Disclosed herein is a dispersion comprising a liquid or semi-solid continuous phase, a dispersed solid phase comprising a plurality of organic, inorganic or inorganic-organic particles, and an alkyl ketal ester having the structure

A large number of products include particulate solids dispersed in a liquid, solid, or semi-solid continuous phase. Pigments are a very common example of solids that are dispersed in such a manner. Pigments are widely used in paints, inks, toners, colored pencil leads, cosmetics, and a number of other applications.
A large number of additives can be used to aid dispersion of the solid particles in the continuous phase, for example certain cosolvents, surfactants slip additives, block copolymer dispersants, and thickeners. These are generally selected for their affinity to the particle surface, which allows them to at least partially attach to the particle surface and in that way render the surface more compatible with the dispersing medium. Some, in particular slip agents, also tend to lubricate the particles so that they do not stick to each other. Thickeners, which reside mainly or exclusively in the continuous phase, increase the viscosity of the continuous phase so there is a kinematic barrier to particle settling. Determination of the most appropriate dispersant, slip additives, or thickener for a given formulation therefore, can be time-consuming. Further, despite the large number of dispersants slip additives, and thickeners available, there remains a need in the art for materials that can be used in a wide variety of different systems, including liquid and semi-solid systems.

Alkyl ketal esters as dispersants and slip agents for particulate solids, methods of manufacture, and uses thereof

Abstract: wherein a is 0 or an integer of 1 to 12, specifically 1 to 6, more specifically 1 to 4; b is 0 or 1; R2 is a divalent C1-8 group optionally substituted with up to 5 hydroxyl groups; and R1 is C1-6 alkyl, and wherein at least a portion of the alkyl ketal ester is present in the continuous phase, on a surface of at least some of the dispersed particles, or a combination thereof.


A system and method of managing requests from peripherals in a computer system are provided. In the system and method, an input/output memory management unit (IOMMU) receives a peripheral page request (PPR) from a peripheral. In response to a determination that a criterion regarding an available capacity of a PPR log is satisfied, a completion message is sent to the peripheral indicating that the PPR is complete and the PPR is discarded without queuing the PPR in the PPR log.

An I/O memory management unit (IOMMU) stores peripheral page requests (PPRs) from peripherals in a PPR log. When a large number of peripherals generates PPRs, overflow of the PPR log becomes a risk. Overflow of the PPR log causes PPRs to be dropped, resulting in a loss of system state that can make the system unstable. Also, pausing I/O activity to avoid overflow will degrade system performance and may cause system failure.

Back-off mechanism for a peripheral page request log


Apparatus for preventing lung collapse including an ambient air passageway, an airway injecting gas in fluid communication with nostrils of a patient and aerodynamically designed passageways for both the ambient air and the injected gas to optimize the fluid flow characteristics during inhalation and exhalation of the patient.

Babies born prematurely frequently lack the ability to keep their lungs from collapsing. Under normal circumstances, a baby's lungs will expand during inhalation and only partially contract during exhalation. Premature or newborn babies frequently have weak inspiratory movements causing collapse of the lung after exhalation. Collapse may also occur in the newborn as a result of blockage of bronchioles by mucus or from failure of the lung to distend.
For adults, lung collapse is a condition which may result from a lowering of intrapulmonic pressure or an increase in intrathoracic pressure. It may be focal, involving only a few lobules, or massive, in which an entire lobe or the complete lung is involved. It may result from obstruction of the bronchial tubes (obstructive atelectasis) or pressure upon the lung by air or fluid in the pleural cavity, an intrathoracic tumor, or a greatly enlarged heart (compressive atelectasis). Air may be introduced artificially into the pleural cavity (artificial pneumothorax) or it may be derived from emphysematous lesions.
The following patents reflect the state of the art of which applicant is aware and is included herewith to discharge applicant's acknowledged duty to disclose known prior art. It is stipulated, however, that neither patent teaches nor renders obvious when considered in any conceivable combination the nexus of the instant invention as disclosed in greater detail hereinafter and as particularly claimed.
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. ISSUE DATE INVENTOR ______________________________________ 4,261,355 April 14, 1981 Glazener 5,193,532 Moa, et al. ______________________________________
For example, the patent to Glazener teaches the use of a constant positive pressure breathing apparatus in which a cylindrical channel, serving as a conduit for gases either spontaneously or mechanically aspirated by a patient includes in said channel a narrow diameter nozzle venting compressed gas in the direction of inspired flow.
Moa, et al. teaches the use of a device for generating continuous positive airway pressure in which a fresh gas inlet channel admits gas into a breathing channel such that the fresh gas channel terminates substantially flush with the breathing channel.

Method and apparatus for assisting in breathing


A safety belt buckle includes a base unit, a cover covering and combined with the base unit, a locking device mounted in the cover, a torsion spring mounted on the cover, and a driving unit mounted on the cover. When in use, a latch plate of a safety belt is inserted into one of the insertion slots of the base unit. Thus, the user has to apply a determined force to overcome the elastic force of the torsion spring and to drive the driving unit so as to release the latch plate of the safety belt, thereby preventing the driving unit from being driven freely by an external force due to an unintentional touch or hit, and thereby preventing the latch plate of the safety belt from being unlatched easily.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a safety belt buckle and, more particularly, to a safety belt buckle for a race car.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional safety belt buckle for a race car comprises a main body, a rotary drive member and a fastening member. The main body has a periphery provided with a plurality of insertion slots and has a top having a center provided with a post which is provided with a square drive portion which is provided with a screw hole. The top of the main body is provided with a limit block located beside the post. A locking device is mounted in the main body and is controlled by rotation of the post. The rotary drive member includes a circular disk and a drive handle extending from the circular disk. The circular disk has a top having a center provided with a circular recess which has a face provided with a square mounting hole. The circular disk has a bottom provided with an arcuate limit slot located beside the square mounting hole. In assembly, when the rotary drive member is mounted on the main body, the square mounting hole of the rotary drive member is mounted on the square drive portion of the post of the main body, and the arcuate limit slot of the rotary drive member is mounted on the limit block of the main body. The fastening member is screwed into the screw hole of the post of the main body so that the rotary drive member is combined with the post of the main body. When in use, a latch plate of a safety belt is inserted into one of the insertion slots of the main body and is locked by the locking device. When the rotary drive member is rotated, the post of the main body is rotated to drive the locking device so as to unlock the latch plate of the safety belt from the locking device and to release the latch plate of the safety belt. At this time, the arcuate limit slot of the rotary drive member and the limit block of the main body limit the rotation angle of the rotary drive member. However, rotation of the rotary drive member directly drives and rotates the post of the main body so that when the rotary drive member is driven by an external force due to an unintentional touch or hit, the latch plate of the safety belt will be unlatched and released easily, thereby causing danger to the user.


Inexpensive paint stripper compositions, containing neither chlorinated, aromatic nor alkaline solvents and well adopted for removing glycerophthalic, alkyd-urethane, acrylic-polyurethane and epoxy paints from a variety of substrates, e.g., wood and metal substrates, comprise (a) from 1% to 20% by volume of an aprotic polar solvent selected from among dimethylsulfoxide, dimethylformamide, N-methylpyrrolidone, N-methylmorpholine, .gamma.-butyrolactone, acetonitrile and mixtures thereof; and (b) from 99% to 80% by volume of an ether selected from among methyltert-butylether, diethylether, tert-amylmethylether, tetrahydrofuran, dioxane and mixtures thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to novel paint stripping compositions and, more especially, to novel paint stripping compositions containing neither chlorinated, aromatic nor alkaline solvents.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 3,600,322 describes the use of mixtures of methylene chloride and methanol for stripping paint, varnish or lacquers. Paint stripping compositions containing lactams or lactones, particularly N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone or .gamma.-butyrolactone, in admixture with other active compounds, for example alkylene glycol ethers, are also known to this art. Compare in this respect WO 86/03,766 and WO 88/06,640 and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,011,121 and 5,015,410.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,694,658 describes the use of DMSO as a solvent for paint stripping applications.
Nonetheless, all of the above solvents present the disadvantages of being expensive and of being present in the compositions in considerable amounts. Thus, serious need exists in the surface coating removal industry for stripping formulations that are as effective as those of the prior art, but which are significantly less expensive.

Aprotic polar solvent/ether paint stripping compositions


The present invention discloses eight new reduced dimensionality (RD) triple resonance nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments for measuring chemical shift values of certain nuclei in a protein molecule. The RD 3D HA,CA,(CO),N,HN NMR experiment and the RD 3D H,C,(C-TOCSY—CO),N,HN NMR experiment are designed to yield “sequential” connectivities, while the RD 3D Hαβ,Cαβ,CO,HA NMR experiment and the RD 3D Hαβ,Cαβ,N,HN NMR experiment provide “intraresidue” connectivities. The RD 3D H,C,C,H—COSY NMR experiment, the RD 3D H,C,C,H-TOCSY NMR experiment, and the RD 2D H,C,H—COSY NMR experiment allow one to obtain assignments for aliphatic and aromatic side chain chemical shifts, while the RD 2D HB,CB,(CG,CD),HD NMR experiment provide information for the aromatic side chain chemical shifts. In addition, a method of conducting suites of RD triple resonance NMR experiments for high-throughput resonance assignment of proteins and identification of the location of secondary structure elements are disclosed.

The use of triple resonance (TR) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments for the resonance assignment of polypeptide chains via heteronuclear scalar connectivities (Montelione et al., J. Am Chem. Soc., 111:5474–5475 (1989); Montelione et al., J. Magn. Reson., 87:183–188 (1989); Kay et al., J. Magn. Reson., 89:496–514 (1990); Ikura et al., Biochemistry, 29:4659–8979 (1990); Edison et al., Methods Enzymol., 239:3–79 (1994)) is a standard approach which neatly complements the assignment protocol based on 1H—1H nuclear Overhauser effects (NOE) (Wüthrich, NMR of Proteins and Nucleic Acids, Wiley, New York (1986)). In addition, triple resonance NMR spectra are highly amenable to a fast automated analysis (Friedrichs et al., J. Biomol. NMR, 4:703–726 (1994); Zimmerman et al., J. Biomol. NMR, 4:241–256 (1994); Bartels et al., J. Biomol. NMR, 7:207–213 (1996); Morelle et al., J. Biomol. NMR, 5:154–160 (1995); Buchler et al., J. Magn. Reson., 125:34–42 (1997); Lukin et al., J. Biomol. NMR, 9:151–166 (1997)), yielding the 13Cα/β chemical shifts at an early stage of the assignment procedure. This enables both, the identification of regular secondary structure elements without reference to NOEs (Spera et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 113: 5490–5491 (1991)) and the derivation of (φ,ψ)-angle constraints which serve to reduce the number of cycles consisting of nuclear Overhauser enhancement spectroscopy (NOESY) peak assignment and structure calculation (Luginbühl et al., J. Magn. Reson., B 109:229–233 (1995)).
NMR assignments are prerequisite for NMR-based structural biology (Wüthrich, NMR of Proteins and Nucleic Acid, Wiley:New York (1986)) and, thus, for high-throughput (HTP) structure determination in structural genomics (Rost, Structure, 6:259–263 (1998); Montelione et al., Nature Struct. Biol., 6:11–12. (1999); Burley, Nature Struc Biol., 7:932–934 (2000)) and for exploring structure-activity relationships (SAR) by NMR for drug discovery (Shuker et al., Science, 274:1531–1534 (1996)). The aims of structural genomics are to (i) explore the naturally occurring "protein fold space" and (ii) contribute to the characterization of function through the assignment of atomic resolution three-dimensional (3D) structures to proteins. It is now generally acknowledged that NMR will play an important role in structural genomics (Montelione et al., Nature Struc. Biol., 7:982–984 (2000)). The resulting demand for HTP structure determination requires fast and automated NMR data collection and analysis protocols (Moseley et al., Curr. Opin. Struct. Biol., 9:635–642 (1999)).
The establishment of a HTP NMR structural genomics pipeline requires two key objectives in data collection. Firstly, the measurement time should be minimized in order to (i) lower the cost per structure and (ii) relax the constraint that NMR samples need to be stable over a long period of measurement time. The recent introduction of commercial cryogenic probes (Styles et al., J. Magn. Reson., 60:397–404 (1984); Flynn et al., J. Am Chem. Soc., 122:4823–4824 (2000)) promises to reduce measurement times by about a factor of ten or more, and will greatly impact the realization of this first objective. Secondly, reliable automated spectral analysis requires recording of a "redundant" set of multidimensional NMR experiments each affording good resolution (which requires appropriately long maximal evolution times in all indirect dimensions). Concomitantly, it is desirable to keep the total number of NMR spectra small in order to minimize "interspectral" variations of chemical shift measurements, which may impede automated spectral analysis. Straightforward consideration of this second objective would suggest increasing the dimensionality of the spectra, preferably by implementing a suite of four- or even higher-dimensional NMR experiments. Importantly, however, the joint realization of the first and second objectives is tightly limited by the rather large lower bounds of higher-dimensional TR NMR measurement times if appropriately long maximal evolution times are chosen.
Hence, "sampling limited" and "sensitivity limited" data collection regimes are distinguished, depending on whether the sampling of the indirect dimensions or the sensitivity of the multidimensional NMR experiments "per se" determines the minimally achievable measurement time. As a matter of fact, the ever increasing performance of NMR spectrometers will soon lead to the situation where, for many protein samples, the sensitivity of the NMR spectrometers do not constitute the prime bottleneck determining minimal measurement times. Instead, the minimal measurement times encountered for recording conventional higher-dimensional NMR schemes will be "sampling limited," particularly as high sensitivity cryoprobes become generally available. As structure determinations of proteins rely on nearly complete assignment of chemical shifts, which are obtained using multidimensional 13C, 15N, 1H-TR NMR experiments (Montelione et al., J. Am Chem. Soc., 111:5474–5475 (1989); Montelione, et al., J. Magn. Reson., 87:183–188 (1989); Ikura et al., Biochemistry, 29:4659–8979 (1990)), the development of TR NMR techniques that avoid the sampling limited regime represents a key challenge for future biomolecular NMR methods development.
Reduced dimensionality (RD) TR NMR experiments (Szyperski et al., J. Biomol. NMR, 3:127–132 (1993); Szyperski et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 115:9307–9308 (1993); Szyperski et al., J. Magn. Reson., B 105:188–191 (1994); Brutscher et al., J. Magn. Reson., B 105:77–82 (1994); Szyperski et al., J. Magn. Reson., B 108: 197–203 (1995); Brutscher et al., J. Biomol. NMR, 5:202–206 (1995); Löhr et al., J. Biomol. NMR, 6:189–197 (1995); Szyperski et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 118:8146–8147 (1996); Szyperski et al., J. Magn. Reson., 28:228–232 (1997); Bracken et al., J. Biomol. NMR, 9:94–100 (1997); Sklenar et al., J. Magn. Reson., 130:119–124 (1998); Szyperski et al., J. Biomol. NMR, 11:387–405 (1998)), designed for simultaneous frequency labeling of two spin types in a single indirect dimension, offer a viable strategy to circumvent recording NMR spectra in a sampling limited fashion. RD NMR is based on a projection technique for reducing the spectral dimensionality of TR experiments: the chemical shifts of the projected dimension give rise to a cosine-modulation of the transfer amplitude, yielding peak doublets encoding n chemical shifts in a n−1 dimensional spectrum (Szyperski et al., J. Biomol. NMR, 3:127–132 (1993); Szyperski et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 115:9307–9308 (1993)). As a key result, this allows recording projected four-dimensional (4D) NMR experiments with maximal evolution times typically achieved in the corresponding conventional 3D NMR experiments (Szyperski et al., J. Biomol. NMR, 3:127–132 (1993); Szyperski et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 115:9307–9308 (1993); Szyperski et al., J. Magn. Reson. B 105:188–191 (1994); Szyperski et al., J. Magn. Reson., B 108: 197–203 (1995); Szyperski et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 118:8146–8147 (1996); Szyperski et al., J. Magn. Reson., 28:228–232 (1997); Bracken et al., J. Biomol. NMR, 9:94–100 (1997); Sklenar et al., J. Magn. Reson., 130:119–124 (1998); Szyperski et al., J. Biomol. NMR, 11:387–405 (1998)). Furthermore, axial coherences, arising from either incomplete insensitive nuclei enhanced by polarization transfer (INEPT) or heteronuclear magnetization, can be observed as peaks located at the center of the doublets (Szyperski et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 118:8146–8147 (1996)). This allows both the unambiguous assignment of multiple doublets with degenerate chemical shifts in the other dimensions and the identification of cross peak pairs by symmetrization of spectral strips about the position of the central peak (Szyperski et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 118:8146–8147 (1996); Szyperski et al., J. Biomol. NMR, 11:387–405 (1998)). Hence, observation of central peaks not only restores the dispersion of the parent, higher-dimensional experiment, but also provides access to reservoir of axial peak magnetization (Szyperski et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 118:8146–8147 (1996)). Historically, RD NMR experiments were first designed to simultaneously recruit both 1H and heteronuclear magnetization (Szyperski et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 118:8146–8147 (1996)) for signal detection, a feature that has also gained interest for improving transverse relaxation-optimized spectroscopy (TROSY) pulse schemes (Pervushin et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 94:12366–12371 (1997); Salzmann et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 121:844–848 (1999); Pervushin et al., J. Biomol. NMR, 12:345–348, (1998)). Moreover, RD two-spin coherence NMR spectroscopy (Szyperski et al., J. Biomol. NMR, 3:127–132 (1993)) subsequently also called zero-quantum/double-quantum (ZQ/DQ) NMR spectroscopy (Rexroth et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 17:10389–10390 (1995)), served as a valuable radio-frequency (r.f.) pulse module for measurement of scalar coupling constants (Rexroth et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 17: 10389–10390 (1995)) and cross-correlated heteronuclear relaxation (Reif et al., Science, 276:1230–1233 (1997); Yang et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 121:3555–3556 (1999); Chiarparin et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 122:1758–1761 (2000); Brutscher et al., J. Magn. Reson., 130:346–351 (1998); Brutscher, Concepts Magn. Reson., 122:207–229 (2000)).
The present invention is directed to overcoming the deficiencies in the art.

Method of using reduced dimensionality nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy for rapid chemical shift assignment and secondary structure determination of proteins

The Research Foundation of State University of New York


An audio system includes an equatorial acoustic sensor array (EASA) that may be coupled to an object. The audio system is configured to detect, via the EASA, signals corresponding to a portion of a sound field in a local area. The detected signals are converted into a plurality of corresponding abstract representations that describe the portion of the sound field. Effects of scattering of the object are removed from the abstract representations to create adjusted abstract representations. A set of spherical harmonic (SH) coefficients is determined using the adjusted abstract representations. The set of SH coefficients describe an entirety of the sound field. And the set of SH coefficients and head related transfer functions of a user are used for binaural rendering of the reconstructed sound field to the user.

Conventionally sound fields are captured via a spherical microphone array (SMA), and the captured sound fields may later be used for binaural rendering. The SMA includes a plurality of microphones that are arranged over a surface a spherical scattering object. While SMAs may be used to determine a sound field having direction-independent spatial resolution, it requires a very large number of microphones to do so. For example, a typical SMA may have a diameter of about 8.5 inches and include ˜100 microphones. And as the number of microphones is reduced, the accuracy of the captured sound field is reduced. As such, SMAs can be difficult to use on devices having small form factors where a large number of microphones are not feasible.

Spherical harmonic decomposition of a sound field detected by an equatorial acoustic sensor array


A bearing system includes a bearing, a shaft extending in the bearing, and a layer of nano-structured coating coated on one of the bearing and the shaft. A space is formed between the bearing and the shaft, and a lubricant is filled in the space. The lubricant is made of polymer material with hydrophilic and hydropholic properties. The nano-structured coating has a high surface tension which results in the coating being capable of adsorbing the lubricant to form a layer of lubricant film between the coating and the other of the bearing and the shaft, thereby reducing possibility of direct contact between the lubricant and the other of the shaft and the bearing. Thus, loss of the lubricant is reduced to avoid contacting frication between the shaft and the bearing. Accordingly, noise generated by the bearing system is decreased and life of the bearing system is extended.

Bearing systems have been widely used to pivotably connect two components of devices, such as stators and rotors of fans. Ball bearing and sleeve bearing are two typical kinds of bearings.
A ball bearing comprises an inner ball bearing race for engaging with a central rotary shaft of a rotary component of a device and an outer ball bearing race for engaging with a stationary component of the device. A plurality of balls is arranged between the inner and outer ball bearing races. This configuration allows for rotational movement of the outer ball bearing race relative to the inner ball bearing race for rotation of the rotary component without a direct surface movement between the shaft and the bearing. A low friction exists between the balls and the inner and outer ball bearing races so that the rotary component can rotate smoothly relative to the stationary component. However, the ball bearing has a low load bearing capacity since balls contact with inner and outer ball bearing races in a point-to-point manner. Furthermore, the ball bearing has many components, i.e., the inner ball bearing race, the outer ball bearing race and a plurality of balls, which increases the cost thereof.
A sleeve bearing employs a bearing which directly and movably contacts with a rotary shaft. Lubricant is filled in a space formed between the bearing and the shaft for reducing friction therebetween. The sleeve bearing has a high load bearing capacity since the bearing contacts with the rotary shaft in a surface-to-surface manner and low cost since it employs only a bearing body. However, in working of the sleeve bearing, the lubricant is gradually lost which results in high friction being generated between the rotary shaft and the bearing and noise being generated accordingly. Furthermore, high friction between the shaft and the bearing can reduce the lift of the sleeve bearing.
For the foregoing reasons, therefore, there is a need in the art for a bearing system which overcomes the above-mentioned problems.


A mechanical and automatic liquid crystal display (LCD) device and particularly to a mechanical and automatic LCD device for automatically and rapidly unloading and storing the LCD panel that is especially suitable for a LCD device which has a display panel foldable upwards for storing includes a case for housing an extendable deck, a coupling mechanism, a display panel holding mechanism and an upward folding actuation means. The structure thus formed can replace the expensive electronic circuit control to enable users to automatically and rapidly unload or retract and store the display panel, and also adjust and remember the viewing angle of the display panel to meet user's requirements.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mechanical and automatic liquid crystal display (LCD) device and particularly to a mechanical and automatic LCD device for automatically and rapidly unloading and storing the LCD panel that is especially suitable for a LCD device which has a display panel foldable upwards for storing, and also has an viewing angle that may be adjusted and remembered to suit user's requirements.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With increasing developments of technology and economics, people have growing demands for leisure, recreation and information. As a result, telematics products such as video and audio devices for use in cars and mobile information equipment have been developed and introduced. Among them Liquid crystal display (LCD) device is an indispensable facility. For the car use LCD devices now on the market, folding and storing operations generally can be categorized into three types, i.e. fully automatic, semi-automatic and manual. The fully automatic type employs electric and precise electronic elements to do control function. The display panel of the display device may be unfolded and turned and anchored on a desired position by one push. However it is very expensive. The semi-automatic and manual types have to be turned and adjusted by people manually to set the display panel at a desired position. While they are less expensive, they are not convenient for use. Hence the conventional display devices all have their share of problems, either expensive or inconvenient to use. There is still room for improvement.

Mechanical and automatic liquid crystal display device


A computer-implemented method of generating a video stream recommendation comprises identifying a plurality of peripheral devices monitoring zones of a physical area, the peripheral devices comprising a plurality of video cameras providing video streams of at least some of the monitored zones. The method further comprises querying a knowledge graph representing the peripheral devices and the monitored zones as ontology entities connected by edges representing physical paths between the monitored zones, and by edges representing which monitored zones the peripheral devices monitor, in order to identify a set of one or more video camera(s) monitoring zones other than a selected monitored zone, as a result of the querying. The method then comprises generating a video stream recommendation based on the result of the querying.

The present disclosure relates to a computer-implemented method, a computer program and an apparatus for generating a video stream recommendation.
A video surveillance management system typically receives video data from a plurality of surveillance cameras. The video surveillance management system may store the data in a recording server and carry out image processing or analytics, and transmit the video data to a client device which may be a mobile device or an operator console including a display where it is viewed by an operator. The video surveillance management system may also carry out control relating to the storage and deletion of the video data.
The video surveillance management system may also receive commands from the user, from the client device. The commands may include commands to remotely control video cameras connected to the video surveillance management system such as pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) video cameras. The commands may also include commands to the video management system which control which data is sent to the client device for display. For example, the operator can control which video cameras' data is sent from the video management system to the display so that the operator can select which video cameras to view data from.
The operator's display may display only data from one video camera at any one time. However, video data from multiple cameras may be displayed simultaneously in multiple windows of an interface (e.g. in multiple panes or child windows inside a parent window), with video from a selected camera preferably displayed in a relatively larger view than the other cameras. Accordingly, the client device can receive one stream of video data or multiple streams.
Video surveillance is often carried out in real time, with an operator monitoring events as they happen. In some cases, it is crucial that the operator maintains a clear view of a moving object or activity of interest continuously. When such an object or activity is detected in a monitored zone of a physical area, an operator may want to continue observing the object or activity after it has reached and/or spread out across other monitored zones. For instance, when a thief is detected in a monitored zone, there is a need to know which relevant video cameras monitoring zones of the physical area would provide video streams in which the thief might be predicted to appear in after leaving the monitored zone in which the thief was detected. This issue becomes even more complicated as the number of video cameras increases in the physical area under surveillance. In some cases, the user may only be watching a limited number of video streams on a display, e.g. eight or nine video streams, while the number of video cameras in the physical area can exceed several tens of video cameras and in some cases even more than a thousand video cameras. Even though the number of video cameras may be high, there may be dead zones or blind spots in the physical area where there is no camera coverage, i.e. zones which are not in any camera's field of view. Even if the thief enters a closed corridor with no alternative route, the operator might feel insecure about his/her next choice of video camera if the thief does not appear as quickly as expected in the field of view of the video camera which has been selected next by the operator. This is particularly the case for operators which are unfamiliar with the physical area and its distances, e.g. for operators in a remote surveillance centre. The relevant video cameras may also not be currently displayed to the operator and he/she may have to search for them, for instance in a hierarchical tree list. The time required for the search will depend, in particular, on the operator's knowledge of the list, e.g. a less experienced operator will probably need more time to find the relevant video cameras. By the time the operator finds and selects one or more video cameras providing video streams of monitored zones which neighbour a monitored zone where the moving object or activity of interest was detected, the object or activity may have already moved beyond these neighbouring zones such that the operator loses track of it. The issue is aggravated by the time taken to load video streams. Moreover, if the operator loses track of the object or activity e.g. when monitoring a large crowd of people and several alternative routes can be taken by the object or activity, it is almost impossible to relocate it when having to check individual camera streams from different locations where the object or activity could potentially have passed through at different times. In summary, the operator may lose valuable time searching and loading relevant video streams while being without sight of the object or activity during all this time, and may ultimately lose track of the object or activity.
Thus, there is a need to facilitate quick identification of relevant video streams which are likely to show a moving object or activity of interest once it has departed or spread from a selected monitored zone.
It is known from Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP2013051486A to rank video cameras according to different filters, i.e. by prioritizing a video camera that covers the more areas, by prioritizing a video camera that covers the most distant area, by prioritizing a video camera that can evenly monitor the entire surveillance area and by prioritizing video cameras that are sufficiently distant to evenly monitor the entire surveillance area. These rankings are determined based on a model of the physical area in the form of a graph (FIG. 3) and a table (FIG. 4) representing the video cameras as connected to the zones the video cameras belong to and observe. For instance, the first three video cameras C1, C2, C3 observe a front cabinet in a machine room on a second floor of a second building and a camera C14 observes a west side of a corridor on the same floor in the same building. However, this model does not explicitly reflect the possibility of movement (such as human movement) or reachability between the different zones of the physical area, and whether and how the different rooms (e.g. the said machine room and corridor) and floors are connected with one another by any means of passage (e.g. via a doorway). It is thus not possible to determine which video cameras would provide video streams in which a person might be predicted to appear after leaving the said machine room or corridor or when going to another floor. In summary, the aforementioned graph and table have no predictive value for determining relevant cameras for tracking purposes across different rooms and/or floors.
It is also known to find relevant video cameras based on a Euclidean distance, i.e. by ranking the video cameras based on a radius from the video camera with which an operator observes an incident. However, such a solution does not consider reachability by an object (such as a human person or a car) causing the incident as it will include all video cameras which are within a predetermined radius, including video cameras monitoring zones of a physical area the object cannot access. For instance, two video cameras located on and looking at opposite sides of a motorway would appear to be close based on a Euclidean distance but would not be both able to capture the same car one after the other. Thus, one of the two video cameras is not relevant for further observing the car after it leaves the field of view of the video camera which captured it in the first place.

Computer-implemented method, computer program and apparatus for generating a video stream recommendation


A feeder for feeding products to be dispatched, such as, for instance, documents, periodicals, CDs, DVDs, and the like, to a conveyor of a packaging line, provided with transport pushers, the feeder being provided with a magazine for storing a stack of products, the dimensions of the magazine being settable through the setting of guides, wherein at least a number of the guides are in communication with a sensor, such that the position of the respective guide is known, while the control is arranged, on the basis of the signals coming from the sensors, to set at least one setting of a packaging line of which the feeder forms a part.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a feeder for feeding products to be dispatched, such as, for instance, documents, periodicals, CDs, DVDs, and the like, to a conveyor of a packaging line, provided with transport pushers, the feeder being provided with a magazine for storing a stack of products, the dimensions of the magazine being settable through the setting of guides.
2. Description of Background art
Such a feeder is known from practice and is marketed by applicant. Descriptions are to be found, for instance, in the operating manual of the RF4-Feeder and in the operating manual of the "Big Foot" Shuttle Feeder, both of Buhrs-Zaandam The RF4-Feeder is a so-called drum feeder, whereby each time the bottommost product of a stack of products present in the magazine is pulled loose and is transported downwards via a gripper drum to be delivered there onto a conveying surface along which the transport pushers of the conveyor travel. In the case of a shuttle feeder such as, for instance, the Big Foot Shuttle Feeder of Buhrs-Zaandam, each time the bottommost product of a stack of products present in the magazine is transported forwards by means of a sliding table and discharged by further conveying means, such as, for instance, conveyor wheels and/or conveyor belts, to a lower conveying surface along which the transport pushers of a conveyor of a packaging line travel.
In the known apparatuses, the guides of the magazine are set manually, so that they match the dimensions of the product to be processed by the feeder. In the known apparatuses, it is of great importance that the moment of delivery of the product by a feeder be accurately geared to the position of a passing transport pusher, since the product should not end up on a transport pusher or far ahead of a transport pusher, but should be deposited onto the conveying surface with a trailing edge shortly before a transport pusher, so that the traveling speed of the product is substantially preserved and a reliable further conveyance of the product is effected. In practice, to that end, in the feeders according to the prior art, a number of operations are to be performed, whereby each feeder, in the so-called toggle position, which is a kind of test position, is phased to the conveyor by manual adjustment of a potentiometer. This needs to be performed for every feeder, which is a time consuming job which is at the expense of the production time of the packaging line.
It is known per se to store the product dimensions in the database of the control of the packaging line, so that these data can already be taken into account when setting the feeders. A drawback of this known method is that in practice it happens regularly that the data in the database do not correspond to the actual sizes of the documents. In practice, therefore, mostly the dimensions of the products are first measured and entered in the database, after which the subsequent setting and synchronization with the conveyor can take place automatically.

Feeder provided with automatic size recognition for a packaging line


The present invention relates to the preparation and use of novel polyurethane polyuretidione crosslinking agents in solvent and water borne coatings systems. These polyuretidione polyurethanes are characterized by their relatively low solution viscosity, and the ability to provide a relatively high crosslink density in the final, cured film, and thereby, coatings with the excellent physical properties and resistance to chemical and environmental exposure of known polyurethane systems without the potential for worker exposure to toxic isocyanates. This invention also relates to a process for the production of these polyuretidiones and their use in pseudo-one and two component coating compositions.

Polyurethane-forming compositions are widely used in a variety of commercial, industrial and household applications, such as in automotive clear-coat and seat cushion applications. There is a significant environmental challenge facing the polyurethanes manufacturing industry due to the potential for worker exposure to toxic isocyanates. In order to overcome this challenge, polyurethane systems have been prepared heretofore that employ isocyanates that are pre-reacted with monofunctional reagents to form relatively thermally labile compounds, called blocked isocyanates. Unfortunately, the monofunctional reagents (commonly referred to as "isocyanate blocking agents") are released into the air, upon heating the blocked isocyanate, in order to free-up the functional iscyanate moiety, during curing of the polyurethane-forming composition to prepare the desired polyurethane product. During this curing step, special precautions must be taken to avoid release of these volatile blocking agents into the air (or a waste air stream) in order to protect both workers and the environment.
As an alternative to the use of systems requiring these volatile blocking agents, there are other compounds, namely uretidiones, that are, in effect, "self-blocked", thus providing the desired "latent reactivity" to enable the uretidione linkages to react at the desired time, while avoiding the above-discussed environmental problems associated with the use of volatile blocking agents. The prior art has recognized that there are advantages associated with this latent reactivity, but has failed to make practical application of this concept. By way of illustration, disclosures of the preparation of crosslinkable polyurethane rubbers and elastomers by taking advantage of the latent reactivity of the uretidione linkage can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,099,642 and 3,248,370, and in British Patent No. 802,189. The processes described in these references involve the combining, at temperatures of less than 100.degree. C., of a relatively high molecular weight (e.g., on the order of from 500 to 3,000 daltons) difunctional resin, a low molecular weight crosslinker reagent, and a uretidione diisocyanate, or a mixture of a uretidione diisocyanate and a monomeric diisocyanate. The preferred uretidiones disclosed in these references are derived from aromatic diisocyanates. The resulting, essentially thermoplastic, formulations contain an excess of isocyanate reactive groups, and these formulations are finally cured to a crosslinked thermoset polymer by treatment at relatively high temperatures for relatively extended periods of time.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,793,238 discloses a process for preparing filaments and foils by casting very high molecular weight polyurethanes, derived from high molecular weight polyester diols and aromatic uretidione diisocyanates, from very polar solvents. The final products are crosslinked by exposure to primary or secondary aliphatic diamines or hydrazine or hydrazides.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,524,834 teaches a method of using aromatic uretidione diisocyanates to convert thermoplastic copolymers, derived from mono-ethylenically unsaturated monomers and a minor amount of a co-monomer that contains an amide (--CONH.sub.2) group, into a crosslinked thermoset polymer with heat.
For powder coating systems, the preparation and use of solid, high molecular weight polyuretidione polyurethane curatives, derived from (cyclo)aliphatic diisocyanates and relatively low molecular weight diols, is described in U.S. Pat. Nos.: 4,413,079; 4,463,154; and, 4,483,798; and, in Australian Patent No. A-70,272/94. This last reference teaches the low melt viscosity advantages associated with the use of diols containing carboxylic acid ester and/or carbonate groups in a total amount of at least one percent in the powder coating composition described therein. These diols containing carboxylic acid ester and/or carbonate groups are more expensive than might otherwise be desired.
For solvent-borne coatings systems, polyuretidione based curatives are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,998,794. These curatives are crosslinkable polyurethane polyurea oligomers containing uretidione groups prepared by chain extending polyisocyanates, containing aliphatically bound uretidione and isocyanate groups, with aliphatic primary and/or secondary diamines. Unfortunately, because the uretidione structures are linked by urea groups, the oligomers that are described in the '794 patent which contain sufficiently high levels of uretidione rings to provide the desired curing also are relatively high in viscosity. Therefore, undesirably high levels of solvents must be used in admixture with these oligomers in order to prepare sprayable coatings formulations.
Thus, while the potential utility and advantages associated with this latent reactivity of uretidiones are known, as illustrated by the disclosures provided in the above-discussed prior art patents, the application of this technology in practical commercial solvent and water borne systems has been lacking heretofore, based upon the knowledge of the present inventors. The reason for this failure in the prior art to find practical commercial application is a lack of understanding being exhibited heretofore regarding how to prepare and use uretidione containing oligomers having the proper balance of uretidione content and chain length in order to achieve materials with useful handling characteristics (notably, viscosity), while providing the needed crosslink density, in order to yield the desired properties in the final, cured polymer.
Accordingly, it would therefore be highly desirable to provide, as a polyurethane-forming cross-linker, a polyuretidione composition having a proper balance of uretidione content and chain length in order to produce a desired combination of properties, including a low solution viscosity, together with a high crosslink density in the final, cured polymer. Such a combination would result in a coating having the desirable performance properties of conventional polyurethane coatings, but without the above-discussed environmental hazards associated with the isocyanates conventionally employed to produce polyurethane coatings. Advantageously, the polyuretidione composition would be useful for producing coatings and elastomers in both solvent-borne and water-borne coatings systems, and would not employ the relatively expensive diols containing carbonate or carboxylic acid ester groups as described in the prior art. The present invention provides one such composition, together with a process for making and using the composition.

Low viscosity polyuretidione polyurethanes and their use as curatives for solvent and water borne coatings


A new system for welding sections of pipe together to form a long, continuous pipeline. A welding bug is mounted on a guide track which goes around the circumference of the pipe. The welding bug is provided with a wire feeder, a motor to drive the wire feeder, and driving motor for driving the bug around the track. One may vary the speed of the bug and the wire feeder while the bug is continuously driven around the track. The welding head on the welding bug is powered by a surface-tension-transfer power source. The initial or root pass is made external of the pipe. In one embodiment there is a dual welding wire feeder for driving two welding wires simultaneously at the same speed.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of welding sections of pipe together to form a long, continuous pipeline. It relates especially to a system whereby the welding is done with machines.
2. Background of the Invention
One of the major systems for transporting products such as oil, gas, and water, is by the use of pipelines. These pipelines are usually laid underground and literally crisscross the United States and many other countries. A trench is normally dug by ditch diggers along the prescribed route of the pipeline.
Sections of pipe, e.g. 30 to 60 feet or so, are hauled into the area through which the pipeline is being laid. Ends of adjacent joints of pipe are connected by welding. These welds must be very precise. Even little pinholes in the weld cannot be tolerated. The ends of the pipe are normally beveled to improve the welding. These pipes are clamped together to get as good an alignment between the two sections of pipe as possible. On the inside of the pipe at the welding joints the welding material should form a rather smooth surface next to the interior of the pipe. In any event, the weld on the inside of the pipe should have very little protrusion. Excessive protrusion can cause all sorts of problems when one runs apparatuses down inside the pipe, such as apparatus useful to detect any possible flaw which may have developed in the pipeline. Also, introduced in the pipelines are pipeline pigs which separate one product present in a pipeline from a second. It should be understood that sometimes gasoline will be piped through a pipeline. A plug will be put in to separate the two products, and then crude oil will then be pumped through the same pipe. One must maintain a consistent separation of the two materials.
In order to prevent the protrusion of welded molten welding material into the inside of a pipe, the more common practice today is to make the first or root pass of the weld from inside the pipe. Special elaborate, costly machines are commercially available for this purpose. The cost of renting such elaborate, equipment for working on the inside of a three foot (3') diameter pipe may be as much as $1,200.00 per weld, or the rental could be nearly Two Million Dollars per month. This is a very time-consuming and costly welding procedure. It is seen that there is a need for a better, less expensive way of welding pipe sections together.
In modern pipeline welding, welding bugs are sometimes used as semi-automatic welding machines. In conjunction with the welding bug is a track which is secured about the periphery of the pipe at the point it is desired for the welding bug to rotate around the pipe. The bug has a drive motor which with the help of rollers, drives the bug around the track. The rollers hold the welding bug along the track, even when the welding bug is nearly upside down. Special clamping means are provided to secure the bug to the track. Means are also provided to accommodate different size pipe. The welding bug normally has an oscillator to cause the welding tip to oscillate across the welding puddle.
The bug also has a wire feeder which has a motor which drives the wire through the welding head for the actual welding of the two sections of pipe together.
In operation, the drive motor drives the bug around the track at a selected constant rate of speed. However, when the bug is traveling from 12 o'clock, which is the top of the pipe, to about 9 o'clock, which is midway around, the speed is constant. However, for the balance of the down movement of the welding bug to 6 o'clock, the movement must be speeded up because of the gravity pulling the puddle at a faster rate. In order to accommodate this, in current practice, the bug drive motor is stopped. Then the operator will adjust the speed of the drive motor so that it will be speeded up. He then starts the drive motor, and the welding process continues. The movement of the bug is always stopped when making this change in speed.
Stopping the drive motor causes a loss of time in completing the weld. Other associated problems such as maintaining the continuity of the bead must be considered. However, even with these problems, the procedure just discussed is widely used, mainly because it is better than the prior procedures.
It is therefore one object of this invention to provide an apparatus and system whereby the initial or root welding pass can be made from outside the pipe in which there is no internal protrusion of the welding puddle and in which there is an improved welding system.

Method of welding the ends of pipe together using dual welding wires


Labels are permanently attached to a substrate, e.g., a tissue cassette, by use of a staking device. The device comprises a staker assembly and a cassette fixture assembly. The cassette fixture assembly includes a slot and a clamping assembly for securing the cassette within the device. The staker assembly includes a set of probes that are heated and sequentially moved into a position to burn a hole in a label that is provisionally attached to the cassette, and then the substrate is melted and displaced through the hole to form a collar bond that permanently attaches the label to the cassette. The label remains attached to the cassette when exposed to harsh environmental conditions, e.g., high heat, high humidity, solvents, etc.

In the field of identification, labeling is commonly employed. One common form of the label consists of a (i) middle or substrate layer, e.g., film, foil, nonwoven such as Tyvek® (spun-bonded polyolefin), synthetic paper such as Valeron®, or paper, (ii) top or indicia layer providing the identification, e.g., ink, pigment, etc., and (iii) bottom or adhesive layer for attaching the label to the surface of an object. Many types of adhesives are available for use on a label, e.g., pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs), hot melt adhesives and the like, but PSAs are widely used because they allow fast and convenient attachment of the label to an object.
As convenient as PSA-bearing labels are, they are not without their limitations. For example, their use in harsh environments is of limited value. Under conditions of high heat (or extreme cold), elevated or reduced pressure and/or exposure to various solvents, particularly over extended periods of time, the PSA can lose its ability to bind the label to the object.
One such case is in the field of providing identification for tissue cassettes. Tissue cassettes are typically made of a thermoplastic material, and they are designed to hold biological tissue specimens while the specimen is subjected to dehydration followed by encapsulation in wax. The dehydration process requires exposure to a range of solvents such as formalin, ethanol or xylene. This is followed by embedding the dehydrated specimen in hot wax (e.g., molten paraffin). These processes can last for hours and can include exposure to heat and vacuum. Notwithstanding the wide range of PSAs available, e.g., acrylates, tackified natural and synthetic rubbers, silicones and urethanes, none have shown resistance to the complete range of conditions to which a tissue cassette is typically exposed.
As such, PSAs are generally unsuitable for reliable attachment of identification labels to tissue cassettes and, for that matter, to many consumer and industrial process containers that are also exposed to harsh environmental conditions, such as those used in the food and dairy industries, or those used for storage of hazardous materials, or those used in subzero storage (where many PSAs lose their adhesive properties). Moreover, PSAs can provide inadequate adhesion in those situations where the substrate is not exposed to harsh environmental conditions, but where the surface of the substrate is too rough or textured to allow for good adhesion between it and the label.
Aside from the various forms of adhesive attachment, various forms of mechanical attachment are known. For example, the use of staples, pins and other mechanical fasteners is common, although problematic, because the fasteners interfere with the handling of the cassette. Moreover, the design and construction of the label and substrate often do not lend themselves for use with mechanical fasteners.

Device for attaching a label to a substrate


A biaxially extended polyester film which comprises a polyester resin having ethylene A biaxially oriented polyester film comprises a polyester resin having ethylene terephthalate and ethylene isophthalate repeating units in a weight ratio of 90:10 to 75:25; 0.02 to 0.06 weight % of an organic phosphite or phosphate ester; and 0.01 to 0.05 weight % of a hindered phenol compound, wherein the film possesses good thermal stability, processability, and thermal adhesive strength to a metal surface and is useful in forming the inner laminate layer of a metal container.

Polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) are known to possess good chemical stability, physical and mechanical strength, durability, heat resistance, chemical resistance, weather resistance and electrical insulation property and, therefore, have been widely used in manufacturing various articles including medical devices, capacitors, packaging and labelling materials, photographic film and magnetic recording media.
Recently, an increasing amount of polyester resins has been used in laminating inner surface of metal containers such as cans because they can be conveniently laminated to a metal surface without the use of any solvent. However, a conventional polyester resin generally has poor adhesiveness, and therefore, it requires an adhesive in such a laminating process. The use of an adhesive however causes the problem of a high production cost and the risk of contaminating the content. Moreover, a conventional polyester film tends to have a high crystallization degree and the processability thereof is poor, i.e., it may be torn or broken in a further processing step.
In order to solve such problems, U.S. Pat. No. 5,424,121 discloses the use of a polyester copolymer having good thermal adhesive strength and low crystallinity in laminating a food container. However, a film prepared from this polyester copolymer has the disadvantages that it has low thermal stability and that the laminate is easily deformed and discolored by thermal oxidation.


A liquid crystal composition having a negative dielectric anisotropy that includes two components, wherein the first component is at least one compound selected from the group consisting of compounds represented by formula (1), and the second component is at least one compound selected from the group consisting of compounds represented by formula (2):

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a liquid crystal composition suitable for use in an active matrix (AM) device, and an AM device containing the composition. More specifically, the invention relates to a liquid crystal composition having a negative dielectric anisotropy, and also relates to a device of an in-plane switching (IPS) mode or a vertical alignment (VA) mode.
2. Related Art
In a liquid crystal display device, classification based on an operating mode of liquid crystals includes phase change (PC), twisted nematic (TN), super twisted nematic (STN), electrically controlled birefringence (ECB), optically compensated bend (OCB), in-plane switching (IPS), vertical alignment (VA), and so forth. Classification based on a driving mode includes a passive matrix (PM) and an active matrix (AM). PM is further classified into static, multiplex and so forth, and AM is classified into a thin film transistor (TFT), a metal insulator metal (MIM) and so forth. TFT is further classified into amorphous silicon and polycrystal silicon. The latter is classified into a high temperature type and a low temperature type according to the production process. Classification based on the light source includes a reflection type utilizing the natural light, a transmission type utilizing a backlight, and a semi-transmission type utilizing both the natural light and a backlight.
These devices contain a liquid crystal composition having suitable characteristics. The liquid crystal composition has a nematic phase. General characteristics of the composition should be improved to obtain an AM device having good general characteristics. Table 1 below summarizes the relationship between the general characteristics. The general characteristics of the composition will be explained further based on a commercially available AM device. A temperature range of a nematic phase relates to the temperature range in which the device can be used. A desirable maximum temperature of the nematic phase is approximately 70° C. or more and a desirable minimum temperature is approximately −10° C. or less. The viscosity of the composition relates to the response time of the device. A short response time is desirable for displaying a moving image. Accordingly, a low viscosity of the composition is desirable. A low viscosity at a low temperature is more desirable.
TABLE 1General Characteristics of a Liquid Crystal Composition and AM DeviceGeneral Characteristics of aGeneralNoCompositionCharacteristics of an AM Device1Temperature range of theUsable temperature range is widenematic phase is wide2Viscosity is low1) and rotationResponse time is shortviscosity is low3Optical anisotropy is suitableContrast ratio is large4Dielectric anisotropy isThreshold voltage is low, electricpositively or negatively largepower consumption is small andcontrast ratio is large5Specific resistance is largeVoltage holding ratio is large andcontrast ratio is large6It is stable with ultravioletService life is longlight and heat1)A liquid crystal composition can be injected into a cell in a short time.
The optical anisotropy of the composition relates to the contrast ratio of the device. A product (Δn·d) of the optical anisotropy (Δn) of the composition and the cell gap (d) of the device is designed to maximize the contrast ratio. A suitable value of the product depends on the kind of operation mode. In a device having a VA mode, a suitable value is in a range of from approximately 0.30 μm to approximately 0.40 μm, and in a device having an IPS mode; a suitable value is in a range of from approximately 0.20 μm to approximately 0.30 μm. In this case, a composition having a large optical anisotropy is desirable for a device having a small cell gap. A large dielectric anisotropy of the composition contributes to a low threshold voltage, small electric power consumption and large contrast ratio. Accordingly, a large dielectric anisotropy is desirable. A large specific resistance of the composition contributes to a large voltage holding ratio and a large contrast ratio of the device. Accordingly, a composition having a large specific resistance is desirable at room temperature and also at a high temperature in the initial stage. A composition having a large specific resistance is desirable at room temperature and also at a high temperature after it has been used for a long time. The stability of the composition to ultraviolet light and heat relates to the service life of the liquid crystal display device. In the case where the stability is high, the device has a long service life. These characteristics are desirable for an AM device used in a liquid crystal projector, a liquid crystal television and so forth.
In an AM device having a TN mode, a composition having a positive dielectric anisotropy is used. In an AM device having a VA mode, a composition having a negative dielectric anisotropy is used. In an AM device having an IPS mode, a composition having a positive or negative dielectric anisotropy is used. A liquid crystal composition having a negative dielectric anisotropy is disclosed in the following document.
A conventional composition is disclosed in JP H2-4723 A/1990.
A desirable AM device is characterized as having a usable temperature range that is wide, a response time that is short, a contrast ratio that is large, a threshold voltage that is low, a voltage holding ratio that is large, a service life that is long, and so forth. Even one millisecond shorter response time is desirable. Thus, a composition having characteristics such as a high maximum temperature of a nematic phase, low minimum temperature of a nematic phase, low viscosity, large optical anisotropy, large positive or negative dielectric anisotropy, large specific resistance, high stability to ultraviolet light, high stability to heat, and so forth is especially desirable.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Liquid crystal composition and liquid crystal display device

Abstract: wherein R1 and R2 are each independently selected from the group consisting of an alkyl having 1 to 12 carbons, an alkoxy having 1 to 12 carbons and an alkenyl having 2 to 12 carbons; R3 is selected from the group consisting of an alkyl having 1 to 12 carbons, an alkoxy having 1 to 12 carbons, an alkenyl having 2 to 12 carbons and an alkenyl having 2 to 12 carbons in which arbitrary hydrogen is replaced by fluorine; Z1 is selected from the group consisting of a single bond, ethylene, carbonyloxy and methyleneoxy; X1 and X2 are each independently selected from the group consisting of fluorine and chlorine; and s is 0 or 1.


Fluorescent dyes useful for preparing fluorescent metal ion indicators, the fluorescent indicators themselves, and the use of the fluorescent indicators for the detection, discrimination and quantification of metal cations are provided.

Metal ions play important roles in many biological systems. Cells utilize metal ions for a wide variety of functions, such as regulating enzyme activities, protein structures, cellular signaling, as catalysts, as templates for polymer formation and as regulatory elements for gene transcription. Metal ions can also have a deleterious effect when present in excess of bodily requirements or capacity to excrete. A large number of natural and synthetic materials are known to selectively or non-selectively bind to or chelate metal ions. Ion chelators are commonly used in solution for in vivo control of ionic concentrations and detoxification of excess metals, and as in vitro buffers. Ion chelators can be used as optical indicators of ions when bound to a fluorophore, and may be useful in the analysis of cellular microenvironments or dynamic properties of proteins, membranes and nucleic acids. For example, Ca2+ ions play an important role in many biological events, and so the determination of intracellular Ca2+ is an important biological application.
Fluorescent indicators utilizing a BAPTA chelator have been predominantly used for intracellular calcium detections (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,603,209; U.S. Pat. No. 5,049,673; U.S. Pat. No. 4,849,362; U.S. Pat. No. 5,453,517; U.S. Pat. No. 5,501,980; U.S. Pat. No. 5,459,276; U.S. Pat. No. 5,501,980; U.S. Pat. No. 5,459,276; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,516,911; each of which is hereby incorporated by reference). Fluorescein-based fluorescent calcium indicators (such as Fluo-3 and Fluo-4) are the most common fluorescent indicators used in biological assays. However, these existing xanthene-based calcium indicators typically have either small cell-induced excitation and fluorescence wavelength change, and/or low calcium-induced fluorescence enhancement, resulting in low detection sensitivity and high assay background. In addition, the existing xanthene-based calcium indicators have short emission wavelength, which often interferes with the fluorescence of some agonists and/or antagonists to be screened. Another drawback is resulted from the spontaneous hydrolysis of monoalkylated fluorescein-based indicators in cell medium, generating significant assay background.
In view of the existing drawbacks for currently used fluorescein-based fluorescent calcium indicators, what is needed are improved compositions and methods that offer sensitive detection of small variations in calcium and other ion concentrations, with a rapid response and a strong fluorescence signal. Also needed are fluorescent indicators that can be readily loaded into live cells with large spectral shift and fluorescence enhancement. Another preferable property is that the indicators have emission at longer wavelength to reduce the interference from the fluorescence of agonists and antagonist that often have fluorescence at short wavelength. In addition, compositions and methods that are less susceptible to the effects of external changes (such as temperature) are preferred for high throughput screening and high content analysis.
The present application is directed to a family of fluorescent dyes that are useful for preparing fluorescent metal ion indicators. The indicators include a carbofluorescein lactone fluorophore that is incorporated with an ionophore, and are useful for the detection, discrimination and quantification of metal cations. The fluorescent indicators of this invention demonstrate unexpected larger spectral shift upon cell-induced hydrolysis, unexpected emission shift to the longer wavelength, better stability in the presence of cells and better cellular retention compared to the existing fluorescein ion indicators.

Carbofluorescein lactone ion indicators and their applications


A system for developing and using a request for transaction framework including a framework engine configured to enable a market maker to develop a request for transaction for a particular market, and a request for transaction engine configured to enable an organization within the relevant market to prepare a request for transaction relating to a resource requirement and select a response relating to the resource requirement. In a preferred embodiment, the market maker creates a request for transaction framework by manipulating attribute parameters and identifying an analysis framework. A request for transaction framework may be a request for proposal framework, a request for quote framework, or other type of framework in which there is a request followed by a plurality of responses and a selection of one of the responses.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method for developing and using a request for transaction framework. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system and method for developing a request for transaction framework using a framework engine and employing this request for transaction framework to conduct requests for a transaction in a particular market.
2. Description of Related Art
A number of systems offer requests for transaction (RFT) services. For example, many web sites offer request for proposal (RFP) and request for quote (RFQ) services for a particular resource requirement, such as a good or service. Many of these systems are designed to request a quote from a particular product provider or service provider, referred to collectively as providers. Accordingly, an organization may be required to prepare a number of requests for a number of different providers. Similarly, many systems do not allow an organization to analyze a number of competing responses in a robust manner. Instead, many systems allow limited analysis based on, for example, a single resource attribute such as price. Furthermore, the process of modifying current systems to enhance the efficiency of an existing market or to accommodate a new market may be infeasible or prohibitively complex and expensive.

System and method for developing and using a request for transaction framework


A precision printed circuit board testing tool includes a testing tube, having a hollow chamber for installing a second resilient element, and the testing tube being electrically connected to a second testing line; a second testing element, installed in the hollow chamber, and having a second chamber and an opening, and the second testing element being pressed against by the second resilient element; a first testing element, having an internal bushing, a first resilient element and a probe, and including a first chamber for installing the first resilient element, and the probe being installed in the first chamber and pressed against by the first resilient element, and the first testing element being electrically connected to a first testing line. The testing tool is used for testing a PCB circuit with micro resistance to prevent defectives and damages of electronic components.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a testing tool, and more particularly to a precision printed circuit board testing tool capable of testing a printed circuit board (PCB) circuit precisely to assure the quality of the PCB circuit before electronic component modules are inserted and assembled onto the PCB.
2. Description of the Related Art
After a conventional printed circuit board (PCB) is manufactured, the PCB usually goes through a testing procedure to test whether or not the printed circuit board is good. If a defective printed circuit board is not detected after electronic component modules are installed onto the defective printed circuit board, circuits on the PCB cannot operate, and thus incurring a loss to printed circuit board manufacturers. Obviously, the testing operation for printed circuit boards is very important. In a conventional printed circuit board testing tool as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of testing bases 91 are disposed on a testing machine 90, and each testing base 91 includes a plurality of testing tubes 92 and a probe 93 is installed in each testing tube 92 and pressed against by a spring 94 in the testing tube 92 and protruded out from the testing base 91. Further, the probe 93 is electrically connected to a guidance wire 95 for connecting a voltmeter (not shown in the figure). When the conventional printed circuit board testing tool is used for testing, the probe 93 is contacted with a conductive pad 101 (PAD) of a printed circuit board 100 for testing whether a circuit between the two conductive pads 101 is an open circuit (OPEN) or a short circuit (SHORT) and with a micro resistance to determine if the printed circuit board 100 is a good product or a defect.
As we all know, the design of existing printed circuit boards tends to be complicated and precise. If a testing PCB circuit is of a low resistance or a micro resistance, the resistance of guidance wires and contacts used for testing become interferences and cannot be ignored, and thus the conventional printed circuit board testing tool using a 2-wire connection for testing resistance is not accurate or precise, and causing difficulties for accurately determining whether a printed circuit board is a good item or a defect. Obviously, the prior art demands immediate attentions and feasible solutions.
In view of the foregoing shortcomings of the prior art, the inventor of the present invention based on years of experience in the related industry to conduct extensive researches and experiments, and finally developed a precision printed circuit board testing tool with better accuracy and precision to overcome the shortcoming of the prior art.

Precision printed circuit board testing tool


A catheter includes separate first and second optical channels extending between proximal and distal portion thereof. First and second beam redirectors in optical communication with the respective first and second optical channels each have on-axis stage and an off-axis stage.

Vulnerable plaques are lipid filled cavities that form within the wall of an artery. These plaques, when ruptured, can cause massive clotting in the artery. The resultant clot can interfere with blood flow to the brain, resulting in a stroke, or with blood flow to the coronary arteries, resulting in a heart attack.
To locate vulnerable plaques, one inserts a catheter through the lumen of the artery. The catheter includes a delivery fiber for illuminating a spot on the arterial wall and a collection fiber for collecting scattered light that results from that illumination. The delivery fiber and the collection fiber form distinct optical channels within the catheter.
Light propagating on the delivery fiber travels axially, along the axis of the catheter. A delivery mirror intercepts this light and directs it radially outward so that it illuminates an illumination spot on the arterial wall. A collection mirror intercepts light scattered from inside the arterial wall and directs it axially, into the collection fiber.
The collection mirror is disposed or oriented such that the scattered light is received from a collection zone that is separate from the illumination zone. This minimizes glare resulting from specular reflection from the arterial wall.

Optical catheter with dual-stage beam redirector


A print monitoring system comprising a printer that generates a printed object that comprises a) a printed area located on a substrate, the printed area having a predetermined width and defining a two-dimensional matrix having a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns; b) print indicia printed on the substrate within the two-dimensional matrix of said printed area such that at least one row of the plurality of rows contains print indicia that are separated by a maximum width; and c) at least one print validation symbol printed on the substrate in a predetermined first validation print area. The system can also comprise an image capture device configured to read at least the at least one validation symbol and a controller in communication with the image capture device that compares the at least one validation symbol to a predetermined at least one validation symbol and makes quality control decisions based on the comparison.

Conventional print monitoring systems are commonly used to monitor printed matter in some types of paper/sheet handling systems and to make certain control decisions based upon the character of the printed matter. Print monitoring systems can detect the precision with which the printing system has formed the printed matter and/or the consistency with which the matter is printed across the paper. For example, in a laser printing system, the monitoring system detects low-toner situations where the contrast of the printed matter has degraded unacceptably.
The inclusion of explicit control information on the printed matter is many times unacceptable. Typical printed objects do not include machine readable information a predictable locations to enable the print monitoring system to ensure the quality of the overall print on the printed object.
Attempts have been made at placing non-intrusive information onto printed matter. Glyph codes are one example. Information is typically encoded into glyph codes by modulating the orientation of optically detectable symbols or glyphs. Using such techniques, large amount of information is encoded into printed images for copy control. Generally, however, glyph codes are not appropriate for print monitoring. The glyphs can be placed into images that may not be present on each printed object and that may not reside at the same location on each printed object. Therefore, conventional image capture devices that monitor for glyph-based symbols must process the entire area of the printed matter, increasing the expense in both the image capture device and the processing capability required in the print monitoring system.
Typical print monitoring systems are used for digit control and sequence control. Such systems do not provide a methodology for continually monitoring the print quality of each individual printed object and identifying errors in print quality. If the printed object is a game ticket in which a portion of the print is covered in a subsequent processing step, it is desired that any printing error be identified during the printing process so that the particular ticket or tickets can be specifically identified prior to being sent to the ticket distributors.


A machine includes                a machine body;        a lifting arm assembly coupled to the machine body and carrying a pivotal mounting arrangement adapted to receive a working implement and being moveable between a raised and a lowered configuration;        a compensation ram coupled between the machine body and the lifting arm assembly and configured to extend and retract;        a tilt ram configured to move the pivotal mounting assembly between a crowd and a dump configuration, the tilt ram having a first and a second chamber; and        a first sensor for sensing a hose burst signal,        a second sensor for sensing a lift signal;        a hose burst protection system such that fluid passes into the hose burst protection system, the hose burst protection system being configured to allow the passage of fluid from the second chamber when there is no hose burst signal.

A conventional machine including a load handling apparatus has a lifting arm assembly coupled at a proximal end thereof to a body of the machine and a loading implement coupled to the lifting arm assembly at a distal end thereof.
The coupling of the lifting arm assembly to the body of the machine is a pivotal coupling such that the loading implement can be raised or lowered with respect to the body of the machine by movement of the lifting arm assembly about the pivotal coupling.
Movement of the lifting arm assembly is typically achieved by the use of a lifting ram pivotally coupled at a first end to the body of the machine and at a second end to the lifting arm assembly.
The working implement is coupled to the lifting arm assembly by a pivotal joint such that the working implement can be moved about the pivotal joint between a crowding and a dumping configuration.
A tilt ram is normally provided to move the working implement between the crowding and dumping configurations. A first end of the tilt ram is coupled to the lifting arm assembly and a second end of the tilt ram is coupled to the working implement.
In order to maintain the working implement in a substantially fixed rotational relationship with respect to the machine body, a compensation system is provided. The compensation system includes a compensation ram which is connected to the lifting arm assembly and machine body in parallel with the lifting ram. Thus, an extension of the lifting ram will cause a corresponding extension of the compensation ram. A first chamber of the compensation ram (on a first side of a piston of the ram) is connected to a first chamber of the tilt ram (on a first side of the piston of the ram) and a second chamber of the compensation ram (on a second side of the piston of the ram) is connected to a second chamber of the tilt ram (on a second side of the piston of the ram), such that movement of the lifting arm assembly with respect to the machine body will cause movement of the working implement with respect to the lifting arm assembly in order to maintain a substantially fixed rotational relationship between the working implement and the machine body.
Hose burst protection systems are commonly used in such machines with a hydraulically operated load handling apparatus to reduce the risk of a failed hydraulic hose causing a loss of hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic circuit which would result in the lifting arm assembly falling or working implement tipping in an uncontrolled, undesired, and potentially dangerous manner.
GB2163126 shows a hose burst protection valve coupled between a tilt ram of a working implement and a compensating cylinder. As the lifting arm is raised fluid is transferred from the tilt cylinder to the compensation cylinder to allow the working implement to rotate and maintain a constant rotational relationship with the vehicle. During this process oil passes through the burst protection system. The hose burst protection valve is configured to be normally shut and only partially opens when the arm is lifted. Because of this, the pressure drop across the hose burst protection system is significant, and as such the fluid being transferred to the compensation cylinder is at relatively low pressure, and therefore is of no assistance in lifting the arm.
There is a desire to increase the maximum mass of the load which such machines can lift whilst maintaining the safe operation of the machine in the event of a hose burst event.

Machine and method of manufacturing a machine


A pyrrolidylthiocarbapenem derivative represented by Formula I is provided: ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 is hydrogen or lower alkyl; R.sup.2, R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 are hydrogen, lower alkyl which can be substituted or an amino protecting group independently, or R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 together with a nitrogen atom to which R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 are bonded form a saturated or unsaturated cyclic group, or R.sup.2 and R.sup.4, or R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 together with two nitrogen atoms and one sulfur atom in the sufamide group form a saturated or unsaturated cyclic group; each cyclic group can further include at least one atom selected from the group consisting of oxygen, sulfur and nitrogen, and each cyclic group can be substituted; X.sup.1 is hydrogen or a hydroxy protecting group; X.sup.2 is hydrogen, a carboxy protecting group, an ammonio group, an alkali metal or an alkaline-earth metal; and Y.sup.2 is hydrogen or an amino protecting group.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a new pyrrolidylthiocarbapenem derivative having a wide range of antibacterial spectrum, an antibacterial agent comprising the carbapenem derivative, a new pyrrolidine derivative which is an intermediate for producing the carbapenem derivative, and a method for producing the pyrrolidylthiocarbapenem derivative and the pyrrolidine derivative.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various compounds are known as carbapenems, a kind of a .beta.-lactam antibiotic. For example, imipenem, meropenem, the mesylate (mesylamino), and the urea derivatives of a carbapenem as shown below are known. ##STR2##
All of these compounds have a wide range of antibacterial spectrum, and are effective against both Gram-positive bacteria and Gram-negative bacteria. A carbapenem derivative having a wider range of antibacterial spectrum and a stronger antimicrobial activity has been desired.


A system for improving and streamlining the evaluation and purchase of products from salespeople by buyers. In particular, methods for successfully managing interactions between buyers and sellers in high volume retail environments by implementing a standardized product offer proposal method and subsequent controls on the buying decision-making process. It utilizes existing tools and new software to improve buyer's efficiency by consolidating the software systems tools into a single standardized user interface and improves seller's efficiency by providing product offering proposal preparation and presentation tools as well as buyer appointment scheduling tools and generates revenue by buyers as an integral part of the buying process.

This invention relates to providing a system for improving and streamlining the evaluation and purchase of products from salespeople by buyers.
A major activity of retail establishments is the wholesale purchase of the products they place on the shelves. The number and types of products can mount into the tens of thousands, particularly in the case of a large store, such as a supermarket or large department store. Large retail establishments employ a staff of buyers whose job is to evaluate products, typically presented by salespeople, to choose and order new products and replacement products. This is an extremely time-intensive and costly procedure, as large numbers of salespeople are constantly vying for the attention of the buyer in order to have their products purchased and placed on the shelves of the retail establishment. The buyers have many different duties, tasks and procedures during the course of a workday.
Phone operations are currently performed on regular phones or on cell phones. The called and calling parties of the buyers (acting for retailers) require separate programming and entries in their respective address books. There exists a need to immediately track such things as the length of a call, and the ability to directly bill the salesperson for the time spent interacting with them. Moreover, simple instructions for the use of systems for tracking time and party names do not exist. Furthermore, the use of multiple programs to perform the above standard operations requires a number of different operations to produce the same end function. This is all tedious, inefficient, and time-consuming. Furthermore, when responding to FAX, E-Mail, letters and memos, and the return of such, the use of multiple programs and procedures requires a number of different operations by a buyer to produce the same end function. Again, this is tedious, inefficient, and time-consuming.
In regard to maintaining the confidentiality of information and communications, current security systems generally require separate computer applications to be opened and separately configured for security scans, encryption, and scrambling. The selection process and the configuring are time-consuming and tedious.
In addition to the above, additional problems exist during the course of the buyers' viewing presentations given by the salespeople (acting for the retail product providers) presenting products. For example, the current method of doing business is to present to buyers physically in their place of business, i.e., at the buyer's department office for the retail establishment. The physical calling on the buyer at the buyer's place of business is inefficient, time-consuming, has security issues involved with it, and is, from a time management standpoint, uncontrollable. Additionally, when dealing with the presentation's quality and completeness, due to the varying knowledge, ability, attention to detail, and selling professionalism of the individual salesman, the presentations are widely disparate. Thus, the current presentation procedure is clumsy, inconsistent, incomplete in many cases, and also requires ground-up preparation for each presentation by the salesman. Additionally, buyer requests for corrected forms, clarifications, and representations are very time-consuming for all parties involved. Further yet, from the salesperson's standpoint, there are significant fixed costs involved with every presentation. Depending on the size and complexity of the presentation, the costs associated with it can be in the thousands of dollars. And even after such a high cost, there is no guarantee that the presentation will be complete when it is presented to a buyer.
Additional problems exist following presentations. The communications after each salesperson's presentation are difficult, as most large retail establishments do not have integrated communications-forwarding systems or procedures to notify key players of the decision to buy, or not to buy. Also, once a buy decision is made, the current retail establishment systems do not have automatic billing capabilities. Billing has to be done on an individual job or purchase-order basis set-up by each buyer individually. This billing or order must then be input into the internal system of the retail establishment, which may only log it to the accounting department. The buyer, in many cases, has to personally do the direct billing, or an assistant has to complete the process. This is time-consuming and ponderous. Further yet, currently no program exists that ties the costs associated with reviewing a presentation made to a buyer with an actual charge-back or billing to the presenting salesperson.
In addition to the above, retail establishments currently have a myriad of reports, top level and otherwise, to track their business. However, in most cases, the key reports that allow one to look at the retail establishment business quickly and concisely do not exist, and most are not available on a computer system or on-line. In some cases, it takes combining two and three reports to see the whole picture. This lack of concise and easily-assembled reports is extremely frustrating and time-inefficient for the buyers and their management.
Yet a further problem is that the buyers for retail establishments currently do not have means at their disposal for the management of their own time and the presenters' time. Contributors to this problem include such things as the lack of standardization within the retail establishment and the associated product sales companies with regard to presentation of products; i.e., each salesperson and the company that salesperson represents produce different product presentations oftentimes varying from product to product. Thus, waste of the buyer's time and the presenter's time occurs. In addition, the physical presentation process for products is not time-efficient, and any even small presence or use of computer procedures and programs in this area is inefficient or completely lacking.
Recently, a wide range of interactive devices has been developed to provide information to consumers via communications networks. These interactive devices include, for example, computers connected to various computer on-line services, interactive kiosks, interactive television systems and the like. In particular, the popularity of computer on-line services has grown immensely in popularity over the last decade. Computer on-line services are provided by a wide variety of different companies. In general, most computer on-line services are accessed via the Internet. The Internet is a global network of computers. One popular part of the Internet is the World Wide Web, or the "Web." The World Wide Web contains computers that display graphical and textual information. Computers that provide information on the World Wide Web are typically called "Web sites." A Web site is defined by an Internet address that has an associated electronic page, often called a "home page." Generally, a home page is an electronic document that organizes the presentation of text, graphical images, audio and video into a desired display. These Web sites are operated by a wide variety of entities, which are typically called "providers."
A user may access the Internet via a dedicated high-speed line or by using a personal computer (PC) equipped with a conventional modem. Special interface software, called "browser" software, is installed within the PC. When the user wishes to access the Internet by normal telephone line, an attached modem is automatically instructed to dial the telephone number associated with the local Internet host server. The user can then access information at any address accessible over the Internet. Two well-known web browsers, for example, are the Netscape Navigator browser marketed by Netscape Communications Corporation and the Internet Explorer browser marketed by Microsoft Corporation.
Information exchanged over the Internet is typically encoded in HyperText Mark-up Language (HTML) format. The HTML format is a scripting language that is used to generate the home pages for different content providers. In this setting, a content provider is an individual or company that places information (content) on the Internet so that others can access it. As is well known in the art, the HTML format is a set of conventions for marking different portions of a document so that each portion appears in a distinctive format. For example, the HTML format identifies or "tags" portions of a document to identify different categories of text (e.g., the title, header, body text, etc.). When a web browser accesses an HTML document, the web browser reads the embedded tags in the document so it appears formatted in the specified manner.
An HTML document can also include hyperlinks, which allow a user to move from one document to another document on the Internet. A hyperlink is an underlined or otherwise emphasized portion of text that, when selected using an input device such as a mouse, activates a software connection module, which allows the user to jump between documents or pages (i.e., within the same Web site or to other Web sites). Hyperlinks are well known in the art, and have been sometimes referred to as anchors. The act of selecting the hyperlink is often referred to as "clicking on" the hyperlink.