An image processing apparatus for processing a photographed image of an object extracts an object region from the photographed image and determines a region from which a feature value of the photographed image is extracted on the basis of a pixel value on a contour in the extracted object region.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, an image processing system, an image processing method, a program for realizing the functions of the apparatus or the system, a program for executing processing steps of the method, and a storage medium storing the programs which can be read by a computer. In particular, the present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, an image processing system, an image processing method, a program and a computer-readable storage medium, each of which is used for extracting a feature value from an object image to execute image processing of the object image such as the gradation conversion thereof and the like on the basis of the extracted feature value.
2. Related Background Art
When images photographed by photographing means such as a sensor, a camera or the like are outputted to a monitor screen, a film or the like, the gradation conversion of the images are conventionally executed to obtain the images having density values that are easy to observe on the monitor screen, the film or the like.
To put it concretely, in the gradation conversion processing, a feature value of density (hereinafter, also simply referred to as "a feature value") is extracted from an object image, and the gradation conversion of the object image is executed by the use of the extracted feature value.
The feature value of density hereupon means a pixel value or a statistical value of pixel values in a predetermined region of an object image. The pixel value or the statistical value (the feature value) is necessary in order to convert the object image into an image having a desired distribution of the pixel values by the gradation conversion processing, especially, in order to output a predetermined image region of the object image to the film, the monitor screen or the like with a desired density or brightness distribution.
As extraction methods of the feature value, various methods have been proposed.
For example, as an extraction method of a feature value in the case where an image (an X-ray image) of a cervical spine part obtained by the X-raying thereof is outputted to a film for X-ray diagnosis, the following methods were proposed.
(1) Method Disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-099708 and So Forth
The method determines a region from which a feature value is extracted (hereinafter, the region is referred to as a "feature value extraction region" or a "region of interest (ROI)") on the basis of the contour shape of an object (a cervical spine part or the like), and then the method determines the feature value from the ROI.
(2) Method Disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-163562 and So Forth
The method determines an ROI on the basis of a mean value of pixels of each line in the direction crossing an object (a cervical spine part or the like) to determine a feature value from the ROI.
However, the conventional feature value extracting methods such as the methods (1) and (2) have the following problems.
For example, in the case where an ROI is determined on the basis of the contour shape (such as positions of concavities of the contour or the like) of an object in an image of a cervical spine part in conformity with the method (1) (the method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-099708 and so forth), the ROI of X-ray images obtained by the front radiographing or the lateral radiographing of the cervical spine part could surely be determined. However, when the cervical spine is greatly bent forward at the time of cervical spine anteflexion radio graphing in which the cervical spine part is radiographed in the lateral direction thereof with the cervical spine being bent forward, there is the case where concavity of the contour of the cervical spine part in the X-ray image is not produced at the position of the neck of an object. In this case, no ROI can stably be determined.
On the other hand, in case of radiographing in conformity with the method (2) (the method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-163562 and so forth), ROI's can stably be determined in the X-ray images as long as the X-ray images were obtained by the radiographing of a cervical spine part bent forward slightly, the radiographing of a cervical spine part bent backward, and the radiographing of a cervical spine part from the front side thereof in the X-raying of cervical spine parts. However, for example, in an X-ray image 400 that is shown in FIG. 4 and has been obtained by the X-raying of a neck region that is bent forward greatly and is surrounded by a head part 401 and a shoulder part 402, a line 403 having the maximum mean value among the mean values of lines crossing the neck region crosses the jaw of the object. Consequently, no ROI can accurately be determined in such an X-ray image.

Image processing apparatus, image processing system, image processing method and storage medium


An ink jet apparatus using an ink jet head having a heat generating element for generating thermal energy to be used to discharge ink, comprises a unit for deriving an amount .increment.Q.sub.i indicative of a heat amount stored in i (i.gtoreq.1) portions of said ink jet head sectioned by thermal time constants, corresponding to a heat amount applied to said ink jet head at a predetermined time interval .increment.t, a unit for multiplying an amount .increment.T.sub.i (n-1) indicative of the heat amount stored in the i-sectioned portion of the predetermined time interval .increment.t earlier by a predetermined constant E.sub.i corresponding to the sectioned thermal time constant, a unit for adding the amount .increment.Q.sub.i to the product, a unit for storing the sum as the amount .increment.T.sub.i (n) indicative of the heat amount stored in the i-sectioned portion, a unit for summing all amounts .increment.T.sub.1 (n) to determine an amount .increment.T corresponding to the heat amount stored in said ink jet head and a unit for controlling said ink jet head in accordance with the amount .increment.T.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink jet apparatus based on a temperature calculation and an ink jet head control method, and more particularly to an ink jet apparatus which uses an ink jet head of a type which utilizes thermal energy for discharging liquid and a control method of the ink jet head.
2. Related Background Art
An ink jet system which permits application of a small amount of liquid to a medium has been widely used in various fields such as printing, image recording and drying, and it is so rich in the application that the applications to other fields have been expected.
For example, as a personal computer, a word processor and a facsimile machine have become popular in offices and homes, printers of various recording systems have been developed as output devices for those equipments. Among others, the ink jet recording system is most appropriate for personal use in the office because of its low record noise and a high quality of record for various kinds of recording media as well as its compactness. Of the ink jet recording system, a bubble jet system which is a thermal system of high drive response has been one of main streams. In this system, an electrical signal is converted to a heat by a recording head to film-boil ink, which is in turn discharged to a recording medium by utilizing a pressure by boiling.
Ink droplets deposited to the recording medium spread on the recording medium to form dots. An image is formed and recorded by an aggregation of dots. An area of one dot largely depends on a size of ink droplet or an amount of discharged ink. Thus, in order to attain high quality recording in the ink jet recording system, it is most important to control the amount of discharge. When a drive pulse applied to a heat generating element is constant, the amount of discharge depends on a temperature of the ink in the vicinity of the heat generating element. Thus, it is necessary to control the ink temperature, but since it is practically difficult to control it, it is common to control a temperature of a chip which forms the recording head instead of controlling the ink temperature. Usually, a temperature sensor is provided in the recording head chip but it has been proposed to use a method for estimating the temperature of the recording head from a record pattern instead of or together with the provision of the temperature sensor while taking the increase in a cost of an amplifier and noise countermeasures as well as reliability of the temperature sensor into consideration.
However, as the drive frequency has increased and the number of discharge ports (or ejection outlets) per chip has increased by the recent speedup of the recording speed, a change of the recording chip temperature for time has increased and it has been strongly demanded to use more precise method than the prior art temperature estimation method. The high preciseness may be attained by shortening the time of temperature estimation calculation but in this method, a burden of the recording apparatus to the calculation increase as the time is shortened and a throughput is reduced, or it is required to enhance the performance of an MPU which is calculation means.

Ink jet recording method and apparatus using temperature calculation


The present invention relates to a polymer-based sustained release device, and methods of forming and using the device for the sustained release of an active agent. The improved method of the invention for forming a polymer-bases sustained release device comprises forming a polymer/active agent solution by mixing a polymer, a continuous phase, and an active agent. The continuous phase can comprise one or more polymer solvents, a polymer solvent/polymer non-solvent mixture, or a polymer solvent/active agent non-solvent mixture. When the continuous phase comprises a polymer solvent/active agent non-solvent, the active agent can also be present as a microparticulate rather than in solution. The continuous phase is then removed from the polymer/active agent solution, thereby forming a solid polymer/active agent matrix.

Many illnesses or conditions require administration of a constant or sustained level of a medicament or biologically active agent to provide the most effective prophylactic or therapeutic effect. This may be accomplished through a multiple dosing regimen or by employing a system that releases the medicament in a sustained fashion.
Systems for delivering sustained levels of medication have employed biodegradable materials, such as polymers, encapsulating the medicament. The use of biodegradable polymers, for example, in the form of microparticles or microcarriers, provides a sustained release of medicaments, by utilizing the inherent biodegradability of the polymer to control the release of the medicament thereby providing a more consistent, sustained level of medication and improved patient compliance.
Certain methods of fabricating polymer-based sustained release devices comprise the steps of dissolving a polymer in a solvent, adding to the polymer solution the active agent to be incorporated and removing the solvent from the mixture thereby forming a matrix of the polymer with the active agent distributed throughout the matrix.
Many of these methods of fabricating polymer-based sustained release devices employ a solvent or mixture of solvents, which solubilizes the polymer, but are not capable of solubilizing the active agent to be incorporated. Hence, these methods have disadvantages, for example, in the lack of suitable solvents which are capable of dissolving both active agent and polymer and which are non-toxic, biocompatible and can be readily removed from the final product; in solubilizing of the active agent in an active form; and in optimizing encapsulation efficiency of the active agent to achieve a device with the desired release characteristics.
Therefore, a need exists for improved methods for fabricating a polymer-based sustained release device, particularly devices having a high load of active agent.

Methods for fabricating polymer-based controlled release devices


In one embodiment, an endpoint sends messages containing Simple Traversal of User Datagram Protocol (UDP) Through Network Address Translators (NATs) (STUN) requests to traceroute a path to the remote endpoint. The traceroute may be completed through security devices such as NATs and firewalls. Receipt of a STUN response from the remote endpoint signals that one of the traceroute packets reached the remote endpoint whereas the other traceroute packets have elicited error responses from intermediary, on-path routers, allowing these routers to be identified.

A traceroute is a technique for determining a path used by packets traveling through the network from one endpoint to a remote endpoint. Determination of this path is useful when diagnosing connectivity issues between the two endpoints.
Traceroute involves first sending an Internet Protocol (IP) packet with a Time-To-Live (TTL) value equal to one to a remote host on an unused UDP port. When a first on-path router receives the IP packet and decrements the TTL value to zero, the first on-path router drops the entire message and sends back an Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) packet indicating that the IP packet's lifetime has been exceeded. This ICMP error packet contains the IP header and first eight bytes of the payload from the IP packet that exceeded it's lifetime. When the payload is UDP, this information will include the packets source IP-address and port as well as its length. Next, the endpoint sends another IP packet with a TTL value equal to two, which reaches a second on-path router before eliciting the ICMP communication. This process continues until an IP packet has a sufficient TTL value to reach the remote endpoint. When an IP packet reaches the remote endpoint, the receipt of a UDP packet on an unused UDP port elicits an invalid port ICMP error signaling packet from the remote endpoint, which indicates completion of the traceroute.
On-path security devices can interfere with traceroutes by observing the addressing of the packets to the unused UDP port, and blocking those packets from reaching the remote endpoint. When the packets are blocked, the invalid port ICMP error is not elicited and the traceroute does not complete. The disclosure that follows solves these and other problems.

Traceroute using address request messages


A method and apparatus for substantially reducing electromagnetic radiation from a backplane used to interconnect multiple communication modules. Data signals to be transmitted onto the backplane are first scrambled using a pseudorandom code sequence, to reduce energy peaks in the radiation spectrum and to spread energy over a wider bandwidth. Signals received from the backplane are descrambled using an identical pseudorandom code sequence. Data rate synchronization is provided by recovery of a data clock signal from the received scrambled signals, and data frame synchronization is provided by transmitting data frame headers as non-scrambled data. At a receiver module, the frame headers are detected and used to reset the descrambling operation.

This invention relates generally to techniques for the interconnection of electronic equipment modules and, more particularly, to the interconnection of communication equipment modules through a backplane. A common technique for interconnecting electronic equipment modules is by means of a set of interconnection conductors placed over a common return path, usually referred to collectively as a bus. Multiple equipment modules are connected to the bus, usually in a removable fashion, and a standard connection interface is defined such that each module makes electrical contact with appropriate conductors forming the bus. The principal function of the bus is to carry data or other signals from one module to another, or to distribute data from one module to multiple other modules, or to distribute non-data signals required for normal operation, such as power or clocking signals. In a configuration familiar to personal computer users, a bus may be formed in a "motherboard," on which other components are also mounted, and into which various "daughterboard" circuit cards are plugged. An interconnecting bus may also be referred to as a "backplane," because the individual conductors of the bus are formed as metal traces on the rear face of a circuit board, such as the motherboard used in personal computers. The backplane is formed as a collection of signal conductors over a common reference plane. A signal's return current is carried in the reference plane, making this an unbalanced transmission system. The most common example of this is called a microstrip transmission line. A backplane commonly provides access to the signal conductors with the use of one or more connectors.
A well known problem associated with electronic equipment is electromagnetic radiation. The degree to which electronic equipment emits electromagnetic radiation is stringently regulated by various governmental agencies. In the United States, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) promulgates regulations to limit the amount of radiation emitted from electronic equipment, and to provide for routine testing of manufactured products to ensure compliance. Similar administrative bodies perform the same function in Canada, Europe and other parts of the world. Electromagnetic radiation is undesirable because it may interfere with radio and television transmission through the atmosphere or with the operation of other nearby electronic equipment, and it may have harmful physiological effects. In general, there are two types of solutions for reducing electromagnetic radiation from electronic equipment: those that increase shielding around the equipment and those that control the frequency spectrum of signals responsible for the emission of radiation. A basic shielding technique is to place the equipment in encompassing metal enclosures and install radio-frequency (rf) gaskets to minimize emissions through necessary openings in the enclosures. The encompassing conductive enclosure forms a Faraday shield which reduces radiated power by forcing the electric field component of an electromagnetic wave to be nearly zero at the surface of the conductor, thereby blocking wave propagation. Shielding effectiveness is enhanced by higher conductivity (for example, a copper shield is more effective than a steel or aluminum shield), and rendered less effective by any holes or slots in the surface of the shield. At higher frequencies a shield is less effective as conductivity is decreased due to the skin effect, and as the wavelength of the energy to be blocked approaches the dimension of any holes or slots in the shield. Although shielding with enclosures of this type can be quite effective, the resulting package is bulky and relatively expensive. Shielding may be further improved with the use of individually shielded conductors, i.e., coaxial cables. The principal difficulty with this approach is that it is costly to implement for every signal in a backplane. Backplanes often include 30-50 conductors and typically 10-16 connectors to the backplane, known as "drops." Replacing each conductor of the backplane with a coaxial cable would be prohibitively expensive.
A widely used shielding compromise involves the use of "modular" shields, wherein the backplane and each connected circuit module have separate shields. Modular shields are cost-efficient, but with the sacrifice that non-ideal shielding is provided, i.e., not as good as with the use of a single, encompassing conductive enclosure.
There is a direct relationship between the spectral content of data-carrying signals in electronic equipment and the electromagnetic interference (EMI) performance of the equipment. At lower baud rates there is less energy at the higher frequency ranges of the spectrum. Specifically, radiated power from a data-carrying conductor is reduced if the baud rate of the signal is lowered. A significant disadvantage that necessarily follows from reducing the baud rate is that the number of signal-carrying conductors must be increased if the same volume of data is to be transmitted. Control of radiated emissions can also be achieved by the use of a balanced transmission system where two conductors are twisted together and wherein the current carried in one conductor is returned by the other. Balanced transmission systems employing twisted conductors achieve EMI reduction by the tight, symmetric twisting of the conductors, which causes cancellation in the radiated fields. The obvious disadvantage of this technique is the requirement for two conductors per signal.
There is a well understood relationship between electromagnetic emission levels and the physical size of a circuit, acting as an antenna, that is responsible for the emissions. Specifically, larger circuits produce greater electromagnetic emissions. For example, in computer design the use of high frequencies is often limited to a small spatial area, such as that of a microprocessor chip, thus limiting the radiated emission levels. This option is not normally available in backplane design, because the backplane has to accommodate multiple plug-in modules, usually in the form of circuit boards. Therefore, as the need for higher bus speeds increases, there is an accompanying need for an alternative technique for reducing electromagnetic emissions.
It has been recognized in other contexts that the spectral content of data signals can be spread over a wider bandwidth, but with lower energy in each spectral increment, if the signals are modulated or "scrambled" with pseudorandom code. A pseudorandom code is one that changes in an apparently random fashion but actually repeats its sequence of changes over a relatively long time cycle. A pseudorandom code can be regenerated for use in a descrambling operation that recreates the original data signal. Scrambling techniques of this general type are used, for example, in SONET (Synchronous Optical Network), and in various satellite communication systems. Advantages of these techniques include the ability to recover clock signals from the received scrambled signals, because the energy of the data signals is distributed more uniformly across the frequency spectrum, and the reduction of radiated energy at any particular narrow frequency band.
It will be appreciated from the foregoing that there is still a need for improvement in the field of backplane design for interconnection of electronic equipment, especially communication equipment. In particular, an alternative technique is needed to reduce electromagnetic emissions from electronic equipment incorporating backplanes. The present invention satisfies this need.

High-speed backplane bus with low RF radiation


Systems and methods for capturing information are described. In one embodiment, an event having an associated article is identified, article data associated with the article is identified, and a capture score for the event is determined based at least in part on article data. Article data can comprise, for example, one or a combination of a location of the article, a file-type of the article, and access data for the article. Event data associated with the event is compiled responsive at least in part to a comparison of the capture score and a threshold value.

Users generate and access a large number of articles, such as emails, web pages, word processing documents, spreadsheet documents, instant messenger messages, and presentation documents, using a client device, such as a personal computer, personal digital assistant, or mobile phone. Some articles are stored on one or more storage devices coupled to, accessible by, or otherwise associated with the client device(s). Users sometimes wish to search the storage device(s) for articles.
Conventional client-device search applications may significantly degrade the performance of the client device. For example, certain conventional client-device search applications typically use batch processing to index all articles, which can result in noticeably slower performance of the client device during the batch processing. Additionally, batch processing occurs only periodically. Therefore, when a user performs a search, the most recent articles are sometimes not included in the results. Moreover, if the batch processing is scheduled for a time when the client device is not operational and is thus not performed for an extended period of time, the index of articles associated with the client device can become outdated. Conventional client-device search applications can also need to rebuild the index at each batch processing or build new partial indexes and perform a merge operation that can use a lot of client-device resources. Conventional client-device search applications also sometimes use a great deal of system resources when operational, resulting in slower performance of the client device.
Conventional client-device search applications also typically index all articles of specified types and may not consider how important each article is. This can lead to performance problems as the client-device may be unable to handle the load of indexing the volume of articles, or may not have enough storage space. Alternatively, the client device may handle the load but the indexing may noticeably slow down or otherwise affect the computer experience for the user, or the user may prefer to conserve disk space to make it available for future activities. Hence, it is desirable to limit the volume of articles indexed.
Additionally, conventional client-device search applications can require an explicit search query from a user to generate results, and may be limited to examining file names or the contents of a particular application's files.

Methods and systems for capturing information


A three-piece air gap eductor includes a molded body having air gap, discharge and venturi sections, a nozzle and a spray shield extending about the venturi section entry to constrain turbulence and reduce backsplash and spray exiting the air gap chamber. A water stream engaging the outer-driven venturi is smoothly divided into respective venturi and bypass streams, with the frustoconical shield capturing turbulent water outside the venturi in a water sheet moving toward a discharge. An improved shield is frustoconically shaped, has an internal reflection shoulder and external moister collecting bars to enhance mist and spray reduction in the air gap section. A V-shaped recess in the shield facilitates its emplacement about the venturi section. The molded body is stiffened to avoid functional misalignment of the water stream between the nozzle and the venturi.

This invention relates to fluid handling and more particularly to dispensing or proportioning apparatus, namely anti-backflow proportioners known as air gap eductors.
In the past, it has been common to dispense concentrated chemical fluids by sucking them up through a venturi into a water stream and dispensing a flow of mixed water and chemicals. Mixers known as eductors accomplish this task by providing a water flow through a venturi section and sucking chemicals into the flow through a low pressure orifice in the venturi section. Such eductors are useful in a number of applications, such as in dispensing diluted cleaning agents for cleaning procedures.
In these systems, it is important to maintain the water source free of contamination so that chemicals are not drawn back into the water source. This has been accomplished through the use of backflow preventors such as air gap eductors. In essence, such air gap eductors include a nozzle upstream of the venturi section for defining a stream of water flowing across an unobstructed gap in the eductor body prior to entering the venturi section. Upon any water shut down or pressure reversal in the water system, the water stream terminates, leaving a gap in the eductor between the nozzle and the venturi section where the chemical is otherwise first introduced. There is thus no mechanism capable of transmitting chemical back to the nozzle or upstream in the water supply. Typically, the eductor body is provided with open (or baffled) windows in the gap area to accommodate and pass any water overspray during operation.
Forms of air gap eductors are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,519,958; 5,522,419 and 5,253,677 specifically and expressly incorporated herein by reference.
While certain of the former air gap eductors have proven very useful, such eductors still have room for improvement. For example, it is desirable to minimize and eliminate overspray and misting in the air gap section to obtain a drier, less messy operating environment.
Many factors may contribute to such overspray. One factor is the dynamic of the water stream as it enters the venturi section. Since it is generally considered desirable to overdrive the venturi, that is to direct more water into the venturi than can flow therethrough, some portion of the water stream never flows into and through the venturi, but rather flows around its outside structure as overflow, back splash, droplets, spray, mist or the like. It is desirable to control this overflow and to minimize or reduce its flow back into the air gap area or chamber.
Also, it is important to maintain alignment of the water stream from the nozzle into the venturi opening. If the stream is misaligned, overspray greatly increases, causing too much splashing, back spatter and misting. Such misalignment may be caused, for example, by any undesirable flexation of the eductor body structure between the nozzle and the venturi section. Such flexation may be caused, for example, by manipulation of the discharge hose extending from the eductor. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an eductor body sufficiently rigid to prevent water stream misalignment.
Also, it is noted that the overspray discharge of certain eductors generally surrounds the primary mix discharge and includes air. When discharged into the same receptacle, such as a bucket, for example, this aerated overspray discharge causes undesirable foaming. It is thus desirable to reduce or eliminate foaming due to turbulent overspray discharge.
In another aspect of air gap eductors, various governmental authorities or certifying agencies have developed codes or standards for air gap eductors. A typical standard is the rquirement that the air gap between the upstream nozzle and the venturi be at least one inch (i.e. 2.54 centimeters) in length, and that the distance from the nozzle orifice to the interior surface of the eductor body be at least four times the diameter of the nozzle orifice.
In yet another aspect of the invention, it is noted many prior eductors require numerous parts, raising their costs and their assembly expense. It is desirable to provide an air gap eductor meeting significant code limitations, reducing or eliminating overspray, backsplash and foaming, and at the same time of few parts.
It is thus one objective of the invention to provide an improved air gap eductor which minimizes or eliminates misting, overspray, backsplashing and the like into the air gap chamber.
Another objective of the invention has been to provide an improved air gap eductor with reduced foaming discharge.
Another objective of the invention is to provide an improved air gap eductor with reduced overspray and reduced foaming discharge while retaining an air gap over one inch between water nozzle and venturi entry and a distance of four times the nozzle orifice diameter between the nozzle orifice and internal surfaces of the eductor body.
Another objective of the invention is to provide an improved air gap eductor of molded configuration of only three separate body parts.
A further objective of the invention has been to provide an improved overspray and misting shield for an air gap eductor.
To these ends, an eductor according to a preferred embodiment of the invention includes an integrally molded eductor body, a nozzle fitting in the body and an overspray shield fitting over an integrally molded venturi section in the body. The nozzle fits within the body at a water inlet end to define a water stream. The shield fits into the body at the downstream end of an air gap chamber defined by the body and is of a construction to cooperate with the venturi section to control overspray and backsplash. In particular, the shield is of frustoconical configuration fitting over a tapered inlet end of the venturi section. The shield has a plurality of parallel spray deflecting rods extending outwardly toward interior eductor wall surfaces and is positioned by four spider-like arms within the body. A conical skirt of the shield extends around the venturi inlet and has a V-shaped cut to accommodate the integral portion of the venturi's attachment or projection from the eductor body. The upstream interior surface of the conical skirt just at the venturi inlet terminates at a shoulder useful for preventing backsplash.
The venturi inlet is formed in a venturi section projection from the eductor body and is defined in part by two diverging walls and a conical surface therebetween, with the skirt of the shield overlying these surfaces. The venturi inlet is an open bore centered on the knife edge. This edge cleanly cuts the stream of water from the air gap chamber into a main venturi stream and a bypass stream, resulting in a bypass stream of significant velocity and momentum. This improves the flow around the venturi minimizing turbulence and misting or droplets moving upstream. Overflow water or spray not entering the venturi is captured by the shield, tends to form a water sheet thereon and eventually flows downstream capturing ambient mist or droplets. Mist generated by the turbulence of the venturi entry and exiting the shield generally flows downstream. Any mist tending to flow upstream outside the shield collects on the rods and eventually flows downstream into the discharge.
The clearances between the skirt and the venturi section are minimal, as shown in the drawings, to handle overspray while open areas around the outside of the shield and interior of the eductor body provide sufficient venting to allow overspray to flow downstream but without undue foaming in any discharge receptacle.
Such construction permits the efficient use of relatively large venturi passages as compared with past units and the efficient mixing and discharge at high flow rates of 4 to 6 gallons per minute, for example. More chemical flow is thus provided.
Accordingly, the preferred embodiment of the invention reduces or eliminates back splashing and misting, improves the discharge quality and provides an improved air gap eductor of few parts and less expensive integrally molded features.
These and other advantages will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiiment and from the drawings in which:


A turbine includes a compressor to intake a fluid and to compress the fluid, a combustion chamber to heat the fluid from the compressor, a turbine section to rotate a shaft with the heated fluid from the combustion chamber, and a bypass circuit to generate a bypass flow by removing a portion of the fluid from the compressor, to heat the bypass flow, and to insert the bypass flow to the turbine section.

The subject matter disclosed herein relates to turbines and particularly to operating a turbine at part-load.
Turbines generally have high efficiency when operating at peak-load and base-load levels. However, when a turbine operates at a part-load to output a power level less than the peak load or the base-load, the turbine loses efficiency since it is operating at off-design conditions.


A pocket calendar is disclosed which has a paper blank cut and folded to present a calendar having a pocket therein for receiving a greeting card, note card or the like. The paper blank includes a wall-hanger panel, a back pocket panel adjacent the wall-hanger panel along a fold line, a front pocket panel adjacent the back pocket panel along a second fold line, and a calendar panel adjacent the front pocket panel along a score line. The front pocket panel is folded to overlie the back pocket panel and affixed to the back pocket panel to form a pocket. Preferably, a portion of the greeting card is removably positioned within the pocket. A calendar is fixed to the calendar panel. The paper blank may be made such that the pocket portion can be separated from the remainder of the paper blank to form a mailing envelope for the greeting card.

Along with the functional attributes of providing a means to determine the date and to remind one of specific events occurring on that date, calendars are often accompanied by photographs, artwork, or other artistic image areas to enhance their aesthetic quality. Common varieties of calendars feature spiral bound pages with an image area on one side of the page and a calendar for the preceding month on the other side of the page. Other calendars feature image areas and calendar pages bound separately so that a calendar page may be changed without disturbing the image area page. Another calendar embodiment features different image areas for a defined segment of the calendar. For example, a calendar may consist of one page for each month. Each page includes an image area and a monthly calendar.
One of the drawbacks of calendars is that, when the calendar has expired, the image area is usually discarded as being of no further use. In order to provide a use for the image area, some calendars have been designed to utilize detachable postcards, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,263,528 to Wissman and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,757,624 to Holec. This increases the value of the calendar as the postcard may be detached and used prior to discarding the out-of-date calendar.
Another type of calendar is disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,948,034, which is directed to a card calendar. In my card calendar, a segmented illustrated greeting or note card is adhesively affixed to a panel above the date portion of a calendar. When the calendar has expired, the greeting card may be placed within an envelope, which is part of the calendar package. The envelope is then removed and the greeting card/envelope combination may be used after the calendar has been discarded.

Pocket calendar for greeting or note cards


A chalk line device adapted to receive chalk from a chalk refill container, the chalk line device includes a body defining at least one opening and a chalk line disposed within the body. A mounting structure provided adjacent the opening is configured to engage the chalk refill container in a sealed manner, whereby chalk in the chalk refill container may be emptied into the chalk line device generally without spillage through engagement of the mounting structure to the chalk refill container. The refill container has a flange extending along its opening, and is sealed with a removable cover. A door is slidably mounted within the mounting structure such that opening and closing of the door is coordinated with coupling/decoupling of the refill container.

The present invention relates to a chalk line device, and in particular, a chalk line device and a mating chalk refill container.
The construction industry uses chalk line devices to snap a line on lumber materials for assistance in cutting and otherwise providing measurement of lumber. Prior art devices often consist of a housing or body with a wound chalk line in the body. A chalk line device with colored chalk can be pulled from a small opening of the body. A clip at the end of the chalk line device can be hooked to the end of lumber for snapping the chalk line. Conventionally, chalk line devices are replenished with chalk by inserting the tip of a chalk refill bottle into a relatively small opening in the chalk line device body. Since the chalk line device body is small and requires frequent refills, tradesmen often have to carry a large one gallon container of chalk with them to remote sites for refilling the chalk line device.
Since the openings of existing chalk line devices are small, spillage of the chalk often occurs during refills. Chunks of chalk often burst through the refill bottle""s nozzle, rebound out of the chalk line device and create a mess. Humidity can also cause the chalk to harden, making refilling more difficult. Current refill bottles are large and awkward. As such, they are not convenient to carry in a tool pouch. Tradesman therefore do not typically carry chalk line device refills with them, and often run out of chalk at a remote location far from a refill container. The tradesmen also have difficulty in gauging how much chalk to dispense into the chalk line device body. As a result, the chalk line device is filled beyond its ideal capacity. Thus, there is a long unfulfilled need to provide a chalk line device and chalk refill container system that is more efficient and easier to use.
It is an object of present invention to provide a chalk line device configured for efficient filling of chalk.
It is another object of the invention to provide a chalk refill container that is easier and more efficient to use.
Therefore, the present invention provides a chalk line device with a body that is adapted to be refilled using a chalk refill container. Chalk line is wound within the chalk line device body. The chalk line device body has a coupling structure provided near a refill opening. A door is operationally engaged with the coupling structure and seals the opening.
The present invention also provides a chalk refill container having a pair of opposing flanges for engaging with the coupling structure of the chalk line device body. An opening is provided between the flanges, and a removable cover for sealing the opening of the container is releasably secured to the flange. In operation, the cover is removed and the chalk refill container is coupled to the chalk line device via engagement of the flanges with the chalk line device. Chalk is dispensed from the coupled chalk refill container into chalk line device by inverting the coupled unit.

Non-spill chalk line and measured refill cartridge


A prefetch command control apparatus is provided. A protocol slot generation unit, when receiving from a CPU a prefetch command in which a utilization time of data to be prefetched is specified, generates a protocol slot based on the utilization time and registers it in a schedule list storage unit. When receiving a regular access command, the protocol slot generation unit registers a protocol slot in a regular protocol queue storage unit. A cost evaluation unit evaluates an issuance cost of the prefetch command based on a cache retention time of data to be prefetched and evaluates an issuance cost of the regular access command based on a resource occupation cost. A protocol issuance unit decides which command shall be issued, the prefetch command or regular access command, based on the evaluation result of these issuance costs.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cache control technology, and it particularly relates to prefetch command control method and apparatus and cache memory control apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
One aspect of referencing main memory such as I/O and DRAM by computer processor is locality. By taking advantage of this locality and copying frequently referenced data stored in main memory into the cache memory, which is a high speed accessible small capacity internal memory, and accessing the main memory through this cache memory, it is possible to reduce latency for memory access. As the processing performance of processors has improved, the importance of cache memory is also becoming greater in terms of high-speed data supply to the processor.
When the cache is hit, the processor can obtain necessary data at the access speed of the cache memory. But, in the case of a cache miss, the processor needs to stop program execution while data is transferred from the main memory to the cache memory. A cache miss occurs when a copy of the data in the main memory is not existent in the cache memory as a result of cached data being cached out due to a shortage of cache capacity or the data being accessed being referenced for the first time. In the former case, the problem can be avoided by increasing the cache memory capacity. However, when the cache memory capacity increases, the cost increases so that it is difficult to significantly increase the capacity. In the latter case, the problem can be avoided by using a method called prefetch, by which data expected to be used in the future are transferred to the cache memory in advance of execution.
Prefetch is an effective means to further reduce memory access time. However, a speculative prefetch may actually lower the efficiency of the cache memory. This is because if prefetch is used too often when the cache memory capacity is small, formerly cached data is cached out by the prefetched data. Since there is no definite guideline for which situation and time a prefetch command shall be issued, while many processors are prefetch command compatible, the actual state is that prefetch commands are often not used effectively.

Prefetch command control method, prefetch command control apparatus and cache memory control apparatus


A device for ablating tissue includes an elongate body, which may be flexible to wrap about a cardiac structure, and at least one movable ablation element coupled to the body. The movable ablation element is adjustable relative to the body to form an angle with a longitudinal axis thereof between about zero degrees and about 180 degrees. The movable ablation element may be a two element array, and a pivot pin may depend from an underside thereof to pivotably connect the array to the body via a mating pivot hole in the body. The body may be formable into both a substantially flat configuration and a generally curved configuration. In other embodiments, the body is wand-shaped. The device may further include at least one non-movable ablation element coupled to the body and forming an angle of about zero degrees with the longitudinal axis of the body.

a. Field of the Invention
The instant invention generally relates to devices and methods for treating electrophysiological diseases of the heart. In particular, the instant invention relates to devices and methods for epicardial ablation for the treatment of atrial fibrillation.
b. Background Art
It is well known that atrial fibrillation results from disorganized electrical activity in the heart muscle (the myocardium). The surgical maze procedure has been developed for treating atrial fibrillation, and involves the creation of a series of surgical incisions through the atrial myocardium in a preselected pattern so as to create conductive corridors of viable tissue bounded by scar tissue.
As an alternative to the surgical incisions of the maze procedure, transmural ablations of the heart may be used. Such ablations may be performed either from within the chambers of the heart (endocardial ablation), using endovascular devices (e.g., catheters) introduced through arteries or veins, or from outside the heart (epicardial ablation) using devices introduced into the patient's chest. Various ablation techniques may be used, including, but not limited to, cryogenic ablation, radio frequency (RF) ablation, laser ablation, ultrasonic ablation, and microwave ablation. The ablation devices are used to create elongated transmural lesions—that is, lesions extending through a sufficient thickness of the myocardium to block electrical conduction—forming the boundaries of the conductive corridors in the atrial myocardium. Perhaps most advantageous about the use of transmural ablation rather than surgical incision is the ability to perform ablation procedures without first establishing cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB).
In performing the maze procedure and its variants, whether using ablation or surgical incisions, it is generally considered most efficacious to include a transmural incision or lesion isolating the pulmonary veins from the surrounding myocardium. The pulmonary veins connect the lungs to the left atrium of the heart, joining the left atrial wall on the posterior side of the heart. Such procedures have been found to offer 57% to 70% success without antiarrhythmic drugs. However, they are also associated with a 20% to 60% recurrence rate as the result of lesion recovery, non-pulmonary vein foci of the arrhythmia, or the need for further tissue modifications.
Previous surgical and catheter-based approaches have demonstrated that linear left atrial (LA) lesions were successful in treating atrial fibrillation when complete block was achieved. One such technique involves linear ablation at the mitral isthmus, which is defined as extending from the lateral mitral annulus to the ostium of the left inferior pulmonary vein (LIPV). Studies have shown that catheter ablation of the mitral isthmus, in combination with pulmonary vein (PV) isolation, consistently results in demonstrable conduction block and is associated with a high cure rate for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.
Producing precise lesions at these locations presents significant obstacles for the physician performing endocardial ablations for several reasons. First, while many of the lesions created in the maze procedure can be created from within the right atrium, the pulmonary venous lesions must be created in the left atrium, requiring either a separate atrial access point or a transseptal puncture from the right atrium. Second, the elongated and flexible endovascular ablation devices are difficult to manipulate into the complicated geometries required for forming the pulmonary venous lesions. It is also difficult maintain proper positioning of the ablation device against the wall of a beating heart. Furthermore, visualization of endocardial anatomy and endovascular devices is often inadequate, such that knowing the precise position of an endovascular device can be difficult, potentially resulting in misplaced lesions.
Epicardial ablation devices and methods useful for creating transmural lesions for the treatment of atrial fibrillation have been described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,052,493 to Vaska et al. ("Vaska") and U.S. Pat. No. 6,971,394 to Sliwa et al. ("Sliwa"), both of which are hereby expressly incorporated by reference as though fully set forth herein. Sliwa describes a method of forming a transmural lesion in a wall of the heart adjacent to the pulmonary veins by placing an ablation device through a thoracic incision, and then through a pericardial penetration, so that the ablation device is disposed in contact with an epicardial surface of the heart. The ablation device includes a locating device, such as a catch, a branch, or a notch, near the working end of the catheter that is configured to engage one or more of the pulmonary veins or another nearby anatomical structure (e.g., a pericardial reflection, the inferior vena cava, the superior vena cava, the aorta, the left or right atrial appendage) in order to position the working end of the catheter adjacent to the pulmonary veins.
In order to take full advantage of the synergistic benefits of combining linear left atrial ablations such as the mitral isthmus ablation with PV isolation, it is important that the lesions have continuity with each other. Failure to provide continuity may allow for reentry pathways, which would limit the effectiveness of the treatment. Execution of a contiguous mitral isthmus ablation following PV isolation, however, presents considerable challenges to the physician. Difficulties in visualizing the precise location of a preexisting PV isolation ablation, compounded with the challenges of maintaining accurate placement on a beating heart, mean that a high degree of physician skill and experience are required in order to successfully create contiguous ablations.

Ablation device and method comprising movable ablation elements

St. Jude Medical, Atrial Fibrillation Division, Inc.


A rotorcraft engine starting system includes a starting system controller in communication with a flight control computer; an electric engine starter; an electronic engine controller in communication with the electric engine starter; an electrical power distributor; and a plurality of power sources coupled to the electrical power distributor; the starting system controller selecting at least one of the plurality of power sources and instructing the electrical power distributor to use the at least one of the plurality of power sources to power the electric engine starter.

The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to engine starting systems, and in particular to an engine starting system for starting a rotorcraft engine while the rotorcraft is in flight.
Existing aircraft will occasionally need to start an engine while the aircraft is in flight. This may be due to a failure experienced by the engine (e.g., a flameout) or due to an intended shut down of the engine in flight. It is sometimes desirable to shut down one or more engines in flight, when power requirements allow, in order to conserve fuel. In order to shut down an engine in flight, the engine restart system needs to have sufficient reliability. As such, improvements in engine starting systems would be well received in the art.

Engine starting system for rotorcraft in flight


A multi-component frame assembly for the display of at least one illuminable graphic panel. The frame assembly includes a frame made of at least one single frame member and at least one split rail frame member, which are joined together by a plurality of connecting brackets. The split rail frame member is comprised of an elongated first side split rail and an elongated second side split rail separated apart by a mid rail member disposed therebetween. The at least one single frame member has a cross-sectional configuration of “U” shape, and is comprised of an exterior bridge member and an interior bridge member for supporting strips of light emitting diodes. The interior bridge member has a bracket channel on one side of the interior bridge member and a graphic receiving channel on the other side of the interior bridge member to enable receipt of one or more graphic display panels.

This invention relates to frame assemblies and more particularly to two sided frame arrangements which permit display panels to be entered, illuminated and readily changed for efficient commercial advertising purposes, and is a continuation-in-part application of our pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/986,248, filed Apr. 15, 2013, and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Illuminable double-sided frame arrangement


A hardware implemented transactional memory system includes a mechanism to allow multiple processors to access the same memory system. A set of timestamps are stored that each correspond to a region of memory. A time stamp is updated when any memory in its associated region is updated. For each memory transaction, the time at which the transaction begins is recorded. Write operations that are part of a transaction are performed by writing the data to temporary memory. When a transaction is to be recorded, the hardware automatically commits the transaction by determining whether the timestamps associated with data read for the transaction are all prior to the start time for the transaction. In this manner, the software need not check the data for all other processes or otherwise manage collision of data with respect to different processes. The software need only identify which reads and writes are part of a transaction.

To increase performance of computing systems, multi-processor designs have been proposed. To most effectively take advantage of a multi-processor design, software developers seek to introduce parallelism into their applications for operations which do not conflict with respect to accessing memory. Thus, multiple processors are able to access the same storage system.
One system that provides for concurrent use of a storage system (e.g., main memory), while maintaining data integrity, includes the use of locks. However, programming effective locks is very difficult to do.
Transactional memory has shown promise as a mechanism for simplifying parallel programming. However, previous implementations have been costly, particularly in terms of complexity. Many approaches require a memory transaction to be compared with all other memory transactions occurring in the system. This requires searching potentially large descriptions of transactions, which causes performance and storage penalties associated with comparing each piece of data accessed.


A system and method are disclosed to improve password security assigned to a user, the method comprising: a method for performing enhanced security authentication, the method comprises: generating one-time password, by a security server, by filtering original password characters, wherein a security server provides a display on a hardware display screen, in which a plurality of keys are arranged and at least one selected from the arranged keys is used to filter original password characters; storing, by a memory unit, the original password and the one-time password generated; determining, by the security server, whether a user's password entered on the hardware display screen be accepted by comparing the entered password with the one-time password. The system comprises a storage module and a computer program for performing the method.

A basic authentication method of confirming an ID for proving "a right person" to login to a secured data system and a password based on "what do you know?" is mostly used. For instance, user name or IDs, passwords, PINs and the answer to secret questions are most widely used due to its cheap expense and simple application as compared with other authentication methods. Such a basic authentication method has been settled and used for a long period.
However, in the existing basic logins method, since a user always uses the same ID and password, the ID and password are easily exposed to attackers by accident as the number of times of using digital devices in public places is frequent in recent years. Further, the ID and password become a final target to be attacked by hackers who maliciously wiretap contents on wire/wireless communication, which results in many security problems and accidents.
Furthermore, since a high-priced security system, such as an OTP or biometric authentication, additionally used to solve such security problems and accidents, users are additionally burdened with not a little cost.
To solve this issue, multi-factor authentication becomes an effective supplement to passwords. It adds a second layer of protection requiring users to enter either something they know or something they have to verify a user's claimed identity before granting access to a secured system.


A micromechanical pressure sensing device includes a silicon support structure, which is configured to provide a plurality of silicon support beams. The device further includes one or more diaphragms attached to and supported by the support beams, and at least one piezoresistive sensing device, which is buried in at least one of the support beams. The piezoresistive sensing device is arranged to sense a strain induced in the silicon support structure, the strain being induced by a fluid in contact with the one or more diaphragms, to determine the pressure acting on the one or more diaphragms.

It is common practice to measure the pressure over a filter or a semi-permeable diaphragm in liquid handling systems, in order to monitor for clogging, disruption or other types of filter failure. It is also common practice to use pressure sensors to measure the pressure difference over an osmotic diaphragm (osmotic pressure). Pressure sensing is also used to monitor for clogging, disruption or other types of filter failure in gas handling systems.
Such measurements can be performed by using a differential pressure sensor with ports to each side of the diaphragm or with two absolute pressure sensors, each of them with inlet ports from each side of the diaphragm to be monitored.
Pressure measurement in the above known systems is typically done by separate sensors, which in the case of liquid media are costly and include bulky transducers with stainless steel fronts. The pressure over the diaphragm is calculated by measuring the line-pressure on each side of the diaphragm or by building a differential pressure sensor with pressure inlets to the liquid volumes on each side of the diaphragm. Such differential pressure sensors are particularly demanding and costly to make.
In small liquid systems such as micro-fluidic devices or lab-on-chip solutions and small gas handling systems, separate pressure sensors in the form of packaged devices take up a large volume of space and are often therefore ineffective or impossible to use.
Very thin diaphragms require support structures. In order to build a thin diaphragm that covers a relatively large area it is common practice to build the complete diaphragm as a matrix of many relatively small diaphragms supported by an array or matrix of support beams, in order to make the total structure strong enough to withstand a pressure induced over the diaphragm.


A method of operation includes detecting that a wearable device is being worn, receiving a certificate from a primary device over a secure wireless link where the wearable device is paired to the primary device using the secure wireless link, storing the certificate in memory of the wearable device, and sending the certificate, over the secure wireless link, to the primary device to unlock the primary device. The method may further include detecting that the wearable device is no longer being worn, and eradicating the certificate from memory of the wearable device in response to detecting that the wearable device is no longer being worn. In some embodiments, the method may also include detecting that the secure wireless link is disconnected, and eradicating the certificate from memory of the wearable device in response to detecting that the secure wireless link is disconnected. The present disclosure also provides a wearable device.

Mobile devices include locking mechanisms that lock the device or user interface to prevent unauthorized access. Many mobile devices may be paired to other devices using wireless technologies to provide additional or enhanced features and capabilities. Some pair-able devices may be "wearable devices" in the sense that these devices may be worn by a user as a fashion accessory such as jewelry, an article of clothing, a portion of an article of clothing, etc. However, adding mobile devices to a user's repertoire of devices increases security and access concerns.

Accessing a primary device using a wearable device and a wireless link


A cryogenic heat transfer system including a platen supported by a rotatable shaft, a housing surrounding a portion of the rotatable shaft, the housing including an annular heat sink surrounding the rotatable shaft and defining a heat transfer gap between the heat sink and the rotatable shaft, the heat sink including a fluid conduit extending therethrough for circulating a first cooling fluid through the heat sink, a first dynamic seal arrangement extending from a first axial end of the heat sink and surrounding the rotatable shaft, and a second dynamic seal arrangement extending from a second axial end of the heat sink opposite the first axial end and radially surrounding the rotatable shaft, wherein the heat sink and the first and second dynamic seal arrangements define a fluidically sealed volume surrounding the rotatable shaft, the fluidically sealed volume containing a second cooling fluid.

Ion implantation is a standard technique for introducing property-altering impurities into substrates. During an ion implantation process, a desired impurity material ("dopant") is ionized in a source chamber and the ions are directed through an extraction aperture. The ions are accelerated to form an ion beam of prescribed energy, and the ion beam is directed onto the surface of a substrate disposed on a rotatable platen in a process chamber. The energetic ions in the ion beam penetrate the sub-surface of the substrate material and are embedded into the crystalline lattice of the substrate material to form a region of desired conductivity or material property.
In some ion implantation processes, a desired implantation profile is achieved by implanting ions into a target substrate at low temperatures (e.g., between −100 and −200 degrees Celsius). Cooling the target substrate to such temperatures can be achieved by supporting the substrate on a cooled platen during the ion implantation process. Typically, a platen is cooled by circulating a cooling fluid (e.g., helium or nitrogen) around, and in direct contact with, a shaft of the platen at high pressure. In the case of a rotatable platen, a dynamic fluid seal is implemented around the shaft for preventing the cooling fluid from leaking into the process environment of the substrate while allowing the shaft to be rotated. Such seals are typically very complex, difficult to implement, and are prone to leakage when confronted with fluids at high pressure. Thus, such seals practically limit the options for cooling fluids to those amenable to being sealed with minimal or no risk of significant leakage. For example, while liquids and certain gases such as helium may be optimal choices for use as cooling fluids, less effective gases such as nitrogen are often selected because they are easier to seal at high pressure.
With respect to these and other considerations the present improvements may be useful.


An apparatus and a system, as well as a method and article, may operate to shift a center frequency of selected ones of a plurality of received signals by selected amounts to provide a plurality of shifted signals located in a frequency domain, which may then be combined into a composite signal centered at a selected frequency.

As the average size of semiconductor features continues to decrease, the area and cost associated with analog circuitry represents a growing percentage of many circuits, especially those used in the processing or conversion of signals. This phenomenon becomes even more apparent when certain analog circuitry elements are duplicated within a single device.

Signal conversion apparatus, systems, and methods


A method of communicating with an electric vehicle wherein the method includes a step of installing a communication device in the electric vehicle. The method also includes establishing a connection from the vehicle to a network. The methodology also includes controlling and monitoring a battery in the electric vehicle.

1. Field of the Invention
This subject invention generally relates to a communication interface, and more particularly relates to an electric vehicle communication interface that will allow for communication between the electric vehicle and a user via either a user interface or networks connected to the vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
The communication to and from internal combustion engine vehicles has been known for years. These internal combustion vehicles include systems that use GPS and/or satellite technology to guide vehicles and send information regarding possible vehicle crashes to a remote location for contacting emergency services and the like. Many modern day vehicles also have internal local area wireless networks, such that cell phones may be used in a hands free by the vehicle user. Many of these other systems rely on cellular communication devices and/or satellite devices to communicate from the vehicle to an external service center or from the vehicle to existing cellular networks or hard line telephones.
However, there is a need in the art for a communication interface for an all electric vehicle (EV) or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), wherein the vehicle operates solely on battery power and does not use an internal combustion engine alone or in combination with a battery to form a hybrid system. Therefore, a communication interface system for a complete plug in electric vehicle that relies exclusively on battery power to propel the vehicle is needed. There also is a need in the art for a communication interface for an electric vehicle or PHEV that will be able to control remotely the charging of the battery and the discharging of the battery to an electric grid if need be. There also is a need in the art for a communication interface for an electric vehicle or PHEV that will notify the user of any potential problems during the charging of the vehicle and potential problems throughout the vehicle environment that will hinder the performance of the battery and hence, the ability of the electric vehicle to travel a predetermined distance of miles. There also is the need in the art for a communication interface for an all electric vehicle wherein the manufacturer of the electric vehicle can contact the user of the vehicle if battery problems arise and if routine maintenance is needed to ensure proper functioning of the systems within the electric vehicle.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Electric vehicle communication interface


Metrics may be gathered at various points of a media distribution system as digital media files are being transmitted to client devices. The metrics may be analyzed to determine whether the media distribution system is performing at an appropriate level. If it is determined that the media distribution system is not performing at an appropriate level, configuration changes may be made to the media distribution system to improve performance. Examples of configuration changes may include changing the number of servers or server instances that are being utilized, changing the quality of the files that are being transmitted, changing the amount of CPU resources being used, adjusting client priorities, and so forth.

Electronic distribution of information has gained in importance with the proliferation of personal computers and has undergone a tremendous upsurge in popularity as the Internet has become widely available. With the widespread use of the Internet, it has become possible to distribute large, coherent units of information using electronic technologies.
Advances in electronic and computer-related technologies have permitted computers to be packaged into smaller and more powerful electronic devices. An electronic device may be used to receive and process information. The electronic device may provide compact storage of the information as well as ease of access to the information. For example, a single electronic device may store a large quantity of information that might be downloaded instantaneously at any time via the Internet. In addition, the electronic device may be backed up, so that physical damage to the device does not necessarily correspond to a loss of the information stored on the device.
As large amounts of information are distributed to client devices, it becomes increasingly difficult to manage the distribution of this large amount of information. Therefore, benefits may be realized by improving the distribution channels and optimizing their behavior.

Optimizing media distribution using metrics


A process for preparing low melting copolymers comprising contacting a mixture of olefin monomers with a CpFlu-type metallocene catalyst under reaction conditions sufficient to form a copolymer. The copolymers thus prepared desirably display melt temperatures from about 100° C. to about 140° C. and may be produced with reduced amounts of ethylene. The copolymers may also exhibit reduced levels of undesirable xylene solubles, relatively narrow molecular weight distribution, and other improved optical and physical properties.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to olefinic polymers. More particularly, it relates to a process for the preparation of olefinic copolymers using metallocene catalysts.
2. Background of the Art
Over the last several years it has been shown by a number of researchers that use of metallocene catalysts offer improvements in polymer properties when compared with production of similar polymers using Ziegler-Natta catalysts. For example, metallocene catalyzed polyolefins typically have lower xylene solubles than Ziegler-Natta catalyzed polymers. At least some of the improvements are attributable to the increased control of stereochemistry, molecular mass and comonomer incorporation obtainable with the metallocenes. This control enables tailoring of the final polymer and may offer improvements in areas as diverse as optical performance, strength performance, aging and the like.
For many applications, including films, fibers and injection molded articles, copolymers including a proportion of ethylene have been found to be both useful and economical. Because of this, a variety of such copolymers have been identified as exhibiting improved properties when prepared with certain metallocene catalysts. The incorporation of ethylene into these materials has been problematic, however. This is, in part, because ethylene incorporation may frequently occur in a percentage that is less than the percentage of ethylene in the feedstock. However, higher levels of ethylene incorporation offer the benefit of reducing the melt temperature of the final copolymer, which leads some manufacturers to employ proportionately larger amounts of ethylene in the feedstock. Unfortunately, this approach is not always trouble free and may cause undesirable effects, such as, for example, excessive venting or circulation problems, which may make it difficult to control the polymerization process. Use of relatively large amounts of ethylene in the feedstock may also detrimentally affect the quality of the copolymer being produced. For example, in some cases it may increase the production of xylene solubles. When this occurs, the copolymer's performance in its ultimate application, such as a film, may be unacceptable.
Thus, what is needed is a process for preparing copolymers with the ability to produce low melting metallocene random copolymers without the use of excessively high ethylene concentration.

Process for increasing ethylene incorporation into random copolymers


The invention provides a human S1-5 ECMP-like protein (SELP) and polynucleotides which identify and encode SELP. The invention also provides expression vectors, host cells, antibodies, agonists, and antagonists. The invention also provides methods for treating or preventing disorders associated with expression of SELP.

Many eukaryotic cells are enveloped by an extracellular matrix of proteins that provide structural support, cell and tissue identity, and autocrine, paracrine and juxtacrine properties for the cell within its environment (McGowan, S. E. (1992) FASEB J. 6:2895-2904). The diverse biochemistry of extracellular matrix proteins (ECMP) is indicative of the many, often overlapping, roles that are attributed to each distinct molecule (cf. Grant, D. S. and Kleinman, H. K. (1997) EXS 79:317-333). Whilst a great number of ECMPs have been isolated, it remains unclear how the majority of ECMPs interact with one another or with other molecules residing within the cell membrane. Many ECMPs have been associated with tissue growth and cell proliferation, others with tissue or cell differentiation, and yet others with cell death (cf. Taipale, J. and Keski-Oja, J. (1997) FASEB J. 11:51-59; Eleftheriou, C. S. et al. (1991) Mutat. Res. 256:127-138).
For example, the process of embryonic bone formation involves the creation of an extracellular matrix that mineralizes during the course of tissue maturation. During the life of an individual, this matrix is subject to constant remodeling through the combined actions of osteoblasts (which form mineralized bone) and osteoclasts (which resorb bone). The balance of ECMP composition, and the resulting bone structure, may be perturbed by biochemical changes that result from congenital, epigenetic, or infectious diseases (Francomano, C. A. et al. (1996) Curr. Opin. Genet. Dev. 6:301-308).
ECMPs also act as important mediators and regulators during the inflammatory response. Leukocytes are primed for inflammatory mediator and cytokine production by binding to ECMPs during extravasation (Pakianathan, D. R. (1995) J. Leukoc. Biol. 57:699-702). Deposition of ECMPs is also triggered by inflammation in response to lung injury (Roman, J. (1996) Immunol. Res. 15:163-178). Although the function of newly deposited matrices in injured lungs is unknown, their ability to affect the migration, proliferation, differentiation, and activation state of cells in vitro suggests an important role in the initiation and maintenance of the inflammatory response in vivo (Roman, J. supra)
An example of a recently identified human ECMP which regulates cellular and tissue differentiation is the extracellular protein encoded by the S1-5 gene. S1-5 mRNA is overexpressed both in senescent human fibroblasts established from a subject with Werner syndrome of premature ageing and in growth-arrested normal human fibroblasts (Lecka-Czernik, B. et al. (1995) Mol. Cell. Biol. 15:120-128). The mRNA encodes a 387 amino acid residue protein containing five epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like domains. These domains match the EGF tandem repeat consensus residue sequence within several known extracellular proteins that promote cell growth, development, and cell signaling. The EGF tandem repeat is characterized by a regular distribution of single cysteines. Lecka-Czernik, B. et al. (supra) have suggested that, as occurs with other members of the EGF-like family, the S1-5 gene product may represent a negative and/or positive regulatory factor whose ultimate activity is modulated by the cell environment.
The discovery of a new human S1-5 ECMP-like protein and the polynucleotides encoding it satisfies a need in the art by providing new compositions which are useful in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of immunological and neoplastic disorders.


A method and an apparatus raise samples of liquid such as water from a low level to a higher level, for example for obtaining a sample of groundwater from a borehole. The apparatus comprises a pair of tubes (14 and 16) extending alongside each other, which are introduced into the borehole, linked by a connector (20) at their lower end, a valve (22) communicating between the inside and outside of one of the tubes (16) near its lower end, and a pig (46) insertable into the tube (16). By adjusting the pressure in each tube at their upper end, the pig (46) can be moved from one end to the other of the apparatus (10) and used to transfer samples of water.

This invention relates to a method and an apparatus for raising a sample of liquid such as water from a low level to a higher level, for example for obtaining a sample of groundwater from a borehole.
A variety of methods are known for obtaining samples of liquids from boreholes. For example in the oil industry coiled tubing units are commonly used to transmit sample fluids from a particular zone in the borehole to the surface. Alternative techniques use a tool suspended on a wireline. Both these approaches are mentioned in U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,875 (Stokley et al). Such tools may incorporate packers to restrict the section of the borehole from which the fluid is obtained. However, such tools are complex, and it would be desirable to provide a simpler way of obtaining samples, which would be applicable over a wide range of different depths. The samples may be withdrawn for analysis, or alternatively the process may be repeated many times to empty a section of the borehole, that is to say using the sampler as a pump.

AEA Technology Engineering Services, Inc.


Provided are nanofunctional silica particles having excellent functionality and quality, and capable of being mass-produced at low costs. According to the present invention, there are provided nanofunctional silica particles including a coating layer containing one or more silica compounds selected from the group consisting of mercaptopropyl trimethoxysilane (MPS), mercaptopropyl triethoxysilane (MPES), mercaptopropyl methyldimethoxysilane (MPDMS), trimethoxy[2-(7-oxabicyclo[4.1.0]-hept-3-yl)ethyl]silane (EpoPS), thiocyanatopropyl triethoxysilane (TCPS), acryloxypropyl trimethoxysilane (ACPS), and aminopropyl trimethoxysilane (APS); and functional particles in the coating layer, and being used in imaging, assay, diagnosis, treatment or the like, medicine or bioresearch.

Various kinds of techniques about a method for manufacturing silica particles or silica spheres, and a usage thereof have been researched and developed all over the world. Some parts thereof have been already put into practice in bioassays, and others. For the synthesis thereof, TEOS (tetraethylorthosilane, which will be abbreviated to "TEOS" hereinafter) has been conventionally used as a starting material. However, surface layers of particles wherein this material, TEOS, is used are low in chemical reactivity, that is, in bonding capability to foreign proteins or nucleic acids; therefore, an attempt has been made for activating the particles by the introduction of an acceptor group by use of a silica compound different from the material TEOS (Patent Document 1). Known are, for example, the introduction of a SH group by use of MPS (mercaptopropyl ethoxysilane, or 3-mercapto-propyltrimethoxysilane, which will be abbreviated to (MPS)), and that of some other (introduced groups), such as tetraethoxysilane (OH group), or aminopropylethoxysilane (NH2 group). However, these activated silica particles have a double structure composed of an inner shell made of TEOS and an outer shell or surface layer made of an acceptor group, and time, labor and other costs required for the manufacture thereof are high. Moreover, the particles are not easily produced based on the selection of a silica compound wherein the number of bonding sites for forming silica network (Si—O), the number of which is four in TEOS, is three or less (such as MPS). Actually, known is a technique of pre-treating MPS with hydrochloric acid alone (or a mixed liquid of hydrochloric acid and cetylmethylammonium chloride) (at room temperature for 2 to 5 days), adding an aqueous ammonia solution thereto, mixing the components with each other, and further allowing the reactive components to react with each other at room temperature for 2 days, thereby yielding MPS particles (Patent Document 2). However, this technique gives high manufacturing costs, and has complicated manufacturing steps, and further requires considerable days for manufacturing the particles. Additionally, the size (particle diameter) of the manufactured particles is not easily adjusted.
The MPS particles yielded by the method in Patent Document 2 are high in the property that pores have been formed, so that the particles have an advantage that the surface area is enlarged by the formed pores. However, the method is not advantageous in a case where the particles aim for taking in a functional material, or in a case where the particles aim for being used in a quantitative experiment about DNA, a protein or the like. A reason therefor is that as the property that pores have been formed is lower, the number of inner sites where a functional material can be arranged is larger to give a favorable result (a higher fluorescence intensity per particle). Another reason therefor appears to be as follows: about particles having many pores as in Patent Document 2, the effective adhesive area thereof, to which DNA or a protein can adhere, does not depend only on the surface area based on the diameters of the particles, and is varied in accordance with the size or the number of the pores, or the positions thereof; thus, the parameter of the adhesive area is diversified so that a problem is caused for quantitation. Thus, it is required that silica particles having no pores are manufactured.
The present inventors suggest the following in Patent Document 3: silica particles that overcome defects of the conventional silica particles including TEOS particles, that is, high manufacturing costs, low chemical reactivity (bonding capability to foreign proteins or nucleic acids) and other problems, are excellent in functionality and quality and are further able to be mass-produced at low costs; and a manufacturing method thereof. This manufacturing method makes it possible to arrange or incorporate a functional material into surface layers of silica particles or the insides thereof and stabilize the material, thereby allowing the silica particles to have surface layer functionalizing capability or inside functionalizing capability. Examples of the functional material used therein include chemical agents, fluorescent materials, proteins, peptides, nucleotides, nucleotide analogues, oligonucleotides, oligonucleotide analogues and sugar chains; but, the material is not limited thereto. However, in the silica particles invented by the present inventors, the incorporation of a functional material, such as gold colloid or magnetic material, is not conducted. Thus, for the purpose of enlargement of the usage thereof, silica particles having a greater multifunctionality have been desired.
In recent years, the development of biotechnology or nanotechnology has been giving a change to nano medical treatment, imaging or other medical techniques. In conventional imaging, a single probe has been used only in a single estimating method. For example, a magnetic material is used as an imaging agent in an MRI; however, the material is not usually used in any detailed observation with a microscope. However, by technical development in recent years, development of a multifunctional probe having a multimodal function has been desired, and has been advanced, which can be used commonly in vivo and in vitro, or in macro-observation or micro-observation, and further in various machines such as a CT, a PET, and an MRI (Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2). Moreover, a development of multifunctional particles has been desired which give a treatment effect to a multimodal imaging probe and can be used consistently from diagnosis to treatment. Such multifunctional particles would give an innovation to medical treatment and therefore, it is considered that patients' burdens can be relieved, and high treatment effects can be obtained.
However, through the existing imaging agent, macro-observation can be attained, but micro-observation, wherein a microscope is used, cannot be attained. Additionally, a fluorescently labeled antibody used in observation with a microscope cannot be observed through a CT or an MRI. Development competitions of particles having both of a multimodal imaging effect and a treatment effect have been advanced all over the world. However, the particles have a technical problem. Thus, the particles have not yet been completed.    Patent Document 1: WO 2006/070582 Pamphlet    Patent Document 2: WO 2003/002633 Pamphlet    Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-160107    Non-Patent Document 1: Journal of America Chemical Society, 2007, 129, 8962-8963    Non-Patent Document 2: Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2007, 46, 3680-3682

Nanofunctional silica particles and manufacturing method thereof


Curved file apparatus includes a base element having a straight file on a top surface and a curved element secured to the base element. The curved element includes a convex bottom file surface and a pair of flat file surfaces on the sides of the curved element. The curved element may stand aloe in a second embodiment, with its convex file surface and its flat file surfaces. Handle elements are secured to both embodiments.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to files and; more particularly, to a file having a straight portion and a curved portion, and the curved portion includes three file surfaces.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 305,344 (Simons) discloses a file having a curved portion. There are two embodiments of the curved portion of the file, one of which includes a concave filing portion and the other embodiment which includes a convex filing portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,727,690 (Anheuser) discloses another file having a curved surface. The curved surface is convex.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,058,912 (Reid) discloses a file or abrasive tool formed of several flat elements appropriately secured together and, which, when finished, may be curved.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,687,562 (Noll) discloses a file having a transversely curved configuration.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,531,841 (McCord, Jr.) discloses a file holder in which a file is made of a ribbon type material and which may be curved. That is, the file portion, secured to a support frame, may be either flat or curved, as desired.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,733,663 (Brucker) discloses a rotary tool having a rasp or file surface. The surface is circular and may be appropriately curved, as desired. That is, different embodiments of the file or rasp surface may be secured to the tool to provide the desired ultimate configuration of the material on which the tool is used.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,990,134 (Stoutenberg) discloses a sheet metal file having a convex work surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,178,663 (Hayes) discloses a hand scraper which includes a convex work surface.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 355,829 (Kotlarz) discloses a particular design for a corner shaping file. The file includes two abrading surfaces, and the abrading surfaces are disposed perpendicularly to each other. The apparatus of the present invention differs from the prior art in several aspects, one of which is that a plurality of abrading surfaces are found in the apparatus of the present invention and the apparatus of the present invention includes a curved surface which allows the desired abrading surface to be used very close to a comer, to a wall, etc.
The invention described and claimed herein comprises a file apparatus which includes a base element having a pair of handles secured to the base surface and a flat file surface on the base element. Extending downwardly from the base element there is a curved file which includes file surface on three sides, including a curved bottom and the sides. The sides of the curved element are flat.
Among the objects of the present invention are the following:
To provide new and useful file apparatus;
To provide new and useful file apparatus having a plurality of abrading surfaces;
To provide new and useful file apparatus including a curved file surface and generally flat file surfaces;
To provide new and useful file apparatus having file surfaces disposed generally perpendicular to each other; and
To provide new and useful file apparatus including a convexly curved file surface and flat file surfaces adjacent to the curved file surface.


An apparatus for producing stress on a surface, comprising one or more service assembly and one or more cleaning assembly. The service assembly comprises one or more means for applying dirt to said surface, or one or more means for scuffing said surface, or one or more means for dragging a test material across said surface, or a combination thereof. The cleaning assembly comprises one or more scrubber, or one or more burnisher, or a combination thereof.

When a surface is exposed to stress, the quality of that surface often declines. The durability of a surface is its ability to resist such a decline in quality when exposed to stress. The quality of a surface may be, for example, its appearance, strength, integrity, other property or properties, or a combination thereof. Stress on a surface may arise, for example, from mechanical forces, chemicals, radiation, erosion, wear, other form or forms of stress, or a combination thereof.
In some situations, when an item is put into use, at least one of its surfaces is exposed to stress during the conditions of normal use, and the quality of that surface declines relatively slowly. It is often desired to find a way to predict, without actually exposing a given surface to normal use for a long period of time, the extent and type of degradation in quality that that surface will experience if it were to be exposed to normal use for a long period of time (i.e., two weeks or more; or 30 days or more; or 60 days or more). One way to make such a prediction accurately is to expose a surface to conditions of stress that cause the quality of the surface to degrade relatively quickly, in a way that mimics the degradation caused by the conditions of normal use. In some situations, use includes various causes of stress, including, for example service and cleaning. Service includes the various conditions other than cleaning operations to which the surface is exposed.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,522,251 describes a device in which a sample of carpet or carpet tile on a rotating table is exposed to the following: a wear-causing device that rolls caster wheels over the carpet sample, a shampoo head, a dryer, a vacuum extraction head, and a carpet sweeper. It is desired to provide an apparatus that exposes surfaces to service-type conditions (i.e., conditions that reproduce normal service conditions or that mimic the effects of normal service conditions) as well as to cleaning-type conditions (i.e., conditions that reproduce normal cleaning conditions or that mimic the effects of normal cleaning conditions). In some cases, it is further desired to provide an apparatus that has one or more of the following advantages: the exposure to service-type conditions and the exposure to cleaning-type conditions can be controlled independently of each other; the apparatus can be controlled with a computer program; the sample of surface is moved linearly; or any combination thereof.

Abstract: Also provided is a method of testing a surface with such an apparatus.


Multiple data devices (A,B,C) are interfaced via a bus arbiter (S) with an external memory (F) so as to support burst-mode access by each device (A,B,C) one or more read registers (R1,R2,R3) are provided in the memory (F), and each register (R1,R2,R3) supports burst-mode access by a corresponding device (A,B,C). The arbiter (s) selects the register to be used following the initial access burst, according to the device requiring access. Thus, the memory (F) supports multiple burst-mode accesses in parallel.

This invention relates to interfacing one or more devices, such as processors, with an external memory via a single bus arbiter.
In order to speed up access to FLASH memory, a page-mode or burst-mode has been developed in which an initial access incorporates multiple consecutive memory address codes so as to read out a block of data into a register which is then accessed incrementally in subsequent accesses until all of the data has been accessed, at which time, the process can be repeated. The advantage of the burst-mode is that each subsequent access can be much short than the initial access, typically, 30 nS for 16 bits compared with 70 nS for initially accessing a block of 128 bits. Burst-mode access is illustrated in FIG. 1 in which an initial access has an address code N and subsequent accesses have address codes N+1, N+2 and N+3. This data burst is ten followed by a second data burst with address codes in the range M.
Burst-mode access makes use of the fact that a processor executes code in a linear fashion to produce consecutive address codes so that once submitted in an initial access, this need not be repeated in subsequent accesses, which can therefore be shorter. However it follows that if the processor does not access all of the data in subsequent accesses, perhaps because it instead requires data at other addresses, then the benefit of fast access is reduced because of more frequent longer initial accesses.
Furthermore sharing of a FLASH memory burst-mode access between multiple processors presents problems which make its use impractical in some circumstances. Thus, for example, multiple embedded processors in an ASIC would beneficially access a single external FLASH memory via a single bus arbiter which determines priority of access between the processors. The use of a single FLASH memory rather than multiple memories, reduces cost, and the number of pins required at the interface connection between the ASIC and memory is kept to a minimum. However, if burst-mode access is used for one or more of the processors, and the benefit is to be maximised by preventing interruption of a burst by other processors, then the latency of access of other processors is increased. There is therefore a compromise between the effective use of burst-mode access by one processor and the latency of access suffered by others. This is exacerbated when individual processors require a higher priority of access, and disrupt burst-mode access by other processors, without necessarily using the burst-mode access themselves. This problem becomes worse if higher priority processors are also required to run at a higher effective MIPS rate.
FIG. 2 illustrates burst-mode access by a first processor over an address range N which is interrupted by higher priority accesses from a second processor over an address range M. The initial access N is followed by a subsequent access N+1, but before subsequent accesses in the address range N can be completed, access is given to the higher priority access M for the second processor. Once this access is completed, access is restored for the first processor, but this has to start again with a longer initial access N+2 before a subsequent access N+3 is completed the second processor then again interrupts with an access M+1 because of its higher priority, before access is again restored to the first processor with N+4 and N+5. Effective use of the burst-mode for the address range N is therefore frustrated by the accesses for the higher priority address range M, and the address range M cannot itself make use of the burst-mode, even though the address codes M and M+1 are consecutive addresses. The average data throughput is therefore severely compromised, approaching the worst case of maxim access time for every access from every processor.

Interfacing processors with external memory supporting burst mode