A positioning system for positioning an object. The positioning system includes a stage, a balance mass and an actuator system. The stage is for holding the object. The actuator system is arranged to drive the stage in a first direction while driving the balance mass in a second direction opposite to the first direction. The stage is moveable in the first direction in a movement range. When the stage is moving in the first direction and is at an end of the movement range, the positioning system is arranged to collide the stage frontally into the balance mass.

A lithographic apparatus is a machine that applies a desired pattern onto a substrate, usually onto a target portion of the substrate. A lithographic apparatus can be used, for example, in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs). In that instance, a patterning device, which is alternatively referred to as a mask or a reticle, may be used to generate a circuit pattern to be formed on an individual layer of the IC. This pattern can be transferred onto a target portion (e.g. comprising part of, one, or several dies) on a substrate (e.g. a silicon wafer). Transfer of the pattern is typically via imaging onto a layer of radiation-sensitive material (resist) provided on the substrate. In general, a single substrate will contain a network of adjacent target portions that are successively patterned. Known lithographic apparatus include so-called steppers, in which each target portion is irradiated by exposing an entire pattern onto the target portion at one time, and so-called scanners, in which each target portion is irradiated by scanning the pattern through a radiation beam in a given direction (the "scanning"-direction) while synchronously scanning the substrate parallel or anti-parallel to this direction.
To improve the throughput of a lithographic apparatus, there is a trend to increase the speed and acceleration of the stages that respectively hold the patterning device and the substrate. By increasing the speed and acceleration of the stages, the patterning device and the target portions on the substrate can be moved faster through the radiation beam, so more target portions can be exposed per unit of time.

Positioning system and lithographic apparatus


A spreading knife, comprising a main blade housing and a blade cover. The main blade housing has a reservoir for holding a viscous substance, such as condiment. A filling cap is located fully proximally on the spreading knife and is selectively removable for filling the reservoir. A main passageway extends distally from the reservoir, and is in fluid communication with the reservoir. A plurality of vertical passageways extend from the main passageway, each having a vertical passageway end. A blade cover has a flat spreading surface, pressurizes the main passageway and vertical passageways, and has dispensing openings in the flat spreading surface which correspond to the vertical passageway ends. A pump is operable to force air into the reservoir, and cause the substance to be dispensed through the dispensing openings onto the flat spreading surface to spread the condiment onto a bread surface.

The invention relates to a viscous substance dispensing knife. More particularly, the invention relates to a knife having an internal reservoir capable of holding butter or any other viscous condiment, and then dispensing the condiment so that it may be easily spread onto a surface.
Many people enjoy some sort of condiment on their bread, toast, bagels, and muffins. This condiment is typically contained in a jar, but is removed from the jar and spread with a knife. However, one must typically move the knife between the jar and the bread several times, to first carry the condiment over to the bread, and then spread it across the bread surface.
When traveling, every additional item brought along must be carried throughout the trip. Especially when camping or hiking, extraneous articles create considerable additional difficulty. In the case of condiments, it is probably unnecessary to carry an entire jar, especially when perhaps only one twentieth of its contents will be used during the trip.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,274 to Bell et al discloses a knife which contains a reservoir for holding "fake blood". Bell et al. is designed to release the blood on impact, for novelty purposes.
While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.


A method for operating a sensor system may include predefining a spatial region to be detected in the surroundings of a light emission device, scanning the predefined spatial region by light beams emitted by the light emission device in different spatial directions, driving an emitter with a control unit based on a random component, emitting light beams from the emitter in the direction of a scanning unit at random points in time, and deflecting the light beams, using the scanning unit, in the different spatial directions along which the light beams leave the light emission device. The sensor system may include the control unit and the light emission device where the light emission device includes the emitter and the scanning unit.

In many cases, the light emission device is a laser scanner or a LIDAR system. The function of a LIDAR system is based on a time-of-flight measurement of emitted light signals. The term light here is intended to encompass the entire electromagnetic spectrum from the ultraviolet through the visible to the infrared. Electromagnetic beams in the wavelength range of approximately 850 to approximately 1600 nm (nanometers) are usually used for LIDAR systems. If said beams impinge on surfaces in the surroundings of the LIDAR system, then part of the emitted electromagnetic radiation or the emitted radiation power is reflected in the direction of the LIDAR system. Accordingly, the pulse echo, that is to say light beams reflected at an object, can be recorded by a suitable sensor. If the pulse is emitted at the point in time z0 and the echo signal is detected at a later point in time z1, then it is possible to calculate the distance d to the reflective surface with the time of flight dta=z1−z0 according to d=dta*c/2. In this case, c is the value of the speed of light. This method works expediently with light pulses which, using for example semiconductor laser diodes having a wavelength of, 905 nm, have an FWHM pulse width tp of 1 ns<tp<100 ns (FWHM=Full Width at Half Maximum).
Previously known LIDAR systems or LIDAR sensors scan surroundings of the LIDAR system according to a predefined pattern. Various disadvantages can arise here in unfavorable cases. As a result of a systematic scanning of the surrounding region, for example from left to right, an object situated at the end of the detection range of the LIDAR sensor could be recognized relatively late. Secondly, in a manner governed by the speed of a vehicle and the measurement frequency of the LIDAR sensor, so-called aliasing artefacts could occur, particularly if the sampling rate is less than twice the highest frequency occurring in the signal (Nyquist-Shannon sampling theorem). Beat or stroboscopic effects representing a distortion of reality could also arise with customary LIDAR systems.
The problem addressed is therefore that of providing a LIDAR system which affords a possibility for detecting a larger field of view more rapidly and thus also enabling more rapid object recognition. Moreover, so-called aliasing artefacts are intended to be reduced, which is additionally intended to enable more reliable recording of objects in the surroundings of a light emission device and thus improved downstream object recognition.

Stochastically clocked image generation of a LIDAR system


An engine includes first exhaust passages formed in a cylinder head, a second exhaust passage formed in a cylinder block and communicating with the first exhaust passages, and a cooling water passage having water jacket portions formed around combustion chambers. The cooling water passage includes a first water jacket and a second water jacket. The cylinder head and the cylinder block are fixedly connected together by bolts. The second exhaust passage opens at a joining surface of the cylinder block along cylinders, which opening is surrounded by the bolts. The cooling water passage has water jacket portions formed between the bolts in the joining surface of the cylinder block such that they surround the opening of the block exhaust passage.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improvement in an engine cooling system for an outboard motor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, an engine cooling system is known from Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 3-168353 entitled "Exhaust Passage for Internal Combustion Engine".
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 of the publication, the disclosed engine cooling system includes a cylinder head, a cylinder block with a plurality of cylinders arranged generally horizontally in vertical juxtaposition, and a water jacket provided to surround the cylinders. An elongate second exhaust passage, opening along the cylinders, is provided at a joining surface of the cylinder block at which it is to be joined with the cylinder head. The water jacket is arranged at the joining surface of the cylinder block such that it substantially surrounds the opening of the second exhaust passage.
The known system, however, has a drawback in that no part of the water jacket is present as part of an outer wall of the second exhaust passage. The result is that the temperature of that part of the wall of the second exhaust passage temporarily rises undesirably.

Engine cooling system for outboard motor


Low density lipoprotein are directly determined in body fluids by selectively precipitating very low density lipoprotein, forming clusters with low density lipoproteins, selectively consuming the high density lipoproteins, and resolubilizing the low density lipoproteins for direct determination thereof. The clusters are formed by treating the fluid sample with a mixture of a polyanionic compound, a divalent metal, and a nucleating agent.

Lipoproteins are complex particles consisting of protein and lipid which are found in the circulatory system. One of their functions is to carry water-insoluble substances such as cholesterol and cholesterol esters for eventual cellular utilization. While all cells require cholesterol for growth, excess accumulation of cholesterol by cells is known to lead to certain diseases, including atherosclerosis.
It is known that the amount of total serum cholesterol can be correlated with the incidence of atherosclerosis. However, there are a variety of classes of lipoproteins in serum which can be classified by their density. These classes include very low density lipoproteins (VLDL), low density lipoproteins (LDL), and high density lipoproteins (HDL). All of these lipoprotein classes contain varying amounts of cholesterol, and a total serum cholesterol determination is a complex average of the amount that each lipoprotein class contributes to the total lipoprotein population of the serum.
It has long been suspected that specific lipoprotein classes were more closely associated than other lipoprotein classes with the progression of heart disease, including atherosclerosis. In fact, more recent studies have implicated LDL as the class of lipoproteins responsible for the accumulation of cholesterol in cells, whereas HDL has been shown to be important in the removal of excess cholesterol from cells. Additionally, the correlation of atherosclerosis and the levels of LDL cholesterol is much higher than a similar correlation between atherosclerosis and total serum cholesterol levels. Conversely, there appears to be a negative correlation of atherosclerosis and HDL cholesterol levels.
Despite the desirability of isolating LDL cholesterol levels in blood plasma from other soluble cholesterols, a technique suitable for use in clinical laboratories has not heretofore existed. One method which has been suggested relies upon the interaction of heparin in the presence of calcium to precipitate both LDL and VLDL, cf. Bursterin et. al., Adv. Lipid Res. 11: 67 (1973). To separate the LDL and VLDL fractions, ultracentrifugation techniques, which are time consuming and expensive, must be used.
Another method for determining LDL is calculation by the Friedewald Formula, as disclosed in Friedewald et al., Clin. Chem. 18: 499-502 (1972). In this method, LDL is estimated by the total cholesterol, HDL, and triglyceride contents of the sample. This method requires multiple assays, and is not accurate for samples containing high levels of triglycerides.
Ultracentrifugation, to separate the lipoproteins solely on the basis of their density, requires special equipment and long processing time. Electrophoretic separation also requires special equipment and long processing times.
A variety of precipitation methods have been used, which depend upon the use of polyanions and divalent cations. Okabe Xth Int. Cong. of Clin. Chem., Mexico (1978); Genzyme Diagnostics, Cambridge, Mass. LDL cholesterol precipitation reagent package insert. Other precipitation methods use polymers, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,474,898 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,647,280; or lectin, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,126,416. Kerscher et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,746,605, teach that VLDL and HDL can be precipitated by HDL antibodies with polyanions and divalent cations. However, the amount of antibodies required with this method is too expensive for routine use.
When LDL is precipitated with polyanions such as dextran sulfate and divalent cations such as magnesium, the precipitate redissolves if one tries to selectively convert the cholesterol in the supernatant by an enzymatic assay which requires the presence of surfactants. Moreover, LDL in the presence of the enzyme cholesterol esterase and cholesterol oxidase, is hydrolyzed thereby.
Consequently, there is a need for a simple procedure or device for the determination of LDL lipoprotein accurately.

Process and apparatus for direct determination of low density lipoprotein


An apparatus for chemical mechanical polishing of a wafer includes a process chamber and a rotatable platen disposed inside the process chamber. A polishing pad is disposed on the platen and a wafer carrier is disposed on the platen. A slurry supply port is configured to supply slurry on the platen. A process controller is configured to control operation of the apparatus. A set of microphones is disposed inside the process chamber. The set of microphones is arranged to detect sound in the process chamber during operation of the apparatus and transmit an electrical signal corresponding to the detected sound. A signal processor is configured to receive the electrical signal from the set of microphones, process the electrical signal to enable detection of an event during operation of the apparatus, and in response to detecting the event, transmit a feedback signal to the process controller. The process controller is further configured to receive the feedback signal and initiate an action based on the received feedback signal.

Size of critical features in an integrated circuit (IC) has continually decreased, and the need to perform high resolution lithography processes grows. As a consequence, the depth of focus of the radiation used for lithography has also decreased. There is a need to control the precision of planarization of wafers at atomic scale. For example, typical depth-of-field requirements for 28 nm, 22 nm, 16 nm and 10 nm technology are approaching angstrom levels. These are, of course, merely examples are not intended to be limiting.
While CMP is most commonly used during wafer fabrication to provide an atomically flat surface at the beginning of the lithography process, as lithography has evolved and complexity of lithography increased, other areas of use for CMP have developed. For example, lately, CMP is used to planarize shallow trenches by polishing metal layers such as aluminum, copper and tungsten, etc.
Despite the increase in versatility of CMP, the traditional issues with CMP remain. For example, CMP can introduce mechanical defects in wafers because of the use of mechanical force while polishing. The polishing pads can create and/or release coarse particles which can cause a scratch on a wafer being polished. Additionally, for many types of surfaces the CMP process requires a "blind" endpoint detection. For example, monitoring of the CMP process has required periodic optical observation of the wafer during the CMP process. This results in substantial down-time for the process, and also has the potential to reduce yield if defects go undetected under manual observation. Improved techniques for online monitoring and control of CMP are, therefore, desired.

System and method for monitoring chemical mechanical polishing

TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.


A method for monitoring at least one ambient condition at a remote site, the method executed at least in part by a computer, configures at least one sensing device at the remote site according to one or more setup instructions transmitted wirelessly from a host processor at a first site, wherein the configuration associates the at least one sensing device with a personal communications device wherein the at least one sensing device is energizable to wirelessly transmit, to the personal communications device, a sensor signal that is indicative of the at least one ambient condition according to the setup instructions. In response to the transmitted sensor signal, information about the at least one ambient condition displays on the personal communications device that is associated with the at least one sensing device.

The ability to determine ambient conditions at a remote site is of value to any owner of property when the owner is not in residence. When irregular conditions indicative of impending mishap or damage are detected, such as exceedingly low temperature or high humidity, an alert can be sent to the owner or his agent in time to minimize or prevent damage. In particular, owners of vacation homes benefit from remote sensing when conditions indicative of potential damage are detected and communicated to the owner.
A common means of monitoring is to have a neighbor or watch service monitor the remote property. This can be unreliable and puts at risk the objective of being alerted of certain conditions in a timely fashion. For example, if a failure occurs shortly after a monitoring visit, it can be many days or weeks until that failure is detected, and by then the damage will have already occurred.
Remote alarm systems using wired connections are well known. One such system is the Sensaphone® 400—Remote Monitoring and Control System. However, such systems require that a wired connection be maintained, and in the case where a telephone or internet line is used to connect the sensor or sensor monitor and provide a means for alerts to be sent, equipment must be provided to communicate over the line. Furthermore, the telephone or internet line must be functional. This can be particularly problematic during periods of severe weather, when above-ground communication lines are prone to mechanical disconnection and below-ground lines are prone electrical disconnection due to flooding. Additionally, the cost for providing and maintaining such lines can be significant.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,577,182, Millsap et al. propose a remote alarm system in which alarms are sent via a cellular phone connection. An alarm system is provided in which an alarm condition causes a cellular transceiver to automatically transmit a telephone call to an alarm monitoring station by over-the-air transmission of a signal to a cellular site. A computer at the cellular site provides communication between the cellular transceiver and an alarm company monitoring station.
Schechter et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 7,952,485, describe a similar system in which alert conditions are sent to a remote server. Units are registered and reporting times are established. Customers are alerted to conditions violating established limits.
What is needed is a remote sensing unit that can be easily installed and configured, that uses wireless cellular connectivity to send alerts, and that provides for additional sensing capabilities.

Remote monitoring system with cellular gateway


Method and apparatus for trusted service management are disclosed. The method includes obtaining an identification identifier and address information of a computing unit; obtaining a mapping table for the identification identifier and the address information of the computing unit; initiating a trusted service request message to a server that provides trusted service management using the identification identifier of the computing unit; and receiving a corresponding trusted service response message, and transmitting the trusted service response message to the computing unit according to the mapping table. This thereby solves the problem that some terminals cannot carry all services logics for communications between a TSM Agent and a TSM Server.

With the development of Internet technology and mobile communication technology, banks, transportation operators, financial institutions, and other digital service providers provide users with services through Trusted Server Management (or TSM) platforms to replace traditional counters. The so-called TSM platform refers to a platform that performs a fast, efficient and safe air management of SE (Secure Element) smart card chips that comply with international GP (Global Platform) specifications, including air card issuance, SE security domain management, key life cycle management, two-way authentication of TSM server and SE card, mobile payment management, etc. The so-called GP refers to a global policymaker of unified standards for security infrastructure based on security chips. Such international standards organization develops, enacts, and publishes technical standards for security chips to promote deployments of trusted services.
In existing applications, a SE chip cooperates with a TSM platform to provide a complete set of business solutions of highly secure trusted services, which are mainly used in mobile financial projects. For example, bank service providers provide newly registered mobile users with instant solutions, Alipay, etc. In addition to being widely used in the fields of mobile payment and finance, a wide range of applications in the field of the Internet of Things is foreseeable in the future, which are used for safely storing some sensitive data in complex and fragmented Internet of Things terminal devices, such as keys, certificates, core data, and other information. An existing technical solution is an end-to-end solution of a service end and a device end located in the cloud. In other words, a SE chip is embedded or integrated in a mobile-phone-type portable device or other smart device, providing hardware-level security for a smart device end. A TSM agent (TSM Agent) is deployed on the smart device end, and is responsible for data communications between the SE chip embedded or integrated in the smart device end and a service end of the TSM platform (a TSM Server) to complete trusted service management.
Terminals in the field of the Internet of Things are presented in a variety of forms, and systems tend to be of low-end. With the development of a variety of terminal devices and different versions, fragmentation of a system has become more and more serious. The so-called fragmentation refers to a situation in which new versions are continued to roll out while old versions coexist for a long time. Therefore, when using an existing end-to-end technical solution of a service end and a device end to provide trusted service management, a problem that some terminals cannot carry all service logics for communications between a TSM Agent and a TSM Server exists.


The present invention provides novel compounds having a P2X3 and/or P2X2/3 receptor antagonistic effect, e.g. a compound of Formula (I):

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is known to serve as a source of energy in cells and a substrate of phosphorylation, as well as an extracellular messenger. It is known that ATP is released from a cell by various stimulation such as cellular injury, inflammation, nociceptive stimulus, reduced blood oxygen level, and also known to be released together with another messenger from a primary sensory nerve terminal. ATP thus released mediates various extracellular signal transductions through an ATP receptor (Non-Patent Document 4, Non-Patent Document 5).
ATP receptor is categorized into ionotropic P2X family and G protein-coupled P2Y family. For P2X family, seven subtypes have been reported, and a member of this family forms a homo-trimeric structure or a hetero-trimeric structure together with another member of this subtype and functions as a non-specific cation channel (Non-Patent Document 6).
ATP is known to cause pain, and studies with P2X3 knockout and knockdown methodologies have shown that P2X3 receptor mediates transmission of chronic pain. P2X3 receptors are expressed in a specific manner on peripheral sensory nerve to form a homo-complex or hetero-complex with P2X2 (P2X2/3) (Non-Patent Document 1).
Later, the compound A-317491 was reported as a specific antagonist to P2X3 and P2X2/3 receptors. A-317491 is tri-substituted-N-[(1S)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-1-naphthalenyl]benzamide derivative represented by the formula:
(Patent Document 1). It was reported to exhibit an antagonist activity to P2X3 and P2X2/3 receptors and analgesic action in neuropathic pain model and inflammatory pain model (Non-Patent Document 7). This indicates that pain sensation is transmitted via P2X3 or P2X2/3 receptor and that a compound having a P2X3 or P2X2/3 receptor antagonistic activity is useful as an analgesic. Also, compounds that exhibit P2X3 or P2X2/3 receptor antagonistic activity are described in Patent Documents 2-7.
Additionally, it was recently reported that vesical reflex was strongly reduced in P2X3 knockout mouse (Non-Patent Document 2), suggesting that a compound having P2X3 antagonistic activity is useful in the treatment of diseases caused by overactive bladder. Also, compounds that exhibit P2X3 or P2X2/3 receptor antagonistic activity are described in Patent Documents 2-7.
In addition, P2X3 receptor is expressed in neuroepithelial bodies (NEB) of the lung (Non-Patent Document 9), ATP induces cough (Non-Patent Document 10), and the like, therefore it is suggested that P2X3 receptor participates in signal transduction in the respiratory system (Non-Patent Document 11). These reports suggest the possibility that compounds that exhibit P2X3 receptor antagonistic activity are useful in the treatment of respiratory diseases.
Later, the compound A-317491 known as a specific antagonist to P2X3 and P2X2/3 is receptors was reported inhibiting an activity of afferent vagal A fiber in pulmonary diseases (Patent Document WO2006/012639). Additionally, biphenyl and phenyl-pyridine derivatives were reported as a specific antagonist to P2X3 and P2X2/3 receptors, and it is suggested that the biphenyl and phenyl-pyridine derivatives exhibit improving effect on respiratory diseases in asthma and lung model (Patent Document WO2010/149578). Also, compounds that exhibit P2X3 or P2X2/3 receptor antagonistic activity are described in Patent Documents 2-7.
Patent Documents 8-17, and 23 disclose compounds having similar structure to the compounds of the present invention but they do not disclose analgesic effect and P2X3 or P2X2/3 receptor antagonistic activity. Patent Document 18-22 and Non-Patent Document 11 disclose compounds having P2X3 receptor antagonistic activity but the structures are different with those of the compounds of the present invention.

Heterocyclic ring and carbocyclic derivative

Abstract: wherein    R2 is a hydrogen atom or the like;    ring A is five- to seven-cycloalkane or the like;    C is a carbon atom;    Q1 and Q2 are carbon atoms or the like;    R9a and R9b are carbon atoms or the like;    R6 is cycloalkyl or the like;    R7 is a group represented by the formula:

Abstract: wherein    ring D is benzene or the like;    carbon atom a and b are carbon atoms;    ring B is an aromatic carbocyclic ring or the like;    s and s′ are 0 or the like;    R9 and R9′ are halogen or the like,    or the like,    or its pharmaceutically acceptable salt.


A multiway switching device may comprise a wireless device in communication with a relay and a manual switch of the device. A toggle state of the relay may be indicative of an electrical configuration between conductors and rectifier circuits of the multiway switching device. The wireless device may receive, from the manual switch or from an external device, a signal indicative of a modification to the toggle state of the relay. Based on the signal, the wireless device may cause the modification to the toggle state of the relay. The wireless device may cause output of a status signal indicative of the modification to the toggle state of the relay.

In building wiring, multiway switching is the interconnection of two or more electrical switches to control an electrical load (often, but not always, lighting) from more than one location. For example, this allows lighting in a hallway, stairwell, or large room to be controlled from multiple locations. While a "normal" light switch needs to be only a Single Pole, Single Throw (SPST) switch, multiway switching requires the use of switches that have one or more additional contacts and two or more wires must be run between the switches. When the load is controlled from only two points, Single Pole, Double Throw (SPDT) switches are used. One example of a multiway switch is a three-way switch. Electrically, a three-way switch is a Single-Pole, Double-Throw (SPDT) switch. By correctly connecting two of these switches together, toggling either switch changes the state of the load from off to on, or on to off. The switches may be arranged so that they are in the same orientation for off, and contrasting orientations for on.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an example conventional three-way switch. Conventional implementations of a three-way switch require all switches to be replaced in case of a device failure. In addition, it requires the installer to know which end is the load versus the supply (slave or master). With the advent of home automation, it would be beneficial to have more capable three-way switches.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A process for forming low resistivity titanium nitride films on a silicon substrate by chemical vapor deposition includes a post-deposition ammonia anneal to provide hydrogen atoms which chemically react with chlorine atoms entrained within the titanium nitride film. The titanium nitride film is deposited by placing the silicon substrate in a reaction chamber, heating the silicon substrate within the reaction chamber, initially passing both TiCl.sub.4 gas and NH.sub.3 gas into the reaction chamber over the silicon substrate to deposit titanium nitride upon a surface of the silicon substrate, and thereafter discontinuing the flow of TiCl.sub.4 gas while continuing to pass NH.sub.3 gas into the reaction chamber over the silicon substrate to react with and remove residual chlorine atoms retained by the deposited titanium nitride film.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to semiconductor substrates having thin films of titanium nitride (TiN) deposited thereon by low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) methods, and more particularly, to a process for reducing the chlorine content of such TiN films for lessening the resistivity of such films.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well known in the semiconductor industry to use thin films of titanium nitride (TiN) as a barrier metal for semiconductor devices. Such thin films of TiN can be deposited using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques. As a barrier metal, such thin films of TiN may be deposited over semiconductor contact areas prior to formation of aluminum contact layers to prevent the aluminum connection layer from directly contacting the underlying semiconductor material, which is most typically silicon. Such TiN films provide good step coverage over the surface of the semiconductor substrate, particularly within submicron contacts. Such TiN films also provide low contact resistance to salicide, low leakage, excellent adhesion to the underlying semiconductor substrate, and high thermal stability. Such TiN films also provide good adhesion for subsequent films of tungsten.
In Sherman, "Growth and Properties of LPCVD Titanium Nitride as a Diffusion Barrier for Silicon Device Technology", J. Electrochem. Soc., Vol. 137, No. 6, June 1990, a process is described for depositing thin films of TiN upon a silicon substrate in a single-wafer cold wall reactor using a low pressure CVD (LPCVD) process.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a process for forming titanium nitride films upon silicon substrates having a decreased sheet resistance.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a process for forming titanium nitride films upon silicon substrates having more uniform sheet resistance.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a process for forming titanium nitride films upon silicon substrates wherein such titanium nitride films have a decreased chlorine content.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide such a process which can be performed without substantially altering the flow gases or apparatus commonly used to deposit such titanium nitride films.
These and other objects of the present invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art as the description thereof proceeds.

Process for forming low resistivity titanium nitride films


An aspect of the invention provides an image forming apparatus including: a image forming section that forms an image based on a print data on at least one sheet equipped with a non-contact tag; a writing section that wirelessly writes a tag data into the non-contact tag of the at least one sheet; a first cassette that holds a plurality of sheets equipped with first type non-contact tags having a first storage capacity; a second cassette that holds a plurality of sheets equipped with second type non-contact tags having a second storage capacity larger than the first storage capacity; and a selecting section that selects a print cassette from among the first and second cassettes based on a data size of the tag data. The at least one sheet on which the image is formed by the image forming section is provided from the print cassette.

JP-A-2002-337426 discloses an image forming apparatus which forms an image on a sheet equipped with a non-contact tag. The non-contact tag wirelessly transmits and receives a tag data and stores the tag data therein. This image forming apparatus includes a cassette which holds sheets equipped with the non-contact tags and another cassette which stacks sheets not equipped with the non-contact tags. When a given data includes tag data to be written into a non-contact tag, the cassette holding the sheets equipped with the non-contact tags is selected, and an image is formed on the sheet. Further, the tag data are written into the non-contact tag.
JP-A-2005-313551 discloses an image forming apparatus having a plurality of cassettes respectively holding sheets of different sizes. The image forming apparatus includes a reader which establishes communication with a non-contact tag provided in a sheet, before the sheet fed from any of the plurality of cassettes reaches a registration position. In accordance with a print mode data acquired from the non-contact tag provided in the sheet, a print mode, such as a fixing temperature optimum for sheet quality or sheet thickness, is set, to thus perform printing. This image forming apparatus is provided with a plurality of readers with different communication frequencies or a reader which establishes communication by switching communication frequencies, to thus enable communication with a non-contact tag of different frequency.


An anode protection device and method are provided. The method includes placing a sacrificial anode in proximity to the positive and negative contacts to shield or distort the field therebetween which provides preferential corrosion of the sacrificial anode, instead of the anode. The protection device is a sacrificial anode having various forms and placed in different configurations. In one form the sacrificial anode is a plate. In another form the sacrificial anode is a ring placed around either the positive contact or negative contact to provide a shield between the negative and positive contacts. In a further device embodiment, the sacrificial anodic plate can be welded to the aluminum case of a rechargeable battery of a behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing device.

The present invention relates to methods and devices for preventing or reducing a voltage-induced corrosion of a positive (anodic) contact. In particular the invention is related to anodic protection when both positive and negative contacts are immersed in a conductive solution.
Electrical devices often have positive and negative contacts or connectors to enable one device or component to be electrically connected to another device or component. When the negative and positive contacts are immersed in a conductive fluid, such as perspiration, a parallel circuit can be created between the negative and positive contacts which, over time, can cause anodic material to corrode and dissolve into the conductive solution and form a deposit over the negative (cathodic) contact.
One such instance where anodic corrosion can occur is with multi-component hearing devices, such as a behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aid or a BTE component of a cochlear implant. A partially implantable cochlear implant system can have both an external BTE component and an implanted component. To overcome sensorineural deafness, numerous implantable cochlear stimulation (ICS) systems have been developed which bypass the hair cells in the cochlea and directly stimulate the auditory nerve fibers in order to induce the perception of sounds in the affected individual. The use of a cochlear implant to restore hearing to the profoundly deaf is now a well-accepted medical procedure.
BTE hearing aids and cochlear implants typically consist of two or more component parts which may be detachable. For example, one component of the BTE device can contain a battery. A second component of the BTE device can have processing circuitry for converting sound waves into electrical signals. The second component can have an integral or a separate, detachable earhook which permits the fully assembled external BTE device to hang over and behind the ear. The first component which contains the battery and the second, main component of the BTE can be electrically connected using positive and negative electrical contacts.
In the presence of a conductive fluid such as perspiration, a parallel circuit is created between the positive and negative contacts via the conductive fluid. In general, the parallel current flowing between the two contacts is very small and, in most instances, the intended electrical connection between the two components remains viable. Yet, over time, this parallel, parasitic flow of current can result in voltage-induced erosion, from corrosion of the positive contact (anode). The rate of erosion typically increases as the voltage potential between the anode and cathode is increased.
There are several known methods for preventing or reducing corrosion of an anodic material. The first method employs a passive anodic protection by placing a more anodic material close to a metal which is to be protected. A second method is anodic protection that is achieved by using a power supply to reverse the effects of galvanic corrosion. Neither method, however, provides adequate protection from voltage-induced erosion in the specific medical device applications described.
What is thus needed is a more effective device or method for preventing erosion of a positive (anodic) contact between external device components such as a multi-component BTE under DC bias.

Anodic protection of electrical contacts


Antibodies and compositions against Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 Receptor (IGF-1R) and uses thereof are provided herein and antibodies and pharmaceutical compositions that can be used in methods of treating or reducing the severity of thyroid eye disease (TED) in subjects in need thereof, including reducing proptosis and Clinical Activity Score (CAS) in said subjects, by inhibiting the activity of IGF-1R with such antibodies and compositions.

Thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO), also known as thyroid eye disease (TED), Graves' ophthalmopathy or orbitopathy (GO), thyrotoxic exophthalmos, dysthyroid ophthalmopathy, and several other terms, is orbitopathy associated with thyroid dysfunction. TAO is divided into two types. Active TAO, which typically lasts 1-3 years, is characterized by an ongoing autoimmune/inflammatory response in the soft tissues of the orbit. Active TAO is responsible for the expansion and remodeling of the ocular soft tissues. The autoimmune/inflammatory response of active TAO spontaneously resolves and the condition transitions into inactive TAO. Inactive TAO is the term used to describe the long-term/permanent sequelae of active TAO. The cause of TAO is unknown. TAO is typically associated with Graves' hyperthyroidism, but can also occur as part of other autoimmune conditions that affect the thyroid gland and produce pathology in orbital and periorbital tissue, and, rarely, the pretibial skin (pretibial myxedema) or digits (thyroid acropachy). TAO is an autoimmune orbitopathy in which the orbital and periocular soft tissues are primarily affected with secondary effects on the eye and vision. In TAO, as a result of inflammation and expansion of orbital soft tissues, primarily eye muscles and adipose, the eyes are forced forward (bulge) out of their sockets—a phenomenon termed proptosis or exophthalmos. Although most cases of TAO do not result in loss of vision, this condition can cause vision-threatening exposure keratopathy, troublesome diplopia (double vision), and compressive dysthyroid optic neuropathy. TAO may precede, coincide with, or follow the systemic complications of dysthyroidism. The ocular manifestations of TAO include upper eyelid retraction, lid lag, swelling, redness (erythema), conjunctivitis, and bulging eyes (exophthalmos or proptosis), chemosis, periorbital edema, and altered ocular motility with significant functional, social, and cosmetic consequences. Many of the signs and symptoms of TAO, including proptosis and ocular congestion, result from expansion of the orbital adipose tissue and periocular muscles. The adipose tissue volume increases owing in part to new fat cell development (adipogenesis) within the orbital fat. The accumulation of hydrophilic glycosaminoglycans, primarily hyaluronic acid, within the orbital adipose tissue and the perimysial connective tissue between the extraocular muscle fibers, further expands the fat compartments and enlarges the extraocular muscle bodies. Hyaluronic acid is produced by fibroblasts residing within the orbital fat and extraocular muscles, and its synthesis in vitro is stimulated by several cytokines and growth factors, including IL-1beta, interferon-gamma, platelet-derived growth factor, thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I).
Antibodies that activate the insulin-like growth factor I receptor (IGF-IR) have also been detected and implicated in active TAO. Without being bound to any theory, it is believed that TSHR and IGF-IR form a physical and functional complex in orbital fibroblasts, and that blocking IGF-IR appears to attenuate both IGF-1 and TSH-dependent signaling. It has been suggested that blocking IGF-IR using an antibody antagonist might reduce both TSHR- and IGF-I-dependent signaling and therefore interrupt the pathological activities of autoantibodies acting as agonists on either receptor.
IGF-IR is a widely expressed heterotetrameric protein involved in the regulation of proliferation and metabolic function of many cell types. It is a tyrosine kinase receptor comprising two subunits. IGF-IRalpha contains a ligand-binding domain while IGF-IRbeta is involved in signaling and contains tyrosine phosphorylation sites.
Current therapies for hyperthyroidism due to Graves' disease are imperfect because therapies targeting the specific underlying pathogenic autoimmune mechanisms of the disease are lacking. Even more complex is the treatment of moderate-to-severe active TAO. Although recent years have witnessed a better understanding of its pathogenesis, TAO remains a therapeutic challenge and dilemma. There are no approved drugs to treat active TAO. Intravenous glucocorticoids (ivGCs) and oral glucocorticoids are used to treat patients with moderate-to-severe active TAO, but results are seldom satisfactory. Partial responses are frequent and relapses (rebound) after drug withdrawal are not uncommon. Adverse events do occur and many patients eventually require rehabilitative surgery conducted when their condition has transitioned to inactive TAO. Accordingly, there is still a need to provide alternative therapies for TAO and its related symptoms.

Compositions and methods for treatment of thyroid eye disease


A photographing environmental light spectral distribution detector acquires spectral distribution data of photographing environmental light upon photographing an object image, and an observation environmental light spectral distribution data detector acquires those of environmental light used upon observing a reproduced image. A signal processor converts an image signal photographed by a camera under the photographing environmental light in accordance with the spectral distribution data of respective types of environmental light, generates colorimetric data that an output unit can output, and outputs the colorimetric data to the output unit, thus accurately reproducing the original color of the object while the object is placed under the observation environmental light.

In an image input apparatus such as a camera or the like, which photographs an object and generates an image signal, the color specification of the object largely changes depending on illumination light with which the object is illuminated. However, the relationship between the illumination light and an image signal obtained from the object is not quantified, and no color conversion scheme for converting the color specification of an object into a color specification obtained when the object is illuminated with arbitrary another environmental light is available.
Therefore, color matching is made between such image input apparatus and an image output apparatus for receiving an image signal from the image input apparatus and displaying or printing the image signal, under the assumption that the observation environment of an output image of the image output apparatus is the same as environmental light upon photographing in the image input apparatus. Therefore, it is impossible to make color matching between an input image signal and an output image for the color specification under environmental light other than those which are defined in advance.
When environmental light upon photographing an input image in the image input apparatus, and observation environmental light of an image in the image output apparatus are different from conditions defined in advance, the color of an image output by an image process based on a conventional color matching method appears to have different color appearance from that of the input image.
An example the implements perfect color matching between environments of different spectral distribution data of environmental light using spectral distribution data is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-172649. However, this method requires calculation of spectral reflectance R(λ) of an object.

Apparatus and method for converting spectral data of an object in a photographing environment into spectral data in an observation environment


An amplifier (100) includes an output node (114) having an output voltage (V.sub.out), and a switching amplifier (104) having a first output (132) coupled to the output node for delivering a switching amplifier output current (I.sub.SW) to the output node. The amplifier further includes a modulator (136) coupled to the switching amplifier for controlling the switching amplifier, and a linear amplifier (102) producing a linear amplifier output current (I.sub.lin) through a second output (118) coupled to the output node. The amplifier also includes a feedback network (106) coupled to the modulator for controlling the modulator, the feedback network also coupled to a reference signal (V.sub.ref) which the amplifier apparatus tracks, the feedback network further coupled to a current sense signal (I.sub.sen) proportional to the linear amplifier output current, and coupled to a switching amplifier signal (V.sub.int) internal to the switching amplifier, the switching amplifier signal not derived from the output voltage and not generated by sensing the switching amplifier output current.

To obtain high efficiency in a baseband power amplifier it is necessary to use switching techniques. A switching amplifier is known to produce switching noise. Prior art switching amplifiers have used passive filtering to reduce the switching noise. Such filtering limits the bandwidth of the amplifier, adversely affecting the slew rate and transient response time of the amplifier.
One method of reducing the switching noise without limiting the bandwidth more than an acceptable amount has been to increase the switching frequency. An undesirable side effect of increased switching frequency, however, is increased power consumption.
Thus, what is needed is an apparatus for providing a high bandwidth, low noise baseband amplifier which operates at a lower switching frequency than possible in prior art switching amplifiers.

High efficiency power amplifier using combined linear and switching techniques with novel feedback system


A recoilless weapon system is provided rear portion, a barrel in movable connection to the rear portion, and a handle portion in removable connection with the barrel and/or rear portion. Further, a ballast payload cartridge is removably disposed within a ballast payload cartridge portion of said rear portion, and serves as a center breach to support a combat cartridge. The ballast payload cartridge may have a side primer disposed therein, which allows a single weapon firing pin to simultaneously initiate both the combat cartridge primer and the ballast payload cartridge primer.

In conventional recoilless weapon systems, a ballast charge (ballast cartridge) is simultaneously discharged at the time of firing from the rear of the weapon, so as to counteract the recoil produced by the firing of the ammunition. Such a ballast charge is generally relatively heavy, and must be supported by a heavily built center breach. The necessary provision of such a heavy center breach adds significantly to the overall weight of the weapon.
In particular, to fire existing combat ammunition while simultaneously firing a ballast cartridge would typically require a common breach and/or a dual acting firing system. For example, two firing pins would generally be required, to simultaneously fire the ballast cartridge and the ammunition using a single trigger pull. In the event that the ballast cartridge is not fired simultaneously with the firing of the ammunition, propellant gases will escape from the base of the ballast cartridge, mitigating recoil from firing.
Thus, conventionally, recoilless weapons suffer from both undesirable overall mass, due to the need for a heavy center breach mechanism, and are fairly mechanically sophisticated, due to the need for a complicated simultaneous firing mechanism to ensure simultaneous firing. It has been found that such conventional recoilless weapons are difficult for the user to transport in battle, and that the more sophisticated the mechanism (such as the conventional firing mechanisms), the more likely misfires are to occur.

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army


A method for preparing a highly elastic biodegradable three-dimensional structure includes (a) mixing poly(lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) (PLCL) with at least one biocompatible heat stabilizer that is biocompatible with the PLCL, that is a heat stabilizer for the PLCL, and that is selected from the group consisting of α-tocopherol, barium-zinc, calcium-zinc, vitamin B, and combinations thereof to provide a solvent-free mixture; and (b) carrying out three-dimensional printing with the solvent-free mixture by heating the mixture at 150-250° C. for 5-20 minutes to provide a heated mixture; and ejecting the heated mixture through a nozzle. The three-dimensional structure maintains mechanical properties even after three-dimensional printing, by adding a biocompatible heat stabilizer to poly(L-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone). The three-dimensional structure is useful as a scaffold for tissue engineering.

Tissue engineering is an academic field for restoring, regenerating or substituting damaged or failed tissues and organs by using the basic concept and technology of the existing science fields, such as life science, medical science and engineering science, so that they may conduct normal functions. In the traditional tissue engineering, a scaffold, cell and signal transfer are regarded as three main factors.
Conventional methods for processing a scaffold for tissue engineering include a salt leaching method which includes mixing with single-crystal salt, drying and dissolving salt into water, a phase separation method, a prototyping/solid preform structure, or the like [Non-Patent Document 1/Non-Patent Document 2/Non-Patent Document 3].
Recently, to overcome the limitation of the existing artificial scaffolds, 3D printing technology developed from rapid prototyping has been applied. Thus, it becomes possible to fabricate an artificial scaffold having a desired design and desired mechanical property values (porosity, interconnection among pores, or the like). 3D printing is classified into the three types of liquid-based, powder-based and solid-based 3D printing, depending on materials used therefor, and a typical example of each of the methods includes stereo lithography (SLA), selective laser sintering (SLS) and fused deposition modeling (FDM), respectively. Various other methods are also used. In general, a biodegradable polymer-based scaffold is obtained by using a method including applying heat to a polymer in an extrusion mode and carrying out ejection through a nozzle.
As materials for a scaffold for tissue engineering, biodegradable polymer materials have been used frequently and particular examples thereof include polycaprolactone, polyglycolide, polylactide, poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) and poly(lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) (PLCL). Synthetic biodegradable polymers, such as polylactic acid (PLA) and poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) have been approved of use in the human body by US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and used as a scaffold. It is known that their degradation and degradation products conform to the general metabolic pathway [Non-Patent Document 4].
Currently, polycaprolactone and polylactide have been used frequently as 3D printing materials based on biodegradable polymers. Such materials are advantageous in that they are processed into filaments for 3D printing with ease and are ejected and stacked well during printing. Such materials have high mechanical properties, and thus have been used as a bone substitute for customized shaping of the contour of a patient's skull and face.
However, the application spectrum of various types of biodegradable polymers is not broad to date. Particularly, a highly elastic polymer, poly(lactide-co-ε-caprolactone), used frequently for regeneration of soft tissues has a difficulty in ejecting and stacking at low temperature due to the viscosity characteristics of the elastomer. When pressurizing the elastomer at high temperature in order to reduce the viscosity, it causes thermal degradation and undergoes significant deterioration of physical properties, and thus loses mechanical properties as an elastomer. As a result, currently, it has a limitation in application as a material for 3D printing.

Method for preparing a highly elastic, biodegradable, three-dimensional structure

Korea Institute of Science and Technology


A novel framework arrangement is presented whereby a bracket to shaft coupling assembly permits the face of horizontal beams to align with the face of a square tubular vertical posts and thereby establishes an exceptionally strong framework made up of exceptionally light structural elements (posts, beams and connector device) and comprising a minimum of interchangeable parts which can be readily mass-produced, and which can be used to assemble any variety of orthogonal building structure.

The present invention relates to an orthogonal framework for building construction and in particular to a beam to column assembly comprised of a connection device and associated framework elements which permit a building to be erected and subsequently modified, added to, or dismantled swiftly using a minimum of interchangeable parts.
Space enclosure systems directed at rapid assembly of buildings of the orthogonal arrangement commonly take two forms: (1) assembly of load bearing panels, and (2) load bearing post and beam assemblies with infill panels, akin to properties of curtain wall construction in high-rise construction. The present invention pertains to this latter space enclosure type, i.e. posts and beams, especially of steel, for support of a variety of space enclosing means, especially infill panels of varying types and materials.
Within the post, beam and panel mode completely integrated systems of standardized parts to permit the manufacture of a minimum number of like elements which allow a maximum number of enclosure variations is problematic due to the need to integrate the modular measurement of the post and beam framework with the modular measurement of the panels.
A multitude of space enclosure systems exist which allow assembly of interconnecting parts to form a limited number of specific building types, shapes and sizes. Prior art systems include post and beam frameworks which are complete interconnecting systems but which require the integration of many assorted panel configurations of varying shapes, adding complexity to both the manufacturing task as well as in-situ assembly.
A multitude of connector assemblies have previously been proposed but none permits separate parallel beams to attach to posts, as in the present invention, such that beams can be added in any 90.degree. degree or 180.degree. degree direction for the support of both horizontal (floor, roof) and vertical (walls) infill means,, even after the initial or starter framework is assembled.
A comparison of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, described in further detail later, identifies the major limitation to standardization and interchangeability of components (which has been called the "Great Problem of Standardization" by Heino Engel) as pertaining to building constructions of the post, beam and panel mode. That limitation is the conflict between center-to-center distance of structural elements, versus clear distance between structural elements, as seen in FIG. 1, and as shown resolved in FIG. 2.
Efficient manufacturing of space enclosure components is achieved when variations in dimension and shape are minimized. This optimization of size and shape is especially advantageous if the uniformity of the components does not limit the resulting size and shape of the desired end, i.e. a complete building unique to the intended use.
FIG. 1 shows in a most basic plan view that the common center-to-center alignment of posts 1 and beams 2 generates de facto a multitude of variations in the size and shape of panel elements that can be used with them. Horizontal (floor) panels 3 subdivided in three equal widths a necessarily create a different (wall) panel 4 subdivision width dimension b. In the configuration shown in FIG. 1 no equal subdivision of horizontal panels (generally floor or roof constructions) can equal any possible equal subdivision of vertical panels between posts (generally wall constructions). And when the distance between posts 2 is varied, e.g. to define two equal subdivisions a in spacing between beams 2 (at the right in FIG. 1) additional variations in equal subdivisions between posts is created as demonstrated by width c. Thus most common center-to-center post spacing creates a multitude of variations in widths of infill elements, which is not advantageous to the goal of efficient mass-production.
An alternative preferred beam arrangement face-to-face of the posts is disclosed in a most basic plan view in FIG. 2, wherein the space between posts measured from the faces of the posts results in infill panels of identical dimension a'. To achieve the inherent advantage of an equal number of widths for all infill panel elements, both horizontal and vertical, a double parallel beam arrangement is disclosed herein.

Orthogonal framework for modular building systems


A sample of artificial teeth and gums of a display unit for dental surgeons arranges plural artificial tooth samples forming the anterior teeth along the natural arch of the teeth. The artificial tooth samples are fixed and arranged on an artificial gum sample tinted with a determined color. The artificial gum sample has an inner face designed with a contact face curved to a form allowing it to be aligned close to the gum of the anterior teeth of the patient. A handle allowing the artificial gum samples to be aligned with the gum of the patient is fixed to the artificial tooth samples or to the artificial gum sample. With samples of the artificial tooth and gum, the artificial tooth samples and artificial gum samples are both aligned along the anterior teeth of the patient by holding the handles, allowing the patient to decide the color, shape and teeth arrangement of the artificial teeth and the artificial gum.

The present invention relates to samples of artificial teeth and gums used by dentists to choose a gum of a display unit for dental surgeons, the color of the gum and the shape and the arrangement of the teeth by aligning the color samples of the artificial teeth and gum with the anterior teeth inside the mouth of the patient.
Color samples of artificial teeth do presently exist on the market, but there is no sample combining color, shape and arrangement (alignment) of artificial teeth and gums. Therefore, at present, considering the age, sex and particularities of the faces of patients, dentists have to decide the color, shape, and the like of artificial teeth and gums. Furthermore, patient preferences must be communicated orally or written by the dentist to the dental technician, therefore a drawback is that the artificial teeth and gums are usually not chosen according to the preferences of the patient. The reason is that the patient, the dentist and the dental technician have different images which do not perfectly match the display units for dentists.
To prevent these drawbacks, color samples have been developed to choose the color of the artificial teeth (The Japanese Non-examined Patent Publication No. 6-233784). As shown in the FIG. 1, a color sample mentioned in the above Publication is composed of plural artificial teeth 1 connected to a base plate 7 via rods 6.
With the artificial tooth sample 1 shown in FIG. 1, patients can choose the color of the artificial teeth according to their preferences. However, the artificial tooth sample 1 chosen by the patient cannot be color-matched by effective alignment with the patients' teeth. Furthermore, the color of the artificial teeth can be chosen, but there is the drawback that the arrangement of the artificial teeth and the color and the like of the gum cannot be chosen.

Samples of artificial teeth and gums of display unit for dental surgeons


A covering for an architectural feature having generally horizontal vane elements coupled to and located between generally front and rear generally vertical support members, which in preferred embodiments are adjustable to control the amount of light transmitted through the covering. In one embodiment the covering has three dimensional multi-layered, cellular vanes, and in another embodiment, the one or more support members are formed of a dark color, and the rear support member(s) may be formed of material that is darker than the front support member(s), or vise versa. In another embodiment, the support members, e.g., sheers, have an openness factor, preferably as low as about sixty-five percent (65%) to as large as about ninety percent (90%). Other embodiments include structure, assemblies and methods for controlling the closure of the covering as well as embodiments of bottom rail assemblies. Also provided is a method of manufacturing the covering.

Current coverings for architectural features include sheer shadings sold under the brand name Silhouette® by Hunter Douglas, and as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,313,999, which patent is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, which typically use generally vertical front and back sheets supporting generally horizontal substantially flexible vane elements. The vertical support sheets are generally flexible sheer fabrics. The vertical support sheets together with the substantially horizontal flexible vanes form a flexible or soft light-controlling window covering or panel. The flexible nature of the Silhouette® permits it to be operated by rolling and unrolling the flexible light-controlling panel about a roller, and may be referred to as a roll-up type covering. Typically, the sheer panels are made from materials that are clear or dyed white or off-white, and given their strength and durability requirements, result in a muted, somewhat milky view there through ("view-through"). The muted, milky view through is desirable for softening the light being transmitted through the covering, but in direct sun, full view through such sheer materials may be somewhat restricted.
The vanes in Silhouette® are single-layered materials and fabrics, and in certain orientations, these single-layer vanes create shadows on one another. United States published patent application No. 2014/0138037, filed on Mar. 14, 2013 and entitled "Coverings for Architectural Openings with Coordinated Vane Sets", hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, discloses a flexible roll-up type window covering with dual-layered, generally horizontal vanes supported by generally vertical supporting members or sheets, which in certain positions and orientations may soften or reduce the shadow on the room-facing sheet.
It is desirable to have a light-controlling window panel with vanes that soften the transmitted light to a gentle glow, that provides better room-darkening attributes and view-through, and has a desirable aesthetic look.

Covering for architectural features, related systems, and methods of manufacture


A subsequence matching method in time-series databases, reduces the number of points stored in the multidimensional index and can store individual points directly in the index by dividing the data sequence into disjoint windows using duality in constructing windows. The method reduces false alarms and improves performance by searching the index using the individual points that represent sliding windows of the query sequence and by comparing the points used in the query and the points stored in the index. Moreover, the method can create the index much faster than the previous method by reducing the number of calls to the feature extraction function that is a major part of CPU overhead in the index creation.

The present invention relates to subsequence matching method in time-series databases, and particularly to such a method which improves performance by using duality in constructing windows, in time-series databases.
First, we define some terminology needed in further description of the present invention.
A xe2x80x9csequencexe2x80x9d of length n is an array of n entries. xe2x80x9cTime-series dataxe2x80x9d are sequences of real numbers, representing values at specific time points. A xe2x80x9ctime-series databasexe2x80x9d is the database that stores time-series data.
The time-series data stored in a time-series database are called xe2x80x9cdata sequences.xe2x80x9d The sequences given by a user are called xe2x80x9cquery sequences.xe2x80x9d Finding data sequences similar to the query sequence from the database is called xe2x80x9csimilar sequence matching.xe2x80x9d
In the above definition, two sequences are said to be xe2x80x9csimilarxe2x80x9d if the distance between them is less than or equal to the user specified xe2x80x9ctolerancexe2x80x9d xcex5. We define that two sequences X and Y are in xe2x80x9cxcex5-matchxe2x80x9d if the distance between X and Y is less than or equal to xcex5. We define xe2x80x9cn-dimensional distance computationxe2x80x9d as the operation that computes the distance between two sequences of length n.
In the above distance computation, the present invention is independent of the specific distance computation method. For easy understanding the present invention, however, we describe it based on the Euclidean distance computation method. Given two sequences X={x0, x1, . . . , Xnxe2x88x921} and Y={y0, Y1, . . . , ynxe2x88x921} of the same length n, the Euclidean distance between X and Y is defined as                     ∑                  i          =          0                          n          -          1                                  xe2x80x83                                    (                                    x              i                        -                          y              i                                )                2              .
If a sequence S includes a sequence A(i.e., A is a part of S), A is called a xe2x80x9csubsequencexe2x80x9d of S. Similar sequence matching can be classified into the following two categories:
Whole matching: Given N data sequences S1, S2, . . . SN, a query sequence Q, and the tolerance xcex5, we find those data sequences that are in xcex5-match with Q. Here, the data and query sequences must have the same length.
Subsequence matching: Given N data sequences S1, S2, . . . , SN of varying lengths, a query sequence Q, and the tolerance xcex5, we find all the sequences Si, one or more subsequences of which are in xcex5-match with Q, and the offsets in Si of those subsequences.
A xe2x80x9cWindowxe2x80x9d is a unit of dividing sequences. According to the dividing method, windows are classified into a sliding window and a disjoint window. The windows starting from every possible offset in a sequence are called xe2x80x9csliding windows.xe2x80x9d FIG. 1a is an example drawing of a method that divides a sequence into sliding windows of size 4. In FIG. 1a, reference no. 201 is a sequence, and reference no. 202 are sliding windows of size 4. The windows starting from multiple offsets of window size are called xe2x80x9cdisjoint windows.xe2x80x9d FIG. 1b is an example drawing of a method that divides a sequence into disjoint windows of size 4. In FIG. 1b, reference no. 203 is a sequence, and reference no. 204 are disjoint windows of size 4.
In subsequence matching, xe2x80x9cfalse dismissalsxe2x80x9d are the subsequences that are in xcex5-match with the given query sequence but missed by errors, and xe2x80x9cfalse alarmsxe2x80x9d are the subsequences that are not in xcex5-match with the query sequence but selected as similar subsequences. False dismissals and false alarms should not occur in the above similar sequence matching.
The function used to extract f, which is less than n, features from a sequence of length n is called the xe2x80x9cfeature extraction function.xe2x80x9d To use a feature extraction function in similar sequence matching, the function should guarantee no false dismissals. To guarantee no false dismissals, the feature extraction function is satisfied some conditions that are presented in Agrawal, R., Faloutsos, C., and Swami, A., xe2x80x9cEfficient Similarity Search in Sequence Databases,xe2x80x9d In Proc. the 4th Int""l Conf. on Foundations of Data Organization and Algorithms, Chicago, Ill., pp. 69-84, October 1993.[Reference 1] and Faloutsos, C., Ranganathan, M., and Manolopoulos, Y., xe2x80x9cFast Subseqeunce Matching in Time-Series Databases,xe2x80x9d In Proc. Int""l Conf. on Management of Data, ACM SIGMOD, Minneapolis, Minn., pp. 419-429, May 1994.[Reference 2]
We also define some notation to be needed in further description of the present invention.
Len(S) is the length of sequence S. S[k] is the k-th entry of the sequence S, S[i:j] is the subsequence that is including entries from the i-th one to j-th, and S[i:j] can be represented as S[i:k]S[k+1:j]. Next, when S is divided into disjoint windows, si represents the i-th disjoint window of sequence S. Lastly, xcfx89 is the length of the sliding or disjoint window.
Recently, the large amount of time-series data are occurred in various areas such as stock prices, growth rates of companies, exchange rates, biomedical measurements, and weather data. And, owing to faster computing speed and larger storage devices, there have been a number of efforts to utilize the large amount of time-series data. Especially, similar sequence matching in time-series data has become an importance research topic in data mining that is one of new database applications.
In the below description, we explain the previous similar sequence matching methods in time-series databases.
In the previous method of [Reference 1], authors have introduced a solution for the whole matching problem. The outline of the solution is as follows.
First, each data sequence of length n is transformed into an f-dimensional point by using the feature extraction function, and this point is indexed using the f-dimensional index. Only a small number of features are extracted because of the difficulty in storing high-dimensional sequences in the multidimensional index due to dimensionality problem in multidimensional indexes (called xe2x80x9cdimensionality cursexe2x80x9d). Next, a query sequence is similarly transformed to an f-dimensional point, and a range query constructed using the point and the given tolerance xcex5. Then, the multidimensional index is searched to evaluate the query, a candidate set constructed consisting of the feature points that are in xcex5-match with the query sequence. This method guarantees no false dismissal, but may cause false alarms because it uses only f features instead of n.
Thus, for each candidate sequence, the actual data sequence is accessed from the disk; the distance from the query sequence computed; and the candidate is discarded if it is a false alarm. This last step, which eliminates false alarms, is called the xe2x80x9cpost-processing step.xe2x80x9d
And, in the previous method of [Reference 2], authors have proposed the subsequence matching method as a generalization of the whole matching method of [Reference 1]. In the present invention, we simply call this method xe2x80x9cFRMxe2x80x9d by taking authors"" initials. The outline of the method is as follows.
In subsequence matching, subsequences similar to the query sequence can be found anywhere in a data sequence. In FRM, to find all possible subsequences, they use a sliding window of size xcfx89 starting from every possible offset in the data sequence. Then, they divide a query sequence into disjoint windows of size xcfx89 and retrieve similar subsequences by using those disjoint windows. They transform each sliding window to a point in a lower dimensional space. Since too many points are generated to be stored individually in an index, they construct minimum bounding rectangles(MBRs) that contain hundreds or thousands of points, using a heuristic method, and then, store those MBRs into a multidimensional index. Lastly, they try to do the subsequence matching on query sequences of various lengths.
For subsequence matching on query sequences of various lengths, FRM presents and uses the following two theorems.
Theorem 1
When two sequences S and Q of the same length are divided into p disjoint windows si and qi (1xe2x89xa6ixe2x89xa6p) respectively, if S and Q are in xcex5-match, then at least one of the pairs (si, qi) are in xcex5/{square root over (p)}-match.
Theorem 2
If two sequences S and Q of the same length are in xcex5-match, then any pair of subsequences (S[i:j],Q[i:j]) are also in xcex5-match.
By using the above Theorem 1 and 2, FRM divides the query sequence into p disjoint windows, transforms each window to an f-dimensional point, makes a range query using the point and the tolerance xcex5/{square root over (p)}, and constructs a candidate set by searching the multidimensional index. Lastly, it performs the post-processing step to eliminate false alarms by accessing the data sequence and executing Len(Q)-dimensional distance computation for each candidate.
In the subsequence matching, the more false alarms are included in the candidate set constructed by searching the index, the more disk accesses and CPU operations for Len(Q)-dimensional distance computations are incurred in the post-processing step. Thus, false alarms are the main cause of performance degradation.
In the FRM, the main reason why false alarms occur is that it does not store individual points directly in the multidimensional index, but store only MBRs that contain multiple points. That is, for the same range query, there are many subsequences that do not become candidates in case of storing individual points but become candidates in case of storing only MBRs.
In the FRM, however, if every individual point are stored in the index, it generates too many f-dimensional points(almost the sum of lengths of all data sequences). And thus, it needs f times more storage than is required by original data sequences. Moreover, the search performance may significantly degrade due to the excessive height of the multidimensional index (refer to [Reference 2]). Accordingly, FRM cannot obtain the xe2x80x9cpoint-filtering effect,xe2x80x9d which reduces false alarms by storing individual points directly in the index and by using them for the point-to-point comparison, because of storing only MBRs. Thus, it has the problem of increasing many false alarms and degrading performance significantly.
The present invention is devised to solve the problems of the previous method discussed above. A purpose of the present invention is to provide a subsequence matching method in time-series databases, called xe2x80x9cDual Matchxe2x80x9d (Duality-based subsequence Matching), which reduces false alarms drastically and improves performance significantly by using duality in constructing windows, that is, by dividing data sequences into disjoint windows and the query sequence into sliding windows.
Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a subsequence matching method in time-series databases that reduces false alarms drastically and improve performance significantly by storing individual points directly in the index, in turn, by exploiting the point-filtering effect.
Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a subsequence matching method in time-series databases that creates the index faster than the previous method by reducing the number of calls to the feature extraction function, which is a major part of CPU overhead in index creation.
As the first characteristic to accomplish the purposes, the present invention provides a subsequence matching method in time-series databases that consists of the following four steps: the first step that uses duality in constructing windows; the second step that divides data sequences into disjoint windows based on the first step; the third step that divides the query sequence into sliding windows based on the first step; and the fourth step that performs subsequence matching using the windows constructed in the second and third steps.
As the additional characteristic in the above fourth step, to exploit the point-filtering effect and reduce false alarms, the present invention includes the following two steps: storing individual points-which represent the disjoint windows of the data sequences-directly in the multidimensional index and using individual points-which represent the sliding windows of the query sequence-directly in the range queries.
At this time, to reduce the number of range queries, the present invention provides the step that uses MBRs containing multiple points rather than individual pointsxe2x80x94which represent sliding windows of the query sequencexe2x80x94for the range queries to construct a candidate set.
Moreover, as the additional characteristic in the fourth steps, the present invention includes the step that divides data sequences into disjoint windows rather than sliding windows for the fast index creation by reducing the number of calls to the feature extraction function that is needed in the index creation.
In the meanwhile, as the second characteristic to accomplish the purposes, the present invention provides a subsequence matching method in time-series databases that includes the following index building process to create a multidimensional index for subsequence matching.
The index building process consists of the following eight steps: the first step that creates and initializes an f-dimensional index; the second step that reads a data sequence from the database to the main memory; the third step that divides the data sequence, which is read in the second or eighth step, into disjoint windows; the fourth step that transforms the disjoint window to an f-dimensional point; the fifth step that constructs a record  less than the transformed point, the data sequence identifier, the start offset of the window greater than ; the sixth step that inserts the record into the f-dimensional index; the seventh step that checks whether there is any more sequence to read from the database or not, after repeating from the third step to the fifth step for all disjoint windows; and the eighth step that ends the index building process if there is no more data sequence to read, or continues the process by returning to the third step after reading a data sequence if there is a data sequence to read.
Moreover, as the third characteristic to accomplish the purposes, the present invention provides a subsequence matching method in time-series databases that includes the following subsequence matching process to find similar subsequences to the user specified query sequence by using the multidimensional index and the time-series database.
The subsequence matching process consists of the following seven steps: the first step that calculates the minimum number of disjoint windows included in a subsequence; the second step that divides a query sequence into sliding windows; the third step that transforms the sliding window to an f-dimensional point by using the feature extraction function; the fourth step that constructs a range query using the transformed point, the number of disjoint windows obtained from the first step, and the user specified tolerance; the fifth step that evaluates the range query, which is made in the fourth step, and constructs a candidate set by using the search result; the sixth step that reads a candidate subsequence from the database to the main memory after completing the construction of the candidate set by repeating from the third step to the fifth step for all sliding windows; and the seventh step that checks whether the candidate subsequences are false alarms or not by calculating the distances between them and the query sequence.
Moreover, as the fourth characteristic to accomplish the purposes, the present invention provides a subsequence matching method in time-series databases that includes the following enhanced subsequence matching process to find similar subsequences to the user specified query sequence by using the multidimensional index and the time-series database with the reduction of the number of range queries.
The enhanced subsequence matching process consists of the following seven steps: the first step that calculates the minimum number of disjoint windows included in a subsequence; the second step that divides a query sequence into sliding windows, transforms each sliding window to an f-dimensional point, and then construct MBRs contains these transformed points; the third step that constructs a range query using an MBR made in the second step, the number of the disjoint windows obtained from the first step, and the user specified tolerance; the fourth step that evaluates the range query constructed in the third step; the fifth step that finds candidate set by calculating the distance between each point contained in the MBR, which is used for constructing the range query in the third step, and each point in the search result in the fourth step; the sixth step that reads a candidate subsequence from the database to the main memory after completing the construction of the candidate set by repeating from the third step to the fifth step for all MBRs; and the seventh step that checks whether the candidate subsequences are false alarms or not by calculating the distances between them and the query sequence.
As the above description, Dual Match of the present invention divides data sequences into disjoint windows and a query sequence into sliding windows, on the other hand, FRM, the previous method, divides data sequence into sliding windows and the query sequence into disjoint windows. Thus, Dual Match can reduce many false alarms and improve performance by using this dual approach of the previous method.
The FRM causes many false alarms by storing only MBRs containing multiple points rather than individual points representing windows to save the storage space for the index. However, Dual Match of the present invention solves this problem by directly storing individual points in the index with the same storage space used in FRM.
Moreover, the present invention exploits the point-filtering effect that reduces false alarms by storing individual points in the index and using the stored points for the point-to-point comparison.

Subsequence matching method using duality in constructing windows in time-series databases

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology


A mechanism for partitioning of a transmission control protocol (TCP) window in a virtual system is disclosed. A method includes estimating effective bandwidth of a communication link between a group of client devices at a first location and at least one host machine at a second location, wherein each client device of the groups of client devices maintains a communication session over the communication link with one of the at least one host machine, partitioning a transport control protocol (TCP) window of the communication link into portions based on quality of service (QoS) policy data of the communication sessions, where each portion is associated with one of the communication sessions, and sending, to each client device in the group of client devices, a parameter identifying the portion of the TCP window partitioned for the client device, the parameter sent to communication endpoints of each communication session.

A virtual machine (VM) is a portion of software that, when executed on appropriate hardware, creates an environment allowing the virtualization of an actual physical computer system. Each VM may function as a self-contained platform, running its own operating system (OS) and software applications (processes). Typically, a hypervisor manages allocation and virtualization of computer resources and performs context switching to cycle between various VMs.
A host machine (e.g., computer or server) is typically enabled to simultaneously run multiple VMs, where each VM may be used by a local or remote client. The host machine allocates a certain amount of the host's resources to each of the VMs. Each VM is then able to use the allocated resources to execute applications, including operating systems known as guest operating systems. The hypervisor virtualizes the underlying hardware of the host machine or emulates hardware devices.
In a virtualized data center, clients may connect to VMs using a remote access protocol, such as Virtual Network Computing (VNC), Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), Independent Computing Architecture (ICA), or Simple Protocol for Independent Computing Environments (SPICE). The remote access protocol provides client access to a remote machine display and devices (e.g., keyboard, mouse, audio) to allow the user to experience a similar interaction as with a local machine, while offloading most of the intensive CPU and GPU tasks from the VM to the client device.
In a virtualization topology, communication bandwidth between clients and VMs may be limited when communicating over a Wide Area Network (WAN). Bandwidth sometimes defines the net bit rate (also known as peak bit rate, information rate or physical layer useful bit rate), channel capacity, or the maximum throughput of a logical or physical communication path in a digital communication system. In some cases, multiple client devices may share a communication connection to a data center providing VMs communicating with the client devices over the communication connection. These multiple client devices compete for the shared bandwidth on the communication connection.
Currently, different service levels (in terms of bandwidth use of the communication connection) to the different client devices may be provided by solutions such as a traffic control (tc) component or through use of existing facilities in routers and switches implementing the communication connection. These solutions limit and control the bandwidth to provide a specific service level for the multiple client devices in terms of communication bandwidth. However, these solutions have associated costs of performance inefficiency and overhead.

Partitioning of a transmission control protocol window in a virtual system


Information signals such as grayscale images or audio signals are represented as a sequence of PCM signal samples. To embed auxiliary data in the least significant bits of the signal, the samples are slightly distorted. There is a so-termed “rate-distortion function” (20) which gives the largest embedding rate R given a certain distortion level D. It appears that the efficiency of prior art embedding schemes such as LSB replacement (21,22) can be improved. The invention discloses such embedding schemes (23,24). According to the invention, the signal is divided into groups of L (L>1) signal samples (x). For each group of signal samples, a vector of least significant portions (x mod n) of the signal samples is created. For n=2, the vector comprises the least significant bit of each signal sample. The syndrome of said vector (as defined in the field of error detection and correction) represents the embedded data. Only one (or a few, in any case less than L) signal sample(s) of a group needs to be modified so as to achieve that the vector assumes a desired syndrome value.

A known method of embedding auxiliary data in a PCM-coded information signal, also referred to as fragile watermarking, is disclosed in European Patent EP-B 0 205 200. In this prior-art method, the least significant bit of every nth signal sample is replaced by an auxiliary data bit. An improved variant of this embedding scheme is disclosed in European Patent Application EP-A 0 359 325. The least significant bit of a PCM sample is herein modified, depending not only on the actual auxiliary data bit, but also on one or more other bits of the same PCM sample.

Embedding auxiliary data in an information signal