A device to stimulate the retina comprises one or more light sources coupled to one or more optical elements. The one or more optical elements is configured to illuminate the retina with one or more images at a location away from a fovea of a wearer. In some embodiments, each of the one or more images comprises a depth of focus and a spatial resolution. The one or more images can be formed at a distance anterior to the retina, at a distance posterior to the retina or on the retina. In some embodiments, the depth of focus is less than the distance, and the spatial resolution greater than a spatial resolution of the retina at the location.

Myopia, or near-sightedness, is a refractive error in which far objects are focused anterior to the retina. This can be related to the axial length of the eye. In general, a 1.0 mm increase in axial length of the eye corresponds to an increase in myopia of 2.5 Diopters ("D").
Spectacle lenses, contact lenses and refractive surgery can be used to treat refractive errors of the eye such as myopia. Although these approaches can be effective in treating myopia, the eye may continue to grow axially, such that the amount of myopia continues to increase. The relatively high prevalence of myopia has prompted studies to understand the underlying mechanisms of axial growth and the development of possible treatment directed to axial growth.
While myopia is known to have genetic causes, the dramatic increase in the incidence of myopia cannot be explained by genetic factors alone; rather, they must be interpreted simply as the remarkable ability of the visual system to adapt to altered environmental conditions, specifically a shift in visual habits from long to short distances and from open to enclosed spaces.
It is known that the retina of many species, including human beings responds to defocused images and grows in order to minimize the blur caused by the defocus. The mechanism of the generation of the growth signal is still under study, but the one of the observable phenomena of the response of retinal tissue to the growth signal is the change in thickness of the choroid. A myopically defocused image can cause the choroid to grow thicker, thus effectively shortening the axial length of the eye, while a hyperopically defocused image can cause the choroid to grow thinner, leading to an increase in axial length. Work in relation to the present disclosure suggests that the change in axial length caused by retinal response to a hyperopic blur or defocus can contribute to myopia development.
While the defocus of images can play a role in choroidal thickness and changes in the axial length of the eye, the prior methods and apparatus are less than ideally suited to address changes in retinal thickness and axial length of the eye. For example, pharmaceutical treatments have been proposed to treat myopia associated with axial length growth, these treatments can have less than ideal results in at least some instances. While atropine and other muscarinic agents can slow myopia progression, possible concerns about post treatment rebound effects and the short and long-term side effects associated with prolonged treatment may have discouraged the widespread use of these drugs.
Although animal studies have demonstrated that refractive development and axial growth can be regulated by visual feedback associated with the eye's effective refractive status, the methods and apparatus used in these animal studies are less than ideally suited for the treatment of myopia in humans.
Work in relation to the present disclosure suggests that the retinal shell becomes more aspheric as the eye becomes more myopic. Examples of image shells on the retina with myopic eyes and traditional correction are described in Cooper, J, "A Review of Current Concepts of the Etiology and Treatment of Myopia" in Eye & Contact Lens, 2018; 44: pp 231. With traditional spherical lenses, the peripheral aspheric retina of the myopic eye receives light focused behind the retina while light is focused at the center of the retina, which can trigger a growth signal because the peripheral light is focused behind the retina, similarly to an eye with insufficient axial length. A conventional spherical or toric lens (e.g. a contact lens or a spectacle lens) generally cannot generate an image shell that matches the optimum shape required for refractive correction that would stop the growth signal to the retina to become even more myopic. One approach has been to provide an aspheric lens that focuses light onto the peripheral regions of the aspheric retina.
Previous refractive correction devices to prevent myopia progression may produce less than ideal results in at least some instances. The refractive correction to provide appropriate focus at the peripheral retina can require a highly aspheric image shell, that can be created by a highly aspheric optic. Unfortunately, such an aspheric optic can generate a central image with a substantial aberration, compromising far vision and reducing quality of vision of the wearer in at least some instances. One approach has been to limit the amount of asphericity to about 2 D or less in order to provide distance vision without significant aberrations to central vision, but this limitation on the amount of asphericity can also limit the amount of correction to peripheral portions of the retina, which can lead to a less than ideal treatment in some instances.
A second approach adopted by some prior art devices is to provide a bifocal or multifocal optic, comprising a central optical zone dedicated to correction of refractive error only, while the peripheral zones generally have more plus power to form a myopically defocused image on the peripheral retina. Ray tracing analyses show that these bifocal optics can create one or more foci at the fovea, compromising the image quality at the fovea.
Studies in animal models as well as clinical studies have suggested that the retina can distinguish a "plus blur" from a "minus blur", or image blur caused by a myopic defocus from a hyperopic defocus, possibly by utilizing longitudinal chromatic aberration as a guide, since the sign of the longitudinal chromatic aberration will be opposite, depending on whether the image blur is hyperopic or myopic. However, prior clinical approaches may not have adequately addressed chromatic aberration to decrease myopia progression in at least some instances.
Therefore, new approaches are needed to treat refractive error of the eye and promote changes to axial length of the eye and choroidal thickness that ameliorate at least some of the limitations of the prior approaches.

Device for projecting images on the retina


This invention provides an improved digital luminance controlling system, which can control the luminous intensity of an illuminating apparatus by choosing the number of the ignited luminaries. It optimizes the number of the ignited luminaries according to the different contribution rate of each luminary to the general luminous intensity to reduce the power consumption. By properly adjusting the sampling frequency of the luminous intensity of the circumstance, this invention could decrease the operating frequency of the luminance controlling system, thereby to further reduce the power consumption. This invention also provides a analog type of the luminance controlling system, which consists of a optical sensing apparatus, a analog type of the luminance controlling apparatus and a set of optical source and can realize a real time luminance adjustment, to reduce the power consumption.

Electronic devices such as mobile phone, PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), pager, etc. usually have a display screen, which is mostly a liquid crystal displaying apparatus that could make the content to be displayed visible by providing backlights when the luminous intensity of the circumstance is not high enough. Meanwhile, these electronic devices such as mobile phone and PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) may also have a data inputting apparatus comprising a set of keys, and the devices make the keypad visible through backlights when the luminous intensity of the circumstance is not high enough.
FIG. 1 is the prior art digital luminance controlling system. The system is a technical solution disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,760,760 (granted on Jun. 2, 1998), comprising a light sensing apparatus 110, a digital luminance controlling apparatus 120, a light source controlling apparatus 130 and a group of light sources 140, with the digital luminance controlling apparatus further comprising an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 122, a digital signal processor (DSP) 124 and a memory 126. When the light sensing apparatus 110 detects the luminous intensity of the circumstance, it sends an signal of the luminous intensity of the circumstance to the digital luminance controlling apparatus 120, and the analog signal is converted into digital signal in accordance with a preset sampling frequency by the analog-to-digital converter 122 and the digital signal is sent to the digital signal processor 124, and the digital signal processor 124 reads the luminance level in the memory 126 according to the digital luminous intensity signal and converts it into a luminance controlling signal to be sent to the light control device 130 which adjusts the luminance of the light source according to the received luminance controlling signal.
FIG. 2 is the light source controlling apparatus of the prior art digital luminance controlling system. The device is a technical solution disclosed in the British Patent GB2, 365, 691 (published on Feb. 20, 2002), comprising a group of selection switches (S1, S2, . . . , SN) and M groups of resistors (R11, R12, . . . , R1N; R21, R22, . . . , R2N; . . . ; RM1, RM2, . . . , RMN), with the number of resistors in each group of resistors depending on the number of selection switches, i.e., on the number of luminance levels. The group of selection switches and M groups of resistors are connected to a light source, i.e., an illuminating apparatus comprising a group of luminaries (L1, L2, . . . , LM) (such as light-emitting diodes), in such a manner that each switch, such as S1, is connected to a group of resistors (R11, R21, . . . , RM1) and the luminaries (L1, L2, . . . , LM), wherein the number of resistors in the group of resistors depends on the number of the luminaries, and wherein the resistors are directly connected to the luminaries. By setting different switches to the connection state, the currents through the luminaries or the voltages applied to the luminaries are made different, thereby, the luminance of the luminaries is adjusted.
Since the number of luminance levels in the prior art is limited by the number of the selection switches, with the increasing of luminance levels, the number of selection switches and the number of the groups of the resistors increase simultaneously, thus the selection of the number of luminance levels is obviously limited while the corresponding cost increases. Therefore, the object of reducing power consumption by changing the luminance more smoothly with the change of the luminous intensity of the circumstance cannot be achieved.
Hence, an improved luminance controlling system is needed, which could change the luminance more smoothly with the change of the luminous intensity of the circumstance so as to achieve the objects of reducing power consumption and saving cost.

Methods and system for controlling an illuminating apparatus


Valves and valve assemblies are described herein employing architectures which can mitigate degradative wear mechanisms, thereby prolonging life of the assembly. In one aspect, a valve comprises a head including a circumferential surface and a valve seat mating surface comprising sintered cemented carbide. Leg members extend from the head, wherein thickness of one or more of the leg members tapers in a direction away from the head to induce laminar fluid flow around the head. In some embodiments, the sintered cemented carbide is an inlay coupled to the valve head.

Valves and associated valve assemblies play a critical role in fluid ends of high pressure pumps incorporating positive displacement pistons in multiple cylinders. Operating environments of the valves are often severe due to high pressures and cyclical impact between the valve body and the valve seat. These severe operating conditions can induce premature failure and/or leakage of the valve assembly. Moreover, fluid passing through the fluid end and contacting the valve assembly can include high levels of particulate matter from hydraulic fracturing operations. Additionally, one or more acids and/or other corrosive species may be present in the fluid/particulate mixture. In hydraulic fracturing, a particulate slurry is employed to maintain crack openings in the geological formation after hydraulic pressure from the well is released. In some embodiments, alumina particles are employed in the slurry due to higher compressive strength of alumina relative to silica particles or sand. The particulate slurry can impart significant wear on contact surfaces of the valve and valve seat. Additionally, slurry particles can become trapped in the valve sealing cycle, resulting in further performance degradation of the valve assembly.

Valves, valve assemblies and applications thereof


A fusion protein used for preventing and treating Alzheimer's disease, a preparation method therefor, and an application thereof. The fusion protein comprises the extracellular domain of human p75NTR human IL-33 and a linker peptide respectively connected to the carboxyl terminus of the p75NTR-ECD and the amino terminus of the human IL-33. The amino acid sequence of the p75NTR-ECD is as shown in SEQ ID NO: 1, and the nucleotide sequence is as shown in SEQ ID NO: 2. The amino acid sequence of the human IL-33 is as shown in SEQ ID NO: 3, and the nucleotide sequence is as shown in SEQ ID NO. 4. The invention overcomes the defects of the p75NTR-ECD or a fusion protein p75NTR-ECD-FC), for preventing and treating Alzheimer's disease. In addition, the functions of the IL-33 and the p75NTR-ECD are combined together, and the biological activity for preventing and treating Alzheimer's disease is significantly increased.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is typically referred to as "senile dementia". The prevalence of AD has increased with the intensification of aging and the rapid increase in the corresponding elderly population since Alzheimer's disease was discovered in the 20th century. The prevention and treatment of AD has become the focus of attention of various governments and medical communities.
AD is a neurodegenerative disease with insidious onset and progressive development. However its exact pathogenesis is still unknown. There are many hypotheses about the etiology of AD, among which the beta-amyloid cascade hypothesis is dominant. The aggradation of amyloid beta-peptide (Aβ) plaque found in the brains is the key histopathological characteristic of AD. Aβ is the main component of amyloid plaques, which is composed of 39-43 amino acid residues, among which Aβ40 and Aβ42 are dominant Aβ is derived from its precursor protein (Amyloid precursor protein, APP) and is generated by hydrolysis of APP by β- and γ-secretase respectively. Under the pathological conditions, Aβ aggregates and precipitates to form amyloid plaques due to the excessive production of Aβ resulting from abnormal APP metabolism, or disorders in Aβ clearance. The neurotrophin receptor p75 (p75NTR) binds to Aβ and its polymers to mediate the neurotoxic reaction of β-amyloid peptide, inducing the body to produce an inflammatory response, leading to pathology and apoptosis in neurons and promoting the onset of AD and further deterioration of the condition. The soluble Aβs or their oligomers, insoluble Aβ fibrils and plaques have neurotoxic effects. Any method that can prevent the excessive production and aggregation of Aβ in the brain and block the binding of p75NTR to Aβ that mediates a neurotoxic reaction can achieve the goal of preventing the AD onset and alleviating the AD condition or preventing the deterioration of AD condition.
p75NTR, p75 neurotrophin receptor, is a transmembrane glycoprotein with a molecular mass of 75 kDa and consists of 427 amino acids, comprising a signal peptide with 28 amino acids, a cysteine-rich extracellular domain, a hydrophobic transmembrane domain and a basic amino acid-rich intracellular domain with 155 amino acids. Its extracellular domain (p75NTR extracellular domain, p75NTR-ECD) consists of four cysteine-rich repeat domains (CRDs), each of which contains a repeat structure consisting of 40 amino acids and six cysteines. The extracellular domain is modified by N- and O-glycosylation after translation. The second repeat sequence is required for binding to neurotrophins (NTs) and Aβ. Its transmembrane domain consists of a single chain comprising 22 amino acids and is involved in the phosphorylation of p75NTR. p75NTR is cleaved by TACE enzyme (TNF-alpha converting enzyme) to release its extracellular domain p75NTR-ECD.
According to the principle that free p75NTR-ECD can bind to Aβ to prevent p75NTR from binding to Aβ to produce neurotoxicity, Yanjiang Wang and Xinfu Zhou designed a p75NTR-ECD and a p75NTR-ECD-FC for the prevention and treatment of AD in the Chinese patent ZL201010561284.3; and Yongtang Wang et al. designed a p75NTR-ECD-FC for promoting the regeneration and functional recovery of injured central nerves in the Chinese under application patent 201210053808.7. The p75NTR-ECD and p75NTR-ECD-FC designed and prepared by Yanjiang Wang and Xinfu Zhou, and Yongtang Wang et al. have the following defects; (1) Prokaryotic expression systems are used to prepare target proteins and none of the products were subjected to post-translational modification of glycosylation, so that the original physical and chemical properties of p75NTR-ECD and the native spatial conformation of protein can not be maintained. Therefore, there will be no guarantee that the prepared proteins have effective biological activity for clinical treatment of AD. (2) The p75NTR-ECD-FC is a fusion protein of p75NTR-ECD and the FC fragment of human immunoglobulin, in which the FC fragment can induce antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) in vivo and the own immune system attack to the neurons, and finally promote the onset of AD, the progression and deterioration of AD. Therefore it fails to achieve the purpose of preventing and treating AD. (3) The FC fragment of p75NTR-ECD-FC bears immunogenicity and can induce the production of anti-FC antibodies, which promote and result in the ineffectiveness or rapid degradation of ECD. (4) The p75NTR-ECD and p75NTR-ECD-FC only contain ECD, thus they are only able to bind to Aβ but not able to induce the body to promote Aβ degradation. Therefore they are inefficient in preventing and treating AD.
Interleukin-33 (IL-33) is a cytokine belonging to the interleukin-1 (IL-1) family discovered in 2005. It shares a similar gene sequence with IL-1β and IL-18 that are the members of the IL-1 family. IL-33 is an important regulator of the innate immune response and the infiltration and activation of immune cells. With a molecular weight of approximately 18 kDa, IL-33 contains 270 amino acids and comprises an N-terminal nuclear localization signal, a helix-turn-helix motif and a C-terminus. IL-33 binds to a heterodimeric receptor complex consisting of ST2 and IL-1RAcP to trigger a cascade reaction of intracellular signaling pathways comprising myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) and NF-κB, and selectively activate Type 2 helper T cells, mast cells, neutrophils and macrophages. In the central nervous system (CNS), IL-33 is expressed by the oligodendrocytes, while ST2 is mainly expressed by the microglias and the astrocytes. IL-33 is a pluripotent and pleiotropic cytokine that plays an essential regulatory role in infection, inflammation and autoimmune diseases. In 2009, Chapuis J, et al. found through genetic studies that the IL-33 expression in the brains of AD patients was significantly reduced, and that the three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of IL-33 gene were closely related to a decrease in the risk of the occurrence and progression of AD (Chapuis J, et al., 2009. Transcriptomic and genetic studies identify IL-33 as a candidate gene for Alzheimer's disease. Mol Psychiatry 14(11):1004-1016). In 2008, Miller, A M, et al. found that IL-33 had a protective function in preventing atherosclerosis which was an important risk factor for the onset and progression of AD (Miller, A. M., Xu, D., Asquith, D. L., Denby, L., Li, Y, Sattar, N., Baker, A. H., McInnes, I. B., Liew, F. Y., 2008. IL-33 reduces the development of atherosclerosis. J. Exp. Med. 205, 339246). This protective effect may be associated with the down-regulation of Aβ secretion by IL-33. In 2011, Yasuoka, S., et al. found that IL-33 induced the proliferation of microglia and the production of cytokines IL-1β, TNFα and IL-10 in a dose-dependent manner (Yasuoka, S., Kawanokuchi, J., Parajuli, B., Jin, S., Doi, Y, Noda, M., Sonobe, Y, Takeuchi, H., Mizuno, T., Suzumura, A., 2011. Production and functions of IL-33 in the central nervous system. Brain Res. 1385, 8-17). Taken together, these studies have found that IL-33 can prevent the onset, progression and deterioration of AD and thus has potential therapeutic effects on the prevention and treatment of AD.
Based on the fact that there are still no effective drugs and treatments for AD and exist the deficiencies in the development of p75NTR-ECD and p75NTR-ECD-FC for preventing and treating AD, it is crucial to find an efficacious drug for the prevention and treatment of AD.

Fusion protein for treating Alzheimer's disease

SHENZHEN PREPHARM BIOMEDICAL TECH CO., LTD.


The present disclosure pertains to a method and an apparatus for generating a reference signal (RS) sequence and a data scrambling sequence. A method for a base station transmitting a reference signal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may comprise the steps of: generating a reference signal sequence; and transmitting a reference signal corresponding to the generated reference signal sequence. The reference signal sequence can be generated using an initial sequence that is determined using a slot number in a transmission frame, a symbol number in a slot, and a scrambling identifier (ID).

Wireless communication systems have evolved beyond voice-centered services to broadband wireless communication systems to provide high data rate and high-quality packet data services, such as 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) high speed packet access (HSPA), long term evolution (LTE) or evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA)), LTE-advanced (LTE-A), 3GPP2 high rate packet data (HRPD), ultra-mobile broadband (UMB), and institute of electrical and electronics engineers (IEEE) 802.16e communication standards. Further, for fifth generation (5G) wireless communication systems, 5G or new radio (NR) communication is being standardized.
As a representative example of such a broadband wireless communication system, LTE/LTE-A system adopts orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) for downlink and single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) for uplink. Uplink means a wireless link where the user equipment (UE) (or mobile station (MS) transmits data or control signals to the base station (BS, or eNode B), and download means a wireless link where the base station transmits data or control signals to the UE. Such a multiple access scheme allocates and operates time-frequency resources carrying data or control information per user not to overlap, i.e., to maintain orthogonality, to thereby differentiate each user's data or control information.

Method and apparatus for generating reference signal sequence and for performing data scrambling in wireless communication system


This invention relates to a reinforcement structure which is used in providing cementitious mixtures supplemental support and strength upon setting, and more particularly, to a reinforcement structure which comprises a plurality of oriented reinforcing fibrous and/or filamentary components having a finite cut length, and fastening the reinforcing fibrous and/or filamentary components by one or more circumferential retaining elements.

This invention relates to a reinforcement structure which is used in providing cementitious mixtures supplemental support and strength upon setting, and more particularly, to a reinforcement structure which comprises a plurality of oriented reinforcing fibrous and/or filamentary components having a finite cut length, said reinforcing fibrous and/or filamentary components fastened by one or more circumferential retaining elements.


A method of controlling a tuneable filter (13a) of an antenna network (13) for use in a base station (1). The proposed method comprises:                inputting an output of the antenna network (13) to a pre-distortion feedback path (5),        inputting an output of the pre-distortion feedback path (5) and part of an original baseband signal to be transmitted by the base station (1) to a tuneable filter optimization algorithm (20a),        controlling the tuneable filter (13a) in accordance with an output (CS) of said tuneable filter optimization algorithm (20a).

Multistandard-Multiband radio base stations, i.e. the radio transmitters comprised in said type of base stations, must have tuneable or switchable radio filters in connection with an output amplifier radio stage in order to prevent impairments of radio conditions in other radio cells and/or on other radio bands. Generally, electrical filter characteristics such as mid frequency, quality factor, etc., of a tuneable filter can be adjusted by means of a number of electric actuators (generally in the form of motors) which are disposed at the antenna network for interaction with suitable filter adjusting elements, e.g. screws, chambers, lengths, etc.
In the prior art, a look-up table is provided which comprises corresponding filter tuning or adjusting values for a given radio frequency or operation point of the above-defined radio transmitter/base station.
Accordingly, for a given operating point, for instance a predefined radio frequency of the tuneable filter, said actuator means drive the tuneable filter to a predefined point of operation in accordance with values comprised in said look-up table.
This approach suffers from the inherent disadvantage that due to aging effects and variable temperature characteristics within the radio transmitter or base station the characteristics of a tuneable filter generally are not tuned in an optimised fashion.

Tuneable filter control method and base station


An apparatus and a method perform an N-point Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) on first and second arrays having real and imaginary input values using a processor with a multimedia extension unit (MEU), wherein N is a power of two. The invention repetitively sub-divides the N-point Fourier Transform into N/2-point Fourier Transforms until only a 2-point Fourier Transform remains. Next, it vector processes the 2-point Fourier Transform using the MEU and cumulates the results of the 2-point Fourier Transforms from each of the sub-divided N/2 Fourier Transforms to generate the result of the N-point Fourier Transform.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to performing Fast Fourier Transforms (FFTs) using a processor, and more specifically, to a method and an apparatus for performing FFTs using a vector processor with routable operands and independently selectable operations.
2. Description of the Related Art
The pursuit of higher performance has long been a defining feature of the computer and microprocessor industries. In many applications such as computer-aided design and graphics, higher performance is always needed to quickly translate users' commands into actions, thereby enhancing their productivity. Currently, the IBM PC computer architecture, based on Intel Corporation's X-86 family of processors, is an industry-standard architecture for personal computers. Because the IBM PC architecture is an industry standard, the architecture has attracted a broad array of software vendors who develop IBM PC compatible software. Furthermore, competition within the industry standard architecture has resulted in dramatic price performance improvements, thereby leading to a more rapid acceptance of computing technology by end users. Thus, the standardized nature of the IBM PC architecture has catapulted IBM PC compatible machines to a dominant market position.
The standardized nature of the IBM PC architecture is also a double-edged sword, for if the computer is not PC compatible, the sales potential for the computer becomes severely diminished. The reason for the limitation is that much of the existing software that runs on the PCs make explicit assumptions about the nature of the hardware. If the hardware provided by the computer manufacturer does not conform to those standards, these software programs will not be usable. Thus, PC system designers are constrained to evolutionary rather than revolutionary advances in the PC architecture in order to remain compatible with earlier IBM PC computers. However, it is desirable to take advantage of the semiconductor industry's ability to integrate large numbers of transistors per chip to satisfy the pent-up demand for more computing power in communication, multimedia and other consumer products.
The need for higher performance processors is evident in a number of applications such as communication, multimedia, image processing, voice recognition and scientific/engineering analysis which need to convert time domain data into frequency domain data via a mathematical link called a Fourier transform. Historically, time domain analysis is popular because people are analytically comfortable with analyzing events as a function of time, but the senses are more directed to the frequency domain. For instance, when listening to music or speech, humans do not hear individual pressure variations of the sound as they occur so quickly in time. Instead, what is heard is the changing pitch or frequency. Similarly, human eyes do not see individual oscillations of electromagnetic fields or light. Rather, colors are seen. In fact, humans do not directly perceive any fluctuations or oscillations which change faster than approximately 20 times per second. Any faster changes manifest themselves in terms of the frequency or the rate of change, rather than the change itself. Thus, the concept of frequency is as important and fundamental as the concept of time. Furthermore, in many applications, transform analysis is popular because it is often easier to formulate problems in the frequency domain rather than the time domain in designing systems. The central ideal of transform theory is that some information about the system, such as the time or spatial domain description can be transformed into an equivalent description that simplifies design or analysis.
As many natural or man-made waveforms are periodic and can be expressed as a sum of sine waves, discrete data points can be taken and translated into the frequency domain using a Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) rather than computing the continuous spectra of the signal. In general, the types of Fourier transform applications include: number based, pattern based, and convolution based. Examples of number based applications include spectrum analysis which is used in instrumentation, audio-video processing, velocity estimation and radar signal processing. With respect to pattern based applications, many problems involve the recognition and detection of signals with a specific frequency content, such as a spectral pattern in a speech pattern. In the pattern based application, conversion to frequency domain is often a small step in the overall task and it is important that the conversion process be fast to allow for sufficient time to perform other computationally intensive pattern matching techniques. Finally, in convolution based applications, the Fourier transform is used as a simple mathematical tool to perform general filtering.
The Fourier Transform of an analog signal a(t), expressed as: ##EQU1## determines the frequency content of the signal a(t). In other words, for every frequency, the Fourier transform A(.omega.) determines the contribution of a sinusoid of that frequency in the composition of the signal a(t). For computations on a digital computer, the signal a(t)is sampled at discrete-time instants. If the input signal is digitized, a sequence of numbers a(n) is available instead of the continuous time signal a(t). Then the Fourier transform takes the form ##EQU2##
The resulting transform A(e.sup.j.omega.) is a periodic function of .omega., and only needs to be computed for only one period. The actual computation of the Fourier transform of a stream of data presents difficulties because A(e.sup.j.omega.) is a continuous function in .omega.. Since the transform must be computed at discrete points, the properties of the Fourier transform led to the definition of the Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT), given by ##EQU3##
Where a(n) consists of N points .alpha.(0), .alpha.(1), . . . , .alpha.(N-1), the frequency-domain representation is given by the set of N points A(k), k=0, 1, . . . ,N-1. The previous equation becomes ##EQU4## where W.sub.N.sup.nk =e.sup.-j2.pi.nk/N. The factor W.sub.N is sometimes referred to as the twiddle factor.
The amount of computation involving evaluating the convolution integral becomes particularly large when its impulse response H(t) has a long time duration. Thus, DFTs are computationally expensive: for every frequency point, N-1 complex summations and N complex multiplications need to be performed. With N frequency points, and counting two real sums for every complex summation and four real multiplications and two real sums for every complex multiplication, the complexity of a N-point DFT is 4N.sup.2 -2N real summations and 4N.sup.2 real multiplications. Thus, for each 1,024 point DFT, 4,194,304 real multiplications are required. Typical applications requires a number of these 1,024 point DFTs to be performed per second in real time. Hence, the applications of DFTs had been limited until the advent of the Fast Fourier transforms (FFTs).
Many variations exist in the formulation of the FFT process. Among the basic approaches where N=2.sup.r and r is an integer, one approach--decimation in time--is based upon separating a(n) into two sequences of length N/2 comprised of the even and odd-indexed samples, respectively, i.e., ##EQU5##
Each of these summations is recognized as being simply an N/2-point DFT of the respective sequence because EQU W.sup.2 =e.sup.-2.sbsp.j.sup.(2.pi./N) =e.sup.-i.sbsp.j.sup.2.pi./(N/2)
Hence, if the DFT A.sub.e (k) is generated for the even-indexed sequence a(0), a(2), . . . , a(N-2) and the DFT A.sub.0 (k) for the odd-indexed sequence a(1), a(3), . . . , a(N-1), the overall DFT is arrived at by combining the sequences as EQU A(k)=A.sub.e (k)+W.sup.k A.sub.0 (k)
As discussed earlier, the complex coefficients W.sup.k are known as twiddle factors. The N/2-point DFT's A.sub.e (k) and A.sub.0 (k) are periodic in k with period N/2, and thus their values for k.gtoreq.N/2 need not be recomputed, given those for 0.ltoreq.k<N/2. This process is then applied again and again until only a 2-point DFT's remains to be computed. That is, each N/2-point DFT is computed by combining two N/4-point DFT's, each of which is computed by combining two N/8-point DFT's, and continuing on thereafter, for r stages since N=2'. The initial 2-point DFT's require coefficients of only .+-.1.
The FFT routine therefore reduces the complexity from a N.sup.2 order of complex multiplications and additions in the case of a DFT to a log.sub.2 N order complexity, each of which requires up to N complex multiplications by twiddle factors and N complex additions. An important aspect of the FFT algorithm is that it can be computed in place in memory. That is, if the input array a(n) is not needed in other processing, it can be overwritten with intermediate results of successive stages until it finally contains the DFT A(k). Hence, except for a few working registers, no additional memory is required. Thus, where the outputs of the ith stage is denoted as Ahd i(k), the FFT process consists of pairs of computations of the form EQU A.sub.i (k)=A.sub.i-1 (k)+W.sup.m A.sub.i-1 (l) EQU A.sub.i (l)=A.sub.i-1 (k)+W.sup.m+N/2 A.sub.i-1 (l)
where the initial inputs A.sub.0 (k) are the a(n) in bit-reversed order. This basic computational pair is known as an FFT butterfly computation.
After completing each butterfly, the input pairs A.sub.i-1 (k) and A.sub.i-1 (l) can be replaced in memory by the output pair A.sub.i (k) and A.sub.i (l) because they will not be needed any more. Hence, the computation can proceed in place. The factor W.sup.m+N/2 suggests an additional saving of a factor of two in computation because W.sup.N/2 =-1. Therefore, each butterfly can be computed with only one complex multiplication.
Many different variations of the FFT algorithm are possible depending upon whether the input or output needs to be in bit-reversed order, the need for in-place computation, and the associated bookkeeping complexity. For example, if the input array is in natural order and retains the use of in-place butterflies, the resulting output array is in bit-reversed order. If both inputs and outputs are needed to be in natural order, then in-place computation is destroyed, and the bookkeeping (control code or circuitry) is more complex. Alternatively, a transpose network can be formed for a particular decimation-in-time (DIT) process by reversing the direction of each branch in the network. This produces a new class of FFT process known as the decimation-in-frequency (DIF) process.
As discussed above, the total load for an N-point DFT is 4N.sup.2 -2N addition and 4N.sup.2 multiplications. In contrast, the FFT algorithms require Nlog.sub.2 N computations. Thus, for a 1024-point DFT, this is a reduction by a factor of N.sup.2 over Nlog.sub.2 N, or roughly 100 to 1. Even with the 100 to 1 reduction, if computations on typical data rate at 20,000 samples per second, a computation for each 200 1024-point FFTs per second corresponds to 8 million adds and 8 million multiply operations per seconds, still a significant computational load for a Pentium processor is utilized. Not surprisingly, signal processing applications with insatiable needs for processing power such as radar, sonar, image processing and communications can not run in real-time on personal computers yet.
Although the number of frequency domain applications is as large as the more conventional time domain applications, the difficulty of implementing frequency domain applications as well as the cost of the frequency domain implementation has limited the viability of solving problems in the frequency domain. Thus, an enhanced process for quickly and efficiently performing FFTs is needed. Furthermore, it is desirable to accelerate the speed of performing FFTs without adversely affecting the compatibility of the personal computer with the installed software base.

Enhanced fast fourier transform technique on vector processor with operand routing and slot-selectable operation


A sliding vehicle window assembly which includes at least one, and preferably a pair, of window panels spaced from each other to define a window opening and interconnected by upper and lower frame members or tracks, bonded to the interior surface of the pair of window panels. The upper and lower frame members are also spaced vertically apart from each other. At least one, and preferably two, arcuate channels are defined in each of the inwardly facing walls of the two frame members--the two channels arranged generally in tandem or end-to-end alignment. The pair of channels in each frame member are configured to receive a window panel, opposite ends of which retain cam or channel followers received by the channels. A latch handle interconnects one end of each cam follower and includes a cam projection also received in the channel and when rotated in one end of the channels, moves the sliding window generally perpendicularly with respect to the window opening when the window is located over the window opening. The sliding window is sealed against the window opening by a seal fixed to the interior surface of the fixed window panels carried in a seal carrier which spans the upper and lower portions of the window opening. The advantages include a sliding vehicle window assembly which is substantially flush with the exterior of the vehicle. There are no components which extend beyond the exterior surface of the fixed panels. Additionally, all of the components may be injection molded from lightweight, rigid materials, resulting in less expense. Moreover, the window assembly design is easy to assemble resulting in less man hours per unit and, as a result, less cost. The window assembly is easily adapted to any one of a number of different gasketing techniques used to retain the vehicle window assembly in the vehicle window opening.

This invention relates generally to sliding window assemblies for use in vehicles and, more particularly, to a window assembly having an improved mechanism for moving a window panel into a closed, sealed position over a window opening and a method for manufacturing a sliding window assembly.
Many utility vehicles, including vans and pickup trucks, have large fixed panels of glass. To improve circulation, the fixed window panels may contain sliding panels adapted to move and provide a window opening. One example of such a panel assembly appears with increasing frequency as the horizontally movable rear window of pickup trucks. Such sliding rear windows or backlights are often provided to the truck manufacturer, or in the after-market, as window frame assemblies. Current commercially available sliding window assemblies are mechanically complex having large numbers of components (30 to 40), resulting in increased cost. Moreover, despite the relative complexity, many commercially available sliding window assemblies do not seal well resulting in air and water leaking past the seals. For example, a typical commercially available sliding window panel assembly generally includes a welded aluminum frame which is sized to fit in the body panel opening. The inner face of the frame provides a continuous channel which supports the upper and lower edges of the sliding window pane. A pair of fixed window panes are supported in a second, inwardly opening channel adjacent the first. The edges of the fixed window panels are often supported by vertical struts which are secured between the upper and lower portions of the frame. The remaining sides of the fixed window panes are then secured or sealed in the frame. Often, a lip is provided on the struts or frame which is configured to engage the sliding window panels to prevent leakage of moisture when the windows are in the closed position. For example, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,124,054 to Spretnjak.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,561,224 to Jelens discloses a sliding window assembly having a continuous frame constructed of a thermoplastic material. When assembled, the sliding window assembly provides a unit frame configured to receive one or more fixed window panels and a sliding window. The peripheral edge of the stationary window panels receive a channel molding which, in turn, is positioned within and sealed within channels formed within the frame assembly. This particular construction retains the fixed window panel assemblies in a "three-sided" encapsulation. The frame assembly also includes an outwardly extending seal which is mounted along and around the perimeter of the window frame in an outwardly facing channel. The seal snugly fits within the body opening and is sealed and retained therein to seal the window assembly with the vehicle.
Other sliding window assemblies have been provided which utilize both metal and polymeric structures. One example of such a structure is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,740 to Saltzman. In general, the Saltzman window frame assembly uses a metallic frame having inwardly facing channels. An outwardly facing channel is also formed in the frame. One or more sliding window frames are disposed in the inwardly facing channels for movement between open and closed positions. Seals having opposed securing shoulders that cooperatively interact with a latch are provided to secure the seal in the second channel. A lip extending from the seal engages the sliding window frames. The fixed window panels are disposed in the second inwardly facing channel linearly adjacent the seal for closing a portion of the frame and overlapping the sliding window frames. A polymeric cover is secured with the front face of the frame and is secured within the outwardly facing channel of the frame. A lip portion extends outwardly from the cover to engage the body panel for centering the frame assembly relative to the opening in the body panel. The metallic frame and the elastomeric covering are adhered in the window opening by a bead of adhesive.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,294,168 to Kronbetter, a variation of this structure is provided wherein the welded aluminum frame and elastomeric members are combined to provide a frame assembly adapted to fit within an opening of a body panel. The welded metal frame includes an outwardly facing channel formed in the outer periphery. The supporting member has a continuous lip portion which extends outwardly from the outwardly facing channel. The lip portion provides a protecting and centering function which acts circumjacent the outer periphery or perimeter of the metal frame. When the frame assembly is fitted into the opening of the body panel, the supporting lip prevents contact between the metal frame and the painted surface of the body panel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,139 to Tiesler teaches a sliding window assembly for a vehicle which has a fixed window in a frame which is substantially flush with the frame at its exterior, and includes a sliding window movable between open and closed positions and releasable locks for locking the sliding window in its closed position. The sliding window, when moved to its open position, is parallel to and behind the fixed window. When moved forward to its closed position, the sliding window is automatically cammed and moved outwardly so as to lie in the same plane and flush with the fixed windows.
A further disadvantage associated with the prior sliding window assemblies is that few are capable of providing a true flush or single-sided window assembly. That is to say that the frame retaining the fixed and sliding window panels always has a portion which is exposed on the exterior side of the window panel. Currently available sliding window panel assemblies would not comport with the current trend for flush-mounted window panels. Moreover, many commercially available sliding window panel assemblies do not provide the desired sealing performance. Their relative mechanical complexity also makes them more expensive to produce.


Water-borne paints containing reduced molecular weight polysaccharide derivatives that are resistant to enzyme hydrolysis. The water-borne paints are biostable, retaining at least about 80% of their initial viscosity 24 hours after they are inoculated with polysaccharide hydrolysis enzyme.

Polysaccharides are widely used as thickeners for water-borne coatings, particularly latex paints. Examples include hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC), hydrophobically modified hydroxyethyl cellulose (HMHEC), ethylhydroxyethyl cellulose (EHEC), hydrophobically modified ethylhydroxyethyl cellulose (HMEHEC), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), methyl cellulose (MC), methylhydroxypropyl cellulose (MHPC), starch derivatives, guar derivatives such as hydroxyethyl guar, hydroxypropyl guar, locust bean gum, xanthan and alginates. Functions of the polysaccharide derivatives include adding viscosity to the paints, maintaining the viscosity during storage, and providing desired rheological properties during application of the paints.
Water-soluble cellulose ethers are widely used for thickening water-borne paints. They are typically made by chemically etherifying hydroxyl groups of cellulose with a wide variety of substituents, e.g. hydroxyethyl, hydroxypropyl and carboxymethyl. Cellulose is a linear polymer of anhydroglucose units which are connected by 1.fwdarw.4 .beta.-glycosidic linkages and has a molecular weight of about 500 to about 1,000,000.
The glycosidic linkages of cellulose and cellulose derivatives are susceptible to enzymatic hydrolysis, i.e., a water mediated process of cleaving the glycosidic bonds by cellulolytic enzymes (cellulases) leading to chain scission and molecular weight loss. Other polysaccharides and polysaccharide derivatives will undergo similar hydrolysis catalyzed by polysaccharide hydrolysis enzymes appropriate to the particular polysaccharide.
Many microorganisms release cellulase and/or other polysaccharide hydrolysis enzymes, and so latex paints thickened with cellulose derivatives or other polysaccharide derivatives and contaminated with these microorganisms may undergo viscosity loss upon storage due to molecular weight loss on the part of the polysaccharide thickeners. This effect is discussed by Springle in Journal of Oil and Colour Chemists' Association, vol. (71)4, pages 109-113. The viscosity loss of a paint is highly undesirable, because it makes the paint unsuitable for use, and causes a deterioration in the quality of the applied paint film.
One method that has been used to minimize enzymatic degradation of polysaccharide derivatives in paints is the incorporation of biocidal materials in the paints to destroy the microorganisms that produce the hydrolytic enzymes. In the case of cellulose derivatives, there also have been considerable efforts to make them resistant to enzymatic hydrolysis by chemical modification. One approach involves modification of cellulose by a high degree of substitution with placement of substituents uniformly along the chain by manipulation of the substitution reaction conditions. This approach is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,709,876; 3,769,247; 4,009,329 and 4,084,060, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
Canadian Patent No. 1,014,289 discloses water-based protective coating compositions comprising a particular hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) which imparts substantially increased biostability to the compositions. The maximum percentage of unsubstituted anhydroglucose units in the HEC is about 11 for molar substitution values ranging between 1.5 and 2.
Currently, available commercial cellulose derivatives are not sufficiently resistant to enzymatic attack. Hence there is a need to develop cellulose and other polysaccharide derivatives that will not undergo molecular weight loss in the presence of cellulase or other polysaccharide hydrolysis enzymes.
M. G. Wirick, in Journal of Polymer Science, Part A-1, vol. 6, pages 1705-1718 (1968) discusses the substitution pattern of hydroxyethyl cellulose and its relationship to its enzymatic degradation. In Journal of Polymer Science, Part A-1, vol. 6, pages 1965-1974 (1968), Wirick discusses the enzymatic degradation of carboxymethyl cellulose at several substitution levels.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,974,032 discloses a low D.E. starch hydrolysate having a narrow molecular weight distribution, containing less than about 20% by weight of starch oligosaccharides having a degree of polymerization greater than about 200 and having reduced enzyme susceptibility. The use of the low D.E. starch hydrolysates for making syrups having a solids content of 50-80% is disclosed.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,366,755, 5,525,368 and 5,569,483 disclose degradation products of polysaccharides or polysaccharide derivatives, and their use in foods. The preferred polysaccharide derivative is a cellulose derivative and the preferred mode of degradation is enzymatic degradation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,566,759 teaches a method for reducing the viscosity of a cellulose containing fluid used during fracturing of oil and gas wells. An enzyme is used to degrade the polymer. Examples are presented utilizing hydroxyethyl cellulose and carboxymethylhydroxyethyl cellulose.
British patent application GB 2281073A describes reducing the molecular weight of a water-soluble cellulose ether by enzymatic hydrolysis. The viscosity of 2% aqueous solutions of the reduced molecular weight materials are from 1 to 10 cps. The use of the materials for the pigment coating of paper and for increasing the wet strength of paper is disclosed.
EP 382577 B relates to enzymatic hydrolysis of a cellulose derivative to form a mixture of oligomers having an average degree of polymerization in the range of 3 to 300 and a molecular weight of 500 to 100,000. Use of the oligomers in food is described.
Netherlands patent application NL 7413972 discloses natural gums such as gum arabic, gum tragacanth, alginic acid, ghatti gum, etc., that are modified by hydrolysis in the presence of a hydrolyzing agent which may be an enzyme. The products give oil-in-water emulsions, e.g. wax emulsions, with improved stability and lower viscosity.


A bulk vender having a lockable cash box which has a coin aperture into which coins fall as they are ejected from the coin mechanism. During removal of the cash box from the vender a blocking mechanism automatically blocks the coin aperture, rendering the contents of the cash box accessible only to someone who possesses the key for unlocking the cash box. In a preferred embodiment the blocking mechanism is actuated by rotation of the lock which locks the cash box into the vender.

Bulk venders, colloquially known as "gum ball machines", are widely used for dispensing confectionaries and other small articles. A typical bulk vender has a hopper assembly comprising a transparent globe which functions as a merchandise storage bin, seated over a dispensing wheel which revolves in a hopper. A patron deposits the required coinage into the coin mechanism and turns the handle, which rotates the dispensing wheel to convey a preset amount of merchandise to the inlet of a dispensing chute. The hopper assembly is located over a body which is mounted on a base, defining a secure compartment containing a cash box into which the coin mechanism ejects the deposited coins.
Bulk venders are typically purchased and maintained by vender operators, who install and service the venders at high traffic locations such as shopping malls, restaurants and the like. The operator periodically re-stocks the venders and collects the proceeds from the sale of articles dispensed by the venders, and typically remits a portion of the proceeds to the owner of the premises. A large vender operator may operate many hundreds of bulk venders, employing service personnel to service the venders and deliver the coins which have accumulated within the cash box to the operator.
Bulk venders are intended particularly for use in unsupervised public areas, and as such are designed to resist tampering, theft and vandalism by patrons. However, since it is not feasible to track the number of articles dispensed from each vender, so that the vender operator can never know how many coins should be collected from any particular vender during a service call, the operator is vulnerable to the theft of coins by the operator's service personnel. The operator can also be vulnerable to the substitution of slugs for coins by service personnel before the collected coins are delivered to the operator. In either case the operator's proceeds can be significantly reduced.
It is accordingly desirable to provide a lockable cash box for a bulk vender which can be removed in its entirety by service personnel, but remains in a locked condition and can be unlocked only by the operator, the contents of the cash box being thereby inaccessible to service personnel. This would significantly reduce or eliminate opportunities for theft or "skimming" by service personnel prior to delivery of the proceeds to the operator.


An apparatus usable as a chucking device to temporarily couple two mechanical objects together. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes an arbor configured to receive an at least partially ferromagnetic object; and a magnet assembly. The magnet assembly includes multiple permanent magnets mounted in a soft ferromagnetic enclosure. The magnet assembly is rotatably coupled to the arbor such that the magnet assembly and the arbor are positionable relative to one another in locking and unlocking positions upon relative rotation therebetween. The magnet assembly is configured to exert a pulling force on the object in the locking position and a lesser force in the unlocking position.

The present invention relates to data storage systems, and more particularly, this invention relates to apparatuses having magnetic properties for receiving at least partially ferromagnetic objects.
In magnetic storage systems, data are read from, and written onto, a magnetic recording medium utilizing magnetic transducers. Data are written on the magnetic recording medium by moving a magnetic recording transducer to a position over the medium where the data are to be stored. The magnetic recording transducer then generates a magnetic field, which encodes the data into the magnetic medium. Data are read from the medium by similarly positioning the magnetic read transducer and then sensing the magnetic field of the magnetic medium. Read and write operations may be independently synchronized with the movement of the medium to ensure that the data can be read from, and written to, the desired location on the medium.
In the near future, with the adoption of improved media, the cost of storing information (on a per byte basis) on tape is expected to decline by a factor of five or more with respect to magnetic disk. Also, short-term and long-term reliability will continue to favor tape-based storage. Furthermore, as more mass storage is allocated to cloud networks, most storage will be in large libraries, rather than on individual drives, which is a consideration favoring tape-based storage.

Permanent magnetic chucking device with large force differential

International Business Machines Corporation


Preventing a controller securely from effects of heat or noise of a relay and a high-tension circuit, a synthetic resin inner cover is arranged between a top cover and a bottom cover. A high-tension circuit is arranged between the top cover and inner cover. A control baseboard is provided at the bottom cover. The bottom cover is covered by the inner cover. Thereby, the control baseboard is prevented from being heated by the high-tension circuit by the inner cover. A conductive metallic shielding cover is arranged between the bottom cover having the control baseboard and the inner cover to cover the bottom cover including the control baseboard. Thereby, the control baseboard is prevented from noise of the high-tension circuit. The inner cover and the shielding cover having respectively a flange are fixed on a vehicle body by a bolt to overlap the both flanges.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a high-tension connector box for connecting a high-tension, high-current circuit of an electric vehicle with an electric component like a relay and having a controller inside thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 5 shows one example of a usual electric connecting box (refer Patent Reference 1).
The electric connecting box 70 includes a top cover 71 and a bottom cover 72 those are made of synthetic resin, a relay and a fuse those are mounted on the top cover 71, a bus-bar circuit board 73, a flexible circuit board 74 and a printed circuit board 75 those are arranged between the top cover 71 and the bottom cover 72.
The top cover 71 is provided with a relay mount portion 76, a fuse mount portion 77 and a connector mount portion 78. The bus-bar circuit 73 is arranged on a lower side of the top cover 71. Tab terminals 79 of a bus bar of the bus-bar circuit board 73 are projectingly provided vertically within the relay mount portion 76, the connector mount portion 78 and a connector mount portion 80 of the bottom cover 72. The tab terminals 79 are connected with the flexible circuit board 74 and the printed circuit board 75 at the lower side thereof. A terminal end of the flexible circuit board 74 is located in a connector mount portion 81 of the bottom cover 72. The bottom cover 72 is provided inside thereof with a large space 82.
FIG. 6 shows the other example of the usual electric connecting box (refer Patent Reference 2).
An electric connecting box 83 includes a high-current distribution circuit board 86 between a top cover 84 and a bottom cover 85, and low-current printed circuit board 88 clamping an insulation board 87 under the high-current distribution circuit board 86. The distribution circuit board 86 and the printed circuit board 88 are connected with each other by a jumper wire 89. A relay 90 and a fuse 91 are mounted on an upper side of the distribution circuit board 86.
On the printed circuit board 88, electronic components, such as a micro-computer 92, a resistor 93 and a capacitor 94, are mounted, and the micro-computer 92 is covered by a metallic cover 95 for electro-magnetic shield.
Reference Patent 1 is Japan Patent Application Laid Open No. 2002-58132.
Reference Patent 2 is Japan Patent Application Laid Open No. 2003-87933.


Certain embodiments of the present invention provide an image display method including selecting an image hanging protocol and displaying an image set based at least in part on the image hanging protocol. The image hanging protocol includes a rule set for displaying the image set based at least in part on a key image note. Certain embodiments of the present invention provide an image display system including a display device adapted to display an image set based at least in part on an image hanging protocol. The image hanging protocol includes a rule set for displaying the image set based at least in part on a key image note. Certain embodiments of the present invention provide an image hanging protocol including a rule set for displaying the image set based at least in part on a key image note.

The present invention generally relates to an improvement in the selection and presentation of medical imaging studies. More specifically, the present invention relates to key image note matching by image hanging protocols.
Picture archiving and communication systems ("PACS") connect to medical diagnostic imaging devices and employ an acquisition gateway (between the acquisition device and the PACS), storage and archiving units, display workstations, databases, and sophisticated data processors. These components are integrated together by a communication network and data management system. A PACS has, in general, the overall goals of streamlining health-care operations, facilitating distributed remote examination and diagnosis, and improving patient care.
A typical application of a PACS system is to provide one or more medical images for examination by a medical professional. For example, a PACS system can provide a series of x-ray images to a display workstation where the images are displayed for a radiologist to perform a diagnostic examination. Based on the presentation of these images, the radiologist can provide a diagnosis. For example, the radiologist can diagnose a tumor or lesion in x-ray images of a patient's lungs.
A series or sequence of a plurality of medical images is an imaging study. In general, an imaging study that is the most recent imaging study of a patient or is the imaging study currently being examined by a radiologist will be referred to as a current imaging study.
In order to properly diagnose a current imaging study, a radiologist must examine one or more previously acquired images of the same patient and compare these images to images of a current study. An imaging study that includes two or more previously acquired images is a historical imaging study. Furthermore, a historical imaging study whose images are relevant for comparing with the images of a current imaging study is a comparison imaging study. For example, images that are associated with or display the same anatomy are relevant for comparison purposes.
The images of an imaging study are displayed in a particular spatial layout and/or temporal sequence. In other words, the images may be displayed in certain positions on a display device relative to each other (a spatial layout, for example). The images may also be displayed in a certain ordered sequence by displaying image A first, followed by image B, followed by image C, and so on (a temporal sequence, for example). The spatial and/or temporal presentation of images is directed by a set of display rules. A display rule may include a set of instructions stored on a computer-readable media that direct the presentation of images on a display workstation. A set of display rules is known as an image hanging protocol. In general, an image hanging protocol is a series of display rules that dictate the spatial and/or temporal layout and presentation of a plurality of images.
Image hanging protocols are used in current PACS systems to present images of a diagnostic study for display. Image hanging protocols allow a user to specify studies for population into image layouts or regions, as well as the appearance of the layouts or regions. Furthermore, the user may specify which image hanging protocols are used to display which studies. The idea is to automate the presentation of images in the way most desired by the user.
Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise ("IHE") introduced the concept of a Key Image Note ("KIN"). A KIN is a note that marks one or more images in a study as significant, and specifies why the images are significant. More particularly, the KIN specifies image significance through KIN Title/Subtitles, which are defined by the DICOM standard. For example, to mark images to be shown to patient, one could create a KIN whose Title is "For Patient" and which references those images. As another example, to mark images as having quality artifact issues, one could create a KIN with a Title of "Quality Issue", a Subtitle of "Image artifact(s)", and which references those images.
A KIN may include a title, and optionally, a subtitle, a creation date, a creation time, a creator, and/or a creator type. Some users may be interested in some KIN categories more so that other KIN categories. For example, a surgeon may be interested in "For Surgery" KIN images. As another example, an instructor at a teaching institution may be interested in "For Teaching" and "For Research" KIN images. As another example, a primary care physician may be interested in "For Referring Provider" and "Best In Set" KIN images.
Furthermore, the KIN Titles/Subtitles are fully extensible by DICOM. Therefore, a user could create custom KIN categories or types, and utilize the custom KIN category or type to zero in on images of a specific interest. For example, a user may be interested in KIN images created by a radiologist or KIN images created by a technologist. As another example, a user may be interested in the most recent KIN images.
Current PACS systems implement image hanging protocols and KINs. However, finding and displaying relevant key images (e.g., KIN images) upon displaying the images of a study is a manual process and requires a user to perform several steps. For example, a user first selects a default image hanging protocol. The default image hanging protocol loads all images in a study. Next, the user selects a KIN. The selected KIN images are then loaded into an image layout. These steps are cumbersome, time-consuming, and inefficient for the user, especially in studies involving high volumes of images and KINs.
Thus, there is a need for an efficient way for a user to view images of interest upon the display of a study. This is especially true for environments where time is critical. For example, physicians in the Emergency Room or surgeons in the Operating Room need to be able to view "For Physician" and "For Surgery" KIN images as efficiently as possible. Even for a radiologist or other user, elimination of time lost due to extra steps in a workflow can greatly contribute to the efficiency and the quality of healthcare.

Key image note matching by image hanging protocols


A centering and loading apparatus for locating the center of a fill opening of a vehicle and loading bulk material into the vehicle through the opening is provided which includes a movable loading spout assembly and a locator assembly which locates the fill opening of the vehicle and is adapted to move the loading spout assembly for centering over the fill opening of the vehicle. The loading spout assembly is supported on a first support and is adapted to move along the longitudinal and lateral horizontal axes of the first support for aligning the loading spout assembly over the fill opening of the vehicle. The locator assembly includes a pair of scanning devices, for example, charge coupled devices, radio frequency sensors, and laser and infrared devices, that detect and scan the fill opening to locate the center of the opening. The locator assembly and loading spout are controlled by a programmable logic controller, which processes the data provided by the scanning devices to calculate the center of the opening. Once the center of the opening is calculated, the controller moves and centers the loading spout assembly over the opening and starts the loading sequence. A centering and loading method includes scanning the vehicle with scanning device, which preferably detects reflected light, locating the center of the fill opening from the signals generated by the scanning device, and aligning a loading spout with the center coordinates of the opening so that the vehicle can be loaded with the bulk material by the loading spout through the fill opening.

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for locating the center of a structure and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for locating the center of an opening in a vehicle for loading bulk material into the vehicle through the opening.
Dry materials, such as ash, cement, coal, or chemicals, are often transported in bulk and contained in storage compartments of a vehicle, such as a truck, train, or boat. The materials are delivered to the storage compartments through extendable loading spouts which can be moved and aligned with a hatch or opening of the vehicle through the use of drivers, such as servo motors or air cylinders or the like, which are controlled by a loading station operator.
Although these loading spouts can be moved, their range of motion is limited; therefore, the driver of the vehicle must first maneuver the vehicle into the loading area in approximate alignment with the loading spout. The driver is typically guided by the loading station operator who is located in the loading area. After the vehicle is generally aligned, the operator of the vehicle then exits the vehicle and opens the hatches of the respective storage compartments which are to be filled with the material. Once the hatch or hatches are opened, the loading station operator guides the loading spout into proper alignment with the open hatch using conventional controls. If the vehicle has several storage compartments and the loading station includes a loading spout with a long enough range of motion, and after filling the first compartment, the operator must then move and center the loading spout over the next open hatch. Otherwise the vehicle must be moved forward by the driver under the direction of the loading operator to generally align the next open hatch with the loading spout. It can be appreciated, therefore, that using these conventional techniques, the loading process is time consuming. Moreover, this process is often imprecise. Despite the presence of loading operators who can view the fill opening from their stations, the process may take several passes to properly align the spout with the opening. Even small inaccuracies or errors can result in misalignments and spillage which increase the downtime for the vehicle and, ultimately, increase the cost of the material being transported.
While recent developments have improved the maneuverability of loading spouts and their range of motion, the process of aligning the loading spout with the open hatch of the vehicle is still time consuming and also subject to human error. Furthermore, since loading stations are typically used at irregular spaced intervals during the day, an operator must be stationed at the loading station full time order to provide adequate coverage, which adds a significant cost to the goods. Consequently, there is a need for an automated loading system that will reduce the loading time and will provide a more accurate alignment of the loading spout with the opening of the vehicle and will reduce the overall operating costs.

Apapratus for and method of locating the center of an opening in a vehicle


An active matrix substrate including, in each pixel area, a transistor, a pixel electrode (17), a conductive member (18) functioning as one of electrodes of a storage capacitor, a drain lead-out (7) electrode connected to a drain electrode of the transistor, and overlapping with the conductive member (18), and a contact hole for connecting the drain lead-out electrode (7) to the pixel electrode (17), includes a gate insulating film (40) covering a gate electrode of each transistor, the gate insulating film including a first thickness portion (41) overlapping with at least part of the contact hole, and a second thickness portion (42) formed adjacent to the first thickness portion, and overlapping with the drain lead-out electrode, the first thickness portion (41) having a greater thickness than the second thickness portion (42). This makes it possible to provide the active matrix substrate in which a short-circuit between the conductive member functioning as one of the electrodes of the storage capacitor, and the drain lead-out electrode (or the pixel electrode) is successfully prevented.

FIG. 15 is a plan view illustrating a conventional active matrix substrate. As illustrated in FIG. 15, in each pixel area 50, its pixel electrode 51 is surrounded by a scanning signal line 52 for supplying a scanning signal, and a data signal line 53 for supplying a data signal. The scanning signal line 52 and the data signal line 53 intersect each other. Further, a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) 54 is provided at an intersection of the scanning signal line 52 and the data signal line 53. The scanning signal line 52 is connected to a gate electrode 55 of the TFT 54, and driving of the TFT 54 is controlled by the scanning signal inputted into the gate electrode 55. The data signal line 53 is connected to a source electrode 66a of the TFT 54, and the data signal is inputted into the source electrode 66a. Further, a drain lead-out wire 56 is connected to a drain electrode 66b of the TFT 54. Furthermore, a storage capacitor wire 59 is provided in the pixel area 50 so as to (i) prevent a liquid crystal layer from self-discharging while the TFT is off, (ii) prevent picture signal deterioration caused by off-current of the TFT, and (iii) be used, for example, as a pathway of various modulation signals for driving liquid crystal.
The drain electrode 66b of the TFT 54 is connected to a storage capacitor electrode 57 (a drain lead-out electrode) via the drain lead-out wire 56, which storage capacitor electrode 57 overlaps with the storage capacitor wire 59. The storage capacitor electrode 57 is connected to the pixel electrode 51 via a contact hole 58. The storage capacitor electrode 57 (the drain lead-out electrode) and the storage capacitor wire 59 form a storage capacitor in cooperation.
FIG. 16(a) is a cross-sectional view illustrating the conventional active matrix substrate with the contact hole. FIG. 16(b) is a cross-sectional view illustrating the conventional active matrix substrate including a driver connecting terminal.
As illustrated in FIG. 16(a), in the vicinity of the contact hole in the pixel area, the storage capacitor wire 59, a gate insulating film 81, the drain lead-out electrode 57, an interlayer insulating film 87, and the pixel electrode 51 are formed on a substrate 80 in this order. An area of the interlayer insulating film 87 is removed (etched away), to which area the contact hole is to be formed, so as to form the contact hole 58. This connects the pixel electrode 51 with the drain electrode 57.
Meanwhile, in the vicinity of the driver connecting terminal located at an edge of the active matrix substrate, as illustrated in FIG. 16(b), a driver connecting terminal 90, a gate insulating film 81, and the interlayer insulating film 87 are formed on the substrate 80 in this order. Thereafter, the gate insulating film 81 and the interlayer insulating film 87, both of which are positioned above the driver connecting terminal 90, are etched away so that the driver connecting terminal 90 is exposed outside, and then connected with various drivers (drive devices).
(Patent Document 1)
    Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 11-133457 (published on May 21, 1999)(Patent Document 2)    Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 11-135622 (published on May 21, 1999)(Patent Document 3)    Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 6-112485 (published on Apr. 22, 1994)

Active matrix substrate, display device, and television receiver


A dispenser for food material that facilitates spreading of the material is disclosed. The dispenser can comprise a unitary construction, or can be composed of a plurality of components that can be fastened together. Disposable cartridges containing food material can be attached to the dispense, and the material within can be dispensed into a utensil such as a spoon for serving. The dispense provides metered dispensing.

Feeding oneself and other individuals can be a challenging task, requiring coordination beyond that of the average adult, and certainly beyond that of persons with disabilities or other limitations. Many individuals are unable to feed themselves; babies, the elderly, and the disabled frequently require the attention of a skilled individual to spoon-feed them. Food packaged for such special cases require opening at least one package, then using an external device such as a spoon to remove the contents from the package, and ultimately to deliver the contents. Serving foodstuffs such as baby food from conventional packaging requires a great deal of patience, coordination, and is almost assuredly a two-handed affair. As the contents are consumed from a bottle or equivalent, the void space inside the container grows, allowing air to adversely affect the freshness of the contents.
Use of a traditional utensil such as a spoon and traditional packaging is also challenging for children, elderly persons, persons with disabilities, and physically challenged individuals to use. Holding the container steady while scooping the contents, holding the spoon steady while delivering the contents to the recipient, all require concentration and skill the can exceed the capabilities of many. The utensils associated with conventional eating means must be washed after every minor use, which is a particular inconvenience during such activities as traveling, picnics, and other occasions where typical kitchen amenities are not present.
Another shortcoming of conventional packaging and utensil configurations is the inability to accurately measure the dispensed quantity. Measuring spoons typically use the absolute limit of their capacity as the measuring feature, requiring transfer of a completely full spoon—precarious at best. Measuring cups provide some relief, but very viscous foodstuffs such as peanut butter and cream cheese are difficult to measure this way since an accurate measurement may only be achieved by packing the product, which is messy and causes further measurement inaccuracies. A solution to accurate measurement and use of foodstuffs is particularly pertinent for portion control, dieting, and restaurant settings where consistency is important.


The use of statistics collected during the parallel distributed execution of the tasks of a job may be used to optimize the performance of the task or similar recurring tasks. An execution plan for a job is initially generated, in which the execution plan includes tasks. Statistics regarding operations performed in the tasks are collected while the tasks are executed via parallel distributed execution. Another execution plan is then generated for another recurring job, in which the additional execution plan has at least one task in common with the execution plan for the job. The additional execution plan is subsequently optimized based at least on the statistics to produce an optimized execution plan.

Map-reduce is a data processing system that supports distributed processing of an input across a cluster of computing nodes. Traditionally, the map step of the map-reduce data processing system involves a root level computing node dividing an input into smaller sub-problems, and distributing the smaller sub-problems to a cluster of lower level computing nodes for processing. Each lower level computing node may process a corresponding sub-problem and return a solution to the root level computing node. In the reduce step of the map-reduce data processing system, the root level computing node may collect the solutions from the lower level computing nodes and combine the solutions to form an output that is the solution to the input. In some instances, there may be multiple lower levels of computing nodes.
However, current map-reduce data processing systems are no longer limited to performing map operations and then reduce operations. Instead, current map-reduce data processing system use logical graphs to process operations. As a result, current map-reduce data processing systems are highly dependent on an initial selection of an appropriate execution plan. The selection of an appropriate execution plan may include the selection of properties for the map-reduce code used, properties of the data to be processed, and properties related to the interactions of the data and the code. However, such properties may be difficult to estimate due to the highly distributed nature of map-reduce data processing systems and the fact that the systems offer users the ability to specify arbitrary code as operations on the data. As a result, today's map-reduce data processing systems may use fixed apriori estimates to choose execution plans. In many instances, the use of such fixed a prior estimates may result in poor data processing performance.

Parallel computing execution plan optimization


A resonant pressure transducer, having a deformable diaphragm or membrane exposed to an ambient environment wherein a pressure force to be measured exists, is provided. A transducer according to the present invention comprises a converter for transmitting the pressure force experienced by the diaphragm to a resonator vibrated by an exciter whose resonant frequency is a function of the intensity of the ambient pressure force to be determined. The converter and resonator are mounted in a rigid frame. The converter has flexible bending means able to absorb the bending moments resulting from the deformation of the diaphragm, so as to transmit to the resonator a tension or a compression force free from bending moments that generate stresses at the entrance of the resonator.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a resonant pressure transducer and in particular a small transducer of this type (e.g. with a side length of a few millimeters) produced by microelectronics technology, particularly micromachining.
2. Description of The Related Art
Resonant pressure transducers are known and first of all a basic description will be given of the physical operating principle. Such sensors generally comprise a flexible, deformable diaphragm or membrane exposed to the ambient conditions, where the pressure to be measured prevails and which transmits, by means of a converter system, the force which it supports or withstands as a result of said pressure to a resonator system, which is vibrated by an exciter and whose resonator frequency is permanently measured. As this resonant frequency is a function of the force transmitted to the resonator system, it is clear that by measuring the said frequency, an analog magnitude representative of the pressure to be measured is obtained.
The systems used for exciting the resonator and for measuring the resonant frequency belong to numerous known types and involve known physical principles. Reference can e.g. be made to the use of elastoresistive gauges inserted in a WHEATSTONE bridge and fixed to the surface of the vibrating body constituting the resonator, the use of piezoelectric materials such as zinc oxide ZnO, the use of electrostatic forces between two coatings of a capacitor, whereof one is etched on the resonator or is constituted by the resonator, etc.
With reference to the attached FIG. 1, a description will be given of a pressure transducer with conversion by oscillating crystal in accordance with the prior art. FIG. 1 shows in a box or case 2 in which there is a vacuum, a system comprising a bellows or linked by an opening 6 in the wall of the case 2 with the atmosphere, whose pressure is to be measured. This bellows 4 which expands lengthwise to a varying extent as a function of said pressure firstly acts on a converter 8, which is a lever-shaped member articulated about a pivot 10. The end 12 of said converter 10 transmits the mechanical action undergone by the bellows 4 to an oscillator crystal 14, whose resonant frequency is measured. The resonant frequency is an analog value of the pressure which it is wished to measured.
However, such prior art devices suffer from a number of specific defects, both from a technical standpoint and from an economic standpoint. Details will now be given of these. With regards to the manufacturing costs of the apparatus, these are relatively high because mass production is difficult and instead such apparatuses are individually manufactured.
Moreover, the presently envisaged manufacturing processes do not make it possible to reduce the size of the transducers below a certain level (approximately 1 or more cm in exemplified manner), whereas increasingly frequent applications require small transducers, whereof the three dimensions are e.g. a few millimeters.
Moreover, the materials used for constructing such transducers are based on various technologies, whereas microelectronics is a "monolithic" art.
Finally, with regards to their technical performance characteristics, the known resonant pressure transducers, generally only accept frequency swings of 5 to 10% with respect to the resonant frequency of the resonator, which can e.g. be between 95 and 105 kHz. This feature, which is linked with the breaking stresses of the resonator, significantly limits the range of measurements possible using these transducers.


The subject matter discloses a trash bin device, comprising a first trash bin having a first hollow body, an aperture to the first hollow body, a first lid configured to close the aperture, said lid is connected to an axis connected to the first trash bin and moves in a rotational manner along said axis, a first pedal located in the vicinity of a lower portion of the first trash bin, said first pedal moves when pressed on, a raising mechanism configured to transfer movement of the first pedal to movement of the first lid along the axis, such that pressing on the first pedal results in raising the first lid and enabling inserting an article to the first hollow body. The pedal may be connected to an arm mechanism, a cord mechanism or an electrical mechanism for raising the lid.

An increasing number of municipalities in North America and around the world are requiring that citizens sort their garbage and recyclable material and deposit this material in municipally mandated, individually wheeled and hinge lidded containers. A growing number of cities are requiring that citizens also sort and separately dispose food waste and other compost. These waste sorting and disposal requirements stem from the concern about growing landfill waste, it being policy in many cities to reduce landfill waste by recycling food waste and other compost material, as well as plastics, newspapers, and a variety of other goods.
Presently, most trash, compost and recycling containers are stored outdoors. The trash companies must pick up their own trash bins and nothing can be added to the cans because of the trash companies' fork lifting device that empties the cans into the truck. There are many foot levers for indoor mini trash cans, not for bigger recycle bins located outdoors, which is the bigger issue. Animals, insects and trash combine to create an unsanitary and inconvenient and potentially dangerous environment for waste disposal. People could get bit by a bug, pinch a finger under the container's lid, get cut by glass while cleaning trash off the floor after the bag splits and the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,522,993 presents a device for opening/removing the lid from multiple recycle/trash bins, without use of the user's hands. The device comprises single outer arms pivotally connected to the lids of the multiple recycle bins, such that when lifting the single outer arm using a foot pedal, all lids will be removed and recycle bins will open.

Hands-free household waste and recycling disposal device


Emails modeled as conversations are displayed in a user interface that enables users to read and interact with the emails within a conversation intuitively. Conversation breaks, such as those in an in-reply-to relationship between messages, are presented utilizing extra spaces between displayed message parts, excerpts of parent messages displayed above the message following the break, and/or graphical elements like broken connectors. Relationships between a user selected message and its parent within the conversation defined relationship are illustrated using graphical elements or schemes that focus on the selected message to avoid confusion due to information overload.

Exchanged messages are treated in conventional email systems similar to regular mail. This data model addresses single, standalone, one way communications effectively. However, increasingly email is no longer standalone, or simple one way communication. A given email is now often part of a large protracted "conversation", an interrelated series of messages that, when viewed over time and in aggregate, more closely resembles an interactive discussion between people and groups.
While some indication of reply and/or forwarding relationship between messages may be provided in conventional systems, the user interfaces do not typically present the user a visually user-friendly representation of the messages in an email trail or conversation with their relationships that includes an intuitive way for an e-mail user to read and interact with an e-mail conversation of random complexity.
E-mail conversations are logically formed by e-mail messages linked to each other via an in-reply-to relationship. Typically, a sender sends an original e-mail to a set of recipients, which may reply to that message and then to subsequent replies thus building a conversation (a tree of e-mail messages, effectively). Building a user interface to display all these messages and their in-reply-to relationships is not an easy task, especially as the number of multiple replies to the same message increases (also called "branch points") and the conversation becomes less linear.

User interface reading email conversations


The new cultivar of Sanguisorba plant named ‘Sweet Dream’ that is characterized by its flowers that are pink in color, its flowers that are slightly pendulous, and its upright plant habit.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Sanguisorba officinalis and will be referred to hereafter by its cultivar name, 'Sweet Dream'. 'Sweet Dream' represents a new Burnet, an herbaceous perennial grown for landscape use.
The inventor discovered the new cultivar, 'Sweet Dream', as a chance seedling in a trial garden in September of 2018 in Rijnsburg, The Netherlands. The parentage is unknown.
Asexual propagation of the new cultivar was first accomplished by division in 2018 by the inventor in Rijnsburg, The Netherlands. Asexual propagation by division has determined that the new cultivar is stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.