An information signal recording apparatus has an information signal supply source for supplying an information signal at a predetermined transfer rate and a memory device for storing the information signal. An information signal stored in the memory device, which stores information signals at a predetermined transfer rate, is read out and recorded on a disk at a rate higher than the predetermined transfer rate, and, every time a predetermined length of an information signal is recorded, the predetermined length of the information signal, recorded immediately before reading, is read out at a rate higher than the predetermined transfer rate to thereby verify the recorded information signal. This allows read-verification of written information without losing the real time performance, and ensures successive recording of information even when an error is found in the information.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a signal recording apparatus for recording signals, such as video information, on tracks on a recording medium like an optical disk, and, more particularly, to an information signal recording apparatus for recording signals such as a video signal or audio signal whose reproduction speed is determined previously, on a writable recording medium which utilizes a change in pigment or a change in magnetism.
2. Description of Background Information
A WORM type (or direct read after write type) disk, which utilizes pigment, and a magnetooptic disk, which uses the magnetooptic effect, are known as writable recording media. In recording, for example, an audio signal on such a disk, the supplied analog audio signal is converted to binary values, redundancy for error correction is added to the binary signal, then the resultant signal is recorded in real time on the disk at a speed corresponding to the supplied audio signal.
The recording system would differ depending on the type of a recording medium of a disk in use. For example, when an organic pigment is used as a medium, for a signal of "1", intense light is irradiated on the disk to change the reflectance and the shape of the pigment. When the signal is "0", the disk will not be exposed to the light that causes such a change. Accordingly, the signal converted to binary values can be recorded on the disk. Any information once written on this type of medium cannot be erased.
With a magnetooptic type disk in use, intense light is given to the disk to increase its temperature to or above the Curie point, and, at the time of reproduction, the polarization status of reflected light is checked to find the signal level, thus ensuring recording and reproduction of binary signals. This method allows written information to be rewritten.
To check if information has been written correctly in such a real-time recording system, it is necessary to provide a separate pickup device for data reading and to trace recorded tracks with this pickup to verify the recorded signals.
If a write error is detected through the verification, it is necessary to record the position of the occurrence of the error on a specific portion on the disk, temporarily stop supplying the input signal and retry the recording for the erred signal (error correction). Reproduction of the recorded information data at the error-occurred portion should be made invalid and the subsequent data should be used instead. This requires that all the data be temporarily read into a computer or the like for reproduction, losing the real time performance, and that the reproducing apparatus should be equipped with a storage device of a large-capacity.
When pre-erasing of data from an erasable disk, such as a magnetooptic disk is needed, there also arises a problem that the real time performance will be lost.
One solution to the above shortcoming of magnetooptic disks was proposed in Japanese Patent Kokoku No. H3-13653.
According to the proposed method, the relative speed of a magnetooptic disk and the pickup at the recording time is set twice that of the reproduction to compress information along the time axis, so that erasure would be executed previously in real time.
Even with the use of this method, however, if a scratch, a defective portion or the like exists on the recording medium and writing has not been done properly, the aforementioned verification process should be performed at the expense of the real time performance in order to make the correction.
With the use of a WORM type optical disk that uses an organic pigment, in particular, if the disk contains a defective portion, it is not possible to continuously reproduce a spiral track to correctly read the recorded information. Even a slight defect on a disk would prevent the use of the whole disk. It is therefore necessary to carefully check stain or scratch on a WORM type optical disk, thus decreasing significantly the operability.


The rare earth borides, e.g., the tetraborides and hexaborides of lanthanum, cerium and praseodymium, are directly prepared by heating/reacting a mixture of at least one rare earth chloride and elemental boron at an elevated temperature, e.g., a temperature ranging from 1,200.degree. to 1,500.degree. C.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the preparation of rare earth borides.
By the expression "rare earths" are intended the rare earth elements designated the lanthanides, having atomic numbers of from 57 to 71, as well as yttrium which has an atomic number of 39.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The rare earth borides are compounds which have desirable electrical properties. In particular, lanthanum hexaboride has excellent properties of thermionic emission and is used as an emissive cathode in high energy devices.
Presently, the industrial production of the rare earth borides is limited by the difficulty in preparing a product of satisfactory purity by a process that may be extrapolated to an industrial scale.
It is known to prepare lanthanum boride by reducing lanthanum sesquioxide by means of boron carbide or elemental boron, under reduced pressure [G. A. Meerson et al, Izv. Akad. Nauk. SSSR Neorg. Mater, 3, No. 5, pp. 802-806 (1967)]. However, the reaction is carried out at elevated temperatures; this not only mandates use of a graphite crucible, but also a graphite lined furnace must be used.
It has also been proposed, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,902,973, to prepare the rare earth borides by electrolysis of a source of the rare earths, in a molten salt medium containing a cryolite and an alkali metal borate. Such a process is relatively complex in light of the electrolysis temperature of 950.degree.to 1,050.degree. C., and it presents the usual problem of recovering the rare earth boride at the cathode, which entails a pollution problem due to the cryolyte.
The same problem of separation of the final product rare earth boride characterizes the process described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,260,525. This particular process includes mixing a rare earth carbonate, nitrate or oxide with boron, in the presence of aluminum, to dissolve the boron at a temperature of from 1,200.degree. to 1,600.degree. C., heating the reaction medium within such temperature range, cooling it, and then separating the rare earth boride from the aluminum oxide formed.


Light trapping pixels, devices incorporating such pixels, and various associated methods are provided. In one aspect, for example, a light trapping pixel device can include a light sensitive pixel having a light incident surface, a backside surface opposite the light incident surface, and a peripheral sidewall disposed into at least a portion of the pixel and extending at least substantially around the pixel periphery. The pixel can also include a backside light trapping material substantially covering the backside surface and a peripheral light trapping material substantially covering the peripheral sidewall. The light contacting the backside light trapping material or the peripheral light trapping material is thus reflected back toward the pixel.

Image sensors are typically formed on various forms of semiconductor materials such as, for example, silicon. Imagers can be incorporated into a variety of devices, including digital cameras, camcorders, computers, cell phones, etc. Due to the ever decreasing size (foot print) of these devices, image sensors have correspondingly seen a decrease in size. Backside illuminated (BSI) image sensors have increased in importance due to the small size of these imagers as compared to front side illuminated (FSI) image sensors. However, pixel size reduction can lead to a significant sacrifice in image quality. As pixel sizes continue to decrease, image signal to noise tends to decrease while electrical and optical cross-talk between adjacent sensor pixels tends to increase. Traditional attempts to reduce the impact of these effects have included adding microlenses above each image sensor in front side pixel sensors to focus the light on the active detector regions, thereby increasing efficiency and reducing cross-talk. Backside illuminated pixel sensors can present different design considerations. For example, significant cross-talk can be generated due to reflection off the often planar back surface of the device.

Pixel isolation elements, devices and associated methods


A system and related method are provided for sensor-based person recognition. The system has a data store including global data of a user, the global data including a globally unique identifier and sensed training data. The system further has a classifier to identify the user at a first time using the global data, augment the global data with first context information of the user captured at the first time, and identify the user at a second time by finding correlations between second context information and the first context information when using the global data fails, the second context information of the user captured at the second time.

Traditionally, person recognition systems operate by establishing a positive identification from facial features. Such systems are part of a class of one-dimensional recognizers that are based on static biometric identification data. Many face-detection-based solutions use offline deep learning techniques to create models from significant amounts of data, for example, available in cloud repositories. When using these models, the accuracy of the recognition is dependent on the quality of the training dataset (e.g., whether the frontal face, foreground, and/or silhouette are visible or have the same illumination or other characteristics) because deficiencies in the training data often reappear when the model is used for recognition.

Method and apparatus for person recognition using continuous self-learning


Disclosed is cis-oxalato(trans-1-1,2-cyclohexanediamine) Pt(II) complex having high optical purity and no toxicity and exhibiting anticancer performance, as shown in the below Formula.. Cis-oxalato(trans-1-1,2-cyclohexanediamine) Pt(II) complex of the invention possesses high optical purity or 99.94% or more e.e. and a melting point of 198.3.degree. to 199.7.degree. C. The complex is synthesized employing as starting material trans-1-1,2-cyclohexamediamine or a derivative of the trans-1-1,2-cyclohexanediamine optically resoluted by means of a high performance liquid chromatography. ##STR1##

The present invention relates to cis-oxalato(trans-1-1,2-cyclohexanediamine) Pt(II) complex having high optical purity which may be employed as starting material of carcinostatic substance and a process of preparing same.
Trans-1-1,2-cyclohexanediamine can be obtained by reacting trans-dl-1,2-cyclohexanediamine with tartaric acid to form diastereomers and optically resoluting the respective diastereomers by means of a recrystallization method utilizing the difference of solubilities of the respective diastereomers. However, this method possesses a limitation because the solubility difference is not large so that it is reported that optical purity of 99.5 % or more cannot be industrially attained.
Accordingly, in order to obtain a platinum complex represented by Formula 1 having high optical purity, after the resolution of cis-trans stereoisomers of 1,2-cyclohexanediamine which is starting material for the preparation of the platinum complex in accordance with a resolution refining process ##STR2## (Japanese patent publication No.61-4827), the optical resolution of the trans isomer is conducted by, in accordance with a normal process, forming a diastereomer by means of tartaric acid followed by its recrystallization. A platinum complex prepared by employing this resoluted isomer is further optically resoluted by means of high performance liquid chromatography (hereinafter referred to as "HPLC method") to produce the platinum complex (Formula 1) having the high optical purity (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/043,901 and European patent application No.93830160.3). The optical resolution of the final product is conventionally required because the resolution and refining of the trans-1-1,2-cyclohexanediamine is insufficient. Since the trans-1-1,2-cyclohexanadiamine is the important starting material of cis-oxalato(trans-1-1,2-cyclohexanadiamine) Pt(II) complex which is the starting material of a carcinostatic agent, the trans-1-1,2-cyclohexanediamine having stably higher optical purity has been required.
The platinum complex (Formula 1) has been synthesized in accordance with a preparation process shown as the below equation (Formula 2).
Many optically active pharmaceuticals may have a considerable difference in carcinostatic activities and their side effects due to their isomerism so ##STR3## that their optical purity is important when they are utilized as the pharmaceuticals.

Cis-oxalato(trans-1-1,2-cyclohexanediamine) Pt(II) complex having high optical purity and process of preparing same


A terminal having an infrared remote control function and a pairing method for infrared remote control, where in the terminal, a memory stores an infrared code library, a processor selects an infrared code from the infrared code library, an infrared transmitter sends an infrared signal to a to-be-remotely-controlled device according to the infrared code, a sensor senses a status change of the to-be-remotely-controlled device that occurs after the to-be-remotely-controlled device receives the infrared signal, and the processor determines, according to the status change of the to-be-remotely-controlled device sensed by the sensor, whether the terminal successfully establishes a pairing with the to-be-remotely-controlled device. Therefore, the terminal automatically establishes the pairing with the to-be-remotely-controlled device, and an automation degree of a pairing process during intelligent remote control is improved.

More and more mobile phones have an infrared module or may be provided with an infrared module using an interface. The infrared module is a hardware circuit combination having a function of connecting to another control device and an infrared remote control function, and includes an infrared emitter, a drive circuit, and a communications circuit. A mobile phone may serve as a remote control using an infrared module in order to remotely control a television, an air conditioner, and the like.
Usually, a mobile phone initially has no remote control function, and can remotely control a to-be-remotely-controlled device only after establishing a pairing with the device. Generally, a pairing process includes the following steps.
Step 1: A user enters a model or a brand of a to-be-remotely-controlled device on a mobile phone.
Step 2: Select, according to the model or the brand entered by the user, an infrared code from an infrared code library stored in the mobile phone.
Step 3: Encode an infrared signal according to the selected infrared code, and send the encoded infrared signal to the to-be-remotely-controlled device.
Step 4: When the to-be-remotely-controlled device responds correctly, the user determines that matching succeeds. Otherwise, go back to step 1 to repeat the pairing process of step 1 to step 4.
A disadvantage of the pairing process includes that a user needs to manually enter a model or a brand of a device, and needs to manually determine whether matching succeeds, which results in a low automation degree.

Terminal having infrared remote control function and pairing method for infrared remote control


The invention relates to a gas spring system for a motor vehicle, with a gas pressure generation unit that can be connected via fluid connections to at least one gas pressure receiver. It is provided therein that the gas pressure generation unit is designed to be operated by gas pressure and configured to be operated by an energy gas pressure of an energy gas for a motor vehicle drive.

In particular, motor vehicles of the medium and luxury class are usually equipped with a gas spring system, in particular an air spring system. In this case, in particular compressed air is provided at spring legs of the motor vehicle as gas pressure receivers, wherein the compressed air is generated by an air spring compressor with control unit and valve block. Furthermore, a compressed air reservoir is usually provided. The air spring compressor, the valve block, and the control unit require a relatively large installation space, even if they are provided as an assembly. Moreover, the air spring compressor is loud and therefore imposes high requirements for an acoustic decoupling.

Gas spring system for a motor vehicle, motor vehicle with such a gas spring system, and method for operating a motor vehicle


An integrated circuit structure contains both highly resistive regions and highly conductive interconnect regions in a single layer of polycrystalline silicon. The resistive regions have a smaller cross section than the interconnect regions as a result of partial oxidation. Their thickness and width are reduced from that of the interconnect regions. The partial oxidation leaves an oxide region, derived from polycrystalline silicon, on both the top and sides of the resistive regions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to integrated circuits, and more specifically to a structure, and method for forming same, useful in the fabrication of high resistance regions and low resistance regions in a single polycrystalline silicon layer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
CMOS SRAMs often use a four transistor cell design having resistive load devices. This design is used in order to save chip layout area over the traditional six transistor cell design. Two N-channel transistors are used to form a cross-coupled latch, while two additional N-channel transistors are used to provide access to the cell for reading and writing data. Two load devices are connected between the N-channel transistors in the latch and the power supply.
In the prior art, the resistive load devices are formed after formation of the transistors. After the transistors have been formed, a dielectric layer is deposited and contact openings are formed to the substrate. A second polycrystalline silicon layer is deposited and lightly doped N-type to achieve a resistivity in the range of 10.sup.6 to 10.sup.13 ohms/square. This blanket implant determines the load resistor value.
The second polycrystalline silicon layer also serves to provide interconnect between various portions of the integrated circuit. It can be used for the V.sub.cc supply connected to the load resistors. It may also be used for local interconnect between various portions of the device.
The interconnect portions of the second polycrystalline silicon layer must have a relatively low resistivity. In order to lower the resistance of the interconnect regions, the locations used for the resistive load devices are masked and a highly doped N-type implant is made. This implant lowers the resistivity of the interconnect regions to, typically, a range of between 100 and 1000 ohms/square. The second polycrystalline layer is typically patterned to define the resistive devices and interconnect signal lines after all of the implants have been made.
It is desirable to use a single polycrystalline silicon layer for both the resistive load devices and interconnect lines. Such an approach is more economical than forming such regions from separate polycrystalline silicon layers, and also results in a relatively smoother chip surface. However, this approach has an important drawback in that the resistivity of the resistive element regions and the interconnect regions are somewhat related. It has heretofore been difficult to form both very high resistance and very low resistance regions in a single polycrystalline silicon layer.
It would be desirable to provide a structure and method for fabricating very high resistance and very low resistance regions in a single polycrystalline silicon layer. It would be further desirable for a technique to form such regions to be compatible with current technology, and add a minimal amount of complexity to device process flows.

Resistive load for integrated circuit devices


A composition containing a Bowman-Birk Inhibitor for the treatment of inflammation is provided. Methods of using this composition in the treatment of IBD and hepatic inflammation are also provided.

This invention relates to a composition and method for the treatment of inflammatory disease.
Protease inhibitors are classes of compounds commonly found in many different types of foods, such as legumes, cereals, nuts, fruits and vegetables. One of the best characterized protease inhibitors is the Bowman Birk Inhibitor (BBI) which is derived from soybeans. It is a 71 amino acid chain with 7 disulfide bonds that binds 1:1 with trypsin and chymotrypsin at different binding sites and has a molecular weight of approximately 8000.
In vivo and in vitro studies of protease inhibitors, and BBI in particular, have shown them to be effective anticarcinogenic agents. It has been shown that the enzymeinhibitor described by Bowman, Proc. Soc. Exptl. Med. 1946, 63, 547 and Birk et al., Bull. Res. Council Israel 1962, Sec. 1, 11, 48 and Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1963, 67, 326, and subsequently referred to as the Bowman-Birk Inhibitor (BBI), possesses certain physiological activity that prevents, or at least greatly reduces, radiologically or chemically induced malignant transformation of cells in culture and in experimental animals.
Yavelow et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 1985, 82, 5395-5399, reported that a crude soybean extract, if defatted with acetone, effectively blocked cell transformation in vitro. These observations, with epidemiological data, suggested BBI as a putative dietary anticarcinogen, particularly with respect to colon cancer.
Weed et al., Carcinogenesis 1985, 6, 1239-1241, disclose that an extract of soybeans containing the Bowman-Birk protease inhibitor added to the diet of dimethylhydrazine (DMH)-treated mice resulted in a significant suppression of adenomatous tumors of the colonic mucosa. DMH-induced colon cancer in mice is generally regarded as an excellent animal model for the human disease, with carcinogen treatment inducing adenocarcinomas of the colon and rectum which are similar to the tumors arising in the human colon suggesting the possibility that a dietary additive of the sort studied might confer some protection against the development of human colon cancer without undesirable side effects. The BBI extract and methods for its preparation were as described by Yavelow et al., Cancer Res. 1983, 43, 2454-2459; Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 1985, 82, 5395-5399.
Messadi et al., JNCI 1986, 76,447-452 demonstrated that a soybean extract containing the protease inhibitor BBI suppresses 7, 12-dimethyl-benz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-induced carcinogenesis in the hamster cheek pouch. This oral cancer model has the same histopathology, growth pattern and precancerous lesions as the most common form of human oral cancer, squamous cell carcinoma. It was shown in this study that hamster cheek pouch carcinogenesis can be inhibited by BBI and suggested that human oral carcinogenesis might respond to BBI in a comparable manner. The BBI preparation used in this study was a crude extract of the inhibitor prepared as described by Yavelow et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 1985, 82, 5395-5399.
Baturay et al., Cell Biology and Toxicology 1986, 2, 21-32 disclose that a BBI preparation, wherein a crude soybean extract is defatted with acetone, suppresses radiation and chemically induced transformation in vitro, with or without enhancement by the co-carcinogen, pyrene. Yavelow et al., 1985, show that either pure BBI or the BBI extract prepared in accordance with their methods suppresses radiation induced transformation in C3H10T1/2 cells. Kennedy et al., 1984, report that either pure BBI or the BBI extract prepared in accordance with their method reduce the levels of chromosome abnormalities in cells of patients with Bloom's syndrome (a genetic disease in which the high levels of chromosome abnormalities are thought to predispose the patients to a higher than normal cancer incidence). Still, other studies suggest that soybean-derived protease inhibitors can have suppressive effects on skin, breast and liver carcinogenesis in vivo.
Kennedy et al. in Anticarcinogenesis and Radiation Protection, edited by Cerutti et al., Plenum Pub. Co. 1987, pp. 285-295, disclose that BBI suppresses carcinogenesis in various systems using a crude BBI extract prepared by defatting soybeans with acetone. Their results suggested that very low concentrations of BBI-type protease inhibitor preparations would be effective as chemopreventive agents for colon cancer. There was no evidence to suggest that the use of protease inhibitors as chemopreventive agents would be complicated by possible toxicity problems.
St. Clair et al., Cancer Res. 1990, 50, 580-586, report that the addition of 0.5% or 0.1% semi-purified BBI to the diet of DMH-treated mice resulted in a statistically significant suppression of angiosarcomas and nodular hyperplasia of the liver and colon carcinogenesis. The results of this study also indicate that BBI, included as 0.5% of the diet or less had no adverse effect upon the health of the mice but had the capacity to suppress liver and colon carcinogenesis.
A soybean extract enriched in BBI, termed Bowman-Birk inhibitor concentrate (BBIC), has achieved Investigational New Drug Status from the Food and Drug Administration and human trials to evaluate it as a human cancer chemotherapeutic agent have begun.
Frenkel et al. Carcinogenesis 1987, 8(9), 1207-1212 monitored formation of H.sub.2 O.sub.2 by 12-O-tetradenoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-activated polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) in the absence or presence of protease inhibitors and/or superoxide dismutase (SOD). Protease inhibitors tested include potato inhibitors 1 (PtI-1) and 2 (PtI-2), a chymotrypsin inhibitory fragment of PtI-2 (PCI-2), chicken ovoinhibitor (COI), turkey ovomucoid ovoinhibitor (TOOI), Bowman-Birk inhibitor (BBI), lima bean inhibitor (LBI) and soybean (Kunitz) trypsin inhibitor (SPTI). The order of activity, as measured by inhibition of H.sub.2 O.sub.2 formation, was PtI-1.gtoreq.PCI-2>PtI-2>COI>BBI>TOOI>LBI>SBTI thus showing that protease inhibitors specific for chymotrypsin, but not those that are trypsin-specific, are capable of inhibiting formation of active oxygen species during the oxidative burst of stimulated human PMNs. BBI was characterized as an inhibitor of both chymotrypsin and trypsin.
Perlmann et al., Methods in Enzymology 1970, 19,860-861, have described an elaborate method for obtaining BBI from a defatted soybean extract.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,996 (Kennedy et al.) discloses a process comprising treating soybeans with acetone, followed by ethanol extraction and acetone precipitation for obtaining BBI. The soybeans may be defatted prior to acetone treatment. In addition, BBI may be further purified by conventional techniques. Kennedy et al. discovered that in the conventional process for preparing BBI from soybeans, a factor remained which adversely affected the ability of BBI to inhibit the malignant transformation of cells. If the factor was removed, the resulting BBI product was capable of inhibiting the malignant transformation of cells. It was found to be possible to remove this factor by treating the soybeans with acetone prior to the ethanol extraction step taught by Perlmann et al.
Kennedy et al. teach that it is unnecessary to carry out a procedure requiring complete purification of the extract to the point where the product contains only a single protein. Instead, they found it effective to stop the purification procedure at a point where a crude inhibitor extract is obtained. This crude extract is itself edible and can be used as an inhibitor of malignant transformation of cells, for example, by oral ingestion. Kennedy et al. disclose a process for preparing a crude soybean extract containing an inhibitor of malignant cell transformation which comprises defatting soybeans and extracting said inhibitor from said defatted soybeans.
While the anti-carcinogenic activity of BBI is known, its anti-inflammatory effects were, until now, unknown.

Bowman-Birk Inhibitor compositions for treatment of inflammatory disease

The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania


A process and apparatus are disclosed for hydrocracking a hydrocarbon feed in a hydrocracking unit and hydrotreating a vaporous hydrocracked stream. The hydrotreated effluent stream can be separated and stripped to produce a ULSD stream fit for storage without further processing. The hydrocracked liquid stream can be stripped and fractionated to produce a diesel stream that can be transported to the hydrotreating unit.

Hydrocracking refers to a process in which hydrocarbons crack in the presence of hydrogen and catalyst to lower molecular weight hydrocarbons. Depending on the desired output, the hydrocracking unit may contain one or more beds of the same or different catalyst. Hydrocracking is a process used to crack hydrocarbon feeds such as vacuum gas oil (VGO) to diesel including kerosene and gasoline motor fuels.
Mild hydrocracking (MHC) is generally used upstream of a fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) or other process unit to improve the quality of an unconverted oil that can be fed to the downstream conversion unit, while converting part of the feed to lighter products such as diesel. As world demand for diesel motor fuel is growing relative to gasoline motor fuel, mild hydrocracking is being considered for biasing the product slate in favor of diesel at the expense of gasoline. Mild hydrocracking may be operated with less severity than partial or full conversion hydrocracking to balance production of diesel with the FCC unit, which primarily is used to make naphtha. Partial or full conversion hydrocracking is used to produce diesel with less yield of the unconverted oil which can be fed to a downstream conversion unit.
Due to environmental concerns and newly enacted rules and regulations, saleable diesel must meet lower and lower limits on contaminates, such as sulfur and nitrogen. New regulations require essentially complete removal of sulfur from diesel. For example, the ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD) requirement is typically less than 10 wppm sulfur.
Hydrotreating refers to a process in which olefins and aromatics are saturated and heteroatoms, such as sulfur, nitrogen and metals are removed from the hydrocarbon feedstock over catalyst in the presence of hydrogen. Hydrotreating is an essential step in the production of ULSD.
Hydroprocessed streams are typically stripped with an inert gas such as steam to remove volatile ammonia and hydrogen sulfide to reduce sulfur and nitrogen concentration in the product fuel stream. Stripped hydroprocessed streams are then fractionated to provide product fuel streams.
MHC reactors are typically operated at low to moderate conversion and lower pressures than higher conversion hydrocrackers, so the distillate produced from MHC units can be high in sulfur, such as 20 to 150 wppm sulfur, because the environment in the MHC reactor has a high concentration of hydrogen sulfide. In addition, the high concentration of ammonia in the MHC reactor reduces hydrocracking activity requiring higher operating temperatures further limiting organosulfur conversion. As a result, diesel from the MHC reactor must be also treated in a hydrotreating unit to achieve ULSD.
There is a continuing need for improved methods of producing more diesel from hydrocarbon feedstocks than gasoline. Such methods must ensure that the diesel product meets increasingly stringent product requirements.

Process for producing diesel from a hydrocarbon stream


An automatic focusing apparatus includes a focus lens, an image sensing circuit, a circuit for generating a focus evaluating value in response to a video signal from image sensing circuit, a hill-climbing control circuit, a focus motor for moving focus lens in response to a control signal from hill-climbing control circuit, and a circuit for detecting the position of focus motor. The focus evaluating value generating circuit includes an A/D converter, a digital HPF, a digital integrator for integrating the level of the high frequency component in a digital luminance signal in response to a control signal from an integration period setting circuit and sequentially supplies the resultant value as a focus evaluating value to the hill-climbing control circuit for every field, and a timer circuit for producing a reset signal at H level. Thus, after passage of prescribed time period from the end of the horizontal blanking period, a reset signal is applied to digital HPF, delay register in the digital HPF is set to zero, and the digital HPF is reset. Ringing due to a rising in the horizontal blanking period disappears, part of ringing will not be integrated, and therefore accurate automatic focusing operation can be performed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to automatic focusing apparatuses, and more specifically, to an automatic focusing apparatus for automatically matching the focus to an object in response to a video signal obtained from an image sensor, in an image sensing apparatus such as a video camera having an automatic focusing function.
2. Description of the Background Art
Conventionally, in an automatic focusing apparatus for use in an image sensing apparatus such as a video camera, an approach utilizing a video signal obtained from an image sensor itself for evaluation for the state of focus control has been developed. Such an approach is essentially free from parallax and possesses excellent characteristics that, for example, the focus can exactly be matched even if the depth of field is small and an object is located at a distance. Furthermore, according to this approach, a special sensor for automatic focusing does not have to be separately provided and therefore the apparatus is of a very simple mechanism.
As an example of such a focus control method utilizing a video signal, a so-called hill-climbing servo system has been conventionally known. An automatic focusing apparatus utilizing the hill-climbing servo system is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,922,346 and 5,003,339, and briefly stated, a high frequency component of a video signal from an image sensor is detected for every field as a focus evaluating value, the detected focus evaluating value is always compared with a focus evaluating value detected one field before, and a focus lens continues to be slightly vibrated so that the focus evaluating value always takes a maximum value.
In recent years, as digitization of signal processing circuitry, for example, in digital video tape recorders has developed, there are demands for digital automatic focusing circuitry.
For example, replacement of an analog high-pass filter (hereinafter referred to as HPF) in an automatic focusing circuit with a digital HPF is demanded. An infinite impulse response (IIR) filter would be suited for the digital HPF in such a case for its characteristic and in view of its circuit scale.
As illustrated in a timing chart in FIG. 10, for example, a video signal originally does not have a high frequency component when the picture plane is entirely white. Therefore, a digital HPF will output nothing in response to such a video signal.
However, the horizontal period (field period) of the video signal includes a horizontal blanking period for a horizontal retrace line, and the video signal has rising and falling edges before and after the horizontal blanking period. Accordingly, high frequency components for these edges are output from the digital HPF. Such a phenomenon is called ringing.
Especially when the digital HPF includes an IIR filter, an output signal from the HPF attenuates while ringing, but if the time constant of the HPF is large, integration is initiated before an output signal from the HPF is sufficiently attenuated. Thus, part of ringing is mixed into the focus evaluating value as a pseudo signal and adversely affects the focusing operation.
Meanwhile, when a signal processing circuit is digitized, power consumption is reduced. In that regard, a clock signal is supplied for operating the signal processing circuit only when it is necessary, and stopping the clock signal otherwise may be usually employed.
Therefore, an output signal from the HPF is not necessary other than in the period for integration in the automatic focusing circuit, and therefore as illustrated in FIG. 11, it is considered to provide a period for stopping the clock signal.
During the period in which the clock signal is stopped, the value of a delay register in the digital HPF does not change, and the delay register maintains the video signal level at a level that occurred immediately before the onset of the period during which the clock stopped period. Accordingly, if there is a difference between the level of a video signal immediately before the clock stopped period and the level of the video signal immediately after the clock stopped period, an edge V is substantially present at the end of the clock stopped period.
Under such a situation, a high frequency component due to edge V is output from the HPF similarly to the above-described case. If integration is initiated before the output signal from the HPF is sufficiently attenuated, part of the ringing is mixed into the focus evaluating value as a pseudo signal, similar to the above case, adversely affects the focusing operation.

Automatic focusing apparatus including improved digital high-pass filter


There is provided a technique of accessing a memory of a processor from a peripheral device, thereby the security is ensured while efficiency is being pursued. An address converter 14 includes an address conversion table for converting an effective address into a physical address. The address conversion table stores the effective address to which an area in a memory of a processor unit 10 is allocated to each peripheral device 30 and identification information of an access source to which access permission is given, in association with each other. When the peripheral device 30 accesses, the address converter 14 determines to permit access to the effective address under the condition that the device identification information, included in an access request packet, by which the peripheral device 30 can be uniquely identified, matches the identification information of the access source corresponding to the effective address, in the address conversion table, designated by the access request packet.

An information processing system is configured such that various types of peripheral devices are connected to a personal computer or server, via, for example, a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus.
It is conceivable to employ the DMA (Direct Memory Access) architecture for accessing a memory of the processor from a peripheral device in order to reduce the load of the processor. By doing this, areas to be used by peripheral devices are respectively allocated in a memory area of the processor, so that the peripheral devices can directly access the areas respectively allocated thereto.

Bridge, processor unit, information processing apparatus, and access control method


A driving apparatus for rotating a rotary table is described including a drive mechanism and a guide apparatus. The drive mechanism includes a drive roller which contacts a peripheral surface of the rotary table to rotate the table, a support element and a press-on element which hold the drive roller against the table and apply compensating forces which prevent the drive mechanism from applying distorting forces to the support bearings of the table. The drive mechanism is guided at the periphery of the table by a pair of guides which permit substantially friction free translation of the drive mechanism in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the table while preventing rotation of the drive mechanism or translation out of the plane.

The present invention relates to a drive mechanism for a rotary element, such as a rotary table, in which the drive mechanism engages the table circumference. Such rotary elements are used in various machines and in devices for angular adjustment or angular measurement.
It is a known practice to drive a rotary table from beneath the table by means of a compensating coupling secured to the axis of rotation of the table. This approach may isolate the table from transverse drive forces, but it is not always applicable, for it requires that the rotary table be accessible from below.
Another known practice is to drive a round table laterally. This approach, however, may apply transverse forces to the table, for any uncompensated drive foces must be absorbed by the table bearing. Such drive forces may produce deformations in the rotary bearings which may result in reduced precision of operation.
Swiss patent No. 538,110 discloses a lateral rotary table drive in which a drive rim provided on the table is clamped between a drive element and an opposed supporting element and both the drive element and the supporting element are aligned along a radius of the table. The drive element and the supporting element are both freely shiftable along the radial direction and are resiliently biased toward each other against the table rim. In this way no net radial force is exerted on the table bearing by the drive mechanism along the radius extending between the drive element and the table center; however, unbalanced forces are applied to the table rim in the direction perpendicular to the radius and these unbalanced forces must be absorbed by the table bearing.


An initially separate blank and pin, where the blank one is formed of powdered metal, and is joined to the pin compressing and locally densifying the blank so that a deviation from perpendicularity of the joined pin to the blank is less than or equal to approximately 0.00120" at a distance of approximately 0.4" from a planar first surface. In accordance with a further embodiment, the blank is formed of powder metal and is joined to the pin by compressing the blank so that for a process limit of approximately 0.00120" at a distance of approximately 0.4" from a planar first surface, a capability index of the joined pin to the blank is greater than or equal to approximately 2.00.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of, and an apparatus for, joining a powder metal blank to a pin. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of, and an apparatus for, joining a pin to a cover blank for use as an inlet cover of a fuel pump of an internal combustion engine.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
A joined disk-shaped blank and pin are known to be used in an intake chamber of an automotive fuel pump. The inlet cover has a pin on which a gerotor gear assembly is mounted. Thus, if the pin is not joined to the blank in an exact perpendicular relationship with respect to a central plane of the blank, heat will build up during the actuation of the pump because of friction and the motor will require more current to actuate the pump. In addition, reduced perpendicularity creates unacceptable noise and vibration.
A conventional method of making the joined blank and pin includes first separately making the blank and pin. Thereafter, the blank's two end face surfaces are lapped so that they are flat. A center hole is then accurately bored into the blank. The pin is then press fit to the blank in a separate conventional press fitting operation. A drawback of this method is that the degree of precision of the connection between the pin and the blank is not very high. As pointed out above, the pin should be perpendicular with respect to the flat planar surfaces of the blank. However, due to the low precision of the conventional manufacturing method, the pin is frequently not joined exactly perpendicular to the surface of the blank causing, inter alia, the pin to wear prematurely, reduced torque efficiency, excess noise during the operation of the fuel pump and the use of a larger amount of energy than is necessary to actuate the pump. In addition, the prior method is time consuming and costly because of the many steps required.

Apparatus for joining a powder metal blank to a pin


A device for separating gas mixtures having different molecular weights iudes a cylindrical central body having longitudinal deflection channels formed in a circumferential surface with a plurality of elongate separating elements being grouped about the periphery of the central body with each of the separating elements being formed on the side of each separating element facing the central body with a pair of tapered legs defining therebetween a concave prismatic channel. Each of the tapered legs extends into a deflection channel of the central body and terminal edges of the legs operate to generate a nozzle effect.

The invention relates generally to gas separation apparatus and more particularly to a separating device wherein separation of gas mixtures is accomplished by gas nozzle separation techniques or by utilizing the principle of separating nozzles.
The separation of gas or vapor mixtures in accordance with the separating nozzle principle is known. Because of different masses of the components of the mixture, deflection of an initial mixture of higher velocity will lead to different centrifugal forces and lighter fractions of the gas will follow a generally smaller flow radius than the heavier gas fractions. By means of gas peeler elements, the fractions may be thus conducted to different flow channels.
Techniques for constructing suitable devices for performing the separating methods are known and examples of prior art relating thereto are U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,668,080 and 4,033,021.
Difficulties arise in utilizing the separating nozzle method and the underlying basis for these difficulties resides especially in the necessity for achieving structural tolerances with economically feasible building techniques, the structural tolerances being in the range of 10.sup.-6 m. Furthermore, difficulties encountered relate to obtaining uniform gas supply to the separating region and an obtainable throughput through the separating apparatus.
The present invention is particularly directed to the task of providing an apparatus of the aforementioned type which will provide a longer length for the separating nozzles with the same overall structural size, as compared with structures known in the prior art. Moreover, the invention provides a device which is capable of insuring a uniform supply of gas to the separating nozzles and which will allow economical production techniques.

Apparatus for the separation of gas mixtures

Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung


A lens shape piezoelectric device which is thinner than the manufacture limit thickness, which is conventionally difficult to manufacture, and a method for manufacturing the same. The piezoelectric device has a oscillation part having at least two steps where one side thereof is planar and the opposite side is thickest at a peripheral holding portion and thinner toward the central portion. A piezoelectric element of another embodiment has an oscillation part of at least two steps where the peripheral holding portion is thickest on both sides and the thickness decreases toward the central portion. In these piezoelectric devices, at least one side of the thinnest central portion of the oscillation part has a convex lens shape. A pair of electrodes are vacuum deposited in the center of these oscillation parts on both sides, and a gold wire is led as a lead wire from each electrode.

1. Technical Field
This invention is related to a piezoelectric device and an acousto-electric transducer, and the method for manufacturing the same, which enables the characteristic frequency to be extremely higher.
2. Description of Related Art
Quartz oscillators (resonators), as one of piezoelectric devices, are used for a wide variety of application fields such as fundamental frequency generators of communication apparatus and sensing instrumentation and clock sources of general computers, office automation information equipment, home appliances, and so forth. It has been required for those characteristic frequencies to be higher by decreasing the thickness of their oscillators (resonators) in order to achieve the high performance of the information processing and transfer capabilities. Also the lens-line type finishing was proposed to produce higher quality oscillators (resonators), and these performances were accomplished for those relatively lower frequency domains.
Quartz oscillators are the essential electronic devices for digital machines such as communication equipment, computers, and so forth. It is demanded for those oscillators to increase the primary oscillation frequency by decreasing the thickness in order to achieve the high performance of the information processing and transfer abilities. Especially for mobile communication, the fundamental frequency is required to be higher for the small sizing and power saving management.
Quartz oscillators have been generally manufactured by the mechanical polishing and chemical wet etching processes. The former polishing shows the fine surface finish, however it cannot machine in lower than 30 μm. The latter etching has the advantage of decreasing deteriorated surface in principle, but it has the limitation of thickness due to the etching channel generation and so forth. On the other hand, the reactive ion etching (RIE), inductive coupled plasma etching (ICP) or plasma-etching process (abbreviated as chemical dry etching) makes the damaged surface layer, however the dry etching allows the device to be thin without the inconvenient surface roughness.
The novel mass-productive manufacturing method of high frequency quartz oscillator is developed, by combining efficiently the advantages of these processes. However the problem of reducing the thickness of those oscillators (resonators) by the dual-face polishing method (dual-face polishing machine) is presently incapable reducing the thickness to less than 30.0 μm (=55.6 MHz).
Furthermore, when oscillators were finishing in lens shape, it was extremely difficult to make the curved surface on the thin plate, and there existed no machining method of mass production with low cost.

Piezoelectric device and acousto-electric transducer and method for manufacturing the same


Organopolysiloxane sheet or tube polymers are made by contacting a sheet or tube silicate with an alkenyl group containing chlorosilane to form an alkenylsiloxy polymer, and subsequently contacting the alkenylsiloxy sheet or tube polymer with a hydrosilane or hydrosiloxane in the presence of a hydrosilation catalyst, to catalyze a reaction between the alkenyl group on the alkenylsiloxy polymer and hydride functionality on the hydrosilane or hydrosiloxane. Silylalkoxysiloxane sheet or tube polymers are made by contacting a sheet or tube silicate with an acidic solution of an alkenyl alcohol to form a polymeric sheet or tube alkenyloxysiloxane, and subsequently contacting the alkenyloxysiloxane with a hydrosilane or hydrosiloxane in the presence of a hydrosilation catalyst, to catalyze a reaction between the alkenyl group on the alkenyloxysiloxane and hydride functionality on the hydrosilane or hydrosiloxane.

This invention is directed to silicone compounds, and methods of making silicate-based sheet and tube type siloxane polymers.
Silicones are made from silica by reducing it in an electric furnace to silicon metal, i.e. EQU SiO.sub.2 +2 C.fwdarw.Si+2 CO
The silicon metal is treated with RCl, typically methyl chloride, in the "Direct Process", as the basis of commercial production, i.e. EQU Si+2 RCl.fwdarw.R.sub.2 SiCl.sub.2
Hydrolysis of the organochlorosilanes gives siloxane structures which are used in the manufacture of many silicone products, i.e. EQU nMe.sub.2 SiCl.sub.2 +2nH.sub.2 O.fwdarw.n[Me.sub.2 Si(OH).sub.2 ]+2nHCl.fwdarw.n[Me.sub.2 Si(OH).sub.2 ].fwdarw.HO(Me.sub.2 SiO).sub.n H+(n-1) H.sub.2 O
Alternative routes to silicones involving the preparation of silicone polymers from silicate materials are embodied in U.S. Pat. No. 3,661,846 (May 9, 1972). This invention is an improvement and furtherance of the efforts described in the '846 patent to find other unique approaches in the manufacture of silicones.


The circuit according to the invention comprises a circuit for receiving an input signal, the amplitude of which is proportional to the frequency of input signal; amplifier for providing an amplified output signal; bandwidth tracking located between input circuit and amplifier and defining a low-pass filtering stage and a voltage divider network, bandwidth tracking being controlled by servo in response to the output of amplifier, so that the upper cutoff frequency of low-pass filtering stage varies in a proportionate manner with the frequency of input signal and so that the amplitude of amplified output signal remains substantially constant.

The desirability for "bandwidth tracking" as disclosed herein arises from a system requiring maximum signal-to-noise ratio in conjunction with a rather large range in operating frequency, such as a magnetic recording/play back system. A fixed bandwidth (upper cutoff frequency) based on maximum operating frequency would result in comparatively poor signal-to-noise ratio at the minimum operating frequency. Alternatively, a fixed bandwidth based on minimum operating frequency would be inadequate for higher frequency operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,446,493 discloses a variable frequency response equalizer which varies the time constant associated with the equalizer based on amplified signal. The magnitude of the time constant is reduced when the level of the signal amplified becomes lower than a predetermined value. Such a solution, as well as the approaches described in other patents of interest, i.e. U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,152, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,633,200 present the drawback of requiring very complex and sophisticated circuitry comprising transistors, delay means, switchable networks, voltage controlled amplifiers, etc.

Circuit for controlling the overall upper cutoff frequency of an amplifier stage


A system includes a bearing assembly configured to be coupled to a compressor of a gas turbine engine and to receive an end of a torque shaft assembly, a bearing housing, and a circumferential bearing. The circumferential bearing includes a split race and a ball disposed within the split race. The circumferential bearing may be configured to be removed from the bearing housing without having to remove the torque shaft assembly from the compressor.

The subject matter disclosed herein relates to gas turbine engines, and more specifically to, a bearing assembly.
Gas turbine engines generally include a compressor, a combustor, and a turbine. Some gas turbine engines include variable stator vanes (VSVs). For example, the compressor may include variable compressor stator vanes coupled to a torque shaft assembly associated with an actuator. The torque shaft assembly and associated actuator enable and coordinate movement of the variable compressor stator vanes.
The bearings may show accelerated wear after operation over time. The torque shaft assembly is coupled to the compressor via bearing assemblies. Removal and/or replacement of the worn bearings typically involves having to remove the entire torque shaft assembly.


The present invention discloses a tongue and mouth stud for dispensing a substance such as a chemical, breath freshener, pleasant flavor, or medication into the mouth of a wearer. This tongue and mouth stud includes a means for dispensing a substance comprised of an internal cavity for storing and dispensing the substance contained within through one or more openings in the surface of the tongue stud that are contiguous with the internal cavity. Furthermore, the means for dispensing a substance may include a sponge positioned within the internal cavity of the mouth and tongue stud.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains generally to ornamental jewelry inserted and worn by a person or animal after body piercing. More specifically, the present invention pertains to mouth and tongue studs, a type of ornamental jewelry comprised of a metal or plastic bar with removable balls at the ends that can be inserted into an artificially formed fistulous tract previously created in the mouth or tongue of the wearer. The present invention specifically improves upon the prior art mouth and tongue stud by providing a means for dispensing a substance such as chemicals, breath fresheners, pleasant flavors, or medications to the wearer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Body piercing is a longstanding human tradition and for years many people have worn jewelry such as earrings that are inserted into an artificially created fistulous tract. In recent years, the popularity of other kinds of body pierced jewelry has grown to include nose rings, belly button rings, genital rings, and tongue studs. The typical tongue stud (600) as shown in FIG. 11 consists of a simple solid bar (610), made of metal or plastic that attaches via male threads (612) to female threads (625) of recess (623) in solid ball (620) at each end of the tongue stud (600). Each solid ball (620) is also made of metal or plastic. The shape of solid ball (620) is generally spherical although other shapes such as pyramids and square box shapes have been employed. Furthermore, the bar (610) may be straight, curved, or corkscrew in shape. When in use, the bar (610) rests in a fistulous tract (f) in the wearers tongue (T). It is noted that tongue studs may be mounted in other parts of the wearer's mouth such as the front lower lip. The bar (610) is held in place in the wearers tongue or in a wearer's lip by the solid balls (620). To place or remove the tongue stud (600), at least one of the solid balls (620) must be screwed off of the bar (610) so that the bar (610) may slide out of the fistulous tract (f). The main function of the prior art tongue stud is ornamentation. Another function of the prior art tongue stud is to enhance tactile stimulation during human sexual activities.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Tongue and mouth stud for dispensing a substance


A steam pressing iron having a soleplate presenting an ironing surface and having steam outlet openings; a steam generating structure disposed adjacent the soleplate and defining a water vaporization chamber having a bottom surface; a device for heating water in the vaporization chamber; a covering of a material selected to promote vaporization of water disposed on the bottom surface of the vaporization chamber; and a screen disposed above the covering for distributing water across the covering.

The present invention relates to the general field of vaporizing apparatus, and particularly to steam-pressing irons in which it is necessary to assure the vaporization of a liquid before its expulsion in the form of steam.
The invention is particularly concerned with steam irons of the type having a pressing soleplate, heating means and a vaporization chamber provided with a coating which promotes the vaporization of the pressing liquid, which is generally water.
As is known in fields relating to the generation of steam, water droplets projected onto a hot surface tend to resist vaporization and to remain in the form of liquid droplets and to circulate rapidly and in a random manner across the surface. This phenomenon is known as calefaction.
It is already known in the art to improve the quality of the vaporization of water by applying to the bottom of the vaporization chamber of the iron a coating, such as of sodium silicate. This product, or other equivalent products, are known for their hydrophilic and wettability properties which assure a spreading and a distribution of the water across the bottom of the vaporization chamber. One thus obtains a better vaporization of the water, which translates into a reduction in the expulsion of water in liquid form through steam passages formed in the soleplate.
Experience has shown that the use of such coatings is not sufficient to assure an effective vaporization, in particular in modern pressing irons which are constructed to produce high steam outputs, for example equal to or greater than 30 grams per minute. Thus, coatings of the sodium silicate type have a resistance to thermal shocks which is less than totally desirable, and a limited adherence to the bottom of the vaporization chamber. There has also been noted a marked tendency for the materials employed for such coatings to dissolve in water, thereby significantly reducing the useful life of the pressing irons.
In addition, it is known in the prior art, as disclosed for example in German Laid-Open Application (DE-OS) A-3 006 783, to dispose a screen of metal wires directly on the bottom of a vaporization chamber.
The provision of such a screen, however, does not sufficiently limit the phenomenon of calefaction and the vaporization performance is thus found to be insufficient for use in an iron which must generate a substantial quantity of steam.
It has moreover also been noted that the manipulations performed on a pressing iron during ironing cause the body of water contained in the vaporization chamber to experience continuous movements. Such movements interfere with a good distribution of the water and have a negative influence on the quantity of steam generated.

Water distribution screen on a coated steam iron vaporization chamber


A system for identifying an individual is determined either by generating an identification profile based on a distinctive biometric characteristic possessed by that person (e.g. voice analysis, finger print, facial scan, DNA etc.), or by means of verifying some digital "signature" representation assigned to that person. The biometric information or digital signature may then be used in a variety of functions to enhance both the security and convenience of conducting electronic transactions. The system may provide an algorithm for creating a PIN number for use as a preliminary or secondary identification steps, and/or an algorithm for generating unique tone codes for use in personal identification via telephone or modem. Further, security of online transactions may be greatly improved by placing access key information in a medium outside the computer host or client. The system further provides a device that facilitates a user's ability to change codes or methods of generating codes instantly, without having to contact their bank, credit card company, etc."

As the computer age has progressed in recent years, there has been a vast increase in the use of private electronic transactions. Banks, credit card companies and other financial institutions offer a wide variety of options and services that may now be conducted online. The ever expanding Internet has brought computerized home shopping to the forefront of cyber-technology. Consumers may now conduct a majority of their financial business in numerous ways that either did not exist, or were not available for use by the general public as little as five years ago. Some examples of such transactions include computerized home banking, the use of automatic teller machines, computerized stock transactions, credit or debit based product dispensers, security entrances, telephone access and transactions, long distance calling cards, identification cards (including any such card used for services like health care, insurance, automobile service accounts, etc.), and even secure transactions over the Internet.
The essence of any secret transaction, whether financial or not, is the ability to keep it private and secure from potential theft. Although computerization of transactions and improvements in technology have increased the ease with which consumers may conduct these private transactions, the nature of the technology is such that the information, when transmitted electronically, can be intercepted and used for criminal purposes. Consequently, as the usage of these kinds of electronic transactions has increased, a need for improved systems and methods to ensure their security has increased as well. Completion of most electronic financial transactions requires the use of a password or personal identification number (PIN) that identifies a person as one authorized to conduct a specific transaction. For example, most automatic teller machine (ATM) cards have a magnetic strip that, when read by the ATM computer, identifies the bank and the account to be accessed. The machine then asks for entry of the PIN which has been assigned to that account. If the correct PIN code is entered, the user may access the bank account to conduct a variety of transactions, including, withdrawals, deposits or requesting account statements.
There are several drawbacks to this approach. First, the PIN must be chosen when the account is opened, and may only be changed by bank personnel upon request by the user. Therefore, a person who hasn't realized that her ATM card was stolen may go days without requesting a new PIN number to be assigned to her account. During that time, the thief who stole her card may have discovered the PIN number, and made unauthorized withdrawals from her account. Second, the "choose-your-own" PIN code system is not sufficiently unique to provide adequately reliable identification. A person not the owner of an account who obtains knowledge of a PIN code may easily gain unauthorized access to that account because, all she or he needs to do is discover the four digit PIN code number associated with that account. While there are thousands of possible permutations or combinations of digits that could make up any one PIN code, the actual code is not specifically unique to that person. For example, two or more bank accounts at the same bank could theoretically have the same PIN code. As long as the correct PIN code is entered for the account sought to be accessed, the system does not care if the entered PIN code could also access other accounts as well, because it only focuses on the specific account number received from the ATM card's magnetic strip. The major fault with this system is that it does not truly identify the account holder, but allows access to anyone holding the card who also enters the correct identification number. In other words, the current system merely assumes that if the individual who attempts to use the card knows the correct PIN number, then that person is authorized to access the account. Therefore, the PIN code system does not offer the flexibility, security, and uniqueness that other forms of identification may offer. Specifically, the PIN code system cannot distinguish between users actually authorized to access the account, and unauthorized users that have discovered the correct PIN code.
In typical applications which require the use of a pass key to facilitate access, users are issued a key that contains a specific, pre-determined access code stored on a magnetic strip or other such storage device, and which de-activates a locking mechanism, alarm system, or other such device and allows the key holder to access whatever secure objective was being protected. Again, this method of restricting access provides flawed security because it fails to provide a means for positively identifying the user as an authorized user as a condition precedent to granting access to the secure objective.
Others have attempted to solve the security problem by creating means for identification based on a biometric character trait unique to specific users. Such character traits may include voice identification, fingerprint analysis, retina scan, DNA analysis, or other biometric characteristic. By utilizing technology which analyzes these types of character traits, systems have been developed which can more accurately identify specific persons. For example, the invention disclosed in Parra, teaches a method and apparatus for identifying a particular individual based on the uniqueness of the acoustic characteristics of his/her voice. According to Parra, the voice characteristics of the user are stored on a magnetic strip on the back of a card. When the card is inserted into the interface, the user is prompted to speak a word. The spoken word is then digitized and its acoustic characteristics compared to a stored digital version of the word. If the characteristics of the stored word match those of the spoken word, the user may be granted access.
There are several drawbacks to this approach. First, while the Parra invention attempts to address the security issue regarding uniqueness of identification characteristics, it does not address flexibility of use. The Parra system, like the PIN code system requires the use of a pre-programmed word or phrase that is compared to the spoken word or phrase. Parra offers no built-in ability to change the access word or phrase without going through bank personnel. Further, the Parra invention does not address tying the voice-identification to the generation of voice pattern-based numeric, alphanumeric or telephone tone codes for use in applications like telephone long distance credit cards, or Internet passwords, which would allow more widespread use of the identification technology. Finally, the Parra invention is specifically limited to a voice identification technology system, rather than relating to a non-platform specific system.
Online systems, such as those disclosed in the June, 1997 issue of Byte magazine (volume 22, number 6, pp. 70-80) rely on digital signatures, digital certificates and server-based verification of smart card electronic signatures in creating a high level of security for financial transactions and other secured access applications. These systems involve high-end algorithmic encoding of identification numbers which may then be sent to and from clients and servers during the authorization process. These systems, while providing high levels of security are not fool proof.
For "hash" signatures, both the client and server must have the access key to complete the encoding and decoding of the hashed data. This means that a security breach at either end (client or server) may result in a hacker's ability to obtain a forgery of the access key, and thereby, access to the client's restricted data or accounts.
Public-key algorithms, provide better security in that the server does not need to have a copy of the access key to verify a digital signature. The private key algorithms used to encode the data are known only to the client encryptor. However, the system of encoding and decoding is set up such that the server side can use a different decoder algorithm to verify the encoded signature. Therefore, the access key remains significantly more secure than a hash based signature, because it is only known to the client side, while the server can still authenticate it. Public-key algorithms, however, do not assure that the person using the key is the actual owner, rather than a forgery. The key is actually just a number; it bears no resemblance to the particular user, and carries no personal or unique data about the user. Further, the public key system requires a great deal of support and infrastructure, particularly in maintaining databases of all active and revoked certificates or keys.

Portable system for personal identification based upon distinctive characteristics of the user


A corrugated building component and system includes a corrugated panel made up of fluted layers of sheet material. The flutes form open passages to receive connecting rods which may extend from one panel and into an adjacent panel, locking the panels together. The panels also include rabbeted edges that interfit, along with the connecting rods to produce a structural unit. A base plate or footing is described within the system with upright tie rods used to secure the assembled panels to the footing or base plate. Top, bottom, and end plates may be provided on sides and ends of elongated panels, to be joined with connecting members and reinforcing connectors.

There has been a constant need for portable shelters that are easily and quickly erected and that may be broken down for storage in a compact condition. Tents have been used in the past with only marginal success. The canvas or other flexible material does not provide adequate insulation, and the tent materials are quite heavy and awkward to handle.
Small, portable buildings have been designed and constructed in the past, some of which are readily assembled. However, the building components for such construction are quite heavy and bulky, thereby causing a storage problem.
The present building component and system provides an answer to the portable building problems presented above, through a system making use of corrugated material construction. Corrugated sheet material panels include internal fluted layers, the flutes of which form open channels. The panels are rabbeted at edges, and the channels are oriented with respect to the rabbeted edges such that successive panels may be connected together along the rabbeted edges and secured by connecting rods that extend through channels in one panel member into similar channels of the remaining panel member.


A recording material for electrophotographic printing methods from a base paper coated on both sides with synthetic resin and having a toner-receiving layer arranged on at least one side, containing a water-soluble or water-dispersible binder in the toner-receiving layer, preferably an ethylene-acrylate polymer or an ethylene-acrylate copolymer, a finely particulate inorganic pigment and an antistatic component, such that images using both liquid toners and dry toners can be produced with this recording material, identical in both appearance and haptics to silver halide photographs.

The laser printer is based on the principle of electrophotography. In electrophotography, a latent image is generated from electric charges by imaging, i.e., exposing a photoconductor with the optical image of an original document, and then using this latent image subsequently to apply a toner selectively (developing) and to produce an image (copy) of the original on paper, for example. A distinction is made between direct and indirect electrophotography as well as between wet and dry electrophotography. The wet methods, also known as liquid toner methods, use a suspension of the toner in an aliphatic solvent having a low dielectric constant and as the developer, whereas the dry method uses a toner powder. Using a bundled laser beam and a rotating mirror, an image of the desired page is recorded on the photosensitive drum. The drum has a negative charge at first, so the charge is cancelled at locations where the laser beam strikes. The shape of the discharged areas on the drum corresponds to that in the subsequent printout. The toner is applied to the drum via a roller using negatively charged toner which adheres to the discharged areas on the drum.
In the dry toner method, the paper is then guided over the drum, barely touching the drum in passing over it. A potential field is built up behind the paper. The toner is transferred to the paper, where it is initially in loose form. The toner is then fused under pressure with the help of a hot roller. The drum is discharged and excess toner is removed from it.
In the liquid toner method, the toner suspension is first transferred to a heated rubber cylinder or belt on which the liquid carrier evaporates and the toner is plastified. The toner image is then transferred from this intermediate drum to the recording sheet.
The images created with the help of a laser printer should achieve a quality comparable to that of a photograph. This includes properties such as gloss, stiffness and opacity, a high resolution and definition as well as a good light fastness.
Multilayer coated papers having an "open" porous surface on both sides are described in the publication by HP (Hannelore Breuer): Expertise in Printing: The New Laser Papers from HP (dated May 13, 2005, available at
h41131.www4.hp.com/Backgrounder_Neue_Laser-Papiere.pdf
(status of 31 Aug. 2010). However, images produced using such paper have a different surface gloss and significantly different haptics in comparison with traditional silver halide images.
To come closer to the goal of a photographic quality, electrophotographically generated images are produced on carrier materials that have the haptics and appearance of a typical silver salt photograph. DE 44 35 350 C1 describes an image-receiving material for electrophotography comprising a base paper coated with thermoplastics and a toner-receiving layer plus an antistatic rear side layer. One disadvantage of this method is that it requires further improvement with regard to toner fixation and the behaviour in the printer. In addition, after an image has been printed, such materials have interfering glossy spots originating from the oily substances which are frequently used as releasing agents in toner formulations.

Recording material for electrophotographic printing method


A computer-readable medium bearing computer-executable instructions which, when executed on a computer, carry out a method for handling a request for an operating system service is presented. The method comprises receiving a request for execution of an operating system service. The corresponding operating system service is then identified. A unique service identifier that corresponds to the requested operating system service is obtained. A service thread is generated, the thread being associated with an executing process. Storage associated with the service thread is initialized with the unique service identifier. Thereafter, the execution of the service thread is initiated.

Operating systems, especially those directed to personal computers, have made substantial sophisticated and technological advances in a relatively short period of time. These advances have corresponded to advances in computer processing technology, such as hardware process switching, multi-tasking, multi-threading, and the like. Whereas on generations of personal computers their operating system supported one user process in which a user could execute one program at a time, in current operating systems, multiple programs and processes execute simultaneously or, at least, in an apparently simultaneous manner, taking advantage of the abilities of the hardware as well as advanced programming techniques.
As those skilled in the art will appreciate, in order to manage the execution of programs or modules on a computer, each program executes with a predefined structure, imposed by the operating system, which is referred to hereafter as a process. Of course, each operating system designed is free to name its structures as desired. As such, some operating systems refer to their structures as tasks, while others may have yet other names. Thus, for the sake of clarity, the term process defines the fundamental structure used by an operating system to execute a software module. A process contains the resources (e.g., memory, register values, stack space, temporary disk space, communication channels, and the like) that are requested by an application and allocated to it by the operating system. Thus, in a multi-processing (or multi-tasking) operating system, multiple programs or modules may be running simultaneously.
Another advance in operating system technology (which generally also corresponds to advances in computer hardware technology), is the use of threads. As is well known in the art, programs are now written such that multiple aspects of the program may be executing simultaneously. This is especially true, though not the exclusive domain, of programs structured and written to take advantage of numerous object-oriented programming functionalities. Unlike a process, a thread represents a unit of execution for a given process. Generally speaking, while a process represents a "job" that an operating system performs, a thread represents one of a potentially many sub-tasks necessary to complete the job. Moreover, when a process is created, it is created with a main thread. Subsequently, that main thread may create other threads for multiplexing various sub-tasks.
The thread construct is very lightweight with regard to system resources. It has an execution context, but very little else. This is in contrast to the process, which is allocated all of the resources necessary to execute the program, as well as the resources requested by the program. The thread, being a unit of execution of a process, has access to the resources allocated to the process. There is a one to many relationship between processes and threads: each process has one or more threads or execution points.
As is well known in the art, operating systems provide a wide array of services to a user. These services include broad categories such as, but not limited to, file I/O, communication and/or networking services, graphics display services, timers, peripheral interfaces, and the like. Indeed, a quick check of processes and threads executing on an "idle" computer system, i.e., one in which the user has not executed any application, reveals that the computer system, in fact, is running many processes. Many services, including operating system services, are running even on an "idle" computer.
Generally, operating system developers are keenly aware that processes take up more system resources than do threads. They are further aware that if they are to provide a process for each service that must execute on an operational system, the amount of resources that would be required is staggering. Moreover, there would be significant performance issues due to the overhead of scheduling a process corresponding to each service. To compensate, at least some operating system providers group various operating system services into a single process. These processes have multiple entry points, each entry point corresponding to a service provided by the operating system which will be executed by a thread. In this manner, the operating system provider can continue to offer its wide variety of services to other applications operating on the computer system without incurring substantial resource or performance overhead for each service available. Microsoft Corporation's Windows family of operating systems, such as Windows XP, combines multiple operating system services into a single process, where each service is executed by one or more threads associated with the process.
When instantiating a process, the operating system will allocate the resources necessary for the corresponding program to run, and also load at least a portion of the program into memory. However, the entire program need not be loaded, especially when the program is large and is broken into various modules or libraries. When code in those libraries is needed, a fault is generated which causes them to be loaded into memory, and then execution continues. Operating system services are frequently implemented such that if they are requested, the code corresponding to that service is loaded into the process and a thread begins execution at the requested entry point.
One aspect of processes is that the operating system assigns each process a unique identifier. These process identifiers (PIDs) are useful for a variety of reasons, and especially when tracking/tracing the execution of the processes on the computer system. Tracking or tracing processes executing on the computer system are frequently performed to identify bottlenecks in the computer system, perform system modeling, identify which processes are performing which actions (such as identifying a rogue process that opens unsecured ports on the computer), and the like.
Operating system services are the frequent target of malware—malicious software whose intent is to corrupt, destroy, perform identity theft, or otherwise harm the computer or the computer user. Malware includes Trojan horses, worms, bots, and viruses that individually or collectively subject a computer or computer network to various types of attacks, both internal and external, resulting in data and identity thefts, loss of data, denial of service attacks, and the like. Quite often it is the object of malware to first corrupt one or more operating system services on a computer system. Once a service is corrupted, a request is made to the corrupt service which is then loaded into an executing process and a thread begins execution of that service. Once executing, the computer system is compromised, vulnerable to the malware's ill intent.
One novel way to ensure that operating system components are not corrupted, or, if they do become corrupted, that the operating system components are prevented from further compromising the computer system, is to ensure that an operating system component executes within prescribed bounds. This is sometimes referred to as "hardening" the operating system component, and may be applied to non-operating system components as well. When a hardened operating system component executes instructions outside of its prescribed bounds, it is viewed as a rogue, or corrupted, operating system component and any activity it performs that falls outside of those prescribed bounds is blocked, or alternatively, an alert is generated to an administrator prompting an inquiry into its behaviors.
Component hardening relies on the ability to identify the component, and relate the identified component to a set of rules specifying what is allowable and/or what is not allowable. More particularly, component hardening relies upon one or more unique security identifiers assigned to a component being identified as being responsible for operations conduction by the component. It is through these security identifiers that an operating system can relate the identified component to its particular set of rules. Unfortunately, currently, identification of an individual service conducting an operation in a process with multiple services is not possible. Thus, service hardening is currently based on an aggregated set of security rules associated with each service in the process. Of course, this means that the least restrictive set of rules is used to harden all of the services in a process.
Clearly, each operating system service, if it is to be hardened, will have its own set of activities identifying what it can and cannot do. A process may contain operating system services with similar or vastly different prescribed behaviors. Though an effort could be made to group operating system services with similar behavioral rules into a process, there will still likely be differences. Conversely, for various reasons, it may be necessary to group operating system services having vastly divergent behavioral rules into a single process, such as when a system is constrained by memory or CPU processing power issues, such as found with small form-factor devices, or when the system is hosting multiple services as a multi-functional server. As the only current way to identify executing code to a set of rules is through a security identifier associated with a process, and as multiple operating system services (potentially having vastly different rules) are collected into a single process, it is difficult or impossible to determine which operating system service (of many that may be assigned to a given process) is executing. The implications are that an individual service's hardening can not be enforced when it shares the process space with other services. Since only the process can be identified as taking action, the hardening rules for the services aggregated into the process must be less restrictive than they would be if each individual operating system service were placed in its own process. Put another way, to harden an operating system process containing multiple operating system services, the process must currently adopt a single set of hardening rules. Moreover, this single set of hardening rules is a combination of the least restrictive rules of the services. Unfortunately, this means that some operating system services in a process are given more "privileges" than they would normally be allowed. As such, their corruption still poses a significant threat to the computer system, even when the process is "hardened."

Identifying separate threads executing within a single process


A fusing rolls fixing unit having a toner antisticky liquid supply device wetting the surface of the fixing rolls to prevent adhesion of toner particles thereto. The antisticky liquid supply device is discontinuously operated for applying liquid to the fixing rolls only one time for each copy-run executed.

The present invention refers to a heat fixing unit for an electrophotographic copying machine of the type in which a copy-sheet, having an unfixed toner image on one side thereof, is advanced between two cooperatively rotated rolls while pressure is applied therebetween and, at least the roll in contact with the toned side of the sheet, is heated to a temperature suitable to fix toner to the sheet.
A drawback of the fixing units of the above type is due to sticking of toner particles, carried out from the sheet, to the surface of the rolls; which particles may successively adhere to a following copy-sheet advanced between the rolls so forming thereon undesired toned images or tracks.
This drawback is known as "offset phenomena" and can be obviated by coating the surface of the rolls with suitable antisticky, heat resistant parting material such as tetrafluoroethylene, sold under the trademark Teflon, or silicone rubber, and by wetting the coated surface of the rolls with antisticky or parting liquid, such as silicone oil.
Fixing units are known in which the silicone oil is continuously applied to the fusing rolls by a dispensing roll rotated in contact with a fusing roll and partially immersed in a silicone oil tank.
This last type of toner antisticky liquid supply device has the drawback of causing an unnecessary high consumption of silicone oil and also, due to the continuous wetting, with a consequent increase in the maintenance cost of the machine, a lowering of the adhesion of the antisticky coating to the metal core of the roll.

Fusing rolls fixing unit for copying machine


A packaging case set, used for packing swimming goggles with a mono frame, including two pieces of packaging cases that have the same style case shell, and in which each of the packaging cases consists of a first and second enclosure, bonding unit etc. Therein, the first and second enclosures are inward arching and are then assembled to form a sealed space. Furthermore, each enclosure is equipped with a bonding unit, whereby the bonding unit contains the first and second fasteners, which further become fastened together accordingly. Owing to the above structure, and also by means of the fastening function in-between the first and second fasteners on the first enclosure, it can hence be reassembled into two different-styled packaging cases at the time of opening. Thus, it is ready for the packing of small personal items or complete set of swimming goods, such as swimming goggles, earplugs, nosepieces, etc.

FIG. 1 gives reference to a packaging case related to the present invention, which is especially for the packing of swimming goggles as well. Moreover, the structure for such a kind of swimming goggles packaging case is not only very convenient, but is also able to securely protect the glasses. There are a variety of designs for known swimming goggles containers, but in fact most of them either lack innovative and functional designs, or maybe just concentrate on changes in visible appearance only, with very few of them having an improvement in functions. It is a common experience for most of us that there are no united and proper packaging cases to help us for the collection and packing of small personal items, such as earplugs, nosepieces, small ornaments etc., when we go swimming. As a result, swimming was becoming more and more inconvenient, sometimes even resulting in the unlucky loss of items, thus presenting the need for people who enjoy swimming to solve such a problem.
In addition, the design of swimming goggles eyeglasses have dramatically changed, from only having zero diopter eyeglasses, to the provision of services for both shortsighted and far sighted people; and, going further, they can even render special service for particular people in the supply of different diopters on both eyes. There is a tendency to be concerned with the service rendered to customers instead of technology. Under such circumstances, even the sales status for swimming goggles has also changed, from only purchasing mono eyeglasses instead of two eyeglasses at the same time. Therefore there's a rapid need for the improvement of both the style and the functions of the swimming goggles accordingly.
Thus, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a kind of packaging case set, in which each packaging case is used for the packing of mono frame swimming goggles. Meanwhile, it also allows each packaging case, while opened, to be reassembled with other opened packaging cases, for the forming of two new style case shells. One of the case shells is for collecting/packing, while the other case shell is for collecting/packing with earplugs, nosepieces, or small ornaments, offering a new style with multi-functions.
Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a brand new style in sales by offering the packaging case for mono frame swim glasses, hence allowing customers to select the options in accordance to their actual needs.


A data communications method, apparatus, and system are provided. The method includes: sending an association request message to an access point; receiving an association response message sent by the access point, where the association response message includes an association identifier; generating a data frame, where a format of the data frame is a simplified frame format, and a frame header of the data frame includes a source address and a destination address, where the length of the source address is shorter than the length of a Media Access Control (MAC) address, and the source address includes the association identifier, the association identifier and a multicast unicast indicator, the association identifier and a data type, or the association identifier, the data type, and the multicast unicast indicator; and sending the data frame to the access point.

A wireless fidelity (WiFi) technology has been widely applied in various industries. The most basic network structure of the WiFi technology is an access point (AP) plus several stations (STA). The AP provides an access service for the STA. A radio signal is used as an interaction medium between the AP and the STA. The radio signal refers to a physical frame, and generally appears in a form of a physical layer convergence procedure (PLCP) protocol packet, including a packet header and a data part, where the data part is a Media Access Control (MAC) frame. Generally the MAC frame appears in the PLCP packet in a form of a MAC protocol data component or a MAC protocol data unit (MPDU).
In an existing standard, the MAC frame includes a MAC frame header, a body part, and a frame check sequence (FCS) part, where the body part is the data part. The MAC frame header generally includes a 2-byte frame control (FC) domain, a 2-byte Duration (length)/identifier (ID) subdomain, a multi-byte address subdomain, a 2-byte sequence control subdomain, a 2-byte quality of service (QoS) control subdomain, and a high throughput control subdomain. Therefore, the length of the MAC frame header generally reaches 24 bytes.
However, in an 802.11ah application scenario, for example, on a sensor network, an STA communicates with an AP very frequently, transmitted data amount is both small, possibly smaller than the MAC frame header, and a data transmission rate is very low on the sensor network. Therefore, when the MAC frame in the existing standard is used, the transmission efficiency is low, and an application requirement cannot be satisfied.

Improving transmission efficiency of data frames by using shorter addresses in the frame header


An example non-transitory computer-readable medium to store machine-readable instructions that when accessed and executed by a processing resource cause a computing device to perform operations is described herein. The operations include connecting a first properties file with a corresponding application. The first properties file includes a plurality of text entries and associated location indicators. Text in the application is identified that is to be translated. The text to be translated corresponds to at least some of the text entries in the first properties file. The identified text is presented in the application, which provides context for the translation. The translation is received and a second properties file that includes the translation of the identified text and an associated location indicator is generated.

As businesses become more global, their web applications need to be available in different languages. Generally, the web application is written in one language and one or more translators are employed to translate text in the web application into other languages. In many cases, the translator only sees the text without seeing the context of the text in the web application. This can create a problem for certain languages (e.g., Chinese) where the context is important for proper translation. As a result, some of the text might be translated incorrectly, or even missed. In these situations, the developer of the web application becomes involved in the translation, making the process more cumbersome.