A block and non-rotating wear sleeve for holding a cutting tool used with mining and construction is disclosed. A key is used to intersect with notches in the wear sleeve and block at a rear face of the wear sleeve and block to prevent rotational movement between the wear sleeve and block. Locating the key and notches at the rear face provides an easily manufactured anti-rotation means which is also sheltered from the most of the abrasion experienced by the block and wear sleeve.

Rotatable cutting tools are used in conjunction with a machine used to break up (or cut) a substrate such as coal, rock, asphalt pavement, asphaltic concrete, concrete or the like. In its very basic aspects, such a machine includes a driven member (e.g., a chain, a wheel or a drum), a holder either directly or indirectly mounted to the driven member, and a rotatable cutting tool rotatably held in the holder. It is the cutting tool that impinges the earth strata so as to break it into pieces and chunks upon impact.
Rotatable cutting tools and the holders operate in a high wear environment. These components inevitably fail due to the severity of the operating conditions; e.g. gritty, dusty and highly abrasive. While it is expected that the cutting tools experience wear, the ability of the cutting tool to rotate about its central longitudinal axis during operation generally prolongs the useful life of the cutting tool. Rotation promotes more even wear about the tool. It can thus be appreciated that features of the cutting tool or cutting tool assembly that facilitate the rotation of the cutting tool during operation are beneficial to the operation of the cutting tool (and cutting tool assembly) and the overall operation of the cutting machine.
As known to those skilled in the art, the useful life of the holder is much longer than the useful life of the cutting tool. A holder is often referred to as a part of a block. Accordingly, the term "holder" refers herein to a portion of a block or a block which holds a cutting bit. Each block is intended to accommodate many changes of cutting tools before the block must be changed. In order to reduce the wear on the forward face of the block and fretting between the block and the cutting bit, a wear sleeve may be used in conjunction with cutting tool and holder. The wear sleeve generally has a forward portion and shank and is positioned between the cutting tool and holder. The wear sleeve protects the block from wear and is removably mounted in the holder.
Although it is beneficial to promote rotation of the cutting tool, rotation of the wear sleeve in the bit holder is not desirable. As dust and/or debris works in between the bit holder and the wear sleeve, rotation of the wear sleeve encourages abrasion between the bit holder and the wear sleeve.
One such cutting tool that teaches a protective wear sleeve is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,270,379 to Stehney. Stehney '379 teaches a sleeve mounted in a holder block which utilizes a stepped configuration on the shank of the sleeve to create an interference fit between the holder block and the sleeve. The interference fit retains the sleeve within the holder block and prevents rotation within the sleeve of the holder block.
Another cutting tool that uses a protective wear sleeve is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,106,166 to O'Neill. O'Neill '166 teaches a wear sleeve with an index pin between the collar of the wear sleeve and the forward face of the block. O'Neill '166 also prevents rotation of the wear sleeve by utilizing a pin through an aperture through a shank of the block. The pin passes through the block and contacts a flat surface machined into the wear sleeve. In another embodiment, O'Neill '166 teaches non-rotation of the wear sleeve by using a hexagonally-shaped sleeve shank and block bore.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,273,343 to Ojanen teaches a non-rotatable wear sleeve. Ojanen '343 describes a wear sleeve for mounting a cutting tool in a bit holder. The deformed sleeve has one end shaped as an ellipse. The deformed sleeve is then force fit into a bore in the block and is retained therein in a non-rotating manner by friction. U.S. Pat. No. 5,303,984 to Ojanen teaches a non-rotatable sleeve for use in a block. Ojanen '984 teaches a diametrically compressible sleeve mounted in the bore of the block. The sleeve has an axial slot which allows it to be compressed from a diameter larger than the given diameter before insertion into a bore of the block and a compressed diameter substantially matching the given diameter after insertion into the bore of the block.
Numerous other teachings disclose similar devices and methods. Each teaching suffers from one or more of the following deficiencies. The wear sleeves must be replaced regularly as they wear out so convenient installation and extraction is important. However, the protective sleeve must also be secured in the bit holder so as not to be knocked loose by loads and torques that occur during normal operation of the cutting machine.
Another cutting tool that uses a protective member is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,508,516 B1 to Kammerer. The '516 Patent discloses a ring that includes a tab. The tab engages grooves in a holder so that the ring does not rotate relative to the holder. At the beginning of a milling cycle, the structure disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,508,516 to Kammerer would be expected to provide a non-rotatable ring; however, over time the structure may be susceptible to problems. One such problem is that the groove that engages the tab may become clogged with debris. Obviously, this condition could compromise the integrity of the connection between the tab and the groove and result in the loss of the non-rotatable feature of the ring. Another problem is that over the course of operation the tab is exposed along the side of the tool so as to be susceptible to wearing away. The erosion of the tab could compromise the integrity of the connection between the tab and the groove and result in the loss of the non-rotatable feature of the ring.
The present invention has been developed in view of the foregoing.

Bit holder block with non-rotating wear sleeve


Disclosed is a method for performing X-ray Computed Tomography scanning, the method including acquiring a plurality of images of an object, obtaining an initial image from the plurality of images, calculating NonLocal weight of the initial image, utilizing a current image estimation and registered prior image, performing a successive over-relaxation optimization to yield a new image estimation with an intensity of the new image estimation equal or greater than zero, performing a cycle update, generating an image of the object utilizing the new image estimation obtained from the optimization, and outputting a resultant image.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to medical imaging and, more specifically, to an X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) scanning device and method of operating same.
Brief Description of the Background Art
X-ray CT techniques have been widely explored and are often prescribed for clinical applications that include perfusion imaging, image-guided biopsy needle, image-guided intervention, and radiotherapy. In interventional imaging, a patient may undergo one or more imaging studies prior to acquisition of an image. In other cases, such as daily Cone Beam CT (CBCT) examinations for target localization in Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT), repeated scans are performed as a routine procedure.
The benefits of repeated CT scans are undermined by risks associated with cumulative radiation dosing, and associated patient health concerns. It is known that reducing X-ray tube current and/or shortening exposure time (mAs) in a CT scan is a simple and cost-effective method to reduce potentially harmful radiation exposure. However, the associated image will suffer from serious noise induced artifacts due to the excessive quantum noise, absent adequate treatment on noisy measurement.
Various techniques have been investigated, including optimal scan protocols and advanced image reconstruction algorithms, to reduce radiation dose in CT scans. Statistical Iterative Reconstruction (SIR) methods, which take into account statistical noise properties and accommodate imaging geometry, have shown great potential to reduce quantum noise and artifacts as compared with the current gold standard Filtered Back-Projection (FBP) reconstruction method. A major drawback of the SIR methods is the computational burden associated with multiple re-projection and back-projection operation cycles through the image domain. However, development of fast computers and dedicated hardware allow modified SIR methods to be used in advanced CT equipments.
Generally, the SIR methods can be derived from a Maximum A Posteriori (MAP) estimator given observed-data or measurement, which usually consist of two terms in an associative objective function. The first term, i.e., the data-fidelity term, models the statistical measurement. The second term, i.e., the image prior or regularization term, penalizes the solution. The data-fidelity term incorporating an accurate statistical modeling of the measurement is a prerequisite of the SIR algorithms and an edge-preserving regularization term plays an important role in successful image reconstruction. Usually, the regularization term is chosen as a shift-invariant function that penalizes the differences among local neighboring pixels. These regularizations, through equally smoothing of both noise and edge details, often tend to produce an unfavorable over-smoothing effect. In contrast to the smooth regularization, edge-preserving regularizations/priors have been proposed, e.g., the Huber prior, which replaces the quadratic penalty function with a non-quadratic penalty function that increases less rapidly compared with the quadratic penalty function for sufficiently large arguments. However, these edge-preserving regularizations/priors mostly rely on properties of local smoothness or edges, and do not consider the basic affinity structure information of a desired image, such as the gray levels, edge indicator, dominant direction, and dominant frequency.
To address the aforementioned issues of conventional regularizations/priors, an edge-preserving NonLocal (NL) prior was proposed for CT and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) image reconstructions that fully exploit density difference information, NL connectivity and continuity information of the desired image. With regard to the repeated CT scans, a previously scanned high-quality diagnostic CT image volume usually contains same anatomical information with the current scan except for some anatomical changes due to internal motion or patient weight change. Generally, the CT scans at different times are independently considered, without a systematic attempt to integrate valuable patient-specific prior knowledge, i.e., to integrate previous scanned data, which contains a wealth of prior anatomical, patient-specific information, to promote subsequent imaging process. Performing a low-dose protocol in the follow-up CT scan by fully using the previous image in the current image reconstruction framework is a topic addressed by Chen et al., which proposed a Prior Image Constrained Compressed Sensing (PICCS) algorithm to enable view angle under-sampling by integrating a prior image into the reconstruction procedure. See, Time-Resolved Interventional Cardiac C-arm Cone-Beam CT: An Application of the PICCS Algorithm, IEEE Trans. Med. Imaging, vol. 31, no. 4, pp. 907-923, April 2012. Lauzier extended the PICCS algorithm to the DR-PICCS algorithm for CT radiation dose reduction using a statistical model. See, Characterization of Statistical Prior Image Constrained Compressed Sensing (PICCS): IL Application to Dose Reduction, Med. Phys., Vol. 40, no. 2, pp. 021902:1-14, February 2013. A weakness of PICCS is that prior and current images are taken at the same global geometrical coordinates. This assumption, however, does not necessarily translate into practical settings like the IGRT applications.
Accurate registration and voxel consistency may limit wide use of the PICCS algorithm. To address this issue, Ma, et al. proposed a low-dose CT image filtering method, i.e., an ndiNLM algorithm, utilizing a high-quality normal-dose scan as priori information to perform current low-dose CT image restoration based on NL means criteria. See, J. Ma, at al, Low-dose computed tomography image restoration using previous normal-dose scan, Med. Phys., Vol. 38, no. 10, pp. 5713-5731, October 2011, and A. Buades, et al., A Nonlocal Algorithm for Image Denoising, Proc. IEEE Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition, 2005, Vol. 2, pp. 60-65. The ndiNLM algorithm performed well in noise reduction, but actually is a post-processing approach that does not consider statistical properties of the CT projection data. Another strategy that relaxes image registration is a dictionary learning based approach proposed by Xu et al., which was derived with the consideration of sparse representation theory via a sparse linear combination of the patch-based atoms in the dictionary.

Iterative reconstruction for X-ray computed tomography using prior-image induced nonlocal regularization

The Research Foundation for the State University of New York


Diene polymers or copolymers having improved balance between raw polymer viscosity and mixed compound viscosity, useful in tire tread compositions having highly balanced wet traction, rolling resistance, and traction in ice and snow, and fracture properties in the cured and white carbon reinforced states are provided. These diene polymers or copolymers comprise a mixture of diene polymer or copolymer chains containing carbon-tin bonds in the main polymer or copolymer chains and diene polymer or copolymer chains containing terminals derived from hydrocarboxysilane compounds. The diene polymer or copolymers are prepared by first coupling a portion of the living diene polymer or copolymer chains obtained by anionic polymerization using a tin polyhalide coupling agent and then terminating the remaining living diene polymer or copolymer chains using hydrocarboxysilane compounds. The resultant diene polymers or copolymers have improved balance between raw polymer viscosity and mixed compound viscosity when compounded with silica and/or carbon black and cured compositions are useful in tire tread having highly balanced wet traction, rolling resistance, and traction in ice and snow. The polymers can be utilized to form elastomer compositions for tire treads having balanced properties of reduced rolling resistance and wet traction and handling or balanced properties of wet traction and handling and traction in snow and ice.

As tires for higher performance are being developed, a rubber having superior fracture properties, good abrasion resistance and low hysteresis loss (low rolling resistance) is desired as the rubber for the tire tread for such tires.
For decreasing the hysteresis loss, cis-1,4-polybutadiene rubber and the like are used. However, the polybutadiene rubber and the like do not have good fracture properties even though they have good abrasion resistance. As a rubber having a remarkably lower hysteresis loss, a solution polymerized butadiene-styrene rubber having the tin-carbon bond in the molecular chain has been developed. However, this rubber does not always have a good balance between wet grip and low rolling resistance.
An elastomeric composition for a tread in which carbon black alone is used as the filler for the rubber described above can realize the desired balance between various properties and performances to some degree. However, simultaneous improvement of wet grip and low rolling resistance to a higher degree has come to be required more urgently in recent years and it is difficult for the rubber described above to satisfy this requirement. In order to solve this problem, there have been disclosed elastomeric compositions in which white carbon such as silica is used alone or in combination with carbon black as the filler. The use of silica in tire tread compositions sometimes improves the balance between wet traction and traction in ice and snow. However, it has been known that diene polymers have low affinity with white carbon such as silica and it is difficult to obtain a homogeneously dispersed rubber composition by milling. To improve this drawback, a large amount of an expensive silane coupling agent is mixed together in many cases. However, since the use of these silane coupling agents in a rubber formulation generates a substantial amount of ethanol in a Banbury mixer, the coupled rubbery mixture may contain undesirable large bubbles that may form blisters or surface defects in the resultant formed articles. Silane coupling agent which is widely used in the rubber industry for this purpose contains free sulfur groups which are undesirable if present in a rubber formulation processed at high mixing temperatures because "scorching" of the rubber may occur. Scorching reduces the processability of the rubber or renders the rubber unusable.
In order to overcome many of these deficiencies the use of an elastomer having a functionality that interacts with silica was proposed. An example of such elastomeric composition is an elastomeric composition containing a polymer modified with an alkoxysilane compound at the end and a silica filler, as displayed in Japanese Patent Publication Showa 52(1977)-5071, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. Showa 56(1981)-104906, Showa 62(1987)-50346 and Showa 62(1987)-227908. With these technologies, the physical properties of tires containing the silane modified rubbers, silica and other ingredients could be improved while reducing the necessary amount of the expensive additive Si-69. However, due to the reaction occurring between the silica filler and the hydrocarboxysilanes functionality of the polymers, Mooney viscosities of the resultant compounds were usually too high, thereby creating problems in mixing, in roll milling and in extruding processes. A countermeasure to the high Mooney viscosity was to reduce the molecular weight of the base diene polymer, however this solution created additional problems at the synthetic rubber plant where polymers are made on an industrial scale. These polymers could not be processed by drying to a final rubber bale because of the low molecular weight (Gum Mooney) of the hydrocarboxysilane terminated polymers. Also the raw, low molecular weight diene polymers were susceptible to "cold flow" during storage.

Diene polymers and copolymers incorporating partial coupling and terminals formed from hydrocarboxysilane compounds


The present invention provides a process for purifying a (E)-1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene composition (OF-1233E composition) in which at hydrogen fluoride and 2-chloro-1,1,1,3,3-pentafluoropropane are contained by bringing the (E)-1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene composition into contact with a weak base and a method for producing (E)-1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene composition by distilling the (E)-1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene composition obtained by such a purification process. This makes it possible to efficiently produce OF-1233E by removing the hydrogen fluoride from the OF-1233E composition, without generating any new component difficult to separate by distillation, and subjecting the resulting composition to distillation.

OF-1233E is useful as cleaning agents, refrigerants, heat mediums for heat pumps, high-temperature working fluids etc. It is known that OF-1233E is obtained as a component in a reaction product by fluorination of 1,1,1,3,3-pentachloropropane (HCC-240fa) with hydrogen fluoride (see Patent Document 1). Herein, the reaction product also contains organic substances such as an isomer, i.e., cis-1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene (also referred to as "OF-1233Z") and by-products or intermediates, e.g., 3-chloro-1,1,1,3-tetrafluoropropane (also referred to as "HCFC-244fa"), 2-chloro-1,1,1,3,3-pentafluoropropane (also referred to as "HCFC-235da") etc., hydrogen chloride and unreacted hydrogen fluoride.
There are disclosed techniques for removing the hydrogen chloride or hydrogen fluoride from the reaction product by washing the reaction product with water (Patent Document 1) or aqueous potassium hydroxide solution (Patent Document 2).

Method for producing (E)-1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene


A method for playing a mathematics game includes the steps of providing playing cards including a plurality of numeric cards, at least one operational card, and at least one equal sign card; constructing a numeric sentence framework; dealing a select number of the plurality of numeric cards to a select number of players to provide each player with a hand of numeric cards; and creating a first true numeric sentence by playing into the numeric sentence framework at least one or more of the numeric cards in a player's hand.

When educating someone, it is common to employ an education method that makes the learning experience feel like a game. Educational methods that resemble games are particularly more attractive to children, who tend to find more traditional forms of education, such as rote memorization and replication, to be boring. This is particularly true when it comes to learning mathematics.
There is no avoiding the fact that the foundations for learning mathematics must rest upon the rote memorization of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division "tables." These "tables" typically provide the values for the addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of all the various combinations of the integers from zero to nine. Once all of the various combinations of these integers are memorized by an individual, the learning of more advanced mathematics is possible. However, memorizing each different mathematical combination of the integers zero through nine requires constantly working with arithmetic combinations of such integers until the value of a given arithmetic combination is immediately brought to mind upon being presented with the combination. For example, it is necessary that someone should be able to state that 9×6=54, without having to count by groups of nines or sixes. Rather, to advance in mathematics, it is necessary that the answer to such an arithmetic combination "6×9" simply be "known." Thus, although methods do exist in the prior art for aiding in the memorization of arithmetic principles, there is always a need in the art for additional education methods that make such learning enjoyable, such that adequate time will be devoted to such principles, for the purpose of strengthening math skills. In addition, there is always a need for an enjoyable family game at home that brings families together in a shared activity of fun and relaxation.


A filter cleaning device includes a cleaning chamber operable to receive a gas filter to be cleaned, the cleaning chamber having an inlet through which a gas flow can be admitted and an outlet for gas flow leaving the cleaning chamber, the inlet and outlet being arranged such that the airflow is forced to pass through at least a part of the filter when inserted, the filter cleaning device further comprising a mechanical agitation arrangement operable, in one mode of operation, to generate a linear oscillation along an axis of the filter when inserted and, in another mode of operation, to rotate the filter about an axis of rotation.

The present disclosure relates to an air filter cleaner. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to an air filter cleaner comprising both fluid flow and mechanical vibration cleaning mechanisms.
Air filters are used in a number of environments to separate dirt, dust and particulates from an incoming air flow. This is particularly important in fields such as vehicular transportation (e.g. trucks, cars and aircraft) where a clean flow of air into, for example, an internal combustion engine is required in order to ensure continued operation of the engine and prevent contaminants from entering the engine.
Such air filters operate as a particulate barrier. In other words, they are arranged to allow air molecules to pass therethrough whilst preventing the passage of particulates such as dirt and dust. Many air filters thus comprise a filter medium which may take the form of a semi-porous membrane or separation surface. Often, the filter is cylindrical with the membrane forming a pleated cylindrical separation surface.
The filter is placed such that the filter is located a flow path between the air inlet (which may be located on the front of a vehicle) and the inlet to the component to be kept dirt- and dust-free (e.g. the inlet manifold of an IC engine). Thus, dirty airflow enters an air inlet and passes through the filter, depositing dirt and dust thereon .The cleaned airflow then exits the filter and passes downstream thereof.
Since a particulate filter comprises a semi-porous separation surface, over time the pores of the filter will become blocked with separated dirt and dust. This increases the pressure drop across the filter and will, if unchecked, lead to the filter becoming completely blocked and unable to pass an airflow therethrough. Therefore, the filter requires replacement or cleaning
In many cases, a used air filter is simply replaced and the old filter thrown away. However, in some situations, it is possible to clean the air filters. Conventionally, this is done with compressed air alone, or compressed air in combination with sonic agitation to shake the dirt and dust free. However, these arrangements are cumbersome and expensive to use. Often, the size and expense of such equipment is prohibitive so it not practical to have on-site cleaning facilities at, for example, truck or bus depots. Instead, it is necessary for a user to send a dirty air filter to a remotely-located cleaning establishment to have the filter cleaned. This has obvious disadvantages in terms of delivery time and cost.
Alternative arrangements are known which employ a combination of high-pressure airflow and mechanical agitation. Examples of known arrangements are disclosed in WO 97/41945, U.S. Pat. No. 6,755,016, GB-A-1,539,720, GB-A-863,888, DE-A-19825616 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,762,783.
However, many of the above arrangements apply direct agitation to the pleats of the filter itself or strike the filter itself with hammers and equivalent striking mechanisms. This can lead to damage to the filter media. Furthermore, many of the above-disclosed arrangements are unsuitable for modern filter elements which comprise a pleated separation surface located within a cage element because they necessarily require unimpeded contact with the filter medium itself.

Method and apparatus for cleaning a filter


A wire winder and post puller device for aiding both in the retrieval of wire such as from a fence as well as the uprooting of installed posts. The wire winder and post puller device generally includes a frame adapted to be secured to loader arms of a loader. The frame supports a wire spool assembly which is adapted to be swung into and out of place via use of a support member rotatably secured to the frame. Wire may be wound onto the wire spool assembly through usage of a winding hydraulic motor which rotates the axle. Wire may be removed by swinging out the wire spool assembly from the frame and removing its first spool wheel. A post puller assembly is also provided to aid in removing posts from the ground in combination with the wire winder.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a wire winder and post puller attachment for a loader and more specifically it relates to a wire winder and post puller device for aiding both in the retrieval of wire such as from a fence as well as the uprooting of installed posts.
2. Description of the Related Art
Any discussion of the related art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such related art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.
Fences comprised of posts linked by wire have been in use for many years for protecting personal property, enclosing livestock and various other purposes. Very often, such fences will need to be removed from a site for one reason or another. The task of removing such fences can be extremely burdensome, particularly where the fences are comprised of barbed wire fences.
In the past, individuals wishing to remove such a fence have been forced to manually cut and retrieve the wire between the fence posts. Doing so can lead to a tangled mess and, in some cases, injury to such an individual who is forced to wrestle with manually collecting and coiling such wire for further use or disposal. Further, it can be extremely difficult to remove posts left behind from the ground. Where machinery is used, it is often required that multiple devices be used for winding up the wire and removing the posts.
Because of the inherent problems with the related art, there is a need for a new and improved wire winder and post puller device for aiding both in the retrieval of wire such as from a fence as well as the uprooting of installed posts.


The present invention provides methods of preventing and treating pain, by modulating, e.g. inhibiting, the activity, function and/or expression of a PLCγ in a subject. The invention further relates to methods of identifying agents capable of modulating the activity and/or expression of a PLCγ, or capable of modulating binding of a ligand or binding partner to a PLCγ, and their use thereof for the prevention and/or treatment of pain. In a further aspect, the invention provides methods for the diagnosis and prognostication of pain by determining whether there is modulation of activity and/or expression of a PLCγ relative to a corresponding control.

The need for new and improved methods and agents for pain treatment is a significant ongoing concern in medicine. Acute pain, e.g. related to injury or disease, can be severe and have critical effects on patient recovery. An even greater concern is chronic pain, which affects a large proportion of the population, causing not only significant discomfort, but can result in low self-esteem, depression, anger, and can interfere with or completely prevent a sufferer from typical daily activities.
While a number of studies have been done in this area, many mechanisms and pathways involved in pain sensation remain poorly understood. There remains a continued need to provide new strategies of therapeutic intervention for pain treatment.

Method for identifying compounds for treatment of pain


A method for mapping a DICOM document into a UML document is disclosed and claimed by this invention. The method includes mapping each DICOM Information Entity in the DICOM document into a corresponding UML class in the UML document, mapping each DICOM IOD Module in the DICOM document into a corresponding UML class in the UML document, mapping each DICOM Macro in the DICOM document into a corresponding UML class in the UML document, and mapping each DICOM Attribute in the DICOM document into a corresponding UML attribute in the UML document. It also includes a UML profile for DICOM information model which guides the UML modeling for all the DICOM IODs. It can also guide the genertion of XML schemas and DTDs from UML models based on this profile.

The present invention relates to the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standard, and more particularly relates to a standard representation of DICOM in the unified modeling language (UML), i.e., a UML profile for DICOM.
The Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standard is a detailed specification that describes a means for formatting and exchanging images, and associated information. relies on standard communication protocols and addresses the communication and viewing of images from such modalities such as CT, MR, Ultrasound, Nuclear medicine, Digital Cardiology, Angiography, RF equipment and Radiation Therapy devices and systems. Extensions are being developed to include modalities with visible light sources such as Ophthalmology, Microscopy for Pathology applications, as well as Endoscopy. It also allows the exchange of patient demographic data, exam status and scheduling information. The rapid adoption of DICOM by the medical imaging industry is opening new opportunities for healthcare organizations to increase the quality and cost effectiveness of patient care.
DICOM has an information model defining a set of Information Object Definitions (IODs) which provide an abstract definition of real-world objects applicable to communication of digital medical information. For each IOD, DICOM specifies any necessary information for the semantic description of the IOD, relationships to associated real-world objects relevant to the IOD and attributes which describe the characteristics of the IOD. Each IOD, moreover, is defined as a set of tables based on the entity-relationship (E-R) scheme. The problem is that IODs are not machine-readable and not easy to capture and follow for non-DICOM literates. This acts as a barrier to communication between information architects and software developers from different domains.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Precise UML modeling framework of the DICOM information model


A plastics processing machine is associated with an internal mixer. Thermoplastic material is separately melted in the plastics processing machine and injected into the mixing chamber of the internal mixer, where it is mixed with fillers, caoutchouc or the like.

Numerous variants of so-called internal mixers, kneaders or Banbury mixers have been disclosed. Basically they are batch-wise operated mixers with a mixing chamber comprising two cylindrical partial mixing chambers overlapping each other in part. A mixing shaft with one or several kneading blades is arranged in each partial mixing chamber. These blades may mesh or rotate one past the other. The blades are driven to rotate in opposite directions. Mixing material is supplied from above through a feed shaft to be closed by means of a stamp arranged in the vicinity of the upper saddle of the mixing chamber. A discharge opening is provided in the vicinity of the lower saddle of the mixing chamber. Such mixers are for instance known from U.S. Pat. No. 4 058 296, from U.S. Pat. No. 4 234 259 or from DE 20 59 844 A (corresponding to U.S. Ser. No. 882 560 of Dec. 5, 1969). Such internal mixers are preferably used to knead caoutchouc and to include fillers and additives into caoutchouc. But they can also be used for a plurality of other mixing and kneading objects. The melting of thermoplastics in the internal mixer, as it occurs for the manufacture of thermoplastic elastomers or cable compounds during mixing with caoutchouc, is extraordinarily time-consuming. It is even more difficult if not impossible to manufacture highly loaded compounds, in which the fillers are not to be damaged if possible, so that they are supplied to the mixer only after the basic material is completely melted. If internal mixers are used to this effect, this means that the mixer is filled only to some minor degree when the thermoplastics are first supplied in the form of granules, grit or powder. The power supply to the thermoplastic is extraordinarily small with the consequence that the melting process takes an extremely long time or does not take place at all, the more so as for structural reasons the width of the gap between the blades and the wall of the mixing chamber is as a rule comparatively large, by all means larger than the grain diameter of thermoplastic in the form of grit or powder. As a rule this also applies to the grain size of granules in comparison to the gap widths between the kneading blades and the wall of the mixing chamber. Even if the grain size of the granules is larger than the gap, the granules will mostly roll along the kneading blades and will not be sheared in the gap, until they are sufficiently heated to stick to the wall of the mixing chamber or the kneading blades.
It has further been disclosed to inject oils directly into the mixing chamber of internal mixers by way of an injection nozzle.

Method and apparatus for the mixing of mixing material with thermoplastic material


An apparatus that operates to cause financial transfers responsive to data read from data bearing records, includes at least one processor that is in operative connection with a card reader, a check acceptor, a cash dispenser and a display. The at least one processor causes the machine to operate to read card data from a user card, and to cause a determination to be made that the read card data corresponds to an authorized financial account. The at least one processor is operative to cause data to be read from a check and/or cash to be dispensed, and a financial transfer to or from the account corresponding to the value thereof. Machine instructions are output and user transaction inputs can be received through either a primary or an auxiliary touch screen display.

Automated banking machines that operate responsive to data read from data bearing records may include a card reader that operates to read data from a bearer record such as a user card. Automated banking machines may operate to cause the data read from the card to be compared with other computer stored data related to the bearer or their financial accounts. The machine operates in response to the comparison determining that the bearer record corresponds to an authorized user or account, to carry out at least one transaction which may be operative to transfer value to or from at least one account. A record of the transaction is often printed through operation of a printer of the machine and provided to the user. Automated banking machines may be used to carry out transactions such as dispensing cash, the making of deposits, the transfer of funds between accounts and account balance inquiries. The types of banking transactions that may be carried out are determined by the capabilities of the particular banking machine and system, as well as the programming of the institution operating the machine.
Other types of automated banking machines may be operated by merchants to carry out commercial transactions. These transactions may include, for example, the acceptance of deposit bags, the receipt of checks or other financial instruments, the dispensing of rolled coin, or other transactions required by merchants. Still other types of automated banking machines may be used by service providers in a transaction environment such as at a bank to carry out financial transactions. Such transactions may include for example, the counting and storage of currency notes or other financial instrument sheets, and other types of transactions. For purposes of this disclosure an automated banking machine, automated transaction machine or an automated teller machine (ATM) shall be deemed to include any machine that may be used to automatically carry out transactions involving transfers of value.
Automated banking machines may benefit from improvements.

Banking system controlled responsive to data bearing records

Diebold Self-Service Systems Division of Diebold, Incorporated


A method for separately collecting an optically active amino acid amide and an optically active amino acid from an aqueous solution containing same, together with at least one member selected from the group consisting of an acid, a base, and a salt, includes a step of neutralizing an acid or base in the aqueous solution, a desalting step of removing a salt contained in the aqueous solution and/or formed in the neutralization step, and a step of separately collecting the optically active amino acid amide/amino acid separately from the desalted aqueous solution by a process which takes advantage of a difference in solubility between the two components in an organic solvent. The desalting step is preferably performed by electrodialysis, optionally with ammonia added to the aqueous solution. The optically active amino acid amide/amino acid can be separately collected with high efficiency using an organic solvent.

As a method for producing an optically active amino acid amide and an optically active amino acid, there has been known, for example, an optical resolution method using an enzyme which enantioselectively hydrolyzes one of the optically active forms of an amino acid amide or using a microorganism containing the enzyme. This method is advantageous in that an optical resolution can be performed under a mild condition without use of expensive optical resolving agents and/or devices.
However, in the above-mentioned method of optical resolution of an amino acid amide using an enzyme that enantioselectively hydrolyzes an amino acid amide or a microorganism containing the enzyme, an unreacted optically active amino acid amide coexists with the optically active amino acid as a reaction product in the reacted solution, and thus it is necessary to separate the optically active amino acid amide and the optically active amino acid after the reaction. As a method of this separation, there is known a method of preferentially precipitating and filtering off an optically active amino acid by concentrating a reacted aqueous solution and then adding thereto an organic solvent or by concentrating the aqueous solution with addition of an organic solvent that forms azeotrope with water so as to replace the water with the organic solvent (refer to Patent Document 1).
However, when either of an acid or a base exists together with an optically active amino acid amide and an optically active amino acid in an enzymatically-reacted solution, it is difficult to separate the optically active amino acid amide and the optically active amino acid, because the optically active amino acid amide and the optically active amino acid form acid salts or base salts to become hardly soluble in the organic solvent. Further, when a salt is contained in the enzymatically-reacted solution, there is a problem that the salt is also precipitated together with an optically active amino acid that is obtained as an insoluble matter in the organic solvent, thereby lowering crystal purity and efficiency of collecting the amino acid separately from the optically active amino acid amide.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2001-11034

Method of separately collecting optically active amino acid amide and optically active amino acid


The object of the present invention is a process of preparation of a graft copolymer obtained by pre-irradiation grafting of vinyl monomers onto polyolefins or fluorinated polyethylenes, in particular, of grafting acrylic or methacrylic acid onto polyethylene and/or polypropylene and subsequently loading a metal, such as a transition metal on the graft copolymer obtained. Such metal-loaded graft copolymers find use, especially as catalysts, e.g. for hydrogenation reactions.

The idea of anchoring transition metal catalysts to organic polymers has interested scientists, wherein bound catalyst studies have been made to produce heterogenized catalyst systems having the distinguishing characteristic of being easily separable from the reaction media (Hodge, P., Sherrington, D. C. (Eds.), Synthesis and separations using functional polymers, John Wiley & Sons, New York, (1988)).
Transition metal polymer-bound catalysts may offer a number of advantages, such as
greater catalytic activity, due to lack of formation of ligand-bridged complexes as one catalytic site may be isolated from another,
two active catalysts anchored to the same polymer backbone can in some cases be used to conduct sequential multistep organic synthesis,
minimized losses during use of polymeric catalysts,
increase of substrate selectivity due to an increase in the steric environment. Further, the selectivity of the polymer towards different substrates can be controlled by the loading of the catalyst on the polymer support, controlling the degree of resin swelling and introducing optically active groups in the polymer around the active site.
A polymer support used in a particular application should fulfill a number of important functions simultaneously. First, the support must possess the correct mechanical properties. For example, in column or batch applications, resin beads must be mechanically strong enough compression and fractional friction. Secondly, the support must possess the correct physical structure in order to ensure that a high amount of the functional groups in the material are accessible to the reaction phase. Finally, the support must provide the correct microenvironment to optimize the process being carried out, e.g. it must provide the correct polarity, hydrophilicity, microviscosity etc. In general, these support requirements have been demanded by default rather than by careful argument and design. When looking at the traditional styrene divinylbenzene resins it seems clear that the desirable features, especially in the accessibility-capacity relation, tend to be mutually exclusive and that for any particular application a compromise had to be made (Guyot, A., Reactive Polymers. 16 (1992), 233).
Further, since polymer supported catalysts are more expensive than their homogeneous analogues, it is vital that they can be recycled.
A useful method for preparing polymer bound reactants, with a potential of solving many of the problems mentioned above, is grafting, and especially radiation grafting, which offers promising new opportunities (Hartley, F. R., J. Polym. Sci., Polym. Chem. Ed., 20, (1982), 2395; Garnett, J. L., J. Polym. Sci., Polym. Lett., 19, (1981), 23; Akelah, A., J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 28, (1983), 3137). Radiation grafting involves taking a polymer with appropriate morphology and physical properties and introducing reactive sites, free radicals, into the polymer chain by irradiation. The free radicals can either combine to give cross-links, as is the case for example polyethylene, or cause chain scission, as is the case for polypropylene. In the presence of vinyl monomers, on the other hand, the free radicals can initiate graft copolymerization.
The preparation of graft copolymers and the use of graft copolymers in a variety of applications are well known in both literature and patents (Stannet, V. et. al., Radiat. Phys. Chem., 35, (1990)).
Three different methods of radiation grafting have been developed and most of the work done has concentrated on the use of low dose rate gamma rays from .sup.60 Co sources. During the past few years, however, there has been much interest in using high energy electrons from accelerators with high dose rates (10.sup.6 -10.sup.9 rads/sec), since these high dose rates make radiation chemical processes commercially more attractive. The chemistry involved is, however, similar whether gamma or electron radiation is utilized, and therefore the graft result using the different sources does not significantly differ. The three methods of radiation grafting that have received special attention are: (1) direct radiation grafting of a vinyl monomer onto a polymer (mutual grafting), (2) grafting on radiation-peroxidized polymers (peroxide grafting) and (3) grafting initiated by trapped radicals (pre-irradiation grafting).
Mutual grafting by irradiating of the polymer in the presence of the monomer is a fairly simple and effective method, since the free radicals initiate polymerization immediately upon generation. The disadvantage of this method is, however, that simultaneously with the graft copolymerization, homopolymerization of the monomer occurs upon irradiation.
When grafting on radiation-peroxidized polymers, the polymer is first irradiated in the presence of oxygen, thus forming peroxides and hydroperoxides that are stable and can be stored in the polymer for a long period of time. Grafting is activated by cleavage of the peroxides or hydroperoxides by heat, UV-light or catalysts in a monomer solution.
Pre-irradiation grafting by irradiation of the polymer alone in an inert atmosphere and immersing the irradiated polymer in a monomer solution requires additional steps in comparison to direct radiation or mutual grafting, but the advantage is that only a small amount of homopolymer is formed, mainly by a chain transfer process. The pre-irradiation grafting process is controlled by the diffusion of the monomer in the polymer and can to some extent be facilitated by the use of solvents that are able to swell the formed graft copolymer.
Pre-irradiation grafting is mostly preferred since this method produces only small amounts of homopolymer in comparison to mutual grafting.

Process for the preparation of a graft copolymer bound catalyst


A structure for connecting a wheel house panel with a rear floor of a vehicle, which connects the rear floor forming a rear portion of a bottom of the vehicle with the wheel house panel on which shock absorber mounting brackets attached to both sides of the rear floor and supporting a shock absorber are mounted may include a first member bending between a lower end of an inner side of the wheel house panel and a side of the rear floor, with both ends attached to the wheel house panel and the rear floor, respectively, a second member vertically elongated and attached to an outer side of the wheel house panel and disposed behind the shock absorber mounting brackets, and a third member vertically elongated and attached to the outer side of the wheel house panel and disposed in front of the shock absorber mounting brackets.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure for connecting a wheel house panel to a rear floor of a vehicle, and more particularly to a structure for connecting a wheel house panel to a rear floor of a vehicle which improves durability of the part connecting a wheel house panel and a rear floor by including a first member attached to the wheel house panel and the rear floor, on the inner side of the wheel house panel, and a second member and a third member attached to the outer side of the wheel house panel.
2. Description of Related Art
In general, a vehicle is largely composed of a body and a chassis. The body is the part defining the outer shape of the vehicle and the chassis is the part where the minimum mechanical devices for driving the vehicle are mounted.
Pillars that support the front doors and rear doors, form the entire shape of the body, and keep the strength of the sides of the body are attached to the edges of the front doors and the rear doors at both sides of the body.
The pillars are a front door that is arranged in the front-rear direction of a vehicle at a predetermined angle toward the front of the body to be able to support the front door in contact with the rear of the engine room at the front part of the body and a center pillar that is arranged vertically between the front door and the rear door and supports the front door and the rear door and the side of the body which is open by the doors, and a rear pillar that is coupled to the rear end of the rear door and supports the rear door and the rear portion of the body.
In general, the pillars make a ring-shaped structure by combining with a roof rail on the roof of the body and the floor cross member to be able to increase the entire structural strength of the body.
As shown in FIG. 1, according to the structure for connecting a wheel house panel and a rear floor of a vehicle in the related art, a rear floor 1 is formed on the rear portion of the bottom of the vehicle, a wheel house panel 2 with a shock absorber mounting bracket 3 is attached to both sides of the rear floor 1, and a rear floor cross member 4 and a wheel house cover 6 are mounted on the rear floor 1 and the wheel house panel 2, respectively.
As shown in FIG. 1, the rear floor cross member 4 and the wheel house cover 6 are connected by a connecting member 5, and the rear floor cross member 4, the connecting member 5, and the wheel house cover 6 are arranged in a line to make a ring-shaped structure around the rear pillar of the vehicle.
However, as shown in FIG. 1, the rear floor cross member 4, the connecting member 5, and the wheel house cover 6 that are connected in a line are spaced from the shock absorber mounting bracket 3 because of a spatial limit due to the layout of the rear portion of the body, so the strength of the connecting portion between the wheel house panel 2 and the rear floor 1 decreases.
That is, reinforcement of the shock absorber mounting bracket 3 that is a load input part is insufficient and the inveterate problem with durability is caused due to the phase difference between the rear floor cross member 4, connecting member 5, wheel house cover 6 and the shock absorber mounting bracket 3, and thus the input point strength of the connecting portion between the wheel house panel 2 and the rear floor 1 decreases.
Further, when the thickness of the connecting member is increased or a specific reinforcing member is combined to solve this problem, the manufacturing cost and the weight of the body are increased.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.

Structure for connecting wheel house panel to rear floor of vehicle


An antimicrobial, abrasive, polishing compound, colloidal suspension or gel formulated for the controlling of microbial cross-contamination in the pumicing or polishing of prosthetic and orthodontic dental appliances and related materials. The colloidal suspension provides continuous, instant access to a pre-mixed polishing compound with excellent antimicrobial activity for use by dental offices and laboratories.

The present invention relates to compounds for grinding and polishing, such as those used in the dental industry.
Pumice (crushed volcanic rock) is widely used by dentists and dental technicians to abrade, grind, smooth, buff and finish dental acrylics, gold, metals, chrome-cobalt alloys and porcelain and other materials associated with prosthetic and orthodontic dental appliances. In these applications, pumice has generally been used by adding pumice powder to a shallow pan which lies underneath an arbor and polishing wheel of a lathe. Water is then added to the pumice and mixed together to form a polishing medium with the consistency of very fine, wet beach sand. The operator activates the lathe, thus spinning the polishing wheel, and scoops this wet pumice from the pan by hand and applies it to either the polishing wheel, the area of the prosthetic appliance to be polished, or both. The dental appliance is then forced onto the underside of the wheel, while applying an appropriate amount of pressure, to remove deep gouges and rough surfaces created by dental rotary instruments in the fabrication and/or adjustment of the appliance. The amount of time necessary to bring the acrylic surface to one of relative smoothness depends mainly on how abraded the surface is, the volume of area to be polished and the grit size of the pumice used.
Pumice is generally supplied as a crushed powder in which an aqueous liquid, mainly water, is added to wet the powder in order to produce a usable mixture. This wet pumice mixture is generally contained with in a shallow rectangular pan, encased in a splash hood, which lies below a polishing wheel fixed to an arbor connected to a polishing lathe. This wet pumice is then applied to a prosthetic or orthodontic dental appliance or to the revolving wheel of the lathe, and the appliance forced against the wheel to reduce the abraded surfaces of the appliance created mainly by dental rotary instruments during the fabricating and/or adjusting of the appliance. This abrasion of the appliance surface, by the rotary instruments as well as the pumice granules potentially releases microorganisms present on or below the surface of the appliance. This contamination is transferred into the bulk pumice supply below the wheel as well as becomes imbedded in the fibers of the polishing wheel. This microbial contamination can potentially be transmitted to all future appliance cases, the operator and possibly even the patient, presenting a cross-contamination hazard that needs to be rectified.
Throughout the dental community, recommendations have been put forth to enable dentists and laboratories combat this contamination in the pumicing/polishing areas. Generally a mixture of the pumice powder, an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved disinfectant liquid and water are combined to try to control contamination. However, efficacy data for controllability of microbial contamination by this means is not available. Also, many of these disinfectants are extremely corrosive to the skin and eyes, thus proving hazardous for a polishing material that splatters greatly when applied to a high speed polishing wheel of a lathe. Another problem associated with the incorporation of these liquid disinfectants into the pumice powder is the settling of the pumice powder to the bottom of the pan, in which it is held, resulting from gravitational forces. This results in a separation of germicidal liquid and pumice, promoting increased evaporation of the said liquid, thus reducing the amounts of germicidal volume for treating the contamination. Thus, there is no ability to accurately assure the parts per million (ppm) available germicide in the pumice, disinfectant and water mixture are at germicidal levels at the time of polishing an appliance case. Furthermore, the additions of organic materials from ongoing pumicing/polishing of appliance cases, such as tartar, calculus, saliva, blood, mucous and other proteinaceous soils depletes the availability of active germicide, thus depleting the activity level of the germicidal pumice mixture. A further problem associated with the current techniques for pumicing of cases is the lack of efficiency in the continual weighing, diluting, mixing, and adding of the liquids to the pumice powder prior to pumicing steps.
Clinical studies have shown the existence of microbial contamination in the used pumice medium of dental offices and laboratories to be in excess of a quarter billion cells per gram of pumice: a threatening level for a reservoir of potentially pathogenic organisms.
In short, pumice compositions and pumicing techniques, as currently used in the industry, have many disadvantages which prevent the operator from adhering or complying to current guidelines, recommendations and regulations in the dental community. One major disadvantage of the current compositions and techniques is the inability to effectively control the spread of microbial cross-contamination in the pumicing area. Pumice is generally reused from case to case, transferring germs from one dental prosthesis to another and potentially to the operator and possibly even the patient as well. Another disadvantage is the lack of efficiency in preparing the pumice mixture for performing the current techniques. The current techniques of premixing the pumice and liquid and the cleaning and discarding of used material lend themselves to be cumbersome, inefficient, time consuming and messy as well as a potential biohazard for the operator.


In a process chamber of a substrate processing apparatus, such as an RTP apparatus, a carrier is placed and configured to carry out a contaminant that has been attached to it. In this state, a cleaning gas containing N2 and O2 is introduced into the process chamber, and cleaning is performed under conditions including a pressure of 133.3 Pa or less and a temperature of 700° C. to 1,100° C. This cleaning is repeatedly performed by sequentially replacing a plurality of carriers.

RTP (Rapid Thermal Processing) is known as one semiconductor device manufacturing process. For example, after implanting ions into a semiconductor wafer (which may be merely referred to as a "wafer" hereinafter), annealing is performed for rearranging impurities or recovering crystal damage. When a thermal budget (amount of heat during process) in the annealing step increases, dopants (impurities) tend to diffuse in the source/drain regions, in the case of, e.g., a transistor. This deepens the junction and decreases the dopant concentration. A shallow junction is indispensable under a micro-design rule. Hence, RTP is employed which can decrease the total thermal budget by increasing and decreasing the temperature rapidly within a short period of time.
In such RTP, the wafer temperature must be increased and decreased rapidly with a good controllability in a clean atmosphere where no foreign substance or contaminant is present in a container. For this purpose, after an RTP apparatus is delivered or repaired, it is indispensable to calibrate the temperature of the apparatus by increasing and decreasing the temperature while a TC wafer (Si substrate with a thermocoulpe) having a temperature measurement function is set in the process chamber thereof. Use of the TC wafer for temperature calibration may, however, contaminate the interior of the process chamber with Cu. When the interior of the process chamber is contaminated with Cu, Cu may be attached to a target wafer during later annealing and may infiltrate into a device as a contaminant, greatly impairing the reliability of semiconductor devices.
As a prior art for removing metal contamination in a thermal processing apparatus, it is proposed in a thermal diffusion furnace to supply a purge gas such as ammonia into a reaction chamber and activate the gas to react with a metal contaminant contained in a member inside the reaction chamber, thereby removing the metal contaminant (for example, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2004-311929; claim 2, FIG. 6 and so forth).
More specifically, the method of Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2004-311929 activates ammonia gas at a temperature of 950° C. and a pressure of 15,960 Pa. Under these conditions, ammonia gas provides a larger cleaning effect than N2 gas. However, the method of Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2004-311929 also has the function of nitriding the surface of a quartz member in the reaction chamber so that impurities such as a metal are confined in the quartz member, thereby preventing the impurities such as a metal from diffusing in the reaction chamber. This method is thus not aimed at reducing the impurities such as a metal in the reaction chamber to a level that does not cause a problem. Hence, according to the above method, every time the interior of the reaction chamber is cleaned with a fluorine-containing cleaning gas, a purge process must be performed with ammonia gas.


A lightweight spare tire system. The lightweight spare tire system includes a carbon fiber composite vehicle rim that is suitable for use with a spare tire and a lightweight tire that is suitable for use with the carbon fiber composite rim. The lightweight tire and rim creates a lightweight spare wheel that may be used on a vehicle.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to lightweight spare wheels and, more particularly, to lightweight spare wheels that include a lightweight rim and a lightweight tire, and a system and method for monitoring the use of spare wheels.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Maximizing fuel efficiency in vehicles is a major concern of automotive engineers. With respect to spare tires or wheels, the use of a temporary spare tire provides the benefit of taking up less storage space and is lighter than a full-sized tire, thus providing better fuel efficiency and increased spaciousness, as well as ease of handling during a tire change.
A typical spare tire rim is made from a suitably strong and durable metal alloy material, such as steel or aluminum. Steel rims are typically around 8 kg, and aluminum rims are typically about 5.5. kg. In a full size tire with thick tread sections and heavy steel and/or polyester belts, the average weight of the resulting rim and tire assembly, i.e., the wheel, is approximately 12 kg. A compact spare tire with thick tread sections and heavy steel and/or polyester belts has an average weight of approximately 6 kg. While this is lighter than the full size wheel, there is still a need in the art to reduce the weight of spare tires. The lowered weight or mass of the spare tire translates to a lower mass of the overall vehicle, which is expected to lead to an improvement in fuel economy.
Another consideration for engineers when dealing with spare tires is safety. While vehicle tire systems that monitor characteristics such as tire pressure are known, for example, as disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0000596 to Sachdev et al., entitled "Low Noise Run-Flat Tires", filed Jul. 2, 2009, assigned to the assignee of this application and incorporated by reference, these systems do not detect the use of a spare tire. Currently, once a spare tire is installed there is no mechanism to indicate that the spare tire has been installed or to track how long it has been on the vehicle. Thus, there is also a need in the art for a system and method that detects the use of a spare tire and that warns the driver when the spare tire is reaching the end of its life.

System and method for using a lightweight spare tire


A snap-together, two piece, injection molded hairbrush includes a brush body and a bristle insert. The brush body includes a head and a handle. The head has a first and second end and a first and second side. The first and second ends and first and second sides form an open frame and a plurality of ribs extend between the first and second ends to define a first set of air slots. The handle has first and second ends and the first end of the handle is attached to the second end of the head. The bristle insert includes an open frame, a plurality of convex webs, a plurality of spaced bristles, and a connector. The open frame has first and second sides and first and second ends. The plurality of convex webs extend between the first and second sides of the open frame and are spaced from one another to define a second set of air slots. The plurality of spaced bristles are carried on each of the webs and extend outward from the webs. The connector mates with the frame of the head to connect the bristle insert to the head.

The present invention relates to hairbrushes. In particular, the present invention is a two-piece molded hairbrush which includes a brush body and a bristle insert.
The most common type of bristle for hairbrushes is the nylon tufted bristle. Nylon tufted bristles are made by tufting pieces of nylon into holes which have been drilled or molded into the head of the brush. The tufting process is similar to sewing. This process is repeated for each individual bristle throughout the entire brush head. Nylon tufted bristles have significant advantages in that they tend to be quite flexible and have excellent memory. Memory, which refers to the ability of the bristles to return to their original position after being bent out of shape, is important for the longevity of the hairbrush. Flexibility is important for overall comfort of the brush on the scalp. The bristles will tend to bend away from rather than stab into the scalp surface.
Although nylon tufted bristles have these advantages, they also present significant shortcomings. First, when the bristle is tufted, some tufting processes require that a secondary short stub is left at the base of the bristle. Thus, the hairbrush tends to trap pieces of hair between the short stub and the actual bristle. This tears hair as it passes through the brush. Second, nylon tufted bristles tend to have an area of space between the bristle and the brush block. Typically, the nylon bristle does not fit tightly in the hole of the brush block into which it is tufted, that is, the diameter of the hole in the brush block is larger than the diameter of the nylon bristle. Thus, the area between the nylon bristle and the brush block tends to trap and tear hair. Third, brushes made using nylon tufted bristles tend to leave lines in the hair on which the brush is used. This occurs because the nylon bristles need to be anchored into the brush block. When the brush block has been vented, the area available to anchor these bristles will quite often be in a straight row. When the bristles are in rows one bristle merely passes directly behind another bristle leaving rows in the hair. Although some attempts have been made to curve the vents in the brushes to prevent the bristles from being in a straight row, these attempts have not been successful overall.
Costs are also a significant limitation in the manufacturing of nylon tufted brushes. Nylon itself is an expensive material. In addition, there are extensive time expenditures in manufacturing nylon tufted brushes. Each bristle must be tufted into the brush block individually, which greatly increase the cost of manufacture.
Alternative hairbrush designs include molded bristle brushes. These brushes remedy significantly some of the shortcomings of the nylon tufted brushes. For example, the bristles on the molded bristle brushes can be angled so that no straight lines will be left in the hair on which the brush is used. Also, no short stub pieces are left on the base of the bristles so that hair will not tend to tear as it moves through the bristles.
However, molded bristle brushes have significant shortcomings of their own. For example, they have poor memory and poor flexibility. Of course, this is true of brushes not molded with nylon. If the brushes are molded with nylon then memory is good but the expense is more than most consumers will pay. When the bristles of (non-nylon) molded brushes are bent out of shape, they tend to stay in that shape rather than to return to their original shape. They also have poor flexibility so that bristles tend to poke into a scalp rather than bend away from it. This is because of the one piece or solid block construction which gives no cushion for the bristles. This leads to a lack of comfort and also causes the bristles to break rather than bend when they impact surfaces. The bristles also tend to tear hair rather than give way to it.
There is continuing need for a hairbrush that remedies the shortcomings of both the nylon tufted brushes and the molded bristle brushes.


A light-curable ink composition for ink jet recording contains a coloring material, a polymerizable compound, and a photopolymerization initiator. The coloring material contains at least C.I. Pigment Yellow 155, and the polymerizable compound contains at least a vinyl-ether-containing (meth)acrylate represented by general formula (I) below:CH2═CR1—COOR2—O—CH═CH—R3  (I).

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a light-curable ink composition for ink jet recording and an ink jet recording method using this ink composition.
2. Related Art
To be of high quality and excellent color reproduction, color images formed by the ink jet process or similar processes should have optical properties such as a hue, transparency, and tinting strength and durability including weather resistance, heat resistance, and solvent resistance. They should also be safe. Pigments are more durable than dyes and thus in many cases are advantageous coloring materials over dyes for use in compositions for the formation of color images.
Yellow is one of the primary colors (yellow, magenta, and cyan), and widely used yellow pigments include Color Index (hereinafter abbreviated to C.I.) Pigment Yellow (hereinafter also referred to as PY) 74, 128, and so forth. These yellow pigments have room for improvement because the yellow colors they produce lack weather resistance.
To solve this problem, researchers have proposed many compositions, in particular, inks, that can produce yellow images that satisfies all of the above listed requirements.
For example, JP-A-2010-260281 discloses two ink compositions. One contains a liquid dispersion based on Pigment Yellow 155 and further contains an alicyclic epoxy compound, another epoxy compound, an oxetane, a cationic polymerizable compound (named Illustrative Compound 1-H in the publication), a surfactant, a photoacid generator, and an anthracene derivative, and the other contains a liquid dispersion based on Pigment Yellow 213 and further contains an alicyclic epoxy compound, another epoxy compound, an oxetane, a cationic polymerizable compound (Illustrative Compound 1-G), a surfactant, a photoacid generator, and an anthracene derivative (Ink Nos. Y-6 and Y-7 in Table 2).
JP-A-2009-1691 discloses an oily ink composition for ink jet recording. This composition contains a liquid pigment dispersion based on (1) C.I. Pigment Yellow 213, (2) C.I. Pigment Yellow 213 and 110, or (3) C.I. Pigment Yellow 213 and 139 and further contains diethylene glycol diethyl ether, tetraethylene glycol dimethyl ether, γ-butyrolactone, and an acrylic resin as a binder (Examples 1 to 3 of the publication, paragraphs [0042] to [0045]).
JP-T-2011-500932 discloses a yellow curable ink. This ink contains 3% by weight of C.I. PY 150 as an yellow pigment, 60.35% by weight of 2-(vinyloxyethoxy)ethyl acrylate (VEEA), and 2.5% by weight of a polymerization initiator (paragraphs [0405] to [0409] of the publication).
JP-A-2009-57548 discloses a light-curable ink composition. This composition contains 74.8% by weight of VEEA, 10% by weight of a hyperbranched polymer, 8% by weight of a polymerization initiator, and 7.2% by weight of a dispersion containing Pigment Yellow 155 (Example 4 in Table 1 of the publication).
These are all disadvantageous. The ink compositions according to JP-A-2010-260281 are difficult to cure with long-wavelength (350 to 420 nm) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in an ultraviolet curing process using the photoacid generator and thus lack curability and become seriously viscous during that process. Worse yet, these ink compositions have unsatisfactory storage stability in some cases. The oily ink composition for ink jet recording according to JP-A-2009-1691 requires heating after printing because of its oily nature. During the heating process, some ingredients are evaporated and form VOCs (volatile organic compounds), which are impurities inherent to oily inks (inks based on organic solvent), and the ink composition itself becomes seriously viscous. The yellow curable ink according to JP-T-2011-500932 has room for improvement in safety because the pigment C.I. PY 150 contains nickel, and records produced using this ink are of unsatisfactory wet weather resistance (waterproofness). The light-curable ink composition according to JP-A-2009-57548 has room for improvement in storage stability.

Light-curable ink composition for ink jet recording and ink jet recording method using the same

Abstract: The vinyl-ether-containing (meth)acrylate is present in an amount of 10 to 67% by mass relative to the total mass of the ink composition.


A network locking method and device for a mobile terminal are provided in the present document, wherein network locking information and verification signals of a mobile terminal and a subscriber identify module (SIM) card are respectively stored in both parties in advance; after the mobile terminal is powered on, the mobile terminal and the SIM card verify each other through the verification signals; if the both parties pass through the verification performed by the other party, the mobile terminal compares the stored network locking information with the network locking information in the SIM card; if the comparison result indicates consistency, the mobile terminal enters into a normal standby state.

Currently, many mobile terminal manufacturers cooperate with mobile operators to develop appropriate customized mobile terminals for operators, and the operators gain market shares by presenting mobile terminals as gifts. This requires that the customized mobile terminals have network locking function, and ensures the users of the customized mobile terminals can only use the services provided by the operator. Afterwards, the operator returns a portion of the acquired profits back to the mobile terminal manufacturers to ensure that the interests of the mobile terminal manufacturers. It can be seen that, in the process of achieving the interests of both parties, the network locking mechanism is an important step, and its security is essential, only if the network locking information remains in effect, can the interests of the operators and the manufacturers be guaranteed.
However, many hackers, in order to reap illegal profits, study the security vulnerabilities existing in the current network locking mechanisms and use these vulnerabilities to crack the network locking mechanism, the cracked and customized mobile terminal can use services provided by other operators. These hackers are paid to illegally crack the customized mobile terminals for the users in order to seek their own interests, and this seriously damages the legitimate rights and interests of the operators and the mobile device manufacturers.
In order to maintain the legitimate rights and interests of the operators and the mobile terminal manufacturers, it not only needs to obtain protection from the legal aspects, but also needs to upgrade the network locking technology to enhance the product competitiveness and user satisfaction of the mobile terminals. The existing network locking method is typically as follows: pre-store the encrypted subscriber identity module (SIM) card information, such as mobile country code (MCC) and Mobile Network Code (MNC), in the mobile terminal; when the mobile terminal is powered on each time, verify the MCC and MNC in the SIM card, namely, compare the stored MCC and MNC with the MCC and MNC in the SIM card inserted in the mobile terminal, if there is a verification error, the mobile terminal cannot work properly, so as to achieve the network locking function of the mobile terminal. It can be seen that, the existing network locking method only designs the network locking scheme at the side of the mobile terminal, that is, the existing solution only optimizes the design of the software or hardware of the mobile terminal, so as to improve the security of the network locking mechanism. However, the mobile terminal can only verify whether the SIM card is a customized SIM card or not, while the SIM card cannot judge whether the mobile terminal in which the SIM card is inserted is a customized mobile terminal or not, that is, they can not verify each other, so that the customized SIM card can also be used even if it is inserted into a non-customized mobile terminal, thus deteriorating legitimate rights and interests of the operators and the mobile terminal manufacturers.

Network locking method and device for mobile terminal


The application is directed to a method for improving a user's experience on an electronic device. An application for modifying data service is displayed on a display of an electronic device. A request is received by the application from a user to modify a current data service with a new data service. The application evaluates the requested, new data service in view of predetermined information based upon the user. The application updates the electronic device with the new data service after its evaluation.

1. Field of the Disclosure
This application generally relates to methods, systems, and software applications for improving user experience on an electronic device as it relates to data services. More particularly, this application relates to methods, systems, and software applications for modifying wireless data services on electronic devices.
2. Related Art
Electronic devices, such as, for example, a wireless cell phone, typically allow users to activate their electronic devices to have wireless service based on a monthly plan. Once the monthly plan is provisioned, an end user is able to talk, text, web browse, email, access data services, and the like at a selected data service rate. Similarly, Pre-paid electronic devices, such as, for example, a pre-paid wireless cell phone, typically allow users to activate their electronic devices and add wireless service. Once the wireless service is provisioned, an end user is able to talk, text, web browse, email, access data services, and the like at the selected data service rate until the wireless service has been depleted.
A user seeking to use a data service must generally comport to the fixed and rigid data service rate structures included with the originally purchased service. Different rates are typically not available for purchase when choosing a service initially (data services ranging from low to high quality data service rates). For example, a user of an electronic device watching football games or online movies, may want to select a higher quality data service rate, while the user checking and responding to e-mail over the Internet, may preferably select a lower quality data service rate. Upon initiating service on an electronic device, a user will not have the ability to easily adjust the type of data service or rates currently in use. This is considered a drawback to many end users desiring quick and easy access to a cellular data network that can adjust data service based on their needs for usage of the electronic device.
A need exists in the art for systems, methods and software applications for upgrading and/or downgrading data service on an activated electronic device. A further need exists for a system and method for paying the cost per service as it is adjusted to meet the current needs of end users.

System and method for modifying settings on electronic devices


A resin film is disposed facing an upper surface of a diaphragm with a gap interposed therebetween. The gap is provided between a lower surface of the resin film and the upper surface of the diaphragm in a tactile feedback keyboard. Consequently, it is possible to secure a key stroke from the resin film to the upper surface of the diaphragm, and make a user feel a sense of an operation that the user has pushed a key. Further, the gap and the resin film reduces the vibrations from the diaphragm reaching an operation surface. Thus, the user feels the vibrations of the diaphragm via only a finger which has pushed the resin film until the resin film contacts the upper surface of the diaphragm, and the other fingers hardly feel the vibrations.

In recent years, tactile sense presenting keyboards which provide tactile vibratory feedback to a user so that the user knows he or she has pushed a key (has inputted a key) have been proposed.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-250710 discloses a tactile sense presenting keyboard formed by laminating a display unit, a vibrating unit, a pressing force detecting unit and a touch sensor in the order. In this tactile sense presenting keyboard, the vibrating unit vibrates when a position of a touch operation detected by the touch sensor is a predetermined position, thereby providing a tactile feedback to a user.
However, the tactile sense presenting keyboard disclosed in the foregoing application is integrally formed by laminating the display unit, the vibrating unit, the pressing force detecting unit and the touch sensor, and therefore the user is substantially unable to press the touch sensor downwardly when he presses on the touch sensor. Therefore, the user does not feel like he or she has pushed a key.
Further, since the disclosed tactile feedback keyboard is formed by integrally forming each component, vibrations of the vibrating unit transmit to not only a position of a touch operation but also to the entire touch sensor. As a result, the user feels the vibration even in those fingers which are touching the touch sensor but have not performed the touch operation.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a tactile sense presenting device whose operability is improved.


In an electric saw includes a circular saw blade, a guard cover is arranged to surround an upper portion of the circular saw blade and a dust collecting case is arranged at the rear of the guard cover for collecting chips generated during a cutting operation performed by the circular saw blade. An openable lid unit is arranged in a position along a passage through which the chips pass. The guard cover is formed into a curved shape along the circular saw blade and the passage is defined by the guard cover to extend along a peripheral edge of the circular saw blade. The lid unit includes an opening portion formed in the passage and a lid member for closing the opening portion. The lid unit is opened toward the front of the guard cover as the lid member is rotated along a rotating plane of the circular saw blade.

Typically, an electric saw is provided with a guard cover surrounding the upper portion of a circular saw blade. In most cases, a dust collecting case is arranged either on the side of the guard cover or at the rear thereof.
With the configuration in which the dust collecting case is arranged on the side of the guard cover, not only is it easy to increase the size of the dust collecting case but also it is possible to realize a high recovery rate of chips using the upward chip-hurling force exerted by the tips of teeth of the rotating circular saw blade. However, the dust collecting case becomes an obstacle in a cutting work, thereby reducing the workability. Another problem is that the dust collecting case makes it difficult to observe the cutting spot. In view of this, JP5-31701A discloses a configuration in which a dust collecting case is made transparent, with its frontal lower portion cut away, in an effort to increase the visibility of a cutting spot. However, this configuration fails to avoid the reduction in workability caused by the dust collecting case arranged on the side of a guard cover.
On the other hand, the configuration with which the dust collecting case is arranged at the rear of the guard cover provides advantages in that it is compact, easy to perform a task while allowing a user to readily observe the cutting spot of an electric saw. However, this configuration increases the distance between the cutting spot and the dust collecting case, which in turn reduces the recovery rate of chips. Another drawback is that the passage of the dust collecting case tends to be filled with chips.
Taking this into account, Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 6-335904 discloses a configuration with which a pipe is inserted through a guard cover from the front portion of the latter. The tip end of the pipe is arranged adjacent to a cutting spot, thus forming a passage through which to introduce chips into a dust collecting case. In other words, with this rear arrangement type construction, the chips drawn into the guard cover are collected in the dust collecting case by use of the air stream generated within the guard cover during rotation of a circular saw blade. In addition to the air stream, the upward chip-hurling force exerted by the tips of teeth of the circular saw blade may be used in this construction. As a result, it is possible to further increase the recovery rate of chips.
However, if the passage through which the chips are delivered to the dust collecting case becomes longer, the interior of the passage tends to be full of the chips. Although it becomes possible to use the upward chip-hurling force by arranging the tip end of the passage adjacent to the cutting spot, this reduces the air stream introduced into the passage. As a result, the passage has an increased tendency to be clogged by the chips. It is the conventional practice that, when the passage is clogged, the cutting work is stopped for a while to dismantle and clean the electric saw. This poses a problem in that the dismantling and cleaning operation is onerous and highly time-consuming. During the cleaning operation, care should be taken in terms of safety, e.g., not to touch the circular saw blade. This also leaves a room for improvement.


An injection molded product in which an electrical connection between a contact pin and an electrode pattern is sufficient, and a method of manufacturing the same, are provided. The injection molded product comprises: a base film; an electrode pattern, which is formed on the base film; an electrically conductive adhesive, which is formed on an upper surface of the electrode pattern; a contact pin, which contacts the electrically conductive adhesive, is electrically connected to the electrode pattern via the electrically conductive adhesive, and is electrically conductive; and a molded resin, which is injection molded along the base film such that the electrically conductive adhesive and part of the contact pin are embedded.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an injection molded product that electrically connects a contact pin and an electrode pattern, and to a method of manufacturing the same. The present invention particularly relates to an injection molded product that electrically connects a contact pin and an electrode pattern using an electrically conductive adhesive, and to a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Background Information
As a method of electrically connecting a contact pin and an electrode pattern, the conventional art includes insert molding. In insert molding, an electrode pattern is provided on a base film and the electrode pattern and the contact pin are brought into contact beforehand, after which the base film, the electrode pattern, and the contact pin are covered with a molded resin, which is then cooled and solidified, thereby electrically connecting the contact pin and the electrode pattern.
In addition, another method of electrically connecting a contact pin and an electrode pattern is outsert molding. In outsert molding, a base film and an electrode pattern are covered with a molded resin such that a hole that reaches the electrode pattern is formed, an electrically conductive adhesive is injected into the hole, after which the contact pin is inserted therein, thereby electrically connecting the electrode pattern and the contact pin. An example of a conventional method is described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Applicatioin Publication No. 2010-206792.

Injection molded product and method of manufacturing the same


In response to a request for a three-point turn, a forward turning path from a current location and heading direction of the ADV is generated. In generating the forward turning path, a forward curvature is determined based on the maximum forward turning angle of the ADV by applying a full steering command. The forward turning path is determined based on the forward curvature from the current location of the ADV. A forward speed profile is calculated for the forward turning path based on perception information that perceives a driving environment surrounding the vehicle at the point in time. In addition, a backward turning path is generated from an end point of the forward turning path based on a maximum backward turning angle associated with the ADV. The three-point turn path is then generated based on the forward turning path and the backward turning path to drive the vehicle to make the three-point turn.

Vehicles operating in an autonomous mode (e.g., driverless) can relieve occupants, especially the driver, from some driving-related responsibilities. When operating in an autonomous mode, the vehicle can navigate to various locations using onboard sensors, allowing the vehicle to travel with minimal human interaction or in some cases without any passengers.
Motion planning and control are critical operations in autonomous driving. When a three-point turn is needed, for example for a U-turn within a road that is not wide enough to make a continuous U-turn without stopping and backward, a vehicle has to make a forward turning turn, in most countries, a left forward turn, towards a boundary of the lane. The vehicle then makes a backward turning turn away from the boundary. Finally, the vehicle makes a forward move to enter a target lane. Planning such a three-point turn path is complicated. There has been a lack of efficient ways to plan and control an autonomous driving vehicle to make a three-point turn.

Control dominated three-point turn planning for autonomous driving vehicles

BAIDU.COM TIMES TECHNOLOGY (BEIJING) CO., LTD.


The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device used in miniaturized portable equipment which exhibits favorable display quality while decreasing a load applied to a driver circuit which supplies a video signal line to pixel electrodes. In a liquid crystal display device which includes liquid crystal display elements and a liquid crystal driving circuit, a boosting circuit is provided to a pixel portion. The boosting circuit, after writing a video signal in a pixel electrode and one electrode of a boosting capacitance, brings the pixel electrode into a floating state. Then, by applying the video signal to another electrode of the boosting capacitance, a voltage of the pixel electrode is boosted or dropped.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device, and more particularly to a technique which is effectively applicable to the pixel structure of a liquid crystal display device used in a display part of a portable device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A TFT (Thin Film Transistor)-type liquid crystal display device has been popularly used as a display device of a personal computer, a television receiver set or the like. Such a liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal display panel and a driver circuit for driving the liquid crystal display panel.
With respect to such a liquid crystal display device, a miniaturized liquid crystal display device has been popularly used as a display device of portable equipment such as a mobile phone. In using the liquid crystal display device as the display device of the portable equipment, such a display device is requested to exhibit low power consumption compared to a conventional liquid crystal display device.
JP-A-2002-278517 discloses a technique which supplies a video signal to a liquid crystal display panel at a low voltage, and controls a pixel potential using a pixel capacitance provided to a pixel. However, JP-A-2002-278517 merely discloses voltage boosting and voltage dropping in response to fixed pixel potential control signals.


A process for the preparation of Group 4 metal hydrocarbyl complex the steps of the process comprising contacting a Group 4 metal amide with a neutral source of a monovalent or divalent, Lewis base ligand group and a Lewis acid hydrocarbylating agent under conditions to form a Group 4 metal hydrocarbyl complex.

This invention relates generally to the preparation of certain Group 4 metal complexes by means of a combination amine elimination/alkylation process to produce metal complexes. More particularly the present invention relates to a novel process for conversion of initial Group 4 metal amides to the corresponding metal alkyl complexes.
The manufacture of Group 4 metal amide derivatives and subsequent conversion to the corresponding halide or alkyl metal complexes has been previously taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,312,938, 5,597,935, 5,861,352, 5,880,302, 6,020,444, and 6,232,256, and elsewhere. In WO02/38628 Group 4 metal complexes containing "spectator ligands" such as amino-substituted cyclic amine compounds were prepared through a two step amine elimination/alkylation process. Suitable amide complexes for use in such process include Group 4 metal tetra(N,N-dialkylamido) compounds, especially titanium-, zirconium- or hafnium-tetrakis(N,N-dimethylamide) compounds. Suitable alkylating agents include trialkylaluminum compounds, especially trimethylaluminum, and alumoxanes.
A persistent problem of the foregoing processes is the ability to produce the intermediate diamide complex in high yield and purity. Because the initial exchange step is an equilibrium process, complete conversion generally cannot be attained even after resorting to the use of elevated temperatures and/or venting or vacuum removal of amine byproducts. A process in which complexation of the metal by a ligand is facilitated, thereby resulting in the use of lower reaction temperatures, shorter reaction times, and/or characterized by higher yields, is still desired. In addition, a process in which the multiple steps of the prior art are combined in a single unified or "one-pot" process is desired as well.