Compounds, compositions and methods are provided which are useful in the treatment of diseases through the modulation of potassium ion flux through voltage-dependent potassium channels. More particularly, the invention provides heterocycles, compositions and methods that are useful in the treatment of central or peripheral nervous system disorders (e.g., migraine, ataxia, Parkinson's disease, bipolar disorders, trigeminal neuralgia, spasticity, mood disorders, brain tumors, psychotic disorders, myokymia, seizures, epilepsy, seizure, retinal degeneration, hearing and vision loss, Alzheimer's disease, age-10 related memory loss, learning deficiencies, anxiety, neuronal degeneration and motor neuron diseases, maintaining bladder control or treating urinary incontinence) and as neuroprotective agents (e.g., to prevent stroke and the like) by modulating potassium channels associated with the onset or recurrence of the indicated conditions.

Ion channels are cellular proteins that regulate the flow of ions, including calcium, potassium, sodium and chloride, into and out of cells. These channels are present in all human cells and affect such processes as nerve transmission, muscle contraction and cellular secretion. Among the ion channels, potassium channels are the most ubiquitous and diverse, being found in a variety of animal cells such as nervous, muscular, glandular, immune, reproductive, and epithelial tissue. These channels allow the flow of potassium in and/or out of the cell under certain conditions. For example, the outward flow of potassium ions upon opening of these channels makes the interior of the cell more negative, counteracting depolarizing voltages applied to the cell. These channels are regulated, e.g., by calcium sensitivity, voltage-gating, second messengers, extracellular ligands, and ATP-sensitivity.
Potassium channels are associated with a number of physiological processes, including regulation of heartbeat, dilation of arteries, release of insulin, excitability of nerve cells, and regulation of renal electrolyte transport. Potassium channels are made by alpha subunits that fall into at least 8 families, based on predicted structural and functional similarities (Wei et al., Neuropharmacology 35(7): 805-829 (1997)). Three of these families (Kv, eag-related, and KQT) share a common motif of six transmembrane domains and are primarily gated by voltage. Two other families, CNG and SK/IK, also contain this motif but are gated by cyclic nucleotides and calcium, respectively. The three other families of potassium channel alpha subunits have distinct patterns of transmembrane domains. Slo family potassium channels, or BK channels have seven transmembrane domains (Meera et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 94(25): 14066-71 (1997)) and are gated by both voltage and calcium or pH (Schreiber et al., J. Biol. Chem. 273: 3509-16 (1998)). Another family, the inward rectifier potassium channels (Kir), belongs to a structural family containing two transmembrane domains, and an eighth functionally diverse family (TP, or "two-pore") contains two tandem repeats of this inward rectifier motif.
Potassium channels are typically formed by four alpha subunits, and can be homomeric (made of identical alpha subunits) or heteromeric (made of two or more distinct types of alpha subunits). In addition, potassium channels made from Kv, KQT and Slo or BK subunits have often been found to contain additional, structurally distinct auxiliary, or beta, subunits. These subunits do not form potassium channels themselves, but instead they act as auxiliary subunits to modify the functional properties of channels formed by alpha subunits. For example, the Kv beta subunits are cytoplasmic and are known to increase the surface expression of Kv channels and/or modify inactivation kinetics of the channel (Heinemann et al., J. Physiol. 493: 625-633 (1996); Shi et al., Neuron 16(4): 843-852 (1996)). In another example, the KQT family beta subunit, minK, primarily changes activation kinetics (Sanguinetti et al., Nature 384: 80-83 (1996)).
Slo or BK potassium channels are large conductance potassium channels found in a wide variety of tissues, both in the central nervous system and periphery. They play a key role in the regulation of processes such as neuronal integration, muscular contraction and hormone secretion. They may also be involved in processes such as lymphocyte differentiation and cell proliferation, spermatocyte differentiation and sperm motility. Three alpha subunits of the Slo family have been cloned, i.e., Slo1, Slo2, and Slo3 (Butler et al., Science 261: 221-224 (1993); Schreiber et al., J. Biol. Chem., 273: 3509-16 (1998); and Joiner et al., Nature Neurosci. 1: 462-469 (1998)). These Slo family members have been shown to be voltage and/or calcium gated, and/or regulated by intracellular pH.
Certain members of the Kv family of potassium channels were recently renamed (see, Biervert, et al., Science 279: 403-406 (1998)). KvLQT1 was re-named KCNQ1, and the KvLQT1-related channels (KvLR1 and KvLR2) were renamed KCNQ2 and KCNQ3, respectively. More recently, additional members of the KCNQ subfamily were identified. For example, KCNQ4 was identified as a channel expressed in sensory outer hair cells (Kubisch, et al., Cell 96(3): 437-446 (1999)). KCNQ5 (Kananura et al., Neuroreport 11(9):2063 (2000)), KCNQ 2/3 (Main et al., Mol. Pharmacol. 58: 253-62 (2000), KCNQ 3/5 (Wickenden et al., Br. J. Pharma 132: 381 (2001)) and KCNQ6 have also recently been described.
KCNQ2 and KCNQ3 have been shown to be nervous system-specific potassium channels associated with benign familial neonatal convulsions ("BFNC"), a class of idiopathic generalized epilepsy (see, Leppert, et al., Nature 337: 647-648 (1989)). These channels have been linked to M-current channels (see, Wang, et al., Science 282: 1890-1893 (1998)). The discovery and characterization of these channels and currents provides useful insights into how these voltage dependent (Kv) potassium channels function in different environments, and how they respond to various activation mechanisms. Such information has now led to the identification of modulators of KCNQ2 and KCNQ3 potassium channels or the M-current, and the use of such modulators as therapeutic agents.

Heterocycles as potassium channel modulators


The present invention provides an ink jet recording apparatus comprising a cap member capable of sealing a discharge port for discharging ink and being provided at its bottom with an ink suction opening and an atmosphere communicating opening, an ink absorbing member disposed within the cap member, a suction pump communicated with the ink suction opening, and an atmosphere communicating valve communicated with the atmosphere communicating opening, and wherein areas of the ink absorbing member opposed to the ink suction opening and the atmosphere communicating opening are thinner than the other area and the ink absorbing member abuts against the ink suction opening.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus for effecting recording on a recording medium by discharging ink from a recording means, and a cap for such an apparatus.
The present invention can be applied to an apparatus such as a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile having a communication system or a word processor having a printer portion for effecting recording on a recording medium such as a paper sheet, thread, fibers, cloth leather, metal, plastic, glass, wood or ceramics and to an industrial recording apparatus in which various processing devices are combined in a composite manner. Here, the word "recording" means not only to afford an image such as characters or figures which are meaningful to a recording medium but also to afford an image such as a pattern which is meaningless to a recording medium.
2. Related Background Art
An ink jet recording system has been used with printers and copying machines because of low noise, low running cost, easiness of compactness and easiness of colorization.
In the past, in ink jet recording apparatus, for the purpose of preventing ink clogging of discharge ports of a recording head due to solidification of ink or increase in ink viscosity caused by the drying of ink, the discharge ports of the recording head have been shielded from atmosphere, or, for the purpose of recovering clogging of discharge ports due to solidification of ink or increase in ink viscosity or bubbles or foreign matters generated in liquid passages, a suction recovering operation for forcibly discharging ink by generating pressure at the discharge openings has been performed. For example, as an example of such a suction recovering operation, a cap member is closely contacted with a discharge port surface of a recording head and ink is sucked from the recording head by generating negative pressure within the cap member and thereafter the ink remaining in the cap is sucked (idle suction) by communicating the interior of the cap with the atmosphere. Further, as another example, in order to prevent scattering of ink from the cap to the discharge ports of the recording head during the suction and to such the ink remaining around the discharge ports of the recording head, an ink absorbing member made of porous material for absorbing the ink is disposed within the cap member.
However, recently, in the ink jet recording systems, high quality recorded images have been requested and improvement in water-resistance and light-resistance of ink has been made. For example, various inks such as ink which becomes water-soluble (to water) after drying or ink including pigment as coloring agent have been used. Some of such inks increases its viscosity to loose fluidity (for example, becomes gel) after it is dried due to vaporization.
After an image was printed on a recording sheet by using the recording head utilizing the above-mentioned ink, if next recording is not effected for a long term, i..e, if the discharge ports of the recording head are kept in the sealed condition by the cap for a long term, small amount of ink remaining in the ink absorbing member after the previous suction recovery may be solidified in the ink absorbing member or may cause clogging. As a result, even when the suction recovery is effected to prepare for next recording, predetermined pressure does not act on the recording head not to suck the ink from the recording head sufficiently or the interior of the cap becomes hard to be communicated with the atmosphere not to achieve the suction of ink (idle suction), thereby not realizing the normal or optimum suction recovery.

Ink jet recording apparatus and cap for such apparatus


Methods and devices useful for monitoring a patient and for monitoring and displaying the value of a physiological parameter are disclosed. In one embodiment, a user interface for a medical monitoring device is provided. The user interface can have a monitoring screen with a current value screen and a trend screen. The current value screen can display a graphical representation of a value of a physiological parameter over time, e.g., over a first time period, and the trend screen can display a graphical representation of a mean value of the parameter over time, e.g., over a second time period. In some embodiments, an out-of-limit condition for the parameter can be indicated with shading. In yet other embodiments, the user interface can provide an event marking screen, which can provide the ability to mark events on a historical trend screen that displays a value of the parameter over time.

Patient monitoring can take a variety of forms and can gather a wide variety of physiological data. The display of such data, including what is displayed and how it is displayed, can affect the ability of caregivers such as doctors and nurses to interpret and act on it. For example, intracranial pressure is a standard monitoring modality for traumatic brain injury patients. Medical guidelines may prescribe threshold values for intracranial pressure. The guidelines of the Brain Trauma Foundation, for example, indicate that clinical action should be taken to reduce intracranial pressure if it exceeds 20-25 mmHg. However, numerous factors can cause transient changes to intracranial pressure, including patient physiology, monitoring system noise, and actions taken by a caregiver.
To monitor a patient, caregivers use monitoring devices such as the Codman ICP Express, which is shown in FIG. 1. As shown, it has a display of intracranial pressure and a display of systolic and diastolic values for the intracranial pressure, as well as an alarm. A caregiver can look at the display to ascertain the intracranial pressure. Caregivers also use charts, e.g., a caregiver can manually record an event in a chart associated with a patient.
Improved methods and devices for display of intracranial pressure would allow for a more complete picture of a patient's condition, e.g., to assist in clinical decision making. Moreover, such considerations are applicable not just to intracranial pressure, but to a wide variety of patient monitoring modalities involving other physiological parameters. Accordingly, there is a need for improved devices and methods for monitoring a patient and for monitoring and displaying the value of a physiological parameter.


A composition comprising, based on the total weight of the composition, from 10 to 90 wt. % of a polyetherimide with a weight average molecular weight from 10,000 to 80,000 Daltons; from 10 to 90 wt. % of a polymer selected from polycarbonates, polyester-polycarbonates, polyalkylene terephthalates, or a combination thereof, from 0.005 to 1 wt. % of a hydrotalcite having a particle size of less than 10 micrometer and a magnesium oxide to aluminum oxide mole ratio of 1.0 to 5.0; from 0.01 to 1.0 wt. % of a phosphorus-containing stabilizer; from 0.01 to 1.00 wt. % of a hindered phenol stabilizer; optionally, from 0 to 3 wt. % of a polyolefin; and optionally, from 0 to 5 wt. % of an inorganic metal oxide.

This disclosure relates to polyimide compositions, and in particular hydrostable blends of polyetherimide/polycarbonate and polyetherimide/polycarbonate-ester compositions, as well as their method of manufacture and articles formed from the polyimide compositions.
Polyimides (PI), and in particular polyetherimides (PEI), are amorphous, transparent high performance polymers having a glass transition temperature (Tg) of greater than 180° C. These polymers further have high strength, heat resistance, and modulus, and broad chemical resistance. Polyetherimides are widely used in applications as diverse as automotive, telecommunication, aerospace, electrical/electronics, transportation, and healthcare. Filled and unfilled PEI compositions further comprising a polycarbonate (PC), polycarbonate-ester (PCE), and/or polyalkylene terephthalate (PET) are particularly useful as molded parts for metal replacement, for example in automotive and electrical/electronic applications. PEI-PC, PEI-PCE, and PEI/PET blends have good mechanical and thermal properties, including excellent dimensional stability at high temperatures.
There has long been a need in the art for PEI/PC, PEI/PCE, or PEI/PET compositions, in particular PEI-PC and PEI-PCE compositions that are more hydrostable. Such compositions would be useful for the manufacture of articles used in the food service and the medical industries, which are required to undergo sterilization conditions that are often stringent. Although PCE has the impact strength needed for these applications, there remains a continuing need for compositions that can withstand the autoclave sterilization procedure. Conversely, PEI can withstand the autoclave sterilization procedure but is too brittle to meet the toughness requirement. Thus, there is a long felt need for the development of ductile compositions that are able to withstand repeated sterilization conditions, particularly autoclave conditions, without distorting, cracking, or blistering. It would further be advantageous if improved hydrostability could be achieved without significantly adversely affecting the good mechanical and thermal properties of the compositions, such as ductility.

Hydrostable polyetherimide blends, methods of manufacture, and articles formed therefrom


A canister mounting arrangement includes a vehicle frame having a plurality of base members for supporting at least one seat in an occupant area, a pair of front upright members extending in an upward direction with respect to the base members and positioned at a forward portion of the occupant area, and a pair of rear upright members extending in an upward direction with respect to the base members and positioned at a rearward portion of the occupant area. The arrangement includes a fuel tank and a canister for receiving vapor from the fuel tank. The canister is mounted in a location above the base members, behind the front upright members and in front of the rear upright members.

The disclosed subject matter relates to vehicles having evaporative emission control equipment. More particularly, the disclosed subject matter relates to the arrangement of evaporative emissions control equipment in off-road vehicles.
Conventionally it is known that vehicles powered by internal combustion engines have a fuel tank for storing fuel. Vaporized fuel may accumulate in the fuel tank and may sometimes leak into the surrounding environment. Such loss of vaporized fuel may reduce fuel efficiency and may be unwanted.
In order to reduce the undesirable effects of such evaporative emissions, control equipment is sometimes applied to vehicles. Evaporative emission control equipment may include canisters having an absorbent material, such as active carbon, to remove the vaporized fuel from the fuel tank. The fuel may then be returned to the engine for combustion during operation of the engine.
Automobiles sometimes have carbon canisters mounted to the vehicle body using rigid mounting devices. Such arrangements are suitable for automobiles that usually travel on paved roads without excessive jarring or vibrations. However, off-road vehicles may add challenges in mounting carbon canisters that are not encountered with typical automobiles. For example, off-road vehicles are often subjected to larger vibrations caused by driving on rough surfaces. Such vibrations may adversely affect the utility or wear of the carbon canisters. Moreover, off-road vehicles are often subjected to harsh conditions, including muddy, wet, or dirty conditions that may adversely affect the carbon canisters if not properly protected.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a canister mounting arrangement that helps to reduce the vibrations experienced by the canister. It would also be desirable to provide a canister mounting arrangement that allows the canister to be protected from harsh environmental conditions.


Prevention or treatment of pain by administration of an endothelin antagonist.

The present invention relates to the prevention or treatment of pain by administering an endothelin antagonist to a subject in need thereof.
Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is a polypeptide with very potent vasoconstrictor activity. Elevated levels ET-1 are found in a variety of diseases including advanced prostate cancer and localized prostate cancer. It has been discovered that ET-1 not only functions as a vasoconstrictor but that it also has other functions, serving, for instance, as a growth factor alone or in combination with other hormones and peptides, as in prostate cancer (see, e.g., Nature Med. 1, 944-949, (1995)). In addition, as disclosed in WO 98/46076, ET-1 is related to the sorafotoxins, which are painful and lethal moieties in the venom of certain snakes of the genus Atractapsis. Similar to venom in a snake bite, recombinant ET-1 has been reported to produce intense pain in humans after the localized injection of high concentrations. Thus, for instance, in prostate cancer, a high localized concentration of ET-1 produced by the cancer cells is likely to be a major contributor to the high degree of pain associated with the late stage of the disease. Accordingly, molecules that prevent or inhibit the production of ET-1 can be expected to be useful to prevent and treat pain associated with elevated levels of endothelin.
Endothelin antagonists, which are compounds capable, inter alia, of inhibiting the binding of endothelin peptides to endothelin receptors, are useful in the treatment of endothelin-related disorders. While certain such compounds have been described as having utility in the treatment of hypertension, the present invention provides a method employing these compounds specifically for the treatment of pain.

Method for preventing or treating pain by administering an endothelin antagonist


The tendamistat gene can be used for the construction of fused genes with which fusion proteins are expressed and excreted in Streptomycetes host cells. The tendamistat portion can be modified, in particular it can be C-terminal shortened. When a gene for a shortened proinsulin in which the insulin B chain is linked to the A chain only via Lys or Lys-Lys is coupled to the tendamistat gene, this gene construction is introduced into an expression vector, and the latter is used to transform a Streptomycetes host cell, there is expression and secretion of the corresponding fusion protein. The fusion protein can easily be cleaved to give insulin precursors because of correctly established disulfide bonds. Genetic structures which code for the signal sequence and about the first ten amino acids of tendamistat as well as a desired protein are expressed in streptomyces host cells with a high yield, and the fusion proteins are secreted into the medium.

The European patent application with the publication number (EP-A) 0,161,629, and South African Patent 85/3672 disclose the use of the DNA coding for the signal peptide (prepeptide) of the .alpha.-amylase inhibitor tendamistat in order for a Streptomycetes cell to excrete a polypeptide, in particular tendamistat. In this regard, South African Patent No. 85/3672 at page 2, lines 24-30, teaches that the signal peptide of tendamistat is Met-Arg-Val-Arg-Ala-Leu-Arg-X-Ala-Ser-Ala in which X represents a hydrophobic region comprising 10 to 25, preferably 17 to 20 amino acids (most likely 20 amino acids) (SEQ ID NO:48). The appropriate DNA can, in principle, be obtained from every strain producing tendamistat, but a DNA obtained as in Example 3 of German Offenlegungsschrift 3,331,860 is preferably used. German Patent Application P 37 07 150.5, filed Mar. 6, 1987, has already proposed a process for the excretion of fusion proteins from Streptomycetes, which comprises incorporating the coding sequence, which has been modified where appropriate, and expressing the recombinant gene in a Streptomycetes cell. Thus, in this case the tendamistat structural gene is used as a "carrier" for another gene, the fusion proteins which are obtained having the amino acid sequence of another protein located within the tendamistat amino acid sequence. Consequently, on chemical or enzymatic cleavage of this fusion protein to liberate the other protein, two tendamistat part-sequences are obtained. Said German patent application P 37 07 150.5 also relates to tendamistat derivatives, which are understood to include those with a markedly shortened amino acid chain. Derivatives of this type are able in a reversible manner to react with the specific receptors in the form of a competitive inhibitory mechanism.
In the European patent application with the publication number (EP-A) 0,289,936 which corresponds to the German patent application DE 37 14 866 A1, now issued as German patent P 37 14 866.4, the inventors of the present application disclose the production of fusion proteins by coupling the structural gene for the desired protein to the 3'-end of the coding strand of the optionally modified tendamistat gene, expressing this genetic structure in a streptomyces host cell and isolating the secreted fusion protein from the supernatant. In a preferred embodiment the tendamistat gene is truncated at the 3'-end. For the truncation, the cleavage sites for the restriction enzyme BstEII in the region of triplets 31 and 32, StuI in the region of triplets 43 and 44, and Sau3A in the region of triplets 52 and 53 are used.
The present inventors have found that foreign proteins can also be prepared in Streptomycetes by constructing fusion protein genes in which the structural gene for the desired protein is coupled in the 3' end (of the coding strand) of the tendamistat gene, which has been modified where appropriate. The modification of the tendamistat gene may comprise, in particular, C-terminal shortening.
The DNA coding for tendamistat is depicted in EP-A 0,161,629 (where it is DNA sequence C (Table 1 in the annex of the present application)) (SEQ ID NO: 40). This structural gene contains several cleavage sites for restriction enzymes, which can be used to modify the coded amino acid sequence. Suitable cleavage sites are those for BstEII in the region of triplets 31 and 32, StuI in the region of triplets 43 and 44, and Sau3A in the region of triplets 52 and 53. It is possible, by incorporation of appropriate linkers, to insert at these sites one or more additional amino acids, to eliminate DNA segments between these cleavage sites, or to code for shortened amino acid sequences by incorporation of stop codons. Furthermore, it is possible by site-specific mutagenesis for any desired amino acids to be inserted, replaced or eliminated. In this way proteins are obtained which have an .alpha.-amylase inhibitory action, as well as proteins which do not have this activity but still react with the corresponding receptors.
The invention also relates to appropriate gene structures, vectors containing these gene structures, Streptomycetes cells transformed with these vectors, the excreted fusion proteins, and their use for the preparation of the foreign proteins and tendamistat derivatives.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, the present inventors have found that the process of the present invention can be used particularly well to prepare a fusion protein in which tendamistat portion is followed by a shortened proinsulin whose C chain comprises only one or two lysine residues ("mini-proinsulin"). These precursors can be converted particularly straightforwardly and economically into human insulin. Further embodiments of the invention include truncating the tendamistat portion, too, in fusion proteins of this type (EP-A 0,367,163 published on May 9, 1990).
Further embodiments of the present invention relate to advantageous gene structures and processes for the amplification and expression of the gene which codes for the fusion protein.
Surprisingly, the present inventors have discovered that fusion proteins with a very short tendamistat portion are stable in Streptomyces cells and are secreted into the medium. The fusion proteins obtained in this way behave like "mature" proteins because of the very short tendamistat chain. The present inventors have also discovered that fusion proteins containing a tendamistat portion and a C-terminal portion of a proinsulin derivative in which the B chain is connected to the A chain via a bridging member comprising Lys or Lys-Lys are, in fact, unexpectedly stable and are secreted into the medium, from which they can be isolated in high yields. Surprisingly, tendamistat mini-proinsulin derivatives characterized by an unnaturally short C-peptide are always secreted with correctly established disulfide bonds whereas tendamistat fusion proteins containing a authentic proinsulin moiety are secreted with incorrect disulfide linkages. This unique feature of tendamistat "mini-proinsulin" derivatives allows easy enzymatic cleavage to yield human insulin derivatives.

Processes for the preparation of foreign proteins in streptomycetes


Provided is a method for measuring anti-drug antibodies ADAs appearing in a patient receiving molecular-targeted therapy in a simpler and more accurate manner.

Biological drugs (hereinafter, referred to as "drugs") such as protein drugs, including antibody drugs, derived from a gene recombinant are drugs derived from an artificially produced antibody or substance specifically reactive with a disease-related molecule or receptor. Molecular-targeted treatment with a drug to control a targeted molecule or the like relating to the cause of a disease with pinpoint accuracy has become widely used in recent years, and currently 47 antibody drugs have been approved in Japan, U.S., and Europe. Most of them target cancers or autoimmune diseases, and quite a lot of products have become essential for treatment of such diseases.
However, antibody drugs induce production of ADAs due to the immune response of a patient to cause loss of response (LOR), even if the antibody drug is a humanized antibody or substance, which disadvantageously complicates disease control. Thus, required in the art is a measurement system to detect the presence of ADAs in a sample from a patient for monitoring of molecular-targeted therapy with a drug and guidance for therapeutic decision-making. Non-antibody drugs derived from a gene recombinant or the like, such as erythropoietin (Non Patent Literature 1), and other drugs also suffer from LOR or the like due to production of ADAs (Non Patent Literature 2).
In the case of infliximab (IFX), which is a representative antibody drug targeting TNF-α, for example, antibodies to IFX (ATI) appear after administration. Regarding measurement of ATI, an ATI measurement method by using double antigen assay with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (Non Patent Literature 3) and a mobility shift method in which a labeled IFX is added to a pre-treated sample and HPLC is used for the resultant (Non Patent Literature 4) are conventionally known.
However, the double antigen assay method, in which ATI are captured by IFX as a coating and the captured ATI are detected and measured with labeled IFX, may be influenced by IFX present in an analyte, which makes accurate measurement difficult. The mobility shift method requires introduction of HPLC, which is an expensive instrument, and thus is not easily applicable.


A data processing system includes a plurality of host systems and peripheral subsystems, particularly data storage subsystems. Each of the data storage subsystems includes a plurality of control units attaching a plurality of data storage devices such as direct access storage devices (DASD) for storing data on behalf of the various host systems. Each of the control units have a separate storage path for accessing the peripheral data storage devices using dynamic pathing. The storage paths can be clustered into power clusters. Maintenance personnel acting through maintenance panels on either the control units or the peripheral data storage devices activate the subsystem to request reconfiguration of the subsystem from all of the host systems connected top the subsystem. The host systems can honor the request or reject it based upon diverse criteria. Upon each of the host systems approving the reconfiguration, the subsystem 13 is reconfigured for maintenance purposes. Upon completion of the maintenance procedures, a second reconfiguration request is sent to the host systems for causing quiesce devices to resume normal operations.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data processing system using controllers to control the transfer of data from central processing units to peripheral devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to the automatic reconfiguration of a data processing system during operation such that devices can be removed from the system during maintenance with the system automatically reconfiguring itself to continue operation.

Device initiated partial system quiescing

International Business Machines Corporation


A system and method for optimizing a rescue operation of an individual. The method comprises maintaining, by an individual engaged in an activity, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) associated with and in proximity to the individual. For storage at the UAV, the individual records at a recording device a message. A sensor device is configured to detect a situation requiring a need to rescue the individual at a current location, and generates a trigger signal in response to a detection. In response to the receipt of the trigger signal, a current GPS location of the individual is recorded and a launching of the UAV to traverse a flight-path to a destination location. At or before arriving at the destination location, the UAV contemporaneously provides the stored recorded message and current GPS location of the individual to an emergency response authority to inform of the individual's situation and location.

Remotely piloted UAV or "drones" have been used for various applications in both commercial and military contexts.
While commercial unmanned aerial vehicles including drones, unpiloted aerial vehicles, and remotely piloted aerial vehicles comprise a modern time alternative for tasks that pose a high risk for human life, there remains a need to utilize such technology to assist in the rescue of individuals or groups in situations such as being lost while hiking, skiing, or lost at sea, etc.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

International Business Machines Corporation


A process for separating a blend of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids or saturated and unsaturated fatty acid alky esters into a first fraction enriched with the saturated fatty acids or saturated fatty acid alkyl esters and a second fraction enriched with unsaturated fatty acids or unsaturated fatty acid alkyl esters. When separating fatty acids, the process includes the steps of (a) saponifying a blend of long chain saturated and unsaturated fatty acids to form free fatty acids, (b) complexing the free fatty acids with urea, and (c) separating the urea complexed free fatty acids into a first fraction enriched with saturated free fatty acids and a second fraction enriched with unsaturated free fatty acids. When separating fatty acid alkyl esters, the process includes the steps of (i) complexing the fatty acid alkyl esters with urea, and (ii) separating the urea-complexed fatty acid alkly esters into a first fraction enriched with saturated fatty acid alkyl esters and a second fraction enriched with unsaturated fatty acid alkyl esters.

Biodiesel is an alternative fuel for diesel engines that is produced by the transesterification of oils and fats from plant and animal sources, commonly rapeseed oil and soy oil. The transesterification process combines the oils and/or fats with an alcohol to produce organic esters, with glycerin produced as a byproduct of the reaction. These organic esters as known as biodiesel. Biodiesel is a nontoxic, biodegradable and renewable alternative to traditional diesel fuel produced from crude oil. Biodiesel also tends to produce lower emissions of carbon monoxide in most engines.
The accelerating worldwide demand for energy is driving an ever expanding search for alternative energy sources, including the search for improved processes and methods for producing biodiesel.
One of the drawbacks associated with the use of traditional biodiesel fuel in the gelling of biodiesel at cold temperatures such as those commonly encountered in the northern portion of the United States and Canada during the winter.
Accordingly, a need also exists for a cold-tolerant biodiesel fuel.

Process for separating saturated and unsaturated fatty acids


The field of invention relates to a method, means, and device for acquiring user input by a computer and, more particularly, a new and improved method of customizing a user interface to each specific task performed by a user such that the user interface customizes itself without the user having to modify multiple sets of preferences.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of invention relates to a method, means, and device for acquiring user input by a computer and, more particularly, a new and improved method of customizing a user interface to each specific task performed by a user such that the user interface customizes itself without the user having to modify multiple sets of preferences.
2. Description of the Related Art
Contemporary software programmers realize that no matter how good a software program is or powerful a tool a software program becomes when operating on the correct hardware, the extent that the software program permeates the market is limited substantially by the quality of the user interface. For example, a user may prefer to purchase a software program that is very simple to use rather than a more powerful software program that is very hard to use because the user has performed a cost benefit analysis and realizes that the loss of time that results from using the less powerful software program is less than the amount of time lost each time the user has to figure out how to use the more powerful software program.
In an effort to increase sales, software program user interfaces have increased in what is called xe2x80x9cuser-friendlinessxe2x80x9d. The xe2x80x9cuser-friendlinessxe2x80x9d of a software program is the scale by which users tend to measure a software program""s ease of use and the scale is time frame sensitive in that what may have been considered user friendly ten years ago, would not be considered so today. Today, for example, a software program that requires a user to memorize several key combinations to perform software program functions would rank low in the xe2x80x9cuser-friendlinessxe2x80x9d scale, whereas a software program that sets up a command structure such that a user intuitively knows how to perform software program functions would rank high on the xe2x80x9cuser-friendlinessxe2x80x9d scale.
User interfaces have increased in complexity and xe2x80x9cuser-friendlinessxe2x80x9d since the early main frame computers through a combination of hardware and software developments. When main frame computers first became popular, key cards and printouts composed the user interface. The user was required to enter data on a key card to input the data into the computer. The user had to physically punch holes in the key cards in a particular way. Thus, if the user punched a hole in the wrong place then the user would have to reenter all the information on a new key card. This user interface may have been relatively user friendly at that time but is not considered so today.
The first big break through in xe2x80x9cuser-friendlinessxe2x80x9d with regards to hardware, was the combination of the display and keyboard. The keyboard and display allowed a user to see the data in a recognizable format as it was being entered into the computer. Errors could then be detected and corrected much more quickly. The software program user interfaces were slow to take advantage of the keyboard and display combination however. For example, some of the original user interfaces that developed were add-ons to the earlier key card interfaces such that a user had to enter information in exactly the same format as he did for the key cards, but the information was typed at specific coordinates on the display rather than being holes punched in specific places on a key card. Still, if the user made an error typing the data into a specific location, e.g. typed the information one character to the left or one character to the right of where it was supposed to be typed, the computer rejected the entry and required the user to reenter the information. The software finally began to catch up to the keyboard and display hardware combination with the use of a command line and script window. The command line allowed the user to enter commands which initiated a specific or a sequence of specific software program functions. The script window returned the results of a command to a user immediately and allowed the user to review prior actions by scrolling the commands and results upward as new commands and results were displayed. In addition, the xe2x80x9cuser-friendlinessxe2x80x9d of data entry was improved by allowing users to enter information one field at a time, informing the user when a field was entered in an incorrect format, and requiring the user to reenter only the fields, or characters within a field that were wrong rather than making the user reenter the entire data record.
The second big break through in regards to computer hardware for user interfaces was the mouse. The mouse allows the user to point at something on the display and select it by pressing a button on the mouse. The simultaneous response of the software was command menu systems. The command menu system in combination with the mouse, command line, keyboard and display, allowed users to select from a categorized menu of commands, the command the user desired to execute. The command menu systems were primarily character representations of software program functions. Later, graphical user interfaces (GUI""s) were developed. GUI""s, still in use today, depict functions with graphics. The graphics give the software programmer the opportunity to fit more software program functions on a display, as well as allow the user to scan through the command functions more quickly, since the graphic or pictorial descriptions can be more compact and more descriptive than their character counterparts.
GUI""s seem to offer the best user interfaces to date when combined with the menu command system in operating systems such as MacOS(trademark) and Windows(trademark) and in software applications programs. The combined menu command system and GUI, however, still have a shortfall. To begin with, the increasing complexity of software programs along with the increasing diversity of projects for which the users use software programs and the proliferation of computer users, has made a well-tailored user interface, up until now, practically impossible. In addition, software programmers writing software applications are including an enormous number of software program functions, creating a default menu command system and tool bar, and allowing the user to customize the user interface by allowing the user to select the functions that are to be available in the menu command system and tool bar. In some software applications such as Auto Cad(trademark), along with allowing the customization of a menu command system, the software program allows customization commands available on a digitizer tablet and offers a command line in which a user can type any command available from the software program. The shortfall with these user interfaces, however, is that the amount of time required to customize an interface from the user is so great that a user rarely customizes the interface for a specific project. Thereby, the user trades off the inefficiency for each individual project for a smaller but overall gain in efficiency for all the user""s projects.
A further example of a software program attempting to take advantage of the keyboard, mouse, and display is U.S. Pat. No. 5,617,527 issued to Kressin et al., on Apr. 1, 1997, entitled METHOD FOR ADDING A GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE TO A COMMAND LINE APPLICATION. Kressin introduces the patent in the abstract as a method that improves the user friendliness of command line driven programs. Kressin creates a button GUI window that contains buttons related to a command table. When a button is selected, the invention generates keystrokes emulating a command being entered via a keyboard. Although this does take advantage of the mouse, it does not solve the problems discussed above, i.e. how to deal with more software program functions than can fit on the display without requiring the user to spend enormous amounts of time setting up the interface. Alternatively, Kressin can be viewed as a modification for software programmers only, as is implied by the specification objectives. In such a case, the program loses flexibility and is not well-tailored to the particular application of a user.
A still further example of a software program attempting to take advantage of the keyboard, mouse, and display is the hypertext function offered in many word processing programs including recent versions of e-mail editors for popular browsers. The hypertext software program function is useful, but relatively very limited. For example, the hypertext function will recognize some set formats for web sites and files but will not recognize other commands, links, and objects.
While the aforementioned prior art has some areas of effectiveness, it does not sufficiently address the needs of software programmers and software program users, and there is a great need for a better device and method.
According to one aspect of the invention, a method for acquiring user input by a computer having a command input device, a selection device and a display device, comprising receiving an input, displaying a representation of the received input on the display device, attaching at least a drag and drop function to the displayed representation of the received input on the display device, and executing an attached function upon selection of the displayed representation of the received input.
According to another aspect of the invention, a device for acquiring user input by a computer having a command input device, a selection device and a display device, comprising receiving an input, displaying a representation of the received input on the display device, attaching at least a drag and drop function to the displayed representation of the received input on the display device, and executing an attached function upon selection of the displayed representation of the received input.
According to another aspect of the invention, a device for acquiring user input by a computer having a command input device, a selection device and a display device, comprising an input receiver communicatively connected and responsive to the command input device and the selection device, a representation of an input suitable for display on the display device and responsive to the input receiver, a function, a function attachment device communicatively connected to the representation of an input, and a function executing device communicatively connected to the input receiver, and the function wherein the function executing device is responsive to the input receiver and the function is responsive to the function executing device.
These and other aspects of the invention solve various problems in the prior art. The present invention utilizes the optional layers of command lines, scripts and/or buttons depending upon the user""s preferences. Each command layer can be set up in accordance with the user""s preference to learn a number of frequently used software program functions. The command layers can learn global software program functions, such as operating system program functions and/or software program functions for a specific application, such as a word-processing application, and task such as a technical analysis of subcontractor bid documents. As such each user project can be worked upon utilizing a user interface literally tailored for that specific project without having to take enormous amounts of time customizing the user interfaces.
Further, although a good aspect offered by common hypertext functions is format recognition such that the format of a web site is recognized even without a search to determine if the web site exists, some embodiments of the present invention recognize a large variety of user-defineable commands, links, and objects such as files, groups of files, documents, e-mail addresses, web site addresses, Internet protocol addresses, hardware devices (such as printers, CD ROM drives, printers, zip drives, hard drives, networked computers), and the like, without a search to determine if the object, link, or command exists. Embodiments of the present invention recognize formats and begin searching for a corresponding object, group of objects, device, group of devices, locations, . . . until a complete listing is generated. In addition, other embodiments of the present invention also offer a drag and drop function, unavailable with any hypertext software program function, that allows the object represented or the representation of the object to be manipulated by the user.
The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of an example embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein like reference numbers represent like parts of the embodiment of the invention.

Method, means, and device for acquiring user input by a computer

Intenational Business Machines Corporation


An exemplary atomizer includes a main body, a liquid supply, a piercing element, and an atomizing assembly. The liquid supply is configured for storing tobacco liquid. The liquid supply is received in the main body. The liquid supply includes an end wall having a fixing part, a sealing part, and a recessed part. The recessed part connects the fixing part and the sealing part. The piercing element is spatially corresponding to the recessed part. The piercing element is configured for pricking the recessed part in response to an external force, so that the tobacco liquid in the liquid supply flows out, and the atomizing assembly absorbs the tobacco liquid flowed out for vaporization.

Nowadays, electronic cigarettes are becoming more and more popular as substitutes of traditional cigarettes. Electronic cigarettes heat tobacco liquid inside to form aerosol. The tobacco liquid keeps volatilizing during transportation and sale. Accordingly, a period of validity of the tobacco liquid may be short.
To prolong the period of validity, an electronic cigarette is proposed with a liquid supply containing tobacco liquid. In use, the liquid supply is pushed into a housing of the electronic cigarette, an end wall of the liquid supply is pierced, and then the tobacco liquid flows out to a liquid absorbing component and an atomizing assembly for vaporization. However, sometimes the end wall may be too hard to be pricked. Therefore, user experience is unsatisfactory.
What is needed, therefore, is an atomizer and an electronic cigarette using same, which can overcome the above shortcomings.

Atomizer and electronic cigarette having same

SHENZHEN FIRST UNION TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


In a multiport memory, a data selector is provided by which, when addresses designated by at least two ports agree and one port and the other port are respectively set in a write mode and a read mode, write data to be supplied from one port is directly transmitted as read data for the other port without first being transmitted through the memory array.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory. By way of example, it relates to techniques which are effective when utilized for a multiport memory etc. built in a gate-array integrated circuit etc.
A gate-array integrated circuit has a built-in multiport memory. The multiport memory is employed as, for example, a register file when the gate-array integrated circuit constitutes, for example, a digital processor such as computer.
The multiport memory is described in, for example, "IEEE 1987, Materials for CICC (Custom Integrated Circuits Conference)," pp. 195-198.
In the multiport memory (dual-port memory) having two ports as stated in the above literature, addresses designated by both the ports agree in some cases. When an operating condition arises, on occasion, during which both of the ports are set in a read mode, a read operation at the agreeing address is executed without any change, and the resulting read data is output. In addition, when both the ports are set in a write mode at this time, the write operation of either of the ports is inhibited so as to prevent an unspecified write condition from developing. Further, when one port is set in the write mode and the other port in the read mode, there is adopted a step wherein the read operation of the other port is inhibited or a step wherein the read operation of the other port is carried out at the point of time at which the write operation of one port has ended.
In a case where the multiport memory is employed as the register file of a computer or the like, one port is often used as a read-only port. Herein, in a case where the other port is set in the write mode and where the addresses designated by both the ports are in agreement, there is often adopted the aforementioned latter step wherein the read operation of one port is performed upon the end of the write operation of the other port.
With such a step, however, the wait time involved of the port set in the read mode becomes undesirably lengthened, resulting in a corresponding long access time of the multiport memory. For this reason, the operating speed of the computer or the like including the multiport memory becomes decreased thereby limiting the throughput capability thereof.
An object of the present invention is to provide a multiport memory from which the latest write data can be read at high speed even in a case where addresses designated by at least two ports are in agreement and where one port is set in a write mode, while the other port is set in a read mode. Another object of the present invention is to further enhance the throughput capability of a digital processor including a multiport memory.
The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the description of this specification and the accompanying drawings.


The invention relates to an optoelectronic sensor with at least one sensor element according to the principle of carrier injection (CID), whereby the surface of a doped semiconductor body is faced by two closely adjoining electrodes insulated from one another and from the semiconductor surface by a thin insulation layer that are controllable via separate control circuits. The semiconductor body contains a more strongly doped area having the type of the semiconductor doping on its surface below one of the electrodes, which area extends slightly into the semiconductor surface lying below the other electrode. Thereby, a narrow potential barrier is formed between the two electrodes, for example, between a line electrode and a column electrode. When an optically generated charge under one electrode is displaced under the other electrode, then this narrow potential barrier prevents a flow back of the charge under the discharged electrode. This makes a floating readout possible, in which the couplings-in of the line circuits onto the column circuits can be eliminated. The more strongly doped area above referred to preferably tapers wedge-shaped under the other electrode and is produced by means of implantation, whereby the field oxide and the electrode, whose edges are beveled, are used as the implantation mask.

In the electronic acquisition of images according to the principle of carrier injection, a voltage is applied to a capacitor, which consists of a semiconductor body and a metal electrode separated from the semiconductor surface by means of an insulation layer (MIS-capacitor), by means of electrical connections for the semiconductor body and the metal electrode so that the majority carriers located in the semiconductor are drawn off from the substrate and a depletion region arises beneath the metal electrode, in which region the minority carriers optically generated during the exposure time are gathered. By means of a voltage alteration at the metal electrode, collected, optically generated charge carriers can subsequently be injected into the substrate and be read out from there.
In order to be able to acquire a picture grid by means of a plurality of image points, corresponding sensor elements are arranged on the semiconductor surface, which elements, in each case, are formed by a pair of MIS-capacitors capacitively coupled to one another and in whose depletion regions the minority carriers optically generated during the exposure time are gathered. To read out the signal collected in a sensor element, one metal electrode of an element is often held electrically freely floating (so-called "floating"), whereas the potential of the other electrode is diminished in regard to amount. In so doing, the signal charge flows from the second electrode onto the MIS-capacitor of the first electrode and generates a signal there that corresponds to the aggregate of the optically generated charges and, thus, corresponds to the intensity of the light beamed in. By means of a voltage pulse at the first electrode, the collected charge is subsequently injected into the substrate and the sensor is transferred into the empty initial state for the next exposure.
For the acquisition of extensive images, semiconductor bodies are often used, upon whose surface the sensor elements are arranged grid-like in columns and lines and, in each case, one electrode of each element is connected to one electrode of the elements arranged in the same line via a line circuit; whereas, the other electrode of each sensor element is connected to the other electrodes of the sensor elements standing in the same column via a corresponding column circuit. When all column circuits at first lying at an operating voltage during the exposure time are separated from the voltage source, so that they float electrically free, and when a specific line electrode whose voltage is diminished relative to amount is selected via a shift register, then the potential on the column circuits is changed by means of the capacitive coupling to the semiconductor in correspondence with the absorbed inversion charge and can be drawn off as a signal that corresponds to the optically generated charge that is collected in the respective crossing points of the column circuits with the selected line circuit.
The additional capacitive coupling between the two electrodes of an element, however, effects that upon the diminution of the potential at the selected line circuit, i.e., upon displacement of the charge beneath the column electrode, the signal on the freely floating column circuit is superimposed by coupling-ins of the line voltage. These capacitive coupling-ins occur both when the potential of the line circuit is diminished at the beginning of the charge displacement and, with the reversed operational sign, when the line circuit is again reset to the initial signal at the end of the charge displacement. By means of appropriate integration via one pulse edge each of succeeding lines, such coupling-ins can at least be partially eliminated. Each inequality of the coupling-ins among one another, however, falsifies the signal.
The object of the invention is to indicate a CID-sensor that is as simple as possible to manufacture, in which the capacitive coupling-ins compensate as completely as possible.
This is achieved in accordance with the invention, in that, in a sensor of the type initially cited, the semiconductor body contains a more strongly doped area of the type of the semiconductor doping on its surface beneath the one electrode of each sensor element, which area extends slightly into the semiconductor surface lying beneath the other electrode.
In a two-dimensional sensor with sensor elements arranged grid-like in columns and lines, the signal charge is shifted onto the column capacitors by means of the reduction of the potential of the selected line circuit. Simultaneously, the pulse coupling-in ensues from the line circuit onto the column circuit. Accordingly, the charge Q.sub.signal +Q.sub.pulse is stored in the column capacitor. If one can now reset the potential of the line circuit to the original value without having the charge simultaneously to flow back into the line capacitor, then the charge in the column capacitor is diminished by the capacitively coupled-in charge Q.sub.pulse, and the potential on the column circuit is now determined only by the signal charge.
The return flow of the charge can be prevented if a potential barrier is generated between the line and column capacitor of each element. In accordance with the invention, this potential barrier is generated in that the more strongly doped area under one capacitor, preferably the line capacitor, extends slightly into the semiconductor surface lying under the other electrode. By means of doping, and by means of breadth and depth of the area, particularly of the edge overlapped by the other electrode (the column electrode), the desired potential barrier can be exactly adjusted.
The region in which the more strongly dosed area located beneath the one electrode is overlapped by the other electrode at its edge, i.e., the breadth in which the more strongly dosed area stretches under the other electrode, advantageously amounts to 0.3 to 1.2 .mu.m, preferably approximately 0.75 .mu.m. In the region of this overlapping, the depth of the more strongly doped area advantageously decreases continuously, preferably wedge-shaped, in the direction of the other electrode. Thereby, the wedge (or lip) angle can amount to between 15.degree. and 60.degree., approximately 20.degree. is preferred.
The semiconductor body can advantageously consist of p-doped silicon; strongly doped polysilicon is particularly suitable for the electrodes. A semiconductor doping of 10.sup.14 through 10.sup.15 cm.sup.-3 and a doping of the more strongly doped area of 10.sup.16 through 10.sup.18 cm.sup.-3 is preferred.
A defined geometry of the more strongly doped area and its position to the two sensor electrodes is aimed at. It is therefore advantageous if the doping of the more strongly doped area consists of doping matter that is introduced by means of an implantation mask via ion implantation, whereby the edges of the mask opening are beveled wedge-like in the direction of the more strongly doped area. In the region of the beveled edges, the implanted ions must then first penetrate the implantation mask before they can penetrate into the semiconductor body. The penetration depth of the ions, thus, corresponds to the profile of the mask opening, so that the limitation between the more strongly doped area and the remaining semiconductor body proceeds diagonally with a definite angle beneath the edges of the mask opening.
It is particularly advantageous, if layers are used as a mask, which layers are already provided in most CID-sensors and must be applied; namely, a thicker insulating layer (field oxide film) surrounding the sensor element on the semiconductor surface, and the second electrode itself. In order to manufacture such a semiconductor body, one can, accordingly, first apply a thicker insulation layer with a window covered by a thinner insulation layer on the surface of a doped semiconductor body. The electrode designated "second electrode" in the above explanation is then applied in this window onto the thinner insulation layer. By means of the window in the thicker insulation layer, the ion implantation can now take place. Finally, the sensor cell is completed in that one applies the "first electrode" in the window after having previously covered at least a part of the "second electrode" with a thin insulation layer in order to assure the electric insulation of the two electrodes.

Optoelectronic sensor according to the principle of carrier injection


A dual-purpose hair styling and retention device including a curved handle having a top surface couplable to a user's head and a bottom surface opposite the top surface, the top surface and the bottom surface forming a hand gripping surface. The dual-purpose hair styling and retention device also includes a base pivotally coupled to the handle, the base having an upper surface and a bottom surface opposite the upper surface, the upper surface including a plurality of bristles coupled thereto. The dual-purpose hair styling and retention device further includes an extended configuration in which the handle extends from the base to expose the hand gripping surface and a hair-retention configuration in which the base is selectively coupled to the bottom surface of the handle to at least partially obstruct the hand gripping surface and expose the plurality of bristles.

Frequent visits to hair salons are an important part of maintaining healthy and attractive hair. Of course, such visits typically require a considerable amount of a person's time, especially for people with thick and/or long hair. Often, the amount of time spent at the hair salon is a direct result of the hair stylists' need to brush and restrain the hair in sections using a brush and one or more styling clips, and/or other hair restraint devices, i.e., hair styling tools. Of course, once the hair is separated into the desired sections, the hair stylist can cut, blow-dry, and/or style the hair. Unfortunately, using numerous separate hair styling tools and clips is time consuming and tedious, especially when the clips hold only a minimal amount of hair and are difficult to insert within and take out of someone's hair. Often the chair in which the subject sits during hairstyling is disposed a distance away from a table on which hair styling tools may be placed. Accordingly, it may be inconvenient and time consuming for the hair stylist to continuously remove the clips, set the clips on the table, and pick the clips up again for reuse throughout the hair styling process. As an added problem, using numerous hair styling tools and clips is costly for the hair stylist. Of course, styling hair at home also suffers from a number of these draw backs, including, but not limited to, the large amount of time consumed continuously removing and reusing the clips and the cost of purchasing numerous hair clips.
At least one known hair apparatus for grooming and decorating hair is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,186,151 and depicted in FIG. 11. The apparatus includes a hair clip and a grooming device, i.e., a small brush. The problems with the hair apparatus presented in U.S. Pat. No. 6,186,151 are numerous. For example, the narrow width of the hair clip and the minimal number of jaws included on the hair clip are unsuitable for holding a substantial amount of hair. As a result, a hair stylist would need to use more than one of the hair clips to separate someone's hair in sections. This is not only time consuming for the hair stylist who could have otherwise booked additional appointments, but is also inconvenient for the person who is having his or her hair styled. As an added problem, the jaws are susceptible to becoming tangled in the hair and often break, leading to discomfort and the need to consistently replace the hair clips. Moreover, as a result of the narrow width of the grooming device, the grooming device is unsuitable for brushing a substantial amount of hair. As such, the hair stylist must run the grooming device through the hair numerous times in order to brush someone's hair.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,816,267 describes a barrette combined with a comb. The barrette is designed to be adjusted subject to the volume of hair to be clamped. The barrette is also designed to be converted into a hairbrush. The barrette, shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,816,267, includes an elongated base plate, a comb strip, and a clamping plate. The comb strip includes a number of teeth extending therefrom. Unfortunately, the barrette cannot be easily inserted into someone's hair without become tangled, nor can the barrette hold a substantial amount of hair. As such, the barrette would not be suitable for use in a hair salon by a hair stylist who needs to separate and retain large sections of someone's hair quickly and efficiently. In the same vein, the barrette, due to the rows of spaced teeth, is not conducive for brushing a substantial amount of the user's hair.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,638,836 describes a hair clip including a base plate having comb-tooth-shaped lugs and a hair retainer connected to the base plate. The hair retainer has one end that opens and closes with respect to the base plate. The lugs are designed to retain someone's hair between the base plate and the hair retainer when the hair clip is closed. In the closed configuration, the lugs grip only the minimal amount of hair that can fit between the base plate and the hair retainer. In an open configuration, the hair retainer is swingable away from the base plate only up to a limited angle. The lugs are then exposed for use as a hair brush, with the hair retainer intended to serve as a handle. Unfortunately, as a result of the limited angle, the hair clip cannot completely fold so that the back surfaces of the base plate and the hair retainer touch each other. Thus, the hair clip is not designed to allow the back surface of the handle to sit on someone's head with the lugs exposed so that large sections of the hair can be placed over and retained by the lugs.
Other known hair devices which serve the dual-purposes of combing and restraining someone's hair often provide the user with a comb and hair clip combination having numerous moving parts. Such parts are susceptible to breaking, requiring the user to replace the parts or the entire hair device. Moreover, such comb and hair clip combinations can only hold small amounts of hair at a time. Thus, a hair stylist would need to use numerous clips to restrain sections of the hair. Additional known hair devices include foldable hair brushes which fail to provide the ability to restrain the user's hair.
Therefore, a need exists to overcome the problems with the prior art as discussed above.

Dual-purpose hair styling and retention device and method of use thereof


A pair of spaced opposing upstanding surfaces are provided and an inclined upwardly facing ramp surface extends therebetween and includes a lower marginal edge. A partial cylindrical wall extends axially between the upstanding surfaces and opens in a generally horizontal direction between and paralleling the upstanding surfaces. The partial cylindrical wall includes an upper marginal edge portion registered with the lower marginal edge of the inclined ramp surface and a generally radially partitioned feed wheel is journaled between the upstanding surfaces and has one side thereof closely embraced by the partial cylindrical wall. Drive structure drivingly rotates the wheel in a direction to move the upper radial partitions thereof in the general direction in which the partial cylindrical wall opens and a gravity discharge outlet is spaced above the wheel and the area between the upstanding surfaces above the lower portion of the inclined ramp surface. The gravity discharge outlet is shiftable, relative to the wheel ramp surface, in a horizontal direction paralleling the direction in which the partial cylindrical wall opens, and includes a vertically adjustable gate extending across the side of the discharge outlet facing in the direction in which the partial cylindrical wall opens movable toward and away from the upper periphery of the wheel.

When glass fibers are being produced for use in manufacturing air filter pads and the like, used and broken glass is fed into a furnace from which streams of molten glass are gravity discharged toward the periphery of a horizontal drum upon which the cooling glass fibers are wound. In most installations, the furnace is manually fed, but manual feeding of glass by even skilled workman sometimes result in glass being fed into the furnaces too fast with the result that the temperature of the molten glass therein is reduced below the flow temperature and the gravity discharge of streams of molten glass toward the drum periphery is interrupted. Accordingly, a need exists for an apparatus by which used and broken glass may be fed to the furnaces at controlled rates.
Various types of feed mechanisms including some of the general structural and operational features of the instant invention are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,382,371, 1,785,585, 1,822,705, 2,829,784 and 3,167,191. However, these previously known forms of material feeding structures are not well suited for feeding broken used glass to glass furnaces used in the production of glass fibers.


A DTV signal receiver includes an adaptive channel equalization filter, a comb filter for suppressing artifacts of co-channel NTSC interference, and an intersymbol-interference suppression filter compensating for the intersymbol interference introduced by the comb filter. The adaptation of the equalization filter coefficients is done so as to be insensitive to the presence or absence of the artifacts of co-channel NTSC interference. This avoids the channel equalization filter attempting to compensate for the intersymbol interference introduced by the comb filter, which compensation could not be fully accomplished and would make the intersymbol interference in the comb filter unpredictable. The adaptation of the equalization filter coefficients is done so as not to affect the intersymbol interference introduced by the comb filter. Consequently, the intersymbol interference can be properly compensated for by the intersymbol-interference suppression filter.

A Digital Television Standard published Sep. 16, 1995 by the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) specifies vestigial sideband (VSB) signals for transmitting digital television (DTV) signals in 6-MHz-bandwidth television channels. DTV signals will be transmitted in certain of the ultra-high-frequency transmission channels currently used in over-the-air broadcasting of National Television System Committee (NTSC) analog television signals within the United States. The VSB DTV signal is designed so its spectrum is likely to interleave with the spectrum of a co-channel interfering NTSC analog TV signal. The symbol frequency of the DTV signal is three times NTSC color subcarrier frequency, which 3.58 MHz subcarrier frequency is 455/2 times NTSC scan line rate. The pilot carrier and the principal amplitude-modulation sideband frequencies of the DTV signal are positioned at odd multiples of one-quarter the horizontal scan line rate of the NTSC analog TV signal. This causes these DTV signal components to fall between the even multiples of one-quarter the horizontal scan line rate of the NTSC analog TV signal, at which even multiples most of the energy of the luminance and chrominance components of a co-channel interfering NTSC analog TV signal will fall. The video carrier of an NTSC analog TV signal is offset 1.25 MHz from the lower limit frequency of the television channel. The carrier of the DTV signal can be offset from such video carrier by 59.75 times the horizontal scan line rate of the NTSC analog TV signal, to place the carrier of the DTV signal about 309,877.6 kHz from the lower limit frequency of the television channel. Accordingly, the carrier of the DTV signal is about 2,690122.4 Hz from the middle frequency of the television channel.
The exact symbol rate in the Digital Television Standard is (684/286) times the 4.5 MHz sound carrier offset from video carrier in an NTSC analog TV signal. The number of symbols per horizontal scan line in an NTSC analog TV signal is 684, and 286 is the factor by which NTSC horizontal scan line rate is multiplied to obtain the 4.5 MHz sound carrier offset from video carrier in an NTSC analog TV signal. The symbol rate is 10.762238 million symbols per second, which can be contained in a VSB signal extending 5.381119 MHz from DTV signal carrier. That is, the VSB signal can be limited to a band extending 5.690997 MHz from the lower limit frequency of the television channel.
The ATSC standard for DTV signal terrestrial broadcasting in the United States of America is capable of transmitting either of two high-definition television (HDTV) formats with 16:9 aspect ratio. One HDTV display format uses 1920 samples per scan line and 1080 active horizontal scan lines per 30 Hz frame with 2:1 field interlace. The other HDTV display format uses 1280 luminance samples per scan line and 720 progressively scanned scan lines of television image per 60 Hz frame. The ATSC standard also accommodates the transmission of DTV display formats other than HDTV display formats, such as the parallel transmission of four television signals having normal definition in comparison to an NTSC analog television signal.
DTV transmitted by vestigial-sideband (VSB) amplitude modulation (AM) during terrestrial broadcasting in the United States of America comprises a succession of consecutive-in-time data fields each containing 313 consecutive-in-time data segments. One may consider the data fields to be consecutively numbered modulo-2, with each odd-numbered data field and the succeeding even-numbered data field forming a data frame. The frame rate is 20.66 frames per second. Each data segment is of 77.3 microseconds duration. So, with the symbol rate being 10.76 MHz, there are 832 symbols per data segment. Each segment of data begins with a data-segment-synchronization (DSS) code group of four symbols having successive values of +S, -S, -S and +S. The value +S is one level below the maximum positive data excursion, and the value -S is one level above the maximum negative data excursion. The initial data segment of each data field includes a data-field-synchronization (DFS) code group that codes a training signal for channel-equalization and multipath suppression procedures. The training signal is a 511-sample pseudo-noise sequence (or "PN-sequence") followed by three 63-sample PN sequences. The middle ones of the 63-sample PN sequences in the DFS codes are transmitted in accordance with a first logic convention in the first line of each odd-numbered data field and in accordance with a second logic convention in the first line of each even-numbered data field. The first and second logic conventions are complementary to each other (i. e., of opposite senses of polarity).
The data within data segments are trellis coded using twelve interleaved trellis codes, each a 2/3 rate trellis code with one uncoded bit that is precoded. The interleaved trellis codes are subjected to Reed-Solomon forward error-correction coding, which provides for correction of burst errors arising from noise sources such as a nearby unshielded automobile ignition system. The Reed-Solomon coding results are transmitted as 8-level (3 bits/symbol) one-dimensional-constellation symbol coding for over-the-air transmission. The Reed-Solomon coding results are transmitted as 16-level (4 bits/symbol) one-dimensional-constellation symbol coding for cablecast, which transmissions are made without any preceding after symbol generation. The VSB signals have their natural carrier wave, which would vary in amplitude depending on the percentage of modulation, suppressed.
The natural carrier wave is replaced by a pilot carrier wave of fixed amplitude, which amplitude corresponds to a prescribed percentage of modulation. This pilot carrier wave of fixed amplitude is generated by introducing a direct component shift into the modulating voltage applied to the balanced modulator generating the amplitude-modulation sidebands that are supplied to the filter supplying the VSB signal as its response. If the eight levels of 4-bit symbol coding have normalized values of -7, -5, -3, -1, +1, +3, +5 and +7 in the carrier modulating signal, the pilot carrier has a normalized value of 1.25. The normalized value of +S is +5, and the normalized value of -S is -5.
Receivers for VSB DTV signals are known that employ a comb filter for suppressing artifacts of co-channel NTSC interference accompanying baseband symbol coding and an intersymbol-interference suppression filter compensating for the intersymbol interference introduced by the comb filter. U.S. Pat. No. 5,087,975 issued Feb. 11, 1992 to R. W. Citta et alii and entitled "VSB HDTV TRANSMISSION SYSTEM WITH REDUCED NTSC CO-CHANNEL INTERFERENCE" concerns such a receiver. So does U.S. Pat. No. 5,748,226 issued May 5, 1998 to A. L. R. Limberg and entitled "DIGITAL TELEVISION RECEIVER WITH ADAPTIVE FILTER CIRCUITRY FOR SUPPRESSING NTSC CO-CHANNEL INTERFERENCE". FIG. 16 of the drawing of U.S. Pat. No. 5,087,975 shows the ISI-suppression filter to compensate for the precoding effects of the NTSC-rejection comb filter being located between the NTSC-rejection comb filter and the data slicer. FIG. 1 of the drawing of U.S. Pat. No. 5,748,226 shows the ISI-suppression filter to compensate for the preceding effects of the NTSC-rejection comb filter being located after the NTSC-rejection comb filter and the data slicer.
The artifacts of co-channel NTSC interference arise during the synchronous detection of the digital television signal to recover baseband symbol coding. The artifacts of the video carrier of a co-channel interfering NTSC color TV signal are at 59.75 f.sub.H, f.sub.H being the horizontal scan frequency of the NTSC signal. The artifact of the color subcarrier is at 287.25 f.sub.H, and the artifact of the unmodulated NTSC audio carrier is at 345.75 f.sub.H.
The ISI-suppression filter is a comb filter designed for matching the NTSC-rejection comb filter to cancel the intersymbol interference introduced by NTSC-rejection comb filter. The proper operation of the ISI-suppression filter depends on the intersymbol interference being of known nature. DTV signal receivers commonly include an adaptive channel equalization filter, designed to provide match-filtering for suppressing intersymbol interference arising in the transmission channel up to and including the demodulator used to recover baseband symbol coding. The filter coefficients of the adaptive channel equalization filter are commonly initialized by the training signal method, using a training signal extracted from the data field synchronizing (DFS) signals in the initial data segments of data fields. Artifacts of co-channel NTSC interference that accompany the DFS signals affect the filter coefficients of the adaptive channel equalization filter and attempt to reduce their presence. This adversely affects the match-filtering to the transmission channel that the adaptive channel equalization filter is supposed to do. So, the NTSC-rejection comb filter response is no longer match-filtered by the comb filter designed to suppress the intersymbol interference introduced by NTSC-rejection comb filter. Unsuppressed intersymbol interference accordingly raises the bit error rate associated with the conversion of baseband symbol code to error-correction-coded data, which increase in bit error rate is undesirable.
The objective of the invention is to avoid the initialization of the filter coefficients of the adaptive channel equalization filter in response to training signal being affected by artifacts of co-channel NTSC interference that accompany the DFS signals.

Method of operating the channel equalizer in a receiver for DTV signals subject to co-channel NTSC interference


Methods, compounds, and compositions described herein generally relate to hemiaminal organogel networks (HDCNs) and methods of forming HDCNs. In some embodiments, a hemiaminal organogel has a plurality of first polymers, each having a first end and a second end, a plurality of second polymers, each having a first end and a second end, and a plurality of trivalent aminal-hemiaminal linkages. The first end of each polymer of the plurality of first polymers may be covalently bonded to a first trivalent aminal-hemiaminal linkage. The second end of each polymer of the plurality of first polymers may be covalently bonded to a second trivalent aminal-hemiaminal linkage. The first end of each polymer of the plurality of second polymers may be covalently bonded to one of the plurality of trivalent aminal-hemiaminal linkages. The second end of each polymer of the plurality of second polymers may be non-covalently bonded.

Thermosets having desirable properties for use as sealants, composite repair, 3D printing material, and other applications, are in high demand. 3D printing applications in particular have attracted attention for their potential as a new manufacturing process that offers remarkable versatility in producing tailored physical objects from the micro- to the macroscale. Modern advances in 3D printing have produced 3D printers for personal home use, rapid prototyping and production of biomedical devices. In its basic form, a 3D-printing apparatus consists of a deposition nozzle/needle that is connected to a reservoir containing the material to be deposited. Accordingly, the material to be deposited should be shear-thinning enough to flow through a general syringe and/or nozzle of a 3D printer. Furthermore, it may be useful in some cases that the physical object printed by the 3D printer be modifiable post-depostion.
Thermosets generally have material networks consisting of irreversible covalent crosslink junctions that do not reform following a mechanical failure. Recent advances in materials sciences have focused on developing rearrangeable networks and crosslink junctions. However, an inherent problem with continuously reversible (supramolecular) systems is that they suffer from creep due to thermal fluctuations of non-covalent linkages, which eventually leads to material failure. The deleterious effects of creep may be mitigated by the introduction of covalent crosslinks.
Furthermore, traditional materials utilized as print media are generally prepared at high temperature, but the liquid monomers used as polymerizable solvents for material synthesis are not stable at high temperature.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a thermoset material with finely tuned mechanical properties, i.e. behavior under shear loading, favorable melt-processing capabilities, and syntheses of such material to be performed at lower temperatures within a smaller time period.

Tailorable viscoelastic properties of PEG-hemiaminal organogel networks


A wireless music microphone comprises a central processing unit module, a sound source receiving module, a sound source signal processing module, a sound collecting module, a sound signal processing module, a reverberation processing module and a signal transmitting module. The sound source receiving module receives a song transmitted by devices such as a mobile phone and a tablet computer via a wireless network, the sound source signal processing module removes the original sound from the received music and retains the accompaniment according to a user setting; and a user sound, music or accompaniment is polished and mixed by the reverberation processing module, and is then sent to a loudspeaker box by the signal transmitting module via the wireless network. The multifunctional wireless music microphone is applicable to various wireless communication modes; moreover, the song and user's sound can be effectively mixed, amplified and polished.

Most of traditional microphones consist of a microphone, a power amplifier, and an audio player, and are connected to speakers, TVs, etc. via a wired connection, which hence can only functioned for sound amplification. The traditional microphones have many shortcomings, including single function, limited connection modes, and especially being unable to connect with emerging media players such as tablets, mobile phones, and Bluetooth speakers.
In recent years, the appearance of some emerging media-based microphones greatly enriched the functions of the microphone. For example, a Bluetooth microphone for singing with a mobile phone (CN No. 201520471596.3) proposed by Shenzhen Xinhaihui Electronics Co. Ltd. can be used for singing through the Bluetooth microphone, the mobile phone and a Bluetooth speaker. Similarly, a Bluetooth microphone (CN No. 201220185687.7) proposed by Qidong Aipu Electric Appliances Co. Ltd. enables tour grades to move around in a car when introducing the spots. The Bluetooth microphone support is reasonable in design, and can be charged via the USB. The high elastic shock absorbing support is added to the microphone, making the fixed microphone become stable, reliable and safe. As another example, a portable karaoke device and system (CN No. 201520759211.3) is proposed by Shenzhen Maiyue Technology Co. Ltd., and the karaoke device is connected to a terminal device wirelessly, which enables the user to sing at any time and in anywhere, and hence greatly improves the user experience.
Although the above patents and related technologies have been improved and upgraded for traditional microphones, many shortcomings still exist. For example, the wireless communication modes of the existing microphones are limited, and hence unable to cover Wifi, Bluetooth etc. completely. The above microphones lack the song storage function, the music and voice mixing function, and especially the original sound removing function, which have not been disclosed in any related references till now.

Multifunctional wireless music microphone


Embodiments include a detector with a flexible scintillator screen and a flexible photosensor array and an apparatus with supports coupled to the ends of the detector. The apparatus enables the detector to either flex repeatedly or be flexed and then fixedly held in a flexed configuration.

An image detection apparatus that utilizes a flat panel detector is widely used in x-ray digital imaging to generate digital image data. The flat panel detector includes a scintillator for generating fluorescence when exposed to radiation and a pixel array for detecting the fluorescence of the scintillator. The scintillator and the pixel array are disposed on, for example, individual substrates, respectively, and are bonded to each other through an adhesive layer. The radiation is converted into light by the scintillator and the fluorescence of the scintillator is converted into an electrical signal by the pixel array, and, as a result, digital image data is generated.


An electrically powered annunciating system, for use in electrical panel boxes, having a sensing circuit including a first acoustical transducer to transmit a sonic signal to an annunciating circuit having a second acoustical transducer at a spaced distance from the first transducer to operate the annunciating circuit responsive to a sonic signal received from the first transducer. The sensing circuit powers the first acoustical transducer to produce a sonic signal responsive to a sensed electrical event such as termination of power to an electrical component. The annunciating circuit includes a tuned amplifier for signal purification and amplification, a time delay integrator to prevent accidental circuit operation caused by noise and an annunciator and a communication interface activated responsive to a sonic signal received by the second transducer. The annunciating system is particularly adapted for use in electrical panel boxes having multiple electrical components that are coupled by post and bus bar type connections, to alleviate the use of flexible wiring in the box for annunciating circuits.

1. IIA. Related Applications
There are no applications related hereto heretofore filed in this or any foreign country.
2. IIB. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to electrically powered annunciating systems and more particularly to such a system for use in electrical boxes that provides a sensing circuit coupled by sonic energy to an annunciating circuit at a distance therefrom.

Audio coupled annunciating system for electrical panel boxes


In accordance with embodiments, there are provided mechanisms and methods for recovering from an incomplete transaction. These mechanisms and methods can enable embodiments to detect incomplete transactions when recovering from a server crash or other catastrophic event. Some embodiments can automatically re-establish interrupted connections when incomplete transactions have been detected. The ability of embodiments to detect incomplete transaction can allow recovery to initiate substantially immediately upon server restart and adapter redeployment.

Since its inception in 1995, the Java™ programming language has become increasingly popular. (Java™ is a trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc.) Java, which is an interpreted language, enabled the creation of applications that could be run on a wide variety of platforms. This ability to function across a variety of different client platforms, i.e., platform independence, and Java's relatively easy implementation of network applications has resulted in the use of Java, as well as other programming languages that provide platform independence, in endeavors as basic as personal web pages to endeavors as complex as large business-to-business enterprise systems.
However, since applications, as well as the Enterprise Information Systems (EIS) to which the applications connect, may be provided by many different vendors, a mechanism that enables these disparate computational entities to communicate with one another was needed. The Java 2 Platform Enterprise Edition (J2EE) is a specification that addresses such needs.
J2EE Connector Architecture provides a mechanism for integrating J2EE-compliant application servers with enterprise information systems. The J2EE Connector Architecture defines a Common Client Interface (CCI) for EIS access. The CCI defines a client API that enables clients to interact with heterogeneous enterprise information systems. Application servers, i.e., servers onto which applications may be deployed, and Enterprise Information Systems need only follow a J2EE Connector Architecture specification in order to interconnect with one another.
Unfortunately, the J2EE specification does not resolve all interconnection issues. For example, one area of concern is detecting and remedying incomplete transactions that can occur in the event of a server crash or other unforeseen interruption. Transactional applications often employ various approaches attempting at coordinating the processing for a transaction. Such conventional approaches, however, can fail to detect the presence of an incomplete transaction for a period of time. Additionally, since such conventional approaches may create unneeded connections during the process of checking for an incomplete transaction.
What is needed is an improved mechanism for recovering from an incomplete transaction.