An expandable inter-vivos tube that allows for the use in medical procedures while limiting known complications arising from conventional inter-vivos tubes is presented, wherein the expandable inter-vivos tube comprises a slit formed longitudinally within a tube and a plurality of nipples extending from an outer surface of the tube that are insertable within a corresponding one of a plurality of slides within an outer slidable element that is slidable within the slit. A position of the nipples within the slots causes a distance between the edges of the to increase; thus, increasing a circumference of the inter-vivos tube as the outer element is slide from a proximal end of the tube element to a distal end of the tube.

Inter-vivos or endotracheal tubes (ETTs) tubes, when inserted in a patient, are used to provide an air passage to sedated patients, who may not be able to ventilate autonomously. Conventional ETT (consisting of a long hollow tube with an inflatable cuff balloon near the distal end) are sized according to their internal diameter (ID). In children the ID varies from 3.5 to 7 mm (millimeters) and in adults, typical, tube size range from 7 to 11 mm. The selection of the size of the tube to be used to intubate a patient is based on the experience of the practitioner, wherein the practitioner selects the largest ID tube that may be inserted through the glottis (vocal cord) region into the trachea.
However, the selection of too small a tube creates a restricted gas flow, which is especially detrimental if a patient is ventilating spontaneously in the operating room, in intensive care unit and elsewhere.
Hence, the size of a selected ETT is based on characteristics of the patient (e.g., male/female, adult/child, etc.) and the experience of the person performing the insertion raises issues regarding whether the selected ETT is the proper size for the patient.
Furthermore, after selecting a correct ETT circumference size in relation to the glottic size, conventional ETTs include an intramural canal constructed within the wall of the ETT which leads on an inflatable cuff balloon near the distal end of the tube. The exposed outer end of this canal is connected to a one-way valve and syringe to inflate the balloon. The inflatable cuff balloon of present day ETT compensates for any mis-sizing of a selected ETT by expanding, through the introduction of air through the intramural canal, the distal end cuff balloon to press the cuff balloon against the tracheal wall.
Once, confirmation of a leak free contact within the trachea is made, the patient is ready for the delivery of anesthetic gases and oxygen.
However, the expanded distal cuff balloon pressing against the trachea wall compresses delicate tracheal wall capillaries, which may rupture and case internal damage.
Thus, the (ischemic) compression of tracheal wall capillaries often results in the inflammation of the tracheal wall, diminished capillary activity and causing, in cases, Ventilator Associated Pneumonia (VAT), all of which being well-known and documented issues arising from using conventional ETTs
Another drawback of conventional ETTs is that the walls of the conventional ETT, which are generally 1.5 mm thick, are sized to accommodate the intramural canal within the ETT wall that is required to provide a passageway to inject air into the cuff balloon.
A still further drawback of conventional ETTs is the length to which the ETT are manufactured so as to pass the vocal cords and extend into the trachea. For example, in a six-foot male, the distances from lips to vocal cords is 6.25 inches and nose to vocal cords is 7.5 inches. However, conventional ETTs are generally in the order of 11.8 inches in length, which h contributes to ventilatory dead space.
Hence, there is need in the industry of an expandable ETT that overcomes the drawbacks of present-day ETT design.


An image cropping technique includes detecting, at a computer system including one or more processors, faces within an image and evaluating, at the computer system, the faces to determine if any of the faces correspond to people within a user's online social network. The technique additionally includes defining, at the computer system, a first crop region including a subset of the faces when at least one face within the subset of the faces corresponds to a first person in the user's online social network and cropping, at the computer system, the image based on the first crop region.

Cropping refers to the identification and/or removal of an area from an image. Typically such image manipulation is manually performed to remove unwanted subject material from the image to improve the overall composition of the image, or to emphasize a certain set of subject matter. For example, cropping a portrait image may emphasize a person's facial features whereas cropping an image containing a person playing a musical instrument may feature more than just the person's face. Such a cropped image may include additional subject matter, such as a portion, or the entire musical instrument. Cropping is also performed to compensate between different aspect ratios. For example a widescreen 16:9 format may be desired to showcase a landscape image of a mountain range that was originally taken in a 4:3 aspect ratio.
The cropping of a photographic image can be very subjective. However, there are a number of standard compositional rules that can be employed to select the area to be cropped. The "rule of thirds" dictates that an image is divided into nine equal parts with two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equally-spaced vertical lines, where the important composition elements should be placed along the lines or at their intersections. Other rules include symmetrical balance, asymmetrical balance, radial balance, and simplicity. However, these rules require an artistic judgment of what rule to apply when as well as an artistic decision of what elements are to be included within the final cropped image.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and system for automatically cropping images


An authentication apparatus includes: image processing means for performing predetermined image processes on biometric trait image data sequentially supplied from image pickup means at predetermined intervals, the predetermined image processes including at least a binarization process; detection means for detecting, over time, correlation values between adjoining images of the image data on a time axis and correlation values between adjoining binarized images of binarized image data on a time axis; and selection means for selecting, when a situation in which both the correlation values of the images and the correlation values of the binarized images are respectively less than a first threshold and a second threshold continues over a predetermined period of time, one of the binarized image data input after the continuation of the situation, to be compared with registration data.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an authentication apparatus, authentication method and program thereof, and is preferably applied to a biometric authentication system, for example.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, biometric authentication is often performed based on blood vessels. An authentication apparatus extracts an image of blood vessels from a person's finger and then compares the extracted image of blood vessels with registered templates. If its matching result, or correlation value, is greater or equal to a predetermined threshold, the authentication apparatus determines that the person is legitimate.
If the finger moves or trembles while the authentication apparatus is taking moving images of the blood vessels for verification, the acquired images present continually-changing blood vessels patterns. In this case, the authentication apparatus performs a correction process for the acquired images (see Jpn. Pat. Laid-open Publication No. 2006-099718, for example).

Correlation-based biometric authentication apparatus, authentication method and program


Thermal expansion characteristics of test materials of ultra-low thermal expansion material are measured with a test beam that is split into a test material-measuring portion and an instrument-measuring portion. Both measuring portions propagate through common portions of a test arm. The test material-measuring portion encounters a test material, but the instrument-measuring portion does not. Thermal expansion characteristics of the test material are measured to high accuracy by manipulating the measures to distinguish displacements associated with the test material from displacements associated with the instrument structure.

Ultra-low thermal expansion materials such as ULE® Glass (a trademark of Corning Incorporated) and Zerodur® (a trademark of Schott Glas) provide dimensional stability for a variety of precision applications including structures requiring significant dimensional stability over a range of temperatures. Examples include structural materials for precision machines and instruments and substrates for space optics, telescopes, and extreme ultra-violet lithography (EUVL) optics and photomasks.
For such purposes as calibration, certification, and process feedback, precise measurements are required of the thermal expansion characteristics of these ultra-low expansion materials (referred to as coefficient of thermal expansion measurements or CTE measurements). However, since few if any materials exhibit lower thermal expansion characteristics, the instruments (referred to as devices) used for measuring ultra-low thermal expansion materials are often subject to nearly the same or even greater thermally induced dimensional variations. The CTE measurements are taken at different temperatures to relate dimensional changes to changes in temperature. Accompanying thermal deformations of the measuring instrument are generally the largest source of uncertainty in the CTE measurements.
Prior CTE measuring instruments (devices) that measure ultra-low thermal expansion material variations using the mechanism of interference have attempted to compensate for such instrument errors in two primary ways. Some employ common path interferometry so that machine changes equally affect the common path portions of test and reference beams. However, these interferometers have difficulty consistently relating the test and reference beams where the beams depart in the vicinity of the test materials under investigation. Joints and other connections between reference surfaces and the test material are significant sources of error. Other such instruments include a first interferometer for measuring the test material and a second interferometer for simultaneously measuring the instrument. The simultaneous measurements are generally taken along parallel paths. However, the instrument-measuring path does not account for all of the spurious variations undergone by the test material-measuring path.

Device for high-accuracy measurement of dimensional changes


In a shift mechanism for an outboard motor mounted on a stem of a boat and having an internal combustion engine at its upper portion and a propeller at its lower portion that is powered by the engine to propel the boat, having an electric motor installed in the outboard motor, a shift rod rotatably connected to the electric motor, a shifter clutch connected to the shift rod, the shifter clutch being movable by the shift rod from a neutral position to engage with at least one of a forward gear and a reverse gear, and a controller controlling the electric motor to rotate the shift rod such that the shifter clutch engages with the forward gear or the reverse gear, corresponding to an inputted shift instruction made by the operator, there is provided a shock mitigator mitigating shock generated during the shift. The shock mitigator comprises projections formed on the clutch and the forward/reverse gear. Alternatively, the electric motor and its reduction-gear mechanism are accommodated in a case to be located above the shift rod. Further, there is provided an emergency gear that allows the shift rod to be rotated manually to effect shift.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a shift mechanism for an outboard motor.
2. Description of the Related Art
In outboard motor shift mechanisms, a shift is usually changed by moving a shift rod having a cam at its distal end in the longitudinal direction to slide a shift slider such that a clutch is switched from its neutral position to a forward position where it engages with a forward gear or a reverse position where it engages with a reverse gear.
Alternatively, a shift rod is provided with a rod pin at a position eccentric from the rod center, in such a way that a shift slider is slid to effect shift by a distance due to a displacement of the rod pin caused by a rotation of the shift rod. The distance of travel of the rod pin corresponds to a circular arc whose radius is the amount of eccentricity of the rod pin.
In the outboard motor shift mechanisms including that mentioned above, when the shift rod is operated manually, since the operator tends to have an unpleasant operation "feel" owing to, for instance, heavy load, it has hitherto been proposed installing an actuator at the hull and connecting it with the shift rod in the outboard motor through a cable or a link mechanism to power-assist the driving of the shift rod, i.e. the shift, as taught in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. Hei 4 (1992)-95598.
The add-on system using such an actuator has disadvantages that its structure is complicated, that it adds to the number and weight of the components, and it needs a space for the actuator at the hull.
Further, the outboard motor shift mechanisms are usually constituted as a meshed type of clutch comprising a shifter clutch and forward/reverse gears to be meshed therewith, i.e., the so-called "dog clutch". In this type of clutch, unless the rotation of drive shaft side (forward/reverse gears) and that of driven shaft side (shifter clutch) are in synchronism with each other, projections formed thereon do not fit into mated recesses smoothly at the beginning of shift, thereby causing shock to happen. With this, the drive train (including the drive shaft, propeller shaft) may have excessive stress.
In order to avoid this problem, it has been known to mitigate such an excessive stress by dividing the drive shaft and propeller shaft into two parts and by connecting them through an elastic member, as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2000-280983. However, this also has disadvantages that its structure is complicated, that it adds to the number and weight of the components.
Furthermore, when an actuator is installed to move the shift rod, the shift rod may preferably be moved without using the actuator, in case of failure of the actuator.


A ceiling mounted air conditioner is provided. The ceiling mounted air conditioner includes a main body configured to be fixed onto a ceiling and have an open bottom; an outlet panel configured to be coupled to a lower part of the main body and have a plurality of air outlets; an intake panel configured to be coupled to the outlet panel and have an air intake; a door panel configured to be lifted up or down from the bottom of the intake panel and thus to open or shut the air intake; and a human body sensor module configured to be installed in the door panel, to begin to operate when the door panel is lifted down and to sense a movement of a user. Since the ceiling mounted air conditioner can blow air-conditioned air toward the user in a localized manner, it is possible to improve the performance of the ceiling mounted air conditioner.

In general, ceiling mounted air conditioners are devices for controlling indoor temperature by discharging air-conditioned air into a room and can be installed at the ceiling of a room.
Ceiling mounted air conditioners perform various functions not only including an air-conditioning function but also including an air-circulating function and an air-filtering function.
However, conventional ceiling mounted air conditioners simply blow air-conditioned air into a room through air outlets regardless of the location of a user in the room and thus may not be able to provide localized air conditioning.


A currency converter operable in program, convert and calculator modes enables operators in program mode to store multiple foreign exchange rates in a data table of pre-stored currencies, enables in convert mode to perform both multiple, single-currency conversions as well as cross-currency conversions, and enables in calculate mode to perform arithmetic and memory functions passing computations seamlessly between convert and calculator modes. The currency converter is compact enough to comfortably fit in pocket or purse, and is battery powered. The currency converter includes a dual currency display that provides intuitively transparent operation substantially free from data entry errors and that allows users to select, and to see, two relevant currencies, home and foreign, or foreign and foreign, at the same time. Relevant foreign exchange rates may be entered prior to travel, freeing the user from on-site use anxieties.

During travel and in other situations, it is common practice to convert the prices of goods and services expressed in a foreign currency into one's own home (or other) currency. To obtain the equivalent value in one's own currency, the foreign price is multiplied by the home currency/foreign currency exchange rate either mentally, manually with pencil and paper, or with the aid of a portable electronic calculator
While currency conversion is simple in principle, complications all too frequently have arisen in practice. The mental calculation technique is subject to computational error, particularly where the price is large and/or the exchange rate is an unruly decimal or ratio. In addition, the mental calculation technique always calls for a modicum of concentration, and mental stress may be introduced, particularly where the situation is "busy" or otherwise does not readily allow the mental calm necessary to perform the calculation.
The manual calculation technique is also subject to human calculation error, and suffers the further disadvantages that even when pencil and paper are readily available, the time and effort involved in performing the calculations may be experienced as disruptive, and may heighten the sometimes uncomfortable feeling of being in a foreign land far from home.
While free from computation error, the use of a calculator is encumbered by the need to remember, and to enter, the exchange rate separately for each price conversion. In addition, the situations where each conversion is to be calculated are often such as to disturb mental calm, and anxieties may arise either from worry that the correct form of the exchange ratio has been entered or that the calculation has been accurately performed.
Calculators pre-programmed to do currency conversion have been devised in the effort to help alleviate these difficulties. The single-foreign/single-home currency exchanger commercially available from Magellens.TM. is representative of this class of devices. In use, the exchange rate to be employed is first manually entered and stored in the currency exchanger, and thereafter, each foreign price is entered and the currency exchanger automatically converts it to the home currency.
The heretofore known single-foreign/single-home currency converters have been disadvantageous in multi-country travel and other situations. Not only has the old exchange rate had to be cleared and the new country's exchange rate manually entered with entry into each new country, but also it has not been practicable to perform multiple, cross-country currency conversion. Moreover, the user interfaces of the heretofore known single-foreign/single-home currency converters have generally been less than intuitive. Displaying only a numeric field, the heretofore known devices were subject to uncertain data entry, and to a lingering suspicion that somehow the conversion may have been unreliable.


A faucet-mounted filter in which a housing is positioned in flow transmitting relation with the water flow line. A microporous, filter is positioned to sealingly occlude water flow through the housing so that all water flow through the housing must pas through porous walls of the filter. The pores of the filter walls are no larger than 0.22 micron, as measured by the particles that the pores pass. Thus the filter is capable of microbial filtering.

The supplying of microorganism-free water to users is a continuing technological problem, although water treatment is an old technology which finds use in virtually every city. Typically, the water is chlorinated to destroy microorganisms, with the chlorinating agents being added in quantities so that only minimal amounts of chlorine remain in the water after microorganisms and other organic materials have been neutralized by the free chlorine present.
One specific technical problem that remains to the present day is the problem with water that sits in stagnant manner in faucets between uses. Such water can exhibit a growth of microorganisms. Thus, when the faucet is turned on after a long period of disuse, the first aliquot of water delivered can have a relatively high bacterial count, even if the water was initially filtered and chlorinated.
This problem is addressed in Norton U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,676,896; 4,980,056; and 5,045,198. In the first cited patent, a faucet-mounted ultraviolet irradiation unit is provided for purification of water at the faucet, to inactivate bacteria that may have grown upstream in the line during a period of inactivity, and also to inactivate bacteria and virus present in the water as supplied. Such a unit of course requires electric power.
By this invention, a faucet-mounted water purifier is provided which requires no electric power, and which can be used for the reliable removal of bacteria, and even virus, from water as it passes through the faucet. Because the invention of this application is a faucet-mounted unit, it is capable of removing microorganisms from water which has remained in stagnant manner in the faucet region for a substantial period of time, with resulting bacterial growth. The faucet-mounted purifier of this invention can remove bacteria that are downstream from the conventional filters and irradiators of the prior art which are customarily used in water lines, so that even initial aliquots of water from a freshly turned-on faucet will be substantially microorganism free.


Embodiments relate to stale data detection in a marked channel for a scrub. An aspect includes bringing the marked channel online, wherein the computer comprises a plurality of memory channels comprising the marked channel and a remaining plurality of unmarked channels. Another aspect includes performing a scrub read of an address in the plurality of memory channels. Another aspect includes determining whether data returned by the scrub read from the marked channel is valid or stale based on data returned from the unmarked channels by the scrub read. Another aspect includes based on determining that the data returned by the scrub read from the marked channel is valid, not performing a scrub writeback to the marked channel. Another aspect includes based on determining that the data returned by the scrub read from the marked channel is stale, performing a scrub writeback of corrected data to the marked channel.

The present invention relates generally to computer memory, and more specifically, to stale data detection in a marked channel for a scrub in a computer memory
Memory device densities have continued to grow as computer systems have become more powerful. With the increase in density comes an increased probability of encountering a memory failure during normal system operations. Techniques to detect and correct bit errors have evolved into an elaborate science over the past several decades. One detection technique is the generation of odd or even parity where the number of 1's or 0's in a data word are "exclusive or-ed" (XOR-ed) together to produce a parity bit. If there is a single error present in the data word during a read operation, it can be detected by regenerating parity from the data and then checking to see that it matches the stored (originally generated) parity.
The parity technique may be extended to not only detect errors, but to also correct errors by appending an XOR field, i.e., an error correction code (ECC) field, to each data, or code, word. The ECC field is a combination of different bits in the word XOR-ed together so that some number of errors can be detected, pinpointed, and corrected. The number of errors that can be detected, pinpointed, and corrected is related to the length of the ECC field appended to the data word. ECC techniques have been used to improve availability of storage systems by correcting memory device (e.g., dynamic random access memory or "DRAM") failures so that customers do not experience data loss or data integrity issues due to failure of a memory device.
Redundant array of independent memory (RAIM) systems have been developed to improve performance and/or to increase the availability of storage systems. RAIM distributes data across several independent memory modules that each contain one or more memory devices. There are many different RAIM schemes that have been developed each having different characteristics, and different pros and cons associated with them. Performance, availability, and utilization/efficiency (the percentage of the disks that actually hold customer data) vary across different RAIM schemes. Improvements in one attribute may result in reductions in another.
One method of improving performance and/or reliability in memory systems is to mark individual memory chips as potentially faulty. In addition, when an entire memory channel fails, the channel itself may be marked as faulty. Channel marking allows the RAIM system to ignore a single channel (e.g., one out of five) during the ECC decoding and correcting phase of a fetch to improve correctability of the data. The channel mark guards against detected catastrophic channel errors, such as bus errors that cause bad cyclic redundancy check (CRC) or clock problems using software and/or hardware logic.
The software and/or hardware logic also supports two DRAM chip marks which are applied on a per-rank basis to guard against bad chips. These DRAM marks are used to protect the fetch data against chip kills (i.e., chips that have severe defects). However, if there is an overabundance of DRAM errors in a rank, the DRAM marks may not be sufficient to repair the chip errors. This increases the possibility for uncorrectable errors if additional chips fail after the two chips of that rank are marked. In addition, certain calibration errors can cause a high rate of channel errors that could lead to uncorrectable errors. If this happens, any number of DRAMs may be affected, causing DRAM mark availability to be limited.
Examples of RAIM systems may be found, for instance, in U.S. Patent Publication Number 2011/0320864, titled "Heterogenous Recovery in a Redundant Memory System", filed on Jun. 24, 2010, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety; in U.S. Patent Publication Number 2011/0320869, titled "Heterogenous Recovery in a Redundant Memory System", filed on Jun. 24, 2010, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety; and in U.S. Patent Publication Number 2012/0173936, titled "Channel Marking for Chip Mark Overflow and Calibration Errors", filed on Dec. 29, 2010, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Stale data detection in marked channel for scrub

International Business Machines Corporation


An air sample collection apparatus and methods for operating the air sample collection apparatus are provided. The air sample apparatus comprises a plurality of air canisters comprising at least a first canister and a second canister, a multi-position valve comprising an outlet, and an inlet region, which are fluidly connected to a plurality of ports. Each respective port is fluidly connected to a canister of the plurality of air canisters, a pump operable to provide pressurized sample air to the inlet region of the multi-position valve, and a computing device operable to open and close each respective port fluidly coupled to each canister of the plurality of canisters.

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are ubiquitous in the atmosphere and consist of several subgroups or classes including non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC), oxygenated VOCs (OVOCs) and halogenated VOCs (HVOCs). The production of ozone and other photooxidants and particulate matter by reactions of VOCs and NOx is recognized as a serious global environmental problem. Other VOCs are directly emitted air toxics.
There is a need for higher resolution determination of the mass flux balance of VOCs. In order to generate mass flux data, it is necessary to generate measurements of VOC concentrations or mixing ratios and wind measurements at a series of positions, for example for multiple latitude and longitude coordinates or for a profile of altitudes. Preferably, the mass flux would be measured for a wide range of VOC species. With higher quality mass flux VOC data, it may be possible to better identify and quantify distinct industrial and natural sources of pollution, for example pollution from oil and natural gas production, and determine how that pollution is being transported through the planetary boundary layer. Improved VOC flux data could be further used to validate atmospheric models of the turbulent atmospheric boundary layer for air quality forecasting of ozone, particulates, and other air toxins, and for long-term global monitoring of atmospheric trace gasses.
Lightweight air sampling instruments paired with small, unmanned aerial systems (UASs) have the potential vastly increase VOC flux data and concentration measurements. However, the identification and quantification of a wide range of atmospheric VOCs species has previously been performed using different techniques, some of which are tailored to the analysis of only a few species or face other limitations. For instance, several prior methods suffer from long sample collection times and only a few samples per flight.
Prior methods of measuring atmospheric trace gasses include the AirCore Sampling system. The AirCore sampling system comprises a long, tightly wound single tube with a small inner diameter launched via balloon. During the descent, sample air flows into the tube, and a valve closes when the AirCore lands to seal the sample gas inside. While the AirCore Sampling system is able to separate and identify long-lived greenhouse gases such as CH4, CO2, and CO, the AirCores small inner diameter limits its usefulness for detecting a wide range of VOCs. In addition, the AirCore provides very small gas sample sizes, which may not provide an adequate signal to noise ratio for many applications.
Prior methods also include installing a single two-liter evacuated stainless steel canister on a helicopter to collect gas samples. The canister is opened automatically or remotely at altitude and allowed to fill with ambient sample air. The air sample collected is limited by turbulence due to helicopter rotor wash. In addition, because the two-liter vacuum canister has a long fill time, it also provides for poor spatial sampling.
Other prior methods include the use of a filtered, VOC-absorbent cartridge system. The VOC-absorbent cartridge system is used to absorb trace gasses, which may be later evaluated via gas chromatography in a lab. Desorption of VOCs from the cartridges can lead to measurement artifacts, high blanks, and high detection limits, however. Moreover, VOC-absorbent cartridge systems require long integrations, 10 minutes per sample. Much like the other methods, the cartridge system provides for poor spatial resolution.
As unmanned aerial systems (UASs) become more common, they represent a possible way to obtain VOC data more quickly and for lower cost over balloons and manned aircraft. Many prior methods include equipment that is too heavy or bulky to fly on low cost UASs, however. In addition, the prior methods are ill equipped to deal with rotor washout eddies and turbulence caused by the UAS copter blades, which can introduce sampling artifacts and obstruct ambient housekeeping measurements of the atmosphere. Many of these methods are also without accurate housekeeping measurements that could be used to help determine background meteorological conditions to help interpret the VOC measurements.
What is needed is a system with faster air sampling to obtain measurements more quickly, the ability to obtain multiple samples that may be resolved over multiple locations, the ability to obtain ambient air samples and wind samples that are not subject to rotor washout, and a system that is also light weight, more compact, and easier to use.

Air sample collection apparatus and methods for use

University Corporation for Atmospheric Research


A rack equipment power pricing plan control system and method is presented. In one embodiment of the present invention, a power pricing plan rack equipment control method is utilized to control operation of rack equipment. A power pricing plan for operating the rack equipment is established. The rack equipment is operated in accordance with the power pricing plan.

Electronic systems and circuits have made a significant contribution towards the advancement of modern society and are utilized in a number of applications to achieve advantageous results. Numerous electronic technologies such as digital computers, calculators, audio devices, video equipment, and telephone systems have facilitated increased productivity and reduced costs in analyzing and communicating data, ideas and trends in most areas of business, science, education and entertainment. Frequently, electronic systems designed to provide these advantageous results are realized through the leveraged utilization of centralized resources by distributed network nodes. These centralized resources can consume a significant amount of power and changes in power prices can have significant impacts on the overall cost of operating the centralized resources.
Centralizing certain resources within a distributed network typically provides desirable benefits. Clients interested in engaging a host to provide centralized resources and services typically have a desire to avoid providing the infrastructure, operation and maintenance directly themselves. Managing and maintaining different types of rack equipment and numerous applications in a typical large and complicated centralized networked host resource environment for a variety of different clients raises many challenging operational issues. A typical hosting infrastructure usually involves a variety of support activities that can have a significant impact on the services provided and the cost of the service, such as costs associated with power consumption.
The manner in which centralized resources are operated is very importance. For example, fixed preset rack equipment operating levels are often assigned upon a perceived generic implementation without consideration of variations in economic conditions. The dynamic nature and high variability of power costs and other economic issues can have significant impacts on operation costs. Traditional approaches to changes in power pricing usually involve inflexible default power drops. For example, power is consumed on a constant basis without regard to power price changes. Limited attempts at manually adjusting the rack equipment usually require the operator to have extensive knowledge and understanding of unique features of each piece of equipment. The complexity and typical dynamic interaction of rack equipment tends to increase the probability of human error in making adjustments. In addition, there is usually very little notice of dynamic changes in power pricing and manual reaction techniques usually have difficulty accommodating processing activity with urgent timing requirements.

Rack equipment power pricing plan control system and method

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


An optical scanning device for reading data stored on a rotating recording medium having a scanning head; at least one guide device for guiding the scanning head along a predefined track; at least one bearing device connected to the scanning head for supporting the at least one guide device and having at least one elastic prestressing device to provide a static prestress on the at least one guide device to prestress the same and the at least one bearing device connected to the scanning head against each other to eliminate a relative displacement.

An optical scanning head of a scanning device is guided along a data track to read data stored on a rotating recording medium.
The scanning head directs a light beam onto the rotating recording medium through a lens attached to the scanning head to acquire the recorded information by scanning the data tracks applied to the recording medium. In order to avoid data reading errors, it is important in particular that the light beam is always guided exactly along the data tracks and is focused on the recording medium.
The housing of, e.g., a compact disc (CD) drive installed in a motor vehicle in particular is exposed to various shocks. If the playback device is subjected to vibrations, inertia forces act on the scanning device. At the same time, changes in the position of the laser beam relative to the data track occur since all components present tend to move with respect to each other due to the inertia forces. However, since the function of the device depends on a continuous exact positioning of the scanning head relative to the recording medium, there is in this case the danger of an interruption of function or data reading.
The tolerance for positional accuracy corresponds roughly to the geometric width of the data tracks. This is equivalent to approximately 1.6 μm in a compact disc and approximately 0.740 μm in a digital video disc (DVD).
The optical scanning head is moved on a radial track under the recording medium. Of critical significance for the vibration performance is the quality of the linear guidance of the optical scanning head on this radial track. In stationary operation, irregularities of guidance are compensated for by adjusting the optics. An electronic regulating device of the optical adjustment is adequately able to balance slowly changing deviations.
German Published Patent Application No. 196 42 343 describes a method used to regulate the focusing of a light beam of a scanning device directed onto a rotating recording medium to read data on the recording medium and the guidance of the light beam along the data tracks of the recording medium by at least one closed-loop control circuit. However, only translatory movements of the scanning device caused by vibrations in a lower frequency range up to approximately 100–200 Hz are correctable by this method. Vibrations in a frequency range above this limit cannot be compensated.
The manufacturing conditions cause fit tolerances among the individual components which cause them to undergo shocklike movements under vibration. However, the high-frequency components contained in the shocklike movements overtax the electronic regulating devices of the optics. This results in a malfunction of the read-write function.
These problems are illustrated in FIGS. 5a, 5b, and 6.
FIGS. 5a and 5b illustrate the presence of a fit tolerance 4 between a guide device 11 which guides scanning head 10 along a predefined track and a bearing device 12 for the support of guide device 11.
For cost reasons, scanning head 10 is guided on the other side only by a forked guide element.
For the sake of greater comprehensibility, pivot 20 and a section of data track 21 of recording medium 2 are shown in FIG. 5.
FIG. 6 shows a diagram of the vibration curves of the scanning head and of the entire recording device under acceleration events in the case of the presence of fit tolerances. A relative movement between the scanning head and the recording device due to inertia forces and the fit tolerance is clearly recognizable.


A method for rendering video frames by a computing device having a software stack with an application layer and a kernel layer comprises various steps. First, a system reference time is initialized. A triggering of an interrupt signal in the kernel layer is waited for. Next, it is determined whether to update the system reference time as a function of a render function from the application layer. A next video frame in the kernel layer is rendered by the computing device as a function of the determined system reference time and the next video frame. The steps after the initializing step and starting at the waiting step are recursively performed.

A computing device having a mobile operating system, e.g., Android, Blackberry, iOS, Windows Phone, Firefox OS, Sailfish OS, Symbian, Ubuntu Touch OS, etc., can run various software applications ("apps"), e.g., video game apps, video streaming apps, news reader apps, etc. The mobile operating system can be installed onto the computing device, e.g., a smart phone, tablet, laptop, personal digital assistant, set-top box, portable computer, etc. The software applications can run on a higher software layer than the mobile operating system.
Due to the complexity of the apps and the amount of video processing for the apps, timely generation of video graphics by the computing device has become problematic; especially when more flexibility is provided from the media framework to the application layer to allow the use of video decoders and to control the video frame rendering timing from a user space level. In particular, the computing device may not be able to fulfill requests for video decoding and video rendering for the apps in a timely fashion, causing frame jumps.
For instance, a gaming app running on the computing device can be programmed in a programming language such as C++, java, etc. The gaming app runs on an application layer, but ultimately uses kernel layer function calls to perform decoding and rendering of the video graphics of the gaming app. The computing device processes video decoding function calls via a video decoder of the computing device. The decoded video frames are stored in memory of the computing device and are rendered via a rendering module of the computing device at the selected time for rendering.
A processor of the computing device (e.g., a graphics processor unit ("GPU") or other computer processor) can be used to implement the decoder and the rendering module. However, as the processor is inundated with various other computing threads, the processor may not be able to decode and render the video frames at an appropriate rate to properly display the video frames on a display of the computing device. This can cause frame jumping when the video data is viewed on the display.
Frame jumping is further exacerbated by the extended amount of time that it takes for the render function calls from the application layer to eventually reach the kernel layer. Typically, the gaming app sends the latest-to-be-rendered frame with an application programming interface ("API") provided from the media framework layer to lower layers of the software stack (e.g., to the kernel layer) to perform the actual rendering at the kernel layer. However, if video rendering falls behind time stamps of the video frames to be rendered, then the video frames may not be rendered at the proper time and lead to video frame jumps. Video frame jumps can lead to non-smooth video playback, which is undesirable when viewed by a user.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide methods, apparatuses, and systems for timing control of video rendering by a computing device having a mobile operating system to reduce or eliminate frame jumps.

Video frame processing on a mobile operating system


Provided is a method for manipulating a membrane element within a pressure vessel including a central axis, a distal end, a proximal end and an inlet disposed at the proximal end. The membrane element has a membrane element front face with at least one fluid opening and a membrane element rear face. The membrane element is received within the pressure vessel such that the membrane element front face faces the proximal end, with a possibility to be moved along the central axis by an axial force applied to the membrane element front face. The method includes disposing a fluid-tight element in the pressure vessel to form a fluid chamber at the proximal end between the inlet and the fluid-tight element, and introducing fluid into the fluid chamber to displace the membrane element along the central axis in the direction towards the distal end of the pressure vessel.

Different types of feed water (e.g., brackish water, seawater, treated wastewater, etc.) can be treated in order to be purified and converted to fresh water so it is suitable for human consumption, irrigation or industrial use. This water can be treated by different techniques, one of which is the reverse osmosis technique. According to this technique, pressure is used to force salty feed water against membranes sheets disposed in a membrane element which allow relatively salt free water to pass through. The membrane sheets which are used for reverse osmosis can have a dense barrier layer in a polymer matrix where most separation occurs. The water can are be treated in other techniques such as nanofiltration and ultrafiltration, in which other types of membranes can be used. In most cases, the membrane sheet is designed to allow only water to pass through this dense layer, while preventing the passage of solutes (such as salt ions). This process requires that a high pressure be exerted on the high concentration side of the membrane element, usually 40-70 bar for feed water which is seawater, which has around 27 bar (390 psi) natural osmotic pressure that must be overcome.
The membrane element in which the membrane sheets are disposed is usually installed inside a pressure vessel. From time to time, there may be a need to extract the membrane element from the pressure vessel for different necessities such as maintenance or replacement. The extraction of the membrane element from the pressure vessel can be a difficult task, for example, when the membrane element is tightly received within the pressure vessel, when the pressure vessel is disposed high in the desalination system, or when there is an accumulation of salts between the membrane element and the pressure vessel.
Therefore, there is need to develop a method according to which the membrane element can be manipulated and moved within the pressure vessel.

Method for manipulating a membrane element within a pressure vessel


A process for upgrading a liquid petroleum or chemical stream wherein said stream flows countercurrent to the flow of a treat gas, such as a hydrogen-containing gas, in at least one reaction zone. Injecting feed into one or more downstream reaction zones controls the temperature of at least one reaction zone.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for upgrading a liquid petroleum or chemical stream wherein said stream flows countercurrent to the flow of a treat gas, such as a hydrogen-containing gas, in at least one reaction zone. Injecting feed into one or more downstream reaction zones controls the temperature of at least one reaction zone.
2. Background of the Invention
There is a continuing need in the petroleum refining and chemical industries for catalyst and process technology that result in increase yields of desirable products and lower yields of undesirable components, especially those related to environmental concerns. One such process technology, hydroprocessing, has been subjected to increasing demands for improved heteroatom removal, aromatic saturation, and boiling point reduction. More active catalysts and improved reaction vessel designs are needed to meet these demands. Countercurrent hydroprocessing, where the liquid feedstream flows counter to upflowing treat gas, has the potential of meeting some of these demands because they offer certain advantages over co-current process where the liquid feedstream and treat gas flow co-currently. Countercurrent hydroprocessing is well known, but it has never reached its commercial potential, primarily because of flooding problems. Within a counter current flow reactor the up flowing treat gas becomes saturated with reaction products and lighter components of the feed. Typical reaction products of consequence are H2S, NH3, H2O, and light hydrocarbon products due to cracking, saturation, or heteroatom removal. These species increase the mass flux of the vapor phase thereby reducing the hydraulic capacity of a given diameter reactor; they also depress hydrogen partial pressure thereby reducing favorable reaction kinetics and thermodynamics. The condensable portions of these species present additional problems because as they move up the reactor into cooler or reduced treat gas (due to consumption) regimes they may condense increasing the down flowing liquid rate. This phenomenon can create a reflux loop within the reactor that can exceed the fresh feed rate. The refluxing is detrimental for two reasons: hydraulic capacity of the given reactor diameter is reduced and feed dilution results in less favorable reaction kinetics and thermodynamics.
A countercurrent process is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,147,210 that teaches a two-stage process for the hydroprocessing-hydrogenation of high boiling aromatic hydrocarbons. The feedstock is first subjected to catalytic hydroprocessing, preferably in co-current flow with a hydrogen-rich treat gas, then subjected to hydrogenation over a sulfur-sensitive noble metal hydrogenation catalyst countercurrent to the flow of a hydrogen-rich gas. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,767,562 and 3,775,291 disclose a similar process for producing jet fuels, except the jet fuel is first hydrodesulfurized prior to two-stage hydrogenation. U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,556 also discloses a two-stage concurrent-countercurrent process for hydrofiningxe2x80x94hydrogenating aromatics in a diesel fuel stream. Any resulting vapor phase reaction products are swept upwards by the upward-flowing treat gas. Such vapor-phase reaction products may include relatively low boiling hydrocarbons and heteroatom components, such as H2S and NH3, as well as a heavy hydrocarbon tail gas. The heavier molecules in the vapor phase product of countercurrent hydroprocessing decrease its quality and make further hydroprocessing of the vapor phase product difficult.
Therefore, there still exists a need for improved countercurrent hydroprocessing reaction designs.
In accordance with the present invention there is provided a process for hydroprocessing a hydrocarbonaceous feedstream, which process comprises:
a) introducing a portion of said feedstream into a reaction vessel upstream from at least one reaction zone and passing said feedstream through two or more reaction zones operated at hydroprocessing conditions, wherein each reaction zone contains a bed of hydroprocessing catalyst;
b) introducing a hydrogen-containing treat gas at the bottom of said reaction vessel and passing it upward through at least one reaction zone countercurrent to the flow of liquid feedstream, thereby reacting with said feedstream in the presence of said hydroprocessing catalysts and resulting in a liquid phase product stream and a vapor phase product stream;
c) passing the liquid phase product out of the bottom of said reaction vessels;
d) removing the vapor phase product stream overhead of said reaction zones; and
e) wherein the temperature of one or more of said reaction zones is controlled by introducing a fraction of said feedstream upstream of said one or more reaction zones.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention said temperature of said reaction vessel is controlled so that its temperature throughout the vessel is substantially isothermal.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention there are two or more discrete feedstreams being fed to said process and the fraction used for temperature control is selected from the feedstream that is less difficult to hydroprocess.

Countercurrent hydroprocessing with feedstream quench to control temperature


Supporting element for building constructions, comprising an outer tube (3) made of sheet steel, in which an inner tube (1) can be telescoped, the outer tube having ridges (13) intentionally provided by way of deformation and constituting a guide for the inner tube (1). As a result, lateral damages such as dents caused during construction operations may be absorbed by the wider portions of the outer tube (3) without impeding the telescopic capability of the inner tube (1). For coupling this element, a ring (23) is welded to the outer tube (3) which ring has a widened portion (31) at the location of each ridge (13), so that between the tube and the ring a cavity (33) is created which may accommodate the hooked end (35) of a coupling element (37). This end can be locked in that cavity by means of a lever (39) clamped with its end portion (54) against the bottom of the ring (23) by way of a displacing mechanism (41).

The invention relates to a supporting element to be used in building constructions, comprising a metal inner tube telescoping in a metal outer tube.
An element of this type is generally known and is used for various purposes in concrete construction works, for example, for vertically supporting forms for casting concrete floors, for erecting scaffoldings, or for providing support in a horizontal plane between, for example, two vertical walls.
The known constructions made of aluminium are formed by a set of telescopingly extending metal tubes having clearance, whose ends may comprise a fixed or hingeable foot or head plate and which tubes may further include means for not permitting the tubes to depart from each other. So-called adjustable and shoring struts and also standards for so-called frames in scaffoldings, as well as telescopic tube constructions for supporting vertical walls are generally known examples of said supporting elements.
In the known constructions for temporary support, preferably free adjustable struts, that is to say, without the need for much time-consuming header and shoring ties, are utilized to save time during forming and dismantling. The load-bearing capacity of a thus loaded adjustable strut is thus determined by the failure load as a result of the buckling of the adjustable strut, and which failure load is especially determined by the ratio of buckling length to the moment of inertia of the tubes. Because adjustable struts are normally to be installed and removed manually, in the known construction it is pursued to manufacture a lightest possible adjustable strut which possesses maximum loadability. For the known supporting elements a round tube is selected for this purpose, which tube has a maximum diameter and a small wall thickness, so that a tube construction is obtained having a maximum moment of inertia in all directions.
However, a relatively small wall thickness has appeared not to be capable of withstanding rough handling on the building site. Dents thus developed impede the telescopic operation of the inner tube relative to the outer tube. These deformations of the outer tube are usually caused by struts falling over or falling on top of each other when placed in the appropriate transport containers. Especially the protruding foot and head plates cause locally sharp dents during this operation. As a result, the telescopic operation of the tubes is rendered more difficult, if not completely impossible. In order to obtain a favourable load-bearing capacity of the construction, it is important that there be minimum clearance between the outer and inner tubes, but minor deformations of the outer tube may already terminate the telescopic operation of the tubes. Furthermore, generally as a safety precaution, the end of the inner tube sliding in the outer tube has a protuberance that is incapable of passing through the hole at the top of the outer tube, so that the inner tube is withheld from completely sliding out of the outer tube. A relatively large tube diameter further has the disadvantage that such constructions are hard to handle by hand.

Supporting element to be used in building constructions

B. van Heesselstraat 5, P.O. Box 58 5735 ZH


The present invention refers to systems and to methods for determining at least one parameter relating to a tire-to-road contact and/or a relation between a wheel and a vehicle motion. In particular, the present invention refers to systems and to methods for determining the coefficient of friction between a tire and a road surface. For that purpose, the systems and methods according to the invention use new estimation filtering procedures.

The coefficient of friction is often a crucial parameter for the control of driver assistance systems, such as e.g. anti-skid systems (ABS), traction control systems (ASR) or electronic stability programs (ESP) in all kind of vehicles. For such systems which are integrated in the vehicle, it is valuable to know at which actual values of the slip of the individual tire the friction is best utilized under all different driving conditions, i.e. during constant driving, accelerating and braking both at longitudinal and turning movements of the vehicle. The actual value of friction can be also communicated to the driver in order to provide him with information which driving style will be adequate.
It is well known that the tires of a vehicle are exposed to slip, which occurs due to the difference between the vehicle speed and the rotational speed of the single wheels, when forces between the tires and the road surface have to be transferred during driving. In addition to this longitudinal slip, lateral slip occurs when the tire is moving perpendicular to the rotational direction.
In this context, much effort still is spent on developing algorithms for the estimation of different parameters relating to a tire-to-road contact and/or a relation between a wheel and a vehicle motion, in particular for the estimation of the coefficient of friction, a parameter which cannot be measured or sensed directly during driving.
In recent developments, in general, when dealing with the dynamics in vehicles and the control of the forces to be developed by the tire, recursive estimation algorithms are used which mainly are based on the common assumption that the tire forces can be expressed by a nonlinear function which is dependent on the slip and in addition on a set of parameters which describe the actual conditions of the tire and the road surface.
Such approaches take into account that the tire force which is developed at a particular slip substantially depends on other factors, such as tire pressure, tire temperature, tire load etc., whereby different models have been developed in order to describe the parameter-dependent behaviour and relations. Other signals to be used in such algorithms include the wheel speed, the vehicle speed, the engine torque, longitudinal and lateral accelerations of the vehicle, vehicle yaw rate etc.
In general, parameters related to the vehicle motion may include all kind of motions, forces and torques acting on and in the vehicle as well as on the individual wheels.
For example, concerning the determination of the coefficient of friction, European patent EP 0 630 786 B1 suggests a method, in which the wheel speed, the rotational acceleration of the vehicle wheel and the braking pressure are determined, the wheel slip is calculated therefrom and from these values the coefficient of friction is determined by means of linear recursive estimation algorithms.
One well-known approach is based on the estimation of the tire stiffness, which can be described by the inclination of the tire force relative to the tire slip at low slips. From the value of the inclination it is distinguished between different conditions of the road surface by using a linear tire model which assumes that the actual tire stiffness and the actual road condition are interrelated.
However, the tire stiffness depends on many factors and a generic relation between the inclination and the exact coefficient of friction or other parameters relating to a tire-to-road contact and/or a relation between a wheel and a vehicle motion is therefore not possible to obtain. Even the surface detection is not always reliable due to the large variation of the tire stiffness invoked by other reasons. Thus, the use of the tire stiffness as an indicator for friction, other tire-dependent or other vehicle motion-dependent parameters is limited to certain, few real conditions. This is particular due to the fact that the parameters used for the algorithms in question can change quickly so that also the importance of each particular parameter changes as the value of, e.g. the slip changes. In some scenarios, the curvature of the relation between the tire force and the tire slip might be misinterpreted as a changed value of the tire stiffness for higher tire forces.

Systems and methods for determining a parameter relating a tire-to-road contact and/or a relation between a wheel and a vehicle motion


Systems and processes for operating an intelligent automated assistant are provided. In one example process a set of words including a grammatical error is received. The process can generate, using a neural network based on the set of words including the grammatical error and a reference set of words, a transformed set of words and further determine, based on the set of words including the grammatical error and the reference set of words, a reconstructed reference set of words. The process can also determine, based on a comparison of the transformed set of words and the reconstructed reference set of words, whether the transformed set of words is grammatically correct and provide an indication of whether the transformed set of words is grammatically correct to the neural network.

Intelligent automated assistants (or digital assistants) can provide a beneficial interface between human users and electronic devices. Such assistants can allow users to interact with devices or systems using natural language in spoken and/or text forms. For example, a user can provide a speech input containing a user request to a digital assistant operating on an electronic device. The digital assistant can interpret the user's intent from the speech input and operationalize the user's intent into tasks. The tasks can then be performed by executing one or more services of the electronic device, and a relevant output responsive to the user request can be returned to the user.
In some circumstances, intelligent automated assistants can perform tasks automatically without receiving a request from a user. For example, a user may enter text into an application in order to perform a task, such as sending a text message or email to a friend. While entering the text, the user may enter a set of words that contains a grammatical error. In such cases, the intelligent automated assistant may recognize the grammatical error and provide the user with a notification of the grammatical error. However, detection of grammatical errors may be limited to a few specific types of common grammatical errors and thus may ignore other errors that the user makes. As an example, an intelligent automated assistant may not recognize a grammatical error when a word entered by the user is spelled correctly but contextually incorrect. As another example, the detection of grammatical errors may be limited to errors that the user has previously made and corrected a predetermined number of times.

Automatic grammar detection and correction


A namespace and storage management (NSM) application includes an infrastructure configured to enable efficient management of resources in a storage system environment. The NSM application executes on a NSM console and interacts with an NSM server to integrate namespace management and storage management in the storage system environment. The NSM server, in turn, interacts with one or more remote agents installed on host machines in the environment to convey application programming interface (API) function calls that enable remote management of the resources.

A storage system typically comprises one or more storage devices into which information may be entered, and from which information may be obtained, as desired. The storage system includes an operating system that functionally organizes the system by, inter alia, invoking storage operations in support of a storage service implemented by the system. The storage system generally provides its storage services through the execution of software modules, such as processes. The storage system may be implemented in accordance with a variety of storage architectures including, but not limited to, a network-attached storage environment, a storage area network and a disk assembly directly attached to a client or host computer. The storage devices are typically disk drives organized as a disk array, wherein the term "disk" commonly describes a self-contained rotating magnetic media storage device. The term disk in this context is synonymous with hard disk drive (HDD) or direct access storage device (DASD).
The storage system may be further configured to operate according to a client/server model of information delivery to thereby allow many clients to access information stored on the system. In this model, the storage system may be embodied as file server executing an operating system, such as the Microsoft® Windows™ operating system (hereinafter "Windows operating system"). Furthermore, the client may comprise an application executing on an operating system of a computer that "connects" to the server over a computer network, such as a point-to-point link, shared local area network, wide area network, or virtual private network implemented over a public network, such as the Internet. Each client may request the services of the server by issuing storage access protocol messages (in the form of packets) to the server over the network. By supporting a plurality of storage (e.g., file-based) access protocols, such as the conventional Common Internet File System (CIFS) and the Network File System (NFS) protocols, the utility of the server is enhanced.
To facilitate client access to the information stored on the server, the Windows operating system typically exports units of storage, e.g., (CIFS) shares. As used herein, a share is equivalent to a mount point or shared storage resource, such as a folder or directory that stores information about files or other directories served by the file server. A Windows client may access information in the directory by mounting the share and issuing a CIFS protocol access request that specifies a uniform naming convention (UNC) path to the share. The UNC path or pathname is an aspect of a Windows networking environment that defines a way for a client to refer to a unit of storage on a server. The UNC pathname is prefixed with the string \\ to indicate resource names on a network. For example, a UNC pathname may comprise a server name, a share (directory) name and a path descriptor that collectively reference a unit of storage or share. Thus, in order to access the share, the client typically requires knowledge of the specific physical location (i.e., the identity) of the server exporting the share.
Instead of requiring the client to provide the specific identity of the file server exporting the share, it is desirable to only require a logical pathname to the share. That is, it is desirable to provide the client with a globally unique pathname to the share without reference to the file server. The conventional Distributed File System (DFS) namespace service provides such a solution in a Windows environment through the creation of a namespace that removes the specificity of server identity. DFS is well-known and described in DCE 1.2.2 DFS Administration Guide and Reference, 1997, which is hereby incorporated by reference. As used herein, a namespace is a view of shared storage resources (such as shares) from the perspective of a client. The DFS namespace service is generally implemented using one or more DFS servers and distributed components in a network.
Using the DFS service, it is possible to create a unique pathname (in the form of a UNC pathname) for a storage resource that a DFS server translates to an actual location of the resource (share) in the network. However, in addition to the DFS namespace provided by the Windows operating system, there are many other namespace services provided by various operating system platforms, including the NFS namespace provided by the conventional Unix® operating system. Each service constructs a namespace to facilitate management of information using a layer of indirection between a file server and client accessing a shared storage resource (share) on the server. For example, a share may be connected or "linked" to a link point (link in DFS terminology or a mount point in NFS terminology) to hide the machine specific reference to the share. By referencing the link point, the client can automatically access information on the storage resource of the specific machine. This allows an administrator (user) to store the information on any server in the network by merely providing a reference to the information (or share). However, these namespaces are typically services created on heterogeneous server platforms, which leads to incompatibility and non-interoperability with respect to management of the namespaces by the user. For example, the DFS namespace service is generally limited to Windows-based operating system platforms, whereas the NFS namespace service is generally limited to Unix-based operating system platforms.
The Virtual File Manager (VFM™) developed by NuView, Inc. and available from Network Appliance, Inc., ("NetApp") provides a namespace service that supports various protocols operating on various file server platforms, such as NetApp filers and DFS servers. The VFM namespace service is well-known and described in VFM™ (Virtual File Manager) Reference Guide, Version 4.0, 2001-2003, and VFM™ (Virtual File Manager) Getting Started Guide, Version 4.0, 2001-2003.
A large-scale storage system environment may include many (e.g., hundreds of) storage systems hosting resources embodied as, e.g., storage and namespace objects. As used herein, namespace objects include namespaces, link points and shares, whereas storage objects include servers, files, and disks. In order to perform namespace and storage management in such a large-scale storage system environment, it is desirable to provide a management application executing on a management console that enables users to manage multiple storage system resources efficiently, e.g., as one or more groups of managed objects. In addition, it is desirable to provide a management application that allows users to efficiently operate on these groups of objects simultaneously.
Often, users are required to provide appropriate credentials (e.g., user name and password) in order to access the storage system resources for purposes of performing operations thereon. Conventional management consoles are generally limited in their abilities to dynamically acquire such credentials when needed, i.e., "on-demand". As a result, the user credentials are typically previously acquired and stored for use by the consoles, thereby requiring expensive persistent storage capabilities on the management consoles. Accordingly, it is further desirable to provide a management application executing on a management console that enables users to provide their credentials as needed (on-demand) when accessing storage system resources.

Namespace and storage management application infrastructure for use in management of resources in a storage system environment


A third-order nonlinear optical element showing wide employable wave-length range of input light, high speed operation and low light intensity of input light is disclosed. The third-order nonlinear optical element of the present invention has at least two substantially optically smooth surfaces and comprise a charge-transfer complex consisting essentially of (i) at least one electron-accepting component selected from the group consisting of cyano compounds, quinones, nitro compounds, acid anhydride, halogenes, and halogenated carbons; and (ii) at least one electron-donating component selected from the group consisting of unsaturated cyclic hydrocarbon compounds, unsaturated heterocyclic compounds, chalcogen-containing compounds, quarternary unsaturated heterocyclic compounds and metals The charge-transfer complex of nonlinear optical element of the present invention is formed of said at least one electron-accepting component and said at least one electron-donating component in the ground state and at least one of said components is an organic compound having .pi.-conjugated system.

I. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a third-order nonlinear optical element. The optical element of the present invention can be used in high speed optical data processing systems and optical communication systems.
II. Description of the Related Art
When a strong electric field (E) such as laser beam is applied to a substance, the substance shows electric-polarization (P) which is expressed by the following general equation: EQU P=X.sup.(1) E+X.sup.(2) EE+X.sup.(3) EEE+
(wherein X(1) means linear optical susceptibility and X.sup.(i) (i is an integer of not less than 2) means nonlinear optical susceptibility)
The nonlinear optical effects are those expressed by the high order terms of E, i.e., terms of E of not less than square. The second harmonic generation (SHG) expressed by the second term and the third harmonic generation (THG) expressed by the third term are well known as the effects of frequency conversion. The third term also excerts effects of light intensity dependent optical constants, such as effect of optically induced refractive-index change, nonlinear absorption effect, the second-order electric optical (Kerr) effect and four-wave parametric mixing (phase-conjugated-wave generation) effect, any one of effects is important in the applied optics field.
The effect of optically induced refractive-index change is an effect by which the refractive index (n) of a substance is changed depending on the intensity of the impinging light in accordance with the equation of EQU n=n.sub.0 +n.sub.2 I
(wherein n.sub.0 is a constant, n.sub.2 is nonlinear refractive index coefficient, and I is intensity of impinging light). By making an element from the substance showing this effect and by combining the element with other optical elements such as optical resonator, polarizer and reflecting mirror, devices such as optical bistable device and phase-conjugated-wave generator, which are important in optical data processing systems and optical communication systems, can be constituted.
As an example of such devices, optical bistable device will now be explained. An optical medium having a nonlinear refractive index is sandwiched between a pair of vacuum-deposited dielectric mirrors with a reflectance of about 90%. An input light impinges on one of the mirrors and exits from another mirror as an output light after repeatedly passing through the substance. If the wave-length of the input light is slightly changed to satisfy the resonance condition, the intensity of the output light (Pt) changes in response with the intensity of the input light (Pi) as shown in FIGS. 1 (b) and (c). The principle of this phenomenon is detailed in Appl. Phys. Lett. vol 35, p. 451 (1976). The responses shown in FIGS. 1 (b) and 1 (c) correspond to optical limiting and optically bistable responses, respectively, and they may be applied to reshaping of the waveform of input light pulse, all-optical switch, optical memory and optical logic operation behavior in optical communication systems and optical data processing systems.
As the nonlinear optical element, the following three characteristics are extremely important:
1) Width of the wave-length range of input light which may be employed, PA0 2) Minimum intensity of the input light which is required for the operation, and PA0 3) the response time required for following the change of the intensity of the light signal.
As a conventional nonlinear optical element, super lattice semiconductor thin films crystal produced by alternately and repeatedly growing GaAs and GaAlAs are used. The operation of this element is based on the principle that the excitons are excited in the crystal by the absorbed light so that the refractive index shows light intensity-dependence. Although the element is excellent in that the minimum intensity of the input light required for the operation is as low as 5.times.10.sup.4 W/cm.sup.2, it has drawbacks in that the wave-length range of the input light which may be employed is restricted to a very narrow range in the vicinity of the exciton absorption spectrum, and in that the response time is determined by the exciton lifetime, so that it cannot be used for the optical signal processing which requires a response time of shorter than 3.times.10.sup.-8 second.
In another conventional optical bistable device, a glass cell in which optical Kerr liquid, carbon disulfide (CS.sub.2) is filled is employed, and a pair of external mirrors are employed in place of the vapor-deposited mirrors. With this conventional device, since the operation principle is based on the fact that the refractive index shows light intensity-dependence by the rotational arrangement of the molecules in response to the light-electric field (molecular-rotational orientation Kerr effect), although the employable wave-length range of the input light is as wide as from visible light to near infrared light, the device has drawbacks in that the minimum light intensity required for the operation is as high as 10.sup.7 -10.sup.8 W/cm.sup.2 or the element must be made large because the efficiency of molecular-rotational orientation Kerr effect of the carbon disulfide is small, and in that the response time is determined by the rotational relaxing time of the molecules, so that it cannot be used for the optical signal processing which requires a response time of shorter than 10.sup.-11 -10.sup.-12 second.
In order that the nonlinear optical element may practically be used, it is desired that semiconductor laser having a wave-length range of 0.65-2.3 .mu.m and an effective output power of 30 mW can be used as a light source.
As is apparent from the above description, the performance of the nonlinear optical element is substantially entirely determined by the characteristics of the nonlinear optical substance. Thus, nonlinear optical materials in which 1) the employable wave-length range of input light employed is wide, 2) the minium intensity of the input light required for the operation is low, and 3) the response time required for following the change of the intensity of the light signal is short, are now intensively looked for.
Recently, organic compounds which have a .pi.-conjugated system such as aromatic ring, double bond and triple bond, especially polydiacetylene-based compounds are drawing attention. For example, poly (2,4-hexadiyn-1,6-diol bis(p-toluenesulfonate) (PTS for short) has a third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility X.sup.(3) of as high as 1.times.10.sup.-10 esu in our measurement at 1.90 .mu.m of resonant wavelength region (when converted into nonlinear refractive-index coefficient n.sub.2, this corresponds to n.sub.2 =2.times.10.sup.-12 (W/cm.sup.2).sup.-1)), while G. Sauteret reported the values 8.5.times.10.sup.-10 esu at 1.89 .mu.m of resonant wavelength region and 1.8.times.10.sup.-10 esu at 2.62 .mu.m of non-resonant wavelength region (Phys. Rev. Letters, Vol 36, pp. 16 (1976). Anyway, X.sup.(3) of PTS is larger than that of carbon disulfide at least by two orders of magnitude. Further, since the nonlinear optical effect is entirely based on the .pi.-polarization in a molecule, and not on the absorption where the light and the molecules or crystal lattices interact, the response time for following the intensity change of the light signal is as short as 10.sup.-14 seconds. Still further, the employable wave-length of the input light ranges as wide as from 0.65 .mu.m to 2.0 .mu.m.
The polydiacetylene compounds represented by PTS are produced by polymerizing diacetylene monomers in crystal state. However, after the polymerization, the resultant polydiacetylene compounds are insoluble and infusible, so that they are hard to process. That is, it is difficult to obtain a polydiacctylene-based nonlinear optical element which has a desired shape or desired surface smoothness. Thus, nonlinear optical element comprising the PTS has not yet been practically used.
Further, from a practical point of view, it is desired to improve the operation performance of the element, to reduce the output power of the light source and to make the optical element in small size, by employing a nonlinear optical material with nonlinear optical effects greater than those of PTS.

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation


A ventilation system for a vehicle headlight housing. The ventilation body has an inner part extending into the housing opening as well as an outer part extending circumferentially about the opening wall of the housing opening, which on the one hand offers, in the locked position thereof, a sealing attachment and on the other hand provides a labyrinthic ventilation channel.

Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a ventilation system for vehicle lighting having a housing including:                a housing opening with an outwardly projecting opening wall,        a ventilation body, which is fixed to the housing opening and which includes a ventilation element, a membrane and a cap covering the end of the ventilation body opposite the housing opening, wherein a ventilation channel with a plurality of baffles or diversions is formed between an edge of the ventilation element and the housing opening
Description of the Related Art
From EP 1363069 B1 a ventilation system is known comprising a housing, to the rear side of which a ventilation system is fitted. The ventilation system comprises a ventilation body which is connected by latching to a housing opening of the lighting device. The ventilation body has for this purpose a plurality of latching fingers which engage behind the housing opening with barb-like grip. In a central region the ventilation body has axial openings, so that air exchange between the interior of the housing and the environment is ensured. A breathable membrane is provided on the outside of the ventilation body. The protection of the housing against penetration of dust is limited, since no labyrinth-like ventilation channel is provided.
EP 1997685 B1 discloses a ventilation system with a labyrinth-like ventilation channel. This is formed from a three-part ventilation body having an existing ventilation element made from an elastomer material, a membrane and a cap. The elastomeric ventilation element is designed as a hollow cylinder and has radial openings, which are closed by the membrane. The ventilation element is slipped over an open end face with a closed circumferentially and outwardly projecting opening wall of a housing opening and is, in the locked position, almost completely surrounded by the cap. Both a front-side edge of the ventilation element and an edge of the cap are arranged at a distance from an adjoining opening wall of the housing, so that air can flow in an annular aeration channel formed between the axial wall of the cap and a circumferential wall of the ventilation element. A first diversion of the ventilation channel is formed in the region of the axially extending membrane, wherein an air flow is diverted from the axial direction into the radial direction. Within the ventilation element there is a further diversion in the region of an outer edge of the housing opening, wherein the air flow is deflected from the radial direction in the axial direction in passing through the housing opening. A disadvantage of the known ventilation system is that it provides a relatively poor tactile feedback when reaching the end position for the attachment of the ventilation element, so that assembly errors are difficult to recognize.
The object of the present invention is therefore to improve a ventilation system such that a simple mounting and a reliable fixing is made possible, whereby a high degree of sealing and a variable application is guaranteed.

AZ Ausruestung und Zubehoer GmbH & Co. KG


An apparatus includes: a semiconductor substrate; an isolation region in the semiconductor substrate, the isolation region including an isolation trench filled with an insulating material therein; a plurality of island-shaped active regions in the semiconductor substrate surrounded by the isolation region; and a buried word-line having a bottom, the buried word-line at least passing across the isolation region between the plurality of active regions; wherein the isolation trench includes upper, middle and lower portions, each of the upper and lower portions has a substantially flat surface and the middle portion has a bulged surface.

In recent years, in a semiconductor memory device exemplified by a dynamic random-access memory (hereinafter referred to as DRAM), as a structure of a transistor for a memory cell, a trench gate structure or a buried word-line structure has been employed. In DRAM, the distance between memory cells becomes closer as the miniaturization is promoted, and due to the influence of an increase in the interaction of a word line and an adjacent memory cell, the fluctuation in refresh characteristics and row hammer characteristics may be caused. It is defined that a word line passing across an isolation region between adjacent active regions 10, that is, the word line of the isolation region between the adjacent active regions 10, as a passing-word-line. In the following sentences, "passing-word-line" is described as "pWL". When the distance between the pWL and an adjacent memory cell becomes closer, the influence of the electric field of the pWL to the adjacent memory cell increases, and this may cause fluctuation in the refresh characteristics and the row hammer characteristics.

Semiconductor memory device and method of forming the same


A multi-purpose medical shower chair, including a chair base, a seat assembly having a seat carried by the chair base, and a shower head assembly where the shower head assembly includes a shower head shaft carried by the chair base, a back massage nozzle carried by the shower head shaft, and a shower head nozzle carried by the shower head shaft.

Persons who are physically challenged because of age, injury, or disease may encounter difficulty in bathing or showering. For example, physically challenged persons may have trouble standing in a shower stall or a bathtub while taking a shower, requiring that the persons grip handrails on the inside of the bathtub or shower if they are available. In order to overcome these drawbacks, various devices have therefore been developed for supporting a person in a sitting position while bathing or showering.
Some conventional solutions to supporting physically challenged persons in a bathtub or shower require permanent conversion of the bathtub or shower in such a manner that entrance of a physically challenged user into the bathtub or shower is facilitated. Such conversions may necessitate major structural change to the bathing or showering facility and/or to the surrounding wall or floor area. Permanent modification of an existing bathing or showering facility may be undesirable from cost and other standpoints. Moreover, many conventional solutions to the problem may not enable a physically challenged user to obtain a fully-body wash or massage.
Accordingly, a multi-purpose medical shower chair which facilitates showering, bathing and massaging of physically challenged persons may be desirable for some applications.


The invention relates to a method for supporting location determination of a mobile station, in which method location data are stored in and deleted from a memory, each location data item describing the location of the mobile station measured at a given measuring moment. Furthermore, in the method, a distance parameter and/or a target level corresponding to the distance parameter is determined at least for some of the stored location data; and deletion of the location data is at least partly based on the distance parameter and target level.

A typical mobile communication system covers a large geographical area and comprises a plurality of cells, each of the cells being generally served by one base station. The cells vary greatly in size, usually depending on the call traffic in the area. Cell size is generally smaller in areas with high traffic density than in regions where fewer calls are established. Regardless of the cell size, on many occasions it would be useful to know the geographical location or direction of travel of a mobile station.
Location information on a mobile station can be used for many purposes. If desired, the user can determine his or her own location, call charging can be location-dependent or the location of a mobile station placing an emergency call can be determined so that help could be sent. For instance, vehicles may carry an arrangement for an automatic emergency call in case of an accident, the emergency call also comprising information on the vehicle's location.
Several methods have been developed for measuring the location of mobile stations. For instance, the distance of a mobile station from a base station with which the mobile station communicates can be measured on the basis of a signal propagation delay. However, it is not relevant to the operation of the present invention how the location data is measured, and therefore, as regards location measurement, reference is made to GSM specification (GSM 02.71) and to WO 98/16078, for instance. It is obvious to the person skilled in the art that location measurement can also be carried out by employing other methods than those disclosed in said publications.
The above location measurement methods have a common feature that if post-measurement location determination, i.e. interpretation of the measurement results, employs only the last measurement, the accuracy of the determined location equals that of the measurement concerned. Inaccuracy in a location determined by one-point method can be several hundreds of meters, depending on the location measurement method. Consequently, when the mobile station moves in the vicinity of an oblong natural obstacle, it may be difficult to determine on which side of the obstacle the mobile station is located.
Hence, when the mobile station is located on one side of an oblong natural obstacle, such as a river, lake, park, hill or railway, it may happen that due to inaccuracy in the location measurement method it is not known, in case of traffic accident, on which side of the natural obstacle the emergency vehicle should be sent.

Location determination in telecommunication network


Methods and apparatus for reducing the carbon content of fly ash are disclosed. The fly ash is subjected to an inclined surface having first and second vibratory sources for respectively moving the fly ash from the elevated end of the incline to the lower end and to disaggregate and stratify a high carbon fraction from an enhanced fly ash fraction. The second vibratory source, in combination with the inclined surface, separates the lighter, high carbon fraction while the heavier enhanced fly ash fraction travels toward the lower end of the incline. An air jet and associated vacuum draft pull the high carbon fraction from the incline, leaving the enhanced fly ash portion for use, after removal from the surface, as an example, as acceptable mineral admixture for use in Portland Cement concrete.

Fly ash is the by-product of burning pulverized coal. Wood ash is defined as the inorganic residue of wood combustion. Although the invention will be described primarily in connection with fly ash processing methods and apparatus, it can also be beneficially employed to reduce the carbon content of wood ash or for any particulate mixture in which it is desired to separate and remove carbon and light weight coarse fractions from the mixture.
The chemical content and particle size of fly ashes vary widely in accordance with the source of the coal, the fineness to which it is ground, and the furnace within which it is burned.
The chemical composition of fly ash may vary generally, as follows:
______________________________________ Class F Class C Component Percent by Weight Percent by Weight ______________________________________ SiO.sub.2 35-55 20-40 Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 15-35 5-15 FeO 3-25 1-10 Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3 CaO 0.5-8 0-35 MgO 0.5-3 0-5 TiO.sub.2 1-3 1-3 Na.sub.2 O 0-1.5 0-1.5 K.sub.2 O 0-3 0-3 SO.sub.3 1-3 0-6 C 0.5-20 0.5-20 H.sub.2 O 0.5-0.7 0.5-3 ______________________________________
Fly ash can be used for a variety of purposes. Principally, it is used as a replacement for cement in Portland Cement concrete. Additionally, for example, it has been used as filler material for plastics and asphalt, as a source of activated carbon for waste water purification, and as a magnetite source for coal cleaning.
Fly ash can also be used as a structural fill, soil additive and base for lime/fly ash, soil cement, or cementitious road way materials and the like. It is little wonder then that fly ash can provide a marketable commodity for utility companies and industrial plants that burn coal in order to generate electrical energy.
Many class F fly ashes collected throughout the United States have carbon content (as measured by Loss on Ignition--LOI) of about 0.5-4%. These ashes may be sold as acceptable mineral admixture for use in Portland cement concrete under the standards set forth in ASTM C-618-92a which limits maximum LOI for classes F and C fly ash at 6%. As such, these ashes are a commercially attractive commodity with the sale of same by electrical utilities and industrial concerns providing lucrative revenue.
Unfortunately, not all fly ashes possess such low carbon content as to pass the standards provided in ASTM C-618. These non-conforming fly ashes have LOI content of greater than 6%, sometimes on the order of >6%-20%.
In addition to lack of conformity with the requirements of ASTM C-618, high carbon content fly ash has been shown to cause undesirable reduction in entrained air in concrete and it provides an oily or dark surface appearance on finished concrete surfaces since it floats to the surface during finishing. Moreover, high carbon content fly ash exhibits reduction in desirable pozzolanic reactivity.
Suffice it to say that use of fly ash that is not in conformity with the aforementioned ASTM standard as a mineral admixture in Portland Cement concrete and its consequent failure to meet material specifications raise serious liability problems.
Due to the limitations upon its ultimate end use, such high carbon fly ash also poses a disposal problem.
In light of the above, there exists a need in the industry to provide an inexpensive method and apparatus by which the carbon content (as measured by LOI) of high carbon containing fly ash mixtures can be reduced so that the resulting fly ash will conform with the above ASTM standard; therefore providing that the fly ash can be acceptably sold for and used as a mineral admixture for Portland Cement concrete products and other purposes.

Method and apparatus for reducing carbon content in particulate mixtures