Methods and apparatus for implementing active interconnect link power management using an adaptive low-power link-state entry policy. The power state of an interconnect link or fabric is changed in response to applicable conditions determined by low-power link-state entry policy logic in view of runtime traffic on the interconnect link or fabric. The low-power link-state policy logic may be configured to include consideration of operating system input and Quality of Service (QoS) requirements for applications and devices employing the link or fabric, and device latency tolerance requirements.

Ever since the introduction of the microprocessor, computer systems have been getting faster and faster. In approximate accordance with Moore's law (based on Intel® Corporation co-founder Gordon Moore's 1965 publication predicting the number of transistors on integrated circuits to double every two years), the speed increase has shot upward at a fairly even rate for nearly three decades. At the same time, the size of both memory and non-volatile storage has also steadily increased, such that many of today's personal computers are more powerful than supercomputers from just 10-15 years ago. In addition, the speed of network communications has likewise seen astronomical increases.
Ever increasing speeds have produced more powerful processors and devices employing the processors (such as PCs, servers, workstations, and mobile devices). More powerful in more ways than just processing power—these processors and devices also consume more power. Higher power consumption is undesirable on several fronts. First, it leads to increased die temperatures, reducing processor life. For line-powered computers, such as PC's and servers, increased power results in higher energy bills. In high-density server deployments such as server farms and data centers, small increases in power on a per server basis result in huge increases in power consumption and resulting costs for the deployment (and conversely, small power reduction on a per server basis result in significant cost savings). Power consumption is a huge factor in mobile device performance. For example, an engineer could design a mobile device with processing power equal to a high-end server; however, such a device would have such a short battery life that it would be unacceptable for commercial uses.
There are various techniques for reducing power in computers and other processor-based devices. A common technique is to put the processor into a reduced power state (aka idle states or sleep states) when it isn't being actively used. Recently introduced multi-core processors support the ability to put processor cores into selected idle states on an individual core basis. There are even power control techniques that apply to a processor as a whole. For example, microprocessor performance states (P-States) are a pre-defined set of frequency and voltage combinations at which the microprocessor can operate when the CPU is active. The microprocessor utilizes dynamic frequency scaling (DFS) and dynamic voltage scaling (DVS) to implement the various P-States supported by a microprocessor. DFS and DVS are techniques that dynamically changes the operating frequency and operating voltage of the microprocessor core based on current operating conditions. Thus, power savings can be effected across a processor by changing its P-State. Package power states (e.g., Pck C-States) may also be applied the processor level to significantly reduce power. Power saving techniques can also be applied at the overall platform level, resulting in further savings.
Most of these approaches target power savings at a particular component or set of components (e.g., cores or the uncore). However, there is still a significant portion (˜10% to 30%) of the platform power consumed by various interconnect fabric and links, both within the processor die and between the processor and other platform components. Interconnect fabric consists of routers, ports and links, with the ports and associated links consuming non-negligible amount of power (˜70% of the router power). In order to reduce the holistic platform power consumption multiple link low power states are defined and implemented to achieve link power saving.
In the PCIe Specification, various power saving states are provided for a link (i.e., an interface) of a serial interconnect. Specifically, the specification describes the presence of link states L0, L0s, L1, L2 and L3. The L0 state corresponds to link on and the L2 and L3 states correspond to link off (with the difference being that auxiliary power is present in the L2 state), while the L0s state provides for a low-resume standby latency state, and the L1 state corresponds to a low power standby state. These low power states may be achieved via the Active Status Power Management (ASPM) capability of a PCIe interface, which enables an endpoint device to request entry into a low power state. In general, as the link power state is lowered, additional power savings is realized; however, the lower the power state, the larger the exit (link resume) latency to return the link back to an active state. Similar power states are also defined for other fabrics and interconnects such as IOSF (Intel on-chip System Fabric) and Thunderbolt®.

Adaptive low-power link-state entry policy for active interconnect link power management


Nucleic acid probes are described for detecting fungi capable of causing fungal septicemia or capable of causing food spoilage. The preferred probes are complementary to ribonucleic acid sequences found in numerous fungi and absent in animal or plant genomes. As such, these probes can detect the rRNA, rDNA, or polymerase chain reaction amplification products from the majority of fungal species. The detection of etiological agents of human fungemia, the clinical diagnosis of this disease and the direct evaluation of food or beverage fungal content utilizing rRNA or rDNA probes is now possible.

The fungi are a diverse collection of cell-wall enclosed eukaryotes either saprophytic or parasitic and may be morphologically described as yeasts, molds, mushrooms, or by other names. They are ubiquitous organisms, mostly innocuous, sometimes used for commercial purposes, and occasionally pathogenic.
The pathogenic fungi are included within the domain of medical mycology. This medical field recognizes categories of fungal pathogens (see Rippon, J. W., Medical Mycology, Saunders Co., Philadelphia, 1988, for example) including superficial, cutaneous, subcutaneous, and systemic infection. By far the most serious pathology caused by the fungi that clinicians face are the systemic infections. Deep tissue and systemic fungemia claim high mortality rates, particularly among immune-compromised populations.
Among the fungi capable of causing systemic fungemia, there is a dichotomy between the so-called "pathogenic" fungi and the "opportunistic" fungi. It is a deceptive nomenclature; the opportunists are the killers, and the pathogenic fungi are often self-limiting. The pathogenic fungi include Coccidioides immitis, Histoplasma capsulatum, Blastomyces dermatitidis, Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, and the subcutaneous pathogen, Sporothrix schenkii. The important opportunistic fungi include the Candidas--particularly C. albicans, C. tropicalis, C. parapsilosis, and Torulpsis (Candida) glabrata--Cryptococcus neoformans, members of the genus Aspergillus, and to a lesser extent, practically any fungus that can survive at host physiological temperatures.
Clinical diagnosis and treatment of systemic fungemia suffers several shortcomings compared to bacterial septicemia (which often occurs in the same immune-deficient population). First, antifungal chemotherapy is more toxic to the patient than analogous antibacterial chemotherapy. As a result, clinicians desire a more reliable demonstration of fungemia before prescribing antifungal agents. Second, fungemic patients have a poor prognosis, unless diagnosed early in infection. Third, fungi generally grow slower than the major barceremic organisms, and consequently diagnosis requiring an in vitro culture step is time consuming. And fourth, some of the fungi (again in diagnoses requiring in vitro cultivation) will not yield colonies on synthetic media for weeks, if at all. All of these factors, plus the fact that a wide array of fungi are potential systemic pathogens, point to the need for a direct method of fungal detection inclusive for virtually all fungi.
It is an aspect of the present invention to provide nucleic acid probes capable of detecting fungi.
It is another aspect of the present invention to provide nucleic acid probes which can hybridize to target regions which can be rendered accessible to probes under normal assay conditions.
It is yet another aspect to provide nucleic acid probes to fungal rRNA sequences useful as the basis for rapid diagnostic assays for assessing the presence of these organisms in a clinical sample.
While Kohne et al. (Biophysical Journal 8:1104-1118, 1968) discuss one method for preparing probes to rRNA sequences, they do not provide the teaching necessary to make probes to detect fungi.
Pace and Campbell (Journal of Bacteriology 107:543-547, 1971) discuss the homology of ribosomal ribonucleic acids from diverse bacterial species and a hybridization method for quantitating such homology levels. Similarly, Sogin, Sogin and Woese (Journal of Molecular Evolution 1:173-184, 1972) discuss the theoretical and practical aspects of using primary structural characterization of different ribosomal RNA molecules for evaluating phylogenetic relationships. Fox, Pechman and Woese (International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology 27:44-57, 1977) discuss the comparative cataloging of 16S ribosomal RNAs as an approach to prokaryotic systematics. These references, however, fail to relieve the deficiency of Kohne's teaching with respect to fungi, and in particular, do not provide specific probes useful in assays for detecting fungemia or its etiological agents, a broad spectrum of yeast and molds.
Hogan, et al (International Patent Application, Publication Number WO 88/03957) describe four putative fungal specific probes. None of them appear widely inclusive for fungi, nor are they related to the probes of the present invention.
Ribosomes are of profound importance to all organisms because they serve as the only known means of translating genetic information into cellular proteins, the main structural and catalytic elements of life. A clear manifestation of this importance is the observation that all cells have ribosomes.
Bacterial ribosomes contain three distinct RNA molecules which, at least in Escherichia coli, are referred to as 5S, 16S and 23S rRNAs. In eukaryotic organisms, there are four distinct rRNA species, generally referred to as 5S, 18S, 28S, and 5.8S. These names historically are related to the size of the RNA molecules, as determined by their sedimentation rate. In actuality, however, ribosomal RNA molecules vary substantially in size between organisms. Nonetheless, 5S, 18S, 28S, and 5.8S rRNA are commonly used as generic names for the homologous RNA molecules in any eukaryote, and this convention will be continued herein.
It is another aspect of the present invention to provide nucleic acid probes complementary to unique nucleic acid sequences within the 18S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) of fungal pathogens.
As used herein, probe(s) refer to synthetic or biologically produced nucleic acids (DNA or RNA) which, by design or selection, contain specific nucleotide sequences that alloy them to hybridize under defined predetermined stringencies, specifically (i.e., preferentially, see next paragraph) to target nucleic acid sequences. In addition to their hybridization properties, probes also may contain certain constituents that pertain to their proper or optimal functioning under particular assay conditions. For example, probes may be modified to improve their resistance to nuclease degradation (e.g. by end capping), to carry detection ligands (e.g. fluorescein, 32-P, biotin, etc.), or to facilitate their capture onto a solid support (e.g., polydeoxyadenosine "tails"). Such modifications are elaborations on the basic probe function which is its ability to usefully discriminate between target and non-target organisms in a hybridization assay.
Hybridization traditionally is understood as the process by which, under predetermined reaction conditions, two partially or completely complementary strands of nucleic acid are allowed to come together in an antiparallel fashion (one oriented 5' to 3', the other 3' to 5') to form a double-stranded nucleic acid with specific and stable hydrogen bonds, following explicit rules pertaining to which nucleic acid bases may pair with one another. The high specificity of probes relies on the low statistical probability of unique sequences occurring at random as dictated by the multiplicative product of their individual probabilities. These concepts are well understood by those skilled in the art.
The stringency of a particular set of hybridization conditions is determined by the base composition of the probe/target duplex, as well as by the level and geometry of mispairing between the two nucleic acids.
Stringency may also be governed by such reaction parameters as the concentration and type of ionic species present in the hybridization solution, the types and concentrations of denaturing agents present, and the temperature of hybridization. Generally, as hybridization conditions become more stringent, longer probes are preferred if stable hybrids are to be formed. As a corollary, the stringency of the conditions under which a hybridization is to take place (e.g., based on the type of assay to be performed) will dictate certain characteristics of the preferred probes to be employed. Such relationships are well understood and can be readily manipulated by those skilled in the art.
As a general matter, dependent upon probe length, such persons understand stringent conditions to mean approximately 35.degree. C.-65.degree. C. in a salt solution of approximately 0.9 molar NaCl.
All references made herein are fully incorporated by reference.

Nucleic acid probes and methods for detecting fungi


Methods, systems, and computer readable media for link aggregation group (LAG) link allocation are disclosed. According to one method for indirect LAG link allocation, the method includes status information associated with a LAG. The method also includes at a first network node, utilizing the status information to set path identifiers in packets for controlling LAG allocation. The method further includes at a second network node separate from the first network node, receiving the packets and allocating LAG links to the packets based on the path identifiers.

Link aggregation generally refers to any technique that aggregates or combines multiple network connections (e.g., links or ports) into one virtual network connection or a link aggregation group (LAG). For example, at concurrent times, a network switch may provide data to a server via two LAG links associated with a LAG, where the combined throughput of the LAG links is greater than either of the individual LAG links. When sending packets via a LAG, a network element, such as a network switch, may be configured to provide the packets via one or more LAG links. However, issues arise when attempting to use or allocate the LAG efficiently. In particular, conventional LAG link allocation is typically based on a flow tuple hash or other methods that fail to effectively load balance or load share flows (e.g., sessions or related packets) among LAG links. For example, conventional LAG link allocation techniques fail to ensure that LAG links are not overutilized or underutilized. Another problem with conventional LAG implementations is that conventional LAG implementations typically require all links in a LAG be the same speed and have other similar characteristics, such as latency.
Accordingly, a need exists for improved methods, systems, and computer readable media for LAG link allocation.

Link aggregation group (LAG) link allocation


A disclosed accelerator level display device 1 includes an accelerator level detection unit 12 configured to detect an accelerator level; a target accelerator level determining unit 14b configured to determine a target accelerator level for the accelerator level; and a display unit 15a, 20 configured to display a target accelerator level indicator corresponding to the target accelerator level and an accelerator level indicator corresponding to the detected accelerator level. The display unit is configured to display the target accelerator level indicator as a fixed value regardless of the target accelerator level determined by the target accelerator level determining unit.

To improve fuel economy of vehicles, drivers are recommended, for example, to refrain from racing the engine, to stop idling the engine, and to avoid rapid acceleration. In addition to such operations that apparently lower fuel economy, fuel economy of a vehicle is also greatly influenced by how the accelerator is operated during driving. For this reason, display devices that display information for assisting a driver to improve the fuel economy are proposed (see, for example, patent documents 1 and 2).
Patent document 1 discloses a display device that assists a driver to drive a vehicle in a fuel-efficient manner. If the driver selects a fuel-economy shift mode, the disclosed display device determines whether the manner of driving of the driver is suitable to improve the fuel economy, and turns on an eco-lamp if the manner of driving is suitable to improve the fuel economy or turns off the eco-lamp if not.
Patent document 2 discloses a display unit that compares calculated current fuel economy with a recommended driving pattern provided for each type of vehicle and displays information indicating appropriateness of driver's accelerator operations ("appropriate", "stop pressing", and "too much") in different colors to assist the driver to drive properly.
However, the display device disclosed in patent document 1 can provide only a small amount of information by turning on and off the eco-lamp according to the manner of driving of the driver. The eco-lamp only indicates whether the manner of driving is suitable to improve the fuel economy. Therefore, the driver cannot determine the degree he/she is allowed to depress the accelerator within a threshold for turning on or off the eco-lamp. As a result, a fuel-economy-conscious driver tends to drive the vehicle with a low accelerator level for a long period of time and may unintentionally lower the fuel economy. Also, when the driver operates the accelerator according to the eco-lamp, the driver tends to change the accelerator level frequently in the vicinity of the threshold for turning on or off the eco-lamp and may in turn lower the fuel economy.
The display device disclosed in patent document 2 calculates instantaneous fuel economy and compares the instantaneous fuel economy with fuel economy according to the recommended driving pattern. One problem is that since the instantaneous fuel economy is a value measured in the past, the display device cannot tell the driver how to operate the accelerator before the fuel economy decreases. Also, since the display device does not display causes of decrease in fuel economy, the driver cannot determine whether the decrease in fuel economy could have been prevented. Thus, with the display device of patent document 2, it is difficult to guide the driver to properly drive a vehicle to prevent decrease in fuel economy before it occurs. Also, as with the display device of patent document 1, the display device of patent document 2 does not tell the driver how much he/she is allowed to depress the accelerator before the accelerator level exceeds a threshold between "appropriate" and "too much".
[Patent document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-220851
[Patent document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-370560

Accelerator level display device and accelerator level display method


An apparatus for closing an aperture comprising a horizontally extending member and elongated strand portions having extremity portions curving inwardly. The extremity portions have shape memory characteristics seeking to cause the extremity portions to curl to retain tissue engaged thereby when delivered from a delivery member. A central portion extends between the horizontally extending member and the elongated strand portions.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to methods and apparatus for closing apertures in human and animal tissue and to methods and apparatus for inserting apparatus into such tissue to perform such closure functions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
During certain types of vascular surgery, catheters are inserted through an incision in the skin and underlying tissue to access the femoral artery in the patient's leg. The catheter is then inserted through the access opening made in the wall of the femoral artery and guided through the artery to the desired site to perform surgical procedures such as angioplasty or plaque removal. After the surgical procedure is completed and the catheter is removed from the patient, the access hole must be closed. This is quite difficult not only because of the high blood flow from the artery, but also because there are many layers of tissue that must be penetrated to reach the femoral artery.
Several approaches have used to close femoral access holes. Typically, manual compression by hand over the puncture site can be augmented by a sandbag or weight until the blood coagulates. With this approach it can take up to six hours for the vessel hole to close and for the patient to be able to ambulate. This increases time for the surgical procedure as well as overall cost of the procedure since the hospital staff must physically hold pressure and the patient's discharge is delayed because of the inability to ambulate. This is not an efficient use of either the patient's or staff's time. After some procedures, to close the vessel puncture site a clamp is attached to the operating table and the patient's leg; The clamp applies pressure to the vessel opening. The patient must be monitored to ensure the blood is coagulating, requiring additional time of the hospital staff and increasing cost of the procedure.
To avoid the foregoing disadvantages of manual pressure approaches, suturing devices have been developed. One such suturing device, referred to as "The Closer" and sold by Perclose, advances needles adjacent the vessel wall opening and pulls suture material outwardly through the wall adjacent the opening. The surgeon then ties a knot in the suture, closing the opening. One difficulty with this procedure involves the number of steps required by the surgeon to deploy the needles, capture the suture, withdraw the suture, and tie the knot, and cut the suture. Moreover, the surgeon cannot easily visualize the suture because of the depth of the femoral artery (relative to the skin) and essentially ties the suture knot blindly or blindly slips a pre-fabricated knot into position. Additionally, the ability to tie the knot varies among surgeons; therefore success and accuracy of the hole closure can be dependent on the skill of the surgeon. Yet another disadvantage of this suturing instrument is that the vessel opening is widened for insertion of the instrument, thus creating a bigger opening to close in the case of failure to deliver the closure system.
It would therefore be advantageous to provide an instrument which quickly and accurately closes holes in vessel walls. Such instrument would advantageously avoid the aforementioned time and expense of manual pressure, simplify the steps required to close the opening, and avoid widening of the opening.


A tethered item is associated with an identifier that uniquely identifies the item, and one or more content processing devices execute obtaining an identifier of the item, and correlating the obtained item identifier with information related to the tethered item.

1. Field
Example embodiments relate to output of information related to an item, such as a processing device and influenced by presence of the item.
2. Description of the Related Art
As an example, the cellular telephone industry includes constantly changing handset models, prices and promotions. Handset makers and service providers in this industry engage in very fierce competition requiring many marketing and advertising campaigns. Because of the constant changes in the industry, sales and promotion of handsets is encumbered and presents a number of challenges.
Electronic kiosks are devices designed for specific uses and are used broadly for unattended self-service use as a promotional and/or educational device. The kiosks have items to be promoted on display for demonstration purposes and the items are attached to the kiosk. The information displayed on the kiosk relating to a promotional item plays an important role in the education of potential customers outlining the features and advantages of the promotional item. Such information allows the customer to test the item and gather information relevant to his/hers individual needs. The kiosk allows for making quick comparisons using touch and drag and drop capability which fills areas on a touch screen allowing comparisons between different models or products. This functionality is gaining popularity with vendors and customers.
The maintenance and servicing of the content relating to the promotional items presented on these kiosks such as cellular handsets represents a challenge to vendors/retailers and service technicians as the multiplicity of models, locations, marketing campaigns and continuous introduction of new units creates a large number of possible permutations. The update process is prone to errors and potential mismatch of promotion material to items promoted on the kiosk.
It would be an advancement in the art to overcome these limitations.

Apparatus, method and process of influencing information gathered by a tethered item and computer-readable medium thereof


A polyurethane foam is prepared by combining a polyether triol with a hydroxyl value of from 25 to 30 and a molecular weight from 5000 to 7000 g/mol; a polyether diol with a hydroxyl value of from 25 to 30 and a molecular weight from 3000 to less than 5000 g/mol; a chain extender mixture including 1,4-butanediol and at least one of monoethylene glycol, hexanediol, neopentyl glycol, and isomers thereof; a copolymer polyether polyol having a styrene acrylonitrile solids content of at least 38 wt % and an average hydroxyl number of at least 23; an isocyanate component; and a blowing agent. It is particularly suitable for shoe sole applications, where it exhibits improvement in slip resistance under wet conditions when compared with some other polyether-polyurethane formulations.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to the field of polyurethane foams. More particularly, it relates to polyurethane foams having improved slip resistance.
2. Background of the Art
It is well known that polyurethane foams may be obtained by the reaction of an isocyanate component with an active hydrogen-containing component, such as, for example, a polyether or polyester polyol, and, optionally, a blowing agent. For processing convenience it is, in certain circumstances, advantageous to use, as the isocyanate component, an isocyanate-terminated prepolymer. Such prepolymer may be prepared by, for example, the reaction of an excess of an aromatic diisocyanate with a relatively low molecular weight diol such as, for example, dipropylene glycol and/or tripropylene glycol. The blowing agent may be an inert physical blowing agent, such as, for example, a chlorofluoro compound, and/or a reactive blowing agent, such as, for example, water. The preparation of polyurethane foams by such procedures is described in, for example, patent publications EP 235,888; EP 175,733; and U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,591,532; 3,901,959; 4,647,596; and 4,757,095.
Current manufacturing trends for polyurethane foams are driven by two dominant factors, namely, cost and environmental concern. Consideration of cost and superior humid ageing performance leads polyurethane foam producers to select polyether polyols over polyester polyols, while consideration of environmental issues leads such producers to select water in preference to certain physical blowing agents. However, use of water as a blowing agent may compromise certain properties, such as low temperature durability, hardness and processability. Some of these problems may be mitigated by using an isocyanate-terminated prepolymer prepared by reaction of an excess of an aromatic diisocyanate with a relatively high molecular weight polyether diol or triol.
One popular use for polyurethanes currently is in the manufacture of shoesoles. In this application polyurethanes offer versatility, processability, comfort and durability. However, some polyurethane formulations, particularly those based on polyethers, do not offer acceptable or desirable levels of slip resistance. This problem is particularly problematic when the surface of the shoe sole will contact "wet" conditions, such as contact surfaces where water, aqueous solutions, grease, and/or oil are present, all of which tend to actually lubricate the contact point(s) which can result in a slip or fall. An acceptable level of slip resistance is needed to reduce or prevent slipping or falling accidents.
In view of this need, objective standards have been developed to measure slip resistance of a polyurethane material in contact with both dry and wet surfaces. It is measured in terms of the coefficient of friction (COF), also known as frictional coefficient or friction coefficient, between the surface of the polyurethane being tested and a given test surface, such as steel or a pressed ceramic floor, under given test conditions, such as in the presence of glycerol or a detergent solution. It is symbolized by the Greek letter μ and is a dimensionless scalar value which describes the ratio of the force of friction between two bodies and the force pressing them together. Friction is defined as the resistance to motion that occurs whenever one solid body slides over another.
One particular test standard is specified in the SATRA Technology Centre's test protocol TM144 and in the International Organization for Standardization's UNI EN ISO 13287:2006 standard. This European standard specifies a method for testing the slip resistance of conventionally soled safety, protective and occupational footwear, and is not applicable to special purpose footwear containing spikes, metal studs or similar anti-slip devices. It is well-known and generally accepted that a minimum COF value of around 0.30 is necessary to prevent most wearers from slipping during normal walking. For activities that are more dynamic, such as running, higher COF values are strongly recommended.

Polyether polyurethanes exhibiting enhanced slip resistance under wet conditions


In one example embodiment, a server generates a candidate instantiation of virtual applications among a plurality of hosts in a data center to support a multicast stream. The server provides, to a first set of agents corresponding to a first set of the plurality of hosts, a command to initiate a test multicast stream. The server provides, to a second set of agents corresponding to a second set of the plurality of hosts, a command to join the test multicast stream. The server obtains, from the second set of agents, a message indicating whether the second set of agents received the test multicast stream. If the message indicates that the second set of agents received the test multicast stream, the server causes the virtual applications to be instantiated in accordance with the candidate instantiation of the virtual applications.

Today, the professional media industry (e.g., film, linear television, radio, visual radio, etc.) uses bespoke physical appliances for managing/distributing audio and video signals in production studio data centers. These bespoke appliances are networked by way of Synchronous Digital Interface (SDI) networks to carry audio and video signals between those appliances. SDI does not provide for a network protocol, and carries only digitized analog signals. For interconnecting appliances, SDI routers are programmed to patch incoming signals to outgoing signals to route the audio and video signals across, between, and through production studios. SDI routing is external and not native to the SDI standard.
SDI is presently being replaced by Internet Protocol (IP) networks. SDI samples are packaged into User Datagram Protocol (UDP) and/or Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) packets and sent from a source to one or more sinks by way of IPv4-based multicast trees. As used herein, the term "SDI-over-IP" may refer to SDI converted to IP by encapsulation or similar techniques as well as native IP streams that replace SDI. In SDI-over-IP, every media source (e.g., camera, microphone, etc.) is assigned a private multicast tree and media receivers simply subscribe to the multicast trees to receive a feed. SDI gateways and IP-based sources feed packet streams into the multicast trees. SDI-over-IP streams are typically elephant multicast flows with data rates between 1.5 Gb/s (e.g., for high-definition video) and 12 Gb/s (e.g., for high dynamic range or ultra high-definition video) for uncompressed video. Since signal quality is key (i.e., packet loss and blocking are not acceptable), specialized professional media networks are programmed to ensure that a non-blocking, loss-free transmission of the SDI-over-IP signals exists between ingress devices, physical appliances, and egress devices in data centers for such multicast trees.
To ensure professional media networks can support all of the SDI-over-IP-based media multicast flows, network schedulability analysis is traditionally performed by a Software Defined Network (SDN) controller in the professional media network. The SDN controller only admits new streams if (a) existing flows are not disrupted and (b) the new flows in combination with the existing flows can meet their real-time requirements.

Multicast flow scheduling in a data center


A die rib for a tire mold defines the inlets to vent passages of the mold through the sides of the die ribs so that the vent passages do not open through the contour surface of the mold. In one exemplary configuration, the invention provides a die rib having a vent inlet disposed along at least one side of the die rib. The vent inlet may be disposed along up to 80 percent of the length of the die rib with at least one foot disposed against the contour surface of the tire mold section.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to tire manufacturing molds, and more particularly to a tire manufacturing mold having vent passages that do not open through the contour surface of the mold used to form the tire tread. Specifically, the invention relates to a tire manufacturing mold having vent passages with inlets defined under portions of the die ribs that overhang the contour surface so that the vent passage inlets are not disposed in the contour surface of the tire mold.
2. Background Information
Tire manufacturing molds have gas vents leading away from the mold contour surface to remove the gas trapped within the mold during the tire molding process. Tire surface quality is degraded if the gas is not properly vented. Tire rubber can enter these vents to form undesirable flash on the resulting tire tread. The gas vents can also clog with the tire material leading to expensive downtime when the mold must be cleaned.

Tire mold with vent inlet disposed under mold rib


A dispensing device has a shell (11) which may be connected to a container (14) for a fluid to be dispensed, such as an injectable pharmaceutical compound. The device has a fixed first threaded member (21) and a second threaded member (22) surrounding the first member, the first and second members each having equi-spaced threaded segments (27 and 29) with non-threaded segments (28) therebetween whereby the second member will be wound axially when rotated about the first member but may be positioned for axial sliding movement with respect to the first member. A plunger (23) is slidably mounted within the first member (21) and has a portion (33) engageable with the threads of the second member. A dose setting sleeve (53) surrounds the second member and has threads (54) engaged with the device shell, the sleeve being coupled to the second member for rotation therewith. A dose is set by winding the second member (22) away from a fixed stop (25) until the sleeve (53) indicates the required does amount, whereafter the second member (22) is slid axially back to the fixed stop (25), the plunger (23) being thrust forwardly thereby to expel fluid from the container.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dispensing device which is arranged to dispense an accurate and measured dose of a fluid. Typically such a fluid may be one which is itself or which contains a therapeutically or otherwise active compound or composition, such as insulin.
2. Description of the Related Art
European Patent Specification No. 0,037,696 A discloses a dispensing device suitable for use in dispensing a predetermined quantity of material from a container comprising a tubular body member having an outlet at one end, and a plunger slidably movable in said body member towards said outlet. The dispensing device comprises an elongate body having a chamber for receiving a container with its outlet held in a first end portion of the elongate body, and a first drive member mounted in said body for use in driving said plunger. In the disclosed device said first drive member is slidably mounted for driving engagement via a unidirectional drive transmission with a second drive member having a free end drivingly engagable with said plunger of the container. In that manner said second drive member and said plunger can be driven by the first drive member via said unidirectional drive transmission means only in a direction towards the container outlet and the first end portion of the elongate body whilst permitting return movement of the first drive member. Preferably, the unidirectional drive transmission comprises a ratchet means.
For setting the dose to be dispensed the adjust knob is turned to align a pin with one of a series of channels of varying length (dependent on the size of dose required) in the push button (or vice versa). The length of the channel dictates the movement forward of the plunger and the multiple of doses is decided by how many channels one can safely have around the circumference consistent with side walls to each channel and the size of the readout on the circumference.
A usable diameter gives eight variable doses. One could increase the diameter to give more channels and more variations of dose. However, the device would become more and more unwieldy as the number of channels is increased.
Another serious fault with this device is that it is easy to pump the push button so that the plunger moves forward without the pin ever reaching the bottom of its channel. This is unsafe.
European Patent Specification No. 0,295,075 A relates to a device for dispensing a fluid from a container by means of the axial movement of a piston within the container under the influence of a plunger moved by the device. The device is adapted to receive the container at its forward end and to move the plunger axially forward towards the container so as to dispense a selected amount of fluid from the container upon each actuation of the device. The device comprises a drive mechanism adapted to be reciprocated axially of the device and to be positively engaged with the plunger for the forward stroke of the drive mechanism so as to prevent relative movement between the plunger and the drive mechanism and to move the plunger forward. The drive mechanism requires a positive action to disengage it from the plunger so as to permit relative movement between the plunger and drive mechanism for at least rearward movement of the drive mechanism. Also, the forward travel of the drive mechanism is limited by a fixed stop mechanism and the extent of the forward stroke of the drive mechanism is individually selectable for each actuation of the device by withdrawing the drive mechanism or a part operatively associated therewith a selected distance from the said fixed stop.
The device of EP-0,295,075 A is designed to give a maximum of 36 units of insulin. For dose setting opposed jaws are pulled back in a slot by rotating a screw, the length of slot being determined by the length of the movement forward of the plunger at maximum dose. A larger dose means a longer slot and a corresponding lengthening of the device. In addition, to wind back the screw for an additional dose means a lengthening of the screw in the main body, thereby adding another additional dose length to the device. Also, in line with the jaws and screw is the readout which needs an additional dose length and a corresponding increase in body length. Thus, there is a ratio of 3:1 between body length and plunger length, which means that each time the dose is increased there is an additional three millimeters of body length for every millimeter of plunger length necessary to give the higher dose setting.
In prior art dispensing devices, such as those outlined above, the usual dispensing increment is 2 units, but the amount dispensed for a given standard length of device is limited. Thus, in the case of a patient wishing to use a relatively large dose it may be necessary to use the device twice or even more times, each time to dispense a smaller dose.


A photothermographic material comprising at least one layer containing photosensitive silver halide grains on a support further contains a mono-, tri- or penta-methine cyanine dye having a thienyl or arylthio substituent. The material shows low fog, high sensitivity, and improved age stability.

This invention relates to a photothermographic material.
From the contemporary standpoints of environmental protection and space saving, it is strongly desired to reduce the quantity of spent solution. Needed in this regard is a technology relating to thermographic photosensitive materials for use in medical diagnosis and general photography which can be effectively exposed by means of laser image setters and laser imagers and produce distinct black images having high resolution and sharpness. These thermographic photosensitive materials offer to the customer a simple thermographic system which eliminates a need for solution type chemical agents and is not detrimental to the environment.
On the other hand, the recent rapid progress of semiconductor laser technology has made it possible to reduce the size of medical image output devices. As a matter of course, there were developed techniques relating to infrared-sensitive photothermal silver halide photographic material which can utilize a semiconductor laser as a light source. The spectral sensitization technique is disclosed, for example, in JP-B 10391/1991 and 52387/1994, JP-A 341432/1993, 194781/1994, and 301141/1994. The antihalation technique is disclosed, for example, in JP-A 13295/1995 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,380,635. Since the infrared exposure system permits the visible absorption of sensitizing dyes and antihalation dyes to be considerably reduced, a substantially colorless photosensitive material can be readily produced.
Since spectral sensitizing dyes capable of absorbing infrared radiation, however, generally have a high reducing power due to a high HOMO (highest occupied molecular orbital), they tend to reduce silver ions in photosensitive materials to exacerbate the fog thereof. In particular, these photosensitive materials experience a substantial change of performance during storage under hot humid conditions and long-term storage. If dyes having a low HOMO are used for preventing deterioration of storage stability, spectral sensitization efficiency and sensitivity become low because their LUMO (lowest unoccupied molecular orbital) is relatively low. These problems relating to sensitivity and storage stability arise not only with wet photographic photosensitive materials, but more outstandingly with photothermographic materials.
The reducing power of a dye, of course, tends to increase as its amount becomes larger. A photosensitive material containing a small amount of dye, however, shows short sensitivity because incident light to the photosensitive material is not fully absorbed. Especially in a photothermographic material using a highly lipophilic binder, the adsorption of the dye to a silver halide or photosensitive element is weak, and the sensitivity becomes short unless the dye is added in a sufficient amount.
It is believed that such inconvenience can be mitigated by using a sensitizing dye capable of absorbing light of shorter wavelength. Therefore, there is a need for a photosensitive material suitable for exposure by a red laser rather than an infrared laser. However, in a photothermographic material containing an organic silver salt, the use of a sensitizing dye capable of absorbing red laser light mitigates the problems as compared with the use of infrared dyes, but the occurrence of fog to a practically noticeable extent and performance variations during storage still remain unsolved.


A track and hinge assembly set for with a casement window sash unit comprises a pair of track and hinge assemblies each including a track which is mounted on a horizontal frame member of the window frame. Each assembly also includes a toggle hinge including a pair of pivotally interconnected links, one of which is secured to the casement sash and pivotally and slidably connected to the track. The other link is pivotally connected to a cam which is shiftably mounted on the track. In one embodiment, the cam is longitudinally shiftable relative to the track which repositions the pivotal connection between a toggle link and cam to overcome sash sag. In other embodiments, the cam rotated relative to the track to reposition the pivotal connection between the cam and a toggle link to correct sash sag.

Sash sag is a common problem associated with the installation of residential casement windows. Sash sag or misalignment results from poor installation by the installers or poor hinge positioning by the window manufacturers. In my U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,106, I have provided a cam adjustment device which is effective in correction of sash sag during installation of residential casement windows. The present invention is directed to an improved version of the cam adjustment device disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,106.

Cam adjustment device for casement window unit


A hot melt agent is printed between terminals of a heat seal film substrate 1 having a circuit printed of conductive material on a base film such as polyester. An anisotropic film mixing nickel particles is printed on the terminals. Afterwards, a hot melt agent is printed on the upper surface, and thermo-compression bonded to the printed wiring board on the opposite side. Hence, deviation of terminals is prevented at the time of connection of heat seal film substrate connected by thermo-compression bonding, while elongation of base film is prevented, so that terminals may be connected accurately, so as to be applicable to fine pitches.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for connecting terminals of heat seal film substrate used when connecting fine pitch terminals in liquid crystal display device or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a terminal connecting method a method called carbon hot melt for printing a carbon hot melt agent on a terminal of a circuit made of a conductive material is formed on a base film, and thermo-compression bonding, and a method called ANISO type for printing an anisotropic film mixing nickel particles directly on a heat seal film, and thermo-compression bonding are known. In the connection of heat seal film substrate by such methods, however, when the pitches are made fine so as to be applicable to the latest liquid crystal display devices, fluctuations are likely to occur in the contact resistance value or insulation resistance value, and adverse effects may be caused on the functions of the products applied, and accordingly, hitherto, the heat seal film substrate used in liquid crystal display device or the like was of so-called MONOSO type as shown in FIG. 1, in which an anisotropic film 5 mixing nickel particles 5a is printed only on terminals 3 of the circuit printed of a conductive material of silver carbon on a base film 2 of polyimide or polyester, and then a hot melt agent 6 is printed on the surface, and thermo-compression bonded. FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the state of the terminals 3 on the heat seal film substrate 1 connected to a conductive pattern 9 formed on an insulator 8 of a printed wiring board 7.
In the connection of heat seal film substrate of such conventional MONOSO type, the terminals of the heat seal film substrate side have a height of about 20 .mu.m, and the conductor pattern of the printed wiring board side to which the terminals are connected is about 50 .mu.m high, and therefore the terminals may slip in between the conductor patterns at the time of bonding, and the base film may be elongated by bonding temperature (about 180.degree. C.), and position deviation may occur to make imperfect the connection between the terminals and conductor patterns.

Method for connecting terminals of heat seal film substrate


A film winding apparatus has a film winding mechanism for rotating a roll core to wind an elongate film around the roll core thereby to produce a film roll, a product receiving mechanism for gripping the film roll while tensioning the elongate film, the product receiving mechanism being displaceable away from the film winding mechanism, and a cutting mechanism for transversely cutting off the elongate film while the elongate film is being tensioned by the product receiving mechanism. The elongate film can be wound highly accurately around the roll core with a simple process and arrangement.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for winding a film, a method of and an apparatus for supplying a film roll core, and a method of and an apparatus for inspecting the appearance of a film roll, which are applied to a film rewinder or a film cutter to wind a film around a roll core.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, film rewinders for automatically winding a film around a core or film cutters for cutting a wider film into a narrower film and automatically winding the narrower film around a core employ an arrangement for cutting an elongate film upstream of a film winding station and thereafter feeding the cut film length to the film winding station. For details, reference should be made to Japanese laid-open patent publication No. 10-25043, for example.
According to the above process, the leading end of the cut film is in a free state and is not controlled. Therefore, the film tends to undulate and it is difficult to align an edge of the film at a constant position with an end of a roll core. For example, rolls of photosensitive material such as print paper have a film edge whose shape is highly important for film quality. If a film edge projects axially outwardly from an end of the roll core, then the projecting film edge tends to be damaged while the film is packaged or delivered.
Various proposals have been made to wind a film around a core highly accurately with simple and inexpensive arrangements. For example, Japanese patent publication No. 7-53547 and Japanese laid-open patent publication No. 10-53360 disclose apparatus in which a product with a wound film is discharged using a vertically movable product receiver, then a new core is supplied, and the film is cut while the film is being nipped by the supplied core and a touch roller.
According to the above proposed structures, while the product is being lowered after it has been unchucked, the film is free of any tension. Therefore, if the film passes through a displaced position, then an edge of the film projects from an end of the roll core.
The above film rewinders and film cutters have an automatic core supply device for automatically supplying a core to a circumferential edge of the film winding station and an automatic film winding device for rotating the roll core supplied from the automatic core supply device to automatically wind the film around the roll core. However, since the automatic core supply device and the automatic film winding device have their operating ranges partly interfering with each other, it is difficult to shorten the period of time after the winding of the film has been completed until a film starts being wound around a new core. This is because after the automatic core supply device has place a core in the film winding station, the automatic core supply device is sufficiently retracted from the film winding station, and then the film starts being wound around the roll core. As a result, the entire process of winding the film around the roll core cannot be speeded up, and the apparatus is complex in structure, resulting in a considerably high cost of equipment.
As disclosed in Japanese laid-open patent publication No. 5-17058, there is known a process of surrounding a new core with an endless belt in a retracted position, moving the endless belt to a winding position after the winding of a web material has been completed in the winding position, and rotating the roll core to wind a new web material therearound.
Since it is difficult to supply the roll core accurately to the winding position with the endless belt only, a member is used to fix the roll core in position. The member needs to be moved back and force by a cylinder, and a time loss is caused to retract the member with the cylinder. In addition, because of the core fixing member used, the endless belt cannot be positioned closely around the roll core fully across its axis, making it difficult to wind the film highly precisely around the roll core.
Rolled film products have end faces whose shapes are important for product quality. For example, rolled film products suffer appearance defects if a rolled film product has a concave conical end face as shown in FIG. 50 of the accompanying drawings, if a rolled film product has a convex conical end face as shown in FIG. 51 of the accompanying drawings, if a rolled film product has a film layer projecting an end face thereof as shown in FIG. 52 of the accompanying drawings, or if a rolled film product has an end face displaced wholly or partly as shown in FIG. 53 of the accompanying drawings. These appearance defects are responsible for damage to the end faces of the products while they are being packaged or delivered. Accordingly, it is necessary to inspect rolled film products for their end face configuration.
It has been customary to visually or tactually inspect rolled film products for their end face configuration. Other processes of inspecting products other than films for their appearance are disclosed in Japanese laid-open patent publications Nos. 6-24649 (first conventional process), 7-304567 (second conventional process), and 9-58930 (third conventional process).
According to the first conventional process, a parallel slit light beam emitted by an illuminating device comprising a light source and a slit is applied from a side of a spinning package to an edge thereof. The irradiated area is imaged by a CCD camera, and the image is processed to effect pattern matching for comparison with a normal package configuration.
According to the second conventional process, a strip-shaped beam of light emitted from a laser oscillator and dispersed by a cylindrical lens is applied to an edge of a yarn package. A yarn filament is raised from the package edge under electrostatic induction, and an image of the raised yarn filament captured by a CCD camera is converted into a binary image. The boundary between non-irradiated and irradiated areas of the binary image, near the non-irradiated area, is scanned by a line sensor, and compared with a threshold value having a predetermined signal width.
According to the third conventional process, laser displacement meters are vertically disposed respectively against face and back end faces of a yarn bobbin. Based on output signals from the laser displacement meters, distances up to the face and back end faces of the yarn bobbin are measured, and surface irregularities of the face and back end faces of the yarn bobbin are measured for automatically determining contour defects of the yarn bobbin.
Since the conventional processes of inspecting rolled film products for their appearance have been manually performed visually or tactually, the rolled film products cannot be evaluated objectively. Evaluation standards tend to vary from lot to lot, personnel expenses that are required are liable to be high, and the period of time required for the inspection is likely to be long, resulting in a poor productivity.
The first through third conventional processes described above are not aimed at the inspection of rolled film products. If these conventional processes are applied to the inspection of rolled film products, then inasmuch they employ commercially available laser displacement meters and light sources, inspected rolled film products may be exposed to undesirable light.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide a method of and an apparatus for winding a film highly accurately and efficiently around a core with a simple process and arrangement.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide a method of and an apparatus for supplying a film roll core to allow a film to be wound quickly and highly accurately around the film roll core, through a simple arrangement.
Another principal object of the present invention is to provide a method of and an apparatus for inspecting the appearance of a film roll accurately within a short period of time without affecting the quality of the film for effectively increasing the production efficiency.
The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown by way of illustrative example.

Method of and apparatus for winding film, method of and apparatus for supplying film roll core, and method of and apparatus for inspecting appearance of film roll


A first housing (10) and a second housing (30) are connected by leverage brought about by the engagement of pinions (24) of a lever (20) rotatably supported on the first housing (10) and racks 33 of the second housing (30). In the process of rotating the lever (20), cam action brought about by the engagement of cam grooves (25) of the lever (20) and cam followers (37) of the second housing (30) is exhibited. This cam action prevents the first housing (10) from being inclined with respect to the second housing (30) with engaged positions of the pinions (24) and the racks (33) as supports.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a lever-type connector and to a method of operating it, in particular connecting and/or separating it.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 6,736,655 discloses a lever-type connector that has a first housing, a lever rotatably mounted on the first housing and a second housing that can be connected to the first housing by the rotation of the lever. The lever has a pinion concentric with a center of rotation of the lever and the second housing has a rack extending in connecting directions of the two housings. The pinion engages the rack and generates a leverage to connect the housings as the lever is rotated.
The center of rotation of the lever of the above-described connector is offset from an engaged position of the rack and pinion in a width direction that intersects the connecting directions of the two housings. Thus, the first housing may incline with respect to the second housing about the engaged position of the rack and pinion due to a reaction force generated between the rack and the pinion during a connecting process.
The invention was developed in view of the above situation and an object thereof is to connect two housings to each other without being inclined.

Lever-type connector and method of operating it


Techniques are described of efficiently identifying sets of audio parameters to be applied during a time frame. For example, a list of indicators may be generated. Each of the indicators in the list may indicate a Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) voice present in a MIDI frame. Furthermore, in generating the list, the indicators in the list may be restricted to those indicators that indicate the most acoustically significant MIDI voices in the MIDI frame. After the list is generated, a digital waveform may be generated for each of MIDI voices indicated by an indicator in the list. A combination of the waveforms of each MIDI voice may constitute an overall waveform for the MIDI frame.

Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) is a format for the creation, communication, and playback of audio sounds, such as music, speech, tones, alerts, and the like. A device that supports the MIDI format may store sets of audio information that can be used to create various "voices." Each voice may correspond to a particular sound, such as a musical note by a particular instrument. For example, a first voice may correspond to a middle C as played by a piano, a second voice may correspond to a middle C as played by a trombone, a third voice may correspond to a D♯ as played by a trombone, and so on. In order to replicate the sounds of different instruments, a MIDI-compliant device may include a set of information for voices that specify various audio characteristics associated with the sounds, such as the behavior of a low-frequency oscillator, effects such as vibrato, and a number of other audio characteristics that can affect the perception of sound. Almost any sound can be defined, conveyed in a MIDI file, and reproduced by a device that supports the MIDI format.
A device that supports the MIDI format may produce a musical note (or other sound) when an event occurs that indicates that the device should start producing the note. Similarly, the device stops producing the musical note when an event occurs that indicates that the device should stop producing the note. An entire musical composition may be coded in accordance with the MIDI format by specifying events that indicate when certain voices should start and stop and various effects on the voices. In this way, the musical composition may be stored and transmitted in a compact file format according to the MIDI format.
The MIDI format is supported in a wide variety of devices. For example, wireless communication devices, such as radiotelephones, may support MIDI files for downloadable sounds such as ringtones or other audio output. Digital music players, such as the "iPod" devices sold by Apple Computer, Inc and the "Zune" devices sold by Microsoft Corp. may also support MIDI file formats. Other devices that support the MIDI format may include various music synthesizers such as keyboards, sequencers, voice encoders (vocoders), and rhythm machines. In addition, a wide variety of devices may also support playback of MIDI files or tracks, including wireless mobile devices, direct two-way communication devices (sometimes called walkie-talkies), network telephones, personal computers, desktop and laptop computers, workstations, satellite radio devices, intercom devices, radio broadcasting devices, hand-held gaming devices, circuit boards installed in devices, information kiosks, video game consoles, various computerized toys for children, on-board computers used in automobiles, watercraft and aircraft, and a wide variety of other devices.

Efficient identification of sets of audio parameters


An improved rock climbing simulator that uses an adjustable fluid resistance apparatus coupled to an axle of a rotating climbing surface to control the rate of rotation of the climbing surface and thus the perceived climbing speed experienced by the climber. The fluid resistance apparatus is structured to control the rate of rotation of the climbing surface, and hence the perceived climbing speed, regardless of the weight or position of a climber on the climbing surface.

The present invention relates generally to rock climbing simulators, and, more particularly to climbing simulators such devices whose climbing surface rotates in such a manner so that as the climber begins to climb on the device and attempts to ascend, the rotation of the device's climbing surface moves in a descending direction at a rate of speed equal to the climbers ascent thus countering the climbers attempt to ascend and thus keeps the climber in a safe proximity to the floor or ground.
Interest in climbing as a beneficial means to maintain or improve fitness has steadily grown. Benefits of climbing include muscular and skeletal strengthening, endurance, balance, flexibility, cardiovascular, and eye hand coordination. Fitness clubs and centers realize the value of incorporating climbing into the exercise activities they provide. The most common means for providing rock climbing for fitness enthusiasts is with climbing walls. The problem with climbing walls is they require walls with heights in excess of 30 feet. In addition, the climber of these high climbing walls is required to put on a safety harness. A trained attendant must monitor the harnessing of the climber and the climb itself. The requirement of high walls and trained personnel to monitor the activity makes rock climbing walls prohibitive for most fitness facilities.
In response to the demand for safer and less personnel intensive climbing systems, two types of rock climbing simulators have been developed to provide climbers a harness-free, safe climbing experience. The first is characterized as having a vertically oriented conveyor belt to which rock climbing holds are affixed. U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,231,482 by Thompson and 6,860,836 by Wu are representative examples of this type of climbing simulator. The second type of climbing simulator is characterized as a rotating disk or wheel having a vertically oriented planar surface to which climbing holds are affixed. U.S. Pat. No. 6,342,030 by Lazik is a representative example of this type of simulator.
In both types of simulators, control of the motion of the climbing surface is critical to providing a safe climbing simulation. It is well known to use an electric motor controlled by programmable electronics to control the speed of motion of the climbing surface. The shortcoming of electric motor control is that while a near-constant climbing speed is provided, motion continues irrespective of the presence of a climber. The simulation effect is less than desirable if a climber pauses while on the simulator as the motor will continue to move the surface, forcing the climber to either resume climbing or step off the simulator. Additionally, the selected speed may be uncomfortable for the climber who is unable to vary the speed without readjusting the apparatus.
It is desirable in the fitness industry to use potential and kinetic energy of the fitness enthusiast rather than electrically operated apparatus. Electrified fitness equipment presents a host of safety concerns for the fitness facility, adds additional demand on the facility's utilities, and contributes both heat and noise to the facility environment. Additionally, electrical devices relying upon electronic controls are susceptible to power surges and malfunctions which may render the device inoperative until repairs can be effected. As a result, fitness facilities prefer to the extent possible to use fitness equipment that is non-electric in nature and having a minimal number of components. Ideally, fitness equipment should take the exerted energy of the fitness enthusiast and offer resistance sufficient to provide a healthy and safe workout.
Devices taking advantage of the enthusiast's potential and kinetic energy impose additional challenges on the designers of disk-shaped climbing simulators. As the climber weight is placed on the free spinning climbing surface, the surface tends to move quickly in a direction opposite the direction of ascent of the climber. Left unrestrained, the climbing surface may spin out from underneath the climber. A simple braking system or similar friction-based resistance is complicated by the fact that that individual climber may differ in weight, thus requiring varying amount of resistance. The rotating disk climbing simulators present additional challenges to applying optimal rotational resistance as the climber moves laterally along a radius of the rotating surface thereby changing the torque being generated by the climber. Designing a resistance system which resists that torque yet allows for optimal rotational speed of the climbing surface that is conducive to safe climbing is complicated. Known disk-shaped climbing simulators control the rate of rotation of the climbing surface by utilizing an electric motor to drive the simulator at a speed determined through electronic controls.
It would be a great advantage in the competitive market for fitness equipment to provide a rock climbing simulator that is simple in design, construction, and use. Further advantages would be realized by providing a climbing simulator having minimal moving parts and free of electric motors and electronic controls. Still further advantages would be realized by providing a climbing simulator that is suitable for indoor or outdoor use.


A temperature compensated differential pressure system is provided. The system includes a pair of flanges affixed together each having a flange diaphragm therein, wherein a plurality of capillary tubes extends between the pair of flanges and a pair of opposed remote diaphragm housings. The remote diaphragm housings include a remote diaphragm therein, wherein the remote diaphragm displaces a fill fluid in pressure capillaries to displace each flange diaphragm to detect a differential pressure between each location of the remote diaphragm housings. A compensating capillary extends from the remote diaphragm housings to an opposing flange diaphragm, wherein the compensating capillary is not in operable communication with the remote diaphragms. As such, any fluctuation in fill fluid volume of the compensating capillaries due to temperature fluctuations is applied to an opposing flange diaphragm to cancel temperature effects from the differential pressure determination.

The present invention relates to remote differential pressure systems. More particularly, the present invention pertains to a remote differential pressure system having temperature compensation to eliminate temperature effects on the differential pressure detected by the system.
Many commercial and industrial processes require differential pressure monitoring to determine the pressure at two distinct points in a process. This is often measured utilizing diaphragm seals in communication with a closed fluid system, such the diaphragm is displaced upon the application of pressure, which then displaces the fluid to actuate a pressure gauge or other pressure sensor. Particularly, in differential pressure monitoring systems, two remote diaphragm seals are placed at distinct points in the process to measure pressures at those points, which are then compared at a joint pressure measurement device. However, as the different points in the process may significantly vary in location and exposure to the elements, the temperature at each remote diaphragm seal may differ significantly. As the fill fluid in the closed pressure system is similarly exposed to such differences in pressure, the fill fluid will expand or contract, thereby affecting the measured pressure the pressure sensor.
For example, a diaphragm seal at a high-pressure side of a process may be submerged within a vessel, whereas the opposing diaphragm seal at the how-pressure side of the process may be located outdoors exterior to the tank. On a hot day, the fill fluid on the low-pressure side may expand significantly, while the fill fluid on the high-pressure side may be comparably unaffected by the ambient temperature change. As a result, the reported differential pressure includes internal system pressure changes due to temperature fluctuation and is therefore inaccurate. As the expansion of the fill fluid on a single side of the differential pressure monitoring system affects the transmission of pressure from the remote diaphragm seal to the pressure sensor, the low-pressure side will report a combination of the desired local pressure measurement and the temperature effects on the internal pressure of the fill fluid. Therefore, a device that can compensate for temperature fluctuations on opposing sides of the pressure sensor in an efficient manner, such that accurate differential pressure readings are provided is desired.
In light of the devices disclosed in the known art, it is submitted that the present invention substantially diverges in design elements from the known art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing remote differential pressure systems. In this regard, the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.

Temperature compensated differential pressure system


The present invention relates to a pumping installation for pumping out an enclosure containing gases which are mixed with solid particles or which generate solid condensates or particles, said installation including a pump equipped with a feed system for supplying an inert purge gas, the pump having its exhaust orifice connected to an evacuation duct, wherein said evacuation duct is connected to said exhaust orifice via a static particle-separator device whose driving flow is solely the exhaust flow of the pump.

Industrial installations in which vacuum pumps are used to evacuate work chambers, e.g. when reactive gases are pumped in the semiconductor industry, include evacuation ducts leading to the outside and connected to the outlets of the pumps. It is not possible to allow the pumping unit to deliver inside the factory, in particular because of the noxiousness of some of the pumped gases. It is therefore absolutely necessary to evacuate the exhaust gases to the outside. This is done via a duct that often contains a purification system referred to as a "Scrubber" system, and an extractor fan.
In order to dilute the pumped gases and so as to enable them to be evacuated more quickly at the outlet of the pump, the pumping unit, e.g. a multi-stage Roots pump, is equipped with a feed system for supplying an inert "purge" gas which is injected into the various ,stages of the pump. This enables improved evacuation of the above-mentioned condensates or particles, thereby protecting the inside of the pump. However, it does not prevent particles from being deposited in the evacuation duct whose cross-sectional area decreases over time with such deposition, thereby giving rise to excessive pressure at the outlet, which excessive pressure damages the pump. Furthermore, such particles also cause damage in the purification device, if there is such a device.

Pumping installation for pumping out an enclosure containing gases which are mixed with solid particles or which generate solid condensates or particles


A method of evaluating bone density around a prosthesis establishes an implant boundary at the edge of the prosthesis and creates a measurement boundary displaced from this implant boundary toward the bone producing a conformed region of interest. Matched histograms of bone density in a lateral and medial such region of interest may be displayed to evaluate symmetrical stress effects. Alternatively, bone density may be displayed plotted along an axis cutting across the medial and lateral sides. Fiducial points are identified from the bone and implant morphology to ensure that either display will have a repeatable reference and hence that such displays will be directly comparable to later and earlier displays thereby aiding in the detection of bone change.

Bone prostheses are commonly provided to patients having bone disease or injury. Such prosthetic devices are manufactured of durable materials such as metals, ceramics, or dense plastics, and are attached to the remaining bone to replace the function of defective or missing bone and joint. In a hip replacement, for example, the ball-shaped head of a femur may be replaced with a prosthetic ball attached to the proximal end of the femur by a shaft fitted within the femur shaft.
The loosening of such implants over time and with use is a significant concern. Many different techniques have been employed to try prevent such loosening. Examples include cementing the implants to the bone, the use of porous coatings on the implant to stimulate bone in-growth, and custom fit implants.
A good fit between the implant and the bone will impart a pattern of stress onto the bone which may cause it to regenerate. If the bone grows adjacent to the implant there will be less chance of loosening.
Alternatively, loss of bone around the implant may indicate poor fit between the bone and implant in certain areas and provide an early indication of future loosening or failure of the implant. For this reason, the implanted bone is often monitored after the implant is surgically implanted. Such monitoring may be performed by conventional radiographic studies, however large changes in bone density of up to 30% may be necessary before such changes become apparent on the radiograph. Preferably, digital radiographic techniques are used to provide a quantified measurement of bone density. Such techniques include dual energy x-ray absorptiometry ("DEXA") in which a measurement of bone mineral density is derived from the varying absorption of the bone of x-rays at different energies, and dual photon absorptiometry ("DPA") where a similar measurement is made using radioisotopes. Such densitometers provide quantitative in-vivo measurement of bone mineral density ("BMD"). Other digital radiographic techniques such as computed tomography ("CT") may also provide measurements of bone density, however, the metal of the prosthesis may create image artifacts in a CT image rendering the measurement of bone density in the neighborhood of the prosthesis problematic.
Conventional DEXA or DPA equipment, when used to monitor changes in bone density, may obscure subtle changes of the bone near the implant. The region of interest ("ROI") that is isolated and evaluated by such equipment may include irrelevant bone, tissue and other artifacts. Further, the ability to determine bone loss over time is limited, with such equipment, because of the difficulty in matching the data between two different measurement periods.

Method for periprosthetic bone mineral density measurement


A data supply device includes an output unit, a fetch unit including a storage region for storing data and configured to supply data stored in the storage region to the output unit, and a prefetch unit configured to request, from an external device, data to be transmitted to the output unit. The fetch unit is configured to store data received from the external device in a reception region, which is a portion of the storage region, and, according to a request from the prefetch unit, to assign, as a transmission region, the reception region where data corresponding to the request is stored. The output unit is configured to output data stored in the region assigned as the transmission region by the fetch unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data supply technique useful for efficiently supplying data in a computer system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, improved processing performance and cost reduction have been required for various apparatuses. Generally, a computer system includes a processor which executes an application, a data processing circuit, and a storage device, such as a memory, used for storing a program or data to be processed. It is ideal that a storage device in a computer system is capable of reading/writing all the programs and data used by the processor and the data processing circuit at a high speed. For example, if a memory unit with comparatively short access latency, such as a static dynamic random access memory (SRAM), is provided as a dedicated local memory for each processor and data processing circuit, the processing performance can be easily improved.
On the other hand, in realizing a cost reduction of apparatuses, it is desirable that a single storage device can be shared by many processors and data processing circuits so that the number of storage devices can be reduced. Further, when a memory is used as a storage device, in most cases, an inexpensive dynamic random access memory (DRAM) widely used at that time is used as the memory.
However, if an inexpensive DRAM is used, access latency will be increased compared to the SRAM described above. Further, if a single storage device is shared among many processors and data processing circuits, competing of reading/writing of the storage device among the processors and data processing circuits occurs. In such a case, arbitration of each access is performed and, as a result, the access latency of the processors or data processing circuits will be increased. Thus, processing performance of each processor or data processing circuit is reduced.
In order to prevent a performance reduction of the above-described processor or data processing circuit, a cache device is generally provided between the processor or the data processing circuit and the storage device. So long as the desired data can be read out from an implemented cache device, each processor or data processing circuit does not access the storage device (submit a data request). In this manner, access to the storage device from each processor or data processing circuit is reduced and the total access bandwidth can be reduced.
Although the circuit size naturally increases according to the use of a data supply mechanism such as the cache device, the circuit size is still small compared to when a dedicated local memory is used as described above. By using an optimum cache device in the computer system, a low cost apparatus with a high processing performance can be realized.
If the desired data exists in the cache device (a cache hit), the processor or the data processing circuit does not need to access the storage device for data, and thus the access latency is reduced. On the other hand, if the desired data does not exist in the cache device (a cache miss), naturally, the processor or the data processing circuit accesses the storage device (submits a data request) for the desired data. In this case, the access latency is similar to a case where a cache device is not provided.
Generally, the processor or the data processing circuit processes data in order. Thus, when a cache miss occurs, the processor or the data processing circuit temporarily stops operating for a while until the desired data is read out from the storage device. Naturally, the processing performance of the processor or the data processing circuit is reduced by such stopping of operation. This is called a blocking operation. Further, the process of reading out data from the storage device when a cache miss occurs is called "refill" and the data which is read out is called "refill data". Further, a unit of data read at a time is called a "refill length" and the length of the reading time is called "refill latency".
In order to enhance the processing performance, Japanese Patent No. 3846638 discusses a data supply device with a cache mechanism which can hide the above-described refill latency. First, a pipeline processor discussed in Japanese Patent No. 3846638 determines whether a cache miss is included in a preceding stage (pre-processing) of a predetermined pipeline stage with respect to data necessary in the processing in the pipeline stage. If a cache miss is determined, the data necessary in the preceding stage (pre-processing) is requested and the refill is executed.
At that time, the pipeline processor discussed in Japanese Patent No. 3846638 includes an intermediate queue (FIFO) that is longer than the refill latency. The pipeline processor discussed in Japanese Patent No. 3846638 sequentially stores the subsequent processing, including the processing being "refilled", in the intermediate queue (FIFO). In other words, the pipeline processor discussed in Japanese Patent No. 3846638 can continue the cache miss/hit determination of the next processing while storing the processing in the intermediate queue (FIFO). Thus, unlike the above-described blocking operation, the processing of the processor is not temporarily stopped each time a cache miss occurs.
On the other hand, the pipeline processor discussed in Japanese Patent No. 3846638, after reading out data from the storage device, which is necessary each time a cache miss occurs, needs to temporarily store the refill data in a fill FIFO before updating the cache memory. Since data of a cache hit, which precedes the data processing of the cache miss, exists in the intermediate queue (FIFO), if the data processing of the cache hit is not finished in a predetermined pipeline stage, the cache memory cannot be updated. Thus, the pipeline processor discussed in Japanese Patent No. 3846638 necessarily includes the above-described fill FIFO. An operation used for making a cache miss/hit determination of the next data processing by using an intermediate queue (FIFO) is called a non-blocking operation.
A data processing command is delayed in the intermediate queue (FIFO). If the refill is completed during the delay and the refill data for the cache miss is stored in the fill FIFO, the refill data can be supplied from the fill FIFO and the data processing can be executed. In other words, the data supply device having the cache mechanism discussed in Japanese Patent No. 3846638 can continue data processing while hiding the refill latency during the cache miss without temporarily stopping the processing.
However, according to the technique discussed in Japanese Patent No. 3846638, a fill FIFO for temporarily storing the refill data is required in addition to a cache memory.
A low-cost DRAM is used as the storage device of cache data. Generally, from the viewpoint of memory band efficiency, it is better if a data request is submitted in such a manner that reading/writing of the DRAM is collectively performed for certain consecutive storage regions. This data request is called burst access. Thus, it is desirable that the DRAM is accessed and read/written in this unit of burst access.
Due to advancements in fine semiconductor processing and product needs in manufacturing DRAMs, the internal operating frequency of DRAMs is increasing year by year together with the manufacture generation. Naturally, the unit of reading/writing by burst access is increasing year by year. Due to a growing demand for high performance devices, it is assumed that the reading/writing unit of DRAMs will continue to increase.
Regarding a cache device, cache data (cache line) corresponding to one cache tag (cache address) is often adjusted to an integral multiple of this reading/writing unit of burst access. The reading/writing unit of refill data (refill length) that corresponds to one cache miss will be the same as the cache line. For example, the reading/writing unit of refill data in relation to the above-described DRAMs is 32 to 128 bytes.
The above-described fill FIFO needs to have a capacity that can store an amount of refill data that corresponds to a number of commands of the cache miss in the intermediate queue (FIFO). The refill latency of a device that implements a cache device is tens to hundreds of cycles and the number of stages of the intermediate queue (FIFO) corresponds to such a number of cycles.
For example, if the cache hit ratio is 75%, 25% of the intermediate queue (FIFO) will be a cache miss. If the intermediate queue (FIFO) includes 128 stages, the fill FIFO will be 25% of 128 stages. Accordingly, 32 stages will be necessary for the fill FIFO. Considering the reading unit of refill data described above, the capacity of the fill FIFO is 1K to 4K bytes. This is not small enough to be ignored in a device that implements a cache device.
The cache device discussed in Japanese Patent No. 3846638 includes the following storage regions:
(1) a storage region of a cache tag used for determining a cache hit/miss by prefetch logic;
(2) a storage region of the intermediate queue (FIFO);
(3) a storage region of a fetch logic fill FIFO; and
(4) a storage region of a cache memory for storing fetch logic cache data.
As described above, the storage regions that impact the circuit size are (3) "fill FIFO" with a long refill length and (4) "cache memory". If (3) "fill FIFO" and (4) "cache memory" exist as different hardware devices as is discussed in Japanese Patent No. 3846638, the circuit size will be increased. Although the number of FIFO stages in (2) "intermediate queue (FIFO)" is large, since the intermediate queue is used for transferring a flag indicating a result of a cache hit/miss and an address where the data is stored in the cache memory, the data length of the FIFO itself is very short compared to the refill length described below with respect to the present subject matter.

Data supply device, cache device, data supply method, and cache method


A single LNG facility, and operating method therefor, capable of efficiently producing LNG products that meet the varying specifications of different LNG markets.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for liquefying natural gas. In another aspect, the invention concerns an improved liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility capable of efficiently supplying LNG products meeting significantly different product specifications.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The cryogenic liquefaction of natural gas is routinely practiced as a means of converting natural gas into a more convenient form for transportation and storage. Such liquefaction reduces the volume of the natural gas by about 600-fold and results in a product which can be stored and transported at near atmospheric pressure.
Natural gas is frequently transported by pipeline from the supply source to a distant market. It is desirable to operate the pipeline under a substantially constant and high load factor but often the deliverability or capacity of the pipeline will exceed demand while at other times the demand may exceed the deliverability of the pipeline. In order to shave off the peaks where demand exceeds supply or the valleys when supply exceeds demand, it is desirable to store the excess gas in such a manner that it can be delivered when demand exceeds supply. Such practice allows future demand peaks to be met with material from storage. One practical means for doing this is to convert the gas to a liquefied state for storage and to then vaporize the liquid as demand requires.
The liquefaction of natural gas is of even greater importance when transporting gas from a supply source which is separated by great distances from the candidate market and a pipeline either is not available or is impractical. This is particularly true where transport must be made by ocean-going vessels. Ship transportation in the gaseous state is generally not practical because appreciable pressurization is required to significantly reduce the specific volume of the gas. Such pressurization requires the use of more expensive storage containers.
In order to store and transport natural gas in the liquid state, the natural gas is preferably cooled to −240° F. to −260° F. where the liquefied natural gas (LNG) possesses a near-atmospheric vapor pressure. Numerous systems exist in the prior art for the liquefaction of natural gas in which the gas is liquefied by sequentially passing the gas at an elevated pressure through a plurality of cooling stages whereupon the gas is cooled to successively lower temperatures until the liquefaction temperature is reached. Cooling is generally accomplished by indirect heat exchange with one or more refrigerants such as propane, propylene, ethane, ethylene, methane, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, or combinations of the preceding refrigerants (e.g., mixed refrigerant systems). A liquefaction methodology which is particularly applicable to the current invention employs an open methane cycle for the final refrigeration cycle wherein a pressurized LNG-bearing stream is flashed and the flash vapors (i.e., the flash gas stream(s)) are subsequently employed as cooling agents, recompressed, cooled, combined with the processed natural gas feed stream and liquefied thereby producing the pressurized LNG-bearing stream.
In the past, LNG facilities have been designed and operated to provide LNG to a single market in a specific region of the world. As global demand for LNG increases, it would be advantageous for a single LNG facility to be able to supply LNG to multiple markets in different regions of the world. However, natural gas specifications vary greatly throughout the world. Typically, these natural gas specifications include criteria such as heating value, Wobbe index, methane content, ethane content, C3+ content, and inerts content.
Existing LNG facilities are optimized to produce LNG meeting a certain set of specifications for a single market. Thus, changing the operating parameters of an LNG facility in an effort to make LNG that would meet the non-design specifications of a different market creates significant operating inefficiencies in the facility. These operating inefficiencies associated with producing LNG for non-design specifications generally makes it economically unfeasible to serve more than one market with a single LNG facility.

LNG facility providing enhanced liquid recovery and product flexibility


The present disclosure is concerned with forming and non-forming webs with improved puncture resistance suitable for use in semi-automatic horizontal form fill and seal (HFFS) packaging machines and a process for packaging hard food items with sharp angular surfaces using such webs in such machines. The webs have a double wall partially laminated structure. The structure is conveniently formed by adhesively laminating two component films in a face to face configuration using a pattern of adhesive which leaves a substantial portion of the two facing surfaces unlaminated. The lamination just needs to be sufficient that the two component films will hot form together when they are vacuum drawn into a die to form a cavity for packaging the food items. The webs comprise at least a first thermoplastic component film having substantial stored shrink forces and a second thermoplastic component film having no substantial stored shrink forces.

In the packaging of food products in thermoplastic film there have been attempts to address the problem of puncture of the film in various ways to assure both isolation from the atmosphere and to prevent leakage of liquids which may be present in the package. For meat products which contain bones which can be placed in a fixed relationship to the packaging, the practice has developed of applying a "patch" of polymer film on top of the primary packaging. Typically this "patch" has been adhered to the primary packaging film by a corona treatment of the facing surfaces or by covering the facing surfaces with an appropriate adhesive. Over time the size of the "patch" has evolved to cover almost the entire surface of the package thus making the location of bone less critical. However, this approach is not suitable for use with the semi-automated packaging approach wherein a cavity is thermoformed into a thermoplastic web, the food product is placed into the cavity and a portion of a second thermoplastic web is heat sealed over the open mouth of the cavity such as is taught by U.S. Pat. No. 3,956,867 to Uz et al. of Multivac. Another approach has been to simply drop "patches" into the already formed cavity before the food product is placed in the cavity in order to provide extra puncture resistance.
The approach of simply increasing the thickness of the web used to form the cavity has not met with much success. This approach is limited by the need to still be able to thermoform the web to form the cavity and the need to limit the expense of the packaging material. The need to control the expense also limits the selection of more puncture resistant materials.

Pattern laminated double wall plastic web from heat shrinkable and non-heat shrinkable films