A CPU or other graphics processor provides a pixel data stream to a graphics controller over a system bus. The pixel data stream includes a graphics controller address as well as a pixel type tag, which in the presently preferred embodiment comprises 4 bits. In addition to the graphic controller address and pixel type tag, a pixel address and pixel data are provided. The pixel type tag identifies the "type" of pixel data in the data stream supplied to the graphics controller. If the data identified by the pixel type tag corresponds to the type of data which the frame buffer is configured for, then the data provided over the system bus is simply passed through the graphics controller and written at the appropriate pixel address in the frame buffer. If, however, the pixel type tag indicates that the data is not of the same type as that for which the frame buffer is configured, then the graphic controller executes a conversion algorithm to convert the pixel data to a single pixel type acceptable to the frame buffer, and the data is then written into the frame buffer at the pixel address identified by the pixel address. Pixel type tagging is accomplished, in the preferred embodiment, in bits 27:24 of the physical address used to write pixels into the frame buffer. The CPU, or other graphics engine source, affixes the tag to the pixel data, thereby identifying its format. In the present embodiment, MDA tagging applies only to pixel write commands and not to commands reading from the frame buffer. Accordingly, the use of a pixel type tag field in the pixel data permits a graphics system to utilize a variety of standard pixel types by a CPU, graphics controller or other graphics source, while permitting the frame buffer to utilize a single pixel type to be stored in the frame buffer for subsequent display.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus and methods for converting and displaying pixel types in a frame buffer prior to display. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved address space aliasing method and apparatus to identify and convert pixel types supplied by a central processing unit (CPU) to a display system.
2. Art Background
A common and natural means of communicating with a computer is with graphic representations of data displayed on a display. Humans interact readily in terms of images, and a person is able to absorb or manipulate information presented in a visual context much faster than if it is represented simply by text. Over the past three decades, a variety of computer graphic systems have been developed to display objects, text and other alpha numeric information on cathode ray tube (CRT) or liquid crystal (LCD) display screens.
Many computer graphic systems employed today utilize an image storage system, such as a bit map frame buffer, and an image display system, such as a CRT. A central processing unit (CPU), or other graphics engine, provides pixel data to the bit map frame buffer. The pixel data comprises a series of values to be written into various known addresses of the frame buffer, where a collection of these values describes an image to be displayed on the CRT or LCD. Typically, pixel values stored in the frame buffer are sequentially read and converted through a digital to analog (D/A) converter, which is coupled to the analog CRT. For digital displays such as LCD, no D/A is required. Some computer display systems employ "double buffering" wherein two frame buffer display memories are alternately read between one another, such that while the computer display system writes data corresponding to an image in the currently non-displayed frame buffer memory, the image data in the other frame buffer memory is displayed. Once the rendering of the image in the non-displayed buffer memory is complete, the display system selects the previously non-displayed buffer and displays its image while the other frame buffer memory image data is updated. For additional description of computer graphics architectures and pixel data streams, see for example; Akeley, Jermoluk, "High Performance Polygon Rendering", Computer Graphics, Vol. 22, No. 4 (August 1988); Shires, "A New VLSI Graphics Coprocessor--The Intel 82786"IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications, Vol. 6, No. 10 (October 1986).
In modern computer display systems which employ, for example, multiple processors, a variety of standard pixel types may be supplied by the CPU or graphics engine to a graphics controller coupled to a frame buffer. However, unless the configuration of particular frame buffer matches the pixel type of graphic data supplied, the graphics controller must convert every pixel to the "type" of pixel data which may be accepted by the frame buffer memory. As will be described, the present invention provides methods and apparatus for address space aliasing to identify pixel types for each point of the pixel data to be written into the frame buffer. The graphics controller, reading a tag identifying the pixel type of the pixel data, converts the pixel data to the particular pixel type of data acceptable by the frame buffer, such that all pixel data written into the frame buffer is of the same type. Some common types of pixel data include RGB 16, RGB 32, YUV 16, and COLORINDEX 8bpp, among others.

Method and apparatus for address space aliasing to identify pixel types


A new method of forming a polysilicon resistor is achieved. Polysilicon gate structures and source/drain regions are formed in and on a semiconductor substrate. A passivation layer is formed overlying the gate structures. A contact window is opened to the drain portion of the source/drain region. A resistor is formed within the contact window as follows. A nitride layer is deposited over the passivation layer and within the contact window. The nitride layer is etched back to form nitride sidewalls within the contact window. A layer of polysilicon is deposited over the passivation layer and within the contact window. The polysilicon layer is etched back to leave the polysilicon only within the contact opening completing formation of the resistor. A second contact window is opened to the source portion of the source/drain region. A barrier metal layer is deposited over the passivation layer, over the resistor, and within the second contact window. A metal layer is deposited over the barrier metal layer and the metal interconnection of the integrated circuit is completed.

(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the fabrication of integrated circuit devices and more particularly to a method of forming a polysilicon resistor within a contact window.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
The conventional four-transistor static random access memory (SRAM) cell uses a horizontal polysilicon resistor as the load. The resistor is typically one micrometer wide and a couple of micrometers long and occupies space in the RAM cell. As the geometry of RAM cells scales down and memory size increases, there is a need for a resistor of high resistance that does not occupy much space.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,965,214 to Choi et al and 4,916,507 to Boudou et al describe methods of achieving particular ranges of resistance values for resistors. U.S. Pat. No. 4,722,913 to Miller describes the doping of a layer of polysilicon by ion implantation only above the source/drain regions to make those locations conductive.

Formation of vertical polysilicon resistor having a nitride sidewall for small static RAM cell

Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing Pte Ltd.


A drainable ostomy pouch (10) includes a collection pouch (12) having a collection cavity (20), a retractable outlet (14) movable between a first position retracted substantially into the collection cavity and a second position extending outwardly from the collection cavity, a discharge opening (30) formed at a distal end of the retractable outlet and a closure (22) configured to selectively allow or prevent discharge of a waste material from the collection cavity or the retractable outlet.

The following description generally relates to ostomy appliances, and in particular, drainable ostomy pouches having a retractable outlet section.
Ostomy pouches for collecting bodily waste are used by patients who have had surgery such as colostomy, ileostomy, or urostomy. Ostomy pouches typically include flat, opposing side walls secured together along their edges to define a collection cavity. One of the side walls is provided with an opening to receive a stoma, and means to secure the pouch to the user, such as an adhesive barrier, so that bodily waste discharged through the stoma is received within the cavity.
The ostomy pouch may be a drainable pouch having a discharge opening at a lower end. The discharge opening may be closed during collection of bodily waste material, but may be opened to drain the waste material from the pouch. Such drainable ostomy pouches are disclosed, for example, in Nolan, U.S. Pat. No. 3,523,534, and Jensen et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,411,659, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
The discharge opening of drainable ostomy pouches is typically defined at the end of a narrowed neck portion, which provided with closure means for maintaining the discharge opening in a sealed condition until waste material is to be drained from the pouch. The closure means may take the form of a clamp, as in the aforementioned Nolan patent, or a device such as conventional wire tires or wraps for securing the neck portion in an upwardly-rolled condition.
For quality of life of the users or patients, drainable pouches should be easy to drain without risking soiling of clothes or the surroundings. The drainable pouches should also be easy to close securely after being drained and amenable to being cleaned after drainage and before closing again, such that the risk of unpleasant odor is substantially reduced. The closure means should also provide a secure seal when closed to minimize risk of waste leakage from the pouch.
Different solutions have been proposed with respect to the closing, cleaning and drainage operations. For example, Villefrance et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,879,015, Friske et al., U.S. Pat. No. 8,672,907, and Friske et al. U.S. Pat. No. 9,011,395, which are commonly assigned with the present application and incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, disclose drainable pouches having integral closure systems. However, further improvements in closure systems for easier operation and cleaning, and reduced risk of leakage are desired.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a drainable ostomy pouch having a retractable outlet movable between a first, retracted position and a second, extended position, where in the second position, the outlet may be in a first state where waste may be received therein from the coupling area to exit the pouch, and a second state where the outlet is sealed off the from the pouch to allow for cleaning.


Liquid phase isomerization technology is employed in a manner to increase efficiency and reduce energy in paraxylene recovery.

Ethylbenzene (EB), para-xylene (PX), ortho-xylene (OX) and meta-xylene (MX) are present together in many C8 aromatic product streams from chemical plants and oil refineries. While all these species have important uses, market demand for paraxylene, used extensively as starting material for making synthetic fibers, is greater than for the other C8 aromatic isomers.
Given the higher demand for PX as compared with its other isomers, there is significant commercial interest in maximizing PX production from any given source of C8 aromatic materials. However, there are two major technical challenges in achieving this goal of maximizing PX yield. First, the four C8 aromatic compounds, particularly the three xylene isomers, are usually present in concentrations dictated by the thermodynamics of production of the C8 aromatic stream in a particular plant or refinery. As a result, the PX production is typically limited to the amount originally present in the C8 aromatic stream, which is, again in the typical case, approximately 24 mol % at thermal equilibrium, unless additional processing steps are used to increase the amount of PX and/or to improve the PX recovery efficiency. (Methods of making paraxylene with higher selectivity, such as by toluene alkylation with methanol, are well-known.) Secondly, the C8 aromatics are difficult to separate due to their similar chemical structures and physical properties and identical molecular weights.
A variety of methods are known to increase the concentration of PX in a C8 aromatics stream. These methods normally involve a loop system comprising a separation step, in which at least part of the PX is recovered (and removed from the system in a PX-enriched stream), leaving a PX-depleted stream, the latter being sent to a xylene isomerization step, in which the PX content of the PX-depleted stream is returned back towards thermal equilibrium concentration and recycled to the separation step.
The separation step is typically accomplished using fractional crystallization techniques, which is based on the difference on the freezing points of the C8 aromatic isomers, or adsorption separation techniques, which is based on the selectivity of adsorbant for one isomer over another. Amongst the well-known adsorption separation techniques are the UOP Parex™ Process and the IFP Eluxyl™ Process.
A prior art system including the separation step and isomerization steps referred to above generally will include the use of numerous fractionation towers, e.g., a reformate splitter, a benzene recovery tower, a toluene recovery tower, a xylene rerun tower, an isomerization unit heptanizer, and one or more towers associated with the adsorption separation unit, e.g., Parex™ adsorptive separation unit(s). A system comprising a Parex™ adsorptive separation unit using PDEB (para-diethylbenzene) as a desorbent ("heavy" Parex™ adsorptive separation unit) will have an extract tower, raffinate tower(s) and finishing tower(s) while a system comprising a Parex™ adsorptive separation unit using toluene as a desorbent ("light" Parex™ adsorptive separation unit) only needs the extract and raffinate towers, since the extract tower separates out both the toluene in the desorbent stream as well as trace toluene in the xylene feed. In a plant using both types of units the light extract tower can serve as the finishing tower for the heavy unit.
The isomerization step typically is accomplished by contact with a molecular sieve catalyst, such as ZSM-5, under appropriate conditions to convert a para-xylene-depleted mixture of C8 aromatic hydrocarbons to thermodynamic equilibrium amounts. Historically xylene isomerization has been accomplished in the vapor phase, however recently liquid isomerization units have found increasing use in para-xylene separation systems.
It is known that liquid phase isomerization technology can reduce energy usage in an aromatics plant by reducing the amount of feed to vapor phase isomerization. Vapor phase isomerization requires more energy due to the phase change in the isomerization process. In addition, vapor phase isomerization requires more fractionation energy in the isomerization system's heptanizer and xylene rerun tower.
It is known in the prior art to integrate a liquid isomerization unit with a vapor phase isomerization unit by taking a slip stream from the para-depleted mixed xylenes product of a raffinate tower downstream of a paraxylene recovery unit (whether it is Eluxyl™ unit, Parex™ adsorptive separation unit, or light and heavy Parex™ adsorptive separation unit in parallel), and then passing the para-depleted mixed xylenes through the liquid phase isomerization unit to provide an equilibrium mixture of xylenes, which is then recycled back to the paraxylene recovery unit(s). Thus, the liquid phase isomerization unit is used essentially to supplement the vapor phase isomerization unit, but otherwise the processing in the xylenes loop is the same.
The present inventor has realized that the raffinate from the paraxylene recovery unit may be sent directly to the liquid isomerization unit without one or more intervening fractionation towers. Thus, in the integration of liquid phase isomerization and adsorptive separation there does not need to be a raffinate tower as used in conventional paraxylene recovery systems.


A modular knee positioning support comprising at least one leg-engaging portion removably attached to a center wedge portion. The leg-engaging portion has a flat bottom with a single angled edge, and a top concave portion for receiving the upper and lower portions of a leg. The support can be made of a carvable foam. The foam can be covered with a washable cloth.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to orthopedic devices and devices used in the rehabilitation of neurological patients with contracture. In particular, the invention relates to supports and more specifically to an improved foam knee support wherein the knee support is modular, adjustable, and can be used with either one leg to two.
The knee positioning support is comprised of at least one leg-engaging trough portion and can include at least one additional wedge portion which can be attached to either side of the leg-engaging trough portion. The use of two leg-engaging portions attached to opposite sides of a center wedge portion provides a knee positioning support that can accommodate two legs. Because the angle of attachment of the leg-engaging troughs to the wedge portion is adjustable, the two legs can be positioned at a variety of different angles. In addition, the flat bottom surface of the leg-engaging trough has one angled edge which allows the use of the support in either a back-lying or side-lying position. If a side-lying position is desired to be prevented, a wedge portion can be attached to the side of the leg-engaging trough portion that is integrally connected to the angled edge of the bottom of the leg-engaging trough portion. Furthermore, the invention support can be constructed from carvable foam to provide a custom fit, and to accommodate people who do not have symmetrical flexion of the knees.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is often necessary to specifically position the legs of persons with mild to moderate spasticity, arthritis, and contractures, particularly those recovering from strokes, traumatic brain injuries, dementia and other neurological impairments, and persons with lower extremity amputations for extended periods. Specific positioning of the legs helps to flex the hips and knees so as to relieve stress on the lower back and/or maintain the legs in a fixed position. Specific positioning of the knees of such persons also helps prevent further contracture and helps to maintain their current range of leg motion. Patients with severe spasticity, for example patients suffering from cerebral palsy, head trauma, or stroke, often experience a scissors gate; their knees that tend to cross and push into one another. For such patients it is desirable to separate the legs to prevent contracture, and to inhibit the development of further abnormal muscle tone or to position patients that have reduced or minimal muscle strength and mobility.
In addition, these conditions are uncomfortable for the patient, often causing pressure sores due to the bony prominences of the legs in prolonged contact, prolonged skin-on-skin contact, and even prolonged skin on bed-sheet contact due to extensive bed rest.
Certain prior art devices, such as the knee separation cushion described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,889,109 provide a leg cushion with simultaneously supports the legs of a supine wearer in a bent at the knee position, while maintaining a cushion between the knees of said wearer. However, such a prior art device is useful only when both knees are affected. If only one knee is affected, the unaffected leg is still subjected to the fixed positioning. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,910,818 describes a leg positioning assembly that includes a pillow adapted to separate the knees of a patient and to maintain the knee in flexion. Again, however, this device is useful only for people who wish to maintain a fixed position of both knees relative to each other. It is not particularly helpful for maintaining a single knee in flexion. In addition, both of these prior art devices maintain the hip flexion angle at a fixed position as the position of the knee support device relative to the hip is not adjustable.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,134,739 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,946,451 both provide a device for giving a set position to the lower limbs of persons required to remain in a supine position for an extended period. These devices comprise at least one block offering two side support surfaces for the legs, the vertical plans of the two surfaces converging at a determined angle corresponding to the desired positioning of the two lower limbs. However, unlike the modular knee support of the instant invention, these prior art devices are unsuitable for side-lying persons. The bottom surface of the leg-receiving portion of these prior art devices have two flat edges making it impossible for side-lying persons to comfortably rest their legs and maintain the desired flexion angle position. Furthermore, the side surfaces of the central block of the U.S. Pat. No. 5,134,739 device converges toward the patient and diverges toward the feet further limiting the number of positions the legs and/or hips of the patients can be adjusted.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,828 describes a device that allows patients to be in a back-lying or side-lying position. However, this device does not allow the flexion angle of the knee to be variably adjusted. Indeed, the wedge-type device of the 5,289,828 patent does not allow for bending of the knee at all. In addition, only a single leg can be maintained in a specific elevated fixed position by the device of the 5,289,828 patent at one time. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,392,489 also describes a wedge-like device that does not allow for bending of the knee and requires both legs to be immobilized at once.
None of these prior art knee support devices can provide either a back-lying or side-lying patient the ability to accommodate a variety of flexion angles for either one or both legs while maintaining either one or both knee flexion angles in a fixed, bent position.


An automatic microscope comprises an operating member operated electrically, and a detector for outputting an operation signal upon detecting the presence of an observer of the microscope in a predetermined range around the microscope, thereby operating the operating member. The operating member may be a shutter for opening and closing an optical path of the optical system of the microscope, an optical path switching member for switching the optical path of the optical system, a main power switch of the microscope, an auxiliary power switch of the microscope or a power switch for an illuminating light source, and the detector may be a light reflection detector including a light source and a photosensor unit for receiving the reflected light of the light emitted from the light source.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatic microscope.
2. Related Background Art
There has already been developed and commercialized an automatic microscope in which various operations of the microscope are conducted automatically. However, in the conventional automatic microscope, at least the first operation, such as the switching operation for the main power source, is manually executed by the observer. In recent microscopes the observer effects various operations of the microscope more frequently at the observation of the specimen. For example, for reducing the damage to the specimen by the illuminating light, the observer closes a shutter, for intercepting the light from the light source to the specimen, except during the period of observation. Conventionally, the opening and closing of shutter have been conducted by a manual operation or a switch operation. Such operation is cumbersome, and the specimen may be damaged if the operation is forgotten. Also the power source for the illuminating lamp may be turned off except for the period of observation, and the power source switch for the illuminating lamp has to be operated each time.
Also in case the observer interrupts the observation with the microscope and leaves the area, the power source switch has to be turned off each time, for power saving and for suppressing the damage to the specimen.
Also in case of measuring weak light from the specimen, stray light from the eyepiece lens significantly affects the measured value. For this reason it has conventionally been necessary to cover the eyepiece lens with a cap or to operate a manual or electric shutter.
Also in the microscope equipped with a television camera, a light measuring sensor, a phototaking camera or the like, there are provided an optical path for guiding light from the specimen to such equipment and an optical path for guiding light to an eyepiece lens barrel, and there is required an operation for switching the optical path at each observation through the eyepiece lens barrel.


Systems and methods for generating a plurality of trip patterns are provided. One exemplary method includes receiving transit graph data describing a plurality of nodes respectively corresponding to a plurality of transit stations and a plurality of arcs respectively connecting the plurality of nodes. The method also includes performing a plurality of identification iterations. Each identification iteration includes determining an optimal transit trip connecting an origin node to a destination node based on a cost model. Each identification iteration also includes revising the cost model based on the determined optimal transit trip, such that the arc costs associated with one or more arcs associated with the optimal transit trip are increased. Each optimal transit trip can have an associated trip pattern describing a sequence of nodes traversed by such optimal transit trip. One exemplary system can include a transit planning platform that includes a trip pattern identification module.

Many services exist for planning a route using a transit system. Typically, a user inputs a departure and/or arrival time as well as origin and destination locations to the transit planning service. Search algorithms are used to identify possible transit trips between the origin and the destination across one or more modes of transportation, such as ferries, buses, rails, walking, etc.
Certain services can return only a single result based on a complex model and a computationally expensive search algorithm. Other services can attempt to identify a large number of trips to consider for recommendation, but may use computationally expensive methods, fail to provide a large diversity of results, or identify too few trips worthy of consideration.


A gaseous reductant injection control system for exhaust aftertreatment is disclosed. In one embodiment, a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst is in fluid communication with an exhaust stream generated from an engine. An oxidation catalyst (OC) is upstream of the SCR catalyst and in fluid communication with the exhaust stream. A gaseous reductant injector is upstream of the SCR catalyst and downstream of the OC and in fluid communication with the exhaust stream. A first gas sensor is upstream of the OC and a second gas sensor is downstream of the SCR catalyst. A controller receives signals representative of gas concentrations detected in the exhaust stream by the first gas sensor and the second gas sensor, and estimates concentrations of nitric oxide (NO) and nitride dioxide (NO2) in the exhaust stream therefrom.

The present invention relates generally to reducing pollutant emissions from combustion processes, and more particularly, to a gaseous reductant injection control system for exhaust aftertreatment of nitrogen oxide (NOx) or ammonia (NH3) emissions generated from a lean-burn engine.
Lean-burn engines, such as those used by diesel-powered and natural gas-powered vehicles, equipment, and generators combust at high air-to-fuel ratios in comparison with rich-burn engines. By nature, lean-burn engines use less fuel while producing equivalent power of similar-sized rich-burn engines. However, lean-burn engines have increased NOx and NH3 emissions generally due to slow burn rates associated with the lean mixtures of fuel (i.e., excess air introduced with the fuel). Aftertreatment options are typically used to reduce NOx and NH3 emissions from the exhaust of the lean-burn engines.

Gaseous reductant injection control system


A method for measuring motion at a horizontal and vertical position between video fields of opposite parity comprising the steps of measuring the signal values of at least two vertically adjacent pixels from a video field of one parity and at least two vertically adjacent pixels from a video field of the opposite parity such that when taken together, the pixels represent contiguous samples of an image at said horizontal and vertical position, and determining whether the signal value of any of the pixels lies between the signal values of adjacent pixels in the field of opposite parity and in response outputting a zero motion value, otherwise, outputting a motion value equal to the lowest absolute difference between any of the pixels and its closest adjacent pixel in the field of opposite parity.

The NTSC and PAL video standards are in widespread use throughout the world today. Both of these standards make use of interlacing in order to maximize the vertical refresh rate thereby reducing wide area flicker, while minimizing the bandwidth required for transmission. With an interlaced video format, half of the lines that make up a picture are displayed during one vertical period (i.e. the even field), while the other half are displayed during the next vertical period (i.e. the odd field) and are positioned halfway between the lines displayed during the first period. While this technique has the benefits described above, the use of interlacing can also lead to the appearance of artifacts such as line flicker and visible line structure.
It is well known in the prior art that the appearance of an interlaced image can be improved by converting it to non-interlaced (progressive) format and displaying it as such. Moreover, many newer display technologies, for example Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs), are non-interlaced by nature, therefore conversion from interlaced to progressive format is necessary before an image can be displayed at all.
Numerous methods have been proposed for converting an interlaced video signal to progressive format. For example, linear methods have been used, where pixels in the progressive output image are generated as a linear combination of spatially and/or temporally neighbouring pixels from the interlaced input sequence.
Although this approach may produce acceptable results under certain conditions, the performance generally represents a trade off between vertical spatial resolution and motion artifacts. Instead of accepting a compromise, it is possible to optimize performance by employing a method that is capable of adapting to the type of source material. For instance, it is well known that conversion from interlaced to progressive format can be accomplished with high quality for sources that originate from motion picture film or from computer graphics (CG). Such sources are inherently progressive in nature, but are transmitted in interlaced format in accordance with existing video standards. For example, motion picture film created at 24 frames per second is converted to interlaced video at 60 fields per second using a process known as 3:2 pull down, where 3 fields are derived from one frame and 2 are derived from the next, so as to provide the correct conversion ratio. Similarly, a computer graphics sequence created at 30 frames per second is converted to interlaced video at 60 fields per second using a pull down ratio of 2:2, where 2 fields are derived from each CG frame. By recognizing that a video sequence originates from a progressive source, it is possible for a format converter to reconstruct the sequence in progressive format exactly as it was before its conversion to interlaced format.
Unfortunately, video transmission formats do not include explicit information about the type of source material being carried, such as whether the material was derived from a progressive source. Thus, in order for a video-processing device to exploit the progressive nature of film or CG sources, it is first necessary to determine whether the material originates from a progressive source. If it is determined that the material originates from such a source, it is furthermore necessary to determine precisely which video fields originate from which source frames. Such determination can be made by measuring the motion between successive fields of an input video sequence.
It is common to measure at least two different modes of motion in determining the presence of a film source. Firstly, it is common to measure the motion between a given video field and that which preceded it by two fields. In this case, motion can be measured as the absolute difference between two pixels at the same spatial position in the two fields. A measure of the total difference between the two fields can be generated by summing the absolute differences at the pixel level over the entire field. The quality of the motion signal developed in this way will be fairly high, since the two fields being compared have the same parity (both odd or both even) and therefore corresponding samples from each field have the same position within the image. Thus any difference that is measured between two pixels will largely be the result of motion. Although the quality of measurement made in this way is high, unfortunately it is of limited value. For an input sequence derived from film in accordance with a 3:2 pull down ratio, only one out of five successive measurements made in this way will differ significantly from the rest. The measure of motion between the first and third fields of the three fields that are derived from the same motion picture frame will be substantially lower than the measurements obtained during the other four fields, since the two fields being compared are essentially the same and differ only in their noise content. This does not provide sufficient information to avoid artifacts under certain conditions when a film sequence is interrupted. Also, in the case of an input sequence derived from film or CG in accordance with a 2:2 pull down ratio, no useful information is provided whatsoever.
A second mode of motion that can be measured is the motion between successive fields which are of opposite parity (one odd and one even). Although this mode of measurement overcomes the limitations of the above, it is inherently a more difficult measurement to make since a spatial offset exists between fields that are of opposite parity. Thus, even if there is no actual motion, a finite difference between the fields may exist owing to the spatial offset. This tends to increase the measured difference when there is no motion making it more difficult to reliably discriminate between when there is motion and when there is not. This is particularly true in the presence of noise and/or limited motion. A number of methods have been proposed in the prior art for the measurement of motion between fields of opposite parity. It is an objective of the present invention to provide a method for the measurement of motion between fields of opposite parity with greater ability to discriminate between the presence of motion or lack thereof than those of the prior art.
Various techniques besides those linear methods described above, have also been proposed for conversion from interlaced to progressive format of video material not derived from film. For example, if it can be determined whether specific parts of an image are in motion, then each part can be processed accordingly to achieve more optimal results. This requires the measurement of motion locally and is akin to the problem of measuring motion globally as required to determine the presence of film sources. The same elemental operations may be used to measure differences at a pixel level, only in the latter case the differences are summed over an entire field to produce a global measurement, whereas in the former case the difference may be used as a measure of local motion without further summation. As with the global case, the local case may involve various modes of measurement. One of the modes that can be used to advantage is the local measurement of motion between successive fields of opposite parity. It is a further objective of the present invention to provide such a method.
The following patents are relevant as prior art relative to the present invention:
U.S. Pat. Documents5,689,301 -Nov. 18, 1997Method and apparatus for identifyingChristophervideo fields produced by film sources6,014,182 -Jan. 11, 2000Film source video detectionSwartz4,932,280 -Jan. 1, 1991Motion sequence pattern detector forLyonvideo5,291,280 -Mar. 1, 1994Motion detection between even and oddFaroudjafields within 2:1 interlaced televisionstandard

Method and apparatus for detecting motion between odd and even video fields


A knob attachment assembly formed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention is provided. The knob attachment assembly includes a control device housing (105) and an actuation member (106) coupled to the control device housing, the actuation member including a first engagement surface (140). The knob attachment assembly further includes a gripping device (104) including a first interference surface (158), the gripping device being selectively coupled to the actuation member and positionable between a locked position, wherein the gripping device is coupled to the actuation member by interference of the first engagement surface and the first interference surface, and an unlocked position, wherein the gripping device is removable from the actuation member.

Knob attachment assemblies have been long used to couple a knob to control a device, such as a switch, valve, cable, etc. The knob may then be selectively manipulated to provide input control to a piece of machinery. For instance, a knob of a knob attachment assembly may control a valve, such as a valve of a vehicle's braking system. Often the control devices are mounted within control panels, wherein the control device is mounted to a backside of the control panel and an actuation member passes through the control panel. A knob or handle is coupled to the distal end of the actuation member on the front side of the control panel. The handle allows a user to grip the actuation member and move the actuation member to actuate the control device.
Although previously developed knob attachment assemblies are effective, they are not without their problems. For instance, previously developed knob attachment assemblies may permit the handle to be installed in only one orientation relative to the control panel. Thus, the knob or handle cannot be reoriented into a second position to correct any error in the orientation of the knob once installed. For instance, if the handle includes indicia indicating the function of the knob, such as the word "BRAKE," and during installation, an error is made such that the indicia is oriented incorrectly, i.e. upside down, the handle cannot be reoriented to correct the error. Or, if correctable, the orientation can only be corrected through extensive labor, such as by obtaining access behind the control panel to reorient the control device. Others require screwing the handle onto the actuation member, requiring a number of turns to fully engage the handle, while still not orientating indicia in a reproducible orientation. Still others provide detents to orient indicia, but require many turns of the handle to install.
Thus, there exists a need for a knob attachment assembly having a handle that is selectively orientable and lockable in a variety of orientations, that may be installed with only a partial turn, and is easily removable.


In accordance with these and other embodiments of the present disclosure, a controller for thermal control of an enclosure comprising one or more storage resources may be configured to receive an indication of a physical quantity indicative of a power delivered from at least one power supply module to information handling resources of the enclosure. The controller may also be configured to, based on the physical quantity indicative of the power delivered from the at least one power supply module, determine a desired rate of the flow of air from at least one air mover configured to cool one or more storage resources received by the enclosure by delivering a flow of air within the storage enclosure and cause the at least one air mover to deliver the flow of air in accordance with the desired rate.

As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Information handling systems often use an array of storage resources, such as a Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID), for example, for storing information. Arrays of storage resources typically utilize multiple disks to perform input and output operations and can be structured to provide redundancy which may increase fault tolerance. Other advantages of arrays of storage resources may be increased data integrity, throughput and/or capacity. In operation, one or more storage resources disposed in an array of storage resources may appear to an operating system as a single logical storage unit or "virtual resource."
Implementations of storage resource arrays can range from a few storage resources disposed in a server chassis, to hundreds of storage resources disposed in one or more separate storage enclosures. As densities of storage resources making up storage arrays have increased, so has the power required for the storage resources making up such arrays, as well as the heat generated by the storage resources. Often, the temperatures of these storage resources need to be kept within a reasonable range to prevent overheating, instability, malfunction and damage leading to a shortened component lifespan. Accordingly, air movers (e.g., cooling fans and/or blowers) have often been used in storage enclosures to cool storage resources and other components within storage enclosures.
However, many existing approaches for thermal control in storage enclosures are energy-inefficient as compared to thermal control approaches used in information handling system servers. This occurs as a result of the fact that many storage enclosures have very limited processing power vis-à-vis that of servers. Storage enclosures may employ small, limited-purpose processors which are often built into or embedded into switching devices for routing traffic between information handling hosts and individual storage resources. Because of these limited processing capabilities, air mover control algorithms in storage enclosures may be more primitive than those in information handling system servers. Oftentimes, storage enclosures employ open-loop air mover control, meaning that air mover speed is set based on an ambient temperature of the environment proximate to or within the storage enclosure or based on a thermal sensor associated with a controller and/or switch for controlling routing of traffic in the storage enclosure. Thus, air mover speed is not set based on an actual thermal condition of the storage resources nor based on an actual power consumed or thermally dissipated by the storage resources.
Storage resources that may be used in a storage enclosure may have varying parameters (e.g., capacities, sizes, rotational speeds, etc.), meaning that various storage resources may consume vastly different amounts of power, sometimes varying by a factor of two or more. A designer of a thermal control system comprising one or more air movers may not be aware of the type of storage resources that may be placed within a storage enclosure, and thus must assume a "worst-case" scenario in implementing the thermal control system. Thus, as a temperature in or around a storage enclosure increases, it may be assumed that the thermal control system must cool the highest-power-consuming storage resources, and thus air mover speeds may be increased to meet the needs of the worst-case storage resource despite the fact that the storage enclosure may employ lower-power-consuming storage resources. The result may be storage enclosures that consume more air mover power than needed to achieve effective thermal control, generate more acoustic noise than if a more-power efficient approach were used, and/or that cost more to operate.
Accordingly, systems and methods may be desired allowing a storage controller to operate with open loop thermal control, while using thermal control approaches that are more closely tailored to the storage resources actually used by the system.

Systems and methods for thermal control of a storage enclosure


A power cord male end alignment aid providing visual and tactile cues for accurate alignment of and insertion of each of a prong disposed on a male end of the power cord with and into an electrical connector of an electrical energy source by including an irregular octagonal adapter body having an aperture disposed proximal a bottom edge of a continuous perimeter thereof and at least a single one of and not more than a pair of an hourglass-shaped slot disposed between a pair of outer side edges of the perimeter. Each slot has a pair of mirror image concave side walls that securingly receive and retain the respective prong of the power cord male end. The aperture is configured to align with a ground prong receptacle of the three-hole wall outlet or a center of the charging port of a personal electronic device.

Various types of electrical plug adapter devices are known in the prior art. However, what is needed is a power cord male end alignment aid that provides both visual and tactile cues for the accurate alignment of and insertion of each of a prong disposed on a male end of the power cord with and into an electrical connector of an electrical energy source.

Power cord male end having an irregular octogonal body with hourglass-shaped slots with concave sidewalls


Compositions, and methods of use thereof, are provided for the treatment of painful neuropathy by local or topical delivery of compounds that interact with α-adrenergic receptors, especially an alpha2 adrenergic agonist such as clonidine, to the entire painful area such that the need for systemic dosing is minimized. The compounds are delivered to or adjacent to painful areas in patients with painful length dependent neuropathy, and other neuropathies that affect the pain signaling fibers in the skin. A preferred compound for the treatment of patients with length dependent neuropathy is clonidine applied in a transdermal patch, gel, ointment, lotion, liposomal formulation, cream, or emulsion, wherein the concentration is sufficient to provide an effective dose in the painful area or immediately adjacent areas.

Pain often develops from diseases that affect the somatosensory system. One disease that is often implicated is diabetes mellitus. Diabetes may affect the nervous system in different ways but one of the classical disorders is a length dependent neuropathy. Here axons with longer axons preferentially are involved in a neuropathy which is associated with both degeneration and a sensitization of nociceptors. The classic feature is burning pain typically involving the feet given that the axons to the feet represent the longest primary afferents in the body. This problem may occur early or late in the disease, and in fact may occur in so-called pre-diabetes which is a condition representing a disorder of glucose metabolism without strictly meeting the criteria for diabetes mellitus. It is now appreciated that diabetes is but one cause of a length dependent neuropathy. The painful symptoms that accompany these disorders, including an idiopathic small fiber neuropathy, are nearly identical with that seen in diabetes mellitus. Treatments directed at treatment of the diabetes mellitus itself may help slow the progression of the neuropathy but do not necessarily address the pain. There are no known treatments for idiopathic length dependent small fiber neuropathy. Certain chemotherapeutic drugs induce a length dependent neuropathy associated with pain. This pain may limit dosing and thus affect the adequacy of the cancer treatment. Systemic treatments of pain include use of opioids, anticonvulsants, antidepressants, and membrane stabilizers. All of these therapies are frequently ineffective and typically their use is accompanied by a substantial adverse side effect profile. Systemic therapies can be given by the oral route, or by patches applied to the skin. Lidocaine patches can be applied to the skin. Their value in treatment of pain associated with length dependent neuropathies is limited because of numbing of the skin. Capsaicin can be applied locally to the skin but application is associated with significant pain and the capsaicin destroys nociceptor function.
Some prior attempts also have been made to treat painful diabetic neuropathy with clonidine, a potent α2-adrenergic partial agonist used primarily for the treatment of hypertension (Jarrott et al., "Clonidine: Understanding its disposition, sites, and mechanism of action", Clin. Exp. Pharm. Physiol., 14, 471-479 (1987)). Clonidine has been applied topically to areas remote to the painful area as an alternative to oral delivery for effecting systemic delivery. For example, in a placebo-controlled cross-over pain trial in patients with painful diabetic neuropathy, no statistically significant difference between patients receiving systemic clonidine administered with transdermal patches and patients receiving placebo patches was observed (Zeigler et al. Pain 48: 403-408 (1992)). In a follow-up placebo controlled pain study in similar patients with painful diabetic neuropathy, transdermal patches delivering systemic levels of clonidine were evaluated using a two-stage enriched enrollment design (Byas-Smith et al. Pain 60: 267-274 (1995)). Only twelve of forty-one patients (29%) who completed the initial course of treatment were considered clonidine responders. These twelve clonidine responders were then rechallenged in a second placebo controlled study which used the highest dosage available with the transdermal patch system. The pain reduction relative to placebo tended to be modest although statistically significant. (p<0.015). The site of action of clonidine was not studied in this study. In principal the site of action could be central or peripheral. In other pain conditions a central analgesic action of clonidine has been determined. This treatment involved systemic delivery of clonidine with a transdermal patch applied remote to the painful area, resulting in systemic blood levels exceeding 0.2 ng/ml.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide methods and compositions to effectively treat or alleviate pain in length dependent or other neuropathies, as may be associated with diabetes, by topical local delivery to the painful area of an alpha-2 adrenergic agonist.

Treatment of length dependent neuropathy


The present invention relates to Aspergillus porphobilinogen synthases and isolated nucleic acid fragments comprising nucleic acid sequences encoding the porphobilinogen synthases as well as nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and recombinant host cells comprising the nucleic acid sequences. The invention also relates to methods of producing the porphobilinogen synthases.

1. Cross-Reference to Related Applications
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/019,529 filed Jun. 10, 1996, the contents of which are fully incorporated herein by reference.
2. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to Aspergillus porphobilinogen synthases and isolated nucleic acid fragments comprising nucleic acid sequences encoding the porphobilinogen synthases. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the nucleic acid sequences as well as methods for producing the porphobilinogen synthases.
3. Description of the Related Art
Heme, a chelate complex of protoporphyrin IX and iron, serves as a prosthetic group of hemoproteins. Protoporphyrin IX consists of a porphyrin ring, substituted with four methyl groups, two vinyl groups, and two propionic acid groups, which acquires an iron atom to form heme. The biosynthesis of heme from glycine and succinyl-CoA involves eight enzymatic steps. The second enzyme in the pathway is porphobilinogen synthase (also called aminolevulinic acid dehydratase) which catalyzes the condensation of two molecules of 5-aminolevulinic acid to form porphobilinogen. Porphobilinogen synthase is a rate-limiting enzyme in the heme biosynthesis pathways of Neurospora crassa and Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
The conversion of an apoprotein into a hemoprotein depends on the availability of heme provided by the heme biosynthetic pathway. The apoprotein form of the hemoprotein combines with heme to produce the active hemoprotein. The active hemoprotein acquires a conformation which makes the hemoprotein more stable than the apoprotein to proteolytic attack. If the amount of heme produced by a microorganism is less relative to the amount of the apoprotein produced, the apoprotein will accumulate and undergo proteolytic degradation lowering the yield of the active hemoprotein.
In order to overcome this problem, Jensen showed that the addition of heme or a heme-containing material to a fermentation medium led to a significant increase in the yield of a peroxidase produced by Aspergillus oryzae (WO 93/19195). While heme supplementation of a fermentation medium results in a significant improvement in the yield of a hemoprotein, it is non-kosher, costly, and difficult to implement on a large scale.
The cloning and expression of a porphobilinogen synthase gene from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Labbe-Bois and Labbe, 1990, In, Dailey, H. A., ed., Biosynthesis of Heme and Chlorophylls, McGraw-Hill, Inc., New York, page 258) has been disclosed.
It is an object of the present invention to provide new porphobilinogen synthases and genes encoding same.

Aspergillus porphobilinogen synthases and nucleic acids encoding same


In an image input terminal for deriving an electronic representation of the image, including a platen for supporting a document to be scanned, a scanning system including an illumination source for illuminating a document supported on the platen, an array of photosensitive elements which produce an electrical response to sensed reflected light, an arrangement for directing light reflected from a document to the linear array, and an arrangement for providing relative motion in a slow scan direction between the linear array of photosensitive elements and the document, there is provided an arrangement for rotating the scanning system of photosensitive elements and an illumination source about a rotational axis, by an amount corresponding to detected skew of the image, so that, upon relative movement of the linear array of photosensitive elements and the document, the effects of skew in the slow scan direction are removed from the electronic representation of the image. The scanned image still contains a component of skew in the slow scan direction. Accordingly, each pixel is shifted in the fast scan direction by an amount corresponding to the position of the scan line with respect to a start of page signal.

Raster input scanner (RIS) systems have become a scanner of choice for electrophotographic and desktop printers. Typically, the RIS comprises a linear array of photosensitive elements or sensors mounted in optical alignment with a lens or a linear lens array. A document is illuminated by a linear light source, and a line-by-line scanning function is accomplished by the RIS with the image being detected and stored electronically. Outputs from the photosensitive array may be sent to a raster output scanner (ROS) which forms a modulated output pattern on a charged photoreceptor device or belt. Alternatively, the output may be used to drive other image-forming devices such as ink jet printers and the like, or may be sent to a remote location to be stored, for example, in a data processor.
Skewed images in RIS systems such as, for example, the Xerox DocuTech Production Publisher or the Xerox 7650 Scanner, are a common problem. While the skew of a copied image is always undesirable, in electronic imaging additional image quality defects occur, particularly jaggies or stair steps, noted whenever a line is drawn or skewed so as to be at angles other than 0.degree. or 90.degree.. In electronic images, skew arises in cases where 1) the information on the original document is skewed with respect to a document edge; 2) trapezoidal or other non orthogonally cut sheets; 3) document handler skew; and 4) anamorphic skew caused by non-orthogonal slow or fast scan imaging.
There are workaround methods of solving certain skew problems, although none are desirable. For class 1) and 2) skew problems, typical methods of correcting skew are to reposition an original document on a scanning platen, and re-acquire the image. Commonly, a platen cover or document handler is opened, the document is manually repositioned on the platen, and rescanned. Obtaining proper document positioning can be a slow and laborious trial and error method, requiring a proof copy after each adjustment. It is also a common experience that the movement of air caused by the closure of the platen cover causes document movement. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,916,483, small angle document rotation (skew angles are usually small) is accomplished by arranging a rotating document hold down arrangement, which frictionally engages a document in controlled manual rotation, whereupon the image may be rescanned at the correct angle. Unfortunately, the linkage allowing mechanical rotation does not lend itself to use in an automatic document handler. Additionally, the trial and error rescanning process is still required, as the rotator does not provide positional feedback. Class 3) problems cannot be resolved in this manner, since to do so would require interrupting the document handler. The class 4) problem is unique among the deskew causes, since it is a function of the image acquiring device, as opposed to the orientation of the document.
Certain image processing methods exist which provide small angle rotation (which is characteristic of document skew), as described for example in "A Fast Algorithm for General Raster Rotation", Graphics Interface '86, A. Paeth, p. 77 ff. (1986). However, such methods require some alteration of the image, and may cause image defects. Most image processing methods for rotation are memory intensive, and would slow copy production.
All of the references cited herein are incorporated by reference for their teachings.

Hybrid mechanical and electronic deskew of scanned images in an image input terminal


A paint substitute film product 1 for surfacing an object S includes a decorative coat including a light-curable resinous layer, and a protective film provided over a surface of the light-curable resinous layer of the decorative coat. An adhesion strength AS1 between a surface of the object and the decorative coat, an adhesion strength AS2 between the protective film and the decorative coat, and a tensile strength TS of the decorative coat are configured to exhibit the equation: AS1>AS2>TS. The paint substitute film product 1 can deliver increased economy in surfacing the object, and the step of forming the object to be surfaced and the step of applying the paint substitute film can be provided independently.

This invention relates to a paint substitute film used as substitutes for painting of exterior components of an automobile or the like.
In order to improve an ornamental design of exterior components or trims, such as fenders, bumpers, hoods, wheel caps, and other plastic components, of a vehicle, spray paint is employed in most instances. However, a painting process including an operation of spraying paint requires a large facility and wide space for repeatedly performed painting and drying steps and thus would disadvantageously reduce productivity and manageability. In this respect, an alternative approach has been sought, and an application of a colored decorative film (hereinafter referred to as "paint substitute film") to an exterior component or the like as substitutes for the painting process has been receiving attention in recent years.
A paint substitute film as conventionally used, for example as disclosed in JP 63-123469 A, has a trilaminar structure including a transparent layer, a pigmented coating, and an adhesive layer. JP 63-123469 A teaches a process of applying the film to a target object to which a decorative effect will be given. The process is schematically illustrated in FIGS. 6A–6D. First, as shown in FIG. 6A, the film 31 is formed three-dimensionally in a supporting mold 32 so as to conform to a contoured surface of the target object; then, as shown in FIG. 6B, end portions of the film 31 are trimmed off. The trimmed film 31 is placed for example into an injection mold 34 as shown in FIG. 6C, and bonded to the target object 33 while the target object 33 is being formed. A resultant casting of a decorated component is taken out of the injection mold 34 as shown in FIG. 6D. Another technique for applying a paint substitute film using an injection mold is disclosed in JP 7-9484 A.
The process of applying a paint substitute film as illustrated in FIGS. 6A–6D require a trimming step using a cutting blade, a laser, a hot wire or the like. In particular, when the target object 33 to which a decorative effect will be given has a complicate shape, a trimmed portion thereof becomes complicate too, and thus the cost incurred for the trimming step would add up, which could eventually raise the total cost of production, thereby making the final casting expensive.
In addition, with the above-described technique using the injection molding, molding of the target object and applying of the paint substitute film are performed simultaneously in the same process step; therefore, the applicable target object (component) should disadvantageously be restricted to those made of materials which can be formed by injection molding.
The present invention has been created to address the above-discussed disadvantages.

Paint substitute film and method of applying same


Briefly described, embodiments of this disclosure, among others, include compositions, pharmaceutical compositions, methods of treating nicotine dependence, methods of treating a subject who smokes and has a risk for depression or other neuropsychiatric disorder, method of treating a subject who smokes and has a risk for depression or other neuropsychiatric disorders, and the like.

The armamentarium of pharmacotherapeutics includes agonists (receptor activators), and antagonists (inhibitors of receptor activation). However, many drugs fall in between these two categories and are classified as partial agonists. In therapeutic applications, a partial agonist can act as a sort of activity buffer for naturally occurring strong agonists, providing receptor stimulation if the natural activator is low or absent, and diminishing the effects of a natural strong activator if the strong activator's concentrations are high.
Partial agonists may also be used to buffer the effects of drugs of abuse; an area of current interest for the development of partial agonist therapies is for the treatment of nicotine addiction and dependence. A new drug in this area is the cytisine-related compound, varenicline (®Chantix). Varenicline is a weak partial agonist for nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subtypes in the brain that contain α4 and β2 subunits, which have been shown in animal studies to be essential for nicotine to stimulate the brain's neurochemical reward systems. However, varenicline will also further decrease the function of α7 receptors in neuropsychiatric patients. Reports of suicide and worsened depressions in patients taking varenicline has led the FDA to issue a black box warning on the drug. Thus, using varenicline by itself is not a satisfactory solution for many individuals suffering from nicotine dependence. Consequently, other solutions are desirable.

Compositions, methods of use, and methods of treatment

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA RESEARCH FOUNDATION, INC.


A gain characteristic correctable dynamic range enhancement system (DRES) receives input signals from an imager device connected to a correlated double sampling (CDS) circuit for receiving the video signal from the CCD imaging device. The dynamic range enhancement system includes a variable gain amplifier (VGA), and a limited bit-width analog-to-digital converter (ADC) which digitizes the analog signal received from the VGA. The output of the ADC is provided to an initial bit range position of a wider bit-width shifter connected to the output of the ADC. The DRES system correctably extends the dynamic range of the imager device, subject to offsets providing linearity corrections at predetermined trip points, subject to determined offset values, to ensure that there are no discontinuities in the system transfer function.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to analog-to-digital converter circuitry and more particularly to successive approximation calibration apparatus, systems, and methods for dynamic range extension in analog-to-digital converter circuitry for camera and imaging systems.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, solutions to difficult mixed signal problems related to dynamic range control in camera and imager devices and systems have been attempted. Particularly, it has been desired to develop low cost and low power approaches to improving the dynamic range of digital images. Further, new solutions to image data acquisition and processing have been attempted to result in visible improvements in image quality. Digital camera image quality improvement are sought for video as well as still image camera systems and imaging systems which use charge-coupled device (CCD) imagers, CMOS imagers, and other kinds of imagers.
It is known that the number of bits required for analog-to-digital conversion of CCD data depends upon the noise floor of a CCD, based upon photon shot noise, dark-current noise, and thermal noise from a CCD output amplifier. A system to capture the CCD output requires a quantization noise level lower than the noise floor. The maximum output of the CCD and the noise floor of the CCD can be used to determine the maximum number of bits required for an analog-to-digital converter to have its quantization noise level below the noise level of the CCD. For a particular CCD, the noise voltage level is estimated at about 150 μVrms. The maximum CCD output voltage is about 800 mV. Based upon these conditions, a 12-bit analog-to-digital converter is useful based upon dynamic range requirements. Unfortunately, a 12-bit converter is costly in terms of power and area.
It is further desirable to achieve enhanced image quality with images having improved detail in both dark and light image regions, while avoiding the penalties of high power consumption and large silicon area usage.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,647,975, entitled "Exposure Control System for an Electronic Imaging Camera Having Increased Dynamic Range" describes an electronic imaging system with an expanded dynamic exposure range implemented in two exposure intervals.
It is additionally desirable to maintain output linearity and monotonicity during dynamic range extension for analog-to-digital converter circuitry, so that continuity is maintained between segments of the operational characteristic of the converter circuitry irrespective of proximity to trip points.

Successive approximation calibration apparatus, system, and method for dynamic range extender


A system, apparatus, computer-readable medium, and computer-implemented method are provided for detecting anomalous behavior in a network. Historical parameters of the network are determined in order to determine normal activity levels. A plurality of paths in the network are enumerated as part of a graph representing the network, where each computing system in the network may be a node in the graph and the sequence of connections between two computing systems may be a directed edge in the graph. A statistical model is applied to the plurality of paths in the graph on a sliding window basis to detect anomalous behavior. Data collected by a Unified Host Collection Agent (“UHCA”) may also be used to detect anomalous behavior.

Field
The present invention generally relates to detecting network intrusions, anomalies, and policy violations, and more particularly, to detecting network intrusions, anomalies, and policy violations by path scanning for the detection of anomalous subgraphs embedded within time-evolving graphs and, additionally relates to the use of Domain Name Service ("DNS") requests for situational awareness and anomaly/change detection on computer networks.
Description of the Related Art
Sophisticated computer hacking presents a serious threat to companies, governmental organizations, and other entities. Generally, a hacker gains entry to a system through automated means. For example, if a hacker sends a phishing email to an organization and a user clicks a link, malware may compromise the machine. This gives the hacker control of the compromised machine, and thus, a foothold into the network in which the compromised machine resides.
The hacker cannot choose which machines are compromised, and thus, where he or she lands in the network. From the initial point where the network was compromised, the hacker commonly traverses the network, searching for additional hosts to exploit. Since no single user generally has access to the entire network, the hacker must traverse through multiple machines to fully compromise the network. Often, a hacker will search for multi-user machines and use the compromised account to gain access—furthering his or her penetration into the network.
Conventional methods for the detection of malicious insiders in a computer network generally do not capture "traversal" well. Traversal occurs when a hacker advances through a network, infiltrating systems, and then using that compromised system to further compromise other hosts. While host-based detection systems that monitor specific machines are somewhat mature, and intrusion detection through a firewall is well-researched, methods that examine multiple hops within the security perimeter simultaneously to search for anomalies are generally not well-explored. Further, network traffic monitoring is generally performed using an elaborate system of network taps, router mirror ports, and router-based flow observation. This approach is costly and fails to provide complete coverage of traffic within a network.

Path scanning for the detection of anomalous subgraphs and use of DNS requests and host agents for anomaly/change detection and network situational awareness


The invention relates to metallurgy and mechanical engineering, in particular to the development of methods for providing metallic pieces with protective coatings with a view to improving the performance characteristics thereof. In accordance with the inventive method, a multilayer coating is formed by combining and simultaneously or consecutively using of various technologies including ion-plasma evaporation diffusive metallization and controlled atmosphere thermal treatment. The obtained coatings possess superior characteristics with respect to overall properties and are used for gas turbine construction, in particular, for manufacturing gas turbine vanes of aircraft engines.

Many machine parts have to operate under heavy working load and variable temperature in aggressive environment, which results in their deterioration and calls for protective coating to be applied on such parts. In the field of transport industry and power turbine construction and, particularly, gas turbine manufacturing the surface protection of parts is the most critical. Gas turbine units (GTU) are applied widely in the state-of-the-art technology: aircraft and helicopter's engines, marine gas turbine engines (GTE), power GTU and gas compressor units (GCU). Turbine blades are the major parts that determine reliability, economy in use and the service life of such GTU. Such blades operate under very severe conditions: at elevated temperatures, under considerable fatigue and thermal loads, and in aggressive gas flows containing oxygen, sulfur, vanadium oxides and other chemically-active elements.
Some blades may have internal passages, which are prone to oxidization, especially if made of currently employed high temperature superalloys with low content of chromium. During use, the coating undergoes cracking, flaking, diffusion dispersal, corrosion and erosion attack, and the chemical and phase compositions change in the surface layers. As a result, durability of blade decreases and such blades have to be laid off.
Turbine blades are manufactured of expensive superalloys by employing a complicated technology, for instance, oriented crystallization or monocrystal casting, so their price is extremely high. Therefore, protective coating technologies, which improve durability and service life of such blades, provide great economical benefits and significant technical advantages.
Well-known are the protective coating methods, when aluminide coatings or Me—Cr—Al—Y coatings are applied on superalloys (U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,542,530; 3,544,348; 3,918,139; 3,961,098; 3,928,026; 3,993,454; 4,000,507; 4,132,816; 4,034,142); aluminide coatings alloyed with noble metals Pt, Ro, Pd (U.S. Pat. No. 3,819,338); the method for protection of gas turbine blades from high temperature corrosion (Russian Federation Patent No. 2033474), which includes vacuum deposition of two layers: a Me—Cr—Al—Y layer and a layer of aluminum-based alloy, with subsequent vacuum annealing.
Diffusion methods for powder and gas vapor deposition are known to create aluminum intermetallic coatings, which, while having quite high heat-resistance, at the same time possess low resistance to thermal stresses and to corrosion in the chemically aggressive environment of combustion materials. Coatings alloyed with noble metals are expensive and their use is not always economically sound. Slip powder technologies can not provide coatings, which would be uniform in thickness, and the density of such coatings is not sufficient. Aluminide coatings, too, have high thermal conductivity and insufficient correlation between linear expansion coefficients in oxide ceramics layers.
Frequently occurring fault with multi-layer coatings of Me—Cr—Al—Y and their modifications is that they do not provide long enough service life of a machine component either due to insufficient heat-resistance or as a result of flaking and corrosion of the coating during use.
One has to face really serious problems at the stage of preparing the surface of superalloy-made components for coating by vacuum plasma deposition in order to obtain high adhesion of the coating with the substrate metal.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,080,486 describes a coating method by diffusion powder deposition of aluminide onto the surfaces of components, following the deposition of vacuum plasma Me—Cr—Al—Y coating. This patent neither fully uses all means to offer maximum resistance to gas corrosion, nor provides protection for internal passages of cooled cavities.
European patent EP 0-897-996A describes a complex coating for heat-resistant nickel- or cobalt-based alloy matrixes, which, for instance, would be used for gas turbine engine blades. The said patented coating comprises a MeCrAlY type of compound, wherein Me is the element selected from the group consisting of iron, nickel and cobalt. The said coating is subjected to aluminizing by means of gaseous phase diffusion saturation, and also includes the formation of a diffusion aluminide coating over the MeCrAlY system on the outer surfaces and deposition of an aluminide coating on the internal surfaces of a coated component, both with and without platinum bondcoat applied.
The said method is the closest to the proposed invention, however, it leaves room for further improvement of resistance to flaking and erosion, for enhancing thermal fatigue characteristics of coated alloys and for improvement of sulfur corrosion resistance.
Also known is Russian Federation Patent No. 2073742 that describes a method for protecting coating composed of multi-component Ni—Cr—Al—Ta—Y alloy with subsequent chrome aluminizing by powder technique and quenching after retention in vacuum furnace at 1200° C.
Even with this method, there is still an opportunity to further improve performance characteristics of coatings and durability of coated parts.
Russian Federation Patent No. 2113538 describes repetitive pulse ion plasma treatment of parts and a device for such treatment, which incorporates an arrangement for continuous plasma generation, and the radiation doze is controlled by altering the repetition rate and pulse duration and by varying the source/part gap. This patent does not cover the issues of coating formation nor does it address the capabilities of patented device to improve the coating technology.
Russian Federation Patent No. 2029796 describes a method for a combined ion-plasma treatment, which implies surface treatment of parts, in particular, high-speed steel plates, by directed flow of particles. This directed flow is meant to provide partial destruction of brittle passivating phases in the surface, which affords better adhesion between the coating and substrate material.
The present invention is to address the problem of durability and reliability of machine components, particularly, parts made of iron-, nickel and cobalt-based superalloys with complex high-temperature protective coating, and, more specifically, to cover modifications of complex protective coating methods developed for such parts, especially for gas turbine blades and vanes.

Protective coating method for pieces made of heat resistant alloys


A method of seaming an on-machine-seamable multiaxial papermaker's fabric to prevent yarn migration. The multiaxial fabric is in the form of an endless loop flattened into two layers along fold lines. CD yarns are removed from the folds to create ravel areas. This leaves the MD yarns unbound in the ravel areas. Seam loops are then formed from the unbound MD yarns at the folds. A thin porous material is sewn to the fabric at each fold. The porous material binds the CD yarns along the edges of the ravel areas while allowing passage of the seam loops through the material. The laminate prevents migration of CD yarn tails into the seam area.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the seaming of multiaxial fabrics on a papermaking machine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
During the papermaking process, a cellulosic fibrous web is formed by depositing a fibrous slurry, that is, an aqueous dispersion of cellulose fibers, onto a moving forming fabric in the forming section of a paper machine. A large amount of water is drained from the slurry through the forming fabric, leaving the cellulosic fibrous web on the surface of the forming fabric.
The newly formed cellulosic fibrous web proceeds from the forming section to a press section, which includes a series of press nips. The cellulosic fibrous web passes through the press nips supported by a press fabric, or, as is often the case, between two such press fabrics. In the press nips, the cellulosic fibrous web is subjected to compressive forces which squeeze water therefrom, and which adhere the cellulosic fibers in the web to one another to turn the cellulosic fibrous web into a paper sheet. The water is accepted by the press fabric or fabrics and, ideally, does not return to the paper sheet.
The paper sheet finally proceeds to a dryer section, which includes at least one series of rotatable dryer drums or cylinders, which are internally heated by steam. The newly formed paper sheet is directed in a serpentine path sequentially around each in the series of drums by a dryer fabric, which holds the paper sheet closely against the surfaces of the drums. The heated drums reduce the water content of the paper sheet to a desirable level through evaporation.
It should be appreciated that the forming, press and dryer fabrics all take the form of endless loops on the paper machine and function in the manner of conveyors. It should further be appreciated that paper manufacture is a continuous process which proceeds at considerable speeds. That is to say, the fibrous slurry is continuously deposited onto the forming fabric in the forming section, while a newly manufactured paper sheet is continuously wound onto rolls after it exits from the dryer section.
The present invention relates primarily to the fabrics used in the press section, generally known as press fabrics, but it may also find application in the fabrics used in the forming and dryer sections, as well as in those used as bases for polymer-coated paper industry process belts, such as, for example, long nip press belts.
Press fabrics play a critical role during the paper manufacturing process. One of their functions, as implied above, is to support and to carry the paper product being manufactured through the press nips.
Press fabrics also participate in the finishing of the surface of the paper sheet. That is, press fabrics are designed to have smooth surfaces and uniformly resilient structures, so that, in the course of passing through the press nips, a smooth, mark-free surface is imparted to the paper.
Perhaps most importantly, the press fabrics accept the large quantities of water extracted from the wet paper in the press nip. In order to fulfill this function, there literally must be space, commonly referred to as void volume, within the press fabric for the water to go, and the fabric must have adequate permeability to water for its entire useful life. Finally, press fabrics must be able to prevent the water accepted from the wet paper from returning to and rewetting the paper upon exit from the press nip.
Contemporary press fabrics are used in a wide variety of styles designed to meet the requirements of the paper machines on which they are installed for the paper grades being manufactured. Generally, they comprise a woven base fabric into which has been needled a batting of fine, non-woven fibrous material. The base fabrics may be woven from monofilament, plied monofilament, multifilament or plied multifilament yarns, and may be single-layered, multi-layered or laminated. The yarns are typically extruded from any one of several synthetic polymeric resins, such as polyamide and polyester resins, used for this purpose by those of ordinary skill in the paper machine clothing arts.
Woven fabrics take many different forms. For example, they may be woven endless, or flat woven and subsequently rendered into endless form with a seam. Alternatively, they may be produced by a process commonly known as modified endless weaving, wherein the widthwise edges of the base fabric are provided with seaming loops using the machine-direction (MD) yarns thereof. In this process, the MD yarns weave continuously back and forth between the widthwise edges of the fabric, at each edge turning back and forming a seaming loop. A base fabric produced in this fashion is placed into endless form during installation on a paper machine, and for this reason is referred to as an on-machine-seamable fabric. To place such a fabric into endless form, the two widthwise edges are seamed together. To facilitate seaming, many current fabrics have seaming loops on the crosswise edges of the two ends of the fabric. The seaming loops themselves are often formed by the machine-direction (MD) yarns of the fabric. The seam is typically formed by bringing the two ends of the fabric press together, by interdigitating the seaming loops at the two ends of the fabric, and by directing a so-called pin, or pintle, through the passage defined by the interdigitated seaming loops to lock the two ends of the fabric together.
Further, the woven base fabrics may be laminated by placing one base fabric within the endless loop formed by another, and by needling a staple fiber batting through both base fabrics to join them to one another. One or both woven base fabrics may be of the on-machine-seamable type.
In any event, the woven base fabrics are in the form of endless loops, or are seamable into such forms, having a specific length, measured longitudinally therearound, and a specific width, measured transversely thereacross. Because paper machine configurations vary widely, paper machine clothing manufacturers are required to produce press fabrics, and other paper machine clothing, to the dimensions required to fit particular positions in the paper machines of their customers. Needless to say, this requirement makes it difficult to streamline the manufacturing process, as each press fabric must typically be made to order.
Fabrics in modern papermaking machines may have a width of from 5 to over 33 feet, a length of from 40 to over 400 feet and weigh from approximately 100 to over 3,000 pounds. These fabrics wear out and require replacement. Replacement of fabrics often involves taking the machine out of service, removing the worn fabric, setting up to install a fabric and installing the new fabric. While many fabrics are endless, about half of those used in press sections of the paper machines today are on-machine-seamable. Some Paper Industry Process Belts (PIPBs) are contemplated to have an on machine seam capability, such as some transfer belts, known as Transbelt®. Installation of the fabric includes pulling the fabric body onto a machine and joining the fabric ends to form an endless belt.
In response to this need to produce press fabrics in a variety of lengths and widths more quickly and efficiently, press fabrics have been produced in recent years using a spiral winding technique disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,360,656 to Rexfelt et al., the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,360,656 shows a press fabric comprising a base fabric having one or more layers of staple fiber material needled thereinto. The base fabric comprises at least one layer composed of a spirally wound strip of woven fabric having a width which is smaller than the width of the base fabric. The base fabric is endless in the longitudinal, or machine, direction. Lengthwise threads of the spirally wound strip make an angle with the longitudinal direction of the press fabric. The strip of woven fabric may be flat-woven on a loom which is narrower than those typically used in the production of paper machine clothing.
The base fabric comprises a plurality of spirally wound and joined turns of the relatively narrow woven fabric strip. The fabric strip is woven from lengthwise (warp) and crosswise (filling) yarns. Adjacent turns of the spirally wound fabric strip may be abutted against one another, and the spirally continuous seam so produced may be closed by sewing, stitching, melting, welding (e.g. ultrasonic) or gluing. Alternatively, adjacent longitudinal edge portions of adjoining spiral turns may be arranged overlappingly, so long as the edges have a reduced thickness, so as not to give rise to an increased thickness in the area of the overlap. Alternatively still, the spacing between lengthwise yarns may be increased at the edges of the strip, so that, when adjoining spiral turns are arranged overlappingly, there may be an unchanged spacing between lengthwise threads in the area of the overlap.
In any case, a woven base fabric, taking the form of an endless loop and having an inner surface, a longitudinal (machine) direction and a transverse (cross-machine) direction, is the result. The lateral edges of the woven base fabric are then trimmed to render them parallel to its longitudinal (machine) direction. The angle between the machine direction of the woven base fabric and the spirally continuous seam may be relatively small, that is, typically less than 10°. By the same token, the lengthwise (warp) yarns of the woven fabric strip make the same relatively small angle with the longitudinal (machine) direction of the woven base fabric. Similarly, the crosswise (filling) yarns of the woven fabric strip, being perpendicular to the lengthwise (warp) yarns, make the same relatively small angle with the transverse (cross-machine) direction of the woven base fabric. In short, neither the lengthwise (warp) nor the crosswise (filling) yarns of the woven fabric strip align with the longitudinal (machine) or transverse (cross-machine) directions of the woven base fabric.
A press fabric having such a base fabric may be referred to as a multiaxial press fabric. Whereas the standard press fabrics of the prior art have three axes: one in the machine direction (MD), one in the cross-machine direction (CD), and one in the z-direction, which is through the thickness of the fabric, a multiaxial press fabric has not only these three axes, but also has at least two more axes defined by the directions of the yarn systems in its spirally wound layer or layers. Moreover, there are multiple flow paths in the z-direction of a multiaxial press fabric. As a consequence, a multiaxial press fabric has at least five axes. Because of its multiaxial structure, a multiaxial press fabric having more than one layer exhibits superior resistance to nesting and/or to collapse in response to compression in a press nip during the papermaking process as compared to one having base fabric layers whose yarn systems are parallel to one another.
Until recently, multiaxial press fabrics of the foregoing type had been produced only in endless form. As such, their use had been limited to press sections having cantilevered press rolls and other components, which permit an endless press fabric to be installed from the side of the press section. However, their relative ease of manufacture and superior resistance to compaction contributed to an increased interest and a growing need for a multiaxial press fabric which could be seamed into endless form during installation on a press section, thereby making such press fabric available for use on paper machines lacking cantilevered components. On-machine-seamable multiaxial press fabrics, developed to meet this need, are shown in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,916,421; 5,939,176; and 6,117,274 to Yook, the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,916,421 shows an on-machine-seamable multiaxial press fabric for the press section of a paper machine made from a base fabric layer assembled by spirally winding a fabric strip in a plurality of contiguous turns, each of which abuts against and is attached to those adjacent thereto. The resulting endless base fabric layer is flattened to produce first and second plies joined to one another at folds at their widthwise edges. Crosswise yarns are removed from each turn of the fabric strip at folds at the widthwise edges to produce unbound sections of lengthwise yarns. A seaming element, having seaming loops along one of its widthwise edges, is disposed between the first and second fabric plies at each of the folds at the two widthwise edges of the flattened base fabric layer. The seaming loops extend outwardly between the unbound sections of the lengthwise yarns from between the first and second fabric plies. The first and second fabric plies are laminated to one another by needling staple fiber batting material therethrough. The press fabric is joined into endless form during installation on a paper machine by directing a pintle through the passage formed by the interdigitation of the seaming loops at the two widthwise edges.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,939,176 also shows an on-machine-seamable multiaxial press fabric. Again, the press fabric is made from a base fabric layer assembled by spirally winding a fabric strip in a plurality of contiguous turns, each of which abuts against and is attached to those adjacent thereto. The resulting endless fabric layer is flattened to produce a first and second fabric plies joined to one another at folds at their widthwise edges. Crosswise yarns are removed from each turn of the fabric strip at the folds at the widthwise edges to produce seaming loops. The first and second plies are laminated to one another by needling staple fiber batting material therethrough. The press fabric is joined into endless form during installation on a paper machine by directing a pintle through the passage formed by the interdigitation of the seaming loops at the two widthwise edges.
Finally, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,117,274, another on-machine-seamable multiaxial press fabric is shown. Again, the press fabric is made from a base fabric layer assembled by spirally winding a fabric strip in a plurality of contiguous turns, each of which abuts against and is attached to those adjacent thereto. The resulting endless fabric layer is flattened to produce a first and second fabric plies joined to one another at folds at their widthwise edges. Crosswise yarns are removed from each turn of the fabric strip at the folds at the widthwise edges to produce unbound sections of lengthwise yarns. Subsequently, an on-machine-seamable base fabric, having seaming loops along its widthwise edges, is disposed between the first and second fabric plies of the flattened base fabric layer. The seaming loops extend outwardly between the unbound sections of the lengthwise yarns from between the first and second fabric plies. The first fabric ply, the on-machine-seamable base fabric and the second fabric ply are laminated to one another by needling staple fiber batting material therethrough. The press fabric is joined into endless form during installation on a paper machine by directing a pintle through the passage formed by the interdigitation of the seaming loops at the two widthwise edges.
A seam is generally a critical part of a seamed fabric, since uniform paper quality, low marking and excellent runnability of the fabric require a seam which is as similar as possible to the rest of the fabric in respect of properties such as thickness, structure, strength, permeability etc. It is important that the seam region of any workable fabric behave under load and have the same permeability to water and to air as the rest of the fabric, thereby preventing periodic marking of the paper product being manufactured by the seam region. Despite the considerable technical obstacles presented by these seaming requirements, it is highly desirable to develop seamable fabrics, because of the comparative ease and safety with which they can be installed.
As discussed above in reference to U.S. Pat. No. 5,939,176, a CD area of the multiaxial fabric is raveled out and the fabric is then folded over in this raveled area to produce seaming loops. A drawback to this approach of creating a seam in the multiaxial fabric structure is the CD yarn tails that result in the seam area. These tails are a function of the CD yarn angle which is linked to the panel width, fabric length and panel skew. These yarn tails are not anchored into the base weave and are free to move or "migrate" into the seam area. This problem is known as yarn migration. When this migration occurs, the CD ends move into the seam area and impede seaming (sometimes significantly). In addition, these unbound yarns do not provide suitable uniform support for the fiber batting material in the seam area.
Attempts have been made to use certain adhesives to bind these yarns and prevent migration, but with limited success. Therefore, a need exists for a method of preventing yarn migration in the seam area of multiaxial fabrics.

Method of seaming a multiaxial papermaking fabric to prevent yarn migration