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11502888

BACKGROUND In a wireless communication system, a mobile station first needs to perform a random access for establishing communication with a base station. The random access typically includes two steps: (1) Ranging and (2) Resource Request and Allocation. During Ranging, the mobile station sends a signal to the base station, so that the base station can identify the mobile station and measure the power and time delay of the mobile station, and inform the mobile station for power adjustment and time advance. During Resource Request and Allocation, the uplink and downlink resources for communication are requested and allocated. Ranging is a critical part of multi-carrier wireless communication system, and there are several important issues related to ranging: 1. The bandwidth efficiency of the ranging signals 2. The interference of ranging signal with other uplink signals 3. The detection performance and complexity at the base station receiver The ranging process typically involves an exchange of messages between the base station and the mobile station by which the mobile station aligns itself with the start of each time slot after compensating for propagation delay and other factors. One problem in a shared medium communication network involves the ranging of many mobile stations. When many mobile stations attempt to perform the ranging simultaneously, they are forced to contend for access to the shared channel and it becomes difficult for any of the mobile stations to complete the ranging process due to the large number of collisions. As a result, the time needed for all of the mobile stations to complete the ranging process is excessive, and much bandwidth on the shared channel is wasted.

11332893

FIELD The invention disclosed herein is a method of resurfacing a sports court, such as a tennis court. BACKGROUND Tennis courts, basketball courts, volleyball courts, running tracks, and other athletic and recreational surfaces are known to deteriorate over time. For example, such surfaces develop cracks and become unlevel with low and high spots due to a change in the subsurface below. Such defects are, at a minimum, disruptive to athletic activities, but may also create safety hazards, particularly when the surface is being used for competitive activities. Outdoor courts that are subject to climates with freeze-thaw cycles caused by large variations in temperature throughout the year are most susceptible to developing defects. For example, the most common problem with outdoor asphalt tennis courts today is cracks. The formation of small hairline cracks can quickly develop into larger cracks when water filters into the crack and freezes during colder temperatures. The pressure created by ice in a crack can cause larger separations which render the paved surface uneven. If cracks are left unrepaired the entire surface can be damaged, requiring replacement of large portions of or even the entire surface. Thus, development of cracks in courts and court surfaces presents a continuous maintenance problem. Methods have been developed for repairing cracks that occur in outdoor sports courts. Such methods involve, e.g., filling cracks with a fill material that hardens to form a surface which is level with the surrounding surface. This particular method is much less expensive than resurfacing an entire section of the pavement. However, filling a crack with a fill material provides only a temporary repair, because new cracks will appear elsewhere. Also, moisture can seep into small gaps between the fill material and the crack and pressure caused by freezing and thawing can cause the crack to expand. New cracks can develop anywhere on the court surface. Another method of repairing cracks in a paved surface or court employs a slip-sheet method, which involves the application of multiple layers of material over a crack or crevice, with at least some of the layers being allowed to slip against each other (i.e., the layers are not adhesively in contact with one another). The slip-sheet method is intended to alleviate stresses which cause crack formation by allowing movement of the repair patch near the crack. However, slip sheet methods of crack repair suffer from heaving, and the formation of bubbles and dead spots at the repair site can render the repaired paved surface uneven. Methods of complete surface replacement are also known. According to one method, a special fabric is applied over an entire tennis court surface instead of to only individually visible cracks. The fabric is purposely not bonded to the court surface so as to allow the base to expand and contract at will. The problem with such a system is that air bubbles can form under the fabric to create dead spots that render the court surface uneven and unplayable. Similar problems are seen with courts constructed from a cushion material overlaid onto a concrete or asphalt surface. The cushion material is applied to the underlying concrete or asphalt surface, and moisture that accumulates between the cushion material and the underlying concrete or asphalt surface heats up during warm weather and creates steam that causes air bubbles under the court surface. These air bubbles cause dead spots on the court surface. U.S. Pat. No. 8,876,428 to Pallenberg describes a method of repairing a court surface. This method involves, among other things, applying multiple, alternating layers of sand and binder. However, this method is subject to developing bubbles in the alternating sand and binder layers, which can result in dead spots in the resurfaced or repaired court. In addition, this method is labor intensive, requires specialty equipment, and does not have high resiliency properties. The present invention is directed to overcoming these and other deficiencies in the art. SUMMARY One aspect of the invention relates to a method of resurfacing a sports court. This method involves applying a first adhesive to an existing sports court; curing the first adhesive to a tacky state; applying a thin fabric onto the first adhesive, wherein the thin fabric has a first side applied to the first adhesive and a second side opposite the first side and wherein the thin fabric is capable of releasing from the tacky state of the first adhesive; applying a second adhesive to the second side of the fabric; applying an elastic mat on top of the second adhesive, wherein the elastic mat has a first side applied to the second adhesive and a second side opposite the first side; and applying a sealer to the second side of the elastic mat. The sports court resurfacing method described herein is an improvement over other methods in that it avoids or prevents the formation of bubbles that create dead spots in the court. The inventive method creates a resurfaced sports court that has a consistent cushion thickness, is easier to install than other methods, and costs less in material and installation time. The inventive method can be carried out in about 2 days, whereas other court resurfacing methods can take as long as 8-10 days. In the inventive method described herein, resurfacing layers formed by a fabric glued to one side of an elastic mat eliminates expansion and contraction of the elastic mat caused by temperature changes and prevents cracking or tearing of the elastic mat due to its ability to release itself when movement in the underlying surface (e.g., asphalt or concrete) occurs.

11239998

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure generally relates to online data security, and more particularly to secure multi-party data exchange and encryption techniques where partial data can be exchanged by different users in order to perform mathematical operations without any user or 3rdparty knowing other user's data. BACKGROUND This section introduces aspects that may help facilitate a better understanding of the disclosure. Accordingly, these statements are to be read in this light and are not to be understood as admissions about what is or is not prior art. Risks associated with data sharing, including leakage and misuse by external and internal parties involved in a collaboration, often inhibit the use of sensitive data even though it may benefit the collaboration. Such fears for one's sensitive data could arise for several reasons, including: 1) Security Mismatch: Other collaborators have different security practices that fall short of satisfying the security standards of the data owner (i.e., they are more likely to suffer a break-in or some other data breach); 2) Common Collaborator: A party with a collaborator who collaborates (separately) with a competitor could face a risk of competitive loss as the common collaborator acquires privileged information; 3) Future Competitor: The current collaborator can become a competitor in the future. In order to avoid such misuse and leakage, several techniques have been developed in the prior art. For example, collaborators can protect themselves from such risks by altering their sensitive data, e.g., by adding noise, prior to sharing. However, such alterations hinder the success of all collaborators. An alternative approach is secure multi-party computation, which makes it possible for collaborators to compute outputs without revealing private inputs and without degradation in the quality of the computed outputs (i.e., it would be of the same quality as if full sharing had taken place). This type of sharing is often referred to as multi-party secure computation techniques. Examples of multi-party secure computation techniques include 1) Partial Homomorphic Encryption (PHE) and Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE)—these encryption techniques use modular exponentiation, which is computationally expensive (complexity that is cubic in the number of bits); 2) Garbled Circuits—A technique which uses Oblivious Transfer (OT), known to a person having ordinary skill in the art which also uses computationally expensive modular exponentiations; and 3) Secret Sharing—a technique where the size of a share increases with the number of collaborators thereby adding significant costs. The above enumerated approaches use expensive techniques in terms of computation time and in development effort, such as homomorphic encryption and garbled circuit evaluation, to perform the required computations without leaking confidential information. Specifically, with these techniques computations over confidential information are performed using encrypted or encoded data, and most use expensive computational primitives such as modular exponentiation. These technologies, help collaborators to overcome the “reluctance to share” wherein collaborators can achieve the full benefits of collaboration without revealing confidential inputs. However, as discussed above, each of these techniques suffer from algorithmic and computational costs. Therefore, there is an unmet need for a novel approach to allow secure multi-party data exchange and encryption where partial data can be exchanged by different users in order to perform mathematical operations without any user or 3rdparty knowing other user's data. SUMMARY A method of performing ordered statistics between at least two parties while maintaining confidentiality of information of each of the at least two parties is disclosed. The method includes identifying a first dataset (xA) by a first node (A) and identifying a second dataset (xB) by a second node (B). xBis unknown to A and xAis unknown to B. A is in communication with B. A and B are in communication with a server (S). The method also includes A and B each additively splitting each member of their respective datasets into corresponding shares. Furthermore, the method includes sharing the corresponding shares with one another and arranging the corresponding shares according to a mutually agreed predetermined order into corresponding ordered shares. The method also includes shuffling the ordered shares into shuffled shares, re-splitting the shuffled shares into re-split shuffled shares, and performing an ordered statistical operation on the re-split shuffled shares, wherein the steps of shuffle and re-split is based on additions, subtractions but not multiplication and division. A computing system architecture is also disclosed. The architecture includes a first node (A) having a first dataset (xA). The architecture also includes a second node (B) having a second dataset (x/3). xBis unknown to A and xAis unknown to B. A is in communication with B. The architecture also includes a server (S) in communication with A and B. A includes a first processor and B including a second processor. The first and the second processors each having software encoded on a non-transitory computer readable medium configured to: additively split each member of their respective datasets into corresponding shares, share the corresponding shares with one another, arrange the corresponding shares according to a mutually agreed predetermined order into corresponding ordered shares, shuffle the ordered shares into shuffled shares, re-split the shuffled shares into re-split shuffled shares, and perform an ordered statistical operation on the re-split shuffled shares, wherein the steps of shuffle and re-split is based on additions, subtractions but not multiplication and division.

11449647

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to generative design and crash simulations, and in particular, to a method, apparatus, system, and article of manufacture for constructing an additive build generative design that can be used in a crash simulation in an efficient and cost-effective manner. 2. Description of the Related Art A crash simulation is a virtual re-creation of a destructive crash test of a car or a highway guard rail system using a computer simulation in order to examine the level of safety of the car and its occupants. Crash simulations are used by automakers during computer-aided engineering (CAE) analysis for crashworthiness in the computer-aided design (CAD) process of modelling new cars and/or parts of cars. The CAE crash simulation process often includes executing the simulation/testing using multiple variations of a particular product/element of a vehicle. To provide the multiple variations, the generative design process may be used. Generative design is a design exploration process where generative design software generates multiple design alternatives (based on input [e.g., design goals and parameters] from designers/engineers). Thus, rather than generating a single solution, multiple solutions are generated for a designer/engineer to select and test. Thus, each of the different generative design solutions may be used in a crash simulation as part of the testing process. An additional aspect to the design process is that it is desirable to use an additive manufacturing process (e.g., three-dimensional [3D] printing) where a 3D object is built from a CAD model, by successively adding material layer by layer (unlike conventional machining, casting, and forging processes, where material may be removed from a stock item [subtractive manufacturing] or poured into a mold and shaped by means of dies, presses and hammers). When designing for additive manufacturing, the functional performance and/or other key product life-cycle considerations such as manufacturability, reliability, and cost are optimized subject to the capabilities of additive manufacturing technologies. In this regard, the additive design process may also be integrated into the generative design and CAE crash testing/simulation process. One exemplary product that is designed using an additive generative design and tested using CAE crash testing, is that of a seat bracket.FIG. 1illustrates an exemplary seat bracket100where the force is traced over time based on load and constraint points102A-112A in a system level crash system.FIG. 2illustrates the tracked forces102B-112B (reflecting the loads on the different constraint points102A-112A ofFIG. 1) over time in multiple load cases for a linear static level set optimization. In a generative design for the seat bracket100, a solid state steel design may be generated. Based on the solid state design, a mesh is created for use in the CAE crash simulation process. However, such a solid state design is heavy and too stiff. Further, the solid mesh ends up including approximately 1,500,000 elements—which is unwieldy and computationally expensive to use. Accordingly, it is desirable to gain more performance out of the generative designs while enabling the ability to quickly and easily perform CAE crash simulations. In view of the above, the prior art is problematic in that there is no efficient and easy mechanism to produce a generative design that is better performing than a solid state design while simultaneously providing a CAD design that can be simulated in a CAE crash and build simulation. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Embodiments of the invention overcome the problems of the prior art using a lightweight shelled generative design. Specifically, a shelled generated design with internal support structure is utilized that does not trap powder and does not create any re-coater interference. In addition, the shelled generative design can be used in both an additive build simulation as well as a vehicle crash simulation with shell elements without a major impact on simulation run time (time step) or mass scaling. The workflow for developing the lightweight shelled generative design includes an objective of having a representative CAD part of the shelled generative design with internal support as well as the associative CAE crash simulation model twin. In this regard, the workflow allows users not only to design light weight parts in a generative design process, but also allows users to simulate and validate their designs.

11463800

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a United States National Phase Application of International Application PCT/EP2018/081066, filed Nov. 13, 2018, and claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 of German Application 10 2017 010 604.5, filed Nov. 16, 2017, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD Exemplary embodiments pertain to communication systems for use in environments with high noise levels. Exemplary embodiments further pertain to gas masks or to helmets having a communication system. TECHNICAL BACKGROUND Firefighters or other respirator users must wear full-face masks as well as other protective clothing for their protection in many different situations. In spite of high noise levels (e.g., in case of a fire mission or mine rescue), a precise and fast communication within the mission team (i.e., internally) and with mission control (i.e., externally) is necessary in these situations. At the same time, however, ambient noises (e.g., fire-related noises, voices of people to be rescued, etc.) also have to be able to be perceived in order to make possible an adequate assessment of the situation. Likewise, hearing protection gear is important since missions often take place in environments with high noise levels that are harmful to hearing. The communication of respirator users is therefore subject to a number of specific requirements. A good voice intelligibility of incoming radio messages, among other things, should be possible even in case of ambient loudness. Furthermore, protection against hearing damage due to ambient noises in case of simultaneous possible playback of radio messages should be guaranteed. Also, a good intelligibility of communicators, who communicate with the respirator user directly and not by radio (e.g., people to be rescued), should be guaranteed. SUMMARY There is thus a need to provide an improved concept for communication. A first exemplary embodiment pertains to a gas mask or helmet with a communication system. The communication system comprises a headset that is configured to output sound waves to an ear (ears) of a user based on an audio signal. A headset is a sound transducer, which is worn in or at the ear of the user. Based on the (electrical or electromagnetic) audio signal, a component (e.g., diaphragm) of the headset is induced to vibrate in order to output the sound waves to the ear (ears) of the user. The audio signal can be received by the headset both in a wired manner (in the form of an electrical signal) and in a wireless manner (in the form of an electromagnetic signal). The communication system also comprises a microphone, which is configured to output a microphone signal based on ambient sound (i.e., sound pertaining to noises in the surrounding area of the user). Also, the microphone signal can be outputted by the microphone both in a wired manner (in the form of an electrical signal) and in a wireless manner (in the form of an electromagnetic signal. The communication system further comprises a processing circuit, which is configured to generate, based on the microphone signal, a signal component of the audio signal, which signal component comprises information about the generation of sound waves, which interfere destructively with a component of the ambient sound occurring at the ear of the user. The sound pressure level at the ear of the user can be reduced as a result. In other words, the processing circuit provides an active noise cancelling. For example, the signal component may be a diametrically opposed or a phase-shifted reproduction of the component of the ambient sound occurring at the ear of the user in order to interfere destructively with this component. The processing circuit may comprise analog and/or digital components for generating the signal component of the audio signal. The processing circuit may have, e.g., one or more processors and one or more processor cores, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an integrated circuit (IC), a system on a chip (SoC), a programmable logic element or a field programmable gate array (FPGA) with a microprocessor, on which software runs for generating the signal component of the audio signal. Further, the processing circuit may have one or more memories, in which, e.g., the software for the generation of the signal component of the audio signal or other data can be stored. In addition, the communication system comprises a wireless interface. The wireless interface is a component of the communication system that enables the communication system to communicate with other systems, devices, etc. in a wireless manner (i.e., modulated electromagnetic waves). For example, the wireless interface may be a radio or a (wired or wireless) interface for the connection to a radio. The communication system further comprises a control circuit, which is configured to activate the processing circuit as a function of an operating state of the wireless interface. Like the processing circuit, the control circuit may have, e.g., one or more processors and one or more processor cores, an application-specific integrated circuit, an integrated circuit, a system on a chip, a programmable logic element or a field programmable gate array with a microprocessor, on which software runs for the (deactivation) activation of the processing circuit. In some exemplary embodiments, the control circuit and the processing circuit may also be embodied on a joint hardware component. The control circuit makes it possible to activate the active noise cancelling of the processing circuit in an adaptive manner. Correspondingly, the reduction of the ambient sound at the ear of the user during a radio message received via the wireless interface can be made possible to improve the voice intelligibility of the incoming radio message. Correspondingly, the necessary signal level or loudness level, with which the radio message is outputted via the headset, can be reduced. For example, the control circuit may be configured to generate a signal component of the audio signal with a lower signal level, which signal component pertains to the radio message. Damage to the hearing of the user can be avoided as a result. According to some exemplary embodiments, the control is configured, e.g., to detect the receipt of a radio message via the wireless interface and as a result to activate the processing circuit. The detection of the receipt of the radio message may take place, for example, by means of voice activity detection. Correspondingly, it can be ensured that the ambient sound at the ear of the user is reduced during the output of the radio message via the headset. In some exemplary embodiments, the control circuit is further configured to detect an end of the receipt of the radio message and as a result to deactivate the processing circuit. Detection of the end of the receipt of the radio message may in turn take place, for example, by means of voice activity detection. By deactivating the active noise cancelling, it can be ensured that the user can, furthermore, perceive ambient noises after the end of the radio message and thus a situational awareness of the user is maintained. In this case, the deactivation of the active noise cancelling of the processing circuit may take place both immediately after detection of the end of the receipt of the radio message or even in a delayed manner (e.g., by a few tenths of a second or seconds, i.e., with hysteresis). In some exemplary embodiments, the control circuit is further configured to detect a sending out of a radio message via the wireless interface and as a result to activate the processing circuit. The detection of the sending out of the radio message may in turn take place, for example, by means of voice activity detection or by means of a position of a push-to-talk button. The activation of the active noise cancelling of the processing circuit makes possible a reduction of the ambient sound at the ear of the user during the sending out of the radio message. Correspondingly, a distraction of the user due to the ambient sound can be reduced, so that the user can concentrate better on writing or carrying out the radio message. According to some exemplary embodiments the control circuit is further configured to detect an end of the sending out of the radio message and as a result to deactivate the processing circuit. The detection of the end of the sending out of the radio message may in turn take place, for example, by means of voice activity detection or by means of the position of the push-to-talk button. By deactivating the active noise cancelling, it can be ensured that the user can, furthermore, perceive ambient noises after the end of the outgoing radio message and thus a situational awareness of the user is maintained. The deactivation of the active noise cancelling may in turn take place both immediately after detection of the end of the sending out of the radio message or even take place in a delayed manner. In some exemplary embodiments, the control circuit is further configured to determine the loudness level of the ambient sound based on the microphone signal and to activate the processing circuit when the loudness level is above a reference level. Correspondingly, loudness levels harmful to the user can be detected by the control circuit and can be reduced at the ear of the user by activation of the active noise cancelling of the processing circuit. Correspondingly, the hearing of the user can be protected against high loudness levels. According to some exemplary embodiments, the control circuit is further configured to detect signal components of the microphone signal that pertain to human speech and to generate a signal component of the audio signal based on the signal components of the microphone signal that pertain to human speech. The detection of signal components of the microphone signal that pertain to human speech may in turn take place, for example, by means of voice activity detection. The signal components of the microphone signal that pertain to human speech may be subject to, e.g., (digital or analog) filtering and be amplified (e.g., via an automatic gain control) for generating the signal components of the audio signal. The detection of the signal components of the microphone signal that pertain to human speech as well as the output of same via the headset are able to guarantee the intelligibility of communicators who communicate with the user directly and not by radio (e.g., people to be rescued). Correspondingly, a situational awareness of the user can be improved. According to other exemplary embodiments, the headset comprises, e.g., sound-absorbing material, which surrounds the ear of the user to at least some extent. Correspondingly, in addition to the active noise cancelling by the processing circuit, a passive noise cancelling may also take place. As a result, the ambient sound at the ear of the user can be further reduced, so that the loudness level of the sound waves outputted by the headset can also be reduced. The protection of the hearing of the user can thus be further improved. In some exemplary embodiments, the microphone is integrated into the headset on a side facing away from the user. The microphone may thus have a directional characteristic and make it possible to detect the ambient sound similar to the perception of the ear of the user. A muffling or distortion of the ambient sound recorded by the microphone by, e.g., the sound-absorbing material of the headset can thus be avoided. Exemplary embodiments further pertain to a gas mask or a helmet with another communication system. The communication system comprises, in turn, a headset, which is configured to output sound waves to an ear of a user based on an audio signal as well as a microphone, which is configured to output a microphone signal based on ambient sound. The communication system further comprises a processing circuit, which is configured to generate, based on the microphone signal, a signal component of the audio signal, which signal component comprises information about the generation of sound waves, which interfere destructively with a component of the ambient sound occurring at the ear of the user. The headset, the microphone as well as the processing circuit may in this case be embodied and configured as described above. The communication system further comprises a control circuit, which is configured to determine a loudness level of the ambient sound based on the microphone signal and to activate the processing circuit when the loudness level is above a reference level. The control circuit may also be configured as described above. The control circuit makes possible the detection of loudness levels that are harmful to the user as well as the reduction of the ambient sound actually occurring at the ear of the user by activating the active noise cancelling of the processing circuit. Correspondingly, the hearing of the user can be protected against high loudness levels. Exemplary embodiments also pertain to a gas mask or a helmet with another communication system. The communication system comprises, in turn, a headset, which is configured to output sound waves to an ear of a user based on an audio signal, as well as a microphone, which is configured to output a microphone signal based on ambient sound. In this case, the headset as well as the microphone may be embodied and configured as described above. The communication system further comprises a control circuit, which is configured to detect signal components of the microphone signal that pertain to human speech, and to generate a signal component of the audio signal based on the signal components of the microphone signal that pertain to human speech. The control circuit may also be configured as described above. The detection of the signal components of the microphone signal that pertain to human speech as well as the output of same via the headset can guarantee the intelligibility of communicators who communicate with users directly and not by radio (e.g., people to be rescued). Correspondingly, the situational awareness of the user can be improved. All the exemplary embodiments pertain to a system surrounding the head of a user to at least some extent, namely a gas mask or helmet, with a communication system described herein. By using the communication system described here, a good voice intelligibility of incoming radio messages, the protection against hearing damage due to ambient noises as well as a good intelligibility of the communicators who communicate with the user directly and not by radio can be guaranteed when using the system surrounding the head of the user to at least some extent. Exemplary embodiments also pertain to a gas mask with a communication system described here. A gas mask is a breathing port (i.e., the part of the respirator, which connects the airways of the respirator user to the other parts of the respirator and protects them against the ambient atmosphere) and is used to protect the user against respiratory poisons. The gas mask is, e.g., a full-face mask according to some exemplary embodiments. As an alternative, the gas mask may also be a partial mask (e.g., half mask or quarter mask). By using the communication system described here, a good voice intelligibility of incoming radio messages, protection against hearing damage due to ambient noises as well as good intelligibility of the communicators who communicate with the user directly and not by radio can be guaranteed when wearing the gas mask. The control circuit is further configured to determine the reference level based on a loudness level measured by a second microphone on a side of the mask body facing the user in some exemplary embodiments of the gas mask. Correspondingly, the reference level can be adapted to the concrete noise level situation within the gas mask. The second microphone may, for example, be integrated into the mask in order to pick up the voice of the user for outgoing radio messages. When they are arranged within the gas mask, these microphones usually have a high sensitivity and are therefore also suitable for the detection of the ambient sound. Due to the additional use of the already present microphone for the proposed concept, the provision of additional microphones may, in addition, be avoided. Exemplary embodiments further pertain to a helmet with a communication system described here. A helmet is a stable, protective headgear against mechanical effects. The helmet may be a combat helmet as well as a helmet for civil purposes (e.g., safety helmet such as a firefighter's helmet). Due to the use of the communication system described here, a good voice intelligibility of incoming radio messages, the protection against hearing damage due to ambient noises as well as a good intelligibility of the communicators who communicate with the user directly and not by radio can be guaranteed when wearing the gas mask. According to some exemplary embodiments, the microphone is arranged on a side, i.e., on an outer side, of the helmet facing away from the user. In some exemplary embodiments, the microphone is, as an alternative, arranged on a side, i.e., on an inner side, of the helmet facing the user. Corresponding to the selection of the positioning of the microphone at the helmet, it is possible to achieve a directional characteristic of the microphone according to an ambient sound that is of interest or is considered to be critical. Correspondingly, a specific active reduction of the ambient sound at the ear of the user can be achieved. Some examples of devices and/or processes are explained only as examples in more detail below with reference to the attached figures. The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated.

11417915

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED DOCUMENT The present application claims the benefit of priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-136969 filed on Jul. 25, 2019, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND 1 Technical Field This disclosure relates generally to a battery unit for use in a vehicle, such as an automobile. 2 Background Art Techniques are known which install a storage battery and a circuit board in a casing in the form of a battery unit. The circuit board has a controller mounted thereon. Switching devices are electrically connected to the circuit board in the battery unit to achieve delivery of electrical power between the storage battery and an electrical device arranged outside the battery unit. The layout in which the switching devices are connected to the circuit board in the battery unit enables the battery unit to be reduced in size thereof as compared with a case where the switching devices are arranged outside the circuit board. In order to minimize a deterioration of charge/discharge ability of the battery unit arising from a variation in characteristics among the switching devices, techniques are known which store data on characteristics of the switching devices in the controller mounted on the circuit board. For example, Japanese patent first publication No. 2008-238946 teaches attaching a bar code which represents characteristics of a controlled object to the controlled object itself. The bar code is read by, for example, a barcode reader and written in a controller on a circuit board. This facilitates a step of inputting the data on characteristics into the controller as compared with a case in which the data on characteristic is read out from a storage medium installed in the controlled object and written in the controller. Some typical battery units are designed to have switching devices directly secured to a heat dissipator arranged in a casing in order to release thermal energy generated by the switching devices. When the heat dissipator is disposed near a rear portion of a circuit board in the battery unit, and the switching devices are arranged on the rear portion of the circuit board near the heat dissipator, it results in a reduction in visibility of the switching devices. This also results in a reduction in visibility of the bar code. If it is difficult to read data from bar codes attached to the switching devices, it will require a need for installing on each of the switching devices a storage medium in which data on characteristics of the switching device is retained and reading the data out of the storage medium. This leads to complexity of steps to write the data on characteristics in the controller. Alternatively, when the switching devices are arranged outside the circuit board without physically overlapping the circuit board, it may result in an increased size of the battery unit. SUMMARY It is, thus, an object of this disclosure to provide a battery unit which ensures a desired degree of visibility or optical perception of coded data without having to have an increased size thereof. According to one aspect of this disclosure, there is provided a battery unit which comprises: (a) a battery; (b) a storage casing which includes a bottom and a peripheral wall, the bottom and the peripheral wall defining an inner space in which the battery is disposed; (c) a circuit board which is disposed inside the storage casing and on which a controller is mounted to control input or output of electrical power to or from the battery, the circuit board having an outer surface facing outside the storage casing and an inner surface facing the bottom of the storage casing, and (d) a switching device which works to open or close an electrical power path leading to the battery in response to a switching signal outputted from the controller. The battery is disposed on the bottom. The circuit board is arranged farther away from the bottom than from the battery. The switching device is arranged behind the circuit board within the storage casing, as viewed facing an interior of the storage casing from outside the outer surface of the circuit board. A visible area is defined inside the storage casing. The visible area is exposed outside the circuit board to secure visibility of the visible area, as viewed inwardly facing inside the storage casing from outside the outer surface of the circuit board. The visible area includes a data retaining area on which data on characteristics of the switching device is provided. The battery unit equipped with the switching device which controls input or output of electrical energy into or from the battery is designed to have the controller mounted on the circuit board to which the switching device is connected in order to reduce the size of the battery unit. This type of battery unit may have the circuit board arranged above the battery and also have the switching device arranged behind the circuit board, as inwardly facing inside the storage casing from outside the circuit board. The layout of the battery and the circuit board results in a reduction in visibility of the switching device from outside the battery unit, but it is required to secure optical perception of the data on characteristics provided in the data-retaining area in order to facilitate writing or transferring the data to the controller. In order to meet the above requirement, the battery unit is, as described above, designed to have the data-retaining area which is located within the visible area where the data on characteristics of the switching device is visually or optically perceived, that is, enabled to be read out of the data-retaining area. The above layout of the data-retaining area in the visible area facilitates writing or transfer of the data on characteristics to the controller without need for increasing the size of the battery unit. In the preferred mode of the disclosure, the peripheral wall of the storage casing includes a first side wall and a second side wall which are opposed to each other through the space in a given direction. The circuit board is located closer to the first side wall than the switching device is, while the switching device is located closer to the second side wall than the circuit board is. The above layout of the circuit board arranged closer to the first side wall enables the battery unit to be reduced in size and also create space which is located closer to the second side wall and unoccupied by the circuit board. The switching device is arranged closer to the second side wall, thereby enabling the data on characteristics of the switching device to be visually or optically perceived using the space. In third preferred mode of the disclosure, the switching device has a first end closer to the first side wall of the peripheral wall of the storage casing and a second end closer to the second side wall of the peripheral wall of the storage casing. The first end has installed thereon connecting terminals connecting with the circuit board. The data retaining area is located closer to the second end than to the first end on a selected surface of the switching device. The switching device is designed to have the connecting terminals on the first end closer to the first side wall of the peripheral wall than the second end is. This facilitates arrangement of the switching device close to the second side wall and also enhances the visibility of the data-retaining area arranged close to the second side wall. In the fourth preferred mode of the disclosure, the switching device has a portion protruding outside the circuit board in a direction parallel to a major surface of the circuit board. A height of a portion of the second side wall on which the switching device is mounted from the bottom is smaller than a distance between the bottom and a lower surface of the circuit board. If the switching device is covered fully with the circuit board, as viewed from outside the battery unit, it will result in a deterioration of visibility of the data-retaining area. Additionally, if the height of the portion of the second side wall on which the switching device is mounted from the bottom is larger than the distance between the bottom and the lower surface of the circuit board, it will cause the circuit board to reduce the visibility of the data-retaining area. These drawbacks are eliminated by the above structure of the battery unit. In the fifth preferred mode of the disclosure, the peripheral wall has a heat dissipator which releases heat generated by the switching device. The heat dissipator has a heat releasing surface on which the switching device is mounted and which is located closer to the bottom than the lower surface of the circuit board is. When the peripheral wall of the storage casing has the heat dissipator, and the heat releasing surface of the heat dissipator is located closer to the bottom than the lower surface of the circuit board is, it results in a need for placing the switching device behind the circuit board, as viewed from outside an upper portion of the battery unit, to mount the switching device on the heat releasing surface. The above structure meets such a need without having to increase the size of the battery unit.

11233009

BACKGROUND Integrated circuit (IC) packages may include an embedded multi-die interconnect bridge (EMIB) for electrically coupling two or more IC dies. With conventional manufacturing processes, IC packages including an EMIB are not scalable to a finer bump pitch due to an increase in via taper. Typically, EMIBs are susceptible to damage during embedding in IC packages and to warpage during operation of the IC package, which may result in non-functioning IC packages.

11435279

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a method of bonding two aeronautical parts and a method of analysing a bonding between two aeronautical parts. BACKGROUND The prior art comprises in particular the documents FR-A1-2 956 057, FR-A1-3 029 134 and FR-A1-3 051 386. The use of composite materials is advantageous in the aeronautical industry in particular because these materials have interesting mechanical performances for relatively low masses. One method for manufacturing a composite part for the aeronautics industry, which is well known to the person skilled in the art, is the RTM method (Resin Transfer Molding method). This is a method for producing a part in composite material based on resin-impregnated fibres. Such a method is used, for example, to manufacture a turbomachine fan vane. A preform is realised and then heated so that the resin polymerises and forms the final part, for example a vane blade. This blade comprises a pressure side and a suction side extending from a leading edge to a trailing edge of the blade. The composite material of the blade is relatively fragile, and in particular sensitive to impact, and it is known to be protected by means of a metal shield which is fitted and secured to the leading edge of the blade. After polymerisation of the resin of the blade, the shield can be secured to the blade, for example with an epoxy adhesive. The complexity of the geometry of the parts can lead to difficulties in the pairing of the parts and affect the quality of the bonded assembly. The bonded assembly can indeed present numerous anomalies linked, for example, to the presence of porosity or excess adhesive thickness. To check the quality of the bonded assembly, there are two different methods:the destructive control method, in particular by optical microscopy on a section. This method requires the cutting out of the area of the adhesive film that is to be analysed. The disadvantage of this method is that the analysis carried out is limited to the cut area and, above all, that the part is destroyed in order to carry out this analysis.the classic non-destructive control method, in particular the ultrasonic control. However, this method has its limitations in terms of characterising the adhesive films. For example, when the parts have highly variable geometries or strong material heterogeneities, which is the case for vanes, it is impossible to discern the effect induced by the parameters of the bonding method from that induced by the geometry of the parts. The above two methods are costly and time-consuming and make it impossible to carry out large-scale tests when developing or industrialising a new bonding method. In addition, the quality of this bonding analysis is limited. As a result, the bonding always contain numerous anomalies. The invention aims to improve at least one of the above problems. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION To this end, the invention proposes a method for analysing a bonding between two aeronautical parts, characterised in that it comprises the steps of: a) applying a first release agent to a first surface to be bonded of a first part and a second release agent to a second surface to be bonded of a second part, b) applying an adhesive to at least one of the first and second agents and positioning the first and second parts on top of each other so that the adhesive is located between the first and second agents, the adhesive forming an adhesive film after polymerisation, c) separating the parts from each other and removing the adhesive film in one piece, d) analysing the adhesive film. The invention thus allows to remove the adhesive film in one piece, enabling to analyse the entire useful area of the bonding in a real situation. It also allows the two parts to be kept intact after separation, which allows to repeat the test several times in a short time. The parameters related to the geometry of the part are then identical for all tests performed on a same pair of parts. As the parameters linked to the geometry of the parts are fixed, it is possible to discern only the effect of the parameters of the bonding method in the repeated analysis and thus to eliminate the root cause of the anomalies of the bonding. It is then possible to adjust the parameters of the bonding method to improve it. In particular, this analysing method is more economical than the current destructive techniques and more accurate than the current non-destructive techniques. The method of the invention is therefore non-destructive, allows the analysis of the adhesive film without the creation of artifacts and is insensitive to the geometric variations of the parts studied. The method according to the invention may comprise one or more of the following characteristics, taken alone with each other or in combination with each other:the step a) is preceded by a step of applying a pore-sealing agent to the first surface to be bonded, of the first part, and to the second surface to be bonded, of the second part.the step d) is carried out by analysing at least one image obtained by transparency of the adhesive film to a light.the analysis of the image comprises the comparison and the interpretation of the differences in colour or contrast.the analysis of the image comprises the evaluation of the thickness of the adhesive film in one or more areas of the image.the analysis of the image comprises the evaluation of the porosity rate of the adhesive film.the first part is metallic.the second part is made of a composite material and comprises, for example, carbon fibres embedded in a polymeric matrix.the second part is a vane or a blade and the first part is a shield for reinforcing a leading edge of this vane or blade. The present invention also relates to a method for bonding two aeronautical parts, characterised in that it comprises the steps of the method as described above, followed by the steps of: e) applying an adhesive to at least one of the first and second surfaces and positioning these surfaces on top of each other, the adhesive forming an adhesive film after polymerisation. The bonding method further comprises, between the steps d) and e), a step of cleaning and/or preparing the first surface of the first part and the second surface of the second part.

11381361

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS Examples of several of the various embodiments of the present invention are described herein with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1is a diagram depicting example sets of OFDM subcarriers as per an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2is a diagram depicting an example transmission time and reception time for two carriers in a carrier group as per an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3is a diagram depicting OFDM radio resources as per an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4is a block diagram of a base station and a wireless device as per an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5A,FIG. 5B,FIG. 5CandFIG. 5Dare example diagrams for uplink and downlink signal transmission as per an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6is an example diagram for a protocol structure with multi-connectivity as per an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7is an example diagram for a protocol structure with CA and DC as per an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8shows example TAG configurations as per an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9is an example message flow in a random access process in a secondary TAG as per an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10AandFIG. 10Bare example diagrams for interfaces between a 5G core network (e.g. NGC) and base stations (e.g. gNB and eLTE eNB) as per an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11A,FIG. 11B,FIG. 11C,FIG. 11D,FIG. 11E, andFIG. 11Fare example diagrams for architectures of tight interworking between 5G RAN (e.g. gNB) and LTE RAN (e.g. (e)LTE eNB) as per an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12A,FIG. 12B, andFIG. 12Care example diagrams for radio protocol structures of tight interworking bearers as per an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13AandFIG. 13Bare example diagrams for gNB deployment scenarios as per an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14is an example diagram for functional split option examples of the centralized gNB deployment scenario as per an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 15is an example diagram of an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 16is an example diagram of an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 17is an example diagram of an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 18is an example diagram of an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 19is an example diagram of an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 20is an example diagram of an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 21is an example diagram of an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 22is an example diagram of an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 23is an example diagram of an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 24is an example diagram of an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 25is an example diagram of an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 26is an example diagram of an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 27is an example diagram of an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 28is an example diagram of an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 29is an example diagram of an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 30is an example diagram of an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 31is an example diagram of an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 32is an example diagram of an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 33is an example diagram of an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 34is an example diagram of an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 35is an example diagram of an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 36is an example diagram of an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 37is an example diagram of an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 38is an example diagram of an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 39is an example diagram of an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 40is an example diagram of an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 41is a flow diagram of an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 42is a flow diagram of an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 43is a flow diagram of an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 44is a flow diagram of an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 45is a flow diagram of an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 46is a flow diagram of an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 47is a flow diagram of an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 48is a flow diagram of an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 49is a flow diagram of an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 50is a flow diagram of an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 51is a flow diagram of an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 52is a flow diagram of an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 53is a flow diagram of an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure.

11382539

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The preferred embodiments relate generally to systems and methods for measuring an analyte in a host. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Diabetes mellitus is a disorder in which the pancreas cannot create sufficient insulin (Type I or insulin dependent) and/or in which insulin is not effective (Type 2 or non-insulin dependent). In the diabetic state, the victim suffers from high blood sugar, which can cause an array of physiological derangements associated with the deterioration of small blood vessels, for example, kidney failure, skin ulcers, or bleeding into the vitreous of the eye. A hypoglycemic reaction (low blood sugar) can be induced by an inadvertent overdose of insulin, or after a normal dose of insulin or glucose-lowering agent accompanied by extraordinary exercise or insufficient food intake. Conventionally, a person with diabetes carries a self-monitoring blood glucose (SMBG) monitor, which typically requires uncomfortable finger pricking methods. Due to the lack of comfort and convenience, a person with diabetes normally only measures his or her glucose levels two to four times per day. Unfortunately, such time intervals are so far spread apart that the person with diabetes likely finds out too late of a hyperglycemic or hypoglycemic condition, sometimes incurring dangerous side effects. It is not only unlikely that a person with diabetes will take a timely SMBG value, it is also likely that he or she will not know if his or her blood glucose value is going up (higher) or down (lower) based on conventional methods. This inhibits the ability to make educated insulin therapy decisions. A variety of sensors are known that use an electrochemical cell to provide output signals by which the presence or absence of an analyte, such as glucose, in a sample can be determined. For example, in an electrochemical cell, an analyte (or a species derived from it) that is electro-active generates a detectable signal at an electrode, and this signal can be used to detect or measure the presence and/or amount within a biological sample. In some conventional sensors, an enzyme is provided that reacts with the analyte to be measured, and the byproduct of the reaction is qualified or quantified at the electrode. An enzyme has the advantage that it can be very specific to an analyte and also, when the analyte itself is not sufficiently electro-active, can be used to interact with the analyte to generate another species which is electro-active and to which the sensor can produce a desired output. In one conventional amperometric glucose oxidase-based glucose sensor, immobilized glucose oxidase catalyses the oxidation of glucose to form hydrogen peroxide, which is then quantified by amperometric measurement (for example, change in electrical current) through a polarized electrode. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In a first aspect, a system for measuring an analyte is provided, the system comprising a vascular access device in communication with a vascular system of a host; and an analyte sensor configured to extend within the vascular access device, wherein the analyte sensor is configured to measure a concentration of an analyte within the vascular system. In an embodiment of the first aspect, the analyte sensor is configured to extend through the vascular access device and into a blood stream of the host. In an embodiment of the first aspect, the vascular access device is a catheter. In an embodiment of the first aspect, the vascular access device is configured for insertion into a vein of the host. In an embodiment of the first aspect, the vascular access device is configured for insertion into an artery of the host. In an embodiment of the first aspect, the vascular access device is configured to operatively couple to a pressure transducer for measurement of a blood pressure of the host. In an embodiment of the first aspect, the vascular access device is configured to operatively couple to a blood chemistry analysis device for measuring a blood chemistry of the host. In an embodiment of the first aspect, the analyte sensor is a glucose sensor. In an embodiment of the first aspect, the system further comprises a sheath configured to protect the analyte sensor during insertion of the analyte sensor into the catheter. The sheath can comprise a slot configured to allow the release of the analyte sensor therefrom. In an embodiment of the first aspect, the system further comprises a fluid coupler having first end and second end, wherein the fluid coupler is configured to mate with the vascular access device on the first end, and wherein at least a portion of the analyte sensor extends through the fluid coupler or is housed within the fluid coupler. The fluid coupler can comprise sensor electronics formed thereon. The sensor electronics can a potentiostat. The fluid coupler can be configured to mate with a medical device on the second end. The medical device can comprise at least one device selected from the group consisting of a blood pressure monitor, a blood chemistry device, and a dialysis bypass machine. In an embodiment of the first aspect, the analyte sensor is configured to extend through the vascular access device and into a blood stream of the host by from about 0.010 inches to about 1 inch. In an embodiment of the first aspect, the vascular access device and the analyte sensor are configured to indwell within a blood stream of the host in vivo. In an embodiment of the first aspect, further comprising sensor electronics operatively connected to the analyte sensor. In an embodiment of the first aspect, the analyte sensor comprises at least one working electrode configured to measure a first signal. The first signal can be substantially analyte related. In an embodiment of the first aspect, the analyte sensor further comprises a second working electrode configured to measure a second signal. The second signal can be substantially non-analyte related. In an embodiment of the first aspect, the sensor electronics are configured to process the second signal and the first signal to determine a concentration of an analyte. In an embodiment of the first aspect, the sensor further comprises a reference electrode. In an embodiment of the first aspect, the reference electrode is located at a position remote from the working electrode. In an embodiment of the first aspect, the sensor further comprises a fluid coupler having first end and a second end, wherein the fluid coupler is configured to mate with the catheter on the first end, wherein at least a portion of the analyte sensor extends through the fluid coupler or is housed within the fluid coupler, and wherein the reference electrode is located at a position proximal to the fluid coupler or within the fluid coupler. In an embodiment of the first aspect, an end of the analyte sensor that extends into a blood stream of the host comprises an enlarged area. In an embodiment of the first aspect, a substantial portion of the analyte sensor has a diameter of less than about 0.008 inches. In an embodiment of the first aspect, a substantial portion of the analyte sensor has a diameter of less than about 0.004 inches. In an embodiment of the first aspect, the analyte sensor further comprises a bioinert material or a bioactive agent incorporated therein or thereon. The bioactive agent can comprise at least one agent selected from the group consisting of vitamin K antagonists, heparin group anticoagulants, platelet aggregation inhibitors, enzymes, direct thrombin inhibitors, Dabigatran, Defibrotide, Dermatan sulfate, Fondaparinux, and Rivaroxaban. In an embodiment of the first aspect, the analyte sensor comprises a working electrode and a reference electrode, wherein at least one of the working electrode and the reference electrode comprises a wire. In an embodiment of the first aspect, the analyte sensor comprises a working electrode and a reference electrode, wherein the working electrode and the reference electrode are both wires, and wherein the wires are coaxial. In an embodiment of the first aspect, the analyte sensor comprises a working electrode and a reference electrode, wherein the working electrode and the reference electrode are both wires, and wherein the wires are juxtapositioned. In an embodiment of the first aspect, the analyte sensor comprises a working electrode and a reference electrode, wherein the working electrode and the reference electrode are both wires, and wherein the reference electrode is helically wound around the working electrode. In an embodiment of the first aspect, the analyte sensor comprises a working electrode, and wherein the working electrode is flexible. In an embodiment of the first aspect, the analyte sensor comprises a working electrode, and wherein the working electrode has a variable stiffness. In an embodiment of the first aspect, the analyte sensor comprises at least one wire having a helical configuration, wherein a variable stiffness in the helical wire is provided by at least one of a variable pitch of the helical wire and a variable cross-section of the helical wire. In a second aspect, a method for measuring an analyte in a blood stream of a host is provided, the method comprising inserting a vascular access device into communication with a blood stream of a host; and inserting an analyte sensor into the vascular access device, wherein the analyte sensor measures a concentration of an analyte within the blood stream of the host. In an embodiment of the second aspect, the analyte sensor extends through the vascular access device and into the blood stream. In an embodiment of the second aspect, the vascular access device is a catheter. In an embodiment of the second aspect, the vascular access device is inserted into a vein of the host. In an embodiment of the second aspect, the vascular access device is inserted into an artery of the host. In an embodiment of the second aspect, the method further comprises coupling a pressure transducer to the analyte sensor. In an embodiment of the second aspect, the method further comprises coupling a blood chemistry analysis device to the analyte sensor. In an embodiment of the second aspect, the analyte sensor measures glucose. In an embodiment of the second aspect, the analyte sensor comprises a fluid coupler for housing the analyte sensor or supporting the analyte sensor, and wherein the method further comprises mating the fluid coupler with the vascular access device on a first end of the fluid coupler. In an embodiment of the second aspect, the method further comprises mating the fluid coupler with a medical device on a second end of the fluid coupler. In an embodiment of the second aspect, the method further comprises measuring at least one other parameter with the medical device, wherein the parameter is selected from the group consisting of blood pressure and blood chemistry. In an embodiment of the second aspect, the step of inserting the analyte sensor comprises inserting the analyte sensor beyond an in vivo end of the vascular access device by from about 0.010 inches to about 1 inch. In an embodiment of the second aspect, the vascular access device and the analyte sensor are configured to indwell within a blood stream of the host in vivo. In an embodiment of the second aspect, sensor electronics are operatively connected to the analyte sensor, and wherein the method further comprises utilizing sensor electronics to measure a concentration of an analyte within the host. In an embodiment of the second aspect, the analyte sensor comprises at least one working electrode, and wherein the method further comprises measuring a first signal at the working electrode, and wherein the first signal is substantially analyte-related. In an embodiment of the second aspect, the analyte sensor further comprises a second working electrode, and wherein the method further comprises measuring a second signal at the second working electrode. The second signal can be substantially non-analyte-related. In an embodiment of the second aspect, the method further comprises processing the second signal and the first signal to determine a concentration of an analyte. In an embodiment of the second aspect, the method further comprises avoiding piercing of a blood vessel during sensor insertion into the blood vessel by providing an enlarged area at an insertion end of the analyte sensor. In an embodiment of the second aspect, the method further comprises substantially preventing clotting or thrombosis proximal to or on the analyte sensor within the blood stream. In a third aspect, a system for measuring an analyte is provided, the system comprising a vascular access device configured for insertion communication with a vascular system of a host, wherein the vascular access device comprises an analyte sensor at least partially integrally incorporated therewith; and sensor electronics operatively connected to the analyte sensor, wherein the sensor electronics are configured to measure a concentration of an analyte within the vascular system. In an embodiment of the third aspect, the sensor electronics are configured to substantially continuously measure the analyte concentration. In an embodiment of the third aspect, the analyte is glucose. In an embodiment of the third aspect, the vascular access device is configured to operatively couple to a blood chemistry analysis device for measuring a blood chemistry of the host. In an embodiment of the third aspect, the analyte sensor comprises at least one working electrode configured measure a first signal. In an embodiment of the third aspect, the first signal is substantially analyte related. In an embodiment of the third aspect, the analyte sensor further comprises a second working electrode configured measure a second signal. In an embodiment of the third aspect, the second signal is substantially non-analyte related. In an embodiment of the third aspect, the sensor electronics are configured to process the second signal and the first signal to determine a concentration of an analyte. In an embodiment of the third aspect, the analyte sensor further comprises a reference electrode. In an embodiment of the third aspect, the reference electrode is located at a position remote from the reference electrode. In an embodiment of the third aspect, the reference electrode is configured to be located outside of a blood stream of the host. In an embodiment of the third aspect, the analyte sensor further comprises a counter electrode. In an embodiment of the third aspect, the analyte sensor is configured to at least partially contact an in vivo blood stream of the host when the vascular access device is inserted therein. In an embodiment of the third aspect, the analyte sensor is deposited on an exterior surface of the vascular access device. In an embodiment of the third aspect, the analyte sensor is electroplated onto the exterior surface of the vascular access device. In an embodiment of the third aspect, the analyte sensor is wired to at least a portion of the sensor electronics. In an embodiment of the third aspect, the analyte sensor is wirelessly connected to at least a portion of the sensor electronics. In an embodiment of the third aspect, the vascular access device is a catheter. In an embodiment of the third aspect, the analyte sensor further comprises a bioinert material or a bioactive agent incorporated therewith. The bioactive agent can comprise at least one agent selected from the group consisting of vitamin K antagonists, heparin group anticoagulants, platelet aggregation inhibitors, enzymes, direct thrombin inhibitors, Dabigatran, Defibrotide, Dermatan sulfate, Fondaparinux, and Rivaroxaban. In an embodiment of the third aspect, the analyte sensor comprises a working electrode and a reference electrode, and wherein at least one of the working electrode and the reference electrode comprises a wire. In an embodiment of the third aspect, the analyte sensor comprises a working electrode and a reference electrode, wherein the working electrode and the reference electrode are both wires, and wherein the wires are coaxial. In an embodiment of the third aspect, the analyte sensor comprises a working electrode and a reference electrode, wherein the working electrode and the reference electrode are both wires, and wherein the wires are juxtapositioned. In an embodiment of the third aspect, the analyte sensor comprises a working electrode and a reference electrode, wherein the working electrode and the reference electrode are both wires, and wherein the reference electrode is helically wound around the working electrode. In an embodiment of the third aspect, the analyte sensor comprises a working electrode, and wherein the working electrode is flexible. In an embodiment of the third aspect, the analyte sensor comprises a working electrode, and wherein the working electrode has a variable stiffness. In an embodiment of the third aspect, the analyte sensor comprises at least one wire having a helical configuration, and wherein a variable stiffness in the helical wire is provided by at least one of a variable pitch of the helical wire and a variable cross-section of the helical wire. In a fourth aspect, a method for measuring an analyte in a blood stream of a host is provided, the method comprising inserting a vascular access device into communication with a blood stream of a host, wherein the vascular access device comprises an analyte sensor at least partially integrally incorporated therewith; operatively connecting the analyte sensor to sensor electronics; and measuring an analyte concentration in the host. In an embodiment of the fourth aspect, the method further comprises substantially continuously measuring an analyte concentration. In an embodiment of the fourth aspect, the step of measuring an analyte concentration comprises measuring a glucose concentration. In an embodiment of the fourth aspect, the analyte sensor comprises at least one working electrode, wherein the measuring step comprises measuring a first signal at the working electrode, wherein the first signal is substantially analyte-related. In an embodiment of the fourth aspect, the analyte sensor further comprises a second working electrode, and the measuring step further comprises measuring a second signal at the second working electrode, wherein the second signal is substantially non-analyte related. In an embodiment of the fourth aspect, the method further comprises processing the second signal and the first signal to determine a concentration of an analyte. In an embodiment of the fourth aspect, the measuring step comprises measuring an analyte concentration in an in vivo blood stream of the host. In an embodiment of the fourth aspect, the operatively connecting step comprises connecting the analyte sensor to at least a portion of the sensor electronics via a wired connection. In an embodiment of the fourth aspect, the operatively connecting step comprises connecting the analyte sensor to at least a portion of the sensor electronics via a wireless connection. In a fifth aspect, a method for manufacturing an analyte sensor configured for measuring an analyte in a vascular system of a host is provided, the method comprising providing a vascular access device; and at least partially integrally incorporating an analyte sensor in the vascular access device or on a surface of the vascular access device. In an embodiment of the fifth aspect, the step of at least partially integrally incorporating an analyte sensor comprises depositing at least one working electrode on an interior surface of the vascular access device or on an exterior surface of the vascular access device. In an embodiment of the fifth aspect, the depositing step further comprises electroplating the working electrode onto the exterior surface of the vascular access device. In an embodiment of the fifth aspect, the step of at least partially integrally incorporating an analyte sensor further comprises depositing a second working electrode on an interior surface of the vascular access device or on an exterior surface of the vascular access device. In an embodiment of the fifth aspect, the step of at least partially integrally incorporating an analyte sensor further comprises depositing a reference electrode on an interior surface of the vascular access device or on an exterior surface of the vascular access device. In an embodiment of the fifth aspect, the step of at least partially integrally incorporating an analyte sensor further comprises depositing a counter electrode on an interior surface of the vascular access device or on an exterior surface of the vascular access device. In an embodiment of the fifth aspect, the surface of the vascular access device is selected from the group consisting of an exterior surface, an interior surface, and a tip surface. In an embodiment of the fifth aspect, the step of at least partially integrally incorporating an analyte sensor further comprises forming a reference electrode at a location remote from the working electrode. In a sixth aspect, a method for calibrating a continuous analyte sensor in a host is provided, the method comprising inserting a continuous analyte sensor into a host; contacting a calibration solution with at least a portion of the continuous analyte sensor; and calibrating the continuous analyte sensor to provide calibrated analyte sensor data comprising at least one calibrated sensor data point. In an embodiment of the sixth aspect, the continuous analyte sensor is configured to indwell within a blood stream of a host. In an embodiment of the sixth aspect, the continuous analyte sensor is configured to measure a glucose concentration in the host. In an embodiment of the sixth aspect, the calibration solution comprises a predetermined amount of glucose. In an embodiment of the sixth aspect, the method further comprises displaying the calibrated analyte sensor data. In an embodiment of the sixth aspect, the method further comprises contacting an additional calibration solution with at least a portion of the continuous analyte sensor. In an embodiment of the sixth aspect, the method further comprises calibrating or re-calibrating the continuous analyte sensor to provide calibrated analyte sensor data comprising at least one calibrated sensor data point. In an embodiment of the sixth aspect, the step of contacting an additional calibration solution is repeated. In an embodiment of the sixth aspect, the step of contacting an additional calibration solution is performed automatically. In an embodiment of the sixth aspect, the step of contacting an additional calibration solution is performed manually. In an embodiment of the sixth aspect, the method further comprises contacting a non-analyte solution with at least a portion of the continuous analyte sensor to flush the sensor. In an embodiment of the sixth aspect, the step of contacting a non-analyte solution is performed prior to the step of contacting a calibration solution with at least a portion of the continuous analyte sensor. In a seventh aspect, a method for calibrating a continuous analyte sensor in a host is provided, the method comprising inserting a continuous analyte sensor system into a host; withdrawing at least one blood sample from the host; measuring a reference analyte value from the blood sample; and calibrating the continuous analyte sensor to provide calibrated analyte sensor data comprising at least one calibrated sensor data point. In an embodiment of the seventh aspect, the continuous analyte sensor is configured to indwell within a blood stream of the host. In an embodiment of the seventh aspect, the continuous analyte sensor is configured to measure a glucose concentration of the host. In an embodiment of the seventh aspect, the step of withdrawing at least one blood sample from the host is performed automatically. In an embodiment of the seventh aspect, the step of inserting a continuous analyte sensor comprises inserting a vascular access device into communication with a vascular system of the host, wherein the sensor is integrally incorporated with the vascular access device. In an embodiment of the seventh aspect, the step of withdrawing comprises withdrawing a blood sample through the vascular access device. In an embodiment of the seventh aspect, the method further comprises inserting a vascular access device into communication with a vascular system of the host, wherein the sensor is inserted through the vascular access device. In an embodiment of the seventh aspect, the step of withdrawing comprises withdrawing a blood sample through the vascular access device. In an embodiment of the seventh aspect, the method further comprises displaying the calibrated sensor data. In an embodiment of the seventh aspect, the method further comprises coupling a blood chemistry device to the continuous analyte sensor system. In an embodiment of the seventh aspect, the blood chemistry device performs the step of analyzing at least one blood sample from the host. In an embodiment of the seventh aspect, the blood chemistry device performs the step of measuring a reference analyte value from the blood sample. In an eighth aspect, a continuous analyte sensor system is provided, the system comprising a continuous analyte sensor configured for insertion into a host; and a computer system operatively connected to the continuous analyte sensor, wherein the computer system is configured to receive analyte sensor data from the continuous analyte sensor, the analyte sensor data comprising at least one sensor data point and calibration information, and wherein the computer system is configured to calibrate the analyte sensor data from the calibration information. In an embodiment of the eighth aspect, the analyte sensor is a glucose sensor. In an embodiment of the eighth aspect, the continuous analyte sensor comprises a vascular access device configured for communication with a vascular system of the host, and wherein the continuous analyte sensor is configured to extend through the vascular access device, wherein the analyte sensor is configured to measure a concentration of an analyte within a vascular system of the host. In an embodiment of the eighth aspect, the vascular access device is configured to operatively couple to a blood chemistry analysis device for measuring a blood chemistry of the host. In an embodiment of the eighth aspect, the blood chemistry device is configured to withdraw a blood sample through the vascular access device, and wherein the calibration information comprises the blood sample or a measurement associated therewith. In an embodiment of the eighth aspect, the blood chemistry device is configured to measure a reference analyte value from the host, and wherein the calibration information comprises the reference analyte value. In an embodiment of the eighth aspect, the system further comprises a device configured to automatically obtain the calibration information, wherein the device is operatively coupled to the sensor system. In an embodiment of the eighth aspect, the continuous analyte sensor comprises a vascular access device configured for communication with a vascular system of the host, wherein the vascular access device comprises an analyte sensor at least partially integrally incorporated on an exterior surface the vascular access device and further comprises sensor electronics operatively connected to the analyte sensor, wherein the sensor electronics are configured to measure a concentration of an analyte within a blood stream of the host. In an embodiment of the eighth aspect, the vascular access device is configured to operatively couple to a blood chemistry analysis device for measuring a blood chemistry of the host. In an embodiment of the eighth aspect, the blood chemistry device is configured to withdraw a blood sample through the vascular access device, and wherein the calibration information comprises the blood sample or a measurement associated therewith. In an embodiment of the eighth aspect, the blood chemistry device is configured to measure a reference analyte value from the host, and wherein the calibration information comprises the reference analyte value. In an embodiment of the eighth aspect, the system further comprises a device configured to automatically obtain the calibration information, wherein the device is operatively coupled to the sensor system. In an embodiment of the eighth aspect, the analyte sensor comprises a working electrode and a reference electrode, and wherein at least one of the working electrode and the reference electrode comprises a wire. In an embodiment of the eighth aspect, the analyte sensor comprises a working electrode and a reference electrode, wherein the working electrode and the reference electrode are both wires, and wherein the wires are coaxial. In an embodiment of the eighth aspect, the analyte sensor comprises a working electrode and a reference electrode, wherein the working electrode and the reference electrode are both wires, and wherein the wires are juxtapositioned. In an embodiment of the eighth aspect, the analyte sensor comprises a working electrode and a reference electrode, wherein the working electrode and the reference electrode are both wires, and wherein the reference electrode is helically wound around the working electrode. In an embodiment of the eighth aspect, the analyte sensor comprises a working electrode, and wherein the working electrode is flexible. In an embodiment of the eighth aspect, the analyte sensor comprises a working electrode, and wherein the working electrode has a variable stiffness. In an embodiment of the eighth aspect, the analyte sensor comprises at least one wire having a helical configuration, and wherein a variable stiffness in the helical wire is provided by at least one of a variable pitch of the helical wire and a variable cross-section of the helical wire.

11453072

TECHNICAL FIELD This invention relates to thread milling cutters, and more particularly to a thread milling cutter that performs drilling and threading at the same time. BACKGROUND ART Thread milling cutters have been conventionally used as a tool for cutting internal threads in a workpiece. The thread milling cutters are provided with thread cutting edges around their bodies, and perform thread cutting operations with driving apparatuses, such as NC milling machines, that rotate the thread milling cutters about an axis while moving them relative to a workpiece. Some of the thread milling cutters have end cutting edges at the front end face of their tool bodies, and the end cutting edges eliminate the need for a pre-drilling operation, which is to be performed by another tool as an upstream operation before the thread cutting operation, in order to achieve simultaneous operation of drilling and threading (Patent Literature 1). CITATION LIST Patent Literature Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-86286 SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem However, the thread milling cutter in Patent Literature 1 tends to be deflected with respect to the central axis of the internal threads owing to a radial force applied by the workpiece, which shortens the tool life of the thread milling cutter. The present invention has been made to solve the problem, and has an object to provide a thread milling cutter with a long tool life. Solution to Problem For the purpose of achieving the object, the thread milling cutter in this invention cuts internal threads in a workpiece with a driving apparatus that rotates the thread milling cutter about an axis and moves the thread milling cutter relative to the workpiece, and the thread milling cutter includes a tool body held and rotated about the axis by the driving apparatus, thread cutting edges in a plurality of threads projecting in directions perpendicular to the axis from a front end side of an outer circumference of the tool body, and end cutting edges formed on a front end face of the tool body. Each of the end cutting edges includes a first end cutting edge that is connected to the front end of the thread cutting edge, and the first end cutting edge and an imaginary plane perpendicular to the axis form an angle of 6° or less. Each of the end cutting edges also includes a second end cutting edge that is connected to the first end cutting edge on the side closer to the axis, and is angled more toward the rear end than the first end cutting edge. An angle formed by the imaginary plane perpendicular to the axis and the second end cutting edge is set to be greater than the angle formed by the imaginary plane perpendicular to the axis and the first end cutting edge. Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the thread milling cutter of claim1, the angle formed by an imaginary plane perpendicular to the axis of the tool body and the first end cutting edge is set to 6° or less. This can strengthen an axial bracing force generated in the thread milling cutter between the workpiece and driving apparatus. Consequently, the thread milling cutter resists deflection toward a central axis of the internal threads. In addition, the angle formed by the imaginary plane perpendicular to the axis and the second end cutting edges is set to be greater than the angle formed by the imaginary plane perpendicular to the axis and the first end cutting edges. Therefore, the cutting resistance between the second end cutting edges and workpiece can be reduced in comparison with the cutting resistance between the first end cutting edges and the workpiece. Thus, the cutting resistance reduction by the second end cutting edges and the deflection-resistance of the thread milling cutter by the first end cutting edges produce the effect of extending the tool life of the thread milling cutter. According to the thread milling cutter of claim2, the diameter passing through the boundary between the thread cutting edges and the first end cutting edges and the axis at the center is set to be equal to or greater than a minor diameter between the threads. With this diameter size setting, a strong axial bracing force generated in the thread milling cutter between the first end cutting edges and driving apparatus can be located more outward in the direction perpendicular to the axis in comparison with the case where the boundary between the thread cutting edges and first end cutting edges is located more inward in the direction perpendicular to the axis than the roots between threads. Consequently, the thread milling cutter further resists deflection toward the central axis of the internal threads, and therefore, in addition to the effect provided by claim1, the thread milling cutter can have the effect of further extending the tool life. According to the thread milling cutter of claim3, the size of the first end cutting edges in the direction perpendicular to the axis is set to 10% or less of the minor diameter between the threads. Setting the size of the first end cutting edges in this manner can reduce the contact area between the first end cutting edges and the workpiece, thereby reducing the cutting resistance between the first end cutting edges and workpiece. Since the less cutting resistance can reduce wear and breakage of the thread cutting edges and end cutting edges, in addition to the effect provided by claim1or2, the thread milling cutter can have the effect of further extending the tool life. According to the thread milling cutter of claim4, the angle formed by the first end cutting edges and the imaginary plane perpendicular to the axis is set to be greater than 0°. This angle setting can reduce the cutting resistance between the first end cutting edges and workpiece. Consequently, in addition to the effect of any one of claims1to3, the thread milling cutter can have the effect of further extending the tool life.

11371833

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to systems and methods for depth mapping, and particularly to beam sources and sensor arrays used in time-of-flight sensing. BACKGROUND Existing and emerging consumer applications have created an increasing need for real-time three-dimensional (3D) imagers. These imaging devices, also known as depth sensors, depth mappers, or light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensors, enable the remote measurement of distance (and often intensity) to each point in a target scene—referred to as target scene depth—by illuminating the target scene with an optical beam and analyzing the reflected optical signal. A commonly-used technique to determine the distance to each point on the target scene involves transmitting one or more pulsed optical beams towards the target scene, followed by the measurement of the round-trip time, i.e. time-of-flight (ToF), taken by the optical beams as they travel from the source to the target scene and back to a detector array adjacent to the source. Some ToF systems use single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs), also known as Geiger-mode avalanche photodiodes (GAPDs), in measuring photon arrival time. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 9,997,551, whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference, describes a sensing device that includes an array of SPAD sensing elements. Each sensing element includes a photodiode, including a p-n junction, and a local biasing circuit, which is coupled to reverse-bias the p-n junction at a bias voltage greater than the breakdown voltage of the p-n junction by a margin sufficient so that a single photon incident on the p-n junction triggers an avalanche pulse output from the sensing element. A bias control circuit is coupled to set the bias voltage in different ones of the sensing elements to different, respective values. U.S. Patent Application Publication 2017/0176579, whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference, describes the use of this sort of variable biasing capability in selectively actuating individual sensing elements or groups of sensing elements in a SPAD array. For this purpose, an electro-optical device includes a laser light source, which emits at least one beam of light pulses, a beam steering device, which transmits and scans the at least one beam across a target scene, and an array of sensing elements. Each sensing element outputs a signal indicative of a time of incidence of a single photon on the sensing element. (Each sensing element in such an array is also referred to as a “pixel.”) Light collection optics image the target scene scanned by the transmitted beam onto the array. Circuitry is coupled to actuate the sensing elements only in a selected region of the array and to sweep the selected region over the array in synchronization with scanning of the at least one beam. SUMMARY Embodiments of the present invention that are described hereinbelow provide improved depth mapping systems and methods for operating such systems. There is therefore provided, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, depth sensing apparatus, including a radiation source, which is configured to emit a first plurality of beams of light pulses toward a target scene. An array of a second plurality of sensing elements is configured to output signals indicative of respective times of incidence of photons on the sensing element, wherein the second plurality exceeds the first plurality. Light collection optics are configured to image the target scene onto the array of sensing elements. Processing and control circuitry is coupled to receive the signals from the array and is configured to search over the sensing elements in order to identify, responsively to the signals, respective regions of the array on which the light pulses reflected from the target scene are incident, and to process the signals from the identified regions in order determine respective times of arrival of the light pulses. In some embodiments, the radiation source includes at least one vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL), and may include an array of VCSELs. Additionally or alternatively, the sensing elements include single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs). In some embodiments, the processing and control circuitry is configured to group the sensing elements in each of the identified regions together to define super-pixels, and to process together the signals from the sensing elements in each of the super-pixels in order to determine the respective times of arrival. In a disclosed embodiment, the processing and control circuitry includes multiple processing units, wherein each of the processing units is coupled to process the signals from a respective one of the super-pixels. Additionally or alternatively, the processing and control circuitry is configured, after identifying the respective regions, to actuate only the sensing elements in each of the identified regions, while the remaining sensing elements in the array are inactive. In some embodiments, the processing and control circuitry is configured to identify the respective regions of the array on which the light pulses reflected from the target scene are incident by selecting a set of candidate regions in which the reflected light pulses are likely to be incident, and performing an iterative search over the array starting with each of the candidate regions while operating the radiation source and receiving the signals to find the regions of the array onto which the light pulses reflected from the target scene are incident. In one embodiment, the processing and control circuitry is configured to identify the candidate regions based on nominal design values together with assembly tolerances and operational tolerances of the apparatus. The processing and control circuitry may be configured to perform the iterative search by shifting repeatedly from those sensing elements from which no timing signal is received to neighboring sensing elements, until a number of the regions from which the signals are received exceeds a preset threshold. In other embodiments, the processing and control circuitry is configured to identify the respective regions of the array onto which the light pulses reflected from the target scene are incident by finding an initial set of candidate regions of the array on which the light pulses reflected from the target scene are incident, calculating a model, based on the initial set, that predicts locations of additional regions of the array on which the light pulses reflected from the target scene are expected to be incident, and searching over the locations predicted by the model while operating the radiation source and receiving the signals in order to identify additional regions of the array on which the light pulses reflected from the target scene are incident. In a disclosed embodiment, the processing and control circuitry is configured to adjust the model iteratively until a number of the regions from which the signals are received exceeds a preset threshold. The processing and control circuitry may be configured to adjust the model by adding the identified additional regions to the initial set to produce a new set of the regions, and updating the model based on the new set. Alternatively or additionally, the model is selected from a group of types of models consisting of a homographic model, a quadratic model, and a low-order spline. There is also provided, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, a method for depth sensing, which includes driving a radiation source to emit a first plurality of beams of light pulses toward a target scene. The target scene is imaged onto an array of a second plurality of sensing elements, configured to output signals indicative of respective times of incidence of photons on the sensing element, wherein the second plurality exceeds the first plurality. A search is performed over the sensing elements in order to identify, responsively to the signals, respective regions of the array on which the light pulses reflected from the target scene are incident. The signals from the identified regions are processed in order determine respective times of arrival of the light pulses. The present invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of the embodiments thereof, taken together with the drawings in which:

11226886

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The present disclosure generally relates to the technical area of computer process monitoring. The disclosure relates more specifically to monitoring of processes within programmatic containers through in-kernel instrumentation. BACKGROUND The approaches described in this section are approaches that could be pursued, but not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section. Programmatic containers (“containers”) encapsulate computer program applications within individual, relatively isolated runtime environments. For example, a container may bundle into a single package an application program with its dependencies, libraries, and configuration files. Thus, containers enable portability across different operating systems and different hardware environments. In other words, containers provide many of the benefits of virtual machine instances. At the same time, containers use significantly fewer resources than virtual machine instances. For example, a container may be several megabytes in size, whereas a virtual machine instance may be several gigabytes in size. One reason for this difference is that a container uses the operating system kernel of its host computer, whereas a virtual machine instance includes an entire operating system that runs on top of the operating system kernel of its host computer. This lightweight aspect of containers makes them popular alternatives to virtual machine instances for developing computer program applications. For example, a computer program application may be deployed at one or more times as a set of containers. Furthermore, each container may include a set of code that exhibits simplified dependencies and/or is otherwise streamlined for performance efficiency. However, the isolated nature of a container renders current approaches to visibility of software applications inefficient. As a monitored application runs inside a container while a monitoring component typically lives outside that container, gathering information regarding execution of the monitored application may not be straightforward. Even when such information is available to the monitoring component, correctly associating such information with a container to which such information pertains can be challenging. The use of the operating system kernel by a container also requires more system security protection than offered by current approaches to visibility of software applications. A monitoring component is typically implemented as a kernel module, which can easily cause a complete system failure. Therefore, it would be helpful to find an alternative instrumentation method that provides high-quality process execution data that allows full introspection of the monitored application without sacrificing the security of the host system. SUMMARY The appended claims may serve as a summary of the disclosure.

11241519

BACKGROUND Laser catheters and laser delivery systems in general have wide range of applications in the medical field. Such systems may be used to deliver laser energy to desired sites of a patient's anatomy, and may be particularly suitable for delivering laser energy to locations within a patient's body that allow for minimally invasive treatment of a variety of indications using a variety of treatment modalities. Examples of some laser treatment modalities include heating tissue, stimulating tissue, drug activation within a patient's tissue and ablation of tissue. Laser catheters currently approved for clearing blockages in human arteries may use single or more commonly multiple bundle pure silica optical fibers for indications using ultraviolet laser pulse durations greater than about 50 nsec, usually greater than about 100 nsec to prevent damage to small diameter optical fibers used in multiple optical fiber delivery catheter designs. Typically, optical fiber elements having a transmissive core with a transverse dimension or diameter of about 50 microns to about 100 microns may be used in ablation catheters having multiple optical fiber bundles. In some cases, single large diameter optical fibers having a transmissive core with a transverse dimension or diameter greater than about 130 microns may be too stiff or resistant to longitudinal bending for use in the arteries of a patient, particularly the coronary arteries of a human patient. Therefore, multiple optical fiber bundles using optical fibers having a smaller transverse dimension or diameter may be used to improve flexibility of the catheter while maintaining a constant transmissive core area. These optical fiber laser catheters may be up to 12 feet long and contain from about 50 optical fibers to about 300 optical fibers depending on the cross sectional size of the catheter ablation tip. These pure silica optical fibers are expensive and have a low percentage of cutting area due to the clad and buffer used on the outside of the light conducting or transmissive core as well as a low density packing factor for the multiple fibers having a circular transverse cross section disposed in a bundle. Another way for delivering laser energy to a remote site includes the use of a fluid core waveguide. Existing commercial fluid core waveguides having a transmissive fluid core may typically have an inner diameter of about 2 mm to about 5 mm and a length of about 1 m to about 5 m and have useful light transmission from the ultraviolet to the visible wavelengths at greater than 50% transmission in some cases. Such designs may be robust for repeated use but are large in size and may not be scalable to a smaller more flexible design for use as a disposable catheter in tortuous vessels such as a patient's vasculature. Such designs may also not be adaptable to smaller more flexible embodiments to be used with a high pulse power and high pulse energy laser such as the ultraviolet excimer laser, particularly the 308 nm XeCl excimer. Also, many of the previously disclosed fluids used for the transmissive core of these fluid core waveguides may not be suitably biocompatible for use inside the human body. What has been needed is a fluid core waveguide based ablation catheter that is small and flexible enough to navigate a patient's vasculature, uses biocompatible fluids, and is economical to manufacture. What has also been needed is a fluid core waveguide based ablation catheter that can be efficiently packaged and sterilized and maintain clinical integrity during a useful shelf life after shipment to an end user. SUMMARY Some embodiments of a laser catheter system to ablate blockages in body lumens using high energy and high power short duration laser pulses may include a high energy, high power short duration ultraviolet pulsed laser source. Such systems may also include a low profile, kink resistant, torqueable liquid core ablation catheter operatively coupled to the laser source. In some cases, the liquid core ablation catheter may have an elongate multi-layer catheter tube including a thin inner luminal layer of a low index of refraction (IR), U.V. transparent, amorphous fluoropolymer having an index of refraction of less than or equal to about 1.33 disposed on an inside surface of the base tubular layer; an ultraviolet grade output optical window or window assembly sealed to a distal end of the catheter tube; an ultraviolet grade input optical window sealed to a proximal end of the catheter tube to create a fluid tight core liquid volume; and a biocompatible U.V. transparent fluid disposed within and completely filling the core liquid volume formed between an inner surface of the thin inner luminal layer, the output optical window and the input optical window. Some embodiments of a laser system to ablate blockages in body lumens using high energy and high power short duration laser pulses include a high energy, high power short duration ultraviolet pulsed laser source. The system may also include a low profile, kink resistant, torqueable liquid core ablation catheter operatively coupled to the laser source. Such a liquid core ablation catheter may include an elongate multi-layer catheter tube, which has a base tubular layer including fluorinated or mostly fluorinated material, a braided layer disposed over an outside surface of the base tubular layer, an over-jacket layer coated over the braided layer and base tubular layer to encapsulate the braided layer, and a thin inner luminal layer of a low index of refraction (IR), U.V. transparent, amorphous fluoropolymer having an index of refraction of less than or equal to about 1.33 disposed on an inside surface of the base tubular layer that may be made by drip coating a solution of amorphous fluoropolymer to the inside surface and drying off the solvent. The liquid core ablation catheter may also include an ultraviolet grade output optical window sealed to a lumenal surface, such as an inner lumenal surface of the catheter tube, wherein an area ratio of the output optical window to a total area of an outer diameter of the catheter tube, and in particular, the catheter tube distal tip, may be greater than about 40%. The catheter may further include an ultraviolet grade input optical window sealed to a surface of the catheter tube, such as an inner lumenal surface or outer surface of the catheter tube at a proximal end of the catheter tube to create a fluid tight core liquid volume. A biocompatible U.V. transparent fluid may be disposed within and completely filling a core liquid volume formed between an inner surface of the thin inner luminal layer, a proximal surface of the output optical window and a distal surface of the output optical window. Some embodiments of a support catheter for use supporting a liquid core ablation catheter may include an inner tubular layer that may be less than about 0.001 inches in thickness, a thin over layer with of a material with a higher durometer than the inner tubular layer, a braided layer disposed over an outer surface of the inner tubular layer, and an outer layer covering the braided layer. In some cases, the support catheter may also have a wall thickness of less than about 0.006 inches. For some such embodiments, the support catheter may include an inner lumen with an inner diameter which is configured to accommodate passage of a liquid core ablation catheter and space therebetween sufficient for saline injection to flush blood and contrast fluid in front of the ablation catheter distal end. For some embodiments, the inner tubular layer of this catheter may include a low friction material to ease passage of the ablation catheter and may also include the requisite torqueability, pushability and kink resistance to guide an ablation catheter with a low enough profile to advance through an opening generated by such laser ablation of tissue with the ablation catheter. Some support catheter embodiments may include a multi-lumen support catheter, having one or more guidewire lumens, such as 2, 3, 4 or more guidewire lumens, and a working lumen configured for passage of an ablation catheter. Some methods of ablation of blockages in a lumen of a human vessel may include positioning a support catheter at a target site of a blockage of the vessel, inserting a liquid core ablation catheter adjacent the blockage, injecting saline through an inner lumen of the support catheter to flush contrast fluid and blood from a distal tip of the liquid core ablation catheter, emitting ablative laser energy from a distal end of the ablation catheter and advancing the liquid core ablation catheter about 4 mm to about 6 mm from a distal end of the support catheter while lasing. In some cases, the ablation catheter may be advanced about 5 mm from a distal end of the support catheter. Thereafter, the support catheter may be repositioned so as to be substantially even with the ablation catheter and this process continued until the blockage is traversed. Some other methods of making a multi-layer catheter tube for a liquid core ablation catheter may use processes other than drip coating or dip coating for generating a low index of refraction film or layer on an inside surface of the catheter tube. For example, some embodiments of making a multi-layer catheter tube may include extruding a thin inner luminal layer of amorphous fluoropolymer onto a metal mandrel, etching an outer surface of the extruded inner luminal layer, applying a base layer tube configured as a water barrier over the etched outer surface of the inner luminal layer and applying a braided layer of thin metal filaments onto an outer surface of the base layer tube with the metal mandrel in place. Thereafter, an outer jacket layer may be applied over an outer surface and braided layer and an outer surface of the base layer tube and the metal mandrel removed from the inner luminal layer by stretching the metal mandrel to reduce an outer diameter thereof and withdrawing the metal mandrel from an inner lumen of the inner luminal layer. Some embodiments of a method of making an inner luminal layer of a multi-layer catheter tube of a liquid core ablation catheter may include coating a metal mandrel with an over coat of an amorphous fluoropolymer solution and processing the coated mandrel at temperatures above a boiling point of a solvent of the amorphous fluoropolymer solution and above a glass transition temperature (Tg) of an amorphous fluoropolymer material of the amorphous fluoropolymer solution to drive off the solvent and anneal the amorphous fluoropolymer material and form an inner layer. Thereafter, the processed layer of amorphous fluoropolymer may be coated with one or more additional coats of amorphous fluoropolymer solution and the additional coat or coats processed at temperatures above the boiling point of the solvent of the fluoropolymer solution and above the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the fluoropolymer material of the fluoropolymer solution to drive off the solvent and anneal the fluoropolymer material to form a multi-layer inner luminal layer of sufficient thickness. An outer surface of the inner luminal layer may then be etched with an appropriate etching process to produce a bondable surface and a base layer tube configured as a water barrier applied over the etched outer surface of the inner luminal layer. A braided layer of thin metal filaments may also be applied onto the etched outer surface of the inner luminal layer with the metal mandrel in place and an outer jacket layer applied over the etched outer surface and braided layer. Once the outer jacket has been applied, the metal mandrel may be removed from the inner luminal layer by stretching the metal mandrel to reduce an outer diameter thereof and withdrawing the metal mandrel from an inner lumen of the inner luminal layer. Some embodiments of a method of making a multi-layer catheter tube for a liquid core ablation catheter include applying a base layer tube configured as a water barrier onto a metal mandrel, applying a braided layer of thin metal filaments onto an outer surface of the baser layer tube with the metal mandrel in place and applying an outer jacket layer over an outer surface and braided layer and an outer surface of the base layer tube. The method may also include removing the metal mandrel from the inner luminal layer by stretching the metal mandrel to reduce an outer diameter thereof and withdrawing the metal mandrel from an inner lumen of the inner luminal layer. The method may also include drip coating a solution of amorphous fluoropolymer(s) onto an inside surface of the base layer and removing a solvent of the solution of amorphous fluoropolymer(s) to form an inner luminal layer of amorphous fluoropolymer(s). Some embodiments of a laser catheter system to ablate blockages in body lumens using high energy and high power short duration laser pulses, include a high energy, high power short duration ultraviolet pulsed laser source and a low profile, kink resistant, torqueable liquid core ablation catheter operatively coupled to the laser source. The liquid core ablation catheter may include an elongate multi-layer catheter tube including a thin inner luminal layer of a low IR, U.V. transparent, amorphous fluoropolymer having an index of refraction of less than or equal to about 1.33 disposed on an inside surface of the base tubular layer. The ablation catheter may also include an ultraviolet grade output optical window or window assembly sealed to a distal end of the catheter tube and an ultraviolet grade input optical window sealed to a proximal end of the catheter tube to create a fluid tight core liquid volume. Further, a biocompatible U.V. transparent fluid may be disposed within and completely filling the core liquid volume formed between an inner surface of the thin inner luminal layer, the output optical window and the input optical window. Some embodiments of a high energy laser coupler have a coupler body including a proximal section with a cylindrical outer surface, an inner bore disposed concentrically within the cylindrical outer surface and extending distally from a proximal end of the coupler body, a window connector bore disposed at a distal end of the inner bore, and a distal section extending distally from the window connector bore. Such laser coupler embodiments may also have a window connector body including a proximal section with a cylindrical outer surface configured to fit closely with an inside surface of the window connector bore of the coupler body, a flange portion disposed at a distal end of the proximal section, a stepped portion extending distally of the flange portion and an inner bore extending the length of the window connector body from a proximal end to a distal end thereof. An optical input window may be disposed within and secured to the inner bore of the window connector body such that a proximal end of the optical input window extends proximally from a proximal end of the proximal section of the window connector body. In addition, a flexible waveguide catheter tube including a proximal portion thereof may be disposed over the stepped portion of the window connector body and a cylindrical metal sleeve may be disposed over the proximal portion of the flexible waveguide catheter tube so at to secure the catheter tube to the stepped portion of the window connector body. Some embodiments of a liquid core ablation catheter package assembly include a thin walled hermetically sealed enclosure having an interior volume and a material suitable for gamma sterilization. The package also includes a liquid core ablation catheter disposed within the interior volume of the hermetically sealed enclosure and a liquid disposed within the interior volume which is configured to maintain a vapor pressure within the interior volume sufficient to prevent loss of a liquid of a liquid core of the liquid core ablation catheter due to diffusion of the liquid core into the interior volume. Some embodiments of an ablation catheter include an elongate catheter body, a transmissive core which is configured to transmit high energy laser light and which extends longitudinally from a proximal end to a distal end of the elongate catheter body, and an input surface in optical communication with the transmissive core at a proximal end of the elongate catheter body. The ablation catheter may also include an output surface in optical communication with the transmissive core at a distal end of the elongate catheter body. The ablation catheter may also have a tapered metal housing which includes a distal end having an inner bore that is disposed about the output surface, which includes a distal end that is longitudinally coextensive with a distal end of the output surface, which includes a tapered distal section that terminates distally with a thin wall that facilitates passage of a distal end of the ablation catheter through a lumen within a patient's body and which is configured to be sufficiently radiopaque in such as to be viewable by fluoroscopic imaging during a medical procedure. Certain embodiments are described further in the following description, examples, claims and drawings. These features of embodiments will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying exemplary drawings.

11504578

BACKGROUND The busy lifestyle of persons does not permit users to regularly go out and exercise at gymnasiums and other health clubs. This creates a demand for portable fitness equipment that allow users to exercise at locations other than a gymnasium, for example at their residence, in their office, etc. Many types of portable fitness equipment is available in the market, for example, jump ropes, resistance bands, suspension trainers, exercise ball, etc. Push-ups are a common exercise that persons engage in both for exercises and also for gymnastics and calisthenics. Push-ups are optionally performed on equipment provided with a handle to facilitate the push-up. To meet this requirement, push-up bars are available in the market in single bar form, and with disconnect features. The push-up bars are available in the market either in a curved or straight bar design. Push-up bars, also called parallettes, that are available in the market are bulky, not portable, and do not allow the push-up bar to be collapsed and the disassembled parts to be compactly stored, for example, within a main bar of the push-up bar. Hence, there is a long felt but unresolved need for a portable push-up bar that allows the components of the push-up bar to be disassembled and collapsed into a compact format, to allow the push-up bar to be readily transported, assembled and used at another location. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further disclosed in the detailed description of the invention. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential inventive concepts of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended for determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. The collapsible push-up bar disclosed herein comprises a hollow main shaft and a leg assembly. The collapsible push-up bar is for example, one of a pair of push up bars, also called parallettes, that are used for exercising, gymnastics and calisthenics. The collapsible push-up bar is modular and portable. The hollow main shaft comprises one or more engagement devices disposed on a length of the hollow main shaft. The hollow main shaft is configured to be held by a user during a workout, for example, a push-up. The leg assembly comprises one or more support legs configured to be removably secured to the engagement device of the hollow main shaft. The leg assembly is configured to be disassembled and accommodated within the hollow main shaft. The collapsible push-up bar comprises removable non-skid legs that can be stored inside the hollowed-out shaft of the push-up bar. In an embodiment, the collapsible push-up bar further comprises a first end-cap and a second end-cap, wherein the first and second end-caps are configured to close distal ends of the hollow main shaft. The leg assembly can be disassembled and inserted into the hollow main shaft and thereafter secured within hollow main shaft by closing the distal ends of the hollow main shaft with the first and second end-cap. Upon closing, the first end-cap and the second end-cap preclude the support legs from falling out of the hollow main shaft through the distal ends, for example, during transport of the collapsible push-up bar. In another embodiment, each of the first and second end-caps is hollowed out to allow any overhanging portion of the leg assembly to project into the hollowed out portion of the first and second end-caps. In an embodiment, the hollow main shaft is elliptical in cross section. In another embodiment, the collapsible push-up bar comprises a hollow main shaft comprising an open proximal end and a closed distal end opposite to the open distal end. In this embodiment of the collapsible push-up bar, a single end-cap is used to close the open proximal end of the hollow main shaft. In an embodiment, each engagement device is a threaded hole configured to receive and removably secure each of the one or more support legs. In an embodiment, each engagement device is a receptacle configured to receive a button type snap fit fastener that is disposed at a distal end of one or more support legs. In an embodiment, each engagement device is a snap fit receiver that is one of a female receiver and a male receiver for receiving and removably securing one or more support legs that comprise an opposing one of the female receiver and a male receiver. In an embodiment, the leg assembly comprises a vertical support bar and a horizontal support bar. One end of the vertical support bar is removably secured to the engagement device in the hollow main shaft, and an opposing end of the vertical support bar is configured to receive a horizontal support bar. The horizontal support bar is configured to be removably secured to the opposing end of the vertical support bar along a mid-section of the horizontal support bar, and the horizontal support bar is configured to rest on a ground surface. In an embodiment, the vertical support bar and the horizontal support bar are hollow and are generally semicircular in cross section. In an embodiment, the engagement devices of the hollow main shaft are semicircular in form to receive the vertical support bar and the horizontal support bar.

11532513

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the priority of Chinese Patent Application No. CN201911302205.4, filed on Dec. 17, 2019, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The present disclosure generally relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing and, more particularly, relates to semiconductor structures and fabrication methods thereof. BACKGROUND With the continuous development of the very-large-scale integration (VLSI) process technology, feature size of semiconductor devices continues to shrink, and the performance of semiconductor devices becomes more advanced. The integration of integrated circuit (IC) chips has reached hundreds of millions or even billions of devices on a single chip, and multi-layer interconnection has become widely used in IC chips. Conventional interconnect structures are usually made of aluminum. As the size of semiconductor devices continuously decreases, interconnect structure becomes smaller and smaller, and accordingly, the current density passing through the interconnect structure becomes higher and higher. In addition, the response speed of interconnect structures also needs to be shorter. The existing aluminum interconnect structures are no longer meet the requirements. Therefore, copper has replaced aluminum as the material of interconnect structures. Compared with aluminum, copper has a lower resistivity and more desirable electromigration resistance. Therefore, interconnect structure made of copper can reduce the resistance capacitance (RC) delay of the interconnect structure, and improve device reliability. As such, replacing aluminum with copper has become a development trend. However, the production cost of an interconnection structure formed by existing method is high. There is an urgent need to provide an interconnection structure and a fabrication method to reduce the production cost while ensuring the electrical performance of the interconnection structure. The disclosed semiconductor structures and fabrication methods are directed to solve one or more problems set forth above and other problems in the art. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE One aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for forming a semiconductor structure. The method includes providing a substrate, including a first region and a second region adjacent to the first region; forming a first dielectric layer on the substrate in the first region and the second region; and forming a plurality of first plug structures in the first dielectric layer. The top surface of each first plug structure of the plurality of first plug structures is exposed by the first dielectric layer. The method further includes forming a first conductive layer on the first dielectric layer of the second region; forming a second dielectric layer on the first dielectric layer of the first region and on the first conductive layer of the second region; and forming a plurality of second plug structures in the second dielectric layer of the first region. The bottom surface of each second plug structure of the plurality of second plug structures is in contact with the top surface of a first plug structure. Optionally, the method further includes forming a gate conductive layer and a plurality of source/drain conductive layers in the first dielectric layer. The plurality of first plug structures is located on the gate conductive layer, the plurality of source/drain conductive layers, or both the gate conductive layer and the plurality of source/drain conductive layers. Optionally, the method further includes forming a first pull-up gate structure, a first pull-down gate structure, and a first transmission gate structure in the first dielectric layer; forming a first source region and a first drain region in the substrate respectively on the two sides of the first pull-up gate structure; forming a second source region and a second drain region in the substrate respectively on two sides of the first pull-down gate structure; and forming a third source region and a third drain region in the substrate respectively on two sides of the first transmission gate structure. The gate conductive layer is located on a top surface of the first transmission gate structure, and the power conductive layer is electrically connected to the first drain region through a first plug structure and a source/drain conductive layer. Optionally, forming the first dielectric layer and the plurality of first plug structures includes forming an initial first dielectric layer on the substrate in the first region and the second region; and forming a first mask layer on the initial first dielectric layer. A plurality of first openings is formed in the first mask layer to expose a portion of the initial first dielectric layer. Forming the first dielectric layer and the plurality of first plug structures further includes etching the initial first dielectric layer using the first mask layer as an etch mask to form the first dielectric layer, the first dielectric layer including a plurality of first dielectric openings; and forming the plurality of first plug structures in the plurality of first dielectric openings. Optionally, when forming the plurality of second plug structures, the method further includes forming a third plug structure in the second dielectric layer of the second region. The bottom surface of the third plug structure is in contact with the top surface of the first conductive layer. Optionally, forming the second dielectric layer, the plurality of second plug structures, and the third plug structure includes forming an initial second dielectric layer on the first dielectric layer of the first region and on the first conductive layer of the second region; forming a second mask layer, including a plurality of second openings and a third opening that expose the initial second dielectric layer; etching the initial second dielectric layer using the second mask layer as an etch mask until exposing top surfaces of the plurality of first plug structures and a top surface of the first conductive layer to form the second dielectric layer, a plurality of second dielectric openings and a third dielectric opening being formed in the second dielectric layer with positions corresponding positions of the plurality of second openings and the third opening, respectively; and forming the plurality of second plug structures in the plurality of second dielectric openings and forming the third plug structure in the third dielectric opening. Optionally, etching the initial second dielectric layer includes a dry etching process, a wet etching process, or a combination thereof. Optionally, the width of each second dielectric opening of the plurality of second dielectric openings is in a range of approximately 10 nm to 100 nm. Optionally, after forming the second dielectric layer, the method further includes forming a second conductive layer on the second dielectric layer. The second conductive layer is located in the first region and the second region; and the top surface of the plurality of second plug structures and the top surface of the third plug structure are electrically connected to the bottom surface of the second conductive layer, respectively. Optionally, the substrate is made of germanium (Ge), silicon germanium (SiGe), silicon carbide (SiC), gallium arsenic (GaAs), or indium arsenic (InAs). Optionally, the plurality of source/drain conductive layers and the gate conductive layer are made of a metal, including copper (Cu), cobalt (Co), tungsten (W), aluminum (Al), titanium (Ti), titanium nitride (TiNx), tantalum (Ta), tantalum nitride (TaNx), ruthenium (Ru), or a combination thereof. Optionally, the plurality of first plug structures is made of a metal, including copper (Cu), cobalt (Co), tungsten (W), aluminum (Al), titanium (Ti), titanium nitride (TiNx), tantalum (Ta), tantalum nitride (TaNx), ruthenium (Ru), or a combination thereof. Optionally, the first dielectric layer is made of silicon oxide (SiOx), a low-K dielectric material, or an ultra-low-K dielectric material. Optionally, the second dielectric layer is made of silicon oxide (SiOx), a low-K dielectric material, or an ultra-low-K dielectric material. Optionally, the plurality of second plug structures is made of a metal, including ruthenium (Ru), copper (Cu), cobalt (Co), tungsten (W), aluminum (Al), tantalum (Ta), tantalum nitride (TaNx), titanium (Ti), titanium nitride (TiNx), silver (Ag), platinum (Pt), or a combination thereof. Optionally, the third plug structure is made of a metal, including ruthenium (Ru), copper (Cu), cobalt (Co), tungsten (W), aluminum (Al), tantalum (Ta), tantalum nitride (TaNx), titanium (Ti), titanium nitride (TiNx), silver (Ag), platinum (Pt), or a combination thereof. Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a semiconductor structure. The semiconductor structure includes a substrate, including a first region and a second region adjacent to the first region; a first dielectric layer, formed on the substrate in the first region and the second region; and a plurality of first plug structures, formed in the first dielectric layer. The top surface of each first plug structure of the plurality of first plug structures is exposed by the first dielectric layer. The semiconductor structure further includes a first conductive layer, formed on the first dielectric layer of the second region; a second dielectric layer, formed on the first dielectric layer of the first region and on the first conductive layer of second region; and a plurality of second plug structures, formed in the second dielectric layer of the first region. The bottom surface of each second plug structure of the plurality of second plug structures is in contact with the top surface of a first plug structure. Optionally, the semiconductor structure further includes a third plug structure, formed in the second dielectric layer of the second region. The bottom surface of the third plug structure is in contact with the top surface of the first conductive layer. Optionally, the semiconductor structure further includes a gate conductive layer and a plurality of source/drain conductive layers, formed in the first dielectric layer. The plurality of first plug structures is located on the gate conductive layer, the plurality of source/drain conductive layers, or both the gate conductive layer and the plurality of source/drain conductive layers. Compared to existing semiconductor structures and fabrication methods, the disclosed semiconductor structures and fabrication methods may demonstrate the following exemplary advantages. According to the disclosed methods, in the first region, the bottom surface of the second plug structure is directly in contact with the top surface of the first plug structure. By directly connecting the first plug structure and the second plug structure, the step of forming the word-line conductive layer WL and the power conductive layer Vss is saved. As such, while satisfying the requirements of the electrical structure, the production efficiency can be effectively improved and the production cost can also be reduced. Further, according to the disclosed fabrication methods and semiconductor structures, the width of the second dielectric opening is in a range of approximately 10 nm to 100 nm. Because the process of forming the word-line conductive layer WL and the power conductive layer Vss is saved in the disclosed method, the second plug structure is formed directly in contact with a corresponding first plug structure. Therefore, the length of the second plug structure needs to be increased accordingly. As such, during the fabrication process, the depth of the corresponding second dielectric opening also needs to be increased. However, because the second dielectric opening formed by an etching process is generally in an inverted cone shape, in order to ensure that the bottom of the formed second dielectric opening can expose the top surface of the first plug structure, the width at the top of the second dielectric opening needs to be increased accordingly.

11301825

BACKGROUND Payment transactions are crucial in everyday life for both personal transactions as well as business transactions. For an individual payer, making payments to different individuals and/or businesses can be burdensome when each individual and/or business relies on a different payment process. For example, a salon may utilize a computer system implemented by Vendor X while a restaurant may utilize a computer system implemented by Vendor Y. For a given business, the ability to simplify the payment process for its customers can significantly reduce friction in the sales of its good and/or services, and increase customers' willingness to engage in transactions with the business. However, existing systems often involve extensive learning curves for both the payers and the payees, while not sufficiently catering to the differing business needs of payees.

11429349

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The field of the disclosure is implementation of arithmetic logic circuits, including floating point, multiply-and-accumulate circuits for high speed processors, including processors configured for efficient execution of training and inference. BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE Arithmetic logic circuits, including floating point, multiply-and-accumulate units, as implemented in high performance processors, are relatively complicated logic circuits. Multiply-and-accumulate circuits are applied for matrix multiplication and other complex mathematical operations, applied in machine learning and inference engines. Basically, a multiply-and-accumulate circuit generates a summation S(i) of a sequence of terms A(i)*B(i), expressed typically as follows: S⁡(i)=∑i=0N-1⁢A⁡(i)*B⁡(i) Here, the summation S(i) at cycle (i) is equal to the addition of term A(i)*B(i) to the summation S(i−1) which is the accumulation of terms A(0)*B(0) to A(i−1)*B(i−1). The final summation S(N−1) is a summation output of the multiply- and accumulate operation over N cycles, 0 to N−1. In a floating point implementation, each cycle multiplies two input floating point operands, A(i) and B(i), including exponent values and significand values to produce multiplier output terms A(i)*B(i), and then computes an accumulator output summation S(i) by adding the multiplier output term A(i)*B(i), of a current cycle with the accumulator output summation S(i−1) of the previous cycle. In floating point formats used in computing to encode floating point numbers, the numbers can be normalized so that the significand includes a one digit integer (which in binary is always “1”) to the left of the binary point, and a fraction represented by a number of bits to the right of the binary point, and the number is encoded using only the fraction. The binary 1 integer is omitted in the encoding, because it can be implied by the normalized form. Operations on the floating point format numbers, encoded in this manner, take into account the integer, referred to as an “implied 1”, to the left of the binary point. Multiplication of floating point numbers can be implemented by adding the exponents, multiplying the significands, and then normalizing the result, by shifting the resulting significand of the output and adjusting the exponent of the output to accommodate the shift. Addition of floating point numbers can be implemented by first identifying the larger exponent, and the difference between the exponents of the operands, and shifting the significand of the operand with the smallest exponent to align with the larger exponent. Finally, the result is normalized, which can involve an additional shift in the significand and adjustment of the exponent. The speed of operation of the multiply-and-accumulate unit can be improved by configuring the logic circuits in a pipeline and dividing the logic into discrete circuit units for pipeline stages. Nonetheless, the complexity of the operation can limit the ability to divide the operation up into discrete circuit units for very fast pipeline speeds.

11496614

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-051858, filed on Mar. 23, 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. FIELD The present disclosure relates to a hands-free apparatus, a method of data transfer, and a computer-readable medium. BACKGROUND Hands-free apparatuses that establish a communication line with a mobile phone and can thereby receive an incoming call and make an outgoing call even without a user having to directly operate the mobile phone have conventionally been known. Such a hands-free apparatus is installed in a vehicle, for example, and is used when the user holds a telephone conversation while driving. In addition, technologies that transfer phonebook data and outgoing/incoming call history data from the mobile phone to the hands-free apparatus are known. A conventional technique is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-193046. However, in the conventional technologies, when the phonebook data and the outgoing/incoming call history data cannot be transferred to the hands-free apparatus based on a setting of the mobile phone, it may be difficult for the user to grasp the reason why these data cannot be transferred. The present disclosure provides a hands-free apparatus, a method of data transfer, and a computer-readable medium that enable an appropriate action according to a data synchronization state between the hands-free apparatus and the mobile phone. SUMMARY A hands-free apparatus according to the present disclosure includes a memory and a hardware processor coupled to the memory. The hardware processor is configured to: connect to a mobile phone to enable a hands-free telephone conversation; receive at least one data of outgoing call history data, incoming call history data, missed call history data, and phonebook data stored in the mobile phone; and execute synchronization permission checking processing to check whether transfer of the at least one data is permitted in the mobile phone before receiving the at least one data from the mobile phone.

11434794

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates generally to sound attenuation devices for use with various types of engines, and, more specifically, the present disclosure relates to a muffler that is consistently effective over a broad range of frequencies and operating conditions. BACKGROUND Engines, including internal combustion engines and gas turbine engines, produce exhaust gases that must be vented from the engine system. Typically, the exhaust gases travel from the engine through an exhaust system before being expelled to the atmosphere. As the exhaust gases travel at high velocities through exhaust pipes and other system components, the gases produce noise emissions that can reach high decibel (dB) levels. In work machine applications, such as excavators, track type tractors, and the like, exhaust sounds can result in significant noise levels in an operator cab, which may be not only distracting, but also dangerous. It is well known that exposure to high decibel noise over extended periods of time can permanently damage an individual's hearing. To reduce noise levels, exhaust systems typically include attenuation devices, such as mufflers. Currently, each machine type has its own unique exhaust system or muffler design, since machines typically have different operating conditions, engine speeds, sound testing points, engine back pressure restrictions, and other limitations. For example, current mufflers are typically tuned to a single frequency or a narrow range of frequencies, depending on the application. A typical muffler installed in a work machine, for instance, may utilize resonator chambers to help attenuate noise in the high frequency band. Enlarging resonator chambers, however, results in a larger muffler overall and may elevate a surface temperature of the muffler. Utilizing an incorrect muffler design can directly affect engine performance. If the muffler design causes an increase in back pressure, and the resulting back pressure is too high, the “breathing ability” and subsequent performance of the engine could be negatively impacted. Generally, increased back pressure results in lower fuel efficiency, decreased performance, and even a limited altitude range for a given engine, among other disadvantages. Prior attempts to improve muffler sound attenuation have been directed to various geometric arrangements for directing flow of exhaust gas through various chambers within the muffler housing. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,359,135 discloses a muffler that utilizes an input tube and an output tube, with solid partitions to create a number of chambers within the muffler housing. One partition, between a flow chamber and a large resonator chamber, includes two apertures, which permit a limited amount of exhaust gas to travel from the input tube to the large resonator chamber. The system also utilizes a conversion-divergent nozzle, which is installed in the exhaust output tube to reflect a portion of the sound waves attempting to enter the output tube back into the flow chamber. Designing and producing a different muffler system for each machine application can be both expensive and time consuming. Sometimes, mufflers are not tuned well or their noise reduction capability drops with changes in operating conditions and temperatures. There is consequently a need for a compact, cost-efficient sound attenuation device that performs consistently at both low and high frequencies, over a broad range of operating conditions, and manages sound reduction and back pressure requirements for a broad range of machines. SUMMARY In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, an engine system is disclosed. The engine system may comprise an engine having at least one cylinder, each one having a combustion chamber, a piston, and an exhaust valve configured to release exhaust gases. The engine system may also include an exhaust system in fluid communication with the engine, including an exhaust pipe, as well as an exhaust muffler. The muffler may have a housing including an exterior wall, a concentric interior wall, a first end cap and a second end cap opposite the first end cap. Proximate the first end cap may be a first perforated end plate, and proximate the second end cap may be a second perforated end plate. Positioned between the first perforated end plate and the second perforated end plate may be a plurality of perforated baffles. The muffler may also include an inlet pipe in fluid communication with the exhaust pipe, and an outlet pipe. The inlet pipe may be disposed within the interior wall and extend through the first end cap, through the first end plate, and through the plurality of perforated baffles. A portion of the inlet pipe may be perforated. The outlet pipe may be disposed within the interior wall and extend through the second end cap, through the second end plate, and through the plurality of perforated baffles. A portion of the outlet pipe may also be perforated. In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, an exhaust muffler for use with an internal combustion engine is disclosed. The exhaust muffler may comprise a housing including an exterior wall, a concentric interior wall, a first end cap and a second end cap opposite the first end cap. Disposed within the housing may be a plurality of partitions that may define a plurality of chambers. The muffler may also include an inlet pipe disposed within the interior wall and extending through the first end cap, through the plurality of partitions, and through the second end cap. A portion of the inlet pipe may be perforated. The muffler may further include an outlet pipe disposed within the interior wall and extending through the second end cap, through the plurality of partitions, and through the first end cap. A portion of the outlet pipe may be perforated. In accordance with yet another aspect of the present disclosure, an exhaust muffler for an internal combustion engine is disclosed. The exhaust muffler may include a housing with an exterior wall, a concentric interior wall, a first end cap and a second end cap opposite the first end cap. Disposed within the housing may be a plurality of partitions, defining a plurality of chambers. The chambers may include a first resonator chamber proximate the first end cap, a second resonator chamber proximate the second end cap, and a cross-flow chamber positioned between the first resonator chamber and the second resonator chamber. An inlet pipe may be disposed within the interior wall and extend through the first end cap, through the first resonator chamber, through the cross-flow chamber and into the second resonator chamber. A portion of the inlet pipe within the cross-flow chamber may be perforated. An outlet pipe may be disposed within the interior wall and extend through the second end cap, through the second resonator chamber, through the cross-flow chamber and into the first resonator chamber. A portion of the outlet pipe within the cross-flow chamber may be perforated. These and other aspects and features of the present disclosure will be better understood upon reading the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

11408550

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a threaded connection for oil country tubular goods and a method for producing the threaded connection for oil country tubular goods. BACKGROUND ART Oil country tubular goods are used for drilling in oil fields and natural gas fields. Oil country tubular goods are formed by connecting a plurality of steel pipes in accordance with the depth of the well. Connection of the steel pipes is achieved by fastening together threaded connections for oil country tubular goods that are formed at the ends of the steel pipes. Oil country tubular goods are lifted and loosened for inspection and the like, and are then refastened after being inspected, and reused. A threaded connection for oil country tubular goods includes a pin and a box. The pin includes a male threaded portion formed in the outer peripheral surface at a tip end portion of the steel pipe. The box includes a female threaded portion formed in the inner peripheral surface at a tip end portion of the steel pipe. The pin and the box may include an unthreaded metal contact portions. Each unthreaded metal contact portion includes a metal seal portion and a shoulder portion. When the steel pipes are fastened together, the male threaded portion and the female threaded portion come into contact with each other, the metal seal portions come into contact with each other, and also the shoulder portions come into contact with each other. The threaded portions and unthreaded metal contact portions of the pin and the box repeatedly experience strong friction during fastening and loosening of the steel pipes. If these portions are not sufficiently resistant to friction, galling (uncorrectable galling) will occur during repeated fastening and loosening. Therefore, it is necessary for threaded connections for oil country tubular goods to have sufficient resistance to friction, i.e., excellent galling resistance. Heretofore, heavy metal-containing compound greases have been used to improve the galling resistance. Application of a compound grease to the surface of a threaded connection for oil country tubular goods can improve the galling resistance of the threaded connection for oil country tubular goods. However, heavy metals contained in compound greases, such as Pb, may affect the environment. For this reason, the practical application of a compound grease-free threaded connection for oil country tubular goods is desired. Threaded connections for oil country tubular goods have been proposed which, instead of compound grease, use a grease (referred to as “green dope”) which does not contain a heavy metal. For example, in Japanese Patent Application Publication 2008-215473A (Patent Literature 1) and Japanese Patent Application Publication 2003-074763A (Patent Literature 2), threaded connections for oil country tubular goods are described that are excellent in galling resistance even though these threaded connections use grease that does not contain a heavy metal. A threaded connection for oil country tubular goods that is described in Patent Literature 1 is a threaded connection for oil country tubular goods that is composed of a pin and a box that each include a contact surface having a threaded portion and an unthreaded metal contact portion. A characteristic of the threaded connection for oil country tubular goods described in Patent Literature 1 is that at least one of the contact surfaces of the pin and the box has a first plating layer composed of a Cu—Zn alloy. It is described in Patent Literature 1 that, as a result, in a case where a green dope is applied, and also even in the case of where the threaded connection is dope-free, the threaded connection exhibits sufficient leakage resistance and galling resistance, and is also excellent in corrosion resistance, and the occurrence of crevice corrosion is prevented even if green dope or a lubricant coating is present on the plating layer. According to the technology disclosed in Patent Literature 1, by forming a specific alloy plating layer on a contact surface, galling resistance is improved even when using a green dope. A joint for oil country tubular goods described in Patent Literature 2 is a joint for oil well steel pipes that is formed from a pin portion having a male thread and a metal-metal seal portion at one end of a steel pipe that contains Cr in an amount of 9 mass % or more, and a coupling that is made of the same material as the steel pipe that the pin portion is formed and is provided with box portions each having a female thread and a metal-metal seal portion at both ends of a steel pipe. A feature of the joint for oil country tubular goods is that a Cu—Sn alloy layer is formed as a single layer on the surface of the female thread and the metal-metal seal portion of the coupling. Patent Literature 2 describes that, as a result, even when a green dope is used, the sealing ability is better than in the conventional joints for oil country tubular goods, and the occurrence of galling at the joint can be markedly suppressed. CITATION LIST Patent Literature Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication 2008-215473APatent Literature 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication 2003-074763A SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem In this connection, oil country tubular goods are transported by ship or by other means after production, and stored for a certain period of time before being used. In some cases, the transport and storage of oil country tubular goods extend for a long time. Furthermore, in some cases, oil country tubular goods are stored in an outdoor location. When oil country tubular goods are stored in an outdoor location for a long period of time, white rust may sometimes occur on the threaded connections for oil country tubular goods, which can result in decreased galling resistance and sealability of the threaded connections for oil country tubular goods. When using the compositions for forming the threaded connections for oil country tubular goods and a lubricant coating disclosed in Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2, when stored outdoors for a long period of time, white rust sometimes occurs on the threaded connections for oil country tubular goods, and corrosion resistance decreases. In addition, in such a case, the sealability and the galling resistance of the threaded connections for oil country tubular goods sometimes decrease. An objective of the present invention is to provide a threaded connection for oil country tubular goods that exhibits excellent corrosion resistance, and a method for producing the threaded connection for oil country tubular goods that exhibits excellent corrosion resistance. Solution to Problem A production method of the present embodiment is a method for producing a threaded connection for oil country tubular goods. The threaded connection for oil country tubular goods includes a pin and a box. The pin includes a pin-side contact surface that includes a pin-side threaded portion. The box includes a box-side contact surface that includes a box-side threaded portion. The method for producing the threaded connection for oil country tubular goods includes a Zn—Ni alloy plating layer formation step and a chromate coating formation step after the Zn—Ni alloy plating layer formation step. In the Zn—Ni alloy plating layer formation step, at least one of the pin-side contact surface and the box-side contact surface is immersed in a plating solution containing zinc ions and nickel ions, and a Zn—Ni alloy plating layer is formed on at least one of the pin-side contact surface and the box-side contact surface by electroplating. The Zn—Ni alloy plating layer is consisting of a Zn—Ni alloy and impurities. In the chromate coating formation step, a chromate coating is formed on the Zn—Ni alloy plating layer. The chromate coating formation step includes a chromate treatment step and a drying step after the chromate treatment step. In the chromate treatment step, the pin-side contact surface and/or the box-side contact surface having the Zn—Ni alloy plating layer formed thereon is immersed in a chromating solution containing chromium ions to perform a chromate treatment. In the drying step, a drying treatment is performed on the pin-side contact surface and/or the box-side contact surface. In the chromate coating formation step, one or more conditions selected from condition 1 to condition 3 hereunder is satisfied: Condition 1: Stirring speed of the chromating solution in the chromate treatment step: linear speed of 0.5 m/s or more; Condition 2: Chromate treatment time in chromate treatment step: less than 50 seconds; and Condition 3: Drying temperature in drying step: 60° C. or less. A threaded connection for oil country tubular goods of the present embodiment includes a pin, a box, a Zn—Ni alloy plating layer and a chromate coating. The pin includes a pin-side contact surface including a pin-side threaded portion. The box includes a box-side contact surface including a box-side threaded portion. The Zn—Ni alloy plating layer is formed on at least one of the pin-side contact surface and the box-side contact surface. The Zn—Ni alloy plating layer is consisting of a Zn—Ni alloy and impurities. A chromate coating is formed on the Zn—Ni alloy plating layer. A lightness L value of the chromate coating surface is less than 65. Advantageous Effects of Invention The threaded connection for oil country tubular goods of the present embodiment exhibits excellent corrosion resistance.

11252402

BACKGROUND Field This disclosure relates to data encoding and decoding. Description of Related Art The “background” description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description which may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, is neither expressly or impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure. There are several video data encoding and decoding systems which involve transforming video data into a frequency domain representation, quantising the frequency domain coefficients and then applying some form of entropy encoding to the quantised coefficients. This can achieve compression of the video data. A corresponding decoding or decompression technique is applied to recover a reconstructed version of the original video data. Current video codecs (coder-decoders) such as those used in H.264/MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding (AVC) achieve data compression primarily by only encoding the differences between successive video frames. These codecs use a regular array of so-called macroblocks, each of which is used as a region of comparison with a corresponding macroblock in a previous video frame, and the image region within the macroblock is then encoded according to the degree of motion found between the corresponding current and previous macroblocks in the video sequence, or between neighbouring macroblocks within a single frame of the video sequence. High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), also known as H.265 or MPEG-H Part 2, is a proposed successor to H.264/MPEG-4 AVC. It is intended for HEVC to improve video quality and double the data compression ratio compared to H.264, and for it to be scalable from 128×96 to 7680×4320 pixels resolution, roughly equivalent to bit rates ranging from 128 kbit/s to 800 Mbit/s. In HEVC a so-called 4:2:0 block structure is proposed for consumer equipment, in which the amount of data used in each chroma channel is one quarter that in the luma channel. This is because subjectively people are more sensitive to brightness variations than to colour variations, and so it is possible to use greater compression and/or less information in the colour channels without a subjective loss of quality. HEVC replaces the macroblocks found in existing H.264 and MPEG standards with a more flexible scheme based upon coding units (CUs), which are variable size structures. Consequently, when encoding the image data in video frames, the CU sizes can be selected responsive to the apparent image complexity or detected motion levels, instead of using uniformly distributed macroblocks. Consequently far greater compression can be achieved in regions with little motion between frames and with little variation within a frame, whilst better image quality can be preserved in areas of high inter-frame motion or image complexity. Each CU contains one or more variable-block-sized prediction units (PUs) of either intra-picture or inter-picture prediction type, and one or more transform units (TUs) which contain coefficients for spatial block transform and quantisation. Moreover, PU and TU blocks are provided for each of three channels; luma (Y), being a luminance or brightness channel, and which may be thought of as a greyscale channel, and two colour difference or chrominance (chroma) channels; Cb and Cr. These channels provide the colour for the greyscale image of the luma channel. The terms Y, luminance and luma are used interchangeably in this description, and similarly the terms Cb and Cr, chrominance and chroma, are used interchangeably as appropriate, noting that chrominance or chroma can be used generically for “one or both of Cr and Cb”, whereas when a specific chrominance channel is being discussed it will be identified by the term Cb or Cr. Generally PUs are considered to be channel independent, except that a PU has a luma part and a chroma part. Generally, this means that the samples forming part of the PU for each channel represent the same region of the image, so that there is a fixed relationship between the PUs between the three channels. For example, for 4:2:0 video, an 8×8 PU for Luma always has a corresponding 4×4 PU for chroma, with the chroma parts of the PU representing the same area as the luma part, but containing a smaller number of pixels because of the subsampled nature of the 4:2:0 chroma data compared to the luma data in 4:2:0 video. The two chroma channels share intra-prediction information; and the three channels share inter-prediction information. Similarly, the TU structure also has a fixed relationship between the three channels. However, for professional broadcast and digital cinema equipment, it is desirable to have less compression (or more information) in the chroma channels, and this may affect how current and proposed HEVC processing operates. SUMMARY The present disclosure addresses or mitigates problems arising from this processing. Respective aspects and features of the present disclosure are defined in the appended claims. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, but are not restrictive, of the present technology.

11395921

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present application generally relates to intravascular electrode arrays for use in neuromodulation. More particularly, the application relates to electrode supports used to position the intravascular electrodes against the interior wall of a blood vessel. BACKGROUND Prior applications filed by the owners of the present application describe methods using electrodes positioned in blood vessel. The electrodes are energized to stimulate or otherwise neuromodulate nerve fibers or other nervous system targets located outside the blood. Those applications include U.S. Publication No. 2007/0255379, entitled Intravascular Device for Neuromodulation, U.S. 2010/0023088, entitled System and Method for Transvascularly Stimulating Contents of the Carotid Sheath, U.S. application Ser. No. 13/281,399, entitled Intravascular Electrodes and Anchoring Devices for Transvascular Stimulation, International Application PCT/US12/35712, entitled Neuromodulation Systems and Methods for Treating Acute Heart Failure Syndromes, and International Application No. PCT/US2012/046329, entitled System and Method for Neuromodulation. Each of these applications is fully incorporated herein by reference. Proper placement of intravascular electrodes is essential for neuromodulation. The electrodes must be positioned to capture the target nerve fibers, while avoiding collateral stimulation of non-target nerve fibers. Mapping procedures are typically performed at the time of electrode placement to identify the optimal electrode location. Mapping can be manually controlled by the clinician or automatically controlled by the neuromodulation system. During mapping, different electrodes, combinations of electrodes, or arrays can be independently energized while the target response to the stimulus is monitored. For stimulation relating to cardiac or hemodynamic function, parameters such as heart rate, blood pressure, ventricular inotropy and/or cardiac output might be monitored. In some cases mapping includes additional steps of repositioning the electrode carrying member so as to allow additional electrode sites to be sampled. The mapping process is performed until the optimal electrode or combination of electrodes for the desired therapy array is identified. The present application describes electrode support configurations that may be used in chronically-implantable or acute neuromodulation systems, including, but not limited to, those described in the referenced applications.

11392274

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a terminal, and more specifically, to a terminal and method of controlling the same. Discussion of the Related Art A mobile terminal may be configured to perform various functions. Examples of such functions include data and voice communications, capturing images and video via a camera, recording audio, outputting music via a speaker system, and displaying images and video. Some terminals include additional functionality which supports game playing, while other terminals are also configured as multimedia players. More recently, mobile terminals have been configured to receive broadcast and multicast signals which permit viewing content, such as videos and television programs. Generally, terminals may be classified into mobile terminals and stationary terminals. Mobile terminals may be further classified into handheld terminals and vehicle mounted terminals. Various menus exist on a terminal for performing the above-mentioned functions. However, the various menus may be confusing or difficult to navigate. Therefore, efforts have been made to develop menu configurations that facilitate better menu navigation. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a terminal and method of controlling the same that substantially obviate one or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art. In one embodiment a terminal is presented. The terminal includes a touchscreen for displaying a list of items and a controller for controlling a scroll of a first list of items in a first direction and a scroll of a second list of items in a second direction, wherein the second list of items is related to an item selected from the first list of items, wherein the second list of items is scrolled in the second direction while the first list of items is displayed. According to one feature the first direction may be vertical and the second direction may be horizontal. Alternatively, the first direction may be horizontal and the second direction may be vertical. In another feature, the controller further controls displaying a number of items comprising the second list of items adjacent to the item selected from the first list of items. Additionally, the controller further controls replacing the item selected from the first list of items with a first item selected from the second list of items. Moreover, the controller further controls replacing the first item selected from the second list with a second item from the second list of items if the first item selected from the second list is currently displayed on the first list of items. In yet another feature, a plurality of items are selected from the first list of items and a list associated with each of the plurality of items is scrolled in a second direction. Additionally, the controller further controls displaying a plurality of first lists on the touchscreen. In still yet another feature, each of the plurality of first lists is scrolled independently. Additionally, the controller further controls displaying a menu associated with the second list if the scroll is performed on the final item of the second list of items. Finally, the second item may be from a list of items separate from the first list of items. In a second embodiment of the present invention, a terminal is presented. The terminal includes a touchscreen for displaying a list of items and a controller for selecting a first item and displaying first information related to the selected first item, wherein the controller controls a scroll to second information related to a second item in a first direction and a scroll to item information related to an item having displayed information in a second direction. In another embodiment, a method of controlling a scroll is presented. The method includes displaying a list of items and controlling a scroll of a first list of items in a first direction and a scroll of a second list of items in a second direction, wherein the second list of items is related to an item selected from the first list of items, wherein the second list of items is scrolled in the second direction while the first list of items is displayed. In yet another embodiment, a method of controlling a scroll is presented, the method includes displaying a list of items, selecting a first item and displaying first information related to the selected first item, and controlling a scroll of second information related to a second item in a first direction or a scroll to item information related to an item having displayed information in a second direction. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

11499254

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Technical Field This invention relates generally to textile sleeves, and more particularly to braided textile sleeves and to their method of construction. 2. Related Art It is known to protect temperature sensitive elongate members, such as wires and temperature sensitive sensors connected thereto with heat resistant tubular members, such as solid polymeric or metal tubing. Although known tubing can provide protection to wires extending therethrough against high heat, such tubing is generally stiff and inflexible, and thus, the ability to route the wires along meandering paths is limited. Some attempts to provide more flexible tubular members, such as via braiding, have been made; however, the heat resistance of such braided tubular members, also referred to a sleeves or sheaths, is generally limited to temperatures below about 280 degrees Fahrenheit. In addition, the resistance to abrasion provided by braided sleeves is generally low, and thus, the sleeves can be worn over time, thereby subjecting the wire(s) therein to damage. Accordingly, what is needed is a protective sleeve that provides protection to an elongate member extending therethrough against high heat, such as temperatures above 280 degrees Fahrenheit, that is flexible, is abrasion resistant and is resistant to fraying. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a protective textile sleeve includes a seamless, circumferentially continuous, tubular braided wall extending lengthwise along a central longitudinal axis between opposite ends. The wall includes a plurality of yarns braided with one another, with a plurality of the yarns being high temperature, non-heat-shrinkable yarn and a plurality of the yarns being heat-shrinkable yarns. The heat-shrinkable yarns are shrinkable at a temperature that does not cause the high temperature, non-heat-shrinkable yarns to shrink, or at least does not cause the high temperature, non-heat-shrinkable yarns to shrink substantially. Accordingly, by way of example and without limitation, the heat-shrinkable yarns may shrink lengthwise greater than 10 percent of their original length, such as between about 10-90 percent of their original length or more, while the non-heat-shrinkable yarn may shrink about 2 percent of their original length or less when the sleeve is exposed to a heat-shrink, heat treatment process. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the heat-shrinkable and non-heat-shrinkable yarns are braided with one another such that the heat-shrinkable yarns, upon being shrank, cause the non-heat-shrinkable yarns to be axially compressed (gathered, bunched, warped) such that the thickness of the braided wall of the sleeve is increased by between about 25-90 percent relative to the thickness prior to heat-shrinking the heat-shrinkable yarns, with the increased wall thickness providing an increased resistance to abrasion, an increased resistance to fraying, an increased resistance to the ingress of contamination, an increased level of thermal insulation and an increased level of protection against high temperature thermal conditions. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, upon heat-shrinking the heat-shrinkable yarns, the non-heat-shrinkable yarns are axially compressed and bunched between the heat-shrink yarns, thereby increasing the density of the wall, which in turn increases the resistance to abrasion, increases the thermal insulation and increases the level of protection against high temperature thermal conditions, increases the resistance to the ingress of contamination, and increases the resistance to fraying of the yarns upon cutting the sleeve wall to length and fraying of the ends of the sleeve while in use. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the non-heat-shrinkable yarn and the heat-shrinkable yarn can be provided in an equal number of ends braided with one another, thereby providing a uniform appearance and a uniform level of protection about the entirety of the sleeve. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the non-heat-shrinkable yarn and the heat-shrinkable yarn can be braided in a respective 1:1 braid pattern, with the non-heat-shrinkable yarn and the heat-shrinkable yarn alternating with one another in opposite S and Z helical directions. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the non-heat-shrinkable yarn can be provided as a monofilament and/or multifilament, as desired, to provide the sleeve with the desired type of abrasion resistance protection, coverage and flexibility. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the non-heat-shrinkable yarn can be provided as aramid multifilament, thereby enhancing the resistance of the sleeve to degradation when exposed to high temperatures, such as in excess of 280 degrees Fahrenheit. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the heat-shrinkable yarn can be provided as polyether ether ketone (PEEK) monofilament. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a protective braided sleeve includes a seamless, circumferentially continuous, flexible tubular wall extending lengthwise along a central longitudinal axis between opposite ends, with the wall including a first plurality of yarns braided with a second plurality yarns, wherein the first plurality of yarns and the second plurality of yarns have different heat-shrink ratios from one another. The wall has a first thickness prior to exposing the wall to a predetermined temperature and a second thickness after exposing the wall to the predetermined temperature, with the second thickness being between about 25-90 percent greater than the first thickness, thereby increasing the abrasion resistance, increasing the resistance to the ingress of contamination, and increasing the heat-resistance of the wall. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the wall has a first length prior to exposing the wall to the predetermined temperature and a second length after exposing the wall to the predetermined temperature, the second length being less than the first length, thereby contributing to the increased abrasion resistance, the increased resistance to the ingress of contamination, and the increased heat-resistance of the wall. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the second length is at least 10 percent less than the first length. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the first plurality of yarns shrink lengthwise at least 10 percent of an as braided length upon exposing the wall to the predetermined temperature and the second plurality of yarns shrink lengthwise less than 2 percent of an as braided length upon exposing the wall to said predetermined temperature, thereby contributing to the increased thickness of the wall upon exposing the wall to the predetermined temperature, thus, increasing the abrasion resistance, the increased resistance to the ingress of contamination, and the increased heat-resistance of the wall. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the first plurality of yarns can be provide as monofilaments and the second plurality of yarns can be provided as multifilaments. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the wall can be braided including only the first plurality of yarns and the second plurality of yarns. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a method of constructing a protective textile sleeve includes braiding a plurality of non-activatable, non-heat-shrinkable yarns with a plurality of activatable, heat-shrinkable yarns to form a seamless tubular wall extending lengthwise along a central longitudinal axis, with the resulting braided wall being in a first, non-heat-treated state. Further, heat-treating the braided wall to a second, heat-treated state and causing the activatable, heat-shrinkable yarns to become activated and shrink lengthwise, while not causing the non-activatable, non-heat-shrinkable yarns to shrink lengthwise substantially, and causing the non-activatable, non-heat-shrinkable yarns to become bunched to take on a serpentine, meandering shape along the length of the shrunken yarns. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the method can further include braiding the non-heat-shrinkable yarns and the heat-shrinkable yarns in alternating relation with one another in a 1:1 braid pattern to provide the sleeve with a substantially balanced content and uniform distribution of the non-heat-shrinkable yarns and heat-shrinkable yarns. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the method can further include increasing a first thickness of the braided wall from when the wall is in the first, non-heat-treated state to a second thickness when the wall is in the second, heat-treated state, such as being greater than 25 percent, and preferably being greater than 50 percent, and more preferably being greater than 75 percent of the first thickness, thereby increasing the resistance of the wall to abrasion and increasing the thermal insulation properties of the wall to provide the elongate member bounded by the wall with enhanced protection against the ingress of contamination and against high temperature external environmental thermal conditions, such as above 280 degrees Fahrenheit. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the method can further include increasing a first density of the braided wall from when the wall is in the first, non-heat-treated state to a second density when the wall is in the second, heat-treated state, such that the second density is significantly greater than the first density, such as being greater than 25 percent, and preferably being greater than 50 percent, and more preferably being greater than 75 percent of the first density, thereby significantly increasing the resistance of the wall to abrasion, increasing the thermal insulation properties of the wall to provide the elongate member bounded by the wall with enhanced protection against high temperature external environmental thermal conditions, increasing the resistance to the ingress of contamination, and further increasing the resistance of the yarns to fraying while being cut and while in use. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a method of constructing a protective textile sleeve can include braiding a plurality of first yarns with a plurality of second yarns to form a seamless tubular wall extending lengthwise along a central longitudinal axis, with the resulting seamless tubular wall having a first thickness. Further, exposing the braided wall to a predetermined temperature and causing the first yarns to shrink lengthwise and causing the second yarns to become axially bunched under a force imparted by the shrunken first yarns causing the seamless tubular wall to expand to a second thickness that is greater than the first thickness. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the method can further include increasing the first thickness between about 25-90 percent to the second thickness upon exposing the braided wall to the predetermined temperature. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the method can further include increasing the first thickness between about 50-90 percent to the second thickness upon exposing the braided wall to the predetermined temperature. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the method can further include increasing the first thickness between about 70-90 percent to the second thickness upon exposing the braided wall to the predetermined temperature. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the method can further include causing the first yarns to shrink lengthwise at least 10 percent upon exposing the braided wall to the predetermined temperature and causing the second yarns to shrink lengthwise less than 2 percent upon exposing the braided wall to the predetermined temperature, thereby causing the first yarns to impart an axially directed force on the second yarns and causing the second yarns to be bunched to increase the thickness of the braided wall.

11214504

BACKGROUND More and more people have been moving to homes in suburban areas to enjoy the benefits of reasonable house prices, single family homes equipped with modern facilities, larger lots, more open space, better schools and community services, safer neighborhoods, pleasant shopping centers, and a better quality of life. However, many new developments cannot be connected to sewer service via the existing publicly-owned treatment works (POTWs). Small-scale integrated wastewater treatment facilities having a flow capacity ranging from several hundred thousand gallons per day (GPD) to one or two million gallons per day (MGD) are often employed to treat domestic wastewater in these smaller communities and to facilitate reuse of treated water at the point of generation for landscaping and other applicable non-potable reclamation purposes. Today, more than 73% of POTWs in the USA have a daily treatment flow capacity less than 1 MGD. Most existing POTWs for small communities (less than 1-2 MGD) were constructed in the 1970s and 1980s under federal construction grant funds from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The overall service life of a treatment plant is about 30 to 40 years. In addition, the EPA has enacted more stringent wastewater discharge regulations in recent years. Therefore, many of the current treatment plants are failing and in need of upgrades and retrofits to meet more stringent, current discharge limits, especially for nutrient removals, such as total nitrogen and total phosphorus.

11422886

BACKGROUND Integrated circuit devices, such as central processing units (CPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), or system-on-a-chip (SoC) devices can be employed in computing systems. These various integrated circuit devices might interface with memory or storage devices to store and retrieve data for short term and long term storage. Although magnetic hard disk drives (HDDs) have been employed in the past, many newer computing systems employ solid state storage devices which comprises non-volatile memory elements. These non-volatile memory elements can include various forms of semiconductor-based flash memory, such as NAND or NOR flash, as well as other types of data storage elements including magnetic, magnetoresistive, memristor, phase change, and optical technologies. When flash memory is employed, the non-volatile memory elements will typically be fabricated into a semiconductor die which includes an array of memory cells arranged into various physical structures. On-die interfacing and control circuitry might also be included. In many computer designs, such as laptops, tablets, smartphones, servers, desktop computers, and the like, an array of many physically separate storage dies are employed to obtain a desired amount of storage space for data. Although this can vary based on application, user data is often spread over several separate flash memory dies that form a memory or storage subsystem. However, when one or more of the dies experiences a failure, user data can be lost. This threat of data loss can be further exasperated when fewer semiconductor dies are employed due in part to increasing flash memory densities driven by reductions in memory cell features sizes and more efficient three-dimensional packing of memory cells. OVERVIEW Data redundancy arrangements for memory and storage devices are discussed herein. In one example, a method of operating a data storage system includes identifying a data page for storage in a non-volatile memory die, and generating one or more data redundancy bits for the data page. The method also includes writing the data page to the non-volatile memory die by at least spanning bits of the data page and the one or more data redundancy bits across a quantity of data storage cells that share a structural property in the non-volatile memory die. In another example, a storage control system includes a data interface configured to receive data for storage in a non-volatile memory die, and a control circuit configured to generate one or more data redundancy bits for the data. The storage control system also includes a memory interface configured to write the data to the non-volatile memory die by at least spanning one or more data pages comprising bits of the data and the one or more data redundancy bits across a quantity of data storage cells that share a structural property in the non-volatile memory die. In another example, an apparatus includes one or more computer readable storage media, and a processing system operatively coupled with the one or more computer readable storage media. Program instructions are stored on the one or more computer readable storage media that, based on being read and executed by the processing system, direct the processing system to at least identify data for storage in a non-volatile memory die, generate one or more data redundancy bits for the data, and write one or more data pages to the non-volatile memory die by at least spanning bits of the data and the one or more data redundancy bits across a quantity of data storage cells that share a structural property in the non-volatile memory die. This Overview is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. It may be understood that this Overview is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

11418386

TECHNICAL FIELD This disclosure relates generally to network management and, more specifically, to a system for creating virtual network functions. BACKGROUND Communication networks have migrated from using specialized networking equipment executing on dedicated hardware, like routers, firewalls, and gateways, to software defined networks (SDNs) executing as virtualized network functions (VNF) in a cloud infrastructure. To provide a service, a set of VNFs may be instantiated on the general purpose hardware. Each VNF may require one or more virtual machines (VMs) to be instantiated. In turn, VMs may require various resources, such as memory, virtual computer processing units (vCPUs), network interfaces or network interface cards (NICs), and servers. One benefit of cloud computing is the elastic nature of the cloud and the ability to share resources among users and/or spin up virtual resources on demand. Elasticity of resources extends to processing power, storage, bandwidth, virtual functions, and virtual machines. The amount of resources that can be sourced through cloud computing incorporates nearly all facets of computing from raw processing power to storage space. Increasingly, customers are demanding mini-cloud structures to provide localized cloud platforms. Virtual network function (VNF) management sits in the center of network function virtualization and SDN technology. In an SDN based network, the functions need to be efficiently managed in an automated way to minimize service interruptions, maximize performance and reduce human interventions that are typically error prone. As next generation infrastructure is implemented, thousands of VNFs will be deployed increasing the need for automated VNF deployment and management. Virtual network function creation and onboarding is a process to manage the lifecycle of a VNF in the network. This includes configuring the VNF specifications and other variables according to the application environment; and installing the VNF on physical machines. The process also includes registering the VNF within the software defined network (SDN) platform, and running the VNF code on the physical machines. The process may also include reporting the running status of VNF. Presently, the process includes several manual steps that require user input to create and onboard a VNF. The manual setup of a VNF is error prone. Such errors may prevent proper creation and onboarding of the VNF. Using a firewall VNF as an example, operators need to manually create the virtual function configuration file (called a HEAT file) to specify the number of CPUs, size of memory and disk, etc. required for the VNF. After the VNF is created, operators also need to configure the basic networking parameters such as IP address and gateway. Any mistakes in the onboarding process will cause the VNFs unable to run (correctly). As there are thousands of virtual firewalls in real network environment, the manual configuration does not scale and is time consuming. To assist in automating the process to deal with issues of scale, one solution is to onboard existing virtual network functions or assemble such functions from pre-existing components or nodes. These solutions must deal with the issue of onboarding pre-existing structures to a different platform. The disclosure includes examples addressing at least one of these problems. SUMMARY According to an example, the disclosure generally a network device comprising: a processor, an input/output device coupled to the processor, and a memory coupled with the processor, the memory comprising executable instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to effectuate operations including instantiating at least one node comprising a packet processor and a network interface, the packet processor configured to process a packet header at a network layer, wherein the at least one node includes a common configuration; extracting virtual network function parameters through an inference engine; generating a virtual network function template based on the virtual network function parameters, wherein the virtual network function template instantiates at least one virtual network function by assembling the at least one virtual network function from the at least one node; and automatically configures the virtual network function for onboarding onto a platform. Still another example provides a system for creating a virtual network function comprising: an inference engine in communication with an input device configured to receive a virtual network function input; the inference engine configured to extract at least one virtual network function parameter from the virtual network function input to define a virtual network function template; the virtual network function template comprising at least one of a configuration file and a configuration script, and a packet processing graph; and a builder module, the builder module configured to assemble at least one virtual network function from at least one node according to the virtual network function template and configure the at least one node for onboarding based on the virtual network function template. Another example provides computer readable storage medium comprising executable instructions that cause a processor to effectuate operations comprising: instantiating at least one node comprising a packet processor and a network interface, the packet processor configured to process a packet header at a network layer, wherein the at least one node includes a common configuration; extracting virtual network function parameters through an inference engine; generating a virtual network function template based on the virtual network function parameters, wherein the virtual network function template instantiates at least one virtual network function by assembling the at least one virtual network function from the at least one node; and automatically configures the virtual network function for onboarding onto a platform.

11446867

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates generally to an apparatus and system for heating polymer composites for enhanced bonding of 3D printed parts. BACKGROUND The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may or may not constitute prior art. Three-dimensional (3D) printing is an additive manufacturing process for producing 3D models, which may include prototype or production parts, directly from a digital model. Additive manufacturing is a process that takes virtual blueprints from computer aided design (CAD) or animation modeling software and slices them into digital cross-sections for the 3D printing apparatus for use as a guideline for printing the 3D model. Layers of composite material are successively deposited in droplets or continuous beads until the final 3D model has been printed. These layers are jointly welded, also known as fused, to create and maintain the shape of the printed 3D model. For 3D printing apparatus that use an extrusion deposition process, such as Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) and Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), a thermoplastic composite filament is applied through a heated extrusion nozzle. The thermoplastic composite filament may include various polymers such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polycarbonate (PC), polylactic acid (PLA), and high density polyethylene (HDPE). The extrusion nozzle heats the filament to render the composite material flowable and regulates the flow of the composite material by controlling the filament feed rate. The extrusion nozzle can be moved in both horizontal and vertical directions by a computer-controlled mechanism. Alternatively, the printer platform bed may be moved relative to the extrusion nozzle, or coordinated movements of both the nozzle and platform may be used to achieve the desired extrusion path in the x, y, and z directions. The 3D model is printed by extruding small beads or lines of the thermoplastic composite filament to form consecutive layers in the vertical direction (z direction). The material hardens immediately after extrusion from the extrusion nozzle. 3D printing capabilities are hindered by the weaker welds between printed filaments in the z direction, which often leads to delamination between filaments. Thus, there is a need for an apparatus, system, and/or process to make a 3D model using 3D printing that has improved welds between printed filaments in the z direction resulting in improved structural integrity of the printed 3D model. SUMMARY According to several aspects, a three-dimensional (3D) printing process is disclosed. The process includes the steps of: extruding a thermoplastic composite in successive layers to form a 3D part; directing an evenly distributed plasma onto a predetermined location on the 3D part; and emitting an electromagnetic energy through the plasma. The plasma conducts the electromagnetic energy to the predetermined location on the 3D part. The thermoplastic composite includes a conductive material that generates heat by reacting to the electromagnetic energy, which includes an electric current. In an additional aspect of the present disclosure, the predetermined location on the 3D part is a location adjacent where a newly extruded layer of the thermoplastic composite is deposited onto a previously extruded layer of the thermoplastic composite. In another aspect of the present disclosure, the electric current includes sufficient power to fuse the newly extruded layer of the thermoplastic composite with the previously extruded layer of the thermoplastic composite. In another aspect of the present disclosure, the conductive material reacts includes at least one nanomaterial selected from a group consisting of carbon nanotube, carbon black, buckyballs, graphene, magnetic nanoparticles, and ferroelectric materials such as barium titanate. In another aspect of the present disclosure, the conductive material includes a carbon nanotube selected from a group consisting of a single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNT) and a multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNT). In another aspect of the present disclosure, the thermoplastic composite includes at least one thermoplastic selected from a group consisting of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polycarbonate (PC), polylactic acid (PLA), polyamide (PA), polyetheretherketone (PEEK), and high density polyethylene (HDPE). According to several aspects, an extrusion nozzle for a three-dimensional (3D) printer is disclosed. The extrusion nozzle includes a nozzle body defining a filament extrusion channel extending along an extrusion axis-A, the filament extrusion channel includes an extrusion end; and a plasma generating portion adjacent the extrusion end. The plasma generating portion is configured to generate and discharge an atmospheric plasma capable of conducting an electric current in a predetermined direction. In an additional aspect of the present disclosure, the extrusion nozzle further includes a nozzle housing coaxially disposed about the extrusion nozzle body. The nozzle housing cooperates with the nozzle body to define a plasma generation channel configured for a gas flow there-through. In another aspect of the present disclosure, the extrusion nozzle further includes a pair of electrodes disposed within the plasma generation channel. The pair of electrodes are configured to excite the gas flowing there-through to generate the atmospheric plasma. In another aspect of the present disclosure, the plasma generation channel includes a plasma outlet adjacent the extrusion end of the filament extrusion channel. The plasma outlet is configured to direct the atmospheric plasma in a predetermined direction. In another aspect of the present disclosure, the extrusion nozzle further includes means to induce a pressurized stream of gas through the plasma generation channel and exiting the plasma outlet. In another aspect of the present disclosure, the extrusion nozzle further includes a first electrode disposed about an annulus on the nozzle body adjacent the extrusion end of the filament extrusion channel. In another aspect of the present disclosure, the first electrode is configured to cooperate with a second electrode spaced from the first electrode to excite a gas therebetween to form the atmospheric plasma. In another aspect of the present disclosure, the second electrode is spaced from the extrusion nozzle. According to several aspects, three-dimensional (3D) printing system is disclosed. The 3D printing system includes a 3D printer configured to print a 3D part by extruding successive layers of a thermoplastic composite having a conductive material that generates heat by reacting to an electric current; a plasma emitter configured to generate and directed a plasma toward the 3D part being printed; and an electromagnetic energy source configured to generate and direct an electric current into the plasma such that the plasma conducts the electric current to the 3D part being printed. In an additional aspect of the present disclosure, the 3D printing system further includes an extrusion nozzle configured to extrude the successive layers of the thermoplastic composite, wherein the plasma emitter and electromagnetic energy source are adjacent the extrusion nozzle. In another aspect of the present disclosure, the plasma emitter includes a first electrode located on the extrusion nozzle and a second electrode spaced from the extrusion nozzle. In another aspect of the present disclosure, the plasma emitter includes a first electrode located on the extrusion nozzle and a second electrode located on the extrusion nozzle. In another aspect of the present disclosure, the 3D printing system further includes a first voltage source configured to power the plasma emitter; and a second voltage source configured to power the electromagnetic energy source. The first voltage source is independent of the second voltage source. Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

11428758

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE Field of the Disclosure Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to a tunneling magnetoresistance sensor device, such as a Wheatstone bridge, and a method of fabrication thereof. Description of the Related Art A Wheatstone bridge is an electrical circuit used to measure the electrical resistance of an unknown component by balancing two legs of a bridge circuit, one leg of which includes the unknown component. The Wheatstone circuit provides extremely accurate measurements in comparison to a simple voltage divider. The Wheatstone bridge has recently been employed in magnetic sensor applications. The Wheatstone bridge includes multiple resistors based on magnetic Hall effect, anisotropy magnetoresistive (AMR) effect, giant magnetoresistive (GMR) effect, and tunneling magnetoresistive (TMR) effect. The TMR based magnetic sensor has a very high sensitivity compared to other magnetic sensors. Typical TMR based Wheatstone bridges comprise four resistors, which are made of TMR films. To enable the Wheatstone bridge characteristics for magnetic field sensing, opposite signs of resistance-field dependence are required for the first and the fourth resistors against the second and the third resistors. One way to realize this has been the fabrication of the first and the fourth resistors with stripe orientation at +45° to a designed field sensing direction and the second and the third resistors with stripe orientation at −45° to the designed field sensing direction. All four of the resistors are comprised of the same TMR material or film, and as such, the pinned layer of each of the four resistors have similar the same magnetization directions, designated perpendicular to the field sensing direction. When applying a magnetic field to the Wheatstone bridge, the resistance of the first and fourth resistors increases or decreases with the applied magnetic field while the resistance of the second and third resistors decreases or increases with the applied magnetic field, realizing bridge characteristic differential output. The efficiency of a Wheatstone bridge formed as such is, however, not optimal since the full range of the magnetoresistance change is unable to be utilized in such a design due to the ±45° sensor stripe orientations, resulting in reduced output voltage or limited sensitivity. Therefore, there is a need in the art for a magnetic sensor, and method of fabricating thereof, that operates in the full magnetoresistance range while achieving the maximum output voltage or sensitivity. SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE A TMR sensor device is disclosed that includes one or more TMR resistors. The TMR sensor device comprises a first TMR resistor comprising a first TMR film, a second TMR resistor comprising a second TMR film different than the first TMR film, a third TMR resistor comprising the second TMR film, and a fourth TMR resistor comprising the first TMR film. The first and fourth TMR resistors are disposed in a first plane while the second and third TMR resistors are disposed in a second plane different than the first plane. The first TMR film comprises a synthetic anti-ferromagnetic pinned layer having a magnetization direction of a reference layer orthogonal to a magnetization direction a free layer. The second TMR film comprises a double synthetic anti-ferromagnetic pinned layer having a magnetization direction of a reference layer orthogonal to a magnetization direction of a free layer. In one embodiment, a TMR sensor device comprises a first TMR resistor comprising a first TMR film, the first TMR film comprising a synthetic anti-ferromagnetic pinned layer having a magnetization direction of a first reference layer orthogonal to a magnetization of a first free layer, a second TMR resistor comprising a second TMR film, the second TMR film comprising a double synthetic anti-ferromagnetic pinned layer having a magnetization direction of a second reference layer orthogonal to a magnetization direction of a second free layer and opposite to the magnetization direction of the first reference layer of the first TMR film, a third TMR resistor comprising the second TMR film, and a fourth TMR resistor comprising the first TMR film, wherein the first and fourth TMR resistors are disposed in a first plane and the second and third TMR resistors are disposed in a second plane different than the first plane. In another embodiment, a method of fabricating a TMR sensor device comprising a first TMR resistor, a second TMR resistor, a third TMR resistor, and a fourth TMR resistor comprises forming a bottom lead in a first dielectric layer, depositing a first TMR film over the bottom lead and the first dielectric layer, forming the first TMR resistor and the fourth TMR resistor from the first TMR film by patterning the first hard bias and the first device junction and removing one or more first portions of the first TMR film disposed over the first dielectric layer and the bottom lead, forming a plurality of middle leads, depositing a second TMR film over the plurality of middle leads, the second TMR film being different than the first TMR film, forming the second TMR resistor and the third TMR resistor from the second TMR film by patterning the second hard bias and the second device junction and removing one or more second portions of the second TMR film disposed over the middle lead, and forming a plurality of top leads. In another embodiment, a method of fabricating a TMR sensor device comprises forming a bottom lead, depositing a first TMR film over the bottom lead, the first TMR film comprising a synthetic anti-ferromagnetic pinned layer having a magnetization direction of a first reference layer orthogonal to a magnetization direction of a first free layer, depositing a first photoresist over first portions of the first TMR film disposed on the bottom lead, etching second portions of the first TMR film to expose the bottom lead, depositing the first alumina film and the first hard bias film, removing the first photoresist, depositing a second photoresist over the third portion of the first TMR film and the first hard bias film, etching the fourth portion of the first TMR film and the first hard bias film, refilling with a second dielectric layer, a first TMR resistor and a fourth TMR resistor as fabricated are forming in the same plane. The method further comprises depositing a first and fourth middle lead over the first TMR resistor and the fourth TMR resistor, and depositing a second and a third middle lead in the area where the second TMR resistor and the third TMR resistor to be fabricated. The method further comprises forming the third dielectric layer adjacent to the first middle lead, the second middle lead, the third middle lead and the fourth middle lead. The method further comprises depositing the second TMR film over the middle lead and the third dielectric layer. The second TMR film comprises a double synthetic anti-ferromagnetic pinned layer having a magnetization direction of a second reference layer orthogonal to a magnetization direction of a second free layer and opposite to the magnetization direction of the first reference layer of the first TMR film. The method further comprises depositing a third photoresist over first portions of the second TMR film disposed over the second and third middle leads, etching second portions of the second TMR film to expose the second and third middle leads, depositing the second alumina film and the second hard bias film, removing the third photoresist, depositing a fourth photoresist over the third portion of the second TMR film and the second hard bias film, etching the fourth portion of the second TMR film and the second hard bias film, refilling with a fourth dielectric layer, the second TMR resistor and the third TMR resistor are fabricated in the same plane but different to the plane of the first TMR resistor and the fourth TMR resistor, and forming a first top lead over the first middle lead, a fourth top lead over the fourth middle lead, and the second top lead over the second TMR resistor, a third top lead over the third TMR resistor.

11369003

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communication and to techniques and apparatuses for configuring non-standalone mode for a multi-subscriber identity module (multi-SIM) user equipment. BACKGROUND Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, and broadcasts. Typical wireless communication systems may employ multiple-access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power, and/or the like). Examples of such multiple-access technologies include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency-division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, single-carrier frequency-division multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems, time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) systems, and Long Term Evolution (LTE). LTE/LTE-Advanced is a set of enhancements to the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) mobile standard promulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). A wireless communication network may include a number of base stations (BSs) that can support communication for a number of user equipment (UEs). A user equipment (UE) may communicate with a base station (BS) via the downlink and uplink. The downlink (or forward link) refers to the communication link from the BS to the UE, and the uplink (or reverse link) refers to the communication link from the UE to the BS. As will be described in more detail herein, a BS may be referred to as a Node B, a gNB, an access point (AP), a radio head, a transmit receive point (TRP), a New Radio (NR) BS, a 5G Node B, and/or the like. The above multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enables different user equipment to communicate on a municipal, national, regional, and even global level. New Radio (NR), which may also be referred to as 5G, is a set of enhancements to the LTE mobile standard promulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). NR is designed to better support mobile broadband Internet access by improving spectral efficiency, lowering costs, improving services, making use of new spectrum, and better integrating with other open standards using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) with a cyclic prefix (CP) (CP-OFDM) on the downlink (DL), using CP-OFDM and/or SC-FDM (e.g., also known as discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM)) on the uplink (UL), as well as supporting beamforming, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, and carrier aggregation. However, as the demand for mobile broadband access continues to increase, there exists a need for further improvements in LTE and NR technologies. SUMMARY In some aspects, a method of wireless communication, performed by a user equipment (UE), may include determining that the UE is operating using a first subscriber identity module (SIM) in a non-standalone mode associated with a first radio access technology (RAT) and a second RAT and that a second SIM has been activated for the UE; determining, based at least in part on user input, whether to operate in a multi-SIM mode where both the first SIM and the second SIM are active or to operate in a single SIM mode where only the first SIM, and not the second SIM, is active; and selectively deactivating the second SIM based at least in part on determining whether to operate in the multi-SIM mode or the single SIM mode. In some aspects, a method of wireless communication, performed by a UE, may include determining that the UE is operating using a first SIM in a non-standalone mode associated with a first RAT and a second RAT and that a second SIM has been activated for the UE; determining that the first SIM and the second SIM are associated with a same network operator; and using a network connection associated with the first SIM to decode a page associated with the second SIM, wherein the first SIM operates in the non-standalone mode. In some aspects, a UE for wireless communication may include memory and one or more processors operatively coupled to the memory. The memory and the one or more processors may be configured to determine that the UE is operating using a first SIM in a non-standalone mode associated with a first RAT and a second RAT and that a second SIM has been activated for the UE; determine, based at least in part on user input, whether to operate in a multi-SIM mode where both the first SIM and the second SIM are active or to operate in a single SIM mode where only the first SIM, and not the second SIM, is active; and selectively deactivate the second SIM based at least in part on determining whether to operate in the multi-SIM mode or the single SIM mode. In some aspects, a UE for wireless communication may include memory and one or more processors operatively coupled to the memory. The memory and the one or more processors may be configured to determine that the UE is operating using a first SIM in a non-standalone mode associated with a first RAT and a second RAT and that a second SIM has been activated for the UE; determine that the first SIM and the second SIM are associated with a same network operator; and use a network connection associated with the first SIM to decode a page associated with the second SIM, wherein the first SIM operates in the non-standalone mode. In some aspects, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may store one or more instructions for wireless communication. The one or more instructions, when executed by one or more processors of a UE, may cause the one or more processors to: determine that the UE is operating using a first SIM in a non-standalone mode associated with a first RAT and a second RAT and that a second SIM has been activated for the UE; determine, based at least in part on user input, whether to operate in a multi-SIM mode where both the first SIM and the second SIM are active or to operate in a single SIM mode where only the first SIM, and not the second SIM, is active; and selectively deactivate the second SIM based at least in part on determining whether to operate in the multi-SIM mode or the single SIM mode. In some aspects, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may store one or more instructions for wireless communication. The one or more instructions, when executed by one or more processors of a UE, may cause the one or more processors to: determine that the UE is operating using a first SIM in a non-standalone mode associated with a first RAT and a second RAT and that a second SIM has been activated for the UE; determine that the first SIM and the second SIM are associated with a same network operator; and use a network connection associated with the first SIM to decode a page associated with the second SIM, wherein the first SIM operates in the non-standalone mode. In some aspects, a UE (e.g., an apparatus) for wireless communication may include means for determining that the UE is operating using a first SIM in a non-standalone mode associated with a first RAT and a second RAT and that a second SIM has been activated for the UE; means for determining, based at least in part on user input, whether to operate in a multi-SIM mode where both the first SIM and the second SIM are active or to operate in a single SIM mode where only the first SIM, and not the second SIM, is active; and means for selectively deactivating the second SIM based at least in part on determining whether to operate in the multi-SIM mode or the single SIM mode. In some aspects, a UE (e.g., an apparatus) for wireless communication may include means for determining that the UE is operating using a first SIM in a non-standalone mode associated with a first RAT and a second RAT and that a second SIM has been activated for the UE; means for determining that the first SIM and the second SIM are associated with a same network operator; and means for using a network connection associated with the first SIM to decode a page associated with the second SIM, wherein the first SIM operates in the non-standalone mode. Aspects generally include a method, apparatus, system, computer program product, non-transitory computer-readable medium, user equipment, base station, wireless communication device, and/or processing system as substantially described herein with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings and specification. The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of examples according to the disclosure in order that the detailed description that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages will be described hereinafter. The conception and specific examples disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. Such equivalent constructions do not depart from the scope of the appended claims. Characteristics of the concepts disclosed herein, both their organization and method of operation, together with associated advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. Each of the figures is provided for the purposes of illustration and description, and not as a definition of the limits of the claims.

11393692

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field Aspects of this document relate generally to semiconductor packages, such as chip scale packages and flip chip packages. More specific implementations involve semiconductor packages covered by a mold compound. 2. Background Decreasing semiconductor package size has long been desirable within the industry as it has generally resulted in economic benefits as well as technological benefits. A decrease in semiconductor package size often results in an increase in risk of damage to the semiconductor die and package during manufacturing. A protective cover or molding has generally covered portions of the semiconductor packages to protect the semiconductor from, among other things, the environment, electrostatic discharge, and electrical surges. SUMMARY Implementations of a semiconductor package may include a die including a first side and a second side; a first pad and a second pad each coupled to the first side of the die, the first pad and the second pad each including a first layer and a second layer where the second layer may be thicker than the first layer. Implementations may include at least a first conductor directly coupled to the second layer of the first pad, the at least one first conductor having a perimeter entirely within a perimeter of the second layer of the first pad; at least a second conductor directly coupled to the second layer of the second pad, the at least one second conductor having a perimeter entirely within a perimeter of the second layer of the second pad; and an organic material covering at least the first side of the die. Implementations ma include where the at least first conductor and the at least second conductor extend through corresponding openings in the organic material where a spacing between the at least first conductor and the at least second conductor may be wider than a spacing between the second layer of the first pad and the second layer of the second pad. Implementations of semiconductor packages may include one, all, or any of the following: The first pad may be a gate pad and the second pad may be a source pad. The perimeter of the second layer of the second pad may be larger than the perimeter of the second layer of the first pad. The package may include a backmetal coupled to the second side of the semiconductor die. The die may have a thickness of 0.1 micron to 125 microns. The material of the second layer may be one of the same material or a different material from the material of the first layer. The organic material may be a mold compound. The package may include a first contact layer coupled directly over the at least first conductor and a second contact layer coupled directly over the at least second contact layer. The perimeter of the first contact layer may be larger than the perimeter of the at least first conductor and a perimeter of the second contact layer may be larger than the perimeter of the at least second conductor. Implementations of a semiconductor package may include a die including a first side and a second side; a first pad and a second pad each coupled to the first side of the die, the first pad and the second pad each including a first layer and a second layer where the second layer may be thicker than the first layer. Implementations may include at least a first conductor directly coupled to the second layer of the first pad; at least a second conductor directly coupled to the second layer of the second pad; a first contact layer coupled directly over the at least first conductor and a second contact layer coupled directly over the at least second conductor; and an organic material covering at least the first side of the die. Implementations may include where the at least first conductor and the at least second conductor extend through corresponding openings in the organic material where a spacing between the first contact layer and the second contact layer may be wider than a spacing between the second layer of the first pad and the second layer of the second pad. Implementations of a semiconductor package may include one, all, or any of the following: The first pad may be a gate pad and the second pad may be a source pad. The perimeter of the second layer of the second pad may be larger than a perimeter of the second layer of the first pad. The package may include a backmetal coupled to the second side of the semiconductor die. The die may have a thickness of 0.1 micron to 125 microns. The material of the second layer may be one of the same material or a different material from the material of the first layer. The organic material may be a mold compound. Implementations of a method of forming a semiconductor package may include providing a die including a first side and a second side; forming a first layer of a first pad and a second pad on a first side of the die; forming a second layer of the first pad and the second pad, the second layer thicker than the first layer; and forming a first conductor on the first pad. Implementations may include forming a second conductor on the second pad; applying an organic material to the first side of the die; forming a first contact layer over the first conductor; and forming the second contact layer over the second conductor where a spacing between the first contact layer and the second contact layer may be wider than a spacing between the second layer of the first pad and the second layer of the second pad. Implementations of a method of forming a semiconductor package may include one, all, or any of the following: The first pad may be a gate pad and the second pad may be a source pad. The die may have a thickness of 0.1 micron to 125 microns. The material of the second layer may be one of the same material or a different material from the material of the first layer. The foregoing and other aspects, features, and advantages will be apparent to those artisans of ordinary skill in the art from the DESCRIPTION and DRAWINGS, and from the CLAIMS.

11418060

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates generally to wireless charging of batteries, including batteries in mobile computing devices, and more particularly to controlling wireless power transmission. BACKGROUND Wireless charging systems have been deployed to enable certain types of devices to charge internal batteries without the use of a physical charging connection. Devices that can take advantage of wireless charging include mobile processing and/or communication devices. Standards, such as the Qi standard defined by the Wireless Power Consortium enable devices manufactured by a first supplier to be wirelessly charged using a charger manufactured by a second supplier. Standards for wireless charging are optimized for relatively simple configurations of devices and tend to provide basic charging capabilities. Improvements in wireless charging capabilities are required to support continually increasing complexity of mobile devices and changing form factors. For example, there is a need for improved wireless transmission power control.

11317060

TECHNICAL FIELD This application is directed to the field of video conferencing and presentation of information, and more particularly to the field of individual video conferencing spaces with shared virtual channels and immersive users. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Video conferencing has grown into a pervasive communication method. Efficient visual communications between project participants have become a primary productivity factor due to increasing globalization and mobilization of workforce with emphasis on distributed product execution and continuous coordination between participating teams and individual contributors. Hundreds of general purpose and specialized collaboration systems and tools have been developed to facilitate various aspects of shared project work using video conferencing. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which required billions of people to stay at home for the prolonged periods of time and seriously limited travel and other types of in-person communications, video conferencing has almost instantly become the most important productivity medium, connecting people through their work, personal, and family lives. Video conferencing has successfully replaced travel and physical contacts with virtual presence and collaboration. According to recent market research, the size of global video conferencing market has reached $5.6 billion USD in 2019 and was recently predicted to grow to $10.5 billion by 2027; these projections will likely be dwarfed by the skyrocketing demand in efficient visual communications related to the COVID-19 pandemic and to associated long-term changes in team collaboration and productivity paradigms. On an average day, US businesses have video conferencing meetings with hundreds of millions of daily participants: Zoom alone has over 300 million daily participants of its video meetings; during the quarantine months of 2020, Google Hangout Meets had over 100 million daily participants, while Microsoft Teams had almost 75 million active daily users in 2020. Recent polls have revealed important usage statistics for video conferencing: 94% of businesses who use video conferencing state that the company benefits from greater productivity; 51% of workers value video conferencing either more or equally as important than business chat applications for their daily work; 43% of workers using video conferencing in a team structure believe that it can enhance their productivity despite the remote working style; 75% of CEOs predict that video conferencing will replace regular conference calls; 54% of the US workforce frequently participates in video conferences; 78% of corporate businesses use video conferencing to facilitate team meetings; and 77.2% businesses use video conferencing to connect with remote employees. The top six providers of video conferencing services, Zoom, GoToWebinar, Cisco Webex, ON24, GoToMeeting and Adobe Connect, jointly command over 82% of the market share. It was also estimated that, on average, 77% of participants of video conferences join from their notebook or desktop computers, which suggests that most participants have enough screen space for clear views of presenters, thumbnail videos of meeting participants, shared documents and presentations, etc. Notwithstanding a significant progress in video conferencing products and services, there is a significant room for improvements in their collaborative, communication and editing functions. A multi-cell grid of individual meeting participants does not stimulate free exchange of ideas and aggravates so called “Zoom fatigue”. In most videoconferencing solutions, shared documents are separated from their authors and collaborators, so that neither the presentation nor the collaborative editing processes can take advantage of live visual reactions—facial expressions, postures and gestures—of their authors and reviewers, tied to specific portions of documents and providing important non-verbal cues that have been long proven beneficial for live presentations. Accordingly, it is useful to develop techniques and systems for immersive experiences in video conferencing in order to eliminate user isolation and increase personal touch during collaborative presentations and document editing. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the system described herein, managing a video conference includes presenting, to a plurality of participants of the video conference, a first channel pane containing information for the video conference that is controlled by a presenter, the first channel pane being provided on a background that is visible to the plurality of participants and superimposing a dynamic image of the presenter on the background. The dynamic image of the presenter is continuously captured by a camera. Managing a video conference also includes adjusting the dynamic image of the presenter to prevent obscuring the information of the first channel pane and/or to focus attention of the participants to specific information of the first channel pane. The dynamic image of the presenter may be adjusted in response to the first channel pane being enlarged and/or moved. The dynamic image of the presenter may be adjusted by shrinking the dynamic image. The dynamic image of the presenter may be adjusted by moving the dynamic image. The dynamic image of the presenter may be adjusted by making the dynamic image semi-transparent. The first channel pane may be semi-transparent and the dynamic image of the presenter may be placed behind the first channel pane. At least one of the first channel pane and the dynamic image of the presenter may be color coded to distinguish between the dynamic image of the presenter and the first channel pane. The dynamic image of the presenter may be at least partially superimposed on the first channel pane. The dynamic image of the presenter may include a hand of the presenter that points to specific features of the information of the first channel pane. The first channel pane may include a physical medium that the presenter actuates. The physical medium may be a whiteboard, a writable wall, or a poster. The physical medium may be a tablecloth covering a desk of the presenter. A back portion of the presenter may face the participants while the presenter is writing on the physical medium and the participants may content on the physical medium through the dynamic image of the presenter. Adjusting the dynamic image of the presenter may be performed manually by the presenter. Manually adjusting the dynamic image of the presenter may include choosing a corner of the first channel pane to which the dynamic image is moved. Adjusting the dynamic image of the presenter may be performed automatically. Automatically adjusting the dynamic image of the presenter may be based on looking for blank portions of the channel pane that could accommodate a reasonably scaled down version of the dynamic image of the presenter and neighboring currently commented or updated information of the first channel pane. A dynamic image of a particular one of the participants that is continuously captured by a camera of the particular one of the participants may be superimposed on the background in response to the particular one of the participants becoming a collaborator of the presenter. The particular one of the participants may provide a request to the presenter prior to becoming a collaborator of the presenter. The particular one of the participants may become a collaborator of the presenter by an invitation from the presenter. The presenter and the particular one of the participants may share the first channel pane. The presenter may use the first channel pane and the particular one of the participants may use a second channel pane that is separate from the first channel pane. The first channel pane may be minimized and the presenter and the particular one of the participants may take turns speaking. A portion of the video conference may be pre-recorded. At least some of the portion of the video conference that is pre-recorded may be presented during at least some of a live portion of the video conference. The presenter may control combining and sequencing the portion of the video conference that is pre-recorded and the live portion of the video conference. A previous presenter from the portion of the video conference that is pre-recorded may be replaced with the presenter. The presenter may edit content that is presented at the video conference. The presenter may edit a portion of the video conference that is pre-recorded and that is presented with a live portion of the video conference. Managing a video conference may also include indicating an emotional state of the presenter by applying visual effects to the dynamic image of the presenter and/or by applying sound effects to speech of the presenter. The visual effects may include color coding, emphasizing facial expression, animations, and/or displaying relevant emojis next to the dynamic image of the presenter. The sound effects may include playing sound emoticons and/or other short tunes. According further to the system described herein, a non-transitory computer readable medium contains software that manages a video conference. The software includes executable code that presents, to a plurality of participants of the video conference, a first channel pane containing information for the video conference that is controlled by a presenter, the first channel pane being provided on a background that is visible to the plurality of participants and executable code that superimposes a dynamic image of the presenter on the background. The dynamic image of the presenter is continuously captured by a camera. The software also includes executable code that adjusts the dynamic image of the presenter to prevent obscuring the information of the first channel pane and/or to focus attention of the participants to specific information of the first channel pane. The dynamic image of the presenter may be adjusted by shrinking the dynamic image. The dynamic image of the presenter may be adjusted by moving the dynamic image. The dynamic image of the presenter may be adjusted by making the dynamic image semi-transparent. The first channel pane may be semi-transparent and the dynamic image of the presenter may be placed behind the first channel pane. At least one of the first channel pane and the dynamic image of the presenter may be color coded to distinguish between the dynamic image of the presenter and the first channel pane. The dynamic image of the presenter may be at least partially superimposed on the first channel pane. The dynamic image of the presenter may include a hand of the presenter that points to specific features of the information of the first channel pane. The first channel pane may include a physical medium that the presenter actuates. The physical medium may be a whiteboard, a writable wall, or a poster. The physical medium may be a tablecloth covering a desk of the presenter. A back portion of the presenter may face the participants while the presenter is writing on the physical medium and the participants may content on the physical medium through the dynamic image of the presenter. Adjusting the dynamic image of the presenter may be performed manually by the presenter. Manually adjusting the dynamic image of the presenter may include choosing a corner of the first channel pane to which the dynamic image is moved. Adjusting the dynamic image of the presenter may be performed automatically. Automatically adjusting the dynamic image of the presenter may be based on looking for blank portions of the channel pane that could accommodate a reasonably scaled down version of the dynamic image of the presenter and neighboring currently commented or updated information of the first channel pane. A dynamic image of a particular one of the participants that is continuously captured by a camera of the particular one of the participants may be superimposed on the background in response to the particular one of the participants becoming a collaborator of the presenter. The particular one of the participants may provide a request to the presenter prior to becoming a collaborator of the presenter. The particular one of the participants may become a collaborator of the presenter by an invitation from the presenter. The presenter and the particular one of the participants may share the first channel pane. The presenter may use the first channel pane and the particular one of the participants may use a second channel pane that is separate from the first channel pane. The first channel pane may be minimized and the presenter and the particular one of the participants may take turns speaking. A portion of the video conference may be pre-recorded. At least some of the portion of the video conference that is pre-recorded may be presented during at least some of a live portion of the video conference. The presenter may control combining and sequencing the portion of the video conference that is pre-recorded and the live portion of the video conference. A previous presenter from the portion of the video conference that is pre-recorded may be replaced with the presenter. The presenter may edit content that is presented at the video conference. The presenter may edit a portion of the video conference that is pre-recorded and that is presented with a live portion of the video conference. The software may also include executable code that indicates an emotional state of the presenter by applying visual effects to the dynamic image of the presenter and/or by applying sound effects to speech of the presenter. The visual effects may include color coding, emphasizing facial expression, animations, and/or displaying relevant emojis next to the dynamic image of the presenter. The sound effects may include playing sound emoticons and/or other short tunes. The proposed system creates virtual shareable backgrounds and zoomable presentation channels within physical spaces, such as individual rooms or other locations of presenters, individual and panel speakers and other meeting participants, immerses a dynamic image of a presenter captured by camera(s) of a presenter in front or behind of a channel display, allowing live immersive presentations and document editing, and secures permanent visibility of displayed channel materials by manual or automatic repositioning and rescaling of presenter's image and displaying presenter's image in a semi-transparent mode when necessary. The system may alter an image of a presenter to reveal and illustrate various emotional states of the presenter through visual effects. In addition to permanent visibility of displayed channel materials, repositioning, rescaling and altering an image of the presenter through visual and audio effects, and pointing by the presenter with a hand of the presenter to portions of information displayed in the channel may enhance the presentation by focusing attention of the participants to such portions of information in the channel. The system also supports immersion of multiple participants in front of the shared background and one or multiple presentation channels, enabling conversational panels, collaborative content editing and parallel presentations when multiple collaborators appear in front of a channel display. Meeting participants may be invited by a presenter to the immersive collaborative presentation or may put a request for the immersive presentation mode. The system may replay pre-recorded past video meetings and may support pre-recorded and live presentations with a mixed (hybrid) mode where pre-recorded content is combined with immersive commentators, co-presenters, collaboration and additional presentation channels that the meeting participants may create.Various aspects of system functioning are explained as follows.1. Individual and group locations. Meeting participants may join a video conference from individual locations, such as their office desks and homes (rooms, patios, gardens, etc.) or in groups from conference rooms, huddle rooms and other office or non-office areas. The proposed system may turn any participant location into an individual conference space and an immersive collaborative center of the meeting. For certain situations, such as quarantines, social distancing requirements during the pandemic or highly distributed workforce residing in various places, individual rooms and other locations at properties of the participants may become natural collaborative focal points of video conferences.2. Backgrounds and shared channels. Custom virtual backgrounds displayed at individual or group locations of meeting participants have become a popular feature of various video conferencing systems and add-on software, such as browser plug-ins. Such backgrounds may serve the purpose of visual hygiene (for example, hiding an unprepared view of a participant's room due to a time difference between participants' time zones, a home remodeling project, etc.), visual attractiveness, entertainment and other purposes. Custom backgrounds may imitate different wall materials (stone, brick, wood, paint, wallpaper), display landscapes, cityscapes, works of art, abstract decorations. Custom backgrounds may be static or animated and may be tangentially related to a meeting subject: for example, the custom backgrounds may display brand colors and marks of participating companies or illustrate project themes. However, custom backgrounds are not expected to be actively and continuously controlled by meeting participants and may not represent a significant part of a video meeting.In contrast, shared channels are panes of active meeting content, such as a presentation, a mutually viewed video clip, a whiteboard brainstorm, etc. Channels may be opened by a presenter on any portion of a custom background of the presenter. Channel content may be controlled by a presenter or by multiple collaborators, as explained elsewhere herein. Channels may also be opened on any physical surface in an individual conference space of a presenter, such as a whiteboard, a writable IdeaPaint wall, a poster, a paper or a special tablecloth covering desk or table or the presenter (provided the video equipment may capture writing of the presenter on such horizontal surfaces), etc. The presenter and collaborators may open one or several channels in the individual conference space at any time.3. Immersive presenter image. The system may continuously capture dynamic images of a head view, waist view or other view of the presenter, obtained by available technical means in an individual video conference space of the presenter and often facilitated by a physical or virtual green screen. In contrast with traditional video conferencing features, the system may keep continuously captured dynamic images of the presenter in front (and sometimes behind) the currently open presentation channel(s), enabling live virtual presentation enhanced with facial expressions, gestures and speech directly tied to the presented meeting content when the presenter is demonstrating, discussing or editing the content. At different moments, the presenter may appear before meeting participants in the front view, three quarter or profile view (slightly or significantly turned toward the channel pane), three quarter back view (looking at or pointing to the channel presentation, manipulating with or editing the content), back view (for example, when the presenter is writing on a whiteboard), etc. The system ensures that, while the dynamic image of the presenter is sufficiently close to the interactive channel pane(s), the image of the presenter does not obstruct, at any time, the channel content for other meeting participants, which may be achieved by various display and control means, as explained in detail elsewhere herein.4. Zoomable channel content and repositioning presenter's image. At different phases of presentation, viewing requirements for a channel pane may change. A sparse text content with bullet points in large font may accommodate a relatively small portion of the channel pane. In such a case, an image of the presenter may appear at a relatively large size, typically on the side of the channel pane. In contrast, a dense slide, packed with numeric tables, graphs, charts and images, may routinely need a near full-screen zoom, and at times may require an additional zoom-in to view fine details of the content. When the system expands the channel pane to occupy almost all available background in an individual conference space of the presenter, the image of the presenter may significantly obstruct the content view. The system may alleviate the issue by shrinking the image of the presenter and moving the image of the presenter toward one of the corners of the channel pane. The presenter may also control the image size manually, and may select a zoom ratio, choose a corner and alter the size and position of the image dynamically, depending on the portion of the current content in the channel that is to be visible.The system may also automatically resize and reposition the image of the presenter based on the continuous analysis of the channel content (predominantly in case of the relatively static channel content, such as slides or other illustrations, as opposed to videos) by looking for blank portions of the content that could accommodate a reasonably scaled down image of the presenter and neighboring currently commented or updated content.5. Semi-transparent presenter image and editing channel content. Presentation logic may require the presenter to point to the channel content or modify the channel content in middle portions of the channel pane, when obstructing the channel view with an image of the presenter is unavoidable. Note that the presenter may edit the information in the presentation pane at any time. The system may address this issue by either implementing different types of pointers and visible cursors or by displaying the image of the presenter in a semi-transparent mode that appears in front of the channel pane. With a semi-transparent presenter image, facial expressions, gestures and fine hand/finger movements (when the presenter manipulates/edits the channel content) may still remain visible to other meeting participants when the transparency level is correctly chosen. Semi-transparent display mode of the dynamic images of the presenter may be especially efficient to show to the conference participants the drawings and the drawing process on the whiteboards, walls, posters and other physical media in the individual conference space, when the presenter is standing in front of the drawing, inevitably obstructing a view of the drawing from other conference participants. Color coding of the semi-transparent image of the presenter may additionally facilitate content viewability.Transparency may also be used both for the virtual channel pane and for the immersive presenter image to put the presenter behind the presentation content. In this case, a semitransparent presenter image with facial expressions, pointing gestures and other features explained in this section, is viewed through a semi-transparent channel content panel; color coding of the image of the presenter and appropriate transparency levels of both the content panel and the image of the presenter may help differentiating between the image of the presenter and the channel content.6. Highlighting presenter's emotional state. The system may underscore an emotional state of the presenter by applying, for example, visual and/or sound effects to image and speech of the presenter. Color coding, emphasizing facial expression, animations, displaying relevant emojis next to the image of the presenter, playing sound emoticons and other short tunes may be used interchangeably or in combination for highlighting an emotional state of the presenter. Such highlights may be controlled directly by the presenter, by an assistant of the presenter, or other participants under an explicit permission from the presenter and possibly also from conference organizers; alternatively, the highlights may be automatically or semi-automatically generated by the system using facial and gesture recognition software that may be continuously processing a video stream of the presenter.7. Adding collaborators; collaboration rules and types. A one-person shared channel presentation from an individual conference space of a presenter may be expanded to include other collaborators, immersed in front of the opened channel(s) with the same or reduced commenting and editing capabilities as the presenter. Such immersion may use the video stream (a sequence of dynamic images) of a meeting participant different from the presenter, captured by a camera of the participant, separated from a physical or virtual environment of the participant (for example, using a physical of virtual green screen) and overlaid on top of the individual conference space. The original presenter and the collaborator(s) may see the same display with the continuously rendered physical environment or virtual background, the channel pane(s) of the individual conference space and images thereof superimposed over a presentation environment. Accordingly, the original presenter and the collaborator(s) may operate within the presentation environment as if being physically present in the individual conference space from the start of the video conference.In order to join the presentation in the individual conference space, a new collaborator may have to either be invited by the presenter and give a consent to enter the presentation or, symmetrically, send a request for an immersive collaboration and receive permission from the presenter. Once a collaborator addition is approved, an image of the collaborator may be added to the individual conference space in front or behind the shared channel(s), as explained elsewhere herein.The system may designate a new position for the collaborator in front of the channel pane, so that the original image of the presenter and the image of the collaborator do not overlap or obstruct each other. Subsequently, the system may continue processing the video streams, supporting the combined views of the presenter and the collaborator(s) so that the presenter and all collaborators are simultaneously and synchronously immersed in front of the common background and in front or behind the channel pane(s).The presenter with the collaborating team may continue a joint presentation and editing of the channel content, as explained elsewhere herein, using common sense rules for taking turns in speaking and interacting with the channel content. Depending on collaboration rules set by, for example, the meeting organizers or presenters, collaborators (co-presenters) may be allowed to open additional channels in the shared individual conference space of the original presenter and display content of the collaborator(s) or augmentations/comments to the main presentation. Co-presenters may also alternate different presentations within any number of channels.Depending on the presentation nature and flow, dynamic images of the presenter and collaborator(s) (co-presenter(s)) may be repositioned synchronously to appear close to the same content in the presentation pane (for example, when one of the co-presenters manipulates, points at or highlights the channel content and another is speaking) or may appear at different places in the individual conference space. Thus, for example, the main presenter may go through a quarterly report presentation, while a co-presenter may open another shared channel close to the first one and illustrate the quarterly report with details and accompanying materials, taking turns with the main presenter. In addition to the visual collaboration in presenting and editing the channel content, the system may support a speaking panel without explicitly referring to the channel content; such speaking panels may or may not have immersive or remote moderator(s). The conference may freely switch between presentations and speaking panels; the beginning of a speaking panel may be indicated by an automatic minimization or hiding of an existing channel content or the whole video conference may be arranged as a speaking panel without a channel content.8. Recording and replaying past presentations. The system may be constantly recording video conferences with immersive presenters, collaborators, reactions and comments of other (non-immersive) participants, etc. Such recordings or their fragments may be replayed during new video conferences; for example, such replays may be done within a dedicated channel opened by a presenter, a meeting organizer or another participant.Replays may be combined with the live ongoing video conferences; thus, a presenter may start commenting on a previous recording or editing content of a previous recording when an editing mode is available. Alternatively, a recorded video conference may emulate a full meeting experience of a current conference and may be replayed by occupying a whole individual conference space of a participant who initiated the replay. In this case, a combined mode may include an immersion of the participant who initiated the replay or other collaborators into the replay, an optional masking (hiding) of an original presenter of the recorded meeting, and a gradual shift of the combined pre-recorded (asynchronous) and live meeting into a fully synchronous live meeting.

11219817

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a national phase under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of PCT International Application No. PCT/NO2018/050140 which has an International filing date of May 28, 2018, which claims priority to Norwegian Patent Application No. 20170891, filed May 30, 2017, the entire contents of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference. The present invention relates to a mounting system for a binding, or parts thereof, on a cross-country ski. More specifically, the invention relates to an attachment mechanism for a locking means to be fastened to a mounting plate on a cross-country ski. NO335244 and NO327573 relate to a mounting plate for attachment of a binding to a ski, primarily a cross-country ski. The mounting plate is glued to the upper surface of a ski and comprises longitudinal side edges having an undercut profile for longitudinal placement and attachment of the binding or binding components by means of a complementary profile. The mounting plate has a stiffness that to a small degree affects the rigidity and properties of the skis. By means of this mounting plate a binding may be mounted on a ski without the use of screws, glue or other tools, thus avoiding a puncturing of the seal around the core of a ski. In addition, the mounting plate is advantageous for dealers because the mounting process requires a minimum of qualifications and is fully reversible. For the end user the mounting plate is favorable because the ski may be adapted to a greater degree to body weight, skill, and snow- or waxing conditions. EP2624924 relates to a binding that enables manual longitudinal movement of a binding on a ski. FIG. 6shows an embodiment where a mover mechanism is arranged on a mounting plate on a ski, where the mover mechanism comprises a screw knob. By rotation of the screw knob 180 degrees the binding is moved forward or backward, respectively. WO 2015140258 A1 shows a method for attaching a movable binding plate to a cross-country ski. US 2006/0103113 A1 and US 20080029998 A1 show various attachments and binding plates for alpine skis. EP 1226849 A2 shows a binding for alpine skis having binding plates at the front and rear that are movable on a ski by means of levers connected to a gear. NO20150320 relates to an invention that offers totally new possibilities in the ski sport. NO20150320 discloses a binding system for optional dynamic longitudinal positioning of a binding on cross-country skis by means of an electric actuator, an energy source and a control system. This dynamic system enables a skier, inter alia, to change the position of the binding while in motion such that, in practice, one obtains a gearing system that makes it easier and faster to go forward. Such a dynamic binding system may be mounted on or in a ski by means of a mounting plate, but the aforementioned existing mounting plates are not well suited for such expanded functionality. A dynamic binding system as mentioned above would typically include a ski, a binding2;4, a mounting plate6, a slide member5and a motor/electronics3(in an electric version) or some form of handle/lever/switch knob29;9,10,12or the like (in a manual version). As mentioned above, the mounting plate6is arranged on an upper surface of the ski. Mounting plate6will in one embodiment comprise longitudinal side edges having an undercut profile33for longitudinal placement and attachment of a binding2or binding component4by means of a complementary profile in the binding or binding component. Further, the mounting plate6will typically comprise a longitudinal channel21that accommodates a longitudinal slide member5, where the upper surface of slide member5comprises at least one locking means20, while the underside of the binding or binding component comprises at least one complementary locking means. This setup results in a system whereby binding2or binding component4, which is securely locked to slide member5with the aid of at least one complementary locking means, may be pushed more or less freely back and forth on mounting plate6, while the binding2or binding component4engages with and is held down on/over mounting plate6by means of said longitudinal side edges/undercut profile33and the complementary profile34of binding2or binding component4. To securely hold slide member5, and thereby binding2or binding component4, in the desired longitudinal position, there is required a locking means that locks the longitudinal movement of slide member5relative to mounting plate6, and therewith also the ski. This locking means must be fastened to mounting plate6or to the ski by means of an attachment mechanism. An objective of the invention is to provide a mounting system that is suited for a dynamic binding system where the binding may be moved while the skier is in motion. A second objective of the invention is to provide a mounting system that is also suited for a binding system where the binding may be moved manually. A further objective of the invention is to provide a mounting system that is suited for a range of binding types, both movable and fixed. An additional objective of the invention is to provide a mounting system that is suited for a range of binding types from different producers and/or for various areas of use. A further objective of the invention is to provide a mounting system that offers the possibility of supplementing a binding system with a different and new functionality. These and other objectives are attained by means of a mounting system according to the attached claim1. Additional advantageous features and embodiments are disclosed in the dependent claims.

11303692

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present disclosure relates to a system in which a request and a response are transmitted and received among a plurality of communication apparatuses. Description of the Related Art As one of configurations for providing services on a network, there is known a configuration in which a server receives a request transmitted from a client and executes processing in response to the request. Communication between a server and a client may use a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) technique. For example, the client transmits an HTTP request to the server, thereby requesting the server to perform processing. The server transmits an HTTP response after executing the processing in response to the request, thereby notifying the client of completion of the processing. Depending on content of the processing requested by the HTTP request, a period from reception of a request by the server to transmission of a response by the server may be long. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-210803 discusses a technique in which, when a request for a result of processing is received from a client while a server is executing the processing requiring a long period of time, a response indicating that the request is temporarily not acceptable is transmitted before completion of the processing. If it takes a long time from the reception of a request by the server to the transmission of a response thereby, the client needs to wait for a long period of time until receiving the response in a state where the client cannot determine whether the server is executing processing or the request has not been correctly received by the server. Accordingly, in a case where the request has not been correctly received by the server, the client may be uselessly waiting for the request, which may lead to an increase in a delay of processing in the system. In addition, if the server is actually executing the processing when the client has determined that the request has not been received by the server and has transmitted the request again, the server repeatedly executes the processing in response to the request, thereby leading to an increase in a processing load on the server. In the technique discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-210803, the client transmits a request to the server to request for a processing result so that the client can check whether the processing is being executed by the server. However, in order to promptly determine that the processing is completed by the server, the client may need to repeatedly transmit the request until receiving the response indicating the completion of the processing. This may lead to an increase in a processing load on the client. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Various embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to enabling a client to promptly determine that a request transmitted from the client has been received by a server and the server has completed the processing associated with the request, while suppressing an increase in a processing load on the client. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication apparatus that performs communication in accordance with Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) includes a reception unit configured to receive, from another communication apparatus that is different from the communication apparatus, an HTTP request for requesting the communication apparatus to perform processing, the HTTP request including identification information for identifying the requested processing, a determination unit configured to determine, based on the identification information included in the HTTP request, whether to transmit, during a period from reception of the HTTP request by the reception unit to transmission of a first response indicating completion of the processing requested by the HTTP request, a second response to the other communication apparatus, and a transmission unit configured to transmit, to the other communication apparatus, the first response and the second response based on the determination made by the determination unit. Further features will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.

11288070

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates generally to a method, computer program product, and system in the field of computer memory management. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method, computer program product, and system for optimization of low-level memory operations in a non-uniform memory access environment. BACKGROUND In computing environments, computer processor units (CPUs or processors), and computing elements with processing cores consume time moving blocks of data from one memory location to another or filling a block of memory with a value (usually 0's). This movement, also referred to as setting or migration of data, is often necessary prior to the execution of an application residing within the CPU. Typically, a call is made to some low level memory operation, e.g. memcpy or memset, from one processor and it performs the requested operation in-line on the caller's CPU. In Non-Uniform Memory Access (NUMA) systems, these copy or filling operations often involve a significant time penalty when the memory is not located in the same module as the CPU performing the copy or fill operation. In some embodiments, one or more processors are located with memory in a module or node. A NUMA system typically includes multiple computer nodes or processors connected by several high-speed inter-connections. The collection of nodes computer is typically a single piece of hardware and has a single operating system image. The operating system image runs on multiple processors within the system. The processors can be located within multiple integrated circuit (IC) chips, and the IC chips can be positioned on multiple CPU cards in different slots within the system. The location of memory relative to the CPU determines the type of memory used. e.g. near, far, or distant. Typically, a processor core is associated with several types of memory including near, far, and distant memory. Near memory is dedicated to a single processor core and are directly connected to that processor. Far memory is that memory directly connected to a different processor but located on the same CPU card, while distant memory is dedicated to a different processor positioned in a different enclosure or CPU card but still located within the same system. In many instances, access to near memory takes less time that accessing far memory or distant memory. According to some embodiments, data is located in far memory or distant memory and is used by a different processor if a near processor is busy or otherwise unavailable or unsuitable for a particular use. In some embodiments, processors and memory locations are selected based on available data storage size and speed and the time delay required to access the data in far memory or distant memory. The present disclosure is associated with low-level memory operations and thread management within a single computer system. In the present environment, copying of data from one location to another or filling the memory with some value takes a finite amount of time, or latency depending on whether the memory location is near, far, or distant memory relative to the CPU performing the operation. The act of accessing data from far or distant memory locations is time-consuming, uses power produces heat, and introduces latency between the initial command and the complete execution of that command. In some embodiments, latency is measured in cycles per instruction, seconds, or in a number of clock cycles to complete the access. SUMMARY The illustrative embodiments provide a method, computer program product, and system. An embodiment includes a method for optimization of low-level memory operations in a distributed memory storage configuration within a single computer system that includes receiving, at a first processor, a request to migrate data from the first processor to a second processor, where the first processor and the second processor comprise a processor and memory, and identifying a command instruction associated with the requested data. The method also includes comparing a first performance metric associated with the first processor to a second performance metric associated with the second processor, where the first performance metric and the second performance metric are associated with executing the command instruction, and where, based on the comparing, a decision to move the command instruction to the second processor is formed, and migrating, responsive to the decision, the data and the command instruction to the second processor. An embodiment includes a computer usable program product. The computer usable program product includes one or more computer-readable storage devices and program instructions stored in a subset of a set of storage devices, the stored program instructions includes program instructions to receive, at a first processor, a request to migrate data from the first processor to a second processor, where the first processor and the second processor are in a single computer node and have a processor and memory, program instructions to identify a command instruction associated with the requested data, and program instructions to compare a first performance metric associated with the first processor to a second performance metric associated with the second processor, where the first performance metric and the second performance metric are associated with executing the command instruction, and where, based on the comparing, a decision to move the command instruction to the second processor is formed. The computer usable program also includes program instructions to migrate, responsive to the decision, the data and the command instruction to the second processor. An embodiment includes a system. The system includes a processor, a computer-readable memory, a computer-readable storage device, and program instructions stored on the storage device for execution by the processor via the memory, the stored program instructions made of program instructions to receive, at a first processor, a request to migrate data from the first processor to a second processor, where the first processor and the second processor are in a single computer node and comprise a processor and memory, program instructions to identify a command instruction associated with the requested data, and program instructions to compare a first performance metric associated with the first processor to a second performance metric associated with the second processor, where the first performance metric and the second performance metric are associated with executing the command instruction, and where, based on the comparing, a decision to move the command instruction to the second processor is formed. The stored program instructions also include program instructions to migrate, responsive to the decision, the data and the command instruction to the second processor.

11251416

TECHNICAL FIELD This application claims the benefit of priority based on Korean Patent Application No. 10-2017-0147712, filed Nov. 8, 2017, and all the contents disclosed in the literatures of the corresponding Korea patent applications are included as a part of the present specification. The present invention relates to a positive electrode for a lithium-sulfur battery comprising maghemite as a positive electrode additive, and a lithium-sulfur battery having the improved discharging capacity and improved battery life by having such a positive electrode. BACKGROUND ART Secondary batteries have become important electronic components for portable electronic devices since the 1990s as an electric storage device capable of continuous charging and discharging unlike the primary battery which can only discharge once. In particular, since a lithium ion secondary battery was commercialized by Sony in Japan in 1992, it has led the information age as a key component of portable electronic devices such as smart phones, digital cameras and notebook computers. In recent years, lithium ion secondary batteries are rapidly growing in demand from electric sources of cleaner and power tool, medium-sized batteries to be used in fields such as electric bicycles and electric scooters, to large capacity batteries for applications such as electric vehicle (EV), hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), and various robots and electric power storage systems (ESS), while further widening application area. However, the lithium secondary battery, which has the best characteristics among the secondary batteries known to date, has several problems in being actively used in transportation vehicles such as electric vehicles and PHEVs, and among them, the biggest problem is the limit in capacity. The lithium secondary battery basically consists of materials such as positive electrode, electrolyte, and negative electrode. Among them, since the positive and negative electrode materials determine the capacity of the battery, the lithium ion secondary battery is limited in capacity due to the material limitations of positive and negative electrodes. In particular, since the secondary battery used in applications such as electric vehicles and PHEVs should be able to last as long as possible after charging once, the discharging capacity of the secondary battery is very important. One of the biggest constraints to the sale of electric vehicles is that the distance that can be traveled after one charge is much shorter than those of ordinary gasoline engine vehicles. The limitation of the capacity of such a lithium secondary battery is difficult to be completely solved due to the structure and material constraints of the lithium secondary battery despite of much effort. Therefore, in order to fundamentally solve the problem of the capacity of the lithium secondary battery, it is required to develop a new concept secondary battery that goes beyond the existing secondary battery concept. The lithium-sulfur secondary battery is a new high capacity and low-cost battery system which goes beyond capacity limits determined by the intercalation/deintercalation reaction of lithium ions to the layered structure of the metal oxide and graphite which is the basic principle of existing lithium ion secondary battery, and which can lead to replacement of transition metals and cost savings. The lithium-sulfur secondary battery has a theoretical capacity of 1,675 mAh/g derived from a conversion reaction of lithium ion and sulfur (S8+16Li++16e−→8Li2S) and the negative electrode enables the battery system to have very high capacity using lithium metal (theoretical capacity: 3,860 mAh/g). Also, since the discharging voltage is about 2.2 V, the theoretical energy density is 2,600 Wh/kg based on the amount of the positive electrode and the negative electrode active material. These values are 6 to 7 times higher than the energy theoretical energy density of 400 Wh/kg of commercially available lithium secondary battery (LiCoO2/graphite) which uses layered metal oxides and graphite. After the lithium-sulfur secondary battery was found to be able to dramatically improve battery performance through the formation of nanocomposites around 2010, the lithium-sulfur secondary battery is attracting attention as a new high capacity, eco-friendly, low-cost lithium secondary battery and is currently being studied intensively around the world as a next-generation battery system. One of the main problems of the lithium-sulfur secondary battery revealed to date is that since sulfur has an electrical conductivity of about 5.0×10−14S/cm and thus is close to nonconductor, electrochemical reaction at the electrode is not easy, and due to the very large overvoltage, the actual discharging capacity and voltage are far below the theoretical value. Early researchers tried to improve the performance by methods such as mechanical ball milling of sulfur and carbon or surface coating with carbon, but there was no substantial effect. In order to effectively solve the problem of limiting the electrochemical reaction by electrical conductivity, it is necessary to reduce the particle size to a size of several tens of nanometers or less and to conduct surface treatment with a conductive material, as in the example of LiFePO4(electrical conductivity: 10−9to 10−10S/cm) which is one of the other positive electrode active materials, and for this purpose, various chemical (melt impregnation into nano-sized porous carbon nanostructures or metal oxide structures) and physical (high energy ball milling) methods and the like have been reported. Another major problem associated with the lithium-sulfur secondary battery is the dissolution of lithium polysulfide into the electrolyte, which is the intermediate product of sulfur generated during discharging. As the discharging is proceeded, sulfur (S8) continuously reacts with lithium ions and thus the phases thereof are continuously changed into S8→Li2S8→(Li2S6)→Li2S4→Li2S2→Li2S or the like, and among them, Li2S8and Li2S4(lithium polysulfide), which are long chains of sulfur, are easily dissolved in a general electrolyte used in a lithium ion battery. When this reaction is occurred, not only the reversible positive electrode capacity is greatly reduced but also the dissolved lithium polysulfide diffuses into the negative electrode and causes various side reactions. In particular, lithium polysulfide causes a shuttle reaction especially during the charging process, and as a result, the charging capacity is continuously increased, and the charging/discharging efficiency is rapidly deteriorated. Recently, in order to solve such a problem, various methods have been proposed, which can be divided broadly into a method of improving the electrolyte, a method of improving the surface of a negative electrode, a method of improving the properties of a positive electrode and the like The method of improving the electrolyte is a method to suppress the shuttle reaction as much as possible by using new electrolytes, such as functional liquid electrolytes, polymer electrolytes, and ionic liquids, which have a novel composition, and thus controlling the dissolution of the polysulfide into the electrolyte or controlling the dispersion rate to the negative electrode through adjustment of the viscosity and the like. Studies on controlling the shuttle reaction by improving the characteristics of SEI formed on the surface of the negative electrode have been actively carried out. Typically, there is a method of adding an electrolyte additive such as LiNO3to form an oxide film of LixNOyor LixSOyon the surface of a lithium negative electrode, a method of forming a thick functional SEI layer on the surface of lithium metal, or the like. Finally, as a method of improving the properties of the positive electrode, there is a method of forming a coating layer on the surface of the positive electrode particles to prevent the dissolution of the polysulfide, adding a porous material capable of capturing the dissolved polysulfide and so on. Typically, a method of coating the surface of a positive electrode structure containing a sulfur particle with a conductive polymer, a method of coating the surface of a positive electrode structure with a metal oxide on which lithium ions are transferred, a method of adding a porous metal oxide having a large specific surface area and a large pore size to a positive electrode, which is capable of absorbing a large amount of lithium polysulfide, a method of attaching a functional group capable of adsorbing lithium polysulfide onto the surface of a carbon structure, a method of wrapping sulfur particles using graphene or graphene oxide, or the like was proposed. Although such efforts are under way, these methods are not only complicated, but also have a problem that the amount of sulfur that can be added, which is an active material, is limited. Therefore, it is necessary to develop new technologies to solve these problems and to improve the performance of lithium-sulfur battery. PRIOR ART DOCUMENT Patent Document (Patent Document 1) Korean Patent No. 10-0482279 (Mar. 31, 2005), “Iron oxide nano-powder and preparation method thereof”(Patent Document 2) Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2015-0091280 (Jan. 4, 2017), “Lithium sulfur battery and manufacturing method thereof” DISCLOSURE Technical Problem In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the inventors of the present invention predicted that if the positive electrode characteristics of the lithium-sulfur battery is improved, the battery performance will be improved most directly, and thus have conducted various studies in this respect and confirmed that the adsorption of lithium polysulfide (LiPS) is possible by introducing maghemite into a positive electrode for a lithium-sulfur battery, thereby completing the present invention. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to contribute to an increase in discharging capacity of a lithium-sulfur battery and increase the life of the lithium-sulfur battery by adsorbing lithium polysulfide to increase the reactivity of the positive electrode. Technical Solution In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a positive electrode for a lithium-sulfur battery comprising a positive electrode active material, a conductive material a binder, and maghemite. In one embodiment of the present invention, the maghemite may be in a form of secondary particles, which secondary particles include primary particles of a plate shape. In one embodiment of the present invention, the primary particles may have a particle diameter of more than 1 nm and less than 1000 nm, in particular, 50 to 500 nm. In one embodiment of the present invention, the secondary particles may be spherical in shape. In one embodiment of the present invention, the secondary particles may have a particle diameter of 1 to 50 μm. In one embodiment of the present invention, a content of maghemite in the positive electrode for the lithium-sulfur battery may be 0.1 to 15 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the solid materials of the positive electrode. In one embodiment of the present invention, the positive electrode active material may be a sulfur-carbon composite. Also, the present invention provides a lithium-sulfur battery comprising a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a separator interposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode, and an electrolyte, wherein the positive electrode comprises maghemite. Advantageous Effects When the maghemite of the present invention is applied to the positive electrode of the lithium-sulfur battery, the lithium polysulfide generated during the charging/discharging of the lithium-sulfur battery is adsorbed, thereby increasing the reactivity of the positive electrode of the lithium-sulfur battery, and the lithium-sulfur battery employing it can exhibit the effect of increasing discharging capacity and life.

11222387

BACKGROUND This disclosure relates generally to generating a design and detailing of a building, and more specifically to a method, computer program and computer system for automating the process of detailing and generating a report for the building. Computer Aided Design software is well-known, and used by architects, engineers, designers, planners, construction firms, and owner operators and the like to create and use precision models and technical illustrations. The software is used to create design simulations that are two-dimensional (2-D) drawings, and three-dimensional (3-D) models and related tabular and business property data. Three-dimensional (3D) assets are commonly designed, analyzed, and built, using a process in which design teams invest large amounts of time, money, and effort, creating insightful 3D digital models of those assets using design software. Design teams gain a tremendous amount of insight into projects while constructing and editing these 3D models. These 3D models are used commonly for analytical and visualization purposes, and increasingly, models are used to automate the production of conventional construction drawings. Conventional construction drawings are 2D, flat abstractions of things. Conventional construction documentation drawings assist design professionals in explicitly defining limits of liability of the design professionals who draw them. Project designers mitigate liability a priori by selecting the locations within a project at which they intend to design, draw (automated by 3D models or not), and be held accountable. These 2D drawings are typically created with a variety of features, callouts, and aspects which are beneficial for the professionals but may be problematic for software to decipher and determine which features of the drawings are what. This results in computer programs are not able to take the received images and properly process them or process them incorrectly. Therefore, a design teams needs to manually go through the 2D drawings and either properly convert them into 3D models or generate the 3D models from desire to provide as much useful information from their design processes as possible. No one can distinguish between the locations in 3D models that are complete and the locations that are not complete. Models are frequently discarded because of that ambiguity. No one can tell which locations in the model are complete and which locations are not complete, nor can anyone tell who claims responsibility for any particular location in a model. It is this deficiency of 3D models that is addressed by this invention and solved. SUMMARY In a first embodiment, the present invention is a computer implemented method comprising: receiving, by a computing device, at least one architectural drawing; analyzing, by the computing device, each of the at least one architectural drawing, wherein non-structural elements are removed from each of the at least one architectural drawing; generating, by the computing device, structural drawings for each of the at least one architectural drawing; marking, by the computing device, each element within the structural drawings; generating, by the computing device, a 3D model based on the structural drawings; analyzing, by the computing device, the 3D model, wherein the 3D model is tested for predetermined characteristics; and generating, by the computing device, a report based on the analyzed results of the predetermined characteristics. In a second embodiment, the present invention is a computer program product, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a computing device to cause the computing device to: program instructions to receive at least one architectural drawing; program instructions to analyze each of the at least one architectural drawing, wherein non-structural elements are removed from each of the at least one architectural drawing; program instructions to generate structural drawings for each of the at least one architectural drawing; program instructions to mark each element within the structural drawings; program instructions to generate a 3D model based on the structural drawings; program instructions to analyze the 3D model, wherein the 3D model is tested for predetermined characteristics; and program instructions to generate, a report based on the analyzed results of the predetermined characteristics. In a third embodiment, the present invention is a system comprising: a CPU, a computer readable memory and a computer readable storage medium associated with a computing device; program instructions to receive at least one architectural drawing; program instructions to analyze each of the at least one architectural drawing, wherein non-structural elements are removed from each of the at least one architectural drawing; program instructions to generate structural drawings for each of the at least one architectural drawing; program instructions to mark each element within the structural drawings; program instructions to generate a 3D model based on the structural drawings; program instructions to analyze the 3D model, wherein the 3D model is tested for predetermined characteristics; and program instructions to generate, a report based on the analyzed results of the predetermined characteristics.

11488655

BACKGROUND A semiconductor memory device, such as a Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), includes a memory cell array having memory cells disposed at intersections between word lines and bit lines. The semiconductor memory device may include hierarchically structured main word lines (MWL) and word lines. The main word line is driven by a respective main word driver and is positioned at an upper hierarchy, and is selected by a first portion of a row address. The word line is driven by a respective subword driver and is positioned at a lower hierarchy, and is selected based on a corresponding main word line and a word driver line (FX) selected by a second portion of the row address. Due to the scaling down of array access devices in semiconductor fabrication, there is a desire to reduce the number of transistors in a memory device. For example, reducing the number of transistors in subword drivers and/or improving the layout design of the same has become desirable in reducing the die size of the memory device.

11234848

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention Embodiments of the present invention relate to a stent delivery device, specifically a single-handed thumbwheel driven delivery handle. Background There are a number of medical conditions and procedures in which a device such as a stent is placed in the body to create or maintain a passage. There are a wide variety of stents used for different purposes, from expandable coronary, vascular and biliary stents, to plastic stents used to allow the flow of urine between kidney and bladder. Self-expanding stents, as well as balloon expandable stents, may also be used to treat various issues with the vascular system, including, but not limited to May-Thurner Syndrome and Deep Vein Thrombosis. Stents are usually delivered in a compressed condition to the target site and then, deployed at that location into an expanded condition to support the vessel and help maintain it in an open position. The delivery system used to implant or deploy at the stent target site in the diseased vessel using a delivery system. Stents are commonly delivered using a catheter delivery system. A common type of delivery system for delivering a self-expanding stent is called a pull back delivery system. This type of delivery system utilizes two catheters or shafts which are concentrically arranged, one around another. The stent is carried axially around the distal end of the inner catheter or shaft. The stent is carried to the delivery site on the distal end of the delivery device, held in its compressed delivery position by the outer shaft or catheter. Once at the desired placement site, the outer shaft is pulled back, releasing the stent to self-expand. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a rotary handle stent delivery system and method that obviates one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art. In accordance with the purpose(s) of this invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, this invention, in one aspect, relates to a delivery device according to principles described herein including a catheter having three concentric shafts including an inner core, an outer sheath over the inner core and an outer support shaft; a flexible timing belt, wherein the flexible timing belt is a continuous loop having and inner surface and an outer surface and has a plurality of belt teeth; a timing belt link coupled to the flexible timing belt and coupled to the outer sheath such that movement of the timing belt link causes movement of the outer sheath; a barrel having barrel teeth corresponding to belt teeth for directly engaging the belt teeth and wherein the outer surface of the flexible timing belt is adjacent the barrel such that the barrel is external to an area defined by the continuous loop; and a thumbwheel assembly having two thumbwheels, wherein at least a portion of the thumbwheel assembly is integral with the barrel such that rotation of the thumbwheel assembly causes movement of the barrel such that the barrel teeth directly engage the belt teeth to cause movement of the flexible timing belt and the timing belt link, causing movement of the outer sheath, wherein the barrel and the two thumbwheels are rotatable about a common axis. In another aspect, a system for delivery of an intraluminal stent according to principles described herein includes a delivery device with a catheter having three concentric shafts including an inner core having the intraluminal stent thereon; an outer sheath over the stent in an unexpanded state on the inner core therein, the outer sheath holding the stent in an unexpanded state, the outer sheath translatable coaxially over the inner core and the intraluminal stent; and an outer support shaft at least partially extending over the inner core and the outer sheath; a flexible timing belt, wherein the flexible timing belt is a continuous loop having and inner surface and an outer surface and has a plurality of belt teeth; a timing belt link coupled to the outer sheath such that movement of the timing belt link causes movement of the outer sheath to expose the intraluminal stent; a barrel having barrel teeth corresponding to belt teeth and wherein the outer surface of the flexible timing belt is adjacent the barrel such that the barrel is external to an area defined by the continuous loop; and a thumbwheel assembly having two thumbwheels, wherein at least a portion of the thumbwheel assembly is integral with the barrel such that rotation of the thumbwheel assembly causes movement of the barrel such that the barrel teeth directly engage the belt teeth to cause movement of the flexible timing belt and the timing belt link, causing movement of the outer sheath. In yet another aspect, a method of delivering a medical device to a body according to principles described herein uses a delivery device with a catheter having three concentric shafts including an inner core, an outer sheath over the inner core and an outer support shaft; a flexible timing belt, wherein the flexible timing belt is a continuous loop having and inner surface and an outer surface and has a plurality of belt teeth; a timing belt link coupled to the outer sheath such that movement of the timing belt link causes movement of the outer sheath; a barrel having barrel teeth corresponding to belt teeth and wherein the outer surface of the flexible timing belt is adjacent the barrel such that the barrel is external to an area defined by the continuous loop; a thumbwheel assembly coupled to the barrel such that rotation of the thumbwheel assembly causes movement of the barrel such that the barrel teeth engage the belt teeth to cause movement of the flexible timing belt causing movement of the outer sheath; and a medical device over an outer diameter of the inner core. The method comprises rotating the thumbwheel assembly in a predetermined direction to cause the flexible timing belt to move in direction associated with the predetermined direction of thumbwheel assembly rotation to cause the timing belt link to move the outer sheath in a desired direction; and deploying the medical device from a distal end of the inner core to the body as the outer sheath moves in the desired direction. Additional advantages will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed. Further embodiments, features, and advantages of the rotary handle stent delivery system and method, as well as the structure and operation of the various embodiments of the rotary handle stent delivery system and method, are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention as claimed.

11366906

COPYRIGHT NOTICE Contained herein is material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction of the patent disclosure by any person as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all rights to the copyright whatsoever. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates generally to controlling access to resources of a computing platform. BACKGROUND Corporate data are increasingly mobile, distributed, and prolific. Data are routinely taken out of physically secured facilities to accommodate workers who travel or have flexible working habits. Data are also distributed geographically as corporations' business interests take them into other cities, states, and countries. Data are prolific in both the rate at which they are generated and in the multi-media formats in which they can be presented. All of these forces drive the evolution of new storage media, higher bandwidth subsystems, and network-connected storage that require that data be protected both while in transit and while at rest. Furthermore, computing platforms are becoming more mobile, smaller and light weight. Users are more likely to carry multiple computing devices. All these factors raise the likelihood of loss and theft which translates to increased capital expenditures as well as security risk due to increased potential for dictionary attacks on user passwords. Data-at-rest (DAR) encryption technology prevents the unauthorized use of data stored on lost or stolen storage devices, thereby preventing these data from being spread on the Internet or other networks. DAR encryption acts as an automated and quick response mechanism to prevent the inevitable loss and theft of storage devices from becoming the loss and theft of the data stored on those devices. However, DAR encryption technology is often implemented using a single password to control access to encryption keys that can be used to decrypt the data stored on the encrypted hard drive. Similarly, hard drives are often protected using a single password. A thief who can guess the user's password can circumvent these common protection mechanisms.

11303538

BACKGROUND Managed networks may include various types of computer networks that can be remotely administered. This management may involve one or more computing devices disposed within a remote network management platform collecting information about the configuration and operational states of software applications executing on behalf on the managed network, and then presenting representations of this information by way of one or more user interfaces. The user interfaces may be, for instance, web-based user interfaces. In some instances, remote management of networks may be provided by a third party, such as a service provider or vendor. Network management, including remote network management, may involve numerous processes carried out autonomously, semi-autonomously with human interaction, and manually through user actions. Network management processes may support network operations, such as infrastructure and performance monitoring, maintenance, and problem/issue detection and resolution. For example, a network management process may be an “problem management process” used to enable reporting of a network issue/problem, such as unavailability of a server or loss of connectivity, to IT personnel, and then to guide or direct actions towards a resolution according to a predetermined workflow or trouble-shooting flow chart. A managed network itself may also support the mission and operations of an organization or enterprise, and the mission and operations may also involve autonomous, semi-autonomous, and manual processes. For example, a “problem” in a supply chain process of a manufacturing enterprise might be an unexpected interruption in a component supply, and the enterprise might have a problem management process in place for reporting and resolving such a problem. These are just two examples of the types of processes that may be part management of a network and/or of a mission/purpose of an organization or enterprise that relies on a network. It may be of interest to owners, operators, and/or users of networks and/or organizations/enterprises that rely on the networks to be able to evaluate and analyze how the processes themselves are performing, in order to help ensure smooth and effective operations, as well as to update and/or revise the processes as possibly warranted by the evaluation and analysis. SUMMARY Conventional techniques for evaluating and/or analyzing performance of processes used in network management and/or operations management of organizations/enterprises may entail significant human monitoring and observation of the processes as they occur or are carried out. A typical scenario might involve engaging services of an operations consulting firm to provide personnel to observe and study various processes in action in an attempt to identify possible inefficiencies or other shortfalls of existing processes, and then recommend possible improvements to address the identified problems or issues. This and other, similar, conventional approaches may be tedious, time-consuming, and costly. The inventor has recognized that a managed network, including a remotely managed network, may be configured to automatically collect information associated with active processes, which can then be used in an automated analysis of process performance. More particularly, activities associated with processes may be logged in database that records such information as individual process identifiers, process categories, process states and state transitions, timestamps, and identities of initiators/actors of actions associated with state changes. This information, which may be collected continuously and/or on an event-driven basis, can provide a basis for statistical analyses of processes involved in network and/or organization/enterprise management and operations. Such statistical analyses may be used to evaluate process performance from multiple perspectives. By taking advantage of information automatically logged in the database, and using computer-implemented analysis tools to evaluate the data, the significant disadvantages of conventional process performance analysis may be overcome. In accordance with example embodiments, a remote network management platform may provide processes and process building blocks for support of both network management and operations and enterprise/organization management and operations. Process building blocks may be used to develop new and/or custom processes as necessary or desirable. Also in accordance with example embodiments, the remote network management platform may provide a system or facility for evaluating and analyzing process performance based on process activities logged to the database. Processes may be classified according process “classes” corresponding to classes or types of services delivered. Non-limiting examples of process classes may include “incident management,” “request management,” “change management,” and “problem management.” These examples are described in more detail below. In accordance with example embodiments, a given process comes into existence or is made active as a “process instance” by being opened or created in response to some opening/creating action that may also implicitly or explicitly designate an associated process class. The opening/creating action may thus be logged in a database. Subsequent activities of the process instance may also be logged, including an action to close or complete the process, as well as any actions in between opening and closing. Process activities and actions may be a mix of automated actions, semi-automated or interactive actions, and manual actions. The complete log for the process instance may form a sort of audit trail that tracks the lifecycle of the process instance. Example embodiments disclosed herein are directed to applying various statistical operations and analyses to the process lifecycle data in the database in order to generate different views and representations of process performance. This may include performance analysis of particular classes and/or types of processes, as well as performance analysis of activities that may be common to multiple different types of processes. These and other possible forms of process performance analysis may be used to identify problems or issues with classes of processes, with common activities, or with other aspects of processes, and to discover remedies and/or improvements to existing process classes. These are non-limiting examples of applications and uses of automated analysis of process performance. Accordingly, a first example embodiment may involve a system for analyzing performance of processes carried out within a computational instance of a remote network management platform that is associated with a managed network, wherein the system is disposed within the computational instance, the system comprising: an audit database configured for logging activities within the managed network, wherein instances of service delivery within the managed network are represented by respective process instances, wherein each process instance is associated with a process class and comprises multiple states, wherein the audit database comprises records, and wherein each record of the audit database comprises: (a) an identifier (ID) uniquely associating the record with a process instance, (b) information indicating the associated process class of the identified process instance, and (c) information indicating (i) a state transition from a previous state to a current state of the identified process instance, and (ii) a timestamp of the state transition; and one or more server devices disposed within the remote network management platform, wherein the one or more server devices are configured to: receive, from a client device communicatively connected with the managed network, a request to view information representative of multiple process instances, the request including filter criteria associated with one or more data fields of the audit database records; in response to the request, select a plurality of process instances according to the filter criteria applied to the one or more data fields of the audit database records; generate a graphical representation of interconnections between the one or more data fields of the selected plurality based on a statistical analysis of the one or more data fields of the audit database records corresponding to the selected plurality of process instances; and transmit the graphical representation to the client device. In a second example embodiment may involve a method for analyzing performance of processes carried out within a computational instance of a remote network management platform that is associated with a managed network, wherein activities within the managed network are logged in an audit database, wherein instances of service delivery within the managed network are represented by respective process instances, wherein each process instance is associated with a process class and comprises multiple states, wherein the audit database comprises records, and wherein each record of the audit database comprises: (a) an identifier (ID) uniquely associating the record with a process instance, (b) information indicating the associated process class of the identified process instance, and (c) information indicating (i) a state transition from a previous state to a current state of the identified process instance, and (ii) a timestamp of the state transition, and wherein the method comprises: at a server device disposed within the remote network management platform, receiving, from a client device communicatively connected with the managed network, a request to view information representative of multiple process instances, the request including filter criteria associated with one or more data fields of the audit database records; in response to the request, selecting a plurality of process instances according to the filter criteria applied to the one or more data fields of the audit database records; generating a graphical representation of interconnections between the one or more data fields of the selected plurality based on a statistical analysis of the one or more data fields of the audit database records corresponding to the selected plurality of process instances; and transmitting the graphical representation to the client device. In a third example embodiment may involve a non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon for analyzing performance of processes carried out within a computational instance of a remote network management platform that is associated with a managed network, wherein activities within the managed network are logged in an audit database, wherein instances of service delivery within the managed network are represented by respective process instances, wherein each process instance is associated with a process class and comprises multiple states, wherein the audit database comprises records, and wherein each record of the audit database comprises: (a) an identifier (ID) uniquely associating the record with a process instance, (b) information indicating the associated process class of the identified process instance, and (c) information indicating (i) a state transition from a previous state to a current state of the identified process instance, and (ii) a timestamp of the state transition, and wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors of a server device disposed within the remote network management platform, cause the server device to carry out operations including: receiving, from a client device communicatively connected with the managed network, a request to view information representative of multiple process instances, the request including filter criteria associated with one or more data fields of the audit database records; in response to the request, selecting a plurality of process instances according to the filter criteria applied to the one or more data fields of the audit database records; generating a graphical representation of interconnections between the one or more data fields of the selected plurality based on a statistical analysis of the one or more data fields of the audit database records corresponding to the selected plurality of process instances; and transmitting the graphical representation to the client device. In a fourth example embodiment, a system may include various means for carrying out each of the operations of the second example embodiment. These as well as other embodiments, aspects, advantages, and alternatives will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reading the following detailed description, with reference where appropriate to the accompanying drawings. Further, this summary and other descriptions and figures provided herein are intended to illustrate embodiments by way of example only and, as such, that numerous variations are possible. For instance, structural elements and process steps can be rearranged, combined, distributed, eliminated, or otherwise changed, while remaining within the scope of the embodiments as claimed.

11297780

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention In general, the present invention relates to systems and methods that inform a person of where to plant various species of plants on a tract of land. More particularly, the present invention relates to landscaping templates that are placed over a tract of land, wherein information for planting is printed upon the template. 2. Prior Art Description Landscaping is a branch of horticultural science. A properly landscaped tract of land can rarely be created by accident. Rather, the plant landscaping must either be designed, or evolved through trial and error through many growing seasons. The complexities of landscaping arise from the fact that different plants have different life cycles with different light requirements, different water requirements, and different soil requirements. Different plants grow to different sizes, present different colors and bloom at different times. Different plants also are susceptible to different diseases and attract different types of pests and herbivores. It therefore takes a lot of thought and preparation to create a landscaping design that thrives and maintains pleasing aesthetics throughout a growing season. Many landscaping projects are also designed to present a specialized aesthetic at a specific time. For example, a homeowner may want a garden in full bloom of red, white and blue flowers for a Fourth of July party. Otherwise, a business may want landscaping that reproduces the logo of the company in front of its headquarters. Such landscaping is difficult to create and difficult to maintain. As a consequence, most landscaping is designed, installed and maintained by professional landscapers. This results in a significant expense to the homeowner and/or business owner. In the prior art, systems have been developed to assist a person, who is not a trained landscaper, to properly landscape a particular tract of land. Many prior art systems use templates of various types. One type of template is a simple grid template. Such prior art grid templates are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 8,745,918 to Dyson-Coope, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,282,317 to Carter. Grid templates merely help a homeowner properly space plants. Grid templates provide no information regarding what plants to use, how to arrange those plants, how to water those plants, or how to prepare the soil for those plants. The same problems occur with landscaping weed control sheeting that shows spaced points where plants can be planted through the sheeting. Such weed-control sheeting is exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 3,704,544 to Spanel. Such sheeting shows a person how to space plants but does nothing to help in the selection or maintenance of the plants. In the prior art, there are also templates that are laid on the ground to show where some specific types of plants should be planted. Such prior art is exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 6,763,601 to Turley. Such prior art is limited in its applications, because it only provides information about spacing a select few plants. Such prior art templates cannot be used on oddly shaped plants. Furthermore, such templates provide no information regarding the water requirements or soil requirements of the plants. This makes such systems inadequate for complex landscaping projects that use a wide variety of plants. A need therefore exists for an improved landscaping template system that enables more complex and ornate landscaped areas to be created by a non-professional. This need is met by the present invention as described and claimed below. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a system and method for implementing a landscaping project on a plot of land. The system creates a flexible landscaping template that is physically placed over the land that is to be landscaped. The flexible landscaping template has graphics printed on its surface. The graphics identify a variety of plants, indicate planting positions for the plants, and identify a variety of soil conditioning products for use at the planting positions. The graphics on the flexible landscaping template can also indicate the placement of water management conduits and electrical conduits, the placement of electrical conduits, the placement of hardscaping products and/or the placement of construction foundations. The system generates the flexible landscaping template using input from a user and environmental criteria for the land to be landscaped. Once the flexible landscaping template is generated, the materials identified on the flexible landscaping template are gathered into a shipping module by a supplier company. The shipping module is shipped to the customer or is made available for pick-up. Once a customer has the shipping module, the customer lays out the flexible landscaping template and completes the landscaping project using the materials and instructions provided.

11478440

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is the U.S. national stage application of International Patent Application No. PCT/EP2018/059967, filed Apr. 18, 2018. STATEMENT REGARDING SEQUENCE LISTING The Sequence Listing for this application is labeled “Seq-List.txt” which was created on May 16, 2022 and is 4637 bytes. The present invention relates to a combination therapy for the treatment of inflammatory, metabolic, fibrotic and cholestatic diseases. 1-[4-methylthiophenyl]-3-[3,5-dimethyl-4-carboxydimethylmethyloxyphenyl]prop-2-en-1-one (Elafibranor, or ELA, formerly named GFT505), disclosed in WO2004005233, possesses properties which can be advantageous for the treatment of a number of gastroenterology and liver diseases, in particular cholestatic diseases such as PBC (primary biliary cholangitic) and PSC (primary sclerosing cholangitis), or liver diseases, in particular non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD) such as non-alcoholic steatoHepatitic (NASH). Elafibranor has been tested for clinical efficacy in NASH in a 1-year liver biopsy-based Phase 2b trial (GFT505-212-7), one of the largest interventional studies ever conducted in NASH. Administered to over 800 patients and healthy volunteers to date, elafibranor has demonstrated beneficial properties for NASH, including in particular: improvement of markers of liver dysfunction, including ALAT, ASAT, γGT, ALP; improvement of insulin sensitivity and glucose homeostasis; favorable effects on plasma lipids, including decrease of plasma triglycerides and LDL-C, and increase of HDL-C levels; anti-inflammatory properties; efficacy on histological NASH parameters (steatosis, inflammation, fibrosis) in animal disease models and anti-fibrotic activities. The absence of safety concern has been confirmed in a full toxicological package up to 2-year carcinogenicity studies. Elafibranor is currently being evaluated in a clinical phase 3 study for the treatment of NASH. Evaluation of this molecule for the treatment of PBC in a clinical phase 2 study is also planned. In view of its excellent therapeutic and pharmacological profile, elafibranor is a very promising molecule that could potentially be used in combined pharmacological approaches to target parallel or complementary key pathways involved in a high number of inflammatory, metabolic, fibrotic and cholestatic diseases. SUMMARY OF INVENTION The present invention relates to a combination product comprising:(i) a PPAR agonist, in particular a compound of formula (I), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof: in which:Y1 represents a halogen, a Ra, or Ga—Ra group;A represents a CH═CH or a CH2-CH2 group;Y2 represents a Gb-Rb group;Ga and Gb, identical or different, represent an atom of oxygen or sulfur;Ra represents a hydrogen atom, an unsubstituted (C1-C6)alkyl group, a (C6-C14)aryl group or a (C1-C6)alkyl group that is substituted by one or more halogen atoms, a (C1-C6)alkoxy or a (C1-C6)alkylthio group, (C3-C14)cycloalkyl groups, (C3-C14)cycloalkylthio groups or heterocyclic groups;Rb represents a (C1-C6)alkyl group substituted by at least a —COORc group, wherein Rc represents a hydrogen atom, or a (C1-C6)alkyl group that is substituted or not by one or more halogen atoms, (C3-C14)cycloalkyl groups, or heterocyclic groups; andY4 and Y5, identical or different, representing a (C1-C6)alkyl group that is substituted or not by one or more halogen atoms, (C3-C14)cycloalkyl groups or heterocyclic groupsand(ii) an anti-NASH, anti-fibrotic or anti-cholestatic agent. In a particular embodiment of the compound of formula (I):Y1 represents a halogen, a Ra, or a Ga—Ra group;A represents a CH═CH group;Y2 represents a Gb-Rb group;Ga and Gb, identical or different, represent an atom of oxygen or sulfur;Ra represents a (C1-C6)alkyl or (C3-C14)cycloalkyl group, in particular a (C1-C6)alkyl or (C3-C14)cycloalkyl group substituted or not by one or more halogen atoms;Rb represents a (C1-C6)alkyl group substituted by a —COOR3 group, wherein Rc represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having from one to four carbon atoms; andY4 and Y5 independently represent a (C1-C4)alkyl group. In a particular embodiment of the compound of formula (I):Y1 represents a Ra or Ga—Ra group;A represents a CH2-CH2 group;Y2 represents a Gb-Rb group;Ga represents an atom of oxygen or sulfur and Gb represents an atom of oxygen;Ra represents a (C1-C6)alkyl or (C3-C14)cycloalkyl group;Rb represents a (C1-C6)alkyl group substituted by at least a —COORc group, wherein Rc represents a hydrogen atom or (C1-C4)alkyl group; andY4 and Y5 independently represent a (C1-C4)alkyl group. In a particular embodiment of the compound of formula (I):Y1 represents a halogen atom or a Ra or Ga—Ra group;A represents a CH2-CH2 group;Y2 represents a Gb-Rb group;Ga represents an atom of oxygen or sulfur and Gb represents an atom of oxygen;Ra represents a (C1-C6)alkyl or (C3-C14)cycloalkyl group that is substituted by one or more halogen atoms;Rb represents a (C1-C6)alkyl group substituted or not by one or more halogen atoms and substituted by at least a —COORc group, wherein Rc represents a hydrogen atom or a (C1-C4)alkyl group; andY4 and Y5 represent a (C1-C4)alkyl group. In a particular embodiment of the compound of formula (I), Gb is an oxygen atom and Rb is (C1-C6)alkyl group substituted by a —COORc group, wherein Rc represents a hydrogen atom or an unsubstituted linear or branched (C1-C4)alkyl group. In a particular embodiment of the compound of formula (I), Y1 is a (C1-C6)alkylthio group that comprises a (C1-C6)alkyl group that is linear or branched that is substituted or not by one or more halogen atoms. In a particular embodiment, the compound of formula (I) is selected in the group consisting of 1-[4-methylthiophenyl]-3-[3,5-dimethyl-4-carboxydimethylmethyloxy phenyl]prop-2-en-1-one (Elafibranor or GFT505), 1-[4-methylthiophenyl]-3-[3,5-dimethyl-4-isopropyloxy carbonyldimethylmethyloxyphenyl]prop-2-en-1-one, 1-[4-methylthiophenyl]-3-[3,5-dimethyl-4-tertbutyloxycarbonyldimethylmethyloxyphenyl] prop-2-en-1-one, 1-[4-trifluoromethylphenyl]-3-[3,5-dimethyl-4-tertbutyloxycarbonyl dimethylmethyloxyphenyl]prop-2-en-1-one, 1-[4-trifluoromethylphenyl]-3-[3,5-dimethyl-4-carboxydimethylmethyloxyphenyl]prop-2-en-1-one, 1-[4-trifluoromethyl oxyphenyl]-3-[3,5-dimethyl-4-tertbutyloxycarbonyldimethylmethyloxy phenyl] prop-2-en-1-one, 1-[4-trifluoromethyloxyphenyl]-3-[3,5-dimethyl-4-carboxydimethylmethyl oxyphenyl]prop-2-en-1-one, 2-[2,6-dimethyl-4-[3-[4-(methylthio)phenyl]-3-oxo-propyl] phenoxy]-2-methylpropanoic acid, and 2-[2,6-dimethyl-4-[3-[4-(methylthio) phenyl]-3-oxo-propyl]phenoxy]-2-methylpropanoic acid isopropyl ester. In a particular embodiment of the invention, component (ii) is an anti-NASH agent. Illustrative, non-limiting, anti-NASH agents useful in the practice of the present invention include:Acetyl-CoA carboxylase inhibitors;Adenosine A3 receptor agonists;Aldosterone antagonists and Mineralocorticoid antagonists;AMP activated protein kinase stimulator;Amylin receptor agonist and Calcitonin receptor agonists;Angiopoietin-related protein-3 inhibitors;Anti-LPS antibodies;Apical sodium-codependent bile acid transporter inhibitors;Betaine anhydrous or RM-003;bioactive lipids;Cannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonists;Dual cannabinoid CB1 receptor/iNOS inhibitor;Caspase inhibitors;Cathepsin inhibitors;CCR antagonists;CCR3 chemokine modulators and eotaxin 2 ligand inhibitors;Diacylglycerol-O-acyltransferase (DGAT) inhibitors;Dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP4) inhibitors;Insulin ligand and insulin receptor agonists;Insulin sensitizer and MCH receptor-1 antagonist;NOX (NADPH oxidase) inhibitors, such as dual NOX 1 and 4 inhibitors;Extracellular matrix protein modulators;Stearoyl CoA desaturase-1 inhibitors/fatty acid bile acid conjugates (FABAC);Fatty Acid Synthase (FAS) Inhibitors;Fibroblast Growth Factor 19 (FGF-19) receptor ligands, such as Recombinant Fibroblast Growth Factor 19 (FGF-19) protein, or functional engineered variant of the FGF-19 protein;Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 (FGF-21) receptor ligands such as Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 (FGF-21) protein, or functional engineered variant of the FGF-21 protein;Farnesoid X receptor (FXR) agonists;Galectin 3 inhibitors;Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogs and GLP-1 receptor agonists;G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) modulators;G-protein coupled receptor 84 antagonist, connective tissue growth factor ligand inhibitor and Free fatty acid receptor 1 agonists;Hedgehog cell-signalling pathway inhibitors;Integrin inhibitors;ketohexokinase inhibitors Leukotriene (LT)/Phosphodiesterase (PDE)/Lipoxygenase (LO) inhibitors;Lysyl oxidase homolog 2 inhibitors (LOXL2 inhibitors);Macrolides;Methyl CpG binding protein 2 modulator and Transglutaminase inhibitors;miRNA antagonists;Mitochondrial carrier family inhibitor and Mitochondrial phosphate carrier protein inhibitor;Monoclonal antibodies;Myeloperoxidase inhibitors;mTOR modulators;NAD-dependent deacetylase sirtuin stimulator; PDE 5 inhibitor;Nicotinic Acid Receptor (GPR109) Agonists;nuclear receptor ligands;P2Y13 protein agonists;Phenylalanine hydroxylase stimulators;Protease-activated receptor (PAR)-2 antagonists;Protein kinase modulators;PPAR alpha agonists;PPAR gamma agonists;PPAR delta agonists;PPAR alpha/gamma agonists;PPAR alpha/delta agonists;PPAR gamma/delta;PPAR alpha/gamma/delta agonists or PPAR pan-agonists;Rho-associated protein kinase 2 (ROCK2) inhibitors;Sodium-GLucose Transport (SGLT) 1 inhibitors;Sodium-glucose transport (SGLT) 2 inhibitors;Stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 inhibitors;signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) inhibitors;thyroid receptor β (THR β) agonists;Toll Like Receptor 2 (TLR-2) antagonists;Toll Like Receptor 4 (TLR-4) antagonists;Type I natural killer T cells inhibitors;Tyrosine kinase receptor (RTK) modulators;Urate anion exchanger 1 inhibitors and Xanthine oxidase inhibitors;Vascular adhesion protein-1 (VAP-1) inhibitors; andVitamin D receptor (VDR) agonists. In a further particular embodiment of the invention, component (ii) is an anti-NASH agent. In a particular embodiment, the anti-NASH agent is selected from:Acetyl-CoA carboxylase inhibitors;Anti-LPS antibodies;Apical sodium-codependent bile acid transporter inhibitors;bioactive lipids;Cannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonists;Dual cannabinoid CB1 receptor/iNOS inhibitor;Caspase inhibitors;Cathepsin inhibitors;CCR antagonists;Diacylglycerol-O-acyltransferase (DGAT) inhibitors;Dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP4) inhibitors;NOX (NADPH oxidase) inhibitors, such as dual NOX 1 and 4 inhibitors;Extracellular matrix protein modulators;Stearoyl CoA desaturase-1 inhibitors/fatty acid bile acid conjugates (FABAC);Fibroblast Growth Factor 19 (FGF-19) receptor ligands, such as Recombinant Fibroblast Growth Factor 19 (FGF-19) protein, or functional engineered variant of the FGF-19 protein; Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 (FGF-21) receptor ligands such as Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 (FGF-21) protein, or functional engineered variant of the FGF-21 protein;Farnesoid X receptor (FXR) agonists;Galectin 3 inhibitors;Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogs;G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) modulators;Integrin inhibitors;Leukotriene (LT)/Phosphodiesterase (PDE)/Lipoxygenase (LO) inhibitors;Macrolides;miRNA antagonists;Monoclonal antibodies;mTOR modulators;nuclear receptor ligands;P2Y13 protein agonists;Protease-activated receptor (PAR)-2 antagonists;Protein kinase modulators;PPAR alpha agonists;PPAR gamma agonists;PPAR delta agonists;PPAR alpha/gamma agonists;PPAR alpha/delta agonists;PPAR gamma/delta;PPAR alpha/gamma/delta agonists or PPAR pan-agonists;Rho-associated protein kinase 2 (ROCK2) inhibitors;Sodium-glucose transport (SGLT) 2 inhibitors;signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) inhibitors;thyroid receptor β (THR β) agonists;Toll Like Receptor 4 (TLR-4) antagonists;Tyrosine kinase receptor (RTK) modulators;Vascular adhesion protein-1 (VAP-1) inhibitors; andVitamin D receptor (VDR) agonists. Other anti-NASH agents include KB-GE-001 and NGM-386 and NGM-395, NC-10, and TCM-606F. Further anti-NASH agents include icosabutate, NC-101, NAIA-101 colesevelam, and PRC-4016. In a particular embodiment of the invention, component (ii) is an anti-fibrotic agent. Illustrative, non-limiting, anti-fibrotic agents useful in the practice of the present invention include:Adenosine A3 receptor agonists;Angiotensin II receptor blockers;antisense oligonucleotides targeting transforming growth factor beta 2 (TGF-β2);Bioactive lipids;Caspase inhibitors;Cannabinoid CB2 receptor mimetics;Dual Farnesoid X receptor (FXR)/TGR5 agonists;NOX (NADPH oxidase) inhibitors, such as dual NOX 1 and 4 inhibitors;Galectin 3 inhibitors;Hedgehog cell-signalling pathway inhibitors;Immunomodulators;Integrin inhibitors;Macrophage mannose receptor modulators;Metalloprotease-9 (MMP-9) stimulators;Monoclonal antibodies;NF-kappa B inhibitors;Non-Steroid Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs);PDGFR modulators;PPAR alpha agonists;PPAR gamma agonists;PPAR delta agonists;PPAR alpha/gamma agonists;PPAR alpha/delta agonists;PPAR gamma/delta; andPPAR alpha/gamma/delta agonists or PPAR pan-agonists. In a further particular embodiment the anti-fibrotic agent is selected in the group consisting of:antisense oligonucleotides targeting transforming growth factor beta 2 (TGF-β2);Bioactive lipids;Caspase inhibitors;Cannabinoid CB2 receptor mimetics;Dual Farnesoid X receptor (FXR)/TGR5 agonists;NOX (NADPH oxidase) inhibitors, such as dual NOX 1 and 4 inhibitors;Galectin 3 inhibitors;Immunomodulators;Integrin inhibitors;Macrophage mannose receptor modulators;Metalloprotease-9 (MMP-9) stimulators;Monoclonal antibodies;NF-kappa B inhibitors;Non-Steroid Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs);PDGFR modulators;PPAR alpha agonists;PPAR gamma agonists;PPAR delta agonists;PPAR alpha/gamma agonists;PPAR alpha/delta agonists;PPAR gamma/delta; andPPAR alpha/gamma/delta agonists or PPAR pan-agonists. Other anti-fibrotic agents include HEC-585, INV-240, RNAi therapeutic (Silence Therapeutics) and SAMiRNA program (Bioneer Corp). Other illustrative antifibrotic agents include pirfenidone or receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (RTKIs) such as Nintedanib, Sorafenib and other RTKIs, or angiotensin II (AT1) receptor blockers, or CTGF inhibitor, or any antifibrotic compound susceptible to interfere with the TGFβ and BMP-activated pathways including activators of the latent TGFβ complex such as MMP2, MMP9, THBS1 or cell-surface integrins, TGFβ receptors type I (TGFBRI) or type II (TGFBRII) and their ligands such as TGFβ, Activin, inhibin, Nodal, anti-Müllerian hormone, GDFs or BMPs, auxiliary co-receptors (also known as type III receptors), or components of the SMAD-dependent canonical pathway including regulatory or inhibitory SMAD proteins, or members of the SMAD-independent or non-canonical pathways including various branches of MAPK signaling, TAK1, Rho-like GTPase signaling pathways, phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase/AKT pathways, TGFβ-induced EMT process, or canonical and non-canonical Hedgehog signaling pathways including Hh ligands or target genes, or any members of the WNT, or Notch pathways which are susceptible to influence TGFβ. In a particular embodiment of the invention, component (ii) is an anti-cholestatic agent. Illustrative, non-limiting, anti-cholestatic agents useful in the practice of the present invention include:apical sodium-codependent bile acid transporter inhibitors (ASBTi);Bile acids;cathepsin inhibitors;CCR antagonists;CD40 inhibitors;CD80 inhibitors;NOX (NADPH oxidase) inhibitors, such as dual NOX 1 and 4 inhibitors;Farnesoid X receptor (FXR) agonists;Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF) 19 recombinant;Fractalkine ligand inhibitors;ileal sodium bile acid cotransporter inhibitors;Monoclonal antibodies;PPAR alpha agonists;PPAR gamma agonists;PPAR delta agonists;PPAR alpha/gamma agonists;PPAR alpha/delta agonists;PPAR gamma/delta; andPPAR alpha/gamma/delta agonists or PPAR pan-agonists. In a particular embodiment, the anti-cholestatic agent is selected in the group consisting of:apical sodium-codependent bile acid transporter inhibitors (ASBTi);Bile acids;cathepsin inhibitors;CCR antagonists;CD40 inhibitors;CD80 inhibitors;NOX (NADPH oxidase) inhibitors;Farnesoid X receptor (FXR) agonists;Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF) 19 recombinant;Fractalkine ligand inhibitors;ileal sodium bile acid cotransporter inhibitors;Monoclonal antibodies;PPAR alpha agonists;PPAR gamma agonists;PPAR delta agonists;PPAR alpha/gamma agonists;PPAR alpha/delta agonists;PPAR gamma/delta;PPAR alpha/gamma/delta agonists or PPAR pan-agonists. Illustrative acetyl-CoA carboxylase inhibitors include, but are not limited to GS-0976, ND-654, AC-8632, PF05221304, CP640186, Gemcabene, MK-4074, and PF05175157. Illustrative adenosine A3 receptor agonists include but are not limited to 2-(1-Hexynyl)-N-methyladenosine, Piclidenoson CF-101 (IB-MECA), Namodenoson CF-102, 2-CI-IB-MECA, CP-532,903, Inosine, LUF-6000, and MRS-3558. Illustrative aldosterone antagonists and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists include, but are not limited to, Apararenone (MT 3995), Amiloride, Spironolactone, Eplerenone, Canrenone and potassium canrenoate, progesterone, drospirenone, gestodene, and benidipine. Illustrative AMP activated protein kinase stimulators include, but are not limited to PXL-770, MB-11055 Debio-0930B metformin, CNX-012, O-304, mangiferin calcium salt, eltrombopag, carotuximab, and Imeglimin. Illustrative Amylin receptor agonist and Calcitonin receptor agonists include, but are not limited to, KBP-042 and KBP-089. Illustrative angiopoietin-related protein-3 inhibitors include, but are not limited to ARO-ANG3, IONIS-ANGGPTL3-LRx or AKCEA-ANGPTL3LRx, evinacumab, and ALN-ANG. According to the invention, the term “angiotensin type 1 receptor antagonists” as used herein includes, but is not limited to, Irbesartan. According to the invention, the term “anti-LPS antibodies” as used herein includes, but is not limited to IMM-124-E. Illustrative antisense oligonucleotide targeting transforming growth factor beta 2 include, but are not limited to ASPH-0047, IMC-TR1 and ISTH-0047. Illustrative apical sodium-codependent bile acid transporter inhibitor include, but are not limited to A-4250, volixibat, maralixibat formerly SHP-625, GSK-2330672, elobixibat and CJ-14199. Illustrative bile acids include, but are not limited to obeticholic acid (OCA) and UDCA, norursodeoxycholic acid, and ursodiol. Illustrative bioactive lipids include, but are not limited to 5-hydroxyeicosapentaenoic acid (15-HEPE, DS-102). In a further particular embodiment, the bioactive lipid may be selected from unsaturated fatty acids such as 25 arachidonic acid, icosapentethyl ester, eicosapentaneoic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid. Illustrative cannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonists include, but are not limited to namacizumab, GRC-10801, MRI-1569, MRI-1867, DBPR-211, AM-6527:AM-6545, NESS-11-SM, CXB-029, GCC-2680, TM-38837, Org-50189, PF-514273, BMS-812204, ZYO-1, AZD-2207, AZD-1175, otenabant, ibipinabant, surinabant, rimonabant, drinabant, SLV-326, V-24343, and O-2093. Illustrative cannabinoid CB2 receptor mimetics include, but are not limited to anabasum (Resunab, JKT-101). Illustrative caspase inhibitors include, but are not limited to emricasan, belnacasan, nivocasan, IDN-7314, F-573, VX-166, YJP-60107, MX-1122, IDN-6734, TLC-144, SB-234470, IDN-1965, VX-799, SDZ-220-976, and L-709049. Illustrative cathepsin inhibitors include, but are not limited to VBY-376, VBY-825, VBY-036, VBY-129, VBY-285, Org-219517, LY3000328, RG-7236, and BF/PC-18. Illustrative CCR antagonists include, but are not limited to CCR2/5 antagonists such as cenicriviroc; PG-092, RAP-310, INCB-10820, RAP-103, PF-04634817, and CCX-872. Illustrative CD40 inhibitors include, but are not limited to FFp-104, xl-050, DOM-0800, XmAb-5485, KGYY-15, FFP-106, TDI-0028, and ABI-793. Illustrative CD80 inhibitors include, but are not limited to RhuDex, FPT-155, ToleriMab, galiximab, SCH-212394, IGM-001, ASP-2408, and SCH-204698. Illustrative CCR3 chemokine modulators and eotaxin 2 ligand inhibitors include, but are not limited to bertilimumab, CM-101 (humanized), CM-102, and RNS-60. Illustrative diacylglycerol-O-acyltransferase inhibitors include, but are not limited to IONIS-DGAT2Rx (formerly ISIS-DGAT2Rx), LY-3202328, BH-03004, KR-69530, OT-13540, AZD-7687, PF-06865571, PF-06424439, and ABT-046. Illustrative dipeptidyl peptidase IV inhibitors include, but are not limited to evogliptin, vidagliptin, fotagliptin, alogliptin, saxagliptin, tilogliptin, anagliptin, sitagliptin, retagliptin, melogliptin, gosogliptin, trelagliptin, teneligliptin, dutogliptin, linagliptin, gemigliptin, yogliptin, betagliptin, imigliptin, omarigliptin, vidagliptin, and denagliptin. Illustrative Fatty Acid Synthase (FAS) inhibitors include, but are not limited to TVB-2640; TVB-3664; TVB-3166, TVB-3150, TVB-3199, TVB-3693BZL-101, 2-octadecynoic acid, MDX-2, Fasnall, MT-061, G28UCM, MG-28, HS-160, GSK-2194069, KD-023, cilostazol. In a particular embodiment, the FAS inhibitor is a compound selected in the following list of compounds: In another particular embodiment, the FAS inhibitor is selected from: In a particular embodiment, the FAS inhibitor is TVB-2640. Illustrative dual Farnesoid X receptor (FXR)/TGR5 agonists include, but are not limited to INT-767. Illustrative NOX (NADPH oxidase) inhibitors include, but are not limited to, dual NOX 1&4 inhibitors; GKT-831 (2-(2-chlorophenyl)-4-[3-(dimethylamino)phenyl]-5-methyl-1H-pyrazolo[4,3-c]pyridine-3,6(2H,5H)-dione), formerly GKT137831 and GKT-901. Illustrative extracellular matrix protein modulators include, but are not limited to CNX-024, CNX-025 and SB-030. Illustrative Farnesoid X receptor (FXR) agonists includes but are not limited to obeticholic acid (OCA), GS-9674, LJN-452 or LJN452, LMB763, EDP-305, AKN-083, INT-767, GNF-5120, LY2562175, INV-33, NTX-023-1, EP-024297, Px-103 and SR-45023. Illustrative Fractalkine ligand inhibitors include, but are not limited to E-6011 and KAN-0440567. Illustrative Fibroblast Growth Factor 19 (FGF-19) receptor ligand, Recombinant Fibroblast Growth Factor 19 (FGF-19) protein or functional engineered variant of FGF-19 include, but are not limited to NGM-282. Illustrative Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 (FGF-21) receptor ligand, Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 (FGF-21) protein, include, but are not limited to PEG-FGF21 (formerly BMS-986036), YH-25348, BMS-986171, YH-25723, LY-3025876 and NNC-0194-0499. Illustrative Galectin 3 inhibitors include, but are not limited to GR-MD-02, TD-139, ANG-4021, Galectin-3C, LJPC-201, TFD-100, GR-MD-03, GR-MD-04, GM-MD-01, GM-CT-01, GM-CT-02, Gal-100 and Gal-200. Illustrative Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogs include, but are not limited to semaglutide, liraglutide, exenatide, albiglutide, dulaglutide, lixisenatide, loxenatide, efpeglenatide, taspoglutide, MKC-253, DLP-205 and ORMD-0901. Illustrative Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists include, but are not limited to LY-3305677, and Oxyntomodulin long acting. Illustrative G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) modulators include, but are not limited to CNX-023. Illustrative G-protein coupled receptor 84 antagonist (GPR84 antagonist), connective tissue growth factor ligand inhibitor and Free fatty acid receptor 1 agonist (FFAR1 agonist) include, but are not limited to, PBI-4050, PBI-4265, PBI-4283, and PBI-4299. Illustrative Hedgehog cell-signalling pathway inhibitors include, but are not limited to Vismodegib, TAK-441, IPI-926, Saridegib, Sonidegib/Erismodegib, BMS-833923/XL139, PF-04449913, Taladegib/LY2940680, ETS-2400, SHR-1539, and CUR61414. Illustrative ileal sodium bile acid cotransporter inhibitors include, but are not limited to A-4250, GSK-2330672, volixibat, CJ-14199, and elobixibat. Illustrative immunomodulators include, but are not limited to PBI-4050, PBI-4265, PBI-4283, PBI-4299 and AIC-649. Illustrative Insulin sensitizer and MCH receptor-1 antagonist include but are not limited to MSDC-0602k, MSDC-0602, CSTI-100 and AMRI. Illustrative integrin inhibitors include, but are not limited to integrin inhibitors of Pliant Therapeutic, integrin inhibitors of Indalo Therapeutics, integrin inhibitors of St Louis University, ProAgio, and GSK-3008348. Illustrative ketohexokinase inhibitors include, but are not limited to, JNJ-28165722; JNJ-42065426; JNJ-42152981; JNJ-42740815; JNJ-42740828, and PF-06835919. Illustrative leukotriene/phosphodiesterase/lipoxygenase inhibitors include, but are not limited to tipelukast (formerly MN-001), tomelukast, sulukast, masilukast, zafirlukast, pranlukast, montelukast, gemilukast, verlukast, aklukast, pobilikast, cinalukast, and iralukast. Illustrative Lysyl oxidase homolog 2 inhibitors include, but are not limited to, Rappaport, InterMune, Pharmaxis, AB-0023, Simtuzumab, PXS-5382A, and PXS-5338. Illustrative macrolides include, but are not limited to solithromycin, azithromycin, and erythromycin. Illustrative macrophage mannose receptor modulators include, but are not limited to AB-0023, MT-1001, [18F]FB18mHSA, Xemys, technetium Tc 99m tilmanocept, and CDX-1307. Illustrative methyl CpG binding protein 2 modulator and transglutaminase inhibitors include, but are not limited to, cysteamine, EC Cysteamine, enteric-coated cysteamine bitartrate, cysteamine bitartrate (enteric-coated), Bennu, cysteamine bitartrate (enteric-coated), Raptor, cysteamine bitartrate, DR Cysteamine, delayed release enteric coated cysteamine bitartrate, mercaptamine, mercaptamine (enteric-coated), Bennu, mercaptamine (enteric-coated), Raptor, RP-103, RP-104, PROCYSBI, and mercaptamine (enteric-coated). Illustrative miRNA antagonists include, but are not limited to RG-125 (formerly AZD4076), RGLS-5040, RG-101, MGN-5804, and MRG-201. Illustrative metalloprotease-9 (MMP-9) stimulators include, but are not limited to MMP-9 stimulator of Elastomics Ab. Illustrative mitochondrial carrier family inhibitor and Mitochondrial phosphate carrier protein inhibitor include, but are not limited to TRO-19622, Trophos, olesoxime, RG-6083, or RO-7090919. Illustrative myeloperoxidase inhibitors include, but are not limited to PF-06667272. Illustrative monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) include, but are not limited to bertilimumab, NGM-313, IL-20 targeting mAbs, fresolimumab (antiTGFβ) (formerly GC1008), timolumab formerly BTT-1023, namacizumab, omalizumab, ranibizumab, bevacizumab, lebrikizumab, epratuzumab, felvizumab, matuzumab, monalizumab, reslizumab, foralumab (NI-0401, anti-CD3), simtizumab (GS-6624) mAb against LOXL2, ustekinumab, an anti-TNF antibody, and inebilizumab. Illustrative monoclonal antibodies are selected in the group consisting of anti-IL20 mAbs, anti-TGFβ antibodies, anti-CD3 antibodies, anti-LOXL2 antibodies and anti-TNF antibodies. Illustrative mTOR modulators include, but are not limited to MSDC-0602 and AAV gene therapy co-administered with SVP-sirolimus. Illustrative NAD-dependent deacetylase sirtuin stimulator; PDE 5 inhibitor include, but are not limited to NS-0200. Illustrative NF-kappa B inhibitors include, but are not limited to LC-280126. Illustrative Nicotinic Acid Receptor (GPR109) Agonists include, but are not limited to ARI-3037MO, MMF, LUF 6283, Acifran, IBC 293, MK-1903, GSK256073, MK-6892, MK-0354, SLx-4090, lomitapide, lexibulin, apabetalone, acifran, laropiprant, daporinad, anacetrapib, INCB-19602, ST-07-02, lomefloxacin, Niacin, and controlled release/laropiprant. Illustrative non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) include, but are not limited to F-351, salicylates (aspirin), acetaminophen, propionic acid derivatives (ibuprofen, naproxen), acetic acid derivatives (indomethacin, diclofenac), enolic acid derivatives (piroxicam, phenylbutazone), anthranilic acid derivatives (meclofenalmic acid, flufenamic acid), selective COX-2 inhibitors (celecoxib, parecoxib), and sulfonanilides (nimesulide). Illustrative nuclear receptor ligands include, but are not limited to DUR-928 (formerly DV 928). Illustrative P2Y13 protein agonists include, but are not limited to CER-209. Illustrative PDGFR modulators include, but are not limited to BOT-501 and BOT-191. Illustrative phenylalanine hydroxylase stimulators include, but are not limited to Pegvaliase, sapropterin, AAV-PAH, CDX-6114, sepiapterin, RMN-168, ALTU-236, ETX-101, HepaStem, rolipram, and alprostadil. Illustrative PPAR alpha agonists include, but are not limited to fenofibrate, ciprofibrate, pemafibrate, gemfibrozil, clofibrate, binifibrate, clinofibrate, clofibric acid, nicofibrate, pirifibrate, plafibride, ronifibrate, theofibrate, tocofibrate, and SR10171. Illustrative PPAR gamma agonists include, but are not limited to, Pioglitazone, deuterated pioglitazone, Rosiglitazone, efatutazone, ATx08-001, OMS-405, CHS-131, THR-0921, SER-150-DN, KDT-501, GED-0507-34-Levo, CLC-3001, and ALL-4. Illustrative PPAR delta agonists include, but are not limited to GW501516 (Endurabol or ({4-[({4-methyl-2-[4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]-1,3-thiazol-5-yl}methyl)sulfanyl]-2-methylphenoxy}acetic acid)), MBX8025 (Seladelpar or {2-methyl-4-[5-methyl-2-(4-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-2H-[l,2,3]triazol-4-ylmethylsylfanyl]-phenoxy}-acetic acid), GW0742 ([4-[[[2-[3-fluoro-4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]-4-methyl-5-thiazolyl]methyl]thio]-2-methyl phenoxy]acetic acid), L165041, HPP-593, and NCP-1046. Illustrative PPAR alpha/gamma agonists (also named glitazars) include, but are not limited to Saroglitazar, Aleglitazar, Muraglitazar, Tesaglitazar, and DSP-8658. In addition to elafibranor, illustrative PPAR alpha/delta agonists include, without limitation, T913659. Illustrative PPAR gamma/delta agonist include, but are not limited to a conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and T3D-959. Illustrative PPAR alpha/gamma/delta agonists or “PPAR pan-agonists”, include, but are not limited to IVA337 (Lanifibranor), TTA (tetradecylthioacetic acid), Bavachinin, GW4148, GW9135, Bezafibrate, Lobeglitazone and CS038. Illustrative protease-activated receptor (PAR)-2 antagonists include, but are not limited to PZ-235 and NP-003. Illustrative protein kinase modulators include, but are not limited to CNX-014, MB-11055, ALF-1, mangiferin, amlexanox, GS-444217, REG-101 and valine. Illustrative Rho-associated protein kinase 2 (ROCK2) inhibitors include, but are not limited to KD-025, TRX-101, BA-1049, LYC-53976, INS-117548 and RKI-1447. Illustrative signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) inhibitors include, but are not limited to selonsertib (formerly GS-4997). Illustrative sodium-glucose transport (SGLT) 1 inhibitors include, but are not limited to LX-4212/LX-4211/sotagliflozin, SAR-439954, LIK-066 (Licoglifozin), LX-2761, GSK-161235, LP-925219, KGA-2727, SAR-7226, SAR-474832, SY-008, and AVX-3030. Illustrative sodium-glucose transport (SGLT) 2 inhibitors include, but are not limited to remogliflozin, dapagliflozin, empagliflozin, ertugliflozin, sotagliflozin, ipragliflozin, tianagliflozin, canagliflozin, tofogliflozin, janagliflozin, bexagliflozin, luseogliflozin, sergliflozin, HEC-44616, AST-1935 and PLD-101. Illustrative stearoyl CoA desaturase-1 inhibitors/fatty acid bile acid conjugates include, but are not limited to aramchol, GRC-9332, steamchol, TSN-2998, GSK-1940029 and XEN-801. Illustrative thyroid hormone receptor β (THR β) agonists include, but are not limited to VK-2809, MGL-3196, MGL-3745, SKL-14763, sobetirome, BCT-304, ZYT-1, MB-07811 and eprotirome. Illustrative Toll Like Receptor 2 and 4 (TLR-2) antagonists include, but are not limited to CI-201 also known as VB-201. Illustrative Toll Like Receptor 4 (TLR-4) antagonists include, but are not limited to naltrexone, JKB-121 also known as Nalmefene, M-62812, resatorvid, dendrophilin, CS-4771, AyuV-1, AyuV-25, NI-0101, EDA-HPVE7 and eritoran. Illustrative Type I natural killer T cells inhibitors include but are not limited to GRI-0621. Illustrative Receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) modulators include, but are not limited to CNX-025, KBP-7018, nintedanib and sorafenib. Illustrative urate anion exchanger 1 inhibitors and xanthine oxidase inhibitors include, but are not limited to, lesinurad, RLBN-1001, verinurad, KUX-1151, and lesinurad+allopurinol. Illustrative vascular adhesion protein-1 (VAP-1) inhibitors also named Amine Oxidase Copper containing 2 (AOC3), include, but are not limited to BI-1467335 formerly PXS-4728A, CP-664511, PRX-167700, ASP-8232, RTU-1096, RTU-007 and BTT-1023. Illustrative vitamin D receptor (VDR) agonists include, but are not limited to calciferol, alfacalcidol, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, Vitamin D2, Vitamin D3, calcitriol, Vitamin D4, Vitamin D5, dihydrotachysterol, calcipotriol, tacalcitol 1,24-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and paricalcitol. According to the present invention, the term “PPAR(s) agonists” refers the Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor agonists, which are a class of drugs which plays a central role in lipid and glucose homeostasis. PPARα mainly influences fatty acid metabolism and its activation lowers lipid levels, while PPARγ is mostly involved in the regulation of the adipogenesis, energy balance, and lipid biosynthesis. PPARδ participates in fatty acid oxidation, mostly in skeletal and cardiac muscles, but it also regulates blood glucose and cholesterol levels. In a more particular embodiment, the compound of formula (I) is Elafibranor, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. In a particular embodiment of the combination product of the invention:component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof; andcomponent (ii) is selected from GKT-831, aramchol, SHP-625, emricasan, saroglitazar, IMM-124-E, GS-9674, NGM-282, A-4250, GR-MD-02, GS-4997, F-351, solithromycin, remogliflozin, BTT-1023, IVA-337 (Lanifibranor), JKB-121 (Nalmefene), KD-025, MSDC-0602 or MSDC-0602k, PBI-4050, PEG-FGF21, tipelukast, VK-2809, MGL-3196, GS-0976, RG-125, volixibat, pioglitazone, semaglutide, GSK2330672, MBX-8025, CP-640186, Selonsertib, GKT-831, PXS-4728A, Vismodegib, CF-102 (Namodenoson), MT-3995 (Apararenone), icosapentethyl ester, KD-025, DUR-928, and Gemcabene, in particular Selonsertib, GKT-831, PXS-4728A, Aramchol, PBI-4050, MSDC-0602k, VK-2809, MGL-3196, Vismodegib, CF-102 (Namodenoson), MT-3995 (Apararenone), JKB-121 (Nalmefene), emricasan, KD-025, and DUR-928. In a particular embodiment of the combination product of the invention:component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof; andcomponent (ii) is selected from GKT-831, aramchol, SHP-625, emricasan, saroglitazar, IMM-124-E, GS-9674, NGM-282, A-4250, GR-MD-02, GS-4997, LJN-452, F-351, solithromycin, remogliflozin, BTT-1023, IVA-337 (Lanifibranor), JKB-121, KD-025, MSDC-0602, PBI-4050, PEG-FGF21, tipelukast, VK-2809, MGL-3196, GS-0976, pentasa, RG-125, volixibat, pioglitazone, ursodeoxycholic acid, semaglutide, GSK2330672, and MBX-8025, in particular from aramchol, SHP-625, emricasan, saroglitazar, IMM-124-E, GS-9674, NGM-282, A-4250, GR-MD-02, GS-4997, LJN-452, F-351, solithromycin, remogliflozin, BTT-1023, IVA-337 (Lanifibranor), JKB-121, KD-025, MSDC-0602, PBI-4050, PEG-FGF21, tipelukast, VK-2809, MGL-3196, GS-0976, RG-125, volixibat, pioglitazone, ursodeoxycholic acid, semaglutide, GSK2330672, and MBX-8025. In a particular embodiment of the combination product of the invention:component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof; andcomponent (ii) is selected from GKT-831, aramchol, SHP-625, emricasan, saroglitazar, IMM-124-E, GS-9674, NGM-282, A-4250, GR-MD-02, GS-4997, F-351, solithromycin, remogliflozin, BTT-1023, IVA-337 (Lanifibranor), JKB-121, KD-025, MSDC-0602, PBI-4050, PEG-FGF21, tipelukast, VK-2809, MGL-3196, GS-0976, pentasa, RG-125, volixibat, pioglitazone, semaglutide, GSK2330672, and MBX-8025. In a particular embodiment, the combination product is a combination of ELA and GKT-831, ELA and Selonsertib, ELA and GS-0976 or ELA and Pentasa. In a particular embodiment, the combination product is a combination of ELA and GS-0976, ELA and CP-640186, ELA and Selonsertib, ELA and GKT-831 (formerly GKT137831), ELA and BI-1467335/PXS-4728A, ELA and Aramchol, ELA and PBI-4050, ELA and MSDC-0602k, ELA and VK-2809, ELA and MGL-3196, ELA and Vismodegib, ELA and CF-102 (Namodenoson), ELA and MT-3995 (Apararenone), ELA and JKB-121 (Nalmefene), ELA and Emricasan, ELA and KD-025, ELA and DUR-928, or ELA and Gemcabene. In a particular embodiment, the combination product is a combination of ELA and Selonsertib, ELA and GKT-831 (formerly GKT137831), ELA and BI-1467335/PXS-4728A, ELA and Aramchol, ELA and PBI-4050, ELA and MSDC-0602k, ELA and VK-2809, ELA and MGL-3196, ELA and Vismodegib, ELA and CF-102 (Namodenoson), ELA and MT-3995 (Apararenone), ELA and JKB-121 (Nalmefene), ELA and Emricasan, ELA and KD-025, and ELA and DUR-928. In a further particular variant of this embodiment, component (ii) is not OCA or CVC. In a particular embodiment, component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and component (ii) is selected from an ACC inhibitor, an ASK1 inhibitor, a dual NOX1 and NOX4, a VAP-1 inhibitor, a stearoyl CoA desaturase-1 inhibitors/fatty acid bile acid conjugate, a GPR84 antagonist/FFAR1 agonist or immunomodulator, a mTOR modulator or insulin sensitizer, a THRβ agonist, a hedgehog signaling pathway inhibitor, an adenosine A3 receptor agonist, an aldosterone receptor antagonist, a TLR-4 antagonist, a caspase inhibitor, a ROCK2 inhibitor, and a nuclear receptor ligand. In a particular embodiment, component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and component (ii) is an ACC inhibitor (in particular GS-0976 or CP-640186 or Gemcabene), an ASK1 inhibitor (in particular Selonsertib), a dual NOX1 and NOX4 inhibitor (in particular GKT-831, formerly GKT137831), a VAP-1 inhibitor (in particular BI-1467335/PXS-4728A), a stearoyl CoA desaturase-1 inhibitors/fatty acid bile acid conjugate (in particular Aramchol), a GPR84 antagonist/FFAR1 agonist or immunomodulator (in particular PBI-4050), a mTOR modulator or insulin sensitizer (in particular MSDC-0602k), a THRb agonist (in particular VK-2809 or MGL-3196), a hedgehog signaling pathway inhibitor (in particular Vismodegib), an adenosine A3 receptor agonist (in particular CF-102 (Namodenoson)), an aldosterone receptor antagonist (in particular MT-3995 (Apararenone)), a TLR-4 antagonist (in particular JKB-121 (Nalmefene)), a caspase inhibitor (in particular emricasan), a ROCK2 inhibitor (in particular KD-025), and a nuclear receptor ligand (in particular DUR-928). In a particular embodiment, component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and component (ii) is an ASK1 inhibitor, a dual NOX1 and NOX4, a VAP-1 inhibitor, a stearoyl CoA desaturase-1 inhibitors/fatty acid bile acid conjugate, a GPR84 antagonist/FFAR1 agonist or immunomodulator, a mTOR modulator or insulin sensitizer, a THR3 agonist, a hedgehog signaling pathway inhibitor, an adenosine A3 receptor agonist, an aldosterone receptor antagonist, a TLR-4 antagonist, a caspase inhibitor, a ROCK2 inhibitor, and a nuclear receptor ligand. In a particular embodiment, component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and component (ii) is an ASK1 inhibitor (in particular Selonsertib), a dual NOX1 and NOX4 inhibitor (in particular GKT-831, formerly GKT137831), a VAP-1 inhibitor (in particular BI-1467335/PXS-4728A), a stearoyl CoA desaturase-1 inhibitors/fatty acid bile acid conjugate (in particular Aramchol), a GPR84 antagonist/FFAR1 agonist or immunomodulator (in particular PBI-4050), a mTOR modulator or insulin sensitizer (in particular MSDC-0602k), a THRb agonist (in particular VK-2809 or MGL-3196), a hedgehog signaling pathway inhibitor (in particular Vismodegib), an adenosine A3 receptor agonist (in particular CF-102 (Namodenoson)), an aldosterone receptor antagonist (in particular MT-3995 (Apararenone)), a TLR-4 antagonist (in particular JKB-121 (Nalmefene)), a caspase inhibitor (in particular emricasan), a ROCK2 inhibitor (in particular KD-025), and a nuclear receptor ligand (in particular DUR-928). In a particular embodiment, component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and component (ii) is an ACC inhibitor. In a more particular embodiment, component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and component (ii) is GS-0976, CP-640186 or Gemcabene. In a more particular embodiment, component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and component (ii) is GS-0976. In a more particular embodiment, component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and component (ii) is CP-640186. In a more particular embodiment, component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and component (ii) is Gemcabene. In a particular embodiment, component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and component (ii) is an ASK1 inhibitor. In a more particular embodiment, component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and component (ii) is Selonsertib. In a particular embodiment, component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and component (ii) is a dual NOX1 and NOX4 inhibitor. In a more particular embodiment, component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and component (ii) is GKT-831. In a particular embodiment, component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and component (ii) is a VAP-1 inhibitor. In a more particular embodiment, component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and component (ii) is BI-1467335/PXS-4728A. In a particular embodiment, component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and component (ii) is a stearoyl CoA desaturase-1 inhibitors/fatty acid bile acid conjugate. In a more particular embodiment, component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and component (ii) is Aramchol. In a particular embodiment, component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and component (ii) is a GPR84 antagonist/FFAR1 agonist. In a more particular embodiment, component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and component (ii) is PBI-4050. In a particular embodiment, component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and component (ii) is a mTOR modulator or insulin sensitizer. In a more particular embodiment, component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and component (ii) is in particular MSDC-0602k. In a particular embodiment, component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and component (ii) is a THRβ agonist. In a more particular embodiment, component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and component (ii) is VK-2809 or MGL-3196. In a more particular embodiment, component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and component (ii) is VK-2809. In a more particular embodiment, component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and component (ii) is MGL-3196. In a particular embodiment, component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and component (ii) is a Hedgehog cell signaling pathway inhibitor. In a more particular embodiment, component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and component (ii) is Vismodegib. In a particular embodiment, component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and component (ii) is an Adenosine A3 receptor agonist. In a more particular embodiment, component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and component (ii) is CF-102 (Namodenoson). In a particular embodiment, component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and component (ii) is an aldosterone receptor antagonist. In a more particular embodiment, component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and component (ii) is MT-3995 (Apararenone). In a particular embodiment, component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and component (ii) is a TLR-4 antagonist. In a more particular embodiment, component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and component (ii) is JKB-121 (Nalmefene). In a particular embodiment, component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and component (ii) is a nuclear receptor ligand. In a more particular embodiment, component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and component (ii) is Emricasan. In a particular embodiment, component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and component (ii) is a ROCK2 inhibitor. In a more particular embodiment, component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and component (ii) is KD-025. In a particular embodiment, component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and component (ii) is nuclear receptor ligand. In a particular embodiment, component (i) is Elafibranor or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and component (ii) is DUR-928. In a particular embodiment, the combination product of the invention further comprises at least one other therapeutically active agent selected from JAK/STAT inhibitors and other anti-inflammatory agent and/or an immunosuppressant agent. Illustrative anti-inflammatory and/or immunosuppressant agents comprise glucocorticoids, NSAIDS, cyclophosphamide, nitrosoureas, folic acid analogs, purine analogs, pyrimidine analogs, methotrexate, azathioprine, mercaptopurine, ciclosporin, myriocin, tacrolimus, sirolimus, mycophenolic acid derivatives, fingolimod and other sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor modulators, monoclonal and/or polyclonal antibodies against such targets as proinflammatory cytokines and proinflammatory cytokine receptors, T-cell receptor and integrins. In another particular embodiment the combination of the invention may further comprise at least one therapeutically active agent with known antifibrotic activity such as pirfenidone or receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (RTKIs) such as Nintedanib, Sorafenib and other RTKIs, or angiotensin II (AT1) receptor blockers, or CTGF inhibitor, or any antifibrotic compound susceptible to interfere with the TGFβ and BMP-activated pathways including activators of the latent TGFβ complex such as MMP2, MMP9, THBS1 or cell-surface integrins, TGFβ receptors type I (TGFBRI) or type II (TGFBRII) and their ligands such as TGFβ, Activin, inhibin, Nodal, anti-Müllerian hormone, GDFs or BMPs, auxiliary co-receptors (also known as type III receptors), or components of the SMAD-dependent canonical pathway including regulatory or inhibitory SMAD proteins, or members of the SMAD-independent or non-canonical pathways including various branches of MAPK signaling, TAK1, Rho-like GTPase signaling pathways, phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase/AKT pathways, TGFβ-induced EMT process, or canonical and non-canonical Hedgehog signaling pathways including Hh ligands or target genes, or any members of the WNT, or Notch pathways which are susceptible to influence TGFβ signaling. In a specific embodiment of the invention, the other therapeutically active agent is a PPAR agonist. In another particular embodiment, the PPAR agonist is a PPAR-alpha agonist, a PPAR-gamma agonist, a PPAR-delta agonist, a PPAR-alpha/gamma dual agonist, a PPAR alpha/delta dual agonist, a PPAR gamma/delta dual agonist or a PPAR alpha/gamma/delta pan agonist. In a particular embodiment, the other therapeutically active agent is:at least one PPAR-alpha agonist;at least one PPAR-gamma agonist;at least one PPAR-delta agonist;at least one PPAR-alpha/delta dual agonist;at least one PPAR-alpha agonist and at least one PPAR delta agonist;at least one PPAR-alpha/gamma dual agonist;at least one PPAR-alpha agonist and at least one PPAR gamma agonist;at least one PPAR-gamma/delta dual agonist;at least one PPAR-gamma agonist and at least one PPAR delta agonist;at least one PPAR-alpha/gamma/delta pan agonist; andat least one PPAR-alpha agonist, at least one PPAR-gamma agonist and at least one PPAR-delta agonist. In a particular embodiment, the combination product of the invention is a composition comprising components (i) and (ii) as described above, and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. In a particular embodiment, the combination product is a kit of parts comprising components (i) and (ii) as described above, for sequential, separate or simultaneous use. In a further embodiment, components (i) and (ii) are formulated in an injectable suspension, a gel, an oil, a pill, a tablet, a suppository, a powder, a capsule, an aerosol, an ointment, a cream, a patch, or means of galenic forms for a prolonged and/or slow release. The present invention also relates to the combination product according to the invention, for use as a medicament. The invention also relates to the combination product herein disclosed, for use in a method for the treatment of a disease. In another embodiment, the invention relates to a method for the treatment of a disease, comprising administering to a subject in need thereof a therapeutically effective amount of the combination product herein discloses. In another embodiment, it is provided the use of a combination product according to the invention, for the manufacture of a medicament for the treatment of a disease. In particular, the combination product of the present invention is useful for the treatment of diseases such as immune, inflammatory, metabolic, fibrotic and cholestatic diseases. In a particular embodiment, the disease is selected in the group consisting of metabolic liver diseases, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), drug-induced liver diseases, alcohol-induced liver diseases, infectious agent induced liver diseases, inflammatory liver diseases, immune system dysfunction-mediated liver diseases, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular diseases, restenosis, syndrome X, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, chronic cholangiopathies such as Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC), Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC), biliary atresia, progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis type 3 (PFIC3), inflammatory bowel diseases, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, keloid, old myocardial infarction, scleroderma/systemic sclerosis, inflammatory diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, cancers, liver cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, gastrointestinal cancer, gastric cancer, meningioma associated with neurofibromatosis, pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, pancreatic exocrine tumors, leukemia, myeloproliferative/myelodisplastic diseases, mastocytosis, dermatofibrosarcoma, solid tumors including breast, lung, thyroid or colorectal cancer, a prostate cancer, liver fibrosis or cirrhosis of any origin, metabolic disease-induced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, NAFLD-induced fibrosis or cirrhosis, NASH-induced fibrosis or cirrhosis, alcohol-induced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, drug-induced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, infectious agent-induced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, parasite infection-induced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, bacterial infection-induced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, viral infection-induced fibrosis or cirrhosis, HBV-infection induced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, HCV-infection induced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, HIV-infection induced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, dual HCV and HIV-infection induced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, radiation- or chemotherapy-induced fibrosis or cirrhosis, biliary tract fibrosis, liver fibrosis or cirrhosis due to any chronic cholestatic disease, gut fibrosis of any etiology, Crohn's disease-induced fibrosis, ulcerative colitis-induced fibrosis, intestine (e.g. small intestine) fibrosis, colon fibrosis, stomach fibrosis, skin fibrosis, epidermis fibrosis, endodermis fibrosis, skin fibrosis due to scleroderma/systemic sclerosis, lung fibrosis, lung fibrosis consecutive to chronic inflammatory airway diseases, such as COPD, asthma, emphysema, smoker's lung, tuberculosis, pulmonary fibrosis, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), heart fibrosis, kidney fibrosis, nephrogenic systemic fibrosis, muscle fibrosis, soft tissue (e.g. mediastinum or retroperitoneum) fibrosis, bone marrow fibrosis, joint fibrosis, tendon fibrosis, cartilage fibrosis, pancreas fibrosis, uterus fibrosis, nervous system fibrosis, testis fibrosis, ovary fibrosis, adrenal gland fibrosis, artery fibrosis, vein fibrosis, eye fibrosis, endomyocardial fibrosis, mediastinal fibrosis, myelofibrosis, retroperitoneal fibrosis, progressive massive fibrosis (a complication of coal workers' pneumoconiosis), proliferative fibrosis, neoplastic fibrosis, peri-implantational fibrosis and asbestosis, arthrofibrosis, adhesive capsulitis. In a most preferred embodiment, the disease is selected in the group consisting of metabolic liver diseases, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), drug-induced liver diseases, alcohol-induced liver diseases, infectious agent induced liver diseases, inflammatory liver diseases, immune system dysfunction-mediated liver diseases, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular diseases, restenosis, syndrome X, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, chronic cholangiopathies such as Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC), Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC), biliary atresia, progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis type 3 (PFIC3), inflammatory bowel diseases, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, liver cancer, hepatocallular carcinoma, gastrointestinal cancer, gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, metabolic disease-induced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, NAFLD-induced fibrosis or cirrhosis, NASH-induced fibrosis or cirrhosis, alcohol-induced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, drug-induced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, infectious agent-induced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, parasite infection-induced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, bacterial infection-induced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, viral infection-induced fibrosis or cirrhosis, HBV-infection induced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, HCV-infection induced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, HIV-infection induced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, dual HCV and HIV-infection induced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, radiation- or chemotherapy-induced fibrosis or cirrhosis, biliary tract fibrosis, liver fibrosis or cirrhosis due to any chronic cholestatic disease, gut fibrosis of any etiology, Crohn's disease-induced fibrosis, ulcerative colitis-induced fibrosis, intestine (e.g. small intestine) fibrosis, colon fibrosis, stomach fibrosis, lung fibrosis, lung fibrosis consecutive to chronic inflammatory airway diseases, such as COPD, asthma, emphysema, smoker's lung, tuberculosis, pulmonary fibrosis, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). In a further aspect, the invention relates to the combination of the invention, for use in the inhibition of proliferation and/or activation of fibroblasts responsible for the production of collagen fibers and/or responsible for the production of the extracellular matrix. According to the present invention, the term “autoimmune diseases” is used to designate a condition that arises from an abnormal immune response of the body against substances and tissues normally present in the body. The disease may be restricted to certain organs (e.g. in type I diabetes or autoimmune thyroiditis) or involve a particular tissue in different places (e.g. in Goodpasture's disease, affection of the basement membrane in the lung and the kidney). The term “inflammation” is used to designate a condition that arise from a protective response involving host cells, blood vessels, and proteins and other mediators which may serve to eliminate the cause of cell/tissue injury, as well as the necrotic cells/tissues resulting from the original insult, and to initiate the process of repair. The inflammatory reaction may be manifested by pain, heat, redness, swelling, blood vessels dilatation, blood flow increase and loss of function. According to the present invention, the terms “fibrosis”, “fibrotic disease”, “fibrotic disorder” and declinations thereof denote a pathological condition of excessive deposition of fibrous connective tissue in an organ or tissue. More specifically, fibrosis is a pathological process, which includes a persistent fibrotic scar formation and overproduction of extracellular matrix by the connective tissue, as a response to tissue damage. Physiologically, the deposit of connective tissue can obliterate the architecture and function of the underlying organ or tissue. According to the present invention, the fibrosis or fibrotic disorder may be associated with any organ or tissue fibrosis. Illustrative, non-limiting examples of particular organ fibrosis include liver, gut, kidney, skin, epidermis, endodermis, muscle, tendon, cartilage, heart, pancreas, lung, uterus, nervous system, testis, penis, ovary, adrenal gland, artery, vein, colon, intestine (e.g. small intestine), biliary tract, soft tissue (e.g. mediastinum or retroperitoneum), bone marrow, joint or stomach fibrosis, in particular liver, kidney, skin, epidermis, endodermis, muscle, tendon, cartilage, heart, pancreas, lung, uterus, nervous system, testis, ovary, adrenal gland, artery, vein, colon, intestine (e.g. small intestine), biliary tract, soft tissue (e.g. mediastinum or retroperitoneum), bone marrow, joint, eye or stomach fibrosis. According to the present invention, the terms “cholestasis” or “cholestatic disease”, or “cholestatic disorder” and declinations thereof denote a pathological condition defined by a decrease in bile flow due to impaired secretion by hepatocytes or to obstruction of bile flow through intra- or extrahepatic bile ducts. Therefore, the clinical definition of cholestasis is any condition in which substances normally excreted into bile are retained. In a particular embodiment, the fibrotic disorder is selected in the group consisting of a liver, gut, lung, heart, kidney, muscle, skin, soft tissue (e.g. mediastinum or retroperitoneum), bone marrow, intestinal, and joint (e.g. knee, shoulder or other joints) fibrosis. In a preferred embodiment, the fibrotic disorder is selected in the group consisting of liver, lung, skin, kidney and intestinal fibrosis. In a more preferred embodiment of the present invention, treated fibrotic disorder is selected in the group consisting of the following non exhaustive list of fibrotic disorders: non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), pulmonary fibrosis, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, skin fibrosis, eye fibrosis (such as capsular fibrosis), endomyocardial fibrosis, mediastinal fibrosis, myelofibrosis, retroperitoneal fibrosis, progressive massive fibrosis (a complication of coal workers' pneumoconiosis), proliferative fibrosis, neoplastic fibrosis, lung fibrosis consecutive to chronic inflammatory airway disease (COPD, asthma, emphysema, smoker's lung, tuberculosis), alcohol or drug-induced liver fibrosis, liver cirrhosis, infection-induced liver fibrosis, radiation or chemotherapeutic-induced fibrosis, nephrogenic systemic fibrosis, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, keloid, old myocardial infarction, scleroderma/systemic sclerosis, arthrofibrosis, some forms of adhesive capsulitis, chronic fibrosing cholangiopathies such as Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) and Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC), biliary atresia, progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis type 3 (PFIC3), peri-implantational fibrosis and asbestosis. Cholestasis is defined as a decrease in bile flow due to impaired secretion by hepatocytes (hepato-cellular cholestasis) or to obstruction of bile flow through intra- or extrahepatic bile ducts (obstructive cholestasis). In clinical practice, cholestasis is any condition in which the flow of bile from the liver is slowed or blocked. According to a particular embodiment of the invention, the cholestestatic disease is selected in the group consisting of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy, Progressive Familial Intrahepatic Cholestasis, Biliary atresia, Cholelithiasis, Infectious Cholangitis, Cholangitis associated with Langerhans cell histiocytosis, Alagille syndrome, Nonsyndromic ductal paucity, Drug-induced cholestasis, and Total parenteral nutrition-associated cholestasis. In a preferred embodiment, the cholestatic disease is PBC or PSC, in particular PBC. Examples of inflammatory diseases, fibrotic diseases, metabolic diseases and cholestatic diseases include metabolic liver diseases, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), drug-induced liver diseases, alcohol-induced liver diseases, infectious agent induced liver diseases, inflammatory liver diseases, immune system dysfunction-mediated liver diseases, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular diseases, restenosis, syndrome X, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, chronic cholangiopathies such as Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC), Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC), biliary atresia, progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis type 3 (PFIC3), inflammatory bowel diseases, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, keloid, old myocardial infarction, scleroderma/systemic sclerosis, inflammatory diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, cancers, liver cancer, hepatocallular carcinoma, gastrointestinal cancer, gastric cancer, meningioma associated with neurofibromatosis, pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, pancreatic exocrine tumors, leukemia, myeloproliferative/myelodisplastic diseases, mastocytosis, dermatofibrosarcoma, solid tumors including breast, lung, thyroid or colorectal cancer, a prostate cancer, liver fibrosis or cirrhosis of any origin, metabolic disease-induced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, NAFLD-induced fibrosis or cirrhosis, NASH-induced fibrosis or cirrhosis, alcohol-induced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, drug-induced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, infectious agent-induced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, parasite infection-induced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, bacterial infection-induced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, viral infection-induced fibrosis or cirrhosis, HBV-infection induced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, HCV-infection induced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, HIV-infection induced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, dual HCV and HIV-infection induced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, radiation- or chemotherapy-induced fibrosis or cirrhosis, biliary tract fibrosis, liver fibrosis or cirrhosis due to any chronic cholestatic disease, gut fibrosis of any etiology, Crohn's disease-induced fibrosis, ulcerative colitis-induced fibrosis, intestine (e.g. small intestine) fibrosis, colon fibrosis, stomach fibrosis, skin fibrosis, epidermis fibrosis, endodermis fibrosis, skin fibrosis due to scleroderma/systemic sclerosis, lung fibrosis, lung fibrosis consecutive to chronic inflammatory airway diseases, such as COPD, asthma, emphysema, smoker's lung, tuberculosis, pulmonary fibrosis, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), heart fibrosis, kidney fibrosis, nephrogenic systemic fibrosis, muscle fibrosis, soft tissue (e.g. mediastinum or retroperitoneum) fibrosis, bone marrow fibrosis, joint fibrosis, tendon fibrosis, cartilage fibrosis, pancreas fibrosis, uterus fibrosis, nervous system fibrosis, testis fibrosis, ovary fibrosis, adrenal gland fibrosis, artery fibrosis, vein fibrosis, eye fibrosis, endomyocardial fibrosis, mediastinal fibrosis, myelofibrosis, retroperitoneal fibrosis, progressive massive fibrosis (a complication of coal workers' pneumoconiosis), proliferative fibrosis, neoplastic fibrosis, peri-implantational fibrosis and asbestosis, arthrofibrosis, adhesive capsulitis. Preferably, the disease is selected in the group consisting of metabolic liver diseases, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), drug-induced liver diseases, alcohol-induced liver diseases, infectious agent induced liver diseases, inflammatory liver diseases, immune system dysfunction-mediated liver diseases, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular diseases, restenosis, syndrome X, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, chronic cholangiopathies such as Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC), Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC), biliary atresia, progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis type 3 (PFIC3), inflammatory bowel diseases, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, liver cancer, hepatocallular carcinoma, gastrointestinal cancer, gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, metabolic disease-induced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, NAFLD-induced fibrosis or cirrhosis, NASH-induced fibrosis or cirrhosis, alcohol-induced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, drug-induced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, infectious agent-induced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, parasite infection-induced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, bacterial infection-induced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, viral infection-induced fibrosis or cirrhosis, HBV-infection induced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, HCV-infection induced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, HIV-infection induced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, dual HCV and HIV-infection induced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, radiation- or chemotherapy-induced fibrosis or cirrhosis, biliary tract fibrosis, liver fibrosis or cirrhosis due to any chronic cholestatic disease, gut fibrosis of any etiology, Crohn's disease-induced fibrosis, ulcerative colitis-induced fibrosis, intestine (e.g. small intestine) fibrosis, colon fibrosis, stomach fibrosis, lung fibrosis, lung fibrosis consecutive to chronic inflammatory airway diseases, such as COPD, asthma, emphysema, smoker's lung, tuberculosis, pulmonary fibrosis, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The term “treatment” or “treating” refers to the curative or preventive of a disorder in a subject in need thereof. The treatment involves the administration of the compound, in particular comprised in a pharmaceutical composition, to a subject having a declared disorder, i.e. to a patient, to cure, delay, reverse, or slow down the progression of the disorder, improving thereby the condition of the subject. A treatment may also be administered to a subject that is healthy or at risk of developing a cholestatic or fibrotic disorder to prevent or delay the disorder. Therefore, according to the invention, the treatment of an immune, inflammatory, metabolic, fibrotic and cholestatic disease involves the administration of the combination of the present invention, for example in the form of a pharmaceutical composition containing components (i) and (ii) of the combination, to a subject having a declared disorder to cure, delay, reverse or slow down the progression of the disorder, thus improving the condition of the patient or to a healthy subject, in particular a subject who is at risk of developing such disease. The treatment involves the administration of the combination of the invention to a patient having a declared disorder to cure, delay, or slow down the progress, thus improving the condition of the patient or to a healthy subject, in particular a subject who is at risk of developing an inflammatory, metabolic, fibrotic and cholestatic disease. The subject to be treated is a mammal, preferably a human. The subject to be treated according to the invention can be selected on the basis of several criteria associated to fibrotic diseases such as previous drug treatments, associated pathologies, genotype, exposure to risk factors, viral infection, as well as on the basis of the detection of any relevant biomarker that can be evaluated by means of imaging methods and immunological, biochemical, enzymatic, chemical, or nucleic acid detection methods. The subjects to be treated according to the invention can be selected on the basis of several criteria associated to inflammatory, metabolic, fibrotic and cholestatic diseases such as previous drug treatments, associated pathologies, genotype, exposure to risk factors, viral infection, as well as any other relevant biomarker that can be evaluated by means of imaging methods and immunological, biochemical, enzymatic, chemical, or nucleic acid detection method. In a particular embodiment, the treatment of an inflammatory, metabolic, fibrotic and cholestatic disease may comprise the administration of a composition comprising at least two compounds of formula (I). In this embodiment, the administered component (ii) is provided in the same composition as the at least two compounds of formula (I), or in a separate form, such as in a different composition. In another embodiment, the combination of the invention is for simultaneous, sequential or separate administration in therapy, therefore being possibly included in different compositions. In case of sequential administration, the compound of formula (I), in particular ELA, may be administrated prior to component (ii), or component (ii) is (are) administrated prior to the compound of formula (I). A compound of formula (I) may be formulated as pharmaceutically acceptable salts, particularly acid or base salts compatible with pharmaceutical use. Salts of compounds of formula (I) include pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts, pharmaceutically acceptable base addition salts, pharmaceutically acceptable metal salts, ammonium and alkylated ammonium salts. These salts can be obtained during the final purification step of the compound or by incorporating the salt into the previously purified compound. The pharmaceutical compositions of the present invention can also comprise one or several excipients or vehicles, acceptable within a pharmaceutical context (e.g. saline solutions, physiological solutions, isotonic solutions, etc., compatible with pharmaceutical usage and well-known by one of ordinary skill in the art). These compositions can also comprise one or several agents or vehicles chosen among dispersants, solubilisers, stabilisers, preservatives, etc. Agents or vehicles useful for these formulations (liquid and/or injectable and/or solid) are particularly methylcellulose, hydroxymethylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, polysorbate 80, mannitol, gelatin, lactose, vegetable oils, acacia, liposomes, etc. These compositions can be formulated in the form of injectable suspensions, gels, oils, ointments, pills, tablets, suppositories, powders, gel caps, capsules, aerosols, etc., eventually by means of galenic forms or devices assuring a prolonged and/or slow release. For this kind of formulation, agents such as cellulose, carbonates or starches can be advantageously used. The pharmaceutical compositions of the present invention comprising a compound of formula (I) and one or more component(s) (ii) may be administered by different routes and in different forms. For example, the compound(s) may be administered via a systemic way, per os, parenterally, by inhalation, by nasal spray, by nasal instillation, or by injection, such as for example intravenously, by intra-muscular route, by subcutaneous route, by transdermal route, by topical route, by intra-arterial route, etc. Of course, the route of administration will be adapted to the form of the compounds to be administered, according to procedures well known by those skilled in the art. Components (i) and (ii) of the combination product of the invention are administered in a therapeutically effective amount. Within the context of the invention, the term “effective amount” refers to an amount of the compound sufficient to produce the desired therapeutic result. The frequency and/or dose relative to the administration can be adapted by one of ordinary skill in the art, in function of the patient, the pathology, the form of administration, etc. Typically, the combination (such as in the form of a pharmaceutical composition or a kit-of-parts) of the present invention can be administered for the treatment of a fibrotic disease at a dose for component (i) or component (ii), comprised between 0.01 mg/day to 4000 mg/day, such as from 50 mg/day to 2000 mg/day, and particularly from 100 mg/day to 1000 mg/day. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, ELA is used in combination with component (ii) at a dose comprised between 80 to 120 mg/day for Elafibranor. In another preferred embodiment, the active ingredients are administered as one or more pharmaceutical composition(s) in the form of a pill or tablet intended for an oral ingestion. Administration can be performed daily or even several times per day, if necessary. The invention is further described with reference to the following, non-limiting, examples. DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES Abbreviations used in the figures, in the tables, and in the text: α-SMA α-Smooth Muscle Actin AP-1 Activator Protein 1 ASBTi Apical Sodium-codependent Bile acid Transporter inhibitor ASK1 Apoptosis Signal-regulating Kinase 1 AT1 Angiotensin II receptor type 1 CLA Conjugated Linoleic Acid COPD Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease CTGF Connective Tissue Growth Factor CVC Cenicriviroc DGAT DiacylGlycerol-O-AcylTransferase DMSO DiMethyl SulfOxide DPP4 DiPeptidyl Peptidase 4 ELISA Enzyme-Linked Immuno Assay EOB Excess Over Bliss EOBHSA Excess Over Bliss Highest Single Agent FABAC Fatty Acid Bile Acid Conjugate FBS Fetal Bovine Serum FGF Fibroblast Growth Factor FXR Farnesoid X Receptor GDF Growth Differentiation Factor GLP-1 Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 GPCR G-Protein Coupled Receptor HBV Hepatitis B Virus HCV Hepatitis C Virus 15-HEPE 5-HydroxyEicosaPentaEnoic acid HIV Human Immunodeficiency Virus HSC Hepatic Stellate Cell IC50 half maximal Inhibitory Concentration iNOS inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase IPF Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis LO LipOxygenase LPS LipoPolySaccharide LT LeukoTriene MAPK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase MMP-9 Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 MMPase Matrix Metalloproteinase NADPH Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide PHosphate NAFLD Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease NASH Non-Alcoholic SteatoHepatitis NF-κB Nuclear Factor-kappa B NOX NADPH oxidase NSAIDs Non-Steroid Anti-Inflammatory Drugs PAR Protease-Activated Receptor PBC Primary Biliary Cholangitis PBS Phosphate-Buffered Saline PDE PhosphoDiEsterase PDGF Platelet-Derived Growth Factor PFIC3 Progressive Familial Intrahepatic Cholestasis type 3 PFOR Pyruvate: Ferredoxin OxidoReductase PPAR Peroxisome Proliferator Activated-Receptor PPRE PPAR Response Elements PSC Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis ROCK Rho-associated protein kinase RTK Receptor Tyrosine Kinase SGLT Sodium-GLucose transport STAT Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription TGFβ Transforming Growth Factor β TGFBRI TGFβ receptors type I TGFBRII TGFβ receptors type II THBS1 Thrombospondin 1 THR β Thyroid Hormone Receptor β TIMP Tissue Inhibitor of MetalloProteinase 1 TLR-4 Toll Like Receptor 4 VAP-1 Vascular Adhesion Protein-1 VDR Vitamin D Receptor

11504808

This application is the U.S. national phase of International Application No. PCT/IB2018/050869 filed Feb. 13, 2018 which designated the U.S. and claims priority to IT Patent Application No. 102017000018811 filed Feb. 20, 2017 and IT Patent Application No. 102017000018859 filed Feb. 20, 2017, the entire contents of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference. FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to techniques for sinking drilling wells, such as wells for extraction of oil, and has been developed with particular reference to mutual connection of metallic tubular bodies used in the construction of the aforesaid wells. PRIOR ART Extraction wells, in particular oil wells, are sunk starting from a process of drilling of the earth, aimed at definition of a generally vertical wellbore. As drilling proceeds in depth, it is necessary to protect the upper part of the wellbore both to prevent the collapse of its peripheral wall and to prevent possible infiltrations of water and/or oil, as well as to prevent suction of the drilling sludge. This step, which is referred to as completion of the well, is performed by lowering into the wellbore a certain number of metallic tubular bodies of circular section, known as “casings”, which are usually made of steel. The number of the tubular bodies depends upon the depth of the well and upon the mining objectives, as well as upon the difficulties of drilling of the rocks. The subsequent drillings, at increasingly greater depths, are carried out with chisel bits of ever smaller size so as to not to damage the internal walls of the tubular bodies that have already been laid. For this reason, the internal lining of the well, formed by the tubular bodies secured on one another within the wellbore, has a diameter decreasing upwards, and the number of tubulars lowered is limited by the progressive narrowing of the well. The diameter of the tubular bodies typically ranges from 10 to 100 cm, and their wall thickness typically ranges from 8 to 25 mm. Currently, coupling of the tubulars is performed mechanically, via a threaded joint, employing one of the following possible types of connection: short round threads and couplings (CSG), long round threads and couplings (LCSG), buttress threads and couplings (BCSG), and extremeline threads (XCSG). Connections of a CSG LCSG and BCSG type make use of an additional length of tubular, usually referred to as “coupling”, which is internally threaded and couples to the ends of the two tubes to be joined together, which are externally threaded. The threads have a circular profile (CSG LCSG) or a sawtooth profile (BCSG). The XCSG connection is, instead, obtained by threading, with a sawtooth profile, the internal end of one tubular and the external end of the other tubular to be coupled together, which are then directly screwed to one another. The techniques of coupling of the tubular bodies or casings based on mechanical coupling via threaded joint present certain disadvantages. In the first place, the cost of well tubulars is high, on account of the complexity of the machining operations required for threading. Indicatively, a threaded well tubular can cost up to 40% more than a corresponding non-threaded well tubular. In the second place, the presence of the ends threads of well tubulars complicates the operations of storage, transport, and laying of the tubulars themselves, in view of the need to protect their threaded ends. Also the operations of coupling between the various well tubulars, i.e., the fact that they have to be screwed together during laying, are complex on account of the large size of the bodies to be coupled together. In addition to this, provision of the thread implies a thickening of the end portions of the tubular bodies. This process, in addition to entailing further costs, increases the encumbrance within the wellbore, thus further reducing the useful section for lowering subsequent tubulars. The very presence of the thread represents a critical point in which mechanical stresses and corrosion phenomena are concentrated. EP 396204 A discloses a technique for friction welding of tubular bodies or casings for a drilling well, according to which a ring of welding material is set between the two ends of the tubular bodies to be joined together, which are axially aligned vertically on top of one another. The ring is made to turn at a high speed and deformed in a radial direction so as to generate sufficient heat to bring about friction welding between the ring itself and the ends of the two tubular bodies. This solution proves complicated, as regards production of the welding device, which is relatively difficult to control, as regards management of the process temperature, and occasionally is also a source of surface irregularities at the joint, such as to impose the need for a subsequent finishing process. Known from EP 958094 A is a technique of induction welding of tubular bodies for a drilling well. Also in this case a welding ring is set between the two ends of the tubular bodies to be joined together, which are axially aligned vertically on top of one another. The area of joining between the two tubular bodies is enclosed in a hermetic chamber, in which an inert gas is injected, and within the chamber induction coils are set, designed to heat the material of the welding ring up to melting point and thereby create a metallurgical bond between the ends of the tubular bodies. Also this solution proves complicated, in particular as regards production of the induction-welding device, which must also be prearranged for generating very high temperatures. OBJECT OF THE INVENTION In its general terms, the aim of the present invention is to solve the aforesaid drawbacks via a device and a methodology for welding well tubulars that are comparatively simpler than those envisaged according to the prior art. This aim is achieved, according to the present invention, by a device for joining well tubulars having the characteristics specified in the annexed claims. The claims form an integral part of the technical teaching provided herein in relation to the invention. As will emerge more clearly hereinafter, according to a first aspect, the well tubulars are butt welded using a laser beam to obtain a mutual coupling thereof by means of fusion and resolidification of the interfaces of the tubulars themselves. In preferred embodiments, the process of laser welding is assisted by heating by means of one or more electromagnetic inductors, which are arranged so as to precede and/or follow the point of incidence of the laser beam in the area of the welding joint, with reference to the direction in which the weld proceeds. In this way, the inductor or inductors supplies/supply heat to the welding joint and/or to areas surrounding it, thereby preventing excessively fast cooling thereof. According to a second aspect, the welding device is supported by a structure that is mounted movable between a resting position, generally at a distance from, and a working position, generally close to the ends of the two tubulars to be welded, displacement of the movable structure preferably occurring in a guided way in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis of the wellbore.

11412434

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a U.S. National Stage of International Patent Application No. PCT/CN2017/112888 filed on Nov. 24, 2017, which claims priority to International Patent Application No. PCT/CN2017/106172 filed on Oct. 13, 2017. Both of the aforementioned applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. TECHNICAL FIELD This application relates to the field of wireless technologies, and in particular, to a cell selection method and terminal. BACKGROUND A long term evolution (Long Term Evolution, LTE) network uses an internet protocol (Internet Protocol, IP) structure, has no circuit switched (Circuit Switched, CS) domain, and does not have sufficient support for a voice service. Therefore, a circuit switched fallback (Circuit Switched Fallback, CSFB) solution emerges. The CSFB is a single-standby working manner. After being powered on, a terminal preferably camps on the LTE network, and when there is a voice service, the terminal falls back to a 2G/3G circuit domain by using a CSFB technology to execute the voice service. After the voice service ends, the terminal quickly returns to the LTE network by using a fast return (Fast Return, FR) technology, and does not need to fall back for a data service. When a first core network entity accessed by the terminal after the terminal falls back to the 2G/3G circuit domain by using the CSFB technology is different from a second core network entity that receives the voice service of the terminal, if call information transmission between the two core network entities is abnormal, the terminal cannot successfully set up a voice call in the 2G/3G circuit domain, affecting user experience. In addition, a possible voice solution in a 5G network is as follows: When the terminal needs to initiate a voice service, the terminal first falls back to the LTE network, and then falls back from the LTE network to the 2G/3G circuit domain by using the CSFB technology to execute the voice service. Therefore, a problem that the voice service cannot be successfully set up may also occur in the 5G network. Further, because current deployment of a communications network is not complete, and a core network entity having a 2G/3G circuit domain is not upgraded to an entity that supports CSFB, a voice call cannot be successfully set up in the 2G/3G circuit domain. For the foregoing reasons, a probability that a CSFB voice call fails is very large, and this is a problem to be urgently resolved in a network. SUMMARY Embodiments of this application provide a cell selection method and terminal, to reduce a failure probability of an existing CSFB voice call. According to a first aspect, a cell selection method is provided, including: when a terminal camps on a first network that does not support a voice service, if the voice service needs to be initiated or received, falling back, by the terminal in a CSFB manner, to a second network that supports the voice service; and when the terminal fails to establish the voice service with the second network, saving, by the terminal, a location identifier of the first network and a location identifier of the second network to a blacklist as one record, where the blacklist includes at least one record, and the blacklist is used by the terminal to choose to camp on a cell of the second network when performing CSFB again. According to the foregoing method, because the blacklist records information about a cell that the terminal is forbidden to access, when performing CSFB again, the terminal selects the cell of the second network by using the blacklist, so that a voice call success rate of the terminal can be improved, and user experience can be improved. In a possible design, when the terminal initiates or receives the voice service again, the terminal falls back to the second network based on CSFB; when a location area identity of the cell that is of the second network and that is detected by the terminal is different from a location area identity that is of the second network and that is allocated by the first network to the terminal before the terminal falls hack to the second network, the terminal obtains a second location identifier of the first network on which the terminal camps before falling back to the second network, and obtains a first location identifier of the detected cell of the second network, where the first location identifier is a location area identity or a combination of a location area identity and a cell identity, and the second location identifier is a tracking area identity; and when the second location identifier and the first location identifier successfully match any record in the blacklist, the terminal does not choose to camp on the detected cell of the second network, or sets the detected cell of the second network as a to-be-camped-on cell with a low priority. In this design, when the terminal performs CSFB again for a voice call, if a cross-location area case occurs on the terminal, and the second location identifier of the first network on which the terminal camps before falling back to the second network and the first location identifier of the detected network successfully match a record in the blacklist, the terminal does not camp on the detected cell of the second network, thereby preventing a failure of establishment of the voice service between the terminal and the second network, and reducing a call failure rate of the terminal. In a possible design, when the terminal initiates or receives the voice service again, the terminal falls back to the second network based on CSFB; when a location area identity of the cell that is of the second network and that is detected by the terminal is different from a location area identity that is of the second network and that is allocated by the first network to the terminal before the terminal falls back to the second network, the terminal obtains a second location identifier of the first network on which the terminal camps before falling back to the second network, and obtains a first location identifier of the detected cell of the second network, where the first location identifier is a location area identity or a combination of a location area identity and a cell identity, and the second location identifier is a tracking area identity; and when the blacklist includes no record that successfully matches the second location identifier and the first location identifier, the terminal chooses to camp on the detected cell of the second network. In this design, because the blacklist does not include a record corresponding to the second location identifier and the first location identifier, the terminal chooses to camp on the detected cell of the second network, so that a call success rate of the terminal can be improved. In a possible design, any record in the blacklist further includes a quantity of voice service establishment failure times; and when the terminal fails to establish the voice service with the second network, the method further includes: increasing, by the terminal, the quantity of voice service establishment failure times in the stored record by 1. In a possible design, when the terminal initiates or receives the voice service again, the terminal falls back to the second network based on CSFB; when a location area identity of the cell that is of the second network and that is detected by the terminal is different from a location area identity that is of the second network and that is allocated by the first network to the terminal before the terminal falls back to the second network, the terminal obtains a second location identifier of the first network on which the terminal camps before falling back to the second network, and obtains a first location identifier of the detected cell of the second network, where the first location identifier is a location area identity or a combination of a location area identity and a cell identity, and the second location identifier is a tracking area identity and when the second location identifier and the first location identifier successfully match any record in the blacklist, and a quantity of voice service establishment failure times in the record is greater than a preset value, the terminal does not choose to camp on the detected cell of the second network, or sets the detected cell of the second network as a to-be-camped-on cell with a low priority. In this design, when the terminal performs CSFB to select a to-be-camped-on cell, a restriction on the quantity of voice service establishment failure times is added, thereby further improving a success rate of a voice call, and ensuring that the terminal does not camp on the detected cell of the second network when the quantity of voice service establishment failure times is relatively large. In a possible design, when the terminal initiates or receives the voice service again, the terminal falls back to the second network based on CSFB; and when a location area identity of the cell that is of the second network and that is detected by the terminal is the same as a location area identity that is of the second network and that is allocated by the first network to the terminal before the terminal falls back to the second network, the terminal chooses to camp on the detected cell of the second network. In this design, when the terminal performs CSFB again for a voice call, if a cross-location area case does not occur on the terminal, the terminal directly camps on the detected cell of the second network, to ensure that the voice call of the terminal can be successfully set up. in a possible design, after the terminal chooses to camp on the detected cell of the second network, the terminal obtains the second location identifier of the first network on which the terminal camps before falling back to the second network, and obtains the first location identifier of the detected cell of the second network, where the first location identifier is a location area identity or a combination of a location area identity and a cell identity, and the second location identifier is a tracking area identity; and when the second location identifier and the first location identifier successfully match any record in the blacklist, the terminal deletes the successfully matched record from the blacklist. In this design, when the terminal performs CSFB again for a voice call, if a cross-location area case does not occur on the terminal, after camping on the detected cell of the second network, the terminal checks the blacklist to update the blacklist in real time. In a possible design, the method further includes: deleting, by the terminal, a record in the blacklist; and the deleting, by the terminal, a record in the blacklist includes: when the terminal initiates or receives the voice service again, falling back, by the terminal, to the second network based on CSFB; when the terminal successfully establishes the voice service with the second network, obtaining, by the terminal, a second location identifier of the first network on which the terminal camps before falling back to the second network, and obtaining a first location identifier of the detected cell of the second network; and when the second location identifier and the first location identifier successfully match any record in the blacklist, deleting, by the terminal, the successfully matched record from the blacklist, where the first location identifier is a location area identity or a combination of a location area identity and a cell identity, and the second location identifier is a tracking area identity; or after the terminal is powered off, deleting, by the terminal, all records in the blacklist; or setting, by the terminal, valid time for any record in the blacklist, and when the valid time expires, deleting, by the terminal, the record. In this design, the terminal can check the blacklist and delete the record, to ensure validity of the blacklist. In a possible design, that the second location identifier and the first location identifier successfully match any record in the blacklist includes: if the second location identifier is the same as a location identifier of the first network in any record in the blacklist, and the first location identifier is the same as a location identifier of the second network in the record, determining that matching succeeds. In a possible design, the terminal receives first information from a server or reports first information to a server, where the first information includes at least one record; and the terminal saves the first information to the blacklist, where one record includes the location identifier of the first network and the location identifier of the second network. In a possible design, the location identifier of the first network is a tracking area identity of the first network, and the location identifier of the second network is a location area identity of the second network or a combination of a location area identity of the second network and a cell identity corresponding to the location area identity of the second network. In this design, the terminal can obtain, from an external server, first information that carries information about a cell that the terminal is forbidden to access, save the first information to the blacklist, and select the cell of the second network by using the blacklist when the terminal performs CSFB again, thereby reducing a voice call failure rate of the terminal. According to a second aspect, an embodiment of this application provides a cell selection terminal, including a communications unit and a processing unit. The communications unit is configured to: when the terminal camps on a first network that does not support a voice service, if the voice service needs to be initiated or received, fall back, in a circuit switched fallback CSFB manner, to a second network that supports the voice service. The processing unit is configured to: when the terminal fails to establish the voice service with the second network, save a location identifier of the first network and a location identifier of the second network to a blacklist as one record, where the blacklist includes at least one record, and the blacklist is used by the communications unit to choose to camp on a cell of the second network when performing CSFB again. In a possible design, the communications unit is further configured to: when the terminal initiates or receives the voice service again, fall back to the second network based on CSFB; when a location area identity of the detected cell of the second network is different from a location area identity that is of the second network and that is allocated by the first network to the terminal before the terminal falls back to the second network, obtain a second location identifier of the first network on which the terminal camps before falling back to the second network, and obtain a first location identifier of the detected cell of the second network, where the first location identifier is a location area identity or a combination of a location area identity and a cell identity, and the second location identifier is a tracking area identity; and when the second location identifier and the first location identifier successfully match any record in the blacklist, skip choosing to camp on the detected cell of the second network, or set the detected cell of the second network as a to-be-camped-on cell with a low priority. In a possible design, the communications unit is further configured to: when the terminal initiates or receives the voice service again, fall back to the second network based on CSFB; when a location area identity of the detected cell of the second network is different from a location area identity that is of the second network and that is allocated by the first network to the terminal before the terminal falls back to the second network, obtain a second location identifier of the first network on which the terminal camps before falling back to the second network, and obtain a first location identifier of the detected cell of the second network, where the first location identifier is a location area identity or a combination of a location area identity and a cell identity, and the second location identifier is a tracking area identity; and when the blacklist includes no record that successfully matches the second location identifier and the first location identifier, choose to camp on the detected cell of the second network. In a possible design, any record in the blacklist further includes a quantity of voice service establishment failure times and when the terminal fails to establish the voice service with the second network, the processing unit is further configured to increase the quantity of voice service establishment failure times in the stored record by 1. In a possible design, the communications unit is further configured to: when the terminal initiates or receives the voice service again, fall back to the second network based on CSFB; when a location area identity of the detected cell of the second network is different from a location area identity that is of the second network and that is allocated by the first network to the terminal before the terminal falls back to the second network, obtain a second location identifier of the first network on which the terminal camps before falling back to the second network, and obtain a first location identifier of the detected cell of the second network, where the first location identifier is a location area identity or a combination of a location area identity and a cell identity, and the second location identifier is a tracking area identity; and when the second location identifier and the first location identifier successfully match any record in the blacklist, and a quantity of voice service establishment failure times in the record is greater than a preset value, skip choosing to camp on the detected cell of the second network, or set the detected cell of the second network as a to-be-camped-on cell with a low priority. In a possible design, the communications unit is further configured to: when the terminal initiates or receives the voice service again, fall back to the second network based on CSFB, and when a location area identity of the detected cell of the second network is the same as a location area identity that is of the second network and that is allocated by the first network to the terminal before the terminal falls back to the second network, choose to camp on the detected cell of the second network. In a possible design, after choosing to camp on the detected cell of the second network, the communications unit is further configured to: obtain the second location identifier of the first network on which the terminal camps before falling back to the second network, and obtain the first location identifier of the detected cell of the second network, where the first location identifier is a location area identity or a combination of a location area identity and a cell identity, and the second location identity is a tracking area identity; and when the second location identifier and the first location identifier successfully match any record in the blacklist, delete, by the terminal, the successfully matched record from the blacklist. In a possible design, the processing unit is further configured to: delete a record in the blacklist; and the deleting a record in the blacklist includes: when the terminal initiates or receives the voice service again, falling back to the second network based on CSFB; when the terminal successfully establishes the voice service with the second network, obtaining, by the communications unit, a second location identifier of the first network on which the terminal camps before falling back to the second network, and obtaining a first location identifier of the detected cell of the second network; and when the second location identifier and the first location identifier successfully match any record in the blacklist, deleting, by the processing unit, the successfully matched record from the blacklist, where the first location identifier is a location area identity or a combination of a location area identity and a cell identity, and the second location identifier is a tracking area identity; or after the terminal is powered off, deleting, by the processing unit, all records in the blacklist; or setting, by the processing unit, valid time for any record in the blacklist, and when the valid time expires, deleting, by the processing unit, the record. In a possible design, that the second location identifier and the first location identifier successfully match any record in the blacklist includes: if the second location identifier is the same as a location identifier of the first network in any record in the blacklist, and the first location identifier is the same as a location identifier of the second network in the record, determining that matching succeeds. In a possible design, the communications unit is further configured to: receive first information from a server, where the first information includes at least one record; and the processing unit is further configured to save the first information to the blacklist, where one record includes the location identifier of the first network and the location identifier of the second network. In a possible design, the location identifier of the first network is a tracking area identity of the first network, and the location identifier of the second network is a location area identity of the second network or a combination of a location area identity of the second network and a cell identity corresponding to the location area identity of the second network. According to a third aspect, an embodiment of this application provides a terminal, including a communications component, a processor, and a memory. The communications component, the processor, and the memory may be connected by using a bus system. The memory is configured to store a program, an instruction, or code, and the processor is configured to execute the program, the instruction, or the code in the memory to complete the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect. According to a fourth aspect, an embodiment of this application provides a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable storage medium stores an instruction, and when the instruction runs on a computer, the computer is enabled to perform the method in the first aspect. According to a fifth aspect, an embodiment of this application provides a computer program product including an instruction, and when the instruction runs on a computer, the computer is enabled to perform the method in the first aspect. According to a sixth aspect, an embodiment of this application provides a chip system, and the chip system includes a processor, configured to support a terminal in implementing functions involved in the first aspect. In a possible design, the chip system further includes a memory, and the memory is configured to store a program instruction and data that are necessary to the terminal. The chip system may include a chip, or include a chip and another discrete device.

11538435

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to dimming panels and liquid crystal display devices. Description of Related Art Dimming panels are panels that can control the transmittance of light in response to the voltage applied to the panel. For example, a dimming panel can be used as an optical member that is placed between an image-providing liquid crystal panel and a backlight and controls the amount of light emitted from the backlight (hereinafter, also referred to as backlight illumination) transmitted, or as a member that controls the amount of external light transmitted into a building, a vehicle, or the like. One of dimming methods using such a dimming panel includes preparing a liquid crystal composition sealed between a pair of substrates and applying a voltage to the liquid crystal composition and thereby changing the alignment of liquid crystal molecules and controlling the amount of light transmitted through the dimming panel. Liquid crystal display devices are display devices utilizing a liquid crystal composition to display images. In a typical display mode thereof, a liquid crystal panel containing a liquid crystal composition between a pair of substrates is irradiated with light from a backlight and voltage is applied to the liquid crystal composition to change the alignment of liquid crystal molecules, whereby the amount of light transmitted through the liquid crystal panel is controlled. Such liquid crystal display devices have advantageous features such as thin profile, light weight, and low power consumption, and are therefore used in electronic devices such as televisions, smartphones, tablet PCs, and automotive navigation systems. A study on liquid crystal display devices has been made in which a dimming panel is disposed between an image-providing liquid crystal panel and the backlight. For example, WO 2008/053724 discloses a liquid crystal display device including: an image-providing panel that includes a liquid crystal display panel; a light source for illuminating the liquid crystal display panel; and a dimming panel disposed between the image-providing panel and the light source, the dimming panel including a transmissive liquid crystal display panel and performing grayscale display based on luminance information in a video image signal input to the image-providing panel, wherein the dimming panel includes pixels having a size greater than pixels constituting the image-providing panel. The “pixels constituting the dimming panel” in WO 2008/053724 correspond to “dimming units” herein. The “dimming units” will be described later. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An example of a method for driving a dimming panel is a segment driving mode in which dimming electrodes disposed for the respective dimming units are each connected to a drive circuit via a connection line and voltages applied to the respective dimming electrodes are controlled. In terms of the charging rate of the dimming electrodes, a metal material having a high electrical conductivity, such as aluminum, titanium, or molybdenum is considered to be used as the material for the connection lines. Unfortunately, use of such a metal material may reduce the aperture ratio of the dimming panel and may cause, in use of such a dimming panel stacked on or above an image-providing liquid crystal panel, interference between connection lines and lines defining the image-providing liquid crystal panel to possibly cause moiré. The present inventors studied a method for improving the aperture ratio of the dimming panel and reducing moiré, and focused on use of a transparent conductive material such as indium tin oxide (ITO) as the material for the connection lines. Unfortunately, transparent conductive materials such as ITO have lower electrical conductivity than the above metal materials. Thus, a connection line formed from a transparent conductive material such as ITO has a high wire resistance to possibly cause insufficient charging of dimming electrodes located far from the drive circuit. The present inventors found that use of a transparent conductive material for connection lines can improve the aperture ratio of the dimming panel and thereby can reduce the occurrence of moiré, and that increasing the electrode widths of the connection lines in response to an increase in the distance from the drive circuit can reduce the wire resistance and increase the charging rate. WO 2008/053724 discloses inFIG.19that disposing a dummy line not directly connected to a driver for driving can reduce the changes in aperture ratio between respective pixels and give less influence on the pixels. Unfortunately, use of such a dummy line not connected to the driver for driving cannot reduce the wire resistance. In addition, changing the line width is not discussed in the document. The present invention was made under the current situation in the art and aims to provide a dimming panel that achieves a high aperture ratio and a high charging rate and is less likely to cause moiré even when stacked above an image-providing liquid crystal panel, and a liquid crystal display device including the dimming panel. (1) One embodiment of the present invention is directed to a dimming panel including: a drive circuit; and dimming units arranged in one direction from a drive circuit, the dimming panel sequentially including a first substrate, a liquid crystal layer, and a second substrate, the first substrate sequentially including an insulating substrate, connection lines formed from a transparent conductive material and connected to the drive circuit, a first insulating layer, a first electrode, a second insulating layer, and a second electrode, the first electrode or the second electrode including dimming electrodes disposed for the respective dimming units, each of the dimming electrodes being electrically connected to one of the connection lines, an electrode width of at least one of the connection lines increasing in response to a distance from the drive circuit. (2) In an embodiment of the present invention, the dimming panel includes the structure (1), the first electrode includes first dimming electrodes disposed for the respective dimming units, and the drive circuit is configured to control voltages applied to the respective first dimming electrodes and apply a constant voltage to the second electrode. (3) In an embodiment of the present invention, the dimming panel includes the structure (2), the first substrate sequentially includes between the insulating substrate and the first electrode a lower-layer electrode and a third insulating layer from an insulating substrate side, each of the first dimming electrodes includes island electrodes spaced from each other in a plan view and electrically connected to each other, and at least one of the island electrodes is electrically connected to the lower-layer electrode through a contact hole. (4) In an embodiment of the present invention, the dimming panel includes the structure (3), at least one of the island electrodes of a selected first dimming electrode among the first dimming electrodes is disposed in a position between island electrodes of an adjacent first dimming electrode, and at least one of the island electrodes of the adjacent first dimming electrode is disposed in a position between island electrodes of the selected first dimming electrode. (5) In an embodiment of the present invention, the dimming panel includes the structure (3) or (4), each of the first dimming electrodes further includes a base electrode provided with apertures, the island electrodes surround the base electrode in a plan view, the base electrode is electrically connected to the lower-layer electrode through a different contact hole, at least one of the island electrodes of a selected first dimming electrode among the first dimming electrodes is disposed in a position inside at least one of the apertures of an adjacent first dimming electrode, and at least one of the island electrodes of the adjacent first dimming electrode is disposed in a position inside at least one of the apertures of the selected first dimming electrode. (6) In an embodiment of the present invention, the dimming panel includes the structure (1), the second electrode includes second dimming electrodes disposed for the respective dimming units, and the drive circuit is configured to apply a constant voltage to the first electrode and control voltages applied to the respective second dimming electrodes. (7) One embodiment of the present invention is directed to a liquid crystal display device sequentially including: an image-providing liquid crystal panel; the dimming panel according to any one of structures (1) to (6); and a backlight. The present invention can provide a dimming panel that achieves a high aperture ratio and a high charging rate and is less likely to case moiré even when stacked above an image-providing liquid crystal panel, and a liquid crystal display device including the dimming panel.

11332338

BACKGROUND Field The present disclosure relates to an image forming system including an image forming apparatus for performing an image forming on a recording material, and a post-processing apparatus for performing staple processing on the recording material conveyed from the image forming apparatus. Description of the Related Art There is a post-processing apparatus which receives a recording material discharged from an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, and executes post-processing. Further, there is a post-processing apparatus which executes staple processing on the received recording material (hereinafter, this function is also referred to as automatic stapling). Further, as another post-processing apparatus, there is a post-processing apparatus which executes staple processing on a recording material inserted from the outside of the apparatus body by a user (hereinafter, this function is also referred to as manual stapling). Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-206298 discusses a post-processing apparatus which realizes two functions by one staple unit without separately providing a staple unit for performing the automatic stapling and a staple unit for performing the manual stapling. When a user inserts a recording material into a processing tray for executing the automatic stapling from a discharge port in the post-processing apparatus and presses an execution button for the manual stapling, the post-processing apparatus executes the staple processing on the inserted recording material. However, in the post-processing apparatus of the Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-206298, when the user inserts the recording material into the processing tray from the discharge port in the post-processing apparatus, and leaves the post-processing apparatus without pressing the execution button for the manual stapling, the post-processing apparatus continues a state where the automatic stapling job or the like cannot be executed. As a result, usability may be reduced. SUMMARY According to an aspect of the present disclosure, an image forming system includes an image forming unit configured to form an image on a recording material, a processing tray configured to receive the recording material on which the image forming unit forms the image, a detection unit configured to detect the recording material placed on the processing tray, a staple unit configured to execute staple processing on the recording material placed on the processing tray, a discharge unit configured to discharge, from the processing tray through a discharge port, the recording material on which the staple processing is executed by the staple unit, a discharge tray configured to receive the recording material discharged by the discharge unit, an instruction unit configured to issue an instruction for executing the staple processing by the staple unit, and a control unit configured to switch the control unit to a first mode to discharge the recording material conveyed from the image forming unit to the discharge tray via the processing tray and, in a state where the detection unit detects the recording material inserted into the processing tray through the discharge port from an outside of an apparatus body, to switch the control unit to a second mode to wait for the instruction for executing from the instruction unit, and to execute the staple processing on the recording material in response to the instruction for executing, wherein, when the detection unit detects the recording material inserted into the processing tray in the second mode, and an instruction for conveying the recording material in the first mode is issued in a state of waiting for the instruction for executing after the detection of the recording material, the control unit performs a discharge operation to discharge the recording material inserted into the processing tray by the discharge unit to the discharge tray without executing the staple processing by the staple unit on the recording material inserted into the processing tray. Further features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.

11452024

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese patent application No. 2020-090299, filed on May 25, 2020, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a packet transmission system, a transmission device, a transmission path switching method, and a transmission path switching program. BACKGROUND ART Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-219079 (Patent Literature 1) discloses a communication system using two carrier communication networks, where a telecommunications carrier cooperates with another telecommunications carrier, thereby achieving redundancy of communication paths. In this communication system, a dedicated device (user access device) for carrier access is installed in a user's location, and carrier switching is performed. Ethernet (registered trademark)-level OAM (Operation Administration and Maintenance) and APS (Automatic Protection Switching) are performed between user access devices placed opposite to each other. Each of the user access devices checks normality of the two carrier communication networks by the OAM and, upon detecting disconnection in one carrier communication network, performs switching to the carrier communication network to continue communication by the APS. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2014-86884 (Patent Literature 2) discloses network equipment using Link Aggregation that treats a plurality of physical ports collectively as one physical port. In this network equipment, a physical port used for transmission of a frame is fixedly set in association with key information related to the frame by sorting information. A physical port is determined depending on key information of a received frame, which allows distributing the load of physical ports. Further, Patent Literature 2 discloses a technique that allows network equipment to have a redundant configuration by the setting of sorting information. When a physical port of the current system becomes unavailable for communication due to a line disturbance or the like, the physical port that is no longer available for communication is changed to a physical port of an auxiliary system in the sorting information, which allows continuing frame transmission. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2013-16952 (Patent Literature 3) discloses a relay device that adds the amount of data sent from a source device and gives notification up to a relay device in the final stage, and determines the maximum bandwidth of a relay device in the previous stage on the basis of the ratio of the amount of data and the maximum speed of a line for transferring data from its own device. In Patent Literature 3, the amount of transfer data discarded is determined in consideration of the amount of data sent from a source device, which enables data transfer with an equal amount of data. In the communication system disclosed in Patent Literature 1, as the redundant configuration of a communication path, a line that is less stable but has a large capacity (a radio transmission line in E-Band, for example) is used for a main line, and a line that has a small capacity but is stable (a radio transmission line in Licensed-Band, for example) is used for a backup line in many cases. Thus, the main line is likely to be less stable, and bandwidth degradation can often occur, affected by weather conditions or the like. In Patent Literature 1, even when a decrease in the bandwidth of the main line occurs, switching to the backup line is not done unless a communication failure is detected. Thus, there is a possibility that a frame loss in a main signal occurs when the main line is congested and buffer memory is exhausted. In the network equipment disclosed in Patent Literature 2, in the case where the transmission path is such a path where a plurality of radio transmission devices are connected in a multistage manner, even when bandwidth degradation occurs in a certain radio section due to the influence of weather conditions or the like, the transmission path of a frame is maintained unless a failure occurs in the physical port in the network equipment. Thus, there is a possibility that a frame loss in a main signal occurs when the transmission path is congested and buffer memory is exhausted. Patent Literature 3 is based on the assumption that all of a plurality of relay devices located upstream communicate with the same relay device located downstream, and it is not applicable to a transmission system in which a plurality of relay devices are located downstream. SUMMARY In view of the foregoing, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a packet transmission system, a transmission device, a transmission path switching method, and a transmission path switching program capable of maintaining fairness among services when switching a plurality of transmission paths, even in the situation where a plurality of services share a transmission path to which switching is made. A packet transmission system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes an endpoint device, a first transmission path connected to the endpoint device and including a first radio section, a second transmission path connected to the endpoint device and including a second radio section, bandwidth monitoring units configured to monitor bandwidth information of the first radio section and the second radio section, respectively, for each flow, a path switching unit configured to determine a packet transmission path for transmitting a packet on the basis of the bandwidth information of the first radio section and the second radio section, a bandwidth ratio calculation unit configured to calculate a bandwidth ratio of flows on the basis of the bandwidth information of the first radio section and the second radio section and determine a bandwidth control value, and a bandwidth control unit configured to perform bandwidth control of each flow on the basis of the bandwidth control value. A transmission device being one of a plurality of transmission devices connected in series to an endpoint device and constituting a transmission path including a plurality of radio sections, wherein the transmission device comprises a bandwidth monitoring unit configured to monitor, for each flow, relevant bandwidth information of the radio section in its charge, and a bandwidth comparing unit configured to compare, for each flow, the relevant bandwidth information and subsequent-stage bandwidth information received from the transmission device in a subsequent stage, and the transmission device outputs smaller one of the relevant bandwidth information and the subsequent-stage bandwidth information, with flow identification information attached thereto, to the endpoint device. A transmission path switching method according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes monitoring bandwidth information of a first radio section in a first transmission path and a second radio section in a second transmission path, each connected to an endpoint device, for each flow, determining a packet transmission path for transmitting a packet on the basis of the bandwidth information of the first radio section and the second radio section, calculating a bandwidth ratio of flows on the basis of the bandwidth information of the first radio section and the second radio section and determining a bandwidth control value, and controlling a bandwidth of each flow on the basis of the bandwidth control value. A transmission path switching program according to one aspect of the present disclosure causes a computer to execute processing of monitoring bandwidth information of a first radio section in a first transmission path and a second radio section in a second transmission path, each connected to an endpoint device, for each flow, processing of determining a packet transmission path for transmitting a packet on the basis of the bandwidth information of the first radio section and the second radio section, processing of calculating a bandwidth ratio of flows on the basis of the bandwidth information of the first radio section and the second radio section and determining a bandwidth control value, and processing of controlling a bandwidth of each flow on the basis of the bandwidth control value.

11356404

INTRODUCTION Field of the Disclosure Aspects of the present disclosure relate to wireless communications, and more particularly, to techniques for overriding a DNS server for edge computing. Description of Related Art Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, broadcasts, etc. These wireless communication systems may employ multiple-access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power, etc.). Examples of such multiple-access systems include 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE Advanced (LTE-A) systems, code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems, and time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) systems, to name a few. In some examples, a wireless multiple-access communication system may include a number of base stations (BSs), which are each capable of simultaneously supporting communication for multiple communication devices, otherwise known as user equipments (UEs). In an LTE or LTE-A network, a set of one or more base stations may define an eNodeB (eNB). In other examples (e.g., in a next generation, a new radio (NR), or 5G network), a wireless multiple access communication system may include a number of distributed units (DUs) (e.g., edge units (EUs), edge nodes (ENs), radio heads (RHs), smart radio heads (SRHs), transmission reception points (TRPs), etc.) in communication with a number of central units (CUs) (e.g., central nodes (CNs), access node controllers (ANCs), etc.), where a set of one or more DUs, in communication with a CU, may define an access node (e.g., which may be referred to as a BS, 5G NB, next generation NodeB (gNB or gNodeB), transmission reception point (TRP), etc.). A BS or DU may communicate with a set of UEs on downlink channels (e.g., for transmissions from a BS or DU to a UE) and uplink channels (e.g., for transmissions from a UE to BS or DU). These multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enables different wireless devices to communicate on a municipal, national, regional, and even global level. NR (e.g., new radio or 5G) is an example of an emerging telecommunication standard. NR is a set of enhancements to the LTE mobile standard promulgated by 3GPP. NR is designed to better support mobile broadband Internet access by improving spectral efficiency, lowering costs, improving services, making use of new spectrum, and better integrating with other open standards using OFDMA with a cyclic prefix (CP) on the downlink (DL) and on the uplink (UL). To these ends, NR supports beamforming, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, and carrier aggregation. However, as the demand for mobile broadband access continues to increase, there exists a need for further improvements in NR and LTE technology. Preferably, these improvements should be applicable to other multi-access technologies and the telecommunication standards that employ these technologies. In some cases, wireless networks, such as NR and LTE networks, may deploy edge computing devices, so named because they reside at an “edge” of the network. Edge computing devices may support dynamic distribution of processing of data and/or content between the edge computing devices and a wireless device, such as a UE. BRIEF SUMMARY The systems, methods, and devices of the disclosure each have several aspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for its desirable attributes. Without limiting the scope of this disclosure as expressed by the claims which follow, some features will now be discussed briefly. After considering this discussion, and particularly after reading the section entitled “Detailed Description” one will understand how the features of this disclosure provide advantages that include improved communications between access points and stations in a wireless network. Certain aspects provide a method for wireless communication by a user equipment (UE). The method generally includes receiving signaling indicating an address of a domain name system (DNS) server. The method further includes receiving signaling indicating an address of an edge DNS server. The method further includes intercepting a DNS request from an application. The method further includes changing a destination address of the DNS request to the address of the edge DNS server. The method further includes intercepting a DNS response from the edge DNS server that is sent in response to the DNS request. The method further includes upon determining that the DNS response does not comprise a failure notification, changing a source address of the DNS response to the address of the DNS server. Additional aspects provide a user equipment (UE) including a memory and a processor coupled to the memory. The memory and processor are configured to receive signaling indicating an address of a domain name system (DNS) server. The memory and processor are further configured to receive signaling indicating an address of an edge DNS server. The memory and processor are further configured to intercept a DNS request from an application. The memory and processor are further configured to change a destination address of the DNS request to the address of the edge DNS server. The memory and processor are further configured to intercept a DNS response from the edge DNS server that is sent in response to the DNS request. The memory and processor are further configured to, upon determining that the DNS response does not comprise a failure notification, change a source address of the DNS response to the address of the DNS server. Additional aspects provide a user equipment (UE). The UE includes means for receiving signaling indicating an address of a domain name system (DNS) server. The UE further includes means for receiving signaling indicating an address of an edge DNS server. The UE further includes means for intercepting a DNS request from an application. The UE further includes means for changing a destination address of the DNS request to the address of the edge DNS server. The UE further includes means for intercepting a DNS response from the edge DNS server that is sent in response to the DNS request. The UE further includes means for, upon determining that the DNS response does not comprise a failure notification, changing a source address of the DNS response to the address of the DNS server. Additional aspects provide a computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon, that when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations for wireless communication by a user equipment (UE). The operations generally includes receiving signaling indicating an address of a domain name system (DNS) server. The operations further includes receiving signaling indicating an address of an edge DNS server. The operations further includes intercepting a DNS request from an application. The operations further includes changing a destination address of the DNS request to the address of the edge DNS server. The operations further includes intercepting a DNS response from the edge DNS server that is sent in response to the DNS request. The operations further includes upon determining that the DNS response does not comprise a failure notification, changing a source address of the DNS response to the address of the DNS server. Aspects generally include methods, apparatus, systems, computer readable mediums, and processing systems, as substantially described herein with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings. To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the one or more aspects comprise the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and the appended drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative features of the one or more aspects. These features are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of various aspects may be employed. The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of examples according to the disclosure in order that the detailed description that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages will be described hereinafter. The conception and specific examples disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. Such equivalent constructions do not depart from the scope of the appended claims. Characteristics of the concepts disclosed herein, both their organization and method of operation, together with associated advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. Each of the figures is provided for the purposes of illustration and description, and not as a definition of the limits of the claims. While aspects and embodiments are described in this application by illustration to some examples, those skilled in the art will understand that additional implementations and use cases may come about in many different arrangements and scenarios. Innovations described herein may be implemented across many differing platform types, devices, systems, shapes, sizes, packaging arrangements. For example, embodiments and/or uses may come about via integrated chip embodiments and other non-module-component based devices (e.g., end-user devices, vehicles, communication devices, computing devices, industrial equipment, retail/purchasing devices, medical devices, AI-enabled devices, etc.). While some examples may or may not be specifically directed to use cases or applications, a wide assortment of applicability of described innovations may occur. Implementations may range in spectrum from chip-level or modular components to non-modular, non-chip-level implementations and further to aggregate, distributed, or OEM devices or systems incorporating one or more aspects of the described innovations. In some practical settings, devices incorporating described aspects and features may also necessarily include additional components and features for implementation and practice of claimed and described embodiments. For example, transmission and reception of wireless signals necessarily includes a number of components for analog and digital purposes (e.g., hardware components including antenna, RF-chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffer, processor(s), interleaver, adders/summers, etc.). It is intended that innovations described herein may be practiced in a wide variety of devices, chip-level components, systems, distributed arrangements, end-user devices, etc. of varying sizes, shapes, and constitution. The following description and the appended figures set forth certain features for purposes of illustration.

11435049

RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the priority benefit of Czech Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. PV 2020-123 entitled “A light device of a motor vehicle,” filed Mar. 9, 2020, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a light device of a motor vehicle and especially a light device producing the required shape of an inscription or logo visible when the light sources are on and/or off. BACKGROUND INFORMATION Various badges and logos of motor vehicles are especially known that for instance identify the manufacturer or type of a particular vehicle. These logos are generally situated at the front and rear end of the vehicle. Badges are produced for example as metallic or plastic plates, and at night, they are usually poorly visible or are not visible at all. Manufacturers of motor vehicles would like their logos and badges to be clearly visible in the dark as well. Various prior-art light devices are known that enable backlighting of an inscription or logo. For instance, the documents CN208585195U, DE102017217507A1, DE102017214129A1 disclose light devices comprising a rear base and an at least partly transparent front cover wherein the front cover and the base are connected to each other and form an enclosed chamber. In the chamber, various lighting means are situated that are configured in such a way that light can be emitted from the light device in pre-determined regions to create the required inscription or logo. A disadvantage of the prior art is the fact that the arrangement of individual components brings certain installation requirements. In light devices, the use of standard point light sources, e.g., LED's, in combination with light guides and light filters brings certain geometric limits and restrictions, influencing the inner installation space of the light device. The object of the invention is to design a light device that has low requirements for integration into the vehicle body, makes it possible to create spatial light patterns or meet other design requirements for the output light beam, such as the ability to create an inscription or logo that will be legible in the active and/or inactive state. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The objects of the invention are met by a light device of a motor vehicle comprising a light unit and a cover that separates the light unit from the external environment of the light device wherein the light unit comprises a light guide with a front surface for the exit of light rays from the light guide situated opposite the cover, a rear surface comprising unbinding elements configured to reflect light rays towards the front surface, and at least one binding surface to bind light rays emitted by the light sources associated with the binding surface to the light guide. The light device further comprises a carrier situated opposite the rear surface of the light guide and configured to reflect light rays that have escaped from the light guide through the rear surface back to the light guide. The cover comprises at least one impermeable region preventing light rays from passing out of the cover, and at least one permeable region to allow light rays to pass through the cover out of the light device. In one of preferred embodiments, at least one of the impermeable regions is made in the form of a layer situated anywhere within the thickness of the cover and/or forms a part of the cover surface. In another preferred embodiment, at least one of the impermeable regions is made of a paint or metal coat. Preferably, at least one of the impermeable regions has reflective properties enabling reflection of light rays that have left the light guide from the impermeable region back to the light guide. The surfaces of the impermeable regions may be advantageously parallel to the surface of the cover in their location. In one of preferred embodiments, the permeable and impermeable regions are configured to produce the required shape of the inscription or logo with the light sources on. The mutual configuration of the permeable and impermeable regions is advantageously such that the logo or inscriptions are visible with the light sources off as well. In another preferred embodiment, the permeable and impermeable regions have mutually different colours. In another preferred embodiment, the permeable region is fitted with semi-permeable metal plating, partly permeable paint or another treatment to reduce passage of light rays. In another preferred embodiment, the carrier is equipped with at least one reflective region situated opposite the rear surface of the light guide to reflect light rays that have escaped from the light guide through its rear surface back to the light guide. The reflective region may be advantageously situated opposite an overwhelming majority of the rear surface of the light guide or opposite the whole rear surface of the light guide. The reflective region/s may advantageously be situated on one plane or on one convex or concave surface. The reflective region may be adapted to diffuse light rays. In another preferred embodiment, the location and design of the unbinding element is intended to direct most light rays that fall onto the unbinding elements towards the permeable regions of the cover. In another preferred embodiment, the front surface is equipped with deflecting optical elements configured for defined deflection of light rays back to the light guide. The deflecting optical elements may be e.g. coloured coats, metal plating or an optical structure calculated for defined deflection of light rays. In one of preferred embodiments, the deflecting optical elements are situated approximately in alignment behind the impermeable regions. In another preferred embodiment, at least one of the permeable regions is conceived as a light filter designed to homogenize or change the colour of the resulting light beam of light rays. In another preferred embodiment, the light guide has the shape of a plate with a curvature of the front surface corresponding to the curvature of the cover.

11316700

BACKGROUND II. Field of Use The present invention relates to the field of computer networking and more specifically to a system, method and apparatus for using distributed ledger technology to manage ad-hoc networks. III. Description of the Related Art Ad-hoc networks are wired or wireless communication networks are decentralized networks that do not rely on pre-existing infrastructure, such as routers in wired networks or access points in wireless networks in order for “nodes” to communicate with each other. A wireless ad-hoc network may be referred to as a “WANET” while a mobile ad-hoc network may be referred to as a “MANET”. Generally, each “node” in an ad-hoc network forwards traffic from one node to another, where a determination of which nodes forward the information is made dynamically on the basis of network connectivity and a routing algorithm used by the network. A primary advantage of ad-hoc networks is that no centralized communication device is needed. Another advantage is that nodes can easily join or leave such networks, allowing for dynamic network scaling. Yet another advantage of ad-hoc networks is that they may be created very quickly, without the need for additional hardware or software. Ad-hoc networks, however, suffer from several drawbacks. Chief among them is that the information used to select which nodes will participate in an ad-hoc communication may not be up to date, especially in mobile ad-hoc networks, where location and connectivity information may change rapidly as nodes move within a network, or worse, move outside a network no longer in communication with other nodes. Another drawback in ad-hoc networks is that the nodes selected for an ad-hoc communication typically do not account for different types of traffic having different security requirements, Quality of Service requirements, observability requirements (i.e., an ability to mask traffic with noise or by using other techniques to prevent the traffic from being observed by an unauthorized third party), or other requirements. Typically, nodes are selected based on a past ability to connect to other nodes. It would be desirable to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, to assign nodes to ad-hoc communications based on other metrics besides connectivity, and to do so in a secure, robust manner. SUMMARY The embodiments herein describe systems, methods and apparatus for routing traffic streams in ad-hoc networks. In one embodiment, a method is described, performed by a source node of a network cluster, comprising sending, by a processor via a communication interface coupled to the processor, an ad-hoc route request to a manager node of the network cluster, the ad-hoc route request comprising one or more routing conditions associated with a particular resource, the one or more routing conditions defining one or more minimum characteristics of any router nodes in a routing path between the source node and a destination node coupled to the particular resource, receiving, by the processor via the communication interface, a proposed routing path from the manager node, the proposed routing path comprising an identification of one or more routing nodes in a communication path from the source node to the destination node where the particular resource may be accessed, each of the one or more routing nodes meeting or exceeding the one or more routing conditions, sending, by the processor via the communication interface, a route validation message to the destination node via the one or more routing nodes identified in the proposed routing path, receiving, by the processor via the communication interface, a response message from the destination node via the one or more routing nodes identified in the proposed routing path, the response message cryptographically signed by each of the one or more routing nodes identified in the proposed routing path, verifying, by the processor, that the response message was cryptographically signed by each of the one or more routing nodes identified in the proposed routing path and receiving, by the processor via the communication interface, a traffic stream from the particular destination node via the one or more routing nodes identified in the proposed routing path when the response message was cryptographically signed by each of the one or more routing nodes identified in the proposed routing path. In another embodiment, a method is described for routing traffic streams in ad-hoc networks, performed by a manager node of a network cluster, comprising receiving, by a processor of the manager node via a communication interface coupled to the processor, a route request message from a source node of the network cluster, determining, by the processor, a proposed routing path between the source node and a particular destination node based on a comparison of one or more routing node performance metrics stored on an information storage device coupled to the processor and the one or more routing conditions, and sending, by the processor via the communication interface, the proposed routing path to the source node for verification of the proposed routing path. In yet another embodiment, a node of an ad-hoc network cluster is described, comprising a communication interface for sending and receiving information to other nodes, a non-transitory information storage device for storing processor-executable instructions and one or more routing conditions associated with a particular resource, the one or more routing conditions defining one or more characteristics of any router nodes in a routing path to be determined between the source node and a destination node coupled to the particular resource, and a processor coupled to the communication interface and the non-transitory information storage device, for executing the processor-executable instructions that cause the node to send, by the processor via the communication interface, an ad-hoc route request to a manager node of the network cluster, the ad-hoc route request comprising the one or more routing conditions, receive, by the processor via the communication interface, a proposed routing path from the manager node, the proposed routing path comprising an identification of one or more routing nodes in a routing path from the source node to a particular destination node coupled to the resource, each of the one or more routing nodes meeting or exceeding the one or more routing conditions, send, by the processor via the communication interface, a route validation message to the particular destination node via the one or more routing nodes identified in the proposed routing path, receive, by the processor via the communication interface, a response message from the particular destination node via the one or more routing nodes identified in the proposed routing path, the response message cryptographically signed by each of the one or more routing nodes identified in the proposed routing path, verify, by the processor, that the response message was cryptographically signed by each of the one or more routing nodes identified in the proposed routing path and receive, by the processor via the communication interface, a traffic stream from the particular destination node via the one or more routing nodes identified in the proposed routing path when the response message was cryptographically signed by each of the one or more routing nodes identified in the proposed routing path. In yet still another embodiment, a manager node of a network cluster is described, comprising a communication interface for sending and receiving information to other nodes, a non-transitory information storage device for storing processor-executable instructions and one or more routing conditions associated with a particular resource, the one or more routing conditions defining one or more characteristics of any router nodes in a routing path to be determined between a source node and a destination node coupled to the particular resource, and a processor coupled to the communication interface and the non-transitory information storage device, for executing the processor-executable instructions that cause the node to receive, by the processor via the communication interface, a route request message from a source node of the network cluster, determine, by the processor, a proposed routing path between the source node and a destination node based on a comparison of routing node performance metrics stored by the non-transitory information storage device and the one or more routing conditions and send, by the processor via the communication interface, the proposed routing path to the source node for verification of the proposed routing path.

11340095

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese patent application No. 2019-199803, filed on Nov. 1, 2019, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. BACKGROUND The present disclosure relates to an encoder and a detection head of an encoder. In an electromagnetic induction type absolute displacement detector (encoder), it is known that, as a method for driving a transmission coil in a magnetic field generator, an excitation circuit including the transmission coil and a capacitor is used (e.g. Japanese patent No. 3366855). In this configuration, by using a first switch and a second switch connected in series between a power supply voltage and a ground, applying the power supply voltage to the capacitor in the excitation circuit through the first switch to charge electric charge in the capacitor, and turning on the second switch, a resonant circuit is formed and an alternative magnetic field is generated from the transmission coil by an alternative signal from the transmission coil. In the case of the absolute encoder, since a track configuration including a plurality of scales having different wavelengths may be adopted, it is necessary to dispose the excitation circuit and a demodulation circuit for each track. Signal intensities of the tracks are not necessarily the same as each other due to a limitation of a substrate area and difference of detection targets (e.g. Linear type and rotary type). In order to detect an absolute position, one track (Sub track) is used as an auxiliary track, and, in many cases, the auxiliary track does not require a signal intensity as strong as that of a main track. However, when the signal intensities between the main track and the sub track are greatly different, the detection signal exceeds a dynamic range of a circuit, and an accurate position may not be detected. Therefore, it is desirable to change the driving voltage of the transmission coil for each track so that the signal strength is as equal as possible. SUMMARY As described above, in order to equalize the strength of the signals applied to a plurality of scales, it is conceivable to adopt a configuration in which a plurality of power supplies are prepared and the capacitors of the excitation circuits provided for the respective tracks are charged. However, since a battery is often used as a power supply in a hand tool such as a vernier caliper, the position information is designed so as not to change easily in response to a change in a battery voltage. For example, by designing a reference voltage of an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) so as to be proportional to the power supply voltage, even when the driving voltage of the transmission coil changes due to a change in the power supply voltage, output data of the ADC itself does not significantly change. Therefore, it is desirable that the power supplies for driving the transmission coils are proportional to a voltage variation of a single power supply. It can be considerable that the power supply proportional to the power supply voltage is achieved by dividing the power supply voltage by resistance-voltage division and by providing a buffer circuit with the divided voltages. However, not only the power is consumed by the resistance voltage division, but also the buffer circuits consume the power, and thereby resulting in a decrease in battery life. The present disclosure has been made in view of the above circumstances. An object of the present disclosure is to respectively excite transmission coils with different voltages using a single power supply with low power consumption in an electromagnetic induction type encoder. A first aspect of the present disclosure is a detection head of an encoder including: a plurality of excitation circuits respectively including a resonant circuit that includes a driving capacitor and a transmission coil connected in series and configured to generate an alternate-current magnetic field inducing currents in scale coils disposed in a plurality of scale tracks on a scale by connecting both ends of the resonant circuit in a state in which the driving capacitor is charged; and a voltage adjustment circuit including a first transformer capacitor and configured to control a charging voltage of the driving capacitor in a single excitation circuit using the charged first transformer capacitor. A second aspect of the present disclosure is the above detection head, in which the single excitation circuit includes: a first switch, one end thereof being connected to the voltage adjustment circuit; and a second switch, one end thereof being connected to the other end of the first switch and the other end thereof being connected to a ground, one end of the driving capacitor is connected between the first switch and the second switch, one end of the transmission coil is connected to the other end of the driving capacitor and the other end thereof is connected to the ground, the driving capacitor is charged by turning on the first switch and turning off the second switch, and after charging the driving capacitor, the transmission coil generates the alternate-current magnetic field by turning off the first switch and turning on the second switch. A third aspect of the present disclosure is the above detection head, in which the voltage adjustment circuit is configured as a switched capacitor circuit that charges the driving capacitor by a voltage generated by stepping up or stepping down a power supply voltage output from a power supply. A fourth aspect of the present disclosure is the above detection head, in which the switched capacitor circuit includes: a third switch, one end thereof being connected to the ground; a fourth switch, one end thereof being connected to the other end of the third switch and one end of the first transformer capacitor, and the other end thereof being connected to the power supply; and a fifth switch, one end thereof being connected to the power supply, and the other end thereof being connected to the other end of the first transformer capacitor and the first switch of the single excitation circuit. A fifth aspect of the present disclosure is the above detection head, in which the driving capacitor and the first transformer capacitor are charged by turning on the first, third, and fifth switches, and turning off the second and fourth switches, a voltage generated by adding a voltage due to electric charge charged in the driving capacitor and a voltage due to electric charge charged in the first transformer capacitor is applied to the driving capacitor by turning on the first, and fourth switches, and turning off the second, third, and fifth switches, and the transmission coil generates the alternate-current magnetic field by turning on the second switch while turning off the first switch. A sixth aspect of the present disclosure is the above detection head, in which the first transformer capacitor is charged by turning on the third and fifth switches, and turning off the first, second, and fourth switches, the driving capacitor is charged by moving a part of the electric charge charged in the first transformer capacitor to the driving capacitor by turning on the first switch, and turning off the second to fifth switches, and the transmission coil generates the alternate-current magnetic field by turning on the second switch while turning off the first switch. A seventh aspect of the present disclosure is the above detection head, in which the switched capacitor circuit includes: a second transformer capacitor; a third switch, one end thereof being connected to the ground; a fourth switch, one end thereof being connected to the other end of the third switch and one end of the second transformer capacitor, and the other end thereof being connected to the power supply; a fifth switch, one end thereof being connected to the power supply; and a sixth switch, one end thereof being connected to the other end the fifth switch and the other end of the second transformer capacitor, and the other end thereof being connected to the first switch of the single excitation circuit. A eighth aspect of the present disclosure is the above detection head, in which the driving capacitor is charged by performing a charging cycle including a first step and a second step one or more times, in the first step, the first and second transformer capacitors are charged by turning on the third, fifth, and sixth switches and turning off the first, second, and fourth switches, in the second step, a voltage stepped up above the power supply voltage by moving the electric charge charged in the first transformer capacitor to the driving capacitor and the first transformer capacitor by turning on the first, fourth, and sixth switches and turning off the second, third, and fifth switches, and the transmission coil generates the alternate-current magnetic field by turning on the second switch while turning off the first switch. A ninth aspect of the present disclosure is the above detection head, in which the driving capacitor is charged by performing a charging cycle including a first step and a second step one or more times, in the first step, the first transformer capacitor is charged by turning on the second, third, and fifth switches and turning off the first, fourth, and sixth switches, in the second step, the second transformer capacitor and the driving capacitor are charged by moving the electric charge charged in the first transformer capacitor to the second transformer capacitor and the driving capacitor by turning on the first, third, and sixth switches and turning off the second, fourth, and fifth switches, and the transmission coil generates the alternate-current magnetic field by turning on the second switch while turning off the first switch. A tenth aspect of the present disclosure is the above detection head, in which the voltage adjustment circuit includes: a seventh switch, one end thereof being connected between the first switch and the second switch of the single excitation circuit; and an eighth switch connected in parallel to the first transformer capacitor, one end thereof being connected to the seventh switch and the other end thereof being connected to the ground, the driving capacitor of the single excitation circuit is charged and the first transformer capacitor is discharged by turning on the eighth switch and the first switch of the single excitation circuit and turning off the seventh switch and the second switch of the single excitation circuit, a part of the electric charge charged in the driving capacitor of the single excitation circuit is moved to the first transformer capacitor by turning on the seventh switch, and turning off the eighth switch, and the first and second switches of the single excitation circuit, and the transmission coil generates the alternate-current magnetic field by turning on the second switch of the single excitation circuit, and the seventh switch, the eighth switch, and the first switch of the single excitation circuit. A eleventh aspect of the present disclosure is the above detection head, in which the voltage adjustment circuit includes two or more of the seventh switches connected in parallel, the two or more of the seventh switches are connected to the first switches of two or more of the excitation circuits, respectively, and by selectively turning on/off any one of the two or more of the seventh switches, the single excitation circuit corresponding to the seventh switch selectively turned on/off. A twelfth aspect of the present disclosure is the above detection head, in which the voltage adjustment circuit includes a ninth switch, one end thereof being connected between the power supply outputting the power supply voltage and the first switch of the connected excitation circuit, one end of the first transformer capacitor is connected to the ninth switch and the other end thereof is connected to the ground, the first transformer capacitor is charged by turning on the ninth switch and turning off the first and second switches of the single excitation circuit, the electric charge charged in the first transformer capacitor is moved to the driving capacitor of the single excitation circuit by turning on the first switch of the single excitation circuit, and turning off the ninth switch and the second switch of the single excitation circuit, and the transmission coil generates the alternate-current magnetic field by turning on the second switch of the single excitation circuit, and the ninth switch and the first switch of the single excitation circuit. A thirteenth aspect of the present disclosure is the above detection head, in which the voltage adjustment circuit further includes a tenth switch one end thereof being connected to the ground and the other end thereof being connected between the first switch and the second switch of the single excitation circuit, the driving capacitor is charged by turning on the tenth switch, and turning off the ninth switch, and the first and second switches of the single excitation circuit, and the transmission coil generates the alternate-current magnetic field by turning on the second switch of the single excitation circuit, and the ninth and tenth switches, and the first switch of the single excitation circuit. A fourteenth aspect of the present disclosure is the above detection head, in which the ninth switch of the voltage adjustment circuit is connected between the first switches of two or more excitation circuits and the first transformer capacitor, and the single excitation circuit including the first and second switches to be controlled is driven by controlling the ninth switch together with the first and second switches of any one of the two or more excitation circuits. A fifteenth aspect of the present disclosure is the above detection head, in which two or more voltage adjustment circuit respectively corresponding to the two or more excitation circuits in the plurality of the excitation circuits are disposed. A sixteenth aspect of the present disclosure is an encoder including a scale including a plurality of scale tracks, scale coils are disposed in each scale track; a detection head configured to induce currents in the scale coils disposed in the scale tracks and to detect an alternate-current magnetic field inducing currents generated by the induced currents; and a signal processing unit configured to a displacement of the scale based on a detection result, in which the detection head of an encoder includes: a plurality of excitation circuits respectively including a resonant circuit that includes a driving capacitor and a transmission coil connected in series and configured to generate the alternate-current magnetic field inducing currents in the scale coils disposed in the scale tracks on the scale by connecting both ends of the resonant circuit in a state in which the driving capacitor is charged; and a voltage adjustment circuit including a first transformer capacitor and configured to control a charging voltage of the driving capacitor in a single excitation circuit using the charged first transformer capacitor. According to the present disclosure, it is possible to respectively excite transmission coils with different voltages using a single power supply with low power consumption in an electromagnetic induction type encoder. The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not to be considered as limiting the present disclosure.

11353581

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims the priority benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2019-0004707, filed on Jan. 14, 2019, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND 1. Field of the Invention The following description of example embodiments relates to a method and system for diffraction-aware non-line of sight (NLOS) sound source localization (SSL). 2. Description of the Related Art As robots are increasingly used in daily lives, the demand for interaction using sound of a human and a robot is also on the increase. In particular, the popularity of smart speaker products has triggered great challenges in acoustic related research. One of the greatest issues in such applications is to localize an accurate position of a sound source in a real environment. Localizing the position of the sound source in the real environment is known as a sound source localization (SSL). In the field of sound source localization/tracing, research on localizing an incoming direction of sound, that is, sound source has been conducted over the past 20 years. For example, there are methods of tracing, that is, localizing a position of sound based on a time difference of arrival (TDOA) between two microphones. The methods of localizing the position of sound based on the TDOA may succeed in localizing the incoming direction of sound, however, may have difficulty in localizing an accurate three-dimensional (3D) position of the sound source. A recent sound source location (SSL) method attempts to localize a 3D position of a sound source, however, requires accumulation of sensor data about a plurality of positions and angles of a measurement device. Accordingly, a situation in which sequential sound signals are generated in a stationary sound source may be used and an operation is allowed only when an obstacle is absent between the sound source and a microphone. SUMMARY Example embodiments provides technology for localizing a position of a sound source in a three-dimensional (3D) space in an actual environment in which an obstacle is present between a sound source and a microphone. According to an aspect of example embodiments, there is provided a method for reflection-aware sound source localization (SSL) implemented by a computer, the method including collecting an audio signal input through a microphone array mounted to a robot, with respect to a 3D scene representing an indoor space; generating acoustic rays through reflection-aware acoustic ray tracing based on the collected an audio signal; and estimating a 3D position of a sound source based on the generated acoustic rays. The input audio signal includes a direct acoustic ray output from the sound source and an indirect acoustic ray reflected by an object on a space. According to an aspect of example embodiments, there is provided a system for reflection-aware sound source localization, the system including a signal collector configured to collect an audio signal input through a microphone array mounted to a robot, with respect to a 3D scene representing an indoor space; an acoustic ray generator configured to generate acoustic rays through reflection-aware acoustic ray tracing based on the collected audio signal; and a position estimator configured to estimate a 3D position of a sound source based on the generated acoustic rays. The input audio signal includes a direct acoustic ray output from the sound source and an indirect acoustic ray reflected by an object on a space. According to an aspect of example embodiments, there is provided a method for diffraction-aware non-line of sight (NLOS) sound source localization (SSL) implemented by a computer, the method including reconstructing an indoor space; generating acoustic rays into the indoor space based on an audio signal collected from the indoor space; and estimating a position of an NLOS sound source based on a point at which one of the acoustic rays is diffracted. According to an aspect of example embodiments, there is provided a system for diffraction-aware NLOS SSL, the system including a processor configured to reconstruct an indoor space; a signal collector configured to collect an audio signal from the indoor space; an acoustic ray generator configured to generate acoustic rays in the indoor space based on the audio signal; and a position estimator configured to estimate a position of an NLOS sound source based on a point at which one of the acoustic rays is diffracted. According to some example embodiments, a sound source localization (SSL) system may further accurately estimate a position of a sound source in an indoor space. Here, the SSL system may localize a position of the sound source regardless of a presence of an obstacle between the sound source and the SSL system. That is, the SSL system may estimate a position of a non-line of sight (NLOS) sound source by tracing diffractions of acoustic rays in the indoor space. Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

11218486

BACKGROUND In traditional networks, authentication functions are handled by a firewall. While firewall authentication technology can offer robust protection, updating or changing authentication settings at the firewall can be costly, both in terms of ramp-up time and developer effort. These limitations frustrate the purpose of serverless architectures and other cloud computing methodologies, particularly in instances where authentication needs are specific to a particular microservice, or even are specific to a particular instantiation thereof. Authentication for network nodes in a serverless architecture is handled at each node. Applications built for serverless architectures may contain dozens—or even hundreds—of serverless functions, each with a specific purpose. These functions may connect together to form overall system logic, but may require different authentication information at each function. These functions may be spun up and changed every few milliseconds. These functions can be attractive targets for DOS attacks and other malicious activity. Such malicious activity can result in the network owner incurring unnecessary costs associated with ramping up such functions. Thus, there is a need to develop authentication technology that can reduce the risk of unnecessary network costs associated with malicious activity. SUMMARY The disclosed systems, methods, and apparatuses allow for authentication to facilitate development and use of virtualized environments, serverless architectures, and functions as a service (“FaaS”). In an aspect, this disclosure is directed to a method. The method may include parsing code of a first network node to identify a first validation parameter and tracing a route to determine connectivity between the network node and a second network node. The method may also include parsing code of the second network node to identify a second validation parameter and creating an authentication node based on the first and second validation parameters. The method may also include receiving a request to access a microservice that utilizes the first network node and the second network node and analyzing, by the authentication node, the request to make a validation determination indicative of whether the request satisfies the first and second validation parameters. The method also includes controlling, by the authentication node, access to the microservice based on the validation determination. In another aspect, this disclosure is directed to a method. The method may include identifying a first validation parameter of a first network node and a second validation parameter of a second network node. The method includes creating an authentication node based on the first and second validation parameters. The method may also include receiving a request to access a microservice that utilizes the first network node and the second network node. The method may also include analyzing, by the authentication node, the request to make a validation determination indicative of whether the request satisfies the first and second validation parameters and controlling, by the authentication node, access to the microservice based on the validation determination. According to another aspect, this disclosure is directed to a system. The system may include a processor and memory storing executable instructions that cause the processor to effectuate operations. The operations may include parsing code of a first network node to identify a first validation parameter. The operations may also include tracing a route to determine connectivity between the network node and a second network node. The operations may also include parsing code of the second network node to identify a second validation parameter and creating an authentication node based on the first and second validation parameters. The authentication node may be configured to receive a request to access a microservice that utilizes the first network node and the second network node. The authentication node may be further configured to make a validation determination based on the request and control access to the microservice based on the validation determination.

11531913

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The present disclosure relates generally to improved techniques for representing and processing decision networks. BACKGROUND A decision tree is a model for possible outcomes of a set of related conditional tests or decisions. Decision trees may be used as tools that support decision making. A decision tree is generally represented as an acyclic, directed, connected tree structure, such that any two nodes in the tree are connected by one and only one path. Decision trees may include decision nodes and terminal nodes. Each decision node represents a conditional expression, and the value of the conditional expression determines which edge leading from the decision node is followed. In a sense, the value of the conditional expression may represent a decision to select the corresponding edge to which the corresponding node is connected. Each terminal node (or “leaf node”) may represent an output of the decision tree, which is the result of the combination of decisions along the path from the root decision node to the terminal node. Decision trees may be binary, such that each decision node has only two possible outcomes. Decision networks (e.g., decision trees) can be used to classify data, make decisions, and make predictions in a wide variety of fields, including operations management, fault diagnosis, and predictive analytics. In many of those fields, efficient processing of decision networks is desirable to satisfy temporal constraints (e.g., to process decision networks in real-time) and/or to limit utilization of computer resources (e.g., processor cycles, power, memory, etc.). Conventional techniques for processing decision trees are often inefficient. In some cases, a serialized evaluation of the tree's decision nodes is performed. This approach tends to be slow because there is very little parallelism for processing devices to exploit to accelerate the evaluation process. In addition, this approach generally involves random access to the regions of memory in which the input data and/or the decision tree are stored, which can lead to long memory access latency. Alternatively, a parallelized evaluation of the tree's decision nodes may be performed. This approach can be faster than serialized evaluation because there is more parallelism for processing devices to exploit. However, parallelized evaluation of a decision tree can be wasteful because the conditions corresponding to all nodes may be evaluated, including the conditions corresponding to nodes that ultimately do not affect the decision tree's output for a given set of input data. These inefficiencies can be particularly problematic if an application is characterized by one or more of the following conditions: (1) evaluation of a large number of decision trees, (2) evaluation of a large decision tree (e.g., a decision tree with many nodes), (3) evaluation of a decision tree in which decisions depend on sparse and/or categorical input data, and/or (4) evaluation of a decision tree in which many of the conditions represented by the decision tree's nodes are false.

11410607

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) This application claims priority under 35 USC § 119 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0097322, filed on Aug. 4, 2020 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), the entire content of which is incorporated by reference. FIELD The present disclosure relates to display devices, and more particularly to an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display device. DISCUSSION OF RELATED ART Each pixel of an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display device may store a data voltage at a gate node by using a storage capacitor, and may display an image with a desired luminance corresponding to the stored data voltage. However, the data voltage stored at the gate node might be distorted by a leakage current from the gate node or to the gate node, and the pixel might not emit light with the desired luminance. In particular, in a case where the OLED display device performs a low frequency operation that drives a display panel at a lower than normal driving frequency, the distortion of the stored data voltage caused by the leakage current might be intensified, and an image quality of the OLED display device might be degraded. SUMMARY An embodiment provides an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display device capable of reducing a leakage current in each pixel. According to an embodiment, an OLED display device includes a display panel having a plurality of pixels, and a panel driver configured to drive the display panel. Each of the plurality of pixels includes a driving transistor having a gate electrode coupled to a gate node and a source configured to receive a data voltage, a compensating transistor configured to diode-connect the driving transistor, the compensating transistor including first and second compensating sub-transistors coupled in series between the gate node and a drain of the driving transistor, a storage capacitor configured to store the data voltage transferred through the switching transistor and the diode-connected driving transistor, and an organic light emitting diode configured to emit light based on a driving current generated by the driving transistor. The panel driver calculates an average representative gray level of input image data in a plurality of frame periods, determines a voltage level of a node controlling voltage based on the average representative gray level, and provides the node controlling voltage to each of the plurality of pixels to control a voltage of a node between the first and second compensating sub-transistors. In an embodiment, at least one of the first and second compensating sub-transistors may include a bottom electrode, and the node controlling voltage may be a bottom electrode voltage applied to the bottom electrode. In an embodiment, each of the plurality of pixels may further include a reference transistor configured to apply a reference voltage to the node between the first and second compensating sub-transistors, and the node controlling voltage may be the reference voltage. In an embodiment, the average representative gray level may be an average of a plurality of representative gray levels of the input image data in the plurality of frame periods, and each of the plurality of representative gray levels may be an average gray level of gray levels represented by the input image data in a corresponding frame period of the plurality of frame periods. In an embodiment, the average representative gray level may be an average of a plurality of representative gray levels of the input image data in the plurality of frame periods, and each of the plurality of representative gray levels may be a middle gray level, a maximum gray level or a minimum gray level of gray levels represented by the input image data in a corresponding frame period of the plurality of frame periods. In an embodiment, the plurality of frame periods may include at least one previous frame period and a current frame period. The panel driver may store a previous frame representative gray level in the at least one previous frame period, may calculate a current frame representative gray level based on the input image data in the current frame period, may calculate the average representative gray level by calculating an average of the previous frame representative gray level and the current frame representative gray level, and may determine the voltage level of the node controlling voltage corresponding to the average representative gray level. In an embodiment, the panel driver may include a data driver configured to provide the data voltage to each of the plurality of pixels, a gate driver configured to provide a gate signal to each of the plurality of pixels, a power management circuit configured to provide the node controlling voltage to each of the plurality of pixels, and a controller configured to control the data driver, the gate driver and the power management circuit. The controller may include a previous gray storing block configured to store a previous frame representative gray level in at least one previous frame period, a current gray calculating block configured to calculate a current frame representative gray level based on the input image data in a current frame period, an average gray calculating block configured to calculate the average representative gray level by calculating an average of the previous frame representative gray level and the current frame representative gray level, and a voltage level determining block configured to determine the voltage level of the node controlling voltage corresponding to the average representative gray level. In an embodiment, each of the plurality of pixels may further include a gate initializing transistor configured to apply an initialization voltage to the gate node in response to a gate initialization signal, the gate initializing transistor including first and second gate initializing sub-transistors coupled in series between the gate node and a line of the initialization voltage, a first emitting transistor configured to couple a line of a power supply voltage and the source of the driving transistor in response to an emission signal, a second emitting transistor configured to couple the drain of the driving transistor and the organic light emitting diode in response to the emission signal, and an anode initializing transistor configured to apply the initialization voltage to the organic light emitting diode in response to a gate bypass signal. At least one of the first and second compensating sub-transistors may include a first bottom electrode, at least one of the first and second gate initializing sub-transistors may include a second bottom electrode, and the node controlling voltage may be a bottom electrode voltage applied to the first and second bottom electrodes. In an embodiment, each of the plurality of pixels may further include a gate initializing transistor configured to apply an initialization voltage to the drain of the driving transistor in response to a gate initialization signal, a first emitting transistor configured to couple a line of a power supply voltage and the source of the driving transistor in response to an emission signal, and a second emitting transistor configured to couple the drain of the driving transistor and the organic light emitting diode in response to the emission signal. At least one of the first and second compensating sub-transistors may include a bottom electrode, and the node controlling voltage may be a bottom electrode voltage applied to the bottom electrode. In an embodiment, each of the plurality of pixels may further include a gate initializing transistor configured to apply an initialization voltage to the gate node in response to a gate initialization signal, the gate initializing transistor including first and second gate initializing sub-transistors coupled in series between the gate node and a line of the initialization voltage, a first emitting transistor configured to couple a line of a power supply voltage and the source of the driving transistor in response to an emission signal, a second emitting transistor configured to couple the drain of the driving transistor and the organic light emitting diode in response to the emission signal, an anode initializing transistor configured to apply the initialization voltage to the organic light emitting diode in response to a gate bypass signal, a first reference transistor configured to apply a reference voltage to the node between the first and second compensating sub-transistors, and a second reference transistor configured to apply the reference voltage to a node between the first and second gate initializing sub-transistors. The node controlling voltage may be the reference voltage. In an embodiment, each of the plurality of pixels may further include a gate initializing transistor configured to apply an initialization voltage to the drain of the driving transistor in response to a gate initialization signal, a first emitting transistor configured to couple a line of a power supply voltage and the source of the driving transistor in response to an emission signal, a second emitting transistor configured to couple the drain of the driving transistor and the organic light emitting diode in response to the emission signal, and a reference transistor configured to apply a reference voltage to the node between the first and second compensating sub-transistors. The node controlling voltage may be the reference voltage. In an embodiment, the panel driver may include a still image detector configured to determine whether the input image data represent a moving image or a still image, to determine a driving mode for the display panel as a moving image mode when the input image data represent the moving image, and to determine the driving mode for the display panel as a still image mode when the input image data represent the still image, and a driving frequency decider configured to determine a driving frequency for the display panel as a normal driving frequency in the moving image mode, and to determine the driving frequency for the display panel as a low frequency lower than the normal driving frequency in the still image mode. In an embodiment, the panel driver may provide the node controlling voltage to each of the plurality of pixels in the still image mode, and might not provide the node controlling voltage to each of the plurality of pixels in the moving image mode. In an embodiment, the panel driver may provide the node controlling voltage to each of the plurality of pixels in the still image mode and in a transition period between the still image mode and the moving image mode, and might not provide the node controlling voltage to each of the plurality of pixels in the moving image mode after the transition period. According to an embodiment, an OLED display device includes a display panel including a plurality of pixels, and a panel driver configured to drive the display panel. Each of the plurality of pixels includes a driving transistor having a gate electrode coupled to a gate node and a source configured to receive a data voltage, a compensating transistor configured to diode-connect the driving transistor, the compensating transistor including first and second compensating sub-transistors coupled in series between the gate node and a drain of the driving transistor, a storage capacitor configured to store the data voltage transferred through the switching transistor and the diode-connected driving transistor, and an organic light emitting diode configured to emit light based on a driving current generated by the driving transistor. At least one of the first and second compensating sub-transistors includes a first bottom electrode. The panel driver calculates an average representative gray level of input image data in a plurality of frame periods, determines a voltage level of a bottom electrode voltage applied to the first bottom electrode based on the average representative gray level, and provides the bottom electrode voltage to each of the plurality of pixels. In an embodiment, each of the plurality of pixels may further include a gate initializing transistor configured to apply an initialization voltage to the gate node in response to a gate initialization signal, the gate initializing transistor including first and second gate initializing sub-transistors coupled in series between the gate node and a line of the initialization voltage, a first emitting transistor configured to couple a line of a power supply voltage and the source of the driving transistor in response to an emission signal, a second emitting transistor configured to couple the drain of the driving transistor and the organic light emitting diode in response to the emission signal, and an anode initializing transistor configured to apply the initialization voltage to the organic light emitting diode in response to a gate bypass signal. At least one of the first and second gate initializing sub-transistors may include a second bottom electrode, and the bottom electrode voltage may be applied to the first and second bottom electrodes. In an embodiment, each of the plurality of pixels may further include a gate initializing transistor configured to apply an initialization voltage to the drain of the driving transistor in response to a gate initialization signal, a first emitting transistor configured to couple a line of a power supply voltage and the source of the driving transistor in response to an emission signal, and a second emitting transistor configured to couple the drain of the driving transistor and the organic light emitting diode in response to the emission signal. According to an embodiment, an OLED display device includes a display panel including a plurality of pixels, and a panel driver configured to drive the display panel. Each of the plurality of pixels includes a driving transistor having a gate electrode coupled to a gate node and a source configured to receive a data voltage, a compensating transistor configured to diode-connect the driving transistor, the compensating transistor including first and second compensating sub-transistors coupled in series between the gate node and a drain of the driving transistor, a storage capacitor configured to store the data voltage transferred through the switching transistor and the diode-connected driving transistor, an organic light emitting diode configured to emit light based on a driving current generated by the driving transistor, and a first reference transistor configured to apply a reference voltage to a node between the first and second compensating sub-transistors. The panel driver calculates an average representative gray level of input image data in a plurality of frame periods, determines a voltage level of the reference voltage based on the average representative gray level, and provides the reference voltage to each of the plurality of pixels. In an embodiment, each of the plurality of pixels may further include a gate initializing transistor configured to apply an initialization voltage to the gate node in response to a gate initialization signal, the gate initializing transistor including first and second gate initializing sub-transistors coupled in series between the gate node and a line of the initialization voltage, a first emitting transistor configured to couple a line of a power supply voltage and the source of the driving transistor in response to an emission signal, a second emitting transistor configured to couple the drain of the driving transistor and the organic light emitting diode in response to the emission signal, an anode initializing transistor configured to apply the initialization voltage to the organic light emitting diode in response to a gate bypass signal, and a second reference transistor configured to apply the reference voltage to a node between the first and second gate initializing sub-transistors. In an embodiment, each of the plurality of pixels may further include a gate initializing transistor configured to apply an initialization voltage to the drain of the driving transistor in response to a gate initialization signal, a first emitting transistor configured to couple a line of a power supply voltage and the source of the driving transistor in response to an emission signal, and a second emitting transistor configured to couple the drain of the driving transistor and the organic light emitting diode in response to the emission signal. In an OLED display device according to an embodiment, each pixel may include first and second compensating sub-transistors coupled in series between a gate node and a drain of a driving transistor. A panel driver of the OLED display device may determine a voltage level of a node controlling voltage according to an average representative gray level in a plurality of frame periods, and may provide the node controlling voltage to each pixel to control a voltage of a node between the first and second compensating sub-transistors. Thus, a leakage current to the gate node may be minimized. Further, when an image displayed by the OLED display device is changed, the voltage level of the node controlling voltage may be gradually changed. Accordingly, an image quality of the OLED display device may be optimized. According to an embodiment, a display panel has a plurality of pixels, and each of the plurality of pixels includes a driving transistor having a gate electrode coupled to a gate node, and a source configured to receive a data voltage; a compensating transistor configured to diode-connect the driving transistor, the compensating transistor including first and second compensating sub-transistors coupled in series between the gate node and a drain of the driving transistor; a storage capacitor configured to store the data voltage transferred through the diode-connected driving transistor; an organic light emitting diode configured to emit light based on a driving current generated by the driving transistor; and an average representative gray voltage level terminal responsive to an average representative gray level of input image data in a plurality of frame periods and configured to control at least one of the first and second compensating sub-transistors. In an embodiment, the average representative gray voltage level terminal is configured to receive a node controlling voltage based on the average representative gray level to control a voltage of a node between the first and second compensating sub-transistors. In an embodiment, at least one of the first and second compensating sub-transistors includes a first bottom electrode, and the average representative gray voltage level terminal is configured to apply a bottom electrode voltage to the first bottom electrode based on the average representative gray level. In an embodiment, each of the plurality of pixels further includes a first reference transistor configured to apply a reference voltage to a node between the first and second compensating sub-transistors, wherein the average representative gray voltage level terminal is configured to receive the reference voltage based on the average representative gray level. In an embodiment, each of the plurality of pixels further includes a switching transistor configured to transfer the data voltage to the source of the driving transistor.

11265355

COPYRIGHT NOTICE This application contains material that is subject to copyright protection. Such material may be reproduced by any person exactly as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records. The copyright owner otherwise reserves all rights to such material. FIELD The systems and methods disclosed herein generally relate to the field of customized media distribution, and more particularly to add-in content blocks including perishable content. BACKGROUND Content consumers may have collections of media content, such as libraries of music. Those collections may be stored in local computers, or in remote servers, or in portable media devices. Consumers may also have arranged their content into playlists to create a certain listening experience. Moreover, consumers may have various content management tools and media players to arrange and play their content. Consumers do not, however, typically have the resources, skill or experience to create professional-sounding or radio-like listening experiences. Similarly, consumer-generated playlists typically provide a more monotonous listening experience, i.e., an all-music listening experience. And, consumers typically do not have the time or resources to add perishable content to their listening experience, such as news updates or weather reports. Radio broadcasters, on the other hand, typically have the resources, skill and experience to create professional-sounding and radio-like listening experiences, e.g., radio broadcasts. Such broadcasts may provide a variety of content arranged so as to maintain consumer interest. For example, a jazz music radio broadcast may play a selection of music by a variety of jazz artists having diverse jazz styles. The jazz music may be interspersed with a generally pleasing mix of radio host commentary, advertisements, weather reports, news reports, station jingles, and the like. Also, each song or music element in the jazz broadcast may be mixed and edited to provide generally pleasing transitions, e.g., cross-fades and voiceovers. However, because radio broadcasters generally develop broadcast programs for a large audience, the broadcast programs may not be as fully pleasing or customized to an individual listener as the listener would like. Some broadcasters provide an Internet broadcast that allows consumers to select content to listen to, whether by artist, genre, style, and the like, yet still comply with various regulations, e.g., those promulgated under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”), and rights management schemes, e.g., digital rights management (“DRM”). However, such broadcasts may suffer from the same sort of monotony associated with consumer-created playlists, and may fail to allow any further listener customization. Additionally, many organizations typically do not have the resources or expertise to distribute content to their constituents. Organizations need a way to distribute content to their constituents in such a way and by such means that the constituent will receive and consume the content in a timely manner. For example, if a business desires to distribute an audio message from an executive, the business may circulate an email with information on how a user may listen to the message, e.g., by going online and downloading the message for playback, and urge the consumer to do so. However, many constituents may view those steps as too much of a hassle, and simply not listen to the message. Similarly, a church organization may desire a better way to distribute bulletin items or sermons. Thus, there is a need for better systems and methods for engaging content consumers.

11272641

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE This disclosure generally relates to mechanical mounts, and more particularly relates to a mounting bracket for use in a vehicle. BACKGROUND A vehicle typically includes a large number of components. Many of these components are located in enclosed areas such as an engine compartment of the vehicle. Mechanical components are generally designed to withstand various adverse conditions such as high temperature, humidity, and wetness. Electronic components such as an engine controller circuit board or a climate control circuit board, are typically mounted inside an enclosure so as to prevent water and dirt from affecting the operations of these components. Some enclosures are made of metal while others are made of non-metallic materials such as ABS plastic. Metal enclosures provide certain advantages such as strength, durability, and resistance to impacts. However, metal enclosures add weight to the vehicle and it is generally desirable to minimize weight without compromising integrity. Reducing weight not only applies to metal enclosures but is also applicable to other vehicle components such as mounting brackets that are used for attaching various components to a chassis of the vehicle. Mounting brackets made of metal can provide certain benefits from a mechanical point of view as well as from an electrical point of view. However, such metal parts can be heavy and can adversely impact manufacturing cost. Mounting brackets made of plastic tend to be light weight and relatively less expensive to manufacture than metal mounting brackets. However, plastic parts are not good conductors. For example, a plastic mounting bracket does not provide electrical connectivity to ground when so desired for an electrical device mounted upon the plastic mounting bracket. It is therefore desirable to manufacture vehicle components such as mounting brackets that are light weight, yet offer benefits such as strength, heat conductivity, and electrical conductivity.

11415669

BACKGROUND Technical Field The present invention relates to walk-through gates and more particularly to the physical design of walk-through gates. Description of the Related Art Walk-through gates are used for scanning objects passing through a defined space. Walk-through gates can be implemented as metal detectors for pedestrians or as checkout tunnels. Walk-through gates can be used for security control and to detect particular objects (for example, metal) carried into a restricted area. SUMMARY According to an aspect of the present invention, a device is provided for implementing a walk-through gate. The device includes a walk-through gate structure having boundaries that have curved inner surfaces on each side of a cavity. The curved inner surfaces are partially covered by a reflective material. The devices include radio frequency (RF) signal transmitters and RF signal receivers. The devices also include apertures that provide access to the cavity of the walk-through gate structure. According to another aspect of the present invention, a device is provided for implementing a walk-through gate. The device includes a walk-through gate structure having boundaries formed from arcs of a circle on each side of a cavity. The boundaries are covered by a reflective material. The device includes radio frequency (RF) signal transmitters positioned tangent to the boundaries and RF receivers positioned tangent to the boundaries. The devices include apertures that provide access to the cavity of the walk-through gate structure. The device also includes processing devices that perform signal space separation between a region inside of the walk-through gate structure and a region outside of the walk-through gate structure. According to another aspect of the present invention, a system is provided for implementing a walk-through gate. The system includes a processor device operatively coupled to a memory device. The processor device receives a transmission at a receiver positioned in a walk-through gate structure having boundaries including curved inner surfaces on each side of a cavity. The curved inner surfaces are covered by a reflective material. The processor device performs signal space separation between a region inside of the walk-through gate structure and a region outside of the walk-through gate structure. The processor device determines whether the signal was transmitted from a radio frequency identifier (RFID) within the boundaries of the walk-through gate structure. The processor device processes a transaction based on the RFID in response to determining that the signal was transmitted from within the boundaries of the walk-through gate structure. These and other features and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments thereof, which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

11409635

TECHNICAL FIELD Embodiments described herein generally relate to anti-debug systems, and more particularly, in an embodiment, but not by way of limitation, to hacker-resistant anti-debug systems. BACKGROUND Debug utilities of various kinds can be used to attach to an executing process which allows dynamic analysis of the executing process. This dynamic analysis permits the examination of the executing process by halting the execution of the process, examining the values of variables in the executing process, and determining the program flow of the executing process. This further permits a determination of whether a program is executing properly and/or why a program is not executing properly. However, debug facilities are not normally permitted on some computer systems, such as production computer systems, and the use of such debug utilities on production systems can be used maliciously by hackers and other malfeasants to reverse engineer and/or do other damage to an executing process or system. There exist anti-debug techniques to prevent such malfeasance, but these techniques normally use internal operating system interfaces, and can thus be circumvented by the hackers by hooking these functions. That is, hooking or otherwise interfering with the operating system functions that are used to set or read a particular piece of memory to perform the anti-debug tasks. In this way, an attacker could circumvent the anti-debug strategy. Other anti-debug techniques directly check known flags in documented operating system structures to determine if a process is being debugged. However, as these flags are well known and not essential to the functioning of the debug system, they can be overwritten by hackers to hide their improper debug attempts. Other anti-debug attempts include searching executing processes for known debug utility names or anti-debug features. More elaborate anti-debug strategies involve generating a child process via a parent process or other process to monitor the process being protected from debugging or preventing the protected process from attaching itself to a debug process. However, these solutions still give hints to the hacker or other adversary about the anti-debug strategy that is being employed.

11293121

TECHNICAL FIELD OF INVENTION This disclosure relates to fabrics for flame retardant protective wear which confers protections against, inter alia, electrical arcs and/or flash fires and a method for manufacturing the said fabric. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Electrical arcs typically involve thousands of volts and thousands of amperes of electrical current. Flame retardant personal protective-wear is typically used to safeguard a person from a risk of such electric are and/or flash fires. However, when fabrics and garments/apparel are manufactured by using flame-resistant fibers, the fabrics or garments/apparel may break open easily upon exposure to the intense thermal stress of an electrical arc due to lower tensile strength of the flame-resistant fibers. T his break open of the fabric/apparel/wear may render the wearer to additional injury as a result of the incident energy. Further, the electrical arc is much more intense than incident energy such as from a flash fire. Hence, to offer protection to a wearer, the garment or fabric must resist the transfer of the arc energy through the fabric to the wearer. However, due to the break open, a hole forms in the fabric directly which exposes the surface or wearer to the incident energy. Currently, cotton or cotton/Nylon 66 fabrics/apparels/wears treated with flame retardant solution are available in twill, plain or rip stop weave, but these are heavier in weight (e.g., more than 250 gsm to 450 gsm). It is observed that cotton/modacrylic flame retardant polymer blended fabric/appael/wear is also heavy (e.g., more than 220 gsm (220 to 300 gsm) in twill, plain or rip stop weave. There are fabrics manufactured from blends of modacrylic or Polyacrylic Nitrile (PAN) carbon fiber with aramid but it is observed that they have limited colour options in the 150 to 250 gsm range in twill, plain or rip stop weave. Thus, currently known fabrics have either high weight and/or limited colour options and limited bleach resistance and/or very stringent wash/care instructions. Moreover, if the workplace contains highly flammable material, the possibility of additional fire hazards increases from static charge that might have developed on the protective wear. Hence, there is a need for protective apparel which can confer better protection compared to the currently available fabrics/garments/apparel for protective wear and also offer ease and flexibility in terms of weight, color options and wash/care. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention provides a light weight fabric and/or flame retardant protective wear in the form of garment/apparel that confer protection to a wearer and a method for manufacturing the said fabric/garment/apparel. The light weight fabric of the present invention resists break-open by absorbing incident energy thereby providing protection to the wearer. The light weight fabrics/garments/apparel described herein comprises yarns prepared from blends of polymer fibers and woven in stellar weave. The blend of polymer fibers include flame retardant viscose fibers, meta aramid fibers, para aramid fibers, Nylon 66 fibers, and optionally antistatic fibers in a predefined proportion. A process of manufacturing the fabric for wearable light weight protective apparel comprises processes of spinning, weaving, and wet processing in a predefined manner. In the first aspect, the present invention provides a light weight fabric for flame retardant protective wear comprising flame retardant viscose fibers from about 40% to about 60% by weight of total weight of the fabric, meta aramid fibers from about 25% to about 40% by total weight of the fabric, para aramid fibers from about 5% to about 10% by weight of total weight of the fabric, and nylon 66 fibers from about 5% to about 10% by weight of total weight of the fabric. Advantageously, the light weight fabric is substantially free of naturally occurring fibers including cotton, jute and the like or may comprise less than 5% weight of naturally occurring fibers including cotton, jute and the like based on total weight of the light weight fabric. In an embodiment, the light weight fabric may additionally comprise antistatic fibers from about 0.4% to about 3% by weight of total weight of the fabric. In the second aspect, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a light weight fabric of the first aspect for flame retardant protective wear, said method comprising steps of spinning the fibers in pre-determined ratio for forming yarns, weaving of the warped yarns for forming stellar weave fabric, wet processing of the fabric, treating the fabric by a hydrophilic softener on a stenter machine for facilitating soft hand feel to the fabric, and sanforising the treated fabric in length and width for providing the light weight fabric having permanent dimensions. According to the present invention, the spinning comprising the steps of: treating a fiber in a blow room by opening and blending the fiber in a predetermined ratio, processing the fiber in a carding machine for cleaning the impurities, naps thereby providing a output sliver, passing the fiber through a draw frame for making the fibers parallel for removing hooks, winding of the fibers were carried out to make a bigger package, steaming the fibers to remove a snarling, and parallel winding thereby forming a double yarn. According to the present invention, said weaving step includes warping the double yarns for making warp sheet for loom processing, sizing the warped double yarn by using a modified starch, a lubricant and a softener for enhancing the weavability of the fiber, and weaving the sized yarns in a predefined pattern on an air jet loom for forming stellar weave fabric. According to the present invention, the wet processing includes the steps of singeing of the fabric by burning protruding fibers by singeing machine through a gas burner, desizing the fabric for removal of added impurities, washing the fabric with hot water for removal of impurities, vat dyeing of the fabric through pad dry-pad steam process, developing the fabric on a continuous dyeing range machine by padding with a reducing agent followed by steaming, and oxidation of the fabric with H2O2followed by washing and drying at a vertical drying range. According to the present invention, the said fabric has weight from about 140 GS M to about 250 GS M and yarn count from about 2/44 s Ne to about 2/24 s Ne.

11392828

COPYRIGHT NOTICE A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates generally to database systems, and more specifically to a system and method for case object context embeddings that are used to train a machine learning model to predict related cases based on case context. BACKGROUND The subject matter discussed in the background section should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its mention in the background section. Similarly, a problem mentioned in the background section or associated with the subject matter of the background section should not be assumed to have been previously recognized in the prior art. The subject matter in the background section merely represents different approaches, which in and of themselves may also be inventions. A database system can store data or information. In a customer relationship management (CRM) database, for example, this data or information can include records for help requests and other cases of customer relationship management, which may include a user statement for a case object generated by a customer, as well as additional information related to the case. This data and information in a database system can be stored in the form of electronic records or digital objects. When a user is interested in accessing case data or information stored by database system that is related to a specific test case but the user does not know the other related cases, the user typically submits a search query, which may include a statement or utterance for a queried case utterance, to the database system, for example, using a search bar, voice interface, or similar user interface tool. The database system responds with a query result for one or more electronic records or objects that are potentially relevant to the user's query. However, for a database system with many records/objects, this process of identifying objects related to a search query consumes a large amount of system resources (e.g., hardware resources). Additionally, processing such a query will take a long period of time and cause the user to have a negative experience with the online system. Moreover, the search results can contain not only the information or data of interest to the user, but also many “false” hits. As such, the most relevant information or records may be buried or obscured in the returned search results, which further contributes to the user having a negative experience with the database system.

11253282

BACKGROUND Modern surgical techniques and emergency medicine often require the dissection and ligation of vessels and other tubular tissue structures. Current techniques for tubular tissue ligation involve clamping of a tubular tissue structure, followed by placement of a clip or staple having a pair of legs connected at their proximal ends that are squeezed around the vessel or tubular tissue structure flattening it. Proper application of such staples and clips requires technical expertise and it is easy to over- or under-tighten them. Over-tightening can lead to tissue damage and necrosis and under-tightening often results in leakage. In some cases, the legs of a clip or staple may not be squeezed together sufficiently or may separate following application resulting in insufficient ligation of a vessel or other tubular tissue structure leading to leakage or blood loss. Frequently, the tissue structure being ligated is inflamed such that the wall thickness is inconsistent, and the tissue is fragile making effective application of staples and clips without damaging the tissue a significant challenge. Adverse events from the use of clips and staples further include perforation by staples and injury from clips and staples that are left in the body. In addition, it is very difficult to apply the clip or staple at the proper angle to the tubular suture and the size of a clip or staple is often not well matched to the size of the tubular structure being ligated. The gold standard for tubular tissue ligation involves applying a suture or ligature having a knot that is tightened around the vessel or tubular structure. The knots may be placed too far or not far enough from the dissection site resulting in a stump that is too long increasing the risk of infection or too short increasing the risk of leakage. Knots may be tied manually or by use of a device that applies and tightens the knot, and may involve tying two or more knots for each dissected structure, one knot at a time. This is a slow process that requires significant skill. Some ligature procedures require one person to manipulate the ligature loop while another person manipulates a tissue grasping instrument. In addition, surgery often has space constraints, making it very difficult to effectively ligate a tissue structure when the process requires more than one set of hands. In most tubular tissue ligation, it is important to maintain a stump or “tissue margin” adjacent the dissection site. Such a tissue margin ensures that even if there is some physical stress induced at the site, the ligated ends of the tissue will not pull through the tightened suture loop. In currently available tissue ligation devices, improper placement of the ligating loop and knot often occurs frequently due to the inability to stabilize the tissue and the loop, resulting in slippage. In addition, some tubular tissue structures are smaller than others, and hence a device for tissue ligation must be able to accommodate both large and small tubular structures and be able to ligate a tubular tissue structure that has a variable wall thinness over the section to be ligated with the proper amount of tension to make a knot with the right degree of tightness. Accordingly, there remains a need for an improved device and method for ligation of tubular tissue structures. The present invention addresses this need.

11279767

SEQUENCE LISTING The instant application contains a Sequence Listing which has been submitted electronically in ASCII format and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Said ASCII copy, created on Aug. 27, 2018, is named 50474-131003_Sequence_Listing_8.27.18_ST25 and is 23,672 bytes in size. FIELD OF THE INVENTION Provided herein are therapeutic and diagnostic methods and compositions for pathological conditions, such as cancer (e.g., bladder cancer (e.g., urothelial bladder cancer)), and methods of using PD-L1 axis binding antagonists. In particular, the invention provides methods for patient selection and diagnosis, methods of treatment, articles of manufacture, diagnostic kits, and methods of detection. BACKGROUND Cancer remains one of the most deadly threats to human health. Cancers, or malignant tumors, metastasize and grow rapidly in an uncontrolled manner, making timely detection and treatment extremely difficult. In the U.S., cancer affects nearly 1.3 million new patients each year, and is the second leading cause of death after heart disease, accounting for approximately 1 in 4 deaths. Solid tumors are responsible for most of those deaths. Bladder cancer is the fifth-most common malignancy worldwide, with close to 400,000 newly diagnosed cases and approximately 150,000 associated deaths reported per year. In particular, metastatic urothelial bladder cancer is associated with poor outcomes and represents a major unmet medical need with few effective therapies to date. Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) is a protein that has been implicated in the suppression of immune system responses during chronic infections, pregnancy, tissue allografts, autoimmune diseases, and cancer. PD-L1 regulates the immune response by binding to an inhibitory receptor, known as programmed death 1 (PD-1), which is expressed on the surface of T-cells, B-cells, and monocytes. PD-L1 negatively regulates T-cell function also through interaction with another receptor, B7-1. Formation of the PD-L1/PD-1 and PD-L1/B7-1 complexes negatively regulates T-cell receptor signaling, resulting in the subsequent downregulation of T-cell activation and suppression of anti-tumor immune activity. Despite the significant advancement in the treatment of cancer (e.g., bladder cancer (e.g., urothelial bladder cancer)), improved therapies and diagnostic methods are still being sought. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides therapeutic and diagnostic methods and compositions for cancer, for example, bladder cancer (e.g., urothelial bladder cancer, UBC). In a first aspect, the invention features a method of treating a patient suffering from a bladder cancer, the method comprising administering to the patient a therapeutically effective amount of a PD-L1 axis binding antagonist, wherein a tumor sample obtained from the patient has been determined to have an increased level of somatic mutation in at least one gene set forth in Table 1 relative to a reference level of somatic mutation in the at least one gene set forth in Table 1. In some embodiments, the tumor sample obtained from the patient has been determined to have increased levels of somatic mutations in at least one-third of the genes set forth in Table 1 relative to reference levels of somatic mutations in the at least one-third of the genes set forth in Table 1. In some embodiments, the tumor sample obtained from the patient has been determined to have increased levels of somatic mutations in at least one-half of the genes set forth in Table 1 relative to reference levels of somatic mutations in the at least one-half of the genes set forth in Table 1. In some embodiments, the tumor sample obtained from the patient has been determined to have increased levels of somatic mutations in at least two-thirds of the genes set forth in Table 1 relative to reference levels of somatic mutations in the at least two-thirds of the genes set forth in Table 1. In some embodiments, the tumor sample obtained from the patient has been determined to have increased levels of somatic mutations in at least three-fourths of the genes set forth in Table 1 relative to reference levels of somatic mutations in the at least three-fourths of the genes set forth in Table 1. In some embodiments, the tumor sample obtained from the patient has been determined to have increased levels of somatic mutations in the genes set forth in Table 1 relative to reference levels of somatic mutations in the genes set forth in Table 1. In other embodiments, the somatic mutations are substitutions, deletions, and/or insertions. In some embodiments, the substitutions, deletions, and/or insertions are in coding regions. In some embodiments, the deletions and/or insertions are indels. In yet other embodiments, the tumor sample obtained from the patient has a whole-genome mutation load that is higher than a reference level whole-genome mutation load. In some embodiments, the median whole-genome mutation load is at least about 10 mutations per megabase (Mb). In a second aspect, the invention features a method for determining whether a patient suffering from a bladder cancer is likely to respond to treatment comprising a PD-L1 axis binding antagonist, the method comprising determining the level of somatic mutation in at least one gene set forth in Table 1 from a tumor sample obtained from the patient, and comparing the level of somatic mutation in the at least one gene set forth in Table 1 to a reference level of somatic mutation in the at least one gene set forth in Table 1, wherein an increased level of somatic mutation in the at least one gene set forth in Table 1 relative to the reference level indicates that the patient is likely to respond to treatment comprising a PD-L1 axis binding antagonist. In a third aspect, the invention features a method for predicting responsiveness of a patient suffering from a bladder cancer to treatment comprising a PD-L1 axis binding antagonist, the method comprising determining the level of somatic mutation in at least one gene set forth in Table 1 from a tumor sample obtained from the patient, and comparing the level of somatic mutation in the at least one gene set forth in Table 1 to a reference level of somatic mutation in the at least one gene set forth in Table 1, wherein an increased level of somatic mutation in the at least one gene set forth in Table 1 relative to the reference level indicates that the patient is likely to respond to treatment comprising a PD-L1 axis binding antagonist. In a fourth aspect, the invention features a method for selecting a therapy for a patient suffering from a bladder cancer, the method comprising determining the level of somatic mutation in at least one gene set forth in Table 1 from a tumor sample obtained from the patient, and selecting a therapy comprising a PD-L1 axis binding antagonist for the patient based on an increased level of somatic mutation in the at least one gene set forth in Table 1 relative to the reference level of somatic mutation in the at least one gene set forth in Table 1. In some embodiments of the second, third, and fourth aspects, the method further comprises administering to the patient a therapeutically effective amount of a PD-L1 axis binding antagonist based on the increased level of somatic mutation in at least one gene set forth in Table 1 relative to a reference level of somatic mutation in the at least one gene set forth in Table 1 in the tumor sample. In some embodiments of any one of the preceding aspects, the PD-L1 axis binding antagonist is selected from the group consisting of a PD-L1 binding antagonist, a PD-1 binding antagonist, and a PD-L2 binding antagonist. In some embodiments, the PD-L1 axis binding antagonist is a PD-L1 binding antagonist. In some embodiments, the PD-L1 binding antagonist inhibits the binding of PD-L1 to one or more of its ligand binding partners. In some embodiments, the PD-L1 binding antagonist inhibits the binding of PD-L1 to PD-1. In some embodiments, the PD-L1 binding antagonist inhibits the binding of PD-L1 to B7-1. In other embodiments, the PD-L1 binding antagonist inhibits the binding of PD-L1 to both PD-1 and B7-1. In yet another embodiment the PD-L1 binding antagonist is an antibody. In some embodiments, for example, the antibody is selected from the group consisting of atezolizumab (MPDL3280A), YW243.55.S70, MDX-1105, MED14736 (durvalumab), and MSB0010718C (avelumab). In some embodiments, the antibody comprises a heavy chain comprising HVR-H1 sequence of SEQ ID NO:19, HVR-H2 sequence of SEQ ID NO:20, and HVR-H3 sequence of SEQ ID NO:21, and a light chain comprising HVR-L1 sequence of SEQ ID NO:22, HVR-L2 sequence of SEQ ID NO:23, and HVR-L3 sequence of SEQ ID NO:24. In some embodiments, the antibody comprises a heavy chain variable region comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:26 and a light chain variable region comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:4. In other embodiments, the PD-L1 axis binding antagonist is a PD-1 binding antagonist. In some embodiments, the PD-1 binding antagonist inhibits the binding of PD-1 to one or more of its ligand binding partners. In some embodiments, the PD-1 binding antagonist inhibits the binding of PD-1 to PD-L1. In yet other embodiments, the PD-1 binding antagonist inhibits the binding of PD-1 to PD-L2. In some embodiments, the PD-1 binding antagonist inhibits the binding of PD-1 to both PD-L1 and PD-L2. In other embodiments, the PD-1 binding antagonist is an antibody. In some embodiments, for example, the antibody is selected from the group consisting of, MDX-1106 (nivolumab), MK-3475 (pembrolizumab), CT-011 (pidilizumab), MEDI-0680 (AMP-514), PDR001, REGN2810, and BGB-108. In yet another embodiment, the PD-1 binding antagonist is an Fc-fusion protein. In some embodiments, the Fc-fusion protein is AMP-224. In other embodiments, the method further comprises administering to the patient an effective amount of a second therapeutic agent. In some embodiments, the second therapeutic agent is selected from the group consisting of a cytotoxic agent, a growth-inhibitory agent, a radiation therapy agent, an anti-angiogenic agent, and combinations thereof. In yet other embodiments, the bladder cancer is an urothelial bladder cancer (UBC). In some embodiments, the UBC is a metastatic UBC. In other embodiments, the UBC is a locally advanced UBC. In some embodiments, the patient has progressed following treatment with a platinum-based chemotherapeutic agent (i.e., the patient's disease (e.g., UBC, e.g., locally advanced or metastatic UBC) has progressed after prior treatment with a platinum-based chemotherapeutic agent for UBC, e.g., locally advanced or metastatic UBC). In some embodiments, the patient is ineligible for treatment with a platinum-based chemotherapeutic agent (e.g., a cisplatin-based chemotherapy) and has not received prior treatment, e.g., prior treatment for locally advanced or metastatic UBC. In other embodiments, the tumor sample is a formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tumor sample, an archival tumor sample, a fresh tumor sample, or a frozen tumor sample.

11333200

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present disclosure relates in general to wind turbines, and more particularly to a method of manufacturing a pitch bearing or a yaw bearing of a wind turbine, at least in part, via additive manufacturing. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Generally, a wind turbine includes a tower, a nacelle mounted on the tower, and a rotor coupled to the nacelle. The rotor generally includes a rotatable hub and a plurality of rotor blades coupled to and extending outwardly from the hub. Each rotor blade may be spaced about the hub so as to facilitate rotating the rotor to enable kinetic energy to be converted into usable mechanical energy, which may then be transmitted to an electric generator disposed within the nacelle for the production of electrical energy. Typically, a gearbox is used to drive the electric generator in response to rotation of the rotor. For instance, the gearbox may be configured to convert a low speed, high torque input provided by the rotor to a high speed, low torque output that may drive the electric generator. To properly orient the nacelle and the rotor blades relative to the direction of the wind, wind turbines typically include one or more yaw or pitch bearings. Yaw bearings permit rotation of the nacelle and are mounted between the tower and the nacelle. Pitch bearings permit rotation of the rotor blades and are mounted between the rotatable hub and the rotor blade. Currently, yaw and pitch bearings are slewing ring bearings that include an outer race and an inner race with a plurality of ball bearings therebetween. Further, a typical pitch bearing includes a plurality of gear teeth on the inner race, whereas a typical yaw bearing includes a plurality of gear teeth on the outer race. Thus, one or more drive mechanisms are configured to drive the bearings by engaging the gear teeth. The inner and outer races of conventional pitch and yaw bearings are manufacturing via a forging process, which can be time-consuming and expensive. Accordingly, an improved method of manufacturing the yaw and pitch bearings of a wind turbine would be welcomed in the art. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention. In one aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a method for manufacturing a slewing ring bearing for a wind turbine (e.g. such as pitch bearing or a yaw bearing). The method includes forming an outer race of the slewing ring bearing of a base material. The method also includes forming an inner race of the slewing ring bearing of the base material. Further, one of the inner race or the outer race defines a circumferential surface comprising a plurality of gear teeth. The method further includes arranging the inner race within the outer race. In addition, the method includes providing a plurality of roller elements between the outer and inner races. Moreover, the method includes applying a coating material to at least a portion of the plurality of gear teeth via an additive manufacturing process. The coating material is different than the base material. As such, the coating material provides at least one of increased hardness, strength, or durability to the base material. In one embodiment, the method includes applying the coating material to either or both of the inner and outer races via the additive manufacturing process. In several embodiments, the method may also include machining the inner race, the outer race, and/or the plurality of gear teeth after applying the coating material. In such embodiments, the machining step may include hobbing and/or grinding the inner race, the outer race, and/or the plurality of gear teeth after applying the coating material. In certain embodiments, the additive manufacturing process described herein may include cold spraying, thermal spray, laser cladding, binder jetting, material jetting, directed energy deposition, powder bed fusion, or any other suitable additive technique. In another embodiment, the coating material may include boron nitride, aluminum oxide, silicon carbide, tungsten carbide, a nickel-based alloy, or any other material capable of providing the desired hardness. In further embodiments, the step of forming the outer race and the inner race of the slewing ring bearing of the base material may include casting the outer race and the inner race. For example, in such embodiments, the step of casting the outer race and the inner race may include pouring a liquid material into molds of the inner race and the outer race and allowing the liquid material to solidify in the molds so as to form the inner race and the outer race. In additional embodiments, the base material may include steel, iron, ductile iron, or any other suitable materials or combinations thereof. In particular embodiments, the portion of the plurality of gear teeth that includes the coating material may include about half of the plurality of gear teeth (e.g. only the portion that engages that yaw and/or pitch drive mechanisms). In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a slewing ring bearing for a wind turbine. The slewing ring bearing includes an outer race and an inner race arranged within the outer race with the inner and outer races being formed of a base material. At least one of the outer race or the inner race is rotatable relative to the other via a plurality of roller elements. Further, at least one of the inner race or the outer race defines a circumferential surface having a plurality of gear teeth. The slewing ring bearing also includes a coating material printed on at least a portion of the plurality of gear teeth and the inner and outer races via an additive manufacturing process. The coating material is different than the base material. As such, the coating material provides at least one of increased hardness, strength, or durability to the base material. It should also be understood that the slewing ring bearing may further include any of the additional features described herein. In yet another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a method for manufacturing a slewing ring bearing for a wind turbine. The method includes forming an outer race of the slewing ring bearing of a base material. The method also includes forming an inner race of the slewing ring bearing of the base material. At least one of the inner race or the outer race defines a circumferential surface comprising a plurality of gear teeth. The method further includes arranging the inner race within the outer race. In addition, the method includes providing a plurality of roller elements between the outer and inner races. Moreover, the method includes applying a coating material to at least one of the outer race or the inner race via an additive manufacturing process. The coating material is different than the base material. As such, the coating material provides at least one of increased hardness, strength, or durability to the base material. It should also be understood that the method may further include any of the additional steps and/or features described herein. These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

11392503

BACKGROUND Field of the Invention The embodiments of the invention relate generally to the field of computer processors. More particularly, the embodiments relate to a memory management apparatus and method for compartmentalization using linear address metadata. Description of the Related Art In current processors, a virtual address is translated to a physical address using a set of page tables managed by the processor's address translation circuitry. A pointer stored in one or more control registers (e.g., a CR3 register) points to a base translation table and different portions of the virtual address are used to identify different levels of translation tables to generate the physical address. Memory Tagging Technology (MU) provides for the attachment of metadata to pointers and to memory regions. The metadata is subsequently used as a security mechanism when performing loads from or stores to memory. Existing software-based solutions have high performance overheads (e.g., on the order of a 20×-100× slowdown), which limit their use to debug and pre-production quality assessments. Even when such tools are used, escapees still exist due to the complexity of software systems including the rapid changes and complexity of getting thorough coverage for complex scenarios in pre-production.

11227480

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a vehicle interior monitoring device for and a vehicle interior monitoring method of monitoring the misplacing of an object. BACKGROUND ART In the invention according to Patent Literature 1, an occupant acquires a captured image of the cabin of a vehicle from a vehicle control device by operating a terminal when realizing that he or she misplaced an object in the vehicle after leaving the vehicle. When a misplaced object is captured in the image, the occupant instructs the vehicle control device to conceal the misplaced object via the terminal. The vehicle control device conceals the misplaced object by controlling, for example, the states of seats in accordance with this instruction, thereby preventing theft. CITATION LIST Patent Literature Patent Literature 1: JP 2005-47343 A SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem In the invention according to Patent Literature 1, when an occupant realizes that he or she misplaced something in the vehicle, the misplaced object is concealed only after the occupant performs an operation of providing a concealing instruction. However, there is a problem in this technique that, the misplacing itself cannot be prevented. The present disclosure is made in order to solve the above problem, and it is therefore an object of the present disclosure to prevent the misplacing of an object. Solution to Problem A vehicle interior monitoring device according to the present disclosure includes: a captured image acquiring unit to acquire a captured image that is generated by capturing an image of an interior of a vehicle; an occupant identification unit to detect getting in and getting out of a vehicle of each of occupants using the captured image acquired by the captured image acquiring unit, and generate occupant identification information by identifying each of the occupants who has got in as an identified occupant; an object identification unit to detect presence or absence of an object using the captured image acquired by the captured image acquiring unit, and generate object identification information by identify an object detected to be present as an identified object; an object owner determining unit to generate object owner information by determining an owner of the identified object identified by the object identification unit, out of the occupants identified by the occupant identification unit, using the occupant identification information and the object identification information; an object misplacement determining unit to determine, when getting out of an occupant is detected by the occupant identification unit, whether or not an object owned by the occupant who gets out is misplaced in the vehicle using the object owner information about the occupant who gets out; and a warning unit to provide a warning when the object misplacement determining unit determines that an object owned by the occupant who gets out is misplaced in the vehicle. Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present disclosure, because an occupant who is the owner of an object is determined, and, when the occupant gets out of a vehicle, whether or not the object owned by the occupant is misplaced in the vehicle is determined and a warning is provided, misplacing of an object can be prevented.

11324407

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to health and environmental monitors and, more particularly, to wireless health and environment monitors. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION There is growing market demand for personal health and environmental monitors, for example, for gauging overall health and metabolism during exercise, athletic training, dieting, and physical therapy. However, traditional health monitors and environmental monitors may be bulky, rigid, and uncomfortable—generally not suitable for use during daily physical activity. There is also growing interest in generating and comparing health and environmental exposure statistics of the general public and particular demographic groups. For example, collective statistics enable the healthcare industry and medical community to direct healthcare resources to where they are most highly valued. However, methods of collecting these statistics may be expensive and laborious, often utilizing human-based recording/analysis steps at multiple sites. As such, improved ways of collecting, storing and analyzing personal health and environmental information are needed. In addition, improved ways of distributing raw and analyzed personal health and environmental information are desirable to support efforts to enhance healthcare quality and reduce costs. SUMMARY In view of the above discussion, apparatus for monitoring various physiological and environmental factors are provided. According to some embodiments of the present invention, real-time, noninvasive health and environmental monitors include a plurality of compact sensors integrated within small, low-profile devices. Physiological and environmental data is collected and wirelessly transmitted into a wireless network, where the data is stored and/or processed. In some embodiments of the invention, an earpiece functions as a physiological monitor, an environmental monitor, and a wireless personal communicator. The earpiece can take advantage of commercially available open-architecture wireless paradigms, such as Bluetooth®, Wi-Fi, or ZigBee. In some embodiments, a small, compact earpiece contains at least one microphone and one speaker, and is configured to transmit information wirelessly to a recording device such as, for example, a cell phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and/or a computer. The earpiece contains a plurality of sensors for monitoring personal health and environmental exposure. Health and environmental information, sensed by the sensors is transmitted wirelessly, in real-time, to a recording device, capable of processing and organizing the data into meaningful displays, such as charts. In some embodiments, an earpiece user can monitor health and environmental exposure data in real-time, and may also access records of collected data throughout the day, week, month, etc., by observing charts and data through an audio-visual display. In some embodiments, an earpiece can integrate personal physiological and environmental exposure information with biofeedback and personal entertainment. In other embodiments of the present invention, earpiece monitor devices enable a variety of networks, applications, games, and business methods. In some embodiments of the present invention, a monitoring apparatus includes a housing configured to be attached to the body of a person, one or more physiological sensors and one or more environmental sensors supported by (within and/or on) the housing. Each physiological sensor is configured to detect and/or measure physiological information from the person, and each environmental sensor is configured to detect and/or measure environmental conditions in a vicinity of the person wearing the apparatus. The apparatus also includes a signal processor that is configured to receive and process signals produced by the physiological and environmental sensors. A wireless transmitter is responsive to the signal processor and is configured to wirelessly transmit physiological and environmental sensor signals as processed by the signal processor from the signal processor to a remote terminal in real-time. Each physiological sensor is configured to detect and/or measure one or more of the following types of physiological information: heart rate, pulse rate, breathing rate, blood flow, heartbeat signatures, cardio-pulmonary health, organ health, metabolism, electrolyte type and/or concentration, physical activity, caloric intake, caloric metabolism, blood metabolite levels or ratios, blood pH level, physical and/or psychological stress levels and/or stress level indicators, drug dosage and/or dosimetry, physiological drug reactions, drug chemistry, biochemistry, position and/or balance, body strain, neurological functioning, brain activity, brain waves, blood pressure, cranial pressure, hydration level, auscultatory information, auscultatory signals associated with pregnancy, physiological response to infection, skin and/or core body temperature, eye muscle movement, blood volume, inhaled and/or exhaled breath volume, physical exertion, exhaled breath physical and/or chemical composition, the presence and/or identity and/or concentration of viruses and/or bacteria, foreign matter in the body, internal toxins, heavy metals in the body, anxiety, fertility, ovulation, sex hormones, psychological mood, sleep patterns, hunger and/or thirst, hormone type and/or concentration, cholesterol, lipids, blood panel, bone density, organ and/or body weight, reflex response, sexual arousal, mental and/or physical alertness, sleepiness, auscultatory information, response to external stimuli, swallowing volume, swallowing rate, sickness, voice characteristics, voice tone, voice pitch, voice volume, vital signs, head tilt, allergic reactions, inflammation response, auto-immune response, mutagenic response, DNA, proteins, protein levels in the blood, water content of the blood, pheromones, internal body sounds, digestive system functioning, cellular regeneration response, healing response, stem cell regeneration response. Each environmental sensor is configured to detect and/or measure one or more of the following types of environmental information: climate, humidity, temperature, pressure, barometric pressure, soot density, airborne particle density, airborne particle size, airborne particle shape, airborne particle identity, volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), carcinogens, toxins, electromagnetic energy, optical radiation, X-rays, gamma rays, microwave radiation, terahertz radiation, ultraviolet radiation, infrared radiation, radio waves, atomic energy alpha particles, atomic energy beta-particles, gravity, light intensity, light frequency, light flicker, light phase, ozone, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, sulfides, airborne pollution, foreign material in the air, viruses, bacteria, signatures from chemical weapons, wind, air turbulence, sound and/or acoustical energy, ultrasonic energy, noise pollution, human voices, animal sounds, diseases expelled from others, exhaled breath and/or breath constituents of others, toxins from others, pheromones from others, industrial and/or transportation sounds, allergens, animal hair, pollen, exhaust from engines, vapors and/or fumes, fuel, signatures for mineral deposits and/or oil deposits, snow, rain, thermal energy, hot surfaces, hot gases, solar energy, hail, ice, vibrations, traffic, the number of people in a vicinity of the person, coughing and/or sneezing sounds from people in the vicinity of the person, loudness and/or pitch from those speaking in the vicinity of the person. In some embodiments, the signal processor is configured to process signals produced by the physiological and environmental sensors into signals that can be heard and/or viewed by the person wearing the apparatus. In some embodiments, the signal processor is configured to selectively extract environmental effects from signals produced by a physiological sensor and/or selectively extract physiological effects from signals produced by an environmental sensor. In some embodiments of the present invention, a monitoring apparatus configured to be worn by a person includes a physiological sensor that is oriented in a direction towards the person and an environmental sensor that is oriented in a direction away from the person. A buffer material is positioned between the physiological sensor and environmental sensors and is configured to selectively reflect and/or absorb energy emanating from the environment and/or the person. In some embodiments of the present invention, a monitoring apparatus may include a receiver that is configured to receive audio and/or video information from a remote terminal, and a communication module that is configured to store and/or process and/or play audio and/or video information received from the remote terminal. In some embodiments, the communication module may be configured to alert (e.g., via audible and/or visible and/or physical alerts) a person wearing the apparatus when a physiological sensor detects certain physiological information from the person and/or when an environmental sensor detects certain environmental information from the vicinity of the person. In some embodiments, the communication module is configured to audibly present vital sign information to the person wearing the apparatus. In some embodiments, the communication module may be configured to store content generated by the person. In some embodiments of the present invention, a monitoring apparatus may include a transmitter that is configured to transmit signals produced by physiological and environmental sensors associated therewith to a gaming device. The monitoring apparatus may also be configured to receive feedback regarding monitored health and environmental parameters. As such, personal health and environmental feedback can be an active component of a game. In some embodiments, the apparatus is an earpiece module that is configured to be attached to the ear of a person, and includes a speaker, microphone, and transceiver that is electronically connected to the speaker and microphone and that permits bidirectional wireless communications between the earpiece module and a remote terminal, such as a cell phone. The transceiver (e.g., a Bluetooth®, Wi-Fi, or ZigBee transceiver) is electronically connected to the signal processor and is configured to transmit physiological and environmental sensor signals from the signal processor to the remote terminal. In some embodiments, the earpiece module may include an arm that is attached to the housing and that supports the microphone. The arm may be movable between a stored position and an extended, operative position. The arm may also include one or more physiological sensor and/or environmental sensors. In some embodiments of the present invention, an earpiece module that is configured to be attached to the ear of a person includes a first acoustical sensor oriented in a direction towards a tympanic membrane of the ear and is configured to detect acoustical energy emanating from the tympanic membrane. A second acoustical sensor is oriented in a direction away from the person. The signal processor is configured to utilize signals produced by the second acoustical signal to extract environmental acoustical energy not emanating from the tympanic membrane from signals produced by the first acoustical sensor. In some embodiments, the earpiece module may include an optical emitter that directs optical energy towards the tympanic membrane, and an optical detector that is configured to detect secondary optical energy emanating from the tympanic membrane. The signal processor is configured to extract selected optical energy from the secondary optical energy emanating from the tympanic membrane. The signal processor may also be configured to extract optical noise from the secondary optical energy emanating from the tympanic membrane. In some embodiments, the optical detector may include a filter configured to pass secondary optical energy at selective wavelengths. In some embodiments of the present invention, an earpiece module that is configured to be attached to the ear of a person includes an optical detector that is configured to detect acoustically modulated blackbody IR radiation emanating from the tympanic membrane. In some embodiments of the present invention, an earpiece module that is configured to be attached to the ear of a person includes an optical emitter that directs optical energy towards the tympanic membrane, and an optical detector configured to detect secondary optical energy emanating from the tympanic membrane. In some embodiments, the signal processor may be configured to extract selected optical energy and/or optical noise from the secondary optical energy emanating from the tympanic membrane. In some embodiments, the optical detector may include a filter configured to pass secondary optical energy at selective wavelengths. In some embodiments of the present invention, an earpiece module that is configured to be attached to the ear of a person includes an ear hook that is configured to attach to an ear of a person. One or more physiological sensors and/or one or more environmental sensors may be supported by the ear hook. In some embodiments, the hook may include a pinna cover that is configured to contact a portion of the pinna of an ear. One or more physiological and/or environmental sensors may be supported by the pinna cover. In some embodiments of the present invention, an earpiece module may include an arm that extends outwardly therefrom and that supports one or more physiological sensors and/or environmental sensors. For example, the arm may be configured to support physiological sensors configured to detect and/or measure jaw motion and/or arterial blood flow near the neck of a person wearing the earpiece module. In some embodiments of the present invention, an earpiece module may include an earpiece fitting configured to be inserted near or within the ear canal of a person wearing the earpiece. The earpiece fitting may include one or more physiological sensors configured to detect information from within the ear canal. In some embodiments of the present invention, an earpiece module may include a transmittance pulse oximeter and/or reflectance pulse oximeter. For example, the earpiece module may include an earlobe clip having a transmittance pulse oximeter and/or reflectance pulse oximeter supported thereby. As another example, the earpiece module may include a transmitter pulse oximeter and/or reflectance pulse oximeter supported at the front or back of the ear. In some embodiments of the present invention, a monitoring apparatus is an earring. The earring may be configured to operate independently of other monitoring apparatus, such as an earpiece module, or may operate in conjunction with another monitoring apparatus. For example, an earring may include one or more physiological sensors configured to detect and/or measure physiological information from the person, and one or more environmental sensors configured to detect and/or measure environmental conditions in a vicinity of the person wearing the earring. The earring may also include a signal processor that receives and processes signals produced by the physiological and environmental sensors, and a transmitter that transmits physiological and environmental sensor signals from the signal processor to a remote terminal in real-time. In some embodiments of the present invention, a monitoring apparatus configured to be attached to the ear of a person may include a housing containing one or more physiological and environmental sensors wherein the housing is configured to be positioned in adjacent contacting relationship with the temple of the person. Monitoring apparatus, according to some embodiments of the present invention, may include various additional devices/features. For example, a monitoring apparatus may include an air sampling system that samples air in a vicinity of the person wearing the apparatus. In some embodiments, one or more physiological sensors in a monitoring apparatus may be configured to detect drowsiness of the person wearing the apparatus. An alarm may be provided that is configured to alert the person in response to one or more physiological sensors detecting drowsiness. In some embodiments, a monitoring apparatus may include a user interface that provides user control over one or more of the physiological and/or environmental sensors. A user interface may be provided on the monitoring apparatus or may be included on a remote device in wireless communication with the monitoring apparatus. In some embodiments, a monitoring apparatus may include a user interface that is configured to allow the person to store a time mark indicating a particular point in time. Monitoring apparatus, according to some embodiments of the present invention, may be configured to send a signal to a remote terminal when one or more of the physiological and/or environmental sensors are turned off by a user and/or when one or more of the physiological and/or environmental sensors malfunction or fail. In some embodiments, a signal may be sent to a remote terminal when potentially erroneous data has been collected by one or more of the physiological and/or environmental sensors, such as when a person wearing a monitoring apparatus is surrounded by loud noises. Monitoring apparatus, according to some embodiments of the present invention, may be configured to detect damage to a portion of the body of the person wearing the apparatus, and may be configured to alert the person when such damage is detected. For example, when a person is exposed to sound above a certain level that may be potentially damaging, the person is notified by the apparatus to move away from the noise source. As another example, the person may be alerted upon damage to the tympanic membrane due to loud external noises.

11400692

BACKGROUND Polyvinylidene chloride “PVDC” is a known barrier material found in many odor suppression applications such as ostomy films, for example. PVDC, however, has several shortcomings. Films constructed with PVDC barrier layers oftentimes exhibit high noise during production, creating a health hazard to operators. PVDC also contains chlorine, a known environmental hazard. Efforts at down-gauging PVDC (or eliminating PVDC altogether) in barrier films have met with limited success. Thinner PVDC barrier layers come with reduced ability to suppress odor. Chlorine-free barrier layers typically do not provide the same odor suppression ability as a comparable film with a PVDC barrier layer. It is also known that odor absorbers or deodorants can be added to polymeric film in an effort to suppress odor. Metal oxides such as zinc oxide (ZnO) particles, and zinc salts in particular, are known to consume many odor-generating molecules such as H2S and mercaptans. All other factors being equal, it is known that ZnO concentration and odor suppression are directly related—i.e., as ZnO concentration increases in a given olefin-based polymer article, the effectiveness of odor suppression also increases. Although odor suppression increases as metal oxide (ZnO in particular) increases, limits do exist for the amount of ZnO that can be effectively incorporated into olefin-based polymer films. High loading of ZnO particles in polymeric films increases extrusion die lip buildup, thereby causing film defects. High loading of ZnO particles also increases haze, resulting in degradation of olefin-based polymer film transparency and/or degradation in film color. High loading of ZnO particles also deleteriously impacts mechanical properties such as impact strength and film tear strength. Processing parameters and end-use mechanical requirements thereby impose practical limits to the load of odor absorbers, such as ZnO particles, into olefin-based polymer compositions. A need therefore exists for a multilayer film, having improved odor-suppressing capabilities that overcome the limitations of high loading of ZnO particles. A need further exists for a multilayer film (such as an ostomy film) with suitable processability and suitable mechanical properties which reduces, or eliminates, the presence of halogen (chlorine) in the film. SUMMARY The present disclosure provides a film. In an embodiment, a multilayer film is provided and includes (A) a seal layer, (B) a barrier layer, and (C) an odor control layer. The odor control layer includes an odor control composition containing (A) from 85 wt % to 99.5 wt % of at least one olefin-based polymer and (B) from 15 wt % to 0.5 wt % of an odor suppressant. The odor suppressant includes a blend of: (i) an ionomer, (ii) particles of zinc oxide, and (iii) particles of copper oxide. The composition has a methyl mercaptan odor suppression value of greater than 45% as measured in accordance with ASTM D5504-12. The present disclosure provides a bag. In an embodiment, an ostomy bag is provided and includes a first multilayer film and a second multilayer film. Each multilayer film includes (A) a seal layer, a barrier layer, and (C) an odor control layer. The odor control layer includes a composition containing (A) from 85 wt % to 99.5 wt % of an olefin-based polymer and (B) from 15 wt % to 0.5 wt % of an odor suppressant. The odor suppressant includes a blend of: (i) an ionomer, (ii) particles of zinc oxide, and (iii) particles of copper oxide. The composition has a methyl mercaptan odor suppression value of greater than 45% as measured in accordance with ASTM D5504-12. The first multilayer film and the second multilayer film are arranged such that the seal layers oppose each other and the second multilayer film is superimposed on the first multilayer film to form a common peripheral edge. The first multilayer film and the second multilayer film are sealed along the common peripheral edge. The first multilayer film includes a first opening, with a ring adhered to the first opening. Definitions Any reference to the Periodic Table of Elements is that as published by CRC Press, Inc., 1990-1991. Reference to a group of elements in this table is by the new notation for numbering groups. For purposes of United States patent practice, the contents of any referenced patent, patent application or publication are incorporated by reference in their entirety (or its equivalent U.S. version is so incorporated by reference) especially with respect to the disclosure of definitions (to the extent not inconsistent with any definitions specifically provided in this disclosure) and general knowledge in the art. The numerical ranges disclosed herein include all values from, and including, the lower and upper value. For ranges containing explicit values (e.g., 1 or 2, or 3 to 5, or 6, or 7), any subrange between any two explicit values is included (e.g., the range 1-7 above includes subranges of 1 to 2; 2 to 6; 5 to 7; 3 to 7; 5 to 6; etc.). Unless stated to the contrary, implicit from the context, or customary in the art, all parts and percents are based on weight and all test methods are current as of the filing date of this disclosure. An “agglomerate” is a plurality of individual fine solid particles clumped or otherwise together forming a single mass. The terms “blend” or “polymer blend,” as used herein, is a blend of two or more polymers. Such a blend may or may not be miscible (not phase separated at molecular level). Such a blend may or may not be phase separated. Such a blend may or may not contain one or more domain configurations, as determined from transmission electron spectroscopy, light scattering, x-ray scattering, and other methods known in the art. The term “composition” refers to a mixture of materials which comprise the composition, as well as reaction products and decomposition products formed from the materials of the composition. The terms “comprising,” “including,” “having” and their derivatives, are not intended to exclude the presence of any additional component, step or procedure, whether or not the same is specifically disclosed. In order to avoid any doubt, all compositions claimed through use of the term “comprising” may include any additional additive, adjuvant, or compound, whether polymeric or otherwise, unless stated to the contrary. In contrast, the term “consisting essentially of” excludes from the scope of any succeeding recitation any other component, step, or procedure, excepting those that are not essential to operability. The term “consisting of” excludes any component, step, or procedure not specifically delineated or listed. The term “or,” unless stated otherwise, refers to the listed members individually as well as in any combination. Use of the singular includes use of the plural and vice versa. An “ethylene-based polymer” is a polymer that contains more than 50 weight percent (wt %) polymerized ethylene monomer (based on the total amount of polymerizable monomers) and, optionally, may contain at least one comonomer. Ethylene-based polymer includes ethylene homopolymer, and ethylene copolymer (meaning units derived from ethylene and one or more comonomers). The terms “ethylene-based polymer” and “polyethylene” may be used interchangeably. Non-limiting examples of ethylene-based polymer (polyethylene) include low density polyethylene (LDPE) and linear polyethylene. Non-limiting examples of linear polyethylene include linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), ultra-low density polyethylene (ULDPE), very low density polyethylene (VLDPE), multi-component ethylene-based copolymer (EPE), ethylene/α-olefin multi-block copolymers (also known as olefin block copolymer (OBC)), substantially linear, or linear, plastomers/elastomers, and high density polyethylene (HDPE). Generally, polyethylene may be produced in gas-phase, fluidized bed reactors, liquid phase slurry process reactors, or liquid phase solution process reactors, using a heterogeneous catalyst system, such as Ziegler-Natta catalyst, a homogeneous catalyst system, comprising Group 4 transition metals and ligand structures such as metallocene, non-metallocene metal-centered, heteroaryl, heterovalent aryloxyether, phosphinimine, and others. Combinations of heterogeneous and/or homogeneous catalysts also may be used in either single reactor or dual reactor configurations. “Ethylene plastomers/elastomers” are substantially linear, or linear, ethylene/α-olefin copolymers containing homogeneous short-chain branching distribution comprising units derived from ethylene and units derived from at least one C3-C10 α-olefin comonomer. Ethylene plastomers/elastomers have a density from 0.870 g/cc to 0.917 g/cc. Non-limiting examples of ethylene plastomers/elastomers include AFFINITY™ plastomers and elastomers (available from The Dow Chemical Company), EXACT™ Plastomers (available from ExxonMobil Chemical), Tafmer™ (available from Mitsui), Nexlene™ (available from SK Chemicals Co.), and Lucene™ (available LG Chem Ltd.). “High density polyethylene” (or “HDPE”) is an ethylene homopolymer or an ethylene/α-olefin copolymer with at least one C4-C10 α-olefin comonomer, or C4-C8 α-olefin comonomer and a density from 0.940 g/cc, or 0.945 g/cc, or 0.950 g/cc, 0.953 g/cc to 0.955 g/cc, or 0.960 g/cc, or 0.965 g/cc, or 0.970 g/cc, or 0.975 g/cc, or 0.980 g/cc. The HDPE can be a monomodal copolymer or a multimodal copolymer. A “monomodal ethylene copolymer” is an ethylene/C4-C10 α-olefin copolymer that has one distinct peak in a gel permeation chromatography (GPC) showing the molecular weight distribution. A “multimodal ethylene copolymer” is an ethylene/C4-C10 α-olefin copolymer that has at least two distinct peaks in a GPC showing the molecular weight distribution. Multimodal includes copolymer having two peaks (bimodal) as well as copolymer having more than two peaks. Non-limiting examples of HDPE include DOW™ High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) Resins (available from The Dow Chemical Company), ELITE™ Enhanced Polyethylene Resins (available from The Dow Chemical Company), CONTINUUM™ Bimodal Polyethylene Resins (available from The Dow Chemical Company), LUPOLEN™ (available from LyondellBasell), as well as HDPE products from Borealis, Ineos, and ExxonMobil. An “interpolymer” is a polymer prepared by the polymerization of at least two different monomers. This generic term includes copolymers, usually employed to refer to polymers prepared from two different monomers, and polymers prepared from more than two different monomers, e.g., terpolymers, tetrapolymers, etc. “Linear low density polyethylene” (or “LLDPE”) is a linear ethylene/α-olefin copolymer containing heterogeneous short-chain branching distribution comprising units derived from ethylene and units derived from at least one C3-C10 α-olefin, or C4-C8 α-olefin, comonomer. LLDPE is characterized by little, if any, long chain branching, in contrast to conventional LDPE. LLDPE has a density from 0.910 g/cc to less than 0.940 g/cc. Non-limiting examples of LLDPE include TUFLIN™ linear low density polyethylene resins (available from The Dow Chemical Company), DOWLEX™ polyethylene resins, e.g. DOWLEX™ 2247G (available from the Dow Chemical Company), and MARLEX™ polyethylene (available from Chevron Phillips). “Low density polyethylene” (or “LDPE”) consists of ethylene homopolymer, or ethylene/α-olefin copolymer comprising at least one C3-C10 α-olefin, or C4-C8 α-olefin, that has a density from 0.915 g/cc to less than 0.940 g/cc and contains long chain branching with broad MWD. LDPE is typically produced by way of high pressure free radical polymerization (tubular reactor or autoclave with free radical initiator). Non-limiting examples of LDPE include MarFlex™ (Chevron Phillips), LUPOLEN™ (LyondellBasell), as well as LDPE products from Borealis, Ineos, ExxonMobil, and others. “Multi-component ethylene-based copolymer” (or “EPE”) comprises units derived from ethylene and units derived from at least one C3-C10 α-olefin, or C4-C8 α-olefin, comonomer, such as described in patent references U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,111,023; 5,677,383; and 6,984,695. EPE resins have a density from 0.905 g/cc to 0.962 g/cc. Non-limiting examples of EPE resins include ELITE™ enhanced polyethylene (available from The Dow Chemical Company), ELITE AT™ advanced technology resins (available from The Dow Chemical Company), SURPASS™ Polyethylene (PE) Resins (available from Nova Chemicals), and SMART™ (available from SK Chemicals Co.). An “olefin-based polymer” or “polyolefin” is a polymer that contains more than 50 weight percent polymerized olefin monomer (based on total amount of polymerizable monomers), and optionally, may contain at least one comonomer. Non-limiting examples of an olefin-based polymer include ethylene-based polymer or propylene-based polymer. A “polymer” is a compound prepared by polymerizing monomers, whether of the same or a different type, that in polymerized form provide the multiple and/or repeating “units” or “mer units” that make up a polymer. The generic term polymer thus embraces the term homopolymer, usually employed to refer to polymers prepared from only one type of monomer, and the term copolymer, usually employed to refer to polymers prepared from at least two types of monomers. It also embraces all forms of copolymer, e.g., random, block, etc. The terms “ethylene/α-olefin polymer” and “propylene/α-olefin polymer” are indicative of copolymer as described above prepared from polymerizing ethylene or propylene respectively and one or more additional, polymerizable α-olefin monomer. It is noted that although a polymer is often referred to as being “made of” one or more specified monomers, “based on” a specified monomer or monomer type, “containing” a specified monomer content, or the like, in this context the term “monomer” is understood to be referring to the polymerized remnant of the specified monomer and not to the unpolymerized species. In general, polymers herein are referred to has being based on “units” that are the polymerized form of a corresponding monomer. A “propylene-based polymer” is a polymer that contains more than 50 weight percent polymerized propylene monomer (based on the total amount of polymerizable monomers) and, optionally, may contain at least one comonomer. Propylene-based polymer includes propylene homopolymer, and propylene copolymer (meaning units derived from propylene and one or more comonomers). The terms “propylene-based polymer” and “polypropylene” may be used interchangeably. Non-limiting examples of suitable propylene copolymer include propylene impact copolymer and propylene random copolymer. “Ultra-low density polyethylene” (or “ULDPE”) and “very low density polyethylene” (or “VLDPE”) each is a linear ethylene/α-olefin copolymer containing heterogeneous short-chain branching distribution comprising units derived from ethylene and units derived from at least one C3-C10 α-olefin comonomer. ULDPE and VLDPE each has a density from 0.885 g/cc to 0.915 g/cc. Non-limiting examples of ULDPE and VLDPE include ATTANE™ ultra low density polyethylene resins (available from The Dow Chemical Company) and FLEXOMER™ very low density polyethylene resins (available from The Dow Chemical Company). Test Methods D10, D50, and D90 particle size is measured using a Coulter LS 230 Laser Light Scattering Particle Sizer, available from Coulter Corporation. D10 particle size is the particle diameter at which 10% of the powder's mass is composed of particles with a diameter less than this value. D50 particle size is the particle diameter at which 50% of the powder's mass is composed of particles with a diameter less than this value and 50% of the powder's mass is composed of particles with a diameter greater than said value. D90 particle size is the particle diameter at which 90% of the powder's mass is composed of particles with a diameter less than this value. Mean volume average particle size is measured using a Coulter LS 230 Laser Light Scattering Particle Sizer, available from Coulter Corporation. Particle size distribution is calculated in accordance with Equation A: Particle⁢⁢size⁢⁢distribution⁢=(D⁢9⁢0-D⁢1⁢0)D⁢5⁢0.Equation⁢⁢A Dart impact strength is measured in accordance with ASTM D1709, with results reported in grams (g). Density is measured in accordance with ASTM D792, Method B. The result is recorded in grams per cubic centimeter (g/cc). Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) can be used to measure the melting, crystallization, and glass transition behavior of a polymer over a wide range of temperature. For example, the TA Instruments Q1000 DSC, equipped with an RCS (refrigerated cooling system) and an autosampler is used to perform this analysis. During testing, a nitrogen purge gas flow of 50 ml/min is used. Each sample is melt pressed into a thin film at about 175° C.; the melted sample is then air-cooled to room temperature (about 25° C.). A 3-10 mg, 6 mm diameter specimen is extracted from the cooled polymer, weighed, placed in a light aluminum pan (ca 50 mg), and crimped shut. Analysis is then performed to determine its thermal properties. The thermal behavior of the sample is determined by ramping the sample temperature up and down to create a heat flow versus temperature profile. First, the sample is rapidly heated to 180° C. and held isothermal for 3 minutes in order to remove its thermal history. Next, the sample is cooled to −40° C. at a 10° C./minute cooling rate and held isothermal at −40° C. for 3 minutes. The sample is then heated to 180° C. (this is the “second heat” ramp) at a 10° C./minute heating rate. The cooling and second heating curves are recorded. The cool curve is analyzed by setting baseline endpoints from the beginning of crystallization to −20° C. The heat curve is analyzed by setting baseline endpoints from −20° C. to the end of melt. The values determined are extrapolated onset of melting, Tm, and extrapolated onset of crystallization, Tc. Heat of fusion (Hf) (in Joules per gram), and the calculated % crystallinity for polyethylene samples using the following Equation: % Crystallinity=((Hf)/292 J/g)×100. Glass transition temperature, Tg, is determined from the DSC heating curve where half the sample has gained the liquid heat capacity as described in Bernhard Wunderlich,The Basis of Thermal Analysis, in Thermal Characterization of Polymeric Materials92, 278-279 (Edith A. Turi ed., 2d ed. 1997). Baselines are drawn from below and above the glass transition region and extrapolated through the Tg region. The temperature at which the sample heat capacity is half-way between these baselines is the Tg. Elmendorf tear (or tear) is measured in accordance with ASTM D1922-15, machine direction (MD), with results reported in grams-force (gf). Melt flow rate (MFR) in g/10 min is measured in accordance with ASTM D1238 (230° C./2.16 kg). Melt index (MI) (I2) in g/10 min is measured in accordance with ASTM D1238 (190° C./2.16 kg). Odor Suppression/Odor Suppression Value. Odor suppression is the ability of a composition to neutralize, or otherwise reduce, the amount of volatile sulfur-containing compounds. In the present disclosure, the odor suppression for methyl mercaptan is measured with gas chromatography equipped with an Agilent Sulfur Chemiluminescence Detector (GC-SCD) in accordance with ASTM D5504-12. A control sample is prepared by placing a film formed from DOWLEX™ 2085G, ethylene/octene LLDPE, into a Tedlar® bag (polyvinyl fluoride). The Tedlar® bag for the control is subsequently filled with 900 mL of helium gas and known amounts of methyl mercaptan and the Tedlar® bag is closed. Test samples are prepared by placing a film formed from respective test compositions, each test film placed into a respective Tedlar® bag. Each Tedlar® bag is subsequently filled with 900 mL of helium gas and known amounts of methyl mercaptan, and the Tedlar® bag is closed. Samples are injected onto the GC-SCD at pre-determined time intervals from each bag in order to evaluate odor suppression capability. The reference samples and test samples were analyzed after two days. The reference sample was used as the calibration standard to calculate the methyl mercaptan concentration of each test sample. A. Sample Preparation The control sample and each test sample containing 5 ppmv methyl mercaptan were prepared in SKC 1 L sample bag (SKC Tedlar® Sample Bag, 1 Liter, Cat No. 232-01). A reference sample without a film was prepared in a Tedlar® bag as the calibration standard.1. Cut 1.0 g of film into strips (approximately 1 cm×30 cm).2. Unscrew the valve from the sample bag, insert the film strips into the bag through the valve opening with the handle of cotton tipped applicator, and install the valve back to the sample bag, squeeze air out of bag before tightening the valve to seal the bag.3. Fill the bag with 0.90 L of helium gas (AirGas, Ultra Grade Helium)4. Inject 50 mL of containing 100 ppmv methyl mercaptan, into the bag using a gas-tight glass syringe. The Odor Suppression Value test can also be done for other odorants, including ethyl mercaptan, propyl mercaptan, and butyl mercaptan. B. GC-SCD Conditions 1. Gas chromatograph: Agilent Model 7890 with a split/splitless injection port, available from Agilent Technologies, 2850 Centerville Road, Wilmington, Del. 19808.2. Detector: Agilent Sulfur Chemiluminescence (SCD), Model G6644A.3. Chromatography data system: Agilent OpenLAB software.4. Columns: Agilent J&W DB-1 30 m×0.32 mm ID, 5 μm film thickness.5. Carrier Gas: Hydrogen, constant flow mode, 2.0 mL/min.6. Inlet: Split, temperature: 250° C., split ratio: 100:1.7. Injection volume: 500 μL by Valco Six Port Valve, Loop Size: 500 μL.8. Oven Temperature: 30° C. hold for 1 minute, 15° C./min to 140° C., hold for 1 minutes.9. SCD Detector Conditions:Temperature: 250° C.Hydrogen Flow: 38.3 mL/min.Oxidizer Flow: 59.9 sccm.Pressure: 400 Torr.An odor suppression value (OSV) is the removal % of methyl mercaptan calculated by the following equation: OSV=Concentration⁢⁢of⁢⁢Reference⁢⁢Sample-Concentration⁢⁢of⁢⁢Test⁢⁢SampleConcentration⁢⁢of⁢⁢Reference⁢⁢Sample×100=Peak⁢⁢Area⁢⁢of⁢⁢Reference⁢⁢Sample-Peak⁢⁢Area⁢⁢of⁢⁢Test⁢⁢SamplePeak⁢⁢Area⁢⁢of⁢⁢Reference⁢⁢Sample×100The Peak Area is the response of GC-SCD. A non-limiting example of OSV calculation is provided. At two days the GC-SCD peak area of methylmercaptan in the reference sample is 28240298, whereas the GC-SCD peak area of methyl mercaptan in the test sample IE 1 is 5667327 (unit is pA*s in Agilent OpenLAB software). The odor suppression value for the test sample IE 1 is (((28240298−5667327)/28240298)*100=80. As shown in the equation of OSV, both concentration of methyl mercaptan and GC-SCD Peak Area of methyl mercaptan can be used to calculate OSV. Porosity and Surface Area. Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) porosity and surface area analysis are performed using a Micromeritics Accelerated Surface Area & Porosimetry instrument (ASAP 2420). The sample is out-gassed at 105° C. while under vacuum prior to analysis. The ASAP 2420 instrument employs a static (volumetric) method of dosing samples and measures the quantity of gas that can be physically adsorbed (physisorbed) on a solid at liquid nitrogen temperature. For the multi-point BET measurement the volume of nitrogen uptake is measured at pre-selected relative pressure points at constant temperature. The relative pressure is the ratio of the applied nitrogen pressure to the vapor pressure of nitrogen at the analysis temperature of 77 Kelvin (K). Results for porosity are reported in cubic meters per gram, or m3/g. Results for surface area are reported in square meters per gram, or m2/g. Zinc/copper—total amount. The total amount of zinc and/or copper present in a composition is determined with x-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRS), in accordance with ASTM D6247. Results are reported in parts per million, or ppm.

11326836

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to a heat dissipation system, and more particularly to a vapor/liquid condensation system. 2. Description of the Related Art Along with the enhancement of the performance of electronic apparatuses, the heat generated by the electronic components for processing signals and operation has become higher than the conventional electronic components. In general, the most often used heat dissipation components include heat pipe, heat sink, vapor chamber, etc. These heat dissipation components are in direct contact with the heat generation electronic components to achieve enhanced heat dissipation performance so as to prevent the electronic components from being over-heated to burn out. Some manufacturers provide a loop heat pipe structure employing heat pipe vapor/liquid circulation concept. In the concept, an evaporation unit is connected with a condensation unit via a tube body to form a loop module. The loop heat pipe structure has the advantage that a heat dissipation system with better evaporation/condensation circulation effect is provided by itself. A capillary structure is disposed in the evaporation unit for the backflow of the working liquid and the storage thereof. The capillary structure is formed with multiple channels for the vapor to flow. At least one face of the evaporation unit is in contact with the heat source to conduct the heat. After the working liquid in the capillary structure of the evaporation unit is heated and evaporated, the vapor flows out through the channels and flows and spreads to the condensation unit through the tube body connected between the evaporation unit and the condensation unit. Eventually, the vapor working fluid is condensed at the condensation unit into liquid phase to flow back to the evaporation unit for further circulation. However, it should be noted that in use of the condensation unit, in the case that the pipeline of the condensation unit is too long, the liquid will accumulate in the pipeline to fail to successfully flow back to the evaporation unit for further circulation. In addition, in the case that the path of the pipeline of the condensation unit is too narrow, the driving force of the vapor will be insufficient to drive the liquid to circulate. No matter what situation takes place, the circulation of the entire system will be interrupted to lose the heat dissipation function. It is therefore tried by the applicant to provide a vapor/liquid condensation system to solve the above problems existing in the conventional heat dissipation device. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a vapor/liquid condensation system, in which the path of the pipeline of the condensation unit is shorter. It is a further object of the present invention to provide the above vapor/liquid condensation system, in which the resistance of the path of the pipeline is lower. To achieve the above and other objects, the vapor/liquid condensation system of the present invention includes: a condensation unit including: a first chamber body having a vapor inlet, a liquid outlet and a partitioning section partitioning an internal space of the first chamber body into a vapor chamber and a liquid chamber, the vapor inlet being in communication with the vapor chamber, the liquid outlet being in communication with the liquid chamber; multiple vapor flow tubes, each vapor flow tube having a vapor flow tube first end and a vapor flow tube second end, the vapor flow tube first end being in communication with the vapor chamber; multiple second chamber bodies each having a fluid chamber, the vapor flow tube second end of the vapor flow tube being in communication with the fluid chamber; and multiple liquid flow tubes, each liquid flow tube having a liquid flow tube first end and a liquid flow tube second end, the liquid flow tube first end being in communication with the fluid chamber, the liquid flow tube second end being in communication with the liquid chamber; and an evaporation unit having a liquid inlet, a vapor outlet and an evaporation chamber in communication with each other, the liquid inlet being connected with the liquid outlet of the first chamber body via a conduit, the vapor outlet being connected with the vapor inlet of the first chamber body via another conduit. Still to achieve the above and other objects, the vapor/liquid condensation system of the present invention includes: a condensation unit including: a first chamber body having a vapor inlet, a vapor outlet, a liquid inlet, a liquid outlet and a partitioning section partitioning an internal space of the first chamber body into a vapor chamber and a liquid chamber, the vapor inlet and the vapor outlet being in communication with the vapor chamber, the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet being in communication with the liquid chamber; a second chamber body having an inlet, an outlet, multiple first flow passages and a partitioning member partitioning an internal space of the second chamber body into a vapor flow chamber and a liquid flow chamber, a vapor guide member being disposed in the vapor flow chamber, a liquid guide member being disposed in the liquid flow chamber, the vapor guide member having multiple second flow passages, the liquid guide member having multiple third flow passages, the inlet and the outlet being positioned between the first flow passages, the second flow passages being in communication with the inlet, the third flow passages being in communication with the outlet, the first flow passages respectively communicating with the second and third flow passages; and multiple radiating fin assembles in contact with outer walls of the first and second chamber bodies; and an evaporation unit having a liquid inlet, a vapor outlet and an evaporation chamber in communication with each other, the liquid inlet being connected with the liquid outlet of the first chamber body via a conduit, the vapor outlet being connected with the vapor inlet of the first chamber body via another conduit. According to the above structure, after heated at the evaporation unit, the working fluid is changed from liquid phase into vapor phase and flows through the conduit to enter the condensation unit. Then, by means of the internal structure of the condensation unit, the vapor-phase working fluid flows to left and right sides and is gradually cooled and condensed into liquid phase. Then the liquid-phase working fluid is collected from the left and right sides to the middle. Then the liquid-phase working fluid flows through the conduit back to the evaporation unit. In this case, the path of the pipeline of the condensation unit is shortened and the resistance of the pipeline is lowered to avoid interruption of heat dissipation circulation and failure in heat dissipation.

11388801

BACKGROUND Generally, a buck convertor takes a voltage and brings the voltage down to a lower voltage, while a boost convertor takes a voltage and brings the voltage up to a higher voltage. BRIEF DESCRIPTION According to one aspect, a tubular light emitting diode (LED) ballast may include a buck-boost converter circuit. The tubular LED ballast may include a first switch including a first end and a second end, an inductor including a first end and a second end, a first diode including a cathode end and an anode end, a second switch including a first end and a second end, a second diode including a cathode end and an anode end, and a capacitor including a first end and a second end. The cathode end of the first diode may be coupled to the first end of the inductor and the second end of the first switch. The anode end of the second diode may be coupled to the second end of the inductor and the first end of the second switch. The second end of the capacitor may be coupled to the second end of the second switch and the anode end of the first diode. The first end of the capacitor may be coupled to the cathode end of the second diode. The first switch and the second switch may be transistors. In a first, buck-boost converter mode, the first switch and the second switch may be driven by a same input signal. In the first, buck-boost converter mode, the first switch and the second switch may be driven by a waveform input signal. In the first, buck-boost converter mode, the first diode and the second diode may be freewheeling diodes. In a second, buck converter mode, the first switch may be driven by a waveform input signal and the second switch may be open. In the second, buck converter mode, the first diode may be a freewheeling diode. In a third, boost converter mode, the first switch may be closed and the second switch may be driven by a waveform input signal. In the third, boost converter mode, the second diode may be a freewheeling diode. The first switch and the second switch may be driven based on a reading associated with the inductor. The first switch and the second switch may be driven based on a rectified AC voltage across the first diode. The first switch and the second switch may be driven based on sensing a DC voltage across the capacitor. According to one aspect, a tubular light emitting diode (LED) ballast may include a buck-boost converter circuit. The tubular LED ballast may include a first switch, a first loop, and a second loop. The first switch may include a first end and a second end. The first loop may include an inductor including a first end and a second end, a first diode including a cathode end and an anode end, the cathode end of the first diode may be coupled to the first end of the inductor and the second end of the first switch, and a second switch including a first end and a second end. The second loop may include a second diode including a cathode end and an anode end, the anode end of the second diode may be coupled to the second end of the inductor and the first end of the second switch and a capacitor including a first end and a second end, the second end of the capacitor may be coupled to the second end of the second switch and the anode end of the first diode and the first end of the capacitor may be coupled to the cathode end of the second diode. In a first, buck-boost converter mode, the first switch and the second switch may be driven by a same input signal. In a second, buck converter mode, the first switch may be driven by a waveform input signal and the second switch may be open. In a third, boost converter mode, the first switch may be closed and the second switch may be driven by a waveform input signal. According to one aspect, a tubular light emitting diode (LED) ballast may include a buck-boost converter circuit. The tubular LED ballast may include a first switch including a first end and a second end, an inductor including a first end and a second end, a first diode including a cathode end and an anode end, a second switch including a first end and a second end, a second diode including a cathode end and an anode end, and a capacitor including a first end and a second end. The cathode end of the first diode may be coupled to the first end of the inductor and the second end of the first switch. The anode end of the second diode may be coupled to the second end of the inductor and the first end of the second switch. The second end of the capacitor may be coupled to the second end of the second switch and the anode end of the first diode. The first end of the capacitor may be coupled to the cathode end of the second diode. In a first, buck-boost converter mode, the first switch and the second switch may be driven by a waveform input signal. In a second, buck converter mode, the first switch may be driven by the waveform input signal and the second switch may be open. In a third, boost converter mode, the first switch may be closed and the second switch may be driven by the waveform input signal. The first switch and the second switch may be driven based on a reading associated with the inductor. The first switch and the second switch may be driven based on a rectified AC voltage across the first diode. The first switch and the second switch may be driven based on sensing a DC voltage across the capacitor.

11284763

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to a dust collecting device and relates particularly to a dust collector capable of assisting the user in loading and unloading a dust collecting barrel quickly and conveniently. 2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a dust collecting device is usually used to collect and filter dirt and harmful substances in a working site where dust or substances harmful to health may be generated. The dust collecting device functions to reduce dust and harmful substances in the environment and helps decrease the hazard to human health. Referring toFIG. 1, a conventional dust collecting device includes a frame901, a wind box906disposed on the frame901, a filtering cylinder908disposed at an outlet of the wind box906, a motor907disposed on the wind box906and adapted to create absorbing force caused by negative pressure, an air guide cylinder903disposed at the bottom of the wind box906and located at a place relative to the motor907, a gas inlet902disposed on the periphery of the air guide cylinder903and adapted to absorb dirty air and dust from the external environment, and a dust collecting barrel905connected to the bottom of the air guide cylinder903. When the motor907operates, the dirty air and dust can be introduced from the gas inlet902into the air guide cylinder903by the absorbing force. The air containing dust creates vortices along an inner wall of the air guide cylinder903whereby dust falls towards the dust collecting barrel905. Then, gas flow passes the wind box906and enters the filtering cylinder908by the absorbing force of the motor907. Finally, the gas flow is filtered by the filtering cylinder908and then discharged after the filtering process is done. If the conventional dust collecting device has been used for a long time, the accumulation of dust would have been caused. This requires cleaning of the dust collecting barrel905. Thus, a detachable dust collecting barrel lid904is generally added to the dust collecting barrel905. Accordingly, a large number of fastening members909may be disposed on the periphery of the dust collecting barrel lid904and adapted to fasten the lid904to the dust collecting barrel905in an airtight manner in order to prevent dust within the dust collecting barrel905from overflowing during the operation of the dust collecting device. However, the detachment or installation of the fastening members909may take a lot of time to unload or load the dust collecting barrel905. Particularly, if the dust collecting device abuts against the wall or is situated on the corner, it is difficult to operate the device and the inconvenience is caused. Therefore, the primary subject of this invention is to find a solution to the problem of inconvenient detachment and installation of the dust collecting barrel of the conventional dust collecting device. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of this invention is to provide a dust collector capable of assisting the user in loading and unloading the dust collecting barrel quickly and conveniently. To achieve the object, a dust collector with convenient loading and unloading duct collecting barrel of this invention includes a frame, a wind box disposed on the frame, a motor disposed on the wind box, an air guide cylinder disposed at a bottom of the wind box and situated relative to the motor, a gas inlet disposed on a periphery of the air guide cylinder, a telescopic tube connected to a bottom of the air guide cylinder, a dust collecting barrel lid connected to the other end of the telescopic tube, and a dust collecting barrel disposed under the dust collecting barrel lid. It is characterized in that the dust collector of this invention includes elements described as follows. A base plate is fixed on an outer periphery of the bottom of the air guide cylinder, and two pivot ears each are disposed at a rear side of the base plate. An operation unit is disposed in front of the frame. An end of the operation unit is pivotally connected to the two pivot ears of the base plate, and the operation unit extends towards the other side of the base plate. A plurality of linking members can be provided. One end of each linking member is pivotally connected to the operation unit, and the other end of each linking member is pivotally connected to the dust collecting barrel lid. Accordingly, the linking members are driven by the operation unit to move the dust collecting barrel lid upwards and downwards. When a user wants to unload the dust collecting barrel, he only needs to lift the operation unit up. This upward movement allows the linking members to move the dust collecting barrel lid upwards, thereby separating the dust collecting barrel lid from the dust collecting barrel. Thus, the dust collecting barrel is easily detached. When the user wants to load the dust collecting barrel, he only needs to swing the operation unit down. This downward swinging action allows the linking members to move the dust collecting barrel lid downwards, thereby closing the dust collecting barrel with the dust collecting barrel lid. It is noted that the dust collecting barrel lid can be forcedly attached to the dust collecting barrel by the gravity of the operation unit, which assists the user in loading and unloading the dust collecting barrel quickly and conveniently and increases the working efficiency greatly.

11365496

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. The Field of the Invention The present invention relates to methods of manufacturing a wipe including melamine that has been entangled into a nonwoven or other fibrous material, as well as related articles of manufacture. 2. Description of Related Art Melamine cleaning articles are available, e.g., such as that provided under the tradename MAGIC ERASER. Such melamine cleaning articles are particularly good at removing crayon from walls, removing scuff marks from baseboards, and the like. While existing melamine cleaning articles are quite useful, they exhibit some drawbacks, such as lack of durability, as the melamine cleaning article tends to disintegrate or “crumble” in relatively short order during use. In addition, melamine cleaning articles do not exhibit any significant degree of drapability, as would a cleaning wipe, which can be desirable when attempting to reach into hard to reach areas, such as corners, crevices, and the like. As such, there is a continuing need for improved cleaning articles that comprise melamine, as well as methods for their manufacture. BRIEF SUMMARY The present invention relates to methods for manufacturing wipes including melamine which becomes entangled into a nonwoven or other fibrous material, as well as related articles of manufacture. According to one embodiment, a method of wipe manufacture includes providing a melamine sheet, providing first and second nonwoven sheets, and hydro-entangling the melamine sheet into at least one of the nonwoven sheets such that the melamine is entangled through at least one of the nonwoven sheets, such that a portion of the melamine is exposed on an exterior face of the wipe, which face is generally provided by the nonwoven sheets. While use of nonwoven sheets as the outer “sandwich” layers may be preferred, it will be appreciated that other embodiments may not necessarily be limited to nonwoven sheets, but that other fibrous materials could alternatively be used. Another method of manufacturing a wipe includes providing a melamine sheet in which the melamine sheet material is provided as a contiguous sheet, rather than in the form of discrete melamine particles. First and second nonwoven sheets are also provided, and the melamine sheet is positioned between (e.g., sandwiched between) the first and second nonwoven sheets. For the manufacturing method, the nonwoven sheets and melamine sheet materials may be provided as rolls of such material which are unwound and fed into the manufacturing process, e.g., which may later be cut to the desired size of the finished wipe. This sandwich structure is then subjected to hydro-entangling, whereby water-jets hydro-entangle the melamine sheet into at least one (preferably both) of the nonwoven sheets. The result is that a portion of the melamine is exposed on at least one (and preferably both) of the exterior faces of the wipe. The hydro-entangling is performed at a pressure of more than 100 bars, or at least 150 bars, e.g., depending on the thickness of the melamine, the characteristics of the nonwoven layers, or the like. Wipes produced according to the present invention may include a melamine sheet in which the melamine is provided as a contiguous sheet, rather than in the form of discrete melamine particles. The wipe is such that the melamine sheet is sandwiched between first and second nonwoven sheets positioned on either side of the melamine sheet, wherein the melamine sheet is entangled into at least one, and preferably both of the nonwoven sheets, such that a portion of the melamine is exposed on at least one, and preferably both exterior faces of the wipe. Such a wipe may be substantially void of melamine particles, and/or any binder (e.g., a melt flow adhesive) that may otherwise be used for adhering the melamine to the nonwoven sheets. For example, while U.S. Publication No. 2008/0003906 to the present Applicant (U.S. Publication No. 2008/0003906 is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety) discloses incorporation of melamine particles into a wipe or cleaning pad including a nonwoven layer, it was found that such methods of production were impractical as the melamine particles would become entrained within the process water, quickly clogging filters, and making continuous production processes highly inefficient and cost prohibitive. Furthermore, location of the melamine particles within the interior of the wipe or cleaning pad did not provide the desired melamine cleaning action on the exterior surface, as the entire exterior surface was provided by the nonwoven material. Finally, even if a melamine foam layer were provided on an exterior surface, such melamine exterior surface quickly eroded and disintegrated away during use, no better than results provided by existing Melamine cleaning pads, such as MAGIC ERASER The present embodiments instead ensure that no melamine particles are used, so as to facilitate manufacture through a continuous production process, and in which the melamine material generally makes up a core of the cleaning wipe, but in which the cleaning wipe is not really layered, with discrete layers, but in which the melamine is present also on the exterior faces of the wipe, entangled within the nonwoven material, “poking” through the nonwoven, so as to provide some melamine on the exterior face(s) of the wipe. At the same time, no exterior face of the wipe is provided exclusively by melamine, but the exterior faces are generally (e.g., mostly) provided by the nonwoven material, but in which the melamine sheet has been entangled with the nonwoven, such that portions of the melamine penetrate through to the exterior face of the wipe. Because the exterior face of the wipe is largely provided by the nonwoven, with protruding melamine portions, the wipe is far more durable than existing melamine wipe products in which melamine cleaning action is provided by a face that consists of or consists essentially of melamine. Further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the detailed description of preferred embodiments below.

11381663

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The present disclosure generally relates to facilitating event processing and, more particularly, to eventing systems and methods configured to increase processing throughput of new events retrieved via an application programming interface (API) by utilizing an event processing model. BACKGROUND Generally speaking, eventing systems allow clients to receive updates, alerts, and other relevant notifications related to their areas of interest. For example, mobile application (app) eventing systems allow clients to receive notifications related to the client's mobile apps, such as software updates, directly to the client's mobile device. However, traditional mobile app eventing systems have suffered from a variety of issues. Broadly stated, traditional systems lack the ability to reliably process events. Traditional mobile app eventing systems are unable to effectively handle events that are received but not processed or stored before a mobile app is closed, events that are stored but are not properly processed, and removing events after they have been processed. Moreover, traditional systems fail to adequately prevent resource exhaustion when existing clients sign into new devices, do not actively adapt to be compatible with new events, and consistently disrupt event processing to existing clients when incorporating new clients. BRIEF SUMMARY In one embodiment, an event processing device for increasing processing throughput may be provided. The device may comprise a transceiver; one or more memories including an event processing model; and one or more processors interfacing with the transceiver and the one or more memories. The one or more processors may be configured to: retrieve a new event via an application programming interface (API); parse the new event to determine a parsed event; store the parsed event in the one or more memories; determine a presence or an absence of an additional new event via the API; responsive to determining the absence of the additional new event, transmit a notification for display to a user indicating the parsed event and prompting the user to process the parsed event; and responsive to receiving a failure processing signal, schedule a subsequent notification for display to the user according to an event processing model by using (i) an exponential back-off and (ii) a random jitter, wherein the subsequent notification indicates the parsed event and prompts the user to process the parsed event, and wherein the failure processing signal indicates the user did not process the parsed event. In another embodiment, an event processing method for increasing processing throughput may be provided. The method may comprise: retrieving a new event via an application programming interface (API); parsing the new event to determine a parsed event; storing the parsed event in one or more memories; determining a presence or an absence of an additional new event via the API; responsive to determining the absence of the additional new event, transmitting a notification for display to a user indicating the parsed event and prompting the user to process the parsed event; and responsive to receiving the failure processing signal, scheduling a subsequent notification for display to the user according to an event processing model by using (i) an exponential back-off and (ii) a random jitter, wherein the subsequent notification indicates the parsed event and prompts the user to process the parsed event, and wherein the failure processing signal indicates the user did not process the parsed event. In yet another embodiment, a computer readable storage medium comprising non-transitory computer readable instructions stored thereon for event processing to increase processing throughput may be provided. The instructions when executed on one or more processors may cause the one or more processors to: retrieve a new event via an application programming interface (API); parse the new event to determine a parsed event; store the parsed event in one or more memories; determine a presence or an absence of an additional new event via the API; responsive to determining the absence of the additional new event, transmit a notification for display to a user indicating the parsed event and prompting the user to process the parsed event; and responsive to receiving the failure processing signal, schedule a subsequent notification for display to the user according to an event processing model by using (i) an exponential back-off and (ii) a random jitter, wherein the subsequent notification indicates the parsed event and prompts the user to process the parsed event, and wherein the failure processing signal indicates the user did not process the parsed event. Depending upon the embodiment, one or more benefits may be achieved. These benefits and various additional objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure can be fully appreciated with reference to the detailed description and accompanying drawings that follow.

11522561

BACKGROUND 1. Field Apparatuses and methods consistent with the exemplary embodiments of the inventive concept relate to a transmitter and a shortening method thereof, and more particularly, to a transmitter performing shortening by padding zero bits and a shortening method thereof. 2. Description of the Related Art Broadcast communication services in information oriented society of the 21stcentury are entering an era of digitalization, multi-channelization, bandwidth broadening, and high quality. In particular, as a high definition digital television (TV) and portable broadcasting signal reception devices are widespread, digital broadcasting services have an increased demand for a support of various receiving schemes. According to such demand, standard groups set up broadcasting communication standards to provide various signal transmission and reception services satisfying the needs of a user. Still, however, a method for providing better services to a user with more improved performance is required. SUMMARY The exemplary embodiments of the inventive concept may overcome disadvantages of the related art signal transmitter and receiver and methods thereof. However, these embodiments are not required to or may not overcome such disadvantages. The exemplary embodiments provide a transmitter performing shortening based on a preset shortening pattern and a shortening method thereof. According to an aspect of an exemplary embodiment, there is provided a transmitter which may include: an outer encoder configured to encode input bits to generate outer-encoded bits including the input bits and parity bits; a zero padder configured to constitute Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) information bits including the outer-encoded bits and zero bits; and an LDPC encoder configured to encode the LDPC information bits, wherein the LDPC information bits are divided into a plurality of bit groups, and wherein the zero padder pads zero bits to at least some of the plurality of bit groups, each of which is formed of a same number of bits, to constitute the LDPC information bits based on a predetermined shortening pattern which provides that the some of the plurality of bit groups are not sequentially disposed in the LDPC information bits. The shortening pattern may be determined based on Table 1. The zero padder may calculate a number Npadof bit groups in which all bits are to be padded by zero bits based Equation 2 or 3. The zero padder may pad zero bits to all bits of a πs(0)-th bit group, a πs(1)-th bit group, . . . , a πs(Npad−1)-th bit group among the plurality of bit groups based on Table 1. The zero padder may additionally pad zero bits to Kldpc−Nouter−360×Npadbits from a first bit position of a πs(Npad)-th bit group. According to an aspect of another exemplary embodiment, there is provided a shortening method of a transmitter. The method may include: encoding input bits to generate outer-encoded bits comprising the input bits and parity bits; constituting LDPC information bits comprising the outer-encoded bits and zero bits; and encoding the LDPC information bits, wherein the LDPC information bits are divided into a plurality of bit groups, and wherein the constituting the LDPC information bits comprises padding zero bits to at least some of the plurality of bit groups, each of which is formed of a same number of bits, to constitute the LDPC information bits based on a predetermined shortening pattern which provides that the some of the plurality of bit groups are not sequentially disposed in the LDPC information bits. The shortening pattern may be determined based on Table 1. In the constituting the LDPC information bits, a number Npadof bit groups in which all bits may be padded by zero bits based on Equation 3 or 4. In the constituting the LDPC information bits, zero bits may be padded to all bits of a πs(0)-th bit group, a πs(1)-th bit group, . . . , a πs(Npad−1)-th bit group among the plurality of bit groups based on Table 1. In the constituting the LDPC information bits, zero bits may be additionally padded to Kldpc−Nouter−360×Npadbits from a first bit position of the πs(Npad)-th bit group. As described above, according to various exemplary embodiments of the inventive concept, the shortening may be performed based on a preset shortening pattern to position LDPC information bits at specific positions, thereby improving performance of a bit error rate (BER) and a frame error rate (FER).

11274974

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is based on and claims the benefit of priority from earlier Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-77130 filed Apr. 12, 2018, the description of which is incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND Technical Field The present disclosure relates to a temperature sensor using a temperature sensing element for measuring a temperature. Description of the Related Art The temperature sensor is disposed, for example, in an exhaust pipe of an automobile and used for measuring the temperature of exhaust gas flowing through the exhaust pipe. For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2012-52959 discloses a temperature sensor in which a temperature sensing element is connected to metal core wires inserted in a metal sheath (metal tube). The temperature sensing element is disposed in a metallic cover attached to the tip of the metal sheath. The temperature sensing element is fixed to the metal sheath by a filler (insulating material) filled in the metal sheath. The temperature sensor is required to have responsiveness to promptly detect a change in a temperature of measurement target gas such as exhaust gas. In order to improve the responsiveness, it is conceivable to improve heat conductivity between measurement target gas in measurement environment and a temperature sensing element such as a thermistor. However, in such a conventional temperature sensor, a temperature sensing element is covered with a metallic cover via a filler. Since the metallic cover functions as a heat insulating material, heat is difficult to transfer between measurement target gas in the measurement environment and the temperature sensing element. As a result, the temperature of the temperature sensing element is difficult to change, and a certain time is required until the temperature of the temperature sensing element reaches the temperature of the measurement target gas, and therefore, the responsiveness of the temperature sensor is hindered. In order to improve the responsiveness of the temperature sensor, a metallic cover of a temperature sensor such as the temperature sensor in the above application could conceivably be eliminated. However, in this case, unless the temperature sensing element is appropriately protected, the temperature sensing element may be exposed to the measurement target gas and be deteriorated by gas such as reducing gas contained in the measurement target gas. Therefore, the durability of the temperature sensor against the measurement target gas cannot be secured unless a special measure is taken with the temperature sensor in order to eliminate the metallic cover. SUMMARY The present disclosure, which has been made in view of the above problems, is directed to providing a temperature sensor capable of improving responsiveness and maintaining high durability. In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a temperature sensor that includes a metal tube having an opening as an opening tip portion at a tip of the metal tube, a temperature sensing element disposed at the opening tip portion for measuring a temperature of measurement target gas in measurement environment, a pair of lead wires disposed in the metal tube, each including a lead tip portion containing at least one of platinum and platinum alloy and contacting with a surface of the temperature sensing element, an insulating support material disposed in the metal tube and made of ceramic for insulating the pair of lead wires from the metal tube and supporting the pair of lead wires in the metal tube, a coating material disposed at the opening tip portion in a state of covering the temperature sensing element, the lead tip portion, and a tip surface of the insulating support material and having a property of not allowing measurement target gas to pass through. The coating material contains an oxide and at least one kind of platinum, platinum alloy, and platinum-containing oxide containing platinum that are dispersed in the oxide. In the temperature sensor of the one aspect, the metal tube has the opening as the opening tip portion at the tip of the metal tube. The temperature sensing element disposed at the opening tip portion is covered with the coating material. No metallic cover (curved-surface-shaped tip part) for covering the temperature sensing element is provided at the opening tip portion of the metal tube. With the configuration, heat transfer such as heat radiation and heat transmission (heat convection) can easily occur between a tip portion of the temperature sensor and measurement target gas in measurement environment. As a result, the time until the temperature of the temperature sensing element reaches the temperature of the measurement target gas can be shortened, so that the responsiveness of the temperature sensor can improve. The coating material is disposed on the opening tip portion of the metal tube in a state of covering the temperature sensing element, each lead tip portion of the pair of lead wires, and the tip surface of the insulating support material. The coating material contains the oxide and the at least one kind of platinum, platinum alloy, and platinum-containing oxide that are dispersed in the oxide. Each lead tip portion of the pair of lead wires contains the at least one of platinum and platinum alloy. The platinum-containing oxide is referred to as a mixture of platinum and oxide. The platinum-containing oxide may contain metal other than platinum. The above configuration can prevent the coating material from being separated from the lead tip portions in a state in which the coating material is in contact with the lead tip portions of the pair of lead wires. As a result, in the case in which measurement target gas tries to intrude into the temperature sensing element along an interface between the coating material and the tip surface of the insulating support material, the measurement target gas is difficult to intrude into the interface between the coating material and each lead tip portion. The coating material has a property of not allowing measurement target gas to pass through. The interface between the coating material and each lead tip portion closely adheres, which can maintain the adhesiveness of the interface between the coating material and the temperature sensing element and can prevent the coating material from being separated from the temperature sensing element. Thus, the measurement target gas is difficult to contact with the temperature sensing element. As a result, the temperature sensing element can be prevented from being deteriorated by being exposed to the measurement target gas, and the durability (reliability) of the temperature sensor against the measurement target gas can be kept high. Thus, the temperature sensor according to the one aspect can improve responsiveness of the temperature sensor and maintain high durability (reliability) of the temperature sensor. The configuration in which the temperature sensing element is disposed at the opening tip portion of the metal tube indicates that the temperature sensing element only needs to be present at the periphery of the opening tip portion. For example, a part of the temperature sensing element may be disposed on the tip side relative to the opening tip portion of the metal tube, and a remaining part of the temperature sensing element other than the part may be disposed on the base end side relative to the opening tip portion. The entire temperature sensing element may be disposed on the tip side relative to the opening tip portion. Each lead wire may be constituted of a first wire portion supported by the insulating support material and a second wire portion serving as the lead tip portion and protruding from the insulating support material, which are joined by welding. In the case, the first wire portion and the second wire portion may be made of different metal kinds of materials. The entire lead wires may contain at least one of platinum and platinum alloy.

11434660

TECHNICAL FIELD The technology disclosed herein relates generally to electronic locking equipment and is particularly directed to an electronic lockbox of the type which uses a rotary actuator with multiple positions to achieve multiple locking states, including a “lock” state, a “shackle release” state, and a “key bin release” state. Embodiments are specifically disclosed as an electronically controlled lockbox with a rotary actuator, in which multiple positions of the actuator are detected preferably using non-contact sensors, such as optical sensors. The actuator acts as a prime mover (such as an electric motor) that is in mechanical communication with a cylindrical “barrel” that is sized and shaped to interact with latches that can hold (lock) in place a shackle and a key bin. The barrel can be rotated (by the actuator) from its locked position (the “home” position) to either a shackle release position or a key bin release position. The actuator can also rotate a movable indicator disk that has predetermined openings that act as windows so that, when the disk is rotated to a predetermined position, one of the windows will uncover an optical sensor. In one embodiment, there are two optical photosensors (such as photodiodes) and two light-emitting devices (such as LEDs), and if the indicator disk is rotated to a “home position,” both photosensors are uncovered because of a first window (“window #1”), and both can see the corresponding optical signals being emitted by the two LEDs. This is the locked state for both the shackle and the key bin. When the indicator disk is rotated in either direction by a predetermined minimum angular distance, then the first window becomes “closed” and neither photosensor can see the optical signals being emitted by the two LEDs. This is still a locked state, until the indicator disk becomes rotated to an extent where it reaches one of two other predetermined positions. One of those positions is in the clockwise (CW) direction of disk rotation, and the other position is in the counterclockwise (CCW) direction of disk rotation. When the indicator disk is rotated in a direction #1(either CW or CCW) by a predetermined angular distance, a second window in the indicator disk uncovers the first LED-photosensor pair, such that the first photosensor again receives the optical signal being emitted by that first LED. When that occurs, the key bin latch is released, and a human user can obtain access to the building key that has been placed within the key bin. A similar result is obtained if the indicator disk is rotated in a direction #2from the home position, which is the opposite (CW or CCW) rotational direction from direction #1. After being rotated by a predetermined distance in the second rotation direction, a third optical window in the disk uncovers the second LED-photosensor pair, such that the second photosensor again receives the optical signal being emitted by that second LED. When that occurs, the shackle is released, and a human user can either install or remove the lockbox (from its previously mounted position, on a doorknob, for example). The lockbox includes a system controller with a computer processing circuit that is programmed to keep track of the positioning of the actuator, and thereby knows which of the positions the actuator has moved to, under control of the software programming and according to commands entered by a human user of the lockbox system. A sensing circuit for the optical sensors includes an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter that receives an analog voltage signal from the photosensors, and converts that to a digital number; or alternatively, a voltage threshold detector could instead be used to sense the output signals from the optical sensors. The computer processing circuit also can have a capability to sense logic level binary bits as representing the output valve of the optical sensors. As the indicator disk is rotated, the received light is converted to an electrical signal by each photosensor, and the A/D converter samples those signals at a fast rate, so that the computer processing circuit can make decisions about “where” the actuator is currently positioned, essentially in real time. Typically, the processing circuit is looking for an “edge” of a positive-going or negative-going signal that signifies a significant change of state in the amplitude of optical energy being received by the photosensor(s). When that edge is detected, the processing circuit will stop the electric motor (the actuator) that was causing the movement of the indicator disk. The locking system has now reached a new state, either a release state for the shackle or for the key bin, or back to the home position (which is the locked or “armed” state). In a preferred embodiment, the outer sleeve of the locking mechanism has two portions, referred to herein as a “top sleeve portion” and a “bottom sleeve portion.”. The “bottom sleeve portion” rotates with the indicator disk, and when rotated in direction #1, it has a tab portion #1that causes the “top sleeve portion” to also rotate (in direction #1). When rotated in direction #2, a torsion spring #1causes the “top sleeve portion” to rotate (in direction #2), rather than using a tab portion. When the top sleeve portion rotates, either a tab portion #2or a torsion spring #2causes the cylindrical barrel to rotate. This barrel includes internal protrusions that lock the shackle latch and the key bin latch in place at all times, except when the barrel has been sufficiently rotated to one of the unlock positions. Under the control of the processing circuit, the other components described above will be rotated until the indicator disk reaches either one of the positions in which the second or third optical windows become “uncovered,” which will allow one of the photosensors to again “see” its associated LED optical signal. If that occurs, under normal operating conditions, then the sleeves and interior barrel will also have been repositioned into either the shackle release state or key bin release state, and the lockbox will physically respond as such—either the key bin will physically be accessible or the shackle will physically release (and can be removed). In a preferred mode of operation, the human user must act with some alacrity, because the processing circuit will only wait a few seconds before automatically turning the motor on again, to rotate the entire locking mechanism rotating subassembly back to the home position (which is the lock state). Assuming the user has acted accordingly, and has removed either the shackle, or the building key from the key bin, then the mechanical components of this lock are now in an “armed” state—at the home position. The difference between the armed state and the locked state is simple: until the shackle or the key bin is replaced back into the lockbox, then one cannot accurately say that the lockbox is actually “locked.” However, the preferred design of the latches is such that the shackle latch ping—or the key bin latch ping—can be slid back into the interior barrel while the lockbox is presently in the armed state (the home position), and once those components have been properly inserted and have seated within the barrel, then they will automatically become locked. This occurs without any further movements of the motor; in other words, the indicator disk (and the lower sleeve portion) do not significantly move while the shackle latch pin or key bin latch pin is being fully inserted. The actual barrel internal protrusions will likely move a small amount while allowing these latch pins to be re-inserted, but that is expected in this design. The fact that the barrel must be rotated to “unlock” either the shackle or the key bin makes this design quite tamper resistant. A major physical impact on any surface of the lockbox will not result in the lock mechanism opening, because such an impact will produce a shock force in a linear direction, not a rotational direction. Moreover, the interior barrel is made of metal, and the shackle cannot be pulled out by any human strength. Even if a mechanical leverage was to be applied by a prospective thief, it is more likely that the building's doorknob, or the door itself, would break before the shackle latch would break open. In an alternate embodiment, the torsion springs and sleeve are removed and the barrel is rotated directly by the motor drive system. This alternative design still keeps the major security benefits of the strong metal barrel with its interior protrusions having sufficient mechanical strength to prevent a person from simply overpowering the latch, for example. One feature that would be lost in this alternative embodiment would be the ability to re-insert the shackle or the key bin without any additional action by the human user. Without the torsion springs and outer sleeves, the barrel would not have an “armed” state that allows the shackle to be quickly inserted in a one-step procedure. Therefore, in operation, a user would not be able to insert the shackle (or the key bin latch pin) without first instructing the lockbox to engage the motor, which would rotate the barrel to one of the unlock positions, and thereby allow the shackle (or the key bin) to be inserted. The interior latching protrusions inside the barrel would provide a horizontal (perpendicular) latching (or locking) surface to mate against a similar horizontal (perpendicular) surface on the latch hook distal end of the latch pin. In another alternate embodiment, magnetic sensors could be used to detect one of three predetermined operational positions of the barrel. In this embodiment, the barrel position disk would have three permanent magnets at three different locations around the circumference of the disk, corresponding to those three positions of the barrel. The “home” position could have an additional magnet, in order to generate a larger (perhaps “wider”) magnetic field, for example. The other two positions could then have a single magnet, for example. The magnetic sensor would detect the magnetic fields at each location, generating a “hit” at each predetermined position. Or, two different magnetic sensors could be used, perhaps to differentiate between the “wider” magnetic field produced at the “home” position. In yet another alternate embodiment, an electromechanical limit switch could be used to detect one of three predetermined operational positions of the barrel. The barrel position disk in this embodiment would have a relatively smooth outside circumference (an “outer perimeter”), with three protrusions at the predetermined positions. The limit switch could include a cam follower that makes contact with the outer perimeter of the barrel position disk. When the barrel rotates, the position disk also rotates, and the disk's smooth outside circumference slides along the cam follower. Once a predetermined position is reached, one of the position disk's protrusions would force the cam follower to deflect in a manner that would actuate the limit switch, thus generating a predetermined position “hit.” This is similar to a rotating cam limit switch system. In still another alternate embodiment, a metal sensing proximity switch could be used to detect one of the three predetermined operational positions of the barrel. The barrel position disk in this embodiment could have three locations where a small piece of metal is attached. During operation, when the disk is turned, the metal proximity switch would generate a “hit” whenever the position disk reaches one of these three predetermined positions, because the metal proximity sensor will “detect” that piece of metal. Note that the metal pieces used in this embodiment could be of many different forms; they could be placed in cutouts, or glued to the outer perimeter of a circular wheel, or perhaps they could form a small protrusion that nearly touches the proximity switch as the barrel position disk rotates. STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT None. BACKGROUND Electronic lockboxes typically include one or more mechanical actuators that are used to either lock or unlock certain key components. Lockboxes used for real estate situations typically include a secure compartment for holding a dwelling key, and often include a shackle for attaching the lockbox to the building, typically using a doorknob as the attachment point. Some lockboxes have two separate actuators: one that unlocks the key compartment, and a second one that releases the shackle. Lockboxes sold by SentriLock, LLC have a single movable linear actuator that performs both unlocking functions, by moving to different physical positions within the lockbox. Some lockboxes have a linear potentiometer that provides a variable resistance that can be used as the detection element for determining the physical position of the movable actuator. If the lockbox is quite sturdily constructed, it may be used for many years to the point that sensing elements, such as linear potentiometers, unfortunately become less reliable than the remainder of the lockbox. So, for a more robust lockbox design, a non-contact sensor may well be desirable for use in providing position information about the moving parts of such an electronic lockbox, and thereby create a more robust construction that will last for many more years. Many conventional lockboxes use actuators that move linearly between the lock positions and the unlock positions. The current designs tend to use spring-loaded parts that must compress one or more springs to achieve one of the unlocking states for the lockbox; later, the action of the actuator, as it moves back to the lockbox's locked state, will then uncompress (relax) those same one or more springs, thereby using energy (usually from a battery) for creating these compressing-relaxing spring cycles. SUMMARY Accordingly, it is an advantage to provide an electronic lockbox with a rotary actuator that has multiple predetermined “stop” positions for locking and unlocking a key compartment and a shackle, in which the movements of the actuator into the various predetermined stop positions are detected by at least one non-contact sensor. It is another advantage to provide an electronic lockbox with a rotary actuator that has multiple positions for locking and unlocking a key compartment and a shackle, in which there is a movable indicator disk that nominally rotates along with the rotary actuator; the movable indicator has at least one window or opening so that, as the movable indicator rotates in a pathway that is proximal to an optical sensor, that sensor detects the window or opening during movements of the actuator. It is yet another advantage to provide an electronic lockbox with a rotary actuator that has multiple predetermined “stop” positions for locking and unlocking a key compartment and a shackle, in which there is a movable indicator disk that nominally rotates along with the rotary actuator; the movable indicator disk has multiple windows or openings so that, as the movable indicator disk rotates proximal to an optical sensor, that sensor detects the multiple windows or openings during movements of the actuator. It is still another advantage to provide an electronic lockbox with a rotary actuator that has multiple predetermined “stop” positions for locking and unlocking a key compartment and a shackle, in which there is a movable indicator disk that nominally rotates along with the rotary actuator. The movable indicator disk has multiple windows or openings; proximal to the movable indicator disk is at least one LED and at least one photosensor and, as the movable indicator disk rotates, that photosensor detects electromagnetic energy (i.e., light) emitted by the LED through one of those windows or openings at predetermined positions of movement of the indicator disk. It is a further advantage to provide an electronic lockbox with a rotary actuator that has multiple predetermined “stop” positions for locking and unlocking a key compartment and a shackle, in which there is an indicator disk that nominally rotates along with the rotary actuator; proximal to the indicator disk is a position sensor such as a magnetic sensor, a metal-sensing proximity switch, or an electromechanical limit switch. It is a yet further advantage to provide an electronic lockbox with a movable actuator that has multiple predetermined “stop” positions for locking and unlocking a key compartment and a shackle, in which a movable indicator disk is in mechanical communication with the actuator, and a prime mover (such as an electric motor) provides the motive power to rotate the indicator disk, and nominally to rotate the movable actuator. It is still a further advantage to provide an electronic lockbox with a movable actuator that has multiple predetermined “stop” positions for locking and unlocking a key compartment and a shackle, in which the key compartment has a latch pin that locks against a first corresponding protrusion inside the actuator, and the shackle has a latch pin that locks against a second corresponding protrusion inside the actuator. It is still another advantage to provide an electronic lockbox with a movable actuator that has multiple predetermined “stop” positions for locking and unlocking a key compartment and a shackle, in which the shackle is separately provided at the site where the lockbox is to be installed. It is yet another advantage to provide an electronic lockbox with a movable actuator that has multiple predetermined “stop” positions for locking and unlocking a key compartment and a shackle, in which a pair of torsion springs, in a nominally-opposing relationship, are used to help cause rotational movement of the actuator when the lockbox is commanded to place itself in one of its unlocking states; but those torsion springs are free to wind and to unwind during such movements created by a prime mover (such as a motor), and therefore, these springs do not need to be compressed or wound to any significant degree during a nominal unlocking or relocking movement, thereby saving energy for such operational cycles by the overall lockbox control system. Additional advantages and other novel features will be set forth in part in the description that follows and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned with the practice of the technology disclosed herein. To achieve the foregoing and other advantages, and in accordance with one aspect, an electronic lockbox is provided, which comprises: (a) a housing; (b) an electronic control circuit, including: a computer processing circuit, a memory circuit including instructions executable by the processing circuit, an input/output interface circuit, a motor driver circuit, at least one light source driver circuit, and at least one photosensor detection circuit; (c) a key bin that is either locked in place or is released, which is under the control of the computer processing circuit; (d) a shackle that is either locked in place or is released, which is under the control of the computer processing circuit; (e) a movable actuator that rotates, the movable actuator having a plurality of predetermined stop positions at: (i) a home position; (ii) a key bin release position; and (iii) a shackle release position; the movable actuator having at least one protrusion that either locks one of the key bin and the shackle in place, or releases one of the key bin and the shackle, depending upon a physical position of the movable actuator; (f) a movable indicator that is in mechanical communication with the movable actuator; (g) a motor that acts as a prime mover of the movable indicator, the motor receiving energy from the motor driver circuit, under the control of the computer processing circuit; (h) at least one light source that emits electromagnetic energy toward the movable indicator, under the control of the computer processing circuit; and (i) at least one photosensor that is located proximal to the movable indicator, the at least one photosensor detecting at least a portion of the electromagnetic energy that is emitted by the at least one light source if the movable indicator has been moved to at least one predetermined position, the at least one photosensor generating at least one output signal that is related to the detected electromagnetic energy; (j) wherein: (i) if the movable actuator is positioned at the home position as determined by the at least one photosensor, then both the key bin and the shackle are locked in place; (ii) if the movable actuator is positioned at the key bin release position as determined by the at least one photosensor, then the key bin is in a released state and its contents become available to a human user; and (iii) if the movable actuator is positioned at the shackle release position as determined by the at least one photosensor, then the shackle is in a released state and can be detached from the lockbox by a human user. In accordance with another aspect, an electronic lockbox is provided, which comprises: (a) a housing; (b) an electronic control circuit, including: a computer processing circuit, a memory circuit including instructions executable by the processing circuit, an input/output interface circuit, and a motor driver circuit; (c) a key bin that is either locked in place or is released, which is under the control of the computer processing circuit; (d) a shackle that is either locked in place or is released, which is under the control of the computer processing circuit; (e) a movable actuator that rotates, the movable actuator having a plurality of predetermined stop positions at: (i) a home position; (ii) a key bin release position; and (iii) a shackle release position; the movable actuator having at least one protrusion that either locks one of the key bin and the shackle in place, or releases one of the key bin and the shackle, depending upon a physical position of the movable actuator; (f) a movable indicator that is in mechanical communication with the movable actuator; (g) a motor that acts as a prime mover of the movable indicator, the motor receiving energy from the motor driver circuit, under the control of the computer processing circuit; and (i) at least one sensor that is located proximal to the movable indicator, the at least one sensor detecting at least a portion of the movable indicator; and if the movable indicator has been moved to a predetermined position, then the at least one sensor generates at least one output signal that is related to the detected movable indicator; (j) wherein: (i) if the movable actuator is positioned at the home position as determined by the at least one sensor, then both the key bin and the shackle are locked in place; (ii) if the movable actuator is positioned at the key bin release position as determined by the at least one sensor, the key bin is in a released state and its contents become available to a human user; and (iii) if the movable actuator is positioned at the shackle release position as determined by the at least one sensor, the shackle is in a released state and can be removed by a human user. In accordance with yet another aspect, an electronic lockbox is provided, which comprises: (a) a housing; (b) an electronic control circuit, including: a computer processing circuit, a memory circuit including instructions executable by the processing circuit, an input/output interface circuit, a prime mover driver circuit; (c) a key bin that is either locked in place or is released, which is under the control of the computer processing circuit; (d) a shackle that is either locked in place or is released, which is under the control of the computer processing circuit; (e) a movable actuator that rotates, the movable actuator having a plurality of predetermined stop positions at least at: (i) a home position; (ii) a key bin release position; and (iii) a shackle release position; the movable actuator having at least one protrusion that either locks one of the key bin and the shackle in place, or releases one of the key bin and the shackle, depending upon a physical position of the movable actuator; and (f) a prime mover that is in mechanical communication with the movable actuator, and controls movements of the movable actuator, the prime mover receiving energy from the prime mover driver circuit under the control of the computer processing circuit; (g) wherein: (i) if the movable actuator is positioned at the home position, then both the key bin and the shackle are locked in place; (ii) if the movable actuator is positioned at the key bin release position, then the key bin is in a released state and its contents become available to a human user; and (iii) if the movable actuator is positioned at the shackle release position, then the shackle is in a released state and can be removed by a human user. In accordance with still another aspect, an electronic lockbox is provided, which comprises: (a) a housing, the housing including an interior open volume, the housing having an opening; (b) a movable actuator having the general shape of a hollow cylinder with at least two open ends, the hollow cylinder having a centerline in a longitudinal direction, the hollow cylinder including at least one interior protrusion, wherein: a first of the at least one interior protrusion includes a first locking surface that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the hollow cylinder; a second of the at least one interior protrusion includes a second locking surface that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the hollow cylinder; (c) an electronically-controlled prime mover that is in mechanical communication with the movable actuator, the prime mover causing the movable actuator to move at least to: a lock position under first predetermined conditions, and a first unlock position under second predetermined conditions; (d) the opening in the housing is co-linear with a first of the at least two open ends of the hollow cylinder, such that an external shaft may be inserted through the opening and into the first of the at least two open ends of the hollow cylinder, past a location of the first locking surface of the hollow cylinder; and (e) a movable key bin that, when inserted, generally fits within the interior open volume of the housing, the key bin including a first latch pin having the general shape of a first elongated shaft, the first elongated shaft including a first latch hook at a distal end, the first latch hook including a third locking surface that is substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the first elongated shaft; (f) wherein: the first latch pin is sized and shaped to be inserted through a second of the at least one open end of the movable actuator hollow cylinder, and then to be inserted through at least a portion of the hollow cylinder past the second of the at least one interior protrusion, such that after the first latch pin is at a fully inserted position, then the third locking surface directly faces the second locking surface; if the movable actuator is at the lock position, then the first latch pin cannot be pulled out of the hollow cylinder; and if the movable actuator is at the first unlock position, then the first latch pin is removable from the hollow cylinder, thereby allowing a human user to obtain access to the contents of the movable key bin. In accordance with a further aspect, a latching apparatus for an electronic lockbox is provided, which comprises: (a) a movable actuator having the general shape of a cylinder, the movable actuator including: (i) a cylindrically-shaped rotatable barrel; (ii) a movable two-piece outer sleeve, including a bottom sleeve and a top sleeve; and (iii) a first torsion spring and a second torsion spring, the first torsion spring being mechanically coupled to the barrel and the top sleeve, the second torsion spring being mechanically coupled to the top sleeve and the bottom sleeve; (b) a primer mover that is in mechanical communication with the bottom sleeve; and (c) a housing containing at least the rotatable barrel, the top sleeve, the bottom sleeve, the first torsion spring, the second torsion spring, and the prime mover; (d) wherein: the first and second torsion springs are pre-wound to a minimum tension that provides a torque sufficient to overcome the static friction between the housing and the top sleeve, and sufficient to overcome the static friction between the housing and the barrel. In accordance with a yet further aspect, a latching apparatus for an electronic lockbox is provided, which comprises: (a) a movable actuator having the general shape of a hollow cylinder, the movable actuator including: (i) a cylindrically-shaped rotatable barrel; (ii) a movable two-piece outer sleeve, including a bottom sleeve and a top sleeve; (iii) a first torsion spring, the first torsion spring being mechanically coupled to the barrel and the top sleeve; (iv) a first spur gear mounted so as to move with the bottom sleeve; (v) a latch pin; and (vi) a prime mover, a mechanical output of the prime mover being in mechanical communication with a prime mover spur gear, the prime mover spur gear being in mechanical communication with the first spur gear; (b) wherein: during insertion of the latch pin into the rotatable barrel, the maximum torque imparted on the first spur gear by the torsion spring, at a maximum rotation angle of the rotatable barrel, is sufficient to rotate the barrel back to its neutral position after the latch pin has been fully inserted into the barrel, and is less than or equal to a back drive torque limit of the prime mover. In accordance with a still further aspect, a latching apparatus for an electronic lockbox is provided, which comprises: (a) a movable actuator having the general shape of a hollow cylinder with at least two open ends, the hollow cylinder having a centerline in a longitudinal direction, the hollow cylinder including at least one interior protrusion; (b) a first latch hook at the distal end of a first latch pin includes a first oblique surface; and (c) a second latch hook at the distal end of a second latch pin includes a second oblique surface; (d) wherein: when the first and second latch pins are inserted into the movable actuator, and the movable actuator is rotated such that both the latch pins are not removable, due to being latched with the at least one interior protrusion inside the movable actuator, the first and second oblique surfaces are retained in sufficiently close proximity that the latch pins cannot be independently sufficiently rotated to slide past the at least one interior protrusion of the movable actuator. In accordance with yet another aspect a latching apparatus for an electronic lockbox is provided, which comprises: (a) a movable actuator having the general shape of a hollow cylinder, the movable actuator including: (i) a cylindrically-shaped rotatable barrel; (ii) a movable two-piece outer sleeve, including a bottom sleeve and a top sleeve; (iii) a first torsion spring mechanically coupled to the rotatable barrel and the top sleeve, in a configuration that holds the first torsion spring under tension to a predetermined torque; and (iv) a second torsion spring mechanically coupled to the top sleeve and the bottom sleeve in a configuration that holds the second torsion spring under tension to a predetermined torque in a direction opposite the first torsion spring; and (c) a housing containing at least the rotatable barrel, the top sleeve, the bottom sleeve, the first torsion spring, and the second torsion spring; (d) wherein: during normal operating conditions, the first and second torsion springs collectively exert a high angular centering force on the top sleeve and the rotatable barrel, ensuring that the barrel maintains a predetermined position relative to the bottom sleeve. In accordance with still another aspect, a latching apparatus for an electronic lockbox is provided, which comprises: (a) a movable actuator having the general shape of a hollow cylinder, the movable actuator comprises: (i) a cylindrically-shaped rotatable barrel; (ii) a movable two-piece outer sleeve, including a bottom sleeve and a top sleeve; (iii) a first torsion spring mechanically coupled to the rotatable barrel and the top sleeve, in a configuration that holds the first torsion spring under tension to a predetermined torque; (iv) a second torsion spring mechanically coupled to the top sleeve and the bottom sleeve in a configuration that holds the second torsion spring under tension to a predetermined torque in a direction opposite the first torsion spring; (v) a first spur gear mounted so as to move with the rotatable barrel; and (vi) a prime mover, a mechanical output of the prime mover being in mechanical communication with a prime mover spur gear, the prime mover spur gear being in mechanical communication with the first spur gear; (b) wherein: the rotatable barrel and the top and bottom sleeves, all being mechanically coupled through the first and second torsion springs, increases the energy efficiency of the latching apparatus, because the prime mover only needs to overcome the friction between the housing and the rotatable barrel, and the top and bottom sleeves, and does not have to overcome the spring force exerted by the first and second torsion springs during a latch release operation. In accordance with yet a further aspect, a latching apparatus for an electronic lockbox is provided, which comprises: (a) a movable actuator having the general shape of a hollow cylinder, the movable actuator including: (i) a cylindrically-shaped rotatable barrel; (ii) a movable two-piece outer sleeve, including a bottom sleeve and a top sleeve; (iii) a first torsion spring mechanically coupled to the rotatable barrel and the top sleeve, in a configuration that holds the first torsion spring under tension to a predetermined torque; (iv) a second torsion spring mechanically coupled to the top sleeve and the bottom sleeve in a configuration that holds the second torsion spring under tension to a predetermined torque in a direction opposite the first torsion spring; (v) a first spur gear mounted so as to move with the movable actuator; and (vi) a prime mover, a mechanical output of the prime mover being in mechanical communication with a prime mover spur gear, the prime mover spur gear being in mechanical communication with the spur gear; (b) a first latch hook at the distal end of a first latch pin which includes a first oblique surface; and (c) a second latch hook at the distal end of a second latch pin which includes a second oblique surface; (d) wherein: if the rotatable barrel is immobilized during an unlatching operation, due to an external tension being applied by one of the first and second latching pins, the prime mover can still rotate at least one of the top and bottom sleeves and impart a resultant torque into at least one of the corresponding first and second torsion springs, thereby allowing the latching apparatus to unlatch once the external tension is removed. In accordance with still a further aspect, a latching apparatus for an electronic lockbox is provided, which comprises: (a) a movable actuator having the general shape of a hollow cylinder with at least two open ends, the hollow cylinder including at least one interior protrusion; (b) a first latch hook at the distal end of a first latch pin which includes a first oblique surface; and (c) a second latch hook at the distal end of a second latch pin which includes a second oblique surface; (d) wherein: the orientation of the first and second latch pins are in opposition to each other when inserted into the movable actuator such that the first and second oblique surfaces face each other in sufficiently close proximity inside the movable actuator that a human user cannot rotate either of the first or second latch pins such that either pin can be removed, thereby creating an improved security profile. In accordance with yet another aspect, a latching apparatus for an electronic lockbox is provided, which comprises: (a) a movable actuator having the general shape of a hollow cylinder with at least two open ends, the hollow cylinder including at least one interior protrusion; (i) a cylindrically-shaped rotatable barrel; (ii) a movable two-piece outer sleeve, including a bottom sleeve and a top sleeve; and (iii) a first torsion spring mechanically coupled to the rotatable barrel and the top sleeve, in a configuration that holds the first torsion spring under tension to a predetermined torque; (iv) a second torsion spring mechanically coupled to the top sleeve and the bottom sleeve in a configuration that holds the second torsion spring under tension to a predetermined torque in a direction opposite the first torsion spring; and (b) a first latch hook at the distal end of a first latch pin; (c) wherein: the interior protrusion exhibits a helical geometry surface, such that if the first latch pin is inserted into the barrel, the latch pin slides along the helical surface, forcing the barrel to rotate, and once the latch pin mechanically clears the final portion of the helical surface, the latch pin latches with the interior protrusion, and the barrel rotates back to its neutral position, due to the tension of the torsion springs. In accordance with still another aspect, a latching apparatus for an electronic lockbox is provided, which comprises: (a) a movable actuator having the general shape of a hollow cylinder with at least two open ends, the hollow cylinder including a first interior protrusion, and a second interior protrusion; (b) a cylindrically-shaped rotatable barrel; (c) a first latch hook at the distal end of a first latch pin, the first latch hook being sized and shaped to mechanically interface with the first interior protrusion; and (d) a second latch hook at the distal end of a second latch pin, the second latch hook being sized and shaped to mechanically interface with the second interior protrusion; (e) wherein: the first interior protrusion is sufficiently wide such that after the first latch pin has been inserted into the barrel and has become latched, the first latch pin does not unlatch itself as the second latch pin is inserted and rotates the rotatable barrel during the second latch pin insertion. In accordance with another aspect, an electronic lockbox is provided, which comprises: (a) a housing; (b) an electronic control circuit, including: a computer processing circuit, a memory circuit including instructions executable by the processing circuit, an input/output interface circuit, a motor driver circuit, and at least one position detector; (c) a key bin that is either locked in place or is released, which is under the control of the computer processing circuit; (d) a shackle that is either locked in place or is released, which is under the control of the computer processing circuit; (e) a movable actuator that comprises a cylindrically-shaped barrel and the movable actuator is mounted so as to rotate with a barrel spur gear; (f) a movable indicator is mounted so as to rotate with the barrel spur gear, a position of which is determined by the at least one position detector; (g) a mechanical output of a motor is in mechanical communication with a motor spur gear; and (h) the motor spur gear is in mechanical communication with the barrel spur gear; (i) wherein: the motor is controlled by the electronic control circuit, and when desired is energized by the motor driver circuit, and if the motor rotates, then the motor spur gear also rotates to change a rotational position of the movable indicator and nominally changes a rotational position of the movable actuator. In accordance with yet another aspect, an electronic lockbox is provided, which comprises: (a) a housing; (b) an electronic control circuit, including: a computer processing circuit, a memory circuit including instructions executable by the processing circuit, an input/output interface circuit, a motor driver circuit, and at least one position detector; (c) a key bin that is either locked in place or is released, which is under the control of the computer processing circuit; (d) a shackle that is either locked in place or is released, which is under the control of the computer processing circuit; (a) a movable actuator that comprises: (i) a two-piece outer sleeve, including a bottom sleeve and a top sleeve; (ii) a first torsion spring and a second torsion spring; and (iii) a cylindrically-shaped barrel; (b) the bottom sleeve is mounted so as to rotate with a barrel spur gear; (c) a movable indicator is mounted so as to rotate with the barrel spur gear, a position of which is determined by the at least one position detector; (d) a mechanical output of a motor is in mechanical communication with a motor spur gear; and (e) the motor spur gear is in mechanical communication with the barrel spur gear; (f) wherein: (i) the motor is controlled by the electronic control circuit, and when desired is energized by the motor driver circuit, and if the motor rotates, then the motor spur gear also rotates to change a rotational position of the bottom sleeve and the movable indicator; (ii) the bottom sleeve, if moving in a first rotational direction of movement, contacts the top sleeve and forces the top sleeve to also rotate in the first rotational direction; (iii) the bottom sleeve, if moving in a second rotational direction of movement, winds the first torsion spring, which forces the top sleeve to also rotate in the second rotational direction; (iv) the top sleeve, if moving in the first rotational direction of movement, winds the second torsion spring, which forces the barrel to also rotate in the first rotational direction; and (v) the top sleeve, if moving in the second rotational direction of movement, contacts the barrel and forces the barrel to also rotate in the second rotational direction. In accordance with still another aspect, a lockbox locking member is provided, which comprises: (a) a movable actuator having the general shape of a hollow cylinder with at least two open ends, the hollow cylinder having a centerline in a longitudinal direction, the hollow cylinder including at least one interior protrusion, wherein: (i) a first of the at least one interior protrusion of the hollow cylinder includes a first locking surface that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the hollow cylinder; (ii) a second of the at least one interior protrusion of the hollow cylinder includes a second locking surface that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the hollow cylinder; (iii) the first of the at least one interior protrusion of the hollow cylinder includes a first oblique surface; and (iv) the second of the at least one interior protrusion of the hollow cylinder includes a second oblique surface; (b) the first oblique surface comprises a curved surface; and (c) the second oblique surface comprises a curved surface. Still other advantages will become apparent to those skilled in this art from the following description and drawings wherein there is described and shown a preferred embodiment in one of the best modes contemplated for carrying out the technology. As will be realized, the technology disclosed herein is capable of other different embodiments, and its several details are capable of modification in various, obvious aspects all without departing from its principles. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions will be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.

11411228

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to German Patent Application No. DE 10 2019 219 011.1, filed on Dec. 5, 2019, the contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a heat exchanger for a cooling circuit which is flowed through by an aqueous temperature-control fluid. The invention relates furthermore to a system with such a heat exchanger and with a cooling circuit and a fuel cell. BACKGROUND Heat exchangers are used for the temperature controlling of a temperature-control fluid, in particular of aqueous temperature-control fluids, such as coolants for example. In an associated system, the temperature-control fluid, which is temperature-controlled with the heat exchanger, in particular the cooled temperature-control fluid, is used for cooling an application which is usually integrated in a cooling circuit in addition to the heat exchanger. If the application is an electrical application which requires or generates high amounts of electricity in operation, or if the heat exchanger or respectively the cooling circuit is arranged in the vicinity of such an application, the temperature-control fluid must not exceed a predetermined electrical conductivity, for safety reasons. Here, in particular, the use of the heat exchanger or respectively of the cooling circuit in an at least partially electrically operated motor vehicle is to be considered, in which the application can be, in particular, a fuel cell or a fuel cell stack. For thermodynamic reasons and for weight reduction, such heat exchangers are usually produced at least partially from a metal or from a metal alloy, for example from aluminium. Accordingly, the temperature-control fluid comes in contact, in operation, with the components directing the temperature-control fluid. Here, in operation, ions, particles and suchlike can become detached and can mix into the temperature-control fluid and thus lead to an increase of an initial electrical conductivity of the temperature-control fluid, which lies above a permitted threshold value of the electrical conductivity. In order to counteract this, it is known, for example from DE 10 2017 206 940 A1, to passivate the surfaces of the heat exchanger which are in contact with the temperature-control fluid. Such heat exchangers are generally composed through materially bonded connection techniques, in particular by soldering. Here, corresponding connection means or means promoting the connections, such as for example fluxing agents, are used. In operation of the heat exchanger, the heat exchanger can emit residues of these connection means or auxiliary agents into the temperature-control fluid. If the emitted residues are ions, then this leads to an increase of the electrical conductivity of the temperature-control fluid, which is to be avoided or at least reduced. Furthermore, residues of passivating agent can also become detached in operation and/or can arrive into the temperature-control fluid. If ions are concerned here, this leads to an increase of the electrical conductivity of the temperature-control fluid. In order to remove ions from the temperature-control fluid in operation, various methods are known. In DE 10 2013 020 787 A1 it is proposed to arrange an ion exchange resin in a bypass channel of an associated cooling circuit, and to allow the temperature-control fluid to then flow through the bypass and thus through the ion exchange resin, when the temperature-control fluid does not exceed a predetermined temperature. From DE 101 04 771 A1 a method is known for the electrochemical deionization of a temperature-control fluid in a cooling circuit. DE 10 2015 206 633 A1 proposes the use of a processing unit with a layer system for the deionizing of the temperature-control fluid, which is integrated as a separate structural unit into the cooling circuit and is composed of several ion-exchanging layers. For the operation of the processing unit, an optical sensor is necessary here for the colour spectral analysis of the layer system. A disadvantage in the methods known from the prior art for the reducing of ions are the complex structure and the laborious operation. SUMMARY The present invention is therefore concerned with the problem of indicating, for a heat exchanger of the type named in the introduction and for a system with such a heat exchanger, improved or at least different embodiments, which in particular are distinguished by a simple and efficient reduction of ions in an aqueous temperature-control fluid flowing through the heat exchanger. This problem is solved according to the invention by the subject matter of the independent claim(s). Advantageous embodiments are the subject matter of the dependent claim(s). The present invention is based on the general idea of arranging, in a heat exchanger for a cooling circuit which is flowed through by an aqueous temperature-control fluid, an ion exchanger for the reducing of ions in the temperature-control fluid, and of providing the ion exchanger as an ion exchange structure which has ion-exchanging fibres. The arrangement of the ion exchange structure in the heat exchanger leads to the reducing of ions taking place within the heat exchanger and therefore where the temperature-control fluid has increased temperatures and where it can thus lead to an increased occurrence of ions. In particular, the removing of ions takes place in an associated system or cooling circuit within the heat exchanger and thus where increased temperatures, in particular the highest temperatures, prevail in the cooling circuit. Consequently, an effective and/or needs-based removing or at least reducing of the ions from the temperature-control fluid is achieved. In addition, in this way it is prevented that ions flow out from the heat exchanger with the temperature-control fluid and thus lead to an increase of the electrical conductivity of the temperature-control fluid or the corresponding risk is at least reduced. In this way, risks accompanying the increase of the electrical conductivity for subsequent and/or adjacent applications, in particular those which require and/or generate high amounts of electricity, are prevented or at least reduced. The ion-exchanging fibres of the ion exchange structure furthermore allow the removing of ions from the temperature-control fluid in the entire operating temperature range of the temperature-control fluid, so that an effective and reliable removing of ions form the temperature-control fluid takes place. In addition, the use of the ion-exchanging fibres leads to a reducing of the pressure loss in the temperature-control fluid, so that the heat exchanger and/or the associated cooling circuit and/or the associated system can be operated more efficiently. In accordance with the idea of the invention, the heat exchanger has at least two channel bodies, through which a flow path of the temperature-control fluid leads. The heat exchanger has, furthermore, at least one tank. The respective tank can serve for the collecting of the temperature-control fluid from the channel bodies or respectively for the distributing of the temperature-control fluid in the channel bodies. Accordingly, the flow path of the temperature-control fluid leads through the tank. This means in particular that, in operation, the temperature-control fluid flows through the channel bodies and the at least one tank. The tank has here a base via which the channel bodies are fluidically connected with the tank. In particular, the channel bodies are received on the longitudinal end side in the base. According to the invention, at least one ion exchange structure for the reducing of ions in the temperature fluid, which has ion-exchanging fibres, is arranged in the heat exchanger. The reducing of ions in the temperature-control fluid means here in particular that the concentration of ions in the temperature-control fluid is reduced through an interaction with the ion exchange structure. This takes place in particular with the ion-exchanging fibres of the ion exchange structure. The components of the heat exchanger, in particular of the at least one tank and the at least two channel bodies, can basically be produced from any desired materials. Preferably, the channel bodies and/or the at least one tank are produced from a metal or from a metal alloy, for example from aluminium or from an aluminium alloy. The increased thermal conductivity of these materials leads to a more efficient heat transfer between the temperature-control fluid and the components and thus to a more efficient temperature control of the temperature-control fluid, i.e. in particular to a more efficient cooling or heating of the temperature-control fluid. It is advantageous here if at least one of the channel bodies and/or at least one of the at least one tanks is passivated on the areas, also designated below as surfaces, which are in contact with the temperature-control fluid in operation. With the heat exchanger a temperature control takes place, i.e. a cooling and/or a heating of the temperature-control fluid, which is subsequently used accordingly for the temperature control of a further application. In particular, with the heat exchanger a cooling of the temperature-control fluid takes place, which thus cools the subsequent application. Embodiments are preferred, in which at least one of the at least one ion exchange structures is arranged in the tank of the heat exchanger. As the tank usually has a greater volume than the channel bodies, it is possible in this way to form the ion exchange structure to be larger and consequently to achieve a more efficient reducing of ions in the temperature-control fluid and/or to reduce the pressure loss in the temperature-control fluid. Embodiments are preferred, in which at least one of the at least one ion exchange structures is able to be flowed through by the temperature-control fluid and is arranged in the flow path. This means in particular that the ion exchange structure is flowed through, in operation, by the temperature-control fluid. In particular, the fibres of the ion exchange structure are arranged in the flow path and are flowed through, in operation, by the temperature-control fluid. As consequently the area of the ion exchange structure which is in contact with the temperature-control fluid is enlarged, an improved reducing of ions in the temperature-control fluid takes place. At the same time, the fibres of the ion exchange structure lead to a reduction or delimitation of the pressure loss in the temperature-control fluid, caused by the ion exchange structure. Embodiments are preferred, in which at least one of the at least one ion exchange structures has both such fibres which reduce cations in the temperature-control fluid, also designated below as cation-exchanging fibres, and also fibres which reduce anions in the temperature-control fluid, also designated below as anion-exchanging fibres. The use of the fibres in the ion exchange structure allows both types of fibres to be arranged easily and at a favourable cost in the ion exchange structure, and/or to reduce the pressure loss in the temperature-control fluid caused by the ion exchange structure. It is conceivable to combine at least one of the at least one ion exchange structures together with a filter medium for the removing of particles from the temperature-control fluid to form a filter body which is arranged in the heat exchanger. Thus with the filter body, in operation, both particles are removed from the temperature-control fluid and also ions in the temperature-control fluid are reduced. In particular, it is possible in this way to allow the temperature-control fluid to flow through the filter medium before the reducing of ions. This leads to particles which are present in the temperature-control fluid not reaching the ion exchange structure, or at least reaching it to a reduced extent. Consequently, the covering or disturbing of the fibres by such particles is prevented or at least reduced. Accordingly, in this way the efficiency and the lifespan of the ion exchange structure is improved. The respective ion exchange structure can basically be produced in any desired manner, in so far as the ion exchange structure has the ion-exchanging fibres. In particular, the production is conceivable in the manner of cellulose shaped bodies by the dry-wet extrusion method, by forming a cellulosic solution in an aqueous tertiary amine oxide and the extruding of the solution and the moving of the extrudate in a non-precipitating medium, and the precipitating of the shaped bodies In an aqueous precipitation bath, wherein the solution has at least one ion exchanger with a particle size which is in particular less than 100 □m. Embodiments are preferred, in which the fibres at least of one of the at least one ion structures interact in the manner of a textile. The textile-like interacting leads to a favourable through-flowability of the ion exchange structure and thus to reduced pressure losses in the temperature-control fluid. In addition, the fibres can thus at least partially form the form and structure of the ion exchange structure, can therefore at least partially shape the ion exchange structure. This means in particular that the fibres prescribe or at least influence the form of the ion exchange structure through their arrangement and/or connection and/or course. At least one of the at least one ion exchange structures can be composed here of the ion-exchanging fibres. It is conceivable here that the fibres at least of one of the at least one ion exchange structures form a non-woven fabric. The ion exchange structure therefore has an ion exchange non-woven fabric or is formed as such a non-woven fabric. Embodiments are advantageous in which in the case of at least one of the at least one ion exchange structures the fibres cross one another and/or intertwine. In particular, the fibres are woven and thus form a woven fabric. Embodiments are also conceivable in which the fibres form a warp-knitted fabric, a knit, a mesh and suchlike. It is conceivable that in the case of at least one of the at least one filter bodies, the fibres of the ion exchange structure and fibres of the filter medium, also designated below as filter fibres, likewise interact in the manner of a textile. This means in particular that the fibres of the ion exchange structure and the filter fibres of the filter medium cross one another and/or intertwine, in particular are woven. The respective ion exchange structure can basically be formed in any desired manner. Embodiments are advantageous, in which at least one of the at least one ion exchange structures has a hollow-cylindrical shape. This leads to an improved through-flowability of the ion exchange structure so that the pressure reduction in the temperature-control fluid, caused by the ion exchange structure, is reduced. Preferably, at least one of the at least one hollow-cylindrical ion exchange structures is arranged in the heat exchanger in such a way that the flow path leads through an outer surface of the ion exchange structure. This means in particular that, in operation, the outer surface is flowed through by the temperature-control fluid, so that the temperature-control fluid flows into the interior of the ion exchange structure. This leads to an effective reduction of ions in the temperature-control fluid and, at the same time, to a reduction of the pressure losses in the temperature-control fluid caused by the ion exchange structure. Here, the outer surface can be flowed through transversely in operation, therefore the flow path can lead transversely to the outer surface into the interior of the ion exchange structure. The heat exchanger is in particular a component part of a cooling circuit, through which the temperature-control fluid flows, in particular circulates. The heat exchanger and the associated cooling circuit can basically be used in any desired application, in particular the temperature control, for example the cooling, of any desired application. In an associated system, the temperature-control fluid circulates, in operation, through the cooling circuit. Here, the heat exchanger is integrated in the cooling circuit, so that the heat exchanger, in operation, is flowed through by the temperature-control fluid. In other words, the flow path of the temperature-control fluid leads in a circulating manner through the cooling circuit and runs through the heat exchanger. In the system in addition an application is integrated in such a way that this application is temperature-controlled, in particular cooled, with the temperature-control fluid. The application concerns in particular one which is operated electrically and/or stores and/or generates electrical energy. In particular, the application can concern an electric motor and/or an electric energy store. In addition, embodiments are to be considered, in which the application is a fuel cell or a fuel cell stack, which is integrated in the cooling circuit in such a way that the fuel cell, in operation, is temperature-controlled, in particular cooled, by the temperature-control fluid. In such an application, it is particularly important to keep the electrical conductivity of the temperature-control fluid low. Accordingly, the heat exchanger according to the invention is particularly suitable for such systems in which the fuel cell is temperature-controlled, in particular cooled, with the heat exchanger in the cooling circuit. In the case of a fuel cell or respectively a fuel cell stack, the temperature-control fluid can come in contact here with component parts of the fuel cells, for example with a bipolar plate, wherein the bipolar plate, in operation, can emit ions into the temperature-control fluid, which are again reduced with the at least one ion exchange structure in the heat exchanger in the temperature-control fluid. It is preferred if component parts directing temperature-control fluid in the system, in particular of the cooling circuit and/or of the heat exchanger, are passivated at their surfaces directing the temperature-control fluid. In particular here fluidic lines of the cooling circuit, such as for example pipes, tubes and suchlike are passivated on the surfaces. Likewise, it is conceivable that a conveying device, for example a pump is passivated for conveying the temperature-control fluid on the surfaces. Further important features and advantages of the invention will emerge from the subclaims, from the drawings and from the associated figure description with the aid of the drawings. It shall be understood that the features mentioned above and to be explained further below are able to be used not only in the respectively indicated combination, but also in other combinations or in isolation, without departing from the scope of the present invention. Preferred example embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and are explained more closely in the following description, wherein the same reference numbers refer to identical or similar or functionally identical components.

11284213

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of audio signal processing and, more particularly, to spatially enhanced multi-channel audio. BACKGROUND Surround sound refers to sound reproduction of an audio signal including multiple channels with loudspeakers positioned around a listener. For example, 5.1 surround sound uses six channels for a front speaker, left and right speakers, a subwoofer, and rear (or “surround”) left and rear right speakers. In another example, 7.1 surround sound uses eight channels by separating the rear left and right speakers of the 5.1 surround sound configuration into four separate speakers, such as a left surround speaker, a right surround speaker, a left rear surround speaker, and a right rear surround speaker. Audio channels of the multi-channel audio signal may be associated with an angular position that corresponds with the location of the speaker to which the audio channels are output. Thus, the multi-channel audio signals allow a listener to perceive a spatial sense in the sound field when the audio signals are output to speakers at different locations. However, the spatial sense may be lost when the multi-channel audio signals for surround sound are output to stereo (e.g., left and right) loudspeakers or head-mounted speakers. SUMMARY Embodiments relate to processing a (e.g., surround sound) multi-channel input audio signal into a stereo output signal for left and right speakers, while preserving or enhancing the spatial sense of the sound field of the multi-channel input audio signal. Among other things, the processing results in a listening experience whereby each channel of the audio signal is perceived as originating from the same or similar direction as would occur if the audio signal were rendered on a surround sound system (e.g., 5.1, 7.1, etc.). In some example embodiments, a multi-channel input audio signal including a left input channel, a right input channel, a left peripheral input channel, and a right peripheral input channel is received. A subband spatial processing is performed on the left input channel, the right input channel, the left peripheral input channel, and the right peripheral input channel to create spatially enhanced channels. The subband spatial processing may include gain adjusting mid and side subband components of the left input channel, the right input channel, the left peripheral input channel, and the right peripheral input channel. Crosstalk processing is performed on the spatially enhanced channels to create a crosstalk processed left channel and a right crosstalk processed channel. A left output channel is generated from the left crosstalk processed channel and a right output channel is generated from the right crosstalk processed channel. The crosstalk processing may include crosstalk cancellation or crosstalk simulation. The left and right peripheral channels may include a left surround input channel and a right surround input channel, and/or a left surround rear input channel and a right surround rear input channel. The multi-channel input audio signal may further include a center channel and a low frequency channel that may be combined with the output of the crosstalk processing. In some embodiments, the subband spatial processing is performed on each of the corresponding pairs of left and right channels. For example, subband spatial processing may be performed by gain adjusting the mid subband components and the side subband components of the left input channel and the right input channel, gain adjusting the mid subband components and the side subband components of the left peripheral input channel and the right peripheral input channel, and combining the gain adjusted mid subband components and the gain adjusted side subband components of the left input channel, the right input channel, the left peripheral input channel, and the right peripheral input channel into a left combined channel and a right combined channel. The crosstalk processing is performed on the left and right combined channels to generate the output channels. In some embodiments, the subband spatial processing is performed on combined left and right channels. For example, the subband spatial processing may include combining the left input channel and the left peripheral input channel into a left combined channel, combining the right input channel and the right peripheral input channel into a right combined channel, and gain adjusting mid subband components and the side subband components of the left combined channel and the right combined channel to create a left spatially enhanced channel and a right spatially enhanced channel. The crosstalk processing is performed on the left and right spatially enhanced channels to generate the output channels. In some embodiments, a binaural filter is applied to at least a portion of the input channels. For example, a binaural filter is applied to the peripheral input channels to adjust for angular positions associated with the peripheral input channels. In some embodiments, a binaural filter is applied to any input channel as suitable to adjust for the angular positions associated with the input channel, including the left or right input channels. Some embodiments may include a system for processing a multi-channel input audio signal. The system includes circuitry configured to: receive the multi-channel input audio signal including a plurality of left-right channel pairs, a first left-right channel pair of the plurality of left-right channel pairs including a left input channel and a right input channel, a second left-right channel pair of the plurality of left-right channel pairs including a left peripheral input channel and a right peripheral input channel; apply a first crosstalk processing to the first left-right channel pair to generate first crosstalk processed channels; apply a second crosstalk processing to the second left-right channel pair to generate second crosstalk processed channels; and generate a left output channel and a right output channel from the first and second crosstalk processed channels. In some embodiments, the circuitry is further configured to: apply a first subband spatial processing to the first left-right channel pair, the first subband spatial processing including gain adjusting mid and side components of the left input channel and the right input channel; and apply a second subband spatial processing to the second left-right channel pair, the second subband spatial processing including gain adjusting mid and side components of the left peripheral input channel and the right peripheral input channel. Some embodiments may include A non-transitory computer readable medium storing program code that when executed by a processor causes the processor to: receive a multi-channel input audio signal including a plurality of left-right channel pairs, a first left-right channel pair of the plurality of left-right channel pairs including a left input channel and a right input channel, a second left-right channel pair of the plurality of left-right channel pairs including a left peripheral input channel and a right peripheral input channel; apply a first crosstalk processing to the first left-right channel pair to generate first crosstalk processed channels; apply a second crosstalk processing to the second left-right channel pair to generate second crosstalk processed channels; and generate a left output channel and a right output channel from the first and second crosstalk processed channels. In some embodiments, the computer readable medium further includes program code that causes the processor to: apply a first subband spatial processing to the first left-right channel pair, the first subband spatial processing including gain adjusting mid and side components of the left input channel and the right input channel; and apply a second subband spatial processing to the second left-right channel pair, the second subband spatial processing including gain adjusting mid and side components of the left peripheral input channel and the right peripheral input channel. Some embodiments may include a method for processing a multi-channel input audio signal. The method may include, by a circuitry: receiving the multi-channel input audio signal including a plurality of left-right channel pairs, a first left-right channel pair of the plurality of left-right channel pairs including a left input channel and a right input channel, a second left-right channel pair of the plurality of left-right channel pairs including a left peripheral input channel and a right peripheral input channel; applying a first crosstalk processing to the first left-right channel pair to generate first crosstalk processed channels; applying a second crosstalk processing to the second left-right channel pair to generate second crosstalk processed channels; and generating a left output channel and a right output channel from the first and second crosstalk processed channels In some embodiments, the method further includes, by the circuitry: applying a first subband spatial processing to the first left-right channel pair, the first subband spatial processing including gain adjusting mid and side components of the left input channel and the right input channel; and applying a second subband spatial processing to the second left-right channel pair, the second subband spatial processing including gain adjusting mid and side components of the left peripheral input channel and the right peripheral input channel.

11515549

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION The present application claims the benefit of priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2019-0117133, filed on Sep. 24, 2019 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a method of recovering performance of a fuel cell stack, and more particularly to a method of controlling operation of a fuel cell system capable of recovering performance of a fuel cell stack in order to improve durability of the stack. BACKGROUND A fuel cell is a power generation device that induces electrochemical reaction between fuel gas and oxidizing gas to convert chemical energy in fuel into electrical energy. Such a fuel cell is widely used as a power source in industries, homes, and vehicles. The fuel cell may also be used to supply power to small-sized electric/electronic products or portable devices. To date, a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (or a proton exchange membrane fuel cell) (PEMFC), which exhibits high power density, has been most researched as the fuel cell for vehicles. In the polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell, hydrogen is used as fuel gas, and oxygen or air including oxygen is used as oxidizing gas. The fuel cell includes a plurality of cells in which the fuel gas and the oxidizing gas react with each other to generate electrical energy. In general, the plurality of cells is stacked and connected to each other in series in the form of a stack to satisfy power requirements. The fuel cell for vehicles requires high power. For this reason, several hundred cells, each of which generates electrical energy, are stacked in the form of a stack in order to satisfy power requirements. A cell assembly formed by interconnecting a plurality of cells so as to be stacked is called a fuel cell stack. Each unit cell of the polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell includes a membrane electrode assembly (MEA), which includes a polymer electrolyte membrane capable of moving protons and catalyst electrode layers integrally attached to opposite surfaces of the polymer electrolyte membrane, a gas diffusion layer (GDL) for supplying reaction gases, such as fuel gas and oxidizing gas, to the membrane electrode assembly and transmitting generated electrical energy, a gasket for maintaining airtightness of the reaction gases and coolant, a fastening member for maintaining appropriate fastening pressure, and a bipolar plate (BP) for moving the reaction gases and the coolant. The membrane electrode assembly includes a polymer electrolyte membrane capable of moving protons and electrode layers, such as an anode and a cathode, attached to opposite surfaces of the polymer electrolyte membrane, a catalyst for inducing reaction between hydrogen, which is fuel gas, and air (or oxygen), which is oxidizing gas, being applied to the anode and the cathode. In each unit cell of the fuel cell, a gas diffusion layer for uniformly distributing the fuel gas and the oxidizing gas is stacked on the outside of the membrane electrode assembly, i.e., the outside of each of the anode and the cathode, and a bipolar plate for providing a channel, along which reaction gases and coolant flow, and supplying the reaction gases to the gas diffusion layer is disposed at the outside of the gas diffusion layer. In addition, a gasket for fluid sealing is disposed between parts constituting unit cells. The gasket may be integrally formed with the membrane electrode assembly or the bipolar plate. The above elements constitute a unit cell. A plurality of cells is stacked, end plates for supporting the cells are coupled to the outermost ends of the stacked cells, and the end plates are fastened to the cells using a fastening device in the state in which the cells are arranged between the end plates so as to be stacked in order to constitute a fuel cell stack. A fuel cell system mounted in a fuel cell vehicle includes devices that supply reaction gases to the fuel cell stack in addition to the fuel cell stack. That is, the fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack configured to generate electrical energy through electrochemical reaction of reaction gases, a hydrogen supply device configured to supply hydrogen, which is used as fuel gas, to the fuel cell stack, an air supply device configured to supply air including oxygen, which is used as oxidizing gas, to the fuel cell stack, a heat and water management system configured to control operation temperature of the fuel cell stack and to perform a heat and water management function, and a fuel cell system controller configured to control overall operation of the fuel cell system. In the conventional fuel cell system, the hydrogen supply device may include a hydrogen storage unit (a hydrogen tank), a regulator, a hydrogen pressure control valve, and a hydrogen recirculator, the air supply device may include an air blower or an air compressor and a humidifier, and the heat and water management system may include a water trap, an electric water pump (a coolant pump), a water tank, and a radiator. High-pressure hydrogen from the hydrogen storage unit of the hydrogen supply device is decompressed to predetermined pressure by the regulator and is then supplied to the fuel cell stack. At this time, the decompressed hydrogen is supplied to the fuel cell stack in a state in which pressure and supplied quantity thereof are controlled according to an operation condition of the fuel cell stack. In addition, residual hydrogen that has not been reacted in the fuel cell stack is discharged through an outlet of an anode (a hydrogen electrode) of the stack or is recirculated to an inlet of the anode of the stack. The hydrogen recirculator is a device capable of improving reliability in supplying hydrogen and lifespan of the fuel cell. There are various recirculation methods, and a method using an ejector, a method using a blower, and a method using both an ejector and a blower are known. The hydrogen recirculator recirculates unreacted hydrogen that has not been used in the anode of the fuel cell stack to the anode (the hydrogen electrode) of the stack through a recirculation pipe in order to reuse hydrogen. Also, in the fuel cell, the greater the amount of foreign matter that moves to the anode through an electrolytic membrane in the stack, such as nitrogen, water, and vapor, the less the amount of hydrogen in the anode, whereby reaction efficiency is reduced. Consequently, a hydrogen purge valve installed in a stack anode exhaust line may be opened to purge hydrogen. Meanwhile, durable lifespan of the fuel cell stack is a very important factor in securing marketability of a fuel cell vehicle. Consequently, various efforts have been competitively made in order to prevent degradation of the fuel cell stack and to increase durable lifespan of the fuel cell stack, and causes of stack degradation have been variously investigated. Furthermore, in recent years, commercial vehicles, such as buses or trucks, as well as cars have increasingly required a fuel cell system. As a result, control technology capable of improving durability of the fuel cell system has increasingly been a focus of interest. In particular, research capable of minimizing degradation of the fuel cell stack in the fuel cell system has been actively conducted. In connection with durability of the fuel cell stack, stack degradation may be mainly classified into reversible degradation and irreversible degradation. Degradation occurs due to various causes, and a representative cause of the reversible degradation is generation of a platinum catalyst oxide (Pt—OH). The platinum catalyst oxide serves as a factor of reversible degradation in the early stage of generation thereof. In the case in which the oxide continuously remains in the stack, however, the oxide is converted into a factor of irreversible degradation through unintended chemical reaction, which leads to unrecoverable degradation in durability of the stack. Consequently, it is necessary to remove the oxide in order to recover performance of the fuel cell stack. In order to secure durability of stack, recovery operation of periodically removing oxide causing reversible degradation at an appropriate time is required (minimization in reduction of durability leads to improvement in efficiency of the stack). As a method of removing the oxide to recover performance of the fuel cell stack, a method of inducing a reduction reaction through stack potential fluctuation, i.e., voltage sweeping, is well known. In addition, it is advantageous to keep exposure voltage low for a long time in order to effectively perform voltage sweeping type stack performance recovery operation, and it is known that the improvement effect is remarkable in the case in which voltage fluctuation is repeatedly caused. When the stack performance recovery operation scheme is applied to a vehicle, however, the following problems are encountered. First, whether the vehicle is in a state in which operation for recovering performance of the fuel cell stack is possible using the voltage sweeping scheme must be determined. Basically, the fuel cell stack must output current at any time according to a driver request based on characteristics thereof in the vehicle. In order to perform voltage sweeping several times while satisfying the above request, therefore, an accurate determination criterion for securing stack performance recovery operation time is necessary, and this determination must be made in consideration of both the state of the vehicle and the state of the fuel cell stack. In addition, in the state in which a load is not generally present as a means for controlling voltage sweeping, it is difficult to cause voltage fluctuation, and even in the case in case in which voltage is formed, it takes a long time to discharge electricity (to lower voltage). Consequently, a means for rapidly and effectively causing voltage fluctuation is required. Also, in order to maximize the effect of improving durability through recovery operation, it is necessary to maintain the fuel cell stack at low voltage for a long time. Furthermore, it is necessary to continuously perform recovery operation several times in a low voltage state. In the case in which the recovery operation has not been completed depending on a driver output request or the situation of the vehicle, however, it is necessary to perform determination thereof and to reflect the same in the next recovery operation in order to maximize the effect of recovery operation. The information disclosed in the Background section above is to aid in the understanding of the background of the present disclosure, and should not be taken as acknowledgement that this information forms any part of prior art. SUMMARY The present disclosure has been made in an effort to solve the above-described problems associated with the prior art, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide a method of recovering performance of a fuel cell stack by accurately determining whether a stack is in a state in which operation for recovering performance of the stack is possible and whether a vehicle is in a state in which operation for recovering performance of the stack is possible, thereby appropriately securing a performance recovery operation time during traveling of the vehicle, and more effectively performing voltage sweeping and stack performance recovery. In one aspect of the present disclosure, a method of recovering performance of a fuel cell stack in a fuel cell system of a vehicle may include determining, by a controller, whether the fuel cell stack is in a state in which a stack performance recovery operation is possible based on information collected from the vehicle using a predetermined stack state determination criterion, determining, by the controller, whether the vehicle is in a state in which the stack performance recovery operation is possible based on operation information of a fuel cell system, and performing, by the controller, the stack performance recovery operation upon determining that the fuel cell stack is in the state in which the stack performance recovery operation is possible and that the vehicle is in the state in which the stack performance recovery operation is possible. Other aspects and preferred embodiments of the disclosure are discussed infra. It is understood that the term “vehicle” or “vehicular” or other similar term as used herein is inclusive of motor vehicles in general such as passenger automobiles including sports utility vehicles (SUV), buses, trucks, various commercial vehicles, watercraft including a variety of boats and ships, aircraft, and the like, and includes hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles and other alternative fuel vehicles (e.g. fuels derived from resources other than petroleum). As referred to herein, a hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that has two or more sources of power, for example both gasoline-powered and electric-powered vehicles. The above and other features of the disclosure are discussed infra.

11231081

FIELD The present disclosure relates to wheel assemblies, and more specifically, to a heat shield grommet for an aircraft wheel assembly. BACKGROUND Aircraft wheel and brake assemblies typically include a heat shield located between the friction disks of the heat sink and the radially inward surface of the wheel. Heat shields, having a split ring structure, are generally not fastened directly to the wheel and may move radially and/or circumferentially. Movement of the heat shield can lead to wear on the heat shield and/or on components of the wheel (e.g., the fuse plug lug). Wear may also be caused by a reduction in the heat shield diameter during installation. For example, a heat shield, with a split ring structure, may be compressed to reduce the diameter of the heat shield and allow the heat shield to pass by radially inward wheel components (e.g., torque bar lugs), so the heat shield can be positioned radially inward of the wheel. Once in position, the heat shield should expand to its original diameter. If the heat shield does not expand to its intended diameter, it may contact the rotor lugs of the heat sink, which can lead to damage and corrosion of the heat shield and/or rotor lugs. SUMMARY The present disclosure provides a grommet for a heat shield. In accordance with various embodiments, the grommet may comprise a radially outward surface and a first radially inward surface opposite the radially outward surface. A plug opening may be formed in the radially outward surface. An exterior radial surface may extend from the radially outward surface to the first radially inward surface. A shield groove may be formed in the exterior radial surface. A first inward protrusion may extend radially inward from the first radially inward surface. In various embodiments, a first slanted surface may extend from the radially outward surface to a first recessed surface of the grommet. The first recessed surface may be located radially inward of the radially outward surface. A second slanted surface may extend from the radially outward surface to a second recessed surface of the grommet. The second recessed surface may be located radially inward of the radially outward surface. In various embodiments, a first interior radial surface may extend between the first recessed surface and the first radially inward surface. A second interior radial surface may extend between the second recessed surface and the first radially inward surface. A distance between the first slanted surface and the second slanted surface at the radially outward surface may be greater than a distance between the first interior radial surface and the second interior radial surface. In various embodiments, a second inward protrusion may extend radially inward from the first radially inward surface. In accordance with various embodiments, a first internal surface may extend from a second radially inward surface of the first inward protrusion to the radially outward surface. A second internal surface may extend from a third radially inward surface of the second inward protrusion to the radially outward surface. In various embodiments, a distance between the first internal surface and the second internal surface at the radially outward surface may be greater than a distance between the first internal surface and the second internal surface at the first radially inward surface. In various embodiments, the grommet may comprise silicon rubber. A heat shield is also disclosed herein. In accordance with various embodiments, the heat shield may comprise a first shell and a grommet. An edge of the first shell may define, at least, a portion of a shield opening. The grommet may be located in the shield opening. The edge of the first shell may be located in a shield groove defined by the grommet. In various embodiments, the grommet may comprise a radially outward surface, a first radially inward surface opposite the radially outward surface, a plug opening formed in the radially outward surface, an exterior radial surface extending from the radially outward surface to the first radially inward surface, and a first inward protrusion extending radially inward from the first radially inward surface. The exterior radial surface may define the shield groove. In various embodiments, a second shell may be coupled to the first shell. The first shell and the second may define an internal volume of the heat shield. In various embodiments, the grommet may further comprise a first slanted surface and a second slanted surface. The first slanted surface may extend from the radially outward surface to a first recessed surface of the grommet. The first recessed surface may be located radially inward of the radially outward surface. The second slanted surface may extend from the radially outward surface to a second recessed surface of the grommet. The second recessed surface may be located radially inward of the radially outward surface. In various embodiments, the grommet may further comprise a first interior radial surface extending between the first recessed surface and the first radially inward surface, and a second interior radial surface extending between the second recessed surface and the first radially inward surface. A distance between the first slanted surface and the second slanted surface at the radially outward surface may be greater than a distance between the first interior radial surface and the second interior radial surface. In various embodiments, the grommet may further comprise a second inward protrusion extending radially inward from the first radially inward surface. In various embodiments, the grommet may further comprise a first internal surface extending from a second radially inward surface of the first inward protrusion to the radially outward surface, and a second internal surface extending from a third radially inward surface of the second inward protrusion to the radially outward surface. A distance between the first internal surface and the second internal surface at the radially outward surface may be greater than a distance between the first internal surface and the second internal surface at the first radially inward surface. A wheel assembly is also disclosed herein. In accordance with various embodiments, the wheel assembly may comprise a wheel, a torque bar coupled to the wheel, and a heat shield located radially between the torque bar and the wheel. The heat shield may comprise a grommet. The grommet may be located in a shield opening defined by an edge of the heat shield. The edge of the heat shield may be located in a shield groove defined by the grommet. In various embodiments, the wheel may comprise a fuse plug lug extending radially inward from a radially inward surface of the wheel. The fuse plug lug may be located in a plug opening formed in a radially outward surface of the grommet. In various embodiments, the grommet may comprise an exterior radial surface extending from the radially outward surface of the grommet to a radially inward surface of the grommet. The exterior radial surface may define the shield groove. A first inward protrusion may extend radially inward from the radially inward surface of the grommet. The first inward protrusion may be located in a groove defined by the torque bar. In various embodiments, the grommet may further comprise a first recessed surface and a second recessed surface. The first recessed surface may be located radially between a radially inward surface of the fuse plug lug and a first sidewall of the torque bar. The second recessed surface may be located radially between the radially inward surface of the fuse plug lug and a second sidewall of the torque bar. In various embodiments, the first recessed surface of the grommet may contact the radially inward surface of the fuse plug lug, and the radially inward surface of the grommet may contact the first sidewall of the torque bar. In various embodiments, the grommet may further comprise a first slanted surface and a second slanted surface. The first slanted surface may extend from the radially outward surface of the grommet to the first recessed surface. The second slanted surface may extend from the radially outward surface of the grommet to the second recessed surface. The foregoing features and elements may be combined in various combinations without exclusivity, unless expressly indicated herein otherwise. These features and elements as well as the operation of the disclosed embodiments will become more apparent in light of the following description and accompanying drawings.

11299715

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates generally to methods for producing viruses and recombinant virions in culture. In particular, the invention pertains to the use of the iNOS inhibitors, such as aurintricarboxylic acid, dexamethasone and valproic acid to increase the yield of a variety of viruses in culture, including recombinant herpesviruses which can in turn be used as helpers for the production of recombinant adeno-associated virus virions. BACKGROUND Herpesviruses are highly disseminated in nature and found in most animal species. At least 100 herpesviruses have been characterized, including several from humans, such as herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) and herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV-2), varicella zoster virus (VZV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV) and other human herpesviruses such as HHV6 and HHV7. These viruses are responsible for a variety of human diseases, such as skin infections, genital herpes, viral encephalitis, and the like. HSV-1 infection activates the host defense and innate immune system by inducing intracellular signaling pathways that lead to the expression of proteins with proinflammatory and microbicidal activities, including cytokines and interferons (INF) (Sainz and Halford,J. Virol. (2002) 76:11541-11550; Haller et al.,Virology(2006) 344:119-130; Paludan et al.,Nat. Rev. Immunol.(2011) 11:143-154). INF signaling is one of the most important cellular defense mechanism for viral clearance (Brandner & Mueller,Hoppe-Seyler's Zeitschriftfür physiologische Chemie(1973) 354:1176; De Vries et al.,Gene Ther.(2008) 15:545-552). Investigators have reported antiviral activity of nitric oxide (NO) against several viruses such as vaccinia virus, vesicular stomatitis virus, and Japanese encephalitis virus, among others (Bi et al.,J. Virol.(1995) 69:6466-6472; Harris et al.,J. Virol.(1995) 69:910-915; Lin et al.,J. Virol.(1997) 71:5227-5235; Pertile et al.,Avian Dis.(1996) 40:342-348. NO is a free radical gaseous molecule and is a mediator of host defense (Croen K. D.,J. Clin. Invest.(1993) 91:2446-2452; Karupiah et al.,Science(1993) 261:1445-1448; Rolph et al.,Virol.(1996) 217:470-477; Amaro et al.,J. Med. Virol.(1997) 51:326-331; Lane et al.,J. Virol.(1997) 71:2202-2210. HSV-1 is known both to induce and evade host antiviral responses (Mossman et al.,J. Virol.(2001) 75:750-758). HSV infection is capable of inducing expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), a gene encoding an inducible isoform of NOS that produces large amounts of NO. Herpesviruses and recombinant proteins therefrom have been used in the manufacture of a number of vaccines. Besides adenoviruses, herpesviruses have been shown to provide complete helper virus functions for the production of recombinant adeno-associated virus virions (Buller, R. M. L.,J. Virol.(1981) 40:241-247; Mishra et al.,Virology(1990) 179:632-639). The minimal set of HSV-lgenes required for AAV replication and packaging has been identified as the early genes UL5, UL8, UL52 andUL29 (Weindler et al.,J. Virol.(1991) 65:2476-2483). These genes encode components of the HSV-lcore replication machinery—the helicase, primase and primase accessory proteins (UL5, UL8 and UL52) and the single-stranded DNA binding protein (UL29). Recombinant AAV (rAAV) vectors have been successfully used to achieve long-term, high level transduction in vivo. Despite the above advances, production of large quantities of clinical grade high-titer rAAV virions for gene therapy continues to be challenging due to limitations in scalability of the cotransfection protocol. The process requires the efficient cellular delivery of three components: (1) a vector including the gene of interest flanked by AAV inverted terminal repeats (ITRs); (2) a vector including the AAV rep and cap genes; and (3) genes provided using a helper virus, such as adenovirus or herpes simplex virus or using virus-free helper plasmids (see, Muzyczka, N.,Curr. Top. Microbiol. Immunol.(1992) 158:97-129). Thus, in rHSV-based rAAV manufacturing protocols, the yield of rAAV is limited by the maximal titer of helper rHSV vectors. A replication-deficient HSV-1 vector, termed d27.1-rc, expresses AAV-2 rep and cap genes (Conway et al.,Gene Ther.(1999) 6:986-993) and it has been engineered from original d27-1 virus (Rice at al., J. Virol. 1989 vol. 63 (8) pp. 3399-407), that does not produce ICP27, a protein required for HSV-1replication. Although this vector is replication-defective, it does express the HSV-1 early genes required for rAAV replication and packaging (Conway et al.,Gene Ther.(1999) 6:986-993). Typically, one vector bearing the rAAV template and the other vector expressing the AAV rep and cap regions are co-infected into 293 cells in order to produce rAAV virions. Both HSV-1 vectors are replication-deficient and can therefore only be propagated in an ICP27-complementing cell line, V27 (Rice at al., J. Virol. 1989 vol. 63 (8) pp. 3399-407). In HSV-based AAV production protocol, 293 cells need to be infected with HSV-1 at a higher multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 12. This represents a limitation, because yields of d27-1-derived vectors in V27 cells are typically around 1×107plaque forming units (PFU)/ml. Several methods and reagents have been investigated in order to further increase HSV-1 titers (see, e.g., Wechuck et al.,Biotechnol. Prog.(2000) 16:493-496; Ozuer et al.,Biotechnol. Prog.(2002) 18:476-482; Erlandsson et al.,J. Endocrinol.,(2002) 175:165-176; Otsuki et al.,Mol. Ther.(2008) 16:1546-1555). Both dexamethasone and valproic acid inhibited the host defense mechanism represented by several interferon (IFN)-responsive antiviral genes, augmented the transcriptional level of viral genes, and thus improved viral propagation and yield of HSV-1 (Erlandsson et al.,J. Endocrinol.(2002) 175:165-176; Otsuki et al.,Mol. Ther.(2008) 16:1546-1555). Despite the above knowledge, more methods to inhibit host defense in order to improve viral production in culture are needed. As explained above, investigators have reported antiviral activity of nitric oxide (NO) against several viruses such as vaccinia virus, vesicular stomatitis virus, and Japanese encephalitis virus, among others (Bi et al.,J. Virol.(1995) 69:6466-6472; Harris et al.,J. Virol.(1995) 69:910-915; Lin et al.,J. Virol.(1997) 71:5227-5235; Pertile et al.,Avian Dis.(1996) 40:342-348. NO is a free radical gaseous molecule and is a mediator of host defense (Croen K. D.,J. Clin. Invest.(1993) 91:2446-2452; Karupiah et al.,Science(1993) 261:1445-1448; Rolph et al.,Virol.(1996) 217:470-477; Amaro et al.,J. Med. Virol.(1997) 51:326-331; Lane et al.,J. Virol.(1997) 71:2202-2210). As described above, HSV infection can induce expression of iNOS, a gene encoding an inducible isoform of NOS that produces large amounts of NO. The presence of the iNOS inhibitor N-methyl-L-arginine (L-NMA) reversed the inhibition of viral replication for all three of these viruses (Karupiah et al.,Science(1993) 261:1445-1448). For a review of iNOS inhibitors, see, Southan et al.,Biochem. Pharmacol.(1996) 51:383-394. Another compound, aurintricarboxylic acid (ATA), has been shown to protect macrophages from cell death induced by bacterial lipopolysaccharide by downregulation of iNOS expression and thus decreasing the NO production (Chen et al.,British Journal of Pharmacology(2002) vol. 137 (7) pp. 1011-20). ATA is a heterogeneous mixture of polymers accredited with an increasing number of biological activities, such as interaction with a number of enzymes including DNA polymerases, RNA polymerases, reverse transcriptase (RNA-dependent DNA polymerase), aminoacyl-tRNA-synthetase, ribonucleotide reductase, ribonucleases nuclease, protein synthesis inhibition, prevention of apoptosis and blocking DNA fragmentation in oligodendrocytes induced by oxidative stress (Tscherne and Pestka,Antimicrob. Agents Chemother.(1975) 8:479-487; Mikelens et al.,Biochemical Pharmacology(1976) 25:821-827; Vollgraf et al.,J. Neurochem.(1999) 73:2501-2509). Aurintricarboxylic acid (ATA) has been also reported to prevent IFN-mediated transcriptional activation (Tsi et al.,Mol. Pharmacol.(2002)101:90-101; Chen et al.,British J. Pharmacol.(2002) 137:1011-1020). ATA is known as an activator of the Raf/MEK/MAPK pathway, IGF-1 receptor and protein kinase C signaling (Beery et al.,Endocrinology(2001) 142:3098-3107; Chen et al.,J. Biol. Chem.(2001) 276:46722-46728). Antiviral antimicrobial and antiproliferative actions of cytokines such as interferons may be due to their ability to induce the expression of iNOS, a gene encoding an isoform of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) that produces large amounts of the radical gas, NO, from a guanidino nitrogen of L-arginine (Nathan, C.,FASAB J.(1992) 6:3051; Werner-Felmayer et al.,J. Exp. Med.(1990) 172:1599). It has been shown that treatment of macrophages with IFN-γ severely restricts replication of ectromelia virus (EV), vaccinia virus (VV) and HSV-1. On one hand, ATA is also known as an antiviral agent against several viruses including HIV, herpesvirus HHV-7, SARS-CoV and others (Cushman et al.,J. Med. Chem.(1991) 34:329-3371991; Zhang et al.,Antiviral Res.(1999) 43:23-35; Yap et al.,Computational Biol. and Chem.(2005) 29:212-219; De Clercq,Advents, Advances, and Adventures Med. Res. Rev.(2011) 31:118-160). ATA, however, did not block the replication of adenovirus type 5 (Ad5) in HEK-293 cells (He,Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm.(2004) 320:1199-1203). Moreover, ATA has been reported to unexpectedly increase titer of a control adenovirus vector in 293 cells while at the same time having antiviral effects on vaccinia virus (Myskiw et al.,J. Virol.(2007) 81:3027-3032). SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention thus overcomes deficiencies in the prior art by addressing problems that limit viral production, such as low production of rHSV, which hampers efforts to produce sufficient quantities of rHSV for a variety of purposes, including for vaccine production, as well as for rAAV virion production in quantities necessary for efficient gene therapy procedures. Using the methods described herein, higher titers of a variety of viruses can be obtained, such as at least an order of magnitude greater than traditional methods. In particular, the inventors herein have discovered that aurintricarboxylic acid (ATA) inhibits iNOS and increases HSV production. As shown in the examples herein, micromolar concentrations of ATA in the presence of fetal bovine serum (FBS) increased both HSV-1/d27-1 vector yield in V27 cells and wild-type (wt) HSV-1 virus in Vero, V27 and 293 cells. Other iNOS inhibitors, including dexamethasone and valproic acid, also increased HSV-1 titers in culture. HSV-induced iNOS expression was shown to be reduced in HSV+ATA samples as analyzed by SABiosciences Microarray. Similarly, Affymetrix human genome array analysis confirmed that expression of HSV-up-regulated all three nitric oxide synthase genes (nNOS, iNOS and eNOS) were down-regulated n HSV+ATA samples. Affymetrix Gene Array also detected that genes involved in inflammatory IgE and IFN signaling, and general immune responses were upregulated by HSV-1 and suppressed after the addition of ATA. On the other hand, genes primarily involved in cell cycle G1/S, signal transduction in WNT development were significantly down-regulated by HSV and upregulated after addition of ATA. These results are significant because of the demand for higher HSV-1 titers for rAAV virion production, as well as for prophylactic, therapeutic and diagnostic purposes. Accordingly, in one embodiment the invention is directed to a method for producing a virus comprising culturing the virus in a cell culture that comprises aurintricarboxylic acid. In certain embodiments, the virus is a herpesvirus, such as HSV-1. In additional embodiments, the herpesvirus is a wild type HSV-1 or a recombinant HSV-1 vector, such as an HSV-1 d27.1 vector. In further embodiments, the virus is cultured in 293, HeLa or Vero cells, such as V27 cells. In yet additional embodiments, the invention is directed to a method for culturing an HSV-1 d27.1 vector comprising: (a) infecting V27 cells with an HSV-1 d27.1 vector; and (b) culturing the infected V27 cells in a cell culture comprising aurintricarboxylic acid, valproic acid or dexamethasone. In certain embodiments, the cell culture further comprises serum, such as fetal bovine serum. In further embodiments, the invention is directed to a cell culture comprising aurintricarboxylic acid and 293, HeLa or Vero cells, such as V27 cells. These and other embodiments of the subject invention will readily occur to those of skill in the art in view of the disclosure herein.

11328344

BACKGROUND Utility meters such as electric, water and natural gas meters have evolved from isolated devices that simply measure utility consumption and display a consumption reading to so called “smart meters” that are connected devices capable of reporting resource consumption readings automatically over a utility communication network. Such meters utilize increasingly complex and specialized software to perform required functions. Unfortunately, the software update process is a difficult one, in which administrators utilize tools that are configured for download of specific software code. Considerable time is spent by network professionals, and each update is a customized event requiring consideration and preparation. In some instances, utility companies may not even be aware that software or updates are available for devices in their network. Thus, in order to install or update software across their entire network, a utility company must first learn that compatible software is available for devices in their network. Consumers are generally completely unaware of what software is running on the meters servicing the properties, and play no role in its selection and operation. Once installed, the software has been designed to execute on the smart meter to perform metering functionality and to report metering data to devices in the utility's communication network. Smart meter software has been restricted from communication with devices outside the utility's communication network.

11525061

This application is the U.S. national phase of International Application No. PCT/EP2018/069322 filed Jul. 16, 2018 which designated the U.S. and claims priority to EP Application No. 17181586.3 filed Jul. 17, 2017, the entire contents of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference. The present invention relates to the field of acrylic polymer compositions especially those useful in the preparation of coatings. In particular, the present invention relates to aqueous coating compositions comprising crosslinkable polymer particles dispersed in an aqueous medium and comprising crosslinking agent. There is a need in the industry to improve the safety, health and environmental profile of coatings while maintaining or improving the adhesion and resistance level of the materials. Crosslinkable vinyl polymer dispersions with carbonyl functionality and using commonly applied polyhydrazides as crosslinkers have been used to improve the adhesion and resistance level of the materials. Aqueous coating compositions containing carbonyl functional vinyl polymers which are crosslinked with polyhydrazides like adipic acid dihydrazide are well known. For example, WO95/29963 describes a process for preparing aqueous crosslinkable compositions comprising a) preparing an aqueous solution of an acid-functional oligomer and having crosslinker functional groups; b) conducting an aqueous emulsion polymerization to make an aqueous emulsion of an olefinic hydrophobic polymer in the presence of the aqueous oligomer solution, the hydrophobic polymer optionally having crosslinker functional groups; and c) combining with a crosslinking agent reactable with the crosslinker groups of the oligomer and polymer. Commonly applied polyhydrazides are adipic acid dihydrazide (ADH) and succinic acid dihydrazide (SDH). The crosslinking takes place rapidly at room temperature, especially after the film has been formed from the dispersions. Aqueous coating compositions comprising carbonyl functional vinyl polymers and adipic acid dihydrazide or succinic acid dihydrazide can be effectively applied as a one-pack system without the necessity of mixing reactive materials just prior to application as in a two-pack system. One-pack systems containing the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer and adipic acid dihydrazide or succinic acid dihydrazide usually have good storage stability (long pot-life), resulting in good workability. A disadvantage of the known crosslinkable vinyl polymer coating compositions is that the polyhydrazide hydrolyzes to a certain extent resulting in the formation of free hydrazine, which is highly toxic and thus very undesirable. The hydrazine in the wet coating, formed by hydrolysis of the hydrazide, will react instantaneously with the available carbonyl groups in the wet dispersion or coating composition, reducing free hydrazine levels to undetectable values. However, this is different in the dried coating. On drying, the pH decreases to the acidic regime, generally to a pH of around 4 because of evaporation of the neutralizing alkali (mostly amines, for instance ammonia). Since a large amount of the carbonyl groups on the polymer backbone will have reacted with the hydrazide crosslinker, fewer carbonyl groups will be available to scavenge the hydrazine that is generated due to hydrolysis of unreacted hydrazide. We have found that if the amount of hydrazide is less than one equivalent on carbonyl, a large excess of unreacted hydrazide is avoided which can hydrolyze after application and drying of the composition (e.g. as a coating or ink) on a substrate. In view of the toxicological profile of hydrazine, the amount of free hydrazine in particular in the final coating must be very low. The scavenging of liberated hydrazine that is formed due to hydrolysis may well result in a low or an unmeasurable level of hydrazine in the coating composition due to the scavenging by the carbonyl groups, however as explained, this is far less the case in a dried coating, where the hydrazine is surrounded by fewer available carbonyl groups and can easily leak out of the film to get released in the environment, like for instance the air or water. We have now surprisingly found that carbodihydrazide is less prone to hydrolysis than other dihydrazides like adipic acid dihydrazide and succinic acid dihydrazide. Hence, much less toxic hydrazine is formed through the use of carbodihydrazide, compared to using adipic acid dihydrazide or succinic acid dihydrazide. Furthermore, the use of carbodihydrazide will reduce the concerns about the aqua toxicity of which the commonly applied dihydrazides like adipic acid dihydrazide and succinic acid dihydrazide are suffering. We have however also found that the curing reaction between carbodihydrazide and carbonyl functional vinyl polymers may start immediately after mixing the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer with carbodihydrazide. Hence coating compositions containing carbodihydrazide and carbonyl functional vinyl polymers may have a very short pot life resulting in that a two-pack system is needed, whereby the reactive materials need to be mixed just prior to application, resulting in poor workability. This is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,821,295. This patent publication describes a resinous composition for a two-pack system comprising (A) a colloidal dispersion or emulsion obtained by solution copolymerization of a monomer mixture comprising a carbonyl group-containing unsaturated monomer, carboxyl-group containing unsaturated monomer and other unsaturated monomers to form a copolymer, neutralizing the copolymer with an alkali, dissolving or emulsifying it into water, and adjusting the pH to above 7, and (B) an easily water soluble dihydrazide compounds having from 1 to 5 carbon atoms like for example carbodihydrazide. U.S. Pat. No. 5,821,295 teaches that the pot-life can be controlled (and hence early reaction of the carbodihydrazide and the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer is avoided) by increasing pH value upwardly. Example 4 reports a pot-life of 3 hours at a pH of 10.5, which is relatively short for a two-pack system, let alone for a one-pack coating composition which usually requires a pot life of at least one year at 25° C. The object of the present invention is to provide a one-pack aqueous crosslinkable coating composition comprising an aqueous colloidal dispersion of carbonyl functional vinyl polymer and a crosslinking agent that is less prone to hydrolysis than adipic acid dihydrazide and succinic acid dihydrazide. The object has surprisingly been achieved by an aqueous coating composition comprising carbodihydrazide and an aqueous colloidal dispersion of carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s), whereby the equivalent molar ratio of hydrazide groups to carbonyl groups is from 0.1 to 0.95; the ratio of number-average molecular weight of the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s) to acid value of the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s) is higher than 400; and the acid value of the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s) is from 2 to 100 mg KOH/gram of the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer. It has surprisingly been found that the aqueous coating compositions according to the invention provide crosslinkable compositions which can be applied as one-pack systems and whereby the crosslinking agent is less prone to hydrolysis than adipic acid dihydrazide and succinic acid dihydrazide. As used herein, a one-pack coating composition is a coating composition having a pot life of at least one year at 25° C. Pot life (also referred to as shelf life) is defined as the amount of time it takes for the initial viscosity of a mixture to double, or quadruple for lower viscosity products (<1000 cPs). Timing starts from the moment the product is mixed, and is measured at 25° C. A pot life of at least one year at 25° C. is commonly accepted as being equivalent to a pot-life of four weeks at 50° C. The present invention relates to an aqueous coating composition comprising carbodihydrazide and an aqueous colloidal dispersion of carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s), whereby the equivalent molar ratio of hydrazide groups to carbonyl groups is from 0.1 to 0.95; the ratio of number-average molecular weight of the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s) to acid value of the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s) is higher than 400; and the acid value of the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s) is from 2 to 100 mg KOH/gram carbonyl functional vinyl polymer. The equivalent molar ratio of hydrazide groups to carbonyl groups in the coating composition of the invention is from 0.1 to 0.95 and preferably from 0.2 to 0.95. The equivalent molar ratio is calculated by dividing the molar amount of hydrazide groups by the molar amount of carbonyl groups reactive with hydrazide groups. The molar amounts are calculated from the amount of carbonyl functional monomers (i.e. monomers which have at least one carbonyl group reactive with a hydrazide group) which are used for preparing the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s) and the amount of carbodihydrazide which is added to the aqueous colloidal dispersion comprising the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s). In the present invention carbodihydrazide is considered to have two hydrazide groups. The carbodihydrazide can be incorporated into the invention composition by simple admixture with the aqueous colloidal dispersion of carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s). The carbodihydrazide can be added as a solid material or as a solution in water. In this description, the expression “in the range of from . . . to . . . ” and the expression “from . . . to . . . ” is understood as including the limits cited and also all the intermediate values. The ratio of number-average molecular weight (Mn) of the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s) to acid value (AV) of the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s) is higher than 400, preferably higher than 600, more preferably higher than 800, even more preferably higher than 1200 and even more preferably higher than 1500. The ratio of number-average molecular weight (Mn) of the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s) to acid value (AV) of the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s) is preferably lower than 1500000, more preferably lower than 800000, even more preferably lower than 400000, even more preferably lower than 50000, even more preferably lower than 10000 and most preferably lower than 5000. (The fraction of a polymer that has been crosslinked during synthesis and that will not dissolve in the solvent used for size exclusion chromatography measurement will be assumed to have an Mnof 1500000.). As used herein, the number-average molecular weight of the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s) is determined by size exclusion chromatography in hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP): The number-average molecular weight of the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s) is measured with three silica modified 7 μm PFG columns at 40° C. on a Waters Alliance 2695 LC system with a Waters 2410 DRI detector and a Waters 2996 PDA detector. Hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) and PTFA 0.1% is used as eluent with a flow of 0.8 mL/min. The samples are dissolved in the eluent using a concentration of 5 mg polymer per mL solvent. The solubility is judged with a laser pen after 24 hours stabilization at room temperature; if any scattering is visible the samples are filtered first and 150 μl sample solution is injected. The MMD (molecular mass distribution) results are calculated with 11 narrow poly methylmethacrylate standards from 645-1.677.000 Da. As used herein, the acid value of the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s) is calculated according to the formula AV=((total molar amount of carboxylic acid components included in the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s) per gram of total amount of components included in the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s)) * 56.1* 1000) and is denoted as mg KOH/gram carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s). The acid value of the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s) can thus be controlled by the molar amount of carboxylic acid components that is used to prepare the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s). The carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s) has an acid value of at least 2 mg KOH/gram carbonyl functional vinyl polymer. Carbonyl functional vinyl polymers with a lower acid value will usually not be plasticized by water resulting in an increased solvent demand in the coating composition to ensure proper film formation. The carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s) has an acid value of preferably at least 5 mg KOH/gram carbonyl functional vinyl polymer and more preferably the acid value is at least 9 mg KOH/gram carbonyl functional vinyl polymer. The carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s) has an acid value of at most 100 mg KOH/gram carbonyl functional vinyl polymer. Carbonyl functional vinyl polymers with a higher acid value will show increased water sensitivity in the coatings derived thereof. The carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s) preferably has an acid value of at most 80 mg KOH/gram carbonyl functional vinyl polymer and more preferably the acid value is most 75 mg KOH/gram carbonyl functional vinyl polymer. The acid value of the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s) is preferably in the range from 5 to 80 mg KOH/gram carbonyl functional vinyl polymer and more preferably in the range from 9 to 75 mg KOH/gram carbonyl functional vinyl polymer. The coating composition according to the invention preferably comprises carbodihydrazide in an amount of less than 3 wt. % and more than 0.05 wt. %, preferably in an amount of less than 1.5. wt. %, relative to the total amount of monomers charged for the preparation of the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s). Carbodihydrazide has the following structural formula: We found that carbodihydrazide gives less hydrolysis at the relevant conditions tested (pH 4 and at temperatures of 30° C. and 50° C.), but that it may also suffer from breaking down in time due to the oxidizing medium of a freshly prepared emulsion where typically strong oxidizing components such as most initiators (including persulphates and peroxides) are used in the process. To further improve the shelf life during storage, we have now found that when an emulsion polymerization process is used wherein the residual initiator level present in the composition after finishing the polymerization is kept to a minimum and more preferred, when the polymeric dispersion after finishing the polymerization is treated by adding reducing agent, like for instance isoascorbic acid or fructose, improved retention of carbodihydrazide is achieved. To avoid or at least reduce oxidation of carbodihydrazide, the finished polymeric dispersion and the coating composition comprising the aqueous colloidal polymeric dispersion should be in a reductive regime which can be established by measuring the redox potential of the dispersion against a Pt/Ag/AgCl (saturated KCl) electrode, calibrated with a+475 mV reference solution according to ASTM D 1498. The lower the redox potential of the dispersion and/or the coating composition the lower the tendency for oxidation of the carbodihydrazide. At pH 7, the redox potential of the aqueous colloidal dispersion of carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s) (prior to the addition of carbodihydrazide) is preferably<+90 mV, more preferably<+50 mV and most preferably<+10 mV. The redox potential of the aqueous coating composition of the invention (after addition of the carbodihydrazide) is preferably below+32.5 mV, more preferably<+12.5 mV, most preferably<+2.5 mV at pH 7 of the coating composition. This results in an improved retention of the crosslinker and hence to an improved shelf stability. The preferred redox potential value of the aqueous colloidal dispersion of carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s) (prior to the addition of carbodihydrazide) or the preferred redox potential value of the aqueous coating composition of the invention (after addition of the carbodihydrazide) at a pH of y can be calculated from the redox potential value at a pH of x by the following formula: Redox potential Rp@pHyin mV is≤[Rp@pHx−((pH(y)−pHx)*25)] For example: when at a pH 7, the redox potential is 90, then the redox potential at pH y (say y=8) is: Redox potential Rp@pHyin mV is≤Rp@pHx−((pH(y)−pHx)*25)=90−25=65. When at a pH of 8.2, the redox potential is 11, then the redox potential at a pH of 7 is: Redox potential Rp@pHyin mV is ≤Rp@pHx−((pH(y)−pHx)*25) Rp@pH7≤Rp@pHx−((pH(y)−pHx)*25)=11−((7−8.2)*25)=11−(−30)=41. By a vinyl polymer is meant generally herein a polymer derived from the addition polymerisation (normally by a free-radical process) of at least one olefinically unsaturated monomer. By a vinyl monomer is therefore meant herein an olefinically unsaturated monomer. By an aqueous colloidal dispersion of carbonyl functional (i.e. carbonyl group containing) vinyl polymer(s) is meant herein a dispersion of the carbonyl functional vinyl polymeric component in a liquid carrier medium of which water is the principal component (at least 50 percent by weight, more usually at least 90 percent by weight of the carrier medium). The aqueous coating composition according to the invention comprises dispersed carbonyl functional (i.e. containing carbonyl group(s) reactive with a hydrazide group) vinyl polymer particles. The colloidal dispersion of carbonyl functional vinyl polymer particles is preferably obtained by copolymerizing, preferably by emulsion polymerisation of, a monomer mixture comprising carbonyl functional olefinically unsaturated monomer(s), carboxylic acid functional olefinically unsaturated monomer(s) and other olefinically unsatured monomer(s) to form a copolymer, optionally neutralizing the copolymer with a base, and adjusting the pH to a value of at least 6.8. Preferably, the coating composition comprises dispersed anionically stabilized carbonyl functional vinyl polymer particles preferably obtained by effecting an anionic charge reversal of at least a part of the carboxylic acid which is preferably introduced in the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer via the use of carboxylic acid functional olefinically unsaturated monomer(s). The carbonyl groups are introduced in the vinyl polymer by copolymerizing carbonyl group containing olefinically unsaturated monomers (i.e. containing carbonyl group(s) reactive with a hydrazide group) with at least one other olefinically unsaturated monomer. Preferably, acetoacetoxy(meth)acrylate is not applied for preparing the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer since acetoacetoxy(meth)acrylate results in discoloration upon reaction with hydrazide. Preferably, the carbonyl groups reactive with a hydrazide group are ketone groups. The ketone groups are introduced in the vinyl polymer by copolymerizing ketone group containing olefinically unsaturated monomers with at least one other olefinically unsaturated monomer. Preferably, the ketone groups are introduced in the vinyl polymer by copolymerizing ketone group containing olefinically unsaturated monomers with at least one carboxylic acid functional olefinically unsaturated monomer and at least one other olefinically unsaturated monomer (different than the ketone group containing olefinically unsaturated monomer(s) and different than the carboxylic acid functional olefinically unsaturated monomer). The ketone group containing olefinically unsaturated monomers are preferably selected from the group consisting of methacrolein, acrolein, diacetone acrylamide, vinyl methyl ketone, vinyl ethyl ketone, vinyl butyl ketone, and any mixture thereof. More preferably, the carbonyl groups are introduced in the vinyl polymer by copolymerizing of diacetone acrylamide with at least one other olefinically unsaturated monomer. Even more preferably, the carbonyl groups are introduced in the vinyl polymer by copolymerizing of diacetone acrylamide with at least one carboxylic acid functional olefinically unsaturated monomer and at least one other olefinically unsaturated monomer (different than the carbonyl group containing olefinically unsaturated monomer(s) and different than the carboxylic acid functional olefinically unsaturated monomer). For the sake of clarity, diacetone acrylamide has one carbonyl group, i.e. one ketone group, reactive with a hydrazide group. As known in the art, carboxylic acid groups, carboxylic acid ester groups and amide groups are not carbonyl groups reactive with hydrazide groups. The amount of carbonyl functional olefinically unsaturated monomer(s), based on the total amount of monomers used to prepare the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer, is generally from 0.1 to 20 wt. %. The amount of carbonyl functional olefinically unsaturated monomer(s), based on the total amount of monomers used to prepare the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer, is preferably less than 15 wt. %, more preferably less than 8 wt. % and most preferably less than 5 wt. % in order to minimalize water sensitivity of the coating. The amount of carbonyl functional olefinically unsaturated monomer(s), based on the total amount of monomers used to prepare the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer, is preferably at least 0.3 wt. %, more preferably at least 0.5 wt. %, more preferably at least 1 wt. % and most preferably at least 2 wt. %. Preferably at least 60 wt. % of all polymer chains do contain copolymerized carbonyl functional monomer, and more preferably all monomer phases added to the reactor during the synthesis of the polymer do contain at least 0.3 wt. % on monomer of a carbonyl functional monomer (this to obtain a well crosslinked network after drying of the coating), more preferred this carbonyl functional monomer is diacetone acrylamide. The carboxylic acid functional olefinically unsaturated monomer(s) are preferably selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, and R-carboxyethyl acrylate, citraconic acid, crotonic acid, fumaric acid, itaconic acid, monoalkyl esters of itaconic acid such as for example monomethyl itaconate, maleic acid, and potentially carboxylic acid functional olefinically unsaturated monomers such as itaconic anhydride or maleic anhydride, and combinations thereof; more preferably the carboxylic acid functional olefinically unsaturated monomer is acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, β-carboxyethyl acrylate and mixtures thereof. Most preferred carboxylic acid functional olefinically unsaturated monomer is methacrylic acid. The other olefinically unsaturated monomer(s) (i.e. those different than the carbonyl group containing olefinically unsaturated monomer(s) and different than the carboxylic acid functional olefinically unsaturated monomer(s)) preferably include olefines such as ethylene or propylene; vinyl halides such as vinylidene chloride and vinyl chloride; olefinically unsaturated amides; vinyl esters; vinyl ethers; olefinically unsaturated nitriles; heterocyclic vinyl compounds; diesters of fumaric and maleic acid; and, in particular, esters of acrylic acid and methacrylic acid of formula: CH2═CR4CO2R5(1) where R4is H or methyl and R5is optionally substituted alkyl of 1 to 20 carbon atoms (more preferably 1 to 8 carbon atoms) or cycloalkyl of 5 to 12 ring carbon atoms. More specific examples of such monomers include alkylesters such as methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, n-propyl acrylate, n-butyl acrylate, i-butyl acrylate, t-butyl acrylate, n-octyl acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, lauryl acrylate, isopropyl acrylate, cyclohexyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, n-propyl methacrylate, isopropyl methacrylate, n-butyl methacrylate, i-butyl methacrylate, t-butyl methacrylate, cyclohexyl methacrylate, 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate, octyl methacrylate, lauryl methacrylate, diethyl maleate, diethyl fumarate; vinyl esters such as allyl acetate, allyl chloroacetate, methallyl acetate, vinyl acetate, isopropenyl acetate; halides such as vinyl chloride, vinylidene chloride, allyl chloride, 1,2-dichloropropene-2, methallyl chloride and trichloroethylene; nitriles such as acrylonitrile and methacrylonitrile; aryls such as styrene, a-methyl styrene, o-methyl styrene, m-methyl styrene, p-methyl styrene, pentachlorostyrene, o-chlorostyrene, m-chlorostyrene, p-chlorostyrene and p-cyanostyrene; conjugated dienes or chlorodienes such as butadiene and chloroprene; hydroxy functional alkyl (preferably 1 to 18C) (meth)acrylates such as 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, 2-hydroxy-n-propyl acrylate, 2-hydroxy-n-propyl methacrylate, 3-hydroxy-n-propyl methacrylate, 3-hydroxy-n-propyl acrylate, 4-hydroxy-n-butyl acrylate, 4-hydroxy-n-butyl methacrylate, hydroxystearyl acrylate, hydroxystearyl methacrylate; dihydroxy alkyl (preferably 1 to 6C) adducts of maleic acid, fumaric acid, and phthalic acid; polyethylene oxide or polypropylene oxide functionalised hydroxyl functional (meth)acrylates. It is to be understood that all the above monomers in this paragraph exclude carbonyl group-containing olefinically unsaturated monomers and carboxylic acid olefinically unsaturated monomer. The other olefinically unsaturated monomer(s) (i.e. those different than the carbonyl group containing olefinically unsaturated monomer(s) and different than the carboxylic acid functional olefinically unsaturated monomer(s)) are preferably used in an amount within the range of from 78 to 98 weight percent based on the total amount of monomers used to prepare the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer, more preferably from 83 to 97 weight percent. (It is to be understood the weight percent of all monomers used to prepare the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer must add up to 100). For reasons of water resistance, preferably less than 20 wt %, based on the total amount of monomers used to prepare the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer, of vinyl acetate (and saponified vinyl acetate) is used, more preferred less than 5 wt % and most preferred 0 wt. % is used. Preferably the amount of non-ionic (so not containing a ionizable group) monomers that contribute to the water solubility of the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer, including for example (meth)acrylamide, hydroxyethyl(meth)acrylate, polyethylene glycol (400) diacrylate, polyethylene glycol (600) diacrylate, ethyldiglycolacrylate, and hydroxybutyl acrylate, is preferably less than 15 wt %, more preferred less than 6 weight % and most preferred less than 3 weight %, based on the total amount of monomers used to prepare the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer. In a preferred embodiment, the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer is preferably obtained by copolymerizing a monomer mixture comprising from 70 to 98 weight %, more preferably from 80 to 97 weight % and most preferably from 85 to 96 weight % of styrene, acrylonitrile and/or alkyl(meth)acrylate monomers where the alkyl has a chain length of 1-11 carbons, based on the total amount of monomers used to prepare the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer. Most preferred the carbonyl functional vinyl polymers of the composition is obtained by copolymerizing a monomer mixture consisting of (i) diacetone acrylamide, (ii) (meth)acrylic acid and/or betacarboxyethylacrylate, (iii) styrene, acrylonitrile and/or alkyl(meth)acrylate monomers where the alkyl has a chain length of 1-11 carbons and (iv) optionally other monomers, where the total amount of other monomers is less than 5 weight %, more preferred less than 2 weight %, based on the total amount of monomers used to prepare the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer. It is preferred that the average particle size of the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s) is within the range of from 20 to 500 nm, more preferably from 40 to 250 nm and most preferably from 50 to 150 nm. (Average particle size herein is that as determined by light scattering using a Malvern Zetasizer 3000 HSa). The carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s) has an average glass transition temperature (Tg) within the range of from −50° C. to 120° C. Below −50° C. the resulting coating is not likely in some applications to have sufficient chemical resistance, and above 120° C. the coating compositions may require in some applications an undesirably large amount of coalescent (a coalescent is an organic solvent or plasticizer that lowers the minimum film forming temperature of a polymer, thereby permitting a coating from the polymer to form a useful film at a temperature below the Tg of the polymer) which will detract from the coating properties. The average Tg of the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s) is more preferably in the range of from 0 to 60° C., even more preferably in the range of from 5 to 60° C. The average Tg of the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s) is preferably lower than 50° C. and more preferably lower than 40° C. As is well known, the Tg of a polymer is that temperatures at which the polymer changes from a rubbery, elastic state to a glassy, brittle state. Tg values may be determined experimentally using, inter alia, differential scanning calorimetry DSC, or calculated using the well-known Fox equation. Calculation of the Tg by means of the Fox equation is done as follows. The Tg, in Kelvin, of a copolymer having “n” copolymerised comonomers is given by the weight fractions W of each comonomer type and the Tg's of the homopolymers (in Kelvin) derived from each comonomer according to the equation: 1Tg=W1Tg1+W2Tg2+…+WnTgn The calculated Tg in Kelvin may be readily converted to ° C. The colloidal dispersion of carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s) is preferably obtained by emulsion polymerization using conventional emulsion polymerisation conditions. Methods for preparing vinyl polymers by emulsion polymerization are known in the art and are described in for example Handbook Emulsion Polymerization: Theory and Practice, 1975, by D. C. Blackley (ISBN 978-0-85334-627-2). The emulsion polymerization to obtain carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s) is a free-radical emulsion polymerization that is conducted using appropriate heating and agitation (stirring). The free-radical emulsion polymerization is usually effected at atmospheric pressure and a temperature in the range from 30 to 100° C. Suitable free-radical-yielding initiators include persulphates such as ammonium, K and Na salts of persulphate, or redox initiator systems; combinations such as t-butyl hydroperoxide or hydrogen peroxide or cumene hydroperoxide, with isoascorbic acid or sodium formaldehydesulphoxylate, and optionally FeEDTA are useful. The amount of initiator, or initiator system, is generally 0.05 to 3 wt. % based on the weight of total monomers charged. The molecular weight Mnof the carbonyl functional vinyl copolymer(s) can be controlled by the use of well-known chain transfer agents. Preferred chain transfer agents can include mercaptanes and alkyl halogenides. More preferred, the chain transfer agent is selected from the group of lauryl mercaptane, n-dodecyl mercaptane, 3-mercapto propionic acid, i-octyl thioglycolate, mercaptoethanol, tetrabromo methane, or tribromo methane. Most preferred the chain transfer agent is a mercaptane, selected from the group of lauryl mercaptane, 3-mercapto propionic acid, n-dodecyl mercaptane, i-octyl thioglycolate, and/or mercaptoethanol. An emulsion polymerisation process used for making the colloidal dispersion of carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s) may be carried out using an “all-in-one” batch process (i.e. a process in which all the materials to be employed are present in the polymerisation medium at the start of polymerisation) or a semi-batch process in which one or more of the materials employed (usually at least one of the monomers), is wholly or partially fed to the polymerisation medium during the polymerisation. In particular, the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer may be made using a single monomer feed containing all or substantially all the monomers for the polymerisation, or two or more monomer feeds (usually just two) may be used in which some of the monomers for the polymerisation are in one of the feeds and the other monomers are in the other feed (or feeds). Such multi feeds may be fed to the polymerisation at the same time or may be added sequentially. In another variant, one of the feeds is fed to another feed while the latter is itself being fed to the polymerisation (this being known in the art as a “powerfeed” process). Preferably, from 0.1 to 8 wt. %, more preferably from 0.3 to 5 wt. % and most preferably from 0.5 to 3 wt % of surfactant is used based on total amount of monomers charged for the preparation of the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s). Preferred surfactants include the alkali metal and ammonium salts of anionic types like sulphates, sulphonates, sulphosuccinates, and phosphates and surfactants which have both anionic groups as well as a nonionic (like polyoxyethylene and/or polyoxypropylene) block. Due to toxicity reasons nonylphenol based surfactants are less preferred. The emulsion polymerisation is preferably generally performed under acidic conditions, i.e. pH<7, although performing the polymerisation can also be done at higher pH. Preferably, pH is raised at the end of the polymerisation process. This can be done with (organic) amines and/or with inorganic bases. Examples of such bases include organic amines such as trialkylamines (e.g. triethylamine, tributylamine), morpholine and alkanolamines, and inorganic bases such as ammonia, NaOH, KOH, and LiOH. Of course, the aqueous medium containing the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer may already be alkaline (or sufficiently alkaline) such that the acid groups (such as carboxyl groups) become neutralized without the requirement for positively adding a base to raise pH, or the acid groups may be or include very strong acid groups such as sulphonic acid groups (pKa 1 to 2) so that neutralization may not be necessary. Further still, it is possible for acid monomers to be polymerised in salt form rather than as the free acid. Ammonia is most preferred as neutralisation agent. For optimization of the pot life of the one-pack coating composition, the pH of the coating composition of the invention is preferably above 7, more preferably above 7.5 and most preferably above 8. Preferably the pH of the coating composition of the invention is at most 10 and more preferably at most 9.5. Preferably ammonia is used as main neutralizing agent, with main meaning that more equivalents of ammonia are used than of other neutralizing agent in the total neutralizing agent mixture. Most preferred ammonia is the only neutralizing agent added after completion of the emulsion polymerization. Customers prefer to use coatings with a low odor content and therefore it is preferred to use relatively low levels of volatile amines. A pH above 10 is less desirable, especially when tertiary amines like dimethyl ethanolamine and triethyl amine are used to obtain these high pH values due to their toxicity, while ammonia will give a penetrant odor at pH levels above this value. An additional advantage of using coating compositions with a pH lower than 10 is that a part of the crosslinking is believed to already take place after combining the dihydrazide with the carbonyl functional polymer. This will give some crosslinking inside the particles and we have surprisingly found that this does not interfere with the film formation process after application of the composition on a surface. The crosslinking during storage leads to less free hydrazide groups during storage of the coating composition and this means that the chances of hydrolysis of the hydrazide during storage are further being reduced. The aqueous colloidal dispersion of the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s) preferably has a polymer solids content within the range of from 20 to 60 weight percent (more preferably 25 to 55 weight percent). The coating compositions may contain other ingredients, additives or auxiliaries, such as coalescents, pigments, dyes, emulsifiers (surfactants), pigment dispersion aids, crosslinking catalysts, levelling agents, waxes, matting agents, anti-cratering agents, antifoam agents, thickeners, sedimentation inhibitors, heat stabilisers, UV absorbers, antioxidants, and fillers. The incorporation of coalescents into the composition would for the purpose of optimising or fine-tuning film-forming properties, usually being present in an amount of 0 to 55 weight percent, more preferably 1 to 20 weight percent, still more preferably 2-10 weight percent, based on the weight of the aqueous colloidal dispersion of the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s). Examples of suitable coalescents include dipropylene glycol mono n-butyl ether, dipropylene glycol mono methyl ether, butyl glycol, ethylene diglycol, and 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentene diol monoisobutylate. Such other ingredients, additives and auxiliaries are usually best incorporated into the the aqueous colloidal dispersion before the addition of carbodihydrazide. The coating compositions once applied may be allowed to dry naturally at ambient temperature, and/or the drying process may be accelerated by heat. Crosslinking can be developed by allowing to stand for a prolonged period at ambient temperature (e.g. several days) and/or by heating at an elevated temperature (e.g. from 50° C. to 160° C.) for a much shorter period of time (in which case the drying and crosslink development steps can be combined into one operation if desired). By ambient temperature in this specification is meant for practical purposes a temperature within the range of from 15 to 30° C. The present invention further relates to the use of an aqueous colloidal dispersion comprising dispersed carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s) particles for preparing the one-pack aqueous coating composition as defined above by mixing carbodihydrazide and the aqueous colloidal polymeric dispersion, whereby the amount of carbodihydrazide and carbonyl groups present in the coating composition is such as to result in an equivalent molar ratio of hydrazide groups to carbonyl groups from 0.1 to 0.95, whereby the ratio of number-average molecular weight of the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s) to acid value of the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s) is higher than 400, and the acid value of the carbonyl functional vinyl polymer(s) is from 2 to 100 mg KOH/gram carbonyl functional vinyl polymer. There is also provided according to the invention a method of coating a substrate which method comprises applying a coating composition as defined above to a substrate, causing or allowing the aqueous carrier medium of the composition to be removed, and developing crosslinking of the coating that has been applied to the substrate. There is further provided according to the invention a crosslinked coating which has been derived from a coating composition as defined above. There is further provided according to the invention a coated substrate which has been prepared by applying a coating composition as defined above to a substrate, causing or allowing the aqueous carrier medium of the composition to be removed, and developing crosslinking of the coating that has been applied to the substrate. The substrate is preferably selected from the group consisting ofa) plastic films such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polyester, polyamide, PVC, polycarbonate, polystyrene, polyurethane, PET, biaxially oriented polypropylene and biaxially oriented PET plastic films,b) leather, artificial leather; natural and woven synthetic fabrics such as cotton, wool, rayon; non-woven fabrics,c) metal substrates like aluminum and vacuum metalized plastic substrates,d) wood,e) paper, andg) a combination of a), b), c), d) and/or e). The coating composition of this invention can be used for obtaining a traditional coating and is preferably used as an ink or overprint varnish. The present invention therefore further relates to an ink comprising a coating composition as described above or obtained with the process to prepare the coating composition as described above and a colorant. The present invention further relates a process for printing, preferably gravure and flexo printing, an image on a substrate comprising applying such an ink. The present invention is now illustrated by the following examples. Unless otherwise specified all parts, percentages, and ratios are on a weight basis.

11381186

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This is the U.S. national stage of application No. PCT/JP2019/031058, filed on Aug. 7, 2019, and priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) and 35 U.S.C. § 365(b) is claimed from Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-149094, filed on Aug. 8, 2018. FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a motor drive device, an electric oil pump, and a method for detecting a failure of a motor drive device. BACKGROUND In recent years, automobiles having an automatic driving function, electric automobiles, and the like are growing popular. In such vehicles, so-called electrification is progressing, and motors, electric pumps, and the like are used instead of hydraulic mechanisms. An electric pump is mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile, and is used, for example, to circulate a refrigerant used for cooling an engine, a drive motor, or the like. An electric pump or the like may be required to have a redundant function for allowing a vehicle to travel even if it fails due to some factor. When a failure occurs, it is conceivable to detect the failure, disconnect the relevant part, and replace the function of the failed part with another element. However, failure detection requires various sensors, which may lead to complicated structure and an increase in cost. SUMMARY A motor drive device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a motor having a rotor and a stator, an inverter electrically connected to the motor, and a control device for controlling the inverter, wherein the control device includes: an impedance observer that estimates at least an amount of variation in impedance of the motor on the basis of a voltage command value, a current command value, and an actual current flowing between the inverter and the motor; a comparator that calculates the difference between the current command value and the actual current flowing between the inverter and the motor; and a failure detection unit that outputs a failure flag when the amount of variation in impedance exceeds or falls below a predetermined threshold, or when the difference calculated by the comparator exceeds or falls below a predetermined threshold. A method for detecting a failure of a motor drive device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes: estimating, on the basis of a voltage command value, a current command value, and an actual current flowing between an inverter and a motor, at least an amount of variation in impedance of the motor by an impedance observer; calculating a difference between the current command value and the actual current flowing between the inverter and the motor by a comparator; and outputting, by a failure detection unit, a failure flag when the amount of variation in impedance exceeds or falls below a predetermined threshold, or when the difference calculated by the comparator exceeds or falls below a predetermined threshold. The above and other elements, features, steps, characteristics and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.

11232017

BACKGROUND In the software development context, it is crucial to conduct testing of applications within a testing environment before they are deployed into the broader-scale production environment. To this end, conventional testing methods will often use example data in lieu of real-world data to test the functionality of the applications. That said, there are a number of technical problems with this type of conventional testing method. In particular, the example data used may not be fully reflective of the type of data that will actually be processed in the production environment, which may obscure coding errors during testing until they become apparent after the application has already been deployed. On the other hand, real-world data may be subject to security and privacy concerns and thus cannot be freely used within the testing environment. Furthermore, the database schemas may not necessarily match between the production database and the development database, requiring user intervention. Finally, conventional systems often continuously generate testing data without regard to whether there is an immediate need for the testing data, which leads to computing inefficiencies. Accordingly, there is a need for a secure way to provide testing data that is as close to real-world data as possible. BRIEF SUMMARY The following presents a simplified summary of one or more embodiments of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of such embodiments. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated embodiments, and is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of all embodiments, nor delineate the scope of any or all embodiments. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more embodiments in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later. Embodiments of the present invention address these and/or other needs by providing a unique system for sanitizing and refreshing testing data, comprising a production computer system comprising a first processor, a memory device, and a communication device, and a production application stored in the memory device, the production application comprising a production data table comprising production data, and a sanitization table comprising substitute data; and a low level environment computer system comprising a second processor, a memory device, a display, and a communication device, and a low level environment application stored in the memory device, the low level environment application comprising a control table, a system table, and a target table, wherein the low level environment application when executed by the second processor causes the second processor to receive a data refresh request from a user; and insert the data refresh request into the control table, wherein the production application when executed by the second processor causes the second processor to detect the data refresh request within the control table; read a set of table metadata from the system table; create a copy of the production data correlating to the set of table metadata; identify, using the sanitization table, fields requiring sanitization; replace the fields requiring sanitization using the substitute data; and write the copy of the production data into the target table. In some embodiments, the low level application further comprises a data refresh interface, wherein the data refresh interface is presented on the display to the user and comprises a submit button, is configured to receive one or more inputs from the user; detect that the user has selected the submit button; and generate the data refresh request based on the one or more inputs from the user. In some embodiments, the data refresh interface comprises a view status button, wherein the data refresh interface is further configured to detect that the user has selected the view status button; and generate a second interface and presents the second interface on the display, wherein the second interface indicates a status of a previously submitted data refresh request. In some embodiments, wherein the data refresh interface comprises a search request history button, wherein the data refresh interface is further configured to detect that the user has selected the search request history button; and generate a third interface and presents the third interface on the display, wherein the third interface indicates a history of one or more previously submitted data requests. In some embodiments, the one or more inputs from the user comprise a data source selection, a data destination selection, a database selection, and a table selection. In some embodiments, the one or more inputs from the user comprises a record count selection, a requested run date, and a where clause, wherein the where clause further modifies the data refresh request to filter the production data. Embodiments of the present invention also provide a computer program product for sanitizing and refreshing testing data, the computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer readable medium having computer-readable program code portions embodied therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising an executable portion configured for receiving a data refresh request from a user; an executable portion configured for inserting the data refresh request into a control table; an executable portion configured for detecting the data refresh request within the control table; an executable portion configured for reading a set of table metadata from a system table; an executable portion configured for creating a copy of one or more production data correlating to the set of table metadata; an executable portion configured for identifying, using a sanitization table, fields requiring sanitization; an executable portion configured for replacing the fields requiring sanitization with one or more substitute data; and an executable portion configured for writing the copy of the one or more production data into a target table. In some embodiments, the computer-readable program code portions further comprise an executable portion for presenting a data refresh interface on a user display, wherein the data refresh interface comprises a submit button and is configured to receive one or more inputs from the user; detect that the user has selected the submit button; and generate the data refresh request based on the one or more inputs from the user. In some embodiments, the data refresh interface comprises a view status button, wherein the data refresh interface is further configured to detect that the user has selected the view status button; and generate a second interface and presents the second interface on the display, wherein the second interface indicates a status of a previously submitted data refresh request. In some embodiments, the data refresh interface comprises a search request history button, wherein the data refresh interface is further configured to detect that the user has selected the search request history button; and generate a third interface and presents the third interface on the display, wherein the third interface indicates a history of one or more previously submitted data requests. In some embodiments, the one or more inputs from the user comprise a data source selection, a data destination selection, a database selection, and a table selection. In some embodiments, the one or more inputs from the user comprises a record count selection, a requested run date, and a where clause, wherein the where clause further modifies the data refresh request to filter the production data. Embodiments of the present invention also provide a computer-implemented method for sanitizing and refreshing testing data, wherein a production computer system comprises a first processor, a memory device, and a communication device, and a production application stored in the memory device, the production application comprising a production data table comprising production data, and a sanitization table comprising substitute data, wherein a low level environment system comprises a second processor, a memory device, and a communication device, and a low level environment application stored in the memory device, the low level environment application comprising a control table, a system table, and a target table, said method comprising receiving, by the second processor executing the low level application, a data refresh request from a user; inserting, by the second processor executing the low level application, the data refresh request into the control table; detecting, by the first processor executing the production application, the data refresh request within the control table; reading, by the first processor executing the production application, a set of table metadata from the system table; creating, by the first processor executing the production application, a copy of one or more production data correlating to the set of table metadata; identifying, by the first processor executing the production application, fields requiring sanitization using the sanitization table; replacing, by the first processor executing the production application, the fields requiring sanitization with one or more substitute data; and writing, by the first processor executing the production application, the copy of the one or more production data into a target table. In some embodiments, wherein the low level application further comprises a data refresh interface, wherein the data refresh interface is presented on the display to the user and comprises a submit button, is configured to receive one or more inputs from the user; detect that the user has selected the submit button; and generate the data refresh request based on the one or more inputs from the user. In some embodiments, the data refresh interface comprises a view status button, wherein the data refresh interface is further configured to detect that the user has selected the view status button; and generate a second interface and presents the second interface on the display, wherein the second interface indicates a status of a previously submitted data refresh request. In some embodiments, the data refresh interface comprises a search request history button, wherein the data refresh interface is further configured to detect that the user has selected the search request history button; and generate a third interface and presents the third interface on the display, wherein the third interface indicates a history of one or more previously submitted data requests. In some embodiments, the one or more inputs from the user comprise a data source selection, a data destination selection, a database selection, and a table selection. In some embodiments, the one or more inputs from the user comprises a record count selection, a requested run date, and a where clause, wherein the where clause further modifies the data refresh request to filter the production data. The features, functions, and advantages that have been discussed may be achieved independently in various embodiments of the present invention or may be combined with yet other embodiments, further details of which can be seen with reference to the following description and drawings.

11252076

TECHNICAL FIELD Embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a data forwarding method and apparatus. BACKGROUND With development of communications technologies, software-defined networking SDN) has gained increasing attention as a new network architecture. A core idea of the SDN is separating a control plane of a network from a forwarding plane of the network, and an SDN controller on the control plane may perform centralized control on data forwarding in a network on the forwarding plane, so as to flexibly deploy network traffic. When controlling forwarding of data in a network, the SDN controller may first determine path sets of nodes in the network, and then forward, based on the path sets of the nodes in the network, service data between a source node and a sink node in the network. A path set of a node includes a path from the source node to the node. The source node is a node that serves as an information source for sending service data, and the sink node is a node that serves as an information sink for receiving the service data. Currently, a path set determining step may be iteratively performed to determine path sets of nodes in a network, and the path set determining step includes: for each link in the network, determining a path set of a start node of the link; and for each path included in the path set of the start node, when a new path formed by the path and the link meets a quality of service (Quality of Service, QoS) constraint condition, adding the new path formed by the path and the link into a path set of an end node of the link. The QoS constraint condition is a condition that can ensure that the new path formed by the path and the link meets a quality of service requirement on a service. When the new path formed by the path and the link meets the QoS constraint condition, the new path formed by the path and the link is added into the path set of the end node of the link. Therefore, the path set of the end node includes a relatively large quantity of paths, resulting in occupancy of a large quantity of memories. In addition, path sets of some nodes need to be determined based on the path set of the end node. Therefore, when the path set of the end node includes a relatively large quantity of paths, a relatively large calculation amount and a relatively long calculation time are required for determining the path sets of these nodes based on the path set of the end node. SUMMARY To resolve a related technical problem, embodiments of the present invention provide a data forwarding method and apparatus. The technical solutions are as follows: According to a first aspect, a data forwarding method is provided, and the method includes: forwarding, based on path sets of nodes in a network, service data between a source node and a sink node in the network, where the path set of the node includes a path from the source node to the node, and the path sets of the nodes in the network are determined by iteratively performing the following path set determining step: for each link in the network, obtaining a path set of a start node of the link, and determining N shortest paths from an end node of the link to the sink node, where the N shortest paths are determined one by one based on N link attributes, and N is a natural number not less than 1; and for each path included in the path set of the start node, determining, according to the N shortest paths, the path, and the link, to add a new path formed by the path and the link into a path set of the end node. It should be noted that the N shortest paths are determined one by one based on N link attributes. To be specific, the N shortest paths are in one-to-one correspondence with the N link attributes, and each of the N shortest paths is determined based on a corresponding link attribute. In the embodiments of the present invention, the new path formed by the path and the link is determined, according to the N shortest paths, the path, and the link, to be added into the path set of the end node, thereby ensuring that at least one of paths extending from the added new path backward to the sink node can meet a service requirement, excluding some invalid paths that extend from the added new path backward to the sink node and that cannot meet the service requirement. This reduces a quantity of paths included in the path set of the end node, reduces memory occupancy, and further reduces a subsequent calculation amount of determining, based on the path set of the end node, a path set of another node and shortens a calculation time. The determining, according to the N shortest paths, the path, and the link, to add a new path formed by the path and the link into a path set of the end node includes: determining, according to N attribute values corresponding to the N shortest paths, N attribute values of the path, and N attribute values of the link, to add the new path formed by the path and the link into the path set of the end node. It should be noted that for each of the N shortest paths, an attribute value corresponding to the shortest path is an attribute value that indicates a link attribute corresponding to the shortest path. The determining, according to N attribute values corresponding to the N shortest paths, N attribute values of the path, and N attribute values of the link, to add the new path formed by the path and the link into the path set of the end node includes: for each link attribute, calculating a first attribute value of the path, a second attribute value of the link, and a third attribute value of a shortest path corresponding to the link attribute, and calculating a sum of the first attribute value, the second attribute value, and the third attribute value; and when the sum of the first attribute value, the second attribute value, and the third attribute value that is calculated for each link attribute is not greater than a threshold of the link attribute, determining to add the new path formed by the path and the link into the path set of the end node. In the embodiments of the present invention, when the sum of the first attribute value, the second attribute value, and the third attribute value that is calculated for each link attribute is not greater than the threshold of the link attribute, it may be determined that at least one of paths extending from the new path formed by the path and the link backward to the sink node can meet the service requirement. Therefore, the new path formed by the path and the link may be determined to be added into the path set of the end node of the link. The determining, according to N attribute values corresponding to the N shortest paths, N attribute values of the path, and N attribute values of the link, to add the new path formed by the path and the link into the path set of the end node includes: for each link attribute, calculating a first attribute value of the path, a second attribute value of the link, and a third attribute value of a shortest path corresponding to the link attribute, and calculating a sum of the first attribute value, the second attribute value, and the third attribute value; and when the sum of the first attribute value, the second attribute value, and the third attribute value that is calculated for each link attribute is not greater than a threshold of the link attribute and there is no designated path in the path set of the end node, determining to add the new path formed by the path and the link into the path set of the end node, where N attribute values of the designated path are less than N attribute values of the new path formed by the path and the link, respectively. The designated path requires fewer integrated resources than the new path formed by the path and the link, that is, the designated path is superior to the new path formed by the path and the link. Therefore, when there is no designated path in the path set of the end node, it indicates that no path superior to the new path formed by the path and the link exists in the path set of the end node. In this case, the new path formed by the path and the link may be determined to be added into the path set of the end node. The iteratively performing the path set determining step includes: iteratively performing the path set determining step until no path set that does not converge exists in the path sets of the nodes in the network or until a quantity of iterations is equal to a value obtained by subtracting 1 from a quantity of nodes in the network, where the path set that does not converge is a path set that is obtained after a current iteration and that includes paths not exactly the same as paths included by a path set obtained after a previous iteration. It should be noted that the N link attributes include at least one of a cost, a delay, a delay variation, or a packet loss rate. In addition, the N link attributes are attributes with additivity, and the additivity means that an attribute value of a path is equal to a sum of attribute values of all links included in the path. According to a second aspect, a data forwarding apparatus is provided, and the data forwarding apparatus has a function of implementing operations in the data forwarding method according to the first aspect. The data forwarding apparatus includes at least one module, and the at least one module is configured to implement the data forwarding method provided in the first aspect. According to a third aspect, a data forwarding apparatus is provided, a structure of the data forwarding apparatus includes a processor and a memory. The memory is configured to: store a program that supports the data forwarding apparatus in performing the data forwarding method provided in the first aspect, and store related data used for implementing the data forwarding method provided in the first aspect. The processor is configured to execute the program stored in the memory. The data forwarding apparatus may further include a communications bus, and the communications bus is configured to establish a connection between the processor and the memory. Technical effects obtained according to the second aspect and the third aspect are similar to those obtained by using a corresponding technical means in the first aspect. Details are not described herein again. According to a fourth aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided, the computer readable storage medium stores an instruction, and when the instruction is run on a computer, the computer is caused to perform the data forwarding method according to the first aspect. According to a fifth aspect, a computer program product that includes an instruction is provided, and when the instruction is run on a computer, the computer is caused to perform the data forwarding method according to the first aspect. Beneficial effects brought by the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present invention are as follows: After the path sets of the nodes in the network are obtained by iteratively performing the path set determining step, the service data between the source node and the sink node in the network may be forwarded based on the path sets of the nodes in the network. In the path set determining step, for each link in the network, the N shortest paths from the end node of the link to the sink node are first determined, and then the new path formed by the path and the link is determined, according to the N shortest paths, the path, and the link, to be added into the path set of the end node, thereby ensuring that at least one of paths extending from the added new path backward to the sink node can meet a service requirement, excluding some invalid paths that extend from the added new path backward to the sink node and that cannot meet the service requirement. This reduces a quantity of paths included in the path set of the end node, reduces memory occupancy, and further reduces a subsequent calculation amount of determining, based on the path set of the end node, a path set of another node and shortens a calculation time.

11522171

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a rechargeable battery, in particular a lithium-ion rechargeable battery provided with silicon-based anode material. In a further aspect the present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a rechargeable battery. PRIOR ART Current state of the art lithium-ion batteries typically employ graphite as anode material, wherein storage capacity of graphite is around 370 mAh/g. It is known that silicon anode material has a much larger theoretical capacity of around 4200 mAh/g, but the intercalation process of lithium leads to a volume increase of the silicon anode material as high as 300% or even more. One of the main problems with bulk silicon anode material is that it pulverizes quickly during the intercalation process and that it loses its functionality after a relatively small number of charging cycles. In order to deal with the volume expansion of silicon anode material and to reduce cracking and pulverization thereof during charging cycles, several silicon anode solutions have been proposed, such as silicon nanowires, nanotubes, porous silicon or to mix silicon with graphite, see for example Ning Ding, Journal of Power Sources 192 (2009) 644-651, “Improvement of cyclability of Si as anode for Li-ion batteries” and Uday Kasavajjula, Journal of Power Sources 163(2007) 1003-1039, “Nano- and bulk-silicon-based insertion anodes”. Many of the proposed solutions to manufacture silicon anode material are unattractive as various complex manufacturing steps are required, making the manufacturing process rather expensive. Also, many of the proposed solutions are not readily scalable to high yield industrial production levels for commercialization. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention seeks to provide an rechargeable battery, in particular a lithium ion battery comprising silicon anode material having an improved storage capacity per unit weight and reduced capacity fading. According to the present invention, a rechargeable battery of the type defined in the preamble is provided comprising at least an electrolyte layer, a cathode layer and an anode layer. The electrolyte layer comprises a lithium salt compound and is arranged between a cathode surface of the cathode layer and an anode surface of the anode layer. The anode layer is a continuous nanostructured thin film layer comprising a plurality of adjacent columns, the columns extending in a perpendicular direction from the anode surface. The plurality of columns are arranged “continuous”, i.e., adjacent to each other while separated by interfaces extending in the perpendicular direction. The plurality of columns comprise silicon and have an amorphous structure. The advantage of the rechargeable battery according to the present invention is that lithium ion (de)intercalation in or out of the anode layer, i.e. the nanostructured thin film layer, is greatly facilitated by the plurality of columns and the interfaces between them. The plurality of columns and interfaces provide improved lithium ion accessibility in and out of the amorphous structure of the columns that comprise silicon in the anode layer during lithium ion insertion and extraction, so that the storage capacity per unit weight of the anode layer is significantly increased and capacity fading over multiple recharging cycles is reduced. According to the embodiment, the anode layer thus consists of an amorphous columnar material as defined above, in which nano-crystalline regions exist. The anode layer comprises a silicon-based material. According to an aspect of the invention, the material of the columns comprises amorphous silicon. According to an aspect of the invention, the amorphous structure comprises up to about 80% of a nano-crystalline structure. According to an aspect of the invention, the material of the columns comprises a silicon alloy or silicon based mixture. According to an embodiment, the silicon alloy or silicon based mixture has an amorphous structure. The silicon alloy may be either an addition or an alternative to the amorphous silicon. Thus, according to an aspect of the invention, the material of the columns comprises at least one material selected from amorphous silicon and amorphous silicon alloy. According to a further aspect, the material of the columns comprises amorphous silicon and nano-crystalline silicon alloy. In some embodiments, the silicon alloy may be present in the anode layer as a nano-crystalline phase. According to an embodiment, the silicon alloy or silicon based mixture is selected from a group of alloys or mixtures comprising Si—C, Si—N, Si—Ge, Si—Ag, Si—Sn. In a further aspect, the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a rechargeable battery comprising at least an electrolyte layer, a cathode layer and an anode layer. The method comprises the steps of forming on a metallic substrate a nanostructured thin film layer comprising silicon as an anode layer, wherein the forming process comprises deposition of the anode layer by low pressure PECVD and the PECVD process comprises the use of a microwave plasma of a mixture comprising a silicon containing gas and hydrogen, H2, in which the forming process is configured to create the nanostructured thin film layer comprising a plurality of adjacent columns, the columns extending in a perpendicular direction from the substrate and arranged adjacent to each other while separated by column boundaries extending in the perpendicular direction, wherein the plurality of columns comprise silicon and have an amorphous structure in which nano-crystalline regions exist. The method further comprises providing a lithium salt compound as the electrolyte layer and arranging the electrolyte layer between a cathode surface of the cathode layer and an anode surface of the anode layer. The advantage of the method of the present invention is that the forming process is a self-organizing and spontaneous process for forming on a substrate a continuous amorphous layer nanostructured with a plurality of columns and interfaces there between, yielding a rechargeable battery having an increased storage capacity per unit weight and a reduced capacity fading. According to the method, the interfaces in the nanostructured amorphous anode layer will locally be perpendicular to the surface with the electrolyte layer. In some embodiments the method stimulates dendritic or multibranch growth of silicon columns, wherein the grain-like or crystal-like engagement between adjoining silicon columns is maintained. The method of the present invention is essentially a single step manufacturing process without the need for pre- or post-treatment method steps for e.g. the substrate and/or the silicon anode layer, thereby facilitating industrial production levels for commercialization.

11438897

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a National Phase Entry of PCT International Application No. PCT/KR2018/008864, which was filed on Aug. 3, 2018, and claims priority to Indian Provisional Patent Application No. 201741027798, which was filed on Aug. 4, 2017, and Indian Complete Patent Application No. 201741027798, which was filed on Jul. 23, 2018, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND 1. Field The present disclosure in general relates to beam management framework, and more particularly to the beam management framework for secondary cells for User Equipment (UE) supporting carrier aggregation. 2. Description of Related Art 3GPP 5G cellular networks and User Equipment (UE) support each of a sub-6 GHz and above 6-GHz frequency spectrum. To support above-6 GHz frequencies, an essential requirement is to utilize beam forming procedures to extend a signal coverage of a cell. The beam forming procedures include beam management procedures. The beam management procedures comprise a beam failure detection, a beam reporting and a beam recovery. Currently, the beam management procedures are defined by assuming only single carrier. However, for carrier aggregation framework, where UE may operate in multiple carriers, UE may have to perform multiple beam management procedures concurrently for different carriers. Given beam management procedures for secondary carriers may or may not be different as compared to the primary carrier. SUMMARY The present disclosure is to provide a mechanism for User Equipment (UE) to perform beam management procedures including beam measurement, beam reporting, beam recovery and beam failure for primary and secondary cell, thereby improving reliability and mobility performance of high frequency deployment. The disclosure provides a method for providing beam management in a User Equipment (UE). The method comprises generating, by the UE, one or more beam measurement results for one or more beam measurement resources so configured on a secondary cell of one or more secondary cells and initiating, by the UE, a beam recovery procedure on the secondary cell, based on one or more predefined conditions associated with the secondary cell. Accordingly, the disclosure provides a method for providing beam management in a User Equipment (UE). The method comprises generating, by the UE, one or more beam measurement results for one or more beam measurement resources so configured on a secondary cell of one or more secondary cells and transmitting, by the UE, one or more beam measurement reports corresponding to secondary cell, by using primary cell resources. The beam measurement reports are transmitted based on one or more predefined conditions. Accordingly, the disclosure provides a method for providing beam management in a User Equipment (UE). The method comprises generating, by the UE, one or more beam measurement results for one or more beam measurement resources so configured on a secondary cell and performing, by the UE, a beam recovery on a secondary cell based on a command received from a network. The beam recovery is performed based on an indication provided by the network. Accordingly, the disclosure provides a method for providing beam recovery in a User Equipment (UE). The method comprises transmitting, by the UE, a beam recovery request using a beam recovery request resource on the cell where beam recovery is triggered. The beam recovery request comprises an identity of a candidate beam of a secondary cell. The method comprises selecting by the UE, one or more beams, for transmission of the beam recovery request to the network and monitoring, by the UE, a beam recovery response from the network, for a monitoring time duration, on a predefined response resource, and performing by the UE, a predefined action based on a reception of the beam recovery response. The predefined action is performed according to the monitoring time duration. Accordingly, the disclosure provides a User Equipment for providing beam management in a cellular network. The UE comprises a transceiver and a processor coupled to the transceiver The processor is configured to generate, by the UE, one or more beam measurement results for one or more beam measurement resources so configured on a secondary cell and initiate, by the UE, a beam recovery on a secondary cell, based on one or more predefined conditions associated with the secondary cell. Accordingly, the disclosure provides a User Equipment providing beam management in a cellular network. The UE comprises a transceiver and a processor coupled to the transceiver. The processor is configured to generate, by the UE, one or more beam measurement results for one or more beam measurement resources so configured on a secondary cell and transmit, by the UE, one or more beam reports corresponding to secondary cell, by using primary cell resources. The beam reports are transmitted based on one or more predefined conditions. Accordingly, the disclosure provides a User Equipment for providing beam management in a cellular network. The UE comprises a transceiver and a processor coupled to the transceiver. The processor is configured to generate, by the UE, one or more beam measurement results for the one or more beam measurement resources so configured on a secondary cell and perform, by the UE, a beam recovery on a secondary cell based on a command received from a network. The beam recovery is performed based on an indication provided by the network. Accordingly, the disclosure provides a User Equipment for providing beam recovery in a communication network. The UE comprises a transceiver and a processor coupled to the transceiver. The processor is configured to transmit, by the UE, a beam recovery request using a beam recovery request resource on the cell where beam recovery is triggered. The beam recovery request comprises an identity of a candidate beam of a secondary cell. The processor is further configured to select by the UE, one or more beams, for transmission of the beam recovery request to the network and monitor, by the UE, a beam recovery response from the network, for a monitoring time duration, on predefined response resources, and perform by the UE, a predefined action based on a reception of the beam recovery response. The predefined action is performed according to the monitoring time duration. These and other aspects of the embodiments herein will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following descriptions, while indicating preferred embodiments and numerous specific details thereof, are given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the embodiments herein, and the embodiments herein include all such modifications.

11435021

RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is the U.S. National Phase of and claims priority to International Patent Application No. PCT/JP2017/033643, International Filing Date Sep. 19, 2017, entitled In-Pipe Moving Device; which claims benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-183946 filed Sep. 21, 2016; both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an in-pipe moving apparatus capable of freely moving in a pipe having a bent portion and a branching portion and used to inspect, maintain, and otherwise treating the inside of the pipe. BACKGROUND ART There is in general a great demand for a technology that allows inspection and repair of the inside of a pipe, such as a gas pipe, a water supply pipe, a sewer pipe, and other public facility pipes, and pipes in a chemical plant, without cutting operation of the pipe. To achieve this, it is necessary to insert a work device into a pipe via an opening thereof and provide an in-pipe moving apparatus capable of moving through a bent portion and a branching portion of the pipe and transporting the work device to a desired position. For example, PTLs 1 and 2 describe in-pipe moving apparatuses of this type of related art. PTL 1 describes a technology for an in-pipe traveling carriage that can be used in a wide range of pipe diameter, has improved traveling stability, and is used to inspect and repair the inside of a pipe. PTL 2 describes a technology for an in-pipe moving apparatus capable of smoothly moving even in a pipe having an inner diameter that changes over a wide range, a curved pipe, an elbow-shaped pipe bent at right angles, and other complicated pipes. The traveling carriage described in PTL 1 is characterized in that it includes a traveling carriage main body including a drive motor, a pair of upper drive arms and lower drive arms pivotably supported by horizontal shafts on the traveling carriage main body, a pair of upper and lower driving wheels attached to one-side ends of the upper drive arm and the lower drive arm, a drive transmission mechanism that transmits drive force from the drive motor to the pair of upper and lower driving wheels, a pair of upper and lower first driven wheels attached to the other-side ends of the upper drive arm and the lower drive arm, a pair of upper driven arms and lower driven arms that are pivotably supported by vertical shafts on the traveling vehicle main body and operate in synchronization with the upper drive arms and the lower drive arms, a pair of right and left second driven wheels installed to ends of the upper driven arms and the lower driven arms, a drive cylinder detachably installed in a portion between the upper and lower driving wheels, an arcuate guide arm so provided in a front portion of the traveling carriage main body as to be swingable upward and downward, and a tool attachment portion so provided as to be movable along the longitudinal direction of the guide arm. The in-pipe moving apparatus described in PTL 2 is an in-pipe moving apparatus that moves in a pipe and is characterized in that it includes a wheel mount including wheels, a main body mount supported on the wheel mount, a driving wheel rotationally driven by a motor, a drive mount which is so disposed as to face the main body mount and on which the driving wheel is rotatably disposed, and an adjustment mechanism that is interposed between the main body mount and the drive mount and adjusts the distance between the main body mount and the drive mount, and the adjustment mechanism keeps urging the wheels and the driving wheel against the inner wall of the pipe when the in-pipe moving apparatus travels in the pipe in such a way that the distance between the main body mount and the drive mount increases in accordance with the size of the inner diameter of the pipe. CITATION LIST Patent Literature PTL 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-213241 PTL 2: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-246033 SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem The in-pipe traveling carriage described in PTL 1, however, is so configured that the drive cylinder is driven to actuate the upper and lower drive arms so that the upper and lower driving wheels installed at one-side ends of the drive arms are pressed against the inner wall surface of the pipe and the reaction force from the inner wall surface resulting from the rotational force from the upper and lower driving wheels causes the in-pipe traveling carriage to travel in the pipe. Therefore, if the drive cylinder fails for some reason in the state in which the traveling carriage is in the pipe and stops operating with the upper and lower driving wheels pressed against the inner wall surface of the pipe, the traveling carriage is stuck in the pipe and cannot undesirably be taken out of the pipe. The in-pipe moving apparatus described in PTL 2 has the configuration in which the adjustment mechanism is interposed between the main body mount, which is supported on the wheel mount including the wheels, and the drive amount, on which the driving wheel is rotatably disposed, and the adjustment mechanism includes a cylinder having a base end fixed to one of the main body mount and the drive mount and a cylinder rod that has a front end fixed to the other one of the main body mount and the drive mount and is moved forward and backward by the cylinder. Therefore, if the cylinder fails for some reason and stops operating with the wheels and/or the driving wheel pressed against the inner wall surface of the pipe, the in-pipe moving apparatus is stuck in the pipe and cannot undesirably be taken out of the pipe, as in the case of the in-pipe traveling carriage described in PTL 1. The present invention has been made in view of the problems with the related art, and an object of the present invention is to provide an in-pipe moving apparatus that can freely and smoothly move in a pipe having a bent portion and a branching portion, is not stuck in the pipe even if a drive motor of a movement mechanism fails or otherwise experiences a problem, and can be readily taken out of the pipe. Solution to Problem An in-pipe moving apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that the in-pipe moving apparatus includes two sets of wheel-based traveling elements each having a plurality of driving wheels linearly arranged or two sets of crawler traveling elements each having a traveling belt rollably bridged over a space between wheels disposed on upstream and downstream sides of the crawler traveling element and a variable bag expanded and contracted in accordance with pressure of a fluid supplied to the variable bag, and that the two sets of wheel-based traveling elements or the two sets of crawler traveling elements are so disposed as to sandwich the variable bag and are fixed to an outer surface of the variable bag. A pair of linkage links may be so provided as to sandwich the two sets of wheel-based traveling elements or the two sets of crawler traveling elements, and one-side ends of the pair of linkage links may be pivotably linked to one of the wheel-based traveling elements or the crawler traveling elements and another-side ends of the pair of linkage links may be pivotably linked to another of the wheel-based traveling elements or the crawler traveling elements. Further, it is preferable that a plurality of springs are so bridged over a space between the two sets of wheel-based traveling elements or the two sets of crawler traveling elements as to exert spring force on the variable bag. The two sets of wheel-based traveling elements or the two sets of crawler traveling elements may each be provided with a plurality of support pieces that protrude from the wheel-based traveling element or the crawler traveling element toward another wheel-based traveling element or crawler traveling element, and the plurality of support pieces may be each so sized as to protrude outward in a radial direction of a pipe beyond a portion where the other wheel-based traveling element or crawler traveling element is fixed to the variable bag. It is further preferable that a front end portion of each of the plurality of support pieces is provided with a rotatable auxiliary wheel that does not come into contact with an inner side of the pipe when the variable bag is expanded but comes into contact with an inner surface of the pipe when the variable bag is contracted to cause the driving wheels or the traveling belts to be separate from the inner surface of the pipe. Another in-pipe moving apparatus according to the present invention includes two sets of wheel-based traveling elements each having a plurality of driving wheels linearly arranged or two sets of crawler traveling elements each having a traveling belt rollably bridged over a space between wheels disposed on upstream and downstream sides of the crawler traveling element, two variable bags expanded and contracted in accordance with pressure of a fluid supplied to the variable bags, a central member so disposed as to be sandwiched between the two variable bags, and action restraint means for restraining an action of the two sets of wheel-based traveling elements or the two sets of crawler traveling elements in such a way that the in-pipe moving apparatus moves linearly in a radial direction of a pipe in which the in-pipe moving apparatus travels. The action restraint means may include fixed links fixed to the central member and two sets of sliding support members that slidably support the fixed links and are pivotably supported by the two sets of wheel-based traveling elements or the two sets of crawler traveling elements. Another in-pipe moving apparatus according to the present invention includes at least three sets of wheel-based traveling elements each having a plurality of driving wheels linearly arranged or at least three sets of crawler traveling elements each having a traveling belt rollably bridged over a space between wheels disposed on upstream and downstream sides of the crawler traveling element and a variable bag expanded and contracted in accordance with pressure of a fluid supplied to the variable bag, and the at least three sets of wheel-based traveling elements or the at least three sets of crawler traveling elements are so disposed outside the variable bag as to surround the variable bag and are fixed to the variable bag. Advantageous Effects of Inventions The in-pipe moving apparatus according to the present invention can freely and smoothly move in a pipe having a bent portion and a branching portion, is not stuck in the pipe even if a drive motor of a movement mechanism fails or otherwise experiences a problem by releasing force that presses the driving wheels or the traveling belt against the inner surface of the pipe, and can be readily taken out of the pipe.

11274184

TECHNICAL FIELD This disclosure relates generally to composite materials, and more particularly to reinforced composite materials having a bi-polymer structure. BACKGROUND The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art. Reinforced composite materials (or “prepregs”) have conventionally been formed from fibers (e.g., carbon or glass fibers) that are impregnated within either a thermoset or thermoplastic resinous matrix. Thermoset resins (e.g., unsaturated polyester, epoxy and polyimide) or, Thermoplastic Polymers (e.g., polyolefin's, polyesters, polyamide-imid, TPU's, polycarbonates, and other engineering thermoplastic polymers) are often employed as the matrix, particularly in applications requiring a high level of strength. In the area of thermoplastic composites there are three primary material types (1) a short fiber reinforced thermoplastic; (2) a continuous reinforced thermoplastic; and (3) a long fiber reinforced thermoplastic (LFT). The short fiber reinforced thermoplastic is generally a pellet that has been produced through traditional compounding technology, where a reinforced fiber is added “dry”, in a chopped format to a twin screw extruder along with a thermoplastic polymer and additives. This mixture is then extruded into a cord or rod, chilled and then pelletized. These pellets are primarily used in injection molding applications. These pellets allow for flow into complex molding shapes with some enhanced properties due to the fiber addition and additives. The gain in properties however is minimal due to the resulting short fiber length, and therefore the property enhancement achieved by these short fibers is limited. In comparison, the continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic product, in the form of thermoplastic composite tapes, are compression or autoclave molded into a thermoplastic composite part. The properties of these parts are derived due to sustainable fiber lengths and controlled orientation of the fibers in the molding process. The molding process however, due to the continuous fiber length is limited to less complex shapes, and usually achieves lower production volumes. The long fiber thermoplastic composite type was primarily developed to achieve the most beneficial aspects of the two aforementioned processes. The long fiber thermoplastic process produces a pellet where the reinforcing fiber length is the same length as the pellet. These reinforcing fibers have not been degraded in length by a twin screw compounding process. These long fiber thermoplastic composite pellets are produced by pulling a reinforcing strand, continuously, through a molten bath of polymer, where the fiber and polymer distribution is controlled. This strand is then cooled and chopped into a pellet where the fiber length is nominally between ¼″ and 1″ long. These pellets are sold to, or produced by, a thermoplastic composite molder through several varying processes. Generally, these molding processes feed the pellets into a low sheer, reciprocating and single screw extruder. The resulting extrudate is placed into a mold and then compression molded under very high pressure, into a composite part or article. This resulting part has the benefit of greatly enhanced reinforcement length, which results into a part that has superior modulus and strength, while reducing shrinkage. This process also lends itself to short molding cycles and high production volumes. Long fiber thermoplastic types are limited by the types of polymers that can be used. The polymers that can be used are limited in choice by their viscosity profiles and the additives are limited to those that do not inhibit the impregnation of the reinforcing fibers. Due to the fact that the polymer is of a low viscosity nature, thus a low molecular weight version of that polymer, is needed to impregnate the reinforced strand. The resulting molded article will be limited in properties due to that impregnation process. Generally, low molecular weight polymers do not have the toughness or impact resistance of their higher molecular weight counter parts, therefore impact resistance is achieved from the resulting fiber length, not the polymer itself. If higher molecular weight polymers are used in the LFT impregnation process the result is slower speeds, lower volumes and poor whet-out of the fiber strand. Hence, the composite part generated from these higher molecular weights would have higher costs, longer mold cycles and “dry” fibers, which would inhibit the mechanical properties. Therefore, there is a need for a composite material and manufacturing process to reduce the aforementioned deficiencies. In packaging and shipping markets, consumer goods markets, fashion markets, home improvement markets various banding types may be used including straps, ribbons, tapes, straps, bands, ropes, cords, strings, laces, various coilable products, etc., are known and utilized to hold product down during shipping. Various similar products are available on recreational markets including, e.g., braided or woven tie downs from polymer fibers. For heavy-duty applications where high tensile strength is required, steel or metal banding is known. For lighter weight product, plastic banding is often utilized. The various known straps may include some type of mechanical fastener. Known ribbons are generally found within the market of fabrics. They also can include low tensile strength applications such as cinch straps and draw strings. Generally, ribbons tend to decorate, are sewn to or enclosed by another fabric. Known ribbons are woven from cotton, various threads or other fabric material. Binding products are also known including safety netting, aircraft and marine tie downs, ratchet straps for trucking and marine applications. In the tape product category, there are 3 primary known forms: (1) an unreinforced tape, containing only resin or polymer designed for sealing or binding envelopes, packages, pallets, etc. such as scotch tape{circumflex over ( )}TM via polymer strapping tape; (2) a “layered” tape having a layer of reinforcing fiber like cotton, polyester, or fiberglass fibers added to increase the tensile properties of the tape where a higher user demand is placed on the performance of the tape or strapping; and (3) a “composite tape”. With respect to the “layered” tape category is important to note that the known reinforcements are layered between the resins or polymers used and not encapsulated therein or integrated thereof. The “composite tape” is formed where different reinforcements, such as carbon, aramid, HDPE Fiber and fiberglass, are fully encapsulated in a resinous or polymer matrix. These composite tapes are then layered, in an engineered manner, placed under significant heat and pressure, and molded into parts such as boat hulls, one piece showers, automobile hoods, etc. Because of the expense in making these tapes and the time, temperature and pressure required to make them bond to each other they are unsuitable for sealing or binding applications. All of these known variants of tape requires use of an adhesive to affix them to objects which they are meant to seal, repair, bind etc. The adhesive is a key component of the tape that is required for its functionality and use. Therefore, it would be advantageous to manufacture a thermoplastic ribbon formable into a braided tube or sleeve, after applying a thermal energy source, that does not require a layer of adhesive for attachment. SUMMARY A thermoplastic prepreg and methods for manufacturing same are disclosed. The thermoplastic prepreg includes a plurality of continuous fibers constituting from about 60 wt. % to about 70 wt. % of the prepreg, a first resinous matrix that contains a first set of one or more thermoplastic polymers and within which the continuous fibers are impregnated, wherein the thermoplastic polymers constitute from about 30 wt. % to about 40 wt. % of the prepreg, and a second resinous matrix that contains a second set of one or more thermoplastic polymers, wherein the second set of thermoplastic polymers constitute from about 30 wt. % to about 40 wt. % of the prepreg. This will provide an overall thermoplastic impregnated strand where the continuous fibers account for 30 wt. % to 40 wt. % and the combined two thermoplastic polymer layers constitute for 60 wt. % to 70 wt. % of the overall product. This strand will then typically be pelletized into ⅛″ to 1″ lengths. A braided thermoplastic ribbon is disclosed having a substantially impregnated fiber embedded within a resinous matrix. In various embodiments, the braided thermoplastic ribbon is formed into a tube. The tube may then be heated and formed to an object or partially formed, as desired, as it cools. In various embodiments, the braided thermoplastic ribbon may be used in medical or dental applications. For example, the braided thermoplastic tube disclosed herein will allow for the use without the need for mechanical fasteners. Since the tube is not tacky at room temperature it can be positioned or repositioned in to the exact manner that is needed. Even after heat has been applied and the products are sealed together then subsequently cooled, as long as a “tag” end remains un-bonded, it can be re-heated and unwound or removed. In one embodiment, the braided thermoplastic tube, having low temperature, low pressure bonding properties, is formed using a polymer configured to bond primarily with itself. This summary is provided merely to introduce certain concepts and not to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter.

11220569

BACKGROUND Historical routes to resorcinol-formaldehyde aerogels yield hydrogels which must be supercritically dried in order to retain their nano-porous properties. Even after supercritical drying, exposure to liquids will cause catastrophic failure of the material. Several routes to air-dried aerogels have been published to yield material that can be processed and dried at atmospheric pressure, but have the same catastrophic failure as the supercritically dried aerogel when exposed to liquids. Phenol formaldehyde polymers have been studied for over 100 years. Acid catalyzed polymers with excess phenol are called Novolacs and base catalyzed polymers with excess formaldehyde are called Resoles. Resorcinol-formaldehyde aerogels were invented in the 1990s. The most common catalyst is sodium carbonate (a base). Paul Shu (U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,766 (1990)) uses aluminum acetate as a crosslinker for resorcinol and formaldehyde to form a gel that is used to seal pores in oil wells. This application is an in-situ gel formation that forms selectively in the porous structure around the oil well, but it does not form an aerogel. Accordingly, there is a need for aerogels that do not experience catastrophic failure when exposed to liquids. Disclosed herein are such aerogels and methods related thereto. BRIEF SUMMARY Disclosed herein is an aerogel comprising a polyhydroxy benzene compound crosslinked with formaldehyde, wherein the aerogel is dry and has a first volume, wherein the aerogel can be exposed to a liquid and be re-dried in a gas while retaining at least 70% of the first volume. Also disclosed herein is a device comprising the aerogel disclosed herein. Also disclosed herein is a method of making an aerogel comprising the steps of: a) crosslinking a polyhydroxy benzene compound with formaldehyde in the presence of an aluminum catalyst, thereby forming a gel having a first volume; and b) drying the gel in gas, thereby forming an aerogel having a second volume. Also disclosed herein is a method of detecting a biological condition in a subject comprising the steps of: a) incubating a sample with an aerogel disclosed herein; and b) detecting the presence or absence of a biomarker for a biological condition in the sample using the signaling moiety of the aerogel. Also disclosed herein is a method comprising a) incubating a sample obtained from a subject with an aerogel disclosed herein; and b) determining the presence or absence of a biomarker for a biological condition in the sample using the signaling moiety of the aerogel, wherein the presence of the biomarker indicates the subject has a biological condition, wherein the absence of the biomarker indicates the subject does not have a biological condition. Additional advantages of the disclosed method and compositions will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be understood from the description, or may be learned by practice of the disclosed method and compositions. The advantages of the disclosed method and compositions will be realized and attained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention as claimed.

11345596

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a titanium phosphate powder, a production method therefor, and a white pigment for cosmetics. BACKGROUND ART As a titanium phosphate powder, one composed of amorphous titanium phosphate (for example, see PTL 1) and one composed of plate-shaped crystalline particles of titanium phosphate (for example, see PTL 2) are disclosed. PTL 1 describes the use of, as an ultraviolet blocking agent, amorphous phosphate of Ce and/or Ti, containing one or more elements of B, Al, Si, Zn, Ga, Zr, Nb, Mo, Ta, and W as a crystallization inhibiting component. PTL 1 further describes that the ultraviolet blocking agent is amorphous phosphate having excellent heat resistance, and suitable applications of the ultraviolet blocking agent include a cosmetic product, a resin molded article, a paint, and the like. PTL 2 describes a method of producing a titanium phosphate powder composed of plate-shaped crystalline particles of titanium phosphate by causing a raw material containing titanium and phosphorus to react by a hydrothermal synthesis method. PTL 2 further describes that plate-shaped crystalline particles of titanium phosphate, corresponding to the structural formula of Ti(HPO4)2.H2O are obtained by this method. As a specific example, PTL 2 describes that hexagonal plate-shaped crystalline particles of titanium phosphate, having a particle diameter of 0.25 to 0.5 μm and 0.4 to 0.7 μm and a thickness of 0. 1 to 0. 2 μm are obtained. PTL 2 further describes that the obtained plate-shaped crystalline particles of titanium phosphate are useful as a reinforcing agent of a building material, a pigment of a paint, and the like. PTL 2 does not describe an example of using a mixture of titanium sulfate and phosphoric acid as a raw material in the method for producing a titanium phosphate powder composed of plate-shaped crystalline particles of titanium phosphate. CITATION LIST Patent Literatures PTL 1: JP 4649102 B2 PTL 2: JP S49-1720 A SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem As mentioned above, in the case where the powder is an additive, a pigment, or the like which is used by adding it to cosmetics, a paint, and the like, each of particles constituting the powder preferably has a thin plate shape because slipperiness among particles becomes favorable. However, the method described in PTL 2 is susceptible to improvement in terms of obtaining a powder suitable for applications such as additives and pigments. An object of the present invention is to provide a powder suitable for applications such as additives and pigments. Solution to Problem The titanium phosphate powder according to one aspect of the present invention is a titanium phosphate powder that includes plate-shaped crystalline particles of titanium phosphate, wherein an average thickness of the plate-shaped crystalline particles is 0.01 μm or more and less than 0.10 μm, and an aspect ratio that is a value obtained by dividing an average primary particle diameter of the plate-shaped crystalline particles by the average thickness is 5 or more. The method for producing a titanium phosphate powder according to one aspect of the present invention is a method for producing a titanium phosphate powder including plate-shaped crystalline particles of titanium phosphate, the method including causing a raw material containing titanium and phosphorus to react by a hydrothermal synthesis method, wherein the raw material is a mixture of titanium sulfate and phosphoric acid. Advantageous Effects of Invention The titanium phosphate powder of the present invention can be suitably used as an additive, a pigment, or the like. According to the method for producing a titanium phosphate powder of the present invention, a powder suitable for applications such as additives and pigments can be obtained.

11224397

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-154277 filed on Aug. 27, 2019. The above application is hereby expressly incorporated by reference, in its entirety, into the present application. BACKGROUND Technical Field The present disclosure relates to an imaging control device, an imaging control method, and an imaging control program. Related Art In recent years, image diagnosis using a radiography apparatus (called mammography) for capturing an image of the breast has attracted attention in order to promote early detection of breast cancer. Further, in the mammography, tomosynthesis imaging has been proposed which moves a radiation source, irradiates the breast with radiation from a plurality of radiation source positions to acquire a plurality of projection images, adds the plurality of acquired projection images to generate tomographic images in which desired tomographic planes have been highlighted. In the tomosynthesis imaging, the radiation source is moved in parallel to a radiation detector or is moved so as to draw a circular or elliptical arc according to the characteristics of an imaging apparatus and the required tomographic image and imaging is performed for the breast at a plurality of radiation source positions to acquire a plurality of projection images. Then, the projection images are reconstructed using a back projection method, such as a simple back projection method or a filtered back projection method, to generate tomographic images. The tomographic images are generated in a plurality of tomographic planes of the breast, which makes it possible to separate structures that overlap each other in the depth direction in which the tomographic planes are arranged in the breast. Therefore, diagnosis is performed using the tomographic images generated by the tomosynthesis imaging to find a lesion that has been difficult to detect in a two-dimensional image (hereinafter, referred to as a simple two-dimensional image) acquired by simple imaging according to the related art. In addition, a technique has been known which generates a pseudo two-dimensional image (hereinafter, referred to as a composite two-dimensional image) corresponding to the simple two-dimensional image, using a plurality of tomographic images having different distances (positions in a height direction) from a detection surface of a radiation detector to a radiation source, which have been acquired by tomosynthesis imaging (see JP2014-128716A). However, in mammography, the breast is placed on an imaging table and imaging is performed in a state in which the breast is compressed by a compression plate. Therefore, the edge of the compression plate is included as a linear image in the image acquired by imaging. In a case in which the edge of the compression plate is bent upward to form a side wall, the side wall is included as a strip-shaped image (hereinafter, referred to as an edge image) in the image. Here, in the tomosynthesis imaging, the radiation source is moved to capture the image of the breast. Therefore, in particular, in a case in which the breast is irradiated with radiation in a direction inclined with respect to a perpendicular line to the detection surface of the radiation detector, the range in which the edge image of the compression plate is included in the projection image is extended. Therefore, in a case in which tomographic images are generated, the tomographic images are reconstructed using only regions obtained by excluding the edge image from the projection images such that artifacts caused by the edge image are not included in the tomographic images and the composite two-dimensional image. In the tomosynthesis imaging, as described above, the radiation source is moved to capture the image of the breast. Therefore, the ranges of the breast images included in each of a plurality of projection images acquired by the tomosynthesis imaging are different from each other. In reconstruction, the quality of the generated tomographic image becomes higher as the number of projection images used becomes larger. Therefore, in the tomographic images and the composite two-dimensional image, a region common to all of the plurality of projection images has high image quality. However, as the number of projection images used for reconstruction becomes smaller, the quality of the tomographic images and the composite two-dimensional image becomes lower. As a result, in the tomographic images and the composite two-dimensional image, a high-quality region and a low-quality region are distributed in a strip shape in the movement direction of the radiation source. Here, in mammography, it is important to find lesions, such as tumors and calcifications hidden by the mammary gland tissues and lymph node metastasis in terms of diagnosis. However, in a portion in which the quality of the tomographic images and the composite two-dimensional image deteriorates, it is difficult to find a lesion in image interpretation. As such, in a case in which it is difficult to find a lesion, the possibility of erroneous diagnosis due to the missing of a lesion increases. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present disclosure has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems and an object of the present disclosure is to provide a technique that can reduce the possibility of erroneous diagnosis in a case in which image interpretation is performed using tomographic images and a composite two-dimensional image acquired by tomosynthesis imaging. According to the present disclosure, there is provided an imaging control device that controls an imaging apparatus performing tomosynthesis imaging which relatively moves a radiation source with respect to a detection unit and irradiates an object with radiation at a plurality of radiation source positions caused by the movement of the radiation source. The imaging control device comprises: a common region derivation unit that derives a common region common to at least some of a plurality of projection images which correspond to the plurality of radiation source positions, respectively, and are acquired by directing the imaging apparatus to perform the tomosynthesis imaging; and an image acquisition unit that directs the imaging apparatus to perform the tomosynthesis imaging to acquire the plurality of projection images in a case in which a width of the common region in a movement direction of the radiation source is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. The “plurality of projection images which correspond to the plurality of radiation source positions, respectively, and are acquired by directing the imaging apparatus to perform the tomosynthesis imaging” means projection images acquired by performing the tomosynthesis imaging from now and does not mean projection images acquired by actually performing the tomosynthesis imaging. The imaging control device according to the present disclosure may further comprise a warning unit that issues a warning indicating that the tomosynthesis imaging is not performed in a case in which the width of the common region in the movement direction of the radiation source is less than the predetermined threshold value. In the imaging control device according to the present disclosure, the common region derivation unit may derive the common region on the basis of a geometric relationship between the object and the imaging apparatus. In this case, the geometric relationship may include at least one of a thickness of the object, the plurality of radiation source positions, or a position of a detection surface of the detection unit. The imaging control device according to the present disclosure may further comprise a reconstruction unit that reconstructs the plurality of projection images to generate a plurality of tomographic images. The imaging control device according to the present disclosure may further comprise a combination unit that generates a composite two-dimensional image from the plurality of tomographic images. In this case, the combination unit may weight and add values of corresponding pixels in the plurality of tomographic images to generate the composite two-dimensional image. The imaging control device according to the present disclosure may further comprise a display control unit that displays at least some of the plurality of tomographic images on a display unit such that an effective image region corresponding to the common region is highlighted. The imaging control device according to the present disclosure may further comprise a display control unit that displays at least some of the plurality of tomographic images or the composite two-dimensional image generated from the plurality of tomographic images on a display unit such that an effective image region corresponding to the common region is highlighted. According to the present disclosure, there is provided an imaging control method that controls an imaging apparatus performing tomosynthesis imaging which relatively moves a radiation source with respect to a detection unit and irradiates an object with radiation at a plurality of radiation source positions caused by the movement of the radiation source. The imaging control method comprises: deriving a common region common to at least some of a plurality of projection images which correspond to the plurality of radiation source positions, respectively, and are acquired by directing the imaging apparatus to perform the tomosynthesis imaging; and directing the imaging apparatus to perform the tomosynthesis imaging to acquire the plurality of projection images in a case in which a width of the common region in a movement direction of the radiation source is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. In addition, a program that causes a computer to perform the imaging control method according to the present disclosure may be provided. Another imaging control device according to the present disclosure comprises: a memory that stores commands for causing a computer to perform a process of controlling an imaging apparatus performing tomosynthesis imaging which relatively moves a radiation source with respect to a detection unit and irradiates an object with radiation at a plurality of radiation source positions caused by the movement of the radiation source; and a processor configured to execute the stored commands. The processor performs a process of deriving a common region common to at least some of a plurality of projection images which correspond to the plurality of radiation source positions, respectively, and are acquired by directing the imaging apparatus to perform the tomosynthesis imaging and a process of directing the imaging apparatus to perform the tomosynthesis imaging to acquire the plurality of projection images in a case in which a width of the common region in a movement direction of the radiation source is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. According to the present disclosure, it is possible to reduce the possibility of missing a lesion in tomographic images and a composite two-dimensional image acquired by tomosynthesis imaging.

11371492

BACKGROUND This disclosure generally relates to fluid sprayers. More particularly, this disclosure relates to fluid sprayer pumps. Sprayers pull fluid from a fluid source and apply the fluid to a surface through a nozzle. The sprayer includes a pump that pulls the fluid from the fluid source and drives the fluid downstream to the nozzle. Prior to operating the sprayer, the pump is dry and must be primed. When the pump is dry, air is disposed within pump cylinders between the check valves and the pistons, which hinders the proper uptake of fluid by the pump. The piston can compress the air, but the air pressure can be insufficient to overcome the force maintaining the check valve in the closed position, such as surface tension of sticky residue from a previous use. When the check valve is stuck in the closed position, a user removes the check valve from the pump and manually manipulates the check valve so air can be ejected through the check valve during priming. SUMMARY According to an aspect of the disclosure, a pump includes a first piston disposed within a first axial bore of a pump body and a first check valve disposed at an exit of the first axial bore. The first piston has a downstream end movable within the first axial bore. The first check valve includes a first valve member. The downstream end of the first piston is configured to impact the first valve member to drive the first valve member from a closed position to an open position. According to another aspect of the disclosure, a sprayer includes a sprayer body, a spray tip attached to the sprayer body and configured to spray a fluid, a reservoir connected to the sprayer body and configured to store a supply of the fluid, and a pump disposed within the sprayer body and configured to draw the fluid from the reservoir and drive the fluid downstream to the spray tip. The pump includes a pump body mounted within the sprayer body, a piston, and a check valve. The pump body includes an axial bore and an inlet channel configured to fluidly connect the axial bore and the reservoir. The piston extends into the axial bore and has a downstream end configured to reciprocate within the axial bore. The check valve is disposed within the axial bore downstream of the piston and includes a valve member. The downstream end of the piston is configured to impact the valve member to drive the valve member from a closed position to an open position. According to yet another aspect of the disclosure, a method of priming a pump includes driving a piston through a priming stroke; impacting a valve member with the piston to drive the valve member from a closed position to an open position; and pulling the piston through a suction stoke.

11516225

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates in general to the field of computers and similar technologies, and in particular to software utilized in this field. Still more particularly, it relates to a method, system and computer-usable medium for performing a human factors risk operation. Description of the Related Art Users interact with physical, system, data, and services resources of all kinds, as well as each other, on a daily basis. Each of these interactions, whether accidental or intended, poses some degree of security risk. However, not all behavior poses the same risk. Furthermore, determining the extent of risk corresponding to individual events can be difficult. In particular, ensuring that an entity is who they claim to be can be challenging. As an example, a first user may attempt to pose as a second user to gain access to certain confidential information. In this example, the first user may be prevented from accessing the confidential information if it can be determined that they are illegitimately posing as the second user. More particularly, access to the confidential information may be prevented if the identity of the first user is resolved prior to the confidential information actually being accessed. Likewise, the first user's access to the confidential information may be prevented if their identity cannot be resolved to the identity of the second user. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In one embodiment the invention relates to a computer-implementable method for performing a human factors risk operation, comprising: monitoring an entity, the monitoring observing an electronically-observable data source; deriving an observable based upon the monitoring of the electronically-observable data source; identifying a security related activity, the security related activity being based upon the observable from the electronic data source; analyzing the security related activity, the analyzing the security related activity using a human factors framework; and, performing a human factors risk operation in response to the analyzing the security related activity. In another embodiment the invention relates to a system comprising: a processor; a data bus coupled to the processor; and a non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium embodying computer program code, the non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium being coupled to the data bus, the computer program code interacting with a plurality of computer operations and comprising instructions executable by the processor and configured for: monitoring an entity, the monitoring observing an electronically-observable data source; deriving an observable based upon the monitoring of the electronically-observable data source; identifying a security related activity, the security related activity being based upon the observable from the electronic data source; analyzing the security related activity, the analyzing the security related activity using a human factors framework; and, performing a human factors risk operation in response to the analyzing the security related activity. In another embodiment the invention relates to a computer-readable storage medium embodying computer program code, the computer program code comprising computer executable instructions configured for: monitoring an entity, the monitoring observing an electronically-observable data source; deriving an observable based upon the monitoring of the electronically-observable data source; identifying a security related activity, the security related activity being based upon the observable from the electronic data source; analyzing the security related activity, the analyzing the security related activity using a human factors framework; and, performing a human factors risk operation in response to the analyzing the security related activity.

11296436

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to a press-fit terminal with improved whisker inhibition, wherein the press-fit terminal is to be inserted into a conductive through-hole of a substrate. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a press-fit terminal with improved whisker inhibition, wherein the press-fit terminal with improved whisker inhibition is to be inserted into a conductive through-hole of a substrate, wherein the press-fit terminal includes a linear elastic deformation part with an outer and inner surface, the press-fit terminal includes, in sequence, a copper or copper alloy base, nickel or a nickel alloy barrier layer, a tin or tin alloy layer and an indium top layer. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Tin whiskers are recognized as a much more serious reliability threat to lead-free electronic components or products due to the implementation of the European Directive on restrictions of hazardous substances (RoHS) legislation in July 2006. This position is exacerbated by the trend for increased sophistication and miniaturization in electronics. Press-fit connection is a solderless technology for making reliable electronic joints. Modern press-fit compliant solutions provide many advantages when compared with soldering, such as solderless, low thermal stress, better reliability, lower cost, etc., making it a popular interconnect technology. It is reported that press-fit connectors have begun to dominate high-end connector applications for telecommunications, computer printed circuit boards (PCBs) and automotive electronic modules. The press-fit technology allows for the insertion of a press-fit pin or terminal into a plated-through hole (PTH) in a printed circuit board (PCB) to establish a cold-welded interconnection autonomously without using solder, especially when tin plating is used for at least one of both contact partners (pin/hole). The press-fit compliant pins having an elastic press-in zone deform when inserted into a PTH and sustain a permanent high contact normal force between the compliant pin and PTH. The high external pressure applied by the compliant press-fit zones during and after performing the press-in process significantly increases the tendency to create tin whiskers especially for pure tin finish. These whiskers grow on much shorter time scales than whiskers caused by the stress introduced by intermetallic phase growth such as Cu6Sn5or CTE (coefficient of thermal expansion) mismatches. Furthermore, the technology trend towards higher density connector solutions (closer pin to pin/hole to hole distance and much higher external force (i.e., kilograms) further increases the risk of electrical short-circuit due to the formation of tin whiskers. Accordingly, there is a need for a press-fit terminal having reduced whisker formation caused by external pressure or stress. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to a press-fit terminal to be inserted into a conductive through-hole of a substrate, the press-fit terminal comprises: a linear elastic deformation part having an outer surface and an inner surface, the press-fit terminal includes, in sequence, a copper or copper alloy base, nickel or nickel alloy barrier layer, tin or tin alloy layer and an indium top layer. The press-fit terminal of the present invention has reduced whisker formation caused by external pressure or stress.

11216247

FIELD One embodiment is directed generally to anomaly detection, and in particular to anomaly detection in a sensor network. BACKGROUND INFORMATION The Internet of Things (“IoT”) is the extension of Internet connectivity into physical devices and everyday objects. Embedded with electronics, Internet connectivity, and sensors, these devices can communicate and interact with others over the Internet, and they can be remotely monitored and controlled. However, within the IoT, anomaly in measurements of assets by sensors may occur due to sensor failure, abnormal changes of the monitored assets or environments, etc. As the number of devices that may be connected exceeds millions or even billions, automatic, accurate and efficient anomaly detection becomes increasingly important. SUMMARY Embodiments determine anomalies in sensor data generated by a plurality of sensors that correspond to a single asset. Embodiments receive a first time window of clean sensor input data generated by the sensors, the clean sensor data including anomaly free data comprised of clean data points. Embodiments divide the clean data points into training data points and evaluation data points, and divide the training data points into a pre-defined number of plurality of segments of equal length. Embodiments convert each of the plurality of segments into corresponding segment curves using Kernel Density Estimation (“KDE”) and determine a Jensen-Shannon (“JS”) divergence value for each of the plurality of segments using the segment curves to generate a plurality of JS divergence values. Embodiments then assign the maximum value of the plurality of JS divergence values as a threshold value and validate the threshold value using the evaluation data points.