A pure culture of Pseudomonas chlororaphis strain NCIMB 40616 is disclosed. The strain is useful for a biocontrol composition for the control of plant fungal diseases. Further, a culture broth of the strain is disclosed to be useful wherein antipathogenically active metabolites are contained in the culture broth. In addition a method of controlling the plant fungal diseases is disclosed which is carried out by the introduction of an effective dose of the strain into a plant environment infected with fungal diseases. Also carriers and additives are admixed with the strain in order to provide for the composition. The types of pathogenic fungi which may be controlled using the method and composition are of the genera Drechslera, Microdochium, Tilletia or Ustilago.

Several agents of microbial nature with the ability to induce plant diseases cause considerable damages, and accordingly economic losses, in crop plants. Many of them attack leaves and/or other aerial plant parts and then usually reach new uninfected crops by airborne spores. Others are transmitted from one crop generation to the next by being seedborne and several economically important disease-inducing agents are soilborne and reside more or less inactive in the soil until a susceptible crop is grown.
Procedures exerted for controlling microbial disease-inducing agents in crop production are often costly, but in most crop growing systems economically necessary. One widely used method is treatment with biostatic or biocidal chemicals. They are in most cases applied as sprays on growing crops, as seed or root treatments or as soil disinfectants. Other standard methods are breeding for resistance and management of the cropping system itself.
These standard control methods all have some drawbacks. Managing of the cropping system is effective or convenient only for certain disease problems. Also the breeding of crop plants for resistance is possible or suitable only in certain cases, may take long time and the resistance obtained may be broken after some time by the appearance of new strains of the pathogen. Chemical compounds often are highly effective, but they may give unwanted effects in the environment, require careful handling as most are risky for human health and they also may become ineffective where resistant pathogen strains develop.
The use of biological control agents or biopesticides may be more effective or more preferable than the use of other control methods and, thus, such agents have been extensively tried. Several bacterial and fungal strains are known to inhibit growth of various microbial disease-inducing agents. To be effective and usable they have to be stable, give reproducible results in the field and there must be possibilities to apply them under field conditions. To date few have fulfilled these requirements and, thus, have been used as commercial products.

Composition and method for controlling plant diseases using Pseudomonas chlororaphis strain NCIMB 40616


An apparatus is described for increasing a range of adjustment of a suspension system. The apparatus includes a cam bolt having an internal cam feature and external cam feature that together allow for increased range of adjustment.

Cam bolt apparatus are used in automotive vehicle suspensions to provide adjustment between respective components of the suspension system to control wheel alignment, such as camber, caster, and/or tow alignment. Cam bolt apparatus typically include a bolt, a first cam washer fixed to the bolt proximate to the bolt head, a second cam washer engaged to a shank of the bolt distal from the bolt head, and a nut that may be threaded onto a threaded portion of the bolt to secure the bolt to a cam bracket. The bolt and the cam washers are eccentrically arranged, such that rotation of the apparatus about a cam washer adjusts a position of a longitudinal axis of the bolt within accommodating slots formed in the cam bracket. With a control arm or other suspension component linked to the cam bolt, such positional adjustment correspondingly adjusts the automotive suspension component position, thereby affecting a suspension alignment characteristic, such as wheel camber.
The extent of suspension characteristic adjustment afforded by the above described conventional cam bolt apparatus is limited by the degree of eccentricity of the cam bolt to the cam washer axis. The degree of suspension adjustment has therefore been limited to the eccentric offset, which is typically between about 0.5-3° degrees of adjustment. In some circumstances, such an adjustment range has proven to be insufficient. There is accordingly a need to increase the extent of suspension alignment adjustment afforded by a cam bolt apparatus.

Cam bolt apparatus for suspension systems


Embodiments described herein may include devices and methods of manufacturing devices for sensing and monitoring physiological parameters of a patient. Specifically, certain embodiments disclose the use of conductive and nonconductive overmold materials to protect the device, increase reliability, increase comfort, and increase accuracy of the parameters measured.

The present disclosure relates generally to medical devices and, more particularly, to sensors used for sensing physiological parameters of a patient.
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
In the field of medicine, doctors often desire to monitor certain physiological characteristics of their patients. Accordingly, a wide variety of devices and techniques have been developed for monitoring physiological characteristics. Such devices and techniques provide doctors and other healthcare personnel with the information they need to provide the best possible healthcare for their patients. As a result, these monitoring devices and techniques have become an indispensable part of modern medicine.
One such monitoring technique is commonly referred to as pulse oximetry. Pulse oximetry may be used to measure various blood flow characteristics, such as the blood-oxygen saturation of hemoglobin in arterial blood and/or the rate of blood pulsations corresponding to each heartbeat of a patient.
The devices based upon pulse oximetry techniques are commonly referred to as pulse oximeters. Pulse oximeters typically utilize a non-invasive sensor that is placed on or against a patient's tissue that is well perfused with blood, such as a patient's finger; toe, forehead or earlobe. The pulse oximeter sensor emits light and photoelectrically senses the absorption and/or scattering of the light after passage through the perfused tissue. A photo-plethysmographic waveform, which corresponds to the cyclic attenuation of optical energy through the patient's tissue, may be generated from the detected light. Additionally, one or more physiological characteristics may be calculated based upon the amount of light absorbed or scattered. More specifically, the light passed through the tissue may be selected to be of one or more wavelengths that may be absorbed or scattered by the blood in an amount correlative to the amount of a blood constituent, such as oxygen or oxyhemaglobin, present in the blood. The amount of light absorbed and/or scattered may then be used to estimate the amount of oxygen in the tissue using various algorithms.
For example, a reflectance-type sensor placed on a patient's forehead may emit light into the skin and detect the light that is "reflected" back after being transmitted through the forehead tissue. A transmission-type sensor may be placed on a finger, wherein the light waves are emitted through and detected on the opposite side of a finger. In either case, the amount of light detected may provide information that corresponds to valuable physiological patient data. The data collected by the sensor may be used to calculate one or more of the above physiological characteristics based upon the absorption or scattering of the light. For instance, the emitted light is typically selected to be of one or more wavelengths that are absorbed or scattered in an amount related to the presence of oxygenated versus de-oxygenated hemoglobin in the blood. The amount of light absorbed and/or scattered may be used to estimate the amount of the oxygen in the tissue using various algorithms.
The sensors generally include an emitter that emits the light and a detector that detects the light. The emitter and detector may be located on a flexible circuit that allows the sensor to conform to the appropriate site on the patient's skin, thereby making the procedure more comfortable for a patient. During use, the emitter and detector may be held against the patient's skin to facilitate the light being directed into and received from the skin of the patient. For example, a sensor may be clipped about a patient's finger tip with the emitter placed against the finger nail, and the detector placed against the under side of the finger tip. When fitted to the patient, the emitted light may travel directly through the tissue of the finger and be detected without additional light being introduced or the emitted light being scattered.
However, in practice, the shape and design of the sensor may be uncomfortable to the patient. Discomfort may be caused by shielding and protection provided on the optical devices, i.e. the photodetector and the emitter. For example, the detector and emitter may include materials or layers to protect measurement signals from being affected by external static electrical fields or external light. These materials can add to the bulkiness of the sensor. Further, after repeated use, the materials and layers may separate or delaminate, causing additional discomfort and resulting in potential erroneous measurements. Moreover, manufacturing the sensor, the optical devices and the protective layers may be a tedious and time consuming activity.

Optical detector with an overmolded faraday shield


The present invention provides a high-temperature lead-free solder alloy which has no variation in strength of the soldered portion and has an excellent balance between strength and soldering properties, and a method for producing the alloy. The present invention relates to a lead-free jointing material made of an alloy of two elements A and B selected from elements other than Pb, wherein the element A has a melting point higher than a melting point of the element B, wherein the alloy is an alloy which has a room-temperature stable phase composed of the element B and a room-temperature stable phase AmBn composed of the elements A and B (provided that m and n are specific numerals in accordance with an alloy constituting a stable phase at room temperature) and satisfies AxB1-x (provided that 0<x<m(m+n)), and wherein the element A is supersaturatedly dissolved in the room-temperature stable phase composed of the element B.

In the past, in the process of manufacturing semiconductor devices, a two-step soldering process is carried out as a soldering method using a Sn—Pb based solder alloy, which is a typical solder joint material. Specifically, in the conventional soldering process, a Pb-5Sn solder (melting point: 310 to 314° C.) is primarily used in a conventional semiconductor device to conduct the soldering and, in the following reflow soldering for jointing the semiconductor per se to a substrate, a temperature-layered joint is used including a process of conducting the joint with a Sn-37Pb eutectic solder having a low melting point (melting point: 183° C.) so as not to melt the soldered portion already jointed in the semiconductor device.
On the one hand, in view of environmental problems, it is required in Restriction of the use of Certain Hazardous Substances in electrical and electronic equipment (RoHS) and the like to take steps for making solders Pb-free, and a Sn—Ag—Cu based eutectic alloy has been put into practical use as a reflow solder. In regard to high-temperature solders, on the other hand, an Au-20Sn solder (melting point: 280° C.) is known, but is hardly used since the Au-20Sn solder is inferior in cost and mechanical properties to Pb—Sn based solders. Since other component systems have not yet been put into practical use either, high-temperature solders containing Pb still remain exceptional in RoHS.
In regard to development of high-temperature solder alloys, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-260587 describes a Sn—Cu based solder. This technique proposes a method which includes using a material prepared by mixing Sn powders and Cu powders together as a soldering paste and, upon high-temperature soldering, melting the Sn powders to contribute to the soldering as well as to react with the Cu powders to form a Sn—Cu intermetallic compound phase having a high melting point. This compound phase functions, upon reflowing, to retain the strength of the soldered portion without melting.
The above conventional techniques, however, have problems that a structure of an intermetallic compound phase formed in phase boundaries between the Sn powders and the Cu powders is formed on the surface of the Cu powder due to size of approximately 10 μm of the practically used powder to result in coarse structure and variation in strength and that a large amount of the Cu powder has to be used for increasing its strength to result in deterioration in the soldering properties provided by the Sn powder. Further, since formation of the intermetallic compounds relies upon a diffusion reaction between Sn in a molten liquid state and Cu in a solid state, it takes time to conduct this reaction due to a slow formation speed of a Cu6Sn5 intermetallic compound phase contributing to retention of strength, causing a disadvantage in the producing process.

Lead-free jointing material and method of producing the same


A technique for correcting errors in a data storage system operates while the data storage system remains online. The technique includes identifying an object for validation, scanning a plurality of pointers, and counting a number of pointers that point to the object. The technique further includes repairing a discrepancy between the count of pointers and a reference count stored in connection with the object.

Data storage systems are arrangements of hardware and software in which storage processors are coupled to arrays of non-volatile storage devices, such as magnetic disk drives, electronic flash drives, and/or optical drives. The storage processors service storage requests, arriving from host machines ("hosts"), which specify blocks, files, and/or other data elements to be written, read, created, deleted, and so forth. Software running on the storage processors manages incoming storage requests and performs various data processing tasks to organize and secure the data elements on the non-volatile storage devices.
Data storage systems commonly use metadata to organize user data. Such metadata can sometimes develop errors. For example, any number of mapping pointers for addressing user data may point to an object, such as another mapping pointer or some other structure. The object may have an associated reference count that tracks the number of mapping pointers pointing to it. Sometimes, a hardware or software error can cause a reference count to misrepresent the correct number of pointers. When this occurs, an error or warning may be issued, alerting an administrator of a potential issue. For example, normal validation performed during read operations may detect an error and report it.
Storage systems commonly provide utilities for checking and repairing metadata, and administrators may wish to run these utilities if there is a concern. A well-known example of a utility for checking and repairing metadata is FSCK (file system check), which is available on many Linux-based systems.


Some embodiments are directed to an apparatus for limiting engine speed using any one of multiple engine components. The apparatus includes a user interface manually actuable to select at least one of the multiple engine components for limiting engine speed. The user interface includes an identification signal generator and transmitter that is configured to, upon selection of the multiple engine component(s), generate and transmit an identification signal that identifies the engine component(s) that was selected. The apparatus also includes a controller that is configured to, upon receipt of the identification signal, provide an instruction to the identified engine component(s), such that the identified engine component(s) operates to limit engine speed upon occurrence of conditions warranting that engine speed be limited.

The disclosed subject matter relates to methods and apparatus for limiting engine speed, including but not limited to engine speed as measured in terms of revolutions per minute in an automotive/vehicular context. More particularly, the disclosed subject matter relates to limiting the engine speed by controlling at least one of a number of different engine systems or components.
Some related art engines, such as internal combustion engines for powering vehicles, limit engine speed for various reasons. For example, limitations can be placed on engine speed to ensure that the vehicle does not travel faster than a certain maximum speed limit, such as 150 mph. Limiting engine speed may also mitigate or avoid engine damage that could occur due to high reciprocating speeds of various components of the engine, such as but not limited to the valve springs.

Methods and apparatus for limiting engine speed


An image-guided surgery system is used to show a user, for example a surgeon, a position of a surgical instrument in an operating area in the body of a patient during a surgical operation. The image-guided surgery system includes an alignment system for deriving an alignment line through a target position, for selecting a starting plane through an end of the surgical instrument, for deriving a starting point on the alignment line and in the starting plane, and for reproducing a position of said end and of said starting point relative to one another in the starting plane. For example, the positions of the end and the starting point in the starting plane are reproduced in a guide image.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an image-guided surgery system.
2. Description of Related Art
An image-guided surgery system of this kind is known from United States patent specification U.S. Pat. No. 5,389,101.
An image-guided surgery system is used to visualize a position of a surgical instrument in an operating area within the body of a patient for a surgeon during surgery. Images, such as CT or MRI images, are made of the patient prior to surgery. The image-guided surgery system includes a position-measuring system for measuring the position of the surgical instrument. The image-guided surgery system also includes a computer for deriving corresponding positions in a relevant image from the positions of the surgical instrument measured. During surgery the position measuring system measures the position of the surgical instrument relative to the patient and the computer calculates the position in such a prior image which corresponds to the measured position of the surgical instrument. The prior image is then displayed on a monitor, together with the actual position of the surgical instrument. The surgeon can see the position of the surgical instrument in the operating area in the image on the monitor, without him or her seeing the surgical instrument directly. The surgeon can thus observe the image displayed on the monitor so as to see how to move the surgical instrument in the operating area without substantial risk of unnecessary damaging of tissue, and notably without risk of damaging of vital parts.
An image-guided surgery system of this kind is used, for example in neurosurgery in order to show the surgeon accurately where the surgical instrument is situated in the brain during a cerebral operation.
Using the known image-guided surgery system it is difficult to position the instrument with one end in a desired position. In order to move the instrument to the desired position, it is necessary to move it whereas at the same time the image showing the position of the surgical instrument relative to the patient must be observed so as to determine whether the desired position has been reached. It has been found that accurate positioning of the instrument requires a substantial amount of training and that these operations remain time consuming still.


A locator system includes a transmitter unit that is located on one side of a wall or barrier and generates a locator signal when activated and a receiver unit element that is located on the other side of the wall or barrier and is activated by the locator signal to indicate the exact and precise location at which the work is to be done.

It has been customary for persons wishing to hang an item, such as a picture, mirror, door or other such object on a wall, to hold an item, such as a picture frame in the desired mounting position, and attempt, with a finger, pencil, or other object, to locate and mark the correct location for installation of the hanging hardware. This method is highly imprecise, and can be very awkward. With methods known to the inventor, the user can only mark the approximate location where the item should be placed. The pencil method has an additional disadvantage in that it makes disfiguring marks on the wall, often covering areas far removed from the actual hanger site, and sometimes, including random marks that are accidentally placed on the wall, when the pencil is inserted or removed. The finger method also has major disadvantages. Methods and devices used to hang pictures are generally not applicable to locating the position in a wall at which a doorway or other opening is to be defined, or locating the position in a floor at which an opening is to be defined.
Accordingly, hanging items such as pictures, mirrors, doors and other wall hangings has traditionally been an imprecise, awkward and frustrating procedure for most people, particularly when the elements supporting the item are concealed when the item is hung. When multiple people are involved or multiple items are to be hung in precise alignment to each other, the difficulty and frustration increases.
Since the result of the methods known to the inventor is the marking of the approximate location where the nail, or similar hardware, should be secured to the wall, frequently the person hanging the item has to reposition the nail or other hardware or elements associated with the item being hung, sometimes more than once, in order to get the desired result. This repositioning generally results in multiple disfiguring marks or holes on the wall, either from the pencil, the hanging hardware, or both. Some of these marks may be visible once the item is positioned. The disfiguring marks then may require repair, possibly including touch-up paint.
Most known picture hanging aids are directed to locating a position for a single hanger on a wall. Such devices are not useful for hanging large, heavy objects requiring use of two or more hangers to be securely hung. Nor are they useful in locating the position for a door or the like which will require a hole to be defined through a wall or through a floor. Devices directed to locating two picture hangers generally are complex and do not allow simple alignment of all types of hangers on a wall.
Therefore, there is a need for a simple device and method for locating and aligning one or more hangers of any type on a wall. There is a further need for a means and method for locating where a hole should be defined through a wall or a floor.


A reflector has a body of a ceramic oxide superconductive material whose surface is treated to be diffusively reflective and is coated with diamond-like carbon or magnesium fluoride.

When specular reflection is desired, mirrors and other reflecting surfaces have been traditionally manufactured by coating a well-polished surface of glass or metal with a reflecting metal like gold, copper, silver or aluminum. In order to avoid deterioration with time, these highly polished surfaces are usually covered with protective coatings. In some unique applications, particularly when the absorption of the coating itself tends to degrade the reflection efficiency of the mirror, an extremely durable reflective layer of rhodium has been used as well. For reflection in some parts cf the electromagnetic spectrum, highly reflective insulators like the titanates, zincates and zirconates have also been used. When non-specular, or diffuse, reflection was desired, the substrate was often purposely etched and then coated with the reflecting substance, chosen from the above mentioned reflectors. The etching provides the substrate with its dull appearance, and as a result non-specular, or Lambertian reflection, occurs (a Lambertian optical source is characterized by the fact that the intensity of its illumination is equal in all directions).
One of the shortcomings of traditional mirrors and reflectors used in high energy density applications is that even the best of said mirrors, and/or reflectors, absorbs at least one percent of the incident light. This imposes limitations and restrictions on the application of traditional mirror technology, especially where multiple reflections are desired or when the reflected beams have extremely high energy density, as in laser technology.
The known superconductors have never been considered for mirror and other reflective applications, despite the fact that they have conductivities which are better than normal conductors such as gold, silver and copper. In classical superconductors, the high conductivity results from pairing of the charge carriers. This pairing involves a binding energy that, for most classical superconductors, is less than 3 milli-electronvolts. Thus, when electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths shorter than about 0.4 mm impinges on such classical superconductors, it is absorbed and decouples the paired charge carriers. For most optical applications, including the infrared wavelengths, superconductors with much higher pairing energies are needed in order to be able to reflect at much shorter wavelengths.
Until recently, it was believed that superconductivity above 23 K. (and band gaps in excess of 3 milli-electronvolts) was not possible. This belief was rooted in the theoretical work now named the BCS theory (Bardeen, Cooper and Schrieffer) which predicted such an upper limit. As a result, no research in the field of superconducting mirrors and reflectors has been known heretofore.
The temperature at which superconductivity occurs in a superconductor (in the absence of any external magnetic fields) is termed the critical temperature of that superconductor. In the early 1970's a number cf theoretical proposals were presented, suggesting that the critical temperature for superconductivity could be increased (V. L. Ginzburg, Usp. Fiz. Nauk. 101, 185 (1970)), (D. Allender, J. Bray, J. Bardeen, Phys. Rev. B8, 4433 (1973)), but the lack of any discoveries of superconductivity above 23 K., solidified the belief that indeed this critical temperature could not be exceeded. A significant experimental breakthrough in high temperature superconductivity (critical temperatures in excess of 23 K.) was provided in November 1986 by Bednorz and Muller when they published a tentative disclosure of high temperature superconductivity (Georg Bednorz and Alex Muller, Z. Phys. B64, 189 (1986)). Rapid confirmation by others was soon obtained. For instance, a report cites a critical temperature above 30 K. for La.sub.2-x Ba.sub.x CuO.sub.4-y, (H. Takagi, S. Uchida, K. Kitazawa, S. Tanaka, Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 26, L123 (1987)) Confirmation of a critical temperature of 93 K. was reported by Chu for a yttrium-barium-copper oxide ceramic (M. K. WU, J. R. Ashburn, C. J. Tang, P. H. Hor, R. L. Meng, L. Gao, Z. J. Huang, Y. Q. Wang, and C. W. Chu, Phys. Rev. Lett. 58, Mar. 2, 1987, p. 908.) This material has since been called the 123 compound, and has served as a model for advanced research in the field.
During 1987 and 1988, a number of families of high temperature superconductors have been discovered, with confirmed critical temperatures all the way to 162 K. These materials are usually ceramics containing copper (whose apparent valence state appears to be trivalent), an alkaline earth metal (Ca, Sr, or Ba) and a rare earth including Yttrium. Most of these superconductors have shown some degree of anisotropy in their properties. Therefore, it was significant when a superconducting ceramic of cubic symmetry, having a critical temperature above 23 K. (specifically 30 K.) was discovered based on a complex oxide of Ba, K and Bi. This superconductor was the first high temperature superconductor which did not contain copper in its composition. The implication is that the occurrence of high temperature superconductivity may be more widespread than has been realized to date. In addition, amorphous high temperature superconductors have also been reported, based on the bismuth compounds in which some of the bismuth was replaced with lead. The critical temperatures and critical current of these amorphous superconductors are somewhat lower than those of their crystalline counterpart.
There are some scattered reports cf superconductivity above 162 K. For instance, R. G. Kulkarui has reported that oxides having an approximate composition 0.5CaO.multidot.0.5ZnO.multidot.Fe.sub.2 O4. become superconducting at about this temperature. Ogushi has also reported room temperature superconductivity in yet ill-defined niobium strontium lanthanum oxides. While these reports have yet to be confirmed independently by other researchers, it is reasonable to expect that superconductors with critical temperatures near to room temperature will soon be obtained, having electron pairing energies much higher than known heretofore.
In classical superconductors, the optical band gap has been found to be equal to the electronic band gap (as measured on a Josephson junction), and has values of about 3.5 kT.sub.c. However, in some of the high temperature superconductors, I have determined that the observed critical temperature and the "optical" critical temperature are not equal, and that the said optical critical temperature, which I have termed the "virtual critical temperature", can be much larger than the thermodynamic critical temperature. As a result, the optical band gap can be much higher than 3.5 kT.sub.c. I further find that fore wavelengths longer than their optical band gap, these superconductors can reflect electromagnetic radiation more efficiently than normal metals, and with smaller losses of reflected energy.
I have also determined that when the superconductors are quenched by chosen means into their normal state, they combine absorption, reflection and transmission of light at ratios that depends on the physical properties of their respective normal states. Thus, superconducting materials will be found that have charge carriers with virtual critical temperatures (pairing energies) in excess of 2 electron-volts. This makes possible mirrors capable of reflecting electromagnetic radiation in the infrared as well as in the visible part of the spectrum. This postulation is based not only on the classical scaling of the charge carriers' binding energy with temperatures of 3.5 kT.sub.c which in themselves would be insufficient to reach the infrared range (unless critical temperatures in excess of 500 K. are achieved), but is based particularly on my discovery that the virtual critical temperature can be more than twice the thermodynamic critical temperature.
A further tenet of the instant invention is that some of these high temperature superconductors have the unique property of being insulators in their normal state, and basically transmit electromagnetic radiation (at least within a specific band that depends on the electronic state of the normal state in a manner well known in the art). To differentiate between the different classes of superconductors and clearly define classes that are suitable for the practice of this invention, I have classified superconductors according to the nature of their corresponding normal state. Classical BCS superconductors are usually metallic in their normal state. Therefore, they belong to a class that I have denoted as (SC,M), namely, that below and above their critical temperature a superconducting and a metal phase exists, respectively. A few examples of this class of superconductors are mercury, niobium and its A15 intermetallic compounds with tin and germanium.
The newer class of ceramic superconducting oxides, that are semimetals or semiconductor in their normal state, thus belong to a class that I have denoted as (SC,S) in a similar manner. Examples of superconductors belonging to this class are the 123 compounds and the bismuth-based oxide superconductors.
Finally, the last class of superconductors are insulators in their normal state and thus belong to a class that we denote, (SC,I). An example of this group is Kulkarui's superconducting spinel-like compound, having an approximate composition of 0.5CaO.multidot.0.5ZnO.multidot.Fe.sub.2 O.sub.4.
I have determined that some superconductors belonging to the last two classes have virtual critical temperatures that are higher than the actual, or thermodynamic, critical temperature. I have further established that the differential is expected to be much larger for the superconducting oxides of the class (SC,I) with a normal insulating state. Thus, the present invention concerns only mirrors made with or of superconductors belonging to the (SC,S) class, wherein their normal state is that of a semiconductor, and/or the (SC,I) class, namely wherein their normal state is an insulator.

Nonspecular reflector with diffusely reflecting superconductor and protection coating


A method and system for efficiently identifying materialized view candidates for queries filters materialized views using certain criteria, using the materialized view signatures. This filtering rejects some of the unqualified materialized views prior to the performance of the query rewrite matching algorithm, resulting in a group of materialized view candidates. The query rewrite matching algorithm is then performed on the materialized view candidates. By first filtering the materialized views based on their signatures, the number of materialized views on which the query rewrite matching algorithm is performed is significantly reduced, improving performance.

Data warehouse application environments are well known in the art. The environment typically comprises a database, which stores base tables and a catalog, and a database management system with a processor, which processes queries on the base tables. The catalog contains information about the set of tables and views maintained by the database manager. Views are logical tables that contain data that is generated by a query. In such an environment, operational business data stored in base tables are usually huge in volume. To improve performance in decision support or on-line analytic processing (OLAP) queries, the data are frequently summarized and stored in pre-computed "materialized" views. Materialized views are also known as summary tables, materialized query tables, and indexed views. A materialized view contains two parts: a materialized view definition and a stored result of the view. For a given query on base tables, a database engine searches for materialized views that may provide a result for the query. For a given query, a query rewrite matching algorithm is performed on the materialized views to determine which would satisfy the query. In this manner, a search of the base tables themselves is avoided, achieving performance gain.
However, to satisfy diverse query requirements, many materialized views are required. Thus, the number of materialized view candidates can still be large. The performance of the query rewrite matching algorithm on the materialized views can be time consuming and expensive.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a method and system for efficiently identifying materialized view candidates for queries. The method and system should provide early rejection of unqualified materialized view prior to the performance of the query rewrite matching algorithm. The present invention addresses such a need.

Materialized view signature and efficient identification of materialized view candidates for queries

International Business Machines Corporation


A wheeled support for controlled movement of lawn maintenance equipment. The wheeled support has a fixed upper support member and a telescoping lower support member each of which are attached to a main support so that the wheeled support is adaptable for supporting different types lawn maintenance equipment. A clamping device attached to the distal end of the telescoping lower support member and a strap-like member attached to the upper support member secure the piece of lawn maintenance equipment to the wheeled support during use. The wheeled support may have a remote throttle control, and may also have a muffler guard and an exhaust deflector. The wheeled support may be used with any electrical or gasoline-powered piece of equipment which is attached to a straight or bent shaft. Applications may include, but are not limited to, use with line trimmers, cultivators, brush cutters, edgers, blowers, and vacuums.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to wheeled support assemblies, specifically to a wheeled support assembly for lawn maintenance equipment having a fixed upper support member and a telescoping lower support member so that the wheeled support assembly is adaptable for supporting different types of lawn maintenance equipment. Applications may include, but are not limited to, use in supporting line trimmers, cultivators, brush cutters, edgers, blowers, and vacuums.

Wheeled support for lawn maintenance equipment


A modular system and process for obtaining measured data and forwarding them in a radio-based manner is based on a plurality of modules. The modules contain at least one device (31) for obtaining measured data, a device (32) for transmitting the measured data by radio, a device (33) for receiving data sent by other units, as well as device (34) for generating a transmissible code containing additional data, wherein the device (32) for transmitting the measured data and the device (33) for receiving data sent by other units together function as a repeater (35).

It is frequently necessary to obtain measured data at different sites simultaneously or topically and to subject them to central processing and/or evaluation. Sensors, which are suitable for obtaining the measured data of interest, are usually placed for this purpose at the corresponding measurement sites. The sensors are connected to a central processing or evaluating unit predominantly in one of two ways, namely, in a cable-based or radio-based manner. Typical applications of such a system of obtaining measured data can be found in the area of safety engineering, especially the atmospheric monitoring of industrial plants, buildings, and the like.
Established, wired systems for connecting sensors to a central evaluating unit are known. For example, a 4-20 mA interface, Ethernet-based LAN applications, various home installation bus systems (LON, EIB) or bus systems from the area of automation engineering (ProfiBus DP) may be used. Cable-based systems usually mean, however, a great effort for installation or they cannot be used for certain installations at all, where installation would meet insurmountable obstacles. A subsequent integration of wired systems in an already existing infrastructure is often also especially costly.
The alternative is often seen in radio-based systems, which are likewise available in established standard applications. WLAN, Bluetooth or ZigBee can be mentioned in this connection, which are frequently used for applications in which wired systems would represent a great installation effort.
A radio-based system for obtaining data in a locally resolved manner requires a functioning radio connection to the central evaluating unit for each measuring site. This radio connection may be built up either directly from the measuring site to the evaluating unit or maintained via various repeaters to increase the range.
It is common to all radio systems that the maximum range, which corresponds to a set transmitting power, may be markedly reduced by structural conditions, for example, by walls or ceilings as well as obstacles in the terrains. The maximum range may thus shrink in WLAN applications from about 100 m to less than 10 m. It is known that the transmitting power can be drastically increased or additional repeaters can be arranged in the transmission path to compensate this reduction in range.
High transmitting powers mean numerous drawbacks, on the one hand. One of these drawbacks is the increase in power consumption, which means a considerable disadvantage especially in radio-based systems, which are often at least partially battery-operated, because a reduction of the use time is inevitably associated with an increase in the transmitting power.
Another drawback is the potential for interference, which originates from transmitters operated at high power. High transmitting power implies the risk that analog signals of sensors are interfered with, which may lead even to the temporary failure of measured data acquisition.
The installation of additional repeaters at closely spaced locations means, on the other hand, an increase in the cost and an increase in maintenance effort. Another drawback of the systems mentioned is the susceptibility or dependence of the data transmission on the functioning of the transmission path itself. A break in the radio connection or interruption of the data line may lead to total loss of the measured data received and evaluation may become impossible. This represents a safety-relevant shortcoming especially in monitoring systems.

Modular system and process for obtaining measured data and for forwarding them in a radio-based manner


A device for sealed attachment of an oval or circular interchangeable member in an oval or circular chamber ring including a mechanical system for secure immobilization of the interchangeable element through the retaining ring mounted on a wall of a containment cell. The attachment device includes an oval or circular retaining ring supporting the interchangeable member. The integral retaining ring includes at least three recesses and the chamber ring includes at least three bolts able to penetrate into the recesses in order to lock the retaining ring on the chamber ring. The retaining ring receives a set of keys supporting the interchangeable element.

Document FR 2 652 143 describes a sealed attachment device including a rigid retaining ring capable of being fitted in sealed fashion in the cell ring, so as to put the interchangeable member which is mounted on this retaining ring in position in the cell ring. Accidental stripping off of the retaining ring supporting the interchangeable member is prevented by a safety ring which cooperates both with the retaining ring and with the cell ring by two bayonet connections.
An attachment device designed in this manner has the advantage that the axial effort which must be exerted on the ring supporting the interchangeable member, both to put it in position in the cell ring and to remove it, is very much less than that of an attachment device in which the axial maintenance of the ring supporting the interchangeable member in the cell ring is entirely supported by this ring. The equipment allowing these operations can therefore be relatively simple and controlled manually.
However, such a device has disadvantages.
The safety ring which prevents the rings rotating relative to one another in relation to the chamber ring is of complex design.
Mounting of the retaining ring on the piston of the ejection mechanism requires that the additional ring is disassembled and put back in position.
The system has safety limits if the operator omits to install the safety ring.
It is possible that if, instead of removing the positioning tool by rotating simultaneously the sheath, the sleeve and the piston in one go, the operator pulls back the piston by rotating the control sleeve relative to the sheath, the retaining ring will be extracted out of the cell ring and consequently containment will be breached. There is no safety device preventing such a mistaken operation.
The retaining ring constituted by the assembly of two rigid parts allows only assembly of elements with rolls, such as gloves or bags with a snap ring of precise tolerance, and requires despite this that a compensation joint is attached. A lip seal is required to ensure sealing in relation to the chamber ring. All these elements have a non-negligible influence on the cost of the consumables.
Finally, such a system applies only to circular elements, due to the presence of bayonet locks.

Device for the sealed attachment of an interchangeable member in a chamber ring mounted on a wall of a containment cell