A lithographic apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus includes the following components: an illumination system configured to condition a radiation beam, a support constructed to support a patterning device, a substrate support constructed to hold a substrate, and a projection system configured to project the patterned radiation beam onto a target portion of the substrate. The patterning device is capable of imparting the radiation beam with a pattern in its cross-section to form a patterned radiation beam. At least one of the components that experiences a heat load in use is provided with an integrally mounted heating element arranged to maintain the component at a substantially constant temperature.

A lithographic apparatus is a machine that applies a desired pattern onto a substrate, usually onto a target portion of the substrate. A lithographic apparatus can be used, for example, in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs). In that instance, a patterning device, which may be alternatively referred to as a mask or a reticle, may be used to generate a circuit pattern to be formed on an individual layer of the IC. This pattern can be transferred onto a target portion (e.g. including part of, one, or several dies) on a substrate (e.g. a silicon wafer). Transfer of the pattern is typically via imaging onto a layer of radiation-sensitive material (resist) provided on the substrate. In general, a single substrate will contain a network of adjacent target portions that are successively patterned. Known lithographic apparatus include so-called steppers, in which each target portion is irradiated by exposing an entire pattern onto the target portion at one time, and so-called scanners, in which each target portion is irradiated by scanning the pattern through a radiation beam in a given direction (the "scanning"-direction) while synchronously scanning the substrate parallel or anti-parallel to this direction. It is also possible to transfer the pattern from the patterning device to the substrate by imprinting the pattern onto the substrate.
In order to image ever smaller features, it has been proposed to use EUV radiation, with a wavelength in the range of from 5 to 20 nm, as the exposure radiation instead of UV, with a wavelength of 193 or 157 nm, as is used often used in current commercial lithography devices. No material capable of forming a refractive lens for optical elements in radiation and/or projection systems for EUV radiation is known, so the radiation and projection systems of an EUV lithographic apparatus are presently made using optical elements, more specifically mirrors, usually multilayer optical elements. The quality of the projected image is extremely sensitive to surface deformations (figure errors) in the optical elements, particularly those of the projection system.
It has been found that the radiation in lithographic apparatus is partly absorbed by the optical elements. This causes the optical elements to heat up. In particular, it has been found that the EUV projection beam is absorbed by optical elements in the radiation and the projection systems. A further problem is that direct thermal conditioning of the optical elements is not possible due to the high dynamic requirements of the optical elements. In the future, if higher outputs are to be achieved using lithographic apparatus operating at relatively short wavelengths, active conditioning of the optical elements, in particular, the optical elements, in the projection and radiation systems may be required if the optical specifications are to be met even when the optical elements are constructed of materials having a very low coefficient of thermal expansion ("CTE"), for example, materials such as ZERODUR®. Another problem is that lithographic apparatus operating at EUV wavelengths operate in vacuum conditions. EP 1 376 239 (US 2004/051984) is concerned with a cooling device for an optical element, wherein the optical element is indirectly cooled by a heat receiving plate. It has been found that cooling of the optical elements in such a manner is difficult to achieve because of the poor heat transfer mechanism in vacuum, since only radiation cooling is possible. In particular, cooling in a vacuum without direct contact, has been found to be an inefficient heat transfer mechanism. A further problem is that thermal conditioning elements that are disposed in direct contact with the optical elements introduce vibrations which compromise the image quality.

Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method


Provided are a method of polishing a silicon wafer and a method of producing a silicon wafer which can reduce the formation of step-forming microdefects on a silicon wafer. The method includes: a double-side polishing step of performing polishing on front and back surfaces of a silicon wafer; a notch portion polishing step of performing polishing on a beveled portion of a notch portion of the silicon wafer after the double-side polishing step; a peripheral beveled portion polishing step of performing polishing on the beveled portion on the periphery of the silicon wafer other than the beveled portion of the notch portion after the notch portion polishing step; and a finish polishing step of performing finish polishing on the front surface of the silicon wafer after the peripheral beveled portion polishing step. The notch portion polishing step is performed in a state where the front surface is wet with water.

Conventionally, silicon wafers are widely used as substrates for semiconductor devices. A silicon wafer is produced in the following manner. First, a single crystal silicon ingot is grown by the Czochralski (CZ) process or the like. Next, the periphery of the grown single crystal silicon ingot is subjected to grinding to adjust the diameter of the ingot to a predetermined value.
Next, a notch portion indicating a certain crystal direction is formed on the peripheral surface of the single crystal silicon ingot having been subjected to grinding of the periphery. For example, a notch portion indicating the <110> direction for example is formed in a silicon wafer in which the crystal plane is the (100) plane. This notch portion is formed as a groove with an arc shape or an approximate V shape for example by moving a grindstone in the axial direction of the ingot, with the grindstone being in contact with the periphery of the ingot.
Subsequently, the single crystal silicon ingot provided with the notch portion is cut into blocks, a resultant single crystal silicon block is sliced using for example a wire saw apparatus, and a resultant silicon wafer is subjected to beveling, primary planarization (lapping), polishing, etc.
The beveling adjusts the shape of a peripheral end portion of the silicon wafer to a predetermined shape using a beveling apparatus. This beveling is also performed on the notch portion.
In the primary planarization, the front surface of the silicon wafer (on which a device is fabricated) and the back surface thereof are subjected to rough grinding using a lapping apparatus, a double-disc grinding apparatus, etc., thereby increasing the parallelism of the front and back surfaces of the wafer.
In the polishing, the front and back surfaces of the silicon wafer are polished to increase the flatness of the wafer. The polishing roughly falls into two methods: double-side polishing for simultaneously polishing front and back surfaces of a silicon wafer and single-side polishing for polishing the front surface only.
In double-side polishing, the front and back surfaces of a silicon wafer loaded into a retainer opening of a carrier plate are simultaneously polished to a desired thickness at a relatively high polishing rate using a relatively hard polishing cloth for example made of polyurethane. By contrast, in single-side polishing, the front surface of a silicon wafer is polished using a relatively soft polishing cloth like suede and fine abrasive grains, thereby reducing micro surface roughness on the silicon wafer surface, such as nanotopography or haze. The single-side polishing performed at the end is called finish polishing.
In the above polishing, chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is typically used, in which while a slurry obtained by adding abrasive grains of for example silica to an alkaline aqueous solution is supplied as a polishing agent, the silicon wafer and the polishing cloth are relatively rotated. The CMP process is a method using the mechanical polishing action of abrasive grains and the chemical polishing action of the alkaline aqueous solution in combination, and the combined action allows the silicon wafer surface to be mirror-finished, thereby achieving high flatness.
Further, in the above polishing, it is necessary to prevent emission of particles not only from the front and back surfaces of the silicon wafer but also from the beveled portion. Accordingly, polishing is performed also on the beveled portion on the periphery of the wafer to mirror-finish the beveled portion, and polishing is also performed in the like manner on the beveled portion of the notch portion.
Here, when polishing is performed on the beveled portion of the wafer periphery before performing double-side polishing, the inner circumferential surface of the wafer retainer opening of the carrier plate and the mirror-finished beveled surface are in contact with one another in the double-side polishing, which would cause scratches to damage the beveled surface. To address this, performing polishing on a beveled surface after double-side polishing has been reported (see JP 2002-299290 A (PTL 1) for example).
In recent years, as silicon wafers are increasingly miniaturized and integrated, the silicon wafers are required to have a very flat surface. For the evaluation of the flatness of a surface of such silicon wafers, differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy has been used. The DIC microscopy is a technique by which the number of step-forming microdefects having a raised or recessed shape with a height (or depth) exceeding a predetermined threshold value (for example, 2 nm) in a surface of a wafer can be determined. Note that the step-forming microdefects are defects with a width of 30 μm to 200 μm and a height of around 2 nm to 90 nm, which are hardly detected in other detection modes.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the principle of detecting step-forming microdefects by DIC microscopy. As illustrated in this diagram, laser L (for example He—Ne laser) is split by a beam splitter B, and a surface of a silicon wafer W is irradiated with the split laser. A photodiode P receives reflection light reflected from the surface of the silicon wafer W via a mirror M. When the surface of the silicon wafer W has a step-forming microdefect D having a raised or recessed shape, a phase contrast typical of step-forming microdefects is found. The height information of the defect can be calculated from the optical path difference of the reflection light. In this specification, a step-forming microdefect having a raised or recessed shape with a height of 2 nm or more, which is detected by DIC microscopy is hereinafter simply referred to as "step-forming microdefect".
If the number of step-forming microdefects is within a required range, the quality of the silicon wafer surface can be determined as good. On the other hand, silicon wafers that do not meet the required range are determined as nonconforming items, and so cannot be shipped as products.

Method of polishing silicon wafer including notch polishing process and method of producing silicon wafer


The invention disclosed herein is a pressure transducer utilizing a Hall effect sensor to detect the displacement of the transducer's diaphragm. The pressure transducer includes a power supply to draw current from a 4 mA to 20 mA current loop and deliver current to the Hall effect sensor at an average rate of 4 mA or less.

The invention described herein is a pressure transducer utilizing a magnet and Hall effect sensor to convert mechanical movement into electrical signals. The pressure transducer without a Hall effect sensor is well understood in the art. A pressure transducer typically includes two plenums or chambers separated by a flexible diaphragm. The plenums are subject to a fluid, such as a gas or a liquid, under different pressures. This pressure differential causes displacement of the diaphragm in the direction of the plenum exposed to the lower pressure. The diaphragm is connected to a mechanical component, which moves as the diaphragm is displaced.
For example, the mechanical component could be a piezoelectric strip having two ends, one end fixed to a plenum wall or other fixed point of reference and the other end fixed to the diaphragm, and thus moving with the diaphragm. The electrical properties of the piezoelectric strip change as it is bent by the movement of the diaphragm. The electrical change can then be processed by other electrical components to indicate the pressure value. Other devices to convert the mechanical movement into electric signals are also used to convert the movement of the diaphragm as recognized by one skilled in the art.
In the present invention, a magnet and Hall effect sensor are used to convert the mechanical movement to electric signals. It should be understood that the power conserving features of the invention disclosed herein need not be limited to the use of a Hall effect device, but may be applied to implementations using other structures for sensing movement as well. The power circuit can also be used in other applications where a low average current draw is required.
The use of a Hall effect sensor and a magnet allows for physical separation of the mechanical and electrical components of the pressure transducer, since the interaction between the magnet and the Hall effect sensor can take place with material between them. The preferred embodiment shows an arrangement where the fluid in the differential pressure sensor and the mechanical beam and magnet are separated from the electronics, including the Hall effect sensor, by a wall.
Many pressure transmitter applications use a 4 to 20 mA current loop to operate. In such instances, the 4 to 20 mA current loop provides both device power and signal path for the control signal. Most current loops used in the applications are specified to run between 10 and 35V supply voltage. As a result of the supply voltage and current constraints, the pressure transmitter should be capable of operation at a power level equal to the lowest power available, or 4 mA×10V=40 mWatts. In other words, because the power available can vary with the current signal, and from application to application, the maximum amount of power that can be relied upon is 40 m Watts. Thus, the device needs to be able to run on that amount of power, even if a higher amount is available in some applications.
A problem arises in that most Hall effect devices available today consume more power than 40 mW. For example, the HAL805 and HAL810 available from Micronas need at least 10 mA of current available at a minimum of 4.5V to work. This is a minimum power load of 10 mA×4.5V=45 mW to achieve operation. With such power requirements, not only is there no power left over to run the rest of the transmitter, there is not enough power to run the Hall effect sensor itself.
The problem is solved by alternately applying Power to the Hall sensor, making a measurement, then removing power for an extended time interval. In such a fashion, the duty cycle of the Hall sensor is adjusted. The position of the diaphragm or beam of the transducer does not need to be continuously monitored. In most applications, the Hall effect sensor can be turned off for substantial portions of the time, thus saving substantial amounts of power. In typical applications, the duty cycle of the sensor can be set anywhere from 1:2 to 1:100, although other ranges beyond those figures are possible. While other ranges are possible, the limitations of the average current draw and surge current to the sensor still must be achieved. In some embodiments, the duty cycle or period applying power can be selectively varied by the user. Such a selective circuit may include a multi-position switch, or other structure to allow a user to select from a plurality of timing circuits.
In the case of an integrated semiconductor sensor, such as the HAL810 from Micronas, the sensor can be turned on and a stabilized reading made in approximately 40 mSeconds. If a reading is taken once every 400 mSeconds, the average power requirement of the sensor can be reduced by a factor of ten. This means the average power draw of the Hall effect sensor is reduced to 4.5 mW for an average current draw from the sensor of only 1 mA at 4.5 volts. This is an amount of power that can be delivered to the sensor in a current loop situation. The remaining approximately 35 mW of available power can be used to run the rest of the transmitter.
Similarly acceptable duty cycles can be done with most other Hall effect sensors depending upon their power draw and start up and stabilization times. To achieve the power reduction, a suitable power supply is needed for the Hall effect sensor that can draw energy from the 4 to 20 mA loop on the average basis and deliver energy to the Hall effect sensor on the peak basis that the sensor requires. As described in the preferred embodiment, a low pass filter is utilized to draw power from the current loop and store the power until it is provided to power the Hall effect sensor. One skilled in the art will recognize that the power supply described herein is but one of many power supplies that can meet the goals described above.

Pressure transmitter with power cycled hall effect sensor


Systems and methods for providing smudge resistant and durable ink-jet images are provided. Specifically, a system for printing durable ink-jet ink images can comprise a first printhead containing a fixer composition including a charged fixer component, wherein the first printhead is configured for ink-jet printing the fixer composition on a substrate. The system can further comprise a second printhead containing an ink-jet ink, wherein the second printhead is configured for ink-jet printing the ink-jet ink composition over the fixer composition. The ink-jet ink can also include a colorant carrying an opposite charge with respect to the charged fixer component. A third printhead containing a polymer overcoat composition can also be present, and can be configured for ink-jet printing the polymer overcoat composition over ink-jet ink composition. The polymer of the polymer overcoat composition can also carry an opposite charge with respect to the charged fixer component.

There are several reasons that ink-jet printing has become a popular way of recording images on various media surfaces, particularly paper. Some of these reasons include low printer noise, capability of high-speed recording, and multi-color recording. These advantages can be obtained at a relatively low price to consumers. However, though there has been great improvement in ink-jet printing, accompanying this improvement are increased demands by consumers in this area, e.g., higher speeds, higher resolution, full color image formation, increased stability, increased image durability, etc.
In general, ink-jet inks are either dye- or pigment-based inks. Both are typically prepared in a liquid vehicle that contains the dye and/or the pigment. Dye-based ink-jet inks generally use a liquid colorant that is water soluble, and pigmented inks typically use a solid or dispersed colorant to achieve color. In many systems, ink-jet ink printed images are not as durable as laser printed images. As such, investigations continue into systems and formulations that can compete favorably with laser printing technology with respect to image durability, including improved smudge resistance, water fastness, humid fastness, and the like.

Ink-jet printing methods and systems providing improved image durability

Hewlett-Packard Development Company L.P.


A grid crusher apparatus and method are provided for a nuclear fuel rod consolidation system. Spacer grids are crushed within a basket which is then placed in a storage canister. The grid crusher apparatus has a ram assembly and a basket driving mechanism. The ram assembly has a sleeve ram and a central ram. The sleeve ram surrounds the central ram which is longitudinally movable within the sleeve ram. The central ram protrudes from the sleeve ram at a ram contact end and is retractable upon application of a preselected force to the central ram so that the central ram is flush with the sleeve ram at the ram contact end. The basket driving mechanism is configured to move the basket containing a spacer grid towards the ram contact end so that the spacer grid is crushed within the basket. The spacer grid is crushed by the combination of successive forces from the central ram and the sleeve ram, respectively. Essentially, the central portion of the spacer grid is crushed first, and then the remaining outer portion of the spacer grid is crushed to complete the crushing action of the spacer grid. The foregoing process is repeated for other spacer grids until the basket reaches a predetermined allowable capacity, and then the basket is stored in a storage canister.

Nuclear fuel assemblies for powering nuclear reactors generally consist of large numbers of fuel rods contained in discrete fuel rod assemblies. These assemblies or cells generally consist of a bottom end fitting or nozzle, a plurality of fuel rods extending upwardly therefrom and spaced from each other in a square or triangular pitch configuration, spacer grids situated periodically along the length of the assembly for support and orientation of the fuel rods, often a plurality of control guide tubes interspersed throughout the rod assembly, and a top end fitting or cap. Moreover, the assembly is installed and removed from the reactor as a unit.
When the nuclear fuel rods have expended a large amount of their available energy, the fuel rods are considered to be "spent," and the fuel rod assembly is pulled from the reactor and temporarily stored in an adjacent pool until the assemblies are transported to a reprocessing center or to permanent or temporary storage. Even though the rods are considered "spent," they are still highly radioactive and constitute a very real hazard both to personnel and to property.
In general, there are a number of alternatives available for disposition of the radioactive spent fuel rods, none of which is totally satisfactory. The fuel rod assemblies can be enclosed in a suitable basket and cask arrangement and transported to a storage facility, or possibly, to a reprocessing plant. A second alternative is to store the spent fuel in a dry storage system. Dry storage entails either the use of a large number of metal casks or the building of massive concrete containers either above or below ground, which is a very expensive process, and, where the storage system is above ground, it is often not acceptable to people living or working in its vicinity. A third alternative is the storage of the fuel units in the existing water pool originally designed for temporary storage. This type of storage is the simplest and cheapest, since the fuel rod assemblies can remain in the pool and be left there until the appropriate governmental agency or other agency collects them, often at the end of the life of the nuclear plant. However, such storage pools have a limited capacity, and, where they are adjacent to the nuclear reactor, necessitate the construction of a new pool when one becomes full.
Numerous attempts have been made to increase the capacity of a pool through a process known as fuel rod compaction or consolidation. This process, in brief, comprises removing the fuel rods from each fuel rod assembly and placing them in a storage canister where they are placed in rows with minimal spacing. It is possible, with this process, to place the fuel rods from two or more fuel assemblies into a single storage canister, thereby achieving approximately a 2:1 reduction in required pool volume, or, conversely, a 2:1 increase in pool storage capacity. However, successful consolidation has been an elusive goal for a number of reasons. Inasmuch as the pools are approximately forty feet deep, and inasmuch as the rods must remain immersed in the water at all times, all of the consolidation operations must be performed under the shield and cooling water. In addition, even though the rods are kept under water, the process could be quite hazardous to personnel performing the operation.
Prior art arrangements for achieving rod consolidation have included a system whereby the rods are pulled out row-by-row, as in, for example, a 14.times.14 matrix of rods, lifted and deposited in a tapered interim storage container, which tapers from a large area top opening to a bottom that has the area of a storage canister. After the intermediate container has the rods from approximately two fuel assemblies deposited therein, the intermediate container is placed over a storage canister, the bottom plate of the tapered container is lowered to cause the rods to slide into the storage canister. If the rods jam or stick, as they often do, they must be pushed from above the pool by operators using long rods. This last operation is made more difficult in that the rods develop on their outside surfaces what is referred to in the trade as "crud". When the fuel rods are pulled, this radioactive crud is scraped off and clouds the water making it difficult for the operators to see what they are doing and contaminating the pool. The method just described has proven to be quite slow and complicated, and can be hazardous to personnel.
Another problem associated with nuclear fuel rod consolidation is the disposal of spacer grids situated in the nuclear fuel rod assemblies for supporting the fuel rods and for maintaining the spacing between the fuel rods. The spacer grids are generally rigid metallic material, and there are usually about seven spacer grids in each rod assembly, or as few as three in gas cooled reactor fuel elements. Conventionally, during the process of fuel rod consolidation, the spacer grids have been crushed by a compactor in the pool, and the crushed remains are then placed in a storage canister. Oftentimes, the compactor has a first ram for crushing the spacer grid in a first direction and a second ram for crushing the spacer grid in a second direction which is orthogonal to the first. As a result, the spacer grids are compacted into a rectangular block which are discarded somewhere in the storage canisters.
However, crushing the spacer grids has been problematic in the art. During the crushing process, the rigid spacer grids break up and/or shatter, resulting in jamming of the compactor rams and creating a contamination problem in the surrounding pool area. Furthermore, the compactor ram surfaces which come in direct contact with the spacer grids during crushing operation become radioactively contaminated and must be disposed of in the storage canisters. Hence, the disposal and consolidation problem is further compounded.


A dry toner for electrophotography includes a coloring agent, a releasing agent, and a polyol resin having a polyoxy alkylene moiety in a main chain thereof, with a ratio of Mw/Mn of 4 to 10, serving as a binder resin, which is synthesized by allowing an epoxy resin, a dihydric phenol, and an alkylene oxide adduct of a dihydric phenol, or a glycidyl ether thereof to react.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dry toner for electrophotography, in particular to a dry toner for use in an electrophotographic full-color image formation apparatus which does not require a large size image fixing unit provided with a silicone oil tank or a circulation system.
2. Discussion of Background
In dry type electrophotography, a latent electrostatic image is formed on a photoconductor and is then developed with a dry toner to a toner image, and the toner image is then transferred to an image transfer paper and thermally fixed thereto, usually using a heat roller, whereby a toner image bearing copy is obtained.
In particular, in order to obtain a full-color image by the above-mentioned dry type electrophotography, it is required that the glossiness and coloring of the image be excellent, so that a binder resin as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 7-77832 is employed in a color toner for obtaining a full-color image.
However, a conventional color image formation apparatus requires a large size image fixing unit provided with a silicone oil tank or a circulation system in order to obtain full-color images with excellent glossiness and coloring.
In contrast, a coloring system using a simple image fixing unit is conventionally proposed. However, the characteristics required for a toner which is suitable for use in such a coloring system have not yet been sufficiently studied, so that there is no choice but to use a conventional toner which is not always suitable for the color system and therefore images with sufficient glossiness and excellent coloring are not currently obtained.


A method is disclosed for monitoring the curing status of a dental resin through the inherent fluorescence of the dental resin under a curing light. The method requires no sample preparation and is fast enough for real time cure monitoring.

The use of photo-curable dental composite resins is now standard in contemporary dental practice. Such dental composites consist of a mixture of liquid acrylic monomers, particulate fillers such as glass or ceramic particles, and a photo-initiator such as camphorquinone (CQ) that forms a workable composition. This composition can be cured into a hardened filling by activating the photo-initiator via an external light source, which raises it from the ground state to an excited, activated state. After combining with an amine co-initiator, an aminoalkyl free radical is formed which initiates polymerization. The mechanical properties of the cured composite resins were shown to be dependent on the curing process. It is thus highly desirable to monitor the curing status of the resin in real time as to achieve the optimum performance. However, conventional cure monitoring methods such as Raman or FTIR spectroscopy either are too slow or require sample preparation. Fluorescence spectroscopy was proposed before for real time cure monitoring. However, it generally requires a fluorescence probe to be added into the resin. In additional, all these methods require an additional light source for measuring the optical spectrum of the dental resin, which limits their practical application.
There thus exists a need for an improved method for monitoring the curing status of a dental resin. This method should require no sample preparation and be fast enough for real time cure monitoring.

Method for real time cure status monitoring of dental resin


Data sets can be processed using machine learning or artificial intelligence models to generate outputs predictive of a degree to which performing a protocol can positively modify an expected result associated with a condition. Generating the output may include accessing a user data set, inputting the user data set into a trained machine learning model to generate an output, and selecting an incomplete subset of a set of genes based on the output.

Testing users to determine the genetic likelihood of having certain conditions typically involves sequencing a standard panel of genes. However, testing users for a standard panel of genes may not yield informative and relevant results. For example, certain actions, if performed, may successfully prevent a condition associated with a gene for some users, but not others. Thus, the standard panel does not take into account the user specific relevance or effectiveness of protocols that could prevent a condition. Additionally, data characterizing a user's diagnosed conditions are often incomplete or insufficient. Outcome improvements resulting from sequencing panels of genes for users can be misrepresented if the user's data is incomplete (referred to as the "thin data" problem).

Systems and methods for enhanced user specific predictions using machine learning techniques


The invention relates to compounds of formula (I) wherein R0 represents H or OH; R1 represents alkoxy; U and W represent N, V represents CH and R2 represents H or F, or U and V represent CH, W represents N and R2 represents H or F, or U and V represent N, W represents CH and R2 represents H, or U represents N, V represents CH, W represents CRa and R2 represents H; Ra represents CH2OH or alkoxycarbonyl; A represents the group CH═CH—B or a binuclear heterocyclic system D, B representing a mono- or di-substituted phenyl group wherein the substituents are halogen atoms and D representing one of the following groups wherein Z represents CH or N, and Q represents O or S; and to salts of such compounds. These compounds are useful as antibacterial agents.

The intensive use of antibiotics has exerted a selective evolutionary pressure on micro-organisms to produce genetically based resistance mechanisms. Modern medicine and socio-economic behaviour exacerbates the problem of resistance development by creating slow growth situations for pathogenic microbes, e.g. in artificial joints, and by supporting long-term host reservoirs, e.g. in immuno-compromised patients.
In hospital settings, an increasing number of strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Enterococcus spp., and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, major sources of infections, are becoming multi-drug resistant and therefore difficult if not impossible to treat:                S. aureus is resistant to β-lactams, quinolones and now even to vancomycin;        S. pneumoniae is becoming resistant to penicillin or quinolone antibiotics and even to new macrolides;        Enteroccocci are quinolone and vancomycin resistant and β-lactam antibiotics are inefficacious against these strains;        Enterobacteriacea are cephalosporin and quinolone resistant;        P. aeruginosa are β-lactam and quinolone resistant.
Furthermore, the incidence of multi-drug-resistant Gram negative strains such as Enterobacteriacea and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, is steadily increasing and new emerging organisms like Acinetobacter spp. and C. difficile, which have been selected during therapy with the currently used antibiotics, are becoming a real problem in hospital settings. Therefore, there is a high medical need for new antibacterial agents which overcome multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacilli such as A. baumannii, ESBL-producing E. coli and Klebsiella species and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Clinical Infectious Diseases (2006); 42657-68).
In addition, microorganisms that are causing persistent infections are increasingly being recognized as causative agents or cofactors of severe chronic diseases like peptic ulcers or heart diseases.
WO 03/087098 discloses, among others, compounds of the general formula (A1)

wherein
one of Z1, Z2, Z3, Z4 and Z5 is N, one is CR1a and the remainder are CH, or one of Z1, Z2, Z3, Z4 and Z5 is CR1a and the remainder are CH;
R1 and R1a can notably be independently selected from hydrogen, halogen and C1-C6 alkoxy, provided that when Z1, Z2, Z3, Z4 and Z5 are CR1a or CH, then R1 is not hydrogen;
n is 0 or 1 and AB can notably represent a CR6R7—CR8R9 radical wherein each of R6, R7, R8 and R9 is independently selected from. H; (C1-6)alkoxy; (C1-6)alkylthio; halo; trifluoromethyl; azido; (C1-6)alkyl; (C2-6)alkenyl; (C1-6)alkoxycarbonyl; (C1-6)alkylcarbonyl; (C2-6)alkenyloxycarbonyl; (C2-6)alkenylcarbonyl; hydroxy, amino or aminocarbonyl which may be substituted; (C2-6)alkenylsulphonyl; or (C1-6)aminosulphonyl wherein the amino group is optionally substituted by (C1-6) alkyl or (C2-6)alkenyl; or R6 and R8 together represent a bond and R7 and R9 are as above defined;
R2 can be hydrogen, and
R4 can be a group —U—R52 in which R52 is an optionally substituted bicyclic carbocyclic or heterocyclic ring system (A)
containing up to four heteroatoms in each ring in which at least one of rings (a) and (b) is aromatic,
X1 is C or N when part of an aromatic ring or CR14 when part of a non aromatic ring;
X2 is N, NR13, O, S(O)x, CO or CR14 when part of an aromatic or non-aromatic ring or may in addition be CR14R15 when part of a non aromatic ring;
X3 and X5 are independently N or C;
Y1 is a 0 to 4 atom linker group each atom of which is independently selected from N, NR13, O, S(O)x, CO and CR14 when part of an aromatic or non-aromatic ring or may additionally be CR14R15 when part of a non aromatic ring,
Y2 is a 2 to 6 atom linker group, each atom of Y2 being independently selected from N, NR13, O, S(O)x, CO and CR14 when part of an aromatic or non-aromatic ring or may additionally be CR14R15 when part of a non aromatic ring;
each R13 can notably be hydrogen;
each of R14 and R15 can notably be hydrogen;
each x is independently 0, 1 or 2;
U is CO, SO2 or CH2; or
R4 can also be a group —X1a—X2a—X3a—X4a wherein the group X1a—X2a—X3a can notably be CH2CH═CH or COCH═CH and X4a can notably be a phenyl substituted one to three times wherein the substituents are notably selected from halogen atoms;
which compounds of formula (A1) can be used as antibacterials.
WO 2004/002992 discloses, among others, compounds of the general formula (A2)

wherein
both rings (x) and (y) can be aromatic,
Z1 can be a 3 atom linker group each atom of which can be independently selected from N and CH,
Z2 can be a 3 atom linker group each atom of which can be independently selected from N and CH,
Z3 can be CH,
Z4 and Z5 can both be carbon atoms,
n is 0 or 1 and AB represents notably a CR6R7—CR8R9 radical wherein each of R6, R7, R8 and R9 is independently selected from. H; (C1-6)alkoxy; (C1-6)alkylthio; halo; trifluoromethyl; azido; (C1-6)alkyl; (C2-6)alkenyl; (C1-6)alkoxycarbonyl; (C1-6)alkylcarbonyl; (C2-6)alkenyloxycarbonyl; (C2-6)alkenylcarbonyl; hydroxy, amino or aminocarbonyl which may be substituted; (C2-6)alkenylsulphonyl; or (C1-6)aminosulphonyl wherein the amino group is optionally substituted by (C1-6) alkyl or (C2-6)alkenyl; or R6 and
R8 together represent a bond and R7 and R9 are as above defined;
R2 can be hydrogen, and
R4 can be a group —U—R52 wherein U can be CH2 and R52 is an optionally substituted bicyclic carbocyclic or heterocyclic ring system (A)
containing up to four heteroatoms in each ring in which at least one of rings (a) and (b) is aromatic,
X1 is C or N when part of an aromatic ring or CR14 when part of a non aromatic ring;
X2 is N, NR13, O, S(O)x, CO or CR14 when part of an aromatic or non-aromatic ring or may in addition be CR14R15 when part of a non aromatic ring;
X2 is N, NR13, O, S(O)x, CO or CR14 when part of an aromatic or non-aromatic ring or may in addition be CR14R15 when part of a non aromatic ring;
Y1 is a 0 to 4 atom linker group each atom of which is independently selected from N, NR13, O, S(O)x, CO and CR14 when part of an aromatic or non-aromatic ring or may additionally be CR14R15 when part of a non aromatic ring,
Y2 is a 2 to 6 atom linker group, each atom of Y2 being independently selected from N, NR13, O, S(O)x, CO and CR14 when part of an aromatic or non-aromatic ring or may additionally be CR14R15 when part of a non aromatic ring;
each R13 can notably be hydrogen;
each of R14 and R15 can notably be hydrogen;
each x is independently 0, 1 or 2;
U is CO, SO2 or CH2;
R4 can also be a group —X1a—X2a—X3a—X4a wherein the group X1a—X2a—X3a can notably be CH2CH═CH or COCH═CH and X4a can notably be a phenyl substituted one to three times wherein the substituents are notably selected from halogen atoms;
which compounds of formula (A2) can be used as antibacterials.
WO 2004/035569 discloses antibacterial compounds of formula (A3)

wherein
R1 represents notably an alkoxy group;
each of X1, X2, X3, X4 and X5 independently represents nitrogen atom or a CR2 group;
R2 represents a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a hydroxy group, an alkyloxy group or a heteroalkyloxy group;
A represents notably an alkylene chain or a heteroalkylene chain;
R3 represents notably the group

wherein
n can be 0 (the group R4 being then absent), and
R5 can notably be a group of the formula —Y-Cy, Y being notably a C1-C6 heteroalkylene group and Cy being notably a possibly substituted phenyl or heteroaryl group;
whereby                an alkyl group may be straight or branched, comprise 1 to 20 carbon atoms and possibly include one or more halogen atoms in replacement of one or more of the hydrogen atoms of the alkyl group; and        a heteroalkyl group/a heteroalkylene chain stands for a straight or branched alkyl group/alkylene chain wherein one or more of the carbon atoms has/have been replaced by one or more heteroatoms which are each independently selected from inter alia an oxygen, a nitrogen and a sulphur atom;        by heteroaryl group shall be understood (notably) an aromatic group consisting of one or more rings and containing 5 to 14 ring atoms, one or more of these ring atoms being each independently selected from inter alia an oxygen, a nitrogen and a sulphur atom, which aromatic group can be unsubstituted or substituted by substituents which are each independently selected from inter alia halogen atoms, OH and NH2.
It should however be noted that no specific example of compound of formula I as defined in this application is taught in WO 03/087098, WO 2004/002992 or WO 2004/035569.
It has now surprisingly been found that certain aminoethyl cyclohexyl derivatives are especially potent antimicrobial agents that are notably effective against a variety of both Gram positive and negative multi-drug resistant bacteria and especially against P. aeruginosa and Acinetobacter species.


Polyamide--Epoxy--Silicone modified compositions in a water base that are air curable to give tough flexible coatings that may be pigment loaded and maintain the chemical resistance and bonding capabilities of the usual epoxy coatings with hardness and gloss equal to or greater than baked epoxy coatings is disclosed.

There is a need for a paint type coating that has all the following characteristics:
(a) is water based; PA1 (b) is air curable; PA1 (c) has flexibility and hardness greater than normal baked epoxy coatings; PA1 (d) is chemical and sunlight resistant; PA1 (e) is non-inflammable; PA1 (f) has reasonable pot life; PA1 (g) forms a low friction surface; PA1 (h) has a tough durable high gloss surface; PA1 (i) has a low valatile content. PA1 20.30% Polyamide PA1 20.30% Water PA1 6.96% Butyl cellosolve PA1 0.40% Defoaming agent PA1 0.66% Dispersant PA1 19.90% Titanium Dioxide PA1 5.44% Isopropyl Alcohol PA1 0.26% TeXanolT.TM. PA1 24.21% Epoxy Resin PA1 1.37% Reactive Silicone PA1 100.00%
The preferred compositions of this invention have all the desired characteristics except good sunlight resistance. Sunlight resistance may be attained by coating the cured composition of the invention with a water base zinc rich coating which is further coated with a water base aliphatic urethane finish coat for maximum durability.
We have found that a preferred polyamide epoxy composition with ratio by weight of polyamide to epoxy varying between about 0.6 to 1.8 when combined with a reactive siloxane hereinafter called silicone at a ratio of 0.04 to 0.18 silicone to epoxy with about 10 to 30 percent of a pigment such as titanium dioxide will give essentially all the desirable properties as outlined except sunlight resistance. Testing of one preferred formulation by a large poultry processor gave a 10 fold reduction in bacteria growth as compared with normal epoxy polyamide coating.
These preferred coating compositions can be used where any solvent base epoxy coating is used with advantages in clean-up, environmental safety, solvent exposure, and minimal odor.

Polyamide-epoxy-silicone modified coating compositions


An optical film, which includes a laminate of a base and a birefringent layer, and which is excellent in adhesiveness between the base and the birefringent layer, is provided. The birefringent layer is formed on the base by: coating a material of the birefringent layer on the base so as to form a coating film; stretching/shrinking the base so as to stretch/shrink the coating film; and solidifying the material of the coating film. The material is dispersed or dissolved previously in a solvent and coated in a form of solution, where the solvent used exhibits solubility with respect to the base, and in the coating step, the solvent is infiltrated into a part of the interior of the base, thereby obtaining an optical film with excellent adhesiveness between the base and the birefringent layer.

Conventionally, various retardation plates have been used for optical compensation in various liquid crystal displays. An example of the retardation plates is an optically-biaxial retardation plate, and it can be produced in general by any of various polymer-film stretching methods (see JP3(1991)-33719 A, for example) like roller tensile stretching, roller press stretching, and tenter transverse uniaxial stretching, or a method of providing anisotropy through biaxial stretching (see JP3(1991)-24502 A, for example). Additional examples include a retardation plate in which a uniaxially stretched polymer film having a positive optical anisotropy and a biaxially stretched polymer film having a negative optical anisotropy and whose in-plane retardation is small are used in combination (see JP4(1992)-194820 A, for example), and a retardation plate formed, not by the above-mentioned stretching, but by processing polyimide into a film on a substrate and thus provided with a negative uniaxiality derived from the nature of the polyimide itself (see JP8(1996)-511812 A, for example).
According to the above-mentioned film-stretching technique or the like, the thus formed stretched film can be provided with, for example, a negative biaxial optical property of nx>ny>nz. Here, nx, ny and nz indicate respectively refractive indices in directions of an X-axis, a Y-axis, and a Z-axis in the stretched film. The X-axis direction is a direction showing a maximum refractive index within the plane of the film, the Y-axis direction is a direction perpendicular to the X-axis direction within the plane, and the Z-axis direction is a thickness direction and is perpendicular to the X- and Y-axes directions. When arranged between a liquid crystal cell and a polarizer of a liquid crystal display, a retardation film having the above-stated optical property can widen a viewing angle of the liquid crystal display, and thus it is useful as a viewing angle compensating film for the liquid crystal cell.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Optical film, method for producing the same, and image display device using the same


A scheduled price verification system and method which ensure that a scheduled price change has been scheduled for an electronic price label (EPL) associated with an item. The system includes a storage medium for storing an EPL data file and a spool file, and a computer. The computer executes a scheduled price verifier program which reads the EPL data file to obtain identification information for the item associated with the EPL, reads a price file to obtain a new price and a time that the new price is to be effective, reads the spool file after the time to determine whether it contains a record of the one price change to the new price for the EPL, and schedules a price change message containing the new price if the spool file does not contain the record of the one price change to the new price for the EPL.

The present invention relates to electronic price label (EPL) systems, and more specifically to an electronic price label (EPL) scheduled price verification system and method.
In a traditional retail store, bar code scanners rely on price information maintained within a price-lookup (PLU) file. The PLU data file is typically stored in a single location at host server.
EPL systems typically include a plurality of EPLs for each merchandise item in a store. EPLs display the price of corresponding merchandise items on store shelves and are typically attached to a rail along the leading edge of the shelves. A store may contain thousands of EPLs to display the prices of the merchandise items. The EPLs are coupled to a central server from where information about the EPLs is typically maintained in an EPL data file. The EPL data file contains EPL identification information and EPL merchandise item information.
A server, either within a store or outside the store, sends price changes to EPLs. This server is typically a price look-up (PLU) file server. Scheduling and transmission of price change messages must occur without error in order to ensure that correct prices are displayed by EPLs associated with scheduled items. This is especially true during special promotions or "sales". A PLU file typically includes a start time, end time, and special price for each specially promoted item.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide an EPL scheduled price verification system and method that can verify that a scheduled price change message for a specially promoted item has been transmitted to an EPL. It would also be desirable to provide an EPL scheduled price verification system and method that can verify that a new price for an item has been scheduled and transmitted to an EPL when the new price is known in advance.


An improved independent wheel suspension for steered wheels of passenger motor vehicles is provided. A three-arm anti-squat suspension has a virtual steering axis which coincides essentially with the rotation axis of the wheel carrier.

This application claims the priority of German application 197 17 069.2, filed Apr. 23, 1997, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates to an independent wheel suspension for steered wheels of motor vehicles, particularly passenger cars, in the form of a three-arm anti-squat suspension.
Three-arm anti-squat suspensions typically comprise a lower A-arm, a wheel carrier connected therewith and guided on its upper end by way of a camber strut, and a connecting rod which connects the wheel carrier, offset to its linking to the A-arm, additionally with the A-arm and thereby supports it transversely to the plane defined by the linking points of the wheel carrier on the A-arm and of the camber strut on the wheel carrier and on the vehicle body. For aligning the wheel, the wheel carrier is additionally provided with a steering knuckle arm to which the tie rod is linked, whereby the wheel can be actively steered by way of the tie rod in connection with a steering gear.
With respect to steering movements, a swivelling of the wheel about a virtual axis is carried out in the such known three-arm anti-squat suspensions. The virtual axis is represented as an intersection line of two planes; specifically, the first of the two planes is defined by the linking points of the camber arm and the linking point of the wheel carrier on the A-arm, and the second of the planes is defined by the linking points of the connecting rod on the wheel carrier and the A-arm, and the linking point of the wheel carrier on the A-arm.
During steering movements which, in fact, take place by swivelling the wheel carrier and displacing its linking points, as the result of the corresponding displacements, the wheel is therefore placed in a position which would occur during the swivelling about the virtual axis. Because the virtual axis is set by the above-mentioned planes, specifically the first and the second plane and is not defined by the real linking points, the phase-shifted dynamic forces of the individual arms which act in these planes also result in torques about the real axis. Such dynamic forces are critical with respect to the steadiness of the steering of the vehicle. Correspondingly, wheel suspensions of this type, as known, for example, in JP 4-372 408 (A), are also sensitive with respect to elasticities in the many linking points which exist in such a wheel suspension.
Furthermore, in known wheel suspensions, in the frontal view, with an S-shaped curvature, the wheel carrier is relatively strongly curved toward the inside. Thus, in conjunction with a connecting rod which is upright in the frontal view but is clearly sloped toward the front in the lateral view, and with linking points of the wheel carrier on the A-arm and on the camber arm which, in the frontal view, are situated almost vertically above one another, while the real steering axis defined by these linking points is sloped toward the rear and upward, a relatively large space requirement exists for the wheel suspension and, during steering movements, relatively large spatial displacements will also occur for individual wheel suspension elements, which, in addition to effects partially endeavored for the wheel suspension, also has effects on the installation volume.
JP 07 047 824 A describes another three-arm anti-squat suspension, specifically for non-steered wheels of passenger cars, in which the wheel carrier is guided by way of a lower A-arm and an upper camber arm and is additionally supported by a connecting rod with respect to the A-arm. Furthermore, a steering knuckle arm is mounted on the wheel carrier and is supported elastically against the vehicle body by a tie rod extending in the transverse direction. The connecting rod, starting from the forward interior end area of the A-arm, extends diagonally toward the rear upwards against the wheel carrier. The second plane set by the linking points between the A-arm, the wheel carrier and the connecting rod and the first plane defined by the linking points of the camber arm and the linking point of the wheel carrier on the A-arm cross one another and have an intersection line which, starting from the linking point of the wheel carrier on the A-arm, both planes have in common. The intersection line also extends in the area of the linking point of the wheel carrier on the camber arm so that the virtual and the real steering axis have a similar course and, also in the area of the linking point of the camber arm on the wheel carrier, do not have a very large displacement. However, this displacement is desirable because this three-arm anti-squat suspension intended for non-steered wheels, in conjunction with the elastic support of the tie rod with respect to the vehicle body by swivelling the wheel carrier under the influence of longitudinal and lateral forces, must result in steering effects, specifically, under the influence of lateral forces, in the toe-in direction and, under the influence of longitudinal forces, in the toe-out direction, which result in a stabilizing of the vehicle.
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved wheel suspension to overcome the disadvantages and susceptibilities found in conventional suspensions.
According to the present invention, this object has been achieved by providing that the first plane defined by the linking point of the wheel carrier on the A-arm and the linking points of the camber arm and the second plane defined by the linking point of the wheel carrier on the A-arm and the linking points of the connecting rod have an intersection line which, starting from the linking point of the wheel carrier on the A-arm which the two planes have in common, in the upper area of the wheel carrier extends at least almost through the linking point of the wheel carrier on the camber arm. In top view, when the connecting rod is upright, the straight connection line between the linking points of the connecting rod on the wheel carrier and of the wheel carrier on the camber arm extends at an angle of approximately 45.degree. with respect to the longitudinal plane of the vehicle which opens toward the outside in the driving direction.
Consequently, the virtual steering axis will practically coincide with the axis of rotation of the wheel carrier so that forces acting in the above-mentioned planes, particularly also dynamically acting forces (thus forces acting by way of the camber arm and the connecting rod) are always aimed at the steering axis and therefore result in no torques about the steering axis and therefore also neither generate a wheel fight nor impair the straight-ahead driving.
In addition to a wheel suspension construction which is compact in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the present invention also achieves, in connection with large steering angles, that the individual wheel suspension members experience only slight displacements so that, irrespective of possible large steering angles, a very compact construction can be implemented. Nevertheless, with increasing steering angles, a certain displacement of the steering axis is achieved, in the sense of an enlargement of the caster offset, in the upper area toward the rear which results in an increased aligning torque in the event of steering angles.

Independent wheel suspension for steered wheels of passenger motor vehicles and the like


In one embodiment, a method includes establishing, by an identity agent installed on a device, a connection to a browser installed on the device and generating, by the identity agent, first device information, a public key, and a private key. The method also includes communicating, by the identity agent, the first device information and the public key to an authentication service and receiving, by the identity agent, a unique identifier from the authentication service. The method further includes generating, by the identity agent, a first signature of the first device information and communicating, by the identity agent, the first signature, the first device information, and the unique identifier to the browser.

AAR provides Service Level Agreement (SLA) based routing for applications such as business-critical applications. AAR directs application traffic to wide area network (WAN) links that support the required levels for latency, jitter, and packet loss as defined in an application's SLA. Certain network nodes have an integrated deep packet inspection (DPI) engine that identifies and classifies applications (e.g., voice, video, email, file sharing, gaming, peer-to-peer (P2P), and/or cloud-based applications). However, for DPI to be effective, traffic symmetry (e.g., traffic flowing into and out from the same device) is required.

Systems and methods for extending application-aware routing to improve site encryption throughput performance


The pellet dosing apparatus comprises a hopper (10) pouring pellets (1) on a chute (30) which is vibrated by a vibrator device (3) to move the pellets (1) forward along the chute until dropping them from a discharging end (30a). A counting device (20) is arranged for counting the number of pellets (1) falling from said discharging end (30a) of the chute (30) into a dosing container (4). The pellets (1) are retained in the dosing container (4) by transferring means until their number reaches an amount corresponding to a pre-established dose determined by control means based on a counting signal received from said counting device (20). The control means then control the transferring means to transfer the pellets from the dosing container to an output duct.

There are several inventions related to the dosing of elements. The existing dosing systems have two characteristic elements: on one hand the transporting system for transporting the element to be treated, for example pellets, and on the other hand the control system for controlling the amount of elements. The pellets are at first contained in a hopper or tank. By means of the transporting system they are moved from the hopper to another container where the amount of elements to be used in the molding process is accumulated.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,877,933B2 describes a system for dosing pellets in which the pellets are transported by suction through the generation of vacuum. The pellets are transported towards a hopper where they accumulate. The hopper pours its content when a level sensor determines that it is completely full.
Patent JP 2010149894 proposes a system for dosing pellets having a plate with openings in which the pellets falling by gravity from the hopper are retained. The plate with openings is horizontally displaced under the hopper to favor the introduction of the pellets in the openings. A detection system verifies that the openings contain pellets and the content is finally poured into a second hopper.
Patents CN 1474189 and CN 101148224 disclose dosing systems which use a vibrating element to enable the movement of the pellets. The pellets are contained on a horizontal plate to which the vibration is provided. The pellets circulate randomly on the vibrating plate and at some point of their displacement reach an output opening which leads them to a conveyor belt.
In view of the mentioned background, proposing a system which allows dosing a specific but variable number of elements according to needs is necessary and useful. In the mentioned patents U.S. Pat. No. 6,877,933B2 and JP 2010149894 the number of elements obtained is fixed, because it is determined, in the first case, by the capacity of the hopper, and in the second case, by the number of openings of the plate. Obviously, doses of different amounts could be obtained by exchanging these elements with others of different dimensions or amount of openings but it is more convenient to have variable doses without needing to adapt the machine.
The inventors have verified that causing the movement of the pellets by means of controlled vibrations is a valid option, and that complementing the identification of the pellets by electronic detection means improves the functionality of the dosing apparatus.
In the mentioned patents CN 1474189 and CN 101148224 said vibrating systems work continuously. It would be optimal to control the operation of this device and to only cause the vibration at suitable time and not throughout the entire dosing process.
CN 2734627 discloses a granule counting apparatus which includes all the features of the preamble of claim 1 of the present invention. The detection device of the apparatus of CN 2734627 is depicted in the form of a housing coupled to an end side of a vibratory conveying device, not specifying therein where exactly the granule detection is done, if under the discharging end of the vibratory conveyor or before the granule falls. The type of detection performed is not either indicated in CN 2734627.
CN 201882251 discloses a device for counting and weighing granular objects comprising a detection grating for counting the particles falling from a discharging opening of a vibrating tray. The counting which can be performed with such a detection grating, which has to detect simultaneously a plurality of falling granular objects at once, is not as accurate and simple as it would be with other kind of detection device arrangements acting more locally to detect less, preferably one, granular objects at once.
EP 1332793 A1 discloses a process for dosing and mixing particles, e.g. granules, comprising a transport unit moving some particles to an optical unit where they are counted. Said optical unit has an optical detector arranged to count the particles while being transported by the transport unit, which results in a non-accurate detection of the particles as when some of them are too close to each other, a group of such close particles can be detected as if there was only one particle crossing in front the optical detector. Other drawbacks due to said arrangement and location of the optical detector can exist which can generate false or erroneous detections, such as those due to particle clogging or due to the vibrations of the transport unit.


A multivalent cationic lipid having a positively-charged head group including two quaternary amine groups and a hydrophobic portion including four hydrocarbon chains, which may be the same or different and which are optionally substituted alkyl and alkenyl groups, two alkyl chains attached to each of the two quaternary amine groups can be used for the introduction of polyanionic materials such a nucleic acid polymers into cells. Specific cationic lipids are N,N,N′,N′-tetraoleyl-N-N′-dimethyl-1,3-propanediammonium chloride and N,N,N′,N′-tetraoleyl-N-N′-dimethyl-1,6-hexanediammonium chloride.

This application relates to a new class of cationic lipids which can be used in lipid particles and in the formation of lipid-nucleic acid complexes for cell transfection.
Monovalent cationic lipids are known in the art, for example as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,320,017; 5,976,567; 5,965,542 and 5,785,992, which are incorporated herein by reference. Plasmid DNA-cationic lipid complexes are the leading non-viral gene therapy vectors used in the clinical setting. (1–4). However, the levels of gene expression that can be achieved using these complexes are substantially lower than can be achieved using viral vectors. Considerable effort has therefore been devoted to synthesizing new cationic lipids that have improved transfection properties over those currently available. (5–10).

Multivalent cationic lipids and methods of using same in the production of lipid particles


Disclosed is an example for determining a projectile trajectory with at least two sensors. In one example, the projectile trajectory is estimated using a first sensor having a first angular range. Further, the projectile trajector is estimated using a second sensor having a second angular range. The first sensor and the second sensor are disposed on a platform at different spatial locations. Furthermore, a discrepancy in the projectile trajectory is determined when the projectile moves from the first angular range to the second angular range. The discrepancy is created due to the different spatial locations of the first sensor and the second sensor. An actual projectile trajectory is determined by compensating for the discrepancy in the projectile trajectory using the estimated discrepancy.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to projectile tracking, and more specifically,.
tracking projectile trajectory with multiple sensors by compensating for discrepancy (e.g., parallax) created due to different spatial locations of the sensors.
Brief Description of Related Art
A projectile may be tracked with a number of sensors installed on a platform, such as a stationary structure or a vehicle. Example projectile may be a bullet, artillery shell, missile, bombs, or other object that exhibit the characteristics consistent with a bullet in flight. The projectile may be propelled from any firearm, such as rifle, pistol, handgun, shotgun, muzzle loader, air gun, and the like. The sensors for tracking the projectile trajector may be spaced apart from each other. The displacement of the sensors may create a parallax, which can be discrepancies of observations/difference in the apparent position of the projectile measured by the sensors in different spatial locations (i.e. viewed along different lines of sight). The parallax may be magnified with the increase in distance between the sensors. Nearby projectiles may have a larger parallax than more distant projectiles when observed from different positions. Tracked projectiles that are close, or near-miss projectiles, may create discontinuous plotted paths based on the parallax.

Tracking projectile trajectory with multiple sensors

BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc.


New phenothiazine derivatives of general formula (I) in which. R represents 4- to 6-membered cycloalkyl, or represents --CH.sub.2 R" in which R" is hydrogen, alkyl containing 1 to 5 carbon atoms, alkenyl or alkynyl containing 2 to 4 carbon atoms, cycloalkyl (3- to 6-membered), phenyl, optionally substituted (with 1 or 2 halogen atoms or with a hydroxyl, alkyl, alkyloxy, trifluoromethyl or nitro radical) or heterocyclic selected from furyl, thienyl or pyridyl, and PA0 R' either represents a radical of general formula (IIa) in which R.sub.1 and R.sub.2, which may be identical or different, are alkyl, cycloalkylalkyl, hydroxyalkyl or acetyloxyalkyl or, together with the nitrogen atom to which they are attached, form a saturated or partially unsaturated 4- to 7-membered heterocycle optionally substituted with 1 or 2 alkyl, hydroxyalkyl or acetyloxyalkyl radicals, and PA0 R.sub.3 is phenethyl or alkyl optionally substituted with cycloalkyl (3 to 6 carbons) or benzoyl, or represents a radical of general formula (IIb) in which R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are defined as above.. The new products are useful as antispasmodics. ##STR1##

In the phenothiazine field, many products have been demonstrated, especially for their activity with respect to the central nervous system, in particular amides derived from phenothiazine, of general formula: ##STR3## in which R is, in particular, a hydrogen atom, have been described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,112,310. Thioamides derived from phenothiazine, of general formula: ##STR4## in which A is a carbon-containing chain and Z is, in particular, a dialkylamino radical or a nitrogenous heterocycle, have also been described in Belgian Patent No. 612,885.

Phenothiazine derivatives, their preparation and pharmaceutical compositions containing them


A data driven information processor includes an input control portion for producing a first data packet including common identification information and a plurality of pieces of data, a junction portion for controlling input of the first data packet and a second data packet, a firing control portion for detecting data to be paired with data in the selected data packet and outputting paired data, an operation processing portion for operating the paired data, a program storage portion for producing and outputting a second data packet based on a result of operation, and a branching portion for controlling whether to output the second data packet to the junction portion or to another data driven information processor. A plurality of such data driven information processors are connected for parallel processing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to data driven information processors executing parallel processing and more particularly to a data driven information processor for processing a data packet including a plurality of pieces of data.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, in various fields including high resolution image processing and various simulations, there is an increased demand for the improvement of processor performances. Increase in the operation speed of devices achieved by today's LSI (Large Scale Integration) manufacturing techniques however has its limit. Parallel processing calls much attention instead, and processings based on the data driven method are much studied and developed.
FIG. 1A is a block diagram showing the configuration of a conventional data driven information processing device (hereinafter referred to as data driven processor).
FIG. 1B is a diagram showing the structure of a data packet processed by the conventional data driven processor.
A data packet 110 includes instruction information 106, destination information (node number) 107, a generation number 108, and one piece of data 109. Instruction information 106 indicates the kind of an instruction to be processed by the data driven processor, in other words indicates information for identifying an operation to be executed on data 109. Destination information (node number) 107 indicates a node number in a program, and determines which data driven processor the data packet is input to. Generation number 108 is information for identifying a plurality of data pairs, and different numbers are given to different data pairs. The data pair corresponds to the operand of an instruction, and data 109 in data packet 110 corresponds to one of the data pair. If, therefore, the instruction has two operands, there are two data packets including the same destination information 107 and the same generation number 108. The generation number 108 is not necessary for the static data driven method which tolerates only one data pair in a processing, but the generation number will be necessary for a dynamic data driven method which tolerates two or more data pairs.
A junction portion 101 refers to destination information 107 in data packet 110 and determines whether or not data packet 110 should be processed in the data driven processor. Junction portion 101 receives data packet 110 as an input and outputs the packet to a firing control portion 102 if it determines that data packet 110 should be processed in the data driven processor.
Firing control portion 102 determines whether or not data to be operated with data 109 in the input data packet 110 (data 109 in another data packet 110 including the same destination information 107 and the same generation number 108) is already present in a queuing memory which is not shown. If such data to be operated with data 109 in the input data packet 110 is present in the queuing memory, firing control portion 102 outputs these pieces of data (data pair) to a function processor portion 103. If no such data to be operated with data 109 in the input data packet 110 is present in the queuing memory, firing control portion 102 stores data 109 in the queuing memory for queuing.
Function processor portion 103 refers to instruction information 106, executes an operation such as multiplication and addition on the input data pair, and outputs the operation result to a program storage portion 104.
Program storage portion 104 receives the operation result, produces a data packet 110 having its information replaced with destination information (node number) 107 and instruction information 106 necessary for fetching a next instruction and outputs the packet to a branching portion 105.
Branching portion 105 refers to destination information 107 in data packet 110 output from program storage portion 104, and outputs data packet 110 to junction portion 101 based on the determination that the packet should be processed within the data driven processor, and outputs data packet 110 to another data driven processor if the packet should not be processed within the data driven processor.
The conventional data driven processor described above is presented by Kanekura et al., in Microcomputer Architecture Symposium, November, 1991, as "An Evaluation of Parallel-Processing in the Dynamic Data-Driven Processors" pp.9-17.
Data packet 110 processed in the conventional data driven processor includes only one piece of data, and cannot include a plurality of pieces of data. A data driven processor described in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 5-233854 including a plurality of data pair detection portions, a plurality of program storage portions, and a plurality of operation processing portions executes processing of a data packet including a plurality of pieces of instruction information, a plurality of pieces of destination information, a plurality of generation numbers and a plurality of pieces of data. The data packet including a plurality of pieces of data is therefore formed simply by combining a plurality of data packets into a single data packet.

Data driven information processor for processing data packet including common identification information and plurality of pieces of data


Aspects of an autonomous delivery transportation network for the delivery of items are described. The network includes a central management system that directs the operation of a network of vehicles for delivering items. In one embodiment, the system receives a request for transportation including a pickup location, a delivery location, and item attribute data. The system analyzes the existing service routes of vehicles in the network to identify a vehicle compatible with the request. The system also estimates a delay to the existing service route of the vehicle with reference to the pickup and delivery locations and, when determining that the delay is acceptable, assigns the vehicle to service the request. When determining that the delay is unacceptable, the system may dispatch a new vehicle to join the network. The system may also communicate various aspects of service, such as estimated pickup and/or drop off times, to client devices.

The transportation needs in most urban and suburban areas continues to grow. Among others, such transportation needs include the needs of individuals to commute to and from work, school, retail outlets, and other locations. The transportation needs also include the need to transport items among various locations. In an aim to satisfy these needs, some municipalities have established public transportation systems that may be relied upon by residents for transportation among certain locations. The public transportation systems generally make use of vehicles, such as buses, to transport individuals among stops along a predetermined route at predetermined times.

Autonomous delivery transportation network


A mobile patient maneuvering device is provided. The maneuvering device cooperates with the transfer rod to move a sheet upon which a patient is disposed. The device includes a power train, a hook and web assembly attachable to the power train, and a power and switching system in electrical communication with the power train. The power and switching system may also include means for stabilizing the device actuated by contact with the support. The displacing device may be positioned between a head portion of a bed and a wall, thereby occupying a minimum of floor space.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to systems which assist in moving patients who are on beds, gurneys, or other such patient supports. More particularly, the invention relates to systems which enable a single health care worker to effect a patient pullup, roll the patient to a desired position, or laterally transfer the patient to another patient support.
2. Background of the Invention
Partially or totally incapacitated persons in hospitals, nursing homes, or other assisted care settings must often be routinely and periodically pulled up from a slumped position, rolled over, or transferred between patient supports such as beds and gurneys. These maneuvers are typically done manually by two or more attendants, although the number of attendants required to perform a maneuver increases with the weight of the patient.
It is often desirable for patients to lie on platforms in which the head portion of the platform has been raised or angled upwardly. Often, to obtain the most benefit and comfort from a bed in this raised position, the patient should be disposed such that the patient""s abdomen and thorax are in an elevated position. However, totally or partially incapacitated patients tend to slide or slump out of this position toward the foot of the bed, thereby losing the healthful benefits of a more upright position.
Another activity frequently required of caregivers is patient rollover. Patient rollover is necessary for maintaining patient comfort, facilitating examination, and preventing bed sores from forming.
A third activity is transporting the patient between patient supports, such as a bed and a gurney/cart, a cart to an operating or procedural table, etc. Generally speaking, this includes maneuvering the patient to another location.
Typically, space is limited in hospital and assisted care rooms. Therefore, devices to effect patient pullups, rollovers, or transfers must either occupy a minimum of space (if kept in the room) or be transported in and out of the room when required. Activities, such as pullups, are typically performed at frequent intervals and it is usually not feasible to transport equipment to and from a room to perform a patient pullup every two hours. However, if such a device used for pullup is to be stored in one of these rooms, the device must occupy a minimum of the limited space available and should be placed so that the pullup will be efficiently accomplished.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,827,642, issued to Huff on Mar. 25, 1958, discloses a device for moving a patient on a bed. The device includes a shaft mounted in ball bearing brackets. The brackets are bolted or otherwise secured to the headposts of the bed. Straps for a fabric webbing are secured to the shaft and a fabric supporting section is secured to the straps. A crank handle is removably secured to one end of the shaft. A patient lying on the fabric supporting section is pulled toward the head of the bed by cranking, and thereby winding the straps on, the shaft.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,608,929, issued to Crane on Mar. 11, 1997, discloses a patient-positioning device. The positioning device includes a sheet which is placed under the patient and connected to a rope or braided line. One end of the braided line is anchored to a metal peg on the headboard. The remainder of the braided line is threaded through several pulleys. One of the pulleys is attached to a frame assembly. The patient is pulled up when the head portion of the bed is raised or by an independent motor operating to wind the line. The patient-positioning device of Crane, appears to require extensive retrofitting of beds and is not apparently transportable or suitable for various maneuvers.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,597,774, issued to Warren on Aug. 10, 1971, discloses a patient moving device which is attached to hospital beds. The patient moving device includes an adjustable post and clamps for attaching the post to the head of a bed. A winch is mounted on the post. A patient to be pulled up is secured with apron straps and apron tabs are connected to a T-bar. The T-bar is connected to a cable. The winch is operated to wind the cable and pull the patient up. Alternatively, a harness is employed. The harness is arranged under the patient""s arm pits and connected to the T-bar before the winch is operated to pull the patient up.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,302,219, issued to Harris on Feb. 7, 1967, discloses a hospital bed and lifting and turning device. The lifting and turning device includes four vertical support members adjacent the head and foot of the bed. The vertical support members are hollow and threaded to receive the lower end of threaded members extending vertically from the vertical support members. The vertical support members are interconnected by side braces and transverse braces. A sprocket member is disposed atop each vertical member. Each sprocket member is adapted to threadably engage, and thereby raise or lower, a threaded member within the vertical support member. The drive sprockets are interconnected by an endless sprocket chain. An electric motor may be secured to one of the vertical members to drive the sprockets. Upper ends of the threaded members are provided with clamp members. Two elongated rods extend through outwardly extending portions of the clamp members. A sprocket wheel is secured to each elongated rod and separate sprocket drive chains connect sprocket wheel pairs at head and foot portions of the device. A fabric such as canvas is secured to the rods and rolled thereon. The fabric is rolled such that it will be wound on one rod and unwound from the other when the sprocket wheels are rotated. The hospital bed lifting and turning device of Harris appears to require extensive set up, is not readily transportable, and cannot effect a patient pullup or lateral transfer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,371, issued to Fuller on Aug. 13, 1996, discloses a bed patient turning, lifting and transporting apparatus with a mobile, folding and knock-down frame. The apparatus does appear to be conveniently mobile and requires extensive set up before being used. The apparatus of Fuller also requires significant overhead space and could interfere or impede other necessary activities performed by medical personnel in attendance.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,659,905, issued to Palmer et al. on Aug. 26, 1997, discloses a patient transfer/turning bed. The patient transfer/turning bed of Palmer et al. includes powered rotating drive rollers on each side of the bed""s mattress. The drive rollers are connected to articulating arms which pivot about an axis near the center of the head end and the foot end of the bed. A transfer/turning sheet removably connects the drive rollers. By raising the drive roller on one side of the bed, a patient will be rolled over toward the opposite side. The patient may also be transferred laterally across the bed by turning the drive rollers. In addition to requiring extensive bed retrofit, the patient transfer/turning bed of Palmer et al., is not readily transportable and cannot effect a patient pullup.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,665,432 issued to Butler on Jan. 12, 1954, discloses a patient transferring device. The patient transferring device of Butler is disclosed as including a roller mounted to a gurney. A pull unit is attached to the roller by a series of hooks and attaches to a transfer sheet. Although capable of effecting a type of lateral patient transfer, the patient transferring device of Butler cannot effect either a patient pullup or patient rollover.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,733,452, issued to Tanney on Feb. 7, 1956, discloses a hospital patient transfer device. The patient transfer device of Tanney is adapted to be mounted on a wheeled stretcher so that a patient may be transferred from a hospital bed to the stretcher or from the stretcher to the bed. The patient transfer device includes one roller mounted on the bed and another roller mounted on the stretcher. A cable is wound on one of the rollers and tracks thereby pulling a sheet from the stretcher while the sheet is guided beneath a patient disposed on the bed. After the patient and sheet are positioned, the sheet is wound on the roller mounted on the stretcher, thereby transferring the patient. The hospital patient transfer device of Tanney appears to require extensive bed and stretcher retrofit and cannot function either to pull a patient up or effect a patient rollover.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,776,047 issued to DiMatteo on Oct. 11, 1988, discloses a multiple function invalid bed arrangement for transferring a prone patient longitudinally or laterally between beds or surfaces adapted to accept the patient in a prone position. The longitudinal bed transfer is accomplished by equipping the patient""s bed with two rollers, one roller at the head and one roller at the foot of the bed. A bed sheet is connected from the head to the foot roller much like a piano roll. The rollers are rotated to transfer the patient to a second bed which is equipped similarly. Thus, the multiple function invalid bed arrangement of DiMatteo appears to require extensive bed retrofit and cannot effect patient maneuvering without such retrofitting.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,868,938 issued to Knouse on Sep. 16, 1989, discloses a transportable patient mover and moving method. The patient mover moves a patient laterally from a first to a second surface such as from a bed to a gurney. The patient mover includes a bottom stand member and an upstanding support frame carrying an elongated roller. The support frame may be mounted on wheels or casters. One edge of a web-like sheet material is attached to the roller. The other edge of the web material is attached to a clamp. A transfer sheet disposed beneath a patient is secured by the clamp and the roller winds the web thereon, thereby transferring the sheet and patient thereon. The patient mover of Knouse does not appear suitable for remaining in a small hospital room between uses without interfering with essential activities.
There is a need for a device which can enable a single attendant to effect patient pullups, rollovers, and lateral transfers, which is readily transportable, and which may be conveniently stored in a patient""s room between uses.
This invention meets the needs of the industry by providing a device for maneuvering a patient who is located on a support platform. The support platform may be configurable to a generally horizontal position or otherwise. A pliable underlayment may be disposed proximate the patient and the support. The device may be operable by a single person or operator and may include a power train, a hook and web assembly, and a power and switching system.
The hook and web assembly may be windably attachable to the power train. The power and switching system may be in electrical communication with the power train and may include means for stabilizing the device. The stabilizing means may be actuated by contacting a first member of the support and may be in electrical communication with the power and switching system. The stabilizing means may include at least one extension accommodating a first switch activating the power and switching system. The stabilizing means may include a locking mechanism accommodated by the support. The hook and web assembly may include at least one belt and at least one hook. Each belt may be attachable to the power train and to one of the hooks. The device may further include a first base member and an optional second base member. The second base member may be locked into an extended position to further stabilize the device.
This invention also provides a method of displacing a patient. The method includes providing a device with a power train, a hook and web assembly, and a power and switching system. The hook and web assembly may be attachable to the power train. The power and switch system may be in electrical communication with the power train. The power and switching system may include means for stabilizing the device. The stabilizing means may be actuated by contact with a first member of the support and may be in electrical communication with the power and switching system. The method includes securing a pliable underlayment proximate the patient to the hook and web assembly. The method further includes stabilizing the device by contacting a first member of the support to the stabilizing means and actuating the power train.

Device for patient pullup, rollover, and transfer and methods therefor


In a building environment, a distance associated with a building automation device is determined as a function of an inserted time delay between a wireless transmission of a signal and wireless reception of another signal. For example, a two-way communication is provided with a time delay inserted before responding to a received transmission. By using two-way transmissions, the building automation devices may be free of clock synchronization. Acoustic signals may be used in a building environment to determine a distance. The building automation device may also use radio frequency information for communicating with other devices. Communication between devices allows a controller to coordinate the determination of distances associated with different devices within a network, such as through transmission of a test signal and assigning distance measurement operations to devices that receive the test signal with sufficient strength or other characteristics.

The present invention relates to wireless building automation. In particular, distance measurement is provided for locating or determining a position of a wireless building automation device.
Building automation devices are positioned throughout a building. For example, a temperature sensor or thermostat is positioned on a wall in a room and a corresponding actuator is positioned above a ceiling for controlling airflow, heating or cooling. As another example, a motion sensor is positioned on a ceiling for actuating a light controlled by a ballast balance above the ceiling. Security, fire, heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) or other networks of devices automate building control. The relative positions of different devices or the relative positions of devices with respect to the layout of a building or rooms may be used to better optimize the automation. To determine the different positions, a blueprint or map is generated of the automation system. The devices are located manually, and corresponding association tables between devices are created. Manual mapping may be inaccurate. When a device malfunctions, inaccurate mapping or no mapping makes locating a device difficult, particularly where the device is located out of site above a ceiling or in a wall. Adding visual indications identifying a location of an otherwise out of site device is unaesthetic. Manually locating devices for replacement may be time consuming and costly.

Distance measurement for wireless building automation devices


Imaging devices often obtain images of a scene in which portions of the scene are obscured by particles that are interposed between the scene and the camera such as those images obtained when looking through falling snow or through particles stirred up by water currents in an underwater domain. An improved system for reducing the effects of those particles on reconstructed images of a scene consists of obtaining a number of images of a scene and replacing missing elements of the scene, which elements are ones obscured by the particles, with corresponding elements of the scene obtained from previous or following images in which those particular elements of the scene are visible. In this manner, a reconstructed image of the scene can be obtained in which the effects of the particles on the image is greatly reduced.

In many cases, scenes of interest in sequences of images recorded by an imaging device are partially obscured by particles which interpose themselves between the scenes and the camera. The type of imaging devices may be film, television, infra-red, ultra-violet, X-ray, radar or ultra-sound imagers. Typical examples would be images obtained when looking through falling snow or, in the underwater domain, looking through organic particles or other particles stirred up by natural or artificial water currents. The presence of such particles imposes a severe strain on an operator trying to identify or monitor features of the scene as any one who has driven in a snowstorm during the day, or at night with the headlights on, can testify.
Some cameras adjust themselves to the average light level and will, as a result, operate at a gain or sensitivity more appropriate for looking at the particles than at the scene of interest when the particles are numerous enough and when their luminous intensity is substantially different from the scene being observed.
Another problem occurs when an attempt is made to numerically process these type of images since the presence of particles which partially obscure an image severely affects the performance of standard image-processing methods such as those based on the Fourier transform. The presence of those particles introduce high spatial frequency components different from those present in the scene of interest and those components cannot be adequately treated by even the most efficient algorithms.
In a first known method of processing an image, each image is treated separately and the high spatial frequency components associated with the particles are removed by standard filtering techniques such as direct convolution or Fourier transform operations. In a second method, a sequence of images is averaged or filtered using statistical operators until the effect of the particle is sufficiently attenuated. These two methods can be considered to be in the general category of linear processing methods. However, both of these known methods have a number of drawbacks.
In the case of the convolution methods, there are three principal limitations. The most important limitation is that these methods reduce the high frequency components uniformly and therefore the image of the scene is blurred by a corresponding amount. A second limitation is that these methods do not allow the scene, which lies behind the particles, to be observed. These methods also require substantial computational resources in their digital implementation which is a third limitation.
The principal limitation in the case of the averaging method is that of the averaging process itself since the effect of the particles on the image is not eliminated but merely progressively reduced as more images are added together. The process requires many images to be used resulting in loss of time resolution due to the long sequence of images. Furthermore, a definite loss of contrast occurs due to the averaging of light from all the particles in each image uniformly across the screen.

Method for removing the effects of particulate matter from sequence images

Her Majesty the Queen in right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of National Defence of Her Majesty's Canadian Goverment