An embodiment method of manufacturing modular panels includes manufacturing a group of modular display panels, including a first and second modular display panel that have the same size and shape. The first modular display panel includes a first pixel array arranged at a first pitch, and the second modular display panel includes a second pixel array that is arranged at a second pitch that is different than the first pitch. Any two modular display panels in the group are capable of being attached to each other in an integrated display system.

Large displays (e.g., billboards), such as those commonly used for advertising in cities and along roads, generally have one or more pictures and/or text that are to be displayed under various light and weather conditions. As technology has advanced and introduced new lighting devices such as the light emitting diode (LED), such advances have been applied to large displays.
An LED display is a flat panel display, which uses an array of light-emitting diodes. A large display may be made of a single LED display or a panel of smaller LED panels. LED panels may be conventional panels made using discrete LEDs or surface-mounted device (SMD) panels. Most outdoor screens and some indoor screens are built around discrete LEDs, which are also known as individually mounted LEDs. A cluster of red, green, and blue diodes, or alternatively, a tri-color diode, is driven together to form a full-color pixel, usually square in shape. These pixels are spaced evenly apart and are measured from center to center for absolute pixel resolution.
Many LED display manufacturers sell displays with different resolutions. A present disadvantage of these LED displays is that each one must be a different size to accommodate the pitch needed to obtain the desired resolution. In turn, the existing cabinets and mounting structures must be built to be suitable with the size of the displays.

Modular display panels with different pitches


A method for reducing double images of a frame is disclosed. The frame is divided into a plurality of regions. The method includes generating a plurality of output enable (OE) signals, which are utilized to respectively adjust a plurality of conduction durations of a plurality of gate lines of the corresponding regions. The OE signals are outputted to a gate driver for generating a plurality of scan signals of the corresponding regions. The gate lines, which correspond to the regions, are driven by the gate driver according to the scan signals.

With an advancement of display technology, an LCD drive speed increases faster and faster, in particular, color sequential display technology and three-dimensional (3D) display technology will have a higher requirement for the update speed of frames (frame rate).
As for the color sequential display technology, red, green, and blue (RGB) lights are used instead of a color filter in the color sequential display. In an orderly manner, an R field is scanned completely, and then the red light is illuminated. Next, a G field is scanned completely, and then the green light is illuminated. Finally, a B field is scanned completely, and then the blue light is illuminated. The RGB lights are illuminated according to the order for achieving the reproduction of colors. However, comparing with a conventional driving method, the conduction duration of a gate line is many times shorter. For example, a conventional frame rate is 60 Hz (for a period about 16.67ms), and the conduction duration of a gate line is about 16.67ms/total number of the gate lines. As for driving the color sequential display technology, the conduction duration of a gate line is about 16.67ms/(number of color field (at least three color field R, S, B)×total number of the gate lines).
While the conduction duration of the gate line is many times shorter than the original conduction duration, a resistance and capacitance delay (RC delay) phenomenon of the gate lines or data lines (source lines) will cause double images of the frame, also known as a ghost image. Referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing illustrating double images caused by an RC delay of a conventional display device. An example of a display device 10 with a resolution 1600×900 is described, and the display device 10 is utilized to show a frame 100. The display device 10 has a gate driver 200, a plurality of source drivers 300, 1600 vertically aligned data lines (not shown), and 900 horizontally aligned gate lines (not shown).
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2A, FIG. 2A is a schematic drawing illustrating waveforms of signals for a region A of FIG. 1, where the abscissa represents time, and the ordinate represents signal level. In order to explain clearly, a clock signal (CLK), a data signal (D), a non-delayed scanning signal (S) and a delayed scanning signal (S′) are depicted at different vertical positions. In the region A (indicated by a dashed region at upper right corner of FIG. 1) of the frame 100, the signal of the gate line (scanning signal) is transmitted from the left side to the right side of the display device, so the RC delay at the right side of the frame 100 is more serious. Thus, before the scanning signal of the Nth gate line (N ranges between 1 and 899) has not been completely turned off, the data signal of the (N+1)th gate line has begun to be written into the Nth gate line. Consequently, a liquid crystal capacitor which is located on the Nth gate line is charged by the data signal which should be provided to the (N+1)th gate line. This situation can easily cause an upper double image phenomenon, such as a faint and unclear image above the genuine image "A" shown in FIG. 1.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2B, FIG. 2B is a schematic drawing illustrating waveforms of signals for a region B of FIG. 1. In the region B (indicated by a dashed region at lower left corner of FIG. 1), due to a reduction of scanning time, the relationship between the data lines and the gate lines becomes more critical. The RC delay of the data line causes the delay of the data signal transmitted from the top to the bottom of the display device, as indicated by the delayed data signal shown in FIG. 2B for example. The data of the Nth gate line which delays transition is written into the front end of the (N+1)th gate line. This situation can easily cause a lower double image phenomenon, as a faint and unclear image below the current image "B" shown in FIG. 1.
Either the upper double image or the lower double image will cause a viewer discomfort. Therefore, there is a significant need to provide a method for reducing double images of a frame to solve the above-mentioned problems.


The invention relates to a dispenser for applying an adhesive material onto a substrate, comprising a housing provided therein with a supply reel holding a carrier strip provided with an adhesive material layer, a take-up device for collecting the carrier strip, and an applicator device for the transfer of the adhesive material layer onto the substrate, the applicator device comprising an applicator body which is movably mounted by means of a mounting construction including concave and convex sliding surfaces, preferably a ball-and-socket pivot.

The present invention relates to a dispenser for applying an adhesive material onto a substrate, comprising a housing provided therein with a supply reel holding a carrier strip provided with an adhesive material layer, a take-up device for collecting the carrier strip, and an applicator device for the transfer of said adhesive material layer onto said substrate, said applicator device including a mounting body fixedly connected to said housing, and an applicator body mounted on said mounting body.
Dispensers of the type defined above are known in various embodiments in the form of readily useable hand-held devices, for instance for applying an adhesive layer onto a substrate or for applying a correction fluid onto a paper substrate for text corrections. In the case for instance of an adhesive dispenser, an adhesive layer of an adhesive strip held on a supply reel is "peeled" off the carrier strip of the adhesive strip at the location of the applicator device and applied onto the substrate, while the bare carrier strip is guided towards a take-up hub or rewinding reel.
From U.S. Pat. No. 3,969,181 there is thus known a dispenser for applying a strip-shaped adhesive coating onto a substrate by separating the adhesive layer from a carrier strip, the applicator device in this case comprising a roller mounted in the housing of the dispenser and provided with a resilient surface layer capable of conforming to the shape of the substrate.
Known from DE Patent 36 44 496 is a hand-held device for applying an adhesive film onto a substrate, in which the applicator device is provided in the form of a resiliently spring-mounted applicator blade over which the carrier strip is reversed.
A dispenser for applying an adhesive material onto a substrate as indicated in the preamble portion of claim 1 is known from EP 0313 719 A2, using an applicator lip for peeling off the adhesive strip from the carrier strip, said applicator lip being made of a material providing some inherent resiliency. Said applicator lip may abut at the top side thereof against a fixed stop member. This support structure comprises curved engaging surfaces in order to allow a certain lateral inclination of the applicator lip, which is fixedly clamped at its inner end to a housing member.
A further improved capability of such dispensers, specifically of the applicator body thereof, in balancing different orientations of the applicator pressure to uniformly apply the adhesive material to the substrate is desired.

Dispenser for applying an adhesive material onto a substrate


The disclosure provides a method of generating an artificial fluorescent image of cells is provided. The method includes receiving a brightfield image generated by a brightfield microscopy imaging modality of at least a portion of cells included in a specimen, applying, to the brightfield image, at least one trained model, the trained model being trained to generate the artificial fluorescent image based on the brightfield image, receiving the artificial fluorescent image from the trained model

Patient-derived tumor organoid (TO) technologies have been used to create cellular models of diverse cancer types, including colon, breast, pancreatic, liver, lung, endometrial, prostate, and esophagogastric, among others. In addition to advancing fundamental research, TOs have recently been employed for drug development and precision medicine studies.
Tumor organoids can be used to model cancer growth and estimate the effectiveness of different therapies in stopping cancer growth. To monitor the growth of tumor organoids before, during, and after exposure to various anti-cancer therapies, the tumor organoids can be imaged to detect cell death and/or viable cells in a cell culture plate.
Some methods for detecting dead cells or viable cells can include the use of a fluorescent signal, which can be detected by fluorescent microscopy. Fluorescent dyes can be applied to the tumor organoids in order to highlight certain characteristics in the cells and/or make the characteristics easier to detect. The cells can then be imaged using a technique such as fluorescent microscopy. However, fluorescent microscopy can be very time consuming, and the fluorescent dyes used can be toxic to cells, which can artificially inflate the amount of observed cell death that may be falsely attributed to the anti-cancer therapy being tested.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art to automatically analyze tumor organoids and other cellular compositions without the use of fluorescent dyes and/or fluorescent microscopy.

Artificial fluorescent image systems and methods


In a waste container for containing noxious materials, wherein the container is provided with a double lid structure having an inner lid by which the container can be closed and which has a head by which the inner lid can be grasped for engagement with the outer lid which is part of a containment to which the container is attached for the transfer of noxious materials, the container consists of planar wall sections which are disposed at an angle with respect to one another such that the container has a polygonal shape whereby such containers can be stored closely adjacent one another and the container has a corresponding polygonal opening and has a lid which is also polygonal like the container.

The present invention relates to a waste container for noxious materials which container can be closed by a lid arrangement, that is, a container lid by which the container can be closed and which includes a head by which it can be coupled to another lid which is pivotally supported on, and closes, a containment including noxious materials. The container lid includes a flat surface for sealing engagement with a circumferential container seal structure.
For the disposal of noxious materials in containers, so-called double-lid closure structures are used in which one lid of the double-lid closure structure remains attached to the container and the other to a containment. When the container is disposed with its lid adjacent the containment lid the two lids are coupled to one another closely adjacent each other for removal of the container lid from the container opening together with the containment lid. After the containers are filled with noxious materials they are closed and stored in storage facilities. Such double-lid closure structures have been used so far only for round containers such as barrels which however, as a result of their shape, require a relatively large amount of storage space since empty spaces will remain between adjacent containers.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a waste container for noxious materials which, on one hand is suitable for double lid closure structures and, on the other hand, requires less storage space than the round containers presently in use.

Polygonal waste container for noxious materials with a double-lid closure structure


To carry out the processing operations relating to the implementation of a Viterbi algorithm, an integrated circuit comprising a processor and a coprocessor is made. The coprocessor is constructed so as to carry out operations of accumulation, comparison and selection in order to limit or reduce the work of a processor that would have to carry out these operations. By judiciously choosing the structure of the coprocessor, it is possible to make this co-processor sufficiently programmable so that it is suited to various situations of implementation of the Viterbi algorithm.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to signal processing circuits. More particularly, the present invention is a signal processing circuit to implement a Viterbi algorithm. An algorithm of this type is used especially for the correction of errors in the decoding of signals encoded with convolutive codes as well as in the decoding of lattice-encoded modulated signals. It is also used for channel equalization and voice recognition. The invention relates particularly to the first three of the above-mentioned applications although it also relates to the fourth one.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
For purposes of explanation only, the invention shall thus be explained within the context of a system for the decoding of signals transmitted by a transmission system. The signals in question are digital signals. A digital communications system shown in FIG. 1 has a digital signal source linked with a transmission unit. The transmission unit is coupled to a transmission channel. The transmission channel is also coupled to a reception unit that lets through signals that can be used by a user. The source produces a message consisting of a flow of bits. In order that the quantity of information received by the user may be as accurate as possible, the first operation performed by the transmission unit is an operation of source encoding or compression aimed at reducing the quantity of information to be transmitted. Furthermore, the transmission unit uses a channel encoder to convert the message to be transmitted into a message that is less vulnerable to disturbances in the channel. This is done by means of an operation of error correction encoding that adds redundancy to the method. The third operation performed by the transmission unit is the modulation by which the transmitted signal is adjusted to the characteristics of the channel. This operation makes use of frequency shifts. The transmission channel is a physical medium that enables communication from one point to another. The channel may be a wired connection or an RF transmission channel.
The reception unit carries out reciprocal operations. It notably has a demodulator that may carry out a channel equalizing operation and it has the function of purifying the bits received. A Viterbi algorithm may be used to carry out an equalization such as this. A channel decoder connected to the demodulator detects and corrects the bit errors resulting from transmission by the transmission channel. It is notably more complicated than the channel encoder. Finally, a source decoder connected to the channel decoder reproduces the original signal. The source decoder is generally less complicated than the source encoder.
It is known that there are four types of modulation:
amplitude modulation (AM); PA1 frequency shift keying (FSK); PA1 phase shift keying (PSK); and PA1 quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM).
In phase shift keying, the phase of the carrier is transmitted with shifts, for example in phase or in phase opposition depending on whether a 1 or a 0 is to be transmitted. This corresponds to binary phase-shift keying. However, there also is a known way of using the smaller phase shifts of the carrier. Thus, in quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK), it is possible to transmit two bits with a single phase signal. In practice, problems of technical construction limit the phase shifts to one 8 PSK type modulation enabling the transmission of three bits per second and by Hertz.
For higher spectral efficiency, the modulation used is the amplitude and phase modulation, also known as QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation), is used, notably the so-called 16 QAM modulation that enables the sending of up to four bits per second by RF means. In the field of high definition television, 1024 QAM type modulation is known. Such types of modulation make it possible notably to have bit rates of 30 Mbits per second in an 8 MHZ passband.
There are three types of transmission channels. When the transmission unit has a direct and unique link with the transmission unit, the channel is said to be a Gaussian channel. It is known that such a channel adds Gaussian noise to the modulated signal transmitted. By contrast, when the reception unit is connected to the transmission unit by a non-unique channel, producing notably echoes by signal reflection, this channel is called a Rice channel. Finally, when there is no direct link, the channel is called a Rayleigh channel. These last-named two channels are fading channels and must be considered notably for communication with moving bodies, especially in GSM type telephone systems.
Another defect shown by transmission channels is inter-symbol interference. The lower the period of the transmitted signal as compared with the pulse response of the channel, the more perceptible is this defect of inter-symbol interference. However, depending on the knowledge of this pulse response, it is possible to make a subtraction, from the signals received, of the contribution due to previous signals. This procedure is also called equalization. A procedure such as this may be implemented in different and varyingly complex ways. One of the most appropriate ways consists in implementing the Viterbi algorithm.

Signal processing circuit to implement a Viterbi algorithm


An optical reception device realizes stabilization of reception sensitivity inexpensively and highly precisely. The optical reception device includes: a Mach-Zehnder type 1-bit delay unit including a one-terminal input port and two-terminal output ports for decoding an optical difference phase shift keying (DPSK) signal and provided with one or more phase control functions to control the phase state of light; photoelectric conversion means for branching a portion of an optical output signal output from the one-side output port of the Mach-Zehnder type 1-bit delay unit, to convert the branched portion into an electric signal; and a phase control unit for controlling the phase state of the Mach-Zehnder type 1-bit delay device by using as an error signal the output signal of the photoelectric conversion means.

In a conventional optical communication system, for example, information transmission using a modulation system that utilizes light intensity, such as an OOK (On-Off Keying) system, is performed.
On the other hand, along with the recent realization of a high speed optical communication system and reduction in its cost, a differential phase shift keying (DPSK) system using optical phase information is attracting attention, because of being excellent in non-linear durability and being expected as having an effect of improving the sensitivity to about twice (3 dB) as compared with the OOK system.
For decoding an optical signal transmitted in accordance with the DPSK system, an optical decoder using, for example, a 1-bit delay unit (hereinafter, referred to as "MZ-type 1-bit delay unit") of the Mach-Zehnder (MZ) type is used. The MZ-type 1-bit delay unit decodes an optical signal transmitted using the electrooptical effect of a dielectric waveguide formed of lithium niobate (LiNbO3) or the like.
In the MZ-type 1-bit delay unit, in a case where a phase difference between continuous bits is 0, an optical signal is output to one port called a constructive port, and in a case where the phase difference is π, an optical signal is output to the other port called a destructive port. Optical outputs from both the ports are received differentially at an optical receiver called a balanced receiver. Thus, in the optical reception device having an MZ-type 1-bit delay unit, differential reception using the balanced receiver is used, whereby the reception sensitivity is enhanced.
However, in a case where the phase of the MZ-type 1-bit delay unit or the wavelength of an input optical signal vary due to a change in environment such as temperature, the reception sensitivity is degraded. Thus, there is a conventional problem of stabilizing the reception sensitivity even in the case where the environment such as temperature varies.
As a prior art for solving the above-mentioned problem, a process for stabilizing the phase of the MZ-type 1-bit delay unit is proposed, which performs control so that a bit rate frequency component of an optical signal received differentially at the balanced receiver becomes maximum (e.g., see Non-Patent Document 1).
The light reception device shown in Non-Patent Document 1 is composed of a DPSK receiver including a 1-bit delay unit, a balanced receiver, and the like, and a control system including an RF power branching unit, an RF power detector, a phase control circuit, and the like. A part of a high-speed electric signal immediately after the balanced receiver is branched at the RF power branching unit so that the RF power thereof is measured by the RF power detector. As a result, in the optical reception device, a phase control function of the Mach-Zehnder type 1-bit delay unit is controlled so that the measured RF power becomes maximum, whereby the reception sensitivity is stabilized.
Further, as one of the other processes, a process for stabilizing the phase of the MZ-type 1-bit delay unit that controls a phase based on a DC current flowing through the balanced receiver is also proposed (e.g., see Non-Patent Document 2).
A reception device of an optical transmission system shown in Non-Patent Document 2 is composed of a DPSK receiver including a 1-bit delay unit, a balanced receiver, and the like, and a control system including a DC current detector, a phase control circuit, and the like. A DC current component of the balanced receiver is detected by a DC current detector, and a phase adjusting function provided in the Mach-Zehnder type 1-bit delay unit is controlled based on the detected DC current value, whereby the reception sensitivity is stabilized.
Non-Patent Document 1: Biljana Milivojevic et al, "Practical 40 Gbit/s CSRZ-DPSK transmission system with signed online chromatic dispersion detection" ECOC2003, TU364
Non Patent Document 2: Eric A. Swanson et al, "High Sensitivity Optically Preamplified Direct DitecOtion DPSK Receiver with Active Delay-Line Stabilization" Photonics technology letters, vol. 6, 1994


To protect a vehicle occupant in a side collision without inconvenience to an occupant in getting in and out of the vehicle, a vehicle seat includes a side cheek member adjacent to a side wall of the vehicle and the outer surface of the side cheek member is arranged so that inward penetration of the side wall of the vehicle in a side collision will force the side cheek member in the direction of increasing penetration into the space between a vehicle occupant and the outside wall of the vehicle.

This invention relates to motor vehicle seat arrangements having movable side cheeks.
Conventional motor vehicle seats have side cheeks which are components of the sitting parts of the vehicle seat and, to facilitate getting in and out of the vehicle by the occupants, they can be retracted to a rest position, whereas during vehicle operation they can be moved into their operating position in which they occupy a place adjacent to the occupant to provide lateral support for the occupant. German Offenlegungsschrift No. 1 580 621 describes a motor vehicle seat having side cheeks which are movable manually between their two positions, and the seat described in German Offenlegungsschrift No. 36 43 876 includes side cheeks which are coupled in motion with an adjacent vehicle door. The seat arrangement according to European Patent No. 0 401 092 causes movement of the side cheeks from the rest position into an operating position in response to transverse accelerations occurring on curves.
These conventional seat configurations do not take into account the situation that arises in the case of a side collision to the vehicle. As is known, side collisions are especially dangerous to vehicle occupants because, in the region of the side walls, including the side doors of the vehicle, there is insufficient room for deformation travel of deformable parts to absorb energy in comparison to the front and rear regions of the vehicle. In a side collision of sufficient severity, therefore, it must be anticipated that the side wall of the vehicle will be forced into the passenger compartment against the occupants sitting near it.

Motor vehicle seat arrangement having a side cheek movable between a rest position and an operating position


The present invention relates to an aqueous composition comprising a macrolide immunosuppressant drug at a concentration of less than 2% w/v and an amphiphilic carbohydrate compound having a molecular weight in the range 1-50 kDa, for use in treatment of an eye disorder by topical application to the eye, wherein the amphiphilic carbohydrate compound is present at a concentration below 10% w/v of the composition. A preferred carbohydrate compound is quaternary ammonium palmitoyl glycol chitosan (GCPQ). Pharmaceutical compositions and methods of treatment are also provided. The treatment may be for instance dry eye syndromes (DES), vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC), eczema, atopic keratoconjunctivitis (AKC), Sjögren syndrome, post-operative refractive surgery, corneal transplant or contact lens intolerance.

Topical ophthalmic formulations are generally used to treat diseases affecting the anterior portion of the eye including but not limited to glaucoma, iritis, conjunctivitis eye infection and dry-eye syndrome (DES). DES refers to a spectrum of ocular surface disorders having various aetiologies and is characterized by chronic eye dryness of the cornea and conjunctiva caused by the improper balance of tear production and drainage or an abnormality in the tear composition. In addition, inflammation of the ocular surface often occurs.
A T-cell lymphocytes mediated inflammatory response has been recognized as a possible cause for DES. As a result, the use of Cyclosporine (CSA) and Tacrolimus (TAC) as topical immunosuppressants have emerged in recent years for the treatment of DES. Such treatments have been shown to decrease inflammatory response and have also been suggested to increase tear production. Due to the hydrophobicity and low aqueous solubility of CSA and TAC, they are generally formulated using oily vehicles which have been linked with bioavailability limitations, stability and ocular tolerance issues.
Emulsion-based formulations, such as the commercially available RESTASIS®, have been shown to provide significant improvement in tear production. However, it is known that RESTASIS® is not optimal and the formulation suffers from low ocular bioavailability. It has been reported that castor oil-based emulsions such as RESTASIS® are characterized by bimodal droplet size distribution. As a result, these compositions are prone to droplet coalescence which limit their shelf life.
Due to the limited pre-corneal residence time of castor oil emulsion droplets, and to the greater affinity of CSA for the oil droplet, a twice-daily administration is required to keep the drug above its therapeutic level in ocular tissues (50-300 ng/g). The use of a positively charged emulsion has been proposed to prolong the residence time on the surface of the cornea. It has been hypothesised that the positive charge on the droplets would increase their interaction with the negatively charged surfaces of corneal cells. In this regard, a positively charged emulsion has shown a higher maximum concentration in the cornea of rabbits, after a single dose, when compared with RESTASIS®. (P. Daull, et al; Distribution of cyclosporine A in ocular tissues after topical administration of cyclosporine A cationic emulsions to pigmented rabbits, Cornea, 32 (2013) 345-354).
Kuwano et al. in Pharmaceutical research, 19 (2002) 108-111 have produced an aqueous dispersion of CSA containing Polyoxyl 40 stearate. The aqueous dispersion of CSA containing Polyoxyl 40 stearate had a higher bioavailability when compared with both castor oil solution of CSA and castor oil o/w emulsion of CSA. The authors suggested that the bioavailability of CSA was affected by its rate of release from its carrier to the dispersion medium. In this respect, the release of CSA from the oily vehicles (castor oil emulsion or solution) was limited by the high partition coefficient of CSA in the oily phase. The composition containing the Polyoxyl 40 stearate did not suffer this impediment as it was aqueous based (devoid of oil). In addition, Polyoxyl 40 stearate formed micelles of 200 nm, which were much smaller than the emulsion droplets; therefore much more CSA could be released.
Calvo et al. in International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 103 (1994) 283-291 reported that the use of ϵ-caprolactone nanoparticles improved the ocular penetration of CSA. The authors demonstrated that these nanoparticles achieve corneal levels of CSA that were five times higher that CSA oily solution. It has been proposed that such enhancement was due to a prolonged residence time of the nanoparticles at the administration site.
WO2004/026912 describes polysaccharides which are used to solubilise hydrophobic drugs. The polysaccharides are amphiphilic and are generally selected from any derivatives of the following: chitosans, dextrans, alginic acids, starches, dextran and guar gums. Quaternary ammonium palmitoyl glycol chitosan (GCPQ) and quaternary ammonium hexadecyl glycol chitosan (GCHQ) are used in the Examples of this patent application as solubilising polysaccharides.
WO2008/017839 describes micellar clusters formed from amphiphilic carbohydrate polymers and their use in formulating hydrophobic drugs. GCPQ is specifically exemplified as an amphiphilic carbohydrate polymer. The use of prednisolone as an immunosuppressant is specifically mentioned.
Although RESTASIS® is currently used to treat DES, there is still need for alternative formulations to treat this problem. Ideal formulations should have stability and ocular tolerability at least comparable to that of RESTASIS® while improving the bioavailability of the drug.


A flat panel display mounting device for securing a flat panel display, such as an LCD or plasma television, to a support surface, such as a wall, is disclosed. The flat panel display mounting device comprises a plurality of members in the form of support panels pivotally connected together and a rotation control mechanism connected thereto so that the flat panel display mounted on the device can be rotated to a desired angle and the center of gravity of the flat panel display during rotation can be maintained as close to the support surface as possible, so as not to generate additional burden to the flat panel display mounting device.

Flat panel displays, such as LCD and plasma television, have become increasingly popular and now almost dominate the market which used to belong to the traditional CRT. Because flat panel displays are thin in profile, they are often mounted on walls, brackets or other vertical flat surfaces in order to save space. For a better viewing angle, flat panel displays are often mounted on a support device which can be rotated to a desired angle. Numerous patents directed to mounting devices having function of adjustable viewing angle can be found.
Some prior art, such as U.S. Pat. No. 7,063,295 (Gil Soon Kwon), U.S. Pat. No. 6,402,109 (Jay Dittmer), U.S. Pat. No. 6,554,242 (Sang Wook Kim), is directed to mounting devices having mechanisms which enable them to be rotated about a horizontal axis and thus the angle to their mounting surface can be adjusted.
Some prior art, such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,905,101 (Jay Dittmer), U.S. Pat. No. 6,102,348 (Edward L. O'Neill), WO 2006/014051 (Mock, Dae Gwan), discloses mounting devices having mechanisms which enable them to be rotated about a vertical axis and thus the angle to their mounting surface can be adjusted. U.S. Pat. No. 6,905,101 further includes a mechanism which enables the mounting device disclosed therein to also be rotated about a horizontal axis and thus the angle to its mounting surface can be adjusted.
It is noted that the mechanisms shown in the above patents are generally in the form of links or arms. The links or arms have the advantage of simple structure, but are weak or too large, when they are used to support an object having substantial weight, particularly if they are required to be rotatable. Furthermore, as the display panel gets larger and heavier, the structure of a support device formed of links or arms can be too weak to safely support a heavy flat panel display.
Furthermore, when the angle of a display is adjusted, the center of gravity of the device as disclosed above along with the display will be displaced away from the wall or the surface where the device/display is mounted, and the displacement will impose additional burden on the support device, especially in translational movement, aggravating the problem of structural weakness of the support device.


A pulse modifier, and associated lithographic apparatus and a method for manufacturing a device, is disclosed. The pulse modifier is configured to receive an input pulse of radiation and further configured to emit a plurality of corresponding output pulse portions of radiation, wherein the respective pulse portions are respectively mirrored about an axis transverse to the optical axis and mirrored about a point of the optical axis of the pulse portions.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a pulse modifier, a lithographic apparatus and a method for manufacturing a device.
2. Related Art
A lithographic apparatus is a machine that applies a desired pattern onto a substrate, usually onto a target portion of the substrate. A lithographic apparatus can be used, for example, in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs). In that instance, a patterning device, which is alternatively referred to as a mask or a reticle, may be used to generate a circuit pattern to be formed on an individual layer of the IC. This pattern can be transferred onto a target portion (e.g. comprising part of, one, or several dies) on a substrate (e.g. a silicon wafer). Transfer of the pattern is typically via imaging onto a layer of radiation-sensitive material (resist) provided on the substrate. In general, a single substrate will contain a network of adjacent target portions that are successively patterned. Known lithographic apparatus include so-called steppers, in which each target portion is irradiated by exposing an entire pattern onto the target portion at one time, and so-called scanners, in which each target portion is irradiated by scanning the pattern through a radiation beam in a given direction (the "scanning"-direction) while synchronously scanning the substrate parallel or anti-parallel to this direction. It is also possible to transfer the pattern from the patterning device to the substrate by imprinting the pattern onto the substrate.
A lithographic apparatus typically comprises large expensive optical elements that are difficult to fabricate. Typically, an excimer laser is used to supply the lithographic apparatus with a radiation beam in the form of pulses. The optical elements are subject to degradation resulting from billions of these high intensity ultraviolet pulses. Optical damage is known to increase with increasing intensity (i.e., light power (energy/time) per cm2 or mJ/ns/cm2) of the pulses from the laser. The typical pulse length from these lasers is about 20 ns, so a 5 mJ laser pulse would have a pulse power intensity of about 0.25 mJ/ns (0.25 MW). Increasing the pulse energy to 10 mJ without changing the pulse duration would result in a doubling of the power of the pulses to about 0.5 mJ/ns, which could significantly shorten the usable lifetime of the optical elements.
Furthermore, in order to accurately reproduce the pattern of patterning device onto a target portion of a substrate, the radiation beam produced by the laser should be well defined, having substantially constant and predictable properties. The radiation beam should be substantially symmetrical in shape and have a substantially uniform intensity distribution. In practice, no perfectly symmetrical and/or uniform radiation beam is obtainable. For instance, the Cymer XLA-165 laser is known to produce a radiation beam having a constant contour (due to a rectangular diaphragm inside the laser), but have a fluctuating and asymmetric intensity distribution of the radiation beam cross-section. This results in unstable measurements of radiation beam positioning and pointing. High-power lasers in general do not have a constant and symmetric intensity profile—the profile changes in time, e.g., due to laser refills or gas heating or gas burn-up.
A beam modifying configuration has been proposed in U.S. patent application publication no. 2007-0090278 for use with a lithographic apparatus. In that application, the problem of optical damage may be avoided by increasing substantially the pulse length of the pulses of the radiation beam. Furthermore, the problem of inaccurate transfer of the pattern of the patterning device onto a target portion on the substrate due to an asymmetric intensity distribution of the radiation beam cross-section may be reduced by combining delayed copies of the original beam intensity distribution with delayed mirrored copies of the original beam intensity distribution into an output radiation beam (in which mirrored is meant as being mirrored simultaneously in the horizontal as well as in the vertical plane). In this way, an asymmetric intensity distribution of the radiation beam cross-section may be reduced to a certain extent.
A possible disadvantage of a beam modifying configuration as proposed in U.S. patent application publication no. 2007-0090278 is that the asymmetric intensity distribution of the radiation beam cross-section may not be sufficiently reduced. Additional or alternative disadvantages may be a high sensitivity of the outcoming radiation beam quality to the incoming beam divergence and a high sensitivity to alignment of the optical components to each other and to the incoming radiation beam.
It is desirable, for example, to provide a pulse modifier that reduces the changes to the characteristics of the incoming radiation beam.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Pulse modifier, lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method


A substituted alkoxy benzene having the formula ##STR1## wherein R, R.sub.1, R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 are each a hydrocarbon radical having from 1 to 8 carbon atoms and x is 0 or 1 is provided. The substituted alkoxy benzene is very useful as a wetting aid for enhancing the ability of hardenable polyepoxide resin compositions to coat and bond to material (e.g., particulate material) in high temperature applications. The substituted alkoxy benzene does not significantly accelerate the curing rate of the resins. A polyepoxide resin composition for coating and bonding to a material, a composition useful for forming a hard permeable mass in a remote location and a method of continuously forming and suspending consolidatible resin composition coated particulate material in a gelled aqueous carrier liquid and transporting the coated particulate material to a remote location where the material is consolidated are also provided.

1. Field of the Invention
In one aspect, the invention relates to substituted alkoxy benzenes. In another aspect, the invention relates to polyepoxide resin compositions. In a preferred embodiment, the invention relates specifically to polyepoxide resin compositions and associated methods useful for consolidating particulate material, e.g., sand, into hard permeable masses in subterranean formations.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Polyepoxide resin compositions and associated methods useful for consolidating particulate material into hard permeable masses have been developed and used heretofore. Such compositions and methods are commonly used in the oil and gas industry, for example, to form hard permeable masses in subterranean formations containing loose or incompetent sands. The hard permeable masses reduce or prevent migration of the loose or incompetent sands into the well bores with hydrocarbons produced from the formations. Such compositions and methods are also commonly used in the oil and gas industry in well stimulation procedures such as formation fracturing wherein hard permeable masses of particulate material are used to keep fractures open and/or prevent loose proppants from flowing back into the well bores.
One technique which has heretofore been utilized successfully for forming a consolidated, permeable particulate mass in a producing formation involves coating the formation sand adjacent the well bore with a hardenable polyepoxide resin and then causing the resin to harden. An alternate technique used heretofore involves coating sand or other particulate material with a hardenable polyepoxide resin on the surface, suspending the coated material in a gelled aqueous carrier liquid and pumping the suspension by way of the well bore into the formation whereby the resin coated material is deposited therein. The component streams can be batch mixed or continuously mixed "on-the-fly". The resin on the deposited material is caused or permitted to harden whereby a solid, permeable particulate mass is formed.
Methods of forming and suspending consolidatible polyepoxide resin coated particulate material in a gelled aqueous carrier liquid and transporting the coated particulate material by way of the gelled aqueous carrier liquid to a zone in which it is consolidated on a substantially instantaneous and continuous basis are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,829,100 to Murphey et al. issued May 9, 1989. In accordance with such methods, substantially continuous streams of a gelled aqueous carrier liquid, uncoated particulate material, a polyepoxide resin composition which will subsequently harden and a surface active agent are admixed whereby the particulate material is continuously coated with the resin composition and suspended in the gelled aqueous carrier liquid. The resin has a sufficiently long curing or working time to enable continuous deposition of the suspension of gelled aqueous carrier liquid and coated particulate material in a desired location of a subterranean zone. Subsequent hardening of the resin in the zone produces the desired hard permeable mass of consolidated particulate material.
A problem often encountered with compositions and methods for consolidating particulate material into hard permeable masses is insufficient coating of the particulate material with the polyepoxide resin. It is difficult to coat particulate material with a polyepoxide resin in an aqueous environment, particularly an aqueous environment associated with high temperature and other adverse conditions. For example, when exposed to a high temperature (e.g., above about 160.degree. F.), the resin tends to disperse as finer droplets in the aqueous phase as opposed to sticking to the surfaces of the particulate material. The time for condensation of the droplets is increased. The problem is even further magnified when the aqueous phase of the system is viscosified with guar gum and/or other viscosifiers. Insufficient resin coating of the particulate material causes the consolidated mass to have a relatively low compressive strength.
As a solution, various surface active agents have been used to strongly oil wet the particulate material in order to increase the ability of the resin to wet the material; however, under high temperature and other adverse conditions, insufficient resin wetting still occurs. It is known that certain compounds used for accelerating or catalyzing the epoxide resin curing reaction also improve the ability of the resin to wet particulate material. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,291,766 to Davies et al. discloses the use of dimethylaminomethylene phenol to improve resin wetting of particulate material. It is disclosed that the dimethylaminomethylene phenol also accelerates the epoxide resin curing reaction. Unfortunately, the increased rate of curing can cause premature hardening of the resin in high temperature environments where accelerated curing occurs naturally. Premature hardening of the resin can prevent the coated particles from being placed in the formation where desired and cause serious damage to the formation, well bore and/or pumping equipment. The increased rate of curing can also cause the resin to cure before it even has a chance to coat the particulate material. Although curing retarders can be included to slow the reaction down, they can be costly and problematic. Because the retarding reaction is pH, temperature and concentration dependent, it can be difficult to select the right type and amount of retarders to use.

Substituted alkoxy benzene and use thereof as wetting aid for polyepoxide resins


An optical polyurethane resin composition contains a polyisocyanate component including at least one cyclic polyisocyanate selected from the group consisting of alicyclic polyisocyanates, aralkyl polyisocyanates, and modified compounds thereof; and a polyol component having an average hydroxyl value of 280 to 1240 mg KOH/g and an average functionality of more than 2 and less than 5.

Casting polyurethane formed by a prepolymer method or a one-shot method is excellent in mechanical properties such as wear resistance and impact resistance, and is used for various industrial applications in the form of industrial products such as rolls and belts.
On the other hand, optical applications such as optical lenses and optical components recently require not only excellent optical characteristics but also outstanding mechanical properties such as impact resistance. Therefore, the use of casting polyurethane for optical applications is considered.
There have been proposed a polyurethane resin composition for casting prepared from a polyisocyanate selected from 4,4′-methylene-bis(cyclohexyl isocyanate) or isophorone diisocyanate, a polyhydroxy compound selected from a polyether diol or a polyester diol having an average molecular weight of 700 to 1200 or their mixture, and an aromatic polyamine made of 4,4′-methylene-bis(2-chloroaniline); and an impact-resistant optical lens formed by casting the polyurethane resin composition for casting (see, for example, the following Patent Document 1).    Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-187931

Optical polyurethane resin composition and optical polyurethane resin


A method for eliminating a rhythmic register error in a sheet-fed printing machine with a multiple-size sheet-conveying cylinder having at least one first and one second gripper device includes varying instants of closure of the gripper devices by adjusting adjusting devices assigned to the gripper devices so as to compensate for the register error; and a device for performing the foregoing method.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a process and a device for eliminating rhythmic register errors in sheet-fed printing machines with multiple-size cylinders, more particularly, multiple-size sheet-conveying cylinders having at least one first and one second gripper device.
In printing machines, in particular in the case of sheet-fed printing machines with multiple-size cylinders, for example double-size or triple-size impression or transfer cylinders, it can be observed in practice that, depending upon the printing job, the composition of the paper and the printing speed, rhythmic errors occur in the sheet transfer from an upstream cylinder to a downstream cylinder, which lead to so-called "ghosting" and which are referred to hereinbelow as rhythmic register errors. The register errors are caused, for example, by differences occurring in the gripper setting and in the gripper pad height of the gripper devices as a result of production or installation tolerances of the components, and these differences can lead to the shifting of grippers, to errors during sheet transfer and to different retaining forces, as a result of which the position of the transferred sheet changes in the gripper device which accepts it. Because this change in the sheet length occurs, respectively, only at one gripper device in the case of double-size or multiple-size cylinders, i.e., cylinders having two, three or more gripper devices, the register errors caused in this way are correspondingly to be seen only on each second, third and so forth sheet. Furthermore, the aforedescribed rhythmic register errors or register changes can also be caused by pitch errors or eccentricities of the drive gear wheels of the printing machine.
Register changes of this type are eliminated in the final installation or assembly of the printing machine by a complicated and deliberate correction of the respective components.

Method and device for eliminating rhythmic register errors in sheet-fed printing machines with multiple-size cylinders


There is provided a variable capacity swash plate compressor having a construction which is capable of lubricating sliding contact portions of a retainer and a retainer support plate to thereby reduce abrasion of the two component parts of the compressor and prevent noises from being produced from them. The variable capacity swash plate compressor has a retainer mounted on its swash plate in a relatively rotatable manner with respect to the swash plate for supporting a plurality of shoes, and an annular retainer support plate for supporting the retainer in a state held in surface contact with one face of the retainer. In the variable capacity swash plate compressor, the retainer support plate is formed with a cut-away portion which is cut away therefrom, thereby increasing an exposed area of the one face of the retainer.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a variable capacity swash plate compressor, and more particularly to a variable capacity swash plate compressor having a construction which is improved in slidability between a retainer of shoes and a retainer support plate supporting the retainer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 1 shows the whole arrangement of a conventional variable capacity swash plate compressor.
The conventional variable capacity swash plate compressor includes a drive shaft 105, a thrust flange 140 fixedly fitted on the drive shaft 105, for rotation in unison with the drive shaft 105, a swash plate 110 which is tiltably and rotatably mounted on the drive shaft 105 via a hinge ball 109, for rotation in unison with the thrust flange 140, a plurality of pistons 107 slidably received in respective cylinder bores 106, a plurality of shoes 150 arranged on a sliding surface 110a of the swash plate 110, for relative rotation with respect to the swash plate 110 according to the rotation of the drive shaft 105, a retainer 153 retaining the shoes 150, and a plurality of connecting rods 111.
Each connecting rod 111 has one end portion 111a, spherical in shape, slidably held in the shoe 150, for relative rotation with respect to the shoe 150, and the other end portion 111b secured to the piston 107.
FIG. 2 shows a view of the swash plate 110 taken from a rear side of the compressor.
The retainer 153 has its outer peripheral portion formed with a plurality of broken semi-annular portions 160 along its circumference through each of which a protruding portion 150a of each shoe 150 protrudes toward the piston 107. The retainer 153 is supported or held by a retainer support plate 155 which is fixed to a boss 110b of the swash plate 110 by bolts 154, such that the retainer 153 can perform relative rotation with respect to the swash plate 110.
Torque of an engine, not shown, installed on an automotive vehicle, not shown, is transmitted to the drive shaft 105. Torque of the drive shaft 105 is transmitted from the thrust flange 140 to the swash plate 110 via a linkage 141 to cause rotation of the swash plate 110.
The shoe 150 performs relative rotation on the sliding surface 110a of the swash plate 110 with respect to the swash plate 110, whereby torque transmitted from the swash plate 110 is converted into reciprocation of the piston 107. As the piston 107 reciprocates within the cylinder bore 106, the volume of a compression chamber within the cylinder bore 106 changes, whereby suction, compression and delivery of refrigerant gas are carried out sequentially. The inclination of the swash plate 110 changes with pressure within a crank case 108 in which the swash plate 110 is received, so that high-pressure refrigerant gas is discharged in an amount or volume corresponding to an inclination of the swash plate 110.
The retainer 153 performs relative rotation (or sliding) with respect to the swash plate 110 while receiving tensile forces of pistons 107 in the suction stroke for drawing refrigerant gas into compression chambers, which acts on corresponding portions of one face 153a (inner surface) of the retainer 153. The retainer support plate 155 supports or holds the retainer 153 in a state held in surface contact with a whole central portion of the one face 153a of the retainer 153. Therefore, the conventional variable capacity swash plate compressor suffers from the inconvenience that when conditions of lubrication get worse, abrasion occurs between sliding contact portions of the retainer 153 and the retainer support plate 155, and untoward noises are generated.

Variable capacity swash plate compressor having a retainer support plate


A composition containing a dermatologically acceptable carrier in admixture with molecular oxygen promotes and improves respiratory function of skin cells. The composition may be used in cosmetic compositions.

1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to a method for producing a desirable skin cosmetic effect due to the improved metabolism of skin cells, and in particular to the improved respiratory function thereof. The invention relates also to a composition of matter which may be used in this method.
2. Discussion of the Background:
Whatever the action of oxygen contained in the atmosphere on skin cells may be, this can be relevant to the outermost layer of cells only, since there is no evidence that such oxygen penetrates the outer surface of the skin. On the other hand, it is known that making oxygen available to cells of the skin layer generally, has a beneficial effect on the respiratory function of skin cells, which in turn leads to a beneficial cosmetic effect. In the past, this desideratum has been achieved by means of an oxygen-releasing substance added to a vehicle, which penetrates the skin so as to make oxygen available to skin cells besides those in the outermost skin layer. It is believed, however, that this prior art method has a distinct disadvantage, insofar as oxygen released from a chemical compound (i.e., not in the form of molecular oxygen) is likely to be reactive in situ and therefore liable to give rise to possibly irreversible oxidative damage to constituents of the skin cells.

Cosmetic composition containing molecular oxygen


An LED module includes an LED having an optic axis and a lens fixed over the LED for refracting light emitted by the LED. The lens has a same cross section along a front-to-rear direction thereof. The lens has an inner incidence surface facing the LED and an outer emission surface. The inner incidence surface is concave toward the emission surface. The emission surface has a middle part around the optic axis of the LED concave toward the incidence surface, and two convex lateral parts off the optic axis of the LED. A peak intensity for the light generated by the LED and penetrating through the lens occurs within the convex lateral parts of the emission surface.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to a light emitting diode (LED) module, and more particularly to an LED module for lighting.
2. Description of Related Art
LED lamp, a solid-state lighting, utilizes LEDs as a source of illumination, providing advantages such as resistance to shock and nearly limitless lifetime under specific conditions.
LED lamps have been applied for street lighting recently. Generally, the light from the LEDs has been adjusted by a reflector to illuminate along a predetermined direction. However, such adjustment cannot increase an illuminate area. Further, such adjustment remains a peak intensity of the light occurring around a center axis of each of the LED, which easily results in a discomfort glare, increasing a hidden danger for the traffic safety.
What is needed therefore is an LED module adopted in an LED lamp having a design which can overcome the above limitations.

Fu Zhun Precision Industry (Shen Zhen) Co., Ltd.


An integrated circuit includes many metallization levels. A thick dielectric region is placed above at least two metallization levels and laterally neighboring two or more metallization levels. That part of the two metallization levels which lie beneath the dielectric region forms a screen. A conducting strip is placed on the dielectric region so that the dielectric region forms a waveguide.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of integrated circuits, more particularly to integrated circuits equipped with waveguides for the propagation of radio waves, for example at frequencies above 1 GHz and possibly up to several tens or several hundreds of GHz.
2. Description of Related Art
As known per se, an integrated circuit comprises a substrate, either a bulk substrate or a substrate on an insulator, in which are formed active parts, especially transistors, and a set of interconnections on top of the substrate. The set of interconnections comprises a plurality of metallization levels, each provided with conducting lines lying in a plane, and a plurality of dielectric layers alternating with the metallization layers and penetrated by conducting vias providing electrical connection between two adjacent metallization levels. This type of integrated circuit is designed for the transmission of electrical signals and is ill suited for the transmission of electromagnetic waves.
There is a need to be able to form a waveguide having a low signal attenuation constant and an advanced technology integrated circuit.


There is disclosed a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material containing a compound represented by the following formula. The photographic material provides sufficiently high contrast images using a stable developer having a low pH value. The photographic material also provides a direct-positive type photographic material improved in image quality and storage stability. ##STR1##

In a photomechanical process where a continuous tones densities of an original are converted respectively into the group consisting of the halftone dots having the areas proportional to the density, a silver halide photographic light sensitive material having a high contrast photographic characteristic is generally used.
For providing a high contrast characteristic to an image, a prefered photographic light sensitive material has been prepared in such a manner as described in Japanese Patent Publication Open to Public Inspection (hereinafter referred to as JP OPI Publication) No. 56-106244/1981 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,686,167; in which a compound such as hydrazine is contained as the so-called nucleating agent in a silver halide photographic light sensitive material and silver halide grains capable of effectively displaying the contrast-increasing characteristic of the compound are further used or other photographic additives are suitably used in combination. The silver halide photographic light sensitive materials such as those mentioned above are apparently proved to be stable as a light sensitive material and a high contrast photographic image can be obtained even when they are processed with a rapid processable developer.
However, the system applied with such a hydrazine compound as mentioned above has the disadvantage that a light sensitive material is to be developed generally at a high pH value, and a development has conventionally been made at a pH value of not lower than 11.5. Such a high alkaline developer as mentioned above is not suitable for a prolonged term preservation, because it is liable to an air oxidation and a development characteristic variation. Is is also unprefered from the viewpoints of the corrosion of developing equipments, the safety problems of operations and the environmental problems of waste liquids.
In regard to the avoidance of the problems of the high alkaline developers, European Patent Nos. 253,665, 333,435, 345,025 and 356,898, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,988,604, 4,994,365 and 5,041,355 and JP OPI Publication Nos. 63-223744/1988, 63-234244/1988, 63-234245/1988, 63-234426/1988 and 2-77057/1990 disclose the silver halide photographic light sensitive materials each capable of obtaining a high contrast photographic image when making use of a developer having a pH, for example, not higher than 11.2. However, the contrast-increasing activity of the contrast-increasing agent applicable to the above-mentioned light sensitive materials have had such a disadvantage that an excellent halftone dot quality and a desirable black dot level (that is, a sand-like or pinhole-like fog produced in an unexposed area) cannot stably be obtained, because the pH of the developer is seriously varied when the pH of not higher than 11.2 is varied and the gamma and speed are liable to be varied when the pH is varied by the processing exhaustion or air oxidation of the developer.
It has therefore been demanded for a silver halide photographic light sensitive material capable of obtaining a sufficiently high contrast even when making use of a low pH developer and providing the stable photographic characteristics even when the pH is varied.
On the other hand, as one of the methods for forming a positive image with the use of a direct positive type silver halide photographic light sensitive material, there has been known a method for forming a positive image in which an unfogged internal latent image type silver halide emulsion is used and a surface development is carried out, after an exposure to light, in the presence of a foggant.
In the above-mentioned technical field, various techniques have been known so far. For example, these techniques include, typically, those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,592,250, 2,456,957, 2,497,875 and 2,588,982, British Patent No. 1,151,363, JP Examined Publication No. 43-29405/1968, JP OPI Publication Nos. 47-9434/1972, 47-9677/1972, 47-32813/1972, 47-32814/1972, 48-9727/1973 and 48-9717/1973, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,761,266 and 3,496,577 and JP OPI Publication Nos. 50-8524/1975 and 50-38525/1975.
As for the useful foggants, hydrazine compounds have been known.
For example, foggants applicable thereto include hydrazine compounds given in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,563,758 and 2,588,982, naphthyl hydrazine sulfonic acid given in U.S. Pat. No. 2,064,700, and sulfomethyl hydrazines given in British Patent No. 1,403,018. Further, JP Examined Publication No. 41-17184/1966 describes that a color positive image is obtained by making use of hydrazide or a hydrazone compound.
However, when making use of the above-given compounds, the induction period before starting a development is longer than in the development of an ordinary latent image forming silver. Therefore, the development turns out to be considerably delayed.
When the conventional techniques are applied to a multilayered color photographic light sensitive material, these techniques have had such a problem that the characteristics are liable to cause an ununiformity between the layers and the resultant maximum density becomes lower.
For obtaining an excellent result while keeping a desirable fogging function, a development has been carried out at a high pH of not lower than 12. However, this type of developments have not desirable at all, because the deterioration of a developing agent is seriously accelerated and the physical property of layers of a photographic light sensitive material is deteriorated.
As for the direct-positive type silver halide photographic light sensitive materials, it has been demanded to provide a light sensitive material containing an advantageous foggant improved in the above-mentioned problems.

Silver halide photographic light sensitive material


The present invention provides a method for analyzing the C-terminal amino acid sequence of a peptide by applying reaction technique for successively releasing the C-terminal amino acids therefrom, which method can suppress, when releasing the C-terminal amino acids of the peptide in sequence, such as an undesirable side reaction as cleavage of peptide bond in the intermediate position of the peptide, and allows to carry out the chemical treatment thereof under widely applicable conditions. In the method according to the present invention, an alkanoic acid anhydride and a perfluoroalkanoic acid both of vapor phase, which are supplied from a mixture containing an alkanoic acid anhydride with a small amount of a perfluoroalkanoic acid added thereto, are allowed to act on a dry sample of the peptide to be examined in a dry atmosphere at a temperature chosen in a range of 15 to 60° C.; whereby the release of the C-terminal amino acid is resulted from successive formation of a 5-oxazolone structure being followed by cleavage of the 5-oxazolone ring; and then the C-terminal amino acids sequence is identified by analysis based on the decrease in molecular weight in a series of the reaction products obtained.

With respect to peptides and proteins collected from nature, the amino acid sequences identified thereof are essential information in course of studying the biological properties and functions of the peptides and proteins. Currently, the full-length amino acid sequences for peptides and proteins are determined as deduced amino acid sequences, based on corresponding gene information thereof, that is, nucleotide sequences of c-DNAs produced from genomic genes or m-RNAs which encode their peptides. However, in identifying the c-DNAs produced from the genomic gene or m-RNA which encodes the peptide, the knowledge of partial amino acid sequences of the peptides is still required.
It is generally considered that, as the knowledge of the partial amino acid sequences of peptide, the N-terminal amino acid sequence and C-terminal amino acid sequence of peptide are particularly useful. Specifically explaining, for example, in selecting a c-DNA which encodes an intended peptide from a c-DNA library prepared from a large number of m-RNAs, if the N-terminal amino acid sequence and C-terminal amino acid sequence thereof are known, the aimed c-DNA can be selected by using nucleic acid probes that are produced based on the above amino acid sequences of the two terminals. Or, the aimed c-DNA can be amplified selectively by applying PCR with use of oligonucleotide primers that are produced based on the amino acid sequences of the two termini.
As the method for analyzing the N-terminal amino acid sequence of a peptide, there has been conventionally used a method of allowing an acid to act on a peptide to release the N-terminal amino acids successively by hydrolysis and identifying the amino acids resulted therefrom. Meanwhile, as the method for analyzing the C-terminal amino acid sequence of a peptide, there has been proposed a method of releasing the C-terminal amino acids thereof successively by chemical means and identifying the C-terminal amino acids released thereby, based on the molecular weight differences between the original peptide and truncated peptides that are obtained as reaction products therefrom. As the technique for releasing the C-terminal amino acids successively by chemical means, there is proposed, for example, a method comprising steps of allowing a vapor generated from a high concentration aqueous solution of pentafluoropropanoic acid (CF3CF2COOH) or a high concentration aqueous solution of heptafluorobutanoic acid (CF3CF2CF2COOH), to act on a dried peptide under heating up condition at 90° C., and releasing the C-terminal amino acids by selective hydrolysis enhanced with use of said perfluoroalkanoic acid [Tsugita, A. et al., Eur. J. Biochem. 206, 691-696 (1992)]. There is also proposed a method comprising steps of using, in place of the above high concentration aqueous solution of a perfluoroalkanoic acid, an acetonitrile solution of pentafluoropropanoic acid anhydride [(CF3CF2CO)2O] or an acetonitrile solution of heptafluorobutanoic acid anhydride [(CF3CF2CF2CO)2O], allowing a vapor generated form the solution, to act on a dried peptide under cooling down condition at such a low temperature, for example, at −18° C., and releasing the C-terminal amino acids selectively, which is forced with use of the perfluoroalkanoic acid anhydride [Tsugita, A. et al., Chem. Lett. 1992, 235-238; Takamoto K. et al., Eur. J. Biochem. 228, 362-372 (1995)].
In said technique for selectively releasing the C-terminal amino acids by allowing a perfluoroalkanoic acid or a perfluoroalkanoic acid anhydride, which are supplied as a vapor thereof, to act on a dried peptide, it has been reported that an oxazolone ring structure is once formed from the C-terminal amino acids as a reaction intermediate, in a dehydration reaction shown by the following reaction scheme (I):
then, the perfluoroalkanoic acid acts on the oxazolone ring to give rise to a reaction shown by the following reaction scheme (II):
as a result, reaction of selectively releasing the C-terminal amino acid therefrom is achieved.
As the above reaction of selectively releasing the C-terminal amino acid proceeds successively, there is obtained, at a timing when a given treatment time has passed, a mixture comprising a series of reaction products in which one to ten odd amino acid residues have been removed from the C-terminal of the original peptide, respectively. This mixture comprising a series of reaction products is subjected to mass spectrometry to measure the masses of the ion species derived from the reaction products, whereby can be obtained a series of peaks exhibiting the mass differences, which reflect the C-terminal amino acid sequence. Specifically explaining, the individual reaction products are formed in reaction of successively releasing C-terminal amino acids from the original peptide; hence, for example, a set of reaction products including several members in series, where up to several amino acid residues have been removed from the original peptide, are subjected to mass spectrometry and, thereby, the masses of corresponding ion species thereto can be analyzed collectively, which enables determination of C-terminal amino acid sequence of such several amino acid residues at one time.
Incidentally, for example, the information of C-terminal amino acid sequence used in production of nucleic acid probe or primer may ordinarily be, in terms of the nucleotide sequence which codes such amino acid sequence, about 18 to 24 bases and accordingly about 6 to 8 amino acids. The identification of C-terminal amino acid sequence of up to ten odd amino acid residues is required only in very rare cases. Therefore, the above methods for preparation of treated sample comprising a series of reaction products, in which all the removals extending up to 10 amino acid residues are included, by the reaction of releasing the C-terminal amino acids from the dried peptide, where a vapor of a perfluoroalkanoic acid or a perfluoroalkanoic acid anhydride are supplied in vapor phase and allowed to act thereon, are suitable for the above-mentioned purposes.

Method of analyzing peptide for determining C-terminal amino acid sequence


According to at least one exemplary embodiment, a method, system and apparatus for a vehicle cover may be shown and described. In an exemplary embodiment, a vehicle cover may be provided which is stored along or inside the bumper cover of a vehicle. The cover may be stored on a roller. A drawstring on the end of the cover may be exposed while the cover is stored. Pulling the drawstring may unroll the roller, thus exposing the cover. The cover may then be wrapped over a substantial portion of the vehicle and tied at the end of the vehicle opposite the roller. In an exemplary embodiment, removal of the cover is as simple as untying the end of the cover and pressing a button on the roller which activates the spring-loaded return mechanism which may roll the cover back into the roller.

Covering a vehicle can be a difficult task. Car covers need to be specifically sized in order to properly protect a vehicle. Further, once the correct size and shape is identified, the cover needs to be placed on the vehicle in the correct orientation and position so that the shape of the cover molds the shape of the vehicle. This can prove difficult and can be further hindered by darkness, wind, and rain. More than one person may be needed to properly equip a vehicle with a cover. One side may become dislodged upon tucking or covering another side. Parking in tight spaces, such as a parking garage, may further hinder efforts to cover a vehicle since the cover may require that the user tie certain parts which may be inaccessible in a tight space.
Another difficulty in using vehicle covers is the need to store the covers before and after use. The cover may accumulate amounts of dirt, germs, water, and other undesirable contaminants over time. This presents an issue regarding proper storage of the cover. Storage inside the vehicle is often undesirable because of the effects a dirty cover may have on the interior of a vehicle. Covers sometimes include a storage bag, however, use of the storage bag requires handling and folding the cover into the bag, thus exposing the user to the contaminants found on the cover. The storage bag may take valuable storage space inside the vehicle. Further, the cover often will not dry while inside a storage bag.


Optical switch trees are commonly used to route light from one input channel to multiple possible output channels one at a time. As the number of output channels increases, the number of wire-bonding pads increases and the drive electronics becomes more complicated. The optical switch tree comprises an array of optical switches arranged in a plurality of rows of optical switches, each connected by a row bus, which are connected to a first multiplexer and a common power source; and a plurality of columns of optical switches, each connected by a column bus, which are connected to a second multiplexer and a common ground. A control processor selects one of the plurality of columns of optical switches to connect to the common ground, and selects one of the plurality of rows of optical switches to connect to the common power source, thereby selecting a single optical switch in the array of optical switches to activate.

On-chip optical switch trees, i.e. optical multiplexers, are commonly used to route light from one input channel to multiple possible output channels sequentially one at a time. Since the number of switches required in a switch tree equals the number of output channels minus one, conventionally, there is also the same number of electrical interfaces, e.g. wiring and pads, as the number of switches. Therefore, as the number of output channels increases, the number of wire-bonding pads increases as well, which becomes a problem for packaging. Similarly, the drive electronics become more complicated, adding additional digital to analog converters to drive each switch. Furthermore, the layout of the on-chip wires, bond pads, integrated circuit package, and underlying printed circuit board also becomes much more complicated.
In a conventional optical switch tree, a single input light source may be routed to one of a plurality of optical outputs, one at a time, and may be routed to each of the plurality of outputs sequentially over a longer time, e.g. N periods of time. The optical switch tree may comprise N−1 controllable switches, arranged in progressive levels L, e.g. Level 1 to Level p, with 2L number of controllable switches in each of the level. Accordingly, level 0 has 20=1 switch 01, level 1 has 21=2 switches, level 2 has 22=4 switches, level 3 has 23=8 switches, level 4 has 24=16 switches, etc, as required. The controllable switches in each level may be adjacent one another, vertically stacked in a direction perpendicular to the direction of light travelling from the input light source to the optical outputs. Conventionally, as the number of optical outputs N increases, the total number of switches also increases to N−1, which, because each switch needs its own wiring and bond pad, leads to an electrical interface problem, where the number of bond pads is prohibitively high, consuming too much chip area or costing too much to implement.
Conventional integrated optical phased arrays launch and receive beams of light at a variety of controllable angles for various applications, including free-space communications, holography, and light detection and ranging (LIDAR). A LIDAR sensor is an optical remote sensor that measure the distance to a target, by irradiating the target with light, using pulses or a modulated signal from a laser, and measuring the time it takes the light to travel to and from the target to a receiver in the LIDAR sensor. When, the reflected pulses or modulated signals are detected, the time of flight of the pulses or modulated signals correspond to the distance to the sensed target. LIDAR sensors are important components in autonomous vehicles, drone navigation systems, and robot interaction, but is currently costly and relatively large.
Phase shifters are often used to shift the phase of light propagating through a waveguide. A thermal phase shifter, also referred to as a thermo-optic phase shifter, may be used to shift the phase of light in a waveguide by heating the waveguide, thereby changing the refractive index of the waveguide in a heated area via the thermo-optic effect. Any light propagating through the heated area with the slightly-changed index value travels at a different phase velocity, creating a net phase shift after some propagation length. In this manner, thermal phase shifters may be used to control switching, attenuation, or modulation of an optical signal.
An object of the present disclosure is to provide an optical multiplexer switch tree with a simpler electrical interface and a decreased number of bond pads, and in particular to an optical multiplexer switch tree that may include an array of optical switches and a controller for selecting which combination of optical switches are activated. suitable for various applications, including free-space communications, holography, and light detection and ranging (LIDAR).


A medical arm securing device for temporarily securing the arms of an immobile person in an accessible position. The medical arm securing device includes a main member, and a first slot and a second slot extending into the main member. The slots receive the wrists of an immobile patient and prevent the arms from falling to the sides. A securing slot extends into a bottom portion of the main member for attaching to a strap. A plurality of notches preferably extend into the front and rear ends of the main member for selectively receiving a band member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to arm support devices and more specifically it relates to a medical arm securing device for temporarily securing the arms of an immobile person in an accessible position.
2. Description of the Related Art
Long backboards (LBB) have been in use for years for transporting an immobile patient (e.g. non-responsive, paralyzed, etc.). FIG. 6 of the drawings illustrates an exemplary long backboard that is utilized to transport immobile patients.
The main problem with conventional long backboards is that the patient's arms are prone to falling to the sides of the long backboard while transporting the patient. Arms of a patient hanging downwardly to the sides of the long backboard are prone to injury and make moving the patient difficult (e.g. narrow doorways, staircases, etc.).
To reduce movement of the arms, the securing straps of the long backboard are often times utilized to secure the arms of the patient in a desired position. However, the securing straps make it difficult to access the arms for medical personnel for performing medical tests/procedures thereby requiring loosening or removal of the securing strap. Loosening or removing the securing strap allows the arms to fall to the sides of the long backboard and also places the patient under an increased risk of accidentally falling from the long backboard while being transported.
While these devices may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they are not as suitable for temporarily securing the arms of an immobile person in an accessible position. Conventional long backboards do not allow for convenient securing of the arms of a patient.
In these respects, the medical arm securing device according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of temporarily securing the arms of an immobile person in an accessible position.


Embodiments provide systems and methods for planning or monitoring system transformations. One embodiment of a method for planning or monitoring the transformation of a system includes developing one or more states, each state representing a system and associated with data structures representing entities comprising the system, wherein the states are ordered in a succession of states to form a scenario modeling the transformation of the system. States can be populated by reflecting one or more data structures or properties of data structures across one or more states. The method can further include collecting data associated with the system at intervals and reflecting the collected data across states. Data structures may be contained in a repository and collected data may be used to update the repository and data structures contained in the repository. A modeling tool may be utilized to display data structures in the repository according to different representations.

Natural and manmade systems include interrelated entities working together in typically complex manners. System representations (e.g. models of systems and the interrelations between entities in the systems) provide an abstraction of the system for better understanding of the entities within the system and the relationships between entities. Representations are used in a variety of disciplines to identify problems or inefficiencies in a particular system, anticipate failures in the system so that the system can be reconfigured or provide insight as to why a particular failure occurred. In the field of architecture, for example, computer representations aid architectural engineers in visualizing how structural members of a building physically fit together and how the members statically and dynamically interact under various conditions. These representations can help the engineer minimize the potential for catastrophic building failure.
It may be desired to transform (e.g. modify or change) systems in accordance with an initiative (e.g. a goal, mission, plan, etc.) such that a desired system is achieved which comprises desired entities which are interrelated through desired relationships. In order to facilitate the transformation of a system in accordance with an initiative, a representation of the system or the desired system may be developed. For example, it may be desired to transform an enterprise such as a company or other organization or sub-organization. Accordingly, an individual such as an enterprise architect may develop a representation of a desired enterprise. The desired enterprise may be optimized for efficiencies or cost management. For example, when an enterprise is formed from a merger, it may be desired to integrate two redundant divisions in the enterprise to optimize efficiencies and reduce costs. To model such a transformation, an enterprise architect may develop a representation of the desired division.
Systems often evolve in a hodge-podge manner, with various entities such as, for example, computers and software programs being deployed at different times, leading to a highly heterogeneous system. Without careful planning, the installation of entities such as new computers and software applications can lead to instability in the system, causing conflicts within the system and other problems. To further complicate matters, systems may be prone to communication breakdowns, incompatibility issues and a variety of other problems. An error or instability in one portion of the system can, at one end of the spectrum, cause annoyance for a small number of people and, at the other end, cripple the system.
Because systems may be augmented or evolve, modeling these systems to identify or predict problems can be time consuming and difficult. In particular, identifying and managing changing relationships between entities in a system is problematic. Two primary methods are currently employed to model systems. The first method involves diagramming the system using a computer drafting program such as Microsoft VISIO (Microsoft and VISIO are trademarks of Redmond, Wash. based Microsoft Corp.) or listing entities using a spreadsheet. The network diagram or spreadsheet provides an inventory of entities comprising a system. This solution is generally insufficient for managing relationships between entities, particularly in large systems, because the graphical representations or spreadsheet data must be manually deciphered to derive relationships. Another problem with modeling system through documents is that potentially hundreds of personnel are needed to update those documents. If there are a large number of documents it can be difficult to cross-reference the documents, provide version control for the documents and control document workflow among multiple authors.
The second solution involves maintaining a relational database that includes entries for machines and software programs. The relational database can define relationships through associations between database entries according to a database schema, with the database schema being based on known relationships. As new relationships develop or old relationships disappear, the database schema, and potentially the SQL statements required to utilize the underlying data, must typically be updated. This can be a time consuming and error prone process.

System and method for planning or monitoring system transformations


A system, method, and medium are provided for providing a personalized answer to a user-defined search query by utilizing the user's search history. A search session is instantiated, and search queries, search results, user selections of search results, and other information is recorded. A search query is received and analyzed to determine whether the query reflects user intent to re-find a search result that the user previously was presented in response to a previously issued search query. Search results pages provided to the user in response to queries include a personalized history answer that represents a previously viewed search result that the user may be attempting to re-find.

Studies have shown that for the typical search service user, at least half of the queries that a user issues are attempts to re-find information that the user has seen in a previous search session or previously in the same search session. Users are often unsuccessful in re-finding the information due to various factors, which include the inability of the user to remember the exact search terms previously used, rank changes within the index, and the inability for the user to recognize search results that they have previously seen.

History answer for re-finding search results


The image processing apparatus comprises an image data control section and a system controller. The image data control section is connected to any one or more of a sensor board unit, an image-memory access control section, an image processor, a video data control section, and a facsimile control unit. The system controller switches, when the image data to be transmitted to the image data control section conflicts with one another, a transmission mode of the image data in conflict with one another. Further, the image-memory access control section and the image processor share jobs of performing image processing on the image data.

There have been a copier and a scanner as a device to optically scan a document. A system for scanning a document used in these devices includes a platen system using a document scanning unit and a system using a sheet-through type auto document feeder (ADF).
FIG. 40 schematically shows a scanning mechanism by an ordinary document scanning unit. In the platen system, a document 11 to be scanned is placed on a contact glass 12. A carriage 15 with an irradiation lamp 13 and a mirror group 14 is moved along the document 11 to scan in the surface of the document. The carriage 15 is driven by a stepping motor not shown.
In this platen system, a movement rate of the carriage 15 with respect to the document 11 is controlled at the time of scanning the document. Thereby, the number of lines to be optically scanned per unit distance in the movement direction of the carriage 15 (this is referred to as auxiliary scanning direction) is controlled.
In other words, when a document enlarged with respect to the original document 11 is to be output, the carriage 15 is controlled so as to move slower than a case where a size ratio between the original document 11 and the output document is 1:1. When the carriage 15 move slower, the number of lines to be scanned per unit distance in the auxiliary scanning direction increases.
When the document 11 is reduced in size, the carriage 15 is controlled so as to move faster. When the carriage 15 moves faster, the number of lines to be scanned in the auxiliary scanning direction decreases. The scaling processing allows the document to be enlarged or reduced in the auxiliary scanning direction in such a manner as explained above. On the other hand, in the direction crossing the auxiliary scanning direction (this is referred to as main scanning direction), by performing electrical scaling processing on one-line data, enlargement or reduction is carried out.
In general, an electrical document size sensor is provided in a copier. This sensor detects the document size before the carriage 15 starts to move, that is, before the document 11 is scanned. Therefore, when a paper size scaling function is selected, the rate of scaling from the document size to a paper size is calculated before starting to scan-in the document.
For example, even if a document of any of various sizes such as A3, B4, A4, or B5 is placed on the contact glass 12 in portrait or landscape orientation, a process controller calculates parameters to control scaling before the carriage 15 starts to move. That is, the movement rate of the carriage 15 is controlled based on the parameters.
FIG. 41 schematically shows a scanning mechanism by an ordinary sheet-through type auto document feeder. In this case, a document 11 to be scanned is conveyed by a sheet-through type auto document feeder 16 with a document feeding mechanism so that the document 11 automatically passes through a scanning position.
During the processing, the carriage 15 remains fixed to the scanning position. That is, in the case of using the platen system, the carriage 15 is moved along the document 11 at a standstill, while in the case of using the sheet-through type auto document feeder 16, the document 11 moves toward the carriage 15 at a standstill.
The movement rate of the document 11 is controlled by the stepping motor not shown. When the document 11 is to be enlarged or reduced in the document feeding direction (which is the auxiliary scanning direction), the movement rate of the document 11 is controlled. That is, in the same manner as the platen system, enlargement or reduction is performed by changing a relative rate for movement between the document 11 and the cartridge 15.
When the sheet-through type auto document feeder 16 is used, a document size is detected by a mechanical sensor. In this case, the document size in the auxiliary scanning direction is detected at the point of time when scanning of the document 11 is finished. That is, at the time before the document is started to be scanned, the size of the document 11 in the auxiliary scanning direction is unknown. Therefore, it is impossible to calculate parameters to control scaling before the document 11 is started to be scanned. Accordingly, a feeding rate of the document 11 according to an enlargement ratio or a reduction ratio can not be controlled.
The same holds true for the direction crossing the auxiliary scanning direction (which is the main scanning direction). A document size in the main scanning direction is detected at the point of time the document 11 reaches a sensor position. Therefore, when there are documents 11 of various sizes, it is impossible to calculate parameters for controlling scaling before starting to scan the document.
The image of the document 11 scanned by the sheet-through type auto document feeder 16 is related, as a mirror image, to the image obtained in the platen mode in the main scanning direction. Therefore, at the time of outputting the image, the processing for mirroring, that the image is reversed left to right, is performed on the image.
Nowadays the copiers include a digital copier as against the conventional analog copier. The digital copier optically scans paper document or the like, and converts the scanned image signal to a digital image signal to perform image processing. Further, the digital copier includes a digital multifunction machine that has functions of a scanner, a printer, and a facsimile other than the copying function.
Some of the digital copiers and the digital multifunction machines (hereafter referred to as digital multifunction machine etc.) enlarges or reduces an image by performing electrical scaling processing on a digital image signal instead of its enlargement or reduction by mechanical control as explained above.
An example of such a device is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2789560. Further, as a digital multifunction machine, "Image processing device" concerning image processing of a scanned signal, storage of images in memory, and concurrent operation of a plurality of functions has been disclosed in JP, H08-274986A, for example.
Conventionally, however, there has not been proposed any device, in a document scanning mechanism using the sheet-through type auto document feeder, which can automatically duplicate documents of various sizes while enlarging or reducing each of them. This is because, scaling size can not be determined in the conventional document scanning mechanism since document size can not be determined before starting the scanning of the document.
A method for realizing a device which can automatically duplicate documents of various sizes while enlarging or reducing each of them in the document scanning mechanism using the sheet-through type auto document feeder are known. However, this method requires to perform concurrent operation in processing units by making use of image memory. In this case, system configuration becomes complicated such as increase of the number of ports for transmitting image data or the like in order to effectively perform concurrent operation.

Method and apparatus for image processing method, and a computer product