Methods of ex-vivo culture of natural killer (NK) cells are provided and, more particularly, methods for enhancing propagation and/or functionality of NK cells by treating the cells with an aryl hydrocarbon antagonist in combination with cytokines driving NK cell proliferation. Also envisioned are compositions comprising cultured NK cells and therapeutic uses thereof.

The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates to ex-vivo culture of natural killer (NK) cells and, more particularly, but not exclusively, to compositions and methods for enhancing propagation and/or functionality of NK cells by treating the cells with an agent which down-regulates the activity and/or expression of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR).
Natural killer (hereinafter also abbreviated as "NK") cells are lymphoid cells that participate in immune reactions. These cells have variety of functions, especially the killing of tumor cells, cells undergoing oncogenic transformation and other abnormal cells in a living body, and are important components of innate immunological surveillance mechanisms. Clinical experience with adoptive immunotherapy with NK cells has emphasized the need for better methods for effectively and efficiently expanding NK cell populations while maintaining, and even enhancing their functionality in-vivo (killing ability trafficking, localization, persistence and proliferation).
NK cells represent a distinct population of lymphocytes in terms of both phenotype and function. NK cells have a large granular lymphocyte morphology and express characteristic NK cell surface receptors, and lack both TCR rearrangement and T cell, B cell, monocyte and/or macrophage cell surface markers. The cells kill by releasing small cytoplasmic granules of proteins (perforin and granzyme) that cause the target cell to die by apoptosis. NK cells possess mechanisms distinguishing between potential "target" cells and healthy cells via a multitude of inhibitory and activating receptors that engage MHC class 1 molecules, MHC class I-like molecules, and molecules unrelated to MHC (Caliguiri Blood 2008 112:461-69). Inhibitory NK cell receptors include HLA-E (CD94/NKG2A); HLA-C (group 1 or 2), KIR2DL; KIR3DL (HLA-B Bw4) and HLA-A3 or A4+ peptide. Activating NK cell receptors include HLA-E (CD94/NKG2C); KIR2DS (HLA-C) and KIR3DS (HLA-Bw4). Other receptors include the NK cell receptor protein-1 (termed NK1.1 in mice) and the low affinity receptor for the Fc portion of IgG (FcγRIII; CD16). Specific NK cell activators, the UL binding proteins (ULBPs), and their potential therapeutic use are described in detail in US patent application US20090234699 to Cosman et al. (which is incorporated herein by reference) "Activating" and "inhibitory" surface receptors control the NK cell's cytotoxic activity. Importantly for therapeutic considerations, NK cell inhibition is required to prevent destruction of normal host tissues by "activated" NK cells, but inhibitory signaling in NK cells appears to be stronger than the activating signals.
The intact bone marrow is necessary for NK cell generation. Human bone marrow-derived NK cells are large granular lymphocytes (LGL) of the CD2+CD16+CD56+ phenotype, lacking CD3 yet containing the T-cell receptor zeta-chain [zeta(ζ)-TCR]. NK cells can be found within a variety of lymphoid and nonlymphoid tissues, including blood, spleen, liver, lungs, intestines, and decidua. NK cells have been found in significant numbers in tumors, where they may exert antitumor activity.
NK cells exhibit spontaneous non-MHC-restricted cytotoxic activity against virally infected and tumor cells, and mediate resistance to viral infections and cancer development in vivo. Thus, NK cells represent major effector cells of innate immunity. In addition, NK cells possess a variety of other functions, including the ability to secrete cytokines and to regulate adaptive immune response and hemopoiesis. NK cells provide requisite interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) during the early stages of infection in several experimental animal models.
Most cancers lack identifiable, tumor-specific antigens in the HLA context, and thus cannot succumb to antigen specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Since a wide range of cancer cells are sensitive to NK cytotoxicity, transplantation of natural killer (NK) cell can be employed against cancer cells in an allogeneic setting, without risk of graft-versus-host disease.
Recent studies have emphasized this potential of NK-cell therapy. In animal models of transplantation, donor NK cells lyse leukemic cells and host lympho-hematopoietic cells without affecting nonhematopoietic tissues. Because NK cells are inhibited by self-HLA molecules which bind to killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR), these findings have led to the clinical practice of selecting hematopoietic stem cell transplant donors with an HLA and KIR type that favors NK-cell activation (HLA- and KIR mismatch) and thus could be expected to promote an antileukemic effect. However, selection of the "best" donor is limited to patients who have more than one potential donor and the capacity of NK cells to lyse lymphoid cells is generally low and difficult to predict. A survey of NK distribution and function in autoimmune conditions has indicated reduced numbers and functionality of the NK cell population in many autoimmune diseases (e.g., SLE, Sjogren's syndrome, sclerosis, psoriasis, RA, ulcerative colitis, etc). Thus, treatment with NK cells may actively suppress potentially pathogenic autoimmune T cells that can mediate the inflammatory responses following bone marrow transplant, regulating the activation of autoimmune memory T cells in an antigen non-specific fashion to maintain the clinical remission and prevent GVH effect.
For clinical use NK cells are usually collected from the patient or donor by leukapheresis. However, maximal NK-cell dose is limited and high NK-cell doses may only be obtained for patients with a low body weight, making children the best candidates for NK-cell therapy. Significantly, the total number and activity of NK cells may substantially decrease in viral infection and/or cancer, making immunotherapy based on the activation of endogenous NK cells ineffective. Further, refractory relapses are a major complication in cell transfusions, and many clinical protocols require repeated infusions of lymphocyte populations.
In this regard, Verneris et al. (Brit J Hematol 2009; 147:185-91), reviewing the prospects for clinical use of cord blood NK cells, has recently indicated that fresh cord blood NK cell populations may require further manipulation in order to express their full functional (cytotoxic, motility) potential. Upon systemic treatment with various biologic response modifiers, particularly IL-2, the number of activated NK cells and their antiviral and antimetastatic activities have been found to increase dramatically in various tissues. Based on this evidence, therapeutic strategies involving activation and expansion of NK cells along with IL-2 (and IL-15) have been attempted, as well as co-administration of IL-2 to the transfusion recipient. However, to date the results have been disappointing, indicating only limited homing and transient engraftment of the infused NK cells. Further, IL-2 is toxic, and must be used with extreme caution in the clinical setting.
In an attempt to develop a clinical feasible protocol for enrichment and proliferation of NK cells ex-vivo, magnetic cell-selection technology, using paramagnetic CD56 microbeads and cell selection columns, has been used to isolate a CD56+ population containing both CD3−/56+ NK (60.6±10.8%) and CD3+/56+ NK T cells (30.4±8.6%) to initiate the proliferation studies. With the addition of recombinant human IL-2 or IL-2 plus recombinant human IL-15 substantial cell-expansion variability was observed, depending on the donor, and even when the same donor was tested on different occasions. The cytotoxicity of selected and propagated CD56+ cells at a low E:T ratio was significantly higher than the starting population, but was comparable to non-separated PBMC cultured for 2 weeks under the same conditions. In fresh, unselected PBMC cultures, IL-15 (in combination with IL-2) induced higher killing at the 1:1 E:T ratio than IL-2 alone. Notably, since CD3+ cells were not depleted prior to culture, the proliferation of CD3+CD56+ NKT cells was 2-3 times that of CD3−CD56+ NK cells. Only moderate proliferation of CD56+/CD3− cells occurred, with the majority of the resultant cells being CD56+/CD3+ NKT cells.
In a different approach, human CD3-CD56+ NK cells are cultured from BM-derived CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) cultured in the presence of various cytokines produced by bone marrow stromal cells and/or immune cells (such as c-kit ligand, IL-2, and IL-15). The addition of the stem cell factor to these cultures has no effect on the differentiation of the CD3-CD56+ cytotoxic effector cells, but greatly enhances their proliferation in culture. The majority of these cells lack CD2 and CD16, but do express zeta-TCR. Similar to NK cells found in peripheral blood, bone marrow derived CD2-CD16-CD56+ NK cells grown in the presence of IL-15 were found to be potent producers of IFN-gamma in response to monocyte-derived cytokines. IL-15 can induce CD34+ HPCs to differentiate into CD3-CD56+ NK cells, and KL can amplify their numbers. However, yields of NK cells are limited by the low numbers of potential NK progenitors among the CD34+ cell population.
Other methods for the propagation of NK cells have been described. Frias et al. (Exp Hematol 2008; 36: 61-68) grew NK progenitors (CD7+CD34−Lin−CD56−) selected from cord blood on stromal cell layers with a serum-free medium, inducing NK differentiation with SCF, IL-7, IL-15, FL and IL-2, producing increased numbers of cytotoxic cultured NK cells. Harada et al. (Exp Hematol. 2004; 32:614-21) grew NK cells on cells from a Wilm's tumor cells line. Waldmann et al. (US20070160578) describes enhanced proliferation of NK and CD8-T cells from whole blood, bone marrow or spleen cells in culture using complexes of IL-15/R-ligand activator, in order to reduce undesirable cytokine production. Campana et al. (US20090011498) describes ex-vivo culture and activation of NK cells, for transplantation, in the presence of leukemia cells expressing IL-15 and 4-1BB, and having weak or absent MHC-I or II expression. Childs et al. (US20090104170) describes ex-vivo proliferation, and activation of NK cells by co-culture with irradiated EBV-transformed lymphoblastoid cells, in the presence of IL-2. Using another approach, Tsai (US20070048290) produced continuous NK cell lines from hematopoietic stem cells by ex-vivo culture of immortalized NK-progenitors with irradiated 3T3-derived OP-9S cells, for research and potential therapeutic applications. (All the above mentioned references are incorporated herein by reference).
However, established methods for NK cell culture also support T cell proliferation and even after T cells are depleted, residual T cells typically increase in number after stimulation, precluding clinical use of the expanded cell populations due to potential graft versus host disease. This further necessitates another round of T cell depletion before infusion, making the preparatory procedure time consuming, expensive and invariably causing substantial NK cell loss.
To reduce T cell contamination following expansion, NK expansion protocols are using purified CD56+CD3− cells as the initial population to be seeded in expansion cultures. To obtain a highly purified fraction of CD56+CD3− cells, a two step purification procedure is needed: positive selection of CD56 cells followed by depletion of CD3+ cells or first the depletion of the CD3 cells followed by positive selection of CD56 cells. However, this procedure is expensive and involves a substantial cell lost during the two cycle of purification. Even in cultures initiated with purified CD56+CD3− cells there are still expanded NK products contaminated with T cells.
Protocols using cytokines only for the expansion of NK cells indicate a rather modest effect and the requirement for additional stimuli in addition to cytokines in order to obtain substantial expansion (Korean J Lab Med 2009; 29:89-96, Koehl U et al. Klin Pädiatr 2005; 217: 345-350). Irradiated feeder cells (e.g., peripheral blood mononuclear cells, Epstein-Barr virus-transformed lymphoblastoid lines (ABV-LCL), K562 myeloid leukemia cell line, genetically modified to express a membrane-bound form of interleukin-15 and the ligand for the co-stimulatory molecule 4-1BB) and others are commonly used for the expansion of NK cells as additional stimuli. While most NK expansion protocols use purified CD56+CD3− cells as the initial population, some protocols use mononuclear cells as the initial seeding population in combination with irradiated stroma or anti-CD3 antibody (Blood, 15 Mar. 2008, Vol. 111, No. 6, pp. 3155-3162). Following expansion these cultures are heavily contaminated with CD3+ and CD3+CD56+ cells and therefore CD56+CD3− cells need to be purified before infusion. Miller et al. (Blood, 1992 80: 2221-2229) obtained a 30-fold expansion of NK cells at 18 days culture using a fraction enriched for NK progenitors and monocytes comprising CD56+CD3− cells in combination with purified CD14+ cells or MNC depleted of CD5 and CD8 by panning on antibody-coated plastic flasks. Ve'ronique Decot et al. (Experimental Hematology 2010; 38:351-362) reported about 20 fold expansion of NK cells on irradiated T and B cells by depleting mononuclear cells of T and B, and found that the contaminating population after depletion was mainly monocytes. However, in this culture model, feeder cells and cytokines were necessary to obtain NK cell amplification because no expansion was observed in the presence of cytokines alone or feeder cells alone. Therefore, in contrast to Miller, even thought monocytes were enriched in the seeding population, no expansion of NK cells was observed in the absence of irradiated T and B stroma cells (Decot et al., Exper Hematology 2010; 38:351-362).
Yet further, while ex-vivo cultured NK cells often demonstrate considerable activity (e.g., cytotoxicity) against unrelated target cells, activity against more clinically relevant tumor and cancer cells, both in-vitro and in-vivo has often been disappointing, and methods for enhancing activation have been proposed. Zitvogel et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,849,452) (which is incorporated herein by reference) teaches ex-vivo or in-vivo activation of NK cells by contacting with triggered dendritic cells. Others have suggested enhancing activation by culturing NK cells with cells lacking MHC-I molecules and genetically modified to express IL-15 (Campana et al., US Patent Application No. 2009011498) or pre-treatment of NK cell recipients with proteasome inhibitors (Berg et al. Cytotherapy 2009; 11:341-55) (which reference is incorporated herein by reference). However, none of the protocols have yielded significantly expanded NK cell populations capable of survival and expansion in appropriate host target organs following transplantation (homeostatic proliferation) and immunotherapy with ex vivo proliferated NK cells is still limited by the inability to obtain sufficient numbers of highly purified, functionally competent NK cells suitable for use in clinical protocols (see Bachanova et al., Canc Immunol. Immunother. 2010; 59:739-44; Guven, Karolinska Institute, 2005; Schuster et al., E. J. Immunology 2009; 34:2981-90; Bernardini et al. Blood 2008; 111:3626-34). Thus there is a need for simplified, cost-effective methods to preferentially propagate NK ex-vivo, as isolated NK cells, or from a mixed population of mononuclear cells either depleted or not from CD3+ cells.
WO 2011/080740 discloses compositions and methods for enhancing propagation and/or functionality of NK cells by treating the cells with nicotinamide.
U.S. Patent Application having Publication No. 2010/0183564 discloses compositions and methods for expanding a population of hematopoietic stem cells, which utilize compounds which are antagonists of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor.

Enhancement of natural killer (NK) cell proliferation and activity


An image processor includes a correction signal generator configured to generate a correction signal by calculating a difference between an image and an image obtained by applying an unsharp mask generated based on a PSF corresponding to an image-pickup conditions of an image-pickup optical system to the image, and a correction signal applier configured to sharpen the image by multiplying the correction signal generated by the generator by a constant and by adding a multiplied correction signal to the image.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image sharpening processing.
Description of the Related Art
Known unsharp mask processing adds or subtracts a difference between an original image and a blurred image obtained by applying an unsharp mask to the original image (input image) to or from the original image so as to sharpen the image. The image is more sharpened where the difference between the blurred image and the input image is large. Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2010-81263 discloses a method of reducing the influence of a point spread function (PSF) of an optical system by applying an asymmetric one-dimensional filter to pixel signals arrayed in an image height direction.
However, the conventional unsharp mask processing employs a rotationally symmetric filter as an unsharp mask, and has difficulties in sharpening an image degraded due to the intricately shaped influence of the PSF such as asymmetric aberration and sagittal halo. Specifically, correction of aberration in an azimuth direction having a large aberration causes undershoot in an azimuth direction having a small aberration, whereas suppression of the undershoot results in insufficient correction of the aberration.
The method of Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2010-81263 takes in account asymmetry only in the image height direction and a correction filter is one-dimensional, and thus cannot improve asymmetries in directions other than the image height direction. The image height direction is a meridional azimuth direction. Moreover, the correction in the image height direction cannot be sufficiently sharpened by the conventional method because the asymmetry of the filter is adjusted by adjusting the number of minus tap coefficients and the filter causes blurring different from that caused by the PSF of the optical system.
As described above, the conventional method cannot sufficiently correct intricately shaped aberration and sharpen an image.
To provide sharpening processing to the input image, image-pickup conditions of the input image and data of point spread function corresponding to the image height are needed. However, previously storing various image-pickup conditions and a large amount of data corresponding to the image height requires a large amount of memory and hence unrealistic.

Image processing apparatus, image pickup apparatus, image processing method, and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium


An apparatus for separating foreign matter from a pneumatically conveyed stream of textile fibers has a pneumatic duct in which the textile fibers are conveyed by an air stream; a waste container; first and second coupling openings for maintaining communication between the waste container and the pneumatic duct; and a gate pivotally supported in the pneumatic duct. The gate has a first position maintaining open the pneumatic duct and obturating the first and second coupling openings for allowing the fiber material to be conveyed by the air stream through the duct by bypassing the waste container. The gate further has a second position obturating a direct passage through the pneumatic duct and maintaining open the first and second coupling openings for directing the fiber material and the air stream from the pneumatic duct into the waste container and for allowing conveying air to pass from the waste container back into the pneumatic duct. The apparatus further has a detector for detecting foreign matter in the fiber material; and a control device connected to the detector and the gate for pivoting the gate from the first position into the second position upon detection of foreign matter by the detector.

The invention relates to an apparatus provided in a pneumatic duct for conveying fiber tufts therein, particularly in the spinning preparation phase and includes a detector for detecting foreign matter, such as metal particles and sparks, and a downstream-arranged deflecting gate which is controlled by the detector and which, when the detector emits a sensing signal, moves pivotally into a position in which it closes the pneumatic duct and at the same time opens a first coupling opening in the pneumatic duct. The first coupling opening leads to a waste container. The apparatus also includes a normally closed second coupling opening leading to the waste container.
In a known apparatus of the above-outlined type two gates are provided: one gate serves for obturating the pneumatic duct and to open or close the first coupling opening, whereas the second gate opens or closes the second coupling opening. The second gate is spring-biased into the closed position so that it opens the second coupling opening by virtue of the pressure which builds up in front of the first gate as a result of the closing of the pneumatic duct by the first gate. The use of two gates renders the device structurally complex and also complicates installation. It is a further disadvantage of the prior art constructions that when the spring bias or the pivotal support of the second gate is interfered with, the latter may remain partially or entirely closed which prevents the separation of the fiber material and may lead to undesired excessive pressures.

Ductwork with sensor and pivoting gate for fiber impurity removal


A capacitor includes a lower electrode, a first dielectric film composed of lead zirconate titanate niobate formed above the lower electrode, a second dielectric film composed of lead zirconate titanate or lead zirconate titanate niobate with a Nb composition smaller than a Nb composition of the lead zirconate titanate niobate composing the first dielectric film, and an upper electrode formed above the second dielectric film.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to capacitors, methods for manufacturing the same, ferroelectric memory devices, actuators, and liquid jetting heads.
2. Related Art
Ferroelectric memories are characterized by nonvolatlity, high-speed writing/reading operations, and low power consumption, and are one of the most powerful candidates as next-generation nonvolatile memories.
One of commonly known structures of ferroelectric memories is a 1T1C type structure. Ferroelectric memories with 1T1C type structure were initially developed in the form of a planar type structure. However, as higher integration of ferroelectric memories advanced, structures with smaller cell areas have been demanded, which has led to the development of ferroelectric memories in a stacked type structure. An example of related art is described in Japanese laid-open patent applications JP-A-10-223847.

Capacitor and its manufacturing method, ferroelectric memory device, actuator, and liquid jetting head


The invention relates to a method of assessing the risk of suffering from atherosclerosis in an individual comprising removing anti-lipoprotein immune complexes from a sample from the individual, measuring the level of cholesterol/lipoprotein associated with said anti-lipoprotein immune complexes, and determining thereby the risk of atherosclerosis in the individual.

Atherosclerosis is a disease which results in narrowed arteries and decreased blood flow. The arteries become narrowed because of a build up of plaques in their inner walls. Plaques consist of a mixture of substances including cholesterol, fat, fibrous tissue, clumps of platelets and sometimes calcium.
Atherosclerosis begins early in life, but generally causes no symptoms until middle or old age. This is because it takes many years for plaques to develop and because normal arteries are much larger than they need to be. Only after an artery becomes very narrowed will blood flow be diminished enough to cause symptoms. When atherosclerosis affects arteries supplying blood to the heart, patients experience angina and claudication.
The formation of lipoprotein-antibody auto immune complexes is associated with lesion development in arteries. These complexes have also been detected in the blood of rabbits with experimental hypercholesterolemia and also in the blood and aorta wall of ischaemic heart disease patients.
Hyperlipidaemia is a risk factor of atherosclerosis. In general, individuals with an increased level of cholesterol are prone to develop or have already developed atherosclerosis. However, although some individuals may not have an increased level of cholesterol, it does not necessarily mean that they do not suffer from atherosclerosis. Hyperlipidaemia has little diagnositic value in cardiovascular pathology since only 10-20% of the total patients with clinical complications of atherosclerosis demonstrate an elevated level of cholesterol in their plasma

Method of assessing risk of atherosclerosis


A scintillator, which can prevent a data error due to light diffusion or spreading by improving light collimation, a method of fabricating the same and an X-ray detector including the scintillator are disclosed. The scintillator includes a substrate and a scintillator layer formed on the substrate and having columnar crystals and non-columnar crystals, wherein each of the columnar crystals has an aspect ratio of 80:1 or greater.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates to a scintillator, a method of fabricating the same, and an X-ray detector including the scintillator.
2. Description of the Related Technology
An X-ray detection system is a system that transmits X-rays through an object, e.g., human body, and detects the amount of the transmitted X-rays to photograph the interior of the object. The X-ray detection system may be generally used as a medical testing device and a non-destructive testing device.
In early days, a film or computed radiography (CR) was used in X-ray photography systems for taking an X-ray photograph. In recent years, X-ray photography systems have employed a digital radiography (DR) method for taking X-ray photographs because of convenience in use.
The X-ray detection system based on the DR method, which includes a scintillator, indirectly measures the amount of detected X-rays by converting irradiated X-rays into visible light and allowing a photoelectric conversion element provided in each pixel to convert the visible light into an electrical signal. Using this method, when the visible light transmitted from the scintillator is diffused or spreads and is transmitted to a neighboring pixel, a data error in the amount of detected X-rays may be generated.

Scintillator, method of fabricating the same and X-ray detector including the scintillator


The present specification provides a two-part code reading apparatus, including: a supporting base with a reading window that comprises: a cavity formed in the supporting base; a reflector disposed on one side of the cavity, wherein the reflector is parallel to a flat surface when the supporting base is placed on the flat surface; a translucent plate that covers an opening of the cavity and forms an acute angle with the reflector; and a hole disposed on a side of the cavity opposite to the reflector, the hole allows light to pass through; and a handheld code scanner with a camera, wherein the camera is aligned with the hole when the handheld code scanner is detachably placed on the supporting base, so that incoming light reflected by the reflector is capable of being directed to the camera through the hole.

With development of information technologies, graphic identifiers (graphic codes) that include specific information and that are manifested as barcodes or two-dimensional codes, etc. are widely attached to various articles, such as products in a shopping mall or a supermarket, books in a library or a bookstore, and various tickets and credentials, and are generated in intelligent devices such as smartphones and tablets. To effectively use the graphic codes like bar codes or two-dimensional codes, a code reading apparatus is needed to scan the graphic codes like bar codes or two-dimensional codes so as to read information carried in the graphic codes. In addition to conventional integrated code reading apparatuses, split-type code reading apparatuses have been developed to facilitate reading of various graphics codes.
A split-type code reading apparatus generally includes a base with a reading window and a handheld code scanner with a camera and that can be detachably placed on the base. On one hand, when the handheld code scanner is placed on the base, the code reading apparatus can scan a graphic code by using the camera of the handheld code scanner through the reading window on the base, so as to read information. On the other hand, when the handheld code scanner is detached from the base, an operator can hold the handheld code scanner to directly scan a graphic code by using the camera of the handheld code scanner, so as to read information. However, an existing split-type code reading apparatus is disadvantageous in a large volume, a heavy weight, and a high cost due to its design defects, and is inconvenient to use.
Therefore, the split-type code reading apparatus in the existing technology needs to be improved.


A power amplifier (18) for driving a brushless DC motor (22) includes a processor (40) which receives a signal indicative of motor situational usage and generates a mode state signal indicative of which one of a plurality of amplification modes is to be implemented in response to the received signal. The amplification modes include a linear mode and a switching mode, with the switching mode including a two quadrant switching mode and a four quadrant switching mode. The amplifier (18) further includes a controller (50) which, in response to the mode state signal, generates control signals for each of coil drive circuits (26) associated with the motor. Further, in response to a signal indicative of motor situational usage, processor (40) generates a power state signal which causes controller (50) to connect coil drive circuits (26) to a suitable one of a plurality of differing voltage sources (21, 23). The power amplifier (18) has particular employment for a reel motor (22S, 22T) for a helical scan recorder (100) which records information on magnetic tape (102).

1. Field of Invention
This invention pertains to an amplifier capable of different operating modes and different power supply voltages, and particular to an amplifier for a brushless DC motor.
2. Related Art and Other Considerations
Motor amplifiers are generally designed to operate in only one of a plurality of different modes. Some amplifiers operate in a linear mode; other amplifiers operate in a switching mode. Switching mode amplifiers can further be classified as either two quadrant switching or four quadrant switching. As is well known in the art, each mode is useful under certain circumstances, but has drawbacks that make use thereof less desirable in other circumstances.
Consider a motor driven by bridge transistors, such as a brushless three-phase DC motor, for example. Motor rotation is achieved by commutation, i.e., selectively turning on and off coils in the motor using transistors in the bridge.
Linear mode operation generates the least electronic noise, owing to the absence of switching except at relatively infrequent commutation boundaries. The only switching action occurs when an active coil pair needs to be change to a different pair as the motor rotates. The disadvantage with linear mode operation is that power dissipation can be quite high, resulting in undesirable heating.
Switching mode operation involves switching the bridge transistors on and off at an extremely fast rate (on the order of one hundred thousand times per second). This so-called "chopping" action occurs much faster (typically one hundred times faster) than the commutation activity. The advantage of the switching mode is much lower power dissipation in the amplifier. The disadvantage is increased electronic noise generated by the rapid switching activity.
A certain method of selecting which bridge transistors are turned on and off is known as two quadrant switching mode. In order to make current build up in two of the motor's coils, one upper and one lower transistor are turned on. Due to the inductive nature of the coils, current builds up at a relative slow rate. Typically before the current has reached its maximum (i.e., saturation) value, one of the two transistors is turned off. If the motor speed is not excessive, the current will then "flyback" through one of the diodes associated with the transistor that was just turned off, and flow in a circular path as it slowly decays. By adjusting the ratio of "on" (two transistors on) and "off" (only one transistor on), an average level of motor current can be achieved. The percentage "on" time (on/(on+off)) is called the duty cycle. The small amount (compared with its average value) that the current increases and decreases is called "ripple".
Two quadrant switching works well in cases where motor speed is low and the desired direction of current matches the motor direction. It has the advantage of a relatively slow decay rate of the current during the "off" time, resulting in low current ripple (i.e., the current is relatively constant). However, if rapid deceleration of the motor from a high speed is required, the current in a two quadrant system may fail to decay during the "off" cycle, and in fact increase due to the effect of the motor's internally generated voltage. This results in a complete loss of control.

Tape drive with high performance gain amplifier using radio frequency dielectric heating


A capture device such as a camera and/or sound recorder records an event, which includes a visual and/or audible presentation of a time value that is non-deterministic, yet a function of physical time. The non-deterministic time value (NDT) may be generated as a function of a calendar value created at time intervals as a root hash value of a distributed, hash-tree document authentication infrastructure. If the NDT value included in the recording of the event does not match the NDT value corresponding to the calendar value from which it was generated, the recording may be assumed to be altered. Digital time-stamping may be included for the recording of the event to reduce the opportunity for back-dating of the recording. NDT may also be generated simply for display by a clock, for example as an NDT time zone.

In the age of digital imaging and high-quality image-editing software, the maxim "Seeing is believing" is becoming increasingly out-dated. Nowadays, few cosmetic or clothing advertisements, billboards, magazine photos of celebrities, etc., are not digitally altered in some way. In fact, so many people have come to internalize a visually false portrayal of "reality" that at its 2011 meeting, the American Medical Association adopted a proposal calling on advertisers to develop guidelines to discourage the altering of photographs in a manner that could promote unrealistic expectations of appropriate body image. One attendee observed: "The appearance of advertisements with extremely altered models can create unrealistic expectations of appropriate body image. In one image, a model's waist was slimmed so severely, her head appeared to be wider than her waist." The issue of altered images warping peoples' perceptions of some form of ideal has even reached the political level. In 2009, for example, various politicians in France proposed a law that would require a "warning" label on all advertising, press, political campaign, art photography and packaging images if an image has been retouched, in particular, digitally altered.
Alteration of image content is only one aspect of the concerns involving image manipulation: In many cases, the time an image is created may also be essential information. For example, the time an image was first created can be the determining factor in the relevance of photographic or video evidence in a criminal trial. At present, in many jurisdictions, whether an image or sound recording is admissible as trial evidence is typically left to the discretion of the judge, and whether the admitted evidence proves the occurrence or non-occurrence of some event at a given time is often a question that the court—either the judge or jury or both—decides at least in part subjectively. This means that the accuracy of the determination is a function of the relative sophistication of the forger versus the court.
Similarly, a casino manager or a punter watching an online horse race will want to know if the video he is watching is really "live", or at least is showing events at the times they are supposed to have happened. With known technology, these viewers must mostly simply trust that there is no manipulation happening, hoping that later information confirms what they saw/heard.
As every tourist knows, a camera can be set to show the time/date a photo was taken. This time/date value, however, proves little or nothing, since it is so easy to change these settings in a camera. The time/date value could be derived from some external source, but this then simply moves the question of reliability from the local device to that external source and the transmission medium between the two.
A more sophisticated method would be to submit the contents of the image to a service that digitally time-stamps them, perhaps along with image metadata. One of the problems with traditional digital time-stamping, however, is that it proves only that data existed before a particular point in time—one can easily take a photo, edit it, then later digitally time-stamp the edited version, thereby forward-dating the image. In other words, typical time-stamping can establish the latest time an image could have been time-stamped, but this doesn't prove that it couldn't have been created and altered earlier. Traditional digital time-stamping works well if there is general acceptance of the time something happened. For example, if a major unexpected news event is generally known to have occurred at 11:37:46 UTC and a photo of the event is digitally time-stamped indicating 11:37:46 UTC, then there is an exceptionally low probability that the photographer will have had time to edit the photograph at all before obtaining the time stamp. Absent such an external confirmatory event, however, conventional digital time-stamping may provide a high level of assurance that an image hasn't been back-dated, but it typically cannot enable detection of forward-dating.
One other drawback of traditional digital time-stamping schemes is the nature of the schemes themselves. Many known digital time stamps rely on a public key infrastructure (PKI). In the context of time determination, one disadvantage of PKI-based time-stamping systems is that users of such systems must simply trust the accuracy of the system's time reading, even though there is no ability to independently verify it after the fact. One other disadvantage of such PKI-based signing schemes is that, by their very nature, they require the creation, administration and maintenance of the keys. Moreover, for reasons of security, digital certificates, and the PKI keys underlying them, are often allowed to expire. PKI keys also have an operational lifetime after which information that has been time-stamped with those keys needs to be re-time-stamped in order to ensure the time stamp is still valid. A compromise of those keys, or even the possibility of a compromise (by insiders intent on fraud or outsiders, such as hackers, intent on profiting from a key compromise) will cause the digital time stamp to be easily challenged. Digital time-stamping is thus not absolute proof but rather more an attestation by the authority that administers the keys.
The problems just described also apply to other types of data. For example, there may be a need to verify the time of a recorded audio event. Audio files are often even easier to edit and forward-date than video.
Part of the problem of temporal visual/audible data verification is that conventional time is deterministic and therefore predictable: If one knows the exact time right now, then one will also know the exact time n seconds (or other time unit) from now. This means that one has n seconds from actual occurrence/creation of an event to manipulate the corresponding data file and then have the altered data stamped with a desired future time.
It would therefore be good to have a way to establish the time of a perceptibly created or recorded event with less opportunity for undetected manipulation. More generally, it would be advantageous to have some representation of time that isn't deterministic and therefore predictable.

Non-deterministic time systems and methods


The invention relates to a new method and system for optimizing the efficiency of an automotive catalytic converter. The claimed invention comprises adjusting an air/fuel ratio in the cylinders of an internal combustion engine to maintain a desired level of oxidants in the catalytic converter. At various times, the actual amount of oxidants stored in the catalytic converter is determined. The actual oxidant amount is compared to a target amount of oxidants to be stored in the catalytic converter. The air/fuel ratio in the cylinders is adjusted based on the magnitude of the difference between the actual oxidant amount and the target oxidant amount to prevent NOx and hydrocarbon breakthrough.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to adjusting the air/fuel ratio in the cylinders of an internal combustion engine to control automotive emissions. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and system for adjusting the air/fuel ratio in the cylinders based on the amount of oxidants stored in the catalytic converter.
2. Background of the Invention
To minimize the amount of emissions exhausted into the atmosphere, modern automotive vehicles generally include one or more catalytic converters, or emission control devices, in the exhaust system of the vehicle. These emission control devices store oxygen and NOx (collectively, xe2x80x9coxidantsxe2x80x9d) from the vehicle exhaust stream when the engine is operated with a relatively lean air/fuel ratio. On the other hand, when the engine is operated with a relatively rich air/fuel ratio, they release the stored oxygen and NOx, which then react with the HC and CO produced by the engine. In this way, the emission of both NOx and hydrocarbons (HC and CO) into the atmosphere is minimized.
The inventors have recognized a disadvantage with conventional air-fuel ratio control systems. In particular, the inventors have recognized that these systems attempt to maintain the engine at stoichiometry (or another desired air-fuel ratio). However, this has the disadvantage that engine air-fuel control is decoupled from the state of oxidant storage of the emission control device. The convention system relies on air-fuel feedback to compensate for this oversight.
The inventors herein have recognized that these known methods of adjusting cylinder air/fuel ratios, while effective, can be improved. In particular, the inventors have recognized that using the conventional air-fuel ratio control strategies tends to be reactionary in nature. That is, the cylinder air/fuel ratio tends to be adjusted more rich only after the exhaust stream oxygen sensors detect a NOx breakthrough. Similarly, the cylinder air/fuel ratio tends to be adjusted more lean only after the exhaust stream oxygen sensors detect hydrocarbon breakthrough. The inventors have recognized that a new method and system of controlling the engine air/fuel ratio to optimize catalyst efficiency that is anticipatory rather than reactionary would be beneficial.
The above disadvantage is overcome by a method for controlling an engine coupled to an emission control device. The method comprises determining an amount of oxidants stored in the emission control device; and adjusting a fuel injection amount into the engine to prevent said amount of stored oxidants from becoming less than a first predetermined level or from becoming greater than a second predetermined level.
By preventing the amount of stored oxidants from becoming less than a first predetermined level or from becoming greater than a second predetermined level, there is always a present ability to both:
(1) retain addition oxidants in the event the engine air-fuel ratio is inadvertently lean of stoichiometry; and
(2) reduce addition HC or CO in the event the engine air-fuel ratio is inadvertently rich of stoichiometry.
Thus, rather than controlling the engine air/fuel ratio around stoichiometry per se, as in the prior art, the present invention controls the engine air/fuel ratio to maintain a certain range of oxidants stored in the catalytic converter. That is, in one example, if the actual amount of oxidants stored in the catalyst at a given time is greater than a threshold, then the controller adjusts the engine air/fuel ratio more rich to produce hydrocarbons and release (and reduce) some of the oxidants from the catalyst. On the other hand, if the actual amount of oxidants stored in the catalyst at a given time is less a threshold, then the controller adjusts the engine air/fuel ratio more lean to produce additional NOx and O2 and replenish the relatively low amount of oxidants stored in the catalyst.
An advantage of the above aspect of the invention is improved overall catalyst efficiency and reduced emissions.

System and method for adjusting air-fuel ratio


An ink-jet print head comprises a plurality of heater boards as unit substrates which are connected to each other and each of which has a plurality of discharge elements arranged therein so that the nonuniformity of density which would ordinarily be produced in portions of the image printed by the head corresponding to boundaries between the respective heater boards is decreased. Since a plurality of ink-jet heads are disposed so that the boundaries between respective heater boards of the heads do not overlap one another, the potential nonuniformity of density at the boundaries can be decreased by interrelation between the heads.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink-jet printing apparatus and a printing head used in the apparatus, and particularly to a construction which uses a relatively long print head.
In this specification, "printing" includes "textile printing", and "fixing of a dye to a printing medium" includes "fixing of a dye to a printing medium to the extent that substantially no discoloration occurs by washing".
2. Description of the Related Art
A typical example of conventional textile printing methods is a screen textile printing method of printing directly on cloth or the like by using silk screen plates. The screen textile printing method is a method in which a screen plate is formed for each of the colors used in an original image, and cloth is dyed with ink of each color by transferring the ink directly thereto through the meshes of the silk screen.
In this screen textile printing method, many man-hours and days are required for forming the screen plates, and the work of preparing an ink of each of colors required for printing and the work of registering the screen plates are also required. The size of the apparatus used is large and increases in proportion to the number of the colors used, and a large space for installing the apparatus is thus required. A space for storing the screen plates is also required.
On the other hand, an ink-jet recording apparatus has been brought into practical use as a recording apparatus having the function as a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile, etc., and a recording apparatus used as an output device of a composite electronic apparatus and a work station comprising a computer, a word processor, etc. It has been suggested that such an ink-jet recording apparatus be used for textile printing by discharging an ink directly onto a cloth (for example, Japanese Patent Publication Nos. 62-57750 and 63-31594).
In the ink-jet recording apparatus, recording is performed by discharging an ink to a recording material from recording means (recording head). The recording apparatus has the advantages that the recording means can easily be made compact, that a high-definition image can be recorded at a high speed, that the running cost is low, that there is less noise because it is a non-impact system, and that a color image can easily be recorded by using multi-color inks.
Particularly, since the ink-jet recording means (recording head) for discharging ink by utilizing thermal energy comprises electro-thermal converters, electrodes, channel walls, a top plate, etc. which are formed through a semiconductor manufacturing process comprising etching, evaporation, sputtering, etc., recording means having a high-density channel arrangement (arrangement of discharge openings) can readily be produced, and can be made further compact.
A serial type recording apparatus of ink-jet recording apparatuses utilizes a serial scanning system in which horizontal scanning is carried out in a direction perpendicular to the direction of feeding of a recording material (direction of vertical scanning). In this serial type recording apparatus, an image is recorded by recording means loaded on a carriage which is moved in the direction of horizontal scanning along the recording material, the recording material is fed (pitch feeding) for a predetermined length in the direction of vertical scanning after recording is completed for one line, and an image for a next line is then recorded on the stopped recording material. These operations are repeated to record an image over the entire recording material.
On the other hand, in a line type recording apparatus for recording by vertical scanning in the direction of feeding of the recording material, the recording material is set at a predetermined recording position, recording is carried out for one line at a time, the recording material is fed (pitch feeding) for a predetermined length, and recording is then carried out for a next line at a time. These operations are repeated to record an image over the entire recording material. An ink-jet recording apparatus utilizing such line type recording means in which many discharge openings are arranged in the widthwise direction of the recording material enables a further increase in recording speed.
If such an ink-jet recording apparatus is used for textile printing, the screen plates used in screen textile printing need not be used, and thus the numbers of processes and days required to prepare for printing can be significantly decreased. A decrease in size of the apparatus can also be realized.
Even for such an printing apparatus, a increase in printing speed is universally demanded. There have been a proposal of a long head as a construction for increasing the printing speed and many proposals of methods of producing such a long head.
It has been proposed in Japanese Patent Application No. 6-34810 a technology of producing a long head in which substrates (sometimes referred to as "heater boards" hereinafter) each provided with a relatively small number of electro-thermal converters, e.g., 64 or 128 electro-thermal converters, are used as unit substrates, and the heater boards on this unit are precisely arranged and bonded to a base plate. This technology is capable of relatively readily producing a unit substrate having electro-thermal converters arranged with a high precision, and is thus capable of producing a long head at high yield and low cost.
A long head produced by the proposed technology will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 14.
FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the construction of a principal portion of such an ink-jet head. The ink-jet head shown in FIG. 9 has 3008 ink discharge openings (printing width 212 mm) with an arrangement density of 360 dpi (discharge opening pitch 70.5 .mu.m).
Referring to FIG. 9, each of unit substrates ("heater boards" hereinafter) 100 is provided with 128 elements 101 for generating energy utilized for discharging ink with a density of 360 dpi. An electro-thermal converter (referred to as "a heater" hereinafter) for applying heat to an ink is used as each of the elements 101. On the heater boards are provided signal pads 102 for enabling supply of signals from the outside with any desired timing, and electric power pads 401 for supplying electric power.
A plurality of the heater boards 100 having the above-described construction are bonded by an adhesive to a portion of a support (base plate) 300 made of a material such as a metal, ceramic or the like along a side of the support in the lengthwise direction thereof. A driving circuit for selectively driving the heaters 101 in accordance with print data is formed on a control circuit substrate 400 which is bonded to the base plate 300 by an adhesive.
A top plate 200 is joined to a portion of the base plate 300 where the heater boards 100 are arranged, so as to be placed on the heater boards 100. The top plate 200 has grooves for forming ink channels and discharge openings corresponding to the respective heaters 101, and a common liquid chamber groove common to the ink channels, which communicates with the ink channels to supply an ink thereto.
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the heater boards 100 and the base plate 300 taken along the lengthwise direction thereof.
As shown in FIG. 10, the heater boards 100 are bonded to a predetermined portion of the base plate 300 by an adhesive 301 coated to a predetermined thickness. The heater boards 100 are adjacent to each other with the same pitch as the pitch P=70.5 .mu.m of the heaters 101 arranged on the heater boards 100. The spaces between the respective heater boards 100 which are produced by the arrangement thereof are sealed with a sealing agent 302 for preventing leakage of ink.
In FIG. 9, the wiring substrate 400 is bonded to the base plate 300 in the same manner as the heater boards 100, as described above, so that the pads 102 provided on the heater boards 100 and the signal/power supply pads 401 provided on the wiring substrate 400 have a predetermined positional relation. On the wiring substrate 400 is provided a connector 402 for supplying print signals and driving power thereto from the outside.
Description will now be made of the top plate 200 serving as a member with grooves which form channels.
Referring to FIG. 11, the top plate 200 comprises the ink channels 202 respectively provided in correspondence with the heaters 101 provided on the heater boards 100, the discharge openings 203 respectively provided corresponding to the ink channels 202 to discharge ink to a printing medium, the liquid chamber channel 202 communicating with the ink channels 201 to supply ink thereto, and ink supply ports 204 for allowing the ink supplied from an ink tank (not shown) to flow in the liquid chamber channel. The top plate 200 has a length substantially corresponding to a row of the heaters formed by the plurality of heater boards 100.
Description will now be made of the process for joining the top plate serving as a channeled member to the supporting member provided with the plurality of heater boards 100.
A base member in which the plurality of heater boards 100 are bonded to the base plate 300 in accordance with predetermined dimensions is first prepared.
As shown in FIG. 12, the base member is placed at the predetermined position on a base 205 provided on a connecting machine (not shown). The base member is positioned by using pins provided on the base 205. The top plate 200 is then set in a hand 206 of the connecting machine. Predetermined positioning of the top plate 200 is performed by the hand 206. The base plate 300 and the top plate 200 are therefore placed on the base 205 and the hand 206, respectively, so that the positional relation therebetween is set within a range. The positions of the base plate 300 and the top plate 200 are then confirmed by a microscope of the connecting machine. Namely, these positions are confirmed by observing that 1504th heater 101 corresponding to the 1504th discharge opening from the direction shown by axis A in FIG. 12. The accurate position of the 1504th heater in the connecting machine is confirmed by image processing as seen from the direction shown by axis A. Similarly, the position of the discharge opening corresponding to the 1504th heater is confirmed by observing from the direction shown by axis B in FIG. 12. The positions of the base plate 300 and the top plate 200 in direction x shown in the drawing are adjusted so that the position of the discharge opening 203 seen from the direction shown by axis B corresponds to the position of the 1504th heater seen from the direction shown by axis A.
Since the connecting machine has a positioning precision of .+-.2 .mu.m, positioning in the direction x shown in FIG. 12 can be performed with this precision. The hand 206 is then moved downward in direction z with maintaining the same precision to join the top plate 200 to the heater boards 100. The hand 206 is then removed while the top plate 200 is pressed in the direction shown by axis B (direction y) to fix the top plate 200 by springs (not shown).
Although, in this case, the top plate is mechanically pressed by fixing means such as springs or the like, other various means such as an adhesive, combination of an adhesive and springs, etc. may be used. The top plate 200 and the heater boards 100 are thus bonded with the relation shown in FIG. 13.
The top plate 200 can be produced by any of known methods such as a machining method by cutting, a molding method, an injection method, a photolithographic method, etc.
As described above, an ink-jet head can be obtained by mounting the long top plate (channeled member) on the base member comprising the base plate and the plurality of heater boards, each of which has a plurality of heaters and which are arranged on one side of the base plate, so as to cover the heaters of the plurality of heater boards.
The above-described configuration permits the formation of the ink-jet head having simple ink supply paths, and decreases in the size and cost of the head, as compared with an ink-jet head comprising a plurality of small heads each having a top plate provided on a heater board. Since the plurality of heater boards are arranged on only one side of the base plate, electrical wiring can also be simplified. In addition, since the long top plate is mounted on the base member so as to cover the heaters of the respective heater boards, it is possible to prevent the problem that, in an ink-jet head comprising the small heads arranged therein, the channel directions of the respective heads are not uniform. Particularly, when only one top plate is provided, as described above, the directions of all channels can be made uniform by only one registration, and thus a long head producing no shift in printing can be readily obtained.
The aforementioned configuration enables the realization of a long print head which can be practically used.
However, even in the ink-jet head configured as described above, it is impossible to completely solve the problems with respect to shifts of the adhesion positions of the discharged ink droplets caused by small shifts in arrangement of the heater boards, and the nonuniformity of density due to small differences in the amounts of the inks discharged from respective heater boards. The inventors found that differences in density characteristics between respective heater boards are visually remarkable in the portions printed by inks discharged from discharge openings near the boundaries between the respective heater boards.

Ink-jet printing apparatus and ink-jet head unit


An optical fibre including a waveguide and at least one stress applying region is described. The waveguide is defined by a numerical aperture, and the stress applying region is defined by a depressed refractive index. The optical fibre is configured such that the waveguide supports at least two polarised fundamental modes, two polarized first second-order modes, and two polarised second second-order modes. The waveguide includes comprises a gain medium. The stress applying region, the waveguide and the disposition of the gain medium are such as to provide preferential guidance to at least one of the modes at an operating wavelength.

Many applications of optical fibres required control of either polarisation or the mode shape. Particular examples are found in high-power fibre lasers and amplifiers whose optical output is further processed by polarisation-dependent devices such as modulators and frequency converters. Although polarisation-maintaining fibres exist, these do not necessarily provide a single polarisation output, particularly at high powers where reliable polarising optics can be expensive, unreliable, and difficult to procure. A requirement therefore exists for an active fibre that can be incorporated into a high-power fibre laser or amplifier and which enables the laser or amplifier to be operable as a single-polarisation source.
Stimulated Brillouin scattering provides a limitation for high-power fibre lasers and optical amplifiers. Light travelling down the fibre excites an acoustic wave which reflects the light, the reflected light being shifted in wavelength by the Brillouin wavelength shift. Different glass materials have different Brillouin wavelength shifts and Brillouin bandwidths.
It is known that the stimulated Brillouin scattering threshold can be increased by varying the materials along an optical fibre, by inducing a temperature gradient along a fibre, and by utilizing glasses having different Brillouin shifts across the cross section of a fibre.
It is also known that the stimulated Brillouin scattering threshold can be increased using so-called large mode area fibres. Such fibres can have relatively low numerical apertures and can be operated multi-moded and bent such as to provide higher losses for the higher-order modes as compared to the fundamental mode.
There is a need for a fibre that can be used in single-frequency lasers and amplifiers. There is a related need for a fibre that has a higher stimulated Brillouin scattering threshold.

Polarization-dependent optical fibre amplifier


A new and distinct cultivar of Gerbera plant named `Teralko`, characterized by its single type, a distinctive very bright red ray floret which is a solid bright red color throughout, a green disc floret the outermost petaloids of which are red and display yellow stigmas and anthers, red perianth lobe color and 75 mm overall flower diameter is disclosed.

The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Gerbera Jamesonni, referred to by the cultivar name `Teralko`. "Teralko` was originated from a hybridization program in De Kwakel, The Netherlands in 1989. The female parent was unnamed seedling M89.47, and the male parent was Tersalas -M89.16-. The female parent M89.47 has almost identical production, diameter, and heart color. However, it has a less bright red color and a shorter vase-life. The male parent has flowers with an almost identical diameter, but with a less brighter color red, a dark heart, a better production, and a shorter vase-life. Both had not been available outside Terra Nigra. The new cultivar was selected by me from the progeny of the stated parentage on or about March 1990. The first asexual reproduction of `Teralko` was accomplished when vegetative cuttings were taken on April 1990 in De Kwakel. The new cultivar is presently being propagated by cuttings and tissue culture. Horticultural examination of selected units initiated November 1990 has demonstrated that the combination of characteristics as herein disclosed for `Teralko` are firmly fixed and are retained through successive generations of asexual reproduction.
The following observations, measurements and comparisons describe plants grown in De Kwakel, The Netherlands, under greenhouse conditions which closely approximate those generally used in commercial practice. The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be basic characteristics of `Teralko`, which in combination distinguish this Gerbera from its parents and all other varieties of which I am aware:
1. Type: Single. PA0 2. Color of ray floret: Very distinctive bright red. PA0 3. Color of disc floret: Green. PA0 4. Color of perianthy lobe: Red. PA0 5. Diameter of flower head: Small 75 mm.
Of the many commercial cultivars known to me, there is no cultivar similar in comparison to `Teralko`.


An automatic focusing system comprises at least one micromirror array lens, an image sensor, and a signal processor. The micromirror array lens images an object and focuses the image on the image sensor. The image sensor receives the light and converts the photo energy of the light to electrical energy in the form of an electrical signal. The image sensor sends the electrical signal, which carries image data concerning the object, to the signal processor. The signal processor receives the electrical signal, compares the image quality of the image data to its focus criteria, and generates a control signal, which it sends to the micromirror array lens to adjust the focal length of the micromirror array lens. This iterative process is continued until the quality of the image data meets the focus criteria, and the process is completed within the afterimage speed of the human eye.

Many conventional imaging devices such as cameras, camcorders, and other alternatives, use automatic focusing systems to capture sharper images easily. Conventional automatic focusing lens systems comprise a series of lenses, lens moving mechanisms, image sensors and signal processors. When the imaging device and/or the imaged object is moved abruptly, the imaging device loses focus of an image because conventional automatic focusing systems have low focusing speeds. Therefore, the imaging device obtains a blurred image.
Most conventional automatic focusing imaging devices use an electromagnetically driven motor and/or piezo-electrically actuated apparatus to move one or more lenses for focusing. But the response speed of conventional automatic focusing systems is too slow because the conventional refracting lenses and conventional lens-moving mechanisms incorporated in the imaging device have considerable inertia. For the electromagnetic motor, the response speed is limited by the magnetic inductance. Imaging devices with fast automatic focusing have not appeared yet.
Thus there is a practical need for an improved automatic focusing system that enables clear images to be captured within an instance of time. Such system must be easy to manufacture and adapted for use with existing imaging devices.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


Colored bicomponent filaments have a particulate colorant dispersed throughout one of the fiber domains while another of the fiber domains is colorant-free. More specifically, the filaments have at least two distinct components arranged longitudinally coextensive with one another. The arrangement of the components may be a sheath/core structure or a side-by-side structure. One of the components contains a colorant and the other one does not (i.e., is colorant free). The colorant-free component is most preferably formed of a polymeric material which is incompatible with the particulate colorant, whereas the colorant-containing component is most preferably formed of a polymeric material which is compatible with the particulate colorant.

As used herein the term" bicomponent fiber" means a fiber having at least two distinct, and possibly more, components or domains in intimate adherence along their length. These components are distinct due to the polymer used and/or due to the additives present. The term "filament" means a fibrous strand of indefinite length. The term "staple" means a fibrous strand of short length. The term "fiber" means filaments, staple, or both. The colored bicomponent fibers of the present invention have Munsell Values between about 2.5/ to about 8.5 and Munsell Chromas greater than about/0.5. (Kelly et al, The ISCC-NBS Method of Designating Colors and a Dictionary of Color Names, National Bureau of Standards Circular 553, pages 1-5 and 16 (1955), incorporated hereinto by reference.) The term "colorant" means a solid particulate pigment which may be incorporated into a spinnable polymer to obtain colored filaments.
The incorporation of additives in so-called "neat" thermoplastic polymeric host materials (that is, polymeric materials containing no additives) so as to achieve desired physical properties is well known. Thus, the art has conventionally incorporated colorants, stabilizers, delusterants, flame retardants, fillers, antimicrobial agents, antistatic agents, optical brighteners, extenders, processing aids and other functional additives into polymeric host materials in an effort to "engineer" desired properties of the resulting additive-containing polymeric host material. Such additives are typically added any time prior to shaping of the polymeric material, for example, by spinning or molding (e.g., extrusion, injection, or blow-molding) operations.
The incorporation of colorant additives in filaments formed by melt-spinning a polymeric material has presented unique challenges. For example, the amount of particulate pigment dispersed in a concentrate which is added to the polymeric material must be sufficiently high to impart satisfactory color density, but must not be so high as to interrupt the spinning process. One prior proposal for incorporating colorant additives in thermoplastic polymeric materials is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,236,645 to Frank R. Jones on Aug. 17, 1993 (the entire content of which is expressly incorporated hereinto by reference).
According to the Jones '645 patent, additives are introduced into a thermoplastic melt by feeding at least one additive in an aqueous vehicle containing a dispersant to form an aqueous additive stream to a vented extruder which is extruding a thermoplastic. The aqueous portion of the aqueous additive stream is thereby volatilized within the extruder and is removed therefrom via an extruder vent. As a result, a substantially homogeneous system containing the thermoplastic, dispersant and the additive is obtained which may thereafter be spun into a filament by melt-extrusion through filament-forming orifices in a spinneret associated with a spin pack assembly.
Some colorants are known to be unsuitable for use with certain polymeric systems--for example, due to degradation of the colorants at the processing temperatures of the polymeric systems, the degradation of the colorants due to the chemical environment of the resin (e.g., reductive nature of many polymeric melts) or the abrasiveness of the colorant per se or a combination of these three phenomena. Thus, it would be highly desirable if synthetic polymeric fibers could be provided which are colored by the incorporation of colorants which, until now, have not been considered potential colorant candidates for such purpose. It is towards fulfilling such a need that the present invention is directed.
Broadly, the present invention provides colored bicomponent filaments wherein the colorant is dispersed throughout one of the fiber domains while another of the fiber domains is colorant-free. The colorant-containing component will most preferably occupy between about 10 to about 90% of the fiber cross-section, while the colorant-free domain will occupy between about 90 to about 10% of the fiber cross-section. The colorant-free domain will cover at least about 50% of the fiber's outer surface, and most preferably will cover the entirety of the fiber's outer surface so that it encapsulates or surrounds entirely the colorant-containing domain.


A message conversion system comprising a first interface configured to receive a call signaling message for a call in a first format wherein the call signaling message includes a plurality of call information elements, a processing system configured to copy the plurality of call information elements from the call signaling message, insert a first group of the plurality of call information elements into a first group of a plurality of fields of a setup message, and insert a second group of the plurality of call information elements into a second group of the plurality of fields of the setup message, and a second interface configured to transmit the setup message.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is related to telecommunication relay service (TRS) systems, and in particular, to message conversion systems and methods.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various federal and state laws and regulations require telecommunication carriers to provide services by which deaf customers can communicate with other deaf and hearing customers. The telecommunication carriers developed telecom relay services (TRS) in conjunction with telecommunication equipment vendors to link deaf customers to the other deaf and hearing customers. One particular TRS solution offered a TRS platform designed as a variation of the already established Operator Services platform, utilizing the Rockwell Galaxy to provide automatic call distributor (ACD) functions.
Rockwell designed the Galaxy in the 1970's and did not predict the need to incorporate the Galaxy into the TRS platform. Over the years, various deployments of the TRS platform have included new features and pushed the basic architecture well past its expected useful life. Rockwell has since discontinued the core Galaxy ACD and no longer produces spare parts. Additionally, the Rockwell Galaxy based TRS architecture does not meet recent federal and contractual technology requirements. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has mandated three new services beyond current capabilities given the present technology of the TRS platform: SS7 for Caller-ID, Video Relay Services, and Internet Relay.
Video Relay requires the capability of ISDN to the desktop or conversion of inbound H.320, video protocols to H.323 and using TCP/IP to transport the video stream to the agent. Providing SS7 signaling for advanced call information processing requires using SS7 protocol signaling. Internet Relay requires the addition of TCP/IP within a relay center to replace NetBIOS protocols, and a Gateway Server to communicate with relay center subsystems to determine next available agents (i.e., the Rockwell ACD). Current TRS solutions such as the Rockwell Galaxy fall short of supporting the newly required and anticipated services.


A swell packer configured to simultaneously cut and seal a wellbore or slide down and seal a wellbore. The swell packer has a swellable wellbore packer section and a pair of end rings. The end rings couple the substantially cylindrical body to the swellable wellbore packer section. Each end ring forms an annular abutment surface that cooperates with the swellable member to inhibit axial movement of the swellable member on the substantially cylindrical body. At least one diamond cutter insert, polyamide button, or tungsten carbide block can be installed circumferentially and spaced apart symmetrically or near-symmetrically on at least one of the end rings.

In the field of oil and gas exploration and production, it is common to provide ring members on longitudinal tools, bodies, tubulars or mandrels. Typically, ring members are sized to be slipped on to the tubular or mandrel and moved longitudinally into the desired position where they are secured to the body. A typical function of a ring member is to prevent or restrict axial movement of an adjacent component on the body.
One particular application in which ring members are required is in the construction of swellable packers. A swellable packer includes a mantle of swellable elastomeric material formed around a tubular body. The swellable elastomer can be selected to expand by increasing in volume on exposure to at least one triggering fluid, which can be a hydrocarbon fluid or an aqueous fluid. The design dimensions and swelling characteristics are selected such that the swellable mantle expands to create a fluid seal in the annulus, thereby isolating one wellbore section from another. Swellable packers have several advantages over conventional packers, including passive actuation, simplicity of construction, and robustness in long term isolation applications.
Commonly, a ring member is provided on either side of the swellable mantle. The ring member is secured to the main body of the tool, and is upstanding from the body. The ring member restricts or prevents axial movement of the swellable mantle on the body. It also provides stand-off protection for the swellable mantle and/or adjacent parts of the tool string during run-in. The ring member also provides an annular abutment surface for the swellable mantle which assists in reducing or preventing extrusion of the elastomer due to fluid pressure or pulling, i.e., downward, forces on the tubular. This improves the integrity of the seal provided by the packer.
A need exists for running a swell packer to the bottom of a well without the swell packer jamming or stopping midway.
A need exists for running a swell packer to the bottom of a well or to a target depth without the swell packer catching on the well midway down the borehole.
A need exists for an easy to install end ring for swell packers that allows the swell packers to be easily positioned at the target depth in a wellbore particularly for oil and natural gas wells.
The present embodiments meet these needs.
The present embodiments are detailed below with reference to the listed Figures.


In a multi viewer environment where multiple viewers simultaneously experience an audio-visual production, with the visual production occurring on a display surface, a method of increasing the perceived reality of the audio stream of the production, the method comprising the steps of: (a) locating a series of speakers along a periphery of the viewing audience; (b) panning an audio stream between the series of speakers so as to provide for the sense of an audio sound moving along the side of the viewing audience. In preferred embodiments, the output of one of the speakers is delayed relative to another speaker.

The utilisation of audio reproduction in a cinema type environment is well known in the art. Examples of popular reproduction formats include the Dolby® Digital format and the DTS format.
In the Dolby® Digital format, the cinema track is recorded in a five channel format for reproduction over five speakers. The five channel format includes a front left, front centre and front right channel and a rear left and right channel. The input audio format is designed for reproduction in a cinema type environment where five speakers are placed around an audience. An example of the format is illustrated schematically in FIG. 1 wherein, in a cinema environment 1, two audience members 2A and 2B are placed with five speakers 3–7 being placed around the audience members. The audio track of the movie is then mixed in a five channel format for reproduction in such an environment.
The utilisation of a system such as that in FIG. 1 is thought to provide for enhanced spatialization capabilities of an audio track. The five channel format allows a listener to experience a degree of spatialization due to the "mix" previously encoded. Hence, the audio format of FIG. 1 has become quite popular.
Unfortunately, the arrangement of FIG. 1 has a number of drawbacks. For example, where an audience member 2C is located near to one of the speakers then the speaker source 7 is likely to drown out the other speaker sources. As a result, the spatialization effects will be substantially lost. Further, the degree of spatialization that can be provided to the audience is limited as a result of the limitations of the choice provided by a five track arrangement.


A slotted cylinder acoustic transducer has a crescent-shaped insert disposed between a ceramic stack assembly and s cylindrical housing shell. In some embodiments, all of the ceramic elements in the ceramic stack assembly can have the same shape.

A variety of types of conventional acoustic transducers are known. Acoustic transducers are used to convert electrical energy to acoustical energy, and vice-versa. An acoustic projector, a type of acoustic transducer, in operation, is used in one transduction direction, to convert electrical energy to acoustic energy. However, though usually not used in the opposite direction, an acoustic projector also does operate in the opposite direction, to convert acoustic energy into electrical energy.
Some conventional acoustic transducers have limitations. For example, many types of conventional acoustic transducers are not capable of producing large amounts of acoustic power at low frequencies, for example, on the order of two kHz or less, and, in particular, under 400 Hz. Similarly, many types of conventional acoustic transducers are unable to operate over a wide bandwidth at the low frequencies.
Physical limitations can complicate solving such deficiencies. For example, an ability to withstand high stresses is important for deep depth, high water pressure, survival and operation, as well as for the ability to produce high acoustic power levels. An ability to withstand high stresses can result in an inability to operate at the above-described low frequencies.
Known types of acoustic projectors that can operate as acoustic projectors at low frequencies include flextensional transducers, inverse flextensional transducers, bender disc transducers, wall-driven oval transducers (also know as "WALDOs"), and slotted cylinder acoustic transducers.
Slotted cylinder acoustic projectors can be characterized by various parameters, including, but not limited to, a center operating frequency, a bandwidth (associated with a mechanical Q), and an efficiency corresponding to a ratio of acoustic power output to electrical power input.
Referring to FIG. 1, one type of conventional slotted cylinder acoustic transducer 10, here shown as a cross section, includes a cylindrical housing shell 12 having an inner surface 12a, an outer surface 12b, and a central major axis of curvature 14 (perpendicular to the page). The cylindrical housing shell 12 has a tapered thickness 12c between the inner surface 12a and the outer surface 12b, wherein the thickness 12c is taken in a direction perpendicular to the central major axis of curvature 14. The cylindrical housing shell 12 also has a slot 16 through the housing shell 14 extending in a direction parallel to the central major axis of curvature 14, forming a gap 18 in the cylindrical housing shell 12. The thickness 12c of the cylindrical housing shell 12 is greatest at a position opposite the slot 16 and smallest at positions proximate to the slot 16.
The slotted cylinder acoustic transducer 10 also includes a plurality of ceramic elements 20, of which a ceramic element 20a is but one example, having different solid shapes, and each having a respective central major axis (e.g., 32, perpendicular to the page). It will be recognized that the shapes of the ceramic elements 20 symmetrically on either side of and equidistant from an axis 22 can be the same. However, it will be recognized that there are approximately as many different shapes of ceramic elements 20 as half of a total number of ceramic elements 20.
The slotted cylinder acoustic transducer 10 also includes a plurality of electrodes 24, of which an electrode 24a is but one example, having different planar shapes. Each electrode 24 is disposed between two adjacent ceramic elements 20. It will be recognized that the shapes of the electrodes 24 symmetrically on either side of and equidistant from an axis 22 can be the same. However, it will be recognized that there are approximately as many different shapes of electrodes 24 as half of a total number of electrodes.
The plurality of ceramic elements 20 and the plurality of electrodes 24 are interposed in a ceramic stack assembly 26, one of the electrodes 24 between each two adjacent ceramic elements 20. The ceramic stack assembly 26 has an inner surface 26a, an outer surface 26b, a central major axis of curvature 14a (perpendicular to the page) parallel to the central major axis of curvature 14 of the cylindrical housing shell, and tapered thickness 26c between the inner surface 26a and the outer surface 26b, wherein the thickness 26c is in a direction perpendicular to the central major axis of curvature 14a of the ceramic stack assembly 26. The central major axis of curvature 14a of the ceramic stack assembly 26 can be at the same position as the central major axis of curvature 14 of the cylindrical housing shell 26, or it can be at a different position as shown.
A shape of the outer surface 26b of the ceramic stack assembly 26 matches a shape of the inner surface 12a of the cylindrical housing shell 12. The outer surface 26b of the ceramic stack assembly 26 is disposed proximate to the inner surface 12a of the cylindrical housing assembly 12.
The slotted cylinder acoustic transducer 10 can further include first and second tapered inserts 28, 30, respectively. The tapered inserts 28, 30 have inner surfaces 28a, 30a, respectively, outer surfaces 28b, 30b, respectively, and central major axes 34, 36, respectively (perpendicular to the page). Shapes of the outer surfaces 28b, 30b of the first and second tapered inserts 28, 30, respectively, match the shape of the inner surface 12a of the cylindrical housing shell 12. The outer surfaces 28b, 30b of the first and second tapered inserts 28, 30, respectively, are disposed proximate to the inner surface 12a of the cylindrical housing shell 12. The first tapered insert 28 is disposed proximate a first end of the ceramic stack assembly 26 and the second tapered insert 30 is disposed proximate to a second end of the ceramic stack assembly 26.
The slotted cylinder acoustic transducer 10 can include end caps (not shown) and an outer boot (not shown) so as to be sealed from the water.
It will be appreciated that having so many different ceramic elements 20 with different shapes and so many electrodes 24 with different shapes tends to make the acoustic transducer 10 expensive.
As described above, the acoustic transducer 10 can be characterized by various parameters, including, but not limited to, a center operating frequency, a bandwidth (associated with a mechanical Q), and an efficiency corresponding to a ratio of acoustic power output to electrical power input.
It will be understood that the center operating frequency of the slotted cylinder acoustic transducer 10 is related to a number of parameters, including, but not limited to, a density, stiffness, and modulus of elasticity of the cylindrical housing shell 12, a density, stiffness, and modulus of elasticity of the ceramic stack assembly 26, and a density, stiffness, and modulus of elasticity of the first and second tapered inserts 28, 30, respectively. As is known, stiffness is related to the modulus of elasticity of a material of an object, a shape of the object, and boundary conditions experienced by the object. A higher modulus of elasticity generally results in a higher operating frequency, and a higher density generally results in a lower operating frequency.
In order to design the slotted cylinder acoustic transducer 10 to achieve a particular center operating frequency, properties of the components, or of the entire slotted cylinder acoustic transducer 10, can be modeled using a finite-element computer model. The finite element model should include a so-called "radiation loading" of the water around the slotted cylinder acoustic transducer 10, which is related to an acoustic impedance. Finite element models can predict both static stresses and dynamic stresses upon elements of the transducer 10. Finite element models can also predict dynamic behavior of the slotted cylinder acoustic transducer 10.
It will be understood that the bandwidth of the slotted cylinder acoustic transducer 10 is related to a ratio of largest and smallest thicknesses 12c of the tapered cylindrical housing shell 12 and a ratio of largest and smallest thicknesses 26c of the tapered ceramic stack assembly 26 in combination with the tapered inserts 28, 30. In addition, it is known that bandwidth of the slotted cylinder acoustic transducer 10 generally increases when a length of the cylindrical housing shell 12 of the slotted cylinder acoustic transducer 10 is increased relative its outer diameter.
An efficiency of the slotted cylinder acoustic transducer 10 is related to a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, characteristics of a rubber boot surrounding the slotted cylinder acoustic transducer, piezoelectric efficiency of the piezoelectric ceramics 20 (related to a dielectric loss resulting in heating), and losses in bondings associated with the ceramic elements 60.