Novel MRI contrast agents that comprise one or more metal-ion chelates in juxtaposition with one or more free-radical nitroxide compounds in a polymeric or oligomeric molecule. Both the chelate units and the free radical units may, independently, be inside the main chain of the polymer or in a side chain of the linkage portion of the polymer. The number of combined units of chelates and free radicals in the polymer or oligomer is at least two.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to the general field of magnetic resonance contrast agents used for medical diagnostic and therapeutic applications. In particular, the invention relates to the utilization of synthetic copolymeric compounds in novel hybrid configurations comprising metal ions in conjunction with nitroxide compounds.
2. Background of the Invention
Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (generally referred to as NMR or MRI) is based, among other factors, on the detection of spatial variations in the T1 and T2 relaxation times in the tissues under observation. Therefore, contrast agents have been developed for imaging purposes to increase the natural relaxivity of tissues (i.e, to decrease T1 and T2) at the sites of interest.
High relaxivity is desirable for several reasons. Because the contrast effectiveness of contrast agents is proportional in large part to relaxivity, an agent with much greater relaxivity can be administered in much lower dosages, thus reducing the overall toxicity to which a patient is exposed during MRI. Furthermore, extremely high relaxivity agents make it possible to design targeted agents (such as antibodies) labeled with ultra-high relaxivity contrast agents.
The prior art describes many compounds containing paramagnetic metal ions (such as gadolinium and manganese, for example) utilized as contrast agents in various chemical formulations. Such agents' relaxivity has been found to be proportional to the unpaired electrons in the metal ions, as well as being affected by water exchange and electron and rotational correlation times. Because these metal ions tend to be toxic, they need to be chelated with a ligand in order to reduce the body tissue's ability to absorb them. Contrast agents are thus created, for example, by combining diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA) with gadolinium and ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) with manganese. Unfortunately, though, as a result of the metal ion's combination with a ligand, the relaxivity of the metal ion is decreased significantly, thus also reducing its effectiveness as a contrast agent. As shown in the examples of Table 1, at least one of the relaxation parameters of metal ions generally decreases substantially when the ions are chelated.
TABLE 1 ______________________________________ Relaxivity of Metal Ions versus Chelates Contrast Agent R1 R2 ______________________________________ FeCl.sub.3 0.94 .+-. 0.06 1.14 .+-. 0.12 Fe-DTPA 0.7 .gtoreq.0.7* MnCl.sub.2 8.73 .+-. 0.52 39.45 .+-. 0.52 Mn-DPDP 2.8 3.7 Mn-EDTA-MEA 3.29 + 0.14 5.76 .+-. 0.13 GdCl.sub.3 8.1 .gtoreq.8.1* Gd-DTPA 4.33 .+-. 0.15 5.19 .+-. 0.10 ______________________________________ *R2 is always greater than or equal to R1 (Measurements were taken using 0.5 Tesla and 20 MHz.)
It is known that the relaxivity of metal-ion chelates may be increased by attaching the chelates to macromolecules such as albumin or dextran, as shown by Gibby in U.S. Pat. No. 4,822,594 (1989). In theory, the polymeric macromolecules should increase the correlation time of the molecule resulting in a decrease of T1 and, possibly, of T2, which would enhance NMR imaging. In practice, though, such improvements in relaxivity are relatively modest.
Another class of well-known contrast agents consists of compounds that comprise nitroxide free radicals as the paramagnetic material used to improve the relaxivity for MRI purposes. Inasmuch as nitroxide free radicals are metabolically reduced and converted to diamagnetic material in the body, their concentration rapidly decreases below useful levels for relaxation enhancement. Thus, in order to produce the desired image enhancement, nitroxide-based agents have to be used at high concentrations that may be unacceptably toxic. Therefore, nitroxides are often combined with other functional molecules in an attempt to extend their effectiveness at concentrations that are tolerable for diagnostic and therapeutic applications.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,863,717 to Keana (1989) describes a long-lasting nitroxide-bearing contrast agent that comprises a large molecule having surfaces covered with nitroxide free radicals and a liposome molecule that encapsulates an oxidant used to reoxidize the reduced nitroxide group back to its paramagnetic form. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,737 (1992), Keana also discloses the use of branched organic structures terminating with amine groups to which pharmacologically active groups, such as nitroxides and metal ions, can be chemically attached. These amplifier molecules are utilized to provide a stable contrast agent by combining a plurality of contrast-enhancing groups (such as nitroxides or paramagnetic metal ions) in the various branches of the molecule with a reactive moiety for attaching the molecule to target-specific biomolecules at the site of interest.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,834,964 (1989) and 5,104,641 (1992), Rosen describes MRI image-enhancing agents based on charged, stable, organic nitroxides. Specific classes of nitroxide compounds are disclosed for scanning the spinal cord and organs associated with the cardiovascular system of a patient.
In our copending applications we disclose the use of copolymers containing paramagnetic metal ions dispersed along the copolymer chain, which, because of the size and spatial distribution of the resulting molecule, tends to increase the relaxivity and stability of the contrast agent. In a continuing effort to refine the use of oligomers and polymers as base molecules for introducing paramagnetic material in the human body, the present invention is related to a discovery that enables the design and synthesis of contrast agents with a yet much higher relaxivity than previously reported.

Hybrid magnetic resonance contrast agents


A method and system for article selection and purchase in a retail establishment utilizes customer selection of articles from a plurality of display panels displaying samples of the articles. Information including customer identity, article selection and article quantity is provided to the system by entry devices on the display panels. A record of customer selections is generated at a precheck terminal using this information, which is also used to transport the selected articles from a product stocking area to an order accumulation area, where a record is made of the accumulated articles. The two records are compared at a finalizing terminal, where customer payment is received and the purchased articles are delivered to the customer.

This invention relates to a method and system for retail checkout of purchased articles, and more particularly relates to such a method and system in which such articles are selected by customers from a display of samples of such articles, automatically retrieved from a product stocking area, placed in an article accumulating area, and provided to the customers after pre-check and finalizing check-out operations.
Efficient utilization of space, protection against shoplifting, avoidance of congestion arising from use of grocery carts in narrow aisles, rapid customer service and reduction in the number of required employees are all concerns that are relevant with respect to supermarkets and other types of self-service retail establishments. The conventional arrangement of a supermarket, in which customers move through aisles between shelves stocked with articles selected by customers and conveyed by grocery carts to checkout stations, provides problems in many of these areas. Arrangements have previously been suggested in which customers select articles for purchase from displayed samples, and the selected articles are taken from a supply area and provided to the customer. Various systems have been proposed to facilitate customer selection of articles, communication of the selection to the supply area and transportation of selected articles from the supply area to a station for delivery to the customer and receipt of payment from the customer. Representative systems are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,023,851, to Bruno V. Stiller; U.S. Pat. No. 3,532,184, to Morton Blake; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,741,345, to Harry Siridis.


In order to make it unnecessary for a user application program to be aware of any redundant configuration even if such a configuration is applied when communication stations, which communicate with each other according to the TCP/IP protocols over the Ethernet, a communication control system is provided wherein a redundancy control device converts a receiver MAC address included in a transmission request into an MAC address of a network adapter to communicate with, when the redundancy control device receives a transmission request from a communication control device, and converts a sender MAC address included in a received frame into the MAC address, which the communication control device of the location communication station is aware of, when the redundancy control device receives the frame from a network adapter.

The present invention relates to a communication control system wherein communication stations which communicate with each other according to TCP/IP protocols are connected to Ethernet buses.
TCP/IP (Transfer Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) is a globally popular protocol for computer networks. It is a combination of two protocols TCP and/or UDP and IP, where TCP is designed to accurately transfer data while IP is designed to transfer data between networks in the form of packets.
Ethernet is a LAN (Local Area Network) most frequently used for computer networks. And xe2x80x9cEthernetxe2x80x9d is a registered trademark of Xerox Corporation.
In FIG. 1, reference symbol xe2x80x9cBxe2x80x9d refers to the bus. In FIG. 2, the structure of the communication frame xe2x80x9cTCP MESSAGExe2x80x9d comprises the TCP header (HEADR) and the TCP data; the IP PACKET comprises the IP header (HEADR) and the IP data; and the ETHERNET FRAME comprises the ETHERNET header (HDR), the ETHERNET data, and the ERROR CONTROL. xe2x80x9cTCPxe2x80x9d means xe2x80x9ctransfer control protocolxe2x80x9d. xe2x80x9cIPxe2x80x9d means xe2x80x9cInternet Protocolxe2x80x9d.
FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of a communication control system where a communication station which communicates with other stations according to TCP/IP protocols is connected to an Ethernet (hereinafter referred to as E bus). This diagram conceptually shows how software and hardware are configured in the communication control system.
A communication station ST is connected to an E bus B through network adapter NA.
There are TCP and UDP in the layer above the layer of IP. The communication station ST communicates with other stations according to these protocols.
UDP (User Data Protocol) is used to send a packet of data. Communication between a transmitting communication station and a receiving communication station takes place only once in an attempt to transfer such a packet, and there is no ability for this communication to recover from any communication failure. TCP establishes a connection between the transmitting communication station and the receiving communication station to provide such abilities as recovery from communication failure. Both of these protocols use an IP address and a protocol port number to recognize a mutual communication partner.
There are user application program(s) AP above the layer of TCP and UDP.
FIG. 2 is a schematic representation showing the structure of a communication frame for TCP. Network adapters NA receive only those frames directed at their local communication station in order to reduce the burden of software located just above the layer of the network adapters. For this purpose, a 6-byte receiver""s address (referred to as a MAC address) is appended to the Ethernet header shown in FIG. 11. The MAC address is specified so that it is unique to each network adapter and there is no address duplication on a global scale. The unit of data transferred using TCP/IP is called an IP packet, which is encupsulated in the data field of an Ethernet frame. TCP/IP communication is designed so that data can also be transferred using other media, such as ATM (Asynchronous Transfer) or WAN (Wide Area Network). Each IP packet, therefore, has an Internet address. (called an IP address) as the receiver""s address.
As described above, if communication stations which communicate with each other according to TCP/IP protocols are connected to an E bus through network adapters, the stations are required to have both a MAC address and at least one IP address. However, IP recognizes only one MAC address for each IP, which it is communication with. This has been a bottleneck when a communication system needs to be made redundant.
Some distributed control systems are provided with an E bus and some of these distributed control systems have a redundant configuration to more than one E buses in order to increase reliability. The fact that IP recognizes only one MAC address for each remote IP is a drawback, however, when a distributed control system needs to be-connected to redundant E buses, as described below.
FIG. 3 shows examples of conventional systems with redundant connections to E buses through TCP/IP protocols. In FIG. 3, diagram (a) is an example where TCP is used and diagram (b) is an example where UDP is used.
Referring to FIG. 3, buses B1 and B2 are installed as E buses. In each of the transmitting and receiving communication stations, the layers ranging from network adapters NA to TCP or UDP are made dual-redundant. It is the responsibility of a user application program AP to determine which of two redundant communication routes to use. Since the IP address is accompanied with only on MAC address, the IF layer, as well as the layer of TCP or UDP just above the IP layer, must also be made dual-redundant. In this communication control system, redundancy control must be done by the user application program AP.
This example of the prior art has the following problems:
[1] Redundancy control must be carried out by the user application program, resulting in an increase in the burden of the program.
[2] Duplication of the TCP layers requires resources (memory) for connection management, for example, to be doubled.
[3] TCP is a protocol for stream-type communication, where flow control mechanism checks if the each part of stream data is securely transferred. As a result, it is relatively difficult to guarantee the complete data transfer without any loss or duplication when TCP connection is switched over.
[4] Communication for the purpose of maintaining TCP connection is essential; therefore, the redundant connections increase the burden of a network traffic.
[5] Duplication of UDP layers eliminate the problem discussed in item 4 above. However, this solution involves a problem that the order of data items becomes unpredictable.
[6] Duplication of UDP layers do not solve the problem that data, if lost, cannot be recovered.
[7] A recovery process is therefore required for the user application program to be able to solve the problem discussed in item 6 above. However, this solution significantly increases the burden of the program.
[8] Standard TCP/IP applications do not assume such redundancy as discussed above; therefore, most TCP/IP applications, except some special ones, cannot benefit from the advantages of redundant configuration.
The present invention is intended to solve the aforementioned problems. The object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a communication control system which is configured so that only one MAC address, which IP is aware of, is passed to IP even if duplicated components are switched between, thus making it unnecessary for the user application program to be aware of any redundant configuration even if such a configuration is applied when communication stations, which communicate with each other according to TCP/IP protocols, are connected to E buses.
As the means for solving the aforementioned problems, the present invention provides a communication control system configured as described below.
(1) A communication control system, wherein communication stations are connected to a network through network adapters; the communication stations are provided with communication control means; the communication control means communicate with each other according to TCP/IP protocols; a specific MAC address is assigned to each of the network adapters; and the communication control means is aware of only one MAC address for any single remote communication station, having:
a configuration in which only one unit of the communication control means is incorporated in each communication station and network adapters are incorporated redundantly in each communication station, and comprising:
a redundancy control means, which exists between the network adapters and the communication control means, and which converts a receiver""s MAC address included in a transmission request into the MAC address of one of network adapters to communicate with, when the redundancy control means receives a transmission request from the communication control means; and converts a sender""s MAC address included in a received frame into the MAC address, which the communication control means of the local communication station is aware of as its local network adapter, if the redundancy control means receives the frame from one of the network adapters.
(2) A communication control system as defined in item (1), wherein the redundancy control means has an address mapping table, and network adapters serving as the communication partners of the local network adapters are defined therein.
(3) A communication control system as defined in item (1), wherein the MAC addresses of the local network adapters and the MAC addresses of network adapters serving as the communication partners of the local network adapters are written in pairs in the address mapping table.
(4) A communication control system as defined in item (1), wherein the redundancy control means selects either of the redundant network adapters as the regular-use network adapter to carry out communication.
(5) A communication control system as defined in item (4), wherein the redundancy control means periodically switches the regular-use network adapter from the redundant network adapters.
(6) A communication control system as defined in item (4), comprising a diagnostic means for letting the regular-use network adapter send out network-diagnosing frames in a given period.
(7) A communication control system as defined in item (6), wherein the diagnostic means sends ICMP echo messages for a given period as diagnostic-frames and detects failure if the diagnostic means fails to receive a response within the given time period.
(8) A communication control system as defined in item (6), wherein the diagnostic means sends diagnostic frames to all communication stations on the network.
(9) A communication control system as defined in item (6), wherein the diagnostic means sends diagnostic frames only to a communication station that is necessary to secure a communication route.
(10) A communication control system as defined in item (2) or (3), wherein the redundancy control means of a transmitting communication station sends communication frames to all network adapters of the communication partner and the redundancy control means of a receiving communication station selects only the communication frame or frames having the MAC address which the communication control means of the local communication station is aware of, among the multiple communication frames received by the local redundant network adapters, and then passes the communication frame(s) to the communication control means.
(11) A communication control system as defined in item (10), wherein the redundancy control means of a receiving communication station passes the communication frames received by the regular-use network adapter to the local communication control means and uses the communication frames received by the other network adapter (s) as diagnostic frames.
(12) A communication control system as defined in item (10), wherein the redundancy control means of a receiving communication station periodically switches the regular-use network adapter from the redundant network adapters.
(13) A communication.control system as defined in item (11) or (12), wherein if the regular-use network adapter does not receive any communication frames whereas the other network adapter does, the redundancy control means of.a receiving communication station designates the network adapter that receives communication frames as the new regular-use network adapter and the previous regular-use network adapter as the stand-by network adapter.
(14) A communication control system as defined in item (10), wherein the redundancy control means of a receiving communication station passes the communication frames sent by the network adapter, which was the first to receive communication frames, to the local communication control means and uses the communication frames that the redundancy control means receives from the other network adapter as diagnostic frames.
(15) A communication control system as defined in item (1), wherein the communication control means defines virtual MAC addresses as the MAC address which the communication stations is aware of, and the redundancy control means carries out conversion between the real MAC addresses and the virtual MAC addresses.
(16) A communication control system as defined in item (15), wherein the real MAC addresses of a remote communication station, which are defined during system startup, are used as the virtual MAC addresses.
(17) A communication control system as defined in any of items (2) to (16), wherein the redundancy control means updates an address mapping table as the result of successful receipt of communication frames.
(18) A communication control system, wherein communication stations are connected to a network, the communication stations are provided with communication control means, the communication control means communicate with each other according to TCP/IP protocols, and the communication control means is aware of only one MAC address for any single remote communication station, having:
a configuration in which only one unit of the communication control means is incorporated in each communication station, and comprising:
ports redundantly incorporated in each communication station; network controllers which exist between the ports and the communication control means, have MAC addresses, and send or receive communication frames input to or output from the ports; and
a port management means which if the regular-use port is changed, connects the network controller having a MAC address that the communication control means is aware of to the new regular-use port.
(19) A communication control system as defined in item (18), wherein the port management means controls the two redundant ports so that the regular-use port carries out regular communication and the other port carries out network diagnosis only.
(20) A communication control system as defined in item (18), comprising a diagnostic means which transmits network-diagnosing frames through a port for a given period.
(21) A communication control system as defined in item (18), wherein the diagnostic means sends ICMP echo messages for a given period as diagnostic frames and detects failure if the diagnostic means fails to receive a response within the given time period.
(22) A communication control system as defined in item (18), wherein the period for which the diagnostic means sends diagnostic frames differs between the regular-use port and the other port.


The present invention relates to a novel tire cord fabric or strip made of alternating PET and nylon 6.6 warp cords which is used as tire reinforcement. Such a novel tire cord fabric or strips improve high speed durability, tread separation resistance and impact resistance when used as zero degree spirally wound cap ply in pneumatic radial tires.

Under high speed conditions, the outer diameter of the tire increases due to centrifugal forces generated by steel cord belt package and tread. Such a diameter increase or tire growth increases the pantographic movements of the belt edge cords leading to the crack initiations, crack propagations and at the end belt edge separations.
On the other hand, the temperature rise at belt edges under high speed conditions might cause local adhesion degradation of the textile cap ply strip and leads to local cap ply-tread separations which may subsequently result in belt edge separations in a short time due to non-uniform stress distributions.
The cap ply layer wound on belt package circumferentially prevents excessive tire growth under high speed conditions by applying compressive forces (restraining force) on heavy belt package made of cross-ply steel cord layers. In order to enhance the restraining force, high cord count (epdm) cap ply strips are usually used (e.g. Nylon, 1400×2, 110 epdm or Nylon 1400×1, 140 epdm etc.).
Currently, most widely used cap ply materials are nylon 6.6 and aramid/nylon hybrid cords which are spirally wound on belt package at 0 to 5 degrees to equatorial plane of the tire.
Nylon cords have excellent fatigue resistance under bending and axial compression, and bielastic tensile characteristic enabling easy processing during tire building. Additionally, shrink force generation with increasing service temperature under high speed conditions enhances belt edge separation resistance and improves high speed durability.
It is well known that the hybrid cords comprising high and low modulus yarns having bi-elastic tensile behaviour are also used as cap ply in high speed tires. The low modulus component of hybrid cord enables easy belt package lifting without excessive tight cord formation due to its high extensibility and the high modulus component becomes effective in service conditions. By using hybrid cords as cap ply, the total thickness of the cap ply layer and rubber content can be decreased, and the high modulus component of the hybrid cord improves the restraining force and high speed durability.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,284,117 describes a nylon cap ply which is formed from single yarns rather than cords. The cap ply is thinner than conventional cap plies having superior flexibility and heat dissipation characteristics. But the limited fatigue resistance of the single ply cords is the primary drawback of this application. The twist increase to improve the fatigue resistance leads to drastic modulus and restraining force drop.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,115,853 a radial tire having a cap ply structure disposed radially outwardly of the belt reinforcing structure. The cap ply structure comprises side by side nylon cords of 420×2 having cord twist of not greater than 280 tpm. The limited twist, in this case, low twist (low helix angle) has negative effects on fatigue resistance and impact resistance.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,584,774 describes a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) cord as belt reinforcing layer (cap ply) spirally wound on belt package in circumferential direction. Said PET cord has an elastic modulus not less than 2.5 mN/dtex. % under a load 29.4N at 160° C. High modulus drop of PET cord at high speed temperatures limits the durability performance.

Cap ply strip with alternate nylon 6,6 and PET cords


A method is provided for transferring a substrate from a first substrate holder, e.g., a pre-alignment unit, to a second substrate holder, e.g., a substrate table in a lithographic apparatus, by means of a transfer unit on the basis of transfer data available thereto. First, the substrate is provided on the first substrate holder. Subsequently, a position error of the substrate is measured, and positioning adjustment data are calculated based on the position error as measured. Then, the second substrate holder is moved relative to a reference position thereof in accordance with the positioning adjustment data. Finally, the substrate is transferred by means of the transfer unit from the first substrate holder to the second substrate holder in accordance with the transfer data, and placed on the second substrate holder as moved.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of transferring a substrate from a first substrate holder to a second substrate holder by means of a transfer unit on the basis of transfer data available thereto and a computer readable medium encoded with computer executable code causing a processor-based system to enable and control such a method. The invention further relates to a transfer system for transferring a substrate on the basis of transfer data, a lithographic projection apparatus comprising such a transfer system, a device manufacturing method using such a lithographic projection apparatus and a computer readable medium encoded with computer executable code for enabling execution of aforementioned device manufacturing method.
2. Background Art
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. It is also possible to transfer the pattern from the patterning device to the substrate by imprinting the pattern onto the substrate.
In device manufacturing methods using lithographic apparatus, an important factor in the yield, i.e., the percentage of correctly manufactured devices, is the accuracy within which layers are printed in relation to layers that have previously been formed. This is known as overlay and the overlay error budget will often be 10 nm or less. To achieve such accuracy, the substrate should be aligned to the mask pattern to be transferred with great accuracy.
In order to achieve good image definition and layer overlay the irradiated surface of a substrate should be positioned accurately on supporting surface, i.e., a substrate holder, and be kept on the substrate holder as flat and as stationary as possible during exposure. Generally, for this purpose, the substrate holder is provided with a plate comprising a plurality of protrusions, also referred to as burls or pimples. On such a substrate holder, a substrate can be placed so that its backside is in contact with the burls, all of which lie in a well-defined plane. By connecting aperture(s) in the substrate holder to a vacuum generating device, the backside of the substrate can be clamped securely against the burls. The use of burls in this manner ensures that only a fraction of the area of the backside is actually pressed against a solid surface; in this way, the distorting effect of any particulate contamination on the backside of the wafer is minimized, since such contamination will most probably be situated in the empty spaces between burls rather than being pressed against the top surface of a burl.
However, if the substrate is fixed to the substrate table as described above, the substrate will bend over the burls. As a result, an image being exposed on the substrate will shift locally. When the substrate after development is again positioned on the substrate table for a second exposure, due to a different position with respect to the burls, the local image shift will be different during the second exposure than during the first exposure. Consequently, an overlay error has been introduced.
With the continual desire to image ever smaller patterns to create device with higher component densities, there is pressure to reduce overlay errors, which leads to a desire for improved placement of a substrate on a substrate table provided with burls.

Method of transferring a substrate, transfer system and lithographic projection apparatus


The present invention includes a method and an apparatus for determining the viscosity of a fluid. The apparatus comprising that includes a microchannel connected to a glass capillary in fluid communication with the microchannel, a digital camera positioned with respect to the glass capillary to capture two or more images of a fluidic slug as a fluid travels within the glass capillary, and a processor communicably coupled to the digital camera that determines a viscosity of the fluid based on the two or more digital images.

Viscometers are an important tool in characterizing the rheological properties of products in industries such as food processing [1], consumer products [2], inks [3], polymers [4], drilling fluids [5] and lubricants [6]. In most of these industries, there is often a need to quickly characterize viscosity of one or more samples at the location where products are being made or processed, rather than being shipped offsite. Mechanical rheometers although capable of performing a broad suite of precise rheological measurements are not well suited for such onsite or field viscometry applications, because of their bulkiness and need for skilled operators. Viscosity measurement devices such as Saybolt, capillary tube and rotational viscometers are more suited for onsite usage because of their non-complicated operation and cost effectiveness. Although handy, these devices have a number of limitations which include (i) use of large sample volumes (ii) cumbersome cleaning procedures if multiple sample measurements are needed (iii) limited shear rate range and (iv) the presence of non-viscometric flow kinematics (e.g. Saybolt viscometer) making it difficult to interpret viscosity data for complex fluids.
In the last decade, microfluidic viscometers [7-13, 17] have emerged as alternative tools capable of addressing the above limitations of conventional viscometers. Microfluidic viscometers developed to date use a variety of driving sources to introduce fluid flow in microchannels. In some cases constant fluid flow rate is imposed using syringe pumps [7, 10-12], in other cases constant pressure drop is delivered using pressure sources [13] or capillary pressure gradients [9]. Knowing the relation between pressure drop and flow rate, the viscosity of the fluid is determined. In these devices, depending on the driving force, the fluid response is measured using pressure sensors embedded on the channel surface [7, 12] or image-based detection of fluid interfaces [8-10, 13, 14, 17].
Despite several microfluidic viscometers being reported in the literature, current devices have some limitations. For example, in pressure-sensor based viscometers because the sensing is coupled to fluid flow, they are not ideal for handling clinical samples where use-and-throw capability is desired to avoid sample cross-contamination. Likewise, repeated handling of industrial-grade particulate fluids in these devices may become problematic due to adhesion of particles on channel and sensor surfaces, unless rigorous washing protocols are implemented. Finally, pressure-sensor based devices do not scale favorably for parallelized measurements. In contrast, microfluidic viscometers based on imaging sensors have the advantage that the element is un-coupled from fluid flow in the channel. This feature not only allows parallel of multiple samples, but also creates the opportunity to fabricate disposable devices. Current approaches to image-based viscometry rely on the use of research-grade microscopes and cameras, making them only suitable for laboratory environments. However, such approaches are not simple and flexible enough for onsite or field applications in resource-poor settings.
Rheosense has a device in market that uses pressure sensors embedded in microfluidic chips to find viscosity of fluids. Anton Paar and AR instruments have rheometers in the market, which are mechanical in nature and use rotors to imply stress on fluids and calculate the corresponding viscosity.

Smart phone based multiplexed viscometer for high throughput analysis of fluids


An enhanced Voice eXtensible Markup Language (VXML) based voicemail system that has a distributed architecture and methods for implementing enhanced VXML based voicemail systems are disclosed. The voicemail system includes a media server, which is in communication with a telephone network. The media server is adapted to invoke a voicemail service of the distributed voicemail system and adapted to render at least a first portion of a Voice eXtensible Markup Language (VXML) page. An application server, which is in communication with the media server, is adapted to generate a VXML page and provide the VXML page to the media server. The XVML page has a tag embedded therein, and the media server processes the tag. A voicemail-account monitorer, which monitors at least a portion of the voicemail system, is invoked by the media server processing the tag.

Over the past several decades, the telecommunications industry has continued to expand and experience growth spurts in technology. One of the most prevalent services provided in recent telecommunications technology is voicemail. Voicemail has continued to expand and establish itself as a key element in the successful operations of most businesses. The typical voicemail system today can take on a variety of forms, including a computer card that can operate within a personal computer connected to a businesses telephone system, or a computer card or component that is directly integrated into the businesses telephone system, or as a service provided by a telecommunications company.
Most voicemail systems today are very complex and typically are heavily reliant on software programming. The systems include many thousands of lines of code that typically execute on a single platform or computing device. The voicemail products are usually developed as the result of a great amount of effort by a highly skilled team of software programmers and hardware developers and typically, a single roll-out of a voicemail product requires many man-hours of development, testing, debugging and perfecting.
However in today's diverse society with ever expanding needs and nuances, it is difficult to develop a single business model that meets the needs of all prospective customers. Some customers may want a basic package of services from their voicemail system, and other customers may want a premium package of service from their voicemail system. Thus, developers are forced to develop products directed towards large business sectors, or attempt to deeply penetrate niche markets. Sometimes developers will launch multiple versions of a product in an attempt to capture a larger market share. This raises additional problems for the developers—mainly in the area of support. The more product variants that are sold, the more complex the companies support infrastructure must be to meet the needs of its customers.
Thus, there exists a need in the art for a telecommunications service platform that allows for monitoring a voicemail system for, among other things, billing purposes and system purposes. Furthermore, modern telephone networks and modern voicemail systems are quite complex. Thus, there exists a need to monitor the voicemail system for, among other things, alarms that might signify a system failure. The present invention provides such a solution.

Employing VXML to provide enhanced voicemail system


The invention pertains to an optical switch matrix comprising n input channels, branching means for dividing the input channels up into p branched channels, merging means for merging the p branched channels into m output channels, and optical fibers for connecting the output channels of the branching means with the input channels of the merging means, wherein n, m, and p are natural numbers greater than or equal to 2, and wherein the branching means, the fibers, and the merging means are each attached to a separate substrate or a separate group of substrates. The optical switching matrix according to the invention is very compact and allows efficient use of the materials available for the manufacture thereof.

Such optical switch matrices are known. On Feb. 10, 1995, during a workshop of Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands Siemens presented an 8.times.8 optical switch matrix named "8.times.8 Modulaufbau," which consists of an array of sixteen juxtaposed 1.times.8 switches on a long rectangular InP-substrate and optical fibres (embedded in a product of AT&T called "Optiflex.TM." and bent through an angle of 180.degree.) for connecting the switches. Eight of said 1.times.8 switches are each used as an input channel which branches into in eight channels. Each of these branched channels is connected to one of the merging channels of the remaining eight 1.times.8 switches (or, more accurately, 8.times.1 switches), in such a manner that an input signal in one of the input channels can be switched to any one of the output channels.
Said optical switch matrix has a length of more than 300 mm and a width of at least 50 mm, which is very large, especially in an industry where small size is, in many cases, of the essence. A reason for these considerable dimensions is that the optical fibres, which are usually made of glass, can only be bent to a certain extent. The minimal bending radius for glass fibres is about 25 mm. If smaller radii are used, the glass fibre may break or the optical loss within the fibre may increase to an unacceptably high level. As mentioned, in said optical switch matrix the fibres are bent through an angle of 180.degree.. Consequently, the minimum width of the matrix exceeds 50 mm.


Briefly, a centralized secure data backup system pulls information to be securely backed-up from one or more data sources such as computer nodes or other communication units. A processor or other suitable processor centrally initiates extraction of data to be backed-up from a plurality of processing nodes. The processor employs a backup data encryptor that encrypts the centrally extracted data using a public key based cryptographic system. Data is encrypted using a suitable symmetric key and symmetric cryptosystem. Then the symmetric key is wrapped using the public encryption key of the data source, such as a user, organization administrator, software application or other entity.

The invention relates generally to systems and methods for backing up data and more particularly to systems and methods that perform centralized secure backup of data.
In most computing systems, it is desirable to periodically backup some or all of the files local to that system. This is to allow recovery of information in case of a partial or total system failure.
There are many different causes of system failures that may result in the local loss of data. For example, a disk drive may fail, the entire computer may be stolen or rendered inoperative due to natural disasters, such as fire or flooding. In each case, the backup media that is not affected by the failure can be used in a recovery. This usually implies that the backup data is physically separate from the target computer. In the case of a natural disaster for example, it is often desirable to have some backup data located off site, such as in a different building, which would not be affected.
In a networked environment with large numbers of computers or other communication systems employing large numbers of processing units, the users are sometimes required to manually and individually backup each of the nodes or processing units (the data on each unit). The user might routinely copy files to a server for example. However, this can be inconvenient for the computer user and unreliable if the user forgets to perform the backup operation or if backup media is not available. Another strategy has been to establish one or more backup servers in the network. Generally, the backup servers are configured with names of the file system directories on various user machines that are to be backed up at a convenient time (for example daily when the network is not busy). The backup servers copy the necessary data files over the network and store the user data on backup media. This technique automates the process and separates the backup data from the user workstation in the case of failure. However, the difficulty with this scheme is that sensitive data may be exposed to anyone who handles the backup media. For this reason, some organizations may specify that backup media may not be sent off site to third party disaster recovery services.
Other computer systems and communication systems allow end users to encrypt their most sensitive data directly on their node. However, end users may not encrypt all of their data or some users, may not encrypt any data at all because it is typically a manual process. For example, known public key cryptography systems allow users to encrypt files to be backed up. Typically an end-user designates the data (files, directories, programs or other data) to be backed up and sends the information to a server using a push approach. However it would be desirable to relieve the end user of the responsibility to secure the backup data. The use of a public key asymmetric cryptosystem, as known in the art, employs a private/public key pair whereby a user typically encrypts data using a public encryption key and uses a private decryption key, known only to a specific user or software application, to decrypt information encrypted under the public encryption key. However, these systems can leave information unencrypted where the user forgets to encrypt the information and also requires the user to push the data to the network.
Symmetric cryptographic systems are known that employ a password for example, to protect and recover information. Such systems typically require a user or other entity to supply the password to both the sending party and receiving party. Access to the password however allows access to the data so this type of approach may not be secure enough where the data is highly confidential. Typically an administrator defines a password and can access all backed-up data and the end-user generally has no control over who can access the encrypted information.
Consequently, there exists a need for a secure data backup system that employs a suitable level of cryptographic security while affording a centralized backup of data. In addition, it would be desirable if such a system allowed only the owner of the data to be able to decrypt any information stored during the process so that the third party repositories and other unauthorized personnel cannot readily decrypt the information.

Centralized secure backup system and method


Two thin sheets of material have slits to define coplanar flaps that are configured and arranged in conformity with segments of a segmental display such as a seven-segment digital display. The layers are superimposed such that corresponding segments are superimposed. The layers have contrasting colors. Applying a force against the overlying flap in a segment causes the overlying and underlying flaps to deflect in the same direction for the outer edges of the flaps to pass each other. When the force is removed the flaps restore to positions that are substantially coplanar with the layers in which they are formed. When the flap in the overlying layer is coplanar with its layer that flap and, hence, the segment is not visible because there is no contrast between the flap and the layer being viewed. When the flap of the underlying layer is caused to switch over the flap in the overlying layer there is contrast between the flap and the overlying layer so the segment represented by the flap is visible.

The invention disclosed herein pertains to segmented displays arranged to depict seven-segment digits, letters of the alphabet and symbols and wherein the segments can be made selectively visible or invisible to effectuate having the same display adaptable to represent any digit from 0-9 and any letters of the alphabet, for example.
The basic concept of a display device which may have its segments easily changed by hand in order to display the numerals 0-9 is known. Displays of this type are useful where changes must be made relatively frequently in numbers or letters such as in signs that display prices or other alphanumeric values.


An example embodiment may involve performing a discovery process to identify configuration items representing computing devices and applications in a managed network and determining that the configuration items exceed a threshold payload size. The embodiment may then involve generating a graph that represents the configuration items as nodes interconnected by unidirectional edges. The edges may represent respective associations between pairs of configuration items to which they connect, and the respective associations are classified either as weak associations that represent non-dependency relationships between a respective pair of nodes or as strong associations that represent dependency relationships between the respective pair of nodes. The embodiment may involve dividing the graph into overlapping sub-graphs based on the respective associations represented by the edges and, for each sub-graph, separately transmitting the configuration items defined therein to one or more server devices.

Computer networks may involve dozens or hundreds of computing devices, each operating various software applications. Also referred to as configuration items, computing devices and applications may support and/or facilitate higher-level or end-to-end services. As such, network tools can be used to discover and identify configuration items operating within a network as well as the connectivity between configuration items in order to process and convey the current environment of the network.
In some applications, network tools may represent information about the configuration items as well as their associations using a set of web portals, services, and applications available to particular devices. For instance, configuration items information may be graphically represented as nodes with the connectivity of these configuration items represented as edges extending between nodes.
In some cases, however, the amount of information associated with the configuration items may become too large for the communication channels used by the network tools. In particular, the communication channels may not have the capacity to receive information pertaining to a payload of a large number of configuration items discovered within a network.

Splitting network discovery payloads based on degree of relationships between nodes


To measure the increase in location awareness for an organization's locations using a map display, a server device identifies each of the locations belonging to an organization and applies a random filter to select a subset of the locations. An indication of the organization is presented on a map display at each of the selected organization locations within the subset. When an indication of the organization location is presented to a user a threshold number of times, an icon such as a question mark may be presented in place of the indication at the organization location. The icon may provide a link to a location awareness survey which may request that the user identifies the organization corresponding to the location. Several users may receive the location awareness survey for the same organization location and the users' answers may then be analyzed to determine a location awareness metric.

Today, digital maps of geographic areas are displayed on computing devices, such as computers, tablets, and mobile phones via map applications, web browsers, etc. Many map applications display points of interest (POIs), such as businesses or other organizations on the map. Each POI may be displayed using an icon or other indicator of the type of POI (e.g., a restaurant symbol for restaurants, a shopping symbol for department stores, etc.).
Additionally, the map applications may include advertisements for some of the organizations at corresponding locations on the map.

System and method for increasing location awareness of organizations


A closed loop control system is disclosed for controlling the air-fuel ratio of an internal combustion engine. An oxygen sensor is connected into the control loop after engine warm up when the temperature has reached its operating temperature to maintain the air-fuel ratio close to the stoichiometric value. An engine roughness detector is connected into the control loop before the oxygen sensor has reached its operating temperature to maintain the air-fuel ratio close to a predetermined lean limit. A temperature sensor and switching means controlled thereby are provided to alternately connect the roughness detector and the oxygen sensor in the control loop.

The reduction of undesired emissions from internal combustion engines is commonly provided by the use of a catalytic converter in the exhaust gas path of the engine. In a two-way catalytic device, the catalyst is effective to cause oxidation of carbon monoxide and hydro-carbons in the exhaust gases. In a so-called three-way catalytic device, the catalyst also causes the reduction of nitrogen oxides. In the two-way catalytic device, the efficiency of the converter increases with increasing air fuel ratio in the region of the stoichiometric value i.e. the ratio at which the fuel and oxygen are proportional so that both would be completely consumed in perfect combustion. In the case of the three-way catalytic device, the optimum conversion efficiency for combined oxidation and reduction is obtained when the air-fuel ratio is maintained within a narrow range centered at the stoichiometric value. Preferably, for reduction of emissions, the air-fuel ratio should be maintained on the lean side of the stoichiometric value with a two-way catalytic device and with a three-way device, within a narrow band or window centered on the stoichiometric value.
Numerous control systems have been proposed for controlling the air-fuel ratio supplied to the engine in response to a measure of the composition of the exhaust gases. A typical arrangement uses a closed loop control system with an oxygen gas sensor in the exhaust gas passage for producing a control signal for modifying the air-fuel ratio. Presently known oxygen gas sensors, such as the zirconium oxide type sensor, are responsive to produce an electrical signal which accurately represents an oxygen content only if the gas sensor is above a certain temperature. When an engine is warming up after a cold start or when operating during a prolonged idle condition, the oxygen sensor will be below it's operating temperature. In this condition the closed loop control system with the oxygen sensor is unable to control the air-fuel ratio at the desired value. It has been proposed to overcome this problem by disabling the closed loop control system until the oxygen sensor has reached it's operating temperature. In the Oberstadt U.S. Pat. No. 3,938,479 the operating condition of the oxygen sensor is detected by monitoring the output signal and the closed loop control system using the oxygen sensor becomes operative only when the oxygen sensor is in an operative state. A system is disclosed in the Toelle et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,990,411 in which the closed loop system is operated to maintain the air-fuel ratio at a fixed or predetermined value for given engine operating conditions until the oxygen sensor is at the proper operating temperature.
While such prior art systems are highly effective for controlling the air-fuel ratio after the oxygen sensor becomes operative, there is a need for improved control of the air-fuel ratio during the warm-up period or during cold engine operation. There have been efforts to provide control of the air-fuel ratio during engine warm-up by using one control system and to provide control after engine warm-up by means of another control system. In the Williams U.S. Pat. No. 3,926,154, one control loop uses a carbon monoxide sensor and controls the air-fuel ratio durng engine warm-up and another control loop uses an oxygen sensor to control the air-fuel ratio after warm-up. In the Storey U.S. Pat. No. 4,027,477, a closed loop control system is disclosed with an oxygen sensor upstream of the catalytic converter and another oxygen sensor downstream of the catalytic converter. The first oxygen sensor reaches operating temperatures more quickly after engine start-up than the second sensor and means are provided to transfer control from the first sensor to the second sensor after the second sensor reaches operating temperature.
It is a general object of this invention to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art by providing alternately selectable closed loop control system for the air-fuel ratio during engine operation.

Alternate closed loop control system for an air-fuel ratio controller


Disclosed is a three piece snowmobile dolly system that during use is secure in placement under a snowmobile and during nonuse may be compactly nested together. The dolly system is comprised of two forward ski dollies and a rearward track dolly. Each of the forward dollies have a planar base portion with two sidewalls for receiving one of the skis and a V-shaped depression in the planar base for receiving and engaging the wear bar on the bottom of the ski. The rearward dolly has a planar base with four castors for stability. The planar base portions with the sidewalls of the forward ski dollies mesh together and the rearward dolly nests intermediate the castors of either forward ski dolly resulting in a compact package for storage.

This invention relates to snowmobiles. More particularly, it relates to a dolly system for facilitating movement of snowmobiles on floor surfaces.
Snowmobiles generally comprise a forward body portion which contains a motor, a rearward seat portion on which the passenger sits and which is positioned on top of a driven track member and two forward skis extending from the forward body portion. Typically, snowmobiling is a seasonal sport and the snowmobile will not be operational and will be in storage, such as in a garage for most of the year. Snowmobiles, although usually quite maneuverable under power in the snow, are quite heavy and cumbersome to move about on hard surfaces such as garage floors. To accommodate such movement, devices to make the snowmobile more mobile on floor surfaces are very useful. Such devices need to be secure and stable under the snowmobile to prevent the snowmobile from tipping or falling off of said devices, creating a risk of damage to the snowmobile or even personal injury. This is especially true where the floor surfaces are rough or there is debris on the floor. Moreover, in that such devices see limited use, they should be so constructed that the may be easily manufactured at minimal expense and, should be compact and easily storable during nonuse.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,881,740 to Bruce A. Johnson et al. describes a pallet with castors on which the snowmobile is placed. This apparatus has a disadvantage that for convenient loading of the snowmobile on the pallet, the machine must be powered or driven onto same. Additionally, the pallet is quite bulky and is collapsible for storage.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,860,078 discloses a three-piece dolly system which has forward dollies for placement under the snowmobile skis and a rearward dolly which engages with a snowmobile support rod at the rear end of the snowmobile. The forward dolly has a trough which receives a longitudinal steering rib on the skis. Contact between the ski dolly and snowmobile ski is limited to the horizontal top surface of the dolly's side rails. The trough is disclosed in the Stoick et al. patent as rectangular in configuration.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,288,087 to Morrison discloses a three-piece dolly system with two forward ski dollies. The ski dollies consist of an axle between two wheels and a crossbar attached to the axle and two longitudinal members affixed to the crossbar to form a H-bar member. Engagement between the ski and the ski dolly is along the longitudinal members on the exterior runner portion of the skis. The rearward dolly comprises a plate with a single castor mounted on the bottom portion of the plate. The ski dollies have a thumb screw to clamp down on the ski to secure the ski to the dolly.
Modern snowmobile skis uniformly have a centrally positioned and longitudinally extending wear bar on the lower surface of the snowmobile skis. Said wear bars are removable and various types and sizes of wear bars are available for specific applications. Many such wear bars have carbide portions which can easily damage even concrete floors.
The applicants are not aware of any prior art which utilizes forward dollies that grip and engage the wide variety of wear bars available and that also provide supplemental sidewall restraints.


A clean environment for mixing injectable drugs having a floor and back member made of stainless steel that is L shaped when seen from the side. The base portion sits on top of a drawer assembly. The back portion has accessory retaining compartments mounted on the left and right side that hold accessories necessary for the process of injecting drugs into IV bags. An IV tip holder is magnetically held to the base portion. Integral posts are located on the top portion of the back member to removably retain the end of a standard IV bag. A circular cutout on the base portion allows for the insertion of a plastic cup.

This invention relates generally to the field of hospital room accessories and more specifically to a clean environment housing for mixing injectable drugs.
In caring for patients with various illnesses, it is sometimes necessary to inject and intravenous drip (IV) into a patient to supply a continuous amount of a particular medication or medications. Traditionally, a flexible bag, known as an IV bag containing the liquid medication is suspended on an IV pole near the patient and a flexible tube extends from the IV bag to an injectable needle that is inserted through the skin of the patient's arm or other body part. For many procedures, the contents of the IV bag are prepared in a pharmacy and then transported to the end use location such as a hospital room. In these cases, the pharmacist injects the contents of the IV bag in a germ free clean environment that is created by the use of a laminar flow hood which directs fan propelled filtered clean air into the area under the hood thereby eliminating the possibility of air borne contaminants to be present during the process of injecting the medication into the IV bag. Horizontal laminar flow hoods such as the BZ series manufactured by Germfree Inc of Ormond Beach Fla. are generally made of stainless steel and cost thousands of dollars to purchase.
Although these types of hoods are well suited to a pharmacy environment where there is sufficient space and purchasing power to allow ownership of such a hood, they are not financially or spatially suited to a hospital emergency room environment where an IV bag must be prepared quickly and within a relatively small space that has not been specifically designed for such activity. Typically, a space on a work surface is marked off by tape and designated as the IV bag injection zone. The zone is supposed to be cleaned regularly and items that are commonly used during the injection procedure should be within easy reach. However, due to the busy and sometimes chaotic nature of emergency room environments, the IV injection zone may not meet the above stated requirements.
Furthermore, the current pharmacy grade laminar flow hood systems to not include a spring clip for holding the injectable portion of the bag in place allowing the user to inject the medication with one hand and without the need to hold onto the flexible injectable portion with the other hand. Additionally, the current laminar hood flow systems to not include a magnetically attachable IV bag holder that can be placed anywhere on the horizontal surface of the IV bag injection zone allowing it to be placed perfectly for either a right handed or left handed person.

Clean environment for mixing injectable drugs


An aqueous cleaning composition is employed in a machine for removing oil, dirt and grinding debris from a metal surface comprises a plurality of wash, rinse and dry stations separated to prevent contamination carryover from one station to the next. Razor blades in stacks are passed through the stations, the stacked blades being mounted on rods supported by a fixture and the nozzles or jets within the machine being so oriented as to cause a riffling of the blades due to water or air pressure. A purified water rinse and the aqueous cleaning solution are employed in the machine and are circulated through the stations by a flow system which provides efficient and economical usage of the cleaning solution and rinse materials.

The present invention relates to a machine and method for the cleaning of metallic articles, and more particularly to a machine and method for the treatment of razor blades during the manufacturing process to remove contaminants from the blade surface prior to the step of applying a coating thereto by sputtering, or other process.
Presently, a great number of wash systems are employed to produce metallic surfaces free from contamination. These wash systems generally employ various halogenated hydrocarbons and non-halogenated hydrocarbons, of significant quantity industry wide for cleaning and degreasing of the metal surfaces, and the degree of success with each of these wash systems is generally dependent upon the degree of cleanliness required of the resultant surface. Particularly in the manufacture of razor blades, there is a need to remove sharpening fluids, swarf and grinding wheel related debris from the blade body as well as the critical removal from the blade edges which are subsequently subjected to a coating process. The degree of cleanliness of a razor blade is ultimately determined by examination of the blade employing high magnification such as a 750 power microscope.
Recently, the various metal cleaning systems previously employed have come under scrutiny in view of the materials employed, and in particular, the environmental impact from the usage of the various materials.
Although the halogenated hydrocarbon solvents are widely used in industry for metal cleaning, their medical, environmental and cost factors coupled with waste disposal problems are negative aspects in their usage.
The non-halogenated hydrocarbon solvents on the other hand are generally flammable, have high volatility and dubious ability to be recycled for continuous use. These, plus unfavorable medical, environmental and cost factors, put this group of solvents in a category which is unattractive for practical consideration.
In order to eliminate the various negative aspects of the known chemical washing and degreasing systems, it has, therefore, been suggested that an aqueous detergent system would overcome some of the inherent negative aspects of prior art chemical systems.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a machine and method for removing contamination from the surface of an article such as a razor blade which employs a predominantly aqueous based cleaning composition as the cleansing medium.
Another object of the invention is to provide a machine and method for removing contamination from the surface of an article which is adaptable to mass production techniques.
A further object of the invention is to provide a machine and method of the type set forth above which provides a cleanliness of the metallic surface sufficient to allow a coating of the surface by a process such as sputtering and/or subsequent polymeric coating.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a machine and method for removing contamination from the surface of an article which is economical to use and which is an improvement from an environmental consideration, over those systems in use today.
A further object of the invention is to provide a clean surface on a metallic surface without leaving any detrimental residual processing stains such as surfactant residue, water or oil stains.

Aqueous tertiary thiol ethoxylate cleaning composition


An adjustable highchair. The adjustable highchair includes attachments for seating multiple children simultaneously for convenience when seating multiple children for feeding or other activities. An interchangeable chair assembly is attachable to a height adjustable stem. Each chair assembly includes one or more seats that support a child.

The present invention relates to elevated seating and eating devices for children. More specifically, the present invention provides a wheeled base having an adjustable stem adapted to receive different chair assemblies having two or more seating stations.
Children are often too small to eat on adult sized dining furniture because the large chairs and table can make it difficult for the children to reach the items they need to eat. Although highchairs are typically employed to remedy this issue, existing highchairs are large and cumbersome when being utilized. For instance, in order to remove them or change their direction they usually need to be dragged or lifted. Further, traditional highchairs are not designed to accommodate multiple children or growing children, making it hard for multiple child homes and daycare centers to tend to each child appropriately.
In light of the devices disclosed in the known art, it is submitted that the present invention substantially diverges in design elements from the known art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing devices for safely seating multiple children. In this regard, the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.


A high temperature, low friction, flexible coating for metal surfaces which are subject to rubbing contact includes a mixture of three parts graphite and one part cadmium oxide, ball milled in water for four hours, then mixed with thirty percent by weight of sodium silicate in water solution and a few drops of wetting agent. The mixture is sprayed 12-15 microns thick onto an electro-etched metal surface and air dried for thirty minutes, then baked for two hours at 65.degree. C. to remove the water and wetting agent, and baked for an additional eight hours at about 150.degree. C. to produce the optimum bond with the metal surface. The coating is afterwards burnished to a thickness of about 7-10 microns.

Recent and developing applications for compliant hydrodynamic gas bearings require operation at high rotational speeds, extremely high temperatures, under heavy loads and in the absence of oil lubrication. The gas turbine is a prime example of this application. Uses of the gas turbine are expanding rapidly and include prime mover and auxiliary power systems for aviation, marine and automobile applications. The compliant hydrodynamic gas bearing offers potentially higher operating temperatures, elimination of oil lubrication requirements and limitations, greater accomodation of thermal distortion, assembly variations, tolerance of dynamic shaft motion because of bearing compliance, reduced frictional power loss, reduced rotor noise and lower bearing costs. Accordingly, this bearing is ideal for gas turbine applications.
One troublesome problem that has delayed full implementation of the compliant hydrodynamic gas bearing has been damage to the bearing surface during start and stop phases of operation. The supporting gas film generated in a hydrodynamic bearing due to relative rotation of the bearing surfaces is not sufficient to support the rotor until it reaches a certain speed. At that time, the gas film lifts the rotor from the bearing surface and thereafter the gas lubrication prevents further contact between bearing surfaces. Although the relative rotation during the contact phase is quite slow, the cumulative effect of the contact can be sufficient to gall the bearing surfaces. In addition, shocks or violent eccentric loading of the rotor can cause momentary contact of the bearing surfaces which also can result in galling of the bearing surfaces. The galling can weaken the flexible bearing sheet and can actually interfere with the operation of the bearing during the hydrodynamic phase of the operation.
One solution which has been attempted in the past is to provide a low friction coating on the bearing surfaces. Low friction coatings appear to be promising, but are not usually adaptable to application in compliant bearings because of the particular requirements. In general, the known prior art coatings have been developed for rigid members, whereas, in compliant bearings, the coating is applied to a flexible bearing sheet which is continually flexed during operation. As a consequence, the coating itself must be flexible or it will crack and possibly break up during operation. If this happens, the bearing surface can become damaged very quickly and, even worse, the abrasive wear products of the crumbling coating can themselves greatly shorten the life of the bearing. To achieve flexibility, the coating must be applied in a very thin layer, but a very thin layer will wear through rapidly if it is not extremely tough. In addition, the coating material must bond permanently to the substrate and be unaffected by flexing, temperature changes and harsh environment agents. Finally, the coating must perform well at ambient or start-up temperature, at the normal operating temperature of the machine on which it is installed, such as a gas turbine, and at all intervening temperatures. For example, when the engine is started, it can be quite cold. When it is stopped, the temperature of the bearing is normally at the operating temperature of the engine which can be in the neighborhood of 430.degree. C. Coatings which function well at lower temperatures are often found to deteriorate at higher temperatures. Some high temperature coatings which function well at elevated temperatures do not provide good anti-friction characteristics at lower temperature.

High temperature low friction surface coating and method of application


Technologies and implementations for wireless communication in a wireless network including transmitting downlink information on a first frequency channel to Frequency Division Duplexing (FDD) User Equipments (UEs), transmitting downlink information on a second frequency channel during downlink portions of Time Domain Duplex (TDD) frame periods of the second frequency channel to TDD UEs, wherein the second frequency channel is the same as the frequency channel on which the FDD UEs are configured to transmit, and controlling uplink transmissions from the FDD UEs to occur only during uplink portions of TDD frame periods of the second frequency channel.

Unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
A hybrid Frequency Division Duplexing (FDD) and Time Division Duplexing (TDD) wireless network may provide wireless network capability for FDD devices, TDD devices, and/or hybrid FDD/TDD devices to enable shared connectivity on a wireless network. Traditional wireless networks may only support one of FDD or TDD. The hybrid FDD/TDD wireless network may be configured to enable backward compatibility so that legacy devices and newer hybrid FDD/TDD compatible devices may share network resources.


The application provides methods for determining a patient's risk for developing fibrosis or a fibrosis-related disorder. Concentrations of C reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid protein (SAP) are measured from a biological sample to determine the SAP-to-CRP ratio. This ratio can then be compared with one or more SAP-to-CRP reference ratios to determine a patient's risk for developing a fibrosis related disorder. The diagnostic methods can also be used to determine the severity of fibrosis in a patient afflicted with such a disease. Furthermore, methods for treating patients having a fibrosis-related disorder are provided. For example, a patient that has a lower SAP-to-CRP ratio than one or more reference values may be treated with an SAP agonist and/or CRP antagonist to treat or prevent a fibrosis disorder. The methods may further comprise determining the R131/H131 polymorphism of FcγRIIA as a risk factor for developing fibrosis or a fibrosis-related disorder.

The process of tissue repair as a part of wound healing involves two phases. The first phase is the regenerative phase, in which injured cells are replaced by cells of the same type. The second phase is the formation of fibrous tissues, also called fibroplasia or fibrosis, in which connective tissue replaces normal parenchymal tissues. The tissue repair process can become pathogenic if the fibrosis phase continues unchecked, leading to extensive tissue remodeling and the formation of permanent scar tissue.
It has been estimated that up to 45% of deaths in the United States can be attributed to fibroproliferative diseases, which can affect many tissues and organ systems. Major organ fibrotic diseases include interstitial lung disease (ILD), characterized by pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis. ILD is known to have a number of causes such as sarcoidosis, silicosis, collagen vascular diseases, and systemic scleroderma. However, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a common type of ILD, has no known cause. Other organ fibrotic disorders include liver cirrhosis, liver fibrosis resulting from chronic hepatitis B or C infection, kidney disease, heart disease, and eye diseases including macular degeneration and retinal and vitreal retinopathy. Fibroproliferative disorders also include systemic and local scleroderma, keloids and hypertrophic scars, atherosclerosis, and restenosis. Additional fibroproliferative diseases include excessive scarring resulting from surgery, chemotherapeutic drug-induced fibrosis, radiation-induced fibrosis, and injuries and burns.
Currently, treatments are available for fibrotic disorders including general immunosuppressive drugs such as corticosteroids, and other anti-inflammatory treatments. However, the mechanisms involved in regulation of fibrosis appear to be distinctive from those of inflammation, and anti-inflammatory therapies are seldom effective in reducing or preventing fibrosis. Therefore, a need remains for developing treatments to reduce and prevent fibrosis and control fibrotic disorders.

Methods for treating fibrosis using CRP antagonists


A system and a method for estimating the expected value and covariance of a nonlinear function of a random variable includes the steps of measuring the random variable, generating a discrete distribution of a first set of values for the random variable about the measured value for the random variable which have a predetermined covariance, calculating a second set of values by applying the nonlinear function to the first set of values, and determining the mean and the covariance of the nonlinear function of the measured value based upon the second set of values. The system and the method provide a tractable procedure for accurately estimating the mean and the covariance of a nonlinear function of one or more random variables, which has applications in tracking, process control, and system modelling.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a signal processing system which is specialized or programmed for (1) receiving a measured signal produced directly or indirectly from a signal that is received from a measuring device (2) to determining a mean and a covariance of a nonlinear transformation of the measured signal and (3) transmitting a resulting signal representing the determined mean and covariance in order to evoke a response related to the measured signal. The response is a physical response from a system receiving the resulting signal. This invention also relates generally to the corresponding signal processing method.
This invention also relates to a signal processing system which is programmed or specialized for estimating the expected value and covariance of a nonlinear function of a measured signal, wherein the nonlinear function is a model of a system which assumes that the measured signal is a measure of at least one of the variables of the modelled system and is a random variable, and for evoking a physical response, and to the corresponding signal processing method.
2. Discussion of the Background
The problems associated with the prior art predictions of nonlinear functions of a random variable will first be illustrated with the description of state functions of random variables and how the time evolution of the state function has been estimated.
A state function is a column vector whose components are the state variables of a system.
A state variable is one of a minimum set of numbers each of which represent the state of the system such that the set of numbers contain enough information about the history of the system to enable computation of the future behavior of the system.
A system is a set of interrelated elements whose time dependent behavior is coupled to one another.
One class of systems are physical systems. An example of a physical system is two bodies, described by their relative positions and velocities, interacting via gravitational or electromagnetic forces.
A second class of systems are engineering systems. An example of an engineering system is a combination of several pieces of equipment that are integrated with one another to perform a specific function. Examples of engineering systems are a radar tracking and/or control system, an automobile ignition system, a machine for monitoring and controlling a chemical reactions, etc.
If there were no random noise present in a system, the state function would completely determine the time evolution of the system. That is, the time evolution of the state variables (i.e., the values of the state variables at a future time), would be predetermined.
For example, the state function for the position of an object undergoing orbital motion about a large gravitational source in according with the deterministic laws of Newtonian mechanics would consist of, as the values for the state variables, the components of the position vector of the object and the velocity of the object. The state variables in this example are determined by the parametric equations of motion for the components of the position vector of the object, which in turn are derived from the Newtonian equations for the forces acting upon the object.
The time evolution of the state function may be thought of as a time transformation function acting upon the state function and which transforms the state variables from their value at a first time to their values at a second time that is subsequent to the first time. The time transformation function is usually a nonlinear function of time.
If there is random noise in the physical system, then the state variables are random variables. In this case, a time transformation function acting on the state function cannot define the time evolution of the state function or its state variables in a deterministic way. Instead, all that can be determined are expected values for the state variables and covariance between the various state variables (i.e., expected values and covariance for the state function).
The method that is most commonly used for estimating the time evolution of a physical system containing random noise is called the extended Kalman filter (EKF). The EKF method assumes, for the purpose of estimating the state function at the time increment k+1 that the estimated mean of the nonlinear state function at time increment k is approximately equal to the actual value of the nonlinear state function at the time increment k.
The state function is modelled by the set of time dependent functions which determine the state variables at a given time. At least one of the functions for the set of state variables includes a random noise term to model the noise. Essentially, the EKF method estimates the value of the state function at the time increment k+1 as a Taylor series expansion of the state function (i.e., expands the set of functions for the state variables as a Taylor series expansions) about the time increment k, and truncates the Taylor series after the first order terms.
However, values provided by the EKF method for the expected values for the state variables and the covariance for the state variables of the state function at time increment k+1 are generally not optimal. That is, given the information available at the time increment k, a more accurate estimate of the expected values and covariance of the state variables is possible. Another way to say this is that the EKF method does not propagate the state vector (i.e., the vector formed by the values of the state variables) and its covariance (i.e., the covariance between the values of the state variables) in time (i.e., predict the expected value and covariance of all the state variables at the subsequent second time based upon measured values of the state variables at the first time), as accurately as the information available at the first time about the state of the system would permit.
Moreover, the EKF method also requires calculation of a Jacobian matrix involving the first order terms, (which include first order derivatives), in the Taylor series. The first order derivatives of the Taylor series may be nonexistent, in which case the EKF method fails. In addition, the equations relating the Jacobian matrix to the covariance of the system can require an unmanageably large number of calculations. Furthermore, it is not generally possible to determine an upper limit to the uncertainties in the expected values of the state variables that are determined by the EKF method. Therefore, the EKF method is unreliable.
One example where state functions are used for tracking of an object, is in radar tracking systems where the trajectory of an object must be determined based upon measurements of its past and present position, in order to calculate its future position based upon a trajectory function of the position and velocity of the object.
Radar tracking systems send out radar signals and receive the reflected radar signals from objects. The radar signal beam moves angularly in time in order to sweep over different angular orientations. The time delay between radar signal transmission and reception is correlated to the distance of the object from the radar system. Azimuthal and/or elevational (i.e., bearing or angular) information is correlated to the time of reception of the reflected signal because of the changing direction of the radar beam. However, there are predetermined uncertainties associated with the time delay measurement and time of reception of the reflected radar signal. Therefore, there is an uncertainty associated with the value determined for the position of the object based upon the radar tracking system measurement. Thus, the determined positions of the object, that are determined by the radar tracking system, correspond to random variables. Therefore, the time transformation function for the object defining the position of the object as a function of time must be modelled as a function of random variables for the determined positions of the object, in order to account for the uncertainty in the determined position of the object.
The EKF or similar methods have been used in order to estimate the future expected position of the object and the covariance in that expected position, based upon the trajectory function modelling the trajectory of the object as a function of the positions and predetermined uncertainties in the positions of the object determined by the radar tracking system. However, this type of estimation of the future position of the object suffers from the drawbacks mentioned hereinabove in the discussion of the EKF method.
The foregoing example of a radar tracking system may also be used to illustrate a more general problem than the time evolution of a state function, which the present invention also addresses. This more general problem is the estimation of the value of a nonlinear function of a random variable of some physically significant quantity.
In the context of the example of the radar tracking system, this more general problem occurs when estimating the position and the uncertainty in the position of the object based upon the radar measurements.
There is a predetermined uncertainty in the time delay for the radar reflection signal received by the radar tracking system. Moreover, there is a predetermined uncertainty in the determination of the angular direction of the radar beam at any given time and, hence, in the determined angular orientation of the object relative to the radar tracking system. This uncertainty in the determined angular orientation occurs at least because the radar beam has an uncertainty in its intensity distribution about its cross-section that is reflected as an uncertainty in the time that the reflected signal is received. Therefore, the measurement of the time delay and the time of reception of the reflected signal are random variables.
The position and angular orientation of the object are nonlinear functions of the measured values for time delay and absolute time of radar signal reception. Since those values must be modelled as random variables to include their uncertainty, the EKF or a similar method has been used in order to determine expected values and covariance for the actual position of the object, since the actual position is a function of the random variables. Thus, the initial determination of the expected position of the object and the uncertainty associated therewith are also subject to the problems associated with the EKF method.
Most generally, a signal representing a measurement of any physical system inherently has some degree of random error associated therewith. Thus, the model of any physical system, if it is to accurately account for that random error, must include a way to estimate the expected values and uncertainties in the values of the physical system that occur due to the random error. Moreover, the quantum mechanical model for physical systems is based upon probabilities and therefore state functions of all physical systems are modelled by quantum mechanics as functions of random variables.
A signal herein is defined as any measurable quantity that is related to the changing of the physical state of a process, system, or substance. A signal includes, but is not limited to, radiation produced by a natural or a man made process, electrical fluctuations produced by a natural or a man made process, distinctive materials or chemicals produced by a natural or a man made process, distinctive structures or configurations of materials produced by a natural or a man made process, or distinctive patterns of radiation or electrical activity produced by a natural or a man made process.
The measurement of a signal is provided by a measuring device. A measuring device as defined herein may be, but is not limited to, any physical device that interacts with a physical system and provides information that is ultimately represented in the form of either a mean and a covariance or a form that can be converted into a mean and a covariance. A measuring device as defined herein includes any device that emits a signal and measures the change of the signal upon its return, and a device that measures a signal that is naturally produced by a physical process, or any device that measures a signal that is produced by a man made process.
The EKF method has been predominant in all relevant applications involving calculation of expected values and uncertainties in the expected values for nonlinear functions of random variables, including determining the time evolution of state functions of physical systems, for over two decades. During that time there has been a continuing need for more accurately and easily estimating the expected values and covariance of nonlinear functions of random variables.

Signal processing system and method for performing a nonlinear transformation


A property, such as ductility, mechanical strength and increased remelt temperature, of an alloy, for example one which includes an element such as Si or B, or both, is improved by depletion of such an element through the alloy surface. This is accomplished by exposing the alloy surface, one common form of which is a brazing alloy, to gaseous ions such as fluoride ions, while heating the alloy at a temperature which is not detrimental to the alloy or members associated with the alloy. Heating is conducted for a time sufficient for such elements, for example those selected from Si and B, included as a melting point depressant, to diffuse to the surface of the alloy and to react with the gaseous ions to form a gaseous compound of the element. Such gaseous compound then separates from the surface, thereby depleting the alloy of the element and improving at least one property.

The high temperature brazing alloys based on Ni, Co or Fe, commonly used in joining or treating gas turbine engine components, have experienced certain undesirable properties when compared with the properties of the alloy of members with which they are associated, such as in joining. These properties include lower room and elevated temperature ductility, a significantly lower remelt temperature and lower mechanical strength properties. The deleterious properties of one form of the alloys to which the present invention relates are the direct result of B or Si, or both, additions necessary to reduce the alloy melting temperature to below that of the alloy of the members being processed.
During evaluation of the method described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,098,450 - Keller et al., issued July 4, 1978 and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, it was recognized that such elements as B and Si form volatile fluoride compounds when exposed to a fluoride ion atmosphere at elevated temperatures. The disclosure of such Keller et al. patent is incorporated herein by reference.

Method for improving a property of an alloy


A method, non-transitory computer readable medium and device that assists with scaling infrastructure in a mobile application environment obtaining a number of mobile application installations of a mobile application on a plurality of mobile devices. A number of mobile application installations corresponds with a number of backend enterprise web applications online on one or more web applications servers is determined where the backend enterprise web applications are associated with the mobile application. The number of backend enterprise web applications online on the one or more web application servers is modified when the determining indicates the number of mobile application installations does not correspond with the number of backend enterprise web applications.

Mobile network environments within an organization continue to grow and expand at a rapid rate. Within these mobile network environments, a variety of different mobile computing device have been requesting access to an increasing number of different resources, such as backend applications. Additionally, these access requests from mobile computing devices often are received at different times, the requested resources are utilized for varying periods of time, and the requested resources often have different established access policies which need to be enforced. Unfortunately, prior mobile network environments have not been effective or efficient with managing and/or appropriately scaling their mobile application infrastructure to meet these challenges.

Methods for scaling infrastructure in a mobile application environment and devices thereof