An information processing method, an information processing apparatus and a program can prevent errors from arising when associating point group data obtained by actually measuring an item such as a metal part and design data defining the item. The characteristic value representing the profile of a face of the design data defining the item and the characteristic value computationally determined from the point group data obtained by actually measuring the item are compared and associated with each other.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the information processing technology. More particularly, the present invention relates to an information processing technique of using design data for expressing the profile defined for an object to be examined and point group data obtained by actually measuring the profile of the object.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the process of designing a product, it is a general practice to use a CAD apparatus (2D-CAD apparatus or 3D-CAD apparatus) in order to design an object having a three-dimensional profile (to be referred to simply as "part" hereinafter). The designer of a part conveys design/manufacture information and the design purposes of the part to downstream steps typically including a manufacturing step by inputting attribute information on the part such as dimensions, dimensional tolerances, geometric tolerances, footnotes and signs on a CAD model, which may be a 3D model or 2D drawings.
The downstream steps that may typically include a step of designing a metal mold confirm the design information, referring to the CAD model from the upstream side. After the confirmation, the metal mold, the NC programming, the metal mold manufacture, the molding and the molded products or the metal mold or molds will be inspected.
In the inspection step, a measurement operation is conducted, based on the design information such as dimensional tolerances directed typically in drawings, by means of a contact type coordinate measuring machine (CMM), a non-contact type CMM or a manual measuring machine such as a microscope. It is a general practice that an identifier is affixed to each dimension to record measured values with their respective identifiers so that the measured results can be verified on the drawings.
For such inspections, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H08-082575 discloses a technique for improving the efficiency of measurement operations by automating the process of totalizing the results of measurement. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H08-190575 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-235594 describe other techniques of the same category. According to these patent documents, the measurement values are output with routing data of the CMM, to which the identifiers of dimensions are added, and the results of measurement are read into the CAD apparatus and the dimensions are compared with the dimensions on the CAD drawings for collation. Such techniques are adopted for a commercially available CAD system.
On the other hand, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-82951 proposes a method of aligning a CAD model and corresponding point group data obtained from a non-contact type CMM. Recently, pieces of software for interactively displaying the quantity of discrepancy between CAD data and corresponding point group data and then displaying the point group with a color that varies as a function of the quantity of discrepancy have been marketed.
However, it is necessary to prepare a measurement program for each site of measurement when utilizing an automatic measuring machine such as a CMM. Additionally, it is time consuming to use a manual measurement machine. Particularly, when the number of sites of measurement is large, it may sometimes take several days for the measurements to become an obstacle of development of a product. Thus, when a contact type measurement technique is employed, the measurement operation itself is time consuming. Then, it is normally difficult to satisfy both the requirements of cost and those of delivery date simply by automating the operation of processing measurement data as disclosed in the above cited patent documents including Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H08-082575, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H08-190575 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-235594.
On the other hand, it is possible to reduce the time required for measurement by employing a technique of comparing the point group data obtained from the profile of a part by means of a non-contact type measurement machine and the corresponding CAD model for collation. With such a technique, the results of measurement of a part are evaluated relative to the attribute information such as dimensions of the part affixed to the CAD model. For this purpose, a cross section of the point group data that is aligned with the CAD model is taken for the measurement or faces and edges are prepared from the point group data and some of the faces and the edges are interactively selected for measurement. Then again, it is time consuming to evaluate the results of measurement on a dimension by dimension basis.
A technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-82951 utilizes the distance between point group data and profile elements such as dimensions when associating them with each other. However, in general, the profile of a part to be measured shows errors relative to the profile of the CAD drawings. Therefore, with a technique of simply utilizing the distance between CAD drawings and a point group, the operation of associating the point group with the profile elements can involve errors. If errors are involved in the operation of associating them with each other, it is consequently difficult to conduct an accurate inspection.
Additionally, some profile elements may be unsuitable for measurement because they show a large error relative to the corresponding point group. It is difficult to give an appropriate determination when the determination is not made at a site suitable for measurement or at a measurement point that reflects the designer's intention.
In view of the above-identified problems, it is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a technique for preventing errors from arising when associating actual measurement data of a part with model data.

Information processing method, information processing apparatus and program


The present invention is a large-pore aluminophosphate or substituted aluminophosphate comprising a composition EQU aR:(M.sub.x Al.sub.y P.sub.z)O.sub.2. wherein R represents an organic templating agent, and a=0 to 0.4, X=0 to 0.4, y=0.35 to 0.5, and Z=0.25 to 0.5 and characterized by the diffraction pattern of Table 1 and M may be Si, Ga, Ge, Co, Ni, Zn, Fe, V, Ti and mixtures thereof.

Zeolites are crystalline aluminosilicate molecular sieves which have a microporous three-dimensional framework structure. In general, the crystalline zeolites are formed from corner-sharing AlO.sub.2 and SiO.sub.2 tetrahedra and are characterized by having pore openings of uniform dimensions, having a significant ion-exchange capacity and being capable of reversibly desorbing an adsorbed phase which is dispersed throughout the internal voids of the crystal without significantly displacing any atoms which make up the permanent crystal structure.
Zeolites can be represented on an anhydrous basis, by the empirical formula EQU M.sub.2 /.sub.n O:Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 :XSiO.sub.2
where M is a cation having the valence n, X is generally equal to or greater than 2. In naturally occurring zeolites, M can be Li, Na, Ca, K, Mg and Ba. The M cations are loosely bound to the structure and frequently can be completely or partially replaced with other cations by conventional ion exchange techniques. Currently over 100 species of both naturally occurring and synthetic zeoetes are known. One notes that although most commercial patents refer to these phosphate compositions as "molecular sieves" rather than zeolites, scientific groups include them in the "zeolites" (Barrer, Pure and Applied Chem., v. 51, 1091 (1979); Coombs et. al., Canad. Mineral, v. 35, p. 1571 (1997)).
Other crystalline microporous compositions are known which have been called zeolites or molecular sieves and which exhibit the ion-exchange and/or adsorption characteristics of the zeolites. These include aluminophosphates and substituted aluminophosphates as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,310,440 and 4,440,871. U.S. Pat. No. 4,440,871 discloses a class of silica aluminophosphates which are identified by the acronym SAPO and which have different structures as identified by their x-ray diffraction pattern. The structures are identified by a numerical number after ALPO, SAPO, MEAPO, etc. (Flanigen et al, Proc. 7th Int. Zeolite Conf., p. 103 (1986) and may include Al and P substitutions by Si, Be, Mg, Ge, Zn, Fe, Co, Ni, etc. The present invention is the first synthesis of a phosphate (ALPO/SAPO, etc.) having the characteristic X-ray diffraction pattern shown in Table 1.

Synthesis of and composition of ECR-40, large pore aluminophosphate


An image inputting apparatus which allows inputting of an image with a first resolution and another image with a second resolution higher than the first resolution which is provided by increasing the first resolution by image-shifting means, and which is designed to perform moire removal with minimal power consumption in such a manner that moire-removing means is activated to remove the moire when moire-detecting means judges that a moire is present, whereas the moire-removing means is deactivated when it is judged that no moire is present.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image inputting apparatus which uses a solid state imaging device, and more particularly to an improvement in image inputting apparatuses equipped with image shifting mechanisms for taking a plurality of images with different resolutions.
2. Description of the Related Art
Solid state imaging devices such as CCDs have long found widespread application as imaging devices for use in image inputting apparatuses. In principle, resolutions of solid state imaging devices are essentially determined by the number of pixels arranged in the image pickup surfaces. Accordingly, use of more pixels results in higher resolutions. However, some limits presently exist on the increased number of pixels from a technical standpoint and in terms of cost. Some techniques have already been suggested, which allow images to be taken at relatively higher resolutions through the use of solid state imaging devices composed of limited numbers of pixels, such as methods which involve the use of image shifting mechanisms, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 60-54576 (1985). More recently, there also have been suggested image inputting apparatuses equipped with image shifting mechanisms, which are designed to take two or more different images: an image of the resolution increased by image shifting and another image of the resolution characteristic to the CCD used. The related art is also described in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 3-231589 (1991) and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 3-226078 (1991).
FIG. 17 illustrates an example of the configuration of an image inputting apparatus which allows two images to be taken at different resolutions. Arranged along an optical axis Z are an optical system 1, a refracting plate 2, a spatial filter 3 and a solid state imaging device 4. The refracting plate 2 may be displaced by an actuator such as a piezoelectric device 5, from a position where the surface is perpendicular to the optical axis Z indicated by the solid line to a position where it is tilted with respect to the optical axis Z which is indicated by the broken line. The piezoelectric device 5 is driven by a piezoelectric-device driving circuit 6. Images taken by the solid state imaging device 4 are converted to electric signals which are outputted as image information through an image-processing circuit 7. A control circuit 8 controls the piezoelectric-device driving circuit 6 on the basis of the image information from the image-processing circuit 7 so that the optical axis Z is shifted to the optical path Z' indicated by the broken line by displacement of the refracting plate 2 by the piezoelectric device 5. The amount of this displacement of the optical path by image shifting is set to be half the pixel pitch of the solid state imaging device 4, for example. A detailed explanation of this type of image shifting mechanism is given in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 60-54576 mentioned above.
The image inputting apparatus illustrated in FIG. 17 is designed to input an image with a first resolution, that is, the characteristic resolution (hereunder may be referred to as "normal resolution") determined by the pixel number of the solid state imaging device 4 in cases where image shifting is not performed. The control circuit 8, upon receipt of a signal indicating input mode at the normal resolution from a controller (not shown), instructs the piezoelectric-device driving circuit 6 to suspend its operation to thereby stop the piezoelectric device 5 at a given position. The given position of the piezoelectric device 5 is the one at which the refracting plate 2 is not tilted and thus the optical axis Z is not shifted. The spatial filter 3 serves to cut off high spatial frequency components from an image incident from the subject which have moire-producing (at the next solid state imaging device 4) spatial frequencies over the Nyquist frequency. Output signals of an image incident upon the solid state imaging device 4 undergo A/D conversion, gamma correction, etc. through the image-processing circuit 7, and are obtained as signals of the image with the normal resolution. The image output means is a cathode ray tube (hereunder abbreviated to "CRT") when the image is outputted as a dynamic image, and an image memory or the like when it is outputted as a still image. In either case, the processing technique may be any well known one. Here, "dynamic image" means that which is formed of still images in time-series, typically images taken with video cameras or the like.
An explanation will now be given regarding the operation for inputting an image with a second resolution which is higher than the first resolution (hereunder may be reffered to as "higher resolution") through image shifting. The control circuit 8, upon receipt of a signal indicating a mode for inputting an image with the higher resolution from the controller (not shown), instructs the piezoelectric-device driving circuit 6 to perform an image shifting operation. According to the instructions, the piezoelectric-device driving circuit 6 drives the piezoelectric device 5 to displace the refracting plate 2 alternately to the position indicated by the solid line and to the position indicated by the broken line, and the image shifting operation is performed at the position indicated by the broken line to shift the optical axis Z to the optical path Z'. The image-processing circuit 7 subjects a plurality of images taken via image shifting to A/D conversion, gamma correction, etc., and an image with the second resolution which is higher than the first resolution is synthesized in an image memory. An image synthesis method is described in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 63-284980 (1988) in detail.
When an image with the normal resolution is inputted, the spatial filter 3 cuts off high spatial frequency components of the inputted image so as to remove a moire due to sampling of the image inputted by the solid state imaging device 4. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 4-236585 (1992) discloses the concept of optical low-pass filtering which enables both moire removal and increase in the resolution by making the transmitting characteristics of the spatial filter 3 variable in such a manner that spatial frequencies which allow transmission through the spatial filter 3 are set to be low when images with the normal resolution are inputted, and high when images with the higher resolution are inputted. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 3-226078 discloses a prior art technique which involves provision of two replaceable types of spatial filters, a low-cutoff spatial filter which is to be used when images with the normal resolution are inputted, and another high-cutoff spatial filter which is to be used when images with the higher resolution are inputted. In addition, Japanese Examined Patent Publication JP-B2 1-35550 (1989) discloses a method in which the spatial filter 3 is not used, and image shifting is utilized to input still images to acquire still images with the higher resolution, whereas when images with the normal resolution are inputted, the refracting plate 2 is vibrated at a high speed to remove moires, and the opening of the solid state imaging device 4 is temporarily extended to acquire images with the normal resolution.
Of the conventional techniques which accomplish both inputting of images with the higher resolution and moire removal, those methods such as the one disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 4-236585 which depend on the variable transmitting characteristics of the spatial filter 3, have a disadvantage in that the spatial filter 3 requires a complicated configuration, and this results in an increased manufacturing cost. In addition, the prior art techniques employing such a configuration as the one disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 3-226078 which contains two replaceable types of spatial filters 3, requires a mechanism for switching between the spatial filters 3, and this increases the size of the image inputting apparatus as well as the manufacturing cost. The method in which when a still image is inputted, image shifting is performed without using the spatial filter 3, and the refracting plate 2 is vibrated at a high speed so as to remove a moire when an image with the normal resolution is inputted, requires that the refracting plate 2 be driven at all times even when an image of the subject which does not produce a moire is inputted at the normal resolution, and this of course increases the power consumption; the method is particularly unsuitable when the solid state image inputting device is portable, because it results in accelerated exhaustion of the battery.

Imaging apparatus and method having enhanced moire reduction


A pressure gauge for use in combination with an airway lumen having an inflatable cuff, the pressure gauge including a housing and a flexible diaphragm within the housing defining a fluid tight chamber with the chamber in fluid communication with the cuff. In use a surface of the diaphragm moves along an axis in response to a fluid pressure change in the cuff. The pressure gauge also includes a radial indicator attached to the housing extending transverse the surface of the diaphragm and a linear to radial linkage operatively associated between the surface of the diaphragm and the radial indicator to cause radial movement of the indicator. In one embodiment the linear to radial linkage includes a gear tooth rack associated with the surface of the diaphragm and a pinion gear mating with the rack. In such an embodiment the radial indicator may further include a pointer operatively associated with the pinion gear. This embodiment will also include a scale having select markings which in conjunction with the pointer allow a user to read the fluid pressure within the cuff.

Various types of medical devices have been developed to provide medical access to a human airway. Representative devices include endotracheal tubes used in emergency or other situations to prevent blockage of a patient's airway and/or to provide general anesthesia to the patient's lungs during a surgical procedure. A typical endotracheal tube includes a flexible lumen which is inserted orally such that in use the distal end of the lumen is located within the patient's trachea. A representative endotracheal tube is shown in Parker, U.S. Pat. No. 5,873,362.
Another type of device which can be used to access a human airway is a tracheostomy tube, also known as a tracheotomy tube. These devices are inserted in an emergency procedure directly into the trachea from outside a patient's body. Tracheostomy devices also include a relatively less flexible lumen.
A representative third class of devices are oral airways positioned with a distal end in a patient's hypopharynx adjacent to the glottis. Representative is a perilaryngeal airway shown in Alfrey, U.S. Pat. No. 6,386,199.
Endotracheal tubes, tracheostomy tubes, oral airways, and similar apparatus are referred to collectively herein as "airway lumens." A common feature of many types of airway lumens is an inflatable cuff associated with the distal portion of the lumen body.
Typically, an airway lumen is inserted into the mouth and deep into the patient's throat (e.g., hypopharynx or trachea) with the cuff near the leading distal end. The cuff, once inflated, seals the patient's airway between the lumen and the surrounding tissue. In order to effectively use an airway lumen, the cuff must be inflated to an appropriate pressure. However, since the cuff is seated deep in the patient's throat, visual observation of proper inflation is not possible. Over inflation of a cuff can cause tissue damage such as tracheal necrosis and/or stenosis. On the contrary, under inflation of the cuff will not properly seal the patient's airway, thus limiting the effectiveness of the airway lumen and potentially allowing harmful fluids to reach the patient's lungs.
In many known airway lumen devices, the inflatable cuff is connected in fluid communication with a small balloon commonly called a pilot cuff which is positioned outside of the patient's body. As the inflatable cuff is inflated within the patient's body, the pilot cuff is simultaneously inflated on the exterior of the patient's body. Thus, a pilot cuff provides a medical technician with a visual and tactile indicator of the fluid pressure within the inflatable cuff. The proper use of a pilot cuff requires a great deal of technical experience and can be quite imprecise, particularly if used in an emergency situation.
Accordingly, several varieties of pressure sensing devices have been developed which provide a more or less precise indication of the fluid pressure within an inflatable cuff. Certain devices, such as that taught by Levinson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,383, feature sophisticated computerized monitoring and control of cuff fluid pressure. This type of device is most suitable for use in a hospital setting, and is a relatively expensive solution to the problem of achieving proper cuff inflation.
Foltz, U.S. Pat. No. 4,617,015; Bruner, U.S. Pat. No. 4,016,885; and Igarashi, US 2002/0157665A1 each disclose more simplified mechanical pressure gauges which feature an indicator and scale to represent the fluid pressure within an inflatable cuff. These gauges are more mobile and thus more suitable for emergency use than a sophisticated computer operated apparatus. The Foltz, Bruner and Igarashi gauges, however, require that cuff pressure be read from a lined scale, which could result in interpretation errors in an emergency setting. In addition, mechanical gauges such as those taught by Foltz, Bruner, or Igarashi do not directly indicate an acceptable range of "in use" pressures within the inflatable cuff which are readable with a quick glance.
The present invention is directed toward overcoming one or more of the problems discussed above.

Pressure gauge for use with an airway lumen


A passive locking system is used to attach molded plastic bottom and cover members to the bottom and top edges of a four-sided sleeve to create a container that can be handled by a forklift and knocked down for storage and/or return shipment. The locks comprise molded tabs and receiver slots and allow for easy attachment and removal of the sleeve to the bottom and top members without the need for tools or manipulation of slide latches. In the preferred embodiment, foldable clips are attached to the sleeve edges to provide tabs on the sleeve. The clip tabs enter into apertures in the outside rim of the pallet and cover only when the sleeve edges are fully inserted into the pallet and cover.

U.S. Pat. No. Re. 35,875, issued Aug. 25, 1998 to Lyle H. Shuert of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., discloses a container comprising the combination of a four-sided foldable sleeve and a pair of identical molded plastic members, shaped as forklift compatible pallets, attached to the top and bottom edges of the sleeve respectively, by means of hand operated slide latches on the pallets and slots in the sleeve walls. The slide latches include elongate plastic members movable by direct hand action between extended and retracted positions relative to the sleeve slots located near the top and bottom edges. When the latch members are extended, they fit into the slots to hold the sleeve and pallets together. This may supplement or eliminate banding.


A method for scheduling data in a communication system having a downlink frame structure including power control regions of a boosting region for boosting power of a data burst, a normal region for keeping power of the data burst, and a deboosting region for deboosting power of the data burst.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for scheduling data considering power of the data in a communication system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Intensive research on the 4th Generation (4G) communication system, or the next generation communication system, is being conducted to provide to users services having various Quality of Service (QoS) classes at a data rate of about 100 Mbps. In particular, active research into the 4 G communication system is being conducted to support high-speed services by guaranteeing mobility and QoS for a Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) communication system such as a wireless Local Area Network (LAN) system and a wireless Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) system, and an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 communication system is a typical BWA communication system.
The IEEE 802.16 communication system employs Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM)/Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) to support broadband transmission networks for physical channel of the wireless MAN system. OFDM/OFDMA can transmit multiple subcarriers with orthogonality being kept therebetween, thereby obtaining the optimal transmission efficiency during fast data transmission. In addition, OFDM/OFDMA, as it is high in frequency efficiency and robust against multi-path fading, can obtain the optimal transmission efficiency during fast data transmission. Further, OFDM/OFDMA, as it uses frequency spectra in an overlapping manner, is high in frequency efficiency, is robust against frequency selective fading and multi-path fading, can reduce Inter-Symbol Interference (ISI) using a guard interval, and can be designed with an equalizer having a simple hardware structure. The communication system employing OFDM/OFDMA can include Wireless Broadband Internet (WiBro), or 2.3-GHz band Portable Internet Service.
The communication system employing OFDMA should appropriately distribute resources to increase channel utilization between multiple Mobile Stations (MSs), located in one cell, and a Base Station (BS). A subcarrier is one of the sharable resources in the communication system employing OFDMA, and the subcarriers are channelized. The optimal channel utilization is guaranteed depending on how the subcarriers are assigned to the MSs in the cell using a predetermined scheme. Herein, a set of at least one subcarrier will be referred to as a subchannel.
Data transmission of the BWA communication system is achieved on a frame-by-frame basis, and each frame is divided into an interval capable of transmitting downlink data and an interval capable of transmitting uplink data. The uplink/downlink data intervals each are divided again into the frequency axis and the time axis. Each element formed in a two-dimensional arrangement of the frequency axis and the time axis is called a 'slot'.
Therefore, for assignment of downlink data bursts for MSs, the BS uses MAPs defined as normal MAPs or new normal MAPs (also known as Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest (H-ARQ) MAPs). The data bursts are assigned in the downlink data interval over multiple time slots. The BS performs power boosting or power deboosting on the assigned data bursts, thereby increasing the downlink resource utilization. In the BWA communication system standard, the power boosting/deboosting levels are defined as −12, −9, −6, −3, 0, 3, 6, 9, 12 dB.
However, a power assignment algorithm of performing the optimal power boosting/deboosting on the data bursts causes a very complex programming problem, so it can be hardly realized in the actual communication system.

Method and apparatus for scheduling data considering its power in a communication system


Uniform heating with low voltage electrical power supply is provided by sheet form products as free standing films, coatings, or embedded in laminates, foams and the like and comprising a carbon black/graphite composite dispersed in a plastic carrier.

The present invention relates generally to the field of composite materials and, more particularly, to composite materials used for heating products. The art has seen failed or inadequate efforts for attaining highly stable, highly uniform electric heating performance. There is the need for efficient means to provide heat using electricity. Unlike other heating means such as hot air, hot water, thermal oil, or steam, which all require significant capital and equipment, such as boilers, pipes, ductwork, and controls, electrical resistive heating only requires simple circuitry to connect a heating element to the power source and for control.
Most electrical heating equipment is large and requires resistive wires, insulation and high voltages. Examples include electrical blankets with wires and mesh conductors embedded in materials or sandwiched in laminates. Insulated resistive wires are not sufficiently flexible and can break with repetitive flexing. As resistive wires are heated, resistance drops and the temperature increases if the voltage is held constant. To control the temperature state of the art system often require a power control with a feedback from a thermostat or like sensor. This equipment causes concern over sparks and consumer safety. For example, heated seats in vehicles have been the subject of lawsuits and warranty failures because of overheating or wire breakage. In addition, danger of electrocution and burning exists when using electric blankets and heating pads, which are hazardous when the wires are exposed to a conductor.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,974,935 and 6,814,889 to Inditherm PLC discuss large area stand-alone carbonaceous films, films coated on substrates or embedded in insulating layers, and laminate forms. One goal of thin planar larger area products is to enhance uniformity of the heating effect, increase safety, operate at low voltage, maintain temperature constant at a given voltage and improve reliability and efficiency of the heating system. In practice the goals were inadequately realized. The goals were realized inadequately in practice of the processes and products described in the patents.
The present invention provides composite materials and products incorporating the materials with enhanced heating uniformity, increased safety, improved reliability and efficiency, as well as methods of making the materials and products that effectively deliver the advantageous properties and performance.

Composite material, heating products and method for making


An apparatus and a method for producing, capturing and storing hydrogen in a hydrogen absorption rod. The hydrogen absorption rod comprises a zeolite core material surrounding a conductive rod, wherein the zeolite core material is suitable for releasing captured hydrogen to a hydrogen fuel cell. More specifically, the apparatus and method utilize solar-generated electric current to separate hydrogen from water, whereupon the released hydrogen is captured in the hydrogen absorption rod. The hydrogen absorption rod is configured to allow for ease and safety of transportation, storage, and use of hydrogen gas in hydrogen fuel cells.

1. Field of the Invention
The present patent application relates to the field of alternative energy sources, more specifically, an apparatus and method for capturing and storing hydrogen for use in hydrogen fuel cells. Hydrogen is separated from water utilizing a floating apparatus comprising a photovoltaic cell for generating electric current. The hydrogen is then absorbed by an absorption rod comprising a titanium or equivalent core upon which zeolite core material has been grown utilizing methods known in the art. Once a desired amount of hydrogen has been absorbed by zeolite core material of the hydrogen absorption rod, the hydrogen absorption rod is removed from the apparatus and is available for use in a hydrogen fuel cell.
2. Background of the Invention
Hydrogen fuel cells are well known in the art, and have been used for many years in a wide variety of applications. FIG. 1 depicts a schematic diagram exemplary of a typical hydrogen fuel cell. Hydrogen fuel cells are based upon the principle that the recombination of hydrogen and oxygen atoms to form water will result in the generation of an electric current, if the recombination is carried out in an appropriate structure. Exemplary uses of hydrogen fuel cells are the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) use of such cells to provide power onboard spacecraft and in experimental ground vehicles. Recent research has also focused on the use of hydrogen fuel cells as an alternative power source for use in ground vehicles, specifically automobiles. Constantly increasing fossil fuel costs, and the instability in nations that are the foreign sources of fossil fuels, has driven both the United States government and private industry to investigate, research, refine, and experiment with the use of hydrogen fuel cells as an alternative source of power.
Hydrogen fuel cells are a low-polluting alternative fuel source whose only by-product is pure water, and they therefore represent an attractive alternative to fossil fuels that contribute to the accumulation of harmful greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere, are increasingly expensive, and are not renewable.
Hydrogen fuel cells therefore potentially provide significant benefits over the use of fossil fuels. However, hydrogen fuel cells require gaseous hydrogen as fuel. Gaseous hydrogen is typically stored in pressurized tanks, which are prone to explosion and leaking and therefore require expensive safety precautions during filling, storage, transportation, and use. The cost association with such safety precautions, as well as the inherent danger in handling and storing pressurized hydrogen, currently represent a significant disadvantage in the use of hydrogen cells as an alternative fuel source.
Methods for separating hydrogen from water are also known in the art. Hydrogen is typically separated from water by passing an electric current through the water. This process for separating hydrogen from water is conventionally known in the art. However, the electric current required for this operation is typically generated by electric power plants which themselves typically generate pollutants. Thus, the methods utilized in the art for generating hydrogen gas result in undesired environmental pollution. An alternative solution for generating the required electric current for the hydrogen separation process is the use of solar-generated electric current. However, solar cells typically require large surface areas and therefore suffer from the drawback that such large solar arrays are difficult to fabricate, store, maintain, and operate. Furthermore, large-area solar arrays suffer from large structural loads due to wind, snow, rain, and other environmental factors; and even if large-area arrays are utilized for generating the electric current required to separate hydrogen from water, the water must be transported to the array at great expense, or the electric current from the solar array must be transmitted to the source of water. Such electric transmission would necessarily result in ohmic losses due to the resistance of the transmission medium (for example, the electrical conductors and contacts), thereby reducing the efficiency of production. Such large arrays also lack portability, thus any such installation would necessarily suffer from the high cost of transporting the array should it be desired to do so.
Other patents and printed patent application publications disclose various aspects of the prior art of separating hydrogen from water, especially seawater. These are:                US2002/0005360 A1 to Haug et al., filing date Feb. 14, 2001;        2) US202/0060161 A1 to Roe et al., filing date Jan. 31, 2001;        3) U.S. Pat. No. 4,011,149 to Nozik, filing date Nov. 17, 1975;        4) U.S. Pat. No. 4,021,323 to Kilbey et al., filing date Jul. 28, 1975;        5) U.S. Pat. No. 4,045,546 to DuPont, filing date Aug. 6, 1976;        6) U.S. Pat. No. 4,061,555 to Miyantani et al., filing date Jan. 19, 1977;        7) U.S. Pat. No. 4,076,904 to Chen, filing date Nov. 11, 1976;        8) U.S. Pat. No. 4,090,933 to Nozik, filing date Nov. 26, 1976;        9) U.S. Pat. No. 4,094,751 to Nozik, filing date Sep. 30, 1976;        10) U.S. Pat. No. 4,160,816 to Williams et al., filing date Dec. 5, 1977;        11) U.S. Pat. No. 4,236,984 to Grantham, filing date Nov. 21, 1979;        12) U.S. Pat. No. 4,263,111 to Hooper et al., filing date Dec. 17, 1979;        13) U.S. Pat. No. 4,305,794 to Davidson et al., filing date Apr. 18, 1979        14) U.S. Pat. No. 4,310,405 to Heller, filing date Sep. 23, 1980;        15) U.S. Pat. No. 4,379,740 to Nazzal et al., filing date Jun. 21, 1982;        16) U.S. Pat. No. 4,381,978 to Gratzel et al., filing date Aug. 14, 1981;        17) U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,080 to Williams et al., filing date May 10, 1982;        18) U.S. Pat. No. 4,419,329 to Heller, filing date Apr. 15, 1982;        19) U.S. Pat. No. 4,528,252 to Yamazaki, filing date Mar. 28, 1983;        20) U.S. Pat. No. 4,643,817 to Appleby, filing date Jun. 7, 1985;        21) U.S. Pat. No. 4,656,103 to Reichman et al., filing date May 20, 19851        22) U.S. Pat. No. 4,709,916 to Murphy et al., filing date Aug. 18, 1987;        23) JP 8-290052 to Shinichi et al., filing date November 1996;        24) US 2002/0155330 A1 to Tanaka, filing date February 2002;        25) US 2004/0009392 A1 to Petillo et al., filing date April 2003;        26) U.S. Pat. No. 3,917,520 to Katz et al., filing date November 1974;        27) U.S. Pat. No. 4,107,008 to Horvath, filing date December 1976;        28) U.S. Pat. No. 4,203,814 to Grantham, filing date November 1978;        29) U.S. Pat. No. 4,227,977 to Grantham, filing date August 1979;        30) U.S. Pat. No. 4,235,694 to Hall, filing date October 1978;        31) U.S. Pat. No. 4,236,984 to Grantham, filing date November 1979;        32) U.S. Pat. No. 4,263,110 to Meyerand, Jr., filing date December 1979;        33) U.S. Pat. No. 4,263,111 to Hooper et al., filing date December 1979;        34) U.S. Pat. No. 4,394,231 to Nicolas, filing date August 19981;        35) U.S. Pat. No. 4,412,895 to Lu, filing date September 1981;        36) U.S. Pat. No. 4,466,869 to Ayers, filing date August 1983;        37) U.S. Pat. No. 5,037,518 to Young et al., filing date September 1989;        38) U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,831 to Klein, filing date April 1995;        39) U.S. Pat. No. 5,665,211 to Leppanen et al., filing date August 1993;        40) IS 6,533,919 B1 to Narayanan et al., filing date October 2000;        41) WO 94/05830 to Leppanen et al., filing date August 1993;        42) U.S. Pat. No. 4,235,693 to Rowe et al., filing date November 1979;        43) U.S. Pat. No. 4,352,722 to Ohkawa, filing date March 1981;        44) U.S. Pat. No. 4,472,260 to Neefe, filing date December 1982;        45) U.S. Pat. No. 4,490,232 to Lapeyre, filing date February 1984;        46) U.S. Pat. No. 4,511,450 to Neefe, filing date March 1984;        47) U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,695 to Neefe, filing date April 1984;        48) U.S. Pat. No. 4,565,617 to Ahuja, filing date December 1981;        49) U.S. Pat. No. 4,643,817 to Appleby, filing date June 1985;        50) U.S. Pat. No. 4,650,554 to Gordon, filing date October 1985;        51) U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,964 to Middleby, filing date February 1992;        52) U.S. Pat. No. 5,059,296 to Sherman, filing date September 1990;        53) DE 39 32 895 A1 to Kranz, filing date April 1990        54) O 458 737 A2 to Mandrin date November 1991;        55) PT 101752 A to De Sa Pinto, filing date September 1997;        56) US 202/0130051 A1 to Haug et al., filing date February 2002;        57) U.S. Pat. No. 3,256,504 to Fidelman, filing date January 1961;        58) U.S. Pat. No. 3,374,158 to Lord et al., filing date April 1964;        59) U.S. Pat. No. 3,840,454 to Jansta et al., filing date August 1972;        60) U.S. Pat. No. 4,146,446 to von Sturm, filing date October 1977;        61) U.S. Pat. No. 4,235,863 to Schulten et al., filing date February 1979;        62) U.S. Pat. No. 4,265,721 to Hackmyer, filing date May 1980;        63) U.S. Pat. No. 4,342,738 to Burgund, filing date August 1981;        64) U.S. Pat. No. 4,344,831 to Weber, filing date September 1980;        65) U.S. Pat. No. 4,371,500 to Papineau, filing date August 1980;        66) U.S. Pat. No. 4,394,293 to Gratzel et al., filing date September 1980;        67) U.S. Pat. No. 4,437,963 to Yeoman, filing date September 1981;        68) U.S. Pat. No. 4,588,577 to Cardinal, filing date March 1985;        69) U.S. Pat. No. 5,089,107 to Pacheco, filing date July 1990;        70) U.S. Pat. No. 5,176,809 to Simuni, filing date March 1990;        71) U.S. Pat. No. 5,300,276 to Ueda et al., filing date April 1992;        72) U.S. Pat. No. 5,401,371 to Oshima et al., filing date July 1993;        73) U.S. Pat. No. 5,632,870 to Kucherov, filing date April 1995;        74) U.S. Pat. No. 5,968,325 to Oloman et al., filing date January 1997;        75) U.S. Pat. No. 6,336,430 B2 to de Souza, et al., filing date June 1998;        76) JP368791 to Takayuki, filing date March 1991; and        77) JP2000-192275 to Mutsuki, filing date July 2000.
There is therefore a need for an apparatus and associated method for generating, storing, transporting, and using gaseous hydrogen in hydrogen fuel cells which is simple to use, safe, low in cost, and which is applicable for use in commercial hydrogen fuel cell applications. Furthermore, a need exists for the generation of hydrogen gas that utilizes an inexpensive and renewable source of energy, so that the cost of generating hydrogen gas is minimized, and so that the benefits of hydrogen fuel cell technology are not offset by the waste products produced in generating the hydrogen gas.
The apparatus and method disclosed in the present application overcome the drawbacks of the current technology. Solar energy, a renewable and free source of energy, is utilized to generate the necessary electric current used for separating hydrogen from water. While any source of water may be used, salt water is preferred. The apparatus is configured such that it is small enough to be easily transportable; it floats in a pool, pond, or other body of water; it utilizes solar energy to generate the electric current required to separate hydrogen from water; and the hydrogen is stored in a zeolite rod that is easily removable, storable, and usable in fuel cells. The drawbacks of the prior art are thus overcome by the features and elements of the present invention.
All patents, patent applications and publications discussed or cited herein are incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application was specifically and individually set forth in its entirety.


A network has a plurality of devices connected together in pairs. When a physical connection between a pair of devices is initiated, the devices exchange information regarding a unique device identifier, and details of the physical connection. This information is provided in a report to a network manager. When a failure occurs on the network, the connection information is used to locate the failure.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to computer systems networks, and more specifically to a system and method for reporting network connectivity information.
2. Background Art
Computer networks are becoming increasingly common. Large numbers of devices, including general purpose computer systems, input/output terminals, and special purpose peripherals, may often be linked into a single network.
Many different network protocols are currently in use. Examples of common, high level protocols include System Network Architecture (SNA), produced by IBM Corporation and ROLMLINK, produced by ROLM Systems Inc.. Other examples of network interconnection techniques are found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,466,063, SYSTEM INTERCOMMUNICATION PROCESSOR USED IN DISTRIBUTED DATA PROCESSING SYSTEM; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,412,285, MULTI-PROCESSOR INTERCOMMUNICATION SYSTEM AND METHOD.
A wide variety of physical device interconnection techniques are also in common use. Networked devices may be connected to a common communications bus, as is used in Ethernet networks. Another physical connection technique, used to connect two devices together using a twisted wire pair, is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,642,805, DIGITAL LINK FOR TELEPHONE STATION SETS.
Several networks of the same type may be connected together using interface devices known as bridges. Other interface devices, sometimes referred to as gateways, may be used to connect together several networks of different types. Some networks become quite large, having several hundreds, or even several thousands, of devices connected together into a single network. In such systems, the interconnections between devices attached to the network may become quite complex, with switching systems providing multiple communication paths between a single pair of devices.
The devices attached to a large network may also display wide diversity. Such devices may include input/output terminals, other peripherals such as machine controllers and data gathering equipment, general purpose computers, network controllers, communication switching systems, telephones and various shared resources such as large capacity disk drives. Almost any type of computer system or component may be connected to a network.
In order to control function of the network, and keep track of resource usage, many network designs provide for one or more devices in a central network location to be designated as a network manager. A network manager may monitor traffic on the network, and may be able to control or influence message routing in some networks. The network manager often accepts error reports when malfunctions occur in devices attached to the network, and provides a centralized location where a person responsible for network operation may monitor the state of the network.
When a network error occurs, which is caused by failure of an attached device or component thereof, or a failure of a physical interconnection link, the location of the error may be very difficult to trace. A single failure may affect many different physical interconnections between devices, such as would happen when the power supply for a Computerized Branch Exchange (CBX) fails. Even a single-point physical failure may cause the failure of a large number of logical connections. This could happen for example, when a single optical fiber carrying a large number of communication channels is cut.
When failures occur in certain critical devices, a large number of error reports may be made to the network manager. Typically, every device which was supporting a communications link which passed through a failed device at the time of failure will report such communications failure to the network manager. These reports often reach the network manager at different times, and typically do not allow the network manager to pinpoint the source of the problem. If two independent failures occur at approximately the same time, the difficulties of determining the source of the errors is compounded.
Some networks attempt to minimize the amount of redundant error reporting which occurs to the network manager by providing intermediate devices which coordinate the error reports of several devices below them in the network hierarchy. Also, critical network resources may be designed to contain redundant subsystems in order to minimize the impact of a single subsystem failure. An example of such a redundant system may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,634,110 FAULT DETECTION AND REDUNDANCY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.
One reason it is often very difficult to track down a single failure which gives rise to multiple error reports is that the network manager doesn't have knowledge of all the details of the physical interconnections between the devices of the network. Individual devices may be attached to and removed from the network quite easily, and may be moved from one connection point to another without a report being made to a central authority. This is especially true in environments such as Integrated Systems Digital Networks (ISDN), in which a terminal device may be moved from one connection to another simply by changing the location of a modular wall plug. Although the interconnection graph of a network is relatively static in that most devices are rarely moved, it is possible to change such graph quite drastically in a short period of time. Since network interconnections are so flexible, it is difficult to provide a current connectivity graph which may be used by the network manager to determine the location of a failure when multiple error reports are caused by a single failure.
It would be desirable to provide a method which would provide current network configuration information to a network manager. It would also be desirable for reports on network configuration changes to be made automatically. It would further be desirable for a network manager to be able to correlate multiple error reports in order to determine the location of a device failure.

International Business Machines Corporation


In scissors, especially haircutting scissors, with two handles (1, 2) and handle eyes (4) arranged at the ends of the handles, where at least one of the handle eyes (4) is provided with a movable grip eye (5) which accommodates the thumb or a finger of the person using the scissors, in order to guide the scissors with movable grip eye (5) precisely and to reliably position the grip eye (5) in the handle eye (4), it is envisaged that the grip eye (5) is enclosed by the corresponding handle eye (4) along the entire circumference and displays guide elements projecting radially outwards on both sides, which lie laterally against the handle eye (4), meaning that the grip eye (5) can rotate freely about the axis perpendicular to the handle eye (4), while being mounted in the handle eye (4) in such a way as to be incapable of rotation perpendicular to this axis. (FIG. 1)

The present invention relates to scissors, especially haircutting scissors, with two scissor handles and handle eyes arranged at the ends of the handles, where at least one of the handle eyes is provided with a movable grip eye which accommodates the thumb or a finger of the person using the scissors, this grip eye being enclosed by the corresponding handle eye along its entire circumference and able to rotate freely about the axis perpendicular to the handle eye, while being mounted in the handle eye in such a way as to be incapable of rotation perpendicular to this axis.
Such scissors are known from document U.S. Pat. No. 2,640,264. In these scissors, the grip eye is mounted on the inside of the handle eye by way of a ball bearing. On the one hand, the ball bearing permits free rotation and, on the other hand, it ensures that the grip eye is positioned in the handle eye so as to be incapable of movement perpendicular to the axis of rotation. If the grip eye is to be replaced in order to ergonomically adjust it to the thumb or finger of the person using the scissors, this is not easily possible and can only be done by removing the balls in the type of bearing arrangement described. Furthermore, the scissors cannot be used without the grip eye.
A different type of scissors with movable grip eye is known from document DE-B-2811398. The outer side of the grip eye described in this document is of spherical design and arranged in a bearing of corresponding shape. The handle eye belonging to the grip eye is designed in forked fashion for radial insertion of the grip eye. In this context, the movable grip eye can be both rotated about the axis perpendicular to the handle eye and swivelled perpendicular to this axis, meaning that the thumb moves relative to the grip eye when using the scissors and that no pressure marks occur on the thumb when using the scissors over a lengthy period of time.
However, these scissors have the disadvantage that the simultaneous rotating and swivelling capacities of the grip eye in relation to the handle impair the controlled guidance of the scissors and that the thumb's freedom of movement is too great, which is perceived as annoying by the person using the scissors. Furthermore, the fork-shaped handle eye has the disadvantage that the grip eye can work its way out and hair can get trapped between the handle eye and the grip eye. Furthermore, dirt or other particles can also easily get between the handle eye and the grip eye from the open area of the handle eye. It can often be desirable to use the scissors without the movable grip eye, but this is impossible with the fork-shaped handle eye.


Provided are a method and apparatus for sending and receiving a multiframe, a communication device, and a communication network system. The method includes: determining a multiframe identifier used for identifying a multiframe number according to a number of timeslots of a physical layer, where the multiframe number is the number of frames constituting one multiframe; and sending the multiframe to a receiving end, where the multiframe carries the multiframe identifier. Further provided is a computer storage medium.

The rapid increase of user network information traffic has prompted the rapid development of communication network information transmission bandwidth. The interface bandwidth speed of communication equipment is increased from 10 M (unit: bit/second) to 100 M, and then increased to 1 G and 10 G. Currently, an interface bandwidth speed of 100 G has been achieved, and a large number of 100 G optical modules have been put into commercial use on the market. At present, 400 G optical modules have been developed, but the 400 G optical modules are expensive, exceeding the price of four 100 G optical modules, resulting in the lack of commercial economic value of 400 G optical modules.
To deliver 400 G services on 100 G optical modules, the International Organization for Standardization has defined the Flexible Ethernet (FlexE) protocol. The FlexE protocol bonds multiple 100 G optical modules to form a large-speed transmission channel. As shown in FIG. 1, four 100 G optical modules are bonded together by the FlexE protocol to form one 400 G transmission channel, which is equivalent to the transmission speed of one 400 G optical module, thereby solving the transmission requirements of 400 G services without increasing costs.
At present, a physical layer defined by the FlexE protocol is 100 and 20 timeslots are defined on the 100 G physical layer. At the same time, an FlexE multiframe structure defined by the FlexE protocol is composed of 32 frames, among which the first 20 frames can be used to transmit the configuration information of each timeslot and the corresponding position of the last 12 frames is temporarily reserved. For 5 G, 200 G, 400 G and other physical layers, the configuration information of each timeslot cannot be transmitted using the original multiframe structure.
In the existing art, the multiframe structure is single and limited, and the multiframe composed of 32 frames cannot be applied to physical layers having different bandwidths, causing the problem of poor bandwidth compatibility between the multiframe and different bandwidth interfaces.

Method and apparatus for sending and receiving multiframe, and storage medium


A process of making furfural-derived ketones is disclosed. These compounds may be useful as marine antifouling agents. The process uses the steps of: reacting a furfural with 1,3-dithiopropane to form a 1,3-dithiane derivative; metalizing the 1,3-dithiane derivative to form a metalodithiane derivative; reacting the metalodithiane derivative with a halide or pseudohalide to form a ketone precursor; and hydrolyzing the ketone precursor to form a furyl ketone.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a process for the synthesis of 2-furylketones.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Biological fouling, or biofouling, is defined as the unwanted buildup of microorganisms, plants, and animals on artificial surfaces. Marine biofouling is the undesirable accumulation of organisms on any artificial surface that is submerged in seawater, such as ship hulls, seaside piers, sea defenses, or any other surface that is continuously in contact with seawater. Fouling can occur in two basic forms, hard fouling, such as barnacles, and soft fouling, such as grasses and algae.
Current antifoulant technologies have been found to be both harmful to marine life and to the environment. Presently, the most commonly used antifouling agents in marine coatings worldwide are organotin compounds, specifically tri-butyltin oxide (TBTO).
While tri-butyltin agents have been very effective in preventing fouling they also are associated with a vast number of environmental problems, due to their persistence in the environment, such as bioaccumulation, acute toxicity, and reduced reproductive capability of marine organisms. Similar concerns exist for coatings that release copper into the environment.
Naturally occurring antifoulant compounds, those expressed by marine organisms, are only available in limited amounts and often their structural complexity makes synthetic production in large quantities difficult. One analog of a naturally occurring antimicrobial agent, 2-furyl-n-pentylketone, has been a popular synthetic target. Furan derivatives are known to possess marine antifouling properties as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,259,701 to Gerhart. The majority of past synthetic strategies have involved Friedel-Crafts acylation chemistry and often resulted in poor yields and were rarely applied to large-scale preparations and/or involved the use of complex, expensive reagents. Other oxidative strategies of an α-hydroxyl furan have proven difficult to carry out and the resulting ketone products often require chromatographic purification, which is troublesome for larger scale preparations. Various types of Friedel-Crafts acylation methods have been used to prepare. Most have employed furan and an acid chloride or anhydride with a range of acid catalysts. Other groups have prepared 2-furyl-n-pentylketone by way of a facilitated acylation reaction between boronic acids and anhydrides in the presence of a palladium catalyst. Alternative methods employed to prepare 2-furyl-n-pentylketone have involved an alkylation scheme usually involving either an acid chloride or furfural with the appropriate Grignard reagent. Alkylation in the case of furfural then required oxidation to afford the desired ketone product. Alternatively, 2-furyl-n-pentylketone may be prepared by way of the hydroacylation of 1-pentene with furfural in the presence of cocatalyst Wilkinson complex and 2-amino-3-picoline.

Process for the preparation of 2-furyl-n-pentylketone and longer chain analogs

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy


A step exerciser has a base, a pedal element pivotally mounted on the base, and having a first female hollow shank pivotally mounted on the base, two pedals mounted on two opposed sides of and pivoted relative to the first female hollow shank, an interconnection element connected between the pedals and the first female hollow shank, and a damping element provided on the pedal element. Hence, the step exerciser can provide a user with various exercise effects.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a step exerciser and, more particularly, to a step exerciser which can be rotated freely to provide multiple sports functions for a user.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional step exerciser is an exercise machine popular with users who can tread on pedals thereof to imitate walking and thereby achieve an exercise effect.
However, the conventional step exerciser can only provide the user with one walking method such that it is not enough to meet the user's requirement of interesting and varied exercises.
Therefore, the invention provides a step exerciser to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problems.


Provided are methods of isolating an extracellular matrix from mesenchymal progenitor cells which are characterized by a reduced differentiation ability into an adipogenic lineage as compared to adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells. Also provide isolated extracellular matrix and hybrid devices comprising electrospun elements and extracellular matrix which can be used for various tissue regeneration, repair and reconstruction surgeries.

The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates to isolated cell populations comprising mesenchymal progenitor cells (MPCs), and more particularly, but not exclusively, to methods of generating same and using same for producing and isolating extracellular matrix which can be used for preparation of implantable devices for tissue regeneration and/or repair.
The aim of regenerative medicine is to repair or replace damaged or diseased tissue in the human body. Cell therapy based upon stem and progenitor cells have many distinct advantages and offer tremendous potential for regenerative medicine. The multipotency and proliferative nature of stem cells makes them a more reliable cell source than terminally differentiated cells. Stem cells have additional advantage of being relatively more immune-compatible cells. In addition, stem cells can proliferate well on a supportive scaffold, and their cell fate can be further controlled and directed by their interactions with the synthetic scaffold (Lim S H and Mao H Q, 2009, Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, 61: 1084-1096).
Adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from either bone marrow or adipose tissues are multipotent cells that can differentiate into various lineages including osteogenic, chondrogenic and adipogenic lineages, and as such can be used to enhance repair of a variety of soft tissue defects. However, adult MSCs exhibit a limited capacity to proliferate, loss of differentiation potential and reduced protective factors during ex-vivo expansion before possible therapeutic use. In addition, adult stem cells isolated from different subjects exhibit remarkable variability. Moreover, while isolation of adult MSCs from a human body involves invasive procedures, aging and aging-related disorders significantly impair the survival and differentiation capacity of MSCs, thus limiting their therapeutic efficacy. Due to these limitations, adult stem cells are not suitable for "off the shelf product" such as for production of extracellular matrix (ECM).
Mesenchymal stem cell-like cells can be generated from pluripotent stem cells capable of differentiation into cells of all three embryonic germ layers (i.e., endoderm, mesoderm and ectoderm) such as human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). In contrast to adult stem cells, pluripotent stem cells can potentially indefinitely proliferate, providing a large number of cells with specific characteristics needed for regenerative medicine protocols. However, the practical use of pluripotent stem cells as a source for ECM, requires the development of simple and efficient protocols to generate "easy to grow" cell populations that can produce functional ECM for regenerative medicine.
Harkness L et al. 2010 ("Selective isolation and differentiation of a stromal population of human embryonic stem cells with osteogenic potential". Bone Sep 30. Epub ahead of print) describe the direct differentiation of hESCs into stroma-like cells which differentiate into the osteogenic lineage while producing a mineralized matrix and into the adipogenic lineage while producing fat drops.
Hwang N S et al. 2008 (PNAS 105: 20641-20646) describe derivation of hESCs to MSCs capable of producing fat, cartilage and bone in vitro.
Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are somatic cells that have been reprogrammed into a pluripotent state resembling that of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). Patient-specific iPSCs can provide useful platforms for the discovery of new drugs, as well as unprecedented insights into disease mechanisms that ultimately may be used to develop cell and tissue replacement therapies (Kiskinis E, and Eggan K. J. Clin. Investigation, 120: 51-59, 2010). Human iPSCs (hiPSCs) have been generated from various types of somatic cells, most commonly fibroblasts that are isolated from tissues harvested via surgical intervention.
Novak et al., 2010 [Cell Reprogram. 2010, 12(6): 665-78)] describe the derivation of hiPSCs from plucked human hair follicle keratinocytes (HFKTs) which spontaneously differentiated into functional cardiomyocytes (CMs).
Lian Q et al., 2010 (Circulation. 121:1113-1123) have recently demonstrated the differentiation potential of hiPSCs into functional MSCs, using single cell sorting of CD105+/CD24− of differentiating hiPSCs. The resulting MSCs were capable of differentiation into adipogenic, osteogenic and chondrogenic lineages.
Li F. et al., 2010 (JCB 109: 643-652), describe the differentiation of murine iPSCs towards MSC-like cells by treating iPSC-derived-EBs with transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGFβ1) and retinoic acid. The resulting cells expressed putative MSCs markers and deposited calcium in vitro when cultured in an osteogenic medium.
WO/2007/080590 provides methods of generating multipotent connective tissue progenitor cells (CTPs) from embryonic stem cells and embryoid bodies. The CTPs population included 40-60% of CD105-positive cells.
WO/2007/080591 provides methods of generating multipotent connective tissue progenitor cells (CTPs) from adult stem cells.
The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a secreted product of cells that populate in a given tissue or organ. The ECM influences the behavior and phenotype of the resident cells. Cell attachment, migration, proliferation and three-dimensional arrangement are strongly affected by matrix composition and structure. The main advantages of using ECM scaffolds are their bioactivity and biocompatibility capabilities.
ECM composition includes the most abundant protein—type I Collagen, as well as fibronectin and laminin. Other substantial components are glycosaminoglycans, as chrondrotin sulfate, heparin and hyaluronic acid, which have superior binding properties of bioactive molecules as growth factors and cytokines. Growth factors, such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), and TGFβ, are present within the ECM in very small quantities but play a critical role as potent modulators of cell behavior. Individual components of the ECM, such as collagen I or fibronectin have been used as alternative scaffold materials, but were found to be less bioactive than the whole intact ECM.
ECMs for clinical applications are currently derived from organs such as the small intestine, urinary bladder or skin (Reing J., et al. 2009, Tissue Engineering, Vol. 15: 605-614′ Badylak S F. 2004. Transplant Immunology 12: 367-377), from allogeneic (human cadavers) or xenogeneic sources (porcine, bovine or equine small intestine submucosa, dermis and pericardium). Both cellular and acellular forms of ECM scaffolds have been used for tissue engineering applications. While the cellular form requires an autologous cell source, which is limited and may lead to patient's diminished functionality, the acellular form requires tissue processing, including elimination of all intact cells and degradation of nucleic acids, leaving only the ECM's proteins and growth factors biologically active. An example of a biological scaffold made of human cadaver is the GraftJacket™ product (Wright Medical Technology, TN, USA).
The ultimate goal in decellularizing a tissue, composed predominantly of Collagen fibers, is to remove any non-collagen components that may cause host rejection. However, in many cases the decellularization process is not complete and the scaffold includes traces of animal compounds, which elicit a significant inflammation response. In addition, cadaver donors are limited, thus scaffold made of this source are non-homogeneous, and non-reproducible. In addition, since derived from a human source, these scaffolds still exhibit the risk of pathogen transfer.
ECM mineralization is a physiologic process in bone, teeth, and hypertrophic cartilage, whereas in other locations it must be inhibited. Mineralization imparts important biomechanical and other functional properties to bones and teeth.
Synthetic scaffolds are manufactured from chemical compounds such as polyester, polypropylene, dacron, silicon and nylon fabric. Although they possess superior mechanical characteristics, they can never be integrated into the host tissue, and their poor biocompatibility causes numerous long-term complications, such as severe infections, chronic immune response and potential toxic byproducts (Chen J. et al. Expert Rev. Med. Devices, 2009, 6: 61-73).
Electrospinning can produce a macroporous scaffold comprising randomly oriented or aligned nanofibers. Electrospun polymeric fibrous meshes also offer a higher surface area for cell attachment and are relatively reproducible (Lim S H and Mao H Q, 2009; Adv. Drug. Del. Rev. 61:1084-1096).
Thibault R A et al. (Tissue Engineering, 2010, 16: 431-440) describe generation of a decellularized mineralized matrix from electrospun PCL fiber mesh scaffolds which were seeded with rat mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and cultured in a complete osteogenic medium.
WO/2009/098698 describes scaffolds composed of extracts of cellular and/or extracellular compartments for use in tissue regeneration.
The challenge in any reconstructive procedure is to provide a supporting structure while restoring the normal anatomic condition of the surrounding tissues. Though several materials can potentially provide the mechanical support, they do not possess the properties necessary to restore the living tissue's original quality.
Abdominal ventral hernia and pelvic floor defect (PFD) are common and challenging conditions for surgeons. It is estimated that 250,000 hernia repair and 300,000 procedures of prolapse and urinary incontinence surgeries are performed each year in the US. However, in about 12.5% of the hernia repair and 29% of the pelvic prolapse repairs repeated surgeries are needed within 5 years of initial surgery, mainly due to infection, seroma, wound dehiscence and formation of enterocutaneous fistula.
Synthetic meshes made of polypropylene and polyester are used for reconstructive surgeries (e.g., the Gyncare Prolift, Ethicon®, Johnson & Johnson, USA). Although the synthetic meshes are available and can simplify the operative procedure, reduce patient discomfort from an additional incision site and decrease operative time, in about 2.8-17.3% of the cases these meshes cause foreign-body reaction with risks of infection, rejection, visceral adhesion to the repair site, erosion to the bowel, urinary bladder and vaginal mucosa leading to enterocutaneous fistula, bowel obstruction and urinary bladder complications, extrusion of the repair material and infection. Infected synthetic repair material often necessitates surgical removal, leaving a contaminated field and a hernia deficit larger than the original (van't Riet M, et al., 2007. Hernia. 11:409-13; de Vries Reilingh T S, et al., 2007, World J. Surg. 31:756-63).
Additional background art includes Chin M H, et al., 2009 (CELL STEM CELL 5: 111-123]; Hu Q., et al., 2010 [Stem cells (ahead of print)]; Badylak S F et al. 2009 [ActaBiomaterialia, 5: 1-13]; Badylak S F 2004 [Transplant Immunology, 12: 367-377]; Cohen S. et al. [Tissue Eng Part A. 2010 (10):3119-37]; Shen J. et al. 2010 (Int J Artif Organs, 33: 161-170); Barbero A., et al., Arthritis & Rheumatism, 48: 1315-1325, 2003; Bieback K., et al., Stem Cells 2004, 22:625-634; U.S. Patent Application No. 20100185219 (to Arthur A. Gertzman et al.).

Isolated mesenchymal progenitor cells and extracellular matrix produced thereby

Technion Research & Development Foundation Limited


Systems and methods for fault prediction through a Bayesian framework are provided. Fault prediction for a valve system may be provided by generating a Bayesian framework by collecting a plurality of historical parameters related to opening and closing of a valve across a plurality of operational legs; generating a plurality of historical feature metrics based on the plurality of historical parameters; in response to detecting a fault, defining a prefault state corresponding to the historical feature metrics; monitoring a plurality of operational parameters related to opening and closing of the valve during a given operational phase of an operational leg; generating a plurality of operational feature metrics based on the plurality of operational parameters monitored during the given operational phase; and in response to determining, using the generated Bayesian framework, that the operational feature metrics indicate the prefault state of the subsystem, generating a notification.

As complex systems, such as aircraft, are often subject to strict regulation and safety checks, the unexpected fault of even minor subsystems can remove the complex system from service for extended periods of time for unscheduled maintenance. Conventional solutions for fault detection include preventative maintenance schedules and procedures. However, such conventional solutions merely provide general guidelines for maintaining complex systems over time and do not account for the specific state of any one complex system at a given moment in time.

Fault prediction in valve systems through Bayesian framework


An absorbent article with a fastening system with reduced waste and method of manufacturing such an absorbent article is disclosed. The method of manufacturing an absorbent article can include cutting a first web of ear tab material to provide a first ear tab that is registered and cutting a second web of ear tab material to provide a second ear tab that is registered. The method can also include providing a web of ear panel material, coupling the first and second ear tabs to the web of ear panel material, cutting the web of ear panel material to provide first and second ear panels to form first and second ears, and coupling the first and second ears to the absorbent assembly to form at least a portion of the fastening system for the absorbent article. The first and second ears can be configured to be different from one another.

Disposable absorbent articles are often provided with a fastening system that can retain the absorbent article in a wear configuration on the wearer. These fastening systems often include two pairs of complementary fastener components. As an example, diapers often include a hook fastener component on each rear ear which can engage a loop fastener component located in a front waist region of the diaper. Of course, other fastening means can be used as an alternative or in combination with a hook/loop fastening components. In some circumstances, the rear ears include an ear panel and an ear tab coupled to the ear panel. The ear tab can include the hook fastener component, or other fastening means. These fastening systems, particularly the rear ears, can be formed in a variety of methods. Many of the methods of forming the rear ears involve waste of material, from the ear panel materials, the tab materials, or both.
One method of manufacturing the rear ears for an absorbent article includes coupling the ear tab material, and fastener component thereon, to the ear panel material. Then the rear ears may be cut from the composite material in the shape of the rear ears, and then applied to the chassis of the diaper. An example of this method is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,371,302 issued to Myamoto et al. Although this method can cut the rear ears in a nested configuration that provides no waste of trim material, the tab material is cut at the same pitch as the ear panel material, and as a result, may be larger than necessary which may lead to unnecessary amounts of the tab material and fastening component thereon. Additionally, having the same pitch between the ear tab material and the ear panel material limits the potential options in shape of the ear.
Another method of manufacturing the rear ears of an absorbent article can include separately cutting the ear panel material from the ear tab material, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,871,400 issued to Sablone et al. and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0190523 by Pastrello et al. While the manufacturing methods disclosed therein provide for cutting the ear panels in a nested configuration to reduce waste, the configuration of the rear ear panels and the ear tab materials coupled thereto are mostly linear in shape, including corners that in some circumstances can provide irritation or discomfort to the wearer and may be less appealing to the wearer or user as the simple shape may tend to portray the appearance of a lower-tiered product. These manufacturing methods also do not provide an ability to vary the location of the fastening forces of the rear ears based on the shape of the ear tab, which may limit the fastening and fit properties of the absorbent article.
Thus, there remains a need for a method of manufacturing an absorbent article with a fastening system having reduced waste yet can overcome at least one or more of the disadvantages discussed above.

Absorbent article with a fastening system with reduced waste and method of manufacturing the same


The present invention provides a heat-resistant bearing characterized in that it is formed of an Ni3(Si,Ti)-based intermetallic compound alloy, the Ni3(Si,Ti)-based intermetallic compound alloy containing 25 to 500 ppm by weight of B with respect to a weight of an intermetallic compound having a composition of 100% by atom in total consisting of 10.0 to 12.0% by atom of Si, 1.5% by atom or more but less than 7.5% by atom of Ti, more than 2.0% by atom but 8.0% by atom or less of Ta and a balance made up of Ni excepting impurities, the Ni3(Si,Ti)-based intermetallic compound alloy having a microstructure composed of an L12 phase and of one or both of an Ni solid solution phase and a second phase dispersion containing Ni and Ta, or a microstructure composed of an L12 phase.

A bearing is a machine element that is used in many machines and apparatuses ranging from daily goods to industrial products and is used in a broad range of environments from room temperature to high temperature. For example, the bearing is used under high-temperature environments in the field of manufacturing including semiconductors and liquid crystal panels and in the field of sophisticated industry including thermal treatment equipment.
However, the limit of its practical working temperature is approximately 300° C. because of material constraints. For example, a bearing formed of martensite stainless steel, heat resisting steel for bearings or the like is abruptly reduced in hardness with rise of the working temperature, and therefore the limit of the working temperature is approximately 300 to 400° C. considering practical life. Accordingly, when a bearing is used under a high-temperature environment, a cooling device for cooling the bearing is provided or the bearing is isolated from a high-temperature environment (for example, inside of a furnace).
From such a background, development of a heat-resistant bearing usable under high-temperature environments has been desired. As a bearing that can have a long life even under a high-temperature and special environment, for example, there has been known a bearing in which a base material of rolling elements is bearing steel or stainless steel and surfaces of the rolling elements are nitrided (see Patent Document 1, for example).

Heat-resistant bearing formed of Ta or a1-added Ni

OSAKA PREFECTURE UNIVERSITY PUBLIC CORPORATION


A number of partitions of a cellular multiprocessor (CMP) are connected to respective databases and form respective nodes of a data warehouse. Heterogeneous data stored across the nodes is accessed automatically in parallel at high speed from a user site using a simple script request containing a data source object name wherein the heterogeneous data is treated as a single data source object, the script further containing at least one method to be performed on the data source object. Respective agent processes are stored in memory dedicated to each partition and automatically generate descriptor files containing metadata corresponding to the data source object from a repository available to each partition. A messenger process transmits the new scripts to the appropriate nodes via memory-based messaging using a shared portion of the CMP memory. Respective agent processes at each node respond to automatically access the appropriate data and execute specified methods upon it.

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
The subject invention relates to data processing and data storage systems and more particularly to a cellular multiprocessor configured as a data warehouse simply accessible at extremely high speeds.
Present technology is witnessing the development of large remote databases or xe2x80x9cdata warehousesxe2x80x9d, as well as rapid expansion of the Internet and proliferation of corporate intranets. Demand is growing for increasingly large and rapid data transfers involving streaming video, visualization graphics and large data warehouse downloads over such new network protocols as the Fast Ethernet and Gigabyte Ethernet. The data which it would be desirable to access may be stored across heterogeneous sites, i.e., sites which contain different types of database systems or other data containers. Hence the data which may need to be accessed may be referred to as xe2x80x9cheterogeneous dataxe2x80x9d.
Computer system technology for large scale processing of data has also continued to evolve at a rapid place. A recent advancement has appeared in the form of the so-called cellular multiprocessor or xe2x80x9cCMPxe2x80x9d, disclosed, for example, in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/215,424, filed Dec. 18, 1998 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,314,501, issued Nov. 6, 2001. The CMP architecture allows operating systems to operate in different partitions within a single computer architecture and permits the different partitions to communicate with one another through shared memory. Memory bottlenecks in prior art systems such as the SMP (Symmetric Multiprocessor) are eliminated through use of high speed main frame-class cross bar switching technology.
Our pending application Ser. No. 09/405,038 filed Sep. 24, 1999, and incorporated by reference herein discloses a system providing automatic parallel accessing, extraction and manipulation (e.g., sorting) of data from multiple heterogeneous data sites in response to a simple query or request from the user. A query may constitute a search or sort request or a myriad of other queries. An interpreter or xe2x80x9cAgentxe2x80x9d, receives a query or request, e.g., in the form of a JAVA script, and may for example, break the script into new scripts respectively appropriate for each node of a distributed system.
The system of our co-pending application further provides a method for metadata-based high level abstraction of a federation of clustered or distributed heterogeneous databases and/or data files in which the federation of databases is and concurrent execution of object methods across the distributed data. The single object is referenced hereafter as the xe2x80x9cdata source object,xe2x80x9d sometimes abbreviated to simply xe2x80x9cdata object.xe2x80x9d
This specification uses the trademarks JAVA(trademark), ORACLE(trademark), UNIX(trademark), SOLARIS(trademark), VISUAL BASIC, and ACTIVEX. These trademarks appear in the specification either with all letters capitalized or with only the first letter capitalized. Generic terminology for each of these trademarks is as follows:
JAVA(trademark)xe2x80x94An object oriented programming language developed by Sun Microsystems.
ORACLE(trademark)xe2x80x94Oracle Corporation is an industry leader in the development and sale of database technology.
UNIX(trademark) A multiuser, multitasking operation system originally developed by ATandT.
SOLARIS(trademark)xe2x80x94A distributed UNIX-based computing environment created by Sun Microsystems.
VISUAL BASIC(trademark)xe2x80x94A high-level visual programming language developed by Microsoft for building Windows applications.
ACTIVEXxe2x80x94A set of technologies developed by Microsoft that enables software components to interact with one another in a networked environment.
According to the invention, the methods and apparatus of our co-pending application are advantageously mapped onto the CMP architecture to create an extremely high performance data warehouse with great ease of use. In particular, a CMP is divided into a plurality of partitions. Each partition contains an operating system and has access to a database or databases via one or more xe2x80x9cDirect I/O Bridgesxe2x80x9d within the partition. A repository of metadata describing the categories of the data sources and other system attributes is contained in an area of CMP memory shared by each of the partitions. Each CMP partition further has its own messenger and agent code modules stored in memory dedicated to that partition, i.e. unshared memory. These modules facilitate parallel accessing, extraction and manipulation of data contained in all of the databases in response to a single script or request from a user wherein the data to be accessed is referenced as a single object. A plurality of such CMP data warehouses may be configured into a local or distributed system where searches and other methods may be performed on all the servers or databases of the entire system.
Still other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein is shown and described only the preferred embodiment of the invention, simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated of carrying out the invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details are capable of modifications in various obvious respects, all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive, and what is intended to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims. The present invention will become apparent when taken in conjunction with the following description and attached drawings, wherein like characters indicate like parts, and which drawings form a part of this application.


A jointless leg prosthesis includes a reciprocating pylon and a coil spring. A pin affixes a lower flange fitting to one pylon member which passes through a slot formed in the other pylon member and an low-friction insert within the other pylon member. At the bottom end, the pylon terminates in an adapter which rotates freely within a heel pedestal. At the top end, the pylon attaches to a stump socket by conventional means.

The present invention relates to a prosthetic leg.
Leg prostheses are designed to enable disabled persons to have a reasonable amount of mobility and activity. The simplest leg prosthesis is a peg leg, which enables a person to walk. Advances in the design of prosthetic legs attempt to mimic the biomechanics of those portions of the leg that are missing. Depending on the amputee""s circumstances, however, walking and sitting motions may be all that can be supplied in the prior art mechanics of prosthetic legs, especially with persons having above the knee (AK) amputations.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,883,493 issued to Martel et al. describes a prosthesis including a knee joint, a telescoping and resilient shank and a rigid foot prosthesis. Many other prosthetic designs incorporate a shock-absorbing design using sprints, elastomeric elements or compressible fluid elements. Most such designs are unsatisfactory because force dampening purposely inhibits the return of energy that stimulates normal walking momentum. Therefore, most shock absorbing designs do not function well. As well, prior art designs to include shock absorption are complex, increasing the weight and cost of the prosthesis, both of which are negative factors.
Prior art prostheses generally include a prosthetic foot that attempts to mimic the function of a human foot and ankle joint. Simpler foot prostheses include a bent resilient member which flexes somewhat. However, it is known that when pushing off in a walking motion, a foot becomes very rigid, therefore, a flexible artificial foot hinders normal walking motion. Complicated artificial ankles and feet have been devised, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,657,393. However, such complicated designs are difficult to maintain and very costly.
It is also beneficial to allow some rotational movement between stump and heel strike. In natural walking gaits, there is considerable rotation in the heel, especially in relation to the hip. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,038,705 issued to Owens et al., a thrust bearing assembly is provided which allows limited rotational movement. However, the thrust bearing and a paddle element requires specially shaped elastomeric torque members to restrain over-rotation, which is perceived as being problematic in the prior art.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a leg prosthesis that provides functionality in a biomechanically safe and sound manner, which is also simple and inexpensive in design and construction.
The present invention is directed to a jointless leg prosthesis having an axially reciprocating pylon and a rotational heel. The prosthesis is exceedingly simple and efficient in design, yet functions well in both walking and running movements. In one embodiment, the entire prosthesis comprises only 18 parts, which compares favourably against the complex and costly prior art designs.
Accordingly, in one aspect, the invention comprises a leg prosthesis for use by a leg amputee comprising: (a) a reciprocating pylon comprising first and second concentric pylons, where said first pylon comprises an insert fitted within the first pylon, wherein the first pylon and insert define a slot accommodating a pin affixed to the second pylon, and said first pylon closely fits and slides within the second concentric pylon to permit axial displacement between the first and second pylon; (b) an outer flange fitting affixed to the first pylon and having a inward facing cup; (c) an opposite flange fitting affixed to the second pylon and having an inward facing cup; (d) a coil spring extending between and fitting within the opposite facing cups; (e) a pedestal having a lower ground-engaging surface that supplies 360 degree rotation at heel strike, and an upper surface defining a cylindrical opening; (f) an adapter affixed to the second pylon, said adapter having a lower circular disc fitting closely within the pedestal cylindrical opening; wherein the insert and adapter each comprise a low-friction material such that additional lubrication or seals are not required.


Embodiments of the present invention disclose an application heartbeat period adjusting method and apparatus, and a terminal, and in the embodiments, it is determined, according to an identifier of an application, that the application is in a heartbeat adjustment blacklist. A first heartbeat period of the application is adjusted to a second heartbeat period according to a preset trigger heartbeat period. The heartbeat adjustment blacklist includes an identifier of an application on which a heartbeat period adjustment needs to be performed, the first heartbeat period of the application is an original heartbeat period of the application, the second heartbeat period is a heartbeat period, which is adjusted according to the preset trigger heartbeat period, of the application, and the preset trigger heartbeat period is an adjustment period according to which the first heartbeat period is adjusted.

Currently, an increasing number of applications are installed in a terminal. Using three applications, namely, the Huawei Cloud, the Mobile QQ, and the WeChat, as examples, because each application has a different heartbeat period, each application periodically wakes up the terminal according to its own heartbeat period, so as to ensure a connection between the application and a server end or that some statuses in the application are refreshed. Generally, power of these applications is about 50 mAh per hour, and for a 1820 mAh battery level of Honor smartphone, power consumed by opening a screen, dialing and answering phone calls, the Huawei Cloud, the Mobile QQ, and the WeChat accounts for 65.9% of the battery level of the terminal.
Because each application of the foregoing terminal has a different heartbeat period, the terminal in a standby state is often woken up by clocks of these applications, and cannot enter deep sleep, leading to a problem that standby power consumption of the terminal is large.

Application heartbeat period adjusting method and apparatus, and terminal


An exemplary method for welding a circular disk coaxially atop a tubular body comprises the steps of rotating the body and disk thereon, drawing a vacuum inside the body for vacuum holding the disk thereon, and welding the disk along a rim thereof to the body to sealingly join the disk thereto.

The present invention relates generally to welding, and, more specifically, to rim welding a thin disk to a tubular body.
A new pressure sensor is being developed which includes a tubular body having a central bore extending therethrough which includes internal threads. The body also includes a shallow counterbore defining a disk seat in which a very thin metal disk is disposed. It is required to weld the disk to the body around its circumference for providing a fixed and sealed joint therebetween. The disk is about 10 mils in thickness for example, and will support one or more strain gauges at the center of its outer surface for measuring strain therein due to pressure acting against the inner face of the disk. Pressure will deflect the disk and in turn create strain in the gauges which may be used for an indication of the pressure being measured.
In preliminary attempts to weld the disk using a conventional pulsed Nd:YAG laser, the disk warped at the beginning of the weld cycle displacing the disk from its machined fit in the disk seat. As the weld process continues, the disk either moves away from its seat or is welded in the wrong location, or burns completely away leaving a large void at the rim. Initially tack welding the disk at various circumferential locations, and then completing the weld leads to residual stress distortions in the disk which are unacceptable in creating an effective pressure sensor using strain gauges on the outer surface of the disk.
Accordingly, it is desired to provide a suitable fixture for supporting the sensor body and disk for allowing welding of the disk rim to the body in its proper position and without undesirable residual distortion and stress in the welded disk.


The invention relates to a method for producing a preform by means of an electrospinning process. The present invention also relates to the use of the present preform as a substrate for growing human or animal tissue thereon. The present invention furthermore relates to a method for growing human or animal tissue on a substrate, wherein the present preform is used as the substrate.

U.S. patent application No. 2002/0173213 discloses a biologically decomposable or absorbable fibre-like object produced by electrospinning. Such a method can only be used for producing substantially flat objects, such as membranes, whereas it is precisely three-dimensional preforms produced by electrospinning that are in great demand.
Consequently it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for producing a preform by electrospinning, from which preform three-dimensional objects can be made.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a preform that can be used as a substrate for growing human or animal tissue thereon.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a substrate for an artificial implant, in particular for a heart valve or a T-connection for blood vessels.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Preform produced by electrospinning, method for producing the same and use of such a preform