A rotor plate for a sprinkler includes a water impingement surface bounded by an annular peripheral wall and having a radial center, and adapted to be impinged upon by a stream emitted from a nozzle. The water impingement surface is formed to include at least one radially extending drive channel having an entrance proximate the radial center and an exit in the peripheral wall, the drive channel curving from entrance to exit in a first direction so as to cause the plate to rotate when the stream exits at an offset from the center of rotation; at least one range channel extending substantially radially with little or no curving, from entrance to exit; and at least one brake channel curving from entrance to exit in a second direction opposite the first direction to thereby resist rotation of the plate caused by at least one drive channel.

This invention relates tp water distribution for irrigation purposes and, more particularly, to a water distribution plate for a rotatable sprinkler head.
Sprinkler heads of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,766 include a sprinkler body or housing having an inlet which is adapted to be connected to a source of water under pressure. The outlet is defined by a nozzle that directs the water under pressure communicating with the sprinkler body as a primary stream into the atmosphere along a generally vertically extending axis. A rotary water distribution plate (also referred to as a "rotor plate") is provided for receiving the primary stream and directing it outwardly in a circular distribution pattern. A viscous damper mechanism is provided for reducing the rotational speed of the distribution plate from a relatively high whirling speed that would occur without the viscous damper, to a relatively slow speed.
One advantage of this type of sprinkler is that by limiting the rotational speed of the rotor plate, the water contacting the rotor plate can be projected outwardly so that stream integrity is maintained beyond the plate. Thus, the water distribution pattern can be made to closely simulate the highly desirable water distribution pattern of an impact sprinkler head.
Rotor plates are known that simply redirect the vertical stream to a substantially horizontal stream, or that first divide the primary stream into two or more streams through the use of grooves or channels radiating from the center of the rotor plate.
Rotation of the rotor plate is achieved by curving the one or more water distribution grooves or channels toward the exit ends of the grooves or channels, or by offsetting the grooves or channels from the center of rotation of the plate. Thus, water exiting the grooves causes the plate to rotate in a well understood manner. An example of a multi-channel rotor plate configuration is shown in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,811.
A disadvantage of the prior designs is that the radial distribution pattern has a smaller throw radius than if the grooves were straight and on center. Another disadvantage is the difficulty in maintaining a generally consistent rotation speed over a flowrate and pressure range. It is also a continuing objective to achieve good uniformity of the wetted area for all nozzle sizes, and at the same time, to increase the radius of throw so that the number of sprinklers required for a given area can be reduced.

Water distribution plate for rotating sprinklers


Techniques for processing calendar availability and consolidating appointments are described herein. In some implementations, the techniques may monitor scheduling interactions of a merchant with a calendar to schedule a merchant as unavailable in the calendar at a particular time and/or to reschedule the merchant as available at a time that is designated as unavailable. Additionally, or alternatively, the techniques may consolidate a merchant's schedule by rescheduling appointments when particular criteria are satisfied. Further, the techniques may include other features to manage a calendar and/or enhance a merchant's experience in scheduling appointments.

Merchants often interact with calendars to schedule appointments with customers for items or services that are offered by the merchants. In some instances, a merchant may schedule an appointment with a customer during a time when the merchant prefers to be working or is otherwise available. For example, the merchant may schedule appointments only on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays in order to be free Tuesdays and Thursdays. Additionally, customers may schedule appointments at various times throughout a day, week, month, etc. This can result in a merchant having multiple time slots available between scheduled appointments, requiring the merchant to be open when relatively few appointments are scheduled.


Compositions and methods for controlling pests are provided. The methods involve transforming organisms with a nucleic acid sequence encoding an insecticidal protein. In particular, the nucleic acid sequences are useful for preparing plants and microorganisms that possess insecticidal activity. Thus, transformed bacteria, plants, plant cells, plant tissues and seeds are provided. Compositions are insecticidal nucleic acids and proteins of bacterial species. The sequences find use in the construction of expression vectors for subsequent transformation into organisms of interest including plants, as probes for the isolation of other homologous (or partially homologous) genes. The pesticidal proteins find use in controlling, inhibiting growth or killing Lepidopteran, Coleopteran, Dipteran, fungal, Hemipteran and nematode pest populations and for producing compositions with insecticidal activity.

Biological control of insect pests of agricultural significance using a microbial agent, such as fungi, bacteria or another species of insect affords an environmentally friendly and commercially attractive alternative to synthetic chemical pesticides. Generally speaking, the use of biopesticides presents a lower risk of pollution and environmental hazards and biopesticides provide greater target specificity than is characteristic of traditional broad-spectrum chemical insecticides. In addition, biopesticides often cost less to produce and thus improve economic yield for a wide variety of crops.
Certain species of microorganisms of the genus Bacillus are known to possess pesticidal activity against a range of insect pests including Lepidoptera, Diptera, Coleoptera, Hemiptera and others. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) and Bacillus popilliae are among the most successful biocontrol agents discovered to date. Insect pathogenicity has also been attributed to strains of B. larvae, B. lentimorbus, B. sphaericus and B. cereus. Microbial insecticides, particularly those obtained from Bacillus strains, have played an important role in agriculture as alternatives to chemical pest control.
Crop plants have been developed with enhanced insect resistance by genetically engineering crop plants to produce pesticidal proteins from Bacillus. For example, corn and cotton plants have been genetically engineered to produce pesticidal proteins isolated from strains of Bacillus thuringiensis. These genetically engineered crops are now widely used in agriculture and have provided the farmer with an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional insect-control methods. While they have proven to be very successful commercially, these genetically engineered, insect-resistant crop plants provide resistance to only a narrow range of the economically important insect pests. In some cases, insects can develop resistance to different insecticidal compounds, which raises the need to identify alternative biological control agents for pest control.
Accordingly, there remains a need for new pesticidal proteins with different ranges of insecticidal activity against insect pests, e.g., insecticidal proteins which are active against a variety of insects in the order Lepidoptera and the order Coleoptera including but not limited to insect pests that have developed resistance to existing insecticides.

Insecticidal proteins and methods for their use


A downhole valve has a flow tube hydraulically actuated to open and close a flapper. The flow tube moved to a first position closes the flapper to restrict flow through the valve. The flow tube moved to a second position opens the flapper. A passable no-go device disposed in the valve permits or restricts mechanical passage through the valve in response to the position of the flow tube. The apparatus has a support and one or more dogs supported in windows of the support and biased by springs. The flow tube in the first position pushes the dogs to an extended position that restricts mechanical passage through valve so that a tool cannot be passed through the valve while the flapper is closed. When the flow tube is in the second position, however, the dogs retract so the tool can be passed through the valve while the flapper is open.

Flapper valves and other types of downhole valves can be damaged if a tool string is allowed to pass through them when they are in the closed condition. For example, the tool string run through the valve can damage the valve's flapper when closed. Also, the tool string even if capable of passing through the closed flapper may not be allowed to pass back up through the flapper so that the tool sting becomes trapped by the valve.
From the surface, operators do not always know if the flapper in these type of valves is open or not. Typically, operators must run a wireline drift tool through the valve to determine if the flapper is open or closed. If the flapper is open, then the drift tool is able to pass through. If the flapper is closed, the drift tool will stick through the flapper which then activates an artificial hold open sleeve to allow for the drift tool to be retrieved. Another way operators can determine whether a flapper is open or closed involves running a camera downhole and feeding back images to the surface.
Sometimes, a downhole valve may have dogs that engage a specifically designed stringer used to open and close the valve. For example, Weatherford's completion isolation valve (CIV) is a ball type valve actuated by a stinger. Dogs in the CIV engage the stinger and allow the stinger to move internal components to open and close the valve's ball seal. In this instance, these dogs move with the internal components of the valve that operate the ball seal. Therefore, these dogs are directly used to operate the valve by engaging the stinger and not to passively prevent a generic type of tool from being passed through the valve when closed.
What is needed is a way to reliably and easily prevent potential damage to a downhole valve by a generic tool string and to prevent entrapment of the tool string in the valve by passively preventing mechanical passage of the tool string in the valve when closed.

Passable no-go device for downhole valve


Described herein is microfluidic device for joining fluids and a related method for doing the same. The device according to the present invention includes a microfluidic junction, an outlet channel, and a plurality of circuit units. A microfluidic junction is an area for converging multiple fluids. An outlet channel is capable of receiving fluid from the microfluidic junction. An outlet channel includes a first end connected with the microfluidic junction, a second end connected with a waste reservoir, and an analysis region positioned between the first end and the second end of the outlet channel. The device also includes a plurality of circuit units. Each circuit unit includes a source channel with a first end capable of receiving sample fluid and a second end connected with the microfluidic junction; a branch channel connected with the source channel at an intersection; and a flow diversion system capable of differentially directing fluid flowing through a source channel either into the microfluidic junction or into a branch channel.

Microfluidic devices are becoming increasingly popular for performing analytical testing. Tools developed by the semiconductor industry for miniaturizing electronics enable fabrication and inexpensive mass production of intricate fluid systems. Microfluidic systems are increasingly utilized in performing a variety of analytical techniques for the acquisition of information in multiple disciplines, including the medical field, life sciences, and drug discovery and development.
There are different ways to manufacture microfluidic devices, including traditional lithographic techniques, soft lithography, and laminate technologies. In laminate fabrication the device consists of layers of material or lamina that have been cut, such as by a laser or stamp, into the desired shape and then held together with some form of adhesive, most commonly pressure-sensitive or thermally-activated adhesive. Maylar is commonly used, although other materials such as glass and polydimethylsiloxane (PMDS) have also been successfully incorporated into laminate devices. Microfluidic device construction may include a multi-layer laminated structure where each layer has channels and structures fabricated from a laminate material, forming microscale voids or channels where fluids flow. A microscale channel is generally defined as a fluid passage with at least one internal cross-sectional dimension that is less than 500 micrometers and typically between about 0.1 micrometers and about 500 micrometers. Either external pressurized fluid forced into the laminate or structures located within the laminate affect the control and pumping of fluids through these channels.
Under microfluidic conditions, fluids usually flow in a very predictable, laminar fashion, thereby allowing multiple fluids to flow next to each other in the same channel without turbulent mixing or the need for physical separation by a membrane. This is known as the laminar fluid diffusion interface. Smaller particles typically diffuse quickly across the boundary layer, whereas large molecules and particles, such as cells, typically diffuse only minimally.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,716,852 teaches a method for analyzing the presence and concentration of small particles in a flow cell using laminar flow and diffusion principles. Described is a channel cell system for detecting the presence of analyte particles in a sample stream using a laminar flow channel having at least two inlet means which provide an indicator stream and a sample stream, where the laminar flow channel has a depth sufficiently small to force laminar flow of the streams and length sufficient for diffusion of particles of the analyte into the indicator stream to form a detection area, and having an outlet out of the channel to form a single mixed stream. This device, which is known as a T-Sensor, may contain an external detecting means for detecting diffusion boundries in the indicator stream. This detecting means may be provided by any means known in the art, including optical means such as optical spectroscopy, or absorption spectroscopy of fluorescence.
Special challenges arise in employing devices that utilize the laminar fluid diffusion interface because preservation and maintenance of laminar flow in these devices relies heavily on precisely timed and controlled, as well as reproducible, introduction of several fluids into one channel. For example, fluids moved through multiple channels may converge and may pass through a single channel in a laminar fashion. However, precisely controlling both the timing and the change in volume of fluids entering the junction is generally necessary to prevent fluids from first reaching the outlet channel or obstructing a neighboring inlet channel before converging with other fluids, both of which may disturb laminar flow. Thus, a means of converging multiple fluids as to produce consistent laminar flow while allowing the appropriate control over the timing and the change in volume of converging fluids is desirable.


A heel support apparatus (10) has a substantially flat base portion (12) for resting on a bed surface. An inclined top region (14) of the support apparatus (10) slopes in the upward direction toward the distal region (15) of the support apparatus. The heel support apparatus (10) further includes a central downwardly extending well area (16) for receiving the heel of a patient's foot. A downwardly concaving trough (18) extends from the proximal portion (20) of the support apparatus (10) to intersect the well (16) for receiving the back of the patient's lower leg up to the Achilles tendon region, just above the heel. Substantially the entire length of the patient's lower leg is supported by the downwardly concaving trough (18) while the patient's heel is suspended above the bottom of the well (16), preventing the heel from having to bear the weight of the lower leg.

There are a increasing number of elderly persons and hospital patients who are bedridden or spend a substantial period of their time in bed. Bedridden, elderly, and debilitated persons commonly develop decubitus ulcers or other bed sores, including in the heel region of the foot, where it is very common for the tissue to break down. This type of sore can become very painful, as well as dangerous. Additionally, when a foot is constantly covered with bed linens, the toes of the foot can become extremely sensitive to the weight of the bed linens. Further, a foot that is not vertically supported at the sole, can experience foot drop, nerve atrophy and other associated complications.
In combating the primary concern of decubitus ulcer formation at the heel, it is desirable that the patient's foot be held in a position that prevents pressure on the heel, which normally results from the heel resting against the bed surface for protracted bedridden periods of time. There have been attempts in the prior art to remedy this situation. One presently available heel support device involves the use of a heel cup which is positioned between the bed surface and the patient's heel. However, the heel cup is unsatisfactory, because such a support does not adequately distribute the weight imparted to the foot over a sufficiently large enough area. Instead, such a support merely channels the weight to a relatively small area at the Achilles region of a patient's ankle, which rests upon the periphery of the heel cup.
Various boot-type devices are another kind of apparatus disclosed in the prior art designed to support the heel. These boot supports are generally constructed of lightweight foam material and have either a split-front open design, or a wrap around and strap fasten design. The boots employ some type of cushioned heel cord lift to disperse the weight of the leg. However, these boot supports have several disadvantages. Since the leg is enclosed by the device, there is decreased air circulation around the leg, increased moisture build up within the boot, and an impaired ability to properly visually inspect the leg for medical complications.
A further attempted solution found in the prior art is the therapeutic leg support disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,303 by Walle. The Walle support has a generally horizontal portion, with an open-topped depression that is contoured to fit the shape of a patient's leg. This horizontal portion is longitudinally rectangular in shape, with a longitudinally uniform cavity opening leading downwardly into the depression. The contoured depression is inclined and ranges from approximately one half to four-fifth of the depth of the horizontal portion, with the depression depth decreasing towards the distal end of the support. Thus, although open-topped, the side walls of the horizontal portion extend above the top the bedridden patient's leg, substantially enclosing the leg. Further advancing this enclosing effect, the side walls of the horizontal portion contour inward towards each other near the top of the upper sidewalls, creating a horse shoe shaped cavity when viewed longitudinally. This support also includes a vertical foot portion that is connected perpendicularly to the horizontal portion and fully encloses the foot.
The Walle support however, is undesirable in that, since the side walls of the leg support substantially enclose the patient's leg and in fact actually "grab" the leg, a substantial immobilization of the lower leg results. Additional contact and possible pressure or friction points are created by the Walle support, which is contrary to the present invention's goal of minimizing these types of contact. Further, since the Walle support has a vertical foot portion that is fully enclosed, air circulation is reduced and the ability to visually inspect the foot region is greatly impaired.
It is desirable to have a support apparatus that minimizes the possibility of heel or Achilles tendon decubitus ulcer formation in a bedridden patient, while also facilitating accessibility to the foot and leg for inspections and dressing changes. It is further advantageous to simultaneously ensure proper air ventilation so as to minimize the possibility of gangrene or other peripheral vascular diseases forming. The present invention provides an improved medical heel support apparatus that addresses these unresolved problems seen in the known devices in the prior art.


A satellite antenna mounting system primarily for residential homes including a dish, feed horn, elevation, clamp, and mast. The main body of the clamp to which the assemblage of the dish, feed horn, and elevation bracket are attached is provided with a downwardly inclined tab or clip member. In operation, the clamp of the assemblage can be lowered to receive the upper portion of the mast which is affixed to the roof or other part of the house. In doing so, the clip member engages the upper rim of the mast and firmly attaches or clips the assemblage to the mast with the dish in its desired elevation. Thereafter, the loose clamp can be tightened about the upper portion of the mast at the desired azimuth without affecting the set elevation of the dish.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of antenna mounts and more particularly to the field of satellite dish antenna mounts primarily for residential use.
2. Discussion of the Background
Residential dish antennas for satellite reception are commonly mounted by one person on a customer's house (e.g., roof or wall). In installing the antenna, the dish is first typically secured to an elevation bracket which in turn is adjustably attached to a mast clamp. Such mast clamps commonly have a C-shape and can be secured about a vertically extending portion of a mast that is fixed to the roof or other part of the house. In doing so, the upper portion of the mast is initially received in the loose clamp. The clamp is then further lowered onto the mast until a pivot bolt of the elevation bracket that extends across the C-shape of the clamp contacts the upper portion of the mast. With the pivot bolt abutting the upper mast portion and the clamp still loose, the installer can then manually rotate the dish and attached elevation bracket and clamp about the vertical axis of the mast to a desired azimuth and tighten the clamp on the mast.
A problem in this basic installation procedure is that the weight of the assemblage of the dish, attached feed horn, elevation bracket, and clamp is virtually all on one side of the axis of the clamp. Consequently, it is extremely difficult for one installer to simultaneously manually support the assemblage, guide its clamp onto the mast, rotate the assemblage about the vertical axis of the mast, and tighten the clamp on the mast. This is particularly difficult if it is windy and/or the antenna is being mounted in tight or awkward quarters. Complicating the matter, the bolt of the elevation bracket abutting the top of the mast also acts as a pivot for the off-center assemblage when the clamp is loose. As a result, the axis of the clamp is tilted and not vertically aligned when the clamp is loose. Tightening the clamp on the mast will then straighten the clamp and its axis. However, in doing so, the elevation of the dish attached to the clamp is also changed as the clamp is tightened to bring its axis into alignment with the vertical axis of the mast.
As a practical matter, the installer must make his best initial estimate of the correct elevation setting and then wait for the completion of the tightening step of the clamp to see if the final position of the clamp and attached dish resulted in the correct elevation. If not, the elevation bracket and attached dish must be re-adjusted on the clamp. To the extent any re-adjustment of the elevation adversely affects the desired azimuth setting, the entire procedure may have to repeated once or even several times. The fundamental problem with such current antenna mounts of this kind is that the tightening step of the clamp to lock in the azimuth is not independent of and in fact affects the elevation alignment of the dish.
With this and other problems in mind, the present invention was developed. In it, the assemblage of the clamp and attached dish, feed horn, and elevation bracket can be placed on the mast in the desired set elevation even with the clamp loose. With the assemblage then at or moved to the desired azimuth on the mast, the clamp can be tightened without changing or otherwise affecting the set elevation.


The invention provides a laser strobe type magneto-optical recording apparatus wherein the recording laser power can be set in conformity with an influence of variations such as environmental variations arising from dust sticking to an objective lens, a disk and so forth or secular changes of an optical part, a disk and so forth to assure a high degree of reliability. To a disk initialized with an applied magnetic field of the S pole beforehand, the N pole is applied for a predetermined laser pulse outputting period set after each predetermined fixed interval to record a test pattern. Then, based on a reproduction signal of the test pattern, the recording laser power is adjusted and set so that the length of a pit recorded area formed corresponding to the laser pulse outputting period in the direction of a track may be appropriate.

This invention relates to a magneto-optical recording apparatus for a recording medium, and more particularly to a laser strobe type magneto-optical recording apparatus for magneto-optically recording a recording medium.
Disk type recording media such as optical disks and magneto-optical disks as portable media have been and are being spread widely. Particularly, magneto-optical disks (MO disks) which allow re-writing of data are regarded suitable as media for use with computers.
By the way, in order to allow appropriate recording or reproduction of data onto or from a magneto-optical disk, the output power of laser light to be irradiated upon the disk upon recording (the output power will be hereinafter referred to merely as recording laser power) must be set appropriately. To this end, an appropriate recording laser power must be set upon recording.
Conventionally, a photo-detector in an optical pickup converts an amount of laser light emitted from a laser diode into a voltage value and detects it, and an optimum recording laser power is set based on the thus detected voltage value. In other words, setting of the recording laser power is completed within the optical pickup.
However, it is known that the optimum recording laser power is varied by various conditions such as environmental variations such as, for example, dust sticking to a disk or an objective lens which composes an optical pickup and secular changes of various optical parts of the optical pickup or the disk itself.
Therefore, with such a conventional setting method for a recording laser power which is performed in an optical pickup as described above, it is difficult to set a recording laser power which is always optimum in conformity with such conditional variations as described above.

Laser beam adjusting for magnetic field modulation overwrite magneto-optical recording device


In the prior art, tunable lasers utilizing silicon-based tunable ring filters and III-V semiconductor-based gain regions required the heterogeneous integration of independently formed silicon and III-V semiconductor based optical elements, resulting in large optical devices requiring a complex manufacturing process (e.g., airtight packaging to couple the devices formed on different substrates, precise alignment for the elements, etc.). Embodiments of the invention eliminate the need for bulk optical elements and hermetic packaging, via the use of hybridized III-V/silicon gain regions and silicon optical components, such as silicon wavelength filters and stabilized wavelength references, thereby reducing the size and manufacturing complexity of tunable lasing devices.

Wavelength tunable semiconductor laser devices supply optical power and signals used in applications where precise wavelength control must be maintained, such as optical wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) communication systems and fiber optic networks. The wavelength of the output of tunable laser devices varies based on a feedback control system. This control system will utilize some form of wavelength dependent optical filters to control the wavelength of the light input to the gain medium of the laser device. Wavelength references will further stabilize the laser output of the device.
Existing tunable lasers may use a combination of independently fabricated silicon and III-V semiconductor based optical components. III-V semiconductor materials are not as effective compared to silicon materials for making low loss, compact, wavelength tunable filters, while silicon materials are not as optically efficient as III-V semiconductor materials for emitting light. Thus, in the prior art, utilizing silicon-based wavelength filters and having optically active regions with the optical efficiency of III-V semiconductor-based devices requires the combination of separately formed silicon and III-V semiconductor based optical elements. This combination of separately formed optical elements results in a larger optical devices requiring a complex manufacturing processes not on a wafer scale (e.g., hermetic packaging to couple the devices formed on different substrates, precise alignment for the elements, etc.).
Descriptions of certain details and implementations follow, including a description of the figures, which may depict some or all of the embodiments described below, as well as discussing other potential embodiments or implementations of the inventive concepts presented herein. An overview of embodiments of the invention is provided below, followed by a more detailed description with reference to the drawings.

Tunable laser with integrated wavelength reference


The present invention is related to methods, apparatuses, systems and computer software for determining an amount of physical resources for downlink transmission, and allocating uplink physical resources for transmission of data-non-associated control signaling based at least on the amount of physical resources for downlink transmission. The amount of physical resources for downlink transmission comprises an amount of downlink control signaling. The present invention further relates to a framework for mapping the dedicated uplink control channels directly to single physical resource blocks. The framework is able to efficiently shift physical resources to and from the uplink control channel for ACK/NACK reports, in a data-non-associated control signaling scheme and on a per subframe basis. The present invention is also concerned with scheduler, for example an eNodeB scheduler, which uses its scheduling history and knowledge of user equipment capabilities to increase utilization of uplink resources.

LTE, or Long Term Evolution, is a name for research and development involving the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), to identify technologies and capabilities that can improve systems such as the UMTS. The present invention involves the long term evolution (LTE) of 3GPP. Implementations of wireless communication systems, such as UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System), may include a radio access network (RAN). In UMTS, the RAN is called UTRAN (UMTS Terrestrial RAN). Of interest to the present invention is an aspect of LTE referred to as "evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network," or E-UTRAN.
In general, in E-UTRAN resources are assigned more or less temporarily by the network to one or more user equipment terminals (UE) by use of allocation tables, or more generally by use of a downlink resource assignment channel. Users are generally scheduled on a shared channel every transmission time interval (TTI) by a Node B or an evolved Node B (e-Node B). A current working assumption for LTE is that users are explicitly scheduled on a shared channel every transmission time interval (TTI) by an eNodeB. An eNodeB is an evolved Node B and is the UMTS LTE counterpart to the term "base station" in the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM). In order to facilitate the scheduling on the shared channel, the e-Node B transmits an allocation in a downlink control channel to the UE. The allocation information may be related to both uplink and downlink channels. The allocation information may include information about which resource blocks in the frequency domain are allocated to the scheduled user(s), which modulation and coding schemes to use, what the transport block size is, and the like.
An example of the E-UTRAN architecture is illustrated in FIG. 1. This example of E-UTRAN consists of eNodeBs, providing the E-UTRA user plane (RLC/MAC/PHY) and control plane (RRC) protocol terminations towards the UE. The eNodeBs are interconnected with each other by means of the X2 interface. The eNodeBs are also connected by means of the S1 interface to the EPC (evolved packet core) more specifically to the MME (mobility management entity) and the UPE (user plane entity). The S1 interface supports a many-to-many relation between MMEs/UPEs and eNodeBs. The S1 interface supports a functional split between the MME and the UPE. The MMU/UPE in the example of FIG. 1 is one option for the access gateway (aGW).
In the example of FIG. 1, there exists an X2 interface between the eNodeBs that need to communicate with each other. For exceptional cases (e.g. inter-PLMN handover), LTE_ACTIVE inter-eNodeB mobility is supported by means of MME/UPE relocation via the S1 interface.
The eNodeB may host functions such as radio resource management (radio bearer control, radio admission control, connection mobility control, dynamic allocation of resources to UEs in both uplink and downlink), selection of a mobility management entity (MME) at UE attachment, routing of user plane data towards the user plane entity (UPE), scheduling and transmission of paging messages (originated from the MME), scheduling and transmission of broadcast information (originated from the MME or O&M), and measurement and measurement reporting configuration for mobility and scheduling. The MME/UPE may host functions such as the following: distribution of paging messages to the eNodeBs, security control, IP header compression and encryption of user data streams; termination of U-plane packets for paging reasons; switching of U-plane for support of UE mobility, idle state mobility control, SAE bearer control, and ciphering and integrity protection of NAS signaling. The invention is related to LTE, although the solution of the present invention may also be applicable to present and future systems other than LTE.
In general, E-UTRAN may use orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) as the multiplexing technique for a downlink connection between the eNode B and the UE terminal, in which different system bandwidths from 1.25 MHz to 20 MHz are applied. Using OFDM may allow for link adaptation and user multiplexing in the frequency domain. However, to utilize the potential of multiplexing in the frequency domain the Node B or eNode B needs to have information related to the instantaneous channel quality. In order for the Node B or eNode B to be informed of the channel quality, the user equipment terminal provides channel quality indicator (CQI) reports to the eNode B. The user equipment terminal may periodically or in response to a particular event send CQI reports to the respective serving e-Node B, which indicate the recommended transmission format for the next transmission time interval (TTI). The report may be constructed in such a way that it indicates the expected supported transport block size under certain assumptions, which may include, the recommended number of physical resource blocks (PRB), the supported modulation and coding scheme, the recommended multiple input multiple output (MIMO) configuration, as well as a possible power offset.
In general, the interface between a user equipment (UE) and the UTRAN or E-UTRAN has been realized through a radio interface protocol established in accordance with radio access network specifications describing a physical layer (L1), a data link layer (L2) and a network layer (L3). For example, the physical layer (PHY) provides information transfer service to a higher layer and is linked via transport channels to a medium access control (MAC) layer of the second layer (L2). Data travels between the MAC layer at L2 and the physical layer at L1, via a transport channel. The transport channel is divided into a dedicated transport channel and a common transport channel depending on whether a channel is shared. Also, data transmission is performed through a physical channel between different physical layers, namely, between physical layers of a sending side (transmitter) and a receiving side (receiver).
Typically, the second layer (L2) may include the MAC layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, a broadcast/multicast control (BMC) layer, and a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer. The MAC layer maps various logical channels to various transport channels. The MAC layer also multiplexes logical channels by mapping several logical channels to one transport channel. The MAC layer is connected to an upper RLC layer via the logical channel. The logical channel can be divided into a control channel for transmitting control plane information, such as control signaling, and a traffic channel for transmitting user plane information, such as data information.
Due to the different capabilities of the eNodeB and UE, the downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) physical layers for LTE may be different. Physical channels convey information from higher layers in the LTE stack, and physical signals may be used exclusively for use in the physical layer. Physical channels map to transport channels, which are service access points (SAPs) for the L2/L3 layers. The downlink physical channels are Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), which is used for data and multimedia transport, Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), which conveys UE-specific control information, and Common Control Physical Channel (CCPCH), which is used to carry cell-wide control information. There are two types of physical signals, reference signals used to determine the channel impluse response (CIR), and synchronization signals which convey network timing information. The downlink transport channels are Broadcast Channel (BCH), Downlink Shared Channel (DL-SCH), Paging Channel (PCH), and Multicast Channel (MCH).
In the uplink, the physical channels are Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) and Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), which carry control information such as channel quality indication (CQI), ACK/NACK, HARQ and uplink scheduling requests. The uplink physical signals are uplink reference signal and random access preamble. The uplink transport channels are Uplink Shared Channel (UL SCH) and Randon Access Channel (RACH).
In order to facilitate the scheduling on the shared channel, the eNodeB transmits an allocation in a downlink shared control channel to the user equipment (UE). The allocation information will often be related to both uplink and downlink. In LTE for example, if the UE is scheduled for both uplink and downlink transmission the UE may receive two allocation grants, one for the uplink and one for the downlink. The functionality of the allocation is in principle similar to the high speed shared control channel (HS-SCCH), which is used for high speed downlink packet access (HSDPA).
The allocation is used to signal which user(s) are going to be scheduled in each TTI. The current default assumption in 3GPP is that the allocation includes information about which resource blocks in the frequency domain are allocated to scheduled user(s), which modulation scheme to use, what the transport block size is, and the like. The allocation also often includes various information related to hybrid automatic repeat requests (HARQ).
The current working assumption of an evolved UTRAN is that LTE will be using Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing Access (OFDMA) as the multiplexing technique in the downlink direction, where multiple users can be frequency multiplexed in the downlink direction with a single TTI (which will have the duration of two sub-frames, i.e., 1 ms). One of the key elements for efficient link operation is the utilization of HARQ, such that for each transmitted packet, physical resources will be allocated in the uplink, so that each allocated UE can transmit HARQ acknowledgement or negative acknowledgement (ACK/NACK) based on its reception. The assumption for the downlink is that HARQ is asynchronous, but it is expected that the UE's transmission of ACK and NACK will be time-wise tied to the received transmission. In cases where UE does not have data to transmit in the uplink at the time of ACK/NACK, a dedicated physical control channel is assumed to carry the ACK/NACK bit. Otherwise, the ACK/NACK could also be piggy-backed to the data transmission. Both the allocation in uplink and downlink is decided and controlled by the eNodeB.
The number of users multiplexed in downlink may change significantly from sub-frame to sub-frame. Some of the factors contributing to such variations include changes in traffic (burstiness) which means that varying number of users have different and fast varying amounts of data to transmit, or properties of radio-aware scheduling that have changes in number of users allocated per sub-frame.
Given that the traffic is asymmetrical (or time-alternating as in the case of VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), it will often happen that ACK/NACK need be sent in uplink as data-non-associated transmission, or transmission on a separate physical channel tied to the downlink allocation, for example. Such resources need be reserved and provided if no adaptive mechanism is available, and we need to allocate the resources according to the worst-case multiplexing amount. This causes a loss in system capacity. Therefore, there is a need to overcome the problems discussed above.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Adaptive scheme for lowering uplink control overhead


A carriage guiding post in a transfer lifter, is a four-sided support post of an approximately square shape in cross section the support post having carriage guiding rail recesses provided in three of the four sides thereof, and a counter weight guiding rail track provided on the remaining side of the support post, the carriage guiding rail recesses and the counter weight guiding rail all extend continuously throughout the length of the support post, wherein the counter weight guiding rail track is a rib projecting from a central region of the side of the support post and extends lengthwise thereof, the rib having an approximately isosceles triangle shaped cross section.

There are known two different types of such a transfer lifter, single post type transfer lifter for transfer of small, light loads and dual post type transfer lifter for transfer of bulky, heavy loads. It would be understood that a larger transfer lifter having two pairs of support posts arranged in parallel is also available.
The traditional support posts for guiding the lifting carriage are different in the cross sectional shape between the single post type and the dual post type. Hence, more than one of the types of the support posts are needed for use, which will increase the cost of a transfer system. Also, such a traditional support post has commonly guide rails projecting outward therefrom for guiding the lifting carriage. The projecting guide rails tend to be damaged from hitting against other objects during transportation or installation.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a carriage guiding post which can equally be employed in both a single post type transfer lifter and a dual post type transfer lifter and also, has carriage guide rail means arranged to be hardly injured.
In common, the carriage guiding post of the present invention is intended for mounting on a base and/or carrying at top a carriage lift driving means, thus being a member component of a transfer lifter. It is also possible that two or more of the carriage guiding posts are coupled lengthwisely for matching the extensive length of carriage lifting movement. It is thus another object of the present invention to provide a carriage guiding post which can be coupled to another carriage guiding post or other components easily and accurately.

Carriage guiding post in a transfer lifter


Additively manufactured components include a support structure and a component body integrally formed with the support structure using an additive-manufacturing process. The support structure includes an array of support members and at least some of the support members have a conduction gate such that the array of support members includes conduction gates distributed at a multitude of locations along the vertical axis of the respective support members. Methods of securing a body of a component to a build platform during additive manufacturing include forming a support structure and a component body integrally with the support structure using the additive-manufacturing process, in which the support structure includes an array of support members and at least some of the support members have a conduction gate such that the array of support members includes conduction gates distributed at a multitude of locations along the vertical axis of the respective support members. The support members that include a conduction gate have a first cross-sectional width and the conduction gate has a second cross-sectional width narrower than the first cross-sectional width.

When fabricating a component using an additive manufacturing systems such as a powder bed fusion (PBF) system, support structures may be utilized to anchor the component to a build platform and provide a thermally conductive pathway for heat to dissipate from the component. As examples, PBF systems include direct metal laser melting (DMLM) systems, electron beam melting (EBM) systems, selective laser melting (SLM) systems, directed metal laser sintering (DMLS) systems, and selective laser sintering (SLS) systems. These PBF systems involve focusing an energy beam onto a bed of powder to melt or sinter sequential layers of powder to one another to form a component. The powder undergoes rapid changes in temperature, which can create significant residual stresses in the component, the support structure, and/or the build platform. These residual stresses can cause the component and/or the build platform to warp when cooling, or for the component to break away from the support structure, or for the support structure to break away from the build platform, particularly when large temperature gradients exist within the component or the support structure.
Larger support structures may be provided to supply increased holding strength through a larger contact surface between the component and the support structure and/or the support structure and the build platform. However, for large components, larger support structures may conduct a significant amount of heat to the build platform such that the build platform may warp when cooling. In addition, larger support structures tend to require more time and energy to remove relative to smaller support structures during post fabrication processes. On the other hand, smaller support structures have less holding strength and may increase the likelihood of the component breaking away from the support structure and/or the support structure breaking away from the build platform. When the component and/or the build platform warps or breaks away from the support structure, the component may interfere with the recoater of a PBF system, causing a malfunction of the PBF system and/or an unsuccessful build.
Accordingly, there exists a need for improved support structures for additively manufactured components, and for improved methods of supporting a component during additive manufacturing.

Support structures for additively-manufactured components and methods of securing a component to a build platform during additive manufacturing


The present invention is directed to methods for determining electron transfer rates in systems involving metalloproteins. Metalloprotein/substrate electron transfer rates as well as metalloprotein self exchange rates may be modeled. Such electron transfer rates are useful in smart drug design and enzyme engineering.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to methods for determining electron transfer rates in systems containing metalloproteins. Such methods may be used, for example, to model the electron transfer rate between a metalloprotein and a substrate or the self-exchange rate of a metalloprotein and based on the model to design drugs and engineer proteins tailored to enhance or diminish the efficiency of catalytic processes.
2. Background of the Related Art
Propagation of the spin of an unpaired electron through space is referred to as spin diffusion. Spin diffusion can be treated similarly to physical diffusion of molecules. As a spin diffuses through space, the induced magnetization is transferred through space. Magnetization is analogous to concentration, and changes in space as a function of time. Like mass transfer, magnetization transfer through a molecule is characterized by a spin diffusion coefficient (D). Like Fick's Law for mass transfer, magnetization transfer is defined by the modified Bloch equations [48]. The Bloch equation for magnetization transfer through both the process of relaxation and spin diffusion is shown in Equation 1.
                                          ∂            M                                ∂            t                          =                                            g                                                                                β                                                                                M                ·                H                                      ℏ                    +                      D                                                      ∇                2                                          M                                                          (        1        )            where M is the magnetization, H is magnetic field, β is the Bohr magneton, and g is the electronic g factor. The spin diffusion coefficient is equal to Wa2, where W is the spin flip-flop probability pet second (˜103sec−1) and a is the nearest neighbor distance. The actual value of the spin flip-flop probability per second is equal to one fiftieth of the inverse of the spin-spin relaxation time,
  W  =            1              50                T              .
Paramagnetic metal centers of proteins can induce large magnetic fields. However, the decay length of the field is less than the distance between the metal center and the surface active site. Thus, the field at the substrate is well approximated as that of the earth's magnetic field. Because protein/substrate electron transfer reactions occur within the earth's magnetic field, the spin relaxation portion of the Bloch equation (gβM·H/) is negligible. The Bloch equation then simplifies to Equation 2, which is directly analogous to Fick's second law. The spin diffusion coefficient is a function of the overall conjugation of the protein and the existing electron withdrawing groups.
                                          ∂            M                                ∂            t                          =                  D                                              ∇              2                                    M                                              (        2        )
If the electron transfer between protein and substrate occurs though a spin polarization pathway, the spin must diffuse from the metal center to the surface active site before spin polarization can occur. Therefore, the electron transfer will occur in two steps; the first step is spin diffusion to the surface active site and the second step is the spin polarization/electron transfer. The overall electron transfer rate will be a function of these two steps.
One third of all proteins are metalloproteins. Metalloproteins include a metal center, such as Fe, Ca, Cu or Zn, and a protein structure, typically composed of elements such as carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen and sulfur, surrounding the metal center. For instance, hemoglobin, which carries oxygen in the bloodstream, is an iron containing metalloprotein.
Two areas where electron transfer reactions may be important are smart drug design and enzyme engineering.
In enzyme engineering, the structure of an enzyme is altered to change its catalytic rates and processes. This may be done, for instance, to increase rates and thus product generation. Similarly, an enzyme could be engineered to avoid making unwanted side products.
In drug design, drugs are designed that act as a substrate and alter the rate of an enzymatic reaction, either faster or slower. The substrate might, for instance, block the active site.
Prior art methods for determining the electron transfer rates of metalloproteins have been shown to be inaccurate. For instance, electron transfer rates determined according to conventional Marcus Theory typically differ from experimentally observed values by four to seven orders of magntitude.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for a method by which to model electron transfer rates in metalloprotein systems more accurately. Examples include metalloprotein/substrate electron transfer rates and metalloprotein self exchange rates.

Methods for determining electron transfer rates in metalloproteins


A pinion moving member on an output shaft is pushed forward by a pinion pushing member such as a lever which is driven by a plunger of an electromagnet switch. After a pinion gear of the pinion moving member abuts a ring gear, reaction force is stored in a spring as the plunger of the electromagnet switch moves further. When the pinion gear comes into meshing engagement with the ring gear by the reaction force of the spring, a retreat restricting member restricts retreat of the pinion moving member. The retreat restricting member are provided separately from the pinion pushing member so that the the pinion pushing member driven by the electromagnet switch need not restrict the retreat of the pinion moving member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a starter which starts an engine and, more particularly, to a starter which has a pinion pushing structure and a pinion retreat restricting structure separately for assuring engagement of a pinion gear with an engine ring gear.
2. Description of Related Art
A starter is known as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Examined Publication No. 51-52647.
This starter is provided with a tube that is fitted on the outer periphery of an armature rotary shaft through a helical spline and a drive ring that is fitted slidably over the outer periphery of this tube. When a pinion gear has meshed with a ring gear, a ball received in the tube fits in a recess formed in an output shaft. The drive ring regulates the outer periphery of this ball and thereby restricts the ball from being drawn off from the recess, whereby it is possible to restrict the retreat of the pinion. On the other hand, after the engine is started, the drive ring moves on and along the outer periphery of the tube and as a result ceases to regulate the ball, with the result that the ball having been regulated is drawn off from the recess due to the centrifugal force to thereby enable the retreat of the pinion gear.
However, in this starter, since a one-way clutch is interposed between the tube receiving the ball therein and the pinion gear, even when the pinion gear is rotated at high speeds by the ring gear after the start of the engine, the rotation of the pinion gear is not transmitted to the tube and the tube is rotated in synchronism with the rotary shaft. That is, since the rotation of the tube is small compared to the rotation of the pinion gear, the centrifugal force that acts on the ball is also small, with the result that the ball becomes unlikely to get off from the recess, whereby insufficient return of the pinion gear occurs.
Another conventional starter is known as disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined publication No. 58-178865. In this starter, a pinion gear and a one-way clutch are separated so that only the pinion gear may move along an output shaft. This starter is so constructed that, after the pinion gear is moved to the side end of a ring gear by the operational force (attraction force) of an electromagnet switch, the pinion gear is engaged with the ring gear by the reaction force stored in an engagement biasing spring force. This construction greatly reduces a mass weight of a moving member which is moved by the electromagnet switch and the engagement biasing spring, in comparison with a starter having the construction in which a pinion gear and a one-way clutch are moved together. As a result, the loading to the engagement biasing spring and the attraction force of the electromagnet switch can be reduced, thus advantageously reducing the electromagnet switch in size. Particularly in a reduction type starter in which the rotation of an electric motor is speed-reduced to be transmitted to an output shaft, the loading to an engagement biasing spring can be reduced more greatly because the pinion gear starts to rotate slowly.
In the starter so constructed that the pinion gear and the one-way clutch are separated to move only the pinion along the output shaft, however, pinion gear retreating force will exert on the teeth of helical splines formed respectively on the inner periphery of the pinion gear and the outer periphery of the output shaft when the ring gear rotation speed exceeds the pinion gear rotation speed due to rotation speed variations caused at the time of driving the engine. The loading onto the engagement biasing spring restricts the retreat of the pinion gear. Therefore, with the loading of the engagement biasing spring being smaller than the retreat force exerting on the pinion gear, the engagement of the pinion gear with the engine ring gear is released before the engine starts combustion thus causing misfires.
Even though the loading on the engagement biasing spring can be reduced to reduce the electromagnet switch in size, the reduction in the loading on the engagement biasing spring is limited due to necessity for restricting the retreat of the pinion gear. Thus, great advantage cannot be provided in the reduction in size of the electromagnet switch.

Starter with improved pinion drive and return structure


A sliding rail mounting structure is disclosed to connect a sliding rail to a vertical column inside a server rack by securing a magnetic locating member to the vertical column by magnetic attraction and then inserting the locating pin of a U-clip at one end of the sliding rail into a locating hole in the locating member and one horizontal through hole in the vertical column and then inserting two screws through respective horizontal through holes in the vertical column and threading the screws into respective threaded nuts of the U-clip.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the installation of a sliding rail in a server rack and more particularly to a sliding rail mounting structure that uses a magnetic locating member to couple each end of the sliding rail to a respective column inside the server rack.
2. Description of Related Art
A regular server rack is adapted to accommodate a number of servers at different elevations. Pairs of sliding rails are provided inside the server rack and fixedly connected between two vertical columns at different elevations for receiving servers. After insertion of servers into the sliding rails, servers are locked to the sliding rails. In a standard server rack, the two vertical columns each have a plurality of rectangular through holes disposed at different elevations for the mounting of the sliding rails and the sliding rails each have a plurality of circular mounting holes at each end for connection to the rectangular through holes of the two vertical columns, and therefore a locating plate is required for use as an adapter interface between the rectangular through holes and the circular mounting holes.
FIG. 1 illustrates a sliding rail mounting structure according to the prior art. As illustrated in FIG. 1, a locating plate 91 is used to couple a sliding rail 93 to a vertical column 92. The vertical column 92 has rectangular through holes 921 at different elevations. The sliding rail 93 has circular mounting holes 931 at the angled end flange. During installation, the locating plate 91 is attached to the vertical column 92, and then the sliding rail 93 is pressed with the angled end flange at the locating plate 91 against the vertical column 92, and then screws are inserted through respective rectangular through holes 921 of the vertical column 92 and fastened to respectively through holes in the locating plate 91 and the circular mounting holes 931 of the sliding rail 93. Because the locating plate 91 is attached to the vertical column 92 before installation of the sliding rail 93, the locating plate 91 may fall from the vertical column 92 during installation of the sliding rail 93. Therefore, the worker must attach the sliding rail 93 to the locating plate 91 at the vertical column 92 carefully.


Security provisions are described which determine whether or not executable content is likely to perform undesirable actions. The security provisions assess that an executable content item poses an acceptable risk when it conforms to an allow list of predetermined patterns of permissible behavior. The security provisions find exemplary use in the context of an instant messaging environment, where participants can consume and propagate executable content in the course of conducting a communication session. Supplemental rules are described which prevent malicious code from subverting the allow list design paradigm.

An instant messenger (IM) application enables real time communication among online participants. By way of background, an IM application typically includes functionality for allowing an IM user to define a group of participants with whom the user frequently communicates. After defining such a group, the IM application typically notifies the IM user when any member of the group happens to be online. The IM user then has the option of starting a communication session with one or more members of the group. Or the IM user might be contacted by another member who happens to be online. These events prompt the IM application to open a user interface (UI) pane that presents an evolving sequence of textual messages transmitted among IM conversation participants.
FIG. 1 shows an overview of a representative IM system 100. The system 100 includes a collection of client devices (102, 104, . . . 106) connected together via a coupling mechanism 108 (e.g., the Internet). A user Alice (A) operates client device A 102, a user Bob (B) operates client device B 104, and a user Carol (C) operates client device C 106. FIG. 1 shows that client device A 102 provides a conventional user interface pane 110. The user interface pane 110 identifies Alice's "buddies" in a contact list 112, and also identifies whether these buddies happen to be currently online. Assume that Bob and Carol are two members of Alice's contact list 112 who happen to be currently online.
In recent years, providers of IM applications have attempted to provide a more engaging user experience by adding supplemental features to the above-described basic IM functionality. For instance, Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash. has developed an MSN Messenger application that includes various features that exhibit dynamic behavior (such as Messenger's "Winks" feature, etc.). These features may provide an animated vignette for presentation in an IM pane, or other kind of non-static presentation. To achieve this dynamic behavior, such content may contain executable instructions that command the client device to perform operations during runtime. Such content can be implemented in various ways, such as by Flash-based technology developed by Macromedia, Inc. of San Francisco, Calif. Flash movies contain vector-based animation graphics, and may contain script-type instructions (e.g., Macromedia's ActionScript) embedded therein.
However, the incorporation of executable content into an IM application also introduces significant challenges. Namely, there is a risk that a user (or some other entity) may intentionally or unintentionally introduce malicious content into an IM system. For example, instead of merely controlling the presentation aspects of an IM feature, the dynamic component of malicious content may improperly access files, install unwanted code, destroy system resources, activate unwanted user interface presentations, activate webcam or spyware functionality, present unsolicited advertising material, and so forth. Such malicious content may therefore cause great disruption and damage within an IM system, detracting from the otherwise engaging and desirable nature of dynamic IM presentations.
Indeed, while the threat of computer viruses poses a pernicious problem in any computer environment, the consequences of such viruses in an IM system may be particularly severe. This is principally due to the automatic manner in which IM applications propagate information among participants. For example, the propagation of a virus via an Email application often depends on a user taking the express step of activating executable content that accompanies the Email as an attachment. In IM applications, however, it is often desirable to automatically execute such content without the user's approval. A network of interrelated contacts groups might therefore constitute a very susceptible conduit for the rapid spread of malicious content.
Consider, for example, the case in which Alice uses her client device A 102 to retrieve content 114 that happens to have a virus. For example, assume that Alice visits a website that provides a library of animated icons supplied by a content provider. Assume that Alice selects one of these animated icons and downloads it to her local client device A 102 for use in communicating with her buddies. For instance, Alice can adopt the downloaded animated icon as an integral part of the set of information that she provides to her buddies when communicating with them, e.g., such that, for instance, Bob will see Alice's animated icon when conducting an IM session with Alice. However, transfer of the animated icon will also transfer the virus along with it. Bob himself may then further propagate the virus to the members on his contact list, and so on. The reader can readily appreciate that an IM application can therefore rapidly spread a virus through a very large pool of IM users.
The industry has provided numerous tools to reduce the risk of computer viruses. The system 200 shown in FIG. 2 uses an approach that can be said to roughly mirror the way an animal's immune system deals with biological viruses. Namely, the system 200 first identifies the nature of potential viruses in its environments. The system 200 then uses this knowledge as a key to identify the presence of viruses in a content item under review. Upon finding a match between a known virus and a content item under review, the system 200 can quarantine this content item to prevent it from causing damage to system resources and/or from propagating to other systems. Or, if possible, the system 200 can remove a suspect part of the content item, and thereby sanitize it.
To operate in the manner described above, the system 200 requires advance knowledge of the types of threats facing a community of computer users. A virus registration system 202 performs this role. The virus registration system 202 loosely represents an organized approach and accompanying functionality for detecting and registering known malicious content. More formally, the virus registration system 202 monitors a large collection of content 204 for the presence of confirmed malicious content 206, and then registers the malicious content in a malicious content store 208. The monitoring performed by the registration system 202 can take the form of automated and/or manual analysis that detects the presence of malicious content. The effective detection of malicious content also relies on reports sent to the virus registration system 202 by end-users who independently detect viruses in their own systems. McAfee, Inc. of Santa Clara, Calif. is one well-known provider of virus protection services that maintains a large database of known malicious content.
A conventional virus checker 210 applies the knowledge gleaned by the virus registration system 202 to determine whether a particular content item 212 contains objectionable content. Namely, the virus checker 210 employs a virus scanning module 214 which scans the received content 212 to determine whether it contains any of the content registered in the malicious content store 208. The virus checker 210 can quarantine or sanitize content 212 that is identified as potentially unsafe.
As appreciated by the present inventors, services of the type described in FIG. 2 are not well-suited for safeguarding the consumption and propagation of executable content in an IM application. This is because the body of malicious content constantly changes in response to the introduction of new forms of viruses into the pool of possible content permutations 204. Thus, a consumer may encounter a virus before the virus registration system 202 has properly identified the virus and added it to the known malicious content store 208. Since the consumer lacks safeguards against this new virus, the consumer may consume the virus, opening the consumer's computer resources up to whatever damage that the virus may inflict. The system 200 copes with this problem by acting as quickly as possible to stem the further spread of such a virus. This approach—which implicitly accepts a limited amount of damage—may work sufficiently well in the context of conventional communication routes (such as Email). But, as explained above, an IM application is unique in its potential ability to very quickly propagate malicious content among users (without even requiring the active participation of the users). Hence, the "acceptable limited damage" paradigm might not provide satisfactory results for an IM environment, because, in fact, the damage may be neither acceptable nor limited.
For at least the above-identified reasons, there is an exemplary need for more satisfactory strategies for ensuring that executable content will not cause undesirable actions in IM and other applications.

Strategies for ensuring that executable content conforms to predetermined patterns of behavior (“inverse virus checking”)


Example wireless feedback control systems disclosed herein include a receiver to receive a first measurement of a target system via a first wireless link. Disclosed example systems also include a neural network to predict a value of a state of the target system at a future time relative to a prior time associated with the first measurement, the neural network to predict the value of the state of the target system based on the first measurement and a prior sequence of values of a control signal previously generated to control the target system during a time interval between the prior time and the future time, and the neural network to output the predicted value of the state of the target system to a controller. Disclosed example systems further include a transmitter to transmit a new value of the control signal to the target system via a second wireless link.

Feedback control systems in industrial applications typically include a controller to generate a control signal to be applied to an actuator, which is to adjust an input of a target system, such as a plant, being controlled. The controller generates the control signal based on one or more measured outputs of the plant and reference value(s) that represent the corresponding desired output(s) of the plant. Prior feedback control systems often rely on wired networks to convey the control signal from the controller to the actuator, and to convey the measured output(s) of the plant to the controller.
The figures are not to scale. In general, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawing(s) and accompanying written description to refer to the same or like parts, elements, etc. Connection references (e.g., attached, coupled, connected, and joined) are to be construed broadly and may include intermediate members between a collection of elements and relative movement between elements unless otherwise indicated. As such, connection references do not necessarily infer that two elements are directly connected and in fixed relation to each other.
Descriptors "first," "second," "third," etc. are used herein when identifying multiple elements or components which may be referred to separately. Unless otherwise specified or understood based on their context of use, such descriptors are not intended to impute any meaning of priority, physical order or arrangement in a list, or ordering in time but are merely used as labels for referring to multiple elements or components separately for ease of understanding the disclosed examples. In some examples, the descriptor "first" may be used to refer to an element in the detailed description, while the same element may be referred to in a claim with a different descriptor such as "second" or "third." In such instances, it should be understood that such descriptors are used merely for ease of referencing multiple elements or components.

Wireless feedback control loops with neural networks to predict target system states


A method of selecting a preferred colorant control signal vector for a color output device for reproducing a desired output color, the color output device producing output colors using four or more colorants, wherein the amount of each colorant is controlled by the colorant control signal vector, includes determining a device model for the color output device relating the colorant control signal vector to the corresponding output color; using the device model to determine a set of valid colorant control signal vectors whose corresponding output color substantially matches the desired output color; and selecting the preferred colorant control signal vector from the set of valid colorant control signal vectors using a cost function responsive to one or more cost attribute(s) that vary as a function of the colorant control signal vector.

A typical digital imaging system may include an image capture device such as a digital camera or scanner, a computer attached to the digital camera for processing the digital images, and an output device such as a printer or softcopy display attached to the computer for printing/viewing the processed digital images. A color management architecture for a digital imaging system provides a means for processing the digital images in the computer such that the output colors that are produced on the output device are reasonable reproductions of the desired input colors as captured by the input device. One such color management architecture that is widely known and accepted in the art is defined by the International Color Consortium (ICC) in Specification ICC. 1:2001-12 "File Format For Color Profiles". The ICC color management framework provides for characterizing an imaging device using a device profile such as an "ICC profile". The ICC profile for an imaging device specifies how to convert from device dependent color space (DDCS) to a device independent color space (DICS) so that images may be communicated from one device to another.
For example, images generated by a digital camera are generally composed of a 2-dimensional (x,y) array of discrete pixels, where each pixel is represented by a trio of 8-bit digital code values (which are integers on the range 0-255) that represent the amount of red, green, and blue color that were "seen" by the camera at this pixel. These RGB code values represent the DDCS, since they describe the amount of light that was captured through the specific set of RGB filters that are used in the digital camera. In order for this digital image to be used, the RGB code values must be transformed into a DICS so they may be properly interpreted by another imaging device. An example of a typical digital imaging system incorporating ICC color management is depicted in FIG. 1, in which a digital image source 10 provides RGB input code values (a DDCS) to a computer (not shown). The computer transforms the RGB input code values to a DICS, (which is CIELab in this case) using an input device color transform 20 specified by the ICC profile for the digital image source 10. Once converted to CIELab, the image is then processed through an output device color transform 30, which is specified by an ICC profile for the output device. In this case, the output device is an inkjet printer 40 that uses cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K) colorants. Thus, the ICC profile for the inkjet printer 40 provides the transformation from the DICS (CIELab) to the DDCS (CMYK) for the printer. The combination of the ICC profile transformations for the input and output devices ensures that the colors reproduced by the output device match those captured by the input device.
The ICC profile format, of course, simply provides a file format in which a color transform is stored. The color transform itself, which is typically encoded as a multidimensional look-up table, is what specifies the mathematical conversion from one colorspace to another. There are many tools known in the art (such as the commercially available Kodak ColorFlow Profile Editor) for creating ICC profiles for wide variety of imaging devices, including inkjet printers using CMYK colorants. CMYK printers in particular pose a challenge when creating a color transform. Since there are four colorants that are used to print a given color, which is specified in the DICS by three channels (L*,a*,b*), then there is an extra degree of freedom that results in a many to one mapping, where many CMYK code value combinations can result in the same color. Thus, when building the color transform, a method of choosing a particular CMYK combination that is used to reproduce a given color is required. Techniques to accomplish this, known in the graphic arts as Under Color Removal (UCR) or Black Generation (BG), are known in the art, as taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,482,917; 5,425,134; 5,508,827; 5,553,199; and 5,710,824. These methods primarily use smooth curves or interpolation techniques to specify the amount of K ink that is used to reproduce a color based on its location in colorspace, and then compute the amount of CMY ink that is needed to accurately reproduce the color.
However, in the case of an inkjet printer, which places discrete drops of CMYK inks on a page, different combinations of CMYK code values may produce the same color, but appear much different in graininess or noise when viewed by a human observer. This is due to the fact that inkjet printers are typically multitone printers, which are capable of ejecting only a fixed number (generally 1-8) of discrete ink drop sizes at each pixel. The graininess of a multitoned image region will vary depending on the CMYK code values that were used to generate it. Thus, certain CMYK code value combinations might produce visible patterns having an undesirable grainy appearance, while other CMYK code value combinations may produce the same (or nearly) color, but not appear as grainy. This relationship is not recognized nor taken advantage of in the prior art techniques for generating color transforms for CMYK printers.
An additional complication with creating color transform for inkjet printers is that image artifacts can typically result from using too much ink. These image artifacts degrade the image quality, and can result in an unacceptable print. In the case of an inkjet printer, some examples of these image artifacts include bleeding, cockling, banding, and coalescence. Bleeding is characterized by an undesirable mixing of colorants along a boundary between printed areas of different colorants. The mixing of the colorants results in poor edge sharpness, which degrades the image quality. Cockling is characterized by a warping or deformation of the receiver that can occur when printing excessive amounts of colorant. In severe cases, the receiver may warp to such an extent as to interfere with the mechanical motions of the printer, potentially causing damage to the printer. Banding refers to unexpected dark or light lines or streaks that appear running across the print, generally oriented along one of the axes of motion of the printer. Coalescence refers to undesired density or tonal variations that arise when ink pools together on the page, and can give the print a grainy appearance, thus degrading the image quality. In an inkjet printer, satisfactory density and color reproduction can generally be achieved without using the maximum possible amount of colorant. Therefore, using excessive colorant not only introduces the possibility of the above described image artifacts occurring, but is also a waste of colorant. This is disadvantageous, since the user will get fewer prints from a given quantity of colorant.
It has been recognized in the art that the use of excessive colorant when printing a digital image needs to be avoided. Generally, the amount of colorant needed to cause image artifacts (and therefore be considered excessive) is receiver, colorant, and printer technology dependent. Many techniques of reducing the colorant amount are known in the art, some of which operate on the image data after multitoning. See for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,930,018; 5,515,479; 5,563,985; 5,012,257; and 6,081,340. U.S. Pat. No. 5,633,662 to Allen et al. teaches a method of reducing colorant using a pre-multitoning algorithm that operates on higher bit precision data (typically 256 levels, or 8 bits per pixel, per color). Also, many of the commercially available ICC profile creation tools (such as Kodak ColorFlow Profile Editor) have controls that can be adjusted when creating the ICC profile that limit the amount of colorant that will be printed when using the ICC profile. This process is sometimes referred to as total colorant amount limiting.
The prior art techniques for total colorant amount limiting work well for many inkjet printers, but are disadvantaged when applied to state of the art inkjet printers that use other than the standard set of CMYK inks. A common trend in state of the art inkjet printing is to use CMYKcm inks, in which additional cyan and magenta inks that are lighter in density are used. The light inks are similar to their darker counterparts in that they produce substantially the same color but different density. The use of the light inks results in less visible ink dots in highlight regions, and therefore improved image quality. However, many tools for creating ICC profiles cannot be used to create a profile that directly addresses all six color channels of the inkjet printer, due to the complex mathematics involved. Instead, a CMYK profile is typically created, which is then followed by a look-up table that converts CMYK to CMYKcm. For example, see U.S. Pat. No. 6,312,101. While this and similar methods provide a way for current ICC profile generation tools to be used with CMYKcm printers, the amount of colorant that gets placed on the page as a function of the CMYK code value is typically highly nonlinear and possibly non-monotonic as well. This creates a big problem for the prior art ICC profile generation tools, since they all assume that the amount of colorant that is printed is proportional to the CMYK code value. Thus, when building an ICC profile for a CMYKcm printer using prior art tools, the total colorant amount limiting is often quite inaccurate, resulting in poor image quality.
In light of the above described image artifacts, there is the need for a color transformation used in preparing a digital image for a digital printer in which the amount of colorant, the noise (or graininess), and the color reproduction accuracy can be simultaneously adjusted by a user.

Calibrating a digital printer using a cost function


An apparatus and method for minimizing bus traffic by combining write operations is disclosed. The present invention detects the occurrence of consecutive byte updates to a common 32-bit block. This is accomplished by using comparators to examine the addresses of consecutive write operations. If it is determined that the consecutive write operations are indeed to a common 32-bit block, they are combined. The address of the next write operation is also, similarly checked. All of the writes into that particular block are combined in a write combine register. The contents of this register is then transferred to a write buffer. When bus access is granted, the combined byte updates stored in the write buffer are issued in a single memory write cycle to the bus, thereby minimizing the number of write cycles actually required to transfer the data.

In its simplest terms, a computer system performs arithmetic operations, manipulates data, and performs tasks according to a series of instructions, called a "computer program." Virtually all computer systems include a central processing unit (CPU), a memory, an input/output (I/O), and a bus. In addition, there may be other devices (e.g., graphics accelerators, video chips, digital signal processors, sound cards, etc.) that are coupled onto the bus. Basically, the CPU executes the instructions of the computer program that is stored in memory. The I/O provides an interface between the user and the computer system. And the bus allows the different components of the computer system to communicate with each other.
The computer's bus plays a major role in the performance of the computer system. It is the bus, which conveys all the information and signals involved in the computer's operation. In most instances, it is imperative that large blocks of data be transferred as expeditiously as possible. For example, popular software applications prevalent today demand extremely fast updates of graphic images in order to move, resize, and update multiple windows without imposing unacceptable delays on the end user. Since the screen images are stored in video RAM, the processor must be able to update and move large blocks of data within video memory very quickly. This is especially the case when rendering images in real-time (e.g., video tele-conferencing, simulations, etc.). These applications are just a few examples which benefit substantially from fast bus transfer rates. Hence, it is imperative that data and information flow as fast as possible between the various components. Otherwise, a slow bus acts as a bottleneck which drags down the overall performance of the computer system, regardless of the microprocessor's speed or power.
In the past, a variety of bus standards have been implemented (e.g., ISA, EISA, Micro Channel bus, VLB, PCI, etc.). The ISA bus was the original standard of the PC industry. The EISA bus, the Micro Channel bus, and the VESA VL bus are all improvements over the ISA bus. However, the PC industry has presently adopted the PCI bus because of its high data transfer rate. The PCI bus can be accessed at clock speeds approaching that of the host processor's full native speed. However, notwithstanding the PCI's impressive speed characteristics, it can nevertheless become severely degraded as more and more devices are coupled onto the bus. The problem lies in the fact that bus access can only be granted to one device at any given time. If two or more devices request access to the bus, an arbitrator must arbitrate as to which device is allowed to transmit its data. Meanwhile, all other devices must wait until the bus again becomes available.
Furthermore, this problem is greatly compounded in those circumstances where devices are frequently required to transmit small amounts of data over the bus. For each write cycle, access to be bus must first be requested. Next, the request must be arbitrated. The requesting device must then wait for its access to be granted before data transmission can begin. Upon completion of data transmittal, the bus must be released. This entire process must be repeated for each write cycle, irrespective of how much data is actually transmitted. Clearly, much time and processing power is expended if only small amounts of data are transmitted during a write cycle. As a result, the throughput of the bus is greatly diminished.
Therefore, there is a need in the prior art for an apparatus and method for improving the utilization of a computer bus. It would be highly preferable if such an apparatus and method were to be compatible with existing bus standards, inexpensive to implement, and yet be highly effective. The present invention offers such a solution in the form a buffer that combines associated write operations in a manner whereby multiple writes can be transmitted in a single write cycle.


The present invention relates to a process for producing low-salt silica sol dispersions in low-boiling alcohols and to the use of the organosols obtained by this process for the production of coatings on metallic and nonmetallic substrates.

The present invention relates to a process for producing low-salt silica sol dispersions in low-boiling alcohols and to the use of the organosols obtained by this process for the production of coatings on metallic and nonmetallic substrates.
Silica sol dispersions in organic solvents have long been known (see R. K Iler, The Chemistry of Silica, pages 412-415, John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1979).
Silica sols dispersed in an organic dispersing medium which has a higher boiling point than water at atmospheric pressure can be produced in a simple manner from aqueous sols. An aqueous silica sol dispersion is treated with the higher boiling organic solvent and the water is removed by distillation. Processes which employ this principle are described in detail in the literature: GB-A-965 123, EP-A 372 124, U.S. Pat. No. 2,921,913, U.S. Pat. No. 2,974,105, U.S. Pat. No. 3,004,92, U.S. Pat. No. 3,629,139, U.S. Pat. No. 3,634,288, U.S. Pat. No. 3,336,235, U.S. Pat. No. 3,699,049.
Silica sols in organic dispersing media which have a lower boiling point than water at atmospheric pressure are far more difficult to obtain. Laborious, multi-stage processes are firstly required, starting from expensive raw materials. DE-A 1 935 752, GB-A 1 136 016 and GB-A 1 246 032 describe the electrolytic preparation of an organosol such as this. A ferrosilicon anode is used as the source of silicon. The organic dispersing medium consists of a monohydric alcohol containing 1 to 3 C atoms, small proportions of water and a specified conducting electrolyte. The process is laborious and energy-intensive, and is also disadvantageous economically due to the use of expensive raw materials. Low-salt silica sols (or even low-electrolyte silica sols) thus cannot be obtained in one process step.
However, low-salt silica sols in organic low-boiling media are particularly desirable for the purpose of coating surfaces, because corrosion and blistering effects caused by a salt content do not occur.
The ideal starting materials would be the aqueous silica sol dispersions which are readily obtainable in a simple and inexpensive manner and which are available commercially in large amounts. These constitute the primary product of the industrial production of silica sols and can readily be produced in different concentrations and different sizes (diameters of about 5 to 100 nm). Other silica sots, e.g. those which have been made acidic or which have been surface-modified or subjected to ion exchange, or the salt content of which has been altered, are obtained therefrom by subsequent treatment.
The transition from the ferrosilicon anode to these aqueous silica sols as the starting material constituted a significant step forward in the technology, whereby low-salt silica sols were accessible at the same time. U.S. Pat. No. 2,801,185 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,351,561 describe the production of a silica sol in a monohydric alcohol which is miscible with water and which has a boiling point >50.degree. C. The starting material for this process is an aqueous silica sol which is salt-free (U.S. Pat. No. 3,351,561) or which has a low cation content (U.S. Pat. No. 2,801,185). The silica sols to be used have to be produced in an upstream process step by treating the alkaline silica sots, which are the primary products, with ion exchangers. Solvent exchange is then effected by distillation. In silica sols which are obtained by this process, a large number of the OH groups on the particle surface are esterified by the alcohol used. This process for producing silica sols in organic solvents is a two-stage process when readily available, commercially customary, low-salt silica sols are used as the starting materials, and provides a product in which a large number of the OH groups on the particle surface are esterified by the alcohol used. An esterification such as this is a disadvantage for the application of the product for coating purposes, since reactive points of bonding to the surfaces to be coated are thereby removed. Co-condensation with silanes for example--which is advantageous for the application of the product for coating purposes--is also repressed due to the lack of free OH groups on the particle surface. The specific hydroxylated surface of the particles is less than 10 m.sup.2 /g for products according to U.S. Pat. No. 2,801,185.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,855,145 describes the production of a low-salt silica sol, in n-propanol or in glycols for example, without esterification of the surface OH groups by the solvent taking place. In this process, an aqueous silica sol is treated first with a cation exchange resin and then with an anion exchange resin. The ion exchange resins are employed in a fixed bed process. So as to ensure that the electrolyte is removed as extensively as possible, treatment with the ion exchange resins is repeated after a period of 12 to 24 hours. After deionisation, exchange of the solvent is effected by distillation in a subsequent, further process step. The temperature during distillation is less than 100.degree. C. The steps of deionisation and water removal are process steps which are spatially and chronologically separate from each other. In this connection, the deionisation step is associated with an additional consumption of time which is considerable. According to this patent specification, low-salt silica sols can only be obtained by an expensive, multi-stage process.
A process is described in EP-A 607 710 for the production of silica sol dispersions in alcohols containing 1 to 3 C atoms, by pervaporation of a silica sol dispersion dissolved in water and alcohol, with removal of the water down to less than 1% by weight. This process only results in a low-salt silica sol dispersion in alcohol by employing a plurality of process steps.

Process for producing low-salt silica sol dispersions in low-boiling alcohols


The present disclosure provides a frequency converter. The frequency converter includes a box body and a bottom box. A bottom portion of the box body is fixedly connected with a top portion of the bottom box. A top portion of a left side of the box body and a bottom portion of the left side of the box body are fixedly connected to a respective fan. A top portion of a left side of an inner wall of the box body and a top portion of the left side of the inner wall of the box body are fixedly connected to a respective annular plate. One end of an output shaft of each fan is fixedly connected to a rotating rod. One end of each rotating rod away from the fan passes through the box body and extends to an interior of the box body.

A frequency converter is a power control device that uses frequency conversion technology and microelectronics technology to control an alternating current (AC) motor by changing frequency of a power supply of the AC motor. The frequency converter is mainly composed of a rectification unit (AC to DC), a filter unit, an inverter unit (DC to AC), a braking unit, a drive unit, a detection unit, a micro-processing unit, etc. The frequency converter adjusts voltage and frequency of an output power supply by opening or shutting off an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) of the frequency converter, so that the frequency converter provides the required power supply voltage according to actual needs of the AC motor, which realizes a purpose of energy saving and speed regulation. In addition, the frequency converter has many protection functions, such as overcurrent protection, overvoltage protection, overload protection and etc. With continuous improvement of industrial automation, frequency converters are widely used now. A main circuit of the frequency converter can be roughly divided into two categories: a voltage-type main circuit and a current-type main circuit. A voltage-type frequency converter is a frequency converter that converts the DC of a voltage source into AC, the filtering of the DC loop is realized by a capacitor. A current-type frequency converter is a frequency converter that converts the DC of the current source into AC, and the filtering of the DC loop is realized by an inductor.
In the process of using the frequency converter, a large amount of heat is generated inside. Conventional frequency converters only dissipate heat through heat dissipating holes, which has low heat dissipation efficiency and poor heat dissipation effect. Moreover, external dust is easy to enter the frequency converter through the heat dissipating holes and damages internal electrical components, which shortens a service life of the frequency converter and is inconvenient to use.

CHINA UNIVERSITY OF PETROLEUM BLUE SKY (QINGDAO) PETROLEUM TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.