A data transmission system and method and a method of selecting a communication path for a dual-controller system are provided, which are applied in a first controller and a second controller of the dual-controller system. First of all, a corresponding transmission medium is selected according to a feature of a data request issued by a controller, then the data request is converted into a data format compatible with a medium interface corresponding to the selected transmission medium and is sent to a corresponding medium driving portion connected with the medium interface, and the data request is sent to another controller through the medium driving portion and a connected corresponding medium controller, so as to select a path of the highest transmission performance, and realize the data transmission between the two controllers.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a method of transmitting data between controllers, and more particularly to, a system and a method of transmitting data between two controllers of a dual-controller system.
2. Related Art
Usually, a dual-controller system is applied in an environment having a high requirement on the completeness of data and the continuity of service, e.g., a storage area network (SAN). The function of the dual-controller system lies in that, when one of the controllers is taken as a server, i.e., when the main server is providing a service, the other controller is taken as a mirror backup server of the main server. Therefore, when the main server is down and cannot continue to provide services, the backup server takes over the services of the main server, so as to ensure the completeness of data and the continuity of services.
Therefore, it is necessary to establish an internal communication link between the two controllers of the dual-controller system, e.g., Ethernet card interconnection, for transmitting data, so as to keep the synchronization of the two controllers. Sometimes, a plurality of links for providing the internal communication mechanism may exist in the dual-control system at the same time, e.g., an optical fiber interface or an Ethernet interface etc. However, due to the differences of the transmission media and protocol standards of the links, the performances of transmitting different types of data packets are different. For example, communication links having high transmission frequencies but small maximum transmission units are suitable for transmitting data packets of a small scale. On the other hand, the performance of communication links having low transmission frequencies but large maximum transmission units is obvious during the transmission of large block data.
Therefore, the conventional internal communication link of a single path is limited by the transmission medium, and is only suitable for the data in a certain data packet scale range. Once a data packet exceeding the range is transmitted, the performance will be reduced. Moreover, when the scale of the transmitted data keeps changing, the transmitting performance will greatly fluctuate correspondingly.

System and method of data transmission and method of selecting communication path for dual-controller system


A method to control the output of a turbine engine pulses individual fuel injectors completely on and then completely off in selectable groups rather than in unison. The operation of the groups are staggered in time to minimize the periods of no fuel flow to the engine. Simplicity in the control of individual injectors is achieved by electrically controlling individual injectors rather than mechanically controlling the fuel supplied to all injectors, and, in addition, offers the advantage of minimizing the periods of no fuel flow to maintain combustion stability at low loads. Electrically controlling injectors positioned at the point of fuel usage improves upon fuel atomization and eliminates the problem of unequal distribution of fuel from multiple injection points connected to a common fuel metering system.

Turbine engines currently utilize either a variable continuous stream or a pulsed stream to provide fuel to the engine. The primary objectives of both of these methods are to control the amount of fuel delivered to the engine and to attempt to deliver said fuel in the smallest droplet size, equally dispersed throughout the combustion area to promote rapid and complete combustion of the fuel. The continuous stream method relies upon control of the quantity of fuel delivered to the engine at some arbitrary point upstream of fuel utilization and by mechanical fractionation of the fuel stream while the pulsating injection method as taught by Nearhoof, et. al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,742,430 ("Fuel Injection Control System for a Turbine Engine") rapidly turns the fuel on and off at the point of usage to achieve fractionation and control of the combustion process.
The continuous stream method suffers the problems of complexity of the metering equipment, limitations on the final fuel particle size due to utilizing mechanical breakup/dispersion techniques, and slow system response to changing loads due to the mechanical equipment comprising the fuel system. A further limitation of the continuous stream method is in the inherent weight and precision manufacturing tolerances of the necessary metering pump(s) and/or valve(s) to control fuel flow.
The pulsating injection method overcomes the limitations of the continuous stream method by eliminating the precision mechanical controls and the need for mechanical fractionation of the fuel stream but the engine is subject to loss of flame stability at low pulse on-times due to the proportionally long time when no fuel is being supplied during each pulse cycle.
This invention is designed to overcome these limitations by elimination of the mechanical metering equipment such as pumps and valves and by controlling groups of injectors independently rather than pulsing all injectors at the same time. Controlling groups of injectors overcomes the flame stability associated with pulsing all injectors at the same time along with maintaining the response and simplicity of the fuel delivery system lacking in the continuous stream method. The problem of flame stability has previously been overcome by introducing a small quantity of fuel through a continuously fed injector during periods when the main injectors are operating at a low duty cycle or by cycling the main injectors at a relatively high frequency to keep the off-time of each pulse short enough to maintain the combustion process over the more stable continuous stream delivery system. By sequentially operating groups of injectors, the time that the engine's fuel supply is shut off is reduced which allows the frequency of injector pulsing to be reduced to improve upon the overall life of the injectors and elimination of the supplemental continuous injector relied upon to maintain the combustion process.

Turbine engine pulsed fuel injection utilizing stagger injector operation


A method for extruding a stiffer powder mixture at lower extrusion pressure involves providing an aqueous mixture of inorganic powder that can be metal, ceramic, glass, glass ceramic, molecular sieve, and/or carbon, fatty acid the main chain of which has at least 12 carbon atoms, thermally gellable cellulose ether binder, and wax that can be paraffin and/or propylene glycol hydroxystearate, wherein the powder is coated with the fatty acid component. If clay is included in the mixture, it is provided as either calcined or hydrous. The mixture is passed through an extruder and through an extrusion die to produce a green extrudate at an extrusion pressure that is equal to or lower than it would be absent the combination of the fatty acid, the cellulose ether binder, and the wax. The mixture in the extruder and the extrudate are stiffer than without this combination.

Powder mixtures having a cellulose ether binder are used in forming articles of various shapes. For example, metal powder mixtures are formed into honeycombs which are used as substrates in catalytic and adsorption applications, (EHCs). The mixtures must be well blended and homogeneous in order for the resulting shaped body to have good integrity in size and shape and uniform physical properties. The mixtures have organic additives in addition to the binders. These additives can be surfactants, lubricants, and dispersants and function as processing aids to enhance wetting thereby producing a uniform batch.
Distortion of the extrudate can occur during (1) flow through the die and at the die exit, (2) cutting, (3) handling, and (4) drying.
Rapid-setting characteristics are important for maintaining the shape of extrudates. The quicker the extrudate can be solidified after forming, the less chance of the dimensions of the greenware being altered in subsequent cutting and handling steps. This is especially true for a fragile thin-walled or complex shapes such as honeycombs or a product having a large frontal area.
Various techniques have been disclosed for rapid stiffening of such batches. For example U.S. Pat. No. 5,258,205 relates to dipping various rapid setting additives e.g. surfactants, binders and water soluble polymers e.g. polyethylene glycol, at elevated temperatures, e.g. around 70.degree. C. This relatively high temperature makes the process undesirable from an operational and economic standpoint. Also, hancling of polyethylene glycol is difficult because it is very tacky. Other techniques, such as lowering of lubricant and/or water content require use of high mixing torques and extrusion pressures. Radio frequency stiffening techniques require a relatively high capital investment such as in-line shielding at the die exit.
Prior methods such as the above described techniques involve extrusion of soft batches and result in stiffening of the extrusion mixture only well after the extrudate has exited the die and not before or immediately after exiting the die.
There still remains a need for a method of earlier stiffening, such as before and instantaneously upon exiting the die to maximize shape retention of extrudates in subsequent handling, especially for complex structures as honeycombs. The present invention fills this need.

Method for rapid stiffening of extrudates


An ultrasound image diagnosis apparatus that can display image data acquired at a plurality of measuring positions in panoramic image data and display measured results of diagnosis parameters for each of the measuring positions of the panoramic image data The panoramic image data is generated by combining a plurality of reference image data generated at a plurality of diagnosis target positions. The plurality of measuring positions is designated based on the latest reference image data composing the panoramic image data. Based on Doppler signals acquired through ultrasound transmissions and receptions to and from the plurality of measurement positions, image data is generated.

A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ultrasound image diagnosis apparatus and control method thereof for measuring diagnosis parameters, and more particularly to an ultrasound image diagnosis apparatus and control method thereof that displays panoramic image data showing wide scope figure data associated in time series with a plurality of measured image data and/or measured values acquired from the measured data and showing functional data.
B. Background of the Invention
An ultrasound image diagnosis apparatus typically transmits ultrasounds via ultrasound transducers installed in an ultrasound probe to an object, such as a patient, and receives the reflected ultrasounds (echo signals) which show differences in the acoustic impedances of the object's organs enabling the display of an image of the organ on a monitor. Since the ultrasound image diagnosis apparatus can easily obtain two dimensional images in a real time from the simple touching of an ultrasound probe to a patient body surface, this device is widely used for diagnosing various statuses of a patient's body.
Ultrasound diagnosis methods for acquiring living body data through reflection waves from tissues or blood cells in a living body have been rapidly developing due to significant technology developments such as the ultrasound pulses reflection method and the ultrasound Doppler method. As a result of the development of these technologies, a B mode method for acquiring B mode image data and a color Doppler method for acquiring color Doppler image data are now available for ultrasound image diagnosis.
Further, Doppler spectrum methods and M mode methods have also been developed. In these methods, receiption signals are acquired by performing transmissions/receptions in a prescribed direction for an object. The Doppler spectrum method generates frequency spectrum of Doppler signal components (hereinafter, referred to as "spectrum data") by processing the receiving signals. The Doppler spectrum method is able to quantitatively and accurately measure the speed of the bloodstream in a measuring region in a prescribed direction by measuring temporal changes of the spectrum data. The M mode method is able to quantitatively evaluate vital functions of living body tissues by measuring temporal changes in reflection intensity (B mode data) of the receiption signals acquired in a prescribed direction.
The M mode image data acquired through the M mode method is generated by successively arranging a time series B mode data in a time axis direction. The time series B mode data is acquired through repetitions of a plurality of ultrasound transmissions/receptions in the same direction to/from an object. Thus, the M mode image data is usually shown as a distance to a reflection body on a longitudinal axis with time on a horizontal axis. The amplitude of the B mode data is shown by brightness.
In the Doppler spectrum method, a plurality of ultrasound transmissions and receptions in the same direction with respect to an object are repeated at a prescribed interval. The Doppler signals are detected by performing orthogonal phase detections on the ultrasound echo waves reflected from moving reflection bodies, such as blood cells, using a reference signal that has a frequency that is substantially equal to the center frequencies of ultrasound pulses. The spectrum data is then generated by performing a frequency analysis of the Doppler signal extracted from the Doppler signals through a range gate in a desired measurement position. Further, spectrum image data is generated by successively arranging a plurality of spectrum data that is time sequentially acquired at the measurement positions, in a time axis direction. Moreover, the spectrum image data generated trough the Doppler spectrum method is usually shown as a longitudinal axis for frequency and a horizontal axis for time. The power (strength) of each frequency components is shown by brightness (tone).
To correctly set up the range gate at a measuring position on an object, the range gate is set up after monitoring the B mode image data or the color Doppler image data (hereinafter, the image data for setting the range gate is collectively referred to as "reference image data"), and a measurement marker showing a position of the range gate is displayed in an overlapping manner on the reference image data.
Conventionally, a display method has been proposed for displaying spectrum image data generated at the measuring position and various diagnosis parameters measured based on the generated spectrum image data together with the reference image data having overlapped measurement markers (for instance, see Japanese Patent Application Publication 2005-81081).
In the conventionally proposed method, a maximum frequency fp is initially detected for each of a plurality of spectrum data acquired in a time series. Based on a trace waveform (trend waveform) indicating temporal changes of the plurality maximum frequencies fp, a peak of systolic (Ps) and an end of diastolic (Ed) of a heart are detected. Then, based on the peak of systolic (Ps) and the end of diastolic (Ed), measurements of diagnosis parameters for peripheral blood vessels are performed.
Such generations of the trace waveforms, detections of the peak of systolic (Ps) and the end of diastolic (Ed), or measurements of the diagnosis parameters have been, in the past, manually performed using freeze spectrum image data. However, recently, a method for automatically measuring diagnosis parameters using spectrum image data displayed in a real time has been developed (for instance, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,628,321).
However, in these conventional methods, image data is acquired in a narrow region of one frame. As a result, when monitoring the acquired reference image data, only one measuring position is designated as an efficient position for a diagnosis of the object. Spectrum image data is generated at the designated measuring position, and diagnosis parameters are measured based on the spectrum image data. Then both the generated spectrum image data and the measured diagnosis parameters are displayed with the reference image data. Consequently, observing a plurality of bloodstream data in a blood vessel passing through a wide range covered by a plurality frames, such as a carotid artery, having a plurality of measuring positions, has been difficult. Thus, while the plurality of measured data is somewhat displayable, the display of the measured data corresponding to each of the plurality of measuring positions has not been achieved. Thus, it has been nearly impossible to observe comparison data between upstream data and downstream data of the bloodstream in a blood vessel, or to observe comparison data between bloodstream data before and after a branching of a blood vessel based on the reference image data. Accordingly, after finishing desired measurements, a laboratory technician has conventionally illustrated identifying relationships between each measured value and each measuring position. Consequently, such operation has severely imposed strain on the operator, such as a doctor or a laboratory technician. Further, the conventional method has reduced diagnosis accuracy and throughput efficiency of the diagnosis.

Ultrasound image diagnosis apparatus and a control method for measuring diagnosis parameters


The invention generally relates to methods for indicating whether an assay for isolating targets is properly isolating and detecting targets. Methods of the invention involve obtaining a sample suspected of a containing target, introducing a detectable marker into the sample, conducting an assay using magnet particles to isolate the detectable marker and the target if it is present in the sample, determining the presence or absence of the target; and confirming that the assay functioned properly by determining presence or absence of the detectable marker.

Blood-borne pathogens are a significant healthcare problem. A delayed or improper diagnosis of a bacterial infection can result in sepsis, a serious, and often deadly, inflammatory response to the infection. Sepsis is a leading cause of death in the United States. Early detection of bacterial infections in blood is the key to preventing the onset of sepsis. Traditional methods of detection and identification of blood-borne infection include blood culture and antibiotic susceptibility assays. Those methods typically require culturing cells, which can be expensive and can take as long as 72 hours. Often, septic shock will occur before cell culture results can be obtained.
Pathogens during active blood-borne infection or after antibiotic treatment are typically present in minute levels per mL of body fluid. Several techniques have been developed for isolation of pathogens in a body fluid sample, which include molecular detection methods, antigen detection methods, and metabolite detection methods. These conventional methods often require culturing specimens, such as performing an incubation or enrichment step, in order to detect the low levels of pathogens. The incubation/enrichment period is intended to allow for the growth of bacteria and an increase in bacterial cell numbers to more readily aid in isolation and identification. In many cases, a series of two or three separate incubations is needed to isolate the target bacteria. Moreover, enrichment steps require a significant amount of time (e.g., at least a few days to a week) and can potentially compromise test sensitivity by killing some of the cells sought to be measured.
To avoid incubation/enrichment periods and to reduce overall time, other techniques have been developed to rapidly isolate low levels of pathogens from body fluids. Those techniques often utilize antibody bound particles specific to a target pathogen and a sorting apparatus such as an affinity column or magnetic surface. Although successful at rapidly separating small amounts of pathogens from the bodily fluid, these techniques have multiple steps, such as binding targets to the particles, binding to target/particle complexes to a sorting apparatus, isolating bound target/particle complexes from the body fluid sample, in which a failure at any step can result in the inability to isolate pathogens that are present in the bodily fluid. That is, failure at any one step can result in a failed assay.
Currently, there is no effective way to distinguish between a successful assay that correctly identifies the absence of a pathogen and a failed assay in which a pathogen was present but just not isolated. Because the failure to detect and treat blood-borne pathogens can result in significant health problems, there is a need to develop a method for rapid isolation of pathogens from a sample, such as a blood sample, that indicates whether the assay properly isolated suspected pathogens.


A method for shutting down a digital image capturing device is provided, The steps of the method are as follows: first, outputting a reset signal from a control unit of the capturing device to a timing generating unit; then setting a vertical pulse signal of the timing generating unit to a ground level within a time frame of the timing generating unit outputting a horizontal blanking signal; lastly, automatically shutting down the timing generating unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a capturing device and a method for shutting down; in particular to a method for shutting down a timing generating unit, a method for shutting down a digital image-capturing device, and a digital image-capturing device.
2. Description of Related Art
Digital image-capturing device (such as a digital camera) provides a fast and convenient way for a user to take pictures, but as various digital image-capturing device becomes more common, users are becoming more particular over the requirement and functions of these digital image-capturing devices. For example FIG. 1 is a function block diagram of a digital image-capturing device according to the prior art, which has the following shut down procedures:
First, once the control unit 90 receives the message that the digital image-capturing device 9 is shutting down, then the control unit 90 outputs a signal so as to shut down the timing generating unit 92. Therein, from the point of view of the timing generating unit 92, it immediately shuts down upon receiving the signal from the control unit 90. Therefore at this time, under normal condition, the driving unit 94 is no longer able to receive the pulse signal for the driving operation of the imaging device 96 (such as a CCD or a CMOS) from the timing generating unit 92. The end result is that the imaging device 96 can be successfully shut down without damage from the pulse signal.
However under certain circumstances, such as shown by FIG. 2, damages may occur to the imaging device 96. Therein, when the control unit 90 outputs a signal at time Ti for controlling the shut down of the timing generating unit 92, then the timing generating unit 92 shuts down immediately, however the vertical pulse (V_Pulse) signal being output by the timing generating unit 92 is at the highest voltage level. Therefore, although the timing generating unit 92 is being shut down, the voltage level of the vertical pulse signal output by the timing generating unit is still retained at a high voltage level. Furthermore, at this time T1, the shutting down of the voltage VH/VL that is used for the operation of the imaging device 96 also occurs, yet because the discharge time for this voltage VH/VL is not fixed, therefore the shut down is not immediately, and the end result is that the retained high voltage level from the timing generating unit 92 may cause damages to the imaging device 96 through the driving unit 94.
Therefore the conventional method of shutting down the digital image-capturing device 9, is primarily through the control unit 90 controlling the time of shut down for the timing generating unit 92, however from the point of view of the control unit 90 there is no information regarding operation status of the timing generating unit 92 at this time of shut down. For example, the control unit 90 cannot determine whether or not the vertical pulse signal output by the timing generating unit 92 is at a high voltage level; so that when shutting down, it is very likely for the imaging device 96 to receive the high voltage retained from abnormal shut down of the timing generating unit 92, and thereby damaging the service lifespan of the imaging device 96. Therefore, how to provide protection for the imaging device 96 from damage is an issue that needs to be resolved.

Method for shutting down a timing generating unit, a method for shutting down a digital image-capturing device, and a digital image-capturing device


A method and apparatus are disclosed for approximating in real time the fracture fatigue entropy (FFE) of a metallic object subjected to cyclic loading. Such objects experience fatigue, which can lead to failure after a number of loading cycles. The disclosed invention allows for real time monitoring of the entropy increase in a metallic object under cyclic loading, and allows for removing the object from service before fatigue fracture occurs. Through use of the present invention, users may keep metallic objects in service for longer periods, because such objects may be safely taken closer to the fatigue fracture point. The invention therefore can effectively extend the useful life of many critical components and reduce downtime resulting from repair or premature replacement.

All structures and machinery components undergoing fatigue loading are prone to crack formation and its subsequent growth that increases with time. When a crack is formed, the strength of the structure or the component is decreased and can no longer function in the intended manner for which it was designed for. Moreover, the residual strength of the structure decreases progressively with increasing crack size. Eventually, after a certain time the residual strength becomes so low that the structure fails. It is, therefore, of paramount importance to be able to predict accurately and in real time the rate of decline in the component's residual strength and the remaining life of the system.
Fracture mechanics is a branch of science that provides insights into the mechanism of failure and helps predict the service life of structures and machinery components. As depicted in FIG. 1, several disciplines are involved in the development of fracture mechanics. At the right end of the scale is the engineering load-stress analysis. Applied mechanics covers the analysis of crack tip stress fields as well as the elastic and plastic deformations of the material in the vicinity of the crack. Material science concerns itself with the fracture processes on the scale of atoms and dislocations in the form of impurities and grains.
In order to make a successful use of fracture mechanics in an engineering application, it is essential to have some knowledge of the total field shown in FIG. 1. Fatigue failure can occur only if—as a result of the presence of micro-cracks, local yielding, micro-cavities, etc.—the applied load produces an increase in the stress in a point (or a zone) of the material, with local values exceeding the elastic limit. It is known that if the stress is static, the local plasticization and the redistribution of the stress onto the surrounding material does not generate any particularly critical condition and the material reaches failure only under decidedly greater loads. On the contrary, in the case of cyclic loading, where the stress is one of fatigue, the material arrives at the condition of local yielding (micro-plasticization) and a micro-crack is generated. Hence, the repeated application of the stress leads to the crack propagation until, eventually, the condition of failure is reached and the specimen breaks.
The thermoelastic effect, which governs the relationship between the temperature variation and stress (or strain) change in the elastic range, has been well documented, and has been utilized to characterize the elastic stress field. Different means—such as thermocouples, thermistors, and thermography techniques—have been employed to monitor the temperature changes during mechanical tests. The thermoelastic stress analysis by thermography is now an advanced full-field stress measurement method. In materials undergoing cyclic loading, most of the dissipated energy due to hysteresis effects manifests itself as heat, and the heat is removed from the material by heat transfer.
Heat can be transferred by three processes: conduction, convection, and radiation. Conduction is the transfer of heat along a solid object. Convection transfers heat from the "wetted area" of a solid through the exchange of hot and cold molecules, e.g., air, water, etc. Radiation is the transfer of heat via electromagnetic (usually infrared, IR) radiation. Although these three processes can occur simultaneously, it is not unusual for one mechanism to overshadow the other two. If the fatigue experiment is rapid enough, which is generally true for low-cycle fatigue testing, the temperature rise can be surprisingly high. For fatigue tests at 1,000 Hz, for example, the temperature could increase 200° to 400° K above the initial temperature, depending on the material tested and specimen geometry.
Many researchers have attempted to quantify fatigue in order to predict the number of cycles to failure. Among them, Miner pioneered the idea of quantifying fatigue damage based on the hypothesis that under variable amplitude loading, the life fractions of the individual amplitudes sum to unity. Later, Coffin and Manson independently proposed the well-known empirical law Δεp/2=ε′f(Nf)c which relates the number of cycles to failure Nf in the low-cycle fatigue regime to the amplitude of the applied cyclic plastic deformation, Δεp/2, for a material with given mechanical properties, ε′f and c. The role of energy dissipation associated with plastic deformation during fatigue loading as a criterion for fatigue damage was also investigated by Halford and Morrow.
The energy approach for estimating the fatigue life of materials under cyclic loading tests has gained considerable attention by researchers. Morrow's 1965 paper presents analysis that takes into account cyclic plastic energy dissipation and fatigue of metals that undergo cyclic loading. He presented a descriptive theory of fatigue that uses the cumulative plastic strain energy as a criterion for fatigue damage and the elastic strain energy as a criterion for fracture. For fully reversed fatigue load, Morrow derived a relation for plastic strain energy per cycle Wp in terms of the cyclic stress-strain properties, applicable when plastic strain is predominant. Park & Nelson proposed an empirical correlation for estimation of fatigue life taking into account the elastic strain energy We as well as plastic strain energy Wp. In the high-cycle regime, plastic strains are usually quite small and the Wp approach becomes computationally unreliable. Park & Nelson further proposed that the two energy terms, Wp and We, must be combined into the total strain energy parameter Wt,Wt=Wp+We=ANfα+BNfβ  (1)where the constants A, α, B and β can be determined from a set of uniaxial fatigue test data that cover a sufficiently large number of cycles. The energy dissipation due to plastic deformation during fatigue is a fundamental irreversible thermodynamic process that must be accompanied by irreversible entropy gain.
Permanent degradations are the manifestation of irreversible processes that disorder a system and generate entropy in accordance to the second law of thermodynamics. Disorder in systems that undergo degradation continues to increase until a critical stage when failure occurs. Simultaneously with the rise in disorder, entropy monotonically increases. Thus, entropy and thermodynamic energies offer a natural measure of component degradation. It is desirable to quantify the entropy rise in bending, torsion, and tension-compression fatigue of metallic components, and particularly the entropy at the instance when fracture failure occurs. The present invention accomplishes this task. The entropy at the fracture point can be estimated by integrating the cyclic plastic energy per temperature of material. The present invention provides an accurate approximation of the total entropy at the instance of failure. This value is identified as the fracture fatigue entropy (FFE). Through use of the present invention, the FFE can be determined for a particular material. The FFE determined by the invention is a constant for a particular material, and is independent of frequency, load, and specimen size.

Board of Supervisors of Louisiana State University And Agricultural and Mechanical College


A bath chair having a reclining mechanism with enhanced operability and durability. A backrest is rotatable provided to bearing members at a rear of a base, an operating shaft is laid across a back of the backrest, a lever is provided to a center of the operating shaft. The operating shaft is biased so that the lever is pressed downward; abutment members fixed to both ends of the operating shaft and a step member having a plurality of steps provided to a rear of the bearing member abut against each other to support the backrest. When the lever is pulled up, the abutment members are rotated upward, the abutment between the step members and the abutment members are released, and then the backrest can be adjusted its inclination angle.

Currently, bath chairs are provided for taking care of an infant in a bathroom. These bath chairs comprise a seat having a protrusion at a front center part, a seat back having a reclining mechanism, and a handle provided from side to side above a front side of a seat. Heretofore, various proposals have been made on structures of the reclining mechanism.
For example, Japanese Patent No. 5140839 describes a bath chair that includes a retractable engaging rod at both lower left and lower right sides of a backrest. A base is provided with a plurality of rod holes for engaging with the engaging rod. A pair of operating members for retracting and protruding the each left and right engaging rods is provided to an upper part of a back side of the backrest where respectively correspond to the each left and right engaging rods. The operating member and the engaging rod are connected by an engaging member which is formed extending to perpendicular direction. The engaging member is biased toward a direction in which the engaging rod protrudes. In order to perform a reclining operation, the pair of operating members is pinched against bias force of the engaging member so as to retract the engaging rod. Next, an inclination angle of the backrest is changed with the operating members pinched (engaging rods retracted, in other words) so that the engaging rod aligns with a desired rod hole. By releasing the pinched operating members at the inclination angle in which the engaging rod aligns with the desired rod hole, the engaging rod protrudes to engage with the desired rod hole, whereby the backrest is fixed.
A reclining mechanism described in Japanese Patent No. 5140839 has a certain perpendicular distance between the operating member and the engaging rod. Accordingly, when the pair of operating members is pinched in order to retract the engaging rods, rotational force is generated around a position where a lower portion of the operating member intersects with an axis line of the engaging rod, and is applied to the connecting member for connecting the engaging rod and the operating member. The rotational force makes parallel movement of the engaging member in lateral direction difficult, although the connecting member should move parallel in lateral direction. This interferes with transmission of a pinching force on the operating members to elastic members directly. Consequently greater force is required for retracting the engaging rods relative to elastic force of the elastic member; hence the reclining operation cannot be performed easily with one hand.


A method receives incoming messages from data feed lines. The incoming messages have data on associated market events. The method includes receiving incoming messages from a feed line, translating the received incoming messages into market event messages having a common format, and publishing a portion of the translated messages on a network. Each market event message includes data on a market event and time data. The network has multiple devices capable of receiving the translated messages.

This invention relates generally to monitoring a trading market, and more particularly, to handling market data messages from data feed lines.
Traders and market regulators use market event data to detect market trends and unusual market conditions. The market event data may arrive from different sources and at high rates. Effective tracking of market conditions often requires that a monitoring system receive and analyze this data without loss or errors.
The detection of some unusual market conditions warrants predetermined responsive actions. Such market conditions are referred to as alert conditions. The predetermined responsive actions may include identifying parties causing the condition, obtaining additional information on the condition, tracking the condition, reporting on the condition, and/or correcting the condition. Performing the predetermined responsive actions and determining that the alert condition no longer exists are two different methods of resolving an alert condition.
A monitoring system may use human analysts to resolve alert conditions. The human analysts receive messages from the monitoring system that inform them that an alert condition has been detected. The messages for informing human analysts of alert conditions are generally referred to as alerts.


A method and apparatus for eliminating the setup time typically required for Booth recoding logic is provided. Interlock circuitry detects when a second multiply instruction specifies that the product of a previous multiply instruction is to be used as the multiplier input to the Booth recoding logic. The interlock logic controls mux inputs to both the multiplier path, and the multiplicand path. When the interlock logic detects such a multiplier dependency, the product of the previous multiply instruction is provided to the multiplicand path, and the multiplicand is provided to the multiplier path. The multiplier for the second multiply instruction can therefore be provided to the Booth recoding logic, before the product of the previous multiply instruction is available. The Booth recoding logic is therefore setup, prior to execution of the second multiply instruction.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to the field of arithmetic units within microprocessors, and more specifically to a method and apparatus for improved execution of sequential multiply instructions using recoding logic.
2. Description of the Related Art
A primary function of microprocessors is to perform a large number of mathematical operations as fast as possible. The mathematical operations within a microprocessor are typically performed by an arithmetic logic unit (ALU). More specifically, data is provided to the ALU in the form of operands that are either stored within the microprocessor, or are retrieved from memory. The operands are manipulated by the ALU in response to an instruction, and a result is provided as an output. The result is then either held in the microprocessor, to be used for subsequent operations, or is stored back into memory. The microprocessor continually reads new operands, associated with new instructions, operates on these operands, and produces a result.
One mathematical operation that has required significant processing time is that of multiplication. A multiply instruction specifies two operands to be multiplied together, to produce a product. One of the operands is called the multiplier, the other operand is called the multiplicand.
Within an arithmetic unit, it is typical for a multiplication to be performed using a process of iterative add/shift operations. As will be further described in the Detailed Description below, the multiplicand is added/shifted depending on the contents of the multiplier.
A problem with the iterative add/shift process is that a microprocessor time interval is typically required for each bit in the multiplier. Thus, if a multiplier is a 32-bit value, at least 32 time intervals are required to perform the multiplication.
An improvement in microprocessor multiplication has been obtained by using recoding logic to reduce the number of iterations required for a multiply. The recoding logic implements a particular algorithm designed to optimize multiplication within an arithmetic unit. One such algorithm is that of Andrew Booth, discussed below, and is termed the Booth algorithm. Implementation of recoding logic using Booth's algorithm is ubiquitous within microprocessor arithmetic units. For a recent example, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,638,313 entitled "BOOTH MULTIPLIER WITH HIGH SPEED OUTPUT CIRCUITRY", by Chu, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
The recoding logic is typically provided with a multiplier operand that sets up the recoding logic to control a sequence of add/shift operations executed on a multiplicand. However, all known recoding logic requires a non zero setup time, after receiving the multiplier, before it can begin controlling the add/shift operations on the multiplicand. This setup time creates processing delays during a multiply instruction.
The setup time is particularly cumbersome when a multiply instruction specifies that its multiplier is the product of a previous multiply instruction. Until the product of the previous multiply instruction has been calculated, and the product is provided to the recoding logic, the recoding logic cannot be setup to perform the subsequent multiply. This additional delay in setting up the recoding logic, when an operand dependency is specified by a multiply instruction, adds additional processing delay. Such delay, resulting from setting up the recoding logic with the product of a previous multiply, is undesirable.
Therefore, what is needed is a method and apparatus that allows operand dependencies in sequential multiply operations to be detected, and the setup time for the recoding logic, typically associated with such dependencies, to be eliminated.

Method and apparatus for optimizing dependent operand flow within a multiplier using recoding logic


A system is provided comprising first, second, and third servers, a medical device, and a database storing a plurality of software updates for various medical devices. The second server stores software update history for medical devices located in a plurality of countries, and the third server is located in a country and stores software update history for medical devices located in that country. A request for a software update for a medical device is sent from the first server to the second server. The second server sends a command to the database, and the database sends the software update to the medical device. After an attempt has been made to install the software update in the medical device, the software update history for the medical device is automatically updated in the second and third servers.

A software update for a medical device can be recorded on a data medium and physically brought to and installed on the medical device by a customer service engineer ("CSE") at a time arranged with the customer. This process of software updates can take a long time and, as such, may not be able to react to acute problems, such as gaps in security or technical problems, in adequate time. As a result, valuable time is lost in which the medical device is not used, thus entailing unnecessary costs for the customer. Further, this process can be expensive to both the medical device manufacturer and the customer. However, transmission of a software update to a medical device from a remote location is known. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,603,323 and 6,524,245.
Certain governments require that electronic records be kept of software updates to medical devices, both at a central location, such as a medical device manufacturer's facility, and in each country in which medical devices are located. Currently, the central server and the country-specific server are automatically notified when a software update of a medical device is needed. However, there is no automatic notification to the central server and the country-specific server after an attempt has been made to install the software update on the medical device.

Method and system for remote software updating of a medical device


The present invention relates to razor blade cutting edges which exhibit an improvement in the first shave. Conventional razor blade cutting edges exhibit surprisingly high initial cutting forces. Razor blades produced according to the present process exhibit significantly lower initial cutting forces which correlates with a more comfortable first shave. Improved blades according to the present invention involve treating conventional razor blade cutting edges having an adherent polyfluorocarbon coating with a solvent to partially remove some of the coating. Preferred solvents include perfluoroalkanes, perfluorocycloalkanes, perfluoropolyethers having a critical temperature or boiling point above the dissolution temperature for the polyfluorocarbon in the solvent. The present invention also relates to the method of producing these razor blade cutting edges.

This invention concerns a novel process for treating polyfluorocarbon-coated razor blade cutting edges, particularly polytetrafluoroethylene-coated razor blade cutting edges.
Uncoated razor blades, despite their sharpness, cannot be employed for shaving a dry beard without excessive discomfort and pain, and it is as a practical matter necessary to employ with them a beard-softening agent such as water and/or a shaving cream or soap. The pain and irritation produced by shaving with uncoated blades are due to the excessive force required to draw the cutting edge of the blade through the unsoftened beard hairs, which force is transmitted to the nerves in the skin adjacent the hair follicles from which the beard hairs extend, and, as is well known, the irritation produced by excessive pulling of these hairs may continue for a considerable period of time after the pulling has ceased. Blade coatings were developed to solve these shortcomings.
Granahan et al., U.S. Pat. No. 2,937,976, issued May 24, 1960, describes a "coated" blade which provides a reduction in the force required to cut beard hair. The coating material consists of an organosilicon-containing polymer which is partially cured to a gel which remains adherent to the blade. Although these coated blades met with considerable commercial success, the coatings were not permanent and would wear off relatively quickly.
Fischbein, U.S. Pat. No. 3,071,856, issued Jan. 8, 1963, describes fluorocarbon-coated blades, particularly polytetrafluoroethylene-coated blades. The blades may be coated by (1) placing the blade edge in close proximity to a supply of the fluorocarbon and subsequently heating the blade, (2) spraying blade with a fluorocarbon dispersion, (3) dipping the blade into a fluorocarbon dispersion or (4) by use of electrophoresis. The resulting blade was later heated to sinter the polytetrafluoroethylene onto the blade edge. Fischbein is silent on the use of fluorocarbon solutions.
Fischbein, U.S. Pat. No. 3,518,110, issued Jun. 30, 1970, discloses an improved solid fluorocarbon telomer for use in coating safety razor blades. The solid fluorocarbon polymer has a melting point between 310.degree. C. and 332.degree. C. and has a melt flow rate of from 0.005 to 600 grams per ten minutes at 350.degree. C. The molecular weight is estimated to be between 25,000 and 500,000. For best results, the solid fluorocarbon polymer is broken down to 0.1 to 1 micron particles. The dispersion is electrostatically sprayed onto stainless steel blades.
Fish et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,658,742, issued Apr. 25, 1972, discloses an aqueous polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) dispersion containing Triton X-100 brand wetting agent which is electrostatically sprayed on blade edges. The aqueous dispersion is prepared by exchanging the Freon solvent in Vydax brand PTFE dispersion (PTFE+Freon solvent), distributed by E.I. DuPont, Wilmington, Del., with isopropyl alcohol and then exchanging the isopropyl alcohol with water.
Trankiem, U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,256, issued Nov. 23, 1993 (Docket No. 7951) discloses on an improved method of forming a polyfluorocarbon coating on a razor blade cutting edge comprising the steps of subjecting a fluorocarbon polymer having a molecular weight of at least about 1,000,000 to ionizing radiation to reduce the average molecular weight to from about 700 to about 700,000; dispersing the irradiated fluorocarbon polymer in an aqueous solution; coating said razor blade cutting edge with the dispersion; and heating the coating obtained to melt, partially melt or sinter the fluorocarbon polymer.
Trankiem, U.S. patent appn. Ser. No. 08/232,197, filed Apr. 28, 1994 (Docket No. 4210) discloses a method of forming a polyfluorocarbon coating on a razor blade cutting edge which comprises subjecting a fluorocarbon polymer having a molecular weight of at least 1,000,000 in dry powder form to ionizing irradiation to reduce the molecular weight of the polymer, forming a dispersion of the irradiated polymer in a volatile organic liquid, spraying the dispersion on to a razor blade cutting edge and heating the coating obtained to sinter the polyfluorocarbon. The polyfluorocarbon preferably is polytetrafluoroethylene and irradiation preferably is effected to obtain a telomer having a molecular weight of about 25,000.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,328,946 to Tuminello et al. discloses perfluorinated cycloalkane solvents for dissolving high melting polymers containing tetrafluoroethylene. These solvents are said to dissolve such polymers more rapidly, and/or are more stable, than previously known solvents. Also disclosed is a process for dissolution of the polymers and their resulting solutions. The solutions are useful for making polymer films, coatings and for encapsulating objects.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,364,929 to Dee et al. discloses a process for dissolving high melting polymers containing tetrafluoroethylene units at pressures greater than autogenous pressure, using selected halogenated solvents that are often not solvents resulting from this process. The resulting solutions are said to be useful for preparing fibers and paper-like webs from these polymers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,360,388 discloses certain solvents for tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) polymers, including perfluorodecalin, perfluoromethyldecalin, perfluoromethyldecalin, perfluoromethylcyclohexane and perfluoro(1,3-dimethylcyclohexane). All of these solvents are believed to have critical temperatures below 340.degree. C., and hence are not solvents for PTFE.
B. Chu, et al., in a series of papers [Macromol., vol. 20, p. 702-703 (1987); Macromol., vol. 21, p. 397-402 (1988); Macromol., vol. 22, p.831-837 (1989); J. Appl. Polym Sci., Appl. Polym. Sym., vol. 45, p. 243-260 (1990)] describe the measurement of the molecular weight of polytetrafluoroethylene (hereinafter sometimes PTFE) in solution. The solvents used in these studies were perfluorotetracosane and oligomers of poly(chlorotrifluoroethylene).
P. Smith and K. Gardner, Macromol., vol. 18, p. 1222-1228 (1985) review and discuss both the practical and theoretical aspects of dissolving PTFE. As reported by them, PTFE has been dissolved only in perfluorokerosenes and perfluorinated oils, in other words, perfluorinated higher molecular weight alkanes. They report that PTFE will not dissolve in perfluorodecalin, octafluoronaphthalene or decafluorobenzophenone.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,461,129 reports in Example A that 4-ethoxy-2,2,5,5-tetrakis(trifluormethyl)-3-oxazoline dissolves low-melting (83.degree.-145.degree. C. melting point) PTFE. There is no mention of dissolution of higher melting PTFE.
Polytetrafluoroethylene coatings on razor blade cutting edges are clearly known in the art. Furthermore, it appears that various solvents systems have been proposed in the literature for polytetrafluoroethylene. However, the art fails to appreciate the importance of a thin PTFE coating; especially during the initial, first shave. Furthermore, the art is silent on selective removal of polytetrafluoroethylene from razor blade cutting edges.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a razor blade cutting edge with a thin, well adhered coating which provides significantly improved initial cutting force effects when compared with the prior art. This improvement in cutting force translates to an improved first shave and often translates to improved subsequent shaves.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a razor blade which causes fewer nicks, improved comfort, and/or improved closeness.
Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for producing these improved blades. The process utilizes novel processing steps.
These and other objects will become evident from the following.

Method of treating razor blade cutting edges


The invention is to permit a bushing main body of rubber elastomer to be adhered to a bar member while retaining a necessary contact pressure for adhering and after adhering, to permit a further compressive force to be imparted. The bushing main body (10) having a bore (11), through which the bar member (B) passes, and a bracket (20) holding the former are longitudinally split into two, respectively, the resulting split rubber bodies (10a)(10b) are vulcanization bonded to inner peripheral surfaces of the resulting half bracket members (20a)(20b). The inside diameter (D1) of both split rubber bodies as molded is made smaller than the outside diameter (D2) of the bar member, and inner peripheral surfaces (11a)(11b) at the bore are formed to be eccentric on mutually opposite sides. While pinching the bar member by both split rubber bodies, both half bracket members interposing a spacer (30) are locked together to compress the split rubber bodies thereby to adhere the peripheral surfaces at the bore to the outer peripheral surface of the bar member, and after the spacer is removed, both half members are locked so as to butt contact with each other thereby further compressing both split rubber bodies in mutually opposing directions.

Rubber bushings, e.g., a stabilizer bushing, rear suspension bushing, etc. which are a kind of automotive vibration isolating device are generally formed of a rubber elastomer assuming a thick-walled cylinder shape and used in the state that a bar member such as a stabilizer bar for vehicles is inserted through its bore and held in place.
A vibration isolator assembly formed of such a rubber bushing comprises a thick-walled cylindrical bushing main body made of rubber elastomer having a bore through which a bar member such as a stabilizer bar passes, and a bracket holding the bushing main body from outwardly thereof. For example, the bracket consists of a pair of bracket members formed by splitting thereof into an attachment side to be attached to the vehicle body and a locking side to be locked to the former, and both bracket members are locked together in the state that the bar member is inserted through the bore of the bushing main body, thereby being attached fixedly to the bar member, with the bushing main body fastened. For purposes of mounting to the bar member such as a stabilizer bar, the bushing main body is formed partly with longitudinal cutouts so as to be capable of breaking open or longitudinally split into two.
With such a bushing main body as stated above that is fixed to the bar member by compressive force (friction force), however, because of non-adhesive bonding a problem existed in that for example, when used for an automotive stabilizer bar, a slipping between the bar member and the bushing main body occurs owing to swaying or torsional movement of the bar member caused by abrupt starting or stopping, or turning, etc. of a vehicle, as a result of which unusual noises such as a squeaking noise are generated.
In particular, also where the attachment state or fastening state to the car body or the bar member is devised so as to make the compression amount large to increase the friction force, as is the case with Patent References 1 and 2 listed below, because of non-adhesive anchoring, a strange noise due to the slipping was seldom, if ever generated in a low temperature situation or upon ingress of water and besides, a preventive effect against positional slippage (shifting) in the axial direction was not sufficient either, and there was a problem in the retention of vibration isolating characteristics.
In order to prevent the generation of strange sounds (noises) due to the slip, for example, a proposal has been also made to use a rubber material having a self-lubricating property for the bushing main body or to apply a woven fabric such as a cloth of Teflon™ to the bore part through which the bar member passes thereby to improve the sliding to the bar member (e.g., Patent References 3 and 4 listed below).
However, the problems with this case were that due to easy sliding between the bushing main body and the bar member, that approach is disadvantageous in the respect of the preventive effect to lateral sliding or detachment and consequently, it is necessary to conjointly use any preventive means against detachment and besides, because of good sliding, the steering stability is impaired.
Therefore as exemplified in Patent References 5 and 6, a proposal has been made to adhere the bushing main body made of rubber elastomer to the bar member, e.g., a stabilizer bar. With Patent Reference 5, however, a thermosetting resin is used to take advantage of a high temperature heating treatment at a coating step of the stabilizer bar, whereas in Patent Reference 6, an adhesive agent containing an additive capable of additional vulcanization by heating treatment is used. In either case, a heating treatment step is necessitated and additionally, the bushing main body itself made of rubber elastomer is heated upon adhering, as a result of which there is a danger of change in characteristics thereof.
In particular, in adhering in such a way as described above, it is necessary to ensure a contact pressure required for adhesion over the entire surface so as not to cause a problem of separation at the adhesive interface due to lack of the pressure upon adhering. Nevertheless if the rubber elastomer is adhered in an excessively compressed state, a high temperature heat of 160 to 180° C. will be generated at the adhered area, so that the problem arises that the characteristics of the rubber elastomer are changed, accelerating a degradation of rubber. Further, it is desired that in the state of use, the bushing main body can be maintained at its condition imparted with an adequate compressive force for the purposes of maintaining the adhesion state and enhancing the durability.
Patent Reference 1: JP Patent Application Publication 11(1999)-192828
Patent Reference 2: JP Patent Application Publication 2001-271860
Patent Reference 3: JP Patent Application Publication 2001-182767
Patent Reference 4: JP Patent Application Publication 2001-221284
Patent Reference 5: JP Patent Application Publication 2001-270315
Patent Reference 6: JP Patent Application Publication 2000-142068

Vibration isolator and attachment method thereof


A fabric conveying guide rail has a G-shaped saddle locked to where below a conveying guide rail; screw holes being laterally drilled on both outer walls of the recess formed to the web of the saddle; a sleeve being positioned with tabs and slots of a setting nut to lock up the saddle; a guide screw being screwed into the nut; two saddles being mounted in symmetry on a laterally structured square tube; the setting nut being locked horizontally to the recess to define a space between the saddle and the top of the setting nut for insertion of a separation plate that is moved by adjusting the width of the guide screw to prevent the fabric from being contaminated by the guide screw.

(a) Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a fabric conveying guide rail, and more particularly, to one that prevents the fabric from being contaminated when the fabric drops to contact threads by providing a separation plate in the space between saddle and the top of a guide screw.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
In the structure of a stenter used in dyeing and bleaching of fabric, two guide rails to convey the fabric on both sides are adjusted for its width to compromise that of the fabric with the RH and LH threads in a saddle mounted below the guide rail so to drag and pull the fabric by its edges for processing. Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 of the accompanying drawings, the structure of an earlier version of the stenter is characterized in that a saddle 200 is locked to where below a guide rail 100 to convey a fabric; a recess 201 is reserved to the web of the saddle 200; both of the upper and the lower sides of the outer wall of the recess 201 are each vertically drilled a screw hole 202; a setting nut 300 provided on its both sides a tab 301 and 1 slot 302 to hold a sleeve 400 in place to lock up the saddle 200; a guide screw 500 is provided in the setting nut 300; and two saddles 200 in symmetry are mounted to a laterally structured square tube 600. Whereas the setting nut 300 is vertically provided in the recess 201 of the saddle 200, there is no space existing between the saddle 200 and the setting screw 300 to expose the LH and RH threaded guide screws. Meanwhile, the lubricant applied to the guide screws for the adjustment of the guide rail causes the traveling fabric 700 to be contaminated by the guide screws whenever the fabric 700 drops.
An improved structure as taught in Taiwan Patent Gazette Publication No. 547511 titled "Fabric Contamination-Proof Installation for Mobile Guide Screw of Fabric Conveying Guide Rail", it is characterized in that a mobile lid is provided above the mobile guide screw adapted with a dialing plate that moves laterally and is provided on both of its outer sides each a push-pull inclined member; once the dialing plate moves towards the lid, the lid gradually flaps outwardly due to the push and pull by the dialing plate to facilitate the fabric to stride over the conveying guide rail; on the contrary, when the dialing plate gradually moves away from the lid, the lid returns to its original place to cover up the moving guide screw to prevent the fabric from being contaminated by the moving guide screw.
However, the RH and LH threaded guide screws can only be allowed to move for the saddle to adjust the width of the conveying guide rails by flapping out the lid to duck away from a mobile seat. Though the operation of the mechanism is not yet termed as difficult, the adaptation of a return spring and a limit installation to the lid adds more difficulties in the assembly.


The present invention relates to a method for obtaining Dolasetron that comprises: a) Esterification of the alcohol of formula (IV) with indole-3-carboxylic acid (compound (III)) or a reactive derivative thereof, to give a compound of formula (V), followed by step b) which includes Dieckmann reaction of the intermediate (V), by reaction with a strong organic or inorganic base, to give the intermediate (VI), and step c) which comprises dealcoxycarbonylation of the intermediate (VI) to give Dolasetron base and, if desired, a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, hydrates or solvates of the base of said salt. The invention also relates to the intermediates (V) and (VI), and methods for obtaining them. With the method of the present invention Dolasetron is obtained at industrial scale with good yields, with decreased use of reactants and solvents, while said method is also of greater atomic efficiency.

European patent EP 339669 describes the preparation of Dolasetron I
by means of a method that includes as its last step the reaction between the 5-hydroxy-8-azatricyclo[5.3.1.03,8]-undecan-10-one (compound II) and the mixed anhydride formed from indole-3-carboxylic acid (compound III) and trifluoroacetic anhydride:

European patent EP 266730 (equivalent to Spanish patent ES 2061469) describes the preparation of compounds analogous to Dolasetron, also using the esterification described above as the last step.
These patents nevertheless present disadvantages. For example, in order to obtain compound II it is necessary to use protective groups that lengthen the synthesis route and entail a reduction of atomic efficiency. Moreover, the chosen protective group (Tetrahydropyranil, THP) leads to a mixture of diastereoisomers instead of to a single product. Also, the handling and purification of said intermediate product may prove to be complicated if carried out at industrial scale, as said mixture is an oil.
Another notable disadvantage is that column chromatography is used to carry out the purification of this mixture of diastereoisomers, while other methods of purification such as crystallisation or distillation are not possible. This becomes complicated if the product is to be prepared at industrial scale, and, combined with the atomic efficiency reduction remarked upon above, entails a considerable increase of residues and the attendant environmental problem.
Furthermore, the preparation of 5-hydroxy-8-azatricyclo[5.3.1.03,8]-undecan-10-one (compound II) includes a process of extraction of the product from the aqueous phase with ethyl acetate, in an operation that calls for the use of continuous-process extraction for considerable lengths of time (20 h), due to the high solubility of the compound in water. This operation requires specific installations which, although possible at industrial scale, means that the equipment needed to obtain the final product is more expensive.
Therefore, there remains a need for a method of obtaining Dolasetron which is applicable at an industrial scale, with fewer steps and which is more advantageous in terms of productivity, efficacy and minimisation of residues.

Method for obtaining a pharmaceutically active compound, synthesis intermediates thereof and methods for obtaining them


A disclosed network communication device corresponds to IP communications and is capable of performing IPsec communication. The network communication device includes a setting unit configured to obtain and set an operation mode specified by an administrator user; a detecting unit configured to detect a communication error caused by an incorrect portion in an IPsec setting; and a changing unit configured to change the IPsec setting, based on the operation mode set by the setting unit, to correct the incorrect portion or to cancel the IPsec communication, in the event that the communication error is detected.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a network communication device including an encryption communication function such as IPsec.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is a technology referred to as IPsec (Internet Protocol security), which is a specification for safely performing communications via the Internet. IPsec is specified by plural RFCs, primarily based on RFC (Request For Comment) 4301.
A brief description of IPsec is given below.
The following functions can be realized with IPsec.                Access control: Connection is authorized or unauthorized based on an address, etc., of the connection source.        Insurance of completeness of communication data: It is insured that the communication data are not falsified in the middle of a communication path.        Confidentiality of communication contents: The communication data are encrypted, so that even if the communication data are intercepted in the middle of a communication path, it will not be easy to recognize the communication contents.
To realize the above functions, the IPsec is configured with plural technologies.
The IPsec employs security protocols referred to as AH (Authentication Header) and ESP (Encapsulating Security Payload). AH is used for authentication (insurance of completeness) and ESP is used for encryption (realization of confidentiality of data). AH is specified by RFC4302 and ESP is specified by RFC4303. AH and ESP respectively have two modes, i.e., a transport mode and a tunnel mode. In the transport mode, the process target of the security protocol is the payload portion of IP. In the tunnel mode, the process target is the entire IP packet.
With IPsec, a parameter set referred to as SA (Security Association) is used for managing keys and encryption algorithms. A database for managing SA is referred to as SAD (Security Association Database). Parameters of SA include an identifier for two points between which communication is to be established, SPI (Security Parameter Index), the type of security protocol, the encryption algorithm and its key, the duration of SA, a value of IV (Initialization Vector) used for the encryption algorithm, and a counter. The SA has a direction, and therefore two SAs are required for performing bidirectional communication.
A security policy generally refers to an action guideline indicating "how" to protect "what" from "whom". The SP (security policy) in IPsec indicates whether to apply IPsec to a particular kind of IP packet. Parameters of SP include an IP layer protocol number, an IP address, a network address, a transport layer protocol, a port number, and an identifier of the user. A database for managing SP is referred to as SPD (Security Parameter Database).
IPsec is used for various network communication devices including image forming apparatuses such as MFPs (Multi Function Printer) (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Patent Document 1: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2006-20266
In order to perform IPsec communication, the user (administrator or general user) is required to make complex settings. If there is a mistake (an incorrect portion) in the settings, it will not be possible to use the same IP address again to perform communication unless IPsec communication is cancelled. For this reason, if IPsec communication settings have been made from a remote location, the user may need to actually go to the site where the target device is installed to cancel IPsec communication.


A method and apparatus enabling the usage of a remote display monitor for presenting display data from a mobile telephone is disclosed. A mobile telephone includes a display monitor communication function enabling the generation of a communications link between the mobile telephone and a receiver of a display monitor. The communications link enables the transmission of numeric and textual data intended to be displayed on a display associated with a mobile telephone on the larger screen of the remote display monitor. The type of data presented on the display monitor may be selectively programmed by a user.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to user interfaces for mobile telephones, and more particularly, to the display of data associated with the mobile telephone display on an external electronic display.
2. Description of Related Art
The continued development of mobile telephone technologies, such as PCS, SMS and USSP Message Services have increased the use of graphical displays to present information to a mobile telephone user. When using these types of technologies, display data is transmitted to a mobile telephone from a base transceiver station. The display data actuates functionalities within the mobile telephone to drive a display on the mobile telephone. The display provides a visual presentation to the user of the transmitted information.
However, the small size of mobile telephones necessarily causes an associated display to be rather small. The use of a small display requires the use of small font characters or abbreviations in order to fully present visual information to the user of the cellular telephone. This makes the displayed data difficult to read or interpret. Unfortunately, the present direction of development of mobile telephones is producing smaller and smaller hand-held units. Thus, there is no way to increase the display size and readability associated therewith while still meeting the public's desire for smaller mobile telephones. Thus, there exist a need for presenting a user with a more easily readable visual display that is associated with a mobile telephone.

Apparatus enabling usage of external display monitor with a mobile telephone


Systems and methods of efficaciously washing body cavities, specifically including the nasal cavity, wherein a fluid flow is governed in at least one of degree and direction of issuance. Governing of the degree of fluid flow can involve an applicator that is affixable to a fluid source, wherein the applicator can variably constrain the degree of fluid flow being issued. Governing of the direction of issuance can involve the applicator, when affixed to the fluid source, issuing the fluid flow in a specific direction, relative to the fluid source, and an indicator of the fluid source's general orientation relative to vertical.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to systems and methods of washing a body cavity, and in particular to systems and methods of affecting a flow of field, including affecting the flow's disposition or degree, to provide efficacious washing of a body cavity.
2. Description of the Related Art
For many health or comfort care situations, utilizing an appropriate manner of applying a treatment can be nearly as critical to the treatment's effectiveness as correctly selecting a treatment that is suitable for the issue being treated. The consequences of misapplication can range from a relatively benign lack of relief, to a more serious initiation of an additional issue due to the misapplication, on up to an abandonment of treatment altogether, or even a switch to a differing, potentially even dangerous alternative treatment when the original treatment is still the best choice if applied properly. In many cases, the potential for misapplication is particularly prevalent when the treatment itself is a deceptively simple, everyday action. Washing of a body cavity is such an easily misunderstood treatment that the present invention provides systems and methods for ensuring its efficacious application.
A variety of body cavities, such as the nasal cavity or the vagina, are potentially benefited by washing with externally applied techniques. A difficulty common among many of these cavities is that while the individual is, of course, quite familiar with the cavity in many senses, it is also generally not possible for the individual to see well within the cavity, nor to be exactly aware of the detailed internal structure and topography of their own cavity, since there are variations from person-to-person. Since many of the treatments available are preferably applied in particular dispositions relative to the cavity, and/or are best conducted in particular manners that are not easily regulated, especially when an individual is self treating, a significant potential for misapplication is common. Among the more frequent situations where body cavity washing can be beneficial, and a useful illustration of the difficulties addressed by the present invention, is the practice of washing (or cleansing) the nasal cavity.
An understanding of the benefits of efficacious nasal washing has a long history in numerous cultures. Nasal washing or nasal irrigation is an ancient Ayurvedic technique known as Jala neti, which literally means "nasal cleansing" in Sanskrit (a classical language of South Asia). With origins based in the yoga tradition, nasal washing has been an accepted practice throughout India and South East Asia. Although not as historically common in Western cultures, these Eastern cultures have performed Jala neti as routinely as brushing one's teeth for centuries. Traditionally, a neti pot (which is a tea pot or Aladdin's lamp shaped vessel) has been used to flow salt water into one nostril, through the sinus cavities and out the other nostril. In the West, for over a century now, doctors have also come to appreciate the benefits of nasal washing. Alfred Laskiewicz, departmental Head of Pozna Otolaryngology Department (1932-1939) at the time, described conservative treatments of nasal irrigation from general hygiene to treatment of Scleroderma. The Proetz procedure has been used by ear, nose and throat surgeons for years to irrigate the sinuses after surgery.
Many forms of equipment have been utilized to effect nasal lavage including gravity flow vessels, pressure bottles, powered machines, misters, IV bags, sprays, squirts, flushers, bulbs, syringes, squeeze bottles, and even turkey basters. In addition to diversely configured physical modes of executing nasal washing, an assortment of differing types of wash solutions have also been employed. Most often, these solutions primarily consist of various salt solutions. Among those that have been studied are salt rinse formulations that are isotonic, hypertonic, or buffered, as well as those with additives such as colloidal silver, antibiotics and herbs. (An isotonic solution has the same salt concentration as the human body, a hypertonic solution bas a greater salt concentration than the human body, and a buffered solution, in this context, is less acidic and is often generally better tolerated as well as potentially more effective.) The overall effectiveness of nasal washing has been repeatedly supported by the results of these scientific investigations. Currently, a hypertonic buffered saline solution has been shown to be most effective in treatment of congestion, along with removal of infectious and allergenic particles, but an isotonic buffered saline solution works well for overall daily washing.
Over the past decade, a slowly growing expansion of interest in nasal cleansing has taken root in the United States. Among the factors contributing to this growth are the overall surge in appeal of preventative and alternative medicine, as well as a mounting trend towards an integrative approach to healthcare. Although antihistamines, decongestants, steroids, mucolytics, immune modulators, and antibiotics are already commonly prescribed for various nasal and sinus health issues, doctors have increasingly also added the adjunct treatment of nasal irrigation for allergy suffers, post operative sinus surgery patients, and for patients with chronic sinusitis. Recently, proactive nasal washing is being recommended as a preventative approach for these health conditions. The benefits of nasal washing include refreshing, cleansing and moisturizing the nasal membranes. A lack of washing can produce substantial discomfort and health complications (such as allergic reactions, nasal congestion, sinus infections, post nasal drip, sore throat, asthma or nasal discharge) when not in optimal condition, as most people can personally attest. When washing with a hypertonic salt mixture, the nasal and sinus environment become more difficult for bacterial or viral growth.
Presently, many products are available to enable implementing nasal, washing more quickly, more easily, more effectively, and with less resulting mess. Even with such an extensive history of addressing the issue of nasal cleansing, substantial problems in ensuring that nasal cleansing is reliably efficacious remain unsolved, however. Among the principal problems remaining are that the vast majority of approaches do not account for the particulars of the physical arrangement of the nasal cavity, which impacts both the preferable manner and degree of nasal washing action. Most prior systems and methods enable introducing the wash solution to the nasal cavity without also enabling improved control and guidance of the manner of introduction (for example, washing pointing upwards can be uncomfortable), much less discernment, during the washing process itself, as to any aspect of whether the solution is being appropriately applied. In sum, it is difficult, if not impossible, for users of the current systems to ascertain the correct angle at which they must hold the nasal washing apparatus and their upper body when applying the cleansing solution to the nasal cavity. This is problematic because, among other things, improper application of nasal solution in the nasal cavity can result in an uncomfortable feeling for a user (e.g., the user feels like they are drowning) and improper cleansing of the nasal cavity. Further, improper insertion of a nasal washing apparatus and application of nasal washing solution has the potential to introduce contaminants, pollutants, infectious particles and debris into the sinus cavity. The frustration associated with this discomfort and confusion regarding application can lead user's to abandon the nasal washing process altogether, thereby forgoing a maintenance ritual with could positively impact their health.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a nasal washing apparatus and system whose application is easily understood and carried out by the user, in addition to nasal washing apparatuses that provide additional features to increase the comfort of nasal washing.

System and method of efficacious body cavity washing


A push switch apparatus includes a switch that has a movable contact and a fixed contact built therein, a driving body that makes the movable contact contact/separate with/from the fixed contact by pressing the switch, an operating knob that holds the driving body, and a housing that holds the operating knob to be moved in a direction in which the switch is pressed. An elastic member that holds the driving body so as to be moved in the direction in which the switch is pressed and suppresses the driving body and a stopper that regulates the movement of the driving body are provided in the operating knob. The driving body elastically comes into contact with the stopper by the elastic member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a push switch apparatus, and more particularly, to a push switch apparatus which is capable of obtaining an overstroke after the switch is switched on.
2. Description of the Related Art
A structure of a conventional push switch apparatus has been disclosed (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Registration Application Publication No. 2-92620). The push switch apparatus according to the related art has an element switch, in which a fixed contact is exposed from an inner bottom surface of a housing and a movable contact having an inversion spring contacting/separating with/from the fixed contact is housed inside the housing, a key top that ascends and descends along the element switch, and a coil spring that is interposed between the key top and the element switch.
Hereinafter, the structure of the push switch apparatus according to the related art will be described with reference to the drawing.
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the push switch apparatus according to the related art.
In FIG. 9, a boss 11a is provided at a ceiling portion of a cap-shaped key top 11, and an upper end of a coil spring 12 is press-fitted into the boss 11a. Further, engaging protrusions 11b are provided at two places of a lower end of the key top 11. In an element switch 13, two metal pieces separated from each other are embedded in a bottom portion of a boxlike housing 14 such that portions of both metal pieces are exposed from an inner bottom surface of the housing 14 as fixed contacts 15 and 16. An inversion spring 17 is provided on the fixed contacts 15. The inversion spring 17 functions as a movable contact separated from the fixed contacts 16, and a dustproof sheet 18 is attached so as to be positioned to cover these contacts 15, 16, and 17. A lower end of the coil spring 12 is pressed against a central portion of the inversion spring 17 through the sheet 18.
In addition, an outer wall surface of the housing 14 functions as a slid surface of the key top 11, and removal preventing protrusions 14a are provided at two places of the outer wall surface so as to be engaged with the engaging protrusions 11b. Terminals that extend from the fixed contacts 15 and 16 protrude in a side direction of the housing 14 from the lower end of the housing 14, and a positioning protrusion 14b stands upright at the bottom surface of the housing 14.
The above-described key switch is surface-mounted on a printed board 20 by attaching the respective terminal 19 to land portions (not shown) via solders 21 after the positioning protrusion 14b of the housing 14 is fitted into a positioning hole 20a of the printed board 20.
In this key switch, the key top 11 can freely ascend and descend along the outer wall surface of the housing 14. If an operator presses the key top 11 by a predetermined amount, the lower end of the coil spring 12 causes the inversion spring 17 to be inverted, such that both the fixed contacts 15 and 16 are conducted to each other and the key switch is switched on. If the operator further presses the key top 11, the coil spring 12 is bent, thus an overstroke is obtained.
At this time, the operator feels a click due to the inversion movement of the inversion spring 17 through his finger. If the press is released from the key top 11, which is switched on, the inversion spring 17 is separated from the fixed contact 16 with its elasticity, and thus the key switch is switched off. Sequentially, the key top 11 ascends with resilience of the coil spring 12 and stops at the time when the engaging protrusion 11b is engaged with the removal preventing protrusion 14a.
However, in the structure of the conventional push switch apparatus, an initial spring pressure of the coil spring 12 is set smaller than the operation force of the inversion spring 17, and the inversion is made when the pressure against the key top 11 exceeds the operation force of the inversion spring 17. Accordingly, it is difficult to achieve the configuration in which the switch is pressed right at the beginning of the stroke, and then an overstroke is obtained. As a result, there is a problem in that the degree of freedom cannot be given in an operation mode.
In addition, if the initial pressure of the coil spring 12 exceeds the operation force of the inversion spring 17, the switch is unnecessarily switched on, even when the key top 11 is not pressed. Accordingly, the switch may be accidentally switched on by the variation in spring characteristic of the coil spring 12. Further, stroke may be varied until the switch is switched on.


A method for fabricating a integrated circuit is disclosed. An exemplary method includes providing a substrate; forming a hard mask layer over the substrate; forming a patterned photoresist layer over the hard mask layer, such that portions of the hard mask layer are exposed; performing a dry etching process to remove the exposed portions of the hard mask layer; removing the patterned photoresist layer using at least one of a nitrogen plasma ashing and a hydrogen plasma ashing; and performing a wet etching process to remove remaining portions of the hard mask layer.

The semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) industry has experienced rapid growth. In the course of IC evolution, functional density (i.e., the number of interconnected devices per chip area) has generally increased while geometry size (i.e., the smallest component (or line) that can be created using a fabrication process) has decreased. This scaling down process generally provides benefits by increasing production efficiency and lowering associated costs. Such scaling-down has also lead to high-k dielectric layers and conductive (e.g., metal) layers being adopted to form gate stacks in various IC devices, such as metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect-transistors (MOSFETs). The conductive layers are often tuned to have a proper work function to achieve a designed threshold voltage for n-type and p-type devices. Typically, the conductive layers are patterned using a combination of etching processes, for example, dry and wet etching processes. It has been observed that dry etching processes can result in damage to the high-k dielectric and conductive layers; and wet etching processes can result in lateral etching and/or low etching selectivity, degrading patterning profiles. Accordingly, what is needed is an improved method for making an IC device.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.


In this method, a braided fiber envelope is slid over the core of the hockey stick blade and a promoted resin is applied on the core and the fiber envelope. At least one pre-cured reinforcement panel is provided on at least one side of the blade. The resulting assembly is heat pressed so as to secure the reinforcement panel to the blade and shape the blade. A hockey stick shaft constructed in accordance with this method is also disclosed. This construction provides a lighter hockey stick blade with improved mechanical properties compared to previous ones.

Hockey stick blades have traditionally been made using a core to which is glued a hosel, both made of a material such as wood, ABS or polyurethane foam. The core and hosel are then covered by a layer of fleece or fiberglass over which reinforcement panels are fixed using a lamination process. The purpose of the fleece or fiberglass layer is to fill in any space present between the core, the hosel and the reinforcement panels. As part of the laminating process, the blade assembly is pressed to obtain the desired curve. This construction, however, has some drawbacks. One of them is that the fleece layer itself does not improve any substantial mechanical properties of the blade. When a fiberglass layer is used, the problem is that the spacing between the fibers is always very small and the angle between the fibers is fixed. The fiberglass layer material comes in rolls and is thus limited in terms of possible densities and geometries.
Another known construction included the addition of a twilled or plain weaved fiber envelope with a fiberglass layer over a laminated blade assembly in order to improve its mechanical properties. However, the disadvantages of such a construction is the usual presence of wrinkles in the fiber envelope, which lessens its potential added mechanical properties. These wrinkles are caused by the fiber envelope being applied to a blade having an already formed curve combined with the fact that the blade cannot be pressed a second time. A further disadvantage is that the fiber envelope is on the exterior surface of the blade and is exposed to impacts.
Also existing is a construction where dry reinforcement panels are added to the core and hosel, the blade curvature being formed through a resin transfer molding process or vacuum assisted resin transfer molding process. The disadvantages of such a construction is that it requires complex and expensive processes in order to obtain a consistent surface finish. Furthermore, a different mold is required for every blade profile and curvature, which is expensive and means that the blade profile and curvature must be known before starting the process. The cool down period required after the completion of the process is another disadvantage.

Method of manufacturing a hockey stick blade with a braided fiber envelope


A focus control system for an optical pickup head is provided. The optical head generates an electronic signal in response to an optical signal. The focus control system comprises a focusing error signal generator, a focus control signal generator and an actuator. The focus control signal generator is electrically connected to the focusing error signal generator, and includes a first, a second and a third compensators with a first, a second and a third gains, respectively, for generating a focus control signal with one of the first, second and third gains in response to the focusing error signal according to a corresponding one of a first, a second and a third operating modes of the optical pickup head. A method for controlling movement of an optical pickup head is also provided.

Optical disks such as compact disks (CDs), video compact disks (VCDs) and digital versatile disk (DVDs) are able to be played by recording and reproducing apparatuses. When an optical pickup head of an optical disk drive operates, the light emitted by a light source such as a laser diode is focused by an object lens of the optical pickup head on an optical disk, and the light reflected by the optical disk is transmitted to a light sensor to realize information from the disk. Referring to FIG. 1, the optical pickup head 10 moves along two main directions, i.e. a direction perpendicular to the disk face, referred as a focusing direction F, and a direction parallel to the disk face, referred as a tracking direction T.
During operation, a focusing error and a tracking error usually arise on the rotating disk. The focusing error is generally caused by vibration of the disk in the focusing direction F, and the tracking error is caused by eccentricity of the disk in the tracking direction T. To correct these errors, a focus control system for an optical pickup head was developed, as can be seen in FIG. 2. The optical pickup head 20 has six light receiving parts A, B, C, D, E and F for producing output signals a, b, c, d, e and f, respectively, when receiving light reflected from the optical disk. The output signals e and f are amplified through a first pre-amplifier 21 to produce a tracking error signal TE. A difference between the summation of signals a and c and that of signals b and d, i.e. (a+c)−(b+d), is amplified through a second pre-amplifier 22 to produce a focusing error signal FE. The focusing error FE is processed by a digital signal processor (DSP) 23 to generate a focus control signal Foo to an actuator 24. The actuator 24 provides a moving force for actuating a trace shift of the optical pickup head 20 in the tracking direction accordingly.
The digital signal processor 23 includes a first compensator 231 and a second compensator 232 for complying with various operational statuses. The first compensator 231 has a normal gain, while the second compensator 232 has a high gain. When the optical pickup head 20 has completed a focusing operation and is situated in either a tracking condition or a seeking condition, the first compensator 231 with the normal gain is selected for generating the focus control signal Foo in order to maintain the focusing result. The term "tracking condition" used herein means that the position of the optical pickup head with respect to the tracks is maintained in the proper center position above the selected track. The term "seeking condition" means that the optical pickup head jumps from one track to another track. On the other hand, before the focusing operation of the optical pickup head 20 is completed, the second compensator 232 with the high gain is selected for generating the focus control signal Foo in order to speed up the focusing operation. Such focus control strategy essentially provides good focusing operation of the optical pickup head 20. Unfortunately, in practice, when the optical pickup head 20 has completed a focusing operation and is situated in the seeking condition, the focusing error signal FE is usually unstable due to the production of noise. Therefore, the first compensator 231 is insufficient to provide an appropriate tuning, which becomes problematic in a high-speed and high-precision optical disk.

Multi-stage focus control system and method