The invention relates to engineered CRISPR/Cas9 systems for genomic modification in mammalian cells. The present specification describes the design and testing of a polynucleotide encoding the Streptococcus pyogenes (S. pyogenes) Cas9 protein, where the nucleotide sequence has been optimized for expression in mammalian cells. The specification also describes all-in-one systems for RNA-guided genome engineering in mammalian cells, including human cells.

Small RNA-based defense systems that provide adaptive, heritable immunity against viruses, plasmids, and other mobile genetic elements have recently been discovered in archaea and bacteria. The RNA and protein components of these immune systems arise from the CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat) and Cas (CRISPR-associated) genes, respectively. CRISPR locus consists of variable similar sized, short regions (spacers) that separate each of short repeats. The spacers are mainly homologous to the invading sequences and the repeats are identical sequences. Cas genes are often located adjacent to the CRISPR locus. Prokaryotes with CRISPR-Cas immune systems capture short invader sequences with the CRISPR loci in the genomes, and small RNAs produced from the CRISPR loci (crRNAs) guide Cas proteins to recognize and degrade (or otherwise silence) the invading nucleic acids.
CRISPR-Cas systems operate through three general steps to provide immunity: adaptation, crRNA biogenesis, and invader silencing. In the adaptation phase, a short fragment of foreign DNA (protospacer) is acquired from the invader and integrated into the host CRISPR locus adjacent to the leader. Protospacer adjacent motifs (PAMs) are found near invader sequences selected for CRISPR integration.
In the crRNA biogenesis phase, CRISPR locus transcripts are processed to release a set of small individual mature crRNAs (each targeting a different sequence). Mature crRNA generally retain some of the repeat sequence, which is thought to provide a recognizable signature of the crRNA. In the silencing phase, crRNA-Cas protein complexes recognize and degrade foreign DNAs or RNAs.
There are three types of CRISP-Cas systems. Type II CRISPR-Cas systems has been extensively studied partially because they offered practical applications in the dairy industry to generate phage-resistant Streptococcus thermophilus (S. thermophilus) strains. In addition to its content and architecture, Type II systems also differ from other types in the biogenesis of crRNA. A set of small non-coding RNAs called tracrRNA (trans-activating CRISPR RNA) are produced from a region outside but close to the CRISPR locus. The tracrRNAs are partially complementary to the type II CRISPR repeat sequences and hybridize to the repeats within the long precursor CRISPR RNA and the RNA duplexes are processed by non-CRISPR RNase III to generate mature crRNAs. Cas9, a large type II signature protein, is thought to be the only protein involved in the crRNA-guided silencing of foreign nucleic acids.
Jinek et al. "A Programmable Dual-RNA-Guided DNA Endonuclease in Adaptive Bacterial Immunity," Science 337(6096), p. 816-821 (August 2012) show that crRNA fused to a tracrRNA (called crRNA-tracrRNA chimera or guide chimeric RNAs) is sufficient to direct Cas9 protein to sequence-specifically cleave target DNA sequences matching the crRNA using in vitro reconstitution of Streptococcus pyogenes (S. pyogenes) type II CRISPR system. However, the study was based on biochemical assays and did not show whether or not the Cas9-crRNA-tracrRNA system would work in the cells of eukaryotic organisms.
To explore the potential of RNA-programmed Cas9 for genome-editing applications in mammalian cells, Mali et al., "RNA-Guided Human Genome Engineering via Cas9" Science Express (Jan. 3, 2013) and Cong et al., "Multiplex Genome Engineering Using CRISPR/Cas Systems" Science Express (Jan. 3, 2013) independently engineer Cas9 and RNA components of the bacterial type II CRISPR system in human cells and/or mouse cells. Both labs were able to introduce precise double stranded break at endogenous genomic loci in human cells and/or mouse cells using human codon-optimized version of the S. pyogenes Cas9 proteins directed by short RNAs. The two labs designed and used different nucleic acid sequences to encode codon-optimized S. pyogenes Cas9 protein.
RNA-guided genome targeting defines a potential new class of genome engineering tools. What is needed in the art are efficient and versatile methods and tools for RNA-programmed genome engineering. Improved efficient systems using RNA-programmed Cas9 can be used, for example, to study biology by perturbing gene networks, and also for example, can be used to treat genetic diseases by repairing genetic defects or by reintroducing genes into cells.

Compositions and methods directed to CRISPR/Cas genomic engineering systems


A shaving brush comprises a body member having an upper end and a base, a brush head comprising natural or synthetic bristle being attached to said upper end, the body member including a delivery channel extending therethrough from said base to said head for shaving product dispensed in use from an aerosol container having an outlet valve, the brush including a removable adapter member which is locatable in use on said outlet valve.

The present invention relates to a shaving brush
Shaving brushes are well known utensils for applying soap to body hair for the purpose of shaving.
Shaving brushes have become rather unfashionable over the years, and now the largest portion of the market for shaving foam and gels are applied by hand from pressurised cans. This means that the superior skin care qualities of these foams and gels are denied to the traditional users of brush and soap
Certain improvements have been made to shaving brushes in an attempt to resolve this problem. However these improvements have tended either to be less attractive in look and feel than a traditional shaving brush or, for example, as with WO-A-84/04658, where the entrance of a bore in the handle is shaped to co-operate directly with the valve of an aerosol, locating the bore in the brush handle with the valve is relatively difficult because of the small diameters involved.
It is the object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a means of loading the head of the shaving brush with foams and gels from a pressurised can in a way which is both simple and clean for the user to operate.


Dopant atoms have coefficients of diffusion that vary due to implant damage. Damaged regions are selected and created by implanting silicon atoms into a silicon substrate prior to formation of a gate electrode. The silicon atoms act as a getter for attracting selected dopants that are trapped in the silicon substrate. Dopants are implanted in the vicinity of the damaged regions and diffused by transient-enhanced diffusion (TED) into the damaged regions by thermal cycling to accumulate dopant atoms. Transient-enhanced diffusion improves the doping of a substrate by enhancing the diffusion of dopants at relatively low anneal temperatures. Dopant accumulation sets particular selected electrical properties without placing an excessive amount of dopant in regions adjacent to junctions for purposes including threshold control for a field device, threshold setting for a transistor, and prevention of device punchthrough.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process of a semiconductor fabrication system for controlling the distribution of dopants or impurities in a device. More specifically, the present invention relates to a technique for controlling dopant concentrations in a substrate using transient-enhanced diffusion.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conductive regions of N-type and P-type conductivities and N-P junctions at the boundaries of conductive regions are essential for providing electrical functionality of semiconductor devices. The conductive regions and junctions are formed in a semiconductor wafer by diffusion or ion implantation techniques. The N-P and P-N junctions in a semiconductor substrate form structures that provide the electrical functionality of transistors and diodes. A junction is a separation between a region called an N-type region having a high concentration of negative electrons and a region called a P-type region having a high concentration of holes. A junction is typically formed in a semiconductor wafer by thermal diffusion, or ion implantation and annealing.
To produce high density circuits, smaller feature sizes and closer spacing of circuit components must be achieved. Thermal diffusion is generally an insufficient technique for producing compact structures for the fabrication of high-density circuits. Thermal diffusion is insufficient for several reasons including a propensity for diffusion to extend in a lateral direction, poor control of doping concentration, surface contamination interference, excessively thin junctions, and a propensity to generate dislocations. Lateral diffusion occurs during deposition and annealing and continues each time the wafer is heated. Sufficient spacing between adjacent regions must be allowed to prevent contact between regions due to lateral diffusion. Disadvantageously, the ultimate effect of lateral diffusion on a dense circuit is an increased die size.
Many of the problems inherent to thermal diffusion are solved to some extent by implanting dopants into a substrate. Ion implantation solves these problems by directly injecting atoms into a substrate lattice. However, some problems do arise with ion implantation. First, ion implantation causes damage to the substrate lattice. Second, the ions injected into the substrate lattice are not active and require activation. A thermal annealing process is typically employed to repair damage to the substrate structure, activate the implanted ions, and diffuse the implanted ions.
While ion implantation greatly improves control of the dopant concentration within the substrate, additional control is needed to further reduce structure sizes and to improve the precision of dopant concentrations within the substrate, particularly in the vicinity of junctions. These improvements are particularly useful for precisely setting threshold voltage V.sub.T and preventing "punchthrough".

Method of controlling dopant concentrations using transient-enhanced diffusion prior to gate formation in a device


A sensor, including at least one transducer for emitting signals and for receiving reflected echo signals, the transducer being set up to output an analog measuring signal, an analog-to-digital converter for converting the analog measuring signal into a digital measuring signal, an evaluation unit for evaluating the digital measuring signal, and a communication unit for transmitting a measuring result of the evaluation via a digital communication interface. The communication unit is equipped to receive a request for diagnostic data via the digital communication interface, and is also equipped to switch the sensor to diagnostic operation and to transmit requested diagnostic data via the digital communication interface. The communication unit is set up to communicate with at least two different data rates via the digital communication interface, a higher data rate being used for transmitting the diagnostic data than for transmitting the measuring result during normal operation of the sensor.

Modern vehicles have a multitude of sensors, via which information is obtained about the area surrounding the vehicle. To ensure reliable operation of the vehicle systems, which rely on the data obtained, it is desirable to be able to check the utilized sensors after they have been installed in the vehicle, as well.
German Patent Application No. DE 10 2011 121 092 A1 describes an ultrasonic sensor for a motor vehicle, which is furnished with a communication connector to a data line of the motor vehicle. The sensor is able to be switched into a test mode, and in the test mode, is set up to output the test signal at the communication connector, bypassing the customary communication unit. In this case, the fact is utilized that ultrasonic sensors have a multitude of internal ports, referred to as debug ports, via which various signals of the sensor are able to be picked off during production, among them being a stored threshold-value curve, the receive signal of the sensor or the profile of a receive amplification. The ports are available internally in the sensor, so that in the installed state, they are no longer reachable without damaging it. The test signals are output via the communication connector of the sensor, without being converted into the communication protocol.
The conventional design approaches in the related art require the provision of further diagnostic techniques for checking the sensor, in order to evaluate the analog signals output by the sensor in the test mode.

Sensor for emitting signals and for receiving reflected echo signals, and system including a control unit and such a sensor


An image processing system connects a plurality of clients to an image processing apparatus via a network. The image processing apparatus includes a reading device that reads an image of an original document and generates a prescribed image signal, an image data generating device that applies prescribed image processing to the image signal to generate image data, and a memory that stores the image data. A format converting device is provided to convert an image format of the image data selected from the memory by one of plurality of client apparatuses into a prescribed format in accordance with a format condition designated by the client apparatus. A delivering device is provided to deliver the image data to the client apparatus in the prescribed format.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing system, method, and program capable of delivering image data stored in an image processing apparatus to an external apparatus.
2. Discussion of the Background Art
A network scanner technology generally enables a digital copier to scan an image on an original document using a scanner or an image reading apparatus and deliver image data to another terminal over a network, as discussed in the Japanese Patent Application Laid Open Nos. 2000-333026 and 2001-150744.
According to the Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 2000-333026, images read at an image inputting section of an image forming apparatus are stored in a scan box (e.g. a hard disc) included in an extension box that is formed based on an architecture of a multi-purpose use computer system. Then, the images can be shared by a plurality of computer systems over the network.
Such a scanner box is utilized as follows: First, a scan parameter, such as a resolution level, gradation, magnification, a read objective surface, an image size, a storage destination, etc., is selected and an original document is read. Image data is thus obtained and transferred to an image processing section, and is processed in accordance with the scan parameter. However, printing of the image data is not intended, no data format is generated. Color coordinate conversion from RGB to YMCK, gradation correction, and compression processing of image data are omitted by the same reason. In any event, the image data having undergone such image processing is transferred to an extension box. The extension box temporally stores the image data in a prescribed region of the hard disc. When all document pages have been stored, a client apparatus (i.e., one of computer systems) reads prescribed image data from the scan box though the network.
However, according to such a background technology, even the same type digital copier is employed at the client apparatus side, such a digital copier outputs an image in a different format from that outputted by the digital copier of the network scanner side. Further, image processing manners to be applied to image data for copy print use and that for delivery use by means of a scan box are different from each other.
Further, when copying and delivering an image, an original document is read by depressing a copy button and a scanner button, separately. Thus, scanning of the same original document is needed twice, resulting in troublesome task.
Further, according to the background technology, since image data stored in the hard disc is almost always in a private use format handled by the digital copier, and is compressed by a private use compression algorithm to save a memory, an image cannot be inspected and edited by an external client apparatus using a multi-purpose application.
Further, according to the background technology, since image data is transferred to and processed by an image processing section in accordance with the scan parameters, and is stored in a memory device, image format conversion cannot be applied to such storage data. As a result, when a plurality of users desire to receive image data in different image formats, scanning has to be repeated as needed in accordance with their situations.

Format convertible image processing system, and program


A mixer assembly for a vehicle exhaust system includes a mixer shell defining an internal cavity, wherein the mixer shell includes an upstream end configured to receive exhaust gases and downstream end, and a reactor positioned within the internal cavity. The reactor has a reactor inlet configured to receive injected fluid and a reactor outlet that directs a mixture of exhaust gas and injected fluid into the internal cavity. An inlet baffle is mounted to the upstream end of the mixer shell. The inlet baffle includes at least one opening that directs exhaust gas into at least one exhaust gas inlet to the reactor and a plurality of bypass openings that direct exhaust gas to bypass entry into the reactor. The inlet baffle includes a crowned portion that curves away from the reactor to provide for an increased open area within the internal cavity between the inlet baffle and the reactor.

An exhaust system includes catalyst components to reduce emissions. The exhaust system includes an injection system that injects a diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), or a reducing agent such as a solution of urea and water for example, upstream of a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst which is used to reduce NOx emissions. The injection system includes a doser that sprays the fluid into an exhaust gas stream. A mixer is positioned upstream of the SCR catalyst to mix engine exhaust gases with the injected fluid. It is challenging to configure the plurality of exhaust system components within available packaging space. Compact mixer configurations have shorter overall lengths to allow for more efficient packaging but need to maintain high mixing performance while also meeting durability requirements to accommodate for vehicle and road vibrations.

Crowned inlet baffle for high efficiency mixer

Faurecia Emissions Control Technologies, USA, LLC


A method and machine for filling capsules with at least one pharmaceutical product, whereby the bottom shell of each capsule is fed along a given path in time with a relative metering chamber for transferring a given quantity of product from a container into the bottom shell; a control device weighing the product in the metering chamber to cut off supply of the product into the metering chamber, when the weight of the product substantially equals a given reference value.

In the pharmaceutical industry, a machine for filling capsules with microtablets is known comprising a conveyor device movable continuously along a given path and having a number of pockets, each for housing a respective bottom shell of a capsule; a vibrating dispenser plate containing the microtablets; and a metering wheel mounted to rotate continuously about its substantially vertical longitudinal axis.
The metering wheel has a number of metering devices, each of which travels with the metering wheel along a portion of the path of the bottom shells, in time with a respective bottom shell, to transfer a given quantity of product from the vibrating dispenser plate into the bottom shell.
Each metering device comprises a metering chamber communicating with the vibrating dispenser plate and having a shutter movable between a closed position, in which the metering chamber is filled with a given quantity of microtablets, and an open position, in which the metering chamber communicates with the relative bottom shell to transfer the microtablets into the bottom shell.
Supply of the microtablets into the metering chamber is controlled selectively by a recirculating device located at the inlet of the metering chamber to recirculate the microtablets inside the vibrating dispenser plate and cut off supply to the metering chamber.
Known machines of the type described above have various drawbacks, mainly due to the fact that, given the shape, size, and random distribution of the microtablets inside the metering chambers, the metering chambers, and hence the relative bottom shells, may be supplied with different quantities of microtablets, thus impairing the production of capsules all containing the same quantity of microtablets.

Method and machine for filling capsules or similar with at least one product, in particular a pharmaceutical product in microtablets


Image compositing apparatus and methodology for the creation, in a defined volume of three-dimensional space, of a composite organization of plural images/visual phenomena, including at least one projected real image, displayed in formats including (a) front-to-rear, (b) side-by-side and (c) overlapping and intersecting, adjacency. The apparatus incorporates different unique arrangements of visual sources, and optical elements including concave reflectors, beam splitters and image-forming/image-transmissive scrim/screen structures. In one important modification of the system, which does not necessarily require compositing, a projected real image is derived from an image-producing data stream containing three-dimensional image cues selected from the group consisting of shading, occlusion, perspective, motion parallax, size vs. depth, light (chroma value) vs. depth and definition vs. depth. In a further important modification of the invention, a system is proposed which allows a viewer/user to interact directly with a projected real image, in a manner allowing the manipulation of one or more characteristics or aspects of the image.

The present invention relates to apparatus and methodology for the compositing of multiple, viewable phenomena/sight-stimulators, such as multiple images and real objects, and in particular, to such apparatus and methodology which includes the incorporation into such compositing formation of at least one projected real image.
The power of visual imagery has fascinated and captured people for decades, and as new visual-imagery technology has emerged in recent years, the possibilities for presenting startling, dramatic visual phenomena have leapt onto the communicating landscape with powerful, attention-getting boldness. Long recognized, for example, have been the striking, attention-capturing power of motion pictures, of television, of three-dimensional graphics and displays, of magical floating-in-space images, and of others, and this attention-getting capability is widely recognized as a powerful tool in the creative communication "playing" fields of amusement, advertising, basic information conveyance, clarification of hard-to-otherwise-visualize phenomena and relationships, medical diagnostics, and many, many others.
In this setting, the present invention steps onto the "communication stage" with a highly innovative and advanced systemic apparatus and methodology that allows for the selective compositing, in a defined viewable volume of space, of wonderfully innovative multiple-layer, adjustably positionable composite images, including at least one three-dimensional real image, which advance opens important doors in all of the fields mentioned above (as well as many others) neither openable, nor even approachable with prior art technology.
Described hereinbelow, and illustrated in the plates of drawings which form part of this invention disclosure, are numerous key embodiments of the system and methodology of the invention, with all embodiments offering the core capability of compositing, in three-dimensional space, multiple images, including at least one real image, where any two images (or visual phenomena) are organized, at any given point in time, with at least one of formats (a) front-to-rear, (b) side-by-side and (c) overlapping and intersecting, adjacency. If desired, these formats may be combined in different ways. Each of these formats is, of course, taken with reference to the specific point of view of an observer. So, for example, the front-to-rear format may exist with respect to a viewer looking at the created composite imagery generally along a horizontal axis, as well as such a person viewing the composite imagery along a more upright axis. The imagery, or any component thereof may be moveable in the composite setting, either by virtue of the fact that the related source involves movement, or by virtue of the provision of moveable optical structure which plays a role in the creation of the composite whole.
A special feature of the present invention includes the cooperative relationship, for example, between: (a) a source of three-dimensional imagery (other than a real object source), which source includes a visual-image database itself containing "entrained" psychological optical cues that dramatically promote the perception of real three dimensionality; (b) a two-dimensional screen device, such as a video monitor, which forms from a data stream provided by this database a related image (moving or still) which contains the relevant three-dimensional cues; and (c) a real-image optical projection system that acquires such a screen-device-borne image and projects the same into space in a setting which is free of (unencumbered by) physiological impediments, such as a frame or a border, that might detract from the apparent, real, three-dimensionality of the projected real image.
Still another important feature of the invention described and claimed herein is the presence of an organization, in certain embodiments, of a system which allows a viewer/user to interact directly with a projected real image, in effect to manipulate one or more characteristics or aspects of the image. For example, and to illustrate this notion, one can imagine the projection into space of a real image of a piece of fruit, such as a pear, in a setting which permits the viewer/user to "grasp" the pear, and to rotate or otherwise move it, for example.
One of the extraordinary capabilities of the system of the present invention, as will be described and illustrated more fully hereinbelow, is that it is possible to composite, in essentially or approximately a single plane, slightly staggered/offset pixelated or rastered, images (and the like), as, for example, might be derived from a video source, in a manner resulting in a composite projected real image having greatly enhanced image resolution. In such an application, of course, the several sources which result in the end-result composite image would be drawn from precisely the same foundation image source material. In other words, were, for example, three video images composited in this fashion and to this end, the same image material would be occurring at the same moment of time on all of the three original video sources.
As will be apparent from a reading of the description which follows, along with a viewing of the respective, different drawing plates, each of the systems described herein has, as a part of what is referred to as viewing-enabling structure, one or more optical elements which are common to other disclosed systems, though each system specifically shown herein has, generally speaking, an optical arrangement or organization which is specifically different from the arrangements of the other systems. Also, and with respect to the illustrated and described systems, various sources (image-effecting, sight-stimulator-effecting) of ultimately viewable imagery, occupying suitable location stations, are common from one system to another, but somewhat differently arranged in order to cooperate appropriately with related optical elements (system optical structure). The different optical elements (arrangements) which are combined in the systems described are individually known and understood in the world of optics, and accordingly, great detail about the positioning, sizing and relative locating of these elements, which is well understood by those skilled in the art, is omitted from this text. The materials specifically incorporated into this document by reference above, taken together with the drawings and description herein, afford an abundant base of information for one of ordinary skill in the art fully to appreciate the respective operations of the several systems shown and discussed, as well as to understand the powerful potential for the core contribution of this invention in enabling the spatial compositing of multiple images as contemplated by the invention.
Further explaining something in general terms about the apparatus descriptions which are to follow, it will be immediately evident that the various optical elements and imagery sources in each disclosed system must be, and are, integrated interactively and operatively with one another so that their respective positions relative to one another result in the placement and compositing of images in a spatial station (visual staging station) which is easily viewable by an observer. In some instances, it will be immediately apparent from the drawing figures that the nature of this system integration structure takes the form of a cart or a housing or some other evident kind of framework but in certain other illustrations of systems, the details of specific system integration structure are omitted in favor of a bracket in the figure which is presented there specifically to symbolize the presence of such structure.
The various objects and important advantages sought for and offered by the apparatus and methodology of the present invention, alluded to above, will become apparent as the description which follows is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


A method for managing services in an Edge Computing (EC) system that includes at least a first EC host and an EC management entity configured to control the first EC host to instantiate EC applications using one or more services. The method includes the EC management entity: obtaining service information associated with at least a first service for use by an EC platform or an EC application in an EC host; storing the service information in a central service registry of the EC system; and storing availability information associated with said first service in the central service registry.

The development of cloud-based services, operating to assist mobile devices with network-assisted storage and computing, is heavily increasing. Currently, ETSI
(European Telecommunication Standards Institute) is promoting a new technology originally denoted Mobile Edge Computing (MEC), which is being standardized in an ETSI Industry Specification Group (ISG) of the same name. In the second phase of ETSI MEC ISG this is replaced by the term Multi-access Edge Computing, using the same acronym MEC, which also includes other types of access besides cellular, e.g. Wi-Fi and fixed networks.
MEC is a network architecture concept that enables cloud computing capabilities and an IT service environment at the edge of a communication network. MEC is the term used by ETSI for the concept mobile Edge Computing (EC). MEC allows applications to benefit from ultra-low latency and high bandwidth as well as real-time access to radio network information.
In the ETSI MEC specifications, e.g. ETSI GS MEC 002 and ETSI GS MEC003, a service registry is mentioned as a way for EC applications to find available EC services that the EC application could use. These EC services may be produced by the EC platform or by another EC application. For this purpose, an EC platform may make its local EC service discoverable in a local service registry of the EC platform.
However, an EC system may include several EC platforms, for each one EC host. There is thus a need for a technical solution for management of services in an EC system, that provides for convenient sharing and reuse of services.

Management of services in an Edge Computing system


A powered lawn mower having a frame, an engine mounted to the frame, a set of front wheels and a set of rear drive wheels connected to the frame. Attached to the rear of the frame is a standing platform positioned in front of the rear wheel axles so that the center of gravity is moved forward over the center of the mower with an operator standing on the platform. The positioning of the platform substantially improves the stability and safety of the mower. The platform, capable of supporting the weight of a standing operator, is mounted to the frame of the mower with a plurality of springs mounted between the platform and the frame to cushion the ride of the operator. The mower may also include as seat assembly removably attachable to the frame of the mower and positioned substantially above the platform. The seat assembly includes an attachment mechanism designed to be removably attached to the frame, so that an operator can choose between a standing position and a seated position.

The present invention relates generally to lawn mowers, and the more particularly to self-propelled, walk-behind commercial type lawn mowers having a platform attached to the rear of the mower for accommodating a standing operator.
Most current lawn mowers designed for commercial use are either dedicated walk-behind lawn mowers or conventional riding lawn mowers. Commercial type riding lawn mowers are generally quite large, heavy and difficult to maneuver around obstacles, such as trees and shrubs and the like. An example of such a riding lawn mower is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,796 to Yamaoka et al. Riding lawn mowers are also quite expensive to purchase and maintain. The substantial cost of purchasing and maintaining riding mowers has led lawn mower service companies to rely more heavily on the use of lower cost, mid-size, walk-behind rotary mowers.
The walk-behind mowers are generally smaller, more maneuverable, and less expensive than riding mowers. Being self-powered, these mowers are capable of cutting large areas of grass. The walk-behind mowers are also relatively simple to operate, and inexpensive to purchase and maintain compared to riding lawn mowers. In addition, these mowers are generally safer and more useful in mowing steep hills. Furthermore, they are small enough to be easily stored and transported by commercial lawn mower service companies. One example of a self-powered, walk-behind mower is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,920,733 to Berrios.
However, a major disadvantage of walk-behind mowers is that they require the operator to walk the entire area of grass being cut. This may account for up to eight or more hours walking per day, which can be a very exhausting experience over the period of a full work day, even if the mower is self-powered.
Because walk-behind mowers are still fairly heavy and cumbersome pieces of equipment to maneuver, various types of attachments have been designed to reduce the amount of walking required by operators. These attachments, commonly known as sulkies, allow an operator to ride behind the mower in a reasonably comfortable standing or seated position during prolonged operation of the mower. A sulky is typically a wheeled attachment having a standing platform or a seat that is removably attached to the back end of the mower. Patents showing a sulky attached to a self-propelled, walk-behind lawn mower include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,004,251 to Velke et al; 5,388,850 to Simone; and 5,413,364 to Hafendorfer. In using a stand-up sulky, the operator stands on a platform, while in using a sit-down sulky, the operator sits in an upright position on a seat that is customarily mounted at the rear of the sulky, with the operator""s feet resting on a platform.
The use of sulky attachments for walk-behind mowers has not been entirely satisfactory because they often restrict maneuverability of the mower. The sulky adds considerable length to the mower, making it difficult to maneuver around obstacles, such as trees and shrubs and the like. In addition, the sulky does not permit easy reverse movement of the mower because it pivots around the attachment point on the mower, and can easily jack-knife.
There have also been a number attempts to design a lawn mower having a standing platform attached to the rear of the mower for supporting a standing operator. Examples of patents disclosing these types of mowers include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,878,339 to Marier et al.; 5,507,138 to Wright, et al, 5,653,466 to Berrios; 5,809,756 to Scag et al.; and 6,059,055 to Velke, et al. All of these patents show a standing platform attached to the rear of the mower behind or at the rear wheel axle. The position of the platform on the mower as shown in the prior art creates a generally unstable and unsafe operating condition for a standing operator. An operator standing on the platform moves the center of gravity toward the rear of the mower making it very unstable to operate especially on hills.
Most prior art lawn mowers having a platform for supporting standing operators have the platform attached to the mower either behind the rear wheel axle or substantially on the rear wheel axle. This location has many inherent problems. The center of gravity of the mower with an operator standing on the platform is typically only a few inches in front of the rear wheels and about three feet above the ground, resulting in the mower being vulnerable to tipping backward. This limits the maximum pitch angle of a slope that may be safely mowed before the front of the mower tips back causing a dangerous condition.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved walk-behind lawn mower having a standing platform attached to the rear of the mower and positioned so that the center of gravity is located toward the center of the mower to provide a safer, more stable operating condition while being operated by an operator standing on the platform.
Therefore, in view of the problems associated with the above types of lawn mowers, it is an object of the present invention to provide a lawn mower having a platform attached to the rear of the mower for accommodating a standing operator, with the platform positioned in front of the rear wheel axles so that the center of gravity of the mower is toward the center of the mower near the engine. Positioning the center of the platform in front of the rear wheel axles greatly improves the stability and safety of the mower, especially on hilly terrain.
These and other objects are met by the lawn mower of the present invention. The lawn mower comprises a frame and a mower deck with an engine mounted thereon. The engine provides power to a plurality of cutting blades mounted within the mower deck and to a pair of rear drive wheels. The frame includes a substantially horizontal front portion supporting the mower deck and engine, and a substantially vertical rear portion. Operator controls are mounted to an operator console extending outwardly from the upper end of the rear portion of the frame.
The mower further comprises a platform positioned between the rear drive wheels and in front of a vertical plane created by the rotational axis of the rear wheels.
In some embodiments, a seat assembly is removably attached to the frame so that an operator can sit down or lean against the seat while operating the mower. The seat assembly includes an attachment mechanism designed to be removably attached to the rear frame of the mower. The seat is preferably a bicycle or bolster-type seat positioned at or near a vertical plane created by the rotational axis of the rear wheels, and substantially above the platform. The seat may also be used to relieve the body weight from fatiguing legs and feet of an operator.
The present invention provides many advantages over lawn mowers of the prior art. In particular, the operator will be less frightened, not having to walk all day long while mowing. In addition, the mower can be operated at higher ground speeds, since it not limited to an operator""s walking speed. The present invention also moves the center of gravity forward several inches from prior art standing operator machines, thus allowing an operator to mow up steeper hills, and while accelerating, with improved stability and safety. The chances of tipping the mower are substantially reduced. Another advantage is that the centrifugal force occurring during turns causes the operator to feel a force toward the mower, rather than away, as was the case with prior standing operator mowers, giving the operator a more secure feeling. An additional benefit is eliminating the need to add forward ballast to the front of the mower to move the center of gravity forward, as demonstrated in prior art machines. This reduction of ballast has the further advantage of reducing tire forces on the ground, thus reducing tire marks on a freshly mowed lawn. Another benefit is that when the operator wishes to relive fatigue from standing, he or she can add a seat assembly on which to sit or lean during operation. An additional advantage is that any bounding effect, brought about by the mower traversing rough ground, is in phase with the mower deck bouncing, and the amplitude of the bouncing is reduced, as resulting an improved comfort for the operator.
Various other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be made apparent to those skilled in the art from the accompanying drawings and detailed description thereof.

Lawn mower with a platform for a standing operator


Compounds of Formula (1), pharmaceuticals containing the same, especially anti-HIV agents having anti viral activity, especially inhibitory activity against HIV integrase,

Among viruses, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a kind of retrovirus, is known to cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The therapeutic agent for AIDS is mainly selected from a group of reverse transcriptase inhibitors (e.g., AZT, 3TC) and protease inhibitors (e.g., Indinavir), but they are proved to be accompanied by side effects such as nephropathy and the emergence of resistant viruses. Thus, the development of anti-HIV agents having the other mechanism of action has been desired.
On the other hand, a multidrug combination therapy is reported to be efficient in treatment for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) because of the frequent emergence of the resistant mutant. Reverse transcriptase inhibitors and protease inhibitors are clinically used as an anti-HIV agent, however agents having the same mechanism of action often exhibit cross-resistance or only an additional activity. Therefore, anti-HIV agents having the other mechanism of action are desired.
As an integrase inhibitor, for example, hydroxypyrimidinone derivatives substituted with a heterocyclic group are known (see Patent document 1). Hydroxypyrimidinone derivatives substituted with a carbamoyl group are also known (see Patent document 2, 3).
Additionally, condensed compounds of hydroxypyrimidinone derivative described in Patent documents 2 and 3 are known (see Patent documents 4 to 6).
[Patent document 1]
WO 2003/16275
[Patent document 2]
WO 2003/35076
[Patent document 3]
WO 2003/35077
[Patent document 4]
WO 2004/58756
[Patent document 5]
WO 2004/58757
[Patent document 6]
WO 2004/62613
Under the above circumstance, the development of a novel integrase inhibitor has been desired.

Hydroxypyrimidinone derivatives having inhibitory activity against HIV integrase

Abstract: wherein X represents either one of the following groups:

Abstract: (wherein, C ring is nitrogen-containing aromatic heterocyclic ring in which at least one atom in atoms neighboring the atom bound to the pyrimidine ring is unsubstituted nitrogen atom; R10 is hydrogen or lower alkyl; D ring is aryl or heteroaryl) Z1 and Z3 each is independently a single bond, O, S, S(═O) or SO2; Z2 is a single bond, lower alkylene or lower alkenylene; Ar is optionally substituted aryl or optionally substituted heteroaryl; R1 is lower alkyl, substituted lower alkyl or the like; R2 is a hydrogen atom or optionally substituted lower alkyl; or R1 and R2 may form, together with an adjacent atom, an optionally substituted heterocyclic ring, a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or a solvate thereof.


This invention involves a Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) treatment processing technology. The process entails a type of MSW landfill treatment process. This invention features the following steps. Firstly: MSW separation. Second: organic trash landfill. Third: the recycling.

The amount of municipal waste in the past decades has grown at an accelerated rate. Today's products are no longer made to endure but to be disposable. The quality of these products is dictated by the optimal economic life, which is of course determined by its manufacturer. In addition, consumers are becoming less tolerant of old and used products than ever before. As a result, products are thrown out at an unprecedented faster rate. The consequence is that we have overflowing landfill sites.
Historically, the solution is to let the waste accumulate in landfill sites until the site are full, and then a new site is selected. This is a quick and cheap option, and it could be even more efficient if more people followed the "Reduce, Reuse and Recycle" attitude. However, land is becoming more scarce and expensive as the population grows. In addition, the accumulation of landfill sites poses many problems such as the production of hazardous wastes. Two main hazardous byproducts of landfill sites are leachate, a toxic liquid, and landfill gas, a flammable greenhouse gas. Leachate is a strong and unpleasant smelling liquid waste produced from rainwater, underground water and other moisture the landfill waste may contain that soaked is with the garbage. It has a very high chemical oxygen demand making it very difficult and expensive to treat. The landfill gas is a product of anaerobic biodegradation, and it mainly contains methane and carbon dioxide, both of them are main green house gas. The methane is highly flammable and can cause fires and explosions. These byproducts must be addressed with better solution.
To solve these problems, scientists and engineers have developed three primary technologies to process MSW. However, each of them has their own limitations:
1. The sanitary municipal landfill process. This process has combined the leachate collection and treatment system, landfill gas collection system, and in addition, some are also equipped with a landfill gas torch, and thermal or thermal to electricity system as well. The sanitary landfill process also requires clean soil cover daily to prevent further pollution.
Generally speaking, a sanitary landfill process uses a single cell with life cycle between 20-25 years. After this period, the landfill site is sealed and left for another 30 years before it becoming reusable. This is because the biodegradation of the organic trash under the sealed field is still continuing; a cycle that usually takes upwards of 20-30 years or longer, depending on the local climate—especially the temperature and amount of the rainfall. During this cycle, fires and explosions are likely to take place. It may also contribute to ground subsidence. Therefore this site cannot be used effectively for an extensive amount of time, even after the site has been sealed. In this period, the extensive leachate and landfill gas collection and treatment may still be required. Thus, this process creates land resource waste, and continually treatment expenses in order to avoid serious pollution of the underground water source and the air.
2. Municipal solid incineration. In this process, the MSW is incinerated to generate heat or heat to electricity. However, the cost is extremely high (100-168 USD per tonne of MSW). In addition, it produces high carcinogenic substance-dioxins and can cause serious air pollution. Furthermore, the incinerated ash must be treated by a landfill process. The incineration also produces massive amount of greenhouse gases. As the recycling program is gaining popularity, the thermal value of the MSW to be incinerated will decrease further because the plastic, paper, fabric, rubber etc will be sorted out and sent for recycling, the cost of incineration will be even higher since a larger amount of additional fuel is required.
3. Municipal solid waste compost technology. In this process, the MSW must be well sorted and the un-recyclable organic trash is used to produce fertilizer. This process produces extensive amount of greenhouse gases. Moreover, since the high-temperature fermentation is very costly, the medium and the low temperature fermentations process are often being employed. As a result, this process requires much more time, and the medium and low temperature fermentation process is unable to thoroughly extinguish the bacteria and viruses, so it may lead to contamination of farms, crops and the human food chain.


Provided are a prediction device and the like capable of more accurately simulating an analysis target. The prediction device generates function information for a gene sequence of a living body to be an analysis target based on first model information representing a relevance between sequence information and the function information, the sequence information representing the gene sequence of the analysis target, the function information representing a function potentially expressed by the gene sequence; and generates prediction information representing observation information predicted for the analysis target based on second model information and the function information, the second model information representing a relevance among the function information of the living body, environment information representing an environment around the living body, and the observation information observed for the living body, the function information being generated for the gene sequence of the analysis target.

PTL 1 discloses a simulation device for numerically simulating an event that occurs in a real world by employing a computer. The simulation device predicts a state of an analysis target based on model information representing a state of the analysis target. The simulation device updates the model based on the predicted state and observation information observed for the analysis target.
PTL 2 discloses a method of predicting values of variables relating to a crop, and the like.

Prediction device, gene estimation device, prediction method, and non-transitory recording medium


An interchangeable ion source for a spectrometer. The ion source includes an interface which mounts the ion source relative to a gas inlet of the spectrometer, a sample holder, a laser which produces a laser beam capable of ionizing the sample at ambient pressure, and an optical system. The ion source includes an equipment chassis which supports the interface, the sample holder, the laser and the optical system as a rigid unit such that the interface, the sample holder, the laser and the optical system remain in alignment upon attachment and detachment of the ion source from the spectrometer and an enclosure which embraces an atmosphere around components of the ion source. In addition, the ion source includes a circulator which circulates at least part of the atmosphere within the enclosure.

1. Field of Invention
This invention is related to mass spectrometry of biological samples. More specifically, this invention is related to the use of ambient pressure matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization technique in mass spectrometry imaging applications.
2. Discussion of the Background
Ambient pressure (AP—also sometimes referred to as atmospheric pressure) matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry (MS) is a standard technique for producing ions from labile molecules, especially biological molecules [see Laiko et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,965,884; and Bai et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,849,847, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference]. It is widely used in MS imaging (MSI) applications used for studying spatial distribution of biomolecules in special samples—biological tissues. Typically, the definition of the ambient pressure range includes the pressure from 0.1 Torr to 2,000 Torr.
AP ion sources can utilize different ionization techniques, which in addition to AP-MALDI also include electrospray ionization (ESI), AP chemical ionization (APCI), direct analysis in real time (DART), AP photoionization (APPI), desorption ESI (DESI), secondary ESI (s-ESI) etc. Small molecules can be ionized without a matrix (so-called direct laser ionization or DLI) and also using nanostructure-assisted laser desorption/ionization (NALDI), surface-enhanced laser/desorption ionization (SELDI), or desorption/ionization on silicon (DIOS) techniques. The AP ion sources have been used with mass spectrometers having atmospheric pressure interfaces (API) for the introduction of ions generated at ambient pressure conditions into the vacuum of mass spectrometers. The interchangeability of AP sources (meaning that different AP sources can be attached to the same MS typically within few minutes) and the wealth of ionization techniques available at AP conditions make mass spectrometers with API attractive and widely popular. AP ion sources are also used in ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) separating ions based on different gas phase mobility of ions while the ions are drifting in electric fields.
The requirement of interchangeability in conventional AP-MALDI design usually required an optical fiber for connecting a laser to an AP-MALDI ionization chamber. The laser spot size on the sample in such an AP-MALDI design is usually determined by the diameter of the optical fiber used (typically in the 100-500 μm range).
The subject matters of the patents, patent applications, and articles described herein are all incorporated by reference in their entirety herein.

Ambient pressure ionization source using a laser with high spatial resolution


A pulley of a washing machine, wherein the weight of the pulley is reduced by forming a strain-focused portion of the pulley with a high-rigidity material. The pulley of the washing machine having a motor for rotating a drum connected to one end of a shaft, includes a composite member, axially coupled to the other end of the shaft, for transferring a rotational force of the motor to the drum, the composite member being formed of at least two materials having dissimilar tensile strengths.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a washing machine, and more particularly, to a pulley of a washing machine transferring a rotational force generated from a motor to a drum.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Generally, a washing machine is a representative home appliance for removing filth or dirt attached to a laundry using a reaction between water and detergent. A washing machine is categorized into various types according to an impacting mechanism on a laundry. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional diagram of a washing machine according to a related art. Referring to FIG. 1, a washing machine 1 consists of a case 10 forming an exterior and having a door 11 on its front side, a tub 20 fixed within the case 10, a drum 30 rotatably provided within the tub 20, and a motor 40 rotating the drum 30. The washing machine 1 further consists of a belt 50 and pulley 60 to transfer a rotational force of the motor 40 to the drum 30. The motor 40 is provided under the tub 20 and is connected to the belt 50. A shaft 31 is provided to a rear side of the drum 30. And, the pulley 60 is coupled to the shaft 31.
FIG. 2 is a front diagram of a pulley according to the related art. Referring to FIG. 2, the pulley 60 has a cylindrical shape having an open front side. A groove (not shown) is formed on a circumference of the pulley to be coupled to the belt 50. A hole 61 is formed in a center of the pulley 60 to be coupled to the shaft 31. And, the pulley 60 is formed of a steel based material having high rigidity to transfer the rotational force to the drum by overcoming the weight of the drum and the laundry therein. However, the related art pulley of the washing machine is formed of the steel based material, thereby becoming heavy to impose a load on the motor. Hence, damage is caused to the motor.


A tag can switch between first and second modes of operation, and consumes less power in the first mode. In the second mode, the tag can receive wireless signals having successive first and second portions. If the tag identifies a repetitive pattern of the wireless signals, the tag ignores the second portions of the signals. Otherwise the tag receives the second portions. In another embodiment, while in the second mode, the tag can receive wireless signals having successive first, second and third portions. The tag switches between the first and second modes at one rate until it detects the first portion, and then switches at a higher rate until it detects the second portion, and then stays in the second mode and receives the third portion.

Often there are storage facilities where a large number of assets are stored. In order to track the assets, a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag is provided on each asset. Each tag includes a receiver that can receive wireless signals, and a transmitter that can transmit wireless signals. The storage facility has at least one stationary reader with a transmitter and receiver. Each reader can engage in two-way communications with a number of tags using radio frequency (RF) wireless signals. In this regard, a reader in this type of environment typically does periodic polling of the tags within its transmission range, in order to see if any new tags/assets have arrived, and in order to see if any tags/assets that were previously present have departed. This permits automated inventory control.
One common technique for polling tags is to have a reader transmit a wireless "wakeup" signal every 30 seconds. The wakeup signal asks that nearby tags each transmit a wireless reply in order to identify themselves. The tags operate on battery power. To conserve battery power, tags typically have multiple operating modes, including a normal operational mode and also a low power "sleep" or "rest" mode, in which most but not all of the tag's circuitry is powered down in order to reduce battery drain. The tags remain in the low power sleep mode most of the time, but every few seconds they each switch to the normal operational mode for a few milliseconds, in order to check for the presence of a wakeup signal. If no wakeup signal is detected, the tag returns to its low power sleep mode. But if a wakeup signal is detected, the tag remains in the normal operational mode a little longer, in order to receive the entire signal from the reader, and then transmit a reply back to the reader.
Even though the tags are in the low power sleep mode most of the time, the small amounts of time spent in the normal operational mode add up over a long period of time. And where a tag remains in the same location for a long period of time, the tag spends a significant amount of time and battery power receiving and responding to numerous wakeup signals, without telling the reader much beyond what the tag previously told the reader in earlier communications. This is referred to herein as "overpolling", and involves unnecessary power drain on the batteries of the tags.

Method and apparatus for avoiding overpolling


The invention relates to an aluminum powder blend and sintered components produced from the aluminum powder blend. The powder is based on the precipitation hardenable 7000 series Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys with trace addition of lead or tin. The powder blend comprises 2-12 wt. % zinc, 1-5 wt. % magnesium, 0.1-5.6 wt. % copper, 0.01-0.3 wt. % lead or tin, and the balance aluminum. The invention also provides a composite powder comprising the foregoing powder blend and a reinforcing element or compound.

Powder Metallurgy (P/M) is the technology of transforming metal powders into semi-finished or finished products by mechanical and thermal operations. Advantages of using P/M techniques include the ability to fabricate specialty alloys with unique compositions, microstructures and properties; to make parts of complex shape to close tolerances without secondary processing; and to produce alloys, such as the refractory and reactive metals, which can only be fabricated in the solid state as powders. Standard P/M techniques involve the pressing of metal powders in a die, the removal of the green part from the die, and the sintering of the part in a furnace under a controlled atmosphere. The starting powder may be a blend of pure elemental powders, a blend of master alloy powders, fully alloyed powders or any combination thereof. Non-metallic particulate materials may be added to make composites. The sintering process causes metallic bonds to form between the powder particles. This provides most of the strength. Bonding and/or densification may be aided by the development of liquid phases during sintering. These may or may not persist to the completion of sintering. These liquid phases may form by melting of elements or compounds, by the incipient melting of pre-existing eutectic compounds, or by the melting of eutectics which form by diffusional processes during sintering. The alloy may be used in the as sintered state or may be further processed. Secondary processes include coining, sizing, re-pressing, machining, extrusion and forging. They may also be surface treated and/or impregnated with lubricating liquids. Many metals are fabricated this way, including iron and steel, copper and its alloys, nickel, tungsten, titanium and aluminium.
The difficulty in sintering metal powders is a consequence of the surface oxide film which is present on all metals. This oxide film is a barrier to sintering because it inhibits inter particle welding and the formation of effective inter particle bonds. The problem is particularly severe in aluminium because of the inherent thermodynamic stability of the oxide (Al.sub.2 O.sub.3). Current P/M processed aluminium alloys are used principally in business machines where high mechanical strength is not required but where low inertia and corrosion resistance are important properties. There is, however, a demand for high strength, pressed and sintered aluminium alloys.
A general maxim in materials engineering is that alloys are tailored to the manufacturing process as much as to the application because different processes require different properties. Thus cast steels are different to both rolled steels and P/M steels; directionally solidified single crystal nickel superalloy turbine blades have a different composition to conventionally cast blades and aluminium extrusion alloys are different to forging alloys which in turn are different to casting alloys and rapidly solidified alloys. However, this principle has not yet been applied to pressed and sintered aluminium alloys. Current commercial alloys are predominantly based on the wrought alloys 6061 and 2014, which are Al-Mg-Si and Al-Cu-Si-Mg alloys, respectively. They have not been optimised for the P/M process.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,304,343 describes a method of producing a sintered aluminium alloy having improved mechanical properties. However, the alloy according to this patent is made using an expensive master alloy route and is based on 2,000 and 6,000 series alloys.
There is thus a need for an aluminium alloy powder blend, and sintered aluminium alloys produced therefrom, which provide higher tensile strength alloys for use in a broader range of applications than has hitherto been possible.

Aluminium alloy powder blends and sintered aluminium alloys


A multi-dimensional strain sensor for measuring the strain forces on a drawbar or other load bearing member. The strain sensor is used in conjunction with a load bearing member having a top surface, a bottom surface, a left surface and a right surface. The strain sensor has a four strain gauge pairs, each located on the top, bottom, right and left surfaces. The gauges are configured to output voltage relative to strain placed on them. The outputs from the four gauges are amplified. The outputs from the top and bottom gauges are then input to a differential amplifier in order to determine vertical load. The outputs from the right and left gauges are input to a differential amplifier to determine side load. The sum of the top and bottom gauges and the sum of the left and right gauges are input to a differential amplifier to determine draft load. An analog to digital converter is coupled to the gain amplifiers in order to zero the gauges.

Work vehicles such as tractors and crawlers have the capability to tow various pulled implements. The implements may be, for example, storage carts, planters, sprayers, tillers, etc. Such work vehicles typically have a drawbar pivot point for the attachment of a load bearing member such as a drawbar which is in turn attached to the pulled implement. Many of the pulled implements are very heavy, resulting in strain on the engine and chassis of the work vehicle. In order to determine the load of the implement on the work vehicle for implement or vehicle adjustment or measurement, it is desirable to measure the side, vertical, and draft load placed on the work vehicle by the mobile implement. Measuring strain on different dimensions is useful for other purposes such as draft control to control the draft force of the pulled implement by changing operating depth.
Presently, the strain gauges may sense strain in one direction, possibly compensating for strain in other directions or environmental effects. Typically such gauges are based on four resistors in a Wheatstone bridge configuration. One, two, or all of the resistors of the "bridge" are strain gauges. The change in voltage across the "bridge" is proportional to the change in resistance due to the strain placed on the gauge or gauges. The resulting voltage output signal represents the strain. The signal is then amplified and filtered to obtain a representation of the strain value. Typically, the Wheatstone bridge is configured to sense reactions from loads in only one direction.
Thus, such bridges have limited utility because they cannot differentiate strain in multiple directions. Additionally, the gain involved in amplifying such a signal is limited by common mode noise from the power source thus restricting strain sensing ability. Finally, temperature affects the strain measurements by changing resistance in the gauge from thermal strain in the material.
Therefore, it would be beneficial to provide a strain gauge system which differentiates strain in multiple directions. There is a further need for a strain gauge system which allows large gains of the gauge signal without saturating the output or amplifying noise. Further there is a need for a strain gauge system which has temperature compensation. There is also a need for a strain gauge system that provides high common mode rejection and electronic offset of the outputs.


A method is disclosed for operating a programmable logic controller which executes program(s) based on cycles having a predetermined cycle time in a predefined memory. An automated reasoning method based on an ontology and a description logic is implemented in the programmable logic controller. To enable this, at least the concepts and roles of the ontology are encoded using index numbers and the axioms of the ontology are encoded using tuples of integral index numbers. The automated reasoning method is interrupted before the end of a cycle and subsequently resumed at the current status of program execution. This allows for the cyclic programming paradigm of a programmable logic controller. The method can be used for any types of programmable logic controller, e.g., controllers of devices belonging to an automation system or energy generation devices. In such scenarios the automated reasoning method may be used for diagnosing the corresponding devices.

Programmable logic controllers (PLCs) are used mainly for the open- and closed-loop control of technical installations and for that purpose are programmed by means of control logic based on Boolean algebra. The knowledge relating to the mode of operation of the technical installation or component requiring to be controlled is assimilated in the process during the programming of the programmable logic controller through the medium of the expertise of the programming engineer and therefore is implicitly contained in the corresponding control statements.
Due to the limited working memory of programmable logic controllers as well as the cyclic program execution paradigm employed by such controllers there are currently no approaches which describe the use of such controllers for knowledge-based problem solving by means of what are termed reasoning methods. Reasoning methods serve in this case for automated computer-assisted inferencing using what is termed an ontology and a description logic.

Method for encoding ontology reasoning on a programmable logic controller


In a switching system that comprises a central switching device an at least one port extender device, the central switching device includes at least one port configured to interface with the port extender device, and the port extender device includes a plurality of front ports for interfacing with one or more networks. The central switching device includes a processor that processes packets received from the at least one port extender device, and a plurality of egress queues for storing processed packets that are to be forwarded to the at least one port extender device for transmission via ones of the front ports. The central switching device also includes a flow control processor configured to, responsively to flow control messages received from the at least one port extender device, control transmission of packets to the at least one port extender device to prevent overflow of egress queues of the port extender device.

Network devices often employ various flow control mechanisms, for example to reduce or eliminate loss of data units, such as packets, due to congestion at the network devices. Some networking applications require processing and forwarding a high number of data units, such as packets, communication frames, etc. The amount of packet traffic that a network device can handle is limited, in part, by the number of front panel ports, i.e., physical ports via which the network device is connected to other devices or networks. In some such networking application, cascading of network devices is used to increase a number of front ports available to a centralized network device. In such networking applications, it is important to efficiently control flow of packets between the centralized network device and the cascaded network devices.

Traffic management in a network switching system with remote physical ports


The pull-type clutch 1 basically includes a clutch disc assembly 4, a clutch cover assembly 5, a cylindrical or tubular member 21 and a release mechanism 6. The pull-type clutch 1 is designed to restrain the rotational engagement between the release mechanism 6 and the input shaft 3 of the transmission. The cylindrical member 21 is fixedly coupled to the front cover 7 of the transmission and extends around the input shaft 3 in the radial direction spaced apart. The release mechanism 6 is a mechanism for releasing the biasing force by the diaphragm spring 14 of the clutch cover assembly 5. The release mechanism 6 has a sleeve 23 and a bearing 24. The sleeve 23 is supported on an outer surface of the cylindrical member 21 for axial movement. The bearing 24 is disposed within the clutch cover 11 and is located between the sleeve 23 and the retainer 13.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a releasing operation for a clutch. More specifically, the present invention relates to a release mechanism for a pull-type clutch used in automobiles.
2. Background Information
A clutch assembly is disposed between a flywheel of an engine and a transmission of an automotive vehicle. Such a clutch assembly typically includes a clutch disc assembly, a clutch cover assembly and a release mechanism. The clutch disk assembly has a hub non-rotatably coupled with the input shaft of the transmission and a friction coupling member extending from the hub to a location adjacent to the flywheel. The clutch cover assembly used for in an automobile clutch generally includes a bowl-shaped clutch cover fixedly coupled to the flywheel, a pressure plate provided inside the clutch cover and a diaphragm spring or elastic member for pressing the pressure plate toward the flywheel. The pressure plate is disposed adjacent to the friction coupling member, and is axially movable. In particular, the friction coupling member is axially movably by the pressure plate against the flywheel. The release mechanism is axially moveable for releasing the biasing force of the diaphragm spring toward the pressure plate.
The clutch cover assembly can further include a retainer coupled to the release mechanism and one or more lever members disposed between the retainer and the pressure plate. In this type of clutch cover assembly, the retainer is pressed by the diaphragm spring toward the flywheel. The biasing force of the diaphragm spring is transmitted via the lever members to the pressure plate. In this type of clutch cover assembly, the biasing force of the diaphragm spring is magnified in accordance with a lever ratio of the lever members, and thus, a force greater than the biasing force of the diaphragm spring is applied to the pressure plate. Consequently, even if the biasing force or spring rate of the diaphragm spring is set at a low level, a sufficient pressing force can still be applied to the pressure plate. By setting the biasing force or the spring rate of the diaphragm spring at a low level, resistance force by the diaphragm spring during the release operation is reduced. Therefore, the release load is diminished, and the amount of force or required leg-power to depress the clutch pedal is reduced.
A release mechanism utilized with the conventional clutch cover mainly consists of a sleeve, a bearing and an outer housing or collar. The sleeve is disposed around the outer circumference of the input shaft of the transmission with one of the axial ends of the sleeve contacting a flywheel-side surface of the retainer. An inner race of the bearing is fixedly coupled on the end of the outer circumferential surface of the sleeve, which is adjacent to the transmission. An annular housing or quill is fixedly coupled on an outer race of the bearing. A cylindrical bushing is forced into the sleeve to engage the inner circumferential surface of the sleeve. The bushing contacts an outer circumferential surface of the input shaft of transmission such that the bushing and the input shaft can slide relative to each other in the axial direction and rotate relative to each other in the circumferential direction. The bushing is composed of a wear resistant material. An annular recess can be formed on the inner circumferential surface of the sleeve in order to maintain grease therebetween.
When the clutch is engaged with the flywheel, this clutch cover assembly rotates synchronously with the input shaft, such that no relative rotation occurs between the sleeve and the input shaft. However, when the clutch is disengaged from the flywheel, the input shaft of the transmission stops rotating, such that the relative rotation occurs between the sleeve and the input shaft. As a result, the bushing is abraded by the relative rotating movement therebetween.
In view of the above, there exists a need for a clutch which overcomes the above mentioned problems in the prior art. This invention addresses this need in the prior art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.


Various techniques are described for controlling a wager-based game played at a gaming system. In one embodiment the gaming system may include a gesture input interface device operable to detect movements gestures associated with one or more persons, and a gesture interpretation component operable to identify selected movements or gestures detected by the gesture input interface device. In one embodiment, the gesture interpretation component may also be operable to generate gesture interpretation information relating to interpretation of the selected movements or gestures. In one embodiment, the gaming system may be operable to automatically detect a gesture by a player participating in a game session at the gaming system; interpret the gesture with respect to a set of criteria; generate gesture interpretation information relating to the interpretation of the gesture; and advance a state of the game session using at least a portion of the gesture interpretation information.

The present invention relates generally to gaming systems, and, more particularly, to gaming systems which include handheld devices having motion detection capabilities.
Casino gaming and other types of gambling activities are enjoyed worldwide. Gaming activities are typically conducted in fixed locations, such as, for example, in a hotel, casino or other facility. Casinos may be subject to state and local laws relating to gambling in that jurisdiction. Frequently, these laws have certain reporting requirements to provide revenue and/or winnings information and to ensure certain betting odds.
Recently, portable remote gaming devices have been proposed for playing various types of casino games such as poker, slots and keno. In some casino gaming environments, it has been proposed to allow mobile game play via the use of portable computing devices, such as, for example, cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), etc.
More generally, it is recognized that the existence and use of portable electronic devices within casino environments has dramatically increased over the past decade.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Control of wager-based game using gesture recognition


An image processing device, an image processing method, and a recording medium storing an image processing program are provided. The image processing device includes an image processing unit configured to perform image processing on image data, a temperature obtaining unit configured to obtain an inner-device temperature and outer-device temperature of the image processing device, and a frame rate changing unit configured to change a frame rate of the image data processed by the image processing unit, based on a temperature difference between the inner-device temperature and the outer-device temperature. Each of the image processing method and the image processing program performs image processing on image data, obtains an inner-device temperature and outer-device temperature of the image processing device, and changes a frame rate of the image data, based on a temperature difference between the inner-device temperature and the outer-device temperature.

Technical Field
Example embodiments of the present invention relate to an image processing device, an imaging device, an image processing method, and a recording medium storing an image processing program.
Background Art
It is known that the inner temperature of an imaging device provided with imaging elements increases due to the power consumption of these imaging elements and other electronic components of the imaging device.
As the image quality or functionality is developed, the demand for the downsizing of imaging devices is increasing. However, as the downsizing of imaging devices advances, heat is more easily accumulated inside the imaging device.
When electronic components such as imaging elements are affected by heat, noise may occur on the image data obtained by the imaging device. This results in deterioration in the image quality of the image data. Moreover, when a temperature difference is caused between inside and outside the imaging device, condensation due to such a temperature difference may occur on electronic components inside the imaging device.
To deal with such situation, it is known to provide heat-dissipating mechanism using heat-dissipative member or coolant inside the imaging device in order to prevent condensation or attenuate deterioration in the image quality of image data due to the increased temperature inside the imaging device.

Image processing device, imaging device, image processing method, and recording medium storing image processing program


A modular messaging sign panel contains a plurality of LEDs coupled to a plurality of latched drivers. A microcontroller on the panel has a unique serial number permitting the panel to be selectively addressed by a host. The microcontroller receives serial data representing an image frame, selects the data intended for the panel in which it controls and clocks it out to the latched drivers along a single serial data line. Multiple panels can be connected to form a larger display panel system. Each panel has its own uniquely addressed microcontroller. A three wire connection couples the panel or display system to a computer and a power supply. A single jumper wire connects each modular panel together such that the data output from the computer is received by every microcontroller within the system in a parallel configuration. Accordingly, each microcontroller is receiving all the data outputted from the computer but only selects certain data for distribution to the latched drivers coupled to the LEDs on its particular panel based upon an ID match. Power and ground are supplied to a multi-panel system via power and ground rails of a frame structure upon which the panels are mounted.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an LED messaging sign panel. More particularly, it relates to a system which permits multiple modular LED messaging sign panels to be attached to create a larger panel display system yet retaining a means for addressing the individual LED sign panels within the display system.
2. Description of Prior Art
LED (light emitting diode) sign panels are known in the prior art. Typically, a display matrix of LEDs is arranged in a row-column array. For instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,445,132 to Ichikawa et al., 8.times.8, 12.times.12 and 16.times.16 arrays are shown wherein the first numeral represents the number of rows of LEDs and the second numeral represents the number of columns of LEDs. These rows and columns of LEDs formed a flat panel LED display. Although flat panel displays can be made in order to utilize different light sources (i.e., electroluminescence, plasma, fluorescent tube or incandescent bulbs), LED flat panel displays have become one of the most popular formats to use for displaying information and messages. Reasons for LED popularity include smaller operation voltages and reduced current requirements as compared to other types of light sources.
Unfortunately, most LED display designers discovered that it was difficult to manufacture very large LED display panels. Many of the benefits conferred from the use of LED technology did not outweigh the problems inherent with the construction of large display panels. Therefore, it was proposed that modular panels of smaller arrays be utilized, attachable to one another, to form a single larger display panel.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,450,301 to Waltz et al. proposes the use of modular panels of smaller arrays to form a larger LED display panel. Unfortunately, there is no teaching for individual operator control of each module in the field. The individual modules are merely elements of the larger display. Waltz et al. does not permit an operator to address or control each module individually. Further, such a configuration requires multiple wire connections between each module. This may present problems in troubleshooting the individual panels. Further, there is no teaching for controlling the Waltz et al. device by a computer. Computer control of LED display panels is recognized as a useful feature in the display of messages and other information.
Other designers, recognizing the benefits that computer controlled LED displays would provide, began developing systems which permit computer control. U.S. Pat. No. 4,887,074 to Simon et al. discloses a computer-controlled LED display system which utilizes a multitude of parallel port outputs of a computer to shift data through a multitude of shift registers, including parallel-in-parallel-out (PIPO), parallel-in-serial-out (PISO) and serial-in-parallel-out (SEPO) registers all in an effort to drive a single LED array. Although such a system permits the operator to utilize the benefits of computer to display a graphic file on the display panel, the shifting of data through a plurality of shift registers in the vertical and horizontal directions is inefficient. Such a system is analogous to a multiplexing system which operates by scanning each row of LEDs in the array in a discernable time frame thereby giving the illusion that the picture is being displayed across the entire panel at the same time--much like the technique used in conventional TV picture tube displays. Multiplexing systems have inherent disadvantages; one such disadvantage is the slow refresh display rates due to the required time to scan the entire display panel. None of the prior art systems permit an entire display panel to show a graphic along all of its vertical and horizontal arrays simultaneously while loading the next frame directly behind it within an entire digital domain.
Another inherent problem in the prior art systems relates to brightness control and correction. Because of the large size of many display systems, a drop in the overall brightness of the display panel and varying brightness from module to module within the display panel system can be evident due to the increase in load requirements upon the power supply of a large display system. Brightness control circuits have been implemented along with the circuitry of the LED driving circuits to control and correct brightness. Such can been seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,451,979 to Levac whereby the expected load is determined during a refresh scan that is about to produce the next image. The number of LEDs to be energized is counted and compared to a duty cycle index table stored in memory. The display refresh duty cycle is then adjusted depending on an expected increase or decrease in the power supply load requirement. Although such a routine permits an unregulated power supply output to be maintained within preselected limits thereby increasing the output to handle peak loads and decreasing the output to handle low loads, such a system does not ensure that a decrease in each light across the entire display panel will not occur. In fact, the Levac system compromises overall panel brightness in favor of uniform brightness from LED to LED.
Due to all of the deficiencies in the prior art, an improved LED display panel system is needed.

Modular LED messaging sign panel and display system


This disclosure relates generally to the field of source code processing, and, more particularly to a method and system for identification of redundant function-level slicing calls. The method disclosed generates program dependence graphs (PDGs) based on a slicing criteria and a function corresponding to the function-level slicing call. Further the method classifies the function-level slicing call into redundant or non-redundant by traversing the PDGs and checking if a predefined condition is satisfied or not. The function-level slicing calls are classified as redundant if the check is not satisfied and are classified as non-redundant if the check is satisfied. The disclosed method can be used in identifying redundant function-level slicing calls in applications such as automated false positive elimination (AFPE), automated test case generation and so on.

Static analysis tools are used to detect common programming errors in a source code without executing the source code. However, the tools generate a large number of alarms that are warning messages notifying the tool-user about potential errors such as array index out of bounds or division by zero. A high percentage of these alarms are falsely reported (also called false positives). Partitioning the alarms into false positives and true errors requires a manual inspection which is known to be costly, tedious, and error prone. To automatically reduce the number of false positives, more precise techniques have been proposed, which postprocess alarms using model checking. In the model checking-based automated false positive elimination (AFPE), initially assertions are generated corresponding to the alarms and the assertions are verified using model checking tools called as model checkers. Further based on the verification results, the alarms are identified and eliminated as false positives.
On larger systems a combination of techniques, such as application-level slicing, verification using incremental context expansion, function/verification context-level slicing (slicing the code before each call to the model checker for verifications of the assertions, wherein the entry point of the code to be sliced is same as the entry-point of the code to be verified by the model checker), is used to scale the model checker. As a result of combination of these techniques, AFPE results in a large number of calls to the slicer and the model checker. Furthermore, each call to the slicer (slicing call) and each call to the model checker (model checking call) take a considerable amount of time. As a result, applying AFPE techniques to alarms becomes time consuming and ultimately renders them to be unsuitable for postprocessing alarms generated on large systems.
The function-level slicing is also used in automated test data generation, wherein assertions are generated in the code based on the coverage criteria, and incremental approach is used to verify those assertions for generating the test data. Before each verification call to the model checker, the code to be verified is generally sliced using function-level slicing to reduce the state space and scale the model checker on very large systems. As a result, the automated test data generation also involves making a large number of function-level slicing calls, making the overall test data generation time-consuming.
Code slicing is also used in several other applications, which do not require processing the code using model checking, but the code size reduction is for simplifying the code in different activities like debugging and program understanding, wherein a code is reduced in its size with respect to the error or point of interest (POI) and then debugged/understood. Henceforth, we use "code processing" to refer to all those code analysis activities wherein code slicing is used with or without model checking, e.g., AFPE, automated test data generation, debugging, and program understanding. In the processing like AFPE and automated test data generation, the code processing is based on automated code processing tools such as model checkers, and in the processing like debugging and program understanding, the code processing can be by humans or automated tools or both. In general, a source code during such processing needs to be sliced with respect to a large number of POIs and generating slices separately for each POI or group of related or similar POIs. Moreover, each slicing call is known to take considerable time, and hence overall code slicing is a time-consuming process. Henceforth, the process of code processing and usage of code slicing in it is described mainly by referring to AFPE.

Method and system for identification of redundant function-level slicing calls


A seat tilt mechanism comprising a cam connected to a lever wherein the lever moves horizontally from a first position to a second position to actuate the cam; a latch configured to engage with the at least one detent and disengage with the cam when the lever is in the first position and configured to engage with the cam and disengage with the at least one detent when the lever is in the second position; said detent includes at least two positions which can be selectively engaged by the latch; and a seat rod configured for attachment between a seat frame and the at least one detent such that when the latch is engaged with the selected position, the tilt of the seat is defined.

The present disclosure relates to a mechanism used to tilt a seat and more particularly to a horizontal acting mechanism used to tilt a seat in a vehicle.
Many vehicle seats are equipped with a seat tilt adjustment that allows a passenger to adjust the incline of the seat. Often these adjustment mechanisms are located under the front of the seat or on the side of the lower seat cushion. One common type of seat tilt mechanism requires the passenger to reach between their legs and squeeze the vertical acting adjustment handle located on the seat bottom in order to actuate the seat tilt mechanism. This can be difficult because the seat tilt mechanism handle is often located just underneath the seat cushion and the weight of the passenger can cause the seat cushion to encroach on the handle making it difficult to squeeze the handle and actuate the mechanism. Moreover, the weight of the passenger can make it difficult to adjust the seat tilt to the desired position as the passenger's weight must be accounted for when adjusting the tilt. There is a need, therefore, for seat tilt mechanisms that can be easily accessed and actuated by passengers while they are seated.

Horizontal action seat tilt mechanism and bezel


A three dimensional image processing apparatus includes a storage unit storing data of images in different radiographing directions together with information concerning cardiac phases, a key image selection unit selecting key images from the images, a feature point designation unit designatting feature points on the selected key images in accordance with operation by an operator, and an image reconstruction unit reconstructing a three dimensional image from the images on the basis of positions of the designated feature points, wherein the key image selection unit selects, as the key images, a pair of images which are located at the same cardiac phase and whose radiographing directions are different by a substantially predetermined angle and images spaced apart from each other by an angle obtained by substantially equally dividing an interval between the pair of images by a predetermined number.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a three dimensional image processing apparatus which reconstructs a three dimensional image from a plurality of X-ray images obtained in different radiographing directions.
2. Description of the Related Art
Three dimensional image reconstruction processing is to be performed for a moving object, more specifically, for example, a cardiovascular vessel. Since the cardiovascular vessel moves, reconstructing its image by a conventional technique causes a large motion blur. The image quality of the reconstructed image is unsuitable for diagnosis. There have been proposed several countermeasure techniques for such a problem. For example, the position of a region on an image is corrected, and a three dimensional image is reconstructed from the corrected image.
This technique generates, for example, 200 images at different radiography angles. The operator selects several discrete key images from the 200 images. The operator manually designates anatomically characteristic regions (feature points) on the several key images. The system calculates the three dimensional coordinates of the feature points by geometric calculation from the designated feature points and the radiography angles. The system re-projects the three dimensional coordinates on the respective images the system also tracks the feature points for non-selected frames. The system corrects the shifts between the re-projected positions and the tracked positions.
This makes it possible to perform reconstruction processing upon performing image deformation to make the image look like stationary. The obtained reconstructed image is therefore a sharp image without any motion blur.
However, the operation which the operator performs to designate feature points accompanies arbitrariness. This arbitrariness makes the image quality of a reconstructed image unstable.
As shown in FIG. 1, for example, when images are disproportionally selected, numbers of frames NA, NB, and ND greatly vary. The tracking accuracy in the interval A is relatively low because number of tracking frames are large, and the tracking accuracy in the interval D is relatively high because number of tracking frames are small. The accuracy of position correction is low in the interval A, and the accuracy of position correction is high in the interval B. This degrades the image quality of a final reconstructed image. That is, the image quality of reconstructed images becomes unstable in accordance with the selection of images.

Three dimensional image processing apparatus and X-ray diagnosis apparatus