A tubular, seamless, water vapour permeable, smokable, biaxially draw-oriented and partially or completely heat-set food casing is provided having at least two layers based on thermoplastic polymers. At least one layer A, which does not form the inside layer, comprises a blend of aliphatic (co)polyamide and at least one hydrophilic polymer, while the inside layer I comprises a blend of aliphatic or isocyclic (co)polyamide and a block copolymer selected from polyether-amide, polyether-ester and polyether-urethane. The casing is produced by a tubular-film blowing process or a process with biaxial tubular-film draw-orientation. The casing is envisaged more particularly as synthetic sausage casing, especially for smoked raw sausage, such as salami.

Smoked and/or dried sausage products are traditionally produced using casings based on regenerated cellulose or on collagen. Production of these casings, however, is technically complex. Cellulose casings, for instance, are produced generally by the viscose process. In this process, cellulose is first converted, using sodium hydroxide solution and carbon disulfide (CS2), into cellulose xanthogenate. The resultant solution, called the viscose solution, must first age for several days before being passed to the skin-spinning machines. These machines consist essentially of a spinneret die, precipitation baths, wash baths and preparation baths, and also drying stations. In the precipitation baths, the cellulose xanthogenate is regenerated to form cellulose. Collagen skins—also referred to as hide fibre skins consist of hardened connective tissue protein. In production of such skins, connective tissue from animal hides is first mechanically comminuted and chemically digested. The homogenized mass formed in this process is then processed further in a dry or wet spinning process. In the wet spinning process, the collagen mass, after extrusion through an annular die, is consolidated in a coagulating precipitation bath (G. Effenberger, Wursthüllen—Kunstdarm [Sausage casings—artificial skin], Holzmann-Buchverlag, Bad Wörishofen, 2nd edn. [1991] pp. 21-27).
As an alternative to the aforesaid casings, casings permeable to smoke and to water vapour and based on synthetic polymers have been described and introduced into the market.
EP 1 380 212 A1 describes (drawn) casings comprised of a mixture of a copolyamide (PA6/66, 85:15) and a crosslinked N-vinylpyrrolidone polymer ("PVPP"). In the examples of EP '212, the fraction of PVPP in the mixture is varied from 4 to 50%. Values reported for the water vapour permeability are in the range 1000 to S 2000 g/m2 24 h, measured at 40° C. and 90% rh. Additionally reported is the weight loss for sausage fillings after 15 days and after 2 months. The figures for a cellulose fibre casing are reported for comparison. The weight loss of the sausage in cellulose fibre casings after 15 days was substantially higher than in the case of the casings comprised of copolyamide and PVPP.
DE 103 30 762 A1 discloses a food casing which is permeable for smoke and water vapour and is impregnated on the food-contact side with liquid smoke. The casing consists of a mixture comprising a) at least one aliphatic polyamide and/or aliphatic copolyamide and b) at least one thermoplastifiable other polymer or copolymer. An embodiment according to DE '762 pertains to a multi-layered, seamless, biaxially oriented and thermoset, tubular film, wherein the inner layer of the multi-layered casing, i.e. the food contact layer, comprises at least one aliphatic polyamide and/or copolyamide and at least one other thermoplastifiable polymer.
Known from DE 20 2004 021 408 U1 is a smokeable, flat or tubular, bi-directionally oriented food casing or casing film based on polymers. The casing or film may be single- or multi-layered, wherein the layer(s) are made up of a polymer mixture comprising polyamide or a mixture of polyamide, polyvinyl alcohol and polyether-block-amide.
WO 09/078455 A1 describes films for the smoking and/or drying of foods, consisting of a polyamide matrix with a finely dispersed hydrophilic component. The latter component, for example, is a (co)polymer of N-vinylpyrrolidone, vinyl alcohol, or polyethylene glycol. In the polyamide matrix, the hydrophilic component is in the form of domains having a diameter of 0.1 to 3 μm in the plane of the film. The examples disclose biaxially drawn casings having water vapour permeabilities in the range from 211 to 509 g/m2 24 h, measured at 30° C. and 65% rh. Stated for comparison is a collagen casing ("Cutisin") having a permeability of 1200 g/m2 24 h under the same conditions.
DE 103 02 960 A1 claims a biaxially oriented, smoke permeable casing which comprises aliphatic polyamide or copolyamide and at least one water-soluble synthetic polymer and which has a water vapour permeability in the range from 40 to 200 g/m2 d. The water-soluble polymer is preferably a polyvinyl alcohol, a polyalkylene glycol, a vinylpyrrolidone (co)polymer, a polymer of N-vinylalkylamides or a (co)polymer having units of α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acids or α,β-unsaturated carboxamides. The examples specify casings having a water vapour permeability in the range from 81 to 110 g/m2 d, measured at 23° C. and 85% rh.
The water vapour permeabilities stated in the aforesaid specifications were measured under different ambient conditions and are not comparable with one another. In EP 1 380 212 A1 and WO 09/078455 A2, the cellulose fibre casing or collagen casing, respectively, employed for comparison shows that this latter casing is distinctly superior in terms of water vapour permeability to each of the polyamide-based casings claimed.
A general deficiency of the casings described above is their strong adhesion to the filling, i.e. in particular to the sausage meat. The strong adhesion can be explained on the basis of the polyamides, which form the matrix in all of these skins and which therefore determine the surface properties. The amide groups contained in polyamides are chemically analogous to the amide groups of the meat protein. Both kinds of amide groups are able to develop hydrogen bonds to one another, these bonds being energetically favoured and forming forces of adhesion at the polyamide/protein interface.
Adhesion to the sausage meat is frequently likewise high for casings based on regenerated cellulose. With these casings, surface modifications have long been usual in order to reduce the polarity of the cellulose surface and/or to tailor it to the specific application. Customarily, the insides of these casings are treated with a reactive water repellent, which binds chemically to the hydroxyl groups of the cellulose. Common reactive water repellents are, for example, alkyldiketenes and chromium-fatty acid complexes (see, among others, GB 887 466 A, U.S. Pat. No. 3,582,364 A and DE 34 47 026 A1).
For the user, strong adhesion to the sausage meat is a disadvantage, since it makes it difficult or even impossible for the casing to be peeled away. Very low adhesion is likewise undesirable; it may lead to the "lifting" of the casing from the meat surface during sausage manufacture and, consequently, to the accumulation of meat juice or to mould growth in the space between sausage and casing. In order to cover all application scenarios for smoked and/or dried sausage products, the user requires a range of casings with graduated adhesion.

Smoke- and water vapour-permeable food casing with optimized bonding properties


The measurement apparatus includes: a support arranged to receive a lens; lighting element including an optical system for generating a collimated light beam directed towards the lens under measurement installed on the support; detachment elements for detaching light rays from the light beam, for detaching a localized group of at least three non-coplanar light rays grouped together about a measurement axis in a measurement cylinder of section substantially smaller than the section of the lens under measurement; acquisition elements for identifying the deflections imparted by the lens on the detached light rays and for delivering a signal representative of the deflections; and an electronic and computer system programmed to deduce from said deflections the value of the refractive characteristic of the lens at the measurement point.

Before mounting a pair of ophthalmic lenses for correcting eyeglasses in a frame, an optician generally seeks to verify that the main optical characteristics of the lenses, and in particular their refractive characteristics, at one or more points do indeed correspond to the prescription for which they were ordered. At present, this can consist, for example, in verifying the spherical, cylindrical, and prismatic powers and the cylindrical and prismatic orientations at one or more prescribed points. When the prescribed lens is a single-vision lens, the prescribed point where measurement is to be performed is the optical center of the lens. When the lens is bifocal, the prescribed points are the reference points for near vision and for far vision, in positions that are defined by the manufacturer in the frame of reference marked on the lens. More generally, it can be desired to verify the refractive characteristics of the lens at one or more points of interest at any positions that are determined in the frame of reference of the lens.
The refractive characteristics of a lens are indeed written by the manufacturer on the envelope in which each lens is delivered. However numerous opticians prefer to verify compliance of the actual main refractive characteristics of each lens immediately before mounting in order to eliminate any risk of error. It can also happen that the envelope bearing the prescription of a lens is missing, for example when it is desired to discover or verify the characteristics of a lens that has already been mounted or prepared for mounting.
In addition, prior to the optician mounting a lens on a frame, a lens manufacturer can also desire to verify the optical characteristics of manufactured lenses, or indeed to measure the optical characteristics of lenses from competitors.
In order to undertake such measurements and/or verifications, opticians and manufacturers thus require apparatus capable of measuring the main refractive characteristics of a lens at one or more defined points thereof.
Several categories of apparatus are known that satisfy this need more or less well. In the context of the present invention, existing apparatuses can be classified in two main categories. Thus, firstly there are narrow-field measurement apparatuses having a single measurement axis that is stationary and that are designed to perform targeted measurement on a measurement zone of small size around the measurement point, and secondly there are wide-field mapping apparatuses designed to perform measurement that is complete, or at least that extends over a large area of the lens, at a large number of points simultaneously.
Amongst narrow-field measurement apparatuses, there can be included apparatuses that have been in widespread use for many years and that are known as frontofocometers. One of the first apparatus of that kind is described in U.S. Pat. No. 1,383,678. The principle on which the apparatus operates has remained unchanged since then. There have merely been applied thereto improvements of an electronic nature seeking to provide assistance in assessing the refractive power of the lens in the measurement zone, and also relating to the user interface. That apparatus continues to give satisfaction at the present time, in particular in terms of measurement accuracy when it is used, as generally happens, by an operator who is qualified and practiced. However taking a measurement is relatively lengthy and it cannot be delegated, without risk of error, to an operator having lesser qualifications or who is a beginner. The use of that apparatus thus tends to impact on the profitability or the quality of the work carried out by an optician.
That apparatuses is characterized by the fact that it possesses a single and stationary measurement axis on which there is arranged a narrow-field system for observing the lens. It is therefore up to the operator to manipulate the lens that is to be measured so as to bring the point of interest of the lens (the measurement point) onto the optical axis of the apparatus in order to measure one or more of the refractive characteristics of the lens. The operator can then assess the refractive power of the zone of the lens (the measurement zone) that is situated in the field of the apparatus. The measurement zone is narrow, and in practice it presents a diameter of about 8 millimeters (mm). It will be understood that under such conditions, using apparatus of that kind requires manipulations to be performed that take time and that lead to inaccuracy in the event of the measurement point of the lens not being positioned with precision on the measurement axis of the apparatus. In addition, if it is desired to make a plurality of measurements on a single lens at a plurality of points thereof, as happens for example when measuring powers and axes at reference points for near vision and for far vision on a multi-focal lens, it is necessary to increase the number of manipulations, thereby further lengthening the time required for measurement.
Another narrow-field measurement technique dedicated to measuring the refractive powers of single-vision lenses in their centers, is described in the article "Testing and centering of lenses by means of a Hartmann test with four holes", Optical Engineering, Vol. 31, No. 7, pp. 1551-1555, Jul 1992, Malacara. Apparatus implementing the technique described in that document is described in greater detail in U.S. Pat. No. 3,880,525. That apparatus comprises:                a support arranged to receive such a lens;        on a first side of the lens support, lighting means including an optical system for generating a collimated beam of light rays directed towards the ophthalmic lens installed on said support;        on a second side of the support, means for measuring the deflection imparted by the lens on said light rays, said means comprising a projection screen onto which the shadow of the lens is projected, and means for reading and digitizing the image projected onto the projection screen; and        means for detaching light rays from the light beam and suitable for detaching a localized group of at least three non-coplanar light rays that are grouped together about a measurement axis passing through the center of the lens, so that the detached rays occupy a measurement cylinder having a diameter that is substantially smaller than the diameter of the lens under measurement.
In practice, the ray detachment means comprise a mask perforated by a few holes, typically four holes, for passing a corresponding number of light rays as detached thereby from the beam. Unlike mapping apparatuses, the detached rays are grouped together about a stationary measurement point that coincides with the center of the lens and they are contained within a radius of a few millimeters in order to obtain an accurate value for the local power at the center of the lens. It is specified that overall measurement over a larger area of the lens, or indeed over the entire lens, would be inaccurate insofar as the refractive characteristics of the lens over the remainder of its surface differs substantially from those measured in its localized central zone. In any event, the measurement axis of that apparatus is single and stationary.
Under such conditions, it can immediately be seen that that apparatus presents limits and drawbacks. Its field of application is restricted to single-vision lenses and under no circumstances does it make it possible to measure the refractive characteristics of a lens at points other than its geometrical center, without moving the lens and the associated loss of time and risk of error that such manipulation engenders, as mentioned above for frontofocometers.
Finally, wide-field mapping measurement apparatuses are known that can be thought of as apparatuses having multiple stationary measurement axes, in that they are designed to perform a plurality of measurements of the refractive powers of the lens simultaneously at a large number of measurement points that are regularly distributed over the entire area of the lens to be measured. Such an apparatus typically implements Hartmann or equivalent tests of the kind described in the article "Hartmann test", Optical Shop Testing, Chap. 10, pp. 367-396, I. Ghozeil, edited by D. Malacara, 1992. An example of such an apparatus is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,641,962, for example. Those mapping apparatuses have lighting means for generating a collimated beam of parallel light rays directed towards the lens, a beam separator for separating the beams into a plurality of light rays that are regularly spaced apart for passing through the lens at a multiplicity of points distributed over the entire area of the lens, and a projection screen associated with a sensor and with measurement means. The measurement means serve to measure the deflections imparted by the lens to the various light rays, and then to draw up one or more maps of the power(s) of the lens over its entire area.
Those apparatuses are useful in particular when it is desired to obtain an overall view of the refractive characteristics of the lens and how they are distributed over various zones thereof. However they do not give entire satisfaction when used for measuring refractive characteristics at a small number of specific points of the lens, mainly because of their lack of accuracy, their slowness, and their expense. Those apparatuses measure power over the entire area of the lens, which specifically implies performing measurements using rays that are distributed over the entire lens at a pitch that is not sufficiently fine or that is inaccurately centered or aligned with the position of the measurement point under consideration. The mapping feature of the measurement also implies, for electronic processing of the measurement, large memory requirements for storing the complete map of the lens, long calculation time for drawing up the map, and deflection-measuring means that are complex or inaccurate, since such measurement means ought to perform accurate measurements of all points of the lens simultaneously. The Applicant has observed that most of the points measured are not useful in verifying the prescription characteristics of an ophthalmic lens. In particular there is an identification problem of distinguishing between the various points of impact of the light rays on the projection screen, in order to associate each of them individually with the rays from which they are derived, and in spite of the large number and the closeness of ray impact points on the projection screen. Solving this identification problem requires specific identification means to be implemented which, in order to be reliable, turn out to be relatively complex, to consume large amounts of resources (processor time in particular), and to be expensive.
Furthermore, measured deflections of the lens are mapped using a Hartmann or equivalent mask or matrix which, in order to make accurate measurement possible, ought to have a pitch that is as fine as possible. Unfortunately, having beam separator elements (patterns, microlenses, etc.) that are close together leads firstly to an increased amount of computation, and secondly to worsening the identification problem, so that solving it then requires more complex identification means to be implemented.

Method and apparatus for locally measuring refractive characteristics of a lens in one or several specific points of said lens

Essilor International (Compagnie Generale d'Optique)


Disclosed herein is a storage controlling apparatus, including: a status acquisition section configured to acquire status including a number of times of execution of verification after writing into a memory from the memory; a history information retention section configured to retain a history of the status as history information in an associated relationship with each of predetermined regions of the memory; and a region selection section configured to select a region which satisfies a condition in accordance with the history information when a new region is to be used in the memory.

The present technology relates to a storage controlling apparatus. More particularly, the present technology relates to a storage controlling apparatus, a storage apparatus and an information processing system for a nonvolatile memory and a processing method for the storage controlling apparatus, storage apparatus and information processing system as well as a program for causing a computer to execute the processing method.
In a semiconductor memory such as a NAND flash memory or a ReRAM (Resistance RAM), writing and erasure are carried out collectively into and from memory cells connected to a selected word line. Upon writing or erasure of data, a method of carrying out verify reading out after a writing operation or an erasure operation into or from the memory cells is used in order to ensure the reliability of data. If a writing operation into or an erasure operation from memory cells and verify reading out are executed only once, then the writing operation or the erasure operation does not sometimes end correctly by an influence of a dispersion arising from a fabrication process. In this instance, a writing operation or an erasure operation and verify reading out are executed repetitively by a plural number of times.
On the other hand, in order to correctly record or read out data into or from a NAND flash memory or a ReRAM, the internal circuit of a memory chip or a memory controller has an error correction function. Also a method of utilizing the error correction function such that appearance of some errors is permitted to decrease the number of times of repetition to speed up writing or erasure of data has been proposed. Such a method as just described is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 06-131884, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-048783 or Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 10-222995.

Method and system for selecting region of a nonvolatile memory


This invention presents a system of a multiband MIMO-based W-CDMA and UWB communications for wireless and local area wireless communications. The system includes a W-CDMA base station, an UWB base station, and p-user dual-mode W-CDMA and UWB portable stations. This system allows p-user to transmit and receive a very high-speed multimedia information data based on W-CDMA and UWB communications to access both wireless phones and Internet.

This invention is generally relative to a multiband Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output (MIMO)-based Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA) and Ultra Wideband (UWB) Communications for wireless and/or local-area wireless communications.
A MIMO is a multiple-input-multiple-output as a wireless link and is also a space-time signal processing. In the space-time signal processing a natural dimensional of transmitting data is complemented with a spatial dimension inherent in the use of multiple spatially distributed antennas. Thus this leads that the MIMO is able to turn multipath propagation into benefit for a user. In a MIMO system, signals on the transmit antennas and the receiver antennas are integrated in such a way that a quality of bit error rate (BER) or a data rate of the communication for each user or a transmitting distance is improved, thereby increasing a communication network's quality of service.
The next-generation wireless communication is defined to allow a subscriber to access World Wide Web or to perform file transferring over packet data connections capable of providing 144 kbps and 384 kbps for a mobility, and 2 Mbps in an indoor environment. The W-CDMA is a wideband, spread spectrum radio interface that uses CDMA technology to meet the needs for the next-generation wireless communication. The W-CDMA (also known as CDMA2000) supports for a wide range of radio frequency (RF) channel bandwidths from 1.25 MHz to 15 MHz operating at 1.90 GHz band, where the channel sizes of 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12×1.25 MHz. A wide channel of the W-CDMA offers any combination of higher data rates, thereby enhancing total capacity. The W-CDMA also employs a single carrier and a multicarrier system, which can be deployed as an overlay over one or more existing the second generation of TIA/EIA-95B1.25 MHz channels. In a multicarrier system, modulation symbols are de-multiplexed onto N separate 1.25 MHz carriers. Each carrier is spread with a 1.2288 Mcps chip rate.
With regard to the UWB communications, U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a revision of Part 15 of Commission's rules for UWB transmission systems on Apr. 22, 2002. FCC permitted the marketing and operation of certain types of new products, incorporating UWB technology. Thus, UWB communication devices can operate using spectrum occupied by existing radio service without causing interference. This results permitting scarce spectrum resources to be used more efficiently. The UWB communication devices can offer significant benefits for Government, public safety, businesses and consumers under an unlicensed basis of an operation spectrum.
FCC is adapting unwanted emission limits for the UWB communication devices that are significantly more stringent than those imposed on other Part 15 devices. For an indoor UWB operation, FCC provides a wide variety of the UWB communication devices, such as high-speed home and business networking devices under the Part 15 of the Commission's rules subject to certain frequency and power limitations. However, the UWB communication devices must operate in the frequency band ranges from 3.1 GHz to 10.6 GHz, and have an emission of −10 dBm for the indoor UWB operation. In addition, the UWB communication devices should also satisfy the Part 15.209 limit for the frequency band below 960 MHz. Table 1 lists the FCC restriction of the emission masks (dBm) along with the frequencies (GHz) for the UWB communication devices in an indoor environment.
TABLE 1Frequency (MHz)EIRP (dBm) 0-960−41.3 960-1610−75.31610-1990−53.31990-3100−51.3 3100-10600−41.3Above 10600−51.3
The UWB communication devices are defined as any devices where a fractional bandwidth (FB) is greater than 0.25 based on the following formula:
                              FB          =                      2                                      (                                                                    f                    H                                    -                                      f                    L                                                                                f                    H                                    +                                      f                    L                                                              )                                      ,                            (        1        )            where fh is the upper frequency of −10 dBm emission point, and fL is the lower frequency of −10 dBm emission point. A center transmission frequency Fc of the UWB communication devices is defined as an average of the upper and lower −10 dBm emission points as follows:
                              F          C                =                                                            f                H                            +                              f                L                                      2                    .                                    (        2        )            Furthermore, a minimum frequency bandwidth of 500 MHz must be used for indoor UWB communication devices regardless of the center frequency.
The UWB communication devices can be designed to use for wireless broadband communications within a short-distance range, particularly for a very high-speed data transmission suitable for broadband access to networks in the indoor environment.
A multiband MIMO-based W-CDMA and UWB communication transceiver system is disclosed herein according to some embodiments of the present invention. The invention system includes a W-CDMA base station, a UWB base station, and P-user dual-mode portable stations of W-CDMA and UWB communication devices. The W-CDMA base station has a multicarrier for 12 channels with a total of 15 MHz frequency bandwidth at the center of 1.9 GHz frequency band, and employs four antennas at the transmitter and receiver. The UWB communication base station uses a multicarrier for four frequency bands (referred to as a multiband) with a total of 2.048-GHz frequency bandwidth in the frequency range from 3.1 GHz to 5.15 GHz, and also employs four antennas at the transmitter and receiver. Each of the frequency bands in the UWB communications has a 512-MHz frequency bandwidth, using an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) modulation. On the other hand, each of the P-user dual-mode portable stations of the W-CDMA and UWB communication devices uses two antennas, and shares some of common components, such as analog-to-digital (A/D) and digital-to-analog (D/A) converters, memory, etc. The W-CDMA in the dual-mode portable stations uses 12 channels with each channel of 1.25 MHz, has a multicarrier, and is able to transmit a data rate more than 2 Mcps, while the UWB employs four frequency band-based multicarrier OFDM with each frequency band of 512 MHz, and can transmit a data rate up to 1.5872 Gbps. In addition, all of the dual-mode portable station use a direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS), which is a pseudorandom (PN) sequence to spread a user signal. The DSSS is used to separate signals coming from multiuser. Thus, multiple access interference (MAI) among multiuser can be avoided when a set of PN sequences is designed with as low cross-correlation as possible.
An OFDM is an orthogonal multicarrier modulation technique that has its capability of multifold increasing symbol duration. Increasing the number of subcarriers in the OFDM modulation, the frequency selectivity of a channel may be reduced so that each subcarrier experiences flat fading for the UWB communications. Thus, an OFDM approach is a particular useful for the UWB communications over a short-range fading channel.
The present invention of the multiband MIMO-based W-CDMA and UWB communications utilizes both benefits of W-CDMA wireless phones and UWB wireless broadband communications. Such a dual-mode device not only can transmit the packet data in a form of wireless phone but also can use as a very-high speed wireless broadband Internet device to transmit and receive data, image, video, video game, music, and stock graph, etc., in a real-time. Thus, there is a continuing need of the multiband MIMO-based W-CDMA and UWB communication transceiver system for delivering a very-high data rate with a capability of flexibility and scalability in a combination form of the wireless and fixed wireless environment.

Multiband MIMO-based W-CDMA and UWB communications


Raman tilt is induced by the propagation of optical signals in optical communication fibers during and after transient events. Certain characteristics of the light are monitored at each amplification node and Raman tilt correction is achieved by spectral tilt control optics. The light is monitored either as total power, and/or the power of light after passing through one or more optical filters. In the case of EDFA (Erbium Doped Fiber Amplifier) the correction is performed by adjusting stage gains and VOA loss distribution within the amplifier. The light detection is relatively fast, whereby the tilt is compensated by fast controlled VOA and pump power adjustment during a transient event.

In a wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) transmission system, various different information channels are encoded, i.e. modulated, into light at different frequencies, i.e. different wavelength channels. Typically continuous wavelength light is generated at a particular frequency, modulated with some kind of modulator, which encodes the information into the light, and then combined with other optical channels at different light frequencies using a multiplexer. The combined light is transmitted through an optical fiber and/or an optical fiber network to a receiver end of the optical fiber. At the receiver end, the signal is separated, i.e. demultiplexed, back into the individual optical channels through a de-multiplexer, whereby each optical channel can be detected by some optical detector, e.g. photo-diode, and the information can reconstructed on a per-channel basis.
While propagating through the optical fiber, light tends to loose intensity due to the losses related to the physics of how the light interacts with the optical fiber. Yet some minimal level of optical channel intensity is required at the receiver end in order to decode information encoded on the optical channel. In order to boost the optical signal while propagating in the optical fiber, optical amplifiers are deployed at multiple locations, known as nodes, along the transmission link. The amplifiers extend the maximum possible length of the link, e.g. from a few hundred kilometers to several thousand kilometers, whereby after each fiber span, the optical signal is amplified to power levels close to the original levels at the transmitter. During the amplification process some amount of noise is introduced which prevents links from being of unlimited length.
The amplifiers at amplification nodes should similarly amplify all optical wavelength channels, which are propagated in the link; otherwise, some channels will not have sufficient intensity and signal-to-noise level at the receiver end, resulting in information being lost. A typical communication link 5, schematically illustrated in FIG. 1, includes a transmitter 10 for generating the optical wavelength channels and multiplexing the channels into a single WDM signal, and a plurality of spaced apart optical amplifiers 11, e.g. Erbium Doped Fiber Amplifiers (EDFAs) separated by fiber spans 13. The number of spans 12 and amplifiers 11 will vary from link to link. The WDM signal is demultiplexed back into wavelength channels and then separately detected at the end of the link 5 at a receiver 13.
Optical fibers in communication links introduce optical dispersion, which has undesirable effects on the performance of the link. Typically, Dispersion Compensation Modules (DCMs) are inserted at amplifier nodes of the link, between stages of EDFAs, in order to compensate the link dispersion and thus to improve the link performance. Moreover, additional optical components, such as add/drops, cross-connects and DGEs (Dynamic Gain Equalizers) may also be inserted in the middle of an amplifier, requiring multiple controlled gain stages in the amplifier to compensate for the loss due to the additional optical components.
A multi-stage EDFA 20, illustrated in FIG. 2, comprises first and second controlled gain stages 21 and 22, and first and second optical amplification sub-stages 23 and 24. In the first control stage 21a first variable optical attenuator (VOA) 31 is situated after the first optical amplification stage 31, and a second VOA 32 is embedded within the second optical amplification stage 32. Accordingly, the second VOA 32 is located between EDF (Erbium Doped Fiber) coils that produce amplification. A DCM 38 or other optical device is positioned in between the first and second controlled gain stages 21 and 22.
Portions of the light are deviated from the main optical link by taps 41, 42, 43 and 44 into photo-detectors 51, 52, 53 and 54, respectively, for measuring the light's power before and after the first and second optical amplification sub-stages 23 and 24. The information needed for gain control is passed by electrical signals 61, 62, 63 and 64 from detectors 51, 52, 53 and 54, respectively, into a master controller 75. The detectors 51, 52, 53 and 54 are calibrated in such a way that an accurate representation of the power at various parts of the amplifier gain stages 21 and 22 can be determined by the measurements performed thereby.
The amplifiers 11, i.e. the first and second controlled gain stages 23 and 24 can be Raman optical amplifiers, distributed or discrete, or a combination of EDFA and Raman amplifiers. During Raman amplification, pump light is launched into the optical fiber via the first and/or second controlled amplifier stages 23 and 24, and signal amplification occurs in the fiber spans 12. The pump light can be launched either co-propagating with the WDM signal or counter-propagating therewith. The pump light can consist of multiple wavelengths to achieve desired signal amplification characteristics. The internal portions of each amplifier 11, such as dispersion compensation module containing long portions of the fiber can also be pumped for Raman amplification.
One effect of light propagation through the communication fiber is inter-channel Raman interaction, which manifests as tilt in the transmitted spectra, i.e. the wavelength channels with shorter wavelengths have lower power than the wavelength channels with longer wavelengths, after propagation through the fiber. The spectral tilt depends on both total optical power and wavelength channel distribution. Conventional optical amplifiers 11 have tried to compensate for the Raman spectral tilt effect by introducing a gain tilt of the opposite sign.
The communication links described above are so called point-to-point links, in which all information is transmitted from one point only to another point. However, in a realistic transmission system there are multiple points that need to transmit information and multiple points that need to receive information. Different optical channels, which originated at the same transmitter 10, are required to go to different receivers situated at different locations. Instead of simple point-to-point optical communication links, more complex, network-type or web-type topology is used, in which optical channels are switched from one path to another path at multiple network nodes, which are referred as cross-connect nodes and add/drop nodes.
The process of switching the channels at multiple network nodes results in the number of channels passing through each optical amplifiers 11 to vary with time. In order to keep the channel power at the output of each amplifier 11 constant over time, regardless of the number of wavelength channels passing through, the pump power of the first and second controlled amplifier stages 23 and 24 needs to be adjusted to compensate for the changes in the wavelength channel load, which is called "transient control". Amplifiers 11 with transient control are called either transient controlled amplifiers or gain controlled amplifier, i.e. the control is achieved by monitoring and keeping the average gain of the amplifier constant. Failing to do transient control results in the signal power significantly varying at the receiver 13 over time and over wavelength, which could result in some of the transmitted information being lost.
During a transient event, conventional transient controlled amplifiers adjust the pump power in the first and second controlled amplifier stages 23 and 24 to compensate for variations in input signal power by keeping the average amplifier gain constant; however, conventional transient controlled amplifiers do not compensate for Raman tilt variations with time when channel loading and total power is changing.
While some Raman tilt compensation techniques have been developed to compensate for different steady state loads, most require measurement of the per channel power by an optical channel monitor (OCM) or other similar device. Due to the relatively long time for OCM devices to perform measurements, accurate tilt compensation is not possible during fast transient events.
An object of the present invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art by providing an optical amplifier which compensates for Raman tilt during and after a transient event.


The present invention relates to an improved process for the preparation of Roflumilast. The present invention also relates to crystalline Form-I of Roflumilast.

Roflumilast, chemically known as 3-cyclopropylmethoxy-4-difluoromethoxy-N-[3,5-di-chloropyrid-4-yl]-benzamide of Formula-I is an PDE4-inhibitor.

Roflumilast is an effective phosphodiesterase-4-inhibitor (PDE4-inhibitor), which can be used in the treatment of asthma, inflammation, bronchitis, allergy, and osteoporosis, dermatoses and disorders related to immune system, heart and kidney.
Roflumilast is sold under the trademark Daliresp® and is available as an orally administered tablet. It is recommended at 500 mcg once daily.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,712,298 claims Roflumilast and its analogs. This patent also discloses a process for the preparation Roflumilast.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,448,274, PCT Publication No. WO 2005/026095. and PCT Publication No. WO 2004/033430 also disclose processes for the preparation of Roflumilast.
Polymorphism of Roflumilast is not reported in the literature.
One aspect of the present invention provides a stable and industrially scalable novel crystalline form of Roflumilast and an improved process for the preparation of Roflumilast.

Process for the preparation of Roflumilast


A wordline-decode system of a nonvolatile memory array is split into three smaller decoding subsystems (a Read-Mode Decode Subsystem, a Program/Erase-Mode Decode Subsystem and a Segment-Select Decoder Subsystem). The segmented array has small bitline capacitance and requires few input connections to each decoding subsystem. The Read-Mode Decoder circuitry and the Program/Erase-Mode Decoder circuitry are separated, allowing the Read-Mode Decoder circuitry to be desired for high speed access and allowing the Program/Erase-Mode Decoder circuitry to be desired for high voltage operation. Buried-bitline segment-select transistors reduce the area required for those transistors. Erasing may be performed after first checking each row of a segment to determine the present of any over-erased cells. Programming may be performed by allowing the common source-column lines of the selected segment to float and by placing preselected voltages on the appropriate wordline and drain-column line.

This invention relates to segmentation of memory arrays and, in particular, to segmentation of nonvolatile memory arrays such as electrically-erasable, electrically-programmable, read-only-memories (EEPROMs). In particular, this invention relates to a segmented array architecture having buried-bitline, segment-select transistors, having remote wordline decoders, and having segment decoders.
The speed of access to information contained in non-volatile memory arrays is largely dependent on the capacitance of the bitlines and the wordlines. Those capacitances are a function of choices that include the lengths of the bitlines and wordlines, pitch, chip/bar size and aspect ratio, and process parameters. In general, small capacitances are required for fast access time during operation of memory arrays. Conventional segmentation with separate driver circuitry for each segmented wordline and for each segmented bitline is generally impermissible because that method of reducing the access time delay requires an unacceptable increase in driver circuit area on integrated circuit chips.
Increased component density in memory arrays has led to higher bitline capacitance. One way of decreasing that capacitance has been to segment the bitlines of arrays. Segmentation of bitlines of a memory array is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/402,402, filed Sep. 5, 1989 (issued Jun. 11, 1991 as U.S. Pat. No. 5,023,837) and also assigned to Texas Instruments Incorporated.
In high-density, flash-erase-type EEPROMs, reduced wordline pitch and an increased number of voltages applied to the wordlines have created difficulty in laying out the rather complicated wordline decoder and other control circuits efficiently. A need has arisen for a segmented array that allows a fewer number of wordline decoders, which are remotely located from the wordlines and which have a more-sophisticated design.

Segmented, multiple-decoder memory array and method for programming a memory array


A method, computer program and system for controlling accesses to memory by threads created by a process executing on a multiprocessor computer. A page table structure is allocated for each new thread and copied from the existing threads. The page access is controlled by a present bit and a writable bit. Upon a page fault the access is provided to one thread. The kernel handles the new page entry creation process and set the page present bits to zero which creates page faults. In a second embodiment, two page table structures are created, one for one thread having access to the address space and the other page table structure shared by all the other threads not having access to the address space.

The secure and naive way to virtualize shared memory accesses between threads is to log every access to the memory and replay them in the replication machine. This is particularly inefficient in terms of performance.
There is a need for making the shared memory accesses of multithread programs deterministic in order, for instance, to be able to replicate on a backup machine the application virtualized on a primary machine, by simply re-executing the code of the application programs on the replication machine.
A main use could be in fault tolerant systems. In a fault tolerant system, an application runs on a primary machine and its execution is entirely replicated on a second machine (in order to recover, in case of primary failure). The replication is achieved by recording and replay of events that produce non deterministic results or reexecution of code for replicating events producing deterministic results. One other use of making shared memory access by multithread programs deterministic is debugging of the virtualized programs which is performed by re-executing the code (on the same machine in this case) as many times as necessary.
Interleaved execution of processes with respect to a writable shared memory region is a potential source of non-determinism. In order to be able to make the shared memory accesses deterministic, the order in which the shared memory is accessed by concurrent processes needs to be recorded. In the case of a uniprocessor machine, the recording operation can be optimized by just logging one record per scheduling period. Instead of logging every access to the shared memory region, it is sufficient to log one record per scheduling period in which the shared memory region was accessed, if the record specifies the process identifier along with the location of the first instruction at which the access was made in that scheduling period and the number of user instructions executed by the process until the end of that scheduling period. Consequently, for a scheduling period the shared memory accesses have become deterministic events. To reproduce this event in a backup machine it is sufficient to restore the record of the scheduling period and to reexecute the code for this period.
To extend this optimization to multi-processor machines, the uniprocessor property of mutual exclusion needs to be imposed to serialize accesses to the shared memory regions. The French patent application WO2006/077261 assigned to Internal Business Machines Corporation describes how to implement deterministic replay of multi-process applications on multiprocessor systems. A shared memory access control mechanism is described wherein; it uses the Memory Management Unit of the processor (MMU). Control to access to the shared memory is done by programming the MMU (Memory Management Unit) hardware device of one processor to allow granting access to a memory page, the MMU of other processors being programmed to deny any access to the same page.
In a scheduling period, on multi-processor machines, an exclusive access to the shared memory is given to each individual process. The page tables of the processes are instrumented to selectively grant access to a single process in each scheduling period. However, in case of multi-thread programs, the participating processes share their address space; applying the mono processor solution by instrumenting the shared page table would affect the entire thread group. Further, in contrast to processes in a mono-processor environment, entire address space would be shared among the threads and for monitoring and controlling these accesses, any access to writable portions of the shared address space has to be tracked. This implies that each task can have its own private set of memory descriptors even if the memory pages are shared. This is not the case for multi thread programs where all the memory descriptors are shared. This patent application suggests that for tracking shared memory accesses by one task creating more than one thread, the structure of the page table entries need to be extended to each thread cloned within each task which is monitored as described in the invention. The principle of the invention can be applied to each task or each thread within one task, the accesses to shared memory pages being exclusive over an entire duration of an activation period denied by the scheduler. During this period the shared memory pages are maintained coherent.
There is thus a need for extending the virtual memory manager module of the kernel to make the mechanism of shared memory accesses serialization of the prior art applicable to multi-thread programs which all share their entire memory space (rather than processes sharing only a subset of their memory space).
U.S. Pat. No. 6,854,108 describes a method for deterministically replaying an observable run time behavior of distributed multithreaded programs on multi processors. This method relies on instrumentation of locking routines in a JVM. This solution implies modification of the JVM and is limited to pure Java applications running on top of the JVM and is limited by the fact that all the memory accesses have to be protected by lock to be done by the JVM.
There is a need to provide a shared memory access control applying to multithreaded processes on multi-processor computers which is generic and transparently applicable to any type of applications.

Method and system to manage memory accesses from multithread programs on multiprocessor systems

International Business Machines Corporation


The present invention relates to aqueous dispersions which contain. A) 30 to 90% by weight, based on the solids content of A) and B), of polyurethane/ureas containing 0.5 to 6% by weight, based on the weight of the polyurethane/ureas, of alkoxysilane groups (calculated as Si, MW 28) and PA1 B) 10 to 70% by weight, based on the solids content of A) and B), of colloidal silica.. The present invention relates to coatings prepared from these aqueous dispersions.

The production of linear or cross-linked aqueous polyurethane-urea dispersions is known. The aqueous polyurethane-urea dispersions may be used for a wide range of commercial applications such as adhesives or coatings for various substrates including textile fabrics, plastic, wood, glass fibers and metals. Chemical resistance, abrasion resistance, toughness, tensile strength, elasticity and durability are among the many desirable properties of these coatings.
It has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,041,494, 5,354,808 and 5,554,856, and also in copending applications, U.S. Ser. Nos. 08/992,163 and 08/992,551, that the properties of these dispersions can be improved by the incorporation of alkoxysilane groups into the polyurethane-ureas. However, regardless of the property level which may be obtained for coatings prepared from these polyurethane-urea dispersions, there is always a further need to increase certain properties, in particular solvent resistance.
Accordingly, It is an object of the present invention to provide aqueous polyurethane/urea dispersions which can be used to prepare coatings which possess improved solvent resistance and still retain the other valuable properties of aqueous polyurethane dispersions.
This object may be achieved in accordance with the present invention by blending aqueous dispersions of polyurethane/ureas containing alkoxysilane groups with colloidal silica.

Aqueous dispersions of polyurethane/ureas containing alkoxysilane groups and colloidal silicas


An electric parking brake system includes an electric parking brake mechanism that includes a brake which suppresses rotation of a wheel and an electric motor which applies or releases the brake, and that maintains a vehicle at a standstill while the brake is applied. A parking switch selectively outputs an application command for applying the brake and a release command for releasing the brake in response to an operation of an operating portion for the parking switch. A parking switch malfunction determination unit determines whether the parking switch malfunctions, and a parking brake automatic control unit automatically applies the brake by operating the electric motor when an ignition switch of the vehicle is turned off in response to an operation of an operating portion for the ignition switch, in a case where the parking switch malfunction determination unit determines that the parking switch malfunctions.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a control that is executed over an electric parking brake system when a parking switch malfunctions, and a method for executing the control.
2. Description of Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP-2001-106047 (JP-A-2001-106047) describes a technology related to an electric parking brake system for a vehicle including a manual transmission. According to JP-A-2001-106047, when an ignition switch is turned off, brakes are automatically applied. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP-2001-106057 (JP-A-2001-106057) describes automatically applying brakes when a parking switch malfunctions and a vehicle is at a standstill. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP-2001-106058 (JP-A-2001-106058) describes automatically applying or releasing brakes in response to operations including an operation of an operating portion for an ignition switch when a parking switch malfunctions. Each of Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP-2006-160203 (JP-A-2006-160203) and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP-2004-142522 (JP-A-2004-142522) describes providing a redundant detection circuit for a parking switch. When an application operating portion or a release operating portion is operated, the states of two switches are changed in response to the operation, and whether the parking switch malfunctions is determined based on the states of these two switches.

Electric parking brake system and method for controlling the same


Proposed is a positive- or negative-working chemical-sensitization photoresist composition having advantages in respect of the contrast and resolution of patterning, photosensitivity and cross sectional profile of the patterned resist layer as well as in respect of stability of the latent image formed by pattern-wise exposure to light before post-exposure baking treatment. The composition comprises: (A) 100 parts by weight of a film-forming resinous ingredient which causes a change, i.e. increase or decrease, of solubility in an aqueous alkaline solution by the interaction with an acid; and (B) from 0.5 to 20 parts by weight of a radiation-sensitive acid-generating agent which is a diazomethane compound represented by the general formula EQU R.sup.1 --SO.sub.2 --C(.dbd.N.sub.2)--SO.sub.2 --R.sup.2,. in which R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are each, independently from the other, a monovalent cyclic group substituted on the cyclic nucleus by an acid-dissociable group such as a tert-butoxycarbonyl and acetal groups.

The present invention relates to a novel chemical-sensitization photoresist composition or, more particularly, to a chemical-sensitization photoresist composition capable of giving a patterned resist layer with high contrast, high pattern resolution and high photosensitivity as well as an excellent cross sectional profile of the patterned resist layer and also having an advantage in respect of the stability of the latent image before development after pattern-wise exposure to actinic rays.
In the photolithographic patterning technology for the manufacture of various kinds of semiconductor devices, liquid crystal display panels and the like by utilizing a photoresist composition, it is a remarkable trend in recent years that so-called chemical-sensitization photoresist compositions are acquiring more and more prevalence among various types of photoresist compositions. The chemical-sensitization photoresist composition here implied is a photoresist composition containing an chemical agent capable of releasing an acid by the irradiation with actinic rays while the thus generated acid has a catalytic activity on the radiation-induced changes in the solubility of the resinous ingredient in an aqueous alkaline developer solution so that the photoresist composition has a high photosensitivity with a relatively small exposure dose.
Chemical-sensitization photoresist compositions can be classified into two types including the positive-working photoresist compositions and negative-working photoresist compositions depending on the solubility change of the resist layer in an alkaline developer solution caused by the irradiation with actinic rays. The basic ingredients of a chemical-sensitization photoresist composition include the above mentioned radiation-sensitive acid-generating agent and a film-forming resinous ingredient which causes a change of the solubility in an aqueous alkaline developer solution by interacting with the acid released from the acid-generating agent by the pattern-wise exposure of the resist layer to actinic rays.
The formulations of the chemical-sensitization positive- and negative-working photoresist compositions are different in the film-forming resinous ingredients. Namely, the chemical-sensitization positive-working photoresist composition usually contains, as the film-forming resinous ingredient, a polyhydroxystyrene resin of which a part of the hydroxyl groups are substituted for the hydroxyl hydrogen atoms by solubility-reducing protective groups such as tert-butoxycarbonyl groups, tetrahydropyranyl groups and the like while the film-forming resinous ingredient in the chemical-sensitization negative-working photoresist composition is usually a combination of a polyhydroxystyrene resin, which is optionally substituted for a part of the hydroxyl hydrogen atoms by the solubility-reducing protective groups mentioned above, or a novolak resin with an acid-crosslinkable agent such as melamine resins, urea resins and the like.
Various attempts and proposals have been made heretofore for selection of the radiation-sensitive acid-generating agent used in the above described chemical-sensitization photoresist compositions including, for example, certain diazomethane compounds disclosed in Japanese Patent Kokai 3-103854, 4-210960 and 4-217249.
It is also known in the prior art to use an acid-generating agent which is a compound having an acid-dissociable group in the molecule as disclosed in Japanese Patent Kokai 64-26550 and 64-35433. The acid-generating compounds disclosed there, however, are limited to onium salt compounds. A chemical-sensitization photoresist composition formulated with such an onium salt compound as the acid-generating agent has a disadvantage that the performance thereof is subject to the adverse influences of standing waves of the exposure light so that the patterned resist layer formed therefrom sometimes has wavy side lines of the cross sectional profile. The above mentioned Japanese Patent Kokai 3-103854, 4-210960 and 4-217249 also teach use of a certain diazomethane compound as the acid-generating agent and, among these diazomethane compounds, the non-aromatic diazomethane compounds, such as bis(cyclohexylsulfonyl) diazomethane, in particular, are highly transparent to excimer laser beams of 248 nm wavelength and capable of giving a high pattern resolution though with disadvantages in respect of the relatively low efficiency for the generation of an acid as well as a low patterning contrast since the acid generated therefrom is a weak acid so that the photoresist composition formulated therewith can hardly exhibit a high photosensitivity. In addition, the resist layer obtained from a resist composition formulated with such a diazomethane compound as the acid-generating agent is disadvantageous in respect of the relatively low stability of the latent image, which is formed by the pattern-wise exposure to light, before the post-exposure baking treatment.


A combustor dome assembly having a venturi and an auxiliary wall concentric with the venturi to provide an annular passage for channeling or directing a high velocity air jet from a swirler to a combustion chamber associated with a downstream end of the venturi, thereby facilitating the atomization of a film of water flowing along an inner surface of the venturi and out of the downstream end. In an alternative embodiment, a deflector is used (instead of the auxiliary wall) to direct the air flow towards the downstream end. The downstream end of the venturi may have a curved edge to permit the film of water flowing along an inner surface of the venturi to turn substantially perpendicular to the air flowing past the downstream end of the venturi which further enhances atomization of water. The venturi may also comprise a flange which is positioned in operative relationship with the downstream end for increasing the turbulence at the downstream end. In another embodiment, a plurality of holes are provided in the venturi for permitting natural gas to pass through the venturi and into the annular passage where it can be premixed with swirling air before being introduced to the combustion chamber.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a combustor dome assembly for a gas turbine engine and, more particularly, to an apparatus and method for atomizing water passing out of a downstream end of a venturi in the combustor dome assembly in order to minimize the effects of water erosion on the various components of the combustor dome assembly.
2. Description of Related Art
In the design of gas turbine engines, it has become important to not only provide a combustor apparatus which is efficient, but one which minimizes undesirable emissions as well. One manner of diminishing emissions, such as CO and NO.sub.x, involves the injection of water into the combustor to reduce the temperature therein. Typically, the water is supplied through a nozzle circuit in a fuel nozzle which also provides natural gas to the combustor. A swirler coupled to a venturi provides a swirled airflow which causes the water and fuel to mix and swirl in a frusto-conical manner. Some of the water is swirled against an inner surface of the venturi thereby causing a film of water to travel towards a downstream end of the venturi. In combustor designs of the past, the swirling film of water would exit the downstream end of the venturi in relatively large droplets which would project radially outward due to the centrifugal force of the swirling water. It was not uncommon that the water droplets would impact or impinge, for example, the wall of a swirl cup, trumpet, dome plate, rivet band of a combustor dome assembly in the combustor. This water impingement caused thermal distress and erosion to the various components. The cause of thermal distress and erosion to the various components stems from relatively cold water impacting the relatively hot metal surfaces of the swirl cup, trumpet, dome plate, and rivet band.
Thus, while water injection has been effective in combatting emissions, such injection has had the undesirable effect of causing thermal distress and erosion to the swirl cup, trumpet, dome plate and rivet band of the combustor dome assembly.

Apparatus and method for atomizing water in a combustor dome assembly


A process to shorten the cooking time of dried legume beans by subjecting the beans to a short-timed, high-pressure, hydration. Significantly reduced cooking time follows, or cooking can be postponed for several months by storage in a refrigerator or more than several months in a freezer with no increase in cooking time for table-readiness and no degradation of quality. Also, the process diminishes the discomforts of flatulence.

1. Field of Invention
This invention is a process to shorten substantially the cooking time of dried legume beans.
2. Description of Prior Art
The seasonal production of agricultural staples is usually larger than the immediate consumer demand; therefore, food processors dry a a large portion of crop surpluses in order to provide a year-round supply and to minimize spoilage. Fresh vegetables take little time to cook; dried beans, especially, require much longer preparation.
I visited several large food supermarkets to compare the cooking instructions printed on packages of dried beans. An assortment of beans sold under national brand names and house brands in Safeway, Lucky, Raley, and Andronico stores indicated very similar preparation instructions: Great Northern, Small White, Pinto beans and lentils require overnight soaking or 6 to 8 hours of soaking before cooking for 1 to 11/2 hours. Dried Navy beans need 3 hours of cooking after overnight soaking. Dried Lima beans require the least preparation time: "bring to a boil for three minutes, let stand for one hour, then simmer for 1 to 11/2 hours." Dried beans are inexpensive; the median price per pound is 65 cents and 50 cents for bulk beans sold from an open barrel. Unfortunately, the demand for these inexpensive, wholesome foods is lukewarm; only a small percentage of consumers buy unprepared dried beans because of the advance planning required to cook them for a meal. In addition, some varieties of dried beans cooked in this manner give rise to digestive system discomforts in the form of flatulence.
Unseasoned canned beans are convenient to use. The contents can be heated for a supplement to a meal or the liquids can be drained from the can to prepare a cold salad. In any case, the cook has little control in cooking to taste; it is the cannery which has determined how well done the contents are. Canned beans are more expensive: a one pound can of Lima beans costs $1.65; Garbanzo, Kidney, and Pinto beans, 77 cents. The cost per pound is further increased because the liquid in the can, at least one-fourth of the volume, is discarded. Thus the per pound price of the canned Lima beans becomes $2.20 and that of the Garbanzo, Kidney, and Pinto beans $1.02.
The frozen food section of the above-named stores offers only two choices of dried beans which are partly precooked before freezing: Lima beans requiring 10-15 minutes of cooking and 30 minutes for Blackeye peas but the quality of these two convenience products suffers: they acquire a mushy consistency when fully cooked. Because of increased processing, these handy products are expensive: frozen Lima beans and Blackeye peas are priced at $2.23 per pound.
A small assortment of precooked dried beans in powder form is available at health food stores and some supermarkets. Instructions on the packages call for adding a specified quantity of water, mixing thoroughly, stirring, and allowing the mixture to stand for 10 minutes. Cooking requires only an additional 10 to 12 minutes. These products are tasty and easily prepared but have the consistency of mashed potatoes. Such highly processed convenience food is very expensively priced: $4.23 per pound.
The use of a pressure cooker is an expedient method of reducing the combined preparation and cooking time of dried beans. Dispensing with overnight or prior soaking and using 15 lbs of steam pressure, Garbanzo beans require 80 minutes; Great Northerns need 50 minutes; Pintos and small Limas, 45; and split peas only 15 minutes. The use of pressure cookers does eliminate prior soaking and shortens cooking time. However, once popular pressure cookers have now fallen out of favor as a time-saving cooking utensil due to the inability of the appliance to deliver consistently acceptable results. Often the cooker delivers surprisingly undercooked or overcooked results. This is due to variations in those factors which have a direct influence on the cooking time of dried beans: geographical origin, age, degree of dryness, and the type of water used. In addition, there can be mechanical problems with the cooker: gaskets may not seat properly., causing pressure leaks, and pressure gauges sometimes fail due to clogging.

Process to shorten the cooking time of dried legume beans


An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention includes: an ultrasonic signal processing section, which performs transmission processing for transmitting an ultrasonic wave toward a subject's blood vessel by driving a probe and reception processing for generating a received signal based on the ultrasonic wave reflected from the subject's blood vessel and received at the probe; a tomographic image processing section, which generates a tomographic image based on the received signal; a boundary detecting section, which detects the lumen-intima and media-adventitia boundaries of the blood vessel based on the received signal or the tomographic image; a vascular wall thickness calculating section, which calculates, as a vascular wall thickness value, the interval between the lumen-intima and media-adventitia boundaries detected by the boundary detecting section; a reliability determining section, which determines the reliability of the vascular wall thickness value by a signal feature of the received signal or an image information feature of the tomographic image at a location on the lumen-intima and/or media-adventitia boundaries detected; and a control section, which decides, in accordance with the decision made by the reliability determining section, that the vascular wall thickness value be defined as an intima-media thickness.

In making a diagnosis of arterial sclerosis using an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, the intima-media complex thickness (which will be abbreviated herein as "IMT") of a carotid artery is known as one of most important indices to the status of an initial atherosclerosis. The IMT means the thickness of an intima-media complex in the vascular wall of a carotid artery. As shown in FIG. 18, the intima-media complex is a layer that is visible between the vascular lumen and the adventitia. And when making an inspection, the boundary between the vascular lumen and the intima (which will be referred to herein as a "lumen-intima boundary") and the boundary between the media and the adventitia (which will be referred to herein as a "media-adventitia boundary") are detected and the thickness between them is measured. A method for automatically measuring the IMT is disclosed in Patent Document No. 1, for example.
In general, when the IMT is measured, an IMT measuring range is set along the carotid artery and the maximum thickness (max IMT) or mean thickness (mean IMT) is measured within that range as shown in FIG. 18. For example, Non-Patent Document No. 1 recommends that such an IMT measuring range have a length of 1 cm.

Ultrasonic diagnostic device, and method for measuring initma-media complex thickness


In a working vehicle, it is possible to achieve a downsizing of an engine by securing an output torque in a low rotating region of the engine without using any supercharger. In the working vehicle having the engine mounted to a travel machine body, a common rail type fuel injection device which injects fuel to the engine, and a continuously variable transmission which shifts power from the engine, a rotating speed N of the engine is limited to two kinds, N#1 and N#2. Further, a change gear ratio of the continuously variable transmission is changed and regulated in such a manner as not to change a vehicle speed of the travel machine body before and after changing the rotation speed N whichever of the two kinds N#1 and N#2 the rotating speed N of the engine is changed to.

In order to achieve a downsizing of an engine while maintaining a rated output, making a displacement of the engine low and installing a supercharger have been generally carried out (refer, for example, to Patent Document 1). By the downsizing mentioned above, it is possible to make a working vehicle mounting the engine thereon compact and light, and improve a fuel consumption.

Drive system control device for working vehicle


A train control system and method uses signal information from a next block to change a restrictive signal in a block currently occupied by the train to a less restrictive signal if it can be ascertained that the condition causing the more restrictive signal has changed. This may be accomplished by receiving signal information from the next block while still in the current block and, if the signal information from the next block is no more restrictive than the signal information in the current block, and the signal in the current block is of a type that can safely be modified, allowing the train to operate as if the signal information for the current block were less restrictive than the actual, previously received signal information for the current block.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to railroads generally, and more particularly to signal compliance train control methods and systems.
2. Discussion of the Background
Many methods for controlling trains are known. Such methods include the Automated Block Signaling (ABS) and Centralized Train Control (CTC) methods. In such methods, train tracks are divided into sections, referred to in the art as blocks, and an operator is relied upon to move a train in compliance with wayside signals that are positioned some distance before a block boundary. In traditional ABS and CTC systems and the like, the wayside signals comprise colored lights that are visually observed by the operator. In more modern variants of these systems, sometimes generically referred to as communication-based train control (CBTC) systems, the signal information is transmitted into the cab of a locomotive. Examples of such systems include cab signaling systems and the TRAIN SENTINEL™ system available from the assignee of the present application, Quantum Engineering, Inc. Some of these systems, including the TRAIN SENTINEL™ system, ensure operator compliance with signal information transmitted into the cab.
Such block-oriented systems vary in their implementation. However, one aspect shared by several of these systems is that a restrictive signal in one block may be caused by conditions in the next block. A problem shared by such known systems is that there is no provision for lifting the restrictive signal in a block if conditions in the next block causing the restrictive signal "clear up." Causing a train to operate under a restrictive signal unnecessarily makes operation of the train less efficient, which increases costs.
What is needed is a method and apparatus that allows the lifting of a restrictive signal after a block has been entered when such restrictive signal is no longer necessary, and that allows a less restrictive signal to be recognized even after a train has passed the aforementioned wayside signal device.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Lifting restrictive signaling in a block


An illumination device and methods are provided herein for avoiding over-current and over-power conditions in one or more power converters included within the illumination device. The illumination device may generally include a plurality of light emitting diode (LED) chains, a driver circuit, at least one power converter, and a control circuit. The LED chains may produce illumination for the illumination device at a chromaticity consistent with a chromaticity setting. The power converter(s) may be coupled for powering the LED chains, and may each comprise a maximum safe current level or a maximum safe power level, which varies with temperature. The control circuit may be configured for determining a maximum lumens value that can be safely produced by all LED chains at a predetermined safe temperature to achieve the chromaticity setting without exceeding the maximum safe current level or the maximum safe power level of the power converter(s) at the predetermined safe temperature.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to illumination devices comprising light emitting diodes (LEDs) chains and, more particularly, to illumination devices and methods for avoiding an over-power or over-current condition. Specifically, illumination devices and methods are provided herein for determining a maximum lumens value that can be safely produced by all LED chains at a predetermined safe temperature to achieve a target chromaticity setting without exceeding a maximum safe power level or a maximum safe current level attributed to one or more power converters included within the illumination device at the predetermined safe temperature.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
The following descriptions and examples are provided as background only and are intended to reveal information that is believed to be of possible relevance to the present invention. No admission is necessarily intended, or should be construed, that any of the following information constitutes prior art impacting the patentable character of the subject matter claimed herein.
Lamps and displays using LEDs (light emitting diodes) for illumination are becoming increasingly popular in many different markets. LEDs provide a number of advantages over traditional light sources, such as incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs, including low power consumption, long lifetime, no hazardous materials, and additional specific advantages for different applications. When used for general illumination, LEDs provide the opportunity to adjust the color (e.g., from white, to blue, to green, etc.) or the color temperature (e.g., from "warm white" to "cool white") to produce different lighting effects.
In some cases, a number of differently colored emission LED chains may be combined into a single package, or emitter module, to provide a multi-colored LED illumination device. A multi-colored LED illumination device may be described as comprising two or more different colors of LED chains combined within an emitter module, typically to produce white or near-white light. Some multi-colored illumination devices may comprise only one emitter module, whereas others may include a plurality of emitter modules arranged, e.g., in a line or an array. There are many different types of white light illumination devices on the market, some of which combine red, green and blue (RGB) LED chains, red, green, blue and yellow (RGBY) LED chains, phosphor-converted white and red (WR) LED chains, RGBW LED chains, etc. within a single emitter module. By combining different colors of LED chains within the same emitter module, and driving the differently colored LED chains with different drive currents, these illumination devices may be configured to generate white or near-white light within a wide gamut of color set points or correlated color temperatures (CCTs) ranging from "warm white" (e.g., roughly 2600K-3700K), to "neutral white" (e.g., 3700K-5000K) to "cool white" (e.g., 5000K-8300K).
Some multi-colored LED illumination devices enable the brightness and/or color of the illumination to be changed to a particular set point. For example, some prior art illumination devices allow the target chromaticity or color set point to be changed by altering the ratio of drive currents supplied to the individual LED chains. As known in the art, the target chromaticity may be changed by adjusting the drive current levels (in current dimming) or duty cycle (in PWM dimming) supplied to one or more of the emission LED chains. For example, an illumination device comprising RGB LED chains may be configured to produce a "warmer" white light by increasing the drive current supplied to the red LEDs and decreasing the drive currents supplied to the blue and/or green LEDs.
Some prior art illumination devices also provide dimming capabilities, i.e., the ability to change the brightness level or target lumens output from the emission LEDs, in addition to (or instead of) color tuning. In most cases, the brightness level may be changed by adjusting the drive current levels (in current dimming) or the duty cycle of the drive currents (in PWM dimming) supplied to all emission LED chains to produce a new target lumens output. For example, the drive currents supplied to all emission LED chains may be increased to increase the target lumens output of the illumination device.
When the drive current supplied to a given LED is adjusted to change the brightness level or color set point of the illumination device, the junction temperature of that LED is inherently affected. As expected, higher drive currents result in higher junction temperatures, while lower drive currents result in lower junction temperatures. Below a certain junction temperature (e.g., about 25° C.), the lumen output of a given LED is generally unaffected by temperature. Beyond this temperature, however, the lumen output of an LED decreases significantly with increasing junction temperatures, thereby requiring higher drive currents to maintain the target lumens and target chromaticity settings of the illumination device. In some cases, the drive currents needed to maintain a certain target lumens and/or target chromaticity setting at a particular operating temperature may exceed a maximum current or power level, which can be safely provided by the power converters, which are included within the illumination device for supplying power to the LED chains.
As the brightness level and target chromaticity settings change, the power delivered to each LED chain by the power converters changes. At certain brightness levels and target chromaticity settings, the power drawn by the combined load (i.e., all LED chains combined) may exceed a maximum safe current or power level attributed to the power converters. This may cause the transformer core of one or more of the power converters to saturate, over-heat and possibly fail, unless counteractive measures are taken.
Some prior art illumination devices include power control circuitry for regulating LED power consumption or for protecting the LEDs from an over-voltage condition. For example, some devices may use current/voltage sensing and feedback to adjust the amount of power supplied to the LED chains by the power converter, and may use voltage clamps to protect the LEDs from electrical damage when the output voltage of the power converter exceeds a maximum value. However, the power control circuitry used in these devices does not protect the power converter from excessive current or power draws when the LEDs are operated at or near maximum operating levels.
A need remains for improved illumination devices and methods for limiting the amount of power drawn from the power converters of the illumination device, so as not to exceed a maximum safe current level or a maximum safe power level when brightness and/or target chromaticity settings are changed.

Illumination device and method for determining a maximum lumens that can be safely produced by the illumination device to achieve a target chromaticity


A method and apparatus are provided for matching ready-to-act consumers and pre-qualified service providers. According to one aspect of the present invention, the Internet is used to attempt to solve communications problems and to achieve efficiency in Consumer-to-Business commerce transactions. Initially, a database of pre-qualified service providers is established. Then, a description of the consumer's needs may be extracted from a consumer using decision trees appropriate for the desired task. Subsequently, the consumer needs are packaged and presented to multiple service providers that meet a set of predetermined qualifications. The consumer needs may be presented, for example, by way of a set of heterogeneous communication devices depending upon preferences supplied by the service providers. For example, the set of heterogeneous communication devices may include facsimile, pager, mobile phone, home phone, office phone, Interactive Voice Response (IVR) unit, email, etc. The service providers may choose to submit a response for the consumer's needs or reject the task. After a sufficient number of responses have been received from the pre-qualified service providers, they are presented to the consumer. The consumer may then select from the pre-qualified service providers based upon one or more objective and/or subjective factors associated with the pre-qualified service providers. For example, objective service provider qualification information may be presented to the consumer along with the service provider responses. In addition, a database of consumer-generated service provider ratings and/or reviews may be maintained and made available for consumer queries.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the field of Consumer-to-Business commerce. More particularly, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for facilitating commerce among consumers and service providers.
2. Description of the Related Art
The local service economy is dominated by inefficiency. Many factors contribute to this inefficiency. For example, consumers have difficulties identifying appropriate service providers to meet their needs; and consumers cannot readily distinguish relative service provider quality. In addition, there is an inherent knowledge gap between consumers and service providers. Consequently, consumers and service providers experience difficulty communicating with one another. Furthermore, the ability to create a competitive marketplace is hindered by the consumers' inability to easily identify and communicate with multiple service providers.
In light of the foregoing, what is needed is an intelligent mechanism to match educated, ready-to-act consumers and pre-qualified service providers.

Facilitating commerce among consumers and service providers by matching ready-to-act consumers and pre-qualified service providers


A traditional Chinese medicine composition, made from cassia twig, poria, Cortex moutan, Radix paeoniae alba, peach kernel in equal proportions. The traditional Chinese medicine composition comprises paeoniflorin, amygdalin, benzoylpaeoniflorin, cinnamic acid, paeonol, and cinnamaldehyde. The composition has the advantages of high production efficiency, high content of effective ingredients, high transfer rate of poria acid, reduced hygroscopicity, and improved dissolution of index ingredients.

The Ramulus cinnamomi-Poria cocos capsule is composed of five traditional Chinese medicines: Ramulus cinnamomi, Poria cocos, Cortex moutan, Radix paeoniae alba, and peach kernel. The Ramulus cinnamomi-Poria cocos capsule has the effects of promoting blood circulation, removing blood stasis, and eliminating symptoms, and mainly treats concretion lumps, amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, and postpartum lochia of women caused by blood stasis and obstruction of the collaterals; uterine fibroids, chronic pelvic inflammatory mass, dysmenorrhea, endometriosis, and ovarian cysts with the above symptoms. The Ramulus cinnamomi-Poria cocos capsule can also be used for female breast cystic hyperplasia, which is a syndrome of blood stasis and collateral obstruction, with symptoms such as breast pain, breast lumps, sternal swelling and tightness; or for prostate hyperplasia, which is a syndrome of stasis and bladder, with symptoms such as uncomfortable urination and lower abdominal pain.
A method for preparing the Ramulus cinnamomi-Poria cocos capsule disclosed in the prior art mainly comprises the steps of steam distillation, ethanol extraction, concentration, granulation, drying, etc., from Ramulus cinnamomi, Radix paeoniae alba, Poria cocos, peach kernel, and Cortex moutan according to the required weight ratio. The defects of this method are as follows: the medicine prepared by this method has relatively low content of active ingredients, poor dissolution, low production efficiency, high noise, and high requirements for dust removal; therefore, it is necessary to improve the existing process methods to obtain APIs or preparations with high content of active ingredients.

Traditional Chinese medicine composition and preparation method and application thereof


The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a board that includes a conductive pattern, which comprises the steps of 1) discharging a conductive inorganic composition that includes a conductive inorganic metal particle on a substrate; 2) discharging a conductive organic composition that includes a conductive organic metal complex on the conductive inorganic composition; and 3) sintering the conductive inorganic composition and the conductive organic composition, and a board that includes a conductive pattern manufactured by using the same. A board that includes a conductive pattern according to the present invention may have high conductivity even though it is sintered at a lower sintering temperature than a board that includes a conductive pattern formed by using only an organic material or only an inorganic material.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a board that includes a conductive pattern capable of obtaining high conductivity at a low sintering temperature, and a board that includes a conductive pattern that is manufactured by using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a transparent substrate for display and a circuit board for electronic parts that are currently used, it is essentially required to form a conductive pattern. The conductive pattern is formed by mainly a photosensitive paste method or a photo etching method.
The photosensitive paste method includes the steps of coating a photosensitive paste on a substrate by using a screen printer, exposing UV using a photomask, and etching it by using an alkaline aqueous solution. A portion that is subjected to UV exposure by a photomask is not etched by an alkali aqueous solution because of photocrosslinking, and a portion that is not subjected to UV exposure is etched by an alkali aqueous solution because photocrosslinking is not carried out, such that an electrode pattern is formed. However, the forming of the electrode pattern by using the photosensitive electrode paste is disadvantageous in that it is difficult to control the degree of precision of a pitch and a width of the electrode.
In addition, the forming of the electrode pattern by using the photolithography method is mainly carried out by a process for entirely coating the electrode on the substrate or depositing the electrode on the substrate, and etching it. However, the photolithography method has problems in that a process time of depositing the electrode on the entire surface of the substrate, and costs of devices and materials are high while a thin film is formed, and there is an environmental contamination while etching is carried out.
Therefore, currently, as compared to the screen printing method or the photolithography method, an inkjet printing technology in which a mask is not required to form a fine pattern, it is not affected by the size of the board which will be printed, a printing time is short, and there is no problem in terms of environmental contamination is suggested.
The inkjet printing is a non-contact patterning technology in which a solution or a suspension solution is sprayed in drops of several to tens PL (pico liter) through a fine nozzle, and is advantageous in that the printing is freely carried out with a tens micrometer resolution.
Therefore, a technology in which a conductive pattern is formed on a substrate by using the inkjet printing is suggested. The conductivity of the conductive pattern that is formed on the substrate depends on the content of the metal particle included in the conductive ink composition, and in the case of when it is an ink that is generally used as a wire, the content of the metal particle in the conductive ink composition is in the range of 50 to 60 wt %. When the concentration of the metal particle is increased, the conductivity is increased, but since a reduction in dispersion property occurs according to this, there is a problem in stability of the conductive ink composition.
In general, if after the conductive ink composition that includes the inorganic metal particle is discharged to the substrate by using an inkjet printing method, a sintering process is carried out, 1) a solvent and an additive are removed, 2) melting occurs on the surface of the inorganic metal particle, and 3) the melted particle surfaces are fused, thereby causing necking between the inorganic metal particles. Through this process, a conductive pattern that includes the inorganic metal particles is formed. When the size of the inorganic metal particle that is used in the conductive ink composition is small, a sintering temperature is rapidly lowered, and in the case of when the particles having the size of about 50 nm, the conductivity can be shown at about 200° C. in the sintering process. However, as the method for reducing the size of the metal particle, in general, the sintering temperature of the conductive ink composition using the inorganic metal particles is determined at the temperature range of 200 to 300° C.
Meanwhile, in the case of the conductive ink composition that includes the organic metal particle, unlike the conductive ink composition that includes the inorganic metal particle, since metal particlization is carried out through a reduction process at a low temperature, the conductivity can be shown at the relatively low sintering temperature of about 150° C. However, in the case of the conductive ink composition that includes the organic metal particle, since the content of the metal is lower than that of the conductive ink composition that includes the inorganic ink, there are disadvantages in that the conductivity is low.

Method of forming conductive pattern and substrate having conductive pattern manufactured by the same method


A lubricant supply system for an electric vehicle includes a lubricant supported electric motor and a lubricant supply line extending from a high pressure source to the lubricant supported electric motor for supplying lubricant to the lubricant supported electric motor. In one arrangement, at least one powertrain component is disposed in fluid communication with the lubricant supply line and fluidly connected in parallel with the lubricant supported electric motor for supplying lubricant to the powertrain component. In an alternative arrangement, the powertrain component is fluidly connected in series with and downstream from the lubricant supported electric motor for supplying lubricant from the lubricant supported electric motor to the powertrain component. In either arrangement, the lubricant supported electric motor is incorporated into an existing lubricant supply system of the vehicle to reduce cost and complexity relative to prior designs which required a dedicated lubricant supply for the lubricant supported electric motor.

This section of the written disclosure provides background information related to lubricant supported electric motors and is not necessarily prior art to the inventive concepts disclosed and claimed in this application.
Various drivelines in automotive, truck, and certain off-highway applications take power from a central prime mover and distribute the power to the wheels using mechanical devices such as transmissions, transaxles, propeller shafts, and live axles. These configurations work well when the prime mover can be bulky or heavy, such as, for example, various internal combustion engines ("ICE"). However, more attention is being directed towards alternative arrangements of prime movers that provide improved environmental performance, eliminate mechanical driveline components, and result in a lighter-weight vehicle with more space for passengers and payload.
"On wheel" motor configurations are one alternative arrangement for the traditional ICE prime mover that distributes the prime mover function to each or some of the plurality of wheels via one or more motors disposed proximate to, on, or within the plurality of wheels. For example, in one instance, a traction motor, using a central shaft though a rotor and rolling element bearings to support the rotor, can be utilized as the "on wheel" motor configuration. In another instance, a lubricant supported electric motor, such as described in U.S. application Ser. No. 16/144,002, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, can be utilized as the "on wheel" motor configuration. While each of these "on wheel" motor configurations result in a smaller size and lighter weight arrangement as compared to the prime movers based on the internal combustion engine, they each have certain drawbacks and disadvantages.
For example, when the lubricant supported electric motor is deployed in an electric or hybrid electric powertrain, a separate lubricant supply system for the lubricant supported electric motor is required in the prior art arrangements, resulting in extra cost and a more complex lubricant system to support the integration of the lubricant supported electric motor. Additionally prior arrangements of the lubricant supported electric motor are not controlled in real-time, but rather controlled based on statically selected parameters that do not optimize performance of the lubricant supported electric motor. Accordingly, there remains a continuing need for a lubricant supported electric motor which optimizes performance over the wide range of speeds encountered in a wheel-end prime-mover application, which also reducing implementation costs and providing a smaller footprint in an electric or hybrid electric powertrain system.

Lubricant supply system and methods for a lubricant supported electric motor

NEAPCO INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY HOLDINGS, LLC