Concepts and technologies are disclosed herein for providing streaming video from mobile computing nodes. A request for streaming video captured by a mobile computing node can be received at a computer including a processor that executes a controller. The request can include a parameter associated with the streaming video. The computer can initiate transmission of an inquiry message to two or more mobile computing nodes and receive inquiry message responses from the mobile computing nodes that include the mobile computing node. The inquiry message responses can indicate that the mobile computing nodes can satisfy the parameter. The computer can create a list of the mobile computing nodes that can satisfy the parameter and provide the list to the requestor. The computer can receive a selection of the mobile computing node, and initiate delivery of a video stream to the requestor.

Traffic congestion and delays can be significant concerns for drivers. There are various tools available for drivers to learn about traffic congestion and delays, such as listening to traffic reports, using navigation applications, and web sites. For example, drivers can evaluate a web-based map or news report before driving to obtain route recommendations, to view traffic information, or the like. For example, the GOOGLE MAPS service from GOOGLE Inc. in Mountain View, Calif. can be used to obtain route recommendations including various options and variances in travel time for each option based on current conditions. Also, the TRAFFICLAND service from TrafficLand Incorporated in Fairfax, Va. can be used to obtain images from traffic cameras to see traffic conditions.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Providing streaming video from mobile computing nodes


The invention generally regards methods for providing hematopoietic cells and precursors of hematopoietic cells from a variety of cell sources, such as pluripotent stem cells or somatic cells. Also provided are therapeutic compositions including the provided hematopoietic cells and precursors of hematopoietic cells, and methods of using such for the treatment of subjects.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of molecular biology, stem cells, and differentiated cells. More particularly, it concerns programming of somatic cells and undifferentiated cells toward specific cell lineages, particularly hematopoietic cells and precursors of hematopoietic cells.
2. Description of Related Art
Hematopoietic cells or blood cells are in great demand for clinical applications and for laboratory use. In the clinic, hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) can be used to reconstitute hematopoiesis in patients that have undergone a therapy that suppresses hematopoiesis, such as an anti-cancer therapy, or in patients that have inherited hematological diseases. In addition, red blood cells, platelets, and neutrophil granulocytes can be used in blood transfusions and in the treatment of certain hematological disorders. In the lab, blood cells can be used for many applications including drug screening.
Currently, blood cells for such clinical and laboratory applications are obtained from living donors. However, the limited supply of donor blood, especially when a genetically-compatible donor is required, limits therapeutic applications and drug screening. Thus, there remains a need to develop sources of blood cells other than donor blood. For example, there is a need for an unlimited supply of well-characterized functional blood cell types, including patient-specific HSCs for therapeutic applications.

Hematopoietic precursor cell production by programming


Apparatus and methods relate to containers having a sidewall portion with at least one generally vertical corrugation therein. The containers can be of a variety of shapes, sizes, cross-sections, and materials. The corrugation improves the container sidewall strength and resistance to buckling under compressive loads such as stacking of multiple containers.

Containers (such as plastic injection-molded buckets or pails or the like) come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Commonly, these have generally flat and/or smooth curved sidewalls. Sometimes reinforcing ribs or other features are formed or provided on the exterior and/or interior of the container. In many applications, the containers are designed to be nestable and stackable. When the containers are filled, the stacking loads can be substantial, and the sidewalls typically have to be designed and tested to support and withstand certain threshold requirements (to avoid failure when they are dropped or stacked, etc.).
When sufficient force is exerted downwardly on such containers, the container can collapse or "fail." Commonly, this failure begins with or includes the weakest point of the container sidewall buckling in or out (toward or away from the inside of the container). Among other situations, such loading and buckling failures can occur when filled containers are stacked too high on each other. Even for unstacked single containers, however, sufficient force can cause such a failure.
It is desirable to provide a container with improved strength and durability to withstand heavy loads (such as imposed by stacking filled containers, or any other kind of force applied downwardly), without bending or crumpling.

Container sidewall strengthening apparatus and methods


Contextual information for wireless communications is managed in terms of management objects (MO) using device management (DM) protocol. Contextual information management is performed by determining a need to change from an old configuration to a new configuration, retrieving profile information necessary to make a decision about the new configuration, and making a decision about the new configuration based upon the retrieved profile information. The new configuration may include information about access technology and changes in one or more defined profiles.

The present invention relates to managing contextual information for wireless communications. Contextual information may refer to information related to radio access technologies, terminal capabilities, user preferences, applications and/or services provided on the terminal, and the like. Such contextual information needs to be managed and handled effectively and efficiently. However, the related art technologies do not sufficiently address such issues, and thus do not offer appropriate solutions

Managing contextual information for wireless communications


A cover 10 for keeping an air assisted patient transfer mattress sanitary is disclosed. The cover includes generally a top panel 12 connected to a bottom panel 14. The cover 10 includes at least one opening 24 to allow a mattress, such as an air assisted patient transfer mattress to be inserted and removed. The bottom panel 14 includes air passing means to pass air through from an air assisted patient transfer mattress onto a supporting surface.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a reusable or disposable cover for a patient transfer mattress, and more particularly to a cover for use with an air assisted patient transfer mattress.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Patient transfer mattresses are being used with increasing frequency for safely transferring, repositioning and handling patients while reducing the risk of injury and increasing the patient's comfort. The mattress often comes into contact with the body and bodily fluids of the patient resulting in the mattress being contaminated. The mattress is then laundered and sanitized before being reused. Laundering, sanitizing and loss of the use of the mattress represent a significant and unnecessary expense that most businesses are not willing to bear.
It is therefore desirable to provide a disposable or reusable cover that generally encloses the patient transfer mattress, such as an air assisted patient transfer mattress, for keeping the mattress sanitary.
It is further desirable to provide a cover that keeps the mattress sanitary and does not inhibit the ease with which these mattresses are used to reposition, transfer or handle patients both safely and comfortably without the risk of injury.


A combination of prospecting equipment and apparatus, for the purpose of collecting precious minerals from mineral bearing sand and gravel, located in regions that are arid in nature, have little water or limited water usage, due to environmental concerns. The Wash Plant Unit comprising; A feed hopper for receiving and washing materials. A sluice box and apparatus for collecting precious minerals. A sluice box extension with a filter screen for separating gravel from sand and water. A filtration box with a sediment pan and screening devices for separating sand from water. A receptacle and implement holder for holding miscellaneous prospecting supplies. A water pump with a suction and discharge for drawing and dispensing water. All built upon and attached to its own water reservoir, which is attached to a frame with a hitch, built upon a set of axles with tires, suitable for being transported by an All Terrain Vehicle.

1. Field of Invention
This Invention relates to recreational prospecting, namely, A Transportable, Self-Contained Recirculating, Wash Plant, for use in washing and separating precious minerals, such as gold and silver, from mineral bearing sand and gravel, located in arid regions, areas with little water and areas that have water use restrictions, due to environmental concerns.
2. Background of the Invention
In the past, various methods have been employed, in the use of water, for the purpose of recreational prospecting. These methods, such as, "slucing", "highbanking" and "dredging", use mineral bearing sand and gravel located at or near a water source, such as streams and rivers.
Although these methods have been satisfactory for their purpose, they are not satisfactory for the purpose of prospecting with water, in mineral bearing regions, that are arid in nature, have little water and areas that have water use restrictions, due to environmental concerns.

Transportable, self-contained, recirculation, wash plant


A method for controlling a backlight luminance in which a reference voltage is set, a sampling voltage is generated based on the reference voltage, and a net photo current signal is generated by a photo current sensing element and a dark current sensing element. The net photo current signal is generated independently of temperature variations. A luminance control signal is generated based on the sampling voltage. The luminance of the backlight assembly is controlled using the luminance control signal. Therefore, variation of the luminance of the backlight assembly may be minimized, although external luminance, temperature, and variation between different photo sensors, the deterioration of the elements, and the like, may be changed.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a method of controlling the luminance of a backlight assembly, a circuit for controlling the luminance of the backlight assembly, and a display device having the circuit for controlling the luminance of the backlight assembly. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method of controlling the luminance of a backlight assembly used for a display device, a circuit for controlling the luminance of the backlight assembly, which is capable of improving luminance uniformity, and a display device having the circuit for controlling the luminance of the backlight assembly.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Recently, a liquid crystal display (LCD) device capable of controlling the luminance of a backlight module has been developed. The LCD device controls the luminance of the backlight module by detecting the luminance of externally provided light using a photo-sensing part that is integrated onto a panel to control the luminance of a backlight module, thereby optimizing display characteristics.
The LCD device, however, ignores a variation of an output of a photo sensor, which is caused by temperature change, and a variation between outputs of a plurality of the photo sensors. Also, deterioration of a thin-film transistor (TFT) of the photo sensor caused by long-term use is also ignored.

Method of controlling luminance of backlight assembly, circuit for controlling luminance of backlight assembly and display device having the same


Provided in embodiments of the disclosure are a method and apparatus for cell selection or reselection, and a terminal. The method includes that: a terminal performs cell selection or cell reselection based on first information, the first information being Non-Public Network (NPN) related information.

The concept of Non-Public Network (NPN) is introduced to the Release 16 (R16) of the 5th Generation (5G). The NPN includes a type-a network and a type-b network that respectively correspond to a private network supporting privation of a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) and a private network of a non-3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) public network. If User Equipment (UE) is not a contract-signing user of the NPN, the user cannot reside in the NPN and/or use the NPN for normal communication. In present procedures of New Radio (NR), the UE does not know whether a present cell is an NPN cell or whether a selected cell is an NPN cell during cell selection or reselection. In addition, even if the UE knows NPN information of a candidate cell, the UE does not consider whether the UE itself can support the NPN and/or whether the candidate cell is an NPN cell during cell selection or cell reselection according to the existing procedures. This may result in that after residing in a cell, the UE has to reselect another cell right away because that cell is an NPN cell, thereby wasting a great number of computing resources and consuming the electricity.

Cell selection or reselection method and apparatus, and terminal

GUANGDONG OPPO MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP., LTD.


A device authentication server authenticates a remotely located device using a detailed history of movement of the device. Such movement history is represented by data representing a history of the external state of the device within a physical environment, examples of which include accelerometer logs, orientation logs, and magnetic field logs. To authentication of the device, the device authentication server sends a device key challenge to the device. The device key challenge specifies a randomized selection of device attribute parts to be collected from the device and the manner in which the device attribute parts are to be combined to form a device key. The device key is data that identifies and authenticates the device and includes a device identifier and device environmental data for comparison to reference device environmental data.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to network-based computer security and, more particularly, methods of and systems for authenticating a device for computer network security.
2. Description of the Related Art
Device identification through device keys, i.e., though a collection of hardware and system configuration attributes, has proven to be invaluable in recent years to such technologies as security and digital rights management. In security, authentication of a person can be restricted to a limited number of previously authorized devices that are recognized by their device keys. In digital rights management, use of copyrighted or otherwise proprietary subject matter can be similarly restricted to a limited number of previously authorized devices that are recognized by their device keys.
Device keys, sometimes referred to as digital fingerprints, should be globally unique and difficult to spoof. Accordingly, IP and MAC addresses make insecure identifiers. In addition, some operating systems limit access to device configuration details, making derivation of a globally unique identifiers of a large population of similar devices particularly challenging.
What is needed is a way to identify and authenticate a device using information of the device that is highly likely to be unique and is accessible to user space applications.

Device authentication using device environment information


A bearing assembly to mount an actuator on a mounting hub of a data storage device comprises a cylindrical hub for the actuator having an internal bore along a cylindrical hub axis. The bearing assembly also has one or more bearings mounted inside the internal bore of the cylindrical hub and a sleeve mounted inside the one or more bearings so that the cylindrical hub rotates relative to the sleeve. The sleeve is adapted to contact a mounting hub. A single piece captive screw is retained within the sleeve and is free to rotate about the cylindrical hub axis independent of the sleeve to engage the mounting hub and tighten the sleeve to the mounting hub.

Various types of data storage devices store digital data in magnetic or optical form on a rotating storage medium. Modern magnetic disc drives, for example, comprise one or more rigid discs that are coated with a magnetizable medium and mounted on the hub of a spindle motor for rotation at a constant high speed. Information is stored on the discs in a plurality of concentric circular tracks typically by an array of transducers ("heads") mounted to a rotary actuator for movement of the heads substantially radially relative to the discs. Each of the concentric tracks is generally divided into a plurality of separately addressable data sectors. The read/write transducer, e.g. a magneto-resistive read/inductive write head, is used to transfer data between a desired track and an external environment.
The heads are mounted via flexures at the ends of a plurality of arms which project radially outward from a substantially cylindrical actuator body. The actuator body, via a bearing assembly, pivots about a shaft mounted to a base deck of the data storage device. The bearing assembly, having a cylindrical hub containing bearings and the shaft, is fitted to and secured within the actuator body. The shaft has a threaded portion extending below the bearing assembly and actuator body and a head, accessible at the top of the bearing assembly, that is adapted to accept a tool such as a screwdriver or wrench. During assembly, the actuator assembly, via the shaft of the bearing assembly is secured to the base deck of the data storage device. That is, the threaded portion of the shaft is screwed into a corresponding hole in the base deck.
Since the heads on the actuator arms are typically maintained in very close proximity to the surface of the storage medium, alignment of the actuator arms should be parallel to the surface of the storage medium. Therefore, it is very important that the shaft of the bearing assembly is properly aligned with the base deck and with the axis of rotation of the spindle motor and the storage medium so that the heads move in a plane parallel with the surfaces of the storage medium. Misalignment of the shaft when securing it to the base deck may cause misalignment of the actuator arms which may in turn cause the heads to contact the surface of the storage medium.
The base deck is machined to ensure proper alignment of the shaft of the bearing assembly. However, the base deck is typically manufactured of a lightweight and relatively soft material such as aluminum. In contrast, the shaft and bearing assembly is typically manufactured of a relatively hard material such as stainless steel. Further, when the shaft is screwed into the base deck significant torsional force can be applied to the mating surfaces of the base deck and shaft. In some cases, these torsional forces cause galling of the softer base deck surface. This galling then causes misalignment of the shaft and actuator assembly.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view of a prior art bearing assembly for an actuator of a data storage device. The bearing assembly 200 consists of a cylindrical hub 204 in which a shaft 207 is mounted. The cylindrical hub 204 is connected with, and may rotate about, the shaft 207 via bearing 205 and 206 mounted on the inside surface of the cylindrical hub 204 and encompassing the shaft 207.
The cylindrical hub 204 is shaped and sized to mate with a corresponding hole in the actuator body (not shown in this view). The bearing assembly 200 will be pressed into the hole in the actuator body and secured to the actuator via a flange 213 extending from the top of the cylindrical hub 204 and a nut (not shown) engaging threads 214 at the bottom of the cylindrical hub 204.
The bearings 205 and 206 are mounted on the interior of the cylindrical hub 204. Spacer 217 is machined into the interior surface of cylindrical hub 204 and provides for proper positioning of the bearing 205 and 206. Typically, bearings 205 and 206 are adhesively affixed to the interior of the cylindrical hub 204. However, spacer 217 also helps secure the bearings 205 and 206 within the cylindrical hub 204.
The body 208 of shaft 207 passes through the center of the bearings 205 and 206 and is typically adhesively affixed to the bearings 205 and 206. A flange 210 extending from the body 208 of shaft 207 helps to secure the shaft 207 within the bearings 205 and 206 and provides a mounting surface 215 for the bearing assembly 200. Shaft 207 also has a screw 211 extending from the bottom of the shaft 208. Threads 212 on the screw 211 provide a means to attach the bearing assembly to the base deck 102 of the data storage device.
The base deck 102 of the data storage device has a mounting hub 202 extending upwards from its top surface. The mounting hub 202 contains a tapped hole 203 to accept the threads 212 on the shaft 207 of the bearing assembly 200. Additionally, the mounting hub 202 has a machined surface 216 onto which the bearing assembly 200 will be mounted. When assembled, the bearing assembly 200 will be mounted on mounting hub 202 via screw 211 and tightened via a tool such as a screwdriver or wrench applied to an appropriately shaped head 209 on the body 208 of the shaft 207. The shaft 207 is then screwed into the mounting hub 202 until the lower surface 215 of flange 210 makes tight contact with the machined surface 216 of the mounting hub 202.
However, such a design can cause galling of the machined surface of the mounting hub. Since the flange 210 on the lower part of the body 208 of the shaft 207 turns with the body 208 as the screw 211 is tightened into the mounting hub 202, significant torsional force is applied to the machined surface 216 of the mounting hub 202. Additionally, the material of the base deck 102 of the data storage device 100 is likely to be aluminum or a similar lightweight material that is significantly softer than the stainless steel or similar material used for the shaft 207 of the bearing assembly 200. Therefore, galling of the machined surface 216 of the mounting hub 202 may occur. Furthermore, disassembly and reassembly of the drive, such as when the drive is reworked or remanufactured, will only exacerbate the problem by increasing the amount of galling when the bearing assembly is removed and reinstalled.
Accordingly there is a need for a bearing assembly that can be secured to a base deck of a data storage device without galling the surface to which the bearing assembly is secured. The present invention provides a solution to this and other problems, and offers other advantages over the prior art.


A toroidal roller bearing, which comprises an outer ring, an inner ring and a plurality of roller elements interposed between the outer and inner rings, wherein the toroidal roller bearing allows for angular and axial displacement between the outer ring and the inner ring. The bearing includes a cage for holding the roller elements, wherein the cage provides an axial guiding feature for axially guiding the roller elements against at least one of the outer ring, inner ring and a separate element located outside the toroidal roller bearing.

Toroidal roller bearings are known and have been used for many years due to its ability to allow for both axial and angular relative displacement between its bearing rings (outer ring and inner ring). The function and general design of a toroidal roller bearing is for instance described in EP 0175858. The function of the bearing is enabled by the curved construction of the inner and outer rings' raceways which are adapted to conform with the curved shape of the roller elements. Hence, toroidal roller bearings combine self-aligning capability with considerable axial displacement ability.
Due to its capabilities, toroidal roller bearings provide a wide range of applicability in various bearing arrangement designs. In particular the toroidal roller bearings simplify designs comprising e.g. a long shaft that may be subject to temperature variations and bending. Furthermore, the construction of the toroidal roller bearing allows for suitable load distributions as well as low frictional running.
Some concerns when using a toroidal roller bearing have been discovered by the inventors that may arise in different applications. These concerns have been shown to be caused by e.g. the cage in the bearing. Roller elements in the bearing which are in an unloaded zone may be affected by the cage in a negative way. The rollers, when in an unloaded zone, may for instance be braked by the cage, which will lead to roller slip. Roller slip is something that should be avoided because the lubrication film that is needed between the roller elements and the bearing's raceways is disturbed or even vanished when the slip becomes too large. This may lead to a reduction in the service life. Another effect that may arise for the rollers in its unloaded zone is roller skew, caused by e.g. the cage, which may lead to increased friction in the bearing, increased unwanted forces on the cage or increased wear of the bearing components. Yet another effect that may arise for the rollers in its unloaded zone is that the rollers are moved in its axial direction. This may lead to noise and damages on the surfaces of the rollers and the raceways.


In order to provide a medical image diagnosis apparatus and a phase determination method using a medical image diagnosis apparatus that can determine an appropriate movement phase when obtaining a tomographic image corresponding to a specific movement phase, there are provided a storage unit that stores material distribution information, which is acquired from an object including a target organ that moves periodically, and movement information, which is measured together with the material distribution information, an image reconstruction unit that reconstructs a plurality of tomographic images of different movement phases using the material distribution information and the movement information, a superimposed image creation unit that creates a superimposed image by superimposing the plurality of tomographic images, a specific position calculation unit that calculates a specific position of the target organ based on the superimposed image, and a specific phase determination unit that determines a specific phase of the target organ based on the specific position.

When a moving organ is scanned by a medical image diagnosis apparatus represented by the X-ray CT apparatus, artifacts due to motion, so-called motion artifacts, are caused in the obtained tomographic image. As a method of reducing the motion artifacts, there is a method of controlling the acquisition timing of projection data or processing the acquired projection data based on electrocardiographic information or respiration information measured using a biometric sensor, such as an electrocardiograph or a respiratory sensor. With reference to the scanning of the heart as an example, there is a method in which electrocardiographic information measured using an electrocardiograph is collected together with projection data and projection data corresponding to an arbitrary cardiac phase is extracted from the collected projection data to perform image reconstruction and as a result, a tomographic image of the heart corresponding to the cardiac phase is obtained. This method is called an electrocardiographic synchronous reconstruction method.
In order to reduce the motion artifacts in the electrocardiographic synchronous reconstruction method, it is important to specify the cardiac phase corresponding to the projection data, which is used for image reconstruction, as an optimal phase, for example, as a cardiac phase in which the movement amount of the heart is smallest. PTL 1 discloses reconstructing a plurality of images of different cardiac phases, generating a plurality of difference images of different cardiac phases from the plurality of reconstructed images, and determining a specific cardiac phase based on the amount of movement corresponding to a plurality of cardiac phases calculated using the generated difference images. That is, a cardiac phase in which the sum of absolute values of the pixel values of the generated difference images is smallest is determined as a cardiac phase in which the amount of movement is small.

Medical image diagnosis apparatus and phase determination method using medical image diagnosis apparatus


The invention concerns a method for producing decorations on an object by machining a multilayer structure (1) which consists in machining at various depths a complex consisting of an assembly of materials which are different in particular in shade and/or colour, the multilayer structure (1) being made up of an arrangement of bars (2) with polygonal cross-section, and varied shades and/or colours. The method consists in machining said multilayer structure (1) with one or several turning processes.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for producing decorations on an object through machining a complex, and an object obtained through said method.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
There are already known methods for producing decorations on an object through machining a complex formed by assembling different elements, namely made of wood, which consist, in a first stage, of manufacturing such a complex by performing a superposition of layers of elements of different shades and/or colors, and eventually of a varying thickness, then in machining said so obtained complex according to variable depths, in order to cause variable relief patterns and geometrical shapes to appear, depending on the layer or layers involved by the machining and on the way the machining is carried out.
These methods are however limited as regards the decoration effects achieved. They are namely aimed at manufacturing walls, where variable concentric shapes are achieved through varying the machining depth; such a method is disclosed, for example, in FR 2,700,500.
DE 31 42 446 also provides a similar method; in addition, it provides a process consisting in sculpting a cylindrical block comprising concentric layers.
From U.S. Pat. No. 1,994,204 is also known a method for producing mosaics, consisting in manufacturing a block through assembling bars having a rectangular cross-section, then in cutting said block according to a plane non-parallel to those in which said bars are assembled.

Method for producing decorations on an object and resulting object


The lamp/reflector unit has a reflector body (1) provided with a neck-shaped portion (4) with relief (6). An electric lamp (7) provided with contact pins (8) is mounted in the reflector body (1). The neck-shaped portion (4) has a separate first part (9), which extends from the free end (5) of the neck-shaped portion (4) to beyond the relief (6), and a second part (10), which is integral with the reflector body (1) and which lies at least in part within the first part (9). The unit has a simple and rigid construction.

The invention relates to a lamp/reflector unit comprising
a reflector body provided with a concave reflecting surface having an optical axis,
a neck-shaped portion at the reflector body around the optical axis, this neck-shaped portion having a free end and being provided at its outer surface with a relief extending cross to the optical axis,
an electric lamp provided with contact pins, which lamp is mounted in the reflector body, while its contact pins project outwards at the free end of the neck-shaped portion. Such a unit is known from GB 2 153 986-A.
Lamp/reflector units, which were originally intended for colour slide projection and to be held in this case at the edge of the reflector body lying on its largest diameter, are now also used to obtain decorative illumination. The units are then mostly held at the contact pins. In order to permit mounting of a reflector unit in a holder in a more reliable manner than when using the clamping force of electrical connection terminals on the contact pins of a unit, the unit according to the aforementioned GB 2 153 986-A has a relief at the surface of the neck-shaped portion. Clamping members at a holder for the unit can cooperate with this relief and can ensure that the unit is fixed. In order that the reflector body with the neck-shaped portion can be formed in an inexpensive indivisible mould, according to the aforementioned Application a reflector body is manufactured having a neck-shaped portion without a relief, is manufactured and it is not until then that the relief is provided by grinding one or more grooves in the neck-shaped portion.
A disadvantage of this known unit is that a groove thus obtained leads especially with the use of glass as construction material to a mechanical weakening of the neck-shaped portion, as a result of which rupture can occur. Another disadvantage with the use of glass is that there is too much spread with respect to the dimensions of the neck-shaped portion to guarantee a good retention of the unit by a holder.

Lamp/reflector unit with improved mounting means


In one embodiment, a distributed intelligence agent (DIA) collects local state information from a plurality of minimalistic connected objects (MCOs) in a computer network, the local state information for each MCO comprising a corresponding neighbor list and a selected next-hop for the respective MCO, where one or more of the MCOs are configured to select their next-hop without any self-optimization. The DIA may then analyze a current routing topology, which is the combined result of the selected next-hops, in comparison to a computed optimal routing topology, and (optionally) in light of required service level agreement (SLA), to determine whether to optimize the current routing topology. In response to determining that the current routing topology should be optimized, the DIA may transmit a unicast routing instruction to one or more individual MCOs to instruct those individual MCOs how to optimize the current routing topology, accordingly.

Low-power and Lossy Networks (LLNs), e.g., sensor networks, have a myriad of applications, such as smart grid, smart cities, home and building automation, etc. Various challenges are presented with LLNs, such as lossy links, low bandwidth, battery operation, low memory and/or processing capability, etc. Large-scale IP smart object networks pose a number of technical challenges. For instance, the degree of density of such networks (such as Smart Grid networks with a large number of sensors and actuators, smart cities, or advanced metering infrastructure or "AMI" networks) may be extremely high: it is not rare for each node to see several hundreds of neighbors.
One example routing solution to LLN challenges is a protocol called Routing Protocol for LLNs or "RPL," which is a distance vector routing protocol that builds a Destination Oriented Directed Acyclic Graph (DODAG, or simply DAG) in addition to a set of features to bound the control traffic, support local (and slow) repair, etc. One of the core aspects of RPL lies in the use of an Objective Function (OF) configured on the DAG Root that determines the rules according how nodes join the DAG: the OF specifies the list of metrics and constraints used to build the DAG in addition to a number of rules and objectives. A typical OF in Smart Metering applications may be: "find the shortest path based on the reliability metric (thus the most reliable path), while avoiding battery operated nodes." A typical OF in substation automation applications may be "find the shortest path based on the delay metric (shortest delay) while using encrypted links."
RPL, and other complex routing protocols, are certainly very much appropriate to routing in existing networks comprising thousands of nodes. That being said, such protocols are fairly sophisticated with a number of available parameters, tuning, optional building blocks, and may be difficult to operate in constrained network. For example, current estimates show that RPL would require a few Kbytes of RAM for state maintenance and slightly more memory in terms of Flash. Unfortunately, the level of complexity inherent to the challenges of routing in LLN using a distributed routing approach grows rapidly with the number of nodes in the network.

Assisted intelligent routing for minimalistic connected object networks


An organic EL display device includes: thin film transistors that are arranged in respective pixels within a display area which are arranged in a matrix; a planarization film that is formed over the thin film transistor and made of an organic insulating material; contact electrodes that are connected to drains or sources of the respective thin film transistors through contact holes formed within the planarization film; contact hole planarization films that are arranged over the respective contact electrodes with which the contact holes are embedded, and made of an organic insulating material; a lower electrode that is formed to be electrically connected onto the contact electrodes, and formed over the contact hole planarization film; and an organic layer that is arranged over the lower electrode to cover the overall display area, and formed of a plurality of organic material layers including a light emitting layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an organic EL display device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, an image display device (hereinafter referred to as "organic EL (electro luminescent) display device") using self-luminous bodies called "organic light emitting diodes" has been input into practical use. As compared with a conventional liquid crystal display device, the organic EL display device not only is excellent in visibility and response speed, but also requires no auxiliary lighting device such as a backlight because of the use of the self-luminous bodies. Therefore, the organic EL display device can be further thinned.
As a method of conducting color display in the organic EL display device of this type, there are a method in which a light emitting element emits light of three colors of R(red), G(green), and B (blue) for each of pixels, a method in which the light emitting element emits light of white, and color filters in each pixel transmit respective wavelength ranges of three colors of RGB, and a method in which those methods are combined together.
JP 2001-312223 A discloses that in order to form an organic EL material with a uniform film thickness, electrode holes are embedded with an organic resin material to form a protective portion. JP 2003-091246 A discloses that contact hole portions are covered with and smoothed by an insulator layer or a conductor layer to uniform the thickness of the organic EL layer, against the same problem as that in JP 2001-312223 A. JP 2009-301058 A discloses that contact holes are embedded with a conductor, and the conductor is brought into contact with metal films which are electrodes from the viewpoint of such a problem that an area in which TFTs and lines are formed does not transmit light.

Organic display device having a contact hole planarization film made of an organic insulating material


A device comprising at least one absorber, at least one cold separator from which is extracted a gaseous phase that feeds the absorber, at least one recycling to said cold separator of at least a portion of liquid effluent that is obtained from the absorber and which is mixed with the feedstock, at least one heat exchanger for cooling the mixture prior to the recycling, at least one conduit for recovering a light hydrocarbon-enriched liquid fraction obtained from the cold separator and at least one conduit for evacuating gases from the absorber, said device being useable for the treatment of a hydrogen-rich gas or for the recovery of a hydrocarbon-enriched liquid.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,326,926 describes a process for isomerization of C4–C6 paraffins and for recovery of LPG-type hydrocarbons, essentially C4 hydrocarbons. This process comprises an isomerization followed by a stabilization column that produces a separation of the effluent obtained from the isomerization unit into 4 fractions and a stripping of one of the intermediate fractions to collect hydrocarbons that have 4 carbon atoms. This process does not include an absorption column.
Patent EP 0 488 757 B1 describes a process for isomerization of a flow that comprises C5–C6 hydrocarbons. Said process comprises an isomerization zone, a deisohexanization zone that provides at the top methyl and dimethylbutane and normal pentane that are sent to a selective adsorption unit in which the normal hydrocarbons are adsorbed, a lateral fraction comprising normal hexane and methyl pentanes recycled for isomerization and a fraction comprising hydrocarbons with a boiling point higher than that of normal hexane. A desorption stage allows recovery of normal hydrocarbons that are recycled in the isomerization unit. This process comprises adsorption and desorption stages, preferably by variation of pressure with a P.S.A. (Pressure Swing Adsorption according to English terminology, i.e., adsorption by pressure variation) but does not include an absorption stage. It no longer comprises a cooling stage and is optimized for separating the normal paraffins from isoparaffins after isomerization.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,238,555 describes a process for purification of hydrogen by treatment of an effluent containing hydrocarbons and hydrogen and obtained from a hydrocarbon conversion unit. This process comprises a fractionation of the effluent into a liquid phase and a vapor phase, followed by an indirect exchange in a gas/gas exchanger with a hydrogen-rich gas as far as the vapor phase is concerned and an exchange with a hydrocarbon-containing liquid as far as the liquid phase is concerned. The two liquid and vapor flows are then cooled in two separate cooling zones, then sent independently to said absorption unit that operates in countercurrent.

Device that comprises recycling to a separator a liquid effluent that is obtained from an absorber and is mixed with a feedstock


A prosthesis including a subacromial spacer having a surface contoured to maintain an acromion in chosen distance to a humeral head upon rotation and fixation means to fixate the subacromial spacer to a humeral medullary cavity and/or an intramedullary fixator implanted or configured for implantation in the humeral medullary cavity. A surgical kit includes the prosthesis and a proximal humeral nail. The fixating means are connectable into a proximal opening of the proximal humeral nail. A method may include: creating a percutaneous passage from an outer-body space to a portion of a humeral head; removing bony tissue to facilitate direct communication between the outer-body space and a humeral medullary cavity enclosed in the humeral head; providing a prosthesis including a subacromial spacer having a surface; and/or fixating the subacromial spacer to the humeral medullary cavity and/or an intramedullary fixator implanted or configured for implantation in the humeral medullary cavity.

The human shoulder has many degrees of freedom and a unique mechanism for stabilization at rest. FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a portion of a human shoulder anatomy. The shoulder girdle consists of the scapula and the clavicle, and along with the humerus (upper arm bone), they form the framework of the shoulder. The upper end or head of the humerus (the humeral head) is hemisphere-like and is adjacent to two bony prominences, the greater and lesser tuberosities (tubercles). The clavicle extends from the base of the neck to the shoulder and is connected laterally to the acromion of the scapula, at the acromioclavicular (AC) joint.
Rotation of the humerus is accomplished by a group of four muscles, subscapularis, supraspinatus, infraspinatus, and teres minor, collectively called the rotator cuff. These muscles originate on different parts of the scapula, and insert like a cuff around the perimeter of the humeral head, where their tendons blend with the joint capsule. In addition to externally and internally rotating the humerus, the rotator cuff helps stabilize the joint during abduction by pulling the humeral head into the glenoid fossa. The rotator cuff stabilizes the humeral head by contrasting the action exerted by the deltoid muscle. In case of a severe damage of the rotator cuff (for example, a complete tear), the humeral head tends to migrate upwards, and a consequent subacromial impingement takes place in which the humeral head scrapes the acromion at motion, therefore creating limitation and/or pain associated with arm motions, such as arm abduction.
There are number of bursae in the region of the shoulder, each is a fluid-filled saclike cavity situated in between tissues where friction would otherwise occur. The subacromial bursa is located between the acromion and the joint capsule and is commonly involved in pathology. Ill, nonfunctional or absent subacromial bursa may cause direct contact between bone parts (e.g., between humeral head and acromion) and/or between soft and hard tissues (e.g., between the rotator cuff and the acromion) in ways that may result in damage to soft and perhaps hard tissues, hindered and limited motion, and pain.

Intramedullary fixated subacromial spacers


The invention is a combination spool and bobbin holder having essentially separate sections for the spool and the bobbin. The color of the thread is visible on both the spool and the bobbin for selection purposes and to ensure that the correct bobbin is stored with the correct spool. The device has retention devices to secure the spool and/or bobbin, and/or receiving devices to facilitate insertion of the spool and bobbin within, or to, the device.

Although various devices and methods for holding and storing spools and bobbins are known, all are disadvantageous when compared to the present invention. For instance, some devices contain the bobbin within a cavity in the spool, which prevents observation of the bobbin thread color and requires modification of the spool. Other devices require protuberances to be formed onto the spool itself in order to hold the bobbin thereon. Inclusion of these modifications increases manufacturing costs and the resulting devices have limited versatility. Since spools of thread are in the nature of commodities and costs must be controlled, the inclusion of additional and/or costly features thereon can be disadvantageous.
While the known devices may be utilized for storing spools of thread with their associated bobbins, they have limited function and appeal for their intended use. Therefore, it is readily apparent that there is a need for a spool/bobbin apparatus and method that overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages by providing secure containment of the bobbin and the spool with their thread colors still visible.


Disclosed are an information processing method and apparatus, and a computer storage medium, and same are used for setting, based on mobility-related information of a terminal, mobility management parameters of the terminal, so that registration area management and accessibility management can be carried out using a mobility behavior analysis result of the terminal. The information processing method provided in the present application comprises: an AMF receiving mobility-related information of a terminal, and the mobility-related information of the terminal is mobility analysis/prediction information, sent by an NWDAF, of the terminal or mobility management policy information, sent by a PCF, of the terminal; and the AMF setting, according to the mobility-related information of the terminal, mobility management parameters of the terminal.

In the communication technology of the fifth-generation (5G) phase 1, the Network Data Analysis (NWDA) function is introduced, where this function can analyze the network data and then provide the analysis result, so that the 5G network can perform the network optimization.
However, neither how the 5G network obtains the mobility behavior analysis of the terminal nor how the 5G network use the result of the mobility behavior analysis of the terminal to perform the registration area management and reachability management is given in the prior art.

Information processing method and apparatus, and computer storage medium

DATANG MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT CO., LTD.


A process of making a pet food include providing a core pellet; providing at least one coating material; applying the coating material to the core pellet to form a coated kibble using a continuous fluidizing mixer; wherein application of the coating material occurs at a Froude number range of from about 0.8 to about 3 and a Peclet number greater than about 6.

Pet food manufacturers continually try to improve dry pet foods to make them more nutritious and taste better. Dry pet foods are typically extruded using heat and pressure to make nutritionally balanced, low moisture pellets (kibbles) that are shelf-stable. Unfortunately, these dry kibbles can often be bland-tasting to the animal, so manufacturers usually coat the kibbles with a fat or a palatant to improve the flavor. However, it has now been found that if some of the ingredients normally added to the extruder are instead saved for after extrusion and coated on the outside, the kibble can have improved flavor without adding as much extra fat or palatants. This coating on the outside after extrusion not only saves costs but also results in less nutrition degradation since these ingredients do not go through the extruder and thus do not experience the heat and pressure thereof. Thus, the product is less expensive, better tasting, and higher in nutrition. For example vitamins, Probiotics, or other temperature sensitive nutritional ingredients can be added to the surface of the kibble post-extrusion resulting in a higher level of active material on the kibble due to the less thermal degradation. It has also been found that when nutrients such as amino acids and animal proteins are added to the outside of the kibble, the kibbles taste better to the animals, and nutrients are often more digestible. Accordingly, aspects of these benefits of post-extrusion processing are disclosed herein.

Process for making a pet food in the form of a coated kibble


An end connector for coaxial cable, attached thereto by a compression crimp urging engagement between a threaded inner wall of an outer sleeve of the connector and utilizing a deformable O-ring captively positioned between a backside of a ground conductor plate and an inner edge of an inwardly flanged shoulder portion of a connector nut. Upon connection of the connector of the present invention to its mating connector, pressure applied to the ground plate platform deforms the O-ring, thereby urging improved electrical contact between ground plate platforms of respective connectors while preventing introduction of unwanted contaminants into the conductor.

As the capability and capacity of CATV transmission and receiving systems increase, so does the need for connection means between the two which minimize signal loss.
Conventional CATV signals are transmitted via coaxial cable generally characterized by inner and outer conductors. The inner and outer conductors are separated by a dielectric insulator and externally covered by an outer jacket constructed of a weather and impact resistant material, such as rubber. Coaxial transmission cables must be connected either to another coaxial cable or a mating post or terminal on a receiving device such as a television. Numerous connectors have been devised to obtain such a mechanical and electrical connection.
Typical connectors comprise a pair of tubular elements coaxially extending from the body of a connector fitting. During attachment to the coaxial cable end, the outer conductor of the cable is received within the outer tubular element ("outer sleeve") of the connector. Simultaneously, the inner tubular element ("inner sleeve") of the connector is forced between the dielectric and the outer conductor of the cable end. Subsequently, the outer sleeve of the connector is constrictively crimped for fixation to the cable end.
Historically, infiltration of moisture or other environmental elements and poor connection of opposing conducting surfaces have been the most significant sources of signal loss. Until recently, hexagonal crimp configurations were most commonly used to attach connectors to cable ends. This type of crimp often failed to provide a uniform seal around the periphery of the connector, thereby resulting in a gap between connector and cable jacket. Moisture and/or dust could then be introduced into the conductive portion of the connector. Similarly, infiltration of moisture occurs because of the necessarily loose fit of a connector nut on the body of the connector. The connector nut allows the screwing of the connectorized cable end onto a mating connector.
Poor connection between conductive aspects of mating connectors is equally detrimental to signal integrity. For example, if the connector is not fastened securely to its mating connector, there will not be optimum conductive contact between the respective ground conductors of the respective coaxial cables. Such poor connection results in signal distortion. Less than optimum connection can also occur by the loosening of the connectors due to vibration, repeated change in environmental conditions, etc.
Recent improvements in connector technology have addressed these problems. So-called "compression" crimps are gaining wide acceptance in the CATV industry as a means for drastically limiting the amount of moisture, etc., that leaks into the cable end of a connector. A compression crimp deforms the outer sleeve of the connector essentially uniformly around its periphery. Such uniform compression assures that the outer sleeve engages the pliable outer jacket of the coaxial cable without gaps between the connector and cable end. Additionally, inner walls of connector outer sleeves now typically incorporate mechanisms for enhancing the post-crimp sealed engagement between outer sleeve of conductor and outer jacket of cable end.
Further improvements in connector performance relate to the implementation of an O-ring within the nut portion of the connector. U.S. Pat. No. 5,083,943 (the '943 patent) employs two separate O-rings. These O-rings formed of a pliable material resistant to and recoverable from deformation, such as rubber provide an improved barrier from external agents which could compromise connector performance. One of the O-rings of the '943 patent is sandwiched between the fixed inner and turnable outer ("nut") portion of the connector. The second O-ring of the '943 patent is captively seated in a groove proximate to the termination of the screw-receiving grooves on the inner portion of the nut portion of the connector. The second O-ring exerts an opposing force against the mating connector when compressed, as during engagement of mating connectors. This force is easily overcome during the process of engagement and encourages continued engagement between threaded and thread receiving aspects of opposing mating connectors.
One notable problem exists with the position of the second O-ring of the '943 patent. The opposing force resulting from compression of the O-ring also encourages separation between the attached connectors and threatens to diminish connective contact between the inner, conductive portions of the respective connectors and cables.
As such, there is a need for an end connector for coaxial cable which provides an essentially element-proof connection between coaxial cable ends. Additionally, there is a need for such connector wherein such weatherproofing does not adversely affect the electrical conduction characteristics of the connector. There is a further need for a connector in which the weatherproofing elements, themselves, maximize the electrical conduction characteristics of the connectors.


The present invention relates to a synchronization system that utilizes a synchronization wizard (“PullSync”) residing on a first computer device to request and receive (or “pull”) data from a second computer device. The first computer device (the “syncer”) copies files from shared folders on the second computer device (the “syncee”) in accordance with specific pull-synchronization rules (PSRs) established on the syncer that define the scope and extent of the synchronization. This copying occurs over a network connection using existing and well-defined protocols by which one computer system is able to view and copy files from the available shared folders of a second computer system, and the PullSync wizard software needs to exist only on the first computer system (the syncer) to utilize these existing networking protocols (including existing security/authentication protocols) to selectively copy files from the second computer system.

As well known and readily appreciated by those of skill in the art, there are several reasons for synchronizing data between two or more computer systems, and there are a plethora of schemes, strategies, and technical solutions for doing so. However, many of these synchronization schemes in the existing art have functional limitations that diminish the efficiency and efficacy of synchronization in networks and, particularly, in dynamic networks. For example, typical client-server synchronization schemes are highly structured and require a well-defined relationship between each computer system usually maintained by the "server" in the client-server relationship. This is particularly problematic for dynamic synchronization where certain systems that enter a synchronization network have to first be identified and/or defined in that network before synchronization can occur. In addition, many of these synchronization schemes also require specialized synchronization software on both computer systems, and so one computer system lacking this specialized software cannot dynamically be synced to another computer having specialized synchronization software.
While these many shortcomings can be detrimental to synchronization in general, they are particularly troublesome for mobile computing devices that may dynamically move in and out of certain communication networks and synchronization networks. Mobile devices in particular require a highly flexible and dynamic synchronization schema that requires minimal overhead. The invention described herein addresses these shortcoming.

Systems and methods for the implementation of a peer-to-peer rule-based pull autonomous synchronization system


A series of spaced-apart light gauge cold formed steel studs underlie an elongated light gauge cold formed steel channel or box. A series of joist supports are connected to the channel and a series of joists, formed of a light gauge cold formed steel, are connected to the joist supports and extend outwardly from the box. Decking is supported on the joist. Concrete is poured into the channel to form a reinforced header or beam, and concrete is also poured onto the decking to form a concrete floor. Together, the concrete floor and header form a monolithic concrete structure that enables the joist to be misaligned with studs.

Typically in light gauge steel construction, load bearing components, such as studs and joists, are aligned. That is, load bearing studs on an upper floor are generally aligned with load bearing studs on a lower floor. Likewise, joists are usually aligned with studs in order to carry loads. This, of course, mandates a fairly rigid design with respect to studs and joists used in load bearing structures. Because of that, overall designs are less flexible.

Concrete and light gauge cold formed steel building structure with beam and floor extending over a load bearing stud wall and method of forming


Disclosed is an electromagnetic valve in which a force due to a working fluid from an inflow hole acting perpendicularly with respect to the axis of a shut-off valve is reduced to thereby reduce the sliding resistance of the shut-off valve. An electromagnetic valve according to the present invention includes: a housing (10) having an inflow hole (11), an inner flow path (12), and a discharge hole (13); a valve seat (15) secured in position inside the housing (10); a shut-off valve (16) adapted to abut one surface of the valve seat (15) to shut off the working fluid flowing into the inner flow path (12) through the inflow hole (11); and a pressure regulating valve (17) provided coaxially with the shut-off valve (16) and adapted to control, through adjustment of the dimensions of a gap between itself and the other surface of the valve seat (15), the amount of working fluid flowing to the exterior of the housing (10) through the discharge hole (13). In the electromagnetic valve, the housing (10) is equipped with a whirling member for causing the working fluid having flowed into the inner flow path (12) through the inflow hole (11) to whirl in one direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electromagnetic valve to be provided, for example, in a hydraulic control circuit of an automatic transmission of an automobile, FIG. 8 is an illustration of an automatic transmission of the prior art that may be used with the inventive hydraulic valve.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, an electromagnetic valve has been known in which a spool, which is accommodated in a valve housing so as to be capable of reciprocating, rests at a position where equilibrium is attained between the following forces: the urging force of a coil spring urging the spool toward a linear solenoid, a driving force generated by a current supplied to a coil which causes a plunger to be attracted to an attracting portion to thereby cause a shaft to push the spool, and a force received by the spool from an oil chamber of a feedback chamber (see, for example, JP 2003-139261 A (FIG. 1)).
However, the housing has an input port formed so as to be perpendicular to the axis of the spool, so that working fluid having passed the input port is guided to the interior of the housing of the electromagnetic valve while perpendicularly colliding with the spool; thus, a lateral force due to the collision dynamic pressure of the working fluid acts on the spool, resulting in an increase in the sliding resistance during the operation of the spool and a sealing defect when shutting off the working fluid.
Further, the working fluid is divided, starting from the point at which it collides with the spool, into a plurality of flows along the outer peripheral surface thereof, and these flows join again on the opposite side of the inflow port, thus generating a complicated flow; thus, the working fluid undergoes a marked reduction in velocity and an increase in fluid resistance, resulting in a deterioration in the efficiency with which the working fluid is discharged through a discharge hole; further, foreign matter (contaminant) contained in the working fluid also enters the housing and undergoes a reduction in velocity as the working fluid is decelerated, and is liable to stay around the spool, with the result that foreign matter is caught between the sliding surfaces of the spool and the housing.


A compressible and deployable antenna includes a top and a bottom plate. A deployable structure is fitted between the plates which can forcibly separate the plates, and place in tension a plurality of foldable unstretchable cords to provide a rigid antenna structure. An antenna conductor is connected to the plates and is coiled around the structure in a helical shape so its convolutions can be brought closer to one another for stowage, and spaced farther apart in deployment.

There are applications for antennas which function in an elongated configuration, but which must initially be packaged in a retracted configuration of smaller envelope size. A classical application is for spacecraft antennas, where the volume for stowage in flight to orbit is very limited, but which requires a deployed configuration of larger envelope size and length during orbital service. During its service it is deployed positioned outside of the spacecraft, and the stowage envelope limitations no longer apply.
For spacecraft applications, and for most other applications where the antenna of this invention is important, lightness of weight, rigidity in its deployed condition, insensitivity to temperature, and non-conductivity of supporting structure are important requirements.
Reliability of extension to the deployed configuration is another prime requirement. Because of weight limitations, the structural elements must be lightweight. The means to deploy the antenna must be simple in construction, and involve the fewest possible moving or manipulated parts.
It is an object of this invention to provide a lightweight helical antenna which can be compressed to a flattened configuration and reliably be driven to a rigid deployed configuration by simple and reliable force means.

Deployable helical antenna stowage in a compact retracted configuration


One embodiment of the invention comprises a silver halide light sensitive photographic print element comprising a support bearing on one side thereof: a blue color sensitive record comprising at least one blue-sensitive silver halide emulsion yellow-image forming layer, a red color sensitive record comprising at least one red-sensitive silver halide emulsion cyan-image forming layer, and a green color sensitive record comprising at least one green-sensitive silver halide emulsion magenta-image forming layer; wherein the overall contrast (OC) of the green record is greater than 1.9, and the mid-scale contrast (MSC) of the green record is about 3.2 or more, wherein the parameters OC and MSC are as defined herein. A further embodiment of the invention comprises a process of forming an image in a motion picture silver halide light sensitive color photographic print element comprising: (a) digitally exposing a photographic light sensitive element according to digital image data using a digital film recording device to form a color negative film record, and printing the negative film record on the silver halide light sensitive photographic print element to form an exposed print element, or (b) directly exposing the silver halide light sensitive photographic print element according to digital image data with a digital film recording device; and processing the exposed photographic print element resulting from (a) or (b) to form a developed image; wherein the overall contrast (OC) of the green record of the print element is greater than 1.9. Preferably, the elements of the invention and the elements used in the process ol the invention have corresponding red and blue OC values which are at least 90% of the green values, and MSC values within .+-.10% of the green values, enabling the production of outstanding projected images having black densities and with digital assistance, optimal mid-scale contrasts which together cannot be easily obtained with traditionally designed color print films.

Color negative origination silver halide photographic films are a class of photosensitive materials that map the luminance (neutral) and chrominance (color) information of a scene to complementary tonal and hue polarities in the negative film. Upon exposure and development of the film to form dye images from photographic couplers incorporated in the film, light areas of the scene are recorded as dark areas on the color negative film, and dark areas of the scene are recorded as light areas on the color negative film. Colored areas of the scene are typically recorded as complementary colors in the color negative film: red is recorded as cyan, green is recorded as magenta, blue is recorded as yellow, etc. In order to render an accurate reproduction of a scene, a subsequent process is necessary to reverse the luminance and chrominance information back to those of the original scene. In the motion picture industry, one such subsequent process is to optically print (by contact or optics) the color negative film onto another negative working photosensitive silver halide material which produces dye images upon exposure and development, such as a motion picture silver halide print film, to produce a color positive image suitable for projection.
Historically, color print silver halide photographic materials, such as EASTMAN EXR Color Print Film 5386.TM., have been optimized to yield pleasing projected prints when used in conjunction with color negative origination silver halide photographic materials as discussed above. That is, the sensitometric properties of print materials are co-optimized by considering the properties of the printing device to be used and the nature of a representative color negative tonescale to be printed, such as that of KODAK VISION 500T Color Negative Film 5279.TM.. When a motion picture color negative is printed on motion picture color print stock, the sensitometric properties of the two materials combine to yield an acceptable scene reproduction in the print film when projected on a theater screen. To facilitate obtaining optimal reproductions, guidelines exist regarding the exposure of the camera original negative (for example see American Cinematographer Manual, Dr. Rod Ryan Ed., 7.sup.th Edition, The ASC Press, Hollywood, Calif., 1993, pp128-141.), exposure of the print stock (LAD-Laboratory Aim Density KODAK Publication No. H-61), and projector/screen luminance levels (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) Standard 196M-1995).
In order to obtain a high quality visual image in an optical photographic print, the contrasts for each color record of the negative film and print film designed for producing optical prints are conventionally maintained within certain ranges (e.g., mid-scale contrasts of about 0.45-0.7 for negative films and about 2.5-3.1 for print films), as too low a contrast may result in production of flat-looking positive print images with black tones rendered as smokey-grey and white tones rendered as light gray, while too high a contrast may result in poor flesh tone reproductions and loss of shadow detail. Pictures such as these would not be pleasing to view and would be deemed to be of low quality in the industry.
Correct exposure of camera negative originals has long been emphasized not only to ensure that critical scene information is properly recorded but also so that when the negative is printed on a photographic print film according to trade practice, scene blacks are sufficiently dense in the resulting projected prints. The importance of obtaining substantial black densities is such that cinematographers often over-expose camera negatives as a means of obtaining good blacks. Dense camera originals require higher light levels to be used in the printing step. When the printing light is increased, the exposure delivered to the photographic print film from the Dmin area of the camera film is higher, resulting in greater dye generation upon photographic processing and resulting higher black densities. This effect is well know in the trade (American Cinematographer Manual, p281). Even with overexposure techniques, however, maximum equivalent neutral (i.e., visual) densities obtainable for conventional silver halide photographic print films are generally limited to about 3.8, where the equivalent neutral density of any particular dye color record is defined as the visual density that results when the other two dyes are added in quantities just sufficient to produce a neutral gray (see, e.g., "Procedures for Equivalent-Neutral-Density (END) Calibration of Color Densitometers Using a Digital Computer", by Albert J. Sant, in the Photographic Science and Engineering, Vol. 14, Number 5, September-October 1970, pg. 356). Over-exposures additionally can result in loss of highlight detail in a resulting print. Additional special image processing techniques are also known in the art for raising black density levels in conventional photographic silver halide print materials, such as by-passing the bleach step present in normal print processing so as to retain developed silver (see, e.g., B. Bergery, "Reflections: The Lab, Part II", American Cinematographer, May 1993, pp. 74-78). The retained silver increases print opacity yielding higher black densities, but with an accompanying loss of color saturation. Additionally, given the need for large throughput in the creation of theatrical release prints, nonstandard processing is burdensome and impractical.
Alternatives to silver halide photographic print films are known which provide desirably high print black density levels. Dye imbibition transfer prints, e.g., are able to achieve much higher dynamic ranges than commercially available color-coupled silver halide photographic films. Visual densities as high as 5.0 are possible, while the current color-coupled print films are limited to densities of about 3.8. The imbibition printing process, however, is disadvantageous as it requires the formation of three separation matrix films and complex registration procedures during the transfer of dyes to a receiving blank to form a print film.
Given the desire to have high black densities in projected prints, it would be advantageous to raise the overall contrast of color-coupled silver halide photographic print materials in order to raise the Dmax of such films, by either changing film silver laydown and/or coupler levels or through modification of film processing conditions. Unfortunately, in doing so, the contrast of flesh reproduction would also be typically undesirably raised and image shadow detail may be lost (shadows may be blocked in) upon conventional printing as discussed above. Thus there is an apparent conflict in establishing an optimal contrast level for photographic print stock: to obtain high black densities, the contrast should be at a maximum, but high contrast levels prove to be detrimental to flesh and shadow-detail reproduction. There is a simultaneous need for good blacks and sufficient shadow density. Therefore, for conventional printing, a high contrast print stock would generally not be acceptable.
Processes for inserting a digital image data manipulation step in conventional photographic image generation processes prior to making a final picture print are known in the art. Digital image data, obtained directly or by scanning optical (analog) images with a digital film scanner, can be extensively manipulated, using computer processing and look-up table mapping, before recording back out onto film (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,574,659, and J. E. Boyd, J. Appl. Photo. Eng., Vol 8, 1982, pp15-22). In the motion picture industry, such digital image data may conveniently be recorded on a motion picture intermediate negative film, such as EASTMAN Color Intermediate Films 2244, 5244, and 7244, with a digital film recorder such as a CINEON LIGHTING Digital Film Recorder. As discussed in Boyd, special film-reproduction curves can be created to simulate any desired gamma, relative film speed, and/or toe/shoulder responses, and such curves may be implemented using custom look-up tables in film recorders. The reproduction response of digitally exposed film can be completely variable, unlike conventionally exposed film which has a sensitometric response that can be altered only slightly with changes in development time and temperature. The characteristic curve of the film and exposure of the camera film determine the overall density of the final image, with limited changes in contrast and film speed possible during development.
Digital film recorders (e.g. CINEON LIGHTNING Digital Film Recorder), particularly those using lasers as their exposing sources, are capable of creating digital modified negatives (e.g., on EASTMAN Color Intermediate Films 2244, 5244, and 7244) with a dynamic range of 2.0 printing density. In the motion picture industry, however, color photographic silver halide print films which are used in conjunction with digitally created or modified output material are typically the same as those that have been optimized for the direct or release optical printing of color photographic silver halide negative films. Such motion picture silver halide photographic print stocks are accordingly designed with latitudes commensurate for use with typical color negative photographic film dynamic ranges, typically 1.5 printing density or less. The design constraints imposed by the latter use make these print materials sub-optimal for use with digitally output material. As a result, the inherent dynamic range available from film/digital recorder combinations is not fully realizable in projected prints. The upper-scale contrast of conventional photographic silver halide print stock is such that lighter densities on the recorded negative map to a region of decreasing contrast in the print stock, preventing the achievement of high print densities that are desirable for scene blacks. As a result, there is a distinct limitation to the black density that may be achieved, in spite of the insertion of advantageous digital processing steps prior to printing.
It would accordingly be desirable to provide a color-coupled silver halide photographic print film element which would enable higher black densities and improved color saturation when used with digitally created or modified negatives or when exposed directly in laser film recording devices in order to permit the full flexibility and dynamic range inherent in digital processing to be realized in projected photographic prints. It would be further desirable to provide such an element which is robust and easily manufactured, and which may be used in current printers and processors without requiring any modifications to standard exposure and development processes.

Color motion picture print film for use with digital output


Disclosed is a method for detecting the presence or absence of amplified nucleic acid products. The method comprises the addition of hapten-labeled nucleotide or target molecule-labeled nucleotide to an amplification reaction and after the amplification process assaying for the presence of nucleic acid products having incorporated hapten-labeled nucleotide or target molecule-labeled nucleotide. Immobilization and detection of the label is accomplished using an affinity molecule that binds specifically to the hapten or target molecule. Thus, detection of amplified nucleic acid products is direct and does not require hybridization with a labeled specific probe.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the detection of amplified nucleic acid products, and more specifically to a method of directly detecting the presence or absence of amplified nucleic acid product containing incorporated label molecules.
2. Description of the Background and Related Art
Recent advances in molecular biologic techniques have provided several means for enzymatically amplifying nucleic acid sequences. Currently the most commonly used method, PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction, Cetus Corporation) involves the use of Taq Polymerase, known sequences as primers, and heating cycles which separate the replicating deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) strands, in exponentially amplifying a gene of interest. Other amplification methods are currently under development. Examples include the ligase chain reaction (LCR, BioTechnica International) which utilizes DNA ligase, and a probe consisting of two halves of a segment of DNA that is complementary to the sequence of the DNA to be amplified, in mediating DNA amplification. Methods for amplifying genes are not limited to DNA only. Using the enzyme QB replicase (Gene-Trak Systems), and a ribonucleic acid (RNA) sequence template attached to a probe complementary to the DNA to be copied, the DNA becomes a template for exponential production of complementary RNA. Nucleic Acid Sequence-Based Amplification (NASBA, Cangene) can be performed on RNA or DNA as the nucleic acid sequence to be repeatedly copied.
Gene amplification techniques are powerful tools with potential to be used for quicker, earlier, and more definitive diagnosis of infectious diseases, genetic disease, and cancers. For example, PCR Protocols: A Guide to Methods and Applications ( .COPYRGT. 1990, Academic Press) describes the use of PCR in the detection of human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B virus, genital human papillomaviruses, cytomegalovirus, enteroviruses, B-cell lymphoma, and retinoblastoma. However, some of the amplification techniques such as PCR suffer because they lack fidelity and thus extraneous sequences,i.e. DNA other than the desired sequence, may be amplified. Such possibilities hinder the application to acceptance in diagnostics. Thus, conventional methods for the detection of amplified nucleic acid products require post-amplification specificity by utilizing a post-amplification hybridization technique such as agarose gel electrophoresis with subsequent Southern blot analyses. The following is a list of relevant prior art along with a brief description of each:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,683,195, issued Jul. 28,1987, discloses a process for detecting nucleic acid sequences in a sample suspected to contain the nucleic acid sequences by an amplification process using a chain reaction in which primer extension products are produced. Detection of genetic diseases is described by analyzing the amplified product using radioactive or non-radioactive probes via a Southern blotting technique. In another embodiment a small amount of DNA is amplified to a convenient level first, then further cycles are performed wherein the nucleotide derivatives, which are readily detectable, are incorporated directly into the final product and analyzed by a method such as restriction and electrophoretic separation.
Lundeberg et al., BioTechniques (1991) 10:68-75, describe a method of detecting amplified DNA by biotinylated primers and competitive inhibition using a lac operator sequence incorporated into amplified DNA and detection of the amplified competitor DNA using a fusion protein comprising beta-galactosidase and the LacI repressor.
Dahlen et al., Journal of Microbiology (1991) 29:798-804, describe a time-resolved fluorescence-based hybridization assay. Following amplification by PCR, two oligonucleotide probes, one biotinylated and one labeled with europium, are hybridized to the amplified products. The sandwich hybrids are collected in a microtitration well coated with streptavidin, and the bound europium is measured in a time-resolved fluorometer.
By the term "hapten or target molecule" is meant, for the purposes of the specification and claims, molecules useful as molecular labels which are too small to elicit by themselves an immunological response but are capable of binding with antibodies, and also encompasses small molecules which can serve as molecular labels by virtue of their ability to interact with affinity molecules other than antibody.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,683,195, Lundberg et al. and Dahlen et al., describe methods for the detection of amplified DNA which rely on post-amplification specificity utilizing hybridization with one or more labeled oligonucleotide probes. These detection-by-hybridization systems require the need to a add a label, such as hapten or target molecules, to each primer. Further, a limited amount of label, ranging from one to several molecules per probe, is incorporated into the probe thereby limiting the sensitivity that can be achieved in subsequent detection processes. The method of the present invention to detect amplified nucleic acid products relies on the sensitivity and specificity of the amplification process, since the hapten-labeled nucleotide or target molecule-labeled nucleotides are incorporated directly into the amplified product, rather than post-amplification specificity. For example, the sensitivity and specificity of the amplification process depend critically upon the specificity of the primers and the amplification reaction conditions. Once the primers and amplification reactions have been optimized, these detection-by-hybridization systems are unnecessary. A potential problem for detection of amplified nucleic acid products using the method of present invention is that in an amplification process, such as by PCR, false-positives could result, for example, from physical carryover of amplified DNA from sample to sample in multi-sample analyses. However, physical precautions, procedural safeguards, new equipment and modification of the processes have been, and continue to be, implemented to minimize potential for false-positive results. Thus, the art has now advanced to where it may be possible to omit post-amplification specificity. Further, the method of the present invention incorporates hapten-labeled nucleotide or target molecule-labeled nucleotide directly into the amplified product, in addition to the advantages of omitting pretreatment steps to incorporate label into each primer and the subsequent post-hybridization steps required for detection, there is increased sensitivity because significantly more molecules containing label can be incorporated into the amplified nucleic acid product than can be incorporated onto an oligonucleotide.
Each of the above cited references discloses a diagnostic system utilizing post-amplification specificity for detection of amplified DNA products. Use of agarose gel electrophoresis followed by Southern blot analysis, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,683,195, is time consuming, as well as being unsuitable for large scale commercial applications. Lundeberg et al. and Dahlen et al. Disclose a diagnostic system similar to the system described in the present invention in that they all utilize a solid-phase approach to detect immobilized amplified nucleic acid products. In addition to post-hybridization steps, the system disclosed by Lundeburg et al. requires synthesis of a competitor strand of DNA identical to the target DNA to be analyzed. The competitor DNA also requires in-vitro mutagenesis to introduce into that fragment the lac operator sequence. The biotin label is used to bind the competitor strand to the solid support via the affinity molecule streptavidin, but detection is accomplished on the basis of the interaction of the lac operator site of the competitive strand of DNA with the laci repressor protein and .beta.-galactosidase. Note that in the system of the present invention the label, hapten or target molecule, serves a dual purpose by binding the amplified nucleic acid products to the immobilized affinity molecules, as well as interacting with conjugate and substrate in the detection process. In contrast, in the system of Lundeburg et al., the target molecule incorporated into the hybridization probe is only used for binding to the immobilized affinity molecule. The system of the present invention involves direct detection of the amplified nucleic acid product rather than detection of a competitor strand as disclosed by Lundeburg et al. In addition, the system described in the present invention has increased sensitivity, when compared to the system described by Lundeburg et al., since multiple molecules of label are incorporated into the amplified product thereby enhancing the amount of binding to the immobilized affinity molecules, and enhancing calorimetric detection because more incorporated label is available for interaction with conjugate and substrate.
The system described by Dahlen et al. also utilizes a solid phase approach. However, they teach the use of two probes, each containing a different label, in the post-hybridization process leading to detection. One probe is labeled with a target molecule that is used to interact with immobilized affinity molecules, while another probe is labeled with europium (Eu.sup.3+) to be detected in a time-resolved fluorometer. As noted above, the system of the present invention omits the post-hybridization process and utilizes only a single species of label which serves to bind the amplified nucleic acid products to the immobilized affinity molecules, and to interact with conjugate and substrate in the detection process.
In another embodiment of U.S. Pat. No. 4,683,195 is disclosed the incorporation of readily detectable nucleotide derivatives into the final amplified DNA product. The method of the present invention differs in that the step of first amplifying a small amount of DNA to a convenient level, as taught by U.S. Pat. No. 4,683,195, is omitted. In the method of the present invention, the hapten-labeled nucleotide or target molecule--labeled nucleotide is added to the initial reaction thereby obviating the need to stop the reaction. Secondly, the method of the present invention is directed to the detection of amplified nucleic acid products using any one of several available amplification processes and includes the detection of RNA as well as DNA. Only the detection of DNA, amplified by the polymerase chain reaction, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,683,195. The method of the present invention provides for an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-based system for detection which utilizes a single species of label, hapten or target molecule, that serves to bind the amplified nucleic acid products to immobilized affinity molecules, and to interact with conjugate and substrate in the detection process. Such an assay is well-suited for multi-sample analyses in both clinical and research applications.
Therefore, a method for the detection of amplified nucleic acid products that is direct (not requiring hybridization), simple, quick, and adaptable to multi-sample analyses, is desirable. A method, as such, will greatly facilitate biomedicine in the early detection and diagnoses of infectious agents, cancer, and genetic disease.

Method for detection of amplified nucleic acid products and related diagnostic assays

The Research Foundation of State University of New York


A method includes tracking positioning satellite signal using a first data string obtained by sampling received signal of the positioning satellite signal at a first sampling rate that is a non-integer multiple of a chip rate, and capturing the positioning satellite signal using a second data string obtained by sampling the received signal at a second sampling rate that is an integer multiple of the chip rate.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a positioning satellite signal receiving method etc.
2. Related Art
Positioning satellite signal receivers represented by GPS (Global Positioning System) receivers have been widely spread. The GPS receiver captures a plurality of GPS satellite signals, performs position calculation using navigation messages superimposed and carried on the respective captured GPS satellite signals, and thereby, obtains a position and a clock error (clock bias) of the GPS receiver. There are many requests for the GPS receiver, and particularly, a representative request for the GPS receiver mounted on a portable electronic apparatus is to reduce power consumption. In order to respond to the request, for example, JP-A-2011-220998 discloses a technology of reducing power consumption by reducing an amount of correlation calculation between received signals and replica codes.
The above described technology of JP-A-2011-220998 reduces the power consumption by sampling the received signals at a sampling rate of an integer multiple of a chip rate of C/A (Coarse and Acquisition) codes as spread codes of the GPS satellite signals and performing correlation calculation. However, with the sampling rate of the integer multiple, there is a tendency that the peak of the calculation result of the correlation calculation is broader compared to the case where the received signals are sampled at a sampling rate of a non-integer multiple of the chip rate of C/A codes because the sampling numbers are equal among the respective chips of C/A codes. As a result, accuracy of acquired measurement data may be lower.
In the GPS receiver, first, the GPS satellite signals are acquired, and then, the position calculation is performed using the measurement data (reception frequency and code phase) acquired from the tracked GPS satellite signals. The accuracy of the position calculation depends on the accuracy of the measurement data (reception frequency and code phase) for use.

Positioning satellite signal receiving method and positioning satellite signal receiving apparatus


A system and method for providing a lifecycle for information in a virtual content repository (VCR), that includes integrating a plurality of repositories into the VCR, storing the information in the VCR, and allowing the information to transition through a set of states according to a lifecycle definition. The information is accessible through a logical namespace that encompasses the plurality of repositories, and the information can include at least one of: content and schema information.

Content repositories manage and provide access to large data stores such as a newspaper archives, advertisements, inventories, image collections, etc. A content repository can be a key component of a web application such as a portal, which must quickly serve up different types of content in response to user interaction. However, difficulties can arise when trying to integrate more than one vendor's content repository. Each may have its own proprietary application program interface and content services (e.g., conventions for searching and manipulating content, versioning, lifecycles, and data formats). Furthermore, each time a repository is added to an application, the application software must be modified to accommodate these differences. What is needed is a coherent system and method for interacting with disparate repositories and for providing a uniform set of content services across all repositories, including those that lack such services.

System and method for providing a lifecycle for information in a virtual content repository


In a front end structure of a side-view type endoscope in which a treatment tool raising piece is swingably held in a raising piece receiving groove formed in the front end body, a bridge is provided on the front end surface of the front end body and extends to bridge a front opening of the raising piece receiving groove.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the structure of the front end of a side-view type endoscope which is provided with a treatment tool raising portion provided in the front end of the body thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, an endoscope includes an insertion portion which can be inserted in a human body and which is provided with a treatment tool insertion channel. When a treatment tool is inserted in the insertion channel, the front end thereof projects from the front end of the insertion portion of the endoscope.
In case of a side-view type endoscope which is adapted to view the lateral portion of the front end of the insertion portion thereof, as can be seen in FIG. 11, the front end body 1 of the endoscope is provided with a treatment tool (instrument) raising portion (raising piece) 3 which raises the projecting front end of the treatment tool toward the lateral portion of the front end body 1, so that the front end of the treatment tool is located around the center portion of the field of view.
The raising piece 3 is held in a receptacle groove 2 formed in the front end body 1. The raising piece 3 is made of stainless steel and is rotatable about an axis 8. The receptacle groove 2 opens at the front end and the opposed side portions. The raising piece 3 can be swung by a remote-control operation so that the treatment tool 6 disposed on the raising piece 3 protrudes in the forward and upward (oblique) direction or the lateral direction. Note that 4 designates the view window, and 5 the illumination window, respectively.
To prevent the distal end of the front end body 1 from coming into direct contact with a mucous membrane in a body cavity of a patient, possibly doing harm to the mucous membrane, the front end body 1 of the endoscope is surrounded by an end cap 30 which is attached to the front end body 1 and is detachable.
The end cap 30 is made of an elastic material and is provided, on the inner peripheral surface near the rear end thereof, with a small diameter annular portion 32 which projects toward the center axis thereof. When the annular projection 32 is fitted in a peripheral groove 7 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the front end body 1, the end cap 30 is connected to the front end body 1.
There is a possibility that the end cap 30 may be completely or partially disengaged from the front end body 1 when the front end body forcedly passes through a strictured portion within a body cavity during an examination using the endoscope.
Consequently, acute angle portions 2a of the receptacle groove 2 that are located on the front end surface of the metal front end body 1 are exposed and may be pressed onto the mucous membrane during the insertion of the endoscope or a suction operation, possibly causing harm to the mucous membrane. The same occurs when an operator (doctor) fails to attach the end cap 30 to the front end body 1 by mistake.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a front end structure of an endoscope in which there is no possibility that a mucous membrane or the like is harmed by a front end portion of a receptacle groove which receives therein a raising piece even if the end cap is accidentally disengaged from the front end body of the endoscope, or no end cap is attached to the front end body by mistake.

Front end structure of side-view type endoscope