A lighting apparatus includes: a light guide which is tubular and includes a light entry portion in one end in a tube axis direction; and a light source arranged corresponding to the light entry portion. The light entry portion includes a light redirecting portion which changes a traveling direction of light entering from the first light source to a direction that is substantially parallel to the tube axis direction of the light guide. The light guide includes: plural light-emitting faces which are ring-shaped and formed concentrically in the other end in the tube axis direction of the light guide; and a non light-emitting face which is wall-like and formed along the tube axis direction of the light guide, at a border of adjacent ones of the light-emitting faces.

Lighting apparatuses are used at the front or back of vehicles such as an automobile. In recent years, drivers of automobiles have been making the presence of their automobile known to pedestrians or drivers of other automobiles by turning ON lighting apparatuses even in the daytime.
This type of lighting apparatus includes, for example, a tubular light guide, one end (a first end) of which is a light entry side and the other end (a second end) is a light exit side, and light sources arranged in the first end of the light guide. Here, concentric, circular light-emitting faces are formed having different levels, in the second end of the light guide (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-193892).
In such a lighting apparatus, light from the light sources is made to enter the light guide to cause the light-emitting faces and vertical wall faces, which make up the difference in level between the light-emitting faces, to emit light. With this, the front of the automobile can be illuminated with a round light, for example, and the driver is able to make the presence of his automobile known to pedestrians and drivers of other automobiles.

Lighting apparatus and automobile including the same

Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.


Antimicrobial compounds of the formula ##STR1## wherein R is hydrogen, halogen, or (C.sub.1 -C.sub.4)alkyl group;. R.sub.1 is hydrogen or halogen; alternatively, R and R1 may be taken together with the carbons to which they are attached to form a 5- to 7-membered carbocyclic ring, said ring optionally being aromatic; PA0 R.sub.2 is hydrogen or (C.sub.1 -C.sub.3)alkyl group; and PA0 R3 is hydrogen, substituted or unsubstituted (C.sub.1 -C.sub.18)alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted (C.sub.2 -C.sub.18)alkenyl, substituted or unsubstituted (C.sub.2 -C.sub.18)alkynyl, substituted or unsubstituted (C.sub.4 -C.sub.8)cycloalkyl or cycloalkenyl, substituted or unsubstituted (C.sub.6 -C.sub.10)aryl or arylalkyl group are disclosed.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of new derivatives of 3-isothiazolones, their preparation, and their use in controlling living organisms.
2. Description of the Prior Art
3-Isothiazolones have generated high commercial interest as microbicides to prevent spoilage caused by microorganisms in a large number of aqueous and nonaqueous products subject to such spoilage. 3-Isothiazolones are highly effective microbicides (as used herein, "microbicides" includes bactericides, fungicides, and algaecides and microbicidal activity is intended to include both the elimination of and inhibition or prevention of growth of microbial organisms such as bacteria, fungi, and algae) and are useful in a broad range of applications.
Lewis et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,761,488; 3,544,580; 3,835,150; 3,706,757; 3,755,224; and 4,105,431, all assigned to Rohm and Haas Co., the same assignee as the present invention, disclose 3-isothiazolone compounds.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,835,150 to Lewis, also assigned to Rohm and Haas Co., discloses certain acrylic isothiazolonyl derivatives. Lewis discloses the reaction of certain 3-hydroxyisothiazoles with acetylenic compounds, such as methyl propiolate, propiolnitrile, N,N-dimethylpropiolamide, and propiolic acid in the presence of a base catalyst such as triethyl amine or a quaternary ammonium hydroxide. While this patent discloses other potential reactions, only a few specific products are provided. Compound A below (compound 16 disclosed in Lewis '150 at Table I), as well as the other possible products listed in Example 22 of the '150 patent, result from the reaction occurring at the oxygen, not at the nitrogen of the 3-hydroxyisothiazoles. ##STR2##
Lewis '150 further discloses the reactions of certain active halogen compounds with 3-hydroxyisothiazoles. Of particular note are the reactions of .beta.-haloacrylates, .beta.-haloacrylamides, and .beta.-haloacrylonitrile with 3-hydroxyisothiazoles to yield compounds of structure B below, wherein X is halogen and Z is alkoxy, amino or nitrile. The compounds exemplified in this patent show reaction at the oxygen only; no compounds corresponding to reaction at the nitrogen of the 3-hydroxyisothiazoles are reported. ##STR3##
U.S. Pat. No. 4,105,431 to Lewis, also assigned to Rohm and Haas Co., discloses reacting vinyl acetate with a 3-hydroxyisothiazole to give a vinyl substituted isothiazolone, compound C below. The patent further discloses that mercuric salts can be advantageously used to catalyze the reaction. ##STR4## Also disclosed in this patent is the reaction of 3-hydroxyisothiazole with an appropriate haloalkene or haloalkyne to give the 2-alkenyl- or 2-alkynyl-3-isothiazolone, respectively. This reaction is that of a simple alkylation of the 3-hydroxyisothiazole nitrogen. An acid accepting base, such as a metal hydride or metal hydroxide, is normally used to catalyze this reaction.

Preparation of 2-(3-oxoalk(en)yl)-3-isothiazolones and derivatives


The present invention relates to an integrated device comprising an electronic circuit chip, a solder contact structure to provide contact to the electronic circuit chip and an elastic contact structure to provide contact to the electronic circuit chip, wherein the solder contact structure and the elastic contact structure are arranged on a contacting surface of the integrated device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an integrated device designed to be attached on a contacting substrate such as a printed circuit board. The present invention further relates to an electronic system including a printed circuit board on which an integrated device is attached.
2. Description of the Related Art
Integrated devices such as Ball Grid Arrays (BGA) or Flip-Chip devices comprise solder balls for contacting and attaching of the integrated device to a printed circuit board. The integrated device is fixed onto the printed circuit board by placing the integrated device on the printed circuit board so that solder balls abut on respective contact pads of the printed circuit board. A heating process is applied thereafter so that the solder balls melt and contacting joints between the integrated device and the abutting contact pads of the printed circuit board are developed.
While operating the integrated device, heat is dissipated which leads to thermal mechanical stress due to differing thermal expansion coefficients. For example, the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of a silicon chip is about 2.5 ppm/° K and the CTE for the printed circuit board is about 17 ppm/° K. The difference of the thermal expansion due to an increased operating temperature results in a shear stress affecting the solder joints between the integrated device and the printed circuit board. As the solder joints of the integrated device are spread over the surface area of the integrated device, the solder joints are exposed to different shear stresses. Usually, the shear stress on the solder joints in an outer region of the contacting area between the integrated device and the printed circuit board is higher than the shear stress of the solder joints in an inner region of the contacting area. Shear stress leads to a deterioration of the solder joints which can lead to a breaking of the electrical connection between the contact pad of the printed circuit board and the respective contact of the integrated device.
In order to test and possibly improve the reliability of an electronic system with integrated devices attached on a printed circuit board, the electronic system is initially tested in a temperature cycle test, which is typically carried out in a temperature range between −40° C. to 125° C. This temperature cycle is usually repeated 500 to 1000 times, so that the solder joints experience repeated change in the shear stress. Particularly for the solder joints in the outer region of the contacting area, the repeated cycles of changing shear stress may lead to breaking and a substantive deterioration of the solder joint.
To overcome the issue of the degradation of the solder joints due to shear stress (thermomechanical stress), flexible contact elements such as springs or elastic bumps can be used to provide a thermomechanically reliable contact between the integrated device and the printed circuit boards. Elastic bumps can be produced by using a silicone bump on which a rerouting is deposited, extending from the tip of the elastic bump to a respective contact pad of the integrated device, for memories typically located in a center row of the die. The rerouting may only be soldered at the bump top, so that only the bump top is connected to the printed circuit board during reflow soldering, maintaining the flexibility of the silicone bump. As a result, the elastic bumps can absorb the shear stress so that no breaking or cutting of the electrical connection occurs in thermomechanical stress. The flexible contact element can provide reliability during thermomechanical stress; however, due to its resilient nature it cannot serve to ensure the mechanical stability of the package. Therefore, an additional fixing such as a lid or heatspreader is required. However, the additional fixing of the integrated device on the printed circuit board is space-consuming and increases the costs of the assembly of the electronic system. Another possibility is to use an underfill for mechanical stabilization. If an underfill is used it inflexibly glues the integrated device to the printed circuit board. The shear stress is transferred into bend stress of the complete printed circuit board, leading to thermomechanical and mechanical sturdiness. However, underfilling is a very expensive process step, leads to reliability problems in humidity testing and inhibits double sided assembly of integrated devices on the printed circuit board.


A magnetic head including a magnetic film formed on a substrate. The magnetic film contains a Co-rich Fe alloy having a face-centered cubic phase in which the <100> axis has been oriented in a direction perpendicular to the film surface, an insulating film formed on the magnetic film, and coils buried in the insulating film so as to generate a magnetic field. The Co-rich Fe alloy contains 15 to 24 atomic % of Fe. The magnetic head is manufactured by forming a magnetic film on a substrate, the magnetic film containing a Co-rich Fe alloy having a fcc phase in which the <100> axis has been oriented in a direction perpendicular to the film surface. Next, an insulating film having coils for generating a magnetic field buried therein is formed on the magnetic film.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic head having a high saturation magnetic flux density, a low coercive force and a low magnetostriction as well as to a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, vigorous research is being performed in an attempt to develop an Fe series film having a saturation magnetic flux density Bs as high as 20 kG. It is known to the art that a Co-rich Fe alloy film is fully comparable with the Fe series film in the value of Bs. Also, the Co-rich Fe alloy film is superior to the Fe series film in its corrosion resistance. Incidentally, the Co-rich Fe alloy usually represents an Fe--Co alloy containing 10 to 40 atm% of Fe with the balance being substantially Co, optionally containing impurity elements. On the other hand, the Fe series film contains at least 85% of Fe together with other impurity elements.
It is necessary for a magnetic film included in a magnetic head to exhibit a low coercive force Hc and a low magnetostriction .lambda.s as well as a high saturation magnetic flux density Bs.
It is reported in "IEEE Trans. Magn., MAG-23 (1987) 2981" that a Co-10%Fe alloy film prepared by plating exhibits a small value of Hc and a small value of .lambda.s, which are fully comparable with those exhibited by an Fe series film.
In the manufacture of various thin films used in a magnetic head, it is desirable to employ a dry process such as sputtering or vapor deposition in place of a wet process, as in the field of semiconductor devices. It should also be noted that, in the case of performing the recording/reproducing operation at a high transfer rate, it is desirable to employ a magnetic film of a multilayer structure including an interposing intermediate insulating layer formed of, for example, silicon dioxide in order to suppress the eddy current generation. It is difficult to manufacture such a magnetic film of a multi-layer structure by means of a wet process such as plating.
Under the circumstances, it is desirable to manufacture a Co-rich Fe alloy film exhibiting still smaller values of Hc and .lambda.s by means of a dry process such as sputtering or vapor deposition. The present inventors have performed vigorous research along this line in an attempt to manufacture a Co-rich Fe alloy film by means of sputtering. It is reported in "J. Appl. Phys., 43 (1972) 3542" that a Co-rich Fe alloy film prepared by sputtering fails to exhibit a low coercive force Hc. However, the present inventors have clarified that a Co-rich Fe alloy film containing about 18% of Fe prepared by sputtering exhibits a small value of Hc, which is fully comparable with that of an alloy film prepared by plating, as reported in "Collection of Lecture Articles in 12th Meeting of Japan Applied Magnetism Institute". However, the Co-18%Fe alloy film prepared by means of sputtering exhibits such a large magnetostriction .lambda.s as 1.times.10.sup.-5 or more. In order to actually use the alloy film in a magnetic head, it is clearly necessary to further lower the value of .lambda.s while maintaining the low value of coercive force Hc.
To reiterate, the Co-rich Fe alloy film prepared nowadays by means of sputtering exhibits such a high saturation magnetic flux density as about 20 kG, but is unsatisfactory in the values of Hc and .lambda.s, making it undesirable to use the alloy film as a magnetic film included in a magnetic head. Naturally, a conventional magnetic head including a Co-rich Fe alloy film prepared by a dry process is incapable of achieving the information recording at a high density.

Magnetic head using high saturated magnetic flux density film and manufacturing method thereof


Methods, devices, and systems for detecting return-oriented programming (ROP) exploits are disclosed. A system includes a processor, a main memory, and a cache memory. A cache monitor develops an instruction loading profile by monitoring accesses to cached instructions found in the cache memory and misses to instructions not currently in the cache memory. A remedial action unit terminates execution of one or more of the valid code sequences if the instruction loading profile is indicative of execution of an ROP exploit involving one or more valid code sequences. The instruction loading profile may be a hit/miss ratio derived from monitoring cache hits relative to cache misses. The ROP exploits may include code snippets that each include an executable instruction and a return instruction from valid code sequences.

1. Field
One feature generally relates to detection of malicious code in software systems, and more particularly, to methods and devices that detect return-oriented programming exploitation in software systems.
2. Background
Computing systems executing software are under a growing array of attacks from attackers commonly referred to as hackers. These attackers have found ways to insert malicious code into a computing system, and then cause the computing system to execute the malicious code. The malicious code may perform many different operations, such as, cause the computing system to run slower than normal, monitor activity on the computing system, cause the computing system to transmit or receive information that a user may not want communicated, corrupt data in persistent and non-persistent memory, and crash the computing system.
Recently attack mechanisms sometimes called Return-Oriented Programming (ROP) exploits have been proposed. One class of ROP exploit is often referred to as a return-to-libe attack because it uses a standard C library resident in many software systems. An ROP exploit is a powerful technique that allows the attacker to exploit valid code sequences in software programs without injecting any new malicious code into the processor's address space. Small snippets of valid code sequences, often referred to as gadgets, may be found by the attacker, then strung together to form new malicious code sequences, thereby sidestepping defenses against code injection.
In ROP exploits, the small code snippets are portions of code that end with a return instruction. When a function is called, an address of the instruction after the call is pushed onto a stack as an address to return to after the called function completes. Thus, the stack may include many return addresses for the processor to jump to when called functions complete. If the attacker can write information to the stack, the attacker can overwrite an intended return address with a malicious return address. This return address may be to one of the gadgets identified by the attacker.
By manipulating multiple return addresses, the attacker controlling the call stack can chain multiple gadgets together to create a malicious code sequence without ever injecting any new code into the processor's address space. Through a choice of these malicious code sequences and their arrangement, the attacker can induce arbitrary (yet still Turing-complete) behavior for a malicious program composed of the string of gadgets. This type of attack is successful because in most systems code and data addresses are predictable. That is, attackers can load particular code in their own computer, view their stack to determine how the code is being loaded, and use this information to exploit the return stack when such code is loaded in a target computer. Such attack may generally rely on code being loaded the same way across different computers.
Therefore, there is a need for robust counter-measures that can detect exploitation of vulnerabilities in stacks and perform remedial actions when such exploitations are detected.

Methods, devices, and systems for detecting return oriented programming exploits


A new cultivar of pelargonium particularly characterized by having bi-colored white and salmon-pink, semi-double, round flowers, medium-green foliage with weak zonation, a medium sized, rounded, well-branched and mounding plant habit, a high proportion of inflorescences to the foliage canopy and an early flowering response, is disclosed.

The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of pelargonium, botanically known as Pelargonium×hortorum, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name 'Fisrello'. The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program which had the objective of creating a range of new medium-sized varieties having light-pink or light-salmon flowers, a good stability of flower color and medium-green foliage. 'Fisrello' was discovered as a seedling resulting from the self-pollination of the proprietary pelargonium plant 'I92-61-2' (unpatented), having light-pink to white, semi-double flowers.
The new cultivar was created in 1993 (self-pollination occurred in 1993 and selection of the off-spring occurred in 1994) in Hillscheid, Germany and has been asexually reproduced repeatedly by vegetative cuttings in Galdar, Gran Canaria, Spain, and Hillscheid, Germany over a twelve-year period. It has also been found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successive asexual propagations. 'Fisrello' reproduces true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.
Plant Breeder's Rights for this cultivar were applied for in Germany on Apr. 4, 2005 and Canada on Apr. 20, 2005.


An ultraviolet (UV) curable ink having infrared (IR) sensitivity includes a UV light curable matrix, a UV photoinitiator, and an IR sensitive dye.

Infrared (IR) sensors and associated infrared sensitive inks have traditionally been used for tracking and authenticating a number of different objects. More specifically, labels, barcodes, or other identifiable markings formed from infrared sensitive inks have been formed on the surface of a number of objects. Once marked, objects could then be illuminated with IR light and examined by an infrared sensor to authenticate or track the object.
While traditional methods for tracking and authenticating objects with infrared sensors and associated infrared sensitive inks have been used, these traditional methods have a number of limitations. Specifically, water-based inks containing water soluble IR sensitive dyes have durability and water fastness limitations. Similarly, solvent-based inks containing solvent soluble IR dyes have manufacturing and environmental limitations due to solvent emission. UV curable inks provide unique benefits of print durability as well as environmental friendliness by eliminating solvent emissions. However, many of the IR dyes tend to bleach or experience photo chemical degradation upon exposure to high intensity radiation used for curing UV curable inks.

System and a method for a UV curable ink having infrared sensitivity

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A system and apparatus for identification of RFID-tagged items includes one or more interrogator units communicating over a network, the interrogator unit comprising a hanger support upon which RFID-tagged items are stored. The apparatus for identification of RFID tagged items includes a solenoid RFID interrogator antenna aligned with the longitudinal axis of an item hanger and a concentric RFID tag antenna wound around an opening in an item package that is hung from the item hanger.

The present invention relates to radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. A tag serves to identify the thing to which it is attached. RFID tags can be attached to items to aid in their identification, speed checkout processing in a retail environment and aid in inventory management. The RFID tag is scanned or "interrogated" using radio frequency electromagnetic waves. Interrogating the RFID tag with radio waves allows the interrogator to be out of direct line-of-sight of the tagged item and located at a potentially greater distance from the item than is permitted with optical scanning.
RFID tags can be either active or passive. Active RFID tags carry their own energy source and passive tags derive their energy from the interrogator's radio signal. When a passive RFID tag is in the vicinity of an interrogator, its antenna receives energy from a radio signal broadcast by the interrogator. This energy is rectified and used to power the RFID tag's integrated circuit. After the passive tag's integrated circuit is powered on, it sends its information to the interrogator.
To reduce costs, inexpensive RFID tags generally do not have a conventional radio transmitter; instead, they communicate with a nearby interrogator using a communication technique known as "backscatter propagation." Backscatter propagation involves modulating the antenna matching impedance of the RFID tag with the information to be sent to the interrogator. Modulating the impedance in this manner causes varying amounts of radio energy to be reflected from the tag's antenna, which are received and demodulated by the interrogator.
Backscatter propagation and other radio interrogation techniques allow an interrogator to identify a group of RFID tags en masse. While propagating radio waves over a wide area is advantageous to some RFID applications, it can be disadvantageous to other applications. Conventional RFID systems work well in typical checkout processing done at the point-of-sale because they detect the total items being purchased or checked out. Unfortunately, these RFID systems are not currently able to identify the actual position of individual items as the interrogators do not offer this level of granularity or functionality.
In a retail environment, groups of small items are often displayed on racks incorporating a number of item hangers. Lack of control over the grouping of items on display can also be disadvantageous. Item packages made for display on item hangers often have the same shape and appearance to ease stocking and arrangement of the item hangers. This can be confusing to customers who may select an item for inspection and inadvertently return it to a wrong location due to the similar appearances of nearby packages. For example, packages of camera film may appear identical at first glance, but closer inspection may reveal that the film speed is different or that one is for color prints and the other is for color slides. Manually searching for misplaced items and maintaining the order of items displayed on racks is time-consuming and expensive for retail operators.
Accordingly, there is a need for a system to identify groups of tagged items in a locality using RFID.
Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements.

Concentric tag-reader method and system for RFID


A rotating heat pipe is used for temperature control of electric motors and generators and other rotating heat generating assemblies to ensure their proper operation. The heat pipe is integral with the shaft, and unlike conventional devices, incorporates a solid-liquid phase change material as the heat transfer/transport material. In addition, it comprises a scraped surface heat exchange mechanism at the heat dissipation region to allow for high cooling rates as required. This scraped surface mechanism is preferentially driven by a magnetic coupling to eliminate issues related to leaks of the heat transfer material.

Rotating shafts or assemblies are incorporated in numerous mechanical and electromechanical systems. When used in power generation/transmission or high temperature applications, it is often necessary to cool them to ensure that their temperature remains within acceptable limits. The underlying reason for this may vary, e.g. (a) to maintain structural integrity of the rotating shaft/assembly under high mechanical loads and temperature, (b) to ensure reliable operation and a long system life, (c) to enhance efficiency and maximize power generation/transmission, (d) to optimize the operating conditions for an industrial process, etc.
The problem of temperature control of a product or process is relatively simple when the heat flux (i.e. the heat transfer rate per unit area) and overall heat dissipation requirements are low. Unfortunately, this is not the case for high power compact assemblies where the overall heat load and/or level of heat flux often impose real constraints on their performance. Though this can occur in many applications such as rolling mills, dynamometers, gearboxes, turbines, etc., the following discussion focuses on electric motors (and generators) that used in mobile systems such as automobiles and other vehicles. This is done due to the current importance of electric drives (and for convenience and brevity), and does not preclude the use of this invention in other applications.
For electric motors/generators, most of the heat dissipation requirements are typically from the stator assembly and other static elements. Though the heat transfer requirements may be lower for moving elements (e.g. the rotor assembly), the problem is far more difficult to solve when it exists. In recent years, this has become an increasingly important issue in motors for electric vehicles where motor size, weight and cost are critical.


Provided is an isotope delivery system and a method for irradiating a target and delivering the target to an extraction point. The isotope delivery system may include a cable including at least one target for irradiation, a drive system configured for moving the cable, and a first guide configured to guide the cable for insertion and extraction from a nuclear reactor. The method for irradiating a target and delivering a target may include pushing a cable with an attached target through a first guide and into a nuclear reactor using a drive system, irradiating the target in the nuclear reactor, pulling the cable with the attached irradiated target towards the drive system, pushing the cable with the irradiated target towards a loading/unloading area using the drive system, and placing the irradiated target into a transfer cask, wherein the cable is pulled and pushed by the drive system.

1. Field
Example embodiments relate to a cable driven isotope delivery system and a method of irradiating a target material using a nuclear power reactor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Technetium-99m (m is metastable) is a radionuclide used in nuclear medical diagnostic imaging. Technetium-99m is injected into a patient which, when used with certain specialized pieces of equipment, is used to image the patient's internal organs.
Molybdenum-99 may be produced by placing natural molybdenum metal or enriched molybdenum-98 into a core, which is then irradiated within a nuclear reactor's neutron flux. Molybdenum-98 absorbs a neutron during the irradiation process and becomes molybdenum-99 (Mo-99). Mo-99 is unstable and decays with a 66-hour half-life to technetium-99m (m is metastable). After the irradiation step, the irradiated molybdenum can be processed into a Titanium Molybdate chemistry and placed in a column for elution. Subsequently, saline is passed through the irradiated titanium molybdate to remove the technetium-99m ions from the irradiated titanium molybdate. However, technetium-99m has a halflife of only six (6) hours, therefore, readily available sources of technetium-99m are desired.


The invention relates to a method of operating a communication network, the network comprising a plurality of stations which are able to transmit data to and receive data from one another. The method comprises monitoring, at each station, the transmission path quality between that station and each other station with which that station can communicate. Data corresponding to the monitored path quality is recorded at each station, thereby permitting a transmission power value based on the relevant path quality data to be selected when transmitting data to another station. Thus, the probability of transmitting data to any selected station at an optimum power level is increased. Each station transmits path quality data in its own transmissions as well as local noise/interference data, so that other stations can obtain path quality data for a particular station even if they are out of range of that particular station. The invention extends to communication apparatus which can be used to implement the method.

This invention relates to a method of operating a multi-station communication network and to communication apparatus usable to implement the method.
International patent application no. WO 96/19887 describes a communication network in which individual stations in the network can send messages to other stations by using intermediate stations to relay the message data in an opportunistic manner. In networks of this kind, and in other multi-station networks, it is desirable to control the output power of transmitting stations to a level which is sufficient for successful reception of transmitted data, but which is otherwise as low as possible, to minimise interference with nearby stations or with other users of the radio frequency spectrum.
It is an object of the invention to provide a method of operating a multi-station communication network which addresses the above objective.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Power adaption in a multi-station network


A system for representing information data has a scanning device for scanning information data and including a unit for interrogating the information data and formed as a movable interrogating element unit for forming a main flow of impulses corresponding to the information data which have been interrogated by the interrogating element, a unit for forming commands in response to the impulses for moving the interrogating element successively in direction selected from more than two directions with equal probability, a unit for providing deviation of the interrogating element by a limit of a field, and a unit located downstream of the deviation unit for introducing an additional flow of impulses randomly distributed in time, so that the interrogating element can move in response to the impulses of the additional flow and deviate also at any point of the field.

The present invention relates to a method and system of a representing information data, particularly those involving scanning of information data.
Methods and systems of the above mentioned type are widely known and used for example in television, radio-location, roentgenography, radioisotope analysis, storage tube of computer memory, etc. Scanning of the respective data is here performed for respective use.
In accordance with a method and system disclosed my U.S. Pat. No. 4,625,242, an interrogating element interrogates information data and a flow of impulses is produced in correspondence with the interrogated data, and the interrogating element moves successively in directions selected in response to commands formed in response to the impulses, from more than two directions with an equal probability. This provides for dependence between the tightness of scanning lines, the area of the pictured element, and the quantity of the information in the area of the pictured element, and the quantity of the information in the transmitted image, which leads to significant increase of resolving power. Flickering is eliminated. It is no longer necessary to return the interrogating element after each line to the beginning of the next line. The quality of images is improved.
In accordance with the proposal disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,945,421, when the interrogating element reaches a limit of an information field, it is moved back into the information field in a jump-like manner to a random point. This provides additional advantages in that a time of scanning near the field limits is the same as in the central area of the field, the density of lines of scanning does not depend on the value of the video signal scanned from the respective portion of the image, it is possible to regulate the average density of lines of scanning, and all together the quality of representing information data is improved. In accordance with the method and system disclosed in both above mentioned patents,.sup..sqroot.2 times more elements of image are scanned than in the prior art methods and systems when the interrogating element moves along the lines and then between the lines.
The methods and systems disclosed in the above mentioned patents can be however further improved. In the method and system disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,945,421 when the scanning element reaches a left or a right limit of the scanning field a new abscissa is selected while an ordinate remains unchanged, and when an upper or a lower limit is reached a new ordinate is selected while an abscissa remains unchanged. A new sampling or scanning is selected therefore only after the jump of the interrogating element from the limits of the image field. These actions are necessary, however they do not provide the operation of a system in an optimal mode.

Method and system for representing information data with deviation of interrogating element from field limit at any point


The assembly of contacts for printed circuit boards 1, 1a consists of contacts 2, 2' and a housing 4, 4' fabricated by insert molding method. The mounting sections 8, 8' have lugs which fit into openings made in pads of the printed circuit board 50 in a staggered pattern. The printed circuit board assembly 70 consists of the printed circuit board 50 with contact assemblies 1, 1a attached to the bottom edge 56 and front edge 62 by surface mounting technique.

Devices used for the connection of printed circuit boards to other devices are known in the art, such as, for example, connecting device described in published Patent Application No. JP-A-7-226573. As it can be seen from FIG. 5, the connecting device of the '226573 application has a housing 120 that receives a printed circuit board 100. Contacts 122 are arranged in the housing 120 and engage conductive pads 102 made along the edge of the printed circuit board 100 when the card is inserted into the housing. The housing 120 is electrically connected to another printed circuit board or other device.
However, in this method, the contacts have a complicated configuration to impart elasticity and resilience necessary to maintain reliable connection with the pads. In addition, grooves 124, 126 must be made in the housing in order to accommodate the printed circuit board, which results in a higher cost of production.
Therefore, considerations were given to various methods of connecting contacts to a printed circuit board 100, including surface mounting technique, insertion of contacts in openings provided in other printed circuit boards, soldering, etc. However, insertion of the front ends of contacting sections in openings made in other printed circuit boards is difficult owing to irregularities in their positions.

Surface mount contact assembly for printed circuit board


The arm-driven vehicle has a drive mechanism comprising a driving member. A movable chain attachment is secured to the driving member and the chain attachment has spaced apart fork legs and a rod member extending therebetween. A movable arm has one end operatively attached to a fork leg that is attached to the arm-driven vehicle. A movable gear is in operative engagement with the movable arm via a pin. A chain is in operative engagement with the movable chain attachment via a bar segment. The bar segment is rotatably attached to the rod member of the fork legs so that the vehicle may be driven forwardly by moving the driving member back and forth.

Conventional bicycles that are powered by the legs of the operator have been available for several centuries. However, arm-driven non-motorized vehicles that can easily be maneuvered and powered by the arms have often been too difficult and cumbersome to use.
The vehicle of the present invention aims at providing an effective driving device, especially a gear device, for vehicles of the above-indicated type. A special purpose of the invention is to provide an arm-driven vehicle, which can be used both in connection with chain driving mechanisms that are movable sideways, and for chain driving mechanisms that are not.
More particularly, the present invention relates to a driving mechanism having a gear device that is adapted to arm-driven vehicles. It comprises a movable chain attachment provided on the driving member of the vehicle, and a movable gear that is provided at the front of a fork leg disposed at the front of the vehicle. The vehicle of the present invention may be driven forwardly by moving a handle back and forth that, in turn, moves a chain back and forth. The chain is operatively attached to a wheel that is caused to rotate.


An processor to facilitate register sharing is disclosed. The processor includes a plurality of execution units (EUs), each including a General Purpose Register File (GRF) having a plurality of registers; and register sharing hardware to divide the plurality of registers into a first set of registers dedicated for execution of a first set of threads and a second set of registers shared for execution of a second set of threads.

Graphics processing units (GPUs) are highly threaded machines in which hundreds of threads of a program are executed in parallel to achieve high throughput. In some implementations, threads may be organized into a collection (e.g., 7 or 8 threads) depending on generation, and are assigned to one of several Execution Unit (EUs) within the GPU. An EU typically includes general purpose registers to hold variables used while running graphics or compute kernels. However, if there is not a sufficient quantity of registers, some variables are moved into higher latency memory (known as register spilling). Spilled variables have to be loaded from memory each time an associated value is required. Similarly, the variables need to be written to memory each time the associated value is updated. However, saving and restoring variables to and from memory is very costly and has a negative impact on runtime performance.


A process of producing cooked noodles, including the step of heating cooked noodles by direct contact with saturated steam at 105° to 150° C. or the step of heating comprising the substeps of directly applying saturated steam at 105° to 150° C. to cooked noodles intermittently and steaming the noodles by direct contact with saturated steam at 90° to 100° C. The resulting cooked noodle product is preservable for a long time without the aid of additives and yet keeps a pleasant texture.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for producing a cooked noodle product packaged for ambient temperature distribution that keeps pleasant organoleptic quality such as texture for a long period of time without the aid of additives.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is said that boiled noodles are most palatable with highest viscoelasticity and a firm and bouncy texture immediately after boiled. With time after that, boiled noodles loose the texture.
To overcome this problem, it has been proposed to add transglutaninase to dough comprising cereal flour and other raw materials (see JP-A-6-14733) or to add transglutamninase and gliadin or glutenin to such noodle dough (see JP-A-10-276695).
However, the recent consumers tend to avoid foodstuffs containing additives.
One of the latest trends in food is the demand for convenience. A variety of pre-cooked foods that can be easily and quickly served simply by, for example, pouring hot water or microwaving are now widespread. The trend to convenience is seen for noodle products as well.
Before cooked noodle can be subjected to ambient temperature distribution, it is necessary to control growth of microorganisms. To address this problem, it is known that cooked noodles as well as other cooked foodstuffs can be sterilized by heating under pressure after packing as in retort sterilization technology.
However, heat/pressure sterilization of cooked noodles after packing is disadvantageous in that the tissue of the noodle is changed while heated under pressure as packed in a closed container. Seeing that a texture to the teeth is of great significance for noodle products, the change of noodle's tissue, which heavily affects the texture, is a serious problem. It has therefore been demanded to establish a sterilization technique for cooked noodles that can replace the post-packaging heat/pressure sterilization to achieve microorganism control without impairing the tissue of the noodles.
Japanese Utility Model 3024090 teaches a method of producing cooked noodles which solves the microorganism control problem without involving post-packaging heat/pressure sterilization that may change the tissue of cooked noodles. In the method, a UV sterilized tray is filled with cooked noodles, sterilized in a closed chamber with pressurized steam at 100° C. or higher, preferably 130 to 140° C., and sealed in a clean booth. The step of sterilization is carried out either continuously for consecutive several tens of seconds to several tens of minutes or by repeating about 6 to 8 cycles of sterilization for 6 to 10 seconds per cycle.
According to this method, however, the tray in which sterilized noodles are to be put must previously be UV sterilized so that a UV sterilizer, which is a large-sized apparatus, is required. Moreover, the method involves troublesome steps. Because food trays are made of, for the most part, organic polymer materials, there is a fear that the organic polymer material undergoes radical reaction on UV irradiation, resulting in forming carcinogenic chemicals or endocrine-disrupting chemicals.
When sterilized continuously for several tens of seconds to several tens of minutes as in the above-described method, cooked noodles lose firmness to the teeth and become overly soft. When intermittently given about 6 to 8 cycles of sterilization for 6 to 10 seconds each, safety cannot be secured particularly where the number of initial microbial cells is great.
A food processing method including filling a container with a foodstuff, heat/pressure sterilizing the container and contents, and aseptically sealing the container (see JP-A-4-370081) is also known effective for preserving cooked foods.
Heat/pressure sterilization is generally a high temperature/high pressure treatment with steam at 100° C. or higher. To carry out the method of JP-A4-370081, after the container and contents are heat/pressure sterilized in a chamber of a heat/pressure sterilizer, the inner pressure of the chamber should be released to atmospheric pressure by venting before sealing.
When the chamber of a heat/pressure sterilizer is released to the atmosphere after sterilization, it has been the practice mostly followed to vent the chamber at a time in nature of the structure of the equipment and the like. Such a manner of venting is disadvantageous in that the food bursts out of the container to contaminate the opening of the container to be sealed, which results in not only short weight packages but incomplete sealing. This occurs with solid foods cooked by stewing, boiling, steaming or browning in oil or oiled solid foods, especially those cooked by stewing, boiling or steaming.
Some long-life foods such as long-life noodles that have recently been developed enjoy long term preservability secured by their lowered pH. In order to guarantee such preservability, not only the surface but also the inside of a foodstuff must be adjusted to a low pH when microorganisms are expected to be there. To adjust the pH of a foodstuff even to the inside makes of necessity the inside of the foodstuff sour in taste and smell. Such sour taste and smell are not favorable for palatability and flavor of many foods.
To overcome these problems, JP-A-5-15330 discloses a method of producing a preservable boiled noodle product comprising preparing dough containing glucono-delta-lactone, cutting sheeted dough into noodle strands, boiling the noodles, dipping the boiled noodles in a mixed aqueous solution containing adipic acid and a sweetener to adjust the pH of the noodles to 4.5 or lower, packing the noodles in a film container, and heat sterilizing the package. JP-A-9-248148 proposes a preservative for boiled noodles comprising an acid as a pH adjustor, a sugar, and an animal or vegetable protein hydrolyzate. However, the method and the preservative cannot be seen as satisfactory.


A combustible fuel burner system includes a burner unit, a power source, and a circuit interrupter unit. The circuit interrupter unit has a switch electrically coupled between the power source and the burner unit. The switch has a closed state, wherein the burner unit receives operational electrical power from the power source. The switch moves from a closed state to an open state and electrically disconnects the device from the power source upon a voltage of the power source falling below an interruption threshold. The switch, when in the open state, moves to the closed state upon the voltage of the power source being above a restoration threshold that is higher than the interruption threshold.

Certain types of asphalt resurfacing equipment may use an electrically-powered, fuel burning burner to heat asphalt for application to a road surface. Some types of asphalt resurfacing equipment are designed to be portable and may thus use such a burner in an arrangement with an appropriately-rated rechargeable battery to provide the electrical power to the burner. Rechargeable batteries may have a general voltage rating and can be selected such that the rating thereof corresponds to a target operation voltage of the burner. The particular voltage provided by rechargeable batteries, however, may vary and, in particular may decrease, as power is drawn therefrom, from an initial charge, which may result in a voltage that is higher than the particular rating, to a voltage that is substantially lower than the rating.
Because a burner may implement a number of functions that require electrical power (which may be implemented by the same or different components thereof), a drop in voltage of the battery to a level outside of a particular range may result in suboptimal burner operation conditions. Continued use of a diesel burner under such conditions may lead to malfunction of the burner or may damage the burner itself or other components of the associated equipment. Accordingly, a device that can help prevent diesel burner operation under a low-voltage condition may be desired.


Systems and methods are provided for dynamic configuration of interactive controls available on a dashboard. Interactive controls may be dynamically configured by manipulating network resource address information for a network resource that provides a dashboard, for example using query string parameters. For example, a dashboard that displays one type, source, or summary of information can be dynamically configured to allow interactive selection and display of another type, source, or summary of information depending on values passed in the network resource address information for the dashboard network resource.

Computing devices can utilize communication networks to exchange data. Companies and organizations operate computer networks that interconnect a number of computing devices to support operations or to provide services to third parties. Data centers may include a number of interconnected computing systems to provide computing resources to users of the data center. Dashboards are a type of graphical user interface which provide users with information or metrics, such as information about or resulting from operations performed within data centers, on customer premises, or the like.

Dynamic address-based dashboard customization


An image processor, a lighting processor, and a method therefore are provided. According to one aspect of the invention, the lighting processor can extract information related to defuse lighting applied to a real object using a colored image and a depth image of the real object. The lighting processor can recover the diffuse image for the real object using the extracted information related to diffuse lighting, and generate either a speculum image or a shadow image using the recovered diffuse image and the colored image.

With developments of three-dimensional (3D) graphics technology and related to hardware technology, contents for expressing an object realistically are being produced in various application fields, such as a 3D game, a 3D movie, a smart-phone, and the like. Since a rendering technique may be employed to express an object realistically, the rendering technique may require an accurate modeling of a geometry, material properties, and lighting.

Image processor, lighting processor and method therefor


A method and apparatus for extending a tenure of a process that owns a system process that has shared data or resources and also is requesting the owned system process. The ability to extend the tenure of the owning process allows the nesting of requests to the system process. By properly ordering how the requests are nested, deadlocks may be avoided. Additionally, by extending the tenure of a current process, some unnecessary changes in processor instructions and data may be avoided and processing efficiency increased.

The present invention relates to computer systems having multiple parallel processors, and more particularly to a method for a process requesting access to a second process that is currently owned by the requesting process to have its request extend the current tenure of the second process such that all of the requests of the current owning process are fulfilled before the second process is released.
In systems with multiple parallel processors, data and resources are typically shared by the various tasks being performed by the multiple processors. Since more than one processor may request the use of shared data or resources at a time, some method of operation must be provided to ensure data coherency, such that only the currently accessing processor may access and change the shared data. A similar method of operation must be provided to ensure the coherency of data provided to a shared resource and its software interface. For example, something must prevent two or more processors from outputting data from two different files to a shared printer at the same time. Otherwise, the page printed may have characters and words that are an unintelligible and incoherent admixture of the two data files.
A common way to ensure the coherency of shared data and shared resources in UNIX computer systems (UNIX is a registered trademark of UNIX Systems Laboratory Corporation) and computer systems with operating systems similar to UNIX is to provide a synchron-ization lock for the shared data or resource. The synchronization lock locks out access by any processor or process until the currently accessing process, referred to as the owner, has completed the access that is currently executing.
The capability to lock out all competing requests for the period of the required access is provided by a synchronization lock. This is accomplished by a portion of the process that accesses the shared data or resource first requesting ownership of the synchronization lock by means of a locking synchronization process, called a primitive, before actually accessing the shared data or resource. If the synchronization lock is not owned at the time, the requesting process is assigned ownership of the synchronization lock and the requesting and owning process accesses to the shared data or resource. After the access is completed, the requesting and owning process releases the shared data or resource by means of an unlocking synchronization primitive. Such operations are well known by those skilled in the use of the UNIX operating system.
A problem arises when the process which is the owner of the synchronization lock requests a further access to the shared process while the shared process is occupied with a current access from the owner. Such a situation, if the shared data or resource is essential to the further execution of the owning process, the owning process may hold the locked process or resource, on the one hand, while also waiting for the locked process or resource to be released, on the other hand. This leads to a deadlock condition where the requesting and owning process cannot progress any further, since it is both holding the lock and waiting for the locked process or resource to be released, if some type of deadlock prevention is not included.
Another problem that occurs when the owning process must make an additional access to the locked process or resource that is currently owned, is the problem of processing inefficiency. When an owning process must release a synchronous lock and a subsequent process acquires that synchronous lock considerable amount of processor time is consumed. When the subsequent processor releases the synchronous lock and it is re-acquired by the previous owner even more processor time is consumed. Furthermore, if one or both of the processors switch context while waiting to acquire ownership of the requested synchronization lock, even more processor time will be consumed. The processing time consumed is an inefficient use of the system's data processing capabilities and such consumption should be kept as low as possible.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a method for extending a tenure level of an owning process to a shared process or resource to prevent a deadlock condition and to decrease inefficiency.
It is another object of this invention to provide a method for incrementally releasing a tenure level that maintains lock ownership until all current requests of a current lock owner are fulfilled.

Method and apparatus for controlling a re-entrant synchronization lock tenure in a multiprocessor system


What is provided herein is a three-dimensional water disinfectant composition comprising the reaction product of a cross-linked, anti-microbial organosilicon quaternary ammonium salt and a macroporous cationic exchange resin. The cross-linked organosilicon quaternary ammonium salt suitably comprises about 2 to 60% by weight of the composition and the ion-exchange resin about 40 to 98% by weight of the composition. In a preferred form of the invention, the organosilicon compound constitutes about 20 to 40% by weight of the composition. Such compositions exhibit broad spectrum anti-bacteria activity including gram-negative activity, and are active algicidally in preventing the growth of algae in the water. The ion-exchange resin preferably is either a weak or strong cationic macroreticular ion-exchange resin. Methods of making such compositions also are described herein.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to anti- bacterial materials, and, more particularly, to three-dimensional solid systems suitable for disinfecting water and other liquids.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The preparation of demand-type broad-spectrum resin-polyiodide water disinfectants have been described in the prior art. Such triiodide-quaternary ammonium resin disinfectants have received primary consideration since the iodine is claimed to be tenaciously bound to the active sites of the resin and is released almost entirely on a demand action basis. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,817,860; 3,923,665 and 4,238,477.
Prior to the present invention, however, these disinfectant systems were limited in their anti-bacterial activity by the available triiodide contained therein. Furthermore such systems are not known to exhibit any algicidal activity while in use in water purification systems.
The prior art in this field was concentrated mainly in two areas. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,817,860 and 3,923,665 describes the use of commercially available strongly basic anion exchange resins whereby the chloride ion is exchanged for an I.sub.3.sup.- ion. The triiodide modified ion exchange resin functions as a disinfectant for bacteria containing water in the form of the column of the crosslinked polymer beads through which the water is passed.
The acidic cation exchange resins which are operable are Rohm & Haas macroreticular Amberlyst ion exchange resins e.g. Amberlyst 15, Amberlyst XN-1010, Amberlite 200, Amberlite 252, Duolite C-26, Duolite C291, Amberlite IRC-50, Amberlite IRC-72 and Amberlite PP1. Other manufacturers offer similar products. These resins all have ion exchange groups and are supplied in the salt form, usually as the sodium or hydrogen, and as porous granular or beads of various mesh sizes.
Conventional ion exchange resins are essentially homogeneous crosslinked gels where the pore structure is the distance between polymeric chains. This type of molecular porosity is considered as microporous of microreticular. Macroreticular resins, in contrast, contain significant nongel porosity in addition to the normal gel porosity.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,238,477 describes a process to prepare resin-polyiodide disinfecting materials in a controlled and homogeneous manner. This process consists of converting the X.sup.- anion to the iodide form (I.sup.-) followed by premeasuring an equivalent weight of iodine (I.sub.2) needed to prepare the poly-iodide of choice, usually (I.sub.3.sup.31) , dissolving the (I.sub.2) in water, and continuously circulating the solution until the conversion is complete.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,420,590 expanded on this technology in that strongly basic anion-exchange resins with anion counter-ions were replaced with controlled relative proportion of iodide-bromide polyhalides.
This invention differs significantly from the prior art in that the germicidal activity is due entirely to the very strongly bound silane quaternary to either a carboxylate or sulfonate anionic site on the ion exchange resin. All other germicidal contact ion exchange resins depended on the presence of a halide, interhalide or intrahalide electrostatically bound to the resin as the activity site for the destruction of bacteria.
Silane quaternaries bonded to water-insoluble substrates has been shown to kill various type of bacteria. The first published report of this phenomenon was by Walters, Abbot and Isquith, Applied Microbiology, Feb., 1973, pgs. 253-256. Subsequent U.S. patents by these investigators, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,730,701 and 3,794,736 disclosed suitable silane quaternaries operable as bound disinfecting contact germicides. A more recent U.S. Pat. No. 4,259,103, describes the overall procedure required to achieve such germicidal properties. More particularly, the process involves contacting a substrate, where ammonium, phosphonium or sulfonium cationic ions are present, with a silane quaternary having a hydrolyzable group attached to the silicon atom.
The prior art, however does not disclose or teach the preparation of an enhanced water disinfecting system by reacting a silane quaternary salt with a weak or strong cationic macroreticular ion exchange resin to form powerful and effective disinfecting systems.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved three-dimensional water contact disinfectant system which has a strong anti-bacterial effect with no leaching of any chemical substance.
Another object herein is to provide such a water disinfectant which has broad spectrum anti-bacterial activity including gram-positive, gram-negative and algicidal activity.
Still another object herein is to provide a three-dimensional water disinfectant which is a cross-linked organo-silicon quaternary ammonium salt attached to a macroreticular ion exchange resin.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide methods for preparing three dimensional water disinfecting system.


A sheet processing apparatus and methods of utilizing the same. The sheet processing apparatus includes a punch mechanism disposed along a media path at a punch point at which a hole is to be punched through a punch location on a media sheet advancing along the media path. The punch mechanism includes a rotatable punch arm having a punch head, and a punch motor for rotating the punch arm. As the punch location on the advancing media sheet approaches the punch point, speed of the punch motor is controlled to adjust a rotational speed of the punch arm based on feedback signals associated with each of the punch motor and a media path motor used to advance the media sheet such that the punch head arrives at the punch point at substantially the same time as when the punch location on the media sheet arrives at the punch point.

Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates generally to media sheet finishing apparatuses, and, more particularly, to a hole punch system for punching holes through a media sheet, and methods of utilizing the same.
Description of the Related Art
Sheet processing devices are used to perform further processing, such as stapling and punching, on media sheets that have undergone image formation. In recent years, imaging devices have been incorporated with finishers, which include hole punch and/or stapler mechanisms, post stage after image formation in order to apply finishing to imaged media sheets.
One known type of sheet punch mechanism creates holes in a sheet using a rotary punch. With this type of mechanism, holes are punched in the media sheet by advancing the media sheet along a media path while at the same time rotating a punch and a die in the same direction as the media sheet feed direction. Holes are punched through the sheet when both punch and die meet at a common point (the punch point) along the media path while the advanced media sheet is between the punch and die. Accordingly, holes can be punched through the media sheet without stopping the media sheet, allowing higher throughput.
In some existing rotary punch type mechanisms, stepper motors are used as punch motors to rotate both the punch and die because of the simple control configuration of stepper motors. More particularly, due to a stepper motor's nature of rotation by fractional increments or steps, it can be easily driven using open-loop control to provide positioning of the punch and die without requiring any feedback signal. That is, by knowing the speed of the media sheet and the expected time that a desired punch location on the media sheet will reach the punch point within the punch system, one can easily command the stepper motor to run a number of steps at a particular rotational speed that would cause the punch and die to also engage the punch point at the expected time of arrival of the punch location at the punch point.
Unfortunately, open-loop stepper motor control has several drawbacks such as when used in hole punch systems. In terms of cost, systems utilizing stepper motors are generally expensive. In terms of reliability, hole punch systems utilizing open-loop stepper motor control cannot compensate for any disturbance of or correct any error in the system. For example, punch systems have varying loads (e.g., different media types, speeds, etc.) and position and/or speed control of the stepper motor can be lost if a specific media type slows the rotational speed of the rotary punch from what is being commanded. Since open-loop motor control does not use sensors to determine actual speed or rotational position, the system cannot determine errors in punch speed and position and, thus, cannot perform compensations if any form of disturbance occurs. This often results in drift and incorrect hole positions which compromises hole quality. In order to ensure that the stepper motor would not stall over the range of the expected load, a torque margin is necessary which in turn results to more power consumption by the system. In another example, stepper motors operate at relatively low speeds and, typically, need to be parked at a home position occasionally (or after every punch) to set up the punch properly for the next hole. This prevents hole punching at high process speeds and affects flexibility in hole placement along the edge of the media for varying media sheet sizes. Moreover, if there are changes in the operating parameters of the imaging system, stepper motors may need to be re-qualified to ensure reliable operation with the new operating parameters.
It would be desirable to have a cost effective and reliable hole punch system that avoids the aforementioned drawbacks.

Motor control system and method for a rotary hole punch system


Provided are a method for reducing a nitrogen oxide in an exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine, a membrane module, an apparatus for reducing a nitrogen oxide from an internal combustion engine using the membrane module, and an internal combustion engine apparatus. A method for reducing a nitrogen oxide in an exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine, the method comprising: a step of bringing pressurized air into contact with one surface of a steam permeable membrane (11), and allowing water to flow along the other surface of the steam permeable membrane (11) to moisturize the pressurized air; and a step of introducing the moisturized air into the internal combustion engine.

Internal combustion engines such as diesel engines are widely used in a variety of fields for high combustion efficiency and a small amount of carbon dioxide to be produced. Unfortunately, the exhaust gas from those internal combustion engines includes nitrogen oxides (hereinafter, referred to as NOx.). NOx emission has been regulated more severely because of increasing environmental concerns these days. For this reason, development of techniques of removing NOx with high efficiency and at low cost has been demanded, and NOx reduction has been examined in various respects (see Non Patent Documents 1 and 2).
Specific examples of the techniques of removing NOx include a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technique that selectively reduces NOx in the exhaust gas from a diesel engine by a catalyst. The SCR technique, however, needs chemicals such as urea and ammonia for reduction of NOx, and has problems such as management of the chemicals and expensive cost. Additionally, in the case where the exhaust gas has a high NOx concentration of hundreds to thousands ppm, an apparatus as large as the diesel engine body is necessary.
Another example proposes that the feed air having water sprayed thereto is fed to an internal combustion engine to reduce NOx (see Patent Document 1). Moreover, a method for adding water to a fuel and feeding the resulting fuel as a W/O (Water/Oil) emulsion to an engine or the like is also proposed.
Further, a method for reducing NOx using a membrane is proposed. For example, Patent Document 2 describes reduction of NOx in which using an oxygen selectively permeable membrane, a concentration of nitrogen in the air is enriched, and the nitrogen-enriched air is fed to an internal combustion engine. Patent Document 3 describes reduction of NOx in which using a steam permeable membrane, steam is permeated from the discharge air, and the permeated steam is fed to feed air.

Method for reducing nitrogen oxide from internal combustion engine and apparatus therefor


In an embodiment, a method of making a heat sink assembly can include: forming a heat sink assembly comprising a polymer heat sink around a metal insert, the polymer heat sink comprising a thermally conductive polymer material, wherein the heat sink assembly has a contact pressure between the polymer heat sink and the metal insert; and increasing the contact pressure. In an embodiment, a method of making a heat sink assembly includes: heating a mold and subsequently introducing a metal insert to the mold, wherein the metal insert has an insert temperature of 30° C. to 70° C. when it is inserted into the mold; closing the mold; and in less than or equal to 10 seconds of closing the mold, over-molding the metal insert with a thermally conductive polymer material to form a heat sink assembly.

Disclosed herein are methods of making a heat sink assembly and articles made therefrom.
Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are currently used as replacements for incandescent light bulbs and fluorescent lamps. LEDs are semiconductor devices that emit incoherent narrow-spectrum light when electrically biased in the forward direction of their PN junctions, and are thus referred to as solid-state lighting devices. In an LED light device, the core is a LED chip mounted on a substrate. A transparent top covering the LED chip serves as a lens for modifying the direction of the emitted light.
The high power LED light devices produce considerable amount of heat, which may cause performance degradation or even damage if the heat is not efficiently removed from the LED chips. Thus, in such LED light devices, thermal management is of great importance as a high temperature of the LED can adversely impact the efficiency, as well as the longevity of the device, if sufficient heat is not dissipated away from the chip.
Metals have traditionally been used for heat sink applications in LED housings, due to their effective thermal conductivity and thus ability to dissipate heat away from the LED chip. However, given the need for electrical isolation, design flexibility, part integration, and lighter weight devices, alternatives to metals are continually being sought.

Method of making a heat sink assembly, heat sink assemblies made therefrom, and illumants using the heat sink assembly


A method is provided for cleaning a toilet bowl and dissolving mineral deposits in the holes under the rim of the toilet which includes the steps of (a) flushing the toilet to empty the tank and to initiate the flow of refill water into the tank; (b) holding down the flush handle to cause the refill water to continuously flow out of the tank and into the toilet bowl; (c) plugging the drain to cause the water level in the bowl to rise towards the rim; (d) releasing the flush handle when the water in the bowl rises to a height proximate to the top of the bowl to prevent the flow of additional refill water into the bowl; (e) adding to the water in the bowl a cleaning agent to cleanse the bowl, including the area of the bowl under the rim; and (f) unplugging the drain and flushing the toilet to rinse the cleaning agent and water mixture from the bowl. The drain can be plugged with a drain stopper which includes a flexible disc swivably attached to a handle by a hinge. In embodiments where the hinge is attached to the disc slightly removed from the geometric center of the disc, the disc will tend to gravitate into a parallel relationship with the handle so that the disc can be conveniently stored in a storage device which also houses the scrubbing tool.

Cleaning a toilet bowl is generally a difficult and unappealing task. Many of the stains and grime which build up in a toilet bowl are difficult to remove, and most people are reluctant to get their hands down into the toilet bowl. The job is complicated by the fact that the lower half of the bowl is under water.
To get around many of these problems, it has become common to clean a toilet bowl by adding some sort of cleaning agent to the toilet bowl water, allowing the cleaning agent and water mixture to stand for a period of time and then scrubbing the toilet bowl with some sort of brush or scrubbing pad.
Unfortunately, this method cannot be applied to that portion of the toilet bowl above the level of the water. Accordingly, it is still necessary to clean this portion of the bowl by hand.
Cleaning under the upper edge of the bowl is especially difficult because stains and grime in this area cannot be seen without a mirror and because the circular configuration of the rim makes scrubbing an awkward activity. If this area is not regularly cleaned, however, germs and bacteria will accumulate. This may become a health hazard and/or a source of undesirable odors. Also, if this area is not cleaned regularly, the flushing holes, essential for the efficient operation of the toilet, may become obstructed by mineral deposits.
There have been a couple of suggestions in the prior art for methods to fill the bowl with water during the cleaning operation to allow for a prolonged soaking of the upper portions of the bowl with a cleaning agent. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,480,021 (issued to Ewald, Jr., Jan. 18, 1968) teaches the use of a bulb-like stopper on a handle. The stopper is used to plug the drain of the toilet to allow the water within the bowl to rise. The handle has a small overflow port which purportedly keeps the bowl from overflowing during flushing. Also, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,839,744 (issued to Ziegelmeyer, et al., Oct. 8, 1974) teaches a similar method for causing the water in the toilet bowl to rise. Ziegelmeyer, et al., teach the use of a disc-like stopper on a handle to plug the toilet bowl drain. The handle provides an overflow device for preventing water in the bowl from overflowing during flushing.
Neither of these methods has been found to be fully satisfactory, however. Both methods require careful adjustments of the overflow device to attain the desired water elevation. Both methods also rely on the hollow handle of the tool to carry away excess water to prevent the bowl from overflowing, but in neither case is the handle sized sufficiently large to carry away the tremendous amount of water which would rush into the toilet during a flushing operation. Furthermore, the Ziegelmeyer, et al. method does not provide a method for cleaning under the rim of the toilet.
Accordingly, there is a need for a better method of cleaning a toilet bowl, especially for cleaning under the rim of a toilet bowl. The method should be inexpensive and simple to apply without posing any significant danger of overflowing the toilet bowl.


A thin film transistor array panel includes: a gate electrode disposed on a substrate, an insulating layer disposed on the gate electrode, an oxide semiconductor disposed on the gate insulating layer, source electrode overlapping a portion of the oxide semiconductor, a drain electrode overlapping another portion of the oxide semiconductor; and a buffer layer disposed between the oxide semiconductor and the source electrode and between the oxide semiconductor and the drain electrode. The buffer layer comprises tin as a doping material. A weight percent of the doping material is greater than approximately 0% and less than or equal to approximately 20%.

1. Field
Exemplary embodiments relate to display technology, and, more particularly, to a thin film transistor array panel and a manufacturing method thereof.
2. Discussion
Conventional liquid crystal displays typically include two display panels with electrodes and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the two display panels. In this manner, voltage may be applied to the electrodes to rearrange the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer to control the amount of transmitted light through the liquid crystal layer to facilitate the display of images.
A thin film transistor (TFT) array panel is typically utilized as one of two array panels utilized in a liquid crystal display. To this end, the TFT array panel may be used as a circuit board to independently drive each pixel in the liquid crystal display. It is noted that TFT array panels may be used in association with various flat panel displays, such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs), organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays, plasma displays (PDs), electroluminescent (EL) displays, electrophoretic displays (EPDs), electrowetting displays (EWDs), and the like.
Typical TFT array panels usually have scanning signal lines (or gate lines) to transfer scanning signals, and image signal lines (or data lines) to transfer image signals. To this end, conventional TFT array panels usually include thin film transistors connected to the gate lines and the data lines, pixel electrodes connected to the thin film transistors, a gate insulating layer covering and insulating the gate lines, and an interlayer insulating layer covering and insulating the thin film transistors and the data lines.
When used in association with flat panel displays, a TFT array panel may include a plurality of TFTs, which may include various different types of semiconductor materials. For instance, when an oxide semiconductor is used as a semiconductor material included in a TFT, metallic components of a metal layer, including a source electrode and a drain electrode, may spread to the oxide semiconductor layer. In this manner, a channel layer formed by the oxide semiconductor layer may be degraded. To prevent the degradation of the channel layer, a buffer layer including an oxide may be formed below the metal layer including the source electrode and the drain electrode. However, when the metal layer including the source electrode and the drain electrode, and the buffer layer disposed therebelow are formed, a difference in etching rates may occur with respect to an etching solution and the various aforementioned components. When an etching rate of the buffer layer is high, the buffer layer below the source electrode and the drain electrode may be over-etched. When the buffer layer is over-etched, the source electrode and the drain electrode may be electrically floated. To this end, the thin film transistor may be degraded.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention, and, therefore, it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Thin film transistor array panel and manufacturing method thereof


In certain embodiments, a thermal barrier can be removably attached to portals such as trailer doors, partitions, bulkheads, and the like. In one embodiment, a flexible thermal barrier having an associated flexible seal is attached to an interior surface of a roll-up trailer door in a refrigerated trailer to insulate the cargo area from the ambient air. In other embodiments, seals mounted to the trailer wall cooperate with an insulating blanket disposed on a portal such as a roll-up door. In still other embodiments, wall mounted seals are used alone, without a blanket, to provide peripheral thermal sealing.

Perishable items such as produce and meat are often transported in refrigerated trailers, railcars, or ocean-going containers that can in turn be transported on ships, trains or trucks. Such cargo transport devices are typically equipped with a refrigeration unit which conditions the air inside the cargo space, thereby maintaining desired temperatures and humidities during transportation or storage.
Refrigerated trailers, railcars and containers can be configured so as to enclose a single, large cargo space. Their refrigeration units will accordingly maintain the entire cargo space at the same temperature and humidity unless the cargo area is somehow divided. However, when the perishable cargo does not fill the entire trailer, cooling the entire cargo area is unnecessary and costly. It causes unnecessary strain and wear on the refrigeration unit, increases fuel consumption, raises transportation costs, and lengthens the time necessary to cool the perishable cargo after any temperature aberration.
Movable partitions and bulkheads having a specialized construction which permit the cargo space of trailers, rail cars, and containers to be readily divided into sections of varying sizes are available. These bulkheads and partitions have been used on a widespread basis for separating cargo to permit multi-temperature transport. The structure and configuration of partition and bulkhead systems differ somewhat depending on whether they are being deployed in a trailer, railcar, or container.
In many applications, the cargo area adjacent the access door is kept at controlled temperature. Oftentimes such a cargo area extends from a roll-up trailer door to a bulkhead or partition wall which in turns defines another cargo area which is controlled to be at a different temperature and/or humidity. If the access door is not substantially sealed, conditioned air and/or ambient air may pass through the portal, increasing fuel consumption and causing undue strain and wear on the climate control system. In many instances, the climate control system may not be able to maintain the cargo area at the desired temperature, which in turn causes damage to or destruction of temperature sensitive cargo such as food products.
The leakage of conditioned and/or ambient air may be particularly pronounced in trailers having roll-up doors that have a construction similar to household garage doors. Roll-up doors tend to move up and down during transport, causing the associated seals to move away from their intended positions and creating gaps around the periphery of the door. Moreover, the seams between the panels of the roll-up door can also permit significant exchange of conditioned and ambient air.
However, similar problems exist with virtually any type of portal providing ingress or egress from a conditioned cargo area. Swing-type doors often have inferior insulating properties and peripheral seals. The performance of bulkheads, partitions, and any associated access doors can also be improved by improved thermal insulation and/or peripheral sealing.

Thermal barriers and seals for climate controlled transportation


Embodiments are directed to providing a simulation of a type-level construct on an interface instance and to maintaining a token-based event handling system. In one scenario, a computer system instantiates an interface instance that includes an instance object and multiple instance members. The computer system also instantiates a separate typed object which is configured to maintain one or more simulated type-level parameterized constructors. The computer system then associates the instantiated interface instance with the separate typed object. The typed object routes method invocations from the interface instance to various simulated type-level parameterized constructors and static members of the type.

Computers have become highly integrated in the workforce, in the home, in mobile devices, and many other places. Computers can process massive amounts of information quickly and efficiently. Software applications designed to run on computer systems allow users to perform a wide variety of functions including business applications, schoolwork, entertainment and more. Software applications are often designed to perform specific tasks, such as word processor applications for drafting documents, or email programs for sending, receiving and organizing email.
These software applications are typically designed and created using an integrated development environment (IDE). The IDE allows the developer access to different elements and constructs that facilitate the creation of a software program. Different IDEs may allow the use of different programming languages. For instance, some IDEs are more suited to object-oriented software development. These IDEs may have editors, compilers, debuggers, class browsers, object inspectors and other tools that allow a developer to control and develop each aspect of an application. In some cases, object-oriented IDEs allow developers to construct objects by providing parameter information as well as allow using static members with certain types.

Simulation of static members and parameterized constructors on an interface-based API


A method of making an elastic composite is provided. The method entails conveying a first web of material along a web plane path. The method also entails applying a first section of a first elastic strand onto the first web and generally transversely to the web plane path and applying a second section of a second elastic strand onto the first web and generally transversely to the web plane path. These applying steps are repeated while performing the conveying step, thereby arranging a plurality of first and second elastic elements on the first web, in generally parallel relation to one another. The resultant composite is suitable for incorporation into a disposable absorbent garment, textile or fabric structure, and the like.

The present invention relates generally to elastic composites. More particularly, the present invention relates to an elastic composite that can be employed in one or more areas of a garment, other textile or fabric structures, similar material structures, and the like. The present invention also relates to a system and method of making the elastic composite and a garment, other textile or fabric structures, and the like, employing the elastic component. The elastic composite and the system and method for making the elastic composite are particularly suited for use with or on disposable absorbent garments or articles such as baby diapers and training pants. To illustrate the invention, exemplary and preferred embodiments described in the context of disposable absorbent garments.
Disposable absorbent garments contemplated by the invention include disposable diapers, disposable pull-on garments, and the like. These garments are worn about the lower torso or waist of the user so as to receive and contain urine and other bodily wastes. The benefits provided by the use of a disposable diaper on an infant are well known and its use has become widespread in the past several decades. Disposable pull-on garments include training pants, pull-on diapers, disposable underwear, and adult incontinence garments. It is generally expected that the user of any one of these garments will be able to put on and take off the garment on his/her own. As for training pants, these garments are used by young children to facilitate the child's transition from using diapers to wearing regular underpants (i.e., during toilet training). Training pants (and other disposable pull-on pants) have closed sides such that the user or caregiver raises the garment about the user's legs to put it on and slips the garment downward about the user's legs to take it off.
The principal elements of a typical disposable absorbent garment include a liquid permeable inner layer (or topsheet), a liquid impermeable outer layer (or backsheet), and an absorbent core sandwiched between the inner and outer layers. Elastic members may be incorporated into different parts of the garment. For example, elastic members may be positioned longitudinally along a diaper, generally outboard of the absorbent core to effect a seal around the buttocks, legs, or both of the users. In addition, several elastic members (e.g., in the form of elongated elastic threads or strands) may be positioned laterally throughout the waist regions (including the side waist regions) of a disposable absorbent garment. The resulting elastication allows the garment to stretch when it is put on and then during wear. In this way, the garment can stretch to accommodate variations in waist size and leg size of the user, while fitting snugly about the waist and legs.
When elastic members are incorporated into a part or area of the garment, that part or area typically becomes a distinct, functional component of the garment. These elastic components include the side panels or ear portions, the waistband, and fastening tabs. The elastic components to which the present invention is directed is generally elongated, and may be a distinct portion of a larger, unitary piece, or a separate, attachable component. Furthermore, the elastic component typically contains one or more sections or layers in addition to the elastic members. In this regard, such an elastic component may be referred to as an elastic composite.
These elastic composites are typically functional components that have an important impact on the fit and sealability of the garment. Due in part to its multi-component construction, these elastic composites typically require a dedicated sub-process for manufacture which must be accommodated by the larger garment manufacturing process. Alternatively, the elastic composite may be manufactured independently and fed into the larger process as a complete product. The design and construction of the elastic composite represents, therefore, a significant portion of the cost of manufacturing a disposable absorbent garment, as well as the quality and utility of the finished product.
It is, therefore, desirable to provide a functionally and/or an aesthetically improved elastic composite and an improved method of making the elastic composite and also system therefor.

Elastic composite, and a system and method for making the elastic composite


A radially expandable device particularly adaptable for use as an endoprothesis is described along with a method of fabrication. The method begins by obtaining a number of individual, separate generally circular hoops by a number of ways, such as cutting a length of wire, forming it into a generally circular loop, and attaching the ends together. In another aspect of this method of fabrication, the individual, separate generally circular hoops are obtained by cutting the needed number from a tubing. Thereafter, a wave-like pattern is formed in each hoop, with a die, in a direction transverse the axis of the wire, creating a predetermined number of rings and attaching them at the crest point to form a stent that can be compressed for inserting into a lumen where it can be expanded to provided a needed support.

1. Field of the Invention.
The present invention, generally, relates to a device that is useful for endoprosthesis purposes and is commonly identified as a stent, and more particularly, it relates to a new and improved method of fabricating a stent.
A stent is particularly useful in the medical field of angioplasty involving the reconstruction of vessels that carry blood in both humans and animals. The stent is used to maintain such blood vessels, structurally, in a clear and open condition.
2. State of the Art.
The methods used today to fabricate stents are difficult to perform, are difficult to form stents with consistent structural torsional and radial stiffness and involve high costs. They are formed of tantalum or stainless steel in complex configurations that can produce a work-hardened crystallization in the metal.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,370,683 to Fontaine describes a stent formed of a single filament wrapped around a mandril with a series of U-shaped bends.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,304,200 to Spaulding describes a method of making stents involving winding an elongated strand forming a helix like structure with the ends welded to an adjacent section.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,217,483 to Tower describes a stent arranged to have U-shaped sections formed in a continuous wire with two ends and with the ends attached together to prevent axial expansion.
For a stent to achieve maximum usefulness, it must be flexible in a bending mode during insertion, and it must exhibit stiffness in both torsional and radial modes in order to provide support. To fabricate stents today, wire is fed continuously from a spool and is formed into a generally sinusoidal configuration.
Then, the wire in this sinusoidal configuration is wound around a mandrel in order to produce a helical arrangement. Next, the crests and troughs in this helical arrangement are pressed together so that they touch at this point, and they are welded to provide the required supporting structure.
The stents today are formed into the required configuration to permit a high level of plastic deformation to be achieved during their use. However, the bending and other deformations of the wire followed by the heating and cooling encountered during the welding produces a condition within the metal wire known as work hardening, which lessens much of the wire's ability to provide support in use.
During use, a stent is in a compressed condition, first. Then, a deflated angioplasty balloon is fed inside the compressed stent. This assembly is inserted into a patient's blood vessel, usually an artery, and moved into position. The balloon is inflated to enlarge the stent to a desired diameter, after which the balloon is removed.
The stent within an artery, or within any other type of vessel, is exposed to repetitive flexing as a part of a circulatory system, both from the systolic and the diastolic variations in blood pressure and from variations in movement of a body. Such loading and unloading of a metallic article can produce further work-hardening of the metal, causing premature failure of support.
Methods of fabrication of stents in the past have produced an aspect of this work-hardening caused by the crystallization within the metallic wire, from the heating and cooling cycles during the prior fabrication processes. Moreover, a stent fabrication method is needed that permits more consistency in stiffness.

International Business Machines Corporation