An iron-chromium based brazing filler metal is provided which exhibits an excellent wetting behavior on a stainless steel base material. The brazing filler metal produces a brazed joint which exhibits high strength and good corrosion resistance. The brazing filler metal is suitable for brazing stainless steel and other materials where corrosion resistance and high strength is required. Typical examples of applications are heat exchangers and catalytic converters. The iron-chromium based brazing filler metal powder according to the invention comprises: between 11 and 35 wt % chromium, between 0 and 30 wt % nickel, between 2 and 20 wt % copper, between 2 and 6 wt % silicon, between 4 and 8 wt % phosporous, between 0-10 wt % manganese, and at least 20 wt % iron.

Brazing is a process for joining metal parts with the help of brazing filler metal and heating. The melting temperature of the brazing filler metal must be below the melting temperature of the base material but above 450° C. If the brazing filler metal has a braze temperature below 450° C. the joining process is called soldering. The most commonly used brazing filler metals for brazing stainless steels are based on copper or nickel. Copper based brazing filler metals are preferred when considering cost advantages while nickel based brazing filler metals are needed in high corrosion and high strength applications. Copper is for Nickel based brazing filler metals with high chromium content are used for their high corrosion resistance in applications exposed to corrosive environments. Nickel based brazing filler metals may also be used in high service temperature applications and/or when high strength is required in the application. A typical application exposed to both corrosive environment and high service temperature is the exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) cooler in automotive diesel engines. Brazing filler metals for these applications must have certain properties to be suitable to use such as; corrosion resistance, resistance to high temperature oxidation, good wetting of the base material, without causing embrittlement of the base material during brazing.

Iron-chromium based brazing filler metal


A method, apparatus, and system for compensating for lamp lumen depreciation. The method includes operating the lamp under rated wattage for a period towards the first part of operating life of the lamp. Operating wattage is increased at one or more later times. Energy savings are realized. The increases also restore at least some light lost by lamp lumen depreciation. The apparatus uses a timer to track operating time of the lamp. A few wattage changes made at spaced apart times can be made in a number of ways, including changing capacitance to the lamp, or using different taps on the lamp ballast.

A. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to light sources which exhibit lumen depreciation over their operating lives and, in particular, to methods, apparatus, and systems for operating such light sources to compensate, at least partially, for such lumen depreciation, reduce costs, and save energy.
B. Problems in the Art
Most high intensity discharge (HID) lamps exhibit what is called lamp lumen depreciation (LLD) characteristic. HID lamps include, but are not limited to, fluorescent, sodium (HPS), metal halide (MH), mercury vapor (HgV), and low pressure sodium (LPS). Each of these specifically mentioned types of HID lamps require a ballast transformer that regulates the operating and starting voltage at the lamp.
One definition of lumen depreciation or LLD is the gradual decline in a source's light output over operation time. Light output from the light source does not stay constant if operated at rated operating wattage. Due to several factors, primarily blackening of the inside of the arc tube from precipitation of chemicals and erosion of electrodes, light output usually drops as the lamp is operated. This characteristic is well known in the art. For example, a typical 1500 W MH lamp can lose up to around 50% of its light output over a typical 3000 hour cumulative operation life. See, for example, the graph of FIG. 1. Interestingly, in some lamps (including many MH lamps), lumen depreciation occurs most rapidly during the first several hundred hours of operation (e.g. 20% light loss). The rate of depreciation slows thereafter (e.g. sometimes on the order of another 10% loss for each subsequent 1000 operating hours). But cumulatively, relative to initial light output, the lamp will lose about one-half of its light-producing capacity by end of its rated life.
Manufacturers give HID lamps a rated operating wattage (ROW). ROW is the recommended wattage to operate the lamp. Manufacturers do not recommend operation substantially over ROW, as they indicate a belief it could cause failure or, at least, reduce useful life of the lamp. They indicate operation at the ROW will provide the most efficient and long-lasting operation of the lamp.
Operation substantially under ROW is also not recommended because starting the lamp can be a problem. The arc may simply drop out without sufficient power. Also, operation too far below rated wattage can materially affect efficacy of the lamp. It can also reduce light output so much as to make use of the lamp impractical for its cost. Other possible detrimental effects on the lamp or its light output are believed possible.
For example, manufacturers' generally recommend a 1500 W NH lamp not be operated at more than 1750 W (about 15 to 20% above ROW) or less than 1000 W (about 30 to 35% below ROW).
Although LLD is different for each lamp (even lamps of the same type, ROW, and manufacturer), the characteristic is well known and is fairly predictable for the same type of lamps. LLD for a particular lamp can usually be found in the technical information available from manufacturers. Sometimes LLD is expressed in terms of a multiplier factor (lumen depreciation factor or LDF) that can be used in illumination calculations to predict reduction in the light output of a lamp over a period of time caused by lumen depreciation. The LDF is usually determined by dividing the maintained lamp lumens by the published initial lamp lumens, usually yielding a value of less than 1. The LDF therefore is used in the industry as an indication of how much light loss from LLD can be expected for a lamp over its operating life.
Other factors, in addition to lumen depreciation, can contribute to what is called total light loss factor for a light fixture. Some of these factors do not involve operation of the lamp itself, such as ballast factor, ambient fixture temperature, supply voltage variation, optical factor, and surface fixture depreciation. But LLD is a significant contributor to total light loss factor.
A particular example of the LLD problem can be given in the context of sports lighting. MH lamps are commonly used, usually having ROWs on the order of at least 700 or 800 watts, and more frequently 1,000 watts, 1,500 watts, or higher. Lamp ROW gives an indication of how much electrical power is needed to run them at a specified operating voltage. Light or lumen output of a lamp is a function of wattage. For example, a 1500 W MH lamp (product ordering code MH1500/U) from Philips Lighting, a division of Philips Electronics N.V. outputs about 155,000 lumens initial and 124,000 mean lumens when operated at 1500 W. A 1000 W MH Philips lamp (product ordering code MH1000/U) outputs about 105,000 lumens initial and 66,000 mean lumens. Wide area, outdoor lighting systems presently tend to favor 1000 W to 1500 W lamps because of the larger light output. Lamps over 1500 W are becoming increasingly available and used.
With reference to FIG. 5, wide area outdoor lighting, such as is used in sports field lighting to illuminate outdoor sports fields, typically utilizes several sets or banks 16 of HID luminaires 14 (each including an HID lamp 10) to illuminate not only field 24, but a volume of space above the field, to make it playable for the players and watchable from spectator stands 26 for different sports. The conventional approach is to mount lighting fixtures 14 in sets 16 on tall poles 18. A common type of lighting fixture or luminaire 14 includes a relatively high wattage high intensity discharge (HID) lamp 10 mounted in an aluminum reflector 12. Electrical power 22 is supplied via conductive cables to ballasts in ballast boxes 20, which distribute electrical power to each lamp 10. Most times a light level is specified for the field. The lighting must be designed to meet such light levels by the selection of number of fixtures (based on light output from such fixtures, which is primarily dependent upon the lamp selected), the size and type of reflector, and their aiming directions to the field. These issues are well known in the art, as are a variety of methods of selection and design of lighting configurations to meet a specified light level. Recommended levels of illumination exist for visibility and safety for various size, shape, and type of sports fields. Light levels that are too low raise not only visibility issues, but also safety considerations. For example, low or uneven light levels can make it difficult for a player to see a fast moving ball.
Theoretically, there can be almost an infinite number of ways to light a field to a specified light level. For example, a thousand fixtures could be elevated on poles or other superstructures and densely packed together encircling the field. However, this is usually impractical. Not only would the cost of that many fixtures (including lamps) be high, the cost of structures to elevate them would be likewise. The cost of maintenance would also be high. And, over time, the cost of energy to operate them would be high. Since many, if not most, athletic field lighting systems are funded by the public or non-profit organizations (e.g. schools, municipal recreation departments, private recreation leagues), cost is a major factor in selecting such lighting.
Therefore, it is conventional to try to minimize the structure used to elevate fixtures and also minimize the number of fixtures for a lighting application to reduce both capital and operating costs. This has driven HID lamp manufacturers to develop more powerful lamps so that each fixture can output greater amounts of light energy to, in turn, allow less fixtures to meet a specified light level for a field. Less fixtures allows less elevating structure (e.g. less poles). For example, it has been reported that capital costs for installations with 1000 W fixtures can be at least 30 percent higher over installations with 1500 W fixtures.
However, as previously discussed, MH lamps (and most HID lamps), have an initial light output at rated wattage (after an initial "break in" period), but then, over the life of an HID lamp, the lamp usually slowly loses lumen output from LLD, even if that same level of electrical power or rated wattage is supplied. The practical effect of lumen depreciation is that, by the latter part of normal operating life of the lamp, its light output is a fraction of its starting output. If used in a system which requires a specified light level or output from the light source, the light source may have to be replaced early because it alone, or in combination with other lamps of similar reduced output, may render the light level to the target unacceptable.
One way of dealing with LLD is to do nothing. Even though the LLD characteristic will most likely result in a drop in light level from the light source, in many lighting applications it is not considered worth addressing. The drop in light level over time is simply accepted, or is not deemed significant enough, functionally or economically, to act upon. With HID lamps, the initial rapid drop-off is usually no more than 10-20%. And, subsequent light loss from LLD tends to proceed at a slower rate after that rapid initial lumen depreciation period. The lumen drop-off may not even be noticeable to most observers. However, in applications where light output is specified for a light source or for the area or target to be lighted by the light source, as is the case for wide area sports lighting, lumen depreciation can be a significant problem. As stated, in sports lighting, if light levels drop too much, it can not only be more difficult for spectators to see the activity on the field, it can become dangerous for players. Thus, doing nothing to compensate for LLD is not satisfactory for such lighting applications.
A second approach to the LLD issue is to replace lamps well prior to end of predicted operating life. For example, some specifications call for all lamps to be replaced at 40% of predicted life. While this tries to deal with the light loss from LLD, replacing lamps early during expected life span adds significant cost to the lighting system, and wastes potential usefulness of some lamps.
If lumen depreciation is dealt with in sports lighting, however, the most common way is a third approach, as follows. The designs essentially engineer into the system an excess amount of light fixtures (and thus additional lamps) in anticipation of light output drop-off caused by at least the first, rapid 10-20% depreciation, so that after about 100-200 hours of operation, the light output is at about the specified level for the particular application. These designs conventionally specify that the lamps be operated at rated operating wattages. The excess fixtures, and the higher energy use, add cost to the system (capital and energy) compared to less fixtures (and less lamps), but try to compensate (at least initially) for light loss from LLD. Also, this way of dealing with LLD does not add additional components, and the associated cost, to the lamps, or to their luminaires or electrical circuitry. It simply adds additional conventional lamps and fixtures. Therefore, a light designer typically selects a type and number of conventional HID lamps and fixtures that cumulatively may initially exceed the lighting requirements because the designer knows that, over time, the lumen depreciation will drop the lighting level below recommended standards. However, after the initial rapid LLD period, lumen levels decrease (somewhat slowly), but will normally gradually move below the recommended light levels. This latter LLD (after the first more rapid LLD) is many times not adequately accounted for in system design, or is ignored.
Designers may use a lumen depreciation factor or LDF to help decide how much excess light to initially produce. This tries to factor in predicted LLD light loss over whole lamp life, but only uses averages. This approach still uses a number of fixtures which initially produce excess light, but later may not produce enough light. As can be appreciated, this results in added capital and energy costs initially, and added energy and maintenance costs thereafter (e.g. operating additional lamps at ROW over their entire operating lives, and having to replace more lamps over time). It also may result in a deficiency of light later. But this has been the conventional balance adopted by the state of the art.
The state of the art has, therefore, moved in the direction of developing and using higher wattage lamps, and intentionally designing in additional fixtures that produce an initial excess amount of initial light output for an application. This addresses part of the LLD issue, but not all of it. It does not address added cost (capital and operation). Therefore, there is room for improvement in the art.
There are also continuing attempts to make other improvements involving HID lighting. For example, improvements have been made in increasing the efficiency of lighting fixtures to direct more light from each lamp to the field, see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,725,934, 4,816,974, 4,947,303, 5,075,828, 5,134,557, 5,161,883, 5,229,681, and 5,856,721. But, the problem of light loss from lumen depreciation of HID lamps remains a problem in the art.
There are also circuits which enable selective dimming of lights. See, for example, Musco Corporation MULTI-WATT® system and U.S. Pat. No. 4,994,718. Capacitance is added or deleted to change light output from one or more lamps. However, this provides a user the option to select, at any time, between more or less light to the target. It does not address compensation for LLD.
Special ballasts have also been developed, particularly for fluorescent lamps, to try to keep light output from a lamp uniform over its life. However, these tend to be relatively complex, require significant interfacing components or circuitry with the lighting system, and therefore are relatively expensive and impractical. They also do not address the issues of composite lighting by sets of fixtures, as exists in lighting such as sports lighting or other composite area lighting. Therefore special ballasts of the type mentioned are generally considered too expensive for use in most lighting applications.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Apparatus and method for compensating for reduced light output of a light source having a lumen depreciation characteristic over its operational life


A split funnel is provided that includes a top opening that has a first closed inner perimeter and a bottom opening distal from the top opening. The split funnel includes first and second portions that are linked by a bearing structure. The split funnel can be opened and closed along two seams which run from a top opening of the funnel to a bottom opening of the funnel. Methods of using the funnel are also provided.

Plants may be moved from one growth environment to a second growth environment during their growth and development. For example, increased spacing between plants as the shoot mass of the plants increases can help reduce a shade avoidance response in the plants. Increased spacing between plants as they develop can also reduce competition between their root masses for nutrient resources and water. Increased spacing as plants mature from the vegetative to the fruiting stage can also aid in subsequent harvesting. During transplantation, the delicate roots of the developing plants can be damaged which negatively affects the plants subsequent development. Protecting the roots as well as vegetation and flowers of a plant during transplantation can lead to successful growth of the plant in a new growth environment.
A continuing need exists for tools and methods to protect the roots and vegetation of developing plants when they are moved from one growth environment to a second growth environment.


A method comprises storing, at the server computer system, user profile information for the remote user. The user profile information for the remote user (or a link to the user profile information) is encrypted using authentication information. The user profile information is associated with user identification information, at the server computer system, using the authentication information, which is selectively made available by the remote user via the network to the server computer system in order to enable the server computer system to associate the user profile information with the user identification information.

User profile information is becoming an increasingly important asset to service providers, as they seek to provide highly customized and personalized experiences to service consumers. This is particularly true for software vendors and software service providers. For example, there are many providers of software-based services (e.g., website operators) that customize user interactions, as well as the presentation of information (e.g., content and advertisement), based on user profiles during interaction sessions with software supporting a particular service. Accordingly, from a software or software-services vendor perspective, the ability to obtain, generate and access user profile information is highly desirable.
From a user perspective, while the customization of software and services may be beneficial, privacy and security concerns cannot be ignored. Privacy concerns exist both with respect to the creation of user profile information by a vendor and the use of such profile information. For example, when interacting with a particular software application (e.g., when using a commercial search engine to search or when shopping on an e-commerce website), a user may or may not wish to have their activity for that particular session recorded and used to update a profile. Consider the situation in which the user is a middle-aged man, but is shopping for a gift for his teenage niece. In this situation, the user may not wish to have his activities used to automatically supplement his user profile that is automatically generated and maintained by the website. On the other hand, when shopping for technology gadgets, this particular user may view his activities with respect to that interaction as being relevant to his profile. Accordingly, the user may wish to have his profile accessed during such a session so that the software can accurately recommend products.
Turning to search software-based service providers, commercial search systems may save a search history only for a single session, or provide an option for registered users to save searches. Search history options are typically software-based, and allow searchers to access the history from any Internet-connected computer system by logging into a user account. The search history data (e.g., as part of a user profile) is typically stored on the search engine computers. Again, a user may or may not, for various reasons, wish to have their searching activities for a particular session logged and used to construct or modify a profile that is being automatically created by the search engine computers.
With respect to search history gathering, certain search engines provide no option to pause or turn off search history gathering, although logging out of a session often provides the same effect. Google, on the other hand, does provide a "pause" function that can be used to stop recording of search results without requiring that the user log out.
Ask.com has introduced an AskErase feature, which allows users to immediately delete search queries stored on servers of Ask.com in an attempt to address certain concerns around the privacy of search results history.
United States Patent Application Publication No. US 2005/0033803 describes a website system that includes an event history server system that persistently stores event data reflective of events that occurred during a browsing session of website's users, and makes such data available to other applications and services in real time. Various types of events and information are recorded by the event history server system, and event data is stored by user identifier (ID). These types of personalization applications and features are made possible by an event history server. An event search engine is provided through which users can search the respective event histories by event type, event value and event time-all-occurrence, and various other criteria. Users may also be permitted to "delete" specific events from their respective event histories.
United States Patent Application Publication No. US 2003/0051171 describes a user apparatus that forms a user identity, such as in a trusted platform module, and also captures at least one profile characteristic in a capture unit. An inquiring apparatus sends the request to the user apparatus. A profile unit forms a user self-profile by combining a formed user identity with one or more selective profile characteristics of interest to the inquirer. The user profile is formed at the user apparatus, and sent to a remote inquiring apparatus. The user therefore maintains some control of his/her user profile, and an overhead, such as data storage on an inquiring apparatus, is decreased. Paragraph [077] of this application discusses how a user identity supplied in a user self-profile may be checked.
United States Patent Application Publication No. US 2007/0261116 describes a secure content service available through a network. A user profile is stored in a user profile store, and the user access controller enforces access rights to the user profile. The user profile, once accessed, may be used to provide access to other content. A user profile store stores user profiles, each of which has a unique identifier. The user may set access levels to his or her profile in a profile store. A profile access controller enables a user to set access granularity and preferences. A user interface (275) enables access to the user profile through the profile access controller. Monitoring and logging logic (280) monitors access to the system, including user profile accesses and user preferences set by the user. The monitoring and logging logic determines if an access to a user profile is anomalous.
The described system is concerned with controlling access to the content which a content creator submits for a publication. A determination is made whether a content consumer is identified (i.e. has an associated user profile and is connected to the user profile), and whether the content consumer has access permissions to the content. The process may also determine whether content needs a content consumer's filter specifications. If there are no filters associated with content, or the content needs the filter specifications, data is decrypted and displayed to a content consumer.


A screening method includes the steps of cutting off two corners facing each other of square cells to form non-regular hexagonal cells, combining plural of the hexagonal cells into one halftone cell. Further, an interior of the hexagonal cells can be divided in order to form sub-matrices. For a square matrix of 6×6 pixels, 2×2 pixels on the left-upper side of the square matrix of the 6×6 pixels and 2×2 pixels on the right-lower side thereof may be cut down, and thereby one hexagonal cell of 32 pixels not being of a regular hexagon is formed. Further, four hexagonal cells can be combined into one. In such a way, a complex hexagonal cell can be formed. Further, a hexagonal sub-matrix of 8 pixels, also not being of a regular hexagon, can be formed. The center cell of the hexagonal sub-matrix is set to an auxiliary point. Furthermore, three hexagonal cells can be combined into one halftone cell. The number of the halftones which can be expressed by such a halftone cell is 72.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a screening method of and a screening apparatus for expressing a halftone by use of a halftone screen, and further relates to a screening method of and a screening apparatus for constructing a hexagonal cell on a square grid and suppressing the occurrence of a noise pattern in the horizontal direction and in the vertical direction.
2. Discussion of the Background
Generally, in an output device such as a printer with medium/low resolution, a halftone is not realized by a collective (concentrated) type dither nor is a halftone realized by a dispersion type random dither (error diffusion). Instead, in such a printer a halftone is typically realized by a dispersion type regular dither. The reasons for that are that, when the collective type dither is used, oozing-out or rosette due to ink closing-up together becomes prominent, and that, when the dispersion type random dither is used, memory requirements and calculation costs increase. Therefore, in particular, the technology of the dispersion type regular dither may become important in a color ink jet printer.
Generally, in the dispersion type regular dither screening, a square halftone cell is used. However, due to the property of the dither pattern, noise patterns easily recognizable by human eyes occur at some density. As a method of preventing the noise patterns from occurring in the horizontal and vertical directions, the document "Robert Ulichney. Digital Halftoning. The MIT Press" describes a regularly-hexagonal dither pattern. It has been thought that, according to the aforementioned dither, the dispersion type regular dither screening in which the above-mentioned patterns could be made not prominent.
However, since the hexagonal dither described in the aforementioned document is a symmetrical or regularly-hexagonal halftone cell realized on a 60-degree (60°) grid, an outputting device capable of marking dots on the 60° grid has to be prepared. Consequently, the above hexagonal dither cannot be applied to an outputting device for marking dots on a square grid.
In such a situation, since it is difficult to form a screen having a regularly-hexagonal cell which is spread all over the square grid, the present inventor has already proposed a method of expressing a hexagonal cell (not a regularly-hexagonal cell) having two sides (slanted sides) formed by removing a couple of corners from a square cell at positions opposing each other, and thereby suppressing the occurrence of the noise pattern in the horizontal and vertical directions as seen by the screening by use of the square halftone cell.
In such a situation, according to such a method of screening, it is necessary to arrange the cells such that the distance between the respective centers of adjacent cells is made as equal as possible in order to prevent the displacement of the pattern. As a result, the portion of the corner to be removed cannot be excessively large.
FIGS. 8A through 8C illustrate the case of forming a hexagonal cell on a 5×5 square grid as an example. On this occasion, the corners of two pieces of pixels in the 5×5 pixel opposing each other are removed as shown in the progression from FIGS. 8A to 8B. Thereby, a hexagonal cell of 24 (=5×5−1×1) pixels which is not regularly-hexagonal is formed as shown in FIG. 8B, and then, plural hexagonal cells thus formed are arranged on the square grid without any gaps therebetween as shown in FIG. 8C.
Furthermore, FIGS. 9 through 11 illustrate a method of forming the hexagonal cells with the goal of expressing a halftone to the extent of a 256-step halftone. At first, since each cell requires pixels situated at the centers thereof, each fundamental hexagonal cell is firstly formed on a 3×3 square grid as shown in FIG. 9A. The above-mentioned hexagonal cell can express 8-step halftones (=3×3−1×1) as shown in FIG. 9A. Next, an enlargement is performed by forming a further large hexagonal cell on the condition that the center of the cells respectively adjacent to the sides of the fundamental hexagonal cell is an apex as shown in FIG. 9B.
On this occasion, it is preferable to cause the apex of the shape-angle portion to be included in the hexagonal cell and not to cause the apex of both ends of the slanted sides to be inclined therein. That is, the sharp-angle portion of the adjacent cell. By use of the hexagonal cell as shown in FIG. 9B, a 24-step halftone (=5×5−1×1) can be expressed. The same enlargement can be repeated for the cell thus enlarged, and thereby a hexagonal size cell capable of expressing a 72-step halftone (=9×9−3×3) can be formed. Furthermore, a hexagonal size cell capable of expressing a 216-step halftone (=15×15−3×3) can be formed as shown in FIG. 10. Next, threshold values are set for respective pixels as shown in FIG. 11.
Moreover, as an example of another background art, the published specification of Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 8-265,568 describes a method of comparing one after another input image data with respective elements of a threshold value arrangement and converting the input image data to binarized or multiple-value data in a digital raster device. Then, in that method a smooth halftone equal to or greater than a 150-step halftone is realized by repeating a small pattern of 15-step halftones by use of a dither matrix composed of eight pieces of the raster capable of expressing a halftone equal to or greater than 15-step halftones. According to the method of the above-mentioned proposal of the background art, both of high resolution and low cost can be realized.
Moreover, as an example of still another background art, the published specification of Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 7-264,403 describes a method of dividing a threshold value matrix into plural sub-matrices of sizes equal to each other, and randomly arranging the plural threshold values in the respective sub-matrices. According to the method of the above-mentioned proposal of the other background art, it is possible to make a threshold value matrix of high spatial frequency capable of expressing a smooth halftone.
The present inventor has also already proposed a screening method including the steps of cutting off a couple of corners facing each other of a square cell on a square grid and thereby forming hexagonal cells excluding a regularly-hexagonal cell, and combining plural of the hexagonal cells into one and thereby forming a halftone cell, in order to increase the number of expressive halftones without decreasing the number of lines.
In FIG. 12, as an example, for a square matrix of the 6×6 pixels, both of a left-upper half of the 2×2 pixels on the left-upper side of the square matrix of the 6×6 pixels and a right-lower half of the 2×2 pixels on the right-lower side thereof are cut down, and thereby one hexagonal cell of 32 (=6×6−2×2) pixels not being of a regular hexagon shape are formed, and four of the above-mentioned hexagonal cells are combined into one.
Concerning another background art of expressing halftones, for example as proposed in the published specification of Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 8-265,568, a digital raster device compares, one after another, input image data with respective elements of a threshold values arrangement, and converts the respective input image data to data of binarized values or data of multiple values. In such a digital raster device, the dither matrix constructed with 8 pieces of raster capable of expressing a halftone property equal to or greater than 15 halftones is employed, and thereby a smooth halftone property equal to or greater than 150 halftones can be realized by repeating the small pattern of an extent of 15 halftones. According to the above proposed method, a high resolution of image forming and a low-cost image forming can be realized at the same time.
Furthermore, concerning still another background art of expressing halftones, for example as proposed in the published specification of Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 7-264,403, a threshold values matrix is divided into plural sub-matrices of an equal size. In the respective sub-matrices, plural threshold values are randomly arranged, and thereby the spatial frequency can be made high. In addition, the threshold value matrix capable of smoothly expressing halftones can be formed.
Furthermore, concerning still another background art of expressing halftones, for example, the published specifications of Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication Nos. 7-38,755 and 7-290,737 propose similar technology.

Screening method and a screening apparatus


A positioning control apparatus comprises a feedback compensatory system and a feedforward compensatory system. The feedforward compensatory system comprises a detector for detecting a position of a controlled object whose position is to be controlled, and a compensator connected to the detector. The feedforward compensatory system comprises a first filter having a characteristics reverse to that of the feedback compensatory system, and a second filter having a characteristics reverse to that of the object. A desired drive signal generator supplies the feedforward compensatory system with a desired drive signal having a frequency spectrum having a minimum at the mechanical resonance frequency of the object.

When it is desired to move a magnetic head from a certain track to a desired track, velocity control is performed until the desired track is reached, and then the control is switched to track-following control. During the velocity control, the head is initially accelerated, and then decelerated. The acceleration is for minimizing the time for the head to reach the desired track. The deceleration is in preparation for the transition to the track-following control.
When the head is driven by an electric actuator, e.g., an electric motor, of a certain type the acceleration is proportional to the drive current supplied to the actuator. The drive signal is made positive for acceleration, and is then made negative for deceleration. In order to avoid drastic change in the acceleration, a drive signal of trapezoidal waveform is often used. An example of trapezoidal signal is shown in FIG. 10. In FIG. 10, the downward swing of the drive signal represents acceleration, and the upward swing represents deceleration.
In the apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Kokai Publication No. 125,411/1987 (of which U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,112 issued Jan. 3, 1989 is a counterpart), the trapezoidal waveform signal is applied during the period II. In the subsequent period III, which starts at a time a little before the deceleration period ends, a velocity-following control is performed in which a signal with a deceleration reference velocity profile V=f(x) is used as a reference. In the subsequent period I, which starts when this signal falls to zero, the track-following control is performed.
For implementing the above described sequence of different modes of control, the above publication shows use of an apparatus shown in FIG. 9.
During period III, the signal of the trapezoidal waveform is applied from a trapezoidal drive signal generating circuit 33 is selected by a drive signal generating circuit 36, and is passed through a switch 37, to be applied to a drive amplifier 38. During period II, the signal from a deceleration reference velocity profile generating circuit 32 and a signal from a velocity detecting circuit 31 are applied to a velocity-following control circuit 35, whose output is selected by the drive signal switching circuit 36, and is passed through the switch 37, thereby to be applied to the drive amplifier 38. In the period I, the output of a position control circuit 34 is passed through the switch 37, to be applied to the drive amplifier 38.
The transition from the period II to the period III occurs when the output of the velocity-following control circuit 35 is exceeded by the output of the trapezoidal drive signal generating circuit 33. The drive signal switching circuit 36 detects this and changes its selection from the output of the trapezoidal drive signal generating circuit 33 to the output of the velocity-following control circuit 35. The transition from the period III to the period I occurs when a position detector, not shown detects the arrival of the magnetic head at or near the desired track. The switch 37 is controlled by such a position detector and is turned from the position indicated by the solid line (selecting the output of the drive signal switching circuit 36) to the position indicated by the broken line (selecting the output of the position-following control circuit 34).
Moreover, the above-noted Japanese publication teaches that the ratio of the period of constant acceleration, Tcon, (upper side of the trapezoid) to the total period of the acceleration and deceleration, Tacc, is set to be 0.1 to 0.3 to restrain the driving force component of the mechanical resonance component of the positioning mechanism. This is so set in an attempt to improve the accuracy of the positioning control.
The prior art positioning control apparatus is configured as described above, and it is therefore associated with the following problems:
(1) The control is switched between three modes. At the time of switching, a transient response takes place because of discontinuity in the velocity and the position. This results in a longer positioning time.
(2) The time at which the switching is made is determined experimentally through computer simulation. The design of the apparatus is therefore difficult.
(3) Because three types of signals are produced for three modes of control and they must be switched, the apparatus is complex.


A method of manufacturing a semiconductor laser device comprises steps of forming a first semiconductor laser device substrate having first grooves for cleavage on a surface thereof, bonding a second semiconductor laser device substrate onto the surface side having the first grooves and thereafter cleaving the first and second semiconductor laser device substrates along at least the first grooves.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor laser device, a semiconductor laser device, and a light apparatus, and more particularly, it relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor laser device formed by bonding a first semiconductor laser device and a second semiconductor laser device, a semiconductor laser device and a light apparatus.
2. Description of the Background Art
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor laser device formed by bonding a first semiconductor laser device and a second semiconductor laser device is known in general, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-327905, for example.
The aforementioned Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-327905 discloses a semiconductor light-emitting device (semiconductor laser device) comprising a first light-emitting element bonded onto a support base and a second light-emitting element bonded onto a surface of a semiconductor layer of the first light-emitting element and formed with a first element and a second element. This semiconductor light-emitting device described in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-327905 is provided with notch grooves on a semiconductor layer of the first light-emitting element opposed to a light-emitting point of the first element and a light-emitting point of the second element. This pair of notch grooves can inhibit light from the light-emitting points of the first and second elements from being radiated in an undesirable direction by reflection on the semiconductor layer of the first light-emitting element. In a method of manufacturing the semiconductor light-emitting device, the semiconductor light-emitting device is formed by bonding the first and second light-emitting elements each previously worked into a chip.
In the aforementioned semiconductor light-emitting device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-327905, however, since the first and second light-emitting elements each previously worked into a chip are bonded to each other, it is disadvantageously difficult to locate a cavity facet (light-emitting surface) of the first light-emitting element and a cavity facet of the second light-emitting element on the same surface.

Method of manufacturing semiconductor laser device, semiconductor laser device and light apparatus


A system and related method for completing online transactions via mobile device includes a client-side e-commerce platform executing on the mobile device that identifies candidate items for purchase based on images related to an item desired by the user. The client-side platform determines attributes of the item based on an image captured by an onboard camera or otherwise stored on, or downloaded to, the mobile device. Purchase information for items offered by participating vendors, or third-party vendors, is retrieved by the platform via APIs of the vendor network or automated middleware respectively. The user may select items for purchase and complete the transaction via single click, and the middleware forwards payment details to the third-party vendors and retrieves purchase information and transaction records from the third-party vendors. The client-side platform generates a single transaction and invoice whether the selected items are purchased from in-network or third-party vendors.

Current systems for web-based purchasing or mobile purchasing (e.g., via an internet-enabled smartphone or similar mobile device) incorporate an Application Programming Interface (API) to manage the exchange of information between a broad variety of client-side and merchant-side systems. APIs may be created by the parties involved in the transactions, and may to some extent be standardized, as within a network of participating vendors affiliated with each other and with a client-side platform. If, for example, the end user of a mobile device wishes to purchase multiple items from multiple third-party vendors outside a vendor network, the simultaneous invocation of multiple diverse APIs by a mobile application may slow or disrupt other activity on the mobile device. It may therefore be desirable for a mobile purchase system to simultaneously manage multiple purchases, from participating and third-party vendors, in real time without disrupting the experience of the end user. It may additionally be desirable for a mobile purchasing system to allow an end user to identify and purchase a desired item or product via visual recognition of the item, even if the end user has no prior knowledge of a nearby retailer who may stock the item or even of the manufacturer of the item.

System and method for instant purchase transactions via image recognition


In summary the invention described herein is broadly directed to a module for forming a reinforced concrete structure comprising (a) a formwork member that defines a cavity, (b) a reinforcement structure in the cavity, and (c) at least one formwork brace interconnecting the formwork member and the reinforcement structure.

When manufacturing construction modules, there is typically a large safety margin factored into each component, to safely support the structure. As a consequence, some of the additional material factored into the design becomes redundant after concrete or an alternative substrate is introduced into the formwork. Once the concrete is introduced and set, the additional material and accompanying weight penalty is maintained in the structure for life.
A limitation on the size of formwork panels further imposes weight and handling penalties on construction projects, in part due to the limitations on manufacturing of the constituent components, for example the grade, gauge, surface coatings and dimensions of steel products available.
The present invention was conceived with these shortcomings in mind.


Events can be searched by identifying a query that includes a time interval and a search component, determining a time increment associated with the time interval, and partitioning the time interval into partitions based on the time increment. For each partition, a relevance of each event in a collection of events that occur at a time in the partition is determined based on the query. A pre-determined number of the relevant events are displayed.

Searchable information may include descriptions of events. An "event" can be an occurrence of certain activity or conduct at a certain time and place. For example, events can include artistic performances, informational lectures, auctions, opportunities to meet an individual, private social gatherings, etc. Often, events are described in advance of their occurrence, for example by a promoter or host of the event, a news source, or another person.


A memory sense amplifier includes a sample and hold circuit followed by a differential amplifier. The sample and hold circuit samples a reference voltage on a bit line of a memory circuit when the sense amplifier is reset and a signal voltage on the same bit line when a signal representing a data bit is present in the bit line. The differential amplifier amplifies the difference between the signal voltage and the reference voltage.

Sense amplifiers are used in memory devices to allow for reduced voltage swing on the bit lines. In a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) circuit, each data bit is stored in a small storage capacitor that is discharged quickly. A sense amplifier detects a signal representing the bit on a bit line and amplifies the signal to an amplitude near the DRAM circuit's supply voltage. The capacitor is recharged as the signal is amplified. The sense amplifier detects and amplifies the signal on a periodic basis, such as every few milliseconds, before the data bit ceases to be detectable.
In a known sense amplifier, a complementary pair of bit lines is precharged to the same potential in preparation for detecting and amplifying the signal representing the data bit. A reset circuit resets the sense amplifier by connecting all its inputs and outputs and the complementary pair of bit lines together to equalize their potentials. After the reset, the data bit is written onto one of the bit lines from the storage capacitor. The sense amplifier amplifies the difference between of voltages across the complementary pair of bit lines. The sensitivity and reliability of the sense amplifier depends on the equilibration of the complementary pair of bit lines during the reset. Because of mismatches in transistor characteristics and offsets in the sense amplifier, an offset voltage develops across the complementary pair of bit lines during the reset/equilibration. This offset voltage may be erroneously detected and amplified by the sense amplifier as a signal representing a data bit. Therefore, the sensitivity and reliability of the sense amplifier are limited.
There is a need for a sense amplifier with improved sensitivity and reliability.


A system and method for suggesting discussion topics in a social network is provided. The method may include identifying a first participant associated with an online group discussion. The method may further include determining one or more interests of the first participant of the online group discussion based upon, at least in part, data associated with the first participant. The method may also include generating interface instructions based at least in part on the one or more interests of the first participant, the interface instructions usable to generate a user interface of the one or more interests for a second participant associated with the online group discussion. The method may additionally include transmitting the interface instructions to a computing device associated with the second participant.

A social network (e.g., FACEBOOK™, MYSPACE™, LINKEDIN™, TWITTER™, GOOGLE+™, etc.) may refer to an online system that provides a forum for geographically separated users to interact with one another, where those users have defined a relationship between one another. Users may control who can view their information by identifying particular relationships with other users, and can also find new users from the group of other people who are "friends" of their own friends. Social networks may be aimed at different types of social interaction, such as friendship and business networking A user of a social network may have a profile page (e.g., a web page on the social network) that provides information about the user to other users of the social network. A profile may include information regarding a user's acquaintance relationships (e.g., friends, colleagues, schoolmates, etc.) on the social network.
Some social networking websites provide real-time chat capabilities (e.g. live video chat such as that available through Google+) that may enable two or more individuals to communicate in a live forum. However, there is often an awkward silence prior to the chat session if one or more of the individuals do not have appropriate discussion topics with which to begin their conversation.

System and method for suggesting discussion topics in a social network


The present invention provides compounds which are covalent conjugates of deferoxamine and biotin or derivatives thereof. The subject compounds are capable of binding metal ions and avidin or streptavidin, and accordingly are useful in two-step radioimmunoimaging and radioimmunotherapy. Methods for the synthesis of the deferoxamine-biotin conjugates are also provided by the present invention.

Radioimaging and radiotherapy utilize cell or tissue specific targeting agents as delivery systems for radioactive, paramagnetic or cytotoxic agents. Any agent which is specific for a lesion or site of interest can potentially act as a targeting agent. For example, polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies can be produced which exhibit considerable specificity for certain cell or tissue types. Many other agents, including toxins such as diphtheria toxin, exhibit cell specificity and can be used to deliver diagnostic or therapeutic agents. The technique of delivery of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) has been investigated for cancer therapy as well as for diagnosis of cancer, thromboembolism and cardiac myopathy. For successful radioimmunoimaging, sufficient labeled MAb must localize at the target site to provide enough signal for detection. Target-to-background ratios must be high in order to achieve adequate contrast between target-bound radioactivity and background levels in other organs, tissues and blood. A major obstacle to successful radioimmunoimaging is the high background activity of free circulating radiolabeled MAbs due to prolonged circulation and accumulation in liver and spleen, the normal metabolic sites for Abs. Furthermore, the toxic effects of high radiation doses must be considered in both radioimmunotherapy and radioimmunoimaging. Such obstacles are also a consideration for methods utilizing targeting agents other than monoclonal antibodies.
To overcome such obstacles, "pre-targeting" or "two-step" approaches have been investigated. In the conventional one-step method the radionuclide is linked to the MAb either directly or via a bifunctional chelating agent. In the two-step approach the antibody is unlabeled. Unlabeled antibody is administered, and antibody which does not localize to the target site is allowed to clear from circulation before the administration of radioactivity. The radioactivity is then administered in a chemical form which has high affinity for the antibody.
To provide the diagnostic or imaging agent in a form with high affinity for the antibody, two-step methods have been designed to exploit the high affinity of avidin and streptavidin for biotin. Avidin, a 67 kilodalton (kD) glycoprotein found in egg whites, has an exceptionally high binding affinity (K.sub.a =10.sup.-15) for biotin. Avidin consists of four subunits, each capable of binding one biotin molecule. Streptavidin, a similar protein produced in Streptomyces avidinii, shares significant conformation and amino acid composition with avidin, as well as high affinity and stability for biotin. However, streptavidin is not glycosylated and reportedly exhibits less non-specific binding to tissues. Streptavidin is widely used in place of avidin because of its lower non-specific binding. Biotin, a member of the B-complex vitamins, is essential for amino acid and odd-chain fatty acid degradation, gluconeogenesis and fatty acid synthesis and is normally found in the enzyme bound form as biocytin.
The use of the two-step avidin-biotin or streptavidin-biotin approach for radioimmunoimaging and radioimmunotherapy is theoretically attractive since: 1) biotin and avidin are likely to be nontoxic at the levels required for these applications; 2) the high affinity of avidin and biotin results in the in vivo stability of the avidin-biotin bond; 3) the rapid clearance of biotin through the kidney avoids problems associated with use of radiolabeled MAbs; and 4) the tetravalency of avidin and streptavidin for biotin allows for amplification of the signal at the target site.
In the two-step avidin-biotin or streptavidinbiotin approach, antibodies are coupled with either biotin or avidin and administered to the subject, followed by administration of radiolabeled avidin or biotin, respectively. Using an animal non-tumor model, Hnatowich et al. [(1987) J. Nucl. Med. 28, 1294] have demonstrated the administration of avidin-conjugated antibody to mice, followed by administration of .sup.111 In-labeled biotin. Imaging was performed to determine the ratio of radioactivity in the target organ relative to other organs. Using Protein A-conjugated beads to simulate tumor, Hnatowich et al. thus demonstrated localization of the label to the target, with improved target-to-nontarget ratios relative to the conventional one-step approach. In a similar study, Paganelli et al. [(1988) Int. J. Cancer 2, 121] demonstrated the in vivo labeling of biotinylated antibody with .sup.131 I-and .sup.111 In-labeled avidin.
Kalofonos et al. [(1990) J. Nucl. Med. 31, 1791] have reported preliminary results of a limited clinical trial in which patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the lungs received streptavidin-conjugated monoclonal antibody followed by .sup.111 In-labeled biotin. In eight out of ten patients, tumor was detected with labeled biotin alone without the previous administration of streptavidin-conjugated antibody, perhaps due to localization of labeled biotin in tumor. In three of these patients, images were improved with the prior administration of antibody. The fact that targeting was not improved in all patients was speculated to be due to rapid internalization of antibody but may be the result of uptake of biotin by tumor cells.
Clinical studies demonstrating a two-step approach (biotinylated MAb followed by .sup.111 In-labeled streptavidin) and a three-step approach (biotinylated MAb followed by cold avidin followed by .sup.111 In-labeled biotin) have also been reported by Paganelli et al. [(1990) J. Nucl. Med. 31, 735].
In the above studies, biotin, avidin and streptavidin were each labeled with .sup.111 In via the bifunctional chelating agent diethylentriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) by the bicyclic anhydride method of Hnatovich et al. [(1982) Int. J. Appl. Radiat. Isotop. 33, 327].
A bifunctional chelating agent is a reagent which has the ability to bind to a metal ion as well as to bind to a protein or antibody. The use of chelating agents to radiolabel biotin has advantages over direct labeling since the resulting complexes are more likely to be stable and to retain biological activity. However, the use of DTPA as a chelating agent to label biotin presents significant limitations to the development of two-step radioimmunoimaging and radioimmunotherapy. DTPA-biotin is a dimer containing two biotin molecules (biotin-DTPA-biotin). Since each molecule of avidin binds four biotin molecules, a maximum of two molecules of DTPA-biotin can bind per mole of avidin or avidin-conjugated antibody, thus limiting the amount of radioactivity that can be delivered to the target site.
Another disadvantage of DTPA-biotin as a labeling reagent is a consequence of the conjugation of DTPA and biotin. DTPA-biotin is prepared by covalently linking DTPA to biotin through the use of the cyclic anhydride of DTPA and biocytin, a lysine conjugate of biotin with an available primary amine for conjugation (Hnatowich, 1987). DTPA is a member of the aminocarboxylic acid class of chelating agents, having five deprotonated carboxylate groups and three tertiary amino groups for binding to the metal ion. Since two of the five COO.sup.- groups are used for conjugation to biocytin, DTPA is rendered hexadentate rather than octadentate, leading to decreased thermodynamic stability and consequent label instability. Maecke et al. [(1989) J. Nucl. Med. 30, 1235] have demonstrated that the octadentate ligand of .sup.111 In-DTPA is superior to ligands with smaller denticity for in vivo applications.
A further disadvantage of DTPA as a chelating agent is its affinity for divalent cations found in vivo, especially Mg.sup.2+ and Ca.sup.2+ (stability constants of 9 and 11, respectively). The affinity of DTPA for divalent cations allows for the exchange of the radiometal with divalent metal in in vivo applications. For example, In and Y are released from DTPA-MAbs at a rate of about 10 percent per day in vivo [Hnatowich et al., (1985) J. Nucl. Med. 26, 503], and would be replaced by Ca.sup.2+ and Mg.sup.2+, which are present in much higher concentrations. In addition to reducing the amount of radiometal delivered to the target site, a further problem is created by the exchange of radiometal for divalent cation. Certain released radiometals will become bound by transferrin, a human plasma metal binding protein. For example, the affinity of transferrin for Fe and Ga is higher than the affinity of DTPA for these metals, thus promoting the leaching of Fe and Ga off of DTPA and onto transferrin. The consequence of this leaching is the eventual sequestration of the radiometal-transferrin complex to the liver and bone marrow, a tissue which is particularly susceptible to radiation damage.
Another consequence of the affinity of DTPA for divalent cations is a reduction in labeling efficiency due to the presence of these competing impurities in radionuclide solutions.
A still further disadvantage of DTPA occurs because the affinity of DTPA for metal ions is pH sensitive. Since the deprotonated form is the chelating moiety, metal binding affinity is decreased at low pH, a condition which may be present in tumors and abscesses. Brechbiel et al. [(1986) Inorgan. Chem. 25, 2772] and Meares [(1986) Nucl. Med. Biol. 13, 311], have reported that anionic complexes of DTPA with Cu, In or Y are susceptible to acid- or cation-catalyzed dissociation, and that free metal ions are prematurely released in vivo with a propensity to accumulate in liver, bone and bone marrow.
Accordingly, a need exists for better biotin conjugates which can be labeled with radionuclides suitable for diagnosis and therapy. The present invention provides conjugates of deferoxamine and biotin which overcome the deficiencies of the compounds of the prior art.
Deferoxamine (DFO) is a trivalent metal chelating agent with extremely high affinity for transition metals [e.g. K.sub.d =10.sup.-30 M.sup.-1 for iron(III)]. It contains three hydroxamic groups and reacts stoichiometrically with tripositive metal ions to form octahedral complexes. Deferoxamine mesylate is commercially available and has been established as a safe drug for the short-term treatment of iron toxicity, iron storage disease and iron and aluminum overload. Due to its high affinity for other metals, DFO is potentially useful in certain modalities of radiology, including nuclear medicine and magnetic resonance imaging, when bound to radioactive metals such as .sup.99m Tc, .sup.111 In, .sup.67 Ga, .sup.90 Y, .sup.186 Re, .sup.18 Re, .sup.212 Bi, or paramagnetic ions such as Fe and Gd. DFO forms stable metal chelates, and has a reactive amino group available for coupling with proteins.
DFO forms an uncharged chelate of compact structure, thus minimizing its effect on the biological properties of the protein to which it is conjugated. DFO has been used to prepare .sup.67 Ga-labeled human serum albumin [Yokoyama et al. (1981) J. Nucl. Med. 23, 909] and .sup.67 Ga-labeled fibrinogen [Ohmomo et al. (1982) Eur. J. Nucl. Med. 7, 458]. Takahashi et al. [(1985) Viena IAEA 471], provide a method for increasing the specific activity of .sup.67 Ga-labeled fibrinogen by coupling DFO to fibrinogen through a functional polymer, dialdehyde starch (DAS), to provide a .sup.67 Ga-fibrinogen-(DAS-DFO) conjugate. Yamamoto et al. [(1988) Eur.J. Nucl. Med. 14, 60], have evaluated .sup.67 Ga-fibrinogen-(DAS-DFO) for imaging of venous thrombi. U.S. Pat. No. 4,680,338 to Sundoro discloses a bifunctional sequential linker and its use to minimize crosslinking of amine ligands, and contemplates its use in the preparation of a DFO-antibody conjugate. Kubodera et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,888,163) and Yazaki et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,427) also contemplate the preparation of a radiolabeled DFO-antibody conjugate.
DFO provides significant advantages over DTPA as a bifunctional chelating agent for two-step radioimmunoimaging and radioimmunotherapy. DFO has one primary amine available for coupling reactions with proteins, and thus a DFO-biotin conjugate would be expected to be a monomer, i.e. one molecule of DFO per molecule of biotin. Accordingly, a DFO-biotin conjugate has the potential to deliver twice the molar amount of metal per biotin molecule relative to a, dimer of DTPA-biotin. Furthermore, the amine group available for conjugation to biotin is spaced by five carbon atoms from the nearest hydroxamic group involved in chelation. Thus, in contrast to DTPA-biotin, conjugation of biotin to DFO should not appreciably affect the affinity of DFO for metal ions.
Another advantage of DFO as a bifunctional chelating agent is its low affinity for divalent metals. The stability constants of Ca.sup.2+ and Mg.sup.2+ with DFO are 3 and 4, respectively. Accordingly, exchange of radiometal with Ca.sup.2+ and Mg.sup.2+, which are present in high concentrations in body fluids and buffers, is minimal.
Weiner et al. [(1979) in Proceedings of the Second International Symposium on Radiopharmaceuticals, 331], have demonstrated that a .sup.67 Ga-DFO complex is much stronger than a .sup.67 Ga-transferrin complex. This provides another advantage of DFO, in that the leaching of certain metals to transferrin is eliminated.
Since DFO has no ionizable groups, its affinity for metals is not sensitive to low pH, which is yet another advantage over DTPA as a chelating agent.
Accordingly, the present invention provides stable conjugates of DFO and biotin for use in radioimmunoimaging and radioimmunotherapy. As discussed hereinabove, the compounds of the present invention have been developed to overcome the deficiencies of the commercially available biotin derivative, DTPA-biotin, which is a conjugate of DTPA and biocytin. Biocytin is a lysine conjugate of biotin which is the main form of biotin in foodstuffs, and is useful for synthesis of biotin derivatives since it is readily conjugated due to the availability of a primary amine. Biocytin is commercially available in its N-protected form as succinimidyl-6-(biotinamide)hexanoate (NHS-LC-biotin). However, it has been discovered in accordance with the present invention that a conjugate of biocytin covalently bonded to DFO (defero-desaminolysyl-biotin, DLB) is unstable, as demonstrated hereinbelow, and therefore unsuitable for use in two-step imaging and therapy. The DFO-biotin conjugate is rapidly degraded to biotin and desaminolysyldeferoxamine. The site of cleavage mimics the site in biocytin at which digestion by biotinidase occurs. Biotinidase is an enzyme found in high concentrations in plasma, gut, liver and other tissues which catalyzes the hydrolysis of biocytin to biotin and free lysine as follows ##STR1##
Biotinidase also digests short biotinyl peptides. It has been demonstrated that biotinidase is not a general proteolytic enzyme, but rather has .specific structural requirements in the substrate for hydrolysis [Chauhan et al. (1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 4268]. Therefore, it has become a further object of the present invention to provide DFO-biotin conjugates which are not subject to rapid degradation by biotinidase.

Conjugates of biotin and deferoxamine for radioimmunoimaging and radioimmunotherapy


A method to reduce acoustic coupling in an audio conferencing system having a loudspeaker and a plurality of microphones, comprising detecting the presence of one of either a source of near-end signal or a source of far-end signal source relative to the audio conferencing system, and in the event of detecting a source of near-end signal then processing the near-end signal with high directivity towards the near-end source, and in the event of detecting a source of far-end signal or double-talk then processing the far-end signal with high coupling characteristics between the loudspeaker and microphones.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to audio conferencing systems, and more particularly to a method of reducing acoustic coupling and howling effects in a full duplex audio conferencing system using beamforming.
2. Description of the Related Art
Beamforming technology (also known as microphone array technology) can be used for spatial directivity of sound pickup in a conferencing system to enhance the quality of near-end speech. For such systems that perform full-duplex communications, acoustic echo cancellation presents numerous challenges.
One problem that is well known in the art relates to combining acoustic echo cancellation with beamforming (see M. Brandstein and D. Ward, "Microphone Arrays. Signal Processing Techniques and Applications". Springer Verlag, 2001, and H. Buchner, W. Herbordt, W. Kellermann, "An Efficient Combination of Multi-Channel Acoustic Echo Cancellation With a Beamforming Microphone Array", Proc. Int. Workshop on Hands-Free Speech Communication (HSC), pp. 55-58, Kyoto, Japan, April, 2001). One approach is to perform acoustic echo cancellation on all the microphone signals in parallel, which is computationally intensive. A second approach is to perform acoustic echo cancellation on the spatially filtered signal at the output of the beamformer.
In the approach where acoustic echo cancellation is performed on the spatially filtered signal at the output of the beamformer, it is clearly desirable that the beamformer presents good loudspeaker-to-beam coupling characteristics in order to minimize the amount of echo that has to be cancelled. At the same time, it is also desirable that the beamformer has good directivity in its look direction to provide enhanced speech quality based on spatial directivity. In practice, however, it is impossible to meet both of these requirements with the same beamformer design as there typically is a trade off between the beamformer's directivity and response to the loudspeaker signal, as discussed below.
A number of design requirements must be met to ensure good coupling characteristics. Firstly, the beamformer must be robust to uncorrelated perturbations of the microphone signals. The reason for this is that in a conference system, the physical coupling between the loudspeaker and the microphones is subject to variations caused by the loudspeaker and other structural vibrations or leakage. Therefore, a high sensitivity of the beamformer to such variations may result in excessive acoustic coupling between the loudspeaker and the output of the beam. This, in turn, affects the performance of the acoustic echo cancellation, resulting in echo bursts as well as howling effects due to positive loop gain. It should be noted that the sensitivity problem applies to both structures described above for combining acoustic echo cancellation with beamforming. Indeed, even if acoustic echo cancellation is performed on the microphone signals in parallel, the residual echo signals are not free of amplitude and phase variations due to structural coupling (vibrations and acoustical leaks). Many of these variations will remain on the microphone signals after the individual echo cancellation. When combined in the beamformer they may result in a large error signal if the beamformer is sensitive to the variations described above. The second design requirement that must be met to ensure good coupling characteristics is that the beamformer should also provide strong attenuation of the loudspeaker signal (which can be seen as an interference signal) in order to achieve better echo cancellation performance in the conferencing system.

Method to reduce acoustic coupling in audio conferencing systems


The present invention aims to provide a compound that may be useful for the prophylaxis or treatment of constipation and the like. The present invention provides a compound represented by the following formula (I): wherein each symbol is as described in the specification, salt thereof.

Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter that induces signal transduction in the central nervous system and the neuromuscular connections (the parasympathetic nerve and motor nerve). In the gastrointestinal tract, myenteric plexus, submucosal plexus and the like form a neural network and control gastrointestinal function. Of these, acetylcholine is a major neurotransmitter in the gastrointestinal function and plays a key role in the gastrointestinal motility.
Acetylcholine receptor is classified into a ligand dependent ion channel (cholinergic nicotinic receptor) and a G-protein-conjugated receptor (cholinergic muscarinic receptor). The cholinergic muscarinic receptor is one kind of receptor for excitatory neurotransmitter acetylcholine, and was named based on the selective activation of the receptor by muscarine. The muscarinic receptor is further classified into subtypes of M1 to M5, and the M1 receptor is known to be widely distributed mainly in the brain. On the other hand, expression of M1 receptor in the gastrointestinal nerve plexus is also known and its role of regulating the functions of the gastrointestinal tract has been pointed out (non-patent document 1). From the studies in recent years, promotion of gastrointestinal motility by cholinergic M1 receptor agonist has also been reported.
Generally, peristalsis in the gastrointestinal tract consists of coordinated contraction and relaxation at adjacent sites. It is also known that the cholinergic M1 receptor is expressed in both the excitatory nerve and inhibitory nerve in the gastrointestinal nerve plexus (non-patent document 1).
WO2014/102233 (patent document 1) discloses the following compound which is a COMT inhibitor and useful for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, dementia, depression, schizophrenia and the like.
wherein each symbol is as defined in the document.
WO2007/020411 (patent document 2) discloses the following compound which is a cytokine inhibitor and useful for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, AIDS, sepsis shock and the like.
wherein each symbol is as defined in the document.
WO2006/090143 (patent document 3) discloses the following compound which is a cytokine inhibitor and useful for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, AIDS, sepsis shock and the like.
wherein each symbol is as defined in the document.
WO2001/007436 (patent document 4) discloses the following compound which is an FXa inhibitor and useful for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and the like.
wherein each symbol is as defined in the document.
WO2000/032590 (patent document 5) discloses the following compound which is an FXa inhibitor and useful for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and the like.
wherein each symbol is as defined in the document.
WO99/37304 (patent document 6) discloses the following compound which is an FXa inhibitor and useful for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and the like.
wherein each symbol is as defined in the document.
WO 2013/129622 (patent document 7) discloses the following compound having a cholinergic muscarinic M1 receptor positive allosteric modulator (M1PAM) activity and useful for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, pain, sleep disorder and the like.
wherein each symbol is as defined in the document.
WO2014/077401 (patent document 8) discloses the following compound having an M1PAM activity and useful for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, pain, sleep disorder and the like.
wherein each symbol is as defined in the document.
WO2015/174534 (patent document 9) discloses the following compound having an M1PAM activity and useful for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, pain, sleep disorder, Parkinson's disease dementia, Lewy body dementia and the like.
wherein each symbol is as defined in the document.
WO2015/163485 (patent document 10) discloses the following compound having an M1PAM activity and useful for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, pain, sleep disorder, Parkinson's disease dementia, Lewy body dementia and the like.
wherein each symbol is as defined in the document.
WO2016/208775 (patent document 11) discloses the following compound having an M1PAM activity and useful for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, pain, sleep disorder, Parkinson's disease dementia, Lewy body dementia and the like.
wherein each symbol is as defined in the document.
WO2015/190564 (patent document 12) discloses the following compound having an M1PAM activity and useful for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, pain, sleep disorder, Parkinson's disease dementia, Lewy body dementia and the like.
wherein each symbol is as defined in the document.
Non-patent document 2 discloses the following compounds.

Heterocyclic compounds useful as modulators of acetylcholine receptors


An apparatus for angle measurement that includes a graduation carrier with a code track disposed concentrically to a center point of the graduation carrier. The apparatus includes a first scanning unit having a first interface and a second scanning unit having a second interface, wherein the first and second scanning units ascertain angle values of the graduation carrier by scanning the code track. The apparatus further includes a control unit having: 1) a device interface that is in communication with a follower electronics unit, 2) a control unit interface that is in communication with the first and second interfaces and 3) a processing unit. By which the processing unit, angle values of the first and second scanning units can be requested and processed into a corrected angle value, and the corrected angle value can be transmitted to the follower electronics unit via the device interface.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an apparatus for angle measurement, and to a method for angle measurement. An apparatus and a method according to the present invention for angle measurement can decisively improve the accuracy in the measurement of the angular position of shafts with large diameters, in both rotary tables and telescopic applications.
2. Background Information
High-precision angle measurement devices for measuring the angular position of a shaft, such as a shaft of a rotary table, are known. Variants that are self-supported and have a shaft on the end toward the measuring system are described in the book entitled "Digitale Längen-und Winkelmesstechnik" [Digital Length and Angle Measurement Technology] by A. Ernst, published by the Verlag Moderne Industrie, 3rd edition, 1998, pp. 61-64. To achieve high accuracy, first, highly accurate and hence very expensive precision bearings must be used in the measuring system. Second, connecting the measuring system shaft, which has a graduation plate with a radial measurement graduation, by a suitable coupling to the shaft that is to be measured requires major effort and expense.
Also, from pages 64-70 of the above mentioned book, angle measurement devices without self-support are known, in which a rotationally symmetrical measurement graduation or a corresponding graduation plate is disposed directly on a shaft that is to be measured. Corresponding scanning units for scanning the measurement graduation are disposed in stationary fashion relative to the rotating graduation plate.
In these angle measurement devices, incremental graduations with up to 36,000 radial lines are used as a measurement graduation, which further increases the angular resolution by interpolation.
In the ideal case, the accuracy of the angle measurement in such angle measurement devices depends on both the precision with which the measurement graduation was applied to the graduation plate, and on the measurement error of the scanning unit. In reality, due to manufacturing tolerances, the rotary motion of the graduation plate and, thus, of the measurement graduation, always has both an error in eccentricity and an error in wobble. This is due to the fact that: 1) the center point of the graduation plate can never lie exactly on the axis of rotation of the shaft to be measured, and 2) the axes of rotation of the graduation plate and of the shaft to be measured can never be disposed in exact alignment. As a consequence, the spacing and position of the measurement graduation relative to the scanning unit vary within one revolution of the shaft to be measured, resulting in a measurement error in the angle measurement.
To reduce the high expense for 1) precision bearings and precision couplings, especially in large angle measurement devices for shafts of large diameters, and 2) the mechanical calibration, German patent disclosure DE 199 07 326 A1 of the present Applicant proposes scanning the measurement graduation at a plurality of scanning points distributed over the circumference of the graduation plate, and evaluating the resultant sinusoidal signals and correcting errors in eccentricity and wobble.
Modern angle measurement devices, though, preferably use an absolutely coded code track instead of the incremental track. This code track is, for example, a multi-track code, such as a gray code, or a single-track incremental code, known as a "pseudo-random code" (PRC). This has the advantage that at every moment the absolute angle position can be determined directly by scanning the code track. However, the signal processing proposed in DE 199 07 326 A1 cannot be used for absolutely coded code tracks.

Method and apparatus for angle measurement


An electrically-chargeable element control device includes a plurality of coils, a switch circuit, and a controller. One end of each of a plurality of the coils is connected to a power supply. The switch circuit is connected to an other end of each of a plurality of the coils and is connected to one electrode provided on each of a plurality of electrically-chargeable elements. The controller connects a selected coil to an electrically-chargeable element to be charged and discharged by controlling the switch circuit depending on the number of the electrically-chargeable elements to be charged and discharged, and charges and discharges with resonance the electrically-chargeable element to be charged and discharged.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an electrically-chargeable element control device, a liquid ejection device having an electrically-chargeable element, and a method for controlling an electrically-chargeable element.
2. Related Art
A control device which is for controlling charge and discharge of an electrically-chargeable element such as a piezo element or a capacitor is used in an inkjet printer (that is, a type of a liquid ejection device; hereinafter referred merely to as a printer), for example. Some of the control devices control charge and discharge by utilizing resonance between a coil and an electrically-chargeable element (see JP-A-11-320872, for example). Utilizing resonance enables driving without consuming electric power and this is useful for saving energy or for solving a problem of heat evolution which occurs when a linear amp or a resistive element is used for driving. In case of utilizing resonance between a coil and an electrically-chargeable element as mentioned above, a completion rate of charge with respect to time is determined depending on a resonance cycle. Accordingly, in the case of a printer, an amount of ink ejected is changed as the resonance cycle varies. Here, the resonance cycle varies depending on capacitance of an electrically-chargeable element. Therefore, if the number of electrically-chargeable elements to be charged and discharged, that is, the number of nozzles to eject ink, varies, an amount of ink ejected from one nozzle also varies. Accordingly, there is a need for a system to keep a resonance cycle uniform regardless of the number of nozzles to eject ink. In the above-mentioned control device, a capacitor for adjusting capacitance (a dummy capacitor) is provided in order for a resonance cycle to remain uniform.
In the above-mentioned control device, there is an advantage that a resonance cycle can remain uniform regardless of the number of electrically-chargeable elements to be charged and discharged. However, a current which flows at the time of charge and discharge also remains uniform regardless of the number of electrically-chargeable elements to be charged and discharged. More specifically, an amount of the current becomes an amount necessary to charge and discharge all electrically-chargeable elements at any time of charge and discharge. Furthermore, since capacitance of commercially available capacitors is standardized, it is necessary to use a custom-made capacitor having specific capacitance or a plurality of capacitors having different capacitance in order to obtain desired capacitance.

Electrically-chargeable element control device, liquid ejection device, and method for controlling electrically-chargeable element


According to one embodiment, an X-ray computed tomography apparatus includes a gantry that performs X-ray CT imaging; a bed that movably supports a table top on which a subject lies; an optical emitter that is provided on the gantry and emits a light beam to the subject lying on the table top; and an estimator that estimates a shape index value of a cross section of the subject in an imaging range by utilizing the light beam emitted to the subject.

SSDE (Size-Specific Dose Estimates) is known as a dose index in CT imaging. SSDE is calculated based on a cross-sectional shape of an object that was estimated by using a positioning image. Thus, to estimate a cross-sectional shape, positioning imaging is necessary.
On the other hand, at a stage prior to CT imaging, positioning of an object is performed using a light projector that emits a light beam indicating a reference line of an imaging range. In recent years, positioning imaging for positioning can be omitted by using a light projector that emits a light beam indicating an outer frame of an imaging range. However, when positioning imaging is omitted, a cross-sectional shape cannot be estimated, and accordingly, a predicted dose index, such as SSDE, cannot be calculated.


A payment reader and a merchant device may communicate over a wireless connection. The payment reader may establish a wireless bond with a first merchant device and exchange payment information. After the payment information is exchanged, the payment reader and merchant device may disconnect while remaining bonded. The payment reader may send a request message and bond to a second merchant device, while breaking the bond with the first merchant device if a bond with the second merchant device is established. The payment reader may then exchange payment information with the second merchant device.

Retail transactions such as purchases may be performed with payment devices such as a credit card or a NFC-enabled smart phone running a payment application. A traditional payment terminal may reside at a fixed location and may have a physical connection to a power source such as an AC outlet. The payment terminal may also be physically connected to a wired communication interface such as a phone line or Ethernet connection. The payment terminal receives payment information such as a credit card number from the payment device and communicates with a remote server such as a payment server to determine whether the transaction is approved.
Such a traditional payment terminal may not be suitable for many businesses. Taxis, food trucks, delivery services, professional service providers, and other similar businesses engage in transactions from a vehicle or at disparate locations. Applications running on a mobile device such as smart phone or tablet may provide a user interface to facilitate payment transactions and a communication interface for communicating with the payment server. However, a separate payment reader may be necessary in order to interface with the payment device. The payment reader and mobile device may communicate wirelessly. In some instances, multiple payment readers and mobile devices may be located within the same area, causing difficulty in determining which payment devices should communicate with which payment readers.


A method and system for determining the adequacy of abdominal thrusts applied to choking victims during performance of the Heimlich maneuver.

The Heimlich maneuver is a well-known method of treating choking victims, and refers to a specific technique. The technique requires that a first aid provider grasp the victim from behind, wrap his arms around the victims waist, clasp one hand over the fist of the opposite hand, and yank with both hands upwardly and posteriorly into the upper abdomen of the victim, avoiding compression of the rib cage with the arms. This process should dislodge any object obstructing the victim's airway, and may be repeated several times in order to do so.
The abdominal thrusts required for the method should be accomplished abruptly, and should be quite deep. Abdominal thrusts that are too delicate to abruptly pressurize the victim's airway below the lodged obstruction are not effective, but abdominal thrusts that are too deep may unnecessarily injure the victim (in rare instances, the injury may be severe, including rupture of the stomach, fracture of the ribs or xiphoid process, thrombus formation in the aortic aneurysm). It may be difficult for first aid providers to gauge the necessary depth of the abdominal compression, or the speed of compression and level of force needed for a proper abdominal thrust.
Chest compression monitoring during the course of CPR is now possible with the Real CPR Help® technology marketed by ZOLL Medical Corporation. This technology is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,390,996, 7,108,665, and 7,429,250, and includes the use of an accelerometer to measure accelerations of the chest and calculating the depth of each compression from the acceleration signal. The technology is used in ZOLL's Real CPR Help® compression depth monitoring system to provides real-time rate and depth CPR feedback for manual CPR providers. Commercially, it is implemented in ZOLL's electrode pads, such as the CPR-D●padz® electrode pads. It is also implemented for training use in the iPhone app PocketCPR®. The compression monitor and its method of use can be adapted for use in training and clinical practice of the Heimlich maneuver.

Method of measuring abdominal thrusts for clinical use and training


An embodiment of a box is configured to be transformed to include a tapered structure configured such that when the transformed box is inserted into the receptacle, the tapered structure provides a universal fit. An embodiment of an extender is formed by steps including providing a single piece of material having a first edge and a second edge and forming, by cutting the single piece of material, at least one top extension extending from at least one wall and at least one bottom extension extending from the at least one wall such that the at least one top extension is foldable to abut the at least one wall. A method for collecting waste materials includes providing a receptacle and a box, and disrupting the extender. An embodiment of an extender comprises a first wall, a second wall, a third wall, and a fourth wall.

Receptacles, such as garbage cans, typically come in standard sizes. In some households, the standard capacity of the garbage is exceeded before the garbage pickup is scheduled to come. This is especially true when a household hosts a party or an event that results in a larger than normal amount of garbage. The current solution is to stack the garbage next to the garbage can, or purchase an additional garbage can. Stacking the garbage next to the garbage perpetuates an odorous environment, is aesthetically unappealing, and adds labor time for the garbage collectors. Purchasing an additional garbage takes up extra space, can lead to additional charges from a garbage collection company, and may not be compatible with automated garbage trucks.
Additionally, it is often the case that a person needs to store temporarily or permanently, personal, household, or other objects, especially when moving between living areas. A person often needs to dispose of objects from their home or office or other location. However, obtaining multiple containers for storing and disposing of objects and materials can be costly and take up space.
Thus, a need exists for an apparatus and method for increasing a capacity of a receptacle, storing an additional amount of garbage, containing and disposing of objects with a single apparatus, and a method of disposal.

Transformative extender and method thereof


An air deflecting cargo shield is provided including a vehicle with a roof. The roof has a mounting mechanism for carrying a load such a ladder. A shield is mounted to a front extent of the roof of the vehicle. A retractable canvas assembly is situated adjacent to a top of the shield.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to truck air shields and more particularly pertains to a new air deflective shield for precluding vehicular air resistance incurred by a load and further protecting the same while traveling.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of truck air shields is known in the prior art. More specifically, truck air shields heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art truck air shields include U. S. Pat. Nos. 5,018,782; 4,934,754; 4,245,862; 4,492,406; 4,290,639; and U.S. Pat. Des. 254,063.
In these respects, the air deflective shield according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of precluding air resistance incurred by a load and further protecting the same while traveling.


A configuration of an application program corresponding to a particular user of the local application is defined and stored on a remote server. In response to the user requesting the application program, a session is initiated between the local data processing system and the remote data processing system, and the user is authenticated. Responsive to the user authentication, data is downloaded from the remote server to the local data processing system according to the stored configuration. This stored configuration may be encrypted and stored in a manifest file which is decrypted to produce a decrypted configuration in response to the user authentication, and data may be downloaded from the remote data processing system to the local data processing system according to the decrypted configuration. The application program may be constructed pursuant to the configuration file or the decrypted configuration file.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to computer programs, and more particularly to a downloading of a computer program.
2. Description of the Related Art
Customers and providers may have a number of requirements in installing or deploying an application program.
Customers may prefer to remotely install application program clients from a central server(s) in order to increase both installation productivity and maintenance productivity. Thin clients may be preferred as thin clients generally require less workstation customization, perhaps as little as a browser with the appropriate option settings and plugins. Preferably, users should be able to move between different workstations, and still be able to access their tools and data, another potential advantage of a thin client. A customer may prefer to control which application programs and which versions of the application programs are available to a particular user. In addition to controlling the application programs, a customer may wish to control access to resources and assets based upon a user's responsibilities and roles in an organization. Alternatively, the customer may wish to control and filter project work views based on the user's responsibilities and roles. In addition to such central control, the customer may want an inventory of the application programs (including versions) installed and used on a workstation or a group of workstations without the need to go to each user workstation.
An application program provider may also have a number of similar requirements in installing or deploying an application program. The provider may also want for licensing purposes the inventory of the application programs (including versions) installed and used on a workstation or a group of workstations without the need to go to each user workstation. To satisfy a customer's specific individual requirements, the provider would prefer a mechanism for configuring the application program to support a customer solution which may be tailored by the customer to suit the customers needs, such as role-based views.
Conventional systems and methods have failed to provide all of the above advantages. Thus, there is a clearly felt need for a method, system, article of manufacture, and computer program product for providing application program downloading with the advantages.

Method, system, computer program product, and article of manufacture for downloading a remote computer program according to a stored configuration

International Business Machines Corporation