A telephone controller according controls a plurality of telephones connected to the Internet via a LAN. The telephone controller includes an IP address allocating circuit which allocates a private IP address to each of the telephones. A memory in the controller stores a table indicating a correspondence between IDs of the plurality of telephones and the private IP addresses. A control circuit controls communication between the plurality of telephones and the Internet using the private IP addresses, where the ID includes a domain name of the telephone controller and identification information.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a telephone controller for VoIP.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional telephone service using a part or all of a communication line for packet communication, especially, a telephone service for packet communication over the Internet (IP network), is called VoIP (Voice over IP). Unlike a conventional line switching procedure for a line switched network, VoIP is based on TCP/IP. A telephone also makes a call based on TCP/IP. That is, a calling telephone sends voice information, split into packets based on TCP/IP, to a receiving telephone. On the other hand, communication via VoIP requires the management of global IP addresses allocated to the telephones. This is because a global IP address must be globally unique.
A rapid increase in the number of Internet terminals produces some problems; for example, the available global IP addresses become insufficient, and an increased number of globally-registered IP addresses makes the management of global IP addresses more complex. For example, when a plurality of telephones are connected to the Internet via a LAN, it is difficult to allocate a globally-unique IP address to each telephone in the LAN.
To solve this problem, a private IP address is assigned to each telephone in a LAN and the address is converted between the private IP address and the global IP address. This method requires a router with the network address translator (NAT) function to be installed between the LAN and the Internet to allow the NAT to translate the private IP address of each telephone to a global IP address. This router, however, prevents external units from directly accessing the terminals in the LAN to ensure security. This mechanism is called a firewall. Therefore, the NAT function, once installed, allows a telephone in the LAN to make a call to an external telephone over the Internet but prevents an external telephone connected to the Internet from directly making a call to a telephone in the LAN. That is, although some persons outside the LAN should be allowed to make a call to a telephone in the LAN, the conventional system does not allow it. In addition, an external person cannot make a call to a telephone in the LAN over the Internet even if he or she who knows its private IP address because the address is not registered with the Internet.


In a reactor vessel thermal load reducing system near the surface level of a coolant, the present invention is characterized in that a heat conductive member is installed not contacting the reactor vessel wall in an area above and below the coolant liquid surface, and the heat conducting member is attached to a guard vessel, the heat conducting member being made of material of good heat conductivity.

The present invention relates to a thermal load reducing system for a nuclear reactor vessel, available for the reduction of thermal load near a coolant liquid surface of a reactor vessel and for the reduction of thermal load near a temperature stratified layer in a reactor vessel.
A reactor vessel in a fast breeder reactor is supported at its upper end by a concrete wall, which must be maintained at the temperature of 100° C. or lower. Because it has a high-temperature coolant at 550° C. or higher in a plenum above reactor core, there occurs a steep temperature gradient in the vertical direction from the coolant liquid surface to the upper supported end. In particular, during starting operation, both temperature and liquid level rise at the same time, the gradient becomes steeper. As a result, high thermal stress develops, in principle, on the reactor wall near the liquid surface where the temperature gradient deflects.
To cope with this problem, attempts have been made in the past to prevent the rise of liquid level using a liquid level controller, to evenly cool down the reactor wall using a reactor wall cooling system, and to reduce the bending stress by designing in a thin-wall structure. Also proposed is a reduction method of the temperature gradient near the liquid surface, arranging a liner to form a heat insulated space from reactor vessel wall below the coolant liquid surface to directly below the seal plug, in cooperation with reactor vessel, and by filling heat insulating material into the heat insulated space (Japanese Publication Number JP-A-57-80594).
As described above, the conventional method for reducing thermal load has its principal aims to prevent the rise of liquid level using a liquid level controller, to evenly cool down the reactor wall using a reactor wall cooling system, and to decrease bending stress by designing in a thin-wall structure. The liquid level controller and the reactor wall cooling system result in higher cost because of the increase of system components. For designing the system in a thin-wall structure, there was a limitation due to the possibility of other failure modes. The method described in the patent document referred to above, also leads to higher cost due to the increase of system components.

Thermal load reducing system for nuclear reactor vessel

Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute


A switched mode power supply includes an input for receiving an input signal voltage, a flyback converter circuit arrangement and an output for delivering a regulated output signal voltage. The switched mode power supply further includes a boost converter arranged to be operatively combined with the flyback converter, and functioning such that the combined converter operates in a boost mode when the input voltage is above a threshold value, and in a flyback mode when the input voltage is below the threshold value.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a switched mode power supply having an input for receiving an input signal voltage, a flyback converter circuit arrangement and an output for delivering a regulated output signal voltage.
2. Description of the Related Art
Switched mode power supplies find ready use as power regulators in view of characteristics, such as, a high efficiency, a relatively light weight, a relatively small dimension, and a relatively low power dissipation. However, a particular disadvantage that can limit the adoption of a switched mode power supplies relates to their noise performance, and in particular line voltage harmonic distortion.
As an example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,213 discloses a flyback converter which is arranged to generate an additional voltage for charging a capacitor which is arranged to supply the required energy for the converter in the regions of the zero crossings of the input line signal voltage.
The present invention seeks to provide a switched mode power supply exhibiting advantages over known such supplies and which, in particular, exhibits, an improved line voltage harmonic distortion performance.
According to the present invention, there is provided a switched mode power supply of the type defined above, characterized in that the switched mode power supply includes a boost converter arranged to be operatively combined with the said flyback converter.
The advantageous combination of the boost and flyback functions within such a converter serves to improve the noise performance of the converter and can, in particular, lead to advantages of line voltage harmonic reduction.
The feature of the switched mode power supply as described above and including a diode in series with a boost inductor at the boost converter and a further diode in series with a flyback inductor of the flyback converter, is advantageous in separating current paths within the converter so as to prevent undesired reverse current through the flyback inductor.
The feature of the switched mode power supply as described above and including a boost inductor and a flyback inductor combined in a single inductor in series with the input, is advantageous in providing for a simplified arrangement in which the power supply can switch between boost and flyback modes.
The features of the switched mode power supply described above, wherein said combined inductor comprises a tapped inductor having a tap derived from the output of the converter, and wherein the combined inductor comprises a tapped inductor having a tap derived from the line voltage input, are advantageous in providing means for readily controlling the switching between boost and flyback modes.
The feature of the switched mode power supply as described above, which further includes an additional boost inductor connected in series with the said first boost inductor, and which further includes an additional inductor in the form of a flyback inductor connected between the input and the output, are advantageous in controlling the switch-over point between the two modes of operation.

Switched mode power supply having a boost converter operatively combined with a flyback converter


This invention includes a lubricant composition comprising a base oil and one or more additives, wherein the composition has an elevated pressure auto ignition temperature of at least about 500 K. This invention also includes a lubricant composition comprising a base oil and one or more additives, wherein the composition has an octane number ((R+M)/2) of at least about 80. This invention also includes a lubricant composition for reducing the propensity of end gas knock in a flame propagation engine, comprising: a base oil and one or more additives, wherein the composition has an average boiling point in excess of 200° C.

This invention pertains to lubricant oil compositions and processes that reduce the propensity for end gas knock in flame propagation engines.
Engine knock is a phenomenon that occurs in a flame propagation engine due to auto ignition of a portion of the fuel air mixture ahead of the propagating flame front. This auto ignition occurs very rapidly; possibly creating a detonation wave that traverses the end gas leading to the audible ping or knock. This phenomena limits performance in all flame propagation engines because it limits the intake manifold pressure, the engine compression ratio, and the spark advance, factors that all affect the engine performance, emissions, and efficiency. There is much research directed toward reducing knock. Compositions of fuels and lubricants and methods to prevent or reduce such knock in flame propagation engines are highly desirable.

High octane lubricants for knock mitigation in flame propagation engines


This invention relates to a multi-step process for isolating a cyclotrimerized isocyanate from mixture containing said cyclotrimerized isocyanate plus an isocyanate oligomer which comprises the steps of: (a) contacting said mixture with a liquid solvent to provide a solvent-containing mixture, (b) extracting said solvent-containing mixture by liquid-liquid extraction to cause said solvent-containing mixture to elute into an extractate and a residue, wherein said extractate is a cyclotrimerized isocyanate that is essentially oligomer-free and is further characterized by having reduced viscosity relative to said solvent-containing mixture, and (c) separating uncyclotrimerized monomer from said extractate to provide a reduced viscosity trimer product that is essentially free of monomer. Also disclosed is the reduced-viscosity product produced by this process.

Polyisocyanurate adducts of polyisocyanates are well-known polyurethane intermediates used in the preparation of high performance urethane coatings, paints, and films. These adducts provide improved physical properties when used in such applications, as compared to dysfunctional isocyanates such as toluene diisocyanate. In addition, these adducts provide reduced volatility and an associated reduced toxicity hazard during use, as compared to toluene diisocyanate.
Processes for preparing these adducts are well known. Examples illustrative of these processes can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,220,728; 4,265,798; 4,324,879; and 4,412,073. Generally, the prior art processes involve adding a catalyst which promotes the isocyanate to isocyanurate (also known as "trimerization") reaction to the precursor isocyanate, optionally in the presence, but usually in the absence, of a solvent, allowing the reaction to proceed to the desired extent and then stopping the reaction with a suitable quenching reagent which destroys the activity of the catalyst. After the residual, unreacted precursor isocyanate is removed, the resulting material, in the case where the precursor isocyanate is a diisocyanate, is a mixture of oligomers composed of 3, 5, 7, etc. precursor diisocyanate molecules joined by 1, 2, 3, etc. isocyanurate rings. Usually, this mixture is simply called "trimer".
In the case where the precursor isocyanate is polyisocyanate, the reaction is stopped well before all the isocyanate groups have been converted to isocyanurate groups because, otherwise, the resulting product would be an unusable polymer having a very high (theoritically infinite) molecular weight and viscosity. However, the cost of equipment and energy to remove residual, unreacted precursor isocyanate dictate that the reaction not be stopped too soon. Generally, the reaction is run to more than 10% conversion but less than 50% conversion. The preferred range is between 25 and 35%. The resulting mixture of oligomers has a viscosity that is low enough to be suitable for some applications. However, for many uses, especially spray-coating and spray-painting applications, the viscosity of the product must be reduced with solvents. The use of solvents is often not desired because of their attendant hazards to workers and the environment. A preferred approach would be embodied in an adduct mixture of inherently lower viscosity, specifically, one containing a higher concentration of monomeric and low molecular weight oligomeric isocyanurate adducts and a lower concentration of the high molecular weight oligomers.
A collateral problem in the trimerization reaction, namely the formation of color species in the product, can arise if the reactants, solvents and equipment are not scrupulously clean, pure and free of contaminants, especially oxygen. Since these conditions can not always be achieved, it would be desirable to have a method to treat the product so as to free the product from the color species. This would provide assurance that the trimer product would not impart an undesirable color to the final coating or film.
Methods for producing high purity polyisocyanates containing an isocyanurate moiety (so-called "isocyanurate polyisocyanates") are known in the art. By way of illustration, U.S. Pat. No. 4,963,675 discloses a process for extracting unreacted diisocyanate monomer and diisocyanate dimer, that is, the product formed from two molecules of diisocyanate monomer joined by an uretidione ring, from a cyclotrimerized diisocyanate by extracting the impure cyclotrimerized diisocyanate with an inert gas in either the liquid or supercritical state. Unfortunately, the elevated temperatures and pressures generally required to carry out the process of the '675 patent entail high equipment and operational costs which make this process less satisfactory a commercial standpoint than might be desired.
In addition, the product mixtures obtained from the process of the '675 patent will still contain any high molecular weight oligomers and any color bodies that may have been present in the starting material. As such, they will tend to have higher viscosity and/or a greater amount of discoloration (e.g., yellow color) than is desired for many applications. Unfortunately, no methods are currently known, to the knowledge of the current inventors, for separating these higher molecular weight oligomers from the desired, low molecular weight, "monomeric" trimer, that is, the product formed from three molecules of diisocyanate monomer joined by one isocyanurate ring. Accordingly, new methodology which provides polyisocyanurate adducts having a higher degree of purity and which are further characterized by reduced viscosity or a combination of reduced discoloration and reduced viscosity, relative to commercially available polyisocyanurate adducts, would be highly desired by the specialty isocyanates manufacturing community. Heretofore, adducts possessing such enhanced properties have not been known based upon the knowledge of the present inventors.

Process for producing low viscosity isocyanate trimers


A highly reliable covered multilayer module includes a plurality of side electrodes extending in a lamination direction of ceramic layers are provided at least at one of side surfaces of a multilayer module body. At least one of inner conductor layers is exposed at the side surface provided with the side electrodes, in a region interposed between an adjacently arranged pair of the side electrodes. A claw portion of a metal case is soldered to the side electrodes and the inner conductor layer. The plurality of inner conductor layers may be exposed at the side surface of the multilayer module body in the region interposed between the adjacently arranged pair of side electrodes such that at least a part of the inner conductor layer is superposed on the other inner conductor layer when seen in the lamination direction of the ceramic layers. The inner conductor layer may be exposed at the side surface of the multilayer module body such that the inner conductor layer extends from one to the other of the adjacently arranged pair of side electrodes.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to multilayer modules, and more particularly, to a covered multilayer module which includes a case arranged to cover a mounting surface of a multilayer module body on which mount devices are mounted on a multilayer board.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, the reduction in the size of electronic components is being pursued. A widely used configuration of such electronic components having a reduced size is a multilayer module in which mount devices, such as an IC chip and a capacitor, are mounted on a multilayer board having three-dimensionally arranged inner conductors for a circuit.
Such a multilayer board module includes a covered multilayer module having a case arranged to cover the mount surface on which the mount devices such as the IC chip and the capacitor, are mounted.
As shown in FIG. 12, an example of the covered multilayer module is disclosed in which a claw portion 53 of a metal case 52 is bonded to a multilayer board 51 to define the multilayer module body. In the covered multilayer module, the metal case 52 is attached to the multilayer board 51 by bonding the claw portion 53 of the metal case 52 using solder 56 to a ground electrode 55 which is formed by plating or baking in a recess 54 having a relatively large width and formed at a side surface 51a of the multilayer board 51 (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 06-252562).
In the above-described covered multilayer module, if the claw portion 53 of the metal case 52 is bonded to the ground electrode 55 having a relatively large width using the solder 56, the claw portion 53 can be reliably bonded to the ground electrode 55. However, when the ground electrode 55 is formed, the mass of the ground electrode 55 is increased, and thus, the ground electrode 55 may be detached from the side surface 51a of the multilayer board 51. As a result, the bonding reliability of the metal case 52 to the ground electrode 55 is insufficient.
A method of manufacturing a plurality of individual ceramic multilayer boards at the same time, i.e., a method of manufacturing plural components at the same time, may be utilized. The method includes forming a through hole in a green mother multilayer board, which becomes a plurality of multilayer boards after dividing, filling the through hole with conductive paste similar to that used to form an inner conductor, firing the mother multilayer board and baking the conductor paste to form a through hole electrode, then dividing the mother multilayer board such that the through hole is cut substantially in half, thus forming individual multilayer boards, each having a bonding electrode arranged to bond the claw portion of the metal case in which the substantially half-cut through holes (recesses) are filled with the conductor, and bonding the claw portion of the metal case to the bonding electrode of the individual multilayer board. In this manner, the plurality of individual ceramic multilayer boards with the claw portions of the cases being bonded to the bonding electrodes are manufactured. In the case in which the method is utilized, the area, i.e., the width, of the bonding electrode may not be sufficiently large.
In particular, when utilizing the method of manufacturing the plural components at the same time, if the area of the bonding electrode is increased, the diameter of the through hole must be increased. In this case, the conductive paste filled in the through hole may be detached, and thus, it is difficult to form a reliable bonding electrode having the large area. Consequently, when the claw portion of the metal case is soldered to the bonding electrode, the bonding strength of the metal case with respect to the multilayer board may be insufficient, or the solder bonding portion may be detached due to a load, such as its mass, resulting in a reduced reliability.
In addition, even when the above-mentioned method of manufacturing the plural components is not utilized, due to the demand to reduce the size of the electronic components, it is difficult to increase the width of the bonding electrode arranged to bond the claw portion of the metal case at the side surface of the multilayer board. If the claw portion of the metal case is soldered to a plurality of the bonding electrodes, it is still difficult to sufficiently ensure the bonding reliability.
As shown in FIG. 13, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 06-252562 also discloses a configuration of a covered multilayer module, in which substantially U-shaped reinforcing conductors 58a and 58b are connected to an end electrode 57 arranged at a narrow recess provided along a lamination direction, as a connection electrode to an external device, so as to provide a reliable connection with the external device. The electrode is not provided to bond the claw portion 53 of the metal case 52, and even if the electrode is used to bond the claw portion 53 of the metal case 52, when the end electrode 57 has a relatively small width as shown in FIG. 13, it is difficult to provide sufficient bonding strength.


The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for backing up a distributed database provided as a database instance across servers within a first geographic region. In one example, such a system may include at least one processor configured to: generate and transmit a command to duplicate the distributed database in object databases on first region servers; generate and transmit a command to duplicate the object databases on servers in at least a second geographic region independent from servers in the first region; and, when an error is detected with at least one server within the first region: generate and transmit a command to initiate a new distributed database on second region servers, generate and transmit a command to populate the new distributed database using the object databases on second region servers, and generate and transmit a command to re-route traffic from the distributed database to the new distributed database.

Many cloud services provide distributed databases on remote servers for use by subscribers to the cloud services. For example, Amazon Web Services (AWS) provides the Relational Database Service (RDS) to subscribers. The distributed database is generally an instance of a database implemented on remote servers and accessible via a terminal of a subscriber. The distributed database generally includes entries stored by one or more nodes in a network of nodes, the full database being provided by the network of nodes.
Many cloud services also provide object storage for use by subscribers. For example, Amazon Web Services (AWS) provides Simple Storage Service (S3) for subscribers. Object storage provides for retention of unstructured data such that each object includes data, metadata, and at least one identifier and is independent of the other objects.
In some implementations, the distributed database and/or the object storage may be provided in particular geographic regions. For example, Amazon's RDS is provided in various Availability Zones, such that the remote servers implementing the database instance are clustered in a particular geographic region. Similarly, Amazon's S3 is provided in the Availability Zones, such that remote servers providing the object storage are clustered in a particular geographic region. This clustering may increase access speeds because entries in the database and objects in the storage are not distributed across the globe. However, the database and the object storage are not backed-up cross-regionally. Accordingly, a severe disaster affecting an entire geographic area may result in loss of databases and objects.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Systems and methods for cross-regional back up of distributed databases on a cloud service


Intimate contact of water with a treatment gas is achieved by mixing the gas and water co-currently in a conduit containing static mixers, and directing the conduit into a gas contact apparatus that contains coaxial inner and outer tanks, the inner tank being open within, and shorter than, the outer tank, leaving a head space above the top of the inner tank. The conduit discharges the gas-water mixture at the base of the interior of the inner tank, permitting the water to flow upward through the annular space between the inner tank and the conduit, then over the weir formed by the open upper end of the inner tank and downward through the annular space between the inner and outer tanks. Gas is separated from the water at the head space, and treated degasified water leaves the apparatus at the base of the outer tank.

Gas-liquid contacting systems exist in a wide variety of forms, depending on the function of the system, such as distillation, flashing, rectification, absorption, stripping, evaporation, humidification, and drying, and on the flow rates of gas and liquid through the system, as well as other parameters of the system. Many systems, such as ozonization systems for water, can be performed in relatively simple gas contact tanks without the need for plates, packings, or complex construction. These gas contact tanks can accommodate a high volume of water with low capital investment and low maintenance.
When treating water with ozone or any such gas that is marginally soluble in water, the critical parameters in achieving an effective treatment are (a) a high degree of mixing to maximize the contact between the gas and the water and (b) the duration of contact. Ozone is a prime example of a treatment agent where extensive mixing and an extended contact time are important in achieving effective treatment. For drinking water, the Environmental Protection Agency has established standards for the "CT" value, which is the product of the ozone concentration in the water in parts per million and the treatment time in minutes. The standard minimum value of CT ranges from 1 to 10 depending on the particular organisms to be destroyed in the water.
Contact tanks of the prior art are generally designed for counter-current flow with ozone gas bubbling up from the bottom of the tank while water enters at the top of the tank and leaves at the bottom. The contact efficiency of these tanks is approximately 50% at water depths above fifteen feet (4.6 meters) and water temperatures between 50.degree. F. (10.degree. C.) and 80.degree. F. (27.degree. C.). The low efficiency is due to a significant amount of bypass of the water flow in these tanks. As a result, the gas-liquid contact is not uniform throughout the tank and is difficult to measure or control.


A high-frequency circuit includes: first duplexers, each including a first transmit filter having a first transmit band, a first receive filter having a first receive band, and a first common terminal to which first ends of the first transmit filter and the first receive filter are commonly connected; a first switch that selects and connects one of the first common terminals to a first antenna; an LPF or BPF that is connected between the first antenna and the first switch, and passes a signal in the first transmit band and the first receive band; and a second duplexer including: a second transmit filter having a second transmit band, a second receive filter having a second receive band, and a second common terminal that is connected to a second antenna and to which first ends of the second transmit filter and the second receive filter are commonly connected.

In recent years, there has been studied mobile communication using carrier aggregation technology that simultaneously transmits and receives signals using different frequency bands (e.g. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-119981).
However, the distorted signal of a transmit signal of a lower frequency band of the frequency bands sometimes becomes stronger than a receive signal of a higher frequency band.

High-frequency circuit and communication device


Immunoassays for malondialdehyde-modified low density lipoprotein (MDA-modified LDL) and oxidized low density lipoprotein (OxLDL), monoclonal antibodies (and the cell lines for them) for use in the assays, and a storage-stable standard (which may be used as a calibrator and/or control) are disclosed. MDA-modified LDL and OxLDL are implicated in atherosclerosis and its etiology.

The present invention relates to assays, antibodies (particularly monoclonal antibodies), and standards for detection (i.e., determination of the presence and/or quantitation of the amount) of oxidized low density lipoprotein (OxLDL) and malondialdehyde-modified low density lipoprotein (MDA-modified LDL) in samples, the samples typically being derived from body fluids or tissues.
Lipoproteins are multicomponent complexes of protein and lipids. Each type of lipoprotein has a characteristic molecular weight, size, chemical composition, density, and physical role. The protein and lipid are held together by noncovalent forces.
Lipoproteins can be classified on the basis of their density as determined by ultracentrifugation. Thus, four classes of lipoproteins can be distinguished: High Density Lipoproteins (HDL), Intermediate Density Lipoproteins (IDL), Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL), and Very Low Density Lipoproteins (VLDL).
The purified protein components of a lipoprotein particle are called apolipoproteins (apo). Each type of lipoprotein has a characteristic apolipoprotein composition. In LDL the prominent apolipoprotein protein is apo B-100. Apo B-100 is one of the longest single chain polypeptides known and consists of 4536 amino acids. Of these amino acids the lysine residues or moieties (there are 356 such lysine residues or moieties) can be substituted or modified by aldehydes (e.g., malondialdehyde).
Oxidation of the lipids in LDL (whether in vitro, e.g., by copper-induced oxidation, or whether in vivo) results in the generation of reactive aldehydes, which can then interact with the lysine residues or moieties of apo B-100. The outcome of this lysine substitution or modification is that the resulting OxLDL, which is also MDA-modified LDL, is no longer recognized by the LDL receptor at the surface of fibroblasts but by scavenger receptors at the surface of macrophages. At least 60 out of the 356 lysines (or lysine residues or moieties) of apo B-100 have to be substituted in order to be recognized by the scavenger receptors (see document number 1 of the documents listed near the end of this application, all of which documents are hereby incorporated in their entireties for all purposes). The uptake of such OxLDL by macrophages results in foam cell generation, which is considered to be an initial step in atherosclerosis.
Endothelial cells under oxidative stress (e.g., in acute myocardial infarction patients) and activated blood platelets also produce aldehydes, which interact with the lysine moieties in apo B-100, resulting in the generation of aldehyde-modified LDL that is also recognized by the scavenger receptors. However, the lipids in this aldehyde-modified LDL are not oxidized. Enzymatic activity in macrophages (e.g. myeloperoxidase) results in the oxidation of both the lipid and the protein moieties of LDL. All these pathways result in aldehyde-type modification of the protein moiety of LDL.
In vitro experiments and experiments in animal models have suggested that OxLDL and/or aldehyde-modified LDL may contribute to the progression of atherosclerosis by inducing endothelial dysfunction, foam cell generation, smooth muscle cell proliferation, and platelet activation (for review see document number 2). A positive correlation between the levels of autoimmune antibodies that cross-react with aldehyde-modified LDL and the progression of carotid atherosclerotic lesions in patients suggested that OxLDL and/or aldehyde-modified LDL might contribute to the progression of human atherosclerosis (see document 3).
However, the possibility that the autoimmune antibodies were directed against other aldehyde-modified proteins, e.g., albumin, could not be excluded. Therefore, the contribution of OxLDL and aldehyde-modified LDL (whether or not resulting from oxidation of the lipid moiety) to human atherosclerosis may be able to be established when non-invasive tests that are specific for these substances (i.e., have high affinity for those substances in preference to other substances) become available.
Because the underlying mechanisms of oxidation of LDL may be different in different patient populations (e.g., in diabetes patients, chronic renal failure patients, heart transplant patients) and because at least some of the mechanisms may be independent of lipid oxidation, such tests should be specific for both OxLDL and aldehyde-modified LDL (e.g., MDA-modified LDL) and thus preferentially be based on the detection of conformational changes that specifically occur in the apo B-100 moiety of LDL following aldehyde-type substitution of lysine residues. In other words, there is a need for such non-invasive tests (i.e., assays) that are highly specific for the analytes of interest (i.e., MDA-modified LDL and OxLDL). There is also a need for antibodies that are specific for the analytes of interest. There is also a need for a stable standard (e.g., to be used as calibrator and/or control) for the assays.

Assays, antibodies, and standards for detection of oxidized and MDA-modified low density lipoproteins


The invention relates to an automatic reset circuit for detecting much faster transient voltage variation between the supply voltage (VDD) and the electric ground (GND) of an electric system with noise and disturbance. The automatic reset circuit of the invention includes a plurality of detecting units, a plurality of voltage-couple devices connected with the detecting units, and a decision unit with an output port. The decision unit and the voltage-couple devices are also connected. The automatic reset circuit of the invention can detect nanosecond transient voltage variation between the supply voltage and the electric ground, and a reset is then enabled for protecting the inner circuits and surviving the normal operations of the electric system.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an automatic reset circuit, especially to a reset circuit with transient detection function for detecting transient variations of the supply voltage (VDD) and the electric ground (GND) of an electric system.
2. Description of Related Art
Today, electric systems are greatly used in our daily life such as in televisions, computers, receivers, air conditioners, and mobile phones. Noise and disturbance are thus introduced in our environment, and they can heavily damage the inner circuits and normal functions of electric systems. Rippled supply voltages (VDD) of power sources and the voltage-level bias of an electric ground (GND) are very common and dangerous events in electric systems. These events always cause electric systems to experience improper operations, devices or circuit break, and system halt. Hence, it is the major objective of reset circuits in electric systems to protect their inner circuits and survive their normal operations. A commonly used reset circuit of the prior art is a manual reset device such as an electric switch., but it is manually enabled by experienced users. FIG. 1 is an automatic reset circuit of the prior art, which is commonly used in many integrated circuits. The automatic reset circuit includes a detecting unit 14, a resistor 12, a capacitor 13, and a trigger circuit 15 connected to the detecting unit 14. One end of the resistor 12 is connected to a supply voltage port 10 of a power source, and the other end of the resistor 12 is linked with one end of the capacitor 13 and the input port 141 of the detecting unit 14 to form a note 16. The other end of the capacitor 13 is joined with an electric ground 11. If the voltage variation between the supply voltage port 10 of the power source and the electric ground 11 exceeds the threshold of the detecting unit 14, the trigger circuit 15 is enabled. The automatic reset circuit of an electric system of the prior art usually detects the DC-level or low-frequency voltage variations in of the power source to reset the electric system automatically when the power source is turned on. In general, the rise time of the automatic reset circuit of the prior art is not faster than one microsecond (.mu.s). However, the automatic reset circuit of the prior art is not sufficient to detect a nanosecond transient voltage variation in the system-level electrostatic discharge (ESD) test of an circuit board, the electrical fast transient/burst (EFT) test of a power line, and the automatic resetting and voltage compensating objectives of an complex electric system such as a VLSI system. A new automatic reset circuit is indeed required to detect much faster transient voltage variation of an electric system.

Reset circuit with transient detection function

Industrial Technology Research Institute


Aspects of the disclosure relate to methods for determining whether or a subject is likely to respond to certain adoptive cell therapies (e.g., chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, etc.). In some embodiments, the methods comprise the steps of identifying a subject as having a tumor microenvironment (TME) type based upon a molecular-functional (MF) expression signature of the subject, and determining whether or not the subject is likely to respond to a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy based upon the TME type. In some embodiments, the methods comprise determining the lymphoma microenvironment (LME) type of a lymphoma (e.g., Diffuse Large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL)) subject and identifying the subject's prognosis based upon the LME type determination.

Adoptive cell transfer is a targeted immune cell therapy that often involves engineering a patient's immune cells to recognize and attack his or her tumor(s). Immune cells collected from a patient's blood can be genetically engineered to express receptors on the immune cell surface, which permits recognition by the immune cells of specific ligand proteins (e.g., antigens) expressed on a tumor cell surface. In vitro-expanded populations of these genetically engineered immune cells are infused back into the patient, the immune cells multiply in the patient's body and, with guidance from the engineered receptors, recognize and kill cancer cells that harbor the surface antigen.

Tumor microenvironment-based methods for assessing CAR-T and other immunotherapies


A multi-endpoint adapter includes endpoints configured to couple to respective processing subsystems, multi-endpoint adapter ports configured to couple to an external switch via respective external switch ports, and an internal switch coupled to the endpoints and multi-endpoint adapter ports. The internal switch receives a data packet from a first application provided by a first processing subsystem through a first endpoint, and matches the data packet to a data flow associated with QoS parameter(s). The internal switch then identifies a data flow action that is associated with the data flow and that provides for the transmission of the data packet via a first multiple endpoint adapter port that is configured in a manner that satisfies the at least one QoS parameter, and performs the data flow action to transmit the data packet through the first multi-endpoint adapter port and a first external switch port to the external switch.

The present disclosure relates generally to information handling systems, and more particularly to routing packets via a multi-endpoint adapter device coupled to multiple processing subsystems in an information handling system.
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Some information handling systems such as, for example, server devices, include multiple processors and utilize a Non-Uniform Memory Access (NUMA) computer memory design in which each processor is provided a local memory that it can access quickly, with those processors coupled together via processor interconnect(s) (e.g., Ultra-Path Interconnects (UPIs) available in processing systems provided by INTEL® Corporation of Santa Clara, Calif., United States) that allow the processors to access the memory that is local to the other processors. Furthermore, such server devices may be provided with multi-endpoint adapter devices that provide a plurality of endpoints (e.g., PCIe endpoints), and in a specific example the endpoints may include software-defined Network Interface Controllers (NICs). When each of the endpoints is connected to a respective processor by a dedicated link (e.g., a PCIe bus), it becomes desirable to prevent applications (e.g., provided by each respective processor executing application code stored in its respective local memory) from sending data packets over the processor interconnect(s), as doing so introduces latency in the transmission of those data packets and can use up the bandwidth of the processor interconnect(s) and prevent or limit the intended use of those processor interconnect(s) for direct memory accesses by the processors accessing memory that is local to another processor.
Multi-endpoint adapter devices have been developed that prevent data packets generated by the applications discussed above from being transmitted over the processor interconnects, including those described in U.S. patent Ser. No. 15/872,100, filed on Jan. 16, 2018, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. However, such multi-endpoint adapter do not take into account Quality of Service (QoS) considerations for data packets routed from applications to an external switch such as, for example, a Top Of Rack (TOR) switch. For example, many application are provided according to Service Level Agreements (SLAs) that guarantee a minimum bandwidth and/or maximum latency associated with their data packet transmissions, and while the multi-endpoint adapter devices discussed above reduce latency by preventing the use of the processor interconnects to transmit data packets from the applications to the external switch, they provide no control over the NICs and therefore cannot route data packets in a manner that can guarantee QoS requirements provided for those applications.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an improved multi-endpoint adapter/multi-processor packet routing system.

Multi-endpoint adapter/multi-processor packet routing system


A shovel includes a base panel portion, a shovel member secured on the base panel, a handle secured to the shovel member, and a blade secured to the bottom and front portion of the base panel and extended forward beyond the base panel for engaging with material such as the snow. The shovel member and the base panel may be made of lighter metal or plastic or composite materials, for decreasing the weight of the shovel and for reducing the manufacturing cost for the shovel. The blade is made of stronger metal materials for increasing the working life of the shovel.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a shovel, and more particularly to a snow shovel having a lighter weight and having an increased strength.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Some of the typical shovels, particularly the snow shovels are made of metal materials and include an excellent strength. However, the typical metal shovels include a heavy weight that the users may not easily operate, or that the users may not operate for a long time. In addition, the typical metal shovels include an expensive manufacturing cost.
The other typical snow shovels are made of plastic materials and include a light weight. However, the typical plastic shovels include a weak or less strength that the shovels may be easily broken after use.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional snow shovels.
The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a shovel including a lighter weight for allowing the shovel to be easily operated by the users and including an increased strength for increasing the working life of the shovel.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a shovel comprising a base panel including an upper portion, and a bottom and front portion, a shovel body secured on the upper portion of the base panel, a handle secured to the shovel body, and a blade secured to the bottom and front portion of the base panel and extended forward beyond the base panel for engaging with an object. The shovel body may be made of stronger but lighter metal materials for decreasing the weight of the shovel. The base panel may be made of lighter metal materials or plastic or composite materials, for decreasing the weight of the shovel and for reducing the manufacturing cost for the shovel. The blade is made of stronger metal materials for increasing the working life of the shovel.
The shovel body includes at least one opening formed therein, the base panel includes at least one bulge extended therefrom and engaged into the opening of the shovel body.
The shovel body includes a bar, a beam, and at least one arm secured between the bar and the beam. The base panel includes a plurality of depressions formed therein for receiving the bar and the beam and the arm of the shovel body.
The shovel body includes a plurality of ribs extended from the bar and the arm for reinforcing the bar and the arm.
Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a careful reading of a detailed description provided hereinbelow, with appropriate reference to accompanying drawings.

Snow shovel having light weight and greater strength


A position-command-pulse generation unit generates a position command pulse to be output to a motor driver by advancing an initial phase thereof by a phase indicated by initial phase information preset in a device. The initial phase information indicates an arbitrary phase in a period of a half cycle of a first pulse of the position command pulse.

A motor driver control device controls a motor driver that drives a motor arranged on each axis of a positioning device to be used for machining/assembly, component mounting, and the like in a production process, thereby performing positioning control in the positioning device. As the motor driver control device, a programmable logic controller has been widely used. Therefore, in the present specification, the motor driver control device is referred to as a programmable logic controller.
There are various methods of controlling a motor driver by the programmable logic controller. The programmable logic controller intended by the present invention has such a configuration that a pulse train signal, which is a position command pulse, is output to a motor driver to control the motor driver. The position command pulse is generated according to a following procedure. That is, the programmable logic controller calculates and generates a positioning pattern of a motor driven by the motor driver based on positioning setting data including a target position and a target speed in positioning control, using a starting command as a trigger, converts the generated positioning pattern into a position command pulse according to one of three pulse output modes (A phase/B phase, CW/CCW, and PULSE/SIGN), and outputs the position command pulse. The starting command can be output in an execution process of a ladder program or input from outside.


A visual sight flexible gas flow indicator has a truncated conical sleeve formed of flexible water repellent material tapered along its length from a larger diameter throat end to a smaller diameter exit end defining an interior. A threaded fitting secured to the throat end has an interior in fluid communication with the sleeve interior and is configured to be threadedly engaged in fluid flow communication with a conduit or bleeder valve of a vessel or piping system through which a gas to be monitored flows. The sleeve hangs flaccidly in a generally vertical position when no gas is flowing through the fitting and sleeve from the conduit or valve. Upon gas flowing through the fitting and sleeve from the conduit or valve, the sleeve becomes fully extended in a generally horizontal position to provide an external visual indication, from a distance, of gas flow and location of the leaking gas.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to sight flow indicators for indicating fluid flow through or from a conduit and, more particularly, to a visual sight flexible gas flow indicator having a flexible truncated conical sleeve that connects to a gas conduit or bleeder valve and normally hangs flaccidly in a generally vertical position and becomes fully extended in a generally horizontal position to provide an external visual indication of gas flow or leakage easily seen a distance from the location of the flowing or leaking gas, and reduce the risks of inhalation exposure or asphyxia.
2. Background Art
Typically in industrial plants, such as refineries and petrochemical plants, a vessel, tank or piping system which previously contained hydrocarbons, must be periodically shut down, cleaned, and made safe by "purging" or "inerting" before resuming operations.
"Purging" displaces or flushes out hydrocarbons by introducing substances such as an inert gas, steam or water. Purging a hydrocarbon-filled system with air can create an explosive atmosphere. Using air as a purging gas significantly increases the risk of an explosion. Typically, air forced through a system containing a flammable or combustible liquid residue creates a mist cloud of airborne liquid droplets. Flammable liquid droplets evaporate quickly, and can produce an explosive atmosphere. If there is enough liquid residue, the explosive conditions may persist for a very long time—longer than workers may be willing to wait before beginning their work.
"Inerting" displaces or dilutes the hydrocarbons in the vessel, tank or piping system with an inert (non-flammable and non-reactive) gas such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide, or a compatible inert liquid such as water. The atmosphere must remain non-explosive while workers perform their work. During the work, all ignition sources must be controlled so that they cannot trigger a fire or explosion.
However, the inerting and/or purging operations themselves may create hazards to workers by displacing the oxygen in the environment. If a worker must enter a tank that has been inerted/purged, the proper procedures and protective equipment must be used.
Nitrogen is an inert gas that is colorless, odorless, and tasteless, and because it displaces oxygen, is typically used for purging and inerting, and as a "sweep through" to remove oxygen from vessels, piping and equipment prior to their recommission, and to bring hydrocarbons and other chemicals to a safe "LEL" level (Lower Explosive Limit). The Lower Explosive Limit (LEL) is defined as: The lowest concentration (percentage) of a gas or a vapor in air capable of producing a flash of fire in presence of an ignition source (arc, flame, heat). At a concentration in air below the LEL, there is not enough fuel to continue an explosion. Concentrations lower than the LEL are "too lean" to explode but may still burn violently. as a sweep through to remove oxygen from vessels, piping and equipment prior to its commission
Although workers may be equipped with LEL meters, many LEL meters will not read properly when oxygen levels are less than 10 percent. Without enough oxygen, these meters can give an incorrect low reading even if flammable vapors and gases still remain.
Nitrogen can be very deadly. It can act as an asphyxiant and choke a person to death in less than 40 seconds. Each year many accidents and deaths involving nitrogen occur. Nitrogen displaces oxygen from the air whenever it comes in contact with it. If a continuous flow of nitrogen is released into air, the oxygen level in the air depletes very fast and can choke a person who is breathing this nitrogen-rich air. Thus, a worker who is carrying out a vessel purging and/or inerting operation or a follow-up inspection in a typical petrochemical plant (where the vessel most likely was purged with nitrogen to rid it of explosive vapors), or somebody who is even standing near or in the vicinity of a vessel that has nitrogen purging on, is at risk.
There are a variety of sight indicators known in the art. Typically, these sight indicators are devices that are installed on a pipe and have a window to provide a visual means of verifying liquid flow for direction and approximate rate, and to observe the color and clarity of process fluids passing through the device. One of the problems with these types of sight indicators is that it requires a person to be relatively close to the device in order to observe flow within the pipe on which it is mounted.
Moore, U.S. Pat. No. 3,857,277, discloses a flow indicator comprising a housing having a chamber therein and including inlet and outlet openings communicating with opposite ends of the chamber. A flexible flap hingedly connected to the housing for flexure within the chamber in response to fluid flow through the chamber is visible through a transparent observation port to provide direct indication of fluid flow. A magnet carried by the flap actuates at least one magnetically responsive switch mounted in the housing and adapted for connection in an external circuit to alter the condition of the circuit in response to at least one predetermined flow condition. The flap also functions as a check valve to prevent retrograde fluid flow through the housing.
Brighton, U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,691, discloses a fluid flow indicator for use with light transmitting conduits having end fittings which include a bore. The flow indicator includes a base defined by a coiled wire closely received within the fitting bore and an axially extending indicator support which extends from the base into the conduit includes a rotatable flag whose rotation can be exteriorly observed or sensed as fluid flow occurs. The coiled wire base includes an abutment engaging with fitting structure for axially positioning the indicator relative to the fitting and conduit.
Donehue, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,526,907 and 7,401,572, disclose a flow indicating device including a tube, a turbine wheel, and a cylinder. The tube defines a flow path. The turbine wheel is mounted in the tube for rotation alongside an inside wall of the tube. The turbine wheel has a plurality of turbine blades. The cylinder is mounted outside the tube for rotation alongside an outside wall of the tube. The cylinder is magnetically coupled to the turbine wheel through the sidewall of the tube so that rotation of the turbine wheel causes rotation of the cylinder. A visually observable pattern is provided on an outside surface of the cylinder so that rotation of the cylinder can be visually ascertained. The device is easy to install and provides an indication of flow within the pipe which is highly visible, easy to read, and viewable from any location around the pipe.
Al-Wehebi, U.S. Pat. No. 7,310,047, discloses a hazardous gases and wind direction sensor that includes a housing having a hazardous gas sensor. The gas sensor sends an output signal to a transmitter at a predetermined frequency upon detecting a hazardous gas. Wind detection is provided by eight LEDs aligned with eight corresponding photocells disposed in the housing, where each photocell represents a topographical direction and is adapted to provide an output signal associated with a particular wind direction at a predetermined frequency. A disk is coupled to a rotatable shaft in the housing and positioned between the LEDs and photocells. The shaft is coupled to a wind direction indicator such as a windsock. The disk has a slot sized to allow light to pass from one of the LEDs to its corresponding photocell, which sends an output signal to enable a switching circuit in the transmitter. The switching circuit enables the output signal at a predetermined frequency to be transmitted to a receiver. The system detects harmful gases in the environment and the direction of the wind, and providing an early-warning system to alert personnel in the vicinity of such dangerous conditions so that they can retreat away from the path of the oncoming harmful gases.
McEwan, U.S. Pat. No. 8,061,389, discloses an apparatus and methods for duct leakage control wherein a sealing element having a "windsock" is introduced into the duct and is automatically drawn or otherwise guided to the locality of a leak; the element being caused, by reason of a pressure differential attributable to the leak, to move into and stem or seal the leak. The sealing element may comprise a plurality of individual members of differing buoyancy, each capable of being carried along at a predetermined level in the duct by the flow of fluid therein. The sealing element may carry a tagging device which can be used to assist in locating the leakage site.

Visual sight flexible gas flow indicator


A semiconductor device package includes multiple built-up layers of metal sandwiching non-conductive layers. The metal layers have grids of degassing holes arranged in rows and columns. The rows and columns are locatable via a first coordinate system. Signal traces are embedded within the non-conductive layers such that the signal traces are also sandwiched between the metal layers with degassing holes. The signal traces generally run at zero degrees, 45 degrees, and 90 degrees relative to a second coordinate system. The first coordinate system is rotated relative to the second coordinate system to lower impedance variations of different traces. Impedance variations decrease due to the decreased variation in the number of degassing holes passed over or under by a trace. The grid of degassing holes on one metal layer can be offset in two dimensions relative to the degassing holes on another layer.

As input/output (I/O) speed and the total number of I/Os required for high performance semiconductor chips have increased dramatically, the need for increased numbers of interconnect lines with low line impedance variation in chip packages has increased as well. To address this need, manufacturers have used multi-layered packages where several layers of conductors are separated by layers of dielectric material.
In printed circuit board (PCB) and integrated circuit (IC) manufacture, often semiconductor dies are to be connected to a motherboard. Typically, a die is connected to a package, which is in turn connected to a motherboard. The motherboard typically receives multiple packages, thereby providing electrical connections between multiple semiconductor chips. One manner in which circuit dies can be mounted to a package is to "flip mount" the die to a small board designed to receive the die. When flip mounted, the die couples electrical signals to the package without the use of bond wires.
The package can have a core made of a common material such as glass epoxy, and can have additional layers laminated onto the core. These additional layers are also known as "built-up" layers. The built-up layers are typically formed from alternating layers of dielectric material and conductive material. Patterns may be built in the metal or conductive layer through various etching processes such as wet etching which are known in the art and will not be described further herein. Plated through holes called vias are used to make interconnects between various layers of metal. Using these layers and vias, several layers of interconnections may be built up.
Input/Output functions are typically accomplished using metal traces between the layers. Each trace has an impedance generated by its geometry and location on the package. Due to the manufacturing technology and material requirements, packages having built-up layers often include a number of degassing holes in the metal layers. Degassing holes allow gas to be evaporated during the manufacture of the package so that bubbles do not form in the package.
Traces may be routed over or under the degassing holes, or around the degassing holes, or a combination thereof. Since the traces are not in the same location on the package, and pass over varying amounts of non-metal areas caused by degassing holes in the metal layers, the traces have an impedance variation, or mismatch. A typical degassing hole pattern has a grid-like array of degassing holes aligned vertically between two layers, as is shown in FIG. 1. In FIG. 1, the degassing holes 102 of the top and bottom layers are exactly aligned in the x and y directions. When traces such as trace 1 and trace 2 are used with a degassing hole alignment scheme as shown in FIG. 1, trace 1 has less metal from the conductive layers both above and below the trace than trace 2, and an impedance variation between the traces results.
For the reasons stated above, and for other reasons stated below which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the present specification, there is a need in the art for a semiconductor package having reduced trace impedance variation.


A system for transporting dead animals in an animal raising facility to a disposal site using a conveyor having at least one carrier that operates by placing the dead animals in the carrier, transporting the carrier towards a disposal site by the conveyor, and emptying the carrier at the disposal site.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to the field of raising animals and more particularly to methods for removing dead animals from animal raining houses such as chicken coops. The present invention further relates to conveyors for use in removing dead animals from animal raising houses such as a chicken coop and more particularly to system and method for transporting dead animals within an animal house to a central disposal site.
2. Prior Art
Commercial poultry, such as turkeys, chickens, ducks, and geese have been a main food source throughout history. For hundreds of years, poultry had been raised and processed on small family farms to be locally sold to buyers. However, as the human population increased, the demand for poultry has increased. As a result of this increased demand for poultry, the production of commercially raised poultry has evolved from small family farm operations to large business operations devoted solely to the production of such animals. These large factory farms commonly raise several million animals each year. Without such farms, the demand for such animals could not be met. While the technology for processing such animals has evolved dramatically, the methods and apparatus for raising animals have remained relatively unchanged. In fact, many factory farms today use the same general methods and apparatus previously used on smaller farms, but on a far larger scale.
In any animal raising site, animals are going to die during the raising process for any number of reasons. Although the job of removing dead animals from the site may be difficult and is time consuming and physically strenuous, the removal of dead animals from a site is one of the most important activities in maintaining a healthy environment on factory farms. In fact, dead poultry remaining within the flock in a chicken coop for prolonged periods of time can increase the growth of bacteria such botulism, salmonella and camplylobacter among the batch. While feeding and watering are often automated, a crew of workers often accomplishes the removal of dead poultry manually.
Human labor usually is required to manually locate and transport the dead poultry within the coop to a disposal site away from the coop. Typically, human labor walks through the coop, picks up any dead animals, and carries the dead animals to a central pile, or disposes of the dead animals through a door in the coop. Humans can only carry so many dead animals at one time, in terms of both weight and cumbersomeness. Complicating matters further, the distance from the site of the dead poultry and the disposal site can be substantially far apart, as many modern chicken coops can be hundreds of feet long. In fact, as animal raising houses can be large in square feet, the crew of workers often is forced to walk a great distance to dispose of dead animals. As such, it can take a significant amount of time and energy to walk from the dead animal site to the disposal site.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved system and method for transporting dead animals within an animal raising facility to a disposal site within the facility or outside of the facility. Such a system and method should be more efficient and reduce the time it takes to remove the dead animal from a facility and dispose of it at a disposal site. The present invention is directed to this need and other related needs.


First and second magnets of a light pen according to the present invention are used for replacing a conventional spring to be a switch structure of the light pen. Whereby, the elastic fatigue problem is not yielded, the switch structure is enabled to be more durable and dependable and can be used as a switch structure for a light pen whose stroke between two electric contact points from a separation state to a contact state is shorter.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a light pen, and more particularly to a light pen adapted to provide an input device for processing an input operation on an operation surface
2. Description of Related Art
Taiwan Patent No. 479190 entitled as "Data Input Device" discloses a movable luminescence device, which can be operated and moved by a user and emit at least two color lights; and a camera connected to a computer, which can capture and shoot light emitted from the movable luminescence device, and judge the color of the light and process and transfer the captured moving track of the light points of the movable luminescence device to a XY coordinate data so as to allow the computer device to process the index inputting function; the movable luminescence device is manufactured to be a pen shape, the photodiode is installed on a pen nib portion.
A spring in the movable luminescence device is used for providing switching elasticity; this might yield elastic fatigue problem relatively. Besides, because the spring with longer deformation can then have a larger spring force, when a distance between two electric contact points is too small and a stroke between the both from a separation state to a contact state is too short, the spring can then not be used as a switch structure.


A delivery device system is provided for assisting a patient and physician in maintaining a depth and position of an inserted catheter within a target tissue. The delivery device includes a base member that is secured to an external surface of the patient. The base member includes an aperture through which a catheter is inserted to access the target tissue. The base member further includes a hinged clip that selectively locks into a closed position to secure the catheter within the delivery device and maintain a desired insertion depth of the catheter within the target tissue. The base member further includes a receiving channel for compatibly and adjustably securing an adapter portion of the catheter in a horizontal orientation.

The present invention relates to a convection-enhanced delivery system for use in any targeted drug delivery procedure including convection-enhanced delivery (CED) and chronic intracranial administrations. CED is the continuous injection under positive pressure of a fluid containing a therapeutic agent. This technique is especially useful for administering therapeutic agents to tissues that are inaccessible via traditional oral medications or venous infusion techniques. For example, for central nervous system (CNS) applications, drug delivery by systemic or by intrathecal methods is not very effective because of the blood-brain bather and limitations with regard to the drug diffusion into the tissue. At best, traditional methods of treatment result in incomplete, non-targeted and heterogeneous dispersion throughout the CNS.
CED may be used to overcome some of the restrictions associated with traditional and other delivery systems. CED utilizes a pressure gradient to infuse substances directly into the interstitial space of a target tissue, for example a solid tumor tissue, via a catheter. This process is known as interstitial infusion and relies on bulk, convective flow and can be used to distribute both small and large molecular weight substances over clinically relevant volumes within solid tissue. Additional benefits include the ability to deliver the therapeutic at relatively constant concentrations throughout the volume of distribution.
The ability to accurately position the catheter within the target tissue is a difficult challenge requiring precise instrumentation and experienced hands. Once the catheter is accurately inserted to a desired depth, the position of the catheter must remain steady so as to ensure effective dispersion of the medicament within the target tissue. The catheter commonly remains inserted within the target tissue for weeks or months at a time to facilitate extended treatment times and the multiple treatment sessions required to achieve adequate tissue therapy. The patient must therefore be extremely cautious to prevent disruption of the catheter between, and during treatment sessions. Bandages, protective shells and the like are commonly used to assist the patient in maintaining the position of the catheter. However these methods are unsightly and inconvenient for the patient. Thus, while methods currently exist for maintaining the inserted position of CED catheters, challenges still exist. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a delivery device system that is effective and convenient in assisting a patient in maintaining an inserted CED catheter without the drawbacks of currently available methods. Such a delivery device system is disclosed herein.

Systems and methods for providing a convection-enhanced delivery device


Methods and systems are provided for controlling operating of a split exhaust engine system including a scavenge exhaust gas recirculation system based on a composition of constituents within a total flow through the scavenge exhaust gas recirculation system. In one example, a method may include adjusting an engine operating parameter in response to individual flows of each of burnt gases, fresh air, and fuel to an intake passage, upstream of a compressor, from a scavenge manifold coupled to scavenge exhaust valves, the individual flows of each of the burnt gases, fresh air, and fuel determined based on a valve opening overlap between the scavenge exhaust valves and intake valves of the engine.

Engines may use boosting devices, such as turbochargers, to increase engine power density. However, engine knock may occur due to increased combustion temperatures. Knock is especially problematic under boosted conditions due to high charge temperatures. The inventors herein have recognized that a split exhaust system, where a first exhaust manifold routes exhaust to a turbine of the turbocharger in an exhaust of the engine and a second exhaust manifold routes exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) to an intake of the engine, upstream of a compressor of the turbocharger, may decrease engine knock and increase engine efficiency. In such an engine system, each cylinder may include two intake valves and two exhaust valves, where a first set of cylinder exhaust valves (e.g., blowdown exhaust valves) are exclusively coupled to the first exhaust manifold via a first set of exhaust ports, and a second set of cylinder exhaust valves (e.g., scavenge exhaust valves) are exclusively coupled to the second exhaust manifold via a second set of exhaust ports. The first set of cylinder exhaust valves may be operated at a different timing than the second set of cylinder exhaust valves, thereby isolating a blowdown portion and a scavenging portion of exhaust gases. The timing of the second set of cylinder exhaust valves may also be coordinated with a timing of the cylinder intake valves to create a positive valve overlap period where fresh intake air (or a mixture of fresh intake air and EGR), referred to as blowthrough, may flow through the cylinders and back to the intake, upstream of the compressor, via an EGR passage coupled to the second exhaust manifold. Blowthrough air may remove residual exhaust gases from within the cylinders (referred to as scavenging). The inventors herein have recognized that by flowing a first portion of the exhaust gas (e.g., higher pressure exhaust) through the turbine and a higher pressure exhaust passage and flowing a second portion of the exhaust gas (e.g., lower pressure exhaust) and blowthrough air to the compressor inlet, combustion temperatures can be reduced while increasing a work efficiency of the turbine and increasing engine torque.
However, the inventors herein have recognized potential issues with such systems. As one example, in the engine system described above, a flow measurement and/or composition of the recirculated gases flowing through the EGR passage may be difficult to obtain. However, these measurements may be necessary for accurate scavenge exhaust system control. For example, previous methods of measuring flow through the EGR valve in the EGR passage utilize a delta pressure measurement system and an orifice flow equation. However, this measurement requires a significant restriction resulting in a high delta pressure across the orifice, such as obtained by using a rocket nozzle or venturi design, in order to ensure a high signal to noise ratio. This significant pressure drop needed for flow measurement may limit engine performance at high load conditions due to limiting flow through the EGR and/or intake system. Additionally, the concentration of the gases recirculated via the EGR passage may also be unknown and a challenge to accurately determine due to recirculating not only burnt gases, but also blowthrough air and fuel.
In one example, the issues described above may be addressed by a method comprising: adjusting an engine operating parameter in response to individual flows of each of burnt gases, fresh air, and fuel to an intake passage, upstream of a compressor, from a scavenge manifold coupled to scavenge exhaust valves, the individual flows of each of the burnt gases, fresh air, and fuel determined based on a valve opening overlap between the scavenge exhaust valves and intake valves of the engine. As one example, the individual flows of each of the burnt gases, fresh air, and fuel are determined based on a total flow of gases through a scavenge EGR passage, coupled between the scavenge manifold and the intake passage, upstream of the compressor, and concentrations of each of the burnt gases, fresh air, and fuel within the total flow of gases. The total flow of gases may be determined based on a valve opening overlap area between the scavenge exhaust valves and intake valves and pressures in the intake manifold and scavenge manifold while the concentrations are determined based on an amount of valve opening overlap between the scavenge exhaust valves and intake valves. In this way, by adjusting an engine operating parameter in response to the determined individual flows of each of burnt gases, fresh air, and fuel, desired flows of recirculated burnt gases and fresh blowthrough air at current engine operating conditions may be delivered to the intake passage, thereby increasing engine efficiency.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.

Methods and systems for estimating a composition of flow through a scavenge exhaust gas recirculation system of a split exhaust engine system


A permanent magnetic material of the present invention has a TbCu.sub.7 phase as the principal phase and high magnetic characteristics with an extremely small variation among the values. This permanent magnetic material is expressed in a general formula: EQU R1.sub.X R2.sub.y A.sub.z O.sub.u B.sub.v M.sub.100-x-y-z-u-v. wherein R1 is at least one element selected from the rare earth elements including Y, R2 is at least one element selected from Zr, Hf and Sc, A is at least one element selected from hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon and phosphorus, M is at least one element selected from Fe and Co, x, y, z, u and v are atomic percent individually defined as 2.ltoreq.x, 0.01.ltoreq.y, 4.ltoreq.x+y.ltoreq.20, 0.001.ltoreq.z.ltoreq.10, 0.01.ltoreq.u.ltoreq.2, 0<v.ltoreq.10, and a principal phase has a TbCu.sub.7 crystal structure.

The present invention relates to a permanent magnetic material and a bond magnet.
As conventional high performance rare earth permanent magnets such as Sm-Co-based and Nd-Fe-B-based magnets are known and the mass production thereof is under way. These magnets contain Fe or Co at high concentrations and they contribute to promotion in the level of the saturation magnetic flux density. These magnets also contain rare earth elements, and the rare earth elements bring about a very large magnetic anisotropy derived from the behavior of 4f electrons in the crystal field. As a result, the coersive force is increased, and a magnet of a high performance is realized. Such a high performance magnets are mainly used in electric appliances such as a loudspeaker, a motor, and a measuring device.
Recently, in order to meet the increasing demand for smaller electric appliances, a higher-performance permanent magnet by improving the maximum magnetic energy product is required.
On the other hand, Japanese Patent Application Laid Open (JP-A) No. 6-172936 discloses permanent magnetic material having a TbCu.sub.7 phase as the principal phase. The permanent magnetic material having a TbCu.sub.7 phase as the principal phase has excellent magnetic characteristics with a high saturation magnetic flux density. However, in the case an interstitial element such as H, N, C and P is contained in the above-mentioned permanent magnetic material, the magnetic characteristics greatly vary depending on the production conditions. The great variation of the magnetic characteristics results in a serious problem of the decline of the magnetic characteristics by offsetting the variation of the magnetic characteristics in the industrial mass production.

Permanent magnetic material and bond magnet


Fuel concentrations are determinable in a solid oxide fuel cell through voltage measurement of one or more fuel cell units, which voltage is a function of hydrogen gas present in the fuel feed stream to the one or more fuel cell units. The voltage in the one or more fuel cell units is proportionally related to the fuel concentration in the fuel feed stream to the entire fuel cell. A sensor determines concentrations of the fuel flowing in the fuel cell. The sensor comprises a fuel cell unit, and an indicator electrically coupled to the fuel cell unit, the indicator being capable of displaying a voltage or being adapted to convert a voltage to a fuel concentration display. The voltage measured is correlated to the fuel concentration flowing in the fuel cell.

This disclosure relates to fuel cell systems and specifically to sensing a concentration of fuel within a fuel cell system.
A fuel cell is an energy conversion device that generates electrical energy and thermal energy by electrochemically combining a gaseous fuel and an oxidant gas across an ion conducting electrolyte. Several types of fuel cells currently exist. A characteristic difference between distinct types of fuel cell is the type of material used for the electrolyte. The difference in the materials of the electrolyte employed distinguishes the fuel cells due to the operating temperature ranges of the materials. In one type of fuel cell, the Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC), the fuel cell is constructed from solid-state materials utilizing an ion-conducting oxide ceramic as the electrolyte. To generate a useful quantity of power, a fuel cell is made up of multiple fuel cell units in a series array, typically stacked together. A single SOFC unit consists of two electrodes, one is an anode and one is a cathode. The anode and the cathode are separated by the solid electrolyte just identified. Fuel for the SOFC is typically gaseous hydrogen and carbon monoxide supplied in from reformats, and the oxidant is commonly an air supply. The fuel cell operates when the oxidant contacts the cathode and the fuel contacts the anode. The electrolyte conducts the oxygen ions between the cathode and the anode maintaining an overall electrical charge balance in the system. Electrons are released from the fuel cell to an external circuit forming a flow of electrons. The flow of electrons released from the fuel cell to the external circuit provides useful electrical power.
The production of useful electrical power is the primary function of the SOFC. Optimizing the conversion of fuel in the fuel cell is an endeavor that commands a significant amount of time and effort. As in many other energy conversion devices, the function of converting the fuel into useful energy, (electrical energy, thermal energy), is closely monitored by system operators. Quantifying the concentration of fuel flowing in the fuel cell provides a benefit during the operation of the fuel cell. The performance of the fuel cell is related to, and optimized by knowing the concentration of fuel being supplied to the fuel cell. Understanding the fuel concentration allows operators to understand what quantity of fuel to supply, and what electrical load to apply. Unfortunately, directly measuring the concentration of fuel such as hydrogen in the fuel cell creates many engineering challenges due to the limitations of hydrogen concentration sensors. The limitations of directly measuring hydrogen concentrations with sensors are amplified when applied to the SOFC, because the SOFC operates at high temperatures and uses high concentrations of hydrogen. The limitations are greatest with respect to sensing the concentration of hydrogen and the material compatibility of the sensor.
Direct measurement hydrogen concentration sensors are designed for concentrations that are very small compared to the relatively high SOFC hydrogen concentrations that exist during fuel cell operation. As a result, the direct measurement hydrogen concentration sensors are inadequate for use with solid oxide fuel cells.
In addition to the forgoing, existing hydrogen concentration sensors that measure hydrogen concentrations directly are not compatible with SOFC operating environments. Typically SOFC""s exhibit high operating temperatures and a harsh environment both of which are detrimental to direct measurement hydrogen concentration sensors. Thus, there is a need in the art for a sensor that is compatible with both the operating environment and the relatively high levels of hydrogen concentration of the SOFC.
Fuel concentrations are determinable in a solid oxide fuel cell through voltage measurement of one or more fuel cell units, which voltage is a function of hydrogen gas present in the fuel feed stream to the one or more fuel cell units. The voltage in the one or more fuel cell units is proportionally related to the fuel concentration in the fuel feed stream to the entire fuel cell. A sensor determines concentrations of the fuel flowing in the fuel cell. The sensor comprises a fuel cell unit, and an indicator electrically coupled to the fuel cell unit, the indicator being capable of displaying a voltage or being adapted to convert a voltage to a fuel concentration display. The voltage measured is correlated to the fuel concentration flowing in the fuel cell. The above described and other features and advantages of the present invention will be appreciated and understood by those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, drawings, and claims.

Method and apparatus for a fuel cell based fuel sensor


An ink supply port forming substrate 21, a common ink chamber forming substrate 25, and a nozzle plate 27 are bonded together, by inserting between them thermally fusible films 31and 32 respectively, in which are formed through holes 45 and 45 at two or more positions, and by also filling the film through holes with an adhesive that is mixed with a gap material G for adjusting the thicknesses of the thermally fusible films when they are fused, so as to form a flow path unit 30; and then the flow path unit 30 and the actuator units 1 are bonded together by inserting between them a thermally fusible film 33, in which are through holes 64 at two or more positions, and by also filling the through holes with an adhesive that is mixed with a gap material G for adjusting the thickness of the thermally fusible film when it is fused. In this structure, the extruded quantity of the thermally fusible films can be received by the through holes 45 and 64, and the gap materials G can prevent the thermally fusible films from being unnecessarily spread out.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to d laminated ink-jet recording head that includes an actuator unit, which is formed of ceramics, and a flow path substrate, which is formed of metal, that are connected to each other.
2. Related Art
In Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 6-40035, an ink-jet recording head is disclosed in which a piezoelectric vibration plate is bonded to an area of an elastic plate to form a pressure generation chamber, and in which to generate ink drops, the volume of the pressure generation chamber is varied by the flexing displacement of the piezoelectric vibration plate. This recording head is characterized in that it is able to generate ink drops stably because of the wide area of the pressure generation chamber that is variable.
In a recording head of this type, normally, an actuator unit, which is formed of ceramics and which includes a pressure generation chamber, a vibration plate and a piezoelectric vibration plate, is fixed by a bonding layer to a single flow path forming unit, which is made of a metal plate and which is so formed as to correspond to a plurality of nozzle openings which are formed in lines.
For such bonding, an adhesive, for example, can be used. However, when an adhesive is used, some accompanying problems arise. For example, the adhesive is not only difficult to apply, but it also may flow into and seal the nozzle openings and a lot of time is required for the adhesive to harden.
On the other hand, to solve these problems, and in particular, to simplify the application operation and to shorten the hardening time, a thermally fusible film is also used for such bonding. In this case as well, however, when pressure is applied to the thermally fusible film during the bonding operation, the thermally fusible film can be compressed and flattened to an unnecessary extent so that bonding layer thicknesses vary, or the film can flow into communication holes and close them. Further, there is a possibility that the thermally fusible film will now be sufficiently compressed and that a part of the film will be unevenly shaped. Then, when the unevenly shaped film is interposed between the substrates to bond them together, a sufficient bonding strength cannot be obtained.

Using fusible films having windows supplied with adhesive and gap material


It has been unexpectedly discovered that salts of tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohols, such as the lithium, potassium, and sodium salts of tetrahydrofuryl alcohols, can be used to modify anionic polymerizations of conjugated diene monomers. These modifiers can be used to polymerize isoprene monomer into polyisoprene having from 20% to 30% 1,2-microstructure at excellent polymerization rates. This invention more specifically discloses a catalyst system which is particularly useful in the anionic polymerization of conjugated diene monomers into polymers which is comprised of (a) a initiator which is selected from the group consisting of organolithium compounds, organosodium compounds, organopotassium compounds, organomagnesium compounds, and organobarium compounds, and (b) a modifier which is a metal salt of a tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol. The subject invention further discloses a process for the synthesis of a rubbery polymer which comprises polymerizing (1) from about 50 weight percent to 100 weight percent conjugated diene monomers and (2) from 0 weight percent to about 50 weight percent monomers which are copolymerizable or terpolymerized with said conjugated diene monomers, in an inert organic solvent in the presence of a catalyst system which is comprised of (a) an initiator selected from the group consisting of organolithium compounds, organosodium compounds, organomagnesium compounds, and organobarium compounds, and (b) a modifier which is a metal salt of a tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol or a metal salt of a substituted tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol.

It is important for polydienes which are used in many applications to have high vinyl contents. For example, 3,4-polyisoprene can be used in tire tread compounds to improve tire performance characteristics, such as traction. Polar modifiers are commonly used in the preparation of synthetic polydiene rubbers which are prepared utilizing lithium catalyst systems in order to increase their vinyl content. Ethers and tertiary amines which act as Lewis bases are commonly used as modifiers. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,022,959 indicates that diethyl ether, di-n-propyl ether, diisopropyl ether, di-n-butyl ether, tetrahydrofuran, dioxane, ethylene glycol dimethyl ether, ethylene glycol diethyl ether, diethylene glycol dimethyl ether, diethylene glycol diethyl ether, triethylene glycol dimethyl ether, trimethylamine, triethylamine, N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylenediamine, N-methyl morpholine, N-ethyl morpholine, and N-phenyl morpholine can be used as modifiers. U.S. Pat. No. 4,696,986 describes the use of 1,2,3-trialkoxybenzenes and 1,2,4-trialkoxybenzenes as modifiers. The vinyl group content of polydienes prepared utilizing Lewis bases as modifiers depends upon the type and amount of Lewis base employed as well as the polymerization temperature utilized. For example, if a higher polymerization temperature is employed, a polymer with a lower vinyl group content is obtained (see A. W. Langer; A. Chem. Soc. Div. Polymer Chem. Reprints; Vol. 7 (1), 132 [1966]). For this reason it is difficult to synthesize polymers having high vinyl contents at high polymerization temperatures utilizing typical Lewis base modifiers.
Higher temperatures generally promote a faster rate of polymerization. Accordingly, it is desirable to utilize moderately high temperatures in commercial polymerizations in order to maximize throughputs. However, it has traditionally been difficult to prepare polymers having high vinyl contents at temperatures which are high enough to attain maximum polymerization rates while utilizing conventional Lewis bases as modifiers.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,231,153, filed on Apr. 6, 1992 discloses that compounds having the following structural formulae can be used as modifiers in the synthesis of polydienes: ##STR1## wherein n represents an integer within the range of 3 to 6, and wherein R, R.sup.1, and R.sup.2 can be the same or different and represent alkyl groups containing from 1 to 10 carbon atoms, aryl groups containing from 6 to 10 carbon atoms, or hydrogen atoms.

Modifier for anionic polymerization of diene monomers