The present invention provides compositions including a salt selected from the group consisting essentially of sodium nitrate, sodium nitrite, ammonium nitrate, lithium nitrate, barium nitrate, cerium nitrate, and mixtures thereof, as flue gas conditioning formulations for use in controlling particulates, hazardous substances, NO.sub.x, and SO.sub.x. For the purpose of obtaining greater yields of particulate and hazardous substance removal, the compositions may further include a polyhydroxy compound, preferably selected from the group consisting essentially of sucrose, fructose, glucose, glycerol, and mixtures thereof. Methods are also provided for adding these compositions to the flue gas stream to control particulate, hazardous substance, NO.sub.x, and SO.sub.x emissions.

This invention relates to emission control for combustion apparatus burning carbonaceous fuels and, more particularly, to compositions and methods for the enhanced removal of particulates, hazardous substances, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur oxides from a flue gas stream resulting from the combustion of these fuels.
Environmental regulations require that emissions of certain materials in flue gases be kept at levels not exceeding those set forth in federal, state, and local specifications. To comply with these legal mandates, particulate emissions must satisfy certain standards in terms of pounds per million Btu input, pounds per unit time, and opacity of stack effluent. The term "particulate" within the meaning of these restrictions generally refers to fly ash and other fine particles found in flue gas streams and can include a host of hazardous substances, such as those listed in 40 CFR .sctn. 302.4 (e.g., arsenic, ammonia, ammonium sulfite, mercury, and the like).
Acidic gases are also found in flue gas streams. Whenever sulfur-containing fuels are burned, sulfur is converted to sulfur dioxide and sulfur trioxide (together known as "SO.sub.x ") and released into the atmosphere along with other flue gases and entrained particulate and hazardous substance materials. Combustion of carbonaceous fuels also results in the formation of nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide (together known as "NO.sub.x "), which also exit the stack with the combustion exhaust materials. However, as in the case of particulates, the emissions of both NO.sub.x and SO.sub.x are subject to certain output standards because of acid rain legislation and mandatory ambient air quality criteria. Therefore, at least with respect to SO.sub.x, one is required to burn low-sulfur fuels to ensure compliance with SO.sub.x emission requirements. This adversely affects older emission control devices that were originally designed to work in units burning higher-sulfur fuels. There are also enormous costs associated with transporting low-sulfur fuels to locations where such fuels are not found in abundance.
The method of improving particulate control known as flue gas conditioning is generally understood as adding a chemical into the flue gas streams of boilers, turbines, incinerators, and furnaces to improve the performance of downstream emission control devices. Although the term is usually associated with the removal of particulates caused by coal combustion, flue gas conditioning can be equally effective in controlling particulates caused by the burning of any carbonaceous fuel. As this invention illustrates, flue gas conditioning can also be used to remove hazardous substances, NO.sub.x, and SO.sub.x from the flue gas stream.
The performance of downstream emission control devices, such as electrostatic precipitators, often depends upon the chemistry of the flue gases and, in particular, such factors as the fuel sulfur content, particulate composition, particulate resistivity, and the cohesion properties of entrained particulates, to name a few. Chemical additives either to the fuel prior to combustion or to the flue gas stream prior to the electrostatic precipitator can correct the deficiencies of the precipitator to meet particulate emissions standards (e.g., mass emission and visual opacity). One of the objects of flue gas conditioning is to enhance the effectiveness of the electrostatic precipitation process by manipulating the chemical properties of the materials found in the flue gas stream.
Gases, such as ammonia and sulfur trioxide, when injected into the flue gas stream prior to a cold-side electrostatic precipitator, have been known to condition the fly ash for better precipitator performance. Similar results have been obtained with inorganic chemical compounds, such as ammonium sulfate, sodium bisulfate, sodium phosphate, or ammonium phosphate. The use of sulfuric acid has also been proposed, as well as mixtures of these inorganic compounds in the form of undisclosed "proprietary blends." These compounds have been added either as a powder or as an aqueous solution to the flue gas stream.
Organic compounds, such as ethanol amine and ethanol amine phosphate, have also been used as flue gas conditioning agents. Free-base amino alcohols, such as morpholine (including morpholine derivatives), have been used as well to augment the flow characteristics of treated fly ash. Similarly, the use of alkylamine (such as tri-n-propylamine) and an acid containing sulfur trioxide (such as sulfamic acid) has been proposed to lower the resistivity of fly ash.
Anionic polymers have been employed in situations where the fly ash resistivity needs to be lowered, particularly when a low-sulfur coal is utilized. Similarly, cationic polymers have been suggested whenever the electrical resistivity needs to be raised from a low value, such as when using high-sulfur coal. Anionic polymers containing ammonium and sodium nitrate have also been known to increase the porosity of fly ash for principal application in bag houses.
The use of inorganic salts, such as sodium sulfate, sodium carbonate, or sodium bicarbonate added directly to the coal before combustion has been known to correct the "sodium depletion" problems of a hot-side precipitator. Sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate have also been injected directly into the flue gas stream prior to the hot-side precipitator, but this mode of application has not been commercialized.
The principal post-combustion method for controlling S.sub.x emissions involves the saturation of basic chemicals with the flue gases through the use of a "scrubber." In this removal method, advantage is taken from the fact that SO.sub.x is acidic in nature and will react with basic additives to form an innocuous sulfate. Essentially, the principle underlying the various forms of scrubber technologies is to utilize simple acid-base reactions to control SO.sub.x emissions. However, conventional scrubber designs are very capital intensive to build and remain expensive to operate in terms of labor, energy, and raw material costs.
There are many types of scrubbers currently in use. In wet scrubbers (which are normally located after the emission control device), the flue gas is brought into direct contact with a scrubbing fluid that is composed of water and a basic chemical such as limestone (calcium carbonate), lime, caustic soda, soda ash, and magnesium hydroxide/carbonate, or mixtures of these. Water-soluble nitrite salts have also been added to the scrubbing medium for the purpose of enhancing the SO.sub.x -removal efficiency of wet scrubbers. The use of organo phosphonic acid in conjunction with water-based solutions or slurries that react with sulfur dioxide have been known to improve the utilization of the basic material in a wet scrubber. Similarly, polyethylene oxide compounds have been added to the flue gas as a sludge de-watering agent for improving the wet scrubber's efficiency.
In dry scrubbers, slurries of lime or mixtures containing lime and other basic chemicals are injected into the flue gas stream as sprays. Unlike the wet scrubbers, the injection of these chemicals in dry scrubbers is usually conducted before the emission control device. After injection, the unreacted chemicals and reaction products become entrained with the flue gas stream and are separated from the flue gas along with other particulates in the downstream emission control device using common particulate removal techniques. However, a problem encountered with this method of SO.sub.x removal is that the unreacted chemicals and reaction products cause a very heavy particulate load on the downstream emission control device. This method of removal is also less efficient than wet scrubbing techniques due to the low reaction rates between sulfur dioxide and the dry scrubbing additives.
Because of its very high reaction rate with sulfur dioxide, a compound known as "trona" (a hydrous acid sodium carbonate) has also been injected into the flue gas stream in dry scrubbers (upstream from the emission control device) in an effort to reduce SO.sub.x emissions. Unfortunately, trona produces an undesirable side effect--it provokes NO.sub.2 formation, which is another pollutant that is very visible in the plume by its characteristic brown, aesthetically unacceptable color. Notwithstanding its low cost, therefore, trona has not acquired much popularity.
The use of soda ash (anhydrous sodium carbonate), caustic soda (sodium hydroxide), and calcium hydroxide in dry and wet scrubbers has also proven effective in reducing SO.sub.x emissions. However, these strong bases have achieved limited commercial success because of high raw material costs. For example, 1.25 tons of caustic soda is required for removing every ton of sulfur dioxide produced. For a 500-megawatt power station burning 2% sulfur coal, it would require 270 tons of soda per day to keep SO.sub.x emissions within acceptable levels.
As mentioned previously, NO.sub.x is also produced during the combustion of carbonaceous fuels. NO.sub.x is generated by several means, such as the fixation of nitrogen present in combustion gases, the conversion of fuel-derived nitrogen, and prompt NO.sub.x formation. Prompt NO.sub.x formation is a small contributor and only occurs under very fuel-rich operations.
There are several methods by which NO.sub.x emissions have been controlled. One of these methods include the injection of ammonia directly into the combustion chamber. Maintaining a close temperature control between 1650.degree. F. to 1832.degree. F. is essential under this technique; otherwise, the desired NO.sub.x removal will not occur, and there will be an excessive emission of unreacted ammonia. Excessive emissions of unreacted ammonia from the combustion chamber (known as "ammonia slippage") not only adds to pollution but also causes pluggage of downstream equipment. Ammonia slippage thus becomes a problem in its own right.
In another method for NO.sub.x removal, known as "SCR" or selective catalytic reduction, ammonia is added to the flue gas stream at temperatures above 800.degree. F. The mixed stream is then passed over a catalyst where the NO.sub.x removal process is effected. Despite being the most expensive technology, based both on initial capital and operating costs, this method has provided the best removal rates of NO.sub.x (removal rates of 90% to 99% are common). Unfortunately, however, the catalysts are subject to degradation over time, as well as poisoning by sulfur-containing gases and poisoning and blinding by fly ash.
In yet another method, known as "SNCR" or selective non-catalytic reduction, urea (or its precursors) is injected into the flue gas stream at temperatures between 1600.degree. F. to 1800.degree. F. As in the case of the ammonia-injection method for NO.sub.x control, however, the SNCR process must operate in a narrow temperature window or else ammonia slippage will occur or too little NO.sub.x reduction will be achieved. Although combinations of SNCR and SCR have been proposed, they have presented similar limitations.
Unlike the aforementioned emission control methods, use of the compositions of the present invention provides an effective, efficient, and low-cost means for controlling particulate, hazardous substance, NO.sub.x, and SO.sub.x emissions without exhibiting any of the above limitations. Moreover, use of the invention compositions fills an important need by reducing these emissions simultaneously. Because of these desirable characteristics, the present invention constitutes a significant advancement over prior emission control techniques.

Flue gas conditioning for the removal of particulates, hazardous substances, NO.sub.x, and SO.sub.x


The disclosure is generally directed to a method and computing device for maintaining dependencies among multiple reference elements (e.g., formulas of a table or spreadsheet). In various embodiments, prior to a reevaluation operation carried out on the reference elements, a computing device receives an input of a reference element via a user interface (e.g., receives a user's input of a formula), assigns the reference element to a group based on the dependency between the reference element and one or more other reference elements, and assigns the reference element to a location within a dependency graph to which the other reference elements are assigned. In response to an event that requires at least one of the reference elements to be reevaluated, the computing device reevaluates each group of reference elements in sequence a group at a time.

Keeping track of different types of data entries and interdependencies among the different entries is a task for which computers are ideally suited, and modern society depends heavily on this capability. From social networking platforms to financial analysis applications, computers, along with robust communication networks, are able to propagate a change in one data item (e.g., a change in a cell of a spreadsheet or a change in a user's status on a social network) to other data items (e.g., a recalculation of a formula in a spreadsheet or an update of an emoticon on the devices of the user's friends).
One problem that arises with propagating changes among many interdependent data entries is that it can be very slow when the number of entries and interdependencies is high and when the entries are stored across different documents, databases, servers and different geographical locations of the servers. For example, those who work with large spreadsheets are familiar with the experience in which, when a change is made to one cell of a spreadsheet, the spreadsheet program spends a long time updating itself repeatedly as the formulas depending on the changed cell get recalculated, the formulas depending on those formulas get recalculated, and so on. Dependencies that cross documents or servers create similar delays.

Method and computing device for maintaining dependencies among reference elements


A conductive particle having a low connection resistance, a small variation of conduction performance, and excellent conduction reliability and an anisotropic conductive material using such particles are disclosed. Conventional anisotropic conductive materials using conductive particles are used in the form that they are interposed between opposed boards or between opposed electrode terminals of electronic devices such as mobile telephones. However, as electronic devices have been recently developing, enhancement of the conduction reliability of the conductive particles used for the anisotropic conductive materials have been required. The surface (2) of the base particle of a conductive particle (1) of the invention used for an anisotropic conductive material is covered with a conductive film or films (4, 5). The conductive particle (1) has projections (5b) projecting from the conductive film or films. A core material (3)for projecting the surface of the conductive film is provided on the surface of the base particle. The core material (3) is different from the conductive material of the conductive films. By thus using such conductive particles, the conduction reliability is enhanced.

Conductive particles are widely used for anisotropic conductive materials such as anisotropic conductive paste, anisotropic conductive ink, an anisotropic conductive pressure sensitive adhesive/an anisotropic conductive adhesive, an anisotropic conductive film and an anisotropic conductive sheet by mixing them with a binder resin or a pressure sensitive adhesive/an adhesive and kneading.
These anisotropic conductive materials are used in the form that they are interposed between opposed boards or between opposed electrode terminals of electronic devices such as a liquid crystal display, a personal computer and a mobile telephone in order to electrically connect a board to another board or to electrically connect a small part such as a semiconductor device to a board.
As the conductive particles used for the above anisotropic conductive materials, there have been previously employed a conductive particle in which a metal-plated layer is formed as a conductive film on the surface of a nonconductive particle such as a resin particle having a uniform particle diameter and moderate strength. However, in recent years, as electronic devices have been sharply progressing and developing, further reduction of the connection resistance of the conductive particles used for the anisotropic conductive materials have been required.
In Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 4-36902 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-243132, there are reported a conductive particle having projections on their surface as a conductive particle for reducing the connection resistance of the above conductive particle.
In Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 4-36902, there is described a conductive particle prepared by metal-plating the surface of a nonconductive particle, which is provided with projections on its surface. However, this is a particle with projections formed from a combined particle of a mother particle and child particles, and plastic or glasses such as silicate glass were used for a projection portion of this particle. Accordingly, materials composing the projection were nonconductive, and it was difficult to reduce the connection resistance and improve the conductivity.
In Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-243132, there is described a method of producing a conductive electroless plated powder by simultaneously forming minute nickel projections and a nickel coat on a nonconductive particle through the use of the self-decomposition of a nickel plating solution in an electroless nickel plating method. However, in this production method, since it was extremely difficult to control the size, the shape and the amount of a minute nickel particle with which a projection was formed, it was extremely difficult to control the number, the size, and the shape of the projection to be obtained. And, since the minute particle was deposited and produced in the step of plating by using a nickel plating solution containing much phosphoric components, it had a disadvantage that conductivity was deteriorated due to the much content of phosphorus.

Conductive particle with protrusions and anisotropic conductive material therefrom


A catalyst for the selective reduction of nitrous oxide with ammonia contains, in addition to titanium oxide as component (A), at least one oxide of W, Si, B, Al, P, Zr, Ba, Y, La, Ce and at least one oxide of Y, Nb, Mo, Fe, Cu as component (B), whereby the atomic ratio between the elements of components (A) and (B) amounts to 1:0.001 up to 1. The catalyst can be obtained by kneading reactive titanium oxide with a high specific surface of predominantly anatase with the substances of component (B) or their preliminary stages, adding processing agents, winding up with a homogeneous kneaded mass, extruding the latter, drying the extrudate and calcining in air at 300.degree.-800.degree. C.

The present invention relates to catalysts for selective reduction of nitrous oxides with ammonia and methods of use thereof.
Nitrous oxides, which originate during combustion processes, are among the main causes of acid rain or photo smog and the attendant environmental damage. In particular, nitrous oxides, along with fluorochlorohydrocarbons, are suspected of being responsible for the observed shrinkage of the ozone layer above the polar regions.
Sources of nitrous oxide emission are motor vehicle traffic, stationary combustion motors, power plants, thermal power stations, steam generators for industrial purposes, and industrial production facilities.
In power plants with boiler furnaces, of course, one can achieve a reduction in the nitrous oxide concentration in the waste gas by using very pure fuels or by means of optimization of the combustion systems. These are referred to as primary measures. However, these furnace-engineering measures encounter both technical and economic limitations. This is why additional secondary measures must be taken to comply with the legally prescribed emission limitation values. Such secondary measures to reduce nitrous oxides usually involve catalytic reduction methods, in which connection one uses mostly ammonia as the selectively acting reduction agent.
Many catalysts are already known for reductive catalytic lowering of nitrous oxide emissions. For example, German Patent Applications 12 59 298, 12 53 685, and 11 15 230 describe oxidic catalysts without noble metal, while German OLS 22 14 604 describes oxidic catalysts that contain noble metals.
German Patent 24 58 888 describes another catalyst which consists of an "intimate mixture" of the following components:
(A) titanium in the form of oxides; PA1 (B) at least one metal from the following group: PA1 (C) tin in the form of oxides; PA1 (D) metals from the group of beryllium, magnesium, zinc, boron, aluminum, yttrium, rare earth elements, silicon, niobium, antimony, bismuth, and manganese in the form of oxides. PA1 A to B to C to D PA1 =1 to 0.01 through 10 to 0 through 0.2 to 0 through 0.15. PA1 1a: homogeneous solution method; PA1 1b: coprecipitation method; PA1 2: simultaneous use of solution and precipitation methods; PA1 3: precipitate-mixing method. PA1 technically expensive, multi-stage, energy-intensive procedural steps are necessary; PA1 the production of the intimate mixture according to German Patent Application 24 58 888 is an environmental hazard; air exhaust and waste water problems appear; PA1 the operation of mills for grinding activation is energy-intensive and demands expensive noise protection measures and dust protection installations: PA1 the pre-treatment process steps for the formation of the intimate mixture are a serious, negative cost factor in catalyst production. PA1 (A) titanium oxide; PA1 (B.sub.1) at least one oxide of tungsten, silicon, boron, aluminum, phosphorus, zirconium, barium, yttrium, lanthanum, cerium and PA1 (B.sub.2) at least one oxide of vanadium, niobium, molybdenum, iron, copper,
B-1 iron and vanadium in the form of oxides and/or the group PA2 B-2 molybdenum, tungsten, nickel, cobalt, copper, chrome and uranium in the form of oxides;
The components are present in the following atomic ratios:
A catalyst with this composition is used for the reduction of oxygen-containing and ammonia-containing gas mixtures in the temperature range from 150.degree. to 550.degree. C. and at space velocity of 300-100,000 h.sup.-1.
These catalysts can be made by processes that are known in the art. However, these processes must always assure that the components (A) and (B) and optionally also (C) are obtained as an intimate mixture in the form of their respective oxides. The following are mentioned as typical examples of such production methods:
As preliminary stages or precursors of the components (A), (B), and (C), one uses solutions and/or precipitates, such as, for example, hydroxides or water-containing gels which are mixed to form an intimate mixture and which are then subjected to calcination. In the process, the precursors are pyrolized and one gets the desired intimate mixture of the oxides of the components that are critical for catalysis. The calcination temperature should be between 300.degree. and 800.degree. C. Below 300.degree. C. one cannot obtain an intimate mixture of the oxides and thus an active catalyst; above 800.degree. C., sintering takes place and that leads to the loss of the effective catalyst surface.
By way of an initial starting material for titanium as component (A), there can be employed, for example, various titanic acids, titanium hydroxide, and various titanium salts, such as halogenides, titanium sulfate, titanyl sulfate, and the like. Organic components of titanium, for example, titanalkoxides can also be used as initial material for titanium. Titanium oxide cannot be used in the calcined rutile or anatase form.
A further improvement of these catalyst production methods, described in German Patent Application 24 58 888, constitutes the basis of the catalyst material described in German Patent 35 31 809. Titanium dioxide is used as initial material for the preparation of this catalyst mass and this titanium dioxide is ground together with vanadium oxide and one or more oxides of the elements tungsten, molybdenum, phosphorus, chrome, copper, iron, and uranium. Afterward it is subjected to at least one thermal treatment step. Here, tungsten and molybdenum are completely or partly replaced by phosphorus in the form of its oxides or phosphates. Eccentric disk mills and annular chamber mills are preferred as mills. Calcination takes place in the temperature range from 200.degree. to 900.degree. C.
In all of the hitherto known catalysts of this kind, it is essential to make sure that the components (A) and (B) (for example, A=Ti; B=W, Mo etc.) are present as an intimate mixture in the form of their oxides This mixture is then subjected to a shaping process from which one can obtain the catalysts by pressing or extruding in the form of bulk material or monoliths in honeycomb form.
As a result, the steps of catalyst shaping, for example, extrusion shaping, must be preceded by a process aimed at the formation of the intimate mixture as initial material. This currently customary procedure entails the following disadvantages;

Catalyst for selective reduction of nitrous oxides with ammonia


For each traffic flow through a wireless mesh network, the most upstream wireless access point through which that traffic flow is communicated is determined. An indication of the traffic flow through the most upstream wireless mesh access point is output in a report or otherwise provided. The reported traffic flows can be summed to provide total traffic flow indications for the wireless mesh network.

A network administrator is a person responsible for the maintenance of the hardware and software systems that define a computer network. Among other tasks, a network administrator monitors network usage or traffic. The term "traffic" is commonly used to refer to network communications over a network link. Traffic can be measured in units of data per unit of time, such as bits per second, frames per second, etc. Each traffic flow through a network can be characterized by such a measurement.
A wireless network is a computer network that allows a wireless network device to communicate with or access a computer network via a radio communication link. For a number of years, the most common type of wireless network has been that which is commonly referred to as "WiFi" or "802.11," the latter term in reference to the IEEE 802.11 set of standards that govern such networks. Such an 802.11 network comprises one or more access points (APs) that are each connected by a wired connection with a router or similar networking device. A client device, such as a portable computer, smartphone, etc., can communicate by radio communication link, i.e., wirelessly, with the AP. The router or other such networking device allows the client device to communicate with or access a computer network. It is common for the networking device to provide the client device with a connection to the Internet.
A network administrator may desire to monitor the usage of one or more wireless APs. For example, a network administrator may desire to determine which of several APs that are connected by wired connections with the router uses the most bandwidth. As each wired connection can communicate one traffic flow between an AP and the router, it is a straightforward matter to measure each traffic flow.
A wireless mesh network is a digital communications network comprising APs organized in a mesh topology, where each AP can communicate via radio communication links in a peer-to-peer manner with other such APs in the network. Each AP is configured to be capable of receiving a communication from another (peer) AP and forwarding or relaying the message to still another (peer) AP. The communication reaches its ultimate destination via one or more such relays or "hops" as they are commonly referred to in the art. In a client-server computing system, the source and destination of a communication is generally a client device or a server device. Wireless mesh networks can employ radio technology and protocols that are similar to those employed in non-mesh wireless networks, such as those governed by IEEE 802.11. A set of standards known as IEEE 802.11s relates more specifically to wireless mesh networks and is an extension of the IEEE 802.11 set of standards.
A subset of the wireless mesh APs in a network may also be wireless mesh portal APs. A wireless mesh portal AP not only can communicate via wireless communication links with peers in the same manner as other wireless mesh APs in the network but also can communicate via wired connections with network controllers or gateways to other networks, such as the Internet. A first wireless mesh AP can be referred to as an "uplink" of a second wireless mesh AP if the first wireless mesh AP can receive wireless traffic from the second wireless mesh AP directly, with no intermediate hops. In a wireless mesh network having a tree structure, each wireless mesh AP has at most one uplink.
Monitoring traffic flow in a wireless mesh network in a meaningful way can present challenges. For example, in a wireless mesh network, bandwidth of a traffic flow is halved for each hop. It would be desirable to provide a system and method that addresses such challenges.

Wireless mesh network usage reporting system and method


The present invention provides compensation of rapid fluctuations in voltage in a DC-to-DC converter. For this, the primary side of the DC-to-DC converter is monitored by means of capacitive voltage dividers. A voltage fluctuation occurring in the process can be identified early and thereupon the DC-to-DC converter can be controlled correspondingly to counteract this.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for regulating an energy system which is connected to a DC voltage, and to a method for operating such an energy system which is connected to a DC voltage.
It is known to operate electrical appliances by means of a DC voltage. In this case, the DC voltage provided is not always available to the voltage level required for the operation of an appliance. In this case, the DC voltage first needs to be matched by a suitable DC-to-DC converter. Such DC-to-DC converters are furthermore in special embodiments also capable of enabling galvanic isolation between the primary side at the input of the DC-to-DC converter and the secondary side at the output of the converter. For such isolated DC voltage conversion, the primary voltage on the input side is first converted via electronic switching elements into an AC voltage. Thereupon, the electrical energy can be transformed via a transformer. On the secondary side of the transformer, the transformed AC voltage can in turn be rectified and filtered, if required. An isolated DC-to-DC converter is known, for example, from the document DE 10 2008 022 910 A1. Said document discloses a method for operating a DC-to-DC converter over a large load range.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of an isolated DC-to-DC converter. A primary DC voltage is in this case first converted in an inverter 4 into an AC voltage. This AC voltage is supplied to the primary terminal of a transformer 1. The resulting output voltage at the secondary terminal of the transformer 1 is then rectified in a rectifier 5 and smoothed, if necessary. In the process, drive electronics 6 monitor the output voltage and, if required, adapt the driving of the inverter in such a way that an output voltage which is as constant as possible is achieved. If in the process the driving of the switches on the primary side of the DC-to-DC converter likewise takes place via suitable drive transformers 2 and 3, no voltage supplies for driving the DC-to-DC converter are required on the primary side.
If, however, relatively large voltage fluctuations occur on the primary side of the DC-to-DC converter, the output voltage is difficult to adjust stably when the voltage fluctuation on the primary side is not known. Therefore, for the regulation of a DC-to-DC converter, it is desirable to be able to sense the primary voltage and to incorporate the variation in the primary voltage in the regulation procedure.
In order to maintain the isolation between the primary side and the secondary side of the DC-to-DC converter, a voltage measurement on the primary side is very involved. For example, the voltage on the primary side can first be measured. For galvanic isolation, the measured value can then be transmitted in analog form by means of optical or magnetic coupling to the regulation system 6 located on the secondary side. For this, however, an additional supply voltage is required on the primary side.
Furthermore, it is also possible to convert the voltage on the primary side after the measurement directly into a digital signal and then to transmit this digital signal to the secondary side, for example via magnetic or capacitive coupling. However, this solution is very involved and results in relatively low dynamics owing to the analog-to-digital conversion.
A further alternative comprises a measurement of the primary-side voltage by means of a differential amplifier with a high resistance over the isolation barrier. This differential amplifier needs to have an extremely high resistance, however. Furthermore, with this solution unavoidable leakage resistances are to be expected.
There is therefore a requirement for an improved apparatus for regulating an energy system, such as an isolated DC-to-DC converter, for example, in which voltage fluctuations on the primary side can be detected and compensated for in a simple manner.

Apparatus for regulating an energy system and method for operating an energy system


A fluid dynamic bearing unit includes a bearing housing (20) axially defining therein a bearing hole (21), a rotary shaft rotatably received in the bearing hole with a radial space formed between the rotary shaft and the bearing housing, and lubricant filled in the radial space. A ventilating path (25) is formed in a wall of the bearing housing to communicate a bottom of the bearing hole with an exterior of the bearing housing.

Due to request for low abrasion on rotational elements to achieve an extended life and for low extent of noise, fluid dynamic bearings (FDB) have been used in conventional fan motors.
FIG. 4 depicts an FDB unit in which a shaft 80 extends through a bearing sleeve 81 with a clearance space formed therebetween. The clearance space is filled with lubricant oil that provides a medium through which a dynamic fluid pressure field may be generated. Relative rotation between the bearing sleeve 81 and the shaft 80 is required to set up the dynamic fluid pressure field. The bearing sleeve 81 supports radial load by metal-to-metal contact when there is no relative motion. During normal operation, the spinning of the shaft 80 sets up a steady pressure field around the clearance space that pushes the shaft 80 and the bearing sleeve 81 apart and thus prevents metal-to-metal contact. To obtain an improved dynamic pressure field, grooves 82 are formed on the inner surface of the bearing sleeve 81.
The bearing sleeve 81 is disposed in a housing 83. A ventilating passage 85 is formed between the outer periphery of the bearing sleeve 81 and an inner surface of the housing 83. The ventilating passage 85 has a vertical section and a horizontal section. This ventilating passage 85 allows air to escape the bearing sleeve 81 when the shaft 80 enters the bearing sleeve 81. However, the fluid dynamic bearing system is cooperatively formed by two components, i.e., the housing 83 and the bearing sleeve 81. To ensure the dynamic fluid pressure, the two components must be precisely produced and then assembled together. This structure is complicated and necessitates a high manufacturing cost.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a fluid bearing having a simple structure with low cost.


Methods and devices relating to Discontinuous reception (DRX) mode are disclosed. In some embodiments a radio network controller detects that a User Equipment operating in a Discontinuous reception mode has performed an uplink transmission on a Random Access Channel, RACH and sends a signal to a Node B that received the uplink transmission indicating to the Node B that the UE has performed said uplink transmission and is continuously monitoring downlink transmissions, where the signal includes information identifying the UE.

Cellular radio networks are constantly evolving. The third generation partnership project (3GPP) is an organization setting standards for mobile communication. The standards are structured as releases. New functionality is entered into the standard as new releases are launched.
In 3GPP Release 7 and 8, a number of enhancements have been made to improve the performance of the so called CELL_FACH state which is a Radio Resource Control (RRC) State for Random access and short transmissions. The enhancements can be listed as:                Rel-7: High Speed—Downlink Shared Channel (HS-DSCH) reception in CELL_FACH state        Rel-8: Enhanced Uplink in CELL_FACH state        Rel-8: Enhanced User Equipment (UE) Discontinuous Reception (DRX)
The first two enhancements listed above, allow HS-DSCH and Enhanced Dedicated Channel (E-DCH) to be used as the downlink and uplink transport channels, replacing Forward Access Channel (FACH) and Random Access Channel (RACH), respectively. These new transport channels provide much higher bandwidth for UEs in CELL_FACH state.
However, UE supporting these functionalities must use the new transport channels when available. There is no option to fall back to RACH and/or FACH even when, e.g., there is a congestion in those channels. Both the UE and the network must keep on trying until the transmission is successful.
Enhanced UE DRX was introduced to reduce battery consumption. Prior to Rel-8, a UE in the CELL_FACH state is required to monitor Downlink (DL) transmissions continuously. With Enhanced UE DRX, a UE can go into a Discontinuous Reception (DRX) mode after a specified period of uplink and/or downlink inactivity. When operating in this mode, a UE only needs to monitor DL activities for a short duration once every DRX cycle. For the rest of the time, it can turn off its receiver, reducing significantly the amount of power used.
Downlink transmissions must observe the UE's DRX pattern when such a mode is activated. Data can only be sent during the short intervals when the UE is listening to the network. An option for the UE to leave the DRX mode after receiving downlink data is also provided. A prerequisite for Enhanced UE DRX is the use of the HS-DSCH as the downlink transport channel. On the UL, however, either RACH or E-DCH may be used.
The 3GPP TSG RAN meeting #54 has agreed in the Work Item "Further Enhancements to CELL_FACH" to introduce among others the following:                A second, much longer, DRX cycle.        The possibility for RRC signaling to fallback to RACH when a request for access on an E-DCH is denied.
The behavior of a UE operating in DRX mode in CELL_FACH differs depending on whether E-DCH or RACH is configured as the uplink transport channel. When E-DCH is configured, after an uplink transmission, a UE must leave the DRX mode i.e. start to continuously monitor/listen to the High Speed Shared Control CHannel (HS-SCCH) for downlink transmissions for as long as the inactivity timer has not expired. Subsequently the UE may access the HS-DSCH.
However, when RACH is configured as the uplink transport channel, the current 3GPP specifications do not allow the UE to leave the DRX mode. Instead, after an uplink transmission, the UE would turn off the receiver immediately according to the DRX pattern. Transmission of responses on the downlink must wait for occasions when the UE is listening for/monitoring downlink transmissions. If the uplink message is for signaling purpose, e.g., for setting up or the control of time-critical applications, this waiting can introduces large and unnecessary delay.
With the introduction of a much longer DRX cycle (on the order of second.) in Rel-11, the problem becomes much more severe.
With the introduction of Fallback to RACH in Rel-11, the problem spreads even to the case where E-DCH is configured as the uplink transport channel.
There is a constant demand for improving existing systems and to provide more efficient communications in a cellular radio system. Hence, there is a need for methods and apparatuses enabling improved communications in a cellular radio system.

Methods and devices relating to discontinuous reception


An inside door handle assembly includes a handle rotatably held on a base to be secured to a vehicle's door and a knob rotatably held on the base. The base has first, second and third upright walls. The handle is disposed with respect to the first and second upright walls to cover the top of the second upright wall and the knob is disposed with respect to the second and third upright walls. The lateral movement of the handle is limited by the knob, thereby preventing the handle from becoming detached from the base.

The present invention relates to an inside door handle assembly for vehicles, and more particularly to an inside door handle assembly having a handle to open or close a door and a knob to keep the door in a closed state.
An example of an inside door handle assembly according to a prior art is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid Open Publication No. 16268/1992. This conventional inside door handle assembly comprises a base secured to a vehicle's door, a handle rotatably held on the base and able to be turned in a direction to open the door, a knob rotatably supported on the base and able to keep the door in a locked state, and a spring biasing at all times the handle in a direction to accommodate the handle in a space of a bezel. The handle is connected to an opening lever of a door lock mechanism and positioned between first and second upright walls of the base. The knob is coupled also to a locking lever of the door lock mechanism and disposed between the second and third upright walls.
In the conventional inside door handle assembly, the handle and the knob are rotatably held on the base by means of a pin passing therethrough.
This type of conventional assembly is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication Nos. 7196/1994 and 43852/1991. These conventional assemblies use projections integral with the base and corresponding through-holes formed on the handle and the knob and adapted to receive the projections in place of the pin. The combination of the projections and the through-holes is useful in saving the pin, but necessary to provide a device for preventing the handle from becoming detached from the base. Thus, the assembly of the conventional inside door handle is a laborious and time consuming task.

Inside door handle assembly for vehicles


A set of hypermedia linking services enable client applications to incorporate hypermedia capabilities in an open system architecture. The users are provided with a consistent hypermedia interface completely managed by the hypermedia services and not by the client application itself. The graphical user interface includes methods for menu handling, dialog box presentation and pointing device message handling, e.g., mouse message handling. Normal hypermedia activities such as object management, object creation, object deletion and object modification is provided. In addition, an open system searching mechanism is provided to satisfy broad non-context requests for information by the user without sacrificing the advantages of an open hypermedia environment.

Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a software facility for providing relatively seamless integration of "hypertext/hypermedia" services into existing, as well as new, computer program applications and, more particularly, to support for abstract (i.e., summary and/or keyword) authoring and searching as part of the "hypertext/hypermedia" services.

Hypermedia link marker abstract and search services

International Business Machines Corporation


Compounds and compositions are provided for modulating the activity of protein tyrosine phosphatases. In one embodiment, the compounds and compositions are thiazoles and thiadiazoles that inhibit the activity of protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B.

Cellular signal transduction is a fundamental mechanism whereby external stimuli that regulate cellular processes are relayed to the interior of cells. The biochemical pathways through which signals are transmitted within cells comprise a circuitry of directly or functionally connected interactive proteins. One of the key biochemical mechanisms of signal transduction involves the reversible phosphorylation of tyrosine residues on proteins. The phosphorylation state of a protein may affect its conformation and/or enzymatic activity as well as its cellular location. The phosphorylation state of a protein is modified through the reciprocal actions of protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) and protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) at various specific tyrosine residues.
A common mechanism by which receptors regulate cell function is through an inducible tyrosine kinase activity which is either endogenous to the receptor or is imparted by other proteins that become associated with the receptor (Darnell et al., 1994, Science 264:1415-1421; Heldin, 1995, Cell 80:213-223; Pawson, 1995, Nature 373:573-580).
Protein tyrosine kinases comprise a large family of transmembrane receptor and intracellular enzymes with multiple functional domains (Taylor et al., 1992, Ann. Rev. Cell Biol. 8:429-62). The binding of ligand allosterically transduces a signal across the cell membrane where the cytoplasmic portion of the PTKs initiates a cascade of molecular interactions that disseminate the signal throughout the cell and into the nucleus.
Like the PTKs, the protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) comprise a family of transmembrane and cytoplasmic enzymes, possessing at least an approximately 230 amino acid catalytic domain containing a highly conserved active site with the consensus motif >I/V!HCXAGXXR>S/T!G. The substrates of PTPs may be PTKs which possess phosphotyrosine residues or the substrates of PTKs (Hunter, 1989, Cell 58:1013-16; Fischer et al., 1991, Science 253:401-6; Saito & Streuli, 1991, Cell Growth and Differentiation 2:59-65; Pot and Dixon, 1992, Biochem. Biophys. Acta 1136:35-43).
Transmembrane or receptor-like PTPs (RPTPs) possess an extracellular domain, a single transmembrane domain, and one or two catalytic domains followed by a short cytoplasmic tail. The extracellular domains of these RPTPs are highly divergent, with small glycosylated segments (e.g., RPTPa, RPTPe), tandem repeats of immunoglobulin-like and/or fibronectin type III domains (e.g., LAR) or carbonic anhydrase like domains (e.g., RPTPg, RPTPb). These extracellular features might suggest that these RPTPs function as a receptor on the cell surface, and their enzymatic activity might be modulated by ligands. Intracellular or cytoplasmic PTPs (CPTPs), such as PTP1C, PTP1D, typically contain a single catalytic domain flanked by several types of modular conserved domains. For example, PTP1C, a hemopoietic cell CPTP, is characterized by two Src-homology homology 2 (SH2) domains that recognize short peptide motifs bearing phosphotyrosine (pTyr).
In general, these modular conserved domains influence the intracellular localization of the protein. SH2-containing proteins are able to bind pTyr sites in activated receptors and cytoplasmic phosphoproteins. Another conserved domain known as SH3 binds to proteins with proline-rich regions. A third type known as pleckstrin-homology (PH) domain has also been identified. These modular domains have been found in both CPTKs and CPTPs as well as in non-catalytic adapter molecules, such as Grbs (Growth factor Receptor Bound), which mediate protein-protein interactions between components of the signal transduction pathway (Skolnik et al., 1991, Cell 65:83-90; Pawson, 1995, Nature 373:573-580).
Multiprotein signaling complexes comprising receptor subunits, kinases, phosphatases and adapter molecules are assembled in subcellular compartments through the specific and dynamic interactions between these domains with their binding motifs. Such signaling complexes integrate the extracellular signal from the ligand-bound receptor and relay the signal to other downstream signaling proteins or complexes in other locations inside the cell or in the nucleus (Koch et al., 1991, Science 252:668-674; Pawson, 1994, Nature 373:573-580; Mauro et al., 1994, Trends Biochem Sci 19:151-155; Cohen et al., 1995, Cell 80:237-248).
The levels of tyrosine phosphorylation required for normal cell growth and differentiation at any time are achieved through the coordinated action of PTKs and PTPS. Depending on the cellular context, these two types of enzymes may either antagonize or cooperate with each other during signal transduction. An imbalance between these enzymes may impair normal cell functions leading to metabolic disorders and cellular transformation.
For example, insulin binding to the insulin receptor, which is a PTK, triggers a variety of metabolic and growth promoting effects such as glucose transport, biosynthesis of glycogen and fats, DNA synthesis, cell division and differentiation. Diabetes mellitus, which is characterized by insufficient or a lack of insulin signal transduction, can be caused by any abnormality at any step along the insulin signaling pathway (Olefsky, 1988, in "Cecil Textbook of Medicine," 18th Ed., 2:1360-81).
Relatively less is known with respect to the direct role of tyrosine phosphatases in signal transduction; PTPs may play a role in human diseases. For example, ectopic expression of RPTPa produces a transformed phenotype in embryonic fibroblasts (Zheng et al., Nature 359:336-339), and overexpression of RPTPa in embryonal carcinoma cells causes the cells to differentiate into a cell type with neuronal phenotype (den Hertog et al., EMBO J 12:3789-3798). The gene for human RPTPg has been localized to chromosome 3p21 which is a segment frequently altered in renal and small lung carcinoma. Mutations may occur in the extracellular segment of RPTPg which result in RPTPs that no longer respond to external signals (LaForgia et al., Wary et al., 1993, Cancer Res 52:478-482). Mutations in the gene encoding PTP1C (also known as HCP, SHP) are the cause of the motheaten phenotype in mice which suffer severe immunodeficiency, and systemic autoimmune disease accompanied by hyperproliferation of macrophages (Schultz et al., 1993, Cell 73:1445-1454). PTP1D (also known as Syp or PTP2C) has been shown to bind through SH2 domains to sites of phosphorylation in PDGFR, EGFR and insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1). Reducing the activity of PTP1D by microinjection of anti-PTP1D antibody has been shown to block insulin or EGF-induced mitogenesis (Xiao et al., 1994, J Biol Chem 269:21244-21248).
Thus, there is a need for compounds and compositions that modulate the activity of tyrosine phosphatases, including PTP-1B.

Thiazole and thiadiazole inhibitors of tyrosine phosphatases


The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a battery pack heating apparatus and a method of battery pack heating control. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a battery pack heating apparatus is provided. The battery pack heating apparatus is applicable portably and externally to a vehicle and includes: an electrical energy conversion component, including an energy storage device, a first set of switches and a second set of switches; a heating interface connected to the energy storage device via the first set of switches to form a first heating loop and connected to the energy storage device via the second set of switches to form a second heating loop, the heating interface being configured to be connected to a battery pack of one vehicle; and a heating control module configured to control a direction of electrical energy transfer between the battery pack and the energy storage device.

Intelligentization and electrification are ones of important directions in the development of intelligent transportation. Especially in the field of electrification, with the improvement in materials and technologies, energy densities of battery packs are becoming higher and higher. Vehicles are using various types of battery packs as their energy sources. Compared with conventional vehicles that mainly use fossil fuels as energy sources, more and more modern vehicles use battery packs such as lithium batteries as their energy sources. Research data has shown that in the environment of −30° C., the charging and discharging performances of a battery pack becomes basically zero. Hence, it is very important to study battery packs to improve the adaptability of vehicles to the environment. Based on the current phenomenon that a low temperature environment has a significant impact on the performance of the battery pack, it has become a focus of the related art to study how to heat the battery pack.
At present, a device for heating a battery pack is generally a built-in device. Depending on different types of vehicles and battery packs, a heating device such as a heating film or a liquid device is placed inside or outside the battery pack, and the battery pack is heated indirectly by heating the heating device. A power source for the heating device of the battery pack is generally taken from a built-in lead acid battery or Alternate Current (AC) commercial electricity.
However, the existing process for indirectly heating battery packs has a problem of low heating efficiency, e.g., in an electrical automobile.

Battery pack heating apparatus and method of battery pack heating control

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited


The present invention provides a system and method for protecting buildings from damage due to seismic waves. The system comprises a bed of sand contained between two layers of polymer membrane, upon this sand bed a rests a first concrete slab, this first concrete slab supports, through a plurality of coil springs and shock absorbers, a second concrete slab. The structure to be protected is attached to the upward facing surface of the second concrete slab. In the event of an earthquake, the sand bed acts to slow the propagation of seismic waves, while the plurality of springs and shock absorbers isolates the structure from ground movements caused by the waves.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to the field of vibration-damping. More particularly, the invention pertains to anti-seismic supports for protecting a structure from seismic shock.
2. Field of the Invention
The present invention was conceived by the inventor while observing his daughter and a friend jumping on a bed. The bed consisted of a box spring support and an inner-spring mattress. The bed remained stationary despite the series of shocks created by the jumping, and it was perceived that an analogous system could be constructed to protect buildings or skyscrapers against earth tremors. Thus inspired I sought a means for constructing buildings or towers that, irrespective of their height or weight, could resist earthquakes. After studying references related to springs and other constituents, the present invention was perfected.
During an earthquake energy is transmitted in the form of seismic waves. Two commonly known seismic waves are primary waves (P-waves) and secondary waves (S-waves). Primary waves are compression waves and typically travel at a speed of about 8 Km/sec. Secondary waves are transverse waves and typically travel at a speed of about 4 Km/sec.


The invention relates to a wireless communication system. A method for transmitting a power headroom report (PHR) from a terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention may include determining whether a time alignment timer (TAT) for a serving cell is operating; and transmitting, to a base station, a PHR including only the PHR on the serving cell in which the TAT is operating.

In order to normally receive an uplink signal from a user equipment and minimize interference of uplink transmission of the user equipment with another user equipment, an uplink transmission power from the user equipment to a base station may be controlled by the base station. To this end, the user equipment may transmit a power headroom report (PHR) to the base station, and the base station may receive the PHR from the user equipment. The power headroom means a power that may be used additionally to the power currently transmitted from the user equipment.

Method and apparatus for transmitting and receiving power headroom report in a wireless communication system


A method is disclosed for deghosting seismic data. The data include measurements of a vertical component of particle motion and pressure. The measurements are substantially collocated and made at a plurality of spaced apart positions. The method includes transforming the data into the spatial frequency domain, and separating upgoing and downgoing wavefield components of the transformed data. Water surface multiples may also be removed by decomposing the signals made at a plurality of seismic energy source locations into upgoing and downgoing wavefields.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the field of seismic exploration. More specifically, the invention relates to methods for processing seismic data acquired using both motion sensors and pressure sensors.
2. Background Art
In seismic exploration, seismic data are acquired by imparting acoustic energy into the earth near its surface, and detecting acoustic energy that is reflected from boundaries between different layers of subsurface earth formations. Acoustic energy is reflected when there is a difference in acoustic impedance between adjacent layers to a boundary. Signals representing the detected acoustic energy are interpreted to infer structures and composition of the subsurface earth structures.
In marine seismic exploration, a seismic energy source, such as an air gun, or air gun array, is typically used to impart the acoustic energy into the earth. The air gun or array is actuated at a selected depth in the water typically while the air gun or array is towed by a vessel. The same or a different vessel tows one or more seismic sensor cables, called "streamers", in the water. Generally the streamer extends behind the vessel along the direction in which the streamer is towed. Typically, a streamer includes a plurality of hydrophones disposed on the cable at spaced apart, known positions along the cable. Hydrophones, as is known in the art, are sensors that generate an optical or electrical signal corresponding to the pressure of the water or the time gradient (dp/dt) of pressure in the water. The vessel that tows the one or more streamers typically includes recording equipment to make a record, indexed with respect to time, of the signals generated by the hydrophones in response to the detected acoustic energy. The record of signals is processed, as previously explained, to infer structures of and compositions of the earth formations below the locations at which the seismic survey is performed.
Marine seismic data often include two particular artifacts that require techniques to account for in order to more accurately infer the structure and composition of the subsurface earth formations. These two artifacts, known as ghosting and water layer multiple reflections, arise because water has a substantially different acoustic impedance than the air above the water surface, and because water typically has a substantially different acoustic impedance than the earth formations at the bottom of the water (or sea floor).
Ghosting and water layer multiples can be understood as follows. When the air gun or air gun array is actuated, acoustic energy radiates generally downwardly where it passes through the sea floor and into the subsurface earth formations. Some of the acoustic energy is reflected at subsurface acoustic impedance boundaries between layers of the earth formations, as previously explained. Reflected acoustic energy travels generally upwardly, and is ultimately detected by the seismic sensors (hydrophones) on the one or more streamers. After the reflected energy reaches the streamers, however, it continues to travel upwardly until it reaches the water surface. The water surface has nearly complete reflectivity (reflection coefficient equal to unity) with respect to the upwardly traveling acoustic energy. Therefore, nearly all the upwardly traveling acoustic energy will reflect from the water surface, and travel downwardly once again. The water-surface reflected acoustic energy will also be shifted in phase by about 180 degrees from the upwardly traveling incident acoustic energy. The surface-reflected, downwardly traveling acoustic energy is commonly known as a "ghost" signal. The ghost signal causes a distinct "notch", or attenuation of the energy within a limited frequency, in the acoustic energy detected by the hydrophones. The frequency of the notch in the detected acoustic signal is related to the selected depth at which the streamer is disposed, as is well known in the art.
The downwardly traveling acoustic energy reflected from the water surface, as well as acoustic energy emanating directly from the seismic energy source may reflect from the water bottom and travel upwardly, where it is detected by the hydrophones. This same upwardly traveling acoustic energy will also reflect from the water surface, once again traveling downwardly. Acoustic energy may thus reflect from both the water surface and water bottom a number of time before it is attenuated, resulting in so-called water layer reverberations. Such reverberations can have substantial amplitude within the total detected acoustic energy, masking the acoustic energy that is reflected form subsurface layer boundaries, and thus making it more difficult to infer subsurface structures and compositions from seismic data.
It is known in the art to provide a so-called "dual sensor" cable for detecting acoustic (seismic) signals for certain types of marine seismic surveys. One such cable is known as an "ocean bottom cable" (OBC) and includes a plurality of hydrophones located at spaced apart positions along the cable, and a plurality of substantially collocated geophones on the cable. The geophones are responsive to the velocity of motion of the medium to which the geophones are coupled. Typically, for OBCs the medium to which the geophones are coupled is the water bottom or sea floor. Using signals acquired using dual sensor cables enables particularly useful forms of seismic data processing. Such forms of seismic data processing generally make use of the fact that the ghost signal is substantially opposite in phase to the acoustic energy traveling upwardly. The opposite phase of the ghost reflection manifests itself in the signals measured by hydrophones by having opposite sign or polarity as compared with the upwardly traveling acoustic energy. Because a geophone is directionally sensitive (whereas a hydrophone is not), the downwardly traveling ghost signal causes another phase reversal in the signal as detected by the geophone, with the result that the upwardly traveling wave and the downwardly traveling ghost signal detected by the geophone will be in phase.
The foregoing relationship between polarities of upgoing and downgoing acoustic energy has led to a number of "deghosting" and water layer effect attenuation techniques. One such technique is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,486,865 issued to Ruehle. Pairs of detectors each comprise a geophone and a hydrophone. A filter is applied to the output of at least one of the geophone or hydrophone in each pair so that the frequency content of the filtered signal is adjusted. The adjustment to the frequency content is such that when the filtered signal is combined with the signal from the other sensor, the ghost reflections cancel.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,621,700 issued to Moldovenu also discloses using at least one pair of sensors in a method for attenuating ghosts and water layer reverberations.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,935,903 issued to Sanders et al. discloses a method for reducing the effects of water later reverberations which includes measuring pressure at vertically spaced apart depths, or by measuring pressure and particle motion using sensor pairs. The method includes enhancing primary reflection data for use in pre-stack processing by adding ghost data.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,150 discloses a method for marine seismic exploration in which output of substantially collocated hydrophones and geophones are subjected to a scale factor. The patent states that collocated hydrophones and geophones can be positioned at the sea floor or above the sea floor.
The benefits of using dual sensor cables have been well recognized. However, techniques known in the art for deghosting and multiple attenuation are typically intended for use with OBCs. Methods known in the art for deghosting and water layer multiple attenuation known in the art work for OBCs because the ghost and water layer multiple energy is typically downgoing at the sea floor, making it relatively simple to discriminate the ghosts and water layer multiples from seismic energy reflected from earth structures beneath the sea floor, which is generally upgoing. It is desirable to be able to deghost and attenuate water layer multiples in dual sensor signals acquired using streamer-type dual sensor cables towed by a vessel. Using dual sensor streamers is particularly desirable because moving a streamer from one location to another is much less time consuming and much less difficult than moving an OBC. Further, it is desirable to have a method for deghosting and multiple attenuation for a dual sensor streamer which is relatively insensitive to the water depth at which the streamer is positioned (towed), is relatively insensitive to undulations in the water surface, and for which knowing the energy source "wavelet" (acoustic signature) beforehand is unnecessary. However, techniques known in the art for deghosting and water layer multiple attenuation have not proven very effective for dual sensor streamer data because at the depth in the water at which streamers typically are towed, water layer multiples may include both upgoing and downgoing components, making directional discrimination difficult.

Method for seismic exploration utilizing motion sensor and pressure sensor data


A fibrous friction material in a sheet form having a top surface and a bottom surface with at least one surface containing a mixture of from about 10 to 65% cellulose fibers, about 5 to 50% carbon fibers, about 5 to 50% activated carbon, about 1 to 20% novoloid fibers, up to 65% diatomatious earth particles, and latex in an amount sufficient to increase the strength of the said sheet, with said percentages being based on the total weight of said sheet. The material is impregnated with a thermosetting resin prior to use.

Paper-based friction materials are used in wet brake and wet and dry clutch and torque conversion applications. These paper-type materials are typically cut into rings and bonded to support members for use in mechanical energy transfer applications. These papers are typically composite materials with fiber, fillers, friction modifiers, and resin components that are formulated to give appropriate friction, noise control, temperature resistance, and wear properties in each specific application. The papers are usually produced on wetlaid paper machines and saturated either in-line or off-line with resins to bond the components together. Typical components for friction papers include:
Cellulose, mineral, and polymeric fibers that add strength to the final product and provide an open matrix of voids for resin to fill during resin saturation; PA1 Oil absorbent fillers such as diatomatious earth that assist in resin absorption, and in wet applications, promote oil flow through the paper to control in-use temperature degradation; PA1 Friction modifiers such as carbon which, when blended in the paper, exhibit adequate friction and noise properties, and in-use wear life at elevated temperatures; and PA1 Binder resins such as phenolics, epoxies, melamines, and aromatic polyamides that give the paper mechanical shear strength, raise the thermal stability of other paper components, modify friction properties of the final product, and assist in bonding the final part to a support such as a ring.
Currently, transmissions are being designed to have smaller component clearances. These units run at elevated temperatures for long time intervals. Standard friction papers that have excellent wear and friction properties in automatic transmissions either quickly lose their friction properties or wear too fast at elevated temperatures.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,083,650 describes a carbon coated aromatic polyamide heat-resistant paper developed to address these shortcomings. The product has acceptable frictional properties at high temperatures and exhibits excellent resistance to wear in use, but is very expensive to manufacture due to the cost of the raw materials.
Another base material used in friction facings is a carbon impregnated woven cloth. This product exhibits excellent frictional and wear properties but is extremely expensive to manufacture because of the cost of producing the woven carbon cloth.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,256,801 describes a high carbon content friction material designed for use in high temperature applications under conditions of high total energy absorption and/or low cooling oil circulation. This patent teaches the use of graphite particles as nonabrasive friction modifiers to extend the useful life of the friction material. A shortcoming of this material design is that the graphite flake particles do not add any significant additional frictional properties to the final material. Another shortcoming of graphite flake particles is that they have very low porosity and do not allow for the flow of cooling oil through the individual particles to enhance the control of temperature degradation when the friction material is in use in a transmission clutch facing. Also, while the graphite flake particles bond to the saturating resin, it is believed that they do not provide for optimum integral shear strength of the bonded friction clutch facing during use.

Friction paper containing activated carbon


The present invention discloses a secondary side-driven half-bridge power supply, which has a half-bridge transformer. A MOSFET unit is connected to the primary side of the half-bridge transformer, and an output rectifier/filter circuit connected to the secondary side of the half-bridge transformer. In the present invention, a PWM controller generates a control signal and sends the signal to a separating element. The control signal is used to drive the MOSFET unit, and the MOSFET unit then drives the half-bridge transformer. The output rectifier/filter circuit processes the signal output by the half-bridge transformer to provide voltages for external loads. The present invention can increase the power efficiency, raise the working frequency, and reduce the cost.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a power supply, particularly to a secondary side-driven half-bridge power supply.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the current power supply industry, the switched-mode power supply usually adopts a half-bridge power source circuit because the induction magnetic field can work in the first and third quadrants under the half bridge architecture. The forward type or flyback type architecture can only work in the first quadrant. Therefore, the half-bridge power source circuit has a much higher efficiency.
In the current power supply industry, the PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) controller is often arranged on the secondary side. A separating element is used to amplify a small duty-cycle signal waveform, and the amplified signal is used to drive power transistors on the primary side and then drive a half-bridge transformer. Refer to FIG. 1. The power transistors 10 are usually formed of two bipolar junction transistors. During the switching activities of a bipolar junction transistor, the current usually flows through a transistor area, and power is thus consumed therein. When the switching frequency of a power supply is increased, the performance of bipolar junction transistors is further degraded. Besides, the current semiconductor industry lays stress on the fabrication of metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors; the bipolar junction transistors are obsolescing and will no more play an important role in the future technology.
Accordingly, the present invention proposes a half-bridge power supply to overcome the abovementioned problems.

Secondary side-driven half-bridge power supply


A system and method for distributing playable content and for recommending playable content to a user where the recommendations are generated at a wide area network content server considering information extracted from one or more playback devices of the user by means of an intelligent agent resident on a processing device. The intelligent agent functions to scan the memory devices associated with the processing device and/or other devices in communication with the processing device for the purpose of determining what playable content is resident on the memory devices so scanned. Data related to the playable content uncovered during a scan is uploaded to the wide area network content server where the data is usable by a recommendation engine to make more informed recommendations for that user.

In the art it is known to facilitate the downloading of playable content from a wide area network content server to playback devices having software and/or hardware appropriate for playing the playable content. Playback devices adapted to receive, store, and play playable content include devices such as personal computers, cellular phones, personal digital assistants, MP3 players, etc. To provide the playable content from the wide area network server to a playback device, various delivery mechanisms are currently employed. For example, the playable content may be delivered directly to a playback device from the wide area network content server and/or the playable content may be indirectly delivered to a playback device using an intermediate computing device, such as a personal computer or other device acting as an Internet gateway, that is adapted to communicate with both the wide area network content server as well as a playback device.
Systems and methods for recommending playable content, e.g., for purchase by a consumer, are also known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,013,238, assigned to Microsoft, describes a system for generating recommendations wherein a user supplies feedback pertaining to recommendations previously provided to the user and the system processes the feedback to provide future recommendations to the user. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,947,922, assigned to Xerox, describes a system in which implicit ratings are generated by monitoring user interactions with a playback device and the system uses the implicit ratings to generate recommendations for further playable content. Still further, unassigned, U.S. Published Application No. 2005/0038819 describes a system in which recommendations related to playable content are generated using information gathered via an e-commerce engine that receives selections of playable content desired to be purchased by a user. Yet further, U.S. Pat. No. 6,438,579, assigned to Agent Arts, Inc., describes a content and collaborative filtering engine which uses similarities in ratings provided by a community of users to provide playable content recommendations to a particular user.
While systems and methods such as those described above generally work for their intended purpose, a need exists for an improved system and method for distributing playable content from a wide area network content server which, among other things, also provides recommendations considering preferences of a user that have not in the past been made available for use by a recommendation engine associated with the wide area network content server.

System and method for distributing and providing recommendations related to playable content to a user based on information extracted from one or more playback devices of the user


A system and method are used to independently control multiple parameters of a patterned beam. This can be performed using a patterning device configured to pattern a beam of radiation comprising a controller and an array of stepped mirrors. The array comprises a plurality of sets of four of the stepped mirrors that are controlled with respect to each other. Adjacent ones of the stepped mirrors in each of the sets have perpendicular axes of rotation and perpendicular steps. In one example, the patterning device is used to patterned the beam of radiation, which patterned beam is projected onto an object. For example, the object can be a substrate (e.g., semiconductor substrate or flat panel display substrate) or a display device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates a lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method.
2. Related Art
A lithographic apparatus is a machine that applies a desired pattern onto a substrate or part of a substrate. A lithographic apparatus can be used, for example, in the manufacture of flat panel displays, integrated circuits (ICs) and other devices involving fine structures. In a conventional apparatus, a patterning device, which can be referred to as a mask or a reticle, can be used to generate a circuit pattern corresponding to an individual layer of a flat panel display (or other device). This pattern can be transferred onto all or part of the substrate (e.g., a glass plate), by imaging onto a layer of radiation-sensitive material (e.g., resist) provided on the substrate.
Instead of a circuit pattern, the patterning device can be used to generate other patterns, for example a color filter pattern or a matrix of dots. Instead of a mask, the patterning device can be a patterning array that comprises an array of individually controllable elements. The pattern can be changed more quickly and for less cost in such a system compared to a mask-based system.
A flat panel display substrate is typically rectangular in shape. Lithographic apparatus designed to expose a substrate of this type can provide an exposure region that covers a full width of the rectangular substrate, or covers a portion of the width (for example half of the width). The substrate can be scanned underneath the exposure region, while the mask or reticle is synchronously scanned through a beam. In this way, the pattern is transferred to the substrate. If the exposure region covers the full width of the substrate then exposure can be completed with a single scan. If the exposure region covers, for example, half of the width of the substrate, then the substrate can be moved transversely after the first scan, and a further scan is typically performed to expose the remainder of the substrate.
An aerial image (looking up from the substrate) formed by the patterning device can be non-telecentric with respect to the surface of the substrate, can have a non-uniform intensity profile, can have a non-uniform polarization profile, or similar optical properties "errors." Typically, through control of each individually controllable elements within an array of individually controllable elements formed on the patterning device, one of the parameters can be corrected. However, in order to correct for more than one of these parameters, sets of individually controllable elements within the array are controlled together. The sets can include, two, three, four, etc. individually controllable devices, sometimes called a super pixel. However, even when using these sets or super pixels, the optical property errors can only be reduced, but not always eliminated. Also, many mask-based patterns (e.g., phase shift masks, alternating phase shift masks) can be effectively emulated by a maskless lithography system.
Therefore, what is needed is a more effective and efficient patterning device architecture and control arrangement.

Patterning device utilizing sets of stepped mirrors and method of using same


To be capable of dealing with a machine body lifting operation or a sudden operation, while improving energy efficiency, during a boom-lowering operation, and achieving the reduction of the number of parts, in a construction machine equipped with a boom. It is configured such that a first region Y1 at which a recovery valve passage 16e is opened and a supply valve passage 16f is closed and a second region Y2 at which the recovery valve passage 16e and the supply valve passage 16f are opened, are provided at an operating position of a first boom control valve 16 during the boom lowering operation, and the first boom control valve 16 is positioned at the first region Y1 when neither a machine body lifting operation nor the sudden operation is performed during the boom-lowering operation, and at the region Y2 when the machine body lifting operation or the sudden operation is performed.

Generally, among construction machines, there are some such as hydraulic shovels, which are configured such that a front work implement mounted on a machine body includes a boom with a base end portion being supported on the machine body in a vertically movable manner, a stick supported on a leading end portion of the boom in a longitudinally swingable manner, a working attachment such as a bucket attached to the leading end of the stick, and the boom is vertically moved based on an extending and contracting operation of a boom cylinder. In this construction machine, when the boom is lowered in the air (when lowering the boom in a state where the working attachment is not touching down the ground), the weight of the front work implement placed on the boom directly acts as a force for contracting the boom cylinder, and as a result, the pressure of oil discharged from the head end oil chamber becomes high, while pressurized oil supplied to the rod end oil chamber may be oil even at a low pressure. Therefore, conventionally, there is widely used a technique of providing a recovery oil passage for supplying the oil discharged from the head end oil chamber of the boom cylinder to the rod end oil chamber when the boom is lowered. By providing such a recovery oil passage, the flow rate of the pressurized oil to be supplied from the hydraulic pump to the rod end oil chamber can be reduced or made unnecessary, thereby contributing to the improvement of the energy efficiency. Furthermore, if it becomes unnecessary to supply the pressurized oil to the boom cylinder from the hydraulic pump during the boom-lowering operation, then when an interlocking operation (combined operation) is performed between the boom cylinder and other hydraulic actuators (for example, a stick cylinder for causing the stick to swing) which uses the same hydraulic pump as the boom cylinder as the pressurized oil supply source, the influence of the pressurized oil supply to the boom cylinder on the behavior of the other hydraulic actuators can be surely eliminated, and thus there is also an advantage of improving operability.
However, when the boom-lowering operation is performed, highly pressurized oil from the hydraulic pump must be supplied in some cases to the rod end oil chamber of the boom cylinder. For example, when performing a machine body lifting operation (for example, in a hydraulic shovel, in case of escaping from a dent or soft ground or the like, an operation of causing the boom to be relatively lowered with respect to the machine body by performing the boom-lowering operation while the bucket is touching down the ground, thereby lifting a part of the machine body), the boom cylinder is contracted while resisting the weight of the machine body, and consequently it is necessary to supply highly pressurized oil to the rod end oil chamber of the boom cylinder. Even when the boom is lowered in the air, alone the pressurized oil supply from the head end oil chamber to the rod end oil chamber using the recovery oil passage makes an acceleration of the boom cylinder slower compared with the case where the pressurized oil supply from the hydraulic pump is also performed. As a result, there arises a problem that the responsiveness is inferior when an operator suddenly operates the boom operating lever.
Thus, conventionally, there is known a technique of providing a meter-in circuit (for example, see Patent Literatures 1 and 2), wherein only the recovered oil from the head end oil chamber is supplied to the rod end oil chamber, when the pressure of the head end oil chamber of the boom cylinder is equal to or higher than the predetermined pressure during the boom-lowering operation, while the discharge oil from the hydraulic pump is supplied to the rod end oil chamber, when the pressure of the head end oil chamber is lower than a predetermined pressure. These construction machines are configured such that only the recovered oil is used when the boom is lowered in the air, while the pressurized oil from the hydraulic pump is also supplied to the rod end oil chamber when the machine body is lifted.

Boom control system for a construction machine


A method and apparatus for concurrently catalytically reacting fluid streams and distilling the reaction product. A catalytic structure is provided within a distillation column reactor and includes mass transfer devices presenting hollow spaces and a fixed catalyst bed formed from solid catalyst particles. The mass transfer devices are interconnected gas and liquid permeable elements. The liquid phase preferentially flows along channels formed in the catalyst bed before contacting the devices for mass transfer with the vapor phase which primarily flows through the devices.

This invention relates in general to a mass transfer or distillation apparatus and, more particularly, to a structure for concurrently contacting a fluid stream with a particulate solid catalyst while distilling the reaction product.
Previous structures for carrying out catalytic reactions within distillation columns generally comprise containers which are filled with catalyst and are arranged within the column to concurrently serve as a catalytic and distillation structure. Examples of such structures may be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,439,350 and 4,302,356.
A disadvantage of known structures for a reaction with distillation system is the significant operational down time experienced while initially loading the structures within the distillation column and while replacing the catalyst when it is spent. To load conventional structures personnel must enter the column and physically stack the distillation trays and catalyst containers. When it is desired to replace the catalyst, the entire structure must be removed from the column. Some catalysts may have a cycle life as short as several months and the down time to change the catalyst causes substantial losses in operating time. The prior art reactive distillation structures also represent a safety risk to personnel who must enter the column to pack and unpack the structure, especially when hazardous materials have been charged to the column.

Structure and method for catalytically reacting fluid streams in mass transfer apparatus


A device comprising a cavity adapted to house a removable, electronic storage device. The device also comprises a data connector adapted to blind-mate with the storage device. The data connector is lubricated.

Many storage devices can be removably coupled to computers. Known as removable storage devices, the devices include hard drives, flash drives, etc. Such removable storage devices may be coupled and de-coupled from computers numerous times. As a result, the interfaces by which the storage devices couple to the computers may become damaged (e.g., due to friction).

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A normalizing curve (C.sub.rx) is generated by correcting a reference normalizing curve. The character of the normalized curve depends on dummy shadow and highlight points (A.sub.4, A.sub.3) as well as shadow and highlight points (A.sub.2 A.sub.1), which are determined as a function of the statistical distribution of densities on an original image. Color original image signals representative of the original image are converted through the normalizing curve to obtain converted color image signals in which a gray balance in the intermediate density region is corrected.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for generating a normalizing curve which is used in an image processing apparatus which processes an image such as a process scanner.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a process color scanner and the like, after an image of a color original is subjected to color separation to thereby obtain density signals for the respective color components, the density signals are converted into halftone dot signals with which recording of a reproduced image is performed. If there is a hue deviation in the original, color separation conditions are changed at the discretion of an operator so that the gray balance will be maintained in the reproduced image.
In a conventional method of automatically altering color separation conditions as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,984,071 filed by the inventor of the present invention, a reference density point is determined for each color component based on density values of the brightest portion and the darkest portion of the original (i.e., highlight and shadow density values), a gradation conversion curve (i.e., normalizing curve) is established so that these density values have predetermined signal levels, and different density distributions of image data are normalized for the respective images. This makes it possible that peaks in the distributions of the density values of a bright portion and a dark portion are corrected and an image entirely having a tone of a certain color (hue deviation) is corrected.
However, in such a correction method as above (hereinafter "first conventional method"), if there is a hue deviation only in a shadow portion due to a fact that the maximum value which can be expressed by a color film, i.e., the original, is different among the respective color components, it is difficult to perform appropriate correction. That is, since the first conventional method uniformly performs correction over a wide density range, if correction to remove the hue deviation in the shadow portion is performed, a low and intermediate density region will be also corrected and the gray balance in the low and intermediate density region will be lost.
To deal with this, the inventor of the present invention has proposed a normalizing curve generation method as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,117,293 (hereinafter "second conventional method"). In the second conventional method, in addition to the highlight and the shadow density values mentioned above, a dummy shadow density value is determined in a predetermined manner so that a normalizing curve is generated which changes along a straight line which passes through a first and a second points which are determined by said highlight density value and said shadow density value on a coordinates plane and through a third point which is determined by said first point and said dummy shadow point in the low and intermediate density region.
According to the second conventional method, by properly setting the third point (i.e., dummy shadow density value), the hue deviation near the shadow density value is corrected and a normalizing curve is changed without affected by the amount of correction made in the shadow density range in the low and intermediate density region.
Still, due to characteristics of a color film, i.e., an original, if there is differences between the respective color components in terms of a ratio of change in a density with respect to a logarithmic value of the quantity of incident light in a section from the low density range to the intermediate density range, it is impossible to appropriately correct the gray balance in the intermediate density region by the second conventional method, not to mention by the first conventional method.
In other words, since correction of the hue deviation over all density regions is performed in the first conventional method while correction only in the vicinity of the shadow density value is performed in the second conventional method, it is impossible in both the first and the second conventional methods to perform appropriate correction of the gray balance only in the intermediate density region, or in the intermediate density region and in the vicinity of the shadow density value, or in the intermediate density region and in the vicinity of the highlight density value.
An object of the present invention is to solve such a problem and to offer a normalizing curve generation method which makes it possible to perform correction of the gray balance in an intermediate density region which has been heretofore impossible.

Method of and an apparatus for generating a normalizing curve