An autoclavable and sterilent-resistant ophthalmoscopy lens system having a plastic contact lens, and at least one image forming lens element. An ophthalmoscopy lens system having a contact lens element, an image forming lens and a retaining ring is also provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to ophthalmoscopy lens systems, particularly those which may be sterilized without component damage or optical degradation.
2. Description of Related Art
Various ophthalmoscopy lens systems have been developed for use in the diagnosis and treatment of the eye. Many of these lens systems, particularly indirect ophthalmoscopy lens systems which create a real aerial image of structures within the eye, include a contact lens element which is placed directly on a patient's cornea. One particular type of indirect ophthalmoscopy lens systems is that used for vitreoretinal surgery. Such lens systems are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,963,301 (which is incorporated herein by way of reference). Such lens systems are typically exposed to various bodily fluids during use, and therefore must be sterilized prior to each use.
Sterilization of ophthalmoscopy lens systems can be difficult and time consuming. In fact, many ophthalmoscopy lens systems can only be sterilized by specialized, time-consuming sterilization techniques, many of which will not be effective for certain microorganisms and other infectious agents. By way of example, "prions" are proteinaceous infectious agents which can cause transmissible degenerative encephalopathies such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease ("CJD"—a variant of which is the human version of "Mad Cow disease"). Prions tend to be more resistant to steam sterilization than conventional agents and are resistant to most sterilants typically used for sterilizing ophthalmoscopy lens systems. Recently, it has been reported that prions are susceptible to conventional autoclaving followed by a strong bleach solution or a solution of sodium hydroxide. Such a sterilization process will denature the prions. However, this technique cannot be employed with conventional ophthalmoscopy lens systems, particularly vitreoretinal lens systems such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,963,301. Not only will the bleach solution damage the plastic contact lens element and other components, liquid will enter the air space between the contact lens element and the imaging lens.
In the past, various techniques have been used in an attempt to seal ophthalmoscopy lens systems. For example, various types of glue and other sealants have been positioned between lens elements and the frame. However, glues will eventually decompose and will never fully seal a lens assembly, thereby resulting in condensation on the interior of the lens which renders the lens system useless. Autoclaving will also cause degradation of glues.
Although some prior art ophthalmoscopy lens systems comprising a contact lens element and one or more imaging lens elements can be dissembled for sterilization purposes, some of the materials used in manufacturing the various elements of such lens systems are such that they must be sterilized using ethylene oxide. Such a sterilization process can take many hours to complete, and is much more expensive than other sterilants such as bleach. Sterilizing lens systems using a bleach solution (such as sodium hypochlorite), even if preceded by autoclaving, is much faster than sterilization using ethylene oxide. The time for sterilization can be further decreased if the ophthalmoscopy lens systems does not need to be disassembled prior to sterilization. Disassembling the lens prior to sterilization is time-consuming, and it is difficult to ensure that all moisture has been eliminated from the lens system upon re-assembly.


A decohered laser light production system is provided. The decohered laser light system comprises a laser source. The system further comprises a multi-mode fiber having an input face, an output face and a body for propagating light from the input face to the output face, the input face arranged to accept laser light from the laser source, the body comprising a length such that laser light is generally decohered when exiting the output face.

Laser illumination is proving to be a promising illumination technology for projection displays because of its high colour gamut potential, low etendue and long lifetime. However, a major disadvantage of this technology is speckle in the image produced on the screen of the projection display due to the coherence of the laser. For example, it is well known from wave propagation theory that coherent wave sources (i.e. sources that are in phase) produce an interference pattern. A laser is a coherent source of light in which the wave components of the beam have a constant phase differential. When laser light is projected onto a screen for viewing, the waves reinforce and cancel each other thereby forming an interference pattern. To the viewer, this interference pattern appears as dark areas surrounded by many bright points of light in the projected image, an effect known as "speckle". The actual points of light seem to be formed at the retina of the eye and not on the screen. Although the effect is perceived differently by different viewers, most viewers agree it is disturbing.
There are techniques that address speckle. These techniques generally involve methods of eliminating coherence through the use of oscillations of the laser, the screen or components of the projections system, or through the use of multi-fiber optical bundles. However, these techniques are complex, expensive and not entirely effective.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,625,381 discloses a speckle suppressed laser projection system wherein a semiconductor laser and an optical fiber are arranged such that a portion of the laser beam entering the optical fiber is reflected off the optical fiber and back into the semiconductor laser which induces the laser emission to change from a single mode to a multimode pattern. Each mode in the multimode pattern has a different speckle pattern, which blend together when projected on a screen to reduce perceived speckle. However, the invention is dependent on the precise arrangement of the laser and the fiber, and further the laser and the fiber must be maintained at a constant temperature. Hence, this approach is both complex and energy inefficient, and does not eliminate speckle, but merely reduces it.


A method for operating an internal combustion engine is provided. The method comprises, during low and medium load conditions, introducing fuel from a fuel tank by intake pipe injection into at least one intake air line coupled to at least one cylinder, and during high load conditions, introducing the fuel from the fuel tank by direct injection into the at least one cylinder. In this way, the method of fuel delivery may be optimized based on the load conditions.

On account of the limited resources of fossil fuels, in particular on account of the limited availability of mineral oil as a raw material for obtaining fuels for operating internal combustion engines, use is increasingly being made of alternative fuels for operating internal combustion engines.
In the case of Otto-cycle engines, aside from gasoline as the traditional Otto-cycle fuel, alternative fuels are also being used, such as liquefied gas (LPG—Liquefied Petroleum Gas), a propane/butane mixture also referred to as Autogas, natural gas (CNG—Compressed Natural Gas), predominantly methane, hydrogen (H2), ethanol or fuel mixtures composed of gasoline and ethanol. Since different fuels have different physical and chemical properties, the internal combustion engine may be configured for the specific fuel being used.
Here, an adaptation of the operating parameters of the internal combustion engine, for example of the ignition time and of the injection time, is used. The control times, the charge pressure, the cooling water temperature, the injection duration, the charge-air quantity and/or the like, or else design parameters such as the compression ratio, can be and are often configured for operation with a specific fuel.
The fuel-specific configuration, for example, of the compression ratio makes allowance, in the case of Otto-cycle fuels, for the fact that different fuel types have different knocking resistances, specified by the octane numbers RON or MON. That is to say, a specific compression ratio which permits problem-free operation of the internal combustion with one specific fuel may lead to knocking, or to auto-ignition before the actual ignition time, which often results in knocking combustion, if a different fuel is used. Since knocking and auto-ignition should be prevented in order to avoid damage to the internal combustion engine, the fuel used, or the knocking resistance thereof, should be taken into consideration in the configuration of the internal combustion engine.
The fuel used also influences the physical design of the fuel supply system of the internal combustion engine, in particular of the injection system, which, as an auxiliary unit of the internal combustion engine, serves for introducing the fuel. Here, a distinction can basically be made between two concepts for fuel injection, specifically intake pipe injection and direct injection.
In the case of intake pipe injection, the spark-ignition engine operates with a homogeneous fuel-air mixture prepared by external mixture formation by virtue of fuel being introduced into the at least one intake line into the inducted air. The desired power is set by varying the charge quantity of the cylinder, such that the working process of the Otto-cycle engine—in contrast to the diesel engine—is based on quantity regulation.
Load control is generally carried out by means of a throttle flap provided in the intake line. By adjusting the throttle flap, the pressure of the inducted air downstream of the throttle flap can be reduced to a greater or lesser extent. The further the throttle flap is closed, that is to say the more the intake line is blocked, the higher the pressure loss of the inducted air across the throttle flap, and the lower the pressure of the inducted air downstream of the throttle flap and upstream of the inlet into the cylinder. For a constant combustion chamber volume, it is possible in this way for the air mass, that is to say the quantity, to be set by means of the pressure of the inducted air. Said type of load control has proven to be particularly disadvantageous in the part-load range, because low loads may use a large amount of throttling and a large pressure reduction in the inducted air.
To reduce the described throttling losses, that is to say charge exchange losses, different concepts have been developed. One proposed solution for dethrottling the Otto-engine working process is based on the transfer of technical features of the traditional diesel engine process, which is characterized by air compression, an inhomogeneous mixture, auto-ignition and quality regulation, in which the load is controlled by means of the fuel quantity injected directly into the at least one cylinder. Throttling of the inducted air is omitted out of principle.
The injection of fuel directly into the combustion chamber of the cylinder is considered to be a suitable measure for noticeably reducing fuel consumption even in Otto-cycle engines. The improvement in efficiency can, with stratified mixture formation, be attained by dethrottling, such that use is made, to a certain extent, of quality regulation. Furthermore—as a result of the utilization of the evaporation enthalpy of the fuel which evaporates directly in the combustion chamber—a cylinder-internal cooling effect is attained which permits a further increase in efficiency by increasing the compression ratio. Said effect also leads, in the case of a homogeneous direct injection, to a reduction in fuel consumption. Here, the homogeneous direct injection operates, similarly to the intake pipe injection, with a homogeneous fuel/air mixture.
A disadvantage of direct injection is that a comparatively short amount of time is available for the injection of the fuel, the mixture preparation in the combustion chamber, specifically the preparation of the fuel, if appropriate by evaporation, and the thorough mixture of air and fuel, and also the ignition of the prepared mixture.
Direct-injection Otto-cycle processes are therefore significantly more sensitive to changes and deviations in mixture formation, in particular in injection and in ignition, than conventional Otto-cycle processes. Here, the inhomogeneity of the mixture and the cyclical variability thereof oppose a reliable and defined ignition of the fuel/air mixture.
The inventors herein have recognized the above advantages and disadvantages and offer a solution to at least partly address the disadvantages. Thus, a method for operating an internal combustion engine is provided. The method comprises, during low and medium load conditions, introducing gas fuel to at least one cylinder of the engine by intake pipe injection into at least one intake air line coupled to the at least one cylinder, and during high load conditions, introducing gas fuel to the at least one cylinder by direct injection into the at least one cylinder.
The method according to the disclosure makes use of both injection methods, that is to say both intake pipe injection and also direct injection, and thereby makes it possible at any operating point to use the injection method suitable for that operating point, or to select and apply the injection method which is more advantageous with regard to a present objective.
The gas which serves as a fuel may for example be introduced into the intake line by intake pipe injection in order to attain expedient fuel consumption values in part-load operation. With regard to a good thorough mixture, that is to say homogenization, of the fuel/air mixture, intake pipe injection offers advantages over direct injection when small fuel quantities, that is to say gas quantities, are to be introduced. Further advantages are obtained in particular if the gas is introduced in the gaseous phase into the intake line. The direct injection of the gas into the at least one cylinder is in contrast expedient to increase or attain the maximum power.
The above advantages and other advantages, and features of the present description will be readily apparent from the following Detailed Description when taken alone or in connection with the accompanying drawings.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.

Method for operating an internal combustion engine with gas as a fuel


An paper stacker includes a side fence and a lift plate. The side fence extends in a stacking direction and is configured to regulate a position in a width direction of paper. The lift plate is capable of moving the paper to a paper feed point. The side fence includes a main body, a swell segment swelling from the main body toward an edge of the paper below the paper feed point, and an urging segment including an urging surface portion above the swell segment. The urging surface portion is capable of moving toward the edge of the paper to urge the edge of the paper at the paper feed point.

The present disclosure relates to paper stackers and image forming apparatuses.
In general, image forming apparatuses including copiers, printers, etc. include a paper stacker on which paper is stackable. An image is formed on the paper picked up from the paper stacker. Typically, an image forming apparatus forms an image on paper in a manner that when the paper stacker lifts up the paper stacked thereon, and a paper feed roller picks up the topmost paper, followed by formation of the image on this paper by an image forming section.
However, when the picked-up paper is displaced, the image may be formed at a displaced location on the paper. In order to tackle this disadvantage, a paper feeder (paper stacker) has been proposed that is provided with an abutting member to regulate the position of the paper in picking up. In this paper feeder, the lifted-up paper abuts on the abutting member and then is fed, while the abutting member regulates the position of the paper. Accordingly, displacement of fed paper can be reduced.

Paper stacker and image forming apparatus


A safety marker apparatus comprising a hollow body including at least four vertex elements interconnected by flexible resilient rods, the body being adapted to be compressed into a stowed state upon application of an external force and expanded into a deployed state, the flexible resilient rods forcing the hollow body to adopt the deployed state in an absence of the external force. In one embodiment, an illumination sub-system is provided in at least one vertex element.

Transportation using motor vehicles is an integral part of the daily life of a large part of humanity. The speed, efficiency and convenience of modern road systems have improved a great deal since the time when the first roads were built. The safety of motor vehicles has also increased substantially over recent years.
Despite these improvements, roughly 30 thousand people lose their life and 2 million people are injured in the more than 10 million vehicle accidents reported each year in the United States alone.
Highway vehicle accident scenes are very dangerous since they create a stationary obstacle while incoming vehicles travel at high-speed. First respondents to a vehicle crash site face the most dangerous task of setting up the initial security perimeter aiming at diverting the incoming traffic away from the damaged vehicles and injured passengers. Each year in the United States alone, millions of law officers and first respondents risk their life working on roads and thousands are injured or die every year because of the unavailability of adequate tools to perform these tasks safely.
"Move over" laws have been passed in the great majority of the US states and in all Canadian provinces. These laws make it compulsory for drivers to slow down or change lanes and move away from stopped emergency vehicles. Despite these laws, too many accidents still occur every year.
Various types of road safety markers exist but the prior art systems have many drawbacks and limitations. There is still a need for a road safety marker which can be disposed quickly and efficiently on the road by the first respondents, either manually or through an automated dispenser.


A method for Error Correction Code (ECC) encoding includes receiving data to be encoded. The data is encoded to produce a composite code word that includes multiple component code words. Each component code word in at least a subset of the component code words is encoded in accordance with a respective component code and has at least one respective bit in common with each of the other component code words.

Various types of Error Correction Codes (ECC) comprise multiple component code words that are derived in accordance with respective component codes. For example, some types of Turbo Block Codes (TBC) comprise a matrix, in which the rows and columns comprise the component code words. As another example, encoding a Turbo Product Code (TPC) typically comprises applying a cascade of two or more component encoders.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,255,763, whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference, describes an error correction system, which includes an iterative code that employs an interleaved component code and an embedded parity component code. On the transmission side, input signals received at an input node are encoded based on the interleaved code, which encodes an interleaved version of the input data to produce a first set of code words. A portion of the first set of code words is divided into a plurality of symbols which are encoded based on the embedded parity code.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,176,381, whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference, describes a transmitter, a receiver and corresponding methods. The transmitter includes encoders configured to encode source bit streams from L information sources into bytes of code words. Each encoder includes different (n, k) multidimensional turbo-product codes of code rate R=k/n, where k is a number of information bytes, and n is code word length. The encoders operate in at least two phases. A first phase involves operating ky column-encoders in parallel on kx bytes per column to generate the code words for a current dimension. A second phase involves operating nx row-encoders in parallel on ky memory locations per rows to generate the code words for the current dimension. The first and second phases are repeated for remaining layers of the current dimension and layers of other dimensions.

Error correction coding with high-degree overlap among component codes


The invention relates to a control system for a voltage converter, said control system comprising:—a set of switches (T1-T2-T3-T4) intended to be connected via output terminals (N1-N2-N3) to a first type of voltage converter or to a second type of voltage converter,—detection means (DET) to generate a detection signal (DS) indicating the type of converter connected,—a circuit (CIR) intended to generate, from said detection signal (DS), control signals (CS1-CS2-CS3-CS4) to control said switches (T1-T2-T3-T4).

Many electronic equipments having only a very low level input voltage use a voltage converter to generate an output voltage of higher amplitude.
In particular, switched capacitor converters and inductance converters are currently used to increase the amplitude of an input voltage. These two types of converters described in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 respectively use transistors T1-T2-T3-T4 which play the role of switches. The transistors are controlled by control signals CS1-CS2-CS3-CS4 delivered by a specific circuit. In order that the voltage converter completely fulfills its role, it is necessary for the control signals to be adapted to the type of voltage converter used.
To generate control signals adapted to the type of voltage converter used, it is necessary to have as many specific circuits as the number of voltage converters, which is highly limiting, costly and non-optimal in terms of integration size.


Wide dynamic range depth imaging in a structured light device is provided that improves depth maps for scenes with a wide range of albedo values under varying light conditions. A structured light pattern, e.g., a time-multiplexed structured light pattern, is projected into a scene at various projection times and a camera captures images of the scene for at least the same exposure times as the projection times. A depth image is computed for each of the projection/exposure times and the resulting depth images are combined to generate a composite depth image.

Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to wide dynamic range depth imaging in a structured light imaging device.
Description of the Related Art
In structured light imaging devices, a projector-camera pair is used to estimate the three-dimensional (3D) depth of a scene and shape of objects in the scene. The principle behind structured light imaging is to project patterns on objects/scenes of interest and capture images with the projected pattern. The depth is estimated based on variations of the pattern in the captured image in comparison to the projected pattern.
The amount of light reflected by the objects in the scene varies depending on object properties such as color, albedo (reflectance) etc. The light incident on the objects is a combination of ambient light and light from the projector. For a fixed camera exposure time and projector projection time, some objects may be under-exposed and other objects may be over-exposed. Darker objects tend to be under-exposed and the projected pattern is not detected in these regions. Conversely, brighter objects may reflect the projected pattern and the ambient light and be over-exposed, which makes the pattern undetectable in such regions.


Hydroxybenzotriazole-based compounds are useful for ultraviolet light absorbing additives for a variety of applications. Such compounds have particular usefulness in various applications, including plastics, automotive, coatings, and food packaging applications. Such inventive compound exhibit excellent UV radiation absorbing activity, high thermal stability, excellent low fogging, low extraction/low migration rates, and high lightfastness levels, particularly when incorporated within certain media and/or on the surface of certain substrates, particularly polyesters, polyolefins, and polyurethanes. Block copolymer chain or chains consisting of poly(oxyalkylene) and/or aliphatic polyester segments can be conveniently tailored to increase the solubility or compatibility in different solvents or resins thereby permitting the introduction of such excellent UV absorbing chromophores within diverse media and/or or diverse substrates. Compositions and articles comprising such compounds are provided as well as methods for producing such inventive compounds.

Ultraviolet absorbing compounds have many uses and industrial applications. Such compounds are useful in combination with various polymers, including for example polyurethanes, polyolefins, PET, and the like for protecting the polymers or products made with the polymers against degradation by exposure to ultraviolet light.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,994,431; 6,150,440 and 6,291,586 are directed to amide functional benzotriazole UV absorbers and their application in polyolefin, polyurethane and other films. U.S. Pat. No. 5,459,222 to Rodgers reports UV absorbing polyurethanes and polyesters obtained by reacting difunctional (i.e. two —OH groups) benzotriazole UV absorbers with polyurethane or polyester monomers.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,307,055 to Thanki et al discloses a diol-functionalized benzotriazole UV absorbers prepared from bromobenzotriazole precursor and di(hydroxyalkyl)amine.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,857,471; 4,973,702 and 5,032,498 disclose amide functional benzotriazole UV absorbers. U.S. Pat. No. 5,585,228 discloses a specific benzotriazole derivative as photographic element. This specific UV absorbers are obtained from the reaction of the 4-OH group on 2H-(2,4-dihydroxyphenyl)benzotriazole with glycidyl ethers.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,037,393 to Okumura reports novel polyester compounds having benzotriazole group(s) obtained by ring-opening polymerization of lactones with hydroxyalkylphenyl benzotriazoles.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,653,484 and 6,369,267 to Toan et al. disclose benzotriazole derivatives which are substituted or bridged with polyoxyalkylene groups obtained from the reaction of benzotriazole precursors with alkyl caped polyethylene glycol glycidyl ether.

Ultraviolet light (UV) absorbing compounds and compositions containing UV absorbing compounds


This Utility Model is a multi-purpose plug. It includes a pedestal (1) which is used to connect with the electric equipment. Its feature is that it also includes a number of different-typed plug connectors (2) which are detachably connected with the described pedestal (1). This multi-purpose plug includes a number of different types of plug connectors. They are suitable for various sockets thus making them more convenient to use.

Each country has a different standard for its electrical plugs, thus there are different standard for its sockets that match the plugs. Generally, when a customer buys a electrical plug, it usually adapts to one country only. This may cause a lot of inconvenience. For example, for those international businessmen who often need to work in different countries, if the plugs of the laptops they are carrying may adapt to one country only, their work will be dramatically impacted.

Multi-purpose power plug with improved locking device

Shun Shing Standard Corporation Development Ltd.


The invention relates to filter material for inclusion in the filter or filter element of a 5 smoking article, said filter material comprising polylactide fibers and a plasticizer. The invention also relates to filters or filter elements comprising the filter material, and smoking articles comprising the same.

A wide variety of fibrous materials have been suggested as filters for cigarette smoke. Cellulose acetate tow is the most commonly used filter material. One disadvantage associated with this filter material is, however, that it is slow to degrade. Whilst most of the components of a spent smoking article dissociate into their individual constituent parts and degrade within a relatively short period of time when exposed to moisture and/or mechanical abrasion, cellulose acetate filter material is slow to degrade because the cellulose acetate fibres themselves are effectively not water soluble and therefore poorly biodegradable.
For disposable products, it is desirable to use materials which are biodegradable. Biodegradable polymers disposed of in bioactive environments degrade by the enzymatic action of microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and algae. Their polymer chains may also be cleaved by non-enzymatic processes such as chemical hydrolysis. As used herein, the term "biodegradable" means that the composition degrades within one year using the standard test method for determining aerobic biodegradation of plastic materials under controlled composting conditions.
Poly(lactic acid) or polylactide (PLA), is an attractive biodegradable and biocompatible polymer. It is derived from renewable resources (e.g., corn, wheat, or rice) and it is biodegradable, recyclable, and compostable. In addition, PLA exhibits excellent processability. Actually, PLA has better thermal processability compared to other biodegradable materials such as poly(hydroxyalkanoates) (PHAs), poly(68 -caprolactone) (PCL), etc. It can be processed by injection moulding, film extrusion, blow moulding, thermoforming, fibre spinning, and film forming. However, the use of PLA can be restricted due to the fact that it is a hydrophobic polymer and is not able to solubilise or disperse in water.
It is desirable to produce biodegradable filter materials, preferably are made from materials which can be easily processed to produce fibres, which are thermally processable and which have good mechanical and physical properties.
CA may be treated with plasticizers for use in smoking article filters. This involves applying the plasticizer (usually in liquid form) to the surface of the CA fibres, for example by spraying the liquid plasticizer on to the CA tow. The plasticizer acts by binding adjacent fibres to one another at their contact points, thereby affording the filter rods sufficient hardness for cigarette manufacture and use. Thus, although the materials added to CA in this way are generally referred to as plasticizers, they are really acting as binders or hardeners rather than as plasticizers. Suitable plasticizers for this use include triacetin (glycerin triacetate), TEC (triethyl citrate) and PEG 400 (low molecular weight polyethylene glycol). Plasticized cellulose acetate tow is also known to improve the selective removal of semi-volatile compounds found in smoke (e.g. phenol, o-cresol, p-cresol and m-cresol). For this effect, it is considered to be necessary for the plasticizer to be present on the surface of the CA fibres. Unfortunately, the addition of a plasticizer which binds fibres actually can result in a reduction in the degradability of the filter material. The binding of the fibres certainly slows the separation of the individual fibres making up the tow in a spent smoking article, thus maintaining the bundle of fibres and reducing their exposure to the elements that will carry out any degradation process.
Because of the fibre-binding effect of plasticizers, conventional CA filters often include between 6 and 8% plasticizer. It has been found that including plasticizer in greater amounts than this has a detrimental effect on the cellulose acetate tow, causing holes to be formed.

Filter material comprising polylactide fibres

BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCO (INVESTMENTS) LIMITED


An optical information recording medium characterized by comprising a temperature-sensitive layer formed on a substrate, for reversibly changing in reflectance and/or transmittance with a temperature change. A temperature-sensitive layer having the property of changing in reflectance with a temperature change is used, as well as the property of changing in light interference effect with a temperature change, thereby providing an optical information recording medium capable of providing a higher, more stable reproduction signal power.

With an advancement of digitalization in an information-oriented society, there is an increasing demand for a higher density recording/reproduction on a writable medium.
In order to increase a recording capacity in a so-called writable optical recording medium, various medium structures have been tried. Also, in order to realize a higher density recording/reproduction, various measures have been taken such as i) shortening the wavelength of a laser beam for recording and reproduction, ii) enlarging the NA (numerical aperture) of an object lens with which light is focused onto the optical information recording medium, iii) providing a plurality of recording layers to the optical information recording medium, and iv) forming a mask layer in the optical information recording medium for substantially reducing the diameter of a laser light spot.
For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. HEI 5(1993)-12673, HEI 5(1993)-12715 and 2001-35012 have proposed the technique of forming a mask layer in the optical information recording medium for substantially reducing the diameter of a laser light spot.
According to this technique, in an optical information recording medium, the mask layer is formed at a location nearer to a side from which light is incident than a recording film. The mask layer is usually made of a thermochromic material or of a phase change material. Upon irradiation of the mask layer with a light beam for reading, a light spot is formed on the mask layer, and as the temperature rises at a central part in the light spot, the mask layer changes optically or thermally to partially have its color erased and to partially become light-transmissive so that the size of the light spot is substantially reduced, while with no incident light or with only weak incident light, the mask layer has a small transmittance. That is, the mask layer allows light to pass through only a part thereof where light intensity is high so that recording/reproduction of small pits is achieved. In other words, the diameter of a light spot can substantially be reduced and thereby a high density recording/reproduction on the optical information recording medium can be achieved.
By being heated above a predetermined temperature, the mask layer melts to exhibit a masking effect. In a melt state, the mask layer has a high flowability and has a composition and a shape changed from original ones. Therefore, repeated recording/reproduction on the optical information recording medium causes the change in the composition and the shape of the mask layer, and thereby a masking effect gradually diminishes, and after about several thousands of repeated recording/reproduction, the masking effect substantially vanishes.
Further, in the optical information recording medium, the mask layer formed at a side near to an incident light side absorbs not a small portion of the entire amount of light that otherwise reaches the recording layer. As a result, a reduction in recording sensitivity and a rise in reproduction noise are caused, whereby a high signal quality cannot be obtained.
Also, since the transmittance or reflectance of the mask layer is changed by a change in the composition of the mask layer or a dye reaction thereof, the transmittance or reflectance of the mask layer cannot be changed to a greater degree, even if the mask layer is heated so that its temperature is raised by 100° C., than a degree allowed by the physical properties of a substance used for the mask layer. Thus, there is a limitation on a signal quality obtained.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


An electric circuit arrangement and a measuring method for a galvanically insulated, AC/DC sensitive differential current measurement having a high resolution having: a toroid current transformer having at least one secondary winding for detecting a differential current; a driver circuit for powering the secondary winding; a first oscillator circuit for controlling the driver circuit and for generating a time-modulated binary oscillator signal having dwell times in a state 1 and a state 2; a second oscillator circuit for determining the corresponding dwell time in the states 1 and 2 in high resolution by means of a clock signal having a clock rate independent of the oscillator signal; an evaluation device for evaluating the dwell time; and a data interface for outputting a differential-current measuring value; the driver circuit and the second oscillator circuit each being realized as structurally individual, integrated circuits.

The known measuring devices and measuring methods for monitoring electric installations are devices and methods based on the principle of differential-current measurement.
Measuring devices of this kind are based on the fact that the vectorial sum of the currents (primary current) equals zero for all active conductors of a supply line, for example the line of a power supply system, when the operation of an electric installation is fault-free and wherefore a magnetic field does not exist in a magnetizable toroid of a measuring-current transformer encircling the supply line. If a fault current arises because of an insulation fault, for example, which drains outside of the supply line, a differential current is yielded on the supply side. The changing magnetic flux caused by this differential current within the toroid induces a voltage in a secondary winding of the measuring-current transformer, the size of the voltage allowing drawing conclusions about the magnitude of the differential current.
If the differential current is particularly small or if small changes have to be recorded when the differential current is large, a measuring device having high sensitivity is required. For certain applications, for example for detecting a test-current impulse in an ungrounded power supply system, it can therefore be necessary to be able to detect particularly small differential currents in a range smaller than 1 mA or even smaller than 10 μA.
Limiting the measuring resolution in this manner leads to a second (fault-current) path having to be switched to ground when, for example, determining a faulty outgoing power feed in an ungrounded power supply system in order for a significant measurable differential current to be able to flow through the measuring-current transformer. This approach, however, can be unreliable in certain scenarios for technical and regulatory reasons.
Known methods for an AC/DC sensitive differential-current measurement by means of a measuring-current transformer, as disclosed in EP 2 813 856 B 1, use oscillator circuits which oscillatingly pass the magnetizing curve of the core of the measuring-current transformer between an upper and a lower saturation via a controlled secondary-side current flow. From the temporal progression of this oscillation, two states can be defined and a measuring parameter can be formed by having determined the dwell times in the corresponding states, the supply-side differential current being able to be determined from the measuring parameter via the measuring-current transformer. However, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) comes to use in the mentioned Document which entails much development effort and high initial costs.
Other known circuit arrangements for measuring differential current in the broadest sense are also based on integrated circuits and consequently form a structural and functional unit which requires much development effort because of its complexity.
The object of the invention at hand is therefore to devise an electric circuit arrangement and a measuring method for a galvanically insulated, AC/DC sensitive differential-current measurement which both allow a high-resolution measurement of the differential current and can simultaneously be implemented efficiently from an economic and circuitry-related point of view.

Electric circuit arrangement and a method for a galvanically insulated, AC/DC sensitive differential-current measurement having high resolution


In a method of synthesizing diamond on a substrate from plasma containing a carbon component, filaments containing tungsten as a thermoelectron-emitting material are arranged above a substrate in a chamber. An electrode is provided at a position separated from and particularly above the filaments. The filaments are at least temporarily energized with a potential relatively higher than that of the substrate, while the electrode is at least temporarily supplied with a potential relatively higher than that of the filaments. Thus, plasma is generated between the filaments and the substrate, while electrons are moved from the filaments to the electrode for also generating plasma between the filaments and the electrode, thereby forming nuclei of diamond on the substrate. Thereafter, the respective potentials of the electron emitting filaments and the electrode are equalized with each other, for growing a film of diamond from the nuclei of diamond.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of synthesizing diamond, and more particularly, it relates to a method of preparing a diamond film having a large area, which can be applied to a semiconductor material, an electronic component, an optical component, a cutting tool, a wear-resistant tool or a precision tool. The present invention also relates to diamond which is applicable to a substrate for a semiconductor device, a heat sink having high thermal conductivity or an optical component having a high light transmission property.
2. Description of the Background Art
Diamond has the following characteristics:
a. It has high strength.
b. It is excellent in wear resistance.
c. It has low compressibility and thermal expansivity.
d. It has extremely high thermal conductivity although it is an insulator.
e. It has a high refractive index, and is optically transparent with respect to ultraviolet, visible and infrared rays.
f. It has excellent chemical resistance.
g. It is excellent in sound wave propagation velocity.
h. It can provide semiconductivity when doped with a specific impurity.
In consideration of such characteristics, utilization of diamond in various fields is expected. Diamond is now regarded as a necessary and indispensable material in the industrial world.
A method of vapor-depositing diamond on a non-diamond substrate has recently been studied. In case of growing diamond on a non-diamond substrate, nuclei consisting of diamond grains are first formed on the substrate. Then, growth of diamond starts from the nuclei. In such vapor deposition of diamond, diamond is vapor-deposited in consideration of atomic arrangement on the substrate surface. When the surface of the substrate is oriented along a {100} plane, for example, diamond is grown on this substrate under such a condition that the diamond growth rate on the {100} plane is higher than those on the remaining planes. Methods described in the following literature references are known for growing diamond on non-diamond substrate:
(1) Koizumi et al. Appl. Phys. Lett. Vol. 57, No. 6 (1990), pp. 563-565
(2) Jiang and Klages, Diamond and Related Materials, No. 2 (1993), pp. 1112-1113
(3) Stoner and Glass, Appl. Phys. Lett. No. 60 (1992), p. 698
(4) Fujita et al., Summaries of Lectures in the Fourth Diamond Symposium (1991), pp. 13-14
(5) Inuzuka et al., Extended Abstracts (the 43rd Spring Meeting, 1996), the Japan Society of Applied Physics and Related Societies, No. 2, p. 403
(6) Yugo et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. Vol. 58, No. 10 (1991), pp. 1036-1038
Substrates consisting of cubic boron nitride, silicon and silicon carbide are employed in the methods of the above references (1), (2) and (3) respectively. Substrates consisting of nickel and copper, platinum, graphite, beryllium oxide or iridium are employed in the methods of the above references (4) and (5) respectively. A substrate consisting of silicon, silicon carbide or iridium is employed and subjected to negative biasing in the method of the above reference (6). In this negative biasing, the substrate is supplied with a low potential with respect to plasma in microwave plasma CVD (chemical vapor deposition). An effect of ion bombardment or radical concentration is proposed as a reaction mechanism for forming diamond in the method of reference (6). However, the reaction mechanism is not yet understood in detail.
In order to homogeneously form nuclei on the substrate by this method, plasma must be homogeneously generated and a uniform electric field must be generated on the surface of the substrate. However, it is difficult to implement such conditions, and hence diamond cannot be sufficiently grown on the substrate by the method of reference (6).
In relation to the method of reference (6), it is known that a large number of nuclei are formed when the strength of the electric field on the substrate surface is increased. If the strength of the electric field is excessive, however, it is difficult to obtain diamond of high quality due to formation of irregularly oriented diamond nuclei. On the other hand, a method of growing diamond on a substrate by thermal filament CVD is described in Chen et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. Vol. 67, No. 13 (1995), pp. 1853-1855.
This method succeeds in forming nuclei of diamond by supplying the substrate with a low potential with respect to filaments. In this method, radicals are conceivably formed by thermal filaments to generate dc (direct current) plasma by dc biasing.
Also in this method, however, it is difficult to uniformly generate an electric field on the substrate surface, and a problem has been reported whereby nuclei are formed only on an edge portion of the substrate. A problem whereby the discharge between the substrate and the filaments is destabilized has also been reported.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 63-30397 (1988) describes a method of synthesizing diamond by extracting electrons from a thermoelectron-emitting material and discharging the same for generating plasma in the vicinity of a substrate. Also in this method, however, nuclei of diamond are so insufficiently grown that it is difficult to obtain high-quality diamond having a large area.


A circuit 30 for upsampling and upconverting a high rate signal that is divided into M in-phase (I) symbols and M quadrature (Q) symbols. A Nyquist filter 32 upsamples by a factor of k each of the 2M symbols in parallel during one system clock period (CP). The filter 32 has a plurality of 2kM filter components 40, 42, that each provides a continuous output. A plurality of multipliers 50, 52 each upconverts a filter component output with a carrier wave signal 46, 48 that is output from a numerically controlled oscillator 44. A plurality of adders 54 each adds the output of two multipliers 50 to recombine corresponding I and Q samples to output kM samples during a CP. For continuous phase modulation, N parallel bits are input into the filter 32, upsampled in one CP, and accumulated and modulated 82 in parallel in one CP. For analog processing, M (I) and M (Q) symbols are input into an FIR filter 77a, 77b for upsampling, and decimated at a MUX/DAC block 78 for subsequent analog upconversion.

There are a variety of competing modulation techniques for wideband communications, including, for example, Phase Shift Keying (PSK), Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK), Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM), and variations of each, to name a few. There is an increasing need for communication transmitters and receivers that can process and code/decode more than one modulated waveform. For example, various U.S. Government agencies communicate using Common Data Link Class 1 category A and B waveforms, Terrestrial Line of Sight waveform, classified direct downlink waveform, numerous waveforms for civil and military communications with satellites and/or military assets, and the (to be determined) commercial teledesic waveform. Overlap between these agencies, and between arms of other governments or multinational corporations that communicate over numerous disparate systems, is beginning to drive a need for flexible-modulation hardware that can operate among various communications waveforms such as those above.
One approach in achieving the above hardware flexibility is a modem that is programmable for any particular modulation. Such a modem is termed a programmable digital modem, which forms a key component of software-defined radios. Two related components of such a modem are filters, especially pulse shaping filters that upsample an input signal during each symbol, and up-converters for converting the shaped signal from a baseband frequency to an intermediate frequency (IF). On the demodulate side, the reverse functions are required. Wideband programmable modems by necessity incorporate field programmable gated arrays (FPGAs) and/or digital signal processors (DSPs) as opposed to application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) that are typically used in modems dedicated to a particular modulation scheme. Clock speeds in FPGAs are generally slower than those in ASICs, so at least the first generation of software-defined radios are expected to operate at maximum clock speeds in the range of 100 to 300 MHz.
In general, a signal input into a modulator is up-sampled at some integer multiple of the symbol rate (the sampling frequency) for pulse shaping and up-conversion to an intermediate frequency (IF). Except for spread spectrum systems, pulse shaping is desirable to compress the bandwidth of data impulses without increasing intersymbol interference (ISI) inordinately. For most applications, proper pulse shaping requires three or four samples per symbol, and up-conversion occurs at the data rate output from the pulse-shaping filter. Many prior art systems are designed to avoid intersymbol interference (ISI). For prior art systems wherein the sampling frequency is limited to the clock speed, then upsampling three times per symbol yields a symbol rate of about one third the clock speed. Considering the FPGA clock speeds noted above, this prior art limitation on data rate is unacceptable for wideband programmable modem applications. Software defined radios with low data rates are currently available. The present invention is directed to meeting the challenge of enabling high data rates for wideband programmable modems.
Prior art systems for sampling and up-conversion are shown generally in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an in-phase signal I, and a quadrature signal Q that is orthogonal to the in-phase signal. Each of the I and Q signals are up-sampled at three times the symbol rate in the embodiments of FIG. 1, producing 3 samples per symbol that are input into a digital pulse shaping filter 12, such as a Nyquist filter. The output of the filter 12 is at the same rate as its input, 3 samples per symbol. This output enters a multiplier 14, where the I signal is modulated onto an up-converted cosine signal 16 and the Q signal is modulated onto an up-converted sine signal 18. The term fIF is the up-converted frequency and the term tn is the nth sample equal to nTs, where Ts=1/fs is the sampling period. The modulated orthogonal signals enter an adder 20 and are output as a combined digital signal 22, which is typically input into a digital to analog converter (DAC) and transmitted.
Assuming, for example, that a device system clock of FIG. 1 is running at fclk=200 MHz, then the sample rate fs is limited to 200 Msps (million samples per second), and the symbol rate in the above example is limited to 200/3 million symbols per second. One drawback to the design of FIG. 1 is that the filter 12 has to run at the sample rate operating on the zeros inserted by the up-sampler 10. To eliminate this inefficiency, the prior art may employ a polyphase filter structure such as that shown in FIG. 2.
In the prior art circuit of FIG. 2, each I and Q input signal is split to enter a plurality i of polyphase components Hi(z) [depicted as H1(z), H2(z), H3(z)] of a polyphase filter 24. The depicted filter 24 up-samples by three and pulse shapes the complex signal, but not all polyphase components run at the same time. At any time instant n, only the ith polyphase component on each I and Q line is generating an output. At time n+1, the polyphase component with index (i+1) modulo 3 generates an output. The two portions of the gate 26 operate in tandem to select corresponding I and Q samples from the corresponding polyphase components Hi(z). As with FIG. 1, the I and Q pulses each enter a multiplier 14, are modulated and up-converted on a cosine 16 and sine 18 carrier wave, and added at an adder 20 to produce a combined digital signal 22 for output to a multiplexer, digital to analog converter, or other circuitry. The architecture of FIG. 2 saves on multipliers as compared to FIG. 1, since each polyphase component Hi(z) of the polyphase filter 24 is one-third the order of the pulse-shaping filter 12 of FIG. 1. Despite this computational efficiency, the circuit of FIG. 2 remains limited to a symbol rate of one-third the system clock (system clock divided by the up-sampling factor), just as the circuit of FIG. 1. In each of FIGS. 1 and 2, it is assumed that the sine and cosine functions are generated by a numerically controlled oscillator (not shown) running at the sample rate fs.

Parallel processing for programmable wideband digital modulation


A self-configuring verifier for performing standardized evaluation and verification of the print quality of a data carrying graphical symbol is structured with a plurality of illumination sources and at least one imaging device. The verifier is capable of automatically determining the symbology of the graphical symbol to be evaluated, and establish a pre-defined illumination pattern and possibly other settings, as required, to satisfy pre-defined evaluation standards. Once the illumination pattern is established and setup is complete, the verifier may fully evaluate and report on the quality of at least one data carrying graphical symbol imaged by the imaging device of the verifier. This abstract is provided to comply with rules requiring an abstract, and is submitted with the intention that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope and meaning of the claims.

As well understood by skilled persons, when evaluating the print quality of a data carrying graphical symbol, the employed lighting arrangement, which may be termed an 'illumination pattern', may cause captured images to look somewhat different. However, each employed illumination pattern may provide a valid decode. Nonetheless, a respective industry standard may require one of these illumination patterns and not the other(s). For example, when evaluating the print quality of a data carrying graphical symbol such as a barcode or matrix-type symbol, an existing industry standard may require an illumination pattern wherein two illumination sources are arranged to illuminate the graphical symbol from differing overhead locations, say with an incident angle of 45 degrees each. If 'standardized evaluation and verification results' are desired, then this illumination pattern must be employed. Further, due to the different standards that exist, if a verifier apparatus is to be structured to test a plurality of differing symbologies, an individual would typically have to configure and re-configure the apparatus, as dictated by the respective symbology and applicable evaluation standards involved. This may entail, at the least, selecting the type and or configuration of the lighting arrangement to be used. Clearly, this may lead to operator error, possibly producing inaccurate and or compromised evaluation results and reporting.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved self-configuring verifier means, along with methods of operation, that enable a plurality of symbologies to be readily evaluated while virtually eliminating certain setup and illumination configuration errors. A number of other characteristics, advantages, and or associated novel features of the present invention, will become clear from the description and figures provided herein. Attention is called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only. In particular, the embodiments included and described, have been chosen in order to best explain the principles, features, and characteristics of the invention, and its practical application, to thereby enable skilled persons to best utilize the invention and a wide variety of embodiments providable that are based on these principles, features, and characteristics. Accordingly, all equivalent variations possible are contemplated as being part of the invention, limited only by the scope of the appended claims.


A device includes a first circuit that includes a near-field emission circuit, a second circuit, and a hardware connection linking the first circuit to the second circuit. The hardware connection is dedicated to a priority management between the first circuit and the second circuit. In addition, priority management information can be communicated between a near-field emission circuit and a second circuit. The communicating occurs between a dedicated hardware connection connecting the near-field emission circuit to the second circuit.

Electromagnetic transponder communication systems are increasingly common, in particular, since the development of near field communication (NFC) technologies. These systems use a radiofrequency electromagnetic field generated by a device (terminal or reader) to communicate with another device (card).
An emission of such an electromagnetic field by an NFC device can sometimes disrupt other functions implemented by the NFC device. In the case, for example, of a mobile telephone including an NFC circuit, the field emission is typically able to interfere with the refreshing of a primary screen of the telephone.


Despite advances in off-shore oil exploration and drilling technology, accidental oil spills do occur. Depending on their magnitude and location, irreparable damage may be inflicted on marine and coastal ecosystems. Emulsification of a water/surfactant/oil system results in the production of oil droplets and this depends on the formulation and composition variables, mixing characteristics and system preparation. Thus, research is ongoing on improving methods of cleaning up oil spills. Cactus mucilage was used to disperse and absorb oil from a simulated oil slick in different salt concentrations. Results show correlations between emulsion properties and interfacial characteristics of mucilage as function of aqueous phase salinity. Mucilage powder added to the oil floating on the water dispersed the oil film and absorbed the oil while remaining afloat, facilitates removal of the oil-mucilage aggregate. This invention is a competitive treatment for oil spill remediation with the added advantage of being more environmentally friendly.

Louisiana's outer continental shelf is the most extensively developed region in the United States, and over the last two decades, drilling activities have increased. This area is also home to some of the most sensitive ecosystems in the world. The coastal wetlands and the Gulf contribute ˜28% of the total volume of U.S. fisheries and is also a rich habitat for several rare species. The wetland ecosystems buffer the landmass from hurricanes and tropical storms. The Mississippi river drains one-third of the United States and delivers the largest amount of sediment to the continental shelf.
Approximately 3 million gallons of crude oil are spilled into U.S. marine waters annually (National Research Counsel. Committee on understanding oil spill dispersants: efficacy and effects. Washington, D.C.; The National Acadamies Press, 2005, p. xviii, 377). While trends in volume and frequency of accidental releases have been decreasing for several decades, large spills, such as the recent massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico from the Macondo/Deepwater Horizon, occur intermittently (Mukherjee and Wrenn, Effects of Physical properties and dispersion conditions on the chemical dispersion of crude oil. Envirn Engin Sci. April 2011, 28(4): 263-273). Pollution of seawater by oil, be it crude oil or fractions of crude oil, occasioned by accidents, off-shore drilling operations, and/or discharge of ballast or spillage from oil tankers, results in the formation of a continuous film or slick of oil which tends to continuously spread. When these large spills occur, environmental and economic effects, including contamination of animals and shorelines, can be devastating. Oils spilled at sea lead to processes that alter the chemical properties of the oil. Once oil enters the sea it moves on the water's surface by advection and spreading. This movement increases the exposure area of the oil to subsequent weathering processes, one of which is emulsification. The dispersion of oil droplets in water (O/W emulsions), including natural dispersants in its formulation, contributes to a removal of the oil from the sea surface into the water column for rapid biodegradation.
The blowout from the Deepwater Horizon spill produced a gas/oil mixture and was located ˜1,500 m below the sea surface, where the specific conditions are high pressure (˜160 atm) and low temperature (48° C.). The oil reservoir was 13,000 ft (4,000 m) below sea bottom. The Flow Rate Technical Group convened to study the amount and the flow rate of the oil released has estimated that about 4.7-5.5 million barrels (1 bbl=160 L) were released and the flow rates range from 53,000 to 62,000 barrels per day. Oil dispersants were injected into the gushing plume at a volume ratio of ˜1% (˜0.8-0.9 L per 100 L oil) to disperse the oil/gas mixture with the goal of minimizing the overall environmental impact, partly to prevent oil from reaching the coastline.
Oil dispersant compositions are applied on the oil slicks, generally by spraying. Dispersants, typically some amphiphilic surfactant, promote the formation of oil droplets that can be dispersed into the water column (Clayton et al., Oil spill dispersants: mechanisms of action and laboratory tests. CRC Press, Inc. 1993, Boca Raton, Fla.; Mukherjee and Wrenn. Effects of Physical properties and dispersion conditions on the chemical dispersion of crude oil. Envirn Engin Sci. April 2011, 28(4): 263-273) by reducing the interfacial tension by accumulating at the oil-water interface making it easier for normal ocean movement to disperse the oil and interacting with both the oil and water phases simultaneously, allowing oil droplets to be transported vertically and horizontally in the water column thereby diluting the oil in the seawater. The primary constituents of chemical dispersants include low molecular weight surfactants and solvent. For instance, the formulation of Corexit® 9550 contains petroleum distillates, low molecular weight alcohols (which are the surfactants), and sulfonic acid salts (Corexit® 9550 MSDS, Nalco Energy Services, L.P., Jun. 14, 2005). Corexit® 9500, which was used to address the oil leakage from the Deepwater Horizon, contains about 48% nonionic surfactants, including ethoxylated sorbitan mono- and tri-oleates and sorbitan monooleate, and 35% anionic surfactants, including sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate, in a solvent consisting of a mixture of food-grade aliphatic hydrocarbons (National Research Counsel. Committee on understanding oil spill dispersants: efficacy and effects. Washington, D.C.; The National Acadamies Press, 2005, p. xviii, 377; Pollino and Holdway, Toxicity testing of crude oil and related compounds using early life stages of the crimson-spotted rainbowfish (Melanotaenia fluviatilis). Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2002; 52, 180) and contains 2-butoxyethanol, which is toxic and was identified as a causal agent in the health problems experienced by cleanup workers after the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill (Elana Schor "Ingredients of Controversial Dispersants Used on Gulf Spill Are Secrets No More". Energy and Environment, NY Times (Jun. 9, 2010)).
The oil dispersants disintegrate the cohesive oily film into small droplets and disperse the droplets into the water column, thereby breaking the film and permitting the transfer of light and air from the atmosphere. Petroleum distillates are necessary to facilitate penetration of the surfactants into the oil, wherein the surfactants ultimately form micelles with the help of wave energy. During micelle formation, oil is trapped in the interior of the micelle, effectively forming small droplets that pinch off of the larger oil slick. Electrostatic double layer forces and/or steric forces between the micelles minimize re-coalescence. To achieve an efficient dispersion, oil droplets must be less than roughly 100 μm. Even smaller droplets are preferred in order to increase surface area to volume ratio enhances biodegradation.
However, the relationship between the design of dispersants and effectiveness in oil spills is not well understood. Several factors play a role in effective dispersion, and these factors are not well understood ("The Use of Chemical Dispersants to Treat Oil Spills" Technical bulletin No. 4: International Tanker Oil Pollution Federation Ltd., 2005). Studies have shown that the physical and chemical properties of the oil, composition of the dispersant, mixing energy, mixing time, fluid dynamics, temperature, and salinity are all important factors that affect dispersant performance (National Research Counsel. Committee on understanding oil spill dispersants: efficacy and effects. Washington, D.C.; The National Acadamies Press, 2005, p. xviii, 377; Mukherjee and Wrenn. Effects of Physical properties and dispersion conditions on the chemical dispersion of crude oil. Envirn Engin Sci. April 2011, 28(4): 263-273). First, there must be a minimum wave energy. For instance, dispersants in the Exxon Valdez spill were ineffective due to a relatively calm waters; enough shear was not present to disperse the oil. Too much wave energy, may also be deleterious to effective dispersion. The properties of the oil are also important. More viscous oil is generally resistant to dispersion. This is especially important in that the viscosity of oil rapidly increases after a spill, as lower weight components quickly evaporate. Moreover, oil in water emulsifications, which sometimes form in spills, also restrict the ability of surfactant to reach the oil/water interface. Finally, the properties of the dispersant are important. The majority of formulations are proprietary, and so it is difficult to make intelligent decisions on a particular dispersant, other than through empirical laboratory tests.
Corexit is most effective on oil slicks, where the dispersant comes into direct contact with the oil. However, at the Deepwater Horizon spill site, the dispersant was introduced at the exit of the broken pipe, where oil is travelling at several hundreds of miles an hour, and likely broke the oil into small particles. Further, the dispersion efficiency of Corexit® 9500 on large, underwater oil leaks with high flow rates is unknown. It is uncertain if the dispersant is effective under such conditions, which may lead to semi-stable emulsions that contribute to the large underwater oil plumes. Moreover, Corexit® 9550 contains 2-butoxyethanol, which is toxic and was identified as a causal agent in the health problems experienced by cleanup workers after the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill (Elana Schor "Ingredients of Controversial Dispersants Used on Gulf Spill Are Secrets No More". Energy and Environment, NY Times (Jun. 9, 2010)). Laboratory experiments showed that dispersants increased toxic hydrocarbon levels in fish by a factor of up to 100 and may kill fish eggs (Region IV Regional Response Team Dispersant Use Policy; Oct. 8, 1996).
Depending on their magnitude and location, irreparable damage may be inflicted on marine and coastal ecosystems. This oily film causes a barrier, preventing the transfer of light and air from the atmosphere into the seawater, and coats maritime life in a detrimental oil slick. One aspect to the Deep Horizon spill is that a significant amount of the hydrocarbon mass does not emerge on the sea surface but remains in the water column. As droplets approach the continental shelf, they may interact with subsea sediments, animals, and vegetation. The long-term impact of oil on the ecosystem, including oxygen depletion, oil contact with biota, such as finfish and shellfish, acute fish toxicity, vegetation oiling, dispersion and advection by wind and water onto beaches, wetlands, bays, harbors, estuaries, is unknown (Thibodeaux, et al. Marine oil fate: Knowledge gaps, basic research, and developmental needs; a perspective based on the Deepwater Horizon Spill. Envirn Engin Sci. February 2011, 28(2): 87-93). Once the oil reaches the bed sediment either at depth, in the marshlands, or on the beaches, its transport is one of multiphase systems traveling through or lodging in porous media. The transported oil will influence—even cause—transport or deposition/aggregation of bacteria and other (bio) particulates. These effects are particularly poignant in deep water, where mobility, biological uptake, and degradation processes are very slow (Thibodeaux, et al. Marine oil fate: Knowledge gaps, basic research, and developmental needs; a perspective based on the Deepwater Horizon Spill. Envirn Engin Sci. February 2011, 28(2): 87-93). Moreover, laboratory experiments showed that dispersants increased toxic hydrocarbon levels in fish by a factor of up to 100 and may kill fish eggs (Region IV Regional Response Team Dispersant Use Policy; Oct. 8, 1996).
However, as evidenced above, there is a continuing need to develop and improve spill response technologies. Although environmental damage cannot be completely prevented when accidental releases of petroleum occur, it may be possible to minimize the damage if a variety of complementary response alternatives are available. Accordingly, a composition of plant mucilage is useful for sequestering oil and trapping it for collection and dispersing the oil.

Use of cactus mucilage as a dispersant and absorbant for oil in oil-water mixtures


A malware prevention system monitors kernel level events of the operating system and applies user programmable or preprepared policies to those events to detect and block malware.

The present invention relates to computer programs for detecting malicious programs such as spyware and the like.
Malicious programs or "malware" have become a significant problem in the computer industry. Examples of such malware include: "viruses" which are programs attached to documents or other programs and that activate themselves within a host computer to self-replicate for further spreading; "worms" which are programs that self-replicate to transmit themselves across a network; "Trojans" or "Trojan horses" which are programs that masquerade as useful programs but contain portions to attack the host computer or leak data; "back doors" which are programs that open a system to external entities by subverting local security measures; and "spyware" which are programs that transmit private-user data to an external entity. More generally malware is malicious software intentionally included or inserted in a system for a harmful purpose.
Spyware, in particular, has become a significant security threat. Some studies have suggested that as many as 69% of the computers connected to the Internet have been infected with spyware at some point in time. The damages caused by spyware (e.g. stolen credit card numbers) are not limited to disruption of the infected computer system, yet unlike some other types of malware, spyware may not noticeably degrade the performance of the computer.
Methods for detecting malicious programs may be classified as dynamic or static. In dynamic methods, the suspected program is executed in a "sandbox". A sandbox is a safe execution area created in a computer that uses hardware and/or software to prevent the executing program from damaging interaction with the computer. During execution of the malware in the sandbox, attempts by the malware to interact with the computer, such as by writing data outside of a predefined memory area, are monitored. The constraints placed on the sandbox make it an impractical environment for the execution of normal programs, and this technique is normally used off-line for research purposes.
Static detection does not require execution of the suspected program, but instead reads and analyzes the program instructions or "code" before it is executed. One "heuristic" detection technique looks for changes in certain program locations (normally the beginning and end of the code) where the virus is likely to be attached. A second "signature" detection technique checks for known virus-specific sequences of instructions (virus signatures) inside the program. Such signature detection is effective when the virus does not change significantly over time and when multiple viruses have the same signature.
Most malware detection and prevention systems intended for real-time defense of an operating computer use a signature detection system performing a background scanning of files to detect signatures of known malware. This signature-based solution has two major shortcomings. First it is ineffective against novel malware for which no signature has been developed. Second, it is ineffective against known malware that has been modified with minor changes ("obfuscation)" which can defeat the signature scanning technique.

Malware prevention system monitoring kernel events


The present invention relates to a cooling apparatus and method wherein a supply sump and turbine are below grade. Water cooled from an above grade cooling tower fan and fill flows into the supply sump and is pumped through below grade pipes into a facility. Heat rejected water from the facility then flows through below grade pipes into a below grade collector sump. A collector sump pump pumps the heat rejected water above grade into a nozzle and back into the fill to be cooled. The present invention is constructed such that water is not idle in any above grade component. Accordingly, the risk of water freezing within the above grade components is drastically reduced. Moreover, the heat rejection water can by-pass all above grade components and travel directly into the supply sump in the event of reduced load from the facility.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an evaporative cooling tower. More specifically, the invention relates to an improvement to the cooling tower that protects exposed components from elements that may affect reliability and productivity.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many large industrial processes and laboratories, such as manufacturing plants, convention centers, hospitals, military command centers, and the like, operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every week of the year. In many cases, the economic security, the public health, the public welfare, and the national security of our nation are all dependant upon the continued operation of these facilities. Additionally, many commercial and industrial processes and power plants generate heat that must be removed. It is imperative that a stable atmospheric temperature be maintained within these facilities such that employees may comfortably complete their assigned tasks, regardless of the weather conditions outside of the facility.
Evaporation of water through cooling towers has proven itself to be an effective and generally energy efficient mechanism to cool water that has been heated by a commercial, or industrial process. FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a prior art cooling tower. The cooling tower (10) of FIG. 1 is comprised essentially of a cooling tower fan (15), an evaporative fill (20), a nozzle or hot pan for distributing water to be evaporated across the evaporative fill (25), an above grade sump (30), a below grade water pipe directing cooling water into the facility (35), a below grade water pipe directing warm water from the facility (40), a by-pass valve (50), a by-pass balancing valve (45), and a standpipe riser (55). In operation, warm water is pumped into the fill (20) through the nozzle (25) and is cooled within the fill (20) by evaporation accelerated by air flow generated by the cooling tower fan (15). The cooled water is then stored in the above grade sump (30) and later pumped into a work facility through a below grade water pipe (35) to be used as cooling water by the facility, a process, or equipment. The use of the cooled water by the facility, equipment, or process increases the temperature of the water. In order for the water to continue to cool the work facility, the process, or equipment the water temperature must be reduced and controlled within a specific range, i.e., not too hot, nor too cold. One method for reducing the water temperature within a controlled range of temperatures is to recycle warmed work facility water through the cooling tower. Accordingly, warmed water from the facility travels from within the facility through the below grade pipe (35) to the above grade by-pass valve (50). At the by-pass valve (50), the warm water is either returned to the above grade sump (30) through the by-pass balancing valve (45) or returned to the nozzles or hot pan (25) through the stand-pipe riser (55), depending on the current load or operating status of the cooling tower. In general, the bypass valve (50) is modulated by a motor to vary the proportion of flow up to the tower fill (30) or down to the above grade sump (30) depending on the current load or operating status of the cooling tower.
One drawback of the above prior art is a potential for the above grade elements to freeze during cold weather conditions. Except for below grade pipes (35) and (40), the remaining components in the prior art cooling tower are above grade, and as such are periodically exposed to freezing temperatures. This exposure, together with water, can create a build up of ice on the above-grade components. Both the build up of ice and ice breaking off the cooling tower and falling can cause injury or property damage to the cooling tower (10) and any surrounding property. Additionally, the expansion force of ice formed within the cooling tower has the potential to fracture the cooling tower's components (10). Any or all of these events can drastically disrupt the function of the cooling tower (10) and, more importantly, catastrophically affect the productivity levels of the work facility. As the operation of the facility becomes more critical, such as a hospital, power plant, or military installation, redundant, or standby cooling towers are installed. Freeze protection in the standby equipment may be required for weeks, until there is a need to operate the redundant cooling tower. As a result, many cooling towers require insulation or heating mechanisms to prevent such ice formation. These insulation or heating mechanisms represent an additional cost to the facility and are not completely efficient at preventing ice formation. Accordingly, there is a need for a cost efficient and more reliable solution to the problem created by exposure of cooling tower components to freezing temperatures.
Placing the sump below grade is one solution to prevent freezing of above-grade components. FIG. 2 is a prior art diagram (90) illustrating one such prior art example of this solution. As shown, a cooling tower apparatus (100) is provided with a cooling tower fill (110), a cooling tower fan (105), a nozzle or hot pan (115), an open ended pipe (120), a below grade sump (125), a supply water turbine pump (130), a below grade water pipe directing cooling water into the facility (135), a below grade water pipe directing warm water from the facility (150), a by-pass valve (155), a by-pass balancing valve (140), and a stand pipe riser (145). Much like the prior art illustrated in FIG. 1, in FIG. 2 warm water travels into the cooling tower fill (100), or into the cooling tower (100), through a nozzle or hot pan (115) and is cooled in the fill (110) by a cooling tower fan (105). In one embodiment, the warm water is fed to the cooling tower from a remote work facility. The cooled water travels below grade through the open ended pipe (120) and is stored in the below grade sump (125). The cooled water is then pumped into the work facility through the below grade pipe (135) by the supply water turbine pump (130) to alter the facility's internal temperature. Upon use within the facility, the warmed water then travels from within the facility through the second below grade pipe (150) to the above grade by-pass valve (155). At the by-pass valve (155), the warm water is either returned to the below grade sump (125) through a by-pass balancing valve (140) or returned to the nozzle (115) through the stand-pipe riser (145), depending on the current load or operating status of the cooling tower. In general, the bypass valve (155) is modulated by a motor to vary the proportion of flow up to the tower fill (110) or down to the below grade sump (125) depending on the current load or operating status of the cooling tower.
The beneficial effect of the prior art illustrated in FIG. 2 is that by placing the sump below grade, the sump is insulated from freezing and the protection of the water from freezing becomes passive due to the fact that it is below grade and covered. This increases efficiency because the sump is able to utilize natural insulation provided by the ground and no additional cost is required. Reliability is improved since the heating mechanisms required to prevent the sump water from freezing are eliminated. Additionally, a supply water turbine pump (60) provides a reliable and efficient pump for introducing cooled water into the work facility.
However, freeze protection risks remain with FIG. 2's prior art design where the warm water return piping (150) is exposed to external temperatures when it exits the ground to return to the cooling tower from the facility. The most susceptible components include the by-pass valve (155), the by-pass balancing valve (140) and the stand-pipe riser (145). These components are susceptible to freezing because water can be trapped within these pipes when the valves are rotated to either the normal setting, wherein the warm water returns to the nozzle (15), or in the by-pass setting, wherein the warm water is returned to the sump (125). Freezing of the water within these pipes can lead to freezing and even destruction of the cooling tower components. Although, the by-pass valve (155), the by-pass balancing valve (140) and the stand-pipe riser (145) may be insulated or heated to prevent such ice formation, these insulation or heating mechanisms represent an additional cost to the facility and are not completely efficient at preventing ice formation.
Certain facility processes increase in energy efficiency when the sump water is cooler. In summer, the atmospheric conditions such as temperature and humidity limit the lowest temperature that can be achieved, but in cold weather, the sump temperature can be lowered to just above freezing. This colder supply water dramatically reduces the energy needed to operate the facility. In some cases, the energy efficiency of the mechanical plant can be increased by 20% due to the colder sump water. However, one significant problem with lowering the sump water temperature is freezing. Accordingly, an evaporative cooling tower is needed that reduces complex components and excessive energy waste such that freeze protection of the cooling tower is increased, the cooling tower's reliability is increased and the work facility, process and equipment can reliably maintain an adequate work temperature, regardless of the external temperature.


The present invention provides method and compositions for the treatment of peripheral neuropathic pain by administering to a patient a therapeutically effective amount of a buprenorphine dimer compound, wherein the two buprenorphine portions are linked via an ethylene spacer, and wherein the spacer is bonded to the two opioid molecules via an ether bond. Preferably, the active agent is provided in the form of an injectable depot.

Peripheral Neuropathic Pain
Chronic pain may be divided into two major categories: "nociceptive" pain (caused by inflamed or damaged tissue that activates specialized pain sensors called nociceptors), and "neuropathic" pain (caused by damage to or malfunction of the nervous system). Neuropathic pain may either be "peripheral", which originates in the peripheral nervous system, or "central", which originates in the brain or spinal cord.
Peripheral neuropathic pain is a chronic condition that is very common in clinical practice. Peripheral neuropathic pain can have many underlying causes, including diabetes, alcoholism, vitamin deficiencies, injury, toxic reactions to prescribed drugs, infectious diseases, malignancies, etc.
Several mechanisms contribute to the development and severity of neuropathic pain, which are very different from the mechanisms that cause nociceptive pain. As a result of nerve damage, several pathologic changes may occur including:                Impulse generation within the damaged nerve fiber        Nerve fiber to nerve fiber interactions        Failure of the normal nerve fiber inhibitory mechanisms        Plasticity—degeneration and regeneration of the injured nerve fibers that results in altered conductivity
The pain associated with peripheral neuropathy may be severe and, unlike most pain that sufferers have previously experienced, it is characterized by allodynia (pain response from stimuli that do not normally provoke pain), hyperalgesia and in some cases, sensory loss. The pain is often described as "burning, stabbing, raw or sickening". It can be constant or paroxysmal and with or without sensory impairment. The type and severity of pain or sensory loss depends on the underlying cause of the neuropathy. In chronic forms of neuropathic pain, symptoms begin subtly and progress slowly. Some people may have periods of relief followed by relapse. Others may reach a plateau stage where symptoms stay the same for many months or years. Many chronic neuropathies worsen over time. For the majority of patients with neuropathic pain, the pain will persist for life. Comorbidities such as depression, poor quality of life and employment and domestic issues are very common.
More than 100 types of peripheral neuropathy have been identified, each with its own symptoms and prognosis. In general, peripheral neuropathies are classified according to the type of damage to the nerves. Some forms of neuropathy involve damage to only one nerve and are called mononeuropathies. More frequently, however, multiple nerves are affected, called polyneuropathy.
Common types of peripheral neuropathic pain are depicted in Table 1:
TABLE 1Common Types of Peripheral Neuropathic PainAcute and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathyAlcoholic polyneuropathyChemotherapy-induced polyneuropathyComplex regional pain syndromeEntrapment neuropathies (eg, carpal tunnel syndrome)HIV sensory neuropathy Iatrogenic neuralgias (eg, postmastectomy pain orpost-thoracotomy pain)Idiopathic sensory neuropathyNerve compression or infiltration by tumorNutritional deficiency-related neuropathiesPainful diabetic neuropathyPhantom limb painPost-herpetic neuralgiaPost-radiation plexopathyRadiculopathy (cervical, thoracic, or lumbosacral)Toxic exposure-related neuropathiesTic douloureux (trigeminal neuralgia)Post-traumatic neuralgia

Use of buprenorphine dimer in the treatment of peripheral neuropathic pain


A centrifugal compressor has a diffuser with stator blades arranged therein for converting the kinetic energy of a fluid discharged from an impeller into a pressure energy. The stator blades have leading edges inclined in the downstream direction while extending away from a side plate toward a core plate. Auxiliary blades having a chord length shorter than that of each of the stator blades have leading edges inclined in the downstream direction while extending away from the side plate toward the core plate and are arranged at positions radially inward of the stator plates in such a manner that one of the surfaces of each of the auxiliary blades faces a stator blade. The compressor is capable of operating without suffering from surging and rotating stall even in a low flow rate region.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a centrifugal compressor which is required to provide high efficiency and a wide operational range.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Some centrifugal compressors include a plurality of stator blades arranged at equal intervals about a circumference of the diffuser disposed around the impeller. The spaces between the stator blades and the space between the side walls of the diffuser cooperate to provide a diffuser passage. In an operational region where the rotational speed is high and the flow rate is low, a separation area is generated on the negative-pressure surfaces of the stator blades, thereby failing to achieve a sufficient increase in pressure. This first results in the so-called rotating stall, in which the separation area rotates in the circumferential direction. When the flow rate is further decreased, a surging phenomenon occurs. One form of the art for shifting the surging phenomenon to a low flow-rate side comprises a proposal of a centrifugal compressor in which auxiliary blades are arranged radially inwardly of the spaces between stator blades arranged at equal intervals on the diffuser and in which stator or auxiliary blades have leading edges inclined in the downstream direction while extending away from the side plate toward the core plate (e.g., Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 1-247798).
However, such a centrifugal compressor, in which leading edges of stator or auxiliary blades are inclined in the downstream direction while extending away from the side plate toward the core plate, does not sufficiently prevent a surging phenomenon in a low flow rate region. Further, since the compressor has stator blades are arranged at equal intervals throughout the circumference of the diffuser disposed around the impeller, sufficient consideration has not been paid to the prevention of rotating stall.