An exhaust gas treatment system includes a particulate filter to collect particulate matter from exhaust gas flowing therethrough. The particulate filter realizes a pressure thereacross in response to the exhaust gas flow. A delta pressure sensor determines a first pressure upstream from the particulate filter and a second pressure downstream from the particulate filter. A delta pressure module is in electrical communication with the delta pressure sensor. The delta pressure module determines a pressure differential value based on a difference between the first pressure and the second pressure and generates a diagnostic signal based on a plurality of the pressure differential values and a predetermined time period.

Exhaust gas emitted from an internal combustion engine, particularly a direct injection diesel engine, is a heterogeneous mixture that contains gaseous emissions such as, but not limited to, carbon monoxide ("CO"), unburned hydrocarbons ("HC") and oxides of nitrogen ("NOx") as well as particulate matter ("PM") comprising condensed phase materials (liquids and solids).
Typical exhaust gas treatment systems include a particular filter ("PF"), such as a diesel particulate filter, to collect the particulate matter from the exhaust gas. A pressure sensor may also be included in the exhaust gas treatment system to detect the pressure associated with the PF. The pressure detected by the pressure sensor varies according to accumulation of PM in the PF and/or a damaged PF. In addition, the exhaust gas flow rate of the exhaust gas may vary the pressure detected by the pressure sensor. However, normal operating conditions of the vehicle, such as sudden accelerator pedal manipulation, may also vary the exhaust gas flow rate. Therefore, monitoring the instantaneous pressure associated with the PF may not accurately distinguish a faulty PF from normal operating conditions of the vehicle.

Enhanced diagnostic signal to detect pressure condition of a particulate filter


An encryption key distribution method capable of performing fast roaming by differentially distributing encryption keys in advance, according to access authorization classes, in a wireless access network and a roaming method using distributed encryption keys are provided. The encryption key distribution method comprises: receiving a command to communicate with an access point not available for communication using an encryption key currently selected in the encryption key set; determining access authorization of the access point not available for communications; selecting an encryption key from the encryption key set obtained in advance corresponding to the determined access authorization; and using the selected encryption key to encrypt a transmission message and communicate with the access point not available for communication. The method reduces the delay time, which is caused by encryption key distribution while a wireless terminal is traveling, such that roaming and a hand-off are carried out quickly and safely, and user convenience and safe transmission of data are achieved.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for distributing encryption keys in a wireless network, and more particularly, to an encryption key distribution method capable of performing fast roaming by differentially distributing encryption keys in advance, according to access authorization classes in a wireless access network and a roaming method using distributed encryption keys.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a wireless network, to guarantee confidentiality of data and user authentication, data is encrypted prior to transmission. For encryption, an encryption key is needed. At present, an encryption key is shared between a wireless station (STA) and an access point (AP) in advance of access.
However, the number of wireless local area network (LAN) users is continuously increasing. But the time required for exchanging encryption keys during roaming or a hand-off is too long. This is due primarily to the method of sharing encryption keys at the roaming time. Accordingly, when the mobile characteristic of the wireless LAN is considered, the existing encryption key exchange method causes inconvenience to users.
Therefore, it is desirable that the delay time caused by exchanging encryption keys during roaming or hand-off is minimized. To this end, it is desirable that encryption keys are differentiated according to access authorization classes based on the attributes of users.
In a wireless access network, in order to perform encryption in a wireless link, STAs share encryption keys with APs. When a STA is roaming between APs or a hand-off occurs, the STA initiates a process for obtaining from the APs a shared key used for encryption. At this time, the biggest problem against fast secure roaming of the STA is the delay time caused by exchanging encryption keys.
In the prior art, in a wireless network formed of a wide area network (WAN), LANs, APs, and STAs, all STAs connected to one AP use an identical encryption key. Accordingly, when a STA is trying to access another AP included in the same LAN or another LAN the STA should use another encryption key. Also, whenever there is roaming or a hand-off, the STA should receive another corresponding encryption key.
Accordingly, in existing methods, whenever an STA is roaming or there is a hand-off between APs, the STA must initiate the process of obtaining from the AP an encryption key. Therefore, it is difficult to perform fast secure roaming when an STA is in motion.

Method using access authorization differentiation in wireless access network and secure roaming method thereof


Mechanisms are provided for instigating the sending of an acknowledgement response from a host system. A buffer of a data processing system is monitored to determine if there is a data transfer pending in the buffer. In response to a determination that there are no data transfers pending in the buffer, a determination is made as to whether there is an outstanding data transfer, on a corresponding network connection with the host system, for which an acknowledgement response has not been received from the host system. In response to a determination that there is an outstanding data transfer for which an acknowledgement response has not been received, an acknowledgement instigation message is sent to the host system to instigate the host system sending an acknowledgement response for the outstanding data transfer.

The present application relates generally to an improved data processing apparatus and method and more specifically to mechanisms for providing zero copy data transfers without modifying host side protocol stack parameters.
Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI) is an Internet Protocol (IP)-based storage networking standard for linking data storage facilities. By carrying SCSI commands over IP networks, iSCSI is used to facilitate data transfers over intranets and to manage storage over long distances. iSCSI can be used to transmit data over local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), or the Internet and can enable location-independent data storage and retrieval. The protocol allows clients (called initiators) to send SCSI commands, as command descriptor blocks (CDBs), to SCSI storage devices (targets) on remote servers. It is a storage area network (SAN) protocol, allowing organizations to consolidate storage into data center storage arrays while providing hosts (such as database and web servers) with the illusion of locally-attached disks.
Software implementations of the iSCSI protocol stack are layered on top of the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)/IP implementation of the operating system within a storage controller. This means that each iSCSI packet is copied to TCP buffers before it can be transmitted over the network connection by the TCP/IP protocol stack. This copying to the TCP buffer for sending of the iSCSI packet over the network connection is done by the sendmsg( ) interface provided by the TCP. This copy operation is expensive in terms of processor utilization and thus, hinders full bandwidth and input/output processor utilization on high speed interconnects.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Zero copy data transfers without modifying host side protocol stack parameters

International Business Machines Corporation


A double-sided adhesive tape dispenser available for diverse width includes a main body and a winding mechanism installed inside the main body. The winding mechanism has a driving gear and a recycling gear fitted with a recycling wheel. The driving gear and the recycling gear are respectively mounted with a first adjusting member and a second adjusting member that have a certain height. A tape disk is fitted on the first adjusting member. With or without the first adjusting member and the second adjusting member, adhesive tapes with diverse widths can be applied by the adhesive tape dispenser of the invention without using an additional conventional adhesive tape dispenser.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a double-sided adhesive tape dispenser available for diverse widths.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional tape appliance includes a shell 1, a hood 2 covered on the shell 1, a first fixing shaft 3 and a second fixing shaft 4 respectively mounted with a driving gear 5 and a recycling gear 6 engaging with each other. In addition, a tape disk 7 is pivotally positioned on the driving gear 5 and a recycling wheel 8 is pivotally set on the recycling gear 6. Positioned at the front of the shell 1 is a tape-dispensing base 9 used to move the tape placed on the tape disk 7 so that a separable paper is then wound around the recycling wheel 8.
While the conventional adhesive tape dispenser can be operated to keep an object adhered with the adhesive tape to fix it, it can only be restrictively installed with a certain width of the tape coil 7, unavailable for tapes of different widths unless using another adhesive tape dispenser. So, it is very inconvenient for a user; moreover, it steps up cost, too.

Double-sided adhesive tape dispenser available for diverse widths


In a picture image processing method, a correction gradation conversion table is created in order to correct the color balance. Next, a basic negative gradation conversion table (NegaTable1) and the correction gradation conversion table are merged into a look-up table and a new gradation conversion table is created. A main scan is then performed. The method accomplishes negative-positive conversion so that the color balance is not destroyed.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a picture image processing method which processes a picture image of an original medium that has been optically input.
2. Description of Related Art
A picture image input apparatus (e.g., a scanner) optically inputs and photoelectrically converts a picture image of an original medium, and outputs this picture image as electronic data. In this kind of scanner, when the picture image of an original medium is input, a lookup table is necessary in order to reproduce the object image. This look-up table is, for example, one in which a table used to correct variances characteristic of the apparatus and a table used for picture image adjustment according to commands from the user are merged.
In the picture image input of a negative original medium (negative film), which is a transmissive original medium, the negative gradation conversion table used to convert the negative to a positive is also merged into the look-up table. The negative film has light and dark gradation or coloration opposite that of the object.
Furthermore, in the picture image input of a negative film, it is necessary to perform a prescan in order to create this negative gradation conversion table. This prescan performs the same actions as the normal scan during picture image input, with the exception of using a default look-up table to create a look-up table.
This negative gradation conversion table creation is started, for example, by commands from a host computer to which the scanner is connected.
First, the scanner receives from the host computer the resolution, the picture image input range and the data in the look-up table into which the negative gradation conversion table of linear properties which is the basis is merged. The scanner, upon receiving from the host computer a command to start scanning, then starts the prescan.
Next, the scanner creates a histogram of the brightness of the input picture image and the frequency thereof from the picture image data input through the prescan.
A shadow point used to match the white point is found from this histogram. The white point is the location where the value of the output of the negative gradation conversion table is a maximum. In addition, the shadow point is the darkest location on the negative film, and is the brightest location in the original object. That is to say, the white point is the brightest location in the original object, and is the point which should be the brightest location in the data from the negative-to-positive conversion of the picture image which was input.
The negative gradation conversion table shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B is created using the shadow points and highlight points found as described above. FIG. 5A shows the basic negative gradation conversion table which is the basis of the initial state when picture image input of the negative film is accomplished. In addition, FIG. 5B shows the negative gradation conversion table transformed by the results of the above-described prescan.
If n is the number of bits in the negative gradation conversion table, the negative gradation conversion table has an output value that is an integer in the range from 0 to N for an input value in the range from 0 to N, where N=2.sup.n -1.
In the basic negative gradation conversion table shown in FIG. 5A, the data which is obtained by photographing a gray scale with a commonly known change in density using a predetermined negative film and inputting this into the scanner is set so as to reproduce the density change of the original gray scale.
Accordingly, this basic negative gradation conversion table is one which provides an output value "out" for a given input value "in", and can be approximately defined as shown in equation (1) below. EQU out=f(in) (1)
Here, f(0)=N, and in addition, f(N)=0.
By performing white point matching for each of RGB following this basic negative gradation conversion table, equation (2) below results. EQU out=f(in)=N, (0.ltoreq.in <S) EQU out=f((in-S.sub.R).multidot.N/(N-S.sub.R)) EQU out=f((in-S.sub.G).multidot.N/(N-S.sub.G)) EQU out=f((in-S.sub.B).multidot.N/(N-S.sub.B)), (S.ltoreq.in<N)(2)
As shown in FIG. 5B, the negative gradation conversion tables 51, 52 and 53 having S.sub.R, S.sub.G, and S.sub.B as the shadow points result. In FIG. 5B, H is the highlight point. The highlight point is the brightest location on the negative film, but is the darkest location in the original object.
In the scanner, the negative gradation conversion table obtained in this manner is merged with the look-up table, and the picture image data input through the actual picture image input is converted using this and is transferred to the host computer.
However, when the shadow point of the negative gradation conversion table is caused to coincide with the white point of the negative film as described above, the gradient of the negative gradation conversion table becomes more steep the higher the value of the shadow point.
For example, as shown in FIG. 5B, the shadow point S.sub.G of G is a higher value than the shadow point S.sub.R of R. Consequently, the negative gradation conversion table 52 has a steeper gradient than the negative gradation conversion table 51.
When the negative-positive conversion is accomplished using the negative gradation conversion tables, the post-conversion value becomes lower than the shadow point the higher the pre-conversion value.
Consequently, the brightness under the conversion by the negative gradation conversion table 52 having a steep gradient falls more severely than the brightness under the conversion with the negative gradation conversion table 51.
As a result, white is reproduced as white, but the brightness of G is lower than that of R and B in gray regions farther from white, so that the problem arises that the picture image which has been converted has a purplish red hue.


A composition for forming a protective layer on a substrate comprises a plurality of silicas having different particle size ranges, and a curable resin. The substrate may be a building substrate such as a floor or wall concrete, blocks or bricks. The silica is typically white or colorless crystalline compound, SiO2, occurring abundantly as quartz, sand, flint, agate, and many other minerals used to manufacture a wide variety of materials, especially glass and concrete.

Any references to methods, apparatus or documents of the prior art are not to be taken as constituting any evidence or admission that they formed, or form part of the common general knowledge.
Compositions, and particularly fluid compositions that can be applied over a surface and then hardened (for instance by curing) are known. These compositions are particularly useful to protect a floor.
Flooring materials must withstand the wear and tear of human inhabitants and protect the building structure from damage caused by water, humidity and habitation.
As flooring surface materials may be used over large exposed areas it is important that they contain no environmentally dangerous substances which may either contaminate local environments when in external use, or emit unhealthy gases or dangerous dust particles into internal living spaces. They should also be chemically and physically inert and stable during the entire lifespan of the building.
To meet the contemporary demands of architects and home owners it is preferable that a floor surfacing system be aesthetically beautiful, hardwearing, non-porous, seamless, maintenance free, and capable of enduring changes in both use and climatic conditions for the life of the building without deteriorating. Flooring products should also be capable of formulation with a variety of appearances, allowing design flexibility to meet individual décor requirements of building designers and to achieve a long aesthetic life.
Optimally flooring surfaces should be scratch, slip, stain, abrasion and impact resistant, physically stable and chemically inert.
Historically, cement, concrete, slate, stone, ceramic tiles, plastic products, solid wood and plant based building boards have all been used for this purpose as specific flooring products, Flooring can broadly categorised as modular and non-modular.
Non modular methods used to achieve these criteria in the past include compacted earth, lime, terrazzo, polished concrete, resin based topcoats and 2 part epoxy coatings. All of these surfaces have the advantage of not requiring an adhesive layer to bond to the floor but their major negative attribute is that they all are subject to deterioration without appropriate maintenance and sealing applications.
The consequences of poor maintenance may be a reduced surface gloss with epoxies, or liberation of silica dust from polished concrete or complete failure of compacted earth. Application of these products may also dictate that over time cracks may appear within the surfaces which are not complimentary to the finished product.
Modular methods include ceramic, segmented concrete and natural stone surfaces. These require joints to facilitate expansion and contraction. This requires a skilled approach to laying and necessitates grouting joints between sections and the application of specialised adhesive products or mortars to ensure long life. The functionality of ceramic tiles and natural stone varies greatly with variability of porosity and surface finish dictating the final stain and slip resistance.
It is known to provide resin based topcoats where polymeric resin is mixed with marble and other aggregates to provide a decorative flooring surface which is polished flat, then sealed. These products have limited durability due to the softer aggregates used, limited functionality due to the sealing process ongoing maintenance requirements and easily develop integral cracks in areas of nonstandard dimensions.
It is also known to use polished concrete to achieve a seamless surface allowing for the design of large surface areas without the need for segmented joints. The natural shrinkage of concrete as it cures means that with time concrete develops a network of surface cracks which detract from the unified surface which is initially attractive. Polished concrete is also dependent upon surface sealant products and maintenance procedures which are critical to the ongoing functionality of the surface.
Other disadvantages with existing surface coating compositions is the lack of                porosity/stain resistance,        hardness/scratch resistance,        seamless application,        aesthetic appeal/design diversity,        slip resistance/level of polish,        customisability/individual application,        mechanical/flexural qualities,and the high maintenance of such surfaces.
Further disadvantages with many existing techniques is that sealing is often needed due to the porous nature of the existing composite material. Standard segmented flooring products such as ceramic tile and natural stone require specialised bonding adhesive and grouts to fill necessary gaps between segments after installation.
Further disadvantages with many existing techniques is that it is not possible to cast in-situ into existing buildings over existing substrates, it is not possible to surface areas seamlessly over different levels and over concrete joints, and it is not possible to cast large areas without batch variations inherent in many manufactured flooring products.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a composition and/or method and/or apparatus which may overcome at least some of the abovementioned disadvantages or provide a useful or commercial choice,

Surface composition and method of application thereof


A method is provided for potentiating the release and collection of cholesterol from inflammatory or atherosclerotic sites in vivo, the method including the steps of increasing the affinity of high-density lipoprotein for macrophages by administering to a patient an effective amount of a composition comprising a compound selected from the group consisting of native serum amyloid A (SAA) and a ligand having SAA properties thereby increasing the affinity of high density lipoprotein (HDL) for macrophages and potentiating release and collection of cholesterol.

Serum levels of cholesterol and atherosclerosis are significant topics addressed by health care professionals as they relate to cardiac disease, as well as other circulatory and systemic diseases. There is a great interest in the medical field with regard to the reduction of serum cholesterol and the reversal of an atherosclerotic condition.
Various means have been used in an attempt to lower serum cholesterol. For example, various resins have been administered therapeutically to sequester bile acids and thereby reduce systemic cholesterol levels. Other therapeutics have been administered in an attempt to affect cholesterol metabolism. However, there remains a high level of interest and need for more effective therapeutics in this area.
Serum amyloid A (SAA) is an apolipoprotein which is present on high density lipoprotein (HDL) only during inflammatory states. SAA was discovered approximately 15 years ago in the course of studies examining serum for potential precursors to the inflammation-associated AA form of amyloid. It has been determined that the AA peptide responsible for the inflammation-associated amyloid fibril represented a fragment of the SAA protein.sup.12,25. Based on amino acid sequencing of SAA in the preparation, cloning, and identification of genes possessing the information for this protein.sup.12,20, it became apparent that SAA was not a single protein, but rather a family of several related proteins. Work with these proteins has shown that during an inflammatory reaction, the cytokines interleukin-1, interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor are responsible for regulating the transcription of the SAA.sub.1+2 genes in liver.sup.8,28. Recent studies have suggested that SAA has a significant influence on lecithin cholesterol acyl transferase activity associated with the HDL..sup.29
It is well established that SAA is present in the circulation in substantial quantities only during inflammation. Ninety percent (90%) or more of the SAA is associated with HDL's. HDL is also well established in the function of reverse cholesterol transport.sup.9.
With specific regard to atherosclerosis, observations in the early twentieth century in patients who had long standing infections or malignancies showed that these patients at the time of death had far less atherosclerosis, or had the equivalent of "healed" atherosclerosis, when compared to patients of equivalent age who did not have these preceding disorders. This observation was always attributed to the patient's debilitated physical state or that their nutritional state was inadequate when compared to healthy individuals of the same age.

Method of use of serum amyloid a protein


A fastener system for joining together the nested ends of first and second generally tubular housing members in a tight-fitting, leak-proof manner by the use of at least one tightly compressed O-ring. The first housing member has at one end a reduced diameter external portion of finite length, around which an encircling external groove is located, whereas the second housing member has an interior portion sized so as to be able to closely receive the reduced diameter external portion of the first housing member. An encircling groove is formed around a portion of the interior of the second housing member, whereby upon the joinder portions of the first and second housing members being tightly interfitted, the encircling grooves will be brought into substantial alignment, to define an annular cavity of a size larger than either of the encircling grooves individually, into which cavity an elongate locking strip or splice ring can be readily inserted for a substantial distance, to lock the members tightly together. An O-ring may be disposed in the innermost portion of either or both of the housing members, and positioned such that the extreme end of the other housing member can come into direct therewith, thereby to achieve a sealed, leakproof joinder of the first and second housing members at such time as the joinder portions of the two housing members are brought tightly together and the locking strip inserted.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a splicing connection assembly for retaining separable component parts of a missile, spacecraft or the like, and more particularly, to a threadless connecting arrangement for separable tubular structures of a wide variety of types and kinds, being usable for both military and civilian purposes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The methods of joining separable tubular members are as diverse as the applications of this type of structure. Small diameter missile sections which are subjected to extreme dynamic and atmospheric environments rely on joining systems which provide both adequate mechanical support and environmental integrity.
A typical joining system for this type of usage employs a number of radially located threaded fasteners to transmit shear forces from one missile section to the next and also to compress an elastomeric environmental seal. Each of such threaded fasteners will typically require one screw, one captive nut and two rivets to retain the captive nut, for a total of four items. If, for example, the missile needs twelve of such fasteners in order to satisfy its environmental requirements, which is not an unreasonable number, the total part count for this joining system rises to forty-eight. It is important to recognize the fact that increased complexity means decreased reliability.
In the commercial area, point-of-sale cost and product liability considerations drive designers and manufacturers to slip fits, clevis pins and through-bolts for the joining of tubular structural members. Slip-fit systems provide a protrusion-free exterior but do not prevent accidental separation of the components. Clevis pins and through-bolts afford positive mechanical retention but their protruding features are often the source of user injury.
By way of additional review it should be mentioned that in the 1960s, a connection assembly design referred to as the Marman Band was proposed, which included a plurality of V-retainers or wedged shaped shoe members that provided a V-clamping to flanges positioned on the exterior surfaces of separable component parts of a spacecraft, for example. A pair of separable tension bands were joined together by a pair of spaced pyrotechnic tension bolts that could adjustably vary the tension in the straps that held the V-band coupling members. The tension straps were utilized to create inwardly radial forces on the V-shaped retainers which would in turn, wedge the flanges of cylindrical housing structures of separable component parts of the spacecraft in an axial direction. This V-band coupling was basically configured to transfer axial loads and bending moments across the resulting structural joint of the connection assembly. Small shear torque loads were transferred across the joint by relying on friction that would exist between the flange surfaces and the retainer wedges.
If the missile or spacecraft was to be subject to considerable forces that would produce large shear torque loads, either keys were inserted between the flanges or the friction load that was applied during the loading of the tension straps, had to be carefully controlled to take into consideration the magnitude of the shear torque forces that were to be expected.
Thus, often the primary connection assembly relied upon for separable spacecraft component parts were V-band couplings that were encircled with tension straps to maintain an axial loading between the spaceship component parts. Usually the friction of the band and the axial loading friction on the flanges or cylindrical structures of the spacecraft component parts were relied upon to handle any shear and torque forces.
I am aware of German Patent No. 966,298 to Raacke entitled "Threadless Connection," which teaches the joinder of two interfitted tubular members by the use of a pair of curved locking rings inserted into an encircling slot created at the juncture of the two members. However, the Raacke patent suffers from the distinct disadvantage of requiring an unnecessarily large joint, in that one embodiment involves an undesirable enlargement of the outer diameter of the device, whereas the other embodiment of the Raacke device involves an enlargement of the interior of the device, at the location of the joint. This internal enlargement necessarily results in a restriction of the lumen or effective passageway through Raacke's tubular members, and therefore a distinct diminishment of the maximum flow that can take place through the tubular members of the Raacke device.
Quite importantly, Raacke utilizes ordinary flat washers at the locations where the flat surfaces of the tubular members meet, thus requiring great precision in the machining of the components that go to make up the circular slot defined at the juncture of the two members. This is because unlike O-rings, the flat washers obviously cannot be compressed to any consequential extent, thus requiring Raacke to insert the pair of curved locking rings into the circular slot at the precise time when the flat washers have been compressed to the greatest extent possible, or otherwise leakage will result.
I am also aware of the Bennett et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,838,491 entitled "Coupling," but unlike Raacke, the Bennett et al device involves the joinder of two threaded members, meaning that relative twisting motion must take place between the two members if leakage at the joint is to be prevented. Bennett et al show the use of a pair of compressible O-rings used to prevent leakage, but both O-rings are necessarily subjected to a very large twisting force at the time the two threaded members are being tightly threaded together. This relative motion of the two threaded members frequently brings about a highly undesirable, twisting type distortion of the O-rings, with consequent leakage.
Both of these teachings fall far short of a threadless connection arrangement for a pair of tubular members, in which a highly desirable amount of compression of one or a pair of O-rings takes place at the time of joinder of the tubular members, thus to bring about a leak-free joint of constant diameter.

Joinder of separable tubular structures utilizing preloaded O-ring


In a print control device 10, a page data correction portion 140 receives page data Dpg included in manuscript data Dd and, when the page data Dpg includes a predetermined type of barcode font with a data resolution different from a print resolution, corrects font data within barcode data while maintaining a barcode length, such that any bars and spaces included in a character represented by the barcode font have widths corresponding to natural numbers of pixels with a resolution that is a natural number multiple of the print resolution. A rasterization processing portion 160 rasterizes corrected page data with a high resolution and thereafter anti-aliases the rasterized page data, thereby generating print-resolution raster data Drs.

In barcode printing based on barcode fonts, dedicated fonts compatible with print resolutions are used such that printed barcodes can be read correctly. In the case of, for example, GS1-128 barcodes used at convenience stores for proxy receipt of public utilities charges, etc., much information can be represented, but highly accurate printing is required such that bars and spaces that form barcode characters have widths and positions as designed, and therefore, page data based on barcode fonts compatible with printer resolutions are used.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No, 2015-26248 discloses barcode font data containing a plurality of pieces of dedicated structure information which respectively correspond to a plurality of resolutions, a page data generation device for creating page data including such barcode font data, and a raster data generation device for generating raster data by rasterizing such page data. Each piece of dedicated structure information is prepared exclusively for a combination of a resolution that is set upon raster data generation involved in printing page data and a predesignated size that is assigned to a barcode character within the page data. When the page data is printed using a printer, the raster data generation device rasterizes the page data using one of the pieces of dedicated structure information that matches a resolution of the printer.

Print control device, page data correction method, and raster data generation method


A semiconductor device having areas that are semiconductor on insulator ("SOI") and areas that are bulk, single crystalline semiconductive areas is provided in which conductive spacers may be formed to electrically connect the SOI areas to ground in order to overcome floating body effects that can occur with SOI. Additionally, insulative spacers may be formed on the surface of the conductive spacers to electrically isolate the SOI regions from the bulk regions. A novel method for making both of these products is provided in which the epitaxially grown, single crystalline bulk regions need not be selectively grown, because a sacrificial polishing layer is deposited, is also provided.

1. TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to semiconductor devices and, more specifically, to a semiconductor substrate having both bulk chip areas and areas of silicon on insulator in which selected areas of silicon on insulator are electrically connected to the wafer so as to reduce floating body problems and methods of forming the same.
2. RELEVANT ART
Conventional or bulk semiconductor devices are formed in semiconductive material by implanting a well of either P-type or N-type material in a wafer of either type material. Gates and source/drain diffusions are then manufactured using commonly known processes. These form devices known as metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) field effect transistors or FETs. When a given chip uses both P-type and N-type, it is known as a complementary metal oxide semiconductor ("CMOS"). Each of these devices must be electrically isolated from the others in order to avoid shorting of the circuits. A relatively large amount of surface area is needed for the electrical isolation of the various FETs, which is undesirable in the current trends of size reduction and greater integration. Additionally, parasitic paths and junction capacitance problems may also occur because of the source/drain diffusions' physical proximity to other FET's and the bulk substrate. These problems also result in difficulties when trying to scale down to the sizes necessary for greater integration. Furthermore, sub-threshold slope and substrate sensitivity result in difficulties in scaling bulk CMOS technology to low-voltage applications.
In order to deal with these problems, silicon on insulator ("SOI") has been gaining popularity. However, SOI suffers from the problems of self-heating, electrostatic discharge susceptibility, low breakdown voltage, and dynamic floating body effects which present problems for passgate devices and devices requiring tight threshold voltage control. Floating body effect occurs when the body of the device is not connected to a fixed potential and, therefore, the device takes on charge based on the history of the device. Specifically, in dynamic random access memory ("DRAM") the floating body effect can be especially detrimental because it is critical that the pass transistor stays in the "off" condition to prevent charge leakage from the storage capacitor. Another problem that is specific to SOI is that the formation of large value capacitors (i.e., for decoupling applications) is very difficult because a specific purpose of SOI is to reduce junction capacitance. Additionally, the thin layer of semiconductor makes it difficult to create low resistance discharge paths for electrostatic discharge ("ESD") devices.
Because of these drawbacks, it has been suggested that the best scenario would be to combine areas of SOI for high performance support devices, with adjacent bulk devices for low leakage memory arrays. However, forming both the SOI areas and the bulk areas is difficult at best.

SOI/bulk hybrid substrate and method of forming the same

International Business Machines Corporation


There is disclosed a silver halide photographic material having a photosensitive emulsion layer on a base, comprising a high-silver-chloride silver chlorobromide emulsion which is obtained by forming, on or near the surfaces of silver halide grains, silver bromide localized phases, and then by conducting chemical sensitization and is ripened under a condition having a limited pH. The disclosure described provides a silver halide photographic material suitable for rapid processing, high in sensitivity, and good in safelight aptitude and latent-image stability.

Silver halide photographic materials currently on the market and methods for forming images using the same vary over a wide range and are used in various fields. Many of the halide compositions of silver halide emulsions used in many of these photographic materials, in particular in the case of shooting photographic materials, consist of silver bromoiodide that is mainly made up of silver bromide, for the purpose of attaining high sensitivity.
On the other hand, in products that are used in a market where there is strong demand for a large amount of prints to be finished and delivered in a short period of time, such as photographic materials for color papers, silver bromide or silver chlorobromide that is substantially free from silver iodide is used, in order to hasten the developing speed.
In recent years the demand for the improvement of rapid processibility of color papers has been increasingly strong and many studies thereof are under way. It is known that an increase in the silver chloride content of the silver halide emulsion to be used will greatly improve developing speed.
However, it is known that silver halide emulsions high in silver chloride content are attended with such defects that they hardly provide emulsions high in sensitivity and hard in gradation. Further the emulsions have a defect that reciprocity law failure, that is, the change of sensitivity and gradation due to a change in illuminance of exposure is great.
In order to overcome the above defects of silver halide emulsions high in silver chloride content, various techniques have been proposed.
JP-A ("JP-A" means unexamined published Japanese patent application) No. 26837/1989 discloses that a high-silver-chloride emulsion, whose grains have regions rich in silver bromide near the vertices gives high sensitivity and gradation and stable performance. JP-A No. 105940/1989 discloses that a high-silver-chloride emulsion having regions rich in silver bromide doped selectively with iridium constitutes an emulsion excellent in reciprocity response without damaging latent-image stability for a few hours after exposure.
Further, the inventors have continued to engage keenly in studies to increase greatly the performance of high-silver-chloride emulsions. As a result, it has become apparent that when a high-silver-chloride emulsion prepared in the above manner is used for a photographic material and the photographic material is exposed to safelight before printing, the gradation becomes inevitably softened and the latent-image stability over a longer period of time, that is, a few days after printing, is not necessarily satisfactory. If this happens the photographic material not only lacks handleability in photofinishing laboratories, the quality of the finished print will also drop.
The inventors have found that when a high-silver-chloride emulsion is sensitized with gold, latent-image stability over a longer period of time can be considerably improved. However, sometimes the use of gold sensitization brings about a softening of gradation or worsens the aging stabilities of emulsion before application and photographic material, and therefore gold sensitization could not make adequate use of the above merits of high-silver-chloride emulsions.


An air baggage tag readable by a bar code reader is composed of a recording layer, a substrate, a self-adhesive layer, and release paper, wherein the substrate has a laminate structure composed of (A.sup.1) a fine void-containing stretched thermoplastic resin film and (A.sup.2) a substantially void-free uniaxially stretched thermoplastic resin film having a transverse Elmendorf tear strength of at least 80 g, the thickness of the uniaxially stretched thermoplastic resin film (A.sup.2) is from 10 to 60% of the total thickness of the substrate, and the recording layer is provided on the side of the stretched thermoplastic resin film (A.sup.1) opposite to the stretched thermoplastic resin film (A.sup.2) and has printed thereon a bar code. The baggage tag has high tear strength while exhibiting satisfactory printability and therefore, when attached to each piece of air baggage, is not easily torn apart even on being pulled.

Each piece of air baggage, such as trunks, suitcases, and boxes, is managed by attaching a tag having thereon information including the name or mark of the airline, the final destination, the transit point, the baggage tag number, the flight number, etc.
Various baggage service systems are known as proposed in JP-A-50-50896 (the term "JP-A" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese patent application"), JP-A-U-60-19073 (the term "JP-A-U" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese utility model application"), JP-A-U-63- 192075, JP-A-U-62-53481, JP-A-U-62-123681, and JP-A-U-1-231083.
With the recent rapid increase in the number of air travelers, accuracy and speediness in baggage service have been demanded, and to cope with this demand, baggage management using a read-out recording system, such as heat-sensitive recording, heat transfer recording, laser printing, etc., has been established.
Baggage tags made of waterproof synthetic paper or coated paper have been proposed as disclosed in JP-B-U-2-45893 (the term "JP-B-U" as used herein means an "examined published Japanese utility model application") and have already been put to practical use.
Baggage tags made of synthetic paper comprising a stretched polyolefin film containing an inorganic fine powder and thereby having fine voids are excellent in terms of waterproofness owing to the polyolefin and are excellent in terms of printability owing to the presence of the fine voids. Such baggage tags also have better strength than those made of coated paper.
However, it often happens that workers pull the baggage by its tag in baggage handling If a long and narrow tag made of such a stretched synthetic resin film with fine voids is so handled, even an initial small scratch easily propagates to a tear, and the whole tag will be torn apart from the baggage. The problem is more serious in the case of tags made of coated paper, which is weaker than synthetic paper and tears readily.
It has thus been demanded to develop baggage tags which are excellent not only in terms of facility of baggage management but also in terms of tear strength, especially in the transverse direction.


While a die cast product is produced by a die casting method, an overheated portion of a low pressure die casting metallic pattern is effectively cooled by circulating a cool air and/or a coolant. Therefore, a solidification period of a molten metal in a cavity is minimized, and a quality of products and a durability of the metallic pattern are improved.

Die casting is a precision casting method that produces castings of the same size with a metallic pattern by injecting molten metals into a metallic pattern that is precisely fashioned corresponding to a die casting model. The die cast product size can be very precise. One advantage of die casting is that trimming is not typically required, and mechanical quality is very good. In addition, a characteristic of the method is that mass production is possible.
A metal such as zinc, aluminum, tin, copper, and their alloys may be used in die casting. A die casting apparatus cools and solidifies the molten metal for making the products after injecting the molten metal in the metallic pattern by utilizing air pressure, water pressure, or oil pressure.
An exemplary metallic pattern used in die casting is a metallic mold as shown, for example, in FIG. 2. Such a metallic pattern may include an upper mold 101, a side mold 103, and a lower mold 105. A product cavity 107 is formed by coupling of the molds 101, 102, and 103. A plug 109 is mounted in the upper mold 101 such that it is disposed in the cavity 107. In addition, an orifice 111 connected with a holding furnace (not shown) of the casting apparatus is mounted in the lower mold 105. Therefore, a molten metal is injected into the cavity 107 through the orifice 111.
When the molten metal is injected into the cavity of the metallic pattern, the molten metal is cooled and solidifies naturally to form a cast product. However, the solidification period of the molten metal can be excessive. In addition, the temperature difference between the upper mold and the lower mold is usually more than 50 degrees centigrade. Because of the large temperature difference, the cooling speed of the molten metal may differ within the mold. The difference in the cooling speed can deteriorate the quality and durability of the product because of an overheated metallic pattern.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Device for cooling die casting metallic pattern


A display system including a lenticular screen; a support assembly movably supporting the lenticular screen; and a drive mechanism which during operation causes the lenticular screen to repeatedly sweep through a volume of space.

The invention relates generally to electronic display technology and more specifically to volumetric three-dimensional displays.
It is known that it is possible to create a three-dimensional image by illuminating a rotating two-dimensional surface. A series of points or trajectories (i.e., vectors) is displayed by controlling the time-varying illumination of a projection surface. As the projection surface sweeps out a 3-D volume, many points in the 3-D volume can be illuminated. Due to the persistence of human vision, if a point is repeatedly illuminated for a brief interval with a repetition period of no more than {fraction (1/20)} second, the point appears to be illuminated without flickering. Thus, by illuminating a display screen which undergoes rapid periodic motion to sweep out a volume of space, a true volume-filling (i.e., volumetric) 3-D display can be achieved.
One such system is described by Ketchpel (U.S. Pat. No. 3,140,415). His system utilizes a phosphorescent rotating screen that is illuminated by a fixed electron gun. His approach, however, is characterized by xe2x80x9cdead zonexe2x80x9d regions which are not addressable or accessible by the illumination source. For example, when the angle between the screen""s plane and the impinging illumination beam is small, it is difficult to draw imagery of high detail. In such regions, the imaging volume has picture elements (i.e., voxels) that are plagued with low spatial accuracy.
Schwarz and Blundell attempted to solve this problem by using a similar phosphorescent screen system and illuminating it with two electron guns, each responsible for illuminating the screen during different angular segments (IEEE Proc.xe2x80x94Optoelectron., Vol. 141, No. 5, October 1994, pp. 336-344). This helps eliminate the dead zone but requires duplicate illumination, computation, and aiming systems and circuitry.
In contrast, Batchko (U.S. Pat. No. 5,148,310) employs a single illumination source, which shines onto a rapidly moving scanning system. In his system, the scanning system is positioned to always illuminate the rotating screen from a direction nearly perpendicular to the screen. His approach, which requires the spinning of a set of mirrors at least one of which is an off-axis mirror, helps reduce the scanning dead zone. Also, his system, like the systems of Ketchpel, Schwarz and Blundell, and many others, is a vector-based scanning system which employs a computationally intensive technology that is known to flicker when drawing complex imagery.
Tsao et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,754,147) disclose a volumetric display which, like the Batchko technology, attaches an off-axis mirror to the rotating display unit. They describe a display that is made of three subunits, namely, an optical data generator, an optical interfacing unit, and a rotating unit with display means. Their optical data unit includes an image projector whose generated images are projected into a complex of coaxially rotating mirrors. The mirrors rotate at a different speed than the rotating display screen. They relay light to another mirror, which rotates off-axis with the display screen at approximately 10 Hz. Their optical interfacing unit includes 5 to 10 miniature mirrors.
Garcia Jr., et al (U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,909) employed a rotating screen illuminated by vector-scanned laser light. As their screen rotates, a system of computer-controlled scanners steers laser light onto it. This technique exhibits some of the same characteristics of vector-based displays. For instance, only a low percentage of the addressable volume may be used in a given image.
Favalora (U.S. Pat. No. 5,936,767, entitled xe2x80x9cMultiplanar Autostereoscopic Imaging System,xe2x80x9d and incorporated herein by reference) discloses a raster-based imaging system that is computationally simpler than the vector scanned systems and uses fewer moving parts than some of the systems described above.
For a 3-D display to remain economically feasible, it is desirable that it not require the use of coherent light (i.e., laser illumination). Laser light is presumably used in most of the above-mentioned 3-D displays because it is easy to focus coherent light onto the rotating image plane. In contrast, the Tsao et al. system allows for the use of incoherent light but at the expense of mechanical complexity and decreased brightness in the resulting image. A method of using inexpensive incoherent illumination is disclosed in Morton""s xe2x80x9cThree dimensional display system,xe2x80x9d (U.S. Pat. No. 4,922,336). Morton also discloses the use of an anamorphic lens which rotates coaxially with a helical projection screen so that the illumination is always focused onto the appropriate locations of the screen. However, Morton also uses as his image generator a xe2x80x9cprojection CRT display.xe2x80x9d Typical projection CRTs are slow (e.g. on the order of 60 Hz refresh).
The above-mentioned volumetric 3-D displays provide imagery with nearly every depth cue, most notably convergence (i.e., the viewer""s eyes rotate inwards as a function of nearness) and accommodation (i.e., the viewer""s lenses focus farther as function of depth). However, all known multiplanar, 3-D displays, including those described above, have been unable to render imagery which exhibits occlusion (i.e., the tendency of objects in the foreground to block those in the background). This is because the illuminated regions are naturally transparent. The resulting imagery possesses a ghost-like transparent quality which prevents the viewer from enjoying the occlusion of objects placed in front of each other.
For only one viewer, occlusion is produced in the displayed image by providing the rendering software with knowledge of the viewer""s position. If the rendering software that computes the image slices that are to be displayed is capable of hidden surface removal, it can render a view appropriate for the viewer""s position. The position information may be input manually or acquired with existing head-tracking or eye-tracking systems. However, for any additional viewer located at another position different from the first viewer""s position, the imagery will appear confusing because the occlusion will be incorrect. Although steps can be taken to lightly render the xe2x80x9chidden surfaces,xe2x80x9d the effect will still be incomplete.
Generally, it is desired that multiple users be able to use the 3-D display simultaneously. It is also desired that the xe2x80x9cviewer trackingxe2x80x9d be done implicitly without active head-tracking equipment, which tends to be slow and expensive. At the same time, the 3-D display must continue to provide cues for convergence and accommodation.
In general, in one aspect, the invention is a display system including a lenticular screen; a support assembly movably supporting the lenticular screen; and a drive mechanism which during operation causes the lenticular screen to repeatedly sweep through a volume of space.
Preferred embodiments may include one or more of the following features. The lenticular screen is helical in shape and includes an array of cylindrically-shaped lens elements or spherically-shaped lens elements, or some combination thereof. The array is an M by N array. The support assembly defines an axis of rotation for the screen. The screen has an axis of symmetry and is mounted in the support assembly with axis of rotation and the axis of symmetry being collinear. The drive mechanism during operation rotates the screen continually about the axis of rotation. The lenticular screen is translucent. The screen is made up of an array of lenticular elements and a sheet of material having a back surface and a front surface, wherein the array of lenticular elements is on only the front surface. The back surface of the sheet of material is smooth.
In general, in another aspect, the invention is a lenticular screen that is translucent and helical in shape.
In general, in yet another aspect, the invention is a volumetric display including ganged SLMs within the image generator. The ganged SLMs are operated sequentially, each one handling a different projected image slice.
Systems embodying the invention exhibit one or more of the following advantages in comparison to prior art systems. They provide a 3-D display which can exhibit the occlusion of imagery using variable transparency, for one viewer and for multiple viewers. They can provide realistic imagery which does not suffer from constant transparency. They are economical and do not require cumbersome reflective scanning means which rotate quickly with respect to the display unit. They do not include a large number of fixed beam-steering optics to ensure that the illumination reaches the final scanning member. They provide a 3-D display with a minimum of moving mechanical elements. They do not use duplicate illumination sources, which require additional computational effort and hardware to support. They do not require coherent illumination, which is can be costly and dangerous. They do not use screen geometries which introduce significant dark regions known as dead zones. They do not require specialized and expensive computational systems. They can provide multicolor imagery without undue cost. In addition, they allow a design flexibility in the which the screen can either be used in a xe2x80x9cprojection screenxe2x80x9d mode, such as a diffusive surface, or a xe2x80x9cnon-projection screenxe2x80x9d mode, such as a mirror which redirects light from an internal imagery source.
Other advantages and features will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments and from the claims.

Volumetric three-dimensional display architecture


A method and apparatus for biasing of network node packet prioritization based on packet content. The method may include marking a packet of data from a data stream of packets. The packet can be marked with a packet type such that subsequent nodes determine the relative priority of the packet with respect to other packets from the same data stream based on the packet type marking. The marked packet can then be transmitted. According to a related corresponding embodiment, a method can include receiving a packet at a node in a network, the node including a plurality of packet queues including a higher priority queue and a lower priority queue. The relative priority of the packet can be determined relative to other packets from the same packet source and intended for the same destination, where the relative priority can be based on the contents of the packet. The relative priority may also be based on a marking of the packet. The packet can be assigned to a higher priority queue based on a higher relative priority of the packet. The assigned packet can then be transmitted.

1. Field
The present disclosure is directed to a method and apparatus for network traffic control. More particularly, the present disclosure is directed to biasing of network node packet prioritization based on packet content.
2. Introduction
Presently, information can be sent from a source to a destination over the Internet by breaking data into packets. These packets often travel through multiple intermediate nodes before being reassembled at the destination where the exact path from source to destination may vary due to the amount of network traffic and other factors. Unfortunately, some packets may encounter excessive delays if traffic is heavy at an intermediate node. As a result of these delays, some packets may arrive too late at a destination or may even be dropped at a node before reaching the destination. This can be especially problematic for multimedia applications which have stringent requirements on time bounded parameters. For example, Internet phones that use Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) can be especially sensitive to extensive packet delays, which can result in poor communication over such a phone when packets are excessively delayed. Video services are also sensitive to extensive packet delays, which can cause distorted or unintelligible video when packets are excessively delayed or dropped.
As a further example, providing end to end Quality of Service (QoS) is a key challenge for today's tactical networks, particularly for supporting multimedia applications due to their stringent requirements on time bounded parameters such as delay, jitter, and other parameters. Such multimedia applications have diverse requirements on network services. In the existing Differentiated Services (DiffServ) framework, applications, such as video applications, at edge nodes can estimate network congestion and try to adapt to the congestion level by adjusting transmission rates. Also, sophisticated video compression schemes, such as ITU-T H.263, H.264 and ISO/IEC MPEG-4, extensively utilize data dependency of video signals, which can result in packets with contents of unequal importance. However, network nodes do not know the relative importance of the packet to the application. As a result, important packets are dropped and delayed as much as packets of lesser importance.
Thus, there is a need for a method and apparatus for biasing of network node packet prioritization based on packet content.

Method and apparatus for biasing of network node packet prioritization based on packet content


A preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a method and apparatus for optimized dual energy image acquisition. The system comprises a dual energy medical imaging system, a detector, a user interface, an image segmentation module, a characterization module, and a control module. The method comprises obtaining an image from a first exposure of a patient and segmenting the image into an anatomy of interest. The method further comprises characterizing the segmented anatomy in terms of a set of patient parameters and optimizing a second exposure of the segmented anatomy based upon said anatomy and the characterization of the anatomy. A resulting anatomy image is obtained from analysis of the first and second exposures.

Not applicable.
Not Applicable.
The preferred embodiments of the present invention generally relate to dual energy exposure techniques, and in particular relate to using image information to control dual energy exposure techniques.
X-ray imaging has long been an accepted medical diagnostic tool. X-ray imaging systems are commonly used to capture, as examples, thoracic, cervical, spinal, cranial, and abdominal images that often include information necessary for a doctor to make an accurate diagnosis. X-ray imaging systems typically include an x-ray source and an x-ray sensor. When having a thoracic x-ray image taken, for example, a patient stands with his or her chest against the x-ray sensor as an x-ray technologist positions the x-ray sensor and the x-ray source at an appropriate height. X-rays produced by the source travel through the patient""s chest, and the x-ray sensor then detects the x-ray energy generated by the source and attenuated to various degrees by different parts of the body. An associated control system obtains the detected x-ray energy from the x-ray sensor and prepares a corresponding diagnostic image on a display.
The x-ray sensor may be a conventional screen/film configuration, in which the screen converts the x-rays to light that exposes the film. The x-ray sensor may also be a solid state digital image detector. Digital detectors afford a significantly greater dynamic range than conventional screen/film configurations.
One embodiment of a solid state digital x-ray detector may be comprised of a panel of semiconductor Field Effect Transistors (FETs) and photodiodes. The FETs and photodiodes in the panel are typically arranged in rows (scan lines) and columns (data lines). A FET controller controls the order in which the FETs are turned on and off. The FETs are typically turned on, or activated, in rows. When the FETs are turned on, charge to establish the FET channel is drawn into the FET from both the source and the drain of the transistor. The source of each FET is connected to a photodiode. The drain of each FET is connected to readout electronics via data lines. Each photodiode integrates the light signal and discharges energy in proportion to the x-rays absorbed by the detector. The gates of the FETs are connected to the FET controller. The FET controller allows energy discharged from the panel of photodiodes to be read in an orderly fashion. The readout electronics convert the energy discharged from photodiodes to electrical signals. The energy discharged by the photodiodes in the detector and converted by the readout electronics is used by an acquisition system to activate pixels in the displayed digital diagnostic image. The panel of FETs and photodiodes is typically scanned by row. The corresponding pixels in the digital diagnostic image are typically activated in columns.
The FETs in the x-ray detector act as switches to control the charging of the photodiodes. When a FET is open, an associated photodiode is isolated from the readout electronics and is discharged during an x-ray exposure. When the FET is closed, the photodiode is recharged to an initial charge by the readout electronics. Light is emitted by a scintillator in response to x-rays absorbed from the source. The photodiodes sense the emitted light and are partially discharged. Thus, while the FETs are open, the charge on the photodiodes moves to a charge level representative of the x-ray dose. When a FET is closed, a desired voltage across the photodiode is restored. The measured charge amount to re-establish the desired voltage becomes a measure of the x-ray dose integrated by the photodiode during the length of the x-ray exposure.
X-ray images may be used for many purposes. For instance, internal defects in a target object may be detected. Additionally, changes in internal structure or alignment may be determined. Furthermore, the image may show the presence or absence of objects in the target. The information gained from x-ray imaging has applications in many fields, including medicine and manufacturing.
A common type of cancer today in the United States is lung cancer. Lung cancer is fatal at an extremely high percentage of the time when not detected early enough. However, no good screening process is known to exist. One proposal is to use CT (computed tomography) systems to screen for lung cancer. However, the cost and dosage for a screening application may be prohibitive.
xe2x80x9cRADxe2x80x9d is a term that denotes single shot radiography. For example, a typical chest film taken at a hospital is taken with a RAD system. X-rays for broken bones are also often taken with RAD systems. Digital RAD systems are typically cheaper and use less dosage for an examination than CT systems. Additionally, the staging requirements (especially floor space) are less as well, simplifying the concept of a dedicated screening room.
However, conventional RAD systems do not have the discrimination needed to see lung cancer nodules at an early stage of development even though RAD systems produce high resolution images. The lung cancer nodules are high contrast (compared to air), and, thus, a dominant issue for RAD systems is fixed pattern background noise (i.e., the ribs) present in an x-ray image. A technique called dual energy can separate the soft tissues from the bones creating 2 output images. The soft tissue image has the structured background noise removed. Dual energy allows one to view the cancer nodules without the ribs, allowing the nodules to stand out clearly against the soft tissue.
An alternative imaging technique to dual energy exposure is a CR (computed radiography) system. A CR system has a detector with two detector areas. In a CR system, a first detector is located behind a second detector. In a CR type system, only one exposure is taken by the two detectors. Since only one exposure is taken, a CR type system may reduce the energy exposure dosage that a patient receives. One drawback of a CR system is that the second detector exhibits very high noise. The second detector also only allows a low exposure. As a result, the difference in energies between the two detector images is limited. In other words, there is very low discrimination between the detector images. In order to get a sufficiently high separation in exposure energies and a sufficiently high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for the second (high x-ray energy) image, the patient dose would be excessive.
Conventional RAD systems have been proposed that operate based on the concept of dual energy, in accordance with which a system that takes two exposures, one low energy and one high energy, to separate the soft tissue (a low energy absorber) from the bone (a high energy absorber). The second exposure deposits extra dose to the patient, and therefore it is desirable to adjust the second exposure dependent on the patient characteristics. In addition image quality can be optimized by regulating the proportion of dose between the 2 exposures.
A need remains for a system that uses anatomical information in an image to control and adjust the parameters for the second exposure.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a method and apparatus for dual energy image acquisition. The method comprises obtaining an image from a first exposure of a patient and segmenting the image into an anatomy of interest. The method further comprises characterizing the segmented anatomy in terms of a set of patient parameters and adjusting exposure characteristics for a second exposure of the segmented anatomy based upon the set of patient parameters and the characterization of the anatomy. The resulting anatomic images are obtained from analysis of the first and second exposures. In an alternative embodiment, said first exposure may be a low dose scout exposure. Then the 2nd and 3rd exposure would be optimize and used for the subsequent dual energy decomposition. In a preferred embodiment, the set of patient parameters may include attenuation of the segmented anatomy, normalized patent data, and a mathematical model of the segmented anatomy.
A preferred embodiment of the system comprises a dual energy medical imaging system, a detector, a user interface, an image segmentation module, a characterization module, and a control module. The dual energy medical imaging system is adjustable for various exposure dosage levels and techniques. In an alternative embodiment, the dual energy medical imaging system may be adjusted for a low dose scout exposure. In a preferred embodiment, the dual energy medical imaging system adjusts between a first exposure dosage level and a second exposure dosage level. The detector converts exposure energy into digital signals. In a preferred embodiment, the exposure energy comprises x-ray energy. The interface allows a user to set image acquisition parameters. The image segmentation module identifies an anatomy of interest. The characterization module characterizes the anatomy of interest according to a set of patient parameters. The control module optimizes the subsequent dual energy image acquisition. In a preferred embodiment, the system further comprises an output for displaying the resulting anatomy images.

Medical diagnostic method and apparatus to control dual energy exposure techniques based on image information

GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC


An improved method for accurately and correctly encoding and printing complete checks on blank paper sheets from graphic check images. The method includes inputting into a computer a graphic image of a check. Scanning the graphic image, in computer memory, and identifying the MICR character codes with their locations. Printing said MICR codes with magnetic ink in MICR fonts in a designated “clear band”. Reformatting the scanned graphic image with the MICR images deleted and printing the reformatted graphic image above the “clear band” to provide a negotiable check instrument.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to imprinting complete negotiable instruments and more particularly pertains to a method of encoding and printing complete authorized checks/drafts on blank paper sheets from facsimile transmitted checks.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the past as in the present the exchange of funds both personal and business has been by negotiable instruments such as drafts and checks. Physical transmission and exchange of such instruments has been by mail or messenger. Such instruments for example, checks, must on their face, include at the least all the necessary information pertaining to the issuing bank and the drawer or payor of the check. In addition, the check also bears a series of magnetic ink characters identifying the issuing bank and the drawer and other information for later processing of the check by banks and the Federal Reserve System. The magnetic ink characters must be located within a specific area on the check and conform to specific standards. The payor fills in the check number, the dollar amount of the check, the name of the payee and the date as well as signing the check.
In order to shorten the transit time and thereby hasten the exchange of funds it has been a common practice send the necessary instruments by overnight mail or some other costly delivery services.
Although all businesses and most homes have ready access to facsimile machines, the use of such devices can not be employed for the transmission of checks and drafts. The banking industry system requires that certain codes be present at the bottom of the instrument in order to be accepted and processed by the banking system. These codes must be printed in a magnetic ink or toner, be very precisely positioned on the face of the check instrument and be printed in a font which demands greater resolution and reliability then can be currently produced with any presently available facsimile equipment.
Specifically, in accordance with present standards, checks and other similar commercial documents are required to meet and conform to certain standards. One such standard is Standard X9.27 entitled "Print Specifications for Magnetic Ink Character Recognition" and referred to as "MICR". This standard is issued by the Accredited Standards Committee on Financial Services under the procedures of the American National Standards Institute and Published by the X9 Secretariat of the American Bankers Association. The specification sets forth the specific type fonts and special toners that must be used in the printing of these documents. Specification X9.13 entitled "American National Specifications for Placement and Location of MICR Printing" imposes stringent requirements for the placement of the MICR characters on checks. This specification delineates the very precise positioning of the MICR print characters relative to the edges of the check form. The specification also prohibits magnetic printing other than MICR characters within the character recognition reading area. The reading area is defined as a "Clear Band (MICR) A Band 0.625 inch high, measured from the aligning edge of the document, parallel to that edge and extending the length of the document. It is reserved for imprinting of MICR characters."
There are presently available computer software programs and published material for converting facsimile images received on a telephone line directly into a computer memory. The received data facsimile signals are converted into digital representations of rasterized images through selected available electronic devices. In addition, currently available computer software programs and methodology enable a computer to analyze digital image representations and through the use of Optical Character Recognition (OCR) techniques to convert these images in ASCII or other computer code character representations. This technique is generally used to bring facsimile transmissions into word processing and other software without requiring separately keying of the information into the system.
Laser printer technology has advanced to the point at which special toners and fonts can be used to laser print checks that meet MICR standards directly as outputted from a computer. Presently available computer software programs are capable of printing MICR encoded checks.
In those situations where even overnight delivery is not sufficiently fast, there are speedier services. One such service includes a service provider acting on behalf of a client company. A sender wishing to convey funds to the client company telephones the client company and verbally conveys the necessary bank information including processing codes, all the information found on the face of a check and authorization to draw a draft on the sender's bank. The service provider will then generate a bank draft based on the telephoned information against the sender's account and deposit the draft in the client company's bank account.
The forgoing situation readily lends itself to the generation of an incorrect draft document occasioned by the verbal transmission of the check data. For example, the operation can generate a draft in the wrong amount or against an incorrect account both of which errors can create severe problems for the parties involved. For these reasons it would be desirable generate to the draft document without any verbal communication or additional input keying.
Recent technology has made available computer driven laser printers which are capable of printing special type font characters in magnetic ink using special toners. Such printing meets the MICR standard. Presently marketed laser printers produce high quality graphics without any noticeable distortion because they print using dots with extremely close spatial relationships to other dots on the same sheet. Therefore, laser printers are capable of extreme accuracy in the placement of images with respect to other images printed on the same sheet during the same operation.

Method of printing MICR encoded negotiable instruments such as checks/drafts from facsimile transmitted checks


A method for unicast packet-sharing includes providing a port configured to receive unicast and multicast messages; determining that at least one process is listening to the port; receiving a unicast message at the port; and broadcasting the unicast message to a listening address, thereby providing the unicast message to a proper one of the at least one process listening to the port. An example method includes utilizing a Berkley Sockets compatible API, and ensuring that all listening processes receive a copy, or selectively receive a copy, of the incoming unicasts.

The present disclosure is related to network communications, and more specifically but not exclusively to network communications including multiple unicast or multicast listeners on the same computer.
Multiple processes on a computer may bind a UDP listener socket to a given port and IP, and then join multicast groups of interest. Incoming multicasts from the joined groups are delivered to each listener, provided each process explicitly bound the socket non-exclusively, allowing multiple processes to share the same multicast stream of data.
Incoming unicast packets addressed to the bound port will be delivered to only one of the listeners. If one of the processes sends a unicast request, the reply will be delivered randomly to one of the listening processes. This behavior is by design, dating to the introduction of the Berkley Sockets API in 1983, et. sequelae through all current operating systems. Previously known systems, including the industry-standard solution, use separate sockets for unicast and multicast reception, requiring multiple ports.
Various high-level protocols, such as IEEE1588-2008 (Precision Time Protocol, version 2), use a mixture of unicast and multicast on the same port. Accordingly, in previously known systems, these types of protocols are limited to a single listening process on any one computer.

Method and apparatus for unicast packet sharing


A luggage grip includes two fixing seats spaced from each other, and a flexible holding bar mounted between the two fixing seats and having two opposite end portions each movably mounted on the respective fixing seat. Thus, the holding bar is pulled upward to have a curved shape for use with the user and is retractable to have a flat shape when not in use, thereby facilitating the user operating and folding the holding bar. In addition, the luggage grip has a simplified construction to decrease the cost of fabrication. Further, the luggage grip is assembled easily and quickly.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a grip and, more particularly, to a grip for a luggage to facilitate a user holding the grip to lift the luggage.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional luggage grip is mounted on the top of a luggage and has a hollow inside to facilitate a user holding the luggage grip to lift the luggage. However, the luggage grip protrudes from the top of the luggage, so that the luggage has a larger volume, thereby causing inconvenience to the user in storage and transportation of the luggage. In addition, the luggage grip protrudes from the luggage, so that the luggage grip easily interferes with other luggage.

Luggage grip having simplified construction


A bandgap reference circuit as may be used in ultra-low current applications is provided. An exemplary bandgap circuit can be configured to generate a positive temperature coefficient without the need for a resistor to offset a negative temperature coefficient. In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a bandgap circuit comprises a negative temperature coefficient generated from a junction device and a positive temperature coefficient generated from an FET-based device. An exemplary junction device can comprise a bipolar, junction diode or any other device for generating a negative temperature coefficient, while an exemplary FET-based device comprises a gate-drain connected device configured to provide a gate-source voltage having a positive temperature coefficient coupled in series with the bipolar device. In accordance with another exemplary embodiment, the bandgap circuit can be configured with a threshold voltage elimination device comprising a second FET-based device configured to subtract out a threshold voltage component of the first FET-based device.

The demand for less expensive, and yet more reliable integrated circuit components for use in mobile communication, imaging and high-quality video applications continues to increase rapidly. As a result, integrated circuit manufacturers are requiring greater accuracy in voltage references for such components and devices to meet the design requirements of such myriad emerging applications.
Voltage references are generally required to provide a substantially constant output voltage despite gradual or momentary changes in input voltage, output current or temperature. In particular, many designers have utilized bandgap reference circuits due to their ability to provide a stable voltage supply that is insensitive to temperature variations over a wide temperature range. These bandgap references rely on certain temperature-dependant characteristics of the base-emitter voltage, VBE, of a transistor. Typically, these bandgap reference circuits operate on the principle of compensating the negative temperature coefficient of a base-emitter voltage, Vbe, of a bipolar transistor with the positive temperature coefficient of the thermal voltage, i.e., with VThermal=kT/q, where k is Boltzmann's constant, T is the absolute temperature in degrees Kelvin, and q is the electronic charge. In general, the negative temperature coefficient of the base-emitter voltage VBE is summed with the positive temperature coefficient of the thermal voltage VThermal, which is appropriately scaled such that the resultant summation provides a zero temperature coefficient.
Conventional bandgap technologies generally comprise circuits designed to generate a positive temperature coefficient through a proportional-to-absolute-current IPTAT flowing through a resistor. For example, with reference to FIG. 1, a bandgap circuit 100 configured to provide a bandgap voltage VBG of approximately 1.2 volts comprises a positive temperature coefficient generated by a proportional-to-absolute-current IPTAT flowing through a resistor R, and a negative temperature coefficient of the base-emitter voltage VBE generated from a bipolar transistor Q1. Proportional-to-absolute-current IPTAT is also typically generated by another bipolar and resistor circuit.
As the available quiescent current is reduced in bandgap circuit 100, the size of resistor R, as well as the size resistor used to generate proportional-to-absolute-current IPTAT, must be suitably increased to obtain the necessary positive temperature coefficient to counterbalance the negative temperature coefficient. For example, to maintain a positive temperature coefficient voltage (IR) drop of approximately 0.6 volts, if a bias current is reduced to 50 nA, then at least a 12 Mohm value resistor R is required to maintain the necessary IR drop, as well as a smaller resistor, e.g., approximately 360 Kohm to 1 Mohm depending on emitter ratio, used to generate proportional-to-absolute-current IPTAT. Integrated resistors of this size are not practical due to space limitations.

Bandgap reference circuit for ultra-low current applications


A computer-readable medium stores therein a migration executing program stored in a second storage area that is different from a first storage area where a first operating system (OS) is stored. The migration executing program causes a source apparatus to execute a process. The process includes detecting the presence of the first operating system in the first storage area when the source apparatus that includes the first and second storage areas is started up by a second OS stored in the second storage area; and transferring, when the presence of the first operating system in the first storage area is detected, data to be migrated that are stored in the first storage area and include at least the first operating system to a destination apparatus that can communicate with the source apparatus.

Conventionally, an existing computer environment may be migrated to a different computer environment for performance improvement, load distribution, and/or maintenance. The computer environment may be a real computer environment or a virtual computer environment executed by a virtual machine (VM) monitor. In the migration of the computer environment, data on a disk of a source computer environment are copied to a disk of a destination computer environment.
As a copying technology, postcopy is disclosed that enables data on the source environment to be referred to from the destination environment transparently as if the data are at hand, and when data that have not yet been copied to the destination are referred to, copies the data from the source to the destination.
For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Nos. 2008-33500 and 2008-33483 disclose a technology for migration of computer environment using postcopy in which a module that controls postcopy of data divides data to be migrated into first data used at the start-up of an operating system (OS) and remaining second data.
The module migrates the first data to the destination computer environment where the OS is started up using the copied first data to resume the execution of a task. If the OS on the destination requires a part of the second data that has not yet been copied, the module copies the data on an on-demand basis as well as copying the second data in background, thereby migrating the computer environment.
However, the conventional technology described above assumes that the destination computer environment/VM monitor includes a module for postcopy in advance. Thus, migration using postcopy is difficult for an existing computer environment that does not include the module for postcopy.

Computer product, migration executing apparatus, and migration method


One particular example implementation may include an apparatus that includes logic, at least a portion of which is in hardware, the logic configured to: determine that a first device maintains a link to a platform in a selective suspend state; assign a first latency value to the first device; identify at least one user detectable artifact when a second device exits the selective suspend state; and assign, to the second device, a second latency value that is different from the first value.

As electronic devices become more complex and ubiquitous in the everyday lives of users, more and more diverse requirements are placed upon them. For example, many electronic devices can operate on battery power, thus allowing users to operate these devices in many different circumstances. In addition, as capabilities of electronic devices become more extensive, many users may become reliant on the enhanced performance such capabilities provide. As these aspects of electronic devices have evolved, there has become an increasing need for power optimization so that users may enjoy longer battery life. However, under many circumstances, power optimization may sacrifice performance. Therefore, it will be highly beneficial for a user to be able to have the desired performance when it matters the most to them, and to have power optimization during circumstances (e.g., idle and semi-idle scenarios) where performance may be less important to them.
The FIGURES of the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale or proportion, as their dimensions, arrangements, and specifications can be varied considerably without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

System and method for providing universal serial bus link power management policies in a processor environment


A separable foamed thermoplastic resin laminate sheet comprising a foamed thermoplastic resin sheet and a thermoplastic resin film, wherein the foamed thermoplastic resin sheet has a cellular surface having a plurality of cells which have an average cell size of from 0.005 to 0.5 mm and having a surface smoothness R.sub.max of from 5 to 200 .mu.m, and the peel strength between the foamed thermoplastic resin sheet and the thermoplastic resin film is from 5 to 400 g/25 mm width. The resin film is easily strippable from the foamed resin sheet with a reduced scatter in peeling strength, making the formings reusable.

Formings, such as trays and containers, prepared from sheeting of foamed thermoplastic resins, such as foamed polystyrene and foamed polyolefin, are used widely and in large quantities for vegetables, meat, fishes or cooked foods for their low cost and whiteness giving a clean feeling.
In recent years, weight has been given to recycling of these formings from the viewpoint of reduction of refuse and resource saving. However, the inside surface of formings collected after use are dirty and cannot be reclaimed as such. Besides, trays or containers for perishables such as raw noodles and hams are usually prepared from laminate sheeting composed of an foamed resin sheet and a gas barrier film in order to keep freshness. Such a laminate sheet composed of different materials should be separated into each material before reclaiming. For these reasons, recycling of used formings has been difficult.
In order to facilitate recycling of the formings, it has been proposed to laminate a film on sheeting so that the film can be stripped off the used formings without cleaning the inside surface of the formings, as disclosed in JP-A-U-4-38942 (the term "JP-A-U" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese utility model application") and Japanese Utility Model Application Nos. 16214/91 and 74081/92. According to the proposals, a strippable film is laminated or a foamed resin sheet with an adhesive, etc.
However, the strippable film of the individual formings proposed shows a large scatter in peeling strength, that is, the adhesive strength varies depending on parts. As a result, where a small strength thin film is used, it tends to be torn during stripping. If the adhesion is weak, the film is liable to be separated during use. If the adhesion is strong, the film cannot be stripped off easily.

Separable foamed thermoplastic resin laminate sheet, process for producing the same, and formings produced therefrom