Compositions and processes are disclosed for removing sulfur and sulfur compounds from hydrocarbon fuel feedstocks. The feedstock is contacted with a regenerable sorbent such as a compound of the formula TixCeyO2 where 0<x/y≦1 and where 0<x≦1 and 0<y≦1 capable of selectively adsorbing sulfur compounds present in the hydrocarbon feedstock at about 0° C. to about 100° C. such as at about 25° C.

Use of ultra deep desulfurization of liquid hydrocarbon fuels such as gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel to satisfy new environmental regulations and fuel cell applications is receiving increased attention worldwide. Conventional hydrodesulfurization (HDS) technology is difficult and costly to use to remove sulfur compounds from liquid hydrocarbon fuels to levels suitable for use in fuel cells, particularly for removal of refractory sulfur compounds such as 4,6-dimethyl-dibenzothiophene (4,6-DMDBT).
Several non-HDS-based desulfurization technologies for use with liquid fuels have been proposed. These technologies include adsorptive desulfurization biodesulfurization, oxidative desulfurization and extraction desulfurization.
Various desulfurization processes are known or have been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,063,936, issued on Nov. 13, 1962 to Pearce et al. discloses that sulfur reduction can be achieved for straight-run naphtha feedstocks from 357 ppmw to 10-26 ppmw levels by hydrotreating at 380° C. using an alumina-supported cobalt molybdate catalyst. According to Pearce et al., a similar degree of desulfurization may be achieved by passing the straight-run naphtha with or without hydrogen, over a contact material comprising zinc oxide, manganese oxide, or iron oxide at 350 to 450° C. Pearce et al. propose to increase sulfur removal by treating the straight run naphtha feeds in a three-stage process in which the hydrocarbon oil is treated with sulfuric acid in the first step, a hydrotreating process employing an alumina-supported cobalt molybdate catalyst is used in the second step, and an adsorption process, preferably using zinc oxide is used for removal of hydrogen sulfide formed in the hydrotreating step as the third step. The process is said to be suitable only for treating feedstocks that are substantially free from ethylenically or acetylenically unsaturated compounds. In particular, Pearce et al. disclose that the process is not suitable for treating feedstocks, such as hydrocarbons obtained as a result of thermal cracking processes that contain substantial amounts of ethylenically or acetylenically unsaturated compounds such as full-range FCC naphtha, which contains about 30% olefins.
A challenge in development of an effective adsorptive desulfurization process is development of an adsorbent which has high sulfur capacity, high selectively to the sulfur compounds over other aromatic and olefinic compounds coexisting in the fuels, and high regenerability and stability during recycle.
A need therefore exists for adsorbents which may be effectively used in adsorptive desulfurization processes.

Oxidatively regenerable adsorbents for sulfur removal


Method and apparatus for a security alert system for communicating a security event to users by means of a full mesh network topology. The mesh network includes a plurality of remote units, receiver units, emergency box units, and teacher/hallway units strategically placed throughout a facility. Each remote unit has a plurality of buttons thereon wherein a button is designated for a specific type of problem, for example, an intruder, a gun carrying intruder, a medical emergency, or a fight. If a user presses one of the designated buttons the other members of the mesh network, including a receiver unit being monitored by security personnel, are immediately notified of the type and the location of the problem within the facility.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to security systems and, more particularly, is concerned with a method and apparatus for securing a facility such as a school building.
Description of the Related Art
Devices relevant to the present invention have been described in the related art, however, none of the related art devices disclose the unique features of the present invention.
In U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0212339 dated Aug. 23, 2012, Goldblatt disclosed a concealed personal alarm and method. In U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0077959 dated Apr. 5, 2007, Newman, et al., disclosed an electronic locator. In U.S. Pat. No. 7,751,285 dated Jul. 6, 2010, Cain disclosed a customizable and wearable device for electronic images. In U.S. Pat. No. 7,880,610 dated Feb. 1, 2011, Tanner, et al., disclosed a system and method that provide emergency instructions. In U.S. Pat. No. 8,384,549 dated Feb. 26, 2013, Lemmon disclosed an event communication system for providing user alerts. In U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0296575 dated Dec. 27, 2007, Eisold, et al., disclosed a disaster alert device, system and method. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,822,568 dated Nov. 23, 2004, Gehlot, et al., disclosed a space area network. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,694,579 dated Sep. 26, 1972, McMurray disclosed an emergency reporting digital communications system. In Canadian Patent No. CA 2,308,577 dated May 27, 1999, Shamim Ahmad disclosed a security and emergency alarm system. In WIPO International Publication No. WO2014/132272 dated Sep. 4, 2014, Anand Sundararaj disclosed a method and system for optimal emergency communication.
While these devices may be suitable for the purposes for which they were designed, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as hereinafter described. As will be shown by way of explanation and drawings, the present invention works in a novel manner and differently from the related art.

Method and apparatus for securing a facility


According to the present invention, limited electric power is consumed so as to achieve long-lasting use of electric power during brake control with the use of an auxiliary power supply source when there is a malfunction of a vehicle power supply source. In addition, a brake control device for ensuring responsiveness at the beginning of braking or when emergency braking is necessary is provided. The brake control device of the present invention is a brake control device for detecting electric signals generated depending on the degree of brake-pedal operation and calculating the driver's demanded braking force based on the electric signals so as to generate the demanded braking force, which comprises an auxiliary power supply source for supplying electric power to the brake control device when there is a malfunction of a vehicle power supply source and controls braking depending on the charged capacity of the auxiliary power supply source.

In recent years, brake control devices of vehicles have been studied in which a braking force is assisted by electric power used as a drive force in response to brake-pedal operation. Such brake control devices are operated by supplying electric power from vehicle power supply sources. Thus, if there is a malfunction of a vehicle power supply source, it results in loss of operation. In order to cope with loss of operation, a brake control device that is electrically operated has a mechanical configuration in which a brake pedal depressing force is transmitted to the braking system of each wheel to cause generation of a braking force.
However, it is desirable for such brake control device to use electric power as a drive force to a maximum extent. JP Patent Application Publication No. 2004-17732 A (Patent Document 1) discloses a related technique. Patent Document 1 discloses a method for supplying electric power from an auxiliary power supply source when there is a malfunction of a main power supply source of a brake control device.


In embodiments of cross device visitor correlation, application data is generated by an application executing on a computing device, and a visitor identifier is included in the application data. The visitor identifier is associated with the computing device for a user who is not identified at the computing device from a user-provided log-in credential or email address. The application data can be communicated to a cloud data storage that maintains the application data to update instances of the application on one or more additional computing devices when the application data is requested. An additional computing device can receive the application data along with the visitor identifier, and then return the visitor identifier back to the cloud storage along with updated application data. A user of the computing device and the additional computing device is correlated as the same visitor by a visitor profile server based on the visitor identifier.

Many people today have multiple and different types of devices that they use to access the Internet for a multitude of reasons, such as to shop for consumer goods, find a service provider, for entertainment, for social networking, and/or for many other business and personal reasons. For example, one person may connect and access the Internet at various times of the day from any number of different devices, such as a mobile phone, a tablet device, a desktop computer, a network-enabled television, from his or her car, and with other electronic media devices.
Providers of applications and on-line access to goods and services seek to track visitors who download applications and visit Web sites to better understand how users interact with their technology. The access and application providers particularly want to know such information as why a user visits a particular Web site, what the visitor does and how the visitor navigates through the site, where the visitor ends up, and why the visitor leaves and/or goes to a different site. A user that has multiple devices makes this type of tracking difficult because the user will appear as a different visitor on each device. For example, a user who clicks on an advertisement starting a Web site visit from one device, and then later makes a purchase from a second device, will appear first as an actively acquired visitor who failed to convert and second as a separate visitor of unknown acquisition who did convert when making the purchase. A visitor who appears and makes a purchase without seemingly having first viewed and selected an advertisement may simply be changing devices. An acquisition campaign associated with the purchased product or service will not be properly credited because the visitor first appeared as an actively acquired visitor who failed to convert.
In many cases, browser application cookies are used to identify a returning visitor to a Web site and/or pages of the site. However, cookies are not utilized across different devices, or even across browser applications on the same device, and cookies do not identify a user of multiple, different devices. Typically, a person that appears as two different visitors to a particular Web site is only recognized as the same individual if the person logs-in to the site from both of the devices used to access the Web site. Many times however, users do not log-in, or prefer not to provide the information needed to setup a login account.


A maltooligosaccharide derivative very useful, for example, as a precursor of a modified oligosaccharide derivative having one or more modifying groups at the 6-position or the 4- and 6-positions of the non-reducing end glucose residue which can be effectively used as a substrate for determining .alpha.-amylase activity or an intermediate thereof, can be produced by reacting a compound of the formula: ##STR1## with a compound of the formula: ##STR2## to convert at least the hydroxyl groups at the 4- and 6-positions of non-reducing end glucose residue of the compound of the formula (1) into a cyclic boric acid ester, acylating the reaction product, and then treating the acylated product.

This invention relates to a process for producing a maltooligosaccharide derivative very useful, for example, as a precursor of a modified oligosaccharide derivative having one or more modifying groups at the 6-position or the 4- and 6-positions of the non-reducing-end glucose residue, and having or not having an optically measurable group at the reducing end, said modified oligosaccharide derivative being effectively usable as a substrate for determining .alpha.-amylase activity, or an intermediate of the substrate; and a process for producing the substrate for determining .alpha.-amylase activity, by use of said maltooligosaccharide derivative.
Determination of .alpha.-amylase activity in samples, in particular, saliva, sancreatic juice, blood and urine in a human body gives an important indication for medical diagnoses. For example, in the case of pancreatisis, pancreas cancer and parotiditis, the level of .alpha.-amylase activity in blood and urine is much higher than its usual level. For the determination, there has come to be generally employed in recent years a coupling enzyme method using as substrate a maltooligosaccharide having a color-producing group at the reducing end and a non-reducing end glucose residue modified at the 6-position or the 4- and 6-positions.
In the synthesis of such a substrate having a non-reducing end glucose residue modified only at the 6-position or the 4- and 6-positions, if there is a common intermediate which permits free and easy introduction of various modifying groups only into the 6-position or the 4- and 6-positions of the non-reducing end glucose residue, it becomes possible to synthesize rapidly and efficiently a substrate for determining .alpha.-amylase activity or an intermediate thereof, which has higher performance characteristics and a newer function. Therefore, the production and development of a substrate for determining .alpha.-amylase activity proceed rapidly, and hence the common intermediate is of high utility value.
Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication Nos. 60-54395 (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,709,020 and 4,818,692) and 2-49796 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,011,923) disclose a polyacetylmaltooligosaccharide derivative retaining the hydroxyl groups at the 4- and 6-positions of the non-reducing end glucose residue, and a process for producing the same. Utilization of these intermediates permits selective and easy synthesis of a substrate having a non-reducing end glucose residue modified only in the hydroxyl group at the 6-position and a substrate having a non-reducing end glucose residue modified at the 4- and 6-positions with bridge type blocking groups.
However, the synthetic process of the polyacetylmaltooligosaccharide derivative retaining the hydroxyl groups at the 4- and 6-positions of the non-reducing end glucose residue which has been disclosed in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication Nos. 60-54395 and 2-49796, has the following defect. The synthetic process uses a commercially available oligosaccharide derivative as a starting material and comprises three independent steps, i.e., a step of blocking the 4- and 6-positions, an acylation step and a deblocking step. Moreover, as a blocking group for the 4- and 6-positions, there is used a cyclic ketal (or acetal) type blocking group such as ethylidene group, isopropylidene group, benzylidene group or the like. Therefore, both the blocking step and the deblocking step require severe conditions and a troublesome procedure, so that the kind of the color-producing group at the reducing end is unavoidably limited.
Accordingly, there has been an eager desire for the advent of a process for producing a polyacrylmaltooligosaccharide derivative retaining the hydroxyl groups at the 4- and 6-positions of the non-reducing end glucose residue, easily in high yield under mild conditions by using a commercially available oligosaccharide derivative as a starting material.

Process for producing maltooligosaccharide derivative


A process and an apparatus for expanding and drying tobacco by means of vapor and/or hot gas are described, in accordance with which the tobacco is metered into an interior space (4) delimited by at least two flat jets (3, 3'). The flat jets flow into the channel from mutually opposing slotted nozzles (2, 2') and are directed towards one another at an acute angle and take up and consequently accelerate the tobacco suddenly. After the velocity acceleration by the flat jets, the tobacco is deflected by means of transverse flow, accelerated again, expanded and dried.

1. Field of the Invention
In the effective expansion and/or drying of tobacco, optimum heat transfer plays an important role in relation to the proper use and effect of heat. To this end, in general increased relative speed between the gas-containing treatment medium and the solid, and a sudden drop in pressure from the higher pressure region to the lower region in various ways have been proposed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A number of patent specifications describe the use of increased relative speed to improve the drying and/or expansion of moist tobacco. Thus, for example DE-PS 30 37 885 proposes deflection means which are offset opposite in a pneumatic transport tube in order in this way to alter, a number of times, the direction of motion and the relative speed of the tobacco length sections with respect to the gaseous heating and transporting medium. However, these deflection means result in the deposition of tobacco constituents on the walls of the pneumatic tube.
In accordance with DE-OS 36 19 816, it is proposed that the hot tobacco should be separated from the vapor or gas by means of a separator comprising a screen which extends at an angle of 135.degree. to 155.degree. with respect to the axis of the transporting pipe, at the downstream end thereof. An analogous proposal is described in DE-OS 36 19 015, with the difference that the tobacco-drying apparatus comprises two gas flow pipes with two separators which are connected to one another and that porous separators which are each arranged obliquely at an angle to one another should separate the tobacco from the gas. As a result of this system, the tobacco was to be subjected to acceleration twice through the gaseous medium.
The tobacco flowing at an angle and at high speed in the upward direction can be deposited against the face of the gas-permeable separators arranged obliquely with respect to the direction of flow, and can clog them.
With moist tobacco, in particular when the moisture content of the tobacco is above 35%, flow changes in a pneumatic hot-vapor tobacco transporting channel system result in undesirable deposition. This deposition occurs to the greatest extent where the flow change is the greatest, for example in the bent portion of a pneumatic transporting system. This is also the case with the method described in DE-OS 20 14 874. In accordance as a later patent specification of the same method, deposition as a result of cooling or condensation at the bent portion is supposed to be reduced.
DE-PS 38 39 529 describes a process and an apparatus for blowing cut tobacco material, in accordance with which a tobacco carrier gas stream is surrounded by a separately supplied gas stream in order thus to increase a number of times the relative speed between the tobacco material and the gas stream, but because of the previously effected surrounding of the tobacco material by the carrier gas this is achieved only inadequately and not over the entire channel cross-section. The additional gas stream is supplied by way of a plurality of slots which are constructed at an acute angle as an aperture in the channel casing in the direction of flow.
Further treatment of the tobacco after it has emerged from the treatment channel is illustrated only diagrammatically, without describing or claiming the type of treatment or drying. There is no mention of deflecting the direction of flow.
In accordance with DE-PS 33 15 274, a tobacco/gas mixture flows at very high velocity out of a horizontal transporting channel through a narrow nozzle into a dryer tube provided with bent portions. In order that the tobacco can be conveyed further, the flow velocity of the hot gas in the drying tube must be somewhat greater than that of the tobacco/gas mixture emerging from the nozzle. This necessitates an uneconomically large quantity of hot gas and involves intensive mixing or dilution of the tobacco with the gas.
When the tobacco suddenly enters a hot-air environment from the nozzle, the heat transfer caused by the turbulence can bring about an expansion of the tobacco, in particular with tobacco lengths which are more easily expandable. However, the conditions described in the above patent specifications do not sufficiently provide a more significant expansion of tobacco layers in order to bring about the desired expansion effect.
The publication DE-OS 26 37 124 describes the use of a venturi nozzle or a cross-sectional reduction in the tobacco transporting channel in order to increase the relative velocity between the hot gas-containing medium in the tobacco and thus to increase the expansion effect. The expansion effect can of course be further improved by tapering the cross-section of the tobacco transporting channel or by using a venturi nozzle, in the case of tobacco with a relatively high moisture content. The patent specification EP 074 059 is based on virtually the same principle. Here, the additional claim is made that the tobacco material is to be metered and conveyed at the "base point" of a free jet or of a nozzle. This may be ensured, inter alia, by the tobacco metering being directed directly toward the opening of the nozzle, as can be seen from FIGS. 3, 4, 5. The supply of the tobacco or its conveyance in the "base point" of a nozzle cannot be carried out in practice, since the jet flowing out of the nozzle has such a high velocity that it cannot at this point receive the tobacco within it. Only after the jet has widened out and has filled the transporting channel is there a possibility of the tobacco being embedded in this jet and transported further therewith. However, at this point the speed and temperature of the jet are reduced by the widening of its cross-section. This is why optimum exploitation of the heat transfer required for a proper expansion effect for cut leaf tobacco is reduced.
In accordance with DE-PS 31 47 846, equivalent to this patent specification, the tobacco was to be accelerated in the expansion zone and transported at an approximately constant speed, and then decelerated in a divergent flow with an increase in pressure. This construction may be ensured by the temporary narrowing of the channel cross-section, as illustrated in FIG. 1 of this printed specification. Admittedly, the speed acceleration and the reduction of a tobacco/vapor mixture is described in the above-cited DE-OS 26 37 124 by using a venturi nozzle, and "P. B. Dispersionstrockner" cited in DE-PS 22 53 882, that these constructions cannot be regarded as optimum because of the limited possibility of tapering the channel cross-section and because of the mechanical wear of the tobacco by the channel wall.


The present invention provides a method for the detection of species of Aloe using the polymerase chain reaction. The present invention also provides a method of differentiating between different species of Aloe using the polymerase chain reaction.

Aloe is a simple plant with an elaborate set of biologically active substances. (Cohen et al. in Wound Healing/Biochemical and Clinical Aspects, 1st ed. W. B. Saunders, Philadelphia (1992)). Over 300 species of Aloe are known, most of which are indigenous to Africa. Studies have shown that the biologically active substances are located in three separate sections of the aloe leaf--a clear gel filet located in the center of the leaf, in the leaf rind or cortex of the leaf and in a yellow fluid contained in the pericyclic cells of the vascular bundles, located between the leaf rind and the internal gel filet, referred to as the latex. Historically, Aloe products have been used in dermatological applications for the treatment of burns, sores and other wounds. These uses have stimulated a great deal of research in identifying compounds from Aloe plants that have clinical activity, especially anti-inflammatory activity. (See, e.g., Grindlay and Reynolds (1986) J. of Ethnopharmacology 16:117-151; Hart et al. (1988) J. of Ethnopharmacology 23:61-71). As a result of these studies there have been numerous reports of Aloe compounds having diverse biological activities, including anti-tumor activity, anti-acid activity (Hirata and Suga (1977) Z. Naturforsch 32c:731-734), anti-diabetic activity, tyrosinase inhibiting activity (Yagi et al. (1987) Planta medica 515-517), and antioxidant activity (International Application Serial No. PCT/US95/07404, published Dec. 19, 1996, publication number WO 96/40182). Aloe products are also used extensively in the cosmetic industry to protect skin against ultraviolet light. (Strickland et al. (1994) J. Invest. Dermatol. 102:197; Grollier et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,656,029, issued Apr. 7, 1987).
The commercial use of Aloe is wide spread, particularly in the cosmetic industry. There are currently many commercially available products which contain Aloe as an ingredient, however, to date there is there is no commercially viable process for the detection or quantitation of the amount of Aloe in these products. In order to better regulate this industry, there is currently a need for a process to detect and quantitate the amount of Aloe present in a mixture. At present manufacturers and distributors of Aloe can adulterate and dilute Aloe products and go undetected. It is imperative to develop standards to protect the Aloe product name.
The Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), is a recently developed technique which has had a significant impact in many areas of science. PCR is a rapid and simple method for specifically amplifying a target DNA sequence in an exponential manner. (Saiki et al. (1985) Science 230:1350; Mullis and Faloona (1987) Methods Enzymol. 155:335). Briefly, the method consists of synthesizing a set of primers that have nucleotide sequences complementary to the DNA that flanks the target sequence. The primers are then mixed with a solution of the target DNA, a thermostable DNA polymerase and all four deoxynucleotides (A, T, C and G). The solution is then heated to a temperature sufficient to separate the complementary strands of DNA (approximately 95.degree. C.) and then cooled to a temperature sufficient to allow the primers to bind efficiently and specifically to the flanking sequences. The reaction mixture is then heated again (to approximately 72.degree. C.) to allow the DNA synthesis to proceed. After a short period of time the temperature of the reaction mixture is once again raised to a temperature sufficient to separate the newly formed double-stranded DNA, thus completing the first cycle of PCR. The reaction mixture is then cooled and the cycle is repeated. Thus, PCR consists of repetitive cycles of DNA melting, annealing and synthesis. Twenty replication cycles can yield a million fold amplification of the target DNA sequence. The ability to amplify a single DNA molecule by PCR has applications in environmental and food microbiology (Wernars et al. (1991) Appl. Env. Microbiol. 57:1914-1919; Hill and Keasler (1991) Int. J. Food Microbiol. 12:67-75), clinical microbiology (Wages et al. (1991) J. Med. Virol. 33:58-63; Sacramento et al. (1991) Mol. Cell Probes 5:229-240; Laure et al. (1988) Lancet 2:538), oncology (Kumar and Barbacid (1988) Oncogene 3:647-651; McCormick (1989) Cancer Cells 1:56-61; Crescenzi et al. (1988) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 85:4869), genetic disease prognosis (Handyside et al. (1990) Nature 344:768-770), blood banking (Jackson (1990) Transfusion 30:51-57) and forensics (Higuchi et al. (1988) Nature (London) 332:543). PCR has also been used in phylogenetic studies of various organisms. For example, PCR has been used to authenticate and differentiate three medical species of Panax from one another and also from their common adulterants. (Shaw and But (1995) Planta Med. 61:466-469; Cheung et al. (1994) J. Ethnopharmacol. 42:67-69).
The feasibility of using the polymerase chain reaction to identify Aloe depends on establishing specific primers that detect Aloe DNA and extraction protocols that reproducibly recover the DNA. The proportion of Aloe DNA which survives processing and the successful recovery of DNA and elimination of PCR inhibitory substances from DNA extracts will dictate the sensitivity of the PCR reaction necessary to detect Aloe DNA in extracts of industrial Aloe products. The sensitivity of the PCR reaction that is required defines the type of PCR-product detection-system that is necessary and the type of containment required to eliminate spurious results and possible contamination.


A luminaire includes a fixture including at least one light source, a power supply mounted to the fixture for supplying power to the light source, and circuitry in communication with the power supply for controlling the power supplied to the light source dependent upon an ambient temperature, such that the power supplied to the light source is reduced when the ambient temperature falls below the threshold ambient temperature in order to limit the power supplied to the light source while an output of the light source remains substantially constant despite the limited power supplied. A system for indicating when maintenance is required on one or more luminaires in a building by sensing ambient temperatures and determining a difference between the ambient temperatures sensed and providing an indication signal that the determined difference between the ambient temperatures is at or above a threshold difference.

Luminaires or lighting fixtures are used for providing artificial light where needed, such as in buildings or outdoor areas. A typical arrangement includes a plurality of light sources carried in a single, elongated fixture and arranged in tandem for lighting a particularly wide area, such as an open floor space in a warehouse or an office space. While this type of lighting generally performs without incident due in part to the utilization of adequate heat sinks, controlling the power supplied to the plurality of light sources dependent upon an ambient temperature can extend the useful life of the plurality of light sources. Taking measures to insure the proper functioning of the heat sinks can likewise extend the useful life of the plurality of light sources.
In a first instance, the useful life can be extended by limiting the possibility for heat related damage that can arise from exposure to an ambient temperature in a range sufficient to cause damage to the plurality of light sources.
In a second instance, the useful life of the plurality of light sources can be extended by reducing the power supplied to the plurality of light source when an ambient temperature is below a threshold ambient temperature while maintaining an output of the plurality of light sources at a substantially constant level.
In a third instance, the useful life of the plurality of light sources can be extended by monitoring ambient temperatures within the lighting fixture and at a second position apart from the fixture to insure proper functioning of the heat sinks. A significant difference between the monitored ambient temperatures could indicate that the heat sink requires maintenance or cleaning.
Accordingly, a need is identified for an improved luminaire that provides the ability to extend the useful life of the plurality of light sources by controlling the power supplied to the plurality of light sources dependent upon an ambient temperature. This may be accomplished by limiting the possibility for heat related damage and reducing the power supplied to the plurality of light sources for greater efficiency at lower ambient temperatures. The ability to control the power supplied to the plurality of lights sources is of heightened importance in enclosed spaces such as warehouses, factories, or other industrial establishments. Even more, the useful life may be extended by monitoring ambient temperatures to insure proper functioning of heat sinks associated with the luminaire. The luminaire would be simple in construction, and could be adjusted in a variety of manners in order to achieve the desired objectives of controlled lighting. Related improvements are also proposed.

Luminaire and related methods to control light output dependent upon temperature


A yttria sintered body is provided which includes yttria as a principal ingredient and 5 to 40 vol. % silicon nitride, and which exhibits enhanced corrosion resistance and mechanical strength.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a yttria sintered body, a ceramic member using the yttria sintered body, and a manufacturing method of the yttria sintered body.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and liquid crystal manufacturing apparatus employ an electrostatic chuck or electric heater configured with a ceramic member having a metallic member composed of an electrode or resistance heating element buried therein, the ceramic member being formed, in general, with aluminum nitride or alumina which has high heat resistance and high corrosion resistance.
The yttria sintered body is very excellent in corrosion resistance, and has applications under study, to corrosion-resistive materials to be used in a corrosive gas environment, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication Nos. 2002-68838 and 2002-255647.

Yttria sintered body, ceramic member using yttria sintered body, and manufacturing method of yttria sintered body


The present invention relates to an interactive board game comprising a playing surface having a series of tabs, wherein each opened tab reveals clues or directions to the next tab to be opened. In one embodiment, the board game comprises individual cells containing a prize, such as a chocolate, located under each tab, which are accessible upon opening the tabs.

Numerous board and parlor games are well known in the prior art and widely used both for entertainment as well as educational purposes. Many board games involve one or more players progressing from a starting point to an end point (e.g. Candyland®, etc.). However, these games often require a large playing surface, and numerous pieces and other game components.
Advent calendars are also well known in the art. Examples of such calendars are set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 6,280,200. U.S. Pat. No. 7,090,253, and U.S. Publication No. 2006/0267276. Basically, advent calendars are devices which serve as a countdown to a specific event of significance, usually a holiday. Beginning at a specific starting date, one new tab is opened each subsequent day, such that unopened tabs indicate the days left before the event. Prizes are often located behind each tab to assuage the anticipation of waiting for that particular event. Because advent calendars are necessarily tied to a particular event, one is limited to using the advent calendar during the period leading up to that event. Furthermore, because the tabs on the advent calendar each correspond to a specific day, there is no variation or uncertainty in the order they are opened. The user is limited to opening the tabs in chronological order.


The present invention relates to a playlist managing apparatus and method capable of automatically generating and updating a playlist in response to a dynamic change in taste of a user. Hit rates for respective pieces of audio data are calculated based on output states of the pieces of audio data while they are decoded and output, and the playlist is updated or a playlist is generated based on the calculated hit rates, so that pieces of audio data that a user does not like cannot be reproduced.

The present invention claims foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 based on Korean Patent Application No. 10-2002-0085121, filed Dec. 27, 2002, the contents of which is incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a playlist managing apparatus and method, and more particularly, to a playlist managing apparatus and method capable of automatically generating and updating a playlist in response to a dynamically changing taste of a user.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the related art, a compact disc (CD) is an optical storage medium constructed such that data such as texts, audios and videos are sorted and stored therein based on tracks. The data recorded on the tracks can be read out when desired. Each CD comprises a lead-in area on which a table of contents (hereinafter, referred to as "TOC") including information on the number of tracks, starting points of the tracks, lengths of the tracks and the like is recorded, a program area in which audio data are actually recorded, and a lead-out area indicating the end of the CD, in accordance with the Red Book standards.
In the case of a related art audio CD, the number, names and play times of pieces of music recorded in the CD are included in the TOC in the lead-in area. When the audio CD is inserted into a CD player, the TOC recorded in the lead-in area is read out and the audio data can be reproduced according to the information included in the TOC.
However, the related art has various problems and disadvantages. For example, but not by way of limitation, the related art audio CD made in accordance with Red Book standards employs a scheme by which the TOC is sequentially read from the beginning to the end thereof. Thus, there is a related art problem in that the initialization time required for recognizing a large number of pieces of audio data recorded on the CD is increased by this access method.
Further, in case of the audio CD made in accordance with Red Book standards, since only information on play times for the respective tracks is included in the TOC, there is a related art problem in that it is impossible to perform a keyword search using a keyword such as the name of a musician, the name of a piece of music or the name of an album. Thus, a great deal of time and effort is needed to search for a desired piece of music.
To solve these related art problems, research has been actively conducted on CD standards capable of reducing access time to a CD by reading the TOC within a short period of time, and of providing a search function for a piece of audio music by simultaneously recording information on artists, kinds, albums and the like in the TOC.
As one of such CD standards, a proposed MultiAudio specifications (Revision 1.10, 2002.9.18, OSTA; hereinafter, referred to as "MA") format is capable of reproducing digital audio data compressed in a format independent of a file system, even by using other storage medium as well as a CD. MA is a kind of audio data recording format that allows a disc with compressed digital audio data such as MP3 or WMA files recorded thereon to be used in the same manner as an audio CD meeting the general Red Book standards.
FIG. 1 is a view showing a layout of the MA. A plurality of pieces of audio data, a TOC file (TOC.MAU), and one or more TrackList files such as Blues.MAU or Jazz.MAU are recorded on a CD meeting the MA specifications. The TOC file includes a TrackEntries field for indicating positions of respective pieces of digital audio data, and a User Defined Playlist field for indicating TrackEntries arranged in the order desired by a user. The TrackList file includes a field with TrackEntries arranged in the same order as the Playlist field in preparation for lack of memory of a storage medium.
In other words, in case of the MA, tracks or part of tracks that are recording units of audio data are set as one user defined track, and a playlist that is the order of reproducing tracks based on each piece of music desired by a user is generated and recorded on the user defined track. Thus, only pieces of music desired by the user can be sequentially reproduced in the future in accordance with the playlist of the pieces of music that the user wants to reproduce.
However, in case of a CD in which digital audio data corresponding to as many as 200 pieces of music are recorded, it is difficult to set the order of pieces of audio data, which are desired among such a large number of pieces of audio data, at a time and to generate the playlist. Accordingly, the user presses the skip button whenever undesired pieces of audio data in the playlist are reproduced, or perform an operation for deleting the undesired pieces of audio data from a relevant playlist.
More specifically, once a playlist is generated, the generated playlist is immediately burned on a CD. Thus, in a case where the playlist is recorded on an unwritable CD, it is impossible to edit the playlist. In such a case, the user presses the skip button whenever an undesired piece of music is reproduced during reproduction of the pieces of audio data included in the playlist. Further, even though a playlist is recorded on a writable CD, the user performs an operation for deleting relevant pieces of music from the playlist by editing the playlist. Thus, there is a problem in that the related art scheme as discussed above is cumbersome.
That is, although the audio CD made in the MA format can provide rapid initialization driving and a keyword search function for a piece of audio music, there is a limitation in that it is impossible to provide a playlist that responds to a dynamic change in taste of the user.


The present invention contemplates a trash can that one finds in high-traffic public venues. The trash can receives trash through an opening in the top of the housing. A trash by-pass chute is disposed within the housing and transports the trash from the opening in the top to the lower portion of the housing. A compacting mechanism is provided for automatically compacting the trash in the lower portion of the housing. Access to the trash by-pass chute is controlled by a hatch that can be closed by activation of a hatch stop. An actuator automatically activates the hatch stop during operation of the compacting mechanism. The compacted trash may be removed from the lower portion of the housing via a door that opens to allow access through the side of the trash can. The mechanism for compacting trash contents is automatically disabled if the door is open. A controller operates in conjunction with non-contact magnetic sensors to control operation of the trash can. A method is provided of forming a fiberglass item that includes an embedded image that can be cleaned without degrading the appearance of the image.

Trash compactors sized for consumer use include a trash receptacle open at the top and disposed beneath a platen that can be lowered into the trash receptacle to compress the trash. U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,025, which is hereby incorporated herein by this reference, discloses a typical compactor that includes a housing with a trash opening 20 that is disposed through the side of the housing. The trash opening 20 is disposed at a height that is higher than the opening of the trash receptacle and lower than the retracted height of the platen. In this way, trash entering the compactor enters in a space disposed between the retracted height of the platen and the open top of the trash receptacle.
In some compactor embodiments such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,870,898 to Spencer and U.S. Pat. No. 5,517,907 to Fox, which are hereby incorporated herein by this reference, the platen includes a portion that pivots with its free edge upwardly away from the opening of the trash receptacle and above the height of the trash opening 20 in the sidewall 18 of the housing.
Trash cans located on the premises of public venues such as airport terminals for example, include a housing that surrounds a trash receptacle. The housing typically includes a removable top that has an opening disposed above the opening of the trash receptacle. In some embodiments, the opening in the top of the housing can be provided with a spring-loaded closure that biases the closure in a position that seals and closes the opening in the top. When these trash cans become full, an attendant must remove the top of the housing and empty the contents into a larger bin for transport to a collection site from which the trash is removed from the premises to a disposal facility. The type of trash that the public disposes in the trash can typically occupied a relatively large volume and low density, as it consists largely of items such as beverage cans, cups composed of plastic or styrofoam, papers, and the like. Because this type of trash occupies a relatively large volume for its weight, attendants must frequently empty the trash receptacle to prevent the trash from overflowing the receptacle and clogging the opening in the top of the housing of the trash can. Because of the volume of trash in each trash can, a single attendant cannot empty very many trash cans in a single circuit of the attendant's assigned area. This disability limits the number of trash cans that can be monitored by any one attendant during the time span in which each can is expected to become full.

Top loading, automatically compacting trash can for high-traffic public venues


A rechargeable battery including an electrode assembly including a positive electrode and a negative electrode; a case including a space receiving the electrode assembly; a cap plate coupled with the case; and a terminal electrically connected to the electrode assembly, the terminal protruding outside of the cap plate, wherein a top of the cap plate has a slanted surface.

1. Field
Embodiments relate to a rechargeable battery.
2. Description of the Related Art
A rechargeable battery is a battery that can be charged and discharged, unlike a primary battery that cannot be charged. A low-capacity rechargeable battery may be used for small portable electronic devices, e.g., a mobile phone, a laptop computer, and a camcorder. A large-capacity battery may be used as a power supply for driving a motor, e.g., for a hybrid car.
A high power rechargeable battery using a non-aqueous electrolyte may have a high energy density. The high power rechargeable battery may be configured as a large-capacity rechargeable battery by connecting a plurality of rechargeable batteries in series to be able to be used for devices requiring a large amount of power, e.g., for driving a motor such as an electric vehicle.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the described technology and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.


A method for producing a battery electrode which includes the steps of:. 1) mixing active material, methyl methacrylate/butadiene copolymer binder, and water; PA1 2) drying the mixture so that it contains between 1% to 3.5% by weight of residual moisture; and PA1 3) applying the dried material to a current collector. The novelty of this invention resides in drying the active material mixture prior to applying the mixture to the current collector.

There has been known a process for manufacturing a battery electrode, comprising the steps of mixing active material with a binder, applying the mixture so obtained to a current collector and drying (see Japanese patent application No. 17545/71, C1. 57C2, 1971).
One of the major drawbacks of said process is its limitation in utilizing more efficient methods of applying the active material to the current collector, with the exception of a method for smearing. This is caused by the fact that, when using these methods of applying active materials to a collector, namely milling and pressing, which allow preparation of electrodes with higher capacities per unit weight, a wet mixture of active materials will be squeezed out. In addition to the above problem, when drying an active material of a smeared electrode, warping is unavoidable so that an additional process for milling becomes necessary to straighten said electrode. Drying requires a complete hardening of a binder. As a result, the destruction of the electrode skeleton structure takes place when the binder polymerizes during rolling and drying. The destruction results in the decrease of electrode strength and flexibility. The destruction also disturbs the contact between separate particles of active materials, leading to the decrease of capacity of such electrodes.
The closest prior art dealing with processes for making electrodes of the same purpose has been described in a method for manufacturing a battery electrode, comprising the steps of mixing an active material with a binder, applying a mixture so obtained to the lead, and drying (see French Patent No.2415882, Int. C1. HO1M 4/32, 1979).
It is, however, impossible to use the above method during one main stage (rolling and pressing), to obtain an electrode with predetermined weight characteristics due to an intense creep of the paste. When applying the paste onto a current collector using the said method, additional means (porous bands, cords, etc.) for dehydrating and keeping clear of the paste to operating parts are required, resulting in considerable complication of the manufacturing process.
Moreover, electrodes made by the said method using a tentative binder possess a limited flexibility which narrows the spectrum of applicability of, for example, small-scale cylindrical primary current generator cells due to the cracking of electrodes while coiling.

Method of manufacturing a battery electrode

Aktsionernoe Obschestvo Zakrytogo Tipa "Elit"

Aktsionernoe Obschestvo Zakrytogo Tipa "Esma"


Optical fiber coils are formed on inner and outer mandrels. The inner mandrel is spaced apart from the outer mandrel to form a cavity between them with the inner fiber coil being inside the cavity. Water-tight seals between the inner and outer mandrels keep the inner coil isolated from underwater acoustic waves that may be incident upon the outer coil. The optical fibers are included in a dual optical path fiber optic interferometer that includes the inner fiber coil in a first optical path and the outer fiber coil in a second optical path. A central wall divides the inner region of the inner mandrel into two cavities. A tie rod has a first end connected to the wall and a second end extending out of the first cavity in the inner mandrel. A backshell is connected to the second end of the tie rod. The backshell includes a hollow portion formed as a housing for protecting fiber optic components of the interferometer.

The invention relates generally to a fiber optic hydrophone that is acceleration-insensitive and is adaptable for use in noisy environments. The invention relates particularly to a fiber optic hydrophone having a rigid mandrel and compliant backed cavities to provide enhanced acoustic sensitivity.
The conventional method for underwater sound detection employs piezoelectric transducers, along with associated electronics. Because conventional sensors are electrically active, it is required that power be supplied to the sensors underwater, which causes additional weight, complexity, and cost. Further, conventional systems have low reliability because seals in the underwater hydrophones may leak and cause equipment malfunctions. In addition, conventional sensor have limited sensitivities and are susceptible to electromagnetic pickup.
Fiber optic hydrophones are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,525,818 and 4,570,248. The size of prior art fiber optic hydrophones has limited the directional response has been limited to low frequencies.


An Interactive Voice Response Server (“IVR Server”) generates a session identifier (“session ID”) to identify and track a session during an initial communication connection. Upon resolving menu selection identifiers that are received from a first communication device to a queue of sessions, the IVR Server stores the session ID in a queue table for the queue. Next, the IVR Server determines an estimated wait time, generates a token, and links the estimated wait time and the token to the session by mapping the token and the estimated wait time to an entry of the session ID in the queue table. Finally, the IVR Server transmits the estimated wait time and the token to the first communication device. In a subsequent communication connection, the session can be accessed on the same or a different device as the session progresses through the queue based on the token.

A call center receives calls for customer support, payment, or other requests for information from customers pertaining to a company, product, or service. The call center typically receives a large volume of telephonic inquiries, routes those inquiries to knowledgeable persons to handle the inquiries, and then responds to the inquiries. In a contact center, customers are also routed to persons with pertinent information during a phone call, but customers can also interact via email, online chat, instant messaging, etc. The callers, however, are often displeased if subjected to long wait times.

Priority token-based interactive voice response server


A device is disclosed for sequencing the deployment of a deployable structure comprising a first body, at least one second body mobile relative to the first body, and at least one third body mobile relative to either the first body or the second body and disposed, in an at least partially folded position of the structure, against or between the first and second bodies. The device comprises a first member fixedly mounted on the third body and preventing its deployment when it is immobilized and a second member mounted on the second body and immobilizing the first member until the second body has effected a selected portion of a kinematic that drives it from an initial position to a final position.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is that of structures with deployable bodies, and to be more precise sequencing devices controlling at least in part the deployment of mobile bodies of such structures.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the aerospace field, for example, certain structures are deployed when the craft (or platform) on which they are installed have reached their operating location (as in the case of a sensing or telecommunication satellite), or have effected a certain portion of their track or mission (as in the case of a spacecraft). This deployment, for example of solar panels of a solar generator and/or send and/or receive panels of a telecommunication antenna and/or panels of a heat transfer device, is effected in accordance with a predefined order and controlled by a sequencing device.
Some prior art sequencing devices allow the displacement of a body of a structure only once another body of the same structure, to which it is attached, has been deployed. To be more precise, each articulation attached to a first body to be deployed which is itself attached to a second body to be deployed is coupled to a sequencing device that authorizes the deployment of the second body only once it is in a locked or virtually locked position.
Thus this kind of sequencing device is not able to initiate the deployment of a body if the deployment of the body to which it is attached has not been completed, because it necessitates a locked state of the body that is being deployed and an element for indicating that locked state.
Thus an object of the invention is to improve on this situation and in particular to enable kinematic releases in intermediate deployment steps, with deployment devices (articulations) that have no locking state indication, and at the end of deployment.

Sequencing device for deploying a structure as a function of the kinematics of one mobile body thereof


Embodiments for controlling an exhaust back-pressure valve are provided. In one example, a method for operating an engine comprises closing an exhaust back-pressure valve in response to a component temperature, adjusting intake and/or exhaust valve operation in response to closing the exhaust back-pressure valve to reduce cylinder internal exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), and while the exhaust back-pressure valve is closing, indicating degradation of an exhaust back-pressure system if a designated engine operating parameter remains constant. In this way, degradation of the exhaust back-pressure system may be diagnosed while maintaining combustion stability.

Catalysts positioned in the exhaust of engines act to convert emissions produced during combustion to compounds which may be released to the atmosphere. Frequently, these catalysts convert emissions most efficiently at elevated exhaust temperatures, and thus during engine cold start and warm-up conditions when the catalyst is below normal operating temperature, emissions may slip past the catalyst. One method to rapidly heat the catalyst includes increasing the temperature of exhaust gas traveling through the catalyst.
One example approach for increasing exhaust gas temperature is described in U.S. Patent Application Publication 2010/0005784. In the cited reference, an exhaust back-pressure valve positioned in the exhaust of an engine is closed to increase the exhaust temperature in order to perform a desulfination of a catalyst.
However, the inventors herein have recognized a few issues with the above approach. Increasing exhaust back-pressure by closing the exhaust back-pressure valve may increase the dilution of the cylinder charge with burned gases, resulting in unstable combustion under some conditions. Further, the diluted cylinder charge may limit the amount of spark retard that can be applied, thus limiting the temperature increase of the exhaust.
Accordingly, one embodiment to at least partly address the above issues includes a method for operating an engine. The method comprises closing an exhaust back-pressure valve in response to a component temperature, adjusting intake and/or exhaust valve operation in response to closing the exhaust back-pressure valve to reduce cylinder internal exhaust gas recirculation, and while the exhaust back-pressure valve is closing, indicating degradation of an exhaust back-pressure system if a designated engine operating parameter remains constant.
In this way, the exhaust gas temperature may be increased responsive to a component temperature (e.g., a temperature of a catalyst being below a threshold) by throttling the exhaust via the exhaust back-pressure valve. Additionally, intake and/or exhaust valve timing may be adjusted to reduce the trapping of exhaust residuals in the cylinders, thus reducing the internal exhaust gas recirculation (e.g., dilution of the cylinder charge) and increasing combustion stability. In some examples, external exhaust gas recirculation may also be decreased to further reduce the dilution of the cylinder charge. The closure of the exhaust back-pressure valve may also be restricted to high-combustion stability operating conditions, such as low humidity and low altitude, to avoid increased combustion instability. Further, degradation of the exhaust back-pressure system may be monitored during movement of the valve, while still maintaining combustion stability.
The present disclosure may offer several advantages. For example, rapid catalyst heating may be attained without compromising combustion stability, thus avoiding degraded exhaust emissions and potential misfires. By rapidly heating the catalyst, exhaust emissions during engine cold starts may be reduced. Additionally, by maintaining relatively low dilution even with the exhaust back-pressure valve closed, spark timing may be further retarded to increase the exhaust gas temperature. Further, by diagnosing the exhaust back-pressure system based on changes in designated operating conditions while the exhaust back-pressure valve moves, degradation of the system may be quickly detected, and if the system is degraded, additional mechanisms to heat the catalyst may be employed.
The above advantages and other advantages, and features of the present description will be readily apparent from the following Detailed Description when taken alone or in connection with the accompanying drawings.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.

Catalyst heating with exhaust back-pressure


A semiconductor device includes a mask layer having openings on a substrate, a GaN-based semiconductor layer selectively formed on the substrate with the mask layer that serves as a mask, a gate electrode and either a source electrode or an emitter electrode formed on the GaN-based semiconductor layer, and a drain electrode or a collector electrode connected on a surface of the first semiconductor layer that faces the GaN-based semiconductor layer or an opposite side of the first semiconductor layer.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to semiconductor devices and fabrication methods of the same, and more particularly, to a semiconductor device in which a GaN-based semiconductor layer is selectively formed and a fabrication method of the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Semiconductor devices having a GaN-based semiconductor or SiC-based semiconductor are used as a power device that operates at high frequencies and high power. As a semiconductor device having the GaN-based semiconductor or SiC-based semiconductor, FET such as HEMT (High Electron Mobility Transistor) or the like, IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor), and MOSFET (Metal Oxide Semiconductor FET) are well known. The GaN-based semiconductor is a single crystal or mixed crystal composed of, for example, at least one of GaN, AlN, and InN.
Here, a description will be given of a process of providing an opening portion in the GaN-based semiconductor device (hereinafter, referred to as conventional technique 1), in fabricating the semiconductor device having a vertical structure with the use of the GaN-based semiconductor. FIG. 1A through FIG. 1C are cross-sectional views of a fabrication process of the conventional technique 1. Referring to FIG. 1A, a GaN-based semiconductor layer 108, which includes a drift layer 102, an electron control layer 104, and a contact layer 106, is formed on a substrate 100.
Referring to FIG. 1B, a photo resist 120 having an opening in a given region is formed. Referring to FIG. 1C, the contact layer 106 is dry etched by the use of Cl2 with the photo resist 102 that serves as a mask, so as to form an opening portion in the contact layer 106. A gate electrode 112 is provided in the opening portion and a source electrode 110 is provided on the contact layer 106. In this manner, the opening portion is formed by etching the GaN-based semiconductor layer 108.
Also, as another technique of forming the GaN-based semiconductor layer, the following arts (hereinafter, referred to as conventional technique 2) are disclosed. According to Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-251253, an underlying layer fabricated of the GaN-based semiconductor is formed on the substrate, which is not the GaN-based semiconductor so as to partially provide a protection film on the underlying layer. This discloses the technique of forming the GaN-based semiconductor layer on the underlying layer without the protection film. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-349338 discloses a technique of forming the mask in strips and providing the GaN-based semiconductor layer to cover the mask.
In the conventional technique 2, however, if the GaN-based semiconductor having a thick drift layer is formed on a sapphire substrate or SiC substrate, for example, a distortion or warp occurs on the substrate. This causes a crack in the substrate or the GaN-based semiconductor layer. Besides, in the fabrication process of the semiconductor device, accuracy in alignment is degraded in the lithography process.
In addition, in the conventional technique 1, while the opening portion is being formed in the GaN-based semiconductor layer, damage is introduced into side walls of the opening portion in the contact layer 106 or a bottom of the opening portion of the electron control layer 104. In a conductive region of the GaN-based semiconductor layer, this damage generates a trap level on a surface of the semiconductor or in the semiconductor, and inactivated carriers and reduces concentrations of electrons and holes. Also, in an insulating region of the GaN-based semiconductor layer, the trap level generated by the damage causes leakage current to flow. With these reasons, the electric characteristics of the semiconductor device will be deteriorated.

Semiconductor device in which GaN-based semiconductor layer is selectively formed


The system and method described herein facilitate back-to-back automatic scanning of moving vehicles without have the vehicles stop in the scanning zone. The system includes a scanning zone that comprises a radiation source and a radiation source detector. The system further includes a first sensor component for automatically sensing when a first portion of the moving target has passed through the scanning zone and a second portion of the moving target is about to enter the scanning zone, wherein the first sensor component sends a signal to the automated target inspection system to initiate a scan of the second portion upon sensing that the second portion of the target is about to enter the scanning zone. Additionally, a shutter, triggered by a signal from the first sensor component, allows radiation from the radiation source to pass through the scanning zone in the direction of the radiation detector when the second portion of the moving target is passing through the scanning zone and closes off the radiation when the second portion of the moving target is no longer within the scanning zone.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the field of imaging a target and more particularly to the field of imaging the contents of a moving target.
2. Description of the Related Art
In this time of increased security concerns, authorities are continually looking for ways to improve national security through imaging technology. Additionally, law enforcement continues to battle drug, stolen goods and people trafficking both at the borders and within the borders of the United States through nonintrusive x-ray and gamma-ray imaging. There is a balance that must be struck between the desire to check the contents of vehicles for illegal and/or potentially hazardous materials and the desire to protect the drivers of the vehicles and to minimize the impact of the investigation on the flow of commerce.
Currently available vehicle and cargo imaging systems, particularly those directed towards the imaging of moving targets, i.e., trucks, etc., utilize stop-and-go procedures that require manual control of the scan process. For example, current systems require the driver of the moving target to (1) stop the vehicle in a scanning zone, (2) certain systems require the driver to exit the vehicle and go a safe distance from the scanning zone to avoid potential exposure to the imaging radiation and, (3) certain systems require the driver, or some third party, to manually initiate the scanning of the vehicle. Further, many of the systems that are currently available for such imaging, utilize a high power x-ray source for the imaging radiation.
By way of specific example, a particular known vehicle and cargo imaging system and process is described as follows. The driver approaches the first of 3 traffic signals. The first signal "enter" is green when there is no vehicle sensed between opposing source and detector towers defining the scan area, and red when there is a vehicle in the scan area. When the "enter" signal turns green the driver approaches a driver arm and the second traffic signal, which is red at this point. The "enter" of the first traffic signal also turns red, prohibiting any other vehicles from entering the scan area. Sensors detect the presence of the vehicle and a flashing yellow light on the driver arm engages. This prompts the driver to press the driver pushbutton located on a panel outside of the vehicle before the driver arm. This pushbutton sends a signal to an operator console notifying the operator that the driver is ready for his vehicle to be scanned. The operator presses the blinking "scan" button on the operator console and the shutters to the scanning source are opened. At this time, the second "scan" traffic light turns green and the driver proceeds through the scan area. As the vehicle exits the scan area, sensors detect the lack of a vehicle and automatically close the shutters to the scanning source. At this point, the first "enter" traffic signal turns green for another vehicle to proceed to the driver arm. Lastly, the "Exit" button on the operator panel lights up and the operator can depress the button to change the third traffic signal from red to green, thus allowing the vehicle to completely exit the area. This whole process takes approximately 20 seconds for a nominal scan.

Method and system for automatically scanning and imaging the contents of a moving target

Science Applications International Corporation


A headlight case, that houses a light body, is made small in size. The light body includes a reflector, and a lens attached to the reflector. The light body is pivotally supported in the headlight case by bolts extending through a ring member extending around the light body, so that an aiming operation can be performed. The ring member is connected to the light body behind the lens, and is locked to the headlight case at a position spaced away from an open edge thereof. A ring body of the ring member has an outer shape smaller than a maximum outer shape of the light body. A rim, to be fitted around the open end of the headlight case, has a lead that extends toward a position spaced away from the open end of the headlight case, to be fitted into a concave part of the headlight case.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a motorcycle headlight, and particularly to a motorcycle headlight having a structure in which a light body is adjustably supported within a headlight case, so that an aiming operation can be performed.
2. Background Art
A known motorcycle headlight has a structure in which a light body is adjustably supported by a headlight case, so that an aiming operation can be performed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a headlight which includes a lamp cover, and a frame arranged in front of the lamp cover. In this known headlight, an upper edge of a light body is hung on the frame, and an end of an adjustment piece, provided at a lower edge of the light body, is connected to the frame through an adjustment screw.
In addition, Patent Document 2 discloses a headlight having a headlight case divided into upper and lower cases. In this known headlight, a light body is pivotally supported by the lower case, and circumferential end parts of the upper and lower cases are bound with a shade ring. Further, an adjustment piece extending from the light body, and a fixing piece extending from the shade ring, are fixed to the lower case with an aiming bolt.    [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open Publication No. Sho 60-44303    [Patent Document 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. Hei 5-85253
In conventional headlights as disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, a support part, configured for supporting the light body so that an aiming operation can be performed, supports a maximum outer diameter part of the light body near an opening of the headlight case. The headlight case is thus designed to surround a structural support part which is, in turn, surrounds the light body. Accordingly, the known headlights are generally required to be formed in a large size.
Although the known headlight assemblies have some utility for their intended purposes, a need still exists in the art for an improved headlight assembly. In particular, there is a need for an improved headlight assembly which is relatively small in size, yet which has a structure which facilitates an aiming operation of a light body.


An external airbag system of a vehicle may include an airbag housing that is disposed behind a bumper of the vehicle and is allowed to slide straight in a forward direction, an airbag cushion that is disposed inside the airbag housing, a sliding device that moves the airbag housing in a forward direction, and an airbag controller that controls the airbag cushion and the sliding device according to information of sensing device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an airbag system for a car accident, particularly a technology about an airbag system in which an airbag cushion expands outside from the front of a vehicle to absorb impact in a car accident.
2. Description of Related Art
Airbag systems are mounted inside vehicles in the related art, such that when impact is applied to the car body, the impact is sensed and an airbag cushion absorbs the impact that is applied to a passenger, expanding in the vehicle.
However, because the airbag system mounted inside a vehicle as described above basically operates after impact is applied to the car body, it is frequently difficult to secure sufficient time to expand the airbag cushion in order to protect the passenger.
Therefore, by providing an airbag system that allows an airbag cushion to expand at the front of a vehicle before a vehicle collision, it is possible to secure sufficient time to protect a passenger and reduce damage to the passenger due to the structure increasing a marginal space for absorbing shock energy.
FIG. 1 shows an outside airbag system of a vehicle that allows an airbag expands from the front of the vehicle to achieve the above objects in the related art, in which an airbag cushion 504 is disposed in front of a bumper back beam 502 inside a front bumper 500 of the vehicle.
But, airbag cushion 504 disposed inside the bumper of a vehicle as described above has not been put to practical use, because it is difficult to make the original function of the bumper itself in the related art.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.


An adjustment mechanism for an office chair is disclosed. The adjustment mechanism may be used to adjust a height or position of an adjustable member of the chair. The adjustment mechanism can include an adjusting rod threaded through at least one, and in some arrangements two, adjusting members, the adjusting members each having a straight portion and a curved portion, the curved portion of each adjusting member received within a slot of a spreading member such that movement of the spreading member toward the adjusting rod spreads apart the adjusting members, creating a clamping force on the adjusting rod to set the height or position of the adjustable member of the chair.

1. Field of the Invention
This application is directed toward adjustment mechanisms, which can be incorporated in furniture, such as office furniture, and more particularly to a chair back height adjustment mechanism.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many specialized types of seating furniture benefit from adjustability of their parts to conform to the particular size of the individual sitting on the furniture. This may include back height adjustment, seat tilt or forward/back extension adjustment, lumbar adjustment, etc. Chairs of this kind may also include armrests that adjust in height relative to the chair body.
In some configurations, components of adjustable office chairs are adjusted with a rotatable knob which controls a frictional clamping relationship. One hand may be used to adjust the height of adjustable member and the other hand may be used to rotate the knob to clamp the adjustable member at a desired height. However, this mechanism requires the user to first rotate the knob to release the clamping force and then rotate the knob again to re-engage the clamping force. This requires a significant amount of hand strength and, thus, may be difficult for some users to perform.
Other chair adjustment mechanisms include a lever-based system in which teeth of the adjustment mechanism engage slots or notches. Typically, such mechanisms allow adjustment only in discrete, predetermined intervals. Furthermore, adjustment of a chair back in a reverse direction (such as down) may only be done after pulling the chair back fully in one direction (such as up), to release the mechanism and allow the adjustment mechanism to reset.
These types of adjusting mechanisms are common due to being uncomplicated and inexpensive to produce. However, these designs have substantial disadvantages in that they are not infinitely adjustable and/or are not easy to adjust with one hand. Additionally, a set-screw-type connection may require substantial force to insure that the part to be adjusted does not slip from its desired position. This may cause user discomfort and may be difficult for some users to operate.


In a transmission circuit that transmits transmission data using an amplitude shift modulation method (ASK modulation method) for changing an amplitude of carrier waves based on the transmission data or a transmission system that uses the transmission circuit, a phase of the carrier waves is changed based on the transmission data to suppress an irradiation of carrier wave components.

In a transmission system, that is, a transmission system that transmits signals in a single apparatus, for example, a miniaturization and low power consumption of a transmission circuit and a reception circuit are required. To satisfy such a requirement, a compact ASK (Amplitude Shift Keying) modulation method of a low power consumption is used as a modulation method for modulating signals in a transmission circuit (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2011-77567

Transmission circuit, transmission method, and transmission system


A compound according to Formula Ia:

GPR84 was recently isolated and characterized from human B cells (Wittenberger et al., 2001, J Mol Biol, 307, 799-813) as the result of an expressed sequence tag data mining strategy, and also using a degenerate primer reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) approach aimed to identify novel chemokine receptors expressed in neutrophils (Yousefi S et al. 2001 J Leukoc Biol; 69, 1045-52).
GPR84 (also known as EX33) remained an orphan GPCR until the identification of medium-chain FFAs with carbon chain lengths of 9-14 as ligands for this receptor (Wang et al., (2006) J. Biol. Chem. 281:3457-64). GPR84 was described to be activated by capric acid (C10:0), undecanoic acid (C11:0) and lauric acid (C12:0) with potencies of 5 μM, 9 μM and 11 μM, respectively. Two small molecules were also described to have some GPR84 agonist activity: 3,3′ di-indolylmethane (DIM) (Wang et al. (2006) J. Biol. Chem. 281:3457-64) and embelin (WO 2007/027661A2).
GPR84 expression has been shown to be expressed in immune cells at least but not limited to polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN), neutrophils, monocytes, T cells, B cells. (Wang et al., 2006, The Journal of Biological Chemistry, 281, 45, 3457-3464, Yousefi et al., 2001, Journal of Leukocyte Biology, 69, 1045-1052, Venkataraman and Kuo, 2005, Immunology Letters, 101, 144-153, WO2007/027661 A2). Higher levels of GPR84 were measured in neutrophils and eosinophils than in T-cells and B-cells. GPR84 expression was demonstrated in tissues that may play a role in the propagation of the inflammatory response such as lung, spleen, bone marrow.
For example, in a recent review, Du Bois reported the current status of therapies for lung interstitial diseases, such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). There are almost 300 distinct injurious or inflammatory causes of interstitial lung disease that can result in diffuse lung scarring, and the initial stages of the IPF pathology are very likely to involve inflammation (Du Bois, 2010, Nat Rev, Drug Discovery, 9, 129), and combination therapies involving anti-inflammatory treatment could be advantageously used.
The expression of GPR84 was highly up-regulated in monocytes/macrophages upon LPS stimulation (Wang et al., 2006, The Journal of Biological Chemistry, 281, 45, 3457-3464).
GPR84 knock-out (KO) mice are viable and indistinguishable from wild-type littermate controls (Venkataraman and Kuo, 2005, Immunology Letters, 101, 144-153). The proliferation of T and B cells in response to various mitogens is reported to be normal in GPR84-deficient mice (Venkataraman and Kuo, 2005, Immunology Letters, 101, 144-153). T helper 2 (Th2) differentiated T cells from GPR84 KO secreted higher levels of IL4, IL5, IL13, the 3 major Th2 cytokines, compared to wild-type littermate controls. In contrast, the production of the Th1 cytokine, INFγ, was similar in Th1 differentiated T cells from GPR84 KO and wild-type littermate (Venkataraman and Kuo, 2005, Immunology Letters, 101, 144-153).
In addition, capric acid, undecanoic acid and lauric acid dose dependently increased the secretion of interleukin-12 p40 subunit (IL-12 p40) from RAW264.7 murine macrophage-like cells stimulated with LPS. The pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-12 plays a pivotal role in promoting cell-mediated immunity to eradicate pathogens by inducing and maintaining T helper 1 (Th1) responses and inhibiting T helper 2 (Th2) responses. Medium-chain FFAs, through their direct actions on GPR84, may affect Th1/Th2 balance.
Berry et al. identified a whole-blood 393-gene transcriptional signature for active tuberculosis (TB) (Berry et al., 2010, Nature, 466, 973-979). GPR84 was part of this whole-blood 393-gene transcriptional signature for active TB indicating a potential role for GPR84 in infectious diseases.
GPR84 expression was also described in microglia, the primary immune effector cells of the central nervous system (CNS) from myeloid-monocytic origin (Bouchard et al., 2007, Glia, 55:790-800). As observed in peripheral immune cells, GPR84 expression in microglia was highly inducible under inflammatory conditions such as TNFa and IL1 treatment but also notably endotoxemia and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), suggesting a role in neuro-inflammatory processes. Those results suggest that GPR84 would be up-regulated in CNS not only during endotoxemia and multiple sclerosis, but also in all neurological conditions in which TNFα or IL1b pro-inflammatory cytokines are produced, including brain injury, infection, Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD).
GPR84 expression was also observed in adipocytes and shown to be enhanced by inflammatory stimuli (Nagasaki et al., 2012). The results suggest that GPR84 emerges in adipocytes in response to TNFα from infiltrating macrophages and exacerbates the vicious cycle between adiposity and diabesity, and therefore the inhibition of GPR84 activity might be beneficial for the treatment of endocrine and/or metabolic diseases.
Therefore, the present invention provides novel compounds, processes for their preparation and their use in the preparation of a medicament for the treatment of inflammatory conditions (for example inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), rheumatoid arthritis, vasculitis, lung diseases (e.g. chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung interstitial diseases (e.g. idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF))), neuroinflammatory conditions, infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, endocrine and/or metabolic diseases, and/or diseases involving impairment of immune cell functions.

Dihydropyrimidinoisoquinolinones and pharmaceutical compositions thereof for the treatment of inflammatory disorders

Abstract: A compound according to Formula Ia:

Abstract: wherein L1, G, and R1 are as described herein.

Abstract: The present invention relates to novel compounds according to Formula I that antagonize GPR84, a G-protein-coupled receptor that is involved in inflammatory conditions, and methods for the production of these novel compounds, pharmaceutical compositions comprising these compounds, and methods for the prevention and/or treatment of inflammatory conditions (for example inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), rheumatoid arthritis, vasculitis, lung diseases (e.g. chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung interstitial diseases (e.g. idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF))), neuroinflammatory conditions, infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, endocrine and/or metabolic diseases, and/or diseases involving impairment of immune cell functions by administering a compound of the invention.


An electronic chassis includes a motherboard sled configured to engage in or out of the electronic chassis. The motherboard sled includes a housing and a mechanical actuator for engaging the motherboard sled into or out of an electronic chassis. The mechanical actuator includes at least one lever rotatably coupled to a hinge to form a first fulcrum adjacent to a vertical edge of a front surface of the housing. The mechanical actuator also includes a guiding arm adjacent to the hinge and mechanically connected to the at least one lever to form a second fulcrum. The guiding arm rotates between a secured position adjacent to the front surface and an unsecured position away from the front surface.

A server is a specialized computer system that includes numerous electrical components integrated into a single unit within an electronic chassis. Common to all servers is a motherboard including a processing unit such as a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) or a Central Processing Unit (CPU), memory device slots (e.g., DDR3, DDR4, DRAM), PCIe slots, and connectors to other components, such as hard drives, a power supply, and peripherals (e.g., universal serial bus (USB) ports, local area network (LAN), and other input-output (I/O) ports). The motherboard is placed on a motherboard sled, which is stacked under an input-output (I/O) sled having an input-output (I/O) card, prior to assembly into the electronic chassis of the server. The stacked arrangement of motherboard sled containing the motherboard and the I/O sled containing the I/O card is connected with GPU cards in the electronic chassis of a S7W server.
Four connectors on the motherboard and four connectors on the I/O card are mated with eight connectors of the GPU cards in the electronic chassis of the S7W server. Each of the connectors on the motherboard and the I/O card includes four hundred and sixteen (416) pins. The mating force applied at each pin is up to about 0.45 Newtons. Thus, the total mating force for connecting with all eight connectors of the GPU cards is about (8×416×0.45) Newtons=1497.6 Newtons=152.8 Kilogram force. Accordingly, it is desirable to have a mechanical actuator with sufficient mechanical advantage that can efficiently engage the motherboard sled, which carries the weight of the motherboard, the I/O sled, and the I/O card, with the electronic chassis of the server such that the motherboard sled can be easily placed into and out of the electronic chassis.

Mechanical actuators for engaging a motherboard sled with a chassis


A bank of complex gain elements is used to provide a step-wise approximation of an arbitrary complex-gain predistortion function for a nonlinear transmitter. The bank of gain elements is in an adaptive loop realizing adaptive control. The adaptive loop is closed between an Input of the gain bank and an output of the transmitter through a linear receiver at an adaptive controller composed of a bank of proportional-integral (PI) controllers. The real and imaginary parts of each predistortion gain element are controlled by a corresponding adaptive PI controller. The signals processed by the adaptive controller are represented in orthogonal coordinates in terms of real and imaginary number pairs of complex numbers. The adaptive controller achieves unconditionally stable operation independently from the arbitrary phase rotation in the input signal or the adaptive loop.

Some signal transmitters for cellular communications utilize QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation) to increase the number of signals that can be transmitted on a given channel. QAM is a method of combining two amplitude-modulated (AM) signals into a single channel to effectively double the effective bandwidth. QAM is used with pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) in digital systems, especially in wireless applications.
In a QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation) signal, there are two carriers, each having the same frequency but differing in phase by 90 degrees (one quarter of a cycle, from which the term quadrature arises). The two modulated carriers are combined at the source for transmission. At the destination, the carriers are separated, the data is extracted from each, and then the data is combined into the original modulating information.
Radio transmitters amplify input signals. It is desired that the gain of such transmitters be linear for the entire range of input signals. Memoryless linearization of signal transmitters and, in particular, of radio transmitters is closely related to the problem of power amplifier linearization using baseband techniques, which is considered to be of the greatest significance for achieving effective and economical minimization of transmission-related signal distortions in digital communication systems. Despite a big diversity of existing approaches aimed at improving the quality of RF power amplification, many of the older solutions are constrained to usage with specific discrete-level signaling formats, and, thus have a limited relevance to contemporary wideband communication standards. Development of general solutions of a particular practical value that are invariant with respect to the transmitted signal has been simulated in the past decade, pointing out the usefulness of a single-argument complex gain function of the input power for the modeling of memoryless distortions in baseband power amplifier linearizers. Compared to the previously demonstrated general approach using two-dimensional mapping of the amplifier output against the phase and magnitude signal values at its input, the gain-based nonlinear model has a substantially lower computational complexity for the same performance that is instrumental in the design of hardware-efficient digital linearization systems.
A common architecture of recently proposed baseband power amplifier linearizers includes a digital nonlinear gain block, usually called a predistortion block, inserted in the transmitter chain prior to upconversion stages. It is continuously adapted to approximate as closely as possible the inverse nonlinear complex gain of the following transmitter stages up to the power amplifier. Depending on the coordinate system in which the transmitter gain estimation is conducted two main types of baseband linearization approaches can be distinguished: (1) orthogonal-coordinate, where the complex gain function is defined by a pair of real and imaginary functions, and (2) polar-coordinate, where the complex gain function is defined by a magnitude and a phase function. Since in QAM schemes the signals are typically represented by in-phase and quadrature-phase components, i.e. in orthogonal coordinates, the realization of the second approach involves additional complexity to provide for coordinate system transformation of the estimation data. On the other hand, more sophisticated adaptation algorithms are required for the implementation of unconditionally convergent and robust baseband linearization in orthogonal coordinates.
For QAM signaling schemes, such as CDMA and UMTS, the realization of the first approach would be naturally simpler since signal format conversions could be avoided. On the other hand, from the perspective of real-time adaptation of the predistorter gain more complexity should be added to the respective algorithms because of the nonlinear behavior of the predistortion gain gradient as a function of the average phase of the linearized transmitter gain.
The realization of the second linearization approach requires additional means for coordinate system transformation of the estimation data and the predistorted signal such as orthogonal-to-polar and polar-to-orthogonal conversion blocks (note that this is true if the signal is represented by its in-phase/quadrature-phase components in the transmitter). The major advantage of using polar-coordinate representation of the linearized transmitter gain is that the iterative derivation of the predistortion gain is invariant with respect to the average gain phase in this coordinate system. On the other hand, the biggest disadvantages are the large amount of hardware resources needed for the implementation of precision trigonometric/inverse-trigonometric functions performing the coordinate transformations and, most importantly, the noise-biasing effects associated with processing the modulus of noisy complex data.
Although offering a basis for potentially more efficient implementation of predistorter adaptation algorithms, the orthogonal coordinate approach has been a subject of analyses and evolution in only few theoretical and experimental studies. The two existing forms of orthogonal adaptation can be viewed as first and second order approximations of Newton's method for numerical minimization of functions with complex variable using consecutive iterations proportional to the function first derivative. The first and less accurate approximation uses a single constant to represent the average absolute value of the first derivative (a linear iteration method); while the second and more accurate one uses the ratio of finite function and argument differences for continuous first derivative estimation (a secant iteration method). The first adaptation approach totally ignores the phase of the function argument and by this introduces ambiguity with respect to it, which practically makes the algorithm convergence dependent on the signal phase rotation taking place in the transmitter. This limitation can be overcome by an additional signal phase rotation in the algorithm to equalize for it. The second adaptation approach does not have this disadvantage and provides faster convergence towards the function minimum but involves a division operation that increases its susceptibility to noise.
In one attempt to provide a linearized system, a rectangular representation of the data is used in error processing circuits along with a proportional-integral adaptation algorithm. However, the error formation circuits involve a highly inefficient complex division operation. Moreover, an additional rotation of the phase of the feedback signal derived from the transmitter output is required for stable algorithm operation.
Same data representation has been recently adopted in a method of linearizing a power amplifier in a mobile communication system, where the division operation is avoided while using simple integration of the scaled error signal under the assumption that the average phase difference between the input signal to the transmitter and the feedback signal is small. Nevertheless, the overall system complexity remains high since correction of the transmitted signal phase is performed using a delay line prior to power amplification. In addition, the fixed amount of phase correction typically provided by the delay line should match the average phase rotation caused by the analog system components and, thus, may not always be convenient in practical cases.
In yet another approach, amplifier linearization by adaptive predistortion is attempted. The linearization algorithm is stable with respect to the phase of the feedback signal since it uses a secant iteration method involving the phase of the error as a separate term to perform faster adaptation of the predistortion gain. Nevertheless, this algorithm still requires a complex division by the error signal, which is not only inefficient but also increases the system susceptibility to noise.
An unconditionally stable baseband linearization method performs adaptation in polar coordinates, while representing the predistortion gain by its magnitude and phase components. Although realized by a fairly simple and robust adaptive algorithm, such methods have substantial implementation complexity because of the use of orthogonal-to-polar-to-orthogonal coordinate conversion of the input signal as well as orthogonal-to-polar transformation of the feedback signal. Moreover, the estimation of the predistortion gain magnitude is biased proportionally to the noise power in the feedback channel.
A linearization system utilizes polar-coordinate signal representation of data in the adaptive predistortion algorithm, which is invariant with respect to the average phase of the transmitter gain. First, the transmitter gain is estimated by applying forward system modeling, and, afterwards it is inverted into predistortion magnitude and phase. The inversion is implemented using polar-coordinate representation and avoids complex division operations required in the orthogonal-coordinate number format. The method involves inefficient coordinate system transformations of the input and feedback signals as well as extra means to implement (real-time) inversion of an arbitrary real-valued function. In addition, the predistortion gain is realized in two steps using a scaling operation and a multiplication by complex exponent function operation.

Adaptive controller for linearization of transmitter