A lighting device 100 includes a light source 101, a first phosphor layer 102 disposed directly or indirectly on top of the light source 101, a first quantum dots layer 103 disposed directly on top of the first phosphor layer 101, and a second phosphor layer 104 disposed directly on top of the first quantum dots layer 103. The first quantum dots layer 103 includes a population of quantum dots 106 dispersed in a first matrix material 107. Each of the first and second phosphor layers 102, 104 includes a population of conventional phosphor particles 105. Another embodiment is a lighting device 400 that includes a light source 401 and a wavelength-shifting phosphor layer 402 disposed on top of the light source 401. The wavelength-shifting phosphor layer 402 includes a population of quantum dots 404 and a population of phosphor particles 403 both dispersed in a matrix material 405.

Existing LEDs can emit light in the ultraviolet ("UV"), visible or infrared ("IR") wavelength range. These LEDs generally have narrow emission spectra. It is desirable to use LEDs that can generate broader emission spectra to produce desired color light, such as white light. Due to the narrow emission spectrum, LEDs can not be directly used to produce broad-spectrum light. Phosphors can be introduced to convert portion of the light originally emitted by the LED into light of a different wavelength. The combination of the converted light and the originally emitted light renders a more desired output light. However, phosphors generally have narrow absorption spectra and can be only used on underlying light sources that have a very specific range of emission wavelengths. For example, the YAG:Ce phosphor is optimized for 460 nanometer ("nm") light but is not suitable for LEDs emitting light at other wavelengths. The white light converted by one type of phosphor typically has a low color rendering index ("CRI") and can only reach a limited range of color temperature.
Quantum dots ("QDs", also known as semiconductor nanocrystals) can be used to convert the light emitted by LEDs and to generate the light in the visible or infrared region. Quantum dots are small crystals of II-VI, III-V, IV-VI materials that typically have a diameter between 1 nm and 20 nm, which is smaller than the bulk exciton Bohr radius. Due to the quantum confinement effects, the energy differences between electronic states of a QD are a function of both the composition and the physical size of the QD. Thus, the optical and optoelectronic properties of QDs can be tuned and adjusted by changing the physical size of the QDs. The QDs absorb wavelengths shorter than the absorption onset wavelength and emit light at the absorption onset wavelength. The bandwidth of the QD luminescent spectra is related to temperature dependent Doppler broadening, Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle and the size distribution of the QDs. For a given QD, the emission band of the QD can be controlled by changing the size. Thus, the QD can produce a range of colors that are unattainable with conventional phosphors. For example, CdSe QD of 2 nm emits at the blue region and CdSe QD of 10 nm emits at the red region.
Due to the nano-scale size of the QDs, the QDs conversion layer is intrinsically a non-scattering layer. With lack of scattering, light has a much shorter optical path when it passes through a QDs layer than when the same light passes through a conventional phosphor layer. Unless the layer thickness is undesirably high, not enough light will be absorbed by the QDs to convert into a desired amount of emission at another wavelength. Therefore, an undesirably thick QD layer or high quantity of QDs would be needed to achieve the target color combination. Moreover, the optical path length is different at different angles of emission. For a QDs layer to convert light into the red region, the light at a smaller angle of emission has a shorter optical path and less red light is generated, meanwhile the light at a larger angle of emission results in more red light. Thus, the resulting output light has less red component in the center and more red component at the edge, which is disadvantageous in terms of color uniformity.
The following are known: U.S. Pat. No. 6,890,777 (Bawendi); US Pat. Pub. Nos. 2008/0173886 (Cheon), 2007/0246734 (Lee), 2010/0123155 (Pickett), and 2007/0221947 (Locascio); and the article "Optical thin-film materials with low refractive index for broadband elimination of Fresnel reflection", Xi et al., Nature Photonics, Vol. 1 pp. 176-179 (pub'd online 1 Mar. 2007).


Headphones for stereo tactile vibration, and related systems and methods are disclosed. A headphone comprises a first speaker assembly including a first audio driver and a first tactile bass vibrator. The headphone also comprises a second speaker assembly including a second audio driver and a second tactile bass vibrator. The headphone further comprises a signal processing circuit configured to generate a first tactile vibration signal and a second tactile vibration signal from an audio signal to be received by the headphone. The first tactile vibration signal differs from the second tactile vibration signal. A method of operating the headphone includes generating the first tactile vibration signal and the second tactile vibration signal, and driving vibration of the first and second tactile bass vibrators with the first and second tactile vibration signals, respectively. A stereo tactile vibrator system includes the headphone.

The audio frequency range is accepted by many to be about 20 Hz (Hertz) to 20 kHz (kilohertz), although some people are able to hear sounds above and below this range. Also, a bass frequency range is accepted by many to be about 16 Hz to 512 Hz. It may be relatively difficult for a person to detect which direction a bass frequency sound is coming from because the wavelength associated with bass frequency sound is larger than the distance between a person's ears (usually less than 1 ft (foot)). For example, assuming that the speed of sound is 340 m/s, the wavelength associated with a frequency of 100 Hz is about 11 ft. As a result, recording engineers have conventionally mixed bass frequencies as monophonic (mono).


An oxidizing sterilant solution comprising percarboxylic acid is disclosed which contains a colorant that is color stable for a useful period in the oxidizing, sanitizing environment.

A variety of sterilants have been proposed for use in the aqueous solutions used to disinfect and sanitize a variety of surfaces. The selection of the sterilants is limited by the toxicity of many antimicrobial compositions. Percarboxylic acids are often used as antimicrobial compositions. One preferred antimicrobial composition is peracetic acid which is manufactured by contacting a source of acetic acid, typically acetic acid or acetic anhydride, with hydrogen peroxide resulting, through an equilibrium reaction, in the production of peracetic acid in significant proportion. Percarboxylic acids are believed to associate with the lipid membrane of a variety of cell walls in microorganisms to result in lysis and death of the contaminating growth of the undesirable microorganisms. Percarboxylic acid solutions provide a strongly oxidizing sanitizing environment.
Clinical personnel have found the use of percarboxylic acid solutions difficult because the colorless material cannot be easily identified once removed from its container. Further, after a dilution has been made, the diluted material can not be easily differentiated from the concentrate. Accordingly, there has been a substantial need in this art for some means to determine the nature of the material.

Sterilant solutions for hollow fiber membranes


An unmanned aerial vehicle and associated methods for inspecting infrastructure assets includes a multirotor, electrically driven helicopter apparatus and power supply; a flight computer; positioning and collision avoidance equipment; and at least one sensor such as a camera. The flight computer is programmed for automated travel to and inspection of selected waypoints, at which condition data is collected for further analysis. The method also includes protocols for segmenting the flight path to accomplish sequential inspection of a linear asset such as a power line using limited-range equipment.

Electric utilities and owners or operators of other types of infrastructure lines, such as rail lines, pipelines, and the like, typically use airplanes, helicopters, and ground-based vehicles to inspect and monitor those lines and their associated right-of-ways. Regular inspection of these items is necessary or helpful to detect and document problems; to identify and reduce equipment failures; to detect encroachments onto right-of-ways, theft, vandalism, and terrorism threats; to ensure safe operating conditions; and to plan and prioritize scheduled or emergency maintenance.
There are numerous drawbacks associated with existing methods. The use of conventional methods is costly and time-consuming. For example, the operating cost associated with helicopter monitoring may exceed $1,000 per hour. Manned aerial inspection may expose the inspectors and the public to danger, particularly because the inspection process often requires low-altitude flying to enable detailed inspections, and operating under those conditions can reduce safety margins. By contrast, inspection using ground-based vehicles, while somewhat safer, poses its own risks. Ground inspection requires a great deal of additional time for travel to inspection sites, and access to those sites may be limited or obstructed by forest growth, watercourses, or obstacles, particularly when a natural disaster has caused downed trees and other hazards.
Manned aerial inspection consumes significant amounts of fuel, which poses an emissions hazard in addition to the cost of fuel. It may additionally be difficult if not impossible to access tight locations to gather detailed views around and under towers, or around other structures such as buildings and bridges. Inspections must also be carefully planned to occur within the range of appropriate landing sites, so that inspecting some lines may require longer-range, more expensive vehicles.
Moreover, manned aerial inspection requires trained and licensed pilots, who must concentrate on tasks associated with flying, in addition to utility personnel who must ride alongside, to view the lines under inspection and to direct operations. These personnel are in addition to those typically required to review and evaluate video in order to discovery and document problems for follow-up.
All of the foregoing drawbacks tend to make frequent inspection of lines and right-of-ways cost-prohibitive, which leads to less consistent operation and in some cases operating conditions that are not as safe as possible. With access to more efficient mechanisms for conducting aerial monitoring, more frequent inspection and monitoring could be undertaken, which would in turn make regular and exceptional maintenance easier to complete and make operation more consistent and safer overall.

Unmanned aerial vehicle for monitoring infrastructure assets

Southern Electrical Equipment Company, Inc.


Disclosed are hydrogels wherein a polymer matrix is modified to contain a bifunctional poly(alkylene glycol) molecule covalently bonded to the polymer matrix. The hydrogels can be cross-linked using, for example, glutaraldehyde. The hydrogels may also be crosslinked via an interpenetrating network of a photopolymerizable acrylates. The hydrogels may also be modified to have pharmacologically-active agents covalently bonded to the poly(alkylene glycol) molecules or entrained within the hydrogel. Living cells may also be entrained within the hydrogels.

Biological systems, such as healing and embryonic development, operate under spatially- and temporally-controlled orchestration. A myriad of signals and cells all act, in space and time, to heal a cut, for example, or to surround and neutralize a foreign body. The efficacy of current materials used to construct biomedical devices is limited by a lack of multi-functional structures to complement the inherent dynamics of these biological systems.
For example, most wound dressings provide nothing more than a simple barrier to shield the wound and to prevent foreign objects from entering the would. Other newer types of dressings also include antibiotics to prevent sepsis at the wound site. However, these dressings do not address, for example, the exudation which occurs from a wound. Thus, these dressings must be changed often.
Certain biodegradable polymers have been used in burn dressings, hemostatic patches, and the like. These biodegradable polymers provide a barrier and possibly a tissue scaffold for regrowth. However, these types of dressing have no therapeutic effect. While such types of dressings provide effective barriers to physical disturbance of the wound site, scarring is still extensive.
Despite the extensive investigation of novel wound dressing materials, very few materials are in current clinical use. An ideal functional wound dressing should have the following properties: It should be non-toxic, biocompatible, and permeable to moisture and gases to absorb wound exudate and toxins as well to maintain appropriate humidity and oxygen levels. It should be porous to prevent swelling of the wound bed and accumulation of the fluid between the wound site and the material. It should be flexible and durable and minimize local inflammation and infection, thereby promoting new vascularization, re-epithelialization, and normal healing.
Hydrogels are three-dimensional networks capable of absorbing copious amounts of water. Hydrogels have been explored for many uses, including drug delivery devices, wound dressing materials, contact lenses, and cell transplantation matrices. Edible hydrogels, such as gelatin, find extensive use in various food-related applications, such as texture modification, gelling, clarification of beers and wines, and as medicine capsules.


A hair stylist face shield for shielding the face are of a client receiving hair styling services. The hair stylist face shield includes a face screening member, a rigid, elongated handle, an air filter element and two stacks of transparent, peel-off, eye opening cover members. The molded plastic face shield member is molded to form a face receiving cavity contoured to receive therein the chin, nose, eye, forehead and cheek areas of a user and includes a mouth/nose area opening and two eye openings. The handle is rigidly connected to the inner surface wall of the chin area of the face member and extending downwardly away from the chin covering area of the face screening member. The air filter element is adhesively secured to the interior of the face screening member and covers the mouth/nose area opening such that all air drawn through the mouth/nose area opening must be drawn through the air filter element. Each of the two stacks of transparent, peel-off, eye opening cover members is positioned over one of the two eye openings formed through the face shield member. Each of the peel-off, eye opening cover members includes a transparent center portion, a restickable adhesive covered perimeter edge encircling the transparent center portion, and gripping tab extending outwardly from the perimeter edge. Each of the two stacks of transparent, peel-off, eye opening cover members is configured such that the gripping tabs are arranged in a staggered relationship.

It is often necessary when styling hair to spray hair styling liquids and the like onto sections of the client's hair. This spraying can result in unwanted covering of the client's face and eyes with undesirable hair styling solutions and the unhealthy breathing of fumes generated by the spraying. It would be a benefit, therefore, to have a face shield that could be used to shield the face area of a person receiving hair styling services from undesirable styling liquid overspray. It would be a further benefit to have a face shield that also included a filter element through which the styling client could breath while the face shield was in place. Because the viewing openings of the face shield can become hard to see through when covered with hair styling spray, it would be a further benefit to have a face shield that included peel-off eye opening covers that could be removed when covered with hair styling spray to allow the costumer to see clearly through the eye openings in order to view the stylist at work on the hair.


A method of presenting log messages during execution of a computer program. The method can include identifying at least a second log message set comprising information that is the same as information contained in a first log message set. The method can include determining to present the second log message set in a manner that indicates that the second log message set is redundant, and presenting such list of log messages accordingly, or determining not to present the second log message set in the list of log messages, and presenting the list of log messages accordingly.

One or more embodiments disclosed within this specification relate to the presentation of log messages generated during software development.
The monitoring of trace and console output commonly is performed by software developers and testers. A number of software tools are available to generate trace to aid in the monitoring, for example within integrated development environment (IDE) packages. Trace log messages typically relate to recorded information about a programs execution, which may be reviewed by developers and testers to diagnose software problems. Trace log messages can indicate low level information, such as exceptions, which are generated during the execution of a program. Trace log messages also can indicate high level information, such as status information or results related to a computer program's execution, which are generated during execution of a program. Sometimes, trace log messages presented within a view of an IDE are referred to as console log messages.

Log message optimization to ignore or identify redundant log messages

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


A privacy screen for use on a bass boat to cover the cockpit area for use as a toilet.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to privacy screens and in particular to privacy screens for use on fishing boats.
2. Description of Related Art
Within the sport fishing industry, and in particular within the bass boat market, there is scant provision for the execution of bodily waste functions in privacy.
While those who spend considerable time fishing may be able to adapt to the need to withhold from such bodily functions while fishing, those who enjoy the sport less often are typically less able to do so. Also, there are times when, due to diet or malicious infection, the body is not cooperative with any efforts to take care of such needs while out on a boat.
Currently, such problems will either cut a fishing trip short or result in trespassing on lands adjacent the fishing area or unintended public nudity on the water. Neither is a satisfactory result.
Further exacerbating the above problem are several factors. First, the growth of women participants in fishing has highlighted this somewhat unspoken problem. Second, the growth in the popularity of competitive fishing as a spectator sport has made it harder for competitive fishers to find a bit of privacy. Third, the growth of residential development in fishing areas has made it harder for all fishers to find a private place to relieve themselves.
Of course, the reason bass boats do not have a private head is that the boat is designed as a floating platform to be fished from that is also maneuverable enough to quickly move from one spot to another across a large body of water and be positioned in relatively shallow water. Therefore, the boat has a very low profile and relatively flat decking to maximize the goal of providing a very maneuverable fishing platform. This leaves no room for a built-in private head, as may be found on other, larger boats.
A need exists, therefore, for a privacy screen that allows a fisherman and passengers the privacy needed to execute bodily waste functions without reducing the utility of the fishing boat by changing the profile of the boat or adding burdensome weight to the boat.
All references cited herein are incorporated by reference to the maximum extent allowable by law. To the extent a reference may not be fully incorporated herein, it is incorporated by reference for background purposes and indicative of the knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art.


A display apparatus comprises a display panel. The display panel emits a green light having a green energy and a green point of the CIE 1931 xy chromaticity under the operation of the highest gray level of a green image, and emits a blue light having a blue energy and a blue point of the CIE 1931 xy chromaticity under the operation of the highest gray level of a blue image. The ratio of the green energy to the blue energy is between 0.7 and 1.2. In the CIE 1931 chromaticity diagram, the coordinates of the blue point are bounded by the equation: y=−168.72x2+50.312x−3.635 and the equation: y=−168.72x2+63.81x−5.9174, while y is between 0.04 and 0.08.

Technical Field
The disclosed embodiments relate to a display apparatus and, in particular, to a display apparatus and a manufacturing method thereof.
Related Art
Because the current display apparatuses (e.g. LCD apparatuses) have advantages such as low power consumption, light weight and less radiation, they are gradually taking the place of cathode ray tube (CRT) display apparatuses and widely applied to various electronic products.
For the design of a display apparatus, color taste is an important design factor and it can be shown by the chromaticity diagram. For example, the light emitted from a display panel can be specifically represented by a CIE 1931 xy chromaticity diagram, in which three primary colors (blue, green and red) have their respective color points, i.e. three vertices of the color triangle in the diagram. Presently, sRGB is commonly used as a chromaticity standard. Based on sRGB color space, in the CIE 1931 xy chromaticity diagram, the blue point is specified as (0.15, 0.06), the green point is specified as (0.3, 0.6), and the red point is specified as (0.64, 0.33), in coordinates (x, y). If the color points of three primary colors of a light deviate from the color points defined by the sRGB standard too much, the colors displayed by the display panel may be distorted, so that the displayed images loss quality.
Therefore, it is an important subject to provide a display apparatus so that the color points of primary colors of the light emitted by the display apparatus can be maintained within a better range in the chromaticity diagram for enhancing the display quality and product competitiveness.


A drop out compensation circuit for resolving the unnaturalness of the pictorial image due to a long period drop out compensation is disclosed. This drop out compensation circuit comprises a drop out detecting circuit, a delay circuit for delaying a drop out detected output, and a circuit for limiting the drop out compensation to the delay time period by the delay circuit in response to the drop out detected output and the delay signal of the delay circuit. Accordingly, the drop out compensation is performed only within a range wherein it is visually natural, so that unnatural pictorial image does not appear.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a video signal playback system such as a video tape recorder and a video disc player, and more particularly, to a drop out compensation circuit to compensate for portions of decreased amplitude in video signals from a video head.
2. Description of the Background Art
Generally, a drop out compensation circuit envelope-detects the frequency modulation reproduced output from a video head, detects a portion where the envelope detected output is lower than a predetermined level, and compensates the low level portion with the FM reproduced output in an immediately previous horizontal 1H period. 1H The video signal has line correlativity and the gap of one horizontal period appearing on a screen has no effect on the human vision.
Such method of detecting a decrease in the envelope level, however, responds to a level decrease of a long duration such as a level decrease during high speed playback and a level decrease during the first half or the latter half of a field due to poor contact between a tape and a head. Therefore, when the drop out compensation is performed by a drop out compensation circuit employing a 1H delay circuit, as image signals for 1H are used repeatedly during the level decrease period, the pictorial image becomes rather unnatural.


There is a disclosed an oscillator for generating a periodic signal, comprising a transistor and two electro-magnetically coupled inductors in positive feedback configuration, one of the inductors is connected to the drain or gate of the transistor, and the other being connected to the source to maintain the same phase of the two voltages at the two nodes. Two or more of such single ended oscillators can be connected together to form a differential oscillator, and the invention can be generalized by the use of any active device and not just transistors.

Voltage-controlled oscillators (VCO) are one of the most essential building blocks in phase-locked loops and frequency synthesizers, which are required in all data and telecommunication communication systems to generate highly accurate timing reference sources.
Typical oscillators use inductors and capacitors as resonant tars for signal oscillation. Active circuits compensate for any loss in the tank and sustain the oscillation. For an ideal case, the oscillation signal is a pure tone (FIG. 1a). However, noise in the circuit is converted into phase noise, which is exhibited as a roll-off skirt in the frequency spectrum (FIG. 1b). This phase noise determines the frequency purity of the oscillating source and significantly affects the signal-to-noise and bit-error-rate performance of the whole system.
Phase noise follows the classical Leeson-Cutler model
      S    SSB    =      F              kT              2                          P          sig                                        w        σ        2                              Q          2                        Δ                                                            ω          2                    where F is an empirical parameter that quantifies how effectively the noise is converted into phase noise and Psig is the power of the oscillating signal.
To minimize the phase noise, the conversion factor F of the noise to the phase noise needs to be minimized while the signal power needs to be maximized.
The basic mechanism behind the generation of phase noise can be understood by considering a simple LC tank with impulse current noise. In FIG. 2(a), if the noise impulse is applied at the peak of the output voltage, only the voltage amplitude will be changed, and current noise is only converted to amplitude noise. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2(b), if the noise impulse is applied at a zero-crossing point of the output waveform, the voltage is time shifted. This is equivalent to an instantaneous change in oscillation frequency. In this case, current noise is converted to phase noise.
This observation demonstrates that careful positioning and aligning of the noise injection relative to the output voltage waveform can help to achieve the lowest possible phase noise conversion.
For an oscillator with a signal current I and a tank impedance Z, the output amplitude is simply given by V=I×Z. To maximize the output amplitude, either I or Z can be increased. However, increasing current would result in an increase in power consumption, which is not desirable in many wireless and portable applications.
Alternatively, the impedances Z can be increased to increase the output amplitude. Consider a simple LC tank with the inductor's series resistance in FIG. 3. As illustrated in the figure, for a fixed oscillation frequency, maximizing L and minimizing C can be beneficial. Firstly, the tank impedance increases at the center frequency, which gives larger signal amplitude for a given bias current. This minimizes phase noise and maximizes current efficiency. Secondly, the filtering capability of the tank (or quality factor Q) increases, which can help filtering out the random frequency fluctuation and again minimizes phase noise.
As the tank impedance increases with L, the loop gain also increases and gives better startup reliability of the oscillator.
A large L/C ratio, however, gives a smaller frequency tuning range of the oscillator because the tuning of the capacitance C is limited to a narrower range. The following table summarises the options depending on the desired objective.
LOW-POWER LOW-PHASE-NOISE OPTIMIZATION SUMMARYlow powerlow phasenoiseLmaximizemaximizeCminimizeminimizeRminimizeminimizeAmplitudeminimizemaximize

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology


A light polymerization device for polymerization of a polymerizable material includes a hand-held device having a multi-branch electrical supply receptacle or a multi-prong electrical supply plug for the connection of the hand-held device with the storage battery assembly or with a connection module, which, in particular, makes available a releasably connectable electrical supply connection as well as a data bus port or interface. A base station comprises a single receptacle or several receptacles for the receipt of the storage battery assembly. The base station can comprise an electrical supply plug connection via which the base station is supplied with electrical energy, especially electrical energy supplied via a power pack.

Light polymerization devices had long been conventionally known as is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,471,129.
A light polymerization device of the above-noted type is provided with a storage battery assembly, which is mounted in the handgrip of a hand-held device. To effect the charging of the storage battery assembly, a base station is provided and the grip of the hand-held device is inserted into corresponding receptacles in the base station for a charging operation. To increase the convenience and availability of the device, two corresponding receptacles are provided so that two hand-held devices can be disposed in the same base station, whereupon one of the hand-held devices is loaded or charged and the other is available for use.
An approach of the above-noted type offers, in fact, a large degree of convenience and availability. However, due to the two required hand-held devices, such an approach is comparatively expensive.
Moreover, it has long been known, in connection with hand-held devices in other technical areas such as, for example, storage battery-powered or cordless drills or cordless screwdrivers, to couple together a storage battery assembly configured as a compact unit and a hand-held device into which the storage battery assembly can be inserted and, as required, to exchange or, respectively, to charge, solely the storage battery assembly.
Such approaches avoid the necessity of a separate hand-held device. On the one hand, it is known that the storage battery assemblies experience a diminution of their quality during the course of the operating time. In this connection, the so-called memory effect is part of this phenomenon but, as well, so is the effect, which occurs toward the end of the operational life, of increasing self-discharging of the storage battery assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,471,129 discloses various measures to limit the negative effect of such disadvantages upon light polymerization devices, among which is the measure of monitoring the capacity of the storage battery assembly. The corresponding monitoring switch is mounted, in this approach, in the hand-held device. However, in connection with a spaced separation of the storage battery assembly and the hand-held device, monitoring a storage battery assembly in this manner, which is based upon acquisition of the storage battery assembly loading and discharging curves, is not possible or, at the least, is not practical, as even storage battery assemblies manufactured at the same time can possess different properties, which come to the fore upon deployment of the respective storage battery assembly.
One approach known in connection with digital film cameras for avoiding this undesired phenomenon is to provide the storage battery assembly itself with a micro-controller, which acquires the actual parameters of the storage battery assembly and the changes thereof during its operational life and stores such information.
A particular disadvantage of the entire range of such storage battery assemblies including, as well, high-value lithium ion storage battery assemblies, is their weight.
If a hand-held device is to be operated in a cable-free or cordless manner, the use of a storage battery assembly (or at least a battery pack) is, on the other hand, unavoidable.
Dentists, who seek a lightweight hand-held operation in connection with the use of a light polymerization device for polymerizing dental material, prefer, because of the weight of the storage battery assemblies, hand-held devices having an electrical energy supply cable connected with the base station. Such hand-held devices have, also, long been known, whereby, in the meantime, comparatively light yet nonetheless highly flexible cables can be provided. It is also known to use hand-held devices with a selectively deployable power pack connection and additionally, to outfit such hand-held devices for the possible receipt of a storage battery assembly.
A solution of this type is disclosed, for example, in DE 41 16 604. However, a hand-held device of this type is not particularly amenable to hand-held operation, if the storage battery assembly is, for the purpose of weight saving, removed from the hand-held device, as the hand-held device can no longer be readily deployed.
In considering the acquisition of operational parameters of the storage battery assembly, it is desirable, in connection with light polymerization devices, to also acquire the quality of the light output itself. In this connection, light sensors have been suggested which at least approximately acquire the outputted light performance and monitor the same.
On the other hand, the outputted light performance represents the most important quality criteria of a light polymerization device. The use of conventional halogen glow lamps causes vaporization of substantial portions of the tungsten layer or coating on the filament, whereupon the light performance decreases.
Once a storage battery assembly-powered light polymerization device has now been in relatively long use, the light performance decreases at a regular rate as does, as well, the capacity of the charge accumulator in the storage battery assembly. These performance opposing trends during the course of a storage battery assembly's usage reinforce the risk of an incomplete hardening of dental restoration pieces, comprised of synthetic materials, in the mouth of a patient. In this regard, monomers occasionally remain in such restoration pieces and follow-up demands against the dentist or, respectively, the manufacturer of the light polymerization device, cannot be excluded.
Moreover, the heretofore known solutions have not exhibited particularly good flexibility in connection with hand-held operations and fail to satisfy the various requirement profiles of the customers. Also, the reliability of the polymerization process leaves, in part, something to be desired.


Systems, methods, apparatuses and computer program products configured to provide intelligent filtering techniques to reduce errant device inputs are described. For example, filtering out the data input from a touch pad while typing on the keyboard or operating with a pointing stick, even if the touch pad is sensing contact, is augmented by continuing to filter data from the touch pad until the contact on the touch pad ends.

Some electronic devices (for example, a laptop, a tablet, or a notebook style personal computer (PC)) have multiple input devices available to the user. The most common input devices are keyboard and pointing devices (for example, a mouse and/or a touchpad). Recently, the pointing device landscape has become more complex. In certain systems there are now multiple input pads responsive to touch, for example, one for finger touch (touchpad) and one for stylus touch (digitizer). No matter the particular array of input devices provided, users encountering electronic devices with multiple inputs may inadvertently press or touch some input devices (for example, unintentionally provide input through the touchpad or the touchpad buttons). The result is inadvertent or errant input that sometimes causes errors (for example, cursor activity appearing on the screen that does not match the user's expectations or intentions).

Systems and methods for automatic disable of input devices


An I/O system including a processor complex and system main memory connected to I/O adapters via I/O adapters and I/O bus. A message transport mechanism and method stores an upstream message queue and a downstream message queue in system main memory. Queue addresses are stored both in system main memory and designated registers of I/O adapters. The I/O adapters utilize the queue addresses to manage the transfer of downstream command messages and to send upstream response messages to the system main memory via direct memory access across the I/O bus.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to computer systems and, more particularly, the invention relates to I/O (input/output) message transport mechanisms and methods.
2. Description of Related Art
Computer input/output (I/O) protocols govern communications between computer operating system programs and computer I/O devices, such as I/O devices that provide disk storage, communications or network capabilities. Conventionally, these I/O protocols are based upon command and response messages that are exchanged on an I/O bus that interconnects the computer central processor and memory to I/O device adapters or I/O processors. An I/O processor is a type of an I/O adapter that has more complex functions, usually in support of the operating system programs. An I/O adapter will be considered the broader class of which an I/O processor is included.
In conventional I/O protocols, operating system device driver programs create command messages that are transmitted across an I/O bus to the I/O adapter. The I/O adapter interprets the command and performs the requested operation, usually transferring data between an I/O device connected to the I/O adapter and the main memory across the I/O bus. Data is typically transferred by using known direct memory access mechanisms that are part of the I/O bus functions. When the I/O adapter completes the requested operation, it creates a response message that is retrieved by the central processor to the main memory where the operating system and device driver programs executed by the central processor interpret that response and conclude the overall I/O operation.
Conventional PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus architectures include a host system with a central processor complex and a main memory connected to a plurality of I/O adapters via a PCI bus. In the general model of conventional PCI buses, the conventional PCI bus architecture does not make any assumptions about the content or type of information exchanged between a host system and an I/O adapter. That is to say the PCI architecture does not define or distinguish the specific communications that occur between the host system and the I/O adapter that use the PCI bus as a transmission medium.
In the PCI specification model, an I/O adapter typically includes a set of memory locations that might collectively be called a register set or a command buffer and a response buffer. The typical PCI host system performs time-expensive memory storing operations to transmit a command via the PCI bus from the host system to a memory location such as the command buffer of an I/O adapter.
In response to the command, the I/O adapter performs the requested operation and then generate a response message to inform the host system of the result and any errors that have occurred. This response message is typically stored in the I/O adapter's response message buffer. The host system must then retrieve the response message and extract protocol information from the retrieved response message to determine the I/O adapter's response to the command. More particularly, the PCI host system reads the response message from an address in a memory of the I/O adapter to retrieve the response message.
One consequence of such a conventional PCI system is that the host system processor experiences latency to store to and load from the PCI I/O adapter memory. The execution of I/O commands by an I/O adapter typically requires a time duration of many thousands, or even millions, of central processor instruction cycles. Thus, while the I/O adapter is performing a command, the device driver and computer operating system normally perform other work and are not waiting for the I/O adapter to complete the command and forward the response message. The device driver and operating system rely upon an asynchronous event indication, such as a processor interrupt, to signal that the I/O adapter has completed the command and that the response message is available for the operating system and device driver to interpret. The relative timing and frequency of these signals, called interrupts, indicating that an I/O command has been completed have significant effects on the overall utilization of the central processor, utilization of the I/O adapter and its data throughput capabilities, and overall system performance. For example, in a large high performance processor system, the latency for an I/O memory read across a conventional PCI bus requiring many processor cycles seriously degrades execution speed of a program depending upon the data read from memory. More particularly, a high performance processor may be latent several hundred or even several thousand processor cycles while one word, i.e., four bytes of data, is read from memory.
The PCI local bus specification potentially alleviates some of these inefficiencies resulting from I/O latencies by setting maximum target latencies which are not to be exceeded by the host system, the bus arbitrator, or the I/O adapter. In practice, however, the PCI bus has a minimum latency on the order of 33 to 66 MHz so there are still minimum latencies of several microseconds. Furthermore, the maximum target latencies that the PCI standard expects are typically on the order of many to several hundred microseconds. Realistically, for a slow I/O adapter the maximum latency could even be one or more milliseconds. The penalty to a high performance processor running with, for example, a seven nanosecond cycle time, is that, even at minimum expected latencies on a PCI bus, the processor is facing several hundred to several thousand cycles of time delay.
To optimize central processor utilization, conventional systems typically attempt to minimize the number of processor instruction cycles required to recognize the completion event and communicate this event to the I/O device driver. To optimize I/O adapter throughput, conventional systems also attempt to minimize the time between the completion of one I/O command and the start of the next I/O command. To optimize overall system performance, in relation to programs that require I/O, conventional systems also minimize the latency of an I/O operation, as measured from the time that the command is created until the time that the response has been interpreted and the results are available to the program that caused or required the I/O, for example, an "OPEN FILE" function that requires a disk read operation to get information about the location of the requested file.
Conventional I/O adapter protocols also employ both command and response queues located in the computer main memory, I/O adapter memory or registers, or a combination of both. Command queues enable the device driver to create new commands while the I/O adapter executes one such command. Response queues enable the I/O adapter to signal the completion of previous commands and proceed to new commands without waiting for the device driver or operating system to recognize and interpret the completion of these previous commands.
Similarly, computer systems generally include a processor interrupt mechanism which the I/O adapter uses to signal completion of a command and notify the processor that a response message has been placed on the response queue. The interrupt mechanism provides a signal line from the I/O adapter to the processor that, when asserted, asynchronously interrupts the central processor and switches processor execution from its current program to an operating system or device driver program designed to interpret the interrupt event. While this interrupt mechanism can minimize the latency associated with the completion of an I/O command and interpretation of the response message, switching the processor execution from its current program to an interrupt program requires a processor context switch that requires many instruction cycles. This context switch saves the current program's critical information such as selected processor registers and state information and loads the interrupt program's critical information. When the interrupt program completes its immediate work and is ready for the processor to resume the original program, there is a second context switch to restore the critical information of the original program to resume execution. Each context switch consumes valuable processor time. Conventional systems interrupt the processor every time an I/O event has completed, so context switches cause processor inefficiency.
Furthermore, in PCI buses on personal computers and desktop platforms, an I/O command is performed via a memory mapped I/O storing process which moves the command from the host system to a buffer in the I/O adapter. This I/O storing process includes the host system storing a command in a control register of the I/O adapter and loading from the I/O hardware to complete all stores to the I/O adapter and to verify that no errors occurred. The I/O adapter moves the data between the I/O adapter and the PCI device adapter memory, and utilizes a direct memory access to transfer the data between PCI adapter memory and the host system memory. The form of notification that a command has been completed varies on the PCI adapter. A common form is for the I/O adapter to raise a system interrupt line to the host system. In response to the interrupt, the host system software performs a series of loading operations from the PCI adapter to determine the nature of the interrupt.
Loading operations in which data is retrieved from an 1/O adapter or PCI bus hardware require many central processor cycles to retrieve the data because the central processor waits for the loading operation to complete. Storing operations which store commands from the central processor to I/O adapters and PCI bus hardware are not initially expensive in terms of central processor cycles, but the store command may not complete and must either be verified via a loading operation from the same location or a series of loading operations to verify the hardware between the central system processor and the I/O adapter. Storing operations that require verification are commonly referred to as "verified" storing operations. Storing operations that do not require verification and that may be reissued without adverse system effects are referred to as "non-verified" storing operations. Thus, to optimize the overall system performance and minimize processor utilization, it is desirable to avoid expensive loads from I/O adapters and also expensive "verified" stores to I/O adapters.
The normal interrupt mechanism for a PCI adapter is to first create interrupt status in an internal facility or register located within the adapter's memory space. Then the PCI device signals an interrupt to the system. The system, upon receiving the interrupt, first determines which adapter had signalled that interrupt. To make this determination, the system actually looks at all of the I/O adapters that could have potentially signalled such an interrupt unless it knows that the interrupt came from a particular slot and need only look at that one I/O adapter. In response to such an interrupt, the system then reads the memory address in the device specific to that vendor and adapter type. By reading the memory, the system extracts the interrupt status that describes the particular reason for which the device raised the interrupt.

Message transport mechanisms and methods

International Business Machines Corporation


Methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for preserving, from resource management adjustment, portions of an overcommitted resource managed by a hypervisor are provided. Embodiments include identifying, by the hypervisor, a privileged guest from among a plurality of guests of the hypervisor; identifying, by the hypervisor, portions of the overcommitted resource that are allocated to the privileged guest; and preventing, by the hypervisor, resource management adjustment to the identified portions of the overcommitted resource that are allocated to the privileged guest.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is data processing, or, more specifically, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for preserving, from resource management adjustment, portions of an overcommitted resource managed by a hypervisor.
2. Description of Related Art
The development of the EDVAC computer system of 1948 is often cited as the beginning of the computer era. Since that time, computer systems have evolved into extremely complicated devices. Today's computers are much more sophisticated than early systems such as the EDVAC. Computer systems typically include a combination of hardware and software components, application programs, operating systems, processors, buses, memory, input/output devices, and so on. As advances in semiconductor processing and computer architecture push the performance of the computer higher and higher, more sophisticated computer software has evolved to take advantage of the higher performance of the hardware, resulting in computer systems today that are much more powerful than just a few years ago.
One area in which computer software has evolved to take advantage of high performance hardware is the set of software tools referred to as hypervisors. A hypervisor is a layer of system software that runs on the computer hardware beneath an operating system layer to allow multiple operating systems to run, unmodified, on a host computer at the same time by providing each operating system with a set of virtual resources. These virtual resources provide each operating system a portion of the actual resources of the computer. Resources, such as a processor, may be implemented as time slices of the total time the resource is available for use. Other resources, such as memory, may be divided among multiple guest operating systems, where each guest is allocated an instance of memory. Using a hypervisor, the distribution of computer resources within a single computer makes the computer appear to function as if it were two or more independent computers.
To ensure maximum utilization of resources, often hypervisors over-commit a resource to guest operating systems. For example, if a hypervisor creates the illusion that there are more instances (or bandwidth) of a resource than actually physically available, that resource is considered to be overcommitted. In an overcommitted resource environment, the hypervisor may balance the demands of the guest operating systems by performing resource management adjustments. In response to a resource management adjustment, the speed and efficiency of a particular guest operating system may be diminished.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Preserving, from resource management adjustment, portions of an overcommitted resource managed by a hypervisor

Lenovo Enterprise Solutions (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.


A small electronic device has a battery level detection unit for real-time detection of the current battery level and a communication unit for transmitting report data on a detected battery level to another small electronic device, such as a pocket PC device. The receiving small electronic device compares the data with data on its own battery level detected therein and displays the lower battery level data.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to small portable electronic devices such as cellular phones and mobile information devices and, more particularly, to small portable electronic devices capable of detecting the charge level of a secondary battery contained therein.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional small electronic devices indicate a remaining battery level by detecting the voltage of a secondary battery serving as a power source and displaying the current battery charge at several levels according to the detected battery voltage on a display mounted thereon.
Cellular phones, however, are normally kept in a bag and the like when a user is not talking on the phone, and the display of the cellular phone is thus not checked frequently. Hence, when downloading music data and so on to a cellular phone, for example, it is likely that a user keeps the operation, which takes a long time, running without noticing a decrease in a battery. This leads to a battery shortage to interrupt the data communication before the user knows it.

Small electronic device having battery level detection unit


A core needle biopsy device includes a body, a needle assembly and a drive assembly. The needle assembly extends distally from the body and includes a hollow piercer and a hollow cutter. The piercer is disposed within the cutter. The cutter includes a distal tip and a swaged portion proximate the distal tip. The drive assembly is configured to selectively cock and fire the piercer and the cutter.

Biopsy samples have been obtained in a variety of ways in various medical procedures including open and percutaneous methods using a variety of devices. For instance, some biopsy devices may be fully operable by a user using a single hand, and with a single insertion, to capture one or more biopsy samples from a patient. In addition, some biopsy devices may be tethered to a vacuum module and/or control module, such as for communication of fluids (e.g., pressurized air, saline, atmospheric air, vacuum, etc.), for communication of power, and/or for communication of commands and the like. Other biopsy devices may be fully or at least partially operable without being tethered or otherwise connected with another device.
One technique for collecting a breast biopsy is to use a core needle biopsy device. Core needle biopsy devices frequently use a sharp, solid piercer equipped with a lateral tissue receiving notch positioned adjacent to the distal end of the piercer. When tissue is received within the notch, an elongate hollow cutting sheath is translated over the notch to sever a tissue sample. The severed tissue sample is then stored within the notch until both the piercer and the cutting sheath are removed from the patient. Thus, in core-needle biopsy devices, only one tissue sample can be collected per insertion of the piercer and cutting sheath.
Another technique for conducting a breast biopsy is to conduct a breast biopsy using a vacuum-assisted breast biopsy device. In contrast to core needle breast biopsy procedures, vacuum-assisted breast biopsy devices permit the probe to remove multiple samples without requiring the probe be removed from the breast after every sample is collected. For instance, in a vacuum assisted breast biopsy device, a hollow needle is used to penetrate tissue. The hollow needle includes a lateral aperture adjacent to a sharp distal tip. A hollow cutter is disposed within the hollow needle and is moved axially relative to the lateral aperture of the needle to sever tissue samples. Once a tissue sample is severed by the hollow cutter, the tissue sample is transported axially though the cutter and collected in a tissue collection feature.
Examples of vacuum assisted biopsy devices and biopsy system components are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,526,822, entitled "Method and Apparatus for Automated Biopsy and Collection of Soft Tissue," issued Jun. 18, 1996; U.S. Pat. No. 6,086,544, entitled "Control Apparatus for an Automated Surgical Biopsy Device," issued Jul. 11, 2000; U.S. Pat. No. 7,442,171, entitled "Remote Thumbwheel for a Surgical Biopsy Device," issued Oct. 8, 2008; U.S. Pat. No. 7,854,706, entitled "Clutch and Valving System for Tetherless Biopsy Device," issued Dec. 1, 2010; U.S. Pat. No. 7,938,786, entitled "Vacuum Timing Algorithm for Biopsy Device," issued May 10, 2011; U.S. Pat. No. 8,118,755, entitled "Biopsy Sample Storage," issued Feb. 1, 2012; and U.S. Pat. No. 8,206,316, entitled "Tetherless Biopsy Device with Reusable Portion," issued on Jun. 26, 2012. The disclosure of each of the above-cited U.S. Patents is incorporated by reference herein.
Exemplary core needle biopsy devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,373, entitled "Needle Core Biopsy Instrument with Durable or Disposable Cannula Assembly," issued on Oct. 1, 1996; U.S. Pat. No. 5,817,033, entitled "Needle Core Biopsy Device," issued on Oct. 6, 1998; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,556, entitled "Needle Core Biopsy Instrument," issued on Apr. 30, 1996. The disclosure of each of the above-cited U.S. Patents is incorporated by reference herein.
While several systems and methods have been made and used for obtaining and processing a biopsy sample, it is believed that no one prior to the inventor has made or used the invention described in the appended claims.
The drawings are not intended to be limiting in any way, and it is contemplated that various embodiments of the invention may be carried out in a variety of other ways, including those not necessarily depicted in the drawings. The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of the specification illustrate several aspects of the present invention, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention; it being understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements shown.

Core needle biopsy device for collecting multiple samples in a single insertion


A sub-harmonic clock signal is provided in a series of soliton optical pulses that are transmitted at a given line rate in a soliton optical transmission system. The line rate defines time slots of equal duration. Each soliton optical pulse in every N time slots is modulated in a manner to make the pulse distinguishable from pulses in other time slots. The frequency of the sub-harmonic clock signal is equal to the line rate divided by N. This technique of providing a clock signal allows simple recovery of the clock signal using a PIN diode photo detector and a bandpass filter of appropriate bandwidth.

This invention relates to clock signals in optical systems, particularly to transmitting a clock signal in soliton optical transmission system.
In very long distance optical fiber links, it is known to use a soliton type of optical signal to minimize the effects of chromatic dispersion on the signal due to the dispersive properties of the fiber. A soliton type of signal makes use of the way in which the refractive index of the fiber varies with signal intensity in order to offset the dispersive effects, thereby preserving the spectral form of the signal as it propagates along the fiber.
In a transmitter of the system, a group of data channels are time division multiplexed into a single channel, typically having a bit rate of 100 Gb/s, and the information in the single channel is transmitted over the fiber by the soliton signal. In the optical link, in-line optical amplifiers, such as erbium doped fiber amplifiers (EDFA), amplify the soliton signal to compensate for line losses of the link. Regenerators may also be used, especially in very long links, to recreate the original soliton signal, thereby removing effects from propagation and amplification, such as timing jitter, noise, and minimal spectral dispersion. At the end of the link, a receiver demultiplexes the data channels from soliton signal.
Both the regenerator and the receiver require a clock signal at the full line rate, 100 Gb/s, in order to perform their functions. Further, the regenerator would require a 100 Gb/s electrical clock signal in order to regenerate the soliton signal without time division demultiplexing it into the separate data channels. However, generating a 100 GHz electrical clock signal from a 100 Gb/s soliton signal presents a problem because opto-electronic convertors (i.e. PIN diodes) that can operate at such a frequency are not available now, nor are they likely to become available in the near future. Furthermore, all-optical solutions for generating a 100 GHz clock signal are unattractive because of their complexity, size, and lack of stability.
An object of the present invention is to provide method and apparatus for communicating a clock signal in a soliton optical transmission system.
The invention provides a stream of soliton optical pulses having a spectral line in their frequency spectrum at the line rate of the pulses divided by an integer (N). To this end, the stream of soliton pulses is modulated with the clock signal, which is an Nth sub-harmonic of the line rate of the soliton pulses. Accordingly, the average energy of the pulses in every Nth time slot is distinct from the rest of the pulses in the other time slots. This distinction in the average energy can be detected, thereby allowing recovery of the clock signal. For example, in a 100 Gb/s soliton system, the pulse in every fourth time slot would be modulated thereby corresponding to a 25 GHz clock signal.
An advantage of communicating the clock signal by modulating the stream of soliton pulses is that it does not use additional fiber bandwidth, hence it does not adversely effect the throughput of the soliton system. That is, it does not reduce the rate at which soliton pulses can be transmitted across the fiber optic link.
Conveniently, the frequency of the clock signal is within the frequency range of currently available PIN diodes. An advantage of using a sub-harmonic clock signal of such a frequency is that an electrical clock signal can be easily obtained. Furthermore, the electrical clock signal can be up-converted to the full line rate for use in a regenerator. Moreover, such a solution is more attractive than all-optical solutions because it is less costly and less complex.
According to the invention the average energy in the Nth time slot is made distinct in a way that does not effect the propagation properties of the soliton pulses, thereby maintaining all the benefits that they provide. That is, modulated pulses in the Nth time slot remain soliton pulses and therefore they propagate along the fiber link as such. Accordingly, the pulses in the Nth time slot are modulated to change either their width-to-amplitude aspect ratio, their position within the time slot or their polarization. Alternatively, binary data symbols carried by the stream of soliton pulses could be encoded such that the data symbol carried by the pulse in the N/2th time slot has a probability greater than 0.5 of being the converse of the data symbol in the previous N/2th time slot. This encoding would also create a spectral line in the frequency spectrum of the pulses at the line rate divided by N.
According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a transmitter for transmitting optical soliton pulses and providing a clock signal via the optical soliton pulses in a soliton optical transmission system comprising an optical soliton pulse source for generating optical soliton pulses at a first rate, the first rate defining time slots of equal duration; and a modulator for modulating each optical soliton pulse in every Nth time slot in a manner such that each said optical soliton pulse is distinguishable from optical soliton pulses in other time slots, whereby the clock signal has a frequency equal to the first rate divided by N, where N is an integer greater than one.
According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a transmitter for transmitting optical soliton pulses over an optical fiber in a soliton optical transmission system comprising an optical soliton pulse source for generating optical soliton pulses at a first rate, the first rate defining time slots of equal duration; a data source for providing data symbols at the first rate; a plurality of modulators for modulating the optical soliton pulses in dependence upon the data symbols provided by the data source; and a first modulator of the plurality of modulators for modulating each optical soliton pulse in every Nth time slot in a manner such that said each optical soliton pulse is distinguishable from optical soliton pulses in other time slots.
According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a receiver for receiving optical soliton pulses arriving at a first rate from an optical fiber in a soliton optical transmission system comprising means for recovering a clock signal from the optical soliton pulses, the clock signal having a frequency equal to the first rate divided by an integer N, wherein the integer N is greater than one; and a demultiplexer for demultiplexing the optical soliton pulses into a number of streams of optical soliton pulses responsive to the recovered clock signal, the number of streams being an integer multiple of the integer N.
According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of encoding a clock signal in a soliton optical transmission system, the method comprising the steps of generating a series of optical soliton pulses at a first rate, the rate defining time slots of equal duration; and modulating each optical soliton pulse in every Nth time slot in a manner such that said each optical soliton pulse is distinguishable from optical soliton pulses in other time slots, where N is an integer greater than one.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of recovering a clock signal in a soliton optical transmission system from a series of optical soliton pulses transmitted at a line rate, the clock signal having a frequency equal to the line rate divided by an integer N, wherein the integer N is greater than one, the method comprising the steps of receiving the optical soliton pulses; converting the optical soliton pulses to an electrical signal; filtering the frequency of the clock signal from the electrical signal to provide a filtered clock frequency signal; and amplifying the filtered clock signal frequency signal to provide a recovered clock signal.
According to still another aspect of the present invention there is provided a signal in an optical soliton transmission system comprising a series of optical soliton pulses transmitted at a line rate, the line rate defining time slots of equal duration, and each optical soliton pulse in every Nth time slot being distinguishable from optical soliton pulses in other time slots to encode a clock signal having a frequency of the line rate divided by N, where N is an integer greater than one.

Method and apparatus for communicating a clock signal in a soliton optical transmission system


An apparatus and methods for performing a circulatory measurement on an extremity, such as a hand, of a subject. The circulatory measurement results in the derivation of an output circulatory metric that may encompass blood pressure or various other circulatory metrics. An indicator of an input circulatory metric at a locus on the extremity is measured, such as a pulse transit time, and calibrated to account for the hydrostatic component of blood pressure arising due to vertical displacement of the extremity with respect to the heart.

It is well recognized that ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring by means of wearable sensors has the potential to enable new levels of health-related vigilance and medical care in a number of novel settings, including, for example, controlling chronic hypertension and monitoring in-patients during convalescence. However, a significant challenge to realizing true non-invasive blood pressure (NIBP) measurement remains the problem of accounting for the unknown tension in the underlying arterial wall: If one simply measures pressure external to an artery (for instance, on the overlying skin), one is measuring the balance of intra-arterial pressure and the rapidly varying arterial wall tension. Ideal NIBP methods solve the problem of estimating intra-arterial wall pressures independently of the arterial wall tension. Yet, there is no optimal solution to truly wearable NIBP measurement. The ideal wearable device would be lightweight, easy-to-apply, non-invasive, small, unobtrusive, and as close to imperceptible as a regular wrist-watch or piece of jewelry. Existing NIBP measurement modalities, summarized as follows, have failed to meet the foregoing desiderata.
Oscillometric NIBP: The most common form of NIBP measurement, both in the home and in the clinical arena, uses the well-established oscillometric method. Oscillometry is based on the following principle: when the external cuff pressure equals the internal arterial pressure, the magnitude of arterial volume pulsations is maximal (because of the mechanical properties of arteries). While they are the standard-of-care, such devices nonetheless have shortcomings, including: (i) their circumferential compression of the extremity is uncomfortable, causing bruising or interrupting sleep; (ii) they are very susceptible to motion, since motion artifact cannot be distinguished from arterial volume pulsations, (iii) they are not readily miniaturizable so the device tends to be bulky, and (iv) overall, their accuracy versus a gold-standard is often inadequate. A more convenient version of the oscillometric cuff fits on the wrist, but measurement errors can arise if (v) the wrist is at a different vertical level from the heart, or (vi) if the patient has distal arterial fixed occlusions or vasospasm.
The Vasotrac Device and "Reverse Oscillometry": MedWave's BP sensor places a small "balloon" over the radial artery, increases the external pressure applied to the underlying radial artery, and measures the volumetric pulsations in the "balloon." It is therefore a variation of standard oscillometry, and the company describes the methods as "reverse oscillometry." The device is unsuitable for ambulatory monitoring because of its size and power requirements, moreover, it is motion-sensitive, like other oscillometric methods.
The Volume Clamp Method: The Portapres®/Finometer® family of devices of Finapres Medical Systems enables non-invasive measurement of BP waveform from a finger using photoplethysmographic (PPG) technology. In numerous instances, published works may refer to this measurement modality as 'photoplethysmography', although such usage is imprecise, and it can leave the incorrect impression that the PPG and arterial blood pressure (ABP) signals are interchangeable. The device is attractive in that it offers a non-invasive, continuous BP digital artery measurement, and it offers an umbilical cord mechanism to correct for hydrostatic offset errors (relative to the heart). Yet it requires a bulky, power-thirsty actuation system to drive the pneumatic cuff. Moreover, it circumferentially constricts the finger and prevents venous flow. Within minutes, this can become very uncomfortable, so much so that the Portapres comes equipped with two different finger cuffs so that it can alternate its operation between two fingers to minimize this discomfort.
The Finapres uses the volume clamp method of Penaz, which is based on the following insight: if a PPG signal is not changing, neither is the arterial transmural pressure, and visa-versa. Using an extremely rapid servo system with a finger cuff actuator, the Finapres adjusts the pressure in a finger cuff to keep a reference PPG signal flat throughout systole and diastole; the method is thus known as the 'volume-clamp' since the finger's blood volume is held constant. The waveform of whatever cuff pressure is necessary to keep the PPG signal flat must be equal and opposite to the digital arterial ABP.
Pulse Wave Velocity: Pulse wave velocity (PWV), the speed at which a pulse is transmitted through the arterial tree, is a function of arterial blood pressure, and there has been extensive academic and commercial effort to use this as a monitoring modality. The modality is described, for example, by Young et al, J Clin Monitoring 1995. However, according to Chen, Med Biol Eng. Comput. (2000), "No one has succeeded in realizing a reliable blood pressure monitor when only the pulse wave velocity or pulse arrival time is used." There are several reasons for these difficulties:                In addition to systolic BP and diastolic BP, PWV is also a function of the subject's vascular physiologic state.        Furthermore, PWV is also a function of the frequency content of their pulse waveform.        Raising and lowering the arms changes the hydrostatic pressure within the extremity, so PWV may be unreliable in any position except supine.        In a canine study, PWV was found to remain constant for all mean BP's below 100 mmHg. So PWV may not correlate with BP for individuals close to, or less than, the normotensive range (e.g. it may be difficult to detect over-medication, or monitor heart failure patients, with PWV).        PWV is distance divided by pulse transit time, but it is difficult to measure the distance accurately, or keep the distance constant.        To measure pulse transit time, a proximal and distal measurement are necessary. But the electrocardiogram (ECG) is a problematic marker of pulse onset, perhaps in part because of variable electromechanical delays. The fact that PPG measurements require the use of two distinct PPG sensors has also proven problematic.
Arterial tonometer solutions: Tonometers are very difficult to use, even in controlled laboratory conditions, and thus they have no role in ambulatory blood pressure measurement. Applanation tonometry requires that the artery wall segment be perfectly flat and that the pressure sensor overlies only the flattened portion of the artery and not extend over the curved portion of the artery. In this configuration, the flat segment of the arterial wall is unable to affect the balance between the intra-arterial pressure and the external tonometer pressure. These conditions are so difficult to achieve in practice that the one commercially available tonometer comes with a separate oscillometric cuff to calibrate the unreliable (in terms of absolute arterial pressure) tonometer unit.
Volume plethysmographs, e.g. Empirical Technologies wrist sensor: These devices can be light-weight and low powered. However, a plethysmograph, which is a volume signal, is quite different from the pressure signal. The volume of pulsation is a complex function of the arterial pressure, the mechanical properties of the artery, and the pressure applied by the sensor.
Wireless implanted devices e.g. CardioMEMS Enclosure: Technology now exists to implant an arterial pressure sensor for long-term pressure monitoring. However, in most instances a non-invasive device is preferable, and much more attractive to the broad population, than an implanted option.

Wearable pulse wave velocity blood pressure sensor and methods of calibration thereof


A terminal is designed so that a user who employs numerical keys, allocated for the entry of dots, can enter Braille dot combinations that are used for the input of characters. The input characters may be output as speech for feedback. Further, when a terminal accesses a server, Braille dot combinations can be entered in the above described manner, and speech can be fed back from the server. Furthermore, the server can provide a service for the user in accordance with a character string input at the terminal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an input apparatus or a communication terminal used for character entry.
2. Background Art
With the wide spreading use of portable telephones and other mobile terminals, such terminals are very actively employed for exchanging messages. And as is well known, senders use terminal input keys when entering character strings for messages. For this purpose, various input methods are presently provided. According to one example method, numeric keys 0 to 9, an asterisk key "*" and a pound key "#" are employed when entering or deleting kana (Japanese characters) or alphabet characters, as well as when entering other data. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing example characters and operations assigned by this method to the keys of a portable telephone terminal. For example, to input the kana character "ko", numeric key "2" is depressed five times and the pound key is depressed to verify the entry. While for the character "M", numeric key "6" is depressed 16 times, followed by the pound key.
Another character string input method is the technique, disclosed, for example, in Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application (PUPA) No. Hei 6-6454, that is used as an input method for a pager, such as a so-called pocket bell (hereinafter referred to as a pager method). As is shown in FIG. 15, according to this technique a two-digit number is input to enter a character. For these numbers, the first digit (the tens digit) represents a consonant "row", and the second digit (the units digit) represents a vowel "column". For example, since the kana character "ko" is in the "k" row and the "o" column, its number is "25", and to enter it, only key "2" and then key "5" are depressed. Therefore, two numbers consists one character.
However, with the conventional portable telephone terminal input method described above, the key "6" must be depressed 16 times to enter the alphabet character "M", and a great deal of time and effort are required.
According to the pager method disclosed in Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application (PUPA) No. Hei 6-6454, only two key depressions are required to enter a character, which is certainly an advantage. Furthermore, the regularity with which numbers are assigned for kana characters "a" to "wo" makes it easy to remember them. However, since that regularity does not apply to the kana character "n", consonants and alphabet characters, the user must remember the numbers for these characters. Further, neither the portable telephone terminal method nor the pager method are very useful because each terminal maker arranges the input keys differently. In addition, although entering characters using a portable telephone terminal is frequently a one-handed-one-thumb operation, this can not be considered a superior process.
Furthermore, substantially, the conventional input method does not take usage by visually impaired persons into account. For while not merely a problem of the visually impaired, input errors tend to occur because so many movements of the thumb are required to manipulate the twelve input keys, "0" to "9", "*" and "#". Of course, since an input character appears on the display of a portable telephone terminal, an ordinary user can readily ascertain an entry error has been made, but no such means is available to assist a visually impaired person.
Recently, not only with personal computers but also with portable telephone terminals or other mobile terminals, it has become possible to use the Internet to obtain various services. But to avail one's self of a service, one must use a portable telephone terminal to access, through the Internet, the server that provides it, and must manipulate the portable telephone terminal in accordance with instructions that are received and displayed on a menu screen. However, since visually impaired persons can not see instructions received from servers when they are displayed on menu screens, they are effectively prevented from obtaining any services.
It is, therefore, one object of the present invention to provide an input apparatus, a communication terminal and a portable communication terminal that are eminently usable, especially by visually impaired persons when entering characters.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a speech feedback system, a speech feedback server and a communication terminal that can provide various services for visually impaired persons.

International Business Machines Corporation


A fixing device includes a plurality of separation assemblies disposed opposite a fixing rotary body to separate a recording medium from the fixing rotary body. Each separation assembly includes a separator separatably contacting the fixing rotary body, a contact biasing member anchored to the separator to bias the separator against the fixing rotary body, an arm separatably contacting the separator to isolate the separator from the fixing rotary body, and an actuator connected to the arm to separate the arm from the separator. A controller is operatively connected to the actuator of each separation assembly to control the actuator of at least one of the plurality of separation assemblies to separate the arm from the separator so as to bring the separator into contact with the fixing rotary body by the contact biasing member.

1. Field of the Invention
Exemplary aspects of the present invention relate to a fixing device and an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to a fixing device for fixing an image on a recording medium and an image forming apparatus incorporating the fixing device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Related-art image forming apparatuses, such as copiers, facsimile machines, printers, or multifunction printers having at least one of copying, printing, scanning, and facsimile functions, typically form an image on a recording medium according to image data. Thus, for example, a charger uniformly charges a surface of a photoconductor; an optical writer emits a light beam onto the charged surface of the photoconductor to form an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor according to the image data; a development device supplies toner to the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoconductor to render the electrostatic latent image visible as a toner image; the toner image is directly transferred from the photoconductor onto a recording medium or is indirectly transferred from the photoconductor onto a recording medium via an intermediate transfer belt; finally, a fixing device applies heat and pressure to the recording medium bearing the toner image to fix the toner image on the recording medium, thus forming the image on the recording medium.
Such fixing device may include a fixing roller heated by a heater and a pressing roller pressed against the fixing roller to form a fixing nip therebetween through which a recording medium bearing a toner image is conveyed. As the recording medium passes through the fixing nip, the fixing roller and the pressing roller apply heat and pressure to the recording medium, thus melting and fixing the toner image on the recording medium.
Since the toner image on the recording medium faces the fixing roller, as the recording medium bearing the toner image is discharged from the fixing nip, the recording medium may adhere to the fixing roller by an adhesive force of melted toner of the toner image on the recording medium. To address this problem, a separation pawl disposed downstream from the fixing nip in a recording medium conveyance direction may contact the fixing roller to separate the recording medium from the fixing roller and at the same time guide the recording medium to the outside of the fixing device.
However, since the separation pawl is in constant contact with the fixing roller, the separation pawl may produce abrasion marks on the fixing roller as its useful life is about to end. Accordingly, as a recording medium bearing a relatively large, solid toner image slides over the fixing roller, the abrasion marks on the fixing roller may scratch the solid toner image, producing gloss streaks or variation in gloss on the solid toner image.
To address this problem, the separation pawl may be isolated from the fixing roller while no recording medium is conveyed through the fixing nip. However, if a plurality of layered recording media is accidentally conveyed through the fixing nip or a recording medium is jammed at the fixing nip, the recording medium may enter between the separation pawl and the fixing roller and may be wound around the fixing roller.
On the other hand, the separation pawl may be sandwiched between separation pawl protectors that rotatably support a guide roller to prevent the separation pawl from scratching the toner image on the recording medium. For example, the guide roller projects farther than the separation pawl and the separation pawl protectors toward a conveyance path through which the recording medium is conveyed, thus contacting and guiding the recording medium conveyed through the conveyance path to the outside of the fixing device. Hence, the guide roller prevents the separation pawl from scratching the toner image on the recording medium, thus suppressing resultant gloss streaks.
However, if a rigid recording medium is conveyed through the conveyance path, the rigid recording medium may slide over the guide roller with increased friction therebetween. Additionally, immediately after the recording medium is discharged from the fixing nip, the toner image is not cooled and fixed on the recording medium sufficiently. Accordingly, the toner image may be scratched and damaged by the guide roller.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus incorporating same


A composition including a first moiety; and a different second moiety capable of harvesting energy from an external source, wherein the second moiety is positioned such that energy harvested at the second moiety may be transferred to the first moiety. An article of manufacture including a film including a first moiety and a different second moiety capable of harvesting energy from an external source, wherein the second moiety is positioned such that collectively the first and second moieties have an electron capture cross-section greater than the electron capture cross-section of the first moiety alone. A method including forming a film on a substrate including a first moiety and a different second moiety; exposing the film to photonic or charged particle radiation; and patterning the film.

1. Field
Circuit patterning.
2. Background
Patterning is the series of steps that results in the removal of selected portions of surface layers added on a substrate such as a wafer. Patterning defines the surface parts of devices that make-up a circuit. One goal of patterning is to define in or on the wafer surface, the parts of the device or circuit in the exact dimensions (feature size) required by the circuit design and to locate the parts in their proper location on a wafer surface. Generally speaking, patterning sets the critical dimension of devices of a circuit.
Generally, patterning is accomplished through photolithography techniques. In general, photolithography is a multi-step pattern transfer process whereby a pattern contained on a reticle or photomask is transferred onto the surface of a wafer through a lithographic imaging step, including the development of a light sensitive material (e.g., photoresist) on the wafer. In general, the smallest feature printable by the imaging system is proportional to the following quantity:
  λ  NAwhere λ is the wavelength of light used in imaging the mask onto the wafer and NA is the numerical aperture of the projection optics.
One goal of circuit designers is to reduce the feature size (the critical dimension) of devices of a circuit, i.e., reduce the smallest feature patternable. A reduction in wavelength of light used in patterning will reduce the smallest feature patternable as will an increase in the numerical aperture of the lens. Unfortunately, an increase in the numerical aperture of the lens tends to be quite expensive. Thus, the recent trend has been to reduce the wavelength. Currently, wavelengths of light used in patterning integrated circuits are 248 nanometers (nm) or less for a critical dimension on the order of 130 nm. As the critical dimension approaches 100 nanometers or less, the wavelength will be reduced to under 200 nanometers, and will eventually lie in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) region, 10 to 100 nm. In fact, for certain applications, shorter wavelength photons, i.e. less than 10 nm (xray) or charged particles (electrons, ions) may be employed.
In the general course of patterning, the image of a reticle or photomask is projected onto a wafer by an imaging system. Typically, the imaging system is refractive and is composed of lenses fabricated out of glass or quartz. EUV radiation, however does not pass through quartz or glass. Thus EUV imaging relies on reflective optics. EUV radiation is reflected off a mirror onto a wafer in a photolithographic imaging step. In charged particle lithography, electric and or magnetic fields are used in the place of reflective or refractive materials to direct and focus and imaging radiation.
In one photoresist composition suitable for use in patterning circuit devices using EUV, the composition includes a photoacid generator (PAG) in a polymer having a deprotection unit. Upon irradiation, the PAG generates an acid that, in a subsequent post-exposure-bake process catalyzes a deprotection reaction, a cross-linking reaction, or other reaction that affects the solubility of the photoresist. The result is that the solubility of the resist composition in a developer is differentiated between the exposed and unexposed regions and as a result either positive or negative images are achieved.
Electron absorption is recognized as one recognized mechanism by which EUV photoresist films receive patterning signals to form lithographic features.
These electrons are the product of the original aerial image from EUV photons impinging upon and ionizing atoms in the photoresist. The distance an electron travels from the point of ionization within the film or at the uppermost part of the substrate (e.g. the substrate surface) to a PAG is a propagation length. Typically too, PAGs such as triphenyl sulfoniums are relatively small species (e.g., volume on the order of about one cubic nanometer) and include relatively electron transparent moieties (e.g. hydrocarbons and sulfur) and therefore have a relatively limited electron capture cross-section. Thus, the uncontrolled propagation length of electrons within the photoresist blurs the original aerial image by a finite amount, limiting the resolution of the film and contributing to feature roughness.

Energy harvesting molecules and photoresist technology


An exercise device that is simultaneously mutually beneficial for exercising partners with one exercising by providing a continuously changing resistance and resistance-vector while simultaneously the other exercising by providing a continuously adapting (or altering) counteracting force and counteracting force-vector to the continuously changing resistance and resistance vector. In addition, the portable collaborative exercise device in accordance with one or more embodiments enables correct application of resistance between symmetrical set of muscles with unbalanced strengths, and enables immediate ceasing of an exercise routine if the resistance is incorrectly applied.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an exercise device and, more particular to a portable collaborative exercise device that is simultaneously mutually beneficial for exercising partners.
Description of Related Art
Conventional exercise devices using adjustable inelastic straps are well known and have been in use for a number of years. Regrettably, most conventional exercise devices using adjustable inelastic straps suffer from obvious disadvantages in that they are used for exercising by only one individual and without a partner rather than a simultaneous workout with a partner. An important drawback of most conventional exercise devices using adjustable inelastic straps is that the maximum resistance provided is limited by the full body weight of the exercising individual. A further drawback is that they are tailored for exercise routines to workout the upper body rather than both upper and lower body. That is, most do not have the means to provide a complete set of exercises for a lower body and upper body workouts.
Since the conventional exercise devices using adjustable inelastic straps require the use of an immobile (stationary or static) stable structure as an anchor (for safety) to counter the body weight of the exercising individual, the resistance and the resistance-vector provided by the static stationary anchor during execution of the exercise is obviously also constant. This constant resistance and the resistance-vector provided by the static and stationary anchor means that the exercising individual's counteracting force and counteracting force-vector in relation to the provided resistance and resistance-vector is also constant, which reduces efficiencies in terms of building and strengthening muscles.
Additionally, most conventional exercise devices (including conventional adjustable inelastic straps that are used for exercise) may only provide resistance and resistance-vector to maximize only one of a concentric, eccentric, or isometric contractions of the muscle during its full range of motion while exercising, rather than all three types of contractions for the same exercise. That is, most conventional exercise devices do not isolate muscle contractions in terms of concentric, eccentric, and isometric contractions, but apply the same resistance for the full range of motion of the muscle (this even includes the use of free weights such as dumbbells). For example, using the full body weight (i.e., a constant resistance), a user of a conventional adjustable inelastic strap may maximize concentric contractions of a particular muscle group during a first part of the exercise while providing a much less efficient isometric and eccentric contractions of the same muscle group during a remaining range of motion of the same muscles for the same exercise. That is, the eccentric contractions may require a higher level of resistance for a more efficient workout (maximum yield in muscle capacity and increased strength) verses the concentric contractions, which may not be accomplished if the same constant resistance (i.e., maximum body weight) is applied to both concentric and eccentric contractions.
Further, most conventional adjustable inelastic straps that are used for exercise lack the needed adaptive response in terms of resistance and resistance vector to compensate for unbalanced strengths between symmetrical muscle groups (e.g., right-side verses the left side muscle groups of an exercising individual for the same, identical exercise routine). In most cases, unbalanced strengths between symmetrical muscle groups leads to injury or greater increase in imbalance in strength between the muscle groups as the stronger muscle groups tend to dominate and compensate for the weaker.
Additionally, most conventional exercising devices (free weights, machine weights, or adjustable inelastic straps, etc.) that are used for exercise lack the needed adaptive response in terms of resistance and resistance vector to immediately stop an exercise routine if the exercising individual incorrectly performs the exercise. With almost all conventional exercising devices, incorrect application of resistance may lead to injury without any means to stop the resistance on time. For example, when using free weights, by the time an exercising individual abruptly drops the free weights due to feeling of pain as a result of incorrect lifting of the weight (incorrect application of resistance), the body may have already experienced minor injury.
Accordingly, in light of the current state of the art and the drawbacks to current exercising devices mentioned above, a need exists for a portable, collaborative exercise device that would enable participation of an exercising partner, not limit the maximum resistance to the body weight of the exercising individual, and would provide full exercise routine for both the upper and lower body. Further, a need exists for such an exercise device that would be simultaneously mutually beneficial for exercising partners with one exercising by providing a continuously changing resistance and resistance-vector while simultaneously the other exercising by providing a continuously adapting (or altering) counteracting force and counteracting force-vector to the continuously changing resistance and resistance vector. In addition, a need exists for an exercise device that would enable correct application of resistance between symmetrical set of muscles with unbalanced strengths, and enable immediate ceasing of an exercise routine if the resistance is incorrectly applied.