A radiation beam modulator (1; 500; 600) that can be employed for modulating a radiation beam (60) in a radiation system. The modulator (1; 500; 600) comprises a bath (590; 690) containing a radiation attenuating fluid (520; 620) and multiple low radiation attenuating bars (570; 670) immersed in the fluid (520; 620) to form an array of multiple columns (525; 625). A height adjuster (530; 630) is arranged for adjusting a respective level of immersion of the bars (570; 670) in the fluid (520; 620) thereby to adjust the heights of the fluid columns (525; 625) such that the columns (525; 625) collectively form a radiation beam modulating profile.

During the past decades there have been considerable developments within the fields of radiation therapy and tumor diagnosis. The performance of external beam radiation therapy accelerators, brachytherapy and other specialized radiation therapy equipment has improved rapidly. Significant developments have taken place in the quality and adaptability of the therapeutic radiation beams including new targets and filters, improved accelerators, increased flexibility in beam-shaping through new applicators, collimators, scanning systems and beam compensation techniques. Also improved dosimetric and geometric treatment verification methods have been introduced. Furthermore, advanced treatment planning systems capable of biological optimization of the intensity distribution of the delivered beams are now being available.
Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is a fairly new method in which arbitrary dose distribution can be achieved in the target volume by modulating the intensity profiles of the incident therapeutic beams. Unlike conventional thereby employing uniform beams, IMRT can deliver almost arbitrarily shaped dose distributions that conform to the target volume, i.e. tumor volume, while sparing neighboring organs at risk and healthy tissues.
Various techniques for shaping intensity modulated beams (IMBs) have been developed, which typically can be categorized into static and dynamic fluence delivery techniques, respectively. In the static fluence techniques, the individual IMB is a result of a fixed intensity modulation by a static filter or similar structure to treat the target volume, which sometimes is called a step and shoot technique. In the dynamic fluence delivery technique, the target is encompassed by a continuously varied intensity profile.
The most common clinical fluence modulation technique for today is usage of multileaf collimators (MLCs). In this technique, the beam is collimated by multiple pairs of opposite tungsten leafs positioned perpendicular to the beam direction. The MLC is ideal for irregular static fields, but is marred by drawbacks in dynamic applications due to the increased treatment times and constraints on leaf position and mechanical limits in leaf velocity and acceleration. Helical tomotherapy is a special case of dynamic MLC where each leaf has only two positions, in or out. This tomotherapy technique resembles computerized tomography (CT) since the radiation source is rotated around the patient while the patient is moved axially through the field. A major drawback of dynamic MLC and the tomotherapy is lengthened total treatment time.
Intensity modulation can also be achieved by scanned beam therapy, in which a narrow, often Gaussian-shaped beam is scanned over the target. This modality has, so far, had somewhat restricted clinical use due to the increased cost of the required current systems. Furthermore, the beam resolution is limited for low energy electrons and photons. However, it is the state of the art technique for high energy electrons and photons as well as for light ions.
Static fluence modulation techniques for IMRT include usage of physical modulators, in which the whole target is encompassed simultaneously with a predetermined IMB profile. The IMB ca be achieved by intercepting the beam with a metal block of a thickness profile corresponding to the desired transmission profile. The simultaneous whole-filed irradiation results in higher monitor unit efficiency and less whole-body dose compared to sequential delivery of the dose segments. However, since traditional physical modulators require manual fabrication of different block shapes for each beam and manual exchange of these different blocks between beams, fixed physical modulators have to this date had limited clinical implementation.
Efforts have therefore been made ting to develop a more flexible physical modulator. A technique in which a machine automatically arranges metal cubes of two densities into certain patterns in order to provide a desired intensity modulator profile have been developed. Although this allows a more flexible modulator design, the total time of modulator profile exchange is still too large to be practically useful. In addition, the solid metal blocks inevitably imply restrictions.
Xu et al. [1] have presented a re-shapable modulator in which a mixture of tungsten powder, paraffin and silicon binder is shaped to a desired intensity modulator profile by a set of pistons. Still, the shaping is done outside the beam and therefore the modulator has no dynamic capabilities. In addition, a re-shaping of the modulator first requires shaping to uniform thickness before the target thickness distribution can be obtained, which prolongs the total re-shaping time The modulator presented by Xu et al., further has stability problems, implying that the shaped attenuating material may unintentionally deform during radiation therapy, especially when the modulator is in a non-horizontal position and/or is exposed to forces caused by rotation of the radiation gantry and the modulator.
Mark Carol [2] discloses an apparatus for conformal radiation therapy with a radiation beam having a pre-determined constant beam intensity that is spatially modulated across the tumor volume. The apparatus includes a housing having a plurality of compartments extending from the top to the bottom of the housing. Each such compartment has an inflatable balloon and is in contact with a pressurized reservoir containing mercury. When a particular balloon is deflated, mercury is pushed from the reservoir into the compartment associated with the balloon. Correspondingly, when a balloon is inflated, mercury is pushed from the associated compartment into the reservoir. The beam modulation is obtained by varying the amount of time each compartment is empty or fined with mercury.


A lighting control system includes a control group including a plurality of member devices which includes a power monitor and an emergency luminaire. The power monitor includes a power supply driven by a normal power source. The power monitor implements the following function. Transmit, via a wireless lighting control network, a normal power active message to the control group repeatedly at a predetermined time interval. The emergency luminaire includes an emergency light source to continuously emit illumination lighting during an emergency, and a power supply driven by an emergency power line. The emergency luminaire implements the following functions. Track an active message gap time. Reset the active message gap time after receiving the normal power active message. In response to the tracked active message gap time exceeding an active message timeout, enter an emergency mode active state by controlling the emergency light source to continuously emit the illumination lighting.

Electrically powered artificial lighting for general illumination has become ubiquitous in modern society. Electrical lighting equipment is commonly deployed, for example, in homes, buildings of commercial and other enterprise establishments, as well as in various outdoor settings.
In conventional luminaires, the luminance output can be turned ON/OFF and often can be adjusted up or dimmed down. In some luminaires, e.g., using multiple colors of light emitting diode (LED) type sources, the user may be able to adjust a combined color output of the resulting illumination. The changes in intensity or color characteristic of the illumination may be responsive to manual user inputs or responsive to various sensed conditions in or about the illuminated space.
During emergency conditions, a building (e.g., school or office building) may require evacuation as quickly and safely as possible. When a line power source (e.g., wall power or street power) that powers regular luminaires is interrupted, building codes typically require illumination of the egress pathway using emergency lights. Specific designated egress pathway areas are typically targeted for emergency illumination—stairs, aisles, hallways, ramps, escalators, walkways, and exit passages. Such pathways for egress and exit signage are needed to guide and direct occupants of the building to a public way (e.g., street).
Emergency luminaires continuously emit emergency illumination lighting at an emergency illumination levels, for example at a minimum of 1.0 foot candles (fc) for a 90 minute period. Currently with emergency luminaires, as per Underwriter Laboratories 924 (UL924) standards in the industry for emergency lighting, emergency lights enter into emergency mode upon sensing an interruption in power. However, due to improved emergency transfer switches as well as emergency power supplies with more immediate availability, such as battery-assisted generators, the interruption in power caused by the loss of normal power and the switching between normal and emergency power supplies can in some cases be substantially reduced. The interruption can be so brief that emergency lights may not be able to consistently detect when normal power is lost and emergency power is utilized. Updated standards for UL924 will require that emergency lights monitor for control signals, and that the monitoring occur independently of the emergency power feeding through the emergency light.
Regarding emergency luminaires, U.S. Pat. No. 10,416,243, issued on Sep. 17, 2019, titled "Test Configuration for Emergency Lighting Fixtures," to applicant ABL IP Holding, LLC, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, describes an emergency light fixture and a test configuration. U.S. Pat. No. 10,637,282, issued on Apr. 28, 2020, titled "Light Fixture with Power Loss Detection and Emergency Egress Mode," to applicant ABL IP Holding, LLC, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, describes a technique for detecting power loss by a driver in an emergency light fixture and switching the emergency light fixture from a normal operation mode to an emergency mode upon detecting the power loss. U.S. Pat. No. 10,652,972, issued on May 12, 2020, titled "Wireless Lighting Control System with Automatic Emergency Mode Exit Network Protocol," to applicant ABL IP Holding, LLC, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, describes network protocols for a wireless lighting control system to allow wirelessly controlled emergency luminaires to efficiently and automatically turn off when line power is restored.
Conventional wall switches and luminaires communicate over wired systems. More recent lighting systems are wireless, which allow communication over a radio frequency (RF) network. Regarding wireless lighting control systems, U.S. Pat. No. 9,820,361, issued on Nov. 14, 2017, titled "Wireless Lighting Control System," to applicant ABL IP Holding, LLC, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, describes a wireless lighting control system that is commissioned over a commissioning network and is controlled over a wireless lighting control network. U.S. Pat. No. 9,883,570, issued on Jan. 30, 2018, titled "Protocol for Lighting Control via a Wireless Network," to applicant ABL IP Holding, LLC, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, describes a wireless lighting control system with lighting control groups.
However, there is no specific lighting control system design, including both the wireless communication network as well as the particular electrical wiring, to facilitate the updated UL924 standards. Accordingly, efficient and robust lighting control systems are needed for emergency lighting to operate both safely and accurately when the normal lighting power source is quickly swapped for the emergency lighting power source to overcome these and other limitations in the art.

Networked lighting control system with dedicated keepalive normal power emergency protocol


A 3D display system for displaying a 3D image includes a tracking unit, a pixel panel, a grating array, and a control unit. The tracking unit is configured to determine a spatial position of a viewer of the 3D display system. The pixel panel contains alternatingly arranged display units from two or more view images of the 3D image, and the grating array is coupled to the pixel panel to separate light from the view images from the pixel panel. The control unit is configured to adjust certain parameters of the grating array such that a maximum width of horizontal projection of edges of adjacent display units through the grating array is less than or equal to a inner-eye distance, and a minimum width of horizontal projection of two edges of a single display unit through the grating array is greater than or equal to an outer-eye distance.

When a person observes a three-dimensional (3D) object, because the person's left eye and right eye are in different horizontal positions separated by a small distance, the two object images viewed by the left eye and the right eye are different. The difference between the two object images is called parallax. Because of the existence of the parallax, the person can feel changes in depth in a 3D world.
With the rapid development of 3D display technologies, autostereoscopic 3D technology is being used in more applications in the fields of mobile phones, tablets, notebooks, and TV, etc., and a series of related products have entered market. An autostereoscopic display apparatus generally includes a display panel and an optical grating. Optical gratings are mainly divided into two categories: slit gratings and lens gratings. Slit gratings are based on pinhole imaging principle, such as dynamic slit gratings, while the lens gratings are based on lens refraction/reflection principle, such as dynamic liquid crystal lens gratings.
However, many existing 3D display devices have certain limitations on hardware and their optical gratings often cause light interference and diffraction, etc. The display effects of those display devices may be undesired.
The disclosed methods and systems are directed to solve one or more problems set forth above and other problems.

Stereoscopic display apparatus and adjustment method


An ink-jet device and a method for driving the ink-jet device, wherein the pulse width WB of a second driving waveform agrees with a one-way propagation time T, 12 .mu.sec, of an ink pressure wave in ink flow passages. Therefore, there is established a relatively high pressure in the vicinity of nozzles of the ink flow passages, ejecting the ink from the nozzles at a relatively high jet velocity. The pulse width WA of a first driving waveform is shorter than the one-way propagation time T, of the ink pressure wave in the ink flow passages so that ink pressure is reduced in the vicinity of the nozzles of the ink flow passages, causing ink ejection from the nozzles at a slower jet velocity as compared with ink projection with the second driving waveform. On a recording medium, therefore, high-quality printing can be effected without deviation of an ink-jet target position, regardless of the phase of the driving waveform.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an ink-jet device and a method for driving the ink-jet device.
2. Description of Related Art
Impact printers have been giving way to non-impact printers, which are now remarkably expanding the market. Of the non-impact printers, an ink-jet printer is the most noticeable because of its simple principle and facility of displaying data in multiple gradation and in full color. Of the ink-jet printers, the drop-on-demand type which projects only droplets of ink to be used for printing characters is rapidly achieving widespread use due to good ink projection efficiency and low running cost.
As representative drop-on-demand type ink jet printers, there have been disclosed a Kyser type in U.S. Pat. No. 3,946,398 and a thermal-jet type in Japanese unexamined Patent Publication No. 55-27282. These types, however, have such very difficult problems that the former is hard to miniaturize, while the latter is required to use heat-resistant ink because heat is applied to the ink.
For simultaneous solutions to the above-described problems, newly proposed is a device utilizing a modification of piezoelectric ceramic shear mode that has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,879,568.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ink-jet device 600 using the piezoelectric ceramic shear mode and a method for driving the ink-jet device comprises a bottom wall 601, a top wall 602, and shear mode actuator walls 603 disposed therebetween. The actuator walls 603 each comprise a lower wall 607 attached to the bottom wall 601 and polarized in the direction of an arrow 611, and an upper wall 605 attached to the top wall 602 and polarized in the direction of an arrow 609. The actuator wall 603 serves in pairs, between which an ink flow passage 613 is formed; and between adjacent pairs of actuator walls 603 is formed a space 615 which is narrower than the ink flow passage 613.
In one end of the ink flow passages 613 a nozzle plate 617 having nozzles 618 is secured, and on both sides of each actuator wall 603 are provided electrodes 619 and 621 as metal layers respectively. Specifically, on the actuator wall 603 on the ink flow passage 613 side the electrode 619 is provided, and on the actuator wall 603 on the space 615 side the electrode 621 is provided. The surface of the electrode 619 is covered with an insulating layer 630 for insulation from the ink. The electrode 621 facing the space 615 is connected to a ground 623, while the electrode 619 provided in the ink flow passage 613 is connected to a driving circuit 625 which gives an actuator driving signal.
Next, the method of manufacturing the ink-jet device 600 will be explained. First, a piezoelectric ceramic layer polarized in the direction of the arrow 611 is attached to the bottom wall 601, and a piezoelectric ceramic layer polarized in the direction of the arrow 609 is glued to the top wall 602. The thickness of each piezoelectric layer is equal to the height of the lower wall 607 and the upper wall 605. Next, parallel notches are formed in the piezoelectric ceramic layer by utilizing the rotation of a diamond cutting disk, thereby forming the lower wall 607 and the upper wall 605. The electrodes 619 and 621 are formed by a vacuum evaporation process on the sides of the lower wall 607 respectively. On the electrode 619 is provided the insulating layer 630. In a similar manner the electrodes 619 and 621 are formed on the sides of the upper wall 605 respectively, and on the electrode 619 the insulating layer 630 is provided.
The peaks between the notches of the upper wall 605 and the zenithal section of the lower wall 607 are bonded together to define the ink flow passages 613 and the spaces 615. Next, the nozzle plate 617 forming the nozzles 618 is bonded to one end of the ink flow passage 613 and the space 615 so that the nozzle 618 will correspond to the ink flow passage 613, and the other end of the ink flow passage 613 and the space 615 are electrically connected to the driving circuit 625 and to the earth ground 623.
Then the electrode 619 of each ink flow passage 613 is applied with a voltage from the driving circuit 625, whereby each actuator wall 603 undergoes a piezoelectric thickness deformation in a direction such that the volume of the ink flow passage 613 will increase.
FIG. 3 shows one example of the piezoelectric thickness deformation. When a specific voltage E (V) is applied to an electrode 619C of an ink flow passage 613C, there is produced an electric field in actuator walls 603E and 603F in the direction of arrows 629 and 630 respectively, causing the actuator walls 603E and 603F to undergo the piezoelectric thickness deformation in the direction in which the volume of the ink flow passage 613C will increase. At this time the pressure in the ink flow passage 613C including the vicinity of the nozzle 618C will decrease. This condition is maintained for a period of time T for one-way propagation of the pressure wave in the longitudinal direction within the ink flow passage 613. Then, the ink is supplied during this period of time from a common ink chamber 626 into the ink flow passage 613.
The time T for one-way propagation stated above is the time required by the pressure wave in the ink flow passage 613 to propagate longitudinally in the ink flow passage 613; T=L/a is determined by the length L of the ink flow passage 613 and the speed of sound "a" in the ink flowing in the ink flow passage 613. According to the pressure wave propagation theory, when the time T after the application of the voltage has passed, the pressure in the ink flow passage 613 turns to a positive pressure. The voltage being applied to the electrode 619C of the ink flow passage 613C is reset to zero in accordance with the inversion.
Then, the actuator walls 603E and 603F return to the condition before the deformation shown in FIG. 1, applying a pressure to the ink. Thus when the pressure that has turned into the positive pressure and the pressure established by the recovery of the actuator walls 603E and 603F to the condition before the deformation are combined, a relatively high pressure is established in the vicinity of the nozzle 618C of the ink flow passage 613C, ejecting the ink from the nozzle 618C.
However, if the ink is ejected at one time from a plurality of adjacent ink flow passages 613, a peak current increases, and a voltage drop occurs in the wiring, resulting in a lowered driving voltage and giving an adverse effect to ink ejection. Also, it becomes necessary to use a larger-diameter power source wiring in the driving circuit, which will increase the size and cost of the circuit.
To solve these problems, the ink-jet device was driven with the phases of the driving voltage signals to be applied to the actuator walls 603 corresponding to the plurality of adjacent ink passages 613 mutually shifted. As shown in FIG. 4, a quick-phase first driving signal 510 and a slow-phase second driving signal 520 are shifted by D in phase though the driving voltage amplitude E (V) and the pulse width WC are common.
However, the method for driving the ink-jet device of the above-described constitution has a problem that since the ink-jet device is driven with the phases of the driving voltage signals to be applied to the actuator walls 603 deviated in relation to the plurality of adjacent ink flow passages 613, the target position on paper of ink droplets ejected being deviated by the amount of phase shift, resulting in a deteriorated printing quality.
Deviation of the target position on paper of ink droplets will be explained by referring to a graph shown in FIG. 5.
FIG. 5 shows the amount of deviation of the ink-jet target position when printing of 720 dpi resolution is done by ejecting the ink onto the paper placed 1 mm apart from the nozzle at a frequency of 10 kHz. It is understood that at an ink-jet velocity of 5 m/s, the amount of deviation of the target position varies to 3.5 .mu.m, 7.1 .mu.m and 10.6 .mu.m with the change of the phase difference of 10 .mu.s, 20 .mu.s and 30 .mu.s, respectively.
Furthermore, the deviation of the target position of ink droplets can be corrected by changing the ink-jet velocity to 5.25 m/s, 5.55 m/s and 5.9 m/s in accordance with a slow-phase driving voltage signal when the phase difference varies to 10 .mu.s, 20 .mu.s, and 30 .mu.s; therefore the amplitude of the driving voltage signal is changed by the quick-phase driving voltage signal and the slow-phase driving voltage signal so that the ink droplets to be projected will simultaneously reach a recording medium (e.g., paper) notwithstanding the phase difference of the driving voltage signal, thus resulting in adverse effects of the necessity of two or more power sources and an increased manufacturing cost.

Ink-jet device having phase shifted driving signals and a driving method thereof


A peptide is disclosed that has an amino acid sequence selected from X1-X2-X3-Gln-Leu-Met-Leu-Cys-Val-Leu-X4-X5-X6 (SEQ ID NO: 3), X1-X2-X3-Gln-X7-Met-X10-Cys-Val-X11-X4-X5-X6 (SEQ ID NO: 4), Ile-Ser-Phe-Gln-Leu-Met-Leu (SEQ ID NO: 5), Leu-Cys-Val-Leu-Asp-Tyr-Phe (SEQ ID NO: 6), X1-X2-X3-Gln-Leu-X8-Leu-X9-Val-Leu-X4-X5-X6 (SEQ ID NO: 7), X1-X2-X3-Gln-Leu-X8-Leu-X9-Val-Leu-X4-X5-X6 (SEQ ID NO: 7), X1-X2-X3-X12-Leu-Met-Leu-Cys-X13-Leu-X4-X5-X6 (SEQ ID NO: 10), Gln-X7-Met-X10-Cys-Val-X11 (SEQ ID NO: 11), Gln-Leu-X8-Leu-X9-Val-Leu (SEQ ID NO: 12), X12-Leu-Met-Leu-Cys-X13-Leu (SEQ ID NO: 13), Asp-Leu-Val-Ile-Ser-Phe-Gln-Leu-Met-Leu-Cys-Val-Leu-Asp-Tyr-Phe-Ile-Lys (SEQ ID NO: 14) and retro-inverso peptides thereof. The peptides disclosed herein may be used to treat liver cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, or brain cancer.

Cancer involves uninhibited dividing of cells and spreading of those cells throughout the body. Normal cells in the body divide in a process that involves several stages and a host of proteins and signaling molecules. When proteins involved in the cell division process become impaired, cancer can result. For example, cells can express tumor suppressor proteins that prevent uncontrolled DNA replication and cell division.
The retinoblastoma (Rb) tumor suppressor protein inhibits helicase activity, thereby exhibiting a growth repressive function. Helicases are enzymes that separate double-stranded DNA into replicable single strands. Exon deletions in the N-terminal domain of Rb (RbN) can be found in patients with hereditary retinoblastomas. Mutations or deletions in the Rb tumor suppressor gene occurs in other cancer types, such as osteosarcoma, and breast and small cell lung cancers. Also, malfunctioning regulatory components of the Rb pathway is a hallmark of human cancers.
Until recently, the mechanism by which RbN suppresses DNA and helicase activity were unknown. It was discovered that the exon 7 domain of RbN is required to inhibit CMG helicase activity. However, it was unknown whether smaller portions of the RbN protein could inhibit helicase and the growth of cancer cells. Down-regulation of the CMG helicase's activity specifically kills cancer cultured cells, while sparing normal non-cancerous cells (Bryant V L et al. Mol. Cancer Res. 2015, 13(9), p. 1296-305; Ge X Q et al. Genes Dev. 2007, 21(24), p. 3331-41; Zimmerman K M et al. Mol. Cancer Res. 2013, 11(4), p. 370-80; Ibarra A et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 2008, 105(26), p. 8956-61).


Semiconductor structures and methods of making the same. The semiconductor structures including at least two vertically stacked nanosheet devices. In one embodiment, an integrated circuit includes a plurality of horizontal nanosheet devices (HNS devices) that are stacked vertically, on top of each other, relative to a top surface of a substrate. The plurality of HNS devices including a first HNS device and a second HNS device that each have source and drain structures.

The present invention relates generally to the field of semiconductor devices, and more particularly to formation of Complementary Metal Oxide Silicon (CMOS) Electrically Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM) and CMOS EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory) devices.
In many applications, particularly in System-on-Chip (SoC) applications, designers want to have a certain number of embedded non-volatile memory devices on the microprocessor or Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) chips. The preferred approach for meeting this need is to provide embedded non-volatile memories that require little or no additional process cost to the base logic technology. Often, the additional requirements for such embedded non-volatile memories are high density, i.e. small cell size, low power, and high speed.

International Business Machines Corporation


To provide a hand-held device with built-in fingerprint sensor provided on a control panel, which does not ruins the operability of the movement of a cursor or a pointer of the display screen.

To prevent unauthorized uses other than the owner as a hand-held device such as a portable telephone spreads, the hand-held device with built-in function of the fingerprint attestation is proposed (For instance, refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-330202).
The fingerprint sensor is built into central position of a control panel in this device. The unauthorized use is prevented by automatically attesting the fingerprint when the fingerprint such as the left hand thumbs which the user usually uses for the operation is registered beforehand, and the hand-held device is used.
This configuration comprises the piezo-electric type fingerprint sensor or the electrostatic capacity type fingerprint sensor. In addition, cursor buttons are provided on the above and below and the right and left in its surroundings. The fingerprint attestation is carried out by the fingerprint sensor, and the cursor movement on the display screen is done with the cursor button.

Portable terminal device with built-in fingerprint sensor

Abstract: A hand-held device with built-in fingerprint sensor comprises a fingerprint sensor for the fingerprint attestation provided on a control panel. A cursor or a pointer displayed on a display unit is moved according to a time change in the position where the pressure is provided or the movement of the finger on the sensor side of the fingerprint sensor. Further, the timing when said time change is detected is decided according to a time change in the position of the finger on said sensor side or the applied pressure.


There is provided a method of making an encapsulated component package, including providing a support for supporting the components of the package during encapsulation, the support including legs extending beyond the perimeter of the final package, rupturing the support legs, and covering the exposed ends of the legs with an insulating material. There is also provided a package formed in accordance with the method.

Conventional packages, such as the TO220 package, typically include a heat sink or other support on which the component or chip is mounted and a plurality of leads electrically connected to the heatsink. The component or chip, heat sink and one end of the leads are encapsulated in a molded body, usually formed of a resin material. One end of the heat sink is provided with legs that connect to a tie bar extending from the package. The legs and tie bar are used to support the components during encapsulation of the package. When the package has been formed, this extension piece can be removed from the package by pulling the tie bar with material encapsulating this which together form a tab. This ruptures the metal material to separate the tie bar from the completed package.
A problem with the known devices formed in this way is that when the legs are ruptured when the tie bar is broken from the formed package, the ends of the legs will be exposed within small holes extending from the end of the package. If the devices are used with high voltage applications, arcing can result from this exposed metal. Accordingly, the existence of the exposed metal means that the devices are limited to low voltage applications.

Method of manufacture of encapsulated package


A phenol compound of the formula 1! ##STR1## wherein each of X's is a group of the formula 2! ##STR2## wherein R.sub.1 and R.sub.4 are the same or different and each is an alkyl having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, and R.sub.2, R.sub.3, R.sub.5 and R.sub.6 are the same or different and each is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl having 1 to 8 carbon atoms; a stabilizer for organic materials which comprises the compound; a composition comprising the compound and an organic material; and a composition comprising the composition and a sulfur antioxidant, and use thereof.. The compound of the present invention as used as a stabilizer for an organic material shows superior preventive effect against oxidative degradation and extremely superior resistance against degradation of an organic material in an environment involving contact with hot water for a long time, as compared to compounds conventionally used as hot water resistant antioxidants. In addition, a concurrent use of the compound of the present invention and a sulfur antioxidant brings about excellent synergistic effect to synergistically improve resistance to hot water for a long time, as compared to conventional hot water resistant antioxidants.

Various organic materials inclusive of synthetic macromolecular materials such as polyolefin are associated with a problem in that they are subject to oxidation during form-processing and in use to result in degraded quality. To avoid this, various antioxidants have been heretofore developed and added to said materials for the purpose of preventing oxidative degradation.
For example, a hindered phenol compound (e.g., compounds disclosed in Japanese Patent Examined Publication Nos. 17164/1963, 4620/1964, 21140/1964, 9651/1967 and is useful for the prevention of oxidative degradation of synthetic macromolecular materials such as polyolefin in particular, and has been put to practical use.
While 1,1,3-tris-substituted butane compounds have been known as the hindered phenol compounds, for example, UK Patent No. 951935 discloses, as said compound, a compound having phenyl ester structures, which is represented by the formula ##STR3##
U.S. Pat. No. 4,199,495 discloses a compound having ester structures, which is represented by the formula ##STR4##
Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 154851/1977 discloses a compound having ester structures, which is represented by the formula ##STR5##
Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 66551/1977 discloses a phosphite compound of the formula ##STR6## and Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 56239/1978 discloses a phosphite compound of the formula ##STR7## and these compounds have been known as antioxidants for synthetic macromolecular materials.
In addition, as the 1,1,3-tris-substituted butane compound, Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 156152/1987 discloses a flame retardance-imparting compound of the formula ##STR8## and Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 18444/1987 discloses a light resistance-imparting compound of the formula ##STR9##
When a material stabilized with various conventional antioxidants is used in an environment involving water, however, the preventive effect thereof against oxidative degradation becomes markedly poor, and none of the conventional antioxidants has been found satisfactory.
This has been conventionally considered to be attributable to the extraction of the antioxidant with water or the extraction after hydrolysis. Hence, a material to be used in an environment involving water generally contains, for example, an antioxidant devoid of ester structure but having a high molecular weight and rigid structure, such as the composition disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 265939/1990, so that the extraction with water or hydrolysis can be prevented.
However, such an antioxidant cannot sufficiently provide resistance to oxidative degradation to a desired degree, and an antioxidant has been desired which effectively prevents oxidative degradation in an environment involving water or hot water.


An automatic parking method includes: acquiring a panoramic image near a vehicle, and recognizing a parking space line in the panoramic image; determining whether a parking space exists near the vehicle according to a recognition result; in response to the recognition result indicating that no parking space exists near the vehicle, generating a virtual parking space; and controlling the vehicle to park automatically according to the virtual parking space.

In the related art, the methods for implementing automatic parking technologies include using ultrasonic radars to detect the distance between a moving vehicle and obstacle vehicles on parking spaces, to determine whether an empty parking space exists between the obstacle vehicles, or, using a panoramic image to detect whether a parking space line exists, to detect and confirm the parking space, thereby implementing automatic parking.
However, the aforementioned automatic parking methods have certain limitations: parking spaces cannot be recognized accurately when there are a great number of empty parking spaces in a parking lot, in the case of angle parking spaces, or when the light intensity of the parking lot is low. At this point, the automatic parking cannot be implemented quickly and efficiently, which greatly reduces the efficiency of automatic parking.

Automatic parking method, device, system, and vehicle


Tele-operated machine including a moveable structure and a control device functionally connected to the moveable structure for operation by a human operator. An input processor apparatus responsive to the control device generates signals to move the moveable structure in a reduced vibration fashion. In a preferred embodiment, the tele-operated machine is a crane. The operator can cause fixed length incremental movements of a load supported by the crane to be accomplished with reduced levels of vibration after the move is completed.

This invention relates to human operated machines in which unwanted dynamics or vibrations are reduced. Human operated (or tele-operated) machines such as cranes are difficult to control because motion of the crane will usually result in vibration or swing of a payload supported by the crane. An example is an overhead crane which traverses a track supporting a load on a flexible member such as wire rope. The operator, using a pendant controller, causes the crane to move by energizing electric motors. Once the change in position occurs, the operator must wait until the swing oscillations decay before proceeding to the next operation. Small moves exacerbate the situation because the amplitude of the swing of the payload may be nearly equal to the total move distance. For example, a four inch move at the location of the crane hoist would result in a nearly four inch oscillation at the load. If several small moves are required, the time required for the oscillations to decay from each move will decrease overall efficiency of the operation. The elimination or reduction in load oscillation for small position adjustments (or moves) will therefore increase the speed and efficiency of crane operation.
It is known to use vibration reducing algorithms in a crane context. The known technology, however, does not suggest incremental moves with reduced vibration and the algorithms lack robustness with respect to errors in system parameters such as natural frequency and damping ratio.

Method and apparatus for reduced vibration of human operated machines


A method for utilization profiling of thread specific execution units and scheduling software on a multi-core processor is provided. To perform the method, the multi-core processor profiles a workload received for execution by a core of the multi-core processor and logs an execution unit sensitivity to an operating system with respect to the workload. Further, the multi-core processor utilizes the execution unit sensitivity for subsequent workload scheduling to minimize sharing of hardware threads on the same core between workloads with similar execution unit sensitivities.

The disclosure relates generally to processors, and more specifically, to a utilization profiling and scheduling operations using thread specific execution units usage of a multi-core multi-threaded processor.
In general, a multi-core multi-threaded processor can experience a scheduling conundrum when receiving and assigning a new task. Particularly, the multi-core processor must determine whether to activate the new thread on an already active core or to assign the new thread to a new core that requires activation. In the former case, power costs of core activation are saved and existing cores can run at a same voltage and frequency conditions. In the latter case, thread collision and execution unit utilization conflicts with active threads on the same core are prevented.

Utilization profiling and scheduling operations using thread specific execution units usage of a multi-core multi-threaded processor

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


The invention is directed to methods of diagnosing a Pseudoperonospora cubensis infection in a cucurbit plant, comprising detecting at least one nucleotide sequence selected from the group of nucleotide sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 1-52, or any combination thereof, in a sample from a cucurbit plant or in an environmental sample, thereby diagnosing a P. cubensis infection. Also provided is a method of selecting a cucurbit plant comprising at least one resistance gene, the method comprising introducing into the cucurbit plant a nucleotide sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOs: 1-52, wherein the expression of the nucleotide sequence produces a hypersensitive response in a cucurbit plant comprising a resistance gene, thereby identifying the cucurbit plant as comprising a resistance gene; and selecting the plant having the hypersensitive response and identified as comprising said resistance gene.

In the past decade, a number of plant pathogens have emerged in the United States causing significant damage in agricultural and natural ecosystems and threatening food security (Fisher et al. 2012). Several recent epidemics have been caused by oomycete pathogens such as the hemibiotroph Phytophthora infestans (Fry et al. 2015), the causal agent of late blight of potato and tomato, and obligate plant pathogens within the family Peronosporaceae that cause downy mildew (Cohen et al. 2015; Gascuel et al. 2015; Holmes et al. 2015). Downy mildew pathogens include diverse genera such as Pseudoperonospora spp. (Gent and Ocamb 2009; Holmes et al. 2015), Plasmopara spp. (Gascuel et al. 2015), Peronospora spp. (Roberts et al. 2009; Testen et al. 2013), and Bremia spp. (Michelmore and Wong 2008) that infect economically important crops and are usually host-specific due to their biotrophic nature. Diagnostic tools for oomycete pathogens range from visual inspection to culturing, serology, and PCR-based tests (Martin et al. 2012). Due to their inability to grow in media and, consequentially, a lack of genomic resources for marker development, downy mildew pathogen diagnostics has mainly been performed by visual inspection of pathogen structures on infected plants (Holmes et al. 2015). However, signs of the pathogen and symptoms of the disease are usually detected when the disease is at advanced stages (>30% severity, FIG. 1) and control strategies, such as fungicide applications, are less effective (Gent et al. 2015; Homa et al. 2014; Ojiambo et al. 2010). In addition, while the main dispersal mechanism of downy mildew pathogens is through airborne sporangia that can travel several miles on wind currents, several downy mildew pathogens are known to be seedborne (Cohen et al. 2014; Gascuel et al. 2015; Testen et al. 2013).
Increasing diagnostic and airborne inoculum monitoring capabilities for downy mildew pathogens could aid in restricting movement of infected plant material (Djalali Farahani-Kofoet et al. 2012) and improving forecasting and alert systems that predict inoculum dispersal (Ojiambo et al. 2015). Recently, PCR assays have been developed for detection of the downy mildew pathogens of cucurbits (Pseudoperonospora cubensis) (Summers et al. 2015), hop (Pseudoperonospora humuli) (Gent et al. 2009), basil (Peronospora belbahrii) (Djalali Farahani-Kofoet et al. 2012), spinach (Peronospora effusa), and beet (Peronospora schachtii) (Klosterman et al. 2014) on seed or from air samples to develop alert systems based on primary inoculum levels. PCR primers and markers in these studies were developed from conserved regions such as the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) or mitochondrial genes, resulting in nonspecific amplification of closely related species (Gent et al. 2009; Klosterman et al. 2014). Such assays have limitations for monitoring inoculum in environmental samples since different downy mildew species may be present at the time of sampling due to production of a variety of susceptible crops in the same region (Gent et al. 2009; Klosterman et al. 2014). Disease alert systems based on airborne inoculum require species-specific diagnostic assays for timely initiation of disease control measures for a particular crop that is susceptible to its corresponding downy mildew pathogen (Gent et al. 2009; Klosterman et al. 2014).
Thus, the present invention overcomes previous shortcomings in the art by providing species-specific diagnostic tools for P. cubensis as well as tools for identifying genes useful for producing plants having resistance to P. cubensis.


An image reading apparatus having a visible light source for emitting visible light, an invisible light source for emitting invisible light, an imaging optical system for irradiating a document by these light sources to form optical images of the document, and a CCD for photoelectrically converting the optical images of the document turns on the visible light source to acquire a visible light image signal by the CCD. Then, the apparatus turns on the invisible light source to acquire an invisible light image signal by the CCD. After the invisible light image signal is acquired, the apparatus turns off the invisible light source, and turns on the visible light source regardless of whether to read the document.

FIG. 25 shows a schematic arrangement in a conventional transparent document image reading apparatus. Referring to FIG. 25, a transparent document 142 such as a positive film, negative film, or the like placed on a platen glass 141 is illuminated with light emitted by a transparent document illumination lamp 144 via a diffusion plate 143 set above the document, and light transmitted through the transparent document 142 is guided to a CCD 150 via a mirror 147, inverted-V mirrors 148, and imaging lens 149. The light is converted by the CCD 150 on which a large number of solid-state image sensing elements line up into an electrical signal, thus obtaining an image signal in the main scan direction.
In this case, image reading in the sub-scan direction is done by mechanically moving the transparent document illumination lamp 144 and mirror 147 in the sub-scan direction with respect to the transparent document 142 while maintaining an identical velocity and phase, and making the inverted-V mirrors 148 track at the half scan velocity in the sub-scan direction so as to maintain a constant optical path length (conjugate relationship) from the transparent document 142 to the CCD 150. In this way, a two-dimensional image is read in combination with the process in the main scan direction.
The aforementioned transparent document image reading apparatus can read a so-called reflecting document which is described on an opaque material and is illuminated with light so as to process the light reflected by the material. In this case, a reflecting document is placed in place of the transparent document 142, and is illuminated with a direct light beam emitted by a reflecting document illumination lamp 145, which is turned on in place of the transparent document illumination lamp 144, and with a light beam reflected by a reflector 146. The light reflected by the reflecting document is read by the CCD 150, thus forming an image in the main scan direction as in the transparent document.
Especially, as a color reading method, a 3-line color image reading method is prevalent. That is, the reflecting document illumination lamp 145 uses a lamp having white spectral characteristics, and the CCD 150 uses a 3-line type CCD having R, G, and B color filters. Three colors (R, G, and B) of image information are simultaneously read by a single scan, and R, G, and B color signals on an identical line are superposed by an image processing circuit, thus forming a color image.
In order to correct any defects of an image due to dust, scratches, and the like on a transparent document in the aforementioned transparent document image reading apparatus, the only effective method is to retouch them using image edit software after the image is read. For this reason, a very long time is required to correct such defects.
In recent years, as such transparent document image reading apparatus, an image reading apparatus having a so-called dust/scratch reduction function of detecting dust present on a transparent document and scratches on a film surface (such detection will be referred to as "dust/scratch detection" hereinafter), and reducing the influences of such dust and scratches by an image process has been developed.
FIG. 26 shows a conventional image reading apparatus 1 having a dust/scratch detection function. The same reference numerals in FIG. 26 denote the same parts as in FIG. 25, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.
Referring to FIG. 26, reference numeral 151 denotes an infrared lamp which comprises an LED having an emission intensity peak at a wavelength of about 880 nm.
FIG. 27 is a block diagram showing the functional arrangement of a dust/scratch reducer 2 for implementing dust/scratch reduction using image data obtained by the image reading apparatus 1. Referring to FIG. 27, reference numeral 21 denotes an interface (I/F) for inputting image data read by the image reading apparatus 1; 22, an image memory for storing an image read using the transparent document illumination lamp 144 or reflecting document illumination lamp 145 (to be referred to as a "normal image" hereinafter); 23, an infrared image memory for storing an image read using the infrared lamp 151 (to be referred to as an "infrared image" hereinafter); 24, a threshold value holding unit for holding a predetermined threshold value; 25, a dust/scratch detection unit; and 26, a dust/scratch correction unit.
FIG. 28 shows the spectral intensity distributions of the transparent document illumination lamp 144 and infrared lamp 151, and the characteristics of these lamps are represented by the solid and dot-dash-curves, respectively. FIG. 29 shows the spectral transmittance characteristics of cyan, yellow, and magenta dyes of a general negative/positive film, and the peak wavelength (about 880 nm) of the spectral intensity distribution of the infrared lamp 151. As is apparent from FIG. 29, most light components emitted by the infrared lamp are transmitted through a general color film irrespective of an image on the film since all dyes have very high transmittance at about 880 nm.
The transparent document reading operation including dust/scratch reduction will be explained in detail below with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG. 30.
In step S10, the reflecting document illumination lamp 145 and infrared lamp 151 in FIG. 26 are turned off, and the transparent document illumination lamp 144 is turned on. At this time, an illumination light beam emitted by the transparent document illumination lamp 144 is uniformly diffused by the diffusion plate 143, and that diffused light beam is transmitted through the transparent document 142. The transmitted light beam passes through the mirror 147, inverted-V mirrors 148, and imaging lens 149, and is projected onto the CCD 150. An image projected onto the CCD 150 is converted into an electrical signal, which is temporarily stored in the image memory 22 via the I/F 21 in FIG. 27. Note, if the transparent document is a negative film, the read negative image is inverted to a positive image and then stored in the image memory 22.
In step S20, the reflecting document illumination lamp 145 and transparent document illumination lamp 144 in FIG. 26 are turned off, and the infrared lamp 151 is turned on. An illumination light beam emitted by the infrared lamp 151 with the characteristics shown in FIG. 28 is uniformly diffused by the diffusion plate 143. The diffused light beam is transmitted through the transparent document 142, and passes through the mirror 147, inverted-V mirrors 148, and imaging lens 149. The light is then projected onto the CCD 150. Hence, the illumination light beam emitted by the infrared lamp 151 is transmitted through the transparent document 142 irrespective of an image (exposure) of the transparent document 142 such as a negative film, positive film, or the like, as shown in FIG. 29, and an image of dust, scratch, or like, which physically intercepts the optical path, is projected onto the CCD 150 as a shadow. The infrared image projected onto the CCD 150 is converted into the electrical signal, which is temporarily stored in the infrared image memory 23 via the I/F 21 in FIG. 27.
In step S30 and subsequent steps, dust/scratch detection and correction are executed. The principle of dust/scratch detection will be described in detail below.
FIGS. 31A to 31C illustrate the relationship between dust or the like, and the gray levels of images read using the transparent document illumination lamp 144 and infrared lamp 151, which are plotted in the main scan direction. In FIG. 31A, reference numeral 181 denotes a positive film; and 182, dust on the positive film 181. FIG. 31B shows the gray level obtained when a corresponding portion in FIG. 31A is read using the transparent document illumination lamp 144. The gray level assumes a lower value as an image becomes darker. The gray level of the dust portion 182 is low irrespective of an image on the positive film. FIG. 31C shows the gray level obtained when the portion in FIG. 31A is read using the infrared lamp 151. The dust portion 182 has low gray level since no infrared light is transmitted through there, and a portion other than the dust 182 has a nearly constant level 183 since infrared light is transmitted through there. Hence, a threshold value 184 is set at a gray level lower than the level 183, and a defect region 185 formed by dust can be detected by extracting a portion having a gray level equal to or lower than the threshold value 184.
The threshold value 184 is held in advance in the threshold value holding unit 24. Therefore, the dust/scratch detection unit 25 reads out this threshold value 184 from the threshold value holding unit 24, and compares it with infrared image data in turn in step S30, thus detecting the defect region 185.
If the infrared image data is smaller than the threshold value 184 (NO in step S30), the influence of dust 182 is eliminated by executing, e.g., an interpolation process of the defect region 185 based on a normal region around it in step S40. The comparison process is executed for all infrared image data, and when any defect region is detected, the corresponding normal image data undergoes interpolation (step S50).
However, no prior art fully examines the ON/OFF sequences of a visible light source and an invisible light source such as an infrared source. A rise sequence has not been optimized for a combination between a visible light source which requires a relatively long rise time and an invisible light source which requires a relatively short rise time. The position of a lens which corrects the difference in optical path length between visible and invisible light shifts toward the optical axis, complicating the structure. No extensive studies have been made for a sequence of reading a film using visible and invisible light, detecting dust and scratches on a film on the basis of the read image using the invisible light (referred to as "invisible light image", hereinafter), and correcting a portion of the read image using the visible light (referred to as "visible light image", hereinafter) corresponding to the detected dust and scratches. A stable, high-precision dust/scratch reduction function is difficult to supply.
To detect dust and scratches based on an invisible light image, a single document must be read twice using invisible light and visible light. The document must be scanned by a scanning unit including at least some of a photoelectric converter, optical system, and processing circuit. This generates a shift due to a poor operation precision of the scanning unit between an image obtained by invisible light scan reading for detecting dust and scratches and an image obtained by visible light scan reading for acquiring actual image information. As a result, dust and scratches cannot be satisfactorily reduced.
Further, an invisible light image may be influenced by the shadow of a film holder. More specifically, a shadow portion of a visible light image that is not a defect by dust or a scratch may be erroneously corrected.
Furthermore, a document read at a high designated resolution provides large image data, which requires a very long time to detect the positions of dust and scratches on visible light and invisible light images.
Further, only a uniform setting of whether to perform dust/scratch reduction cannot achieve a process suitable for an individual film. In general, a scratch portion is higher in infrared transmittance than a dust portion. It is therefore difficult to set parameters for properly processing both scratches and dust. If a dust/scratch portion is to be interpolated by neighboring data within a range much larger than the dust/scratch portion so as to completely correct the dust/scratch portion, detailed data within the range other than the dust/scratch is undesirably lost, making the image look unnatural. In addition, the dust/scratch reduction range to be corrected should vary depending upon the resolution and is difficult to set the range to a detected dust/scratch portion plus a specific number of pixels surrounding the dust/scratch portion.

Image processing for correcting defects of read image


A magnetoresistive element includes a first magnetic layer a magnetization direction of which is substantially pinned, a second magnetic layer a magnetization direction of which varies depending on an external field, a magnetic spacer layer provided between the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer, and electrodes which supply a current perpendicularly to a plane of a stacked film including the first magnetic layer, the magnetic spacer layer and the second magnetic layer. In this element, the magnetization directions of the first and the second magnetic layers are substantially orthogonal at zero external field.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetoresistive element having a structure in which a current is supplied perpendicularly to the plane of the element, as well as a magnetic head, a magnetic recording apparatus and a magnetic memory which use the magnetoresistive element.
2. Description of the Related Art
The performance of magnetic devices has drastically been improved by discovery of a giant magnetoresistive effect (GMR) in a stacked structure of magnetic films. In particular, a spin-valve film (SV film) has a structure easily applicable to a magnetic device to enable the GMR effect to be effectively produced. Consequently, the spin-valve film has brought about marked technical improvement to magnetic heads and magnetic devices such as MRAMs (Magnetic Random Access Memories).
The "spin-valve film" is a stacked film having a structure in which a nonmagnetic metal spacer layer is sandwiched between two ferromagnetic layers. In the spin-valve film, the magnetization of one ferromagnetic layer (referred to as a "pinned layer" or "magnetization pinned layer") is pinned by an antiferromagnetic layer or the like, whereas the magnetization of the other ferromagnetic layer (referred to as a "free layer" or "magnetization free layer") is made rotatable in accordance with an external field (for example, a media field). In the spin-valve film, a giant magnetoresistance change can be produced by varying the relative angle between the magnetization directions of the pinned layer and free layer.
Conventional spin-valve films are CIP (Current In Plane)-GMR elements in which a sense current is supplied parallel to the plane of the element. In recent years, much attention has been paid to CPP (Current Perpendicular to the Plane)-GMR elements (referred to as "CPP elements" hereinafter) in which a sense current is supplied substantially perpendicular to the plane of the element.
The CPP element is advantageously applicable when there is a tendency to increasingly reduce the sizes of magnetic devices. However, CPP elements using a spacer layer consisting of a nonmagnetic metal provide a very low resistance change. It is thus difficult to obtain high output signals from such a CPP element.
A new type of CPP element has been proposed which uses a spacer layer comprising an insulating layer in which nano-scaled current paths (current confined paths) consisting of a nonmagnetic material punching through the insulating layer are formed. Such a CPP element exhibits a current confined path (CCP) effect (referred to as a CCP-CPP element hereinafter) and provides high output signals than a simple CPP element using a nonmagnetic metal spacer layer. However, if the CCP-CPP element were applied to a magnetic head adapted for high density recording, the MR ratio thereof might still be insufficient.
An element that might realize an MR ratio high enough to adapt a high recording density has been proposed which has a spacer layer in which current confined paths in an oxide layer are formed of a metal magnetic material and utilizes a ballistic magnetoresistive (BMR) effect (referred to as a BMR element hereinafter). See, for example, Jpn. Pat. Appln. Publication No. 2003-204095.
However, various problems are expected to result from the formation of a fine structure that realizes ballistic conduction in an oxide thin film. For example, the current paths must be reduced to a width of at most 1 nm in order to realize ballistic conduction, resulting in high resistance. For high density recording, an increase in resistance is not preferable because it adversely affects high frequency responses. It is possible to reduce the resistance by forming a large number of fine metal paths to establish a parallel conductor state. However, at a recording density of 500 Gbpsi or more, since the element size must be at most 60 nm square, it is very difficult to fabricate a structure having a large number of fine metal paths, in such a small element region.

Magnetoresistive element, magnetic head, magnetic recording apparatus, and magnetic memory


A speech processing system includes a multiplexer that receives speech data input as part of a conversation turn in a conversation session between two or more users where one user is a speaker and each of the other users is a listener in each conversation turn. A speech recognizing engine converts the speech data to an input string of acoustic data while a speech modifier forms an output string based on the input string by changing an item of acoustic data according to a rule. The system also includes a phoneme speech engine for converting the first output string of acoustic data including modified and unmodified data to speech data for output via the multiplexer to listeners during the conversation turn.

The present invention relates to speech processing and more particularly to a speech processing system using phonetic decoding and concatenative speech.
IT (Information Technology) developments now allow people to have voice conversations with each other on a global basis. Voice conversations between people in different geographies, even when nominally conducted in a common language (e.g., English), is complicated by the accents of people whose native language is different from the common language. Written communication is generally unaffected by these variations, but once people need to speak directly to each other, for example in call-center/helpdesk situations or conference calls, the difficulty in understanding each others' variants of the common language can make communication very difficult and frustrating.
Elocution lessons are hardly practicable for the whole population and would be extremely expensive.
Feeding the text output from an automatic speech recognizer (ASR) into a Text To Speech (TTS) engine is limited by the accuracy and vocabulary of the ASR and the lack of ability of the TTS system to reflect the speaking patterns of the subject.

Phonetic decoding and concatentive speech synthesis


In one embodiment, an intermediate device may determine a source route in use from a source to a destination in a reactive routing computer network, and may also determine a request to provide local repair for the source route for duration of a timer set by the source. In response to the request (e.g., and in response to a poor/failed connection), the device may discover a local repair path based on a limited-scope discovery, and maintains the local repair path for the source route until expiration of the timer.

Low power and Lossy Networks (LLNs), e.g., sensor networks, have a myriad of applications, such as Smart Grid (smart metering), home and building automation, smart cities, etc. Various challenges are presented with LLNs, such as lossy links, low bandwidth, battery operation, low memory and/or processing capability, etc. Routing in LLNs is undoubtedly one of the most critical challenges and a core component of the overall networking solution. Two fundamentally and radically different approaches, each with certain advantages and drawbacks, have been envisioned for routing in LLN/ad-hoc networks known as:
1) Proactive routing: routing topologies are pre-computed by the control plane (e.g., IS-IS, OSPF, RIP, and RPL are proactive routing protocols); and
2) Reactive routing: routes are computed on-the-fly and on-demand by a node that sends a discovery probes throughout the network (e.g., AODV, DYMO, and LOAD are reactive routing protocols).

Proactive timer-based local repair path communication in reactive routing networks


The invention is directed to a method for providing client-server data transfer over a Hybrid Fiber Coax network, comprising interfacing, at a client, a channel, wherein the channel is one of a video channel and a DOCSIS channel, intercepting a content request made from an end-user computing device, notifying a server of a relevant intercepted message via one of using an interactive channel and tagging the request, selecting content sent by the server over the channel, processing the content selected so as to return it to its IP traffic format, and forwarding the content in its IP traffic format to the end-user computing device.

1. Technical Field
The invention is related to acceleration of internet protocol (IP) data content transfer and load balancing of IP content between Data Over Cable Service (DOCSIS) and MPEG2 Transport (TS) video channels over a Hybrid Fiber Coax (HFC) network and in particular to a system and methods to efficiently and transparently, monitor and process regular IP over DOCSIS and transfer relevant IP data (such as, but not limited to, Television Encoded Media Content, Television Encoded Media Streaming, Programs, Operating System Distribution Images etc . . . ) to end user computing devices (such as, but not limited to, Personal Computer (PC), Set Top Boxes (STB), Over the Top boxes (OTT) or Cable Modem (CM)), during periods where available bandwidth (BW) in the MPEG2 Transport video channels at the HFC infrastructure exists by rerouting & processing the relevant (mainly download) IP flow from the regular low latency and expensive DOCSIS channels direction into the high latency, much more reliable and relatively inexpensive video channels. This is done by encapsulating the content in a video-like transport packets, handle TCP inefficiencies (in case it is TCP—if it isn't then encapsulation is enough) related to high delay video channel by the use of performance enhancing proxy at the sub IP level, send it over video downlink only channels, extract and process the sent content from the video channels at the end user computing device either to be used immediately and taking care of TCP or any other transfer protocol emulation or by using storage if existing in order to cache the content for later demand by the computing device.
2. Related Art
In recent years the internet traffic size has grown exponentially. According to researchers, this growth is mainly attributed to video files either being sent over P2P networks, file downloads, or by direct streaming from Content delivery networks (CDN). It is further expected that the distribution of video content (in either delivery form) will further increase the internet traffic.
P2P traffic, for example, is an "all that you can get" traffic as opposed to bursts of data retrieval and mostly idles connection (http). This fact as well as native large size of video content puts a heavy load on the business model of any broadband operator (such as Cable operator). DOCSIS channels are designed for burst of traffic and not for a steady state traffic flow, as operators resell the same bandwidth to multiple users relying on statistical averaging to accommodate all users' BW requests in the BW limited provided channels. The exponential growth attributed to video traffic is forcing them to upgrade their cable plant with expensive solutions (node splitting, spectrum overlays, more DOCSIS QAM, to name few solutions, DSLAM upgrade, etc.)
Furthermore, in cables Hybrid Fiber Coax (HFC) plant, the network media (implemented as DOCSIS protocol) is shared amongst all users on a service group (SG). Therefore, a steady state, always on, "all that you can get" download service, ruins the statistical effect of uncorrelated networking requests and causes a very negative customer satisfaction especially in the "rush hours" of network capacity (typically at evenings). In addition, it is well known that P2P or other video content tends to be highly repetitive, i.e. several users are downloading the same content. While the media is shared amongst all users on a SG, the connection is individual, i.e. the same content is sent to multiple users on the SG and there is currently no solution for this inefficiency.
One solution for the DOCSIS channels overload is to use Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) in order to reduce the priority and Quality of Service (QoS) of the broadband application services (mainly targeted at P2P traffic). This has the effect of both decreasing the large pool of customer's running P2P application satisfaction on one hand and on the other, promotes ways to hide the P2P services such that DPI becomes irrelevant.
Another solution is to upgrade the cable plant capacity by Spectrum overlay, freeing analog channels, node splitting, etc. Since the video and other large file download applications are using "all you can get", this solution (although very expensive to implement) provides no real solution to the BW hungry traffic as it quickly fills up the newly available BW again.
While the DOCSIS channels are sharing their BW with all users on a SG, there are many video related services (such as Video on Demand (VOD)) for which channel BW is provisioned but is not used all the time. The BW allocated for those services is a function of the peak usage expected and is indeed used only at small portion of the day time.
Furthermore, a recent technological advance permits assigning channels to switched services (Switched Digital Video (SDV)) and therefore broadcasting and using their BW only when requested to do so by users tuning to these specific services. It is expected that more and more services will transition to switched technology since it offers an opportunity to use the statistics in order to free BW for services that are not required and provide a much greater service offering without actually increasing the HFC capacity. Again, the more switched services, the greater the amount of free BW available at certain hours of the day. In a typical current HFC installation, this amount of free BW sums up to approximately 10 times the amount of BW offered in DOCSIS channels. This factor is expected to grow as the transition to switched services increases. A problem with this available BW, however, is that it exists in video channels and there is currently no connection between DOCSIS channels and video channels.
Another recent technological advance is the use of Docsis Internet Protocol Television Bypass architecture which is using the video channels in order to stream to end-user devices an UDP/IP flow of video.
Another problem with video channel is that it uses a QAM with longer interleaver (in order to provide error free video transmission without retransmission as is implemented in the TCP/IP world). In addition, most common QAMs also use a dejittering and dedrifting buffers which add to the longer latency of the QAM. Typical video QAM latency is in the order of ˜25 msec. Implementing the TCP protocol on these channels greatly reduces the maximal throughput since the server has to wait for a longer delay after transmitting the maximal TCP window in order to get an acknowledgment and continue with the next window of data.
Therefore, what is needed is a system and methods to use the available free BW in non DOCSIS channels (including, but not limited to, VOD channels, MPEG Transport (TS) channels, SDV channels) which are designed by worst case scenario, and use it to transparently redirect IP traffic on a best effort basis and bypassing the Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS). Such a system should require a low cost hardware (as bypassing the CMTS core and reuse of installed based equipment) or software addition to the user computing device in order to transparently catch the bypassed IP traffic and transfer the redirected IP content from the video channels into the computing device. It should also provide substantial increase in download speed for BW intensive content by incorporating an adapted performance enhancement proxy (PEP) while freeing the DOCSIS channel for interactive services such as http. The system should further utilize the fact that most of the content is repetitive, and thus send the content to multiple users and/or CPEs (customer-premises equipment) at once (Multicasting), and even push it to clients it expects will be requesting the content in the future. The system should further not involve a massive upgrade in the HFC plant, but rather an addition of a low cost redirecting server with an interface to the HFC resource managers and switching devices, and of software modifications to tuning devices at the users' premises in order to interface the video channels and capture the IP content sent and redirect it to the end-user computing device as if it came from the regular DOCSIS channels.
In order to solve many operational issues, the above solution should be performed on simple SW upgrade of current CPEs without any additional equipment or connectivity at the end-user premises.

Methods and system for efficient data transfer over hybrid fiber coax infrastructure


An image processing apparatus detecting a noise area in image data generated by decoding encoded data encoded by a frequency transform method and a lossy compression method. The image processing apparatus includes a motion detection unit for detecting motion in an area having at least one pixel in the image data, a deviation detection unit for detecting the deviation of the image motion in the area having at least one pixel, and a noise detection unit for detecting the noise area in accordance with the deviation of the image motion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image-data processing apparatus which detects a part in which noise occurs in decoded image data obtained by decoding image data which is created by performing frequency transformation and lossy compression, for example, using an MPEG (Moving Picture Expert Group) method.
2. Description of the Related Art
When image data is read or transmitted via a transmission line, the image data is data-compression coded to save storage capacity or transmission line capacity. The compression-coded image data is data-decompression decoded to be restored to the original image data when it is read or received at the receiving end.
When image data is compression coded, redundant information included in the image data is removed based on statistical characteristics of the image data, whereby a reduction in the amount of data is achieved. Generally, since human vision exhibits low-pass filtering characteristics, the high frequency components of the image are roughly quantized, so that high compression-coding efficiency is obtained.
As this type of the highly efficient compression-coding method, an MPEG method is often used in which data-compression coding is performed by executing a discrete cosine transform and then restricting the high frequency components. Since data compression is performed using the frequency transformation and lossy compression in which the high frequency components are restricted, noise occurs, so-called "mosquito noise", which is a change in the level of the luminance component and the chrominance component that are in the proximity of a high-contrast edge or a moving object. The mosquito noise degrades the quality of the restored image.
FIGS. 9A and 9B show mosquito noise of a character "A" which is displayed at the same position of a screen. In FIG. 9A, no noise occurs in the original image of the character "A" before MPEG compression. When the image is MPEG compressed and then decompression-decoded, mosquito noise N occurs due to slight level variations in the periphery of the character "A", that is, a high contrast edge part, as shown in FIG. 9B.
When a moving image of a rotating gear shown in FIG. 10A is MPEG compression-coded and decompression-decoded, the mosquito noise N occurs due to slight level variations in the periphery of the rotating gear. In FIG. 10B, since the gear rotates, the part having the mosquito noise moves along with the edges of the gear.
Methods have been proposed for reducing the mosquito noise occurring due to decoding of the compressed image data. For example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 7-212759, a method for reducing the mosquito noise in the image signal is disclosed as follows. That is, since the mosquito noise occurs at the high contrast edge, an edge-part extracting unit 1, as shown in FIG. 11, extracts an edge part of an input image signal Sv and then a noise-reduction filter 2 filters the extracted edge part of the image signal that is output from the edge-part extracting unit 1, whereby an image signal having reduced mosquito noise is obtained.
In this conventional method shown in FIG. 11, filtering processing for rejecting the mosquito noise is performed at the edge part of an image signal regardless of the presence or absence of the mosquito noise. Therefore, the quality of the image is degraded where no mosquito noise occurs. Furthermore, when, instead of an image signal which is decompression-decoded from highly efficiently compression-coded image data, a high quality image signal Sv having no mosquito noise is input, the operation of the noise-reduction filter 2 at the edge part of the image signal Sv rather degrades the image quality thereof.
Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 12, the edge-part extracting unit 1 and the noise-reduction filter 2 are provided so that an MPEG decoding unit 3 outputs an output signal Sm only thereto. In addition, a switching circuit 4 is provided so that an input image Ss which is not processed by the MPEG decoding unit 3 bypasses the noise-reduction filter 2 and avoids undergoing the edge-part filtering performed by the noise-reduction filter 2. A user may operate this switching circuit 4.
However, when the MPEG decoded image data is input as the image signal Ss, since the input decoded image data is not processed for reducing the mosquito noise by the noise-reduction filter 2, a degraded image is obtained.
The foregoing problem arises because, without detecting a part having the noise such as the mosquito noise, the edge part of the decoded image signal obtained by decoding the image data that undergoes frequency transformation and lossy compression is assumed to be a part having the noise and then noise reduction processing is performed on the edge part.


The present invention provides methods of identifying and distinguishing different types of nerve cells in ex vivo cell culture, the method comprising the steps of: a) culturing somato-sensory nerve cells ex vivo, b) loading the nerve cells with a calcium, sodium, or voltage-sensitive indicator or expressing a genetically encoded calcium, sodium, or voltage-sensitive indicator, c) pulsing the nerve cells with an electrical train of bipolar square waves at two different voltages and two different frequencies; wherein the first voltage is 10 V/cm or less (low voltage) and the second voltage is between 12 and 20 V/cm (high voltage); and wherein the first frequency is 5 Hz or less (low frequency) and the second frequency is between 15 and 20 Hz (high frequency), and d) detecting activation of the nerve cell by measuring the changes in the signal intensity of the indicator, wherein low voltage and low frequency activation indicates a first type of cell and activation detected only at high voltage indicates a second type of cell.

The subject of this patent application relates generally to drug discovery in the specific therapeutic area of pain and analgesia, and more particularly to a system and associated methods for predicting the selectivity of a drug candidate for different types of pain-conducting nerve fibers.
Applicant(s) hereby incorporate herein by reference any and all patents and published patent applications cited or referred to in this application.
Pain management continues to be a major unmet medical need. A large number of patients affected by various forms of chronic neuropathic pain do not receive any benefits from the current medications while other patients only obtain limited relief from the use of these drugs. Many developed drugs have either been discovered by accident or by observation. Furthermore, several of the current therapeutic options are associated with serious side effects and/or risk of addiction, as is the case for opioid-based drugs. Another common class of drugs used for treatment of neuropathic pain (anti-epileptics) can induce serious central nervous system-related side effects like drowsiness, somnolence, loss of consciousness as well as cardiac side effects. Patients also respond to these treatments differently, possibly because of gender differences or genetic backgrounds. Efforts are currently underway to develop novel pain drugs that are devoid of serious side effects and that can provide more significant pain relief to a broader patient population.
A further complicating factor in pain drug discovery is the fact that pain pathologies can be very diverse and different pain conditions will very likely require a variety of tailored therapeutic agents. For example, pain associated with post-herpetic neuralgia, diabetic painful neuropathy and fibromyalgia may need three different type of drugs. It is therefore of the utmost importance to be able to generate preclinical data that can reliably predict the specific action of new drugs on the human pain pathway and provide information as to which pain type may be best treated by a given drug candidate. Over the last several years, important progress has been made in the field of clinical diagnostic neurology. Thanks to the introduction of a variety of tests conducted on patients, it is possible to begin establishing with some accuracy the type of somato-sensory nerve fiber(s) affected by a painful pathology and, in some cases, even assess the extent and type of damage. This information can be very valuable for guiding the selection of the treatment options.
One class of data that can be obtained by patient's examination relates to the specific types of somato-sensory fibers that are affected by the painful pathology. In general, somato-sensory information is carried from the periphery of the body to the central nervous system by three main types of nerve fibers. The three fibers types are commonly distinguished based on their diameter, the extent of myelination and the conduction velocity. Among somato-sensory pathways, Aδ- fibers have the largest diameter, the most extensive myelination and faster conduction velocity. These fibers typically carry non-pain-related, proprioceptive information. The Aδ- fibers have smaller diameter compared to the Aβ, have thinner myelination and slower conduction velocity. Aδ-fibers conduct nociceptive information and their activation is associated with the perception of pain. The last fiber type, is the C-type. These fibers have the smallest diameter, are not myelinated and exhibit the slowest conduction velocity among sensory fibers. The activation of C fibers is also associated with pain perception.
Numerous methods have been employed to profile the specific pathophysiology of individual pain patients. These methods rely on a variety of peripheral stimuli which include: electrical shocks, chemical irritants, laser-induced heating, vibrations, cooling and pin pricks. In one version of these kind of studies, a tight cuff induces the block of nerve impulses conduction along the myelinated fibers and allows for the study of the selective contribution of C-fibers to the pain state. In other cases, the preferential activation of C fibers or Aδ fibers can be obtained by adjusting the temperature of a stimulus probe or using mechanical stimulation with probes of different geometries. In addition, several groups have shown that sine-wave current electrical stimulation can be used to establish the current perception threshold and track how this is affected in pathological states associated with pain. Furthermore, standardized methods have been developed based on an apparatus that delivers controlled sine-wave stimuli and allows for the selective activation of C, Aδ- or Aδ-type fibers. These methods rely on the differential activation of the different fiber types when sine-wave stimulation is delivered at frequencies of 5, 250 and 2000 Hz. These different stimulations are associated with tingling or low intensity pain perception in human subjects and studies conducted in human volunteers and animal models have established that the somatic stimulation at 5 Hz induces perceptions largely mediated by C-type fibers, while the 250 Hz and 2000 Hz stimulations elicit sensory perceptions mediated by Aδ- and Aδ-fibers respectively.
The frequency-dependent classification of different fiber types relies on the diverse biophysical properties of the various fibers. Theoretically, a number of membrane properties can determine the firing frequency of nerve fibers: input resistance, membrane time constant, resting potential, the activation threshold and activation time constant of ion channels embedded in the membrane, the voltage and frequency dependence of ion channel inactivation and the time constant of recovery from inactivation. In addition, in clinical settings, the density of different nerve terminals in the specific somatic region where the testing electrodes are positioned, can impact the ability of the subject to perceive different kinds of electrical stimuli.
A methodology that allowed the identification of Aδ- and C-type cells in ex vivo preparations of sensory neurons, would be highly valuable as it would allow to identify the specific activity profile of new drug candidates. This information could then be used to develop clinical trial plans that match specific pain conditions with the right drug. Absent this information, it is extremely difficult to decide the most appropriate therapeutic use of a new potential analgesic given that many types of pain exist, each with a distinct pathophysiological mechanism.
The present invention describes a device and a method that allows for the identification of Aδ- and C-type cells in ex vivo isolates of sensory neurons. The method entails the use of field electrical stimuli to differentially activate the cells from the different cell classes, based on their sensitivity to varying intensity and frequency of the electrical stimulation.

Method for the identification of sensory neuron subtypes in ex vivo preparations


An alarm system can provide security, fire, protection, or other alarm services for a premises, such as for a building or other property. When the alarm system detects an alarm condition, such as an intrusion or a fire, a two-way voice channel can be opened between the premises and a remote entity. Via the two-way voice channel, an operator at a central monitoring station can verbally communicate with someone at the premises, for example. A person associated with the alarm system may own a mobile communication device, such as a smartphone or other handheld cellular device. If the mobile communication device located is at the premises, the two-way voice channel can be established between the remote entity and the mobile communication device. Location of the mobile communication device can be determined based on GPS, service provider tracking, or user entry, for example.

With some conventional alarm systems, a person at a monitored premises may engage in audio communications with a central monitoring station service using a speaker and microphone mounted or tethered to an alarm panel of the alarm system. One disadvantage of this approach is that the two-way audio functionality is ineffective if the person is on the monitored premises but away from the speaker and microphone, and thus cannot communicate. Additionally, conventional alarm systems that lack two-way audio functionality may need cost prohibitive equipment and labor cost to be upgraded to include such two-way audio capability.
Need is apparent for improvements in alarm system technology. Improved technology is needed for associating two-way voice communications with an alarm system. Need exists to provide a user of an alarm system with a capability for two-way voice when the user is at an arbitrary location on the premises protected by the alarm system. A capability addressing one or more such needs, or some other related deficiency in the art, would enhance alarm systems.

Method and system for untethered two-way voice communication for an alarm system


A seal assembly, adapted to seal a joint having a first member pivotable about a rotational axis relative to a second member thereof, includes first and second annular seal rings and first and second annular load rings. The first and second seal rings each has a loading surface, extending axially, and a sealing face, extending radially to an outer perimeter. Each sealing face has a sealing band disposed adjacent the outer perimeter. The first and second seal rings abut one another such that the sealing bands of the first and second seal rings are in contacting relationship with each other. The first and second load rings engage the loading surface of the first and second seal rings, respectively. Each sealing band is brush polished such that it has a surface roughness average of about 0.08 micrometers Ra or less.

A seal assembly of the kind employed for retaining lubricant in and excluding foreign matter from the vicinity of bearing surfaces between relatively moving parts can comprise a face-type seal wherein sealing is accomplished by mating surfaces of relatively rotating seal parts of hard material. In seals which employ two rings of metal or other hard material relatively rotating in face-to-face contact, the production of sealing surfaces which will endure and maintain a seal throughout many hours of severe service is highly desired.
In a conventional finishing process, the sealing surface is made so that it is fairly flat. The sealing surface is then lapped with alumina grit (e.g. 15 micron). In some instances, the lapped sealing surface is polished with very fine sandpaper (e.g. 600-1200 grit alumina paper). The final polishing step can be time consuming and costly. In some instances, the final polishing step is skipped, and the manufacturer relies upon the mating sealing surfaces of the seal assembly self-honing during service. This "break-in period" can result in a joint with some initial leakage that may be unacceptable.
Commonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 3,180,648 is entitled, "Seals." The '648 patent describes a method for finishing seal rings of a seal assembly. The seal rings are made with their abuttable surfaces flat, or substantially flat. They are then rough lapped with their abuttable faces against a large rotating lapping table which has a spherical contour to form relieved areas for seal band reforming. This is followed by a fine lap. The rings can then be subjected to a flat lap with a compound of the same grade as the second lap to roughly form the flat sealing band. This band is then finished to a slightly conical configuration by lapping it for a brief period of time with an apparatus that comprises a circular table freely rotatable as on a spindle and having a raised annular lapping surface. The annular lapping surface is a concave lap surface in the form of a frustum of an internal cone but so shallow that its outer margin is only approximately 0.005 inch higher than its inner margin. The seal ring to be lapped is held in a chuck or adapter, the inner periphery of which is inclined to correspond to the incline which supports the torus and the seal ring in service. A torus identical to the torus used in service is employed in the apparatus. The seal ring is then rotated against the lapping surface and under pressure comparable to, and preferably substantially the same as, the pressure to which it is subjected in service.
It will be appreciated that this background description has been created by the inventor to aid the reader, and is not to be taken as an indication that any of the indicated problems were themselves appreciated in the art. While the described principles can, in some aspects and embodiments, alleviate the problems inherent in other systems, it will be appreciated that the scope of the protected innovation is defined by the attached claims, and not by the ability of any disclosed feature to solve any specific problem noted herein.