A method of reducing pollutants exhausted into the atmosphere from the combustion of fossil fuels. The disclosed process removes nitrogen from air for combustion, separates the solid combustion products from the gases and vapors and can capture the entire vapor/gas stream for sequestration leaving near-zero emissions. The invention produces up to three captured material streams. The first stream is contaminant-laden water containing SOx, residual NOx particulates and particulate-bound Hg and other trace contaminants. The second stream can be a low-volume flue gas stream containing N2 and O2 if CO2 purification is needed. The final product stream is a mixture comprising predominantly CO2 with smaller amounts of H2O, Ar, N2, O2, SOX, NOX, Hg, and other trace gases.

The climatic changes resulting from the rise of greenhouse gas concentration in the atmosphere are becoming an increasingly important concern to those who regulate the operation and flue gas output of fossil-fuel combustion-based power plants. Unregulated and uncontrolled fossil fuel burning power plants have been responsible for a significant portion of this pollution. As pollution regulations have become more stringent, processes and equipment have been installed to prevent the uncontrolled exhaust of particulate matter, such as SOx, and NOx. Further, the reduction of mercury (Hg) in exhausted gases has also been proposed, and operations are being developed and installed for its control. Significantly, the carbon dioxide (CO2) stream, from combustion in such plants, has been found to be the more massive constituent of pollution, larger than any other pollutant stream, and so will now require a significant increase in effort and cost to bring under control.
Unfortunately, it has been found that including CO2 capture devices and processes to the present day series of separate processes used in pollution control and abatement, which are dedicated to the removal of single pollutant types, has proved to be prohibitively costly.

Integrated capture of fossil fuel gas pollutants including CO


A cremation urn comprises a first mass and a second mass contained within the first mass. The second mass includes an opening communicating with a cavity within the second mass for receiving cremated remains. At least a portion of the first mass is transparent so as to permit viewing of at least a portion of the second mass through the transparent portion of the first mass. A cover is closable over the opening to retain the cremated remains within the cavity. In another embodiment the first mass includes at least one window permitting viewing of at least a portion of the second mass therethrough. In another aspect a cremation urn comprises a mass including an opening communicating with a cavity within the mass for receiving cremated remains, the cavity defining a cremated remains container. At least a portion of the mass is transparent so as to permit viewing of at least a portion of the container through the transparent portion of the mass. In another embodiment the mass includes at least one window permitting viewing of at least a portion of the container therethrough.

Cremation is a growing segment of the funeral industry. Consequently, there is an increasing demand for more and higher quality styles and designs of cremation urns.
One popular design theme for cremation urns is the outdoor/animal theme. Four such designs are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. Des. 356,421, 370,767, 370,766 and 370,768, all of which are assigned to the assignee of the present invention and are hereby incorporated by reference herein as if fully set forth in their entirety.
Such cremation urn designs may include rather delicate features and the like which could be subject to damage and/or breakage during the handling thereof. It would therefore be desirable to provide a means of protecting such delicate features of a cremation urn yet without obstructing the view thereof.
Further, in the case of U.S. Pat. Nos. Des. 356,421 and 370,767, which include dolphins suspended above rock and/or coral as if swimming in water, it would be desirable to more closely simulate the water in which the dolphins or other aquatic animals are swimming.
Accordingly, it is one object of the present invention to provide a cremation urn which includes a means of protecting yet not obstructing delicate features thereof.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a cremation urn which more closely simulates water in which aquatic animals are swimming.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a cremation urn which creates a more visually appealing and life-like three dimensional appearance, whether in the case of aquatic animals swimming in water, or in the case of, for example, birds flying in the air.


A geohydrology monitoring system is disclosed. In one example, the system includes a heating mechanism assembly including an array of heating elements disposed longitudinally within a fluid-containing environment so that portions of the heating mechanism assembly are at different positions lengthwise within the fluid-containing environment. The heating mechanism assembly is configured to impart energy to the fluid-containing environment such that heating provided at some locations varies from heating provided at other locations. The system includes a fiber optic distributed temperature sensor (DTS) disposed in proximity to the heating mechanism assembly and configured to sense temperature at a plurality of positions and at multiple times along the length of the fluid-containing environment. Based on output from the DTS, processing logic generates an output that indicates properties of, and movement of fluid within, the fluid-containing environment.

Understanding subsurface geohydrology is of value in many circumstances. Examples include resource extraction operations such as mining, and oil and gas drilling; managing aquifers and surface water resources; and environmental investigation and cleanup.
One method for studying subsurface geohydrology involves placing a device for measuring temperature down a well boring along with an electrical conductor that may be heated. By analyzing the temperatures attained during heating, as well as the decay of such heating when the heating is halted, information about the geological structure and groundwater may be inferred. For example, if groundwater is moving horizontally near the well, it draws heat from the area, cooling that area of the well. This method may use a fiber optic temperature sensor system, known as a "distributed temperature sensor" or DTS. The DTS offers the advantage of precise temperature measurement over long distances with sub-meter spatial resolution and sub-minute temporal resolution.
While this method is sensitive to variations in structure and water movement near the well, the ability to detect and measure vertical water movement is poor. This is because the heating is uniform with vertical position, so there little difference with elevation to indicate vertical water movement. Additionally, it can be difficult to discriminate between horizontal and vertical water movements as reasons for cooling. The current invention combines the advantages and capabilities of existing systems with a novel heating arrangement that allows detection of vertical water movement within and near a well.

Monitoring movement in fluid-containing environment via variable heating


A capacitor includes a bottom electrode, a dielectric layer and a top electrode over a substrate. A RuXTiYOZ film is included in at least one of the bottom and top electrodes, where x, y and z are positive real numbers. A method of fabricating the capacitor through a sequential formation of a bottom electrode, a dielectric layer and a top electrode over a substrate includes forming a RuXTiYOZ film during a formation of at least one of the bottom electrode and top electrode, where x, y and z are positive real numbers.

The present application relates to a method of fabricating a semiconductor device, and more particularly, to a capacitor in a semiconductor device and a method of fabricating the same.
In general, a capacitor used for a memory cell includes a bottom electrode for storage, a dielectric layer, and a top electrode for a plate. In the fabrication of such a capacitor, high-k materials should be used for the dielectric layer to ensure a relatively greater capacitance within a limited area. However, the high-k materials have generally low band gap energy, thus causing a problem of degrading a leakage current property of the devices despite having a relatively high permittivity.
Attempts have been made to use ruthenium (Ru) having a high work function as the bottom or top electrode. However, since Ru has a relatively low cohesive reaction tendency with other materials, it poorly adheres to the substrate and thus a deposited-Ru film expands in a blister shape, regardless of the kinds of substrates to be target-adhered.
A technology has been proposed where RuO2 film with greater adhesive force and high work function is interposed below a Ru film, and is used as the bottom or top electrode. Although there are no particular adhesion problems in an initial deposition of the RuO2 film, the RuO2 film is reduced to decrease its thickness in subsequent processes, thereby causing a lifting of the RuO2 film and a formation of voids between the RuO2 film and the substrate.

Method of fabricating capacitor in semiconductor device


A foldable mobile communication terminal and a calling method thereof, in which calling operation to a telephone number is started from the open state of its cabinet, and the calling operation is executed smoothly by reducing one of processes of the calling operation. Data communication is executed at the open state of its cabinet and voice communication is executed at the closed state of the cabinet, provides an inner side displaying section for displaying data inputted or received at the open state of the cabinet, a calling number input buffer for storing data of a telephone number displayed on the inner side displaying section, and a voice communication changing-over section for changing-over from the data communication to the voice communication to the telephone number storing in the calling number input buffer, when a state, which the cabinet was closed from the open state of the cabinet, is detected.

The present invention relates to a foldable mobile communication terminal and a calling method thereof, in which data communication is executed at the open state of its cabinet and voice communication is executed at the closed state of the cabinet, in particular, in which calling at the voice communication can be started at the open state of the cabinet and the data communication can be changed over to the voice communication smoothly.

Foldable mobile communication terminal and calling method thereof


A drinking reminder method is implemented by an electronic apparatus. The apparatus includes a scale pan, a weight sensor, an analog/digital (A/D) converter, a display screen and a keypad. The keypad includes a power key, a reset key and a switching key. The weight sensor senses an analog pressure signal when a cup filled with water is placed on the scale pan, and the A/D converter converts the analog pressure signal to a digital weight signal. A total weight of the cup filled with water is measured according to the digital weight signal, and a cumulative water intake volume and a water shortage volume of a user. The display screen displays the cumulative water intake volume and the water shortage volume to remind the user to drink water.

According to the general standard of daily water intake recommended by medical professionals, most people do not drink enough water and are usually in a slightly dehydrated state due to personal living habits, and thus can be uncomfortable. At present, most drinking water reminders available in the market are used to determine whether or not sufficient water is taken by counting the number of cups of water being taken per day or reading the scales marked on a container. However, people still may forget how many number of cups of water has been taken every day.


An occupant weight sensing system has a seat pan which is rigidly mounted to a seat frame which attaches to a vehicle body. A seat cushion on which the occupant sits is positioned over the seat pan. A rigid frame is positioned above the seat pan and receives and supports the weight of the occupant. The rigid frame is supported on four sensors which in turn are mounted on the seat pan. The sensors collectively measure the weight supported by the rigid frame and thus determine the weight of the seat occupant. The sensors used to measure the weight of the seat occupant can be of two basic types. The first type is a load cell which experiences very little displacement and directly measures the imposed load. The second type of sensor employs a spring, the spring constant of which controls the amount of displacement for a given load. A Magnetoresistive Effect (GMR) displacement sensor measures the amount the spring is compressed.

Many vehicles are equipped with safety devices such as airbags and seat belt pretensioners to protect persons occupying various seats in the vehicle. If a seat is unoccupied or is occupied by a person of a particular size, it may not be necessary to activate a safety device associated with that seat. Furthermore, if a seat is occupied by a person of a particular size the manner in which a safety device is employed may be varied accordingly. One indicator of the seat occupant's size is the occupant's weight. In the case of an infant, the combined weight of the infant and an infant safety seat is useful as an indicator of occupant size. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,232,243 and 5,494,311 teach a seat occupant sensor that is a piezoelectric film which is rigidly mounted to a substantially inflexible bottom portion of the seat. A plurality of sensing elements are arranged in rows and columns forming an array. U.S. Patent No. 5,454,591 teaches the use of this sensor to determine if a vehicle seat is occupied by an occupant weighing up to 40 pounds (about 18.2 kilograms) or more than 40 pounds (about 18.2 kilograms) and send an appropriate signal to a safety device control unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,474,327 teaches a seat occupant presence, weight and position sensor system wherein a plurality of sensors are located in the seat base just beneath the seat cover and some pressure is exerted on the sensors by the seat cover. The preferred sensors are mounted between polymer sheets and include a pair of conductive electrodes about 2.54 centimeters (1 inch) in diameter separated by carbon layers such that resistance between electrodes decreases as pressure increases.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,820 teaches a seat occupant sensor which is a switch, preferably a flat mat-like contact switch wherein two contact layers are separated by an intermediate, elastically deformable, electrically conductive layer. The contact switch is mechanically activated when the seat occupant compresses the intermediate layer and completes a conductive pathway for the switching circuit. The use of a simple physical contact switch or a condenser-type switch is also disclosed. However, the seat structure incorporating any of these switches is not shown in the drawings or described in the specification. The seat occupant sensor taught in this patent employs sensors located both in the seat and in the floor in front of the seat.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,678,058 teaches a vehicle seat switch assembly including a generally C-shaped spring located underneath the seat cushion. The end portions of the spring are displaced laterally when the spring is depressed when the seat is occupied. The lateral displacement of the spring ends pulls a switch plunger to close the switch.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,413,378 and 5,439,249 teach the use of an occupant weight sensor located in or on a structure that includes a seat cushion. The exact structure and operation of the occupant weight sensor is not disclosed in either of these patents. U.S. Pat. No. 5,466,001 teaches the use of sensors embedded in a seat cushion and seat back to sense occupant presence, but the structure of the sensors is not disclosed. U.S. Pat. No. 5,109,945 also teaches the use of a seat switch to detect a seat occupant but does not disclose the structure of the switch or the manner of incorporating the switch into the seat.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,481,078 teaches a seat occupant sensor wherein the seat rails pivot about their forward end against leaf springs designed to support the seat weight plus a known fraction of the occupant's weight so that the rear of the seat is raised when the seat is unoccupied. When the seat is occupied, the rear of the seat moves down and an electronic sensor detects seat position to provide a position signal.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,655,313; 4,361,741; and 4,509,614 also teach a vehicle seat switch used with a seat which pivots relative to the front of the seat cushion.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,120,980 teaches a foam seat cushion confining wire mesh electrical switch closing contacts. U.S. Pat. No. 5,164,709 teaches a seat occupant sensor which is a lateral-force-sensitive cable laid in a meandering pattern foamed into the seat cushion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,806,713 teaches a seat-contact switch for generating a "seat occupied" signal when a seat suspension approaches a seat frame as a result of seat loading. An articulatable device is fastened on one end to the seat suspension and on the other end to the seat frame. U.S. Pat. No. 4,607,199 teaches the use of a seat switch in conjunction with a microprocessor to disable operation of a vehicle if the seat occupant is out of position for a given period of time. The switch structure and manner of incorporating the switch into the seat are not disclosed.
EP 0 728 636 A1 teaches the use of a switch sensor switch disposed in a seat base but does not disclose the switch structure and manner of incorporating the switch into the seat.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,633,237 teaches an occupant sensor for a hospital bed including a plurality of sensors defining interstices of a matrix of such sensors. The matrix is woven into a mat for placement on a bed in which a patient is confined.


The invention provides discloses a method for data synchronization in a content delivery network. The method includes: a data synchronization client requesting a data synchronization processing manager for obtaining a belonged data synchronization processing agent, establishing a heartbeat connection with the belonged synchronization processing agent to acquire operation status of the belonged data synchronization processing agent; and the data synchronization processing manager scanning a management side database, and if a synchronization task needing to be informed to the data synchronization client is scanned in the management side database, the data synchronization processing manager generating the synchronization task for the corresponding synchronization processing agent in an ability side database. The present invention also provides a system for data synchronization in a content delivery network, a data synchronization processing agent and a data synchronization processing manager.

In the field of communication technology, Internet Protocol TV (or Interactive Personal TV, abbr. IPTV), also called as an interactive network TV, is a multi-media communication technology based on the Internet. IPTV uses the basic facilities of a broadband network, uses the domestic TV set or computer as the main terminal device, delivers TV signals through the Internet Protocol (IP), and provides various interactive digital media services including TV for family users.
CDN is a new kind of network architecture, in which the content of the service is distributed to the network "border" that is closest to the user to enable the user to acquire the desired content nearby, thus increasing the operation efficiency of the system. Technically CDN can thoroughly solve the congestion problem of the backbone network caused by huge visit capacity of users and uneven distribution of servers, and meanwhile can increase the rate of accessing a streaming media server by the user and shorten the time for responding to the service request of the user.
In order to ensure the consistence of the content data distributed in different places, the CDN needs to perform synchronization processing on different places after the content data are updated. In the CDN, there is a data synchronization processing manager application module, which is disposed on the service processor of the CDN and is used to execute the task issued by the management side of the IPTV system and to distribute a servable synchronization processing agent to a data synchronization client, and the like. The data synchronization processing agent separated from the service processor is a physical device used to share part of the functions of the service processor, and mainly executes operations such as keeping the heartbeat relationship with the data synchronization client, and performing data synchronization processing with the data synchronization client.
At present, in the content delivery network of an IPTV system, although the data synchronization processing manager and the data synchronization processing agent have been deployed in a distribution mode, however, since only the data synchronization processing manager can obtain the tasks from the management side, data transmission for synchronization initiated by the data synchronization serving side (including the synchronization processing manager and the synchronization processing agent) actively to the data synchronization client still has to be performed only on the data synchronization processing manager.
With the increase of service volume, the number of data synchronization client devices and the data volume of the synchronized messages required by the data synchronization client devices also increase correspondingly, thus causing the original system architecture where all active interfaces can only be triggered by the data synchronization manager performing data synchronization to confront a performance crisis.

Method and system for data synchronization in content delivery network


The invention relates to a modular electric cross connector for producing an electrically conductive connection, in particular of electric contacts (20) of relay sockets, comprising a carrier (100) and an electric bridge (200) partially received on/in the carrier (100), by means of which bridge the electrically conductive connection can be produced, wherein the carrier (100) can be mechanically connected by means of a mechanical plug connection to at least a second electric cross connector (1).

For applications in machine and plant construction and in automotive engineering and for building automation, there are a large number of relays or relay families. These include, for example, vehicle relays, multimode relays and performance relays with one or a plurality of changeover contacts. Modularly constructed relays as well as associated, likewise modularly constructed relay sockets have proven successful in industry, it being possible to plug the relays, depending on the application, onto a relevant relay socket corresponding thereto.
In many applications, it is necessary to electrically connect a plurality of relays to one another through their electric contacts in the relay socket. For this purpose there are what is known as electric cross connectors which can be plugged into holders of the relay sockets. Using these cross connectors, a plurality of electric potentials can be electrically connected to one another in parallel. The cross connector is, in this case, plugged into the holders of a plurality of adjacent relay sockets, one holder in each case still remaining free. Assembly of the cross connector on the relay socket takes place from above or laterally, so the cross connector is also easily visible when plugged in.
Electric cross connectors are used in the electric input of the relevant relay for looping through the coil voltage, in other words to electrically connect the coil contacts. In the electric output of the relays, a plurality of supply voltages, for example signal or actuator circuits, may be electrically connected. A visual control can take place here by means of LEDs.
A plurality of electric cross connectors are known from the prior art. Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 4,469,128 discloses an electric cross connection device for a pneumatic control system. Furthermore, DE 42 25 573 A1 discloses an electric connection module part for subassemblies of a modular automation apparatus. Moreover, DE 30 02 515 A1, U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,521, DE 33 12 002 C1 and DE 195 42 628 C1 disclose electric cross or series connectors with a comb-like configuration of the electric contact springs. Furthermore CH 580 342 A5 and EP 387 158 A1 in each case disclose a block-like electric connection for an electric apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,477,862 discloses an electric series pin plug for a bus circuit board or backplane of a control apparatus or mechanism. The electric series pin plug has a substantially U-shaped plastic material housing in cross-section with pin plugs received therein. The pin plugs are in this case received in two mutually parallel rows inside the housing.
EP 893 859 A1 discloses a comb connector for interfaces for relays. The comb connector in this case has a housing made of an electrically insulating material, and, embedded therein, an electric connection member, which projects at right angles from the flat housing with a large number of electric pin contacts. The comb connector has in each case, between two mutually directly adjacent pin contacts, a bridging portion with a predetermined breaking point on the electrically insulating material of the housing.
If a comb connector with a specific number of electric pin contacts is desired here, an adequately long comb connector is severed using a cutting tool at the corresponding predetermined breaking point. This free end can then be insulated with respect to wear and therefore electrically by a separate component configured as a covering cap. In order to guarantee a secure seat of the covering cap at the free end of the comb connector which has been cut to length, a remaining bridging portion of the housing and the covering cap have mutually corresponding latching elements.
One embodiment of a comb connector of this type has, for example, six electric pin contacts and has to be—if a smaller variant is desired—severed with the cutting tool. In the comb connector, a connection member between two electric pin contacts consists of the metal portion connecting the two electric pin contacts and the plastic material housing. In order to obtain a functioning smaller comb connector than the original one, in addition to the severing by the cutting tool, an additional part is necessary, namely the end covering cap, to completely electrically insulate the comb connector again. Moreover, the separated part of the comb connector can no longer be used and is therefore waste.
An object of the invention is to provide an improved electric cross connector for producing an electrically conductive connection. The latter should be suitable, in particular, for an electrically conductive connection of electric contacts of relay sockets.


Multilayer graphics products are described. The graphics products include a polyvinyl chloride film layer, an adhesive layer on one face of the film layer, and a polyurethane layer on another oppositely directed face of the film layer. Also described are methods of producing the multilayer graphics products.

A wide array of graphics products is known in the art, for example protective laminates and vehicle wrapping films. Although satisfactory in many respects, when attempting to improve one or more beneficial properties of the graphics product, corresponding detrimental changes typically occur in other aspects of the product. Accordingly, a need exists for a new class of graphics products having a balanced array of beneficial properties.
For certain applications, characteristics such as conformability, removability, and/or to repositionability the graphic product are of importance. Although some graphic products may exhibit one or more of these characteristics, no currently available product exhibits improvements in all characteristics without suffering from reductions in durability, strength, or significant increases in cost. Accordingly, a need exists for a new class of graphics products that exhibit improved conformability, removability, and/or repositionability while maintaining acceptable levels of durability, strength, and acceptable cost.
In still other applications, it would be desirable for the graphics products to exhibit particular combinations of tensile strengths, elongation values, and/or modulus values. Thus, a need exists for such graphics products.


Coring tools configured to procure core samples of earth formations may include a coring bit comprising a cutting structure configured to cut a core sample and an outer barrel connected to the coring bit. The outer barrel may be configured to apply axial and rotational force to the coring bit. An inner barrel may be located within the outer barrel and may be configured to receive a core sample within the inner barrel. A sponge material may line an inner surface of the inner barrel and may be configured to absorb a fluid from the core sample. A stabilizer may be connected to the outer barrel. At least one blade of the stabilizer may be rotatable with respect to the outer barrel and may be configured to remain at least substantially rotationally stationary relative to the earth formation during coring.

When evaluating whether a given earth formation contains valuable materials, such as fluid hydrocarbons, a core sample of the earth formation may be procured. For example, a coring tool, which may include a coring bit configured to remove earth material around a columnar core sample, may be placed at the bottom of a borehole and rotated under load to form a core sample. As the coring tool advances, the core sample may be received into an inner barrel within the coring tool, which may be configured to contain the core sample during retrieval and reduce (e.g., minimize) contamination until the core sample can be analyzed. When the core sample is returned to the surface, the core sample, any fluids entrapped within the core sample, and any fluids that escaped the core sample but were captured by the coring tool may be analyzed to determine the characteristics exhibited by the earth formation.
To ensure that the core sample more accurately represents the actual characteristics of an earth formation at the end of a borehole, steps are taken to reduce the likelihood that contaminants enter the inner barrel that is to receive the core sample. For example, an entrance to the inner barrel may be sealed shut while advancing the coring tool into the borehole to reduce the likelihood that materials other than the core sample (e.g., drilling fluid and particles suspended within the drilling fluid) enter the inner barrel and contaminate the core sample. The entrance to the inner barrel may be sealed shut by, for example, an activation module that is intended to block the entrance to the inner barrel while the coring tool is advanced into the borehole and to unblock the entrance to the inner barrel when a core sample is introduced into the inner barrel. As a further example, the inner barrel may be substantially emptied of material and then filled, and potentially pressurized, with a presaturation fluid (i.e., a fluid of known composition that will not contaminate the core sample) before the coring tool is introduced into the borehole. The presaturation fluid may be selected such that a sponge material lining the interior of the inner barrel is not wettable by the presaturation fluid. The sponge material, however, may be a material that is wettable by a fluid of interest expected to be found within the core sample, such as oil or other hydrocarbons.

Coring tools exhibiting reduced rotational eccentricity and related methods


The present invention relates to the healthy supplementary foods and the technology for making them by enabling the efficient collection of young leaves of rice plant rich in nutrition and processing without losing nutrition characteristic of young leaves of rice plant. Collection of young leaves of rice plant consists in cutting young leaves 2 of the upper side only while leaving the below part of the rice plant when rice plant has grown so old as to be in ears or just before this, allowing for cutting the remaining young leaves after they have grown again after passing a certain period of time. This step will be repeated several times.

1. Description of the Prior Art
The present invention relates to the method for collecting young leaves of rice plant rich in nutrition and the technology of making the nutrition contained in young leaves of rice plant absorbed into the human body.
2. Prior Art
There may be no technology capable of making young leaves of rice plant absorbed into the human body. However, as for the wheat belonging to the same family, there is a technology for making use of the young leaves of that plant as healthy supplementary foods, whose example is the Japanese Patent No. 2544302.
According to this prior art, young leaves of wheat are heated with hot water mixed with salt and baking soda after being collected and washed with water and afterwards they are cooled by cool water and dried at the temperature between 65 and 85xc2x0 C. so that they are pulverized and sterilized.
However, according to this method, there is a problem that nutritious values can easily be lost as young leaves of wheat are exposed to a high temperature when drying.
In addition, the collection of young leaves of wheat involves rooting up the whole plant of young leaves which have fully grown up and selecting necessary parts of young leaves even though the necessary parts are the upper side of the young leaves, thus remaining bad efficiency at the time of collecting the plants.
As for the above technology adopted to collect the young leaves of rice plant, the same problems can be suggested.
The first purpose of the present invention is to collect the young leaves of rice plant efficiently.
In other words, in the act of collecting the young leaves on the upper side of the rice plant before they come into ears, the first step of collecting the young leaves with the down part of the plant undone is to be followed by the collection of the young leaves of the down part, which step is counted as (1+n) times. In this case, the above n is a natural number.
Therefore, when the young long leaves of rice plant are to be cut off before they come into ears. The collection of the young leaves of rice plant is done when rice plant has grown as long as 60 to 80 cm, cutting, for example, part of the plant 30 cm above the ground.
After the step of collecting the young leaves of rice plant, rice plant immediately starts growing young leaves from the remaining down part and it grows. In one or two weeks, young leaves grow so long as to be cut, then moving to the second step of cutting and accordingly to the third step of cutting and to the (1+n) times step and a plurality of steps of cutting. Therefore, young leaves of rice plant can be obtained for several times, thus allowing for good efficiency.
The second purpose of the present invention is not to harm the nutrition in the young leaves of rice plant.
Therefore, young leaves of rice plant, which were collected as above, will be dried far infrared so that they will contain a given amount of water, according to the proposed method.
In other words, far infrared drying process with far infrared ray allows for high efficiency by drying from inside without exposing the young leaves to air, providing for active reaction other than drying them fully without raising the temperature. For this reason, by setting the temperature at the middle level, the loss of the nutrition will be held back so that the nutrition, which has been impossible to take, will be readily absorbed.
The third purpose of the present invention is to take good nutrition out of the young leaves of rice plant.
In other words, its purpose is to provide processed foods made from young leaves of rice plant, pulverizing to a given size the first processed foods of the young leaves of rice plant which was made by a far infrared process as mentioned above and also the processed foods of young leaves of rice plant, which foods are formed as a pill or a granule being made of the pulverized foods and the foods produced by mixing the above mentioned pulverized and processed foods of young leaves of rice plant into the appropriate stuff like grains.
In other words, according to the above mentioned processed foods of young leaves of rice plant, they can be easily taken, mixed together with water or with the help of water or mixing or spreading with other foods.
In addition, according to the above mentioned foods, they may be mixed with powder of kale used in green juice called xe2x80x9cAojiruxe2x80x9d, beans, sesame and germinating rough rice and others and after being thus processed they become easy to eat and take like cakes or drinks and they may be mixed with flour and cooked as noodles, offering various ways of eating.
Other purposes of the present invention will be easily clarified according to the examples mentioned below.

Process of collecting young leaves of rice plant and its processing method, processed goods and foods

Abstract: The young leaves 2 cut out will be pre-processed appropriately like cleaning before they are far infrared dried to contain a given volume of water, thus refraining, for instance, the destruction of the useful compounds- in the young leaves 2 of rice plant. The first processed food after being far infrared dried may be preserved, pulverized or put to other appropriate processes to make the desired processed food 4 or other foods.


A tool support unit includes a first portion that is attached to a tool, such as a power saw or the like, and a second portion that is attached to a support, such as a table or the like. A telescoping connection between the two portions of tool support unit permits the first portion to be attached to and detached from the second portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the general art of support surfaces, and to the particular field of work surfaces.
2. Description of the Related Art
Most workmen have a plurality of tools that are used for various jobs. These tools range from simple hand tools to heavy tools that must be supported on a table, such as a power saw, drills, and the like. Often, a job requires the use of several of these heavy tools. In such cases, the workman must move from station to station to complete a job if the job is being done in a shop or factory. This is inconvenient and time consuming, especially if several people are working in a common shop in which case, the worker may have to wait for a previous worker to complete his or her work before completing his or her task, or the shop must have duplicates of the same tool which can be expensive especially for a small shop.
While the above situation is somewhat inconvenient, it is tolerable. However, the multiple tool problem is quite difficult if the worker must carry tools to a work site. Thus, if a worker travels to a job site, and must carry his or her tools in a vehicle, and then must use various power tools at the work site, he or she must place one tool on a tool support, use the tool, then remove the tool from the tool support and replace that tool with another tool. This is very time consuming and wasteful of effort.
Therefore, there is a need for a tool support system that is easy and efficient to use whereby tools can be quickly and efficiently moved onto and off of the support.
Still further, no power tool should be used without ensuring that the tool is securely anchored in place. However, if a worker must change tools, the possibility of improperly securing the tool increases.
Therefore, there is a need for a tool support system that is easy and efficient to use whereby tools can be quickly and efficiently moved onto and off of the support and still be securely anchored in place.
If a power tool is not stored in place on a support, there may be a possibility that the tool may sustain some sort of damage during storage. This may occur in particular with saws and the like.
Therefore, there is a need for a tool support system that is easy and efficient to use whereby tools can be quickly and efficiently moved onto and off of the support and the tools can be protected while in storage.
A further problem with tools such as sanders, saws, drill presses, and the like, is that such tools take up work space on a workbench when the tool is not being used. Most workmen like as much free work space as possible.
Therefore, there is a need for a means for supporting a tool in a manner that is out of the way when the tool is not in use, but is readily and quickly located for use when desired.


A foam reduction agent consisting of dibasic esters is shown and a process using a liquid contact with polystyrene foam wherein the higher boiling temperature of the dibasic esters and contact with the liquid provides a volume reduction process and less evaporation loss as well as safer transportation of the chemicals and the polystyrene in its reduced state. The resulting reduced sludge is also recyclable to superior quality raw polystyrene foam beads and the reduction agents are recoverable for future use. The resulting sludge also has unexpected beneficial uses hereto for unknown as a waterproofing agent.

Polystyrene foam has been used for some time as packing material, insulation material, structural materials and other various uses. The foam has exhibited a great number of useful qualities in a great number of fields. The foams usefulness is based partly on its cost effectiveness, its inherent insulating qualities and easy of forming a great variety of shapes. For instance the food handling industry has found foam packaging to be of great use in the packaging of food products for its consumers. In addition, the building industry has found a great number of uses for the foam. The chief concern for the various uses of the foam has been the amount of waste that is generated by the use of foam products.
Generally speaking, polystyrene foam has caused great concern because of its lack of biodegradability. The foam by its nature takes up a great deal of volume per weight, which has cause many to question its overall usefulness when compared to the possible detrimental environmental impact. The environmental impact includes the accelerated rate that landfill space is being used up at because the foam, in its useful form, takes a great deal of space per weight of waste. Moreover, the transportation of the foam waste is very inefficient due to the volume weight ratio. Typically, the waste material is transported from a restaurant facility to a waste area. This transportation usually involves motor vehicle transport. The vehicles can transport a much greater weight of refuse than can be place in the vehicle dub to the large volume the foam takes up. Therefore, the transportation is very inefficient wherein it does not utilize the capacity of the shipping means.
Also, in the industry it has been very difficult to find an effective method of recycling the foam products. This is due in part to the shipping cost described above and the cost of the process of the actual recycling. There is a need for a foam volume reduction method to allow use of more normal plastic recycle and processing equipment. At the present extra compaction steps and very expensive and specialized equipment is required to recycle polystyrene.
One approach to the recycling is to use chemicals to reduce the foam. The basic problem is that the chemicals that are obvious are very toxic to the environment and they are often banned by environmental legislation or regulations. One chemical series, pinene and terpenes such as d-limonene can reduce the foam volume. This approach is interesting but it fails to be an effective method in some cases. Specifically, the cost of d-limonene is directly related to the crop levels of citrus products. When there is a problem with the production of citrus products due to bad growing conditions it directly effects the price to recycle foam products to the point where it may no longer be cost effective.
Moreover, prior approaches evidence an inconsistent activity in collapsing foams that has not previously been addressed in the industry. While heat activation of the terpines has removed this problem (U.S. Pat. No. 5,223,543) it adds to the overall cost of recycling and it involves a volatile environmentally compromising chemical. The chemicals used in this patent were all a problem to ship due to their flash point. They are very volatile and therefore extra precaution has to be used when shipping such products that ultimately does not make it cost effective. The process also was basically vapor phase, providing for possible emissions of vapors which were a Clean Air Act Problem. Thus there is a major need for a foam reduction process that uses low volatility agents.
Also, the use of volatile chemicals presents another problem to the recycling efforts. The chemicals used heretofore would suffer great loss in the recycling process due to evaporation. This would make the recycling materials vary hard to recover to be used again in the recycling process. As such it would add a great deal of cost to the recycling efforts. The evaporated chemicals would also increase the danger of an accident during the recycling process due to unacceptable flash points in the chemicals. This is especially true were the chemicals best performance was aided by the addition of heat to the process. Ultimately, the volatile chemicals and heat required would lead to conditions during the recycling process that would be very dangerous.
An ideal process would have little need for heat activation (contra to U.S. Pat. No. 5,223,543) and would further allow viscous and higher boiling point materials to be used. Ideally, these materials would not require longer residence times prior to recycling. A long time would delay the sequence of breaking down the foam products and shipping of the same. This increase in residence times would add to the overall cost of the recycling process. Also, the need to decrease residence time must be balanced with reduced heat activation in combination with higher boiling point materials whose combination would result in a hereto for unobtainable efficient and safe reactant. In addition, it would be most desirable to have the product or sludge of the foam collapsing reactions that is safely shippable. This is accomplished by the present invention as further described herein. It would also be advantageous to identify effective compounds that insulate the foam reducer market from the wide price variation of the orange crop related d-limonene market.
Also, it would be desirable to have a compound that is environmentally friendly. Part of the major problem with the past use of foam products is that they now occupy a great deal of space in our landfills. Therefore, there is a significant need for an agent that can be used at these landfills on foam, which has already been deposited into landfills. The only way to accomplish this is by the application of a foam reducing agent that has no detrimental side effects on the environment.

Reduction in polystyrene foams with dibasic esters


A lower electrode 3 including a low-temperature melting layer 3A and a high-temperature melting layer 3B having mutually different melting-start temperatures is provided between a vibration plate 2 and a piezoelectric layer 4. In a calcination step of calcinating the lower electrode 3, the calcination is performed at a low temperature at which only the low-temperature melting layer 3A melts, and in an annealing-process step of the piezoelectric layer 4, the annealing process is performed at a high temperature at which the high-temperature melting layer 3B melts. At this time, in the calcination step, the melting of platinum nano-particles occurs in the low-temperature melting layer 3A, rendering the adhesion and diffusion-preventive effect. Further, in the annealing step, in the high-temperature melting layer 3B, platinum particles are melted, rendering the adhesion and diffusion-preventive effect. The degradation of piezoelectric characteristics of the piezoelectric actuator can be suppressed by the annealing process.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a piezoelectric actuator and a method of producing the piezoelectric actuator. The present invention, more specifically, relates to a piezoelectric actuator which has satisfactory piezoelectric characteristics, a method of producing such piezoelectric actuator, and a method of producing an ink-jet head.
2. Description of the Related Art
An example of a piezoelectric actuator used in ink-jet head or the like is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2001-54946. In this piezoelectric actuator, a substrate (a vibration plate) is provided such that an opening of a pressure chamber which communicates with a nozzle opening in a channel forming body, and a lower electrode, a piezoelectric layer, and an upper electrode are laminated on this substrate. When an electric field is applied between the upper electrode and the lower electrode, the substrate is bent with the deformation of the piezoelectric layer. Due to this, ink in the pressure chamber is pressurized and is discharged from the nozzle opening.
Such a piezoelectric actuator is manufactured, for example, as described below. First of all, a metal paste such as Pt paste is coated on the substrate, and calcinated to form a lower electrode. Next, a piezoelectric layer is formed on this lower electrode by an aerosol deposition method (AD method). In the aerosol deposition method, a substance in which fine particles of a piezoelectric material such as lead zirconate titanate (PZT) are dispersed in a gas is jetted toward a surface of the substrate, and the fine particles are allowed to be collided and to be deposited on the substrate. Thus, the piezoelectric layer is formed.

Method of producing a piezoelectric actuator


A method of detecting internal combustion engine misfires by generating a predicted Karlovitz number as a function of different engine operating conditions such as the air fuel ratio (AFR), the engine speed, the amount of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), spark-ignition (SI) timing and the airflow rate. The predicted Karlovitz number is then compared against the threshold Karlovitz number in which misfire occurs. The threshold Karlovitz number is determined from a model for misfire predictions in engines and is stored in the electronic engine controller (EEC). A misfire is reported if the predicted Karlovitz number is greater than the threshold Karlovitz number. In another aspect of the invention, the predicted Karlovitz number is generated from submodels of laminar flame speed, laminar flame thickness, turbulence intensity, and turbulence integral length scale.

The present invention relates generally to internal combustion engines and, more particularly, to an automobile engine misfire detection system and method based on mathematical models for spark-ignited engines and misfire prediction.
Engine misfire can occur for several reasons such as the absence of spark in the cylinder, poor fuel metering, inadequate compression, or other similar conditions. As a result of engine misfires, an increased amount of unburned combustion byproducts are passed through the catalytic converter. Over time, engine misfiring can cause damage to the catalyst in the catalytic converter and, consequently, increase the amount of combustion byproducts emitted into the atmosphere.
Because engine misfire can effect engine emissions, government regulatory agencies require that the vehicle fuel control system detect and indicate emission malfunctions such as misfiring. This engine misfiring information is typically collected and stored in computer memory associated with the vehicle engine for later downloading and analysis at a service center.
A variety of schemes have been developed for misfire detection including: (1) ionization current monitoring, (2) combustion pressure detection--which requires a pressure transducer in every engine cylinder, (3) cylinder pressure reconstruction using crankshaft speed variation, and (4) measurement of crankshaft angular velocity as well as other techniques based on crankshaft angular velocity and/or acceleration. There are several drawbacks to these present misfire detection methods. The first two methods require additional sensors or hardware which increase the system cost and complexity. In addition, the misfire detection methods based on crankshaft velocity or acceleration are prone to detection errors because they are based on four major assumptions: (1) a constant co-efficient driveline model, (2) a constant load torque, (3) a torsionally rigid crankshaft, and (4) non-overlapping firing pulses. These assumptions can result in a normal combustion cycle being counted as a misfire, and a misfired combustion cycle going undetected.

Real-time engine misfire detection method


An imaging method is disclosed for a multi-slice spiral CT scan. A CT unit is disclosed for carrying out this method. In the method, the filtering may be formed by use of multiple applications of a ramp filter and a masking operation to a projection image in a different sequence. The CT unit may include, for filtering purposes, multiple applications of a ramp filter and a masking operation to a projection image in a different sequence.

It is known to make use in computer tomography of multi-slice detectors and ray bundles with cone beam geometry for the purpose of scanning objects to be examined, in particular patients. In order to reconstruct a volumetric image including a multiplicity of small volume elements (=voxels), it is necessary to take account of the cone beam geometry in the now three-dimensional image reconstruction.
Such reconstruction algorithms for multi-slice spiral CT can be divided into the two classes of the approximative algorithms and the exact methods. Reference may be made to the following documents as regards the approximative algorithms, each of which is incorporated herein by reference, in its entirety:                M. Kachelrieβ, S. Schaller, and W. A. Kalender, "Advanced single-slice rebinning in cone-beam spiral CT", Med. Phys. 27 (2000) 754-772        S. Schaller, K. Stierstorfer, H. Bruder, M. Kachelrieβ, and T. Flohr, "Novel approximate approach for high-quality image reconstruction in helical cone beam CT at arbitrary pitch", Proceedings SPIE 4322 (2001) 113-127        K. Stierstorfer, T. Flohr, H. Bruder, "Segmented Multiple Plane Reconstruction—A Novel Approximate Reconstruction Scheme for Multi-slice Spiral CT", Proceedings of Intern. Meeting on Fully 3-D Image Reconstruction in Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Pacific Grove, Calif., USA, October, 30-Nov. 2, 2001, pp. 95-97.
An overview of the exact methods is set forth in the document by K. Sourbelle, H. Kudo, G. Lauritsch, K. C. Tam, M. Defrise, and F. Noo, "Performance Evaluation of Exact Cone-Beam Algorithms for the Long-Object Problem in Spiral Computed Tomography", Proceedings of Intern. Meeting on Fully 3-D Image Reconstruction in Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Pacific Grove, Calif., USA, October, 30-Nov. 2, 2001, pp. 153-156, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Approximative methods are distinguished by a high measure of practicability and flexibility. However, the inclination angle of the measuring rays to the axis of rotation (cone angle) is taken into account only approximately, for which reason the approximation error grows with the cone angle. It may be said overall that, starting from a certain number of detector rows, each approximative method will cause image artifacts, and thus leads to unsatisfactory image results. The exact methods take account without error of the cone-beam-like recording geometry both in the filter step and in the 3D back-projection. They achieve good image results that are independent of the cone angle occurring. However, it is disadvantageous that they are extremely complicated and very inflexible in application.

Imaging method for a multi-slice spiral CT scan, and a computer tomography unit for carrying out this method


The invention relates to a method for transforming physiological data from the time domain to the frequency domain. The method includes the steps of: providing a plurality of digital data in the time domain; providing a microcomputer programmed to run a recursive Fourier transform estimation algorithm; calculating, for each newly received digital data in the time domain, an integer index using modulo(N) arithmetic based on a time the each newly received data was received; selecting a frequency vector from a plurality of N frequency vectors using the integer index; and updating the plurality of frequency coefficients according to a recursive equation including the selected frequency vector as an input variable. The invention also relates to an apparatus that performs a recursive Fourier transform estimation algorithm to convert data in the time domain to data in the frequency domain.

A great variety of electronic sensors, ranging from sensors used in astronomical studies to sensors used for monitoring physiological parameters of the human body, provide electrical signals representing desired measurements. Beyond the realm of astronomy and medicine, electronic sensors now pervade in all aspects of our lives and throughout our environment.
In data collection, an electronic converter, such as an analog to digital converter ("ADC") generally receives an electrical signal from one or more sensors and produces digital data at a regular rate (discrete data points in time) representing each converted measurement value. Such streams of digital data can be displayed on a graph as data points plotted in time illustrating how data changes in the "time domain". In a time domain representation, the horizontal or independent axis represents time.
Where signals or aspects of signals, such as physiological signals, change at almost periodic rates, such as the time interval between successive heart beats as measured using an electrocardiogram, it can also be of interest to transform such non-uniformly spaced in time data to the "frequency domain". In a frequency domain representation, the horizontal or independent axis represents frequency, while the vertical axis is a complex number representing the amplitude and phase of the corresponding frequency. Frequency domain graphs are commonly presented in a form known as a "power spectrum", a graph showing the squared amplitude of each estimated frequency over a range of frequencies and ignoring the phase. The mathematics used to convert or transform data acquired at uniformly spaced intervals in time from the time domain to the frequency domain is well understood. The method of choice for such conversion or transformation from time domain to frequency domain is generally the discrete Fourier transform ("DFT") most often accomplished by a relatively fast mathematical algorithm known as the Fast Fourier Transform ("FFT").
The DFT and FFT routines can provide a means of transformation for optimal circumstances of data collection (e.g. data recorded accurately at uniform intervals of time and with no missing data points). However, DFT and FFT routines perform poorly where points are missing in time or where data sampling does not occur with uniform spacing. In many fields of data collection, data points can be occasionally missing or can occur at non-uniform periods in time. For example a human heart beat generally has a non-uniform rhythm reflecting both a range of normal human activities as well as, in some cases, heart disorders. Also, in astronomical studies, it is common place for data to be missing due to signals falling below detection levels or signals lost in noise.
One existing technique interpolates or "guesses" what missing data points should have been, based on earlier and later acquired points. The "interpolated" data points are "forced" into the missing or uniformly spaced data point positions to form a corrected data set now suitable for transformation by FFT. Because interpolation techniques "manufacture" missing data points or apply mathematical processes to move data points to uniform time spacings in order to apply an FFT or DFT routine, they can unintentionally create a data set that does not produce an accurate result in the frequency domain.
There are methods that can directly perform a transformation to a power spectrum without first performing an interpolation. The "Lomb-Scargle Transform" ("LST"), for example, was developed to analyze astronomical non-uniformly spaced data in time and missing data points. The resulting LST power spectrum is also known as a Lomb-Scargle periodogram. Unfortunately, the LST requires a large number of mathematical operations and therefore fast processing speeds. There has been some success in producing streamlined methods for the LST (analogous to how the FFT streamlines DFT calculations), however the streamlined LST techniques are still computationally intensive. Also, the LST is an "off-line" computational technique. In an off-line computational method, a large amount of computation must be repeated for new data points and new frequency transformations that overlap in time with previous data points and transformations. Off-line transformations are generally less suitable for "real-time" signal processing. For example, many types of medical equipment, such as ECG monitors used for heart rate monitoring, need to produce continual results as new data is being received. Existing LST frequency transformation techniques estimate only power in the frequency domain, and do not generate phase information.
What is needed is a method that requires far less computational resources than the existing LST related methods, that can generate phase information in the frequency domain, and that is suitable for real-time signal processing.

Method and apparatus for spectrum estimation


An artificial nipple for an experimental animal can include a replaceable duct in a nipple and a structure that prevents liquid from accumulating in the nipple except in the nipple tip and the duct. The artificial nipple can be configured to prevent liquid from accumulating by filling the nipple with an elastic member or by forming the nipple with an elastic member integrally with an outer wall of the nipple.

In development researches of pharmaceuticals, nutritional foods, and specified functional foods, and in a variety of basic researches, acquisition of data from experimental animals is essential work. Especially, mouse or rat infants correspond to human immature babies whose eyes and ears have not been opened, and have high sensitivity to drugs and the like because of their immature organs. Therefore, data of high accuracy is expected to be obtained from these animals.
When these experimental animals with a need for suckling such as infants are fed with e.g., milk, a compulsory feeding method is dominantly employed in which a feed is given to a gastrointestinal tract using a gastric probe or a catheter. This method must be employed because in giving milk or a test solution, it is necessary to control the dose amount or the dose interval depending on the purpose of the study. However, according to the above method, invasion to organisms, for example, abraded wounds on the pharynx or esophagus in the case of a gastric probe, and wounds created in attaching a catheter is inevitable. As a result, inflammations caused by damages to viscous walls result in data variation among individuals of experimental animals at higher possibility. In the situation that an experimental animal must take milk or a test solution voluntarily due to the purpose of the study, for example, for developing milk having a specific application, the method using a gastric probe or a catheter which is a compulsory administration method cannot be employed. Apart from the study purpose, use of a gastric probe or a catheter with respect to a mouse or rat infant having a body weight of less than 3 grams will inflict damages on a very soft pharynx, esophagus, or gastric wall by a probe needle or the like at very high possibility.
While accurate data is expected to be obtained by using mouse or rat infants for development of pharmaceuticals or specified purpose milk such as milk for immature baby, practically, there is no method for quantitatively feeding mouse or rat infants with milk or a test solution voluntarily and orally at a single dose or repeatedly in safety.
In the course of developing an administration method of liquid feed or the like to experimental animals, the inventors of the present application have developed an automated artificial feeding device for experimental animals that enables experimental animals to voluntarily drink milk via an artificial nipple or the like without using a gastric probe or the like. This is reported in CONTEMPORARY TOPICS in Laboratory Animal Science Vol. 35-5, p83-86 (1996).
The feature of the automated artificial feeding device lies in a structure of the artificial nipple. The artificial nipple has a double structure so as to prevent milk from leaking when an infant is not drinking the milk. An outer part of the nipple is formed with a cross cutting at its tip end, and an inner part of the nipple is formed with slits at four positions on its lateral side. Also an injection needle having a gauge of 24 to 26G excluding a needle point is inserted into the nipple. The inventors attempted to prevent milk from leaking and to control the flow by combination of these structural features.
Likewise the present invention, this automated artificial feeding device is also designed for an experimental animal to voluntarily stick to the artificial nipple and orally take a liquid feed or the like. However, this device still has the following problems.
1) The previous device is principally designed for rat infants, so that when it is used for mouse infants, it cannot follow the growth of the infant.
2) The above device fails to feed a test solution or the like in such a simple manner as giving milk to an infant while holding the device with hand as is necessary. Although the above device enabled voluntary feeding according to the own will of the rat infant, it is still difficult to give a test solution or the like regularly and quantitatively in a specifically controlled manner in practice of the experiment, for example, to give a test solution according to need.
3) Since the structure of the nipple of this device is too complicated as an artificial nipple for small animals such as mouse and rat, performance variation between nipples is easy to occur, and it is difficult to stabilize a feeding amount or the like.
The complicated structure of the previous artificial nipple was devised for preventing a liquid feed or the like from leaking from the nipple as described above. However, in order to stabilize the feeding amount and to further improve the reliability of the data, it is desired to develop a nipple which is simple in structure in order to replicate the nipples with ease and excellent in performance, a liquid feeding method for experimental animals that is designed to be suited to the nipple, and a device for implementing the same.

Artificial nipple for experimental animals


The present invention relates to a conveyor belt having a plurality of link assemblies. Each of the link assemblies has a forward end, a rearward end, a first side and a second side. A forward shaft opening extends through the forward end of each link assembly and a rearward shaft opening extends through the rearward end of each link assembly. A plurality of link shafts are provided for interconnecting adjacently disposed link assemblies such that the link assemblies are laterally movable relative to adjacently disposed link assemblies. One of the link shafts extends through the forward shaft opening of each of the link assemblies and through the rearward shaft openings of an adjacently disposed link assembly. Each link shaft has a first end disposed inwardly a distance from the first side of each of the link assemblies, and a second end disposed inwardly a distance from the second side of each of the link assemblies such that in an assembled position the second end of the conveyor belt is fixed laterally with respect to the first end of the conveyor belt. The link assemblies are constructed to permit the conveyor belt to turn bi-directionally with a turning ratio of less than 1.0 in each direction.

1. Field of the Invention.
The present invention relates generally to devices and methods for conveying articles, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation to an improved conveyor belt having an object discharging end thereof laterally displaceable from an object receiving end.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art.
There are many instances when it is desirable for a conveyor belt to travel on either a radial path or an angularly disposed path so that the object discharging end of the conveyor belt is laterally displaced relative to the object receiving end of the conveyor belt. Various problems occur when a conveyor belt travels on a radial path which limit the size of the radius on which a given conveyor belt can be turned. One problem for example with prior art conveyor belts has been that the load placed on the plurality of links which make up the conveyor belt is transferred to the conveyor belt's outer most link as the conveyor belt travels on a radial path. This often leads to the breakage of the outer most link.
To permit conveyor belts to travel on a radial path, the holes in the link assemblies where the link shafts extend through have been elongated or enlarged to accommodate the compression or expansion of the link assemblies as the conveyor belt travels on a radial path. There is a limit of course to how large a hole can be made or elongated to accommodate this expansion or compression of the link assemblies.
The present conveyor belt is provided with a unique link assembly whereby a given size of conveyor belt can turn on a smaller radius as compared to prior art spiral type conveyor belts, while also permitting the object discharging end of the conveyor belt to be laterally displaced relative to the object receiving end without turning the conveyor belt.


A delay circuit that includes a first delay cell oriented in a first orientation and a second delay cell oriented in a second orientation is described. In one embodiment, the first orientation is perpendicular to the second orientation. More specifically, in one embodiment, the first orientation is vertical and the second orientation is horizontal.

The present invention relates to delay circuits.
It is sometimes desirable to delay a signal, such as a clock signal by a predefined period of time. For example, in the double data rate (DDR) interface, the data signal (DQ signal) and the data strobe signal (DQS signal) (which may also herein be referred to as a clock signal) are sent edge aligned during a read operation. In such a context, it is desirable to phase shift the DQS signal by 90 degrees to sample the DQ signal at the center of the data valid window. To achieve the desired phase shift, a delay locked loop (DLL) is used to derive the optimum delay settings. Furthermore, it is sometimes desirable to achieve a fixed phase shift that is compensated across process, voltage and temperature (PVT) and other variations, particularly for circuits that are sensitive to PVT and other variations. Typically, the DLL includes current-starved delay cells that are tuned dynamically to an optimum delay setting to achieve the required phase shift on the DQS signal across PVT and other circuit variations.
In some cases, the delay circuit of the DLL is replicated in the input/output (I/O) banks of an integrated circuit (IC). More specifically, in some cases, the layout of the delay circuit is replicated in the layout of the vertical I/O (VIO) bank. Thereafter, the VIO bank layout is rotated to a horizontal orientation to create the layout for the horizontal I/O (HIO) bank. As a result, the layout of the delay circuit in the VIO bank has the same orientation as the layout of the delay circuit in the DLL, whereas the layout of the delay circuit in the HIO bank has a different orientation than the layout of the delay circuits in the DLL and the VIO bank.
FIG. 1 illustrates an IC with VIO and HIO banks. In FIG. 1, IC 100 includes core 101, DLL 110, VIO bank 150 and HIO bank 190. DLL 110 includes delay circuit 118, which includes current-starved delay cells orientated in the vertical direction. Delay cells include inverters or buffers for delaying signals. The inverters or buffers in turn include transistors. As used herein, the orientation of a delay cell refers to the orientation of the devices making up the delay cell, i.e., the inverters or buffers (or more specifically, the transistors making up the inverters or buffers) of the delay cell. VIO bank 150 includes VIO pin groups 120, 130, and 140 (which may also be referred to as VIO DQS data groups 120, 130, and 140). HIO bank 190 includes HIO pin groups 160, 170, and 180 (which may also be referred to as HIO DQS data groups 160, 170, and 180).
VIO pin group 120 includes pin circuits 121-125. VIO pin circuits 121, 122, 124, and 125 represent data pin circuits (e.g., DQ pin circuits), whereas VIO pin circuit 123 represents a clock pin circuit (e.g., a DQS pin circuit). VIO pin circuit 123 includes I/O pin (or pad) 126, buffer 127, delay circuit 128, and capture register 129. Delay circuit 128 has the same layout as delay circuit 118 of DLL 110. Moreover, the layout of delay circuit 128 is orientated in the same direction as the layout of delay circuit 118. As a result, delay cells in delay circuit 128 have the same orientation as delay cells in delay circuit 118. Additionally, DLL 110 drives the delay settings out to delay circuit 128. As a result, delay circuit 128 produces the required delay that was determined by DLL 110. The delayed clock signal from delay circuit 128 is also fed into the capture registers of VIO pin circuits 121, 122, 124, and 125.
As can be seen in FIG. 1, VIO pin groups 130 and 140 are similar to VIO pin group 120. As VIO pin groups 130 and 140 are similar to VIO pin group 120, they are not described in detail. It is to be noted that DLL 110 drives the delay setting of the delay circuits in VIO pin groups 130 and 140.
DLL 110 also drives the delay setting of the delay circuit in HIO pin groups 160, 170, and 180. The delay circuit in HIO pin group 160 has been referenced as delay circuit 168 in FIG. 1, whereas those of HIO pin groups 170 and 180 have not been referenced with a reference number. The layout of delay circuit 168 is orientated in a horizontal orientation. Similarly, the layouts of delay circuits in HIO pin groups 170 and 180 are also orientated in a horizontal orientation. Moreover, delay cells in delay circuit 168 are orientated in a horizontal orientation. Similarly, delay cells in delay circuits of pin groups 170 and 180 are also oriented in a horizontal, rather than a vertical, orientation.
FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C are block diagrams of the DLL, VIO, and HIO delay circuits, respectively, of FIG. 1. Moreover, FIGS. 2A-2C illustrate the relative orientation of the delay cells in the DLL, VIO, and HIO delay circuits of FIG. 1. In FIG. 2A, DLL delay circuit 118 includes delay cells 211, 212, 213, 214, 221, 222, 223, and 224 and multiplexer 230. Delay cells 211-214 are connected in series and delay the input clock signal CLKIN. The output of delay cell 214 is provided to multiplexer 230 and delay cell 221. Delay cells 221-224 are also connected in series and delay the delayed clock signal provided to them by delay cell 214. The output of delay cell 224 is provided to multiplexer 230. When IC 100 operates in high frequency mode, multiplexer 230 selects the delayed signal received from delay cell 214. Multiplexer 230 outputs the output clock signal CLKOUT for DLL delay circuit 118. On the other hand, when IC 100 operates in low frequency mode, multiplexer 230 selects the delayed signal received from delay cell 224. Delay cells 211-214 and 221-224 are oriented in a vertical direction as noted by the arrows therein in FIG. 2A.
As shown in FIG. 2B, VIO delay circuit 128 includes delay cells 241, 242, 243, 244, 251, 252, 253, and 254 and multiplexer 260. As can also be seen in FIGS. 2A and 2B, VIO delay circuit 128 is identical to DLL delay circuit 118. Therefore, VIO delay circuit 128 will not be described in further detail herein. It is to be noted that in VIO delay circuit 128, delay cells 241-244 and 251-254 are oriented in a vertical direction as noted by the arrows illustrated therein in FIG. 2B.
As shown in FIG. 2C, HIO delay circuit 168 includes delay cells 271, 272, 273, 274, 281, 282, 283, and 284 and multiplexer 290. In HIO delay circuit 168, delay cells 271-274 and 281-284 are oriented in a horizontal direction as noted by the arrows therein illustrated in FIG. 2C. Delay cells 271-274 are connected in series. Similarly, delay cells 281-284 are connected in series. The output of delay cell 274 is provided to multiplexer 290 and delay cell 281. The output of delay cell 284 is also provided to multiplexer 290. Multiplexer 290 outputs the output clock signal CLKOUT for HIO delay circuit 168. When IC 100 operates in high frequency mode, multiplexer 290 selects the delayed signal received from delay cell 274. On the other hand, when IC 100 operates in low frequency mode, multiplexer 290 selects the delayed signal received from delay cell 284.
As noted above, the delay cells in the delay circuits of the DLL 110 and VIO bank 150 have the same orientation, both being orientated in the vertical direction. On the other hand, as the delay cells in the delay circuits of the HIO bank 190 are orientated in the horizontal direction, they have a different orientation than those of DLL 110 and VIO bank 150. Delay cells in the layout with different orientation may be susceptible to channel length variation during the fabrication process, particularly if the process uses sub-micron technologies. This results in performance differences between delay cells with different orientations. This performance difference may herein be referred to as a poly-orientation effect. Thus, for example, delay cells in the DLL and the VIO bank may have a different performance from delay cells in the HIO bank. As a result, the optimum delay setting derived by the DLL will be optimum for the VIO bank as the delay cells in the DLL and VIO bank are drawn in the layout in a similar orientation. However, the delay settings determined in the DLL will not be optimum for the delay cells in the HIO bank which have a different orientation than those of the DLL. This results in different phase shifts for the DQS signals in the VIO and HIO banks. This may cause timing violations, particularly at high operating frequencies.

Delay circuit with delay cells in different orientations


A request for a service is received. A page associated with the requested service is determined. The page is associated with a page identifier. In response to determining the page associated with the requested service, a first jump route from a page routing table is retrieved based on the page identifier. The first jump route associates the page identifier to a first jump page. In response to retrieving the first jump route, the first jump page is loaded based on the first jump route.

An application (APP) can provide a user with rapid and stable services such as account recharging services, by using a native page. The native page is independently executable based on local code of the APP that does not rely on HyperText Markup Language (HTML5) code transmitted through a network.
However, when a new service is deployed, and is provided to the user by using a native page, it is possible that the APP may need to be upgraded to a newer version before the service can be provided, which can be inflexible.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A non-transitory storage medium stores a plurality of instructions readable by a computer of an information processing apparatus. The information processing apparatus comprises a communication interface for connecting to a scanner. The information processing apparatus includes a first route and a second route. When executed by the computer, the plurality of instructions cause the information processing apparatus to execute a scan control using the first route in which a read result of a document by the scanner is obtained by using the first route after receiving an execution instruction for scanning, determine whether the scan control using the first route has failed or not, and execute a scan control using the second route in which the read result of the document by the scanner is obtained by using the second route when it is determined that the scan control using the first route has failed.

The following disclosure relates to a non-transitory storage medium storing a plurality of instructions incorporated in an information processing apparatus capable of communicating with a scanner, and a scan system. More specifically, the disclosure relates to a technique of switching routes of processing with respect to image data between the scanner and the information processing apparatus.
In the information processing apparatus capable of communicating with devices such as a scanner, there is known a technique in which, when an error occurs in execution of a scan job, the scan job is ended after notifying a user of the error. For example, the conventional information processing apparatus displays an error screen and ends the scan processing in a case where an error signal is inputted to a scanner driver or a scanner program after scan processing is started.

Non-transitory storage medium storing plurality of instructions readable by information processing apparatus and scan system


The long-term use of a conventional jig for calcining an electronic component arises a problem such as peel-off of a zirconia surface layer. Even if the performance is not deteriorated in the short-term use, the zirconia surface layer reacts with the electronic component to shorten the life of the jig for calcining the electronic component when the use is prolonged for a longer period of time. A jig for calcining an electronic component is provided which is stable after use of a longer period of time by suitably setting the composition of a zirconia surface layer. For example, in the zirconia surface layer containing zirconia particles and a partially fused-bonding agent, an amount of calcia is made to be 4 to 15% in weight.

A jig for calcining an electronic component is required to be unreactive with ceramic electronic components to be calcined in addition to having heat resistance and mechanical strength. When an electronic component work such as a dielectric is contacted and reacted with the calcination jig, a problem arises that the characteristics may be deteriorated due to the fusion or the composition fluctuation of the work.
The substrate for the jig for calcining the electronic component generally includes an alumina-based material, an alumina-mullite-based material, an alumina-magnesia-based-material, an alumina-mullite-cordierite-based material and a combination thereof.
In order to prevent the reaction of the jig with the work, a method of coating zirconia (zirconium oxide, ZrO2) on the surface layer is employed. Although the reactivity of the zirconia with the substrate is low, the coating of the jig may be cleaved or peeled off under an environment in which the repeated heat cycles take place due to the larger difference between thermal expansion coefficients of the substrate and the zirconia. When the jig is repeatedly used and the particles contained in the surface zirconia layer has a lower particle removal resistance or a lower abrasion resistance, the fine particles are mixed into electronic components to cause a severe problem. The phase change from a monoclinic system to a tetragonal system takes place in the zirconia at around 1100° C. As a result, a problem arises that the change of the thermal expansion coefficient accompanied with the phase transformation due to the repeated heat cycles eliminates the coated layer of the zirconia to generate cracks so that electronic components to be calcined are likely to be influenced by the substrate. The use of non-stabilized zirconia easily takes place the degradation to lower the anti-grain detaching property.
An application method, a dip-coating method and a spray-coating method are used for forming the zirconia surface layer (or zirconia film) on the substrate surface of the jig for calcining the electronic component. In these methods relatively inexpensive and suitable for industrial production, the anti-grain detaching property and the anti-abrasion property of the formed zirconia surface layer may be insufficient. Especially, under the circumstance in which the heat cycles are repeatedly loaded on the jig for calcining the electronic component, the zirconia surface layer may be peeled off from the substrate and the grains may be detached.
When the zirconia surface layer is formed by using relatively coarse particles, the zirconia surface layer does not become compact, and a plenty of bubbles are formed to absorb the difference of thermal expansion from the substrate. However, the adhesiveness between the zirconia film and the substrate is inferior together with the decrease of the sintering property, thereby generating a cause of peel-off.
Patent Document 1: JP-A-10(1998)-13957 (paragraphs 0005 to 0007)
Patent Document 2: JP-A-2003-226586 (claim 1)
Patent Document 3: JP-A-2001-213666 (claim 1)
Patent Document 4: JP-A-2003-73183 (claim 2)


A light emitting device package according to example embodiments includes a plurality of light emitting device chips arranged linearly and spaced apart from each other on a substrate, and a plurality of wavelength conversion units on upper surfaces of the plurality of light emitting device chips. The plurality of wavelength conversion units may each have portions that extend over regions between the plurality of light emitting device chips. A vehicle headlight may include the light emitting device package.

1. Field
Example embodiments relate to a light emitting device package and/or a vehicle headlight using a light emitting device package as a light source thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
A light source using a socket bulb may generally be used as a light source for a headlight installed in a vehicle. A socket bulb is a lighting instrument in which a noncombustible gas is stored within a light bulb in a vacuum state and a filament such as tungsten, or the like, is heated electrothermally to obtain light to be radiated therefrom.
However, socket bulbs generally have a relatively short life span and low impact resistance. Thus, recently, a high degree of effort and interest has been concentrated on developing a light source, such as a light emitting diode (LED), that may be used with a low voltage and which may have excellent durability, a long life span, and a simple structure so as to have various shapes.
A vehicle headlight to which an LED is applied may be designed to produce a great quantity of light in terms of properties thereof, and thus, a plurality of LED chips may be continuously arranged to form a light source having a high degree of luminance.
However, when a plurality of LED chips are arrayed, a rectangular cutoff in light distribution characteristics may be generated, resulting in a failure of obtaining continuous light. This may result from a structural problem in which light is separated by a space between LED chips so as to be seen to be discontinuous.

Light emitting device package and headlight for vehicle having the same


According to the present invention, there is provided an ophthalmologic apparatus in which identifying power for the index or an index indicating state is improved to eliminate the confusion of a person to be examined, so that an eye examination time period can be shortened and the reliability of an eye examination can be improved. The ophthalmologic apparatus includes an index plate that displays an index, an index projecting optical system that projects the index to an eye to be examined, a variable cross cylinder that produces a pair of index indicating states of the index used for a cross cylinder test, a lamp and a liquid crystal screen that generate identifiers serving as identification information, and a dichroic mirror that combines the identifiers with the pair of index indicating states to be indicated to the eye to be examined.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ophthalmologic apparatus capable of conducting at least subjective measurement of the refractive power of an eye to be examined.
2. Description of the Related Art
Up to now, with respect to measurement of the refractive power of an eye to be examined (ocular refractive power), a subjective eye examination for conducting measurement based on responses of a person to be examined to various indexes such as Landolt rings and an objective eye examination which is conducted without using the responses of the person to be examined are used in combination. Now, an ophthalmologic apparatus capable of effectively using both the subjective eye examination and the objective eye examination become widely available. Therefore, attempts of improvement in efficiency and reliability of the examination, size reduction of the apparatus etc. are conducted.
Also, in order to further improve the efficiency of the examination, an ophthalmologic apparatus in which the person to be examined him/herself can conduct eye examination has been developed. As such an ophthalmologic apparatus, an ophthalmologic apparatus described in, for example, JP 2002-119471 A (specification paragraph [0026] and FIG. 3) has been known. The ophthalmologic apparatus described in JP 2002-119471 A can conduct both the subjective eye examination and the objective eye examination. A moving image and a still image which show an measurement order are displayed on a monitor device under the control of a computer and the measurement order is also announced, so that the person to be examined can be automatically guided.
It is greatly expected that the automated ophthalmologic apparatus become widely available in the future. It is a fact that a problem to be solved to achieve the wide use remains. For example, when a plurality of indexes or a plurality of index indicating states (states of index images projected to the eye to be examined) are made to appear in the eye to be examined and an examination is performed based on a result in which the person to be examined conducts subjective comparison and determination with respect to the visibility of the plurality of indexes and the like, it is difficult for the person to be examined to distinguish an index, which actually appears in the eye, among from the plurality of indexes and the like. An example thereof is given. In a cross cylinder test (hereinafter referred to as a CC test) which is a general method of an astigmatic examination, an examination is performed based on a result in which the person to be examined conducts comparison and determination as to clearly recognize which of a pair of index indicating states produced by reversing positive and negative refractive powers of the cross cylinder. In this time, the person to be examined becomes confused by not being able to distinguish which is the index indicating state for the power produced in many cases. Therefore, this causes that a time period required for the eye examination is lengthened and becomes a factor that the reliability of the eye examination is deteriorated.
Also, even in the case of the CC test which is conducted in the presence of an examiner and/or an assistant, it is difficult for the person to be examined to smoothly select among the index indicating states as in the above-mentioned case.
Note that, there has been known an ophthalmologic apparatus in which identification information visually identifiable is provided to each of a pair of cylindrical lenses used for the CC test and a pair of operational direction indexes corresponding to the identification information are provided to an astigmatic power switching operating unit for conducting astigmatic power switching and an astigmatic axis operating unit for conducting astigmatic axis switching, which are operated by the examiner, so that the astigmatic power switching operating unit and the astigmatic axis operating unit can be operated toward the operational direction index corresponding to any one of the identification information recognized by the person to be examined (see JP 2992337 B (claims)). According to this ophthalmologic apparatus, the response of the person to be examined to the identification information directly becomes to mean the operational direction index of the astigmatic axis operating unit or the astigmatic power switching operating unit. Therefore, the examiner can accurately and speedily conduct astigmatic examination.
But, the identification information only contributes to improvement in operationality of the apparatus operated by the examiner, and a labor and a cost are required for providing the identification information to each of a large number of cylindrical lenses.


Technologies are described for semantic cache for connected devices (semantic cache) as a set of next generation cloud services to primarily support the Internet of things scenario: a massive network of devices and device application services inter-communicating, facilitated by cloud-based semantic cache services. The semantic cache may be an instrumented caching reverse proxy with auto-detection of semantic web traffic, public, shadow and private namespace management and control, and real time semantic object temporal versioning, geospatial versioning, semantic contextual versioning and groupings and semantic object transformations.

Unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
The semantic web is a global web of linked data with shared public vocabulary ontologies and logical assertions on a wide variety of concepts and topics. Machines and humans are consumers of this web of inter-linked data, and various semantic web transmission formats may be employed to facilitate communication between the participants. However, for the Internet of things (interconnected devices in massive numbers beyond today's computers) to successfully utilize the semantic web, additional functionality, mechanisms, and services need to be added via cloud services in order to accommodate the myriad of massive numbers of inter-operating connected devices that depend on cloud services for intelligent device applications.
In order to support the intelligent device application demands of the Internet of things, the semantic web needs to scale massively, be secure, and be operationally manageable. The semantic web further needs to support the protection of intellectual property in the form of intelligent device applications, prevent unauthorized access and copying of device applications, and provide a trustworthy audit trail of application changes and data. Currently, the semantic web lacks the above-discussed capabilities, either completely or partially.

Semantic cache cloud services for connected devices