This image processing apparatus displays a web page received from a web server, and when a setting related to scan processing is performed via the displayed web page, causes a transition to a state in which execution of scan processing can be instructed using a predetermined hardware key, and when an execution of scan processing being instructed using the predetermined hardware key, executes scan processing based on the setting performed via the web page.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus that is connected to a server via a network and includes a browser that displays an operation screen provided by the server, an image processing method, a web server, a control method for the same, and a storage medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known that an information processing apparatus such as a PC is connected to a web server over a network, and an operation screen provided by the web server is displayed in a web browser included in the information processing apparatus. In such a case, the web browser of the information processing apparatus first requests the operation screen from the web server. Then, a web application on the web server sends HTML data for causing the web browser to display the operation screen to the information processing apparatus in response to the request from the information processing apparatus. The web browser of the information processing apparatus analyzes the HTML data that was received and displays an operation screen based on the HTML data description. Furthermore, when a user inputs an instruction via the operation screen displayed in the web browser, the web browser notifies the web server of the instruction that was input. Then, the web application on the web server that received the notification executes processing according to the instruction that was input.
Recently, web browsers such as those described above have been included in MFPs (Multi-Function Peripherals) that include scanners and printers. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-127503 proposes that a web server provides an operation screen for using functions included in an MFP. That is to say, a user of the MFP inputs an instruction to the MFP via an operation screen displayed in a web browser. Then, the web browser of the MFP notifies the web server of the instruction that was input. The web server that received the notification requests the MFP to execute various types of processing, in accordance with the content of the instruction that was input by the user. Then, after receiving the request, the MFP executes the requested processing. Thus, there is no need to hold all menu data for operating the MFP in the MFP, and a menu data change can be performed easily over a web server.
Additionally, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-130123 discloses that processes such as reading and outputting with respect to the MFP are realized by the input of a hardware key (start key) mounted in the MFP being accepted by an operation screen displayed in a web browser. According to this, it is possible to provide the same operability as a normal MFP even when a web application is used.
However, the following problems are present in the aforementioned conventional technologies. For example, even when using the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-130123, the web application cannot control the association of a useable hardware key (start key) and a software key using an application that is included in the MFP in advance (hereinafter referred to as a "native application"). Because of this, it is difficult to provide the user with the same operability as a normal native application in the case where multiple software keys are included on the operation screen of the web application.

Image processing apparatus, image processing method, web server, control method for the same, and storage medium


Accessing descriptive information associated with a TDMA/GSM switch having an adjunct processor is provided. At least a portion of a database of descriptive information is incorporated with data provided to the adjunct processor to control the TDMA/GSM switch. The adjunct processor is accessed to access the TDMA/GSM switch and to access the portion of the database of descriptive information incorporated with the data provided to the adjunct processor. The portion of the database incorporated with the data provided to the adjunct processor may be selected based on the data provided to the adjunct processor to control the TDMA/GSM switch.

The present invention relates to the field of communications in general and more particularly to Time Division Multiple Access and/or Global System for Mobile communications (TDMA/GSM) switches.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional system for accessing descriptive materials associated with a TDMA/GSM switch 10 utilizing the Active Library Explorer service (ALEXserv) 30. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the TDMA/GSM switch 10 is accessed through an adjunct processor (AP) 12. The AP 12 provides data (often referred to as a "dump") to the switch 10 for operation of the switch 10 and provides access to the switch 10 for service, maintenance, reporting and the like. The dump is loaded onto the AP 12 and then installed on the switch 10. Access to the switch 10 and/or the AP 12 is conventionally provided by a terminal 14 connecting to the AP 12, either directly or remotely through, for example, the network 20. The network 20 may, for example, be the Internet, an intranet, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN) or the like.
Typically, the terminal 14 sends commands to the switch 10 through a Unix Wiol window. The commands recognized by the switch 10 and their format are, typically, dependent on the data (i.e. the dump) loaded on the AP 12 that is provided to the switch 10. Thus, the particular commands utilized to access and/or control the switch 10 and/or the format of data output by the switch, such as the format of reports or the like, is, typically, dependent on the dump provided to the AP 12. Accordingly, a technician at the terminal 14 will, generally, need to know the designation of the dump provided to the AP 12 from which the formats of particular commands and/or outputs of the switch 10 may be determined.
If a technician does not know a format for a particular command or output, such format may be looked up through the terminal 14 using a help/documentation system known as the ALEXserv 30 system. ALEXserv 30 includes a plurality of databases 32, 32′, 32″, 32′″ and 32″″ that are help and/or documentation databases associated with the different data (i.e. dumps) provided to a switch, such as switch 10. While five databases are illustrated in FIG. 1, ALEXserv 30 typically includes many more databases, even hundreds of databases, each associated with a particular function, code level or the like of a dump provided to one or more adjunct processors, such as AP 12.
The ALEXserv 30, conventionally, is accessed over an intranet and is provided as a web based application where a web browser is utilized to select the appropriate databases to search for a particular piece of information. The user, typically, utilizes knowledge of the dump provided to a particular AP 12 to select a database and/or databases that contain information associated with a particular switch 10. Thus, to locate information for a particular switch 10, a switch technician will, typically, have to open a web connection, for example, over the network 20′, to the ALEXserv 30 and start the ALEXserv application locally. The connection from the terminal 14 to the ALEXserv 30 will, typically, be an intranet connection or the like. Furthermore, the network 20 may be the same network as the network 20′ or they may be different networks.
While the conventional system illustrated in FIG. 1 may provide access to documentation and/or help information through the ALEXserv 30, to do so the terminal 14 must, typically, have access to a network which may provide a connection to the ALEXserv 30. Such a connection may not always be available, for example, at a customer site. Alternatively, the technician would, typically, need to download the ALEXserv databases 32–32″″ to the terminal 14 and execute the ALEXserv application locally. While such a download may overcome the need for a connection to the ALEXserv service 30, the technician may still be required to know which of the databases are associated with a particular switch 10 being operated from the terminal 14. Furthermore, access to the switch 10 and the ALEXserv 30 may be provided by separate connections and/or applications and the technician may, in such cases, have to switch between the applications and/or connections to access the switch 10 and the ALEXserv 30.

Methods, systems and computer program products for accessing descriptive information associated with a TDMA/GSM switch


An apparatus for conducting fluid in a fuel cell. The apparatus includes a unitary gas-impermeable body having, a face having a recessed surface and a wall extending around the recessed surface, the recessed surface and the wall defining a fluid dispersion area. The apparatus further includes a plurality of spaced apart protrusions protruding from the recessed surface in the fluid dispersion area such that portions of the recessed surface extend all around each of the protrusions, each protrusion having a protrusion surface spaced apart from the recessed surface. The apparatus further includes an inlet opening, an inlet conduit, an outlet opening and an outlet conduit. The inlet conduit is in communication with the inlet opening and the fluid dispersion area to facilitate communication of fluid from the inlet opening to the fluid dispersion area and the outlet conduit is in communication with the fluid dispersion area and the outlet opening to facilitate communication of fluid between the fluid dispersion area and the outlet opening.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to electrochemical fuel cells and more particularly to a reactant supply apparatus for a fuel cell, a fuel cell and fuel cell stack employing the same.
2. Description of Related Art
Electrochemical fuel cells convert fuel and an oxidant to electricity and a reaction product. A typical fuel cell includes a cathode, an anode, and a membrane. The membrane is sandwiched between the cathode and anode. Fuel, in the form of hydrogen, is supplied to the anode where a catalyst, usually platinum, catalyzes the following anode reaction.Anode reaction: H2→2H++2ē
Hydrogen separates into hydrogen ions and electrons. The hydrogen (cations) migrate through the membrane to the cathode. The electrons migrate via an external circuit in the form of electricity.
An oxidant, such as pure oxygen or air containing oxygen, is supplied to the cathode where it reacts with the hydrogen ions that have crossed the membrane and with the electrons from the external circuit to form liquid water as the reaction product. The cathode reaction is also usually catalyzed by platinum and occurs as follows.Cathode reaction: ½O2+2H++2ē→H2O
Thus the fuel cell generates electricity and water through the electrochemical reaction. Water is formed at the cathode.
Typically, the electrochemical reaction also supports a phenomenon called water pumping. As each cation (proton) migrates through the membrane, it transports or drags along several water molecules with it. Thus, there is a net transport of water to the cathode. Water pumping adds water to the product water formed at the cathode as a result of the electrochemical reaction in the fuel cell.
Solid polymer fuel cells generally comprise a Membrane-Electrode Assembly (MEA). The MEA consists of a solid polymer electrolyte or ion exchange membrane situated between and in contact with two electrodes, made of porous, electrically conducting sheet material, which act as the anode and cathode. The electrodes are typically made from carbon fiber paper or cloth. At the interface of the electrode and membrane is a layer of catalyst to facilitate the electrochemical reaction. The MEA is placed between two electrically conductive plates, commonly formed from graphite. These plates have one or more reactant flow passages impressed on their surfaces. The reactant flow passages direct the flow of a reactant to the electrode and carry away water produced at the cathode due to the fuel cell reaction and due to water pumping.
Conventional reactant flow passages are generally long, narrow and serpentine in shape. Typically, due to capillary action, water adheres to walls of the reactant flow passages, requiring considerable pressure to remove it. Failure to remove this water can result in the accumulation of water at the cathode, and this can create problems for the operation of the fuel cell. The presence of water in the vicinity of the catalyst layer reduces the accessibility of the catalyst to the reactant, a phenomenon commonly referred to as "flooding." Also, the presence of water, often in the form of droplets, can substantially block the flow of oxidant reactant through the reactant flow passages. "Dead spots" can form in areas where channel passages are blocked. In addition, the failure to remove water from the cathode can result in localized hot spots in the membrane as the removal of water is important to cooling the fuel cell. Localized hot spots can result in pinhole failure of the membrane, for example. These conditions can result in a reduction of available power from the fuel cell, or failure in operation of the fuel cell.

Apparatus and method for conducting fluid in a fuel cell and fuel cell employing same


The present disclosure provides a driving circuit and driving method for a display panel and a display device, an output scanning signal is controlled through a scanning signal control circuit, such that a first-array-substrate-row driving circuit on a first lateral side of the display panel outputs a scanning signal according to a first enabling control signal, and a second-array-substrate-row driving circuit on a second lateral side of the display panel outputs a scanning signal according to a second enabling control signal, and driving of one side or two sides of the display panel is implemented.

The statements herein provide background information related to the present disclosure without necessarily constituting an exemplary technique. With the continuous development of display technology, display equipment such as a liquid crystal panel, a display device and the like is continuously developed towards the direction of thinning, large screen, low power consumption and low cost. The liquid crystal panel includes rows and columns of pixel cells, when the liquid crystal panel works, a gate driving signal controls TFTs (Thin Film Transistors) in the pixel cells to be turned on or off so as to complete a row scanning of the liquid crystal panel, thereby achieving an image display function of the liquid crystal panel. An array substrate row driving technique is the technique of producing a gate line row scanning driving signal circuit on the array substrate to realize a driving mode of scanning gate lines line-by-line, the array substrate row of driving technique may reduce the cost remarkably, and is widely used in the display device.
However, electrostatic discharge or other process factors in the production process may generally cause a problem of disabling an exemplary GOA (Gate on Array) circuit, and the yield of the display panel is greatly reduced.

Driving circuit and driving method for display panel and display device


An arrangement for the sterile handling of a non-sterile endoscope in a sterile environment comprises a sterile endoscope sheath for accommodating the endoscope and a cable via which the endoscope is connectable to a control unit, the arrangement further comprising a sterile cable sheath for accommodating at least a portion of the cable, wherein the endoscope sheath comprises a first sterile lock comprising at least one first sterile flap which in the closed state shields the endoscope arranged in the endoscope sheath in a sterile manner. The cable sheath comprises a second sterile lock having a second sterile flap which in a closed state shields the cable arranged in the cable sheath and/or a plug connector present on the arranged cable in a sterile manner. When connecting the cable or the plug connector to the endoscope, a movement of the first sterile flap from the closed state into an open state takes place and a movement of the second sterile flap from the closed state into an open state takes place so that a direct coupling of the cable to the endoscope or of the plug connector connected to the cable to a complementary plug connector of the endoscope is possible.

The invention is based on the idea to use a non-sterile endoscope in a sterile environment, such as an operating room, without having to sterilize the endoscope. Basically, it would indeed also be possible to use sterile one-time endoscopes which are only used for one single operation, but this is not useful neither from an economical point of view nor from the view of a considerate dealing with resources. Together with the endoscope, also connecting cables between a control unit and the endoscope should not have to be sterilized prior to each and every use when used multiple times. For the use of non-sterile endoscopes in a sterile environment, a sheath for an endoscope is known from document DE 10 2010 022 429 A1, said sheath having two sheath parts which can be mechanically connected to each other in a disconnectable and fluid-tight manner. In this embodiment, a connecting cable for connection to the endoscope is firmly connected to the endoscope, while it is not provided that cables present in the protective tube are separated from the endoscope in the sterile environment.
From document WO 2012/075989 A1, a manually operated endoscope for medical purposes is known, which comprises a separate module-type unit and a transmission system. The unit is not sterile and can be inserted into a sterilized housing.
From document DE 10 2012 008 535 A1, a surgical robot system is known, in which a sterile endoscope is connected to a non-sterile manipulator arm. To this end, a sterile instrument adapter is provided between the manipulator arm and the endoscope.
These known solutions have the disadvantage that the endoscope cannot be separated from the connecting cable and replaced by another endoscope in the sterile area without jeopardizing the sterility in the sterile environment. Thus, in practice it is not possible to change the endoscope in the sterile area during a surgery. Should an endoscope have a defect and must be replaced during a surgery, or should, during a surgery, an inserted endoscope be replaced against another endoscope with other optical and/or geometric properties, then this second endoscope would have to be packed in a sterile manner together with a sterile cable already prior to the surgery and be exchanged for the first endoscope during the surgery. Alternatively, sterile endoscopes and/or sterile cables can also be exchanged for one another in the sterile environment. However, it is very expensive to sterilize endoscopes and cables prior to each use. For this, it is necessary that the endoscope is cleaned and autoclaved after each use. In the autoclave, the endoscope is subjected to steam at a temperature of about 140° C. and a pressure of several bars so that considerable thermal and mechanical demands have to be made on the endoscope so that it safely withstands the sterilization process in the autoclave.
Similar problems occur in the case of the connection of several plug connectors which are provided either directly on devices in sterile packs and/or on cable ends.

Arrangement for the sterile handling of non-sterile units in a sterile environment


Methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for authorizing use of a test key signed build are provided. Embodiments include transmitting to an update provider system, unique data associated with a target system; receiving from the update provider system, a signed update capsule file; determining, by the target system, that a signature within the signed update capsule file is valid; in response to determining that the signature is valid, determining that the validation data within the signed update capsule file matches the unique data associated with the target system; and in response to determining that the validation data matches the unique data, determining that the target system is authorized to use a test key signed build to update the firmware of the target system.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is data processing, or, more specifically, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for authorizing use of a test key signed build.
2. Description of Related Art
One of the requirements for Trusted Computing Group's (TCG) Core Root of Trust for Measurement (CRTM) is that it must be immutable. If allowed to update it must be updatable under manufacturer controlled environment. One of the ways to achieve this is to: sign an incoming image; digital signature validate the incoming image; and the CRTM code updates itself after successful validation of the digital signature. To control this process, server platform vendors typically sign the incoming image using their public-private key pair (called production keys) and store the public key in the secure area of the BIOS. In this example, the systems only accept production key signed builds. However, there are occasions that code developers may wish a client system to transition from a production key signed built to a test key signed (or unsigned) build, such as during a debugging process.

Authorizing use of a test key signed build

Lenovo Enterprise Solutions (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.


A photosensitive conductive composition including a silver powder having an X-ray diffraction pattern in which a half width of a silver (111) peak is at least about 0.15°, an organic binder, a photopolymerizable monomer, a photopolymerization initiator and a lead-free glass.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a photosensitive conductive composition, a plasma display panel including a patterned conductor formed by using the photosensitive conductive composition, a conductor formed by using the photosensitive conductive composition, and a method of forming a conductor on a substrate.
2. Discussion of the Background
One of the methods for forming an electrode on a substrate is vapor deposition which deposits a gold film on a member placed in a vacuum vessel. Another method for forming a conductor pattern layer on a substrate includes patterning a paste material containing a non-photosensitive organic binder and a metal powder, e.g., a drying or thermosetting conductive paste, on a substrate by a printing technique such as screen printing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,972,564 discloses a method of forming a conductor on a substrate through photolithography using an alkali development type photocurable conductive paste composition. The contents of this publication are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Photosensitive conductive composition and plasma display panel formed by using the same


In a process for producing phenol and/or cyclohexanone, cyclohexylbenzene is contacted with an oxygen-containing gas to produce an oxidation effluent containing cyclohexylbenzene hydroperoxide. At least a portion of the cyclohexylbenzene hydroperoxide is then contacted with a cleavage catalyst to produce a cleavage effluent containing phenol and cyclohexanone and by-products including phenylcyclohexanol. The cleavage effluent or a neutralized product thereof also comprises at least one heteroatom-containing compound, which is separated from the cleavage effluent and/or the neutralized product thereof to leave a cleavage fraction lean in the heteroatom-containing compound and containing at least a portion of the phenylcyclohexanol. At least a portion of the phenylcyclohexanol is then contacted with a dehydration catalyst comprising a molecular sieve of the MCM-22 type to convert at least a portion of the phenylcyclohexanol to phenylcyclohexene.

Phenol and cyclohexanone are important materials in the chemical industry and are useful in, for example, the production of phenolic resins, bisphenol A, ε-caprolactam, adipic acid, plasticizers, and nylon polymers.
Currently, a common route for the production of phenol is the Hock process via cumene. This is a three-step process in which the first step involves alkylation of benzene with propylene in the presence of an acidic catalyst to produce cumene. The second step, is oxidation, preferably aerobic oxidation, of the cumene to the corresponding cumene hydroperoxide. The third step, is the cleavage of the cumene hydroperoxide in the presence of heterogeneous or homogenous catalysts into equimolar amounts of phenol and acetone, a co-product. However, the world demand for phenol is growing more rapidly than that for the acetone co-product. In addition, due to developing shortages in supply, the cost of propylene is likely to increase.
Thus, a process that avoids or reduces the use of propylene as a feed and coproduces higher ketones, rather than acetone, may be an attractive alternative route to the production of phenol. For example, there is a growing market for cyclohexanone, which is used as an industrial solvent, as an activator in oxidation reactions and in the production of adipic acid, cyclohexanone resins, cyclohexanone oxime, caprolactam, and nylon 6.
It is known that phenol and cyclohexanone can be co-produced by a variation of the Hock process in which cyclohexylbenzene is oxidized to obtain cyclohexylbenzene hydroperoxide and the hydroperoxide is decomposed in the presence of an acid catalyst to the desired phenol and cyclohexanone. Although various methods are available for the production of cyclohexylbenzene, a preferred route is via benzene hydroalkylation in which benzene is contacted with hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst such that a portion of the benzene is converted into cyclohexene which then reacts with the remaining benzene to produce the desired cyclohexylbenzene. One such method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,037,513, in which the catalyst comprises a molecular sieve of the MCM-22 type and at least one hydrogenation metal selected from palladium, ruthenium, nickel, cobalt and mixtures thereof. This reference also discloses that the resultant cyclohexylbenzene can be oxidized to the corresponding hydroperoxide, which is then decomposed to the desired phenol and cyclohexanone co-products in roughly equimolar amounts.
Several technical challenges not seen in the cumene-based Hock process exist in producing phenol via cyclohexylbenzene. One such challenge is that non-negligible amounts of by-products, including phenylcyclohexanols, are generated during the oxidation and/or cleavage steps. To improve product yields, the phenylcyclohexanols is preferably dehydrated to phenylcyclohexene which can then be recycled to the oxidation step, either directly or, more desirably, after hydrogenation back to cyclohexylbenzene. However, the catalysts and conversion conditions suitable for effecting the dehydration reaction are also suitable for driving potential side reactions of phenylcyclohexene as well as any residual cyclohexylbenzene or desired product (cyclohexanone and phenol) that may be present in the dehydration feed. Thus, cyclohexanone can undergo aldol condensation to heavy products and phenol can be alkylated with phenylcyclohexene and cyclohexylbenzene. In addition, the phenylcyclohexene intermediate can undergo reactions such as dimerization, alkylation with residual cyclohexylbenzene, isomerization to other products, such as methylcyclopentylbenzene, and hydride transfer to biphenyl. Not only do these side reactions involve potential loss of valuable product, but they can also lead to deactivation of the dehydration catalyst.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Process for producing phenol and/or cyclohexanone from cyclohexylbenzene


A fuel system includes a first fuel line carrying fuel at a first line pressure (P22), a second fuel line carrying fuel at a second line pressure (PFNC) greater than the first line pressure (P22), at least one pressure regulating section 102 having an input 101 connected to the second fuel line and at least one output (103), a first pressure regulator (120) connected to the input and a second pressure regulator (130) connected between the first pressure regulator (120) and the at least one output (103), and a controller (160) controlling the position of the first and second pressure regulators (120, 130) to produce at the output (103) one of a predetermined number of output pressures relative to the first line pressure (P22).

Fuel systems, such as those used in gas turbine engines, for example, deliver a metered supply of fuel to a combustion chamber at a controllable pressure. Such fuel systems include various valves and other devices, the positions of which may be controlled by pressures from different parts of the system. It is desirable to provide a fuel control system that generates a plurality of pressure signals at two or more discrete levels, which pressure signals can be used to control the operation of and/or position of devices associated with the gas turbine engine.

Method and apparatus generating multiple pressure signals in a fuel system


New amorphous molybdenum/tungsten sulfides with the general formula M.sup.n+.sub.2x/n (L.sub.6 S.sub.8)S.sub.x, where L is molybdenum or tungsten and M is a ternary metal, has been developed. Characterization of these amorphous materials by chemical and spectroscopic methods (IR, Raman, PES) shows that the (M.sub.6 S.sub.8).sup.0 cluster units are present. Vacuum thermolysis of the amorphous Na.sub.2x (Mo.sub.6 S.sub.8)S.sub.x .multidot.yMeOH first produces poorly crystalline NaMo.sub.6 S.sub.8 by disproportionation at 800.degree. C. and well-crystallized NaMo.sub.6 S.sub.8 at .gtoreq. 900.degree. C. Ion-exchange of the sodium material in methanol with soluble M.sup.2+ and M.sup.3+ salts (M=Sn, Co, Ni, Pb, La, Ho) produces the M.sup.n+.sub.2x/n (Mo.sub.6 S.sub.8)S.sub.x .multidot.yMeOH compounds. Additionally, the new reduced ternary molybdenum sulfides with the general formula M.sup.n+.sub.2x/n Mo.sub.6 S.sub.8+x (MeOH).sub.y MMOS! (M=Sn, Co, Ni) is an effective hydrodesulfurization (HDS) catalyst both as-prepared and after a variety of pretreatment conditions. Under specified pretreatment conditions with flowing hydrogen gas, the SnMoS type catalyst can be stabilized, and while still amorphous, can be considered as "Chevrel phase-like" in that both contain Mo.sub.6 S.sub.8 cluster units. Furthermore, the small cation NiMoS and CoMoS type pretreated catalyst showed to be very active HDS catalysts with rates that exceeded the model unpromoted and cobalt-promoted MoS.sub.2 catalysts.

Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to molybdenum sulfide and tungsten sulfide catalysts. More particularly, this invention relates to a novel amorphous molybdenum sulfide and tungsten sulfide for use as a hydrodesulfirization catalyst. Further, this invention relates to a precursor for the formation of molybdenum and tungsten-based chevrel phase materials.

Reduced ternary molybdenum and tungsten sulfides and hydroprocessing catalysis therewith

The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy


A dynamic fly heater (DFH) for improved lifetime and better film uniformity is disclosed for a magnetic head. The heater has a lower amorphous Ta layer and an upper W layer to promote small grain size and reduced electro-migration. The composite film is especially advantageous for heaters greater than 1000 Angstroms thick where dR/R is difficult to control in the prior art. The DFH may be a (Ta/W)n laminate in which the Ta layers are about 30 Angstroms thick and the combined thickness of the W layers is from 400 to 1200 Angstroms. A Ta film is preferably sputter deposited with an Ar pressure of 3 to 5 mTorr and the W film is sputter deposited in the same chamber with a 3 to 20 mTorr Ar pressure. In one embodiment, a merged read/write head has one DFH in the read head and a second DFH in the write head.

Perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) has become the mainstream technology for disk drive applications beyond 200 Gbit/in2, replacing longitudinal magnetic recording (LMR) devices. The demand for improved performance drives the need for a higher areal density which in turn calls for a continuous reduction in transducer size. A PMR head which combines the features of a single pole writer and a double layered media (magnetic disk) has a great advantage over LMR in providing higher write field, better read back signal, and potentially much higher areal density. Typically, a dual purpose transducer is preferred in which the write head (PMR function) is combined with a read head function in the same structure to form a merged read/write head. The read head may be comprised of a sensor that is a TMR element in which a tunnel barrier layer separates two ferromagnetic (FM) layers where a first FM layer has a fixed magnetization direction and the second FM layer has a magnetic moment that is free to rotate from a direction parallel to that of the "fixed" layer to a direction anti-parallel to the fixed layer and thereby establish two different magnetic states generally referred to as a "0" state and a "1" state. The read process determines which of the two states the TMR element has been written to.
It is well known that the magnetic storage density increases as the gap (flying or fly height) between the magnetic media and a magnetic head such as a merged read/write head decreases. In other words, the so-called air bearing surface (ABS) or exposed plane of the merged read/write head that includes the write pole tip is brought closer to the magnetic media to enhance performance. However, due to non-uniformity in production, the fly height may vary from one slider to the next. Therefore, a low fly height may easily cause one or both of the read head and write head to contact the magnetic media which leads to poor reliability and a damaged device. On the other hand, if the flying height is too high, then poor magnetic performance may result that leads to increased bit error rate, slower read and write operations, and thus a decrease in storage density. Fly height is also influenced by the heat generated when a current is applied to the coils in a write head which tends to cause a thermal expansion of the read/write head toward the magnetic media.
For more controlled heating, at least one heater element is included in a merged read/write head to make adjustments in fly height in response to changes in environmental conditions such as temperature and pressure. A popular design used to control fly height is to position a dynamic fly heater (DFH) opposite the read head or opposite the main pole layer in the write head with respect to the ABS. When the heater is activated, thermal expansion of nearby layers including the write pole in the write head effectively pushes the write pole tip closer to the magnetic media: Likewise, heating of layers in the vicinity of the sensor in the read head causes thermal expansion which results in a read head protrusion toward the magnetic media and thereby reduces the fly height. As disclosed in related application Ser. No. 12/080276, a first dynamic fly heater (DFH) may be included proximate to the sensor in a read head and a second DFH may be positioned proximate to the write pole in a write head for improved fly height control to shorten actuation time and lower power consumption.
Gamma ratio is a critical parameter used to characterize a read/write head because it describes the relationship of mechanical minfly point to magnetic spacing. A lower gamma ratio means a larger gap between the mechanical minfly point and the reader location. An important head design objective is to achieve a gamma as close as possible to 1 which is ideal for tribology and magnetic performance since it keeps the gap between reader and minfly point at a constant value independent of DFH power (actuation). From a drive reliability point, the reader should not be at the minfly point which is the mechanically closet part of the head to the disk because the read head sensor is too sensitive towards mechanical impact. Ideally, the read head should be recessed from the minfly point by at least 0.5 nm.
Under certain conditions, a thin DFH made of a layer having a thickness of about 1000 Angstroms or less, provides a reasonable and predictable dR/R (change in resistance/initial resistance value) when stressed with an elevated current density and increased ambient temperature. However, when DFH thickness is increased to greater than 1000 Angstroms in order to adjust resistance upward, a faster dR increase is observed even at milder stressing conditions. This result indicates a greatly reduced dynamic fly heater lifetime that may be attributed to excessive electro-migration. Thus, a DFH composition is needed that has improved electro-migration behavior which leads to better reliability for thicker heating element films. In addition to reduced electro-migration, a smaller deviation of sheet resistance is needed to provide a tighter power usage distribution. Therefore, an improved DFH composition is required to address both reliability and performance demands in state of the art magnetic heads.
In U.S. Pat. No. 7,239,481, a heating device is disclosed that has a lower Ta adhesion layer formed on an insulation layer in a magnetic head and a heating element layer comprised of NiCr, CrV, or NiFe on the adhesion layer.
U.S. Patent Application 2006/0034013 describes a barrier of W or Ti on a heater wire and a temperature gradient relaxing material formed between turns in the heater element but does not specify the composition of the heater element itself.
U.S. Patent Application 2002/0024774 describes a heater made of an electrical resistance material but does not reveal the composition of the heater material.
In U.S. Patent Application 2007/0230021, NiFe, CuNi, CuSn, or CuMn are employed in a heater film to control flying height in a magnetic head.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,349,170 describes a heater used to control flying height in a magnetic head structure but does not specify a heater composition.

Ta/W film as heating device for dynamic fly height adjustment


An apparatus comprising: a cover portion defining an exterior surface of the apparatus and including a conductive cover part; a first conductive loop connected to the conductive cover part; and a first coupling member, connectable to radio circuitry and configured to electromagnetically couple with at least one of the first conductive loop and the conductive cover part, wherein at least the conductive cover part and the first conductive loop have a first electrical length and are configured to operate in a first frequency band.

Apparatus, such as portable electronic devices, usually include radio circuitry and one or more antennas for enabling the apparatus to communicate wirelessly with other apparatus. In recent years, there has been a trend in the telecommunications industry to use conductive materials in the cover of the apparatus. However, the conductive materials usually interfere with the one or more antennas and reduce their efficiency and/or performance.
It would therefore be desirable to provide an alternative apparatus.


A device for providing visual feedback to the golf player of his grip during his golf stroke in maintaining proper alignment of the golf club face and the golf ball while increasing the air resistance the player encounters during the golf stroke. The device comprises a finned member for securement to the shaft of a conventional golf club adjacent the head. Certain of the fins include surfaces having visually perceptible indicia thereon, e.g., colors. The device is arranged so that one of the fins is oriented in a direction whereupon certain indicia are not visible if the club head is in a desired orientation, but will be visible if the club head is in another orientation, e.g., open or closed. The fins provide wind resistance during the swing. A weight may be secured to one of the fins.

This invention relates generally to golf swing training devices and, more particularly, to devices that can be applied to any golf club to inform the golfer of the orientation of the golf club face during the stroke.
The use of golf swing training devices has been known for a long time and the following United States Patents disclose various types of known golf club swing training devices: U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,414,267 (Engle et al.); 3,549,300 (Pelz); 3,565,444 (LaRocca); 4,103,896 (Lorang); 4,569,525 (Folger); 4,576,378 (Backus); 5,152,533 (Radakovich); 5,165,683 (Beutler); 5,184,825 (Ruth).
The apparatus disclosed by Engle et al., is a device that consists of an extension applied to the handle end of a golf club and a stand-alone, flexible rod that positions a target in front of the player. The target is vertically adjustable on the flexible rod and has a receptacle located at its center point for receiving the extension affixed to the golf club. When the player swings correctly, the player will engage the target receptacle during his downswing and will capture the target on the extension portion. Carrying away the target on the extension of the golf club following the downswing indicates to the player that his swing is correct. If the player swings incorrectly, he will simply knock the target off the flexible rod. Only when the player's wrists are cocked correctly will he engage the receptacle in the target during his downswing.
The apparatus disclosed by Pelz is a putter that enables the putter head to be aligned with the player's body during the swing. The putter shaft is designed to be attached to the forward end of the putter head, rather than near the back end of the putter head as is normally done. The putter shaft is segmented such that the player can see the top portion of the putter head when grasping the shaft. On the top portion of the putter are markings that the player visually aligns with markings on the shaft in order to achieve a desired putter inclination.
The apparatus disclosed by LaRocca is a device that attaches to the golf club near the head and which includes collapsible wings that maximally increase air resistance at the start of the golfer's downswing, but which open up and minimize air resistance just prior to golf club head impact with the ball. The LaRocca device utilizes the principle of drag to have the wing elements of the attachment oriented so that the leading edge of the wings are ninety degrees to club motion, i.e., at the maximum angle of attack. As the club is swung downward, the angle of attack is reduced so that just before impact with the ball, the leading edge of the wing is parallel to the line of flight of the club head and the ball, i.e., the angle of attack is zero degrees. Such an artificial means of increasing the golfer's speed of swing permits the golfer to train and tune his swing.
The device disclosed by Lorang attaches to the upper golf club shaft and monitors the force applied to the golf club shaft by the off-target hand, i.e., the dominant hand of the player. Usually, too much force is applied by the dominant hand of the player in swinging the golf club resulting in a poor golf stroke. The Lorang device monitors the force exerted by the off-target hand and activates some warning means (e.g., visual, audio, etc.) to the player whenever this force exceeds some predetermined threshold. Repetitive use of this device trains the player to reduce the force of his dominant hand.
The device disclosed by Folger is a non-conventional golf club consisting of four differently colored sides, including a pyramid-shaped cap with four colored sides, which correspond to different orientations of the golf club. If the player is holding and gripping the golf club in the correct position and attitude during his swing while maintaining correct body stance, he should see only one color. Any deviation from that correct grip will result in another color appearing in the player's peripheral vision and subsequently in his line of sight as the club approaches the golf ball. Also, an alignment pointer is affixed to the club head face extending perpendicularly outward to indicate the line of flight of the ball.
The device disclosed by Backus comprises an airfoil that is adjustably mounted along the club shaft and whose surface area is oriented in the plane of the face of the club head but located behind the club. As the club is swung downward, drag is created against the airfoil causing a torque to develop which tends to rotate the club in a counterclockwise direction (for a right-handed player). This rotation automatically pronates the player's hands so that the club head is at a proper angle relative to the ball when the club face strikes the ball. Removable plugs in the surface of the airfoil allow for adjusting the torque force.
The device disclosed by Radakovich is a golf club sighting device that is mounted at the tip of the club shaft, at the grip end. The sighting device has arrows indicating the target direction for the player to use. The device consists of wing-shaped member which does not fully encircle the left hand. On the upper surface of the wing are arrows and other indicators used for sighting. This particular sighting device can be substituted and/or used in conjunction with other sighting devices located along the club shaft. These other devices also have sight markings on their upper surfaces that the player uses to align his sight with. Some of these devices are contained to the tip of the golf club, fitting on the top in a cap fashion.
The device disclosed by Beutler consists of two wings hinged along the golf club shaft that collapse together during the player upswing and open up to introduce maximum drag during the player downswing. The grip of the golf club is spring loaded to maintain the wings perpendicular to the swing plane throughout the entire stroke, to maintain a counterclockwise rotational force on the golf club shaft and to restore the wings to their starting position following each stroke.
The device disclosed by Ruth is a sail that is attached to the golf club that increases the air resistance during the golf stroke. The sail is adjustably mounted to provide a resistance surface, being located over the club head/club shaft interface. A balanced mounting ensures that the sail will not rotate around the club shaft during use.
Although the aforementioned prior art devices appear suitable for their intended purposes, they nevertheless suffer from one or more of the following drawbacks: they are not suitable for use with a conventional golf club, they do not accurately simulate real world conditions, they are complex and/or are cumbersome in construction and they are not easy to use.


A system, method, and apparatus for decoding and displaying images utilizing two processors and two memory units. The decode process receives images which are encoded according to a predetermined standard. Included with the encoded images are parameters which facilitate the decode and display processes. The decode process decodes the encoded images and the encoded parameters and stores each image in a separate image buffer, and each set of associated parameters in a buffer descriptor structure associated with the image buffer. The decode process is carried on by the first processor. The display process utilizes the parameters associated with the image to determine the appropriate display order for each image, and then display the image accordingly on a display device, based on the associated parameters. The first processor carries on the display of the image on the display device. The second processor determines the display order for the images. The second processor and the second memory are off-chip.

Video decoders decode a video bit-stream encoded according to a predetermined standard syntax, such as MPEG-2 or Advanced Video Compression (AVC). An encoder generating a compressed video bit-stream makes a number of choices for converting the video stream into a compressed video bit-stream that satisfies the quality of service and bit-rate requirements of a channel and media. However, decoders have limited choices while decoding the compressed bit stream. The decoder uses the decisions made by the encoder to decode and present pictures at the output screen with the correct frame rate at the correct times, and the correct spatial resolution.
Decoding can be partitioned in two processes—the decode process and the display process. The decode process parses through the incoming bit stream and decodes the bit stream to produce decode images which contain raw pixel data. The display process displays the decoded images onto an output screen at the proper time and at the correct and appropriate spatial and temporal resolutions as indicated in the display parameters received with the stream.
The decoding and display process are usually implemented as firmware in SRAM executed by a processor. The processor is often customized and proprietary, and embedded. This is advantageous because the decoding process and many parts of the displaying process are very hardware-dependent. A customized and proprietary processor alleviates many of the constraints imposed by an off-the-shelf processor. Additionally, the decoding process is computationally intense. The speed afforded by a customized proprietary processor executing instructions from SRAM is a tremendous advantage. The drawbacks of using a customized proprietary processor and SRAM are that the SRAM is expensive and occupies a large area in an integrated circuit. Additionally, the use of proprietary and customized processor complicates debugging. The software for selecting the appropriate frame for display has been found, empirically, to be one of the most error-prone processes. Debugging of firmware for a customized and proprietary processor is complicated because few debugging tools are likely to exist, as compared to an off-the-shelf processor.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art through comparison of such systems with the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

System, method, and apparatus for display manager


A "U" shaped dispenser which is comprised of a base, two arms projecting from the base, and an axial rod for insertion through openings in the arms. Each arm has a side projection, or ear, that surrounds the opening and that is parallel to the base. The ears are inserted into the interior cavity of the rolled material. The rod is inserted through the interior cavity of the rolled material and locked into place by mating grooves on the rod with slots in the openings in the arms, thereby securing the rolled material into position. By pulling on the exposed end of the rolled material, a desired amount of material can be removed with one hand.. Preferably, the arms are connected to the base as a single unit. The dispenser is made, preferably, of a sufficiently flexible material which allows for the arms to swing out when unfolded from the packaging material. Alternatively, the dispenser is made of a less flexible material and hinges are used to maintain flexibility.

The present invention relates to a secured dispenser for rolled material such as paper towels or toilet tissue, and more particularly, a secured dispenser incorporating an axial rod which is inserted through openings in the arms of the dispenser and through the interior cavity of the rolled material, such that the rolled material may be locked into place without inhibiting dispensing of the rolled material.
The present invention relates to rolled materials which utilize an interior cavity around which the material is rolled. Some examples of such rolled materials, include paper towels or toilet tissue which utilize a cardboard center as the interior cavity.
There are many devices for dispensing and holding rolled materials such as paper towels or toilet tissue. It is common for many of these devices to incorporate an axial rod which is inserted through an opening, or indentation, in at least one end of the dispenser and through the rolled material being dispensed. A problem with known dispensers is that the rod becomes loose and thus the rolled material does not stay in place in the dispenser.
There are other dispensers which incorporate tension to aid in maintaining the rolled material in place between the arms of the dispenser. A problem with the frequent use of this type of known dispenser is that the arms become worn and lose their tension capability. The result is that the rolled material continually falls from the dispenser onto a countertop or the floor.
Another problem solved by the present invention is the ability of "one-hand" usage. With the known dispensers, a user is required to use both hands to pull off any of the rolled material. For example, one hand would hold the edge of the material which is being dispensed and the other hand would hold the material in place so that only a single or two sheets would come off instead of many sheets or the entire material becoming unrolled with the pull of one hand.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a rolled material dispenser having an axial rod which locks the rolled material in place until manually unlocked by the user but which does not inhibit dispensing of the rolled material. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a rolled material dispenser which allows for one hand operation. These, and additional objects, advantages, features, and benefits of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.


The present invention provides screening kits, compositions, and diagnostic methods for determining whether a subject has a predisposition to, or likelihood of having, a substance use disorder by determining a nucleic acid methylation profile from a biological sample from the subject, wherein a given profile indicates that the subject has a predisposition to a substance use disorder.

Substance use disorders cause serious problems, both for the affected individuals and for society in general. Despite intensive research, however, a reliable laboratory test for diagnosing a patient as having, or for being at risk for developing, such conditions has not been developed. Such diagnoses are still generally made clinically, on the basis of observed behavior. Given the difficulties of defining normal experience and behavior and the lack of reliable objective indicators, it is not surprising that to date systems of diagnosis in psychiatry have been less than satisfactory. A reliable laboratory test would be of practical value in everyday clinical practice, for example, in assisting doctors in prescribing the appropriate treatment for their patients. Thus, methods of identifying subjects that have, or are at risk for developing, substance use disorders are needed.

Compositions and methods for detecting predisposition to a substance use disorder


A modular louver assembly comprises a peripheral frame having a sill, a header and jambs defining a rectangular primary opening, a plurality of intermediate frame members joined to the peripheral frame and dividing the primary opening into a plurality of rectangular modular unit openings, and either louver modules or blank-off panels received in the unit openings. A sight screen mounted on the framework overlies substantially the entire primary opening.

Louvers are widely used in the walls of commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings at openings provided for various purposes, the most common purposes by far being for intake and exhaust of air for ventilation and for cooling of equipment. Often, several intake or exhaust openings are located in a cluster, such as at the exterior wall of an equipment room or floor. In high-rise buildings, equipment rooms are provided on certain floors and serve several adjacent floors above and below. In low-rise or one-story buildings, protected equipment enclosures may be provided on the roof, or one or more equipment rooms may be provided on a floor as required. In both instances, the openings at the building wall to ducts or to equipment spaces are often clustered.
The main function of a louver is to remove rain or snow ("moisture") from an air stream passing from the outside through an opening into a duct or space covered by the louver. The degree to which a louver is effective in removing moisture is a function of several aspects of the design of the louver, such as the slope and pitch distance of the blades, the configuration of the blades, the depth (the dimension perpendicular to the wall), and the blade orientation. In general, the more effective a louver is in removing moisture, the greater is the pressure drop across it. Inasmuch as it is desirable to minimize the pressure drop through a louver in order to avoid a waste of energy in drawing air in or pushing air out, the choice of a louver installation involves to some extent a compromise between effectiveness of moisture exclusion and energy efficiency.
Architects and building owners are also keenly interested in the appearance of the buildings they design and own. An element of the appearance of a building is the treatment of louvers. Uniformity of appearance is usually a design objective, one that very strongly favors horizontal blade louvers. Attaining uniformity of appearance often conflicts with both effectiveness of water removal and energy efficiency in several ways. First, for any given energy efficiency, vertical blade louvers are significantly more effective in removing moisture than are horizontal blade louvers, but vertical blade louvers change in appearance, depending on the vantage point of the viewer. Second, removal of moisture at an exhaust opening is significantly less difficult, because the air flow repels rather than induces moisture intake, and it is often less important to remove moisture at an exhaust opening than it is at an intake opening, but uniformity of appearance often leads the architect and owner to use the same louvers for both intake and exhaust openings. Third, worst case probable wind conditions used in design suggest the use of different louvers in different walls, depending on prevailing winds, another conflict with uniformity of appearance.
Previously known louvers are often custom-designed and built for particular installations, albeit based on standard blade and frame configurations. Each louver is a stand-alone unit and is separately fastened to elements of the building framing system, often in a manner that makes removal difficult at best. Custom design and manufacture increases costs. Permanent installation in the building wall makes repair or replacement of the louver difficult and expensive.


The present invention realizes a specular gloss simulation device which can accurately simulate specular glossiness of an image even if the image has a low density and low glossiness by measuring, in a given geometry, luminance of a sample having a base material and a colorant material layer formed on the base material and then simulating a specular reflection light amount in an other geometry from the measured luminance. A specular gloss simulation device is provided with a lower layer reflection light component calculating section for calculating a lower layer reflection light component, an internal reflection light component creating section for creating an internal reflection light component, a surface reflection light component creating section for creating a surface reflection light component, and a specular reflection light amount calculating section for obtaining a specular reflection light amount of the sample by adding up the components thus created by each section.

Gloss is one quality evaluation item of an image sample produced by various techniques. In general, the gloss depends largely upon geometry (that is a positional relationship of a light source, a sample (hereinafter, the image sample is denoted simply as sample) and a light receiver) under which observation is carried out. The larger a zenith angle 1 in a light source incidence direction (in which the light comes from the light source) and a zenith angle 2 in a light reflection direction (in which the light goes to the light receiver) as illustrated in FIG. 2, the stronger the gloss that a person feels. In order to evaluate this gloss quantitatively as glossiness, presently a glossimeter adopts some limited kinds of arrangements (JIS Z 8741) such as a combination of a zenith angle 45° in the direction, in which the light enters toward a sample 3 and a zenith angle 60° in the light reflection direction. This arrangement is standardized in, for example JIS (Japanese Industrial Standards), and the like.
However, this technique gives glossiness that can be merely a kind of standardized measure, but can not provide quantitative data enough for evaluating a property of deviation reflection. In order to solve this problem, a gonio-spectro photometer system (gonio-photo spectrometer) and the like, which is generally used in painting industry, is used. This makes it possible to obtain quantitative data of the property of deviation reflection. However, the quantitative measurement using this gonio-spectro photometer system of an angle of deviation takes very long to obtain the measurement and can handle only limited varieties of shapes of a sample. Accordingly, this measurement is not so suitable for practical use.
In recent years, in a field of remote sensing, BRDF (Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function) is draws attention. This is devised based on Shafter's Dichromatic Reflection Model (refer to Document 1). In the Dichromatic Reflection Model, as illustrated in FIG. 3, reflection light from a surface of an object is made of two components called (i) a surface reflection (light component reflected on a surface) 4 and (ii) an internal reflection (light component reflected inside) 5. The surface reflection 4 is a light beam reflected on a surface of the sample 3 due to a difference in refractive indexes of the sample 3 and the air and has color of a light source 6. The light that enters inside the sample 3 is repeatedly refracted, absorbed, and scattered among dye particles 3A, whereby the light is absorbed into the dye particles 3A depending on the wavelength. Accordingly, the internal reflection light 5, which is a reflection from the sample 3, has a color of the sample 3. Various proposed models of the BRDF are used according to respective purposes.
Document 2 discloses a method for evaluating a property of deviation inside reflection. This method simulates an amount of specular reflection light, by using BRDF. With this method, it is also possible to simulate glossiness in geometry other than existing geometry.
However, in the above method, the amount of the specular reflection light received by a glossimeter is examined only by the surface reflection in the Dichromatic Reflection Model and the specular glossiness is calculated by the BRDF. In an image made of a concentrated colorant material and thus producing high gloss, it is possible to ignore the internal reflection light component in the Dichromatic Reflection Model and a reflection light component from a base material positioned under a colorant material layer. However, in a case of an image whose color density from a colorant material is low, the reflection light component of an lower layer cannot be ignored. Moreover, in case of a low gloss image, the internal reflection light component cannot be ignored. Therefore, a correct value cannot be calculated with the above method.
(Document 1)
COLOR Research and application, Vol. 10, No. 4, pp. 210-218, 1985
(Document 2)
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication 2003-329586 (published on Nov. 19, 2003)

Specular gloss simulation device, specular gloss simulation method, control program for specular gloss simulation device and storage medium thereof


Described herein are one or more implementations that separate kernel interfaces functions into those that act on kernel objects owned by a process and accessed exclusively by that process—described herein as local kernel objects—from access to kernel objects owned by a process and accessible by other active processes.

A kernel interface is a low-level communication bridge between a process and the kernel of an operating system. The kernel interface typically includes entry points where a process' execution enters the kernel and calling conventions, which control how function arguments are passed to the kernel and how return values are retrieved.
The kernel interface of a typical operating system may include functions to start and stop threads of execution, to synchronize threads of execution, to read and write data from files, to enlist in regions of shared memory, to draw on a screen, to communicate with a network, or to read a system clock. Kernel interfaces can range from dozens of entry points to hundreds and even thousands of entry points.
A kernel interface is one component of the operating system's application programming interface (API) presented to programmers. An API typically defines the interface between an application programmer's source code and operating system libraries so that the same source code will compile on any system supporting the API. Many conventional operating systems encapsulate the kernel interface within a higher-level API because the kernel interface varies from version to version of the kernel.
For example, to insulate application programmers from changes in the kernel of the Microsoft® Windows® XP brand operating system, the kernel interface of that operating system is hidden behind the Win32® API and not published. In the case of the Microsoft® Windows® XP brand operating system, programs are dynamically linked to the libraries of the Win32® API at load time.
On the other hand, a conventional kernel interface allows processor-executable instructions to function without changes on any system using the same or compatible kernel interface. From a security perspective, the processor-executable instructions of the conventional kernel interface are secure from tampering as they reside within the protection domain of the operating system kernel. On the other hand, the processor-executable instructions of the conventional high-level API may not be secure from tampering as they execute within the context of the process.
A common characteristic of conventional operating system kernel interfaces is that they use an access control pattern to decide which operations may be performed by a process through the kernel interface. With an access control pattern each "kernel object"—such as a thread, open file, or user interface windows—has an access control list that specifies which security principals are allowed to perform a specific action (or set of actions) on the kernel object. Kernel objects are abstractions provided by the kernel. Kernel objects are the things that an application affects through the kernel interface. Examples of kernel objects in the Microsoft® Windows® XP brand OS are "open files", "windows", "threads of execution", "shared memory mappings", etc.
Security principals (i.e., "security ids") are the unit of identifying a party for security purposes. For example, on Unix, each user is a security principal with their own unique user id. Security principals are not always users. For example, the Microsoft® Windows® XP brand OS has a "network logon" principal that is used to run services that communicate over the network. As security principals typically have a one-to-one correspondence with users, each process typically has one associated security principal.
Metaphorically, an access control list is like guest list at private gathering, only processes on the list are allowed to use the kernel object. Because a running kernel may have thousands or tens of thousands of objects—such as threads, open files, and user interface windows—and dozens or hundreds of security principals, the access control lists of kernel can become unmanageable. Incorrectly set access control lists on kernel objects are a common source of security vulnerabilities in conventional operating systems.
To avoid the complexities of managing access control lists, other operating systems employ a capability pattern to control which operations may be performed by a process through the kernel interface. With a capability pattern, a "capability" represents the right to perform a specific action on a specific kernel object. The capability can be shared from one process to another to grant access to the kernel object. Metaphorically, a capability is like a key to a door, any process holding a capability can access the object that the capability unlocks. The complexities of tracking potentially hundreds of capabilities within a single process can quickly lead to security vulnerabilities in which a capability is accidentally leaked to another process. Furthermore, like a key, it is extremely difficult to get back a key once it has been lent out or lost.

Kernel interface with categorized kernel objects


A terminal device 1 including a wireless communication unit 11 is carried by a subject user who will become a subject, and a wireless communication unit 21 for performing directional data communication in an imaging direction is provided in a camera 2. When the terminal device 1 and the camera 2 become able to communicate data each other, the subject user carrying the terminal device 1 is photographed, and image data obtained in this way are transmitted to the terminal device 1. The terminal device 1 displays the image data. If necessary, the subject user issues an instruction to print the image data, and transmits information on the instruction to print to the camera 2. The camera 2 assigns the information on the instruction to print to the image data, and transmits the information on the instruction to print and the image data to an image server 4 and further to a printer 5.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an imaging device for photographing a subject, installed in a facility, e.g., theme park, etc., a terminal device carried by the subject, and an imaging system including the imaging device and the terminal device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Services are provided wherein a camera is installed at a particular spot in an attraction in a facility such as a theme park, and a user riding on a ride in the attraction is photographed. A photographic image obtained in this way is printed out and offered to the user.
A system has been proposed wherein: a base station which can communicate data is placed in a facility; the base station receives image data representing a photographic image, transmitted from a digital camera including a communication means together with identification information of the digital camera; the image data received by the base station are printed out; and prints are sorted according to the identification information (refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-197407). Another system has been proposed wherein: a camera is lent to a visitor to a facility; and image data shot by the lent camera are transmitted to an image storage device and printed out (refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-309284).
Further, an imaging device has been proposed, which enables easy following of a subject of photography by: attaching an infrared transmitter to the subject; detecting a signal output from the infrared transmitter using a camera; and displaying the detected signal (refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9(1997)-23359).
However, in the systems described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-197407 and Japanese. Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-309284, a person carrying the camera cannot become the subject. Therefore, there is a problem that there are no or only a few photographic images of the person carrying the camera when images are photographed in the facility. Further, since it is often impossible to perform photography while riding a ride in an attraction, it is difficult to record an image of the visitor enjoying the attraction as a photographic image.
On the other hand, if images are photographed by the camera installed in the attraction, it is possible to record the image of the user enjoying the attraction in the photographic image. However, the user who was the subject needs to find the photographic image of him/herself from among many photographic images displayed at an exit of the attraction, which is extremely troublesome for the user. Further, when time passes after riding on the attraction, the photographic images will no longer be displayed. Therefore, if the user fails to order the photographic image of him/herself, the user will never be able to obtain the photographic image. Additionally, space for displaying the photographic images is necessary in the facility.

Imaging device, terminal device, and imaging system


The present invention provides a vaccine production strain of Bordetella bronchiseptica that produces a pertussis toxin in high yield. The present invention provides a method for creating a Bordetella bronchiseptica cell line which produces a Bordetella pertussis toxin comprising the steps of introducing a plasmid containing a DNA encoding antibiotic resistance into a Bordetella bronchiseptica strain, selecting for isolates in which the DNA encoding antibiotic resistance is recombinantly incorporated into the chromosome in place of the Bordetella bronchiseptica toxin gene, introducing a plasmid containing DNA encoding subunits of the Bordetella pertussis toxins into the Bordetella bronchiseptica isolates; and, selecting for isolates in which DNA encoding Bordetella pertussis toxin subunit is recombinantly incorporated into the chromosome, the resulting cells producing the Bordetella pertussis toxin. The present invention further provides a method for creating a Bordetella bronchiseptica cell line which produces a Bordetella pertussis toxin and does not express filamentous hemagglutinin.

Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a severe infectious human respiratory tract disease brought about by Bordatella pertussis. The disease typically manifests itself in children and immunization is accomplished by initial vaccination of children in their infancy followed by repeated vaccination during the early years of their childhood.
Historically, pertussis vaccines in the art were prepared using whole-cell heat-killed bacteria. The use of these vaccines, however, had a number of drawbacks in administration and in the adverse side effects that resulted from their administration. Over time, health care administrators attributed a decrease in the administration rate of pertussis vaccines and a corresponding increase in the incidence of whooping cough in children to these drawbacks.
More recently, researchers have developed acellular vaccines which have been proven to have milder side effects. The central component of these recently developed vaccine strains is the pertussis toxin. According to methods now known in the art, prior to use, the pertussis toxin is detoxified by either chemical detoxification or by recombinant production of genetically detoxified toxin containing mutations for several different variations that produce the detoxified toxin. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,785,971, issued to R. Rappuoli, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,733,600 issued to W. N. Burnette; and, EPO Publication No. EP 0 396 964 B1, in the name of Pizza, et al.
While the administration drawbacks of pertussis vaccines of the past have been overcome by the development and introduction of acellular vaccines, problems associated with producing sufficient quantities of these vaccines remain. The pertussis toxin is a complex multi-component antigen that is made up of five sub-units, S1–S5. The difficulties in large quantity production of the toxin are several. The bacterium conventionally used to produce the toxin is difficult to grow and grows slowly. It does not reliably produce the toxin in large quantities when grown in culture. Moreover, the toxin produced by the bacterium is difficult to purify from its most significant contaminant, filamentous hemagglutinin. Thus, presently, there is no vaccine production strain that produces assembled pertussis toxin with high yield and purity and which grows rapidly and reliably. Nor is there one that produces such a pertussis toxin that is substantially, if not totally, free of filamentous hemagglutinin.

High yield pertussis vaccine production strain and method for making same

The United States of America as represented by the Department of Health and Human Services


A biometric belt connector for electrically connecting an electrode belt to a biometric device to be carried on a human or animal body. The belt connector comprises a back element and a front element configured to engage with each other in a fixed and locked arrangement, fastening in between them an end of an electrode belt, the front element having a substantially circular hole, an electrically conducting wire which forms a loop, such that part of said wire loop is exposed through said hole when the back and front elements are engaged. The wire loop is connected to a conducting element extending from an end of an electrode belt, which conducting element forms part of or is connected to an electrode in the electrode belt. The hole is of suitable dimension to form a female snap button receiver for a male snap fastener on said biometric device.

Electrode belts are known, both for direct contact galvanic electrodes for measure cardiography signals and inductive belts used in respiratory inductive plethysmography. Prior art belts have various types of connectors, for transmitting the received signal to the respective device. There remains a need for improved belt connectors that are easy to use to maintain.


A microscope objective includes, in order from the object side, a first lens unit with positive refracting power, having two meniscus lenses, each with a concave surface facing the object side, and at least one positive lens; a second lens unit with positive refracting power; and a third lens unit having concave surfaces adjacent and opposite to each other configured as air contact surfaces. The microscope objective satisfies the following conditions:7≦f0.5<NAwhere f is the focal length (mm) of the microscope objective and NA is the numerical aperture of the microscope objective on the entrance side.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a microscope objective which is applicable to a microscope having high extensiveness that is capable of providing a high NA while having a wide observation range to acquire a feeble light signal at a high S/N ratio in microscopy, and to a microscope system provided with this microscope.
2. Description of Related Art
In the most advanced research field at present, various methods of observing cells, in vivo, for a long period of time (several days to several weeks) are developed for purposes of the functional clarification of living cells and the behavior analysis and interaction clarification of a protein. As one technique of microscopy for observing a lesion part inside a living cell, the method of making a fluorescence observation is largely used. The fluorescence observation is such that, after a particular fluorescent substance like a fluorescent protein is used as a light-emitting label to stain a living specimen like the living cell, fluorescent light is produced by irradiating the specimen with exciting light and is observed to thereby detect the existence and position of a particular part in the living specimen, such as the lesion part inside the living cell.
In general, an objective for biological microscopes is constructed so that an observation object (the specimen) is viewed through a cover glass and is designed so that, for example, aberration produced by the cover glass is corrected on the premise that the thickness of the cover glass has a constant reference value.
However, the cover glass is attended with a fabrication error. Depending on the observation technique, the observation object is sometimes viewed through a nearly plane-parallel plate of thickness different from that of the reference value, such as the cover glass or a Petri dish.
Thus, when the thickness of the cover glass is different from that of the reference value and is varied, aberration produced in accordance with variation of the thickness of the cover glass cannot be completely corrected by the objective and imaging performance is degraded. In particular, as the NA becomes high, the degradation of the imaging performance becomes pronounced.
However, conventional microscope objectives for correcting aberration produced in accordance with the variation of the thickness of the cover glass interposed between the surface of the observation object and the objective are set forth, for example, in Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 03-58492 and Japanese Patent No. 3371934.
In the fluorescence observation, when some stimulus is given to the living specimen, for example, by the irradiation of exciting light, there is the possibility that the stimulus itself adversely affects an active state of the cell. Consequently, it is desired to provide a microscope system such that the light-emitting label is stimulated with the weakest possible stimulus (low-intensity exciting light) and a weak luminous signal produced in accordance with this stimulus can be detected at extremely high efficiency.
Simultaneously, it is also desired to provide a microscope system in which provisions are made for keeping a state of behavior of the living cell in sight and at the same time, detecting much information from the cell at a time through the observation in a wide range so that a processing speed and work efficiency can be improved.
In the field of conventional microscope apparatuses, however, microscope apparatuses fulfilling the above requirements and microscope systems provided with these microscope apparatuses have no existence. As such, the objectives set forth in the prior art references mentioned above are not constructed on the premise that they are applied to microscope apparatuses fulfilling the above requirements and microscope systems provided with these microscope apparatuses.
However, the applicant of the present invention, in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2007-41510 filed by this applicant, proposes the microscope fulfilling the above requirements, that is, the microscope having high extensiveness that is capable of providing a high NA while having a wide observation range to acquire a feeble light signal at a high S/N ratio and the microscope system provided with this microscope.
Even in such a microscope objective, it is desired to correct aberration produced in accordance with the variation of the thickness of the cover glass. In biochemical microscopy, the fluctuation of aberration may be caused not only by the variation of the thickness of the cover glass, but also by a difference with room temperature in the case where the microscope is used at the temperature of cell culture, and correction for the fluctuation of aberration is desired.


A system for screening cargo containers is provided including an image generation device, an apparatus for screening cargo containers and an output module. The image generation device generates an image signal conveying information related to the contents of the cargo container. The apparatus receives the image signal and a list of objects conveying objects expected to be present in the cargo container. A processing unit processes the image signal in combination with the list of objects and a group of target images associated with objects to derive mismatch information data. The mismatch information data conveys at least one distinction between the list of objects and the information related to the contents of the cargo container conveyed by the image signal. Information conveying the mismatch information data is released and conveyed to a user of the system by an output module.

Everyday, thousands of cargo containers arrive at various destinations around the world, be it at airports, train stations, ports, buildings and other public or private venues. The containers are used to carry a broad range of items including, but not limited to, vehicles, food, livestock and clothing.
The global economy necessitates that cargo containers for import and export trade be moved in a manner that assures a nation's citizens and the foreign trading and business community that the risk experienced will be at acceptable and predictable levels. As such assuring a safe and efficient flow of cargo containers is critical to a vibrant global economy.
The basic tool today for monitoring cargo containers is the manifest. Typically, the cargo manifest describes, amongst other things, the objects expected to be present in the cargo container. The cargo manifest is the basis of commercial agreements, e.g., assuring that what is shipped is what ultimately arrives at its destination. The cargo manifest is typically also the basis of monitoring hazardous cargo stowage, proper freight rate assessments and assessing customs duties. The United States government has recently implemented a program called CSI (Container Security Initiative) which makes use of the manifest of selected containers at foreign ports before these ones are shipped to the U.S.
A first deficiency associated with the use of a cargo manifest alone for assessing the content of a cargo container is the possibility of cargo theft. Cargo theft is the removal of one or more items from the cargo container after the manifest has been created. As such, the content of the cargo container at the departure location is different from the content of the cargo container at the arrival location. A method typically used for remedying this deficiency is to close the cargo container with a seal or with "smart" door sensors. "Smart" door sensors are typically adapted to detect changes in light intensity or other changes in the internal environment of the container. It follows therefore, in theory, that if the seal of a cargo container is not broken or if no change in light intensity or in the internal environment of the container was detected, the content of that cargo container should match the expected content of the cargo container as it is expressed in the manifest.
A second deficiency associated with the use of a cargo manifest is the possibility of manifest fraud. Manifest fraud includes the introduction of illicit cargo (arms, drugs, people, counterfeit objects) in a cargo container after the manifest has been created or the omission from the manifest of already present cargo. As such, the actual content of the container at the departure location is different from that expressed in the manifest. As can be readily appreciated, the above-described deficiency is not corrected by applying a seal to the cargo container or by the use of "smart" door sensors.
The use of a cargo manifest in a non-complex environment in which there is no possibility of fraud or deceitful actions may be adequate, but in complex environments, its use becomes increasingly inadequate and insecure. As such, even if a cargo container is associated to a manifest and is sealed, its actual content may be different from that expressed by the manifest. For that reason, verification of the content of a cargo container is required to ensure that the contents correspond to the manifest.
In practice, such verification is performed manually by having a customs agent, or a port official, break the seal of the cargo container and make a visual inspection of its content on the basis of the manifest. As can be readily appreciated, such a procedure is time consuming and costly both from a human resource perspective (since customs or security agents must be hired to perform this inspection) as well as from an economic perspective, since the cargo containers are delayed in transit waiting to be screened. For that reason, not all cargo containers are screened but rather a small percentage of the containers (about 4% in 2005) are screened in the manner described above. The manner in which cargo containers are selected for screening varies from random selection to selections based on risk factors (origin, type of shipment, destination, etc. . . . ). However, a large number of cargo containers go unscreened leaving a loophole available for smuggling (of drugs, arms and people), manifest fraud and other unlawful activities. As terrorism and smuggling increase, the potential problems that such a loophole allows are significant not only from an economic standpoint but also from a national security perspective.
A proposed solution to the above is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,370,222, issued Apr. 9, 2002 to Cornick, Jr. and assigned to CCVS, LLC, Annandale Va. (US). The contents of the above noted patent are incorporated herein by reference. More specifically, U.S. Pat. No. 6,370,222 describes a method and system for verifying the contents of a cargo container which includes acquiring at the departure port at least one image of the cargo container and of the contents of the cargo container and storing the image with a manifest associated with the cargo container. The manifest is sent to another location, say to the arrival port, and, at the other location, selectively, a second image of the contents of the cargo container is acquired and compared with the original image stored with the manifest associated with the cargo container.
A deficiency with the above described solution is that it requires obtaining two (2) images of the cargo container—one at the departure port and one at the arrival port. As such, the above-described system requires that both the departure and arrival locations be equipped with similar equipment and imaging capabilities. Since the departure and arrival locations may be located in different countries, providing this type of coordination may be prohibitively complex and is impractical. Another deficiency associated to the above-described method is that it generally requires a human operator to effect a comparison between the images and the manifest which is time consuming and costly.
Consequently, there is a need in the industry for providing a method and system for use in screening cargo containers to verify the contents thereof that alleviate at least in part the deficiencies of the prior art.

Method and system for screening cargo containers


There is provided a garnish attachment structure of a vehicle body using one of a roof garnish provided along a side part of a roof of the vehicle body and a window garnish provided along a side part of a window glass as a first garnish, and using the other as a second garnish. The garnishes are attached to a vehicle body members provided in the vehicle body. The garnish attachment structure includes: positioning locking parts that lock an end of the first garnish from an up-and-down direction and an end of the second garnish from a longitudinal forward-and-backward direction to the vehicle body member; and engaging parts that are provided at an each end of the first garnish and the second garnish and are locked to the positioning locking parts. The engaging parts are locked to the positioning locking parts, and the ends of the first garnish and the second garnish overlap each other whereby the first garnish and the second garnish are attached to the vehicle body members.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a garnish attachment structure that is mounted on a side part of the roof of a vehicle body to a side part of a window glass.
Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-262261, filed Sep. 27, 2006, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of Related Art
A garnish attachment structure in which a roof garnish provided along a side part of a roof of a vehicle body and a window garnish provided along a side part of a front window glass are overlapped each other at their respective ends, and in this state, both the garnishes being attached to a vehicle body panel is known (for example, refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2000-62458).
In this garnish attachment structure, the end of the second garnish is superposed on the end of the first garnish positioned in and locked to the vehicle body panel, and the second garnish in this state is positioned in and locked to the vehicle body panel.
However, in this conventional garnish attachment structure, the order in which the roof garnish and the window garnish are attached is fixed. Therefore, the attachment order cannot be changed flexibly according to the configuration of a manufacturing line. Thus, it is not possible to rapidly cope with the change of a manufacturing place, etc.

Garnish attachment structure of vehicle body


Methods of fabricating nonvolatile memory devices are disclosed. A disclosed method comprises forming a trench isolation layer on a substrate; forming an oxide layer and a polysilicon layer; forming a sacrificial layer on the polysilicon layer; forming a photoresist pattern on the sacrificial layer; performing an etching process using the photoresist pattern as a mask and, at the same time, attaching polymers on sidewalls of the etched sacrificial layer to form polymer layers, the polymers being generated from the etching of the sacrificial layer; and forming a floating gate and a tunnel oxide by removing part of the polysilicon layer and the oxide layer using the polymer layers and the photoresist pattern as a mask. The disclosed method can increase the width of a floating gate by using polymer layers in fabricating a two-bit type cell, thereby ensuring a higher coupling ratio compared to the coupling ratio of a conventional two-bit type cell.

In a one-bit type EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read only memory) cell, a device isolation layer 13 defining an active region and a device isolation region is formed in a substrate 11. A tunnel oxide 15 and a floating gate 17 are layered in the active region. In other words, the one-bit cell includes one floating gate per cell. The device isolation layer is formed through a LOCOS (local oxidation of silicon) or an STI (shallow trench isolation) process.
On the other hand, a two-bit type cell comprises two floating gates per cell. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional EEPROM cell of the two-bit type. The two-bit type of EEPROM cell can share two (2) floating gates in one cell, whereas the one-bit type of EEPROM cell includes one floating gate in one cell.
However, in the prior art, when two floating gates have been formed in one cell, the cell size has increased as large as the lithographic minimum feature size (hereinafter referred to as "F"), such as a space size between the two floating gates. The minimum size of "F" is irrelevant to the smooth operation of a cell. Rather it is necessarily caused by limitations of the mask patterning. Therefore, it is preferable to reduce the "F" value in order to decrease cell size.

Methods for fabricating nonvolatile memory devices


A process and an energy director are provided for thermoplastically welding a rigid thermoplastic, such as acrylic, and a flexible thermoplastic, such a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) doped with plasticizers. The rigid piece includes an energy director where the joint is to be located. The energy director includes first and second ridges running the length of the joint and a groove running between the first and second ridges. The energy director is placed against one side of the flexible piece, and an energy horn against the other side opposite the energy director. The two pieces are then welded together using standard thermoplastic welding technology. The shape of the energy director promotes the melting and flow of both pieces as they are being welded together.

Welding by various means has long been used to join together two thermoplastic pieces. Multiple thermoplastic welding technologies exist including direct heat welding such as by hot plate or hot gas; electroheat welding such as by radio-frequency means, microwaves, lasers, electrofusion, etc.; and mechanical movement joining methods such as ultrasonic vibration welding. Prior to the present invention, it had been thought that polymer materials having different properties, such as a rigid piece and a flexible piece, were generally not suitable for being welded together. It had also been thought that it was difficult to weld together plasticized polyvinyl chloride with good results, especially to another type of material.
Energy directors have been used to improve thermoplastic welding. These prior art energy directors typically have a single peak, which is sometimes roughened for particular applications.

Process and energy director for welding and joint produced thereby