Links are useful for supporting and positioning spaced apart housing relative to each other. To allow for tolerance stackup the length of the link needs to be adjustable and still be strong enough to withstand high forces. The subject adjustable link includes a first end portion removably attached to a axle structure and a second end portion attached to a ripper structure. The second end portion includes an eccentric cam which is rotatable to adjust the length of the link. When the cam is properly adjusted it is moved into contact with a locking plate on the ripper structure to prevent rotation. A spacer washer is positioned between the cam and the ripper structure to prevent disengagement of the cam from the ripper structure. This arrangement of components provides for adjusting the length of a link and provides a locking structure which will withstand the high forces in the structure.

Construction vehicles commonly have a ripper structure which is used to support a ripper. To stabilize and support the ripper structure, a link is attached between the ripper structure and the axle structure. To allow for dimensional tolerances, the link must be adjustable lengthwise. In a previous design a threaded rod with a threaded adjustable end portion was used. One problem associated with the threaded rod and end portion was the difficulty in accurately cutting threads in the large diameter rod and end portion. Another problem associated with the threaded assembly is that the production cost is expensive and the scrap rates are high because the possibility of galling is higher with larger diameter threads.
The present invention is directed to overcome one or more of the problems as set forth above.

Apparatus and method for positioning a link


A microcontroller includes a program memory, data memory, central processing unit, at least one register module, a memory management unit, and a transport network. Instructions are executed in one clock cycle via an instruction word. The instruction word indicates the source module from which data is to be retrieved and the destination module to which data is to be stored. The address/data capability of an instruction word may be extended via a prefix module. If an operation is performed on the data, the source module or the destination module may perform the operation during the same clock cycle in which the data is transferred.

A. Technical Field
The present invention is generally related to integrated circuit devices, and more specifically, but not by way of limitation, to microcontrollers and microcontroller data transports.
B. Background of the Invention
Microcontroller system designers today have a myriad of choices when it comes to selecting a microcontroller for a project, i.e., 8-bit, 16-bit, RISC, CISC, or something in between. In most cases, many criteria are considered during the selection process. For example, most designers take into consideration the price, performance, power, code density, development time, functional features, and even further migration path alternatives when choosing the proper microcontroller. To complicate the selection process, demands related to one criterion generally influence the options in the other areas. Factors that are critical in one application may have little or no importance in another. Consequently, there is no one microcontroller that is perfect for all projects. However, a modern microcontroller should be flexible or adapt to fit a variety of design constraints.
When integrating complex analog circuitry with high-performance digital blocks, the operating environment should be kept as quiet and noise-free as possible. However, the clocking and switching that occur in the digital circuits of a microcontroller core inject noise into the sensitive analog section. One of the more complex issues surrounding microcontrollers is the ability to achieve high microcontroller performance while minimizing clock noise that may adversely affect sensitive analog circuits.
For most existing microprocessors, an instruction requires several clock cycles to execute, thereby increasing the noise transmitted to the surrounding environment. For example, RISC microcontrollers execute simple instructions at high clock frequencies and utilize execution pipeline(s) to improve system throughput. However, pipelines could cause pipeline hazards, because the pipeline approach requires either a compiler to anticipate potential resource conflicts or built-in hardware to detect and handle pipeline problems. When a program branch occurs, the RISC CPU utilizes one or more clock cycles (depending on the depth of the pipeline) to divert program fetching to the target branch address and discard the instruction(s) already fetched. As such, at least one additional clock cycle is required to discard instructions, thereby decreasing performance and increasing power consumption. In addition, performance of most traditional RISC microcontrollers is limited by the number of registers available for user applications.
Therefore, there is a need for a microcontroller with increased efficiency that minimizes adverse effects to surrounding components.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Transfer triggered microcontroller with orthogonal instruction set


Novel self-crimping fibers and methods for their preparation. Embodiments are provided in which fibers are melt-spun from a non-elastomeric polyamide and a thermoplastic elastomer selected from the group consisting of a polyether block polyamide copolymer and a polycaprolactone polyester. The fibers may be knit or woven into textile articles including, inter alia, hosiery, pantyhose and stockings.

Ideal characteristics of leg wear, such as ladies hosiery, include such properties as: (1) lasting snug fit with quick recovery from stretch out and knee bending, (2) uniform translucent cosmetic appearance with minimum apparent stitch definition, (3) resistance to picks and snags, (4) high durability, and (5) a soft, smooth tactility. Leg wear also ideally possesses "one size fits all" properties, i.e., a wide range of leg sizes can ideally be fit with one hose size, without loss of comfort.
Efforts to impart the above properties to hosiery products have generally involved the use of yams which crimp in the fabrics, by knitting yarns with torque in S and Z directions in alternate courses, or by including a separate elastomer yarn in the hose. Various combinations of these methods have also been used. However, these methods have generally failed to provide hosiery products having the desired physical characteristics and/or have been generally extremely difficult to knit and/or process into satisfactory hosiery products.
Methods for making crimpable yarns have involved, for example, twisting or deforming the yarn or by using differential shrinkage in a two component fiber where the components are eccentrically arranged in the cross-section of the fiber. These techniques are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,399,108 and 3,779,859. The yarns prepared by twisting, sometimes referred to as "torque yarns", generally have low fit range, poor recovery and exhibit noticeable stitch definition because they must be knit in alternate courses of S and Z directions. Crimpable yarns have also been made by combining together a hard, non-elastomeric polymer with an elastomeric polymer. The yarns prepared by this process, sometimes referred to as "composite" or "conjugate" yarns, are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,106,313 and published European Patent Application No. 0 378 194 A2. U.S. Pat. No. 4,405,686 describes a conjugate filamentary yarn which is prepared from composite components including thermoplastic elastomer and non-elastomeric polyarnide or polyester. The yarns disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,405,686 are composed of filaments whose cross-section is a compressed flat shape like a cocoon or oval. This compressed flat shape cross-section is disclosed as being necessary to obtain the highest degree of stretchability.
Hose produced by knitting an elastomeric yarn in combination with a hard yarn, for example, by covering or plaiting, may have good fit and recovery, but are generally difficult to knit.
Prior art yarns which are composed of composite filaments in a side-by-side configuration generally suffer from various drawbacks including, for example a tendency to separate at the interface of the components. In addition, the elastomeric portion of the composite fibers tends to stick to itself when in contact during processing and after packaging. The elastomeric component of the composite fibers also generally exhibits poor abrasion resistance. Prior art efforts to overcome these drawbacks have included spinning the elastomer as a core within a sheath of the hard component. However, the use of sheath-core technology may also be disadvantageous in that it is generally extremely difficult to control sheath thickness and eccentricity, and variations in sheath thickness often lead to non-uniform crimping and dyeing which, in turn, results in reduced yields of the yarns. Sheath core technology also requires highly complex and expensive sheath core spinning equipment and processes.
Prior art composite filamentary yarns must generally be heated and then cooled in a relaxed low-tension zone in order that further heat treatment in hose will develop crimp of an acceptable level. This is undesirable since the additional heat treatment step requires further processing of the fibers, resulting in a more complex process and an attendant increase in manufacturing costs.
Accordingly, new and/or better alternatives to prior art methods and compositions for achieving crimpable fibers and/or yarns are needed. The present invention is directed to this, as well as other important ends.

Self-crimping fibers and methods for their preparation


A user equipment comprises one or more antennas, a processor to communicate with an enhanced Node B (eNB) of an Internet Protocol (IP) based wireless communication network via the antenna; and a storage medium coupled to the processor, the storage medium having instructions stored thereon, that if executed by the processor, result in: requesting the eNB for a direct communication with a second user equipment, wherein the user equipment and the second user equipment are in a cell of the eNB; performing a first channel measurement based on a command from the eNB; receiving direct communication related information from the eNB based on a result of the first channel measurement; and performing a configuration based on the direct communication related information to perform the direct communicate with the second user equipment.

Wireless mobile communication technology utilizes various standards and protocols for communication between wireless devices, e.g., a base transceiver station (BTS) and a wireless mobile device. In the third generation partnership project (3GPP) long term evolution (LTE) systems, the BTS is a combination of an evolved Node Bs (eNode Bs or eNBs) and Radio Network Controllers (RNCs) in a Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), which communicates with the wireless mobile device, known as a user equipment (UE).
Reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated, and specific language will be used herein to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended.

Intracell device-to-device communication control


A semiconductor memory device includes a memory cell array including a plurality of memory cells, a source terminal which supplies a source potential to the memory cells, a first switching element which electrically connects the source terminal and a first power supply potential in an operation mode of the memory cells, and electrically disconnects the source terminal and the first power supply potential in a standby mode of the memory cells, a clamp MIS transistor which is series-connected between the source terminal and the first power supply potential, and clamps the source potential in the standby mode, a bias generation circuit which supplies a first bias potential to a gate terminal of the clamp MIS transistor, and a switching circuit which switches a potential of a back gate terminal of the clamp MIS transistor between a test mode and a non-test mode.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory device and semiconductor integrated circuit and, more particularly, to an SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) including a static memory cell.
2. Description of the Related Art
SRAMs are widely used in general LSIs (Large-Scale Integrated circuits). Along with a reduction in size and a reduction in voltage of LSIs, the SRAM is suffering an increase in power consumption by the leakage current in the standby mode.
More specifically, an SRAM cell has two load P-channel MOS (Metal Oxide Semiconductor) transistors and two driving N-channel MOS transistors. The SRAM cell stores data by turning on/off these MOS transistors. In the MOS transistors, as the gate oxide film becomes thinner, a leakage current (gate leakage) which tunnels and flows through a gate oxide film increases. As the threshold voltage reduces upon a reduction of the power supply voltage, a leakage current (subthreshold leakage) in the OFF state also increases.
As a method of reducing these leakage currents, there is proposed a method of controlling a potential supplied to a memory cell array in the standby mode, and relaxing the cell bias (see reference (Y. Takeyama et al., "A Low Leakage SRAM Macro with Replica Cell Biasing Scheme", 2005 Symposium on VLSI Circuits Digest of Technical Papers, pp. 166-167)).
In an SRAM in which a source potential VSS_Cell in the memory cell array changes to high level in the standby mode as disclosed in the above reference, the cell bias decreases more than in a normal SRAM, degrading the data retention characteristic. Before a chip is shipped as a product, it must be checked whether the SRAM has a sufficient operating margin. More specifically, in a shipping test, a chip of an insufficient margin must be screened by setting the cell bias lower than that in normal use.
However, this SRAM operates to always keep a predetermined cell bias regardless of variations in power supply potential VDD. Even if the external power supply is simply decreased, screening fails.

Static random access memory (SRAM) with clamped source potential in standby mode


Sealing socket (1) and method for arranging a sealing socket to a tube (2). A sealing socket (1) includes a sleeve (3) having an outer dimension somewhat larger than the tube (2) to be sealed, defining an annular compartment (4) between the tube (2) and the sleeve (3), in which a gasket (6) is introduced. The gasket material is pressurised by a ring (7) which is permanently connected by welding (8) to the sleeve (3).

The invention relates to sealing socket for a tube, comprising a metallic sleeve part defining a compartment in which a gasket of deformable material is received, said compartment comprising in axial direction of said sleeve part an endclosure for axial defining of said compartment, said compartment being provided in axial direction at the end remote from the endclosure with a gland or gasket pressurising means. Such sealing sockets are generally known. Generally, a pressure member is used to introduce some pretension in the gasket or gland material to provide a sealing between the tube and sleeve to compensate for changes in relative dimensions between the parts to be sealed.

Sealing socket and method for arranging a sealing socket to a tube

Stiching Energieonderzoek Centrum Nederland


Apparatus for dispensing viscous liquid, such as hot melt adhesive, includes a manifold, a dispensing module, a heater thermally coupled to the manifold, and thermally insulating cover structure secured around both the module and the manifold. Air gaps are formed between the cover structure and the heated components inside to further reduce heat transfer. The cover structure may also include heat dissipating fins. A supply connector associated with the manifold includes an interior flow passage, an exterior annular recess and at least one port communicating therebetween. A valve includes a valve seat having an orifice and a sealing surface located around the orifice. The valve further includes a valve stem movable between open and closed positions and having a recess in one end and a sealing edge located around the recess. A valve module includes an integrated heating element for providing localized heat to the adhesive immediately prior to dispensing.

The present invention generally relates to liquid dispensing technology and, more specifically, to adhesive dispensers using heated or unheated manifolds and valve modules to selectively dispense liquid adhesive.
Existing hot melt adhesive dispensers operate at relatively high temperatures, such as above about 250xc2x0 F. Present dispenser configurations have high temperature surfaces exposed to personnel. Considerable measures are taken to guard or insulate the dispensing equipment from nearby personnel. However, this also reduces the ease with which the equipment may be serviced by such personnel.
Many hot melt dispensers include a heated manifold for supplying hot liquid adhesive to one or more valve modules. Very often, these manifolds are heated by cartridge heaters or other heating elements contained within the manifold. The manifold may therefore contain high tolerance bores for receiving the heaters. Air gaps can exist between the heaters and the manifold resulting in localized hot spots or overheating. Over time, these hot spots will cause heater failure. In some cases, it may also be difficult to obtain highly uniform heating of a manifold through the use of internal heaters. For example, small manifolds or irregularly-shaped manifolds may not easily permit the use of cartridge heaters or cast-in-place heaters.
Present methods of supplying liquid hot melt adhesive can also result in adhesive stagnation and air pocketing. This contributes to char formation and related overheating problems which then adversely affect dispenser performance. Also, the typical circular cross sectional flow area of liquid supply passages is an inefficient heat transfer configuration. Many manifolds are also constructed of cast metal thus leading to lower strength threads and difficulty in accommodating a liquid filter.
Another problem arising when dispensing viscous liquids, such as hot melt or room temperature adhesive, relates to the formation of tailing, stringing or drooling of adhesive upon liquid cut-off. The inertial effects of fluid flow may prolong adhesive cut-off, therefore resulting in these undesirable effects. In a traditional valve arrangement, liquid adhesive flows parallel to a valve stem into the valve seat area. When the end of the valve stem is lifted from the seat, the flow path is relatively straight. As the valve stem approaches the seat, the liquid inertia combines with the decreasing flow area between the valve stem and the seat edge thereby resulting in increased liquid flow velocities. These increased velocities can lead to stringing, tailing or drooling of adhesive after cut-off. When dispensing hot melt adhesives, the same cut-off problems can arise if the adhesive is not maintained at the proper set point temperature in the nozzle.
It would therefore be desirable to provide dispensing apparatus for dispensing liquid hot melt or room temperature adhesive and overcoming problems in the art such as those mentioned above.
In one general aspect, the invention provides apparatus for dispensing liquid hot melt adhesive, including a manifold, a dispensing module connected with the manifold, a heater thermally coupled with the manifold and a thermally insulating cover structure surrounding the module and the manifold for preventing exposure of personnel to the hot manifold and module surfaces. The cover structure is preferably formed of a plastic material having a low thermal conductivity and preferably includes a plurality of outwardly projecting fins for further dissipating heat. Ideally, the outer edges of the fins are maintained at a temperature below a burn threshold temperature. Also in accordance with the invention, air spaces or gaps are formed between the cover structure and the module and between the cover structure and the manifold for decreasing heat transfer to the cover structure.
According to another feature of the invention, a thin film heater is bonded directly to the manifold. The thin film heater supplies heat directly through outer surfaces of the manifold. In this way, the manifold may be small and/or irregularly-shaped and still be heated in a uniform and efficient manner. Power consumption is also reduced, especially when combined with the thermally insulating cover structure. Preferably, the heater incorporates a sensor for temperature control purposes and may also incorporate a thermal fuse or thermostat for protection against overheating.
In one alternative, a manifold assembly comprises a manifold body including an inlet bore having an interior wall and a liquid supply passage communicating with the inlet bore. A heater is thermally coupled with the manifold body. A supply connector extends within the inlet bore and is configured therewith to provide better heat transfer and manufacturing advantages, such as thread elimination and alternative connection orientations. The supply connector includes an interior flow passage, an exterior annular recess disposed adjacent the interior wall of the inlet bore, and at least one port communicating between the interior flow passage and the exterior annular recess. The annular recess communicates with the liquid supply passage of the manifold. The inlet bore preferably extends completely through the manifold and is preferably a smooth bore. A pair of seals extend around the connector each respectively engaging the interior wall on opposite sides of the liquid supply passage. In one alternative, the connector further comprises a filter retained in the interior flow passage for filtering the liquid hot melt adhesive flowing into the exterior annular recess.
In another aspect of the invention, a valve is provided for dispensing viscous liquids, such as hot melt adhesives or room temperature adhesives. The valve includes a valve seat having an orifice and a sealing surface located around the orifice. A valve stem is movable between open and closed positions with respect to the valve seat and includes one end with a recess and a sealing edge located around the recess. The sealing edge is engaged with the sealing surface of the valve seat in the closed position and is spaced from the sealing surface in the open position. The recess is designed to provide a more tortuous flow path for the liquid to reduce the localized liquid flow velocities and thereby reduce undesirable cut-off effects, such as stringing, tailing or drooling of adhesive.
Another feature of the invention relates to a unique, temperature controlled valve module. More specifically, the valve module dispenses heated liquids at a predetermined set point temperature, such as in the case of the application temperature of a hot melt adhesive. The valve module includes a module body having a liquid cavity communicating with a dispensing orifice, a valve seat disposed generally between the liquid cavity and the dispensing orifice and a valve stem mounted for movement within the cavity between engaged and disengaged positions relative to the valve seat for selectively dispensing liquid from the dispensing orifice. In accordance with this aspect of the invention, a heating element is thermally coupled with the module body and a temperature sensor is also thermally coupled with the module body for detecting the temperature of the liquid. This coupling may be a direct incorporation within the module body or, for example, may be separate pieces in thermal contact. Advantageously, this configuration more accurately controls the liquid temperature at the desired set point temperature within the dispensing orifice or nozzle. This results in better cut-off and less stringing of viscous liquids, such as hot melt adhesive.
These and other advantages, objects and features of the invention will become more readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Dispensing apparatus for viscous liquids


An event monitoring system that includes two stages, an event sorting stage and an event processing stage. The event sorting stage receives events provided by at least one application, and includes multiple event sorting systems. The event processing stage includes at least one event processing system that processes events forwarded by the event sorting stage. The event processing system(s) is/are capable of processing events that fall within a particular set of one or more context partitions that correspond to the respective event processing system. As the event sorting system receives an event, the event sorting system identifies which context partition the event falls within. The event sorting system then identifies the event processing system that corresponds to the identified context partition of the event, and then forwards the event to the identified event processing system. The event processing system then applies the set of one or more monitoring rules.

Operations monitoring systems often applies monitoring rules against streams of events generated in the course of operations. The stream of events is used to evaluate or characterize operations, such as whether operations are proceeding normally, or whether one or more problems are occurring. One of the key metrics to measure efficiency of such monitoring systems is the shortness of the Mean Time to Mitigate (MTTM). MTTM refers to the mean time measured from the moment a problem appeared the first time to the time the problem is mitigated. MTTM relies on a metric called Time to Detect (TTD), which is the time from when the problem first appeared until the time that the problem was detected. After all, a course of action for mitigating a problem cannot be initiated until the problem itself is identified.
Accordingly, low latency problem detection solutions have been developed in such monitoring systems. One way to provide low latency is by offloading local event processing on agent machines, while leaving cross component, aggregation and other higher level processing to central management servers. This solution works fine with applications deployed on a single machine, when a local agent can cover the monitoring needs for a given application.

Sorted event monitoring by context partition


Multiple text parts of a body of an incoming e-mail are determined. For each text part, based on natural language processing, a topic category and a feature vector representation (FVR) are determined. For two text parts comprising a common topic category, a similarity value based on their FVR is calculated, and in case the similarity value fulfills a condition, the two text parts are aggregated into one aggregated text part. For each text part: a reference document is selected based on a FVR of the text part; a recipient is obtained based on the corresponding topic category; and an e-mail comprising the text part, and each selected reference document or a pointer thereto, is sent to the obtained recipient. Via aggregation of text parts based on FVR, computational resources for document retrieval based on FVR is reduced, as well as the number of outgoing e-mails.

Electronic mail is a ubiquitous asynchronous text-based communication method. Electronic mail messages comprising questions on specialized topics may be intended for corresponding expert recipients, the identity of which may be unknown to the sender. A single electronic mail message may comprise multiple questions intended for different corresponding expert recipients, requiring the distribution of the questions and the generation of an aggregate answer. An expert recipient may have to deal with a plurality of related or identical questions, the answering of which is a repetitive time-consuming task. An expert recipient may have to consult and/or provide electronic text-based documentation in drafting a response to an electronic mail message, the retrieval of which may be difficult and time-consuming. In the prior art, several of these problems have been addressed.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,411,947 B1 discloses an automatic message interpretation and routing system and method. An incoming electronic mail from a source is categorized according to its subject matter content for prioritization, prior to transferring the electronic mail to a review inbox for subsequent retrieval by a human operator. If possible, one or more predetermined responses for proposed release and delivery to the source are retrieved and routed to the review inbox along with the electronic mail. The document discloses detecting combinations of prominent words (or text) and patterns of text within an electronic message using a character matcher, preferably including a trigram character matching algorithm. The document furthermore discloses that proper removal of certain literals is important in automatically interpreting electronic mail.
The document does not provide for selecting one or more expert recipients. The document does not provide for handling multiple questions on specialized topics.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,718,368 B1 discloses a system and method for content-sensitive automatic reply message generation for text-based asynchronous communications. A filter and modeler performs language analysis and characterization of the content of the text message, yielding a tagged message. The filter and modeler employs feature extraction methods, which can be any one or multiple methods of pattern recognition, such as keyword analysis, morphology, natural language processing, thesauri, co-occurrence statistics, syllabic analysis and word analysis. The feature extraction methods result in several output signals, which may include keyword frequencies, co-occurrence statistics, a dimensionally-reduced representation of the keyword frequencies, phoneme frequencies, structural pattern statistics for sentences, paragraphs, and pages, estimated education level of the author based on word choices and complexity of sentence structure, and customer type. Based on the tags, an automatic reply generator retrieves from a library of phrases partial replies or reply phrases for each issue and request presented, introductory phrases based on the attitude of the customer, and may further re-select these replies based on educational level of the customer. The proposed message is presented to a user via an enhanced user interface, with the tags and the original message. The user's changes are received by a learning process, which updates reasoning and analysis logic of the filter and modeler, such that future tag generation is more precise.
The document does not provide for selecting one or more expert recipients. The document does not provide for handling multiple questions on specialized topics.
US 2002/0 107 926 A1 discloses a system and method for routing an electronic mail to a best qualified recipient by using machine learning. A learning agent builds learning models corresponding to recipients from electronic mails stored in a mail server, based on word extraction and indexing.
The document does not provide for retrieval of relevant information for replying. The document does not provide for handling multiple questions on specialized topics.
US 2007/0 208 727 A1 discloses a trust metric-based querying method. The document discloses ([0104], [0106]) juxtaposition of context information (specific domain of inquiry or expertise) with trust indicators to select a candidate recipient for a question. The document further discloses ([0114], [0136], [0137]), the automatic splitting of a given query which contains multiple questions into multiple queries.
US 2005/0 283 474 A1 discloses a method of assembling a knowledge database containing question and answer pairs. The method comprises the steps of: extracting questions from a multiplicity of electronic communications; enabling the sender of the communication to examine and select or deselect the extracted question(s); classifying each question based upon the content of the question and identifying keywords in each question; entering the questions into the database together with their respective classifications and keywords; and entering into the database answers corresponding to the entered questions. An answer to a question may be found by classifying the question and identifying keywords therein, identifying questions contained in the database which have the same or similar classification and which contain some or all of the same keywords, and identifying the corresponding answers. The document discloses ([0151]) in an embodiment the retrieval of the same answer for multiple questions which are fundamentally the same, but which are merely phrased in a different way.
Provision of a document and/or answer and/or output on a query and/or question and/or input requires a considerable amount of computational resources. None of US 2007/0 208 727 A1 and US 2005/0 283 474 A1 is concerned with lowering the computational resources.
The present invention aims to resolve at least some of the problems mentioned above.


The present invention features nucleobase oligomers that hybridize to IAP polynucleotides, and methods for using them to enhance apoptosis and treat proliferative diseases.

The invention relates to antisense IAP nucleobase oligomers and methods of using them to induce apoptosis.
One way by which cells die is referred to as apoptosis, or programmed cell death. Apoptosis often occurs as a normal part of the development and maintenance of healthy tissues. The process may occur so rapidly that it is difficult to detect.
The apoptosis pathway is now known to play a critical role in embryonic development, viral pathogenesis, cancer, autoimmune disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases, as well as other events. The failure of an apoptotic response has been implicated in the development of cancer, autoimmune disorders, such as lupus erythematosis and multiple sclerosis, and in viral infections, including those associated with herpes virus, poxvirus, and adenovirus.
The importance of apoptosis in cancer has become clear in recent years. The identification of growth promoting oncogenes in the late 1970's gave rise to an almost universal focus on cellular proliferation that dominated research in cancer biology for many years. Long-standing dogma held that anti-cancer therapies preferentially targeted rapidly dividing cancer cells relative to "normal" cells. This explanation was not entirely satisfactory, since some slow growing tumors are easily treated, while many rapidly dividing tumor types are extremely resistant to anti-cancer therapies. Progress in the cancer field has now led to a new paradigm in cancer biology wherein neoplasia is viewed as a failure to execute normal pathways of programmed cell death. Normal cells receive continuous feedback from their neighbors through various growth factors, and commit "suicide" if removed from this context. Cancer cells somehow bypass these commands and continue inappropriate proliferation. It is now believed that many cancer therapies, including radiation and many chemotherapies, previously thought to act by causing cellular injury, actually work by triggering apoptosis.
Both normal cell types and cancer cell types display a wide range of susceptibility to apoptotic triggers, although the determinants of this resistance are only now under investigation. Many normal cell types undergo temporary growth arrest in response to a sub-lethal dose of radiation or cytotoxic chemical, while cancer cells in the vicinity undergo apoptosis. This differential effect at a given dose provides the crucial treatment window that allows successful anti-cancer therapy. It is therefore not surprising that resistance of tumor cells to apoptosis is emerging as a major category of cancer treatment failure.
Several potent endogenous proteins that inhibit apoptosis have been identified, including Bcl-2, and IAP (inhibitor-of apoptosis) families in mammalian cells. Certain members of the latter family directly inhibit terminal effector caspases, i.e. casp-3 and casp-7, engaged in the execution of cell death, as well as the key mitochondrial initiator caspase, casp-9, important to the mediation of cancer chemotherapy induced cell death. The IAPs are the only known endogenous caspase inhibitors, and thus play a central role in the regulation of apoptosis.
The IAPs have been postulated to contribute to the development of some cancers, and a postulated causal chromosomal translocation involving one particular IAP (cIAP2/HIAP1) has been identified in MALT lymphoma. A recent correlation between elevated XIAP, poor prognosis, and short survival has been demonstrated in patients with acute myelogenous leukemia. XIAP was highly over-expressed in many tumor cell lines of the NCI panel.
There exists a need for improved cancer therapeutics and, in particular, therapeutics that can induce cancer cells to undergo apoptosis and override anti-apoptotic signals provided in such cells.

Antisense IAP nucleobase oligomers and uses thereof


In construction of a tennis racket provided with an oval Head Frame defining a racket face, the longitudinal size (W.sub.1) of the racket face is set to a value in a range from 320 to 390 mm, the transverse size (W.sub.2) of the same is set to a value in a range from 200 to 240 mm, and the longitudinal compressive rigidity of the head frame is adjusted to a value in a range from 30 to 200 Kgf/mm. The construction thus specified allows employment of an enlarged main/cross string tension ratio which assures high degree of spin performance at shooting balls.

The present invention relates to a tennis racket, and more particularly relates to improvement in spin performance of the face of a tennis racket at shooting balls.
In general construction of a tennis racket, a substantially oval ring shaped head frame defines a face constructed by a string network and the string network is made up of interlaced main (longitudinal) and cross (transverse) strings mounted under tension to the head frame. The main strings are usually kept under a tension in a range from 26 to 30 kg and the string tension ratio (T.sub.1 /T.sub.2), i.e. the ratio of the main string tension (T.sub.1) to the cross string tension (T.sub.2), is set to a value in a range from 1/1 to 2/1. By setting the string tension ratio to a value in this range, the main and cross string tensions well balance so that the head frame after string setting should preserve its original shape before string setting.
Among various performances of a tennis racket at shooting ball, high degree of spin performance is required by players, in particular by high level players. Here, the term "spin performance" refers to an operation of a racket face to rotate a ball in a direction intended by a player at shooting. For example, top spin causes intensive forward rotation of a ball and back spin causes intensive rearward rotation of a ball.
It is well known in the field of art that spin efficiency, i.e. the degree of spin performance on a ball, is dependent upon the magnitude of the friction force acting on the ball from the face at the very moment of collision. It is also confirmed that, with the above-described construction of a racket face, about one half of the normal reaction acting on a ball at shooting is lost without any contribution to its friction force. Here, the term "normal reaction" refers to a reactive force acting on a ball in a direction normal to the racket face shooting the ball. In order to increase the degree of such a contribution, it is helpful to increase the value of the above-described main/cross string tension ratio (T.sub.1 /T.sub.2).
Now, the value of compressive rigidity of a head frame is in a range from 12 to 18 Kgf/mm when measured in the direction of main strings. For this measurement, a tennis racket is fixed at the heel of its grip and a load of 10 Kg is applied to the crown of its head frame.
As stated already, the main/cross string tension ratio is conventionally set to a value in a range from 1/1 to 2/1 for stable balance between main and cross string tensions. When the string tension ratio exceeds this limit, unduly increased main string tension would cause longitudinal compression and lateral expansion of the head frame. Such deformation in excess tends to cause breakage of the head frame. Even when no serious breakage is caused, such deformation causes undesirable disorder in main/cross tension balance on the racket face.
Regarding the mechanism of the above-described spin performance of a racket face, it was confirmed by the inventor of the present invention that the degree of spin performance is closely related to dynamic behaviour of a ball and a racket face at mutual collision. More specifically, the most important factor in spin performance is created by the correlationship between the main/cross string tension ratio (T.sub.1 /T.sub.2) and the mode of distribution of normal reaction, i.e. normal reactive force, from the racket face.
The values of main and cross string normal reactions are given as follows. It is here assumed that a ball is shot at an intersection of a main string with a cross string in a racket face. Then, the normal reaction (N.sub.1) of the main string is given by; EQU N.sub.1 =(4T.sub.1 /L.sub.1).multidot.X.sub.1 ( 1)
L.sub.1 : length of the main string PA1 X.sub.1 : displacement of the main string in the normal direction. PA1 L.sub.2 : length of the cross string PA1 X.sub.2 : displacement of the cross string in the normal direction. PA1 F.sub.1 : frictional force from the main strings PA1 F.sub.2 : frictional force form the cross strings PA1 T: string tension PA1 L: length of the string concerned PA1 x: displacement of the string in the normal direction.
Whereas, the normal reaction (N.sub.2) of the cross string is given by; EQU N.sub.2 =(4T.sub.2 /L.sub.2).multidot.X.sub.2 ( 2)
The total normal reaction (N) acting on the ball is then given by; EQU N=N.sub.1 +N.sub.2 ( 3)
In the construction of a conventional tennis racket, its racket face is designed to suffice the following relationship; EQU L.sub.2 /L.sub.1 .apprxeq.T.sub.2 /T.sub.1 ( 4)
From this equation, the following relationship is deduced; EQU T.sub.2 /L.sub.2 =T.sub.1 /L.sub.1 =constant (5)
This equation endorses an inference that the normal reaction (N.sub.2) from the cross strings is roughly equal in amount to the normal reaction (N.sub.1) from the main strings. This inference is believed to be safely propagated to the entire area of a racket face and the total reaction acting on a ball at collision is almost equally shared by its main and cross strings.
When striking of a ball against a racket face is microscopically analyzed as a mechanical model, the general collision consists of its impact contact with main strings and its impact contact with cross strings. At these impact contacts, a frictional force acts on the ball from the face and this frictional force (F) is given by; EQU F=F.sub.1 +F.sub.2 ( 6)
Then, when the above-described normal reactions N.sub.1 and N.sub.2 are taken into consideration, these values are given by; EQU F.sub.1 =.mu..sub.1 N.sub.1 ( 7) EQU F.sub.2 =.mu..sub.2 N.sub.2 ( 8) EQU .thrfore.F=.mu..sub.1 N.sub.1 +.mu..sub.2 N.sub.2 ( 9)
Here, .mu..sub.1 indicates the dynamic friction coefficient between the ball and the main strings in the lateral direction of the latter whereas .mu..sub.2 indicates the dynamic friction coefficient between the ball and the cross strings in the longitudinal direction of the latter.
When attention is directed to one string in a racket face, its dynamic friction coefficient in the lateral direction is apparently far greater than its dynamic friction coefficient in the longitudinal direction. Taking into consideration the fact that, in construction of a common racket face, its main strings and cross strings are usually made of a same material and that, as a consequence, same in physical properties, this relationship between the lateral and longitudinal dynamic friction coefficients can be safely applied to the relationship of the above-described equation (9).
Thus, when compared with the degree of influence of the normal reaction (N.sub.1) of the main strings on the total frictional force (F) acting on the ball, the degree of influence of the normal reaction (N.sub.2) of the cross strings is quite small. In the case of the conventional racket face, the normal reaction (N.sub.2) from the cross strings roughly equals in amount the normal reaction (N.sub.1) from the main strings as inferred on the basis of the above-described equation (5). Stated otherwise, as briefed already, about half of the total normal reaction (N) is wasted without any contribution to creation of the frictional force which is useful for raising spin performance of the racket face.
On the basis of the foregoing analysis, it was first intended by the inventor of the present invention to increase the frictional force (F) acting on a ball from a racket face by means of raising the ratio (N.sub.1 /N.sub.2) of the normal reaction (N.sub.1) of the main strings to the normal reaction (N.sub.2) of the cross strings. Rise in this ratio (N.sub.1 /N.sub.2) satisfies the following relationship; EQU N.sub.1 /N.sub.2 >1 (10)
Here, the above-described increase in frictional force (F) intended by the inventor is resulted from a combination of the relationship in dynamic friction coefficient (.mu..sub.1 >.mu..sub.2) with the relationship in normal reaction (N.sub.1 >N.sub.2).
From the equations (1) and (2), the normal reaction (N) of a string is generally given by; EQU N=(4T/L).multidot.x (11)
As is clear from this relationship, the magnitude of the normal reaction (N) is proportional to the magnitude of the string tension (T). Consequently, rise in normal reaction ratio (N.sub.1 /N.sub.2) can be achieved by rise in string tension ratio (T.sub.1 /T.sub.2). In other words, the larger the string tension ratio (T.sub.1 /T.sub.2), the larger the normal reaction ratio (N.sub.1 /N.sub.2).
As stated above, the conventional tennis racket is generally designed so that the value of compressive rigidity of its head frame is in a range from 12 to 18 Kgf/mm when measured in the direction of its main strings. When the string tension ratio (T.sub.1 /T.sub.2) is increased carelessly, resultant main string tension would be increased to cause longitudinal compression and lateral expansion of the head frame. As stated already, such deformation in excess is liable to cause breakage of the head frame or serious disorder in main/cross tension balance on the racket frame.


By reacting a fluorine-containing sulfonylimide ammonium salt such as ammonium N,N-di(fluorosulfonyl)imide with an alkali metal hydroxide such as lithium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide under reduced pressure and at a low temperature of approximately 40° C., a fluorine-containing sulfonylimide alkali metal salt such as lithium N,N-di(fluorosulfonyl)imide, potassium N,N-di(fluorosulfonyl)imide or sodium N,N-di(fluorosulfonyl)imide is obtained.

Fluorine-containing sulfonylimide salts are useful compounds in a wide variety of fields, and are used as electrolytes, as additives added to the electrolytes of fuel cells, and as selective electron withdrawing materials and the like (see Patent Document 1).
Various processes have been proposed for synthesizing fluorine-containing sulfonylimide salts. For example, Patent Document 2 proposes a process for producing a fluorine-containing sulfonylimide salt by reacting a fluorine-containing sulfonylimide onium salt with an alkali metal compound. Specifically, in Patent Document 2, triethylammonium N-(fluorosulfonyl)-N-(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide and an aqueous solution prepared by dissolving lithium hydroxide monohydrate are mixed together under normal pressure, and the solvent is then distilled to dryness to obtain lithium N-(fluorosulfonyl)-N-(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide.
Further Patent Document 3 discloses that by adding a tetrahydrofuran solution of lithium hydroxide monohydrate to a tetrahydrofuran solution of an ammonium cyclo-perfluoroalkane-1,n-bis[sulfonyl]imide, and then boiling for 120 minutes, a lithium cyclo-perfluoroalkane-1,n-bis[sulfonyl]imide is obtained.

Process for producing fluorine-containing sulfonylimide salt


The invention is a method for increasing the resolution of LADAR data. In one embodiment of the invention wherein the LADAR data is generated from a split beam laser signal transmitted at a given elevation scan rate and a given azimuth scan rate, the method includes reducing the elevation scan rate by which the laser signal is transmitted by a factor of n; and reducing the azimuth scan rate by which the laser signal is transmitted by a factor of m; wherein n and m are integers greater than 1.

1. Field of the invention
This invention relates generally to laser detection and ranging ("LADAR") systems and, more particularly, to a method for increasing resolution of LADAR systems.
2. Description of Related Art
LADAR systems are finding many applications for locating and identifying objects including, in military environments, automatic target recognition ("ATR") systems. One such system is shown in FIG. 1. A laser signal 10 is transmitted by an optics package (not shown) on platform 12 to scan a geographical area called a scan pattern 14. Each scan pattern 14, which is sometimes referred to as a "footprint," is generated by scanning elevationally, or vertically, several times while scanning azimuthally, or horizontally, once. FIG. 1 illustrates a single elevational scan 15 during the azimuthal scan 18 for one of the footprints 14. Thus, each footprint 14 is defined by a plurality of elevational scans 16 such as the elevational scan 15 and the azimuthal scan 18. The principal difference between the successive footprints 14 is the location of the platform 12 at the start of the scanning process. An overlap 20 between the footprints 14 is determined by the velocity of the platform 12 in the direction of an arrow 21. The velocity, depression angle of the sensor with respect to the horizon, and total azimuth scan angle of the LADAR platform 12 determine the footprint 14 on the ground.
The laser signal 10 is typically a pulsed signal and may be either a single beam or a split beam. Because of many inherent performance advantages, split beam laser signals are typically employed by most LADAR systems. As illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2B, a single beam 22 may be split into several beamlets 24. The particular split-beam signal in FIGS. 2A-2B is formed by splitting a single beam 22 into a group 26 of seven beamlets 24, referred to collectively as a septet. The beamlets 24 are spaced apart from one another by an amount determined by the optics package (not shown) aboard the platform 12 transmitting the laser signal 10. This amount of separation is known as the "beam separation," and is referenced by numerals 25 and 27 in FIG. 2B. The azimuthal beam spacing 25 is the spacing between the individual beamlets 24 in the horizontal direction of arrow 33 in FIG. 2B. The azimuthal beam spacing 25 is determined by the beam splitter of the optics package (not shown). The elevational beam spacing 27 is the spacing between the groups 26 in the vertical direction of arrow 29 in FIG. 2B. The elevational beam spacing 27 between the groups 26 is determined by the rate of the elevational scan 16 (shown in FIG. 1) by the optics package (not shown) in the direction of arrow 29 in FIG. 2B.
Each pulse of the single beam 22 is split, and so the laser signal 10 transmitted during the elevational scan 16 in FIG. 1 is actually a series of grouped beamlets 24 like group 26. A single elevational scan of such a series of grouped pulses will be referred to, for present purposes, as a "nod." Nods are spaced apart from one another in a manner similar to groups 26. This separation shall be referred to as a nod spacing and is represented by the numeral 31 in FIG. 2B. Nod spacing 31 is determined by the rate of the azimuthal, or horizontal, scan 18 in the direction of arrow 33.
Returning to FIG. 1, the optics package aboard platform 12 transmits the groups 26 while scanning elevationally 16 and azimuthally 18. The scan pattern 14 therefore comprises a series of successive nods like elevational scan 15. Thus, the number of nods 15 in scan pattern 14 is determined by the rate of azimuth scan 18 rate and the number of beam groups 26 in any one nod 15 is determined by the rate of elevation scan 16. The elevation scan rate and the azimuth scan rate consequently influence the amount of information, or resolution, that can be obtained by a given optics package.
The laser signal 10 is continuously reflected back to the platform 12 which receives the reflected laser signal. The total return from each scan pattern 14 is known as a scan raster 14. Data is obtained from the received signal and processed. The type of processing will depend largely on the data obtained from the reflected laser signal 10 and the application to which the LADAR system is employed. For instance, the data may be processed to display an image or to provide image data for use in identifying an object detected within a scan pattern 14. The reflected signal is comprised of azimuthally spaced nods or groups of beamlets 24. The returned nods are combined to create a nod pattern comprised of pixels such as that illustrated in FIG. 3, each pixel corresponding to a single one of the reflected beamlets 24.
The resolution of data obtained from such a LADAR system results from several design trade-offs including how many pixels are needed on target to provide the automatic target recognition enough range information to autonomously identify targets. Other factors include the scan angles, the range, and the range accuracy of the system. The LADAR scan angle is determined by the velocity of the vehicle used to carry it. The faster the vehicle, the narrower the scan angle. For a given scan angle, the faster the platform 12 travels the greater the gap, or the smaller the overlap 20, on the ground between footprints 14. The scan angle is then set to provide a large ground coverage as well as sufficient overlap between scans to capture the desired target at the maximum vehicle speed. The LADAR range is influenced by the laser power, telescope collection aperture, detector response and system resolution. The range accuracy is influenced by the laser pulse widths and the pulse capture electronics.
A practical LADAR system design is based upon balancing several conflicting parameters. The ideal LADAR system would have high angular resolution, large scan angles, long range, a high range accuracy, and be very inexpensive. High angular resolution means that the angular spacing between pixels, i.e., reflected beamlets 24, is very small which results in many more pixels on the target of interest making it easier to "see." The larger the scan angles, the larger the area which can be searched for targets. The longer the range capability of the LADAR, the sooner the target can be found and the threat determined. Range accuracy is defined as how small of a range change can be resolved by the LADAR. The cost of the system is also frequently a major driver in the design. Each of these parameters are traded against the other to get the best system for the particular application.
However, it is desirable to still further increase the resolution of the data obtained from such a LADAR system. Further altering any one of the traditional design constraints will inherently alter the compromise achieved in any such design and so it is desirable to increase resolution without altering any of those factors. Still further, it is desirable to increase LADAR resolution without necessitating changes in the optics packages currently used in LADAR systems. Thus, there is a need for a new technique to improve LADAR resolution.


A Foreign Object Damage (FOD) detection system is disclosed for detecting and analyzing ultrasound or stress waves emitted when an object enters the intake of a turbine engine and impacts one or more of the blades in the engine. Upon detection the FOD detection system can immediately inform the operator, inform another electronic device (computer, etc.) and/or latch the event for review by maintenance personnel. The detection system generally consists of one or more stress wave sensors and an electronic assembly to process the stress wave signal received from the sensor(s). The electronic assembly is in communication with the sensor(s) via conventional cabling.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally directed to stress wave analysis and particularly to the use and analysis of stress waves to detect foreign object damage (FOD) in turbine engines; such as, but not limited to, jet aircraft.
2. Description of Related Art
Foreign object damage (xe2x80x9cFODxe2x80x9d) has always been a major concern of turbine engine manufacturers and users. Damaged fan, compressor and turbine blades in an engine can result in catastrophic failure or a loss of operating efficiency. To prevent FOD, some turbine systems use filters. However, this is not practical in all cases, due to size, weight, and performance issues created by filters. In non-filtered systems, periodic manual inspection is used to detect any damage at an unknown time after-the FOD event. This unknown leaves a window for the damage to propagate into a catastrophic failure that would endanger lives and/or equipment. Also, manually inspecting all, the blades is a time consuming and costly process. Accordingly, what is needed in the art is a system for detecting foreign object damage to equipment, such as turbine engines, which detects the damage in a timely and cost effective manner. It is therefore to the effective resolution of the shortcomings of the prior art that the present invention is directed.
The present invention provides a FOD detection system consisting of at least one and preferably a plurality of stress wave sensors mounted on an engine at locations that provide transmission path from the fan bearing housing(s), a cable to interface the sensor(s) with the electronics, and an electronic assembly. The electronic assembly conditions the received signal, demodulates the sigrialds and processes the signal to determine/notify if a FOD event occurred. The sensors are preferably externally mounted to the engine. Thus, by using multiple sensors located along the length of the engine, the system can detect the depth that an object has traveled into the engine before the object was destroyed
Accordingly, the present invention provides for the detection of a slow energy event in an extremely high energy environment, without the need of a highly trained professional to analyze data, and also gives a real time indication that a FOD event has occurred. The use of the present invention with a turbine engine should increase the safety efficiency and reliability of such engine.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a system for detecting and analyzing foreign object damage to a piece of equipment or machinery such as a turbine engine.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a system for detecting and analyzing foreign object damage in a relatively timely and cost efficient manner.
It is still another object of the invention to use stress wave signals to detect foreign object damage in a turbine engine.
It is even still another object of the present invention to reduce damage to turbine engines from ingestion of foreign object(s).
It is yet another object of the present invention to improve the reliability of turbine engines.
In accordance with these and other objects which will become apparent hereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings.

Turbine engine foreign object damage detection system


Embodiments of the disclosure include compositions and methods for generating RNA nanostructures, particularly in a cell. In particular embodiments, RNA subunits comprising at least one three-way junction and at least one kissing loop are configured such that multiple RNA subunits can polymerize into a specific structure. In particular embodiments, the RNA subunits are configured such that sequence of at least one kissing loop is complementary to sequence of another kissing loop, such as on another RNA subunit, and the summation of multiple RNA subunits having specific individual structures results in a combined polymerized structure of a defined shape. In specific embodiments, an RNA nanostructure generated from methods herein is utilized for an application, such as manufacturing or genetic modifications in a cell.

RNAs are highly programmable polymers due to their ability to form specific Watson-Crick base pairing, a property that can be exploited to create well-defined 2D and 3D structures. These structures are thermodynamically stable, and formed via spontaneous self-assembly, a process that requires no catalytic co-factors. In contrast to DNA, single-stranded RNA can be efficiently expressed at high levels in live cells, thus offers the opportunity to program cells to assemble designer nanostructures.
The present disclosure satisfies a long-felt need in the art for utilizing nanostructures at least for biological engineering purposes.

Building designer RNA nano-structures for synthetic biology applications


A representative gradation value is set collectively for each pixel group of several pixels each, and then the representative gradation value undergoes multilevel halftoning. From the multilevel halftoning result value obtained in this way, the presence or absence of dot formation for each pixel is set and the image is output. Also, based on the resolution ratio of the image data input resolution and output resolution, if the pixel group is divided, it is possible to divide the pixel group into suitable sizes for processing, so it is possible to improve the output image quality. Furthermore, even when the pixel group is divided, it is possible to share data for processing, so it is possible to save memory. In addition, it is possible to rapidly output high quality images with a simple process.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to technology that outputs an image based on image data, and more specifically relates to technology that outputs an image by performing a specified image process on image data and generating dots at a suitable density.
2. Description of the Related Art
Image output devices that output images by forming dots on various types of output media such as printing media or a liquid crystal screen are widely used as output devices for various types of imaging equipment. With these image output devices, images are handled in a state finely divided into small areas called pixels, and dots are formed on these pixels. When dots are formed on pixels, of course when looking at the pixels one at a time, the only possible states are that a dot is formed or isn't formed. However, when looking at an area having a certain level of width, it is possible that looseness and denseness will occur with the density of the formed dots, and it is possible to output a multi gradation image by changing the dot formation density. For example, when forming black ink dots on printing paper, areas at which dots are formed densely look dark, and conversely, areas at which dots are formed sparsely look light. Also, when bright spot dots are formed on a liquid crystal screen, areas at which dots are formed densely look light, and conversely, areas at which dots are formed sparsely look dark. Therefore, if suitable control is done on the dot formation density, it is possible to output a multi gradation image. In this way, the data for controlling dot formation so as to obtain a suitable formation density is generated by performing specified image processing on an image to be output.
In recent years, there has been demand for higher image quality and larger images for the output images with these image output devices. For the demand for higher quality images, dividing the image into finer pixels is effective. If the pixels are made smaller, the dots formed on the pixels do not stand out, so it is possible to improve the image quality. Also, for the demand for larger images, this can be handled by increasing the pixel count. Of course, it is possible to enlarge the output image even by making each pixel bigger, but this may cause a decrease in image quality, so for the demand for larger size, it is effective to increase the pixel count.
It stands to reason that when the number of pixels that form an image is increased, image processing takes time, and outputting an image rapidly is difficult. In light of this, technology has been proposed that makes it possible to execute image processing rapidly (Unexamined Patent No. 2002-185789).
However, even if the image processing is performed rapidly, when it takes time to transfer image data or to transfer already processed image data, there are inherent limits to the acceleration effect on image output.
Also, in recent years, there is a demand of wanting to directly supply data of images taken by a digital camera or the like to an image output device such as a printing device or the like to be able to output the image immediately. In this kind of case, it is not possible to perform image processing using an image processing device equipped with high processing performance such as a so-called personal computer or the like. Therefore, it is necessary to have a simple image process for which execution is possible on either the image shooting device such as the digital camera or the image output device, or divided between both. Furthermore, even when the resolution is converted during image output, there is demand that image processing can be handled flexibly for this.

Image processing system, image processing device, image output device, and method and program product therefor


The disclosed embodiments relate to real time monitoring of usage of multiple pieces of exercise equipment and providing exercise based metric data based thereon to devices for aggregation, display or other processing thereof. In particular, the disclosed embodiments facilitate collection of exercise based metric data from various pieces of exercise equipment, such as stationary bikes, treadmills, and the like, in real time, i.e. as the equipment is utilized by an exercising user, combine the collected data in a form suitable for use by various interested devices and broadcast or otherwise disseminate the combined data to the various devices wherein the various devices may access the broadcasted combined data to access the usage metric data from any one or more of the pieces of exercise equipment from which it was collected for subsequent aggregation, display and/or further processing.

Monitoring systems for exercise equipment, such as stationary bicycles, treadmills, elliptical machines and the like, are known to measure, track and display the progress of a users exercise routine. Monitoring may be performed, for example, by a user at a machine via a local display which may be either embedded in the exercise equipment or provided nearby, in order for the user to track their progress during a workout with exercise metrics, e.g. calories burned, watts generated, floors climbed, distance traversed, etc., linked to their workout. Additionally, users may be given the ability to store their metrics from a workout session. This is advantageous for the user as it provides the ability to track progress over time. If a user, for example, monitors and stores the metric of "average speed" or "distance" on a exercise bike, they may gain valuable feedback on their progress over many sessions. Likewise a fitness/health club facility may wish to track individual or groups of users in order to collect usage and training information, which can be used by the facility to, for example, ascertain popular machines and help encourage and increase the results of their uses.
To facilitate monitoring the status or progress of users of exercise equipment and their metrics, the exercise equipment may provide access to the usage data via a communications protocol, such as C-SAFE or ANT+, which are known in the art. The use of these protocols allow a monitoring system connected to the exercise equipment to access usage data, often for re-presentation to a user via a display device.
Monitoring systems, which include exercise systems that track and store both equipment use and user workout data in a data storage network, are available. One such system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,991,586 which discloses a system which captures data from multiple sources, such as exercise equipment, and stores it on a computer server for permanent storage or interactive analysis of the data combined with entertainment system data. It allows a user to integrate data from a personal monitoring device, such as a heart-rate device, as well as data from exercise equipment and display the data for a user. Unfortunately, if a user wishes to monitor the status of their exercise session, they are limited to doing so via the provided viewing screen. As a result users are limited from customization and further interaction with the data as they exercise which may enhance their overall experiences with the exercise sessions. Accordingly there is a need to provide an exercise usage monitoring system that improves the convenience and enhances a users workout experience, as well as optimizes the equipment owner's resources and experiences.


A golf aid for preventing improper wrist bending during a golf stroke. The golf aid provides a wrist wrap with a stabilizer the moves between a retracted position and an extended position spanning the carpal bones, preventing anterior bending of the wrist of a wearer. In the retracted position, the stabilizer is housed in a pocket of the wrist wrap and does not impinge or obstruct the freedom of movement of the wrist.

The present invention relates to athletic accessories and, more particularly, to an adjustable wrist support stabilizer that keeps the wrist straight at impact during the golf-swing.
Amateur golfers tend to bend their leading wrist at impact, this tendency is colloquially referred to as "flipping", and so the club 'flips' underneath the ball, almost scooping the ball so that the club-head moves past the hands at or before impacting the ball. As a result, the ball is struck by the club-head either slightly upward of or parallel to the ground as the wrist is hinged during follow through. Flipping causes a lack of compression, which results in shorter ball distance as club-head power is lost before contact with the ball. Moreover, flipping urges the clubface end upward, rotated from an open position to a closed position, causing inconsistent clubface contact and thus erratic ball flight such as slicing, hooking, pulling, and pushing the ball. Furthermore, flipping can also result in both fat and thin shots when the club strikes the ground before the hitting the ball or when the club impacts the ball as the club is slightly on the upswing.
Most amateur golfers do not have the time to practice every day or have time and money for private instructions to overcome this problem. And experience has shown that many hours of practice time on the range is required for learning the proper technique to prevent flipping. Sure, there are devices and/or clubs specifically designed to help overcome this problem, but they are designed only for practice range use and not conducive to the playing of competitive golf, and, again, demand time and patience; two things many novice golfers do not have a surplus of.
Accordingly, there is a need for an adjustable wrist support stabilizer that physically prevents the user's wrist from hinging forward prior to contact with the golf ball, thereby keeping the wrist straight through the golf-swing, putting a stop to flipping.
The wrist stabilizer allows the golfer to grip and swing the club in a normal manner but as the club comes down to strike the ball the wrist is prevented from hinging or bending forward or anterior relative to the forearm. This forces the hands to pass or lead the club head through impact which also results in the shaft leaning toward the target with the lead (non-pivoted) wrist pointed toward the target, whereby the club-head which is moving downward strikes the ball first before the ground providing compression against the ground for maximum distance relative to the power in the swing. The clubface is square at impact allowing the hands to turn naturally and the body to follow through with the chest toward the target at the end of the swing.
Prior to this invention, the only way to correct flipping was to spend hours of practice on the driving range or in private instruction. Given this product is designed to help amateur golfers who do not have the time or possibly the money to spend on the range/instructions, it would be advantageous to the sport of golf. Furthermore, the present invention can be used both on the range and on the course; being able to use while playing the game, saving time, and improving the level of enjoyment for the novice golfer while on the golf course. And so, by seeing the improvement during game play the user can see results in an actual golf shot, increasing their enjoyment of the game and allowing for increased time playing rather than practicing.

Adjustable wrist support stabilizer that keeps the wrist straight at impact during the golf-swing


A high-frequency filter of the type having a plurality of resonators open at least at one end thereof, a dielectric board forming an input/output coupling and an interstage coupling, and a case for holding therein the resonators and the dielectric board, wherein the dielectric board is made of a ceramic having a critical stress intensity factor K.sub.1c of not less than 5 MPa.multidot.m.sup.1/2 and a dielectric dissipation factor tan. .delta. of not exceeding 1% in a working frequency band of said high-frequency filter, and wherein electrodes are provided on the dielectric board to form an input/output coupling capacity and an interstage coupling capacity. The high-frequency filter of the foregoing construction has the advantage of an excellent mechanical strength which is capable of withstanding severe mechanical loads such as falling impacts or various stresses.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a high-frequency filter for use in radio communication equipment, measuring equipment or the like, and more particularly to a high-frequency filter having an excellent mechanical strength.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, high-frequency filters have been used widely in the field of radio communication equipment, such as car telephones, portable telephones or personal radio communications. Conventional high-frequency filters include a dielectric board which is, in general, made of alumina or polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) fiber reinforced glass, as disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 60-114001 entitled "Coaxial Dielectric Filter".
However, the disclosed high-frequency filter has a drawback that as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B of the accompanying drawings, the dielectric board 1 is likely to cause a break of coupled circuits due to a damage at the junction between the dielectric board 1 and input/output pins 2 or between the dielectric board 1 and central conductors 3.
In particular, when the dielectric board 1 is made of a dielectric ceramic such as calcined alumina or barium titanate, it becomes likely that due to a pressure or force applied via the input/output pins 2, microcracks produced in the vicinity of the input/output pins 2 or holes 4 receiving therein the central conductors 3 are enlarged and eventually bring about fracture of the dielectric board 1. This is because the ceramic constituting the dielectric board 1 is a brittle material which is capable of absorbing only a little energy before its fracture. As against the brittleness, the toughness is represented in terms of the critical stress intensity factor (or fracture toughness) K.sub.1c. The K.sub.1c of ceramic is in the range of 2-4 MPa.multidot.m.sup.1/2. The brittleness of the ceramic is remarkable because even cast iron which is the most brittle material among ferrous metals has a K.sub.1c value of about 20 Mpa.multidot.m.sup.1/2. In FIGS. 8A and 8B, numeral 5 designates resonators and 6 is a case for holding therein the resonators 5 and the dielectric board 1.
In the case where the dielectric board 1 is a plastic board made, for example, of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) fiber reinforced glass, the foregoing problem of board fracture does not arise due to a high resiliency of the plastic board. However, the plastic board has a drawback that the moisture resistance (tan. .delta., in particular) and heat resistance are poor as compared to those of the ceramic board.

High-frequency filter having increased mechanical strength

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A method and apparatus for facilitating access to mobile Web servers by any requesting entity from within a network. The mobile Web servers are allocated Uniform Resource Locators (URL), which are discoverable by the requesting entities through conventional use of search engines, service discovery mechanisms, registries, etc. A direct communication link exists between the mobile Web servers and the gateway to allow specific information to be obtained from the mobile Web servers and subsequently advertised by the gateway in the form of an indexed list. The indexed list allows the requesting entities to browse the mobile Web servers sponsored by the gateway for any location specific content/data that may be of interest to the requesting entities. The mobile Web servers facilitate the ability for the requesting entities to influence the content/data that is offered by the mobile Web servers.

Where mobile telephones were perhaps viewed by many as a luxury when first introduced into the marketplace, they are today viewed by our society as very important, convenient, and useful tools. A great number of people now carry their mobile devices with them wherever they go. This popularity of wireless communication has spawned a multitude of new wireless systems, devices, protocols, etc. Consumer demand for advanced wireless functions and capabilities has also fueled a wide range of technological advances in the utility and capabilities of wireless devices. Wireless/mobile devices not only allow voice communication, but also facilitate messaging, multimedia communications, e-mail, Internet browsing, and access to a wide range of wireless applications and services.
In addition, mobile devices today are themselves acting as content providers, whereby content that is resident within the mobile device itself may be posted to the Internet. One particular mobile posting process that has gained considerable popularity is a process that has been coined as "moblogging". The term "moblog" is a portmanteau of "mobile" and "weblog", where "weblog" is a Web application that provides periodic posts to a common Web page on the Internet. Thus, mobile devices today may not only access information from Web servers existing on the Internet, but may also themselves host Web server functionality as a content provider for browsers and other clients within the Internet and mobile networks.
Some applications, content, and services that might be available within a mobile device may be of little value, however, until the prospective browsers and clients are made aware of its existence. Thus, mobile devices acting as mobile Web servers create a new paradigm shift, since Web server content previously indexable and accessible on stationary Web servers, is now located within a mobile device. As such, conventional mechanisms employed by search engines, registries, and portals find themselves unable to take anything but the content into account when attempting to provide indexable access to the wireless Web servers. In particular, whereas prior art mobile Web servers may be located by conventional means, other aspects of the mobile Web servers, such as their context and location, are ignored by those conventional means. Thus, valuable information relating to the mobility of the mobile Web servers is not gathered by conventional search means and thus cannot be discovered by the browsing client.
Web servers today are generally stationary and are typically maintained by dedicated professionals. The content that is provided by the Web servers is also generally static and substantially obtained from files existent within a file system or database. Thus, the data/content contained within the stationary Web servers is subject to change at the whim of the professionals that are assigned to manage it. Certainly, the data/content contained within today's stationary Web servers is not configured to be changed, or altered, at the request of the browser or client that is accessing the stationary Web server. That is to say, that the data contained within the stationary Web servers cannot be "personalized" by the requesting entities to the extent that the data being accessed is customized by the stationary Web server administrator according to the needs and desires of the requesting entities. As such, the only information available to the requesting entities, is that information that has been previously made available based on decisions that are totally independent of the needs and desires of the requesting entities.
It can be seen, therefore, that conventional methods that are used to configure and access stationary Web servers, while applicable, are deficient when tasked with the configuration and access of their mobile Web server counterparts. Furthermore, while administrators of stationary Web servers do not necessarily take an active role in generating the stationary Web server's content, administrators of the mobile Web servers are almost always in attendance and thus may take and active role in generating the mobile Web server's content. Thus, a plethora of possibilities begins to unfold for the mobile Web server, when consideration is given to the "personalization" that may be afforded by the mobile Web server administrators, since the requesting entities may play a role in causing the administrators to customize the data/content offered by the mobile Web servers.
Accordingly, there is a need in the mobile communications industry for the administration of mobile Web servers, such that their data and services may be adaptively focused and tailored to the mobile Web server's context, such as its location. A further need exists for a system and methodology that provides enhanced access capability to the mobile Web servers, such that requesting entities may customize their requests based on the context of the mobile Web server. The enhanced access capability may also allow the mobile Web server owner to implement a level of "personalized" access control to the mobile Web server. The present invention fulfills these and other needs, and offers other advantages over the prior art approaches.

Method and apparatus for implementing a mobile web server based system


A woven conveyor belt splicing fabric of optimal strength, elongational and dimensional properties is produced by intermeshing relatively high tenacity and relatively high elastic modulus warp yarns (e.g., KEVLAR yarns) in a highly crimped one-by-one weave construction with nylon or other suitable filling yarns. The tenacity of the warp yarns provides high strength per unit fabric thickness while the crimp of the warp yarns provides a limited degree of initial stretchability of the fabric from a relaxed state sufficient to accommodate strain and deflective forces imposed on a conveyor belt splice during normal belt operation.

The present invention relates generally to the formation of endless conveyor belts and, more particularly, to the formation of butt-type splices between two conveyor belt ends.
Rubber or PVC based conveyor belts have many and varied industrial applications. Typically, such conveyor belts are of a substantially flat open-width laminated construction comprised of an intermediate carcass layer having a carry cover bonded coextensively to one face thereof and a pulley cover bonded coextensively to the opposite face thereof to form a composite trilaminate belting material. The pulley cover forms the inward surface of the belting, i.e., the surface which will contact pulleys and other guiding and support structure in the operational end usage of the belting, while the carry cover forms the outward surface of the belting which will be exposed for transport of materials thereon or other end use functions of the belting.
In many, if not most, uses of such conveyor belts, an elongate length or lengths of the belting are connected end-to-end with one another to produce a continuous conveyor belt. The connection of belt ends to one another can be accomplished in various manners, one commonly preferred means of connection being to adhesively splice belt ends together in an end-abutting relationship whereby the splice area is substantially comparable in cross-sectional dimension and operability to the remaining lengthwise extent of the overall belt. Typically, such a so-called butt splice is produced by initially cutting the belt ends to be connected along parallel diagonal lines for precise end edge abutment and then cutting away the carry and pulley covers from each belt end to form diagonal recesses on each opposite side of the belt ends when abutted. Preferably, the carry cover side of each belt end is cut away to a greater extent than the pulley side so that when the prepared belt ends are abutted the recess formed at the carry cover side is larger lengthwise with respect to the belts than the recess formed on the pulley cover side. The thusly prepared belt ends are then adhesively joined in end-abutting relation by cementing or otherwise adhering a piece of splicing material and a covering insert member into the recesses at each opposite side of the abutted belt ends so as to overlap the exposed intermediate carcass layer of each belt end, commonly referred to as a "scab." The splicing material and the covering insert member are cut to correspond substantially in shape to the respective recesses. The covering insert member commonly is of substantially the same material as the carry and pulley covers of the belting. The splicing material utilized in the recess at the pulley cover side of the abutted belt ends is typically an adhesive-backed so-called breaker strip, while the splicing material typically utilized in the recess at the carry cover side of the belt ends is typically a textile fabric.
Since the carry cover side of the conveyor belt faces outwardly in its normal operation and thereby is subjected to greater stress and strain, e.g., when traveling through a change of direction about a supporting pulley, it is important that the portion of a splice at the carry cover side of abutted belt ends have appropriate strength, flexibility and elongational properties to withstand normal operation of the belt. A primary factor determining these properties of a belt splice is the splice fabric utilized in the recess on the carry cover side of a belt splice. Ideally, the splice fabric should have relatively high tensile strength yet be relatively flexible and be stretchable only to a limited extent sufficient to accommodate elongational forces to which the conveyor belt is typically subjected. At the same time, the fabric thickness should be minimized so that the overall thickness of the belt is not increased at splice locations.
No known fabric meets all of these properties. Instead, conventional splice fabrics represent a compromise of the optimal combination of properties. One of the most common conventional splice fabrics currently in use is a woven fabric formed of a set of relatively high denier nylon warp yarns held in a substantially linear orientation by filling yarns at each opposite side of the nylon warp yarns intermeshed with a second set of relatively low denier binder warp yarns. While nylon is of a relatively lower tenacity and relatively lower modulus of elasticity than other known textile yarns, this woven structure, particularly, the linear orientation of the nylon warp yarns, minimizes the stretchability of the fabric and it generally maximizes the fabric tenacity per unit fabric thickness possible with use of nylon yarns while maintaining a sufficient degree of warpwise flexibility in the fabric for use in conveyor belt splices. Disadvantageously, however, such fabrics are nevertheless relatively thick due to the high denier of the nylon warp necessary to achieve an acceptable minimal level of fabric strength, in comparison to the fabric thickness which would be produced by the same fabric construction if a lower denier yarn of higher tenacity were to be used, e.g., polyester yarn. Unfortunately, attempts to use such polyester yarn fabrics in conveyor belt splices to overcome the deficiencies of conventional nylon splicing fabrics have not been successful because the fabric construction coupled with the high tenacity and high modulus of elasticity of polyester yarns gives the fabric such a high modulus of elasticity that the fabric exhibits a tendency to separate from the spliced belt ends under operational stresses. Accordingly, conventional wisdom has developed that conventional yarns of a high modulus of elasticity, which typically also exhibit a high tenacity, are unsuitable for use in conventional splicing fabric construction.

Woven conveyor belt splice fabric and conveyor belt splice formed therewith


A convertible headphone system with headphones having a transducer with a front and a rear, and a back cavity that is fluidly coupled to the rear of the transducer, and an external acoustic structure that defines an acoustic volume. The headphones and the external acoustic structure are configured to be coupled together so as to fluidly couple the back cavity of the headphones to the acoustic volume of the external acoustic structure, to form an expanded back cavity volume.

This disclosure relates to headphones that can also be used as out-loud listening devices where they project sound into the surrounding environment.
Headphones are designed to efficiently deliver relatively low volumes of sound to the ears. If headphones could also be used to play music out loud, they would serve a dual purpose. However headphone drivers are usually highly compliant and headphones do not have much back cavity volume. Headphones thus are not able to produce low frequency sounds at sufficient volume to be useful as out-loud listening devices.


The invention relates to a machine for punching a printed circuit plate. The machine comprises a plurality of punch blocks that are movable relative to the structure. Each block comprises a frame that is movable relative to the structure, displacement means for positioning each frame relative to the structure as a function of instructions received, a non-removable punch die secured to the moving frame and located beneath the plane corresponding to said plate, a punch tool support secured to said frame and disposed above the plane of said plate and positioned relative to the die, said support including means for removably receiving one of a plurality of punch tools adapted to the characteristics of said plate and for positioning said tool relative to the support, and means for controlling vertical displacement of said tool in said support.

There exist more and more sectors of economic activity that make use of ever more complex printed circuits in their products. The complication of these products has led to multilayer printed circuits becoming widespread. Such multilayer circuits are made up of a plurality of individual printed circuit plates which are subsequently fixed to one another, and electrical connections are also made between the various layers in order to obtain a complete multilayer printed circuit.
Because, since it is clearly necessary to stack the individual printed circuits with great accuracy in order to make up the final circuit, a need has arisen for implementing position-marking means on the individual inside printed circuit layers. This marking is usually formed by means of holes drilled through the insulating backing of the printed circuit at locations that are accurately defined relative to the plate and/or to the printed circuit formed thereon.
These positioning holes can be made in the insulating backing either before the conductor tracks are made, or else after they have been made. The act of drilling positioning holes runs the risk of giving rise to a certain amount of pollution because of the presence of dust on the surface of the insulating backing. This pollution naturally gives rise to poor quality deposition of conductors on the insulating backing. Thus trend is to make the positioning holes after the conductors have been made on the insulating backing.
Whichever of the two possible techniques is used, making the positioning holes by means of a machine requires the plate to be positioned initially relative to the structure of the machine, and then the punch tools to be positioned relative to said structure, so as to make the holes in the appropriate places.
The punching machines that are most frequently encountered at present require manual operations to be performed to position the punch tools relative to the printed circuit after the printed circuit has been positioned relative to the structure. When it is necessary to perform a large number of punching operations with different punching characteristics, such manual positioning is, naturally, very expensive.
That is why machines have been proposed in which the positioning of the punch tools is under program control. Nevertheless, in such machines, the operations that need to be performed to go from punching one type of printed circuit card to another type remain considerable and thus give rise to considerable losses of time, in spite of the pseudo-automatic way in which the punches are positioned. In particular, it is important to emphasize that even if positioning holes are, a priori, always of the same size, the punch tools, which are essentially constituted by a punch and a die, need to be adapted to the characteristics of the insulating backing of the printed circuit. In particular, the characteristics of the die and of the punch depend on the nature of the material constituting the insulating backing of the printed circuit and on the thickness of said insulating backing. It should be added that these manual operations of changing punches and dies give rise not only to a loss of time because of the operations themselves, but also require very accurate initial repositioning of the punch tools after a punch and die have been changed.

Machine for punching a printed circuit plate


A folding pinnacle bending device for a mobile crane (20) comprises a joint area (9) which is bent in order to adjust the angle of the folding pinnacle (10) and which comprises a joint (8) in its upper or tensile load area, wherein the joint area (9) comprises a mechanically fixable telescoping means (7) in its lower or pressure load area.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a folding pinnacle bending device for a mobile crane. Such folding pinnacles serve as jib extensions on mobile cranes. In order to obtain a greater overhang—for example, over the edges of buildings—for the same size of crane, it is necessary to bend the folding pinnacle. Such an application is shown in the enclosed FIG. 1. In order to be able to operate over the upper edge of the high-rise building 30, the mobile crane 20 bears a folding pinnacle 10 which is fastened to its outermost section and can be bent by means of a bending device 9, such that an overhang over the edge of the building is made possible.
2. Description of Related Art
In the prior art, two different types of folding pinnacle bending devices are known. These are mechanically adjustable rods in the upper or tensile load area of the of the joint area on the one hand, and hydraulic cylinder bending devices in the lower or pressure area of the joint area on the other.
FIG. 2 shows a bending device in accordance with the prior art, comprising a hydraulic cylinder 17 in the lower pressure load area of the joint area 9′. The hydraulic cylinder 17 is controlled by supplying and venting a hydraulic fluid and is thus altered in length. This has the advantage that the angle can be adjusted from the crane cabin in all positions of the main jib. Disadvantageously, however, high manufacturing costs are incurred, which are not always acceptable.
FIG. 3 shows the "mechanical solution" in accordance with the prior art, in which mechanically adjustable rods 16 are provided in the joint area 9″, specifically in the upper tensile load area. The disadvantage of such a construction is that it cannot replace the hydraulic cylinder version (FIG. 2) without major alterations. The present invention provides a folding pinnacle bending device which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art highlighted above. In particular, the intention is to ensure that the basic construction of hydraulically bendable pinnacles can be used to provide a cost-effective pinnacle to be adjusted mechanically within a short period of time. Furthermore, the intention is to enable adjusting measures for the angle of the folding pinnacle to be performed easily and safely.