A method and system for blind audio watermarking has been envisaged. The system embeds an in-audible watermark by modifying a predetermined singular value in the wavelet domain. The generated watermarked audio signals are robust again Gaussian noise and other watermark removal and compression attacks. Also, the system can perform watermark extraction/detection in real-time without requiring in advance, either the original audio signal or its processed parameters. Thereby, the method and system provide a real-time, efficient technique for blind audio watermarking.

Digital watermarking involves a process of modifying physical or electronic content to embed a machine-readable code, customer information or logo images into object content, particularly for information security and data access authentication purposes. The content may be modified such that the embedded code is imperceptible or inaudible to the user, yet may be detected or extracted through a detection or extraction process. Most commonly, digital watermarking is applied to media signals including images, audio signals, and video signals. However, it may also be applied to other types of media objects, including documents (for instance, through line, word or character shifting), software, multi-dimensional graphics models, and surface textures of objects.
Digital watermarking systems typically have two primary components: an encoder that embeds the watermark in a host content signal, and a decoder that detects or extracts and reads the embedded watermark from a signal suspected of containing a watermark (a suspect signal). The encoder embeds a watermark by altering the host content signal. Typically, random sequences or customer logo images are used as keys to watermark media signals to be used as a watermark during the embedding process.
The decoder analyzes a suspect signal to detect whether a watermark is present to extract a watermark. The watermark can only be detected in the suspect signal by comparing exactness or near exactness of the embedded watermark. The pirates of content may try to eliminate the watermark from the media content by manipulating media signals including audio, video, image, computer readable medium, Compact Disc (CD), hard disk, Floppy drive, and any kind of document and the like.
Hence, a need for a watermark detection technique is felt particularly for commercially distributed content including audio, video and gaming to ascertain type, strength and coverage of manipulation and location of the attack in the content.
Also, there exists a need to have a robust method and system for embedding and detecting or extracting the watermark in the electronic content for each of the possible attacks and combinations thereof, wherein the electronic media goes through various kinds of intentional distortions, unintentional distortions, signal processing and cryptographic attacks and other combinations of the attacks which are unknown while detecting the watermarks.
Moreover, the present-day watermark detection techniques either require the original content file or some of its processed parameters to detect the watermark embedded in the digital content. Therefore, there is also felt a need for a watermarking technique which can perform watermark detection without requiring the original content file or its processed parameters.

Method and system for blind audio watermarking


A cup holder assembly includes a housing partially defined by a pair of opposing sidewalls and configured to partially enclose an interior space. At least one support ring pivotably moves along a cam surface of the housing between a use position and a stored position. In the use position, the support ring is substantially outside of the interior space, is perpendicular to the opposing side walls, and can at least partially support a container. In the stored position, the support ring is substantially inside of the interior space parallel and substantially adjacent to the one of the side walls.

Space constraints on vehicles typically drive the offering and/or location of cup holders. For instance, cup holders may be deployed in a rearward location for use by occupants of a rear seat. However, if such cup holders are mounted to the floor console, they typically are provided in lieu of a storage bin in the console. If a rear storage bin is provided on the floor console, molded fixed cup holders may be attached rearward of the rear bin to the console. However, this arrangement may compromise the leg room of rear passengers.


The watertight decking is assembled from extruded panels to form a watertight deck assembly. First side, second side, and intermediate panels have complementary edges mating with other corresponding panels. One edge of the first side and intermediate panels has a drainage gutter and the tongue or groove of a tongue and groove connection, with mating second side and intermediate panel edges having the mating tongue or groove. A depending drip rail wedges tightly against the opposite gutter wall of the adjoining panel to prevent relative motion between the two, and also to prevent capillary flow of liquid across the underside of the panel where it could leak into the area below. Additional sealing may be provided along the tongue and groove joints. A second, lower wall opposite the upper wall defines a series of conduits therebetween, and also strengthens the panels and provides a finished appearance for the underside.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to extruded panels, and more particularly to a series of panel extrusions configured to interlock tightly and immovably with one another, and also to preclude moisture passage through the joints between panels. The present watertight decking may be installed as a deck or similar surface over a room, storage area, or other space that must be kept dry, and thereby serves dual purposes as flooring and as a waterproof roof structure over the underlying area. The undersides of the panels may include a bottom surface defining one or more passages between the panel surfaces, with additional conduits being optionally provided for the passage of fluids (air, water, etc.) therethrough for heating, cooling, and/or other purposes. The bottom surface also strengthens the panels considerably by providing a closed structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
Decks and similar structures serving as built-up surfaces for walking thereon and/or for supporting other articles, have conventionally been constructed of wood boards or sheet material (pressboard, plywood, etc.). The use of such materials requires additional waterproofing (e.g., tarpaper, etc.) beneath the deck surface, if a truly waterproof deck is required. Moreover, wood is not particularly durable when used as a deck surface or in other areas where considerable wear and tear may occur, and at the very least must be treated in some manner (pressure treatment, paint, etc.) in order to resist deterioration due to moisture.
As a result, various manufacturers have developed extruded panels, generally of aluminum or other durable metal but also of plastic, which may be assembled to form a more durable and wear resistant deck assembly. Such decks are particularly useful in the maritime industry, where the deck material is subjected to water and moisture on a nearly constant basis. The aluminum and (to some extent) plastics used in such extruded panels provide a significant improvement in resistance to deterioration when compared to wood.
However, the fact that such panels are somewhat limited in their maximum width due to constraints involved in the extrusion process and shipping, results in the need to assemble a series of such extrusions together in order to provide the desired width for most deck installations. While such an assembly can be constructed to form a structurally sound installation, the slight gaps between the assembled panels generally allow rain or other moisture to pass therethrough. Thus, such extruded panels are generally unsuitable for use as a deck or roof surface overlying a room or other area which must be kept dry, unless additional waterproofing in the form of an underlying substructure covered with tarpaper, plastic sheeting, or some other waterproof material, is provided. While some attempts have been made to form extrusions that provide a truly waterproof joint, the fact remains that none of the decking extrusions of which the present inventors are aware provide a truly waterproof surface when assembled.
When such extruded panels are used to cover an underlying room or the like, the unfinished appearance of the underlying exposed surfaces of the panels is unattractive. Moreover, the relatively thin single wall, sheet or ply of the upper surface of the panels provides practically no insulation. With only a single wall, there is no provision for using the thickness of the panels as a fluid conduit(s) for heating or cooling the underlying or overlying area, or perhaps for other purposes, e.g. for the enclosure of electrical wiring therein, etc. In addition, the single upper closed wall or ply must be made relatively thick to provide sufficient strength to support the weight of persons, equipment, etc. placed thereon.
The present invention responds to these needs with a series of planks having specialized extruded cross sections, which assemble tightly together to substantially eliminate water or other liquid penetration therebetween. Any water or other liquid which does penetrate the tightly interlocked joints of the present decking extrusions is directed to drain channels formed integrally with the extrusions, where the liquid is drained away from the deck. The present watertight decking may be formed in a variety of different configurations, with the interlocking tongue and groove connections of adjoining panels extending from an edge adjacent or opposite the underlying drain channel, positive interlocking means between adjacent panels, different drain channel configurations, and/or additional sealing means, as desired. Moreover, the panels may have a lower surface or wall opposite the upper surface or wall, with the two walls or surfaces defining a series of utility passages therebetween for heating or cooling fluids, electrical wiring, etc., as desired. The second, lower wall or surface also provides significantly greater strength and resistance to bending than provided by a single ply panel.
A discussion of the related art of which the present inventors are aware, and its differences and distinctions from the present invention, are provided below.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,112,632 issued on Sep. 12, 1978 to Harold G. Simpson, titled "Prefabricated Watertight Structural System," describes a complex roof panel installation having fascia, gutters, and other elements in addition to the roof panels. The panels of the Simpson system are composite, i.e., formed of thin metal sheets covered with a thin layer of Hypalon® plastic. The sheets interlock together, but require additional structure therebelow to provide sufficient support. The Simpson roof panels are so thin and light, that they cannot support the weight of a person thereon by themselves. Simpson does not provide any form of drain channels beneath his roof panels. Also, while Simpson does provide upper and lower surfaces in his roof panels, he fills the space therebetween with solid insulation, precluding the use of the space as a conduit for fluid flow or other purposes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,266,385 issued on May 12, 1981 to James A. Oehlert, titled "Interlocking Building Panel Construction," describes paneling for roofs or walls comprising thin sheet metal units having interlocking edges. However, the interlocking portions are upstanding when the panels are used for roofing. The raised interlocked edges render the Oehlert panels unsuitable for use as a deck for walking upon. In any event, the thin sheet metal from which the Oehlert panels are formed do not provide sufficient structural strength to serve as a deck. While Oehlert does provide channels within the interlocked edges of his panels, they are not waterproof, as fasteners are driven through the floors of the channels to anchor the assembly to the underlying structure. Oehlert does not provide any secondary bottom surface for his panels.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,423,572 issued on Jan. 3, 1984 to Edward S. Tor, titled "Water-Tight Insulated Roof Construction For House," describes another roof assembly formed of a series of interlocking thin sheet metal panels. As in the case of the panels of the Oehlert '385 U.S. patent, the Tor panels have raised interlocking joints which would preclude their use as a walking surface. Moreover, the thin sheet metal of the Tor panels do not provide sufficient structural strength for walking upon and/or supporting relatively heavy articles, e.g., outdoor furniture, etc., as would normally be found on a deck. Tor does not provide a bottom surface opposite the upper surface of his panels to define a conduit or other utility space therebetween.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,599 issued on Apr. 26, 1988 to Serapio E. Lopez et al., titled "Energy Dissipation Structure For Securing Lightweight Roofing Elements," describes a roofing system utilizing a series of relatively thin paving blocks which abut one another. The blocks are secured to the underlying structure by buttons atop the blocks, with springs secured to the buttons to hold the blocks down. The blocks do not interlock, nor are their joints waterproof. Some additional waterproofing means (e.g., tarpaper, etc.) must be placed upon the underlying roof structure before the blocks are installed. While the blocks overlay a lower sheathing surface, this construction differs from the present invention in that the assembly is not a unitary, monolithic extrusion, and the space between the upper and lower surfaces is filled with solid blocks rather than providing a space for the circulation of fluids therein or the routing of conduits therethrough.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,050,361 issued on Sep. 24, 1991 to John Hallsten, titled "Deck Structure," describes an assembly of extruded panels for constructing a floating dock or the like. The panels of the Hallsten structure interlock, but no waterproof joints are provided due to their environment as a dock overlying a body of water. Accordingly, Hallsten does not provide any form of drainage channels or gutters beneath the joints of his panels, whereas the present extruded panels include such drainage channels underlying each joint between panels. No secondary lower wall opposite the upper wall or layer and defining a fluid circulatory or conduit routing space is provided by Hallsten.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,647,184 issued on Jul. 15, 1997 to Harry H. Davis, titled "Modular Decking Plank, And Decking Structure," describes a relatively thick extrusion having top and bottom surfaces with a series of webs or ribs therebetween. Each panel has a laterally extending tongue which engages a slot in the adjacent mating panel. The configuration of the panels is such that a gap remains between each of the adjacent panels when they are assembled, and no gutters are provided beneath the gaps. Thus, the Davis panels are not at all waterproof and cannot be installed over a room or other space which must remain dry, unless considerable waterproofing (e.g., the installation of tarpaper, etc.) is accomplished beneath the panels. Moreover, Davis makes no suggestion for the use of the space between the upper and lower surfaces of his panels for the circulation of fluids therebetween or as conduits for any purpose, or for any means of connecting one or more conduits to such space between the two surfaces.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,467 issued on Jun. 2, 1998 to S. Clayton Snear et al., titled "Inter-Connectable Modular Deck Member," describes a deck construction formed of a series of extruded panels having configurations much like that of the panels of the Davis '184 U.S. patent, discussed immediately above. The Snear et al. panels have relatively wide and open gutters or channels disposed between each adjacent panel, rather than underlying the drainage area of the panels, as in the present invention. Moreover, Snear secures his panels to the underlying structure by means of screws or nails driven through the overlapping panel edges forming the floors of the gutters. This construction cannot provide a truly waterproof deck. As in the case of the panels of the Davis '184 U.S. patent, Snear makes no suggestion for the use of the space between the upper and lower surfaces of his panels for the circulation of fluids therebetween or as conduits for any purpose.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,765,328 issued on Jun. 16, 1998 to Grant M. Moore, titled "Drainage System For Decks," describes the installation of a series of plastic channels or gutters between the supporting joists of an overlying deck formed of spaced apart wood planks or boards. The plastic channels serve to capture any water and/or debris which passes through the gaps between the boards. The overlying deck boards are not extruded panels and do not interlock, nor do they have integral drainage channels or gutters formed therewith, as do the present extrusions. Moreover, the assembly does not form a series of closed, sealed spaces or passages therein, as do the extrusions of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,797,237 issued on Aug. 25, 1998 to Donald R. Finkell, Jr., titled "Flooring System," describes flooring boards having a modified tongue and groove joint system. The base edge of each tongue includes a channel therein, with the distal edge of the mating extension which defines one side of the opposite groove having a lip which engages the channel along the tongue. This construction provides greater security for adjoining boards, but does not provide a completely watertight joint, as provided by the present invention. Also, the Finkell, Jr. flooring system is directed to wood boards; no disclosure is made of any form of extrusion, underlying drainage channels or gutters, or other key features of the present invention. The floor board assembly of Finkell, Jr. does not provide spaced apart upper and lower walls or plies defining a series of closed, sealed spaces or passages therein, as do the present watertight decking extrusions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,816,010 issued on Oct. 6, 1998 to James H. Conn, titled "Interconnecting Construction Panels," describes a series of identical extruded panels having interlocking means at their adjoining edges. A first panel edge includes a channel with an overhanging lip extending over the channel and forming a trough, with the mating second panel edge having an inverted, U-shaped hook, the free end of which forms a "contact" that is inserted into the trough of the first panel edge, although loosely, since the trough has a greater width than the "contact". The opposite wall of the channel of the first panel extends upwardly to a level even with the underside of the first panel and is used as a fulcrum during assembly of the panels. Thus, when the panels are assembled, there is an interference equal to the panel thickness as the upper edge of the second panel is captured beneath the overhanging channel lip of the first panel, while the underside of the second panel bears against the upper edge of the freestanding channel wall of the first panel.
While the Conn patent shows various shapes for the extreme edge configurations of the second panel, no resilient sealing means are provided by Conn to positively seal the joint against moisture seepage therethrough. The principle of capillary action is well known, with a thin film of water tending to seep or "wick" along a surface in defiance of gravity, particularly over smoothly contoured surfaces such as the rounded edges of the Conn panels. Conn does nothing to prevent this with seals or other means employed by the present invention to form truly waterproof panel joints. In fact, due to the very high pressure developed by the edge of the second panel bearing against the underside of the first panel, any resilient sealing means applied between these two contact lines would be quickly worn away.
Moreover, Conn specifies that the joints between his panels are relatively loose, i.e., allow a fair amount of lateral play or motion. The present inventors' experience with the Conn panels shows that this lateral motion, along with the tight interference between adjacent panels, results in squeaks, groans, and other unpleasant noises being produced by the Conn panel joints as the "contact" of the second panel rubs and bears against the underside of the first panel in the trough. In contrast, the edges of the panels of the present invention form a series of variations of the tongue and groove principle, and do not require any other support to form a tight lock with one another. Moreover, this tongue and groove principle allows for the installation of resilient seals therein, if so desired, to provide further sealing against moisture seepage. Also, the present panels include a relatively sharp edged drip rail which is suspended within the channel of the adjoining panel. The sharp edge of the drip rail precludes capillary action or "wicking" of moisture around the edge, thereby assuring that any moisture which reaches this point will drop into the underlying channel. The drip rail provides an additional benefit by wedging itself against the opposite channel wall to preclude relative motion between the two joined panels. It is also noted that Conn does not provide a second, lower wall or surface opposite the upper surface to define a series of passages therebetween, as provided by the present extruded watertight decking panels.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,158,191 issued on Dec. 12, 2000 to Charles T. Seem, titled "Roof Panel With Plow-Shaped Edge And Related Panel System," describes a series of panels formed of foam plastic core material with a very thin sheet metal upper covering. Such panels cannot support any significant weight and must be supported by some underlying structure, as is clear from the drawings of the Seem roof panel system. Seem depends upon multiple areas of resilient foam material along the edges of adjoining panels, rather than providing for the interlock of adjacent panels and drainage gutters for any residual moisture which may pass through the seals, as in the case of the present watertight decking invention. Seem does not disclose a panel having opposed, spaced apart upper and lower walls or plies defining a series of passages therebetween.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,199,340 issued on Mar. 13, 2001 to Harry H. Davis, titled "Modular Construction Element," describes a closed box extruded structure with interconnecting edge components. The Davis '340 U.S. patent is a continuation-in-part of the '184 U.S. patent to Davis, discussed further above. The primary difference between the extrusions of the two Davis patents appears to be the rectangular edges of the extrusion of the later '340 patent, as compared to the trapezoidal edges of the extrusion of the earlier '184 patent discussed further above. The same points raised in the discussion of the earlier '184 U.S. patent to Davis are seen to apply here as well, particularly insofar as the lack of a completely watertight joint and the need for additional waterproofing for the Davis extrusions is concerned, as well as the lack of provision for using the passages as conduits and any means for connecting other conduits to the passages of the extrusions.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,324,796 issued on Dec. 4, 2001 to Randall N. Heath, titled "Modular Decking Planks," describes another box structure extrusion having interlocking edges between adjacent panels. A downwardly extending male box structure locks into a mating upwardly facing channel in the adjacent panel, to join two panels together. This is not a completely watertight structure, as water can seep downwardly into the upwardly facing channels, and the channels include nail or other fastener holes in their bottom components. In contrast, the channels of the present extruded panels are unbroken, with fasteners being secured through a flange which extends externally from each channel. Moreover, Heath does not disclose the use of the interior of his planks as conduits for fluids or for other purposes, and does not disclose any means for connecting external conduits to such passages.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,427,395 issued on Aug. 6, 2002 to Glenn R. Elsasser et al., titled "Elongated Covering Member Of Extruded Plastic Suitable For Flooring, Decking, Seating, And Like Uses," describes various embodiments of an extrusion having opposed channels with open tops along each edge. Fasteners are driven through the floors of the channels, and the channels are covered with a plastic overlay which snaps or catches in place over the base extrusion, or into the channels. The Elsasser et al. extrusions are particularly directed to use as covers for wood stadium seating or the like. Elsasser et al. note that their extrusions may be used for roof decking or the like, but they fail to provide any means of interconnecting adjacent extrusion components to provide any sort of watertight (or other) joint between them. Thus, water and foreign matter can easily pass between adjacent panels of the Elsasser et al. extrusions. While Elsasser et al. provide a component having closed channels or passages therethrough, the passages do not extend in a substantially laterally continuous array as in the present panels. Moreover, Elsasser et al. do not disclose any means of connecting one or more external conduits to their passages.
Finally, Japanese Patent Publication No. 6-108,589 published on Apr. 19, 1994, titled "Gutter-Built-In Roof Panel," describes (according to the drawings and English abstract) a composite panel having a series of ribs or support members therein that is overlaid with sheet material. The English abstract refers to "vertical gutters," by which it appears that they mean the sloped eaves of a gabled roof. The panels are laterally symmetrical, with no direct tongue-and-groove interconnection, as provided by the present extruded panels. While the assembly forms a series of passages across the interiors of the panels, the passages are enclosed at their ends with no means for allowing fluids to flow therethrough.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus, watertight decking solving the aforementioned problems is desired.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A combination exit sign and emergency light is provided, wherein the emergency light is disposed along a bottom, portion of the exit sign. The bottom portion of the housing is formed with a recessed section intermediate opposing side flange portions, with a light bar incorporating LEDs being mounted in the recess section to provide emergency lighting during power outages and emergency situations. The bar is white in color on the outside, except a bottom portion of the bar is left clear for the free transmission of light. With this construction, at least a substantial majority of fight generated by the LEDs will be directed out of the bottom portion, while the side portions are also preferably lit thereby providing a more intense light out of the bottom portion to assure adequate illumination leading to a suitable exit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the art of exit signs and, more particularly, to a combination exit sign and emergency light incorporating an elongated light bar housing a series of LEDs.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Exit signs are commonly found in essentially all commercial buildings in general, the purpose of an exit sign is to direct a person's attention to the location of a suitable building exit. To achieve this function, it is known to provide exit signs along corridors in order to lead one to an exit, as well as directly adjacent the exit itself. Typically, such exit signs are mounted on surrounding walls or suspended from a ceiling. In any case, exit signs mark the way for people leaving a building.
In the event of an emergency, such as a building fire, exit signs can play a crucial role in enabling people to safely leave the building in a timely manner. Typically, an audible fire alarm is sounded as an initial indicator of the presence for possibility of a fire. In addition, strobe lights are also often used as visual indicators in such emergency situations, especially in large scale commercial buildings such as hotels, hospitals, convention centers, large office buildings and the like. Furthermore, it is known in the art to provide auxiliary lighting on the housing of an exit sign in order to illuminate the area leading to and around the exit. In accordance with the prior art, such lighting can either be fixed in a certain position relative to the housing of the exit sign or permitted to be adjusted to some limited extent.
Regardless of the existence of combination exit signs with emergency lighting, there is still considered to exist a need in the art for an exit sign incorporating an emergency light fixture arrangement which exhibits high energy efficiency and is compact in construction, yet still provides an effectively directed source of illumination in the event of an emergency.

Combination exit sign and emergency light bar


A learned neural network in weights using at least the four parameters of the engine load, engine speed, intake pressure inside the intake passage downstream of the throttle valve (12), and amount of intake air fed into the engine as input parameters of the neural network and using a target EGR rate as training data is stored. At the time of engine operation, the learned neural network is used to estimate the target EGR rate from the above parameters and abnormality of the exhaust gas recirculation system is detected based on the difference between the estimated value of the target EGR rate and the target EGR rate.

In an internal combustion engine provided with an exhaust gas recirculation (hereinafter referred to as "EGR") passage for making exhaust gas discharged from the engine recirculate to an intake manifold downstream of a throttle valve and placing an EGR valve inside this EGR passage, if the EGR valve opens, high pressure exhaust gas is recirculated to the inside of the intake manifold, so the pressure of the intake manifold rises compared with when the EGR valve is made to closed. Therefore, it is possible to judge if the EGR valve is operating normally from the change in pressure inside the intake manifold when the EGR valve is open and when the EGR valve is closed.
Therefore, known in the art is an abnormality detection system for an exhaust gas recirculation system designed to make the EGR valve forcibly close for a certain time at the time of engine medium load and medium speed operation in which the engine load and the engine speed are within respectively predetermined ranges and the EGR valve is open and to judge if the EGR valve is operating normally from the change in pressure in the intake manifold at that time (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-001624).

Abnormality detection system of exhaust gas recirculation system


A method and system for provisioning data that has been collected and stored in a source database. The source database is a database that consumes a large amount of power and drains the company's database resources. The method and system determine which data should be provisioned and sent to a target server, the target server being more energy efficient than the source database and less exhausting of company resources. Various factors, such as the amount of data being requested and the frequency of change of the requested data, determine whether a transfer of data from the source database to the more energy efficient target database should be performed.

The present invention relates generally to energy efficiency across the data center, and more particularly to provisioning of data using energy-efficient methods.
Energy efficiency across the entire data center is becoming a top concern for corporations around the world. This problem requires consideration of all energy efficiency components of the data center, from component levels through server and system levels, and concluding with the complete data center. At the system level, storage devices are an extremely important part of the equation, which needs to be analyzed. Disk systems can require substantial amounts of power to operate and cool, and in many cases, can require more power than the server itself.
Data can be stored in different ways and in different formats. Currently, one of the most popular ways of storing and managing data is with the use of a Relational Database Management System (RDBMS). FIG. 1 illustrates this type of system. The RDBMS 10 stores data in data files 12 on disks 14. The data is further organized into tablespaces and tables 16 holding similar or unique sets of data. Clients/users 18 access this data and conduct their day-to-day business operations on this data. The user queries request data to be read from database 10. Data must be retrieved from data files 12 on disks 14 and transferred into the memory 20 of the database system as data blocks 22. Arrow 21 shows the transfer of data from disks 14 to data blocks 22. The data is then accessed by the user 18. If another client/user requests a different set of data and the memory is not able to hold or accommodate both sets of data, then the older data blocks 24 are swapped back (shown by arrow 25) to disks 14 to allow space for new data from disks 14 to be deposited into memory 20. These operations consume Central Processor (CP/CPU) 26 and Input/Output (I/O) resources, which consume a large amount of power. This constant movement of data back and forth from memory to disks consumes power and exhausts system resources.
It is a primary object of the invention to provide a method and system for reducing power and energy consumption by large database systems. It is another object of the invention to provide an efficient method and system for moving data from a low energy-efficient system to a high energy-efficient system. It is a further object of the invention to provide a method and system for synchronizing provisioned data with source data. It is yet another object of the invention to provide a method and system for deleting provisioned data after it is no longer being accessed.

International Business Machines Corporation


Method of manufacturing a multilayer thin film magnetic head having reproducibly narrow gap widths, by:. providing a stepped non-magnetic basic layer; PA1 providing a stepped magnetically permeable layer on the stepped basic layer; PA1 providing a stepped non-magnetic layer on the magnetically permeable layer; PA1 planarizing the structure to a level to expose the stepped part of the first magnetically permeable layer in the planarized surface, so that the thickness of the first magnetically permeable layer determines the width of the transducing gap of the magnetic head which is being formed.

The invention relates to a method of manufacturing a magnetic head having a head face which extends in a first direction in which the magnetic head and a recording medium are relatively movable with respect to each other, and in a second direction transverse to the first direction, and comprising a first flux guide, a second flux guide and a transducing gap bounded by the two flux guides, in which method the magnetic head is built up in layers, in which consecutively a first magnetically permeable layer for forming the first flux guide, a non-magnetic gap layer for forming the transducing gap and a second magnetically permeable layer for forming the second flux guide are provided.
Such a method is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,375,023. The known method is intended for manufacturing thin-film magnetic heads which are suitable for scanning track widths in the sub-micron area. These magnetic heads have the specific feature that they have stepped pole-top configurations. The known method comprises the deposition of a seed layer on which an insulation layer of a non-magnetic material is deposited, which insulation layer is etched via a mask until the seed layer is exposed, whereafter a ferromagnetic bottom layer, which is thinner than the insulation layer, is electrodeposited on the seed layer between the remaining parts of the insulation layer. Subsequently, a gap layer is deposited on the entire surface, whereafter a ferromagnetic top layer is electrodeposited, whereafter both ferromagnetic layers overlap each other.
A part of said bottom layer is removed by means of etching, with the top layer functioning as a mask, so that a stepped lower pole top is obtained. Due to a difference in height between the insulation layer and the bottom layer, the top layer constitutes a stepped upper pole top. The stepped pole tops obtained determine the gap width of the magnetic head. However, a gap which is not completely planar and has an inaccurately defined gap width is obtained with conventional deposition techniques. The gap width accuracy is also determined by the accuracy with which etching is performed or can be performed. In practice, however, a high etching accuracy is difficult to realize.

Method of manufacturing a magnetic head having a structure of layers


Methods of conducting an assay for measuring enzymatic modification of a substrate by a glycoprotein having enzymatic activity are provided. The methods include concentrating the glycoprotein having enzymatic activity by capturing the glycoproteins from the input sample on a solid support, washing the glycoproteins captured on a solid support to remove unbound portions of the input sample, adding an enzyme substrate to the output sample comprising glycoproteins having enzymatic activity, and measuring enzymatic modification of the substrate. In some examples, the capturing of the glycoprotein and subsequent washing steps are performed in one or more droplets in oil.

A droplet actuator typically includes one or more substrates configured to form a surface or gap for conducting droplet operations. The one or more substrates establish a droplet operations surface or gap for conducting droplet operations and may also include electrodes arrange to conduct the droplet operations. The droplet operations substrate or the gap between the substrates may be coated or filled with a filler fluid that is immiscible with the liquid that forms the droplets.
Droplet actuators are used in a variety of applications, including molecular diagnostic assays such as enzymatic assays and immunoassays. In one application, enzymatic assays and immunoassays are used as part of a routine testing process to test newborn infants for various genetic disorders. For example, enzymatic assays may be used to test for various lysosomal storage diseases (LSD). Many genetic disorders targeted in newborn testing programs are associated with deficiencies in glycoprotein molecules (e.g., lysosomal enzymes) that may represent only a small fraction of total macromolecules in a complex biological sample, such as blood. Samples for newborn testing are typically collected by pricking the heel of the newborn to obtain a small quantity of blood (typically, two to three drops) to fill a few circles on a filter paper card. Specimens are punched from the DBS sample (i.e., one punch for each test to be performed using current technologies) and manipulated according to a specific assay protocol. Because the blood samples are spotted onto a solid medium and dried, they must be reconstituted before analysis, a step that requires dilution of the sample into a suitable liquid medium. There is a need for improved methods for increasing sensitivity of detection of target glycoprotein molecules in NBS assays.

Assay for measuring enzymatic modification of a substrate by a glycoprotein having enzymatic activity


A combined sample-assay device allows sampling and detection within an integrated device. The device is a flat plate-like body with a collection arm. The collection arm optionally folds to enter a recess that flatly supports and seats the arm. The arm may be friction held in this recess and completely enters the recess. Within the recess is a second recess that contains a reading portion and transport portion. Chemiluminescent or other light emitting chemical reagent is placed within the device and light is detected in response to the presence of a sample analyte in a fluid sample.

The ability to detect bacterial contamination is paramount to improving food safety. During food processing, food can become contaminated with bacteria and spoil. Food poisoning can result if food contaminated with pathogenic bacteria, or its toxic products, is ingested without proper cooking.
Standard culture plate methods for monitoring surfaces for bacterial contamination require a sterile sample collection device (generally a swab or sponge) and suitable culture media, which after inoculation, must be incubated at a controlled temperature for a minimum of several hours to days. These methods are too cumbersome and time consuming, especially if used by untrained workers. Rapid bacteria tests need to be implemented in slaughterhouses and food handling establishments to improve safety. In these establishments, one must rapidly determine whether additional cleaning is required or whether proper safety procedures have been followed. To do that, a quick, reliable bacteria measurement is needed. Unfortunately, this is often not possible because present methods require several hours or even days by trained laboratory technicians or require elaborate testing equipments that are not readily transportable to on site locations.
Attempts have been made to overcome these shortcomings with more sensitive chemiluminescence detection methods. One such chemiluminescence method measures adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to indirectly measure the bacteria content. This detection is reliable because all bacteria contain some ATP. Chemical bond energy from ATP is utilized in the chemiluminescent reaction occurring, for example, in the tails of the firefly Photinus pyralis. The mechanism of this chemiluminescence reaction has been well characterized (DeLuca, M., et al, 1979 Anal. Biochem. 95:194-198). The components of this reaction can be isolated free of ATP and subsequently used to detect ATP in other sources by a reaction that begins with formation of an enzyme bound luciferyl-adenylate complex and free inorganic pyrophosphate and ends with a rapid reaction of this complex with molecular oxygen to produce light, CO.sub.2, and adenosine monophosphate (AMP).
One conventional light measuring method involves counting photons with a light measuring instrument. Photographic films also have been used to monitor chemiluminescent reactions, as described for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,396,579. A drawback of these types are that they are complex and difficult to use.
Firefly luciferin-luciferase reactions have been used for detecting microorganisms, as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,385,113 and 5,366,867. These methods, however, suffer a number of deficiencies. Lyophilized luciferase-luciferin reagent is unstable at room temperature during long term storage and is unstable after liquid reconstitution over short time intervals. Additionally, after reconstitution, the reagent solution emits significant amount of light even in the absence of ATP, which decreases detection sensitivity.
The reagent instability problem was partly addressed by drying luciferin-luciferase reagents separately onto plastic surfaces. But this required an additional step of transferring microorganisms from a collection device to a plastic surface, increasing complexity. Further, while this solves the instability problem, it unfortunately lowers the detection sensitivity and creates a new problem--incomplete ATP transfer from the collection device to a separate plastic surface containing the luciferase-luciferin reagent. Furthermore, this solution introduces a new time variable between the transfer and the light emission measurement.
Adding reagent at timed intervals causes additional problems because the light emission kinetics become shorter as the light intensity decreases. The twin timing and reagent instability problems also plague other so chemiluminescence chemistries that have been developed to detect target analytes. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,396,579 describes a complicated, expensive automated machine designed to add chemiluminescent reagent at fixed time intervals to overcome the light emission kinetic problem. The reagent instability and the timing problems make this machine unusually complex.
Thus, there is a need for an assay device that benefits from high sensitivity and speed of chemiluminescence detection, but one that excludes the aforementioned complexity, timing, reagent instability, and high background light emission problems. Copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/560,094, filed Nov. 17, 1995 (hereafter "first copending application"), entitled CHEMILUMINESCENT ASSAY METHODS AND DEVICES FOR DETECTING TARGET ANALYTES, describes chemiluminescent assay methods and devices that fulfill this need. The disclosure of the first copending application, including its drawings, is incorporated herein by reference.
The first copending application discloses a simple, easy to use chemiluminescent sampling assay device that eliminates or reduces the complexity associated with manually measuring and adding reagent at timed intervals. This sampling device also provides means to measure light intensity and allows rapid analysis of target analytes at the sample site. Specifically, it comprises a container or envelope holding a sampling strip having separate sampling and reagent portions. The reagent portion contains one or more dried chemiluminescent reagents. The device has a light-permeable portion that permits light generated by a chemiluminescent reaction within the sampling strip to exit the container. This sampling assay device eliminates or reduces much of the complexity associated with other known assay methods and, as a result, decreases the cost and training requirements for detecting target analytes. A wide range of target analytes can be detected by this device. In fact, the sampling portion of the device can collect virtually any type of target analyte containing ATP, not only from physical contact with a solid, but also from sample liquid applied or introduced thereto. The advantage of rapid and sensitive detection of bacteria can be realized through sensitive light detection using, for example, a photomultiplier. The first copending application discloses, in essence, a compact, self-contained assay device that allows light detection using any of known light detection methods, including an optical observation.
Notwithstanding the advantages and benefits of the ATP detection method described in the first copending application, the ATP detection method tests for presence of microorganisms, not a specific microorganism, since all microorganisms contain ATP. In this regard, it would be desirable to detect specific microorganisms.
Conventional instruments for measuring chemiluminescence, including luminometers and fluorometers, however, are not particularly suited for such an assay device that has a flat geometry. To this end, there is a need for a portable interface readily interfaceable with a photomultiplier or other known light detector to provide a simple, efficient light intensity reading from the sampling assay device of the type disclosed in the first copending application. Copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/577,107, filed Dec. 22, 1995 (hereafter "second copending application"), entitled SAMPLING-ASSAY INTERFACE SYSTEM AND METHOD describes a system that fulfills this need, the disclosure of which, including its drawings, is incorporated herein by reference.
Specifically, the second copending application describes a sampling-device holder interface system and a method for performing an assay for a target analyte from a sampling device of the type disclosed in the first copending application. The sampling system includes a sampling-device holder interface (hereafter "interface") and a quantifier for converting the output signal to quantifiable data indicative of the amount of the target analytes. Specifically, the interface comprises a sampling-device holder and a light detector--means for converting light generated from the sampling device to an output signal corresponding to the amount or intensity of the light generated--such as a photomultiplier or photodetector.
The interface holds a sampling device, which comprises a container and a sampling strip inside the container. The sampling strip has a sampling portion for introducing a sample, a reading portion containing a reagent for producing a chemiluminescent reaction with the target analytes, and a transfer portion connecting the sampling and reading portions for transferring the sample from the sampling portion to the reading portion. The container has an opening to permit introduction of samples to the sampling portion. It also has a light transmissive portion, such as a window or opening, visibly exposing the reading portion.
The holder includes a housing and a tray. The housing has at least first and second walls forming a cavity therebetween. One of the first and second walls has an opening or light transmissive window. The tray is received in the cavity and movable between opened and closed positions. The tray has a compartment adapted to seat and support the sampling assay device. The first opening is in registry with the reading portion when the tray is in the closed position to enable observation of the reading portion through the first opening. The light detector is connected to the housing, in registry with the first opening. The tray has a second opening extending through the compartment, which opening is in registry with the reading portion of the seated sampling device. When the tray is in the closed position, the second opening is in registry with the first opening to enable observation of the reading portion through both the first and second openings.
Not withstanding the advantages and benefits derived from the sampling device and the interface system adapted for the sampling device disclosed in the first and second copending applications, the interface system is not adapted for the luminescent (fluorescent or phosphorescent) light detection. Another potential drawback with this type of sampling device is that the chemiluminescent reaction takes place spontaneously as the chemiluminescent reagent mixes with the target analyte. In this regard, it is not possible to selectively take measurements or delay measurements once sampling is initiated. Hence, there is a need to selectively trigger luminescent reaction independently of sampling. Copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/580,096, filed Dec. 22, 1995 (hereafter "third copending application"), entitled SAMPLING-ASSAY DEVICE, INTERFACE SYSTEM, AND METHOD, describes a luminescent (fluorescent or phosphorescent) assay method and device that fulfill this need. The disclosure of the third copending application, including its drawings, is incorporated herein by reference.
Specifically, the third copending application describes a sampling device, an interface for holding the sampling device, and a system and method thereof for performing an assay for a target analyte from a sample using luminescent light detection. The sampling device comprises a sampling strip housed in a container. The sampling strip has a sampling portion for receiving a sample, a reading portion for emitting light, and a transfer portion connecting the sampling and reading portions for permitting transfer of the sample from the sampling portion to the reading portion. The reading portion contains an immobilized binding agent complementary to the target analyte. This enables the reading portion to capture or immobilize the target analyte within the reading portion while allowing non-captured elements to pass through or exit the reading portion. Specifically, the binding agent preferably is an antigen complementary to the target analyte.
One or both the sampling portion and the transfer strip contains a luminescent (fluorescent or phosphorescent) labeling agent, which glows when exposed to light. The labeling agent, which preferably is chelated europium or europium compound, is contained within at least a portion of the transfer portion near or adjacent the reading portion. The labeling agent is bound to another binding agent complementary to the target analyte. Thus, the labeling agent specifically binds to the target analyte.
The container comprises a first layer and a second layer sandwiching the sampling strip and has means, which preferably is a first opening formed through the first layer and aligned with the sampling portion, to permit introduction of the sample to the sampling portion, and has a light transmissive portion exposing the reading portion. The light transmissive layer is preferably a second opening though the second layer and aligned with the reading portion. The second layer includes a light transmissive member to cover at least the second opening.
The interface comprises a sample holder, a light detector for converting light emitted from the sampling device to an output signal corresponding to the amount or intensity of the light generated, such as a photodetector or photomultiplier, connected to the holder and a light source, such as an LED, laser diode, or gas-filled lamp, connected to the holder. The holder comprises a housing having a first wall and a second wall. The first and second walls form a cavity therebetween, with the first wall having a first opening. A tray is received in the cavity and movable between an opened position and a closed position. The tray also has a compartment adapted to receive and support the sampling device and a second opening extending through the compartment. The second opening is in registry with the reading portion when the sampling device is seated in the compartment and in registry with the first openings to enable observation of the reading portion through the first and second openings.
The light detector has a light gathering window and is connected to the first wall so that the window is aligned with the first opening. The light source is aligned with the first opening and connected opposite the first opening. Specifically, the second wall has a third opening aligned with the first opening and the light source is seated in the third opening. The second wall is an enclosure having a channel and the first wall is a base plate connected to the enclosure, the channel defining the cavity.
When the tray is in the opened position, the tray blocks the first opening. The tray can also include a handle and is preferably slidable between the opened and closed positions. In this regard, the tray includes a pair of parallel slots, which are adapted to be occupied by fasteners spaced along the slots. The length of the slot less the spacing between the fasteners occupying the same slot defines the amount of the tray sliding movement. The system is adapted for use with the aforedefined sampling device and includes the aforedefined interface, and further includes a quantifier, such as an ammeter, for converting the output signal-from the light detector to quantifiable data indicative of the amount of the target analyte.
The sampling device disclosed in the first, second, and third copending applications provides a unique means for allowing light detection using known light detection devices. Because the sampling device, however, is, rather flexible, thin, and flat, it can be challenging to remove the same from the tray compartment. The sampling device needs to be removed by prying out with a fingernail or some sharp instrument. One can also turn the interface upside down and drop the sampling device. But in any event, it would be desirable to ease the sampling device removal from the tray. In addition, there is a need to protect the exposed sampling portion from cross contamination. For instance, if the interface or holder is shaken or otherwise turned sideways or upside down, it is possible for the exposed sampling portion to contact the underside of the housing upper wall, which contact could possibly introduce other samples that made contact therewith. Copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/577,624, filed Dec. 22, 1995 (hereafter "fourth copending application"), entitled SAMPLING-ASSAY DEVICE, describes a sampling assay device for use with chemiluminescent and luminescent (fluorescent or phosphorescent) that fulfills this need. The disclosure of the fourth copending application, including its drawings, is incorporated herein by reference.
The fourth copending application describes a sampling device having a container and a sampling strip inside the container. The sampling strip has a sampling portion for receiving a sample, a reading portion for holding the sample with a compound that can emit light, and a transfer portion connecting the sampling and reading portions for permitting transfer of the sample from the sampling portion to the reading portion. The container has means to permit introduction of the sample to the sampling portion and a light transmissive portion exposing the reading portion. A shield extends from the container adjacent the exposed sampling portion. The shield has a portion extending beyond one end of the container and is movable to and from the sampling portion and can be wrapped around the one end.
Specifically, the container comprises a first layer and a second layer sandwiching the sampling strip. The shield is attached to or integral with the first layer and has means for permitting the extending portion to wrap around the one end of the container. The wrap around means is preferably a preformed fold or crease, or even a perforation. A tab or handle is attached to or formed integrally with the first layer. Alternatively, the tab can also be attached to or integral with the shield.
The sample introducing means preferably is a first opening formed through the first layer and aligned with the sampling portion. Similarly, the light transmissive layer is preferably a second opening though the second layer and aligned with the reading portion. The second layer preferably also includes a light transmissive member to cover at least the second opening.
According to one embodiment, the sampling strip is composed of an adsorbent material. In another embodiment, the sampling strip includes a poly-carbonate membrane that is light transmissive.
The sampling device can further include a sample collecting member, which preferably is adsorbent, in contact with the sampling portion inside the container and aligned with the first opening. The sample collecting member receives the sample and transfers the sample to the sampling portion.
According to one embodiment, the compound is a reagent, preferably an enzyme in a dried state, contained within the reading portion. When the reagent is mixed with the analyte, it produces chemiluminescent light. More preferably, the reagent is luciferase-luciferin in a dried state.
According to another embodiment, the compound, which preferably is a luminescent labeling agent (phosphorescent or fluorescent) with a binding agent for tagging the analyte, is contained within at least a portion of the transfer portion. The labeling agent glows when it is exposed to light. Preferably, the labeling agent is chelated europium or europium compound. The reading portion contains an immobilized binding agent, such as an antigen, specific to the analyte, for capturing the labeled analyte within the reading portion. In this embodiment, the sampling strip further includes a collecting portion contiguous with the reading portion. This collection portion is designed to absorbs any excess liquid containing the labeling compound not coupled to the binding agent. Accordingly, as the analyte immobilized in the reading portion carries the labeling agent that glows when exposed to light, the amount of light produced after exposure to light correlates to the amount of analyte present in the sample. In operation, as the sample contained in liquid travels across the transfer portion, the target analyte will pickup the labeling agent. Other organisms mixed with the labeling compound and the excess labeling compound, however, are not specific to the binding agent. Thus, they will not be captured in the reading portion, but rather will flow through. The target analyte, however, since it is specific to the binding agent, will be captured and remain in the reading portion.
The sampling device according to the fourth copending application is particularly adapted for use with a sampling-device holding interface, which has a housing and a tray for seating the sampling device, as described in the second and third copending applications. The housing has a cavity for accepting the tray with the sampling device. The cavity is light-light tight when the tray is closed. The housing is connected to a light detector or the like to measure the amount of light generated by the sample. The housing can have also have a light source for triggering reaction of the luminescent labeling agent.

Combined sampling-assay device and holder


The present invention provides a player with replay images without setting a reference value to the replay images. First, in a game implemented by a program of the present invention, a first event table that identifies event content and the importance level thereof, is set. Next, replay images of an event that occurred during the execution of the game are saved in the memory unit. Then, the first event table is referenced during execution of the game, and the importance level of the replay images saved in the memory unit is set. Next, a second event table used to identify the importance level of the replay images is set. Finally, at least either the latest replay images saved in the memory unit, or the replay images saved in the memory unit in accordance with the importance level of the replay image, or both, is displayed on a monitor.

1. Field of the Invention
The preset invention relates to a game program, particularly to a game program for implementing a game in which a replay image corresponding to various events can be displayed on a monitor in a computer. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a game device and a game method implemented with this game program.
2. Background Information
Various games have been proposed in the past, and one of them is a game in which replay images corresponding to various events can be displayed on a monitor. For example, in some competitive sports games, play types are set in order to identify the content of plays. These play types are grouped by, for example, the actions in plays performed during the execution of the game, and the results of plays performed during the execution of the game. Taking a baseball game for example, the play types include actions and results such as "the batter will get a hit/has gotten a hit," "the runner will steal/has stolen a base," "the fielder will make/has made an error," and the like. When plays corresponding to these play types occur, evaluation points will be awarded to each play in accordance with the quality of the play. Here, a high evaluation score will be awarded, for example, to a skillful play, a play having a high level of difficulty, and a timely play. In addition, replay images will be generated for a play when a predetermined evaluation score or greater is awarded. Because of this, replay images of a play to which a predetermined evaluation score or greater has been awarded will be displayed as the latest replay images on a monitor immediately after the play has occurred, and replay images comprised of a plurality of replay images of plays for which a predetermined evaluation score or was awarded will be displayed as highlight replay images on a monitor (see Japan Patent No. 3227447).
In a conventional game, particularly in a game in which replay images corresponding to various events can be displayed on a monitor, the actions in plays performed during the execution of a game, and the results of plays performed during the execution of a game, will be arranged in groups, and if a play corresponding to these types of play occurs, an evaluation score will be awarded to each play in accordance with the result of the play. In addition, replay images will be generated of a play in which a predetermined evaluation score or more has been awarded. Thus, in a game in which replay images are generated for a play to which a predetermined evaluation score or greater has been awarded, replay images will not be generated for a play in which an evaluation score that is less than a predetermined value has been awarded, and thus a problem could occur in which the latest replay images of a play cannot be provided to a player immediately after the play. In addition, a problem could occur in which highlight replay images cannot be provided to a player after a sufficient number of games. It is thought that the threshold of the evaluation score must be sufficiently low in order to solve this problem. However, if the threshold is set to be low, the number of replay images that will be saved in a memory unit will increase, and thus there is a possibility that the volume of the replay images will fill the free space in the memory unit. Therefore, the inventor of the present application formulated a method by which replay images such as the latest replay images, highlight replay images, and the like, can be provided to a player without using a method in which a reference value, such as an evaluation score, is set.
In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that there exists a need to provide a player with replay images without setting a reference value for the replay images. This invention addresses this need in the art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.

Game program, game device, and game method


A preparation of a Pb-substituted hydroxyapatite catalyst for oxidative coupling of methane represented by the formula Ca.sub.10-x pb.sub.x (PO.sub.4).sub.6 (OH).sub.2 wherein 0<X<10 or preferably 0<X<3, includes dissolving calcium nitrate tetrahydrate Ca(NO.sub.3).sub.2 4H.sub.2 O!, lead nitrate Pb(NO.sub.3).sub.2 ! and monobasic ammonium phosphate NH.sub.4 H.sub.2 PO.sub.4 ! in a distilled water at room temperature to have over 0.01M concentration and pH 9 and maintaining a resultant precipitate for 5 to 20 hours for aging and then calcining the resultant. A method for producing C.sub.2 compounds using the thusly produced catalyst includes reacting a mixed gas composed of methane, oxygen and helium in the presence of 5.about.20 g.multidot.min/L of the Pb-substituted hydroxyapatite catalyst according to the present invention, at a high temperature of at least 600.degree. C.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a preparation of a Pb-substituted hydroxyapatite catalyst for oxidative coupling of methane in which methane is dimerized at a high yield when a dimerizing reaction is performed for producing ethane and ethylene by partially oxidizing methane which is a major constituent of natural gas with oxygen.
2. Description of the Conventional Art
Methane is the most stable hydrocarbon which is a major constituent of natural gas and much attention has been drawn to methane as a chemical feed stock and an energy source to serve as a substitute for petroleum. Therefore, active studies toward the production of C.sub.2 compound by dimerizing methane have been performed. C.sub.2 compounds such as ethane and ethylene are very useful as raw material for producing polyethylene and various copolymers of ethylene and propylene or other monomers. Moreover, the dimerization reaction increases the utility of methane to work as a substitute energy source for petroleum, since the C.sub.2 compounds are more stable during transportation than methane. When methane is completely combusted, CO.sub.x is formed, and C.sub.2 compounds which are intermediate products have higher reactivities with oxygen than methane. Therefore, it is very difficult to selectively obtain C.sub.2 compounds under an oxidizing condition.
Many studies have been made for the development of an oxidation catalyst having a high selectivity for the dimerization of methane including J. Catal. 73, 9 by G. E. Keller and M. M. Bhasin (1982), and the catalysts representing a comparatively high activity thereof are lithium/magnesium oxide (Li/MgO), samarium oxide (Sm.sub.2 O.sub.3) and lead oxide/magnesium oxide (PbO/MgO). However, in the case of catalysts well known so far, the yield of C.sub.2 compounds is at most about 25%, and in addition, the catalyst is deactivated over the reaction time. Therefore, a commercial process for producing the C.sub.2 compounds has not yet been developed.
A supported lead oxide catalyst studied by W. Hinsen, W. Bytyn, M. Baerns (Proc. 8th ICC,3,581 (1984)) is one of the catalysts which have been studied most widely (J.A.S.P. Carreiro and M. Baerns, Reac. Kinet. Catal. Lett., 35,349 (1987)). The activity and selectivity of the catalyst vary depending on the ratio of methane/oxygen, temperature, additives, the support and the Pb-loading. The selectivity for ethylene is high when the lead oxide is supported on a basic oxide or prepared as a complex oxide with a basic oxide. Particularly, the PbO/MgO catalyst exhibits a C.sub.2 selectivity as high as 80% on the condition of a lower ratio of oxygen/methane J. P. Bartek, J. M. Hupp, J. F. Brazdil and R. K. Grasselli, Catal. Today, 3,117 (1988)!. However, when the catalytic reaction is carried out at a high temperature in order to achieve a higher conversion, the selectivity is sharply lowered and the lead oxide is evaporated, J. A. Ross, A. G. Bakker, H. Bosch, J. G. van Ommen and J. R. H. Ross, Catal. Today, 1,133 (1987)!.
As described previously, for the stabilization of a lead catalyst, studies using a non-volatile salt or a complex oxide have been continued.
Generally, a hydroxyapatite catalyst is a compound which is obtained by the reaction of calcium nitrate tetrahydrate Ca(NO.sub.3).sub.2 4H.sub.2 O!, ammonium phosphate (NH.sub.4).sub.3 PO.sub.4 ! and an aqueous ammonia (NH.sub.4 OH), and a Pb-substituted hydroxyapatite catalyst is the hydroxyapatite catalyst in which lead (Pb) is substituted for calcium (Ca). The Pb-substituted hydroxyapatite catalyst produced by using an ion-exchange method was reported to be active for C.sub.2 dimerization reaction. However, the highest yield of the reaction. was no more than 13%, which is not sufficient for commercialization. A Pb-substituted hydroxyapatite catalyst was produced by a cation exchange to be employed in a C.sub.2 dimerizing action, but the maximum yield was below 20%, which is also not sufficient K. Yamashita, H. Owada, H. Nakagawa, T. Umegaki, and T. Kanaawa, J. Am. Ceram. Soc., 69,590(1986)!.

Preparation of Pb-substituted hydroxyapatite catalyst and use in oxidative coupling of methane

Korea Institute of Science and Technology


A jewelry piece made of metal and with a textured surface. The textured surface has: a first series of substantially parallel grooves made by a process of diamond-cutting the surface of the jewelry piece, the grooves having a depth, and a plurality of wells made by a second process of diamond-cutting the surface of the jewelry piece, the wells being deeper than the grooves.

The present invention relates generally to jewelry, and more particularly to jewelry having a diamond cut surface with a texture of greater brilliance, beauty and light reflecting characteristics.
The jewelry business is very competitive. Jewelry designers and manufacturers constantly strive to evolve new and more interesting jewelry designs and are investing a great deal of resources, both monetary and in the form of human resources, in attempts to innovate new designs, new styles, and new, exciting looks in jewelry.
One of the very old and widely used techniques in the creating of textured surfaces on jewelry made from metals, particularly gold, silver and the like, is known as diamond-cutting. The technique of diamond-cutting involves the use of diamond-tipped cutting tools that cut into and texture the metallic surface of the jewelry. Essentially, the purpose of diamond-cutting is to create microfacets in the gold or silver surface which then reflects light in all directions, creating a brilliance, sparkle and a light kaleidoscope that enhances the beauty of the jewelry. Examples of diamond cutting can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,535,583; 5,581,992; 5,737,910 and 6,772,580.
There is a constant need and desire to build on this old technology, to evolve a more brilliant, more sparkling and more beautiful surface texturing on jewelry.

Jewelry article with double-tier diamond cut surface


A method for use with a reflectarray antenna for wireless telecommunication is described. The method involves providing a reflectarray antenna, and adjusting a phase of a scattered field of the reflectarray antenna for generating different radiation patterns for angular mode-based multiplexing. The reflectarray antenna includes a ground plane, a dielectric substrate attached on the ground plane; and a first antenna patch formed on one side of the dielectric substrate. Further, the reflectarray antenna includes a second antenna patch formed adjacent to the first antenna patch with a separation area therebetween; and a phase adjustment member disposed in the separation area. The phase of the scattered field of the antenna is adjusted by changing a DC voltage of the phase adjustment member.

There has been proposed various multiplexing techniques for increasing the efficiency of the communication channel. In recent, a MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) technique is a method which combines multiple antennas and a signal processing technique in a transmitter and a receiver and is able to significantly increase the communication channel capacity by expanding the degree of the freedom of the communication channel even though there exist scatterers.
Also, proposed techniques that have different characteristics from the MIMO technique are an OAM (Orbital Angular Momentum) technique using the conservation of angular momentum and an angular mode-based multiplexing technique. These techniques enable to increase the communication channel capacity while even using a same frequency and a same polarization. Here, the OAM technique is a technique that has been proposed for light waves, and thus it requires various laser mode generation and a light wave synthesis technique. The angular mode-based multiplexing technique adjusts the phase of transmission or reception antenna and generates a rotation angle having the orthogonality that can be propagated on the three-dimensional space.
An antenna is an essential circuit element required for various multiplexing techniques that use the same frequency and the same polarization. The antenna must be able to adjust the phase of the electromagnetic wave radiation pattern for the expansion of the communication channel to receive or transmit signals simultaneously. Therefore, it is essential to provide a technique for efficiently controlling the phase of the array antenna elements.
FIG. 1 is an illustrative view of the structure of a unit cell of a reflectarray antenna that is primarily used in the development of a large-sized antenna. The reflectarray antenna uses a unit cell as an element of an array antenna to generate various antenna radiation patterns. For this purpose, the unit cell of a reflectarray is formed to an antenna patch 106 that is made of a metal on a dielectric substrate 104 having a ground plane 102.

Method for use with a reflectarray antenna for wireless telecommunication

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute


A turbofan gas turbine engine configured to reduce hotspots within combustors. The engine includes an axis and a combustor that is circumferentially disposed about the axis. The combustor includes an annular combustor liner that includes a front portion and a rear portion. The annular combustor liner is joined to an annular combustor dome via front portion and defines a chamber and a nozzle is mounted within the annular combustor dome and is configured to inject fuel into a plurality of swirlers. At least one or more dilution openings is circumferentially distributed around the liner such that a region is fluidly connected through the annular combustor liner to the chamber. Each one of the pluralities of dilution openings includes an opening and a radial support wall that is positioned aft of the opening such that the radial support wall extends into the chamber.

The present invention relates generally to gas turbine engines, and more specifically, to combustors therein.
In a gas turbine engine, air is pressurized in a compressor and mixed with fuel in a combustor for generating hot combustion gases. The hot gases flow downstream through turbine stages which extract energy therefrom. A high pressure turbine powers the compressor. A low-pressure turbine produces useful work by powering an upstream fan in a typical turbofan gas turbine engine aircraft engine application, for example.
Combustor performance is critical to the overall performance of the gas turbine engine. The compressed air is mixed with fuel in the combustor for generating a fuel and air mixture which is ignited for generating the combustion gases.
Additional air is introduced through dilution openings into the combustor. The additional air is introduced out through the dilution openings are to provide a predetermined ratio of fuel to air in particular regions of the combustor.


A method, a system, and a non-transitory computer readable medium for parallelizing computer program code including a loop are presented. An intermediate language version of the computer program code is generated based on a parallel type of the loop, wherein the intermediate language version includes information about parallelism in the computer program code. The intermediate language version is optimized at runtime based on the device characteristics where the computer program code is to be executed. The parallel type may include a thread parallel type, wherein the loop is dispatched to multiple threads for execution, or a general parallel type, wherein the loop is dispatched to a single thread and may be vectorized for execution. The intermediate language version may be saved separate from the computer program code.

Current general purpose computation on a graphics processing unit (GPGPU) programming models define a grouping concept which leads to poorly scoped local/shared memory regions and an inconvenient approach to projecting complicated iterations spaces. These models have inherited CUDA™'s group-based programming model that stems largely from the way graphics architectures were designed. These models explicitly launch groups of "work items" (sometimes known as "threads") that define a fairly static mapping to the architecture. The work items within a single group can communicate with each other, applying synchronization primitives and memory structures that are scoped to logical group constructs.
Mapping complex iteration spaces to this sort of grouped launch directly imposes a loss of information. For example, mapping a 15×15×15 region into 64 work items will work well on specific hardware. But remapping that region onto a different number of work items means re-inferring certain inter-work item communication which is likely to be harder than the initial work to parallelize the loop. In addition, projections like this are not clean for the programmer, and it is difficult to understand the scoping of local memory that is not visible in any sort of lexical scope.
Current programming models for vector and multi-core architectures, which mostly use standard C programming, rely on a relatively compiler-driven approach, such that the compiler infers all of the parallelism for the loops, both for the vectorization and for the thread parallelism.
OpenMP® allows a programmer to access the thread parallelism, but expects the compiler to infer vector parallelism from it. There is little in an OpenMP® loop that identifies a portion of the loop as vectorizable. There is little control over the loop nest to indicate which portions should be vectorizable and should be run under a particular thread. For efficiency, there might be cases where a programmer would want this level of control. For example, when iterating over a fixed-size block of data.
Intel®'s Single Program, Multiple Data (SPMD) compiler tries to map vector programming onto the CPU and solves some of the cleanliness problems with OpenCL™, etc. Intel®'s SPMD program compiler (ISPC) moves in this direction. It has the notion of a SPMD entry point, within which the programmer may write code that is explicitly SPMD. Or the programmer may write code with "for each" blocks that describe code that can be run in parallel, but does not need to be run in threads, indicating that the code should be run in parallel in some way.
OpenACC® exposes these layers by providing hints to the compiler (like an extension to OpenMP®). These hints may include hints to parallelize a given loop, or map a loop to vectors. These hints are a sequence of tuning parameters, rather than strict control over the layers. OpenACC® still relies on the compiler doing the work, but the compiler could fail to vectorize the code in the desired way.

Layered programming for heterogeneous devices


Air-meltable, air-castable, weldable, heat resistant alloys that exhibit high creep rupture strengths and high ductilities. An H-type base alloy or a high silicon base alloy contains additions of about 0.6% to 2.5% copper and 0.55% to 2.65% microalloying amounts of the group 0.2% to 0.85% tungsten, 0.2% to 0.85% molybdenum, 0.1% to 0.5% columbium and 0.05% to 0.45% titanium.

Many industrial operations employ cast heat resistant alloy shapes welded to other cast or wrought shapes. Additionally, it is often desirable to be able to perform repair welding on heat resistant castings either before or after some period of service. It has been found by those working in the art that heat resistant castings of less than about 8% tensile elongation present substantial welding difficulties, and those of less than about 5% present extreme welding difficulties.
While the several grades of standard heat resistant alloys (H-type) of the STEEL FOUNDERS SOCIETY OF AMERICA--ALLOY CASTINGS INSTITUTE (SFSA-ACI) have been altered to improve hot strength by fairly large additions of certain elements, Heyer, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,801, appears to have been the first disclosure of improving hot strength and rupture life of such alloys by additions to the base alloys of less than one percent each of two or more elements selected from molybdenum, tungsten, columbium, zirconium, nitrogen, titanium, cesium, lanthanum and boron. Use of such small additions is sometimes referred to as microalloying. It has been reported that microalloying in accordance with the '801 patent tends to reduce room temperature elongations about 25% to 50% below those for the untreated base alloy. While alloy types HF and HP have not been found to have presented much difficulty in microalloyed production heats, alloy types HH, HK and HT have often had such low ductilities as to present severe welding problems. Alloy type HH is probably the most widely employed of the H-type alloys, while alloy type HK is most likely second in volume of use.
It is also known that there is a close correlation between hot strength and the sum of carbon plus nitrogen content for any H-type base alloy. Thus, while there have been variations, depending upon base alloy type and other factors, about a 50% increase in hot strength is regularly attained in most H-type alloys at any given carbon plus nitrogen level by microalloying with elements from the group molybdenum, tungsten, columbium, titanium and zirconium. For, example, Post, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 2,553,330, discloses improvements in the hot workability of virtually all corrosion and heat resistant alloys by small additions of rare earth elements.
Culling, U.S. Pat. No. 5,077,006, sought to overcome the poor weldability and tendency to hot tear during casting associated with the microalloying approach disclosed in the '801 patent by microalloying with the six components, molybdenum, tungsten, columbium, titanium, zirconium and rare earth elements. While there was some improvement in properties over the '801 patent, room temperature elongations of H-type base alloys still declined with microalloying according to the '006 patent at any given carbon plus nitrogen level.
The amounts of zirconium and rare earth elements in alloys produced according to the '006 patent by ordinary air melting and pouring practices have been difficult to control. Thus, rare earth and zirconium oxide discontinuities have been observed in the microstructure of low elongation production heats.
While copper has been included in the formulation of hundreds of corrosion-resistant alloys, it has generally been considered to be detrimental or at least not beneficial to hot strength and rupture life in heat-resistant alloys. Copper is frequently found in heat-resistant alloys as a tramp, residual or unintentional element in amounts of about 0.1% to 0.4%, but is customarily either ignored or specified as a maximum of 0.5% by weight. An exception to the usual position that copper is undesirable in heat resistant alloys is disclosed by Thuillier et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,063,934, which claims a heat-resistant alloy based on nickel and chromium, and possibly on iron, offering high oxidation, carburization and/or creep resistance at very high temperatures. In the '934 patent it is said that a nickel/chromium ratio between 1.20 and 1.40 is the main factor in the striking improvement in the carburization resistance of the alloys of that invention, but that further improvements can be achieved by further additions of the following elements whose preferred ranges are:
______________________________________ Cu 0.5 to 5% C 0.4 to 0.6% Nb (Cb) 1 to 2% (W + Mo) 1 to 5% ______________________________________
The exemplary alloys for which test data on carburization resistance is provided contain about 1% niobium plus about 1.5% of either tungsten or molybdenum, 0.4% to 0.6% carbon, and optionally 1.6% or 1.7% copper. The test data indicate good carburization resistance with further improvements provided by the addition of copper. The '934 patent also states that the disclosed alloys have high creep resistance up to very high temperatures, but no test data were provided.
In addition, although austenitic high silicon iron-nickel-chromium base alloys produced by the microalloying procedures disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 911,145, filed Jul. 9, 1992, have not presented room temperature elongation problems, improvement in their hot strength and corrosion resistance properties is desirable.


A projection-type image display apparatus includes an enlarging projection optical unit which is configured to project an image displayed on an image display element enlargedly upon a display portion, a display controller portion which is configured to move a position of the image within a display surface of the image display element. The enlarging projection optical unit has a lens group for projecting the image enlargedly, wherein the display controller portion moves the image so as to display the image within the display surface of the image display element by projecting a portion selectively fitted to the display portion when displaying on the display portion through the enlarging projection optical unit.

The present invention relates to a projection-type image display apparatus for projecting an image on a screen with using an image display element, such as, a liquid crystal panel, etc., and in particular, it relates to a technology of improving an installation (i.e., a degree of freedom of installation) of that apparatus.
Various kinds of projection-type image display apparatuses are already known and are applied into various fields of applications, widely, for projecting modulated lights, which are obtained by irradiating lights from a light source upon an image display element, on a display portion, such as, a screen or the like, for example, through so-called an enlarging projection optic system, including a projection lens, etc., while displaying an image on that image display element, such as, a transmission-type liquid crystal panel, etc.
Such projection-type image display apparatuses are used, in general, under the condition that the apparatus is installed in the vicinity of the screen or the like. For that reason, to such image display apparatuses, it is requested to shorten that projection distance, while obtaining an enlarged image having a sufficient largeness on the screen at the same time. One of means for achieving this is a wide-angle of the projection lens, and as other means, there are already known an oblique projection method of using a projection lens, having a structure for projecting the image, enlargedly, in a direction inclined to the screen. However, in particular, the oblique projection method of the latter is already disclosed in the following Patent Documents 1 and 2, which will be mentioned below.    [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. Hei 4-27912 (1992); and    [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2006-154720 (2006).


A model generation unit (17) is provided. The model generation unit includes an alignment module (80) arranged to receive pairs of sequences of parameter frame vectors from a buffer (16) and to perform dynamic time warping of the parameter frame vectors to align corresponding parts of the pair of utterances. A consistency checking module (82) is provided to determine whether the aligned parameter frame vectors correspond to the same word. If this is the case the aligned parameter frame vectors are passed to a clustering module (84) which groups the parameter frame vectors into a number of clusters. Whilst clustering the parameter frame vectors, the clustering module (80) determines for each grouping an objective function calculating the best fit of a model to the clusters per degrees of freedom of that model. When the best fit per degrees of freedom is determined, the parameter frame vectors are passed to a hidden Markov model generator (86) which generates a hidden Markov model having states corresponding to the clusters determined to have the best fit per degrees of freedom.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to model generation apparatus and methods. Embodiments of the present invention concern the generation of models for use in pattern recognition. In particular, embodiments of the present invention are applicable to speech recognition.
2. Description of Related Art
Speech recognition is a process by which an unknown speech utterance is identified. There are several different types of speech recognition systems currently available which can be categorised in several ways. For example, some systems are speaker dependent, whereas others are speaker independent. Some systems operate for a large vocabulary of words (>10,000 words) while others only operate with a limited sized vocabulary (<1000 words). Some systems can only recognise isolated words whereas others can recognise phrases comprising a series of connected words.
Hidden Markov models (HMM's) are typically used for the acoustic models in speech recognition systems. These consist of a number of states each of which are associated with a probability density function. Transitions between the different states are also associated with transition parameters.
Methods such as the Baum Welch algorithm such as is described in "Fundamentals of Speech Recognition" Rabiner & Hwang Juang, PTR Prentice Hall ISBN 0-13-15157-2 which is hereby incorporated by reference are often used to estimate the parameter values for hidden Markov models from training utterances. However, the Baum Welch algorithm requires the initial structure of the models including the number of states to be fixed before training can begin.
In a speaker dependent (SD) speech recognition, an end user is able to create a model for any word or phrase. In such a system the length of particular words or phrases which are to be modelled will not therefore be known in advance and an estimate of the required number of states must be made.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,895,448 a system is described in which an estimate of the required number of states is based on the length of the phrase or word being modelled. Such an approach will however result in models having an inappropriate number of states where a word or phrase is acoustically more complex or less complex then expected.
There is therefore a need for apparatus and method which can discern an appropriate number of states to be included in a word or phrase models. Further there is a need for model generation systems which enables models to be generated simply and efficiently.

Hidden Markov model generation apparatus and method with selection of number of states


The present disclosure relates generally to blades used in gas turbine engines. More specifically designs in accordance with the present disclosure include turbine blades comprising ceramic matrix composite materials with abrasive tips coupled thereto.

Gas turbine engines are used to power aircraft, watercraft, power generators, and the like. Gas turbine engines typically include a compressor, a combustor, and a turbine. The compressor compresses air drawn into the engine and delivers high pressure air to the combustor. In the combustor, fuel is mixed with the high pressure air and is ignited. Products of the combustion reaction in the combustor are directed into the turbine where work is extracted to drive the compressor and, sometimes, an output shaft. Left-over products of the combustion are exhausted out of the turbine and may provide thrust in some applications.
Airfoils are included in the rotating blades of the turbine to capture energy from the products of the combustor. The interaction of combustion products with the airfoils heats the airfoils. Airfoils are often made from high-temperature compatible materials and/or are actively cooled by supplying relatively cool air to the airfoils. To this end, some airfoils incorporate ceramic matrix composite materials or ceramic matrix composite material heat shields to withstand very high temperatures. Design and manufacture of airfoils from these ceramic matrix composite materials presents challenges because of the limitations associated with use of these materials within the primary gas path in a turbine engine.

Ceramic matrix composite turbine blade with abrasive tip

Rolls-Royce High Temperature Composites Inc.

Rolls-Royce North American Technologies Inc.