A catheter assembly includes a catheter, a first intra-catheter stiffener element, and a second intra-catheter stiffener element. The catheter includes a first lumen in fluid communication with a first distal opening and a second lumen in fluid communication with a second distal opening. The first intra-catheter stiffener element is configured for disposition through the first lumen such that a distal end thereof extends distally of the first distal opening, the first intra-catheter stiffener element including a first coupler at a proximal end thereof. The second intra-catheter stiffener element is configured for disposition through the second lumen such that a distal end thereof extends distally of the second distal opening, the second intra-catheter stiffener element including a second coupler at a proximal end thereof.

The invention relates to methods and apparatus for inserting a catheter into a body cavity and, more particularly, though not exclusively, to methods and apparatus for inserting a multi-lumen split-tip hemodialysis catheter into a blood vessel for hemodialysis.
Multi-lumen catheters are desirable for various treatment applications such as hemodialysis where fluid extraction and infusion occur simultaneously. These multi-lumen catheters provide a single catheter application having multiple lumen channels each supporting independent flow, thus precluding the need for inserting multiple catheters or multiple-catheter assemblies. Further, because a patient might require frequent dialysis, often only days apart, it is desirable to secure placement of the catheter for extended periods of time. Extended placement, however, requires extreme catheter flexibility to avoid damage to the vessel and permit the catheter to move in the blood flow to minimize the possibility of the catheter remaining in pressure contact with the wall of the vessel for prolonged periods.
Unfortunately, the desired flexibility of these catheters presents insertion difficulties. For example, simply advancing the catheter over a guidewire is very difficult since the catheter lacks sufficient stiffness to slide easily through the vessel wall and into the blood vessel to the desired location. Flexible catheters present additional difficulties associated with subcutaneous tunneling and placement.
Known insertion methods and assemblies attempt to overcome, or at least mitigate, these insertion difficulties by stiffening the catheter temporarily during the insertion process. For example, one known method involves temporarily inserting a rigid tubular applicator into one of the lumens. This permits the stiffened catheter/applicator assembly to be passed over a guidewire into a desired position, at which point the applicator can be removed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,405,341 attempts to solve the problem with a single rigid applicator that is designed for insertion into one lumen but also passes through a portion of the second lumen (at the distal end of the instrument) to effectively stiffen the two lumens of the catheter together during insertion. This approach is cumbersome, at best, and presents additional difficulties in maneuvering the instrument. Further, this temporary rigid applicator approach, however, is poorly suited for placement of a catheter having a split at its distal end into two or more separate lumens (e.g., to further isolate a fluid extraction lumen from a return infusion lumen) because only one tip can be secured.
Hence, there exists a need for better and more effective methods and apparatus for insertion of flexible catheters into vessels.

Methods and apparatus for inserting multi-lumen split-tip catheters into a blood vessel


Embodiments include an electronic system and methods of forming an electronic system. In an embodiment, the electronic system may include a package substrate and a die coupled to the package substrate. In an embodiment, the electronic system may also include an integrated heat spreader (IHS) that is coupled to the package substrate. In an embodiment the electronic system may further comprise a thermal interface pad between the IHS and the die. In an embodiment the die is thermally coupled to the IHS by a liquid metal thermal interface material (TIM) that contacts the thermal interface pad.

Indium-based solder thermal interface material (STIM) is currently the most widely-used package-level metallic thermal interface material (TIM). Indium is solid at room temperature, and thus requires reflowing at its 157° C. melting temperature to be applied in a package. Indium-based STIMs also rely on solder flux and gold metallization to achieve the intermetallic bonds necessary for surface adhesion. Additionally, since indium-based STIMs exist in the solid state during the usage of the package, the die and STIM must be made intentionally thick to decrease thermo-mechanical stress on the die.
In order to provide enhanced thermal performance, some third-party companies and end users have begun to replace STIMs with liquid metal TIMs. However, the process of applying liquid metal TIMs to the die and heat spreader is largely manual, and is not compatible with high volume manufacturing processes. The particular challenge that prevents the use of liquid metal TIMs in high volume manufacturing is that the liquid metal TIMs do not readily wet the surfaces of the heat spreader and the die.
In order to get the liquid metal TIM to wet the surfaces, the liquid metal TIM is manually scrubbed onto the surfaces. It is believed that the manual scrubbing process breaks an oxide shell that forms around the liquid metal TIM and, therefore, allows for the liquid metal TIM to wet to the surfaces. However, the manual scrubbing process requires each component to be manually processed.

Liquid metal TIM with STIM-like performance with no BSM and BGA compatible


A process for producing an organotitanium compound capable of regioselectively converting a substituted acetylene compound into polysubstituted benzene or polysubstituted pyridine. The process comprises reacting an acetylene compound represented by the formula (1)

The present invention relates to a process for producing an organotitanium compound useful for production of pharmaceuticals and agricultural chemicals and their intermediates and also to a process for addition reaction involving the organotitanium compound. More particularly, the present invention relates to a process for producing an organotitanium compound useful for production of polysubstituted benzene or polysubstituted pyridine.
There is an established process known as Reppe reaction for producing a benzene compound directly from three acetylene compounds in the presence of a catalyst of transition metal catalyst. This reaction, however, has difficulty in producing a polysubstituted benzene compound regioselectively from substituted acetylene compounds.
As for regioselective production of a substituted benzene compound from three acetylene compounds, several processes are disclosed in Chem. Rev. 2000, 100, 2901–2915. These processes are based on condensation of one molecule of diyne compound and one molecule of acetylene compound. Nothing is mentioned about the process of producing a substituted benzene compound regioselectively from three molecules of acetylene compound.
There is known a process for producing a pyridine compound regioselectively from two acetylene compounds and one nitrile compound. (J. Chem. Soc., Dalton 1978, 1278–1282, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2000, 122, 4994–4995)
The process disclosed in the former literature has the disadvantage of requiring an expensive cobalt complex and being incapable of using two acetylene compounds of different kind. The process disclosed in the latter literature has the disadvantage of requiring an expensive zirconium catalyst and also requiring two-stage reactions with different catalysts. Therefore, both processes are not suitable for industrial production.

Process for producing organotitanium compound and process for addition reaction

Abstract: [where R1 and R2 denote a C1-20 alkyl group or the like] in the presence of a prescribed titanium compound and a Grignard reagent with a compound represented by the formula (4)

Abstract: [where R3 and R4 denote a hydrogen atom or the like] and further reacting with a compound represented by the formula (5)

Abstract: [where R5 denotes a hydrogen atom or the like, Z denotes CR′ (where R′ denotes a hydrogen atom or the like), nitrogen atom, X6 denotes a halogen atom or the like, and m is 0 or 1]thereby giving the titanium compound represented by the formula (6) and/or (7).

Abstract: [where R1˜R5, Z, X6, and m are defined as above; and Xp and Xq denote any of X1˜X4].


A method of fabricating a pattern comprising sequentially forming a pattern formation layer and a neutral layer on over a substrate having in a first regions and a second regions, forming guide patterns on first portions of over the neutral layer in the second regions, forming a first block copolymer layers on over second portions of the neutral layer in the first regions, phase-separating the tint block copolymer layers such that each of the first block copolymer layers includes to form first polymer blocks having a first phase and first polymer blocks having a second phase, removing the guide patterns to form openings that expose the first portions of the neutral layer in the second region, forming a second block copolymer layer on over the phase-separated first block copolymer layers and in the openings, phase-separating the second block copolymer layer into to form second polymer blocks having the first phase and second polymer blocks having the second phase removing the second polymer blocks having the second phase and the first polymer blocks having the second phase, and etching the neutral layer and the pattern formation layer using the first polymer blocks having the first phase and the second polymer blocks having the first phase as an etch masks.

1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods of fabricating a pattern using block co-polymer materials.
2. Related Art
Processes and materials for fabricating nano-sized structures are in high demand for development of mechanical, electrical, chemical and biological devices systems) having nano-scale components. Particularly, as nano-scale components are scaled down to tens of nanometers, the need for processes and materials for fabricating nano-sized structures has rapidly increased. Block co-polymer materials are very attractive candidates for use in fabricating nano-sized structures. This is because block co-polymer materials may be self-assembled to form patterns that are tens of nanometers or less.

Methods of fabricating a pattern using the block co-polymer materials


Harsh environment key panel and bezel structures for a user interface device are disclosed. In embodiments, a user interface device includes a printed board, a switch mounted to the printed board, and a key panel disposed upon the printed board. The key panel includes a plurality of printed device layers forming a bezel, a button configured to actuate the switch, and a deformable interface between the bezel and the button. The plurality of printed device layers can include at least one continuous printed device layer that forms portions of the bezel, the button, and the deformable interface. The continuous printed device layer may include at least one rigid device material that forms a portion of the bezel and a portion of the button and a deformable device material that forms a portion of the deformable interface between the bezel and the button.

User interface devices often include key panels that can be used to make selections, input data, and so forth. In harsh environments, key panels may be subject to water and/or debris (e.g., dust, sand, etc.) that can cause damage to underlying circuitry or components if the water and/or debris enters an airgap that typically exists between the bezel and buttons (sometimes referred to as "keys") of the key panel.
To keep out moisture and debris, a harsh environment key panel may include a flexible rubber substrate placed over the buttons, or placed over switches on a printed board below the buttons. Either approach requires multiple parts to be manufactured and assembled. Tolerances must be tightly controlled to ensure product integrity and survivability. Furthermore, some of the tactile feedback from the switches can be lost through the cushioning effect of the rubber substrate, resulting in a lower quality user experience.
Another approach for keeping out moisture and debris, is to use membrane type switches (instead of mechanical switches) for the key panel. Membrane type switches are typically low profile, lightweight, and cheap to manufacture in large quantities. However, membrane type switches generally do not have good tactile feedback when actuated. Durability of the switch membranes can also become a concern in high usage cases.
An avionic key panel typically includes a small amount of gasket material around each button to keep dust and other debris out of the key panel assembly. However, this gasket material does little to keep out moisture, especially if a button is pressed during exposure or if the key panel itself has continuous exposure to water or other moisture. There have been some cases of avionic key panels failing due to extreme exposure to sand or dust. For example, the switches located below the buttons can become jammed by debris and stop actuating as a result.
Several approaches for making harsh environment key panel and bezel structures exist. However, as demonstrated above, the existing harsh environment key panels have various structural limitations or process difficulties associated with their manufacture. Consequently, there is a need for robust and low cost key panel and bezel structures that work well to keep moisture and debris from reaching printed boards, switches, and other underlying key panel circuitry and/or components.


An object recommendation method, computer device, and medium are provided, relating to the field of artificial intelligence and, particularly, content recommendation. A method includes: obtaining a first user profile of a user, the first user profile being determined based on behavior data of the user over a first historical period of time; using a matching model to determine a recommended object based on the first user profile; recommending the recommended object to the user; obtaining a second user profile of the user, the second user profile being determined based on behavior data of the user over a second historical period of time, and the behavior data of the user over the second historical period of time includes behavior data of the user after the recommended object is recommended to the user; and updating the matching model based on the first user profile, the second user profile, and the recommended object.

Artificial intelligence is a subject that studies use of computers to simulate some human thinking processes and intelligent behaviors (such as learning, reasoning, thinking, planning, etc.), and has both hardware-level technology and software-level technology. The artificial intelligence hardware technology generally includes fields such as sensors, dedicated artificial intelligence chips, cloud computing, distributed storage and big data processing, and the artificial intelligence software technology mainly includes several general aspects of the computer vision technology, the speech recognition technology, the natural language processing technology, and machine learning/deep learning, the big data processing technology, the knowledge graph technology, etc. Artificial intelligence is increasingly widely applied in various fields, such as the field of object recommendation.
The methods described in the section are not necessarily the methods that have been previously conceived or adopted. Unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the methods described in the section are considered as the prior art solely because they are included in the section. Similarly, unless otherwise indicated, problems mentioned in the section should not be assumed to have been recognized in any prior art.

Method and apparatus, computer device and medium

Beijing Baidu Netcom Science and Technology Co., Ltd.


A piston device for loading material into a tube or other implement. In an example, the material is a smoking material loaded into a smoking implement. An example piston device includes a cylinder and a piston. The piston is removed from a first end of the cylinder and inserted into a second end of the cylinder. A cap slip locks onto the second end of the cylinder to provide a surface on which to compress the material against. Withdrawing the piston from the second end of the cylinder draws the smoking material into a chamber of the cylinder through an opening in the first end of the cylinder. Pressing the piston into the second end of the cylinder compresses the smoking material within the chamber of the cylinder, and then releases the smoking material from the chamber of the cylinder into the smoking implement.

The art of rolling cigarettes has been around for a long time. This typically involves taking a smoking material and laying it on a paper, and then rolling the paper around the smoking material. The paper may have an adhesive to fasten the two ends together and form a tube around the smoking material, referred to as a cigarette. Preformed tubes are also available, in which the smoking material can simply be added (e.g., usually by scooping and/or pouring it from a tray or other instrument into the tube). However, none of these methods provide for an efficient and clean way to make cigarettes (joints, cigars, etc.).

Piston device for loading smoking material into a tube


A transgenic mouse with alterations in the H2-Ma gene is prepared by introduction of an altered H2-Ma gene into a host mouse. The resulting transgenic mice do not produce functional H2-M molecules.

The precise roles of H2-M in the immune system, in normal tissue development and maintenance, as well as in embryonal and fetal development, are not well known at this time. Due to the known involvement of H2-M in the presentation of exogenous antigenic peptides on major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules, H2-M proteins are important drug targets for modulation of immune responses.
The generation of H2-M modified transgenic animals would aid in defining the biological role(s) of H2-M, and produce an animal model of H2-M deficiency to be used in the design and assessment of chemical and biological approaches to modulating H2-M activity. Such H2-M modified transgenic animals can also be used as a source of cells for cell culture.
The function of MHC class II molecules is to present foreign antigens to T lymphocytes. MHC class II molecules at the cell surface are trimeric complexes of the alpha and beta chains associated with peptides derived from degraded proteins. During infection, the peptides are derived from the invading organisms leading to antigen-specific activation of T lymphocytes. T lymphocytes are also activated by non-self MHC class II molecules which is the basis of graft rejection.
MHC class II molecules are expressed mainly in antigen presenting cells which are derived from the bone marrow. There are three human MHC class II molecules, HLA-DP, HLA-DQ and HLA-DR, while the mouse has two MHC class II molecules, H2-A and H2-E. The process of antigen degradation and peptide association with MHC class II occurrs in the endosomal system of the antigen presenting cells. Intracellularly MHC class II molecules are associated with a third chain, the invariant chain. The invariant chain has several functions; it blocks binding of peptides and proteins to MHC class II in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER); it facilitates MHC class II transport out of the ER; and it directs MHC class II to endosomes where peptide loading occurs. Before peptide loading of MHC class II can occur the invariant chain has to be removed. Proteolysis and acidic pH leads to degradation and removal of most of the invariant chain, but a final fragment, called CLIP (class II-associated invariant chain peptides) cannot be removed by proteolysis, and exchange of this fragment for antigenic peptides is catalyzed by HLA-DM (in human, H2-M in mouse), which is an endosomal or lysosomal resident in MHC class II expressing cells. Cell lines lacking functional HLA-DM can only poorly process and present antigens and instead the MHC II molecules at the cell surface of these cell lines contain the CLIP peptide (Fling et al., 1994, HLA-DMA and -DMB genes are both required for MHC class Elpeptide complex formation in antigen-presenting cells. Nature 368, 554-8; Morris et al., 1994, An essential role for HLA-DM in antigen presentation by class II major histocompatibility molecules. Nature 368, 551-4). Reintroduction of HLA-DM into these cells restores the ability to process antigens showing that HLA-DM is important for modulating the peptide content of MHC class II molecules. Ln vitro experiments have shown that purified HLA-DM can directly mediate peptide exchange in purified MHC class II molecules, leading to exchange of CLIP or other poorly fitting peptides for well fitting peptides (Denzin and Cresswell, 1995, HLA-DM induces CLIP dissociation from MHC class II ad dimers and facilitates peptide loading. Cell 82, 155-165; Sloan et al., 1995, Mediation by HLA-DM of dissociation of peptides from HLA-DR. Nature 375, 802-806). The murine molecule, H2-M, can substitute for HLA-DM in human cell lines and in vitro, but no murine cell lines defective in H2-M have yet been published (Karlsson et al., 1994, Reconstitution of an operational MHC class II compartment in nonantigen-presenting cells. Science 266, 1569-1573; Morris et al., 1994, supra).
MHC class I and class II molecules are essential for the function of the immune system, since activation of T cells requires either one of the two classes of MHC molecules. In a normal situation, the immune system provides good protection against infectious agents and probably against tumor development. However, many pathological states also result from undesirable immune responses. Autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthitis and systemic lupus erythematosus are typical examples of the self attacks by the deregulated immune system that lead to chronic inflammation and eventually the loss of function of the target organs. Rejection of grafts is another example of undesirable reactivity of the immune system in transplantation.
The present treatment options for chronic inflammatory disease are directed towards minimizing the effects of the inflammatory reaction. For severe cases such as organ transplantations, patients are treated with immunosuppressive drugs. These drugs are non-specific, however, since most reactivity of the immune system is decreased and the treated patients become susceptible to all kinds of infections. Many autoimmune diseases are associated with particular MHC class II alleles, although it is unclear exactly how this association is correlated with MHC class II-mediated antigen presentation. It is likely that the ability to modulate only MHC class II-mediated T cell activation could control most of the unwanted immune reactivity, while still leaving protection against infection through MHC class I-restricted T lymphocytes.


A lumber drying system includes a drying compartment having an arched roof, a plurality of baffle boxes, wherein each baffle box further includes a main chamber, an air intake that forms an entrance into the chamber, an air outtake that forms an exit from the chamber, a plurality of interleaved plates disposed within the chamber between the air intake and the air outtake, and a water outlet disposed beneath and in communication with the plurality of interleaved plates. The plurality of baffle boxes are distributed on the sides of the roof, each air intake of the baffle boxes being in communication with an upper portion of the drying compartment. The disclosed lumber drying system further includes a plurality of air collection chambers distributed on the roof, wherein each air collection chamber has an air inlet and a water outlet, and wherein each air inlet of the air collection chambers is disposed in communication with at least one of the air outtakes of the plurality of baffle boxes, a water collection tank having at least one water input disposed in communication with at least one water outlet of the plurality of baffle boxes, and at least one water input of the water collection tank disposed in communication with at least one water output of said air collection chambers. Alternatively, a condensation baffle is located beneath the plurality of baffle boxes, above the lumber, thereby shielding the lumber from falling condensation. Further, one or more of the baffle boxes may also include an entrance condenser plate disposed at the air intake of the baffle box. In addition, water expelled from at least one of the water outlets may be routed back to a boiler. At least one air collection chamber further includes an air outlet disposed in communication with the drying compartment. At least one of the air collection chambers further includes an air outlet disposed in communication with a boiler, which in turn directs heated air back toward the drying compartment.

In an ordinary dry kiln system, relatively dry outside air is vented into the kiln and then heated. Often, a boiler is used to heat the air. The heated air is then passed over an assemblage of space-stacked lumber. Moisture from the lumber evaporates into the heated air, thereby lowering the moisture content of the lumber. The heated air then contains the released moisture, typically in the form of steam. Finally, the moisture-laden air is directed out of the kiln. This configuration is sometimes called an open system, because fresh dry outside air is continuously applied to the system, while moisture-laden air generated within the kiln is exhausted from the system.
Open systems, however, require significant amounts of energy to heat the fresh outside air, since energy is necessarily lost along with the exhausted moisture-laden air. Those of skill in the art will appreciate that a more closed system approach might be possible if moisture can be economically removed from the air and returned to the kiln. Further, recovered moisture, being relatively pure, may be used for other purposes, such as replenishing a supply of boiler water.


An adaptive front lighting system (AFLS) having a high heat-dissipation efficiency increases heat-dissipation efficiency of a light emitting diode (LED) to improve durability in headlamps which use LEDs as a light source and have a variable illumination angle according to conditions. The AFLS includes a lamp housing, a reflector installed in the lamp housing and rotatable around a rotational axle formed at the lamp housing, a light source installed in the reflector to emit light, an external heat sink installed at an external surface of the lamp housing so as to dissipate heat towards outside of the lamp housing, and/or a heat conduction member connecting the light source and the external heat sink so as to transfer the heat of the light source to the external heat sink. The heat conduction member is flexibly transformed in response to a movement of the reflector and the light source.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an adaptive headlight system of a vehicle, and more particularly to an adaptive front light system (AFLS) having high heat-dissipation efficiency, which increases heat-dissipation efficiency of a light emitting diode (LED) to improve durability in a headlight, which uses the LED as a light source and has a variable illumination angle according to conditions.
2. Description of Related Art
In general, headlights mounted on a vehicle have fixed illumination angle, and thus always illuminate the road ahead of the vehicle regardless of the driving conditions.
Consequently, the headlights of a vehicle running along a curved road can disturb an oncoming driver's view of the vehicle on the opposite lane (hereinafter, referred to as "oncoming vehicle"), and the driver himself/herself cannot properly secure clear visibility of the driving curved road so that the driver's safety is often jeopardized or endangered.
In order to cope with this situation, there has recently been developed a device that the headlights move in the left or right direction depending on the angle at which the driver turns a steering wheel in order to secure the proper visibility of the driver at night and prevent glaring headlights of the oncoming vehicle.
Furthermore, a vehicle is experiencing a nose-up phenomenon that the front portion of the vehicle is instantaneously raised at the fast acceleration and a nose-down phenomenon that the front portion of the vehicle is instantaneously lowered because of the hard braking. Due to these characteristics of the vehicle, the focus of the headlight can be located above or below the normal position at a moment, which is responsible for the glare of the oncoming vehicle or the driver's poor visibility.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating the heat dissipation structure of an adaptive front light system of the prior art.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, a reflector 20 is mounted in a lamp housing 10, the interior of which is sealed, so as to cause light to be reflected to travel forward the motor vehicle. As illustrated, the reflector 20 is provided with a light source 30 which emits light and a light emitting diode (LED) is frequently used as the light source 30 these days. The LED can be operated with low power and thus provides higher luminous efficiency than a bulb type with a high intensity of illumination. Further, the LED has a high degree of freedom in lamp design due to a smaller size compared with the bulb type, and has a semi-permanent lifespan only if the generated heat can be smoothly cooled down.
However, since the light source 30 using the LED generates a great deal of heat, the luminous efficiency is abruptly lowered without any proper means for the heat dissipation, and thus results in reducing the lifespan. For this reason, the light source 30 can be formed with a heat sink 40 as illustrated in FIG. 1 such that the generated heat from the light source 30 can be dissipated through the heat sink.
Here, the reflector 20 is adapted to rotate around a rotational axle 21 in leftward/rightward direction or in upward/downward direction. This is because the illumination angle of the headlight changes depending on the driving conditions of the vehicle.
For reference, an adaptive front light system (AFLS) refers to a system that adjusts the illumination angle of the headlight in a manner such that the reflector 20 rotates in the left and right direction according to the steering angle or upward and downward direction according to the height of the front portion of the vehicle.
However, since a heat dissipation structure is mounted inside the sealed lamp housing 10 in the adaptive headlight system of the prior art as above mentioned, the generated heat from the light source 30 cannot be properly dissipated outside via the heat sink 40 and is accumulated inside. Accordingly, the heat dissipation performance of the light source 30 gets worse. In detail, since the lamp housing 10 must be sealed to prevent moisture and dust from outside and the reflector 20 is adapted to rotate, the heat sink 40 cannot be installed outside the lamp housing 10 and should move together with the reflector 20. As such, the heat is not properly dissipated through the heat sink 40.
Particularly, this problem becomes more serious when a plurality of LEDs are installed in one lamp housing 10 in order to adjust luminous intensity of the headlight to the level of a high intensity discharge (HID) lamp.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.

Adaptive front light system having high heat-dissipation efficiency


The method for evaluating color mixing between dots of two different colors discharged onto a recording medium, the method comprises the steps of: outputting a color mixing evaluation print having a color mixing evaluation patch formed on a recording medium by dots of two different colors in such a manner that at least a portion of the dots are adjacent or overlapping; measuring a density of the color mixing evaluation patch of the outputted color mixing evaluation print; and evaluating color mixing of the dots of two colors, according to density profiles for the dots of two colors forming the color mixing evaluation patch, as obtained by the density measuring step.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for evaluating color mixing and an image recording apparatus and method, and more particularly, to technology for preventing color mixing of inks on the surface of a recording medium when recording an image by discharging ink from a plurality of nozzles toward the recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, as an example of an image recording apparatus, an inkjet recording apparatus that has an inkjet head (ink discharge head) arranged with an array of multiple nozzles is known. The inkjet recording apparatus forms an image on a recording medium by discharging ink from the nozzles while the inkjet head and the recording medium are moved relatively.
Conventionally, various methods of discharging the ink for such an inkjet recording apparatus are known. For example, the inkjet recording apparatus is known as a method of a piezoelectric system in which an oscillating plate constituting part of a pressure chamber (ink chamber) is deformed by the deformation of a piezoelectric element (piezoelectric ceramics) to vary the capacity of the pressure chamber, ink is introduced into the pressure chamber through an ink supply channel during the capacity increase of the pressure chamber, and the ink in the pressure chamber is discharged as droplets from a nozzle when the capacity of the pressure chamber decreases. Moreover, the inkjet recording apparatus is also known as a method of a thermal inkjet system in which the ink is heated to create air bubbles and is discharged by the energy of expansion when the air bubbles increase in size.
In an image recording apparatus having an ink discharge head such as an inkjet recording apparatus, ink is supplied to the ink discharge head from an ink tank storing ink, via ink supply channels, and ink is discharged by one of the various methods described above. However, in cases where a color image is recorded by using a plurality of inks of different colors, then if an ink of one color is recorded in an overlapping fashion onto ink of a different color recorded previously, before that ink has fixed and hardened, then color mixing occurs and image quality declines.
Therefore, conventionally, various methods have been proposed in order to prevent color mixing and thus improve image quality, when inks of different colors are recorded in an overlapping fashion.
In one known example, ink dots of respective colors ejected from respective color recording heads are recorded during one rotation of a rotating body supporting the recording medium, in a thinned-out fashion whereby the dots are separated by at least one dot space in the sub-scanning direction, which coincides with the direction of rotation of the recording medium (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-71481). Therefore, mixing and spreading of adjacent ink dots is prevented, while achieving high-quality image recording.
In a further example, an inkjet recording apparatus comprises a device for estimating the state of drying of the recorded ink, and the recording intervals between one recording action and the next recording action are altered by changing the conveyance velocity of the recording medium and changing the interval between the recording heads, in accordance with the estimation results. In this way, it is possible to prevent recording irregularities in the regions where different inks are superimposed, while maintaining the through-put of the recording apparatus, and therefore, image quality is improved (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 03-247450).
Yet a further example describes a color inkjet recording method in which, in the same printing region, printing by at least one head of a plurality of heads is carried out after leaving a time period sufficiently longer than the printing delay time of the adjacent head, from the time of printing by another head. In this way, color prints which do not contain color bleeding can be obtained (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 04-173250).
However, in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-71481, for example, the dots are recorded in a thinned-out fashion during one rotation of the rotating body holding the recording medium, and therefore it is necessary to carry out a plurality of rotations in order to record one full image. Therefore, productivity is low.
Furthermore, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 03-247450 comprises a device for estimating the state of drying and a device for adjusting the dot recording interval, in such a manner that the interval at which subsequent dots are recorded is adjusted in accordance with the state of drying. However, no device for fixing or curing the ink that has been deposited on the recording medium is provided, and the ink is simply left to dry naturally. Therefore, it is not possible always to prevent color mixing in a reliable fashion.
Moreover, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 04-173250 simply sets a time period greater than the printing delay between adjacent dots, but it does not comprise a device for adjusting fixing or curing, and therefore has the same problems as Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 03-247450.

Method for evaluating color mixing, image recording method, and image recording apparatus


A new and distinct cultivar of mini Impatiens plant characterized by its small red purple flowers, freely flowering habit, dark green foliage, and bushy shaped growth habit with excellent basal branching.

The present invention comprises a new and distinct mini Impatiens plant botanically known as Impatiens walleriana and referred to by the cultivar name 'Immivoil'.
The new cultivar was developed in a controlled breeding program in Enkhuizen, Netherlands. The new mini Impatiens cultivar is characterized by small red purple flowers, freely flowering habit, dark green foliage, and bushy shaped growth habit with excellent basal branching.
The new cultivar is propagated from cuttings resulting from the cross in March 1999 of the proprietary mini Impatiens selection identified as 'Q138-4' as female parent and the proprietary mini Impatiens selection identified as 'Q138-3' as male parent. 'Q138-4' is not commercially available and has not been patented. 'Q138-3' is not commercially available and has not been patented.
The present cultivar was selected in August 1999 in Enkhuizen, Netherlands and has been repeatedly asexually reproduced by cuttings over a period of several years. The distinctive characteristics of this new mini Impatiens are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction. It takes 6 to 8 weeks to produce a finished plant, starting from a rooted plug and planted in a 10 cm pot, depending on the temperature.


Disclosed is a die casting apparatus including a movable die provided with a forming space; and a lower fixed die which corresponds to the movable die and accommodates molten metal, and includes a sleeve into which the molten metal is injected, wherein the molten metal is cast into a formed object by bringing the movable die and the lower fixed die into contact with each other. The die casting apparatus is provided with a movable electromagnetically controlled structure control module including at least one electromagnetic stirring device-accommodating part that accommodates an electromagnetic stirring device therein and is configured to pass through the lower fixed die to the vicinity of the sleeve in order to electromagnetically stir the molten metal injected through the sleeve.

A die casting apparatus includes a die including a movable die and a fixed die, and a sleeve connected to an inside of the die to form an injection path for molten metal. When the movable die and the fixed die are brought into contact with each other, a casting space is formed, and a cast article may be manufactured by pushing molten metal in the sleeve into the casting space by a plunger and press-fitting the same into the casting space.
Methods to perform structure control for such a die casting apparatus using an electromagnetic field include a technique of controlling the structure in the process of injecting molten metal into the sleeve (Korean Patent No. 10-0554093, Korean Patent No. 10-0436118), a technique of controlling the structure in a die sleeve for structure control before molten metal injected into the sleeve and moved by a plunger is injected into a die cavity (Korean Patent No. 10-0662034), and a technique of controlling the structure with a structure control module additionally installed on a fixed die plate to expand the space for structure control (Korean Patent No. 10-1253605).
Since the structure control by the electromagnetic field serves to refine the structure of the solid particles by stirring the electromagnetic field in the process of forming the solid phase in the solid-liquid coexistence section of the injected alloy, it has a limitation in maximizing the structure control effect when the injected molten metal is in a completely liquid state above the liquidus as suggested in Korean Patent No. 10-0554093 and Korean Patent No. 10-0436118. The effect of smooth structure control can be achieved in the solid-liquid coexistence section. However, since the temperature of the molten metal is above the liquidus, structure control should be performed with a certain delay time. In addition, after the structure control is performed, the temperature of the molten metal falls into the coexistence section, and accordingly the temperature is not high enough to have sufficient fluidity. Further, when the controlled molten metal is injected into the sleeve, the temperature of the molten metal is further decreased due to the low temperature of the sleeve, and thus the working temperature required for the molten metal injected into the cavity cannot be satisfied.
In addition, when a structure control module is inserted into the die as in the technology disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-0662034, most of the sleeve fixing parts of the die are removed to secure the position of the structure control module. Accordingly, the die becomes excessively large, and the life of the electromagnetic stirrer, which is arranged to be enclosed by both the surface plate and the die and thus directly subjected to the heat generated from the molten metal, is shortened. In addition, since the strength of the electromagnetic field is limited, it may be difficult to apply the desired electromagnetic field.
Further, as the peripheral areas holding the sleeve are removed to insert the electromagnetic stirrer, the support force of the fixed die or the surface plate around the sleeve may be reduced, which may affect the shape stability and life of the sleeve.
In addition, in increasing the strength of the structure control as disclosed in the Korean Patent No. 10-1253605, a limited space as in Korean Patent No. 10-0662034 is a disadvantage, and thus a space for installing the structure control module may be secured on the fixed die plate. However, as in the case of Korean Patent 10-0662034, if the structure control module is installed inside the equipment receiving a lot of heat, the temperature of the coil module may be increased. Increasing the strength of the structure control module is also limited due to the limited space, and it is very vulnerable in terms of securing a sleeve that induces molten metal injection.

Die casting apparatus provided with movable electromagnetically controlled structure control module


The wax combination for the cosmetic compositions contains from 2 to 70 percent by weight of apple wax; from 5 to 70 percent by weight of orange wax and/or citric wax; and from 10 to 70 percent by weight of jojoba oil. The cosmetic compositions advantageously contain a portion of the wax combination in free form or an effective ingredient complex consisting of capsules, each containing some of the wax combination.

The present invention relates to a wax composition comprising a combination of apple wax, orange wax and/or citric wax and jojoba oil and cosmetic compositions for treating skin or hair, which contains these wax combinations in free form or as a complex of effective ingredients, which is formed by enclosing a wax combination in a capsule.
Waxes can fulfill many needs in cosmetic compositions. For example, they can be used by themselves alone for covering the skin or they can be added in an emulsion for viscosity modification and stabilization of cosmetic compositions. Waxes can be used for oiling and hydrophobic treatment of the skin in domestic cosmetic compositions and for conditioning and care of the hair in hair treatment compositions.
Waxes can be divided into natural, chemically modified and synthetic waxes according to the manner in which they are manufactured. Mineral waxes, and certain natural waxes of animal and vegetable origin, are among the waxes which are of significance for cosmetic compositions.
Natural and chemically modified natural mineral waxes originate from nonrenewable raw material sources, and/or are made from raw materials derived from these sources. Synthetic mineral waxes frequently contain synthetically derived impurities.
The use of natural or chemically modified natural waxes of animal or vegetable origin avoids the aforementioned disadvantages of mineral waxes and satisfies the widespread desire in commercial circles to use natural, ecologically unobjectionable raw materials.
The best known animal wax is beeswax, whose availability as a deposition product of bees is however limited. Furthermore beeswax has a high proportion of esters, which can disadvantageously effect the stability of the beeswax-containing compositions.
The current commercially obtainable vegetable waxes used in cosmetic compositions are candelilla and carnauba wax. These waxes are however hard and brittle, have high melting points and are only emulsified with difficulty in common vegetable wax.

Wax combination and cosmetic compositions containing same


A method and apparatus enables a client system to perform multi-phase parallel operations upon data in a database system. A data transaction request received by the client system. A plurality of multi-phase parallel tasks are executed in response to the request to perform the data operations upon the data in the database.

One of the key advantages of storing large amounts of data in a database is that a specific subset of the stored data can be retrieved in an organized manner. Often, the subset of the stored data that is retrieved is analyzed to study various indications, such as economic trends, consumer reactions, and the like. To learn about customers, businesses are collecting various types of information about their customers, such as personal data, geographic/demographic data, purchasing habits, and so forth. Such customer data are stored in a database system, such as in a relational database management system (RDBMS), where the data can be processed and sorted into a format suitable for reporting or analysis. An example of a database system in which such information is collected is a data warehouse in which data is input from a variety of sources and organized into a format that is structured for query and analysis or reporting. The volume of data collected in most large data warehouses is at least several gigabytes and often exceeds tens or even hundreds of terabytes.
To handle the massive amount of data that is collected and processed in such data warehouses, sophisticated platforms are typically employed. The platforms include parallel processing systems, such as massive parallel processing (MPP) systems or symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) systems. An MPP system typically is a multi-node system having a plurality of physical nodes interconnected by a network. An SMP system typically is a single-node system having multiple processors. Collected data is stored in storage devices in such systems, which are accessible by the various nodes or processors to perform processing. In a parallel system, stored data portions are accessible in parallel to increase access speeds.
Many times a user interfaces with a database system to implement several tasks. These tasks include storing data, retrieving data, performing data queries, and the like. In order to utilize computing resources efficiently, these tasks can be performed in parallel. The control of the tasks described above can be performed in the database, a database server system, or from a remote system such as a client system.
In conventional parallel processing environments, a typical application usually includes several tasks. Each of these tasks is generally responsible for a portion of an application's workload. Sometimes, an application can be parallelized based upon its functions; that is, each task can perform a different function. This process is called functional parallelism. Another way of parallelizing an application is to divide its input, output or intermediate data into multiple portions and to assign a task for each data portion. This method is often called data parallelism. In either case, each such task is usually independent of other tasks in the application in the sense that they do not need to share internal processing states or information with each other. Consequently, each task can be executed independently of other tasks, in a concurrent or simultaneous manner, the latter being the case in systems with multiple processors
One of the difficulties frequently encountered in implementing a parallel application is the need to coordinate the processing of the individual parallel tasks. Currently, the most common approaches used to address this issue are broadcasting coordination requests from every task to all the other tasks and creating a central component that dictates and controls the processing and communication between the tasks. While the first approach is suitable for a certain class of parallel applications, it frequently leads to increased complexity in the design of the parallel application and also introduces increased communication overhead, which can impede the application's scalability.
The second approach is frequently used in transactional and database systems (e.g. the 2-phase commit protocol). It, too, restricts the flexibility in the design of the individual parallel tasks in the sense that the processing in each task is dictated by a statically defined protocol (such as a fixed number of steps or phases) implemented in a controller. This static protocol, which does not change from one application to another, lacks application-specific semantics that are usually required by complex applications such as ETL (Extract, Transform, Loading) applications used in a data warehousing environment.
Conventional parallel execution of data tasks employ synchronization functions; such as WAIT, POST, LOCK, UNLOCK, GROUP, BARRIER, and the like; which are generally platform-dependent. These platform-dependent synchronization functions require multiple implementations in order for applications to run in a heterogeneous environment. Multiple implementations of the synchronization functions are less efficient and require valuable computer resources.

Method and apparatus for performing parallel data operations


A hookless connecting ring. An elongate member having two ends is formed in a loop defining axial and circumferential directions. The loop, in the absence of any applied forces, forms a closed configuration of the connecting ring in which the loop is in state of relaxation and the ends assume an overlapping relation for closing the loop. The ends remain, however, freely displaceable from one another along the axial and circumferential directions and depend on substantially elastic restoring forces in the member to maintain the closed configuration.

The present invention relates to a connecting ring, particularly a connecting ring that does not require a hook or clasp for forming a closed and locked configuration thereof.
Connecting rings, of which key rings are typical examples, are often provided with two parts that pivot open to form an open configuration of the connecting ring for receiving one or more articles having apertures therein, such as keys, the parts pivoting together to form a closed configuration that is locked with a clasp or latch. As an example of an attempt to minimize manufacturing costs in a connecting ring, Jung, U.S. Pat. No. 1,5265,498 proposes forming a key ring of a single piece of material, the piece of material being resilient so that, by flexing the material, interlocking teeth at the ends of the material may be engaged and disengaged for locking and unlocking the ring, respectively.
Many other connecting rings have been proposed employing variations of the concept of Jung. However, these typically require some form of interlocking, hooking or clasping mechanism. This complicates the structure of the connecting ring, increasing manufacturing cost and decreasing ease of use.
Accordingly, there is a need for a hookless connecting ring that decreases cost and manufacture and increases ease of use.


A sampling rate converter includes a chain of identical cells connected in series. An input of a first cell of the chain receives input digital sampling values according to an input frequency. An output of the first cell then delivers output digital sampling values according to an output frequency. The input and output digital sampling values correspond to identical respective reconstruction curves, and the output frequency may be greater than or less than the input frequency. Each cell includes a storage element, two multipliers and two adders.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sampling rate converter (SRC) that allows an increase or a decrease in the sampling rate.
2. Description of Related Art
Sampling rate converters are circuits which receive, as input, discrete values according to an input frequency, and which produce, as output, discrete values according to an output frequency, so that the values received and produced correspond respectively to reconstruction curves that are identical. The expression reconstruction curve of a sampled signal is understood to mean the analog signal continuous curve which is obtained by removing the spectral components of the sampled signal that appear at the harmonic frequencies of the sampling frequency. The conversion factor for the sampling rate is the quotient of the output frequency and the input frequency. When this factor is an integer greater than unity, the converter operates as an interpolator: it inserts additional values between the input values. When the conversion factor is an integer less than unity, the converter operates as a decimator: it removes certain of the input values. More generally, a conversion factor of greater than unity corresponds to an oversampling function, and a conversion factor of less than unity corresponds to an undersampling function.
Certain converters operate in digital mode: the input and output values are coded in bits. They may then incorporate, in a known manner, digital hardware such as adders and multipliers.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a first sampling rate converter of this type, known to the person skilled in the art, which allows an increase in the sampling rate. It comprises a chain of N identical cells connected in series, N being an integer greater than or equal to unity. The nth cell of this chain, denoted Cn, n being an integer lying between 1 and N, possesses a first input IN1(n), a second input IN2(n)) and a third input IN3(n) of respective digital values. It furthermore possesses a first output OUT1(n), a second output OUT2(n), and a third output (OUT3(n)) of digital values. For a cell Cn distinct from the last cell of the chain (n=1, . . . , N−1), the outputs OUT1(n) and OUT2(n) of this cell and its input IN3(n) are connected respectively to the inputs IN1(n+1) and IN2(n+1), and to the output OUT3(n+1) of the cell n+1, denoted Cn+1. The output OUT1(N) of the last cell of the chain, that is to say of the cell CN, is connected to the input IN2(N) of the same cell. The input IN1(1) of the cell C1 is intended to receive input sampling values IN, according to an input frequency fi. The input IN3(N) of the last cell of the chain receives a constantly zero value, denoted "0" in FIG. 1. The output OUT3(1) of the cell C1 delivers output sampling values OUT according to an output frequency f0.
Each cell comprises the following hardware:    two multipliers, referenced 13 and 17 for cell C1 in FIG. 1, N3 and N7 for cell CN;    a multiplicative coefficient storage element, referenced 10 for cell C1 and N0 for cell CN;    two adders, referenced 14 and 18 for cell C1, N4 and N8 for cell CN;    two flip-flops, referenced 12 and 16 for cell C1, N2 and N6 for cell CN. The flip-flops are denoted "Z−1" in FIG. 1; and    two multiplexers, referenced 11 and 15 for cell C1, N1 and N5 for cell CN.
The hardware items of each cell are connected together in the following manner, described for the cell C1, and corresponding to a so-called "direct" cell structure. First respective inputs of the multipliers 13 and 17 are connected to the storage element 10, and outputs of the multipliers 13 and 17 are connected respectively to first inputs of the two adders 14 and 18. The second input of the adder 14 constitutes the input IN3(1) of the cell C1, the output of the adder 14 is connected to the second input of the adder 18, and the output of the adder 18 constitutes the output OUT3(1) of the cell C1.
The second input of the multiplier 13 is linked to the input IN1(1) by the multiplexer 11 and the flip-flop 12. A first input of the multiplexer 11 constitutes the input IN1(1) of the cell C1, the output of the multiplexer 11 is connected to the input of the flip-flop 12, the output of the flip-flop 12 being connected to the second input of the multiplier 13 and to a second input of the multiplexer 11. The output of the flip-flop 12 furthermore constitutes the output OUT(1) of the cell C1.
The second input of the multiplier 17 is linked in an analogous manner to the input IN2(1) by the multiplexer 15 and the flip-flop 16, the output of the flip-flop 16 also constituting the output OUT2(1).
The multiplexers 11 and 15 furthermore receive on respective control inputs a signal Eni for controlling switching of the flip-flops 12 and 16. The signal Eni regulates the admission of new values IN into the flip-flops 12 and 16. The same control signal Eni is transmitted to the flip-flops of all the cells Cn of the chain corresponding to the flip-flops 12 or 16. It therefore regulates in a synchronized manner the propagation of the values IN throughout the chain. The signal Eni is adjusted in such a way that the output values OUT may be produced substantially at the frequency f0 in a manner compatible with a general gating clock (not represented in FIG. 1) of the converter.
The storage element 10 may be a permanent memory (ROM standing for Read Only Memory), or any other device for generating values, for example based on logic gates. The multiplicative coefficients recorded in the element 10 are, in a manner known to the person skilled in the art, certain values of the response characteristic of a low-pass type filter to an input pulse. Appropriate recording of the coefficients makes it possible to address, respectively to the multipliers 13 and 17, coefficients hi and hi* recorded in the element 10 at addresses that are complementary with respect to the entire set of addresses of the element 10. When the complete chain of cells C1, . . . , CN is implemented, an oversampling function is thus obtained between the input IN1(1) and the output OUT3(1), corresponding to a conversion factor of greater than unity.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a second sampling rate converter, also known to the person skilled in the art, which allows a decrease in the sampling rate. It also comprises a chain of N mutually identical cells, again referenced C1, . . . , CN. Each cell comprises the same hardware items as before, but connected differently. The structure of a cell of the converter of FIG. 2 is said to be "transverse," in the jargon of the person skilled in the art.
With reference to the cell C1, and just as for the previous converter, the multipliers 13 and 17 receive, on first respective inputs, the multiplicative coefficients hi and hi* delivered by the storage element 10. They are each connected, by their second respective inputs, to the first input IN1(1) of the cell, and by their respective outputs to the first inputs of the adders 14 and 18.
A second input IN1′(1) of the cell C1 is linked to the second input of the adder 14 by a multiplexer 11′ and a flip-flop 12′. The input IN1′(1) is connected directly to the second input of the multiplexer 11′, and the output of the adder 14 is linked to the first input of the multiplexer 11′. The output of the multiplexer 11′ is connected to the input of the flip-flop 12′, and the output of the flip-flop 12′ is connected to the second input of the adder 14. The output of the adder 14 moreover constitutes a first output OUT1′(1) of the cell C1 of this converter.
The multiplexer 11′ is controlled by a signal En0. The signal En0 triggers the switchings of the flip-flop 12′ as well as the updates of the value delivered by the adder 14.
An identical link links a third input IN3(1) of the cell C1 to the second input of the adder 18. This link comprises the multiplexer 15′ and the flip-flop 16′. The second input of the multiplexer 15′ constitutes the input IN3(1), and the output of the adder 18 constitutes a second output OUT3(1) of the cell C1.
The successive cells of the chain are connected in the following manner: the input IN3(n) and the output OUT1′(n) of a cell n distinct from the last cell of the chain (n=1, . . . , N−1) are connected respectively to the output OUT3(n+1) and to the input IN1′(n+1) of the next cell Cn+1. The output OUT1′(N) of the last cell CN is connected to the input IN3(N) of this same cell. Furthermore, a zero value "0" is constantly applied to the input IN1′(1) of the cell C1.
All the cells receive, on their respective inputs IN1(1), . . . , IN1(N), the input values IN according to the frequency fi, and all the multiplexers 11′, . . . , N1′ and 15′, . . . , N5′ receive the control signal En0. When the complete chain of cells C1, . . . , CN is implemented, a subsampling function is obtained between the input IN1(1) and the output OUT3(1), corresponding to a conversion factor of less than unity. The signal En0 is adjusted so that the output values OUT are produced substantially according to the frequency f0, which is less than f1.
A drawback of the converters described above resides in the fact that each of them possesses either an oversampling function or an undersampling function. A complete sampling rate conversion function, whose conversion factor may be greater than or less than unity, can be obtained only by associating a first and a second converter respectively of the above types. However, such an embodiment requires double the number of certain of the hardware items such as the storage elements, the adders or the multipliers. Now, such hardware items are expensive.
There accordingly exists a need in the art for a single converter which can operate as an oversampler or as an undersampler.

Sampling rate converter for both oversampling and undersampling operation


A surface treatment 10 for application to an aircraft wing surface 12 is provided, including at least one reflective metallic film 22 bonded at least one hollow cell structure 24 to provide a thermal barrier that inhibits non-environmental frost formation.

The problem of ice or frost building up on airplane wing surfaces has been a concern for the aviation industry for decades. Wing surfaces are known to frost-up even in good, albeit humid, weather conditions. One source of this phenomenon is known to occur when moisture laden air comes into contact with cold wing skin areas that are over, and in direct contact with, very cold jet fuel in the engine fuel tank reservoirs within the aircraft wings. Such frosting can occur each time an aircraft lands as long as such very cold jet fuel remains in contact with wing skin areas.
The physics behind the frosting phenomenon is well known. After a certain length of flight time at cruising altitudes, wing tank fuel temperature can reach −40 degrees F. When the wing fuel reaches such low temperatures it is commonly referred to as "cold soaked". For reasons of aerodynamic stability, relatively warm "belly" fuel on an aircraft is typically burned first. This often leaves the "cold soaked" fuel undisturbed in the wings during short duration flights. This "cold soaked" fuel, when remaining in contact with the wing surface, can result in non-environmental frosting upon landing. This is particularly problematic, if a particular airline route or schedule of flights should involve a number of short hops to pick up addition passengers or cargo. Often these stops are required to be of short duration for economic reasons. The non-environmental frosting can prevent an aircraft from maintaining a quick turnabout on these short hops and may cut into the benefits or gains that may otherwise be realized.
The desire for a quick turnabout from landing to takeoff can conflict with the necessities of dealing with such non-environmental frosting occurring after landing. Although an airline may allot only fifteen or twenty minutes for a given stop, a heavy coat of frost and ice may rapidly form on the top surface of the wings after only five or ten minutes on the ground. FAA regulations may then require the captain of the airplane to either wait for ambient airport weather conditions to eliminate the frost and ice formations or actively have the wings de-iced. Each of these solutions requires a penalty of time and money to implement. Many de-icing procedures can carry with them environmental concerns as well. Therefore, current approaches towards the removal of non-environmental icing often are not compatible with the airline industries goals involving scheduling, cost savings, and time management.
Therefore, it would be highly beneficial to have a pro-active method of preventing/inhibiting the formation of non-environmental frost/ice on airplane wings such that time consuming and costly de-icing procedures would not be required. It would be additionally beneficial if such a method and apparatus was implementable on existing aircraft such that the benefits of such technology would be quickly appreciated by the airline industry. Finally, it would be desirable for such a system to be produced, installed, and maintained with relatively low costs such that the impact of implementing such technology into existing airline fleets would be minimized.


The apparatus for determining turning rate, particularly of a motor vehicle, includes two sensor systems (1,3), each of which generate at least one output signal depending on the turning rate. The sensor signals from both sensor systems are combined by a microcontroller including a memory to determine the turning rate accounting for offset drift and sensitivity drift. The first sensor system (1) includes an electronic compass with at least two sensor components (10) each including at least one magnetoresistive element (19) arranged in a Wheatstone bridge for detecting an X-component, a Y-component or a Z-component of the earth's magnetic field. The second sensor system (3) generates a sensor signal according to a Coriolis force experience by an oscillating structure. Each sensor component (10) of the first sensor system also includes an integrated field compensation coil (L.sub.F) and a set/reset coil (L.sub.C) located next to the Wheatstone bridge, a preamplifier (12) with offset compensation connected across the Wheatstone bridge (11), a flip source connected to the field compensation coil, a demodulator receiving output signals from the preamplifier and a current controller connected to the set/reset coil and demodulator.

The present application relates to an apparatus for measuring a turning rate and, more particularly, to an apparatus for measuring the turning rate of a motor vehicle.
An apparatus of this type is known comprising a sensor system which generates a signal according to a turning rate based on a certain measurement principle and a signal processing means which determines the turning rate from a signal supplied to it.
The use of a turning rate sensor, which operates for example according to the principle of the vibrating gyrometer, is already known in connection with systems for controlling vehicle dynamics of motor vehicles. These sensors are based on detection and analysis of the Coriolis acceleration.
This type of turning rate sensor is known, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 4,759,220. The sensor comprises a thin-walled hollow cylinder made of elastic material, in which a plurality of piezoelectric sensor elements are arranged. At least two of these sensor elements are arranged over each other in this sensor. These sensor elements are set into a constant mechanically driven oscillation with the help of an oscillator loop or guide. The Coriolis effect together with a turning speed coupled perpendicularly to the driven oscillation causes a Coriolis acceleration, which causes a deflection of the driven oscillator in the Coriolis direction. This deflection is a measure of the coupled turning rate. The resulting output voltage is analyzed with the help of a detector circuit and finally for determination of the turning rate.
Other oscillating structures are used for determining turning rate besides rotationally symmetric structures. These are, for example, oscillating rods or oscillating forks. Also micromechanical systems can be used which utilize the Coriolis force in oscillating systems in many ways. All these oscillating systems have disadvantageous null point stability problems and the sensitivity drift because of temperature variation and over lifetime. Satisfactory characteristic values can be obtained only with high manufacturing expense and testing efforts in which the problems of detection of offset and of sensitivity errors cannot be entirely avoided.
It is also possible to use the so-called Sagnac Effect in fiber optic gyroscopes for measurement of turning rate. At best they are in a position to fulfill the technical requirements for use in a motor vehicle, but at the current time they cannot be manufactured economically.
An additional possibility for measurement of the turning rate comprises use of an external observer, in the simplest case the earth's magnetic field, whose direction is measured with magnetic field sensitive sensors and/or with an electronic compass. The time dependent change of angle between the earth's magnetic field and the turning vehicle is measured in a suitable electronic circuit as the momentary turning rate. Disadvantageous problems can arise with this method however because of short duration disturbances of the earth's magnetic field, which for example are produced by steel bridges, by passing vehicle or rails. This type of disturbance can certainly make reliable evaluation of a rotation angle and/or a turning rate difficult.

Apparatus for measuring a turning rate, particularly of a motor vehicle


A sensing circuit for an electrochemical sensor includes a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), an operational amplifier, an instrumentation amplifier, and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The DAC generates a biased ground voltage signal which is received by the operational amplifier. The operational amplifier creates a high current biased voltage on one of a pair of terminals connected to the electrochemical sensor. The instrumentation amplifier receives a signal from the pair of terminals, and generates an output representative of a voltage across the pair of terminals with reference to the high current biased ground voltage signal. The ADC converter receives the output and derives an actual voltage reading taken by the electrochemical sensor.

Embodiments of the present invention relate to electrochemical sensors, and more particularly, to a sensing circuit for an electrochemical sensor.
High end sensors for measuring a hydrogen concentration, or a pH value, of a fluid, in which the sensor is submerged have existed for some time. However, effective digital measurement using such devices can be challenging. For example, typical probes used on a pH circuit generate voltages on the order of a few millivolts to several hundred millivolts. Such probes can also generate negative voltages which are problematic because, most analog to digital converters (ADCs) used to perform most digital measurements, are not equipped to measure negative voltages. As such, for effective digital measurement, a system's analog front end (AFE) should be designed to not present the ADC with a negative voltage. Through signal conditioning, it is also desirable for the system to use most, if not all, of the dynamic range of the ADC, as well as filter and/or suppress noise presented to the ADC.
To ensure the dynamic range of the ADC is most effectively used, typical circuits will introduce gain in the AFE section of the circuit. This typically presents several problems, such as a) the gain introduces noise, b) the gain introduces other error (e.g., input offset current gain and other gain nonlinearities), and c) the gain must be variable to effectively condition a wide variety of signals.
It is therefore desirable to provide a sensing circuit for an electrochemical sensor that enables use of most of the dynamic range of the ADC, increases sensitivity and accuracy, and provides data in a digital form that can be transferred and utilized by further systems.


A manually operated cutting and detachment device for weed and moss removal which has a rod-shaped manual holder and a heat conductor. The heat conductor is engaged on a heat conductor mount. The heat conductor mount is disposed, with a first spring interspersed on a connecting mount for compensating the expansion difference of said heat conductor at varying temperature. The connecting part with the heat conductor mounted and the heat conductor thereon are separably and interchangeably engaged to a first end of said rod-shaped manual holder. The electrical means is engaged on the second end of the rod-shapen manual holder for generating electricity for resistance heating of the heat conductor.

Known propelled lawn mowers have respectively an internal combustion or electric motor for driving the cutting arrangement, which drives at least one rotating or oscillating horizontally moving blade. The latter makes a loud noise; for this reason the times for using lawn mowers in residential areas are limited. Because of the large throwing range of their cutters, engine-driven lawn mowers are also dangerous. In most cases the material to be cut is pulled through the rotating or oscillating horizontally moving blades, is crushed in the process and often is not cleanly cut, i.e. not evenly and at varying cutting height, particularly because the blades are subject to great wear and their sharpness decreases. Re-grinding of the blades is often required and takes much time. In addition, engine-driven lawn mowers have undesirably great weight.
Chemical and/or mechanical means are used for removing weeds between or on flagstones, paving blocks and garden areas. The known chemicals for moss and weed killing pose a danger to the environment because of their penetration into the groundwater.
Mechanical weed removal devices, such as knives and wire brushes, damage and scratch the edges of the flagstones or paving blocks. In addition, they are clumsy and their use is time-consuming.
Compacting devices for cut and mown materials are known in the form of compressing and/or packing devices. They are attached in the form of packing/baling devices in such a way that baling of the mown materials becomes a complicated process. If a reduction of the volume and weight of the mown materials is also required, it can be accomplished with auxiliary devices only with great expenditures in energy and cost and with loud noise.
In city areas, cut mown materials are hauled away and placed in landfills in the form of garbage at great cost. In cities where biodegradable garbage is collected, only a portion of the cost for its removal by composting means can be recovered by the use of the compost. Carrying the cut mown materials to the trash container is not easy, and the cut materials take up a large amount of space in it.

Manually operated cutting and detachment device


Techniques are provided to allow users to define a global service that is offered across multiple replicated databases. Database clients connect to and use a global service just as they do with regular services on a single database today. Upon receiving a connection request, a collection of components, referred to collectively as the Global Data Service framework (GDS framework), automatically chooses the best database server instances to which to connect a client. Once those connections have been established, the clients determine which database server instance, of those database server instances to which they are connected, to send requests to based, at least in part, on advisory messages sent to the clients by the GDS framework.

For a variety of reasons, many businesses maintain many copies of the same data. For example, an international corporation may replicate critical data across many databases located around the world. Reasons for maintaining multiple replicas of the same data include, but are not limited to:                business continuity and disaster recovery;        performance optimization for local clients;        content localization and caching;        compliance to local laws; and        integration of datacenters obtained through mergers and acquisitions.
While maintaining several replicas of the same data may provide multiple benefits, it can also be cumbersome if not managed efficiently. Consequently, database systems have been developed which provide "database services" and which allow service-level workload management across the database server instances that belong to the same cluster grid.
Unfortunately, managing workload across the database server instances that belong to a cluster grid does not account for the potentially numerous replicas that are being maintained outside that grid. A distributed environment typically supports a greater degree of heterogeneity than a cluster. For example, within a distributed environment, the various systems across which replicas are maintained may have different hardware architectures, different operating systems, even different types of database systems. Unlike a cluster, databases in a distributed environment do not have access to shared storage for keeping state. Hence, it would be desirable to have a mechanism by which multiple distributed replicas of the same data may be efficiently managed.
The approaches described in this section are approaches that could be pursued, but not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section.

Providing services across systems that manage distributed replicas


A nozzle 10 and method for enhancing entrainment of a fluid near a face 18 of the nozzle 10, where the nozzle 10 includes a nozzle body 18 defining a nozzle opening 14 for ejecting a fluid therethrough. At least one indentation 20 is formed in the nozzle face 18 adjacent to, but spaced from, the nozzle opening 14 and includes a contoured surface 22 defined by first and second side surfaces 24 and 26 that converge toward the nozzle opening 14 to form a leading edge 28 closest to the nozzle opening 14. The imaginary extension 30 of at least a portion of the contoured surface 22 converges at a focal point 32 distal the nozzle face 18, defining an entrainment path. The focal point 32 is closer to an imaginary projection 34 of the nozzle opening 14, extending outwardly from and normal to the nozzle face 18, than the leading edge 20 is to the nozzle opening 14. Thus, fluid near the nozzle face in the indentation 20 is entrained into the entrainment path 30 and fluid ejected through the nozzle opening 14.

Nozzles are used in a variety of applications and for several applications the performance of the nozzle is related to the amount of fluid entrained into the fluid path being ejected from the nozzle. Typically, nozzle designs incorporating entrainment properties are utilized in any fluid medium where fluid turbulence exists around the nozzles exterior surface and entrainment of the fluid surrounding the nozzle into the ejected fluid path is desired.
For purposes of clarity, fluid, as used herein, is intended to encompass any medium which may be emitted through a nozzle opening including, but not limited to gases, foams, mists and the like.
Nozzles requiring entrainment properties are often used in subterranean drilling applications for hydrocarbons due to the necessity to remove cuttings from the drilling fluid that inhibit the drill bit's rate of penetration. Nozzles are typically incorporated into a variety of different drill bits. For example, rotary drill bits are used in the drilling of deep holes, such as oil wells. Some are polycrystalline diamond compact ("PDC") bits with segmented rows or sectors of diamond hardened cutters; others are rotary cone drill bits, rock bits and/or fixed cutter bits. In each bit, however, the bit body upper end is threaded for attachment to the lower end of the drill line made of pipe. In normal drilling operations, the drill line pipe is rotated thus, forcing the rock bit into the earth. The sectors of teeth in a PDC bit or the cones in a rotary cone bit travel about the centerline of the drill bit and the rock cutters dig into the geological formation to fail scrape, crush and/or fracture it. The bit body also serves the function of a terminal pipe fitting to control and route drilling fluid from inside the drill line pipe out through a plurality of mud nozzles housed in the drill bit and up the annulus between the drill column and the wellbore.
Vertical channels, sometimes called junk slots, are formed between the exterior wall of the PDC bit body adjacent the nozzle locations and the borehole wall to facilitate the flow of fluid and entrained cuttings from the drilling zone. Inadequate removal of cuttings from between the cutter teeth in the drill bit and the formation rock causes more substantial rock chips on the hole bottom to be ground to a paste by the bit. For example, a cube of particle 200 microns on each side, if allowed to remain in the borehole, could be ground into 8 million 1 micron cubes. These cuttings, called "drilled solids" approach colloidal size and hydrate in the fluid, increasing fluid viscosity at the bit, also referred to as "plastic viscosity." As the plastic viscosity of the mud increases, the drilling rate decreases because the mud must get under a chip quickly so the bit cutters do not grind the chip instead of formation rock. If viscosity is high, the fluid cannot get under the chip rapidly and efficiently flush cuttings from the hole bottom. This impedes the penetration of the rock bit into the geological formation, abrasively wears the cutters, causes excessive drag and can produce well bore damage. Moreover, if the drilled solids are left in the mud, and viscosity of the mud in the annulus increases, resulting in thick filter cakes that reduce the area for moving mud up the annulus. This may lead to lost circulation, formation damage and stuck drill pipe.
The prior art has recognized that the pressure differential between the drilling fluid and the formation fluid effects the removal of cuttings from the borehole bottom and reduces the rate of penetration. Various techniques have been employed to counteract the foregoing effects in order to cause the fluid emerging from the bit nozzles to clean the bottom of the hole. One technique forces the fluid into the hole bottom as hard as possible, commonly referred to as "optimizing hydraulic impact." Another technique causes the fluid to expend as much power across the nozzle as possible, referred to as "optimizing hydraulic horsepower."
The conventional mud nozzle in a drilling bit is usually an axially symmetrical circular orifice. Generally, the stream expands out substantially conically after leaving the nozzle. In a PDC bit, the jets are typically spaced in front of the leading edge of a row or sector of teeth. In a rotary cone bit, a nozzle is provided for each rotary rock cutter and is positioned in the bit to direct a high velocity of fluid downward between the cutters and against the well bore wall. The positioning of the nozzle will thus, wash the face of the cutter cones and flush cuttings through to the annulus.
High pressure nozzles for injecting drilling fluid into the borehole have not satisfactorily provided the desired efficient removal of rock chips through to the annulus. It is also well known that turbulent pressure fluctuations have been found to provide lifting forces sufficient to overcome rock chip hold down to remove rock debris from the hole bottom. This technique uses the rock bit itself and facilitates drilling of the wellbore. Substantial effort has been directed to the foregoing problems of cutting removal and bit balling.
For example, Hayatdavoudi in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,436,166 and 4,512,420, includes a nozzle and a drilling sub above the drilling bit. The nozzle is oriented to eject drilling fluid from the sub into the annulus above the bit with a horizontal velocity component tangential to the annulus to impart a swirling motion to the drilling fluid in the annulus, and create a vortex which attempts to pull the cuttings radially outward from the cutter formation interface and upward through the annulus.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,687,066 to Evans is directed to the use of bit nozzles having openings convergently skewed relative to the bit center line and to each other, causing ejected drilling fluid to spin downwardly in a vortex and sweep formation cuttings from the cutting face up through the annulus.
Johnson in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,528,704 and 3,713,699, teaches the use of cavitating nozzles as cutting tools against the rock. A fluid stream is pulsated at a high frequency with enough energy to physically vaporize the fluid in a low pressure phase of the vibratory wave. The vapor bubbles produced implode in the high pressure phase of the same waves and, very close to the rock surface, cause particles of the rock to erode away in tension. Later variations are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,262,757 and 4,391,339 also to Johnson, and in 4,378,853 to Chia.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,533,005 to Morris relates to a nozzle for use on a rotary drill bit in which the orientation of the jet can be adjusted after the nozzle has been installed. The jet opening is arranged and configured such that the orientation of the fluid jet emitted therefrom is changed in response to rotation of the nozzle body about its longitudinal axis.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,519,423 to Ho et al is an apparatus for mixing fluids that includes a fluid conductive means terminating in at least one non-circular orifice for emitting a jet of first fluid along a path in a pre-selected direction and a means for providing a second fluid at a location downstream of the orifice for mixing with the first fluid. In a preferred embodiment, the orifice is elliptical to generate a jet of non-circular cross-section and relatively low aspect ratio. Thus, Ho primarily deals with various jet orifices for emitting a first fluid to enhance mixing with a second fluid downstream from the orifice.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,957,242 to Schadow et al is also directed to a fluid mixing device in which a jet of first fluid is passed through a nozzle having a conical inlet section in a non-circular, elongated, exit section. The jet of first fluid mixes with the second fluid located downstream of the device. The interaction of the conical and elongated sections produces axial rotation in the first fluid causing it to mix with the second fluid.
It has also been proven that nozzles with non-axisymmetric interior bores can increase the amount of fluid entrained, improving the rate of penetration. For example, Dove et al in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,494,124 and 5,632,349 teaches the use of a drill bit having a uniquely constructed interior bore surface for maximizing the rate of penetration of the drill bit, eliminating hydrostatic hold down forces and effectively sweeping the cuttings and formation fragments into the annulus.
It is apparent from the above that a need exists in the art to improve entrainment of the drilling fluid surrounding the nozzle in order to efficiently remove formation cuttings and other debris thus, improving the rate of drill bit penetration. Additionally, there is always a need to increase bottom hole cleaning by entrainment of the drilling fluid into a desired path. The prior art fails to meet these needs in a cost effective, novel, approach.

Nozzle and method for enhancing fluid entrainment