In the production of elongate plastic profiles (10), which usually takes place by the pultrusion process, the cured plastic profile (10) emerging from a die (14) is pulled through the stationary die (14) by a take-off device. This process only makes it possible to produce straight plastic profiles (10). The invention envisages producing curved plastic profiles (10) by using a die (14) corresponding to the curvature of the plastic profile (10). For moving the cured part of the plastic profile (10) out of the die (14), it is provided that the die (14) is moved back step by step in relation to the stationary plastic profile (10) counter to the direction of production (19). In order that the plastic profile (10) remains stationary in relation to the die (14) as this takes place, it is securely held outside the die (14) by a holding means (20) during the moving back of the die (14).

1. Technical Field
The invention relates to a process for producing a plastic profile, a continuous reinforcement comprising strands, woven fabrics and/or the like being led through a die and embedded in the plastic in the die, and to an apparatus for producing a plastic profile, comprising a die, in which a continuous reinforcement of the plastic profile can be embedded in liquid plastic.
2. Related Art
Straight plastic profiles comprising plastic and a continuous reinforcement of fibers, woven and/or knitted fabrics, which are embedded in the plastic, are mostly produced continuously in a strand. This usually takes place by the pultrusion process. For this purpose, the at least one strand is led through a die. In the die, the strand is provided with liquid plastic, which subsequently cures in the die. The cured plastic profile leaving the die is pulled through the die by a take-off device arranged in front of the die in the direction of production and thereby simultaneously transported away. The fact that the plastic profile is pulled through the die by the take-off device means that only straight plastic profiles can be formed by known processes of the type described, in particular by known pultrusion processes.

Method and device for the production of a plastic profile

Thomas GmbH + Co. Technik + Innovation KG


The invention involves a hand held, power-assisted cable-pulling apparatus. The hand held, power-assisted cable-pulling apparatus has a housing, a take-up wheel, a drive transfer coupling, at least one dog pawl, a line, and a ground fixation mechanism. The housing has a hollow handle body within which is a fluid-powered actuator, a fluid control valve, for controlling fluid pressure supply to the actuator, and an operating trigger for the control valve. The wheel has a circumferential line-engaging portion and a concentric ratchet portion. The take-up wheel rotates about a take-up wheel shaft, which extends through the center of the take-up wheel. The take-up wheel shaft is attached with respect to the housing. Further, there is at least one dog pawl pivotally attached with respect to the housing. There is also a line having a cable attachment mechanism. The take-up wheel may be selectively rotated in a clockwise take-up direction.

One of the duties of a lineman is pulling large wire cables. Currently, a lineman attaches a press device to the cable to be pulled. The press device is in turn attached to a line hook. The line hook is then attached to the hoist hook of a hoist.
In some instances, truck-mounted or truck-pulled, trailer-mounted winches are appropriate for pulling the cable. In such instances, trucks have to have accessibility to the area where the pulling is to occur. Thus, in the first instance, such truck-mounted winches are unavailable for off-road or aerial use. Moreover, it is costly to outfit a truck with such a winch for general maintenance use. Further, such truck-mounted winches occupy much-needed storage space for other maintenance equipment. An example of such a trailer-mounted winch is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,781 (issued to Sauber).
More frequently than truck-mounted winches, portable ratchet hoists are used by linemen. Examples of portable, manual, ratchet-type hoists are made by Coffing® (a division of Yale Industrial Products, Inc.), AB Chance (a division of Hubbell® Power Systems), or Maasdam Pow'R-Pull, Inc. Such manual hoists have a hoist hook and a fixing hook. The fixing hook is attached to a fixture, such as a pole or tree. The hoist hook is attached to the hoist by a chain. Once the hoist hook and fixing hook are attached to the line hook and fixture, respectively, slack is taken out of the line through a lever action applied to a ratchet rotating the chain take-up wheel.
In order to drive the ratchet, a lineman uses his or her arm, preferably driving the lever with proper body mechanics on each stroke. Use of the ratchet has resulted in chronic motion injury such as "tennis elbow" (also known as lateral epicondylitis), rotator cuff tears, shoulder strains, and tendinitis. These injuries are well known in the industry.
A portable, powered line-pulling apparatus facilitating easy and safe cable pulling would be an important improvement in the art.


Structures and methods for providing a liquid adhesive between substrates of a composite structure are described. Methods include providing a liquid adhesive having a thread disposed therein between two substrates of a composite structure. In some embodiments, the thread has a fixed diameter which acts to provide a consistent gap between the two substrates. In some embodiments, the thread is configured to be activated during the assembly process to facilitate curing of the liquid adhesive. In some embodiments the thread is configured to be activated after the composite structure is formed to facilitate separation of the two substrates and disassembly of the composite structure. The thread can be made of a conductive or non-conductive material. In some embodiments, the thread is activated by passing a voltage through the thread to heat the thread. In some embodiments, the thread is activated by passing ultraviolet light through the thread.

Liquid adhesives, such as liquid optically clear adhesives (LOCAs), are used in a wide variety of electronic assemblies. For example, liquid adhesive can be used to bond a touch panel to a main liquid crystal display. Liquid adhesive can also be used to bond a protective cover, such as a cover glass or lens, to a touch panel. The use of liquid adhesives to bond substrates in display assemblies, in particular, has a number of advantages. For example, liquid adhesive can improve the durability of a display assembly. In addition, use of liquid adhesive make the display assembly more easy to rework compared to assemblies bonded using adhesive tape.
Since liquid adhesives are in liquid form, they can require special care when applying them to substrates. In particular, care should be taken to ensure that the introduction of bubbles or voids between the substrates is avoided. In addition, care should be taken to avoid inconsistent curing of the liquid adhesive in different locations of the substrates so as to prevent distortions, visible defects in the final product. In addition, pressure applied to the substrates during a curing process should be consistent in order to provide a consistent gap between the substrates. If multiple substrates are bond together in a stack, any inconsistencies in the gaps between the substrates can be exacerbated. This could lead to different stacks having different overall thicknesses, also referred to as Z-height. These factors and others can make it difficult to control process parameters related to liquid adhesive applications in a manufacturing setting. Inconsistent process parameters can lead to high part rejection rates or defects in the visual quality of the final product.

Activated thread curing of liquid adhesives


The present invention provides a cursor control device for use in three dimensional space. The cursor control device is based on point and click technology such that a user points a remote member of the cursor control device to a television assembly and depresses appropriate keys for corresponding functions. In particular, a mouse key on the remote member enables control of cursor movement functioning of a cursor displayed through the television assembly. A base unit portion of the present invention device is coupled to or interfaced with the television assembly. The base unit provides an ultrasound source for use of ultrasound by the remote member for determining positioning angular orientation of the remote member in three dimensional space. The base unit includes an infrared receiver for receiving infrared signals generated by an infrared transmitter at the remote member. Mouse commands and other commands from the remote member are communicated through infrared signals to the base unit.

The information age has ushered in the necessity for new ways to examine, process, manage, access and control this information. As the basic technologies and equipment evolve to handle these new requirements, there will always be functions that are not properly addressed, either because they are subordinate to a more complex technology and therefore are not evident or because there seems to be some existing adequate way of performing the function.
The Internet and all it entails is the number one driving force behind many of the emerging technologies and products in electronic information. There is a constant race to provide simpler, more comfortable access to this huge phenomenon. One particularly interesting area is "Web-enabled-TVs", which will allow-consumers to "surf the net" from their living room couch through their television.
As the television consumer begins to experience the "Net", it is important to make this new experience as comfortable and easy as possible. There is a need for an appropriate interface for controlling the actions of a TV web user.


A chum device (1) being a biodegradable capsule having at least one hole (4) located on a top end (2) thereof with a closure means (5). The capsule preferably contains a weight (6), activator (7) and chum (8). To use the device, a user removes the closure means (5) to reveal the at least one hole (4). Then, the user may shake the device (1) and toss the device (1) into the water. Because the device (1) is weighted and an air pocket rises to the capsule top end (2), the device (1) remains in an upright position as it sinks to the bottom of a water body. As the device (1) is sinking, the chum (8) slowly exits the device (1) through the at least one hole (4) and floats to the surface of the water. Because fish are attracted to the smell of the chum (8) and the sight of bubbles, fish flock to the area where the chum (8) and device (1) are located.

This invention relates to chum devices, more specifically, a chum device that is effective, easy to use and safe for the environment.
The sport of fishing is one of skill, patience, perseverance and a little bit of luck. Fishermen and fisherwomen are always trying to "catch the big one" and will use most any device that promises to lure and attract the prize catch. Thus, successful fishermen and fisherwomen know the most effective lures and baits to use to in various fishing locations and during various fishing conditions.
One of the most effective tools used for attracting fish is the use of chum. Chum, which is comprised of chopped fish and may include fish oils or blood, is typically poured into a container, such as a bag or basket, or formed into a ball and dropped into the water at a desired location. When positioned in the water, chum is distributed from the container into the water wherein external forces, such as those caused by water currents, fish passing by or even the fisherman/fisherwoman, assist in the distribution of the chum from the container and into the water.
Although many of the chum-holding containers are made of a durable material so as to be used over and over again, many people decide to leave the containers in the water after use. The reasons for leaving the containers are varied: the containers are too difficult to clean after use, they are so inexpensive its easier to simply purchase new containers and the containers smell too much after use. However, the bottom line remains that leaving the containers in the water is littering and this littering is causing disruption to the aquatic environment.
In order to help alleviate the negative environmental impacts caused by individuals leaving chum containers in the water, the use of biodegradable containers have become of popular. Although the use of biodegradable chum bags helps to alleviate the problem of unnatural elements being left in the aquatic habitat, the bags have several major drawbacks.
First, because the bags contain a plurality of holes wherein the chum is released, when a person initially fills the bag with chum, the chum exits the bag quickly, thereby creating a mess and wasting chum. In addition, when the bag is dropped into the water, the chum is quickly distributed into the water. Although the release of chum is the main purpose of the chum bag, a lesser amount of fish will be attracted to the chum if the chum is distributed at a rapid rate, as opposed to a slower, controlled rate.
Thus, the need for a chum device which is easy to use, safe for the environment and releases chum in a controlled manner so as to maximize the effectiveness of the chum exists.
The relevant prior art includes the following patents:
U.S. Pat. No.(U.S. unless stated otherwise)InventorIssue Date6,848,210Altman et al.Feb. 01, 20055,054,230WoodmanOct. 08, 19915,415,862Bethshears et al.May 16, 19954,257,182ThomMar. 24, 19816,014,832BrooksJan. 18, 20004,828,829BethshearsMay 09, 19896,298,595FriedlobOct. 09, 20016,676,981HansonJan. 13, 2004


o-Alkylfluorobenzenes are advantageously prepared by heating the corresponding chloroformates to from 70.degree. to 200.degree. C. in the liquid phase in the presence of hydrogen fluoride and in the presence of an inert diluent other than a halogenated alkane.

There are only few existing processes for preparing o-alkylfluorobenzenes which attract increasing interest as intermediates for active compounds. Blocking undesirable substitution positions by tertiary butyl groups permits the selective introduction of fluorine at aromatic nuclei by nitration, reduction, heating in the presence of fluoride ions (Baltz-Schiemann reaction) and removal of the butyl groups (J. Chem. Soc. Perkin Trans. I 1987, 1).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,306,849 discloses that some fluorobenzenes can be prepared from the corresponding chloroformates by heating in the presence of hydrogen fluoride and in the absence of solvents in yields of maximally 69%. Use of trichloro-trifluoroethane as solvent resulted in a significant worsening of the space-time yield and the conversion, even when the temperature was increased. Thus, 2,6-dimethylfluorobenzene could only be obtained in a yield of 40%.

Process for preparing o-alkylfluorobenzenes


In one general aspect, a computer program product for executing wizard data using a metawizard is described. The computer program product may be tangibly embodied on a computer-readable medium and include executable code that, when executed, is configured to cause at least one data processing apparatus to execute the metawizard. The metawizard may be configured to execute a portion of a first wizard data in a metawizard, determine a second wizard data in the metawizard remains to be executed, and execute a portion of the second wizard data in the metawizard.

Programming computers is a labor-intensive process, requiring available talented workers, computer power for programming and time for an iterative process of code writing, review/debugging, and editing. Computer programs are written for a variety of purposes, often using similar algorithms and code modules for varied and diverse applications. Moreover, different programs can utilize similar user interfaces for example, allowing for user familiarity and potential reuse of code. However, individual programs often require customization at a level such that general aspects of an algorithm may be reused while specific details vary from implementation to implementation.
In particular, wizards may be used to gather data from users. For example, FIG. 1A illustrates an embodiment of a relationship between a first wizard, a wizard renderer, and an application. The application 110 is linked or coupled to the wizard renderer 120, and may submit a request to the wizard renderer 120. The request may include a specification of what wizard data (the first wizard data 130 for example) to render, and thereby execute the process of the specified wizard data. Wizard renderer 120 may then execute the first wizard data 130, directing it to execute its first or next step until completed, and providing a link to a user interface. Wizard renderer 120 may maintain state for first wizard data 130, for example, and may thus maintain information about what is the next step to execute in first wizard data 130 for example. Wizard renderer 120 may also return the results (data for example) from operation of first wizard data 130 to application 110. Alternatively, application 110 may query objects associated with first wizard data 130 to obtain data accessed, gathered or processed by first wizard 130 data.
Similarly, FIG. 1B illustrates an embodiment of a relationship between a second wizard, a wizard renderer, and an application. Application 110 may request that the wizard renderer 120 operate a second wizard data 140. Wizard renderer 120 may then execute the second wizard data 140, directing it to execute its first or next step until completed, and providing a link to a user interface. Again, wizard renderer 120 may return the results (data for example) from operation of second wizard data 140 to application 110. Similarly, application 110 may query second wizard data 140 to obtain data accessed, gathered or processed by second wizard data 140.
With multiple wizards in existence, it may be useful to reuse these wizards to perform the same functions without requiring reprogramming. Moreover, it may be useful to reuse parts of existing wizards without requiring use or execution of an entire wizard, and without requiring rewriting of the existing wizard to meet the proposed requirements. Essentially, it may be useful to reduce reinvention of the wheel or similar repetition of basic tasks.

Executing wizard data using a metawizard framework


The invention relates to a method for positioning a wafer (3) with a reference mark (6) in a vacuum processing unit with a transport chamber containing a transport device (2, 20, 21) for moving the wafers (3) in a plane to a process chamber arranged on said chamber and a single sensor (1), arranged within the transport chamber before the process chamber for recording the position of the wafer (3) by means of recording the edge thereof at a first detection point (4) and a second detection point (5), such that the actual position of the wafer (12) with a known wafer diameter can be determined with electronic analysis of both measured detection points (4, 5) and the transport device (2, 20, 21) guides the wafer (3) to a desired set position. The wafer (3) is aligned in a given position on the transport device (2, 20, 21) in relation to the reference marks (6) thereof and the projection of the reference marks (6) determines a non-permitted zone (22) along a direction of movement on the wafer (3) and hence defines a free zone on the remainder of the wafer (3). The sensor (1) is arranged in the transport chamber such as to guarantee that the non-permitted zone (22) is not scanned and the sensor (1) can thus only record the circular art of the wafer edge and not parts of the reference mark (6).

The invention relates to a method for positioning a wafer with a reference marker in a vacuum process installation according to claim 1.
In modern vacuum process facilities circular flat substrates or workpieces, which are also referred to as wafers, are surface-treated, such as for example coated, etched, cleaned, thermally treated etc., in such fully automated vacuum process systems. In order to automate such processes and to be able to carry out multi-stage processes in different facility areas, automated transport systems, a type of handling robot, are employed. In particular the treatment of semiconductor wafers in such processes requires very high quality of treatment, such as in particular high cleanliness, high precision and careful treatment of the substrates. Due to the stated high requirements, such facilities preferably include a lock chamber, where the wafers are moved from the atmospheric environment into a vacuum chamber and subsequently into a process station or, as a rule, sequentially into several process stations in order to be able to carry out the required surface treatment. With the aid of a transport device the wafers are delivered from the lock chamber into the process chamber in a horizontal transport plane, and after the wafer has been deposited in the process chamber, the latter is, as a rule, closed in order to be able to carry out the process under the required vacuum and process conditions. If several process steps are necessary, the wafer is again transported out of the one process chamber in the same manner and, for the next process step, is transported into another process chamber.
Especially preferred types of facilities are so-called cluster systems. In such systems, the lock chamber and the process chamber, or the several chambers, are arranged peripherally about the substantially central transport chamber. In the case of more than one lock chamber and in particular in the case of several process chambers, these chambers are arranged in a type of star-shaped configuration about the centrally located transport chambers. The transport device in this case is located in this centrally located transport chamber and has access, on the one hand, to the at least one lock chamber and, on the other hand, to the process chamber. Between the transport chamber and the remaining chambers conventionally and preferably a so-called lock valve is disposed in order to be able to partition the chambers against one another during the locking process or during the process step. During the transport process of a wafer, the transport device subsequently extends appropriately through the open lock gates in order to deposit the wafer at the designated location.
The transport device moves the wafer translatively in one plane and consequently in two directions of motion. In said preferred cluster systems with the transport device disposed in the central transport chamber, the device is conventionally formed as a mechanism which pivots about a center of rotation and forms therewith the one rotating direction of motion and which can execute a further second translatory motion radially with respect to the center of rotation back and forth away from/to this center of rotation. On this transport device, for example a length-adjustable arm mechanics rotatable in the horizontal plane, the wafer to be transported is subsequently deposited in the end region of this arm. Such a configuration can in this case readily also transport a wafer over relatively great path distances, for example of the orders of magnitude of 1 m or more, from a lock chamber into the transport chamber and from here, in turn, into and out of the process chamber and extend through the corresponding opened lock doors. At the beginning of the transport cycle the wafer is deposited under atmospheric pressure onto the transport mechanism as precisely as possible and always in the same position in order to be able to transport it subsequently also precisely to a predetermined position. However, the deposition of the wafer on the transport mechanism, as well as also the transport mechanism itself, is afflicted with imprecisions or with tolerance errors. Further imprecisions or shifts of the wafer position on the transport mechanism can also occur in the process station due to effects in the process chamber. For this reason the precise position of the wafer must be acquired or measured in order to check the correct wafer position and/or to be able to carry out corrections for the positioning. For this purpose several sensors are conventionally utilized. These sensors are disposed in known manner directly in the proximity of the end position, thus in the processing chamber, where the process is to take place precisely, and subsequently end-positioned in the nominal position. The use of several sensors and the high electronic expenditure together with the positioning process with the transport device leads to very high expenditures and, moreover, therewith, the higher the necessary expenditures, the system trustworthiness or the operational reliability of the vacuum process installation decreases. This can lead to operational failures and stop-downs, to increased maintenance expenditure and also to increased rejects in the production of expensive semiconductor wafers.
Therefore solutions have repeatedly been sought for realizing simpler transport systems with simplified positioning methods in order to decrease expenditures and increase reliability. U.S. Pat. No. 6,760,976 B1 discloses a method for centering a semiconductor wafer, in which a single sensor is utilized instead of several positioning sensors. The method builds on the fact that a circular wafer is utilized, the diameter of which is known and by moving the wafer edge to the sensor at least two points are acquired and with these measuring results, together with the known wafer diameter, the actual position center of the water can be determined. On the basis of this determined center position of the wafer a correction can subsequently be carried out and the wafer can be moved with the transport device into the desired nominal position for the subsequent process step. This method can be applied with circular wafer substrates in which the periphery has a circular closed line and is not perturbed. Semiconductor wafers such as are used today, require a so-called reference marker on the circle periphery, for example a so-called flat, which serves for the circular position detection for the alignment of the structural elements on the wafer and of the wafer itself. As soon as a wafer of this type must be worked, said method leads to errors or failure if edge regions are acquired by the sensor which deviate from the circular shape. For wafers with reference marker this method is therefore not usable.


A disc recording device for recording left channel signals and right channel signals having a super audio-frequency signal range up to 40 kHz on a left master disc and a right master disc respectively comprises a left disc recording control portion, a right disc recording control portion, and a common control portion. An another disc recording device for recording the left channel signals and the right channel signals having sounds of super audio-frequency signal range up to 40 kHz onto one face and other face of a master disc respectively comprises a disc inverse face playback control portion, a disc front face playback control portion, and a common control portion. A signal frame as a channel bit used in the above mentioned devices has 316 bits per one left channel signal and one right channel signal, respectively.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a disc playback device and a disc recording device, and more particularly to a disc playback device for playback of discs in which sound having a super audio-frequency signal range up to 40 kHz have been already recorded into separate left channel signals and right channel signals respectively and a disc recording device for recording sounds having a super audio-frequency signal range up to 40 kHz which is also separated into left channel signals and right channel signals up to 40 kHz onto a disc.
2. Description of the Prior Art
CD (compact disc) as a digital audio disc has great advantages, for example a high quality sound, an improved dynamic range and a decreased distortion when compared to a conventional record such as LP (long-playing record). Moreover, the CD is a small-sized recording medium. Thereby the CD is the most widely applied to deal with the digital audio disc. In addition, the CD can be executed with high concentration recording in which left channel signals and right channel signals of audio-frequency signal range up to about 20 kHz are recorded by using a sampling frequency of nearly 44 kHz. The signals can be recorded for a maximum of 70 minutes per a CD. In the CD, the left channel signals and the right channel signals are recorded under a state in which these signals are composed of a plurality of frames as channel-bits transformed from data-bits having 264 bits per one data-bit to channel-bits having 588 bits per one frame by using EFM (Eight to fourteen modulation) as shown in FIG. 1. The channel bit (588 bits) is composed of a frame syncronism pattern (24 bits and 3 bits for connection), a users-bit (14 bits and 3 bits for connection), two information-bits (168 bits and 36 bits for connection) and two error correction bits (56 bits and 12 bits for connection) for one left channel signal and one right channel signal.
In this case, a bit-rate is about 1.936 Mbit/sec. Namely, the sound of the audio-frequency is recorded in the conventional CD by using the signal frame of 588 bits per one signal frame. This makes it difficult to record sound with audio-frequencies of more than 20 kHz.
While, they say that it is difficult for a person to hear sound over 20 kHz. The sound is transmitted to the brain through the skin near the ears and the skeletons of inner ears, thereby it is known that .alpha.-waves are increased in the brain of a person by hearing the sound of audio-frequency signal range over 20 kHz.
As mentioned above, it is difficult to record the sound of the audio-frequency signal range over 20 kHz by using signal frames comprising 588 bits per one frame. Recently, there have been strong demands for extending sounds having a super audio-frequency signal range to about 40 kHz for increasing the .alpha.-waves in the brain of a person.

Synchronous recording and playback of left and right stereo channels on separate digital discs


An electronic device, such as a filter, includes a first substrate having a bottom surface and a top surface, a first side wall of a certain height being formed along a periphery of the bottom surface to surround an electronic circuit disposed on the bottom surface, an external electrode formed on the top surface, the external electrode being connected to the electronic circuit by a via communicating with the bottom surface and a second substrate. The second substrate has a second side wall of a certain height formed along a periphery of a top surface, the second side wall being aligned and bonded with the first side wall to internally form a cavity defined between the bottom surface of the first substrate, the top surface of the second substrate, the first side wall, and the second side wall.

Conventionally, in a communication device such as a mobile phone, a filter device has been used to separate signals having different bands such as a transmission signal and a reception signal. An electronic device including a bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonator such as a film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR) and a solidly mounted resonator (SMR) has been used in the filter device. The electronic device includes a device substrate on which an electronic circuit is disposed and a cap substrate. The electronic device has been manufactured as follows: portions to be bonded between the device substrate and the cap substrate are formed with same type of metals such as gold or copper; the metal portions are covalently bonded with each other at high temperature and high pressure; and then the device substrate and the cap substrate are bonded together.
Background material describing FBAR filters and Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) filters is described in "Development of FBAR Filters: In Comparison with SAW Filters," Transactions of Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers, Electronic Device, 103(728), 9-14, Mar. 9, 2004.

Electronic devices formed in a cavity between substrates and including a via


A system and method is provided for rapidly reconfiguring a jet aircraft from a cargo or passenger configuration into a parabolic flight configuration. In the parabolic flight configuration, a zero-gravity condition is created in the aircraft cabin to simulate a weightless atmosphere which can be provided as entertainment to paying customers. Various aspects of the invention include a hydraulic system design change which prevents loss of hydraulic function during a zero-gravity condition and a strap-down accelerometer which provides a visual indication of the parabolic flight condition. Additional interior modifications include removable padding areas, a dual-purpose interior gill liner, modified oxygen systems, handrail attachment fixtures, modified emergency lighting systems, and a palletized floor assembly.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a jet aircraft configuration. More particularly, the present invention provides an improved aircraft which is quickly reconfigurable from a cargo or passenger configuration into one adapted for parabolic flight operations (zero-gravity) for entertainment purposes.
2. Related Information
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has for many years conducted so-called parabolic flights in order to simulate zero-gravity situations. NASA developed a KC-135 jet aircraft specifically adapted for flying such missions. Parabolic flights are used, for example, to train astronauts in realistic outer space scenarios. In a parabolic flight pattern, the aircraft starts at about 28,000 feet and begins a descent using a flight path which creates a zero-gravity condition on the airplane.
The aircraft requires special modifications to support a zero-gravity condition. As one example, hydraulic systems must be modified to prevent hydraulic fluid from "cavitating" during low-gravity periods. These and other modifications are described in a prior art NASA document entitled "KC-135 Modifications Manual", dated Apr. 5, 1982, incorporated herein by reference.
Recently, the concept of using parabolic (zero-gravity) flights for entertainment purposes has been proposed. For example, paying customers would be initially strapped into seats during take-off, and then would be free to float about the cabin during the zero-gravity period, which typically lasts about 30 seconds per dive.
In contrast to the NASA KC-135 modifications, there are many problems associated with providing zero-gravity flights for commercial entertainment purposes. For example, whereas NASA is generally exempted from various safety standards and comfort requirements, a commercial parabolic flight aircraft must meet such requirements. Moreover, using a dedicated aircraft for entertainment purposes is prohibitively expensive. Normal turbojet aircraft operations can be extremely expensive, running on the order of $20,000-$30,000 per day. Because parabolic flights are inherently conducted over short periods of time each day, use of a dedicated aircraft for parabolic flight operations, as done by NASA, is cost prohibitive for entertainment purposes.
In addition, because NASA's parabolic aircraft is flown under public aircraft regulations, NASA is not monitored by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and is not subject to the rigorous inspection and engineering design called out in the Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs). This set of regulations defines requirements that must be met in order to achieve a certificate for operation enabling an individual or organization to hold out to the general public. However, since no FAA specification exists specifically for parabolic flight operation, there are no clear set of design guidelines for providing a commercial passenger aircraft which meets all known FAA regulations for parabolic flights.

System for converting jet aircraft to parabolic flight operation


The present invention provides isolated gene sequences involved in xylose fermentation and related recombinant yeast which are useful in methods of enhanced biofuel production, particularly ethanol production. Methods of bioengineering recombinant yeast useful for biofuel production are also provided.

Cellulosic biomass is an abundant substrate for biofuel production. However, many microbes cannot natively metabolize pentose sugars abundant within hemicellulose. Although engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae can utilize the pentose xylose, the fermentative capacity pales in comparison to glucose, limiting the economic feasibility of industrial fermentations.
At present, only a handful of Hemiascomycete yeasts are known to naturally ferment pentose sugars, such as xylose, that are abundant in hemicellulose. Although some aspects of xylose utilization have been uncovered in xylose-fermenting fungi, much of the mechanism remains unresolved. Xylose-fermenting fungi, including the well-known Pichia stipitis (Psti), are associated with wood-boring passalid beetles that may rely on fungal symbionts to release nutrients from wood. Other related yeasts do not natively ferment xylose, suggesting that xylose fermentation in these yeasts has evolved in a specific and unique fungal environment.
In view of the current state of the biofuel industry, particularly ethanol production based on xylose-containing feedstocks, it can be appreciated that identifying genes related to enhanced biofuel production is a substantial challenge in the field. Accordingly, a need exists in the field to identify additional genes that influence biofuel production in yeast, and consequently engineer recombinant strains of yeast capable of increased biofuel yields from commonly-available feedstocks, including xylose-containing feedstocks.

Genes related to xylose fermentation and methods of using same for enhanced biofuel production


In order to make warning devices more efficient, it is known to design parameters to be variable and therewith to be adaptable depending upon the state or condition of a user of the warning information. Herein, for example, warning start points are changed or multi-stage warnings are engineered depending upon urgency. The disadvantage of such an adaptive system can however reside therein, that the mechanistic detection of the condition of the operator using various sensor systems and the subsequent output to the operator or the operator assistant system is not always acceptable, which can irritate the vehicle operator or occupants. In order to increase the acceptance by the user of the warning information it is proposed that in the lead-up to a planned change in the mode and manner of the output of the warning information, communication is initiated with at least one of the users. In the framework of this communication a user can indicate his acceptance or declining with respect to the planned change.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a process and a device according to the precharacterizing portion of patent claims 1 and 11.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to enhance traffic safety, major automobile manufacturers, universities and institutions worldwide have carried out research in order to find process and means for recognizing the alertness or condition of the vehicle operator—in particular for recognition of conditions leading to attention deficits, such as fatigue—and for recognition of operator task loading and demands upon the operator, in order to optimally influence the operator. These efforts are made with the primary objective of informing the vehicle operator regarding his condition using various media (that is—acoustically, optically, haptically and olfactorally), or to warn the operator or even to resort to operator assistance systems to influence the vehicle dynamics.
With regard to the warning and information functions of such systems, it is conceivable that a number of the following parameters could be set up to be variable and therewith be designed to be adaptable depending upon the condition of the vehicle operator:                changing time of warning onset        multistage or stepped warnings according to the conceived urgency        change of the output medium and thereby change of the sensory organ being influenced        audio amplification and frequency change in the case of acoustic warning signals        intensity and frequency changes in the case of optical signals        amplification or reduction of tactile or haptic oscillations and feedback        suppression of lower priority warning signals and information        changing the feedback from the steering wheel (increasing or decreasing resistance to rotation)        movement of the braking, acceleration and steering initiation points.
A warning and information system having such a design is known for example from the subsequently published DE 10103401 (WO 02/058962 A1). The disadvantage of such an adaptive system can however be, that the detection of the condition of the operator based on mechanistic recognition using varying sensor systems and the subsequent mode and manner of the output of the warning information generated therefrom may not always be well received by the vehicle operator and could in fact be irritating not only to the vehicle operator but also to the other vehicle occupants.

Dialog system for warning and information systems


An apparatus designed to examine a surface includes a polarization analyser element, or analyser, placed in the path of a light beam reflected by the surface, a device configured to take digital images and placed in the path of the beam reflected by the surface downstream of the analyser, and a processing unit capable of calculating the color and the intensity of a plurality of pixels of at least one image.

The apparatus is of the kind comprising a light source directed towards the surface to be examined, a photodetector means sensitive to the light reflected by the surface, means to measure the specular reflection and the diffuse reflection from the surface and means to determine the brightness from the measurement of the specular reflection and of the diffuse reflection. On this subject, document FR-A-2 650 890 can be consulted. The tests carried out have shown that such an apparatus, while giving satisfactory results, has a relatively small sensitivity and discriminative power.
Document EP B 0 475 803 also discloses an apparatus designed to examine a surface, comprising a source of light capable of emitting a beam incident on the surface to be examined, means comprising a polarizer and at least one analyser making it possible to measure the reflection either with the directions of the polarizer and the analyser oriented in parallel, or oriented at right angles, the polarizer being placed between the light source and the surface, while the analyser is placed in the path of the reflected beam, photodetector means sensitive to the light reflected by the surface being, in addition, provided. The light source is directional and the polarized incident beam falls on the surface to be studied at an angle of incidence of between 0 and 90°, limits excluded, the direction of polarization of the incident beam being perpendicular to the plane of incidence. The apparatus is arranged in order to measure the reflection along at least two different reflection directions, one substantially symmetrical with the incident direction relative to the normal to the surface. The apparatus comprises means making it possible to differentiate, for each reflection direction, between the reflection in parallel polarization and analysis directions and the reflection with perpendicular polarization and analysis directions, the differences thus obtained forming a measurement of the so-called specular brightness and of the so-called diffuse brightness.
Such an apparatus functions properly, but only allows the examination of an elementary surface or of a point at a given instant.

Apparatus and process for examining a surface


A docking system may repeatedly dock a movable sensor module relative to another module with high precision. The docking system may move with minimal constraints and several degrees of freedom. The docking system may be particularly useful for precisely locating a movable sensor module relative to another module, such as a full width array sensor relative to a photoreceptor module within an image forming apparatus. A high degree of freedom may be achieved through use of a series of at least three spherical bearing connections that enable freedom of movement about X, Y and Z axes.

This disclosure generally relates to a docking system for repeatedly docking a movable sensor module relative to a module with high precision. Such a docking system may move with fewer constraints and more degrees of freedom. Such a docking system may be particularly useful for precisely locating a movable sensor module relative to another module, such as a full width array sensor relative to a photoreceptor module within an image forming apparatus.

Sensor module docking arrangement with multiple degrees of freedom constraint


A connector for affixing cables (e.g., of the type having wires bundled within a corrugated cover) within an electrical or other junction box has a body with a first end into which the cable cover (and the wires therein) may be inserted, and a second end configured to affix to the entry of a junction box, and which is configured to allow the wires of the cable to leave the connector and extend into the junction box. The connector has an engagement member thereon with one or more engagement legs which extend into the body of the connector, and into the internal passage of the connector body into which the cable is fit, to engage the cable cover and fix the cable to the connector body.

In the electrical trade, junction boxes—small boxes/compartments made of plastic or other materials, with at least one open wall and having entries/apertures defined in other walls—are often installed in buildings at points where electrical wires are to be connected to components such as sockets, switches, outlets, and/or other wires. A junction box is installed at the point where the connection is desired, usually within the building wall or ceiling, by nailing or screwing the junction box to a stud within the wall or ceiling. Multi-wire cable is brought to the junction box and extended through an entry point in a junction box wall to enter the junction box interior. The cable is usually sheathed within a corrugated cover, often formed of a helically wound ribbon of metal or plastic, which serves to protect the wires of the cable while maintaining much of the cable's flexibility.
Since it is often desirable to firmly secure the cable to the junction box at its point of entry, connectors have been developed which engage the corrugated cable cover and the junction box together, and prevent the cable from being easily pulled from the junction box. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,214,247 to Tamm and U.S. Pat. No. 6,817,895 to Kiely. However, these often require that the connector be crimped about the cable cover, and/or that a screw or similar fastener be extended through the connector to engage the cable cover. These arrangements can be inconvenient because they require the use of tools to connect the cable to the junction box, and in some instances the connection may need to be performed within tight confines (e.g., within a small hole in a wall), making the operation difficult to perform. Additionally, the need to use tools increases the time needed to install cables within junction boxes, since the steps of inserting and fixing the connector within the junction box, inserting the cable within the connector, obtaining and using a tool to fix the cable within the connector, etc. often require that an electrician or other installer pick items up, set them down, switch them from hand to hand, etc., which can rapidly grow tedious and annoying.

Connector for affixing cables within junction boxes


A skeletal measurement device is disclosed in which concave arcuate calipers extend from a central housing containing a gear actuated dial scale. Upon expansion of the ends of the concave calipers away from one another in reaching and measuring skeletal points on a body therebetween, the gear actuated scale measures the distance between the caliper ends. Preferably, the arcuate calipers are extensible to at least first and second lengths. Accordingly, the connected gear actuated dial scale is provided with corresponding scales indicating the correspondingly changed distance of the extended arms. When the instrument is extended with its calipers measuring skeletal reference points, an attached inclinometer provides gravitational angular reference to the vertical. Dependent upon how the central housing must be disposed to enable the calipers to reach about the body being measured, this inclinometer is hinged along a hinge axis parallel to a line between the ends of the calipers to allow rapid measurement of distance and angle between skeletal points. Preferably, the measuring instrument is suspended by an adjustable cord from the neck of the measuring therapist to free his or her hands for palpation, data recording, safety of patient and movement of the measuring arms during rapid repeatable measurement. Provision is made for the attachment of palpation ends to the ends of the concave arcuate arms so that the skeletal points on a body can be palpated at the same time as the instrument is suspended around the therapist's neck and the measurements are read.

Physical therapists and other health professionals such as physicians, chiropractors, and the like need to obtain precise and objective measurements of their patient's body skeletal structure. These precise measurements are necessary to help to determine the quality of function of a body by learning about its skeletal and related structure. Subtle deviations can exist in body structure that are of significance in the diagnosis of dysfunction that the eye of the practitioner itself might not see. Unless these subtle dysfunctions can be rapidly and repeatedly measured, therapists cannot monitor patient diagnosis and treatment progress objectively.
Present measurement techniques for the human body are not precise. Precision is necessary to increase accountability and objectivity of diagnosis and treatment. Further, precise measurements enable communication with third parties (other than therapist and patient). These third parties are most frequently insurance companies, lawyers, colleagues and other related medical professionals and medical groups all involved with the health care process and the vitally related reimbursement for treatment. When precision is lacking in describing dysfunction, questions as to the dysfunction and the treatment for the dysfunction frequently arise.
Further, present measurement techniques lacking accurate and quantitative measurement compound the difficulty of research.
Most health professionals operate under severe time limitations. There is a need for both improved accuracy and improved speed. Therefore, it is desired to have a precise measurement tool for skeletal measurement that operates through the skin and flesh that is easily handled by one person.
Body measurement tools have existed in the past. Generally, they consist of a pair of caliper arms attached in slidable and perpendicular relationship to a scaled straightedge. Thus the tool needs to be about as long as the distance that needs to be measured.
Unfortunately, with the use of such a tool, body landmarks that are poorly visible because they are obscured by a layer of skin and soft tissue need to be palpated before they can be measured. Loss of accuracy and time occurs in the period between the removal of the palpating fingers and the application of the measuring arms from the perpendicular straight edge to the area where measurement is of interest.
Another possibility and common practice in dealing with this type of landmarks is to mark the skin covering the landmarks with a pen after it has been palpated. Next, the measuring arms are applied to the pen marks on the skin. This introduces the possibility of additional inaccuracy, because the skin almost always moves relative to the landmarks.
Finally, and with linear arms protruding from a linear scale, each measurement requires multiple steps of unfastening, moving, refastening, and finally taking the measurement of the distance between the measured skeletal body parts.
Examples of the class of devices referred above to include Perrault U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,268 entitled SKELETON DEVICE and Phillips U.S. Pat. No. 4,201,226 entitled COMBINATION INSTRUMENT FOR TAKING BIOMECHANICAL MEASUREMENTS.
In another class of measurement devices, a floor mounted reference device in combination with calipers determines the angle of skeletal reference points by a combination of static measurement and trigonometry. Such calculation constitutes at a minimum an obstacle to rapid measurement.
An example of this type of measurement is described in "A Technique for Measuring Pelvic Tilt" by Sanders and Stavrakas, Physical Therapy, Volume 61, Number 1, January 1981.


A method and apparatus for generating pixelmap images for output to a raster device. The method and apparatus support scheduling and rendering bands, pages or planes from a job using multiple graphics processors and an array of buffers from an intermediate graphic order storage medium. The graphics orders are generated by a graphics order generator subsystem.

1. Field
This invention relates to the field of image generation, more specifically generating images to be sent to a raster device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Printing devices encompass a wide variety of output display devices. These output display devices such as laser printers, bubble jet printers, plotters, image setters and other printing devices produce an image or visual representation on the surface of paper or similar materials. Many printing devices form images on a surface by printing dots corresponding to information contained in a bitmap or pixelmap. A raster printing device, for example, forms an image on a surface by printing dots arranged in rows and columns based upon a corresponding pixelmap.
Applications running on a computer system may generate a number of pages or images that are requested to be printed together. This collected group of images and pages is often referred to as a job. A number of jobs can often be requested in a period of time shorter than each job can be printed. These jobs are often queued to be printed after a previously scheduled job is completed.
Pages in a job are often described in a page description language (PDL) which is a high level language for describing objects to be displayed by an output device. These languages are usually interpreted languages that allow for a compact representation of a page.

Method and apparatus for generating an image for output to a raster device


Described herein is a computer implemented method comprising accessing a document, generating a document vector in respect of the document, and generating a sentence vector for each sentence in the document. The method further comprises calculating a sentence similarity score for each sentence in the document which, for a given sentence, is calculated based on a similarity between the sentence vector for the given sentence and the document vector, and identifying one or more representative document sentences for inclusion in a document summary.

The developments described in this section are known to the inventors. However, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the developments described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section, or that those developments are known to a person of ordinary skill in the art.
Over time, organizations and their employees build up vast amounts of content in digital form. The management of such content presents a number of difficult and well known problems, including how to facilitate effective and efficient searching for/discovery of relevant content, how to surface relevant content to the right person at the right time, and generally how to leverage the available content to improve operational efficiency.


A clip assembly for attaching two component assemblies while reducing NVH characteristics comprising a first clip portion; a second clip portion; and a middle clip portion that connectively spans between the first clip portion and the second clip portion; wherein the middle clip portion comprises a material that absorbs at least a portion of vibration energy that may be caused by one or both of the two component assemblies.

Some devices (e.g. fans, blowers or other air movers) may cause undesired noise and/or vibration (widely known as NVH—Noise, Vibration and Harshness) during operation. It is common to use such devices in many seating applications, such as for providing heating, cooling, ventilation, massaging, or any combination. In an effort to reduce NVH, while assuring a robust attachment method, a variety of complex designs in both the conditioning device and the attachment scheme of the device have been brought forth. It is important to provide solutions to the attachment needs that are simple to make, simple to assemble, simple to install, reduce the number of parts that are susceptible to rattling against each other, or any combination thereof. The present invention seeks to improve on the current state of the art by the use of a simplified attachment scheme that produces a robust attachment while aiding in the reduction of undesired NVH.
Examples of air movers and/or systems for which the present invention may find suitable application include those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,370,911; 6,893,086; 7,356,912; 6,857,697; and 6,786,541 all of which are incorporated by reference for all purposes. Other systems that may employ air movers and/or systems for which the present invention may find suitable application include those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,114,771 and 7,168,758, both incorporated by reference.

Mounting clip with improved noise vibration and harshness damping


Provided is a microorganism that is capable of efficiently producing para-aminobenzoic acid (4-ABA) or a salt thereof, using saccharides as raw materials, and a method for efficiently producing 4-ABA or a salt thereof by using this microorganism.

Against the backdrop of global warming and exhaustion of fossil resources, production of chemical products using renewable resources has been recognized to be an important measure with view to realizing a low-carbon society, as new industrial biorefinery, along with biofuel, and has attracted attention.
4-ABA has an amino group and a carboxyl group in the molecule, and as a polymer raw material, it is expected to have a great demand. Further, it has been widely used as a raw material for ultraviolet absorbers and pharmaceutical products.
Conventionally, 4-ABA has been synthesized through multi-phase reactions using petroleum as a raw material. More specifically, it is a pathway to synthesize p-nitrotoluene from toluene derived from petroleum, and synthesize 4-ABA via p-nitrobenzoic acid or p-toluidine. As strong acids are used and high temperature conditions are required in these reactions, massive energy is needed. From the viewpoint of breaking out of the dependence on fossil resources and reducing discharge of carbon dioxide, a 4-ABA producing process in which a biorefinery technique as an environmentally compatible process is used is earnestly desired.
On the other hand, many microorganisms have a pathway for production of 4-ABA as a precursor of folate. More specifically, it is a pathway that bacteria, yeasts, plants and the like have, for generating chorismate through an aromatic compound biosynthesis path, i.e., a so-called shikimate pathway, and thereafter, via 4-amino-4-deoxychorismate, synthesizing 4-ABA.
The conversion from chorismate to 4-amino-4-deoxychorismate is performed through a two-step reaction actually. A para-aminobenzoate synthase component II (PabA) extricates an ammonium group from glutamine, and a para-aminobenzoate synthase component I (PabB) synthesizes 4-amino-4-deoxychorismate from the ammonium group and chorismate. Further, 4-amino-4-deoxychorismate is converted to 4-ABA by a 4-amino-4-deoxychorismate lyase (PabC). Escherichia coli has a gene pabA, a gene pabB, and a gene pabC at different positions on the chromosome, whereas some microorganisms have pabAB, and others microorganisms have pabBC, as two-component protein.
Here, Non-patent Document 1 teaches the production of 4-ABA by using a transformant of yeast in which a gene abz1 (a homologous gene of pabAB) is excessively expressed. The 4-ABA productivity of this transformant, however, is 250 μM per 160 hours, which is extremely low, and is not practical.
Further, Patent Document 1 and Non-patent Document 2 report the production of 4-ABA by using a transformant obtained by introducing pabAB derived from Corynebacterium efficiens into the chromosome of Escherichia coli. The 4-ABA productivity thereof, however, is 35 mM (4.8 g/L) per 48 hours, which is low, and is unsatisfactory for the industrial production. Still further, Patent Document 1 reports the production of 4-ABA by using a transformant obtained by introducing pabAB derived from Saccharopolyspora erythraea into Streptomyces lividans, but the 4-ABA productivity was 1 mM or less per nine days.
Still further, Patent Document 2 discloses that pabA, pabB, and pabC can be excessively expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisae, Kluyveromyces lactis, Aspergillus niger, Synechocystis, or Escherichia coli, and thereby the conversion of 4-ABA from chorismate can be increased. Patent Document 2, however, only mentions the producibility of 4-ABA, but does not disclose an actual example of 4-ABA production.

Coryneform bacterial transformant and method for producing 4-aminobenzoic acid or salt thereof using same

Abstract: A transformant obtained by introducing, into a coryneform bacterium, a gene that encodes 4-amino-4-deoxychorismate lyase, a gene that encodes a para-aminobenzoate synthase component I, and a gene that encodes a para-aminobenzoate synthase component II, is capable of efficiently producing 4-ABA or a salt thereof from saccharides.

RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY FOR THE EARTH


In a computer comprising a computer body for supporting a keyboard and enclosing electronic circuits, several elements are provided including recesses provided on the bottom side of the computer body, leg members for tilting the computer body, the leg members being positioned in the recesses and being rotatable around a supporting shaft of the leg members and slidable along the direction of the axis of the supporting shaft, a spring for forcing the leg members to rotate so as to open from the recesses and to slide in one direction along the supporting shaft, and engagement apparatus for engaging the leg members with the recesses in spite of the force caused by the spring to rotate the leg members, handling portions for facilitating the slide manipulation of the leg members along the supporting shaft are provided on the exposed surface of the leg members while in the recesses, so that it becomes unnecessary to provide additional members for manipulation.

An example of conventional keyboard tilting mechanism is constructed such that leg members for adjusting the angle of a keyboard are provided rotatably to a keyboard body, the leg members are forced to move in one direction along the direction and axis of the rotation by a coil spring wound on to the axis of the rotation of the leg members, and the force of said coil spring along the direction of the rotation to the leg members is prevented and released. Such a conventional mechanism is described in Japanese Pat. No. 59-113355, 59-100331, and 60-140134. However, such a conventional mechanism is provided with different members for manipulation from the leg members in order to prevent or release the force of said coil spring. Thus its construction is complex, its assembly is difficult, and its operation is inconvenient. Besides, if different members for manipulation from the leg members project, for example, from the side of a keyboard body, they are inconvenient for storage and conveyance, especially, for a notebook computer and the like.

Computer, keyboard apparatus, and keyboard tilting mechanism

International Business Machines Corporation


Disclosed is an automatic analysis method of crude oils, using spectroscopy. A near infrared spectroscopic analysis apparatus is combined with an ordinary distillation apparatus, so as to analyze the physical properties of each oil distillate as soon as it is separated from crude oils, thereby bringing about a significant improvement in analysis accuracy and in an economical aspect. It takes only two days for one person to obtain a full assay data for crude oils by taking advantage of the method. In addition to requiring a significantly reduced equipment cost, the method enables full assay data for crude oils to be obtained quickly, thereby securing more up-to-date information about crude oils and producing an economical benefit.

The present invention relates, in general, to a method for automatically analyzing crude petroleum oils using a spectroscopic technique and, more particularly, to an on-line analysis method of crude petroleum oils, which brings about a significant improvement in analysis accuracy and in an economical aspect. In the present invention, a near infrared (NIR) spectroscopic analysis apparatus is combined with an ordinary distillation apparatus, so as to analyze the physical properties of each oil distillate as soon as it is separated from crude oils.
For oil refineries, where crude oils are refined to produce high value-added products, it is very important to know information about the crude oils to be treated. There are almost no oil refineries that treat only one kind of a crude oil. Indeed, they refine up to tens of kinds of crude oils per year. To this end, most of the oil refineries have been equipped with analysis apparatuses for crude oils and have engaged a great deal of manpower in obtaining up-to-date analysis data for crude oils. Recently, detail assay data(Full Assay Data) which has information about heavy distillates is required as heavy oil cracking facilities are widely introduced. In order to produce full assay data, highly expensive distillation and analysis apparatuses are needed, along with much manpower. Usually, the full assay data, for example, is made by distilling crude oil to more than 10 fractions and analyzing each of the oil fractions for more than 10 physical properties. It typically takes a time of 1-2 weeks to produce full assay data, and about 30% of the period is needed to separate oil fractions through distillation while the remaining 70% is set aside for the analysis of physical properties of each fraction.
As a result of the intensive and thorough research on the crude oil analysis, repeated by the present inventors aiming to reduce the manpower and time period required for the crude oil analysis, it was found that spectroscopy can be introduced to analyze the physical properties of crude oils. In this regard, a physical property-predicting model was established from the spectrometric data from an oil distillate on the basis of the chemometrics theory. By comparing spectrometric data obtained from a target distillate with those of the model, the target distillate could be assayed for physical properties rapidly and accurately. This spectroscopic technique exceptionally reduces the time period required for the analysis of crude oils, compared with conventional assay techniques. Indeed, the measurement of the physical properties of crude distillates can be completed as soon as the crude distillates are separated. In addition, because only a small amount of the distillates are demanded for the spectroscopic measurement, the time period that it takes to distill crude oils is greatly reduced. Accordingly, a significant reduction can be brought about in the amount of analysis equipment as well as the manpower. However, some trace components and physical properties of heavy residue remain unable to be assayed by the spectroscopic method of the invention. Thus, they can be analyzed in conventional manners.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an automatic method for analyzing crude petroleum oils, which utilizes a spectrometric technique in combination with a distillation apparatus in measuring physical properties of crude petroleum oils with the aim of reducing as much equipment cost, manpower and time necessary for the analysis of crude petroleum oils as possible.
Based on the present invention, the above object could be accomplished by a provision of an automatic analysis method of crude oils, using spectroscopy, comprising the steps of: providing analysis equipment comprising: a distillation apparatus comprising: a vacuum part; a heating part; a separation column part; a liquified gas-collecting cylinder having absorbance spectrum-measuring cells; and a distillate-collecting part having a plurality of distillate-collating cylinders; a spectroscopic analyzer comprising: a spectroscope 10 for separating and providing light beams by wavelengths; a measuring cell 9 for measuring samples for absorbance at predetermined wavelengths; and a fiber optic for connecting the spectroscope to the measuring cell; and a physical property predicting model; measuring gaseous components for absorbance at predetermined wavelengths in an on-line manner in the liquified gas-collecting cylinder, said gaseous components being distilled at the first time from a crude oil sample; measuring various distillates of the distillate-collecting cylinders, in sequence, for absorbance at predetermined wavelengths; predicting physical properties of the crude sample from the spectrum data on the basis of the chemometrics theory; and producing assay data for crude oils from the predicted physical properties.

Automatic analysis method of crude petroleum oils using spectroscopy


The present invention relates to a simple, economical and short synthesis for the class of compounds chemically belonging to amino acrylic acids of general formula I exhibiting both antibacterial and anti-plasmodium (anti-malarial) activity, in good yield and purity. Process for the preparation of said compound comprising heating amine (A) and pantolactone or substituted pantolactone (B) in a solvent selected from cyclohexane, benzene, toluene, xylene, dipheny!ether; anisole, dioxane, etc. at a temperature in the range of 110-150° C. for about 24 hrs followed by further raising the temperature of the mixture to a temperature in the range of 200-230° C. for period in the range of 15 to 25 min followed by cooling the crude reaction mixture to room temperature to obtain compound of general Formula I.

The treatment of infections due to Staphylococcus aureus was revolutionized in the 1940s by the introduction of the antibiotic penicillin. However, most strains of Staphylococcus aureus are now resistant to penicillin. In the early 1960s, a new type of penicillin antibiotic called methicillin was developed which was used to treat infections due to β-lactamase-producing strains of Staphylococcus aureus.
'MRSA' which stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is a type of Staphylococcus aureus that is resistant to the antibacterial activity of methicillin and other related antibiotics of the penicillin class. In addition to MRSA, emergence of almost untreatable vancomycin-resistant enterococci and the threat of transfer of glycopeptide resistance to Staphylococcus aureus have led to a new and unexpected public health problem in hospitals and the community.
Further, each year the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, infects hundreds of millions of people and kills more than one million children under the age of five. Although progress towards a vaccine is being made, the lack of a commercially available vaccine and the increasing prevalence of resistance to most of the currently available antimalarials have intensified the need for new antimalarials and the identification of novel drug targets.
The intra-erythrocytic stage of P. falciparum (the stage of the parasite's lifecycle responsible for the morbidity and mortality associated with malaria) is observed to be reliant on the uptake of the water soluble vitamin pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5) which is phosphorylated by pantothenate kinase to coenzyme A. Many pantothenic acid analogues have been tested for their ability to inhibit parasite growth in vitro, and in a number of animal models of malaria; however, these have had limited success.
Accordingly, the discovery and development of new anti-multi-drug resistant bacterial agents therefore remains the need of the hour. Recently, novel N-acyl vinylogous carbamic (β-amido acrylic) acid containing molecule, CJ-15,801 was reported as an inhibitor of multiple-drug-resistant (MDR) Staphylococcus aureus strains.
In 2001, Sugie's group from Pfizer isolated the antibiotic CJ-15,801 from the fermentation broth of a fungus, Seimatosporium sp. CL28611.
References may be made to an article titled "CJ-15,801, a fungal natural product, inhibits the intra erythrocytic stage of Plasmodium falciparum in vitro via an effect on pantothenic acid utilization" by Kevin J. Saliba et.al in Molecular & Biochemical Parasitology 141 (2005) 129-131, discloses antiplasmodial activity of CJ-15,801 against P. falciparum. It is reported in the said article that CJ-15,801 differs from pantothenic acid only in that it has a double bond in place of a single bond between carbons 2 and 3 as shown in figure below, and the compound CJ-15,801 exerts its effect on the parasite by inhibiting the utilization of pantothenic acid by the parasite:

References may be made to an article titled "Copper-Mediated Synthesis of N-Acyl Vinylogous Carbamic Acids and Derivatives: Synthesis of the Antibiotic CJ-15,801" by Chong Han reports copper(I)-mediated coupling of amides with β-iodo-acrylates and acrylamides to prepare N-acyl vinylogous carbamates and ureas. The N-acyl vinylogous carbamic acid antibiotic CJ-15,801 and analogues is also prepared using this methodology (FIG. 1).
References may be made to an article titled "Synthesis of Imides, N-Acyl Vinylogous Carbamates and Ureas, and Nitriles by Oxidation of Amides and Amines with Dess-Martin" published in Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2005, 44, 5992-5997, by K. C. Nicolaou et.al discloses total synthesis of the cis isomer of antibiotic CJ-15,801 as given in FIG. 3. Accordingly, the process includes allylation of β-alanine followed by subsequent reaction of the resulting amino ester with D-(−)-pantolactone in refluxing toluene to obtain dial. This is followed by acetonide formation within diol to obtain a compound whose oxidation with DMP gave a mixture of the N-acyl vinylogous carbamates in cis and trans form in approximately 8:1 ratio, in favor of the cis isomer. The cis compound was converted into cis-CJ-15,801 by sequential cleavage of the acetonide (BiCl3) and allyl ester ([Pd(PPh3)4]) protecting groups (FIG. 2).
The prior art processes as described above for the synthesis of N-acyl vinylogous carbamic acids and derivatives including CJ-15,801 suffer from several drawbacks including being very long and strenuous routes for synthesis of the compound and involves the use of costly reagents which makes the process uneconomical. Further, the routes of synthesis of N-acyl vinylogous carbamic acids and derivatives thereof including CJ-15,801 in the prior art do not lead to pure isomers, adding a cumbersome step to the synthesis of separation or resolution of isomers.
To fulfill this need in the art, the present inventors disclose herein a simple and economical route for synthesis of a class of compounds belonging to amino acrylic acid including CJ-15,801 having both antibacterial and anti-plasmodium activity. It is also the object of the current invention to provide the process for the preparation of compounds which directly lead to the formation of pure-isomer of the desired compound.

Process for the preparation of aminoacrylic acid derivatives

Council of Scientific & Industrial Research


A covert radar response system suitable for use with an illuminating coherent radar system having a moving target indicator subsystem shifts the phase and/or frequency of a retroreflected beam to transmit a message to the illuminating system that is not detectable by other observers in the vicinity.

In the field of radar, in general, and the subfield of responding to an interrogating signal, it has been known in the past to modulate the amplitude of an incident radar beam and to direct the modulated beam back to the transmitter. For example, IFF systems sometimes use rotating propellers that send a chopped signal back to the transmitting platform. Such systems have the drawback that the return signal may be observed by other observers in the vicinity, since the amplitude modulation is noticeable off the line of sight between the illuminating radar and the target.
It would be advantageous if a target could return a covert response that would not be observable by any system other than the illuminating radar.


In an OCT device, even if an alignment according to a pupil center and a position where a tomographic image can be photographed at a good position may be different according to a subject, automatic alignment is continued at a position where an image quality is good. In a fundus inspection apparatus, an initial adjustment target position on an obtained anterior ocular segment image and an optical axis of a measurement optical system are coincided with each other, and then initial position adjustment is performed. When an instruction for moving an initial adjustment target position is issued, the measurement optical system is moved by a moving amount corresponding to the instruction. At the same time, the initial adjustment target position on the anterior ocular segment image is changed to a position after the movement of the measurement optical system, and positional adjustment is performed again.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fundus inspection apparatus used for photographing a surface image and a tomographic image of a fundus of an eye to be inspected.
Description of the Related Art
Recently, there has been put to practical use a device (hereinafter also referred to as an OCT device) using an optical coherence tomography (OCT) in which a tomographic image is photographed by utilizing interference due to low coherence light. In this device, since the tomographic image can be photographed with about the same resolution as the wavelength of light entering an object to be inspected, the tomographic image of the object to be inspected can be obtained with a high resolution. The OCT device is particularly useful as an ophthalmic device for obtaining a tomographic image of a retina in a fundus.
Meanwhile, in an ophthalmic device at large, regardless of inspection of a fundus, it is important to highly accurately align an inspection portion (mainly, measurement optical system) of the device with respect to an eye to be inspected for photographing.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-245698 discloses an eye refractive power measurement apparatus which, when the eye is opacified due to cataract, for example, drives a measurement portion with respect to the eye to be inspected to receive, at each measurement position, light returned from a fundus by a sensor, and, thus, to predict whether measurement can be performed well based on the amount of the received light, whereby the measurement is performed at a good position.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-181172 discloses an optical image measurement device which is an OCT device automatically photographing a tomographic image when alignment is in a good state.
When the device disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-245698 is applied to the OCT device, the inspection time is relatively long because of various scanning operations. Therefore, when involuntary eye movement continuously occurs, an optimum position is required to be automatically found at every involuntary eye movement, so that there is a problem that the alignment time is increased.
In the Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-181172, although an automatic alignment of the eye to be inspected is described, a specific configuration is not described.
Thus, in the OCT device in which the inspection time per subject is relatively long, continuous automatic alignment is desired.
In many cases, the alignment with respect to the eye to be inspected is performed, regardless of manually or automatically, by detecting a pupil center position of an anterior eye portion and aligning an optical axis of a measurement portion with respect to the pupil center position. However, in such case, a tomographic image of a fundus may be darkened according to the eye to be inspected. In such case, in a manual OCT device, it is necessary that an operator perform fine adjustment to improve the tomographic image of the fundus.
In this regard, there is no OCT device which continuously performs automatic alignment, nor is there OCT device in which good images are continuously obtained.


An optical disk apparatus includes a laser diode, and a light from the laser diode becomes a parallel light by a collimator lens, which is reflected toward an object lens by a reflection mirror. The parallel light transmitted through a through-hole provided on an object lens holder is reflected by a disk, and a reflected light is incident upon a light-receiving sensor via the collimator lens, a polarizing beam splitter and a prism. The parallel light reflected by the reflection mirror is reflected by a mirror integrated with the object lens holder, and incident upon the light-receiving sensor via the collimator lens, the polarizing beam splitter and the prism. A disk tilt and/or an object lens tilt are/is detected from output signals of divided light-receiving sensors of the light-receiving sensor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical disk apparatus and a tilt detection method. More specifically, the present invention relates to an optical disk apparatus and a tilt detection method which detects a tilt of an optical disk such as a DVD, a CD or the like so as to mitigate an influence of the disk tilt.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With an increased recording capacity of an optical disk and its enhanced recording density, a beam spot which irradiates to the optical disk to reproduce or record a signal is becoming minute. More specifically, in an optical disk apparatus which performs a recording, a minute beam spot is required than a reproduction-use optical disk apparatus in order to record a signal in a good condition. To obtain the minute spot, an object lens with large numerical aperture is adopted, and consequently, a side effect occurs, in which a deteriorated level of a spot quality by the disk tilt becomes evident.
The deteriorated level of a spot quality by the disk tilt mainly means a generation of a comatic aberration, that is, as a result of a blurred imagery, a spot size becomes large, and its central optical intensity deteriorates in addition thereto. If the spot size becomes large, a minute signal is not read out appropriately. In a case of the optical disk on a principal that a recording is performed by an optical heat, a decrease in the central optical intensity results in its temperature not reaching a predetermined value required for the recording, thus not possible to record. On the other hand, if an entire amount of light is increased in order to obtain the predetermined temperature, an area above the predetermined temperature expands, thus not possible to record minutely.
The disk tilt is a state produced in a case of using a disk with a large curvature. A state that a portion to which a beam irradiates is radially tilted toward the disk is referred to as a radial tilt, and a state tangentially tilted is referred to as a tangential tilt.
Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a method of a prior art 1 in which such the disk tilt is detected and corrected is described. In FIG. 1, a disk 1, that is, a recording and reproducing body is held by a holding portion 2, rotated by a spindle motor 3a, and receives a light irradiation from an optical pick-up 4, thereby recording a signal on the disk 1 or reproducing a signal from the disk 1. The optical pick-up 4 is held by a shaft 5a, and the shaft 5a is held by a shaft holder 5b. The shaft holder 5b is fixed on a shaft holder chassis 5c. It is noted that the above-described spindle motor 3a is fixed on a spindle motor chassis 3b, and the spindle motor chassis 3b and the shaft holder chassis 5c are joined by a holding shaft 6. In addition, a cam 7 which oscillates an edge of the shaft chassis 5c up and down is provided on the spindle motor chassis 3b.
It is noted that as shown in FIG. 2, a tilt sensor 8 which detects the tilt of the disk 1 is provided inside the optical pick-up 4. The tilt sensor 8 is an electronic part in which a light emitted from an internal LED is reflected on a reflection surface horizontal to a sensor-providing surface, and taking an electronic signal output in accordance with a position at which the reflected light falls on an internal light-receiving sensor as a reference, it is detected that the position at which the reflected light falls on the internal light-receiving sensor is deviated by a change of the output signal when the reflection surface is tilted, and consequently, the tilt on the reflection surface is detected.
The light emitted from the optical pick-up 4 is focused on the disk 1 rotated by the spindle motor 3a so as to form a minute spot. The optical pick-up 4 moves along the shaft 5a by a driving portion (not shown). Therefore, the spot is capable of scanning in a two-dimensional manner on the disk 1. This allows the optical pick-up 4 to record a signal on a signal surface provided at a depth of an inner side via a transparent cover glass layer from a surface of the disk 1, and reproduce the signal from a signal surface.
Next, descriptions are made with respect to an operation in a state that a shape of the disk 1 has a predetermined gradient toward a radial direction or in a state that the gradient is gradually changing along with a radius, and in a case that such the disk 1 is attached to an apparatus.
The tilt sensor 8 detects a radial tilt amount. The cam 7 is rotated by a driving source not shown, and oscillates the edge of the shaft holder chassis 5c up and down. As the result, the optical pick-up 4 attached on the chassis 5c, using the shaft 6 as its center, changes the gradient. It is possible to stop the cam7 by detecting a relative angle with the disk 1 by the tilt sensor 8 while changing the gradient of the optical pick-up 4 in such a state that the optical pick-up 4 and the disk 1 maintain a parallel relationship with each other. This solves the comatic aberration from the spot on the disk 1. That is, in the prior art 1, the gradient of the optical disk 4 is changed in accordance with the disk tilt amount detected by the tilt sensor 8 so as to compensate or cancel the disk tilt.
Unlike the prior art 1, there is a method that compensates or cancels the comatic aberration produced by the disk tilt by means of the comatic aberration produced by slanting the object lens. In the prior art 2, a tilt amount of the object lens capable of compensating the comatic aberration produced by the disk tilt is examined in advance, and the tilt amount of the object lens is controlled in accordance with the detected disk tilt amount.
There is a method that does not detect the tilt amount. In a prior art 3, provided is a means in which the entire optical pick-up is slanted or the object lens is slanted so that an amplitude of a waveform that the signal is reproduced, that is, a so-called RF amplitude is rendered maximum or a "jitter" showing a fluctuation of the signal with respect to time is rendered minimum.
Also is there a method which uses a signal correlated with the disk tilt out of detected signals of a reflected light in pits or emboss structure formed in advance on the disk using not only a main beam which reads the signal but also sub-beams used for a tracking. In a prior art 4, a tilt servo is performed by, while such the signal is detected, adjusting a gradient of the entire optical disk and the gradient of the object lens.
In the prior art 1, its structure becomes too complicated. In addition, it is difficult to respond to a radial tilt which changes in a time that the disk makes one rotation. In a case that a curvature of the disk varies in a period of one rotation of the disk 1, a 1-time speed DVD requires a dynamic response in a period of 45 milliseconds, and a response in a cycle of 6 milliseconds is necessary in order to respond to an 8-time speed DVD, for example. A high speed responsiveness is thus necessary for a movement in slanting the optical pick-up, and such the high speed response is difficult in the structure of the prior art 1.
The prior art 2 method is suitable for a miniaturization compared to a method which slants the entire pick-up or the disk, and in addition, its responsiveness is high. However, in realizing it, since both the disk tilt and the object lens tilt are to be detected from a common independent reference surface, thus requiring two tilt sensors. Therefore, it is difficult to miniaturize using the tilt sensor as in the prior art 1.
Furthermore, in the prior art 2, it is appropriate to detect the disk tilt only, and tilt the object lens in accordance with the detected tilt amount. However, in this case, a physical amount correlated with the tilt amount of the object lens is operated. In a case of a structure that an actuator which holds the object lens is operated by an electromagnetic force, a disequilibrium of a magnetic field is generated by manipulating a current flowing through a coil so as to slant the actuator, for example. A value of the electric current in this case is the "physical amount". However, since this method uses an open control not a feed back control, whether or not the actuator is actually slanted by a desired degree is not clear, and in addition, a correlation relationship between the manipulated physical amount and the gradient varies on each pick-up, thus not guaranteed to be controlled in a most appropriate state.
Application of the prior art 3 is difficult to adapt in recording.
Moreover, since the method of the prior art 4 depends upon a physical format, that is, a shape of the disk, it is not possible to apply the tilt servo to all disks subject to the drive device in a compound disk drive device which performs a recording in a disk of various physical formats by a single device.

Optical disk apparatus and tilt detection method


A system formed by a device on the CCD or CMOS above a terminal display and a display screen setting program is disclosed. This system will set the working environment of a VDT user to an optimum value. The images of the VDT user and the peripheral environment are captured. Then the working environment of the VDT user, the illumination of the environment of the VDT user, the fatigue of the VDT user, and the distance between the VDT user and a display are determined. The brightness, contrast, colors and clearness of the font of the terminal display are adjusted and controlled automatically according to the illumination of the environment of the VDT user and the fatigue of the VDT user. When the illumination of the environment of the VDT user, the fatigue of the VDT user, and the distance between the VDT user and a display has been over a predetermined condition, an alarm will emit to inform the user. The fatigue and tightness of eyes of a VDT user is reduced effectively so that the eyes of user are well protected.

The present invention relates to a method and device for protecting eyes through screen displaying setting comprising a CCD or a CMOS camera above a terminal display and a system formed by display screen setting programs. The screen can be adjusted automatically, and the working environment of a VDT (visual display terminal) user can be optimized. The fatigue and tightness of eyes of a VDT user is reduced effectively so that the eyes of the user are well protected.
Currently, there are many people who are working in the field of computer. According to the research of Wang, Chin Thier (1996, the research about the occupational injuries of computer workers), a worker who uses a VDT has an average of 6.8 hours to work with a computer. The related injuries have the asthenopia, and the musculoskeletal disorder. These dramatically affect the health of the worker. According to the research of Wong, Lin Chung (1994, research about the Ophthalmic VDT syndrome, about the visual acuity, refraction, intraocular pressure and accommodative function), as the VDT user views the terminals for a long time, visual fatigue is the major complaint of VDT syndrome, following by dry eye, itching and blurred vision. The eyes will be afraid of light and the number of blinking is increased. If the illumination of working environment of a VDT user, the brightness, contrast or colors of the display can be improved so that the characters of the display are clear and a proper visual distance can be retained, the fatigue of a VDT user can be reduced effectively and the tightness of the muscles of eyes can be released. Thus, the eyes are protected.
The working environment of the VDT user is set by the VDT user from the subjective point of view. Therefore, as the VDT user views the display for a long time, the eyes of VDT user will be hurt potentially.
Accordingly, the primary object of the present invention is to provide a method for protecting eyes through the screen displaying setting, wherein every time period, a CCD or CMOS camera captures images of a VDT user and the environment. Accordingly, the illumination of the environment of the VDT user, the fatigue of the VDT user, and the distance between the VDT user and a display are determined.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for protecting eyes through the screen displaying setting comprising a CCD or a CMOS camera above a terminal display and a system formed by display screen setting programs.
Therefore, the screen can be adjusted automatically, and the working environment of a VDT user can be optimized. The fatigue and tightness of eyes of a VDT user is reduced effectively so that the eyes of user are well protected.
The various objects and advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the appended drawing.

Method and device for protecting eyes through screen displaying setting