A nuclear reactor provided with a core including a new fuel part which contains uranium and a burning part in which fuel burns, wherein the burning part moves in a direction toward the new fuel part from the beginning to end of the operation cycle. The nuclear reactor is provided with a reactivity applying mechanism to apply the reactivity which can change the power of the core when the temperature of the coolant which flows through the inside of the core changes and performs control to change the temperature of the coolant which flows through the inside of the core in accordance with the change of power which is demanded for the core. The reactivity applying mechanism includes a gap adjusting plate which supports fuel members. This plate is configured to expand when the core coolant temperature rises. The expansion increases distance between the fuel members.

Nuclear reactors are used for electric power generating facilities. Nuclear reactors include fast neutron reactors. Fast neutron reactors are nuclear reactors which mainly use fast neutrons to cause fission of fissionable nuclides to generate power. Sodium, lead-bismuth alloys, and other heavy metals and, further, gas are used to cool the core. In nuclear reactors of the prior art, fission occurs at the core as a whole to generate power.
The criticality of the core of a nuclear reactor is maintained and the output is adjusted by for example control rods. The control rods are formed by a material which easily absorbs neutrons. At the start of an operation cycle, when inserting control rods into the core, along with the progress in burning, the control rods are gradually withdrawn so as to maintain the critical state while maintaining output. In this way, in operation of a nuclear reactor, control is necessary for maintaining the criticality of the nuclear reactor. Control is performed for maintaining the criticality on a continuous basis from the start of the operation cycle to the end of the operation cycle.
Japanese Patent No. 3463100 discloses a nuclear reactor in which control for maintaining the criticality in the operation cycle is unnecessary. This nuclear reactor employs the burning method called CANDLE (Constant Axial Shape of Neutron Flux, Nuclide Densities and Power Shape During Life of Energy Production) burning. In CANDLE burning, the core can be divided into a generally new fuel part, burning part, and burned up part. The burning part moves toward the new fuel part by a speed proportional to output along with burning. In CANDLE burning, after a single operation cycle is ended, fuel is replaced for the next operation cycle. When replacing the fuel, the burned up fuel can be taken out in the core axial direction and new fuel can be loaded in the end at the opposite side to the end at the taken out side.
In CANDLE burning, there is no need for adjustment of criticality. Further, even if not adjusting the power density distribution, the power density distribution is maintained substantially constant. For this reason, there is the feature that from the beginning to the end of the operation cycle, there is no need for control of the reactivity of the core such as manipulation of the control rods. Further, there is the feature that the reactivity coefficient does not change and it is not necessary to change the method of operation together with burning.

Nuclear reactor and power generation facility


A method for the identification of a composition useful in the treatment of an overweight or obese person to reduce the person's body mass index is provided which comprises obtaining an extract of an ethnobotanical plant, and evaluating the activity of the extract in an assay selected from the group consisting of a lipolysis assay, an assay that measures the amount of glycerol introduced by a cell into a suspension medium of the cell, an adipocyte differentiation assay, an assay that measures the level of the enzyme glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, an assay that measures the inhibition of differentiation of preadipocytes to adipocytes, an assay that measures the accumulation of lipid in an adipocyte, an assay that measures the de-differentiation of adipocytes into preadipocytes, and combinations thereof. Sclareol and sclareol-like compounds and sclareolide and sclareolide-like compounds are identified as useful in the treatment of overweight and obese conditions and disorders and conditions associated with adipose tissue abnormalities. These compounds can be formulated for oral administration.

Body Mass Index (BMI) has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Health as a reference relationship between a person's height and weight. To determine a person's Body Mass Index in kg/m2, the weight of the person, for example in pounds, is first multiplied by a conversion factor of 703 (with units of kilogram.inch2.pound−1. meter−2), and that result is then divided by the height of the person, in inches squared. Alternatively, when height is measured in meters (1 inch=0.0254 meters) and weight in kilograms (1 pound Avoirdupois (U.S.)=0.4536 kg), the conversion factor is unity, and the Body Mass Index is obtained directly in units of kg/m2.
Body Mass Index (BMI) can be used to determine when extra weight above an average or normal weight range for a person of a given height can translate into and signal increased probability for additional health risks for that person. Such health risks are considered to be related to the presence of additional weight above a desired range for that person.
Body Mass Index does not directly measure percent of body fat, although higher BMI's are usually associated with an increase in body fat, and thus excess weight. A BMI of 24 kg/m2 or less is a commonly accepted guideline used to define a person with a healthy weight and who is neither overweight or obese. A desired BMI range is from about 18 kg/m2 to about 24 kg/m2, wherein a person is considered to have a healthful weight for the person's height. A Body Mass Index reading under 20 kg/m2, and especially under 18 kg/m2, is frequently considered to signify that the person is underweight which can be unhealthy. A person with a BMI above 24 kg/m2, such as from about 25 kg/m2 to about 30 kg/m2, is frequently considered to be overweight, and a person with a BMI above about 35 kg/m2 is frequently considered to be obese In another aspect, an individual who has a BMI in the range of about 25 kg/m2 to about 35 kg/m2, and has a waist size of over 40 inches for a man and over 35 inches for a woman, is considered to be at especially high risk for health problems.
Health risks related to a person being overweight and health risks related to a person being obese represent rapidly growing threats to the health of populations in an increasing number of countries worldwide. Obesity is a disease that is prevalent in both developing and developed countries and that affects children and adults alike.
Information available from the American Heart Association related to statistical results of the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1988–1994 suggests that among American children aged 6 to 11 years, the following percentages were overweight, using 95th percentile of body mass index (BMI) values: for non-Hispanic whites, 10.3 percent of boys and 9.2 percent of girls were overweight; for non-Hispanic blacks, 11.9 percent of boys and 16.4 percent of girls were overweight; and for Mexican Americans, 17.4 percent of boys and 14.3 percent of girls were overweight.
Among adolescents aged 12 to 17 years, the following percentages were overweight, using the 95th percentile of BMI values: for non-Hispanic whites, 11.1 percent of boys and 8.5 percent of girls were overweight; for non-Hispanic blacks, 10.7 percent of boys and 15.7 percent of girls were overweight; and for Mexican Americans, 14.6 percent of boys and 13.7 percent of girls were overweight.
Among adults aged 18 and older, the following people are overweight (defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 25 kg/m2 or higher): for non-Hispanic whites, over 62 percent of men and over 43 percent of women are overweight; for non-Hispanic blacks, over 64 percent of men and over 64 percent for women are overweight; for Hispanics, over 64 percent of men and over 56 percent of women are overweight; for non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islanders, over 35 percent of men and over 25 percent of women are overweight.
Among Americans aged 18 years and older, the median percentages of obesity are (defined as a body mass index or BMI greater than 30 kg/m2): for whites, about 15 percent; for blacks, about 26 percent; for Hispanics, about 18 percent; for Asian/Pacific Islanders, about 4.8 percent; and for American Indians/Alaska Natives, about 30 percent.
Among Americans aged 20 to 74 years, an age-adjusted prevalence of being overweight (i.e., having a BMI of 25.0 kg/m2 or higher) and of being obese (i.e., having a BMI of 30.0 kg/m2 or higher) are: for non-Hispanic whites, about 61 percent of men and about 47 percent of women are overweight, and about 21 percent of men and about 23 percent of women are obese; for non-Hispanic blacks, about 58 percent of men and about 68 percent of women are overweight, and about 21 percent of men and about 38 percent of women are obese; for Mexican Americans, about 69 percent of both men and women are overweight, and about 25 percent of men and about 36 percent of women are obese.
Among American Indians aged 45 to 74 years, about 26 percent of men and about 31 percent of women are overweight (defined as a BMI of about 28 kg/m2 to about 31 kg/m2 for men and about 27 kg/m2 to about 32 kg/m2 for women), and about 35 percent of American Indian men and about 41 percent of women are obese (defined as a BMI of about 31 kg/m2 or higher for men and a bout 32 kg/m2 or higher for women).
The year-to-year rate of increase in the number of overweight children and adolescents is about 2 to 3 percent. Each year an estimated 300,000 U.S. adults die of causes related to the health risk of obesity. Over 100 million American adults (over 56 million men and over 52 million women) are overweight with a BMI of about 25 kg/m2 and higher. Of these, over 44 million American adults (over 18 million men and over 25 million women) are obese, having a body mass index (BMI) of about 30 kg/m2 or higher. (Obesity Clinical Guidelines: NIH Statement Jun. 3, 1998, press release).
A person can be overweight but not obese if that person's BMI is between about 25 to 30 kg/m2, while a person who is obese with a BMI above 30 kg/m2 is also overweight.
In one aspect, in order to lessen the risk for health problems in an overweight person and to improve that person's health, it is desirable to provide compositions and methods useful in the treatment of an overweight person which produces a reduction in the person's body mass index (BMI), preferably from a level above 25 kg/m2 to a level below 25 kg/m2, and more preferably to a BMI level between 25 kg/m2 and 18 kg/m2.
In another aspect, in order to lessen the risk for health problems in an obese person and to improve that person's health, it is desirable to provide compositions and methods useful in the treatment of an obese person which produce a reduction in the person's body mass index (BMI), preferably from a level above 30 kg/m2 to a level below 30 kg/m2, more preferably to a level below 25 kg/m2, and most preferably to a BMI level between 25 kg/m2 and 18 kg/m2.
A person who has a BMI of between about 30 kg/m2 to about 25 kg/m2 is considered to be overweight, and a person who has a BMI of greater than about 30 kg/m2 is considered to be clinically obese. Both genetic and environmental factors can contribute to a person becoming overweight or obese. The most common cause of weight gain that can produce elevations in a person's BMI that are synonymous to being overweight and/or obese is a high caloric food intake especially in the absence of exercise or physical activity. The resulting accumulation of surplus fat places overweight or obese individuals at increased risk of illness such as hypertension, lipid disorders, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, elevated levels of cholesterol, hyperlipidemia, coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, joint pain, sexual and fertility problems, sleep apnea and respiratory problems, skin conditions, certain type of cancers, and a wide variety of other diseases and undesired physiological conditions, as well as overall mortality. An obese individual with a BMI above about 30 kg/m2 is up to about fourteen times more likely to die at a significantly younger age than a lean person with a BMI below 25 kg/m2. Obesity creates a high-risk medical burden on society and its treatment would be highly desirable. Eliminating or reducing obesity would also decrease medical costs for treating many co-morbid conditions.
The biochemical mechanisms related to adipogenesis, to becoming overweight and to becoming obese are complex and comprise a number of interactions between ligands and their receptors, such as leptin, NPY monoamines (dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine), and CART (i.e., cocaine amphetamine regulated transcript), and others.
The obesity phenotype is probably connected to over 250 genes, markers and chromosomal regions in the human genome. Commonly used markers for adipocyte differentiation include aP2 (fatty acid binding protein), GPDH (glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase), and adipsin. Regulatory factors that influence adipogenesis by influencing transcription include the CAAT enhancer-binding proteins a, b, d (C/EBP a, -b, -d), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (e.g., PPARgamma), sterol response element binding proteins (SREBP), and preadipocyte factor 1 (pref-1). The progression of adipocyte differentiation can be characterized by a number of genetic changes involving expression of early, intermediate, and late genes.
Adipogenesis is a multistep organogenenic process that begins in the prenatal period, but unlike osteogenesis and myogenesis, the adipogenesis process never ends. In this process, mesenchymal cells can proliferate in clonal expansion, and at some point, some of these cells can differentiate into preadipocytes or cells committed to fill with lipid (i.e., fat) and then become adipocytes. When preadipocytes undergo a differentiation step and begin to fill with lipid, lipid first accumulates within the cell in small droplets (multilocular cells) and eventually the droplets fuse into one large droplet (unilocular cells). The adipocyte can continue to enlarge by accumulating additional lipid. A typical mesenchymal cell is 10 to 20 μm in diameter, but adipocytes can easily reach 100 μm (and in some cases 200 μm) in diameter. The volume of the cell can increase as much as a thousand fold largely because of lipid accumulation.
Obesity is the result of numerous, interacting behavioral, physiological, and biochemical factors. One increasingly important factor is the generation of additional fat cells, or adipocytes, in response to excess feeding or intake of food, especially food high in fat or comprising fat or fat pre-metabolites, and/or large increases in body fat composition. The generation of new adipocytes is controlled by several adipocyte-specific transcription factors that regulate preadipocyte proliferation and adipogenesis. Generally these adipocyte-specific factors are expressed following the induction of adipogenesis.
Reusch et al. in Mol Cell Biol. 2000 February; 20 (3): 1008–1020 noted that transcription factor(s) involved in initiating adipocyte differentiation had not been identified, but described how the transcription factor, CREB, was constitutively expressed in preadipocytes and throughout the differentiation process. They noted that CREB was stimulated by conventional differentiation-inducing agents such as insulin, dexamethasone, and dibutyryl cAMP. Stably transfected 3T3-L1 preadipocytes (L1 cells) were generated in which they could induce the expression of either a constitutively active CREB (VP16-CREB) or a dominant-negative CREB (KCREB). Inducible expression of VP 16-CREB alone was sufficient to initiate adipogenesis as determined by triacylglycerol storage, cell morphology, and the expression of two adipocyte marker genes, peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma 2, and fatty acid binding protein. KCREB alone blocked adipogenesis in cells treated with conventional differentiation-inducing agents. These data suggested that activation of CREB was necessary and sufficient to induce adipogenesis. CREB was shown to bind to putative CRE sequences in the promoters of several adipocyte-specific genes. These data also suggested CREB as a primary regulator of adipogenesis.
Insulin can play a role in controlling adipogenesis. Several factors exert positive and negative influences on the process of adipogenesis. When insulin binds to its receptor it causes a signal cascade that ultimately leads to the translocatation of GLUT-4 receptors to cell surface membranes to allow glucose to be taken up by the cells.
Understanding weight regulation involves, in part, unraveling the roles played by insulin and leptin in regulating appetite control and energy expenditure in the brain. Both of these blood-borne signals provide information to the brain about fat storage. Homeostasis and glucose metabolism is ultimately regulated in the hypothalamus, specifically in the arcuate nucleus (ARC) region. Two subsets of neurons in the ARC express receptors for insulin and leptin and are believed to effect metabolism through an anabolic/catabolic regulation pathway. The proposed catabolic circuit involves the proopiomelanocortin (POMC) expressing neurons. These are activated by insulin and leptin causing the release of the neuropeptide α-MSH, believed to increase energy expenditure and reduce food intake. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) and agouti related protein (AgRP) expressing neurons complete the anabolic circuit becoming activated by low levels of insulin and leptin, stimulating downstream neurons to increase food intake and energy storage (i.e., increase insulin levels). Insulin and leptin satisfy criteria required for adiposity signals: secretion into plasma in proportion to body fat stores, transport into the brain from the bloodstream, expression of signal-transducing molecules in brain areas that control energy homeostasis, and the ability to reduce food intake upon central administration.
One potential cause of obesity is a resistance or desensitization of receptors to insulin and leptin in the blood, which results in an increase of food intake and body adiposity as well as glucose intolerance, hyperleptinemia, and reproductive abnormalities. Several factors can play a role in determining cell sensitivity to insulin.
Thiazolidinediones can increase insulin sensitivity, while several substances including tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), growth hormone, plasminogen-activator inhibitor-1, angiotensin 2, free fatty acids, and the hormone resistin can decrease insulin sensitivity. Insulin can up-regulate resistin gene expression, possibly serving as a negative feedback loop, while isoproterenol, the cytokine TNF-α, and activation of β-adrenoceptors suppress resistin expression and secretion. TNF-α can act as a regulator of adipocytes, and may be involved in the development of Type II diabetes as well as obesity.
Available treatments for obesity can produce undesirable and serious side effects or such treatments may lack efficacy. Obesity and overweight conditions may become partially reversed or prevented by employing diet or nutrition and behavior modification programs or by administration of pharmaceutical therapeutic (drug) compositions. Widely administered drugs include orlistat, which reduces the amount of dietary fat that is absorbed from the intestine; sibutramine, which suppresses appetite by inhibiting the re-uptake of norepinephrine and serotonin; fenfluramine and d-fenfluramine, which suppress appetite by both releasing serotonin and then inhibiting its re-uptake; and phentermine, which suppresses the appetite by stimulating the release of norepinephrine.
Drug therapies for weight reduction usually achieve only a 5% to 10% decrease in body weight (National Task Force on the Prevention and Treatment of Obesity: Long-term pharmacotherapy in the Management of Obesity, JAMA 276:1907–15, 1996).
Many drugs produce mild to serious side effects in overweight and obese patients. Common side effects include dizziness, headaches, rapid pulse, palpitations, sleeplessness, hypertension, diarrhea, and intestinal cramping. The combination of fenfluramine and phentermine, which produced a 15% to 20% reduction in body weight (F. Brenot et al., Appetite Suppressant Drugs and the Risk of Primary Pulmonary Hypertension, N. Engl. J. Med., 335:609–16, 1996), also provided an increased the risk of heart valve damage and a number of confirmed patient deaths related to "Fen-Phen".
Medications used for weight loss can fall into two groups: those that reduce the absorption of nutrients into the body and those that reduce appetite and thereby decrease food intake.
Adipose tissue produces leptin that reaches homeostatic hypothalamic centers in the brain and provides information on the state of the energy balance. Adipocytes play a critical role in the storage of energy as lipid and in the overall regulation of the body's metabolism. That adipocytes are endocrine cells that have a profound effect on human physiology has been postulated for over 40 years. Recent studies indicate that obesity affects about 30% of the population and that obesity has been identified as a risk factor for metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlimidia. A better understanding of human adipocyte biology is critical to the development of pharmacological agents to treat these devastating diseases.
Orlistat (branded as Xenical) was approved by the FDA for reducing nutrient absorption. Agonasts are known to induce lipolysis, and thereby have the potential to offer weight-lowering properties. Beta-agonists, such as isoproterenol and turbataline, have been shown to increase lipolysis, leading to an increase in energy expenditure and a decrease in fat stores. Beta-agonists can also modulate glucagon and insulin secretion, liver metabolism and glucose uptake in muscle via beta-adrenergic receptors (beta2adrenergic receptor, beta3adrenergic receptor). In addition, polymorphisms of the beta3adrenergic receptor may be involved in insulin resistance and hypoglycemeia. However, use of beta-agonist can also lead to hyperglycemia, or an increase in blood sugar levels as well as insulin desensitization.
A number of weight loss drugs have been marketed, but most have undesired side effects for the patient. For example, a combination of amphetamine and dextroamphetamine, branded as Adderall, is a sympathomimetic amine appetite suppressant with high abuse potential. Benzphetamine, branded as Didrex or Benzfetamine, is a sympatho- mimetic amine appetite suppressant also with high abuse potential. Bromocriptine, branded as Ergoset or Parlodel, stimulates dopamine type-2 receptors and antagonizes type-1 receptors in brain, but it is not approved for treatment of obesity although it is used off label. Dexfenfluramine, branded as Redux, acts as an appetite suppressant via serotonin release and serotonin reuptake block, but it was voluntarily withdrawn from the market because of evidence of heart valve damage. Dextroamphetamine, branded as Dexedrine, is a sympathomimetic amine appetite suppressant used off-label for obesity although it is highly abused. Diethylpropion, branded as Amfepramone and Tenuate, is a sympatho-mimetic amine appetite suppressant with a possible link to primary pulmonary hypertension. Fluoxetine, branded as Prozac, is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) that is used off-label. Mazindol, branded Mazanor and Sanorex, is a sympathomimetic amine appetite suppressant subject to high abuse potential. Methamphetamine, branded as Desoxyn or Methampex, is a sympathomimetic amine appetite suppressant subject to high abuse potential. Orlistat, branded as Xenical, is not a CNS-active drug but can decrease the amount of fat absorbed from the diet by about 30%. However, the drug may have a link to breast cancer. Other sympathomimetic amine appetite suppressants include Phendimetrazine, Phentermine which was approved as a resin complex, and Phenylpropanolamine which is available over the counter. Additionally, Sibutramine, branded as Meridia inhibits reuptake of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin in the brain.
In addition to the above types of drug therapeutic agents, a number of herbal weight reduction formulas have also been suggested as alternatives to both prescription and over-the-counter weight loss compounds. Formulations containing herbal components can have fewer side effects than prescription and over-the-counter medications, but some herbal formulas can still be abused. For example, improper administration of herbal weight loss formulas based primarily on ma huang (ephedra) and high caffeine-containing herbs, such as guanrana and kola nut, may result in diminished energy and a depleted body.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,541,046 describes an herbal composition for hindering weight gain comprising: rhubarb, turmeric, astragalus root, red sage root, and ginger root.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,322,823 describes an aromatherapy composition directed to combat symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) comprising externally applied highly concentrated essential oils extracted from plant cells. The composition can comprise a mixture of essential oil of geranium, essential oil of clary sage, and essential oil of orange, and can be applied directly on the skin or in a carrier.
Given the prevalence and serious problems associated with obesity, and the significant drawbacks associated with many weight loss compounds, a need exists for a means to discover compounds and compositions that are safe and effective in the treatment of persons that are overweight or obese to reduce weight gain, cause weight loss, and reduce body mass index to acceptably healthy levels in the range of 25 to 18 kg/m2.

Identification of compositions, compositions, and methods of treatment of obesity and overweight conditions


A multiband ultra wideband (UWB) communication is presented to implement multichannel shaped-pulses in parallel for indoor and outdoor UWB operations. The multiband UWB communication has a flexibility to transmit and receive a scalability data rate on the multichannel with lower power consumption.

This invention is generally relative to multiband ultra wideband (UWB) communications for short-distance wireless broadband communications.
U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released the revision of Part 15 of the Commission's rules regarding UWB transmission systems to permit the marketing and operation of certain types of new products incorporating an UWB technology on Apr. 22, 2002. With an appropriate technology, UWB devices are able to operate using spectrum occupied by existing radio service without causing interference. This allows scarce spectrum resources to be used more efficiently. The UWB technology offers significant benefits not only for Government and public safety but also for businesses and consumers under an unlicensed basis of operation spectrum.
In general, FCC is adapting unwanted emission limits for the UWB devices that are significantly more stringent than those imposed on other Part 15 devices. This is to say that FCC limits an outdoor use of UWB devices to handheld devices for the short-distance wireless broadband communications. For an indoor operation of UWB communications FCC provides a wide variety of the UWB devices, such as high-speed home and business networking devices under the Part 15 of the Commission's rules subject to certain frequency and power limitations. In short, the UWB devices must operate in the frequency band from 3.1 GHz to 10.6 GHz. In addition, the UWB devices should satisfy the Part 15.209 limit for the frequency band below 960 MHz and must meet the FCC's emission masks for the frequency band above 960 MHz.
For the indoor operation of UWB communications, Table 1 lists the FCC restrictions of the emission masks (dBm) along with the frequencies (GHz).
TABLE 1Frequency (MHz)EIRP (dBm) 0-960−41.3 960-1610−75.31610-1990−53.31990-3100−51.3 3100-10600−41.3Above 10600−51.3
Outdoor handheld UWB devices are intended to operate in a peer-to-peer mode without restrictions on a location. The outdoor handheld UWB devices have extremely conservative out of band emission masks to address interference with other communication devices. Table 2 shows UWB emission masks for outdoor operations:
TABLE 2Frequency (MHz)EIRP (dBm) 0-960−41.3 960-1610−75.31610-1900−63.31900-3100−61.3 3100-10600−41.3Above 10600−61.3
FCC defines an UWB device where the fractional frequency bandwidth is greater than 0.25 based on the formula as follows:
                              FB          =                      2                                      (                                                                    f                    H                                    -                                      f                    L                                                                                f                    H                                    +                                      f                    L                                                              )                                      ,                            (        1        )            where fH is the upper frequency of the −10 dB emission point and fL is the lower frequency of the −10 dB emission point. The center frequency of UWB transmission is defined as the average of the upper and lower −10 dB points as follows:
                              F          C                =                                                            f                H                            +                              f                L                                      2                    .                                    (        2        )            In addition, a minimum frequency bandwidth of 500 MHz must be used for indoor and outdoor UWB communication devices regardless of the center frequency.
Thus, the UWB communication devices must be designed to ensure that the indoor operations can only occur in an indoor environment according to the indoor emission masks as shown in Table 1. The outdoor operations must be according to the outdoor emission masks in Table 2. The UWB communication devices are used for short-range high-speed data transmissions suitable for wireless broadband access to networks.
The UWB communication devices, which are to be developed, are digital radio communications that belong to a wireless broadband communication technology fundamentally. The UWB communication devices transmit a sequence of very short electrical pulses, billionths of a second long, which exist not only on any particular frequency but also on all frequencies simultaneously. The UWB communication devices employ modulated pulses with less one nanosecond in duration. The modulated pulses can be assigned by a digital representation of "0" or "1" according to the transmitted and received pulse based on where the pulses are place in time. In other words, turning the modulated pulses for the wireless broadband communications lies in the timing of the pulses. Therefore, in order to recognize the information in a digital pulse sequence, an UWB receiver has to know the exact pulse sequence used by a transmitter.
Each of the modulated pulses can exist simultaneously across an extensive frequency band if the distributed energy of the modulated pulses at any given frequency exists in the noise floor. Because of the above reason, the UWB devices can co-exist with other communication devices with no discernable interference. Therefore, this opens vast new communications providing tremendous wireless bandwidth to ease the growing bandwidth crunch.
Transmitting the modulated pulses with a very-high data rate over the frequency ranges from 3.1 GHz to 10.6 GHz requires an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter with a very-high sampling rate FS in order to implement the UWB receiver in a digital domain directly. Furthermore, due to the FCC emission limitations of the indoor and outdoor operations, transmitting the modulated pulses should be shaped in such a way that the transmitted pulses must not validate the FCC emission limitation. This leads to high requirements for designing a digital-to-analog (D/A) converter and a transmitter filter in an UWB transmitter. However, it is difficult to design the A/D and D/A converters with such a very high sampling rate for an UWB communication transceiver. In addition, the UWB communication transceiver does not have a flexibility and scalability to transmit and receive the modulated pulses if the UWB communication transceiver is designed to use the entire frequency band from 3.1 GHz to 10.6 GHz as one single-band operation.
The present invention uses a multiband with a multicarrier solution to form 11 multichannels for the UWB communication transceiver. Each multichannel has a frequency bandwidth of 650 MHz, which allows transmitting a data rate at 650 Msps. Shaped pulses that meet the FCC requirements of emission limitations for the indoor or outdoor operation can be transmitted on all of the multichannels at the same time. This is to say that the UWB communication transceiver is able to transmit a total of data rate up to 7.15 Gsps. As a result, the UWB communication transceiver can transmit a data rate with flexibility and scalability. Moreover, the sampling rate of the A/D and D/A converters can be reduced because of using a multiband approach to substitute a single wideband approach. In addition, the present invention is a single device of the UWB communication transceiver, which can be used to deal with a dual-mode indoor and outdoor operation. This leads to saving cost for the UWB communication transceiver.
Thus, there is a continuing need for the UWB communication transceiver employing a new dual-mode shaped pulse architecture based on a multiband and multicarrier solution for the indoor and outdoor operations.


A patient transport cot comprises a height adjustment component coupled to the patient transport cot and configured to raise or lower the cot to a plurality of heights. The patient transport cot further comprises a mechanical height indicator, which comprises at least one height setting, wherein each height setting corresponds to a target cot height. The mechanical height indicator further comprises a moving height marker configured to move with the cot as the cot is raised or lowered, wherein the cot is adjusted to the target cot height when the moving height marker is aligned with the height setting.

Manual and electrically powered ambulance cots have greatly improved the loading and unloading as well as the transport of patients. Cots adjust to various heights to facilitate the loading and unloading of patients from hospital beds, ambulances, rescue helicopters, etc. However, this flexibility also creates problems, especially with cots having infinite adjustments within a height range. Operators often find it difficult to quickly adjust a cot repeatedly to a specific desired level, for example, a load height for an emergency vehicle or even a hospital bed. Accordingly, there is a continuing desire to provide ambulance cots and cot components, thereof, which provide greater control and ease of use for an ambulance cot operator.


An air temperature and humidity control device is provided including a first heat pump having a compressor, an expansion valve, a condenser, and an evaporator. The first heat pump has a refrigerant circulating there through. A humidity controller includes a first contactor fluidly coupled to the evaporator and condenser. The first contact includes at least one contact module having a porous sidewall that defines an internal space through which a hygroscopic material flows. A first air flow is in communication with the porous sidewall of the first contactor. The device also has a second heat pump including a first polishing coil. The first polishing coil is substantially aligned with and arranged generally downstream from the first contactor relative to the first air flow.

The invention relates generally to an air temperature and humidity control device, and more particularly, to an air temperature and humidity control device integrating more than one heat pump.
Conventional air conditioning systems generally do not perform humidity control functions in an energy efficient manner. When humidity control is desired, air conditioners based on direct expansion (DX) may be operated to condense moisture in the air through supercooling. The drier, supercooled air is then reheated for comfort before entering into a facility to be air conditioned. Significant energy is consumed during the supercooling and reheating of the air, which renders the process inefficient. Moreover, water condensation on the metallic DX coils may cause corrosion problems, which increases the maintenance cost of the air conditioning systems.
In light of the need for more efficient humidity control, air conditioning systems with solid desiccant wheels integrated in temperature control units have been developed. The solid desiccant wheel is loaded with a solid desiccant and is positioned just upstream of the temperature control unit so that cooled air transversely passes over a section of the rotating desiccant wheel, during which the moisture in the air is absorbed by the desiccant. The remaining section of the desiccant wheel is reheated so that the absorbed moisture can be desorbed to regenerate the desiccant. While capable of achieving low humidity outputs, systems based on desiccant wheels are space-consuming and inefficient, as energy is required to regenerate the desiccant. Moreover, because the desiccant wheel is relatively cumbersome and not easy to install or uninstall, the capacity and operation of the systems based on desiccant wheels are generally not intended to accommodate a wide range of operations.
In addition to desiccant wheels, humidity control may be achieved using a system having a heat pump coupled to a liquid desiccant loop. The liquid desiccant, such as lithium chloride for example, is cooled and heated by the heat pump. The desiccant loop includes two contact towers loaded with packing materials or two membrane-type contactors for example. Several sprinklers are provided at the top end of the tower to distribute the liquid desiccant (cooled or heated by the heat pump) onto the packing materials, while air is blown from the bottom end of the contact tower as the liquid desiccant trickles down the packing material. As a result of the direct contact between the desiccant and air, water may be absorbed from the air into the desiccant or desorbed from the desiccant into the air. Simultaneously, the air may be heated or cooled by the liquid desiccant. Because of its integration with a heat pump, the liquid desiccant system discussed above requires less energy for desorbing water from the liquid desiccant, i.e. the regeneration of the liquid desiccant.
However, as the operation of the system requires direct contact between numerous streams of liquid desiccant and air, entrainment of liquid desiccant droplets into the air stream is inherent to spraying direct contact technologies. Such liquid desiccant entrainment (or liquid desiccant carryover) can cause corrosion of ductwork and human health issues. Moreover, similar to the desiccant wheels, the contact towers of the above-discussed system are relatively cumbersome in construction and not easy to modulate to accommodate a wide range of operations.
To address prevalent issues associated with direct contact systems, other systems without direct contact include a contactor having at least one contact module with a porous sidewall that is permeable to water vapor and impermeable to the liquid desiccant employed. The contactor may include at least one contact module with a porous sidewall having exterior and interior sides, wherein the interior side of the sidewall defines an internal space in which the liquid desiccant flows. The blower generates an air flow along the exterior side of the sidewall in order to provide desirable temperature and humidity.
The contactors in these non-direct contact systems commonly include a hydrophobic porous material with limited heat transfer potential, but better mass transfer potential when compared to conventional refrigerant evaporator and condensing technologies. In addition, the performance, size and cost of such materials for the hydrophobic porous contactors needed in these systems places a practical limit on the amount of sensible heat removal that can be achieved economically from the incoming air. Building codes may require that a large fraction of outdoor (ambient) be processed and delivered to the conditioned space within a given temperature and humidity range. The contactor-based temperature and humidity control devices may not be able to process the large fraction of outdoor or process air to desirable conditions in a cost-effective and energy efficient manner.

Integrated membrane dehumidification system


A system for the treatment of the dry eye syndrome that is based on a light source. The system includes a disposable tip, to treat an eyelid. A corneal shield is used to protect the patient's eye.

One main reason for dry eyes is blepharitis, a chronic inflammation of the eyelid margin. It has been shown that, for example, treatment with IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) light therapy or other has a long-lasting effect and bacteria and skin mites are successfully eliminated. The use of a light source is for the purpose of generating heat, and causing photo modulation, to heat up the area of a Meibomian Gland. Thus, other sources of generating heat other than light may be used.
In the course of treatment, several pulses of light may be delivered to a patient's eyelids. Care may be taken to avoid direct entry of light into the cornea, as well as exposing eyelashes to the energy to avoid hair loss. In addition, direct heating of the cornea and other ocular surfaces should be avoided.

Dry eye treatment system with disposable tip and corneal shield


A control unit for generating control signals in response to a communication signal fed from a vehicle, and a plurality of supply units for controlling a supply F of current to respective LEDs in compliance with the control signals generated by the control unit are provided. The control unit changes contents of the control signals in answer to the contents of the communication signal, i.e., to meet to changes of specifications when contents of the communication signal are different every type of a car or every vehicle, whereby standardization of circuit configurations can be achieved.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a lighting control circuit for vehicle lighting equipment and, more particularly, a lighting control circuit for vehicle lighting equipment constructed to control the lighting of a semiconductor light source that is composed of a semiconductor light emitting device.
2. Related Art
In the prior art, the vehicle lighting equipment using the semiconductor light emitting device such as LED (Light Emitting Diode), or the like as the light source is known (for example, JP-A-2002-231013 (page 2 to page B4, FIG. 1 to FIG. 5)). In case the vehicle lighting equipment is constructed by using the LED as the light source, a wide variety of specifications are provided for such lighting equipment because the lighting equipment acts the eye of the vehicle and also the design aspect is looked upon as important. For example, according to the vehicle (type of a car), the number of used LEDs is different, a shape and a size of the lighting equipment itself are different, a circuit configuration of the lighting control circuit for the vehicle lighting equipment used to control ON/OFF and the brightness of respective LEDs is different, and so on. Various variations can be made.

Lighting control circuit for vehicle lighting equipment


A power source apparatus of a car is provided with contactors (2) connected to an output-side of a battery (1); a pre-charge circuit (3) made up of a series connected pre-charge resistor (6) and a pre-charge relay (7), which is connected with a contactor (2) to supply auxiliary charge to a capacitor (21) connected to a car-side of the battery (1); and a control circuit (4) to control the contactors (2) and the pre-charge relay (7). The pre-charge resistor (6) is connected in parallel with a contactor (2), and the pre-charge relay (7) is connected in series with that contactor (2). The control circuit (4) switches the pre-charge relay (7) ON to pre-charge the car-side capacitor (21), and then switches the contactor (2) ON to connect the battery (1) to the car-side.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a power source apparatus that connects the vehicle driving battery to the car-side load via contactors (high power, electric automotive-grade relays), and in particular relates to a car power source apparatus that prevents the detrimental effects of fused contacts.
2. Description of the Related Art
The car power source apparatus has first and second contactors that connect to the positive and negative output-side of the battery. In this power source apparatus, contactors are switched ON to connect the battery with the car-side load. When the vehicle is not in use, for example, when the automobile ignition switch is OFF, the contactors are switched OFF. Furthermore, if the automobile has an accident or collision, the contactors are also switched OFF to cut-off battery output and increase safety.
A capacitor with a large capacitance value is connected in parallel with the car-side load that connects with the power source apparatus. Its purpose is to instantaneously output high power. The capacitor is charged by the battery. Since the capacitance of the capacitor is high, charging current becomes extremely large when the capacitor is completely discharged. Consequently, when the contactors, which connect to the positive and negative output-side of the battery, are switched ON, extremely large transient charging current can flow. Large charging current can damage contacts on the contactors. In particular, contactor contacts can fuse together due to large charging current. If the contacts fuse together, the contactors cannot be switched OFF and the driving battery cannot be disconnected from the load. To prevent this negative result, a power source apparatus has been developed that is provided with a pre-charge circuit to pre-charge the capacitor before turning the contactors ON (refer to Japanese Patent Application Disclosure 2005-295697).
As shown in FIG. 1, the car power source apparatus described in JP 2005-295697 is provided with a pre-charge circuit to supply auxiliary charge to the capacitor. The pre-charge circuit is connected in parallel with the first contactor on the positive-side of the battery and supplies auxiliary charge to the capacitor while limiting current. This pre-charge circuit is provided with a current-limiting pre-charge resistor, and a pre-charge relay connected in series with the pre-charge resistor. In this power source apparatus, the second contactor connected to the negative-side of the battery and the pre-charge relay are switched ON to pre-charge the capacitor. After the capacitor is pre-charged, the first contactor is switched ON to connect the battery with the car-side.
In the power source apparatus shown in FIG. 1, if the car-side becomes short circuited, extremely high current, for example 1000 A of short circuit current, can flow through the contactors. High short circuit current is a cause of contactor contacts fusing together. In particular, if the contacts "chatter" under short circuit conditions, they can easily become fused together. Contactors are switched ON and OFF each time the car ignition switch is turned ON and OFF. Further, since the contactors switch high currents, a long-lifetime durable metal such as tungsten is used as the contact material. For example, currently adopted contactors utilize durable contacts having fixed contacts of copper, and moveable contacts of tungsten laminated on a copper surface. Durable contacts demonstrate superior long-lifetime characteristics when switched ON and OFF with high currents. However, contactors provided with durable contacts cannot effectively prevent fused contacts due to high current flow from a car-side short circuit. This occurs because, if contact "chatter" occurs under high current conditions, tungsten, which is a durable contact material, will be heated to high temperature and will melt copper.
Fused contacts due to short circuit current can be prevented with high-capacity type contacts having fixed contacts and moveable contacts made of copper. However, while high-capacity type contacts made of copper can prevent short circuit induced fused contacts, they have the drawback that long-lifetime cannot be achieved. Copper, which is a high-capacity type contact material, shows low contact temperature rise due to short circuit current flow, but copper has a low melting point. Tungsten, which is a durable contact material, shows high contact temperature rise due to short circuit current flow, but tungsten has a high melting point. Consequently, in a contactor having fixed contacts of copper and moveable contacts with tungsten on the surface, the tungsten will be heated to high temperature by short circuit current and copper will melt causing the contacts to fuse together. Contactors with fixed and moveable contacts of copper show less contact temperature rise due to short circuit current and can better prevent fused contacts than contactors with tungsten contacts, but they cannot achieve long-lifetime. Therefore, to implement long contact lifetime, the prior art car power source apparatuses have the drawback that fused contacts due to car-side short circuit cannot be prevented. If contactor contacts become fused together, battery output cannot be cut-off and it is difficult to insure safety. A car power source apparatus that can reliably switch OFF contactors to cut-off battery output under abnormal conditions is in demand. While prior art power source apparatus contactors can achieve long-lifetime, prevention of short circuit current induced fused contacts is extremely difficult. Prior art power source apparatus contactors have the drawback that long-lifetime and prevention of fused contacts are mutually exclusive characteristics that cannot both be satisfactorily realized.
The present invention was developed to resolve these drawbacks. Thus, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a car power source apparatus that can reliably cut-off battery output in abnormal circumstances while achieving long contactor lifetime.


To perform recovery of a headless computer, a direct connection is established by the headless computer with a recovery computer over a network link. After establishing the direct connection, the headless computer is initiated in recovery mode. The headless computer receives a recovery routine from the recovery computer, and the recovery routine is executed in the headless computer to implement a procedure to receive a recovery image from the recovery computer. The recovery image upon loading in the headless computer causes loading of software for recovery of the headless computer.

An error condition in a computer may prevent the computer from starting properly. A common example of such error condition is failure of storage media (typically a hard disk drive) in the computer, which prevents the computer from loading software (including operating system software) on the storage media for proper operation of the computer. Various issues exist that may prevent convenient recovery of certain computers that have experienced error conditions.

Performing recovery of a headless computer

HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.


Apparatus and methods for assisting in controlling the supply of material onto a conveyor from a material dispenser include the use of a discharge control device coupled to each dispenser gate of the material dispenser. The discharge control device includes at least one wiper configurable to level the top of at least some of the material dispensed onto the conveyor through the material dispenser.

Various industries involve systems for dispensing material, such as dry solids, onto conveying devices. In the hydrocarbon exploration and production industries, for example, materials are often dispensed from storage units onto conveyor belts for delivery to another location or system. One exemplary scenario often utilizing material storage units and conveyors is a hydraulic fracturing well site requiring the use of proppant or sand. In many frac job sites, a material storage unit, such as the Frac Sander by National Oilwell Varco, Inc, is used to dispense the sand or proppant onto a conveyor for delivery to another component, such as a blender.
Presently known systems and techniques for delivering materials via conveying devices may have one or more drawbacks. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the material 32 often overflows off the sides of the conveyor 40 as it is being discharged from the dispensing unit 30. Depending upon the particular application, material overflow can freeze the conveyor belt from moving, make it difficult or impossible to determine or control the rate of discharge of material from the conveyor to the desired destination or cause other unwanted consequences.
For another example, various existing systems and techniques that attempt to determine or control the amount of material being discharged from the conveyor to the blender, or other destination, may have one or more drawbacks. Some systems attempt to determine the amount of material discharged by calculating the loss of weight of the entire material storage unit after material is dispensed onto the conveyor. Depending upon the application, such techniques may be cumbersome, inaccurate or cause other undesirable consequences. Other techniques involve running the conveyor very fast and frequently varying the open position of the discharge gates on the material dispenser, which are believed to often be inaccurate, cumbersome or cause other undesirable consequences. Yet other techniques require a first person at the equipment site to operate the gate controls and a second person, also at the equipment site near the end of the conveyor. The second person watches the discharge of material from the conveyor belt to the blender (or other destination), and signals the first person to move the discharge gates to vary the supply of material onto the conveyor. This technique may also be inaccurate, cumbersome and cause other unwanted consequences.
It should be understood that the above-described discussion is provided for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope or subject matter of the appended claims or those of any related patent application or patent. Thus, none of the appended claims or claims of any related application or patent should be limited by the above discussion or construed to address, include or exclude each or any of the cited examples, features and/or disadvantages, merely because of the mention thereof herein.
Accordingly, there exists a need for improved systems, apparatus and methods useful to assist in controlling the amount or rate of delivery of material onto or off of a conveyor having one or more of the attributes or capabilities described or shown in, or as may be apparent from, the other portions of this patent.

Apparatus and methods for assisting in controlling material discharged from a conveyor


The system comprises a stop fixed to the central panel and moving with the same towards the front or the rear of the vehicle. The stop is embodied such that when the central panel pivots to the rear to pass from the retracted position to the normal position with the roof in the stored position, said stop abuts a complementary formation on the roof in the stored position, in order to control the deployment of the lateral panels with relation to the central panel.

(1) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a retractable parcel shelf system for a convertible vehicle with a folding roof.
(2) Prior Art
A retractable rear roof system is in itself known and comprises at least a panel and means for pivoting this panel about an axis transversal to the longitudinal axis (forward direction) of the vehicle. Thus, the panel moves from a normal operating position (typically a horizontal position) to a stored or retracted position inside a storage space in the vehicle which classically allows to also fold away the folding roof.
Traditionally, the storage space is composed of the rear boot of the vehicle which typically receives both the retractable panel and the folded roof.
When the parcel shelf system comprises a single-piece panel extending over the entire transversal length of the passenger compartment of the vehicle, the size of this panel could cause difficulties if the panel is to be put into the retracted position inside the storage space, within a area of limited transversal dimensions located between the wheels.
For this reason in particular, we already know of parcel shelf systems comprising a central panel placed on either side of the central panel and movable with respect to the latter. Means for displacement are furthermore envisaged to move the lateral panels with respect to the central panel, when the central panel is pivoted in either direction.
More precisely, the French application FR 02 05568 filed on 3 May 2002 under the applicant's name, discloses a retractable parcel shelf system comprising two lateral panels assembled so as to pivot about a substantially perpendicular axis to the upper surface of the central panel and embodied so that each lateral panel, in the pivoted position, is substantially stored under the central panel, which is itself in its retracted position. This system comprises means for controlling the inward pivot movement of each of the lateral panels with respect to the central panel whilst the central panel is pivoting from its normal position to its retracted position. Each of the lateral panels is controlled by the movement of the central panel via a set of connecting rods which bear upon corresponding surfaces of the body of the vehicle or upon load bearing points fixed to the central panel. In the normal position, substantially horizontal, of the central panel, the lateral panels are retained in their deployed position via springs, irrespective of the stored and folded or deployed and closed position of the roof.
In numerous cases, the rigid folding roof comprises on either side of the vehicle, irrespective of the type of folding roof, at least an arm whose lower end is pivot mounted onto the body of the vehicle about an transversal axis of said vehicle.
When the roof is folded so as to move from its closed position, over the passenger compartment of the vehicle, to its stored position in the boot of the vehicle, each pivoting arm moves from a substantially vertical position to a substantially horizontal position, which releases at each lateral end of the central panel an opening which is to be blanked off by the corresponding lateral panel. This is also the case for the corresponding back quarter light (or lateral element of the rear section of the roof) equipped with internal fittings. This back quarter light, of reasonable thickness and whose fittings can often hide the aforementioned pivoting arms, or which can act as a pivoting arm, frees, when stored away in the boot with the other parts of the roof, an opening which is to be blanked off.

Retractable parcel shelf for a convertible vehicle with a folding roof


A color camera employs a monochrome imager and a color filter plate that is divided into a plurality of primary color filter sections. The filter sections can be individually shuttered electronically for transmitting color sequential images onto the imager. In one embodiment there are red, blue, and green color filter sectors that radiate from a center at the optic axis of the camera. In an alternative embodiment, concentric annular color filters are provided.

This invention relates to color video cameras, and in particular to those employed in confined spaces, such as in borescopes or endoscopes of the type in which a miniature video camera is mounted at a distal viewing head of an elongated insertion tube. The invention is more specifically concerned with an arrangement of the miniature video camera which produces color video images using a single monochrome video imaging device combined with a controllable color filter assembly.
Recently, interest has increased in the use of video instruments for surgical applications to permit a surgeon to carry out a procedure with minimal intervention in the patient. An example of one such video instrument is a laparoscope for performing surgery in the abdominal cavity, where the instrument is inserted through a small incision. There is also an increased interest in remote imaging of industrial processes, such as inspection of heat exchanger tubes or of turbine engines, where remote color imaging could be employed to advantage.
However, in current imaging systems, either a complex and expensive color imaging CCD type device is employed or else color sequential illumination is provided to produce red, blue, and green illumination in turn onto the target of the camera or imaging assembly.
Full-color video borescopes and endoscopes are well known, and have been described, for example, in Danna et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,491,365, Danna et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,539,586, and Longacre et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,523,224. The latter describes a colorsequential system in which sequential primary color light is supplied over a fiber optic bundle to illuminate the target area sequentially with primary color light. With the present systems a white illumination source is sequentially pulsed to produce red, green and blue light that is then carried over a fiber optic bundle to the probe tip. The illumination is pulsed mechanically using a chopper wheel or filter wheel which must be synchronized with the display electronics. This filter wheel is big, slow to synchronize, mechanically complex and expensive. The systems of this type require a built-in light source and cannot be made to produce a color image with ambient light.


One aspect of the invention is a compound of formula (I)Ro-[L-(CqH2qS)pCrH2rRf]2  (I)wherein Ro is a divalent organic group having 2 to 40 carbon atoms; L is a linking group selected from —NHC(O)NH— or —C(O)NH— wherein the left side of the linking group is bonded to Ro; p is an integer of 0 or 1; q is an integer of 2 to 10; r is an integer of 1 to 10; and Rf is a linear or branched C1-C6 perfluoroalkyl group.

Various compositions are known to be useful as treating agents to provide surface effects to substrates. Surface effects include repellency to moisture, soil, and stains, and other effects, which are particularly useful for fibrous substrates and other substrates such as hard surfaces. Many such treating agents are fluorinated polymers or copolymers.
Most commercially available fluorinated polymers useful as treating agents for imparting repellency to substrates contain predominately eight or more carbons in the perfluoroalkyl chain to provide the desired repellency properties. Honda et al, in Macromolecules, 2005, 38, 5699-5705 teach that for perfluoroalkyl chains of greater than 8 carbons, orientation of the Rf groups is maintained in a semi-crystalline configuration while for such chains having less than 6 carbon atoms, reorientation occurs. This reorientation decreases surface properties such as contact angle.
Ordering imposed upon perfluorinated alkyl groups by hydrogen bonding networks has been used in gelation of carbon dioxide and the formation of foams, as disclosed by Beckman et. al, in WO 00/35998.
There is a need for compositions that improve the repellency of treating agents for fibrous and/or porous substrates and hard surface substrates while using short chain perfluoroalkyl groups; for instance C6 or less.

Abstract: Other aspects of the invention are a composite structure comprising a porous support and a porous nanoweb comprising fibrous structures comprised of one or more compositions of formula (I) and a method for making said composite structures.


A wrap around shield of a write head is fabricated in multiple processes, with side shields fabricated in one process, and a trailing shield formed in another process. These multiple processes form a stitched wrap around shield, resulting in more flexible and accurate placement of the trailing shield and side shields with respect to the write pole. These processes also independently form the dimensions (shapes and sizes) of the side shields and the trailing shield which allows better control of writeability, saturation, and adjacent track interference of the perpendicular recording write head.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is related to the field of perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) on magnetic recording hard disk drive systems and, in particular, to fabricating a stitched wrap around shield for a PMR write head.
2. Statement of the Problem
Magnetic hard disk drive systems typically include a magnetic disk, a recording head having write and read elements, a suspension arm, and an actuator arm. As the magnetic disk is rotated, air adjacent to the disk surface moves with the disk. This allows the recording head (also referred to as a slider) to fly on an extremely thin cushion of air, generally referred to as an air bearing. When the recording head flies on the air bearing, the actuator arm swings the suspension arm to place the recording head over selected circular tracks on the rotating magnetic disk where signal fields are written to and read by the write and read elements, respectively. The write and read elements are connected to processing circuitry that operates according to a computer program to implement write and read functions.
In a disk drive utilizing perpendicular recording, data is recorded on a magnetic recording disk by magnetizing the recording medium in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the disk. In this type of recording, the magnetic easy axes of the magnetic grains which store the recorded data are arranged perpendicular to the disk surface, instead of parallel to the disk surface as is the case in longitudinal recording. Perpendicularly recorded data is more stable than longitudinal data, and the data can be recorded at a higher density than longitudinal data. The coercivity of the medium is higher, since the magnetic recording layer is in effect "inside the gap" between the head and a soft underlayer (SUL) that is located under the magnetic layer. In addition, for the same read head design, perpendicular data provides greater read back amplitude. The disk has a higher magnetic moment-thickness product (MrT). For the same physical width of the read head, the magnetic read width is narrower.
High track density heads use narrow write pole widths. A sufficiently short flare length (i.e., the distance between the ABS and the point where the write pole flares out) is used to maintain the write field strength of a narrow track width perpendicular write head. As a result, the widened portion of a write pole behind the flare point is close to the recording medium and can produce undesired fields to the extent that the data in adjacent tracks may be erased. A balance between writeability and adjacent track interference (ATI) is needed for high track density perpendicular write heads.
Wrap around shield designs are utilized for high track density recording to shield adjacent tracks from unintended recording. FIG. 1 illustrates an ABS view of a typical write head 100 with a wrap around shield 120. As shown in FIG. 1, wrap around shield 120 has a trailing shield 122 placed in the proximity of the trailing surface 112 of the write pole 110, separated from write pole 110 by a gap 135. The function of trailing shield 122 is to improve the write field gradient and transition curvature of write pole 110. Wrap around shield 120 also has side shields 124 and 126 disposed on sides of write pole 110. Side shields 124 and 126 are separated from write pole 110 by a gap 130. Utilizing wrap around shield 120, the fringe fields are mostly confined between write pole 110 and side shields 124 and 126 and therefore the fringe fields create much less interference with adjacent tracks. Gap 135 is smaller than gap 130, and the thickness for both is important for proper write performance, and thus, there is a need for accurately controlling the thickness of trailing gap 135 and side gap 130 during manufacturing.
In prior art processes, trailing shield 122 and side shields 124 and 126 are fabricated at the same time. As a result, the manufacturing process focuses more on the alignment of trailing shield 122 with write pole 110 than the alignment of side shields 124 and 126 with write pole 110. This is because the tolerance of aligning trailing shield 122 with write pole 110 is less than the tolerance of aligning side shields 124 and 126 with write pole 110. Further, prior art processes lack flexibility and require very aggressive design points, such as flare point and shield throat height, which are challenging for processing control during manufacture. Further, fabrication is more difficult because of the topography caused by present fabrication methods.

Stitched wrap around shield fabrication for perpendicular magnetic recording write heads

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands, B.V.


In various implementations, a method includes obtaining first patient display data indicating a first set of health metric types associated with a first patient account and second patient display data indicating a second set of health metric types associated with a second patient account. The method includes receiving, via the network interface, first patient health data associated with the first patient account. The method includes receiving, via the network interface, second patient health data associated with the second patient account. The method includes displaying a user interface including a first patient data region and a second patient data region, the first patient data region including representations of values for the first set of health metric types selected from the first patient health data and the second patient data region including representations of values for the second set of health metric types selected from the second patient health data.

Efficient communication between a patient and one or more health managers, such as doctors, nurses, counselors, physical therapists, etc., can greatly improve the health of the patient. For example, communication regarding currently values of various biometrics of a patient may prompt an action by a health manager. As another example, communication regarding the level of the patient's adherence to a treatment plan may prompt a health manager to urge the patient to increase that level.
In accordance with common practice, various features shown in the drawings may not be drawn to scale, as the dimensions of various features may be arbitrarily expanded or reduced for clarity. Moreover, the drawings may not depict all of the aspects and/or variants of a given system, method or apparatus admitted by the specification. Finally, like reference numerals are used to denote like features throughout the figures.


A highly efficient power supply unit compatible with a single-phase three-wire system and an operating method of such a power supply unit are provided. The power supply unit includes first and second switching legs connected in parallel to a first capacitor leg with a DC power supply connected thereto. One end of the second capacitor leg is connected to the middle point of the first switching leg through a first inductor, and the other end is connected to the middle point of the second switching leg through a second inductor. The two ends of the second capacitor leg and the middle point of the second capacitor leg are defined as AC terminals. A switch is provided between middle points of first and second capacitor legs. A control part sets the switch to OFF when power is input/output only between one end of the second capacitor leg and the other end.

With the recent increase in awareness of global environmental protection, systems with a power supply, such as a storage battery, a solar cell, and a fuel cell, have been developed. Such systems require a power supply unit so that DC power is converted into AC power and supplied to a load and commercial power supply. Further, in order to charge the storage battery from the commercial power supply, it is necessary to supply power to the storage battery by converting the AC power of the commercial power supply into DC power.
Patent document 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-78350) discloses an AC/DC bidirectional converter of a single-phase three-wire system. This converter allows for both charging from a single-phase three-wire AC power supply to a battery, and electric power regeneration of the single-phase three-wire AC power supply by the discharge of the battery by a single circuit, thereby achieving downsizing and low cost.
Patent document 2 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 1997-140157) discloses an inverter unit using a solar cell that can switch between operation of interconnection with the commercial power system and self-sustained operation by a single inverter.
However, in the conventional single-phase three-wire AC/DC bidirectional converter described in Patent document 1, when the battery is charged from AC 100 V, the input current passes through two semiconductor devices such as a switching element and a diode. Thus, the conduction loss increases and it is difficult to achieve high efficiency. In addition, in the power regeneration of the single-phase three-wire AC power supply by the discharge of the battery, four switching elements are turned on and off. Thus, the switching loss increases and it is difficult to achieve high efficiency.
Further, in the conventional inverter unit using a solar cell described in Patent document 2, there is no disclosure of the technology of power supply both to the load of AC 100 V and the load of AC 200 V at the same time during a self-sustained operation.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a highly efficient power supply unit compatible with the single-phase three-wire system, and an operation method of such a power supply unit.

Power supply unit for converting power between DC and AC and operating method of the same

Hitachi Information & Telecommunication Engineering, Ltd.


An infusion beverage package includes a body portion having overlying layers of porous material that are joined to form at least one compartment for carrying infusion beverage product in addition to a weight that causes the body portion to sink in water. The compartment(s) may also carry an agent (e.g., sweetener) that imparts flavor characteristics into a solution during steeping of the infusion beverage product. The weight is preferably realized by a non-toxic, insoluble odorless, flavorless microwaveable material (e.g., ceramic material, porcelain material, and naturally-occurring rock material). Alternatively, the weight may be realized by a dissolvable agent such as a sweetener. A multi-compartment single bag design and dual-bag designs are illustrated.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates broadly to beverage packages. More particularly, this invention relates to infusion beverage packages for tea and coffee and the like.
2. State of the Art
Instant beverages including tea and coffee have become very popular throughout the world. The preparation of these beverages is obtained by the infusion of the dried, powdered, granulated, or shredded tea leaves in a soluble base, typically water. Therefore, it is common to prepare tea by immersion of a porous bag filled with tea into a cup of hot water. The same principle is applicable to other packaged beverages, e.g., bags containing coffee, broth, medicament preparations, etc.
However, when the porous bag is immersed in water, it has a tendency to rise up in the cup due to captured air bubbles and the light density of the materials in the bag. When the porous bag floats to the top of the cup, the rate of steeping of the materials into the cup is reduced. Thus, it is commonplace for users to use a spoon to keep the porous bag totally immersed in the water. This repetitive task is annoying to many users.
It is also known to attach the porous bag to a weighted member that keeps the porous bag totally immersed in the water. U.S. Pat. No. 3,257,212 describes a stick with a plastic pouch that surrounds the stick. A metal weight is integrally attached to the bottom of the stick or the plastic pouch. The porous bag (referred to as an "envelope") is attached to the plastic pouch. This solution is cumbersome and expensive to implement because the weighted member is far bigger than the porous bag to which it is attached.


Various methods are described for expanding the display of a web application across multiple devices. One example method may comprise receiving an indication of content associated with a main frame of a web application. The method may further comprise displaying of the content associated with the main frame. Furthermore, the method may comprise searching for one or more external devices. Each of the one or more external devices may comprise a display for rendering content associated with a respective expanded frame of the web application. The method of this example embodiment may further comprise establishing a connection with the one or more external devices. Furthermore, the method may comprise providing for transmission to each of the one or more external devices of an indication of the content associated with the respective expanded frame. Similar and related example methods, example apparatuses, and example computer program products are also provided.

The modern communications era has brought about a tremendous expansion of wireline and wireless networks. Computer networks, television networks, and telephony networks are experiencing an unprecedented technological expansion, fueled by consumer demand. Wireless and mobile networking technologies have addressed related consumer demands, while providing more flexibility and immediacy of information transfer.
Current and future networking technologies continue to improve the user experience associated with displaying the information being transferred. For example, the information provided to a user may be provided in the form of a web application. In some instances, the information provided by the web application may be too large to be displayed on a single device. As a result, there is a need to provide solutions for expanding the display of the web application to a user. Requiring the user to purchase and install additional specialty hardware or software to implement the solution, however, is unfavorable to the user.
Accordingly, it may be desirable to provide systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for expanding the display of a web application across multiple devices without requiring the installation of any additional hardware or software to the devices.

Method and apparatus for multi-browser web-based applications


The invention relates to a baby bottle structure forming a doll. The baby bottle comprises a central fluid receptacle having a nipple portion at one end and a bottom portion at the opposing end. A removable cover is snapped about the nipple portion and forms the head of a doll. A removable bottom portion is attachable to the central fluid receptacle of the bottle and creates the feet portion of the doll. The feet of the doll are formed in such a way as to support the bottle in an upright position. The removable bottom support structure houses a music module that may be activated by tilting the baby bottle. The bottom portion also provides a housing for enclosing an independent pacifier. Thus, the baby bottle forms a musical doll and provides means for carrying a pacifier within its body structure. A bib is provided with the baby bottle doll and supports the baby bottle about the neck of an infant. A rattle or rattles may be removably attachable to the bib and form arms of the doll.

I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a baby bottle structure. More particularly, the present invention relates to a baby bottle structure forming a doll. A bib supports the bottle structure about an infant and simultaneously represents clothing for the doll.
II. Description of the Relevant Art
A baby bottle structure having a central fluid receptacle and upper nipple is generally available to consumers for feeding infants. The bottle structure is simple and, as such, has not changed in form for several decades.
A disadvantage of these previous bottle structures is that little or no support is provided by the bottle to aid an infant in feeding him or herself. Therefore, an infant must depend on an adult to support the bottle in the infant's mouth until such time as the infant is strong enough to hold the bottle independently.
A further disadvantage of the standard baby bottle structure is that it performs a single function only. Therefore, it is necessary to purchase independently pacifiers, toys or dolls, and baby bottles for an infant. This becomes especially cumbersome where it is necessary to gather up all of these articles in order to travel with the infant.


A method of controlling an electronic or computer system includes receiving a plurality of input values from a plurality of fluid current sensors and using the plurality of input values and gradients between the plurality of input values to control an action of the electronic or computer system.

A device known as a mouse is well known as a device used for transforming movements into controls required by a user. The mouse is typically formed by a box equipped with electronic means connected to the computer for transforming the movements of the box on the working surface into a movement of the cursor or pointer on the computer screen.
Thus, a mouse more generally includes a ball for rolling over the working surface, sensors to detect the movements of the ball and means for processing the electric signals of the sensors. More recently, infrared mice have emerged that replace the ball and sensor arrangement with an infrared movement detector. The processing means are connected to the computer by an electric cable or a Hertzien or infrared link. The processing means have been designed to deliver signals recognized by the protocol of the port to which the mouse is connected, usually corresponding to the standard RS 232. However, the mouse can also be connected to the computer via a dedicated interface card or to a specific bus in which case the processing means shall deliver one or several signals recognized by the protocol associated with this interface card or bus.
The mouse may in addition include a certain number of push or scrolling buttons which are also connected to the processing means and which correspond to validation or data entry function according to the operating mode of the computer.
The means for processing the signals derived from the movement sensors and the position sensors of the scrolling or input buttons then provide several principal functions, namely:
detection of the movement of the mouse, detection of the position of the push buttons,
and communication with the computer as per the retained standard.
Communication with the microcomputer is more usually managed by a microprocessor ensuring the two parts of the processing of the signals derived from the movement and position detectors of the push-buttons. The mouse also contains means to control the electric feeding of the means for processing the signals and possibly that of the movement detection and position sensors.
Finally, the mouse is associated with control software loaded into the computer, which decodes the signal transmitted by the mouse. The driver provides the application software requesting it information concerning the state and status of the mouse: firstly the movement and secondly the position of the push-buttons so as to enable them to carry out the resultant actions.
In its most frequently used operating mode, the driver communicates with the sub-programme or movement routine of the cursor or pointer when the mouse is moved and sends messages to the programme when the push buttons of the mouse are pressed.
It ought to be said that for most of the drivers used, the movement of the pointer on the screen does not correspond directly to that of the mouse. In fact, it has been observed that the movement of the mouse can be broken down into two main movements, namely movement of the mouse until the pointer is brought into the desired zone and then its precise positioning on the targeted point or object. Thus, when the mouse is moved slowly, the driver generates a movement of the pointer on the screen of about 100 CPI (Counts Per Inch) or DPI (Dots Per Inch), and when the mouse is moved quickly, the driver generates a movement of the pointer of about 400 CPI, indeed 1000 CPI.
According to the prior art, the mouse gives full satisfaction as a control peripheral of a computer when using the hand.
However, it may appear necessary to be able to control a computer or electronic system without resorting to using the hands, especially when the user is unable to do so (e.g., the user is disabled, operating machinery or a vehicle etc.)

Method of controlling an electronic or computer system


A conveyor belt includes core layers made of fabric disposed between an upper cover rubber and a lower cover rubber. At least one core layer has a strength in the belt width direction ranging from 30% to 70% of a strength in the belt longitudinal direction.

In a conveyor belt, a core layer is embedded between an upper cover rubber and a lower cover rubber to bear the tension when the conveyor belt is mounted in a tensioned stated. A conveyor belt with a damaged core layer cannot be properly mounted. Thus, preventing damage to the core layer is vital to ensure the operation of a conveyor belt.
The fabric used as the core layer is made of a plain weave of warp threads and weft threads, for example. Typically, the warp threads that extend in a belt longitudinal direction and the weft threads that extend in a belt width direction are different from one another (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-149267, paragraph [0023]). In other words, the core layer is mainly designed to bear the tension that acts on the conveyor belt, and thus strength of the core layer in the belt longitudinal direction is accordingly high. However, the strength of the core layer in the belt width direction is too low to prevent disarray of the fabric (warp threads). For example, the strength of the core layer in the belt width direction is approximately 15% of the strength in the belt longitudinal direction.
Thus, when objects to be conveyed are fed on to the upper cover rubber for a significant height or when the weight of the objects to be conveyed is large, the weft threads of the core layer may be damaged by the impact from the objects to be conveyed, causing tearing (longitudinal tears) in the conveyor belt (core layer). Such longitudinal tears lead to critical damage to the core layer which shortens the service life of the conveyor belt. Particularly, when the objects to be conveyed are fed from a significant height or when the weight of the objects to be conveyed is large, the likelihood of premature damage to the weft threads is increased. This further works against ensuring the long service life of the conveyor belt.


A distributed system including multiple processing nodes. The distributed system can perform certain acts. The acts can include receiving a set of input nodes and a set of criteria. The acts can include obtaining an adjacency list representing a large connected component. The large connected component can include nodes, edges, and edge metadata. A quantity of the nodes of the large connected component can exceed 1 billion. The adjacency list can be distributed across the multiple processing nodes. The nodes of the large connected component can include the input nodes. The acts also can include performing one or more iterations of traversing the large connected component until a stopping condition is satisfied. Each iteration can include processing a set of input nodes at the multiple processing nodes using the set of criteria to generate first data at the multiple processing nodes, determining a set of output nodes such that each output node of the set of output nodes is one hop from a respective input node of the set of input nodes, consolidating the first data from the multiple processing nodes to a first processing node of the multiple processing nodes, processing the first data at the first processing node; and assigning the set of input nodes for a subsequent iteration of the one or more iterations based on the set of output nodes when the stopping condition is not satisfied. The acts further can include outputting second data based on the first data received and processed at the first processing node during the one or more iterations. Other embodiments are disclosed.

A graph of nodes and edges can include multiple components, which can be subgraphs of the graph. Some of these connected components can be small connected components, with relatively few nodes and edges, and there can be one or more large connected components, which can have many nodes and edges. When a connected component becomes very large, such as having over a billion nodes, conventional techniques for traversing the connected component are not feasible using a single processing node with conventional memory limitations.
For simplicity and clarity of illustration, the drawing figures illustrate the general manner of construction, and descriptions and details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present disclosure. Additionally, elements in the drawing figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. The same reference numerals in different figures denote the same elements.
The terms "first," "second," "third," "fourth," and the like in the description and in the claims, if any, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a particular sequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments described herein are, for example, capable of operation in sequences other than those illustrated or otherwise described herein. Furthermore, the terms "include," and "have," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, system, article, device, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to those elements, but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, system, article, device, or apparatus.
The terms "left," "right," "front," "back," "top," "bottom," "over," "under," and the like in the description and in the claims, if any, are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing permanent relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments of the apparatus, methods, and/or articles of manufacture described herein are, for example, capable of operation in other orientations than those illustrated or otherwise described herein.
The terms "couple," "coupled," "couples," "coupling," and the like should be broadly understood and refer to connecting two or more elements mechanically and/or otherwise. Two or more electrical elements may be electrically coupled together, but not be mechanically or otherwise coupled together. Coupling may be for any length of time, e.g., permanent or semi-permanent or only for an instant. "Electrical coupling" and the like should be broadly understood and include electrical coupling of all types. The absence of the word "removably," "removable," and the like near the word "coupled," and the like does not mean that the coupling, etc. in question is or is not removable.
As defined herein, two or more elements are "integral" if they are comprised of the same piece of material. As defined herein, two or more elements are "non-integral" if each is comprised of a different piece of material.
As defined herein, "approximately" can, in some embodiments, mean within plus or minus ten percent of the stated value. In other embodiments, "approximately" can mean within plus or minus five percent of the stated value. In further embodiments, "approximately" can mean within plus or minus three percent of the stated value. In yet other embodiments, "approximately" can mean within plus or minus one percent of the stated value.
As defined herein, "real-time" can, in some embodiments, be defined with respect to operations carried out as soon as practically possible upon occurrence of a triggering event. A triggering event can include receipt of data necessary to execute a task or to otherwise process information. Because of delays inherent in transmission and/or in computing speeds, the term "real-time" encompasses operations that occur in "near" real-time or somewhat delayed from a triggering event. In a number of embodiments, "real-time" can mean real-time less a time delay for processing (e.g., determining) and/or transmitting data. The particular time delay can vary depending on the type and/or amount of the data, the processing speeds of the hardware, the transmission capability of the communication hardware, the transmission distance, etc. However, in many embodiments, the time delay can be less than approximately 0.5 second, one second, or two seconds.

Traversing a large connected component on a distributed file-based data structure


A high speed bus system in which at least one master device, such as a processor and at least one DRAM slave device are coupled to the bus. An innovative packet format and device interface which utilizes a plurality of time and space saving features in order to decrease the die size of the device receiver and decrease the overall latency on the bus is provided. In the preferred embodiment the request packet is transmitted on ten multiplexed transmission lines, identified as BusCtl and BusData. The packet is transmitted over six sequential bus cycles, wherein during each bus cycle, a different portion of the packet is transmitted. The lower order address bits are moved ahead of the higher order address bits of the memory request. This enables the receiving device to process the memory request faster as the locality of the memory reference with respect to previous references can be immediately determined and page mode accesses on the DRAM can be initiated as quickly as possible. The type of memory access is arranged over a plurality of clock cycles, placing the more critical bits first. The count of blocks of data requested is arranged to minimize the number of bit positions in the packet used and therefore the number of transmission lines of the bus and the number of bus receiver contacts on the receiving device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the transmission of data between devices coupled to a high speed bus system. More particularly, the present invention relates to the packet format transmitted across a high speed bus system and the processing of the same by devices coupled to the bus.
2. Art Background
A computer bus is utilized for communication of information among master and slave devices coupled to the bus. Generally, a bus comprises a plurality of transmission lines to which the devices are coupled. Address, control, and data information are multiplexed over the transmission lines forming the bus. The information is communicated across the bus in many different formats. One such format is a packet format in which data is bundled in packets for transmission on the bus across multiple clock cycles. An example of a bus which utilizes packets is described in PCT international patent application number PCT/US91/02590 filed Apr. 16, 1991, published Oct. 31, 1991, and entitled Integrated Circuit I/O Using a High Performance Bus Interface.
An example of a packet issued by a requesting device is illustrated in FIG. 1. Using bus lines BusCtl and BusData7:0!, in the first bus cycle the type of bus access and the master device (i.e., requesting device) is provided. In the second through sixth bus cycles the address of the requested data and the block size are provided.
However, as the speed of transmission of information on the bus increases, the speed required of the receiving devices to process the packet needs to also increase in order to reduce the latency and realize the advantages of the increased speed of transmission across the bus. Furthermore, it is desirable to decrease the die space consumed while maintaining full functionability at the bus interface.

Transmitting memory requests for multiple block format memory operations the requests comprising count information, a mask, and a second mask