A ventricle assist device for placement within a living body and including a self contained drive motor for generating pumping action with respect to a hydraulic pumping fluid. The ventricle assist device includes a ventricle having a blood chamber and a pumping chamber and an interconnect means coupled to the pumping chamber of the ventricle for receiving and displacing hydraulic fluid. A separate volume displacement chamber is attached to the interconnect means and provides a reservoir for excess hydraulic fluid for storage during diastole. A fluid pump and drive motor is positioned within the volume displacement chamber and connected at the interconnect means to supply the required pumping action for transfer of hydraulic fluid to and from the pumping chamber. Placement of the fluid pump and drive motor within the volume displacement chamber provides enhanced dissipation of heat from the energy conversion system and improved performance and durability.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a device and method for providing pumping support to an artificial ventricle or heart. More particularly, the present invention pertains to a hydraulic pumping system used in connection with an artificial ventricle which relies on transfer of hydraulic fluid between a pumping chamber associated with the ventricle and a volume displacement chamber which is separated from the pumping chamber and associated ventricle.
2. Prior Art
Current trends in research in the general field of ventricle assist devices and artificial hearts is placing greater emphasis on electrohydraulic drive systems instead of air-driven mechanisms which require use of a driveline through the skin. The advantages of an electrohydraulic heart are numerous. The total unit is implantable and self-contained. In contrast, pneumatic drive systems are cumbersome and impose serious constraints in view of the transcutaneous driveline and potential for infection.
An early design for an electrohydraulic drive system is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,173,796 by Jarvik. It discloses the use of an axial impeller assembly with an electric drive motor, referred to hereafter as a "fluid pump and drive motor". Hydraulic fluid is moved by action of the impeller assembly as it rotates about its axis. By reversing the electric motor, the hydraulic fluid can be reversibly pumped, thereby filling and extracting the fluid with respect to a pumping chamber associated with the ventricle.
When used within a total artificial heart, the fluid pump and drive motor can simple be reversed to transfer fluid from a first pumping chamber associated with a left ventricle, to a second pumping chamber associated with the right ventricle. The difference in cardiac output between the left and right ventricles can be balanced by use of an intra-atrial shunt, a leaking pulmonary artery valve or a small extra compliance reservoir.
In situations where the pumping fluid is not alternately driving a blood pumping chamber, a volume displacement chamber is used to store this pumping fluid. For example, during diastole in a single ventricle assist device, pumping fluid is removed from the pumping chamber associated with the ventricle through a conduit, and is stored in a bag or other volume displacement chamber. This transfer is accomplished with the same type of reversible fluid pump and drive motor as is disclosed in the Jarvik patent. During systole, the motor reverses and forces the fluid from the displacement chamber to the pumping chamber with the ventricle.
Prior practice in positioning the fluid pump and drive motor has followed the pattern set by the Jarvik patent. Specifically, this device is placed in the intermediate flow line or interconnect between the pumping chamber and the volume displacement chamber. This is a logical position because the fluid must pass through the impeller assembly of the pump, which naturally becomes part of the flow path. Accordingly, prior art practice has consistently positioned the fluid pump and drive motor as a continuous part of the interconnect device, or as a continuous part of the interconnect flow path. As such, hydraulic fluid contact has been limited to the interior flow channel within the fluid pump. The exterior surface of the fluid pump and drive motor have been treated much like a tubular enclosure in that this exterior structure functioned to contain the fluid within the flow path. Therefore, any contact of hydraulic fluid with the exterior of the interconnect and associated fluid pump was contrary to reasonable design considerations.
The use of an electrohydraulic drive system involves other mechanical considerations which are not associated with a pneumatic drive system. For example, because the system is self-contained within the patient, dependability and durability are critical. Both of these factors are affected by the minimization of wear on components of the drive motor. Accordingly, a variety of techniques have been applied to design drive motors with a minimal amount of friction, as well as other mechanical factors that cause abrasive wear and generate attendant heat.
Although advanced technology has provided much improved motor design, there remains the challenge of dissipating heat generated with the drive motor. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that electrohydraulic drive systems depend on conversion of electric power to hydraulic power. Such conversions will always generate some heat as a by product. When such heat is confined and accumulated within the small volume of a pumping system in support of a ventricle, some detrimental effect is inevitable. In prior art systems where the drive motor and impellers are further confined within a tubular interconnect, dissipation of heat is even more difficult. Without effective heat control, increased wear occurs and the inevitable failure of the system is accelerated.

Ventricle assist device with volume displacement chamber


An insertion part is provided in the form of a back-flow preventer and which can be inserted in a gas or liquid line. An insertion part is also provided that can be inserted into a gas or liquid line in the form of a flow regulator. The insertion parts are characterizedin that they comprise an annular lip shaped part which, togther with its annular body, is held inside the housing and which has at least one controlling lip (9), with the controlling lip being displaced by the fluid, and/or at least one sealing lip (14). The insertion part can be used in a versatile manner and is characterized by the simple production thereof as well as by having a uniform and reliable functioning.

The invention relates to an insertion part having a housing, which can be inserted into a gas or liquid line, with an annular lip shaped part being arranged in the interior of the housing, held to the interior of the housing with its annular body, which is provided in an area of a feeder channel and has at least one lip, that can be displaced by the fluid, and cooperates with an opposing housing wall.
A back-flow valve is known from DE 1 154 982, which is provided with a housing that can be inserted into a gas or liquid line, with a sealing body being movably arranged inside the housing, which seals the flow opening of a feeder channel in the closed position. The sealing body of the known back-flow valve is embodied as an essentially hose-shaped lip shaped part, extending in the annular direction, which is held inside the housing and contacts with its cylindrical housing part, surrounded by the sealing body, the lip end region in a sealing manner in the area of the flow opening of the feeder channel.
The sanitary insertion part known from DE 1 154 982 is embodied as a back-flow valve, with its sealing body being adjusted either to an open or a closed position. The insertion part known from 1 154 982 however is not embodied as a flow regulator, which can adjust the volume of the flow passing through the water line per time unit depending on a maximum value independent from the pressure.
From GB-PS 875 034 another mere back-flow valve is known, which encompasses in its housing a cylindrical interior housing space. In this interior housing space a piston-like valve unit is guided in a shiftable manner, which can be displaced under the pressure of the water flowing from the inlet to the opposite face of the interior housing space provided. This piston-like valve unit is provided with a lip shaped piece, which seals in its resting position the flow openings which penetrate the valve unit and which can be moved into an open position by water flowing in the flow direction. When an amount of water flows opposite the flow direction, the lip end region of the lip shaped piece is pressed against the wall edge region encompassing the flow openings and effectively counteracts the back-flow of the water. Here, too, the insertion part known from GB-PS 875 034 is neither intended nor suitable as a flow regulator.
From DE 1 182 487 a back-flow valve is known intended for high operational pressure, in which the annular channel between the valve housing and a centered insertion body, inserted therein in a streamline shape, is sealed by a sheath-shaped valve piece made from an elastic material. While the sealing piece is motioned by the water flowing in the usual flow direction, an amount of water reversing opposite the usual flow direction presses the sealing piece increasingly against the streamlined insertion body so that the annular channel remains sealed.
Comparable back-flow valves have also been known from FR 2 426 199, U.S. Pat. No. 2 621 889, DE 109 871, FR 1 389 947, DE 938 888, DE 946 760, DE 1 500 206 as well as from DE 37 06 737.
As already mentioned, none of these known back-flow valves are capable of adjusting the volume to a maximum value that can flow through the water line per time unit independent from the pressure.
Flow regulators have already been designed, which are provided with a tapering or cone-shaped housing core on the inside of their housing. The housing core is encompassed by an annular throttle body or control body made from an elastic material, which limits the control gap between itself and the housing core depending on the pressure. When producing the previously known flow regulators, the necessary throttle bodies and control bodies are subject to the elastic characteristics of the rubber material, which can lead to different control features of one insertion part to another. Furthermore, the known insertion parts are usually embodied in multiple parts and are thus expensive in their production.

Insertion part for inserting into a gas or liquid line


A laser-system comprises master-oscillator/power-amplifier (51) whereby the master-oscillator comprises a pulsed diode (3) and a pumped active optical fiber power-amplifier (9). Substantially all guides of laser light (5, 9, 31, 29, 33, 25, 35, 39, 45) are optical fibers. The pulsed diode (3) is not temperature stabilized. To reduce nevertheless amplified spontaneous emission generated in the optical fiber amplifier (9), a narrow band-pass filter unit (29) is used. Filter unit (29) has a central wavelength with a temperature dependence which is matched to the temperature dependent wavelength shift of the pulsed diode (3).

Attention is drawn on the U.S. Pat. No. 6,141,086 as well as to                G. W. Kammermann, Selected Papers on Laser Radar, SPIE Optical Engineering Press, 1997        J. W. Goodman, Comparative performance of Optical-Radar Detection Techniques, IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems, Vol. AES-2(5), 526ff., 1966        CO2 LADAR modulation trade of studies, coherent Infrared Radar Systems and Applications II, Proc. SPIE, Vol. 415, 155ff. (1983)        WO 98/30881        GB-A-2401738        S. Nissilä et al., A Fibre Laser as a Pulse Source for Laser Rangefinder system, SPIE, Vo. 1821 (1992), 375.
To resolve the above object there is proposed a laser-system in master-oscillator/power-amplifier (MOPA) configuration which comprises a pulsed diode master oscillator and a pumped active optical fibre (fiber) power amplifier downstream said master oscillator and wherein substantially all guides of laser light are optical fibres.
In one embodiment of the laser system there is provided a detector unit for incoming pulsed laser light which detector unit is operationally connected to an evaluation unit. The evaluation unit performs evaluation on multiple incoming laser pulses. By multiple pulse evaluation the system detection accuracy is improved in spite of limited pulse energy of the emitted laser light.
In a further embodiment the active optical fibre power amplifier is pumped by a pumping diode.
Still in a further embodiment of the laser system the active fibre power amplifier is gain modulated. This allows e.g. to cope with time-varying intensity of the emitted laser pulses and/or to improve signal-to-noise ratio by specifically controlled gain modulation.
In one embodiment of the laser system the active fibre power amplifier is gain modulated by at least one of intensity variation of pumping light, spectrum variation of pumping light, pumping pulse width variation, length of active fibre, spectral shift of an optical filter characteristic.
In a further embodiment of the system according to the present invention the active fibre power amplifier is pumped in a pulsed mode and pulsating pumping is synchronized with pulsed operation of the diode master oscillator.
Still in a further embodiment of the system according to the present invention the active fibre power amplifier is an adjusting unit within a negative feedback loop whereat a physical entity of the laser beam downstream the active fibre power amplifier is sensed as a measured value to be controlled and is compared with a desired value. The gain of the active fibre power amplifier is adjusted in dependency of the result of the addressed comparing.
In one embodiment the addressed physical entity sensed is one of signal-to-noise ratio in the laser beam and of intensity of said laser beam.
In a further embodiment the system according to the present invention comprises a pass-band optical fibre filter downstream the active fibre power amplifier. In a further embodiment the addressed pass-band optical fibre filter has a filter characteristic the spectral position of which being controllably shiftable.
In a further embodiment the just addressed filter characteristic is shiftable in dependency of a temperature.
Still in a further embodiment the just addressed temperature is dependent from temperature of the diode master oscillator.
By controlling the spectral position of the addressed filter characteristic in dependency of the temperature of the diode master oscillator and taking into account that the spectral band of laser light emitted from the diode master oscillator varies with respect to spectral location and in dependency of the temperature at this oscillator, it becomes possible to realize a laser beam downstream the addressed pass-band optical fibre filter which is substantially unaffected by temperature caused spectral shift of the laser light spectral band.
In a further embodiment the system comprises a stabilizing optical fibre filter within the diode master oscillator being decisive for the spectrum of laser light output from the diode master oscillator. The system comprises a pass-band fibre optical filter downstream the active fibre power amplifier. The spectral locations of the filter characteristics of the stabilizing and of the downstream pass-band optical fibre filter are matched.
Due to the fact the instantaneous spectral location of the filter characteristic of the stabilizing and of the downstream filter are matched and thus substantially equally shifting e.g. due to variations of temperature, the output spectral band of laser light from the diode master oscillator shifts spectrally equally as the filter characteristic of the downstream pass-band filter. Thereby, again, substantially constant output intensity of the laser beam is achieved in spite of spectral shift of the output spectral band of laser light. Matching is simplified if the temperature sensed at one common location controls the respective spectral shifts of the two filters, or these filters are thermally narrowly coupled.
In a further embodiment of the system according to the present invention such system comprises more than one of the addressed active fibre power amplifiers.
Still in a further embodiment the system comprises an output/input coupler unit with an input fibre which is operationally connected to the output of the active fibre power amplifier and with an output fibre which is operationally connected to the input of a detector unit. An output/input fibre as provided is operationally connected to a laser light emitting and receiving optic.
Thereby still in fibre technology a one input/output laser system is realized.
In one embodiment the just addressed coupler unit comprises an optical circulator.
Still in a further embodiment, the system comprises an optical fibre, one end thereof being operationally coupled to a transmitter optic for laser light dependent from laser light output from the master-oscillator/power-amplifier, the other end of the fibre being operationally connected to an output of the pumped active fibre power-amplifier. Thereby the one end of the fibre is conceived for substantially determining the divergence of the laser beam output from the transmitter optic. Thereby additional lenses are omitted, making the system less expensive, more robust and more compact.
The addressed transmitter optic is thereby, in one embodiment, also a receiver optic of the system.
In a further embodiment, the addressed optical fibre is a active fibre.
One device according to the present invention with the addressed laser system is portable or even handheld. In one embodiment the device incorporating the addressed laser system is a range finder or target designator unit operative for ranges up to 1 km and even up to at least 10 km.
In one embodiment the device is built in a tank or submarine or in a portable observation instrument.
Attention is drawn on the fact that the content of the European application No. 05 000 669.1 dated Jan. 14, 2005 as well as the content of the European application No. 04 029 867.1 dated Dec. 16, 2004 upon which the present application resides with respect to priority, is considered as a part integrated by reference to the present disclosure.
The inventions under all their aspects and combinations shall now be exemplified by means of the following figures.


This invention provides a method for detecting abnormalities in medical images, particularly for the detection of polyps in the colon from computed tomography imagery. Specifically a set of colon masks is input to a detector where summations over spherical volumes with two different radii are computed. Abnormalities are detected based on the ratio of spherical summation values computed for every pixel location.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and system for computer-aided detection (CAD) of volumetric images, specifically for detection of polyps indicative of colon cancer in computed tomography imagery.
2. Discussion of Background
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Each year approximately 150,000 people are diagnosed with colon cancer and 56,000 people die from it. Colonoscopic removal of identifiable polyps can considerably decrease the mortality. However, current screening methods of fiberoptic colonoscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy, fecal occult blood testing and barium enema examination carry varying amounts of risk and may cause considerable discomfort to the patient, and therefore are not widely accepted by the general population. Recently, non-invasive virtual colonoscopy (VC) systems using computed tomography (CT) images were introduced as a colon cancer screening method and several commercial systems have been approved by the FDA.
In a VC system, prone and supine CT views of air-filled and cleansed colon are acquired and displayed in two dimensions (2D) and in three dimensions (3D). Two-dimensional displays are usually transverse images of CT slices as well as sagittal and coronal reformations. Three-dimensional displays could be volume renderings of suspicious regions or endoluminal representations.
Because of the large number of images that need to be examined in 2D views (300-700 images/patient) and the relatively long time it takes to do an endoluminal "fly-through," virtual colonoscopy interpretation can be quite time-consuming, typically ranging from 15 to 40 minutes when performed by experts in abdominal imaging. Additionally, the main task of identifying polyps can be challenging. Different studies report a large variation in sensitivity and specificity for the same dataset. This variation can be partly attributed to the operator's learning curve with the VC system. A CAD system can help users of VC systems by indicating the locations and reporting the characteristics of potential polyps. Such a system may increase the sensitivity while not decreasing the specificity.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a method and system for the automated detection of abnormal lesions in volumetric imagery.

Computer-aided detection methods in volumetric imagery


A gate line is severed before the gate line reaches an Output portion of a vertical driving circuit of a display device, and the separated gate lines are connected by a metal wiring in an upper layer. The gate line is, for example, made of molybdenum, chrome, a molybdenum alloy or a chrome alloy, and the metal is made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. Since the gate line is severed, the voltage stored in the gate line during the manufacturing process will not be discharged to the gate wiring of the thin film transistor, preventing the break down of the gate insulating layer of the thin film transistor.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a display device that has a plurality of pixels disposed in a matrix configuration, a plurality of gate lines extending in a row direction, and a driving circuit sequentially supplying a gate scanning signal to each of the gate lines, especially to a display device with improved image quality.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 10 is a diagram of a conventional liquid crystal display device. A liquid crystal panel 100 has a plurality of pixels formed in a matrix configuration of n-rows and m-columns. Each of the pixels has a pixel selecting thin film transistor 10, a liquid crystal LC, and a storage capacitor Csc. The thin film transistor will be referred to as TFT hereinafter.
A gate line 20 extending in a row direction is connected to the gate of the TFT 10, and a data line 22 extending in a column direction is connected to the drain of the TFT 10. A gate scanning signal is sequentially supplied from a vertical driving circuit (V drive circuit) 130 to the gate line 20 of each row, and the TFT 10 is selected accordingly. Also, a video signal is applied to the liquid crystal LC through the TFT 10 based on a drain scanning signal supplied from a horizontal driving circuit (H drive circuit) 140.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. Hei 10-115839 discloses a liquid crystal display device with the above configuration.
However, a gate insulating layer of the TFT in the output portion of the gate scanning signal of the vertical driving circuit 130, sometimes suffers from a break down and leakage due to static charge induced during the TFT manufacturing process of the conventional liquid crystal display device. This kind of trouble will be explained by referring to FIG. 11A and FIG. 11B. FIG. 11A and FIG. 11B are enlarged view of part B encircled by the dotted line in FIG. 10. These figures show the pattern of the edge of the gate line 20 as well as the output portion of the vertical driving circuit 130. FIG. 11A is a plan view, and FIG. 11B is a cross-sectional view along with the X—X line in FIG. 11A.
A dry-etching method is employed for processing the gate line 20, a storage capacitor line 21, and a gate wiring in the vertical driving circuit 130. Static charge is induced and stored in the gate line 20, the storage capacitor line 21, and the gate wiring during the dry-etching process. When the ion implantation of an N-type impurity such as arsenic or phosphorus into a P-Si layer, or the ion implantation of a P-type impurity such as boron in case of P-type channel TFT, is performed for forming a source region and a drain region using the gate line 20 as a mask, static charge is also stored in the gate line 20, the storage capacitor line 21, and the gate wiring due to the charge-up phenomena. It is especially easy for the gate line 20 and the storage capacitor line 21 to store static charge because they extend across the liquid crystal panel 100.
The stored charge is discharged from the edge of the gate line 20 to the gate wiring 13 of the TFT 1 located close to the gate line 20. The charges from the discharge will reach a gate electrode of an adjacent TFT 2 through the gate wiring 13, causing a dielectric break down and leakage at part A of the gate insulating layer 12 of the TFT 2-1. In the figure, the reference numeral 40 indicates a transparent insulating substrate, the reference numeral 11 denotes an active layer (poly-silicon layer) disposed on the transparent insulating substrate 40, and the reference numeral 14 indicates an aluminum wiring layer. FIG. 11B is a cross-sectional view of the device before the aluminum wiring layer 14 is disposed.


A network slice instance management method, an apparatus, and a system. The method includes: determining, by a first network device, that a configuration parameter of a first network slice subnet instance needs to be modified, where the first network device is configured to manage the first network slice subnet instance; modifying, by the first network device, the configuration parameter of the first network slice subnet instance; and sending, by the first network device, report information to a second network device, where the report information is used to indicate a result of modifying the configuration parameter of the first network slice subnet instance, the second network device is configured to manage a first network slice instance, and the first network slice instance includes the first network slice subnet instance.

With rapid development of mobile communications, a future mobile communications system needs to meet diversified service requirements, for example, enhanced mobile broadband, massive machine-type communications, ultra-reliable and low-latency communications, and the like. Therefore, a concept of network slices is proposed in a next generation mobile communications system. In network slicing technologies, a network is logically abstracted into one or more network slices. Each network slice includes a series of logical network functions, and one network slice can meet a connection and communication service requirement of a type of case or a case. The next generation mobile communications system may include a large quantity of network slices that have different connection capabilities.
On a communications network, how to effectively manage a network is a problem to be urgently resolved, in order to meet a requirement for flexible management on a network slice level.

Network slice instance management method, apparatus, and system


A Givens rotation computation technique is provided that makes use of polynomial approximations of an expression that contains a square root function. The polynomial approximation uses polynomial coefficients that are specifically adapted to respective ones of a number of subintervals within the range of possible values of the input variable of the expression. The technique may be used in data communications devices such as those in wireless local area networks. An example is the application of the Givens rotations technique in a decision feedback equalizer.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to data transformation apparatus and methods, and in particular to the computation of Givens rotations.
2. Description of the Related Art
Givens rotations are widely used in numerical linear algebra and find many application in data communications systems. For instance, in spread spectrum systems such as wireless communications systems, the unitary Givens rotation is commonly used in adaptive filtering, equalization, and fast factorization algorithms.
Given the vectors xp,xq εCn with xp (1)≠0, a Givens rotation is a 2-by-2 unitary matrixQεC2×2such that[xpxq]Q=[x′px′q]where x′q(1)=0, i.e. the first element of the second column shall be made zero. Numerically stable solutions are given by
                    Q        =                                            [                                                                    α                                                                              -                      β                                                                                β                      *                                                                            α                                                              ]                                                                                α                    =                                                    1                                                      1                    +                                                                                          γ                                                                    2                                                                                β                        =                                          γ                                                                                α                                                                                γ                            =                                                                                x                          _                                                q                                                                                (                        1                        )                                                                                x                          _                                                p                                                                                (                        1                        )                                                                                if                                                                                                                                                                x                            _                                                    q                                                                                (                          1                          )                                                                                                            2                                                  <                                                                                                                                      x                          _                                                p                                                                                (                        1                        )                                                                                                  2                                                                                and                          Q        =                                            [                                                                                β                      *                                                                                -                      α                                                                                α                                                        β                                                              ]                                                                                α                    =                                                    1                                                      1                    +                                                                                          γ                                                                    2                                                                                β                        =                                          γ                                                                                α                                                                                γ                            =                                                                                x                          _                                                p                                                                                (                        1                        )                                                                                x                          _                                                q                                                                                (                        1                        )                                                                                if                                                                                                                                                                x                            _                                                    p                                                                                (                          1                          )                                                                                                            2                                                  ≤                                                                                                                                                            x                            _                                                    q                                                                                (                          1                          )                                                                                                            2                                    .
These are two types of Givens rotations, and as apparent therefrom, computing a Givens rotation requires in each case the computation of square root functions when determining the value of α. In the above example, computation of
      f              (      ξ      )        =      1                  1        +        ξ            for ξ=|γ|2≦1 is required, in order to compute the value of α. This computation is cumbersome with respect to the hardware implementation since it involves both square root computation and inversion. In the following, the term square root function denotes any function such as function f shown above, that contains at least one square root, irrespective of whether there are other functional terms included such as that of an inversion.
One way of performing the square root function computation would be to provide a look-up table where for each possible value of ξ=|γ|2≦1, the corresponding value of the square root function is stored. However, in order to have a sufficiently high resolution with no sampling noise, the look-up table would be required to be of an inappropriately large size. Moreover, the provision of such look-up table would inadequately increase the manufacturing costs of such circuits.
An alternative would be to apply a polynomial approximation based on the respective binomial series:
                              1                                    1              +              ξ                                      =                  1          -                                    1              2                                    ξ                    +                                    3              8                                                  ξ              2                                -                                    5              16                                                  ξ              3                                +                                    35              128                                                  ξ              4                                -                                    63              256                                                  ξ              5                                +                                    231              1024                                                  ξ              6                                -          …                                        =                              ∑                          i              =              0                        ∞                                                        c              i                                                  ξ              i                                          where ξ=|γ|2≦1.
Again, in order to compute the square root function with sufficient accuracy, the computational overhead would be inappropriately large. To have for each input value a sufficiently accurate functional value, it would be necessary to compute for each input value a high degree polynomial using the following polynomial coefficients:
c0+1.000000000000000000c1−0.500000000000000000c2+0.375000000000000000c3−0.312500000000000000c4+0.273437500000000000c5−0.246093750000000000c6+0.225585937500000000c7−0.209472656250000000c8+0.196380615234375000c9−0.185470581054687500c10+0.176197052001953125. . .. . .
Thus, this approach is numerically extensive since it involves a high number of floating point operations.
In order to avoid the need for square root computation, the so called fast Givens rotation may be applied which in addition reduces the required number of multiplications. However, a numerically stable version of the fast Givens rotation involves an increased amount of control overhead and an increased amount of divisions with respect to the standard Givens rotation, which makes its application less attractive for fixed point implementations.


A floor position detection device of an elevator system includes a first sensor unit having a first Hall sensor and which is provided to detect at least one floor position characteristic, and an evaluation unit which is provided to evaluate the floor position characteristic for generating a floor signal. The sensor unit includes a second Hall sensor and the evaluation unit evaluates at least two floor position characteristics for generating the floor signal.

A device is known from the publication EP 0847953 A1, by means of which device it can be detected when an elevator car has arrived at a floor. The device comprises two permanent magnets in an identical alignment, which magnets are arranged at a site that characterizes the floor, a magnetic field sensor for sensing the magnetic field generated by the permanent magnets and also an evaluating unit for evaluating a signal from the magnetic field sensor.

Elevator system floor position detection device


An exemplary LCD includes a frame memory configured for receiving a plurality of first gradations of current frame and outputting a plurality of second gradations of preceding frame pre-stored therein; a comparator configured for receiving, comparing the first gradations with the second gradation to generate a comparison result; a luminance detector configured for detecting a luminance degree of each of pixel according to the gradations of current frame; a calculator configured for calculating a complication degree of a picture to be displayed in current frame; and a gradation processor configured for receiving the first gradations of current frame to be displayed on the LCD panel, generating a plurality of pairs of compensating gradations according to the gradation of each pixel, and selecting one pair of the compensating gradations to be outputted to the LCD panel according to a received comparison result, a received luminance degree, and a received complication degree.

Because typical LCD devices have the advantages of portability, low power consumption, and low radiation, they have been widely used in various portable information products such as notebooks, personal digital assistants (PDAs), video cameras, and the like. Furthermore, LCD devices are considered by many to have the potential to completely replace CRT (cathode ray tube) monitors and televisions. On the other hand, the display mode of typical LCD devices is hold-type, and the response speed of liquid crystal molecules employed in such LCD devices may be too slow. As a result, the residual image phenomenon may occur when motion pictures are displayed on LCD devices.
In order to solve the above-described problems, a typical method employed for eliminating the residual image of LCD devices is the so-called black image insertion method. In the black image insertion method, a frame is divided into a first sub-frame for displaying the actual image and a second sub-frame for displaying a black image. However, because a black image is displayed between every two actual images, a viewer may easily perceive a flicker phenomenon. Furthermore, because a black image is displayed in each second sub-frame, the brightness of the images displayed by the LCD device is correspondingly reduced.
Referring to FIG. 4, a typical LCD 1 configured for eliminating the above-described problems of flicker and low brightness is shown. The LCD 1 includes a driving circuit 10 and an LCD panel 14. The driving circuit 10 includes a frame memory 11, a comparator 12, and a gradation processor 13. The frame memory 11 has a plurality of gradations V(m) of a number m (0≦m≦59, m is a natural number) frame pre-stored therein. The frame memory 11 provides the gradations V(m) of the number m frame to the comparator 12. After the gradations V(m) are provided to the comparator 12, the frame memory 11 receives a plurality of gradations V(m+1) of a number m+1 frame and stores the gradations V(m+1) therein.
It is assumed that the LCD panel 14 of the LCD 1 has a resolution of (I, J). In other words, the LCD panel 14 includes a pixel matrix including I (I is a natural number) rows and J (J is a natural number) columns. The gradations V(m) include a plurality of gradations V(m, i, j) corresponding to the pixel matrix of the LCD 1, each gradation V(m, i, j) represents a gradation of a number m frame to be provided to a pixel(i, j) located in a number i (1≦i≦I) row and in a number j (1≦j≦J) column of the pixel matrix. The gradations V(m+1) include a plurality of gradations V(m+1, i, j) corresponding to the pixel matrix, wherein each gradation V(m+1, i, j) represents another gradation of a number m+1 frame to be provided to the same pixel(i, j) of the pixel matrix.
The comparator 12 receives the gradations V(m) of the number m frame and the gradations V(m+1) of the number m+1 frame, compares the gradations V(m, i, j) with the gradations V(m+1, i, j), and provides a comparison result to the gradation processor 13.
The gradation processor 13 receives the gradations V(m+1) of the number m+1 frame that are prepared to be displayed on the LCD panel 14, and generates two pairs of compensating gradations according to the gradation V(m+1, i, j) of each pixel. Each pair of compensating gradations includes a primary compensating gradation "A" and a secondary compensating gradation "B". The gradation processor 13 selects one of the pairs of compensating gradations according to the received comparison result, and then provides the primary compensating gradation "A" of the selected pair of compensating gradations to the LCD panel 14 in an earlier period of the m+1 frame, and provides the secondary compensating gradation "B" of the selected pair of compensating gradations to the LCD panel 14 in a later period of the m+1 frame.
Referring to FIG. 5, is a graph of luminance versus time, showing two luminance curves for the LCD of FIG. 4. Corresponding to each pixel(i, j), the primary compensating gradation 1A and the secondary compensating gradation 1B are respectively equal to the gradation V(m+1, i, j) in the earlier period of a frame and in the later period of the frame. In addition, the primary compensating gradation 2A is greater than the gradation V(m+1, i, j), and the secondary compensating gradation 2B is less than the gradation V(m+1, i, j). An average value of the primary compensating gradation 2A and the secondary compensating gradation 2B is equal to the gradation V(m+1, i, j).
A driving method for the LCD 1 includes the following steps:
step a. providing a plurality of gradations V(m+1) of a number m+1 frame respectively to the frame memory 11 and the comparator 12, and at the same time, providing all the gradations V(m) of the number m frame to the comparator 12 from the frame memory 11;
step b. comparing the gradations V(m, i, j) with the gradations V(m+1, 1, j) respectively corresponding to each pixel by the comparator 12, and providing a comparison result to the gradation processor 13;
step c. when V(m, i, j)=V(m+1, i, j)—in other words, the pixel(i, j) in a number i row and in a number j column displays a still picture in the number m+1 frame—the gradation processor 13 provides the primary compensating gradation 1A to the LCD panel 14 in the earlier period of the number m+1 frame, and provides the secondary compensating gradation 1B to the LCD panel 14 in the later period of the number m+1 frame. When V(m, i, j)≠V(m+1, i, j)—in other words, the pixel(i, j) displays a moving picture in the number m+1 frame—the gradation processor 13 provides the primary compensating gradation 2A to the LCD panel 14 in the earlier period of the number m+1 frame, and provides the secondary compensating gradation 2B to the LCD panel 14 in the later period of the number m+1 frame.
Because the average value of the primary compensating gradation "A" and the secondary compensating gradation "B" is equal to the gradation V(m+1) of the number m+1 frame, the luminance of each pixel of the LCD panel 14 can be maintained to correspond with the input image data. However, when a moving picture is displayed on the LCD panel 14, the primary compensating gradation 2A and the secondary compensating gradation 2B are provided to the LCD panel 14, and a bright picture and a dim picture are sequentially displayed on the LCD panel 14. Thus a viewer may easily perceive flicker of images displayed on the LCD panel 14.
It is desired to provide a new LCD which can overcome the above-described deficiencies. It is also desired to provide a method for driving such LCD.

Liquid crystal display device having pairs of compensating gradations and method for driving same


A system for dispensing a plant-based milk includes a mixing chamber for emulsifying a plant-based paste and water, a plant-based paste storage connected to the mixing chamber via a first conduit, a water storage connected to the mixing chamber via a second conduit, and a cooling system. The system includes a pumping system for moving a prescribed amount of the plant-based paste into the mixing chamber upon receiving an input from a user via a user interface, a flow system for flowing water from the water storage to the mixing chamber, and a control system. The control system receives the input from the user, activates the pumping system and activates the flow system. Further, the control system activates the mixing chamber for emulsifying the plant-based paste and the water, and dispenses the emulsified plant-based mixture of the paste and the water.

In recent years, consumption of plant-based or non-dairy milk alternatives has significantly increased. Nowadays, cow milk allergy, lactose intolerance, calorie concern, and preference for vegan diets have influenced consumers towards choosing cow milk alternatives. Additionally, people may prefer non-dairy alternatives due to concerns over saturated fat levels, hormone content, environmental impact from animal produced methane and antibiotic use in dairy cattle. Plant-based beverages may be derived, for example, from soy, various nuts, or grains. Many retail plant-based products (e.g., almond milk, cashew milk, etc.), have numerous synthetic ingredients added to achieve a level of sterility for commercial distribution and retail sale. Additionally, retail products can have up to 20 ingredients such as gums, thickeners, vitamin packs, and preservatives that are added to this perishable liquid product to achieve an appealing taste, texture, color, etc., and to maintain that for commercially acceptable shelf life.
The commercial processes used to make commercial plant-based milk, such as nut milk, often occurs at high heat (e.g., 135° C./275° F.). This type of processing can cause degradations in flavor, color, and the smell of the milk. Also, a factor that drives up the cost of commercially distributed nut milk is the fact that they are water-based and must be refrigerated.
Making pure ("clean") plant-based beverages without preservatives is also challenging. These beverages usually contain only a few ingredients (e.g., nuts/nut paste and water), and may be too perishable to be sold through a distribution chain. Moreover, although the plant-based ingredients alone may not be perishable and can be stored at room temperature, those ingredients can become highly perishable once commercially processed with various liquids (e.g., water). Even the preservative-laced milk products may not last over a week in a consumer's refrigerator, due to transit times in distribution and time the product sits on a retail shelf before purchase.
Nut milk (e.g., almond milk) can be made in different ways. For example, nut milk can be produced by emulsifying/mixing nut powder (i.e., ground nuts) with other desired ingredients, such as water, spices, other flavorings, sweeteners, etc. Nut milk can alternatively be produced by emulsifying predetermined quantities of nut paste with other desired ingredients. Each technique for producing nut milk poses distinct challenges owing, in part, to the physical differences between nut powder and nut paste. For example, unlike nut powder, which typically has a dry, granular consistency, nut paste typically has a more fluidlike or pasty consistency caused by the release of natural oils from nut material during pulverization. These natural oils can "separate" from the more solid constituents of the nut paste over time, resulting in the formation of separate layers of different constituent materials in packaged nut paste.
In various embodiments of the present disclosure, a process of mixing various components, such as plant-based paste and water, includes a process of emulsifying these components, i.e., forming a stable emulsion of two or more components (e.g., paste and water) even when these components are immiscible. As used herein, the term stable emulsion refers to an emulsion having components that are not separable once being emulsified. Furthermore, as used herein, terms "mixing elements," "mixing chamber," and the like, may refer to "emulsifying elements," "emulsifying chamber," and the like.
The separation of constituent elements that occurs inside a package of nut paste poses challenges to producing high-quality nut milk from packaged nut paste. For example, it can be difficult to dispense a predetermined amount of packaged nut paste having the desired concentration of all constituent elements for emulsifying/mixing with other nut milk ingredients because the separation of nut paste constituents inside its packaging can result in disproportionate amounts of some separated constituents (e.g., heavy paste) exiting the packaging without proportional quantities of other constituents (e.g., oils). This can result in the production of poor-quality nut milk. This same challenge exists for other types of materials, including other food and beverage ingredients susceptible to separation, and is not limited to nut paste.
The present disclosure solves the problems related to the fabrication of nut-based milk described above (e.g., the problems associated with commercial processing of nut-based milk and the challenges associated with making pure ("clean") nut-based beverages). As described below, the invention emulsifies water with nut paste to make fresh nut milk on demand (i.e., the product is made fresh right in front of the customer), which negates the need for transporting refrigerated beverages (that can be 90% water). Thus, the present disclosure describes a beverage product emulsification and dispensing system that may be used to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above and/or other problems of the prior art.
Accordingly, there is a need for providing systems and methods that improve the production of plant-based kinds of milk. The present disclosure addresses the problems set forth above, as well as other deficiencies in existing systems and methods. The disclosed system and methods further describe ways to form a milky product from the nut paste or cereal paste and to dispense the milky product to a consumer.

System and method for dispensing a beverage


In some implementations, a controller may cause a gearbox coupled to a rotor to shift between a first gear ratio and a second gear ratio one or more times. The controller may obtain a first set of position data that identifies respective first positions of a gear selector of the gearbox for each shift to the first gear ratio, and a second set of position data that identifies respective second positions of the gear selector of the gearbox for each shift to the second gear ratio. The controller may determine a first calibrated position of the gear selector for a shift to the first gear ratio based on the first set of position data and a second calibrated position of the gear selector for a shift to the second gear ratio based on the second set of position data.

A rotary mixer may be used to cut, mix, and pulverize ground surfaces, such as a roadway. In general, a rotary mixer includes a frame supported by wheels, or endless tracks. The frame provides support for an operator station and a power source. The rotary mixer includes an open bottom mixing chamber connected to the frame, and a rotor suspended inside the mixing chamber. The rotor may include a rotatable drum having work tools disposed about an outer surface of the drum to cut, mix, and pulverize ground surface.
The rotor may be controlled by a gearbox (e.g., a two-position gearbox with a low gear and a high gear) that provides a drive ratio of the rotor. An operator of the rotary mixer may shift to a gear using an operator control (e.g., located in the operator station), such as a button, that provides a command to shift to the gear. In response to the command, the rotary mixer may shift to the commanded gear in an automated manner. For example, to shift to the commanded gear, a gear selector (e.g., a shift fork) may be moved to a position that selects the commanded gear. In some cases, the shift that is carried out may not achieve a full shift to the commanded gear (e.g., the gear selector is not moved to the proper position), such that gears of the gearbox are not properly seated into position and/or are not properly meshed. In such cases, if the rotor is engaged, the gears (e.g., teeth of the gears) and/or other mechanisms of the gearbox may be damaged.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20170138469 (the '469 publication) discloses a method for updating shift position thresholds for a multi-speed transmission. The '469 publication indicates that the multi-speed transmission includes a position sensor for providing data indicative of a position of a shift actuator for selecting between a plurality of gear ratios. The '469 patent discloses that the method includes comparing a velocity of an output member to a prescribed velocity, and upon the velocity of the output member increasing and being less than the prescribed velocity, storing the position provided by the position sensor as a synchronization position. Further, the '469 patent discloses that upon the velocity of the output member corresponding to the prescribed value, the method includes storing the position provided by the position sensor as an endstop position, and calculating a threshold position for the shift actuator based on the synchronization position and the endstop position. However, the '469 publication does not address calibration of a gearbox used for a rotor, such as a rotor of a rotary mixer. Moreover, the '469 patent does not describe the use of a contactless sensor for detecting position.
The gearbox calibration system of the present disclosure solves one or more of the problems set forth above and/or other problems in the art.


The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a shaped body comprising lignin which may be further processed into intermediate carbon fibers and finally also carbon fibers. Uses of said fibers are also disclosed. The present invention addresses the problem of lignin leaching into a precipitation bath. The solution to this problem is a novel method for minimizing the loss of lignin through the addition of certain salts into the precipitation bath.

Lignin is a polyaromatic polyol and constitutes, after cellulose, the second largest material component in wood and other lignocellulosic plants. During chemical pulping cellulosic fibers are separated from softwoods, hardwoods, and annual plant biomass, for further processing to paper, board and tissue products. Kraft pulping is the dominant chemical pulping process. Other processes include soda pulping, sulfite pulping and the organosolv process. In alkaline pulping (i.e. kraft and soda pulping), large quantities of lignin become dissolved in the alkaline pulping liquor, known as black liquor, a highly alkaline complex mixture containing used cooking chemicals, solubilized wood lignin, carbohydrates and organic acids. From there the lignin may be further processed to energy by combustion of the partly evaporated black liquor or, alternatively, be isolated in solid form by addition of acid. The amount of carbon in lignin is approx. 60-65%. The chemical structure of precipitated lignin is determined by the type of biomass used and the pulping method.
Compared to the traditional raw materials for making fibers, non-woven fabrics and films, lignin is more cost-competitive. However, in practice, it is not a fiber- or film forming material in its unmodified form. Regarding the conversion of lignin to a shaped body most attempts described in the literature refer to melt-spinning of lignin to filament. J. F. Kadla et al. [1] describe the production of lignin fiber by melt-spinning of a commercially available kraft lignin and also melt-spinning of a mixture of lignin with low proportions up to 5% of polyethylene oxide (PEO). Processing of pure lignin requires a thermal pretreatment which increases the raw material costs and, in mixtures, only small proportions of PEO are possible since, with larger quantities of PEO, filament stickiness occurs in the stabilizing process. The carbon fibers made from the melt-spun lignin-containing precursors had strengths of approx. 0.4 GPa and moduli in the range 40-50 GPa, i.e. far below the values of commercial carbon fiber and even lower than the values of glass fiber.
Kubo et al. [2] describe a process for the melt-spinning of lignin, in which, in a pretreatment step, the non-melting high-molecular components are removed from the lignin. In a further publication, K. Sudo et al. [3] describe the pretreatment of lignin with organic solvents with subsequent melt-spinning of the chloroform-soluble fraction. The carbon fibers produced therefrom had merely a low strength level.
DE 2118488 describes a method for melt spinning a lignin derivative to lignin fiber. U.S. Pat. No. 7,678,358 claims acetylation of lignin as precursor of lignin melt-spinning without however giving any information relating to the properties of the carbon fibers produced in this way.
It has been shown that it is possible in principle to produce melt-spun lignin-containing filaments for subsequent conversion to carbonized fibers. However, a disadvantage with melt-spun lignin fibers is their low strength and brittleness. Strength levels of merely 30 to 35 MPa at 0.5 to 1% elongations at break are reported [4]. Lignin fibers cannot withstand the mechanical stresses during continuous production caused by fiber transportation (via rollers), stretching and winding/unwinding. These low strength levels make it challenging to convert the lignin precursor to carbon fiber in an industrial continuous manufacturing process which decreases the attractiveness of lignin-based precursor fibers for the production of carbon fiber. The low strength levels can be explained by the lack of a strong linear polymer backbone in the chemical structure of the lignin macromolecule.
Solvent-borne spinning processes of lignin-containing fibers also comprise a fiber-forming polymer in the dope, which gives higher fiber strength. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,461,082 methods are disclosed for dry spinning lignin to fibers. Furthermore, methods are disclosed for wet-spinning hybrid fibers from lignin dissolved in sodium hydroxide and cellulose dissolved in carbon disulfide. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 3,461,082 describes a method for wet-spinning hybrid fibers comprised of lignin and polyacrylic nitrile dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide. WO 2012003070 describes a method for the manufacture of dopes containing PAN and lignin for the production of carbon fiber precursors via solvent spinning. PCT/EP2012/59114 describes a method for manufacturing filaments from dopes of PAN and lignin and dopes of cellulose or cellulose derivatives and lignin, respectively, via air-gap spinning.
Solvent-borne manufacturing processes are based on dissolving the raw materials in a solvent to form the so called dope. Endless filament yarns or non-woven fabrics can be produced via solvent spinning. Films and membranes can be produced via solution casting. Solvent-borne processes for the manufacture of said lignin-containing shaped bodies require a precipitation step. After extrusion, i.e. transfiguration of the dope to a shaped body such as a filament yarn or film, respectively, the substrate is passed into a precipitation bath containing an anti-solvent, in which the shaped body is allowed to solidify through a diffusion-controlled process. The solvent diffuses from the shaped body into the precipitation bath and the anti-solvent diffuses from the bath into the shaped body, as described in PCT/EP2012/59114. When lignin is used as a raw material it has been observed that lignin leaches out from the substrate into the precipitation bath so that up to 50% of the lignin from the dope is lost. The leaching of lignin must be minimized for process cost optimization.
In solvent spinning of dopes containing polyacrylic nitrile (PAN) and lignin for the production of carbon fiber precursors it has been reported that above a certain concentration of lignin in the dope the lignin starts to leach out during the spinning process causing the formation of macro voids in the precursor which leads to poor mechanical performance of the corresponding carbon fiber [5]. In this case, the leaching of lignin is a disadvantage to both process cost and product performance.
Thus, the problem to be solved is to minimize the leaching of lignin into the precipitation bath in solvent-borne extrusion processes that are aimed at converting lignin to shaped bodies such as filaments, non-woven fabrics or films.
It has now surprisingly been found that certain salts may be helpful in this context. The solution to this problem is a method for minimizing the loss of lignin in the precipitation bath through the addition of certain salts into the regeneration medium according to the first aspect of the invention. No statements are made in the literature regarding salt addition to the precipitation bath to take influence on the loss of lignin during the precipitation step.
This invention provides a solution that alleviates or minimizes the problem of lignin leaching into the precipitation bath. The solution to this problem is as said a method for minimizing the loss of lignin through the addition of certain salts into the precipitation bath.

Process for the manufacture of a shaped body


A cutting attachment includes a mounting bracket and a cutting deck. The mounting bracket is configured to couple to at least one hydraulic arm of a tractor or excavator. The cutting deck is coupled to the mounting bracket. The cutting deck includes an inner surface, an outer surface, a motor coupled to the inner surface, a blade carrier coupled to the outer surface and rotatable by the motor, and at least one blade coupled to the blade carrier.

The present invention relates to cutting tree branches and brush and, more particularly, to a tree branch and brush cutter that attaches to a tractor or excavator.
Cutting tree branches and brush high above one's head level and on inclines can be difficult. Currently, the primary method of cutting high branches and brush is to use a chainsaw coupled to an end of a long pole. Using this method, users can only cut one limb at a time, which makes the process time consuming and requires added physical effort. Additionally, chainsaws coupled to long poles are difficult to control.
As can be seen, there is a need for a tree branch and brush cutter that attaches to a tractor or excavator.

Tree branch and brush cutting attachment


According to one implementation, a system for enhancing energy efficiency during display of an image through selective reduction of pixel intensity includes a computing platform having a hardware processor and a memory storing a software code. The hardware processor is configured to execute the software code to receive a first image including multiple pixels and having a first display power consumption when displayed on a display, and to change the intensity of each of a predetermined subset of the pixels of the first image into a predetermined intensity to generate a second image. The second image has a second display power consumption when displayed on the display, the predetermined intensity being such that the second display power consumption is lower than the first display power consumption.

Although electrical power is often perceived to be a clean source of energy by consumers due to the absence of perceivable environmental impact at the point at which it is used, the generation of electrical power can have significant negative environmental effects. For example, most of the electrical power presently used in the United States is generated by natural gas or coal fired power plants known to contribute to the accumulation of greenhouse gases. As a result, it is desirable to reduce the consumption of electrical power wherever feasible.
One area in which electrical power may sometimes be over utilized is in the display screens used in computer monitors, televisions, gaming systems, and mobile communication devices. The recent trend in display technology is to support ever higher resolutions, such as the 4K and 8K video formats, for example, which require the use of more and more pixels for display of an image. While the quality of the images provided on modern high-definition (HD) and ultra HD displays is undeniably impressive, the level of detail they provide may not be necessary or even desirable in many use cases. For example, although high resolution images may be desirable for intense gaming applications, or movies shot specifically for high resolution viewing, other content, such as documentaries or educational programming for instance, may be enjoyed without substantial compromise at lower resolutions. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a solution enabling the selective reduction in power consumption by a display in appropriate use cases.

Selective reduction of pixel intensity to enhance energy efficiency during display of an image


An airway management device (10) for a human or animal subject (20) includes an airway tube (101) having a first end for disposal external to the subject (20) and a second end (102) for disposal in a portion of an airway of the subject (20). A light emitting element (108) and a photo-sensing element (109) may be disposed at the second end (102) of the airway tube (101). The light emitting element (108) may be configured to transmit light to tissue adjacent to the light emitting element (108). The photo-sensing element (109) may be configured to receive reflectance spectra (204) from the tissue. The location of the second end (102) of the airway tube (101) may be determined from characteristics of the reflectance spectra (204) of the tissue.

The invention relates in general to respiratory medical devices and in particular to airway management devices.
Endotracheal intubation (ETI) is a frequent life-saving medical procedure. ETI is often performed in a prehospital or emergency medicine environment when a patient cannot sufficiently breathe of their own accord. Common medical emergencies such as cardiac arrest or trauma often necessitate paramedics or nurses to perform ETI in a chaotic prehospital setting. According to the 2010 Advanced Cardiac Life Support guidelines, a confirmatory procedure should be performed after every ETI to ensure tracheal placement. Failed intubations can lead to death through hypoxemia or through unrecognized intubation of the esophagus.
Even successful intubations, if delayed or performed poorly, can still encounter major adverse events, such as cardiac arrest, hypotension, hypoxemia or asphyxiation due to patient aspiration. Furthermore, multiple attempts at endotracheal intubation has been shown to significantly increase the probability of these adverse events, jumping from 14.2% on first attempt success to 47.2% on the second attempt, to 63.6% chance of adverse events if three attempts were made. In addition to the number of attempts, the time to intubation also adds risk to patient outcomes with longer intubation times leading to extended oxygen deprivation, which has been associated with worse long-term outcomes for traumatic brain injury patients. Currently, confirmation of tracheal tube placement in the clinical field is determined by a variety of mechanisms and approaches, from physical examination to ultrasonographic and impedance-based technologies.
While visualization of the endotracheal tube passing through the vocal cords is considered the "gold standard" of intubation confirmation, visual depth into the patient's upper airway can be severely limited due to their clinical condition or innate anatomical characteristics. These challenges, such as large or swollen tongue, short neck, prominent teeth, or maxillofacial trauma, are categorized as a "difficult airway" and pose problems for standard intubation and visual confirmation techniques. For non-visual methods, tracheal placement can be confirmed by end-tidal carbon dioxide monitoring, capnography, or by applying negative pressure with an esophagus detector device (EDD). However, these methods may require the provider to stop care to perform the confirmation or they may require additional specialized equipment that is not always readily available. Furthermore, not all of the current methods, such as the EDD or visualization, provide continuous patient monitoring to ensure proper tracheal tube placement once intubated. Displacement of the tracheal tube can result from patient movement and can easily be overlooked or go undetected amidst the typically chaotic prehospital, ICU and emergency departments and lead to the same serious adverse events.
A need exists for a feedback mechanism to aid providers in performing successful ETI and other airway management procedures in humans and animals.

Airway management device for identification of tracheal and/or esophageal tissue

The Government of the United States, as represented by the Secretary of the Army


A transmission unit connected to a reception unit via a communication cable. The transmission unit includes: a diagnostic data transmitting section to transmit, to the reception unit via the communication cable, diagnostic data converted into signals under a signal conversion condition for a diagnosis, of which a value of at least one parameter is different from a signal conversion condition for a transmission defined as a data-to-signal conversion condition for transmitting data to the reception unit; and a diagnosing section to diagnose a status of the communication cable on the basis of a diagnostic data error rate measured by the reception unit receiving the diagnostic data.

There exist some number of information processing apparatuses configured by connecting two types of units (devices) via a communication cable. A mass-production test for this type of information processing apparatus is implemented in the form of reattaching the communication cable to another two units undergoing the test next time from the two units with the test being completed, but a transmission error abruptly frequently occurs when the communication cable is repeatedly inserted and removed as the case may be.
The transmission error, however, occurs even if a trouble is caused on the unit side, and hence, it is the status quo to perform an operation of determining at first whether the transmission error is caused by the communication cable or on the unit side (an operation of troubleshooting the error portion distinctively).


A semiconductor processing system that includes a controller is disclosed. The controller may be configured to schedule the operation of the system. The controller may be programmed to determine a current state of the system. The current state may be defined at least by a location of one or more substrates and a processing status of the one or more substrates. The controller may be further programmed to generate a search tree having one or more branches. Each branch may identify one or more subsequent actions or branch pathways capable of being performed by the system in the current state. Further, the controller may be programmed to score each branch pathway of the generated search tree. The controller may be programmed to select a branch pathway and provide instructions to perform the actions in that branch pathway based at least in part on the score of the branch pathway.

1. Field of the Invention
The field relates generally to systems and methods for semiconductor processing and, more particularly, to systems and methods for scheduling processes and actions for a semiconductor processing system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Semiconductor devices are commonly used in electronic devices, power generation systems, etc. These semiconductor devices may be manufactured using semiconductor substrates, which may be processed in batches in order to provide high throughput. For example, semiconductor substrates (e.g., wafers made of silicon or other semiconductor material in various embodiments) may be processed in large numbers so that tens, hundreds, or even thousands of substrates may simultaneously undergo a particular processing step. In various embodiments, each substrate may form many individual devices, such as, e.g., integrated circuits and/or solar cells or each substrate may form one device such as, e.g. a solar cell.
Processing substrates in large batches allows manufacturers to produce many devices in a short amount of time. In a processing system, each substrate may typically undergo numerous transport steps and one or more processing steps that may occur at different processing stations or reactors. Scheduling the transport and processing steps in the appropriate order may significantly affect the number of substrates processed in a particular amount of time, e.g., the throughput of the processing system. Accordingly, there is a continuing need for improved methods and systems for increasing the throughput of various types of processing systems.


The split-chamber rotary engine includes a rotary power module having a case with a circular rotor installed therein. At least one, and preferably two or more combustion chambers are formed peripherally in the rotor. The generally circular rotor cavity of the case includes at least one, and preferably two or more, peripheral expansion chambers. A corresponding number of reciprocating compressor modules are installed upon the case, with the compressor module axis being aligned generally tangentially to the rotor periphery. The compressor module includes concentric reciprocating pistons and valves that compress the air charge and transfer the compressed charge to the rotary power module for power production. The compressor module is driven purely by combustion gas pressure acting upon its inboard piston. No mechanical linkage exists from power module to compressor module. The engine may include multiple rotor and case rows, as desired.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to internal combustion engines, and particularly to a split-chamber rotary engine that combines mechanically independent rotary and reciprocating features, including a rotary power module with one or more reciprocating compressor modules.
2. Description of the Related Art
Innumerable different configurations of internal combustion engines and expansion motors have been developed in the past. The reciprocating piston internal combustion engine commonly known as the piston engine in its various forms (e.g., two-stroke and four-stroke spark, diesel ignition, etc.) has been accepted overwhelmingly as the engine configuration of choice for nearly all stationary and mobile applications. The refinement of the reciprocating piston engine since its inception has resulted in such engines developing smooth power and having great reliability, in most cases, as well as being simple to operate during normal use.
Nonetheless, the reciprocating piston internal combustion engine principle, by its nature, is not particularly efficient. The major problem is that this engine configuration combines the function of an air compressor for drawing in and compressing the intake charge and expelling the exhaust gases with the function of an expansion motor for using the power produced by the combustion of the air and fuel mixture in a single chamber. The air compression function is reasonably efficient, as the piston force and compression requirement are well matched with one another during the compression stroke.
However, the power stroke of the reciprocating piston engine is relatively inefficient. This is due to the basic design of the mechanism, which causes the expansive force of the heated combustible mixture to develop its greatest force at very nearly the top position of the piston, called top dead center. When the piston is at top dead center, the torque arm defined by the crankshaft throw is zero, and thus no torque is developed, regardless of the force developed upon the piston in the combustion chamber. As the crankshaft rotates, the torque arm increases from zero to a maximum at 90 degrees from top dead center. However, here the piston is at mid-stroke and the energy of the mixture is about half-spent. Also, friction between the sides of the piston and its piston rings and the cylinder wall is at its greatest at this point, due to the angular offset of the connecting rod. The overall result is an engine configuration that is not optimized for efficiency.
In response to the above considerations, other internal combustion engine configurations have been developed, the majority of these being of the rotary type. Among the rotary internal combustion engines the most successful is the Wankel engine. The classic Wankel configuration with two chamber lobes and a three-sided rotor develops relatively low torque at high rpm, requiring torque multiplication and speed reduction in the form of transmissions, gear reduction differentials, etc. While the modern reciprocating engine also develops its maximum torque at relatively high rpm in order to overcome some of the inefficiencies noted further above, the need for much higher rpm for the production of reasonable torque output is a negative characteristic of the Wankel type rotary engine.
A number of variations of rotary configuration internal combustion engines have been developed in the past, as noted further above. An example of such is found in Japanese Patent No. 63-285,224, published on Nov. 22, 1988. This reference describes (according to the drawings and English abstract) a rotary engine having a case with a cam-shaped rotor therein. The case includes radially sliding vanes therein for defining the internal operating volumes of the engine. Conventional poppet intake and exhaust valves are provided.
Japanese Patent No. 1-080,721, published on Mar. 27, 1989, describes (according to the drawings and English abstract) another rotary engine having cam-shaped rotors therein with radially sliding vanes extending through the peripheral wall of the stationary case.
Japanese Patent No. 2-049,927, published on Feb. 20, 1990, describes (according to the drawings and English abstract) another rotary engine having radially sliding vanes extending through the peripheral wall of the stationary case, with the inner tips of the vanes bearing against the periphery of the non-circular rotor within the case.
French Patent No. 2,643,945, published on Sep. 7, 1990, describes (according to the drawings and English abstract) a rotary engine with two laterally joined chambers, each having a rotor with radially extending vanes therein. One rotor and chamber acts as a compressor, with the compressed charge passing to the second rotor via a periodically opened passage timed to permit the flow from compressor to combustion chamber at the proper time.
German Patent No. 4,029,144, published on Mar. 12, 1992, describes (according to the drawings and English abstract) a rotary engine having a case with a circular internal volume and a smaller diameter rotor eccentrically installed therein. The rotor has a series of radially extending and retracting vanes to define a series of variable volume working chambers between the outer circumference of the rotor and the inner circumference of the case.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus a rotary engine solving the aforementioned problems is desired.


A method and apparatus for preparing essentially fat free chips such as potato chips and the like having an appearance and taste similar to conventional chips without the use of deep fat frying is disclosed herein. The method and apparatus include exposing sliced raw potatoes and the like to a hot air fluid bed impingement oven arrangement that causes very rapid heating of the water contained in the chip and causes the chip to expand. The hot air fluid bed impingement oven arrangement preferably includes multiple dual-zone hot air fluid bed impingement ovens operating under different predetermined conditions. The slices are passed through each oven based on a desired conveyor belt speed and temperature range. The slices are then passed to a combination microwave and hot air dryer which removes entrained moisture without scorching the chips, thereby providing a lightly colored chip without a burned, overcooked taste and with an equalized moisture content. The resulting chip has an excellent mouth feel without the added fat associated with deep fat fried chip foods. Slices may be seasoned between exposure to the impingement oven arrangement and the microwave drying process.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the art of making food chip products, and more specifically to a method and apparatus for making fat-free potato chips using a combination of hot air impingement and microwave/hot air drying.
2. Description of the Related Art
Food chip products such as potato chips and tortilla chips are typically produced using hot oil. The manufacturer fries the potato slices or tortilla slices in hot oil, which reduces the moisture content of the slices. Subjecting these food products to hot oil results in a final chip having a fat content of greater than 35 per cent by weight.
Today's health conscious consumer is looking for a low fat alternative to the traditional fried chip, and preferably a completely fat free product having minimal taste differences from the fried product. Different methods and means of preparing a fat-free chip have been employed in the past, including subjecting the chip to various processes which involve, at some stage of preparation, the application of a reduced amount of oil (see, e.g., Dreher et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,756,916, or Fazzolare et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,873,093), or subjecting the chips to a hot air impingement oven (see, e.g., Zussman, U.S. Pat. No. 5,370,898) or subjecting the chips to one or more microwave processes (see, e.g., Kloos, U.S. Pat. No. 4,906,483).
These prior art methods and devices each have their respective drawbacks. Subjecting chips to oil during processing increases the fat content of the final chip, which is undesirable. Exposing the chip to conventional fluid bed impingement ovens does not guarantee that the moisture content for all slices will be at a proper level and generally results in at least part of the final yield containing a lower quality product, i.e. product having excessive moisture or burned product, which must then be reheated or discarded. In particular, impingement ovens have been known to overcook or burn over 60 per cent of the food. The only means available to reduce or eliminate this overcooking is to sacrifice production rates by reducing air temperatures, the amount of potatoes used in the process, or the amount of time the product resides in the oven. Utilizing any one of these steps tends to case harden the final chip, as the slow removal of water prevents the puffing which is desirable in chips.
Subjecting the chip to microwaving generally works with a limited amount of product, and maintaining a high quality over a large batch of potato slices can be difficult.
It is therefore an object of the current invention to provide a method and apparatus for producing fat-free chip products, i.e. chip products having a significantly reduced oil content.
It is also an object of the current invention to provide a method and apparatus for preparing fat-free snack chips which causes an increased usable product yield in a relatively short amount of time over past chip making procedures.
It is another object of the current invention to provide a method and apparatus for preparing fat-free snack chips whereby consistent moisture levels are obtained without overcooking and without imparting a burned flavor to the final product, and at the same time maintains the typical light color preferred by consumers.
It is yet a further object of the current invention to provide a method and apparatus for preparing fat-free snack chips whereby the final product does not exhibit starch gelatinization problems typically associated with excessive microwave application.

Method and apparatus for preparing fat free snack chips using hot air impingement, microwaving, and hot air drying


Cationic lipids, having a derivatized quaternary ammonium head group, that provide improved cell targeting ability and enhanced transfective efficacy for the delivery of molecules into cells. The lipids comprise a linker having functional groups that provide sites for further attachment of drugs, cell receptor ligands or other bioactive agents.

Cationic lipids are amphiphilic molecules having a lipophilic region, commonly comprising one or more hydrocarbon or alkyl groups, and a hydrophilic region comprising at least one positively charged polar head group. Cationic lipids are useful for facilitating the transport of macromolecules through the plasma membrane of cells and into the cytoplasm by forming net positively charged complexes. The process, which can be carried out in vivo as well as in vitro, is known as transfection, and the cationic lipids used in such techniques are known as cytofectins.
Cytofectins which enhance transfection efficiency to a statistically significant extent are beneficial. As little as a two fold increase over the activity obtained with naked DNA is beneficial, although preferably transfection efficiency is increased 5-10 fold, and more preferably transfection efficiency is enhanced more than 10 fold.
Typically, cytofectins are combined with a neutral zwitterionic lipid such as a phospholipid, because it has been found that the two amphiphilic lipid species in combination are able to form vesicles comprising ordered lipid bilayers that are more effective at transfection than the cytofectin alone. These vesicles, or liposomes, have multiple positive charges on the surface which allow them to form a complex with a polynucleotide or other anionic molecule such as negatively charged proteins. Remaining net cationic charges on the surface of the polynucleotide/cytofectin/neutral lipid complex are capable of strong interaction with the predominately negative charge of the cell membrane surface.
Apart from the basic features of amphiphilic properties and the polar head group, cytofectins have considerable structural diversity in the lipophilic and hydrophilic regions. Many different cytofectin species have been synthesized for use in transfection and are now commercially available. Such cytofectins include, for example, LIPOFECTIN.RTM. (a 1:1 w/w liposome formulation of the cationic lipid N-[1-(2,3-dioleyloxy)propyl]-N,N,N-trimethylammonium chloride (DOTMA) and dioleolyl phosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE) in membrane filtered water), LIPOFECTACE.TM. (a 1:2.5 w/w liposome formulation of the cationic lipid dimethyl dioctadecylammonium bromide (DDAB) and dioleoyl phosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE)), LIPOFECTAMINE.TM. (a 3:1 w/w formulation of the polycationic lipid 2,3-dioleyloxy-N-[2(sperminecarboxamido)ethyl]-N,N-dimethyl-1-propanaminiu mtrifluoracetate (DOSPA), Chemical Abstracts name: N-[2({2,5-bis(3-aminopropyl)amino]-1-oxypentyl}amino)ethyl]-N-N-dimethyl-2 -3-bis(9-octadecenyloxy)-1-propanaminium trifluoroacetate), and the neutral lipid dioleolyphosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE) in membrane filtered water), TRANSFECTAM.RTM. (dioctadecylamidoglycylspermine), and DOTAP.TM. (N-[1-(2,3-dioleoyloxy)propyl]-N,N,N-trimethylammonium methylsulfate). The structural diversity of effective cytofectins reflects, in part, the observation that structure-function-recognition aspects of cytofectins differ with respect to distinct applications in cells. Experience with cytofectins structurally similar to the DOTMA compounds indicates that transfection activity depends in part on the cell type transfected (Felgner et al. J. Biol. Chem. 84:7413-7417, 1987; Wheeler et al. Biochem. Biophys. Acta, in press). Particularly, cationic lipids comprising spermine substitution of the ammonium groups proved more effective than DOTMA for transfection of some cell lines. This phenomenon suggests that effective transfection depends not only on passive fusion of the cationic lipid complex with the structural lipid bilayer of the plasma membrane, but on specific cellular characteristics and interaction between cell components and the individual cationic lipid species.
Structural variants among cytofectin species are therefore an indication of a more sophisticated understanding of the multiple and complex interactions of cytofectins with cells, and an effort on the part of investigators to take advantage of one or more of these interactions.
DOTMA, N-[1-(2,3-dioleyloxy)propyl]-N,N,N-trimethyl ammonium, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,049,386 to Epstein, was one of the first cationic lipids developed, and lipids of this group have become reference compounds in evaluating comparative cytofectin potency in the development of new structural variants. DOTMA lipids are characterized by a propanaminium group having a quaternary nitrogen, which provides the cationic site of the molecule, together with a pair of C.sub.18 hydrocarbons that are ether-linked to the propyl backbone of the molecule. The quaternary nitrogen is trisubstituted with relatively shorter alkyl chains, such as methyl groups. A structurally similar cationic lipid, 1,2-bis(oleoyloxy)-3-3-(trimethylammonia)propane (DOTAP), comprises acyl, rather than ether-linked alkyl groups, and is believed to be more easily metabolized by target cells.
Some species of cationic lipids, for example, ammonium salts directly substituted by alkyl or acyl groups, were developed primarily for purposes of economy (U.S. Pat. No. 5,279,833 to Rose). Others were developed in an effort to provide less toxic effects; for example, a highly biocompatible cytofectin prepared from phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin: 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-ethylphosphocholine (Avanti Polar Lipids, Inc. Alabaster, Ala., Cat. Nos. 890700-706).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,264,618 to Felgner et al. discloses cytofectins that are structurally similar to the Rosenthal Inhibitor (RI) of phospholipase A (Rosenthal et al., J. Biol. Chem. 235:2202-2206, 1960) and diacyl- or alkyl/acyl-species thereof. Rosenthal Inhibitor based cytofectins are characterized by having a substituent with the structure ##STR1## linked to a quaternary nitrogen.
The RI based series of compounds are known by acronyms having the pattern: DORIE (C.sub.18); DPRIE (C.sub.16); and DMRIE (C.sub.14). These acronyms imply a common basic chemical structure; for example, DMRIE is 1-propanaminium, N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-N,N-dimethyl-2,3-bis(tetradecyloxy)-, bromide, (.+-.)-(CAS registry:146659); the others differ in their substituent alkyl groups. These cytofectins, having a polar hydroxyethyl substituent on the quaternary ammonium group, provide more effective transfection in many cases than DOTMA type compounds. A study of the effect of varying substituents at the hydroxyalkyl moiety and variation of alkyl chain lengths on the transfection efficacy of the RI cytofectins is presented in Felgner et al. (J. Biol. Chem. 269:2550-2561, 1994). Again, the studies showed that the optimum hydroxyl alkyl chain length is cell-type dependent.
The conversion of DMRIE to .beta.AE-DMRIE (Wheeler et al., Biochem. Biophys. Acta, in press) has been found to have a significant effect on cytofectin activity. DMRIE, which has a quaternary nitrogen adjacent to a primary alcohol, thus imparting a pH independent positive charge, is one of the most active cytofectins now known. However, the substitution of a primary amine group for the alcohol on DMRIE to give .beta.AE-DMRIE was found to form DNA complexes that are structurally distinct from those with DMRIE, and .beta.AE-DMRIE is able to transfect many cell lines effectively in the absence of helper co-lipids. The observation that a single substitution in the cytofectin skeleton can provide marked changes in transfection properties suggests that other modifications can bring about similar improvements in gene delivery.
Continuing studies of the transfection event indicate that cationic lipids may facilitate not only entry of the functional molecule into the cytoplasm of a cell, but may also provide additional beneficial capabilities; for example, protecting the functional molecule from lysosomal degradation, facilitating entry into the nuclear compartment, or even preventing the degradation of the RNA transcription product by cytoplasmic enzymes. These functions of cationic molecules are believed to be related to specific structural features. Accordingly, there is a need for cytofectins that are particularly suited to transfection of foreign molecules into specific cell types. There is also a need to develop cytofectins that are able to perform specific intracellular functions.


A method of determining service routes for a plurality of crews is provided. Outage data identifying a plurality of service outage source locations, a number of affected customers associated with each location of the plurality of locations, and a type of repair to perform at each location of the plurality of locations is received. A repair time is estimated for each location. Crew data identifying a plurality of crews and a start location for the plurality of crews is received. A service route for each crew is determined based on a crew skill indicator associated with each crew satisfying the type of repair to perform at each location and based on the estimated repair time for each location. The service route for a crew of the plurality of crews includes the start location as a first location and at least one location of the plurality of locations.

After a storm has passed and emergency repairs are complete, a utility may be faced with the daunting task of restoring service, such as power, water, gas, etc., to multiple customers. For example, three days after Hurricane Irene struck the east coast and after the initial emergency restorations, the state of Massachusetts was faced with over 65,000 power outages and over 10,000 transformer failures.

Constrained service restoration with heuristics