Systems and methods are disclosed for using machine learning (e.g., neural networks and/or combinatorial learning) to solve the non-linear problem of predicting the provisioning of a server farm (e.g., cloud resources). The machine learning may be performed using commercially available products, such as the SNNS product from The University of Stuttgard of Germany. The system, which includes a neural network for machine learning, is provided with an identification of inputs and outputs to track, and the system provides correlations between those. Rather than static rules, the machine learning provides dynamic provisioning recommendations with corresponding confidence scores. Based on the data collected/measured by the neural network, the provisioning recommendations will change as well as the confidence scores.

Providing end users with shared resources in an operating environment can present capacity planning challenges. The end-user experience is optimized when the systems can ensure that resources are delivered to users in a prompt and reasonable amount of time such that overloading is avoided. When a system is overloaded or otherwise not properly load balanced, the system may be unable to provide a user with the required resources in a reasonable amount of time thereby decreasing an end user's user-experience. There are many challenges associated with trying to forecast and plan for the amount of resources required by a particular user. Existing load balancing systems fail to adequately address these challenges.
For example, at any point in time, a user could require more or less resources. Moreover, users may not consume these resources constantly but rather their consumption amounts and periods may vary as applications are updated, additional applications are installed, or user behavior changes. In addition, the challenges can be exacerbated when multiple user sessions or users share a common pool of hardware resources. It is often difficult to predict how many users a physical computer, server, or other infrastructure can support. In some instances, administrators can determine the amount of hardware allocated to each workload a priori. This existing solution in inadequate and has shortcomings.
Meanwhile, a branch of computer science exists called computational learning theory (CLT), in which machine learning algorithms and their performance are analyzed. The performance of a CLT algorithm can greatly vary; some algorithms can be completed within a fixed amount of time, while others may have probabilistic bounds. In addition, the time complexity of a CLT algorithm can have positive or negative results, depending on whether the functions of the algorithm can be learned in polynomial time or not, respectively. CLT algorithms may sometimes be implemented using an artificial neural network (e.g., a connectionist model).
The Stuttgart neural network simulator (SNNS) is a simulator for neural networks developed at the Institute for Parallel and Distributed High Performance Systems at the University of Stuttgart. The SNNS simulator 200 consists of four main components: simulator kernel, graphical user interface, batch execution interface (e.g., batchman), and network compiler (e.g., snns2c, which takes some inputs and generates a trained network file as C source code). Referring to FIG. 2, the simulator kernel component operates on internal network data structures of the neural networks and performs operations on them. The graphical user interface, which may be built on top of the kernel, gives a graphical representation of the neural networks and controls the kernel during the simulation run, including the ability to directly create, manipulate, and visualize complex neural networks in various ways.
The SNNS user guide explains that in artificial neural networks (e.g., connectionist models), "knowledge is usually distributed throughout the net and is stored in the structure of the topology and the weights of the links. The networks are organized by (automated) training methods, which greatly simplify the development of specific applications. Classical logic in ordinary [artificial intelligence] AI systems is replaced by vague conclusions and associative recall (exact match vs. best match). This is a big advantage in all situations where no clear set of logical rules can be given. The inherent fault tolerance of connectionist models is another advantage. Furthermore, neural nets can be made tolerant against noise in the input: with increased noise, the quality of the output usually degrades only slowly (graceful performance degradation)." Although simulators exist for neural networks, their practical application outside of academia/universities is limited, particularly in the area of server capacity planning.


Method and device for recording a vascular structure during intervention comprises steps or elements for detecting S1 an injection of a contrast agent 6 provided to the vicinity of a device landmark 5, monitoring S3 for a predetermined time the vicinity of the device landmark 5, generating S3a time-contrast curves based on the monitored vicinity of the device landmark 5, analyzing S4a the time-contrast curves, and determining S4b a best instant as a visibility optimum based on the time-contrast curves.

One of the most delicate phases during PTCA is the passing of a guide-wire tip through the targeted lesions (stenosis). The vessel walls at this location are usually uneven and, by definition, the conduct is narrowed. It follows that stenosis passing is one of the most time consuming (and therefore dose generating) parts of the intervention.
One of the reasons why the stenosis passing phase is difficult comes from the fact that it is achieved almost blindly and on a moving target. Most of the time, the physicist only sees the wire tip while trying to figure out what the stenosis looks like and what is the exact location of the tip within that stenosis. In this process, the physicist may either try to mentally register the current tips location with the stenosis visible in the angiogram, or he may inject a small shot of contrast agent.
A first approach that consists in comparing with the angiogram is difficult and bound to all sorts of inaccuracies, in particular due to the cardiac and respiratory motions.
A second approach that involves contrast agent injection is unfortunately very transitory and only offers a glimpse of the situation. It is also made difficult by the cardiac and respiratory motions.
A third solution would consist in using some kind of cardiac road mapping technique. This kind of solution does not yet exist on current intervention systems and is difficult to implement.
A description of a basic interventional procedure can be found in 'Algorithmic Solutions for Life Device—Two-Vessel Match', J. Bredno, B. Martin-Leung, K. Eck, in the proceedings of SPIE, Volume 5370-Medical Imaging 2004: Imaging Processing, J. Michael Fitzpatrick, Milan Sonka, Editors, May 2004, Pages 1486-1497. Accordingly, after a catheter is inserted into the vascular system at an access site, it is advanced along large vessels to the vascular structure that requires treatment. Contrast agent is injected via the catheter and cathlab X-ray equipment records an angiographic sequence that shows the vessels when filled with contrast agent. The diagnostic angiogram acquisitions can be repeated with varying imager geometries. Diagnosis and intervention planning are based on such diagnostic angiograms. During intervention, a flexible, partially or fully radial opaque guide-wire is advanced to the affected vascular structures, e.g. stenosis in coronaries, neurovascular aneurysms, or arterio-venous malformations. Fluoroscopic low-dose X-ray surveillance visualizes the guide-wire and allows for the hand-eye coordination of the interventionalist while advancing the guide-wire. When positioned, the guide-wire serves as rail to deliver interventional devices, e.g. balloons for dilation and stent delivery, detachable coils for aneurysm clotting. The delivery and deployment of the interventional devices is also fluoroscopic controlled.

Method and device for recording a vascular struture during intervention


Disclosed are non-spherical resin particles that allow for improvement of light diffusion, light reflection, and other related properties, and a manufacturing method thereof. The particles have a circular outline when viewed from a direction in which a maximum projected area is produced and a non-circular outline when viewed from a direction in which a minimum projected area is produced, The particles comprise first and second, different resin components (1) and (2), with the second resin component (2) residing locally near the surface of the non-spherical resin particles. The method of manufacturing non-spherical resin particles involves either allowing particles of a resin to absorb a vinyl-based polymerizable monomer contained in an aqueous emulsion followed by polymerization of the absorbed monomer or dissolving a resin in a vinyl-based polymerizable monomer followed by polymerization of the obtained solution in an aqueous medium.

Conventional non-spherical resin particles are known that are composed of two or more different resin components.
Patent Document 1, as an example, describes use of a phase separation mechanism in a method in which a mixture is prepared by mixing: a polymer compound obtained by polymerization of a methacrylic acid ester; a methacrylic acid ester; and a radical polymerization initiator, and the mixture is subjected to suspension polymerization in an aqueous solution containing a dissolved dispersion stabilizer. Examples 8 and 9 given in the document produce acrylic resin particles with dimples, shaped overall like golf balls. Example 10 produces partially porous acrylic resin particles with numerous less-than-1-micrometer dents.
Another example, Patent Document 2, describes fine spherical polymer particles with a regularly creased surface being produced by dissolving a styrene-based elastomer in a mixture of a hydrophobic polymerizable vinyl monomer and a crosslinking monomer and subjecting the dissolved elastomer to suspension polymerization in an aqueous medium.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Non-spherical resin particles, manufacturing method thereof, and use thereof


A lower limb prosthesis comprises a knee chassis (10), a shin carrier (20) pivotally connected to the knee chassis (10) and a piston and cylinder assembly (30, 40) pivotally connected to the knee chassis (10) and the shin carrier (20). The piston and cylinder assembly (30, 40) comprises a piston assembly (40) comprising a piston (40) mounted on a piston rod (42), a cylinder body (32B) having a cavity (46) defining a cylinder within which the piston (44) is arranged to reciprocate along the piston and cylinder assembly axis, and a foot component attachment means (36) for attaching a foot component to the piston and cylinder assembly (30, 40).

A person skilled in the art will appreciate that walking involves what is known as a "gait cycle". A gait cycle comprises a stance phase (during which weight is transferred through the leg), and a swing phase (in which the leg is swung forwards, and does not support the weight of the body).
Lower limb prostheses are used to restore an amputee's ability to walk, by supporting the weight of an amputee, for example during a stance phase of their gait cycle when walking or running, or when standing.
In a known lower limb prosthesis, the mechanical joint includes a linear or a rotary control unit. The linear control unit consists of a piston running inside a cylinder, and has an advantage compared to the rotary control in that it is easier to apply seals in this configuration than in a rotary embodiment.
A known linearly controlled knee prosthesis is the single axis prosthesis, which has a fixed instantaneous centre of rotation (ICR) of relative motion between the femur and the shank. Another knee prosthesis is a polycentric prosthesis, in which the position of the ICR changes at each flexion angle. An example of a polycentric prosthesis is the four-bar, four-pivot (i.e., four revolute joint) mechanism prosthesis.
The term "four bar prosthesis" is typically used to refer to 4-bar, 4-revolute joints in polycentric linkages. However, a monocentric configuration having a piston and cylinder (i.e., wherein there are three revolute joints and one sliding joint) may also be referred to as a four-bar configuration. There have been various developments related to lower limb prostheses (specifically four-bar prostheses having three revolute joints and one sliding joint), several of which will be described below.
In one known monocentric lower limb prosthesis sold under the brand name Mercury® made by Blatchford Products Limited, the lower limb prosthesis has a thigh component, a shin component and a knee pivot disposed between those components forming a knee joint. The shin component houses a piston and cylinder assembly having a cylinder which is mounted to the shin component by a cylinder mounting pivot, and a piston which is mounted to the thigh component by a piston mounting pivot offset to the posterior of the knee pivot. The piston and cylinder assembly acts as a knee flexion and extension control unit in order to control the flexion and extension of the knee joint so as to allow walking. When the knee is flexed, the piston is pushed further into the cylinder, and when it is straightened, the piston is withdrawn from the cylinder. In this way, the piston and cylinder assembly itself forms a sliding joint.
As a person skilled in the art will appreciate, during the swing phase of the gait cycle the foot is raised above the ground. As the thigh component progresses forward, the shin component swings forward to extend the knee until the leg is straight. The piston and cylinder assembly permits lightly damped movement of the knee joint during this phase, but once the shin component is fully extended, the knee is substantially locked so that the shin component is retained in the extended position so as to support the weight of the amputee as the amputee moves forward to stand on the prosthesis, thereby entering the stance phase. Generally, the piston and cylinder assembly yields to a limited degree during the stance phase to make it easier to walk down a slope, or down steps, and to sit down.
During the stance phase, following heel strike, the amputee continues to move forwards over the foot until his/her weight is borne wholly on the front of the foot. This creates a hyperextension moment around the knee joint of the Mercury® lower limb prosthesis, tending to make the knee as straight as possible. The hyperextension moment can be enhanced by the amputee intentionally moving his thigh backwards when his weight is wholly borne on the front of the foot. The piston and cylinder assembly can be designed such that the hyperextension moment can be used to release the lock from the knee joint to permit the knee joint to flex in a final part of the stance phase. As the toe leaves the ground, the shin component continues to turn about the flexing knee joint with respect to the thigh component and the thigh component moves forward thereby entering the swing phase once again.
The piston and cylinder assembly includes a number of valves which open and close according to the phase of the gait cycle that is occurring at each instance. During the stance phase, the piston is at its maximum extension from the cylinder, corresponding to extension of the knee joint.
US patent application published as US 2009/0187260 A1 describes a lower limb prosthesis having a monocentric mechanism, the monocentric mechanism comprising a piston and cylinder assembly. The piston and cylinder assembly of this lower limb prosthesis is intended to oppose a predetermined resistance during flexion, the resistance being switched between a predetermined minimal and a predetermined maximal value.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,891, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, describes a prosthesis control system, in which optimal prosthesis movement is recorded during a "teach mode" and applied during use of the prosthesis through optimised valve opening control.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,517,585 B1, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, describes a lower limb prosthesis in which flexion at the knee joint is resisted by means of a dual piston and cylinder assembly. Sensors are used to sense knee bending moments and knee flexion angle. This information is used to adjust hydraulic and pneumatic resistance depending on whether, for example, the amputee is running or walking. The system is configured so that hydraulic resistance predominates during a stance phase, and pneumatic resistance predominates during a swing phase. Programmable resistance allows a tailored response depending on whether the amputee is walking on a flat surface, or on an incline, walking down stairs, or during a fall.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,719,806 B1, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, also describes a lower limb prosthesis. In this patent, the lower limb prosthesis includes a dynamically adjustable knee movement control unit, which allows for flexion control in response to a step-to-step variability of a kinetic or kinematic parameter of movement (such as the amplitude of the flexion angle of the joint), in order to reduce the step-to-step variability.
US patent application published as US 2013/0173019 A1, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, describes a self-teaching lower limb prosthesis, having a dynamically adjustable joint movement control unit. The control unit stores a target relationship between a kinetic or kinematic parameter of locomotion and walking speed, and generates monitoring signals representative of walking speed values, and values of the parameter occurring at different walking speeds. The self-teaching lower limb prosthesis further comprises an adjustment system which adjusts the control unit automatically when the monitoring signals show a deviation from the target relationship, to bring the parameters close to that defined by the target relationship.
US patent application published as US 2007/0083272 A1 describes a prosthetic knee joint having a four-bar linkage (three revolute joints and one sliding joint). The teaching in this document includes locking of the prosthesis during standing and walking in order to ensure safety for a geriatric patient. A further description of an embodiment of this document is described below in relation to FIG. 1B.
Referring to FIG. 1A, there is provided a prior art monocentric mechanism stabilising lower limb prosthesis incorporating part of a control system, as described and shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,891, referred to above. This prior art prosthesis has a knee joint 10′ with a knee pivot 12′ connecting a thigh component 14′ to a shin component 16′. The thigh component 14′ comprises a knee chassis 14A′, an alignment device 14B′, and a residuum socket 14C′ (partially shown in the Figure). The shin component 16′ has a conventional carbon fibre reinforced plastics shin cradle 16A′ which houses a piston and cylinder assembly 18′ acting as a flexion control device. The assembly 18′ comprises a cylinder 18A′ which is pivotally coupled to the posterior part of the shin cradle 16A′ and a piston 18B′ having a piston rod 18C′ which is pivotally coupled to the knee chassis 14A′. Pivotal coupling 21′ connects the cylinder 18′ to the shin 16′. The piston and cylinder assembly 18′ is a pneumatic device, the resistance to flexion of the knee joint 10′ being controlled by a needle valve 18D′ which is adjustable by an electrical stepper motor 20′ and an associated screw-threaded shaft 20A′ connected to the needle member of the needle valve 18D′. The needle valve 18D′ lies in a passage 18E′ in the body of the cylinder 18A′, the passage 18E′ interconnecting the cylinder interior spaces 18F′, 18G′ on opposite sides of the piston 18B′, the passage 18E′ emerging at a port 18H′ in the wall of the cylinder 18A′. Operation of the motor 20′ causes the shaft 20A′ to move axially so that the needle member moves into or out of a passageway forming part of the passage 18E′.
The passage 18E′ constitutes a first bypass passage interconnecting the cylinder spaces 18F′, 18G′ on opposite sides of the piston 18B′. A second bypass passage 181′ incorporating a valve such as a one-way valve 18J′ is formed in the piston 18B′ so that the needle valve 18D′ is effective only on one stroke of the piston, in this case the stroke corresponding to increasing flexion of the knee joint 10′. The one-way valve 18J′ may be arranged so as not to close-off the second bypass passage 181′ completely on the increasing flexion stroke, but rather merely to reduce the orifice area through the piston 18B′. Such an arrangement has the effect of the needle valve 18D′ determining the resistance to motion of the piston 18B′ in both directions, i.e., for increasing and decreasing flexion, but with the effect of variations in the orifice area of the needle valve 18D′ being greater in one direction than the other, depending on the direction of operation of the valve 18J′.
The stepper motor 20′ is driven by the combination of a microcomputer and receiver which together form assembly 22′. The microcomputer determines knee flexion and extension movements by means of a magnetic proximity sensor, preferably a transducer 24A′, mounted in or associated with the cylinder 18A′, and a permanent magnet 24B′ mounted on or associated with the piston 18B′. The electronic circuitry 22′ and the stepper motor 20′ are powered by batteries, one of which is shown in FIG. 1A and indicated by the reference 26′.
A schematic of the linkage arrangement of the prior art device of FIG. 1A is shown in FIG. 2. The prior art linkage arrangement comprises a knee chassis link 110′, a shin carrier link 120′, a cylinder body link 130′, and a piston rod assembly link 140′. In relation to FIG. 1A, knee chassis link 110′ corresponds to knee chassis 14A′; shin carrier link 120′ corresponds to shin cradle 16A′; cylinder body link 130′ corresponds to cylinder 18A′; and piston rod assembly link 140′ corresponds to piston rod 18C′.
As shown in the schematic in FIG. 2, the knee chassis link 110′ is pivotally connected to the shin carrier link 120′ at pivot point or axis A′. The shin carrier link 120′ is pivotally connected to the cylinder body link 130′ at pivot point or axis B′. The cylinder body link 130′ is translationally connected to the piston rod assembly link 140′. The piston rod assembly link 140′ is pivotally connected to the knee chassis link 110′ at pivot point or axis C′. Pivot point B′ is proximate, but not at, a distal end 124′ of the shin carrier link 120′. Distal end 124′ of the shin carrier link 120′ is to be connected to a shank and/or a foot prosthesis (not shown).
FIG. 1B is a representation of a prior art prosthesis described in US patent publication US 2007/0083272 A1, referred to above. As described in this US patent application, the prosthesis has an upper part 10″ and a lower part 20″, the upper part 10″ and the lower part 20″ being connected pivotally to one another via an articulation device. This articulation device comprises a front articulation lever 40″ which is secured rotatably both on the upper part 10″ and also on the lower part 20″. A resistance device 30″, which is designed as a hydraulic cylinder device, prevents an uncontrolled flexion movement of the lower part 20″ relative to the upper part 10″ counter to the normal walking direction, that is to say a forwardly directed walking direction. The configuration of the articulation device has the effect that a large part of the load which arises during walking or standing, and which is exerted on the prosthetic knee joint by the prosthesis user, is introduced via the resistance device 30″ into the lower part 20″ and from there into a shin portion 200″. At the upper end of the upper part 10″ there is a socket 100″ for receiving the thigh residuum. The prosthetic knee joint further comprises a knee cap 50″ which is arranged on the front articulation lever 40″ (and which is referred to in the patent application as an "operating device").
A schematic of the linkage arrangement of the prior art device of FIG. 1B is shown in FIG. 20A and FIGS. 21A, 22A and 23A.
Comparing this prior art prosthesis to the schematic representation of FIG. 2, FIG. 20A shows that the linkage arrangement comprises a knee chassis link 110″, a shin carrier link 120″, a cylinder body link 130″, and a piston rod assembly link 140″. Knee chassis link 110″ corresponds to upper part link 10″ of FIG. 1B; shin carrier link 120″ corresponds to front articulation lever link 40″; cylinder body link 130″ corresponds to an upper part of lower part link 20″; and piston rod assembly link 140″ corresponds to resistance device link 30″. Cylinder body link 130″ comprises a cylinder body arm 131″, on which pivot point B″ is located.
As shown in the schematic in FIG. 20A, the knee chassis link 110″ is pivotally connected to the shin carrier link 120″ at pivot point or axis A″. The shin carrier link 120″ is pivotally connected to the cylinder body link 130″ at pivot point or axis B″. The cylinder body link 130″ is translationally connected to the piston rod assembly link 140″. The piston rod assembly link 140″ is pivotally connected to the knee chassis link 110″ at pivot point or axis C″. Pivot point B″ is distal to the shin carrier link 120″ relative to the pivot point A″.
FIGS. 21A, 22A and 23A show schematic illustrations of rotation of the device of FIG. 1B, in which the instantaneous centre of rotation is marked as 91″.


A process for purifying monoterpenes, including the steps of: providing a monoterpene comprising alpha terpinene of about 90% or greater purity and comprising an oxygen-containing impurity compound selected from the group consisting of 1,8-cineole, 1,4,-cineole, and mixtures thereof; providing an activated silica gel preparative chromatographic column; contacting the monoterpene with the column, wherein the oxygen-containing impurity compounds are retained on the column; recovering monterpenes depleted of oxygen-containing impurity compounds from the column by applying a pressure above atmospheric from a gas source without the use of a solvent; and removing the oxygen-containing impurity compounds by contacting the column with an alcohol.

To produce high purity mono-terpenes (alpha-Terpinene and d-Limonene) for use in electronic materials of construction for integrated circuits is problematic due to the very high purity requirements of the electronics fabrication industry and the necessary electrical properties of materials to have operable devices. Alpha-terpinene, as an example, is extracted from wood chips and is commercially available at its highest purity at around 90% (all % herein are vol. %). At the highest available purity, it still contains four main impurities, with Eucalyptol (1,8-Cineole) ranging from 1-5%. Traditional methods for removing the impurities, such as distillation, are not effective due to the similar boiling points of the desired product and all of the impurities (175-176° C.).
Scheffer, J. J. C; "Improved Gas Chromatographic Analysis of Naturally Occuring Oxygen containing Monoterpenes Following Prefractionation by Liquid—Solid Chromotography"; Chromatographia (November 1977), 10 (11), 669-677, uses carrier solvents, such as ethanol and pentane in a gradient, to separate differing oxygenated monoterpenes along a deactivated silica gel column, which silica gel contains water to maintain its deactivated condition and not isomerizes the oxygenated monoterpenes. The products must be separated from the eluting solvent and the silica gel must be deactivated to avoid isomerizing the products.
GB 194286 discloses that essential oils and terpene hydrocarbons are purified by treatment with a suitable material which reacts with the impurities present, then adding an "agglomerating agent," and finally removing the solid substances. As agents for acting upon the impurities, "active" halogen compounds, such as alkali or alkaline earth hypochlorites are mentioned, fuller's earth, silica gel, boneblack or other decolorizing charcoal are given as examples of the "agglomerating agents"; while the starting materials specified are oils of copaiba, fir cones, ginger, juniper, pepper, pine, cedar and peppermint, as well as pinene, dipentene, limonene and isoprene. This process uses water in the separation process and reacts the sulfur containing compounds which cause odor before agglomerating the reacted compounds on materials such as silica gel before mechanical separation of the desired turpentine product.
The present invention overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art in purifying mono-terpenes of oxygen-containing impurity compounds without the requirement for the use of additional chemical reagents or elution solvents so as to recover a neat product and recognizing the particular detriment of such oxygen-containing impurity compounds in electronic materials use, as will be set forth in greater detail below.

Selective purification of mono-terpenes for removal of oxygen containing species


Provided herein are methods for fatty acid alkanolamide (FAAA) synthesis and isolation from lipid-containing algal biomass, and the products of such methods.

The development of algae-based fuels and products has been attracting interest in recent years, recognizing limitation of petroleum resources and increasing global carbon emissions. Use of microalgae as a renewable feedstock has several advantages. Microalgae are fast-growing, can be cultivated on marginal lands using low quality nutrients and water (e.g., seawater or wastewater), and exhibit high lipid productivities. The economic viability of algal biorefineries can be improved through higher-value products, such as oleochemicals, in addition to fuels. As a general rule of thumb, typical bulk price of most specialty chemicals is ˜$3/kg whereas fuels are ˜$1/kg.
Fatty acid alkanolamides (FAAAs) are lipid derivatives which are found naturally in plants and animal tissues. Industrially, they are used primarily as biosurfactants or biolubricants. Some alkanolamides have important biological roles such as anti-inflammatory activity, attenuation of pain sensation, pro-apoptotic and anorexic effects. Apart from its biological functions in living tissues, this class of lipid derivatives is used in personal care products, pharmaceuticals, detergents, rust inhibitors, ink formulations, and many other applications. FAAAs are mainly manufactured from vegetable oil with annual global demands estimated at 90,000 tons.
A number of studies have reported conversion of fatty acid triglycerides (FAG) from terrestrial biomass (i.e., vegetable oil) to alkanolamides. In general, FAAA can be synthesized by reacting alkanolamine with a fatty acyl donor, such as free fatty acids, fatty acid chlorides, fatty acid alkyl esters, and fatty acid triglycerides (FAG). Acyl chlorides have been used to deliver FAAA product with sufficient purity for biological studies, but are likely unsuitable for industrial-scale production due to cost and the corrosive nature of the reagents. Fatty acids conversion to FAAA can be accomplished using sodium methoxide catalyst but requires harsh reaction conditions due to ionic salt formation. Milder reaction conditions are conceivable with boron-based catalysts, although these catalysts have not been employed in the context of FAAA synthesis. Use of lipase is also possible for the same transformation at lower temperature and is reported to result in better product quality and color; however, enzyme cost and longevity remain a concern for the biocatalyst approach. Most commonly, direct conversion of FAG to FAAA has been studied using ethanolamine as a solvent and reactant with or without sodium methoxide catalyst. A conversion of FAG to FAAA through fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) has also been reported with analogous reaction conditions and with excellent yields for both steps. All these studies focused on converting FAGs from vegetable oils. However, traditional methods used to recover vegetable oils (FAG) from oil seeds such as mechanical "pressing" are not effective with microalgae due to microscopic size of cells and relatively tough cell walls.
In light of the fact that micro-algae is a more abundant renewable source of FAGs compared to vegetable oils, and it does not compete with food supplies, there is an urgent need for suitable and improved methods for producing biosurfactants and biolubricants from microalgae, that are simpler and cheaper, and that involve milder reaction conditions.

Methods for production of fatty acid alkanolamides (FAAAs) from microalgae biomass


A method and system for the automated detection of lesions in computed tomographic images, including generating image data from at least one selected portion of an object, for example, from CT images of the thorax. The image data are then analyzed in order to produce the boundary of the thorax. The image data within the thoracic boundary is then further analyzed to produce boundaries of the lung regions using predetermined criteria. Features within the lung regions are then extracted using multi-gray-level thresholding and correlation between resulting multi-level threshold images and between at least adjacent sections. Classification of the features as abnormal lesions or normal anatomic features is then performed using geometric features yielding a likelihood of being an abnormal lesion along with its location in either the 2-D image section or in the 3-D space of the object.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and system for automated processing of medical tomographic images using feature-analysis techniques, and more particularly, to an automated method and system for the detection of lesions in computed tomographic (CT) scan images of the lungs.
2. Discussion of the Background
The cure of lung cancer depends upon detection at an early stage while the tumor is still small and localized. If the cancer is detected in this localized stage, the five-year survival rate is approximately 80% as opposed to an otherwise 10% survival rate. The detection of cancerous lung nodules in chest radiographs and CT images is one of the more difficult tasks performed by radiologists.
Conventional interpretation of CT scans of the thorax is a time-consuming task for radiologists, requiring a systematic visual search of up to 80 images (40 "lung" images and 40 "soft tissue" images). In addition, when a possible nodule is located in one CT image, the radiologist frequently must perform visual correlation of the image data with that of other images (sections), in order to eliminate the possibility that the "nodule" actually represents a blood vessel seen in cross section.
At surgery, it is common for more pulmonary nodules to be found than were located by CT. Nodules may be missed in CT images due to factors such as a failure to perform the necessary systematic search, or an understandable inability to assimilate the vast amount of information contained in the multiple images in a CT examination. A computerized scheme for the detection of nodules is especially important in the case of searching for a solitary nodule.
Although no generalized scheme for automatically segmenting organs has been proposed, various investigations of knowledge-based segmentation of specific organs have been described in the literature. Karssemeijer et al. in "Recognition of organs in CT-image sequences: A model guided approach," Computers and Biomed. Res., 21, 434-438 (1988), used a Markov random field image model to segment the spleen in abdominal CT scans. Shani applied generalized-cylinder organ models for recognition of 3-D structure in abdominal CT (Understanding 3-D images: Recognition of abdominal anatomy from CAT scans, UMI research Press, Ann Arbor, 1983). Stiehl ("Model-guided labeling of CSF-cavities in cranial computed tomograms," in Computer Assisted Radiology '85, edited H. U. Lemke et al., Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1985) and Badran et al. ("Patient realignment in MRI of the head: an algorithm using mathematical morphology for feature extraction," J. Biomed. Eng., 12 (2), 139-142 (1990)) described techniques for extracting brain features from CT and MRI, respectively. Levin et al. investigated detectability of soft-tissue tumors using multi-spectral feature space classification based on multiple MR sequences ("Musculoskeletal tumors: improved depiction with linear combinations of MR images," Radiology 163, 545-549, 1987). Of these approaches, none used a multi-gray-level thresholding and decision tree (for comparison and correlation) to detect lesions of varying subtlety. In addition, none used comparison between CT sections (i.e., multiple cross-sectional sections) to aid in distinguishing lesions from normal anatomy (such as blood vessels).

Automated method and system for the detection of lesions in medical computed tomographic scans


A generation control system for a vehicle includes an ac generator, a field current control unit that controls the duty ratio of field current of the ac generator, a field current detector, a load current detector, a generator rotation speed detector, a driving-torque-increase calculator that calculates a predicted increase in driving torque of the ac generator from increase in the current supplied to an electric load. The driving-torque-increase calculator includes first output current calculator that calculates present output current of the ac generator from the generator's rotation speed and the field current and second output current calculator that calculates predicted output current of the ac generator from the first output current and the increase in the current supplied to the electric load. A predicted increase in driving torque of the ac generator is calculated from a difference between the present driving torque and a driving torque that corresponds to the predicted output current.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a generation control system that includes a means for calculating an increase in driving torque of a generator that is necessary to stabilize engine rotation speed when an electric load is connected to the generator.
2. Description of the Related Art
If a large electric load is connected to a vehicle ac generator while an engine is running at a lower rotation speed, the driving torque of the ac generator so abruptly increases that the engine may stall due to an excessive amount of torque increase.
JP-A-Hei 6-90532 discloses a generation control system by which field current is gradually increased when an electric load is connected to a generator, thereby preventing engine from stalling.
JP-B2 Hei 7-116960 or its counterpart U.S. Pat. No. 4,877,273 discloses a generation control system by which an engine idling speed is controlled according to current supplied to the electric load and field current when an electric load is connected to a generator.
In the generation control system disclosed in JP-A-Hei 6-90532, an increase in torque to drive the generator due to connection of load is not taken into account. Therefore, time for gradually increasing field current becomes comparatively longer, as indicated by a dotted line in FIG. 5E. Therefore, battery voltage lowers, as shown in FIG. 5B by a dotted line and lamps or other illuminating elements may flicker.
In the generation control system disclosed in JP-B2 Hei 7-116960, a change in the driving torque of the ac generator due to the idling speed and temperature of the ac generator is taken into account when the engine idling speed is controlled to a suitable speed. After the engine idling speed control is started, the engine rotation speed fluctuates as indicated by a dotted line in FIG. 5G This fluctuation may discomfort a driver and a passenger of a vehicle in which an ac generator is mounted.


A weld cylinder having a dual piston arrangement is provided. The cylinder has a movable retract piston assembly with the piston arranged within the retract piston assembly. The piston supports a rod that is movable between home, intermediate, work, and advanced work positions. The rod moves rapidly from the home position to the intermediate position however, the rod moves more slowly from the intermediate position to the work position to reduce the impact force. A cushion chamber slowly exhausts through a hole in the cushion valve while an isolator is in an open position. Once the cushion valve opens in response to a weld-forward pressure on the cushion valve, the cushion chamber exhausts rapidly so that weld force increases rapidly to minimize increases in cycle time.

The present invention relates to a weld gun used in spot welding, and more particularly, the invention relates to either a single or double piston welding cylinder for the weld gun generating a low impact force when the weld gun engages the workpiece to perform a spot weld.
A typical weld gun used in spot welding includes opposing arms each having an electrode that applies current to a workpiece to generate a weld nugget, for example, between two sheets of metal. The electrodes include malleable welding caps typically manufactured from a copper alloy. Repeated impact force between the welding caps and the workpiece plastically deforms the welding caps thereby increasing the wear of the welding caps and reducing the service life, which increases operating cost.
Impact force between the welding caps and workpiece also generates workpiece distortion, which can have detrimental effects on the welding process and quality of the weld.
Several prior art weld cylinders have endeavored to reduce the impact force between the welding caps and workpiece to extend the life of welding caps and reduce workpiece distortion. One approach in the prior art has been to slow the advance of the electrodes toward one another by slowing the movement of the pneumatic cylinder. However, while this approach reduces the impact force it also increases the cycle time for a spot weld, which is undesirable. Another drawback is that typically the greater the retract stroke length, the narrower the low impact region becomes relative to the stroke. This is problematic in that the internal components of the weld cylinder must be customized depending upon the application. A more versatile weld cylinder design would provide common components for a wider variety of applications.
Another approach in the prior art is to utilize external devices or peripheral components such as valves, regulators, restrictors, and/or electrical switches to control the pressure, timing, and rate that the air is supplied to the pneumatic cylinder thereby controlling the impact force. However, the addition of these externals devices may be difficult to integrate with existing weld guns and is also costly since additional components must be added to the welding system. It is desirable to use the current industry pneumatic actuating systems so that the inventive weld cylinder may be used with current systems. For example, in four weld port systems, the ports are typically pressurized in pairs to achieve the three different weld cylinder stroke positions.
Therefore, what is needed is a pneumatic cylinder that reduces impact force between the welding caps and the workpiece but that does not require additional, costly design features or external devices and increases in cycle time.

Low impact spot welding cylinder using dual pistons


Methods and systems are provided for selecting a group of cylinders for selective deactivation, in a variable displacement engine system, based at least on a regeneration state of an exhaust catalyst. The position of one or more valves and throttles may be adjusted based on the selective deactivation to reduce back-flow through the disabled cylinders while also maintaining conditions of a downstream exhaust catalyst. Pre-ignition and knock detection windows and thresholds may also be adjusted based on the deactivation to improve the efficiency of knock and pre-ignition detection.

Engine exhaust catalysts must reach a light-off temperature before they are activated and are generally inefficient at ambient air temperatures. Exhaust emissions generated below light-off temperatures of the catalyst may contribute a large percentage of the total exhaust emissions. Thus engine control systems may maintain exhaust catalysts at or above the light-off temperature.
One example approach for maintaining exhaust catalyst temperatures in a variable displacement engine is described by Denari et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,065. Therein, a plurality of control valves is used to direct exhaust flow from alternate cylinder banks through various paths in order to maintain the temperature of a downstream NOx trap catalyst. The frequency of alternating between the banks is adjusted so as to periodically reverse flow of exhaust gas through the NOx trap and control the catalyst temperature, while a hydrocarbon (HC) trap is used to ensure that exhaust HCs are not released before the catalyst is active.
However, the inventors herein have identified potential issues with such an approach. As one example, there may be conditions during which the same bank of the variable displacement engine is consecutively disabled. During such conditions, in the absence of exhaust gas flow reversals, the NOx trap catalyst temperature may not be maintained, thereby degrading catalyst activity. As another example, the system of Denari uses multiple valves requiring precise control and coordination. As such, this increases component cost and complexity.
Thus, in one example, some of the above issues may be at least partly addressed by a method of operating an engine including a first and second cylinder group. In one embodiment, the method comprises, selecting either the first or second cylinder group for deactivation, and closing a valve coupled between the selected cylinder group and a downstream catalyst based on the selection. In this way, by limiting air flow through the catalyst of the deactivated cylinder group, catalyst temperatures may be maintained within a desired range.
In one example, an engine with a first group and a second group of cylinders may be configured with a first valve coupled between the first cylinder group and a first downstream exhaust catalyst, and a second valve coupled between the second cylinder group and a second downstream exhaust catalyst. An engine control system may select a cylinder group for deactivation based on the regeneration state and temperature of the catalysts, and further based on a deactivation order. When the first cylinder group is deactivated, the first valve may be closed to limit air flow through the first catalyst. Additionally, the second valve may be adjusted to vary an amount of exhaust gas recirculated through the second cylinder group. As such, this allows engine EGR and VDE operations to be coordinated. Likewise, when the second cylinder group is deactivated, the second valve may be closed to limit air flow through the second catalyst, while the first valve is adjusted to vary an amount of exhaust gas recirculated through the first cylinder group.
In this way, by limiting air flow through a catalyst during cylinder deactivation conditions, catalyst temperatures may be maintained, thereby improving catalyst efficiency when the cylinders are reactivated. As such, this may improve exhaust emissions and engine fuel economy.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.

Methods and systems for variable displacement engine control


The same contents having different recording rates are recorded on a multi-layer disk. A plurality of contents or the same contents having different recording rates are independently recorded respectively in different layers of an optical disk having a plurality of recording layers. In order to record a plurality of contents or the same contents having different recording rates in parallel at that time, recording on the multi-layer optical disk is conducted by repeating an operation of dividing each content into recording units, recording a recording unit of one kind of information in a recording layer, and recording a recording unit of the other kind of information in a different recording layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a video or audio recording and reproducing apparatus for multi-layer optical disks.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, shift from tape recording such as VTR recording to disk recording using, for example, DVDs and hard disk drives (HDDs) is being conducted rapidly, because of digitization of images and sounds in the world of video and audio information and improvement of the compression technique for video and audio data. As a representative disk recorder, an HDD&DVD hybrid recorder having a mixture of a hard disk drive (hereafter referred to as HDD) and a DVD drive can be mentioned. This temporarily records video information or audio information supplied from, for example, a broadcasting station or an external input terminal on an HDD, and then records it on a DVD disk in a backup form or the like when preservation is desired. Or the HDD&DVD hybrid recorder records the video information or audio information directly on the DVD disk. In recent years, the HDD&DVD hybrid recorder is sold by various companies, and it is a product growing and forming a large market.
Here, the HDD has a capacity of 80 GB to several hundreds GB. The DVD disk has a capacity of approximately 4.7 GB per disk. As representative DVD disks, there are, for example, digital video disks (hereafter abbreviated to DVD-Video) which are video optical disks for movies or the like, and DVD-ROMs applied to application software, game software and various data recording for computer use. As media for DVD recorders used to conduct backup recording of personal information and to be substituted for VTRs, there are rewritable optical recording media using optical disks such as DVD-RAMs, DVD±RWs and DVD±Rs.
On the other hand, high definition video or audio contents in Hi-Vision broadcasting including digital terrestrial broadcasting are being delivered, and a demand for recording high picture quality or high sound quality information is growing. However, high picture quality or high sound quality information is accordingly high in amount of information. Even if, in the conventional MPEG-2 technique, image data with sound having, for example, image data with sound of the SD quality is recorded at a variable rate of 10 Mbps at maximum, a two-hour program becomes approximately 4.7 GB at maximum in amount of information when the average rate in recording is approximately 5 Mbps. Therefore, it becomes possible to record the two-hour program on one DVD disk having a diameter of 12 cm. In the case of the HD in the digital terrestrial broadcasting, however, the average rate cannot be made less than 15 Mbps in the conventional MPEG-2 because of the balance with the picture quality, even if the compression factor is made large. Therefore, a two-hour program in the HD in the digital terrestrial broadcasting cannot be recorded on a single DVD disk. Even if, for example, the Blu-ray disk is popularized in the near future and optical disk media having a capacity of at least 25 GB per disk are implemented, video contents corresponding to at least two hours and a half cannot be recorded on one disk with a high picture quality mode of, for example, 2 Mbps.
On the other hand, although the HD quality needs 25 Mbps in the conventional MPEG-2, a sufficient HD quality is obtained at approximately 15 Mbps in, for example, H.264 system of MPEG-4 because of a recent advance of the compression technique. In addition, a sufficient HD quality is obtained even at 8 Mbps. At the same time, the SD quality becomes considerably good even at approximately 4 Mbps. It becomes also considerable to record several channels of broadcasting or the same contents having different recording rates at a time, when the digital terrestrial broadcasting has been popularized. A use in which contents with the HD quality and contents with the SD quality are recorded on one disk is also considerable. In this case, for example, a low picture quality is used for delivery and a high picture quality is used for preservation.
In the conventional techniques, there are techniques concerning a method of recording video or audio data of a plurality of channels on an HDD at the same time and techniques concerning a method of recording still picture information in, for example, a digital camera by using two compression systems. As this example, there are JP-A-2002-344892 and JP-A-2001-24929.

Video or audio recording and reproducing apparatus


Apparatus for feeding strips coated with a fusion adhesive on one of their surfaces to a sheet-stack binding apparatus, in particular, for the binding of loose sheets to form brochures or books, such apparatus enabling, in parallel with a binding operation, a strip cut to the required length to be made available for a subsequent binding operation. The apparatus (14) arranged in the strip path downstream of a cutting unit (12) includes a transport carriage (15) which is stationary with respect to the strip path (13) and movable vertically to the strip path and on which a horizontally movable element (16) as well as a plurality of stationary mechanical elements (11, 17) are arranged for holding the strip free from torsion. Driving means (19), control means, as well as a tilting device (18) are provided for transferring transport carriage (15) to a binding apparatus (21) which is arranged vertically to the strip path (13) and holds the sheet stack (22) such that the strip rests on the spine of the sheet stack in a centrally aligned position and is fixed by holding elements (23) of the binding apparatus (21).

This invention relates in general to an apparatus for binding loose sheets to form brochures or books, and in particular, to a device for feeding strips coated with a fusion adhesive on one of their surfaces to a sheet-stack binding apparatus.
Apparatus, for binding loose sheets to form brochures or books of the type using strips coated with a fusion adhesive, are described, for example, in DE-PS 2 144 101, as well as in the European Patents EP O 186 080 and EP O 412 742. A sheet stack held between clamping elements is pressed in the usual manner onto a fusion-adhesive coated strip which is arranged directly on or above a heated platen. As shown in EP O 186 080, an adhesive element cut to be adapted to the sheet format can also be pressed by means of a pressure device against the spine of the sheet stack from below and then heated. Using heated lateral pressure elements, the adhesive strip is then folded and pressed against the cover sheets. EP O 320 056 describes a device for binding a stack of loose sheets by strips having a fusion-adhesive coating, in which selectively activatable means are provided for removing the adhesive layer during a binding operation. In the case of these known apparatus, the strip is fed sequentially by one or several strip transport units from a supply station through a cutting unit to a binding apparatus. Such apparatus are disadvantageous in that the sheet-stack binding operation has to be completed before another strip can be fed for the subsequent binding operation of the binding apparatus.


An apparatus and method are provided for approximating a convolution function (e.g. a diffusion profile, etc.) utilizing a sum of Gaussian functions. In use, results of a plurality of Gaussian functions are calculated. The results of the Gaussian functions are further summed. To this end, an approximation of a convolution function is generated based on the sum. Further, an image is rendered utilizing the approximation.

Accurate rendering of many real-world objects requires modeling subsurface scattering effects to capture translucent appearance. Examples of translucent materials include, but are certainly not limited to milk, ketchup, jade, marble, plastic, etc. One important class of translucent materials, including organic materials such as plant leaves and human skin, consist of multiple translucent layers. Human skin, in particular, presents a challenge for realistic rendering.
By approximating physiological layers of skin (e.g. epidermis, dermis, etc.) as locally homogeneous thin layers, for example, researchers have achieved realistic renderings. However, such realism comes at a cost. In particular, accurate simulations of multi-layer translucent material, such as skin, typically require much time to render. In addition, the scattering properties of each individual layer sometimes must be known or individually measurable.
There is thus a need for addressing these and/or other issues associated with the prior art.

Apparatus and method for approximating a convolution function utilizing a sum of gaussian functions


Disclosed herein is a method of synthesizing a (1S,12bS) lactam ester compound, including: subjecting a dihydrocarboline diester compound of formula (II) to asymmetric hydrogenation and lactamization in an organic solvent in the presence of an iridium catalyst precursor, a chiral diphosphine ligand and a halogen-containing reagent under hydrogen atmosphere to produce the (1S,12bS) lactam ester compound of formula (I), as shown in the following reaction scheme, where R1, R2 and R3 are defined in the same manner with the specification.

Vincamine alkaloids show various pharmacological effects on cell proliferation, cardiovascular system and brain functions, especially on the cerebral vasodilation and neuroprotection. They display antioxidative and anti-cancer activities, and allow for improved circulation and cognitive ability, neuroprotection and boosted intelligence. During the preparation of the vincamine alkaloids, a (1S,12bS) lactam ester compound (I) is considered to be a vital intermediate.
Kuehne et al. (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1964, 86, 2946) first reported a method of preparing a raceme of compound (I) (the cis-trans ratio was not specified; R1=R3=H, R2=Me) by subjecting tryptamine and dimethyl 4-ethyl-4-formylpimelate to Pictet-Spengler reaction followed by lactamization. Ho et al. (Helv. Chim. Acta. 2006, 89, 249) disclosed another method of preparing a raceme of compound (I) (cis/trans=1:1.3; R1=R3=H, R2=H, Et, Bn or SePh), where 1-(1-tert-butyl)-1-(1-ethylcyclohept-4-en-1-yl)-3,4-dihydro-1H-pyrido[3,4-b]indole-2, 9-dicarboxylate was oxidized by potassium permanganate under phase transfer conditions, and the resulting product was then treated with p-toluenesulfonic acid to remove the t-butoxycarbonyl group and could be converted to the racemic compound (I) via lactamization. Nemes et al. (ARKIVOC, 2008, 3, 154) prepared a raceme of compound (I) (cis/trans=2:3; R1=R3=H, R2=Me) using the method reported by Kuehne, which was then sequentially hydrolyzed in a solution of sodium hydroxide in methanol, acidified by concentrated hydrochloric acid, resolved with (−)-ephedrine as a resolving agent and subjected to methyl esterification to produce methyl 3-[(1S,12bR)-1-ethyl-1,2,3,4,6,7,12,12b-octahydro-4-oxoindolo[2,3-a] quinazin-1-yl] propionate. However, such resolving agent has been under strict management and control and has not been readily available since it can be used in the preparation of narcotic drugs, and this method only has a resolution rate of 26%.
In the above methods, the products obtained are dominated by trans conformation. Two literatures only involve the preparation of raceme, and the other one has the defects of low resolution efficiency, complicated operation and high cost, so it is not suitable for the development and production of related drugs. Currently, efficient preparation of cis-(1S,12bS) lactam ester compound (I) remains a challenge in the art.
Therefore, it is of great significance to develop a method for preparing a cis-(1S,12bS) lactam ester compound (I) with simple process, low cost and environmental friendliness.

Method of synthesizing (1S,12bS) lactam ester compound


A knee voltage detector for a flyback converter is provided. The knee voltage detector comprises a delay unit, for delaying an auxiliary related voltage for a specific period, to generate a delay signal; a subtracting unit, for generating a subtraction signal according to the auxiliary related voltage and the delay signal; a comparing unit, for generating a sampling signal when the subtraction signal indicates that a voltage difference between the auxiliary related voltage and the delay signal is greater than a threshold; and a sample and hold unit, for sampling the delay signal to generate a knee voltage according to the sampling signal when the voltage difference between the auxiliary related voltage and the delay signal is greater than the threshold.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a knee voltage detector for a flyback converter, and more particularly, to a knee voltage detector capable of comparing an auxiliary related voltage of an auxiliary winding and a delay signal thereof on a primary side, to accurately detect a knee voltage.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A switching power converter can convert high voltage AC or DC power into low voltage DC power, and is widely used in all kinds electronic devices as a power supply. Common structures of the switching power converters include a flyback structure, a structure forward structure and a Push-Pull structure.
In general, a power converter can adjust a duty of a pulse width modulation (PWM) by detecting a magnitude of an output voltage, to generate the output voltage stably. Methods of detecting the output voltage can be divided into a secondary side feedback control structure which directly detects the output voltage and a primary side feedback control structure which indirectly detects the output voltage. On the primary side feedback control structure, a transformer of a power converter includes a primary side winding and a secondary side winding, and also includes an auxiliary winding on a primary side, and does not have to include an optical coupler and a three-terminal shunt regulator on a secondary side. When a current flows through the secondary side winding, the auxiliary winding can by induced by variations of the output voltage of the power converter. Therefore, a PWM control unit of the power converter can generate a feedback signal according to a voltage signal on the auxiliary winding, and then generates a control signal accordingly, to control a duty of a transistor and thus adjust electrical power for a load. Since the optical coupler and the three-terminal shunt regulator require high cost and large circuit area, the primary side feedback control structure can effectively reduce cost of the power converter.
In detail, please refer to FIG. 1A, which is a schematic diagram of a primary side control flyback circuit 10. As shown in FIG. 1A, compared with a secondary side feedback control structure, the primary side control flyback circuit 10 does not include a feedback network on a secondary side for directly detecting an output voltage VOUT, and thus needs to detect an auxiliary voltage VA of an auxiliary winding NA on a primary side (this structure detects an auxiliary related voltage VAUX to observe the auxiliary voltage VA, and the auxiliary related voltage VAUX is a divided voltage of the auxiliary voltage VA), to indirectly detect the output voltage VOUT, so as to generate a control signal VGD to control a duty of the transistor 100 for outputting the voltage VOUT stably.
Under this structure, please refer to FIG. 1B, which is a schematic diagram of signals of the primary side control flyback circuit 10 shown in FIG. 1A. As shown in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, after the control signal VGD controls the transistor 100 to turn on to charge a primary side winding NP and a secondary side winding NS for a charging period TON, the control signal VGD controls the transistor 100 to turn off and enter a discharging period TOFF. At this moment, via electromagnetic induction of the transformers (i.e. the auxiliary winding NA and the secondary side winding NS) the auxiliary voltage VA of the auxiliary winding NA can be induced by a secondary side voltage VS of the secondary side winding NS to observe information about the output voltage VOUT (in this structure, a primary side control circuit 102 detects the auxiliary related voltage VAUX of a divided voltage of the auxiliary voltage VA to observe information about the auxiliary voltage VA and the output voltage VOUT, wherein the auxiliary related voltage VAUX is equal to the auxiliary voltage VA multiplying a resistor ratio k of a divided voltage resistor).
However, the auxiliary voltage VA is interfered by many non-ideal factors, and cannot correctly reflect the output voltage VOUT. For example, in a voltage across a diode D1 on the secondary side varies with a discharging current IS on the secondary side (i.e. a falling effect), and a resonant effect occurs at the moment that the discharging current IS on the secondary side falls to 0. Therefore, in order to accurately detect the output voltage VOUT, the primary side control circuit 102 detects a knee voltage VC of the auxiliary voltage VA at the moment that the discharging current IS on the secondary side falls to 0, and then adjusts the output voltage VOUT accordingly via the control signal VGD (at this moment, the knee voltage VC is not interfered by the above falling effect and resonant effect.
For example, please refer to FIG. 2, which is a schematic diagram of operations of a conventional detector of the primary side control circuit 102 shown in FIG. 1A. As shown in FIG. 2, for a detector of U.S. Pat. No. 7,859,862, in order to prevent the interfered auxiliary voltage VA from being stored by a sampling circuit, a blanking circuit generates a blanking period first, to prevent the signal interfered by non-ideal factors when power elements are switched from being sampled. In such a situation, after the blanking period (from a time point A to a time point B), since the auxiliary voltage VA has a significant slope variation at the moment that the discharging current IS falls to 0 and a voltage at the moment can be sampled as the knee voltage VC, a differential circuit detects a slope variation of the auxiliary voltage VA, and a sampling circuit samples a delay voltage Vd of the auxiliary voltage VA to obtain the knee voltage VC when the slope variation exceeds a threshold value, wherein a delay time between the auxiliary voltage VA and the delay voltage Vd can be designed as a reacting time of the detector (i.e. from a time point of detecting a slope alteration exceeding the threshold value to a time point C of sampling the delay voltage Vd), to accurately sample the voltage at the moment that the slope alteration of the auxiliary voltage VA exceeds the threshold value as the knee voltage VC.
However, since a slope of the auxiliary voltage VA is effected by elements outside the system, accuracy of the detecting system is effected by external elements, and thus the system cannot be widely applied (e.g. a discharging slope of the discharging current IS is effected by the output voltage VOUT and the load and thus effect the falling slope of the auxiliary voltage VA, such that different conditions have different slope variations at the moment that the discharging current IS falls to 0).
On the other hand, please refer to FIG. 3, which is a schematic diagram of operations of another conventional detector of the primary side control circuit 102 shown in FIG. 1A. As shown in FIG. 3, for a detector of US 2007/0103134, a multi-sampling method is applied to repetitively sample the auxiliary voltage VA. When a target of the knee voltage VC occurs, a sampling result is outputted. In detail, a blanking circuit generates a blanking time Td first, and the detector does not perform detection during the blanking time Td, to avoid sampling signal affected by non-ideal factors. After the blanking time Td, a counter sends out the sampling signals VSPN VSP1 according to a sampling frequency, to control a sampling circuit to sample the auxiliary voltage VA accordingly until a sampled voltage of the auxiliary voltage VA have a significant variation, and then take a previous sampled voltage as the knee voltage VC.
However, accuracy of the above detector of degree is significantly limited by the sampling frequency. In order to increase system accuracy, the sampling frequency needs to be increased, thereby increasing power consumption and inducing electromagnetic interference.
Therefore, the conventional secondary side feedback control structure includes the optical coupler and the three-terminal shunt regulator, and thus requires high cost and large circuit area, while accuracy of the conventional primary side feedback control structure is effected by external elements otherwise the sampling frequency needs to be increased, thereby increasing power consumption and inducing electromagnetic interference. Thus, there is a need for improvement of the prior art.


Various embodiments of techniques related to interference cancellation in wireless OFDMA with MIMO spatial multiplexing are provided. In one aspect, a method receives wireless communication downlink signals from a first base station and a second base station. The method cancels interference of wireless downlink communications between the first base station and the communication device by the second base station by calculating an equalizer solution that orthogonalizes the downlink signals from the first and the second base stations.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to telecommunication and, more specifically, to wireless communication.
2. Description of Related Art
The new 4G wireless technology standard termed Long Term Evolution-Advanced (LTE-A) utilizes the well-known modulation scheme known as orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA). It is a multicarrier technique in which the transmit spectrum is divided into K orthogonal subcarriers equally spaced in frequency. The method has been used for many years in both wireline broadband communications and wireless local area networks (WLAN). LTE-A provides a minimum of 1000 Mbps throughput in the downlink (DL) and 500 Mbps in the uplink (UL). The spectral bandwidth for LTE-A is 100 MHz, using up to five component carriers each with a component bandwidth of up to 20 MHz. LTE-A also includes support for both frequency domain duplexing and time domain duplexing.
LTE-A also employs multiple antenna methods such as spatial multiplexing and transmit diversity. Spatial multiplexing (SM) is a multiple-input and multiple-output system (MIMO) formulation enabled by configuring multiple antennas separated in space. The spatially separated antennas provide separate and distinct transmission channels allowing the transmitter-receiver pair to extract independent signals from each channel while cancelling interference from the other transmission paths. When combined, OFDMA and MIMO-SM provide orthogonality in both frequency and space. LTE-A supports up to eight antennas per modem.
LTE is deployed in various cell-type structures with the coverage area varying from a macro-cell area of ˜20 km diameter to small-cells such as femtocells and microcells, which are much smaller with cell coverage areas sized for servicing buildings or small campus environments. These different cells may use the same frequency spectrum, which causes direct interference. Generally, LTE interference scenarios include the following: 1) interference between a small-cell and a macro-cell, and 2) interference between two macro-cells near the cell boundary.
Wireless communications systems need to contend with radio signal propagation impairments that include multipath fading, noise, and interference. Multipath fading results from a transmitted radio signal traversing many different paths from a transmitting antenna to a receiving antenna as a result of reflections from both man-made and natural environmental objects. The multiple reflected signals (including a possible line-of-sight signal) combine at the receiver to form a transmission path impulse response (with an associated transmission path frequency response). Depending on the characteristics of this response, it is possible for parts of the transmission channel to have deep nulls, which can be time-varying as a result of movement of the transmitter, the receiver, and the objects causing reflections. A wireless MIMO system has different transmission paths for its spatially separated antennas. MIMO signal processing increases the probability that the transmit signal can be correctly received at the decoder while some of the transmission paths are subject to harsh attenuation as a result of the multipath fading problem. Some examples of MIMO system configurations are shown in FIGS. 1A-1D. FIG. 1A illustrates a scenario of a single cell and a single unit (SU) having single-input and single-output (SISU) capability. FIG. 1B illustrates a scenario of a single cell and a single unit having multiple-input and single-output (MISO) capability. FIG. 1C illustrates a scenario of a single cell and a single unit having MIMO capability. FIG. 1D illustrates a scenario of multiple cells (two cells shown) and a single unit having MIMO capability.

Interference cancellation in wireless OFDMA with MIMO spatial multiplexing


A framework for developing telecommunication applications is described. The framework comprises a number of interacting micro services. The micro service architecture of the invention is used to provide an efficient framework comprised of a set of functionalities that allows for the implementation of business logic for real-time transactions processing. The framework allows features or applications to be implemented using configuration or business rules, rather than a developer having to take the desired new functionality and add to a monolithic application using traditional methods.

Managing telecommunication networks and associated devices may require adding, blocking, removing or modifying different features available to devices. As new applications or features are deployed it may be necessary to develop or update software for handling the new features. The software development lifecycle can be a time consuming process and, as such there can often be a relatively long delay between when the software is requested and when it is actually available to use (e.g. in a production environment).
An additional, alternative and/or improved method for implementing new features and or functionality is desirable.

Business rules processing framework for implementing new desired functionality in a telecommunication application


The invention is generally related to a portable inspection apparatus for placement in an inspection area and for inspection of vehicles passing through the inspection area. The portable inspection apparatus comprises a support structure arranged to extend away from a surface of the inspection area, a base for disposal on the surface, and an inspection field generator comprising an emitter and a detector for generating an inspection field. A first one of the emitter and the detector may be supported by the support structure and a second one of the emitter and the detector may be supported by the base. A ramp is arranged to pivot relative the surface between a stowed position and a deployed position in which the ramp extends away from the base for allowing a vehicle to pass over the ramp and the base through the inspection field.

At cross border immigration checkpoints, inspection systems are sometimes deployed for conducting security inspection of large vehicles such as containers, vehicles or the like. In airport terminals, inspection systems are used to check contents in luggage. For example, inspection systems such as x-ray inspection systems are often used to check the contents of containers and vehicles. The x-ray inspection systems are generally fixed in a location to which the vehicles are brought for inspection by the inspection system.
However, there has been an increased need for inspection systems to be quickly transported and set up in multiple locations globally. Hence, while fixed site inspection systems can meet the requirements of inspection of vehicles, the fixed inspection systems cannot be readily relocated or transported between locations which require inspection of vehicles.
In an attempt to address the issue of transportation of inspection systems, mobile inspection systems have been developed that can be assembled and deployed in a variety of locations. Such mobile inspection systems may include a vehicle and an inspection system mounted on the vehicle. However, it is difficult to maintain the stability of such systems and a structure for balancing the vehicle in the above system is complicated. Further, such x-ray monitoring systems include a vehicle such as a truck within the system which increases manufacturing costs. Further, the vehicle requires maintenance which also increases the maintenance and service costs of such mobile inspection systems.
Still further, the mobile inspection systems generally require powerful machinery or equipment to load and unload the gantry system off the trucks for deployment at different locations. As a result, significant time and expense is still required to transport and assemble such systems.
In view of the above problems, there exists a need for an inspection system that can be configured to be set up and transported easily to locations where inspection is required.


A variable length encoding/decoding apparatus using symbol-codeword re-association of a variable length code table includes a re-associator for storing symbol-address assignment information, address-codeword assignment information and address-counter-value assignment information, altering the symbol-address assignment information and the address-counter value assignment information according to the varied counter value due to the symbol identifying and outputting a variable length code table in which a symbol-codeword is re-associated to the encoder/decoder apparatus, and a controller for producing the initialized counter values based on probabilities of symbol occurrences belonging to the pre-defined variable length code table and the information stored in the re-associator based on the pre-defined updating unit, and storing the symbol-codeword re-associated variable length code table every predetermined updating unit in the encoder/decoder. A data compression efficiency can be improved even though global statistics corresponding to the pre-defined variable length code table and local statistics of the symbols/codewords which are actually variable-length-encoded/decoded do not match each other. Since it is not necessary to transmit the symbol-codeword re-association information at the encoding end to a decoding end, threre is no additional data to be transmitted by employing the present invention.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a variable length encoding/decoding apparatus using re-association of a symbol-codeword for a pre-defined code table.
2. Description of Related Art
Generally, data compression/decompression systems use quantization and orthogonal transform to reduce redundancy in the data especially for image data. A variable length coding (VLC) method which belongs to a lossless encoding method is often employed additionally to further compress data.
In block-based image data compression, a variable length coding method uses a zigzag scan to produce a "run" value and a "level" value from transform coefficients which are obtained by orthogonal transform. The variable length coding method uses a Huffman code table to change a symbol having a run value and a level value into a codeword. Here, the run value represents the number of successive zeros before a non-zero value and the level value is an absolute value of a non-zero coefficient succeeding the successive zeros. In the case where a symbol is represented as a pair of run and level values, if a run value or a level value is large, a frequency of occurrence of the symbol becomes statistically very low. Thus, the Huffman coding method which is generally used in the VLC method uses a codeword having a relatively short length for a symbol having a higher frequency of occurrence on the basis of probabilities of symbol occurrences. The Huffman code table shows that a relatively shorter codeword is allocated to a symbol having a higher frequency of occurrence, and a relatively longer codeword is allocated to a symbol having a lower frequency of occurrence. A pre-defined Huffman code table is generally used depending on the overhead and delay time. FIG. 1 shows a conventional variable length coding apparatus that uses the Huffman code table which is designed in the above-described manner.
A code table unit 15 of FIG. 1 stores the Huffman code table which is designed by the above-described method. A variable length encoder 11 finds a codeword corresponding to an input symbol from the Huffman code table stored in the code table unit 15 and outputs the corresponding codeword. Typically, the input symbol is used as an address at which the corresponding codeword is stored. Thus, if a variable length decoder (not shown) uses the same Huffman code table as that of the code table unit 15, the variable length decoder can retrieve the symbol from the transmitted codeword.
However, when a relationship between symbols and codewords as defined in the pre-defined Huffman code table does not reflect properly the actual probabilities of symbol occurrences as in the case where a symbol corresponding to a lengthy codeword has a higher frequency of occurrence, data compression efficiency through the VLC method can be significantly limited.
Prior art which attempts to solve the above problem is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,439 to Asai et al., entitled "Encoding/decoding system utilizing local properties" which was issued on Feb. 4, 1992. The prior art encoding/decoding system codes input digital signals sequentially on the basis of frequencies of occurrence of the input digital signals, and decodes the encoded signals sequentially, to thereby improve encoding efficiency. A sequential list of the encoding system receives and stores encoded data, outputs a list address in which the received encoded data are stored and moves the stored encoded data to a predetermined location every time encoding is performed, so as to update the first sequential list. A variable length encoder performs variable length coding on the basis of how frequently list addresses in the sequential list are used such that a shorter codeword is allocated to a more frequently used list address and a longer codeword is allocated to a less frequently used list address. Thus, an average code length can be shortened and encoding efficiency can be improved.

Variable length encoding/decoding apparatus using re-association of symbol-codeword for variable length code table


The invention relates to an end piece (2, 2′) for the front or rear end of a ski (1) or snowboard, which end piece (2, 2′) has at least a first and a second portion (6, 7). A distance (10, 10′) between mutually adjacent zones (8, 9) of the first and second portion (6, 7) or a width or length measurement of at least one of the zones (8, 9) can be varied. Alternatively, the first and second portion (6, 7) are connected to one another in the mutually adjacent zones (8, 9) by means of an articulated joint and/or an elastically stretchable and rebounding bridging element and/or an elastically deformable middle portion (12) and the zones of the first and second portion (6, 7) remote from the mutually adjacent zones (8, 9) can be respectively connected to oppositely lying side edges of a ski (1) or snowboard by articulated joints and/or with an interconnected elastic deformation zone. This positively influences the performance of a ski (1) or snowboard with a variable geometry or size.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an end piece for the front or rear end of a ski or snowboard as well as a co-operating ski or a snowboard equipped therewith, as specified in claims 1, 2 and 35.
2. Prior Art
End pieces or terminating elements for the front or rear end of skis or snowboards are known in principal from the prior art. These end pieces primarily fulfill the function of a cladding element for the tip or end portion of the corresponding gliding board body. For reasons pertaining to the production technology used, such end pieces are mostly fitted in the tip or end portion of a ski or snowboard in particular. These end pieces specifically provide a visually advantageous termination for the gliding board body. Especially if the gliding board body is made from a multi-layered composite body and is manufactured by a foam injection process, a known approach is to provide the end portions of the gliding board body with an end piece serving as a cladding element. This being the case, these end pieces may be adhered to the gliding board body during the production process already and/or secured to the end portion of the gliding board body by a positive connection or by means of fixing screws. These end pieces are therefore of fixed dimensions, adapted to the dimensions of the respective ski or snowboard. No provision is made for a variable width or thickness.
Document DE 202 01 963 U1 discloses an extension for the tip or shovel which can be fitted as and when necessary. This tip extension can be pushed onto the ski tip when necessary to enable skiing in deep snow. This push-on tip, which is primarily intended to impart greater buoyancy when moving on deep snow, can then be removed again by the user. This tip extension is therefore an accessory which can be fitted and removed as and when required and can be fitted on a plurality of skis with different shovel geometries. In particular, provision is made so that this fitting fits different dimensions of the front end of the skis, in particular the shovels, depending on manufacturer and ski model. To this end, the fitting is of an essentially U-shaped design as seen from above, and the distance between the two legs of the U-shaped fitting may be made bigger or smaller in order to adapt to the respective shovel widths of different ski models.

End piece for the front or rear end of a ski or snowboard and a ski fitted therewith or a snowboard fitted therewith


A client-side computer-implemented system and method for performing validations across multiple control elements on a web-based form. The form includes an array of web-based control elements for acquiring responses from a user. Trans-control element rules contain validation rules that are based upon state information from a plurality of the web-based control elements. A control element handler modifies a property of a control element within the array after using the trans-control element rules to examine the state information contained within the array.

1. Technical Field
The present invention is generally directed to web-based interfaces, and more particularly to web-based form validations.
2. Description of the Related Art
Organizations have used many methods to gather data about individual preferences and opinions. One method of gathering data about a particular subject from multiple individuals is to present the group of individuals with a survey form. An example of this type of form would be a census form where the person completing the form fills in the appropriate response on a computer sheet, which is then optically scanned into a computer system. The computer system then compiles the data and can perform some statistical procedures to provide the organization taking the survey with additional information.
The widespread adoption of personal computers and the introduction of the Internet made the process of conducting a survey far more cost-effective because the organization can present the survey forms through a web-based form. A web-based form can be completed on-line and the results compiled much more quickly and efficiently. However, a web-based form suffers from data quality issues. For example, the responder to a web-based survey form may rank two responses with the same number or may fail to complete questions and thus the data quality of the web-based survey form is diminished.

Web-based form validation system and method


A three-rotational-degree-of-freedom connection mechanism required for a robot that can make motion similar to a human has a simple structure, and there is no restriction on motion within a movable range. The three-rotational-degree-of-freedom connection mechanism includes a joint connecting a second member rotatably to a first member with three rotational degrees of freedom including rotation around a torsion axis, three actuators each including variable length links having a variable length, and power sources for generating force changing the lengths of variable length links and three first-member-side link attaching units provided in first member and the second-member-side link attaching units provided on the second member such that variable length links having a twisted relationship with respect to a torsion axis exist in each state within a movable range of joint.

A humanoid robot including a body, arms, legs, and a head similarly to a human is being developed. In a conventional humanoid robot, typically a motor and a gear are disposed in a joint and a joint intersection is disposed on an axis of the joint. In such a humanoid robot, it is necessary to dispose the gear in the joint by a rotational degree of freedom, and the joint becomes large. Patent Document 1 proposes a biped walking robot in which a skeleton is connected by the joint and the joint is driven with two rotational degrees of freedom by expansion and contraction of a link by two actuators for each joint. Patent Document 2 proposes a robot that drives the joint with two rotational degrees of freedom by expansion and contraction of the link by two actuators and drives an ankle, a wrist, and a neck with three rotational degrees of freedom in which one rotary actuator is added to the two actuators. Patent Document 3 proposes a parallel link mechanism including one fixed length link, in which one end is connected to a bearing with three degrees of freedom provided on a fixed side member while the other end is connected to a movable side member, and three variable length links, in each of which one end is connected to the fixed side member by a bearing with three rotational degrees of freedom while the other end is connected to the movable side member by a bearing with three degrees of freedom.

Three-rotational-degree-of-freedom connection mechanism, robot, robot arm, and robot hand


A finished lubricant having a kinematic viscosity at 40° C. between about 90 and 1700 cSt that passes the TORT B rust test, comprising a highly paraffinic base oil and a solubility improver having an aniline point less than 50° C. A finished lubricant that passes the TORT B rust test, comprising a Fischer-Tropsch wax, oligomerized olefins, or mixture thereof; and a solubility improver. A process for making a lubricant, comprising blending together: a) a mixture of amine phosphates, b) an alkenyl succinic compound, and c) a highly paraffinic lubricating base oil.

It is very difficult to get effective rust inhibition in finished oils comprising highly paraffinic lubricating base oils. Highly paraffinic lubricating base oils include API Group II base oils having greater than 65% paraffinic chain carbons by ASTM D 3238, API Group III base oils having greater than 65% paraffinic chain carbons by ASTM D 3238, API Group IV base oils, polyinternal olefins, hydroisomerized Fischer-Tropsch wax, and Fischer-Tropsch oligomerized olefins. Others have approached this problem by using synergistic mixtures of different additives, and base oil blends to reduce the amount of highly paraffinic base oil in the finished oil. However, the current approaches have still not provided consistent passes in the 4 hour TORT B rust test using synthetic seawater, by ASTM D 665-02. The problem is notably more acute with higher viscosity oils, of ISO 100 grade or higher.
Others have made lubricant compositions with good rust inhibition, but these earlier compositions either had a different rust inhibitor formulation and/or they were made using different base oils than in the preferred embodiments of this invention. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,655,946 discloses a turbine engine oil that is resistant to seawater corrosion comprising a specific additive mixture different than what is disclosed in this invention, and preferably comprising a synthetic ester base oil. U.S. Pat. No. 4,701,273 describes lubricant compositions with good metal deactivation comprising antioxidants, amine phosphates and a preferred benzotriazole derivative.
There are a number of patents describing dual phosphorus and sulfur additives combined with amine phosphates for making superior load-carrying lubricants. These patents include U.S. Pat. No. 5,801,130; U.S. Pat. No. 5,789,358; U.S. Pat. No. 5,750,478; U.S. Pat. No. 5,679,627; U.S. Pat. No. 5,587,355; U.S. Pat. No. 5,585,029; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,582,760. None of these patents teach lubricating oils made with highly paraffinic base oils that have effective rust inhibition in seawater.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,180,575 teaches lubricating oils with anti-rust characteristics based on high quality base oils such as polyalphaolefins or hydroisomerized wax (petroleum or Fischer-Tropsch) with a secondary base oil, preferably a long chain alkylated aromatic. A synergistic combination of additives is used which is different than those of this invention. Unlike this invention, the additive mixture does not comprise a mixture of phosphate amines. The lubricating oils in U.S. Pat. No. 6,180,575 contain solubility improvers at levels much higher than are needed with preferred embodiments of our invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,558 teaches a rust-proofing oil composition for use in the surface treatment of steel sheets comprising at least one of a mineral oil and a synthetic oil as a base oil having a kinematic viscosity at 40° C. in the range of 5-50 cSt. The synthetic oil useful in U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,558 is selected from the group consisting of polybutene, alpha-olefin oligomer, alkylbenzene, alkylnaphthalene, diester, polyol ester, polyglycol, polyphenyl ether, tricresyl phosphate, silicone oil, perfluoroalkyl ether, normal paraffin and isoparaffin. Although this earlier patent included alkylnaphthalene and polyol ester as synthetic oils useful in the composition, there was no selection or understanding of the synthetic oil being potentially important as a solubility improver to improve rust inhibition. Alkylnaphthalene and polyol ester were grouped with other synthetic oils with high aniline points which are not the solubility improvers of this invention. U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,558 also used different rust inhibiting additives than those of this invention.

Finished lubricant with improved rust inhibition