An insulated closure panel for a rolling closure. The panel has a metallic section with an outer wall and side walls, and a thermoplastic section with an inner wall. Both panel sections have male and female hinge sections on their sides. The thermoplastic panel section snaps into the metallic panel section to form a tubular panel with the male hinge sections cooperating to form a male hinge element on one side of the panel and with the female hinge sections cooperating to form a female hinge element on the other side of the panel. The panel can be filled with insulating material.. A rolling closure is formed from a plurality of the above panels, the male hinge element of each panel pivotally connected to the female hinge element of an adjacent panel.

(A) Field of Invention
This invention is directed toward a panel for use in closures, and more particularly toward an insulated closure panel for use in rolling closures. The invention is also directed toward closures incorporating the closure panels.
(B) Description of the Prior Art
It is known to provide insulated panels for use in rolling closures. Each insulated panel comprises inner and outer metallic walls connected together at the sides of the panel. A male hinge element is located on one side of the panel and a female hinge element is located on the other side of the panel. One panel is pivotally connected to the next by slidably connecting the male hinge element of one panel in the female hinge element of the adjacent panel. Each panel is filled with an insulating material.
These known insulated panels have disadvantages however. The metal-to-metal contact between the outer and inner walls at the sides causes heat loss by conduction from the inner wall to the outer wall. Also, the use of metallic inner and outer walls makes the panels quite heavy and expensive. Further, the hinge elements on each panel are formed by bending the walls of the panels which bending step adds to manufacturing costs making the panels expensive. In addition, inadequate sealing between adjacent panels results in higher heat loss through the closure incorporating the panels.
It is known to provide an improved insulated closure panel which comprises an outer metallic panel section and an inner thermoplastic panel section. The inner panel section is tubular and is adhesively mounted to the back surface of the metallic panel section. The inner panel section is filled with insulation. The inner thermoplastic panel section lightens the closure panel and prevents heat loss by conductance between the inner and outer surfaces of the panel. However, the inner panel section does not extend completely across the outer panel section thereby reducing the panel's insulating properties. In addition, the adhesive connection between the inner and outer panel sections requires an additional manufacturing step and additional materials. The adhesive connection could also fail if the adhesive is not properly applied. This improved closure panel also has poor sealing between adjacent panels resulting in higher heat loss through the closure incorporating the panels.


The present invention relates to a method and system for linking a service context to a terminal connection in a network controlling device of a data network, wherein a service indication is forwarded via the terminal connection to the data network, and an association is established between the service context and the terminal connection based on a network response to the service indication. The desired link between the terminal connection and the service context can thus be established at the network controlling device based on the forwarded service indication, e.g. cause value for establishing the terminal connection. Thereby, network resources can be optimized by releasing non-valid terminal connections.

Broadcast and multicast are methods for transmitting datagrams from a single source to several destinations, i.e. point-to-multipoint connection. The 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) specifications Release-4 and Release-99 define a cell broadcast service (CBS) allowing for low bit-rate data to be transmitted as a message-based service to all subscribers in a set of given cells over a shared broadcast channel. Furthermore, an IP-Multicast service is defined allowing for mobile subscribers to receive multicast traffic. However, this service does not allow for multiple subscribers to share radio or core network resources and as such does not offer any advantages as far as resource utilization is concerned within a PLMN (Public Land Mobile Network) and over a RAN.
In general, a broadcast/multicast service is a unidirectional point-to-multipoint service in which data is efficiently transmitted from a single source to multiple terminal devices or user equipments (UE) in the associated broadcast service area. Cell Broadcast services may be received by all users who have enabled the specific broadcast service locally on their UE and who are in the cell broadcast area defined for the service. In contrast thereto, multimedia broadcast/multicast i.e. MBMS services can only be received by such users that are subscribed to a specific multicast/broadcast service, and in addition in a multicast mode have joined the multicast group associated with the specific service. Multicast/broadcast subscription may be performed either upon user selection or due to home environment initiation.
It is noted that the abbreviation "UE" in this specification refers to both mobile terminal or mobile station (MS) in GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) terms and user equipment in UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) terms.
It is envisaged that for some applications, multiple users can receive the same data at the same time. The benefit of multicast and broadcast in the network is that the data is sent once on each link. For example, in case of a GPRS (General Packet Radio Services) based core network, a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) will send data once to a Radio Network Controller (RNC) of the RAN regardless of the number of base station devices, e.g. Node Bs in UMTS terms, and to UEs that wish to receive it. The benefit of multicast and broadcast on the air interface is that many users can receive the same data on a common channel, thus not clogging up the air interface with multiple transmissions of the same data.
With increasing use of high bandwidth applications in 3rd generation mobile systems, especially with a large number of users receiving the same high data rate services, efficient information distribution is essential. Thus, broadcast and multicast are techniques to decrease the amount of data within the network and use resources more efficiently.
Point-to-multipoint services are expected to be used extensively over wireless networks, so that there is need for a capability in the PLMN to efficiently support them. In the 3GPP specifications TS 22.146 and TR 23.846, a Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Service (MBMS) is defined to provide this capability for broadcast/multicast services offered by the home environment and other value added service providers. The MBMS is a unidirectional point-to-multipoint bearer service in which data is transmitted from a single source entity to multiple recipients. In particular, a broadcast mode and a multicast mode is defined as modes of operation of the MBMS.
An assumption made in the above 3GPP specifications for MBMS defines that for each MBMS service, the respective Control RNC (CRNC) or Serving RNC (SRNC) should have an MBMS context. In practice, this means that service contexts are configured at the RNC, which are not assigned to any specific UE, whereas this context is used by a number of UEs in the cell. In order to link this context with the UE specific active set e.g. of RRC (Radio Resource Control), i.e. the set which describes all the connections (i.e. Radio Access Bearers (RAB) and Radio Bearers (RB)) assigned for the UE in question, it is required that the RNC should detect those UEs which are requesting the MBMS service and for which MBMS services the RNC has already generated corresponding MBMS contexts. The RRC is a sublayer of the radio interface Layer 3 existing in the control plane only, which provides information transfer service to the non-access stratum, e.g. the core network. RRC is responsible for controlling the configuration of radio interface Layers 1 and 2 according to the OSI (Open System Interconnection) protocol layer architecture.
At present all additions and removals of radio access bearers (RAB) or radio bearers (RB) into/out the RRC active set only involve UE-specific transactions and no other relations are needed to check. However, in the present case, when the establishment of an MBMS context and a corresponding RRC connection for a UE occur at different timings, a new linking procedure is required to enhance efficiency and resource utilization.
Furthermore, according to the present MBMS specifications, the RNC cannot check whether a specific UE is authorized to receive the requested MBMS service. This authorization is needed in order to release all faulty requested RRC connections as soon as possible and in this way decrease the possibility of a misuse of RAN resources by UEs.
It is to be noted that the above problems underlying the present invention are not restricted to the above exemplary MBMS service but apply to any network-created service context which triggers generation of at least one terminal connection.


A downstream device in a network may monitor and collect data on its condition, including detecting overload conditions, and transmit such data to an upstream network device. The upstream network device may select a best downstream device for a particular traffic flow based on condition data received from downstream devices and transmit the traffic flow to the selected downstream device. A network management server may be configured to perform similar functions, instructing network devices on how to transport data through a network based on condition data received from such devices.

In current wireless networks, such as long term evolution (LTE) networks, network elements may be arranged in a type of hierarchy, with one upstream network element providing traffic to several downstream network elements. For example, one core network element may transmit data to several non-core or edge network elements. When the downstream network elements begin to receive too much traffic to handle and become overloaded, the performance of such elements may deteriorate and thereby adversely affect customer service. However, there is typically no means for the downstream network element to notify the upstream network element of this overload condition. The upstream network element may have access to alternate routes for providing the traffic to the end user, but since the upstream network element is not aware of the overload condition on the downstream element, if the downstream element is otherwise the best device to receive the traffic for transit to the end user, the upstream element will continue to send traffic to the overloaded downstream element.
In many wireless (and other) networks, a server-centric monitoring system where a server is statically configured to collect a limited set of data from network elements in order to determine network conditions and performance. In such configurations, the individual network elements are not capable of intelligently collecting and/or providing monitoring information to a monitoring system. The monitoring information that is in use is not granular but rather device or system level (i.e., not information regarding individual user devices and/or calls). Moreover, such systems do not allow for effective, automatic overload protection or mitigation. Some efforts in place to attempt to address these deficiencies of the current state of the art include using traces and third-party probe systems, but these efforts are not easily implemented for every network element in a network and are too costly and invasive to run continuously on an around-the-clock basis.

Long term evolution network dynamic overload management


Sensor particles comprise a silica-based core and at least one photoluminescent dye. The silica-based core may comprise a plurality of pores and the at least one photoluminescent dye may comprise a reference dye, insensitive to its environment and analytes and a sensor dye, sensitive to either or both of the foregoing. The sensor particles may be employed to sense unknown environmental conditions or analytes in biological or non-biological systems, in vitro or in vivo.

The technology behind photoluminescent imaging has evolved substantially in recent years, towards high resolution, real time, molecular-level analysis to visualize and understand life and its processes. The appeal of photoluminescence-based assays stems from their excellent contrast, high specificity and fast response times.
Although the majority of photoluminescent dyes are designed to be insensitive to their surroundings, a variety of dyes have been synthesized with specific affinity and response to chemical analytes or environmental stimuli. Certain types of photoluminescent dyes, for example, have been used free in solution as sensors responsive to chemical analytes or environmental stimuli.
Although both sensing and insensitive photoluminescent compounds are often used free in solution, in some cases, these dyes have been integrated into sensing platforms such as optical fibers, thin films and membranes. The composition of the sensing platform as well as the identity of the photoluminescent dye may impact the properties of the dye in addition to determining the types of unknown conditions subject to investigation its sensing capabilities.
There is a need for an environmental or analyte sensor that can optimize the variable properties of photoluminescent dyes and sense unknown conditions in a variety of environments.

Photoluminescent silica-based sensors and methods of use


Abnormal separation detecting circuit of chromatic signals transmitted by a SECAM system comprises a detection circuit which receives a chromatic signal made up of R-Y signals and B-Y signals respectively added with identification signals I.sub.1 and I.sub.2 at their front ends for detecting the identification signals I.sub.1 and I.sub.2 to produce currents corresponding to their frequencies, a differential amplifier comprising a pair of transistors ON OFF controlled by pulse signal of opposite signals which vary their phases in synchronism with the initiation of the periods of the R-Y signals and the B-Y signals of the chromatic signal and respectively applied to the base electrodes of the transistors, a current mirror circuit controlled its operation by the differential amplifier circuit, and a capacitor connected across the juncture of the current output terminal of the current mirror circuit and the current input terminal of the differential amplifier, and a reference potential point to be charged and discharged in accordance with the operation of the differential amplifier.

This invention relates to an abnormal separation detecting circuit of chromatic signals which detects that whether series signals of R-Y signals and B-Y signals comprising color television chromatic signals which are transmitted according to a SECAM system are correctly separated according to a predetermined timing or not.
FIG. 1 shows one example of the construction of the chromatic signals utilized in the SECAM system and constituted by R-Y signals and B-Y signals which are transmitted alternately in each horizontal scanning period T.sub.h. Between the R-Y and B-Y signals are interposed synchronizing signal periods T.sub.s containing identification signals I.sub.1 and I.sub.2 having different forms and utilized to show that a signal to be sent next time is an R-Y signal or a B-Y signal. The identification signal period is designated by T.sub.i in FIG. 1. More particularly, at the head of an R-Y signal is added an identification signal I.sub.1 whereas an identifcation signal I.sub.2 is added to the head of each B-Y signal.
In addition to the chromatic signals, a color television receiver also receives a brightness signal Y (Y=.alpha.R+.beta.G+.gamma.B, where R, G and B represent red, green and blue color component, respectively). Based on these chromatic signal and the brightness signal are formed R, G, and B color signals which are used to display a picture image on a cathode ray tube.
On the receiving side R-Y signals and B-Y signals which are alternately sent in succession are connected into the form of parallel signals and R-Y signals and B-Y signals are separately derived out respectively by an R-Y signal receiving unit and a B-Y signal receiving unit.
FIG. 2 shows a converting and separating circuit which connects serially received R-Y signals and B-Y signals into parallel signals and to separate the R-Y signals and the B-Y signals under the control of suitable pulse signals. The converting unit is constituted by a delay circuit whereas the separating unit is constituted by two switches 14 and 16.
The delay circuit 12 operates to delay the R-Y signals and B-Y signals applied thereto by one horizontal scanning period T.sub.h (one R-Y signal period or one B-Y signal period) whereas the switches 14 and 16 are opened and closed in response to pulse signals CL.sub.1 and CL.sub.2 having opposite phases.
In the circuit shown in FIG. 2, a chromatic signal comprising serially transmitted R-Y and B-Y signals is applied to an input terminal T.sub.in. The chromatic signal is applied to the input of the delay circuit 12 and to one stationary contacts 14a and 16a of the switches 14 and 16. The signal delayed by the delay circuit 12 is applied to the other stationary contacts 14.sub.b and 16.sub.b of the switches 14 and 16 which respectively receive pulse signals CL.sub.1 and CL.sub.2 having opposite phases and vary their levels in synchronism with the switching of the horizontal scanning period T.sub.h of the chromatic signals, to transfer their movable contacts 14c and 16c between the stationary contacts 14a, 14b and 16a, 16b. Thus, during one horizontal scanning period T.sub.h, the switchs 14 and 16 are thrown to the stationary contacts 14b and 16a respectively whereas during the next horizontally scanning period to the stationary contacts 14a and 16b respectively.
In this manner, the R-Y signals and the B-Y signals which are alternately sent to the input terminal T.sub.in are supplied directly to switches 14 and 16 and indirectly supplied thereto via the delay circuit 12 which delays these signals by one horizontal scanning period T.sub.h (one R-Y signal period or one B-Y signal period) and by ON OFF controlling the two switches 14 and 16 according to a predetermined timing, only the R-Y signals can be derived out from an R-Y signal terminal T.sub.R-Y, whereas only the B-Y signals can be deribed out from a B-Y signal terminal T.sub.B-Y.
The converting and separating circuit shown in FIG. 2 operates as follows.
The converting and separating circuit is designed such that concurrently with the application of a B-Y signal upon the input terminal T.sub.in, the movable contacts 14c and 16c are thrown to the stationary contacts 14b and 16a as shown in FIG. 2. On the other hand, when an R-Y signal is applied, the movable contacts 14c and 16c are thrown to the stationary contacts 14a and 16b respectively. The timing of transfer of the switches 14 and 16 is controlled by signals CL.sub.1 and CL.sub.2 respectively. Suppose now that the levels of the pulses CL.sub.1 and CL.sub.2 vary at a predetermined timing and hence the switches 14 and 16 are transferred in a predetermined manner, whereby the movable contacts 14c and 16c are thrown to the stationary contacts 14b and 16a respectively concurrently with the application of the B-Y signal upon the input terminal T.sub.in.
At this time, the stationary contact 16a of switch 16 is supplied with the B-Y signal supplied to the input terminal T.sub.in, and this signal B-Y appears at the output terminal T.sub.B-Y via switch 16. Under these condition, the delay circuit 12 produces an R-Y signal one period before B-Y signal now being applied to the input terminal T.sub.in, and this R-Y signal appears at the output terminal T.sub.R-Y via the movable contact 14.sub.b of switch 14.
Where an R-Y signal is applied to the input terminal T.sub.in since switches 14 and 16 are transferred at the same time with the application of the R-Y signal as above described so that the movable contacts 14.sub.c and 16.sub.c are thrown to the stationary contacts 14a and 16b concurrently with the application of the R-Y signal.
At this time, the R-Y signal applied to the input terminal T.sub.in appears on the output terminal T.sub.R-Y via switch 14. On the other hand the delay circuit 12 produces a B-Y signal one horizontal scanning period before the R-Y signal now being received by the input terminal T.sub.in, and this B-Y signal appears on the B-Y signal output terminal T.sub.B-Y.
In this manner, so long as the timing of switching of signals R-Y and B-Y which are received alternately and the timing of varying the levels of the pulse signals CL.sub.1 and CL.sub.2 that control the operation of switches 14 and 16 are synchronous, signals R-Y and B-Y which are sent alternately are perfectly isolated so that signal R-Y would be produced only at the output terminal T.sub.R-Y whereas signal B-Y would be produced only at the output terminal T.sub.B-Y. Accordingly clear picture images would be displayed on the cathode ray tube.
However, should the timing shift, for example by one horizontal scanning period with respect to a prescribed timing the shape of the signal derived out from output terminals 14 and 16 would be reversed.
For this reason, in order to obtain clear picture images it is necessary to constantly supervize whether signals R-Y and B-Y are perfectly isolated or not.
To this end, as shown in FIG. 1, identification signals I.sub.1 and I.sub.2 which are to be modulated and respectively having frequencies of about 4.2 MHz and about 4.4 MHz are added to the heads of signals R-Y and B-Y respectively. Descrimination of these identification signals I.sub.1 and I.sub.2 makes it possible to known the type of the signals now being received (R-Y signal or B-Y signal) and the fact that these signals are perfectly isolated or not.
However, a prior art detection circuit utilized for this purpose utilizes a number of capacitors so that in order to fabricate it with an integrated circuit, it is necessary to provide a number of external terminals for connection of the capacitors thus making it impossible to fabricate the circuit with an integrated circuit.

Abnormal separation detecting circuits of chromatic signals of SECAM systems


An acoustic card having a permanent magnet and a reed switch. The acoustic card includes a first flap, a second flap, and a sound generator attached to second flap. The acoustic card is divided by a fold into two halves, such as the first flap and the second flap, is unfolded in an opened position and folded in a closed position. The sound generator attached to the second flap includes a printed circuit board, a sound card containing a controller and a memory storing audio sound data, and a reed switch. A permanent magnet attached to the first flap does not directly contact the reed switch attached to the second flap. The permanent magnet moves away from the reed switch which then closed electrically to activate the sound generator to produce audio sound, and moves towards the reed switch which then opens electrically to deactivate the sound generator to turn off the audio sound.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to sound generating novelty greeting cards and processes, and more particularly, to a process and circuit for controlling operation of the sound generator carried by greeting cards.
2. Description of the Background Art
Business cards having various types and configurations of sound generators are still not that well known, and remain a novelty item. Typically, the sound generator is attached to the inside of a folded card such as a greeting card, an announcement or a business card. Usually, the card includes a sound emitting device and a switch that activates the sound emitting device. The switch is provided with a pair of contacts that are held electrically open by a tongue mechanism that is positioned between the contacts of the switch. When the business card is in an open position, movement of the tongue mechanism during the opening of the card allows the contacts of the switch to close in order to electrically activate the sound emitting device to produce audio sound. If the business card is in a closed position however, the contacts of the switch are held apart by the tongue so that the switch remains in an electrically open state to deactivate the sound emitting device and thereby stop the production of audio sound.
Almost all acoustic cards are folded into two or more surfaces, with a sound generator, battery and speaker mounted on one of the interior surfaces, and an actuator that spans the fold of between the two adjoining surfaces. Some of these acoustic cards are physically bulky and their actuator tends to become deformed and intermittently inoperable as a result of repeated use. Other models of acoustic cards use electrical actuators that depend upon a tongue that is made of an electrically insulating material, and is connected to an audio sound generator mounted on one side of the card and attached to the surface of the card on the opposite side of the fold. The presence of the sound generator is therefore concealed while the card is folded into a closed position. Consequently, rough handling, such as an opening of the card by rotating the two planar interior surfaces more than one hundred and eighty degrees around the fold, may destroy the connection of the actuator, frequently allowing the card to become a nuisance by broadcasting sound continuously, even after the interior surfaces have been closed, until the battery has been drained.
Since the contacts of the switch mechanically contact the tongue mechanism, misplacement and distortion of the tongue mechanism will usually cause a malfunction of both the switch and the sound emitting device when the business card is moved from its open position to its closed position. Moreover, the presence of foreign material between the tongue mechanism and the contacts of the switch, or abrasion of the tongue mechanism and the contacts of the switch, will cause the contacts of the switch to be abruptly opened to interrupt the operation of the sound emitting device or to unexpectedly close to allow the sound emitting device to produce audio sound when a user does not want the audio sound. Such unpredictable operation of the sound emitting device destroys the utility of the card long before expiration of the life of the battery that powers the audio generator, and tends to diminish the novelty and merchantability of acoustic cards.
Recent efforts to improve the design of the switch and tongue mechanism have improved the reliability of the acoustic card, but have introduced complexity into the structure of the acoustic card with a concomitant difficulty in manufacture.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved acoustic card and process for operating an acoustic card.
It is another object to enhance the durability of an acoustic card equipped with a sound generator.
It is still another object to provide an improved acoustic card that is less susceptible to a malfunction by its sound generator.
It is yet another object to provide an acoustic card having an electrical actuator able to avoid abrasion of the contacts of an electrical switch operating the sound generator.
It is still yet another object to provide an acoustic card having a sound generator able to predictably furnish audio sounds throughout the battery life of the card.
It is a further object to provide an acoustic card equipped with a sound generator battery and actuator that is able to repeatedly and predictably broadcast audio sounds during the life of the battery.
It is a still further object to provide a design for an acoustic card that has a simple design, is easy to manufacture, is reliable in operation even after repeated use, and exhibits minimal failure during that use.
It is also an object to provide an acoustic card having a reduced thickness.
These and other objects may be achieved with an acoustic card constructed with a first flap separated by a fold from a second flap, a sound generator mounted on a circuit board driving a speaker, and a battery that powers the sound generator, and an actuator incorporating a reed switch attached to the second flap. The first flap and the second flap are mutually rotatable about the fold. A permanent magnet may be mounted on a distal end of a movable tongue, with the proximal end of the tongue attached to the first flap and the distal end of the tongue slidably received within a recess in the circuit board, to place the magnet in operational proximity to the reed switch. The proximal end of the tongue is attached to the first flap at a location selected to place the magnet in sufficient proximity to the reed switch to cause the electrical contacts of the reed switch to switch between an electrically open state and an electrically closed state when rotation of the first flap relative to the second flap either places the magnet adjacent to the electrical contacts or moves the magnet away from proximity to the electrical contacts, to enable the electrical contacts of the reed switch to be closed to activate the sound generator to produce audio sound, or to be in an electrical open state to deactivate the sound generator and terminate the audio sound. The permanent magnet may be positioned to move close to a side of, but not beneath the reed switch so that the thickness of the acoustic card is reduced.


A printing element (90) which is rotatable to different positions to print characters having different widths is carried by a carriage (98). The width of each character is divided into a leading width portion and a trailing width portion which are oriented leftwardly and rightwardly respectively of a centerline of the character. For printing a present or next character, the trailing width portion of a previous character is added to the leading width portion of the present character and the carriage (98) is shifted by a shift width which is equal thereto. The character is printed following the shift operation. For printing a character at the beginning of a line or following a blank space, the carriage (98) is shifted only by the leading width portion of the present character prior to printing.

The present invention relates to a proportional spacing impact printing apparatus using a printing element in the form of a daisy wheel, cylinder or the like for printing a plurality of characters having different widths.
Impact printers known in the art use either equal spacing or proportional spacing arrangements. In the equal spacing system each character occupies the same space or width in a printed line. In the proportional spacing system the characters have different widths. Proportional spacing is especially desirable for script alphabets of the like which are designed to simulate handwriting. In such an alphabet a letter such as "m" has a large width while a letter such as "1" has a small width.

Proportional spacing impact printing apparatus


A method and apparatus for discovering a service dependency chain. Service dependencies are discovered. A potential service dependency chain is identified based on at least a portion of the service dependencies. A number of data paths are built for the potential service dependency chain. A chain transfer entropy is computed for the potential service dependency chain based on the number of data paths. A determination is made as to whether the potential service dependency chain is the service dependency chain based on the chain transfer entropy.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to networks and, in particular, to nodes in a data network. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for mapping dependencies between services associated with a data network based on the transfer entropy computed for different service pairings.
2. Background
A data network is a communications network that allows devices to exchange data. An Internet Protocol (IP) network is a data network that uses the Internet Protocol suite to send and receive data. The Internet protocol suite is the computer networking model and set of communications protocols used on the Internet and similar computer networks. The different types of communications protocols in the Internet Protocol suite that may be used include the Internet Protocol (IP), the Transfer Control Protocol (TCP), the User Datagram Protocol (UDP), and other types of protocols. An Internet Protocol network may be implemented using any number of Internet networks, local area networks (LAN), enterprise networks, or other types of networks.
Oftentimes, Internet Protocol networks are based on a client-service model. With a client-service model, a client generates and sends a request to a service and the service handles the request and sends a response back to the client. The clients and services that communicate over an Internet Protocol network may be referred to as nodes. Some Internet Protocol networks may include only nodes that use the Transfer Control Protocol.
Data networks and, in particular, Internet Protocol networks are becoming larger and more complex. Consequently, there is a pressing need for tools to aid network administrators and designers in managing these types of networks. For example, a tool capable of determining dependencies between services may be desirable. A dependency between a first service and a second service may occur, for example, when the first service is reliant upon the second service to fulfill a request received by the first service.
Some currently available tools are capable of identifying service dependencies. However, these currently available tools may be unable to identify a chain of dependencies across more than two services. For example, some of these tools may be unable to determine when a first service depends on a second service, which in turn depends on a third service, to fulfill a request received from a client.
Additionally, some of these currently available tools may not use all of the data that is available to these tools, which may reduce the accuracy of the dependencies identified. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a method and apparatus that take into account at least some of the issues discussed above, as well as other possible issues.


An aluminum foil annealing furnace includes multiple resistance heaters fixedly mounted over a furnace body. Each resistance heater is connected with a pipeline circulation system. The pipeline circulation system includes a circulating blower fixedly mounted over the furnace body, an air outlet pipeline communicated with a first air outlet of the corresponding resistance heater through an air outlet elbow, and an air return pipeline communicated with a fourth air inlet of the circulating blower through an air return elbow. A first air inlet of the corresponding resistance heater is communicated with a fourth air outlet of the circulating blower. The air outlet pipeline and the air return pipeline are evenly arranged in the furnace body. The air return elbow is provided with a sixth pipe for communicating with outside air. The sixth pipe is provided with a negative pressure relief valve for opening or closing the sixth pipe.

Annealing is a metal heat treatment process. A metal material or component is slowly heated to a certain temperature and maintained for a period of time and then cooled at a suitable speed. The aim is to soften the material or workpiece that is processed by casting, forging, welding or cutting, thereby reducing the hardness to improve the plasticity and toughness, homogenizing chemical composition, removing residual stress, or getting the expected physical properties. In the aluminum foil production process, annealing is one of the most important processes for heat treatment. An annealing furnace is an important tool to achieve the annealing process.
The heating resistance wires of a conventional annealing furnace are fixedly mounted above a furnace body. A blower is fixedly mounted on the top of the furnace body. The hot air generated by the heating resistance wires is blown to the bottom of the furnace body. The air blown from the blower is the outside air and the cool air in the furnace body is expelled from the bottom of the furnace body, so the temperature inside the furnace rises slowly, and the power consumed is large, and the heating cost is high. Accordingly, the inventor of the present invention has devoted himself based on his many years of practical experiences to solve these problems.

NINGBO SACHSEN INDUSTRY TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


An electrical device is provided, including a housing, a base, a cover, and a plug body connected to a printed-circuit board and projecting from housing. To achieve an excellent seal for the housing in a transitional region among the base, the cover, and an intermediate wall of the plug body, a groove is formed in the cover, in which a sealing compound is placed. During assembly of the components, the sealing compound is displaced from the intermediate wall in a region of an additional sealing compound applied to the base, the two sealing compounds meeting in an overlap region.

The present invention relates to an electrical device, in particular, a switching device or a control device in a motor vehicle.
To sealingly join housing parts and a plug body to one another to prevent the ingress of moisture into the control-device interior, the individual component parts of the control device may be joined to one another by interposing a separating layer made of a flexible seal, as referred to in German Published Patent Application No. 195 16 708. Critical to production, however, are those joints where more than two parts, for example, the two housing parts and the plug body, come into direct contact, since manufacturing and assembly tolerances accumulate in this area. Sealing problems may therefore arise in series production.
It is believed that an exemplary electrical device and method according to the present invention, such as a switching or control device in a motor vehicle, have the advantage of achieving a reliable sealing of the control device towards the outside. This is essentially due to a projection of the plug body engaging with a recess in the one housing part, which is provided with sealing compound, in the join region where more than two component parts come into contact. In this manner, the sealing compound is displaced in a controlled manner in the direction of the other housing part, so that there is a certain volume of sealing compound present in the join region of the three component parts.
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FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a control device for a motor vehicle having an exemplary housing according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a control device in the critical join region.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of part of the housing cover shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 shows the housing cover of FIG. 3 subsequent to the application of a sealing compound.
FIG. 5 shows the housing cover of FIG. 4 showing the placement of the sealing compound in the housing base, without the housing base.

Housing for an electrical device, in particular a switching device or a control device in a motor vehicle


The present invention provides an improved method of pedestrian dead reckoning (PDR) and device for performing PDR. An image of the environment to be traversed by the pedestrian is used to define states associated with the PDR environment. The image is utilized to constrain error in the estimated location of the pedestrian. Pairs of states are identified and the characteristics of the defined states are utilized to define the probabilities of transitioning between states of the pair. Possible pedestrian events which may be observed are also defined and for each pair of states, the possibility of detecting an event given the state transition is determined. After detecting a series of events, the transition probabilities and the event probabilities are utilized to determine a state probability that the pedestrian is in a particular state at each particular time. Utilizing these state probabilities an estimated location is provided at each time.

Devices for pedestrian dead reckoning (PDR) and methods of PDR provide for the use of smart phone accelerometer and gyroscope data to determine the location of a user. Limited quality sensors and user variation often cause significant errors in the results obtained from PDR. Although, improvements to the accuracy of PDR can be made through the use of improved sensors, the use of improved sensors may not be feasible due to the lack of availability of the improved sensors or the increase in cost resulting from the use of improved sensors. Other attempts to improve PDR results require the use of additional sensors or devices such as compasses, barometers, GPS, microphones and WiFi. The use of these sensors is at times not feasible. For example, GPS devices cannot be utilized when the PDR environment is indoors. Thus, there is a need for improved PDR which utilizes the accelerometer and gyroscope sensors currently available in a smart phone and does not require the use of additional sensors or devices.


A high density arrangement for interconnecting integrated circuit devices, of a type which includes a stack of numerous wafers formed primarily of metal, wherein some of the wafers holding integrated circuit chips have overhanging edge portions at one side of the stack that extend beyond other wafers of the stack, and wherein there are cooling fluid tubes clamped against the overhanging edge portions to carry away heat to a cooling fluid flowing through the tube. The wafers are interconnected at numerous locations by button portions of malleable material such as gold, and the stack of wafers are clamped together to slightly deform the button portions to provide a considerable area of contact. The stack clamping device is separate from the cooling fluid tube clamping device, to provide different degrees of pressure and compressive strain.

Extremely high density packaging of microelectronic circuits is useful not only in saving space, but also in reducing signal path length to increase the speed of the circuit, particularly in the construction of very large and high speed computers. One technique which has been developed to provide extremely high density packaging, described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,917,983, utilizes stacks of wafers to mount and interconnect a large number of miniature integrated circuit devices, in a three-dimensional arrangement that minimizes the average signal path length between the devices. This technique utilizes several component-mount wafers in each stack that each support and connect to several micro-circuit devices, and several intermediate connection wafers disposed between the component mount wafers to provide interconnect signal paths in the X, Y, and Z directions.
Although a device packaged in accordance with the aforecited U.S. Pat. No. 3,917,983 has inherently good heat dissipation characteristics attributable primarily to the use of metal wafers, nevertheless as packaging densities increase, heat dissipation can become an important problem. A stack with perhaps nine levels of circuit devices may have an external heat-dissipating area of perhaps only twice that of a single level, so that air blowers cannot easily dissipate the heat. Furthermore, the dissipation of heat from circuit devices located at the middle of the stack can be difficult, and, of course, all of the circuit devices must be cooled below a performance-degrading temperature regardless of general heat dissipation from the entire stack. A cooling apparatus which could efficiently dissipate large quantities of heat from a stack containing heat-generating circuit devices at multiple levels therein, to cool even those circuit devices at the center of the stack to a moderate temperature, would be of considerable aid in the design of very high density circuits. It is also desirable that any such cooling apparatus itself be compact, so that a large number of stacks can be placed close together to minimize the spacing between adjacent stacks, to thereby minimize the time required for signals to pass between the stacks.

Cooling system for multiwafer high density circuit


A method and apparatus for dissipating surcharge waste material clogging manholes includes a sewage surcharge dissipation head. The sewage surcharge dissipation head is connected through a high pressure hose to a source of high pressure water. The sewage surcharge dissipation head is lowered into a clogged manhole, and high pressure water is pumped through the high pressure hose to the sewage surcharge dissipation head. The high pressure water exits the sewage surcharge dissipation head through multiple water jet nozzles positioned around the circumference of the head and set at 35 degrees to the longitudinal axis of the head. The resultant water jet streams cut through, stir and dilute the surcharge clogging the manhole. The sewage surcharge dissipation head includes a means for connecting a pole to control the position and motion of the sewage surcharge dissipation head. An alternative embodiment of the invention also includes a length of pipe connecting the sewage surcharge dissipation head to the high pressure hose to provide additional stability and control of the sewage surcharge dissipation head.

1. Field of the Invention
The apparatus and method of the present invention relate generally to the field of unclogging clogged sewer systems and, more particularly, to unclogging surcharged sewage manholes. More particularly, this invention relates to a method and apparatus used to break down and dissipate surcharge waste material clogging manholes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Sewer systems include sewer pipes and manholes. In the context of the present invention, sewer pipes typically include six inch diameter pipes that transport liquid and solid waste materials from residential, commercial, industrial and other waste producers. The sewer pipes are typically placed underground. Sewer pipes are known to become clogged from the infiltration of sand, greasy materials, sticks, stones, tree roots, and the buildup of other materials settling out of the waste stream.
Manholes are typically 23 inch diameter pipes that extend from ground level down to the sewer pipes and provide access to the sewer pipes, including access to unclog the sewer pipes when the sewer pipes become clogged. The manholes are typically spaced at 350 foot intervals along the sewer pipes. When a sewer pipe becomes clogged, the liquid and solid waste materials in the sewer pipe fill the sewer pipe upstream of the clogged location, and, as the sewer pipe becomes filled, the liquid and solid waste materials rise in manholes upstream of the clogged location in the sewer pipe. Furthermore, when a sewer pipe becomes clogged, resulting in liquid and solid waste rising into a manhole, the liquid and solid waste in a manhole can thicken and solidify, thereby forming a plug in the manhole. The waste material filling a manhole is know as surcharge.
It is known that when a clogged sewer pipe results in one or more manholes becoming surcharged, the surcharge in the manholes must be liquefied before the sewer pipe is unclogged. This allows the waste materials in the surcharged manholes to flow unimpeded through the sewer pipe when the sewer pipe is unclogged. If surcharged manholes were unclogged after the sewer pipe is unclogged, then, when the waste materials in the manholes are broken down, chunks in the clogged manhole could fall into the sewer pipe and re-clog the sewer pipe.
It is normally best to unclog a clogged sewer pipe from the first dry manhole downstream of the clogging obstruction. This allows a clear manhole from which to work and uses the flushing effect of the waste-water flow to clear the pipe. However, roots infiltrating sewer pipes tend to grow in a downstream direction. When roots are suspected as the major cause of a clogged sewer pipe, there can be an advantage to unclogging the sewer pipe from an upstream manhole because the large tap root can be more easily reached from the upstream side, eliminating the necessity of working through all the fine feeder roots. This situation also necessitates the dissipation of the surcharge in upstream manholes before unclogging the sewer pipe. After the surcharge is dissipated, the surcharge is removed from the manhole by means such as pumping or suction, thereby allowing access to unclog the clogged sewer pipe.
It is known in the prior art to provide devices of various designs to clean and unclog sewer pipes. Such devices include a device mounted on skids and pushed through the sewer using a hydraulic motor, using high pressure water for rotating and cutting to clean the sewer pipe. This is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,766,631, entitled "Sewer Pipeline Hydraulic Root Cutter Apparatus" that issued Aug. 30, 1988 on an application filed Sep. 1, 1987 in the name of Patrick R. Crane and Donald J. Bell, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,516,286, entitled "Sewer Pipeline Cleaning Apparatus" that issued May 14, 1985 on an application filed Jun. 6, 1983 in the name of Patrick Crane. It is also known to provide rotating brushes or cutters driven by an electric motor for moving through a pipe for cleaning. This is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,115, entitled "Sewer Cleaning Device" that issued Sep. 27, 1988 on an application filed Oct. 7, 1986 in the name of Robert C. Smith. It is also known to provide a small electric motor mounting a grapple hook, cutter, or cleaner, with the electric motor pushed through the sewer by a rod, snake or flat bar tape. This is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,207, entitled "Sewer Unclogger" that issued Jul. 13, 1993 on an application filed Dec. 20, 1991 in the name of William Elzaurdia. It is also known to provide a small pneumatically driven motor mounting a grapple hook, cutter, or cleaner, with the pneumatically driven motor pushed through the sewer by a rod, snake or flat bar tape. This is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,207. It is also known to provide a grapple hook or cutter or other tool connected to a distal or leading end of a snake or rod wherein the snake or rod is connected to a rotation source outside of the pipe. It is also known to provide a bullet-shaped cleaning head with rearward facing water jet nozzles. Water under high pressure, such as 2000 pounds per square inch (psi), exits the rearward facing nozzles to propel the cleaning head forward to break up obstructions in the sewer pipe. The high pressure water spray out of the rearward facing nozzles also serves to wash solid material from the walls of the sewer pipe. This is illustrated in several method and apparatus patents granted on applications filed in the names of Sheron R. Sheppard and Henry B. Polston. These patents include: U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,539, entitled "Apparatus for Cleaning Waste Collection System" that issued Aug. 30, 1994 on an application filed Dec. 2, 1991; U.S. Pat. No. 5,336,333, entitled "Method for Cleaning Waste Collection Systems" that issued Aug. 9, 1994 on an application filed Dec. 2, 1991; U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,957, entitled "Method for Cleaning Sewers" that issued Jul. 14, 1992 on an application filed Aug. 19, 1991; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,068,940, entitled "Apparatus for Cleaning Sewers" that issued Dec. 3, 1991 on an application filed Nov. 1, 1990.
Presently, a surcharge in a clogged manhole is liquefied by adding a large amount of water, e.g., 800 to 1000 gallons, to the solidified sewage while agitating the water-sewage mixture with a rod or pole. This process of manually stirring a manhole's surcharge usually takes 45 minutes per manhole, and the sewage in all surcharged manholes must be liquefied before clearing the sewer line blockage. After the sewage in all surcharged manholes has been liquefied, the sewer pipe is unclogged using a device such as one of the sewer pipe cleaning and unclogging devices listed above.

Method and apparatus for sewage surcharge dissipation


In a panelboard for controlling current paths through a plurality of associated circuit breakers, a panelboard enclosure includes circuit breakers which each have a side facing a front side of the enclosure and including a multi-sectioned user interface circuit, that is configured to communicate with at least one of the circuit breakers. The interface circuit includes a first circuit section and a second circuit section. The first circuit section is located adjacent the back wall of the enclosure and behind the second circuit section, and the second circuit section includes communication means for allowing an operator at the front of the enclosure to communicate with the circuit breakers. This arrangement minimizes heat in the back of the enclosure, provides control and monitoring functions at the front of the enclosure and allows room for additional circuitry in the back of the enclosure. An automatic interpreter may be included in the enclosure for interpreting a coded message which provides the operator access to control the circuit breakers. Preferably, the coded message is received on a coded key card.

Remote control circuit breakers are commonly used for temporary interruption of electrical service during peak use hours and for programmable lighting control of industrial locations. By opening and closing on demand from a remote location, these circuit breakers provide a significant improvement over manually operated circuit breakers in terms of convenience.
Systems using remote control circuit breakers typically include a circuit breaker load-center having circuit breakers wired to a remotely located computer for monitoring and/or controlling each circuit breaker. The wiring has been accomplished in such systems either by using a patch-board within the load-center, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,920,476 (Brodsky et al.), or by hard-wiring each circuit breaker input/output to a terminal in the remotely located computer.
Such systems, unfortunately, are not very accommodating to system control changes. Rather, the systems are designed to handle specific types of remote control signals, typically provided by a pair of wires that may be shorted to command the circuit breaker to close. Each time the circuit breaker control requirements change in these systems, the wiring and many system components must be reconfigured or replaced, thereby making these systems expensive and burdensome to maintain.
Another maintenance-related problem with these types of systems concerns the ability to control and monitor the system. Most load-center systems fail to provide a conveniently arranged monitoring system for the various circuit breakers and/or fail to provide a convenient method of on-line circuit breaker programming.
There is therefore a need for a remotely controlled circuit breaker load-center which is easier and more convenient to monitor and operate.

Panelboard arrangement with improved control


A sheet-like molding made of a liquid-crystalline polymer which can be processed in the liquid-crystalline melt is described. It contains less than 1 .times.10.sup.-1, preferably less than 2 .times.10.sup.-2, flow irregularities per cm.sup.3.

Liquid-crystalline polymers which can be processed from the melt are already known and described in "Polymer Liquid Crystals", Ciferi, Krigbaum, Meyer, Academic Press, 1982, and "High Modulus Polymers", Zachariades, Porter, Marcel Dekker Inc., 1988. Polymers of the type mentioned are usually fully aromatic polyesters, such as polyester carbonates, polyester amides, polyester imides and similar polymers or block polymers having a block based on these systems. A known method of measurement by means of which the existence of a liquid-crystalline melt can be detected is polarization microscopy, which is also described in the relevant literature.
Liquid-crystalline melts have the property that the molecular orientation of the polymer main chain in them can be achieved in a particularly simple manner by various methods, for example mechanically or by applying electric or magnetic fields, which makes it possible to obtain moldings having strongly increased mechanical properties in one or in more preferred orientations. This behavior of liquid-crystalline polymers is important for their further processing by the process of injection-molding but it also makes them in particular suitable for the preparation of fibers and films. If the melt of a liquid-crystalline polymer is extruded, for example from the sheet die of a conventional film extrusion unit, an orientation of the polymer in machine direction (MD), which can be further reinforced by a higher take-off rate for the melt from the die, can already be observed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,161,470 describes the extrusion of liquid-crystalline polymers, such as, for example, of polycondensation products prepared from hydroxybenzoic acid and hydroxynaphthoic acid, to give fibers and films. A particular problem with the extrusion of liquid-crystalline polymers is that very often a kind of flow irregularity in the form of particles is observed, which could be designated as point-like morphological changes and which in any case cannot be removed by a conventional melt filtration. Upon orientation of the liquid-crystalline polymer, these flow irregularities are repeatedly the cause of thin places and in extreme cases even holes in the case of films or breakings in the case of fibers. These flow irregularities are thus responsible for the presence of weak or "predetermined" breaking points, which further intensifies one disadvantage of liquid-crystalline polymers, their tear propagation strength, which is usually low anyway. Apart from the mechanical properties, electrical properties and barrier properties are substantially affected by the flow irregularities.

Sheet-like molding and process for its preparation


A self-contained, hand-held device for testing an aircraft helmet communication system including a microphone and earphones in which a selection switch on the housing of the device is movable from an off position to a talk-through position at which the microphone is connected to both the earphones and a volume indicator on the housing and to a self-test position in which actuation of a pushbutton switch on the housing applies the output of an oscillator both to the volume indicator and a circuit having a voltage divider made up of a potentiometer and a fixed resistance to provide a self-test signal which energizes an illuminable element on the housing if the device is functioning properly and to an earphone impedance test position at which the output of the oscillator is applied to a circuit having a voltage divider made up of the potentiometer and the earphones to produce an earphone impedance-test signal which energizes the illuminable element if the earphone impedance is of the correct value. The potentiometer is adjustable from outside the housing.

There are known in the prior art aircraft communication headsets incorporating earphones and a microphone. Many of these sets are installed in protective helmets, such as are worn by pilots. The earphones customarily are located within earcups supported on the helmet. The earcup leads have a plug for connection to the aircraft communication system. Similarly, the microphone customarily is supported on a boom on the helmet and is likewise provided with a plug for connection to the communication system.
It is desirable that some means be provided for easily and expeditiously testing the communication elements carried by the helmet.


A bindweed and buckwheat extract is used to inhibit the growth of tumor cells, inhibit the growth of blood vessels, and enhance immune function. The bindweed and buckwheat extract requires minimal purification and produces a low toxicity anti-tumor and immuno-stimulating extract.

This invention relates to obtaining purified bindweed and buckwheat extracts by collecting components of a homogenized aqueous solution of bindweed material. High molecular weight extracts of bindweed were previously shown to inhibit the growth of two different types of virulent tumors in mice. The extracts possessed immunopotentiating effects as evidenced by tumor infiltration by white blood cells in the tumors of treated animals, and induction of lymphocyte proliferation. They further possessed antiangiogenic properties as demonstrated in the chick chorioallantoic membrane assay. The method of extraction of the present bindweed and buckwheat extracts is very simple and requires a minimum of purification. The present bindweed and buckwheat extracts have utility as low-toxicity, anti-cancer drugs for human and animal use.
Recently the concept of using biological response modifiers (BRMs) has been considered for the treatment of cancer. Some BRMs are not directly cytotoxic to tumor cells, but possess qualities which change the environment of the organism. Immune stimulation and inhibition of new blood vessel growth are two biological response modification strategies with potential in the treatment of cancer. Examples of immune stimulators with known anti-tumor activity are Polysaccharide K, beta 1,3, glucan, and the Maruyama vaccine. All of which contain high-molecular weight polysaccharides and/or protein. Examples of angiogenesis inhibiting molecules include TMP-470, and angiostatin, which have demonstrated anti-tumor activity. While investigating extracts of field bindweed for anti-tumor activity, we initially tried to isolate low-molecular weight alkaloids, which are known to be toxic, and which we suspected of having traditional chemotherapeutic, or tumor-cytotoxic activity.
It was found that the low-molecular weight extracts, containing the toxic alkaloids, exhibited little anti-tumor activity, while high molecular weight extracts, which excluded the toxic alkaloids contained significant anti-tumor activity by acting as biological response modifiers.
One object of the invention is to provide a pharmaceutical consisting of high molecular weight extracts of field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis) which have low toxicity to normal cells and induce anti-tumor effects in animals, inhibit the growth of blood vessels, and enhance immune function in mammals. Preferably these high molecular weight extracts have components less than about 500 Daltons removed. More preferably the removed components are less than about 1,000. Even more preferably, the removed components are less than about 3,000 Daltons. Even more preferably, the removed components are less than about 5000, more preferably 10,000.
One embodiment of the invention is to isolate the high molecular weight extracts of field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis) using a molecular weight filter or alternatively precipitation with ammonium sulfate.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a method for isolating high molecular weight extracts of field bindweed (Cotvolvulus arvensis), which have low toxicity by virtue of removal of toxic low-molecular weight components of a crude extract. Preferably the components less than about 3000 Daltons are removed. More preferably the components less than about 6,500 Daltons are removed. Even more preferably, the components less than about 10,000 Daltons are removed.
One embodiment of the invention is to remove the low molecular weight extracts of field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis) using a molecular weight filter or alternatively precipitation with ammonium sulfate.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a method for use of high molecular weight extracts of field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis), which have low toxicity to normal cells and induce anti-tumor effects in animals.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a method for use of high molecular weight extracts of field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis), which inhibit new blood vessel growth.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a method for use of high molecular weight extracts of field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis), which exhibits immunoenhancing effects in animals.
A further object of the invention is a pharmaceutical composition for treating cancer, inhibiting the growth of new blood vessels, and/or enhancing immune function in a mammal, which is an effective amount of an aqueous extract of Convolvulus, and a pharmaceutically acceptable vehicle. Preferably the extract is prepared by homogenizing Convolvulus arvensis plant parts and preparing the aqueous extract from the plant parts. Preferably, the plant parts exclude seeds and flowers. Preferably, the extract is prepared using three volumes of water per volume of homogenized plant parts. Preferably, solids are removed from the extract. Preferably, the extract is lyophilized after removal of the solids.
A further object of the invention is a method for preparing non-toxic extracts of Convolvulus by preparing an aqueous extract of Convolvulus. Preferably, the solid components of the plant are removed.
A further object of the invention is a method for the treatment of cancer in a mammal by administering a pharmaceutical composition of Convolvulus in an amount effective to slow or stop the growth of said cancer.
A further object of the invention is a method for inhibiting blood vessel growth in a mammal by administering a pharmaceutical composition of Convolvulus in an amount effective to slow or stop the growth of said blood vessels.
A further object of the invention is a method for enhancing immune function in a mammal by administering the pharmaceutical composition of Convolvulus in an amount effective to enhance said immune function. Preferably, the immune function is selected from the group consisting of lymphocyte growth and phagocyte activity.
A further object of the invention is a pharmaceutical composition for treating cancer, inhibiting the growth of new blood vessels, and/or enhancing immune function in a mammal, which is an effective amount of an aqueous extract of Polygonum, and a pharmaceutically acceptable vehicle. Preferably the extract is prepared by homogenizing Polygonum plant parts; and preparing the aqueous extract from the plant parts. Preferably, the plant parts exclude seeds and flowers. Preferably, the extract is prepared using three volumes of water per volume of homogenized plant parts. Preferably, solids are removed from the extract. Preferably, the extract is lyophilized after removal of the solids.
A further object of the invention is a method for preparing non-toxic extracts of Polygonum by preparing an aqueous extract of Polygonum. Preferably, the solid components of the plant are removed.
A further object of the invention is a method for the treatment of cancer in a mammal by administering a pharmaceutical composition of Polygonum in an amount effective to slow or stop the growth of said cancer.
A further object of the invention is a method for inhibiting blood vessel growth in a mammal by administering a pharmaceutical composition of Polygonum in an amount effective to slow or stop the growth of said blood vessels.
A further object of the invention is a method for enhancing immune function in a mammal by administering the pharmaceutical composition of Polygonum in an amount effective to enhance said immune function. Preferably, the immune function is selected from the group consisting of lymphocyte growth and phagocyte activity.
We discovered a high molecular weight extract of bindweed that surprisingly has low toxicity to normal cells and induces anti-tumor effects, inhibits the growth of blood vessels, and enhances immune function in mammals. We also found that the low molecular weight components of bindweed extract contained alkyloids on the order of 300-500 Daltons that were toxic to both normal cells and tumor cells. In order to remove the toxic low molecular weight components we used a molecular weight sieve. In general, the method of the invention for obtaining high molecular weight extracts of Convolvulus arvensis consists of boiling fresh or aged bindweed in an aqueous solution to obtain a brown tea-like mixture. This mixture is then centrifuged or filtered to remove the solid material to create a solution. It is only necessary to remove the 300-500 molecular weight components to remove the toxicity to normal cells. However, we found that the low molecular weight components might nonspecifically stick to the membrane and come back off. Therefore, preferably, a larger molecular weight sieve is usedxe2x80x94on the order of 1000 Daltons, more preferably, 3000 Daltons, even more preferably 5000 Daltons. We find that even when molecular weight components of up to 10,000 Daltons are removed, the extract retains its anti-tumor effects in animals, its ability to inhibit the growth of blood vessels, and its ability to enhance immune function in mammals. In the Examples below, after boiling the fresh or aged bindweed in an aqueous solution to obtain a brown tea-like mixture, the solution is then passed through a molecular weight filtration device to obtain a high molecular weight retentate (BWR), or precipitated using ammonium sulfate to isolate a high molecular weight precipitate (BWP). Thereafter, the high molecular weight extract is lyophilized, or otherwise concentrated. The extract is subsequently assayed for anti-tumor, immunoenhancing, and anti-angiogenesis activity.
SDS-Page, IEF, and a protein assay, are then used in order to further characterize the components of the extract. The extract is also assayed for molecular weight using a Superosel2-HR sizing column (Pharmacia Biotech) using known molecular weight standards.
Further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those of skill in the art in view of the detailed description of the preferred embodiments which follows when considered together with the attached drawings and claims.
Although other material and methods similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, the preferred methods and materials are now described. Example 1 describes the steps required to prepare the high molecular weight extracts of bindweed.

High molecular weight extracts of Convolvulus arvensis (field bindweed) and Polygonum convolvulus (wild buckwheat)

The Center for the Improvement of Human Functioning, Int., Inc.


Automated evaluation and extraction of information from piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs). Aspects of the systems and methods utilize machine learning and image processing techniques to extract relevant information, such as tag names, tag numbers, and symbols, and their positions, from P&IDs. Further aspects feed errors back to a machine learning system to update its learning and improve operation of the systems and methods.

Project engineers are typically provided with P&IDs in the form of hard copy printouts or portable document file (PDF) format. These diagrams must be manually analyzed to extract information related to tags, loops, and associated metadata. This manual analysis is time-consuming and error-prone. For example, it may take several minutes (e.g., 30 to 90) to analyze each drawing, which adds up to many hours for each project. Moreover, any errors in the manual work require reworking, which is wasteful and expensive (e.g., lost time, delay penalties, etc.). Additionally, delays in completion of this engineering work can cause delays in commissioning of the industrial process because the project engineering activities are on the critical chain path. At most, conventional techniques utilize systems and methods to digitize P&IDs, such as via optical character recognition (OCR) for example. However, these conventional techniques are static, require an exact match to recognize characters and geometrical shapes, and must be re-coded to accept new symbols or characters.

Machine learning analysis of piping and instrumentation diagrams


A device for catching a ball comprises a frame member 6 constructed on the ground or the like, a net member 7 put on the frame member 6, a mat member 1 disposed substantially at the central part of the net member 7, the mat member 1 having a strike zone 2 defined thereon, a detection means 3 for detecting the position of a pitched ball B in the strike zone 2, and a display means 4 for displaying the detected position of the ball B. When the pitched ball B collides with or passes through the strike zone 2, the detection means 4 detects the colliding or passing position and has a judgment passed on the pitched ball B as to whether it is a strike or ball in accordance with a baseball rule, and the judgment is displayed by the display means 4.. Some devices for catching a ball further comprise a base member 5 permitting the total weight of the device to be arbitrarily varied with a ballast W such as water, sand, steel ball or the like, a pitch target 15 shiftable after every pitch, and/or a ball return system 9 for automatically returning the pitched ball B to the pitcher.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for catching a ball with which one can perform baseball pitching practice alone, and moreover can pass a judgment of strike or ball on the pitched ball.
2. Description of Relevant Art
Conventionally, to perform baseball pitching practice by oneself, there has been no other way than pitching a ball against a wall surface or the like. Though easily accomplished, such exercise includes the difficulty of judging whether the pitched ball is a strike or not, with the result that the pitching practice itself becomes monotonous, resulting in reduced pleasure.
It therefore is desirable to provide a device for catching a ball which permits even one person to readily perform pitching practice as a matter of course and have a strike judgment passed on the pitched ball, so that he or she can maintain a sufficient interest in pitching practice.
The present invention has been achieved with such a consideration in mind.


An air conditioner system for vehicles has an exterior heat exchanger, which is used as an evaporator at the time of heating operation. A control unit monitors the heating operation and stores a defrost flag when the heating operation continues for a predetermined time period, e.g., 20 minutes, under a low exterior air temperature below a predetermined temperature, e.g., 5.degree. C. When an electric vehicle is at rest after the heating operation to charge its secondary battery with an electric power from an external power source, the control unit first starts a defrosting operation and starts a charging operation of the secondary battery after the completion of the defrosting operation.

The present invention relates to an air conditioner system and method for electric vehicles.
Heat pump type air conditioner systems employing electrically-driven compressors are used widely as air conditioners mounted on electric vehicles from the standpoint of ensuring a self heat generating source, reducing air pollution and saving electric power energy. In those heat pump type air conditioner systems, however, the exterior heat exchanger is used as an evaporator at the time of heating operation to exchange heat between low temperature, low pressure refrigerant and exterior air. Thus, frosting occurs on the surface of the heat exchanger at the time of heating operation. The frosting lessens the operation performance of exchanging heat with the exterior air and hence the heating operation performance.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,555,737 (JP-A-7-212902) proposes to defrost the heat exchanger in the course of battery charging by using excess electric power generated immediately before completing the battery charging. The heat exchanger will not be defrosted sufficiently when the battery charging is stopped midway of the battery charging, that is, before the battery charging is completed. As a result, a sufficient heating performance for a quick heating (warm-up) cannot be provided as the heating operation starts with frost still remaining on the heat exchanger.

Electric vehicle air conditioner system and method for effecting defrosting operation before battery charging operation


A fiber optic component package comprising one or more fiber optic components and an inner housing supporting the components. The components have one or more optical fibers associated therewith which extend from the housing. The fiber optic component package also has a layer that is substantially impervious to moisture including water vapor and which encloses the inner housing. The layer includes a sheet of substantially moisture impervious flexible material wrapped around the inner housing and a substantially moisture pervious sealant adhesive that serves to bond the sheet of flexible material and fills at least those regions at edges of the sheet of flexible material.

Optical fibre couplers are presently supplied in a package which is designed both to physically, protect the component and to prevent the ingress of moisture and other contaminants to the component. In one known assembly, the coupler is disposed in an inner cylindrical housing formed of two half silica tubes which are machined to tight dimensional tolerances. These half tubes are brought together and attached together with adhesive. The resultant capsule includes respective adhesive deposits which serve to anchor the optical fibre component to the inner surface of the capsule and to seal the ends through which the fibres extend. Additional adhesive may be applied to the ends of the capsule to stabilise the fibres over a wide temperature range. The capsule is placed within a stainless steel outer casing which is in turn filled with an elastomer compound. The stainless steel outer casing is provided to give additional strength and protection to the optical component assembly.
Optical fibre couplers are required to have lifetimes approaching 40 years and to withstand extensive environmental variations. Even though the silica capsule is sealed with adhesive, it has been found through intensive simulated environmental testing that these adhesives are not consistently impervious to moisture over extended periods of time. Test samples have been detected where moisture has ingressed the capsule and affected coupler performance.
It is not possible to provide a hermetic glass-metal seal with the outer metal casing because of a mismatch of thermal expansion coefficients between most metals and silica.


A compound semiconductor device including a substrate; a first epitaxial layer formed on the substrate, the first epitaxial layer having an impurity concentration of 1.times.10.sup.15 .ltoreq.p.ltoreq.1.times.10.sup.16 (cm.sup.-3); and a second epitaxial layer formed on the first epitaxial layer for allowing travel of two-dimensional electrons, the second epitaxial layer having an impurity concentration of n.ltoreq.1.times.10.sup.14 (cm.sup.-3) and p.ltoreq.1.times.10.sup.14 (cm.sup.-3). With the device disclosed, it is difficult for a short channel effect due to a reduction in gate length to occur, thereby ensuring high characteristics of the compound semiconductor device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a compound semiconductor device, and more particularly to a high electron mobility transistor (which will be hereinafter abbreviated to HEMT).
2. Description of the Prior Art
A HEMT, a kind of FET, employing a n-AlGaAs/GaAs selectively doped hetero junction has now been developed to realize a very high speed computer and a high speed signal processing system. In such a HEMT, a crystal region (e.g., undoped GaAs) for allowing travel of electrons and a crystal region (e.g., Si doped n-AlGaAs) for supplying electrons are separated from each other by a hetero junction, and scattering of electrons by donor impurities is reduced to thereby increase an electron mobility and improve a high-speed performance.
FIG. 1 schematically shows a device structure of a AlGaAs/GaAs HEMT in the prior art. An undoped GaAs layer 11 as an active layer is formed on a semi-insulating GaAs substrate 10. An i-AlGaAs layer 12 is formed on the undoped GaAs layer 11. An Si doped n-AlGaAs layer 13 as an electron supplying layer is formed on the i-AlGaAs layer 12. An Si doped n-GaAs layer 14 is formed on the n-AlGaAs layer 13. Further, a gate electrode 15 ,a source electrode 16 and a drain electrode 17 are formed on the n-GaAs layer 14. In FIG. 1, a hatched portion under the source electrode 16 and the drain electrode 17 is an ohmic region.
The formation of a current channel (shown by a broken line in FIG. 1) for realizing an FET operation is based on the phenomenon that the electrons supplied from the donor impurities added in the n-AlGaAs layer 13 as the electron supplying layer are moved to the undoped GaAs layer 11 as the active layer and are accumulated in a portion of the undoped GaAs layer 11 in the vicinity of a junction interface between the n-AlGaAs layer 13 and the undoped GaAs layer 11. This current channel is a so-called two-dimensional electron channel.
There is a tendency that a gate length L.sub.g has increasingly been shortened, so as to realize a high performance of the HEMT. However, the reduction in the gate length L.sub.g causes a short channel effect such that the two-dimensional electrons exude toward the substrate to reduce a mutual conductance g.sub.m and accordingly deteriorate the characteristics of the HEMT. To prevent the short channel effect, the following three techniques have conventionally been proposed;
(A) To substitute the undoped GaAs layer as the active layer by a p.sup.- -GaAs layer. PA1 (B) To make the active layer into an InGaAs strain layer channel PA1 (C) To provide an i-AlGaAs layer in the undoped GaAs layer as the active layer and form a hetero junction.
In technique (A), the electrons in the active layer are scattered by the impurities existing in the active layer to reduce the electron mobility. Further, the number of two-dimensional electron carriers is also reduced.
In technique (B), a lattice constant of the InGaAs layer is different from that of the n-GaAs layer, and a strain of the InGaAs layer increases with an increase in thickness of the InGaAs layer. As a result, lattice defects in the InGaAs layer increase to reduce the electron mobility. Accordingly, the thickness of the InGaAs layer is limited to a critical thickness of 15 to 20 nm, and the InGaAs layer cannot be thickened. However, in the InGaAs layer having such a critical thickness, the number of two-dimensional electron carriers is reduced.
In technique (C), the two-dimensional electron gas is scattered in the vicinity of the hetero junction interface between the undoped GaAs layer and the i-AlGaAs layer to reduce the electron mobility, causing the generation of noise.


A method for updating a sensor offset and a medium encoded with a machine-readable computer program code for updating a sensor using a robust sensor learning algorithm wherein the method includes obtaining vehicle data signals, obtaining a position sensor data signal, the position sensor data signal being responsive to a stored positional offset data signal, determining whether algorithm initial conditions are satisfied, formulating a new positional offset data signal conditioned on satisfaction of the initial conditions, and storing said new positional offset data signal so as to combine said new positional offset data signal with said stored positional offset data signal and replace said stored positional offset data signal.

Most vehicles that have electric power steering systems also employ position sensors to monitor and provide an active returnability capability. Thus, as a vehicle is being driven, an active return command may be generated and communicated to the electric power steering system. In fact, this active return command could be generated even while the vehicle was being driven in a straight direction. Unfortunately, if the position sensor developed an offset over time, this offset could accumulate and be reflected in the active return command. This could cause problems, such as component wear, wheel misalignment or steering pull. In order to reduce or prevent these problems from occurring, the vehicle could be brought into an automotive service center on a periodic basis where any accumulated position offset could be evaluated, and corrected if necessary, by a service technician.
One problem that exists with a service type of arrangement is that vehicle owners might have any accumulated offset corrected only after misalignment or component wear has occurred. Another problem that sometimes occurs is that, even though some vehicle owners have their vehicles serviced regularly, this positional offset may develop and accumulate during the times between their regular servicing. In general, it is desirable not to require periodic service for a system and in fact, this is often a requirement of the OEM.
In view of the above, it would be desirable to provide a method for monitoring and updating a position sensor over time.
A method for updating a sensor offset using a robust sensor learning algorithm wherein the method includes obtaining vehicle data signals; obtaining a position sensor data signal, the position sensor data signal being responsive to a stored positional offset data signal; determining whether algorithm initial conditions are satisfied; formulating a new positional offset data signal conditioned on satisfaction of the initial conditions; and storing the new positional offset data signal so as to combine the new positional offset data signal with the stored positional offset data signal and replace the stored positional offset data signal.
A medium encoded with a machine-readable computer program code for updating a sensor offset using a robust sensor offset learning algorithm, the medium including instructions for causing controller to implement the aforementioned method.

Method for updating a sensor using a robust sensor offset learning algorithm


Bonded surfaces are formed by adhering first nanorods and second nanorods to respective first and second surfaces. The first shell is formed on the first nanorods and the second shell is formed on the second nanorods, wherein at least one of the first nanorods and second nanorods, and the first shell and the second shell are formed of distinct metals. The surfaces are then exposed to at least one condition that causes the distinct metals to form an alloy, such as eutectic alloy having a melting point below the temperature at which the alloy is formed, thereby bonding the surfaces upon which solidification of the alloy.

Many systems and methods for bonding or sealing are application-specific. For example, and for the case of flexible electronics, organic solar cells and organic light emitting diodes, polymer adhesives, swage, or solder are typically employed. Polymer adhesives, however, generally cannot meet the need for oxygen and moisture impermeability of many applications and devices. Further, even if the initial permeability of the polymer is sufficient, over time the polymer will typically degrade and the leak rate will become too high. Also, the use of such low-temperature solder typically causes the heating of the organic semiconductor past its glass transition temperature and decreases its performance and lifetime. In other embodiments, integrated circuits often employ a thermal grease to make thermal contact between heat sinks, processors, and other components. However, such thermal greases often have poor conductivity and little strength. Soldering is employed in some applications, but often requires temperatures that are too high for the components.
Therefore a need exists for low-temperature welding that over comes or minimizes the above-referenced problems.

Low-temperature bonding with spaced nanorods and eutectic alloys

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