A slicing machine including a slicing blade for slicing at least first and second product loaves disposed in a side-by-side arrangement using a single rotation of the slicing blade is set forth. A single rotation of the slicing edge about the center of rotation results in a penetration gradient into each of the first and second product loaves that diminishes in magnitude over the single rotation. To this end, the slicing edge may have a profile defined a plurality of constant radius sections. Each constant radius section has a section center defining the center of the constant radius for that constant radius section. Further, each constant radius section has a section center differing from the section center of an adjacent constant radius section. Such a blade and its associated slicing station provide great control of slices from the loaves as they proceed from the loaf to a receiving conveyor of the slicing station.

Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Food loaves come in a variety of shapes (round, square, rectangular, oval, etc.), cross-sections, and lengths. Such loaves are made from various comestibles, such as meat, cheese, etc. Most loaves are provided to an intermediate processor who slices and packages the products in groups for retail.
A variety of machines have been developed to slice such loaves. One such machine is an S-180(trademark) available from Formax(copyright), Inc., of Mokena, Ill. The S-180(trademark) machine is a high speed food loaf slicing machine that slices one, two, or more food loaves simultaneously using one cyclically driven slicing blade. Independent loaf feed drives are provided so that slices cut from one loaf may vary in thickness from slices cut from the other loaf. The machine includes a slicing station that is enclosed by a housing, except for a limited slicing opening. The slicing blade is disposed in the slicing station and a drive rotates the slicing blade at a predetermined cyclical rate on a cutting path through a slicing range that intersects the food loaves as they are fed into the slicing station. A marker moving with the blade is sensed by a fixed sensor to establish a home position for the blade.
In the foregoing machine, the food loaf slices are received in groups of predetermined weight on a receiving conveyor that is disposed adjacent the slicing blade. The receiving conveyor receives the slices as they are cut by the slicing blade. In many instances, neatly aligned stacked groups are preferred and, as such, the sliced product is stacked on the receiving conveyor before being transferred from the machine. In other instances, the groups are shingled so that a purchaser can see a part of every slice through a transparent package. In these other instances, conveyor belts of the receiving conveyor are gradually moved during the slicing process to separate the slices.
Whether the product is provided in a stacked or shingled format, it is desirable to ensure proper positioning of the slices as they proceed from the slicing blade onto the receiving conveyor for stacking or shingling. Traditionally, round or involute slicing blades have been employed that provide adequate positioning of the slices as they are stacked or shingled during low slicing speed operations. However, the present inventors have recognized that control of the slices as they proceed from the slicing blade onto the receiving conveyor may be necessary during high slicing speed machine operation. Absent such control, product stacks are non-uniform as is the spacing between slices of shingled product. The present inventors have recognized the need for reducing the non-uniformity associated with high speed slicing operations. Accordingly, they have invented a slicing blade for slicing a single loaf and/or concurrently slicing a plurality of product loaves disposed in a side-by-side relationship that meets the foregoing need.
A slicing machine for slicing at least first and second product loaves disposed in a side-by-side arrangement using a single rotation of a single slicing blade in a slicing station is set forth. The slicing station includes a slicing edge of the slicing blade and a midway axis passing generally equidistant between the at least first and second product loaves. The midway axis lies generally in a plane of the slicing blade. The blade is mounted in the slicing station for rotation about an offset rotation axis that is displaced from the midway passing axis. As such, the slicing edge generates substantially similar but oppositely directed product throwing angles for the first and second product loaves with respect to the midway axis. Preferably, the offset rotation axis is laterally displaced from the midway passing axis. In accordance with a further inventive aspect of the presently disclosed system, a single rotation of the slicing edge about the center of rotation results in a penetration gradient into each of the first and second product loaves that diminishes in magnitude over the single rotation. To this end, the slicing edge may have a profile defined by a plurality of constant radius sections. Each constant radius section has a section center defining the center of the constant radius for that constant radius section. Further, each constant radius section has a section center differing from the section center of an adjacent constant radius section. Such a blade and its associated slicing station provide great control of slices from the loaves as they proceed from the loaf to a receiving conveyor of the slicing station. In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, a single rotation of the slicing edge about the center of rotation results in substantially concurrent severance of first and second slices from the first and second product loaves thereby facilitating a decrease in the duration of a slicing cycle.

Slicing blade for concurrently slicing a plurality of product loaves disposed in a side-by-side relationship


A new and distinct variety characterized by medium to large, green-colored seedless grapes that ripen in late June, approximately two weeks earlier than does the Perlette Seedless Grape (unpatented), when grown in the San Joaquin Valley of Central California. The grapes of this new variety are produced on strong stems and are well adapted to commercial handling.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of grape which will hereinafter be denominated as 'Sheegene-7' and more particularly as a grapevine which produces a medium to large, green-colored seedless grape, which is mature for commercial harvesting and shipping during the fourth week of June in the San Joaquin Valley of Central California. The new invention most nearly resembles 'Perlette Seedless' (unpatented) but it produces a larger grape that matures approximately two weeks earlier.


A belt cleaner device is provided in which assembling of a frame and a cleaner head may be performed easily and quickly.

Conventionally, a belt cleaner device is installed adjacent to a conveyor belt in a manner that a frame on which cleaner heads are mounted is fixed to a pair of brackets. The cleaner head is provided with a scraping portion at the upper end. The scraping portion contacts with the surface of conveyer belt. While the conveyer belt is running in a circle between pulleys, the leavings on the belt surface are scraped off by the scraping portion.
The cleaner heads are attached to the frame with bolts or the like. For example, two or more bolts are implanted in the lower part of the cleaner head. Each bolt is inserted through the corresponding hole of the frame, and nuts are put firmly on said bolts from the back side of the frame. Therefore, the work for assembling the cleaner head to the frame is very complicated. When attaching two or more cleaner heads side by side in the transverse direction of the conveyor belt, the assembling work takes time.
The present invention provides a belt cleaner device for the purpose of solving the above-mentioned problem. According to the present invention, it does not need the work at the back of frame for attaching cleaner heads to the frame. The present invention offers a belt cleaner device which can be assembled very easily.

Abstract: A belt cleaner device comprises a frame 3 and one or more cleaner heads 1. The frame 3 includes a support face (3a) on its upper surface, and a support hole (33) through the frame. The cleaner head (1) includes a contact face (14) on its undersurface, and an anchor (16) projecting downward from the contact face (14). The cleaner head (1) is supported so as not to be rotated about the running direction of the belt by contacting the contact face (14) and the support face (3a) with each other. The cleaner head (1) is fixed to the frame (3) by fixedly inserting the anchor (16) in the support hole (33).

Abstract: The cleaner head (1) further provides a concave (21) in at least one of the front and rear walls (13) (15) to form a strike seat (22) at the bottom of the concave (21). The strike seat (22) is struck with a hammer or the like so that the anchor (16) is pressed and inserted in the support hole (33).


Each of registers R0 to R31 is divided into the upper 32-bit area and the lower 32-bit area. A register writing control unit 431 outputs information to the selectors 4321 and 4322 on the registers and the locations (upper and lower areas) in which data is written by the instructions that have issued in one cycle. Each of the selectors 4321 and 4322 selects one out of pieces of data that have been output from first, second, and third arithmetic operation units 44, 45, and 46 and writes the selected data in the upper or lower area in one register. A dependency analysis unit 110 in a compiling apparatus considers the upper and lower registers in one 64-bit register as separate resources, analyzes the data dependency relations between the instructions, and generates a dependency graph that indicates the data dependency relations. A instruction rearrangement unit 111 rearranges the instructions and generates execution codes using the dependency graph.

This application is based on an application Ser. No. 10-337186 filed in Japan, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a processor, compiling apparatus, and compile program recorded on a recording medium, and especially relates to technologies of reducing the number of execute cycles in parallel processing by the processor.
(2) Description of the Related Art
As apparatus with built-in microprocessors have improved functions and speeds, a microprocessor (referred to a xe2x80x9cprocessorxe2x80x9d in this specification) with more improved processing performance has been required.
For improved throughput of a plurality of instructions on a processor, the pipeline control is adopted. The pipeline control will be described below. An instruction is divided into a plurality of unit instructions that are to be continuously executed. The process of executing one instruction is also divided into a plurality of continuous smaller processes (referred to xe2x80x9cstagesxe2x80x9d in this specification). The processor has executing units (hardware) which each corresponding to different stages. Each of the unit instructions is continuously executed by a different executing unit at a different stage to execute the instruction. When two instructions are continuously executed, each of the unit instructions of the second instruction is executed by a different executing unit at a different stage one stage behind the first instruction. By doing so, a plurality of instructions are executed in parallel.
For more improved performance, parallel processing is adopted at individual instruction level. The parallel processing at instruction level is to simultaneously execute a plurality of instructions in one machine cycle. The parallel processing at instruction level is executed by dynamic scheduling and static scheduling.
One representative example of the parallel processing at instruction level by dynamic scheduling is the superscalar system. According to the superscalar system, the operations described below are executed when a plurality of instructions are executed on a processor. The instruction codes are decoded. Then, an instruction issuing control unit (hardware) of the processor analyzes the dependency relations of the plurality of instructions using the decoded instruction codes and judges whether the instructions can be executed in parallel. The processor executes instructions in parallel that can be executed in parallel.
On the other hand, one representative example of the static scheduling is the VLIW (Very Long Instruction Word) system. According to the VLIW system, the operations described below are executed. At the time of the generation of the execution code, the dependency relations among the plurality of instructions are analyzed using the compiler and the like. According to the analysis, instruction codes are moved to generate an instruction stream that is more efficiently executed. Generally, a plurality of instructions that can be simultaneously executed are described in an instruction supply unit of fixed length (referred to a xe2x80x9cpacketxe2x80x9d in this specification) in the VLIW system.
In each of the scheduling systems, hazard due to the dependency relations of data is avoided at the instruction parallel processing. More specifically, it is controlled so that an instruction to store a value in a register and an instruction to refer to the stored value are not issued in the same cycle according to the information on the names of registers to which is referred to for the data and in which the data is stored. According to the dynamic scheduling, the instruction issuing control unit controls so that the two instructions are not executed in parallel but executed in serial. On the other hand, according to the static scheduling, the compiler schedules so that a group of instructions that are issued in the same cycle does not include instructions that have data dependency relations at the time of compiling.
Recently, an increasing number of processors have adopted media processing instructions that deal with data whose size is larger than that of data dealt with by basic instructions as well as basic instructions for signal processing performance improvement. In the media processing instruction, a plurality of pieces of data are stored in a register whose length is larger than the length of registers used for basic instructions. The plurality of pieces of data are processed in parallel for the improvement of the signal processing performance. Some processors adopting the media processing instruction are not equipped with registers specifically for the media processing instruction. Instead, in those processors, the registers are shared for the basic instruction and the media processing instruction and data is written in part of the registers for the basic instruction.
When the dependency relations among a plurality of instructions are analyzed in those processors by referring to the register names shown in the instruction codes according to the instruction issuing control method that has been described, an instruction to update the upper half of one register and an instruction to update the lower half of the register are executed in serial since the same register name in the instruction codes is considered the data dependency relation between the instructions This is problematic. Here, the data dependency relation refers to the dependency relation between an instruction to store data in a resource and another instruction to refer to the stored data.
It is accordingly the object of the present invention to provide a processor, a compiling apparatus, and a compile program recorded on a recording medium that reduce the number of execute cycles when parallel processing is performed in a processor that execute a plurality of instructions in one cycle.
The above-mentioned object may be achieved by a processor that processes a plurality of instructions in one cycle, the processor may include: A) a register; B) an instruction fetching unit for fetching the plurality of instructions that include at least a first instruction and a second instruction from an external program, the first instruction including a first access indication for accessing a first area, which is at least part of an area in the register, the second instruction including a second access indication for accessing a second area, which is at least part of the area in the register, wherein when the first area is a whole of the register, the second area is the part of the register, when the second area is the whole of the register, the first area is the part of the register, and at least one of the first and second access indications is for storing data in at least the part of the register; C) a decoding unit for decoding each of the fetched instructions and outputting at least decoded information on the register and on areas in the register in one cycle, the decoded information including at least information on the register and on the first and second areas; and D) an access unit for accessing the first and second areas according to the decoded information in one cycle.
In the processor, an instruction to access the first-part in one register and another instruction to access the second part in the same register in a program can be executed in one cycle. As a result, the number of execute cycles is reduced compared with a conventional processor.
The above-mentioned object may be also achieved by the processor, wherein the first area, which is an object of the first access indication, and the second area, which is an object of the second access indication, are parts of the register and have no overlap, the first instruction includes an indication for storing data in the first area and the second instruction includes an indication for referring to data in the second area, and the access unit stores data in the first area and refers to data in the second area in one cycle.
In the processor, an instruction to store data in the first part of one register and another instruction to refer to data in the second part in the same register can be executed in one cycle. As a result, the number of execute cycles is reduced compared with a conventional processor.
The above-mentioned object may be also achieved by the processor, wherein the first area, which is an object of the first access indication, and the second area, which is an object of the second access indication, are parts of the area in the register and have no overlap, the first instruction includes an indication for storing data in the first area and the second instruction includes an indication for storing data in the second area, and the access unit stores data in the first and second areas in one cycle.
In the processor, an instruction to store data in the first part of one register and another instruction to store data in the second part in the same register can be executed in one cycle. As a result, the number of execute cycles is reduced compared with a conventional processor.
The above-mentioned object may be also achieved by the processor, wherein the first area, which is an object of the first access indication, and the second area, which is an object of the second access indication, have an overlap, which is a third area, the first instruction includes an indication for storing data in the first area and the second instruction includes an indication for storing data in the second area, and the access unit stores data in the first area excluding the third area, the second area excluding the third area, and the third area in one cycle.
In the processor, an instruction to store data in part of one register and another instruction to store data in part or the whole of the same register can be executed in one cycles As a result, the number of execute cycles is reduced compared with a conventional processor, in which data is written in one register only by one instruction in one cycle.
The above-mentioned object may be also achieved by the processor, wherein the decoding means may include: A) an instruction decoding unit for decoding a plurality of instructions of the fetched instructions and outputting at least decoded information on the register and on areas in the register in one cycle, the decoded information according to indications for decoding instructions, the instruction decoding unit for stopping decoding an instruction in the fetched instructions according to an indication for stopping decoding the instruction in one cycle, wherein the plurality of fetched instructions include at least the first and second instructions, and wherein the decoded information includes at least the information on the register and on the first and second areas; and B) an instruction issuance control unit for controlling the instruction decoding unit by outputting an indication for decoding an instruction for each of the fetched instructions in one cycle so that the instruction decoding unit decodes the fetched instructions, the instruction issuance control unit for controlling the instruction decoding unit by receiving the decoded information that includes at least the information on the register and on the first and second areas after the instruction decoding unit decodes the fetched instructions, by judging whether the first and second areas are the same area, and by outputting an indication for stopping decoding the second instruction to the instruction decoding unit when it is judged that the first and second areas are the same area so that the instruction decoding unit stops decoding the second instruction.
In the processor, when the same part of one register is accessed by two instructions, it is considered that there is no data dependency relations between the two instructions and the decoding of one of the instructions is stopped As a result, when different parts of one register are accessed by two instructions, the two instructions can be executed in one cycle. Accordingly, the possibility that two instructions are executed in parallel is enhanced, and the number of execute cycles is reduced compared with a conventional processor.
The above-mentioned object may be also achieved by a compiling apparatus that generates object codes from a source program described in a high-level language, the compiling apparatus may include: A) a storage unit for storing the source program; B) an execution code generating unit for reading the source program from the storage unit and performing translation processing on the read source program to generate an executive program, the executive program including at least one executive instruction, the executive instructions including information on a register; C) an instruction scheduling unit for rearranging the executive instructions according to information included in the executive instructions on areas that are parts of an area in the register so that a plurality of executive instructions that are to be executed in parallel are adjacent to each other; and D) an object code generating unit for generating the object codes according to the rearranged executive instructions.
In the compiling apparatus, a plurality of executive instructions are rearranged in units of parts of registers that are to be accessed by the executive instructions. As a result, when object codes that have been output from the compiling apparatus are executed in the object processor, the possibility that a plurality of executive instructions are executed in parallel is enhanced, and the number of execute cycles is reduced. Accordingly, the compiling apparatus can generate execute codes that are executed in less number of execute cycles.
The above-mentioned object may be also achieved by the compiling apparatus, wherein the instruction scheduling unit includes: A) a dependency relation analysis unit for generating dependency relation information that indicates dependency relations between the executive instructions according to order in which the executive instructions are arranged and the information on the areas that are parts of the area in the register; B) an instruction rearrangement unit for determining groups containing at least one instructions that are to be executed in parallel according to the dependency relation information and rearranging the executive instructions; and C) an execution boundary adding unit for adding parallel execution information to each of the determined groups that indicates whether instructions are to be executed in parallel.
In the compiling apparatus, the data dependency relations between a plurality of executive instructions are analyzed, parallel execution information is added to for each group of instructions that are to be executed in parallel, and the executive instructions are rearranged in units of parts of registers that are to be accessed by the executive instructions. As a result, when object codes that have been output from the compiling apparatus are executed in the object processor, the processor easily detects groups of instructions that are executed in parallel using the parallel execution information, the possibility that a plurality of executive instructions are executed in parallel is enhanced, and the number of execute cycles is reduced. Accordingly, the compiling apparatus can generate execute codes that are executed in less number of execute cycles.

Processor, compiling apparatus, and compile program recorded on a recording medium


A touch device and method for detecting a touch point thereof are provided. The method includes: detecting a plurality of first touch values, second touch values and third touch values corresponding to a plurality of touch regions of a touch panel, respectively, during a first frame period, a second frame period and a third frame period; performing a value obtaining operation to output a median of the first touch value, the second touch value and the third touch value to which each of the touch regions correspond; and determining a real touch point according a touch threshold and the first touch values, the second touch values and the third touch values outputted by the value obtaining operation.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a touch device and a method for detecting a touch point thereof, and more particularly to a touch device which is able to filter out a false touch point and a method for detecting a touch point thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
With a rapid development and application of information technologies, wireless mobile communications, and information home appliances, a touch panel has been introduced as an input device in replacement of a conventional keyboard or a mouse for an electronic device to meet portable, compact, and user-friendly demands. Currently, a touch panel is generally categorized into a resistive touch panel and a capacitive touch panel, wherein the capacitive touch panel is with better sensing effects and thus becomes a main stream product at present.
Since a capacitive touch device is easily affected by circumstances, such as an external voltage provided by an adaptor, a high-frequency interference, a change of temperature, or an electrostatic discharge, and generates a noise, the capacitive touch device generates an abnormal sensing signal (i.e. the noise) which leads to a misjudgment of the electronic device and a waste of power.

Touch device and method for detecting touch point thereof


In general, in one aspect, the disclosure describes a video recording system including a user interface to enable a user to enter commands. A bookmark manager is to generate bookmarks corresponding to locations in the videos being recorded based on bookmark commands received, to assign end points for the bookmarks, and to generate a program based on selection of one or more of the recorded videos and selection of at least a subset of the bookmarks associated with the one or more recorded videos. A video record/playback manager is to control recording of the videos and the associated bookmarks and to present the program by playing the at least a subset of the associated bookmarks for the one or more of the recorded videos. Playback of each of the at least a subset of the associated bookmarks is to end at the assigned endpoint.

Video Recording Systems (VRSs), such as Personal Video Recorders (PVRs) and Digital Video Recorders (DVRs), allow a user to record programming events to a hard drive (e.g., as a recorded event) or to a storage buffer for later viewing. VRSs can store the last played position so that a user can resume the playback of a video program from the last played position. However, VRSs do not allow a user to tag or bookmark a particular video segment in a program for later reference purposes. Therefore, should the user wish to return to the particular video segment at a later time, this cannot be done without rewinding or fast-forwarding to search for the desired segment. For example, if the user wishes to show a particular news clip from a recorded news program to another person, the user must first take the time and effort to fast-forward or rewind to that point. The user can only return to the last played position and cannot jump to anywhere else in the recorded event.
Accordingly, it would be desirable and highly advantageous to have a method and apparatus for allowing a user of a VRS to create and manage video bookmarks. Such video bookmarks would allow a user to "jump" to a desired video segment during playback. Furthermore it would be desirable and highly advantageous to have a method and apparatus for defining durations for the bookmarks so that automatic playback from a set of bookmarks can be implemented.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A camera system includes one or more spectral illuminators, a tunable optical filter, and a sensor array. Active spectral light emitted from the one or more spectral illuminators towards a scene is dynamically tuned to an illumination sub-band selected from a plurality of different illumination sub-bands. Sequentially for each of a plurality of fluorescing light sub-bands different than the selected illumination sub-band, the tunable optical filter is adjusted to block light from being transmitted from the scene to the sensor array in all but a tested fluorescing light sub-band from the plurality of different fluorescing light sub-bands, and the sensor array is addressed to acquire one or more image of the scene in the tested fluorescing light sub-band.

Various substances intrinsically emit fluorescent light in response to being illuminated with excitation light of particular wavelengths. In some cases, fluorescence may be used as a mechanism for detecting and/or identifying a substance. As one example, fluorescence may be used to detect biological markers, such as proteins lipids, nucleotides, enzymes, and nucleic acid polymers, which all emit fluorescent light in response to being illuminated with different wavelengths of excitation light. The amount of fluorescing light may be directly proportional to the amount of excitation light, and the concentration of the biological marker that is present. Fluorescence may be beneficial as a detection mechanism for biological markers and other substances, because fluorescing light may be emitted by a biological sample immediately in response to being illuminated with excitation light without any physical contact or alteration of the biological sample.


In general, in one aspect, the invention relates to a method for determining a system integrity of an oilfield machine operatively coupled to a magnetic drive, wherein the magnetic drive is configured to provide a controlled operational speed, comprising adjusting a control on the oilfield machine such that the oilfield machine operates at a baseline speed, recording a raw system integrity measurement while the oilfield machine is operating at the baseline speed, and calculating the system integrity using the raw system integrity measurement and a baseline system integrity measurement.

When drilling in earth formations, the control (i.e., processing and handling) of solid materials (such as "cuttings" (i.e., pieces of a formation dislodged by the cutting action of teeth on a drill bit)) is of great importance. A variety of machines, such as shakers, centrifuges, blowers, pumps (including mud pumps), agitators, mixers, draw works, conveyors, etc. are used in the processing and handling of solid materials created during the drilling or completion stage. Combinations of these machines may also be used and such machines are well known in the art.
A typical concern, for example, is how to handle cuttings from the formation being drilled. After the cuttings have been transported to the surface of the well by a flow of a drilling fluid, disposal of the cuttings may pose a problem, particularly when the drilling fluid is oil-based or hydrocarbon-based. The oil from the drilling fluid (as well as any oil from the formation) often becomes associated with or adsorbed to the surfaces of the cuttings. The cuttings are then handled and disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner, especially in environmentally sensitive areas such as offshore operations.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,857,955 discloses one prior art centrifuge for use in oilfield applications. In particular, a centrifuge may be used to aid in the removal of dirt, sand, shale, abrasive cuttings, and/or silt particles from drilling fluid after the fluid has been circulated through a well so as to lift cuttings and other debris to the surface in an oilfield drilling operation. Moreover, U.S. Pat. No. 6,283,303 discloses a vibrating screen separator including an elongated, box-like, rigid bed, and a screen attached to, and extending across, the bed. The bed vibrates as the material to be separated is introduced to the screen, and the screen retains relatively large size material and passes the liquid and/or relatively small material into the bed. The bed can be vibrated by pneumatic, hydraulic, or rotary vibrators, and other means known in the art.
Operational control of the power transmission and forces (such as torque, conveyor speed, pump rate, etc.) involved with the types of oilfield machines such as those listed above is important to ensure efficient operation and to avoid failure of, for example, couplings and the like. Adjusting the rotational speed of (and the torque applied to) the drive shaft allows a user to maintain predetermined optimum operating conditions, regardless of variances in the flow rate of the feed slurry.
Due to the expense associated with purchasing and maintaining oilfield machines, it is desirable to operate the oilfield machines within an optimal range. This not only ensures that the oilfield machine is operating in the most cost effective manner, but also ensures that the oilfield machine is working properly, thereby minimizing safety risks, damage to the machine, etc. For example, overtime the bearings within an oilfield machine may deteriorate, thereby resulting in excessive wear and strain on the oilfield machine. Thus, what is needed is a method and apparatus to allow a user to readily determine the system integrity of the oilfield machine thereby providing the user insight into how the oilfield machine is performing.

Method and apparatus for determining system integrity for an oilfield machine


Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for performing text and attribute searches of data stores that include business objects. A computer-implemented method for searching business objects includes receiving search criteria, providing the search criteria to one or more search engines, receiving search results from the search engines, defining a result list from the search results, and providing the result list. At least one of the search engines accesses an index of business objects.

The present invention relates to searches of data objects.
Enterprise computer systems, such as, for example, the R/3 System available from SAP AG, of Walldorf, Germany, usually include and process business objects. Business objects are data objects that relate to some business process of an enterprise. Business objects can represent, for example, material master records, equipment, business partners, and so forth.
Generally, a business object includes attributes, which can form a significant part of the content of the business object. An attribute can be named and can include values. For example, an attribute named business partner can include a text string value "SAP AG". Attribute values can also include numeric values, as well as any other type of data that can be generally incorporated into a data object. Furthermore, the attributes of a business object can be structured relative to one another. For example, a first attribute can be associated with one or more child attributes. A collection of related attributes can be grouped as a set. For example, attributes that describe a product configuration can be grouped.
Business objects can be of different types, with each type relating to some particular business process. A material master, for example, is one type of business object. A business partner, such as, for example, a supplier, is another example of a particular type of business object.

Text and attribute searches of data stores that include business objects


Antisense compounds, compositions and methods are provided for modulating the expression of CD40. The compositions comprise antisense compounds, particularly antisense oligonucleotides, targeted to nucleic acids encoding CD40. Methods of using these compounds for modulation of CD40 expression and for treatment of diseases associated with CD40 are provided.

The immune system serves a vital role in protecting the body against infectious agents. It is well established, however, that a number of disease states and/or disorders are a result of either abnormal or undesirable activation of immune responses. Common examples include graft versus host disease (GVHD), graft rejection, inflammation, and autoimmune linked diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and certain forms of arthritis.
In general, an immune response is activated as a result of either tissue injury or infection. Both cases involve the recruitment and activation of a number of immune system effector cells (i.e. B- and T-lymphocytes, macrophages, eosinophils, neutrophils) in a process coordinated through a series of complex cell-cell interactions. A typical scenario by which an immune response is mounted against a foreign protein is as follows: Foreign proteins captured by antigen presenting cells (APC's) such as macrophages or dendritic cells are processed and displayed on the cell surface of the APC. Circulating T-helper cells which express an immunoglobulin that recognizes (i.e. binds) the displayed antigen undergo activation by the APC. These activated T-helpers in turn activate appropriate B-cell clones to proliferate and differentiate into plasma cells that produce and secrete humoral antibodies targeted against the foreign antigen. The secreted humoral antibodies are free to circulate and bind to any cells expressing the foreign protein on their cell surface, in effect marking the cell for destruction by other immune effector cells. In each of the stages described above, direct cell-cell contact between the involved cell types is required in order for activation to occur [Gruss et al., Leuk. Lymphoma, 24, 393 (1997)]. In recent years, a number of cell surface receptors that mediate these cell-cell contact dependent activation events have been identified. Among these cell surface receptors is CD40 and its physiological ligand, CD40 Ligand (CD40L).
CD40 was first characterized as a receptor expressed on B-lymphocytes. It was later found that engagement of B-cell CD40 with CD40L expressed on activated T-cells is essential for T-cell dependent B-cell activation (i.e. proliferation, immunoglobulin secretion, and class switching. It was subsequently revealed that functional CD40 is expressed on a variety of cell types other than B-cells, including macrophages, dendritic cells, thymic epithelial cells, Langerhans cells, and endothelial cells. These studies have led to the current belief that CD40 plays a broad role in immune regulation by mediating interactions of T-cells with B-cells as well as other cell types. In support of this notion, it has been shown that stimulation of CD40 in macrophages and dendritic results is required for T-cell activation during antigen presentation [Gruss et al., Leuk. Lymphoma, 24, 393 (1997)]. Recent evidence points to a role for CD40 in tissue inflammation as well. Production of the inflammatory mediators IL-12 and nitric oxide by macrophages have been shown to be CD40 dependent [Buhlmann and Noelle, J. Clin. Immunol., 16, 83 (1996)]. In endothelial cells, stimulation of CD40 by CD40L has been found to induce surface expression of E-selectin, ICAM-1, and VCAM-1, promoting adhesion of leukocytes to sites of inflammation [Buhlmann and Noelle, J. Clin. Immunol., 16, 83 (1996); Gruss et al., Leuk. Lymphoma, 24, 393 (1997)]. Finally, a number of reports have documented overexpression of CD40 in epithelial and hematopoietic tumors as well as tumor infiltrating endothelial cells, indicating that CD40 may play a role in tumor growth and/or angiogenesis as well [Gruss et al., Leuk. Lymphoma, 24, 393 (1997); Kluth et al., Cancer Res., 57, 891 (1997)].
Due to the pivotal role that CD40 plays in humoral immunity, the potential exists that therapeutic strategies aimed at downregulating CD40 or interfering with CD40 signaling may provide a novel class of agents useful in treating a number of immune associated disorders, including but not limited to graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), graft rejection, and autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and certain forms of arthritis. Inhibitors of CD40 may also prove useful as anti-inflammatory compounds, and could therefore be useful as treatment for a variety of inflammatory and allergic conditions such as asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, allograft rejections, inflammatory bowel disease, autoimmune encephalomyelitis, thyroiditis, various dermatological conditions, and psoriasis. Recently, both CD40 and CD154 have been shown to be expressed on vascular endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle cells and macrophages present in atherosclerotic plaques, suggesting that inflammation and immunity contribute to the atherogenic process. That this process involves CD40 signaling is suggested by several studies in mouse models in which disruption of CD154 (by knockout or by monoclonal antibody) reduced the progression or size of atherosclerotic lesions. Mach et al., 1998, Nature, 394, 200-3, Lutgens et al., 1999, Nat. Med. 5, 1313-6.
Finally, as more is learned of the association between CD40 overexpression and tumor growth, inhibitors of CD40 may prove useful as anti-tumor agents and inhibitors of other hyperproliferative conditions as well.
Currently, there are no known therapeutic agents which effectively inhibit the synthesis of CD40. To date, strategies aimed at inhibiting CD40 function have involved the use of a variety of agents that disrupt CD40/CD40L binding. These include monoclonal antibodies directed against either CD40 or CD40L, soluble forms of CD40, and synthetic peptides derived from a second CD40 binding protein, A20. The use of neutralizing antibodies against CD40 and/or CD40L in animal models has provided evidence that inhibition of CD40 signaling would have therapeutic benefit for GVHD, allograft rejection, rheumatoid arthritis, SLE, MS, and B-cell lymphoma [Buhlmann and Noelle, J. Clin. Immunol, 16, 83 (1996)]. Clinical investigations were initiated using CD154 monoclonal antibody in patients with lupus nephritis. However, studies were terminated due to the development of thrombotic events. Boumpas et al., 2003, Arthritis Rheum. March; 48, 719-27.
Due to the problems associated with the use of large proteins as therapeutic agents, there is a long-felt need for additional agents capable of effectively inhibiting CD40 function. Antisense oligonucleotides avoid many of the pitfalls of current agents used to block CD40/CD40L interactions and may therefore prove to be uniquely useful in a number of therapeutic, diagnostic and research applications. U.S. Pat. No. 6,197,584 (Bennett and Cowsert) discloses antisense compounds targeted to CD40.
Peptide nucleic acids, alternately referenced as PNAs, are known to be useful as oligonucleotide mimetics. In PNAs, both the sugar and the internucleoside linkage, i.e., the backbone, of the nucleotide units of oligonucleotides are replaced with novel groups. The sugar-backbone of an oligonucleotide is replaced with an amide containing backbone, in particular an aminoethylglycine backbone. The nucleobases are retained and are bound directly or indirectly to aza nitrogen atoms of the amide portion of the backbone. The base units, i.e., nucleobases, are maintained for hybridization with an appropriate nucleic acid target compound.
PNAs have been shown to have excellent hybridization properties as well as other properties useful for diagnostics, therapeutics and as research reagents. They are particularly useful as antisense reagents. Other uses include monitoring telomere length, screening for genetic mutations and for affinity capture of nucleic acids. As antisense reagents they can be used for transcriptional and translational blocking of genes and to effect alternate splicing. Further they can be used to bind to double stranded nucleic acids. Each of these uses are known and have been published in either the scientific or patent literature.
The synthesis of and use of PNAs has been extensively described. Representative United States patents that teach the preparation of and use of PNA compounds include, but are not limited to, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,539,082; 5,5539,083; 5,641,625; 5,714,331; 5,719,262; 5,766,855; 5,773,571; 5,786,461; 5,831,014; 5,864,010; 5,986,053; 6,201,103; 6,204,326; 6,210,892; 6,228,982; 6,350,853; 6,414,112; 6,441,130; and 6,451,968, each of which is herein incorporated by reference. Additionally PNA compounds are described in numerous published PCT patent applications including WO 92/20702. Further teaching of PNA compounds can be found in scientific publications. The first such publication was Nielsen et al., Science, 1991, 254, 1497-1500.
Depending on sequence, the solubility of PNAs can differ and, as such, some PNA sequences are not soluble as might be desirable for a particular use. It was suggested in Karras, et al., Biochemistry, 2001, 40, 7853-7859, that PNAs could mediate splicing activity in cells. They compared a PNA 15mer (a PNA having 15 monomeric units) to the same PNA having a single lysine amino acid jointed to its C terminus. They suggested that the attached, i.e., conjugated, lysine residue might improve the cellular uptake. However, they concluded that their present data "do not show a clear difference in activity between the PNA 15mer with and without a C-terminal lysine."
In published application US-2002-0049173-A1, published Apr. 25, 2002, it was suggested that antisense compounds might have one or more cationic tails, preferable positively charged amino acids such as lysine or arginine, conjugated thereto. It was further suggested that one or more lysine or arginine residues might be conjugated to the C-terminal end of a PNA compound. No discrimination was made between the effects resulting from the conjugation of one lysine or arginine versus more than one of these lysine or arginine residues.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,593,292 suggests using guanidine or amidine moieties for uptake of various compounds including macromolecules. PNA is a suggested macromolecule. In one instance this patent suggests that the guanidine or amidine moieties comprise non-peptide backbones but in a further instance it suggested that the guanidine moiety will exist as a polyarginine molecule. However, no data is shown wherein any of these moieties are actually conjugated to a macromolecule and uptake is achieved.
In a transgenic mouse model, a 4-lysine conjugated PNA targeted to β-globin was demonstrated to provide efficacy in a range of tissues (Sazani et al., 2002, Nature Biotech. 20, 1228-1233).


A method in a configuration node of a cellular network for selecting, from a set of channels of at least one primary system, at least one channel for allocation to base stations of the cellular network is provided. The method comprises the steps: Receiving, from a database, a set of channels of the at least one primary system; Observing a quality ranking of the channels of the received set of channels; Determining an optimal number of channels for the cellular network on the basis of the ranked set of channels such that a signal quality in the cellular network is optimized; and Selecting from the received set of channels on the basis of the quality ranking and the determined optimal number of channels, at least one channel for allocation to base stations of the cellular network. A corresponding configuration node is also provided.

Some users of radio spectrum do not use their allocated frequency bandwidth completely at all times and at all locations; they (sometimes temporarily, sometimes also constantly) leave certain channels unused at given locations and/or during certain time periods. These unused channels are called white spaces. White spaces are most widely discussed at the example of the TV band (i.e. the frequency range between 470 and ˜800 MHz that is used for terrestrial television broadcasting), but the concept is general and could be applied in other bands as well.
White spaces can under certain circumstances be used by other users than the original users. In order to do that it is typically a regulatory requirement for them to operate as secondary users, i.e. to operate (i) without causing harmful interference to the original (these are typically called primary) users and (ii) to accept any interference from the primary users. In order to ensure that no harmful interference is caused, the operational parameters of secondary users are typically subject to regulatory limitations (e.g. with regard to the allowed transmit power, antenna height and other antenna characteristics, etc.). A detailed description of technical and operational requirements of one possible operation in white spaces can be found in CEPT-ECC, Technical and operational requirements for the possible operation of cognitive radio systems in the 'white spaces' of the frequency band 470-790 MHz (ECC Report 159), European Conference of Postal and Telecommunication Administrations, January 2011, htttp://www.erodocdb.dk/docs/doc98/official/Pdf/ECCRep159.pdf.
One relevant practical case is that a primary user uses a given channel only in certain locations, and that secondary use is possible outside those locations. In these cases typically no or very little temporal variation is observed.
For this case a promising technical solution to enable white space usage is to use a geo-location database that is able to determine the required operational limitations for one or several secondary users based on information about the users' locations (which is provided to the database as part of a database query). In current regulatory frameworks (e.g. in the US and in Europe) it is foreseen that the database returns a list of locally available channels together with related operational limitations, and it is up to the secondary users to determine how many and which of these channels should be used (i.e. a device can use up to all locally available channels but will normally not do so since devices will be limited in their capabilities, e.g., to simultaneously use non contiguous spectrum chunks).
In this context a cellular network using white space and receiving a range of available channels with associated constraints (such as a allowed transmit power or an expected interference level) has to make an ad-hoc decision how many and which channels to choose. Further, the selected channels shall be allocated to base stations within the cellular network in an optimal or reasonable way.
Accordingly there is a need for techniques which in an ad-hoc manner select channels of a white space for a secondary user. There is another need to assign or allocate the selected channels to base stations of the cellular network in an optimal way.

White space channel selection for cellular networks


A collapsible pallet with reinforcing slats, and a method for reinforcing a collapsible pallet. The pallet comprises a flexible platform having an upper surface operative to receive a load. Laterally-displaced support blocks are affixed to a lower surface of the platform. Reinforcing slats are coupled to the upper surface of the platform to facilitate pallet handling. In one disclosed embodiment, the slats are inserted into pockets coupled to the platform and sized for receiving the slats. The pockets on the platform are transversely oriented with the support blocks. In a disclosed alternative embodiment, the slats may be removed from the transversely oriented pockets on the platform when the pallet is no longer in use and inserted into stowage pockets below the platform and aligned parallel with the support blocks. The stowage pockets are coupled to the vertical faces of the support blocks so that the platform and support blocks may be collapsed to store the pallet in a minimum of space. In another disclosed alternate embodiment, additional slats are inserted into another set of pockets coupled to the bottom of the support blocks to further reinforce the pallet. The pockets on the bottom of the support blocks are also transversely oriented with the support blocks. The slats may also be removed from these pockets in order to collapse the pallet.

Pallets are widely used for supporting articles above the ground and for transporting these article from place to place. Articles such as consumer goods and manufactured parts are typically stored and shipped on pallets as cargo or freight. These pallets are adapted for use with material handling equipment such as forklifts. Forklifts facilitate the transportation of articles placed on pallets from one location to another. To move a loaded pallet from place to place, the forklift is maneuvered to insert its forks into channels beneath the lower surface of the pallet. The forklift can raise the forks thereby lifting the pallet above the ground. Once the loaded pallet is above the ground, the forklift is able to transport and position the pallet in any desired location.
Most commercially available pallets are conventional hard pallets which are typically made of wood. These wooden pallets are cumbersome and are not easily moved or stacked without assistance. Alternatives to these wooden pallets such as light-weight pallets are known. The development of light-weight pallets made of plastic or other materials was brought about by the desire to make conventional pallets easier to handle. Aside from being substantially heavier than the light-weight pallets, conventional pallets are also difficult to return to their original owner once the articles have been delivered. Ideally, the accumulated empty pallets should be returned to the supplier or manufacturer for reuse. However, due to their physical size, empty conventional pallets still take up considerable amounts of space on their return trip. Therefore, collapsible pallets were developed to save space as well as weight.
An example of a collapsible pallet is shown in my U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,037, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Generally described, collapsible pallets according to that patent comprise a flexible platform affixed to rectangular support blocks. The platform is fabricated of a flexible but substantially inelastic material such as canvas or another kind of material having suitable strength and resistance to wear. This collapsible pallet has approximately the same length and width as a conventional wooden pallet. The support blocks are made of light-weight non-compressible material contained in a sleeve connected to the lower surface of the platform. The support blocks are displaced from one another defining a pair of parallel channels individually placed between adjacent support blocks. The channels are sized for receiving the lift forks of a lifting device such as a forklift. These collapsible pallets are made without nails or staples, making them particularly useful for storing and transporting articles such as beverage containers. Nails and staples often work themselves loose, and exposed nails and staples may pierce beverage containers on the bottom of a palletized load. Moreover, collapsible pallets weigh approximately half as much as conventional wooden pallets, are easier to handle, and allow more product to be moved for a given transportation cost.
Empty collapsible pallets are easily folded in order to collapse the pallet for storage and return shipment. To collapse these pallets once they have been emptied, the support blocks are stacked on top of one another. The loose portions of the platform may be eliminated by rotating the support blocks. A cluster of collapsed pallets is easily and inexpensively returned for reuse.
Manufacturers and suppliers palletize their products by placing their product on a pallet. The pallet may then be lifted with a forklift and placed in a cargo van, truck, train or any other mode of transportation suitable for cargo or freight. Alternatively, the pallet may be stored in a warehouse or bunker until being shipped at some later date. Consequently, an enormous supply of pallets is needed to meet the demands of manufacturers and suppliers who palletize their products for storage or shipment.
Presently, palletized articles are also placed on material handling equipment such as palletizing machines or sorting systems. For example, once a load of articles for a particular destination is palletized, the pallet may be placed on a conveyor to transport the pallet to the proper vehicle designated for that same destination. These pallet handling machines are primarily designed for use with conventional wooden pallets. Consequently, the transition to collapsible pallets has identified some inadequacies in collapsible pallets. These known collapsible pallets, when unfolded and placed on pallet handling equipment, may become hung-up or misaligned with respect to the drive rollers that move the pallet through the pallet handling machine. These hang-ups and misalignments are directly related to the nonrigid nature of such collapsible pallets. Except for the weight of a load on top of a collapsible pallet, there is no restraint preventing the support blocks from becoming misaligned when used with material handling equipment.
In response to the realized inadequacies of these earlier collapsible pallets and the preference of some pallet users not to modify existing forklifts for use with those collapsible pallets, it became clear there is a need for a collapsible pallet which is suitable for use with material handling equipment such as palletizing machines and sorting conveyors. This new collapsible pallet must have additional support to reinforce the collapsible pallet to facilitate pallet handling. What is needed is a collapsible pallet which has stiffeners to maintain the structural integrity of the collapsible pallet when used in conjunction with material handling equipment.

Collapsible pallet with reinforcing slats and method of using the same


A lens sheet is provided with a lens layer which is formed by arranging lenses, which extend in a y direction as a first direction, in a plurality of lines in an x direction as a second direction which is a direction which is orthogonal to the first direction, and an ink absorbing layer which configures a surface on the opposite side with regard to a surface which is configured by the lens layer, where the thickness of an edge which is an end surface on one side of the lens layer in the x direction is thinner than the thickness of an edge which is an end surface on the other side. The printer performs recording from the edge which is a reference side toward the edge on the opposite side.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus which performs recording onto a target recording medium which is configured such that a surface on one side is a lens layer which is configured by a plurality of lenses and a surface of the other side is a recording layer where recording is possible using a recording head.
2. Related Art
Among printers, in particular, ink jet printers which are examples of recording apparatuses which perform recording onto a target recording medium, there are printers where it is possible to select a bidirectional recording mode where ink is ejected from the recording head in both a period where the target recording medium and the recording head move relatively in a predetermined direction and a period where the target recording medium and the recording head move in the reverse direction to the predetermined direction and a single direction recording mode where ink is ejected from the recording head only in a period where the target recording medium and the recording head move relatively in a predetermined direction (refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2011-240536).
Here, media are known in the prior art where it is possible to obtain various types of visual effects by using a lenticular lens such as, for example, stereoscopically showing images which are recorded (a 3D effect), showing images which are different by changing the viewing angle (a changing effect), and imparting movement to images by changing the viewing angle in a gradual manner (a motion effect).
The lenticular lens refers to a collection of lenses where a plurality of elongated lens elements with a semi-cylindrical shape are aligned and it is possible to obtain the various types of visual effects described above by providing images which are respectively different for the left and right eyes of an observer when images are viewed through such a lenticular lens. Then, there is a method, which is an example of a method of recording images in order to obtain visual effects in this manner, where ink jet recording is performed directly with regard to an ink absorbing layer of a medium where the surface, which is on the opposite side to the surface where the lenticular lens is formed, is configured by the ink absorbing layer.
Here, since the target recording medium which is provided with the lenticular lens has high resilience and low flexibility compared to normal sheets, there are restrictions on the transport path such as that it is not possible to carry out transporting on a transport path with a high degree of curvature. However, when forming a transport path which extends with a linear shape in one direction, for example, from the front of the apparatus toward the side of the rear surface or from the side of the rear surface to the front, the feeding side and the discharge side of the target recording medium are different and the ease of handling is reduced when recording is performed.
In addition, there are cases where the target recording medium which is provided with the lenticular lens is created by being cut from a large sheet into a desired size. In this case, there are cases where the lens which is formed at the edge of the target recording medium is in a defective state of not being cut into a perfect semi-cylindrical shape. In more detail, when the cutting position is positioned exactly in a valley between a lens element and another lens element, the lens element which is formed at the edge has a perfect semi-cylindrical shape. However, in a case where the cutting position is positioned in the middle of a lens element, the lens element at the cutting position will not have a perfect semi-cylindrical shape.
Accordingly, when recording starts with a slicing surface of the lens element with an imperfect semi-cylindrical shape as a reference position, an image which is to be recorded originally on one of the lens elements is recorded across another lens element which is adjacent and it is not possible to favorably obtain the various types of visual effects described above as a result.
Therefore, it is desirable to perform recording using a simple method and with high precision with regard to a target recording medium which is provided with a lenticular lens.


The proposed holographic particle image velocimetry (HPIV) system employs holograms of two time-separated particle fields, illuminated by separate reference beams on a single recording medium. 90-degree scattering is utilized for the object wave, in order to improve Numerical Aperture and resolve the third dimension of the hologram. The proposed HPIV system then uses substantially the same optical geometry for the reconstruction process. A CCD camera is utilized to extract particle subimages, thin slice by thin slice, and a centroid-finding algorithm is applied to extract centroid locations for each volume. The concise cross correlation (CCC) algorithm for extracting velocity vector fields from the centroid data is an important enabling feature of the proposed system. Correlations are calculated between subsets of centroids representing the images or cubes, and velocity vectors are computed from the individual correlations. Higher spatial resolution can also be obtained by pairing particle centroids individually.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to methods and apparatus for measurements of displacements or velocities of particle fields from double-exposure particle images or holograms.
2. Description of the Related Art
In application areas such as aircraft and automobile design, chemical, material, drug and food manufacture, environmental control, power generation, and biomedical engineering, there is a ubiquitous need to measure three dimensional velocity fields in turbulent, complex fluid flows. Such information is critical to the modeling and control of various flows of technological importance.
In many such applications, measurement of the displacement of small markers/tracers (either particles or speckles) in full field is required. Such full-field measurement capability was lacking until the establishment and commercialization of the Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) technique a few years ago. In the PIV technique, a pair of images is captured within a short time interval, and the particle displacement from the two images is computed. The time interval is chosen so that the displacement during that time period is small enough to approximate the instantaneous velocity. Applications of this sort of velocimetry include deformation gauging of speckle-sprayed surfaces of deformable solid objects, velocity measurement of the discrete phase (solid particles, droplets, and bubbles) in a two-phase flow, and continuous-phase fluid flows seeded with particles.
For these applications, variation in the local densities of tracer particles presents a problem. Commercial instruments like PIV use Fast Fourier Transform (FFT)-based correlation to estimate the degree of displacement of a small group of tracer particles; in fact, FFT-based correlation is the only correlation technique available in commercial systems. Since velocity vectors obtained using FFT-based correlation are based on average over groups of tracer particles, information about individual particles is lost, resulting in a limited spatial resolution for the extracted velocity field. Where particles are especially sparse, FFT-based correlation methods fail completely; such local inhomogeneities, however, are unavoidable in complex, turbulent flows.
PIV measurements are limited to two planes. For truly three dimensional flow field measurements, it is necessary to use Holgraphic Particle Image Velocimetry (HPIV), a new technique currently under development at several leading laboratories around the world, including the Laser Flow Diagnostics Laboratory at Kansas State University. HPIV works by recording the instantaneous 3-dimensional images of a large quantity of tracer particles in a fluid volume recorded on a hologram, and then reconstructing the particle images optically. The instantaneous volumetric velocity field can be retrieved by finding the displacements of the particles in the image volume during the period between exposures. Applied in conjunction with cinematography, simultaneously time- and space-resolved measurements in three dimensions are possible.
In practice, a number of serious issues stand in the way of the commercial use of HPIV for measuring three-dimensional fluid motion. HPIV configurations are broadly classifiable, based on the holographic system, as either xe2x80x9cin-linexe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9coff-axisxe2x80x9d. In in-line systems, only one beam is employed to produce both the object wave (scattered component) and the reference wave (unscattered component). While the optical geometry of in-line systems is simple enough for use in commercial systems, in-line HPIV systems suffer from speckle to an extent which makes it impossible to resolve particle images in sufficient detail for most commercial applications. Furthermore, in-line particle images are formed with an extremely narrow forward scattering lobe. Due to such small Numerical Aperture (N.A.), the particle images suffer from large depth of focus. Off-axis systems produce holograms with better SNR, at the expense of simplicity of optical geometry. Many variations on the themes of in-line versus off-axis imaging systems are possible, so that the distinction between them can become blurred.
Finally, a major challenge to commercial HPIV applications has been the magnitude of the data processing task. The amount of data being processed at a given time is exorbitantly large, and particularly so in the case of HPIV. The data volume one needs to address is typically on the order of 100 Gigabytes with FFT-based methods, which utilize the full three-dimensional volume. Such a large volume of data cannot be processed fast enough, or stored at an acceptable cost for velocity extraction; thus the advent of HPIV demands a more efficient solution to the data storage and processing problem. Ongoing research in the area of PIV data processing has focused on addressing these problems with sophisticated techniques, such as neural nets, fuzzy logic, and genetic algorithms, but these methods have not yet met with practical success.
In standard FFT-based cross-correlation methods the displacement estimate is obtained by applying FFTs to both a target window (for two dimensional PIV systems) or cube (for three dimensional HPIV systems) and a search window or cube. The cross correlation is then calculated in the frequency domain by multiplication, and inversion of the result gives the location of the correlation peak. One disadvantage of this method is that the correlation peak is the optimal displacement for the particles based on mean group displacement throughout the target and search windows/cubes; this means that finer particle displacement data are unrecoverable by this method. In fact, FFT-based correlation may fail completely in windows or cubes where the seeding density is low. Most importantly, the quantity of data to be handled in the case of HPIV excludes the use of FFT-based correlation methods; a typical 100-Gigabyte block of data would take thousands of hours to process by this means. New data processing techniques are therefore demanded, which require less computational power and less data storage capacity.
Space domain cross-correlation methods for PIV and HPIV, which have been researched but have not been commercially implemented, may require the calculation of particle centroids. Various approaches to the problem of finding particle centroids have been taken; most try to minimize computation. In one such implementation, the entire image is scanned, and pixels with intensity higher than a specified threshold are set aside for further computation (the threshold is determined adaptively from the image histogram). For each eligible pixel, a list of preexisting centroids is scanned; if the new pixel is sufficiently close to a preexisting pixel, then the pixels are combined by intensity-weighted averaging to form a new centroid. If the new pixel is isolated, it is added to the list of particle centroids.
No system currently available is capable of processing particle fields for velocimetry in an efficient manner, while retaining the ability to track specific particles. A need remains in the art for such a system.
A number of obstacles have prevented HPIV from becoming reliable and practical. Hence, despite a need in several industries for 3D flow measurements, commercial HPIV systems have not been available.
A need also remains in the art for a workable optical configuration for HPIV, which combines the simplicity of in situ reconstruction with high image quality and easy optical access.
A need also remains in the art for a data processing system which takes full advantage of the 3D holographic images, handles the large quantity of 3D data involved, and delivers particle information and velocity fields efficiently.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a holographic particle imaging system that is capable of extracting three-dimensional detail from the flow field, including but not limited to individual particle sizes, shapes, displacements, velocities and concentrations.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a workable optical configuration for HPIV, which combines the simplicity of in situ reconstruction with high image quality and easy optical access. The present HPIV configuration""s 90-degree scattering feature permits optical access approaching that of planar PIV, which has been widely accepted.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a system with high compression ratios for the data to be processed, together with an efficient velocity field extraction algorithm. The use of particle centroids for velocity field extraction, rather than the image data extracted from the hologram as is used in some HPIV systems, permits the use of less storage and active memory, which speeds the processing of the data. Furthermore, retaining the spatial locations of the particle centroids permits particle pairing to be done after extraction of the major features of the flow; clearly this provides the best possible resolution of the velocity vector field.
To achieve these objects, there is provided a system for the holographic recording of three-dimensional images of a fluid seeded with particles, and for the extraction of the velocity vector field defined by the motion of the fluid. The system includes the specification of an off-axis holographic system utilizing 90-degree scattering to obtain low depth of focus and high SNR, in situ reconstruction of the time-separated holograms, extraction of the particle centroid locations from the time-separated holograms, and a velocity field extraction algorithm which uses particle centroid data, rather than digital images captured from the hologram, to perform the correlations needed to calculate the three-dimensional velocity vector field.
The system utilizes an object beam and two reference beams that are directed onto the holographic recording medium from different reference angles. The different reference angles permit the particle fields recorded at different points of time, t1 and t2=t1+dt, to be unambiguously distinguished from each other. The object wave is obtained by directing a third coherent wavefront at an angle perpendicular to the vector between the particle field and the single recording medium, so that the 90-degree scattering component from this beam interferes with first one reference beam at time t1, and then the other reference beam at time t2=t1+dt. The use of two angularly separated reference waves permits the time-separated holograms to be recorded on a single holographic recording medium. This system geometry results in an improved Numerical Aperture and depth of focus, allowing three-dimensional information to be effectively extracted from the resulting holograms.
The complexity of the imaging system is somewhat ameliorated by the in situ reconstruction scheme, which uses substantially the same optics for reconstruction of the time-separated holograms. The two reference beams are recreated in exactly the same geometry used for recording; the holographic recording medium is placed in the same position with the emulsion facing in the opposite direction, so that the incident reference waves are effectively the phase-conjugates of the original reference waves. The object wave is not needed in the reconstruction process, and so is blocked. The reconstructed images are displayed alternately, on the opposite side of the holographic emulsion, by illuminating the emulsion alternately with the two reference beams.
The system then utilizes an imaging system which alternately interrogates the three-dimensional volumes reconstructed by the two reference beams. A CCD camera on a three-dimensional traverse system, with a small depth of focus, is and acquires planar images by scanning synchronized with the laser. The CCD camera alternately extracts intensity data from the two holograms, taking a thin slice in the depth dimension, and small areas in the planar dimension. This gives rise to a natural three-dimensional grid on each volume. The processor then employs standard particle centroid extraction algorithms to save the three-dimensional location of each particle centroid in the intensity map. The concise cross correlation algorithm (CCC) is then utilized to extract a velocity vector field defined on this grid.
CCC extracts velocity vector fields by measuring displacement in 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional media, including, but not limited to, fluid flows. In the preferred embodiment, particle centroid coordinates are extracted from each pair of images, or from image planes in the hologram. The coordinates alone are retained in the processing that follows, saving both compute time and memory. The first cube is naturally broken into target windows (cubes) by the volume interrogation process. These cubes are sufficiently small that their velocity fields are roughly constant at that scale. The correlation of each window (cube) with a region in the second image (cube) is calculated. The correlation is calculated on the basis of particle centroids alone, with correlation intensities between individual particles being calculated as a decreasing function of distance. Translations are calculated by manipulating centroid coordinates.
To accelerate computation, three 1-dimensional correlations are calculated in place of a complete 3-dimensional correlation. The velocity vectors are obtained by combining x-, y-, (z-) components obtained from the individual correlations. The highest possible spatial resolution can then be obtained, if desired, by translating the images by the extracted velocity and pairing particle centroids individually.
The entire computation can be performed in integer arithmetic only, which means that CCC can be implemented easily on hardware platforms for real-time applications. The method is robust, and much faster than the FFT-based methods in common use.

Holographic particle image velocimetry apparatus and methods

Kansas State University Research Foundation


A mobile terminal and controlling method thereof are disclosed. The mobile terminal comprising a touchscreen configured to display a 1st region that comprises a 1st icon and one or more other icons and a controller configured to control the touchscreen to shift the 1st region in a 1st direction when the 1st icon is selected by a touch and dragged in a 2nd direction that is opposite to the 1st direction, shift a position of the 1st icon to a prescribed zone in the 1st region when the dragged 1st icon is released over the prescribed zone and arrange the one or more other icons of the 1st region according to a prescribed formation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile terminal, and more particularly, to a mobile terminal and controlling method thereof. Although the present invention is suitable for a wide scope of applications, when an icon is selected and dragged in a predetermined direction, it is particularly suitable for facilitating a position of the selected icon to be changed by shifting an icon displayed region as well in a direction opposite to that of the drag.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Generally, terminals can be classified into mobile/portable terminals and stationary terminals. The mobile terminals can be classified into handheld terminals and vehicle mount terminals again according to possibility of user's direct portability.
As functions of the terminal are diversified, the terminal is implemented as a multimedia player provided with composite functions such as photographing of photos or videos, playback of music or video files, game play, broadcast reception and the like for example.
To support and increase the terminal functions, it may be able to consider the improvement of structural parts and/or software parts of the terminal.
According to a related art, in case of attempting to change a position of a displayed icon by drag & top, since a portion of an icon displayed region is blocked by such a pointer as a finger, a stylus pen and the like, a user has difficulty in checking a position over which the selected icon will be dropped. Hence, the need for settling the difficulty is rising.

Mobile terminal and controlling method thereof


A seeding and fertilizing apparatus comprises a plurality of seed assemblies each comprising a trailing arm pivotally connected at a front end thereof to the frame and a packer wheel rotatably attached to rear end thereof. A seed furrow opener is attached to the trailing arm ahead of the packer wheel which rolls along the seed furrow created by the opener. A vertical position of the seed furrow opener with respect to the packer wheel is adjustable, and a bias device is operative to exert a downward bias force on the trailing arm. A plurality of fertilizer assemblies each comprises a fertilizer knife mounted to the frame such that a vertical position of the fertilizer knife with respect to the implement frame is adjustable. The seed assemblies and fertilizer assemblies are oriented laterally such that each fertilizer furrow is located between adjacent seed furrows.

Air seeders typically comprise two or more product tanks, for carrying granular agricultural products such as seed and fertilizer, mounted on a wheeled frame assembly. A fan creates an air stream to distribute the agricultural products to furrow openers and into the soil. Modern air seeders are known that simultaneously place seed and fertilizer in the soil of a field without tillage such that a field can be seeded and fertilized in a single pass.
It is generally accepted certain types of fertilizer can be mixed with seed and placed in the same furrow, but for the higher rates and fertilizer types commonly used, it is required to provide some separation between the seed and fertilizer. Fertilizer that is placed too near the seed can damage the seed and reduce crop yield and quality, particularly with more sensitive seeds, in particular soil types and in dry soil conditions.
Common air seeder equipment is designed to place the seed and the fertilizer in different locations within essentially the same furrow, or in separate furrows that are not much more than one inch apart. A furrow opener apparatus can be mounted on the bottom end of a single shank to deliver seed and fertilizer into separate furrows, as is disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 6,640,731 to Rowlett et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 6,457,426 to Cruson. Alternatively, a fertilizer furrow opener can be mounted on the bottom of one shank, with a seed furrow opener mounted at the bottom of a separate shank that is operated in close lateral proximity as disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,396,851 and 5,331,907 to Beaujot, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,142,085 to Drever et al. The seeders of Beaujot and Drever include a trailing arm with separate shanks for the seed and fertilizer furrow openers extending down from the arm. A wheel on the rear end of the trailing arm packs the furrow and controls the depth of the fertilizer and seed furrow openers.
A problem with these types of systems is that in certain soil & moisture conditions, for example drier clay soils that tend to lump, it is very difficult to achieve separation of seed and fertilizer when the seed and fertilizer rows are in such close proximity. Often, some of the seed falls into the fertilizer furrow where same can be damaged. To avoid this problem, air seeders have been developed that place the fertilizer furrow about midway between the seed furrows, instead of closely adjacent to each seed furrow. An entirely separate furrow opener assembly including a shank, trip mechanism etc. is used for each seed furrow opener and for each fertilizer furrow opener. The furrow opener assemblies are spaced laterally along the frame at a desired spacing, and seed and fertilizer are directed into appropriate ones of the furrow opener assemblies to achieve the desired spacing and orientation of the seed and fertilizer in the soil.
Such an air seeder is disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 6,216,616 to Bourgault. The Bourgault apparatus uses coulter disc type fertilizer furrow opener assemblies that create furrows mid way between adjacent pairs of furrows opened by coulter disc type seed furrow opener assemblies. The disclosed apparatus uses the same type of furrow opener assemblies for depositing both seed and fertilizer and does not allow independent adjustment of the seed placement openers nor does it allow independent depth control of each seed assembly during operation.

Seeder with trailing arm and hoe-type mid row bander


An apparatus for separating grain material and for sorting out heavy inclusions from a product flow, particularly stones from gain material, in which the product flow is fed to an inclined layering table and guided so as to be substantially layered thereon. The layering table being acted upon by air flow and oscillated in such a way that the heavy inclusions lying directly thereon are conveyed up the table and guided away separately at the higher end. The feeding of the product flow is effected by way of a feed duct which opens to into the area of the higher end of the table and feeds the product into the separating zone of the product layers as a flow across the widest possible surface area, the separating zone being located in the area of the higher end of the table. The table has air guides for circulating. On an upper side, a closed hood is arranged and on an end side, a product feed portion is arranged. In the middle thereof, an outlet suction portion coupled to the closed hood is arranged. The inclined layering table as well as the closed hood with the guides for the air outlet portion form an oscillating box which is closed on all sides.

Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a process for sorting out heavy inclusions, particularly stones, from grain material in which the material is fed to a layering table and is guided so as to be substantially layered via the layering table, the latter being inclined, acted upon by air flow and oscillated in such a way that the heavy inclusions lying directly on the layering table are conveyed up the table and guided away separately at the higher end of the table

Apparatus for the separation of grain material and the sorting out of heavy inclusions from grain material


Mature particulate compost containing plastic film fragments resulting from the comminution of green waste and the bags containing them, is freed of the plastic fragments during screening of the compost by drawing air upwards through the compost into at least one plenum chamber at a velocity sufficient to lift the plastic film fragment into the plenum chamber substantially free of compost.

Compost is largely decayed organic matter which is utilized as a fertilizer for soil. It is formed by bacterial digestion of lawn cuttings, tree cuttings, ground Christmas trees, farm and garden waste, unsalable produce and the like. The cuttings may be of any size and may be ground at the time a compost pile is formed.
The pile of cuttings, which may be termed "green waste," is allowed to stand in a moist condition as bacterial action causes decay and eventually turns brown.
Sources for compost include yard clippings, which are typically bagged in plastic bags, unsalable produce such as fruits and vegetables which are also contained in plastic bags, and find their way, bagged, to garbage dumps. As the contents for forming compost must normally be reduced in size to facilitate the decaying operation, it is convenient to reduce the size of the raw materials while in their bags. This develops film fragments.
The green waste is usually ground to a size that will pass through a six to eight inch (6-8") screen. Plastic bags will usually shred to strips of 12" or more in length and occupy about one to two percent (1-2%) by weight of the green waste. In any operation of separating mature or stable compost into fractions of desired size from oversize, the plastic will concentrate in the oversize and also tend to clog screens used for sizing of the compost.
Since the oversize has the utility of being combinable with fresh green waste to generate the new compost, it is desirable to eliminate the shredded plastic film from the compost at some stage in its processing.
This is the subject of the instant invention.

Compost purification method and apparatus

Community Recycling & Resource Recovery, Inc.


A dental implement is disclosed that includes a proximal end portion; a distal end portion that includes a cutting head defining at least one cutting surface; and a guide body that is positioned proximally of the cutting head. The guide body defines at least one flute that extends in generally parallel relation to a longitudinal axis of the dental implement and is configured to direct irrigation fluid to a surgical site within a patient.

Certain dental procedures necessitate the removal of material and/or tissue during surgery. For example, in the context of dental prosthetics, a dental implement (e.g., a dental drill) is typically used to form one or more bores in a patient's upper and/or lower jaw bone to allow for the placement of anchor(s) and the subsequent attachment of the dental prosthetic(s). To reduce heat generated during formation of the bore(s), both internal and external irrigation systems have been developed that supply irrigation fluid to the surgical site. The present disclosure improves upon this technique by providing a dental implement that includes a fluted guide body, which allows for an increase in the volume of irrigation fluid communicated to the surgical site.


The invention relates to a sterile, disposable, compartmentalized Zavos swim-up column for the swimming-up of spermatozoa, at desired levels of dilution in a media, and a swimming down of spermatozoa into compartments within the column, as well as to a method for the harvesting of those semen samples having particular sperm morphology, motility, progressive motility, speed, sperm concentration, fertilization potential, and a sex ratio. The device comprises a hollow, vertically supported column, having a closed lower end, and an open upper end. A lowermost or first conical member is arranged at the lowermost end of the column, the lowermost conical member having a lowermost periphery in sealing engagement with the bottom of the column. The first conical member has inclined side walls and a truncated uppermost portion defining a peripheral edge which is open within into the column. A second conical member having a lowermost periphery is also attached to the side walls of the column in a sealing manner therebetween. The second conical member also has tapered walls and a truncated uppermost portion defining a peripheral edge which is open to the inside of the column. The area between the inclined walls of each of the conical members and the inner wall of the column define a periconical area which comprises a compartment for collecting sperm prior to harvesting thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus and a method of processing semen and allowing its associated spermatozoa to become segregated to permit subsequent selection thereof, to increase the number of motile and morphological samples to be recovered therefrom.
2. Prior Art
A number of methods have been proposed for the processing of semen so as to increase its quality and quantity of spermatozoa population of a given semen sample. With improved quality and quantity of such spermatozoa, the probability of success of Artificial Insemination (AI), In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI), and other related Assisted Reproductive Clinical Technologies (ARTs), may be improved. Some of the methodologies include washing and storage of the spermatozoa in media, and the "swim-up" procedure, a technique that takes advantage of the swimming abilities of a small percentage of spermatozoa within a given sperm population.
One attempt at the improvement of the collection of spermatozoa is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,894,529 to Shrimpton, entitled, "Method and Means For Controlling the Sex of Mammalian Offspring And Product Therefor". This patent discloses a method of separating X and Y sperm so as to control the sex of a desired offspring by inseminating an egg with an X or a Y sperm. The sperm is separated by applying a buoyant force to a mixture of sperm in the nutrient media so that the separation occurs according to the density of the sperm.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,759,344 To Wang, entitled, "Wang's Tubules For Sperm Preparations Used For IVF-ET-GIFT and Artificial Inseminations", discloses a method and an apparatus for separating sperm having the greatest motility. The sperm are allowed to swim upward in a column, where they may be collected to provide the strongest samples for insemination.
Processes such as these are relatively simple, however they are often inefficient and maybe susceptible to technician error and/or to laboratory variations.
Further, none of these techniques allow the use of the "swim-up/swim-down" principle nor do they permit selectivity based on the various characteristics such progressive motility, morphological characteristics, X or Y bearing sperm ratio and the like.
It is an object of the present invention, to provide a method in apparatus for the selection of a desired spermatozoa population from a given semen sample, to maximize the probability of success when that semen sample is utilized for artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization, intracytoplasmic sperm injection, and other related assisted reproductive clinical technologies.
It is yet a further object of the present invention, to provide a method and an apparatus that will minimize the likelihood of technical error and laboratory variations, and permit the selection of a particular population of spermatozoa.
It is yet still a further object of the present invention, to provide a method in apparatus to take advantage of the "swim-up/swim-down" principle and to permit the entrapment of various classifications of spermatozoa based on their various characteristics such as progressive motility, morphological characteristics, X or Y bearing sperm ratio and the like.

Compartmentalized Zavos sperm swim-up column


In a ball screw drive comprising a spindle nut (2) that can be disposed on a spindle (1), said spindle nut (2) comprising on an inner periphery, a ball groove (3) that is arranged along a helix and defines a load-bearing channel (6) for balls (5), an external deflector (7) comprising a return channel (8) for the balls (5) being arranged on an outer periphery of the spindle nut (2), said external deflector (7) comprising two ball openings (E1, E2), each of which is connected to an end of the load-bearing channel (6) to deflect the balls (5) from one end of the load-bearing channel (6) to the other end of the load-bearing channel (6), the external deflector (7) extends from one of the two ball openings (E1) to the other of the two ball openings (E2) at least approximately over one full winding about an axis of rotation of the spindle nut (2).

EP 0 814 012 B1, for instance, discloses an electric steering booster device incorporating a ball screw drive. In this prior art, an axial extension of a toothed rack comprises a spindle on which a spindle nut is arranged. Balls arranged between the spindle and the spindle nut roll in ball grooves configured on the inner periphery of the spindle nut and the outer periphery of the spindle. These ball grooves define a load-bearing channel in which the balls roll under load. For forming an endless circuit of balls, the spindle nut comprises a so-called external deflector having two ball openings, each of which is connected to a respective end of the load-bearing channel to achieve an endless deflection of the balls from one end of the load-bearing channel to the other end of the load-bearing channel. The external deflector winds around approximately 180° about the outer periphery of the spindle nut. At the end of the load-bearing channel that generally comprises several windings, the balls are deflected into the external deflector. Within this deflector, the balls move in the load-free return channel. They are deflected from there to the beginning of the load-bearing channel and roll again along the ball grooves. At its axial ends, the spindle nut is supported radially through a groove ball bearing. Further, a toothed wheel is arranged rotationally fast on the spindle nut and meshes with a drive pinion of an electromotor. When a driven spindle nut is used, it is important for a largely disturbance-free operation to be guaranteed.