A reticle and a method for manufacturing the same are provided. The reticle includes a mask substrate, a reflective multilayer (ML), a capping layer and an absorption composite structure. The reflective ML is positioned over a front-side surface of the mask substrate. The capping layer is positioned over the reflective ML. The absorption composite structure is positioned over the capping layer. The absorption composite structure includes a first absorption layer, a second absorption layer, a third absorption layer and an etch stop layer. The first absorption layer is positioned over the capping layer. The second absorption layer is positioned over the first absorption layer. The third absorption layer is positioned over the second absorption layer. The etch stop layer is positioned between the first absorption layer and the second absorption layer. The first absorption layer and the second absorption layer are made of the same material.

The semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) industry has experienced rapid growth. Technological advances in IC materials and design have produced generations of ICs where each generation has smaller and more complex circuits than the previous generation. However, these advances have increased the complexity of processing and manufacturing ICs and, for these advances to be realized, similar developments in IC processing and manufacturing are needed. In the course of IC evolution, functional density (i.e., the number of interconnected devices per chip area) has generally increased while geometric size (i.e., the smallest component that can be created using a fabrication process) has decreased.
In one example associated with lithography patterning, a photomask (or mask) for use in a lithography process is defined with the circuit pattern that will be transferred to the wafers. In advanced lithography technologies, an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography process is used along with a reflective mask. It is important that the EUV mask be as clean and defect-free as possible.

Extreme ultraviolet mask with reduced wafer neighboring effect and method of manufacturing the same

TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.


The visibility of features in ultrasound images that include at least two types of tissue can be improved by processing the images using a variety of algorithms. In one such algorithm, the ratio of power in a first spatial frequency band to power in a second spatial frequency band is computed for a plurality of samples of a received ultrasound return signal that are associated with a given pixel. In another such algorithm, the ratio of power in a first spatial frequency band to total power is computed. With both algorithms, the computed ratio is then mapped to a gain for the given pixel, the raw intensity of the given pixel is modified in accordance with the gain, and the pixel is displayed with the modified intensity.

In the medical field, monitoring heart function impacts critical decisions that relate to patient care. One type of prior art heart monitor is the intravascular/intracardiac ultrasound transducer (such as the Accunav™ transducer). This type of transducer, however, is not well suited for transesophageal echocardiography because the transducer elements are oriented longitudinally instead of transversely, which limits the types of images that can be obtained. A second type of prior art heart monitor is the transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) transducer, which is transversely oriented. However, in order to produce repeatedly usable images, the azimuthal aperture of these transducers must be quite large (e.g., 10-15 mm in diameter for adults), which requires a correspondingly large probe. Because of this large probe, conventional TEE often requires anesthesia, can significantly threaten the airway, and is not well suited for long-term monitoring of the heart.

Signal processing for ultrasound imaging


A method and system for achieving emotional text to speech. The method includes: receiving text data; generating emotion tag for the text data by a rhythm piece; and achieving TTS to the text data corresponding to the emotion tag, where the emotion tags are expressed as a set of emotion vectors; where each emotion vector includes a plurality of emotion scores given based on a plurality of emotion categories. A system for the same includes: a text data receiving module; an emotion tag generating module; and a TTS module for achieving TTS, wherein the emotion tag is expressed as a set of emotion vectors; and wherein emotion vector includes a plurality of emotion scores given based on a plurality of emotion categories.

Field of the Invention
The Present Invention relates to a method and system for achieving Text to Speech. More particularly, the Present Invention is related to a method and system for achieving emotional Text to Speech.
Description of the Related Art
Text To Speech (TTS) refers to extracting corresponding speech units from an original corpus based on result of rhythm modeling, adjust and modify rhythm feature of the speech units by using specific speech synthesis technology and finally synthesize qualified speech. Currently, the synthesis level of several main speech synthesis tools have all come into practical stage.
It is well known that people can express a variety of emotion during reading, for example, during reading the sentence "Mr. Ding suffers severe paralysis since he is young, but he learns through self-study and finally wins the heart of Ms. Zhao with the help of network", the former half of which can be read with sad emotion, while the latter half of which can be read with joy emotion. However, the traditional speech synthesis technology will not consider the emotional information accompanied in the text content, that is, when performing speech synthesis, the traditional speech synthesis technology will not consider whether the emotion expressed in the text to be processed is joy, sad or angry.
Emotional TTS has become the focus of TTS research in recent years, the problem that has to be solved in emotional TTS research is to determine emotion state and establish association relationship between emotion state and acoustical feature of speech. The existing emotional TTS technology allows an operator to specify emotion category of a sentence manually, such as manually specify that the emotion category of sentence "Mr. Ding suffers severe paralysis since he is young" is sad, and the emotion category of sentence "but he learns through self-study and finally wins the heart of Ms. Zhao with the help of network" is joy, and process the sentence with the specified emotion category during TTS.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and system for achieving emotional text to speech utilizing emotion tags expressed as a set of emotion vectors

International Business Machines Corporation


Methods and compositions are provided for the therapeutic use of Wnt proteins or Wnt agonists in protecting tissue from the adverse effects of hypoxia.

Two related physiological conditions are ischemia and hypoxia. Ischemia refers to an inadequate flow of blood to a part of the body, caused by constriction or blockage of the blood vessels supplying it, and hypoxia is a shortage of oxygen, which may be the result of an ischemic condition, or may be the result of environmental and other causes.
There are a number of conditions in which ischemia is a factor. Ischemia is a feature of heart diseases, transient ischemic attacks, cerebrovascular accidents, ruptured sensitive to inadequate blood supply. Ischemia in brain tissue, for example due to stroke or head injury, causes a process called the ischemic cascade to be unleashed, in which proteolytic enzymes, reactive oxygen species, and other harmful chemicals damage and may ultimately kill brain tissue. Insufficient blood supply causes tissue to become hypoxic. In very aerobic tissues such as heart and brain, at body temperature necrosis due to ischemia usually takes about 3-4 minutes before becoming irreversible.
Restoration of blood flow after a period of ischemia can actually be more damaging than the ischemia. Reintroduction of oxygen causes a greater production of damaging free radicals as well as allowing, via removal of the extracellular acidotic conditions, influx of calcium and thus calcium overloading. The absence of oxygen and nutrients from blood creates a condition in which the restoration of circulation results in inflammation and oxidative damage through the induction of oxidative stress rather than restoration of normal function. Overall this results in reperfusion injury which can result in potentially fatal cardiac arrhythmias, also necrosis can be greatly accelerated.
The damage of reperfusion injury is due in part to the inflammatory response of damaged tissues. White blood cells, carried to the area by the newly returning blood, release a host of inflammatory factors such as interleukins as well as free radicals in response to tissue damage. The restored blood flow reintroduces oxygen within cells that damages cellular proteins, DNA, and the plasma membrane. Damage to the cell's membrane may in turn cause the release of more free radicals. Such reactive species may also act indirectly in redox signaling to turn on apoptosis. Leukocytes may also build up in small capillaries, obstructing them and leading to more ischemia.
Reperfusion injury plays a part in the brain's ischemic cascade, which is involved in stroke and brain trauma. Similar failure processes are involved in brain failure following reversal of cardiac arrest. Reperfusion injury is also associated with graft transplantation.
A common feature of tissue hypoxia is increased cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), macromolecular damage and permanent cellular injury. For example, hypoxic liver injury from a variety of etiologies including liver congestion, toxins, bile acids, cancer and ischemia-reperfusion after liver resection or transplantation is in part mediated by oxidative stress. The liver requires a constant supply of oxygen to maintain adequate energy production for hepatocyte homeostasis and survival. Therefore, hepatocytes have evolved a number of protective mechanisms in order to mitigate oxidative injury. The net result of overwhelming injury when this process fails is hepatocyte death and liver fibrosis leading to progressive disease.
Compositions and methods that alleviate the adverse effects of hypoxia and ischemia, in particular injury resulting from ischemia reperfusion, are of great interest for clinical and other uses. The present invention addresses this issue.

Use of Wnt agents to prevent hypoxic injury

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY


A system for detecting HDDs and in-position states of each of them includes an HDD controller, an analysis module, and a BMC chip. The HDD controller is electrically connected to the HDDs for obtaining SGPIO information and outputting testing signals comprising the SGPIO information. The analysis module receives the testing signals and generates in-position state information according to voltage levels of the testing signals. The BMC chip is electrically connected to the analysis module. The BMC chip receives the in-position state information from the analysis module and generates a detection log accordingly.

In servers and memories, detecting or monitoring hard disk drives (HDDs) becomes more and more important.
However, existing HDDs only include a pin for distinguishing a type of the HDD, and does not include a pin for detecting an in-position state of the HDD.
Therefore, there is room for improvement within the art.

HONGFUJIN PRECISION ELECTRONICS(TIANJIN)CO., LTD.


A process for improving smoke quality and mechanical properties of a cast reconstituted tobacco sheet is accomplished by adding tobacco materials to an aqueous solution containing ammonium salts and ammonium hydroxide. The resulting first tobacco slurry is then pressurized under steam pressure to at least 60 psi for a period of from about 1 to 5 minutes then depressurized rapidly to ambient. The depressurized tobacco is then formed into a second tobacco slurry. The resulting tobacco residue is then cast into a reconstituted tobacco sheet for further processing into smoking articles.

This invention relates to a tobacco treating process and more particularly to a process to improve the smoking quality and mechanical properties of a band cast reconstituted tobacco sheet by steam explosion.
In the manufacture of smoking articles, such as cigarettes, pipe tobacco and the like, a substantial portion of the tobacco which has been processed for use in the smoking articles are found to be unsuitable for use because of their physical size or undesirable taste properties. For example, tobacco stems and tobacco fines from manufacturing processes are unsuitable for use in the manufacturing of these smoking articles. Since the stems and fines represent a substantial amount of raw material investment, processes have been developed to further process these stems and fines into products such as reconstituted tobacco sheets which are then useable in relatively large amounts in a mixture with acceptable processed tobacco leaf. In the processing of reconstituted tobacco some of the components within the stems and fines are solubilized and separated from the tobacco solids. These solubilized components are either discarded or a portion thereof is re-introduced at a later stage into the processing of reconstituted tobacco sheets. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,744,375 to Denier et al teaches a process for using flavor compounds in tobacco, such as ammonia, to produce a tobacco product which may be utilized in reconstituted tobacco sheets.

Method for making a band cast reconstituted tobacco sheet using steam exploded tobacco


A method and apparatus is provided for retrieving and storing quality of service policy management information using a directory service in a manner that enforces read/write consistency and enables read/write concurrency. A directory information tree manager is created and stored in the directory service. One or more directory information trees are created in the directory service in association with the directory information tree manager. Each directory information tree is associated with a sub-tree that represents quality of service policy information, and each directory information tree has a validity period value. When a process needs quality of service policy management information, the system determines which of the directory information trees is a currently active directory information tree. The QoS information is retrieved from the currently active directory information tree only during a time period within the validity period value thereof.

Computer networks that can carry mixed media messages over standard protocols, including voice, video, and data traffic, are undergoing intensive technical development. There is particular interest in developing and deploying networks that can carry voice over Internet Protocol (IP), video over IP, and other media. In these networks, it is important to ensure that consistent treatment, or quality of service, is applied by all intermediate network elements in a path from sender to receiver for a particular message flow. Accordingly, various quality of service management systems are now available. Certain leading systems of this type enable a user or administrator to create and store abstract quality of service policies in terms of collections of rules and policy objects. An example of such as system is QoS Policy Manager, commercially available from Cisco Systems, Inc.
Concurrently, those of skill in this field have developed an interest in using directory services as a repository for storing a representation of quality of service policies, and other information about physical and logical elements of the network. Directory services based on the ITU X.500 standard, or based on other standards such as Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), are receiving particular attention. Microsoft Active Directory is an example of a commercial directory service product.
Integration of quality of service systems and directory services presents certain problems. Many of these problems arise from the fact that while a directory service provides a data repository, it is not a complete database system and lacks many native services offered by relational database systems and object-oriented databases systems, e.g., SQL Server, Oracle, Sybase, etc. For example, directory services do not support protected atomic transaction processing. There is no mechanism for initiating a transaction and then committing changes carried out in the transaction to a database of the directory server. LDAP does not support multiple operation transactions, bundling of atomic operations as a transaction, transaction commit, providing "cursor stability," etc. As a result, data consistency problems arise.
For example, one entity may read policy information, another entity may write policy information, and the reading and writing operations may not necessarily be coordinated. For example, a policy management system may write policy information to the directory, and a policy server may fetch the information at the same time or too soon. There is no automatic coordination of data from a producer of data and a consumer of data. As a result, a data consumer may read data that is out of synchronization with the producer of data, and the consumer is at risk of reading data that is incomplete or out-of-date.
Another problem is that obsolete policies may persist in the network. If a user edits a policy, a consumer of the policy needs to receive the entire revised policy rather than only the modified portion. Under current approaches, distribution of complete updates is not assured.
Still another problem arises from the typical constraint that a user must accept the entire collection of policy rules or objects that are currently in force for a particular network. The policies need to be consistent and complete for proper processing by consumer processes. Further, only those policies that are approved by an administrator for deployment to the network should be made available. Distributing a partial policy to a process that reads, uses or otherwise consumes a policy ("reader") is undesirable. However, it cannot be prevented in current approaches because the typical quality of service management system does not fully control the directory service or prohibit other applications from reading the directory information. Maintaining consistency and completeness of policy information, while processes are reading and writing the policy information, is difficult given the inherent deficiencies of LDAP and other directory service mechanisms.
In past approaches, certain object-oriented policy information models and schemas have been proposed for use in some quality of service management systems. For example, a policy framework is described in Y. Snir et al., "QoS Policy Framework Information Model," Internet-Draft, draft-snir-qos-policy-schema-01.txt (first posted October, 1999), and in J. Strassner et al., "Policy Framework LDAP Core Schema," Internet-Draft, draft-ietf-policy-core-schema-06.txt (first posted Nov. 4, 1999). However, these approaches do not address problems that arise in using directory services, including data concurrency, LDAP client behavior, data integrity, and other implementation issues. There is a need in this field for a way to integrate a quality of service policy management system with a directory service while overcoming these integration problems.
Tree locking is one possible approach to these problems. In tree locking, the directory tree is locked by a reader or writer process until that process is complete. However, this creates the undesirable possibility that the tree could be locked and then the reader or writer process could crash, leaving the tree locked perpetually. In the policy management environment, this possibility cannot be eliminated because the directory tree and consumer processes are not commonly controlled.
Based on the foregoing, there is a clear need in this field for a way to integrate a directory service with a policy management system while circumventing the problems of data consistency associated with the prior art.
In particular, there is a need for a way to update policy information in one operation, and make the data known in a separate operation that ensures data integrity and consistency between a directory server and a policy server.
There is also a need for a way to update a data store of a directory server, for example, a directory server that communicates to other applications using LDAP, in a way that keeps the data store consistent with any other external data store.

Method and apparatus for retrieving network quality of service policy information from a directory in a quality of service policy management system


A method of dynamically adjusting an angular speed of a light beam emitted by a scanner in measuring three-dimensional (3D) coordinates of a surface or of dynamically adjusting an acquisition rate of 3D coordinates of a surface.

The subject matter disclosed herein relates to a laser scanner and in particular to a laser scanner able to vary the density of the measured surface points based on characteristics of the surface geometry.
Laser scanners are a type of device that utilize a coherent light source to measure and determine the three-dimensional coordinates of points on an object. Laser scanners are typically used for scanning closed or open spaces such as interior areas of buildings, industrial installations and tunnels. Laser scanners are used for many purposes, including industrial applications and accident reconstruction applications. A laser scanner can be used to optically scan and measure objects in a volume around the scanner through the acquisition of surface points representing objects within the volume. Such surface points are obtained by transmitting a beam of light onto the objects and collecting the reflected or scattered light to determine the distance, two-angles (i.e. an azimuth and a zenith angle), and optionally a gray-scale value. This raw scan data is collected, stored and sent to a processor or processors to generate a three-dimensional coordinates and an image representing the scanned area or object. In order to generate the image, at least three values are collected for each surface point. These three values may include the distance and two angles, or may be transformed values, such as the x, y, z coordinates.
Some contemporary laser scanners may also include a camera mounted on or integrated into the laser scanner for gathering camera digital images of the environment and for presenting the camera digital images to an operator. By viewing the camera images, the operator can determine the extent of the measured volume and adjust the settings of the laser scanner to measure over a larger or smaller region of space. In addition, the camera digital images may be transmitted to a processor to add color to the scanner image. In order to generate a color scanner image, at least six values (three-positional values such as x, y, z; and color values, such as red, green and blue values or "RGB") are collected for each surface point.
It should be appreciated, that the acquisition of three-dimensional coordinates of surface points by laser scanners may result in a large volume of data involving millions of surface points. Many of these surface points may not be needed in order to adequately represent objects or surfaces within the scanned volume. Some extraneous data may be removed during postprocessing. However, a large amount of storage space may be taken up in the scanner's local storage device by extraneous data acquired during operation.
In addition, there is a tradeoff between scanning speed and resolution of collected 3D measurement values. It is possible to measure a given region of space in a shorter time with lower resolution or to measure the same region of space in a longer time with higher resolution. The determination of time versus resolution depends on the detail in the object being measured, the relatively rate of change in the surface profile, the amount of noise in the scanner data and the corresponding desired amount of filtering, and the characteristics and size of the object being measured. Today, laser scanners operate by collecting data at a fixed angular speed of the beam sent from the scanner to the object under test. The data is later collected, and if more resolution is needed an additional scan is taken.
Accordingly, while existing laser scanners are suitable for their intended purposes, what is needed is a laser scanner that may dynamically adapt the scanning speed and the density of surface point acquisition based on considerations such as the characteristics of geometric features measured within the scanned volume.


A BiCMOS circuit, with protection against a negative base-emitter voltage, is described. The bipolar device is typically coupled between, for example, V.sub.DD and an output. An input is coupled to the base of the bipolar device, turning it on or off. CMOS circuitry is included which isolates the base of the bipolar device from the input when the input goes low and discharges the base through the output. Additional circuitry is disclosed which causes the output to float whenever an enable line is low and causes the output to be at either the same or inverted logic state as the input whenever the enable line is high, to form a non-inverting or inverting tri-state buffer, respectively.

In recent years, much effort has been directed toward developing digital logic circuits which combine bipolar and CMOS technologies in a single integrated circuit. The combination of bipolar and CMOS technologies is particularly advantageous since the superior aspects of each may be exploited to yield optimal circuit performance.
For example, CMOS circuits have the advantages of extremely low quiescent power consumption, rail to rail output capability, high density, and a very high input impedance. Bipolar logic circuits, on the other hand, are useful in driving large capacitive loads, have fast switching capabilities, and feature better performance over temperature and power supply. These attributes have led to the development of a family of BiCMOS inverting logic circuits which employ bipolar transistors to drive output loads, while utilizing CMOS devices to perform the basic logic functions.
One problem with bipolar devices is that they suffer from a reliability problem when the voltage across the base and emitter junction (V.sub.BE) is negative. This reliability problem typically results in creation of base-emitter leakage current that is a function of negative base-emitter stress voltage and stress time. This leakage current degrades the circuit performance of the bipolar transistors. For example, consider the "bare-base" buffer circuit 10 of FIG. 1. If input node 11 is initially at high voltage level (e.g.+5 V), bipolar transistor 12 will be on, since the base is driven by the input signal and bipolar transistor 12 is connected as an emitter follower. Also, when input node 11 is at a high voltage level, a low voltage level will result at the gate of MOS transistor 15 due to inverter 16. Transistor 15 will thus be turned off, electrically isolating output node 14 from ground V.sub.SS. Output node 14 will then be at a high voltage level due to the emitter follower operation of bipolar transistor 12 with its collector coupled to the V.sub.DD mode. Conversely, when input node 11 switches to a low voltage level, transistor 12 is off, preventing any current flow from V.sub.DD mode 13 to output node 14. Transistor 15 is on, discharging the voltage at output node 14 to ground. However, input node 11 can go low faster than output node 14 due to the delay through inverter 16 and transistor 15. When this occurs, the base-emitter voltage V.sub.BE across bipolar transistor 12 will be negative (i.e. lower on the base side than the emitter side) causing the reliability voltage stress problem discussed above.
Similarly, a bipolar device cannot be used in a signal bus pre-charge circuit due to reliability problems caused by the negative V.sub.BE that can develop. For example, if the circuit 20 of FIG. 2 were used as a pre-charge circuit, transistor 22 would charge output node 24 so long as node 21 is at a high voltage state (logical one). This is due to the bipolar emitter follower between input node 21 and output node 24. Once the base is turned off (node 21 at a low voltage state, i.e. logical zero), a negative base-emitter voltage will result due to the remaining charge on output node 24.
What is needed is an integrated circuit combining CMOS and bipolar technologies which does not develop a negative V.sub.BE during operation. Such a circuit should be implemented with a minimum device count and should retain the advantages of both bipolar and CMOS technologies discussed above. Additionally, the circuitry used to protect the base should also be capable of tri-stating the bipolar device.

BiCMOS circuit with negative V.sub.BE protection


An improved rotary wing aircraft shrouded propeller ducted tail assembly utilizing the flow pattern of the propeller slip stream exiting from the outlet end of the duct for flight control by means of movable slip stream deflecting surfaces. Three vertically extending deflecting surfaces are pivotally supported at the outlet end of the duct rearwardly of the propeller comprising a vertically extending, elongated rudder surface pivotally supported for rotation about a vertical axis on the duct centerline and a pair of duct sidewall flaps each pivotally supported by hinges mounted on the respective opposite duct lateral sidewalls for obtuse angular rotation between a position extending outwardly and perpendicularly of the duct sidewall on which it is hinged and a position extending through an opening in the duct sidewall of which it is hinged to protrude transversely of the duct interior. The positions of the three deflecting surfaces are established by a control mixing unit which concurrently positions all three surfaces to extend transversely of the duct longitudinal axis in the same direction on either side of the duct longitudinal axis for hover flight, concurrently positions all three surfaces to extend parallel to the duct sidewalls and longitudinal axis for high speed cruising flight and concurrently positions each of the pair of duct sidewall flaps to extend through an opening in the duct sidewall on which it is hinged to protrude transversely into the duct interior with the rudder surface coincident with the duct longitudinal axis for decelerating high speed cruising flight.

This invention is a variation of and an improvement over prior known vector thrust ducted propeller tail assemblies in which pivotable surfaces of the ducted tail rearwardly of the shrouded propeller deflect the propeller slip stream exiting from the rear of the duct in establishing a directional thrust for controlling yaw and flight condition of a rotary wing aircraft. This concept is most useful when utilized in a compound rotary wing aircraft in which the rotor is unloaded at a high speed cruising condition in which the fixed wing of the aircraft provides lift and the shrouded propeller provides forward thrust to the aircraft.
A number of patents have been issued directed to varying configurations of propeller slip stream deflecting surfaces that establish a rotor torque counterbalancing moment of the necessary magnitude required for yaw control and maintain the desired aircraft heading, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,905,932; 3,260,482; 3,241,791 and 3,222,012 being typical. Although the ducted propeller ring tail configurations of these patents are suitable to establish a sufficiently high rate of turn of the aircraft both to the right and to the left in most situations, as explained in more detail in the Meyer U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,603 assigned to the assignee of this application, under low rotor shaft torque conditions rotor torque can be insufficient to establish a sufficiently high aircraft turning rate in the direction of rotor rotation for the aircraft to fulfill its mission. The invention of this application is directed to solving the same problems and improving the maneuverability of shrouded propeller ring tail aircraft as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,603 in which the combination of a shrouded propeller and duct deflecting surfaces creates a thrust force that can be exerted through a rearwardly extending arc of 180.degree.. In the invention of this application, a configuration of the pivotable duct deflecting surfaces captures the entire propeller slip stream and directs the exit flow in a manner as creates a smoother flow pattern with lesser turbulence and greater aerodynamic efficiency than the configuration of U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,683.

Rotary wing aircraft shrouded propeller sidewall thruster


A machine-implemented display method that, with respect to a volume dataset being rendered, enables a user to navigate to any position in space and look in any direction. An enhanced display method for this type of dataset improves upon known Maximum Intensity Projection (MIP) techniques. The enhanced method, “Relative MIP,” uses a different approach to pixel value rendering. Relative MIP draws information from an amount of difference present between a current pixel and its neighbors, and then visualizes the maximum intensity of this difference.

1. Technical Field
The technique described herein relates generally to medical imaging.
2. Background of the Related Art
Medical imaging is the technique used to create images of the human body or parts thereof for clinical purposes (medical procedures that seek to reveal, to diagnose or to examine disease) or medical science (including the study of normal anatomy and physiology). Computer tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are two of the most common approaches. These techniques generate a set of individual 2D images that can be displayed in a 3D visualization as a "volume dataset."
In the fields of Radiology and Interventional Cardiology, a particularly important aspect of diagnosing and treating the patient is being able to accurately image the arteries or vessels of the body. Typically, the patient will be given an X-ray CTscan, which creates a collection of consecutive image slices that form a volume of patient data when stacked, or rendered electronically. Several known rendering methods that allow CT data to be viewed have emerged over the years. One of the methods, Maximum Intensity Projection (MIP), fires rays through a volume from a position and a direction, and as it samples each pixel, it looks for the pixel with the greatest intensity along the ray. This maximally intense pixel value is plotted to the screen directly for visualization by a user. A collection of these pixels forms an image where dense structures are able to be seen through less dense structures without regard to the depth of these structures.
MIP-based rendering can be very useful in many circumstances, for example, to see a contrasted artery even when the artery is surrounded by muscle or fat. The problem with a MIP-based approach to viewing an artery, however, is that, while the contrast can easily be seen, the vessel wall is more difficult to discern. It would be very beneficial to be able to determine the diameter of the open area of the artery in relation to the vessel wall when MIP-based rendering is used.


The present invention relates to viral or cellular membrane coated nanostructures. Nanostructure networks, nanoscaffolds and articles of manufacture comprising the nanostructure, and uses thereof, are also provided. The present invention also relates to methods for anchoring, attaching and/or growing a target cell. Target cells, constituent(s) of the target cells, target substances made by the target cells or culture medium of the target cells prepared by the present methods, and uses thereof, are also provided.

The key components for tissue engineering and cell delivery consist of cells, scaffolds, and growth-stimulating factors.1, 2 Among this triad, scaffolds provide a solid matrix for cell attachment and proliferation, while supplying physicochemical and/or bioactive cues to the residing cells.3, 4 The interactions between cells and scaffolds are of particular importance, which determine the survival and function of the cells.5, 6 Therefore, scaffolds, typically made of polymeric biomaterials such as polymeric nanofibers, are often modified with cell surface receptors to stimulate intracellular signaling, alter protein expression, and modulate cell function.7, 10 Common strategies to implement such surface modifications are chemical conjugation and physical absorption.11-13 A variety of soluble receptors including intercellular adhesion molecules 1 (ICAM-1),14 E-cadherin,15 and Ephrin16, 17 have been conjugated onto synthetic scaffolds to enhance cell survival and function. To alleviate potential risk of protein denaturation by these chemical and physical processes, synthetic lipid bilayers have been successfully coated onto nanofiber scaffolds.18, 19 The lipid membranes not only shield the nanofibers from external environment but also provide a biomolecule-friendly medium to anchor cell surface receptors and preserve their integrity and functionality. While these bottom-up functionalization approaches are competent to present individual receptors or receptor combinations to cells seeded in a scaffold, they are generally inadequate to replicate the complex cell surface properties and functions critical for cell-cell interaction and cell proliferation in a scaffold.20, 21
The use of cell membranes to cloak synthetic nanoparticles through a top-down fabrication method has emerged as a promising technique for nanomaterial surface functionalization.22, 23 Such cloaking technique bestows nanoparticles with complex cell surface properties and functions that are otherwise difficult to replicate. Currently, a variety of cell membrane-coated nanoparticle systems have been developed with unique features and functions, which involve different cell types (e.g., red blood cell, platelet, leukocyte, cancer cell and bacterium) and different synthetic nanoparticles (e.g., polymeric nanoparticle, gold nanoparticle, and silica nanoparticle)24-27. These biomimetic nanoparticles have demonstrated a wide range of biomedical applications including drug delivery, photodynamic therapy, detoxification, and vaccination.28-31 However, the cell membrane cloaking technique has not been generalized from spherical nanoparticles to spidery nanofibers, which exhibit aspect ratios drastically different from nanoparticles.
Therefore, novel nanostructures that mimic or replicate the complex viral or cell surface properties and/or functions are needed. The present invention addresses this and the related needs in the art.

Cellular or viral membrane coated nanostructures and uses thereof

The Regents of the University of California


In one embodiment, a method includes obtaining media that includes a video stream and an audio stream. The method also includes detecting a number of faces visible in the video stream, and performing a speaker segmentation on the media. Performing the speaker segmentation on the media includes utilizing the number of faces visible in the video stream to augment the speaker segmentation.

Video conferences, which include audio and visual components, are increasingly used as a way to facilitate meetings and to share information during the meetings. Typically, audio-based speaker segmentation is performed on audio components of a video conference to identify different speakers, e.g., to extract meta-data associated with speakers in a conference. Often, fluctuations in a voice of a single speaker may be attributed by an audio-based speaker segmentation algorithm to more than the single speaker, as extrinsic factors may affect the performance of the audio-based speaker segmentation algorithm. By way of example, extrinsic variations such as head movement of a speaker, movement of the speaker with respect to a microphone, and/or background noise may have an adverse effect on the accuracy with which an audio-based speaker segmentation algorithm performs.

Method and apparatus for using face detection information to improve speaker segmentation


Capturing motion comprising: generating a time reference; substantially synchronizing a plurality of motion capture cameras to the time reference; transmitting a multicast signal including information derived from the time reference to enable at least one device used in motion capture to operate synchronously with the plurality of motion capture cameras.

The present invention relates generally to motion capture and, more particularly, to synchronizing data acquired during asynchronous motion capture operations.
Motion capture ("MOCAP") systems are used to capture the movement of a real object or person and map it onto a computer-generated object. Such systems are often used in the production of motion pictures and video games for creating a digital representation of a person for use as source data to create a computer graphics animation. In a typical system, an actor wears a suit having markers attached at various locations (e.g., having small reflective markers attached to the body and limbs) and digital cameras record the movement of the actor from different angles while illuminating the markers.
Many MOCAP camera systems maintain synchronization to a master clock, wherein data acquired by these MOCAP camera systems are integrated with data acquired by other devices that are not synchronized to the master clock. A problem arises because aligning the data sets from the MOCAP camera system and the other devices is generally difficult due to the lack of a common reference.
Therefore, what is needed is a system and method that overcomes these significant problems found in the conventional systems as described.

Multicast control of motion capture sequences


A headset attachment. The headset attachment is removably connectable to a headset and includes means to conceal a mouth of an individual wearing the headset. The headset attachment includes a pair of members each pivotably attached to a hinge. A cover is connected to each member of the pair of members. The cover is configured to transition between an expanded configuration and a retracted configuration. In the expanded configuration, the cover conceals the mouth of the individual, and in the retracted configuration, the cover does not conceal the mouth of the individual. The headset attachment is useful for selectively concealing a mouth of an individual to prevent a third party from lip-reading or eavesdropping.

The present invention relates to a headset attachment for selectively concealing a mouth of an individual wearing a headset.
Many individuals use headsets with microphones to communicate. In some situations, it may be desirable to prevent lip-reading or eavesdropping by a third party. Such situations include professional sporting events, during which coaches, trainers, directors, coordinators, and other professionals may speak into headset microphones to discuss private or sensitive information, such as game strategies, plans, and the like. Existing solutions to prevent lip-reading or eavesdropping by covering a mouth of such an individual may interfere with face-to-face communication, and the individual wearing a headset having such a solution attached thereto may need to perform complicated and time-consuming actions to improve clarity of face-to-face communication, such as removing the headset or removing the solution from the headset. These actions waste valuable time that could otherwise be spent communicating strategies.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a headset attachment for selectively concealing a mouth of an individual wearing a headset. The present invention addresses this unmet need.
Devices have been disclosed in the art that relate to preventing lip-reading of an individual communicating with a headset. These include devices that have been patented and published in patent application publications. These devices are often complicated and time-consuming to use. In view of the devices disclosed in the art, it is submitted that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing headset attachments. In view of the present disclosure, it is submitted that the present invention substantially diverges in structural and functional elements from devices in the art, and substantially fulfills an unmet need in the art.


An improved method and apparatus for cleaning liquid-carrying hoses, and the like. A suitable cleaning solvent is passed under pressure through the hose. The pressure of the solvent delivered to the hose is measured and used to control the pressure of compressed air mixed with the solvent to maintain a turbulent flow of a predetermined mix ratio for various solvent pressures. The turbulent solvent/compressed air mixture increases scrubbing of the hose to reduce the cleaning time and the quantity of solvent required to clean the hose.

In many businesses and industries, hoses, fluid lines, duct pipes, tubes, conduits, manifolds and the like (hereinafter generically referred to as hoses) are used to carry liquids. After a specific use, it may be necessary to clean the hose. For example, hoses are used to carry paint to a spray gun. When painting is finished or when a new color paint is to be applied, it is necessary to clean all of the old paint from the hose. If residual paint is left in the hose, it may harden and eventually clog the hose. Or, if a different color paint is applied, any remaining old color paint may initially contaminate the new color paint. In another application, hoses used for carrying milk, for example, at a farm or at a milk processing plant, also must be frequently cleaned. If residual milk is left in the hose, it may spoil and contaminate milk subsequently carried through the hose.
Various techniques have been used for cleaning hoses. Often, as much liquid as possible initially may be purged from the hose with compressed air. In a painting system, the purged paint may be reclaimed for future use. A suitable solvent or cleaning solution is passed through the hose and finally the hose may be purged of solvent with a flow of compressed air. For milk, a soapy water solution may be passed through the hose, followed by clean water and air. For solvent-based paints, a paint solvent must be used, followed by air to dry the hose. It is known in the art that the cleaning efficiency may be improved by alternately pulsing solvent and compressed air through a hose to increase the scrubbing action. However, considerable quantities of solvent and an undesirable long time may be required to clean a paint hose.
In one improved system, solvent and compressed air have been mixed to produce a turbulent flow for cleaning a hose. The solvent and the compressed air are supplied through separate needle valves. Typically, the mixture is passed through a transparent hose and the valves are adjusted to visibly produce a desired turbulent mixture. However, solvent pressure may vary considerably in a commercial system. If, for example, several paint lines happen to be cleaned at the same time from a single solvent source, there may be significant solvent pressure variations. This will result in an improper solvent to air ratio and less than maximum turbulence in the solvent. If the hose is cleaned for a fixed time interval in an automated system, a solvent pressure change which reduces turbulence in the solvent may result in inadequate cleaning of the paint line.
It is desirable to reduce the quantity of solvent and the time required to clean a hose. Solvent is expensive to purchase and used solvent is expensive to dispose of since it is considered a hazardous waste. Further, in certain manufacturing businesses, such as in automobile body manufacturing, it is necessary to change paint color from workpiece to workpiece. Any reduction in the color changeover time may result in increased production and decreased manufacturing costs. The color change time generally is limited by the time required to clean the paint hoses.


A barge system for hydraulic spreading of aquatic capping material is provided. The barge system includes a barge, a piping system, a spreader, a system for moving the barge and a controller. The barge has a deck extending between a front end and a rear end and two opposing sides. The piping system is mounted on the deck and used for the transmission of capping material slurry that includes a capping material. The piping system has a first end and a second end. A source of capping material slurry is connected to the first end and fed through the piping system to the spreader. The spreader has an inlet end in communication with the second end of the piping system and a discharge end. The spreader evenly distributes the capping material slurry from the end of the barge. The controller positions the barge based on the flow rate and density of the slurry. The barge system is used to deposit a predetermined thickness of the capping material on the bottom of the body of water.

The pollution of lakes, rivers and costal waters by the unregulated discharge and dumping of industrial, agricultural and municipal wastes has severely damaged the environment. In some cases, the waters have been so seriously impacted that they can no longer support aquatic life or the fish and crustaceans that reside in the waters are no longer safe for human consumption.
The Clean Water Act of 1972 and other similar legislation have established goals for eliminating releases of high amounts of toxic substances into waters and ensuring that surface waters meet certain standards. In addition to limiting the current discharge of pollutants, an effort has been made to remediate lakes, rivers and other bodies of water that have been identified as particularly hazardous to the environment and the health of humans. The remediation can include some form of dredging to remove pollutants that have settled to the bottom of the bodies of water and mixed in with the natural mud and sediments. The amount of material that must be removed can vary from several inches to several feet at different sites. In most cases, the pollutants have migrated so deep into the mud and sediments that it is impractical to entirely remove them. Therefore, dredging is conducted until the pollutants in the dredged materials are determined to be present at a safe level. However, even at safe levels, it is desirable to prevent the pollutants from mixing with the water. Therefore, an aquatic cap material is spread over the bottom of the dredged body of water to act as a barrier between the pollutants in the sediments and the water. In some instances, capping is the only remediation that is required to isolate and trap the pollutants.
The aquatic capping systems that are currently being used do not adequately control the composition of the aquatic capping materials so that it is necessary to deposit a thicker layer of cap material on the bottom of the body of water to ensure that the cap provides a sufficient barrier. In addition, the position of the barge or boat discharging the aquatic capping material and the aquatic cap material discharging apparatus presently being used do not spread a uniform layer of the aquatic capping material on the bottom. This also results in a thicker layer of aquatic capping material being placed on the bottom to ensure a minimum layer thickness. Accordingly, there is a need for an aquatic capping system that can control the composition of the aquatic capping material and provide a layer of aquatic capping material with a highly uniform thickness.

Barge system for hydraulic spreading of aquatic capping material


A low RPM permanent magnet generator mounted over the exhaust port of a HVAC condenser provides a direct drive generator that allows low cogging and low startup resistance to effectively produce electricity at low wind speeds.

The present generator design improves the electricity output, given the constant volume of moving fluid, gas, air or wind produced by the exhaust of a HVAC condenser. HVAC systems use condensers to move hot or cold air out of a building. During this process, the condenser produces an exhaust gas with a typical wind speed of 15-25 mph.

Apparatus and methods for electricity generation from exhaust of condenser of HVAC system


Embodiments described in this disclosure relate, generally, to a touch user interface (UI) that interacts with, and may be used to manipulate, a graphical user interface (GUI) of a display utility presented at a graphical overlay, and systems and methods for implementing the same. Some embodiments of the disclosure may be incorporated into display systems, including bezel-less display systems.

Conventional display systems (e.g., monitors, televisions, etc.) often include physical push buttons (typically a switch mechanism activated by pushing on it—e.g., to bias the switch—and a spring may return the mechanism to an inactive position) for setting line input, brightness/contrast, video settings, audio settings, etc. A conventional display system may include push buttons on the side of display's bezel, such as push buttons 102 shown in FIG. 1A or on the top of the display's bezel, such as push buttons 104 shown FIG. 1B. A user of a display system may use the push buttons to interact with the display system's utility application (also referred to herein as simply a "display utility"). A display utility is typically a software or firmware application that manages certain characteristics of a display system (e.g., signal input selection, display brightness, volume, resolution, etc.), typically by setting one or more values associated with such characteristics. A user may interact with a utility application through a combination of the push buttons and a graphical user interface (GUI) presented at a display of a display system, such as the display utility GUI shown in FIG. 2A.
Push buttons at the bezel put a lower limit on the bezel dimensions, that is, the buttons are the largest item on the bezel. Further, the switches that comprise the buttons take up space within the bezel. Accordingly, the buttons on conventional displays constrain the ability to manufacture thin displays.
Other disadvantages and deficiencies with display systems may exist. The foregoing description is the state of the art as known to the inventor of this disclosure and is not, nor should it be construed to be, admitted prior art.

Display user interface, and related systems, methods and devices


There is provided an information processing apparatus to provide a mechanism capable of improving accuracy of detection of abnormality of sensors without changing configurations of the sensors, the information processing apparatus including: an acquisition unit configured to obtain a first value obtained by measurement in a first measurement unit and a second value obtained by measurement in a second measurement unit whose dynamic range regarding measurement is a second dynamic range different from a first dynamic range of the first measurement unit; and a detection unit configured to detect abnormality of the first value or the second value on a basis of a change in a correlation between the first value and the second value.

Utilization of information obtained by measurement in a sensor (hereinafter, also referred to as "measurement information") has been increased in accordance with development of a sensor technology. For example, in the field of sport, there exists a technology of causing a player to wear a sensor such as a motion sensor to determine movement of the player on the basis of measurement information obtained from the motion sensor.
Herein, a measurable range of the sensor is generally limited in accordance with specifications of the sensor and the like. Specifically, the measurable range of the sensor has an upper limit and a lower limit, and, in a case where a degree of a phenomenon serving as a target to be measured exceeds the upper limit or lower limit of the measurable range, it is difficult to obtain accurate measurement information. Therefore, measurable movements are increased as the measurable range is wider. On the contrary, measurable movements are reduced as the measurable range is narrower. An index that indicates an extent of the measurable range is a dynamic range.
Meanwhile, the extent of the measurable range and measurable accuracy have a trade-off relationship in many cases. For example, resolution of the measurement information is lower as the dynamic range is higher, and variations in the measurement information tend to be large. On the contrary, the resolution of the measurement information is higher as the dynamic range is lower, and variations in the measurement information tend to be small.
In view of this, there is proposed a technology of using two sensors having different extents of a measurable range, i.e., resolutions of measurement information. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses an information processing apparatus that acquires time-series measurement information from a shock sensor and a motion sensor having higher resolution than that of the shock sensor and sets an analysis target section regarding the time-series measurement information of the motion sensor on the basis of the measurement information of the shock sensor. According to the disclosure, Patent Literature 1 describes that the analysis target section is appropriately set and determination accuracy of a motion pattern is improved.

Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and storage medium


A basket assembly for receiving a plurality of fuel assemblies includes a basket having a grid defining spacing between fuel assembly compartments, the grid defining a first compartment for receiving a first fuel assembly and a second compartment for receiving a second fuel assembly, wherein the cross-sectional area of the second compartment is larger than the cross-sectional area of the first compartment. The basket assembly is configured to receive in the first compartment a first fuel assembly, the first fuel assembly being a regular fuel assembly, and the basket assembly configured to receive in the second compartment a second fuel assembly, the second fuel assembly being an irregular fuel assembly, wherein the irregular fuel assembly includes at least one irregular fuel rod.

Canister assemblies are typically used for storing and transporting radioactive fuel. Canister assemblies for spent fuel include "baskets" for receiving individual fuel assemblies in the cells of the basket, with the basket and the fuel assemblies being contained within the outer canister. Baskets are typically constructed from stainless steel plates or neutron absorber plates that can also perform the same structural function as stainless steel plates and aluminum rails or other steel structure that are either welded or stacked into a basket configuration. Geometric spacing and fixed neutron absorbers between compartments are used to maintain criticality control. There exists a need for an improved modular basket designs, particularly for irregular fuel assemblies. Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to fulfilling these and other needs.

Modular basket assembly for fuel assemblies


A directed dialogue portal system management scheme is disclosed, providing a manager application layer over portal system managed applications. The manager application layer may include a global grammar (e.g., the grammar of each managed application) and each managed application may inherit behaviors of the manager application. Responses to prompts received by a first managed application that are unrecognized or are directed to a second managed application are sent to the manager application. The manager application sends the response to the second application. The scheme is transparent to the user and, from the user's perspective, a user is able to directly access any application or services in a directed dialogue portal system from other locations in the system.

A directed dialogue is a dialogue in which a computer is "directing" a flow of gathering information by asking a user for explicit pieces of data to perform a function. A directed dialogue portal is a collection of directed dialogues. A directed dialogue portal may be used in a construction of the internet in which a directed dialogue connection to a "directed dialogue browser" may function similar to an application server in serving requests for graphical information, services across the internet, etc. A directed dialogue may include a program that receives recorded voice containing, for example, instructions from a user. The program may receive recorded voice containing, for example, instructions from a user. The program may translate the voice instructions into software instructions that operate on a server to produce the user-desired result. In practice, other devices may be used to enter data and direct dialogue flow (e.g., DTMF). A portal may merge these functions (and the process of getting to them) to provide a collection of services or functionality.
To make these directed dialogue portals useful, application developers construct "prompts" to elicit instructions or expected responses from a user. A prompt may indicate what is going to occur next or it may be an objective of the service or application, such as when it contains user-requested information. For example, one type of "prompt-response" interaction allows the user to "navigate" through an application (e.g., service) or collection of applications (commonly referred to as a menu). Thus, a directed dialogue portal application developer may desire a user to say a name of an application or a name of a service, function, or category of services within the application. The developer thus develops the directed dialogue portal application to elicit a selection from a set of potential selections listed for the user.
Application programming for directed dialogue portals may be complicated because each function in an application may be developed separately yet need to interact with other functions. In such cases, a series of voice prompts and appropriate responses may be carefully scripted to ensure that a user is capable of eliciting an appropriate behavior from the application. For example, a voice prompt may request that a user "say or press 1 for Bob, 2 for Bill, or 3 for Sally." If the user selects 1 for Bob, a subsequent prompt may request the user to make another selection, such as whether the user wants Bob's contact information, place of employment, shoe size, etc. If the user wants Bob's contact information, a subsequent prompt may request the user to select from a list that includes Bob's home phone number, work phone number, e-mail address, home address, etc.
The user may have to go through a long series of prompts to obtain or provide desired information. If the user gets down to selecting Bob's home address, but then realizes that it was Bill's home address that is needed, then the user may need a backup pathway to go back to a preceding place in the selection process where the user may say or press 2 for Bill. Then, the user may listen to identical prompts for Bill that were provided for Bob.
Accommodating user needs to navigate outside of usual directed dialogue flow in a directed dialogue portal system having complex prompt structures may create programming problems. For example, one approach may be to flatten the hierarchical structure of the voice prompt system, allowing for transfers of call flow across branches of a directed dialogue prompt tree (e.g., enabling the user to move from Bob's contact information to Bill's contact information without requiring climbing back up the tree to the prompt that provides the choice of selecting 2 for Bill). To implement such an approach, however, typical natural language speech assistant architecture, for example, may require that the programmer update dialogue states throughout associated applications to add references to a dynamic grammar that could then be filled in at run-time with appropriate words.
Therefore, there is a need for directed dialogue portal system applications that enable users to call services, functions, or categories of services from within other services, functions, or categories without requiring the user to back out through previous selections to a branch of selections leading to the desired options. There is a need for such portals to be developed without requiring updating dialog states throughout associated applications to add references to a dynamic grammar.

Systems and methods for managing and building directed dialogue portal applications


Systems and methods for mapping relative strategic intent of tactics and associated projects in an enterprise are provided. Some embodiments provide a computer-implemented tool, a method, and/or a computer-implemented system for mapping strategic intent of an organization. Projects are mapped to tactics and stored in a data store. Fulfillment percentages of tactics are claimed, where the percentages represent the portion of a tactic that is achieved by a project that is mapped to it. Ownership of a tactic may be assigned, which gives the tactic owner authority to grant approval for mapping projects to the owned tactic. Tactic sets, which include groups of tactics having some element in common, may be organized to permit projects to carry over into new time periods. A reporting tool is used to display information such as mapped relationships, ownership, approval status, fulfillment percentage, and tactic sets for use in strategic intent mapping.

In a business enterprise, the executives in business organizations making up the enterprise make relative choices among competing projects to determine which will be undertaken and/or continued. The decision process in making these relative choices generally involves both a financial assessment and an assessment of the strategic importance of each project. The resulting choices may then be measured very tightly at the enterprise level in economic terms, but there is little capability to measure those choices in strategic terms.

System and method for strategic intent mapping


In embodiments, light from a light guide is used to generate a signal.

One type of print media often used in image forming systems is print media having preformed holes therein. In some circumstances, the image forming system may undesirably attempt to form part of an image at one or more hole locations. In such an event, imaging materials such as ink or toner are not deposited on or transferred to the print media, and remain as residual materials in the imaging assembly of the image forming system. The residual materials can then adversely affect the reliability and output quality of the image forming systems.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A positive active material, a positive electrode and a lithium battery containing the positive active material, and a method of manufacturing the positive active material are disclosed. The positive active material includes: a positive active material core particle for intercalating and deintercalating lithium ions; and a coating layer at least partially surrounding the positive active material core particle and including a ceramic composite represented by Formula 1.Li7+aLa3−bZr2−cMdO12+e  Formula 1

1. Field
One or more aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a positive active material, a positive electrode and a lithium battery including the positive active material, and a method of manufacturing the positive active material.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the development of small high-tech devices such as digital cameras, mobile devices, laptops, and computers, the demand for a lithium secondary battery as an energy source has rapidly increased. In addition, with the spread of hybrid and plug-in electric vehicles (e.g., hybrid electric vehicle or HEV, plug-in hybrid electric vehicle or PHEV, and electric vehicle or EV) by the name of xEV, the development of a safe lithium-ion battery of high capacity is ongoing.
In order to realize a lithium battery consistent with the purposes described above, a variety of positive active materials are being considered.
As the positive active material for the lithium-ion battery, a single-component lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) has been mainly used, but alternatively, there is a current trend of using a high-capacity, layered lithium composite metal oxide (e.g., Li(Ni—Co—Mn)O2, Li(Ni—Co—Al)O2, etc). In addition, a highly safe spinel-type lithium manganese oxide (LiMn2O4) and an olivine-type lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) have also attracted attention.
During charge and discharge cycles of a lithium battery, a variety of coating layers may be formed to suppress (or reduce) a reaction between the positive active material and an electrolyte solution so as to improve lifetime of the lithium battery.
According to the related art, the coating material for the positive active material is mostly a metal oxide, which blocks a direct reaction with the electrolyte solution during the charge and discharge cycles so as to improve a lifetime of the positive active material. However, such a coating material is electrically inactive, and thus, as the positive active material is coated with more of the coating material, the capacity and rate property (i.e., charge and discharge rates) of the positive active material decrease. Accordingly, the lithium ion battery including the positive active material may have a structure in which the intercalation and deintercalation of lithium ions is difficult.
Therefore, in comparison with the coating material of the related arts, the development of new coating materials having no degradation in rate property or having a very low rate property in addition to improved lifetime properties is beneficial.

Positive active material, positive electrode and lithium battery including the positive active material, and method of manufacturing the positive active material

Abstract: In Formula 1, M comprises at least one selected from aluminum (Al), titanium (Ti), scandium (Sc), vanadium (V), yttrium (Y), niobium (Nb), hafnium (Hf), tantalum (Ta), silicon (Si), gallium (Ga), and germanium (Ge), and −1≦a≦1, 0≦b≦2, 0≦c≦2, 0≦d≦2, and 0≦e≦1.


A sophisticated structure for a tape measure is disclosed having a measuring tape, a main body, and a brake apparatus, the brake apparatus including a plurality of acute teeth, a brake lever and two positioning pins. A user may pull out the tape with an estimated shortest measuring length which assures him of being free from the fear that the tape might wind up abruptly causing injury to the user. The tape measure also can be used to successively measure different lengths by increasing the tape length from the shortest to the longest. When winding up the tape, the user may further pull out a short section of the tape by hand, then tilt the main body in an axial direction to a certain angle and release the tape to perform the withdrawal operation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sophisticated structure for a tape measure, and more particularly, to a tape measure whose withdrawal may be performed easily without forcibly operating a brake key as in a conventional tape measure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The tape measure is frequently used in a construction site for professional measurement, estimation and examination. It is also necessary for domestic application such as house repairing or furniture making done by the owner in an amateur do-it-yourself way. The common disadvantageous shortcomings of conventional tape measures are that they are either too large in size or too hard to handle. Consequently it is although a minor, yet important matter to develop a tape measure with a structure which can be securely, easily and conveniently handled. The practical disadvantageous shortcomings of known tape measures are:
1. The pulled out measuring tape will automatically retract with a strong bouncing action if it is not properly controlled, which in the worst case, results in injury to the user himself or to a third person nearby. PA1 2. The failure rate is high in spite of their simple construction. This is caused by frequent on-off operation of the control key to hold or release the measuring tape. Consequently the lifetime of the conventional tape measures is not as long as expected by users. PA1 3. It is hard to operate when several measurements are required. As the shortcoming described in item 1, it is difficult to halt the tape measure at the desired length for measurement resulting in repeated extending or rewinding of the measuring tape. PA1 4. A bulky structure with an inconvenient operational mechanism makes the conventional tape measures not only unable to be handled by skilled technicians, but also dangerous for amateurs to handle them in do-it-yourself work for fear of hurting users due to careless handling.
Accordingly, there is an urgent need for developing a new structure for a tape measure which is simply constructed, and securely and conveniently useable.

Sophisticated structure for a tape measure


A dust collecting unit for a vacuum cleaner is provided. The dust collecting unit includes a dust separating chamber with an air inlet formed on an outer surface thereof and an air outlet formed on one side thereof, a main dust collecting chamber formed in the dust separating chamber for separating dust and dirt in a cyclonic fashion, an auxiliary dust collecting chamber formed at one side of the main dust collecting chamber, and a partition plate for partitioning the main dust collecting chamber. The dust collecting unit allows an amount of air sucked and the efficiency of collecting dust and dirt to be greatly increased.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a dust collecting unit for a vacuum cleaner, and more particularly, to an improved dust collecting unit for a cyclonic vacuum cleaner capable of more efficiently performing a dust collecting function and easily treating the collected dust and dirt.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A vacuum cleaner is an apparatus which sucks air containing foreign materials using a vacuum pressure generated by a vacuum motor installed in a main body of the vacuum cleaner, filters out the dust and dirt from the air within the main body and then casts the collected dust and dirt.
Further, a paper filter taking the shape of an envelope has been generally used as a filter for filtering out the suctioned foreign materials. Such paper filter is designed to allow air to penetrate therethrough but the foreign materials such as the dust and dirt to remain therein so that the dust and dirt contained in the suctioned air can be filtered out.
However, the vacuum cleaner with such paper filter has inconvenience of use in that if the foreign materials are accumulated within the paper filter to a predetermined level after a certain period of use, a suction force of the vacuum cleaner is reduced and thus the paper filter muted be periodically replaced.
To solve the above inconvenience, a vacuum cleaner for performing the filtering in a cyclonic fashion has been proposed.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional cyclonic vacuum cleaner. Referring to FIG. 1, the vacuum cleaner comprises a main body 10 in which a suction means for sucking air in a room is installed, a flexible connection tube 24 which is connected to the main body 10 to communicate with the interior of the main body, a variable length extension tube 22 which is connected to an end of the connection tube 24 to communicate with the interior of the connection tube, and a suction nozzle 21 for sucking air containing foreign materials from a floor by means of a suction force generated in the main body 10.
Further, in the main body 10 is installed a dust collecting unit 11 which is detachably mounted to a rear side of the main body. The dust collecting unit 11 causes the air sucked from the suction nozzle 21 to be introduced therein and then the dust and dirt in the air to be collected in a cyclonic fashion. Further, at one side of the main body 10 is formed a discharge portion 19 for discharging the air, from which the foreign materials are filtered out through the dust collecting unit 11, to the atmosphere.
A pair of wheels 18 for traveling the main body 10 on the floor are rotatably installed on a lower surface of the main body 10. Further, a power cord 16 for supplying the vacuum cleaner with electric power is installed at another side of the main body 10. The power cord 16 can be wound around a cord reel (not shown) in the main body and be stored in the main body.
The dust collecting unit 11 includes a grip 12 for allowing a user to hold the unit when it is rearward mounted to or demounted from the main body 10. Further, a handle 14, which the user can grip when intending to carry the vacuum cleaner, is installed at a top surface of the main body 10.
When the main body 10 of the vacuum cleaner so constructed is operated, the suction force is transmitted to the suction nozzle 21 through the connection tube 24 and the extension tube 22 by means of the vacuum pressure generated in the main body. Here, the suction force of the vacuum cleaner can be adjusted by a switch 25 that is installed on a grip portion 23 coupled to an upper portion of the extension tube 22.
In addition, the air containing the foreign materials on the floor to be cleaned is introduced into the main body 10 through the suction nozzle 21, the extension tube 22 and the connection tube 24 by means of the suction force. Then, the air is introduced into the dust collecting unit 11, and the dust and dirt are filtered out by a predetermined filter and additionally discharged to the outside.
A high power motor should have been used in such a dust collecting unit 11 to compensate for a loss of suction force caused in an air flow path of the vacuum cleaner. Further, there is a problem in that a plurality of steps of discharging the collected dust and dirt from the dust collecting unit 11 to the outside must be performed.


An actuator includes a cylinder, a piston that is disposed in the cylinder and moves by supply and exhaust of working oil to and from the cylinder, a movable rod that is connected to the piston, a screw shaft, at least a part of which is inserted into the movable rod, a nut that is threaded to the screw shaft and moves integrally with the piston, and an electric motor that rotates the screw shaft forward or backward.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an actuator that can drive a movable rod using fluid pressure or electric power.
2. Related Art
Japanese Patent Publication No. JP-A-11-272332 discloses a positioning cylinder device. The cylinder device has a ball screw and a nut that are disposed in a piston rod of a cylinder. In this configuration, a linear motion of the piston is converted into a rotation motion through the ball screw, and the rotation motion is converted into a positional signal by an angle sensor (for example, an encoder). Then, a switch valve is fed back on the basis of the signal, and the piston is positioned.
In JP-A-11-272332, with this configuration, a position of a stroke end of the piston rod can be changed. Further, in JP-A-11-272332, there is disclosed a case where the piston rod is driven by a motor as well as an electro-hydraulic servo valve.
However, according to the configuration of FIG. 1 of JP-A-11-272332, when an oil pressure is lost, it may be impossible to drive the piston, and thus redundancy enough to use as an actuator for driving a control surface of an aircraft may be not secured. Similarly, according to the configuration of FIG. 3 in JP-A-11-272332, if a voltage is lost, it may be impossible to drive the piston earliest.


A device for carrying a load, such as plastic bags that are used for carrying items purchased at supermarkets. The device can be used to carry the load by hand, on a shoulder or on a forearm. The device has a central portion, including a handle and a spaced apart support member defining a non-collapseable opening dimensioned to receive a hand. The support member has a concave downwardly facing surface for securely positioning the device on a shoulder or forearm. Hooks are attached on opposite ends of the central portion for receiving at least one load handle. Free end portions of the hooks are in resilient contact with the central portion.

The present invention pertains to devices for carrying a load, such as plastic bags, by hand, on a shoulder or on a forearm.
Plastic bags are commonly used for carrying food and other items purchased from stores and supermarkets. The plastic bags typically have loop handles that a person carries with his hands. When a plastic bag is filled, the loop handles tend to stretch and otherwise dispose themselves in a manner that concentrates the weight of the bag""s contents along narrow areas of a person""s hand. This can prove painful when the bag is carried for any extended period of time or distance. This problem is exacerbated when multiple bags are carried simultaneously.
It is known to use a hand-held device for carrying multiple bags. For the most part, the previous devices have comprised a central member with some type of hooks or grooved portions at the opposite ends of the central member. The central member is to be grasped by hand and the bag loop handles are to be supported by the hooks or grooved portions when the bags are carried.
It is useful to be able to use a device to not only carry bags by hand, but also on a forearm or on a shoulder. Positioning a device on a forearm or shoulder may be done for either a temporary period of time (e.g. to allow a person to free his hands to open a car door, to retrieve a set of keys from a pocket, to hold a child""s hand, etc.) or for a longer period of time, such as when multiple bags are carried over longer distances. Alternatively, when a person has numerous bags to carry, it is useful to carry some bags with a device positioned on a shoulder and/or a forearm and to carry other bags by hand with another device. This prevents the need for making multiple trips to carry the bags.
However, in order for a device to be used to carry bags on a shoulder or a forearm, the device must rest securely and comfortably. Previous devices which were not designed to ergonomically fit the shape of a person""s shoulder or forearm, such as those having flat bottom surfaces, would be uncomfortable for the user or would be unstable during use, causing the device to fall off the shoulder or forearm, possibly causing damage to the contents of the bags.
There have been some attempts to provide devices capable of carrying bags by hand or on a shoulder or forearm. U.S. Pat. No. 6,045,019 issued to Moses discloses a strap for carrying shopping bags that is made of a thin sheet that has opposed hook-like lateral openings on each end for receiving bag handles. The strap is longitudinally flexible and is capable of being slung over a person""s shoulder with bags on either side thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,667,266 issued to Giocanti discloses a grip for carrying bags with loop handles with ends shaped to form hooks for carrying the bags and that is capable of being carried by hand or on a shoulder or forearm.
However, a user cannot easily remove the devices of Moses and Giocanti from his shoulder or forearm since these devices have a xe2x80x9clowxe2x80x9d profile when slung over a shoulder or forearm and while supporting the weight of the bags. For example, a person would have to dig his fingers under the central portion of the Moses strap in order to lift it from his shoulder. This may prove awkward or may place unnecessary stress on a person""s fingers if the load carried by the device is heavy. The flexible Giocanti device suffers from the same disadvantage since it collapses under the weight of a load, providing no convenient location for a person to insert his fingers to lift the device from his shoulder.
It is also useful to be able to place the device down for a short period of time (e.g. for a person to open a door, to retrieve keys, etc.) when the bags are received by the hooks or grooves without worry that the loop handles will inadvertently become disengaged, necessitating the person having to re-place the loop handles within the hooks or grooves before picking the device up again. For this reason, devices that have a fixed space or gap between the hook and the central member may result in the undesired exit of the bag loop handles.
The present invention provides for an easy-to-use, lightweight device for comfortably and securely carrying a load, such as plastic bags, by hand, on a shoulder or on a forearm. The device is comfortable to use and is stable when in use.
In one aspect of the invention, there is provided a device for carrying a load by hand, on a shoulder or on a forearm, the load having at least one load handle, the device comprising: an elongated central portion comprising a support member having a concave downwardly facing surface and a handle spaced apart from and above the support member to define a non-collapseable opening dimensioned to receive a hand for carrying a load by hand; and a pair hooks attached at opposite longitudinal ends of the central portion for receiving at least one load handle, wherein each of the hooks comprises a free end portion in resilient contact with the central portion, wherein a load handle confinement area is defined between each hook and the central portion.
The support member may have a greater transverse width than the handle.
The device may be integrally constructed. The device may be constructed of a plastic material.
The handle may be a longitudinally extending bar disposed above the support member, the hooks may be upwardly oriented and the free end portions of the hooks may be in resilient contact with the central portion at locations on opposite ends of the handle. The bar may comprise an upwardly facing first surface and a downwardly facing second surface, wherein the transverse edges of the first surface and the second surface are rounded. The central portion may comprise radiused bend portions on opposite ends of the bar and the free end portions of the hooks may be in resilient contact with the central portion at or near the radiused bend portions. The central portion may comprise a pair of downwardly extending arms, each of the arms being attached at a first end to the radiused bend portion and attached at a second end to the support member.
The hooks may be symmetrical with one another and may be upwardly oriented. The hooks and the central portion may be coplanar.
Each of the hooks may comprise a bottom portion attached to the central portion adjacent the load handle confinement area, wherein each of the bottom portions of the hooks may have an upwardly facing surface for supporting at least one load handle in the load handle confinement area and the upwardly facing surface may have rounded transverse edges. Each of the hooks may comprise an intermediate portion between the free end portion and the bottom portion, the intermediate portions being spaced apart from the central portion. The bottom portions of the hooks may have greater transverse widths than the free end portions of the hooks.
The central portion may comprise a member disposed below the handle, the member having an upwardly facing surface having rounded transverse edges, the upwardly facing surface defining the bottom of the non-collapseable opening. This member may be the support member.
The transverse width of the device may be greater at its bottom than at its top so that the device has a generally triangular cross-sectional profile.
In another aspect of the invention, there is provided a device integrally constructed from a plastic material for carrying a load by hand, on a shoulder or on a forearm, the load having at least one load handle, the device comprising: an elongated central portion comprising: a longitudinally extending support member having a concave downwardly facing first surface and an upwardly facing first surface, the second surface of the support member having rounded transverse edges; and a longitudinally extending bar disposed above the support member, radiused bend portions on opposite longitudinal ends of the bar and a pair of downwardly extending arms, each of the arms being attached at a first end to the radiused bend portion and attached at a second end to the support member, the bar comprising an upwardly facing first surface and a downwardly facing second surface, wherein the transverse edges of the first and second surfaces of the bar are rounded, wherein a non-collapseable opening is defined between the bar and the support member dimensioned to receive a hand for carrying a load by hand, wherein the support member has a greater transverse width than the bar; and a pair of upwardly oriented hooks that are coplanar with the central portion, the hooks are attached at opposite longitudinal ends of the central portion for receiving at least one load handle, the hooks being symmetrical with one another, wherein each of the hooks comprises a free end portion in resilient contact with the central portion, a bottom portion attached to the central portion and an intermediate portion between the free end portion and the bottom portion and spaced apart from the central portion, wherein a load handle confinement area is defined between each of the hooks and the central portion, wherein each of the bottom portions of the hooks has an upwardly facing surface for supporting at least one load handle in the load handle confinement area, the upwardly facing surface of the bottom portion having rounded transverse edges.


In a signal line drive circuit of an active-matrix type liquid-crystal display which is a voltage-controlled type display with a capacitive load, n selector switches (161 to 16n) are provided between buffer circuits (151 to 15n) to which voltages responsive to an image to be displayed are inputted from reference voltage selection circuits (131 to 13n), and output terminals (T1 to Tn) to which are connected image signal lines. These selector switches (161 to 16n), based on a shorting control signal (Csh) that is at a high level when the polarity is reversed to perform AC drive of the liquid-crystal panel, switch the output signals (OUT1 to OUTn of the image signal line drive circuit between the output signals of the buffer circuits (151 to 15n) and the common electrode signal (Vcom). By doing this, each of the image signal lines is, for a prescribed time only when the polarity is reversed, separated from the buffer circuits (151 to 15n) and shorted to the common electrode. This configuration reduces the power consumption of the signal line drive circuit

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display device with voltage-controlled active-matrix drive, having a capacitive load, such as in an active-matrix type liquid-crystal display device, and more particularly to a drive circuit for such a display device.
2. Background Art
From the standpoint of extending battery life, there is a serious need to reduce the power consumption in portable information equipment, such as mobile telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and laptop computers. With improvements in processing performance and usable functionality, portable information products, have come to require improved display capabilities, with both high display quality and a larger number of display colors. For this reason, in order to meet the demands for improved display capabilities, active-matrix type liquid-crystal displays (hereinafter referred to as TFT-LCDs) implemented using thin-film transistors (TFTs) are beginning to see use in even such portable information products.
A liquid-crystal panel in a TFT-LCD device (hereinafter referred to as a TFT-LCD panel) has a pair of mutually opposing substrates (a first substrate and a second substrate). These substrates are held fixed with a prescribed distance therebetween (typically several μm) with a liquid-crystal material forming a liquid-crystal layer so as to fill the space between the substrates. At least one of these substrates is transparent, and in the case of making a transmissive-type display, both substrates must be transparent. In a TFT-LCD panel, the first substrate is provided with a plurality of mutually parallel scanning signal lines and a plurality of image signal lines, which are perpendicular to the scanning signal lines. Pixel electrodes are provided at the intersection locations between scanning signal lines and image signal lines, as are pixel TFTs, which serves as switching elements for the purpose of making electrical connection between the pixel electrodes and the corresponding image signal line. The gate terminal of a pixel TFT is connected to a scanning signal line the source terminal of the pixel TFT is connected to an image signal line, and the drain terminal of the pixel TFT is connected to the pixel electrode.
A common electrode, serving as an opposing electrode, is formed over the entire surface of the second substrate, which opposes the first substrate. An appropriate voltage is applied to the common electrode by a common electrode drive circuit, so that a voltage corresponding to potential difference between the pixel electrode and the common electrode is applied across the liquid-crystal layer. Because this applied voltage can be used to control the light transmissivity of the liquid-crystal layer, it is possible to create a desired pixel display by applying an appropriate voltage from the image signal lines.
In order to prevent deterioration of the liquid crystal and to maintain display quality, the above-described TFT-LCD panel is driven by AC drive. Specifically, the TFT-LCD panel is driven so that the polarity of the voltage applied to the liquid crystal is reversed, for example every horizontal scan period. Additionally, in order to reduce the amplitude of the voltage on the image signal line, the potential on the common electrode is changed in response to the above-noted AC drive (by applying what is hereinafter referred to as an AC common electrode signal).
However, even if the use of an AC common electrode signal reduces the amplitude of the voltage on the image signal line, there is still a large variation in potential on the image signal lines when the polarity reverses to achieve AC drive. It is therefore necessary for the image signal line drive circuit to have sufficient capacitive load drive capacity to cause this large a potential change with respect to the capacitive load presented by a TFT-LCD panel. For this reason, the image signal line drive circuit consumes a large amount of power, thereby hindering the achievement of low power consumption in a TFT-LCD display.

Display device, drive circuit for the same, and driving method for the same


A method for supporting a minimally invasive intervention on an organ makes use of the fact that modern X-ray angiography systems provide three-dimensional information about organs, on the basis of which start and target points can be indicated for the intervention. A connecting line can be calculated between the start and target points and subsequently recorded two-dimensional X-ray images can show this connecting line.

When carrying out a minimally invasive intervention, such as an organ puncture, for example a liver puncture through the abdominal wall of the patient, to reach the puncture target such as the bile duct in the liver, until now two-dimensional image information has been supplied by means of an X-ray angiography system. During the puncture the radiologist can find their way in the three-dimensional space using successive fluoroscopy images with different angulations of the C-arm of the X-ray angiography system. A plurality of images must therefore be recorded before the puncture target is reached. The time and exposure required to do this is significant and also greatly dependent on the experience of the user.
A stereo X-ray device is known from DE 36 23 082 C2, with which a signal is generated, which is superimposed on the stereo image generated by the device as a target marker for an organ puncture.

Method for supporting a minimally invasive intervention on an organ


A locking device of a tray includes a button; a first hooking part connected to an end of the button and including a support rod, movable in a first direction within a through hole formed in a base plate, and a hooking projection which is locked to or released from a hooking groove; a return spring interposed between the first hooking part and the base plate so as to provide elastic force to the first hooking part; and a second hooking part which is attached to a slanted slot in a side of the first hooking part so as to move in a slantwise direction with respect to the first hooking part.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a locking device of a tray for a vehicle, and more particularly to a locking device of a tray for a vehicle which prevents a door of a tray from being opened by vertical and horizontal movements of the door.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Generally, a tray, such as an ashtray, cup holder, or CD tray, is provided in a passenger compartment of a vehicle. A cover is rotatably connected to a front portion of the tray to open and close the tray.
A locking device such as a latch is used to keep the tray closed. A hooking groove is provided inside the tray, and a hooking projection is provided to the door and can be fitted into the hooking groove.
When the hooking projection is separated from the hooking groove by an unexpected impact such as a collision, the door may open.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.