Systems and methods for recovering and managing location information in mobile communication networks using a fast recovery protocol and load balanced query and update processes. According to the fast recovery protocol, if a location update processor does not receive a message from a global database server acknowledging receipt by the global database server of a location update message after a predetermined retry interval has elapsed since the location update message was sent by the location update processor, the location update processor sends a location update retry message after each predetermined retry interval elapses until the location update processor receives an acknowledgement message from the global database server. The global database server can use the location update retry messages and the predetermined retry interval to recover from a database or link failure. The recovery period using the fast recovery protocol is bounded by the predetermined retry interval. The fast recovery protocol can also be used in a system having a distributed location information database architecture. The load balanced query and update processes can be used to query and update, respectively, the databases of the distributed location information database architecture.

The present invention relates to communication networks. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method for recovering and managing location information in mobile communication networks.
Communications networks that include mobile stations such as cellular telephones typically include some mechanism for tracking the location of the mobile hosts (sometimes referred to herein as "mobiles") in order to establish connections with the mobile hosts. Generally, each mobile reports its location to the mobile communication network, which stores the location information in one or more location information databases (LIDs). The location information is later retrieved from the LID to establish connections with the mobiles. Conventional approaches to updating the location information for mobiles include having each mobile send a location update message after either a predetermined time period has elapsed and/or the mobile has moved a predetermined distance since the mobile last sent a location update message.
A conventional mobile communication network 10 of the type generally referred to as a personal communications services network (PCS) is shown in FIG. 1. The mobile communication network 10 has a conventional cellular architecture for providing more efficient use of bandwidth. The mobile communication network comprises a plurality of cells 12 in which mobiles can be located. Each cell 12 has a base station 14 (shown in FIG. 2) for establishing wireless links with mobiles 16 (shown in FIG. 2) in the cell 12.
A set of base stations 14 is controlled by a base station controller (BSC) 18 (shown in FIG. 1). The primary function of a BSC 18 is to manage the radio resources of the base stations 14 controlled by the BSC 18, for example, by performing call hand-off and allocating radio channels. Each BSC 18 is connected to a mobile switching center (MSC) 20 through a wired network 22. Each MSC 20 is typically connected to more than one BSC 18 and has a location area 24 that includes all of the cells 12 under the control of BSCs 18 that are connected to the MSC 20. The MSC 20 typically provides switching functions and coordinates location registration and call delivery for mobiles 16 located within the location area 24 of the MSC 20. Each MSC 20 has access to the location information databases in the mobile communication network 10, which are used to store location and service information for each registered mobile 16 of the mobile communication network 10.
Mobile communication networks 10 that comply with the IS-41 standard (which is described in EIA/TIA, "Cellular Radio Telecommunications Intersystems Operation," PN-2991, November 1995, and is incorporated by reference) use a two-level hierarchy of location information databases for location management. Location information databases that adhere to the IS-41 standard have a home location register (HLR) 26 and one or more visitor location registers (VLRs) 28. The HLR 26 is a global database in which information (including location information) about all mobiles 16 registered in the mobile communication network 10 is stored. Each VLR 28 is typically associated with a single MSC 20 and stores information (including location information) about mobiles visiting the location area 24 of the MSC 20 associated with that VLR 28.
In mobile communication networks 10 that comply with the IS-41 standard, the HLR 26 and the VLRs 28 are updated with location information from mobiles 16 as shown in FIG. 3. Initially, a mobile 16 is located in a first location area 24a that is associated with a first MSC 20a and a first VLR 28a (which has an entry for the mobile 16). Then the mobile 16 moves into a second location area 24b associated with a second MSC 20b and a second VLR 28b. The mobile 16 sends a location update message 30 to the second MSC 20b, and the MSC 20b sends a location update message 32 containing location information about the mobile 16 to the HLR 26. After receiving the location update message 32, the HLR 26 updates the entry that the HLR 26 has for the mobile 16 with the location information contained in the location update message 32, sends a confirmation message 34 back to the second MSC 20b, and sends a deletion message 36 to the first MSC 20a. After receiving the confirmation message 34 from the HLR 26, the second MSC 20b creates an entry in the second VLR 28b for storing the location information for the mobile. After receiving the deletion message 36 from the HLR 28, the first MSC 20a deletes the entry for the mobile 16 in the first VLR 28a.
The call delivery protocol (CDP) of the IS-41 specifies how the location information stored in the location information databases can be used to complete telephone calls between first and second mobiles 16a and 16b. As shown in FIG. 4, when the first mobile 16a places a telephone call to the second mobile 16b, the first mobile 16a sends a call delivery request (CDR) 40 to the first MSC 20a. The first MSC 20a queries the first VLR 28a associated with the first MSC 20a to determine if the first VLR 28a has an entry for the second mobile 16b. If the first VLR 28a has an entry for the second mobile 16b, i.e., if the second mobile 16b is located within the first location area 24a associated with the first MSC 20a and the first VLR 28a, the first MSC 20a establishes a connection between the first and second mobiles 16a and 16b, assuming the second mobile 16b is in a mode to receive calls. If the first VLR 28a does not have an entry for the second mobile 16b, i.e., if the second mobile 16b is not located within the first location area 24a, the first MSC 20a sends a query 42 to the HLR 26 for the second mobile's 16b location information. The HLR 26 determines the current location area 24b for the second mobile 16b from the entry stored in the HLR 26 for the second mobile 16b and sends a route request 44 to the second MSC 20b that is associated with the location area 24b in which the second, mobile 16b is located. The second MSC 20b determines a temporary location directory number for the second mobile 16b (assuming the second mobile is in a mode to receive calls) and transfers the information 46 to the HLR 26. The HLR 26 sends the information 48 to the first MSC 20a, and the MSC 20a establishes a connection 50 between the first and second mobiles 16a and 16b. If a fixed host (that is, a host in the wired network) calls the first mobile 16a, the call is routed to the first MSC 20a using the location information in the HLR 26. If the first mobile 16a calls a fixed host, the first MSC 20a establishes the connection with the fixed host without referring to the HLR 26; therefore, the delivery of a call from the first mobile 16a to a fixed host does not depend on the state of the HLR 26.
Therefore, calls between two mobiles in different location areas and calls from a fixed host to a mobile typically cannot be completed without using the location information stored in the HLR 26. As a result, if the location information stored in the HLR 26 is inaccessible, calls between two mobiles in different location areas and calls from a fixed host to a mobile typically cannot be completed and will be dropped. The HLR 26 will be inaccessible, for example, because the HLR 26 is inoperable, referred to herein as a "database failure," or because the portion of the mobile communication network 10 providing access to the HLR 26 is inoperable, referred to herein as a "link failure." To avoid extended periods where the HLR 26 is inoperable, conventional mobile communication networks 10 use HLRs 26 that can be restored relatively quickly after a database failure so that the time in which the HLR 26 is inoperable (referred to herein as the "failure period") is minimized. Such conventional HLRs 26 typically have fail-stop, stable disk storage, e.g., redundant arrays of disks. Also, it is known to periodically back up the volatile memory of such HLRs 26 to the disk storage and to log transactions on the disk storage between backups.
Even after the failure has been removed from the mobile communication network 10, calls that rely on information in the HLR 26 in order to be completed can still not be completed because the mobiles 16 registered with the HLR 26 may have moved to different location areas during the failure period. Because the HLR 26 is inaccessible during a failure period, the location update messages that are sent to the HLR 26 when the mobile 16 enters a new location area 24 cannot be properly processed by the HLR 26. Therefore, even though the HLR 26 is restored to the state the HLR 26 was in just prior to the failure, the HLR 26 may not reflect the current location of any mobiles 16 that have moved during the failure period. This period in which the state of the HLR 26 may not reflect the current location of a mobile 16 registered with the HLR 26 is referred to herein as the "recovery period." For each mobile 16 registered with the HLR 26, the recovery period starts when the HLR 26 becomes accessible after a database failure or a link failure and ends when the contents of the HLR 26 have been updated and/or verified to contain the current location information for that mobile 16.
One known approach to updating and/or verifying (collectively referred to herein as "recovering") the entries stored in the HLR 26 for each mobile 16 registered therewith involves sending an unreliable roamer data directive (URDD) to the VLRs 28 associated with the HLR 26. In response to the URDD, each VLR 28 removes from its database those entries for the mobiles 16 registered with the HLR 26. Subsequently, the HLR 26 is reconstructed in an incremental fashion as each mobile 16 registered with the HLR 26 confirms the mobile's location by making a call or by sending a location update message when the mobile 16 enters a new location area 24. The IS-41 standard, referred to above, also specifies that each mobile 16 should periodically transmit location update messages, regardless of whether the mobile 16 has entered a new location area and regardless of the state of the HLR 26, in order to reduce the recovery period. During the failure period and recovery period, all calls made to the mobile 16 will not be completed.
The IS-41 standard recovery process has the following primary drawbacks. A periodic location update message is sent from each mobile 16 regardless of the state of the HLR 26, which wastes wireless bandwidth when periodic location update messages are transmitted when the HLR 26 is not in a recovery period. This drawback is magnified if the population of mobiles 16 is large. The periodic transmission of location update messages as required by the IS-41 standard also results in power drain for the mobiles 16. However, for such an approach to be effective, the frequency of the periodic location update messages must be comparable to the frequency of incoming calls. In addition, any further reduction in the recovery period can only be achieved by increasing the frequency of the periodic location update messages, which results in greater use of the wireless bandwidth, greater power drain for the mobiles 16, and a greater load on the HLR 26.
Another known recovery approach addresses the limitations of using a fixed location update message transmission interval by using a variable location update message transmission interval that is a function of various network parameters (such as call arrival rates, mobility rates, and mean time between HLR failures) in order to optimize the periodic location update message transmission interval. In order to adapt to changes in the network parameters efficiently, the network has to periodically feed data to the mobiles 16 in the network. This increases the processing load of the mobiles 16, which results in further power drain and requires that the mobiles 16 possess computational and storage abilities to adapt the location update message transmission interval based on the received data.
Yet another known recovery process has the HLR 26, after a failure has been removed, get the current location information from the VLRs 28. To reduce the amount of information to be exchanged, the HLR 26 requests only the information about mobiles 16 that have moved after the last checkpoint the HLR 26 took before the failure. If the HLR 26 is not checkpointed frequently, this approach may require high communication overhead resulting from the large amounts of information being transferred from the plurality of VLRs 28 to the HLR 26. Also, in such an approach, the clocks of the HLRs 26 and VLRs 28 must be synchronized.
Therefore, there is a continuing need for an improved location information recovery and management system and method.

Location information recovery and management for mobile networks

University of Iowa Research Foundation, Inc.


Various skin disorders, excluding acne are treated by topical application to the skin of a tretinoin-containing composition including tretinoin in a dermatologically acceptable vehicle at such a concentration and applied in such a way as to induce desquamation of the skin to ameliorate the disorder. Preferably the compositions contain greater than 0.1 weight percent tretinoin, and more preferably at least 0.2 weight percent. The vehicle is preferably a solvent for the tretinoin, such as an alcohol/glycol or hydroalcoholic vehicle, but it is also possible to apply the tretinoin in a non-solvent vehicle such as emulsifying or suspending the tretinoin in a cream, dressing, gel, ointment or liquid polymer. The treatment achieves rapid amelioration of skin disorders such as photodamaged skin, hyperpigmentation, rosacea, premalignant cancers, wrinkles, superficial scarring, epidermal atrophy and atypia, and keratosis pilaris by daily or every other day application for about one to two months. Thereafter, the high strength applications may be tapered and the treated skin maintained with more conventional lower concentration compositions.

The invention is directed to the treatment of various skin disorders with high-strength tretinoin (also known as vitamin A acid or all-trans retinoic acid). More particularly, the invention is directed to the treatment of skin disorders, especially of human facial skin, with amounts of tretinoin sufficient to induce desquamation of the skin to ameliorate the disorder.
Caucasians who have had a good deal of sun exposure in childhood will show the following gross cutaneous alternations in adult life: wrinkling, leatheriness, yellowing, looseness, roughness, dryness, mottling (hyperpigmentation) and various premalignant growths (often subclinical). These changes are most prominent in light-skinned persons who burn easily and tan poorly. The baleful effects of sunlight are cumulative, increasing with time and often referred to as "photoaging". Although the anatomic degradation of the skin is most advanced in the elderly, the destructive effects of excessive sun exposure are already evident by the second decade. Serious microscopic alterations of the epidermis and dermis occur decades before these become clinically visible. Wrinkling, yellowing, leatheriness, loss of elasticity are very late changes.
Retinoids (e.g., Vitamin A and its derivatives) are substances which are known to have a broad spectrum of biological activity. More specifically, these substances affect cell growth, differentiation and proliferation. Retinoids affect the differentiation, maintenance, and proliferation of many types of cells whether they are of ectodermal, endodermal or mesodermal origin; whether they are epithelial, fibroblastic or mesenchymal; or whether they are neoplastic, preneoplastic or non-neoplastic. Retinoids have found clinical utility in the treatment of severe cystic acne, psoriasis, and other disorders of keratinization. Possible uses of retinoids are being explored in the prophylaxis and treatment of cancer. For a recent review of developments in the uses of retinoids, see Orfanos et al., "Current Use and Future Potential Role of Retinoids in Dermatology," Drugs 53:358-380 (March 1997).
Other older reviews of the uses of retinoids in research and clinical medicine can be found in the publication of a symposium held in Geneva: J. H Saurat, Editor, "Retinoids: New Trends in Research and Therapy", Karger Publishing Co. (1985); Pawson, B. A. et al., "Retinoids at the Threshold: Their Biological Significance and Therapeutic Potential", Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 25:1269-1277 (1982); and Thomas, J. R., et al., "The Therapeutic Uses of Topical Tretinoin", Journal of American Academy of Dermatology 4:505-516 (1981).
It is known to use tretinoin topically for treatment of acne as set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 3,729,568 of A. M. Kligman. That patent discloses the treatment of acne with tretinoin in alcohol/glycol vehicles at concentrations sufficient to cause irritation including inflammation and peeling, such concentrations ranging as high as 0.5 weight percent, preferably 0.05 to 0.25 weight percent.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,603,146; 4,877,805 and 4,888,342 of A. M. Kligman disclose long term methods for treating sun-damaged human skin topically with low concentrations of tretinoin and other retinoids in an emollient vehicle, such amounts of retinoids being essentially non-irritating to the skin. This treatment requires periodic applications for several months before improvement is achieved, and this factor often leads to the treated individual discontinuing treatment before positive results are obtained.

Method of treating skin disorders with high-strength tretinoin


The present disclosure provides methods and compositions for the determining the abundance and/or concentration of protein biomarkers in a biological sample.

C1q is an important, druggable protein involved in the complement system of the innate immune system. There are currently immuno-based methods for determining the concentration of C1q in biological samples derived from humans. However, there exists limited immunoreagents for assaying the abundance of C1q in samples derived from non-human primates, an important model organism in pre-clinical research and trials. Thus, there is a need in the art for methods and compositions directed towards determining C1q concentration in samples derived from human, non-human primate and other model organisms that are rapid, specific and accurate, and that do not require the costly and time-consuming development of immunoreagents. The present disclosure addresses these needs.

Use of LC-MS/MS to quantitate protein biomarkers


The method of the present invention for producing a granular material containing a metal oxide includes the steps of feeding a metal oxide sol that contains colloidal particles of a metal oxide as a dispersoid and water as a dispersion medium and that has a pH of 7 or higher, into an aqueous electrolyte solution, so as to aggregate the colloidal particles of the metal oxide, form aggregates containing the metal oxide in the aqueous electrolyte solution, and make the aggregates settle out in the aqueous electrolyte solution; and separating the aggregates from the aqueous electrolyte solution after formation of the aggregates. Thus, a highly productive method for producing a granular material containing a metal oxide can be provided.

Methods for producing a granular metal oxide material by a sol-gel process are commonly known. For example, silica flakes are produced by: 1) hydrolyzing and condensation-polymerizing a silicon alkoxide in an aqueous alcohol solution to form a silica sol; 2) applying the silica sol onto a substrate to form a thin film; and 3) peeling the thin film from the substrate. The use of an alkaline silica sol results in embrittlement of the thin film, leading to reduction in production yield. Therefore, an acidic silica sol is suitable for the above method.
The above silica flakes are called glass flakes, and used by being dispersed in a matrix formed of another material. For example, a resin molded body can be improved in its strength and dimensional accuracy by addition of glass flakes. There are also known bright pigments whose reflectivity has been increased by covering the surfaces of glass flakes with a film of metal or metal oxide. Bright pigments are blended with cosmetics, inks, etc., to enhance their commercial values.
The details of methods for producing glass flakes using a sol-gel process are disclosed, for example, in Patent Literature 1 to 4.
There has also been proposed a method including: hydrolyzing a metal alkoxide at an interface between two liquid phases, a phase of an aqueous medium and a phase of water-insoluble medium phase, thereby forming a ceramic thin film precursor; and sintering the obtained ceramic thin film precursor to obtain a ceramic thin film (see Patent Literature 5).
There has also been proposed a method including: partially hydrolyzing a chemically-modified metal alkoxide to form a polymer; dissolving the polymer in a solvent that is soluble in water to obtain a solution; spreading the solution on a water surface to form a gel nanosheet; drying and sintering the gel nanosheet to obtain an oxide ceramic nanosheet (see Patent Literature 6).
Granular silica materials account for the largest proportion of granular metal oxide materials actually mass-produced by sol-gel processes. However, sol-gel processes can be carried out also by using a metal alkoxide containing another metal element such as titanium or zirconium. The ultraviolet-shielding function and photocatalytic function of fine particles of titanium oxide obtained by sol-gel processes have been attracting attention.

Method for producing granular material containing metal oxide


According to a method for scheduling a user request in a distributed resource system, an apparatus, and a system that are provided by embodiments of the present invention, in a Tn+1 period, an Sd acquires, from a coordinator Gk of a user z, a resource Cz(Tn) that is consumed by a user z request in a Tn period, and the Sd schedules, according to φz, Cz(Tn), Cz,d(Tn), and Nz,d(Tn), a Piz,d by using a scheduling algorithm. The user z request can be scheduled without depending on a user agent. In addition, the Sd schedules, according to φz, Cz(Tn), Cz,d(Tn), and Nz,d(Tn), the Piz,d by using the scheduling algorithm, thereby implementing global scheduling on the user z request and ensuring a performance requirement of the user z.

There are multiple resource-providing entities in a distributed resource system. Resources include a computing capability of a Central Processing Unit (CPU), hard disk space, memory space, network bandwidth, and the like, where a resource may be a physical resource or a virtual resource. When a resource-providing entity provides a resource according to a user request, a resource competition occurs between users. Therefore, scheduling a user request to ensure performance for users becomes extremely important.
FIG. 1 shows a user request scheduling solution, where a distributed resource system shown in FIG. 1 is a distributed file system and includes a user agent A, a user agent B, a scheduler A, a scheduler B, a resource-providing entity A, and a resource-providing entity B, where the user agent A does not communicate with the user agent B. The user agent A queries a metadata server in the distributed file system according to a user A request, and the user agent A determines, according to information obtained by querying, a scheduler in FIG. 1 to which the user A request is sent. Likewise, the user agent B queries the metadata server in the distributed file system according to a user B request, and the user agent B determines, according to information obtained by querying, a scheduler in FIG. 1 to which the user B request is sent. The resource-providing entity A and the resource-providing entity B are file systems. The resource-providing entity A is configured to provide a resource A, where the resource A is specifically a capability of providing Input/Output Operations Per Second (IOPS). The resource-providing entity B is configured to provide a resource B, where the resource B is specifically a capability of providing IOPS. A user A and a user B each send a request to the distributed resource system. For example, the user A sends a user A request to each of the resource-providing entity A and the resource-providing entity B by using the user agent A; then, the resource-providing entity A provides the resource A for the user A request, and the resource-providing entity B provides the resource B for the user A request. The user B sends a user B request to each of the resource-providing entity A and the resource-providing entity B by using the user agent B, and the resource-providing entity A and the resource-providing entity B provide the resources for the user B request. When the user A sends the user A request to each of the resource-providing entity A and the resource-providing entity B, in an implementation manner in FIG. 1, the resources provided by the resource-providing entity A and the resource-providing entity B for the user A are both IOPS capabilities. Likewise, the resources provided by the resource-providing entity A and the resource-providing entity B for the user B are also IOPS capabilities.
In the distributed resource system shown in FIG. 1, a resource weight is allocated to each of the user A and the user B. For example, a resource weight of the user A is 2, and a resource weight of the user B is 1. A resource weight of a user indicates a resource quota that is allocated by a distributed resource system to the user. The user agent A collects statistics on a quantity of user A requests that are sent by the user A to the scheduler A and the scheduler B, and the user agent B collects statistics on a quantity of user B requests that are sent by the user B to the scheduler A and the scheduler B. The scheduler A allocates, from the resource-providing entity A, a resource for the user A request according to a resource weight of the user A and the quantity of the user A requests that are sent by the user agent A to the scheduler A and the scheduler B. The scheduler A allocates, from the resource-providing entity A, a resource for the user B request according to a resource weight of the user B and the quantity of the user B requests that are sent by the user agent B to the scheduler A and the scheduler B. Likewise, the scheduler B allocates, from the resource-providing entity B, a resource for the user A request according to the resource weight of the user A and the quantity of the user A requests that are sent by the user agent A to the scheduler A and the scheduler B. The scheduler B allocates, from the resource-providing entity B, a resource for the user B request according to the resource weight of the user B and the quantity of the user B requests that are sent by the user agent B to the scheduler A and the scheduler B.
Because the user agent A and the user agent B are applicable only to a distributed file system scenario, the solution in an architecture shown in FIG. 1 cannot be widely applied to a scenario in which a user request is scheduled in a distributed resource system.

Scheduling user requests in a distributed resource system having a plurality of schedulers and coordinators


A continuously variable transmission system comprising an input and output rotational member each with a first circular end and a second circular end is disclosed. The output rotational member is located such that the second circular input member end faces the first output member end and the input and output rotational members share a tangential plane. A first and second idler wheel, attached to an idler shaft, contact the input and output rotational members. The first and second idler wheels and idler shaft are configured to translate rotation from the input rotational member to the output rotational member.

Traditional vehicle transmissions utilizing gears are generally limited to a fixed number of gear ratios. The discrete steps associated with gear changes do not allow for optimal power transfer between the vehicle's engine and the wheels. The torque of an engine is usually constant while driving torque needs vary with speed and load on the engine. Higher torque is applied to driving axles at low speeds, and lower torque is usually applied at higher speeds. Some prior art transmission systems attempt to replace discrete gear transmissions having fixed input/output ratios with various friction, continuous drive arrangements. There are several known types of frictional continuously variable transmissions (CVTs). (Other types of CVTs include electrical CVTs, hydraulic CVTs, and planetary gear systems, all of which are outside of the scope of this disclosure.) One frictional CVT system is a pulley-based system, such as that claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,044,873, utilizing two pulleys with inversely variable diameters and a v-belt. The v-belt is kept under tension by pulleys and transfers rotary motion between the pulleys. Another type of prior art system is a toroidal CVT, which utilizes rotating toroidal members and disc rollers. The disc rollers contact the toroidal members thus transferring the rotational momentum between them. Examples of this type of design are offered in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,164,504 and 7,077,780.
Yet another common type is a so-called 'cone-and-idler' system, schematically presented in FIG. 1 in a dual-cone configuration. The 'cone-and-idler' system comprises a driving cone, a driven cone, and an idler transferring the torque between them. In a conventional 'cone-and-idler' system, driving and driven shafts carry rotationally symmetric and typically equivalent driving and driven cones that are connected to the engine and to the drive axle, respectively. The idler, comprising a wheel on an idler shaft, is disposed between the cones, and the wheel is normal to the cones' outer surfaces and repositionable along the length of the cones while frictionally transmitting torque to effect a ratio change of driving to driven shafts.
Most continuously variable 'cone-and-idler' frictional transmissions require a high level of complexity in torque transmission and control actuation. In the three-body prior art configuration of FIG. 1, for example, mutual positioning of the driving and the driven conical members must assure a constant gap width between the cones. This requirement, in the case of the equivalent cones, imposes a restriction on the position of the respective rotatable shafts, which must be strictly parallel to one another. The idling wheel is typically "wedged" in the gap between the cones. The idling wheel transmits rotation and is movable within the gap along the conical surfaces to change the speed ratio. This configuration offers a wide speed ratio range. However, the overall design is rather complex because measures must be taken to maintain the proper gap width between the cones to accommodate friction among the cones and the idler. Further, the idler and cone-member structures are entangled, which does not allow easy access to and maintenance of the transmission. For example, to merely replace a worn out idler wheel, the entire transmission, including the cone facility, must be dismantled.
Another shortcoming in some of the prior art cone-and-idler traction transmissions is that they utilize multiple torque paths (such as the transmission described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,868.) In the process of varying the input/output ratio, all torque paths should be identical in size. If the torque paths are not equivalent, one idler torque path may cause a greater output than the other paths, causing slippage of the idler(s) with respect to the cone(s). A simple version of a cone-and-idler CVT could, therefore, alleviate many of the problems of the prior art designs.

Cone and idler continuously variable transmission


A thermoelectric material including a thermoelectric semiconductor; and a nanosheet disposed in the thermoelectric semiconductor, the nanosheet having a layered structure and a thickness from about 0.1 to about 10 nanometers. Also a thermoelectric element and thermoelectric module including the thermoelectric material.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates to a thermoelectric material, a thermoelectric element including the thermoelectric material, and methods of preparing the thermoelectric element, and a thermoelectric module including the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
The thermoelectric effect is the reversible and direct conversion of energy between heat and electricity and is generated as an electron and a hole move in a thermoelectric material. The thermoelectric effect is classified as the Peltier effect, which provides cooling using a temperature difference between ends of a thermoelectric material due to an applied electric current, and the Seebeck effect, which provides power generation using an electromotive force generated from a temperature difference between ends of a thermoelectric material.
A current thermoelectric material is used in a semiconductor apparatus to provide a passive cooling system, and in an electronic device to provide an active cooling system. Demands for an improved thermoelectric material are increasing for cooling applications where a refrigerant gas compression method is unsuitable. Thermoelectric cooling technology is an environmentally friendly cooling technology with no vibration and low noise, and avoids use of a refrigerant gas, which can cause environmental problems. Still there remains a need for an improved thermoelectric material. A higher efficiency thermoelectric cooling material would provide for an expanded range of applications, including general-use cooling, such as in a refrigerator or an air conditioner. Also, a thermoelectric power generating material may be applied where heat is emitted, such as in a car engine or in an industrial factory, to generate power from a temperature difference generated at opposite ends of the thermoelectric power generating material. Thus the thermoelectric power generating material is also receiving attention as a new energy source.

Thermoelectric nanocomposite, thermoelectric element, and thermoelectric module


An image projection display and pick-up apparatus includes a display screen with controllable tranmissivity, and image projection device behind the screen for projecting an image onto the rear surface of the screen, and an image pick-up device, also located behind the screen, for picking up an image of a viewer located in front of the screen, and an optical shutter for preventing light from the projection device to reach the screen during image pick-up.

This invention relates to an image display and pick-up apparatus comprising a screen with controllable transmissivity.
Such apparatus, which can be used in a so-called videophone or for video conference meetings, is known, for example, from the German Patent Publication No. DE 3623029 A1.
As shown in FIG. 6, the conventional image display and pick-up apparatus 10 comprises an image projecting section 12 and an image pick-up section 13 which are both arranged behind a screen 11. When an image is displayed to a user 14, the screen 11 is in a light scattering condition (blurring condition), so that an image from the section 12 and projected on the rear side of screen 11 becomes visible. When an image of the user 14 is to be taken, the screen 11 is brought to a light transmitting condition so that light from the subject 14 can reach the image pick-up section 13.
When using such apparatus in a videophone, it is possible to establish an eye contact between the user 14 and another user via a telephone line.
The conventional image display and pick-up apparatus has the disadvantage that, even if the screen 11 is in the light transmitting condition, the signal light from section 12 is not fully transmitted by the screen 11, but part of this light is reflected by the rear surface of the screen and can reach the image pickup section 13 as indicated by two dot-and-dash lines in FIG. 6. This reflected light interferes with the light from the subject 14 passing through the screen 11, so that a disturbance, in the form of a spot 16, appears in the image 15 picked up by the image pick-up section 13 and displayed at the site of the other user as shown in FIG. 7.

Image projection display and pick-up apparatus with optical shutter


Systems and methods are disclosed herein for an operational transformation proxy for a thin client. The systems and methods may be used for collaboratively editing an electronic object such as an electronic document from a thin client. A first request is received at an OT proxy from the thin client to make a first change to a first version of the electronic object. A first mutation, including the first change to the first version of the electronic document, is created. A second mutation is received at the OT proxy from the server. At the OT proxy, the second mutation of the electronic object is converted into a third mutation of the electronic object based on the first mutation.

Systems for implementing collaborative editing generally manage concurrent modifications of an electronic object, ensuring sequential correctness of the modifications, and/or synchronizing changes from one or more collaborators. In a traditional server-client model, a client displays a view/model of the electronic object. When the client updates the view/model, the updates are first sent to the server and in response the server provides the client with a new view/model for the electronic object. The client blocks its user interface (UI) until it receives an updated view/model of the electronic object. The blocking of the UI in combination with possible network latency can make the collaborative editing process extremely tedious, causing users to have to wait for the an update from the server in response to making any update of the view/model.
Operational transformation (OT) frameworks allow clients to update a local view/model of the electronic object without having to wait for a server to respond to a request to update the view/model. The server may maintain a history of states of the electronic object of one or more clients. The server may receive updates of the respective local views/models from multiple clients and operationally transform the updates from the multiple clients based on the stored state of each client. The server also may operationally transform the updates received from a client based on updates received from the other clients. The server may apply the transformed updates to the client states such that each of the client states converges to a similar state on the application of the transformed updates from the clients. The respective local versions of the views/models on each client are consequently updated by the server with the transformed updates. The non-blocking nature of the OT client user interface may provide for a better user experience as users do not have to wait for server updates before making other subsequent updates. However, this process may be resource-intensive on the server side as the server may store the client states and the updates made by the clients. As the number of clients increase, the resource-intensiveness of this architecture may result in scalability and/or performance issues.
With more sophisticated client devices and more capable browser applications, one way to reduce the stress on the server is to operationally transform updates on the clients. For example, the server may serve as a communication hub between different smart clients and allow the smart clients to perform the operational transformation of updates of a collaborative electronic document. This can improve the time taken to update the local version of the document at the smart client with the transformed updates as the client does not need to wait for a server application to transform the updates. However, operationally transforming updates on the clients may result in a re-architecture of the server application. While this new system architecture may support smart clients, it may not be able to support a client that is not capable of understanding transformable server updates and/or handling the operational transformation of updates of the electronic object. Such a client, referred to herein as a thin client, may include clients with limited hardware resources and/or limited functionality web browser applications. With increasing use of thin client devices, such as mobile devices, the new system architecture creates a technical challenge.

Operational transformations proxy for thin clients


A surge current prevention circuit of a microwave oven, where a surge relay is turned on or turned off by a predetermined DC voltage supplied by rectification of a predetermined low voltage, such that cost of parts of the surge current prevention circuit becomes low to thereby reduce the manufacturing cost, and electricity can be decreased and operation of the microwave oven can be stabilized by the constant switching operation time of the surge relay.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a surge current prevention circuit of a microwave oven, and more particularly to a surge current prevention circuit of a microwave oven adapted to prevent an erroneous operation of a microwave oven which occurs when a surge current generated at an initial operation stage of the microwave oven is infused into a high-voltage transformer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, a driving circuit of a microwave oven provided with a surge current prevention circuit according to the prior art comprises, as illustrated in FIG. 1, a filtering unit 10, a fan motor 15, a surge current prevention circuit 20, and a high voltage transformer 30.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the filtering unit 10 serves to eliminate higher harmonics included in a commercial alternating current (AC) voltage supplied through input terminals (A, B). The fan motor 15 receives the AC voltage supplied through the filtering unit 10 from the input terminals (A, B) and is driven thereby to rotate a cooling fan (not shown).
Furthermore, the surge current prevention circuit 20 is provided to prevent a surge current which is generated at an initial operation stage of a microwave oven, where the circuit includes a surge resistor 23, a surge coil 25 and a high voltage alternating current type surge relay 27. A high voltage transformer 30 receives a commercial alternating current AC voltage supplied through the input terminals (A, B) to transform same to a predetermined voltage and to drive a magnetron (not shown).
In the driving circuit thus described, when a user inputs a start key, higher harmonic components are removed by the filtering unit 10 to thereafter be supplied to the fan motor 15 and the surge current prevention circuit 20.
Next, when the cooling fan is rotated, the surge coil 25 starts to be excited by the commercial AC voltage, which is then supplied to the transformer 30. By this, the surge current generated at an initial operation stage of the microwave oven is limited in the course of passing through the surge resistor 23.
Next, when the initial operation stage is over, the surge coil 25 is excited to switch on or switch off the surge relay 27 into an on-state, and by this, the filter commercial AC voltage is directly supplied to the high voltage transformer 30 bypassing the surge resistor 23.
Next, the transformer 30 receives the filtered AC voltage to supply same to the magnetron, which in turn generates microwaves to heat and cook a food article.
In other words, the surge current generated at the initial operation stage of the microwave oven is limited in the course of passing the surge resistor 23, and after the initial stage is over, the filtered commercial AC voltage passes the surge relay 27 to be directly supplied to the high voltage transformer 30.
However, there is a problem in the surge current prevention circuit according to the prior art in that the surge coil is excited by the high voltage of commercial AC voltage, by way of example, 100-200V, to switch on or switch off the surge 27. Also, the component costs of such a surge prevention circuit tend to be high, thereby increasing manufacturing cost and consumed electricity.
There is another problem in that the microwave oven is unstably operated due to inconstant switching operation time.

Surge current prevention circuit of microwave oven


There is provided a self-supporting hydrogel that can be produced only through mixing at room temperature and that has a high mechanical strength. A hydrogel forming composition that is capable of forming a hydrogel having a self-supporting property, the hydrogel forming composition characterized by including: a water-soluble organic polymer having an organic acid salt structure or an organic acid anion structure; a silicate salt; a dispersant for the silicate salt; and a polyhydric alcohol, and having an extremely high mechanical strength.

Hydrogels have been recently attracting attention from the viewpoint that hydrogels are soft materials having high biocompatibility because of containing water as the main component and having a low environmental load.
As a high-strength hydrogel having a self-supporting property, an organic/inorganic composite hydrogel is disclosed that is obtained by performing a polymerization reaction of a (meth)acrylamide derivative in the coexistence with a layered clay mineral that is uniformly dispersed in water (Patent Document 1). As a similar example disclosed, an organic/inorganic composite hydrogel is also known that contains a polymer partially containing a group of a carboxylate salt or a carboxy-anion structure in poly(meth)acrylamide and a clay mineral (Patent Document 2).
In these examples disclosed, monomers are polymerized in an aqueous dispersion of a layered clay mineral, thereby causing a generated polymer and the clay mineral to form a three-dimensional network structure, which forms the organic/inorganic composite hydrogels.
An organic/inorganic composite polymer gel is known that contains an organic polymer obtained from a water-soluble organic monomer selected from acrylamides and methacrylamides, a water-swellable clay mineral, and a low-volatile medium such as glycerin and is produced through a hydrogel containing glycerin or the like (Patent Document 3).
As an organic/inorganic composite hydrogel having a self-supporting property that can be manufactured through mixing at room temperature, a hydrogel is known that is obtained by mixing a dendrimer compound having a polycationic functional group at its terminal and a layered clay mineral (Patent Document 4 and Non-Patent Document 1).
A dry clay film having a self-standing property (self-supporting property) is known that contains a polyacrylate salt and a clay mineral and is under evaluation as a surface protective material (Patent Document 5).
A research is known that relates to viscosity changes in an aqueous dispersion of a layered clay mineral (silicate salt) and sodium polyacrylate (Non-Patent Document 2). This is not a research related to a self-supporting organic/inorganic composite hydrogel, but a research on rheological changes in the aqueous dispersion.
Organic/inorganic composite hydrogels having a self-supporting property have been recently disclosed that can be produced only by mixing a polyelectrolyte, clay particles, and a dispersant (Non-Patent Document 3 and Non-Patent Document 4).

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Hydrogel forming composition and hydrogel produced therefrom


A passenger vehicle for carrying a golf bag includes first and second front wheels and a rear wheel, a frame that may be folded into a compact position, gearing, and a steering mechanism. The frame includes a cross bar extending between the first and second front wheels, first and second front bars connected to a rear bar at a hinged connection, and a down tube connected to the cross bar, wherein the rear bar includes a receiving mechanism for releaseably receiving the down tube. The gearing includes a cassette secured to an axle extending through the cross bar. A steering mechanism for providing directionality includes a steering member within the rear bar. A first golf bag support is connected to the first and second front bars and a second golf bag support is connected to the cross bar.

The present subject matter relates generally to passenger vehicles for carrying golf clubs. Specifically, the present subject matter provides a front-wheel drive, rear-wheel steering passenger vehicle configured to move between an active position and a compact position embodied in a folding tricycle design.
When golfing, a player will typically either walk or ride a golf cart between shots and between holes. Walking the course requires the golfer to carry the golf bag or push the golf bag in a pushcart. With a typical golf bag loaded with clubs and balls weighing in between 15-25 lbs. and the distance a golfer walks during a round of golf usually exceeding 5 miles and taking up to four hours, carrying the golf bag can be tiring and uncomfortable, which can affect the golfer's performance. Using a pushcart may be awkward and cumbersome (e.g., it can be difficult to push uphill, difficult to restrain downhill, tip over on a sidehill, etc.), and while relieving the burden of carrying the bag, it may still be difficult to push around the course. Using a golf cart adds an expense for the golf cart rental, and can be inconvenient when two golfers sharing the cart hit the golf balls in different directions, making the golfers zigzag across the course to get the balls. Moreover, while walking the course and carrying the bag may be too much exercise for some golfers, particularly during the hottest summer rounds, many golfers would still enjoy getting more exercise during their round of golf than they would riding in a powered golf cart.
Accordingly, many golfers would enjoy the benefits of having individual transportation that relieves the burden of carrying the clubs, provides some exercise, and is convenient to transport to and from the course. Therefore, there is a need for a vehicle for carrying a golf bag that provides exercise and is conveniently transported to and from the golf course.

Foldable vehicle for carrying a golf bag


A positive photoresist composition includes an alkali-soluble resin, a quinonediazide compound and a compound selected from the group consisting of compounds represented by formulae (I), (II) and (III): ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 to R.sub.27, which may be the same or different, each represents a hydrogen atom, hydroxyl group, halogen atom, alkyl group, alkoxy group, nitro group, alkenyl group, aryl group, aralkyl group, alkoxycarbonyl group, arylcarbonyl group, acyloxy group, acyl group, aryloxy group or aralkoxy group; ##STR2## wherein R.sub.31 represents an organic group, single bond, ##STR3## R.sub.32 represents a hydrogen atom, monovalent organic group or ##STR4## R.sub.33 to R.sub.37, which may be the same or different, and in which not all four groups for each of R.sub.33 to R.sub.37 may be the same at the same time, each represents a hydrogen atom, hydroxyl group, halogen atom, alkyl group, alkoxy group or alkenyl group, with the proviso that at least one of R.sub.33 to R.sub.35 is a hydroxyl group; X represents a divalent organic group; and m represents an integer 0 or 1; ##STR5## wherein R.sub.41 to R.sub.44, which may be the same or different and in which not all four groups for each of R.sub.41 to R.sub.44 may be the same at the same time, each represents a hydrogen atom, hydroxyl group, halogen atom, alkyl group, alkoxy group or alkenyl group; R.sub.45 and R.sub.46 each represents a hydrogen atom, alkyl group or ##STR6## a and c each represents an integer 0 or 1; and b represents an integer from 1 to 4.

Compositions comprising an alkali-soluble resin and a naphthoquinonediazido compound as a light-sensitive material are normally used as positive-type photoresist compositions. Examples of such compositions include novolak-type phenol resin/naphthoquinonediazido-substituted compounds as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,666,473, 4,115,128 and 4,173,470. Most typical examples of such compositions include novolak resins made of cresol-formaldehyde/trihydroxybenzophenone-1,2-naphthoquinonediazidosulfon ic ester as disclosed in L. F. Thompson, Introduction to Microlithography, No. 219, pages 112 to 121, published by ACS.
As a binder, novolak resins can be dissolved in alkaline aqueous solutions without swelling. The novolak resin can also exhibit a high resistance, particularly to plasma etching, when an image thus produced is used as a mask for etching. Thus, novolak resins are particularly useful in this application. As a light-sensitive material, a naphthoquinonediazido compound itself serves as a dissolution inhibitor for reducing the alkali solubility of novolak resins but is peculiar in that it undergoes decomposition upon irradiation with light to produce an alkali-soluble substance which rather enhances the alkali solubility of novolak resin. Because of the great change in properties by the irradiation with light, the naphthoquinonediazido compound is particularly useful as the light-sensitive material for a positive-type photoresist.
From such a perspective, many positive-type photoresists comprising novolak resin and naphthoquinonediazido light-sensitive material have heretofore been developed and put to practical use. These positive-type photoresists have attained sufficient results in forming lines having a width as small as 1.5 to 2 .mu.m.
However, integrated circuits have further increased in degree of integration. In the production of semiconductor boards for applications such as SLSI, it has been required to form very fine patterns having a line width of 1 .mu.m or less. In such applications, a high sensitivity photoresists are desired from the viewpoints of particularly high resolution, high precision in producing patterns for exactly copying the shape of the exposure mask, and high productivity.
It is a recent tendency that the etching process is switched from a wet etching process to a dry etching process to improve resolution and enhance the degree of integration in integrated circuits. However, since the dry etching process is subjected to an increase in the temperature of the resist, the resist to be used in this process is required to exhibit a high heat-resistance to avoid heat deforamtion.
Examples of approaches for improving the heat resistance of the resist include the use of a resin free of components with a weight-average molecular weight of 2,000 or less as disclosed in JP-A-60-97347 (the term "JP-A" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese patent application") and the use of resin wherein the total content of monomers, dimers and trimers is 10% by weight or less as disclosed in JP-A-60-189739.
However, the use of the above-mentioned resin free of or having a reduced amount of low molecular weight components is disadvantageous in that it normally causes a reduction in sensitivity, lowering the throughput in the production of devices.
It has been attempted to improve the sensitivity or developability of a resist composition by incorporating specified compounds into the resist composition. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,738,915, 4,626,492 and 4,424,270 disclose a positive-type photoresist composition containing trihydroxybenzophenone. The use of such a positive-type photoresist composition containing trihydroxybenzophenone enables improvements in sensitivity and developability but is disadvantageous in that the incorporation of trihydroxybenzophenone causes deterioration in the heat resistance of the composition.
In approaches as disclose in European Patent 301332, JP-A-1-177032, JP-A-1-280748, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,077,173, an aromatic polyhydroxy compound other than trihydroxybenzophenone is used to provide a higher sensitivity without causing any deterioration in the heat resistance. However, these approaches do not result in any improvement in developability.

Positive quinonediazide photoresist composition containing select hydroxyphenol additive


A device which connects a rider""s boot or boot binding to a snowboard or other gliding board while allowing free rotation of the boot relative to the board during use. The base of the device is rigidly affixed to the board and a mounting disk is secured to the base preventing relative translation in all directions between the base and mounting disk, but allowing rotation of the mounting disk relative to the base about an axis perpendicular to the base. During relative rotation, the base and mounting disk remain in parallel planes. The mounting disk includes provisions to attach the rider""s boot or boot binding to the mounting disk. The device employs load-bearing balls, load-bearing rollers and/or load-bearing surfaces. One or more springs or elastomeric materials can be installed, at the option of the rider, between the base and mounting disk to cause the mounting disk to return to a predetermined angular position relative to the base.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to attaching boot bindings to snowboards and more particularly to mounts that do not restrain free rotation of the boot or binding about an axis normal to the plane of the snowboard.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The sport of snowboarding has evolved rapidly in the past two decades manifested by the volume of patens issued and the variety of products marketed and in use by snowboard enthusiasts. New snowboard designs for distinctive riding styles, new attire for snowboard enthusiasts and new equipment for snowboard park grooming are all recent innovations in this increasingly popular sport. Perhaps the most innovative results of the sport are the stunts invented and performed by the riders themselves. Some of these stunts have been named for the riders who first popularized them.
One of the riding methods pioneered by snowboard enthusiasts is performing stunts with one of the rider""s boots disengaged from the binding and board completely. This removes all contact between the board and one of the rider""s feet except when the rider steps on top of the board with the unfastened boot. This also decreases the rider""s control of the board, but allows new and different stunts to be performed. The disadvantage of this riding method is a greatly increased risk of injury to the rider. With both of the rider""s boots attached to the board, any rotation of the board applies a moment about an axis through the center of mass of the rider""s body. This rotation is therefore-reacted at the rider""s waist as both legs rotate with the board. With the board attached to only one of the rider""s legs, the board becomes a lever arm about an axis through the center of the rider""s lower leg, much the same as a ski is attached to one leg only. The weak point in this application of twisting moment is the rider""s knee. Knee injuries are common in skiing accidents and also threaten the snowboarder who rides with one foot unfastened from the board.
The initial objective of snowboard binding innovations was, and still is, to securely, safely and comfortably attach a rider""s boots to a snowboard for optimal performance and enjoyment by rigidly affixing the rider""s boots to the snowboard during use. Another objective of many snowboarding innovations if providing a quicker and more convenient method to fasten and unfasten the rider""s boots or boot bindings to the board. Another objective is providing the capability to adjust the position, and more importantly, the angle of the binding relative to the snowboard centerline. The present invention does not address the objective of quick and convenient fastening/unfastening of the rider""s boots. These convenient fastening methods and the present invention can be used simultaneously with the present, invention as it can be installed in series with the boot binding as an interface-between the boot binding and the board.
This objective of angular adjustment has been addressed in recent years, resulting in various mechanisms to change the binding position from one angular setting to another. The prior art includes several methods to adjust the angular setting of the boot bindings without removing the boot from the binding and without releasing or loosening the bindings securing the boot A dominant feature in these adjustable mechanisms is a lock or latch to prevent the angular setting from changing during use. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,837 a lever rotates a locking plate to prevent housing rotation. A locking pin in the lever is spring loaded causing a positive mechanical lock during use. In U.S. Pat. No 5,520,405 the binding is only allowed to rotate 90 degrees with a stopping means to hold it in the locked position. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,667,237 a releasable latch is used to manually disengage a rotatable serrated disk, but is spring loaded to provide a mechanical lock when not manually held. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,732,959 a method for rotating bindings is shown for the purpose of determining optimal fixed angular settings for each rider before use. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,762,358 a swivelable binding which can rotate through a 90 degree range employs a handle-operated locking mechanism to prevent rotation of the binding during use. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,765,853 anti-pivot spring pins secure the angular setting during use. In addition to providing locking features, all prior art either limits the amount of total rotation to a finite angular range or provides a finite number of predetermined angular setting with the use of notches, serrations or holes to engage locking mechanisms.
Heretofore there has not been available a boot binding mount for sliding boards with the advantages and features of the present invention.
The present invention fixes five of these degrees of freedom for each foot while allowing free rotation of each foot about an axis normal to the plane of the board. The present invention will provide secure attachment of the rider""s boot or boot binding to the board and allow the rider to pivot his/her foot about an axis normal to the board while riding, walking or performing stunts on the snow surface or in the air. The rider can rotate both feet simultaneously or rotate each foot independent of the other while attached to the board. Although the present invention allows rotation of each foot, the board can not apply a twisting moment to one of the rider""s legs as in the case of a snow ski. Any large rotation of the board will still be about an axis through the rider""s center of mass and reacted by the rider""s waist. The present invention will multiply the possibilities for varieties of maneuvers and new stunts to be performed.
A coil spring, linear spring, or elastomeric members can be incorporated to cause the swiveling mount to return to a predetermined angular setting. This angular setting and force (spring constant) can be set to the preference of the rider.
Many of the locking or latching mechanisms of prior art documented in the section above can be incorporated into this free swiveling mount. This combination can provide a dual purpose snowboard mount allowing the rider to selectively switch to and from a swiveling and fixed angular setting riding style and without changing boards or bindings.

Free swiveling mount for sliding board boot bindings


The present invention relates to the identification of the autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (PKD) gene and high throughput assays to identify compounds that interfere with PKD activity. Interfering compounds that inhibit the expression, synthesis and/or bioactivity of the PKD gene product can be used therapeutically to treat polycystic kidney disease.

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is among the most prevalent dominant human disorders, affecting between 1 in 1,000 and 1 in 3,000 individuals worldwide (Dalgaard, O. Z., 1957, Acta. Med. Scand. 158:1-251). The major manifestation of the disorder is the progressive cystic dilation of renal tubules (Gabow, P. A., 1990, Am. J. Kidney Dis. 16:403-413), leading to renal failure in half of affected individuals by age 50.
ADPKD-associated renal cysts may enlarge to contain several liters of fluid and the kidneys usually enlarge progressively causing pain. Other abnormalities such as pain, hematuria, renal and urinary infection, renal tumors, salt and water imbalance and hypertension frequently result from the renal defect. Cystic abnormalities in other organs, including the liver, pancreas, spleen and ovaries are commonly found in ADPKD. Massive liver enlargement occasionally causes portal hypertension and hepatic failure. Cardiac valve abnormalities and an increased frequency of subarachnoid and other intracranial hemorrhage have also been observed in ADPKD. Progressive renal failure causes death in many ADPKD patients and dialysis and transplantation are frequently required to maintain life in these patients. Although end-stage renal failure usually supervenes in middle age (ADPKD is sometimes called adult polycystic kidney disease), children may occasionally have severe renal cystic disease.
Although studies of kidneys from ADPKD patients have demonstrated a number of different biochemical, structural and physiological abnormalities, the disorder's underlying causative biochemical defect remains unknown. Biochemical abnormalities which have been observed have involved proteinsorting, the distribution of cell membrane markers within renal epithelial cells, extracellular matrix, ion transport, epithelial cell turnover, and epithelial cell proliferation. The most carefully documented of these findings are abnormalities in the composition of tubular epithelial cells, and a reversal of the normal polarized distribution of cell membrane proteins, such as the Na.sup.+ /K.sup.+ ATPase (Carone, F. A. et al., 1994, Lab. Inv. 70:437-448.).
As the name implies, ADPKD is inherited as an autosomal dominant disorder. Three distinct loci have been shown to cause phenotypically indistinct forms of the disease, with greater than 85-90% of disease incidence being due to mutations which map to the short arm of chromosome 16, as discussed below. Despite intensive investigation, the molecular defect responsible for ADPKD is not known.
In 1985 Reeders et al. (Reeders et al., Nature 317:542, 1985) carried out genetic linkage studies of a large number of ADPKD families and demonstrated that a gene on the short arm of chromosome 16 was mutated in most cases of ADPKD. This gene has been designated PKD1 by the Nomenclature Committee of the Human Gene Mapping Workshop and the Genome Data Base of the Welch library, John Hopkins University. Further linkage studies have identified a set of genetic markers that flank the gene-rich region containing the PKD1 gene (Reeders et al., 1988, Genomics 3:150; Somlo et al., 1992, Genomics 13:152; Breuning et al., 1990, J. Med. Genet. 27:603; Germino et al., 1990, Am. J. Hum. Genet. 46:925). These markers have been mapped by a variety of physical mapping techniques including fluorescent in situ hybridization and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (Gillespie et al., 1990, Nucleic Acids Research 18:7071). It has been shown that the closest distal genetic marker (D16S259; on the telomeric side of the PKD1 locus) lies within 750 kb of the closest proximal genetic marker (D16S25; on the centromeric side of the PKD1 locus). The interval between the genetic markers has been cloned in a series of overlapping cosmid and bacteriophage genomic clones (Germino et al., 1992, Genomics 13:144), which contain the entire PKD1 interval, with the exception of two gaps of less than 10 kb and less than 50 kb. Restriction mapping of these clones has confirmed that the interval between the flanking genetic markers is 750 kb.
While genetic mapping studies such as these have begun to narrow the region within the human genome in which the gene responsible for ADPKD lies, there exist an estimated twenty or more genes within this 750 kb interval. Given the prevalence and severity of ADPKD, however, it is of great importance to eludicate which, if any, of these postulated genes corresponds to PKD1.

Identification of polycystic kidney disease gene, diagnostics and treatment


An image forming apparatus includes a transport roller; a reading mechanism; a manuscript sensor configured to detect the manuscript; a transport controller which controls the transport roller; a display unit; and a display controller. The display controller is configured such that the display unit is allowed to display a first screen in a case that the manuscript is not detected by the manuscript sensor; and the display unit is allowed to display a second screen indicating a discharge designator to discharge the manuscript from the image forming apparatus in place of the first screen indicating no discharge designator in a case that the manuscript is detected by the manuscript sensor. The transport controller is configured such that the manuscript interposed by the transport roller is discharged without reading the manuscript by the reading mechanism in a case that an input with respect to the discharge designator is accepted.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, a non-transitory computer readable medium storing an image forming program, and an image forming method.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image forming apparatus has been hitherto known, wherein the transition or change is made to a screen which is provided in order to execute a reading process for reading a manuscript in response to the setting of the manuscript. For example, a copying machine is known, wherein the display is changed from the display of the present time to the display of, for example, the copying magnification as a copying mode when a manuscript is set to ADF (automatic document feeder) in a state in which the present time is displayed as a present time mode.

Image forming apparatus with control for discharging manuscripts interposed by transport roller, non-transitory computer readable medium storing image forming program, and image forming method


A method of integrating binocular stereo video scenes with maintaining time consistency includes: propagating and extracting a contour of moving object of stereo video A; integrating and deformating of parallax between moving object and dynamic scene with time consistency; color blending of moving object and dynamic scene with time consistency where a method of median coordinate fusion is utilized. The method is simple and effective to utilize a small quantity of user interactions to successfully extract moving objects from stereo video which are same in time and as consistent as possible between left view and right view to develop multiple constraint conditions to guide the integration and deformation of parallax of moving object and dynamic scene and allow moving object to conform to the rules of perspective of dynamic scene. Moreover, the deformation result of moving object is smooth and consistent and can avoid effectively the occurrence of “dithering” phenomenon.

As the development of 3D film technique, the editing method of binocular video image has increasingly been the focus in recent years. However, it is relatively difficult to extend the existing methods of editing 2D video image to binocular video image because additional information such as parallax needs to be processed.
The integration of binocular stereo video scenes refers to that: two segments of binocular stereo video A and B are given to integrate the moving object of video A into the dynamic scene of video B with maintaining the consistency in color, parallax and time to yield an integration result of binocular stereo video scenes.
There have been many publications in the fields of computer vision and computer graphics concerning the method of editing 2D video image and the method of editing binocular video image. So we will not try to list exhaustively all of them here. Nevertheless, the works related to the video editing with time consistency will be introduced here as the focus and the integration methods of video image scene and the methods of editing binocular image will also be involved.
The ordinary method of editing monocular video has been studied to a relatively great deal in recent years. In 2002, Chuang et al. applied the bidirectional optical flow in an algorithm of inter-frame propagation of tri-map. In 2009, Bai et al. utilized a set of local classifiers and an optical flow algorithm to successfully achieve a result of better time consistency. In 2010, Bai et al. further applied the color flow in the propagation step of tri-map for accurate extracting video object. These methods can achieve a relatively good effect compared to ordinary editing of monocular video. However, these mask propagation methods can't be applied directly in the method of editing binocular stereo video. In 2008, Sand et al. proposed a practical method of long-term tracking. In 2009, Lee et al. utilized the flow field of scale-invariant feature transform (that is, SIFT) to put forward a video stabilization algorithm. And Bhat et al. applied the optical flow algorithm in an algorithm of editing multiple gradient-domain video in 2010. In 2012, Chen et al. applied the concept of maintaining local linear structure in editing and propagation of video. These algorithms of editing video with time consistency mainly focus on object tracking and content editing. But the purpose of the present invention is to simultaneously edit the shape and color of a binocular stereo video object.
The method of integrating video image scene is a conventional one of editing video image. In 2003, Perez et al. put forward a method of Poisson integration which solves a Poisson equation to integrate seamlessly the region into a new scene. In 2009, Jia et al. utilized accurate object extraction to further improve successfully the effect of Poisson integration. In 2009, Farbman et al. utilized the median coordinates to greatly increase successfully the rate of integration. In 2010, Xie et al. extended the median coordinate integration to the fusion of monocular video. In 2013, Chen et al. utilized the optical flow to successfully extend the median coordinate integration to video compositing. However, these methods haven't realized to maintain the time consistency of the extracted moving objects.
The method of editing binocular video image also relates to the works of the present invention. In 2010, Lo et al. proposed a method name as "billboard" to compose the object and scene of binocular image. In 2012, Luo et al. developed an iterative method of integrating binocular video scene which can adjust deformation and color simultaneously. In 2012, Niu et al. put forward a method of binocular image deformation according to user interaction and disparity map. All these methods are focusing on the editing operation of binocular image. Wang et al. in 2008 and Weng et al. in 2006 separately developed a method of image deformation. In 2010, Lang et al. put forward a method of video retargeting which utilized an optical flow to successfully ensure the inter-frame deformation and propagation.

Method of integrating binocular stereo video scenes with maintaining time consistency


A method includes: respectively initiating a local routing authorization request to a first local routing policy entity and a second local routing policy entity according to service flow information of a first mobile station, so as to enable the first local routing policy entity to perform local routing authorization for the first mobile station and enable the second local routing policy entity to perform local routing authorization for the second mobile station; and when a local routing authorization result of the first mobile station and a local routing authorization result of the second mobile station are both success, transmitting, through local routing, a service flow corresponding to the service flow information of the first mobile station and a service flow corresponding to the service flow information of the second mobile station.

With the development of communication technologies, mobile communication networks are also more and more advanced. The mobile WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, worldwide interoperability for microwave access network) based on the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers) 802.16 wireless access technology attracts wide attention because it can provide high-speed data transmission capabilities.
In a mobile WiMAX network, when an Mobile Station (MS) transmits a service flow with an external network, the uplink service flow sent by the MS is generally transmitted to a Serving Access Service Network Gateway (Serving ASN-GW) through a Base Station (BS), and then transmitted by the Serving ASN-GW to an Anchor ASN-GW, and finally transmitted to the external network through an Home Agent (HA); and the downlink service flow sent by the external network is routed to the MS through a bearer path reverse to the uplink service flow direction. As shown in FIG. 1, when the above method is implemented to transmit a service flow between two MSs (MS1 and MS2), if the MS1 and MS2 are managed by a same Serving ASN-GW, and the path for transmitting the service flow between the MS1 and the MS2 is indicated by the dotted line shown in FIG. 1. As seen from FIG. 1, the transmission path of the service flow from the Serving ASN-GW to the HA is overlapped, thus causing redundancy of the transmission path and an unnecessary transmission delay of the service flow and transmission load of the core network. Therefore, it is proposed that the service flow between the MS1 and the MS2 is transmitted by performing Local Routing (LR). Specifically, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 1, the Serving ASN-GW directly transmits the service flow from the MS1 to the MS2, or directly transmits the service flow from the MS2 to the MS1.
In general, the network side authorizes the service flow of the MS according to the Quality of Service (QoS) subscription information of the MS or the policy of the operator. However, the local routing involves two MSs, the existing network side may not satisfy the requirement for authorizing local routing.

Method, apparatus, and system for local routing authorization


An examined image is segmented, where a segment thereof may correspond to an area scan image or a line scan image of which the size is defined by considering the performance of the servo mechanism. In the segment, vectors between feature points of the examined image and a standard image are compared, and based on the required tolerance, a Fibonacci search having a predetermined number of iterations is used for matching an optimal corresponding relationship between the examined image and the standard image.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a method for registering images. More particularly, the present invention relates to a segment based image registration method, which uses the Fibonacci search.
2. Description of Related Art
Prior art mainly provides the Voronoi method and the Delaunay method for registering images.
The Voronoi method divides standard and examined images into Voronoi diagrams according to feature points thereof, forms vectors between every two adjacent feature points, and processes these features with discrete Fourier transforms to obtain vectors for every feature point. Then, the vectors of examined and standard images are compared to build similarity matrices of vector dimensions and magnitudes, and a transformation relationship between the two images is thereby derived.
The Delaunay method connects every feature point to form Delaunay triangles. Transformation relationships, such as scaling, rotation and translation, of sides of every Delaunay triangle in examined and standard images are compared to build four matrices, one of them being derived with the highest similarity, which is the optimal transformation parameter between the two images.
However, in the conventional Voronoi method, similarity matrices usually have wrong comparisons due to the deviations between the feature points. Moreover, if the line scan image segment is not large enough, the deviations are more serious, and the wrong comparisons caused thereby are increased. In the conventional Delaunay method, though the effects of the deviations between feature points are decreased, the sizes of matrices are usually quadratically enlarged with increasing image size or precision, and the enlargement greatly increases required computation time and memory space.
In engineering, computation time and memory space need to be specified, and it is hard to give considerations to both of them.
In many image registration applications, such as copper clay laminate inspections or document scans in fax machines, it is a general practice to use line scanning for image acquisition due to cost, precision, computation time, or even the construction of the entire equipment. The Voronoi and Delaunay methods often have to acquire images in segments because the sizes of images are too large, forcing the servo mechanism thereof to run and stop frequently and thus causing bad efficiency and serious errors.
In addition, in these situations, images may be twisted because of unbalanced forces of the servo mechanism, obstacles, user negligence, or variations in angles during image acquisition. The conventional machines ignore the twists in images due to lack of rectifying schemes, and cause inaccurate product and poor quality.

National Taiwan University of Science and Technology


A medication storage and dispensing unit is provided which includes a support platform and a vial dispenser supported by the support platform. The vial dispenser may include a chute configured to store a plurality of vials of medication and a gate configured to be alternately positioned in a closed position in which the vials remain within the chute and an open position in which a vial is dispensed from the chute. The medication storage and dispensing unit may be computer controlled so as to include a computing device configured to receive user input regarding dispensation of a vial. The computing device may be further configured to actuate the gate to thereby permit the gate to move to the open position such that the vial is dispensed from the chute.

Medication carts are utilized for various purposes throughout a healthcare facility and elsewhere. For example, medication carts storing a plurality of different medications may be deployed to the various floors or other units of a hospital or healthcare facility in order to provide a secure repository for the medications prescribed for the patients on the floor or other unit. One type of medication cart is an anesthesia cart utilized by anesthesiologists in the operating room and elsewhere. An anesthesia cart stores the various medications employed by an anesthesiologist as well as the other items used for dispensing those medications, such as syringes, gloves, etc.
A medication cart, such as an anesthesia cart, generally includes a plurality of drawers with each drawer having a plurality of compartments for storing different medications. Each drawer is generally locked and within certain drawers, there are compartments that have a lid or a plurality of lids which are also locked. As such, access to the various medications may be controlled. Although the drawers and the individual compartments may be locked by means of a key lock or other mechanical locking mechanism, anesthesia carts have been developed in which the locking mechanism of the drawers and the individual compartments are controlled by a computer. As such, an anesthesiologist or other user of a computer controlled anesthesia cart would log into the computer and provide information, such as user name and password, from which the anesthesiologist or other user could be identified as an authorized user. In one configuration, the user could then select a particular medication and the computer would direct the anesthesia cart to unlock the drawer and the respective compartment within which the selected medication is stored. In another configuration that provides somewhat increased control over the dispensation of the medications, the user could identify a patient, select a prescription or other order associated with the patient and request access to one of the medications prescribed or ordered for the patient with the computer then instructing the anesthesia cart to unlock the drawer and the respective compartment within which the respective medication is stored, if the user is authorized to access the anesthesia cart and the patient has been prescribed or otherwise ordered the medication selected by the user.
While anesthesia or other medication carts may provide control over the medications stored therein by requiring an authorization and access control process, such as described above, to be individually repeated for each medication stored by the anesthesia cart for which access is desired, the authorization and access control process may be undesirably time-consuming. For example, in instances in which an anesthesiologist or other user desires to withdraw multiple medications from the anesthesia cart, the authorization and access control process must be repeated for each medication which may require the anesthesiologist or other user to expend a meaningful amount of time simply opening and closing multiple drawers and, in turn, the multiple compartments that store the requested medication. As such, it would be desirable to provide an improved medication cart for securely controlling access to the medications stored therein, while permitting the medications to be accessed in a more efficient and timely manner.
The contents of the medication cart must frequently be inventoried in order to determine the type and quantities of medication remaining in the medication cart. For example, an inventory of a medication cart may need to be conducted each day. In order to conduct an inventory of a medication cart, each drawer and, in turn, each compartment within a drawer must be individually accessed and the contents of each compartment must be counted. As described above, the individual access to each compartment within a medication cart may take a significant amount of time since each compartment must be individually unlocked and opened and the contents therewithin must be counted. In addition, since the compartments generally hold the drugs in a random grouping and the drugs within the compartments can be stacked one on top of the other, the individual drug containers sometimes need to be removed from the compartments so as to obtain an accurate count. As such, it would be desirable to provide an improved medication cart for permitting the remaining inventory stored within a medication cart to be determined in an efficient manner.
Although medication carts, such as anesthesia carts, generally control the access to the individual compartment, a user may withdraw multiple vials from an individual compartment once the user has been granted access to the compartment. For example, if an anesthesiologist knows that he will need to administer the same medication to both the current patient and the next patient, the anesthesiologist may withdraw two vials of the particular medication from the respective compartment even though he has only been granted access to the compartment for the purposes of withdrawing the medication needed for the current patient so as to avoid having to access the same compartment on two occasions. This practice circumvents, however, the control otherwise provided by a medication cart with respect to the medication stored therein. As such, unit dose dispensers have been developed that limit access to one vial or medication, but unit dose dispensers are generally built within a drawer that must first be opened in order to retrieve the medication. As such, it would be desirable to provide an improved medication cart for providing controlled access to the medications stored therein, but which permitted authorized access in an efficient manner so as to reduce the likelihood of users being tempted to circumvent the control otherwise provided by a medication cart by withdrawing multiple vials of a medication.

Medication storage and dispensing unit having a vial dispenser


The invention provides an ink receiving medium comprising a macroporous substrate having a fluid management system and having a pigment management system in contact with surfaces of macropores of the substrate therein. In one embodiment, the pigment management system comprises water-soluble multivalent metal salt and the fluid management system comprises surfactant.

Inkjet and spray jet printing using dye-based inks is one method of manufacturing printed porous substrates such as textiles. Printed dyes may be "fixed" with dye mordants to improve waterfastness. Inkjet printing is well-suited for, among other things, short printing run and high resolution applications.
Pigment-based inks are commonly applied to porous substrates such as textiles by screen-printing methods, and are typically more durable than dye-based inks. In order to retain the pigment on the textile, a binder resin is employed to provide a means for anchoring the pigment to the textile. Screen-printing inks have viscosities that far exceed the maximum viscosities that may be successfully printed by inkjet methods. Additionally, the binder resins used in screen inks generally lend a stiffer (i.e., aesthetically undesirable) hand to the textile than if the same textile had been dyed. Screen printing is not a technology well-suited to short run printing in that a considerable effort is required to change screens and/or ink colors.
Dye-based inks generally suffer from poor stability compared to pigment-based inks, especially when lightfastness and waterfastness are considered.
There exists a need to provide durable lightfast and waterfast articles that combine the advantages of lightfastness, waterfastness, soft hand, and high resolution.


A semiconductor dynamic quantity sensor includes moving parts displaceable in a predetermined direction over a supporting substrate and a beam portion for connecting said supporting substrate and said moving parts. The beam portion includes beams arranged in parallel and connected together at first end portions by a connecting portion. The beams bend in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of said beams. Outer side beams have an equal length and are fixed at other end portions to said supporting substrate. The moving parts are connected to the other end portion of another beam. The outer side beams and connecting portion have a parameter (A/B)/(T/L) equal to at least 20.

In the prior art, there has been proposed (as referred to in Patent Publication 1, (JP-A-2001-121500) for example) a semiconductor dynamic quantity sensor formed by a semiconductor layer supported over a supporting substrate and which includes moving parts to be displaced in a predetermined direction over the supporting substrate, and a beam portion for connecting the supporting substrate and the moving part. The sensor detects a dynamic quantity based on the displacement of the moving parts.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a top plan view of a beam portion 50 in a prior art semiconductor dynamic quantity sensor described in Patent Publication 1.
In the beam portion 50 shown in FIG. 6, three beams 51, 52 and 53 are arranged in parallel and connected together by a connecting portion 55 at first end portions. The beam portion 50 bends in a direction X perpendicular to the longitudinal direction Y of the beams 51, 52 and 53.
Here, in the beam portion 50 of the prior art, the two outer beams 51 and 52 of the three beams 51, 52 and 53 have an equal length, and the other end portions of these two outer beams 51 and 52, i.e., the end portions on the side opposed to the connecting portion 55, are fixed to the supporting substrate by a fixing portion 56.
Moreover, in the beam portion 50 of the prior art, a moving part 30 is connected to the other end portion of the central one 53 of the three beams 51, 52 and 53 and not connected to the two outer side beams 51 and 52. Motion of the beam portion 50 in an unnecessary direction is minimized by adopting such a shape of the beam portion 50.
In short, in this beam portion 50, the predetermined direction for the moving part 30 to be displaced is the aforementioned direction X. Further, there is a proportional relationship between the displacement of the moving part 30 in the predetermined direction X and the mass of the moving part 30.
However, according to the inventor's investigations, it has been found that even when the prior art construction of the beam portion 30 is adopted, depending on the size relationship between the width B of the connecting portion 55 and the thickness A of the connecting portion 55, the beam portion 50 will still bend in an unnecessary direction. The thickness A is taken in the longitudinal direction Y of the beam portions 51 to 53. The width B is taken in the direction X perpendicular to the longitudinal direction Y of the beams 51 to 53.
For example, assume a case in which the connecting portion 55 of the beam portion 50 bends in the longitudinal direction Y of the beams 51 to 53, as indicated by broken lines in FIG. 6. Then, the moving part 30 is displaced not only in the predetermined direction X for its displacement but also in the aforementioned longitudinal direction Y, i.e., the unnecessary direction.


Described herein is a multi-component panel comprising a ceiling panel and a sound attenuation layer, as well as a ceiling system that includes the multi-component panel.

Various types of ceiling systems have been used in commercial and residential building construction to provide the desired acoustical performance. Noise blocking between rooms is required for a variety of purposes, including speech privacy as well as not bothering the occupants of adjacent rooms. Sound dampening within a single room is also required for a variety of purposes, including decreasing volume levels within a single space.
Previous attempts have been made to improve noise blocking between adjacent rooms. However, such previous attempts have either been directed to single layered structures or laminate-structures having layers that are bonded together across substantially the entire interface of layers. Such previous attempts fail to address how the interface between layers impacts both noise blocking and sound dampening characteristics of the acoustic ceiling panels. Thus, there is a need for a new laminate acoustic ceiling panel having an interface that can enhances the desired acoustical properties.