A surface mount quartz crystal oscillator has a package body having a bottom wall and a first frame wall laminated on the bottom wall and having a central opening, a quartz crystal blank accommodated in a recess formed in the package body including the central opening, an IC (integrated circuit) chip accommodated in the recess and having at least an oscillator circuit connected to the crystal blank, and a cover for enclosing the recess to hermetically encapsulating the crystal blank and the IC chip within the recess. The first frame wall has a notch portion partially cut into the outer periphery thereof, such that a terminal formed on a portion of the top of the bottom wall exposes in the notch portion. The exposed terminal is, for example, a testing crystal terminal electrically connected to the crystal blank.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a surface mount quartz crystal oscillator, and more particularly, to a surface mount crystal oscillator which has terminals for testing disposed on an outer surface thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
A surface mount crystal oscillator which accommodates a quartz crystal unit and an oscillator circuit using the crystal unit in a surface mount package has been widely used, particularly for portable electronic devices as a frequency or a time reference source because of its small size and light weight. In recent years, an increasing reduction in size has been rapidly advanced in a variety of portable devices represented by portable telephones, causing an associated reduction in size in surface mount crystal oscillators. For example, crystal oscillators having the external dimensions of 5 mm×3.2 mm, and 3.2 mm×2.5 mm are currently available on the market, and an announcement has been made on the development of a crystal oscillator having the external dimensions of 2.5 mm×2 mm. However, with an increasing reduction in size, several disadvantages arise in surface mount crystal oscillators. One of such disadvantages is a problem of terminals provided on an outer surface of the crystal oscillator for purposes of testing or adjustments.
A crystal oscillator is provided with a power supply terminal, a ground terminal, and an output terminal for use in a normal operation, and is also provided with terminals for use in testing and adjustments which may be made during manufacturing or at the time of shipment. The terminals for testing or adjustments are typically disposed on an outer side surface of a surface mount crystal oscillator. Japanese Utility Model Laid-open application No. 5-65110 (JP, 5-65110, U), for example, discloses a crystal oscillator which has terminals directly connected to a quartz crystal blank as testing terminals. However, an increasing reduction in size of the crystal oscillator has imposed more limitations in disposing the terminals for testing or adjustments.
FIG. 1A is a partially cut-away front view illustrating a conventional surface mount crystal oscillator. FIGS. 1B and 1C are plan views of the crystal oscillator illustrated in FIG. 1A when a cover has been removed from the crystal oscillator, and when the cover is put on the crystal oscillator, respectively.
The surface mount crystal oscillator employs a package body 1 formed with a recess which receives IC (integrated circuit) chip 2 and quartz crystal blank 3, and cover 4 which is placed over the recess for closing the same to hermetically encapsulate IC chip 2 and crystal blank 3 within package body 1. Package body 1, which is made of laminated ceramics, is comprised of bottom wall 5 and first frame wall 6 laminated on bottom wall 5. Bottom wall 5 is comprised of flat plate 7 and second frame wall 8 laminated on flat plate 7. Flat plate 7, first frame wall 6, and second frame wall 8 correspond to respective ceramic green sheets, where first frame wall 6 is formed with a central opening extending therethrough substantially in the shape of rectangle, and second frame wall 8 is formed with a central opening extending therethrough substantially in the shape of rectangle smaller than the central opening of first frame wall 6. By thus designing bottom wall 5 and first frame wall 6, a step is formed in the recess of package body 1.
At positions on the top of flat plate 7 corresponding to the bottom of package body 1, IC terminals, not shown, are formed for use in connection with IC chip 2. Also, at positions on the top of second frame wall 8 corresponding to the step in the recess of package body 1, crystal terminals 9 are formed for use in connection with crystal blank 3. Package body 1 is further formed with a conductor pattern, not shown, for connecting the IC terminals to crystal terminals 9.
IC chip 2, which comprises an integrated oscillator circuit including a temperature compensation function, is secured to the IC terminals on the bottom of the recess in package body 1, for example, by flip chip bonding. Crystal blank 3 is, substantially in the shape of rectangle and, for example, an AT-cut quartz crystal blank. Crystal blank 3 is provided with an excitation electrode, not shown, on each of main surfaces thereof, and extending electrodes (not shown) are extended from the excitation electrodes toward a pair of opposing sides. Then, crystal blank 3 is secured by conductive adhesive 21 to the step in the recess of package body 1, i.e., crystal terminals 9 formed on second frame wall 8 in outer peripheral regions of both sides of crystal blank 3 to which the extending electrodes are extended.
Cover 4, which is made of a metal, is bonded to a metal ring or a metal thick film, not shown, provided on the top of package body 1, i.e., the top of first frame wall 6 by seam welding, thereby enclosing the recess of package body 1 to hermetically encapsulate IC chip 2 and crystal blank 3 within the recess.
At four corners on the bottom of package body 1, i.e., at the four corners of the bottom of flat plate 4, mounting electrodes 20 are formed for use in surface-mounting the crystal oscillator on a wiring board. Mounting electrodes 20 thus formed also extend off outer side surfaces of package body 1. Mounting electrodes 20, which will serve as a power supply terminal, a ground terminal, an output terminal, and the like of the crystal oscillator, are connected to IC chip 2 through conductive paths and IC terminals, not shown.
In such a surface mount crystal oscillator, four write terminals 10a and a pair of testing crystal terminals 10b, for example, are provided on the outer side surfaces of second frame wall 8, for example, of package body 1 for use in adjustments and testing. Write terminals 10a are used for writing temperature compensation data for the temperature compensation mechanism within IC chip 2. The temperature compensation data is determined based on a change in oscillating frequency due to the temperature by measuring the oscillating frequency from the crystal oscillator which is operated while the ambient temperature is varied. By writing the temperature compensation data, the temperature compensation mechanism normally operates, thus permitting the crystal oscillator to function as a temperature compensated crystal oscillator (TCXO). Testing crystal terminals 10b are used for testing, for example, CI (crystal impedance) and resonance characteristic of the crystal unit (crystal blank 3) alone, for example, after it is encapsulated by cover 4.
These write terminals 10a and testing crystal terminal 10b are formed by extending the IC terminals and crystal terminals 9 from the laminated surface to the outer side surfaces of second frame wall 8, in other words, by the through-holes formed through the ceramic package. For writing data or making a measurement using write terminals 10a and testing crystal terminals 10b, a needle-shaped device or jig called "probe" is brought into contact with these terminals. For permitting the probe to appropriately come into contact with the terminals, vertically extending cavities are formed in first frame wall 6, second frame wall 8, and flat plate 7 at positions at which these terminals are formed, and the terminals are formed on the surfaces of the cavities in second frame wall 8.
However, with the increasing reduction in size of the crystal oscillator in the foregoing structure, a resulting reduced area of the outer side surface of the package makes it more and more difficult to form as many write terminals 10a and testing crystal terminals 10b as required on the side surface of package body 1. Also, since write terminals 10b, testing crystal terminals 10b, and mounting terminals 20 are in closer proximity to one another, solder can introduce around write terminals 10b and testing crystal terminals 10b, when the crystal oscillator is mounted on a wiring board by reflow soldering or the like, thus possibly causing malfunctions. Further, since through-holes are formed in the cavities cut into the side surfaces of package body 1 in order to form write terminals 10a and testing crystal terminals 10b, the side wall of package body 1 has locally smaller widths where the cavities are formed, resulting in a problem of partially lower mechanical strengths. As a result, during seal welding of cover 4, the through-holes can be damaged.


In various arrangements, a nebulizer element of a nebulizer may be energized with a drive signal. A phase offset of the drive signal may be measured. A phase delta may be determined. The phase delta may indicate a difference between a target phase offset and the measured phase offset. The target phase offset may indicate a non-zero target phase difference between the voltage of the drive signal and the current of the drive signal. A frequency of the drive signal may be changed to decrease the phase delta.

Embodiments of the present invention relate to nebulizers. In particular, the present invention relates to use of a variable frequency driver for a nebulizer.
A wide variety of procedures have been proposed to deliver a drug to a patient. In some drug delivery procedures the drug is a liquid and is dispensed in the form of fine liquid droplets for inhalation by a patient. A patient may inhale the drug for absorption through lung tissue. Further, the droplets forming the atomized mist may need to be very small to travel through small airways of the lungs. Such a mist may be formed by a nebulizer.

Systems and methods for driving nebulizers


A system and method for compensating for disruptions to update transmissions is disclosed. A first application component stores an instance of a business object. The first application component reconciles the instance with data stored on a second application component. The first application component receives a business object update from the second application component. The first application component checks a reconciliation value associated with the business object update. If the first reconciliation value indicates the first business object update was sent after the reconciliation, the first application component applies the business object update to the instance.

The present invention relates to a system for updating business objects and, in particular, compensating for disruptions to update transmissions.
Large software applications are often composed of unmanageably large amounts of executable code. In order to facilitate creation and management of large software systems, then, the systems are often composed of many different business objects. Business objects are software components that encompass data, business rules, communication components and any other code that may relate to their function.
In order to simplify design of these large systems, business objects are often defined as collections of logically related functions and data. A large application designed to facilitate a typical business may have many different business objects. An ordering business object may be used to handle incoming orders or changes to existing orders. A shipping business object may be implemented to handle all shipping related tasks, such as arranging for deliveries or determining shipping times and costs. Business objects may handle some tasks independently while communicating with other business objects to complete other tasks.
This design model suffers from several problems however. First, storing many different components all in one business object may make operation slower. Whenever one part of the business object is acting, the others may be suspended until that action is complete. Thus, if one business object communicates with another business object in order to perform a coordinated action, both business objects will be locked until that operation is complete. Users would be unable to use the objects, nor would other business objects be able to communicate with them, until the operations were completed.
Another serious problem occurs when a user wishes to update any aspect of their system. Updates to an instance of a business object in one application component may be sent from a second application component. This second application component may have a second instance of the business object, an instance of a second business object with a related aspect to that business object, or some other feature requiring a change to the first instance of the first business object. Multiple updates to the business object may occur. FIG. 1a shows this process 100 when perfect transmission of these updates occur. An inventory management system 102 may store an instance of a business object reflecting inventory data stored in a database 104. The inventory data is regularly updated, with these updates being sent to the inventory management system 102 to be reflected in the business object instance. As long as these updates were received in the sequence that they were sent, the system would function.
FIG. 1b shows a process 110 with imperfect transmission of updates. The update setting the inventory to 130 is overwritten by the update sent previously but received subsequently setting the inventory to 80. This may result in further errors as this misinformation is propagated from the business object instance to other application components.
What is needed is a method of compensating for sequencing errors in the transmission of updates.


A safety syringe has a needle hub detachably mounted at a front end of the barrel and a plunger slidably received in the barrel and having a retaining column extending out from the engaging flange of the plunger. The needle hub has a pair of retaining plates with a slot defined between the retaining plates. The retaining column has a hook and a slanted face, such that when the retaining column is securely clamped by the retaining plates and the needle hub is forced to move inward the barrel, the needle hub is inclined with respect to the barrel.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a safety syringe, and more particularly to a safety syringe having a plunger with a hook formed on a distal end of the plunger and a needle hub with a pair of retaining plates one of which has an opening defined to correspond to the hook, so that after the hook extends through the opening and securely engages with a periphery of the opening, the needle hub is able to be driven by the plunger into the barrel.
2. Description of Related Art
With reference to FIG. 9, a conventional safety syringe has a needle hub (70) with a bottom (71) defining therein a Y-shaped channel (72) and a plunger (80) with an arrow head (81) formed on a distal end of the plunger (80) to correspond to the Y-shaped channel (72). It is to be noted that the Y-shaped channel (72) is inclined with respect to an imaginary longitudinal axis of the syringe, such that when the arrow head (81) is received in the Y-shaped channel (72) and the plunger (80) is moving away from the needle hub (70), the needle hub (70) will be driven backward into the barrel (82). Because the Y-shaped channel (72) is inclined relative to the imaginary longitudinal axis of the syringe, after the needle hub (70) is completely pulled back in the barrel (82), the needle (73) together with the needle hub (70) is slantedly received in the barrel (82), such that the needle (73) can not be used again. However, when a solution is received in the barrel (82) and the plunger (80) is pushing forward to the needle hub (70), the approaching of the arrow head (81) to the Y-shaped channel (72) stops the flow of the solution out of the needle (73). The pressure of the remaining solution within the barrel (82) also stops the continuous movement of the arrow head (81) to the Y-shaped channel (72), such that the arrow head (81) can not be received in the Y-shaped channel (72) when in application.
To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention tends to provide an improved safety syringe to mitigate and obviate the aforementioned problems.
The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a safety syringe having a plunger with a head integrally formed on a distal end of the plunger by means of a neck, wherein the head has a hook formed on a sidewall of the head and a slanted face formed oppositely to the hook and a needle hub with a pair of retaining plates one of which has an opening defined to correspond to the hook and a slit defined between the two retaining plates. When the hook is approaching the opening, the remaining solution inside the barrel can still flow through the slit and out of the needle.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a positioning device to secure the alignment of the hook to the opening during the movement of the plunger, so that a user will not have to rotate the plunger to align the hook to the opening after use.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


A method and apparatus for generating random binary sequences from a physical entropy source having a state A and a state B by detecting whether the physical entropy source is in the state A or in the state B, attempting to shift the state of the physical entropy source to the opposite state in a probabilistic manner with less than 100% certainty, and producing one of four outputs based on the detected state and the state of the physical entropy source before the attempted shift. The outputs are placed in first and second queues and extracted in pairs from each queue. Random binary bits are output based on the sequences extracted from each queue.

Bernoulli binary sequences are sequences of bits (e.g., 0's and 1's), in which each bit has a specific probability of being '1', which probability is independent of the value of any other bit in the sequence. Random binary sequences, sometime also loosely referred as "random numbers," are special cases of Bernoulli sequences in which the probability of any particular bit being '1' is 50%. Random binary sequences may be referred to as pseudo-random when they are calculated from a complex formula based on a seed value. However, the next pseudo-random numbers in a sequence may be predictable if the seed value and formula are known, and they often exhibit at least some degree of correlation. True, uncorrelated, random number can be generated by measuring or observing a physical entropy source which has an unpredictable state. Systems in which the state is based on a quantum mechanical phenomenon are particularly useful for generating random sequences in that the next state of the system is not merely difficult to predict but is unknowable.
A spin-torque transfer (STT) magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) is an example of a physical entropy source that can exist in one of two binary states and in which switching between the states is probabilistic. STT-MTJ's are thus suitable for use as components of Bernoulli sequence or random number generators. FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate an STT-MTJ element 100 formed from three layers: a fixed layer 102, a barrier layer 104, and a free layer 106. The fixed layer 102 and the free layer 106 are formed from ferromagnetic materials, and the magnetization direction of the fixed layer 102 is pinned or fixed. This layer may also be referred to as a "reference" layer. The magnetization direction of the free layer 106, on the other hand, can be changed by applying a current to the STT-MTJ element 100 and is switchable between a parallel state in which the magnetization direction of the free layer 106 is parallel to the magnetization direction of the fixed layer 102 and an antiparallel state in which the magnetization direction of the free layer 106 is opposite or antiparallel to the magnetization direction of the fixed layer 102. FIG. 1 shows the STT-MTJ element 100 in an antiparallel state, and FIG. 2 shows the STT-MTJ element 100 in a parallel state. This two-state device is usable as a memory element in which one of the parallel and antiparallel states represents a logical "0" and the other represents a logical "1."
Data is written into the STT-MTJ element 100 by spin-torque transfer magnetization switching. Applying a current to the STT-MTJ element 100 causes electrons to tunnel through the barrier layer 104 and affect the magnetization direction of the free layer 106. Applying the current in one direction switches the magnetization direction from parallel to antiparallel and reversing the current switches the magnetization state of the free layer 106 from antiparallel to parallel. The STT-MTJ element 100 has a resistance value that depends on the magnetization direction of the free layer 106. Data is read from the STT-MTJ element 100 by causing a small read current to flow through the STT-MTJ element 100 and measuring the resistance of the STT-MTJ 100. The resistance of the STT-MTJ element 100 in the parallel state of FIG. 2 is typically about one half the resistance of the STT-MTJ element 100 in the antiparallel state.
As noted above, the switching of the STT-MTJ element 100 from one state to the other is probabilistic. The probability of the STT-MTJ element 100 switching from one state to the other is based on a combination of the level of voltage or current applied to the STT-MTJ element 100 and the time during which the voltage or current is applied. Thus higher voltages and currents can switch the STT-MTJ element 100 from one state to another in a shorter time than lower voltages or currents, and the longer that a voltage or current is applied, the greater the likelihood that state switching will take place. For discussion herein, it will be assumed that the switching probability is controlled by controlling the time during which a constant voltage (or a constant current) is applied to the STT-MTJ element 100.
FIG. 3 is a graph of the probability of the STT-MTJ element 100 switching from one state to the other based on a time during which a particular switching voltage is applied. The lower line illustrates switching probabilities when a 0.6 volt reference voltage is applied, and the upper line illustrates switching probabilities when a 0.7 volt reference voltage is applied. At either voltage level, there is a very small probability of the STT-MTJ element 100 switching when the voltage is applied for a very short time. The lower line shows that, when 0.6 volts is applied to the STT-MTJ element 100 for longer times, the probability of switching increases, but that even after 100 ns, the probability of the STT-MTJ element 100 switching at 0.6 volts is less than 50%. When 0.7 volts are applied, however, the probability of the STT-MTJ element 100 switching is approximately 50% after about 20 ns. When 0.7 volts are applied for a longer time, the switching probability of the STT-MTJ element 100 becomes very close to 100% after 80 ns. FIG. 3 thus illustrates that for very short time periods, or at low voltage levels, the probability of switching the state of the STT-MTJ element 100 is approximately 0. Thus, the state of the STT-MTJ element 100 can be read by a read voltage that is low enough and/or of short enough duration to avoid switching the state of the STT-MTJ element 100.
A conventional random number generator based on an STT-MTJ element will set the state of the STT-MTJ to either parallel or antiparallel and then apply a signal thereto that has a 50% probability of switching the STT-MTJ element to the opposite state, and the state of the STT-MTJ element will then be measured. If the STT-MTJ element switched states, applying the opposite current will have a 50% chance of returning the element to its starting state. In order to produce a sequence of uncorrelated binary numbers with each bit in the sequence having a specific probability p of being 1 that is applicable to all bits in the sequence thus forming Bernoulli binary sequences with probability p being 1, it is generally necessary to set or reset the STT-MTJ element into a common known state after each attempt at switching or at least after each switching attempt that causes the STT-MTJ element to change states. And, as illustrated in FIG. 3, it takes a higher current and/or a longer time to switch the STT-MTJ element from one state to the other with switching probabilities that approach 100% (a 100% switching probability can only be reached in theory with infinite programming current pulse amplitude and width). Thus, setting or resetting the STT-MTJ element after even half of all measurements consumes a significant amount of power and time. Moreover, due the very nature of probabilistic switching, even after the setting or resetting of STT-MTJ with finite pulse amplitude and width, there is no guarantee that the common known state can be reached, hence jeopardize the prerequisite condition of generating a random sequence with each bit has the same probability p being 1.
Furthermore, it may be difficult if not impossible in practice to ensure that an STT-MTJ switches with exactly 50% probability. For example, process variations in the size or composition of the STT-MTJ or its component parts can cause switching variations in nominally identical STT-MTJ elements. Some applications require a random distribution of one and zeros that is exactly 50%. Fortunately, methods are known for producing series of random bits that have a probability of exactly 50% of being zero or of being one based on a random binary input that is not evenly distributed.
One such method is referred to as a randomness extractor, and one type of randomness extractor is known as a von Neumann extractor. A von Neumann extractor takes as input pairs of bits that are generated in an uncorrelated, random manner but which are not necessarily generated with a probability of 50%, and outputs a stream of bits with a probability of exactly 50% of having a given value. Input pairs that are identical are discarded or ignored. For pairs with different bits, the first bit in the pair is taken as the random number. Thus, for example, the input pairs (0,0) and (1,1) will be discarded, the pair (0,1) will be interpreted as a "0," and the pair (1,0) will be interpreted as a 1. If the probabilities of generating 1's and 0's are constant, albeit not exactly 50%, the product of the probability of obtaining a 0 and the probability of obtaining a 1 will be constant. Assuming for example, a 60% probability of obtaining a 0 and a 40% probability of obtaining a 1, the probability of obtaining either (0,1) or (1,0) will be 0.6 times 0.4 or 0.24, and this equal probability of each outcome guarantees a 50/50 distribution of 0's and 1's in an output of the extractor.
The use of a randomness extractor reduces the need to set a particular STT-MTJ to output exactly 50% of one bit value or the other. However, for efficiency reasons, it is generally desirable to calibrate the current application time so that each bit is output with about a 50% probability.
There are various electronic and computer related applications in which large numbers of random, uncorrelated, bits are needed at a high bit rate. These include, for example, probabilistic or stochastic computing and various cryptological methods. Random number generation is known to consume significant power, and the high bit rate of random number generation required for such applications consumes power at a rate that may cause heat dissipation problems and drain batteries or other power sources having a limited capacity. It would therefore be desirable to produce Bernoulli sequences more efficiently than conventional methods.

Method and apparatus for generating random numbers using a physical entropy source


A process for the production of nitrogen trifluoride by reacting fluorine gas and liquid ammonia acid fluoride in a first reaction zone having a relatively low energy input followed by treatment of the resulting reaction product in a second reaction zone having a relatively high energy input. The resulting crude nitrogen trifluoride product may be further treated with fluorine gas under elevated temperatures to improve yield of the desired product.

Nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) has been employed for such products as high energy liquid and solid propellants and as a fluorine source for the production of semiconductor devices. Nitrogen fluoride can be prepared by a variety of processes such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,091,081 and 5,637,285 and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2002/0127167 each of which is incorporated herein by reference. The production of nitrogen trifluoride generally results from a series of reactions as described below in which ammonia and fluorine gas are combined with a liquid ammonium acid fluoride intermediate.
Reaction 1 represents the desired NF3 production reaction. Reaction 2 is the most rapid undesirable side reaction. Reaction 3 represents the fluorine gas that does not react.
                    Reaction                                                  1                          :                                                          3                          c                      1                                                                                F            2                                          (            g            )                              +                        [                                    x              +              4                                      x              +              1                                ]                                              NH            3                                          (            g            )                              +              α                                                                        c            1                    /          3                                                                    NH          4                                              F                                      (              HF              )                                x                                  (          l          )                      ->                            c          1                                  NF          3                    +                                    c            1                                          [                                          α                3                            +                              3                                  x                  +                  1                                                      ]                                            NH          4                                              F                                      (              HF              )                                x                                  (          l          )                                        Reaction                                                  2                          :                                                          3                          c                      2                                                                                F            2                                          (            g            )                              +                                    c            2                                          [                                          8                +                                  2                                    x                                                            x                +                1                                      ]                                                        NH            3                                          (            g            )                              +                        c          2                                  α                                                    /          3                                                                    NH          4                                              F                                      (              HF              )                                x                                  (          l          )                      ->                            c          2                                                                    N          2                    +                                    c            2                                          [                                          α                3                            +                              6                                  x                  +                  1                                                      ]                                            NH          4                                              F                                      (              HF              )                                x                                  (          l          )                    Reaction 3: c3 F2(g)→c3 F2(g)This simplified representation assumes that Reaction 1, Reaction 2, Reaction 3 are the only fluorine consuming reactions (c1+c2+c3=1) and neglects slower, but important, fluorine reactions that produce N2F2 and N2F4, OF2, and other impurities. The c1 and c2 values are the estimated fractions of the fluorine feed that react to produce respectively, the desired NF3 product and the undesirable N2 by-product. The c3 fraction represents the fluorine gas that does not react. The NH4F(HF)x melt acidity x value is the molar ratio of hydrogen fluoride to ammonia minus one in the melt. The α value is the ratio of the actual liquid ammonia acid fluoride melt [NH4F(HF)x] feed rate to the minimum stoichiometric NH4F(HF)x feed rate. The temperature of the reaction zone is moderated by using excess NH4F(HF)x. This simplified process representation neglects other factors, e.g. the small fraction of HF in the crude NF3 vapor product. Despite these limitations Reaction 1, Reaction 2, Reaction 3 provide a good framework to describe the state of the art for NF3 production and the problems associated therewith as discussed below.
Efforts have been made to increase the conversion of F2 to NF3. U.S. Pat. No. 4,091,081 discloses the production of NF3 by sparging fluorine and ammonia into liquid ammonium acid fluoride in a column. U.S. Pat. No. 5,637,285 discloses that simultaneously increasing the hydrogen fluoride content of the ammonium acid fluoride melt and increasing the mixing intensity increases the F2-to-NF3 conversion rate. In particular, increasing the NH4F(HF)x melt acidity "x" value decreases the rate of Reaction 2 relative to Reaction 1 which tends to increase the overall NF3 yield. However, higher NH4F(HF)x melt acidity "x" values also somewhat decrease the rate of NF3 production via Reaction 1 for a given interfacial surface area.
Although U.S. Pat. No. 5,637,285 achieves improvements in NF3 yield, some significant problems remain. First, the highly exothermic NF3 reaction is most rapid at the impeller tip, which causes localized overheating, accelerated corrosion at the impeller tip, and mechanical reliability problems. Second, one can not increase the solution depth, to increase the gas residence time, without increasing the mixing shaft length, which also increases mechanical reliability problems.
United States Patent Application Publication No. US/2002/0127167 A1 employs the advantages of higher mixing intensity as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,637,285 and higher circulation rate to increase the effective α value to decrease localized overheating, increase F2-to-NF3 conversion (c1), and decrease the impeller corrosion. However, this approach does not address the issue concerning the impeller shaft length or the combination of high mixing rates and high fluorine concentration. In addition, the NH4F(HF)x melt recirculation rate is limited by gaseous product flow rate and gas-liquid separation.
It would therefore be a significant advantage in the art to provide a NF3 production system with improved yields without the problems associated with corrosion of the mixing assembly (e.g. impeller) due to the corrosive nature of the fluorine gas reactant and high shear rates.


An exercise device for the crossover step, including an upper wheel supported, the upper wheel having a skating surface and being rotatable; a lower wheel joined to the upper wheel via a hub, the lower wheel having idler wheels supporting the upper wheel; upper legs and lower legs, the upper and lower legs being joined to the lower wheel; a track joined to the upper legs and lower legs, the track adapted to allow the upper wheel, lower wheel, upper legs and lower legs to be stored vertically against a wall and positioned for use adjacent a floor; and mechanism for controlled increase of simulated G-forces applied to a skater skating on the skating surface.

The crossover step in ice skating is perhaps the most difficult maneuver to learn and may well be the most exhausting step to learn as well. The crossover step is used in turning and essentially involves the skater taking the outside foot, stepping over the inside foot, taking the original inside foot and repositioning it on the inside. Through repeating the step, the skater turns, while in motion. Generally, the cross-over step involves leaning into the turn. Many exercise devices have been developed, including those for ice skating. A review of the prior art in the field shows a great need for improved technology for practicing the most difficult technique in ice skating.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,090,015 (Meyers) discloses a training aid for learning the cross-over step. Generally, the device is positioned on a skating surface at a fixed point. The skater grasps a bar that is pivotally mounted to a center post and skates in a circle. This invention does not simulate the leaning, gravitational forces and needs to be mounted to a skating surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,393,282 (Maclean) discloses an exercise device that sort of mimics the steps a skater may use to skate in a straight line. This reference teaches a surface on which a sliding motion may be encountered similar to skating. This reference does not teach the cross-over step or simulation of the forces encountered in executing the cross-over step.
What is needed is a device that teaches the cross-over step. Desirably, the device should simulate the forces encountered during actual execution of the cross-over step on a skating rink, the speed should be adjustable and the device should be easy to store and to set up for use.


Disclosed is a system for arbitrary control of amplitude, phase and polarization characteristics of light in pulsed laser systems, allowing fast pulse-to-pulse modification of the above-mentioned parameters for single pulses or arbitrarily long and closely-spaced bursts of pulses. The control uses an electro-optic device, driving it by a specially designed high voltage driver. The operation of the driving electronics is based on the precise control of charging and discharging a Pockels cell inherent capacitance. This inherent capacitance is typically considered as parasitic. Therefore, prior voltage drivers operate in spite of the capacitance instead of using it. The present high voltage driver consists of a multitude of current-controlled stages capable of sinking and sourcing specific and adjustable currents into the capacitive load of the Pockels cell. The disclosed device and the corresponding control method allow for precise and energy-efficient shaping of Pockels cell control voltage.

Utilization of lasers has become essential in many areas of industry, science and medicine. Various techniques employing laser light in a wide range of applications are under intensive development, ranging from micro-machining, photo-polymerization, different medical applications and microscopy to a multitude of cutting-edge research fields.
Advantages of laser-assisted welding, cutting and marking over conventional mechanical techniques for industrial applications include high speed and precision, allowing for simple or no post-processing of the material. This is especially convenient for material removal or modification processes in the printing industry, for perforation of films and substrates, and many other industrial processes.
Most of the above-mentioned applications share a typical structure where a pulsed laser beam is provided by means of a laser source, with the individual pulses of the laser beam being modulated according to the requirements of the corresponding application.
One of the major problems to be solved in the design of pulsed laser systems is related specifically to the requirements for short switching times of electro-optic switches used to modulate the laser output which are typically Pockels cells. While high repetition rate laser operation with pulse periods of tens of nanoseconds or less is often preferable, the transition time of the electrical circuits controlling individual laser pulses cannot be reduced arbitrarily. This is disadvantageous, particularly, for the modulation of laser pulses in pulsed laser systems such as nanosecond, picosecond and femtosecond lasers. One of the reasons for this is that the high voltage switches themselves require a certain switching time to switch a voltage from some first voltage level to some second voltage level which acts on the Pockels cell to modulate light. In pulsed laser systems the duration of these transitions, also referred to as the "rise" and "fall" times for the leading and trailing edges of the electrical pulse respectively, are often greater than the time interval between two consecutive laser pulses. Because of lengthy transitions, incorrect modulation of an individual or a plurality of laser pulses can occur where modulation signal meant for the first pulse affects the second pulse.
Further advantages are apparent for systems which can support independent pulse-to-pulse setting of laser light parameters during processing. This necessitates that the transition of the Pockels cell control voltage takes place in the time interval between the two pulses and that the voltage is already settled when the second pulse arrives at the modulator. As a result, for pulse-to-pulse modulation to work, whenever a laser pulse interacts with the Pockels cell, the voltage must be settled to some predetermined value.
The U.S. Pat. No. 7,649,667B2 (BERGMANN, 2010) discloses a controllable Pockels cell system which has a switching unit that can apply a voltage to the Pockels cell. The Pockels cell and driver system also features a delay unit that enables setting of a precise time when the voltage is applied or removed from the Pockels cell in relation to the laser pulses. This allows for the voltage pulse applied to the Pockels cell to be shifted in time, also shifting the transmission window of the Pockels cell and analyzer system in a way, that the pulse of light during its interaction with the cell sees some intermediate transient voltage. Thus, it is possible to individually control the amplitude of selected laser pulses. This invention utilizes a voltage-source type Pockels cell driver and takes into account the delays and transition times of the high voltage pulse caused by the capacitance on the Pockels cell electrodes interacting with the driver parasitics (paragraphs [0042], [0051] and [57]). As a result of the transient nature of the voltage during the pulse interaction with the modulator, this invention is applicable only to controlling the amplitude of a single pulse, since even a burst of pulses spaced closely apart in time would experience different voltages, sampled at different instants during the rising or falling voltage transition. Moreover, this method directly converts the time jitter of the control signal with respect to the laser source into amplitude instability at the optical output. In contrast, the invention described in this patent presents a settled voltage level at the time of laser pulse interaction with the modulator. As a result, the described method is sensitive only to the control signal pulse width variation and does not require precise locking of laser and control signal positions in time, significantly reducing modulation uncertainty.
The U.S. Pat. No. 8,536,929 (BERGMANN, 2013) presents a disclosure of a high voltage switch which may comprise a chain of MOS field-effect transistors (MOSFETs). The current of the individual MOSFETs, and hence the chain, can be controlled by means of adding a current measuring resistance into the source path of the transistors and transmitting the voltage arising there via a capacitor to the gate terminal of the transistors. Furthermore, paragraph [0040] and FIG. 1 discloses that "the switching unit 10 substantially comprises a transistor chain made up of N MOS field effect transistors (MOSFETs) (e.g., referred to in the figures as merely TN), which are arranged in series relative to their source/drain paths, where N is a positive integer. The MOSFETs are switched on and/or off by known charging/discharge circuits CLN, which are connected to a gate terminal and a source terminal of the MOSFETs. Such an arrangement can be configured as a high voltage switch." However, this design is still considered a high voltage switch connected to the contacts of the Pockels cell which acts as a parasitic capacitive load and undesirably slows down the uncontrolled full transitions from the ground or one voltage rail to another. Therefore, the inherent capacitance of the Pockels cell still acts disadvantageously with respect to the high voltage source switching, especially so for shorter high voltage transition times. The invention described in this patent utilizes the Pockels cell capacitance advantageously to facilitate controlled switching of the modulator control voltage to an arbitrary level between the supply voltage rail or rails and ground.
The patent EP2775619/U.S. Pat. No. 9,787,218B2 (HAMAMATSU) discloses a driving circuit which can selectively output one of a staircase wave and a square wave from an output terminal, to drive a capacitive load, and includes a first power source supplying a constant voltage VH, a first FET connected between the output terminal and the first power source, a first transformer in which an output side coil is connected to a gate of the first FET, a first input terminal connected to an input side coil of the first transformer via a capacitive element, a second power source supplying a constant voltage VL, a second FET connected between the output terminal and the second power source, a second transformer in which an output side coil is connected to a gate of the second FET, and a second input terminal connected to an input side coil of the second transformer via a capacitive element. This circuit is applicable to drive Pockels cells and provides a switching time of the Pockels cell in the range of a few nanoseconds. The shaping of the high voltage waveform is done by a staircase wave which is implemented using fixed current sources with fixed pulse duration. The current sources are based on the saturation characteristics of the FETs used in the switch. However, to use this solution for continuous non-repetitive control of the electro-optical device, the switching current has to be precisely stabilized. This is impossible in practice due to the current magnitude through a saturated FET being dependent on its operating temperature and manufacturing variation. This is made worse by the nature of capacitive load switching where the power dissipation in the switches is a linear function of the switching frequency and a quadratic function of the load voltage, further exacerbating the temperature dependent saturation current variation due to very high dissipated power at high voltages. Consequently, the modulation values required to reach some predetermined voltage become heavily dependent on the history of the modulation frequency and depth in a timeframe related to the thermal relaxation time of the FET cooling system which is usually on the order of tens of minutes to a few seconds.
The patent application WO2016026484 (A2)/US20170237221A1 (AMPHOS) presents an invention relating to a system for modulating laser pulses by means of an electro-optical modulator which is operated by means of a pulsed modulation voltage. A voltage converter mounted upstream of the modulator active components converts a pulsed modulated switching voltage at an output voltage level to the modulation voltage that is higher than the output voltage level as can be seen in figure [6] in the cited document. This invention is distinguished in the prior art by the use of the step-up transformer to produce high amplitude pulsed modulation voltage applied to the Pockels cell by converting from a relatively low control voltage. The magnetic circuit (transformer core) used in this invention must be reset after each pulse, which necessitates either a very long reset period, limiting the repetition rate, or a significant parasitic negative voltage pulse at the Pockels cell, which results in an unwanted modulation of the optical signal as the Pockels cell is sensitive to both voltage polarities. Any laser pulse arriving during the transformer reset period will be modulated by the parasitic negative voltage pulse. Furthermore, the maximum pulse width of the transformer is limited by its inductance and core saturation current, making the invention less suitable to modulating long bursts of pulses by employing long pulse durations. Longer pulse duration and larger Pockels inherent capacitance also exacerbate the problem of the parasitic negative pulse by increasing the time required for the magnetic reset of the transformer core material given a fixed negative parasitic pulse amplitude.
Laser devices and methods described in the prior art cited above use Pockels cells to control laser pulses. The Pockels cells are controlled by a high voltage (ranging up to 10 kV) driver or several drivers in various arrangements which commutate one or several high voltage sources to the terminals of the Pockels cell. The inherent capacitance of the Pockels cell (typically a few to a few tens of picofarads) acts against the desired operation of the modulator in all cases by either slowing down the transition times, making the modulation voltage dependent on previous parameters due to variable power dissipation in the switches or having parasitic modulation pulses where no laser pulse should be allowed to interact with the modulator. The invention described in this document uses the Pockels cell inherent capacitance advantageously as an integrating device for converting the controlled duration and/or amplitude current signal fed into the Pockels cell to a predetermined control voltage.

Arbitrary control of amplitude, polarization and phase of light in pulsed laser systems


A hybrid rechargeable lithium battery, which includes a plurality of high power rechargeable cells, having nano-particles therein, and high energy density rechargeable cells, with the high energy cells recharging the high power cells. The battery preferably includes a low volt parallel charger to simultaneously and individually charge both the high power and high energy cells, through a protective device. All cells are then discharged in series at high voltage, and are individually protected from over discharge. A rechargeable battery having both high power and high energy density cells is thus provided.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a hybrid rechargeable battery which is of the type that includes both high power and high energy density lithium cells, with an exterior smart circuit interface, and an exterior charger.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It has been recognized that there is a need for a high power battery that can repeatedly deliver maximum electrical current for a longer time than currently available capacitors. Batteries that incorporate high power cells and deliver relatively high maximum electrical current for a longer time than a capacitor are available, but the duration of their operation is limited. High energy density cells store and deliver a greater amount of electrical energy, but at lower electrical current than high power cells.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,998,0522 of Yamin, discloses a hybrid battery comprising a primary cell and rechargeable (secondary) cell connected in parallel. The suggested rechargeable cell is a lithium-ion cell, and the primary cell is lithium-thionylchloride based or other oxyhalide based. This system has a disadvantage of not being a rechargeable unit with high cost of the primary cell therein, and the whole battery has to be disposed of after use. In this proposed design, both cells in the battery must be replaced with a new battery after full discharge of the primary cell, which is very expensive.
Another combination, which is known is a hybrid system having a capacitor and a primary battery is manufactured by Tadiran Batteries, Kiryat Ekron, Israel, and Port Washington, N.Y. Similar cost disadvantages occur, and additionally the capacitor provides only very short pulsing capability.
Another combination hybrid, known in military applications, is the use of a primary zinc-air battery with a lithium-ion battery connected thereto by a cable. Again the cost of the primary battery replacement is high. Several zinc-air cells are connected in series to match the voltage of the lithium-ion battery. Only the primary battery is disposed of after discharge, due to the disconnectable cable.
In cases of rechargeable cells, the lithium-ion cells described above are of standard design, and not designed for very high rates of discharge, as described in the present invention.
As an example, my prior art published application Ser. No. 09/911,036 entitled: "Manufacturing Method and Structure of Electrodes For Lithium Based Electrochemical Devices", describes high power electrodes, and my prior art application Ser. No. 10/119,220, entitled: "Method of Automated Hybrid Lithium-Ion Cells Production and Method of the Cell Assembly and Construction", describes high energy density lithium-ion cells. These cells are "hybrid" in the sense that they combine the advantages of lithium-ion polymer cells, and lithium-ion cells with liquid electrolyte. The same construction and method of assembly may apply to high power cells, having thinner electrodes and full width collector tabs.
My U.S. Pat. No. 5,811,959 describes an interface device and charger for efficient and safe charging, and discharging of multi-celled batteries, or packs of batteries, and which device is preferably external to the battery.
In the present invention, the combination of the high power and high energy density rechargeable cells provides a rechargeable battery, that delivers high maximum electrical current over time with the high power cells being recharged by the high energy density cells, preferably in parallel, and all cells can be recharged through an interface device by a charger than can recharge both types of cells, and preferably in parallel. This arrangement provides a rechargeable battery that meets both high power and high-energy electrical requirements.

Hybrid rechargeable battery having high power and high energy density lithium cells


The present invention relates to a method of preparation of ε-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexanitro-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexaazaisowurtzitane with reduced impact sensitivity by precipitation of a solution of 2,4,6,8,10,12-hexanitro-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexaazaisowurtzitane in a solvent by an antisolvent, wherein phosphorus(V) oxide is added as a recrystallization promoter to the solution of 2,4,6,8,10,12-hexanitro-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexaazaisowurtzitane in the solvent, the obtained mixture is stirred and filtered, and the filtrate is subsequently precipitated by the addition of the antisolvent.

The target polynitro compound, ε-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexanitro-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexaazaisowurtzitane (hereinafter only ε-CL20) belongs to the group of polycyclic nitramines and finds applications predominantly in military high explosive mixtures and propellants (Song Zhenwei; Li Xiaojiang: Recent research progress and application prospect of high energy density compound HNIW, Huaxue Tuijinji Yu Gaofenzi Cailiao (2011), 9(1), 40-45; U. R. Nair, R. Sivabalan, G. M. Gore, M. Geetha, S. N. Asthana, H. Singh: Hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane (CL-20) and CL-20-based formulations, Combustion, Explosion, and Shock Waves, (2005) 41(2) 121-132). This high explosive belongs among those with the highest performance, but its wider use is hindered by relatively high manufacturing costs and particularly by its unsatisfactory sensitivity—there still prevails the view that the sensitivity of CL20 is approximately at the level of that of pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), i.e. max. 4 J in the impact sensitivity (U. R. Nair, R. Sivabalan, G. M. Gore, M. Geetha, S. N. Asthana, H. Singh: Hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane (CL-20) and CL-20-based formulations, Combustion, Explosion, and Shock Waves, (2005) 41(2) 121-132). The sensitivity, particularly the impact sensitivity, of this type of compounds is affected by the purity of the nitramine as well as by the size, break-down rate and shape of its crystals. A perfect removal of side products from the crystals of CL20 is not easy and, therefore, the standard NATO STANAG-4566 allows their maximum content in the final product to be 3% w/w. The break-down rate of the crystals, i.e. their porosity and cracks, is connected with the recrystallization method and the solvents chosen for the recrystallization; as far as the shape of the crystals is concerned, desirable are spherical particles or, more precisely, crystals with rounded edges. The literature comprises a large number of articles about the recrystallization of CL20 (e.g., N. Degirmenbasi, Z. Penalta-Inga, U. Olgun, H. Gocmez, D. M. Karyon: Recrystallization of CL20 and HNFX from solution for rigorous control of the polymorph type: Part II, experimental studies, Journal of Energetic Materials (2006) 24, 103-139).
The recrystallization of CL20, which is focused on the preparation of its technologically most attractive ε-modification, mostly involves the application of a "solvent-antisolvent" system (the product is precipitated from its solution by the addition of another solvent in which it is poorly soluble or completely insoluble). The solvents used in this method often include ethyl acetate or its mixture with toluene, but there are other solvents patented, e.g., methyl acetate, isopropyl acetate, butyl acetate, tetrahydrofurane, methyl ethyl ketone, cyclohexanone, acetonitrile and acetone. When α-CL (which, being a hemihydrate, contains crystal water) is the starting modification used for the recrystallization, water must be removed from the solution of α-CL either by addition of a drying agent, such as magnesium or sodium sulfate, potassium carbonate or silica gel, or by azeotropic distillation with ethyl acetate, or ethyl acetate and toluene. The thus dried and optionally subsequently filtered CL20 solution is concentrated for recrystallization (when the ethyl acetate plus toluene mixture is used) or precipitated in a predefined way by addition of hexane, heptane, cyclohexane, octane, petroleum ether, dichloromethane, trichloromethane, benzyl acetate, benzyl formate, toluene, xylene or even benzene (WO 99/57104; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,973,149; 5,874,574; US 2003/0130503; US 2003/636373; JP 11322752; EP 0913374). However, this method does not necessarily lead to a substantial reduction of the content of impurities in the product. The laboratory methods of preparation of highly pure CL20 include filtration with charcoal, e.g., in the amount of 20 g charcoal per 1 g CL20 (A. J. Bellamy: A simple method for the purification of crude hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane, Propellants, Explosive, Pyrotechnics, (2003) 28(3) 145-152) or column chromatography of benzene solution of CL20 (Ou Yuxiang et al.: Synthesis and crystal structure of β-hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane, Science in China, Series B, (1999) 42(2) 218-224).
All the above described recrystallization methods destined for the preparation of ε-CL20 yield a product having the impact sensitivity of about 4 J, which restricts its application as an active component particularly in special military ammunition.
Only four publications deal with the preparation of the very attractive ε-CL20 with spherical crystals (i.e. crystals with rounded edges exhibiting the reduced impact sensitivity, RS-CL20):    a) in the application of the "solvent-antisolvent" system, the solution of CL20 in ethyl acetate was precipitated by addition of heptane fraction with a simultaneous ultrasound treatment (R. Sivabalan, G. M. Gore, U. R. Nair, A. Saikia, S. Venugopalan, B. R. Gaandhe: Study on ultrasound-assisted precipitation of CL20 and its effect on morphology and sensitivity, Journal of Hazardous Materials (2007) A139, 199-203); this sonication shortened the precipitation time and yielded RS-CL20 crystals exhibiting impact sensitivities of 5.9 J to 10.8 J. However, the description of the procedure does not mention how the procedure affected the product purity.    b) according to the Chinese patent document CN 101624394 (2010), a recrystallization promoter is added into the solution before precipitation; the promoter may include organic compounds of the amino acid group, such as glycine, alanine etc., and esters of these amino acids, polyols, such as poly(vinyl alcohol), glycerol, pentaerythritol and others, organic acids, such as butanecarboxylic, maleic, malonic, adipic acid etc., and esters of these acids. The RS-CL20 obtained in this way has the purity above 98% and the impact sensitivity of 5.6 to 10.2 J. A similar procedure is protected by a Korean patent KR 224043 (1999) describing the use of pyridine as the promoter and yielding RS-CL20 with the impact sensitivity of 8.1 J.    c) Chinese authors also used a precipitation recrystallization from supercritical solution of CL20 in liquid carbon dioxide (gas-antisolvent; Hu Li-shuang, Hu Shuang-qi: Study on the application of the supercritical solution technology in preparation of Ultra-fine and sphere CL-20; Zhongguo Anquan Shengchan Kexue Jishu (2010), 6(3), 80-83). This method is demanding with respect to the necessary technological equipment (high pressures).
The aim of the present invention is, while taking into account the above-mentioned findings about the so far known procedures of preparation of RS-CL20, to provide a new procedure, which—without high demands for the equipment and materials—would yield the required spherical crystals of the product, while at the same time substantially decreasing the amount of impurities in the final product and ensuring reproducibility in achieving the reduced impact sensitivity.

Method of preparation of epsilon-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexanitro-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexaazaisowurtzitane with reduced impact sensitivity


A method includes forming an aqueous fibre suspension including cellulosic fibres from one or more raw material flows, and applying at least one chemical and/or physical control measure to the aqueous fibre suspension or at least one of its raw material flows for control of microbial activity in the aqueous fibre suspension or the raw material flow before an inlet of an intermediate residence entity. In this manner a starting ORP value for the aqueous fibre suspension is obtained. The aqueous fibre suspension is in the intermediate residence entity at least a minimum delay time. A final ORP value is measured for the aqueous fibre suspension after an outlet of the intermediate residence entity before the formation of the fibrous web. An ORP difference value between the starting ORP and final ORP values is calculated. Finally, the aqueous fibre suspension is formed into a fibrous web and dried.

Bacterial cells are normally present in the aqueous environments of pulp mills as well as paper and board mills in form of vegetative cells, which multiply by cell division. Growth of the vegetative bacteria in the process is commonly monitored and limited by using various control measures, e.g. by feeding of biocides in the process. However, some genera of bacteria form endospores, which are highly resistant to typical destruction and control methods used for vegetative cells, such as heat, disinfectants, chemical biocides, desiccation, ultraviolet light and ionizing radiation. The transformation of bacterial cells from vegetative form into the resistant endospore form is called sporulation. Mature endospores may remain viable but dormant for prolonged periods, even for years, until the external conditions become favourable, after which the transformation, i.e. germination, of bacterial endospores back to vegetative form takes place.
The amount of vegetative cells and endospores in the final paper or board product should be as low as possible, especially if the product is intended for hygiene purposes, food or beverage packaging. Conventional manufacture of hygienic paper or board relies on intensive biocide treatment during furnish preparation and in the wet-end of the paper or board making process. The target of the conventional biocide treatment is to minimise or completely eliminate the vegetative bacterial cells and thus inhibit the endospore formation. However, this treatment requires high dosages of biocides which increases the process costs, and which may damage process equipment, e.g. cause corrosion. Furthermore, it has been observed that sometimes, even if the biocide dosage is high and the number of vegetative bacterial cells is low, the endospore count in the furnish is increased beyond acceptable levels. Consequently, there is a continuing need to inhibit the formation of endospores during pulp, paper or board manufacture.


A medical imaging system is provided that includes a first gantry having a plurality of first detector units coupled within a bore of the first gantry such that the first detector units form a first field of view (FOV) of the first gantry. The first detector units are configured to acquire SPECT data. Further, the medical imaging system includes a second gantry having a plurality of second detector units coupled within a bore of the second gantry such that the second detector units form a second FOV of the second gantry. The second detector units are configured to acquire x-ray CT data. The second gantry is positioned adjacent to the first gantry. The medical imaging system also includes a patient table movable through the bores and a controller unit configured to control a rotation speed of the first detector units and the second detector units around the examination axis.

Embodiments described herein generally relate to imaging systems, particularly to multi-modality imaging systems, such as Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) and Computed Tomography (CT) imaging systems.
CT imaging systems typically include an x-ray source and a detector. In operation, the x-ray source and the detector are rotated around an object to be imaged such that an angle at which an x-ray beam intersects the object changes. A group of x-ray attenuation measurements, or projection data, from a detector at one gantry angle may be referred to as a "view." A set of views made at different gantry angles during one revolution of the x-ray source and detector may be referred to as a "scan." In an axial scan, projection data is processed to construct an image that corresponds to a two-dimensional cross-section or slice of an object being scanned.
SPECT imaging systems, such as Nuclear Medicine (NM) imaging systems, use radioactive isotopes injected into the patient and multiple detectors or detector heads to measure emitted photons to acquire image information using a plurality of detectors. Additionally, in NM imaging systems, the resolution of the detector, such as a gamma detector, is determined by the resolution of the detector (based on the size of pixels of the detector) and the resolution of a collimator attached to the detector. The resolution degrades with distance of the detector, specifically the collimator, from the subject. Thus, the detectors are positioned adjacent to the subject to increase resolution of the NM data.
It can be beneficial to utilize both CT and NM systems to scan a subject such as in known dual-modality imaging systems. In these dual-modality imaging systems separate gantries are typically used. However, having two imaging detector gantries (in tandem) increases the footprint of the system and consequently a larger imaging room or space is needed. Moreover, dual-modality imaging systems that combine the imaging components into a single gantry add complexity to the design and control of the system.
Further, newer CT detectors have an increasingly higher field of view, which increase the CT detector size. The larger CT detector in these dual-modality CT/NM systems results in the NM detector being displaced farther along the examination axis. Thus, the patient travels farther into the bore volume, which can cause claustrophobia and general discomfort for certain patients. In addition, as a result of the increased travel length, the patient table has to be made stronger with additional reinforcements to prevent sagging of the bed as the patient travels through the bore. Further, the increased travel length increases the likelihood the patient may move during the scan creating issues or complexities during registration or alignment between the CT and NM images.

Systems and methods for multi-modality imaging


The invention presents novel corn fermentation processes that remove the oil-rich fraction either during or after fermentation instead of before fermentation as usual. Besides recovery of high value oil-rich fraction of the corn, the processes also produce other value-added co-products such as that with high fiber or high protein but low oil contents.

This invention involves methods to recover germ fractions during or after ethanol fermentation using starch-containing corn or corn components as feedstock. By recovering germ during or after fermentation, new value-added products including germ fractions, fiber fraction and protein-enriched fraction are produced:
The corn kernel contains about 70 percent starch, 9 percent protein, 10 percent fiber, and 4 percent oil, with the rest mineral or other minor components, in three distinctive parts: (1) the pericarp; (2) the endosperm; and (3) the germ, which account for about 6 percent, 83 percent, and 11 percent of the total mass of the kernel, respectively. The pericarp is a strong fibrous seed skin, consisting primarily of coarse fiber. The endosperm consists of mainly powderous starch and gluten protein, which serve as energy reserve for seed germination and seedling growth. The germ is the embryo of the corn kernel. It consists primarily of oil and germ protein.
Corn is an important grain in US and the world as a raw material for food, feed and industrial applications. In the past decade or so, corn becomes the primary feedstock for fuel ethanol production in US. According to the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), 22.5 percent of the total US corn crop (equivalent to about 3.0 billion bushels) in 2007/08 was used to make fuel ethanol. Of the 3.0 billion bushels of corn, about 82 percent or 2.5 billion bushels were processed by the dry-grind ethanol process, with the rest by wet milling ethanol process. Though its development seems reach a plateau in recent years (around year 2009), corn-based fuel ethanol production, especially the dry-grind fuel ethanol fermentation, is a well-established industry.
The major difference between the dry-grind ethanol process and the wet milling ethanol process is that dry-grind breaks the corn kernel into flour or meals and then ferment the whole mixture without fractionation of individual components while the wet-milling process separate the major constitutes of the corn into germ, fiber, gluten protein first and only the starch fraction is needed in fermentation to produce ethanol.
In many of the prior art dry-grind processes, the corn kernels are ground into flour using a hammer mill. The starch in the flour mixture is hydrolyzed into fermentable sugars by enzymes, and subsequently converted into ethanol by yeast. The fermented mash is then distilled to recover the ethanol. After the removal of ethanol, the mash, called whole stillage is separate into two fractions by centrifugation or decanting. One is wet cake, which is a mixture of non-fermentable solids of the corn (the oil, fiber, and protein), the other is thin stillage, which consists of water, soluble, dispersable fine solids and oil. The thin stillage is concentrated into thick stillage, a syrup-like mixture, by evaporation, and then combined with the wet cake, and dried together to produce distillers dried grains with solubles, or DDGS. Majority of the DDGS is used as low-valued cattle feed due to its high fiber content. The market for DDGS is saturated.
The dry-grind ethanol processes of the prior art which do not contain a degerming step are unable to capture the germ. The complexing of the starch with oil in dry-grind ethanol processes also reduces starch fermentability.
The wet-milling ethanol processes in prior art are the further fermentation after the conventional wet milling in which corn is fractionated into four basic components: starch, protein, fiber, and germ by using a series of grinding, separation and purification steps in an aqueous system. Only the starch fraction is used in fermentation to make ethanol. Besides starch or starch-derives (including ethanol), wet milling produces gluten meal, fiber, and germs. Germ can be further processed into edible oil, which is the most valuable component from the corn. However, wet milling requires sophisticated equipment, high capital investment, and high inputs of energy and water. Usually food grade starch and its derivatives are the main products from wet milling products due to their relatively higher values. Fuel ethanol is only a side product from a typical wet-milling company. Wet mills are usually operated at large scale with total investment near or over one billion US Dollars in order to achieve commercial efficiency. The wet-milling is a stable business dominated by about 13 companies in the world.
Compared to wet-milling ethanol process, the dry-grind ethanol process is much simpler, requiring less expensive equipment, and less capital input, thus majority of the increased capacity of fuel ethanol production is from dry-grind process, and over 75 percent of the fuel ethanol is produced in this way. The dry-grind ethanol co-product, DDGS, however, is less valuable than co-products of wet milling. Increasing the profitability of the dry-grind ethanol industry without major modifications of its infrastructure remains a challenge.
One possible strategy is to recover the oil from the downstream liquid phase of the conventional dry-grind ethanol process. However, once the oil-rich germ is broken into small pieces, the oil mixes with and is diluted by the oil-lean components including fiber, endosperm proteins, and residual starch, making it difficult to be recovered. Another problem is that the oil from the conventional dry-grind process is highly degraded, usually contains high level of free fatty acid (in a range of 9 to 15 percent).
Recovering the oil in the form of intact germ as that from wet-milling within the dry-grind industry establishment is probably the only way to ensure high yield and good oil quality.
Many of the prior-art degerming processes have been proposed over the past decade. These processes can be divided into two categories, one is dry-degerming processes and the other wet-degerming processes.
In many of the prior art dry-degerming processes, the corn kernels are moistened with water to increase their moisture content. The slightly softened corn kernels are broken into the pericarp, germ, and endosperm pieces using a coarse mill. The pieces are then screened and aspirated to separate the germ from lighter pericarp and the heavier endosperm pieces. The oil content in the germ fraction from dry degerming processes is only about 20 percent compared to about 40 percent from wet milling, and less than half of the total germ is recovered. This is because the separation of germ and other components is not complete. Germ fractions from dry-degerming contain significant amounts of endosperm and other components; at the same time more than one half of the germ is lost to the endosperm fraction. The losses of starch in the germ fraction and germ in the endosperm fraction reduce both ethanol yield and oil recovery, which compromises the economy of these processes.
Many of the prior art wet-degerming processes are modifications of conventional wet-milling process. They usually involve soaking or steeping the corn in water for a prolonged time period followed by size-reduction and fractionation in liquid phase. Water helps soften the corn and acts as a suspension medium where the kernel can be broken open to release the germ without major damage. Since oil-rich germ has lower density than the slurry medium, the germ can be isolated by floatation, such as hydrocloning or centrifugation method. After germ is removed, the starch-containing germ-free fraction is usually fermented together with at least another component (fiber or gluten protein) without further concentration or purification of the starch. The steeping or soaking time can be reduced from 24-36 hours at 52° C. in conventional wet milling to less than 12 hours at 59° C. in wet-degerming processes. The oil content in the germ is about 30 percentage. This technique is known as "Quick Germ Process". When the pericarp (coarse fiber) is also recovered before fermentation, the process is termed "Quick Germ Quick Fiber". There are other minor modifications to these processes, such as in "Enzymatic Milling" or "E-Milling", where the enzyme was used to replace part or all chemicals including sulfur dioxide.
Nevertheless, these prior art wet-degerming techniques have yet to achieve widespread adoption by the dry-grind corn ethanol industry. One reason is that they still need major wet-milling equipment, including steeping tanks, degermer mills and hydroclones, which are expensive for small dry-grind plants.
These prior art processes (either dry degerming or wet degerming) all involve germ separation before the fermentation started, i.e. at the front-end. They all have lower ethanol yield than the conventional dry-grind process because some starch is unavoidably lost in the germ or fiber fractions. The oil content in the germ from is lower than that from the conventional wet milling process.
Therefore there is a need to develop new degerming processes for the dry-grind ethanol industry to achieve better fractionation (higher purity components), higher processing efficiency, easier adaptability, and to help meet the increasing demand for both food and fuel from corn.
In our invented new degerming processes the germ fraction is recovered during or after ethanol fermentation. The new processes in this invention have a few significant advantages compared to prior art front-end wet-degerming processes: 1) the total ethanol yield is higher; 2) the total germ yield is higher and the recovery of the germ is easier since the fermentation "eats away" the starch between germ and coarse fiber/endosperm proteins; 3) the coarse fiber exists in larger pieces, which can be recovered more easily; and 4) since the germ is recovered during or after fermentation, it can be processed differently and it needs less expensive equipments, such as screening apparatus, aspirators, etc.
Our invention in which the germ fraction is recovered during or after fermentation is not a simple switch of different processing steps during corn refining, because the intact germ has to go through prolonged fermentation treatment, which has different physical, mechanical, biological and chemical environments compared to that in prior art. Our invention is possible only because we studied and discovered that by proper treatments, the germ can remain physical intact during the fermentation process with little or no chemical degradation to the germ oil. Part of the data is incorporated in Example 2 of the EXAMPLES section.

Corn degerming ethanol fermentation processes


A method and system for controlling gamut mapping algorithm parameters and exposing those parameters as user interface elements to allow users to interactively control the gamut mapping algorithm parameters is provided. A request to modify a user interface is received and a modified gamut mapping algorithm parameter element is loaded into the user interface in response. The request to modify can be a request to modify a pre-existing gamut mapping algorithm parameter element or a format of a corresponding gamut mapping algorithm parameter. User specified requests to adjust gamut mapping algorithm parameter elements are received and color management operations are adjusted in response. A three dimensional representation of a device color gamut can be displayed and modified by a user, and an input image that is being processed by the color management operations is displayed and modified dynamically in response to user specific adjustments.

User specific options and customization of products continues to be of increasing importance in the art of color management technology. Color management is the process of ensuring that color recorded by one device is represented as faithfully as possible to the human eye on a different device. The sensor of an imaging device will have, when compared to the human eye, a limited ability to capture all the color and dynamic range that the human eye can. The same problem occurs on both display devices and output devices. The problem is that while each of imaging, input and output devices have these color and dynamic range limitations, none of them will have limitations in exactly the same way. Therefore conversion rules must be set up to preserve as much of the already limited color and dynamic range information as possible, as well as ensure that the information appears as realistic as possible to the human eye, as it moves through the workflow.
With the differences between source and destination color spaces, colors that are present in the source color space which are not reproducible in the destination color space are referred to as out-of-gamut colors. In response to these out-of-gamut colors, the International Color Consortium (ICC) developed a profile specification that includes four different methods for processing out-of-gamut colors. A method for processing out-of-gamut colors is commonly known by one skilled in the art as a rendering intent or a gamut mapping algorithm. The four ICC profile specification rendering intents are 1) perceptual, 2) saturation, 3) relative colorimetric, and 4) absolute colorimetric. A perceptual rendering intent seeks to preserve the overall appearance of the image. A saturation rendering intent seeks to produce vivid colors and is often utilized for business graphics scenarios. A relative colorimetric rendering intent seeks accurate reproduction, relative to a white point. An absolute colorimetric rendering intent seeks a measurement accurate appearance. A detailed explanation of each type of rendering intent can be found on pages 88-92 of Fraser et al., Real World Color Management, Peachpit Press, Berkeley, Calif., 2003.
Most advanced or profile based color management solutions are based on the ICC profile specification. The ICC profile specification includes broad, textual definitions for the different rendering intents. However, the rendering intents of the ICC profile specification do not include reference limitations. Further, the ICC rendering intents are not based upon any mathematical equations. As such, a vendor interprets and implements the rendering intents differently. For example, various vendor applications can perform a perceptual rendering intent. Yet, the resulting appearance of an image will be different for each application since each vendor application can perform a perceptual rendering intent as the vendor so chooses. Such a specification of rendering intents lacks uniformity between various vendors.
Another consequence of the ICC profile specification is the effect on subjective solutions that a user may wish to apply to his/her workflow. The ICC profile specification combines objective intra-device measurements with the subjective inter-device gamut mapping functions. As such, a user cannot apply his/her subjective solutions in an efficient and/or interactive manner. Vendors have begun to include profiling tools for allowing a user to control certain parameters of a rendering intent or gamut mapping algorithm. The MonacoPROFILER 4.5 by Monaco Systems, Inc. of Andover, Mass. and the Heidelberg PrintOpen 4.5 by Heidelberg USA, Inc. of Kennesaw, Ga. are two examples of such a profiling tool. A user has limited and confined parameters that can be changed. The parameters are limited to certain parameters, such as the contrast or saturation of the colors, and the parameters are confined, i.e., a user cannot change the actual parameters to be controlled. A user cannot construct user interface elements to control parameters in a desired format. If the vendor provides a contrast user interface element, the user is confined to a linear input for the contrast parameter from a minimum value to a maximum value. A user cannot change the form of the contrast, such as a non-linear input, e.g., exponential input.
Conventional color management applications require a user to build and save a profile before applying it to an image. A user must exit a color management application prior to applying his/her parameter choices to an image. If the resulting image is not the desired resulting image, a user must enter the color management application again, apply new settings to the corresponding parameter, exit the application and apply the parameter choices to the image again. A user is left to guess and hope that his/her parameter choices, when applied to an input image, will provide a desired resulting image. A user cannot see a multi-dimensional representation of the source and destination device color gamuts in order to allow for easier, more efficient control over color management functions.

System and method for dynamically controlling gamut mapping functions


In a relief valve device, a positive-pressure relief valve opens a first valve port when pressure in a pressure chamber increases to a pressure that is equal to or higher than positive-pressure side valve-opening pressure. A negative-pressure relief valve opens a second valve port when pressure in the pressure chamber decreases to a pressure that is equal to or lower than negative-pressure side valve-opening pressure. When the positive-pressure relief valve is closed, a positive valve-opening pressure adjustment unit adjusts a set load of a positive-pressure spring according to an amount of an adjustment screw screwed in the pedestal plate. When the negative-pressure relief valve is closed, a negative valve-opening pressure adjustment unit adjusts a set load of the negative-pressure spring via the valve plate through forward or backward movement of the pedestal plate relative to a housing main body.

Conventionally, for a fuel tank seal valve, there is provided a valve having a positive-pressure relief valve and negative-pressure relief valve for maintaining a pressure in a fuel tank at a proper pressure (see US 2010/0269921A1). The pressure in the fuel tank may be a positive pressure as a result of vaporization of fuel, or a negative pressure as a result of devolatilization of the vaporized fuel. Accordingly, for the purpose of protection of the fuel tank, the positive-pressure relief valve and negative-pressure relief valve are provided for keeping the pressure in the fuel tank at the proper pressure.
The positive-pressure relief valve and negative-pressure relief valve are configured to urge their valving elements in a valve-closing direction by their relief springs, respectively. Therefore, a valve-opening pressure (i.e., relief pressure) is determined by a set load of the relief spring. However, because the relief spring has a tolerance, the set load varies despite the same set length, so that a target valve-opening pressure may not be obtained. Accordingly, to set the valve-opening pressure at the target pressure, it becomes necessary to provide an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the set load of the relief spring.
However, according to the technology described in US 2010/0269921A1, a spring receiving part that receives the relief spring of the positive-pressure relief valve, and a spring receiving part that receives the relief spring of the negative-pressure relief valve are positioned on the opposite sides of a housing. Accordingly, when a mechanism for adjusting the position of the spring receiving part is employed for the mechanism for adjusting the relief spring, adjustment operations of the respective relief valves need to be performed from different directions. As a result, the adjustment operations become complicated. Specifically, after the adjustment of one relief spring, the other relief spring needs to be adjusted with the housing inverted.


The invention is a machine based alignment system for imaging with a contrasting marker (fiducial marker) attached to a support means for providing a set of markings which uniquely identify each cross-section of an imaged object in relation to other registered images.. The invention also provides a method for using the alignment system.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an alignment system used for overlaying or registering uptake patterns displayed by Single Emission Photon Tomography with specific underlying anatomy by Computer Aided Tomography and/or Magnetic Resonance. The alignment system creates a set of markings in each image which uniquely identifies a cross-section of the imaged object. The invention also relates to a method of using the alignment system.
2. Description of the Related Art
High specificity and the ability to detect occult tumors has made monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) useful as vehicles for targeting diaonostic doses of radionuclides to tumors (Goldenberg et. al., 3 Antibody Immunoconjugates and Radiopharmaceuticals, 151-167 (1990)). Recently, it has been shown that the highest accuracy rates are found for Mabs labeled with I-131, I-123, or Tc-99m (Goldenberg et. al., 3 Antibody Immunoconjugates and Radiopharmaceuticals, 151-167 (1990)). The use of single photon emission tomography (SPECT) for antibody imaging has compelled the investigator to correlate findings of SPECT with computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) images, because although CT and MR images are more accurate than SPECT images they suffer from a lack of physiological information. Correlation of the images is especially useful to identify lesions near the organs, such as liver, kidney, spleen, bladder and major blood vessels where the tumor activity uptake may be shadowed by the uptake of the adjacent organ. Different image registration methods were developed to perform image correlation. A surface fitting method has been described to register head scans (Chen et. al., Important Adv. Oncol., 131-134 (1990). It has the advantage that no specific headholders or positioning need be performed during data acquisition but it requires an expert for identification of regions of interest (ROI) and is not suitable for Mab images, because of the lack of anatomical landmarks. This technique also requires a rigid structure which the skull and to some extent the features of the brain provide more than the abdomen or the torso. Other disadvantages include 1) identified organ used as fiducial is sufficient only for "local" region; 2) requires time consuming contouring; 3) not being a general method, therefore anatomical markers have to be uniquely identified each time; and 4) organ dependence-non-tumor concentration of radiolabel uptake is variable.
Another method has been described to register gastrointestinal and lung carcinoma images (Kramer et. al., 172 Radiology, 861-865 (1989)) and Kramer et. al., 1 Nucl. Med. Bio., 27-42 (1991)). That method uses external and anatomical land- marks. Each landmark from the reference image is cross-correlated with the corresponding landmark from the other image. The differences between the two images are compensated through the warping algorithm which allows for translation, rotation, scale, and skew. Although registered images are accurate this method suffers from the disadvantages which are 1) repeated precise application of external markers and frame is difficult on a "moving" patient; 2) matching a external marker with an anatomical landmark may be problematic; 3) choosing the same pair of points from two images is operator and "movement" dependent; and 4) since only one cross-section is matched from each study, if there is a translation or rotation which is different in another cross-section, they may accumulate interpolation error.
There is thus a need for image alignment system which is machine based and uses external landmarks. In particular, there is a need for an alignment system which is 1) free from motion artifact; 2) organ independent, so concentration of radiolabel uptake in the organs is not a factor; 3) allows for minimum operator interference; 4) can be generally used for every patient; 5) where rotation and translation of the patient is not a problem; and 6) where the alignment system is machine compatible with minimal additional effort needed from the machine operator.

Alignment system to overlay abdominal computer aided tomography and magnetic resonance anatomy with single photon emission tomography


A system and method of broadcasting images in a communications network. Methods according to the invention include providing image content from at least one mobile content provider, coupling the image content from the mobile content provider to a network, presenting the image content from the mobile content provider for selection, and selecting the image content from the mobile content provider.

Today, video technology is omnipresent in both home and business. From video conferencing in the work environment, to store surveillance, to video taping family events, video technology has become commonplace. For recordation, video surveillance has taken to the roads in law enforcement applications. For police rushing to the scene of a crime or traffic accident, a patrol car mounted camera, microphone and recorder allow law enforcement to memorialize the event for evidentiary purposes. However, these systems do not typically allow for events to be shared in real time with other viewers. While law enforcement video and audio capture serve a limited role in preserving evidence, public applications of real-time mobile video can also benefit law enforcement; provide general information pertaining to road systems, as well as entertainment. The systems employed in law enforcement applications lack many of the conveniences and speed offered by computer-based systems for enterprise applications.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

System and method for a real time streaming video platform