The inventions provide an improved treatment for hepatic encephalopathy characterized by hyperammonemia and/or constipation, comprising the oral administration of polyethylene glycol (PEG) in amounts sufficient to reduce plasma levels of ammonia and/or to alleviate constipation. Preferably, the PEG is administered in combination with lactulose, which provides a palatable composition for the treatment of HE with excellent therapeutic benefits and reduced side effects as compared to lactulose alone.

1. Field of Art
Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a syndrome associated with liver dysfunction, characterized by a decline in mental function and neurological abnormalities. Distinctive clinical signs include personality changes and intellectual impairment, and neuromuscular anomalies such as asterixis (flapping tremor) and alterations in gait.
The syndrome typically manifests in patients with an extensive collateral blood vessel system (extrahepatic portal shunts) which diverts portal venous blood away from the liver into the systemic circulation. Thus, toxic metabolites absorbed into the bloodstream from the intestines may largely bypass the liver and enter the general circulatory system without being detoxified. Among other ramifications, such toxins can cause metabolic aberrations in the central nervous system (CNS) which lead to increased permeability of the blood-brain barrier and increased transport of toxic substances across this barrier into the brain. In addition to promoting permeability of the neuronal membrane, high plasma levels of certain neurotoxins are thought to contribute to changes in energy metabolism and nerve processes in the brain. Neurotoxins which have been implicated in the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy include false neurotransmitters, mercaptans, γ-amino butyric acid, and ammonia.
Ammonia is normally produced in the gastrointestinal tract by bacterial degradation of peptides and other nitrogen-containing compounds, and then detoxified in the liver by conversion to urea and glutamine. If the liver is sufficiently diseased, or bypassed as when portal shunts are present, plasma levels of ammonia may increase to toxic levels, affecting, for example, the transport of amines, water, and electrolytes across the neuronal membrane. While the role that ammonia plays in the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy is not entirely clear, reduction of plasma levels of ammonia has been clinically observed to improve HE in many cases, and evaluation of ammonia blood levels for hyperammonemia is widely routine in suspected cases.
2. Discussion of Related Art
A common treatment of hyperammonemia in hepatic encephalopathy is the oral administration of lactulose, a disaccharide of fructose and galactose. Lactulose is not metabolized by mammals and reaches the large intestine substantially intact, where it is digested by resident microorganisms to produce organic acids (lactic, formic, acetic) and CO2. High local concentrations of lactulose draw free ammonia in solution from the bloodstream into the bowel where it reacts with these acids to form their ammonium salts which are then excreted.
In addition to ammonia detoxification in HE, lactulose additionally functions as an osmotic laxative or stool softener by increasing gut solute concentrations and drawing water into the large intestine. As constipation as well as hyperammonemia is a common condition in HE, lactulose is a significant therapy for patients. However, it is very difficult to obtain compliance from patients for several reasons, mainly that current lactulose formulations have a very bad taste, and that at the required dosages they frequently cause bloating and nausea to the point of significant discomfort.

Composition and method for treatment of hepatic encephalopathy


A material for an actuator is provided which is reduced in weight, can be micro-miniaturized and can be used stably in a gas phase such as in atmospheric air safely, and an actuator using the material is provided. The material used for the actuator comprises a material formed by mixing fine conductive particles with a polymer material having a large absolute value of thermal expansion coefficient.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an actuator module reduced in weight and capable of causing deformation such as expansion and contraction, bending, or the like repetitively by electric signals, and a material used therefor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Medical or nursing fields require safety actuators that can be micro-miniaturized and reduced in weight and that are flexible and operated at a low driving voltage for the application use of active catheters, endoscopes, rehabilitation aids, powered suits, artificial organs, etc. Further, paper displays and portable haptic devices for which a new demand will be expected in the future require actuators capable of attaining complicate movements in a small space in addition to the properties described above. As described above, not only actuators that can generate large stresses and high-speed response and can be controlled with high accuracy as usual but also actuators that can be micro-miniaturized and reduced in weight, and that is flexible and safe attaching to the boty (low driving voltage) will be necessary in the future.
For the actuators that can be micro-miniaturized, actuators in which a material per se can deform repetitively by electric signals are more suitable than those requiring assembling of parts such as an electromagnetic motor used usually. Actuators well-known at present in which the material per se deforms repetitively include a piezo actuator utilizing the piezo effect of ferroelectrics and an SMA actuator utilizing the phase transition of a shape-memory alloy (SMA). However, they have good and bad points in view of the driving voltage, the weight, and the durability.
As the actuator using the material that is deformed by electric signals, several kinds of actuators utilizing organic materials that deform by electric signals have been proposed in recent years, separately from the existent actuators described above. Since such actuators use organic materials, they have an advantage of reduced weight. They include, specifically, polymer actuators represented typically, for example, by a conductive polymer actuator using a conductive polymer such as polyaniline or polypyrrole for the material (Patent Document 1: JP-A No. 02-20586), an ionically conductive polymer actuator using an ionically conducting polymer as the material (Patent Document 2: JP-A No. 06-6991), a fine conductive particles mixed ionic polymer actuator in which fine conductive particles are bound with an ionic conductive polymer (Non-Patent Document 1: "Expanding actuator using ionic conductive polymer, by Masayoshi Ishibashi, Midori Kato, in 53th Annual Meeting of the Society of Polymer Science, Japan, 2004, IPA155), an actuator utilizing thermal deformation upon molecular desorption of conductive polymer (Patent Document 3: JP No. 3131180) and an actuator of using a material formed by mixing fine conductive particles to a shape memory resin (Patent Document 4: JP-A No. 02-242847, Patent Document 5: JP-A No. 02-155955).


A calibration method for a camera-based measuring device comprises positioning a calibration object simulating an anterior region of the eye on a holder arranged movably in a first direction relative to a camera of the measuring device within a view field of the camera. The first direction is toward and away from the camera substantially along a camera axis. A motorized drive unit, in drive connection with the holder, is firstly controlled to drive the holder, with the calibration object positioned thereon in the camera view field, relative to the camera along the first direction at least once past a position of maximum definition of an image of the calibration object taken by the camera. A ratio between an actual size and an imaging size of the calibration object is determined on the basis of a camera image of the calibration object taken at the position of maximum definition.

In (laser refractive) cataract surgery, the natural, clouded lens of a patient's eye is replaced by an artificial lens. For this purpose, the anterior chamber of the patient's eye is opened, the natural lens is removed, and, finally, an artificial lens is inserted at the position of the natural lens.
In the context of pre-operative diagnostics for cataract surgery, a high-resolution reference image of the patient's eye that is to be treated is taken in order to measure said eye. The reference image taken comprises, for example, scleral blood vessels, the limbus, and points of orientation on the iris of the patient's eye. From the reference image, it is possible to determine the position of incisions that are to be made and also to determine the positioning of the artificial lens that is to be inserted. The reference image forms the basis for calculating a plan for cataract surgery.
The reference image of the patient's eye is taken with a camera. Properties of the patient's eye, for example the limbus diameter, can be read out from the reference image by means of suitable image processing. For this purpose, a suitable calibration is needed so that it is possible, from the properties of the patient's eye depicted in the reference image, to reliably determine the actual properties, for example the actual limbus diameter of the patient's eye.

Calibration method for a camera-based measuring device for diagnosis of a human eye


An image-receiving paper for a thermal transfer recording system and a method of producing the same. The paper ensures excellent transfer, reproduction and fixability of ink dots as well as satisfactory image clearness, etc. A substrate contains a porous pigment in an amount of 6 to 20% by weight, which pigment has an apparent specific gravity under JIS-K-6220 of 0.10 to 0.50 g/cm.sup.3. The angle of contact .theta. of the surface of the substrate with water is 75 to 120.degree.. The substrate is coated or saturated with an aqueous coating composition comprising a pigment and a binder.

Recently, with the development of office automation, copying machines, printers, facsimiles, etc. utilizing various recording systems such as an electrophotographic system and a thermal transfer recording system have been widely used. These recording systems are used also in CAD/CAM, etc. for example according to the purposes thereof. In this case, colored color materials are used for forming images. Usually these color materials are transferred to a recording medium such as a paper and a film sheet by melting, evaporating or sublimating said color materials, a recorded image being obtained by adhering, absorbing and dyeing actions.
Among these recording systems, attention has recently been paid to a thermal transfer recording system of a heat melting type in which an ink ribbon having a thermal-meltable ink layer comprising color materials is melted by the heat of a thermal head, said color materials being transferred to a recording sheet, a recorded image being obtained by adhering, absorbing and dyeing actions. This recording system has a characteristic feature that it is possible for use an plain paper (wood free paper) as a recording medium.
In said thermal transfer recording system, as in other recording systems, there are increasing demands for full-color recording, high-speed recording, clear images, high resolution, etc. In single-color recording or multi-color recording by a color-thermal transfer printer, an ink ribbon having color materials such as yellow, magenta, cyanogen and black as well as waxes and resins is combined with a recording sheet, a transfer image being formed on said recording sheet by means of a thermal head. Since inks of various colors lie one above the other, said thermal transfer recording system has the disadvantages that unevenness of image and loss of dots (ink) are liable to occur owing to the improper smoothness of the surface of the image receiving layer.
Various proposals have been made to improve the smoothness of the surface of the image receiving layer by coating or saturating a substrate with a coating composition comprising pigments and binders instead of using a plain paper as it is. These proposals include inventions specifying a Bekk smoothness (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Sho 59-133092 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Sho 59-187892) and inventions providing a heat transfer image layer comprising specific pigments and binders (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Sho 57-182487, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Sho 59-182787, U.S. Pat. No. 4,639,751, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Sho 60-11489, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Sho 60-110492, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Sho 60-192690, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Sho 61-217289, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Sho 61-286187, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Sho 63-21185 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 1-253478). Also, an image-receiving sheet comprising a non-coated plain paper using a specific paper-making filler is disclosed by Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Sho 61-225396, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Sho 63-19289, etc. The prior art described above has some improvements but does not completely prevent unevenness of image or color difference at portions where color inks lie one above the other in multi-color recording, or the reduction of image clearness owing to the loss of dots or to the improper reproduction of dot shapes.
The inventors consider that it is insufficient to improve smoothness by strengthening calendering, etc. or to make a thermal transfer receiving layer contain specific pigments or binders. No practicable art has been developed so far which obviates all the disadvantages of the prior art and ensures an image-receiving sheet for a thermal transfer recording system, said image-receiving sheet ensuring excellent ink transfer and dot reproduction.
Recently, image-receiving sheets for a thermal transfer recording system are often subjected to printing. This situation requires that the image-receiving sheets have a suitable smoothness, surface strength, opacity, etc. Furthermore, paper dust produced in cutting the image-receiving sheets affects the working environment of the users. Such a trouble must be immediately remedied.

Image-receiving paper for thermal transfer recording system and method of producing it


Techniques are provided for locating and validating single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) islands by scanning a reference genome. A system scans a reference genome to locate a high-variance region containing at least a minimum number of known impactful SNP locations in less than a maximum length, wherein the high-variance region is flanked by low-variance regions of at least minimum length and each having fewer than a maximum number of known relevant SNP locations. The system allows for tuning maximum and minimum region lengths, maximum and minimum SNP-location quantities, and rate-of-occurrence thresholds that define relevant and/or impactful SNP locations. Primers are designed for portions of the low-variance regions that are unique within the reference genome, wherein the primers amplify for the high-variance region. The primers are used to amplify genetic material samples in order to perform analyses to distinguish sample identity and/or to determine whether a sample corresponds to single or multiple contributors.

Over evolutionary time, the human population has displayed adaptability to changing conditions and environments. Driven by natural selection, the genetic diversity of the modern human population spans the globe and results in unique, inheritable markers of distinction within the population. These genetic variations result in over 84 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), defining the worldwide human populations. These unique patterns of SNP inheritance, governed by factors of genetic heredity, physical isolation, and environmental influences, account for the diverse and unique SNP patterns displayed within the human population and among individuals.
As the utility and strength of SNPs for identity differentiation continues to gain momentum, SNP panels have shown utility for forensic applications. For example, the GenPlex HID System utilizes 48 of the 52-plex SNPforID SNP panel, which has a mean probability match of at least 5.0×10−19. Kidd et al. reported a panel of 19 unlinked SNPs, a panel of 40 unlinked SNPs, and later an expanded panel of 92 unlinked SNPs for application in forensic individual identification. In the application of massively parallel sequencing (MPS) technologies in forensic sciences, reports have described the Illumina ForenSeq system and the Ion Torrent AmpliSeq HID system for use in human identification and genetic profiling. Each of these use MPS technologies for rapid, targeted resequencing analysis of informative SNPs.
Leveraging advances in MPS and post-sequencing bioinformatics processing technologies, SNPs are characterized within the genome with increasing speed and accuracy. Projects such as the 1000 Genomes Project, International HapMap Project, and the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) offer necessary and valuable databases with SNP representations from the greater global human population. The 1000 Genomes Project has made available a database containing records of verified SNP locations found in the current version of the human reference genome across about 2,500 complete human genomes, representing approximately 25 populations around the world.

Development of SNP islands and application of SNP islands in genomic analysis


An apparatus and method in a plasma processing chamber for reducing charging of a wafer is described. A plasma generating element is configured to cause a plasma including ions and free radicals to be formed in a plasma generating region. A plasma diffusion region is configured so that plasma generated in the plasma generating region can diffuse through the plasma diffusion region. A conductive grid is positioned within the plasma diffusion region between the wafer and the plasma generating region. The conductive grid includes a mesh which is configured to trap a portion of the ions so that a portion of the ions are prevented from diffusing through the diffusion region to reach the wafer.

The present invention relates to the fabrication of semiconductor integrated circuits (IC's). More particularly, the present invention relates to methods and apparatus for reducing charging during plasma processing.
Plasma processing is an important step in the processing of semiconductor wafers, flat panel displays, and other semiconductor components. In a process referred to as "stripping" or "ashing," plasma processing is used to remove photoresist or other material from the surface of a wafer. Plasma processing is also used for etching surface portions of a wafer, and other processes known to those skilled in the art. Although specific plasma processes involving wafers will be referred to herein, the apparatus and method disclosed herein is intended for use in any plasma process where it is desired that charging of the object being processed be reduced. The plasma used in these processes generally includes both ions, which are charged, and reactive free radicals, which are neutral. Ions transport charge to the wafer and in some cases cause a significant charge to build up on the wafer.
An example of a plasma processing chamber 100 is shown in FIG. 1. A plasma source gas 101 is introduced into plasma processing chamber 100 through a gas input port 102 and a gas ring 104. Gas ring 104 is shown as a toroid with a set of gas outlet holes 106 located on the inside of the toroid. Other gas diffusers may also be employed by those skilled in the art, including shower head shaped diffusers or diffusers built into the side of the chamber itself. A plasma generating element 108 creates an electromagnetic field which causes plasma source gas 101 to form a plasma. Plasma generating element 108 is shown as a Transformer Coupled Plasma (TCP) coil, but plasma generating element 108 may also be any other type of plasma generating element including inductively coupled Radio Frequency (RF), Helicon, Electron Cyclotron Resonance (ECR), or microwave. Plasma generating element 108 is connected to RF power source 110, or any other appropriate power source for the specific plasma generating element 108 being used, which provides the power for generating the plasma.
The plasma is generated in a plasma generating region 112, which is in proximity to gas ring 104 and plasma generating element 108. The approximate boundary of plasma generating region 112 within plasma processing chamber 100 is shown by a dashed line 113. The plasma diffuses from plasma generating region 112 into a plasma diffusion region 114, where the plasma reacts with a wafer 116. Wafer 116 is held by a wafer transport arm 118, or alternatively may be held on a chuck. The chuck can be electrically grounded or connected to a power source. To keep pressure in plasma processing chamber 100 low, the plasma and byproduct material is exhausted through an exhaust port 120.
Although a wafer has been described as being processed in plasma processing chamber 100, plasma processing chamber 100 may also be used to process flat panel displays or other semiconductor components which require etching, stripping, ashing, or other forms of plasma processing. Throughout this specification and the claims, when the term "wafer" is used, it should be understood to include wafers or any component which may undergo plasma processing.
As noted above, the plasma is made up of both charged ions and reactive free radicals. The reactive free radicals react with materials on the surface of the wafer but do not carry charge to the wafer. The ions, however, carry charge to the wafer, and, when the wafer does not have a good electrical connection to ground or a potential source, a substantial charge may build up either on the entire wafer or on certain devices on the wafer.
In certain plasma processes, such as anisotropic etching, the charged property of the ions is useful. A voltage source is connected to the wafer which accelerates the ions towards the wafer and causes anisotropic, or directional etching to occur. In other processes, the free radicals and not the ions are more desirable for performing the important plasma processing function. This is the case in some resist stripping processes. In some cases, therefore, the ions may not be essential to the plasma process and may in fact be detrimental because they can destroy structures on the wafer by charging the wafer.
Charging of the wafer is a well known problem which can lead to degradation of device performance. This is especially a problem when there are large antennas of conducting material such as metal or polysilicon on a wafer attached to a single transistor gate which utilizes a very thin (<100 .ANG.or <50 .ANG.) gate oxide. The large antennas collect relatively large amounts of charge by virtue of their large area and funnel the charge down to the small transistor. Performance degradation or destruction often results. A process where such an antenna is exposed to a plasma including ions for a long period of time such as in the overetching portion of a resist removal step causes particular problems with devices.
Attempts to remove ions from the plasma have been made. Insulating quartz baffles have been used within plasma processing chamber 100 to remove ions with some success, but insulating baffles in the prior art allow a significant portion of the ions to pass.
A method and apparatus are needed for alleviating the wafer charging problem.

Methods and apparatus for reducing charging during plasma processing


Present gas turbine engines fail to effectively and efficiently position and locate the components making up the engine to more effectively improve engine cost, serviceability and efficiency. The present gas turbine engine utilizes an external central frame which enhances engine cost, serviceability and efficiency. For example, a front plate structure of the external central frame is removably attached to a combustor section, a rear plate structure of the external central frame is removably attached to a compressor section and a plurality of elongate tie members extend between the front plate structure and the rear plate structure. Thus, the external central frame provides a cost savings by simplifying the structure design and eliminating the need for high stress and high temperature capability materials of a portion of the components of the gas turbine engine, reduces and may eliminates the need for thermal shields and insulation by separating the hot flow path from the engine components, and reduces the complexity of serviceability.

Conventional gas turbine engines utilize the structure of the components to form a unitary design and the components structure acts as a unitary frame. When using the component structure for the frame, physical and structural compromises must be made. For example, heat within causes thermal growth and stress, structural integrity of supporting components during field service becomes a necessity and service accessibility become critical factors during design analysis and manufacturing considerations.
An example of such an engine configuration can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,507,115 issued to L. R. Wisoka on Apr. 21, 1970. The engine configuration disclosed in the Wisoka patent includes a generally conventional alignment including a central axis having an inlet end centered thereon, an axial compressor aligned about the central axis, a recuperator radially spaced from the central axis and a port interconnecting the compressor with the recuperator. Positioned radially inward of the recuperator and radially outward of the central axis is a combustion chamber, and positioned radially inward of the combustion chamber and centered upon the central axis is a turbine. The engine configuration includes a unitary housing having the above components positioned therein in heat generating relationship therewith and structurally supporting the components in a conventional manner.
The position and location of critical components influences servicing time and costs. For example, in many existing gas turbine engines the primary components requiring service, such as the combustor, first stage nozzle and turbine, are positioned in undesirable locations and form a portion of the supporting structure. This results in extensive disassembly during field servicing and replacement of parts.
The present invention is directed to overcome one or more of the problems as set forth above.

Gas turbine engine having an external central frame


A brake lining, particularly for a commercial vehicle disc brake, and an associated adapter (5, 6), and a disc brake having said brake lining and the adapter (5, 6) for commercial vehicles have a carrier plate (1) with a friction lining (2) disposed thereon and at least one force application region (3, 4) on the side thereof facing away from the friction lining (2). An adapter (5, 6) is in a contact position with the force application region (3, 4) in the operating position of the brake. The adapter, in turn, is in working contact with a brake plunger or a brake piston. In order to fix the adapter (5, 6) and the carrier plate (1) at least in the radial direction (11) and circumferential direction (12), mounting means (7, 8) are provided on the carrier plate (1), with corresponding mounting means (9, 10) provided on the adapter. The adapter (5, 6) is thereby simply disposed on the force application regions of the carrier plate (1) and releaseably connected thereto.

Disc bakes are now being employed more and more often, not only in passenger cars but also in commercial vehicles having a total permissible weight of tens of tons. Owing to the greater mass and engine capacity of these vehicles, such disc brakes have to meet special requirements in terms of their braking capacity and reliability.
A brake lining having the above-mentioned features has already been disclosed in German patent application DE 197 54 740 A1. Here, the brake shoe has a lining carrier consisting of two laminarly arranged carrier elements. These two carrier elements are made of different materials in order to positively influence, on the one hand, the heat-transfer behavior of the brake shoe and, on the other hand, the generation of braking noise. These two carrier elements are joined to each other using an adhesive interlayer. For purposes of strengthening the bond of the two carrier elements to each other, especially in the circumferential direction, one of the carrier elements has angled tabs that extend into correspondingly shaped pockets of the other carrier element so as to interlock. This is intended to ensure a reliable transmission of longitudinal force between the carrier elements.
Furthermore, German patent application DE 10 2005 009 398 A1 describes a pair of brake linings for a disc brake, whereby the lining carrier plate has different configurations and dimensions that are adapted as a function of the occurring loads, especially the bending loads, and of the installation space available for the brake calipers. Thus, it is provided, for example, for the lining carrier plate to be made of a cast part, whereby the lining carrier plate can have depressions or elevations as well as holes that correspond to and interlock with the friction lining. In this context, the lining carrier plate is preferably made as a cast part, which allows a flexible shaping of the lining carrier plate, for instance, with reinforcement ribs and interlocking parts.
The configuration of the lining carrier plates as cast parts rather than as a sheet metal part such as a steel plate is only cost-effective in large production runs. Since the market for commercial vehicles cannot be compared to that of passenger cars and also because there is a high level of diversity among the various types of brakes, the brake linings of a given brake type are only manufactured in relatively small production runs.
Moreover, the lining carrier plates described in German patent application DE 10 2005 009 398 A1 have a quite complex inner geometry in order to be able to adequately meet the strength and load requirements. The configuration and design as well as the production of such lining carrier plates, for instance, with strengthening struts, is relatively expensive and complicated in view of the geometry being adapted to the loads that occur. Last but not least, a relatively large amount of material is needed for such brake linings and lining carrier plates, so that in the final analysis, their total weight increases.

Brake lining having adapter for disc brakes


A casting mold including a first form having a first wall and a second wall, the first and second walls defining a first casting space. The casting mold further including a second form having a base and a wall extending from the base to define a second casting space. The second form is stackable on the first form portion such that the first and second casting spaces can be filled with a casting material when the second form is on the first form. The second form includes a port defining access into the first casting space such that the casting material can be disposed into the first casting space through the port.

Underground septic and holding tanks can be fabricated from concrete by pouring the concrete into a mold and curing the concrete. Concrete septic tanks generally can comprise two portions: a vault portion and a lid portion placed on the vault portion. To make the concrete septic tanks, each of the two portions generally require a separate mold form and are poured and cured separately.
Conventional septic tank casting processes generally require separate molds for the lid and vault portions, which can occupy a large amount of space. Specifically, because separate molds are generally required for the vault and lid castings, approximately twice the floor space of an assembled enclosure is required for forming and curing a complete septic tank assembly.
Also, once casting material has been filled in the vault and lid mold forms during conventional septic tank casting processes, each of the forms generally must be vibrated separately, thus leading to additional processing time.
Because the general problems discussed above have not been addressed by conventional septic and holding tanks, there is a current need for a septic tank form addressing the problems and deficiencies inherent with conventional designs.


A data processing system (10) includes processing nodes (12, 18) and submitting nodes (14, 16, 20, 22). Each processing node (12, 18) includes a list of remote proxies (36, 50) and a list of local proxies (38, 52). The remote proxies (36, 50) and local proxies (38, 52) specify access to the storage or processing capabilities of the processing nodes (12, 18) by the submitting nodes (14, 16, 20, 22).

Many data processing systems include a collection of interconnected devices. The storage and processing capabilities of these systems may be distributed among these interconnected devices. A user at a first device in a system of this type may desire to access the storage or processing capabilities of a second device in the system.
As data processing systems become larger and more complex to serve a variety of users, system administrators may desire to restrict access to the storage and processing capabilities of the system devices. A known security technique allows users unrestricted access to system devices upon furnishing appropriate access information, such as an identifier and a password. However, unauthorized users may thwart this security technique by appropriating the access information. Furthermore, this security technique may not provide user-specific access designations.

Security apparatus and method for a data processing system


A valve comprises upper and lower sections which are rotatable relative to one another about a longitudinal axis. Relative rotation in one direction causes the valve to open, and relative rotation in the opposite direction causes the valve to close. Opening and closing of the valve is caused by a camming arrangement between the two valve sections. One of the valve sections includes an outer skirt which is cammed outwardly as the valve sections are axially forced together during assembly, to enable the cam elements to snap together. Each valve section is of one piece plastic molded construction.

The present invention relates to valves, especially to valves used in connection with a vacuum manifold device for treating liquid samples.
Liquid samples may be treated to test for and/or remove the same or different constituents in the samples, e.g. by solid phase extraction or filtering. In carrying out the treatment, one proposed system, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,471, includes a reagent tube mounted atop a valve and connected to a valve inlet. A long tube connects the valve outlet with a vacuum manifold device disposed therebelow. The sample is introduced into an upper end of the reagent tube, and the valve is opened. Then, a vacuum is applied to the vacuum manifold device to draw the sample through the reagent tube, the valve and the long tube and delivered to a collection container disposed in the vacuum manifold device.
The valve is a low pressure valve comprised of members which are threadedly interconnected such that rotation of one member causes the valve to open or close. The threaded members are formed of plastic, and probably should be machined in order to obtain the necessary dimensional precision.
It would be desirable to provide valve members that can be made by a molding step without any appreciable machining.
Also, it would be desirable to minimize the number of components of the valve. In the above-described U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,471 the valve comprises two threadedly connected parts, a valve seat part disposed between those parts to define a valve seat, and the long tube which is mounted on one of the valve parts.

Low pressure valve having two relatively rotatable sections


A method for line average de-interlacing decodes a picture to form macro blocks (MBs), calculates line average values to form a threshold, produces de-interlacing flags by comparing the line average values and the threshold, realizes Temporal Extension action and performs Devour action. The Temporal Extension action determines if the current de-interlace flag is set as WEAVE, determines if the flags in the same position in other flag buffers are set as BOB and sets the de-interlace flags as BOB2. The Devour action determines if the de-interlace flag is BOB. If positive, it calculates the amount of BOB data within a predetermined area around the current MB, determines if the result is smaller than the BOB threshold and sets the de-interlace flag as WEAVE. Otherwise, it calculates the amount of the WEAVE data, determines if the result is smaller than the WEAVE threshold and sets the de-interlace flag as BOB2.

Recently, multimedia has become easy to obtain for people. The source of multimedia can be, for example, a television program, a movie, a video compact disk (VCD), or a digital video disk (DVD). In these sources, the images mainly fall into two categories. One is non-interlaced images, which are shown line by line, and the other is interlaced images, which are shown in alternate lines. These images are primarily decoded in accord with the MPEG-2 standard.
In the process for encoding/decoding MPEG-2 images, one general processing method is to de-interlace the contents of the interlaced film. WEAVE and BOB methods are common ways of de-interlacing. The WEAVE method merges two information fields to form a frame and the BOB method use a single information field to form a frame.
Obviously, the frame formed via the WEAVE method has more information and is clearer. The frame formed via the BOB method is vaguer and some static portions will jiggle, such as the logo of the television station.
Certainly, the WEAVE method also has drawbacks. When macro block (MB) data is interlaced, the motion portions in the frame formed via the WEAVE method usually have some flaws with comb shapes, which are called mice teeth.
To a certain extent, the advantages of these two methods can be combined. The BOB method is used to eliminate the mice teeth in the motion portions and the WEAVE method is used to make the static portions clearer. This kind of method is called motion adaptive de-interlacing.
The algorithm disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,348,949 employs a data comparison method to determine the state of an area. This algorithm focuses on a series of decoded images and some images that needn't be decoded (applicable for television). Hence, the cost for realizing this method is higher and the necessary bandwidth of the memory is also higher.
Reference is made to FIG. 1, which is a block diagram of a current design for a de-interlacing system applied to a video stream. FIG. 1 includes: a MPEG-2 interlaced picture data encoder 10, an encoded compressed MPEG-2 video stream 102, a MPEG-2 de-interlacing device 104, a MPEG-2 data stream decoder 106, a MPEG-2 decoder with line average extractor 108, a line average based de-interlacing determinator 110, a line average based de-interlacing bitmap 112, a block data subset 114, decoding line average data 116, picture data 118, a de-interlacing video rendering unit using line average based de-interlacing bitmap 120 and a progressive display 122.
The MPEG-2 interlaced picture data encoder 10 is an MPEG-2 encoder, which is used for decoding the interlaced picture data according the MPEG-2 standard and passing the encoded compressed MPEG-2 video stream 102 to the MPEG-2 de-interlacing device 104. The MPEG-2 de-interlacing device 104 includes the MPEG-2 data stream decoder 106 and de-interlacing video rendering unit using line average based de-interlacing bitmap 120. The MPEG-2 data stream decoder 106 includes the MPEG-2 decoder with line average extractor 108, line average based de-interlacing determinator 110 and line average based de-interlacing bitmap 112.
The MPEG-2 decoder with line average extractor 108 generates the block data subset 114 and decoding line average data 116 during decoding and passes them to the line average based de-interlacing determinator 110. The line average based de-interlacing determinator 110 produces the line average based de-interlacing bitmap 112, which has two bits provided to indicate if each MB of a picture is a motion portion or motionless portion.
The MPEG-2 decoder with line average extractor 108 produces and passes the picture data 118 to the de-interlacing video rendering unit using line average based de-interlacing bitmap 120. Then, the processed picture is shown on the progressive display 122.
Accordingly, the conventional de-interlacing system and method mentioned above still have some drawbacks that could be improved. The present invention aims to resolve the drawbacks in the prior art.

Method for line average differences based de-interlacing


A three-wave rectifying unit of an AC generator has a plus-side cooling fin, a minus-side cooling fin and a DC-output terminal. The DC-output terminal is made of a metal plate which is harder than the plus-side cooling fin to provide tight mechanical connection. The DC-output terminal, the plus-side cooling fin, a plus-side brush terminal and a plus-side terminal of a voltage regulator are fastened together and electrically connected by a screw which is screwed into a portion of the DC-output terminal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an AC generator for supplying AC output power and DC output power, and particularly to a three-phase AC generator for a vehicle having a rectifying unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an AC generator having plus-side and minus-side cooling fins for the three-phase full-wave rectifying unit, the plus-side output terminal is fastened to the plus-side cooling fin by rivets, which are soldered to assure the electric connection thereof.
In JPA 5-219703, the plus-side cooling fin is connected to the plus-side output terminal by a bolt.
In JPY2 3-4146, a terminal plate, the plus-side output terminal, plus-side cooling fin, an insulator and the minus-side cooling fin are put together and fastened by a bolt and a nut, thereby electrically connecting the plus-side cooling fin to the plus-side output terminal.
In a common AC generator, a terminal of a brush unit and a terminal of a voltage regulator are mechanically fastened and connected by a bolt or the like to the plus-side cooling fin to supply the field coil disposed in the rotor with field current.
However, it is necessary to control the fastening force when such electric devices are connected to the plus-side cooling fin in order to prevent breakage of the thread of the female screw formed in the plus-side cooling fin. In addition the above mechanical connection limits the thickness and hardness of the cooling fin.

Fastening means for contacting DC-output terminal with cooling fin in AC generator


Perchlorate is removed and effectively destroyed in devices and methods that employ a eluting solvent in which the anion of an acid solubilizes Ti (III), which may be electrochemically generated or added in situ. Using such solvents, destruction of perchlorate is unexpectedly and several orders of magnitude faster than using solvents without solubilizing acids. In most preferred aspects, the solubilizing acid is methane sulfonic acid and/or sulfamic acid, and Ti (III) is electrochemically generated. Perchlorate destruction will then result in formation of Ti (IV), which may be present in the eluent in a subsequent elution.

Excessive concentrations of perchlorate in the environment, and especially in water consumed by human is highly problematic as perchlorate is known to interfere with iodide uptake into the thyroid gland. Dysregulation of iodide uptake is often manifested in disruption of thyroid functions, leading to several problems, including impaired regulation of energy metabolism, problems associated with development of fetus and young children, and in some cases even promotion of tumor growth. Despite the known dangers of perchlorate, California has currently no established drinking water standard or maximum contaminant level (MCL) for perchlorate. Instead, the department of health and safety (DHS) refers to an action level for perchlorate of 6 micrograms per liter (μg/L), which is expected to become the MCL.
It is well known in the art to capture perchlorate from potable water using an anion exchange resin. However, resins are expensive and typically only concentrate and transfer the problem from the water source to the eluent. Moreover, many anion exchange resins will capture other anions, including sulfate, nitrate, and bicarbonate. To circumvent non-specific binding of other anions, perchlorate specific anion exchange resins may be used. For example, suitable anion exchange resins include SYBRON™ SR-6 and 7, LEWITT™ 6362, PUROLITE™ A 520E, A 530 E, A 600 E and A 850 E or Rohm & Haas' AMBERLITE™ PWA 2 and IMAC 555 HP.
Despite the relatively high selectivity of certain resins towards perchlorate, various difficulties nevertheless remain. Among other things, competing anions are often present in 100- to 1000-fold (and even higher) molar excess, and will therefore still capture substantial quantities of non-perchlorate anions. Consequently, most of these resins cannot be effectively regenerated by simple methods such as brine or caustic treatments, but require relatively cumbersome regeneration methods (e.g., high temperature and pressure treatment with tetrachloroferrate as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,448,299 and U.S. Pat. Appl. 2003/0222031). Other methods, such as on-column destruction of perchlorate by an aqueous solution of titanium-(III)-oxalate complexes require addition of alcohols to accelerate the perchlorate destruction reaction, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,358,396. The use of titanium (III) to reduce perchlorate to chloride was also reported by Cope et al., J. Chem. Soc. A; 301 (1967), and again by Lui et al., Inorg. Chem. 23, 3418, (1984). Though attractive at first sight, such methods typically fail to remove sulfate and bicarbonate from the resin, as these methods will only reduce perchlorate to chloride. Thus, as neither carbonate, bicarbonate, nor sulfate are reducible with titanium (III), the exchange medium requires additional regeneration by alternative techniques to remove carbonate, bicarbonate, sulfate, and nitrate. Furthermore, the '396 patent teaches that organic chelating agents (e.g., oxalate) are necessary to stabilize the titanium (IV) and prevent hydrolysis to titanium dioxide. Consequently, such methods are of limited commercial value due to the relatively low concentrations of titanium (III) species used for the reaction, and the slow rate of reduction even at relatively high concentrations of perchlorate ions.
Electrochemical generation and regeneration of Ti (III) from Ti (IV) in sulfuric acid and methanesulfonic acid are described respectively by Bandlish in U.S. Pat. No. 5,266,173 and Harrison in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,246,553, 5,409,581, and 5,679,235. In these patents, titanium (III) is used for the mediated electro-organic synthesis of aromatic amines and other compounds. Foller et al also describe in U.S. Pat. No. 5,250,162 the electrochemical generation of Ti (III) in the context of the manufacture of titanium dioxide.
Therefore, although numerous methods and configurations for perchlorate destruction are known in the art, all or almost all of them suffer from one or more disadvantages. Consequently, there is still a need to provide improved compositions, methods and devices for perchlorate destruction.


A modular elongated stent having an overlap region where two modular components fit together, the overlap region being relatively stiff as compared to another more flexible region of the stent when the stent is in an assembled configuration, the stent further comprising a mimic region that has a stiffness essentially equivalent to the stiffness of the overlap region, to provide kink resistance. A stent having such a mimic region or otherwise stiff region and a flexible region may have a transition region between the stiff and flexible regions, also to provide kink resistance. A stent may have relatively stiff regions and relatively flexible regions positioned to align the flexible regions with curved regions of a body lumen when deployed within the body lumen. The stiffness of the stiff, flexible, and transition regions may be controlled by varying the cross-sectional area of the stent components and/or by varying the stent architecture.

A stent is an elongated device used to support an intraluminal wall. In the case of stenosis, a stent provides an unobstructed conduit for blood in the area of the stenosis. Such a stent may also have a prosthetic graft layer of fabric or covering lining the inside or outside thereof, such a covered stent being commonly referred to in the art as an intraluminal prosthesis, an endoluminal or endovascular graft (EVG), or a stent-graft.
A prosthesis may be used, for example, to treat a vascular aneurysm by removing the pressure on a weakened part of an artery so as to reduce the risk of rupture. Typically, a prosthesis is implanted in a blood vessel at the site of a stenosis or aneurysm endoluminally, i.e. by so-called "minimally invasive techniques" in which the prosthesis, maintained in a radially compressed configuration by a sheath or catheter, is delivered by a deployment system or "introducer" to the site where it is required. The introducer may enter the body through the patient's skin, or by a "cut down" technique in which the entry blood vessel is exposed by minor surgical means. When the introducer has been advanced into the body lumen to the prosthesis deployment location, the introducer is manipulated to cause the prosthesis to be deployed from the surrounding sheath or catheter in which it is maintained (or alternatively the surrounding sheath or catheter is retracted from the prosthesis), whereupon the prosthesis expands to a predetermined diameter at the deployment location, and the introducer is withdrawn. Stent expansion may be effected by spring elasticity, balloon expansion, or by the self-expansion of a thermally or stress-induced return of a memory material to a pre-conditioned expanded configuration.
Various types of stent architectures are known in the art, including many that comprise multiple regions, each region having a different stiffness, radial strength, and/or kink resistance. For example, referring now to FIG. 1, one configuration of a bifurcated modular stent 10 adapted to treat abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) comprises two components: a bifurcated component 12 comprising a trunk section 14 with an attached or unibody fixed ipsilateral iliac leg (IIL) 16 and a socket 18, and a second component 20 that comprises the adjoining contralateral iliac leg (CIL). When CIL 20 is connected into socket 18 as shown in FIG. 1, interface section 19 between the CIL and the socket is stiffer than interface section 15 between IIL 16 and trunk section 14. The mismatched stiffness between interfaces 15 and 19 arises in part because interface 19 comprises an overlap between the structure of leg 20 and the structure of socket 18, whereas interface 15 has no such overlapping structure.
The resulting different properties of interfaces 15 and 19 may predispose the stent to unwanted in vivo behavior such as local kinking, occlusion, or bending. Because the lumen itself into which stent 10 is placed may vary in stiffness and/or geometry, may require the stent to conform to tortuous anatomy, and/or may require the stent to accommodate bending or longitudinal or transverse deformations, it is desirable that the stent mimic the lumen and respond coherently to applied deformation or loading. Thus, it is desirable to provide a stent design that does not have local regions of mismatched stiffness such as interfaces 15 and 19 as shown in FIG. 1.
The interfaces between adjacent stent regions of different stiffness may also cause kinking, occlusion, or bending at the interface due to the drastic change in properties from one region to another. Thus, it is also desirable to minimize problems caused by abrupt stiffness interfaces between adjacent stent regions.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Endoluminal stent having a matched stiffness region and/or a stiffness gradient


A heat dissipation module is disclosed for providing good heat-dissipating efficiency. First and second cases correspond to each other, with a heat conducting structure connecting to an opening of the second case. The first and second cases and the heat conducting structure form a closed structure with a porous structure therein.

The present invention relates to a heat dissipation module and in particular to a heat dissipation module with reduced weight.
Precision electrical components often generate excess heat which cannot be dissipated by natural or forced convection. For accelerated dissipation of heat from the electrical components, a heat sink is typically disposed on heat sources, with the heat dissipated more thoroughly via fins thereof.
Heat sinks using fans still have limitations dissipating heat rapidly. For example, the temperature difference of the airflow between the surfaces of fins and the heat sink is only 5–10° C., whereby insufficient temperature gradient and heat resistance generated by the material and structure of the heat sink may reduce the heat dissipation efficiency of the fins below 70%. Thus, the typical heat sink is limited in heat dissipation efficiency.
FIGS. 1A and 1B show a conventional heat dissipation module 10. The heat dissipation module 10 comprises upper and lower cases 12 and 14 connected to each other. The cases 12 and 14 have porous structure 18 on the inner surfaces thereof, which is create by sintering and impregnated with liquid. The space between cases 12 and 14 is evacuated before sealing, creating a vapor chamber. When a heat source (such as a CPU) 16 generates heat and transmitted to the heat dissipation module 10, the liquid in the porous structure 18 of the lower case 14 is vaporized and rises to the upper case 12. Meanwhile, a fan (not shown) is disposed outside the upper case 12 such that vapor liquid in the porous structure 18 of the upper case 12 is condensed, and flows down to the porous structure 18 of lower case 14, completing an operation cycle for the heat dissipation module 10. Since the surface areas of the cases 12 and 14 exceed the surface area of the heat source, heat is dissipated.
However, to meet requirements for structural strength when contacting heat source 16, the wall of the lower case 14 must be thick enough to be processed (as shown in FIG. 1B). The contact area between the heat dissipation module 10 and the heat source 16 is part of the lower case 14. The lower case 14 can deform from its own weight after prolonged use, resulting in incomplete or interrupted contact with heat source 16, decreasing heat dissipation. As thickness of the heat dissipation module 10 is increased, weight increases accordingly, such that an electronic device utilizing the heat dissipation module 10 cannot meet small scale requirements.
Another heat dissipation module 20 is therefore disclosed as shown in FIG. 1C. The difference between heat dissipation modules 10 and 20 is that the lower case 24 is thinner to decrease the weight of the heat dissipation module 10. The outer surface of the lower case 14 is welded with a metal plate 22 to contact the heat source 16, providing sufficient structural strength. The surface area of the lower case 24 exceeds the surface area of the metal plate 22, and the surface area of the metal plate 22 exceeds the surface area of the heat source 16.
However, while this method decreases weight of the heat dissipation module 20, a welding layer 28 is required between the metal plate 22 and the lower case 24. The welding layer 28 increases heat resistance between the heat source 16 and the heat dissipation module 20, decreasing heat dissipation efficiency.


Disclosed herein is hair-care cosmetic compositions comprising iodopropynyl butylcarbamate and/or a solution of zinc pyrithione in N-acyl ethylenediamine triacetate.

1. Filed of the Invention
The present invention relates to hair-care cosmetic compositions having dandruff formation-suppressing effect. More particularly, it relates to hair-care cosmetic compositions containing iodopropynyl butylcarbamate and/or a solution of zinc pyrithione solubilized by a chelator such as N-acyl ethylenediamine triacetate.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, "dandruff" is a keratin-like mass resulting from coagulation of dead cells shed from scalp and sebaceous secretion of scalp. Dandruff undergoes a change of its color into reddish gradually and forms a clear boundary from normal skin. Occasionally, it causes a skin disease with accompanying itching and inflammation.
It has been known, though not clearly, that such dandruff may be caused by a hormone imbalance, a nutrition imbalance, nervous stresses, biochemical changes in the epidermal tissue resulting from an excessive multiplication of scalp epidermal cells, growths of microorganisms on the head and activity increase thereof, and inflammations due to air pollutions.
Particularly, Pityrosporum ovlae, which is a parasite on dirty scalp, has been widely recognized as a main cause of dandruff formation. Multiplication and activity increase of this dandruff-causing microorganism make dandruff formation and itches more severe.
Hence, for the hair-care cosmetics for treatment and prevention of dandruff and itching, it is essential to incorporate ingredients capable of suppressing multiplication and activity of the Pityrosporum ovlae effectively and returning abnormal metabolism of the epidermal scalp cells to normal condition.

Hair-care cosmetic compositions having dandruff formation-suppressing effect


A vehicle externally chargeable with electric power transmitted through a charging cable from an external power supply includes a chargeable power storage device, a charging device and a control device. The charging device supplies charge power to the power storage device using the electric power transmitted from the external power supply. The control device controls the charging device to limit the charge power based on the state of the power transmission path from the external power supply to the charging device. By this configuration, even when an extension cable is added by a user or when a failure occurs in the charging cable and the like, damage to the cable and influences upon surrounding devices due to excessive heat generation at the cable can be suppressed.

In recent years, a vehicle equipped with a power storage device (for example, a secondary battery, a capacitor and the like) and running with the driving force generated from the electric power stored in the power storage device has received attention as an environmentally-friendly vehicle. Such a vehicle includes, for example, an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, a fuel cell vehicle, and the like. There is a proposed technique for charging the power storage device mounted in the above-described vehicle by a commercial power supply having high power generation efficiency.
As a hybrid vehicle, there is also a known vehicle equipped with a power storage device that can be charged by a power supply external to the vehicle (hereinafter simply referred to as an "external power supply") (which will be hereinafter simply referred to as "external charging") as in the case of the electric vehicle. For example, the so-called "plug-in hybrid vehicle" is known which is provided with a power storage device that can be charged by a household power supply through the charging cable connecting between the power receptacle provided in the house and the charging port provided in the vehicle. According to this, an improvement in the fuel consumption efficiency of the hybrid vehicle can be expected.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 11-220813 (PTL 1) discloses a technique regarding a relay connector for charging an electric vehicle that can be adapted to a plurality of types of connectors on the vehicle side which are different in specification. When the relay connector disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 11-220813 (PTL 1) is used, the existing power supply device for an electric vehicle can be adapted to a plurality of types of connectors on the vehicle side. Accordingly, the number of types of vehicles that can be charged can be increased.

Vehicle and method of controlling vehicle


An infusion apparatus is provided with a clock, a power-on-time counter for counting a period of time in which power is supplied to the infusion apparatus from an AC power source or a backup battery for backing up the AC power source, a pump-on-time counter for counting a period of time in which a pump mechanism operates, and a battery-on-time counter for counting a period of time in which power is supplied to the infusion apparatus from the backup battery. A CPU displays a time value counted by the counters on a display unit. The time value displayed on the display unit indicates the degree of deterioration of charge capability of the backup battery, from which a time for replacing the backup battery and the other parts can be easily perceived.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an infusion apparatus capable of informing its operator of the time for replacing the parts such as a battery of the apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An infusion apparatus is used for infusing a medication fluid into a vein of a patient. There has been conventionally known in general an electromechanical positive pressure peristaltic type apparatus provided with a pump mechanism 8 as shown in FIG. 5. The pump mechanism 8 has a construction as follows. There are provided n number of fingers 83(1), 83(2), 83(n) driven by n number of cams 82(1), 82(2),. . . , 82(n) shifted in phase between every adjacent ones around a shaft 81 driven by a stepping motor (not shown). The fingers 83 are driven to move their ends 83a in a direction perpendicular to an administration tube 84. By peristaltically pressing the administration tube 84 downward against a door 85 with the fingers 83(1), 83(2), . . . , 83(n), a medication fluid supplied from an administration set (not shown) into the administration tube 84 is transferred.
FIG. 6 shows a block diagram of an infusion apparatus of the above-mentioned type, while FIG. 7 shows a flowchart of the operation of the infusion apparatus.
Referring to FIG. 6, a power supply switch, designated by numeral 1, turns on the power to the infusion apparatus when pressed. An alarm display unit, designated by numeral 2, displays 11 the alarm messages detected by the infusion apparatus. A display unit, designated by numeral 3, displays all the program data concerning fluid infusion such as fluid delivery rate, scheduled fluid volume, and accumulated fluid volume input to the infusion apparatus. A key panel, designated by numeral 4, has thereon numeral keys for inputting values of the fluid delivery rate and the scheduled fluid volume to set up values of operation spend and operation time for a pump mechanism 8, control keys for input assistance, a start key for starting the operation of the pump mechanism 8, a stop key for stopping the operation of the pump mechanism 8, and a call-up key for displaying the accumulated volume of fluid delivered and the like. An operation state indicator, designated by numeral 5, is a lamp that indicates which state the infusion apparatus is currently in among the states of alarm, fluid infusing operation, and operation stop. A lid opening detector, designated by numeral 6, detects whether or not the door 85 has come into the open position in order to set the administration tube 84 into the pump mechanism 8. The lid opening detector 6 is also necessary for stopping the operation of the pump mechanism 8 and generating an alarm when the door 85 is inadvertently opened while the pump mechanism 8 is in operation. An upstream occlusion sensor, designated by numeral 7, detects a pressure-reduction state due to the occurrence of any abnormality (e.g., clogged filter) in an administration set disposed between a medical solution container and the infusion apparatus, and is used to stop the operation of the pump mechanism 8 with generation of an alarm. The pump mechanism 8 includes a stepping motor. A motor driving circuit, designated by the numeral 9, drives the above-mentioned stepping motor according to a pulse output from a CPU 18. A pump mechanism rotation detector, designated by numeral 10, through the amount of rotation at the pump mechanism 8 detects that an incremental unit (e.g., 1 ml) of fluid has taken place, and then informs the CPU 18 of it. A downstream occlusion sensor, designated by numeral 11, detects a pressure-rise state within the administration tube between the infusion apparatus and the patient due to the occurrence of any abnormality such as occlusion, and is used to stop the operation of the pump mechanism 8 with generation of an alarm. An air bubble detector, designated by numeral 12, detects that air bubbles more than a prescribed amount have entered the administration tube. When this is detected, an alarm is generated while the operation of the pump mechanism 8 is stopped to thereby prevent the bubbles from entering into a patient's body. A battery-voltage detector, designated by numeral 13, detects any battery-voltage drop of a lead battery (not shown) used as a backup of an AC power supply. When this battery voltage drop is detected, the operation of the pump mechanism 8 is stopped while an alarm is generated. The lead battery is charged by a power supply circuit 15 when the infusion apparatus is in operation on the AC power line. A buzzer driving circuit, designated by numeral 14, generates a buzzer sound for informing doctors and nurses of the fact that the infusion apparatus has entered into the alarm state. A power supply circuit, designated by numeral 15, supplies power to all the circuits of the infusion apparatus. An analog-to-digital converter, designated by 16, converts the voltage resulting from a voltage conversion of a current supplied to the motor of the pump mechanism 8, the air bubble detector output level, the battery voltage level, and the like into digital values, and inputs them into the CPU 18. A panel lock switch, designated by numeral 17, serves to render the panel key and the power key input-inhibited so that the infusion apparatus will not be operated without permission by unauthorized personnel. A CPU (central processing unit), designated by numeral 18, controls the operation of the infusion apparatus. A RAM (memory section), designated by numeral 19, includes a first storage section for storing fluid delivery rate and scheduled fluid volume and a second storage section for storing various types of data used for arithmetic operation by the CPU 18. A ROM (read only memory; program section), designated by numeral 20, contains a program for operating the CPU 18.
The following describes the operation of the present infusion apparatus with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 7.
When the power to the infusion apparatus is turned on at step S1, it is determined at step S2 whether or not the pump mechanism 8 is in operation. When the pump mechanism 8 is not in operation, a request for inputting values of the fluid delivery rate and scheduled fluid volume takes place at step S8. Therefore, a doctor or nurse who intends to use the infusion apparatus inputs values of the fluid delivery rate and scheduled fluid volume at step S9 according to the desired medication fluid and medical treatment. When the pump mechanism 8 is to be operated, the program flow proceeds from step S10 to step S11 to operate the pump mechanism 8 by a key input. Then the pump mechanism 8 starts to deliver the fluid at the fluid delivery rate. When the pump mechanism 8 is in operation at step S2, the program flow proceeds to step S3. When it is detected by the pump mechanism rotation detector 10 that an incremental unit (1 ml in this case) has taken place, a value smaller by one than the current scheduled fluid volume is set up as a renewed scheduled fluid volume at step S4. When the power to the infusion apparatus is turned off by means of the power switch at step S5, the operation of the pump mechanism 8 is stopped at step S12 and the power is turned off to make the infusion apparatus enter into an off state to wait for the turning-on of the power at step S1. When it is determined at step S6 that the scheduled fluid volume has reduced to zero or when a request for stopping the operation of the pump mechanism 8 takes place due to a key input or the occurrence of an alarm, the program flow proceeds to step S7 to stop the operation of the pump mechanism 8. Then the program flow returns to step S2 to wait for an input of the next values of the fluid delivery rate and scheduled fluid volume.
The infusion apparatus requires periodical maintenance service a part of which requires service personnel to grasp the use condition of the infusion apparatus. For instance, there is the lead battery for backing up the AC power supply as an important component of the infusion apparatus. The lead battery gradually loses its charge capacity in the course of repeating charge and discharge operations which results in a reduced operable time and a need for replacement. Therefore, in order to determine the time for replacing the battery, the service personnel have recorded the total time of use of the infusion apparatus for the medical treatment to measure the degree of the deterioration of the charge capacity. However, on the same time of use basis, the power for charging the battery differs between the case where the battery has been used actually for operating the pump and the case where the infusion apparatus has been left unoperated while receiving a power. When the total time of use of the infusion apparatus includes the period of time in which the infusion apparatus is operated on the battery, the battery is not charged but discharged during the period of time. Therefore, it has been impossible to correctly measure the lifetime of the battery at all times only by the time of use of the infusion apparatus. In order to correctly perceive the lifetime of the battery, it is necessary to recognize the rate of the period of time in which the pump had actually operated and the rate of the period of time in which the power is supplied from the battery with respect to the total time in which the power is supplied to the infusion apparatus. Among the parts other than the lead battery, there are several parts requiring replacement after being used for a certain time. However, it is impossible for the service personnel who is neither a doctor nor a nurse to clock the time in the field where the infusion apparatus is used while referring to the use condition of the apparatus. It is also impossible for the doctor or nurse who is administering a medical treatment to clock the time. Meanwhile, it has been absolutely necessary to perceive the correct data in order to maintain the infusion apparatus serving as a therapeutic apparatus always in the best condition. As described above, the conventional infusion apparatus has been provided with an insufficient function in regard to the maintenance service for maintaining the quality of the infusion apparatus.

Infusion apparatus able to recognize an appropriate time for servicing


A trapping means judges that the gradated region is dark if compared with the uniform region and expands the uniform region to cause colors to overlap when the density average value Da of the gradated region is greater than the density value Du of the uniform region but judges that the gradated region is light if compared with the uniform region and expands the gradated region when the density average value Da of the gradated region is smaller than the density value Du of the uniform region.

The invention relates to an image processing apparatus for processing image data to be used in a color copying machine or a color printer adapted to generate a color print by using a plurality of color form plates, and also to an image forming apparatus for forming an image according to the image data processed by such an image processing apparatus.
Conventionally, four process color inks of cyan, magenta, yellow and black are used for printing using a plurality of color form plates. However, the printing is accompanied by the problem of misregistration. Trapping is an image processing operation of correcting the shining blank area produced by misregistration.
However a color edge can be formed along the boundary of two adjacent regions as the adjacent regions overlap each other as a result of trapping. The color edge can be more visible than the white ground and hence do more harm than good.
A technique for eliminating such a problem is disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2000-196906. It is a technique of deciding the new color to be used as replacement for trapping and the position where the new color is placed based on the combination of the colors of the color regions so that a visually least noticeable line may appear.
However, the direction in which misregistration occurs is not constant and it is not predictable in which direction misregistration will occur. With the above cited technique, a trapping operation is conducted for each pixel of each of the regions only based on color information, and the misregistration, if any, along the boundary is not taken into consideration. Therefore, if trapping operations are conducted for an image showing gradations, there can occur a problem that the pixels that have been subjected to trapping are displaced to make the boundary line less smooth and the shining blank area cannot be handled.

Image processing apparatus and image forming apparatus and image processing method and image forming method


A method for improving image quality, and an image signal processing apparatus and an AV device using the same are provided. In the method for improving image quality, processing image signals relating to improving the image quality can be adaptively performed based on the amount of movement of an input movie-image so that the image quality of the movie-image can be improved without breaking the image.

1. Field of the Invention
Apparatuses and methods consistent with the present invention relate to improving image quality.
2. Description of the Related Art
As technology for processing image signals has developed, the quality of images provided to users have improved. Movie judder cancellation (MJC) is one technique to improve the image quality of movie-image.
MJC can effectively reduce judder generated when a movie-image is reproduced. However, if MJC for the movie-image is performed, the movie-image appears broken, particularly when the movie-image has large amounts of movement.
Therefore, there is a need for methods to reduce judder in a movie-image by performing MJC on the movie-image without the image becoming broken.

Method for improving image quality, and image signal processing apparatus and AV device using the same


A pair of openings in the top of a container for liquids are normally closed by a pair of stoppers. The stoppers are mounted on the arms of a Y-shaped spring. The leg of the spring extends through a hole in the side of the container. The leg is connected to the upper end of a handle, which is connected to the container so that the handle pivots about the lower end of the handle. As the handle is pivoted, the leg of the spring is pulled outward through the hole in the side of the container. As the leg is pulled, the arms of the spring are pulled through a restraint, which pushes the arms together. This action pulls the stoppers away from the openings in the top of the container. The container also has a straw and a one-way valve. The valve allows air to enter the container, but does not allow liquid to spill from the container.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to containers for liquids. In particular, the invention relates to drinking containers designed not to spill when capsized.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of drinking containers have been designed not to spill when capsized. Most of these non-spill containers have a lid, and a covered hole. In most cases, the hole must be manually uncovered before the liquid in the container can be poured out of the container.
In some cases, the non-spill container will have a straw passing through a hole in the top of the container. These containers will inhibit spillage, but are not completely sealed, and they must be picked up quickly or they will spill.


The present invention relates a carrier comprising: a core particle comprising a binder resin and a first magnetic powder dispersed therein; and a second magnetic powder adhered onto the surface of the core particle, said second magnetic powder having a relative surface area larger than that of the first magnetic powder.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a carrier for developing electrostatic latent images formed on an image-bearing member such as a photosensitive member in image forming apparatus such as copying machines, printers and the like, and specifically relates to a binder-type carrier having magnetic powder dispersed in resin for developing electrostatic latent images.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in image forming apparatuses such as copying machines, printers and the like, an electrostatic latent image formed on an image-bearing member such as a photosensitive member is commonly developed using a mixture of carrier and toner as a developer.
Examples of well-known carriers mixed with toner include conventional powders such as iron, ferrite and the like used directly, as well as binder-type carriers having such magnetic powder dispersed in resin.
Carriers that use iron, ferrite or the like directly generally have low electrical resistance which results in disadvantages when such carriers are used for developing inasmuch as the electrical load on the surface of the image-bearing member flows through the carrier and produces white spots in the developed image, and the carrier adheres to the image-bearing member due to the electrical load injected from the developing sleeve. Furthermore, the head of the magnetic brush formed by such carriers are generally hard, leading to disadvantages such as streaks when developing halftone images such as photographic documents and the like.
Thus, in recent years attention has focused on the aforesaid binder-type carriers wherein magnetic powder is dispersed in resin.
Such binder-type carriers having magnetic powder dispersed in resin typically have a weak magnetic force, however, which weakens the magnetic restraint exerted on said carrier by a magnetic roller or the like, such that the carrier is released from the developing sleeve and adheres to the image-bearing member. Disadvantages arise from this situation such as generation of noise in formed images, and damage to the image-bearing member caused by adhered carrier and the like.
When large a large amount of magnetic powder dispersed in resin is included in carriers of the aforesaid binder type, therefore, much of said magnetic powder may be exposed on the surface of the carrier and reduce the resistance value of the carrier. During development, the electrical charge on the image-bearing member may flow through the carrier and produce undeveloped white spots in the formed image. Furthermore, bonding between the resin and magnetic powder may be adversely affected by the large content of magnetic powder, thereby causing the carrier to readily breakdown.
Heretofore, carriers have been developed which provide a surface coat of resin over the entire surface of a binder-type carrier having a large amount of magnetic resin powder dispersed in resin, such as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application No. SHO 58-59457. The provision of a resin surface coating suppresses the breakdown of the binder-type carrier, and the addition of electrically conductive or charge-control agents to said surface coating allows the resistance value of the entire carrier to be regulated, as well as to regulate chargeability relative to the toner.
When a resin surface coating is provided on the entire surface of a binder-type carrier, however, the surface of the carrier is formed by a composite surface of resin and magnetic powder which has numerous charge points relative to the toner, thus losing an advantage of the binder-type carrier which has durability with respect to spent carrier, and becoming unable to suitably charge the toner. The addition of agents having conductive properties and charge-controlling properties to the resin surface coating is disadvantageous inasmuch as it is troublesome and complicated, and increases production costs.

Carrier and developer for developing electrostatic latent images


The subject invention relates to a new method for manufacturing extrusion die tools that eliminates the step of hardening the steel after cutting the steel to form the desired extrusion die tool design. The new method involves the steps of cutting and finishing steel to form the desired extrusion die tool design, coating the die tool, or parts thereof, and hardening the coated die tool. The new method for manufacturing extrusion die tools reduces the time and the cost involved in their manufacture.

Extrusion fabrication is a known process that involves forcing material, generally aluminum or aluminum alloy under a combination of heat and pressure, so as to be flowable (normally referred to as a "billet"), through an extrusion die tool to form a product having a cross section that matches the extrusion profile of the die tool. Many manufacturing processes involve extrusion fabrication. For example, extrusion fabrication is widely used in the manufacture of flat, multi-cavity aluminum tubes, which are used for small heat exchanger components in air-conditioners, condensers, and radiators.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,176,153 B1 to Maier ("Maier") discloses a current method known in the art for manufacturing extrusion die tools, and is incorporated herein by reference. FIG. 1 shows a flow diagram of the Maier method. As shown in FIG. 1, the method begins with cutting steel in Step 10 to form the desired extrusion die tool design. In Step 10, the extrusion die tool is machine cut in a series of sub-steps from annealed (i.e., non-hardened), hot-working steel on machinery well-known in the art, such as a lathe and/or a mill, into a semi-finished state. The semi-finished state refers to the extrusion die tool being cut into the general, desired shape but not being cut to its final dimensions. Thus, a certain amount of stock metal remains on the extrusion die tool after this cutting step and will have to be removed later on in the manufacturing process.
After the extrusion die tool is cut into its semi-finished state, the die tool is hardened for the first time in Step 20 using known hardening processes. After the extrusion die tool is hardened in Step 20, the die tool is finished to its final dimensions in Step 30. In Step 30, the stock metal left on the extrusion die tool from Step 10 is ground and cut off until the die tool is shaped to the desired final dimensions (i.e., the "finished state"). As a result of the hardening process of Step 20, the extrusion die tool cannot be easily cut on a lathe or a mill in Step 30. Rather, the extrusion die tool is finished in Step 30 by a process utilizing surface grinders, polishing machines, and electric discharge machines ("EDMs"). The Maier method involves the use of both a conventional EDM and a wire EDM to make all the necessary cuts to produce a finished die tool. It will be appreciated that due to the amount of cuts performed by a conventional EDM, the use of the conventional EDM is very time consuming and costly because it utilizes an electrode, such as a copper or graphite electrode, that must be replaced for each cycle of cuts in this process.
After the extrusion die tool is finished, the extrusion die tool is coated in Step 40 by the chemical vapor deposition ("CVD") process described in Maier. As described in Maier, the extrusion die tool is coated at pre-determined locations with a wear resistant carbidic, nitridic, boridic, and/or oxidic-coating material. After the finished extrusion die tool is coated at the desired location(s), the die tool is rehardened in Step 50 by known hardening processes. On the Rockwell C-scale of hardness ("Rc"), the die tool is hardened to a hardness of about 46-50 Rc.
Each of the aforementioned steps is time consuming and expensive. The two hardening steps alone add two to four days worth of time onto the manufacturing process for extrusion die tools. Further, cutting an extrusion die tool into its semi-finished state and then finishing the die tool into its finished state require a large number of processing steps. As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the finishing step is time-consuming due to the fact the steel has already been hardened which increases the difficulty of making the finishing cuts. Any reduction in the time required to manufacture extrusion die tools can provide an extreme benefit to manufacturers of these tools. Thus, what is needed is a method that reduces the time and cost involved in manufacturing extrusion die tools.

Method for manufacturing extrusion die tools


In some embodiments, an apparatus and a system, as well as a method and an article, may operate to receive gamma ray measurements from a gamma ray detector; to generate a spectrum based on the gamma ray measurements, the spectrum including channels and count rates for the channels, wherein a channel number of a channel corresponds to energy values associated with the gamma ray measurements; to generate a ratio of total counts in a first window of the spectrum to total counts in a second window of the spectrum, the first window including a first set of channels starting at a low threshold channel and the second window including a second set of channels; and to adjust a gain of the gamma ray detector responsive to a determination that the ratio is different from a desired ratio. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.

Understanding the structure and properties of geological formations can reduce the cost of drilling wells for oil and gas exploration. Measurements made in a borehole (i.e., downhole measurements) are typically performed to attain this understanding, to identify the composition and distribution of material that surrounds the measurement device downhole. To obtain such measurements, gamma ray detectors are often used to measure naturally-occurring gamma radiation downhole. However, the gain of some gamma ray detectors may fluctuate due to environmental conditions downhole. These fluctuations can cause changes in the apparent energy level detected by the gamma ray detector, thereby leading to inaccuracies in the measurements reported by gamma ray measurement tools.

Gain stabilization in a gamma ray detection apparatus


This application provides an information transmission method and apparatus. The solution includes: determining, by a terminal device, at least two transport blocks; and decoding, by the terminal device, first information transmitted by using the at least two transport blocks, where the first information includes at least one of control information and data. This solution is applicable to a scenario in which same information or information with a same information source is transmitted by using a plurality of transport blocks.

To cope with explosive growth of mobile data traffic in the future, massive mobile communications device connections, and various new services and application scenarios, fifth generation (5G) mobile communications systems emerge. The international telecommunication union (ITU) defines ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) service scenarios for 5G and future mobile communications systems. A URLLC service has an extremely high requirement on a latency. A latency in unidirectional transmission from a transmit end to a receive end needs to be within 0.5 millisecond (ms). Transmission reliability needs to reach 99.999% when the latency is within 1 ms.
In a 5G new radio (NR) system and a long term evolution (LTE) system, usually, to improve reliability of receiving a service by the receive end, a data packet may be sent to the receive end for the first time at the transmit end (which is referred to as initial transmission for short). However, the receive end cannot normally receive the data packet or cannot correctly parse the data packet. In this case, the receive end uses a retransmission mechanism (for example, hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ)) to require the transmit end to retransmit the data packet (which is referred to as retransmission for short). Alternatively, when the receive end still cannot receive the retransmitted data packet or cannot correctly parse the retransmitted data packet, the transmit end may retransmit the data packet again. Finally, the transmit end performs combined decoding on the initially transmitted data packet and the retransmitted data packet or the data packet retransmitted for a plurality of times, to improve performance of the receive end. For example, if an error rate of one-time transmission is 0.1, and combined decoding is not performed on second retransmission, error rates of the two times of transmission are two independent events that are not related to each other. Then, an error rate after the two times of transmission is 0.01 (0.1×0.1). When combined decoding can be performed, an error rate of first transmission is still 0.1, and an error rate of second transmission may be improved to be less than 0.1 (where a specific value depends on an algorithm used by the receive end) by using information in the previous transmission. In this way, an error rate of the two times of transmission is less than 0.1×0.1.
Therefore, how to reduce a transmission latency while improving transmission reliability is a technical problem that needs to be resolved urgently in a future communications system.

Methods and apparatus for transmitting information on two PDSCHs


A computer software application (APP) is programmed into a smartphone. The smartphone allows a user to access various concessions and facilitate ordering items such as food, beverages, souvenirs, and memorabilia. The APP allows the user to input their seat location so the vendor can locate the user to deliver what has been ordered. The APP includes information concerning the user. The concessionaires all have a communication device allowing them to receive orders from users and to fulfill them.

The present invention relates to a method of improving efficiency of arena concessions. Live entertainment is a staple of the human experience. Arenas whether enclosed or open air or some combination of both are a common venue for viewing entertainment such as athletic events, concerts, other musical performances, plays and musicals, and other entertainment opportunities including vehicle-related events such as monster truck shows. Arenas and other venues where entertainment is provided typically include concessions where food, beverages, souvenirs, and memorabilia may be purchased.
Typically, such concessions are located at the periphery of the viewing area. Thus, in the case of an arena, typically there is a peripheral concourse where a variety of concessions may be accessed.
As explained above, concessions may include food, beverages, souvenirs, and memorabilia for sale. Each concession location may have a unique selection of such items. For example, one food concession might have a certain theme such as only Italian food, whereas another concession might include just Kosher food. Other concessions might solely include beverages including some with non-alcoholic beverages and others with alcoholic beverages or some combinations thereof.
Some souvenir stands might have souvenirs concerning a particular team, whereas others might have souvenirs for an entire league. Any possible combinations might be made available to purchase.
In the sports world, millions of customers attend live events at arenas and stadiums. For example, in 2015-16, in the NBA there were about 21 million live customers with an average arena attendance of 17,000 patrons for 30 teams. Each home venue held 41 contests besides playoff games. In the National Football League, there were 18 million customers spread among 32 teams and 8 home games besides pre-season games and playoff games. Average stadium attendance was about 70,000.
In the National Hockey League, in 2015-16, there were 22 million customers spread among 30 teams with each team hosting 41 games at an average attendance of 18,000. In Major League Baseball, the total number of customers in 2015-16 was 73 million spread among 30 teams with an average stadium attendance of 30,000 spread among 81 home games for each team. As should be clear, there are a lot of customers, just when one considers sporting events, for whom adding convenience and efficiency to arena concessions would be quite useful and attractive.
As entertainment events currently operate, a customer or patron who wants to obtain something from a concession must leave their seat, walk a long distance including perhaps up some steep stairs, stand in a long line, purchase what they wish to purchase, pay for it using cash typically, and then carry what they have purchased back to their seat. While all of this is going on, the customer or patron has missed a portion of a concert, sporting event, play, musical, etc. As such, it would be advantageous if a method were provided that would allow the customer or patron to obtain what they want to obtain from a concession without having to miss any of the action from their seat by leaving their seat. It is with these thoughts in mind that the present invention was developed.

Method of improving efficiency of arena concessions


A process for reducing the acidity of acidic crude oils by contacting the crude oil with a hydrotreating catalyst in the absence of hydrogen.

Because of market constraints, it is becoming more necessary to process highly acidic crudes such as acidic naphthenic crudes. It is well known that processing such acidic crudes can lead to various problems associated with naphthenic and other acid corrosion. A number of methods to reduce the Total Acid Number (TAN), which is the number of milligrams of potassium hydroxide required to neutralize the acid content of one gram of crude oil, have been proposed.
One approach is to chemically neutralize acidic components with various bases. This method suffers from processing problems such as emulsion formation, increase in sodium concentration in the crude and additional processing steps. Another approach is to use corrosion-resistant metals in processing units. This, however, involves significant expense and may not be economically feasible for existing units. A further approach is to add corrosion inhibitors to the crudes. This suffers from the effects of the corrosion inhibitors on downstream units, for example, insufficient coverage of the entire metal surface, lowering of catalyst life/efficiency and potential produce quality impact. Another option is to lower crude acid content by blending the acidic crude with crudes having a low acid content. The limited supplies of such low acid crudes makes this approach increasingly difficult.
British patent 1,236,230 discloses a process for removing naphthenic acids from petroleum distillate fractions without the addition of gaseous hydrogen by contacting the distillate fraction with a catalyst containing nickel, tungsten molybdenum, cobalt, iron or combinations thereof at mild processing conditions. U.S. Pat. No. 2,921,023 describes a process for maintaining the activity of certain molybdenum catalysts during the hydrogenation of organic materials. The catalysts may be used to hydrogenate heavy petroleum fractions in which the amounts of oxy-compounds such as naphthenic acids is reduced.
It would be desirable to reduce the acidity of crude oils without the addition of neutralization/corrosion protection agents and without converting the crude into product streams.

Catalytic reduction of acidity of crude oils in the absence of hydrogen


The semiautomatic pistol has a rigidly fixed barrel and sights attached thereto. The body of the pistol receives a breechbolt that moves axially in line with the fixed barrel. Cartridges are transferred from the magazine up to the action in the breechbolt, and spent cartridge cases are ejected out of a side eject port disposed on the pistol. Dismounting of the breechbolt is facilitated by a pivotal dismounting post at the rear of the eject port.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to firearms, and more particularly to a semiautomatic pistol having a breechbolt slidable and rotatable on the receiver.
2. Description of the Related Art
The design of the semiautomatic pistol has not changed significantly since the introduction of the Colt .45 Model 1911 in the early 1900s. Since that time, others have made some minor modifications in the basic design, but nothing of a fundamental nature.
In the Model 1911 pistol, cartridges are stored in an ammunition clip, which is inserted into the grip of the pistol. Cocking and firing of the gun are accompanied by movement of an external slide, and spent shells are ejected from the top of the gun, where they can be distracting to the shooter. The slide travels a distance on the order of two inches each time the gun is fired, and this limits the cycle time or rate at which successive rounds can be fired. Sights are mounted on the moving slide, which makes aiming difficult, and the sliding mechanism and other parts of the action are subject to substantial wear and mechanical failure.
In case of the gun being of a target type, it is nearly impossible to get a secure aim with recoiling sights. Therefore sights should be mounted on places free from recoiling, shaking and locations subject to substantial wear and mechanical failure. On a gun with a reciprocating slide, the sights should be at a most forward location and a most rearward location of the gun on safe and secure places. Given the aforementioned, there would only be one way to mount the breechblock, i.e., from the sides, since front and rear portions are closed.
Thus, a semiautomatic pistol solving the aforementioned problems is desired.