A circuit board assembly and method of fabricating an assembly are provided. The assembly preferably comprises a first circuit board defining an aperture and a second circuit board having an edge. The first circuit board has at least one conductive feature proximate the aperture, and the second circuit board has at least one conductive feature proximate the edge. Each board has at least one circuit trace in electrical communication with its respective conductive feature. The conductive features of the boards are placed in electrical communication with each other by way of the edge of the second board being disposed in the aperture of the first board. A solder joint can be disposed on the assembly so as to connect the first and second boards.

The present invention relates to circuit board assemblies comprising a main or motherboard and a satellite or daughter board. More particularly, the present invention relates to a circuit board assembly in which an aperture in the main board receives the satellite board, and a hole in the satellite board provides a surface for a solder joint that connects the two boards.
Many electrical applications contain circuit board assemblies in which one circuit board is connected to one or more additional boards. A main board, commonly referred to as a motherboard, can have several satellite or daughter boards connected to it. Typically, the satellite boards are mounted to the main board in a perpendicular arrangement in order to maximize the number of satellite boards that can be connected to the main board.
The connection between the main and satellite boards can be accomplished in a variety of manners. In conventional circuit board assemblies, various modular connectors frequently facilitate the connection. For example, main boards can have modular connectors disposed on their surface. The connector is typically an extra component that is secured to the main board and defines a slot having conductive features that communicate with conductive features on an edge of the satellite board. The assembly is fabricating by pushing the edge of the satellite board into the connector, thereby establishing electrical communication between the two boards.
While the use of modular connectors allows for easy connection between main and satellite boards, they also add expense and difficulty to the manufacturing process. The connectors are frequently plastic components that must be separately manufactured and attached to the main board. Furthermore, the connectors are bulky, making the final main board more difficult to handle, package, and transport.
Alternatives to the modular connectors have been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,965 to Woychik for a CIRCUIT BOARD ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A SINGLE IN-LINE PACKAGE MODULE discloses a main board that has an aperture adapted to receive a satellite board. While this arrangement does allow for the elimination of the modular connectors, it does not retain some of the benefits of the connectors. For example, the modular connectors provided a stable connection between the two boards.
The present invention provides a circuit board assembly that defines structural features that allow for improved stability in the connection between two boards.
In one embodiment, the assembly comprises a first circuit board defining an aperture and a second circuit board having an edge. The first circuit board has at least one conductive feature proximate the aperture, and the second circuit board has at least one conductive feature proximate the edge. Each board has at least one circuit trace in electrical communication with its respective conductive feature. The conductive features of the boards are placed in electrical communication with each other by way of the edge of the second board being disposed in the aperture of the first board. This relationship places the circuit traces of the first board in electrical communication with the circuit traces of the second board.
The second board defines a hole proximate the edge. Preferably, the hole extends through the entire thickness of the second board, i.e., from a first side to a second side.
When the edge of the second board is disposed in the aperture of the first board, the hole is positioned near a surface of the main board. As such, the hole is particularly well-suited for receiving a portion of a. solder joint. In a preferred embodiment, the assembly further comprises a solder joint connecting the two boards. Preferably, the solder joint includes a first portion disposed in the hole and second and this portions disposed on the first board. A fourth portion of the solder joint can be disposed within a void region defined by the first board proximate the aperture.
The present invention also provides a method of fabricating a circuit board assembly. In a preferred embodiment, the method comprises providing a first circuit board; creating an aperture in the first circuit board; disposing a first conductive feature on the first circuit board proximate the aperture; providing a second circuit board having an edge, a second conductive feature proximate the edge, and defining a hole proximate the edge; disposing the edge of the second circuit board within the aperture of the first circuit board such that the conductive features of the two boards are in electrical communication with each other; and disposing a solder joint on the first and second circuit boards. Preferably, the hole is a through hole, and the solder joint comprises a first portion disposed on the first circuit board proximate the aperture, a second portion disposed within the hole, and a third portion disposed on the first circuit board proximate the aperture.

Circuit board assembly and method of fabricating same


Methods and devices for maintaining vascular access and/or minimizing bleeding during percutaneous interventions. The method can include advancing an access wire through a previously placed access catheter in a contralateral femoral artery to position an inflatable balloon on the access wire in a vascular access sheath located in an ipsilateral femoral artery, without using any additional guidewires to advance the access wire. After withdrawing the vascular access sheath at least partway out of the ipsilateral femoral artery to expose the vascular injury, the balloon can be inflated to occlude the ipsilateral femoral artery or an ipsilateral iliofemoral artery at or near the vascular injury.

Field
The field of the present application pertains to medical devices, and more particularly, to methods and systems for maintaining vascular access and/or minimizing bleeding, for example, during and after catheter-based interventions, for example, in the settings of device exchanges, vascular access closure, and the management of vascular complications.
Description of the Related Art
Catheter-based medical procedures using large diameter (or "large bore") vascular access sheaths are becoming increasingly more common. Two examples of such large bore catheterization procedures that are gaining rapid popularity are Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation ("TAVI") and EndoVascular abdominal Aortic aneurysm Repair ("EVAR"). Although these procedures may often be effective at treating the condition addressed, they often cause injury to the blood vessel in which the large bore vascular access catheter is inserted to gain access for performing the procedure. In fact, vascular injury requiring treatment occurs in as many as 40% of large bore vascular procedures, according to some sources. Injury to the blood vessel may include perforation, rupture and/or dissection, which causes blood to flow out of the artery ("extravascular bleeding"), often requiring emergency surgery to repair the damaged blood vessel wall. If not properly treated, such a vascular injury may lead to anemia, hypotension or even death.
Vascular injury during large bore intravascular procedures is typically caused by the vascular access sheath itself and/or one or more instruments passed through the sheath to perform the procedure. Larger diameter vascular access sheaths are required in a number of catheter-based procedures, such as those mentioned above, where relatively large catheters/instruments must be passed through the sheath. Several other factors may increase the risk of vascular injury, including occlusive disease of the access vessel(s) and tortuosity/angulation of the access vessel(s). Another vascular injury caused by large bore intravascular procedures that can be challenging is the access site itself. Typically, large bore catheterizations create a significantly large arteriotomy, due to a disproportionately large ratio of the diameter of the vascular access catheter to the diameter of the artery in which it is placed. Large arteriotomies may require special management and multiple steps during closure. This may lead to significant blood loss while access closure is attempted.
Several techniques have been attempted to reduce the incidence of vascular injury in large bore vascular access procedures. For example, preoperative imaging of the blood vessel to be accessed, in the form of CT and MR angiography, may provide the physician with an idea of the anatomy of the vessel. If a particular vessel appears on imaging studies to be relatively tortuous or small, possible adjunctive maneuvers to prevent arterial dissection include pre-dilatation angioplasty of the iliofemoral vessels prior to large bore sheath placement, utilization of smaller access sheaths when possible, stiffer wires to aid in sheath placement and/or use of hydrophobic sheaths. In another attempt at preventing vessel injury, sheath placement may be performed under fluoroscopic guidance, and advancement may be halted when resistance is encountered. Despite the availability of these techniques, vascular injury requiring treatment still occurs in a large percentage of large bore vascular procedures.
Vascular injuries caused by intravascular procedures are generally quite difficult to diagnose and treat. When an arterial dissection occurs, it often remains undetected until the catheterization procedure is completed and the vascular access sheath is removed. For example, upon removal of the access sheath, large segments of the dissected vessel wall may be released within the vessel. The dissected vessel wall may lead to a breach in the artery wall, a flow-limiting stenosis, or distal embolization. Perforation or rupture of the iliofemoral artery segment may occur from persistent attempts to place large access sheaths in iliac arteries that are too small, too diseased, and/or too tortuous. Here too, a perforation may be likely to remain silent until sheath withdrawal.
Adding to the difficulties presented by vascular injuries caused by large bore procedures, diagnosis of catheter-induced iliofemoral injuries is often difficult. Upon sheath withdrawal, contrast injections may reveal beginning dissections as lumen irregularities. Unfortunately, however, due to the deep location of most of the iliofemoral arterial segment, transcutaneous ultrasound imaging does not always yield interpretable results. Doppler ultrasound of the distal flow bed, however, may be used to diagnose an upstream flow-limiting entity. For example, after closure of the access site, if the inflow into the limb is poor or the Doppler signals in the extremity are diminished in comparison to the preoperative examination, an arterial dissection/perforation should be considered. An arteriogram may be indicated for any abnormal vascular examination findings to delineate the underlying anatomy.
Generally, vascular perforations and dissections caused by large bore vascular procedures allow very little time for the interventionalist to react. Frequently, these vascular injuries are associated with serious clinical sequelae, such as massive internal (retroperitoneal) bleeding, abrupt vessel closure, vital organ injuries, and emergency surgeries. In some cases, an interventionalist may first attempt to repair a vascular injury using an endovascular approach. First, the injury site may be controlled/stabilized with a balloon catheter, in an attempt to seal off the breached vessel wall and/or regain hemodynamic stability in the presence of appropriate resuscitation and transfusion of the patient by the anesthesiologist. Subsequently, endovascular treatment solutions may be attempted, for example if wire access is maintained through the true lumen. This may involve placement of one or more balloons, stents, or covered stents across the dissection/perforation. If the hemorrhage is controlled with these maneuvers and the patient is hemodynamically stabilized, significant reduction in morbidity and mortality may be realized. If attempts at endovascular repair of the vessel fail, emergency surgery is typically performed.
Presently, vascular injuries and complications occurring during and after large bore intravascular procedures are managed using a contralateral balloon occlusion technique ("CBOT"). CBOT involves accessing the contralateral femoral artery (the femoral artery opposite the one in which the large bore vascular access sheath is placed) with a separate access sheath, and then advancing and maneuvering a series of different guidewires, sheaths and catheters into the injured (ipsilateral) femoral or iliofemoral artery to treat the injury. Eventually, a (pre-sized) standard balloon catheter is advanced into the injured artery, and the balloon is inflated to reduce blood flow into the area of injury, thus stabilizing the injury until a repair procedure can be performed. Typically, CBOT involves at least the following steps: (1) Place a catheter within the contralateral iliofemoral artery (this catheter may already be in place for use in injecting contrast during the intravascular procedure); (2) Advance a thin, hydrophilic guidewire through the catheter and into the vascular access sheath located in the ipsilateral iliofemoral artery; (3) Remove the first catheter from the contralateral iliofemoral artery; (4) Advance a second, longer catheter over the guidewire and into the vascular access sheath; (5) Remove the thin, hydrophilic guidewire; (6) Advance a second, stiffer guidewire through the catheter into the vascular access sheath; (7) In some cases, an addition step at this point may involve increasing the size of the arteriotomy on the contralateral side to accommodate one or more balloon catheter and/or treatment devices for treating arterial trauma on the ipsilateral side; (8) Advance a balloon catheter over the stiffer guidewire into the damaged artery; (9) Inflate the balloon on the catheter to occlude the artery; (10) Advance one or more treatment devices, such as a stent delivery device, to the site of injury and repair the injury.
As this description suggests, the current CBOT technique requires many steps and exchanges of guidewire and catheters, most of which need to be carefully guided into a vascular access catheter in the opposite (ipsilateral) iliofemoral artery. Thus, the procedure is quite challenging and cumbersome. Although considered the standard of care in the management of vascular complications, the CBOT technique may not provide immediate stabilization of an injured segment, may lack ipsilateral device control, and/or may not provide ready access for additional therapeutics such as stents, other balloons and the like.
Therefore, in the management of vascular injuries and complications stemming from large bore intravascular procedures, it would be useful to provide a solution for minimizing blood loss and bridging the time to treatment (for example, an endovascular or surgical procedure) while maintaining an access pathway for delivering one or more treatment devices (balloon catheters, stents, etc.) to the injury site. It would also be desirable to provide blood flow occlusion during vascular closure after femoral artery catheterization. Ideally, a device for blood flow occlusion would be compatible with commonly available blood vessel closure devices and techniques, to facilitate blood flow occlusion during closure and occlusion device removal after closure. At least some of these objectives will be met by the embodiments described herein.

Method and devices for flow occlusion during device exchanges


A method and apparatus for metering building structures having a plurality of service outlets each having control valves, includes the installing of meters within a given distance from each one of the valves. A transmission system is coupled electrically to each one of the meters for sending meter readings periodically to a remotely located equipment.

In the past, large building structures, such as apartment buildings and condominium buildings have been metered for utility consumption, such as water usage, by metering the main service line, such as the main water line for the entire building structure. In this manner, the utility company has billed the owners for the utility usage as opposed to each individual unit resident or owner.
In the case of a condominium building structure, where each unit is owned separately, the utility company typically has submitted its billing statement to the condominium association of owners, which essentially has assessed each unit owner equally. In some condominium building structures, special supply lines, such as individual unit water supply lines, are installed initially to enable individual meters to be employed for each condominium unit separately. In this manner, billing statements have been submitted to each individual unit owner so that the unit owners are able to pay for their prorated portion of the utility consumption. In this manner, a more equitable payment system is possible.
However, in the case of other types of building structures, such as apartment buildings and commercial buildings, it was not possible to meter individual units in a convenient and reliable manner. For example, in the case of water consumption, there have been no single service lines provided for each unit. Instead, each unit has had a series of pairs of hot and cold water lines for different rooms, such as bathrooms and kitchens, shared in common with other units. This is particularly true where there are several stories to the buildings. In this manner, a whole group of pairs of hot and cold water supply pipes or lines extend to supply vertically aligned units such as an apartment unit. Thus, each unit shares many different hot and cold water supply pipes with other units in the same building structure. Thus, such a building structure is not designed for individually metering units. In this regard, due to the large number of commonly shared supply lines for each unit, it has not been economically feasible, nor convenient, to meter individual units.
Therefore, it would be highly desirable to have a new and improved method and apparatus for metering building structures, where individual units can be metered to enable the residents or users of each unit to be billed a prorated share of their individual utility usage. Such a new and improved metering method and apparatus should be relatively inexpensive to install and to read such meters. Also, such methods and apparatus should be useful for both existing and new building structures, without the requirement for special plumbing or customized building requirements.

Method and apparatus for metering building structures


An adjustment mechanism for use in a compact disc recording/reproducing device, which operates with a laser beam of a laser incident on a disc, the adjustment mechanism comprising: a base; a pick-up head, carrying the laser; a first guiding rod and a second guiding rod, guiding a movement of the pick-up head, being parallel to each other and forming a plane with an orientation with respect to the disc that determines the angle of incidence of the laser beam; and at least three supports, extending upward from the base, each holding one end of the first and second guiding rods. Each of the at least three supports comprises a main body, mounted on the base, a spring, pressing from below on the supported end, and an adjusting screw, mounted in a threaded vertical hole in the main body, leaning on the supported end from above, such that the supported end has a well-defined vertical position, which is adjusted by turning the adjusting screw. By adjusting the at least three supports, the orientation of the plane is adjusted to ensure a proper angle of incidence of the laser beam, so as to avoid reading errors.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an adjustment mechanism adjusting the tilt angle in a compact disc recording/reproducing device, particularly to an adjustment mechanism for use in a compact disc recording/reproducing device of high precision for data of high density.
2. Description of Related Art
On a disc, signals are stored in units that are either 0 or 1. The signals are read by measuring the intensity of a laser beam reflected on a reflective layer on the disc and by subsequent decoding.
A conventional optical reading system for a disc is shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. A pick-up head 1 is sliding along a guiding rod 2 and a guiding rail 3, which are mounted on a base 4. A motor 5 drives the pick-up head along the guiding rod 3, so as to scan the disc and read data. The disc is set on a turntable 6, which is driven by a spindle motor.
As shown in FIGS. 10-12, the guiding rail 3 and the base 4 are made by injection die casting. The guiding rod 2 has two ends, which are laid into accommodating parts 7 and 8, respectively, one end being fixed to a metal plate 9A by a screw 9. Due to production and assembly defects, the positions of the ends 7,8 and the guiding rail 3 are often different from the design, causing the angle of incidence of the laser beam on the disc, which is defined as tilt angle, to deviate from the intended value, as well. Reading errors result. This problem becomes more severe, as the data density on CDs increases.

Tilt angle adjustable mechanism for compact disc recording/reproducing device

Industrial Technology Research Institute


A technique for hiding topological information in a message that leaves a trusted network-domain is presented. The message pertains to a subscriber session and comprises a Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) of a message originator. The originator is located in a first network domain, and the message is directed towards a destination in a second network domain. A method aspect comprises the steps of receiving the message, determining the FQDN comprised in the message and determining an identifier associated with the message. The identifier comprises at least one of a subscriber identifier, a session identifier and a destination identifier. Further, the method comprises applying a cryptographic operation on the FQDN and the identifier, or on information derived therefrom, to generate a cryptographic value. The message is then processed by substituting at least a portion of the FQDN with the cryptographic value prior to forwarding the message towards the second network domain.

Communication networks are ubiquitous in our connected world. Many larger communication networks comprise a plurality of interconnected network domains. In an exemplary mobile communication scenario, such network domains can be represented by a home network of a roaming user terminal on the one hand and a network visited by the roaming user terminal on the other.
Message exchanges between different network domains are often based on a session concept. There exist various messaging protocols suitable for the exchange of session-based messages between network elements located in different network domains. In the above example of message exchanges between network elements of a visited network and a home network, the Diameter protocol is often used. The Diameter protocol is an application layer protocol that provides an Authentication, Authorization and Accounting (AAA) framework for network operators.
A Diameter message contains in clear text the identity of the network element originating the message within a first network domain (e.g., a server in a visited network). Specifically, a Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) identifies the originator of the message. Within the first network domain, originator identities in Diameter messages are processed for purposes such as message routing, message validation and loop prevention. When the Diameter messages leave the first network domain towards a second network domain, a potentially un-trusted operator of the second network domain, or any interceptor at the border of the two network domains, can easily derive the topology of the first network domain from the originator identities (and from other clear text information in the messages, such as optional message path information recorded by the messages while being routed in the first network domain).
For security and secrecy reasons, an operator of the first network domain is strongly interested in hiding the topological information derivable from any Diameter messages leaving the first network domain. The corresponding message processing operations could generally take place in a so-called Diameter Edge Agent (DEA). The DEA is a network element within the first network domain and interfaces the second network domain. In many implementations, the DEA can be considered as the only point of contact into and out of a particular network domain at the Diameter application level. Conventionally, the DEA is configured to primarily support scalability, resilience and maintainability from the perspective of the first network domain.
For the purpose of hiding the originator identity, also called internal host name hereinafter, the DEA could be configured to replace it in every Diameter message leaving the first network domain with an arbitrary ("dummy") host name, also called external host name hereinafter. For a proper addressing of an incoming message that is received in response to an outgoing message in which the originator identity has been hidden, the internal host name has to be restored again in the incoming message. To this end, the DEA may maintain a mapping table that defines associations between pairs of internal and external host names.
It has, however been found that maintaining a mapping table at the DEA is disadvantageous from various perspectives. First, the DEA has to perform a dedicated look-up operation in the mapping table for each messaging step within a subscriber session that crosses the network domain boarder. Such look-up operations increase the overall system load. Further, memory resources that are consumed by the mapping table increase linearly with the number of active sessions, which limits the number of sessions that can be handled by one DEA. This disadvantage is aggravated by the fact that the mapping table is often replicated for security reasons in non-volatile memory. Still further, entries in the mapping table for sessions that have been silently terminated must be regularly cleaned up, which becomes an increasingly tedious task as the number of table entries rises. Also synchronization of DEAs that operate in a redundant manner becomes more complex because the mapping table has to be synchronized also.
It will be evident that the above drawbacks are not specific to the Diameter protocol or the roaming scenario exemplarily described above. Similar problems also occur in other messaging scenarios across domain borders when the messages potentially expose topological or other information.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Message processing for subscriber sessions which stretch over different network domains


A stimulus-responsive compound includes a pair of polysiloxane chains, a cross-linking moiety which cross-links the polysiloxane chains, and a liquid crystal moiety which is bonded to the polysiloxane chain. The cross-linking moiety includes a unit A which has a bond functioning as a rotation axis, and also has first and second groups located at different ends of the bond, a first unit B which is disposed at a first bonding site of the first group, a second unit B which is disposed at a first bonding site of the second group, a first unit C, and a second unit C. The first unit C and one of the polysiloxane chains are bonded to each other. The second unit C and the other of the polysiloxane chains are bonded to each other. The first unit B and the second unit B are bonded to each other by a reduction reaction.

Recently, in the medical field, micromachining field, etc., the necessity of compact actuators grows.
Such compact actuators are required to be small and also be driven at a low voltage. Various attempts have been made to realize such actuators driven at a low voltage (see, for example, PTL 1).
However, in the actuators in the related art, the driving voltage could not be sufficiently decreased, and a high voltage was required for deforming the actuators. Further, in the actuators in the related art, it was difficult to obtain a sufficiently large deformation amount (displacement amount).

Stimulus-responsive compound, deformable material, and actuator


Nutriceutical compositions useful as a dietary supplement which have antioxidant/free radical scavengers and also having a cytoprotective effect are disclosed. The compositions contain a cytoprotective and antioxidant/free radical scavenging amount of at least one of D-histidine, L-histidine, a racemic mixture thereof, a non-racemic mixture thereof, and nutriceutically acceptable salts thereof in combination with phytonutrients having antioxidant properties such as vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin A and .beta.-carotene. The compositions can be prepared in capsule form, tablets, sustained release tablets, suspensions and oral rehydration solutions.

When free radicals attack biological cells and tissues they can be incredibly destructive. They damage our cells, which can mean premature aging, reduced immune function, inflammation and ultimately degenerative disease. Among our primary defenses are the antioxidant nutrients, of which the most well known are vitamins C and E. The biological activity of antioxidants is enormously important to our health. Antioxidants have been known to neutralize free radical damage, rendering them all but harmless. Aging and deterioration in human cells is caused by the chemical process of oxidation. Scientists theorize that when pollutants, chemicals, and toxins such as cigarette smoke or food additives combine with oxygen in your bloodstream, they produce unstable (and harmful) molecules called "free radicals". Free radicals cause cells to die off faster than your body can produce new ones. As you get older, your body produces fewer new cells to replace the ones that die. This combination results in the aging process. When free radicals attack human cells, they weaken cell walls and erode them to the core. These weakened cells age rapidly, inviting disease and infection because of their unhealthy state. Scientists have identified a group of vitamins called antioxidants which choke off the supply of oxygen to the free radicals, thereby rendering them almost harmless. With free radicals thus neutralized, human cells and tissue remain younger and healthier.
The term nutriceutical appears to have been introduced initially by Stephen de Felice, M.D., director of New York's Foundation for Innovation in Medicine. The term nutriceutical is intended to describe specific chemical compounds found in foods that may prevent disease. The term phytochemical is a more recent evolution of the term that emphasizes the plant source of most of these protective, disease-preventing compounds. A true nutritional role for phytochemicals is becoming more probable every day as research uncovers more of their remarkable benefits. In fact, the term phytonutrient better describes the compounds' status. Someday, phytochemicals may indeed be classified as essential nutrients. A significant body of research suggests a strong link between diet and health. Current studies are showing that as we move away from the diet of our ancestors we succumb to modern diseases. Evidence of this can be seen in societies such as the centenarian tribes that live in remote villages in the Andes mountains and who still embrace traditional dietary practices. These people have been reported to live extraordinarily long lives that are free of such illnesses as cancer, heart disease and arthritis. Since few people in our modern society live today as do the tribes in remote Andean villages, researchers have examined epidemiological evidence from modern societies for clues to the diet-disease connection. On the basis of such studies, biochemical researchers have identified certain phytochemicals that aid the body in maintaining health and combating disease. As an overall guideline, health authorities recommend that we consume diets rich in whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables as well as reduce fat and animal-protein consumption.
The amino acid L-histidine having the chemical structure shown below ##STR1## is one of the 10 essential amino acids which cannot be synthesized by the human body and therefore must be obtained by the diet. In addtion to histidine's routine metabolic role as a protein building block, histidine is an effective scavenger of toxic oxygen species and therefore is useful in the protection of cells and tissues from a variety of inflammatory disease processes.
Several in vitro and in vivo laboratory studies have demonstrated histidine's antioxidant effects. The antioxidant effect observed with histidine has been attributed to its ability to scavenge highly reactive oxygen species, particularly singlet oxygen (.sup.1 O.sub.2) and hydroxyl radical (.circle-solid.OH) produced by the degradation of hydrogen peroxide and molecular oxygen. In one study [A. K. Vinnikova et al "Singlet Oxygen-induced inhibition of cardiac sarcolemmal Na.sup.+ K.sup.+ -ATPase", J. Mol. Cell. Card., 24: 465-470 (1992) and R. C. Kureja et al "Singlet oxygen interaction with Ca.sup.2+- ATPase of cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum"; Circ. ReS. 69, 1003-1014 (1991)], histidine afforded dose-dependent protection to sarcolemmal Na.sup.+ -K.sup.+ -ATPase and Ca.sup.2+ ATPase subjected to singlet oxygen-mediated damage in vitro. The researchers of the above studies compared the effects of histidine, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase in sarcoplasmic reticulum preparations and noted that histidine was efficient at protecting the enzymes' integrity due to its unique ability to scavenge singlet oxygen species. In another study [M. A. Khalid et al "Histidine protects bovine endothelial cells against anoxia reoxygenation injury by scavenging singlet oxygen"; Circulation, 86: 1223 (1992)] bovine endothelial cells treated with histidine were protected from post-anoxic reoxygenation injury.
Other studies [A. K. Vinnikova et al "Singlet Oxygen-induced inhibition of cardiac sarcolemmal Na.sup.+ K.sup.+ -ATPase", J. Mol. Cell. Card., 24: 465-470 (1992); Q. Cai et al "Antioxidative properties of histidine and its effect on myocardial injury during ischemia reperfusion in isolated rat heart", J. Cardiovasc. Pharmacol.; 25: 147-155 (1995); R. C. Kukreja et al "Protective effects of histidine during ischemia-reperfusion in isolated perfused rat hearts", Am. J. Physiol., 264:H1370-H1381 (1993) and R. C. Kukreja et al "The oxygen free radical system: from equation through membrane-protein interactions to cardivascular injury and protection", Cardiovasc. Res. 26: 641-655 (1992)] have shown that canine and rodent heart preparations subjected to ischemia/reperfusion injury were protected from singlet, hydroxyl radical and superoxide anion damage by the application of L-histidine.
Recent in vivo studies in rats subjected to coronary artery ligation and reperfusion demonstrated that 3 mM histidine could reduce ventricular infarcts and the duration and severity of arrhythmias, and was more effective than superoxide dismutase at achieving this protectant effect.
In applicants pending U.S. application Ser. No. 08/718,705 filed Sep. 27, 1996, it is disclosed that histidine has a strong protective effect against intestinal fluid accumulation induced by both Salmonella infection and by cholera toxin in a mouse model. S. typhimurium-induced intestinal fluid accumulation was reduced 47% in histidine-treated mice, and evaluation of tissues by light and electron microsocopy showed significant protection of the intestinal mucosa by histidine. In addition, mean cholera toxin-induced intestinal fluid accumulation was reduced 54% in histidine-treated mice. The fact that these two diarrhea-inducing agents act by different mechanisms indicates that histidine's intestinal protective effects may be very broad.
In a study dealing with mechanism of action [M. C. Erikson et al, "Influence of histidine on lipid peroxidation in sarcoplasmic reticulum"; Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 292: 427-432 (1992)], the effects of histidine on lipid peroxidation in an in vitro system derived from fish muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum were shown to be dependent on the order of addition of components (histidine, ferric iron, and reduced nicotinamide-adenine-dinucleotide). The studies by Erikson et al suggest that histidine's protective effect in vivo may be related to its ability to interfere with the reduction of ferric iron. Ginsburg [I. Ginsburg, "Cationic polyelectrolytes: Potent opsonic agents which activate the respiratory burst in leukocytes"; Free Radic. Res. Commun. 8:11-26 (1989)] has shown that polyhistidine or histidine complexed to the free radical scavengers, SOD or catalase, enhanced their ability to function as intracellular antioxidants. In vitro and in vivo studies [A. A. Boldyrev, "Natural histidine-containing dipeptide carnosine as a potent hydrophilic antioxidant with membrane stabilizing function"; Mol. Chem. Neuropathol., 19: 185-192 (1993) and O. V. Naumova et al; "Effect of carnosine on liver enzyme systems of animals subjected to radiation"; Biokhimiya, 57: 1373-1377 (1992] with the dipeptide carnosine (.beta.-Alanine-L-histidine) indicated that its radioprotective and membrane stabilizing effects were attributed to the actions of histidine, not alanine. Carnosine functions as a pH buffer and as a chelator of a variety of metals, which contributes to its oxygen scavenging profile.
The prior art is silent regarding nutriceuticals and/or dietary supplements containing histidine as a cytoprotective agent and as an antioxidant/free radical scavenging agent. Furthermore, the prior art is silent on nutriceuticals and/or dietary supplements incorporating histidine as a scavenger of singlet oxygen. The present invention provides nutriceutical formulations incorporating histidine as an antioxidant/free radical scavenger and therefore fills a long-felt need not currently available in the market place.

Histidine containing nutriceutical compositions


When a virtualized service platform encounters a catastrophic fault, an orchestrator may instantiate new virtual machines instances to deploy additional capacity in other cloud locations to handle failover storms. After the network fault is fixed and service returns to normal condition, these additional VM instances may be removed from the platform and cloud resources may be released. The system may minimize the resource over-provisioning and may continue to support geographical redundancy or dynamic scaling in a large-scale service network.

Communication networks have worked from using specialized networking equipment executing on dedicated hardware, like routers, firewalls, and gateways, to software based virtualized network functions (VNF) in a cloud infrastructure. To provide a service, a set of VNFs may be instantiated on the general purpose hardware. Each VNF may require one or more virtual machines (VMs) to be instantiated. In turn, VMs may require various resources, such as memory, virtual central processing units (vCPUs), and network interfaces or network interface cards (NICs).
Conventional non-virtualized application services over-provision capacity to provide geographical redundancy in a large-scale network, particularly if the service requires high reliability. For example, a platform that provides Voice-over-LTE and Consumer Voice-over-IP (CVoIP) services, may have network components engineered with more than 8 times of sunny day capacity in order to provide service auto-healing. When a core site is isolated due to a transport network fault, millions of impacted subscribers may re-register to another protection core site, which may result in a traffic spike of 12× to 16× within 15 to 30 minutes in the protection core site. When a catastrophic fault occurs in a part of a service network, other parts of the service network take on the load. When these "failover storms" occur, the over-provisioned capacity is useful. However, over-provisioning results in low resource utilization and higher service cost.

Geographical redundancy and dynamic scaling for virtual network functions


A touch panel has a first substrate and a second substrate. The thickness in the non-sensor regions of the first substrate is greater than the thickness in the sensor regions of the first substrate. The second substrate includes first photo spacers and second photo spacers having substantially the same heights. The first photo spacers are structurally connected to the non-sensor regions of the first region of the first substrate, and the second photo spacers are positioned corresponding to the sensor regions of the first substrate that maintain a first gap with the first substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a touch panel, and particularly, to a touch liquid crystal display panel.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Portable electronic devices such as PDAs, mobile phones, global positioning systems (GPS), and digital video players generally use a touch panel as the communicating interface between a user and the machine. Modern consumer electronic devices are increasingly smaller and lighter. In order to save space, a touch panel, which inputs data when it is touched, is the key component of modern consumer electronic devices, replacing traditional input devices, such as keyboards and mouse.
Please refer to FIG. 1, which is a schematic diagram showing a conventional touch panel. The conventional touch panel 10 is placed on a display side of a display panel 30. The touch panel 10 has a conductive glass substrate 12, a conductive thin film 14 disposed on the conductive glass substrate 12, and a plurality of spacers 13 positioned between the conductive glass substrate 12 and the conductive thin film 14. A top transparent conductive layer 16 and a bottom transparent conductive layer 18 are respectively positioned on a surface of the conductive glass substrate 12 and a surface of the conductive thin film 14 facing each other. The top transparent conductive layer 16 is electrically connected to a conductive trace 20, and the bottom transparent conductive layer 18 is electrically connected to another conductive trace 22. In addition, the conductive traces 20, 22 are electrically connected to a flexible printed circuit (FPC) 24. The conventional touch panel 10 is a resistance type touch panel, which senses a signal according to a voltage variation. When a finger touches the conductive thin film 14 of the touch panel 10, a voltage variation is induced at the touch point. The position of the touch point may be calculated by the value of the voltage variation, and the input signal representing the touch point is sent out through the bottom transparent conductive layer 16, the conductive trace 22, and the FPC 24.
The above-mentioned conventional touch panel 10 is disposed on the display side of the display panel 30 through an external attachment. The addition of the conventional touch panel 10 increases the thickness of the display panel 30 and reduces the light transmitting rate. Therefore, the brightness of the display panel is reduced. In addition, the conventional touch panel 10 only supports a single touch input, which means only one point may be used for an input at any one time. A multi-touch input is not allowable, which restricts the application of the conventional touch panel.


A black matrix color cathode-ray tube includes red, green, and blue luminescent patterns, wherein each of the red luminescent patterns has a wider area than each of the green and the blue luminescent patterns. The red, the green, and the blue luminescent patterns may be either of stripe or of dot shape. Preferably, the green and the blue luminescent patterns have a common area. More preferably, each green luminescent pattern has a wider area than each blue luminescent pattern. The cathode-ray tube displays one of red, green, and blue colors even when ones of the red, the green, and the blue luminescent patterns are selectively excited concurrently with others of the red, the green, and the blue luminescent patterns undesirably excited.

This invention relates to a black matrix color cathode-ray tube and, more particularly, to a high-definition black matrix color display vacuum tube.
In the manner which is known in the art and will later be described in greater detail, a black matrix color cathode-ray tube comprises a face panel enclosing a vacuum space, red or magenta, green, and blue or cyan luminescent patterns, namely, luminescent patterns of three additive primaries, on the face panel inside the vacuum space, and an electron gun in the vacuum space opposite to the face panel. The electron gun directs an exciting electron beam selectively onto the red, the green, and the blue luminescent patterns to make the red, the green, and the blue luminescent patterns emit red, green, and blue rays through the face panel. During manufacture, a black or light absorbing film of, for example, graphite is formed on an inside surface of the face panel and its adjacency and a photoresist film is formed on the black film. Using a shadow mask, an optical beam is directed onto the photoresist film to eventually form openings where the red, the green, and the blue luminescent patterns are subsequently deposited. In this manner, a black matrix film is formed. It is possible to use a photosensitive luminescent material on subsequently manufacturing each set of the red, the green, and the blue luminescent patterns.
In Japanese Patent Prepublication (A) No. 164,143 of 1988, an improved black matrix color cathode-ray tube is disclosed. It is inevitable during an opening forming process (which takes from 90 to 120 seconds for providing the openings for the red, the green, and the blue pattern sets) that the photoresist film has a gradually reduced temperature, such as from 42.degree. C. to 35.degree. C. in an ambient temperature of 25.degree. C . It will be assumed that the optical beam is incident onto the photoresist film with an exposure spot given an area kept constant and that first through third sets of openings are successively formed for one and other of the red, the green, and the blue pattern sets.
When PAA (polyacrylamide) is used as a photoresist material, each opening of the first set has the smallest area with each opening of the second set and of the third set given successively wider areas. When PVA (poly(vinyl alcohol)) or ADC (ammonium dichromate) is used as the photoresist material, each opening of the first set has the widest area with each opening of the second and the third sets given successively smaller areas. On the other hand, it is said in the Japanese patent prepublication that a uniformity in a display of achromatic or hue-less white color is achieved when the red luminescent pattern is smaller in area than the blue luminescent pattern and moreover when the blue luminescent pattern is smaller in area than the green luminescent pattern.
However, it should be taken into account that the exciting electron beam may not necessarily hit at only one of the red, the green, and the blue luminescent patterns that is intended. Instead, the electron beam may concurrently hit at a part of an adjacent luminescent pattern. This phenomenon frequently occurs resulting in an undesirable additive color mixture particularly when the color cathode-ray tube is a high-definition one or when the cathode-ray tube is a wide aperture one having a short tube length as used for a color display device in terminal equipment.
It will later be quantitatively described that the undesirable additive color mixture of each of basic or pure green and blue colors to a basic red color deteriorates saturation or chroma of the basic red color. In addition, it should be noted as will later be exemplified that such a color mixture between the basic red and green colors results in an appreciable amount of change in chromaticity of the color to give rise to a consequent reduction of tolerance in the saturation of the color as a result of luminous efficacy of the human eye. Although improvement of the uniformity in the achromatic white color is feasible by a change in the process of fluorescent pattern deposition, it is impossible to cope with the deterioration in the saturation of a basic color.

Black matrix color cathode-ray tube having a red pattern wider than each of green and blue patterns


There is disclosed a method, an apparatus, a server, a client and a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising a computer program stored therein for video coding and decoding. Depth pictures from a plurality of viewing angles are projected into a single viewing angle, making it possible to have pixel-wise joint filtering to be applied to all projected depth values. This approach enables to suppress the noise in the depth map data and provides improved performance for a view synthesis.

Various technologies for providing three-dimensional (3D) video content are currently investigated and developed. Especially, intense studies have been focused on various multiview applications wherein a viewer is able to see only one pair of stereo video from a specific viewpoint and another pair of stereo video from a different viewpoint. One of the most feasible approaches for such multiview applications has turned out to be such wherein only a limited number of input views, e.g. a mono or a stereo video plus some supplementary data, is provided to a decoder side and all required views are then rendered (i.e. synthesized) locally by the decoder to be displayed on a display. Several technologies for view rendering are available, and for example, depth image-based rendering (DIBR) has shown to be a competitive alternative. A typical implementation of DIBR takes a stereoscopic video and corresponding depth information with stereoscopic baseline as input and synthesizes an unlimited number of virtual views between the two input views.
However, in order to enable multiview rendering at the decoder side, texture data should be available at the decoder side along with the corresponding depth data. The depth information is usually a result of an estimation procedure based on stereo correspondences in input videos or an outcome of a noisy and low-resolution range sensor.
In both approaches of depth map estimation, the depth for each stereo camera view is estimated independently. As a result the independent processing, the resulting depth values estimated at different views can include inconsistencies among the views due to the presence of independent noise in each of the views.
A further source of inconsistency in multiview depth information may result from depth map compression, especially if carried out with conventional video compression systems, such as Advanced Video Coding standard H.264/AVC or the Multiview Video Coding MVC extension of H.264/AVC. These codecs are not optimized for depth data characteristics and may therefore introduce significant coding artifacts to the reconstructed depth data.
Thus, there is a need for improvements relating to depth map data consistency.

Apparatus, a method and a computer program for video coding and decoding


A method for automatic handling of drilling rods includes a step of handling at least one drilling rod (30) by a handler (40) designed for simultaneously clamping and moving the drilling rod (30), and wherein the handler (40) moves the drilling rod (30) from an auxiliary retainer (200) to a main well (100). The handling step takes place automatically and is controlled by a data processing unit, and includes automatic handling of a drill head (20) fitted with a chuck susceptible to being screwed to the drilling rod (30); the automatic handling occurring among a plurality of heights (q1-q6) stored in the data processing unit.

The present invention relates to a method for handling drilling rods and tubular wellbore casing elements; more in detail, it relates to a method for automatic handling of drilling rods and tubular wellbore casing elements, to the excavation equipment thereof, and to the computer program associated therewith.
It is known that traditional drilling machines use drilling rods which are driven in series one after the other into a main well.
It is also known that traditional drilling machines are installed with a drilling head above a main well, which is flanked by a service well, known in the art as mouse hole, into which the drilling rods, after having been picked up by a rod handler from a drilling rod container, are temporarily stored waiting for being picked up by the machine's drilling head, which then translates again over the main well with the rod just picked up from the mouse hole.
Traditionally, the process of picking up from the service hole the rods to be subsequently driven into the series of rods in the main well is carried out through manual steps which require the attention of an operator at the machine's controls, as well as the presence of an assistant on the drill floor, who does the work of manually greasing the threads of the drilling rods and of guiding the rods during the initial screwing step.
These manual operations are not exempt from troubles and dangers. In fact, mistakes may be made by the operator at the machine's controls due to lack of attention, which mistakes may lead to malfunctions or may cause dangerous situations to arise for the assistant on the drill floor. Moreover, the manually greased threads may suffer from excess of or unevenly distributed grease. In both cases, problems may arise at the threaded connections between the drilling rods.
Document U.S. Pat. No. 4,042,123 discloses a method for automatic handling of drilling rods from an auxiliary retaining means to a main well by means of a handling system. However, U.S. Pat. No. 4,042,123 does not teach any steps of picking up drilling rods through a drill head, also known as "top drive".
In the event of an explosion or uncontrolled leakage of fluids and gases (also known as "blow-out"), there is a concrete risk that the outflow of fluids and gases from the last rod at the top of the well cannot be controlled.

Method for automatic handling of drilling rods and tubular wellbore elements, excavation equipment and associated computer program


An improved process for delignification of lignocellulosic raw material, such as wood chips, for the production of cellulose pulps for use in the manufacture of paper or paperboard and an improved pulping aid composition for use in said process are disclosed wherein the wood chips are treated in a closed reaction vessel with an alkaline pulping liquor with an amount of a cyclic keto compound, such as anthraquinone, included therein for achievement of a determined pulp yield, wherein the improvement comprises a reduction in the amount of anthraquinone required to achieve said yield by the addition to said alkaline pulping liquor, in addition to a reduced amount of the anthraquinone, a surfactant mixture comprising at least one alkyl alcohol alkoxylate and at least one polyoxyalkylene glycol ether of an ester of an acid selected from the group consisting of ricinoleic acid and 12-hydroxystearic acid.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved additive composition and process for the delignification of lignocellulosic material, such as wood, with an alkaline pulping liquor of the kraft, or sulfate, alkaline pulping process. More particularly, the invention relates to lignocellulosic material delignification with kraft pulping liquors containing a cyclic keto compound (preferably, anthraquinone), permitting enhanced yield. Specifically, the invention relates to an improvement of said process wherein said enhanced yield is achieved at reduced anthraquinone levels via the inclusion of a surfactant mixture comprising at least one alkyl alcohol alkoxylate and at least one polyoxyalkylene glycol ether of an ester of an acid selected from the group consisting of ricinoleic acid and 12-hydroxystearic acid
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the mid-1970s, a significant advance was made in the delignification of lignocellulosic material for the production of wood pulps upon the discovery of the benefits of using anthraquinone as a pulping additive to alkaline pulping liquors. Among the earliest public disclosures of such use of anthraquinone was U.S. Pat. No. 3,888,727, which taught treating lignocellulosic material with an alkaline pulping liquor containing anthraquinone sulfonic acid followed by oxygen delignification. More significantly, however, U.S. Pat. No. 4,012,280 taught that the poorer economics of the environmentally preferable soda pulping process could be improved to compete with the more environmentally offensive (in terms of odor) kraft process by incorporation of anthraquinone as a pulping additive. Although the benefits of increased yield of cellulosic pulp and increased rate of delignification (permitting lower energy consumption and higher throughput) were shown, the use of the improved, lower pollution potential soda process was not advanced. First, incorporating the relatively expensive anthraquinone in the soda process to make it productively competitive with the kraft process without antraquinone reduced its economic competitiveness. Second, the benefits of anthraquinone also were achieved in other (already more commercially employed) pulping process such as those employing kraft or polysulfide pulping liquors.
It was soon discovered, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,213,821, that anthraquinone also benefited cooking wood chips in neutral sulfite pulping liquor (with a special case disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,139,617), as well as in the alkaline pulping liquors. Methods for maximizing the benefits of anthraquinone were disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos.: 4,127,439; 4,178,861; and 4,310,383. Also, due to anthraquinone's difficult-to-handle, water-insoluble, fine powder form, discoveries made to facilitate its dispersion in the pulping liquors are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos.: 4,248,663; 4,384,921; and 4,574,032. One disadvantage to anthraquinone use is its tendency to cause scaling problems in the cooking vessel. Methods to overcome this problem are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos.: 4,481,073 and 4,561,935. Finally, as a result of the relative high cost of anthraquinone, methods for recovering and reuse of the chemical are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos.: 4,197,168 and 4,310,383.
In spite of the aforementioned advances, there remains a need to improve the benefits of anthraquinone pulping (primarily reduction of energy and chemical requirements while improving yield) and to reduce its disadvantages (primarily cost and equipment scaling). One approach would be to replace a portion of the anthraquinone with an additive which provided some of the benefits of anthraquinone without providing the disadvantages which accompany its use.
Therefore, an object of this invention is to provide an improved pulping additive composition and process for delignification of a lignocellulosic raw material with a pulping liquor with anthraquinone for the production of a predetermined yield of cellulose pulp which composition and process permit the achievement of said yield, as well as other aforementioned benefits, with a reduced requirement of anthraquinone of at least 10%.

Additive composition for reducing anthraquinone requirements in pulping of lignocellulosic material


A charge characteristic compensating circuit for a liquid crystal display panel for maintaining a charge characteristic of the liquid crystal display panel independently of ambient temperature change to prevent deterioration of images displayed. A plurality of liquid crystal cells control light transmission in response to data signals from the data lines. A plurality of thin film transistors switch the data signals from the data lines to the liquid crystal cells in response to signals on the gate lines. A voltage supply generates a gate voltage required for the gate lines. A gate line driver applies the gate voltage from the voltage supply to the gate lines to drive the gate lines. A gate line controller responds to a change in the ambient temperature to vary a controlling signal applied to the gate line driver.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a drive circuit for a liquid crystal display panel having thin film transistors (TFT's) switching a data signal to be applied to a liquid crystal cell, and more particularly to a TFT charge characteristic compensating circuit for maintaining a constant charge characteristic of a liquid crystal cell despite changes in ambient temperature.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel includes liquid crystal cells, which respond to a voltage level of a data signal to control a light transmissivity, and thin film transistors (TFTs) for switching the data signal to be applied to each liquid crystal cell. The TFT's on the LCD panel have resistance values that decrease gradually as the ambient temperature increases. Also, the liquid crystal cells have a dielectric constant that increases gradually as the ambient temperature increases.
Since both the resistance values of the TFT's and the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal cells change as the ambient temperature changes, the amount of electric charge in the liquid crystal cell, via the TFT, also changes as the ambient temperature changes. This in turn causes the light transmission response of the liquid crystal cell to change with temperature as well. Thus, as the ambient temperature varies, the quality of the image displayed from the LCD panel deteriorates.
A conventional driving apparatus for an LCD panel is shown in FIG. 1. The conventional LCD panel driving apparatus includes a DC voltage converter 12, a gate line driver 14, and an LCD panel 10. The LCD panel 10 has a liquid crystal cell CLC positioned at an intersection between the a line GL and a data line DL, and a TFT MN connected among the liquid crystal cell CLC and the gate and data lines GL and DL. The liquid crystal cell CLC and the TFT MN are arranged in a matrix.
The DC voltage converter 12 supplies DC voltages required for the gate line driver 14. The DC voltage converter 12 receives a DC voltage Vd via a power input line 11 from a power supply (not shown). Also, the DC voltage converter 12 outputs a high-level gate voltage Vgh and a low-level gate voltage Vgl. The high-level gate voltage Vgh is applied, via a first resistor R1, to the gate line driver 14 and the low-level gate voltage Vgl is applied, via a second resistor R2, to the gate line driver 14 as well.
The gate line driver 14 alternates driving the gate line GL with a high level voltage and a low-level gate voltage. When the high level voltage is applied, the TFT MN turns on to apply a data signal on the data line DL to the liquid crystal cell CLC. The liquid crystal cell CLC is charged by the data signal while the TFT MN is on.
The high level voltage applied to the gate line GL is constant regardless of the ambient temperature. However, because the TFT MN in the LCD panel 10 responds differently as the ambient temperature changes, the liquid crystal cell CLC is charged differently as the temperature changes as well. As noted above, this in turn creates a changing response of the light transmission of the liquid crystal cell CLC. Accordingly, the quality of the image displayed from the LCD panel deteriorates as the ambient temperature changes.

Charge characteristic compensating circuit for liquid crystal display panel


A winding procedure has been developed that results in substantially uniform material properties from the outside diameter to the core of a wound roll of elastomeric webs produced by vertical film lamination (VFL) or stretch bond lamination (SBL) or as registered film. The web material is wound onto the roll in accordance with a wound on tension (WOT) profile that varies with the diameter of the wound web in a manner that was calculated using WOT transposition that is based on a modified version of Hakiel's nonlinear model for wound roll stresses. A constant WOT winding profile is corrected to obtain a compensated WOT winding profile that can be employed to wind the material into a roll that exhibits properties (including MD stress in the web) that are substantially uniform thru-roll. This resulting controlled winding technique has immediate application for webs that are converted for child care products, adult care products, and infant care products.

Winding is the process of turning a flat web into a wound roll. Wound rolls are the most efficient method to store large amounts of continuous web material in a package that is convenient for material handling and shipping. The wound roll must be wound hard enough to withstand roll handling, storage conditions, clamp truck pressures, and automated material handling systems. The wound roll becomes the delivery device as the material is unwound from the roll and further processed in a manufacturing line such as in a converting process.
Although each wound roll is its own unique entity, it is a common practice in film and newspaper industries to qualify a roll as either a "hard" roll or a "soft" roll. This is done based on the "feel" or "hardness" of the wound roll. A hard roll is also commonly called a "fully compressed roll". Typically, wound rolls of tissue, newsprint, spunbond-meltblown-spunbond laminates (SMS) fall under the category of soft rolls. Wound rolls of polyester and film laminates fall under the category of fully compressed rolls, which are so-called "hard rolls." Also, wound rolls of low modulus films, film laminates, vertical film/filament laminates (VFL's) and stretch bond laminates (SBL's) fall under the "hard roll" category. A "hard roll" is produced when the machine direction (MD) modulus of the material is comparable to the radial modulus (ZD Modulus) of the material (Et≅Er). A "soft roll" is produced when the MD modulus of the material is much greater than the radial modulus of the material (Et>>Er).
Winding continuous web materials into a wound roll results in stored stresses within the roll, and thus winding presents an accretive stress problem. For commodity grade spunbond there is very little concern about how tightly the material is wound around the roll. However, when elastomerics, delicate laminates, or high loft web materials are wound, the roll structure (hardness) results in a permanent change of material properties inside the wound roll. This change can occur during the winding process, immediately after the winding process or over a period time.
The tension in the outermost layer of a continuous web of material being wound onto a roll is known as the "wound on tension" or "WOT." This WOT parameter includes the web tension and any additional tension that may be due to nip load (nip induced tension), which depends on the type of winder. Each new layer added onto the winding roll during the winding process changes the stresses inside the wound roll.
Zbigniew Hakiel's paper ("Nonlinear model for wound roll stresses", TAPPI Journal, Vol. 70(5), pp 113-117, 1987) describes how the wound roll stresses at any diametral location within the continuous web wound into a roll can be calculated given the properties (listed under "required input values") of the roll and the material. Hakiel's paper discusses both the computational method and the flow chart for writing a computer program in any computer language, and thus a simple program can be written to predict the wound roll stresses based on what is described in Hakiel's paper. A graph of these stresses as a function of the diameter of the roll of continuous material produces a curve that exhibits a characteristic shape for both interlayer pressure (radial stress/pressure) and stresses in the machine direction (MD). The MD stress is the stress in the direction in which the web is wound onto the roll or taken off the roll and is also known as the tangential stress or the circumferential stress.
From the wound roll structure standpoint, a "soft" roll has a plateau-type radial stress profile. Addition of more web material wound on the roll does not increase the radial stresses inside these types of rolls. The only limitation to the size of the roll comes from the limitations of the winder and from the limitations of web handling, transporting units. On the other hand, a "hard" roll has a tapered radial stress profile. Addition of web material to the roll directly impacts the radial stress profile by increasing the stress inside the roll. Hence in the case of hard rolls, issues like "roll blocking" and "core crush" need to be addressed. Concern for these issues tends to restrict the size of the wound "hard" rolls.
In the case of soft rolls, the in-roll tension (also referred to as "MD stress" or "tangential stress" or "circumferential stress") is uniform throughout the roll except very near the core and at the outside diameter. In many cases the in-roll tension is close to zero and sometimes can even be negative. In hard rolls by contrast, the thru-roll MD stress and strain produces a curve that resembles a 'Nike®-Swoosh®' profile. If the wound roll were to be made of high modulus film, the swoosh profile in MD strain is not a big concern as the strains are small to begin with. As the material is being unwound, this strain, typically, is quickly recovered. Hence the winding process need not undergo any modification to accommodate this stored in-roll strain.
However this is not the case in winding low modulus films, film laminates, VFL and SBL. For example, the MD modulus of VFL material is in the range of about 5 psi to about 25 psi, which is very low. The outside diameter of a wound roll of VFL material can be in the neighborhood of 62 inches. The elastomeric filaments in the VFL material make it behave like a rubber band. As anyone who has wound a rubber band around one's finger can attest, the pressures in a wound roll of VFL material are very high, even if the material is wound onto the roll at low wound on tension (WOT).
The MD stresses in rolls of such webs of material will cause the attributes (elasticity for example) of the web material on the roll to change "thru-roll," i.e., attributes of the material wound around the core of the roll commonly will differ from the same attributes of the material wound around the outside diameter of the roll and will vary at diameters intermediate these two extreme diameters. Since the strains are very high and many materials are highly viscoelastic, the stored strains within the roll become permanent. This results in aged material properties that vary (repeatable) as a function of the roll's radius. To cope with such properties in processing the webs drawn from such hard rolls, special modifications of the process equipment (like controlled unwind) need to be in place during converting for example. The problem of coping with such properties gets complicated if printing is done on the web during converting. As the strain recovery rates are different due to different in-roll tension that the web was subjected to, the repeat length of the printed indicia may not be the same as the web material is unwound from the roll.
As noted above, webs made of elastomeric materials that are wound into rolls will experience some permanent change in the properties of the material. The elastic properties of the material wound around the core of the roll commonly will differ by more than a twenty percent variation from the elastic properties of the material wound around the outside diameter of the roll. In other words, the elastic properties "thru-roll" commonly vary by more than twenty percent. Yet the elastic properties in the machine direction (MD) are often critical to the final converting process. A change in elastic properties as the material is unwound from the roll for use in a processing line of equipment will often cause increased waste and/or downtime of the line.
Empirical studies have been conducted to develop a winding procedure that results in uniform material properties "thru-roll," i.e., from the outside diameter to the core of the wound roll. However, conducting such studies for each differently sized new roll of differently composed material is tedious, time-consuming, and in many cases cost prohibitive.


A nonbinary iterative detector-decoder (IDD) system. The IDD system comprises a detector, a decoder; and a nonbinary interface electrically connected between the detector and decoder. The interface is operative to convert a soft symbol and variance that is output by the detector into a corresponding nonbinary log likelihood ratio (LLR) vector that comprises one or more nonbinary LLRs, and to provide the LLR vector to the decoder. The interface is further configured to convert a nonbinary LLR vector comprised of one or more nonbinary LLRs that is output by the decoder into a corresponding soft symbol and variance, and to provide the soft symbol and variance to the detector.

It is common in many types of wireless communications (e.g., Wi-Fi, long term evolution (LTE), evolved high speed packet access (HSPA+), WiMax, etc.) for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless systems to be used to improve performance. With MIMO, multiple antennae are used at each end of the wireless link to spatially multiplex data streams.
MIMO performance is improved by using an iterative detection-decoding (IDD) system to reduce the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) required for a reliable transmission. An IDD system generally comprises a soft-in soft-out (SISO) detector and a SISO forward error correction (FEC) decoder. The detector is operable to cancel interference, and the decoder is operable to correct errors. Collectively, the detector and decoder exchange soft information in an iterative manner to improve SNR. Detectors used in known or conventional IDD systems include spherical detectors (SD) and minimum mean square error (MMSE) detectors, with MMSE detectors being less complex and easier to scale up to support high data rates and spectral efficiency. Decoders used in known or conventional IDD systems include binary low-density parity-check (LDPC) decoders.
In addition to the detector and decoder, the IDD system also includes an interface between the detector and decoder that is operative to convert the output of the detector (soft symbol and variance) to the input of the decoder (a priori log likelihood ratio (LLR)), and output of the decoder (a posteriori LLR) to the input of the detector (soft symbol and variance). This can be done in the binary domain or nonbinary domain, wherein in the binary domain, the conversion between symbol statistics and LLR is done on a bit-by-bit basis.
The use of nonbinary code, e.g., nonbinary LDPC, and a nonbinary decoder can provide better coding gain and improved detection-decoding performance as compared to binary code, e.g., binary LDPC, and a binary decoder. However, the bit-by-bit conversion between symbol statistics and nonbinary LLR using a conventional binary interface is inefficient.
Accordingly, there is a need for a nonbinary interface for use between a detector and decoder of an IDD system that minimizes and/or eliminates one or more of the above-identified deficiencies.

The Regents of the University of Michigan


Substantially pure interleukin-1 converting enzyme isoforms are disclosed. Pharmaceutical compositions comprising one or more interleukin-1 converting enzyme isoforms are disclosed. Nucleic acid molecules that encode interleukin-1 converting enzyme isoforms, recombinant expression vectors that comprise a nucleic acid sequence that encodes an interleukin-1 converting enzyme isoform, and host cells that comprise recombinant expression vectors that comprise nucleic acid sequences that encode interleukin-1 converting enzyme isoforms are disclosed. Fragments of nucleic acid molecules with sequences encoding interleukin-1 converting enzyme isoform and oligonucleotide molecules that comprise a nucleotide sequence complimentary to fragment of a nucleotide sequence that encodes an interleukin-1 converting enzyme isoform are disclosed. Antibodies which bind to an epitope on interleukin-1 converting enzyme isoforms are disclosed. Methods of identifying inhibitors of ICE isoforms are disclosed.

Interleukin-1.beta. converting enzyme, which is referred to herein as ICE.alpha., is a cytoplasmic cysteine protease that cleaves inactive 31 kDa proIL-1.beta. to generate the active 17.5 kDa proinflammatory cytokine IL-1.beta. (Black, R. A., et al. (1989) FEBS Lett. 247, 386-390; and Kostura, M. J., et al. (1989) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 86, 5227-5231, which are each incorporated herein by reference). ICE.alpha. is expressed in many tissues as an inactive proenzyme polypeptide of 404 amino acids (SEQ ID NO:2) and a relative molecular mass (Mr) of 45 kDa (p45) (Cerretti, D. P., et al. (1992) Science 256, 97-100; and Thornberry, N. A., et al. (1992) Nature 356, 768-774) .
Active ICE.alpha. is produced after proteolytic cleavage of the proenzyme p45 to generate two subunits of Mr 20 kDa and 10 kDa, known as p20 and p10 subunits. Recent crystal structure analysis of active ICES demonstrated that the two subunits associate with each other to form a (p20).sub.2 /(P10).sub.2 tetramer (Wilson, K. P., et al. (1994) Nature 370, 270-275) also referred to as a (p20/P10).sub.2 homodimer (Walker, N. P. C., et al. (1994) Cell 78, 343-352).
The structure of ICE.alpha. is unique and is not related to any known protein structures including those of other cysteine proteases. ICE.alpha. is also unusual in its substrate specificity. ICE.alpha. requires an Asp in the P1 position and a small preferably hydrophobic residue in the P1' position (Sleath, P. R., et al. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 14526-14528; and Howard, A. D., et al. (1991) J. Immunol. 147, 2964-2969). Only the serine protease granzyme B and its homologs have a similar requirement for Asp in the P1 position.
Sequence homology between ICE.alpha. and the Caenorhabditis elegans cell death gene product CED-3 suggests that mammalian ICE.alpha. or its homologs might be involved in apoptosis. The two proteins share an overall 28% sequence identity (Yuan, J., et al. (1993) Cell 75, 641-652). A 43% identity is observed when a region which contains the enzyme active site is compared. A significant homology between ICE.alpha. or CED-3, and a newly discovered mouse protein known as Nedd2 was also demonstrated in a recent study and the significance of this homology to CED-3 was demonstrated when overexpression of ICES or Nedd2 in fibroblasts resulted in apoptosis (Kumar, S., et al. (1994) Genes & Develpoment 8, 1613-1626; and Miura, M., et al. (1993) Cell 75, 653-660). Expression of crmA, a poxvirus specific inhibitor of ICE.alpha. (Ray, C., et al. (1992) Cell 69, 597-604) was able to block ICE.alpha. apoptosis in fibroblasts and to protect ganglion neurons from apoptosis induced by nerve growth factor depletion (Gagliardini, V., et al. (1994) Science 263, 826-828).
There is a need for compounds which inhibit activity of ICE isoforms. There is a need for kits and methods of identifying such compounds. There is a need for isolated ICE isoforms, and for compositions and methods of producing and isolating ICE isoforms.

Isoforms of human interleukin-1.beta. converting enzyme and methods of using the same


An assembly and associated method of manufacture are provided in which electrostatic deposition is used to directly apply and/or apply without solvents an electrode to one of an ion-conducting member, a member adapted to hold an ion-conducting member and a gas diffusion layer of the assembly.

This invention relates to fuel cells and, in particular, to apparatus and methods of manufacturing the electrode assembly thereof.
A fuel cell is a device which directly converts chemical energy stored in hydrocarbon fuel into electrical energy by means of an electrochemical reaction. Generally, a fuel cell comprises an anode and a cathode separated by a member which serves itself to conduct electrically charged ions or is adapted to hold an electrolyte which conducts electrically charged ions. In order to produce a useful power level, a number of individual fuel cells are stacked in series with an electrically conductive separator plate separating the cells.
Each of the anode and the cathode, together with the ion-conducting member or member adapted to hold an ion-conducting electrolyte, comprise what will be referred to herein as the ion-conducting member electrode assembly (ICMEA). For different types of fuel cells, e.g., the proton exchange membrane (PEM), solid oxide (SOFC), molten carbonate (MCFC), phosphoric acid fuel cells (PAFC), etc., the ICMEAs are different, but all require the sandwich construction (planar, tubular or other) of the three components of the electrodes and member. While the discussion to follow illustrates the invention in terms of an assembly with a membrane ion-conducting member, as is used in PEM fuel cells, the principles of the invention are intended to extend to all types of fuel cells, electrochemical devices, and, in particular, the three-component construction of the ICMEAs of these cells.
In a PEM, the ion-conducting member is a membrane and the ICMEA is typically referred to as a membrane electrode assembly (MEA). Significant cost reduction is required in the current manufacturing costs of fuel cell components. Today's methods and systems for the manufacture of the MEA often require many steps causing them to be inefficient and thus expensive. Contributing to this inefficiency and expense is the current need to use solvents and other organics/dispersing agents when casting an MEA to realize a PEM of a desired energy yield. These solvents must be purchased and used throughout the manufacturing process. Aside from the costs associated with their purchase and use, there is an added expense involved in discarding the solvents due to environmental standards and regulations governing such disposal and human safety. Accordingly, eliminating solvents from the manufacturing process would not only reduce costs, but would also contribute to enhanced protection of the environment.
Another difficulty experienced in current practices for the production of MEAs is the inability to form the MEA as precisely as desired. Expensive reformulation steps are required to incorporate any process and design improvements. As a result, making MEAs of different size to accommodate fuel cells having different energy levels is made more difficult.
There are various methods to making an MEA structure. FIG. 1 shows a process for the manufacture of a MEA 10 according to today's conventional practice(s). An ion-conducting member, represented by the membrane 12, is positioned to receive each of the anode 14 and the cathode 16 comprised of their associated catalyst particles 18, 20. Formation of each electrode 14 and 16 begins by providing a desired substrate 21 (sacrificial or functional) to which a prepared "ink" 22, formed of catalyst particles, an ionomer solution and dispersing agents 24, is applied. The ink 22 is cast onto the substrate 21 according to a predetermined patterning chosen to accommodate the desired energy yield of the fuel cell.
Afterward, solvents 26 are applied to fix the ink 22 upon the substrate 21 according to the casting. The substrate 21 is then dried to form the electrode 14 or 16. Each electrode 14, 16 is then cut according to a predetermined size and later assembled with the membrane 12. Formation of each of the electrodes, i.e., the anode 14 and the cathode 16, takes place separately until the MEA 10 is finally formed by laminating, or, hot pressing each electrode 14, 16 into permanent contact with the membrane 10. In the case where a sacrificial substrate is used, a final removal step is required. This process also has a material loss in every step leading to a lower overall yield (<80%).
As may be seen, various stages of the illustrated process require that oversight, represented as quality control "QC", exist in ensuring the quality of the process, and product produced thereby. As can be appreciated, it would be desirable to provide a more efficient method of associating the electrodes 14, 16 with the membrane 10, while at the same time reducing the amount of necessary oversight. Thus, a system and method for manufacturing a MEA which eliminates at least some of the steps represented at "X" would be desirable. Doing so would also provide a method and system better suited for the mass production of low-cost fuel cells.

Electrode assembly and method of making same


Systems and methods for non-destructive testing by computed tomography are provided. The system can include a stationary radiation source, a stage, and a plurality of stationary radiation detectors. The source can be configured to emit, from a focal point, a beam of penetrating radiation having a three-dimensional geometry and to direct the beam in a path incident upon a target. The stationary radiation source can be positioned with respect to the plurality of stationary radiation detectors and the stage such that, a first plurality of beam segment paths is defined between the focal point and respective sensing faces of the plurality of radiation detectors and at least one second beam segment path is defined between the focal point and a predetermined gap.

Non-destructive testing (NDT) is a class of analytical techniques that can be used to inspect a target, without causing damage, to determine whether the inspected target meets required specifications. NDT has found wide acceptance in industries such as aerospace, power generation, oil and gas transport or refining, and transportation, that employ structures that are not easily removed from their surroundings.
Computed Tomography (CT) is one example of an NDT technique. In certain implementations, CT can provide quantitative images of material density as a function of geometry of cross-sections through the target. These cross-sectional images can be combined to produce corresponding 3-dimensional representations of the target.

Fast industrial, computed tomography for large objects

GE Sensing & Inspection Technologies GmbH


A fuel cell (1) comprises an anode (9A) and cathode (9B) disposed on either side of a solid polymer electrolyte membrane (8A), and power is generated by supplying hydrogen to the anode (9A) and supplying hydrogen to the cathode (9B). When the temperature of the fuel cell (1) is below 0° C., water in the cell freezes. When a power plant using the fuel cell (1) is warmed up under the temperature less than 0° C., the anode (9A) is connected to the positive electrode of a secondary battery (13) and the cathode (9B) is connected to the negative electrode of the secondary battery (13) to electrolyze frozen water in the cell, thereby thawing the frozen water using the heat accompanying the electrolysis.

In a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC), hydrogen ions (H+) pass through a solid polymer electrolyte membrane, so the electrolyte membrane must constantly be kept in a wet state. A fuel cell power plant using a fuel cell of this type operates while supplying water to the electrolyte membrane. Therefore, the fuel cell contains a considerable amount of water, and if the power plant is left below freezing in the stationary state, the water in the fuel cell including the water in the electrolyte membrane will freeze. Consequently, in order to start the fuel cell power plant below freezing point, the ice in the fuel cell must first be thawed.
In this regard, Tokkai 2000-315514 published by the Japanese Patent Office in 2000 discloses an apparatus wherein high temperature gas from outside is supplied to a gas passage in the fuel cell to thaw the ice in the cell.


The invention provide a method for optimal use of print resource during the preparation a print job for printing. During the creation of a spool file, or similar intermediate file, the invention logs data on print resource usage in a print job in an accounting file. Upon review of this data, it modifies the print resource usage data in the accounting file as necessary to optimize print resource usage. The spool file and the accounting file are then sent to a printer driver. The printer driver knows how to use the print resource data in the accounting file to optimize the print resource usage.

The present invention relates to the field of information handling systems. More particularly, it relates to a system and method for improving performance and quality of printed documents by accumulating, storing and using resource accounting information with a print job.
It is well known to provide the output from a computer system in a printed form. A peripheral device, a printer, is coupled to the computing system by means of hardware such as printer adapter cards and cabling. Since a printer can often be efficiently shared between two or more computing systems, it is known to have a single machine in the network, a printer server, dedicated to providing the interface between the printer and the other machines in the network. Further, it is also known to have software modules such as graphics drivers and printer drivers to insulate the typical applications running in the computer systems from the need to know the peculiarities and details of printing via a particular printer attached to the network.
The printing subsystem, including the graphics and printer drivers, receives graphics calls from the applications and translates those into a print job. During the creation of a print job, an application may use a variety of resources such as fonts, color palettes, patterns and other printer resources. These printer resources are often not handled optimally by the print subsystem, because the print system does not know when and how often these resources will be used. More specifically, since the printer driver which is creating the data stream for the printer does not know when or how often fonts are used, the printer driver may download a font multiple times or unnecessarily download a font when only a few characters are used.
Under some printer memory management systems, a downloaded font must be sent to the printer between pages so it can be locked in the job memory and used on other pages. Since the print system does not know in advance the fonts which are used within a page, the font must be downloaded twice, once when the font is used and again between pages for subsequent uses. Thus, these management systems increase the amount of data sent to the printer and slow the print process. Similarly, since the print system does not know what color palettes may be used during a print job, it can not correctly set up its hardware palette to represent the colors most frequently used in the document. Usually, this causes the printed colors to be changed or remapped when printing to the device.
In today's information handling systems, a typical print subsystem performs the spooling and creation of a printer specific data stream on behalf of the application submitting the print request. Usually, the printing process is divided into two parts, spooling or queuing of the print data and de-spooling or sending the data to the device. The actual creation of the printer specific data stream can be done during the spooling phase, or in some configurations, i.e. when a metafile is used as a spool file, the printer specific data stream can be created during the de-spooling phase. Depending on the system configuration, the network connectivity and the server functionality, both phases of the print process may be done on a single system or the first phase may be done on a client system and the second phase may be done on a server system.
A typical print system consists of the following components or combinations of the following components to produce similar functionality. Referring to FIG. 1, in a distributed environment, a client machine 11 will typically request printing services from a print server 13 via a network 15, the print server 13 being coupled to one or more printers 17. The process begins when an application 19 produces a print job by making a series of graphics calls according to a graphic API. The graphics engine 21 is the component which is responsible for mapping or converting the application interfaces or graphics API calls to the printer driver interfaces. The printer drivers 23 and 35 are the components which are responsible for creating the printer specific data that is sent to the printer 17 to produce the desired output. In many instances, this component 23 provides configurable settings and returns information about the device 17. In some systems, the printer drivers 23 and 35 are called formatters since they format the data appropriately for the printer. In other systems, this component 23 is called a transform since it transforms the operating system calls or input stream to the data stream appropriate for the printer 17.
The spooler 25, 27 is the component which stores and retrieves the print job 29 using a queuing process to coordinate access to the printer 17. The queue driver 31 is sometimes used in print systems to preform at the spool data before sending the data to the printer driver 35 installed for the device. In most cases, this component 31 is handling the case where a metafile has been spooled and the metafile must be played back to the underlying print components by calling operating system components. The operating system components parse the metafile and convert the metafile back to graphics calls that can be passed the graphics engine 33. In other systems, where printer specific data has been spooled, the queue driver 31 simply passes the raw data to the underlying components of the print system. The graphics engine 33 at the server is responsible for mapping or converting the application interfaces or graphics API calls to the printer driver 35 interfaces. The printer driver 35 at the server is responsible for creating the printer specific data which is sent to the printer to produce the desired output.
The port driver 37 is a component in some printing systems which separates the logic of how to communicate or send data to a physical device driver 39. In these systems, the port driver 37 is responsible for handling the device driver interface to the printer. The physical device driver 39 is the component which is responsible for the hardware protocols used to communicate with or transmit data to the printer 17.
One prior art solution for managing font resources downloaded to a printer is to delete fonts on a least recently used basis when the maximum number of fonts have been downloaded. This method is inefficient because it disregards when and how often a font may be used again and may download a font that has minimum usage. Another prior art method for managing printing resources is to simply stop downloading resources when the maximum number of resources that can be downloaded to the printer is reached. This method does not account for fonts that may have large amounts of usage at the end of the document.
Other prior art systems have used font downloaders which are independent programs. These stand alone downloaders send all the fonts down before the beginning of a series of jobs. These fonts can take up memory from the print jobs, since they are resident in memory even if the font is not used. Some other prior art systems download fonts twice to get the font in global memory hoping the font will be used again. This method may waste printer memory and certainly takes additional time.
The present invention provides an improved method for handling printer resources.

Method for improving print performance and quality by accumulating, storing and using resource accounting information with a print job

International Business Machines Corporation