output signal from the signal processing means; a first motor which is driven by the first motor drive circuit; and a detected signal indicating hand driven by the first motor; and further comprising a maximum value memory means; a second motor drive circuit for creating a motor drive signal according to a value recorded in the maximum value memory means; a second motor which is driven by the second motor drive circuit; a maximum value indicator hand which is driven by the second motor; a comparison means for comparing the detection signal and the value stored in the maximum value memory means; and a maximum value rewrite means for rewriting the detection signal into the maximum value memory means in accordance with a compared signal from the comparison means; whereby the maximum value indicator indicator hand indicates the maximum value from among the detected signals.

Electronic watch with meter function and display means


A method of assigning a slot and accessing a channel in a wireless local area network (WLAN) is provided. A station may attempt to access a channel based on a plurality of candidate slots assigned to the station.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments relates to a method of controlling an access to a channel in a wireless communication system.
2. Description of the Related Art
A wireless local area network (WLAN) employs a scheme of preoccupying channels by dispersively accessing a channel medium through a distributed coordination function (DCF) or an enhanced distributed channel access (EDCA), and of transmitting a frame. However, as a number of stations in a basic service set (BSS) including an access point (AP) and a plurality of stations increases, a dispersive channel occupation method has a limitation. When a large number of stations may attempt to access channels to occupy limited resources, a collision probability and a transmission wait time may be rapidly increased.
In the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11ah, connections of up to 8,000 stations need to be supported. It is impossible to assign different time slots to 8,000 stations, respectively. In the IEEE 802.11ah, a set of a plurality of time slots is called a "restricted access window (RAW)," and the RAW may be assigned to a specific station group. A finite number of time slots in the RAW may be assigned to stations of the specific station group, and each of the stations may perform connection only in a time slot assigned to each of the stations.
Because a plurality of stations may be assigned to a single slot, one of the stations may fail to use the slot. When a station to which an earlier slot in the RAW is assigned fails to occupy a medium in the earlier slot, the station may attempt to access a channel in a next slot using a DCF scheme, which may cause an issue of a related art to occur.
In an existing channel access method based on the IEEE 802.11ah, contention resolution may not be appropriately performed when a plurality of stations are assigned to a single RAW. This is because stations failing to occupy channels in a previous slot continue to appear as new contenders in a next slot.
Because a minimum value of a backoff counter of each of stations failing to occupy a channel in a previous slot is highly likely to be maintained, a collision may occur due to transmission of a plurality of stations in a next slot. Due to the collision, a garbage packet may be highly likely to be generated. The garbage packet may not be decoded by an AP or a destination device. Accordingly, a technology for solving the above issue is required.

Method of allocating slot and accessing channel in wireless local area network (WLAN)

ELECTRONICS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH INSTITUTE


A chair, in particular a work or office chair, the seat of which is variable in inclination and is pivotal in the forward region about a horizontal pivot shaft. A backrest is mandatorily, disproportionately variable in inclination as a function of the change in seat inclination. With increasing inclination of the seat, the backrest approaches the rear end of the seat. The pivot shaft of the seat is limitedly adjustable both downward and toward the backrest on the bearing block of the chair pedestal. The seat is pivotally connected to pivot levers, one end of each of which is fixedly attached and nonrotatably with respect to the backrest and the other end of each of which is rotatably supported on the bearing block. Synchronous motion with relative motion between the seat and backrest is achieved with an adjustment mechanism disposed only beneath the seat. This mechanism is characterized in that the pivot levers are pivotally attached to the seat, spaced apart by approximately one-fourth the depth from the rear end of the seat. The ends of the pivot levers oriented toward the back rest have two segments located at approximately a right angle to one another. The backrest is firmly connected to the segments forming the free end of the pivot levers or is connected to them in a vertically incrementally or infinitely adjustable manner. The opposite ends of the pivot levers are pivotally attached to the bearing block approximately beneath the middle of the seat and are at an obtuse angle of approximately 150.degree. to 170.degree., facing toward the floor, from the adjoining segment of the pivot levers.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a chair, in particular a work or office chair having a seat with variable inclination, which is pivotal in the forward region about a horizontal pivot shaft, and a backrest, the inclination of which is mandatorily, disproportionately variable as a function of the change in the seat inclination. With increasing inclination of the seat, the backrest approaches the rear end of the seat. The pivot shaft of the seat is limitedly adjustable both downward and toward the backrest on the bearing block of the chair pedestal. The seat is pivotally connected to pivot levers, one end of each of which is fixedly attached and nonrotatable with respect to the backrest and the other end of each of which is rotatably supported on the bearing block.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A chair of type mentioned above is known from German Utility Model 88 14 409. With this adjustment mechanism, such known chair achieves a relative motion between the backrest and the rear end of the seat without additional coupling levers that pivotally connect the front pivot shaft of the seat to the bearing block, such levers being of the kind required in a seat according to German Utility Model 88 06 835. In this known chair, the pivot levers are preferably embodied as armrests and arm supports, because the pivot levers extend past the seat.

Chair, in particular work or office chair


An endurance calculation device according to the present invention includes: an acceleration sensor measuring acceleration acting on the subject; an impulse calculation unit calculating impulse acting on the subject based on a value of the acceleration outputted from the acceleration sensor; an output unit outputting walking information, which is information prompting the subject to increase walking speed from low speed to a maximum speed; and an endurance calculation unit calculating, based on a value of the impulse calculated by the impulse calculation unit, endurance of the subject corresponding to the value of the impulse after the first walking information is outputted by the output unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an endurance calculation device which is detachably worn by a subject and calculates endurance of the subject, an endurance calculation method, and a program.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a technique of calculating endurance of a subject, exercise equipment such as a treadmill or an ergometer has hitherto been proposed (for example, see Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2004-646). This exercise equipment calculates endurance of the subject by sequentially giving loads to the subject and measuring oxygen uptake or heart rate of the subject at a maximum load.
For example, the treadmill is provided with a rotating belt. The subject walks on the rotating belt rotating at low speed at an initial phase. The speed of the rotating belt is increased stepwise to the fastest limit that the subject can walk. Thereafter, when the subject reaches the physical limit, the maximum oxygen uptake or heart rate of the subject is measured to calculate the endurance of the subject.

Endurance calculation device, endurance calculation method, and program

Non-Profit Organization Jukunen Taiiku Daigaku Research Center


A power inverter includes a reference line operably provided with a reference potential and a supply line operably provided with a DC supply voltage with respect to the reference potential. A first half bridge includes a high-side switch and a low-side switch. The high-side switch is coupled between the supply line and a middle tap of the half bridge and the low-side switch is coupled between the middle tap and the reference line. The low-side switch is formed by a normally-on silicon carbide junction field effect transistor and the high-side switch is formed by a series circuit of a normally-on silicon carbide junction field effect transistor and a normally-off metal oxide field effect transistor.

Silicon carbide (SiC) power switches are known for their low switching losses. For various reasons normally-on SiC-JFETs seem to be suitable for low loss unipolar switch applications. However, for safety reasons a normally-off behavior is usually desired. Therefore, normally-on high voltage SiC-JFETs were combined with standard low-voltage MOSFETs thus forming a normally-off cascode circuit which is, for example, described in D. Domes, X. Zhang: "CASCODE LIGHT—normally-on JFET stand alone performance in a normally-off Cascode circuit," in: Proceedings of PCIM 2010, Nuremberg, May 2010.
The mentioned cascode circuits may be used in power converters to high-voltage convert DC power into (e.g., multi-phase) AC power. Most applications use a 3-phase power converter (also referred to as 3-phase inverter) which is composed of three half-bridge circuits coupled in parallel. Such power converters may be usefully applied, for example, to drive synchronous or asynchronous electric motors, particularly in hybrid or electric vehicles.
Replacing each single normally-on SiC-JFET with a respective cascode circuit will, however, result in higher losses. Thus their remains a need for an improved power converter.


An image processing apparatus which detects dotted/broken-line separator between image areas in input data. In an area divider 105 which divides image data inputted from an input unit 101 into a plurality of image areas, a labeling unit 106 which generates block areas each containing one or plural connected black pixels; a dotted/broken-line factor extractor 108 extracts block areas having a block area size smaller than a predetermined size, as candidates for dotted/broken-line separator block areas; a block area combiner combines one candidate block area with another candidate block area within a predetermined distance; and a dotted/broken-line separator detector 110 determines whether each combination of candidate block areas satisfies a shape as a separator factor between image areas. Thus, a dotted/broken-line separator between image areas can be correctly detected.

The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and method applied to image processing devices such as an OCR (optical character recognition) device, a copying machine and a facsimile, for dividing an input image into image areas such as document areas, figure (geometric structure) areas and table areas.
Conventionally, image processing devices are known which divide input image data into image areas such as document areas, figure areas, picture (photograph) areas, and table areas, and process the image data by image area using a type of processing corresponding to the type of area. For example, when an original image is a mixture of a document and a photograph, the document area of input image data is converted into character codes through OCR processing, and the picture area is subjected to compression.
In this area-based image dividing, dotted lines and broken lines are extracted by:
(1) finding a figure that seems like a part of a broken line, and searching for a possible next part on the line extended from the figure; PA0 (2) utilizing the angle and distance between short lines; PA0 (3) grouping isolated pixels and extracting a dotted line/broken line based on the straight line connecting the first and last pixels, the distance and height between the pixels.
However, these methods require a long calculation time, and merely provide extraction with low precision regarding dotted lines. Above all, it is impossible to detect special-shaped broken lines such as lines 1001 and 1002 in FIG. 11. In use of these methods in the area-based image dividing, a conceivable problem is that character recognition processing may be performed on image areas due to incorrect dotted/broken line extraction.
The area-based image dividing is necessary for image processing devices such as an OCR device, a copying machine and a facsimile device, to process document areas, figure areas, table areas and the like with high precision.
Image dividing is performed by, e.g., a spectrum analysis method that divides input image data into various areas by analyzing Fourier spectrum of the image data, or a projection method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 64-15889, that alternates detection of vertical projections and detection of horizontal projections of an image, and divides the image into areas based on peripheral-pixel distribution information.
The divided image areas are labeled by, e.g., a method that tracks the outline formed by the connected pixels.
However, the conventional area-based image dividing methods require a long calculation time, and increase storage area due to pixel-based processing. Further, with respect to an image having a complicated area structure, area dividing is realized with low precision.
Further, in the above methods, if the resolution of input image data is low, dividing precision is degraded, while if the resolution is high, labeling processing time is prolonged and storage area is increased.


There is provided an IC socket for an IC package having plural pads disposed in a matrix manner on the lower face thereof, on which the IC package can be loaded with a small number of operations, and after the loading, the electrical connection between the pads and contacts can be ensured. The IC socket includes: a load support member having both side walls each provided with guide grooves having cam surfaces; a pressure application cover changing position between a load position which applies load to an IC package thereby pressing the pads against elastic contacts and a no-load position, and having nail sections sliding along the cam surfaces in the guide grooves; a lever including a crankshaft section causing the nail sections to slide along the cam surfaces in the guide grooves thereby causing the pressure application cover to change position between the load position and the no-load position.

There are various types of IC packages having a semiconductor element packaged therein, including a type called LGA (Land Grid Array) having tabular pads disposed on the lower face thereof, a type called BGA (Ball Grid Array) having spherical pads disposed on the lower face thereof, and a type called PGA (Pin Grid Array) having lead pins disposed on the lower face thereof. When an IC package of the aforementioned types is electrically connected to the wiring on a circuit board, an IC socket is conventionally employed. The IC socket includes an insulation housing which has a mounting surface on which the IC package mounts and contacts electrically connected to the wiring on the circuit board arranged thereon.
A known IC socket LGA or BGA type IC packages includes a pressure application cover positioned on the upper face of the IC package and a pair of stoppers which press the pressure application cover against the IC package (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-251035). In order to load the IC package on this IC socket, the IC package must be placed on the mounting surface, and then the pressure application cover must be set on the IC package, and further, each of the stoppers must be manipulated to press the pressure application cover. Specifically, three operations in all, (i.e. the setting of the pressure application cover, and the manipulation of each of the pair of stoppers) must be performed, thus increasing labor.
A known IC socket for a PGA type IC package includes a lever for sliding the mounting surface of the IC package (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Publication No. 62-278778). The contact of this IC socket has a pair of arms sandwiching a lead pin of the IC package therebetween. The lever is manipulated to slide the mounting surface to thereby insert the lead pin between the pair of arms. Accordingly, loading the IC package on this IC socket can be performed by a single operation that places the IC package on the mounting surface and then manipulates the lever. Thus, a pressure application cover, such as is provided in the aforementioned socket for an LGA or PGA type connector to press the pad of the IC package against the contact, is not needed. On the other hand, in an IC package of LGA type and an IC package of BGA type, the terminal (pad) electrically connected to the contact is shorter than the terminal (lead pin) of an IC package of PGA type. Therefore, in order to ensure the electrical connection between the terminal and contact, it is preferable that the terminal is pressed against the contact by means of the pressure application cover. Consequently, a direct application of the technique described in patent document 2 for a socket for IC package with pads can pose a problem in ensuring the electrical connection between the pad and contact. In addition, in the IC socket for a PGA type package, when the mounting surface of the IC package is slid by means of the lever, a load is applied by the lever to the insulation housing in a different direction from the pressing direction by the pressure application cover, which is unsuitable for an IC socket with the pressure application cover.


An overpressure relief valve assembly includes an outer housing having an inlet at a first end opening to an inlet cavity and an outlet at an opposite second end opening to an outlet cavity, and a valve located in the outer housing, the valve including a valve housing that is fixed with respect to the outer housing and an actuator movable within the valve housing to alternatingly cut off and allow communication between the inlet cavity and the outlet cavity.

Exemplary embodiments pertain to the art of fluid propagation systems and, in particular, to an overpressure relief valve to prevent over-pressure in a line of a fluid propagation system.
The flow of fluid in lines of a fluid propagation system is turned on and off by valves. In some systems, such as in coolant systems configured to supply coolant to a galley of an aircraft, one valve may control the flow of fluid to a first destination and a second valve may control the flow of fluid along a line that bypasses the first destination. In some systems, if all of the valves designed to provide destinations of a fluid are closed or blocked, a buildup of pressure in the system may create problems, such as leaks or pump surge.