An information processing device is located at a second spot and communicates with another information processing device located at a first spot. The information processing device includes an acquisition unit for acquiring first motion information of a user of the other information processing device at the first spot; a specification unit for specifying first meaning information indicating a meaning of the first motion information at the first spot and second meaning information indicating a meaning of the first meaning information at the second spot; a correction unit for correcting the first motion information based on a difference between the first and second meaning information, such that the first motion information indicates the first meaning information at the second spot; and a generation unit for generating an object of the user of the other information processing device at the first spot, based on the corrected first motion information.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing system, and an information processing method.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is known a remote conference system for realizing conferences such as a video conference in which attendees at remote locations can have a conference, by connecting a plurality of terminal devices via a communication line such as the Internet, and sending and receiving image and voice data in a bidirectional manner. Furthermore, there is also known a technology of holding a remote conference by displaying a pseudo object instead of an actual image (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Furthermore, there are cases where users having different cultural backgrounds attend a remote conference, and the users cannot sufficiently understand how their gestures and facial expressions will be interpreted by the other party. In order to eliminate such a communication gap due to different cultures, there is known a technology of estimating the meaning of a gesture based on the culture background, and providing the information obtained by the estimation by an icon or a text message (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
By the technology described in Patent Document 2, while a remote conference is being held by exchanging image and voice data with the communication destination, it has been necessary to read and understand the icon or text displayed on a display screen.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. H11-224152
Patent Document 2: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2010-246085

Information processing device, information processing system, and information processing method


A transparent electrode having thermal stability, composed of a transparent conductive material containing a pentavalent element, a method of fabricating the same, and a dye-sensitized solar cell including the electrode. The transparent electrode having thermal stability does not substantially deteriorate even when it is exposed to high temperatures and its conductivity is not reduced. Thus, the dye-sensitized solar cell including the electrode can have improved performance.

1. Field of the Invention
An aspect of the present invention relates to a transparent electrode having thermal stability, a method of fabricating the same, and a dye-sensitized solar cell including the electrode, and more particularly, to a transparent electrode having improved thermal stability and conductivity, a method of fabricating the same, and a dye-sensitized solar cell including the electrode.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, many studies on various flat panel displays such as plasma display panels (PDP), field emission devices, etc., next generation displays such as touch screen panels, and energy fields such as dye-sensitized solar cells, etc., have been conducted.
Among these, the dye-sensitized solar cell is a photoelectrochemical solar cell using photosensitive dye molecules capable of absorbing visible rays to produce electron-hole pairs and a semiconductor electrode which transfers the produced electrons. In a conventional silicon solar cell, absorption of solar energy and production of an electromotive force by separation of electron-hole pairs occur at the same time in a silicon semiconductor. Meanwhile, in the dye-sensitized solar cell, absorption of solar energy and transfer of charges occur separately. Specifically, dyes absorb solar energy and a semiconductor electrode transfers charges.
Photosensitive dye molecules are included in a porous membrane composed of a Ti oxide, etc., which is included in the semiconductor electrode. In this case, the semiconductor electrode may be a transparent conductive material having high transmittance and conductivity, as well as good thermal stability when the porous membrane is formed.
Examples of conventional transparent conductive materials used to form the semiconductor electrode include tin oxide (SnO2), indium oxide (In2O3), zinc oxide (ZnO2), indium tin oxide (ITO), indium tin zinc oxide, etc. For example, tin oxide containing indium oxide is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,099,982.
To improve the conductivity etc., these oxides are doped with Sn, Sb, or F. Among these, indium oxide doped with Sn and tin oxide doped with Sb or F are currently widely used. The indium oxide doped with Sn has a high conductivity due to a low resistance, but has poor thermal stability and chemical stability. Meanwhile, the tin oxide doped with Sb or F is known to have good thermal stability and chemical stability, but is limited in the industrial use since the dopant such as Sb is harmful.
The conventional transparent conductive materials listed above have insufficient thermal stability, chemical stability, and toxicity for use in various industrial fields, in particular, in dye-sensitized solar cells, and thus, an improvement in said characteristics is required.

Transparent electrode having thermal stability, method of fabricating the same and dye-sensitized solar cell comprising the same


A verification application executing at a user's mobile phone directs the user to take a photo of an identification document (e.g., driver's license or other form of government issued identification) or of their face. After the verification application sends the image to a backend service, the service may then dispatch a drone to the user's location and take a photograph of the user. The service may then validate the previously-imaged document or photo of the user's face against the photograph of the user and the geolocation sent with the first image. The service may then verify the new account and provision a token to the verification application to complete a secured account generation.

Unmanned aerial vehicles or "drones" have seen increased use since the late 1990s as improvements in electric motors and electronics have made their design and use more feasible in a variety of roles. Typical drone design includes "quadcopter" models with four rotors providing lift and thrust for the vehicle and a suite of mechanical and electronic components such as cameras, transceivers, processors, cargo bays, articulating arms, etc. These components are used by the drone to capture or deliver objects, images, and data during its flight.
Online account generation has become a relatively simple task. However, verifying the identity of the person for whom the account was created has not. As online fraud becomes more and more prevalent, identity proofing must also become more sophisticated to ensure account information given during registration is legitimate.

System and method for account verification by aerial drone


Provided are a random access method and device, a user equipment and a storage medium. The method can include: determining listen-before-talk (LBT) priority levels for performing an LBT mechanism corresponding to messages transmitted during a random access process, and/or LBT priority levels of an LBT mechanism corresponding to different physical random access channel (PRACH) formats; and transmitting the messages for random access by means of the determined LBT priority levels corresponding to the messages and/or LBT priority levels corresponding to different PRACH formats after successfully performing the LBT mechanism.

With a rapid growth of data services, the data transmission pressure on a carrier of a licensed spectrum is also increasing. Therefore, using a carrier of an unlicensed spectrum to share the data traffic in the licensed carrier becomes an important evolution direction of the subsequent development of Long Term Evolution (LTE). The unlicensed spectrum has the following characteristics: free/low fees, low access requirements, low costs, large available bandwidth, resource sharing and so on.
In the research on the standardization of the Licensed Assisted Access (LAA), the random access process is being studied as an important topic. The introducing of the random access process into the LAA secondary cell (SCell) is aimed for a scenario where the primary cell (PCell) and the SCell are non-co-sited and the PCell and SCell are not in the same time advance group (TAG). The difference in paths that SCell and the PCell go through causes different time advance (TA) values. In view of this, the random access supported on the SCell has become inevitable.
In combination with the characteristics of the LAA, since the uplink or downlink traffic is different, the LAA system does not have a fixed number of uplink/downlink subframes. In addition, the introducing of the listen-before-talk (LBT) mechanism to the LAA makes time domain resources and/or frequency domain resources of the semi-static configured physical random access channel (PRACH) no longer applicable for the LAA scenario in the existing art.
The problem caused due to the combination of the characteristics of the LAA and the random access process technology in the existing art further includes that when a PDCCH order triggers the random access process on a subframe n in the existing art, the UE sends, according to a specific timing relationship n+k (k≥6), a preamble on a first PRACH resource after n+k. Apparently, in the dynamic uplink and downlink subframe structure, using the timing relationship in the related art may cause the UE fail to wait for the coming of available PRACH resources, thereby increasing the access delay. Furthermore, the number of preambles available for the non-contention based random access hardly meets the need of a scenario where multiple UEs simultaneously needs to randomly access.
Therefore, based on the LAA scenario characteristics, the problem of the need of optimizing random access for the UE needs to be resolved.

Random access method and device, user equipment, and storage medium


A self-locking wiring grommet that is inserted into a notch at an edge of a clamshell housing of an electrical device has a pair of resilient arms that flex toward each other as the grommet is inserted into the notch and then spring outwardly away from each other to engage with a perimeter flange at the edge of the housing to hold the grommet in the housing notch without the need for separate fasteners.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a self-locking wiring grommet that is attachable to an opening in a housing of an electrical device. The grommet protects the electrical wiring of the device passed through the housing opening from being scraped or cut by the edge of the opening, and seals the housing opening against dirt, dust, moisture or other matter that could detrimentally affect the operation of the electrical device. In particular, the present invention pertains to a self-locking wiring grommet that is inserted into a notch at an edge of a clamshell housing of an electrical device to protect the wiring of the device, where the grommet has a pair of resilient arms that flex toward each other as the grommet is inserted into the notch and then spring outwardly away from each other to engage with a perimeter flange at the edge of the housing to hold the grommet in the housing notch without the need for separate fasteners.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Electrical devices, for example electric motors, are often contained in metal housings that provide a supporting base for the device and protect the component parts of the device. The housing of the electrical device is provided with an opening and the wiring of the electrical device is passed through the opening to the exterior of the housing. To protect the insulation of the electrical wiring of the device, a grommet is usually attached to the edge portions of the housing surrounding the housing opening. In this way the grommet protects the wiring insulation from being scraped or cut by the metal edge of the housing opening.
Because the attachment of the grommet to the electrical device housing requires additional manufacturing steps that increase the cost of manufacturing the device, different types of housings and grommets have been designed whereby the grommet can be easily attached to the device housing without the need for separate fasteners. One example is employed on the cylindrical shell housing of an electric motor that is used with a pair of end shields that are secured in the openings at the opposite ends of the cylindrical shell and support bearings of the motor shaft. A notch is formed in one of the ends of the cylindrical shell and a grommet, through which the wiring of the motor is passed, is inserted into the notch. One of the end shields is attached to the end of the cylindrical shell over the notch. This end shield holds the grommet in the notch without the need for separate fasteners securing the grommet to the notch.
Although this design of motor housing enables the wiring grommet to be attached to the housing without the need for separate fasteners and without the additional manufacturing step of attaching the grommet by fasteners, it also has disadvantages. For example, when the wiring grommet is inserted into the notch it must be held in the notch until the end shield is attached to the cylindrical housing shell to secure the grommet in the notch. During manufacture of the motor, it is possible for the grommet to fall out of the notch, requiring its reinsertion and increasing the manufacturing time for the motor and its associated costs.
The wiring grommet of the present invention overcomes the disadvantages associated with prior art wiring grommets by providing a self-locking feature on a wiring grommet that holds the grommet in a notch of an electrical device housing. The self-locking wiring grommet of the invention is designed for use with a clamshell motor housing. Clamshell motor housings typically have two housing sections that are substantially the same. Each housing section has a generally cup-shaped configuration with a cylindrical side wall and a circular end wall. A motor shaft opening is provided at the center of the end wall. The side wall has a peripheral edge that is formed as a radially out-turned flange. The flanges of the two clamshell housing sections are secured together by rivets or other equivalent means, with the motor or other electrical device enclosed in the interior of the two clamshell housing sections.
To accommodate the wiring grommet of the invention, a notch is formed into a side wall of one of the clamshell housing sections. The notch forms an opening in the housing section side wall that is dimensioned to receive the grommet. The notch also forms a gap in the peripheral flange of the housing section adjacent the notch. The opposite housing section is not provided with a notch.
The self-locking wiring grommet of the invention is basically comprised of a base dimensioned to be inserted into the housing section notch, a tubular portion projecting from the base and designed to be attached to a wiring conduit, a center bore through the base and tubular portion, and in the preferred embodiment, a pair of resilient arms that project outwardly from the grommet. The base has a peripheral surface that is shaped complementary to the configuration of the notch formed in the housing section. A slot is recessed into a portion of the peripheral surface and is dimensioned to receive a portion of the motor housing side wall surrounding the notch. The base of the grommet is inserted into the notch with an interior surface of the base facing the interior volume of the housing section, an exterior surface of the base facing away from the housing side wall, the tubular portion of the grommet projecting outwardly from the base exterior surface, and with a sealing portion of the base peripheral surface spanning across the gap in the housing section peripheral flange created by the notch. As the grommet base is inserted into the notch, the resilient arms pass through the gap in the housing peripheral flange and resiliently flexed toward each other. As the distal ends of the arms pass through the gap, the resiliency of the arms causes them to flex outwardly away from each other and engage against the housing section peripheral flange on opposite sides of the gap, thereby securely holding the grommet in the notch without the need for separate fasteners and without the need for the other housing section being attached to the housing section with the notch. With the resilient arms holding the grommet in the housing section notch, the wiring of the electrical device can be passed through the bore of the grommet. The other housing section can then be attached to the housing section with the notch without the risk of the grommet separating from the notch prior to the attachment of the other housing section.


An image processing apparatus carrying out a gamma correction for input data includes polygonal line approximating apparatus for carrying out the gamma correction by a polygonal line approximation, a look-up table partially storing gamma correction data corresponding to the input data, and a correction deciding portion and a selector which select the output of one of the polygonal line approximating apparatus and the look-up table corresponding to the input data.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and an image processing method which carry out a gamma correction for input data.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a display for a television or a car navigation system has such a property that a brightness (luminance) to be displayed does not emit a light in proportion to the intensity of a signal input. When the signal input is represented as x, a luminance y of a light emitting output is expressed in y=xγ and a nonlinear curve is obtained. Such a nonlinear characteristic is referred to as a gamma characteristic. In this case, a γ value varies depending on the type of the display. For example, a CRT has γ=2.2.
As a method of correctly carrying out a display operation by using a display, a correction of y=x1/γ is performed for video output signals R, G and B (signal input x). This is referred to as a gamma correction.
FIG. 6 is a chart showing a gamma correction curve in case of γ=2.2. The gamma correction curve is obtained by carrying out a normalization in such a manner that the value of gamma correction data y ranges from 0 to 255 when color data x are 8-bit data (0 to 255), and is calculated by the following equation.y={(x/256)1/2.2}×256
A related gamma correcting method includes a method of storing curve data for a gamma correction in a look-up table constituted by an RAM or an ROM and converting the same data or a method of carrying out a polygonal line approximation over a curve for the gamma correction (for example, see JP-A-3-139972).
In the related method using a look-up table, however, there are circumstances in which a look-up table having a large capacity is required and the scale of a circuit is increased when the number of the bits of input data is increased, that is, a gradation becomes finer. On the other hand, there are circumstances in which the scale of a circuit can be reduced, while picture quality is influenced if a great error is made between gamma correction data subjected to a polygonal line approximation and an ideal value in the method using the polygonal line approximation.

Image processing apparatus and image processing method for performing gamma correction

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


The present invention relates to the formulations, methods and kits for reducing cytokine interleukin-17 (IL-17 or IL-17A) levels in both broncheoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and blood/serum and/or for the inhibition of p38 mitogen activating protein kinase (MAPK) activity involving the use of 17α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17-OHPC) or derivatives thereof. The formulation may be in the form of an inhalant containing effective amounts of 17-OHPC, and the formulation may be used in a method to treat IL-17 cytokine and/or p38 MAPK mediated auto-immune and auto-inflammatory diseases. Such diseases may include glucocorticoid (GC) insensitive related diseases or conditions. In alternate embodiment, the formulation may include the combined use of budesonide (BUD) with 17-OPHC.

GC signaling mechanisms have "remarkable complexity and contextual dependence" where the mechanism of action of glucocorticoid insensitivity varies amongst different cell types and contexts. Keenan C. R., et al., Pharmacology & Therapeutics 2015, 150:81-93. For example, treatment of inflammation of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) are distinct as they involve different (although overlapping) cell types and different signaling networks. Id. Such differences gives rise to the different responses to GC treatment where "in most asthmatics, inflammation is well-controlled by inhaled glucocorticoid treatment, whilst the inflammation in COPD is not." Id.
Congenital glucocorticoid resistance is a rare disorder, as described by Dr. George P Chrousos, an internally-known expert in Endocrinology. "Affected patients have an absence of cushingoid features, increased cortisol and ACTH levels (compensating for reduced glucocorticoid receptor function), and resistance to dexamethasone suppression of cortisol levels." Additionally, "treatment [of familial glucocorticoid resistance] consists of high-dose synthetic glucocorticoids with minimal mineralocorticoid activity (e.g., dexamethasone 1-3 mg/day) to suppress plasma levels of ACTH and, ultimately, the secretion of adrenal steroids with androgenic and mineralocorticoid activity." http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/920713-differential. Regardless of whether the resistance arises from a congenital disorder or not, the high doses of GC required for less responsive patients means a high risk of developing very serious side effects. Yang N., et al., Steroids, 2012, 77(11):1041-1049.
In Keenan et al., 2015, causes for glucocorticoid receptor (GR) resistance vary by cell, tissue and are organ system specific. With the existence of multiple GR isoforms, "each GR signaling mechanism may occur simultaneously, and either independently or inter-dependently", resulting in broad consequences in cellular function. Id. Furthermore, "one or another molecular action of GR may dominate under different cellular contexts." Id. Meaning, the same cell type may respond differently in various cellular contexts, or even different genes within the same cell may be activated or repressed depending on differential genomic expression. Id.
GR-beta up-regulation by IL-17 and IL-23 cytokines has been demonstrated to induce glucocorticoid resistance in peripheral blood mononuclear blood cells (PMBC) and lead to an inflammatory response. Vazquez-Tello A., et al., J Clin. Immunol. 2013, 33:466-478. IL-17 significantly increases GR-beta expression and is distinguished from IL-2/IL-4 which significantly decreased GR-alpha expression without affecting GR-beta. Id. Furthermore, IL-17 is linked with inducing glucocorticoid insensitivity in human airway epithelium. Zijlstra G. J., et al., Eur Respir J. 2012 February; 39(2):439-45.
Studies revealed that "GC-insensitive asthma results from high level expression of IL-2 and IL-4 which leads to reduced [GR] binding affinity and decreased T cell responsiveness to GCs". Leung D. Y. M., et al., J Exp Med. 1997 Nov. 3; 186(9): 1567-1574. Patients suffering from "GC-insensitive asthma have a reversible defect in PBMC GR ligand binding affinity which can be sustained by the addition of IL-2 and IL-4". Id. A combination treatment of normal peripheral blood T-cells with IL-2 and IL-4 reduces GR ligand binding affinity to a level indicative in glucocorticoid insensitive asthma. Id. Furthermore, glucocorticoid insensitive airway T-cells have significantly higher levels of IL-2 and IL-4 gene expression than glucocorticoid sensitive airway T cells. Id.
IL-17 family and sources. The Interleukin 17 (IL-17) cytokine family contains six members; IL-17A, IL-17B, IL-17C, IL-17D, IL-17E, and IL-17F. Jin W. et al., Emerg Microbes Infect. 2013 September; 2(9):e60. Of these, IL-17A is the best characterized and thus commonly referred to as IL-17. Id. IL-17 cytokines mediate their roles by targeting cell surface receptors designated as IL-17RA, IL-17RB, IL-17RC, IL-17RD, and IL-17RE. These receptors are often heterodimers and share similarity by having IL-17RA as a subunit. IL-17 is mainly expressed by activated CD4+ T cells known as Th17 cells. Park H., et al., Nat Immunol. 2005 November; 6(11):1133-41. Alternatively, IL-17 may be expressed by γδT cells which have been shown to localize at mucosal tissue such as the intestine, skin and lungs. Supra Jin W., et al., IL-17 production may also be produced by T-cell subtype innate Th17 (iTh17) αβT cells which are found in the lamina propria of the intestine, as well as produced by alternative cells involved in the innate immune response such as lymphoid tissue inducer cells, natural killer and natural killer T-cells, macrophages, and Paneth cells. Supra Jin W., et al. The IL-17 receptor (IL-17R) family comprises five receptor subunits, of which IL-17RA is the largest member and is necessary for IL-17-mediated signal transduction. Pinart M., et al., PLOSone 2013, 8 (3): 1-8. IL-17 induces the release of the proinflammatory cytokines and other agents such as CXCL-8 from airway epithelial cells, smooth muscle cells and macrophages, and thereby orchestrates neutrophilic inflammation and release of reactive oxygen species. Id.
IL-17 Role in Immunity.
The IL-17 pathway has recently expanded its role in clinical auto-immune and auto-inflammatory diseases. Konya C., et al., Cytokine, In Press, Accepted 8, January 2015. IL-17 induces neutrophilic airway inflammation. Allen J. E., et al., Current Opinion in Immunology 2015, 34:99-106. IL-17 activates mononuclear phagocytes and recruits neutrophils, and thereby induces epithelial antimicrobial responses which protects against extracellular bacteria and fungi. Id. An example of IL-17 mediated auto-immune disease is when Th17 cytokine secretion activates airway epithelial cells via IL-17 to secrete CXCL8, a chemoattractant for neutrophils, and IL-17 leads to the accumulation of neutrophils which promote lung injury. Supra, Allen J. E. et al.
IL-17 has a role in respiratory smooth muscle by increasing contractility by induction of RhoA in airway smooth muscle cells. Kudo M., et al., Nat. Med. 2012, 4; 18(4):547-54. The resultant hypercontractility leads to airway narrowing. Furthermore, IL-17 will induce airway remodeling by increasing smooth muscle cell hyperplasia and collagen deposition. Vroman H., et al., Immunobiology 2015, 220:254-261. Diseases associated with reduced airflow to the lungs due to smooth muscle hypercontractility and airway remodeling include COPD, obliterative bronchitis, bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis, sarcoidosis, eosinophilic granuloma, respiratory bronchiolitis interstitial lung disease, and asthma.
Increased levels of IL-17 have been observed in cases of severe asthma and COPD. Caramori, G. et al. Intl. J. of COPD 2014, 9:397-412. However, emphysema and lung inflammation induced by ozone is not dependent on IL-17. Supra Pinart M., et al. Kang M. J. et al. further exemplifies that airway and vascular remodeling associated with COPD (such as tissue fibrosis in airways and blood vessels) is in response to IL-17 which in turn is induced by IL-18. Kang M. J. et al., Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care. Med. 2012 Jun. 1; 185(11):1205-1217. The stimulation of "vascular alterations and remodeling in COPD [is] a direct consequence of [cigarette smoke] or inflammatory mediators" and "IL-18 is a potent stimulator of vascular remodeling that mediates these response via its ability to induce IL-17A". Id. Thus, IL-17 induces "mucus metaplasia, airway fibrosis, and vascular remodeling"; which are characterized pathologies of COPD. Id.
Chronic lung allograft dysfunction, in particular, obliterative bronchiolitis (OB), is the primary limiting factor of successful lung transplantation. Suzuki H., et al., J Immunol 2013, 191:4431-4439. Data showed that IL-17 down-regulates the complement-regulatory protein (CRP) in airway epithelium which translates to the activation of the complement cascade and subsequent complement activation leading to OB pathogenesis. Id.
IL-17 signaling has been implicated in the development and persistence of asthma indicating that targeted strategies blocking IL-17 receptor signaling may be beneficial in asthma treatment. Morishima Y., et al., Clin. Dev. Immuno). 2013, 609395; 1-9. A large clinical trial was conducted to determine efficacy and safety of brodalumab, a human anti-IL-17 receptor A monoclonal antibody, in subjects with inadequately controlled moderate to severe asthma taking regular inhaled corticosteroids. Busse W. W., et al., Am. J. Respire. Crit. Care Med. 2013, 188 (11): 1294-1302.
IL-17 has also been implicated in other diseases. B cell activating factor is central to bleomycin- and IL-17-mediated experimental pulmonary fibrosis. Francois A., et al., J. of Autoimmun. 2015, 56: 1-11. There is a synergistic effect of pro-inflammatory TNFα and IL-17 in periostin (a profibortic factor) mediated collagen deposition which establishes a potential role in liver fibrosis. Amara S., et al., Mol. Immunol, 2015, 64: 26-35. Recent studies by Qiao et al. have shown that A77 1726, the active metabolite of leflunomide, suppresses IL-17 which produces double negative T cells in lymph nodes through an Akt-dependent mechanism, and thus attenuating the generalized auto-immune features of lupus nephritis. Qiao G. et al. Clin. Immunol. 2015, 157(2): 166-174.
Also, an up-regulation of immunity has been characterized by increased IL-17 secretion and expression in anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 Th17 cells and isolated memory CD4 cells in children with T1 D. Honkanen J., et al., J. Immunol. 2010, 185 (3):1959-67. The study also showed that IL-17 induced an inflammatory and proapototic response mediating a detrimental effect on islet cells in vitro. Id. Furthermore, IL-17 has been linked to complications associated with diabetes such as diabetic kidney disease. Vasanthakumar R., et al., Cytokine 2015, 72(1): 109-112; Kim Y. G., et al., Am. J. Nephrol. 2012, 36:472-477. Inhibiting IL-17 by neutralizing antibodies have reduced islet inflammation and have prevented the development of autoimmune diabetes in 10 week old NOD mice. Emamaullee J. A., et al., Diabetes 2009, 58:1302-1311.
Auto-immune encephalomyelitis is a complex disease associated with multiple sclerosis and exhibits pathological features that include inflammation, demyelination, axonal loss, gliosis, and optic neuritis; inflammation and demyelination of the optic nerve. IL-17 mRNA levels were the highest within the optic nerve when compared to the brain and spinal cord in an experimental auto-immune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model. Knier B., et al., J. Autoim. 2015, 56:34-44. Within the optic nerve, there was an abundance of IL-17 producing CD4(+) T cells committed to the Th17 transcriptional program. Id. Neutralization of IL-17 by anti-IL-17 antibodies proved to completely prevent the deterioration of the retinal nerve fiber layer as well as the inner plexiform layer. Id.
Preeclampsia is also associated with a higher level of IL-17 producing Th17 cells where blocking IL-17 confers a reduction of blood pressure and oxidative stress, and relieves intrauterine growth restriction. Cornelius D. C., et al., Pregnancy Hypertens. 2015, 5 (1): 1. In the pathogenesis of schizophrenia, a significant and consistent increase of IL-17 levels was found in schizophrenic patients when compared to controls, highlighting the role of inflammation in neurological disease. Kissi Y. E., et al., Psychiatry Res., 2015, 225 (1-2):58-63. With regards to irritable bowel disease (IBD), studies showed that IL-17 has an immunomodulatory effect in pregnant women suffering IBD. Seow C. H., et al., Gas. 2015, 148 (4), S1 454-455
It has also been shown that activated p38 MAPK results in GR-alpha phosphorylation, which stops nuclear translocation, leading to steroid resistance. Boardman C., et al., Pulm. Pharmacol. & Ther. 2014, 29:129-43. Individuals with severe asthma have reduced nuclear translocation of GR and reduced glucocorticoid responsive element (GRE) binding in PMBCs after exposure to GCs, which may be explained by GR phosphorylation. Id.
Studies also have shown that ovarian hormones, namely, natural progesterone (P4) increase IL-17 production from Th17 cells through an IL-23R and Let-7f mediated pathway in patients with severe asthma conditions. Newcomb D. C., et al., J Allergy Clin. Immunol. 2015 Aug. 1. pii: 50091-6749(15)00840-4. Thus, P4 has been shown to only exacerbate IL-17 mediated diseases.
IL-17 has a distinctive role in mediating clearance of bacterial and fungal pathogens at epithelial and mucosal barriers. In particular, IL-17 has demonstrated involvement in the innate immune response against bacterial pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Citrobacer rodentium, Mycobacterium sp., and fungi such as Pneumocystis carinii and Candida albicans. Supra Jin W., et al. IL-17 mediates inflammation and pathogen clearance by recruiting innate immune cells such as neutrophils via the induction of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. For example, IL-17 can "induce the production of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-6, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulation factor)" and upregulate "several cytokines including chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 1 (CKCL1), chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2), CCL7, CCL20 and matrix metalloproteinase 3 and 13." Supra Jin W. et al.
Furthermore, studies have shown that IL-17 knockout mice (II17a−/−) have a decreased level of pro-inflammatory cytokine and chemokine production. Aujla S. J., et al., Nat. Med. 2008 March; 14(3):275-281. II17−/− a mice have a "significantly lower amount of G-CSF and CXCL1 in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid", as well as a "reduction in IL-6 and CCL3 abundance" when compared to wild type mice. Id. Additionally, II17a−/− mice are defective in their ability to appropriately respond, and are highly susceptible, to systemic infection by C. albicans. Saijo S., et al., Immunity. 2010 32(5):681-91. A higher susceptibility to pathogens such as Streptococcus pneumoniae, S. aureus, and C. albicans due to IL-17 deficiency is also evident in humans with a defective STAT3 gene. Milner J. D., et al., Nat. 2008; 452: 773-776.
IL-17, Chronic Inflammation, and Autoimmune Diseases.
An unfortunate consequence of IL-17 deregulation may result in an overexpression of cytokines and chemokines leading to an excessive pro-inflammatory response and chronic inflammation. For example, IL-17 has been linked to numerous inflammatory and auto-inflammatory diseases such as autoimmune and type-1 diabetes (Emamaullee J. A., et al., Diabetes 2009, 58:1302-1311, and Kudo et. al., Nat. Med. 2012, 4; 18(4):547-54), end-stage kidney disease (Kim Y. G., et al., Am. J. Nephrol. 2012, 36:472-477), obliterative bronchiolitis post-lung transplant (Suzuki H. et al., J. Immunol. 2013, 191:4431-4439), asthma (Supra Busse W. W., et al.), encephalomyelitis (Supra Knier B. et al.), pulmonary fibrosis (Francois A., et al., J. of Autoimmun. 2015, 56: 1-11), liver fibrosis (Supra Amara S., et al., Mol.), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (Caramori, G. et al., Intl. J. of COPD 2014, 9:397-412), preeclapsia (Cornelius D. C., et al., Pregnancy Hypertens. 2015, 5 (1): 17), parenchymal lung fibrosis (Martinu T., et al., J. Heart and Lung Transpl., 34:4, 2015, 175-6), atherosclerosis (Gong F., et al., Cellular Immunol., In Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available online 29 May 2015), rheumatoid arthritis (Supra Konya C., et al.), systemic lupus erythematosus (Id.), psoriasis (Id.), lupus nephritis (Qiao G., et al., Clin. Immunol. 2015, 157(2): 166-174), inflammatory bowel disease (Fujino S., et al., Gut 2003; 52:65-70), Crohn's disease (Hueber W., et al., Gut 2012; 61(12):1693-700), multiple sclerosis (Gold R., et al., Am. J. Pathol. 2008; 172(1): 8-10.), Duchenne muscular dystrophy (De Pasquale L., et al., Neurology. 201278(17):1309-14), and psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and depression (Potvin S., et al., Psychiatry 2008; 63(8):801-8 and Roy T., et al., J Affect Disord. 142 Suppl: S8-21).
IL-17 as a Therapeutic Target for Inflammatory Diseases.
Due to the extensive involvement of IL-17 in chemokine and cytokine regulation and the innate immune response, IL-17 remains a prime drug target aimed to treat a broad variety of pro-inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. For example, humanized monoclonal antibodies against IL-17 such as Secukinumab (IgG1κ), Ixekizumab (IgG4), and Broadalumab (IgG2) have been clinically tested for their effectiveness in treating rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis. Tsoukas A., et al., Molecular Biology of B Cells (2nd Edition), 2015, p. 527-539. Secukinumab was shown to "significantly reduced the disease activity [of psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and non infectious uveitis] compared to the placebo-treated group" by "targeted inhibition of the proinflammatory cytokine IL-17A". Hueber W., et al., Sci. Transl. Med. 2010; 2(52):52ra72. The FDA approval of Secukinumab in early 2015 for the treatment of psoriasis, as well as the drug's concurrent approval in Japan for the treatment of psoriasis and arthritis, further demonstrates the potential and clinical necessity towards the development of IL-17 targeted therapeutics. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 2015-01-21; Novartis AG. 2014-12-26.
IL-17 as a Therapeutic Target for Cancer.
It is widely accepted that chronic inflammation plays an important and contributing role in cancer initiation and progression. Mantovani A., et al., Nature. 2008 Jul. 24; 454(7203):436-44. Not surprisingly, expression levels of IL-17, a proinflammatory cytokine, have been shown to be "elevated in several human tumors, such as ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, breast cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, and [colorectal cancer]". Wu D., et al., Clin Dev Immunol. 2013; 2013:436307. Mechanisms delineating IL-17 involvement in tumor progression include suppressing antitumor responses as well as promoting angiogenesis through the induction of angiogenic factors such as PGE1, PGE2, VEGF, CXCL-1, CXCL-5, CXCL-6, CXCL8, MMP-2, and MMP-9 (Id.). Therefore, targeting IL-17, for example, by neutralization, decreasing its expression, or blocking downstream signaling pathways has been pursued as a method of cancer treatment. For example, "IL-17 mediated inflammation is an important mechanism of inflammation mediated promotion of tumor development" and progression in the skin. He D., et al., PLoS One. 2012; 7(2):e32126, IL-17 is required for dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) induced carcinogenesis in the skin. Id. Also, neutralization of IL-17 significantly inhibits the progression of DMBA/TPA induced skin tumors. Id. Similarly, Ortiz M. L. et al. demonstrated that blocking "IL-17 abrogated the increase of [skin] tumor formation caused by [immature] myeloid cells". Ortiz M. L., et al., J Exp Med. 2015 Mar. 9; 212(3):351-67. Furthermore, IL-17 was shown to be involved in intestinal tumor progression, and anti-IL-17 monoclonal antibody treatments decreased tumor size in the cecum of wild type mice. Oshiro K., et al., Immunobiology. 2012, 217(1):54-60.
Background of p38.
Mitogen-activated protein Kinases (MAPK) are proteins involved in a diverse cellular network of phosphorylation cascades resulting in a variety of cellular responses and signaling stimuli. Their activation may be due to a variety of stresses, "such as inflammatory cytokines, pathogens, growth factors, ultraviolet radiation, osmotic stresses, and various forms of oxidative stresses" and DNA damage. Chung K. F., Chest. 2011; 139(6):1470-9. The p38 family of MAPKs consists of conserved proline-directed serine-threonine MAPKs involved in linking extracellular signals to intracellular regulatory mechanisms. Four isoforms of p38 have been identified; p38α, p38β, p38γ, and p38δ, encoded by the MAPK14, MAPK11, MAPK12, and MAPK13 genes, respectively. Activation of p38 typically occurs in response to inflammatory signals by environmental stresses and cytokines. More specifically, activation of p38 is mediated by upstream MAPK kinases (MKKs) or MAPK kinase kinases (MEKKs) via the dual phosphorylation of a conserved Thr-Gly-Tyr motif, allowing for ATP binding and subsequent phosphotransfer to a downstream target protein. Id. However, p38 may also play a role in cell cycle regulation, induction of cell death, differentiation, and senescence. Coulthard L. R., et al., Trends Mol Med. 2009 August; 15(8): 369-379. P38 has also been shown to autophosphorylate in an MKK-independent mechanism. Mittelstadt P. R., et al., J. Biol. Chem. 2009; 284(23): 15469-15474.
There are numerous downstream kinases which the p38 isoforms activate. For example, p38α and β activate MAPK activated protein kinase (MAPKAPK2/3) as well as a variety of transcription factors, cytoskeletal proteins, translational components, and enzymes. Whereas the γ and δ isozymes have been shown to be more specific towards "targeting transcription factors, such as activating transcription factor-2, extracellular signal regulated-like kinase, and serum response factor accessory protein 1." Supra Chung K. F., et al. Active p38 also induces the recruitment and migration of inflammatory cells such as neutrophils, stem cells, and eosinophils and is proposed to "alter corticoid responsiveness in response to oxidative stress." Id. Also, active p38 levels are increased in "macrophages from patients with severe asthma or COPD and [in] epithelial cells from patients with severe asthma, and could contribute to corticosteroid insensitivity." Id.
p38 Role in Glucocorticoid Response.
p38 has been implicated in playing a role in altering glucocorticoid responsiveness. For example, "alveolar macrophages from patients with severe asthma demonstrate CS insensitivity associated with increased p38 MAPK activation that may result from impaired inducibility of [MAPK phosphatases 1 (MKP-1)]". Bhavsar P., et al., Thorax. 2008 September; 63(9):784-90. p38 may lead to glucocorticoid insensitivity by directly inhibiting phosphorylation of GR, promoting histone H3 phoshorylation, and reducing corticosteroid-induction of MKP-1. Supra Chung K. F., et al. A reduction in glucocorticoid sensitivity by p38 MAPK activation may occur through hyperphosphorylation of NF-κB which leads to a reduced interaction with GR. Id.
p38 plays a consistent role in "several chronic cytokine dependent inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, psoriasis, and asthma". Supra Coulthard L. R., et al. In asthma and COPD, glucocorticoid insensitivity is characterized by a "reduced effect of dexamethasone in inhibiting the release of proinflammatory cytokines from monocytes and macrophages". Supra Chung K. F., et al. Irusen E. et al. demonstrated that glucocorticoid insensitivity in PBMCs due to concurrent exposure with both IL-2 and IL-4 may be reversed by inhibiting p38 MAPK with the p38 inhibitor SB203580. Irusen E., et al., J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2002 April; 109(4):649-57. Also, increased levels of active p38 have been shown to promote cardiomyocyte dysfunction resulting in cardiovascular disease, as well as contribute to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson's disease. Supra Coulthard L. R. et al. Diabetes, and the progression of diseases associated with diabetes such as neuropathy and nephropathy, has also been shown to be linked with increased levels of active p38. Id.
Roussel L. et al. demonstrated that IL-17 increases CXCL8 production by lung microvascular endothelial cells (LMVECs) "via the p38 MAPK pathway". Roussel L., et al. J Immunol. 2010 Apr. 15; 184(8):4531-7.
Therapeutics Targeting p38.
The down regulation, inhibition, or decrease in expression of p38 MAPK by inhibitors may thus "have potential not only as anti-inflammatory agents in their own right but also as agents that restore corticosteroid responsiveness". Supra Irusen E., et al. Unfortunately, p38 MAPK inhibitors such as SB203580, BIRB796, SD282, VX745, SCI0469, SD0006, and SB681323 have been reported to target other non-p38 kinases and proteins which may illicit side effects such as liver toxicity. Supra Chung K F et al. A topical administration of p38 inhibitors to the lungs is desired since it "would allow higher topical concentrations at the side of disease with lesser amounts available for the systemic circulation and, hence, fewer side effects". Supra Irusen E. et al.
There remains a need to treat glucocorticoid insensitivity, in particular asthma and COPD. An objective of the present invention is to provide a method of treating autoinflammatory conditions by inhibition of IL-17 expression and p38 expression.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Treating auto-immune and auto-inflammatory diseases

Shenzhen Evergreen Therapeutics Co., Ltd.


In this invention, a wireless terminal location is monitored and used to locate providers of a requested service that are proximate to the location of the wireless terminal. At least one of the providers located is selected and identified by name and/or telephone number and/or the location, etc., and this information is delivered to and stored in the directory of the wireless terminal. The process is repeated as necessary to update the list of service providers when the wireless terminal is transported to a new location area. The service providers located can represent any category of service desired such as emergency facilities (especially in a foreign country) such as paramedics, hospital, police, or roadside assistance, etc.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method of providing a personalized telephone feature to a mobile telephone subscriber and, more particularly, to identifying a provider of a service located local to the current position of the mobile telephone where the type of service can be predefined by the mobile telephone subscriber and the identification of the provider of the service is dynamically updated as the subscriber roams to a new location.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A situation often experienced by a mobile telephone subscriber, whether in a vehicle or on foot in a remote and unfamiliar geographical area, is the need to obtain assistance, information and/or aid promptly. For example, in the case of a breakdown or disabling of the vehicle where roadside assistance is required, the person in need must select a most convenient and suitable provider of the required service. Under normal circumstances, this is at best difficult and highly time consuming. Even when the vehicle is provided with wireless communication, for example, a mobile telephone, the problem still exists in locating a service provider, and, in those instances where time is important, locating and obtaining the telephone number of the nearest service provider.
A similar situation occurs when a traveler, using a mobile telephone in a remote geographical area needs to reach a specific type of service provider in that area. Wireless telecommunication systems currently support the use of mobile terminals that are capable of both voice and data communication. These devices typically include an integrated wireless telephone and a software controlled data terminal that implements a micro browser for web surfing and other data communication activities. These features have been used to advantage by commercial entities, which have employed data network (e.g., Internet) servers to provide customer service information via web page documents sent to micro browser equipped wireless terminals. With their integrated telephony equipment, mobile terminals can request and receive such information while a subscriber is at any location served by the wireless network. As far is known, the mobile capabilities of a wireless terminal have not been exploited to include the personalization of customer service information which is wireless terminal location dependent.
The advantages of location-dependent personalization of customer service information are several. For example, a mobile terminal subscriber located in a remote geographical area (which can include a foreign country) can obtain and call the telephone number of a specific service such as a hotel, a restaurant etc.
What is desirable is a system that allows a mobile telephone subscriber to identify a provider of a service that is dependent on the current location of the mobile telephone. The service may be personalized by types, such as emergency service and directory service; or it may be by business chains, such as Hilton and McDonalds. It is envisioned that this service will be most useful when a traveler, using a wireless terminal, is desirous of reaching a specific service having a telephone number that is location dependent.

Providing location based directory numbers for personalized services


A bone cement formulation comprising: (a) magnetic calcium phosphate nanoparticles present in an amount of 5.0-95 wt. % and having a largest linear dimension of 150 nm to 50 microns; (b) polymerizable acrylate monomer present in an amount of 5.0-95 wt. %; and (c) polyacrylate polymer present in an amount of 0-80 wt. % and having a largest linear dimension from 5.0 to 500 microns. Upon exposure to an alternating magnetic field the formulation is heated which results in polymerization of the acrylate monomer component. The formulation may also be polymerized via the use of chain polymerization initiators.

Bone is an organic/inorganic composite made from inorganic calcium phosphate (CaP) and organic collagen matrix. The inorganic CaP mainly accounts for the mechanical strength of bone while the organic collagen mainly accounts for the toughness of bone. Due to the presence of inorganic CaP, bone is radio-opaque and can be imaged by X-ray techniques. Bone is a living composite because both the inorganic CaP and collagen are resorbable and can be remodeled (i.e., replaced) by bone cells (osteoblasts, osteoclasts and osteocytes.)
Bone cement is typically based upon an acrylic adhesive made from polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) into poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). Since the 1950s, it has been used to fix joint prosthesis implants within the bone. Many common orthopedic surgical procedures (>1 million per year in the US) such as knee replacement, hip replacement, spinal fusion, and tooth repair require the use of bone cement. However, current commercial bone cements have several drawbacks: (1) PMMA bone cement's relatively poor mechanical properties is one of the factors resulting in implant loosening and failure; and (2) PMMA itself is not a radio-dense material and cannot be imaged by X-ray. The addition of radio-opaque material such as BaSO4 or ZrO2 microparticles (e.g., 10% by weight) in commercial formulations further deteriorates the mechanical properties of bone cement due to relatively weak interfacial bonding (Kuhn K-D, Bone Cements, New York: Springer; 2000. 246-247). In addition, PMMA is non-resorbable and cannot be remodeled by bone cells.
U.S. application Ser. No. 13/568,644 describes the formation of magnetic calcium phosphate particles with diameters in the range of 10 nm to 100 μm, polydispersity in the range of 0.01 to 0.5 and a zeta potential in the range of 1 to 60 mVolts. The particles were preferably formed by co-precipitation of iron oxide and calcium phosphate into particles. The magnetic calcium phosphate particles were utilized to treat, prevent or diagnose a particular disease or condition by administering the magnetic particles to a subject, either alone or included with a selected pharmaceutical formulation. The magnetic particles were capable of being drawn to a specific location by use of magnets, thereby providing the feature of magnetic targeting. In addition, the magnetic particles could be used for imaging and labeling of biological compositions.

Bone cements containing magnetic calcium phosphate nanoparticles


An apparatus to change liquid light aromatic hydrocarbon into gaseity includes a gas storage barrel, two gas generation barrels and two gas connection pipes connected between the gas storage barrel and the respective gas generation barrels to form a “π” shape. Each gas generation barrel includes a light aromatic hydrocarbon filling pipe, an air supply pipe, an air intake pipe, an aeration pipe, and a heating member. A liquid communicating pipe is connected between the two gas generation barrels. The apparatus of the present invention is to mix and gasify liquid fuel, such as ether or alkanes, and air as combustion gas. During heating, the fuel can be resupplied to stable the quality of the output gas.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus to change liquid light aromatic hydrocarbon into gaseity, and more particularly, to an apparatus which uses liquid fuel, such as ether or alkanes, and air to be mixed and gasified as combustion gas.
2. Description of the Prior Art
These days, liquid aromatic hydrocarbon is changed into gaseity for fuel. By using its low boiling point, the hydrocarbon is gasified and vaporized to become gas for fuel gas. The fuel is mixed with air and gasified in a single fuel barrel so the user must consider safety, the fuel concentration, the amount of the solvent and leak during mixing process. As shown in FIG. 1, a barrel 9 has an inner space 91. The barrel is provided with a solvent level gauge 911, a drain outlet 92, a drain outlet 93, a heater 94, an output end 95, a safety valve 96, a thermometer 97, a pressure gauge 98 and a pressure valve 99 and cooperates with a compressor unit 8. The compressor unit 8 comprises a compressor 81, an air intake pipe 82, and a nebulization nozzle 83. The principle is to pour a certain fuel into the barrel 9, and the fuel is mixed with the air in the barrel. After that, the combustible gas is collected and sent through the output end 95 for fuel use. In this way, the temperature of the fuel in the barrel 9 will be influenced by the gas to absorb heat so the temperature drops. When the temperature of the fuel is lowered to a certain level, it is not easy to gasify the fuel and the fuel cannot be resupplied when heating, so that the quality and concentration of the gas is not stable.
Accordingly, the inventor of the present invention has devoted himself based on his many years of practical experiences to solve these problems.

Apparatus to change liquid light aromatic hydrocarbon into gaseity


The present invention includes a system and method configured to analyze a performance of a product. The product has associated process and performance characteristics. The method includes the steps of establishing a plurality of process characteristics associated with the product, establishing an analysis relationship between the process characteristics and the performance characteristic, and analyzing the performance characteristic of the product in response to the relationship.

Product testing is difficult and expensive. Large products may require separate test facilities (buildings, equipment, etc.) to perform the testing. Therefore, when a product is assembled it must be scheduled for testing, moved between facilities, and then tested. If the product does not meet desired performance criteria it must be moved into a separate maintenance area or back into the assembly area for analysis. The cause of the failure must then be determined and resolved. Current trouble shooting techniques are limited in effectiveness and usually based on educated guesses rather than actual causal determinations. Therefore, the failed product may be modified (e.g., portions of the product re-assembled) based on the recommendations of the trouble shooting procedure, but the modification may be ineffective, in which case the product again fails the follow-up test and the trouble shooting process is repeated. This type of repetitive testing and analysis is time consuming and expensive.
In addition, if the products being tested are small in nature, the inability to determine the cause of product testing failures may be expensive, especially if there is a high volume of the product. Even if the product does not go through extensive after assembly testing it may still suffer from warranty issues associated with performance failures. The inability to predict these failures prior to shipping the product leads to unnecessary and undesired cost.
The present disclosure is directed towards solving one or more of the problems set forth above.


A directable, hand-wearable communication device provides a frontal display surface and a rear display surface to which images can be applied for promoting teams, athletes, corporate sponsors, political parties and the like. Frontal and rear display surfaces may be provided by corresponding members that are joined at their perimeters to form a pocket for receiving a human hand and presenting no obstructions between the fingers, including the thumb. The device has an aperture at the lower extremity of the joined perimeter for permitting access by the hand to the pocket. An elastic neck portion is preferably joined along the edge of the aperture to snugly fit around the wrist of the wearer and keep the device securely in his or her possession, particularly during vigorous use. The display surfaces provided by one or both of the front and rear sides of the device are provided with an image, such as a graphic image, an alphanumeric symbol, a team or corporate logo, or any other image a wearer may wish to display and thereby communicate.

Large scale public gatherings, such as sporting events, automobile races, political conventions and rallies, ticker tape parades, and other mass meetings provide opportunities for large numbers of people having an emotional or intellectual attachment to an ideal, organization, team, celebrity athlete, or other focus of attention to meet en masse in a public forum. Most attendees of these gatherings are supporters, boosters or fans of a participant or group of participants in the public event and have a high level of enthusiasm. Sporting events and political conventions are two of the best known sorts of gatherings in which members of large crowds permit themselves to display their enthusiasm not merely in public, but often in the presence of television cameras. At these events, banners are waved, cheers erupt, and shouts of encouragement occur. A crowd will sometimes take collective action, performing what has become known as "the wave" around a stadium holding tens of thousands of people. The highly public nature of the setting seems to fuel the fervor of the crowd, and the willingness of crowd members to display their emotion.
This expression of emotion, in addition to being enjoyable, serves important public functions, including the constructive, or at least passive channeling of public energy and the rallying of a community about a common cause. High-spirited public events stimulate the economy, bring a wholesome sense of well being to a community, and become the vehicle for regional or institutional spirit and unity.
In addition, the settings in which gatherings occur provide an opportunity for the promotion of products, services, events and attractions of interest to the attendees. Attendees are generally predisposed during these events to consume freely, taking advantage of the comparatively rare opportunity to indulge themselves in something they enjoy.
Sporting events in particular present promoters of products, services, events and other commercial activities an opportunity to reach a receptive audience, and one whose members are likely to be demographically well-understood. The tastes and preferences of these individuals may therefore be effectively targeted, so that an efficient match can be made between them and purchasing opportunities they are likely to find of interest. Promoters of products and services frequently consider it advantageous to establish a linkage between a popular competitor, such as a race car driver, golfer or other figure and a product or service. Not only does the attention paid to the public figure provide camera exposure for trademarks and logos associated with the product or service being promoted, but an element of celebrity or team sponsorship or endorsement is introduced, so that fans or spectators who admire and trust a particular athlete or other public figure will consider favorably the good or service being endorsed.
In recent years, opportunities for promotion of goods and services at public gatherings have been limited by physical constraints on available space. Scoreboards, billboards, automobile bodies, golf bags and similar objects present a decidedly finite number of opportunities, and this scarcity has driven up their price. In some instances, the fans or spectators themselves can present an opportunity for promotion, through the sale of hats, tee shirts and similar products. Some venues, however, prohibit certain of the more obtrusive means for expressing spirit, such as banners and other larger objects.
Between the need to expand beyond the presently saturated market for opportunities for promotion, and the inherently large and animated promotional vehicle presented by spectators themselves, an unmet need apparently exists for a device capable of harnessing that vehicle by providing a new means for fans and supporters to communicate their spirit and enthusiasm, while at the same time providing a new set of opportunities for promotion of teams, athletes or other public figures, as well as goods and services of interest to spectators.

Communication and display device for the hand


Presented here is a system and method for monitoring, analyzing, and inducing peak mental states. Brainwave sensors are placed on the scalp of the user to measure the user's mental state. A machine learning model can interpret the measured brainwave signals into a mental state of the user, such as relaxed, focused, stressed, happy, sad, etc. the system can obtain a desired mental state of the user, such as relaxed, etc. The system can measure the difference between the desired mental state and the measured mental state of the user and provide audio and visual feedback to the user indicating how far the user is from the desired mental state. Further, the system can provide audio and visual feedback to help or challenge the user in reaching the desired mental state. The visual and audio feedback can be provided using a virtual reality and/or an augmented reality product.

Existing technology-based meditation applications are designed for relaxation & de-stress purposes, using closed eye guided meditations, biofeedback guided meditations or open eye VR guided meditations. While meditation can be mildly effective for utilities, such as enhancing mental performance, by increasing an individual's focus, confidence and energy to get into the flow state or "zone", no technology-based meditation application exists to repeatedly and efficiently induce meditative states that can aid in peak performance. In order to access hyper-performance mental states through meditation, aspirants have had to practice for decades, without the aid of quantitative progression and evaluation metrics. With the advent of the technology proposed, we are enabling individuals to bypass years of training to gain access and control of peak mental states in order to unlock accelerated, quantified, immediate, and sustainable performance improvements.

Methods and systems for decoding, inducing, and training peak mind/body states via multi-modal technologies


The present disclosure relates to a multi-function transducer assembly and system comprising a multi-function transducer assembly, a method of manufacturing the assembly and a method of controlling the system. The assembly includes a piezoelectric transducer layer and spaced first terminals electrically attached to the piezoelectric transducer layer. The spaced first terminals are arranged for supplying an audio frequency signal to the piezoelectric transducer layer so that the assembly can function as a speaker. Second terminals are arranged for receiving at least one signal from the piezoelectric transducer layer or supplying at least one signal to the piezoelectric transducer layer. The second terminals are electrically attached to a region of the piezoelectric transducer layer between the spaced first terminals.

Control panels for a vehicle are often located on the vehicle's dashboard or console. These control panels are user interfaces that provide numerous functions and include many components such as a speaker for outputting audio signals, a microphone, mechanical switches, sound system buttons and touchpads. Due to the size and number of these components, the size of a conventional multipurpose dashboard or console is undesirably large. The console or dashboard size can be reduced by moving the speaker to an alternative location, however this is often impractical as space is limited in most vehicles. Further, consoles or dashboards are the most functionally appropriate location for a speaker.
In addition to the above, control panels are often expensive to manufacture due to the cost of the components and the time required to locate and wire the these components during assembly. Such control panels are sometimes located on an underside of a vehicle's roof, or integrated into a pillar or a steering wheel. In such locations it is desirable for the control panel to be relatively light and thin especially when it is located on the underside of a vehicle's roof.
It is an object of embodiments of the invention to at least mitigate one or more of the problems of the prior art.

Multi-function transducer assembly and system


The present invention relates to a method and nutritional supplement which stimulates appetite and slows metabolism of a mammal, thereby enhancing weight gain for the mammal. The method of enhancing weight gain of the mammal comprises administering to the mammal an effective amount of at least two types of alkamide or isobutylamide compound extracted from Echinacea species along with an antioxidant and optionally minerals. The nutritional supplement of the present invention comprises an antioxidant and at least two types of alkamide or isobutylamide compounds derived from Echinacea species. Minerals such as zinc and magnesium can also be added to the nutritional supplement to provide even better effect.

While the obesity epidemic is spreading at an alarming rate in the modern world especially in the developed countries, there are also a segment of individuals suffering from underweight which get far less attention. Not only will serious underweight create undesirable appearance, it may also result from eating disorders, digestive disorders and depression.
The American Dietetic Association (ADA) defines the ideal body mass index (BMI) as between 20 and 25. Anyone below that range would be considered underweight and those with a BMI from 18.5 and below extremely underweight. The ability for a person to gain or lose weight depends primarily on the person's intake of calories. Calories are found in food. However, the calories in food come in different forms: carbohydrates, fats, and protein. These different forms, known as "macronutrients," have different effects on the body and its ability to gain weight.
When the person eats more calories than his or her body burns, the extra calories get stored for future use in the form of muscle or fat tissue. Conversely, when the person eats fewer calories than his or her body burns, the person's body taps into stored muscle and fat tissue to get the energy it needs. As a result, a major cause for certain individuals to find gaining weight difficult is a weak appetite or fast metabolism, in addition to eating irregularly due to work, or eating healthy food having low caloric density.
Conventionally, people who tried to gain weight took commercial weight gain shakes as a convenient source of calories. However, high calorie shakes are very filling and may prevent these people from enjoying regular meals by blunting their appetite, causing them to eat little or no food later in the day and resulting in little or no change in body weight.
There are also literatures suggesting that taking multivitamin supplements can improve a person's weight gain. However, such a method is only effective when the person's capability of gaining weight was being affected by certain nutrient deficiencies. People who are not deficient in given nutrients will often find this method ineffective in gaining weight. In fact, most recent research suggests that multivitamin supplementation has no effect on body weight in the general population or that it may actually prevent weight gain. See, e.g., Major, G. C., "Multivitamin and dietary supplements, body weight and appetite: results from a cross-sectional and a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study" The British journal of nutrition, 5, 1157-1167 (2007); Nachtigal, M. C., "Dietary supplements and weight control in a middle-age population. Journal of alternative and complementary medicine" (New York, N.Y.), 5, 909-915 (2005).
Despite the foregoing efforts to improve weight gain for individuals, conventional methods are not ideally suited for everyone. Accordingly, there exists a need for improved method and formulation for enhancing weight gain which obviates the deficiency of conventional methods.

Method and nutritional supplement for enhancing weight gain of a mammal


A system for executing a given scientific code using a suitable finite-volume or finite-element solver for a large dataset represented as a grid, comprising a plurality of equal computing nodes interconnected by node communication means and a parallel computing software package for distributing and controlling the execution in sub-grids among said computing nodes; each computing node comprising at least a CPU-based first processing means and a FPGA-based second processing means interconnected by a bus; said package being configured for the simultaneous execution of at least one first solver process (which is fully executed in a first processing means) and one second solver process (which is fully executed in a second processing means) in each computing node for one sub-grid of said grid and for managing the exchange of boundary data with the solver processes that solve neighbor sub-grids.

A common situation in practical industrial applications related to product development is the need to perform quick surveys inside a space of state parameters. In mature and very competitive industrial sectors like aerospace, this need is motivated by the drive to generate products having good technical performance within design cycles that are as short as is feasible. That is: time is a key factor in industrial competitiveness because shortening the time market may provide a leading economic advantage during the product life cycle.
In the specific case of aeronautics, the prediction of the aerodynamic forces and, more generally, skin surface value distributions experimented by an aircraft is an important feature in order to optimally design its structural components so that the weight of the structure is the minimum possible, but at the same time being able to withstand the expected aerodynamic forces.
Thanks to the increase in the use of CFD the determination of the aerodynamic forces on an aircraft is commonly done by numerically solving the Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes equations (RANS equations from now onwards) that model the movement of the flow around the aircraft, using discrete finite element or finite volume models. With the demand of accuracy posed in the aeronautical industry, each one of these computations requires important computational resources.
A first known approach for improving the execution of said equations for a given model is to provide analytical techniques that simplify the calculations needed for arriving to a solution. An example in this respect can be found in US 2009/157364 in the name of the applicant.
A second approach is the use of computer techniques whether for accelerating the calculation process or for optimizing the computational resources needed for solving a given problem.
To accelerate the calculating process it is common to use parallel machines. The grid is partitioned into several sub-grids, which are solved separately. When each temporal iteration is finished, it is necessary to send the values of the variables of boundary vertices to the neighbour vertices. Therefore, as the grid is partitioned into more sub-grids, communications are increasing until a point is reached where the increase in speed by adding more machines is marginal, because most of the time is spent in communications.
The addition of accelerator devices to a conventional computer to improve the execution time of a given algorithm has also been proposed. As a basis for building these devices two technologies have been used: FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) and GP-GPU (General Purpose Graphics Processing Unit). The format of these accelerator devices can be either that of expansion cards such as PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) or that of PCI Express (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) or plug-in modules which fit into the processor socket (in-socket accelerators), such as the XD2000i of XtremeData).
In the accelerator device both the computationally more expensive sections of the algorithm or the entire algorithm can be executed. In particular, US 2007/0219766 discloses the use of a PCI card with a FPGA for accelerating the computationally more expensive sections of the algorithm.
In Reference [1] is disclosed an alternative based on an in-socket accelerator (ISA) which also uses the approach of executing in the FPGA the computationally most expensive sections of the algorithm.
US 2005/0288800 discloses an architecture with several PCI cards interconnected through a dedicated network where a section or the entire algorithm can be executed.
Finally, Reference [2] discloses a solution that executes a Navier-Stokes code completely in GP-GPUs.
However, none of said proposals can achieve the performance required in industrial environments. On the one hand, the proposal that executes only a part of the algorithm in the accelerator devices does not usually obtain good results due to strong communication overload. On the other hand, the number of expansion cards or processor sockets available on a system is limited and therefore so is the overall acceleration that can be achieved in the proposals disclosed in US 2005/0288800 and in Reference [2].
Additionally the proposals aimed to the full execution of the algorithm have significant limitations on the size of the grid that can be processed and/or on the processing speed. Reference [2] shows results for networks of hundreds of thousands of vertices. In US 2005/0288800 a preferred embodiment is disclosed with a pipeline between two ZBT memories that limits the number of vertices of the grid that can be processed per cycle, since these calculations involve the reading of tens or even hundreds of variables, including those of their own vertex and all its neighbours.
A system allowing a quick execution of scientific codes such as the fluid dynamics codes used in the aeronautic industry that involve grids of tens or hundreds of millions of vertices and codes such as Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) is therefore desirable.
The present invention is addressed to the attention of this demand.

Heterogeneous parallel systems for accelerating simulations based on discrete grid numerical methods


Thin-film devices, for example electrochromic devices for windows, and methods of manufacturing are described. Particular focus is given to methods of patterning optical devices. Various edge deletion and isolation scribes are performed, for example, to ensure the optical device has appropriate isolation from any edge defects. Methods described herein apply to any thin-film device having one or more material layers sandwiched between two thin film electrical conductor layers. The described methods create novel optical device configurations.

Electrochromism is a phenomenon in which a material exhibits a reversible electrochemically-mediated change in an optical property when placed in a different electronic state, typically by being subjected to a voltage change. The optical property is typically one or more of color, transmittance, absorbance, and reflectance. For example, one well known electrochromic material is tungsten oxide (WO3). Tungsten oxide is a cathodically coloring electrochromic material in which a coloration transition, bleached (non-colored) to blue, occurs by electrochemical reduction. When electrochemical oxidation takes place, tungsten oxide transitions from blue to a bleached state.
Electrochromic materials may be incorporated into, for example, windows for home, commercial and other uses. The color, transmittance, absorbance, and/or reflectance of such windows may be changed by inducing a change in the electrochromic material, that is, electrochromic windows are windows that can be darkened and lightened reversibly via application of an electric charge. A small voltage applied to an electrochromic device of the window will cause it to darken; reversing the voltage causes it to lighten. This capability allows control of the amount of light that passes through the windows, and presents an opportunity for electrochromic windows to be used as energy-saving devices.
While electrochromism was discovered in the 1960's, electrochromic devices, and particularly electrochromic windows, still unfortunately suffer various problems and have not begun to realize their full commercial potential despite many recent advancements in electrochromic technology, apparatus, and related methods of making and/or using electrochromic devices.


A system is disclosed for the editing of electronic documents wherein the hardcopy of an original document is scanned into digital form to provide an electronic version of the document. The original document is then placed on an x-y digitizer with the position of the original document being correlated with the electronic version of the document in order to provide corresponding scaling, rotation and offset of the documents. The original document is then edited with a digitizer pen that marks the original document while at the same time converting the handwritten edit into digital form. The digitized edit is then combined with the electronic version of the document to produce an edited electronic document that can be displayed on a local and/or remote computer screen or the like. The system is useful in such applications as teleconferencing, where it is desired to edit the electronic version of a document that is displayed at multiple locations. Other applications include editing of digitized medical documents and graphical images such as X-rays, creating and editing drawings for engineering and other purposes, and editing digitized documents for archival purposes.

With the increasing use of computers and electronic communication equipment, documents are increasingly being stored, transmitted and displayed in electronic form. In many instances, it is desired to convert the original hardcopy of a document into electronic or digital form in order to store, transmit and/or display the document more efficiently. However, once an original document has been converted to digital form, it is often necessary to edit or annotate the digital version of the document. For example, it may be desired to electronically transmit the digital form of a document by telephone or computer network to a remote location where the document is displayed on a computer screen or the like, and then incorporate handwritten notations on the displayed document. As another example, where the original version of a document is to be stored in digital form for archival purposes, it may also be desired to digitally store any handwritten markings made on the original document. As a further example, it may be desired to create a drawing or other document by hand, while at the same time creating and storing a digital version of the document.
One area of increasing interest is teleconferencing systems, which allow multiple groups in remote locations to communicate with each other. The simplest teleconferencing systems use speaker telephones patched together in a conference call, while more elaborate systems use specially equipped rooms with full motion video, high fidelity sound and very high capacity communication links to produce broadcast quality sound and video interconnections among groups in two or more locations. The objective of these systems is to provide a level of communication among remote individuals or groups of people which approaches the level achieved in face-to-face meetings. An essential part of many meetings is the ability to share documents and to interact with the documents in some manner. For example, participants in a face-to-face meeting may underline or circle parts of a document for emphasis, or make corrections or annotations in the margin. In the case of a technical drawing, the participants may sketch in changes or additions. During a teleconference, there is a need for the participants to edit documents in such a manner that allows persons at each remote location to see the annotations.
Another area of increasing interest is in the medical field, where X-rays and other graphical images are increasingly being stored in digital form to simplify handling and archiving. However, doctors often prefer to work with the original X-ray rather than with a displayed digital image. It is very common for a doctor to make notes and marks on an X-ray in order to record or explain the doctor's analysis. A need exists to store the doctor's notes and markings in digital form along with the document upon which the markings are made.
Various digitizers are known in the prior art for converting the x-y position of a stylus into digital form. In these digitizers, a stylus simulating a writing instrument is drawn or selectively positioned on the digitizer surface. The device responds to the position of the stylus to generate digitized signals that are typically conveyed to a host computer. Such x-y digitizers are usually activated by electromagnetic coupling between the stylus and the work surface, but can also be activated by electrostatic coupling, touch, optical, and ultrasonic means.
Conventional electromagnetic x-y digitizers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,851,097, 4,552,991, 4,570,033, 4,600,807, 4,633,436, 4,727,588, 4,841,290, 5,153,386, 5,155,813 and 5,272,470.
Touch controlled x-y digitizers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,455,452 and 5,274,362.
Optical x-y digitizers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,688,933, 5,051,736, 5,073,770, 5,159,322 and 5,164,585.
An ultrasonic x-y digitizer tablet is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,845,684.
Several conventional x-y digitizers have been used in conjunction with computer display screens, wherein the digitizer is mounted on or behind the screen. When the digitizer is mounted on the display screen, it is provided in the form of a transparent sheet. Such overlapping digitizers and display screens are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,723,836, 4,827,410, 4,873,398 and Re 34,476.
The use of a transparent x-y digitizer mounted on a computer screen to edit an electronic version of a document displayed on the screen is known in the prior art, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,027,198 and 5,239,373. In these systems, editing is performed directly on the computer screen rather than on the hardcopy of a document.
The above-noted U.S. patents are incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention has been developed in view of the foregoing, and to overcome other deficiencies of the prior art.

Apparatus and method for editing electronic documents


The developing agent comprises a colorant and vinyl-based polymer synthetic resin to which polyolefin waxes having softening points different from each other are added. Due to this softening point difference, the solidification time period for the waxes after fixation is prolonged; therefore the developing agent attains good fixation and anti-offset properties without deteriorating the preservation property and the fluidity of the developing agent.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic photograph developer, more specifically to that used in a heat depositing method.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general electric photograph copying devices, toner is applied on a latent image on the photosensitive drum to form a visible image from the latent image. This visible image is transferred on a piece of transfer paper or the like, and then fixed thereon to obtain a copy image. There are two techniques, heat and press fixings to fix a transcription image. The heat roller fixing technique, in which toner is melted by its heat and then fixed on a sheet, is widely used.
This heat roller fixing technique, however, includes the problem of a so-called offset phenomenon, in which fogging is created on the image-transcribed material by toner attached thereonto from the surface of the heat roller. This offset phenomenon can be divided into low-temperature and high-temperature offsets. The low-temperature offset occurs when toner is not completely fixed onto the sheet because of a fixing temperature, which is insufficiently low. The high-temperature offset occurs when the internal cohesive force in the melted toner becomes weaker than the adhering force working between the fixing roller and the sheet.
Covering the roller surface by a material having a toner-releasing property, such as fluorine-contained resin, or silicon, or applying a toner-releasing material such as silicon oil on the roller surface, has been considered to prevent the high-temperature offset. However, these techniques is not free from problems of durability, i.e. deterioration of the material caused by continuous use at a high temperature.
In the meantime, the technique of assigning the anti-offset property to toner itself has been considered, and more specifically, addition of another material composed of a substance insoluble to the resin to the toner as a component thereof, as is described Pulished Unexamind Japanese Patent Application 2-2578, has been proposed. However, if such an insoluble material is excessively add to enhance the anti-offset property, the toner becomes too cohesive at a high temperature. As a result, supply of toner from a container such as the toner hopper, will be very difficult. Further, if the fluidity of toner is lowered, the toner is not sufficiently stirred in the developer, suppressing charging on the toner. Such an uncharged toner is likely to cause fogging on an image, and is scattered in the copying device.

Electrophotographic developer having different polyolefin waxes


This invention provides a measurement-while-drilling (MWD) downhole assembly for use in drilling boreholes which utilizes directional formation evaluation devices on a rotating assembly in conjunction with toolface orientation sensors. The data from the toolface orientation sensors are analyzed by a processor and toolface angle measurements are determined at defined intervals. Formation evaluation sensors operate substantially independently of the toolface orientation sensors and measurements of the formation evaluation sensors are analyzed in combination with the determined toolface angle to obtain formation parameters.

To obtain hydrocarbons such as oil and gas, wellbores (also called the boreholes) are drilled by rotating a drill bit attached at the end of a drilling assembly generally called the "bottom hole assembly" or the "drilling assembly." A large portion of the current drilling activity involves drilling highly deviated or substantially horizontal wellbores to increase the hydrocarbon production and/or to withdraw additional hydrocarbons from the earth's formations. The wellbore path of such wells is carefully planned before drilling such wellbores using seismic maps of the earth's subsurface and well data from previously drilled wellbores in the associated oil fields. Due to the very high cost of drilling such wellbores and the need precisely to place such wellbores in the reservoirs, it is essential continually to determine the position and direction of the drilling assembly and thus the drill bit during drilling of the wellbores. Such information is used, among other things, to monitor and adjust the drilling direction of the wellbores.
In drilling assemblies used until recently, the directional package commonly includes a set of accelerometers and a set of magnetometers, which respectively measure the earth's gravity and magnetic field. The drilling assembly is held stationary during the taking of the measurements from the accelerometers and the magnetometers. The toolface and the inclination angle are determined from the accelerometer measurements. The azimuth is then determined from the magnetometer measurements in conjunction with the tool face and inclination angle.
The earth's magnetic field varies from day to day, which causes corresponding changes in the magnetic azimuth. The varying magnetic azimuth compromises the accuracy of the position measurements when magnetometers are used. Additionally, it is not feasible to measure the earth's magnetic field in the presence of ferrous materials, such as casing and drill pipe. Gyroscopes measure the rate of the earth's rotation, which does not change with time nor are the gyroscopes adversely affected by the presence of ferrous materials. Thus, in the presence of ferrous materials the gyroscopic measurements can provide more accurate azimuth measurements than the magnetometer measurements. U.S. Pat. No. 6,347,282 to Estes et al having the same assignee as the present application and the contents of which are fully incorporated herein by reference, discloses a measurement-while-drilling (MWD) downhole assembly for use in drilling boreholes that utilizes gyroscopes, magnetometers and accelerometers for determining the borehole inclination and azimuth during the drilling of the borehole. The downhole assembly includes at least one gyroscope that is rotatably mounted in a tool housing to provide signals relating to the earth's rotation. A device in the tool can rotate the gyroscope and other sensors on the tool at any desired angle. This ability to rotate the sensors is important in determining bias in the sensors and eliminating the effects of the bias.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,091,644 to Minette having the same assignee as the present application teaches a method for analyzing data from a measurement-while-drilling (MWD) gamma ray density logging tool which compensates for rotations of the logging tool (along with the rest of the drillstring) during measurement periods. In accordance with the method disclosed therein, the received signal is broken down into a plurality of sections. In a preferred embodiment, the Minette invention calls for the breaking of the signal from the formation into four different sections: top, bottom, right, left. As the tool rotates, it passes through these four quadrants. Each time it passes a boundary, a counter is incremented, pointing to the next quadrant. This allows for dividing the data into four spectra for each detector. Each of these four spectra will be obtained for ¼th of the total acquisition time assuming constant rotational speed.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,307,199 to Edwards et al teaches the use of a density gamma ray logging device in which data from different "azimuthal" sectors are combined to give an interpretation of formation dip. The primary emphasis in both the Minette and Edwards patent is to correct the density measurements for the effects of standoff; the sensors themselves are not specifically designed for "azimuthal" sensitivity. U.S. Pat. No. 6,215,120 to Gadeken et al. discloses the use of "azimuthally" focused gamma ray sensors on a logging tool for detecting "azimuthal" variations in the gamma ray emission from earth formations.
Other types of images have been obtained in the prior art using sensors on a rotating bottom hole assembly (BHA). For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,200,705 to Clark et al. discusses resistivity measurements made by a galvanic resistivity sensor on a stabilizer blade. U.S. Pat. No. 6,173,793 to Thompson et al., having the same assignee as the present invention and the contents of which are fully incorporated herein by reference, teaches the use of pad mounted sensors on a slowly rotating sleeve for obtaining azimuthal resistivity images of the borehole wall. Resistivity images can, for the purpose of the present invention, be considered to be similar to images obtained with a nuclear logging tool, albeit with a much higher resolution. Resistivity measurements do not suffer from the statistical variability associated with nuclear logging tools and can hence make virtually instantaneous measurements yielding images with a much higher resolution than can nuclear measurements.
We digress briefly on a matter of terminology. In surveying, the term "azimuth" usually refers to an angle in a horizontal plane, usually measured from north: when referenced to magnetic north, it may be called magnetic azimuth and when referenced to true north, it is usually simply termed azimuth. It would be clear based on this definition that all measurements made in a highly deviated borehole or a horizontal borehole would be made with substantially the same azimuth. Accordingly, in the present application, we use the more accurate term "tool face angle" to define a relative orientation in a plane orthogonal to the borehole axis. With this definition, the Minette, Edwards and Gadeken patents are really making measurements over a variety of tool face angles.
Common to the Minette, Edwards and Gadeken patents is the use of a controller that keeps track of the rotating sensor assembly and controls the acquisition of data based on sector boundaries in the tool face angle. While this may not be difficult to do for the case of a single directionally sensitive sensor, the problem becomes much more complicated when a plurality of different types of sensors are conveyed as part of a bottom hole assembly. It is difficult, if not impossible, for a single controller to keep track of a plurality of sensor assemblies during rotation of the downhole assembly and control the operation of a plurality of assemblies. A source of error is the nonuniform rotation speed of the drillstring. Another source of error is the time delay inherent in the electronics. Measurements may be made simultaneously by the formation sensor and the orientation sensors, but there is a time delay between the time the measurements are made with the two types of sensors and the time at which they are processed. The interaction between the two sources of error, i.e., nonuniform rotation and time delay, can be fairly complex. The problem of nonuniform rotation is partially addressed in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/629,268 of Cairns et.al. having the same assignee and the contents of which are fully incorporated herein by reference. However, addressing the non-uniform rotation by itself gives only a partial solution. In addition, there is the problem of bias in the orientation sensor measurements. Generally, magnetometers are preferred as orientation sensors over gyroscopes, but magnetometers are susceptible to errors causes by metallic drill collars, casing, and accumulated debris. There is a need for a method of determining accurate orientation values using measurements made by a an orientation sensor on a MWD logging tool. It would be desirable to have an apparatus and a method that efficiently controls data acquisition and possibly processing with a plurality of rotating sensors in a downhole device. The present invention satisfies this need.

Measurement-while-drilling assembly using real-time toolface oriented measurements