A clothes washing machine including a washing tub containing a drum and a door for closing the drum provided with a door interlock arrangement. The door interlock arrangement includes an electromagnet (1), a main sliding element (4), a door catch (5), a spring (6) forcing said main sliding element back to its resting position, an inclined plane (9) of the door catch, a switch (2) actuated by the main sliding element (4), a device (10) that is electrically energized during spin-extraction phases only, a peg (11) projecting from the device (10) when the latter is not energized, and a recess (12) for accommodating the projecting peg (11) in the main sliding element (4). The main sliding element (4) also includes a recess (8) for accommodating the door catch (5). A secondary sliding element (3) is provided so as to be able to slide transversely with respect to the main sliding element (4). A spring (7) acts upon the secondary sliding element (3), and an upper edge (13) of the main sliding element (4) is capable of cooperating by interference with a downward projection (14) of the secondary sliding element (3).

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to clothes washing machines in general, and front-loading clothes washing machines which are equipped with a particular, improved type of door interlock arrangement as a safety provision, in particular.
2. Description of the Related Art
Household-type clothes washing machines are known to be equipped with different types of variously featured door interlock arrangements. Such door interlock systems can be grouped into one of the following categories according to their operating principle:
1) Devices keeping the door locked throughout the washing process and allowing delayed (i.e. after 1 to 2 minutes) door release with respect to the actual moment at which the machine is de-energized upon completing its duty cycle.
This type of safety door interlock arrangement is effective in protecting the user against his/her being able to gain access to dangerous moving parts, i.e. parts rotating at dangerous speeds, such as during the spin-extraction phase of the process. It also prevents the user from unduly opening the loading door of the machine even in the remaining portions of the washing cycle in the case of a faulty condition arising in washing machines equipped with an electronically controlled driving motor.
However, this type of safety door interlock arrangement has two major drawbacks: the first one is related to the fact that it forces the user to wait a couple of minutes each time that he/she wants for any reason to open the loading door of the machine during the washing cycle, even during phases thereof that do not involve dangerous rotating speeds of the drum.
The second drawback is apparent when the main on-off switch of the washing machine is switched on and the loading door of that same machine is open. Under such conditions, the washing machine would readily start operating as soon as its door is closed, thereby activating the process phase that is set on the program selector switch and causing the loading door to be locked under the action of the door interlock device itself.
Such a door closure under the above-mentioned conditions may obviously occur in a fully unintentional way and, as a consequence, may give rise to accidents with serious damage not only to things, but also to children and animals that may have accidentally climbed into the drum of the washing machine when the loading door was open and the drum was standing still.
2) Devices keeping the door locked only when the drum rotates at dangerous speeds, i.e. during spin-extraction phases, with a provision allowing for delayed door release after de-energization of the machine.
Such safety door interlock arrangements are only effective in protecting the user against accidents caused by improper door openings during spin-extraction phases (since no dangerous rotating speed is involved in the other phases of the cycle) and have the advantage of allowing the loading door to be readily opened in all other phases of the washing process. However, they have a major drawback in that they still practically enable accidents of the type described as the second major drawback under 1) above to occur.
3) Devices keeping the door locked through the action of an electromagnet.
These door interlock devices enable the loading door of the washing machine to be opened during any phase of the washing process in which the drum is not rotating at any dangerous speed.
When on the contrary the drum is rotating at a dangerous speed, there are further devices provided inside the machine to prevent the door interlock arrangement from becoming de-energized due to normal handling by the user and, as a consequence, the loading door from being opened.
However, such a type of door interlock arrangement has a third major drawback in that, if the solenoid, or coil, of the interlock device happens to be de-energized due to any faulty condition or by accident, the washing machine remains electrically energized and, therefore, enabled to keep performing all phases provided for by the washing process being carried on (including those involving dangerous operating conditions), while the door can be opened at any moment.

Door interlock arrangement for washing machines


Various embodiments provide methods and apparatus for operating a browser engine, and related browsers and terminals. When starting a browser, an operating environment of the browser can be obtained. The operating environment can include a CPU environment in a browser-installed-terminal. A matched operation mode of the browser engine can be selected according to the operating environment. The selected operation mode can be used to operate the browser engine. Exemplary apparatus for operating the browser engine can include an obtaining module, a selection module, and an operation module. Various embodiments also provide a browser including the disclosed apparatus, and a terminal including the disclosed browser.

A browser engine is included in a browser kernel. In an operating process, the browser engine is used to execute program code to handle web content, organize information, and calculate methods for displaying the web page, and then to output the web page in a browser. Typically, while compiling, the browser configures an operation mode of the browser engine. When compiled, the operation mode of the browser engine is also uniquely determined. The browser engine uses the configured operation mode to execute the program code. Thus, existing browser engines use the already-configured and uniquely-fixed operation mode to operate, which cannot be selected according to the operating environment of the browser.
This limits the terminal type suitable for the browser. For example, some terminals may have CPU (i.e., central processing unit) environment matched with the operation mode of the browser engine. The browser can then be operated in this terminal. In some cases, the terminal CPU environment does not match with the operation mode of the browser engine. The operating speed of the browser may be affected or the browser may be crashed, thereby affecting use flexibilities of the browser.

Methods and apparatus for operating browser engine

TENCENT TECHNOLOGY (SHENZHEN) COMPANY LIMITED


An amorphous soft magnetic thin film material for forming shielding and keeper applications in MRAM devices. The amorphous soft magnetic material may be deposited using Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) in the presence of a magnetic field, in order to form shielding layers and keepers in a multi-layer metallization process. The soft magnetic material may be an amorphous metallic alloy, such as CoZrX, where X may be Ta, Nb, Pd and/or Rh.

Magnetic Random Access Memory (MRAM) devices based on spin-dependent tunnel junctions are being explored as non-volatile solid state memory devices for embedded and stand alone applications. MRAM devices utilize magnetic material within memory cells to store data bits. The data bits are read by magnetoresistive sensing. MRAM memory cells can be programmed by magnetizing the magnetic material within the cells. The magnetic field required to switch the state of a cell (e.g., from "0" to "1") is typically quite low, e.g., in the range of 10-25 Oersteds (Oe).
In its basic concept, an MRAM memory cell typically consists of a patterned magnetic multi-layer bit region, and two conductive lines (e.g., the word and bit lines) that are used to read and write the magnetic state of the multi-layer bit region. In further refinements, additional magnetic layers have been included within MRAM memory cells in order to (1) provide magnetic shielding and (2) improve write efficiency.
1. Magnetic Shielding
In order to successfully incorporate MRAM into portable electronic devices such as portable phones, personal digital assistants (PDA's), pagers, and the like, it is necessary to shield the MRAM devices from stray magnetic fields that may present within and around such devices. Examples of such disturbances include the magnetic field generated by a loudspeaker in a telephone, which may be as large as approximately 800 Oe, and the current in the overhead lines of a train, which may produce magnetic fields as large as approximately 50 Oe.
Efforts have been made to shield MRAM devices from these types of stray magnetic fields. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,902,690 of Tracy et al. ("Tracy et al.") describes the introduction of a passivation layer encapsulating the chip. Tracy et al. describes two embodiments of a passivation layer. The first embodiment uses a ceramic material that includes ferrite particles to encapsulate the MRAM cell. The second embodiment uses a ferrite film, which is deposited on top of the MRAM device. U.S. Pat. No. 6,211,090 of Durlam et al. ("Durlam et al.") describes another method of shielding an MRAM device, namely by forming a metallic, high permeability shielding layer, such as NiFe, on top of the completed device.
2) Improving Write Efficiency by Use of a Magnetic Keeper
Inserting a soft magnetic keeper around the write conductors of an MRAM device has been found to provide a desirable modification or concentration of the flux path resulting in an increase of the write efficiency, which could result in a decreased power consumption of the device. U.S. Pat. No. 5,956,267 of Hurst et al. discloses such an arrangement.
An important aspect of magnetic shielding and keeper layers is their compatibility with standard integrated circuit (IC) metallization processing. A state of the art metallization scheme typically encompasses the use of multilevel copper metallization layers, separated by dielectric layers such as Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposited (PECVD) SiO2 or other low k materials (e.g., in a dual damascene metallization scheme). For a magnetic layer to be integrated in such a process flow, the following criteria are desirable:                1. The permeability μ of the magnetic film should be sufficiently high (e.g., >100). The efficiency of shielding is proportional to the film thickness "t" multiplied by μ. Having an insufficient value of μ results in an unpractical requirement on the thickness of the magnetic shielding layer.        2. The thermal stability of the magnetic material must be such that the permeability is not reduced significantly by the thermal budget associated with the process. The thermal budget of a damascene process is typically governed by the dielectric deposition. One example of a typical temperature for such a process may be 450° C.        3. The preparation method of the magnetic film should preferably employ standard semiconductor deposition methods such as Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) or Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD).        4. The magnetic material should preferably not contain metals which, when diffusing in the silicon, would degrade transistor performance. If such materials are used, the use of a diffusion barrier is required.        5. In the case of the keeper layer, the permeability has to have a high value at frequencies close to and slightly above the write frequency of the memory (e.g., several hundreds of MHz to low GHz).
While above-referenced prior art teachings provide shielding and keepers for use with MRAM devices, they suffer from some drawbacks resulting from the materials that are used, which make them difficult to incorporate into a multi-layer IC metallization process.
For example, while the inventions of Tracy et al. and Durlam et al. are effective to shield MRAM devices from stray magnetic fields, they suffer from some drawbacks resulting from the types of materials used for the shielding and passivation layers. For example, the foregoing references propose using either oxidic magnetic films (e.g., Mn—Zn-Ferrite or Ni—Zn-Ferrite) or crystalline metallic films (e.g., NiFe alloys) for shielding. Crystalline materials (e.g., Ni80Fe20, Ni45Fe55, FeTaN) generally display some degree of recrystallization during high temperature processes which leads to a degradation of magnetic properties. Therefore, these materials may be unsuited for multi-layer IC fabrications in which a device undergoes one or more high temperature processes after the deposition of a shielding or passivation layer.
In Hurst et al., NiFe, CoNiFe and CoFe are suggested as materials for keeper fabrication. One drawback associated with the materials used for the keeper of Hurst et al. is that they require the use of a diffusion barrier such as TiW, TaN, or the like. The inclusion of this additional diffusion layer undesirably complicates and increases the cost of the fabrication process. Furthermore, it has been found that the permeability of such materials drops typically in the frequency range of tens to hundreds of MHz, due to eddy current losses and ferromagnetic resonance. This adversely affects the operation and effectiveness of the keeper layers at frequencies relatively close to the write frequency of typical MRAM devices (e.g., several hundreds of MHz to low GHz).
There is therefore a need for a new and improved material for magnetic shielding and keeper applications in MRAM devices, which is adapted for integration with a multi-layer fabrication process.

Amorphous soft magnetic shielding and keeper for MRAM devices


The clutch hub includes a sheet-metal hub member which has an axial member projected from the center of its plate surface, and also includes an annular armature which is fixed to an outer peripheral portion of the axial member. First mounting the axial member of the clutch hub downward on a support member and thereby elastically supporting the end surface of the armature by the support member; holding the axial member of the clutch hub using a chuck; locating a fixing member just under a portion of a maximum runout portion of an inner hub; contacting a cylindrical end surface of a pressing member with an upper surface of the inner hub using pressure; and plastically deforming the inner hub by a pressing force of the pressing member using the locating portion of the fixing member as a fulcrum, which thereby corrects an inclination of the axial member.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a deformation processing apparatus for correcting runout caused in the surface of an armature in a clutch hub which is used for a power transmission device.
2. Related Art
For example, an electromagnetic clutch is used in connecting a compressor of an air conditioner installed in an automobile to an engine that serves as a drive source. An electromagnetic clutch is configured such that an armature of a clutch hub faces a rotor rotated and driven by an engine, and that an inner hub is connected to a compressor-side drive shaft. The armature is attracted to the rotor by an electromagnetic force, while torque is transmitted to the compressor via the inner hub that integrally rotates with the armature.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a clutch hub. As shown in FIG. 1, a spline shaft of a compressor is ensured to engage with a spline hole 102 which is positioned at the center of a hub member 101. An armature 103 has an annular shape and is riveted to an outer periphery of the hub member 101. In this case, if the accuracy of dimension and the accuracy of assemblage are insufficient, the axis of the hub member 101 will be inclined when the armature 103 is assembled to a rotor. In other words, runout will be caused in an armature surface 104 when the hub member 101 turns around on the axis of the hub member.
That is to say, in order to effectively transmit torque, the armature surface 104 is required to be perpendicular to the spline shaft (i.e. normal line D with respect to an inner end face C of the spline hole 102). Accordingly, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, when runout is caused in the armature surface 104 of the clutch hub (in other words, when the axis of the hub member 101 is inclined), a process of grinding the end surface of the armature 103 and removing the runout has conventionally been performed to suppress the runout so as to be lower than a standard value.
As conventional art, JP-A-H06-291475 discloses a method of performing high-spin deformation processing, instead of performing cutting or grinding, in the course of manufacturing a chassis used for a precision apparatus, so that accuracy of dimension is obtained in a processed sheet-metal product or in a molded product. Specifically, in this method, a mounting seat is provided to a sheet-metal chassis so as to be projected therefrom, followed by pressing a pressing member, which makes a conical runout motion, against the projected surface, thereby reducing the surface level to a predetermined level.
FIGS. 2A and 2B shows a deformation processing method for correcting surface runout of a clutch hub, which is based on conventional grinding, and a relationship between amount of runout and processing time. As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, in correcting surface runout using grinding, the amount of grinding increases as the amount of runout is increased. Therefore, a lot of time is spent for the processing, drastically reducing the productivity. On the other hand, while the technique disclosed in JP-A-H06-291475 is effective in entirely reducing the level of a projected portion, it is not suitable for correcting runout in the armature surface of a clutch hub.
It is thus desired to provide an apparatus for correcting surface runout, which is able to accurately and quickly correct runout caused in the armature surface of a clutch hub to enhance productivity.

Deformation processing apparatus and method for correcting surface runout


Canceling images in a quadrature modulator includes frequency shifting the baseband signal and images; filtering the frequency shifted baseband signal and images; phase and frequency shifting the baseband signal and images; filtering the phase and frequency shifted baseband signal and images; combining the filtered frequency shifted baseband signal and images with the filtered phase and frequency shifted baseband signal and images to suppress the negative frequency images and isolate the modulated baseband signal.

Digital communication systems frequently require quadrature modulation of complex baseband signals. Quadrature modulation usually involves multiplication with a complex exponential and subsequently extracting the real part of the complex product for transmission into the medium. The extraction of the real part might cause a negative frequency image to corrupt the main signal. This negative frequency image can be, for example, a sampling image caused by a prior upsampling step in the digital domain.
One way to reduce this problem is to have sufficient filtering of the image. But this is usually a costly approach.

Image-canceling quadrature modulator and method


An integrated circuit 2 is provided with multiple bus masters 4, 6 and multiple bus slaves 8, 10, 12, communicating via a multi-channel communication bus. A separate write data channel, read data channel and write response channel are provided as well as a separate write address channel and a read address channel. The provision of a dedicated write response channel frees the read data channel to be more efficiently used for the transfer of read data. Transactions may be burst mode transactions with a single write response corresponding to the write transaction as a whole.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of data processing systems. More particularly, this invention relates to data processing systems in which a communication bus is used to transfer write transactions between a bus master and a bus slave and also to pass write responses from the bus slave back to the bus master.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known within the field of communication buses for data processing systems, such as integrated circuit system-on-chip designs, to provide communication buses via which write transactions can be made from a bus master to a bus slave. In some circumstances it is desirable that a write response be passed back to the bus master to indicate whether the write transaction was successfully completed by the bus slave. In the known Virtual Component Interface ("VCI") bus system there are provided a separate write data channel and read data channel using which write transactions and read transactions are respectively performed. The read data channel is also used to pass write response signals corresponding to the outcome of a write transaction on the write data channel back to the originating bus master.
It is also known within the field of data processing in general to provide multiple logical channels, such as by time division multiplexing or code division multiplexing, upon a single communication channel to enable different respective signals to be transferred. This type of arrangement is generally considered desirable since the number of communication channels, such as telecommunication frequencies, is limited and accordingly it is advantageous to multiplex together many communication channels.

Write response signalling within a communication bus


The present invention is directed to a process for improving daunorubicin and doxorubicin production by means of a recombinant microorganism in which a gene of daunorubicin metabolism involved in the glycosylation of daunorubicin to acid-sensitive, baumycin-like compounds is inactivated.

Anthracyclines of the daunorubicin group such as doxorubicin, carminomycin and aclacinomycin and their synthetic analogs are among the most widely employed agents in antitumoral therapy (F. Arcamone, Doxorubicin, Academic Press N.Y., 1981, pp. 12-25; A. Grein, Process Biochem., 16:34, 1981; T. Kaneko, Chimicaoggi May 11, 1988; C. E. Myers et al., "Biochemical mechanism of tumor cell kill" in Anthracycline and Anthracenedione-Based Anti-cancer Agents (Lown, J. W., ed.) Elsevier Amsterdam, pp. 527-569, 1988; J. W. Lown, Pharmac. Ther. 60:185-214, 1993). Anthracyclines of the daunorubicin group are naturally occurring compounds produced by various strains of Streptomyces and by Actinomyces carminata. Doxorubicin is mainly produced by strains of S. peucetius while daunorubicin is produced by many other Actinomycetes. In particular daunorubicin and doxorubicin are synthesized in Streptomyces peucetius ATCC 29050 and 27952 from malonic acid, propionic acid and glucose by the pathway summarized in Grein, Advan. Applied Microbiol. 32;203, 1987 and in Eckart and Wagner, J. Basic Microbiol. 28:137, 1988. Aklavinone (11-deoxy-.epsilon.-rhodomycinone), .epsilon.-rhodomycinone and carminomycin are established intermediates in this process. The final step in this pathway involves the hydroxylation of daunorubicin to doxorubicin, which is reported to occur only in S. peucetius species.
Daunorubicin is known to be converted to 4'-O-glycosides called baumycins in Streptomyces species (Y. Takahashi, H. Naganawa. T. Takeuchi, H. Umezawa, T. Komiyama, T. Oki and T. Inui. J. Antibiot. 30:622, 1977) thus decreasing also the amount of doxorubicin potentially obtainable through oxidation of daunorubicin. For recovering daunorubicin at the end of fermentation, baumycins are converted to daunorubicin by acid hydrolysis. However this process presents certain drawbacks in that the amount of doxorubicin thus produced is low and the process is complicated by the acid hydrolysis step. The present invention solves this problem by providing a mutated Streptomyces strain in which one of the genes responsible for the conversion of daunorubicin to baumycins has been insertionally inactivated.

Process for preparing daunorubicin and doxorubicin


Apparatus for introducing a catheter into a patient's vein comprises a tubular housing having an axially extending guide slot extending from a point adjacent the forward end of the housing to a point adjacent the rear end of the housing. A tubular transparent mount for a hollow hypodermic needle is slidably mounted in the tubular housing with the sharpened end of the needle projecting forwardly. The overall length of the needle mount and needle is less than the length of the housing. A locking element rotatably mounted on the needle mount projects through the elongated slot and is selectively engaged with recesses provided in the forward and rear end wall portions of the elongated slot, by rotation relative to the needle mount, to lock the needle mount in an operative position with the needle projecting out of the housing, or an inoperative position with the needle retracted into the housing. A short length catheter or an axially splittable introducer sheath may be mounted on the needle in its projecting position for insertion with the needle into the patient's vein. After insertion of either a catheter or a catheter introducer sheath in the patient's vein, the needle is retracted from the vein to its inoperative position in the housing and the exposed opening in the sharpened end of the needle is surrounded and sealed by a mass of elastomeric material mounted in the forward end of the bore of the housing.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an assemblage for the introduction of a catheter into a vein while protecting the clinician from accidental needle sticks after withdrawal of a sharp needle. The assemblage may be used for regular over the needle catheters made of a stiff material, or with slight modifications, for introducing a long soft catheter thru a peelable introducer sheath.
2. Background of the Invention
A body penetrating needle is probably the most highly used instrument employed by physicians and nurses. The penetration of the body tissue is generally accomplished by a sharpened end of a hollow needle, which normally is inserted through subcutaneous body tissue to penetrate a selected vein lying close to the body surface. Thousands of such needles are employed daily for the injection of medicinal fluids, by having the non-inserted end of the needle connected to a hypodermic syringe. In many cases, however, a continuous controlled flow of fluid into the selected patient vein is desired and the sharpened hollow needle is employed to penetrate the selected vein and effect the introduction of a catheter into such vein. The catheter is in turn connected to an elevated bag of medicinal fluid after the hollow needle is withdrawn from the body and the catheter.
In other cases, it becomes highly desirable to inject the medicine at a vein location closer to the central vasculature for better hemodilution. In such case, a sharpened hollow needle is employed to effect the initial puncture of the selected vein. An axially splittable catheter sheath or introducer is mounted in surrounding relationship to the body of the needle and follows the needle into the selected patient vein. The needle is then withdrawn from the catheter introducer, and a small diameter, flexible catheter is fed through the bore of the catheter introducer into the vein, and then along the vein to a position to which direct application of medication is desired. The catheter sheath is then withdrawn and axially split for removal from the body and the catheter. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,306,562 to Osborne.
In all such utilization of hollow needles having sharpened ends, there is always the risk that the physician or nurse using the needle may be scratched by the sharpened end of the needle following its withdrawal from the patient's body. The same risk of inadvertent scratching is faced by those medical health personnel who have to dispose of the used needles. The prevention of accidental scratching of any person by a used needle is obviously highly desirable to minimize accidental infection from patients who have HTLV (AIDS) virus, hepatitis or other highly infectious diseases. There is also the risk of inadvertent contact with blood leaking out of the end of the needle when withdrawn from the body.
The problem of safe, yet convenient placement of catheters in a patient's vein or other body organ has been recognized in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,696 to Luther, et al. provides a needle assembly comprising an elongate hollow housing which mounts the needle. A needle guard is slidably mounted within the housing and is adapted to be moved forward along the needle. Following use, the needle and housing are retracted and the needle guard becomes permanently locked with the housing in a position in which it covers the needle.
A similar device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,950,252 to Luther, et al. In both of the aforementioned Luther, et al. patents, the needle assembly is primarily designed to permit the insertion of a so-called "over-the-needle" catheter. In other words, a short length, relatively rigid catheter is mounted in surrounding relationship to the hollow needle whose sharpened end projects out of the end of the catheter. The catheter is then inserted into the selected patient vein concurrently with the penetration of the vein by the sharpened end of the hollow needle. When the needle is withdrawn, the catheter remains in position and may be secured to the patient by adhesive tape so that it may be repeatedly used.
Unfortunately, catheters of the type for which the Luther, et al. needles were designed can only be permitted to remain in the patient for a period generally not in excess of 48 to 72 hours. This limitation is probably due to the relatively stiff material the catheter is made of which is required for the over-the-needle catheter in order to permit the sealed attachment thereto of a tube leading to a bag of medicinal fluid.
Another requirement of a catheter placement apparatus is that after the needle and catheter have been presumably inserted into a vein (venipuncture), the proper insertion must be confirmed by a flow of blood from the vein. Hence, it is highly desirable that the needle mounting assemblage include a flash chamber having at least a portion of its walls transparent and being in communication with the outer end of the hollow needle so that the initial flow of blood may be readily observed by the operator of the needle. This problem is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,108,175 to Orton, who also discusses at length the desirability of having a needle operating mechanism that can be controlled entirely by one hand.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,160,450 to Doherty discloses a protective mounting assemblage for a venipuncture needle wherein the needle is secured to a hub which is slidably mounted within a hollow housing. The movements of the needle relative to the housing are produced by movements of a tube projecting axially out of the housing. After venipuncture has been achieved, the tube is pulled outwardly relative to the housing to retract the needle within the housing. This structure obviously cannot be employed for insertion of an elongated catheter into the selected vein. Medication must be supplied through the tubing that is operatively connected to the hub mounting the needle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,676,783 to Jagger, et al. discloses a needle protective apparatus similar to the Doherty patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,653 to Sagstetter, et al. discloses a hypodermic syringe wherein the same needle may be repeatedly utilized, a feature contraindicated in clinical IV protocols. The needle is pushed forward relative to a housing by a plunger element to penetrate a bellows-type covering element and move into puncturing engagement with the skin of the patient. Following the injection of medication, pulling back the plunger will retract the needle into the interior of the bellows unit which assumes an axially extended cylindrical configuration. Obviously, this construction provides no help in reducing the transmission of infectious diseases by repeated usage of a needle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,738 to Spencer discloses a hypodermic syringe wherein the needle is moved between an operative and an inoperative protected position by axial movement of a plunger mounting the needle relative to a surrounding housing. This structure could not be effectively employed for the insertion of a short catheter or a catheter introducer into the patient's vein.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,831 to Kulli discloses a needle operating assemblage which can be utilized for insertion of a cannula or over-the-needle catheter wherein the positioning of the needle in its operative opposition compresses a spring between a shoulder provided on the outer end of the needle and a latch mounted for radial movement relative to the housing. After the venipuncture is accomplished, depressing the latch permits the needle to be retracted by the spring to a position where in the pointed end of the needle lies within the end of the housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,654 to Strauss also utilizes a compressed spring to return the needle to its protected position within the housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,536,073 to Farb discloses an enlarged needle having a bore of sufficient diameter to accommodate a catheter. The needle is secured to a plunger which is slidably mounted within housing. A tubular protective sheath is disposed intermediate the needle and the housing and the protective tubing can be advanced to surround the needle after it is withdrawn from the patient's body. This structure obviously requires that the entire operating apparatus be slidably removed over the entire length of the catheter.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,463,152 to Sorenson discloses a catheter placement unit for inserting a catheter into a patient vein through the lumen or bore of the hollow needle. Once the catheter placement has been made, the needle is retracted and is secured in a retracted position in a housing by a strip of adhesive tape which holds the entire apparatus on the patient's body. This is obviously a highly undesirable feature.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,692 to Jagger, et al. discloses a protective arrangement for a catheter insertion needle wherein the needle is pulled into a protective position within a surrounding tube by a pulling force applied through a flexible tube.
The foregoing discussion of the prior art indicates that many efforts have been made to provide a simple, economical, yet highly protective mechanism for inserting a catheter of either the short, rigid type or the long, flexible type into a desired location in a patient's vein, nonetheless, there is room for improvement of such devices and such improvements are provided by the present invention.


The present invention relates to an adjustable surface mount plumbing adapter providing a rigid through-wall plumbing connection. The adapter includes an inner wall mount having a threaded stem portion for engagement with an outer wall mount. The stem portion defines a path through the wall with the wall being squeezed between the inner and outer mounts. Any manner of plumbing connections, pipes, fixtures, etc. can be connected to either the inner or outer mounts.

The present invention relates to a plumbing fixture or adapter, and more particularly to an adjustable through-wall adapter for providing a rigid passage for plumbing pipes or fixtures through the wall.
The common practice in the plumbing industry for penetrating or running pipes or lines through a wall is to simply drill a hole in the wall during fabrication of the structure and then run the line or pipe through the hole. Decorative mounts may be placed on the outer wall side, but these mounts are merely to hide the hole in the wall and serve no function. The solid integral pipe extending through the wall may be connected to a plumbing fixture, such as an isolation valve or faucet on the outer side of the wall, and to a supply line or junction on the inner side of the wall. However, the pipe extending through the wall is not supported against movement or vibration of the wall or structure.
The major drawback of the conventional through-wall system is that the plumbing system is usually incorporated into the construction or fabrication stage of the building or structure. The plumbing system is not separated from one side of the wall to the other and, in essence, is an integral system through the wall. However, when repairs or replacements are needed in the plumbing system, it is often necessary to work on the plumbing on both sides of the wall which entails destroying a substantial portion of the wall to expose the plumbing on either side thereof. This results in significant expense and labor to make what, in essence, is a relatively simple plumbing repair.

Adjustable surface mount plumbing adapter


A thrust foil air bearing has a bump foil arranged on a thrust plate. A top foil includes a flat surface extending along top bumps of the bump foil, an edge attached to the thrust plate, and a ramp connecting the edge and the flat surface. The ramp forms a curvature. The curvature has a center located in a lower part of the ramp and tangentially contacts the top of a first bump of the bump foil.

The present invention relates to a thrust foil air bearing, and more particularly to a thrust foil air bearing which can enhance the load capacity. The present invention provides a ramp of top foils to generate uniformly distributed and higher pressure inside the bearing without excessive pressure change or drop in the rotational direction of a bearing disc so that the total pressure in the bearing increases and the load capacity is improved.
A foil air bearing is a bearing which supports loads by air pressure generated by the incoming air having viscosity between a rotor or a bearing disc and a foil structure contacting therewith at high speed rotation of the rotor.
With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a thrust foil air bearing 100 is provided with a thrust plate 60, and a bump foil 80 is arranged thereon and a top foil 90 is disposed along the top of the bump foil 60. An edge 94 of the top foil 90 is attached to the thrust plate 60 and the top foil 90 is extended along the top of a bump 8 of the bump foil 80 through a ramp 99.
When a bearing disc 20 rotates together with a rotor 10, air having viscosity flows in along the ramp 99 of the top foil 90 and pressure is formed between the top foil 90 and the disc 20. The pressure formed there between supports the loads.
With reference to FIG. 3, in general, the ramp 99 of the top foil is straight or assigned an arbitrary shape adaptable for easy production. In this case, the pressure increases sharply at A where the ramp terminates, however, the pressure falls down in the area B due to the side leakage effect caused by increased pressure at A. As a result, total pressure decreases and the load capacity reduces.
The load capacity is determined by the total air pressure formed in the bearing and it is necessary to raise the integrated total air pressure not the peak value. The present invention provides a novel and unique ramp structure which can raise the total air pressure and increase the load capacity.


Systems and methods of robust perceptual color identification are disclosed. The methods include a multilevel analysis for determining the robust perceptual color of an object based on observed colors. This multilevel analysis can include a pixel level, a frame level, and/or a sequence level. The determination may make use of color drift matrices and trained functions such as statistical probability functions. The color drift tables and function training are based on training data generated by observing objects of known robust perceptual color in a variety of circumstances. Embodiments of the invention are applicable to the identification and tracking of objects, for example, in a surveillance video system.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is in the field of image analysis and more specifically in the field of color identification in digital images.
2. Related Art
The identification of an object's color can be useful, for example when attempting to locate and/or identify the object. However, when an object is viewed through a camera a robust perceptual color of the object may not be readily apparent. For example, an orange object can appear to be partly purple, pink, or brown under different lighting conditions and when observed using different cameras. The robust perceptual color, or the true color, of an object is informally defined to be the object's color perceived under some standard viewing, lighting, and sensing configurations (e.g., when the surface is viewed head on under neutral lighting conditions.) Several factors may lead to an observed color that is different from a robust perceptual color. These factors include the physical content of the scene surrounding the object, the angle at which the object is viewed, object surface characteristics, the illumination of the object, characteristics of the camera, etc. Thus, the observed color of an object can change as the object moves between regions of different illumination and as it is observed at different angles or when using different cameras.
Despite decades of research in color identification, algorithms capable of reliably identifying the robust perceptual color of an object in motion have not yet been developed. Most of the existing algorithms assume constant or slowly changing scene illumination. Further, most color identification algorithms depend on reliable estimates of parameters such as angles between light sources and the object, reflection angles, and surface materials. Typical approaches involve complicated nonlinear mathematical relationships and analysis that would be extremely difficult in real-time. Further, the required parameters can be unknown or difficult to determine in practice. Thus, the requirements of existing color identification algorithms make them impractical for use in most real world situations, particularly when an object is moving.
Surveillance applications are an example of real world situations where existing algorithms have failed to achieve robust perceptual color identification. In surveillance applications, one or more camera is used to observe an area and the movement of objects, such as people, within that area. For example, a camera may be used to observe a parking lot, secured area, or airport lobby. Existing algorithms are incapable of identifying the robust perceptual color of clothing worn by a person moving through one of these observed areas in real-time. Therefore, robust perceptual color is unavailable as a tool for identifying the moving person. There is, therefore, a need for improved systems and methods of identifying the robust perceptual color of an object.


Water-redispersible polymer powders having a high proportion of base polymer are prepared by spray drying a base polymer dispersion, employing as a spraying aid, a hybrid copolymer prepared by polymerizing an ethylenically unsaturated monomer in the presence of a water soluble polymer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the use of hybrid copolymers as protective colloids for polymers based on ethylenically unsaturated monomers, to protective colloid-stabilized polymers based on ethylenically unsaturated monomers and to the use thereof, for example in the construction materials industry.
2. Description of the Related Art
Protective colloids find a wide variety of uses for the stabilization of polymers, for example in the dispersion of polymers in water. For instance, protective colloids are used as a stabilizing agent in the preparation of polymers during the polymerization of ethylenically unsaturated monomers. Protective colloids are also used as drying aids in the conversion of polymer dispersions to corresponding water-redispersible powders, also referred to as dispersion powders (DPPs). Various demands are made on protective colloid-stabilized systems. For example, systems of this kind should be storage-stable. A particular aim is to modify dispersion powders such that they remain free-flowing (blocking-stable) and water-redispersible even after storage under compressive or thermal stress. For these purposes, relatively large amounts of protective colloids or inert substances have been added to the polymers to date. For instance, EP-A 632096 describes the spray-drying of aqueous vinyl ester polymers in the presence of polyvinyl alcohol as a spray drying colloid. EP-A 78449 discloses conducting spray-drying with the addition of naphthalenesulfonic acid-formaldehyde condensation products. EP-A 407889 describes the spray-drying of aqueous polymer dispersions in the presence or phenolsulfonic acid-formaldehyde condensation products. EP-A 134451 discloses the production of dispersion powders by spray-drying of aqueous dispersions in the presence of starches or proteins.
However, the addition of standard protective colloids to polymers entails a number of disadvantages. Standard protective colloids are costly and additionally have to be used in relatively large amounts in order to assure sufficient storage stability of the polymer dispersions or dispersion powders, especially redispersibility and blocking resistance. However, a relatively high protective colloid content of the polymer compositions leads inevitably to a lower proportion of the base polymers and hence of the component that actually functions as the active ingredient, for example as a binder. Moreover, high protective colloid contents can especially adversely affect the performance properties of the polymer compositions, for example the rheological properties of corresponding polymer dispersions or polymer redispersions.
In an alternative approach for endowing dispersion powders with blocking-resistant properties, the base polymers are coated with inorganic particles, for example silicate particles (Pickering technology)—as described in US20080220176. The dispersion powders thus obtained have satisfactory blocking stability and water resistance, but inadequate redispersibility in water, since the inorganic particles agglomerate as a result of the drying. The redispersing of agglomerated inorganic particles is technically difficult and at least complex. US20080220176 recommends the use of ultrasound for redispersion. In the standard applications, such as in mineral building materials, corresponding dispersion powders lead to adverse performance properties, the compensation of which in turn necessitates the addition of further specific additives.
Against this background, the problem addressed was that of providing measures for stabilizing polymers, with which the abovementioned disadvantages can be overcome. More particularly, polymers were to be made available in the form of water-redispersible powders (dispersion powders) which are blocking-resistant and additionally have good water redispersibility and, if possible, are to be storage-stable in an environment with relatively high air humidity. Finally, correspondingly stabilized polymers, if possible, were to contain smaller amounts of protective colloids than conventionally stabilized polymers.

Use of hybrid copolymers as protective colloids for polymers


A method for estimating transmission input torque is provided. The method includes identifying a plurality of measurable characteristics that influence transmission input torque. Thereafter, transmission input torque values are measured on a sample powertrain operating at a plurality of different combinations of the measurable characteristics. A look-up table including the measured input torque values corresponding to each combination of the measurable characteristics is established and saved onto a vehicle memory device. The vehicle is configured to monitor the status of the measurable characteristics during operation. At any given time, the vehicle can retrieve the measured transmission input torque value corresponding to the status of the monitored measurable characteristics wherein the measured transmission input torque value provides an estimate of the transmission input torque of the vehicle.

It is well known to estimate a vehicle's transmission input torque based on engine throttle position. The estimated transmission input torque values may be implemented, for example, to calculate shift schedules, clutch pressure, clutch apply/release rates, etc. Any imprecision in the estimated transmission input torque value can therefore cause shift aberrations such as improperly timed shifts, short shifts, long shifts, etc.

Method for estimating transmission input torque


A cellular telephone includes a speed dialing memory and a current location memory. International access codes respectively identified by corresponding country codes are stored in an access code memory. An indication of the current location of the telephone is stored in the current location memory. A destination address number is retrieved from the speed dialing memory in response to entry of a speed dialing code through a keypad when a call is originated. The country code of the retrieved number is compared with the stored location indication to detect a match or a mismatch. A first decision is made that the originated call is an International call if a mismatch is detected, or a second decision is made that the cell is domestic if a match is detected. In response to the first decision, an international access code is retrieved from the access code memory corresponding to the stored current location indication and appended to the retrieved address number, and in response to the second decision, the country code of the retrieved address number is replaced with a digit "0".

The present invention relates generally to cellular telephones, and more specifically to a mobile/personal telephone set having a speed dialing feature for originating international and domestic calls.
Speed dialing can be advantageously combined with the mobility of a cellular telephone when placing a call to one of a set of stored destinations if the location of the telephone is limited within the boundary of a country. However, if the user travels with the cellular telephone and makes an international call from a foreign country using a speed dialing feature, the speed dialing memory must be altered to append the international access code of the country in which he is travelling to a desired destination address number. In addition, when the user returns to his home country, the stored international access code must be erased from the speed dialing memory. If the user frequently moves from one country to another and makes speed dialing calls, the international access code must be altered each time he encounters a boundary between countries if these countries adopt different international access codes. Since the international access code of a country is determined solely by the national numbering plan of that country, it is usual that different international access codes are adopted by different countries. Therefore, persons traveling through different countries with a cellular phone will encounter an inconvenience, particularly when the speed dialing memory contains destinations that are resident in different countries because the international access code must be attached only to foreign-resident destinations while others are left unattached.

Mobile unit with speed dialing feature for cellular telephone network


A method for rapidly extracting data file samples with an a signal monitor and an automatically adjusted decimation ratio is provided to solve the long-standing problems caused by large data files and small buffers by reducing a large data segment to a smaller, more manageable size automatically so that a lower resolution version of the data segment will be loaded into a fixed-size small buffer in the computer's working space buffer for further data editing. In accordance with the methods of this invention, the segment size will vary during the operation of a means for zooming-in and the decimation ratio is updated and adjusted automatically based on the variation of segment size. The present invention insures that the best resolution of the data segment will be achieved when fitting the varying large size data segment into the fixed small size buffer. The present invention also provides a storage medium encoded with machine-readable computer program code for rapidly extracting data files with an automatically adjusted decimation ratio and an apparatus for rapidly analyzing and editing data files with an automatically adjusted decimation ratio.

Communication signal data collection is an increasingly important aspect of situational awareness, surveillance, spectrum monitoring and signal analysis with both military and civilian applications. Most recorded communication signal files have a very large data size due to the over-sampling in collection and massive recording of signal data with uncertain contents. Generally, some current computer or signal processing equipments or software afford only a very limited buffer size for data processing. Due to an order of magnitude size disparity between large communication signal files and limited data processing buffer sizes, the review, extraction, editing and search of the desired signal section in any large communication signal data file with uncertain contents is often a very lengthy, time-consuming and inefficient process. Additionally, the search and tailor procedures employed by the user are also quite labor intensive. Typically, a tedious and time-consuming repeated prescreen routine requires a user to load the large data file piece by piece into a small buffer for review until the user finally finds the desired data sample segment. One illustrative example of the disparity between the size of a large data signal file and a limited size working space buffer is 10 GB vs. 10 MB. Since the file content is unknown, the piece-by-piece loading and analysis is subject to human error and may miss the desired section.
Thus, there has been a long-felt need of software or hardware for processes and techniques that overcome the problems, disadvantages, limitations and shortcomings of Communication signal data collection techniques that require loading large data files piece-by-piece into a small buffer for further processing. An automated decimation method is needed to extract, edit or tailor large files efficiently in a fixed-size small buffer. The signal monitoring apparatus and methods using automated decimation ratios will satisfy the long-felt need for processes, apparatus and software that overcome the numerous problems, disadvantages, limitations and shortcomings of loading large data files into small buffer areas and the subsequent manual search during communication signal data collection. The present invention provides signal monitoring techniques for extracting data signal samples using an automatically adjusted decimation ratio provide a low resolution preview of the signal envelope, zoom in to the signal section of interest using the Graphic User's Interface (GUI) until getting desired resolution for extracting, analyzing and editing data files. The software and devices automatically adjust a decimation ratio that decimates, or trims, the size of the desired large data segment by reducing the over-sampling rate in order to fit into the buffer for further data processing, without suffering from the disadvantages, shortcomings and limitations of prior art techniques and devices.

Method, computer program and apparatus for extracting large size signal data samples with an automatically adjusted decimation ratio

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army


A regenerator for restoring the originally encoded optical phase of a differential-phase-shift-keyed signal. In an embodiment, the regenerator simultaneously provides limiting amplification and reduces amplitude noise based on a phase-sensitive optical amplifier that combines a weak signal field of a degraded input data with a strong pump field supplied by a local oscillator in a nonlinear interferometer. The two fields interact through degenerate four-wave mixing, and optical energy is transferred from the pump to the signal and vice versa. The phase sensitive nature of the optical gain leads to amplification of a specific phase component of the signal, determined by the input pump-signal phase difference and the incident signal phase is restored to two distinct states, separated by 180° according to the original encoding. Simultaneously, gain saturation of the pump wave by the signal wave results in limiting amplification of the signal wave for removing signal amplitude noise.

Differential phase-shift keying (DPSK) has become the format of choice for long-haul optical transmission systems, due to the 3-dB improvement in receiver sensitivity compared to on-off keying and enhanced tolerance to dispersion and nonlinear effects, particularly intrachannel four-wave mixing (FWM). DPSK systems with balanced detection can tolerate a large amount of amplitude noise compared to on-off keying since, in DPSK systems, errors occur only when pulse-to-pulse phase relationships deviate by more than π/2 from their original values, regardless of the amplitude at detection. Excluding timing jitter, the primary limitation of a DPSK transmission system is the accumulation of linear and nonlinear phase noise.
Linear phase noise results from imperfections in optical modulators and from amplified spontaneous emission in optical amplifiers. Nonlinear phase noise results from intra- and inter-channel nonlinearities such as self phase modulation and cross phase modulation that convert amplitude noise to phase noise, which is known as the Gordon-Mollenauer effect. As a result, amplitude noise from modulators, ASE, dispersion-induced pattern effects and nonlinearities such as inter-channel FWM all introduce nonlinear phase noise that limits system performance.
As described in H. Kim and A. H. Gnauck, "Experimental investigation of the performance limitation of DPSK systems due to nonlinear phase noise", IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett. 15, pp. 320-322 (2003), when the nonlinear contribution to phase noise becomes dominant the 3-dB improvement in receiver sensitivity for balanced DPSK detection can be lost, negating a major advantage of using DPSK over on-off keying.
Several techniques suggested for managing fiber nonlinearity are described in C. Pare, A. Villeneuve, P. A. Belanger and N. J. Doran, "Compensating for dispersion and the nonlinear Kerr effect without phase conjugation," Opt. Lett. 21, pp. 459-461 (1996); and I. R. Gabitov and P. M. Lushnikov, "Nonlinearity management in a dispersion managed system," Opt. Lett. 27, pp. 113-115 (2002).
Another technique is to reduce the accumulation of nonlinear phase noise, including mid-link spectral inversion as disclosed in S. L. Jansen, D. van den Borne, G. D. Khoe, H. de Waardt, C. C. Monsalve, S. Spalter and P. M. Krummrich, "Reduction of nonlinear phase noise by mid-link spectral inversion in a DPSK based transmission system," in proc. OFC, OTh05, Anaheim Calif., 2005. However these management schemes do not remove phase noise once it accumulates.
Post transmission nonlinear phase shift compensation (NLPSC) can effectively mitigate self phase modulation induced nonlinear phase noise as disclosed in X. Liu, X. Wei, R. E. Slusher and C. J. McKinstrie, "Improving transmission performance in differential phase-shift-keyed systems by use of lumped nonlinear phase-shift compensation," Opt. Lett. 27, pp. 1616-1618 (2002), and C. Xu and X. Liu, "Post-nonlinearity compensation with data-driven phase modulators in phase-shift keying transmission," Opt. Lett. 27, pps. 1619-1621, (2002), but does not correct for linear phase noise or the effects of inter-channel cross phase modulation.
To accomplish DPSK regeneration it is necessary to equalize the pulse relative amplitudes while simultaneously restoring the encoded differential phase shifts. So far, the topic of DPSK regeneration has been divided between schemes that address amplitude and phase regeneration independently, since several traditional amplitude regeneration techniques inherently degrade phase information.
Phase-preserving DPSK amplitude regeneration is described in C. Xu and X. Liu, "Post-nonlinearity compensation with data-driven phase modulators in phase-shift keying transmission," Opt. Lett. 27, pp. 1619-1621, (2002), is based on cross phase modulation combined with optical filtering described in A. Striegler and B. Schmauss, "All-Optical DPSK Signal Regeneration Based on Cross-Phase Modulation," IEEE Photon. Tech. Lett. 16, pp. 1083-1085 (2004), and using a modified nonlinear optical loop mirror (NOLM) as described in A. Striegler, M. Meisaner, K. Cvecek, K. Sponsel, G. Leuchs and B. Schmauss, "NOLM-Based RZ-DPSK Signal Regeneration," IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett. 17, pp. 639-641 (2005). However, these techniques have not been demonstrated experimentally.
Numerical analysis has shown that FWM-based amplitude regenerators are favorable for DPSK systems, since phase information can be preserved. See M. Matsumoto, "Regeneration of RZ-DPSK Signals by Fiber-Based All-Optical Regenerators," IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett. 17, pp. 1055-1057 (2005). Phase-regenerative amplification of a DPSK signal suffering only phase noise has been demonstrated in a combined Sagnac-SOA structure for an input Q-factor>14 dB as described in P. S. Devgan, M. Shin, V. S. Grigoryan, J. Lasri and P. Kumar, "SOA-based regenerative amplification of phase noise degraded DPSK signals," in proc. OFC, PDP34, Anaheim Calif., (2005).
The phase-sensitive amplifier (PSA) has emerged as an interesting candidate for optical amplification of both on-off keyed and DPSK signals. PSA's have been widely realized in nonlinear optical loop mirrors (NOLM) for amplification of high speed signals as disclosed in M. E. Marhic, C. H. Hsia and J. M. Jeong, "Optical Amplification in a nonlinear fiber interferometer," Electron. Lett. 27, pp. 210-211 (1991).
Phase-sensitive amplifiers offer the potential of providing signal gain with a noise figure less than the 3-dB quantum limit of phase-insensitive amplifiers as described in W. Imajuku, A. Takada and Y. Yamabayashi, "Inline coherent optical amplifier with noise figure lower than 3 dB quantum limit," Electron. Lett. 36, pp. 63-64 (2000).
PSA's also may act as limiting amplifiers as described in A. Takada and W. Imajuku, "Amplitude noise suppression using a high gain phase sensitive amplifier as a limiting amplifier," Electron. Lett. 32, pp. 677-679 (1996).
PSA's also show regenerative characteristics when they are used to store solitons in optical buffers as described in G. D. Bartolini, D. K. Serkland, P. Kumar and W. L. Kath, "All-Optical Storage of a Picosecond-Pulse Packet Using Parametric Amplification," IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett. 9, pp. 1020-1022 (1997).
Recently we proposed using a PSA for simultaneously regenerating both the amplitude and phase of a DPSK signal as disclosed in K. Croussore, C. Kim and G. Li, "All-optical regeneration of differential phase-shift keying signals based on phase-sensitive amplification," Opt. Lett. 28, 2357-2359 (2004), with the potential for restoring differential phase shifts to almost exactly 0 or π even for large values of input phase noise while restoring pulse amplitudes for >3-dB input amplitude noise. Two regimes of operation for the PSA-based DPSK regenerator were discussed: an un-depleted pump PSA, which performs nearly ideal phase-only regeneration, and a depleted-pump PSA that would combine phase and amplitude regeneration.

Regeneration of optical phase modulated signals

Research Foundation of the University of Central Florida


A collimated stereo display system is provided. The system comprises: an image generator enabled to provide a stream of stereoscopic images comprising left eye images and right eye images; at least one image modulator enabled to receive the stream of stereoscopic images from the image generator and form light into the stereoscopic images for viewing at a viewing apparatus for filtering the light into the left eye images and the right eye images respectively thereby providing a three dimensional rendering of the stereoscopic images when viewed through the viewing apparatus; and, collimation apparatus enabled to receive and collimate the light from the at least one image modulator, such that rays of light are substantially parallel when the stereoscopic images are received at the viewing apparatus.

Three dimensional displays generally suffer from a problem of inducing eye strain in some viewers due to conflicts between accurate presentation of stereopsis, vergence and accommodation. For example, 3D displays generally require a viewer to always focus at the screen plane to keep it in focus, but depth cues from accommodation are inconsistent with depth cues from vergence.
For example, as the focal plane remains at the plane of the screen, a viewer's eyes are forced to converge on stereoscopic objects whose parallax implies a position in space which differs from the screen plane. Consider a screen plane 10 feet away from a viewer. Their eyes remain focused on the screen plane, however a stereoscopic presentation implies that an object is 15 feet away from the viewer. The object then moves from an implied 15 feet away from the viewer to an implied 7 feet away from the viewer. All the while the eyes remain accommodated/focused on a fixed screen plane that is 10 feet away.
The human brain has short-cuts in it that allow humans to expect a learned response, or muscle memory level of accommodation/focus. The systems of vergence and focus are thus normally cooperative. In a stereo solution with a planar display the viewer is asked to decouple this relationship that the viewer has learned to utilize to gauge distance. This decoupling induces fatigue and stress over time.


A fixture which includes a lower base for supporting and protecting the front surface of a semiconductor wafer and a clamp. The lower base has an upper end having a central surface portion recessed from a peripheral surface portion for supporting by means of an O ring the peripheral portion of the front surface of the wafer. The clamp rests on a peripheral portion of the back surface of the wafer with the remaining back surface exposed to the backside etching process. A pin and hole arrangement help align the clamp to the base. Holes in the base equalize pressure on both sides of the wafer.

The present invention relates generally to semiconductor fabrication and specifically to a technique for backside wafer etching. Backside wafer etching or stripping is typically used to strip polysilicon, nitride or oxide. Backside wafer etching is done after the thin film depositions and before metallization is applied.
In the past, industry practice has been to coat the front side of the wafer with resist to protect the front side during the process of stripping the backside of the wafer.
The steps for this stripping process typically include the following.
Precoating inspection of the wafer. PA1 Coating the front side of the wafer with resist. PA1 Inspection for pinholes in resist. PA1 Baking of the wafer. PA1 Plasma etching to strip polysilicon, nitride or oxide from backside of wafer. PA1 O.sub.2 H Asher process to begin removal of resist. PA1 Wet etch stripping process, e.g., sulfuric peroxide. PA1 Post inspection to confirm removal of resist.
The steps that have been described represent a significant number of steps in the processing of semiconductors. The steps described also represent a significant cost to semiconductor manufacturers. Thus a need exists for a technique to reduce the number of steps required for back side etching of semiconductor wafers.


An orthopedic implant system includes an external fixation device implantable at a selected location within a corporeal body and configured for delivering at least one therapeutic agent to the corporeal body. The external fixation device includes an implantable pin, a sheath coupled with the pin, a reservoir coupled with the sheath and a plurality of channels. The pin defines the plurality of channels. The reservoir is configured for receiving the at least one therapeutic agent. The plurality of channels are configured for conveying the at least one therapeutic agent from the reservoir to a treatment site relative to the corporeal body.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to implants, and, more particularly, to orthopaedic implants.
2. Description of the Related Art
Orthopaedic implants include short-term implants, long-term implants, and non-permanent implants. Short-term implants include implants for the treatment of infection. Long-term implants include total implants for total hip, knee, shoulder, and elbow joints. Non-permanent implants include trauma products such as nails, plates, and external fixation devices.
Regarding short-term implants, when tissue, especially bone, surrounding an orthopaedic implant becomes infected, that implant must typically be removed, the infection must be eliminated, and a new implant (revision implant) is then implanted. The span of time between implant removal and revision implantation can be from several weeks (about 4 weeks) to a few months (approximately 3 months). During this time surgeons currently have two basic options: create temporary implants during surgery with antibiotic bone cement (created with or without the aid of a mold) or use a preformed antibiotic bone cement temporary implant (e.g. Exactech's InterSpace™ Hip and Knee). In either case, antibiotic bone cement is used to deliver antibiotics directly to the site of the infection in the bone. The patient also typically receives IV antibiotics. The shortcomings of such implants are the limited duration in which they deliver a clinically relevant dose of antibiotics, the lack of ability to change antibiotic type or dose during the 4-12 week treatment time, and the limited patient mobility, range of motion, and weight bearing that they allow.
Further, antibiotic cements typically provide useful local antibiotic levels for a duration of less than one week. The treatment time is frequently 6 to 8 weeks. However, beyond one week, the antibiotic cement implants provide no useful amount of antibiotics.
Further, infections can be caused by a great number of bacteria, viruses, yeast, etc. The effectiveness of various antibiotics depends greatly upon what in particular has caused the infection. Thus, in order to treat an infection most effectively, the cause of that infection must be known. The results of cell cultures give this information and indicate which antibiotic and dose will most effectively treat the infection. The samples for culturing are usually collected during surgery. The results of the culture are not known until several days after the surgery. Since the type of antibiotic cement used in current temporary implants must be chosen at or before the time of surgery, the information gained from the cultures cannot be applied to the antibiotics used at the infection site.
Further, one key to a patient recovering from joint surgery with full range of motion in that joint is to encourage movement of that joint. This helps to prevent the formation of scar tissue and stiffening of tissue around the joint. The current options for temporary implants allow limited range of motion and weight bearing at best.
Regarding long-term implants, with regard to bone ingrowth, bone ingrowth into a porous material is sometimes required to provide stability or fixation of an implant to the bone. Examples of this include porous coatings on total joint components, fusion devices (i.e., spinal fusion devices), and bone augmentation components (i.e., tibial wedges).
With regard to resorbtion, resorbtion can occur in the region surrounding a total joint implant for a number of reasons and can lead to implant loosening and subsequent revision surgery. Some causes of resorbtion include:                Stress shielding—Bone tissue requires loading to remain strong and healthy. If an implant does not properly transfer loads to the surrounding bone, regions of bone can resorb.        Lysis due to wear particles—Osteolysis and resorbtion are frequently caused by the body's reaction to wear particles created by the bearing of one total joint component on another.        Osteoporosis or other bone disorders—bone metabolic disorders can also cause the resorbtion of bone.
With regard to oncology, localized delivery of oncological drugs in the region of tumors may improve results in slowing/halting tumor growth. The ability for localized delivery may also lessen the need/dose of systemic drugs, resulting in fewer side effects.
Regarding non-permanent implants (i.e., trauma implants), such non-permanent implants include nails, plates, and external fixation devices. Nails are temporary, intramedullary devices. They are typically used to treat traumatic fracture. The risk of infection can be high especially in the case of open fractures. With regard to oncology, nails can be used to treat fractures associated with bone tumors. They can also be used to help prevent a fracture where cancer has weakened bone. Plates treat many of the same indications as nails; however plates are applied to the outside of the bone. External fixation devices are a temporary implant that is used to stabilize a fracture. These can be used for days to months. External fixation devices typically include several pins fixed in the bone and extending through the skin to a rigid plate, ring, rod, or similar stabilizing device. These devices carry the added risk of infection due to their extending through the skin. Bacteria can travel along the pins directly to the soft tissue and bone.
What is needed in the art is an orthopaedic implant which includes a reservoir and a plurality of channels leading from the reservoir to deliver at least one therapeutic agent locally to bone or surrounding soft tissue.


A method includes receiving a first request to execute a field device method associated with a process control field device. The method also includes initiating actual execution of the field device method with the field device and/or simulating execution of the field device method. The method further includes recording information associated with the actual or simulated execution of the field device method and recording user input associated with the field device method. In addition, the method includes receiving a second request to play back execution of the field device method, initiating subsequent execution of the field device method, and using the recorded information and the recorded user input during the subsequent execution of the field device method.

Processing facilities are often managed using process control systems. Example processing facilities include manufacturing plants, chemical plants, crude oil refineries, and ore processing plants. Among other operations, process control systems typically manage the use of motors, valves, and other industrial equipment in the processing facilities.
Conventional process control systems routinely include a large number of field devices, such as sensors and actuators. Communications with field devices often occur using various standard or other protocols, such as HART, FOUNDATION Fieldbus, or Control Net. These types of protocols typically support the use of device description files, which describe the online functional behavior of field devices.
A device description file can be interpreted by a host application and used to generate a user interface. The user interface allows personnel to configure and diagnose a field device. The device description file also typically contains a list of parameters supported by the field device and the methods that can be performed on the field device. A field device method is often defined in a device description file as a sequence of operations or steps to be performed during a maintenance, calibration, configuration, diagnostic, or other task. When a user invokes a field device method through the host application, the host application guides the user through each step, taking user input values as required by the method and performing the intended operations using the field device.

Apparatus for automating field device operations by capturing device method execution steps for later use and related method


A process and system for the conversion of a feedstock comprising C3-C5 light alkanes to a C5+ hydrocarbon product, for example, a BTX-rich hydrocarbon product, by performing the alkane activation (first-stage) and the oligomerization/aromatization (second-stage) in separate stages, which allows each conversion process to occur at optimal reaction conditions thus increasing the overall hydrocarbon product yield. The alkane activation or first-stage is operated at a higher temperature than the second-stage since light alkanes are much less reactive than light olefins. Since aromatization of olefins is more efficient at higher pressure, the second-stage is maintained at a higher pressure than the first-stage. Further, fixed-bed catalysts are used in each of the first-stage and the second-stage.

Light alkanes produced alongside tight oil and natural gas are typically of lesser value than olefins or liquid fuels. Increased production of these light alkanes from shale formations has created a market surplus of natural gas liquids (NGL). After being extracted in the field, a largely de-methanized NGL stream generally comprising C2-C7 hydrocarbons (also called Y-grade), is typically transported by pipelines from the production site to a fractionation facility where the NGL stream is separated into discrete components, including ethane, propane, iso-butane, n-butane, and natural gasoline (C5+).
Several commercial upgrading options exist for these various components. Some techniques utilize an initial steam-cracking step to upgrade these light alkanes, either individually or as a mixture. Other processes instead utilize catalytic processing in various forms. For example, the Oleflex™ process, the STAR™ process, the Catofin™ process, or the FBD™ process can be employed for propane and heavier alkanes, but generally include removal of ethane prior to upgrading of the heavier NGL components. This requirement is a disadvantage of these technologies, as is their high capital expense. As a result, commercial alternatives are not currently attractive.
Accordingly, a need exists for a more efficient process that allows efficient upgrading of a mixture of C2-C7 light alkanes (e.g., Y-grade or natural gas liquids) to liquid transportation fuels without first separating out one or more components.

Dual stage light alkane conversion to fuels


An error-handling framework is provided for business process transactions. The error-handling framework facilitates coordination of the invocation of exception and compensation handlers in response to errors. The error-handling framework includes support for custom ordering of compensation actions, data flow into and out of compensation actions, and management of the process state visible to compensation actions.

Workflow applications are related to businesses, governments, and other organizations where information and work product flows between various persons or departments. Workflow generally is the flow of information and control in such organizations. In a business setting, workflow processes include sales and order processing, purchasing tasks, inventory control and management, manufacturing and production control, shipping and receiving, accounts payable, and the like. Businesses continually strive to define, document, and streamline such processes in order to effectively compete.
Computer systems and associated software now provide tools with which businesses and other organizations can improve workflow. Software tools can be used to model business workflow processes or schedules and identify inefficiencies and possible improvements. In addition, where a process involves exchanging data between people, departments, plants, or even between separate companies, computer systems and networks can be used to implement such exchanges. These systems and software tools are further able to implement large-scale computations and other data or information processing which typically are associated with business related information. Automation of such information processing has led to many efficiency improvements in the modern business world; and workflow management includes effective management of information flow and control in an organization's business processes. Automation of workflow management is now allowing businesses and other organizations to further improve performance by executing workflow transactions in computer systems, including global computer networks, such as the Internet.
Workflow applications can be of particular utility in processing business transactions between different companies. In a typical application, two companies having a buyer-seller relationship can desire to automate generation and processing of purchase orders, product shipments, billing, and collections. Automating such processes can result in significant efficiency improvements. However, this inter-company application of workflow technology requires co-operation of the companies and proper interfacing of the individual company's existing computer systems. Thus far, workflow application tools have been developed which provide some capability for automating business workflow by defining workflow applications.
Many business transactions are of a short duration. A transaction is normally viewed as an atomic consistency-preserving state update. Atomic database transactions have this characteristic along with the guarantee that in case of any failure during the transactional update the partial update will be rolled back and its effects erased. For example, a buyer can wish to transmit a purchase order number along with a list of products being purchased to a seller, and the seller can wish to respond with a confirmation of the order and an expected shipment date. This type of transaction can involve a general consumer purchasing products from a retailer, or alternatively two large corporate entities which do business regularly. The data associated with the order and the confirmation can be relatively small and the transmission time for the data can be on the order of fractions of a second.
A workflow application running in a computer system can allocate system resources to the transaction during its pendency, which is generally very short—i.e. has a small latency. In this scenario, the system would use a conventional database transaction, e.g., an ACID transaction—ACID properties include atomicity, consistency, isolation, and durability. Atomicity refers to a transaction's change to a state of an overall system happening all at once or not at all. Consistency refers to a transaction being a correct transformation of the system state, and essentially means that the transaction is a correct program. Although transactions execute concurrently, isolation facilitates that transactions appear to execute before or after another transaction, because intermediate states of transactions are not visible to other transactions until the transaction commits (e.g., the data is locked during execution). Durability refers to once a transaction completes successfully (commits), its activities or its changes to the state become permanent and survive failures.
An ACID transaction locks database information for the duration of the transaction. However, there are other types of business workflow transactions which have significantly longer durations and which can occupy system resources for an unacceptably long time. Such transactions often are called long running transactions. Long running business processes or transactions require a different and somewhat looser notion of transaction (often called a long-running transaction) in which individuals can be atomic database transactions but if the overall long-running transaction fails or is cancelled for business or technical reasons, there is no automatic rollback and the partial work completed during its progress must be compensated for as best as possible.
For instance the planning and fulfillment of a travel itinerary can be viewed as a long running transaction in which individual service reservation actions can use atomic transactions at service providers. In case the itinerary is cancelled the reservation transactions must be compensated for by cancellation transactions, and the corresponding payment transactions must be compensated accordingly as well. For atomic transactions in databases the databases and transaction coordinator(s) are aware of the uncommitted updates, the order in which they must be reversed, and are in full control of such reversal. In the case of long-running transactions, the compensation process is custom and must be programmed explicitly in conjunction with error-handling behavior.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Compensation framework for long running transactions


Objects of the present invention are to provide a brazeable aluminum alloy cast material which can be manufactured brazeable products without lowering the productivity and the method of brazing a cast material.. The cast material is composed of: 0.5-4.5% by weight of Mn; 0.5-3% by weight of Si; 0.5-1% by weight of Fe; and the balance composed of aluminum and impurities. In the method of brazing the cast material, a brazing agent and/or flux are used, the brazing agent is composed of: 25-65% by weight of Zn; 2-7% by weight of Si; and the balance composed of aluminum and 0.1% or less of Fe as one of impurities. The flux is a mixture of: 0.5-5% by weight of LiF; 1-10% by weight of ZnCl.sub.2 ; 1-5% by weight of K.sub..alpha. AlF.sub..alpha.+3 (.alpha. is an integer not less than 1.); and the balance composed of BaCl.sub.2 -KCl-NaCl.

Products made from aluminum alloy casting are widely used as the parts of automobile vehicles, household electric apparatuses and the like. Those cast material are brazed one to another or to other expanded metal parts. The die-casting is suited to manufacture products of a sophisticated shape and having a smooth surface, rapidly and at a higher productivity. However, such die-cast material often suffers from a certain defect known as `blister`, when subjected to considerably raised temperatures. Thus, it has been difficult or impossible to employ material of die-cast aluminum alloy if they have to be heated to 450.degree. C. and above when they are brazed.
The blister appearing on cast material is a partial outward expansion thereof. This problem is an irreversible deformation of surface layer of said cast material, due to thermal expansion of entrained air or hydrogen gas that was entrained into the article when a molten metal was forced into a mold. In other words, the surface layer yields or succumbs to a high internal pressure of the heated air or gas.
A reduced amount of the entrained gas has been expected to diminish the `blistering`. Thus, the so-called slow squeeze-casting and SSF (semi-sintered piece forging) were proposed. By the squeeze-casting method, a molten metal is injected at a decreased rate into a mold, so as to effect the forging of a molten metal. It may also be useful to optimize the injection condition for the ordinary die-casting process in such a manner that the amount of entrained gas is reduced and/or prevented from concentrating in a surface layer of each cast material.
Productivity of squeeze-casting and SSF processes is much poorer than that of ordinary die-casting, and less suited to mass production of cast material. As seeking of optimum conditions takes long, and as a strict and severe control of ordinary casting process is mandatory, the operation efficiency is much lower than the ordinary die-casting. In consequence, it has been difficult for die-cast material to be brazed.

Brazeable aluminum alloy cast material and method of brazing the same


A template (10) for assisting cover design has a decorative surface (12). The decorative surface includes a curved portion (121) and an essentially flat portion (122) around the curved portion. The flat portion has a plurality of slots (124) formed therein and is divided into several sections by the slots. Each section has been processed to have a characteristic texture. Each texture within a given section is different from that of any other one of the sections.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to templates for assisting cover design and, more particularly, to a template for assisting cover design in a surface treatment process.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Various surface treatment technologies, such as spray painting, electronic plating, physical vacuum deposition, anodizing, and electrophoresis plating, are used to manufacture high-quality covers for mobile devices. The decorative appearance of any surface treatment process may vary with the shape of the covers. Designers would like to know the difference in appearance between different shaped covers after surface treatment, in order to choose a desired shape with a desired appearance. Typically, the designers prepare several sample covers with different shapes, each of which has been processed with a particular surface treatment. Thus, designers can compare the decorative appearances of the covers in order to choose a desired shape and surface treatment combination. However, each conventional sample only shows one decorative appearance of covers in a same shape. It is time-consuming and costly to prepare samples of covers in varying shapes.
What is needed, therefore, is a template for assisting cover design, which can show various decorative appearances of covers processed via a surface treatment in varying shapes.

Shenzhen Futaihong Precision Industry Co., Ltd.


The positive potential side output of a voltage source (1) is connected to the positive potential side of a first circuit (10) through a terminal (6); the ground (negative potential) side output of voltage source (1) is connected through a terminal (8) to the ground (negative potential) side of first circuit (10). Also, the positive potential side output of voltage source (1) is lowered by a prescribed voltage .DELTA. V by a Schottky barrier diode (2) and is connected to the positive potential side of second circuit (11) through a terminal (7); the ground (negative potential) side output of voltage source (1) is raised by a prescribed voltage .DELTA. V by a Schottky barrier diode (4) and is connected to the ground (negative potential) side of second circuit (11) through a terminal (9). A power supply voltage supplying circuit can thereby be provided wherein latch-up is avoided while still keeping current consumption and electromagnetic interference (EMI) low.

Conventionally, as a power supply circuit for supplying power supply voltage to two circuits of respectively different operating voltages, the circuit shown in FIG. 4 is known.
In the power supply supplying circuit shown in FIG. 4, voltage V38 and voltage V39 (V38>V39) are respectively supplied from voltage source 32 to a first circuit 38 of operating voltage V38 and a second circuit 39 of operating voltage V39; in this conventional power supply circuit, the construction is such that the ground potential (negative potential) of voltage source 32 that is supplied to first circuit 38 and second circuit 39 is supplied to first circuit 38 and second circuit 39 in common through terminal 37, and the positive potential of voltage source 32 is supplied to the positive potential side of the first circuit through terminal 35 directly, and is supplied to the positive potential side of the second circuit through terminal 36 with a prescribed voltage drop by a Schottky barrier diode 33.
If the potential of terminal 35 is V35, the potential of terminal 36 is V36 and the potential of terminal 37 is V37, V35=V38, V36=V39 and V37=0.
First circuit 38 and second circuit 39 can be regarded as respectively different LSI chips, the operating voltages of first circuit 38 and second circuit 39 being respectively set for example to 4 V and 3.2 V.
In this case, Schottky barrier diode 33 creates a potential difference of 4-3.2=0.8 (V).
Schottky barrier diode 34 is a protective diode. In the drawings, the protective diode is shown with parentheses.
Line 40 is an interface connecting line that connects the first circuit 38 and second circuit 39.
However, the conventional power supply voltage supplying circuit described above is subject to the inconvenience that, since operating voltage V38 of first circuit 38 and operating voltage V39 of second circuit 39 are different and the operating voltage V38 of the first circuit 38 is higher than the operating voltage V39 of second circuit 39, latch-up of the second circuit 39 occurs due to the high level signal input to second circuit 39 through interface connection line 40 from first circuit 38.
FIG. 5 is a view given in explanation of this latch-up phenomenon; in FIG. 5, circuit 48 corresponds to second circuit 39 shown in FIG. 4.
Circuit 48 is supplied with operating voltage Vcc from terminal 41 and has applied to it input signal IN from terminal 42.
Also, circuit 48 is provided with a protective diode 45 connected between LSI chip 47 and terminals 41 and 42 and a protective diode 46 connected between terminal 42 and ground.
When the difference between voltage VIN of input signal IN and operating voltage Vcc exceeds the threshold value Vs of protective diode 45, i.e. when VIN-Vcc>Vs, the current of the input signal IN flows through protective diode 45 as shown by arrow 43 and latch-up occurs.
The latch-up phenomenon can also occur if the voltage VIN of the input signal IN is less by a certain value than the ground potential, with the result that protective diode 46 is turned on and current flows in the direction of arrow 44.
For the above reasons, in the conventional power supply voltage supplying circuit shown in FIG. 4, latch-up occurs if V38-V39>Vs.
As a means for preventing this latch-up phenomenon, as shown in FIG. 6, consideration has been given to providing a level-converting buffer 50 on the interface connection line 40 that connects first circuit 38 and second circuit 39, the difference in levels between the operating voltage V38 of first circuit 38 and operating voltage V39 of second circuit 39 being absorbed by this level-converting buffer 50; however, with this construction, the need for a level-converting buffer 50 involves increased circuit costs.
In the construction of FIG. 4, consideration has also been given to a method whereby the voltage V36 of terminal 36 is set rather higher than the operating voltage V39 of second circuit 39; however, in this method, other problems are created in that the current consumption and electromagnetic interference (EMI) of second circuit 39 become larger.
FIG. 7 shows the output waveform 53 of a first circuit 38 of higher operating voltage shown in FIG. 4 and the output waveform 54 of a second circuit 39 of lower operating voltage. Amplitude 51 indicates the peak value V51 of waveform 53 and amplitude 52 indicates the peak value V52 of waveform 54.
FIG. 8 shows the frequency spectrum of emission energy corresponding to the output wave forms 53 and 54 shown in FIG. 7. Spectrum 55 here corresponds to output waveform 53, while spectrum 56 corresponds to output waveform 54.
Specifically, the circuit current consumption is determined by the product f.C.V. of the frequency f of operation of the circuit, the stray capacitance C, and operating voltage V, so, as the operating voltage becomes higher, the current consumption becomes higher in proportion thereto.
Also, the level of the electromagnetic interference (EMI) is related to the operating voltage of the circuit; however, as is clear from FIG. 8, whether the operating voltage is high or low is greatly influenced by electromagnetic interference (EMI) in the high frequency band in particular.